Setup for AutoCAD 13 with WINDOWS NT
Setup for AutoCAD 12/13 with WINDOWS NT
Technical Support (800) 225-2667 Updated: 25 February 1997
A13WNT.DOC
A. There are two methods for configuring Windows NT and AutoCAD. The
first method involves using NET USE. The second method involves
utilizing the AutoCAD AUTOSPOOL program. The NET USE method is easier
to implement, but may not work with certain versions of AutoCAD when
attempting to set the default plot file name to a configured port. It
is recommended, that the first method be attempted first.
1. Perform the following steps for the NET USE method:
a. Setup Windows NT as follows:
(Upper case characters are used to highlight commands and
prompts).
If you are having problems plotting to a device attached
directly to a Windows NT workstation it is because an NT
driver is using the same port.
If the Microsoft Network is being used, then this problem
can be resolved by making the NT driver shared and using
NET USE to capture the output from AutoCAD to the same
port that the Windows NT driver is using. If the plotter
is a remote device attached to another NT workstation,
NT server, or some other network server, skip this step.
i. From Windows NT double click on the DOS PROMPT
ii. Type NET USE
(This will show all network drives and other uses
of the network.)
iii. Type NET USE /? to get online help for the
NET USE function
iv. To capture a local port, enter per the following
format:
NET USE \\\
Example: NET USE LPT2 \\MY_NTWS\MY_PRINTER
v. To capture the port to a printer shared on the
Microsoft Network, enter as follows:
NET USE \\\
Example: NET USE LPT2 \\NT_SERVER\NT_PRINTER
vi. To capture the port to a printer shared on Novell or
TCP/IP networks, enter as follows:
NET USE \\\
Example: NET USE LPT2\\NOVELL_SERVER\PLOTTER_QUEUE
NOTE: This will redirect the output from AutoCAD's
ADI driver to the captured port allowing it to pass
output through the Windows NT environment. The
output will be spooled by the Print Manager, but is
not processed by the Windows NT driver.
b. Setup AutoCAD as follows:
(uppercase characters used to highlight commands and
prompts)
i. From the AutoCAD Command Line type: CONFIG
ii. At the Configuration Menu choose: CONFIGURE
OPERATING PARAMETERS
iii. At Operating parameters, choose: DEFAULT PLOT FILE
NAME (option #3)
iv. At this option (#3), enter the appropriate port.
(NOTE: AutoCAD will recognize any port that is
configured. If AutoCAD does not recognize the port
name entered here, then this method cannot be used.
If this is the case, refer to the second setup
method described later).
v. Exit to the "CONFIGURATION MENU"
vi. At the "Configuration Menu" choose: CONFIGURE
PLOTTER (option #5)
vii. At the "Plotter Configuration" choose: ADD A PLOTTER
CONFIGURATION
viii. From "AVAILABLE PLOTTERS", choose your CalComp
model driver.
ix. Choose Y for YES to the prompt: "DO YOU WANT TO
CHANGE ANYTHING?"
All other selections, choose the defaults.
x. Select Yes to the prompt: "WRITE THE PLOT TO A
FILE?"
Choose the defaults at all other prompts.
xi. Exit to the "CONFIGURATION MENU"
xii. Exit to the "DRAWING EDITOR"
xiii. Choose YES at the "KEEP CONFIGURATION CHANGES?"
prompt.
xiv. Exit and restart AutoCAD for the changes to take
effect.
The above procedure sets AutoCAD to plot to a file by the
name of a port which prevents a conflict between AutoCAD
and Windows NT over which "owns" that hardware port.
2. If the first method described above cannot be used and AutoCAD
13 is being used, then the following second method utilizing the
AutoCAD AUTOSPOOL program should be used as an alternative.
Perform the following steps:
a. When using AutoCAD, installed locally in a Windows NT
environment, the system may not recognize the printer
port. This inability to plot to the parallel port with
AutoCAD 13 may occur on all versions of Windows NT.
i. This problem may occur in either of the following
ways:
i.1. The printer/plotter is attached to a local
port which is concurrently defined to a Print
Manager Resource or any other Windows NT
system service.
i.2. The printer/plotter is network attached from a
remote
ii. The Windows NT operating system does not allow an
external program, such as an AutoCAD ADI driver, to
control a physical or virtual port which is defined
to Print Manager or any other Windows NT system
service. This means that an ADI driver cannot be
directly configured to a port that is also defined
to Print Manager or any other Windows NT system
service.
iii. If the ADI driver is configured to produce a plot
file, an operating system command such as copy can
be used to direct the job to the output device.
AutoCAD includes a function called AUTOSPOOL which
can be used to automate this process. An added
benefit of using AUTOSPOOL in Windows NT is that
AutoCAD writes a file at plot time instead of
directly driving the printer/plotter, so the AutoCAD
session is available sooner after issuing the plot
command. Perform the following steps:
iii.1. Create a spool directory for placement of
AUTOSPOOL plot files. In order to reduce
network traffic and improve overall
performance, it is recommended that the
directory be on a local disk on each
workstation. All AutoCAD users must have write
access to the directory. The directory may be
any name you choose. The AutoCAD default name
is: SPFILES.
iii.2. Start AutoCAD, and enter the AutoCAD
Configuration Menu by typing CONFIG at the
AutoCAD command line.
iii.3. Under CONFIGURE OPERATING PARAMETERS,
select PLOT SPOOLER DIRECTORY and enter the
spool directory name that was created above.
Include the complete directory path
(e.g., C:\SPFILES).
iii.4. Under CONFIGURE OPERATING PARAMETERS,
select DEFAULT PLOT FILE NAME and set the
value to AUTOSPOOL. This is an optional step,
it will avoid the necessity of specifying
AUTOSPOOL as the plot file name at each plot
time.
iii.5. Under CONFIGURE PLOTTER, configure the
printer/plotter(s). When prompted for the port
to which the printer/plotter is attached,
respond with a dot (.) to indicate a null
connection. If an actual port designation is
entered here, it may cause conflicts resulting
in ADI driver initialization failure and
subsequent error message(s) generation. Make a
note of the name you gave the configuration,
including case and punctuation. If you will be
supporting multiple printer/plotter
configurations, keep the names short to avoid
confusion later.
iii.6. Exit CONFIGURE, saving changes when prompted.
iii.7. From the OPTIONS pulldown menu, select
preferences and choose the MISC tab.
iii.8. If you wish to support multiple ADI
drivers using AUTOSPOOL, it is necessary to
create a script file to send the job to the
correct device. AUTOSPOOL will later execute
this script, passing the the name you gave the
printer/plotter configuration (%c) and the
file name AUTOSPOOL assigns to the plot job
(%s). Perform the following steps:
iii.8.1. Enter the following in the plot
spooling box:
\PLOT.BAT %c %s
iii.8.2. Create a script using a text editor.
The following example plot.bat script
assumes a user has configured three
printer/plotters, named PLOTA, PLOTB
and PLOTC during printer/plotter
configuration in AutoCAD.
PLOTA is a local device, attached to
LPT1.
PLOTB is network attached, physically
connected to a server called SERVER1.
This printer/plotter is shared as
S1PLOTTER.
PLOTC is network attached, physically
connected to a server called SERVER2.
This printer/plotter is shared as
S2PLOTTER.
Rem PLOT.BAT
@echo off
Rem determine the destination
if %1 == PLOTA goto PlotA
if %1 == PLOTB goto PlotB
if %1 == PLOTC goto PlotC
Rem trap for undefined devices
echo **********Warning**************
echo %1 is not defined to the Plot
echo Redirection Script,
echo PLOT.BAT
echo The plot job has been canceled.
echo *******************************
pause
goto END
Rem send the job
:PlotA
copy %2 /b LPT1
goto END
:PlotB
copy %2 /b \\SERVER1\S1PLOTTER
goto END
:PlotC
copy %2 /b \\SERVER2\S2PLOTTER
goto END
Rem clean up and exit
:END
erase %2
exit
iii.8.3. Notice that the printer/plotter
name variable name is passed to the
script as %c and is referred in the
script as %1, the first variable
passed.
iii.8.4. The same relationship is true for
the plot file name, %s and %2.
iii.8.5. This script may be tested by first
plotting a drawing to a valid file
name other than AUTOSPOOL and executing
the script at an operating system
command prompt, supplying parameters
as follows:
PLOT
where is the exact,
case sensitive, name given to the
printer/plotter in the AutoCAD
configuration.
If you do not get the results you
expect, perform the following:
iii.8.5.1. Add a new line with the
word PAUSE on it directly
above each 'goto END' line.
iii.8.5.2. Add REM in front of the
'@echo off' line.
iii.8.5.3. Execute the script again
to review the results of
each step.
iii.8.6. If you have only one local
printer/plotter, attached to a local
port, which is concurrently defined
to a Print Manager Resource or any
other Windows NT system service,
enter the following in the plot
spooling box:
copy %s LPT1: /b
(substitute the proper port
designation for your device)
iii.8.7. If you only have one networked
printer/plotter, attached from a
remote host, enter the following in
the plot spooling box.
copy %s \\\
where
"\\\"
is the "UNC" path of the device.
For more information on UNC paths,
consult your operating system
documentation.
iii.8.8. To plot, select the destination
device in the AutoCAD Plot dialog box,
select PLOT TO FILE, verify that the
plot file name is AUTOSPOOL, set any
other required plot parameters, and
then click on OK to send the job.