Plot Presets
From Sigma Design Wiki
ARRIS Plot Presets is a new ARRIS feature in ARRIS 9.3 to select a plotter, preset plotting variables, set other globals, and run any special commands when the plotter is selected.
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Overview
Plot Presets let you set and store most of the settings used in plotting which are associated with a particular plotter or plotting method. This includes:
- The Plotter itself and any Windows plot driver settings for the plotter
- ARRIS settings such as:
- Custom items, such as commands to run or other things to do before plotting:
After setting and saving all these things, the user select the plotter and Plot Presets from a Windows Explorer type list.
Who should use Plot Presets
A. You might find yourself using the same physical plotter in more than one way using Windows plotter settings, for instance you might use the plotter in Portrait mode with one paper size and then switch to the same plotter in landscape mode at another paper size. (All Windows Plotter settings)
You can do this in Plot Presets - using just one Windows plotter, but saving the different Windows plotter settings as Plot Presets.
B. Sometimes you have to make changes on the ARRIS Plot menu after selecting a different plotter.
- For example maybe you always use one window type and/or one pen map with plotter A and a different window type and different pen map with plotter B.
Plot Presets lets you save the physical plotter, the Windows Plot settings and the ARRIS plot settings in a single "Style", so you can set everything by selecting a single Plot Preset.
Plot Presets will make the most sense if you regularly switch between 2 or more standard modes and/or if you want to standardize plot settings for all users on your network.
Getting Started
You will not be able to select one until you have created one.
- Download and install ARRIS 9.3.
- Create a Plot Preset from inside ARRIS
(Because ARRIS does not come with any pre-defined Plot Presets, you will have to create a new one before you can select one.)
a.) Load the ARRIS PLOT menu
b.) Use Presets - New to create a new plot preset.
c.) Then use Presets or Presets – Select on the plot menu to select your new preset.
(Presets are at the upper left and lower right of the Plot menu.)
Creating a new Plot Preset
Note: Creating a new Plot Preset will make more sense once you understand what a Plot Preset is. Read the next section on Selecting a Plot Preset, (and hopefully this entire document), before you try to create a Plot preset.
There are two ways to create a Plot Preset:
- Define plotter in ARRIS, (using the PLOT menu), and use it to create a Plot Preset.
- Click New Presets at the lower right of the PLOT menu.
- Make changes to an existing Plot Preset and use Save as New to save it as a new Plot Preset.
All new Plot Presets are created in a GRUSR sub-folder Plot_Presets.dir.
(To create GRSTD Plot Presets, the System Administrator will create Plot Presets in his/her GRUSR folder and then copy them to the Standards folder)
Standards Plot Presets
The System Administrator will create Plot Presets in his/her GRUSR folder and then copy them to the Standards folder.
Create Plot Preset from ARRIS
- Select Plotter
- Select the Plotter in ARRIS and define any settings desired – such as scale, offset, pen map, etc.
- When selecting the Windows plotter, you can set any desired Properties on the Plotter Properties dialog box.
- Select “Presets New” from the lower right of the Plot Menu
- Make the desired settings on the Plot Preset edit dialog box.
Description and Comments
Enter a description, comment (if desired), and define which items are to be set into ARRIS when the plotter is selected by the user.
- The description must be unique (within the same plotter) if there is more than one Plot Preset for the same plotter.
- The comments are presented to the user as the plotter is selected.
- They might include location, special instructions, etc.
Items to Preset
- When a Plot Preset is selected, items can be set in ARRIS on the ARRIS PLOT menu.
- Check each item which you would like to have transferred to ARRIS when the Plot Preset is selected.
- The values for each item are shown here, but cannot be changed here.
If you want to change a value, change it on the ARRIS PLOT menu and click ‘Plot New’ again.
Define Plotter
- You can use this to check or alter the settings on the plotter, or to select a different plotter.
- If you select a different plotter, then the Plot Preset will be stored under then name of the new plotter.
Custom Commands
- You can set other globals or run commands when the Plot Preset is selected.
- See Custom Commands later in this document.
Save the New Plot Preset
- Click OK to save the new Plot Preset for this plotter.
Selecting a Plot Preset
"Note: Because ARRIS does not come with any pre-defined Plot Presets, you will have to create one before you can try to select one.
Click Preset from the ARRIS PLOT menu:
The Plot Presets are presented in an indented list tree in two sections:
- USER – Plot Presets defined by the user
- STANDARDS – Plot Presets stored in the Standards folder
In each section, plotters are listed with their Windows Plotter name. (This name is defined when the plotter is installed, so it is important that plotters be installed with the same name on each client machine.)
- click on a plotter name to show the Presets for that plotter ( or double click to hide the Presets for that plotter.
- Under each plotter, are 1 or more Plot Presets – each identified by its description.
- hen a Plot Preset is selected, and comments for the plotter are displayed on the right.
- You can double click on the Plot Preset description, of click the Select button to select the Plot Preset.
When the Plot Preset is selected, its PDV (Windows Plotter Settings) file and its settings are loaded into ARRIS and the ARRIS PLOT menu is loaded which the Plot Preset settings.
