HP-GL/2.DOC ---------- ADI (R) LongPlot driver for the Hewlett Packard HP-GL/2 Plotters Supported plotters include: HP 7600 Series Electrostatic Plotter Models HP DraftMaster X Series HP PaintJet XL with HP-GL/2 Language Cartridge HP LaserJet III HPGL2.EXE ver 1.09 for AutoCAD (R) Copyright 1989, 90, 91 Autodesk, Inc. Document Revision 2.0 Mar. 16, 1991 /****************************************************************************** * * * Copyright (C) 1991 by Autodesk, Inc. * * * * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and * * its documentation for the purpose of creating applications for * * AutoCAD, is hereby granted in accordance with the terms of the * * License Agreement accompanying this product. * * * * Autodesk makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the * * correctness of this code or any derivative works which incorporate * * it. Autodesk provides the code on an ''as-is'' basis and * * explicitly disclaims any liability, express or implied, for * * errors, omissions, and other problems in the code, including * * consequential and incidental damages. * * * * Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is * * subject to restrictions set forth in FAR 52.227-19 (Commercial * * Computer Software - Restricted Rights) and DFAR 252.227-7013 (c) * * (1) (ii) (Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software, as * * applicable. * * * ******************************************************************************/ INTRODUCTION This document explains the installation and use of HPGL2.EXE, an Autodesk Device Interface (ADI) driver designed to run HP-GL/2 language plotters (listed above) with AutoCAD and AutoSketch. Please read the AutoCAD Installation and Performance Guide concerning plotting to Hewlett-Packard Plotters, the AutoCAD Reference Manual section on plotting, and your plotter manual. This driver was developed by Autodesk, Inc. and does not represent an endorsement of any particular product. Autodesk, Inc. makes no warranty, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, regarding these materials and makes such materials available on an "as-is" basis. ADI Drivers - This driver is a real mode ADI plotter driver. ADI is an acronym for the Autodesk Device Interface specification that was used to create this driver. You can use this driver (HPGL2.EXE) with any version of AutoCAD that supports ADI plotter drivers. Please see the AutoCAD Installation and Performance Guide, which shipped with your version of AutoCAD, to see if you have such a driver option. This driver was tested using AutoCAD Release 10 and Release 11. *************************************************************************** LIMITATIONS OF THIS DRIVER Real mode ADI plotter drivers, such as HPGL2.EXE have limited communication with AutoCAD, compared to internal or protected mode drivers. Due to this, real mode ADI drivers lack some of the features of internal drivers or protected mode ADI drivers. If you have Release 11,you may want to use the ADI protected mode driver, PLPHPGL2.EXP instead. For example, there is no provision for AutoCAD to tell a real mode ADI driver about paper sizes or units of measurement (inches vs millimeters). There is no way for a real mode ADI driver to inform AutoCAD of its linetypes, changes in units of measurement, scaling or paper size. Thus it is sometimes necessary for you to answer similar questions, once for AutoCAD and once for the real mode ADI driver. Real mode ADI drivers have no way of storing your configuration choices in AutoCAD's configuration or drawing files. This driver is primarily configured by command line options. Your choices for these options persist until you reboot the computer or reload the driver with new options. Reloading a real mode ADI driver without rebooting your computer will waste memory because the driver is loaded twice. Reloading the driver with different command line options will, in some cases, require you to also reconfigure AutoCAD so that AutoCAD and the driver agree on the options you have selected. NOTE: Because of the way ADI drivers function, error trapping and user prompts will not function in a familiar way. In this driver, SPACE BAR acts as a space bar, not as a command line terminator, all user input prompts are terminated by a CARRIAGE RETURN, and CONTROL-C may have to be repeated more than once. ESC may have to be repeated more than once. Please be patient, most requests for termination will be accepted and acted upon. Protected mode ADI drivers do not have these limitations. COPYING THE DRIVER SOFTWARE The HPGL2 plotter driver w/LongPlot for AutoCAD comes with a help file, HPGL2.HLP for on-line command line options. You probably will want to install the driver in the same directory where you store AutoCAD. Here's how to copy the driver software onto your hard disk. The example assumes an AutoCAD directory is on drive C and named \ACAD and the ADI driver update disk is in drive A: 1. Change to the directory where you store AutoCAD C:> CD ACAD [Return] 2. Insert the ADI driver update diskette in drive A. 3. Copy the driver files to your hard disk: C:> COPY A:\HPGL2\HPGL2.* [Return] INSTALLING THE HPGL2 ADI DRIVER The ADI HP-GL/2 plotter driver must be installed (loaded into memory) prior to entering AutoCAD. It is a "terminate and stay resident" (TSR) software program and uses about 20k of RAM. Once loaded, it remains in memory until you turn off or reboot your computer. ** Note: Each time you type in the command HPGL2 another copy of the driver software is loaded into memory, using up to 20k more of RAM. You need to "reboot" the system (to clear out the any copies of HPGL2.EXE). THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMAND LINE SWITCHES As discussed above, your ADI driver does not have the ability to communicate with AutoCAD to modify plot specifications. Thus, these can only be set at the time of driver installation by using the command line switches (options) listed below. Think through your plotting requirements prior to installing the HPGL2 driver as it will remain in memory until you turn off or reboot your computer. Remember that you must configure AutoCAD compatibly with the options you select on installing this driver. If you plan to use the same command line options each time you use this driver, you may want to create a small batch file to invoke the driver with your selected options, or you may want to add this command line to your autoexec.bat file. To install the driver: C:> HPGL2 [options] [Return] The HPGL2 defaults are listed below. To change this you can include one or more of the following options on the command line: HPGL2 -Lx [Return] Where x is 2 or 3 for LPT2 or LPT3. Specify a parallel port other than the default (LPT1). HPGL2 -Cx [Return] Where x is 1 or 2 (COM1 or COM2). Specify a serial port instead of the default parallel port. HPGL2 -M [Return] Specify the plot sizes in millimeters. Default plot sizes are in inches. **** NOTE: You must be sure to configure AutoCAD with the same option you select here. HPGL2 -Z [Return] For a LaserJet III only. Issues LaserJet specific commands that reset the LaserJet III. HPGL2 -J [Return] Specifies a PaintJet XL with the HPGL/2 cartridge. HPGL2 -A [Return] For operation with a printer/plotter RAM buffer or an external automatic data switch on the serial port. It removes checking for a timeout value when outputting to a serial port. It should be used cautiously because the HPGL2 driver program will loop constantly waiting for a ready signal from the device. It will appear as if ACAD is hung up if the serial cable is disconnected or the device goes off line. There will be no error messages or chance for the user to quit. HPGL2 -R [Return] Specify the number of additional copies you want of the plot. (You will be asked how many additional copies you want at plot time). This option is not available if you use the -S, AutoSketch option. **** NOTE: This feature is not supported on the HP LaserJet III. Please see the Plotter Specific Information section for a full discussion on how to generate multiple plots. HPGL2 -P [Return] Disable the page advance after the plot is completed. (See "Notes On Operation" below for additional information.) HPGL2 -E [Return] Disable the automatic paper cutter (if your plotter has one). HPGL2 -V [Return] Change the default from line weights to pen speed (otherwise the pen speed will be interpreted as a line weight). **** NOTE: If you use a DRAFTMASTER RX, be sure to enable this option. Otherwise unpredictable results may occur. AutoCAD defaults to setting all pen speeds to 1, so you will probably want to change AutoCAD's pen speed configuration if you pick this option. HPGL2 -Ixx [Return] Where xx is the new interrupt number. Install the driver for a different interrupt vector (default is 78 HEX). HPGL2 -Ffname [Return] Specify the plot file name. This will create a file named 'fname' on your default drive. You will have the chance to rename the file before plotting (unless you also choose the -S AutoSketch option). If you decide to abort the plot by issuing a Control-C (^C) at this prompt, you must hit RETURN to complete the action. The file will then be closed and erased. If you choose the -S option together with the -F option, you will not be able to change the plot file name, nor will you be able to use ^C to cancel at this stage. You can rename each plot file after it has been produced (to avoid writing over a previous file with the same name) or you may reboot and reload the driver, giving a different plot file name. HPGL2 -S [Return] Install the driver to work with AutoSketch or AutoCAD scripts. With this option, all prompts to the screen will be removed. You will not be asked longplot or page size questions. Longplots are disabled. Script files can run without any user input with this option. Warning: Failure to do this when using AutoSketch will cause your computer to hang up because AutoSketch does not allow screen messages and keyboard input. To install the driver using a combination of the above options: HPGL2 -Fplotdata.plt -R -I7b -L2 This will do the following: 1. Create a plot file 'plotdata.plt' of your drawing on your default drive for plotting at a later time. 2. Make multiple copies of the plot. 3. The interrupt vector will be 7b (in hex). 4. AutoCAD expects the plotter to be connected to parallel port 2 (LPT2). ** Note: As with all TSR's each time you type in the command "HPGL2" another copy of the driver is loaded into memory, using up more RAM. You will need to "reboot" the system (to clear out any copies of HPGL2.EXE). If you want to change any of the installation options for the driver, we suggest that you reset your system prior to reconfiguring the driver to save valuable memory for AutoCAD. Reloading the driver without resetting the computer will use more memory but will activate any new command line options (if issued). Reloading the driver without resetting the computer is NOT recommended. You should exit all active programs and reset your computer prior to changing any of the command line options for this driver. -- DO NOT RESET YOUR COMPUTER WHILE AUTOCAD or AUTOSKETCH IS RUNNING ! -- Exit AutoCAD or AutoSketch prior to resetting the driver. After resetting your computer, call HPGL2 with any new command line options, reconfigure AutoCAD if necessary and then plot as you would normally. CONFIGURING AUTOCAD FOR THE HP-GL/2 PLOTTER DRIVER -------------------------------------------------- It is necessary to configure AutoCAD for an ADI DRIVER. You will need to do this before you use the HPGL2 ADI driver for the first time. AutoCAD will save these settings until you change them. If you change the configuration of the HPGL2 ADI driver, you may also need to change your AutoCAD configuration. Refer to your AutoCAD Installation and Performance Guide for a more in-depth explanation of the steps below. To configure AutoCAD for an ADI plotter driver, select from the AutoCAD Main Menu: Option 5 - Configure AutoCAD Your current configuration will be displayed. Press RETURN. Then select from the Configuration Menu: Option 5 - Configure plotter Select ADI driver from the list of displayed plotters. You will be asked to select the driver's output format. Select output format 3, installed ADI driver. You will then be asked: Hexadecimal interrupt code (INT 0XXh) <78>: Press RETURN NOTE: If you have used the -I command line option, be sure that you use the same hex address you used when installing the driver. Next you will be asked questions about the number of pens, line types and speed. Answer the questions as follows: ------------------------------------------------------- STEPS PER PEN LINE MODEL INCH PENS SPEED STYLES ------------------------------------------------------- HP7600 1016 16 20 9 HP Draftmaster RX 1016 8 60 9 (with -v option) HP PaintJet XL w/ HPGL2 1016 16 20 9 HP LaserJet III 1016 16 20 9 ------------------------------------------------------- Does the plotter have multiple pens? Answer Y How many pens does it have, 2 to 127 : Answer 16 (NOTE: The DRAFTMASTER RX has 8 pens.) Does the plotter have multiple dashed line styles? Answer Y How many line styles are there, 2 to 127 <#>: Answer 9 Is the plotter variable speed? Answer Y NOTE: The pen speed field will be used to define line widths unless the driver was booted with the -v option. What is the numeric code for the fastest speed, 1 to 127 <#>: Enter 20 unless the driver was booted with the -v option, then you enter 60. Next AutoCAD asks about media sizes. Note that you are telling AutoCAD about paper sizes here - the driver will ask you again at plot time. If you are doing a Longplot, see the special section which explains this in detail, below. (Remember 25.4 millimeters = 1 inch) --------------------------------------------------------------------- paper sizes: A legal B roll MODEL X Y X Y X Y X Y --------------------------------------------------------------------- HP7600 240D and 250 64" 23.10" HP7600 240D and 250 1626 587mm HP7600 240E, 255 and 355 64" 35.10" HP7600 240E, 255 and 355 1626 892mm HP Draftmaster RX 64" 33.60" HP Draftmaster RX 1626 853mm HP PaintJet XL w/ HPGL2 10.72 8.17" 16.60" 10.60" HP PaintJet XL w/ HPGL2 272mm 207mm 421mm 269mm HP LaserJet III 10.5" 8.00" 13.5" 8.00" HP LaserJet III 266mm 203mm 343mm 203mm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Specify plot size in millimeters? Answer Y or N as you wish. Remember you have to configure the driver to agree with the answer you give here! Maximum horizontal (X) plot size in inches <#>: (see table above) (See the section on Long Axis Plotting below for details on the actual limitations of this driver. This driver will produce plots up to 50 feet in length.) Plotter steps per inch in the horizontal (X) direction <#>: If using inches, use 1016. For millimeters, use 40. **** NOTE: You must configure AutoCAD so it agrees with this driver regarding units of inches or millimeters! Maximum vertical (Y) plot size in inches <#>: (see table above) Plotter steps per inch in the vertical (Y) direction <#>: If using inches, use 1016. For millimeters, use 40. NOTE: You may enter larger page sizes, but due to the operation of the paper handling mechanism, you may clip the plot in the y direction. Experimentation may allow you a modest increase in the y plot size. The next question will ask: Would you like to calibrate your plotter? Answer as you wish. You will now go through the standard plotter configuration dialog. Be sure to specify MAX paper size if you want to do Longplots. If you have any questions see the Configuration section of the Installation & Performance Guide to AutoCAD. Also see the AutoCAD main Reference Manual for AutoCAD details, and your plotter User's guide for plotter details. AutoCAD will now be configured to plot using the installed ADI driver. It can do Long-Axis plots of up to fifty feet in length in addition to the normal paper sizes. PLOTTING ON A STANDARD SIZE PAPER (Sizes A-E) --------------------------------------------- Either issue the Plot command from the drawing editor or select option 3 from AutoCAD's main menu. You will be asked two additional questions before the plot is sent off to the plotter. Make sure your plotter is cabled correctly, is turned on, and is On-Line. (NOTE: If you have enabled the -S option for AutoSketch, you are limited to a page size of 11 inches and will not be asked the following configuration questions.) After AutoCAD's plot questions, the HP-GL/2 ADI driver will prompt: Longplot(L) or Standard sheet(S) ? Press the 's' key. It will then prompt: X-Axis Length for Plot? Answer with length appropriate for the plot size you told AutoCAD to draw in inches. Make sure that the length is larger than the paper size you select, or your plot may be truncated along the X axis. NOTE: This step determines how far the paper on electrostatic or HP DraftMasters with roll paper will advance. This will save a considerable amount of paper if you do small-size plots. The answer you enter has no effect on the HP LaserJet printers, but you still have to answer with a legal number (more than 0 and less than 600"). If you specified the -M command line option for metric units, be sure to convert the length of the X-axis from inches into millimeters. To convert inches into millimeters, multiply the inches by 25.4. PLOTTING A LONG AXIS PLOT (UP TO 50 feet) ----------------------------------------- NOTE: Longplots are not possible with the HP LaserJet III or the HP PaintJet printers. Only roll-fed plotters can do longplots. Do not use these instructions for creating plots less than 64". You may longplot to a file by using the -F command line option. ********************************************************************** AutoCAD doesn't directly support Longplots. AutoCAD can plot only about 65,535 plotter steps in each direction, which is about 64" for HP plotters which use 1016 steps per inch. Longplots are done by rescaling the plot data after it is sent to the driver, to magnify the plot at a small cost in plot resolution. Because there is no two-way communication between real mode ADI plotter drivers and AutoCAD, this scaling process is a bit complicated. *********************************************************************** If you are using the HP Draftmaster RX for a LongPlot, you must follow the instructions in the HP User's Guide. In other words, you must have a black 0.3mm filer-tip pen (for plotter paper) or a 0.35mm drafting pen (for vellum or polyester film) in pen stall 8. Only these pens enable the plotter to detect the registration marks used for frame-to-frame alignment. From AutoCAD's drawing editor, issue the Plot command or select option 3 from AutoCAD's main menu. Specify the part of the drawing you wish to plot by answering the prompt: What to plot -- Display, Extents, limits, View, or Window : AutoCAD displays the basic plot specifications and asks if you want to change any of them: Do you want to change anything? -- Answer es NOTE: At this point DRAFTMASTER RX users should take a moment and review the pen settings. The pen speeds should be configured to the appropriate values for the pens you are using. When you come to the question: Enter the Size or Width, Height (in units) : Answer MAX Note: MAX width should have been set to 64" in AutoCAD plotter configuration dialogue. (See above). Then, when you come to this question: Specify scale by entering: Plotted units=Drawing units or Fit or ? : IMPORTANT!! - SPECIAL PLOT SCALING REQUIREMENTS FOR LONG PLOTS In order to create long-plots, HPGL2.EXE has to magnify the plot sent from AutoCAD. This question (asked by AutoCAD) must be answered with a scale factor which will keep the total number of plotter steps in each direction from AutoCAD below the 65024 (64" x 1016 steps per inch) limit. Let's start by considering the relatively simple situation where you want the plotted size to be the same as the AutoCAD drawing editor size you selected. In other words, we'll assume you would want to plot 1:1 if AutoCAD were able to create long plots directly. You may scale down your plot by using a value figured by the following formula: DS - is the size of the long axis of your drawing in AutoCAD drawing editor units. PS - is the size of the long axis you want your plot to have M - is the amount of magnification which HPGL2 will have to use to make this drawing plot the desired size. PSF - is the plotting scale factor to give AutoCAD DSF - is the drawing scale factor (the relation of drawing units to plotted units, e.g., 1"=12") DSR - is the drawing scale ratio - if DSF is 1"=12", PSR is 1/12 PSF = DSF (because you drew the same size you want to plot) M = DS / 64" (round up to next largest whole number) In other words, divide the long axis of the Plotted Size by 64" Then round the result up to the next largest integer (whole number). PSF is 1"=M" The Scale Factor you enter for AutoCAD is 1=M, where M is the result from the calculation above. For example: Scale factor in AutoCAD Drawing Size Plotted size = Drawing size (drawing units) ----------------------------------------------------------- 1"=2" 64" < DS < 128" 1"=3" 128" < DS < 192" 1"=4" 192" < DS < 256" - - - 1"=10" 576" < DS < 600" (maximum longplot) Example A: if your drawing is 49' long you would enter 1=10". This is the size in drawing units (49' * 12"/foot = 588") divided by 64" (588 / 64 = 9.18) rounded up to M = 10. Example B: If your drawing is 100 inches long, dividing by 64" yields 1.56. Rounding up, M = 2. So, if you enter 1"=2", AutoCAD converts the drawing to 50 inches. But, when you actually plot, you'll tell the driver to produce a 100 inch drawing. If you used a drawing size different from the final plotted size you desire, a slightly more complex computation is required. M = PS / 64" PSF is 1" = (M / DSR)" Example C: You want to draw at 1"=60". The long axis of your drawing is 1500' (300" when scaled 1"=60"). M = 300 / 60 = 5. PSF = M / 1 /60 = 300. Enter using the following table based on the drawing size in the drawing editor: Drawing Plot Scale ratio Scale factor drawing size plotted size magnification DSR PSF DS PS M ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/12 1"=24" (or 2') 64' < DS < 128' 64" < PS < 128" 2 1/12 1"=96" (or 8') 500' 500" 8 1/60 1"=300" (or 25') 1500' 300" 5 ** Note: These drawing units don't have to be inches, they can be kilometers or feet, but the same ratio applies between plotted units to drawing units. Note that AutoCAD will calculate and display a maximum plottable area based on the scale factor you supplied. This will be smaller in each direction than your actual plot. The plot will be larger by the magnification M applied by the ADI driver. In Example B above, if your drawing is 100"x30", AutoCAD will display a maximum plot size of 50"x15". DISREGARD THIS MESSAGE! The true plot size will be controlled by the X-Axis length selection which you make at a subsequent prompt. If you correctly answer that prompt, your plot will really be 100"x30". AutoCAD will prompt you to position paper. Just press return. The HP-GL/2 ADI driver will prompt: Longplot(L) or Standard sheet(S) ? Press the 'L' key. It will then prompt: X-Axis Length for Plot? Enter the number of inches that you want the plotted length of the long axis to be. In Example B, above, you would enter 100 (inches). The ADI driver will automatically scale your drawing to fit within the desired length. This length will also control how far the plotter advances the paper at the end of the plot. For those who are curious, the driver actually will figure the magnification factor, M, by which to scale plot data by (assuming inches) figuring M (a whole number) = X-Axis / 64 + 1. In other words, it figures M just as we did earlier. Then the driver scales up all plot data by multiplying by M. The plot is magnified by this factor in both X and Y directions. You may have noticed that any answer between 64 and 127 would produce the same magnification (but would advance the paper a different amount at the end of the plot). Note that you must enter a legal value here, otherwise the prompt will be repeated. A legal value is numeric, greater than 0 and less than 15240 mm or 600" (depending on your selection of inches or millimeters). If you specified the -M command line option for metric units, be sure to convert the length of the X-axis from inches into millimeters. To convert inches into millimeters, multiply the inches by 25.4. Remember that AutoCAD must be configured for metric units if the driver is configured for metric units, and the plotter steps per millimeter must be properly set in AutoCAD. If you installed the driver with the -R (replot) option you will be asked for the number of additional copies you want. The HP-GL/2 ADI will send all the vectors off to the plotter's buffer or hard disk. The pen plotters will automatically advance the page to plot each frame. Raster devices will wait until the entire drawing is received before plotting. LINE WEIGHTS ------------ Some of the devices supported by this driver (e.g., HP7600, HP PaintJet and HP LaserJet III) are capable of plotting various width lines. These widths are sometimes called "line weights". AutoCAD has no provision for assigning different line weights to different pens. But the devices which support selectable line weights do not actually have physical pens, so it is possible to map AutoCAD's pen speed assignments to line weights. This driver defaults to mapping the value in the pen speed field to line weights. After you have selected what you are going to plot, you will be asked: Do you want to change any of the above parameters? -- Answer Yes You will be shown a table of Entity Colors from 1 to 15 and the associated Pen Numbers, Line Types and Pen Speeds. Substitute for the Pen Speed value, the line weight numbers from the following table: Line Weight Line Weight Widths No. (mm.) --- ----------- 1 .350 mm. (default) 2 .075 3 .100 4 .120 5 .187 6 .250 7 .300 8 .400 9 .500 10 .600 11 .700 12 .800 13 1.00 14 1.25 15 1.50 16 1.75 17 2.00 18 2.50 19 3.00 20 4.00 For example if you assign to Entity Color #4 (cyan) Pen Speed 9 from the above table, all the color 4 entities drawn in AutoCAD will be plotted with lines .5 millimeters wide. At run time configuration when you make the pen table assignments you would enter a pen speed of 9 to Layer/Color 4. For example: Layer Pen Line Pen Color No. Type Speed 4(cyan) 1 0 0 Pen Speed <0>: Enter 9 and all entities of layer 4 will be plotter with a .5mm. line width. Do not use line weights greater than .8 mm to draw text. The results are not satisfactory. For faster throughput on pen plotters, use different width pens in the carousel to get pen widths. Otherwise, the plotter will multi-stroke each vector. MULTIPLE COPIES OF THE PLOT --------------------------- If you included -R on the command line when you installed the HP-GL/2 driver you will see the prompt: How many additional copies do you want? <0> Enter the number you need and HP-GL/2 device will make that many additional copies. Note: Insure that you have sufficient paper to produce the plots requested! Check the roll if you choose this option. *** Note: This option is not supported on LaserJet III printers. See the detailed discussion in the Plotter Specific Information section, later in this document. STOPPING THE PLOT ----------------- If you wish to stop the long axis drawing while AutoCAD is sending vectors to the plotter, abort it in the normal manner (Control C). If plotting to a HP PaintJet XL, hold the On-Line button down until all the lights flash to clear the aborted plot. If plotting to a HP 7600 240D/E, press the plotters' RESET button. If plotting to a DraftMaster, press the CANCEL button. If plotting to a HP 7600 250/255/355, delete the incomplete plot by pressing the Plot Management Key, select Queuing Operations and then select the plot and delete it from the queue. Failure to reset the plotter may eventually produce a plot with portions of the terminated plot overlaying the successive plot. If you wish to stop the plotter after AutoCAD has finished sending all the vectors and while it is still plotting, follow the procedures outlined above for your specific device. Consult the plotters' User's manual for more information. NOTES ON OPERATION ------------------ Here are some tips for using the HP-GL/2 ADI driver with AutoCAD: 1. You may wish to place a call to HPGL2.EXE in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This insures that you have loaded the driver before entering your application. 2. The plotter must be connected, turned on, and on line before you plot using the HP-GL/2 ADI driver. 3. Do not turn the plotter on and off in the middle of a plotting session. An error message will be displayed if you try to use the ADI HP-GL/2 driver while the plotter is turned off. 4. If you turn off the automatic page advance with the command line option -P, you must manually activate the "PLOT" button on the electrostatic plotters and the HP PaintJet XL printer. 5. To send a plot file to the plotter, type the following at the DOS command line: copy 'filename' lpt(n): OR copy 'filename' com(n): where filename is the name of the file you wish to plot and lpt(n) or com(n) represents the port you have connected to your plotter. If using the serial (com) port, you will first have to issue a mode statement to match the serial configuration of your plotter. 6. Disk Space Considerations: If you wish to plot to file (-f option) please insure that you have sufficient disk space to do so. File sizes are not dependent on the size of AutoCAD's DWG file, rather they depend on the contents of that file. CHROMA.DWG, while only 12,359 bytes as distributed with AutoCAD, expands to almost 240k bytes when plotted to file. This is due to the amount of fill the plotter must do to plot this file. Each solid filled object in the drawing requires that the driver send pen movement information sufficient to fill the object. Simple line drawings will require much less disk space. 7. Serial port may time out if your plotter is turned off, off line or not connected. You will get a message asking if you want to quit, retry once, or retry constantly. If you select constant retries, error checking to the serial port will be disabled. Please be cautious. PLOTTER SPECIFIC INFORMATION HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS The hardware requirements specific to using the HPGL2 plotter ADI driver with AutoCAD. o A parallel card and cable as described in the AutoCAD Installation & Performance Guide is your best choice for good performance with raster devices such as electrostatic plotters, LaserJet III, and the PaintJet XL printer. o A serial card and cable is required for plotting to the DraftMaster series plotters but can be used with the raster devices but plots will take significantly longer to send to the plotter. We do not recommend serial communications for raster devices. *** Note: The LaserJet III cabling diagram as shown in the AutoCad IG will not work with this driver. Please see the section below "HP LASERJET III IN HPGL2 MODE". HARDWARE INSTALLATION The supported HP device must be connected to the computer with a standard Centronics-type parallel cable or a serial cable. The AutoCAD Installation & Performance Guide section for Hewlett-Packard Plotters contains information regarding pin connections, switch settings, serial and parallel cable information for the HP7600 and HP Draftmaster plotters. HP 7600 SERIES OF MONOCHROME ELECTROSTATIC PLOTTERS This includes the 240D or E and the 250D or E. If you want all solid black lines, assign all pen colors to black (pen 7). Otherwise, the non-black colors will print out in different shades of gray. NOTE: This is a hardware specific feature and not all HPGL2 devices will operate in this manner. DRAFTMASTER PLOTTERS The following table details the actual physical plotting areas for each page size supported by the HP DraftMaster plotters: Media Plotting Width Plotting Height Media Orientation Size Normal Expanded Normal Expanded (as loaded into plotter) A 8.83" 9.66" 7.3" 8.1" Portrait B 14.83" 15.66" 9.8" 10.6" Portrait C 14.83" 15.66" 20.8" 21.6" Landscape D 31.83" 32.66" 20.8" 21.6" Portrait E 41.83" 42.66" 32.8" 33.6" Portrait Drawings created to plot on a HP DraftMaster should keep these physical limits in mind when they are initially created. If plotting in expanded mode, lines drawn at the edge of the plot will be under the pinch rollers and could be subject to smearing. COLOR ELECTROSTATIC AND PAINTJET XL Assign pen numbers to their equivalent entity numbers to get a close match to the colors on the screen. SERIAL MODE FOR PAINTJET XL AND LASERJET III. Note: Be sure to enter -J on the command line to use the PaintJet XL with a serial cable. If you are using a LaserJet, use the -Z option. The following diagram illustrates how to connect the RS-232 Serial IO cable between the computer and the printer: Printer end Computer end 2 ----------------------------- 3 3 ----------------------------- 2 4 --- --- 4 | | 5 --- --- 5 7 ----------------------------- 7 6 --- --- 6 | | 20 --- --- 20 You may also use the HP cable (part no. #17255D) or similar as described on page F-4 in "LaserJet III Printer User's Manual". You must also configure the LaserJet III for Serial Operation, See Section K in "Your Guide to Setting Up Your LaserJet III Printer". PAINTJET XL REAR PANEL SWITCHES To use the PaintJet XL with a serial cable, the switches should all be set to the down position as follows: SWITCH ON/UP OFF/DOWN Baud0 X Baud1 X Par0 X Par1 X DTR/XON-XOFF X MET/ENG X ROM 8/PC 8 X To use the PaintJet XL with a parallel cable, the switches don't matter. HP LASERJET III IN HPGL2 MODE Please use the -Z command line option when installing this driver so that the HP LaserJet III is reset after every plot. NOTE: THE HP LASERJET III HAS A FIRMWARE BUG IN ITS IMPLIMENTATION OF RELATIVE PEN MOVEMENTS UNDER THE NEW HP-GL/2 GRAPHICS LANGUAGE. CUMULATIVE POSITIONING ERRORS WILL APPEAR ON DRAWING, THE MORE COMPLEX THE DRAWING THE GREATER THE POSITIONING ERRORS WILL BECOME. AT THIS TIME WE CAN NOT RECOMMEND THE HP LASERJET III WITH THE ADI 4.1 DRIVER WHEN PLOTS OF ANY ACCURACY ARE REQUIRED. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR HEWLETT PACKARD DEALER AND REQUEST THEY SEND YOU NEW ROM'S TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. ALSO NOTE YOU CAN CONFIGURE AUTOCAD TO USE THE LASERJET III AS A PRINTER PLOTTER. IT SHOULD THEN PRODUCE ACCURATE PLOTS. NOTE: WE ARE UNABLE TO MAKE FILLS WORK CORRECTLY ON THE LASERJET III. STRIPES OF WHITE SPACE WILL APPEAR WITHIN THE FILLED AREAS. WE BELIEVE THIS TO BE A HARDWARE FEATURE AS OTHER HPGL2 DEVICES CORRECTLY FILL WHEN USED WITH THIS DRIVER. ALSO THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH JAGGED EDGES ON FILLED AREAS. Due to the finer resolution of the HP LaserJet III, you must reconfigure the pen width settings or you will end up with "streaks" in filled areas and/or broken lines. Any large filled area should show some streaking at the default pen width of .010 (Inches). There is a workaround by varying the Pen Width selected at plot time configuration and opting for the adjusted filled boundaries. When the plot time configuration asks: "Pen width in Inches <0.010>" start with a pen width of .009 and do a test plot. Be sure to answer yes to the following question: "Adjust area fill boundaries for pen width? " If there still are streaks, reduce the pen width by .001 until the plots are acceptable. You'll see that each plot with a smaller pen width will take more time. This is to be expected. Please don't confuse this use of pen width with the use of line weights refered to in other parts of this document. PAGE PROTECTION If you have a LaserJet III, the factory default setting for Page Protection is OFF. This only allows 191 Kbytes for Image Memory that will result in a LaserJet III error message: Printer Overrun, and will only plot part of your drawing. See page 4-25 for an explanation of Page Protection and read Chapter 4 for instructions on how to reconfigure your LaserJet III. Setting Page Protection to "LTR/A4" should eliminate this problem. HP LaserJet III's must have at least a one megabyte memory upgrade to work with the HPGL2 driver. You can also set up the LaserJet III to plot legal size pages (7.50 x 13.5) by setting the page size from the printer's front panel. To do so follow these steps: 1) Turn the printer on if needed. 2) Take the printer off line. 3) Push the MENU button on the front panel until you see PAPER=LETTER. 4) Press the + button. The panel should say PAPER=LEGAL. 5) Press the ENTER button to confirm the change. 6) Cycle through the menu items until you see MANUAL FEED=OFF. 7) Press the + button to change OFF to ON. 8) Press the ENTER button to confirm the change. 9) Press the MENU button until you see READY. 10) Put the printer back on line. You must manually feed the legal size sheets to the printer. Multiple plots - Because the LaserJet III does not support the RP (repeat plot) HPGL/2 command, this command line option is ignored by the LaserJet III. To generate multiple plots of the same plot, you must do the following: Press the ON-LINE button to take the printer off-line. Press the menu button until COPIES appears in the menu. Press the "+" key until the number of copies you want appears in the menu. Press the ENTER key to store the configuration. Press the ON-LINE button to put the printer back ON-LINE. Plot as you would normally. The printer will duplicate the plot the number of times you requested. You must reset the number of copies to 0 by following the above procedure but using the "-" key instead of the "+" key to set the number of copies to 0. USE WITH AUTOCAD SCRIPTS -S Option ------------------------ This driver normally asks you questions and accepts answers from the keyboard. It is impossible for a driver to do this when working with AutoCAD Scripts. The -S option suppresses all of this driver's questions and answers. Just remember to use the -S flag on the control line. This option was only tested for the LaserJet and PaintJet XL. If used with a roll feed device it will always advance the paper 45". You cannot do long axis plots with this command line option. With this option all printing to the screen is suppressed, therefore no error messages will be sent. Make sure your device is connected, on-line, and filled with paper. USE WITH AUTOSKETCH -S Option ------------------- This driver normally asks you questions and accepts answers from the keyboard. It is impossible for a driver to do this when working with AutoSketch. The -S option suppresses all of this driver's questions and answers. The ADI HPGL2 driver may be used with AutoSketch. Just remember to use the -S flag on the control line. Failure to do so will hang up your system, requiring a re-boot. Before every plot from AutoSketch using this ADI driver, you must make sure that the plotter is turned on, connected and on line. Failure to do this will return you to the drawing screen without any error messages. If the plotter goes off-line, runs out of paper or becomes disconnected at any time during the plot, no more data will be sent to the plotter and you will be returned to the drawing screen again without any error messages. Therefore if your drawing is not being plotted at all or stops plotting and you are returned to the drawing editor, make sure the plotter has paper, is turned on, connected and on line. AutoSketch must be reconfigured so that it knows you will be using an ADI driver to do plots. To initiate AutoSketch's reconfiguration type: C:>SKETCH /R [Return] or if you're installing AutoSketch for the first time type: C:>SKETCH [Return] Configure AutoSketch's plotter as a Autodesk Device Interface Plotter <4>. AutoSketch will then prompt you to give it more information regarding this ADI driver. See the previous section titled 'CONFIGURING AUTOCAD FOR THE HP-GL/2 PLOTTER DRIVER and Appendix B: the ADI Plotter section in your AutoSketch Users Guide. AutoSketch prompts you to indicate how your plotter is connected to your computer, choose: 2. Parallel port, system printer, or hardware handshake serial port. Then follow the instructions in Configuring AutoSketch in Chapter 2 of the AutoSketch Users Guide. **Note: When you open the plot area dialogue box, the values for x and y may be incorrect. Set them to the size of the paper you have in your printer. Rotating the plot may also work. Plotting to file with AutoSketch: --------------------------------- Due to the way AutoSketch handles its drawing screen, the HPGL2 driver will not output any questions to the user if it is configured with the -S (Sketch) option. If you plan to plot to file, you'll have to follow the instructions in this document for the -f option and ignore the plot to file documentation found in the AutoSketch manual. This will allow you to plot to a single file name given at the time you install the driver. You must reset your computer and reload the driver to invoke a different file name, but it may be easier to exit AutoSketch as you would normally (by either saving or discarding the changes to your drawing), and renaming the plot file. AutoCAD, AutoSketch and ADI are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. IBM, PC, XT, AT are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. HP is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard Corporation.