Sheet Set Publishing
Publishing within AutoCAD provides batch plotting tools. Sheet Set Publishing extends this to batch plot the sheets contained within the Sheet Set. Not just to paper, the output options additionally include DWF, DWFx, and PDF. Like the other “big 3“, this takes a common AutoCAD feature, integrates it into the Sheet Set Manager, resulting in a powerful tool for Project Management.
The Process
The process starts by selecting the sheets. Publishing is available on selected sheets, a section, or the entire set. The toolbar and the right-click menu provide the output options.
The “Publish to” options (DWF, DWFx, and PDF) export the current selection to the selected output using the existing configuration. By selecting Publish to Plotter, AutoCAD uses the saved setups on each sheet to determine the device, page size, orientation, and other settings. By using the Publish using Page Setup Override, the selected sheets are plotted all using the selected Page Setup.
Use the Publish Dialog Box feature (bottom of the list) to launch the standard AutoCAD Publish dialog, automatically loading in the drawings of the selected sheets. This is useful when you want additional control over the output. This includes setting specific sheet page setups, adding drawings from other locations, removing unwanted drawings, etc.
Sheet Set Publishing Configuration
The bottom third of the menu provides access to the configuration options.
Use Manage Page Setups to define and import Page Setups. These setups are then available when using Publish using Page Setup Override. The process is no different than defining page setups within a layout.
We use the Sheet Set DWF Publish Options to configure the output for both DWF and DWFx. DWF and DWFx differ by the embedded XML information contained within the DWFx. The embedded XML allows for the DWFx to be viewed by Internet Explorer, Edge, and the built in Windows XPS viewer without any additional software.
Within the Sheet Set Publish Options dialog define the default location, which is only used if you are not prompting for the file name. When using the Prompt for name option, AutoCAD prompts for the name and location of the output. Within the General options define the type, either single (individual) sheets or a singular multi-sheet file. The dialog provides options to manage the inclusion of block, layer, and sheet set information.
For PDFs, a similar dialog is provided. Using the Sheet Set PDF Publish Options dialog (see above) define the default location, whether you are prompted for the file name, and whether you are exporting single page PDFs or a singular multi-sheet PDF. Use the Data section to define the types of information including and whether the PDF captures the fonts. When using non-standard Windows fonts it is recommended to Capture the fonts. The Quality defines both the overall quality of the exported information, which directly impacts the size of the PDF.
The Options
As the name applies, invoke Publish in Reverse Order to publishing the selected sheets in reverse order (from last-to-first).
Use the Plot Stamp settings to both enable the plot stamp and to configure its appearance and location. When enabled plot stamps appear on each sheet of the export.
Use Edit Subset and Sheet Publish Settings to define the sheets to include or exclude from publishing. This is useful when you have sheets that are not intended for inclusion in a publishing job.
Sheet Set Publishing Live-and-in-Action
Feature Image “sheets” by Seniju
