make a separate polyline for the floor, and fill it. if you're using autocad, use the 'boundary' command to quickly pick the floor plate and convert it to a polyline.

alternatively, use the pen tool in illustrator and trace over the floor plate and make it a separate closed curve. then apply a fill to it.

both irritating and cumbersome methods, but they're the only ones i know...

hmmm....

this is tricky - and some of it depends on the versions of adobe and autocad you are using...what are they?

i would suggest exporting your autocad drawing as an .eps file or plot to file post script level2.pc3 which does the same thing turns the .dwg into an .eps - but when you plot from a page layout you get the whole thing.. make sense?

note: make sure you set your line weights in autocad - its much easier

then you can take your .eps into illustrator and use the pen tool like tickertocker suggested drawing shapes for wall poche' or floor - or if you want use a hatch in autocad and just import the .eps to illustrator for layout purposes...also if you wanted to paint bucket you should be able to take your .eps into photoshop and bucket it but then you lose the vector bit...

i suppose, although i have not done this, that using the polylines lets one select the entire shape, as opposed to just random lines in illustrator. if that is the case use ticker tocker's suggestion or try selecting shapes in illustrator and applying a fill. you may have to explode the drawing?

there are a number of ways to do what you are wanting some are just more intensive and frustrating than others.

hope that helps some

worm

i jsut did this for a final crit and it turned out fine...export it as .eps...add color in Photoshop then drop your text in through Illustrator and plot through that...turned out nice

The best method I've found is as follows:
If you have your acad file in separate layers, it's best to print out one or two layers at a time. It's also best if you have no overlapping lines. So if the 'floor' portion of your section is on one layer, you would print that out, poche it, and then print out the remainder of the section in as many 'prints' as required. You should be able to add a fill to any closed polyline shape that comes from autocad. Sometimes, Illustrator doesn't recognize this as a closed shape, and you have to "join" the vertices that are not currently joined. To do this, choose the tow vertices with the white arrow (They may be overlapping) and hot Control+J for a PC or Command+J for the mac. The easiest way to see if this is working is to add a fill to the shape, and then go around a join the vertices where ever the fill 'ends' or is not complete.
One thing you can do is up the level of the resolution when print out to the pdf file. This will reduce the number of vertices that come in unclosed.
I wouldn't recommend taking the file into photoshop. While this might be easier with the paint bucket tool, it creates files several times larger than any pdf or illustrator file. Plus, since pdf is also a vector based format, you can always rescale without *any* loss of resolution.

Good luck.
jesse

thanks for your suggestions,
one more thing, since i export the dwg in eps. format, i've my line weights formatted according to color using ctb in autocad

in illustrator i end up with the all the various colors from the autocad dwg. but would just like to have the lines either black or grey.

is there a quick way of changing these colors into a monochrome without selecting every single line and changing it's color in illustrator

thanks

yoiyoi-

to change the colors of the lines you have to select them all - but you can do this in one operation and it is very easy

you can select all your color lines in illustrator using the black arrow select tool - cross select them all and then assign a black stroke color.

as far as getting a monochrome with a grayscale to the lines - not so sure that is quick. i would just select them all and set them black or dark gray - your lineweights should be enough contrast to show what is closest and furthest away.

hope that helps
-worm

Seems like you all are making this way way way too complicated...

open your eps file.
lock the layer the eps is on.
add new layer.
move new layer below eps layer.

start drawing with square tool or pen.

your line weights should be enough to hide the edges of the shapes you draw.

zoom in and adjust the shapes if necessary.

done.

none of this select polylines crap...

obviously it helps if you keep the outline of any shape you draw clear...

Easier still:

Open DWG in Illustrator (they read them perfectly fine)

Select All (either with arrow tool, drag around everything or CTRL+A)

Go to the Outline and Fill on the menu, make Fill black (or whatever you want)

Click on the Fill and make it empty (that's the one with the large red diagonal line)

Now you have everything monochrome


Go to the Stroke panel, type in a line weight that is nice and small (I just like it better)


To add fills (for walls, or whatever) use Smart Guides (it's Illustrator's snap)

Draw and add as wanted



It won't take long. The snaps work well with DWGs. I find it's usually easier to redraw thigns in Illustrator than mess around elsewhere. It's fast, offers tons of control (there are even Hatches you can use), and you know what you'll get when you print.