So basically you're asking if you can do a print from a vector format by leaving the white as negative space?

I remember I tried this a while ago and had to rasterize eventually. I did find this on Google though:

Does this help?

Note that they do mention that its only for viewing, and you will need WHIP! (huh?) or prepare your CAD drawing on a black background (solid fill, black raster image)

Try opening the eps in illustrator and doing it there? Then you can just export another eps and keep it vectors all the way.

765 got it right.. just take it to illustrator and make the lines white and the background black... make sure your line weights are still correct.

You be wasting alot of ink.....and you want to be plottting on a real stable surface like mylar....cause paper is a sponge.

Does Mylar ever dry though if it is plotted? I remember I had a presentation plot that never dried...

its just for a video.... not printing anything


i tried the illustrator...... i might have an option box checked or somthing..cause my lines are grouped .... and was a pain to just make a box and use that as a background... everytime i tried to do an action, it would select the lines/etc..... wtf..... i might have to abort mission....

didnt think it would such a PITA to invert an image



b

the first time i bought mylar and plotted, the ink did not completely dry...i found out the second time that there are two types: one for plotting and the good ol' mylar

cryzko >> make layers in illustrator. Lock the layer with the lines so when you make the black box they aren't in the way. Select the whole layer with the lines and change them to white... should be fairly easy.

Let me know if you need any more help.

Yeah, grid's right, Illustrator's all about the layers. You've gotta keep locking and unlocking them or you'll go crazy forever selecting the wrong stuff.

if this is going to be a video in the end, why dont you do the whole thing in black on white and then invert it in after effects, final cut, premiere, or whatever editing software you like?

grid.... thanks...i'm just getting used to illustrator.... just a few minor differences than photoshop and prolly why it's tweeking me out..hhah

i'm not doing the video... friend in chicago is and i make sure i get him everything that he can use that doesnt need to be tweeked on his end.... saves him time and saves me a few bucks.....

he sent me a teaser clip and it should come out nice..... hopefully it'll explain what i need to put out there......



b

earlier versions of autocad allowed a 0% shade that would knock-out what's below--you need to make sure the draw order is correct (haven't tried this with 2008 so I don't know if it works)

also, in illustrator you can use the direct selection tool (open pointer, or hit "A" on your keyboard) to select and edit/delete objects that are part of a group without ungrouping, then you could have a layer underneath for your solid fill…

try bringing the pdf into illustrator - if you are using CS2 it should bring the lines in as vectors. back in the day you could use streamline, but it seems as though illustrator has absorbed streamline. you will get the right lineweights, scale, etc. you will have to select the lines and just change the color to white. group the line and put a black background behind them. BTW, inverts are my pet peeve - i have always thought it was a good way to make shitty drawings look better. kind of like when photoshop pukes all over a project. i am not saying that your drawings as crap, but be careful since i am sure i am not the only skeptic of inverted drawings.

What program are your lines coming from cryzko? I know if I come out of ACAD 08 then there's no grouping or masks, but if I come out of some earlier versions or other programs like formZ then there's a shit ton of ungrouping and "release clipping mask" to go through. I'm gonna have to agree with grid and 765 here. layers layers layers. good luck dude. Hope you can get it how you want it. can't wait to see it.

-rf

yeah..i'm about to jump on this tonight...got side track...i did a cd cover/insert for a friends cd that is gonna be in stores....cool shit

i exported from cad04 and when it came into illus. i had lines that looked like reference linse that all came from 0,0 it looked like....crazy.... i had to ungroup the i could delete those....but it still seemed to group layers per viewing window.....if that makes sense.... so the layers in the 1/8 scale view port would be grouped/etc...

i'm gonna try it again later


thanks for the help


b