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HPLP.DOC
--------
revision 2.1 1/30/91
For driver revision 1.10
ADI(R) LongPlot driver for HPGL Pen Plotters
Copyright 1989-1991, Autodesk, Inc.
License is granted for the use of this software and documentation
on a no-charge, sharing basis. You may distribute and copy this
software freely as long as it remains a completely unaltered
package and is not sold for profit.
INTRODUCTION
This document explains the installation and use of HPLP.EXE, an
Autodesk Device Interface (ADI) driver designed to run with HPGL
pen plotters in conjunction with AutoCAD(R).
Please read pertinent information found in:
- Chapter 7 of the AutoCAD Installation and Performance Guide
- Chapter 13 of the AutoCAD Reference Manual
- Your plotter's user guide for information on using AutoCAD and HP
plotters.
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 an ADI plotter driver. ADI is an acronym for the
Autodesk Device Interface which was used to create this driver.
You should be able to use this driver (HPLP.EXE) with any version
of AutoCAD which 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 only with AutoCAD Release 10 and Release 11.
***************************************************************************
LIMITATIONS OF THIS DRIVER
Real mode ADI plotter drivers, such as HPLP.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.
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 and should
be followed by a CARRIAGE RETURN. 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.
****************************************************************************
HPLP.EXE
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION
The HP plotter must be connected to the computer with a standard
serial cable as described in Chapter 7 of the AutoCAD Installation
Guide. All the information needed for pin connections and switch
settings is given there under the heading for Hewlett-Packard plotters
and must be adhered to in order to insure correct results.
INSTALLATION
This ADI plotter driver is distributed on one diskette. This
will be referred to as the "distribution disk". The distribution
disk contains:
HPLP.EXE - ADI driver.
HPLP.DOC - this document.
HPLP.HLP - for on-line command line options.
You will probably want to copy the drivers into the same directory
where you store AutoCAD. Here's how to copy the drivers onto your
hard disk. (The example assumes an AutoCAD directory on drive C and
is named \ACAD)
1. Change to the directory where you've loaded AutoCAD:
C:> CD \ACAD [Return]
2. Insert the distribution diskette in drive A:.
3. Copy the driver files to your hard disk:
C:> COPY A:HPLP.* [Return]
LOADING THE DRIVER
The AutoCAD HP plotter driver must be installed (loaded into
memory) prior to entering AutoCAD. It is a "terminate and stay
resident" (TSR) software program which uses about 20k of RAM. Once
loaded, it remains in memory until you turn off or reboot your
computer.
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 HPLP 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:> HPLP [Return]
The driver defaults are:
- Plot directly to the plotter (not to file nor to a remote device)
- Page advance is on
- Units are set to inches
- Plotter is cabled to COM1:
- Installed at interrupt 0x78h (78 HEX)
To change this setup, you can choose to include one or more command line
options:
Interrupt vector:
-----------------
To install the driver for a different interrupt vector (default
is 78 HEX):
C:> HPLP -Ixx [Return]
(where xx is the new interrupt number in HEX)
Serial Port Configuration:
--------------------------
To install the driver for a serial port other than the default
(COM1:)
C:> HPLP -Cx [Return]
(where x is the new serial port number)
Page Advance:
-------------
To disable the page advance at the end of the plot:
C:> HPLP -P [Return]
Locating temporary files for LongPlots:
To instruct the driver to use a RAM disk for storing temporary
files:
C:> HPLP E [Return]
(logical drive E in this case, no colon (:) is used)
Plotting to file:
-----------------
To write plot files directly to disk for later plotting:
C:> HPLP -Ffname [Return]
(will create a file named 'fname' on your
default drive.)
Wait option:
------------
C:> HPLP -W [Return]
Certain combinations of inks and plotting media must dry before
being rolled on to the take up reel. This option is normally
used with liquid ink and vellum or mylar plotting media and will
allow you to signal to the driver when to advance the paper.
Remote operation:
-----------------
C:> HPLP -N [Return]
This option turns off the driver's internal check for plotter's
clip limits and for the plotter's physical presence. Use this
option if you wish to plot to a remote device. As no error
checking is done, you must supply accurate paper sizes, plot
origin, and insure that the remote device will actually receive
the data the driver sends. Failure to do so will generate
unpredictable results. Experimentation is recommended to achieve
optimum results.
Metric:
-------
C:> HPLP -M [Return]
If you wish to change the plotter units from inches to
millimeters use this option.
*** NOTE: AutoCAD and your driver must agree on units. If you configure
this driver for metric units, you also must configure AutoCAD for metric
units, and you must set the correct number of plotter steps per millimeter.
Command line errors:
If an error is encountered when the driver processes the command
line options, the driver will exit without being activated or
loaded. You will be notified if there is an error. Simply
examine the command line options you entered and try again.
Examples:
To install the driver using a combination of the above options:
C:> HPLP -Fplotdata.plt -p -i7b -c2 -w
This will do the following:
1. (-F) Create a plot file named 'plotdata.plt' in the
current directory for later plotting.
2. (-p) Disable the page advance at the end of the plot.
3. (-i) Configure for interrupt vector 07b (hex)
4. (-c) Configure the driver for serial port 2 (COM2:).
5. (-w) Wait for the operator to signal that ink is dry prior
to activating the take-up reel. (Only during LongPlot).
You then will be asked to indicate which HP plotter you are
using. Please enter the number of the corresponding model.
HPLP supports the following devices:
1. 7475
2. 7550
3. 7580
4. 7585
5. 7586A & 7595A (DraftMaster I)
6. 7586B & 7596A (DraftMaster II) (Roll Fed)
7. ColorPro
8. DraftPro
9. Draftmaster DXL
10. Draftmaster EXL
Select option 6 if you intend to do long axis plots. If you do not
have a 7586B or a 7596A Draftmaster with a roll feed option you will only
be allowed to plot to the extents of the plotter as described in the
plotter's reference manual.
RECONFIGURING HPLP
Reloading the driver without resetting the computer will use more
memory (another 20k) 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 IS RUNNING ! ---
Exit AutoCAD prior to resetting the driver.
After resetting your computer, call HPLP with any new command
line options or select a different device from the driver's model
table. If you selected a different device, you may need to change
AutoCAD's plot configuration to correct pen speeds, line styles,
the number of plotter steps or the number of line styles. Then plot
as you would normally.
CONFIGURING AUTOCAD FOR THE HPLP PEN PLOTTER DRIVER
It is necessary to configure AutoCAD for an ADI plotter driver.
AutoCAD will save your settings in its configuration file until you
change the settings. (Examples given here are based on the AutoCAD
Release 10 menu system).
Configuration:
Select from the Main Menu:
5. Configure AutoCAD
Now select from the Configuration Menu:
5. Configure plotter
You will go through the standard plotter configuration dialogue.
Many of the prompts, such as number of pens, are unique to each
plotter. Please see the table following this discussion for the
information about the supported devices.
Select the ADI Plotter option.
Select installed ADI driver.
Set the maximum horizontal (X) plot size in inches to
64 if your plotter is roll fed and you wish to do long
axis plots. Otherwise, set the horizontal plot size to the
maximum allowed by your plotter. (See the note below on
correct paper sizes). For METRIC plots, enter the page sizes
in millimeters.
Set the plotter steps per inch. For long plots, the
7586B/7596A uses 1016 steps in both the X and Y directions. If
using METRIC units, set the plotter steps per mm to 40 for
both the X and Y directions. If you do not plan to do long
axis plots see table below to get the correct settings for your
model plotter.
Set the pen speed information when requested. AutoCAD's
ADI plotter driver defaults to pen speed of 1.
Increasing this to the maximum indicated in the table
below will insure the plotter plots at its highest
rating. Adjust the pen speeds as needed.
STEPS PER PEN LINE
MODEL INCH PENS SPEED STYLES
X Y
7475 1021 1021 6 38 12
7550 1016 1016 8 80 12
7580 1016 1016 8 60 12
7585 1016 1016 8 60 12
7586A/7595A 1016 1016 8 60 12
7586B/7596A 1016 1016 8 60 12
ColorPro 1016 1016 8 40 6
DraftPro 1016 1016 8 38 12
DXL 1016 1016 8 80 12
EXL 1016 1016 8 80 12
If you have selected the Metric (-M) command line option, you
should also answer the question "Size units (Inches or
Millimeters) <current>" with "M". Otherwise, hit return to
default to inches.
See OPTIONS section of this document for further details on this
option.
If you have any questions, see the chapter on plotter options
of the Installation & Performance Guide and the discussion of
Plotting in the AutoCAD Reference Manual (Chapter 13).
AutoCAD will now be configured to plot using the installed ADI
driver. If you selected model option 6 - 7586B/7595B - you can do
long axis plotting.
PAPER SIZES - the -N command line option
When the -N command line option is used, HPLP relies on AutoCAD
to supply the correct paper sizes during plotting. If you find
that you are clipping in any given direction (X or Y), please
adjust the page size value in AutoCAD. Please see chapter 13 of
the AutoCAD Reference Manual for details on how to configure the
paper size.
This method of configuration should allow users to plot to a
remote device (a plotter not actually cabled to the computer).
PLOTTING ON STANDARD SIZE PAPER
Issue the Plot command as normal. Specify the part of the
drawing you wish to plot by answering the prompt:
What to plot -- Display, Extents, Limits, View, or Window <D>:
AutoCAD displays the basic plot specifications and asks if you
want to change any of them:
Do you want to change anything? <N>
Plot as you normally would. Make sure the pen speed information
is set correctly, your plotter is cabled correctly and is turned
on. (Some models require that the "Remote" button be activated).
If you configured the driver for a roll fed plotter, the ADI
driver will prompt:
Longplot(L) or Standard(S)? <S>
Press the 'S' key and RETURN. The driver will begin to process the
plot.
LONG AXIS PLOT PLOTTING
-----------------------
**********************************************************************
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.
***********************************************************************
SPECIAL NOTES AND REQUIREMENTS
The -F (plot-to-file) option can't be used when longplotting.
HPLP will create a temporary file while longplotting, but this is
not an ordinary plot file.
Scripts
This driver asks at least one question during each plot (the
"Longplot(L) or Standard(S) <S>?" question). Because this is a
real mode ADI driver, a script will not be able to answer this
question. Scripts can only supply answers for questions asked
by AutoCAD.
Long axis plotting requires 36" wide paper ROLL FEED.
A .3 mm black fiber tip or .35mm drafting pen MUST be installed in pen
stall number 8 to draw proper alignment marks between frames during long
plots. Failure to use the correct pen in the correct pen stall
can produce improper alignment during long plots.
You will need to calculate the X axis length of the plot and calculate
the number of 64 inch tiles required to hold that X axis length before
plotting in order to determine the correct plotting scale factor for
Long Plots.
The Plotter's Limit Light
You may notice that the "Limits" light on the plotter may blink
on and off during Long Plot. This is normal and should not be
considered an error. The plotter is determining if the
coordinates sent to it are within the frame currently being
plotted. If the limit light blinks, the plotter is discarding
that coordinate.
Pen Speed Settings
The default pen speed setting for your ADI driver is 1. If the inks used
in your pens have a short drying time, you may increase the speed up
to the fastest speed supported by your plotter for fastest plots.
Experimentation will provide the best results.
TO BEGIN PLOTTING
-----------------
1) Issue the Plot command as normal. Specify the part of the
drawing you wish to plot by answering the prompt:
What to plot -- Display, Extents, limits, View, or Window <D>:
with the appropriate response.
AutoCAD displays the basic plot specifications and asks if you
want to change any of them:
2) If this is the first time you use the HPLP driver, you should answer:
Do you want to change anything? <N> Yes
3) AutoCAD will display the current pen settings. Set the pen information
as needed.
4) Answer the following prompt:
Enter the Size or Width, Height (in units) <default>:
Select MAX - which should have been set to width = 64 inches (or the
corresponding value in millimeters) in the AutoCAD plotter
configuration dialogue.
5) The following prompt:
Specify scale by entering:
Plotted units=Drawing units or Fit or ? <default>:
IMPORTANT!! - SPECIAL PLOT SCALING REQUIREMENTS FOR LONG PLOTS
In order to create long-plots, HPLP.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 HPLP will have to use to make
this drawing plot the desired size. This is also the number of 64" tiles
which will be plotted.
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" (maximim 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.
** Note: These drawing units don't have to be inches and feet, they
can be kilometers or cubits but the same ratio applies between plotted
units to drawing units.
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, feet, etc., 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".
You will be asked two additional questions by the ADI driver
before the plot is started. Once again, make sure your plotter is
cabled correctly, is turned on, and is on line.
The ADI driver will prompt:
Longplot(L) or Standard(S) <S>?
Press the 'L' key.
It will then prompt:
Length of X-Axis 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 = INT(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.
Stopping the Plot Routine
Standard Plotting -
If you wish to stop the plot routine while AutoCAD is sending vectors
to the plotter, abort it in the normal manner (Control C). Because
you are using an ADI driver, you may have to hit Control C more than
once. Please pay attention to the prompts displayed during the plot
routine.
Long Plotting -
The Long Plot driver must send information to the plotter to fill
the number of frames required to complete the plot. This could
be any number of frames. To adapt to different size drawings, HPLP will
create a file on disk and read the information from that file. The
driver only has to process your drawing file once for this operation
and plotting from file is much faster than reprocessing the drawing
file for each frame.
NOTE: Please insure that you have enough disk space to accommodate the
file HPLP creates during this process. If you run out of disk space,
you'll need to reset your computer and free enough disk space for the
process or, if you are using a RAM disk, you'll have to increase the
size of the RAM disk to accommodate the file. See "Notes on
Operation", section 4, below for more information.
You will see the following:
1) AutoCAD's "Processing Vectors" prompt. Canceling the plot at
this point (Control-C) will abort the plot function and cease
plotting.
2) HPLP's "Doing frame #(n)" prompt. Canceling the plot at this
point (ESC is requested) will advance a page on the plotter
(unless the -P option is enabled) and cease processing.
(n = current frame number)
NOTES ON OPERATION
Here are some tips for using the HPLP ADI driver with AutoCAD:
1. Because you must install the plotter driver before entering
AutoCAD each session, you may want to place the HPLP.EXE command
in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file with the correct options set if you
will use it every session.
** Note: The HPLP ADI driver will take up about 20k of RAM.
2. 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 HPLP driver while the plotter is turned off.
3. Reloading the driver without resetting the computer will take
valuable memory from AutoCAD. Please exit all active programs
and reset the computer if new command line options are needed or
a new device needs to be configured.
4. 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 700k bytes when
plotted to file by HPLP. This is due to the amount of fill the
plotter must do in order 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.
AutoCAD and ADI are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. IBM,
PC, XT, AT are trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation. HP and HPGL are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard
Corporation.