Printing an AutoCAD Drawing - AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011: No Experience Required - page 816

When your print comes out, it should look like Figure 15.25. Check the line-
weights of the various components on the print. You might have to make adjust-
ments from what was outlined in this section when plotting to a physical plotter
attached to your computer.
Since the DWFx plotter was selected, a .dwfx file was created instead of a
physical print. The next exercise will introduce you to Autodesk Design Review,
a free program from Autodesk that is used to view these electronic plots.

On the right side of
the printer/plotter
area of the plot
dialog box, autoCaD
displays a partial
preview of the plot
in diagram form as
you set it up. If there
is problem with the
setup, it displays red
lines to warn you,
but sometimes it
doesn't accurately
reflect the actual
plot. It's better to
use the preview
feature, which
provides you with a
WYSIWYG view of
the plot.

NOTE You can change a setting in the Lineweight Settings dialog box
to be able to see lineweights in your drawing before you preview a plot, but
they aren't very accurate unless you're using layouts. When you print from
model space, you have to preview the drawing from the plot dialog box to
see how the lineweights look.

Viewing Plots in Design Review

Autodesk Design Review is a companion product that is included in the default
AutoCAD installation and is available as a free download for people without a
product like AutoCAD installed. The public download for Design Review can be
found at http://autodesk.com/designreview .
With Design Review you can view, print, and mark up a vast array of file
types including; .dwg , .dwfx , .pdf , and many common raster image formats.
Markups created in Design Review can then be loaded into AutoCAD, allowing
for a review cycle that reduces paper consumption and is completely digital.
Although Design Review is capable of much more, you'll use it simply to view
the .dwfx file you plotted to in the last exercise.

TIP Visit this topic's companion site, www.autocadner.com , or the
author's blog at www.thecadgeek.com , fo r more information about the addi-
tional capabilities of autodesk Design review.

1. Start Autodesk Design Review by choosing Start ➢ Programs ➢
Autodesk ➢ Autodesk Design Review 2011.

2. With Design Review running, use the Quick Access toolbar or
Application Menu ➢ Open ➢ Open File to open the .dwfx file you
saved to your Chapter 15 directory in the last exercise.