Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
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Sending Strategies
E-mail and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) have largely replaced blueline prints and
overnight delivery as the standard means of exchanging drawings. Some companies
even use specially designed Web-based services, such as Autodesk's Buzzsaw, as a re-
pository for project drawings from all the companies working on a particular project.
Whether you're exchanging drawings in order to reuse CAD objects or simply to make
hard-copy plots of someone else's drawings, you need to be comfortable sending and re-
ceiving drawings electronically.
Sending and receiving DWG files doesn't differ much from sending and receiving other
kinds of files, except for the following:
DWG files tend to be bigger than word processing documents and spreadsheets.
Consequently, you may need to invest in a faster Internet connection. For in-
stance, if you're still relying on dialup modem access to the Internet, it's probably
time to upgrade to broadband.
You can easily forget to include all the dependent files.
I tell you in the next sec-
tion how to make sure that you send all the necessary files — and how to pester
the people who don't send you all their necessary files.
It's often not completely obvious how to plot what you receive.
Read Chapter 16
and the “Bad reception?” section, later in this chapter, to solve plotting puzzles.
Whenever you send DWG files together, follow the Golden Rule of Drawing Ex-
change: “Send files unto others as you would have them sent unto you.” That
means sending all the dependent files along with the main DWG files, sending plot-
ting support files (CTB or STB files — see Chapter 16), and including a description
of what you're sending. And ask the recipient to try opening the drawings you
sent right away so you both have more time to respond if there's any problem.
Send it with ETRANSMIT
