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A
Anonymous
May 1, 2012
Question

Plotting to files with searchable text from drawing notes

  • May 1, 2012
  • 5 replies
  • 1152 views

Can CE Pro (Wildfire 5) plot to a file in which the text within notes are searchable?


For years, our final archived deliverable for each drawing is a plot file in HPGL format.
There has been a request to be able to do mass searches of our plot files for certain text that is often found on our drawings.
For example, if a particular process specification is being modified, we want to find all drawings that refer to it, in case a drawing revision is required.

We have discoverred that Pro/E can export a PDF with serachable text.
There is a option that allows all text to exported as true-type fonts.


Are thre other plot formats (generated by Pro/E) we should consider?


We cannot consider IGES or STEP files, as they are not image files (or plot format).
We prefer a format that is editable. HPGL is very editable by many graphic applications.
Can Pro/E produce HPGL plot files that contain searchable text instead of the vector/stroke method?
That would simplify things by keeping the same file type.



Gerry Champoux
Williams International
Walled Lake, MI


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5 replies

D
dgallup1-Visitor
1-Visitor
May 2, 2012

I have not used HPGL in several years but when I did it did not support any such notion as imbeded searchable text. HP is(was) always changing HPGL so perhaps there is a newer version but with the way HP is going these days I doubt it.

In Reply to Gerry Champoux:



Can CE Pro (Wildfire 5) plot to a file in which the text within notes are searchable?


For years, our final archived deliverable for each drawing is a plot file in HPGL format.
There has been a request to be able to do mass searches of our plot files for certain text that is often found on our drawings.
For example, if a particular process specification is being modified, we want to find all drawings that refer to it, in case a drawing revision is required.

We have discoverred that Pro/E can export a PDF with serachable text.
There is a option that allows all text to exported as true-type fonts.


Are thre other plot formats (generated by Pro/E) we should consider?


We cannot consider IGES or STEP files, as they are not image files (or plot format).
We prefer a format that is editable. HPGL is very editable by many graphic applications.
Can Pro/E produce HPGL plot files that contain searchable text instead of the vector/stroke method?
That would simplify things by keeping the same file type.



Gerry Champoux
Williams International
Walled Lake, MI







PTC quality philosophy: We've upped our quality standards. Up yours.

B
23-Emerald III
BenLoosli23-Emerald III
23-Emerald III
May 2, 2012
HPGL is only designed to drive a pen plotter. If you look at a file in a text editor, it consists of <pen dn="> and, pen up> commands with XY coordinates to move the pen head. It has no stored text within the file format.


Thank you,

Ben H. Loosli
USEC, INC.
P
ptc-19327451-Visitor
1-Visitor
May 2, 2012
HPGL also has a 'symbol mode' that will stroke text characters based on
the ASCII code, but I doubt if many CAD systems still use this,
especially with any TT fonts. Either way, no searchable text included.







Christopher F. Gosnell



FPD Company

124 Hidden Valley Road

McMurray, PA 15317
M
22-Sapphire I
MikeLockwood22-Sapphire I
22-Sapphire I
May 3, 2012
Full text indexing finally works well in 10.1 (Solr), allowing users to search text on Pro/E Drawings. May want to investigate using this instead.
A
Anonymous
May 7, 2012

Thanks to all that replied.


First, a clarification: We actually produce HPGL/2 files.


Some suggested I try CGM or PostScript, but were not entirely sure that the text is indeed embedded and searchable.
Some also thought that HPGL/2 does support such text, but that Pro/E does not drive that capability.
HPGL & HPGL/2 were intended for pen plotters, and I find it no surprise that searchable text is not a given.



Gerry Champoux
Williams International
Walled Lake, MI



In Reply to Gerry Champoux:



Can CE Pro (Wildfire 5) plot to a file in which the text within notes are searchable?


For years, our final archived deliverable for each drawing is a plot file in HPGL format.
There has been a request to be able to do mass searches of our plot files for certain text that is often found on our drawings.
For example, if a particular process specification is being modified, we want to find all drawings that refer to it, in case a drawing revision is required.

We have discoverred that Pro/E can export a PDF with serachable text.
There is a option that allows all text to exported as true-type fonts.


Are thre other plot formats (generated by Pro/E) we should consider?


We cannot consider IGES or STEP files, as they are not image files (or plot format).
We prefer a format that is editable. HPGL is very editable by many graphic applications.
Can Pro/E produce HPGL plot files that contain searchable text instead of the vector/stroke method?
That would simplify things by keeping the same file type.


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