Where Do I Put CTB Files in AutoCAD?

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Are you wondering where to put CTB files in AutoCAD? Look no further! In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of locating the correct folder for your CTB files in AutoCAD.

What are CTB files?

If you are new to AutoCAD, you may be unfamiliar with CTB files. CTB stands for Color-Based Plot Styles and is a file format used by AutoCAD to control the appearance of plotted drawings. These files contain information about line weights, colors, and other plot settings.

Finding the CTB folder

To find the folder where you should place your CTB files, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Open AutoCAD on your computer.
  • Step 2: Go to the “Options” menu by clicking on the gear icon located in the top-right corner of the application window.
  • Step 3: In the Options dialog box, click on “Files” tab.
  • Step 4: Look for “Printer Support File Path” under “Support File Search Path” section. This is the location where AutoCAD searches for plot style files.

Note:

If you have multiple versions of AutoCAD installed on your computer, make sure you are modifying the correct version’s settings.

Moving or creating CTB files

Once you have located the correct folder for your CTB files, you can either move existing CTB files into that folder or create new ones directly within it. To move existing CTB files into this folder:

  • Step 1: Open the folder where your CTB files are currently located.
  • Step 2: Select the desired CTB files.
  • Step 3: Right-click on the selected files and choose “Cut”.
  • Step 4: Navigate to the CTB folder you found earlier in AutoCAD.
  • Step 5: Right-click in the folder and choose “Paste”.

If you want to create new CTB files directly within the folder, follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Navigate to the CTB folder you found earlier in AutoCAD.
  • Step 2: Right-click in the folder and choose “New” > “Text Document”.
  • Step 3: Rename the newly created text file with a .ctb extension (e.g., MyPlotStyle.ctb).

Loading CTB files in AutoCAD

In order to use a specific CTB file for plotting, you need to load it into AutoCAD. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Step 1: Open AutoCAD and start a new drawing or open an existing one.
  • Note: If you want to load a CTB file for an existing drawing, make sure that drawing is open.

  • Note: If your Plot dialog box does not display the ‘Plot Style’ section, click on ‘More Options’ at the bottom of the dialog box to expand the options.
  • Step 2: In the Plot dialog box, click on ‘Plot Style Table (Pen Assignments)’ dropdown menu.
  • Step 3: Click on ‘Add or Edit Plot Style Tables’.
  • Step 4: In the ‘Plot Style Table Editor’, click on ‘Add’.
  • Step 5: Browse to the CTB folder and select the desired CTB file.

Congratulations! You have successfully learned where to put CTB files in AutoCAD and how to load them for plotting. Now you can customize your plot styles and create professional-looking drawings with ease!

We hope this tutorial has been helpful in guiding you through the process. Happy plotting!