BUG: Print error in "Rendered Outline" mode

[Larz]

When using elevation view and prints to paper in the mode "Rendered Outline", will horizontal 'ghost' lines also be printed on paper. These ghost lines are always within the building contour.

When printing to PDF (e.g. via PDF995), there is no error.

Please confirm if you also get this error.


(TFP Pro v15.0.C2.770)

[Doug.S]

I'm not really sure of what you are describing...

When I see an elevation view (front, side, etc.) I don't see any "ghost" lines....and not sure what they look like to you.

Can you post a .jpg of what you see so we can better try to test/look for similar? And maybe your /bld file to see if we can duplicate following your exact steps to show the problem?

Does this show up on all .bld files you have? or only one particular file?  If you run a simple draw house wizard, do you see the same issue?

[Larz]

When I see an elevation view (front, side, etc.) I don't see any "ghost" lines....and not sure what they look like to you.

Can you post a .jpg of what you see so we can better try to test/look for similar? And maybe your /bld file to see if we can duplicate following your exact steps to show the problem?

Does this show up on all .bld files you have? or only one particular file?  If you run a simple draw house wizard, do you see the same issue?

Hi Doug, thanks for replying.
As the subject title indicate, this error only occurs when printing to paper (hardcopy), using elevation view and in the mode "Rendered Outline" and "Hidden Lines".

I have seen this error in the samples which came with TFP (e.g. Sample 3), and in my own drawings. I might add that it look fine on the screen, only when printing to paper, these 'ghost lines' can be seen.

I attach a paper print with the horizontal 'ghost lines', scanned into pdf.

[Draftcad]

Hi Larz,

I just printed the Sample # 3 without problems

IMO, this can be one of the two problems below

1 - Printer: check if the driver of your printer is updated. Also verify the print quality, paper orientation, printer settings, etc

2 - The graphic programs build the image first and then send it to the printer, therefore, this can be a videocard problem. In this case, I'd suggest these steps (it is a routine maintenance)
- Check the website of your video card manufacturer and update the drivers
- Go to the video setup on your PC (may be different for different versions of Windows and video card); for most, click on an empty part of the windows Desktop, click on Settings->Advanced->Troubleshoot. If you are using Win 7 look for Personalize--> Performance. Back the accelerations slider to the left, one level each time and see if the problem disappears
- Right click on the wallpaper (look for a place without icons)--> Properties--> Settings--> Advanced--> Open GL--> Compatibility Settings--> Force 16 bits--> Apply--> OK
- Set your video color depth at 24 or 32 bits ("true color")
- Go to www.microsoft.com/directx, and see what version is current and check if you have this version installed in your computer
- If the problem persists--> change the color settings from to 16 bit
- Run Malwarebytes http://www.malwarebytes.org/ and Spybot http://www.safer-networking.org/index2.html  (yes, run both, they are free). They use to find different things

Let us know about the results

Pat

[Doug.S]

Since I have never printed such a view, I have not seen this problem.

Besides trying the suggestions of DraftCad,

- try another printer
- try other printer settings
- try another PC with your same printer
- oddly, you might try a different font for the text....tho seemingly unrelated, the WYSIWYG conversion often is defined by the font conversion and some fonts display OK but don't print right on certain printers; and they screw up other things along the way....rare, but happens.

Since it does work for DraftCad, it may not be an inherrent TFP problem

So its a hunt and peck to find what is wrong, not fun.

An alternative is to "print" screen to .pdf and then print to paper from the .pdf

[Larz]

Thanks Pat and Doug for the good advice.
But it does not solve this problem! 

Have tried 3 different computers (XP & W7), different videocards (high end, and with true colors) updated drivers, virus and malware protected. Also used 2 different printers = No change!

Another guy got the same result (ghost stripes).

Still think it's a bug! 

...Since I have never printed such a view, I have not seen this problem...
...Since it does work for DraftCad, it may not be an inherrent TFP problem...

I would be very happy if more people would try to verify this bug: Print on paper a elevation view with the mode Rendered Outline active. Look for horizontal line/stripes within the building contour.


PS: I do know the workaround via print to PDF, as I wrote in my initial post - but thanks anyway. 

[Doug.S]

Just for a test, I printed sample #3 front elev view, rendered, to b&w laser (HP) and in color to my Epson....both normally print excellent without errors...

but in this case, both printed your "ghost" or extra horizontal lines within the bldg....each in different places than the other...but each had 3 extra lines...one near 1st floor ceiling (above or below the window tops), 2nd floor middle, and near top of house roof.

At first I'd think maybe these are oddities of print line resolution but that should not be across the house siding as there are no lines like that in the "material".

So I'd agree, TFP15 seems to have a bug here....at least under some combinations of PCs and printers (since DraftCad was OK).....but for this many times on this many combos of PCs and printers....somethings wrong with TFP.

Allan, can you give it a whirl as a "final" test?  and see what IMSI thinks?

[Draftcad]

Just a short update

I did several tests and I was able to see the problem. The issue seems to happen (in my case) only with few textures and doesn't happen with other textures and solid colors

Pat

[Allan Chesney]

Hi Doug, Pat, Larz and everyone,

Allan, can you give it a whirl as a "final" test?  and see what IMSI thinks?

Sorry about the delay in checking this out - just moved house and apart from all the hassel/time etc the move took, we have only just got the internet connected at the new place.  Higher speed so it was worth waiting for and gives me free phone calls so that is great!

Well I got the same results too it seems. Printing elevations in Wireframe, Hidden Line and Rendered is OK but in Renderered Outline and Patterned there are horizontal lines at regular intervals on the print.

I tried this in Envisioneer Construction Suite and got the same result, so it is a Cadsoft/Envisioneer issue and I will refer it to them. TFP will pick up the fix when it is fixed in Envisioneer.

Allan

[Larz]

Thanks Allan, Doug and Pat,
for looking into this and confirming this bug.

[RobinB]

Hi,
has there been any update on this? It's a real pain to have to print to jpeg then erase the lines!
Thanks

[Allan Chesney]

Hi Robin,

Welcome to the forum.

If you print direct from TurboFloorplan and set your printer to 300 DPI it should print OK without the extra lines.  The problem may be that your printer does not have this setting. Generally laser printers do but inkjets don't. You may be able to experiment on an inkjet with different settings to get one that does not print the extra lines but it will be very much trial and error and may still not work.

The simplest way to print without the lines it is to create a PDF then print from that.  There are many free PDF 'printers' around and all the ones I have tried all allow you to set the resoution to 300DPI although I don't think the resolution you choose will affect the print at this point. (If you didn't know, a PDF printer will just appear as another printer on your computer but it generates a PDF document instead of printing).

Personally I use PDF24. Previously I used PDF Creator but it now insists on installing a special toobar that apparerntly collects data and I don't like that idea.  A Google search will soon bring these and others up if you do not already have a PDF printer.

Once installed, select the to print to the PDF 'printer', then open the PDF file it creates and use that to print (without extra lines!). Much easier than removing them from a  JPG.

Allan

[RobinB]

Thanks.
I tried a PDF printer and it works. I also experimented with the jpeg printer that I was using - setting it to it's lowest resolution (80dpi) gave a clean image. I need to insert copies into word documents so the jpeg option is important.
Whilst experimenting I had a problem where the top part of the image was being cut off. Selecting the 'window' in the print dialogue had no effect. As I continued to experiment the main image sometimes zoomed (without me zooming it!) to the same one as was being printed, i.e. with the top off screen. This was in 3D hidden line mode. I suppose moving the camera would have put it back in view but it doesn't explain why the main image changed or why the print dialogue was using a different view to the main image. The image shown in the print dialogue was as printed, i.e. with the top missing.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Robin

[Allan Chesney]

Hi Robin,

When you selected the Window option in the print dialog box, did you click the selection button and actually select the area of the view you wanted?  If you didn't it would just use the current display and if that had part of the view cut off then that is what would print. When you click the selection button, you can then choose the upper left and lower right of the area you want to print and that is the Window that will print, regardless of how the display appears on the screen.

If you just want to use JPG images in Word then you can also just File/Export the image as displayed on the screen without going via the Print options. This can be any view on the screen - plan, elevations, sections or 3D views from any angle, just drawings or rendered.  The best views are of course Real View images as they show photorealistic images with shadows and lights and these also export straight to a file that you can insert into Word.

Allan

[Draftcad]

Hi Robin,

Just and additional though regarding the graphic formats: if the image is OK in PDF, and depending of the features of your PDF program, you can export the image directly to Word or to a graphic format (JPG, PNG, etc)
For example, in Adobe Acrobat, you can use File --> Export

Pat