CTB and STB files in MicroStation pen tables

MicroStation pen tables let you remap any of the characteristics associated with design file elements to different values for printed output. By remapping element characteristics such as color, line style, and line weights, you can optimize the printed output. For example, if some of the elements in your design file are yellow, they will be difficult to see on a printed white page. You can use a pen table to map the yellow elements to blue elements, for example, so that they will be more visible when printed. For details, see Print Resymbolization and Pen Tables.

Pen tables are analogous AutoCAD plot styles. AutoCAD uses two types of plot style tables to control the appearance of plotted objects: color-dependent plot style tables (CTB files) and named plot style tables (STB files). CTB files include plot styles that are based on object color, and STB files include named plot styles that are assigned to individual objects or layers in AutoCAD.

Importing a CTB file

In MicroStation, you can open a DWG file from AutoCAD, then import a CTB file. The printed output uses the settings defined for each color in the CTB file.

1. Open a DWG file.


2. From the File menu, choose Print.
   The Print dialog box opens.


3. From the dialog box's Pen Table menu, choose Import.
   The Import AutoCAD plot style table dialog box opens.

   Import AutoCAD plot style table dialog box



4. From the list box, select the CTB file [*.ctb], then click OK.
   The Modify Pen Table dialog box opens. The Processing Order list box displays names of the color-dependent plotting styles in the CTB file explicitly modified in AutoCAD; it does not include plot styles that use only the default object values (such as “Use object linetype”).

   Modify Pen Table dialog box, Element Selection Criteria tab



5. Select a color name in the Processing Order list box, then select the Element Output Actions tab to see how elements displayed with this color are processed. For example, elements that match the color in the first section (Color_1) may be plotted using a different color.

   Modify Pen Table dialog box, Element Output Actions tab



6. (Optional) Modify the output settings, if necessary.


7. (Optional) Close the Modify Pen Table dialog box.
   The Print dialog box displays.

   Print dialog box



8. Click the Preview icon.
   The drawing preview is updated on the Print dialog box.


9. Click the Print icon.


10. Close the Print dialog box.

Importing an STB file

In MicroStation, you can open a DWG file from AutoCAD, then import the STB file that contains definitions of the plot styles used in the file. For each element that has a plot style defined, the printed output uses the settings defined in the STB file.

1. Open a DWG file.


2. From the File menu, choose Print.
   The Print dialog box opens.


3. From the dialog box's Pen Table menu, choose Import.


4. The Import AutoCAD plot style table dialog box opens.

   Import AutoCAD plot style table dialog box



5. From the list box, select the STB file [*.stb] file, then click OK.
   The Modify Pen Table dialog box opens. The Processing Order list box displays names of the plotting styles in the STB file that were explicitly defined in AutoCAD; it does not include plot styles that use only the default values (such as “Use object linetype”). On the Element Selection Criteria tab, the Use Section Name as Criteria setting is on.

   Modify Pen Table dialog box, Element Selection Criteria tab

   If an element in the DWG file was assigned a named AutoCAD plot style, and the name matches a name in the Processing Order list box, then the Element Output Actions are performed on this element.



6. Select a name in the Processing Order list box, then select the Element Output Actions tab to see how this section is processed. For example, elements defined with the plot style in the first section may be plotted using a particular color.

   Modify Pen Table dialog box, Element Output Actions tab



7. (Optional) Modify the output settings, if necessary.


8. (Optional) Close the Modify Pen Table dialog box.
   The Print dialog box displays.

   Print dialog box



9. Click the Preview icon.
   The drawing preview is updated on the Print dialog box.


10. Click the Print icon.


11. Close the Print dialog box.

Saving a CTB/STB file to a pen table

In MicroStation, you cannot save changes to a CTB or STB file. You can, however, save the file to a MicroStation pen table (*.tbl), which can be edited.

1. From the File menu, choose Print.
   The Print dialog box opens.


2. From the dialog box's Pen Table menu, choose Import.


3. The Import AutoCAD CTB/STB dialog box opens.


4. From the list box, select the CTB or STB file, then click OK.
   The Modify Pen Table dialog box opens.


5. From the dialog box's File menu, choose Save.
   The Create Pen Table dialog box opens.


6. Enter a name for the pen table, and click OK.


7. Close all dialog boxes.