CTB files, Greying Arch backgrounds

Greetings All,
I am looking for a convenient way to convert Architectural backgrounds to a lighter shade with some degree of ease. The simplest form was to just change every thing to a screened color but this resets all previous linetypes to the same thicknes resulting in what one consultant calls "a smeared look".
Can one change globally the screening of all colors in the plotstyle editor? I know that this will only work on our end if we edit the Architect's ctb and then plot with our symbols on our "darkened" layers. So it is not a viable solution to achieve the desired look if we send them back electronically and the Architect uses their unmodified ctb.
Another consultant here prefers to convert the backgrounds to a few manageable screened layers with the prefix AR_ followed by a suffix such as Plan or Doors and purge all else out that is not germane to our discipline. Which takes a bit of time pending the amount of nested xref's that may or may not have been sent etc that the other consultant is not wanting to spend.
What do you all do?
Any consideration will be appreciated,
Eric Fransen

 

Set visretain to 1
Xref architectural into the drawing you need the background.
Select all the xref's layers, change them to whatever layer screens them.
Now you've preserved the integrity of the original drawing, and you have a
screened background.

a lighter shade with some degree of ease. The simplest form was to just
change every thing to a screened color but this resets all previous
linetypes to the same thicknes resulting in what one consultant calls "a
smeared look".

editor? I know that this will only work on our end if we edit the
Architect's ctb and then plot with our symbols on our "darkened" layers.
So it is not a viable solution to achieve the desired look if we send them
back electronically and the Architect uses their unmodified ctb.

manageable screened layers with the prefix AR_ followed by a suffix such as
Plan or Doors and purge all else out that is not germane to our discipline.
Which takes a bit of time pending the amount of nested xref's that may or
may not have been sent etc that the other consultant is not wanting to
spend.

 

Jon,
Thanks for the reply. By doing this do not all the original lineweights get converted to "by layer" too?
I finally was able to translated "smeared" into all of the lines of our grayed out background (using perhaps a similar method to yours) are the same lineweight. Meaning that the walls are are the same weight as say the the windows, section and dimension lines etc.
Eric

 

I had assumed that you has a drawing where everything was drawn by layer.
Yes the lineweights will be all the same.

get converted to "by layer" too?

grayed out background (using perhaps a similar method to yours) are the same
lineweight. Meaning that the walls are are the same weight as say the the
windows, section and dimension lines etc.

 

Jon,
That architects objects are generally by layer and those layer have a specific lineweight assigned. Merging them all to one layer changes all line weights to that layer. This is what the consultant was objecting to with the term it looks "smeared", not crisp or nothing is as distinct as it was before conversion to a lighter background.
Thanks for your efforts,
Eric

 

I think you'd need to set up a new ctb or stb, whatever you use. Keep your
pen settings the same, and then create new ones for the architectural layers
with the appropriate line weight, but screened.

"> This is what the consultant was objecting to with the term it looks
"smeared",