RAL Classic Fan-deck / Colour chart - Updates june 2019: ENG (UK) [v2.0], French, German and Dutch versions

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

IV2017 - RAL Classic Fan-deck or Colour Chart with 213 frequently used colours in a wide european space. They are found in: Civil Engineering, the Public Domain, Industry and Commerce in general. There are four language versions: British English, French, German and Dutch. The dimensions of one colour chart are: 150 mm x 50 mm x 0.1 mm.

Please select the files in the language you like down below in the download box: the IV2017 file folders contains the Part (.ipt), Assembly (.iam) and Library (.adsklib) file formats. It includes the non-inventor items, such as: PDF's, PNG's colour charts and samples, the appearance thumbnail poster and decals. Other CAD-file formats (.dwg .igs and .stp) are listed separately with only parts available in the compressed zip-files.

A single colour chart contains the following information:

For example: 'RAL 1000 Green beige'

- RAL colour number and name 'RAL 1000 Green beige'
- CMYK value '0 - 7 - 32 - 21'
- eRGB conversion number '201- 187 - 136'
- HEX number '# C9BB88'
- Light Reflectance Value (LRV) approx. '50'

UPDATE 25 june 2019:
- RAL Classic ENG (UK) [v2.0] replaces old version. File size 397 Mb
- Library .adsklib file corrected for IV2017: a translation error
- File conversions (parts only !) .dwf .igs and .stp are added in separate folders
- Poster added with thumbnails of 213 colours

UPDATE 28 june 2019:
- Three dirrerent language versions added: FRA (Français), DEU (Deutsch) and NED (Nederlands)
- File conversions (parts only !) .dwf .igs and .stp are added in separate folders
- French (FRA) version has no Poster, CATV5 file conversions of parts added
- French (FRA) and Dutch (NED) versions of assemblies have no formula to drive the angle due to a different constraint used (Joint Rotational). They can be freely moved by pulling and rotating.
- the library files (.adsklib) of the Dutch version is approx. half the file size of the others. The Dutch version is created as a starting point and then copied and edited into new files. In this case, the other languages (English, French and German) function the same in inventor as the Dutch version and they have no extra features other then a larger file size. From a software developer standpoint that would be unacceptable and I presume an easy fix. The files were created by me, an end user, so correcting this is beyond my skill set and ignored.

Note to Inventor users:

Files and Folders:
A screenshot with an overview of the folders is put in the galery and added to the compressed folder (.zip) for download.
Parts (.ipt) and the Assembly (.iam) are placed in a separate folder. Same goes for the library (.adsklib) file that holds the colour/ appearance information. Colour samples, which in practice are mated with the library file, are PNG's and put in the folder 'ral classic'. This folder also contains screenshots with in-depth information (See PNG sample 'RAL 1000 Green beige' in the picture galery). Source: www.e-paints.co.uk

The 213 colour charts have been created in the Part-environment and exported as PNG's and PDF's (See PNG sample 'RAL 1000 Green beige' in galery). You can easily print and/or copy-paste them into office applications. This is an efficient and effective way of having the colour charts' lighting properties closely matched and being able to read the technical parameters directy from the chart.

A note on digital images:
The RGB based system implies colour matching is typicly needed due to 1) specific lighting conditions in the software (Inventor) and 2) the computer equipment. The colour chart is lit to the sample files. Though care has been taken to make it as accurate as possible, I cannot guarantee an exact match with this method. I found any colour chart with a LRF value of say...10 or lower produces a grey haze, albeit slight.

Setting up your project:
This library (.adsklib) file is located to the 'Appearance Libraries' in the 'Project' window while configuring a project. A short screencapture on how to do that will follow shortly [unknown]. Two images have been added to the galery to illustrate.

First. After downloading and unpacking you will need to put the 'adsklib' file in your 'Materials' folder. This is the default location for such files. The colour samples are put in the 'Textures' folder. These can be found in the folder 'ral classic' and must be synchronized/ assigned to Inventor through a file path.

Next up: the file search path. You will want to check/ establish a file search pad within Inventor, by linking the library (.adsklib) to the colour samples (.png). Please note. The individual colours charts (213 in total) will work in the downloaded files without this image (200 x 200 pixies). Assuming gaining practical use of your project's library function, you must assign the images.

How to establish a search pad for the colours: an easy way is to open one part file, say RAL 1000 Green beige.ipt. Next, open the 'appearance' browser and pull all 212 remaining colours in the active environment. If there are no colours visible your library probably isn't loaded in the current working environment/ active project space.

Now, if you edit one colour, say RAL 1000, search in the dialog box for the image folder called 'ral classic' and click on the image. See if the image corresponds with the colour bar of the thumbnail. If it matches, you're good. Now Inventor knows the search path and you can go on to save all colours to the active library below. Then delete all 213 in the active window. Finally, you can pull the colour that you want out the library. In your working space, it's easy to select 'properties' from the drop down menu, located in the search browser.

When you're ready and confident no edits are needed in the library file, you can set it to 'read only' through properties in windows. If done so, a lock will appear upon trying to edit the colour file thumbnails.

I've added a screenshot which briefly explains how to fold the fan-deck by using parameters.

Note to users of other platforms:
Please contact me, or leave your comment down below for the file conversions.

Disclaimer: I have created these files for educational purposes. I have no affliation with the RAL gGmbH organisation, owner of the RAL Classic line rights.