Cadopolis AutoCAD 2008 Feeds

New RDB Link Tool for Revit Family

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:00 GMT

New RDB Link Tool for Revit Family Available on Autodesk Labs!

Check out the new RDB Link Tool! The RDB Link tool enables you to export data from the elements in a Revit project and maintain relationships against data that exists outside of Revit. The tool allows for both import and export of the project data and will allow the user to make changes on the database side that affect the data within the project once imported. Learn more by visiting Autodesk Labs and downloading today!

Supported Applications

§ Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010

§ Autodesk Revit Structure 2010

§ Autodesk Revit MEP 2010

Supported database platforms

§ Supported databases when running under 32 bit: MS Access 2003/2007 and SQL Server

2005/2008.

§ Supported databases when running under 64 bit: SQL Server 2005/2008.

AUGI 2009 Special Election is underway - please vote!

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:04 GMT

I am echoing the BLAUGI post and various other blog posts on this subject with the hope that we will have a much improved voter turnout compared with the last election in December 2008.

The AUGI Board of Directors Ballot is OPEN - 2009 Special Election

The AUGI 2009 Special Election is underway...

We have four candidates on the slate. Only two seats are open for the Board.

Each candidate should be considered individually. A candidate is elected based on total Yes votes counted. You may vote on all four candidates, but you may only vote Yes on a total of two candidates. The two candidates receiving the largest number of Yes votes will be elected.

The process of narrowing down the number of qualified nominees to the four candidates included on this year's ballot was a difficult one. The candidates that are elected will serve the remainder of a two year period that continues through December, 2010.

We commend all the nominees and candidates for their willingness to serve and be part of this process. Their credentials and dedicated service are one of the reasons that AUGI is such a strong organization. It is through members such as these that we continue to expand the offerings, programs, events, and training to AUGI members.

NOTE: You must have been a member of AUGI for at least 30 days prior to the close of nominations (May 24, 2009) to be able to vote in this year's Board of Directors election.

Your Vote Counts!

Please VOTE NOW

____(1)fest 2009

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:06 GMT

____ing (2) in a ____ (3)can? Better than that!!!

First off to Virginia Gardiner, the Designer of the Loowatt, I apologize for the low-brow nature of this post; It's really ____y(4) of me...

I truly respect and advocate this kind of work. I am impressed and inspired by your expression of great creativity!!!

I just couldn't help myself.

Besides the articles and videos I linked to are so good on their own that anything additionally written should (I thought) be completely distinct.

That said I have to go (on). (5)

If you never have, already have or ever do plan on using a toilet then these articles will truly inspire -and if you have never used a toilet and yet are reading this please reply back and tell us how it is to have internet connectivity and yet have no toilet... really; I know there are some of you out there.

I am really trying to hold it in (6)... no, no, no (7), you know, all the ____(8) humor, uhh sorry... ____(9) humor... this ____(10) is no joking matter!!!

The Waste Opportunity (NOT wasted)!!!

The crapper reinvented Thanks also to Thomas!!!???

Made from ____(11) and ____(12) made into it and into energy too (all ____(13) puns intended ;-) after all)

Oh ____(14); ____(15) is no longer a dirty word YAAY!!! one down, six to go!!! See the more complete videos here...Part 1 and here, Part 2 and here Part 3. I am sure those who posted these all got legal clearances too!!! If not they are really up ____(16) creek with no paddles...

Finally perhaps we can tell Matt & Trey that (__)__'s(17) ok to say again!!! well I only came up with 17, not 162...

Disconnect Markers

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:52 GMT

If you are like me, (and I trust that most of you are not), you don't really rely on disconnect markers in AutoCAD MEP that much. So image my surprise when I noticed the new disconnect markers with no real idea what they were. See the image below with the new markers on the left and the old on the right.

I may be even dumber if indeed these showed up in 2009 which I skipped. If you have not upgraded past 2008, I thought I would mention it, so when you did see the new ones, you will look so very smart and get a big raise.

AUGI Special Election – Candidates

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:54 GMT

There are four candidates for two positions on the AUGI Board of Directors. The voting page is now open, although it will not go active until voting commences on 29 June. The candidates are (in alphabetical order):

Mark Kiker - Current AUGI President, runs the CADDManager Blog, one of the candidates in the failed election of 2008. Will remain President until end of 2009, regardless of this election result.
Kenneth Leary – Prominent contributor on the AUGI Forums (as Augi Doggie), AUGI Training Program Coordinator and AUGI General Survey Manager, runs the autocad power user blog.
Marv Muston – Former AUGI President (2004)
Dario Passariello - Educator for Autodesk products, developing a web site for AUGI Italy, runs his own site.

I encourage you to read their profiles (click on the names above) and examine the PDFs of their answers to a fixed set of questions. Also, check out the candidates' responses in the AUGI Board Candidates Discussion forum.

If you have anything to say about the candidates, their suitability for the position or their responses to questions, feel free to add your comments here. Such discussion is banned on the AUGI forums, but you won't find any such censorship here. As long as your comments are not actually libellous, I won't be modifying or deleting anything.

In a comment, R.K. McSwain raises the spectre of people being banned from the AUGI forums for their comments outside it. Having made one Streisand Effect error of judgement on this issue already, I wouldn't have thought the BoD would be silly enough to immediately repeat that error by getting even more heavy-handed, but you never know. I'm prepared to wear the risk, but if you're worried about it, you don't need to use your real name or AUGI forum name here. Even if you did, there's no way of the BoD proving that the person using that name here is the same person on the AUGI forums. I won't be handing out any identifying information to anyone, so go for it and say what you like.

AutoCAD Architecture: Editing AEC Polygons

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:04 GMT

AEC Polygons can be very quickly edited using grips. It's a zillion times faster than editing polylines.
Català - Castellano - Deutsch
Somemonths back I wrote a post about Working with AEC Polygons in AutoCAD Architecture.
I thought I would add a video to that post, but since it is old and I rather have all of you subscribers seeing the video I decided to create a new post and link both of them.
So here is the video, it basically shows how you can edit the AEC Polygons by simply clicking on the grips and pressing CTRL to toggle between different editing modes.

Other editing tools, the AEC Modify Tools will be described in a post soon.

A touch of Tehran taints the AUGI Special Election

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:28 GMT

Most of you reading this blog are fortunate enough to live in democracies, and can only look on with sympathy at those who are denied the right to choose who represents them. What must it be like to live under regimes where the people are denied basic rights such as a free choice over who governs them? Or under mock-democratic regimes that hold “elections” where the candidates available from which to choose are strictly limited, or where the ruling regime changes the rules of the game to prevent losing its majority, or where the right to comment on the suitability of candidates is removed?

Well, I guess we AUGI members now have a slight inkling of what that is like.

OK, so that's over the top. At AUGI, there are no riots in the street, no fires, no guns, no dead protesters. No election fraud, either, and I would hope there never is. An AUGI election is infinitely more trivial than what the Iranian people are struggling with. That said, there are clear failings at AUGI on the democratic side of things. These include:

In recent years, the Board of Directors (BoD) using the Affirmation Ballot style of “election” to appoint itself as half of the BoD is replaced each year. In this method, the BoD selects the people it wants on the BoD and allows the members the formality of voting “Yes” or “No” for each candidate. This has been widely seen as preserving an “old boys' club”, and was practiced right up to the point where it failed at the end of 2008. It failed because members' interest in this “electoral” process had dwindled to the point where a few dozen disgruntled “No” voters were enough to ensure that none of the BoD's choices were accepted (including some very worthy people who have given a lot to AUGI over the years).
The BoD setting up the replacement election such that it reduces the number of Directors being elected from 4 to 2. This ensures that it is not possible for the members to elect enough Directors to make a difference to how the BoD is run. This was done, despite the fact that it ensures that it will be not possible to run an election at the end of 2009 that meets the requirements of the current bylaws.
The BoD putting tight restrictions on who the members are allowed to vote for. At least 7 members put themselves forward as candidates for the 2 available seats, but only 4 were accepted. The 3 rejected candidates all met the minimum qualifications, and included former Presidents and a highly respected long-term AUGI volunteer who was considered worthy enough to put forward at the end of 2008. Two of the candidates were clearly being punished for expressing views contrary to that of the BoD, but the exclusion of one candidate in particular has everyone baffled. No explanation has been forthcoming to justify these exclusions.
Introducing a special forum to allow members to ask questions of the candidates (which is good), but as part of that process, sneaking in a rule that forbids discussion of the candidates or their answers anywhere on the AUGI forums (which is very, very bad). See here, rule 6: “Discussion of specific candidates and their responses in other Forums is prohibited.”

There are other failings I could have mentioned, but the electoral censorship issue is what drove me over the edge. Having remained neutral for a long time (including defending the BoD on occasion), I reached the point where I felt that continuing to remain silent about these abuses would be an insult to the AUGI membership. Such a violation of the right to freedom of speech is not to be tolerated, particularly where it amounts to interference with the electoral process. I do not accept this rule, but as a good AUGI citizen I will abide by it within the AUGI forums. I will not, however, be abiding by it here, where the BoD has no censorship rights.

You can look forward to seeing lots more on this subject in the coming days leading up to the opening of the polls on 29 June. If you are an AUGI member, I encourage you to take an active interest in this and future elections. Please read the Organization Feedback forums, the Candidates' Forums, and above all, vote!

Layer Filters 2010

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:19 GMT

Back in October 2008, I posted the registry hack to bring the AEC Layer Filters into Civil 3d 2009. After removing some gremlins in our 2010 template, I’ve lost my layer filters in 2010. After quick Civil3d.com search, I applied the hack, issued the command CLASSICLAYER, and was very disappointed last Friday. Do not dismay! To [...]

AU 2009 Class Confirmation

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 04:49 GMT

It's official, this will be my 7th year teaching at Autodesk University. I'm starting to actually feel a bit older, which is amazing for a 29 year old (you know I'll never admit to turning 44 this year…).

Classes accepted for AU 2009
The Art of Implementing AutoCAD Civil 3D (second year I've taught this class)
The Road to Success – Corridor Modeling (fourth year I've taught corridor modeling)
A Race from the Field to the Finish Line (a new class for AU 2009 – Using the Survey functionality of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010, something I've blogged quite a bit about).

It's been an amazing year. I can never express how blessed I feel, and I want to thank you. I started I.II.I (1.2.1 Professional Consulting Services, LLC) last year and have managed to stay busy between oceans at a pace I could never have imagined (so much so that I rarely have time to blog anymore, but I'm told that's a good problem). I spoke at Autodesk University 2008, co-authored Mastering AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. The list goes on, I feel incredibly fortunate, incredibly thankful.

I look forward to seeing many of you at Autodesk University, and working with many more of you in the years to come. I'll continue to do my best to offer a level of excellence in technology I think you deserve.

Cheers,
Scott
scott.mceachron@12pcs.net

AutoCAD 2010 – Putting things back to “normal”

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:44 GMT

Easily the most popular post on this blog, in terms of both hits and comments, is AutoCAD 2009 – Putting things back to “normal”. Lots of people seemed to find it useful, so I guess it's worth doing an updated sequel for the current release. Much of this post is the same as the original, but there are differences.

One thing that's regularly asked whenever a new AutoCAD release hits the streets is how to make it work like earlier releases. As I stated in my original post, I think you should give any new features a fighting chance before turning them off or ignoring them. The 2010 Ribbon is still a Ribbon, but in my view it's a better one than in 2009. But it's entirely your choice. We should be grateful that in AutoCAD 2010 at least (unlike Revit 2010), you do still have that choice.

Let's assume you've made the decision to put your environment back to AutoCAD 2008 or earlier; how do you do it?

Workspace. In vanilla AutoCAD, you can restore much of the user interface by just switching workspaces. In the bottom right corner, there is a little button that looks like a gearwheel. This is the Workspace control. Click on it and pick the item called AutoCAD Classic. If you're using a vertical variant of AutoCAD 2010, this workspace may not be available. If so, or if you want finer control over your interface, read on.
Pull-down Menus. Enter MENUBAR 1 to turn pull-down menus on. To turn them off again, enter MENUBAR 0.
Toolbars. In AutoCAD 2009, you could turn individual toolbars on and off by accessing a menu obtained by right-clicking on the QAT. Autodesk (vindictively?) removed that option in 2010. That menu is still available if you right-click in an unused docked toolbar area, but if you have no toolbars visible there will be no such area available. What to do? Turn on one toolbar at the Command prompt, then you will be able to access the menu by right-clicking on the blank area to the right of it. The following command sequence will do it:
_.-TOOLBAR ACAD.Standard _Top 0,0

Note that this will only work if you have the acad.cuix file loaded (or partially loaded). This is the case in vanilla AutoCAD and some verticals (e.g. AutoCAD Civil 3D), but it may not be the case in other verticals (e.g. AutoCAD Architecture).
Ribbon. You can close the Ribbon with the RibbonClose command. If you ever want to turn it back on, enter Ribbon.
Dashboard. The AutoCAD 2007/8 Dashboard is gone, but you can have a vertical Ribbon instead. If the Ribbon is not visible (it won't be if you just selected the AutoCAD Classic workspace), enter Riboon to bring it back. In the tab title row (the bar with the word Home in it), right-click and pick Undock. Now you can place and size your Dashboard-like thing as you see fit. As before, you can right-click on things to change the various settings. However, getting the contents exactly the way you want it usually involves using CUI, and that's well outside the scope of this post.
Graphic Background. Despite Autodesk thinking it's a good idea to hide all the yellow lines in your drawings by giving you a creamy drawing area, many of you will want a black background. To do this, right-click on the drawing area and pick Options… (or just enter OP), then pick the Display tab. Don't be tempted to choose Color Scheme and set it to Dark, because that just changes the appearance of various user interface elements. Instead, pick the Colors… button. On the left, choose a context you want to change (e.g. 2D model space), choose the appropriate background element (e.g. Uniform background) and choose the particular shade that takes your fancy. There is a Restore Classic Colors button, but that only takes you back to AutoCAD 2008 with its white paper space. If you want a black paper space, you'll have to specify that individually. When you're done, pick Apply & Close, then OK.
Status bar. Right-click on a status bar button, turn off Use Icons and your text-based status bar buttons will return.
Classic commands. If you prefer not to leave the various new palettes on screen all the time, old versions of various commands are still available: ClassicLayer, ClassicXref and ClassicImage. There is also a system variable LAYERDLGMODE, which when set to 0 will make the Layer command work in the old and faster modal way. If you use this setting, you can still access the new modeless layer palette with the LayerPalette command. Going back further, there are command-line methods of these commands: -Layer, -Xref, XAttach, -Image and ImageAttach.

If you have allowed AutoCAD to migrate your settings (I never do), some of the above will already be done for you, but by no means all of it. Once you're happy with your new environment, I suggest you save your workspace under a name of your choosing (Save Current As… under the gearwheel button), then export your profile in the Options command's Profiles tab.

DWG Trueview 2010 silent install

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 01:37 GMT

Back in August 2008, Robert Krumenacher told us how to perform a silent install of DWG Trueview 2009 and its dependencies with minimal effort.

So I finally got around to messing with DWG Trueview 2010, and the same method does not work. I have learned through Scott Sheppard and Volker Joseph that it is just not possible to perform a silent (or unattended) install using the .EXE file like we were able to with 2009.

If your machines already include all the dependencies, like .NET 3.5 SP1, etc., then you can deploy the .MSI file itself silently, but if you install the .MSI without all the dependencies, Trueview will not launch.

Without a Net recently published the info necessary to silently deploy Design Review 2010, although it is basically showing you how to install the dependency components individually along with the main application. Based on my tests, it looks like you can simply install the MSI for Design Review on a machine that already has a proper install of Trueview 2010 since the dependencies are already installed.

User and Non-Users

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 11:33 GMT

In a comment, Matt Lombard asked me to comment on something that I have been trying to avoid talking about for quite some time. He asked:

"To the best of my very poor memory, all of the proponents of Direct Editing as the New World Order for CAD are non-users, and the proponents of history are users ...[snip]... Any comments on that?"

If you are a so called user, please forgive me if you find some of what you are about to read offending. It is not my intention to offend anyone. Definitely not Matt whose blog, I believe, is one of the best CAD blogs out there, not just for the content, but also for the way he puts it.

I want to keep Direct Modeling out of this discussion and only talk about this concept of users and non-users that Matt brought up. Over the years I have been reading comments from users which imply that the CAD media, analysts, authors, etc. have their heads in the clouds and do not know what they are talking about because they do not do real modeling work. I have even heard pretty derogatory comments (especially from SolidWorks users) saying things like, "The programmers at SolidWorks should be made to use their own software."

This kind of thinking is similar to questioning the wisdom of asking a priest for advice on your marriage. After all, what the hell does a priest know about married life, right? And yet they are very effective in sorting out marital problems. I don't know about the West, but here in a place like India, they are wizards. For a doctor to be able to write a prescription for a patient, he does not need to be ill. Furthermore, the patient does not even know or care how other patients in the clinic feel. But the doctor does. All that matters to each patient is his health, that's all.

My point is that a user normally thinks only in terms of the software that he is trained to use. For the most part, he is unaware of features and methods implemented in other software. I see this every day at SYCODE. We specialize in developing data exchange plug-ins for almost all the major CAD systems and we get questions from customer of all shapes and sizes. The kind of queries that we receive make me sometimes wonder whether users wear blinders that prevent them from looking at all the other stuff around them.

Now coming to the view that the CAD media, analysts, authors, etc. do not use CAD software. I will let others speak for themselves. But before I have my say, let me list the CAD systems along with their versions that are currently installed on my computer in office.

Acrobat Pro Extended (9.0)
Alibre Design (11.0)
AutoCAD (2000, 2000i, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
Bricscad and dozen other IntelliCAD variants
Cobalt, Graphite (V8)
CoCreate Modeling 2.0
DoubleCAD XT and Pro
Inventor (10, 11, 2008, 2009, 2010)
IRONCAD & INOVATE (11.0)
KeyCreator (7.5)
KOMPAS 3D (V10)
Moment Of Inspiration (1.0, 2.0)
Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 Preproduction)
Rhinoceros (3.0, 4.0, 5.0 Beta)
SketchUp (6.0, 7.0)
Solid Edge (ST)
SolidWorks (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
SpaceClaim (2009)
TurboCAD (15.0)
VectorWorks (2009)

And these are just general CAD systems, not specialized CAD software like industry specific solutions for Rapid Prototyping, Reverse Engineering, etc. Now these CAD systems don't just sit there and occupy my hard disk space. I use these systems on a daily basis. I have spent the last decade solving people data exchange problems by figuring out how these CAD systems work internally. Apart from a few personal projects like designing my house and the stuff in it, I do not create a lot of design data. But I sure as hell modify data created by others. The data I am referring to here is live data from customers (or should I say users?), often sensitive information for which I need to sign Non Disclosure Agreements. The kind of stuff that eventually end up as products, buildings, etc.

But what is more important to understand is the fact that at SYCODE, we do not offer design services. Rather we offer plug-ins and custom solutions that automate the tasks of creating and modifying design data. So I need to wear the hat of a user as well as a programmer to be able to automate a user's workflow in his CAD system or between his CAD systems. So when someone refers to me as a non-user, you can imagine why I would find that a particularly difficult pill to swallow.

And lastly coming to the view that programmers should be made to use the software that they develop, I believe that apart from reflecting insolence, this kind of thinking shows stupidity in its purest form. I think this is best explained by means of an example.

Like I said before, at SYCODE, we specialize in data exchange plug-ins for CAD systems, one of which is SolidWorks. I find myself using the Import Diagnosis feature of SolidWorks a lot on models imported by our import plug-ins. It is not uncommon for the Import Diagnosis feature to not fill all holes and close all gaps because its success or failure depends upon the quality of the imported data. But sadly, it is also not uncommon for me to hear customers bitch about SolidWorks not being able to do a good job. Now consider this for a moment. A user will use a feature like Import Diagnosis probably a few times a month, if at all. Can you even imagine how many times the programmers who developed this tool used this feature to create, update, test, debug and continuously maintain their code? As programmers we use the software that we create after every tweak in our code and after every rebuild. We use our software with all kinds of design data that we can gather or conceive. We sometimes programatically create data that a user would normally never create, just so that we can stress-test our software. Heck, we use our software so much that we often need to write code that continuously runs data though our software on a dedicated testing server 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Think about it. If you are amazed at the speed at which demo jocks work, I suggest you take a look at programmers. Just because they work in the back room invisible to the world, it does not mean that they do not use the software they create. They use it far more than these so called users do. The reason I call this line of thinking stupid is because its more like a cab driver scoffing at a bunch of automobile engineers who designed the car that he is driving.

And while I am at it, I would like to draw attention to another thing I find quite repulsive. When a user creates a design and it fails or does not work as intended, he goes ahead and modifies it and gives it a revision number. In programming parlance the failure is called a Bug and the revision is called a Service Pack. Users should start calling their failures bugs and revisions service packs and then they will be able to appreciate the saying "to err is human".

I often hear users say that CAD vendors should sort out all the bugs before releasing their software and not make paying customers debug their software for them. I have even heard some users say that the CAD vendors should pay them for reporting bugs. I can turn this argument on its head and ask users to design products that never fail so that people who paid money for the products they designed do not have to pay the price for their "revisions" as well.

Sounds fair, doesn't it?

Organize This!!!

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:12 GMT

Do you remember this article from last year? Did you ever see it? Have you used it? If not you may want to... Organizing the Development of a Building Model by: Jim Bedrick

That along with These Documents cited in the article, from the IPD-CA folks as well as the AIA's IPD Guide can help fill your mind with possibilities; while these may overload you they still give insight into processes to verify and validate our progress into the Future of VDC.

CAD/Design/Architecture/Engineering Annual Salary Survey Running Now!

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:48 GMT

AUGI is currently running the 2008 Annual Salary Survey!

COMPLETE THE SURVEY BY JUNE THE 30th.

Which means that your peers need YOU to log in and report your views. We call this a survey because that's precisely what we're doing. We're collecting information from the members to compile and share back with the members. What a great idea!

But, unfortunately, only about 10% of our membership takes part each year, which limits the amount of meaningful data that I've got to work with. Remember, every little bit helps. Speak for your industry!

The survey results will be released in AUGIWorld Magazine this fall.

Of course, if you have any concerns about participating in this anonymous survey or have questions about any of it, be sure to check out the updated FAQ. And the 'F' in FAQ, REALLY means FREQUENTLY. Frequently Asked Questions

I did get feedback from our members last year and, as usual, I have made a couple small changes.
Many "Thanks" to those folks who truly appreciate all of the volunteer time spent on this and tell me about how our survey has benefited you. That's what AUGI is all about, users helping users, and I love to know when you've benefited.

Feel free to check out the results from the 2008 Survey which include: the Salary Survey article and charts from AUGIWorld Magazine, the FAQ document (which includes a listing of all questions asked on the survey, frequently asked questions), a Podcast (mp3 containing survey observations and tips on asking for a raise) and a spreadsheet containing various comparisons and rankings between each discipline/industry.

This survey isn't only about how much money people are earning, it's a pulse in our industry... we can watch trends such as more firms adopting BIM Managers, and more folks retiring and more folks taking pay and hour cuts. I'm very curious to see this year's results and I hope you'll all participate.

Oh, ~sigh~ and just to be one step ahead of the curve... if you frequent other CAD sites, you might have noticed last year that there were a couple of users (one in particular who posted under a couple of other names) who... theorized and then 'spread the word' a bit last year that AUGI or I are benefiting somehow by selling the information we're gathering... which is, of course, a completely fabricated theory. Nothing is done with this survey outside of the results posted on AUGI's website, the results are not tied to user names and I have no way of finding out who reported what and no way to monetize the information. We require a log in to prevent people from flooding the survey with results that might skew the numbers.

And, as always, AUGI is nothing without it's users, so I really hope that you could spare a couple of minutes of your time to chime in with your $0.02 and provide one more salary and industry resource for the community. Thank you for your time!

PTC: Has the "For Sale" Sign Come Down?

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:38 GMT

Almost a year ago, it was reported that a few PTC executives would profit big time should the company suffer a "change in control" -- business-speak for an acquisition (see Boston Business Journal, June 27, 2008). Sure enough, a few months later the story broke that PTC was up for sale (see FT.com story, Sep, 6, 2008).

At the PTC World Press and Analyst Days being held in Orlando, PTC is certainly not acting like a company up for sale. On the first day, there was a barrage of press releases, including news of significant enhancements to the core product as Pro/E Wildfire 5.0 was unveiled. Companies on the block don't typically acquire other companies -- and here was PTC buying Relex. Other announcements signified long term investment or at the very least, R&D expenditure. Not exactly "polishing the apple," as it were.

Could it be that PTC has given up looking for a buyer? After all, with this economy, the offers may not be pouring in. Or offers could be for a fraction of the price PTC was asking ($2 billion). Also, PTC may not have wanted to leave the company on sale for too long without attracting a serious buyer. Having a company too long on the block will by itself cause a devaluation as potential buyers think if no one else is interested, why should they be?

So as I meet with PTC's William Berutti on the subject of corporate strategy, I couldn't help but ask if PTC is still up for sale. Bill doesn't bat an eye. "Would we be doing the things we're doing if we were up for sale?," he asks rhetorically. He points out R&D has stayed on level spending and there were only minor cuts in personnel (4%, mostly in sales, marketing). We have 70 open job positions, he adds. Business as usual, Bill seems be saying.

What was I expecting? Getting a company executive to admit his company is for sale is as easy as nailing jello to the wall. It would deflate morale among employees. Valuable people would leave. Competitors would have a field day.

It might very well be that PTC is wading through the tough times, operating from a position of relative strength (its quarterly drop in revenue in percentage was much less than Autodesk's) so that it might try once again for a sale later as we come out of a recession.

The ODA Finally Gets It

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:03 GMT

More than seven months ago, in a post titled "DWGDirect and DRX Explained" I wrote:

"Take a look at their [ODA's] web site. This is what you see on the home page:

'The Open Design Alliance is a non-profit membership-based consortium of software companies, developers and users committed to promoting the open exchange of CAD data now and in the future. In addition to setting standards for CAD data formats, the ODA also focuses on the practical matter of developing software libraries of exceptional quality that enable ODA members to develop applications capable of reading and writing the popular DWG and DGN CAD file formats. ODA members use the following ODA software libraries to support their efforts of developing CAD solutions'

…and they go on and talk about DWGdirect and DGNdirect, about how these libraries can read and write DWG and DGN files. Absolutely nothing about anything I said above. No mention whatsoever about the DRX SDK. You need to click on a cryptic link called 'Public Downloads' to even know that they offer something called the DRX SDK."

Go take a look at the ODA web site today. This is what the home page says:

"The Open Design Alliance is a non-profit, membership-based consortium of software companies, developers and users committed to provide the ODA Technology Platform to its members, giving them the tools to create a wide range of technical graphics applications, including custom data access and editing utilities, visualization tools, and even full-scale CAD systems. The platform also supports the use of both DWG and DGN files, with import and export capabilities to other file formats."

I have been yelling myself hoarse on this blog and elsewhere, that reading and writing DWG files is just one of the many things that the ODA does. I even wrote a book to emphasize my point. It feels nice to know that the ODA has finally found itself. I have been privy to a few things going on at the ODA for some time. I would like to give a substantial amount of credit for this "makeover" to Arnold van der Weide, the president of the ODA. I know that there are other people involved as well, but let's give the devil his due. I am pretty sure that with the leadership and vision of Arnold, the ODA is a much stronger organization, which undoubtedly has a bright and strong future.

Today the ODA released DWGdirect.NET, the first ODA platform platform component built for use with the Microsoft .NET Framework. This opens the ODA's doors to a whole new class of programmers, the kind that do not need to mess with C++, but a more easier language like VB.NET. Full press release here.

Way to go, ODA!! Now go do what you do best. Crack that 2010 DWG format and piss all over Autodesk once again.

AutoCAD: How to Modify the XCLIP Frame Without Redrawing it

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:57 GMT

You can easily edit which part of an XREF is clipped without redrawing a new polyline.
Català - Castellano - Deutsch
A few months back a wrote a post about the XCLIPFRAME system variable. What I didn't know back then is that the frame shown with this system variable could actually be edited.

For those who don´t know what an XCLIP is: with the XCLIP command, we can clip (hide) part of a Block or XREF. This will allow us to keep the Block or the XREF unexploded while showing only the part of it that we want in our drawing. As I already mentioned before, I hate people who explode blocks as a hobby, but I understand they do so because they don´t know they have these options.

So back to editing the XCLIP Frame, if we set the XCLIPFRAME system variable to 1, we will be able to see the frame that is used to hide part of the Block or XREF. This frame can be modified by selecting it and moving its grips. In many cases, when we have created a very complex XCLIP Frame, this becomes extremely useful so we don't have to redraw the polyline we used to clip de Block or XREF while still allowing us to hide or show a different part of the object.

Revit Technology Conference 2009 - Melbourne

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:00 GMT

RTC also stands for Revit Technology Corporation - coincidence? Hmmm...

I mentioned the 2009 conference earlier this year in THIS POST.I was fortunate enough to attend this conference back in 2006. I still wear my RTC hat all the time!
It is only a short couple of weeks away now. Three years later and I get to attend again finally!! Like last time I am presenting a couple of sessions and I've managed to crack out of my "family editor" mould somehow. I get to talk about something other than Revit families, exciting...for me anyway! Besides I wouldn't want to have to compete with the people presenting family sessions this year anyway, stiff competition!!

The first session, on Friday, is about the new features in Revit Structure 2010. This will be fun because by then I hope to be nearly done doing the technical editing for the 2010 refresh of the Mastering Revit Structure book by Wiley/Sybex and authors Tom Weir, Jamie Richardson & David Harrington. But I digress...

The second session, on Saturday, is "Managing Large Projects" where I hope to "steal" as much information from the attendees as I can...oops I meant share my knowledge with the attendees.

Then I get to team up with my friend and patron saint Wesley Benn to do a free-for-all Revit Tips-n-Tricks session. Here's a small photo that surfaced on the current RTC 2009 site of Wesley and me, thanks for the VB!

To be unlike any other software conference you might attend I've heard we will be giving away livestock for the top five tips or tricks. Maybe I better run that idea past Wesley first?

I look forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones in Melbourne at RTC 2009!!

Surface Creation Tools – 2010 Version

Sun, 31 May 2009 03:21 GMT

For those users that used the survey extension in AutoCAD MAP3D 2009 and were using the Surface Creation tool you might of been a little disappointed with 2010 version lack of that tool. The rest of the survey tools were incorporated into the Survey Tab on the map task pane but the surface tool was left out.

Well not to worry Autodesk heard us complaining and did something about it. Actually back in the beta stages the complains and question about the surface tool where first brought up to the Map3D team. Although it was too late to get in the release versions Autodesk Map3D team has the solution.

Up on your subscription site under the product download section there is the 2010 version of the Surface Creation Extension, both a 32bit and a 64 bit version. Download and install and you will have the same tool that was in the 2009 version with one little missing function. The missing function is the export the points to drawing points, which you can now use the (map) import tools to accomplish that.

If you had not used the 2009 version Survey Extension or the Surface Creation tool you may want to take a look at my post here to get an idea of what it can do. That's only one of the task you can use it for, the main function of it was to allow users to import a topo survey in ASCII format and create a Geo-TIFF raster file.

AutoCAD for the Mac

Thu, 28 May 2009 01:07 GMT

I have in the past posted about AutoCAD on the Apple Mac platform.

Run AutoCAD on a Mac

I even posted a survey for feedback which was pummeled with hits in the tens of thousands in only a few days. We appreciate all the great feedback and are considering each and every response. We at Autodesk are growing more and more Mac platform products and who knows, perhaps add AutoCAD to the list.In any case this is not a gratuitous Mac post to get hits instead I am looking for something.

Back in the 1980’s Autodesk actually had an AutoCAD R11/R12 for the Mac.

I have only been a Mac user for a few months but wanted to see if any fellow AutoCAD longtime users and history buffs might have a rare AutoCAD R11/R12 for the Mac or at least some screenshots. I will give a reward to the person who has the best set of images or a boxed product so I can add to my unofficial AutoCAD History web archive and images.

So do you have an old AutoCAD R11/R12 Mac laying around or some images and screenshots, email me at shaan@autodesk.com

Cheers,
Shaan (now both Mac and PC user)

WTF is Digital Prototyping - Part 2

Mon, 25 May 2009 12:58 GMT

A year ago I did a Part 1, in which I defined Digital Prototyping as "the difference between modeling and designing". At that time I was talking about Autodesk and its idea of Digital Prototyping, while keeping Inventor at the center of the concept.

Today I would like to talk about another company that is doing digital prototyping - a company called GEOMATE with its product CADCALCS 2.0. I don't believe I have seen anything like CADCALCS before. To put is crudely, it is a geometric calculator. But it is actually much more than that. I could spend an hour trying to explain what CADCALCS does in words here, but I think you will get a much better idea if you see this video. After you do that take a look at this PDF document to see a bunch of examples where and how the software may be used.

Even in the case of CADCALCS, my definition of Digital Prototyping still remains the same - "the difference between modeling and designing". Like I said in Part 1, geometry is a solved problem. Of course, we will constantly strive ways to find new ways of arriving at geometry, such as direct editing or the thing which comes after that, but the real problem is to find an easy and accurate method of arriving at the right geometry that will satisfy the design requirements. This is a very complex problem and is probably the reason why we still need a particular class of humans to design something, a class called Engineers. Technology can only make our work easier; and CADCALCS is one such technology.

CADCALCS 2.0 is priced at $499. They also have an educational price of $99, which I believe is fantastic. A software like CADCALCS is an excellent tool to get young minds interested in engineering. For that price you even get an extra license for home use and free technical support via the web.

Kernel Confusion and Legacy Models

Sat, 23 May 2009 08:48 GMT

Evan Yares left a comment on my earlier post ("Inventor Fusion and SolidWorks Confusion"), attempting to explain why SolidWorks could not switch to the Dassault V6 modeling kernel. This is what he had to say:

"There are very good reasons. I don't think they're beyond your comprehension -- but they may be beyond your experience. Talk to someone who has done kernel-level interoperability work, and ask them how easy it is to replicate the weirdnessess of one kernel in another. The issues of surface parameterization and modeling tolerance alone are enough to make most developers run away screaming. Dassault owns both the ACIS and CATIA modeling kernels. Either one could be 'bolted in'. Neither one would provide support for legacy SolidWorks models."

When someone like Evan says something, I listen. He comes with a lot of experience in the CAD software industry. However, on this particular point, I would beg to differ.

IronCAD offers its users a choice between two modeling kernels - ACIS and Parasolid. Their software works perfectly with both kernels. IronCAD does not maintain two file formats, one for each modeling kernel. This is because the job of a modeling kernel is end up with a valid waterright solid model, basically trimmed NURBS surfaces stitched together. A modeling kernel has very little to do with the presence or absence of parameters or history that makes up the recipe which cooks up that solid body, if any at all. Tomorrow morning the developers at IronCAD could very well add a history tree to their software and still continue to use both modeling kernels.

IronCAD is a perfect example of how a solid model created by the ACIS modeling kernel can be converted into an exact same solid model as defined by the Parasolid modeling kernel, and vice versa. IronCAD users are even known to switch between modeling kernels, because one does blends better than the other. In fact, I believe that IronCAD is the best way of transfering data from modeling systems that use ACIS and Parasolid, as compared to using neutral file formats like IGES and STEP. Their programmers have figured out a way to map data perfectly between ACIS and Parasolid.

I may not have a lot of experience in modeling kernels, but I do happen to have quite a bit of experience in a file formats. But in this case, a little bit of common sense was more than enough to figure this out. I believe that the programmers at SolidWorks are at least as competent as those at IronCAD. This SolidWorks-Dassault kernel discussion is a business issue, not a technical one.

And talking about SolidWorks wanting to support legacy files is a joke. They don't even save to earlier versions of their own software. The excuse given is that they add new features in every new version that cannot be broken down into older features. Anyone with half a brain and a little knowledge of the SolidWorks feature tree will be able to see how much water that argument really holds.

For argument sake, lets accept the SolidWorks argument at face value. I have another question. Why cannot SolidWorks save to an older version as a dumb solid? There can certainly be no reason for not doing so. If a SolidWorks 2009 user wants to send a model to a SolidWorks 2008 user, he needs to export to a neutral format which can then be imported into the older version. This introduces huge problems of missing geometry, gaps and what not. Instead of putting their customers though this, doesn't it make sense for SolidWorks to spit out an older version file with the model as a dumb solid. At least the user of the older version will not have to worry about the integrity of the data that he has received from another SolidWorks user.

And this is true for all parametric modeling systems, not just SolidWorks. We all know why these CAD vendors do this. They actually shove their "valued" customers down a path of great risk in the hope that they will upgrade to the latest version or buy a subscription.

Trust me, you don't want to get me started on this.

AutoCAD Fusion

Fri, 22 May 2009 09:28 GMT

In a post on this blog six months ago, I wrote:

"It is my prediction that a version of AutoCAD in the not so distant future will have 3D direct modeling capabilities equivalent to (or probably better than) what we see today in SpaceClaim and Solid Edge ST."

Today I would like to reiterate my prediction once again. I believe it will eventually happen. It seems to be the most logical thing to do.

AutoCAD has the largest base of CAD software users. Every other CAD software vendor is trying just about everything in its power to woo this huge base. Not always to make them dump AutoCAD and adopt their software, but sometimes to sell them stuff that works with AutoCAD. For example, an AutoCAD 2D user wanting to do some 3D work is more likely to use a direct modeling system like SpaceClaim rather than learn a parametric modeling system like Inventor.

In recent times Autodesk has been making the right noises in terms of adding 3D capabilities to AutoCAD. They even hired a Product Manager called Guillermo Melantoni for that exact purpose. Clearly the idea here is to prevent customers wanting to adopt 3D in their work flow from looking for technologies outside of the Autodesk stable.

Assuming that Autodesk does not piss off its AutoCAD customers too much with its pricing, subscription and product retirement policies, AutoCAD users would prefer to look for technologies that they need within the Autodesk stable itself, rather than risk jumping ship to another CAD vendor. So with Inventor Fusion, Autodesk is offering its AutoCAD customers a reason to stick with them. I don't believe the purpose of Inventor Fusion is to make people switch from SolidWorks or Solid Edge. Rather it will be more effective as a deterrent for preventing AutoCAD users from looking to other CAD vendors for solutions to adopt 3D in their work flow.

But lets take this a step further and take a closer look at my prediction. AutoCAD is a platform that is used across several industries. Inventor Fusion will be an answer that will work only for the MCAD industry. What about the others? Doesn't it make sense for Autodesk to add direct editing capabilities right inside AutoCAD itself? In AutoCAD 2010 they already added 2D constraints and I am sure 3D constraints is on its way. So all that is left to do is link the constraint system to the underlying modeling kernel and you have an Inventor Fusion like technology right inside AutoCAD. I am sure there is a lot of work involved here, but my point is that the situation is ripe for Autodesk to do this. And so is the business case.

The underlying logic of my prediction is based on the simple assumption that if you give AutoCAD customers direct modeling capability right inside AutoCAD itself, a software that they have learned to trust and are quite familiar with, Autodesk actually ensures that their customers stay with them. Obviously some AutoCAD users may move to Inventor for the Digital Prototyping features, but the ones who simply want to model in 3D will not find the need to look elsewhere. Moreover, this way Autodesk can effectively market AutoCAD and Inventor with Digital Prototyping as an explosive combination that can make a mark in the MCAD space. Right now, AutoCAD and Inventor both look and feel like two opposites sides of two different coins.

The beauty in all of this is that adding direct editing to AutoCAD does not break it or change it drastically. An AutoCAD user can still work in 2D just like how he did a decade ago. For those who do not need it, life will remain the same. But for those who do find the need for direct editing, life will be much better. In fact, I would be extremely surprised if Autodesk does not add direct editing capabilities to AutoCAD immediately after they have let the world test the technology in Inventor Fusion.

Like I said, it seems to be the most logical thing to do. If any of you can think of a reason why Autodesk should not go down this road, I would like to hear from you.

Extending the 1-Click Maintenance

Mon, 18 May 2009 14:58 GMT

Some days ago I published the 1-Click Maintenance plug-in here. I promised that I will also provide the source code. Here we go: Download source code (171.2K)

If you are not a programmer you can stop reading. For all the others, you're welcome to take a look at the C# project and maybe even extend it...? Extending the plug-in is not that hard. And I know you already have some new database checks in your mind which you want to see in action.

So here is what you have to do in order to implement and run your own checks. Open the project in Visual Studio 2008 and locate the class SampleCheck:

class SampleCheck : DatabaseCheck, IFixable

The sample check gives you an idea what is necessary for a new database check. Just copy and paste this class or extend it. First you have to define the title and the description of the new database check. Then you have to implement the Analyze method, that's where the real logic is located:

public override void Analyze(IStatusDisplay statusDisplay)

Within the Analyze you probably find some issues, just add them to the Results list. If you need to show a message to the user don't show a message box, instead use the Messages property. One reason for that is that we don't want to interrupt the process and it also has to run in batch mode.

If your check can also fix the found issues you can implement the IFixable interface for your class. This should add a new method called Fix:

public void Fix(IStatusDisplay statusDisplay)

Within the Fix method make sure you iterate through the Results and fix one after the other. Keep in mind that the user might disable some results, so check the Active property of the result (result.Active). Also in this method you can log messages and errors in the Messages property.

After you have finished implementing your database check class you have to add it to the Controller. Locate the Controller.InitializeChecks() method and add a new instance of your class there.

That's it. If you need more detailed information take a look at the other database checks.

In order to compile and run the plug-in you have to set the correct reference path for the Topobase related assemblies (go to Project - Properties - Reference Paths) and the correct build path (Project - Properties - Build - Ouput path).

Finally select the Topobase 2010 Administrator executable to start and debug the plug-in (Project - Properties - Debug - Start external program).

You are welcome to send me any feedback (or new database checks :-)

Thanks!

AUTODESK DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DOWNLOAD OR IMPLEMENT ANY SAMPLE CODE. SAMPLE CODE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU. AUTODESK PROVIDES SAMPLE CODE "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF DATA, OR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF IMPLEMENTING OR USING ANY SAMPLE CODE, EVEN IF AUTODESK OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

AutoCAD 2009 Update 3 Released Today

Tue, 12 May 2009 19:35 GMT

In an effort to continue to improve the quality of our products we are releasing a free AutoCAD 2009 Update 3 after it has completed customer beta testing. This update (Service Pack) includes both AutoCAD Update 1 & Update 2.

Who Should Install This Update?

AutoCAD 2009 32-bit & 64-bit
AutoCAD LT 2009 32-bit & 64-bit
AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite 2009 32-bit & 64-bit
AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite 2009

Downloads

AutoCAD 2009 Update 3 http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13271527
AutoCAD LT 2009 Update 3 http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13271636
AutoCAD 2009 Update 3 for Revit Architecture Suite http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13271534
AutoCAD 2009 Update 3 for Revit Structure Suite http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13271518

ReadMe Document

Fixes Include:

Problems Reported with the Customer Error Reporting Utility

Update 1

Annotation Scaling
External References (xref) Palette
Hatch
Partial Open
Plot
Properties Palette
Raster Images
Remote Text (rtext)
Visual Styles

Update 2

3D Orbit
Annotation Scaling
Blocks
Hatch
Layer
Materials
Menu Browser
Open/Save
Plot
Properties Palette
Publish
Render

Update 3

2D Display
3D Navigation
3D Tools
Annotation Scaling
Blocks
CUI
DBX-ACDB
Display Drivers
Dynamic Dimensions
ETransmit
Graphic System
Hatch
Impression Toolbar
Layer
Materials
MDI
Modify
Open/Save
Object Snaps
OLE
Plot
Properties Palette
Publish
Purge
Render
Section & Flatten
Visual Styles

General Updates

The following defects have been fixed:

2D Display

Update 3

On Windows XP, AutoCAD 2009 may crash when Windows XP is suspended or placed in hibernation mode.

If a layer is set to the color BYBLOCK and you plot the drawing, AutoCAD crashes.

3D Navigation Tools

Update 2

When you use the ViewCube in some drawings, AutoCAD freezes.

Update 3

When you use a 3D navigation command, such as 3DORBIT or 3DPAN, to maintain performance, the display degrades. AutoCAD may crash.

When orbiting a 3D model with a 3D polyline, AutoCAD may crash.

3D Plot

Update 3

When you plot a drawing, a plot style assigned to a layer does not display in the plotted output.

.NET API

Update 1

When a .NET function with a LispFunction attribute has the return type as object, an exception is issued in AutoCAD.

Update 2

If you create a wipeout object through .NET API, a fatal error may occur.

Annotation Scaling

Update 1

A drawing that contains a large number of anonymous blocks and copies of annotative entities created in AutoCAD 2007 or an earlier release opens slowly in AutoCAD 2009.

A scale is infinitely enumerated when you insert a drawing that contains the same scale as a block or an external reference (xref).

Update 2

The scale of annotative text changes when you use LISP entmod() to change the properties of the annotative text.

Update 3

When a multileader (mleader) with a missing or invalid style is edited, it disappears from the display. If you select undo or close the drawing, AutoCAD crashes.

When a drawing contains incorrect block references and the SAVEFIDELITY system variable is set to 1, if you attempt to save the drawing, AutoCAD crashes.

Switching layouts that contain viewports with hatched objects may take an unusually long time.

If you use annotation scaling to delete a layout viewport, AutoCAD may crash.

ARX-OTHER

Update 3

If AutoCAD 2009 Update 2 is installed on your system, attribute text may be misaligned.

ATIL

Update 3

TIFF files may display incorrectly.

Attributes

Update 1

When you attempt to display a tooltip of a multiline text (mtext) attribute that contains 281 characters or more, AutoCAD crashes.

When you move a block using an insertion grip, mtext attributes move incorrectly.

When the default value of an mtext attribute in a block contains a field, you cannot edit the attribute text to replace the field with other data.

Update 2

When a drawing contains xrefs, the -ATTEDIT command fails.

Autodesk Buzzsaw

Update 2

In the File Navigation dialog box, when you use the Add a Buzzsaw location shortcut option, AutoCAD crashes.

Blocks

Update 1

When you insert or redefine a block that contains attributes on a locked layer, AutoCAD crashes.

When you change the scale of a block through the Properties Palette, an attribute displays incorrectly.

Update 2

When you copy and paste a dynamic block, associative hatches do not work.

After you redefine a block definition, associative hatches in dynamic blocks display incorrectly.

When you open a drawing, a polyline in a block may have a very large width.

After you open a drawing, some dynamic blocks lose their dynamic properties.

Update 3

When a drawing contains a block that references itself, if you use the INSERT command, AutoCAD crashes.

When you use the PASTEBLOCK command, AutoCAD may crash.

If you explode mirrored blocks and then save your drawing, AutoCAD may crash.

Corrupt DWG file

Update 3

When you audit a drawing, erased objects may be identified as invalid objects. AutoCAD attempts to fix these and crashes.

In some situations, when you attempt to open a corrupt drawing, if data cannot be recovered, AutoCAD crashes.

CUI

Update 3

When you use the Refedit toolbar to reference edit, AutoCAD may crash.

Data Extraction

Update 2

Data Extraction cannot finish operations in some cases.

The Data Extraction Combine Record Mode > Sum values option does not work correctly.

DBX-ACDB

Update 3

When all drawings are closed, if you preview a drawing from the Recent Files list on the menu browser, AutoCAD crashes.

When you add Xdata to a table style, AutoCAD may crash.

DGN Support

Update 2

When you import some DGN files, AutoCAD crashes.

Update 3

When you use the DGNEXPORT command, you cannot save the file to a FAT32 formatted drive.

DIM

Update 2

If alternate units is on and you edit dimension text, the alternate units text is duplicated.

Display Drivers

Update 3

If you are running AutoCAD on Windows with limited user privileges, you cannot download the updated certified driver list. The latest list of certified drivers is included with this update.

If you use OpenGL with uncertified graphics drivers, AutoCAD may crash.

If your screen saver starts, the connection between AutoCAD and your graphics card may be lost, causing AutoCAD to crash.

Draw 2D

Update 3

When you copy multiline text (mxtext) or dimensions with breaks, a memory leak may occur.

When AutoCAD 2009 Update 2, AutoCAD 2009 Subscription Bonus Pack 2, or AutoCAD 2009 Subscription Bonus Pack 3 is installed, polylines are incorrectly closed.

When AutoCAD 2009 Update 2 is installed, polylines with different widths are incorrectly closed.

Dynamic Dimensions

Update 3

If you enable Dynamic Input while grip editing an object and then save and close the drawing, AutoCAD may crash.

DWFIN

Update 3

In AutoCAD, if the background of a drawing is black, the file may not display correctly. This problem applies to DWF files only.

ETRANSMIT

Update 3

When AutoCAD 2009 Subscription Bonus Pack 3 is installed, if you attempt to eTransmit drawings to a ZIP file, AutoCAD crashes.

Export a Layout to Model Space

Update 1

When you export a layout to model space, the following occurs:

The linetype scale changes.

Dimension arrowheads do not display.

Text does not rotate correctly.

Drawing properties are lost.

Update 2

When you use the EXPORTLAYOUT command on some layouts, if .NET 3.5 Service Pack 1 is installed, AutoCAD may stop responding.

External Reference ESW

Update 1

The External References palette does not display when it is auto-hidden and used with the XREF or IMAGE commands.

Find

Update 1

When you use the FIND command, AutoCAD does not remain zoomed into an object.

Update 2

The FIND command performs slowly when you search for text.

Graphic System

Update 3

On Windows Vista, if your drawing contains a large block of text and the text is being refreshed for display on the screen, AutoCAD crashes.

Groups

Update 2

Rollover highlighting does not go away.

Hatch

Update 1

When you recreate a hatch boundary, it consists of separate line segments rather than a closed polyline.

Update 2

When you bind a drawing with an xref that contains annotative hatches, AutoCAD crashes.

Update 3

When you view or plot large hatched objects, AutoCAD may run out of memory.

When you open a drawing that has a hatch pattern name greater than 35 characters, AutoCAD crashes.

Hide/Shade

Update 1

When you plot, objects in an xref are not correctly hidden.

Update 2

When you use the HIDE command with a drawing that contains text, some objects may not be hidden.

Image

Update 2

When you attach a corrupted raster image to a drawing, AutoCAD crashes.

Update 3

If AutoCAD Update 1 is installed, TIFF files display incorrectly.

Impression Toolbar

Update 3

In some situations, when the AcImpression.cui file is loaded and you open a drawing, AutoCAD crashes.

Inquiry

Update 3

When you use the MEASUREGEOM command, a memory leak occurs.

Install

Update 3

If you install AutoCAD 2009 Update 1 on Windows Vista 64-bit, AutoCAD fails to launch.

When you attempt to install AutoCAD 2009 Update 1 on AutoCAD Civil 3D or AutoCAD Architecture, if you do not restart, the installation fails. If you attempt to reinstall the update, a message displays stating that the update is already installed even though it is not.

When the AutoCAD LT 2009 Update 2 is installed, AutoCAD Civil LT 2009 Update 2 fails to install.

Layer

Update 2

When you zoom to a locked viewport, the Layer palette updates.

Update 3

The VPLAYER command does not freeze selected layers in all layout viewports.

When you use the LAYMRG command, an error message displays.

When you use the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, instead of the CLASSICLAYER command, and you attempt to remove the viewport overrides for the current viewport, an error message displays and the overrides are not removed.

In the Layer Properties Manager, if you click New Group Filter and then click Set Current, an error message displays.

In drawings with many layers, if you sort layers by name, AutoCAD may freeze.

Layouts

Update 2

When you attempt to switch layouts in drawings, an Out of Memory crash may occur.

Licensing

Update 3

In AutoCAD LT 2009, when you use the -UNITS or TIME commands, a crash may occur.

If you install a network version of AutoCAD, AutoCAD may fail to start.

Materials

Update 2

When you import a 3DS file with texture, AutoCAD may crash.

Update 3

When you open a drawing with missing referenced files, if you click Cancel to ignore the missing references, AutoCAD may crash.

MDI

Update 3

If you right-click in the drawing area while a drawing is closing, AutoCAD may crash.

Menu Browser

Update 1

You cannot access the menu browser in a non-English version of AutoCAD using the shortcut Alt+Key.

Menu/Toolbar

Update 2

Some menu macros do not work.

Modify

Update 3

When you use the TABLEEXPORT command and then grip edit a viewport, AutoCAD may crash.

When you offset a polyline with a distance of zero, AutoCAD crashes.

When you use the FILLET command on non-orthogonal lines, the inclination of the lines change by a small amount. This amount is small enough that it cannot be measured, but may cause problems.

Multileader (mleader)

Update 1

When created on a rotated UCS, an mleader does not respect POLAR or ORTHO settings.

Update 2

Mleader custom arrowheads are not brought over to the drawing from the Tool palette.

Multiline Text (mtext)

Update 1

When you drag and drop a drawing while the In-Place Text Editor is active, AutoCAD crashes.

When some of the values in the In-Place Text Editor are changed, AutoCAD crashes.

Some mtext objects with double-byte characters display as a single line.

Update 2

When you edit mtext in a viewport, it may be duplicated in other viewports.

Update 3

When you open a drawing created in a non-English version of AutoCAD 2006 that contains multiline text (mtext), mtext does not display correctly.

Object Snaps

Update 2

Osnaps on polylines and mesh objects do not work correctly.

Update 3

Depending on the objects in a drawing and your current object snap settings, after you start the MOVE command and select objects, AutoCAD may fail to respond.

OLE

Update 3

When you right-click an OLE object, AutoCAD may crash.

Open/Save

Update 1

When you attempt to save a file with a long file name, AutoCAD may crash.

When you drag and drop a file from Windows Explorer into the AutoCAD title bar while in Single Document Interface (SDI) mode, AutoCAD may crash.

When you attempt to open multiple files from Windows Explorer, only the first selected file opens.

Update 3

On Windows XP 64-bit or Windows Vista 64-bit, after you work on a large number of drawings during a single session, after saving, AutoCAD may crash.

When you use the COPYCLIP or INSERT commands, an error message warning about duplicate blocks may display. When you save the drawing, AutoCAD crashes.

If you click on a hyperlink to a drawing file in another application, AutoCAD may crash.

Partial Open

Update 1

When the OPENPARTIAL system variable is set to 1 and you use the PURGE command, drawings may become corrupted.

Plot

Update 2

When you plot upside-down, an OLE object does not plot correctly.

A drawing that contains hatches and gradients may plot slowly.

When the plot area is set to View, AutoCAD LT may crash.

Update 3

When you attempt to plot a drawing with an OLE object, the OLE object may not display in the plotted output.

If you plot a drawing that contains geometry with corrupt layers, AutoCAD crashes.

Properties Palette

Update 1

In the Properties palette, the Dimension Style contr