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How to "explode" AutoCAD® blocks that don't allow you to "explode"

By: Revit Designer on March 01, 2019 / comment : 0 ,

1. Select the "Block" want to explode. Enter the command LIST on the "command line" and press Enter.




2. Check the name of the "Block" you want to explode.




3. Enter the command BLOCK on the "command line" and press Enter.




4. Select the "Block" you want to explode from the "dropdown menu". Thick the box "Alow exploding" and press OK.




5. It will appear a "new window". Select  the option Redefine block.



Now you will be able to explode the "Block".

How to repair corrupt AutoCAD files

By: Revit Designer on April 22, 2018 / comment : 2 ,

Sources: 1

Issue:

You would like to know how to clean and repair a drawing file (. dwg) in AutoCAD, as your drawing has become damaged or corrupt in some way, showing one or more of the following symptoms:
  • File will not open
  • File hangs or crashes AutoCAD
  • Slow performance when editing and manipulating the file
  • Error message when opening or when working in the file
  • Some commands do not work or have a considerable delay
  • Unexplained file size increase
  • Display/regen problems
  • Drawing elements missing

Causes:

  • Third-party applications running inside AutoCAD
  • DWG files created or saved by non-Autodesk or non-RealDWG products
  • AutoCAD terminated while saving the drawing
  • Old drawings used repeatedly over the course of years
  • Network anomalies (transmission errors, file locking, latent writing of data)
  • Storage media degradation (bad sectors on a hard drive)
  • Defective or failing RAM
  • Operating system issues
  • Power surges
  • Outdated software


Solution:

Use the following guidelines and instructions to clean, repair, and recover your drawing.
 

If the drawing file (DWG) will not open at all:

Your drawing may show the message "Drawing file is not valid," display a message about errors being found, hang or crash during the open process, or simply may not appear in AutoCAD after you have selected to open it (i.e., you open it but all you ever see is the default "Drawing1.dwg" or another file that you currently have open).
  • Refer to Error: "Drawing file is not valid" when opening a file in AutoCAD if you receive the "Drawing file is not valid" error when opening the DWG file
  • You might have leftover .dwl or dwl2 files in the folder directory. These are two hidden files that have the same name as the .dwg file but with the extensions .dwl and .dwl2. In the Windows Control Panel, go to Folder Options. On the View tab, turn on the option to show hidden files. You can then go back to the folder directory and delete the .dwl and .dwl2 files if they are found alongside your DWG file. Attempt to open the DWG again.
If neither of the above options allow you to open the DWG, move on to the next set of steps. These steps can be tried one at a time. Be sure to stop and try to open the file after each one. If the file opens, there is no need to continue to the rest of the steps.
  1. Open a blank DWG and run the RECOVER command. Select the problematic file. AutoCAD will attempt to recover the file and open it
  2. Open a blank DWG and run the RECOVERALL command. Select the problematic file. AutoCAD will attempt to recover the file and open it
  3. Open a blank DWG and run the INSERT command. Select the problematic file and see if it will insert. If it does, then run EXPLODE and select the inserted block. Run AUDIT and PURGE commands, and then use SAVEAS to create a new DWG
  4. Look in the same directory where the DWG resides and see if there is a BAK file of the same name. If so, rename the BAK extension to DWG and see if the file can then be opened
  5. Look in C:\Windows\Temp for files with an SV$ extension. If any exist with a similar name to the corrupted DWG file, then rename the extension to DWG and see if it can then be opened
  6. Try opening the drawing using DWG Trueview. If you can open it there, convert the drawing to an older DWG version and try opening again
  7. Go to your backup system and restore the file from a time before it became corrupted

If the drawing file (DWG) still opens:

Perform the following steps in the order listed:
  1. Open the drawing file
  2. Purge Registered Applications (from the command line):
    • Type -PURGE
    • "R" for Regapps (registered applications), then Enter
    • "N" when asked to verify each name to be purged, then Enter
  3. Type PURGE at the command line. With all checkboxes checked on, click Purge All
  4. Audit and fix any errors:
    • Type AUDIT at the command line
    • "Y" for Yes to fix any errors, then Enter
  5. Save the drawing
Another possibility is:
  1. Open the corrupted drawing and a new drawing
  2. CTRL + A and CTRL + SHFT+ C in the corrupted drawing. Base point is 0,0,0
  3. CTRL + V in the new drawing. Insert point is 0,0,0
  4. Save the new drawing

If the drawing persists with problems, try the following steps:

  1. Ensure all layers are on, thawed, and unlocked
  2. Detach all external references (XREFs). Double-check that the xrefs do not have circular attachments
  3. Write Block all necessary information in the file out to a new drawing (from the command line):
    • Type WBLOCK at the command line
    • Under Source, select "Objects"
    • Under Objects, click the "Select objects" icon
    • Use a selection window to choose only the necessary objects from the file (do not simply type ALL)
    • Set file path and name, then OK
  4. Open a new blank drawing file
  5. Insert the file created in Step 3 (from the command line):
    • Type INSERT at the command line
    • Select the file
    • Uncheck "Specify On-screen" and check "Explode", then OK
  6. Type PURGE at the command line. With all checkboxes checked on, click Purge All
  7. AUDIT and fix any errors
  8. Type SAVEAS and create a new file name

Still having problems?

Take the following steps.  They can be done in any order, but have been listed in the order that Autodesk recommends. The file can be checked after each step. If the problem is resolved, you don't need to continue.
  • ​Open a blank DWG and type RECOVER at the command line. Browse to the problematic file to allow AutoCAD a chance to restore the file
  • Type OVERKILL at the command line, and select all objects. Check or uncheck properties to include or ignore, then click OK
  • Type DELCON at the command line, and select all objects
  • Type BREP and select all objects (if there are solids or surfaces in the file)
  • Type -SCALELISTEDIT, then "R" for reset, then "Y" for yes
  • Type FILTERS, then click on the 'delete filters' button
  • The DGNPURGE tool can be run if the file size is unexpectedly very large (see AutoCAD DWG files unexpectedly increase in file size)
  • Try using a different version of AutoCAD to open the drawing, such as AutoCAD 2013 vs. AutoCAD 2015 or plain AutoCAD vs. AutoCAD Architecture, etc. Try different computers if available
  • Open a blank DWG, and try to attach the problematic file as an XREF. If it allows you to attach the file, try next to BIND it to the current file. If that works, run the repair steps listed above
  • Use the SAVEAS command to save the DWG in an older file format. Attempt to open the newly created file
  • Export the file to DXF format using the DXFOUT command. Next, open a blank DWG and use the DXFIN command to import the file just created
  • Restore the Layout tabs:
    1. Right-Click one of the default layout tabs
    2. Select 'From Template...'
    3. Open the original file
    4. Choose the layout tabs to restore. (It is recommended to do this one tab at a time, in case one or more layout tabs are corrupted)
  • Move drawing objects between model and paper space. You may find that only one drawing space is usable in your file, although your main concern is model space:
    1. ​​Create a new layout and if need be, create a viewport
    2. Use CHSPACE to move all the geometry to paper space
    3. Create a new drawing and use the Design Center (ADC) to move the layout from the damaged file into it
    4. Use CHSPACE again to move the geometry back to model space
    5. Restore the original layouts from the bad file using the Design Center
  • Dissect the drawing. In a copy of the file, conduct a process of elimination using QSELECT to select different object types and then delete them to see if that fixes what is wrong in the file. Do PURGE All after each deletion. Eventually you should remove the problem elements and then you can choose to leave them out, copy them in again from another file, recreate them, or further troubleshoot individual items to pinpoint exactly which one is problematic. A quick start to this whole process is to delete everything in the drawing and then test it. This will quickly tell you if the issue is with a drawing object or if it is a part of the drawing database.​
  • To eliminate all invisible DWG entities select all features that are relevant in the DWG and "Copywith Base Point" these via the clipboard into a new DWG. Make sure you have switched on all layers that contain relevant dat

How to enable or disable hardware acceleration in AutoCAD

By: Revit Designer on April 22, 2018 / comment : 0

Sources: 1

Issue:

You want to turn video hardware acceleration on or off in AutoCAD to improve graphics performance.

Causes:

If you have a video card that supports OpenGL, you can improve graphics performance and productivity when working with 3D models by turning on hardware acceleration. This helps overall performance, not just with 3D work.

However, some video cards and drivers that support OpenGL are not compatible with AutoCAD when hardware acceleration is turned on. This incompatibility may result in unexpected problems. To test for optimized working conditions in your environment, you can toggle hardware acceleration on and off.

Solution:

There are several ways to toggle hardware acceleration in AutoCAD-based products. Try one of the following methods:
  • Enter the GRAPHICSCONFIG command and click the Hardware Configuration button.
  • Enter the 3DCONFIG command and click the Hardware Configuration button.
  • Enter OPTIONS on the command line or choose it from the Application menu to open the Options dialog box. On the System tab, click the Graphics Performance button. Then click the Hardware Acceleration button to turn it off or on.
  • Click the GRAPHICSCONFIG performance button in the lower-right corner of the AutoCAD application window.


There may be a delay the first time you use GRAPHICSCONFIG or 3DCONFIG or when you click the performance button.

Note: The interface options may differ, depending on product and product version. AutoCAD LT 2011 and earlier do not support hardware acceleration and do not have 3DCONFIG. 

How to disable Autodesk A360 without uninstalling it

By: Revit Designer on April 22, 2018 / comment : 0

Sources: 1

Issue:

You would like to stop A360 Desktop from syncing to the cloud without uninstalling A360 Desktop from your system.


Solution:


Windows:
Pause A360 Desktop Sync:
In the system tray, right click on the A360 Desktop icon and click on “Pause sync”. This will stop any files from syncing between your computer and the A360 Drive web site. Note that this is a temporary solution.


Stop A360 Desktop from starting when you sign into your computer:
In the system tray, right click on the A360 Desktop icon and click on “Preferences…”. Under “Application” uncheck “Start A360 Desktop when I log on to Windows”. This will disable the A360 Drive Desktop component from starting up when you start your computer. If you do not restart your computer the sync component will still be running and syncing files. Note that you can still sign into A360 Desktop in the desktop application and it will start A360 Drive Sync on your computer. 




Mac OS:
Pause A360 Desktop Sync:
On the top banner bar you will see the A360 Desktop icon. Right click on it and select “Pause sync”.

Stop A360 Desktop from starting when you sign into your Mac:
From the top banner bar right click on the A360 Sync icon and select “Preferences…”. Uncheck “Start Autodesk 360 on system startup”.

Note: The only way to truly disable A360 Drive is to uninstall it.

A360 Desktop Sync ships with the following Autodesk products and is a shared component: AutoCAD, AutoCAD for Mac, AutoCAD LT for Mac, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD-based vertical products, and Inventor. If you purchase and install a suite that has any of these products, the A360 Desktop sync component can be installed on that system. It is disabled by default.

Working with shared contents: eliminating slow network performance

By: Revit Designer on April 22, 2018 / comment : 0

Sources: 1

This is not really an AutoCAD tip. It’s more how you can speed up access if you share your AutoCAD contents and customization over network.

The problem with sharing contents over network is performance. If you have good infrastructure, it might not be a problem. But if you share your contents over WAN or internet, with hundreds of users, it can be really painful. Even pulling a block from your server can take a while.

It is a good thing to centralize your company standard contents and customization, to force standards among your users. You can see some sample like sharing tool palettes like describe here, enterprise CUI like here, or in this AU archive about AutoCAD tool palettes. But again, it may decreasing your productivity, not increasing it if you have problem with network connection.

Set your offline files
One thing that you can do to eliminate this problem is by working with offline files. You can set offline files, so your computer will copy files from your server and put them locally. This is pretty much like working with local files.

No, you don’t have to copy them to your local drive manually. All you need is to set a network folder to always available offline. Windows can sync your files by following a schedule or other events that you prefer.


Once you set it, you can click work offline in Windows Explorer. Even if you are connected to network, your Windows will not take those files from your server anymore!
It might be better if you set automatic sync in Windows Sync Center. Windows can sync your offline files daily if necessary, or you can sync them manually when you know there are changes have been made.

Just try it, and explore the options that will work for you.

Are there antivirus exclusions to make Autodesk programs run better?

By: Revit Designer on April 22, 2018 / comment : 1

Sources: 1


Issue: 

You want to know if there are adjustments you can make to an antivirus program to make your Autodesk software run better.


Solution: 

Antivirus software can affect the installation of the program. After the program is installed, if you can make exclusions in your antivirus software, it may be useful to exclude the Autodesk folders:
  • C:\Program Files\Autodesk 
  • C:\Program Files\common Files\Autodesk 
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk 
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\common Files\Autodesk 
  • C:\ProgramData\Flexnet C:\ProgramData\Autodesk 
  • C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk 
  • C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Autodesk 

Also, creating exceptions for the various types of files used by Autodesk products can be helpful. Here is a list of some file types used by Autodesk programs: 
3ds, ac$, apj, bak, ctb, cui, cuix, dcl, dst, dwf, dwg, dwl, dwl2, dwt, fbx, ipt, lin, ma, mat, max, mb, mns, mnu, pat, pgp, rfa, rft, rte, rvt, shp, shx, stb, sv$ You may need to also add the following: .sq* (sqlite), .wdp, .ldb, .mdb, .mui, .aux, .chm 

These are some license components that may need to be added as exclusions to the antivirus program:
  • C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Autodesk AutoCAD 201x\acad.exe (or the exe of the Autodesk program that you are running) 
  • C:\Program Files\Common Files\Macrovision Shared\FlexNet Publisher\ FNPLicensingService64.exe 
  • C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\AdLM\R14\LMU.exe (the folder R14 may differ depending on the version of the product installed - i.e it could be R12, R10...) 

If you are using AutoCAD Electrical, you may need to add an exception to: 
C:\Users\YOUR-USER-NAME\Documents\Acade 201x (where x varies depending upon your version of the product)

Unable to run AutoCAD as a restricted user

By: Revit Designer on April 22, 2018 / comment : 0

Sources: 1

Issue:

When you tried to launch AutoCAD® as a restricted user, you either received error messages or the program failed to start.

 

Solution:


Important Notes, read this information carefully before proceeding:
  • AutoCAD® and AutoCAD® LT are only tested against out-of-box Microsoft restricted users and roaming users. Any customization or restriction you place on users could have unexpected results in AutoCAD and are considered unsupported operating environments.
  • The information below is for system and network administrators only. Advanced troubleshooting knowledge and access rights will be required for both testing and resolving these issues. You should always back up essential data files, export a copy of the current registry settings and set a system restore point before making changes to the Windows Registry or user profile folders.
  • Other Autodesk products, including verticals built on AutoCAD technology, may have different requirements and recommendations. Many Autodesk products do not support restricted or roaming users even in the default, out-of-box configuration. You should always refer to specific product documentation for details and requirements.

Testing strategy for failures when running AutoCAD as a restricted user
To determine the specific customization that is causing the problem, you should start by testing a new local or domain user without any policies or restrictions applied. Then you can begin adding customizations one at a time or in small groups. You should test AutoCAD with each change. For more information about troubleshooting Windows user profiles, refer to Microsoft support and documentation.
If users are configured in an Organizational Unit (OU) on a Microsoft Active Directory server, you should create a new OU that does not have a Group Policy applied. Make sure that you block the inheritance of policies from other OUs.

Expected AutoCAD startup behavior
To help troubleshoot user profile problems, refer to the following description of the expected AutoCAD startup procedure:
  1. When AutoCAD is launched by any user, the existence of the following folders and registry keys is validated:
  • C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2015
  • C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2015
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R20.0\ACAD-E001
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R20.0\ACAD-E001:409
  1. If these folders or registry keys do not exist, a secondary installer process (Msiexec) is launched to configure the default content and settings in these locations. The default content is stored in the hidden folder <InstallDir>\UserDataCache (the default location is C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2015\UserDataCache). If these folders and registry keys exist (even if they contain limited or incorrect data), AutoCAD will still launch.
  2. The normal launch sequence continues and the required components (files, menus, toolbars, and so on) are loaded.
There are several customizations that are known to cause problems with the AutoCAD launch process. The following list, including related solutions where applicable, covers only some of the common settings that have been reported to Autodesk Product Support. This list is not inclusive and specific details will vary based on other network and machine customizations. You should refer to the testing strategy in this solution to determine the exact cause of failure.


Corrupt or duplicate user profiles
During the secondary installer process, a hard-coded link is established between your registry settings and your profile folders. If the name of the user or the name of the profile folder changes, required content cannot be accessed. In this situation, errors indicating that content cannot be found will usually be displayed.
To work around this issue
  • Check to make sure that the registry values in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R20.0\ACAD-E001:409 subkey are pointing to the current user profile. If they are pointing to the correct location, it may be necessary to back up any data in the profile and recreate it on the machine and/or the network.
  • Check for duplicate profile folders in the format %username%.domainname or %username%.computername. This condition indicates that there are problems or changes with user profiles that may need to be addressed on the machine or the network.
  • The errors in AutoCAD can often be resolved by backing up and deleting the following registry subkey: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R20.0\ACAD-E001:409, and then launching AutoCAD to trigger the secondary installer process. Note: During the secondary installer process, many user specific settings will be reset to the default settings. You should back up any customizations before you proceed. Also, this workaround will not address the problem that is causing the user profile to be duplicated or corrupted.

Default user customization and/or mandatory profiles
Microsoft user profiles contain registry information specific to that user in a file called NTUSER.DAT which is located in the user profile folder. Copying this registry information into the Default User profile or assigning this registry information as part of a mandatory profile can cause several types of failures in the secondary installer functionality. For example, AutoCAD failing to run with no error message or splash screen. In many cases, AutoCAD will fail with an error message implicating a different user’s profile folders. These configurations are not tested or supported for any Autodesk products and no workaround is supplied.


Folder redirection
There are several ways to redirect certain folders from within the user profile, including (but not limited to) the Start Menu, My Documents or Temp folders. This customization can be done directly on the computer or with network management software, such as Microsoft Active Directory and Group Policies. These types of customizations can cause failures in the AutoCAD secondary installer which might result in error messages, such as Error 1606: Unable to access network location. To correct this issue, you should remove folder redirection from the user, reboot the machine, and then try to run AutoCAD again.


Permissions restrictions
In Windows 7, 8 and 8.1, restricted users are prevented from modifying files, folders and registry entries outside their user profile. To support restricted user accounts, all customizable AutoCAD files and registry settings are stored within the user profile. Users must have Full Control permissions to all files and folders in the C:\Users\%USERNAME%  directory. Additionally, users must have Full Control permissions to all registry keys and values in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key in the registry. Restrictions that limit a user’s permissions to these locations could cause failures in the AutoCAD secondary installer or within the program. Typical errors include Microsoft Windows Installer errors such as Error 1321: Insufficient permissions to modify file. Errors in the 14##, 13##, 17## range could also indicate permissions restrictions.
To correct this issue, you should remove permission restrictions from the user, reboot the machine, and then try to run AutoCAD again.


Restrictions on the Windows Installer Service
There are several ways of preventing users from accessing the Windows Installer Service (Msiexec), including placing restrictions in the Group Policy Object in Active Directory. The first time a user of a machine runs AutoCAD, the Windows Installer Service is required for the secondary installer to function. To correct this issue, you should remove this restriction from the user, reboot the machine, and then try to run AutoCAD again.


Preventing applications from running in the user profile
Policies that prevent users from launching applications from within the user profile can cause AutoCAD to fail to launch with no error message or splash screen. One place this restriction can be specified is in the Group Policy Object in Active Directory under User Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Software Restriction Policies > Additional Rules > %userprofile% = Disallowed. These types of restrictions are not tested or supported for use with AutoCAD. To correct this issue, you shoud remove this restriction from the user, reboot the machine, and then try to run AutoCAD again.


Data Execution Prevention
Data execution prevention (DEP) can prevent AutoCAD from launching. See the related solutions for information about exempting AutoCAD from Windows DEP settings.

Optimizing AutoCAD performance within Windows environments

By: Revit Designer on April 22, 2018 / comment : 0

Sources: 1

Issue:

You would like to optimize the performance of AutoCAD based programs when working in Microsoft Windows environments.

Solution:

To optimize performance, you can make adjustments within your environment to create the best possible chance for success in the operation of your AutoCAD product. The check list below is a general list that has shown success for users on a broad scale:

 

In the Windows environment:

  • Verify your hardware meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements (see System requirements for AutoCAD). Remember you will have other programs that may also take a great deal of RAM on your system. If you are planning on running them at the same time, you should have at least 2GB of RAM free available when all programs are active. 
  • Verify you are using an approved/certified driver for your video card (see Autodesk Certified Hardware). 
  • Download and install the latest service pack and hotfixes for your AutoCAD software (see Autodesk Downloads). 
  • To determine whether user rights/permissions are part of the problem, set AutoCAD to run as administrator (see How to set a program to run as administrator). Running as administrator is a testing measure only, and is not meant to be a permanent change. If things run correctly as administrator, see this article. 
  • Turn off all compatibility settings under Properties > Compatibility except for "Run this program as administrator." 
  • Change the desktop theme in Windows to Windows Basic. 
  • Stop and disable the Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache: 
    1. Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. 
    2. Scroll down to 'Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache 3.0.0.0'. 
    3. Right-click it and go into Properties. 
    4. Stop the service. 

Within AutoCAD:

  • Toggle hardware acceleration on and off (see How to enable or disable hardware acceleration in AutoCAD). One way may work better than the other for your specific system and the types of drawings you work with.
  • Go to Options to the Display tab and turn off the "Show Tool Tips" and "Show rollover Tool tips" and then shut off "Quick properties."
  • Remove network paths from Options > Files > Support File Search Path.
  • Change the following variables to zero: SELECTIONPREVIEW, SELECTIONCYCLING, QPMODE.
  • Open the layer manager and freeze single layers to find out which layer causes the performance issue. You might export this layer to a single drawing and attach it via XREF when you need it.
  • Reset AutoCAD to defaults (see How to reset AutoCAD to defaults).
  • Remove any 3rd party plugins that may be installed.
  • Try to cleanup slow drawings that may have performance issues (see How to repair corrupt AutoCAD files). Explode and purge blocks as a high number of nested blocks and impact performance.
  • Activate the origin via UCSICON in your drawing and check if your data and possible XREFS are located far away from the origin. In this case MOVE your data close to the origin and choose coordinates close to the origin when drawings are loaded via XREF.


System variables that can speed up work in AutoCAD:

  • WHIPTHREAD - choose value "3"
  • ISAVEPERCENT - choose value "0"
  • REGENMODE - choose value "0"
  • PALETTEOPAQUE - choose value "1"
  • DRAWORDERCTL - choose value "0"
  • LAYOUTREGENCTL - choose value "0" or "1"


 
Note: You will want to test the steps above to find the best configured results in your specific environment. Not all changes will have the same effect on all systems which is why it is important to test and compare results.
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