IMAGINiT Civil Solutions Blog

AutoCAD and Civil 3D Updates and Hotfixes

What's Up?

With new releases of software come new issues to resolve. For the 2012 software releases, Autodesk is quick to react and has already provided several downloads you may be interested in. Whether you are experiencing some irregular behavior in a drawing, a tool doesn't seem to work the way it used to, or performance seems to have taken a dip, you should take a look at what's available. It is always in your best interest to keep up to date on updates and hotfixes provided for your design software.

What 2012 Hotfixes and Updates are Available?

AutoCAD 2012 Performance Slowdown Hotfix (32/64 bit)

This hotfix is suitable for all AutoCAD 2012 verticals and will fix the slowdown caused by the layer control update available in the ribbon. Download Hotfix and ReadMe file here.

Autodesk 2012 Block Editor Save Corruption Hotfix

This hotfix prevents possible loss of data that may occur if the drawing is saved while the Block Editor is open in AutoCAD® 2012-based products. Download Hotfix and ReadMe file here.

Autodesk 2012 Content Explorer Service Hotfix

This hotfix applies to the Autodesk 2012 Content Explorer Service (Public and Personal) and addresses the following issues:

• Users performing searches in Content Explorer may encounter incorrect paging results.
• Indexing problematic DWG files would require the Content Service to be restarted.
• Searching on a network drive that is configured to use a substitute path may not return any results.

Download Hotfix and ReadMe file here.

Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite Network License Hotfix

This hotfix addresses a possible issue with AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 pulling the incorrect license at launch.  This hotfix should be applied to all machines that have AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 installed, regardless of whether it was installed as part of a suite or as a point products (not part of a suite). Download Hotfix and read reference information here.

Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis 2012 Hotfix (localized Civil 3D and Map 3D versions Only)

This hotfix will address a connection issue between Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis and Civil 3D and/or Map 3D. Only affects localized (non-North American) versions of Civil 3D and Map 3D. Download Hotfix here.

What Else Is There?

A lot actually. There are several other hotfixes and updates available, but for more specific purposes. You can find all of those for download at this location.

Also, don't forget what additional resources may be available. For instance, you might have a plugin or 3rd party software that requires an extension be installed within Civil 3D. You can find those downloads here. Maybe you also need to coordinate with your surveyors (or perhaps, are a surveyor) and work directly with the instruments used in the field. Utilize these plugins provided by Autodesk Survey Equipment Partners. We can't forget those of you utilizing Autodesk design software outside North America either. For you, Autodesk also provides Country Kits for download.

Lastly - and this I can't forget - if you aren't sure what you might need, but are looking for what all is available for the current or previous releases of your Autodesk design software (be that AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Map 3D, Navisworks, or of the many other options) you should visit Autodesk's general support page to find what you want and/or need.

Life is Suite! Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suites Are Here

How huge is this? Autodesk has gone and bundled their software products into Design Suites and Creation Suites to better accommodate companies and users throughout the entire workflow process and lower the overall purchase price of these programs significantly. The Suites are broken down by industry and are custom configured to match the needs of each design discipline:

• Autodesk Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Product Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Building Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Creation Design Suite 2012

The Suites are to be made available within the next quarter (sometime between April and June) and are broken down further to Standard, Premium, and Ultimate editions to suit the needs of everyone that much better and improve cost savings even further. You might be wondering what each of these bundles contains at this point, in which case you should click the image below to download a PDF document containing the breakdown of programs included with each Suite at each level.

That's not all, though. There is a lot more information to announce. I'll especially focus on the Infrastructure Design Suite offerings. First of which, if you didn't download the document or simply want to review the offerings at each level for the Infrastructure Design Suite 2012, I've included the package breakdown below:

• Standard
  • AutoCAD 2012
  • Map 3D 2012
  • Navisworks Simulate 2012
• Premium
  • All Infrastructure Design Suite Standard Edition Software
  • Civil 3D 2012
  • 3Ds Max Design 2012
• Ultimate
  • All Infrastructure Design Suite Premium Edition Software
  • Substitute Navisworks Simulate with Navisworks Manage 2012

Now Autodesk made the announcement regarding the Suites offerings during a webcast yesterday and I won't skimp on passing that information on to you. One of that last things mentioned during the Q & A, but probably the number one thing you are interested in, is the cost of these Suites. The response given during the webcast was that they will start at approximately $100 more than the stand-alone version of the primary (read: most expensive/advanced) software within the bundle. This means that you could expect the Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2012 Premium package to cost approximately $100 more than an individual purchase Civil 3D 2012.

You may be asking yourself,"Why would this be more expensive than it is right now? Civil 3D already comes with Map 3D tools and AutoCAD." In which case, you'd be right, except you may have overlooked the fact that 3Ds Max Design 2012 (an amazing piece of software in it's own right) is included in the Premium package and reduces your overall cost tremendously. Now these Suites aren't going to be the answer for everyone, and the stand-alone software purchases are still available for those that aren't interested, so have no fear.

Another great benefit to these Suites is that Autodesk is shipping them via USB flashdrives. The flashdrives will contain the entire suite you purchase, is write-protected so you CAD Managers out there don't freak out, and allows for several install options. The Electronic Software Delivery (downloads from Autodesk Subscription Center) are still available and you can get a replacement USB, too, so don't worry about inadvertently losing or damaging the flashdrive. When you plug the flash drive containing the Suites into your machine, you'll be given the options of performing a 1-Click Install, Custom Install, creating a Network Deployment, and more. Everything there is the same except for the 1-Click Install, which I can't wait to get my hands on and see how well it works.

That's it for now, folks. There is a lot more 2012 software release information to write about and make available to you, so make sure you keep coming back and checking out what's been posted. You can also subscribe to the RSS Feed so you receive new posts directly to your email inbox by selecting right here.

View Civil 3D Drawings in Other Applications

It goes without saying that just because you are working on a project in Civil 3D, doesn't mean that the company you are collaborating with or owner reviewing the project is. This is already an ideal scenario, because it is assuming that whoever you are working with is even looking at the project digital, but I digress. The fact of the matter is that the person in the cube next to you may not have Civil 3D installed or there aren't enough Civil 3D network licenses to go around for everyone in the office to be running it at the same time.

Chances are, either you've got some additional AutoCAD licenses for someone to keep productive with or the client/company you are working with has some AutoCAD installations for using and reviewing your Civil 3D files. The problem presents itself when someone without Civil 3D attempts to open a drawing with Civil 3D objects in it and wonders why the drawing looks barren and all design data is gone. We have 2 options. One option required us to do something different. The other option requires the recipient of the Civil 3D file to do something on there end.

Option numero uno: Set your PROXYGRAPHICS system variable to "1" and save your drawing. When someone using AutoCAD opens up the Civil 3D file after this has been done, they will view the Civil 3D objects as they were last saved, but attempting to manipulate any of them will affect them as a group. Think of the Proxygraphics as a "snapshot" of your latest Civil 3D design and is now treated as an OLE object when displayed in anything except Civil 3D. As a matter of fact, this is the only option available if you want to save a Civil 3D drawing and someone plans on opening it up later on with Autodesk's online software, AutoCAD WS, through an iPad, iPhone, or web browser. Changing Proxygraphics has no affect on your ability to continue designing and editing, but it does significantly increase the file size of your drawing.

Option numero dos: Tell the person opening up your Civil 3D drawing in other software that he or she needs to go to Autodesk's website and download the Civil Object Enablers for the software package currently used. You can find those enablers available for download at this link but make sure that the enablers being downloaded and installed are for the correct software. After installing the plug-in, the user can then open up the Civil 3D drawing and see all the design objects. Even with the object enablers, it is still not possible to edit the Civil 3D design objects in other software, though. Also, this option is limited to the software packages that Autodesk develops and releases Civil 3D object enablers for.

Which option will work best for you? It's hard to say. My preference will always be to have the non-Civil 3D user download and install the object enablers. Civil 3D drawings can generate large enough file sizes without bumping them up with Proxygraphics. However, you can't always convince people to do what you want, so on a case-by-case basis, save the drawings over with Proxygraphics set to "1" and keep up good relations with the companies and clients you work with.

Have any other ideas on how to handle viewing Civil 3D objects in other programs? Post your suggestions to the comments area below.

Upload, View, and Share DXF Files in Google Docs

For a very long time we, as an industry, have utilized email attachments, FTP sites, and burned discs via hand or mail delivery for transferring drawing files to clients, owners, operators, or partners. The times have been changing, though, and we have several more methods for sharing our files now.

Take, for instance, a few of the offerings by Autodesk: AutoCAD WS, Buzzsaw, and even the Autodesk Labs' "Project Bluestreak" for collaborating AEC projects. These applications are all web-dependent and allow you to quickly and easily share your design documents. Don't forget about the 3rd party options, though. One company that has been soaring in popularity over the last couple years is DropBox, where you can save, edit, and sync any type of document or file across multiple machines and even have web access to download them anytime, anywhere. Another option that was just announced last week was from one of the largest tech companies in the world: Google.

Along with several other document formats, you can now add DXF files to your Google Docs inventory. This is pretty much a home run with a free 7 GB (and growing) storage limit within Google applications, the availability of accessing your files from any computer (and most smart phones) with internet access, the wide acceptance and use of GMail, and the ease in which you can upload your files.

Not everyone will buy in to Google's latest addition, but I know of dozens of people who use Google Docs regularly and even some that prefer it over the Microsoft Office Suite. Let's leave that argument for another time and another venue, though. How about exploring how to export, upload, and share your drawing files using Google Docs.

The limitation here is that Docs will only read and display a DXF file (no support for DWG files at this time). So the first thing you must do is export your drawing to a .dxf file.

To export your drawing, go to the Application Menu (the big "C" icon in Civil 3D), hover over or select the Export option, choose "AutoCAD DXF", and then pick which DXF version you want your drawing to export to. In this case, I've selected the AutoCAD 2007 DXF format as you can see in the image below.

Next, log into your Google Docs account (or Gmail account and just navigate to Docs from there). Choose the "Upload" option at the top left of the window, and you'll be brought to a page similar to what you see below. Choose to "Select files" and choose the DXF files you want to be uploaded to Google Docs.

As I said before, there is a 7+ GB limit to Google accounts, but there is also a limit to the size of each file. You cannot upload any file larger than 1024 MB (or about 1 GB). When you have finished adding files to your Google Docs account, just click on the instance in the list (as you see I've done with the "Working Surface.dxf" file in the image).

Now you will see an online copy of your DXF file and can zoom, pan, and save the file. There aren't any editing tools for DXF files in Google Docs, so you are limited to reviewing and sharing them at this point. The files are all accumulated and stored in the Google Docs interface and can easily be shared via a download link, an email attachment, or with anyone else that has a Google Docs account. Pretty slick, huh?

Now, one thing I wanted to be sure and clarify for any and all that are already familiar with how Google Docs works: you can't drag-and-drop DXF files into the interface like you can with most of the other file types. In the image below you'll see me in the process of dropping the same DXF file as I had previously uploaded and viewed in the image above.

Once dropped into Google Docs, the DXF file opens automatically in another tab or session of your internet browser. As you can see, the file isn't interpreted properly and you simply won't get the desired results.

Something to consider, regardless of what file you are attempting to bring into Google Docs using the drag-and-drop method, it only works with the Google Chrome browser. So even if Google does get this working for DXF files, you'll only be able to utilize it with their browser. Drag-and-drop file uploading doesn't work with Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari as far as I'm aware and even if it is, it would require a plug-in or an extension to the web browser.

Well, that's enough rambling from me this time around. Autodesk offers several options for file sharing and collaboration, but there are many other options out there. Don't limit yourself to old technology; use what works best for you, your coworkers, and your clients to get the job done effectively and efficiently.

Where’s My Media?

Mark Flayler, who authors our mechanical blog, has a post about Autodesk’s new (starting with the 2010 subscription products) method of obtaining their software.  Now, the default method of obtaining Autodesk software is through download, although you can still request physical media.  Check out his post at

http://blogs.rand.com/manufacturing/2010/03/autodesk-products-wheres-my-discs.html

for all the details.

 

Thanks, Mark!

Making the Quick Properties Dialog Box Behave!

OK, after a year end absence, I'm back!  My last post on the Quick Properties dialog box generated an interesting comment on positioning the box.  While the dialog is really helpful, it can get in the way, sometimes, and can be annoyingly close to the cursor.  Fortunately, you can make the Quick Properties dialog behave.  Here's what you do.

When the dialog is visible, right click on the gray border and select Settings from the pop-up menu.

The Settings dialog gives you the option to either position the Quick Properties dialog dynamically relative to the cursor position, or in a fixed position on the screen.

Using the Cursor location mode, you can position the dialog in a quadrant relative to the cursor and set the distance from the cursor (0 to 400 pixels).  The Float location mode places the dialog in a static location on the screen.  You can reposition it by dragging it around.  You can also reposition the dialog if you have selected the Cursor location mode, but its initial position will be determined by the values you have set.

Click OK and you're done!

Windows 7

I get a lot of questions about Windows 7 and Autodesk products.  Here's a brief rundown.

Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system is the next evolution of what started out as Windows 6, later called Vista.  Windows 7 is certainly a jump from XP and it has some powerful new features and functionality that should benefit Autodesk applications, including full support for 64-bit computing, Windows search and (GASP!) improved performance. Multi-touch support now is also a core capability within Windows 7.

I haven't installed Windows 7 on my system yet, but I've been running Vista 64 for about a year.  Although Vista 64 is a vast improvement over Vista 32, I think it still lacks the performance you would expect from a 64 bit OS.  As well, an initial lack of device drivers caused a lot of problems for older peripherals.  I want to look a bit further into the "improved performance" claims before I upgrade.  Although, when it comes down to it, I've found that all of the Autodesk applications I use, including the 32 bit ones like Civil 3D run without much problem.  I'm finding Vista 64 to be enough of an improvement over XP, that I can't complain too loudly.

So, does Autodesk certify anything to run under Windows 7?  Yes, it does.  Here's the list so far:

• AutoCAD 2010
• AutoCAD LT 2010
• Autodesk Inventor 2010
• Autodesk Inventor LT 2010
• AutoCAD Architecture 2010
• AutoCAD Electrical 2010
• AutoCAD Mechanical 2010
• AutoCAD MEP 2010
• Autodesk Algor Simulation 2010

When I talk with people who are running other Autodesk applications including Civil 3D 2010 and Map 3D  2010, I hear they are not experiencing any major problems, but these applications haven't made the list yet since Autodesk wants to be thorough before certifying them.

I think Windows 7 looks promising from an OS point of view and I don't anticipate a major problem as far as the existing Autodes applications go.  I'm sure we'll see new features in these products to take advantage of the new capabilities in Windows 7, but probably not before the 2011 release.