IMAGINiT Technologies Support Blog

How I've been working around Autodesk 2012-2014 install problems...

This works most of the time, however there are some situations that you have to do more invasive operations to get it to install.

• Ensure .NET Framework 4 Client Profile is not installed, if it is uninstall it. 
• Ensure the UAC is off.  Click the Windows Start button and enter UAC in the search field and hit enter.  Slide the bar all to way down to Never Notify.  This requires a reboot.
• Copy the media to the local hard drive in a very short folder, something like C:\Autodesk\AutoCAD2012 or C:\Autodesk\Arch2014. 
• Open up Windows Explorer and enter %temp% in the address field and hit enter, then select all and delete all the files and folders that you are allowed to delete.  This is your Windows Temporary folder and you should not need these files unless you are purposefully saving to this location for some reason.
• Boot clean.  Here I use the Microsoft utility called MSCONFIG.  Click the Windows Start button and enter MSCONFIG in the search filed and hit enter. Hopefully Normal Startup is already selected, if not, then you'll need to write down all the settings on the Services and Startup tabs.  Assuming Normal is selected go to the Services tab and check the box to hid all Microsoft Services, then click Disable all.  Next select the Startup tab and click Disable all.  This also requires a reboot.
• Pre-install Direct X.  Browse to your programs installation folder C:\Autodesk\AutoCAD_2014\3rdParty\DirectX and run DXSETUP.exe
• Pre-install .NET 4.  Browse to your programs installation folder C:\Autodesk\AutoCAD_2014\3rdParty\NET\4\wcu\dotNetFramework and run dotNetFx40_Full_x86_x64.exe
• Reboot
• Now do the install from the local hard drive. 

This is nice and clean, but it could be cleaner. 

NOTE:  Even though the "Boot clean" directions usually turns off your Anti-virus (AV) it doesn't always as some are controlled by the server.

If you are unable to perform the above steps (or receive errors doing any of them), then you most likely will have problems installing.  You will need to get IT involved to fix the permissions problems.

 

Now available! AutoCAD 2014 sp 1!

It's strange seeing the word Service Pack instead of Update. 

AutoCAD 2014 Service Pack 1

You can apply this update to AutoCAD 2014 running on all supported operating systems and languages. Consult the readme file for installation instructions and more details on the primary issues resolved by this update. Be sure to install the correct update (32-bit or 64-bit) for your software and operating system.

This Service Pack can be applied to AutoCAD 2014 installed as a standalone application as well as AutoCAD 2014 installed from the following Autodesk Design Suites.
•Autodesk AutoCAD Design Suite 2014
•Autodesk Building Design Suite 2014
•Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2014
•Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2014
•Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2014
•Autodesk Product Design Suite 2014

 

Here's the Download link.  Or copy/paste http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL22264351 

Oh my there were a lot of things fixed, check out the ReadMe! or copy/paste http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/AutoCAD_2014_and_AutoCAD_LT_2014_SP1_Enu.htm

Note in the readme it says "As a result of detailed information from customers who used the Customer Error Reporting Utility, a number of problems were identified and fixed."  This is people like you that click to send the error report to Autodesk!  Keep up the good work and please continue to submit them.

 

Now the inquiring mind may ask, "Is there one for AutoCAD LT 2014 too?"  YES!

AutoCAD LT 2014 Service Pack 1

You can apply this update to AutoCAD LT 2014 running on all supported operating systems and languages. Consult the readme file for installation instructions and more details on the primary issues resolved by this update. Be sure to install the correct update (32-bit or 64-bit) for your software and operating system.

 

Download.  or copy/paste http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL22264544

ReadMe  or you can copy/paste http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/AutoCAD_2014_and_AutoCAD_LT_2014_SP1_Enu.htm

 

Please ensure you download the correct architecture type (32-bir or 64-bit) and you will need local administrator permissions to install.  Once installed, I recommend a reboot then test the program.

 

Strike through your SHX MText and receive innocuous "** Undefined Shape" errors.

This one is pretty cool and seems to be harmless.  Create a few lines of MText using an SHX  font (like txt.shx, simplex.shx).  It only seems to happen when using Strikethrough on multiple lines of text that are together. 

You can receive many command line errors with just a few lines of struck through MText:

** Undefined shape 73
** Undefined shape 39
** Undefined shape 109

 How to reproduce this problem:

1. Start a new drawing (I'm using AutoCAD Architecture 2014).
2. Set your STYLE to use an shx font, I used txt.shx as it was the default for the Standard text style, I just set it current.
3. Place a few lines of text.
4. Save your drawing.
   
         Notice, no errors on the command line.
   
   
   
5. Now edit your MText and strikethrough 2 lines that are next to each other.
6. Save the drawing (qsave)
   
   Voila!  Errors... and lots of them too!
   
   
   
   Note: you do not seem to lose data.
7. Now remove the Strikethrough and save, the error goes away.
   
   

If you Strikethrough every other line you do not receive any errors on the command line.  It just seems to happen with multiple contiguous lines of text.

We've reported this to Autodesk and they are able to reproduce the errors.  They did not lose data in their tests.

Now for the fun part, when you exit out of AutoCAD it gives you another error and brings up the Customer Error Report dialog (CER)!  I've reproduced this problem in plain jane AutoCAD 2013 and in AutoCAD Architecture 2014.  Always, and I mean ALWAYS, send in those reports and use your email address.  Provide the steps you used to get the error.  If you do not know what the exact steps were, then just give the last few things you did.

 

Revit: Reusing CAD Details Best Practice

Reusing existing cad details in Revit is something I see done a lot by clients, and I fully understand the reasoning, but there are some best practices that I would like to share with you to keep your projects clean.

Rule #1:  Never bring a cad file into your working project and explode it!

Turn a cad detail into a Revit Detail

In Cad:  Clean up the cad file before you bring it into Revit by doing the following.

• I strongly recommend that you go into the cad file, wblock out just the detail that you want to a new drawing, make sure you pick an origin somewhere on the detail.  Open the new drawing and get rid of any attributes then save again.

In Revit:  Start a new project, create a new drafting view the same scale as the cad file and name it appropriately, then do one of the following:

1. Import the cad file, you will likely have to zoom extents to see it in the view window.  Copy the detail to the right (somethings tend to get deleted when we explode, this way I can see what was originally there and recreate it). Do a partial explode then change the linetypes,fill patterns, text and dimensions to Revit standards.
2. Link in the cad file, zoom extents and trace over the lines, recreate the fill patterns, text and dimensions.

TIP:  I would recommend that you create a template that you start with that has all of the above mentioned items already created in it...you can also use your project template, it just has more information in it than we need for recreating the drafting details.

OPTION 1: IMPORTING AND EXPLODING

If you opted for option 1 above to insert the file and explode it, please keep in mind the following:

• When you explode the detail you will likely get some errors that require you to delete some information...that's the reason I copy the detail off to the side for reference so I can see what gets lost.
• Some things will be faster to trace over than convert...so do whichever is more efficient. 
• You can change the text to Revit standard text, but you will still need to redo the leaders.
• Dimensions will need to be redone completely.  
• Lines can be selected by layer type and changed to the appropriate Revit line.  
• Fill patterns can be changed to a standard Revit fill pattern.

Verify all information in the drafting view

• If you imported and exploded, select all elements and make sure that everything is valid Revit information and not imported cad info.  If you see something like the images below you know that is cad information that needs to be replaced.
• 
• 
• 

Saving the View to your Detail Library

Once you have everything either converted or drawn over you can save the view out into your detail library.  

Note:  If you went with Option 1 delete the copy of the block used for reference and in the remaining information there should not be any of the original cad info in the view.  If you went with Option 2 you will need to remove the link from the detail prior to saving the file.

• On the project browser, right click on the drafting view you want to save to a file
• Select Save to New File (this will create a .rvt file with that details name)
• Save it to your companies Detail Library (do not save it in the out of the box libraries)

 Bringing the Detail into your Project:

Now that we have a converted and clean detail you can bring it into your working project.

• In Revit go to the Insert tab, Insert Views from File
• 
• Browse to where you saved the detail
• It will show up under drafting views with the same name as the file
• It can then be modified as needed if necessary.

 For a video on this information please visit us at portal.imaginit.com to the Video Library for Tips and Tricks for Architecture and Construction.

Revit: Using Filters to Show Fire Rated Walls

There are other methods for representing Fire Rated Walls, but an easy way is to add filters to the view for the various fire ratings.  

You will need to create filters for each of the different ratings.  Assign the filter to the Walls category, then set the Filter Rules.  Below is an example.

Once the Filter is defined, go to the view you want to show the rated walls in, go into Visibility Graphics, Filters tab, add the filters and assign the overrides.

Now the rated walls will show with a red outline and the hatch shown above in this view.

NOTE:  In order for the filters to work, the parameter value for the Filter Rule is case sensitive!

Revit Structure : Beam Graphics, Cutbacks and Extensions

I get asked quite often what controls cutback and the extension graphics distance on a beam, so I thought I would share some information on this.

For most structural elements, there is a symbolic representation and a modeled representation which varies with the level of detail.

If you draw a beam and look at it in course view, all you will see if a line representing the beam, at medium you will see a more accurate representation and a fine you will see a truer representation.

The variation in representation also carries over into the plan cut back and extension representation of the beam.  If your plan view is set to course detail then the symbolic cutback is controlled through Structural Settings.  The dimensional values shown is in plotted size.  This only effects the symbolic graphics, not the actual modeled information tied to the beam.

If we look at the same view in medium or fine it is controlled based on the dimensions in properties

Of course how it attaches varies based on family type also as shown below.

Note:  Cutback representation when there is an offset supporting beam, will vary depend on whether the supporting beams were already lowered when you placed the joists in which case no cutback will be shown, or if you lowered the supporting beams after the joists were in place, and then you will see the cutback.

For extensions like we would see on a K-Series bar joist that will also vary based on level of detail.

In course view you will see the extension but it will have the symbolic cutback, for modeled it will appear correctly.

 

Hopefully this helps clear up a few of your questions related to beam graphics.

 

Remove Paper format or Title block from list in AMTITLE

In AutoCAD Mechanical, when using the AMTITLE command, if you'd like to remove some of the available options in the list under Paper format or Title block, try the following steps.

• Open the Template .dwt file you use to create new files. In this example I opened the acad.dwt file.
• Type in Options at the command line and go to the AM:Standards tab.
• Double-click on Drawing Sheet or right-click and choose Settings...

• In the Default paper format or Default title block sections, select the paper format or title block you want to delete in the list.

• If you want to delete the E (34.0x44.0inch) sheet, select it in the list then double-click on it.

• The Entry Association dialog box will open:

• Under Associated description, delete the name and click OK.

• Back in the Drawing Sheet Settings dialog box, you'll see that E (34.0x44.0inch) is no longer in the list.

 

• Go through the same procedure if you want to delete titleblocks from the Default title block list. 

• If you ever need the paper format or title block again, go through the same steps and add a format or titleblock by browsing to these folders.

C:\users\public\documents\autodesk\autocad mechanical 2014\acadm\gen\dwg\format

C:\users\public\documents\autodesk\autocad mechanical 2014\acadm\gen\dwg\title\

 

AutoCAD component has stopped working message

While working or upon opening your AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture or AutoCAD MEP you get a message stating AutoCAD component has stopped working then click the OK button it closes your software. This can be due to Autodesk 360. You can verify this if you expand Show problem details in the AutoCAD Component dialog box and you see the problem Event Name: APPCRASH with an Application Name: AcCloudManager.exe.

To resolve this issue you can do the following:

Sign out of Autodesk 360;

Through the software in the upper right corner.

In the system task tray in the lower left corner right click on the Autodesk 360 icon and click on Preferences. 

In the Autodesk 360 Preferences dialog box make sure that "Start Autodesk 360 when I log on to Windows" is unchecked. Then click the "Sign out"button in the upper right corner.

If this doesn't fix your issue you will need to reinstall your software and modify the installer to not install Autodesk 360 by following the steps in this blog How To Install AutoCAD 2014 WITHOUT Autodesk 360. 

Revit 2014: K Series Bar Joist – Rod Web Incorrect Symbolic Start Offset and Extension

I recently had a case involving the functionality of the start and end extension in the K Series Bar Joist – Rod Web where the start symbolic extension would become whatever the end symbolic extension was, the modeled representation was correct.  When I opened the family to take a look I found that the End extension and Offset were applied to the start extension side of the family for the symbolic representation.  You can see what I am referring to in the image below.

In the project it would measure differently between course view versus medium or fine

To resolve this problem it is necessary to open the family, swap out the End Extension and End Offset parameters shown on the left with the corresponding Right parameters.

NOTE:  If you have this family pre-loaded into your template please remember to open the template and reload the family and save.

Inventor 2014 Service Pack 1 is available

Inventor 2014's Service Pack 1 is available for download.

See the Read Me for full installation instructions, if you had already installed Inventor 2014 Update 2 you can install this on top of it.

Here's what's fixed in this service pack:

 Cable & Harness

• Inventor unexpectedly exits when you undo and redo repeatedly in an iAssembly to open its member files when Cable & Harness add-in is loaded.
• For some particular dataset, after placing a nail board view of a Cable & Harness assembly in a drawing file, Inventor unexpectedly exits when you close the drawing file without saving and then closing Inventor.

Stress Analysis

• Contacts in solids and faces at vertices are identified as face-face contacts.
• FEAComputerServer unexpectedly exits when detecting a large number of contacts.
• Inventor unexpectedly exits when you start stress analysis with certain models created by Inventor 2013.

API

• DataIO.WriteDataToFile fails to publish Inventor drawing file to DWF file.
• Inventor imports DWG file into sketch with wrong units if you specify custom units for it.
• Inventor unexpectedly exits when calling ReferenceKeyManager.LoadKeyContext with an invalid KeyContext input.
• Inventor unexpectedly exits when calling AttributSet.Add for a FaceProxy that has 80000 edges.
• The output image using Camera.SaveAsBitmap is not correct in generated previews of drawing views.
• Inventor unexpectedly exits when accessing corrupt UserParameter.Value property.

Application Functionality

• Editing an OLE file within an Inventor document does not fire OnFileDirty event and Document.Dirty returns incorrectly.
• The large icon of Macros command does not display in the Ribbon.
• Create New File dialog box lists all folders at the same level as the template folder if your template direction is mapped from a network drive.
• Create New File dialog box does not remember the last configuration in details view.
• Cannot launch Inventor on Windows 8.1 Preview operating system.

 Assembly Modeling

• Inventor unexpectedly exits when you paste components after selecting two Origins in Joint command.
• Cannot make a weldment iAssembly material valid as a weldable material.
• Inventor unexpectedly exits after if you delete Tube and Pipe while the assembly is open in Express mode.
• Tube and Pipe loses its adaptability after moving its reference part in Express mode.
• Inventor unexpectedly exits if Design Accelerator add-in is loaded, and you pause the mouse over a face while placing file from Content Center in Express mode.
• The graphics does not update when you switch a design view to the one that contains a section view in Express mode.
• In Express mode, when the top assembly is open, welds nodes does not display correctly after you change their visibility.
• After you click Load Express and then Load Full, Tube and Pipe command is still disabled.

BIM Exchange

• Cannot export .ipt file to .rfa file if features of the part are in unsupported appearance

 BIM Simplify

• Inventor unexpectedly exits if you click OK several times in the Define Envelopes dialog box.

Content Center 

• The material of a Content Center component displays a long string in the assembly BOM.
• Unable to change icon of existing custom category in Content Center Library.

Design Accelerator

• Bolted connection does not update automatically when you repostion its location by changing the placement sketch point.
• Bolted connection is not able to machine more than two parts at the same time.

Drawing Manager

• Inventor unexpectedly exits when you undo and redo repeatedly in a drawing after you edit the source assembly file.
• For some particular legacy dataset, edges in the section view which are marked as invisible turn to visible when you open the drawing file.
• For a multi-body part, the drawing view does not respect component visibility if its design view association is unchecked.
• If you turn on hidden line for a particular part in the drawing view of an assembly, Inventor shows hidden interference edges of whole assembly instead of that particular part.
• Shaded views are not showing correct in drawing with zoom.
• Slow shut down of InventorViewCompute.exe even after Inventor main window closes.
• View remains raster after selecting Precise view.

Engineer's Notebook

• Font color does not function in Engineer's Notebook comments.

Enhanced Visualization

• If you create a shaded drawing base view, project some other views and then undo, the shaded face of the base view disappear.
• The shaded face in broken view shows incorrectly.
• Text is behind the Hatch in a drawing sketch.
• Inventor sometimes unexpectedly exits when you zoom an assembly in the wireframe visual style.
• After you open several files in an Inventor session, go to a drawing file and zoom in and zoom out, the title block displays incorrectly.
• Shaded with Hidden Edges visual effect becomes Shaded when you edit a sketch or a component in an assembly.
• The model shows too much noise if you use Ray Tracing in Good mode.
• Inventor sometimes unexpectedly exits when you create a sketch on a machine with certain old graphics drivers.

Frame Generator

• Fail to assign the special material from custom material library to Frame member.

Materials/Appearances

• Performance is poor when you delete appearances and materials from a library.
• Performance is poor when you copy appearances and materials between libraries.
• Cannot edit, rename or delete an in-document asset after renaming the same asset in library.
• Inventor unexpectedly exits when you undo and redo to assign material and appearance to a pattern feature.
• Duplicate Asset Name dialog box displays when you copy the same name material and appearance between documents.
• Cannot apply appearance assets from a different language library to an object.
• Cannot remove Stain color when you check off Stain option.
• All system libraries turn to sick when you login as a non-English account.
• Appearance is deleted when you delete its linked material.
• In assembly BOM, mass properties does not update when you assign material a using the quick access tool bar.
• The appearance dropdown list is not available when you select internal components.
• Style Conflict dialog box displays when you create a file from a template using a material or appearance from a customized library that is removed from current project.

Multi-Sheet Plot

• Multi-Sheet Plot tool cannot read .idw file.

Part Modeling

• In the Insert iFeature dialog box, the help button is disabled if the iFeature is created with a legacy localization build.
• iPart members do not show sketch and block definition.
• iPart created from a feature with no dimension generates empty children.
• When you measure distance in an iPart member, on the context menu Select Other is grayed out.
• Mass calculation fails for a part that uses unpatched Rhino surface data.
• Inventor sometimes hangs when you rebuild a pattern feature.
• Inventor sometimes unexpectedly exits when you edit a mirror feature.
• Sweep creates an invalid body with some faces that are not selectable or colorable.
• Sweep generates unexpected surfaces.
• Min and Max values for Hole patching are not stored.
• iFeature insert dialog will show "Create Package" instead of the description of the iFeature.

Point Cloud

• If the region of your machine is set to German, Spanish, or Italian, the rcp point cloud files fail to attach.

Presentations

• Inventor sometimes unexpectedly exits when you open an .ipn file.
• If you add a sub assembly into the main assembly, and then open the associated .ipn file of the main, the structure does not update in the browser.

Sketch

• Cannot switch on and off the visibility of a sketch block when you edit the sketch.
• Inventor sometimes unexpectedly exits when you correct a sketch by Design Doctor.
• Cannot create a coincident point when you attach a line to a projected point.

Translators

• After you save an Inventor drawing file to AutoCAD Mechanical 2014 file version, in the .ini file, the version of AutoCAD Mechanical is 2013.
• Inventor sometimes unexpectedly exits when you open non-Inventor files with Save Components during Load option checked on.
• When you open STEP, IGES, NX and SolidWorks files, there is no units information in the translation report.
• When you import non-Inventor files with Create Surface as Individual Surface Bodies option selected, performance is poor.
• Inventor unexpectedly exits when you export a file with empty bodies to IGES and STEP file formats.
• In a Windows 32-bit operating system, Inventor unexpectedly exits when you open an NX file with the Search below Folders to Open File option checked on.
• Inventor fails to open .neu files more than once in the European Windows operating system.
• No part color displays when you insert import a Solidworks file.
• CHS Inventor installed on a CHS operating system fails to read the files from CHS SolidWorks.