Ideate Solutions: tech support

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October 22, 2013

Quick Tip: AutoCAD 2014 and Navisworks NWC File Exporter

While we are all aware that you cannot export the .NWC file format directly from AutoCAD 2014 without installing either Navisworks or the NWC export utility, one thing that still makes me chuckle is after either is installed if you type in (at the AutoCAD command line) the command “NWNAVIGATOR” it will bring up into your AutoCAD session a great Navis Viewer. Which is in reality a temporary *.NWC file that you can navigate in. This is a very powerful feed-back tool when modeling.

Download the Autodesk Navisworks NWC export utility. Once the utility installs, the command “NWCOUT” will now be available!

Bill Johnson
Ideate Senior MEP Application Specialist

Bill has over 20 years experience in applying AEC design solutions for large commercial companies. A graduate of Pasadena Institute of Technology, he has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill has also had the opportunity to act as Lead AutoCAD Designer for multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

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October 16, 2013

The Flavors of Autodesk InfraWorks

As a Technical Expert in Infrastructure at Ideate, I need to know the intricacies of the different versions of InfraWorks. I thought you might like a quick guide to the differences. Here goes:

Autodesk InfraWorks 360 Free app (on iTunes) – Download from the iTunes store. The app has the most basic functions of navigation and model review for the iPad and iPhone and works with Autodesk 360.

Autodesk InfraWorks – Available as a standalone product, this version includes the basic features for model creation (installed with its own SN, and not from design suite).

Autodesk InfraWorks R2 – Available as a Product Enhancement on Subscription Center to owners of Infrastructure Design Suite Premium. Along with added features from your suite purchase like cloud credits, this version also includes enhancements like the ability to use RVT files as a data source without owning Revit. This version is also available to Building Design Suite Ultimate customers and adds the .RVT file option that was not part of the original install.

Autodesk InfraWorks +Ultimate R2 – Available as a Product Enhancement on Subscription Center to owners of IDS Ultimate. It is similar to R2 above, and also includes cloud based optimization, design roads, cloud credits, etc.

Autodesk InfraWorks 360 Pro – Available as short term (quarterly) or annual renewal, this version is purchased separately from BDS and IDS packages. It does NOT include cloud based optimization or enhanced road design functions that are available to subscription and +Ultimate R2 owners. It’s similar to the Autodesk InfraWorks item above, but with short term licensing options.

*monthly licensing options may also be available

Autodesk InfraWorks 360 Pro with Autodesk Roadway Design for InfraWorks 360 Pro – Available as short term (quarterly) or annual similar to 360 Pro, but also includes the Autodesk Roadway Design add-on. The Roadway Design add-on is an additional purchase that must be added to the InfraWorks 360 Pro product above. This is the highest level of InfraWorks available and includes more features and functions than the products listed above. Some of the enhanced features include Documentation Tools and Sight Distance Tools that are NOT part of any other version.

*monthly licensing options may also be available

Autodesk’s comparison matrix offers more details about the different InfraWorks offerings.

Introduction to InfraWorks Online Class
If you’re interested in finding out more about Autodesk InfraWorks, we’ve got a 90-minute online class available through our website. The intro course covers basic functionality of the program and teaches you how to import and connect to existing data sources and create a conceptual plan for a roadway project.

Infrastructure 201: Intro to InfraWorks

Visit our website at www.ideateinc.com for information on various products, training, consulting and services.

Kate Ming
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Kate has a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley. Prior to Ideate, she worked at a multinational company for four years doing general civil design on large infrastructure projects. She is versed in roadway, rail, and utility design. She also has experience with utility demand analysis and Low Impact Development plans. At Ideate, Kate provides training and support for Civil 3D, AutoCAD, and Navisworks.

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October 2, 2013

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2014: Hidden Command – Export to DGN

At Ideate we are always digging and searching information to help improve your workflow. Have you ever needed to export your drawing to DGN because your work is going to be consumed by Microstation users without AutoCAD and hence no way to open a DWG? Read on for your options:

AutoCAD Civil 3D includes AutoCAD Map functionality and has historically included a command MAPEXPORT (not available in Civil 3D 2014 ribbon interface) to export to DGN and other formats listed in the picture below.

While this command is still available, Civil 3D now includes a newer command, DGNEXPORT (Application Menu > Export < DGN), to export to DGN. This command has options to specify the seed file and mapping setup such as layer, linetype – see picture below. Read the Help file to learn more about exporting to DGN and its limitations.

Tip: Before exporting Civil 3D objects to DGN, export the Civil features to AutoCAD using the appropriate EXPORTTOAUTOCAD (Application Menu > Export > DWG) command. In the resultant file, if need be, use BURST to reduce any blocks that remain to AutoCAD entities as well. Burst is similar to explode but maintains attributes and block entity layers and is well suited for this purpose.

You can access the same command using the command EXPORT (Application Menu > Export < Other Formats) and pick the appropriate DGN format.

Read further in the Help file about all the commands to import/export DGN files and associated system variables.

If you have to use MAPEXPORT and it does not work, follow the steps per this Autodesk technical solution.

Gaurav Bagga
Ideate Infrastructure Solutions Application Specialist

Gaurav is a well rounded Application Engineer and Project Manager for Infrastructure Solutions at Ideate based out of San Francisco. He has over 15 years experience in construction industry and has been helping numerous small, medium and ENR 500 firms maximize their CAD investment for the last ten years. Gaurav is an Autodesk Certified Instructor and Autodesk Civil 3D Implementation Certified Expert. He has taught at several conferences, CAD Camps and Autodesk University. He has taught AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Land Desktop and Map 3D to thousands of students and helps Ideate develop the Infrastructure Services curriculum and courses. With his extensive CAD technology background he helps Bay Area engineering and surveying firms analyze and improve their design and drawing production process thereby improving productivity and the bottom line. Follow Gaurav on Twitter: @BeGeez

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September 26, 2013

Making New Mistakes + Grow

Many people believe the word “mistake” is a taboo. The perception is that if you make mistakes, then you are not “perfect” and therefore incompetent.

When I first started in the construction industry, my business partner, Ron Warrington, made a great statement “Let’s make new mistakes.” Of course, I argued. His point, and it was/is a brilliant one, is that we learn from our mistakes.

Learning From Mistakes
There have been many studies that say we learn far more from our failures than from our successes.

“The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.”
–Dale Carnegie.

The general notion is that we are too busy patting ourselves on the back when we win than when we lose. How true! Ego is the biggest roadblock to getting better.

What are the best practices?

Post-mortems are really a requirement – post-mortem is defined as an analysis (not blaming) on “what we wish we would have known” before we made the decision/proposal/presentation/decision.

Critical Analysis is needed – this is different than self-criticism. You must look at the situation with as much dispassion as possible. Remove the emotion.

Brainstorm this analysis – you are looking to uncover the rock, and discover the nugget of where you went wrong.

Get other stakeholder’s input. You might be too close to the trees to see the forest. Sometimes it is the simple themes we forget – such as “you never ask for the business.”

Put what you learn/discover into practice as soon as possible. If your issue is ‘getting mad’ and making a poor decision, maybe delaying the decision for one hour might give you a new perspective.

My experience is that we are never too old or experienced to learn from what went wrong.

Making mistakes is human nature – learning from the past and reaching past existing boundaries is where leaders are made.

David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting

David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech

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May 21, 2013

New in 2014: Autodesk ReCap Point Cloud Review and Processing (Part 1)

Here at Ideate, we try to take advantage of all opportunities to test and work with any new Autodesk product that might be useful to our customers. This year, Autodesk released a new point cloud processing application called Autodesk ReCap.

With functionality similar to point cloud review and processing tools from Trimble and Leica, Autodesk customers now have access to a program that can process and edit point cloud data prior to being used in Autodesk design software like AutoCad, AutoCad Civil 3D, Revit and Autodesk InfraWorks. And best of all, it’s included in the 2014 Autodesk Design Suites.

This is a great opportunity for end users to now review and process large lidar datasets in an application made specifically for that task, without having to purchase additional software. Additionally, Autodesk ReCap (.RCP) projects and (.RCS) files can be directly imported into 2014 Autodesk applications.

Autodesk ReCap includes a processing engine that allows users to select multiple data files at once, and produces a single (.RCP) Project file that links back to the processed data. Each original data file becomes a (.RCS) file that is part of the project. Process time is dependent on the size and amount of files selected, and during our testing a 1.5 GB dataset with eight original files took about an hour to complete. A convenient timer also provides an estimate on how long each file and the entire project will take to process.

Once processed, the ReCap project can be launched directly, and the composite point cloud appears in the application. Here’s a screenshot of the completed point cloud in ReCap (file provided by Surface and Edge 3D Laser Scanning).

For a video of Autodesk ReCap in action and other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new Autodesk 2014 releases, visit: ideateinc.com/2014
Ideate Note: If you are experiencing a Fatal Error issue when trying to launch a ReCap project this is most likely based on system hardware rather than an issue with the application. For more information about this issue and Ideate’s solution, read our recent blog post titled: Help! Autodesk ReCap is Crashing.

Matt Miyamoto, P.E.
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Matt is a licensed Civil Engineer in the state of Hawaii. Matt obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and has 7 years of private sector design experience which he applies in his role as an application specialist with Ideate, Inc. His project experience includes residential and commercial site development, private and public sewer, water and drainage systems, harbors improvements, and roadway improvements. While in Hawaii, Matt was involved in multidisciplinary projects for City and County agencies, State Departments, the Army COE and private developers. @MattM_PE

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May 17, 2013

Help! Autodesk ReCap is Crashing

Here at Ideate, we try to take advantage of all opportunities to test and work with any new Autodesk product that might be useful to our customers. This year, Autodesk released a new point cloud processing application called Autodesk ReCap. For those of you who have had a chance to install this product, I hope you’ve been able to try it out and see what it can do.

If you’re like me and some of the other techs here at Ideate, you may be running into a Fatal Error issue when trying to launch a ReCap project. Before I go into the details, let me first say that this doesn’t happen on all systems, and from what we’ve been able to find, it is actually based on system hardware rather than an issue with the application.

So here’s the issue: Autodesk ReCap has successfully been installed, registered, and launches successfully on your computer. A new project is created, and lidar data files are selected for processing (so far all is well). The point files complete processing successfully, and an option to “Launch” the ReCap project appears. However, once you click on “Launch Project,” ReCap crashes and an error report appears on screen. Quite frustrating, seeing as everything up to this point has been successful and has gone as expected.

The technical staff here at Ideate is running Lenovo W530 laptops with 64-bit Windows 7, quad core processors, 16 GB of RAM, and NVidia K2000M graphics cards. This is by far a sufficient system for running Autodesk ReCap. Additionally, an old test machine that we have is a Dell M6300 with Windows 7, 8 GB of RAM and an older NVidia Quadro FX graphics card (below recommendation). The issue above occurred on the Lenovo system rather than the Dell system. On all Lenovo’s that we tested, the application consistently crashed upon launch of the project. With the Dell system, everything ran smoothly.

After some digging, and after reviewing the system .NFO file for the Lenovo, we noticed that it actually comes with two graphics processors; the high-performance NVidia card that we ordered with the system, and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 processor that comes with the laptop by default. Apparently, the crash is being caused by the system defaulting to the Intel card rather than the high-performance NVidia card.

That led us to the solution for the issue, which requires some manual changes to the graphics settings on the laptop. By accessing the NVidia Control Panel, we were able to override the default settings that were pointing the application and the 3D OpenGL preset to the Intel card instead of the NVidia card. Once those were changed, everything was up and running without any fatal errors.

To fix the problem, right click on your desktop and access the NVidia Control Panel. There are TWO settings that need to be adjusted. On the left under 3D Settings, click on Manage 3D Settings. From there, the main window will display two tabs.

On the Global Settings tab, select 3D OpenGL Stereo from the list of Global Presets, and change the Preferred Graphics Processor to High-Performance NVIDIA Processor.

Then switch to the Program Settings tab. In the Select a Program to Customize area, select Autodesk AutoCAD. Under Select the Preferred Graphics Processor for this Program, select High-Performance NVIDIA Processor.

Click APPLY, and exit the NVidia Control Panel. As far as we can tell, both of these need to be changed. If either of the two is not set, the program continued to crash.

Here’s a Video of the process: http://screencast.com/t/S0KrIhb3Zl

To recap the issue, the fatal error only occurred on our Lenovo systems, so it may not happen to you. However, if your workstation also has dual graphics processors and ReCap is crashing, give that a try.

For a video of Autodesk ReCap in action and other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new Autodesk 2014 releases, visit: ideateinc.com/2014

April 8, 2013

Autodesk 2014 – Network License Behavior and License Cascading

This is Derek Wielkopolski, Support Manger with Ideate, Inc. We always seem to get a lot of questions about network license behavior when we get a new release. 2014 products are rolling out and it’s always a good idea to have a refresh on this topic, especially with the cascading sequence.

So what is license cascading? By definition, “Cascade Licensing is implemented for mixed-product environments where a single license manager is servicing multiple Autodesk products. Cascade Licensing allows an Autodesk product to obtain a license that belongs to another Autodesk product in the same license pool. With Cascade Licensing, lower ranking product licenses can be used before higher ranking product licenses; when all lower ranking product licenses are in use, a product will cascade up to use the license of a higher ranking product.”

Some really good docs to keep on hand are Understanding Cascade Licensing For Autodesk Products and 2014: Cascading Sequence For Autodesk Products.

A note about license behavior and previous versions; if a single user is working in identical products but different version years this will consume two separate licenses. For example if I’m working in Revit Architecture 2013 and switch to a different project and launch Revit Architecture 2012, I will pull two licenses. Take a look at the Autodesk document Understanding Previous Version Support For Autodesk Point Products for more info.

As always email me at support@ideateinc.com if you have any questions.

Don’t forget to look through other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2014 releases for Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Revit Structure, Civil 3D, AutoCAD and more: ideateinc.com/2014

Derek Wielkopolski
Ideate Technical Support Manager/Application Specialist
Derek holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University, Rhode Island. He is experienced working within the AEC industry from concept design through construction administration for both small and large scale projects. As Ideate’s Support Manager he ensures a timely and quality response to support requests and questions. Follow Derek on Twitter: @dwielk

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April 3, 2013

Autodesk 2014 Products and Hardware – Recommendations from Ideate Technical Support

It’s that time of year again, rollout! This is Derek Wielkopolski, Technical Support Manager and Application Specialist here at Ideate. As we’re getting all the latest info on the new Autodesk 2014 products I’ve been re-working our hardware recommendations. It’s one of those things – as software changes so does the hardware that’s required to run them.

When it comes to running Autodesk products what hardware components are key? I look at processor, memory (RAM), video card, storage (hard drive), and operating system.

Let’s start off with OS, because we get a lot of calls on this in support; especially with the release of Windows 8 a couple months back. 2014 products are now supported on Windows 8. But heads up, there are some Autodesk products that are supported only on certain versions of Windows 8. For example Revit 2014 isn’t supported on Windows 8 32-bit, just 64-bit. Want to know more about 2014 products and Windows 8? Take a look at the post by David Haynes. Personally, I’m still recommending Windows 7 64-bit, unless you absolutely must have those tiles!

Processor – Remember the days when faster was better? Well that still applies but you also have to factor in multi-processor and multi-core capable machines. Generally speaking, an Intel i5/ i7 or Xeon multi-core processor will suffice. If you’re an AMD fan take a look at their Athlon series

Memory – Always a hot topic especially with some of the more memory hungry applications like Revit. I’m recommending nothing lower than 8GB on production machines, 16GB preferable. Now here’s the important part – make sure you have available slots to add more memory down the road. For example our application specialists’ machines have 16GB installed but with 2 extra slots expandable to 32GB. Memory is cheap these days, no need to skimp.

Video Card – In the last few years or so we’ve been seeing a lot more importance in selecting the right graphics card. First things first, you need a dedicated card; not an integrated card that utilizes CPU resources to power the GPU output. Next make sure you’re looking at a workstation grade video card as opposed to a “gaming” card. In our experience gaming cards can be more problematic. The card also needs to have a good amount of dedicated memory. What’s good? No less than 512MB on the card, 1-2GB is preferred. I strongly encourage our customers to take a look at the Autodesk Certified Hardware page. This is where you can check whether or not your card has been tested and certified and where to download the recommended driver.

Storage – I have to tell you, since switching to a Solid State Drive (SSD) I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a spindle drive. They’re more expensive and typically come in smaller sizes but they are blazingly fast. Computer boot times and application launch is almost “instant on.” But if you are looking into a spindle drive shoot for 7200 RPM drives or faster if possible. For network storage typical server grade hard drives will be faster and usually will have some type of RAID redundancy fail over in place.

Well, I hope that helps. Be sure to take a look at our 2014 Migration Recommendations document for even more information.

Don’t forget to look through other great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2014 releases for Revit MEP, Revit Structure, Civil 3D, AutoCAD and more: ideateinc.com/2014

March 20, 2013

Top Ten Autodesk Software Support Queries: Requests 6-10

On Monday we published the first five of the top ten support requests that come into Ideate Technical support. Today, the long-awaited, highly-anticipated 6-10 requests present themselves for your reading pleasure (and bookmarking reference convenience):

As Support manager here at Ideate we see a lot of general Autodesk cases come in, some of which are repeat questions or issues. Bradley, Ideate’s Technical Support Dispatcher, and I have come up with a list of our top ten. The first line of support often deals with new Features, Network Licensing setup as well as troubleshooting Installations. Please take a look at the most common issues we see:

Cross Platform Licensing Designating Mac/PC for AutoCAD Autodesk supports a mixture of Operating Systems to run the software as standalone or network on workstations including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Complete the Cross-Platform Licensing form to designate the mixture you would like to run. This will allow a download of the preferred version of the software.
Network License of Software Requires a Server Setup The most versatile license type by Autodesk is the Network license. This allows unlimited workstation installations to pull a license when needed from the pool of available seats. This requires the install of a License Manager on a designated Server hosting the license file. The License Manager must be setup before the software on the workstations so it can point to the Server during a Network installation. Use Ideate’s Step by Step Autodesk Network Licensing Guide for help on setting everything up properly.
Installing the Software as Standalone, Network or Trial During installation there are three specific choices to make – either Standalone, Network or Trial. After downloading the software or using media to run the .exe and click Install you are asked to designate the License Type. Standalone only requires the Serial Number and Product Key. Network needs to be able to see the Server that is hosting the license and Trial is a fully functioning version of the software for 30 days that reverts to a viewer after this time. It’s helpful to reference the Autodesk software installation steps with screenshots.
Invalid Serial Number or Product Key During Installation The first issue many of our customers run into is a red X indicating the Serial Number or Product Key is incorrect. The most common mistake is caused by the wrong software or version being installed. Serial Number and Product Key for 2012 is different than the one for 2013 and AutoCAD is a different installation than AutoCAD MEP. Always be sure to download the correct software from Subscription Center or use the correct physical product box. Also, have a look at the Autodesk licensing issues knowledge base.
Downloading the Trial Revit as the All-in-One Version Customers occasionally need access to software immediately and are unable to download software from Subscription Center or the media has not arrived yet. Downloading the trial is a quick and easy way to get the software going and can easily be converted into a full version. The trial download uses the same prompts and can be activated using a valid Serial Number and Product Key for Standalone or Network. The issue with Revit products is that only the Building Design Suite version with the all-in-one features is available. This means you cannot download a trial of Revit MEP or Revit Architecture to activate, it must be from the media or download. Here is a link for the free Autodesk Revit trial.

Bradley Cooley
Technical Support Dispatcher
Bradley earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Oregon, the Portland, Oregon campus, where his special research and design emphasis was on production facilities including wineries, breweries and distilling. Bradley’s professional experience has a design build services for residential construction and environmental graphics focus. Within his community, he volunteers as a youth athletics coach. As an Ideate tech team member, Bradley provides customer service by phone and online assistance for software installation and functionality. He is based in the Ideate Portland, Oregon office.

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March 18, 2013

Top Ten Autodesk Software Support Queries: Requests 1-5

As Support manager here at Ideate we see a lot of general Autodesk cases come in, some of which are repeat questions or issues. Bradley, Ideate’s Technical Support Dispatcher, and I have come up with a list of our top ten. The first line of support often deals with new Features, Network Licensing setup as well as troubleshooting Installations. Please take a look at the most common issues we see:

License Cascading What’s license cascading? License cascading is the ability for network licenses to float from one product to the other. For example, my license file has seats of AutoCAD and seats of the Building Design Suite Premium. My install of AutoCAD is from the BDSP; and because of license cascading it will pull from the pool of AutoCAD licenses first until all seats of AutoCAD are taken. Once all of those seats are in use it will then cascade up to the BDSP licenses. In general, cheaper products’ licenses are pulled first then cascade up to the more expensive ones. Be sure to bookmark Autodesk’s official license cascading order list.
Autodesk 360 Setup and Configuration Autodesk 360 is a cloud-computing platform with various features such as storage, collaboration, visualization, and simulation tools. It’s available for Subscription and non-Subscription customers and its features vary by different products. More information can be found by reading the Autodesk 360 FAQs.
License Switching Between Standalone and Network Occasionally users will need to switch their current installation from standalone/trial to network or vice versa. The best practice is to do a complete uninstall/reinstall. But there are some instances where this isn’t an option. There is a workaround that involves going into the registry and can be used in a pinch if need be. Keep in mind – Ideate does NOT support this method and advises only users who are comfortable and knowledgeable about the registry to perform the Standalone to Network workaround.
System Requirements Technology is a fast paced industry and computer hardware is changing constantly. As a result software requirements are changing just as quickly to take advantage of all that new computing power. Make sure your machine is up-to-snuff. And keep in mind; minimum system requirements are just that – minimum. Future-proof your purchase by going above and beyond, make sure there’s room for expansion – i.e. extra slots available for more RAM. It’s also helpful to get familiar with the System requirements for Autodesk products.
Supported Graphics Hardware We’re discovering more and more often the importance of a properly matching OS, video card and video card driver. Issues you wouldn’t even think would be related to graphics hardware like crashing are often resolved by checking the driver version. See if your card is certified and where to find the accompanying certified driver.

Be sure to tune in on March 20th for Ideate’s Top Technical Support Requests 6-10!

January 14, 2013

AutoCAD Spell Checker Not Working

Often, in the Ideate, Inc. technical support queue, customers get error messages that seem mysterious, but have a quick answer.

Problem: So you run the spell checker via the command “spell” and this is what you get.

The spell checker uses the dictionary DCT files found in the program files support folder of the product. AutoCAD engine locates these files using the path info to this location found in the Support File Search Path under the Files tab of options dialog box. The problem is, for a multitude of reasons, you are missing this path.

Solution: Add the path. Here’s how:

1. Open options and switch to Files tab
2. Click on Support File Search Path
3. Click on the Add button and add the following path:
C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013\Support

See the following image.

4. Finally, it is a good idea to move this path to the top giving it the highest search priority using Move Up button shown by the arrow above.

Note: The above path is for Civil 3D 2013. The path may vary as per the product you own. For example,

Civil 3D 2012, use C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012\Support
AutoCAD 2013, use C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2013\Support
AutoCAD 2012, C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2012\Support
Map 3D 2013, C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Map 3D 2013\Support
Map 3D 2012, C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Map 3D 2012\Support

January 9, 2013

How to Add a Segment/(s) to an Alignment

During training at Ideate, Inc, we are often asked how to add segment to an alignment.

Adding a segment to an alignment works sometimes and other times the alignment style seems to get applied but station labels do not appear. If you have been using Civil 3D before then I am positive you have seen this.

So the concept is, just as an alignment has a direction, every component of an alignment: lines, curves and spirals have a direction, which is displayed by the arrow component of the alignment style. If the direction of this segment is against the main alignment direction, the labels do not appear even though the segment gets added to the alignment – evident because color changes: alignment style gets applied. Here is how it works.

When you click on the button “Convert AutoCAD Line and arc” to add the lines/arcs at the beginning or end of the alignment to the alignment as shown below:

1. Labels do not appear even though the segment got added to the alignment. In the figure below you can see the white AutoCAD line turn green.

2. Click on the button “Reverse Sub-entity Direction” which is one icon to the right of “Convert AutoCAD Line and arc” icon as shown below.

See the label -0+59 appears as below:

That’s it; you are done. Now go ahead and add other segments as necessary.

If the negative station number is unacceptable, change it via the Reference Point under the Station Control tab of Alignment Properties.

December 17, 2012

The Infamous FILEDIA System Variable

Here at Ideate, one of the common issues we hear about while on tech support is that a customer is not able to use a dialog box to select files for opening. In these cases, rather than seeing the dialog box, they are prompted to manually enter the full file path and name of the drawing or file they want to open at the command line.

The solution for this is almost always the same, and is relatively easy. Set the FILEDIA system variable to “1” instead of “0.” This system variable controls whether or not the application uses the dialog box function for file selection.

What do “0” and “1” mean?
(Courtesy of AutoCAD Help file)
0 - Does not display dialog boxes. You can still request a file dialog box to appear by entering a tilde (~) in response to the Command prompt.

1 - Displays dialog boxes. However, if a script is active, an ordinary prompt is displayed. Prompts are also displayed if an AutoLISP or ObjectARX™ program is active. (Not applicable to AutoCAD LT.)

So what causes the value to change to 0?
In most cases, we’ve noticed that the system variable tends to reset when a file crashes during closing, or when the application runs into an error during shut down or saving. When that happens, FILEDIA changes back to “0,” and the next time you try to open a file, you’re prompted to enter a file name and path rather than select. To fix the problem, either launch a new drawing, or double click on an existing drawing to get to the command line and type in FILEDIA to set it back to “1.”

Why do we need a “0” option?
Some of you may be asking why do we even need a “0” option to begin with? Well, most of the time, you really don’t need to use the “0” option. But there are instances where you may want to be able to manually specify a file name and path rather than select it from a dialog box. Take for example, a SCRIPT file that automatically loads and add-on or resource file that you need to use in AutoCAD. To fully automate the process, the script would need to be able to locate and open a file from a specified location without any user input. Otherwise, it would pause and wait for the user to navigate to and select the file before completing the process. In that case, FILEDIA would be set to “0” as part of the script so that the author can include the full file path for the resource file in the script.

So there you have it, if you ever encounter a problem where your file dialog box is missing and you’re prompted to enter the file path at the command line, change your FILEDIA system variable to “1” instead of “0” and everything should be back to normal.