Wednesday, December 24, 2008

DWG True View 07 vs/ 09

Happy Holidays Bloggers!!

Yesterday and today I have been tackling how to get our ABS 07 dwgs to view correctly in the DWG TrueView program.

Here is my conclusion....use the 2007 version of DWG TrueView and install the ADT 2007 object enabler and the ABS LIGHT 2007 object enabler and you will be fine. You have to do it in that order though. The regular ABS 2007 OE will not work. Make sure you reboot between installing object enablers.

For viewing any higher versions of AMEP dwgs go ahead and install and use the DWG TrueView 2009 version. You will need to install the A-Arch 2009 object enabler and the A-MEP LIGHT 2009 object enabler as well. Make sure you reboot between installing object enablers.

If you don't use the LIGHT versions of the ABS and A-MEP object enablers it will not work. For some reason the full ABS/A-MEP object enablers do not get the job done. Talk about some trial and error to do this!

Here are some links to help you in your endeavors:

Since Autodesk does not have the 2007 version of DWG TrueView you can go here and download it for free:

  • DWG TrueView 2007

  • For the main page for the LIGHT object enablers:
  • General LIGHT Object Enablers

  • Specifically this one for the 07 ABS Light OE:
  • ABS 2007 LIGHT Object Enabler

  • Specifically this one for the 09 A-MEP Light OE (32-bit):
  • A-MEP 2009 LIGHT Object Enabler

  • For the main page for other object enablers:
  • General Other Object Enablers

  • OR
  • Or Here for other Object Enablers

  • Specifically this one for the 07 ADT OE:
  • ADT 2007 Object Enabler

  • Specifically this one for the 09 A-Arch OE:
  • A-Arch 2009 Object Enabler
  • Monday, December 15, 2008

    AU 08 Online Link!

    Good morning,

    It's nasty out here...ice/sleet/snow...lovely time of year.
    Hope you all dealing with this weather are being careful!
    If you can, stay home and snuggle up with a puppy or two.

    The AU 08 information is now up.

    http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=class_listing

    You can peruse this year, or past years' classes.

    Enjoy the wealth of knowledge out there!!

    Monday, December 08, 2008

    Back from AU

    Hey bloggers!

    I made it back safe and sound from my trip to AU 08.
    It was almost a 3hr delay on the flight back...which put me landing around 10pm...but other than that no major issues.

    I had an awesome time. Attended classes for both Acad MEP and Revit MEP. Can't wait until they get the AU 08 link working for all the class downloads. That's supposed to happen sometime today. As soon as I see it, I will post a link here for you all.

    Have a great day!

    Wednesday, November 26, 2008

    Happy Thanksgiving!!!

    Happy Thanksgiving to all the U.S. people!!!

    Here's hoping to have a safe, extremely educational, and awesome trip to AU next week!!!

    Monday, November 03, 2008

    .BLK Files for Table Templates

    Greetings bloggers,

    Welcome to Novemember!!

    Last week I was working on creating a standard table template for my department to use.

    It would be used in combination with the "eattext" attribute extraction command. The template removed some of the attributes, re-arranged the columns they showed up in, and assigned a specific look to the table. This creates a .blk file.

    What I found out, after a few hours of testing and odd outcomes, is....the .blk file has to be stored in a location that the user has permissions to change files in. AKA I can not store it on our "protected/locked-down" standards location that the general user only has "read" access to.

    I thought I would pass this along incase others were curious about setting up a table template.

    Friday, October 31, 2008

    Juggle 101: Part 3

    Juggle 101: Part 3
    So you have mastered the one ball basic pattern right?? Excellent! Now it is on to adding the second ball. You can place the third ball in your pocket so when you drop one of the other balls you will not have to bend over to pick it up. Remember to stand in your now favorite place over a couch and close to a wall if possible. Also remember to make your throws to yourself, do not throw them away from you (I mean really, how are you going to catch something that you threw away?). Juggling occurs in one plane.


    Same thing goes for the second ball as the first ball. You will start with one ball in each hand. Start with the first ball as you have before; toss it from your LH to your RH hitting that peak above your RH. Always follow the infinity pattern. When the first ball reaches the peak of the pattern (just above your RH) toss the second ball from your RH to your LH following the pattern. If you have successfully ended up with the opposite ball in each hand than when you started congratulations!


    Now pause and watch out for this….Most people who try to learn to juggle panic when they have to start tossing the second (and eventually third) ball. A lot of the time they will just quickly chuck the ball into the opposite hand for the second throw and that is not the objective. You must always follow the infinity pattern, this is the backbone of the 3-ball cascade pattern.


    The typical mantra for this stage of learning is: throw, throw, catch, catch. Feel free to chant it. It actually does help.


    The true key to learning how to juggle is practice! So keep practicing!!

    HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! :)

    Monday, October 20, 2008

    Warning Pop-up Update

    Good morning Bloggers,

    After initiating the pop-up warning for people opening any version below our current 2007 version we have had a lower rate of "oops" moments. I received feedback from the other departments and I have completely removed the "open" button. If someone really wants to overwrite the file they will have to go to the "saveas" and choose to overwrite it there.

    The only flaw that I know of is that this will continue to pop-up and sometimes cause issues with the Publish command. Since 95% of the time we have to plot by window and can't use the Publish command on these old dwgs with the new plotter it is a moot point.

    We had our reseller come in on Friday and do presentations on the 09 products for Arch and MEP and also discuss Revit (Arch, Struct, and MEP). Our company has some decisions to make as to which way they want to go and how soon.

    Enjoy the fall season!

    Thursday, October 09, 2008

    Autodesk Univeristy 2008

    As the temperatures try to turn cooler (we're still supposed to hit a high just under 80 degrees today...should be in the lower 70's this time of yr) I am reminded that soon AU will be here.

    I am proud to announce that I will be attending AU this year!!!!

    I am also signed up to attend the Blogger's Social on Tues...I'll have to slide in a little late since my class doesn't end until 4:30pm.

    Looking forward to seeing you all there!

    Wednesday, October 01, 2008

    Success! Lower Version Warning Pop-up...

    With much help from the people on AUGI I finially have what I was looking for.
    The following LSP and DCL files will do the following:
    When a Read-only copy of any dwg below 2007 is opened an alert button will appear stating that you've opened a dwg that is below an 07 version as read-only.
    When a dwg has been opened fully that is below the 2007 version an alert button will appear stating the version number of the dwg that has been opened. Then a large and annoying pop-up will appear with 3 choices: Cancel, Convert to Read-only, or Open.
    If they choose cancel, it closes out of the dwg completely (but does not affect any other dwgs they may have open).
    If they choose read-only, it will close the original dwg and open a read-only copy of that dwg.
    It will then show the "you've opened a read-only copy" alert again.
    If they choose open, it will go ahead and open that dwg with full permissions.

    This took quite a bit of work and I would like to share it if anyone would find it useful.
    If you do use it, I ask that you do credit me with it.
    Thank you!

    LISP Code:
    [code]
    ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    ;;
    ;; This program is designed to be used with the warnr14.dcl file.
    ;; They are to be stored locally on the users' machine under the product's support file area.
    ;; I.E.: C:Program Files_Autodesk Building Systems 2007_Support
    ;; This program uses the slide image "WarnImage.sld" that is stored here: F:HBEDT2K7_Setup
    ;; It was created to pop-up a warning when a dwg of a lower version is opened in a 2007 product.
    ;; The user will get a choice to cancel out of the open, or go ahead with the open.
    ;; Currently this pop-up will appear if the file is opened full out or read-only.
    ;; It will not affect any dwgs that are already open in that session of Acad (ADT or ABS).
    ;; Please do not use-alter-modify this file without contacting Abbie Meador first.
    ;; Created by Abbie Meador.
    ;; Special thanks to the AUGI members who helped!
    ;; Last modified on 10-01-08 by Abbie Meador.
    ;;
    ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

    (setq dwgfile (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix")(getvar "dwgname"))) ;;Setting value to dwfile variable, pulling info from dwg file
    (setq rfile (open dwgfile "r")) ;;Set value to rfile
    (setq dwgver (substr (read-line rfile) 1 6)) ;;Set value to dwgver by reading version info from dwg file
    (close rfile) ;;Closes rfile where dwg version info was stored

    (cond ;;Conditions to assign acadv variable text info based off of dwg version

    ((= dwgver "AC1021") ;;If it is a 2007 version dwg it will automatically close out of this lsp routine
    (close)
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1014")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R14")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1012")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R13")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1009")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R11 or R12")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1006")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R10")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1004")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R9")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1002")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R2.6")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1.50")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R2.05")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1015")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2000")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1016")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2000i")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1017")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2002")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1018")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2004")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1019")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2005")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1020")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2006")
    )
    ;;;; ((= dwgver "AC1022") ;;For future use the 2008 ad 2009 version info is in here, but commented out
    ;;;; (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2008")
    ;;;; )
    ;;;; ((= dwgver "AC1023")
    ;;;; (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2009")
    ;;;; )

    ) ;;End of condition

    (defun is_drawing_read_only (dwgver) ;;Checks to see if dwg has been opened as Read-Only
    (if (eq(vla-get-readonly (vla-get-activedocument (vlax-get-acad-object))):vlax-true)
    (progn
    (if (not(or(or(= dwgver "AC1022")(= dwgver "AC1023"))(= dwgver "AC1021")))
    (alert "Congratulations this is a READ-ONLY dwg.") ;;If dwg is Read-Only they get this alert
    ) ;;End of if
    ) ;;End of progn

    (progn
    (if (not(or(or(= dwgver "AC1022")(= dwgver "AC1023"))(= dwgver "AC1021")))
    (progn
    (alert acadv) ;;If dwg was fully opened they get an alert with the version
    (drawing_is_read_write) ;;Calls the Read-Write subfunction
    ) ;;End of progn
    ) ;;End of if
    ) ;;End of progn
    ) ;;End of if
    ) ;;End of defun is_drawing_read_only

    (defun drawing_is_read_write () ;;Read-Write subfunction
    (setq mykey "sld") ;;Naming the slide image
    (setq myslidename"F:\\HBEDT2K7\\Setup\\WarnImage.sld") ;;Locating the slide file

    (setq dclid (load_dialog "warnr14.dcl")) ;;Loading the DCL file
    (new_dialog "warnr14" dclid)
    (defun edit_action1 (val)
    (setq NT val)
    ) ;;End of defun

    (setq width (dimx_tile mykey)) ;;Get the width of the slide
    (setq height (dimy_tile mykey)) ;;Get the height of the slide
    (start_image mykey) ;;Start the slide definition
    (fill_image 0 0 width height -15) ;;Wipe out the background
    (slide_image 0 0 width height myslidename) ;;Put the slide in the image area
    (end_image) ;;Finish the slide definition

    (action_tile "accept" "(unload_dialog)") ;;Closes dialog and leaves dwg open if Open button from DCL is clicked
    (action_tile "readonly" "(setq DwgName (strcat (vla-get-path(vla-get-activedocument(vlax-get-acad-object))) \"/\" (vla-get-name(vla-get-activedocument(vlax-get-acad-object)))))
    ;;Opens a Read-only copy if the Read-only button is clicked
    (done_dialog 1)")
    (action_tile "cancel" "(done_dialog)") ;;Closes dialog and dwg if Cancel button from DCL is clicked

    (set_tile "mytile" (strcat "YOU JUST OPENED AN " acadv " DWG IN 2007.")) ;;Creates tile to be used on DCL that shows version variable info
    (setq ans(start_dialog)) ;;Gets value for ans variable
    (unload_dialog dclid)
    (if (= ans 1)
    (progn ;;This runs a script to close the fully opened original dwg
    (setq scrFile (open (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix") "Runme.scr") "w"))
    (write-line "(vla-open (vla-get-documents (vlax-get-acad-object))Dwgname :VLAX-TRUE)" scrfile)
    (write-line ".close" scrFile)
    (write-line "Y" scrFile)
    (write-line "(vl-file-delete (strcat (getvar \"dwgprefix\") \"Runme.scr\"))"scrfile)
    (close scrFile)
    (command ".script" (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix") "Runme.scr")) ;Run the script
    ) ;;End of progn
    (progn
    (done_dialog) ;;Finishes dialog box
    (command "_.close" "Y") ;;Closes dwg and answers yes to do you really want to close this file question
    ) ;;End of progn
    ) ;;End of if
    ) ;;End of defun drawing_is_read_write

    (is_drawing_read_only dwgver)

    ;;;;
    ;;;;End of the AutoLISP routine
    ;;;;
    [/code]

    DCL Code:
    [code]
    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    //
    // This program is designed to be used with the acaddoc.lsp file.
    // They are to be stored locally on the users' machine under the product's support file area.
    // I.E.: C:Program Files_Autodesk Building Systems 2007_Support
    // This program uses the slide image "WarnImage.sld" that is stored here: F:HBEDT2K7_Setup
    // It was created to pop-up a warning when a dwg of a lower version is opened in a 2007 product.
    // The user will get a choice to cancel out of the open, or go ahead with the open.
    // Currently this pop-up will appear if the file is opened full out or read-only.
    // It will not affect any dwgs that are already open in that session of Acad (ADT or ABS).
    // Please do not use-alter-modify this file without contacting Abbie Meador first.
    // Created by Abbie Meador.
    // Special thanks to the AUGI members who helped!
    // Last modified on 10-01-08 by Abbie Meador.
    //
    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    warnr14 : dialog {label = "WARNING!!! WARNING!!!"; //Controls the text on the pop-up's title

    : image { //This creates a stripe or bar of color along the top
    key = "im"; //Creating a variable called "im" for this stripe
    height = 1.0; //Setting height of stripe to 1
    width = 1.0; //Setting width of stripe to 1
    color = 1; //Setting color of stripe to 1 = Red
    } //Ends stripe "im" creation

    :row{ //Creates a row
    : image { //Adds in the image from the LSP for the Slide
    key = "sld"; //Calls the slide image
    height = 0; //Sets the height of the image
    width = 15; //Sets the width of the image
    color = -15; //Sets the color to the background color -15 = grey
    is_enabled = false;
    is_tab_stop = false;
    } //Ends row for image slide

    : paragraph { //Begins a paragraph of text
    : text { key = "mytile"; } //Calls the tile created in the LSP to print out in a text line
    : text { //If you use text_part { the text lines squish together, this way they have some air b/w them.
    label = "Click -Cancel- or -Read-only- to keep from converting your file to an 07 format.";
    }
    : text {
    label = "If you ignore this warning and end up saving this as a 2007 dwg,";
    }
    : text {
    label = "YOU WILL REPAIR THIS FILE ON YOUR OWN TIME!!";
    }
    } //End paragraph of text
    } //End of row

    : image { //This creates a stripe or bar of color underneath the paragraph text
    key = "im2"; //Creating a variable called "im2" for this stripe
    height = 1.0; //Setting height of stripe to 1
    width = 1.0; //Setting width of stripe to 1
    color = 1; //Setting color of stripe to 1 = Red
    } //Ends stripe "im2" creation

    : row { //Begins row for buttons
    : button { //Begins first button creation
    label = "CANCEL"; //Labels first button cancel
    key = "cancel"; //Attaches a call of cancel to the button
    mnemonic = "C"; //Sets up a keyboard shortcut for the button
    alignment = centered; //Alignment of the button
    width = 1.0; //Sets width of button
    height = 3.0; //Sets height of button
    is_default = true; //Sets the default selection to this button...If user hits enter this button will be selected
    } //Ends first button


    : button { //Begins second button creation
    fixed_width = true; //Sets a fixed width of button
    fixed_height = true; //Sets a fixed height of button
    label = "Read-Only"; //Labels second button open
    key = "readonly"; //Attaches a call of readonly to the button
    mnemonic = "R"; //Sets up a keyboard shortcut for the button
    } //Ends second button


    : button { //Begins third button creation
    fixed_width = true; //Sets a fixed width of button
    fixed_height = true; //Sets a fixed height of button
    label = "Open"; //Labels third button open
    key = "accept"; //Attaches a call of accept to the button
    mnemonic = "O"; //Sets up a keyboard shortcut for the button
    } //Ends third button
    } //Ends row
    } //Ends program
    [/code]

    Friday, September 26, 2008

    2007 Warning of Opening an R14 Dwg Pop-up

    Hello bloggers!

    With the help of some knowledgeable people on AUGI.com (thank you Lions60 & rkmcswain!!) I believe I have a solid working version of this pop-up that we've been needing.

    Here's what it does: When opening a dwg (be it read-only or a full on open) this pop-up will appear if the dwg is any version below 2007). The pop-up will state what version the dwg is and ask if you really want to open. If you press cancel it closes that dwg out, but all other dwgs that you have open in that session are unaffected. If you press open, it will go ahead and let you open the dwg as you had chosen (either full on or read-only depending upon what you picked in the beginning). If you try to click on the "x" button to close out of the dialog box it will not work. The user is forced to either choose cancel or open. The cancel button is set as the default choice, so if the user just hits the enter key it will be selecting cancel and close the dwg out.

    I have also have it showing an image on the dialog box (just for fun). That's a whole different post on how to do that....I had never made a slide before so that was a learning experience all on its own.

    If you decide for some reason that you would like to use this code (LSP and/or DCL), or any portion of it please make sure you credit me for it.

    Thank you!

    Here is the DCL File:

    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    //
    // This program is designed to be used with the acaddoc.lsp file.
    // They are to be stored locally on the users' machine under the product's support file area.
    // I.E.: C:Program Files_Autodesk Building Systems 2007_Support
    // This program uses the slide image "WarnImage.sld" that is stored here: F:HBEDT2K7_Setup
    // It was created to pop-up a warning when a dwg of a lower version is opened in a 2007 product.
    // The user will get a choice to cancel out of the open, or go ahead with the open.
    // Currently this pop-up will appear if the file is opened full out or read-only.
    // It will not affect any dwgs that are already open in that session of Acad (ADT or ABS).
    // Please do not use-alter-modify this file without contacting Abbie Meador first.
    // Created by Abbie Meador.
    // Last modified on 09-26-08 by Abbie Meador.
    //
    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

    warnr14 : dialog {label = "WARNING!!! WARNING!!!"; //Controls the text on the pop-up's title

    : image { //This creates a stripe or bar of color along the top
    key = "im"; //Creating a variable called "im" for this stripe
    height = 1.0; //Setting height of stripe to 1
    width = 1.0; //Setting width of stripe to 1
    color = 1; //Setting color of stripe to 1 = Red
    } //Ends stripe "im" creation

    :row{ //Creates a row
    : image { //Adds in the image from the LSP for the Slide
    key = "sld"; //Calls the slide image
    height = 0; //Sets the height of the image
    width = 15; //Sets the width of the image
    color = -15; //Sets the color to the background color -15 = grey
    is_enabled = false;
    is_tab_stop = false;
    } //Ends row for image slide

    : paragraph { //Begins a paragraph of text
    : text { key = "mytile"; } //Calls the tile created in the LSP to print out in a text line
    : text_part {
    label = "Verify this file is Read-only before clicking 'Open' (Check the header).";
    }
    : text_part {
    label = "If you ignore this warning and end up saving this as a 2007 dwg,";
    }
    : text_part {
    label = "YOU WILL REPAIR THIS FILE ON YOUR OWN TIME!!";
    }
    } //End paragraph of text
    } //End of row

    : image { //This creates a stripe or bar of color underneath the paragraph text
    key = "im2"; //Creating a variable called "im2" for this stripe
    height = 1.0; //Setting height of stripe to 1
    width = 1.0; //Setting width of stripe to 1
    color = 1; //Setting color of stripe to 1 = Red
    } //Ends stripe "im2" creation

    : row { //Begins row for buttons
    : button { //Begins first button creation
    label = "CANCEL"; //Labels first button cancel
    key = "cancel"; //Attaches a call of cancel to the button
    mnemonic = "C"; //Sets up a keyboard shortcut for the button
    alignment = centered; //Alignment of the button
    width = 0.5; //Sets width of button
    height = 3; //Sets height of button
    is_default = true; //Sets the default selection to this button...If user hits enter this button will be selected
    } //Ends first button

    : button { //Begins second button creation
    fixed_width = true; //Sets a fixed width of button
    fixed_height = true; //Sets a fixed height of button
    label = "Open"; //Labels second button open
    key = "accept"; //Attaches a call of accept to the button
    mnemonic = "O"; //Sets up a keyboard shortcut for the button
    } //Ends second button
    } //Ends row
    } //Ends program


    Here is the LSP File:

    ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    ;;
    ;; This program is designed to be used with the warnr14.dcl file.
    ;; They are to be stored locally on the users' machine under the product's support file area.
    ;; I.E.: C:Program Files_Autodesk Building Systems 2007_Support
    ;; This program uses the slide image "WarnImage.sld" that is stored here: F:HBEDT2K7_Setup
    ;; It was created to pop-up a warning when a dwg of a lower version is opened in a 2007 product.
    ;; The user will get a choice to cancel out of the open, or go ahead with the open.
    ;; Currently this pop-up will appear if the file is opened full out or read-only.
    ;; It will not affect any dwgs that are already open in that session of Acad (ADT or ABS).
    ;; Please do not use-alter-modify this file without contacting Abbie Meador first.
    ;; Created by Abbie Meador.
    ;; Last modified on 09-26-08 by Abbie Meador.
    ;;
    ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
    ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

    (setq mykey "sld") ;;Naming the slide image
    (setq myslidename "F:\\HBEDT2K7\\Setup\\WarnImage.sld") ;;Locating the slide file
    (setq dwgfile (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix")(getvar "dwgname"))) ;;Setting value to dwfile variable, pulling info from dwg file
    (setq rfile (open dwgfile "r")) ;;Set value to rfile
    (setq dwgver (substr (read-line rfile) 1 6)) ;;Set value to dwgver by reading version info from dwg file
    (close rfile) ;;Closes rfile where dwg version info was stored

    (cond ;;Conditions to assign acadv variable text info based off of dwg version

    ((= dwgver "AC1021") ;;If it is a 2007 version dwg it will automatically close out of this lsp routine
    (close)
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1014")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R14")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1012")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R13")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1009")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R11 or R12")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1006")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R10")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1004")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R9")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1002")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R2.6")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1.50")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R2.05")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1015")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2000")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1016")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2000i")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1017")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2002")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1018")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2004")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1019")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2005")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1020")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2006")
    )
    ;;;; ((= dwgver "AC1022") ;;For future use the 2008 ad 2009 version info is in here, but commented out
    ;;;; (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2008")
    ;;;; )
    ;;;; ((= dwgver "AC1023")
    ;;;; (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2009")
    ;;;; )

    ) ;;End of condition


    (setq dclid (load_dialog "warnr14.dcl")) ;;Loading the DCL file
    (new_dialog "warnr14" dclid)
    (defun edit_action1 (val)
    (setq NT val)
    ) ;;End of defun

    (setq width (dimx_tile mykey)) ;;Get the width of the slide
    (setq height (dimy_tile mykey)) ;;Get the height of the slide
    (start_image mykey) ;;Start the slide definition
    (fill_image 0 0 width height -15) ;;Wipe out the background
    (slide_image 0 0 width height myslidename) ;;Put the slide in the image area
    (end_image) ;;Finish the slide definition

    (action_tile "accept" "(unload_dialog)") ;;Closes dialog and leaves dwg open if Open button from DCL is clicked
    (action_tile "cancel" "(done_dialog)") ;;Closes dialog and dwg if Cancel button from DCL is clicked

    (set_tile "mytile" (strcat "YOU JUST OPENED AN " acadv " DWG IN 2007.")) ;;Creates tile to be used on DCL that shows version variable info

    (start_dialog) ;;Starts dialog box
    (done_dialog) ;;Finishes dialog box
    (command "_.close") ;;Closes dwg
    (command "y") ;;Answers yes to do you really want to close this file question
    (unload_dialog dclid) ;;Unloads dialog box

    ;;;;
    ;;;;End of the AutoLISP routine
    ;;;;





    Wednesday, September 24, 2008

    LSP and DCL

    Good morning Bloggers!

    I have taken on a task that is challenging to me. I have never created LSP or DCL codes before.
    We have a huge need to create a pop-up dialog box that warns people that they are opening an R14 dwg inside of the 07 product. We have had too many projects get overwritten into 07 and the saving down/exporting/converting...you name it, there is no sufficient fix. We want them to stop doing it altogether.

    If any of you can comment/contact me if you have suggestions and/or answers to my questions this would just rock!

    My questions are this:
    1. How do I add a .bmp image (that is stored on a network drive) to show up in the dialog box? (It is stored here: F:\HBEDT2K7\Setup\WarnImage.bmp)

    2. How do I change the font of the text that appears in the dialog box? I would like to make the font larger, bolder, and perhaps a different font style altogether.

    3. How do I change the color of the font? How do I change the color of the "buttons"? How do I change the color of the background of the dialog box? Basically what are all the ways to manipulate colors in the dialog box.

    4. How do I get my dialog box to print out the "acadv" variable? I want it to state something along the lines of: Warning you have just opened a "acadv" dwg.... Is this possible?


    Here is my current LSP file

    ;;;;
    ;;;;Beginning of the AutoLISP routine
    ;;;

    (setq dwgfile (strcat (getvar "dwgprefix")(getvar "dwgname")))
    (setq rfile (open dwgfile "r"))
    (setq dwgver (substr (read-line rfile) 1 6))
    (close rfile)

    (cond

    ((= dwgver "AC1021")
    (close)
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1014")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R14")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1012")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R13")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1009")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R11 or R12")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1006")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R10")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1004")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R9")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1002")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R2.6")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1.50")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD R2.05")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1015")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2000")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1016")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2000i")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1017")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2002")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1018")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2004")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1019")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2005")
    )
    ((= dwgver "AC1020")
    (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2006")
    )
    ;;;; ((= dwgver "AC1022")
    ;;;; (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2008")
    ;;;; )
    ;;;; ((= dwgver "AC1023")
    ;;;; (setq acadv "AutoCAD 2009")
    ;;;; )
    )

    (setq dclid (load_dialog "warnr14.dcl"))
    (new_dialog "warnr14" dclid)
    (defun edit_action1 (val)
    (setq NT val)
    )

    (action_tile "accept" "(unload_dialog)")
    (action_tile "cancel" "(done_dialog)")

    (start_dialog)

    (done_dialog)
    (command "_.close")
    (command "y")


    (unload_dialog dclid)

    )

    ;;;;
    ;;;;End of the AutoLISP routine


    Here is my DCL code:

    warnr14 : dialog {

    label = "WARNING!!! WARNING!!!";

    : image {
    key = "im";
    height = 1.0;
    width = 1.0;
    }

    : paragraph {
    : text_part {
    label = "YOU JUST OPENED AN R14 DWG IN 2007.";
    }
    : text_part {
    label = "Verify this file is Read-only before clicking 'Open' (Check the header).";
    }
    : text_part {
    label = "If you ignore this warning and end up saving this as a 2007 dwg, YOU WILL REPAIR THIS FILE ON YOUR OWN TIME!!";
    }
    }

    : image {
    key = "im2";
    height = 1.0;
    width = 1.0;
    }

    : row {

    : button {
    label = "CANCEL";
    key = "cancel";
    mnemonic = "C";
    alignment = centered;
    width = 0.5;
    height = 3;
    is_default = true;
    }

    : button {
    fixed_width = true;
    fixed_height = true;
    label = "Open";
    key = "accept";
    mnemonic = "O";
    }
    }
    }

    Wednesday, September 17, 2008

    Water

    It has been awhile since I have posted.
    We've gotten our fair share of "fall-out" from the leftovers of Ike (nothing like those hit in TX though). Flash flood really does mean Flash flood!

    I am working on a way to get a warning box to pop-up when our users try to open a dwg that is a different version than 07 (aka trying to ward off those people opening R14 dwgs in 07).

    I've been busy attempting to piece together .lsp's and .dcl's to get this to work. I've even had someone mention to me to use a .scr file to obtain the results I am looking for.

    I'll keep you all posted on what happens. It would be a cool tool if I can get it to do everything that I want it to do. I'd like it to state what version the dwg is that they are trying to open and have a button to cancel, ok, and read-only (which would convert it from the regular open to a read-only open)--tricky, eh? I also want it to know whether or not they tried opening it as read only.

    If anyone out there knows of how to accomplish this successfully or is interested in helping or learning please post a comment and I'll be sure to contact you.

    Thanks!

    Thursday, August 21, 2008

    What version is this dwg saved as??

    We are currently in the middle of so many different "working" versions of software it is sometimes difficult to figure out what version a drawing has been saved in.

    Here's a handy way to find out:
    Go to Windows Explorer
    Surf to your dwg
    Right click on the dwg
    Choose "open with"
    Choose wordpad or notepad
    At the very top you will see "AC1021" or AC w/ some numbers after it
    Here's the decoder ring:
    (it's actually telling you what version number it is....they stopped using consecutive R version numbers and started using the year for the name of the product)
    1023 = 2009
    1022 = 2008
    1021 = 2007
    1020 = 2006
    1019 = 2005
    1018 = 2004...and so on
    1014 = R14

    Friday, August 08, 2008

    Odds and Ends

    Here are just a bunch of odds and ends of things that I've picked up along the way and suggest to my dept to help avoid problems.

    Do not copy 3D duct nor 3D pipe components from one dwg to another. We have discovered that some of the pipe or duct doesn't move with the rest correctly.

    Always open ABS first, then open your drawing. NEVER open your drawing from Windows Explorer!

    ABS can have several dwgs open in the same session. The more you have open the slower your machine will run.

    Close completely out of ABS half way through the day. This will help it run faster.

    To flip between Modelspace and Paperspace use the black and white icons down by the “LWT” button, or tabs.

    Set your current layer to “0” for xrefs, Design Center blocks, Content Browser blocks, and items off palettes.

    “Enter” out of a command, do not hit “esc”. Hitting “esc” can crash out ABS if it is done too often.

    Shift plus Right click will give you “osnaps” if they are not popping up by hitting the mouse wheel button.

    To select multiple grips to move at once hold down the “shift” key and select the other grips.

    DYN: this is located down by the toggles for OSNAPS and ORTHO. It is dynamic input. You may like to try this out. You can toggle between the distance and angle fields by hitting tab.

    Keep all of your “ABS snaps” “ON” all of the time when working with 3D duct and 3D pipe.

    Turn off “Osnaps” when working on 3D objects.

    Never explode a 3D duct or pipe or equipment element!

    Double clicking on the wheel mouse button will zoom extents.

    Holding down the wheel mouse button will allow you to pan.

    Scrolling the middle mouse button will allow you to zoom in and out.

    To remove things from a crossing window selection hold the “shift” key down and click the left mouse button.

    To list items in an xref or nested inside a block: type “xlist” at the command line, or go to “Express” then “Blocks” then “List Xref/Block Properties” and select the item.

    You can also list via the Object Inspect tool. See the “Object Inspect” section of this document.

    To extend or trim using an xref as a boundary: go to “Express” then “Blocks” then “Trim to nested object” OR “Extend to nested object” and follow the command line prompts.

    To change the text case: “Express” then “Text” then “Change text case” OR double click on the text and highlight all the text. Then right click on it, choose “Change case” then choose “Uppercase” or “Lowercase”. OR double click on the text and highlight all the text. Then hold down Cntrl + Shift + U for uppercase or Cntrl + Shift + L for lowercase.

    For ArcAligned text: “Express” then “Text” then “Arc-Aligned Text”. You may have to match properties with a piece of text that has the correct font/etc set up.

    Always type in the command first, then select the object, this will help keep your computer from crashing.

    When in doubt, select the item and right click to find options you may want.

    Set back to 2D wireframe when finished viewing 3D shading styles this will speed up your computer.

    Do NOT load the “Refedit” toolbar, nor should you dock it. This toolbar is designed to open and close when the proper commands are invoked. If you dock this toolbar it can cause your crosshairs to start blinking and when you open up ABS the next time it will only show the palettes, NOTHING else. (You will see your palettes on your desktop, no ABS interface.) This is difficult to repair.

    To make a polyline smoother use the polyline edit command (“pe”) and type “f” for fit.

    Use “j” for join instead of using the “glue” command.

    To break a line type “break” at the command line.

    Type “burst” at the command prompt to explode blocks and have them keep their properties/values/layers.

    Type “be” at the command prompt to pull up the Block editor.

    To flip between open drawings hold down the “ctrl” key and press “tab” or go to the “Window” pulldown and choose the number of the drawing you want.

    You may try the “overkill” command (just type it at the command prompt) to help clean up lines etc of exploded 3D objects.

    Wednesday, July 30, 2008

    ABS Needs Coffee?

    Ever feel like your ABS isn't a morning person?
    Does it need more coffee than you do in the morning (or Dr Pepper in my case)?
    Try this out...

    ABS Speed: Intermittent Pauses/Long Load Time:
    Open the drawing in ABS.
    Type “standards” at the command line.
    Go to the “Standards” tab.
    Remove the associated CAD Standards file.
    Save and close out of the drawing.
    Open the drawing back up.
    Go to the “Standards” tab.
    Re-associate the CAD Standards file again.
    Save and close out of the drawing.

    Tuesday, July 29, 2008

    Speed ABS Up!

    To go along with fixing fatal errors, why not tweak ABS to run faster?
    As with all changes I suggest you test these out before issuing them to your whole dept/company.

    ABS Speed: Connection to Verisign.com/Firewall:
    ((I found this while perusing various sites...I would give credit, but I can't remember where I got it.))
    Even if you disable the Communication Center it may still try to connect to Verisign.com.
    This remains active so the Publisher’s Certificate Revocation security option can be verified.
    To prevent further communication with Verisign.com:
    Go to the Start button.
    Select “Settings”.
    Select “Control Panel”.
    Double-click on the Internet Options icon.
    If Windows XP is not set to “Classic View”, you need to click the “Network and Internet Connections” icon in the Control Panel first.
    The “Internet Options” pop-up will appear.
    Click on the “Advanced” tab.
    Scroll down to the “Security” section.
    Uncheck/unselect the “Check for publisher’s certificate revocation”.
    Then click the “Apply” button
    Then click the “Ok” button.
    Close out of everything and reboot your computer.
    Once rebooted open ABS up.
    Type “Options” at the command line.
    Go to the “Open and Save” tab.
    Set “Incremental save percentage” to “0”.
    Uncheck the “Display digital signature information” check box at the bottom left.
    Under “File Safety Precautions” click on the “Security Options” button.
    Click on the “Digital Signature” tab.
    A pop-up should appear stating “No valid digital IDs (certificates) are installed on this system….”
    This tells you that it is not using the digital signatures, which is what we wanted to do.
    Click on the “Cancel” button.
    Click on the “Cancel” button again.
    Click “Apply”.
    Click “Ok”.

    ABS Speed: Communication Center Settings:
    While inside of ABS double click on the communication center (satellite icon on the bottom right).
    Click on the “settings” button.
    Go to the “settings” tab.
    Under “country/region” select “United States”.
    Under “check for new content” select “On demand”.
    Leave the check mark on the “enable balloon notification…”.
    Go to the “channels” tab.
    Select ONLY the “Live update maintenance patches” box; unselect all other choices.
    Click “Apply”.
    Click “Ok”.
    Close the communication center via the “x” button.

    Monday, July 28, 2008

    Fatal Errors & Fixes

    As we all know Fatal Errors are just about the most annoying errors you can get....not only does what you were trying to do get killed, your entire session of ABS dies with it as well.

    Here are some Fatal Errors and FIXES (wahoo) that I have found to work for my dept.

    Fatal Error: 3D Orbit or Visual Style Change:
    This one I found very very effective.
    Either when starting the 3D orbit command or attempting to change visual styles you get a fatal error such as:
    AutoCAD Error Aborting
    Fatal Error: Unhandled e06d7363h Exception at 7c812a5bh
    Type “VIEWRES” at the command line.
    Hit “enter” or “y” for yes, when prompted for Fast Zooms.
    Enter “100” when prompted for Circle Zoom Percent, and hit enter.
    Originally mine was set to 10000.

    Fatal Error: Opening or Closing a Dwg:
    This one noticeably sped things up on our computers.
    Either when opening or closing a drawing file you get a fatal error or an unhandled exception.
    One reason may be due to the digital signature feature.
    Do not change this unless your drawing is having issues.
    Go to Windows Explorer.
    Surf to where your drawing is located.
    Right click on the drawing file.
    Choose “Enable/Disable Digital Signature Icons”.
    Uncheck/unselect the “Validate digital signatures and display special icons” box.
    Reboot your computer.

    Fatal Error: Saving:
    Either when hitting the save button, going to File/Save, or Autosave you get a fatal error such as this:
    Fatal Error: Unhandle Access Violation Writing 0x7bf6c4c9 exception at 78144d7ch
    Right click on the command line.
    Choose “Options”.
    Go to the “Open and Save” tab.
    Go to the “Incremental Save Percentage” and set it to “0”.
    Click “Ok”.

    Fatal Error: Loading a Dwg:
    The drawing takes a long time to load.
    Once you get the drawing open go to modelspace.
    Select all of the 3D solids/objects in your drawing.
    Right click and choose “Properties”.
    Go to the “Solid History” drop down list and choose “None”.
    Save the drawing.
    Also you may try adjusting this system variable:
    At the command line type “Solidhist”.
    Initially mine is set to “1”.
    Change it to “0”. (This will mean that no history is retained).

    Friday, July 25, 2008

    Make them run better, faster, more effecient

    One of the things that I have recently done to help my department is update their computers.
    If you have the latest and greatest updates to your software and hardware you will have less problems and therefore a happier user.

    There are a couple of things you can do to help their equipment work better for them.

    1) Get the hotfixes that will take care of some of their everyday issues. Be sure that you back up everything before replacing/changing anything. Also, don't do a bunch at one time or on everyone's computers. Start with a test computer or two and see how their stuff runs for a week or so, then implement it to the rest of the department. Be sure to get the free Object Enablers if you are working in ACAD or ADT and want to see ABS objects correctly! Here are some links to the hotfixes we have used:
    For ABS 2007: (Scroll down to Autodesk® Building Systems 2007)
    Hotfixes: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334435&linkID=9240938

    Object Enablers/etc: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334440&linkID=9240938


    For ADT 2007: (Scroll down to Autodesk® Architectural Desktop 2007)
    Hotfixes: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334435&linkID=9240658

    Object Enablers/etc: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334440&linkID=9240658

    For Civil 3D:
    http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334435&linkID=9240698
    and http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334440&linkID=9240698

    For LandDesktop:
    http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334435&linkID=9240778
    and http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334440&linkID=9240778

    2) Update their video drivers. This is a graphic intensive program, lots of video card drivers are getting continual updates to function better with upgraded software.

    3) Clean their computers. Remove all the .tmp, .bak, .ac$, .sv$, and internet cookies. Defrag....I know there are several schools of thought on this, but I am a huge proponent of doing a disc defrag atleast once a month, if not once a week. Also the disc clean up is a good thing to run as well. There are many freeware programs out there that you can use to help clean up computers. Don't forget to empty that recycle bin...what good does it do to delete it if you don't actually empty out the trash?

    4) Investigate freeware tune up utilities that are out there. I have worked with one of our IT guys to find out what are the best programs to use and what our company wants used.

    Hope to drop in more tips soon!

    Dusting off the cobwebs...

    Hi! After a long awaited time, I have been able to get back into my account here.

    Just as an update...The company I work for has decided to stay with ABS 2007 for the time being. The respective cad dept reps and myself have been investigating the pro's and con's of making the switch to MEP 2009. It sounds like that will stay on the back burner until atleast the first service pack is issued. At this time we are all still muddling our way through the 07 product and making the switch to the 09 is probably not in our best interest at the moment. (After all it did take them 9yrs to switch from R14 to 07).

    Needless to say, my posts will continue to be about ABS07. The nice thing about this is that even in the newer version of MEP alot of these steps and processes are still valid. Also, I am sure there are still those of you out there still working on 07.

    Thank you for hanging with me during the "radio silence".

    Tuesday, February 19, 2008

    Continuing challenges

    Greetings blog readers!
    I apologize for my absense.
    Things as everyone knows are ever evolving.

    Currently we debate the best metods to utilize for our company and for our future.

    BIM...hmmm.... :)

    We'll see what happens!