September 26, 2012

ACA 2013 Service Pack 1

Autodesk® has released Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD® Architecture 2013. According to the README, a number of items have been resolved, and an ability to disable the autoloading of AutoLISP or VBA on startup and to disable AutoLISP entirely has been added, to aid in dealing with malicious AutoLISP or VBA code. As always, be certain to read the entire README before installing Service Pack 1.

The following ACA defects have been addressed:

AEC Dimensions
  • Crash when saving a drawing originally in 2004 (or earlier) format, with AEC Dimensions on a locked layer. *
  • Some AEC dimensions created before version 2007 do not display correctly in later versions.
Annotation Scaling
  • Some tags are very small when added to drawings that use meters.
Autodesk 360
  • Synchronizing tool palettes to Autodesk 360 is very slow. This capability has been disabled with this Service Pack.
  • Online Render does not support AutoCAD Architecture objects.
Doors
  • Some double door styles with custom profiles do not display correctly.
Drawing Management
  • Intermittent crash when creating a Construct in Project Navigator, or when opening AutoCAD Architecture with a certain project current. *
Elevation Labels
  • When an external reference is bound into the drawing, its elevation labels will be reset to zero.
Grips
  • Occasional crash when editing grips for of structural members. *
IFC
  • Several improvements have been made to meet the requirements of IFC coordination view 2.0 and GSA certification.
Layer Key
  • Fatal error when layer key overrides from tool palettes and layer key overrides of current layer standard do not match. *
Migration
  • Content browser migration may fail when migrations are done multiple times.
Open
  • Frequent crash when opening some drawings. *
Progressive update
  • Characters in certain fonts do not display correctly when the AutoCAD system variable setEnableProgressiveUpdate is yes.
Roombook
  • In a Roombook schedule exported to Excel, the result is off by a factor of 1000 if the decimal symbol in Windows is set to comma.
Schedules
  • Crash when exporting to Excel 2003 a Schedule table which includes a complex formula. *
  • Schedules created by Roombook move slowly.
  • The total sum values may be incorrect in schedule tables when grouping is first turned on.
  • The width of the schedule frame may be incorrect when grouping several columns.
Sections
  • Occasional crash when modifying an object that is included in a section. *
  • Crash while generating sections for big drawings or when using CreateHLR. *
  • New or refreshed sections are not correct in AutoCAD Architecture 2013 as many lines are not hidden.
Sync
  • Due to the large number of files in the Tool Palette, syncing AutoCAD Architecture settings to the cloud is very slow. Note: Once you apply Service Pack 1, you can no longer sync the AutoCAD Architecture Tool Palette to the cloud. **
Walls
  • Occasional crash related to certain wall cleanup conditions. *
Windows 8
  • Frequent crash when closing AutoCAD Architecture. *


The following AutoCAD defects have been addressed:

3D Navigation Tools
  • Unexpected exit while panning. *
  • Occasional crash related to navigating in 3D drawing. *
  • The Keep Scene Upright option in the 3DConnexion Settings dialog box cannot not be changed.
3D Modeling
  • Occasional crash while selecting a face during a Presspull operation. *
  • Crash when opening multiple 3D drawings containing a large number of 3D objects. *
  • Issue with the centroid computation for 3D solids.
Action Recorder
  • Action macros recorded in previous releases are not working correctly in AutoCAD 2013.
Autodesk 360
  • Crash in Japanese AutoCAD when logging into Autodesk 360 from the Options dialog box. *
  • Occasional crash when opening a drawing that contains xrefs, when logged in to Autodesk 360. *
  • Pressing F1 does not display Help for the ONLINESYNCSETTINGS dialog box.
  • Drawing files with names containing language-specific characters do not get saved to Autodesk 360.
  • User is not automatically logged in when launching Autodesk 360 from the AutoCAD ribbon.
  • Sometimes the Share Drawing dialog box opens behind the main application window.
CUI (Customize User Interface)
  • Occasional crash while loading a custom CUI file. *
  • Unhandled exception occurs while clicking the Customize button from Quick Properties palette on a computer running .NET 4.5. *
Customization Sync
  • Customization Sync progress animation runs continuously.
  • Customization Sync does not sync new custom commands in tool palettes.
DesignCenter
  • Occasional crash while working with DesignCenter. *
DGN Support
  • Fatal error when attaching or importing certain DGN files. *
  • Export to DGN does not use the Global Origin specified in the seed file.
  • The DGNIMPORTUNITCONVERSION system variable is missing in AutoCAD LT.
Dimensions
  • Crash after undoing the creation of a non-associative continued or non-associative baseline dimension. *
  • Existing drawings lose Qleader settings when edited in AutoCAD 2013.
  • Dimensions created using the Perpendicular object snap will shift when the drawing geometry is moved, copied, or otherwise modified.
Display Drivers
  • Integrated chipsets are unable to return available video memory correctly.
  • When using COPYCLIP and PASTECLIP on a 64-bit operating system, you might see the object color change from the original color.
Express Tools
  • Occasional crash during a MOCORO (Move/Copy/Rotate) command. *
External Reference (XREF)
  • External reference drawings (XREFs) show as unresolved in AutoCAD 2013.
Field
  • An object's angular property uses linear format instead of angular format in the Field dialog box.
Hatch
  • Occasional crash while zooming during Hatchedit. *
  • The Hatch Preview option is not available from the context menu when creating a hatch.
InfoCenter
  • Crash when clicking any option from the Stay Connected button in the title bar when no drawings are open. *
Inquiry
  • Crash while calculating area of a polyline that contains at least one segment that has been reduced to zero length. *
MLeader
  • Multileaders incorrectly display a dot at the content block's insertion point.
  • If the Extend Leaders to Text option is turned on, the text in multileaders moves if the drawing is opened or edited in AutoCAD 2013.
Modify
  • The SCALE command gets cancelled while dragging when small scale factor is acquired with object snap turned on.
PDF Export
  • Plotting to a PDF file with a plot style causes wipeouts to appear black.
Performance
  • Slow performance while running a large script.
  • Slow performance while creating Layers quickly.
Plot
  • Occasional crash while plotting to PDF. * Crash while plotting to a PDF file and the PDF driver is not present. *
  • Crash while plotting to a PDF file and the PDF driver is not present. *
  • Using Plot Preview turns the Command window back on.
Point Cloud
  • Crash if the PCG file used to create a point cloud object does not exist. *
Properties Palette
  • When an object is selected, the tooltip is missing in the Properties Palette for the following languages: Traditional Chinese, Czech, Russian, and Hungarian.
Ribbon
  • The Visibility drop-down control on the Block Editor Ribbon is not working properly when property preview is enabled.
Selection
  • Pressing Shift with a window selection fails to remove multiple Drawing Views from the selection set on a layout.
Sheet Set Manager
  • A high network utilization will result with the SMB V2 (Server Message Block) protocol while working with the Sheet Set Manager.
Startup
  • Crash due to corrupt graphics cache files on startup. *
  • Crash occurs while canceling a LISP routine that runs at program startup. *
Visual Lisp
  • Menucmd does not display the drop-down menu when the Command window is docked.
General
  • Crash on undo/redo after adding 256 or more objects to a group. *
  • Crash on viewing thumbnail in AutoCAD 2012 when installed side-by-side with AutoCAD 2013. *
  • Occasional crash when exploding splines created by third-party applications. *
  • Crash when AutoCAD exits on computers running .NET 4.5. *
  • Error on launching AutoCAD after the QuickCalc palette is anchored.
  • INSBASE value is incorrect for a drawing created using -WBLOCK.
* - Indicates item was reported through the Customer Error Reporting Utility.
** - Well, that is certainly one way to fix a slow feature.

September 08, 2012

ACA: Grip Editing of Doors and Windows with Standard Sizes

One nice feature of AutoCAD® Architecture is that you can assign standard sizes to Doors and Windows. This allows the user to select a standard size from a list of the sizes entered into the Style, saving time and minimizing the potential for error.
Better still, when grip editing an instance of a Style with standard sizes, the inital default is to restrict the grip edit to one of the values that is part of a standard size. Does that mean that you cannot use such a style to create a non-standard size Door or Window? No. You can always use the Properties palette to enter a non-standard Width or Height. But you can also use grip editing to do so.

Given the wide range of things that grips on AEC objects can do, I highly recommend turning on grip tips, if you do not already have them on. Check the toggle in the Grips area on the Selection tab of the Options dialog or set the GRIPTIPS system variable to 1.
With grip tips enabled, if you select an AEC object and hover over a grip, you will get a tip on how that grip can be used. In the image below, a Window has been placed, using one of the standard sizes assigned to its Style. The Window has been selected, and the cursor is hovering over the grip, but the grip has not been selected (made "hot") yet.
The first line of the grip tip (yellow box) indicates that the Width and Height of this Window are currently a standard size*. The rest of the tip tells you that you have two options when using this grip - either stretching to a Standard Width (the initial default, as it is first on the list) or to a Custom Width - and that you can toggle between the two by pressing the CTRL key. If you start with a Window that has a Width and Height which are not paired as a standard size, the grip tip is nearly identical, with the exception that the first line indicates that the Window is currently a Custom Width*. The initial default remains to stretch to a Standard Width.
Many AEC grips have more than one state or function, and the tip provides a handy reminder of what those are and how to activate them. In general, the CTRL key is used to toggle through the available options.

When you first make the grip hot, you will be restricted to stretching the grip to a standard Width, as defined in the Style. ACA will display a series of lines, indicating the places to which you will be permitted to stretch the Window or Door. You can stretch to any Width that is part of a standard size, even if it is not paired with the current Height as a standard size. To show this graphically, "long" gray lines are used to indicate Widths that are paired with the current Height in a standard size, and "short" red lines are used to indicate Widths that are part of at least one standard size, but which are not paired with the current height in one. A grip tip will appear to remind you of this, if grip tips are active.

If you press the CTRL key once after making the grip hot (but before left clicking to select a stretch point), you will be able to stretch the grip without any restriction.

* - Unfortunately, if the current Window Width and Height are not a standard size, the tip for the Width grip will read "Custom Width", even if that Width does appear in the standard size list, paired with a different Height. The tip really should read "Standard Size" or "Custom Size", to be less confusing. NOTE: Images in this post were made using ACA 2010. Other versions may have slightly different graphics or text.