Civil 3D 2018 to ACA 2013

We have started to get drawings from Civil consultants in the 2018 file format. Thanks to our recent move to the AEC Collection, we now have access to AutoCAD^® Civil 3D^®. I have no idea how to use that program, beyond the AutoCAD basics, but I installed the 2018 version of it in the hope that I would be able to export the received drawing to "vanilla" AutoCAD^®. Similar to AutoCAD^® Architecture and AutoCAD^® MEP, you can go to the Application Menu > Export > Export Civil 3D Drawing to export a drawing. There is a dialog, where you can choose between AutoCAD DWG and Microstation^® DGN, and, for DWG export, the Export Settings allow you to select a file format, such as 2013.

I did all of that, and Civil 3D did its thing, and drawings were generated. (I got more than one because I left the Include sheets toggle checked, so a drawing for each layout was also generated.) I fired up AutoCAD Architecture 2016 and opened the exported "Model" file, only to be greeted by this dialog:

What?! I just exported this file to a previous file format - there should not be ANY AEC objects, let alone future ones. I closed the dialog and tried run the WALLADD command. No dice - "Command not allowed because drawing contains objects from a newer version of this application." appeared at the command line. So this drawing, supposedly exported to the previous file format, can be opened, but is otherwise mostly useless. You can externally reference the file and use AEC commands in the host file, saving it from being totally useless.

Still, I expected to have a "clean" 2013-format file that only has non-AEC AutoCAD objects. I tried a Window selection in Model Space to get all the visible objects and then tried to copy them to the clipboard, hoping that if I pasted them in a new file, the future AEC Objects would not come along for the ride. That did not work, as the copy to clipboard failed.

Then I tried to select the Model Space objects and use the WBLOCK command, again hoping that the future AEC Objects would be left behind. That also failed.

Finally, I opened the file in AutoCAD Architecture 2018 and tried to use the AECEXPORTTOAUTOCAD2013 command, in the somewhat desperate hope that might work. I got the following dialog indicating that an error had occurred during the save.

And then this dialog showed up, to rub salt into the wound. I tried "saving" as AutoCAD-only objects!

This was followed by a second showing of the warning dialog recommending the use of the RECOVER command. Opening this file in AutoCAD Architecture 2016 resulted in the same Open Drawing - New Versions of Objects in Drawing dialog as shown in the first image above.

Finally, I tried starting a new drawing and using the INSERT command to insert the originally exported "Model" drawing file. I received the following dialog:

The small-print statement "Newer AEC objects will be disallowed from participating in this operation" gave me hope, as it was not flat-out refusing to do the insertion, and I did not want the newer objects in the file. That hope was confirmed, as it did insert what appeared to be all of the objects that were visible in the exported file, and I was able to add AEC objects to the file. Upon saving and reopening, there were no dialogs chastising me for having a file with future AEC Objects in it. Success! I still think that the original export should have been AEC-object-free, and object to having to go to the extra step of inserting the exported file into an empty file to get rid of the future objects, but at least I have a workaround for providing a "clean" file in the 2013 format that does not require proxy objects or object enablers.

Revit - Contextual Ribbon Fixes for 2012 & 2013

Those still using Autodesk^® Revit^® products from the 2012 and 2013 releases but who have installed a 2014 or later release product from Autodesk or have in some other way had .NET 4.5 installed on their computer will find that this creates issues with the contextual ribbons in Revit. Due to the recent overhaul of the Autodesk website and the introduction of the Autodesk Knowledge Network, old links to the required updates (2012 & 2013) and hotfix (2012 only) may no longer work. To save others from the effort to search for the reuqired files, here are the current URL's:

2012 - Make sure you have Update Release 2 for your product installed before applying the hotfix.
Revit Architecture 2012 Update Release 2
Revit MEP Update Release 2
Revit Structure Update Release 2

Hotfix - Autodesk Revit 2012 - Ribbon behaviour due to .Net 4.5 installation


2013 - Install the correct version of Update Release 3 for your product. Note that the "one box" version that ships with the Building Design Suites has a different update file than the Revit Architecture, Revit MEP or Revit Structure versions.
Revit Architecture 2013 Update Release 3
Revit MEP 2013 Update Release 3
Revit Structure 2013 Update Release 3
Revit "One Box" (Building Design Suite) 2013 Update Release 3

ACA 2013 Service Pack 2

Autodesk^® has released Service Pack 2 for AutoCAD^® Architecture 2013. As always, be certain to read the entire README before installing Service Pack 2. In the list below, "SP1" indicates an item fixed in Service Pack 1 (and included in Service Pack 2) and "SP2" indicates an item fixed in Service Pack 2.

The following ACA defects have been addressed:

AEC Dimensions

• SP1: Crash when saving a drawing originally in 2004 (or earlier) format, with AEC Dimensions on a locked layer. *
• SP1: Some AEC dimensions created before version 2007 do not display correctly in later versions.

Annotation Scaling

• SP1: Some tags are very small when added to drawings that use meters.

Autodesk 360

• SP1: Synchronizing tool palettes to Autodesk 360 is very slow. This capability has been disabled with this Service Pack.
• SP1: Online Render does not support AutoCAD Architecture objects.

Custom Blocks

• SP2: Some doors or windows with custom blocks do not display their frame values correctly.

Doors

• SP1: Some double door styles with custom profiles do not display correctly.

Drawing Compare

• SP2: Occasional crash related to drawing compare. *

Drawing Management

• SP1: Intermittent crash when creating a Construct in Project Navigator, or when opening AutoCAD Architecture with a certain project current. *

Elevation Labels

• SP1: When an external reference is bound into the drawing, its elevation labels will be reset to zero.
• SP2: Elevation labels defined in world UCS display zero after applying Service Pack 1.
• SP2: Elevation labels defined in world UCS display zero after applying Service Pack 1.

Export to AutoCAD

• SP2: If a drawing has an Xref Xclipped using the Invert Clip option, the opposite part is actually Xclipped after Export to AutoCAD.

Geometry Sharing

• SP2: Occasional crash related to geometry sharing. *
• SP2: Objects may not show correctly during 3D orbit.

Grips

• SP1: Occasional crash when editing grips for of structural members. *

IFC

• SP1: Several improvements have been made to meet the requirements of IFC coordination view 2.0 and GSA certification.

Layer Key

• SP1: Fatal error when layer key overrides from tool palettes and layer key overrides of current layer standard do not match. *

List Definition

• SP2: In certain cases, List Definitions cannot be modified.

Migration

• SP1: Content browser migration may fail when migrations are done multiple times.

Object Viewer

• SP2: Crash when saving an image in the object viewer while the steering wheel is enabled. *

Open

• SP1: Frequent crash when opening some drawings. *

Progressive update

• SP1: Characters in certain fonts do not display correctly when the AutoCAD system variable setEnableProgressiveUpdate is yes.

Project Navigator

• SP2: Occasional crash related to the Project Navigator. *
• SP2: Occasional crash when double-clicking drawing nodes in the Project Navigator. *
• SP2: Failure to create projects on WebDav servers.

Roombook

• SP1: 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

• SP1: Crash when exporting to Excel 2003 a Schedule table which includes a complex formula. *
• SP1: Schedules created by Roombook move slowly.
• SP1: The total sum values may be incorrect in schedule tables when grouping is first turned on.
• SP1: The width of the schedule frame may be incorrect when grouping several columns.
• SP2: Some schedule table lines fail to be turned off through display system.

Sections

• SP1: Occasional crash when modifying an object that is included in a section. *
• SP1: Crash while generating sections for big drawings or when using CreateHLR. *
• SP1: New or refreshed sections are not correct in AutoCAD Architecture 2013 as many lines are not hidden.

Slabs

• SP2: Occasional crash related to slab and roof slab. *

Spaces

• SP2: Area calculation may be incorrect for some irregular trapezoid spaces.

Sync

• SP1: 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

• SP1: Occasional crash related to certain wall cleanup conditions. *

Windows 8

• SP1: Frequent crash when closing AutoCAD Architecture. *
• SP2: Occasional crash when adding tags to objects. *
• SP2: Crash when modifying space geometry type. *
• SP2: Enhanced column grid labels cannot be modified under some circumstances.

The following AutoCAD defects have been addressed:

3D Navigation Tools

• SP1: Unexpected exit while panning. *
• SP1: Occasional crash related to navigating in 3D drawing. *
• SP1: The Keep Scene Upright option in the 3DConnexion Settings dialog box cannot not be changed.
• SP2: Occasional crash related to navigation tools. *
• SP2: Zoom speed varies with 3Dconnexion device in perspective view.

3D Modeling

• SP1: Occasional crash while selecting a face during a Presspull operation. *
• SP1: Crash when opening multiple 3D drawings containing a large number of 3D objects. *
• SP1: Issue with the centroid computation for 3D solids.
• SP2: Issue with the MASSPROP command with sliced 3D solids.

Action Recorder

• SP1: Action macros recorded in previous releases are not working correctly in AutoCAD 2013.

Autodesk 360

• SP1: Crash in Japanese AutoCAD when logging into Autodesk 360 from the Options dialog box. *
• SP1: Occasional crash when opening a drawing that contains xrefs, when logged in to Autodesk 360. *
• SP1: Pressing F1 does not display Help for the ONLINESYNCSETTINGS dialog box.
• SP1: Drawing files with names containing language-specific characters do not get saved to Autodesk 360.
• SP1: User is not automatically logged in when launching Autodesk 360 from the AutoCAD ribbon.
• SP1: Sometimes the Share Drawing dialog box opens behind the main application window.
• SP2: Crash with long file path in the Autodesk 360 folder. *
• SP2: Occasional crash when opening AutoCAD with the InfoCenter off. *

Block

• SP2: Occasional crash when clicking a block table grip with only one row of values available. *
• SP2: Issue with the display of the Block Property Table cascading menu.

Command Line

• SP2: Crash when switching Input Method Editor (IME) after canceling a command when DYNMODE is set to 0 and the command window is docked. *

CUI (Customize User Interface)

• SP1: Occasional crash while loading a custom CUI file. *
• SP1: Unhandled exception occurs while clicking the Customize button from Quick Properties palette on a computer running .NET 4.5. *
• SP2: Missing checkboxes in the Customize User Interface (CUI) dialog box when NET 4.5 is installed.

Customization Sync

• SP1: Customization Sync progress animation runs continuously.
• SP1: Customization Sync does not sync new custom commands in tool palettes.

DesignCenter

• SP1: Occasional crash while working with DesignCenter. *

DGN Support

• SP1: Fatal error when attaching or importing certain DGN files. *
• SP1: Export to DGN does not use the Global Origin specified in the seed file.
• SP1: The DGNIMPORTUNITCONVERSION system variable is missing in AutoCAD LT.
• SP2: Fatal error when scrolling the DGN linetype in the Properties Palette. *
• SP2: Issues with exporting files to DGN, even after exploding contents of file.
• SP2: Import of a DGN arc as an Ellipse.

Dimensions

• SP1: Crash after undoing the creation of a non-associative continued or non-associative baseline dimension. *
• SP1: Existing drawings lose Qleader settings when edited in AutoCAD 2013.
• SP1: Dimensions created using the Perpendicular object snap will shift when the drawing geometry is moved, copied, or otherwise modified.
• SP2: Occasional crash when grip-editing annotative dimensions. *
• SP2: Radial dimensions for regions can become associated to wrong arc.
• SP2: Dimension text background fill cannot be reset in Properties.
• SP2: Jogged radial dimensions in paper space may reflect the wrong value of an extruded cylinder in model space.

Display Drivers

• SP1: Integrated chipsets are unable to return available video memory correctly.
• SP1: When using COPYCLIP and PASTECLIP on a 64-bit operating system, you might see the object color change from the original color.

Express Tools

• SP1: Occasional crash during a MOCORO (Move/Copy/Rotate) command. *

External Reference (XREF)

• SP1: External reference drawings (XREFs) show as unresolved in AutoCAD 2013.
• SP2: An OLE Object in an xref was not correctly set before the xref was detached. This crash issue has been resolved by opening the xref before erasing it. *

Field

• SP1: An object's angular property uses linear format instead of angular format in the Field dialog box.

Hatch

• SP1: Occasional crash while zooming during Hatchedit. *
• SP1: The Hatch Preview option is not available from the context menu when creating a hatch.

Image

• SP2: A MONOCHROME BITMAP attached in DWG file is not shown correctly.

InfoCenter

• SP1: Crash when clicking any option from the Stay Connected button in the title bar when no drawings are open. *

INQUIRY

• SP1: Crash while calculating area of a polyline that contains at least one segment that has been reduced to zero length. *
• SP2: MASSPROP reports an incorrect mass and centroid for a solid swept along a planar spline.

MLeader

• SP1: Multileaders incorrectly display a dot at the content block's insertion point.
• SP1: 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.
• SP2: Occasional crash when using MATCHPROP with multileaders. *
• SP2: Multileader scale is not always updated when multileader style is changed.

Model Documentation - Detail View

• SP2: Changing the Hatch property of a Detail view derived from a Section view sometimes causes AutoCAD to hang.

Modify

• SP1: The SCALE command gets cancelled while dragging when small scale factor is acquired with object snap turned on.
• SP2: Ellipse is sometimes distorted during stretching.

MTEXT

• SP2: The font doesn't match the setting in -STYLE command in Windows 8.

OLE

• SP2: Occasional crash when closing the application with a drawing that contains an OLE object. *

OPTIONS

• SP2: Occasional crash when changing or switching profiles in Options. *

PDF Export

• SP1: Plotting to a PDF file with a plot style causes wipeouts to appear black.

PDF Underlay

• SP2: Crash when specifying other PDF file from Saved Path field in External Reference palette. *

Performance

• SP1: Slow performance while running a large script.
• SP1: Slow performance while creating Layers quickly.

Plot

• SP1: Occasional crash while plotting to PDF. *
• SP1: Crash while plotting to a PDF file and the PDF driver is not present. *
• SP1: Using Plot Preview turns the Command window back on.
• SP2: Occasional crash when plotting with a wipeout in the drawing. *
• SP2: .

Point Cloud

• SP1: Crash if the PCG file used to create a point cloud object does not exist. *

Properties Palette

• SP1: When an object is selected, the tooltip is missing in the Properties Palette for the following languages: Traditional Chinese, Czech, Russian, and Hungarian.

Ribbon

• SP1: The Visibility drop-down control on the Block Editor Ribbon is not working properly when property preview is enabled.

Selection

• SP1: Pressing Shift with a window selection fails to remove multiple Drawing Views from the selection set on a layout.
• SP2: Grips for attributes of blocks are not automatically made hot upon sub-selection.
• SP2: Selection preview is reset to off when IntelliMouse® zooming is ended.

Sheet Set Manager

• SP1: A high network utilization will result with the SMB V2 (Server Message Block) protocol while working with the Sheet Set Manager.

Startup

• SP1: Crash due to corrupt graphics cache files on startup. *
• SP1: Crash occurs while canceling a LISP routine that runs at program startup. *

Visual Lisp

• SP1: Menucmd does not display the drop-down menu when the Command window is docked.
• SP2: DCL files whose code page matches the system but not the product are not recognized and loaded properly.

General

• SP1: Crash on undo/redo after adding 256 or more objects to a group. *
• SP1: Crash on viewing thumbnail in AutoCAD 2012 when installed side-by-side with AutoCAD 2013. *
• SP1: Occasional crash when exploding splines created by third-party applications. *
• SP1: Crash when AutoCAD exits on computers running .NET 4.5. *
• SP1: Error on launching AutoCAD after the QuickCalc palette is anchored.
• SP1: INSBASE value is incorrect for a drawing created using -WBLOCK.
• SP2: Occasional crash when opening AutoCAD drawings in Windows 8. *
• SP2: Occasional crash due to using Intersection object snaps on lightweight polylines. *
• SP2: Some corrupt drawings crash when opened or saved and are not fixed automatically. *
• SP2: Exiting the Text Editor while previewing text style causes a crash. *
• SP2: Saving some DWG files that contain 3D solids is slow.
• SP2: A UCS other than the World UCS results in an incorrect location for the wipeout frame.
• SP2: Prompts to save are not displayed when closing a hyperlink drawing that has been changed.
• SP2: Performance is slow when saving the drawing created with Release 2010 and earlier.

* - Indicates item was reported through the Customer Error Reporting Utility.

In Service Pack 1, an ability to disable the autoloading of AutoLISP or VBA on startup and to disable AutoLISP entirely was added, to aid in dealing with malicious AutoLISP or VBA code. This remains in Service Pack 2. See the README for more details.

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.

Revit Architecture 2013 Update Release 1

Update Release 1 for Autodesk^® Revit^® Architecture 2013 is now available. As noted in the Enhancements Documentation, the following improvements have been made to Revit Architecture 2013:

• Improves stability when closing a sketch editor, such as slab, site, etc., which create a large number of points.
• Improves creation of U-shaped winder stairs.
• Improves stability when editing winder stairs.
• Improves performance when many railings exist within a project.
• Improves stability when support type is not defined for stair.
• Improves railing representation in coarse view.

In addition, the following enhancements have been made to Revit Platform 2013:

• Improves stability when opening projects from previous versions of Revit.
• Improves stability during Copy/Paste operations.
• Corrects display of solid filled regions with transparent backgrounds.
• Allows exporting of materials painted on elements to ODBC.
• Improves performance of opening and closing sketch mode in projects with many families.
• Improves stability when setting a Design Option as the Primary.
• Improves stability when Fixed Distance option for a divided path.
• Improves stability while browsing to Revit Server when there is no network connectivity.
• Improves export consistency of Space and Zone elements when multiple elements have the same name and number.
• Allows Raytrace mode to work with DirectX 9.
• Improves stability when using Raytrace mode with Hardware Acceleration disabled.
• Improves Raytrace mode rendering output.
• Improves Surface Transparency override by element for multiple selection.
• Improves printing consistency when tone mapping is enabled.
• Disables Sun and SunPath from being rendered in Raytrace mode.
• Improves stability when using manual exposure in Raytrace mode.
• Improves stability when rendering views.
• Improves stability and performance when using visualization features like Sky, Exposure, and Anti-Aliasing.
• Improves stability when importing IFC data which contains special characters.
• Improves the setting of custom parameter values during import of IFC data.
• Improves stability when importing IFC data which contains an invalid line pattern.
• Allows Markups from DWF to be exported to DWF.
• Improves stability when drag and drop a DWG file into a Revit project.
• Improves stability when importing DXF data.
• Improves dimension fidelity when exporting to DWG with export units set to Meter.
• Improves alignment of hatch and fill patterns when exporting to DWG.

The following improvements to Autodesk Revit 2013 are also included:

• Improves stability when selecting a new host for an element within an In-place Wall.
• Improves section creation within a project with linked model.
• Improves stability when working with Materials.
• Improves the displayed Pattern Type assigned to an element with the Material Editor.
• Corrects the display of the materials category within the Paint interface.
• Corrects the printed display of fill patterns within perspective views.
• Improves stability of Type editing when multiple element types are in the selection set.

There are also a number of enhancements to the API; those who customize Revit Architecture can read about those in the Enhancements Documentation.

AutoCAD 2013 - Command Line Enhancements

A number of nice enhancements have been made to the Command Line. You can still have it docked at the bottom or top of the screen, and adjust the height to show previous lines. As always, click on any image to see an enlarged version.

As you can see in the image above, there have been some changes. A command icon has been added at the left side of the Command Line and the name of the active command is also always displayed adjacent to the icon. If you ever get interrupted in the middle of a command, you no longer need to check the command line history to remind yourself what command is running. Color has also been added to the Command Line, highlighting the minimum necessary characters for any active command options. The command options are now also clickable, making it even easier to pick an option.

Select the command icon to get a menu of recently used commands. This menu is also still available as a flyout on the context menu that displays after right-clicking the Command Line.

The enhancements I find most useful are those made to the undocked Command Line. I personally have never found much advantage in having the Command Line undocked in previous versions, but expect to be leaving it undocked when we move to 2013. When undocked, the Command Line shows a single line "floating" above the AutoCAD window. The width can be adjusted by moving the mouse to the far right side; when the cursor changes to the double arrow icon, click and drag to change the width. While a command is active, a user-seletable number of partially transparent lines of history (from 0 to 50) related to the active command will appear above the command line.

If you start a new command immediately after ending the previous command, the previous command's history lines displaying above the Command Line are replaced with the history of the new command. You can review the full command history by pressing F2 or selecting the up arrow icon at the right end of the Command Line.

The size of the full command history area can be adjusted by moving the mouse to the top of the area. When the cursor changes to the double arrow icon, click and drag to change the height. You can scroll the history area by using the mouse wheel or by moving the cursor to the right side of the history area to get the scroll bars to show.

If you move the Command Line near an edge or a corner of the AutoCAD window or docked palette, it will snap to it, and stay snapped in that position even if the AutoCAD window is resized or a docked palette is undocked. Here is the reason I will be undocking my Command Line: if you hold the CTRL key down when moving the Command Line, you can move it over the top or bottom of the AutoCAD window without having it dock. This allows you to position the floating Command Line over the left side of the Drawing Status Bar and reclaim the drawing space that the docked Command Line would have taken.

If you use the Drawing Management Feature (Project Browser/Project Navigator), this will cover the display of the project name and the current drawing type/name that is displayed on the Drawing Status Bar when a Project/Project Drawing is current. My firm does not use the Drawing Management feature, so that is not a problem for me. Even if you do use the Drawing Management feature, you can set two levels of transparency on the Command Line in 2013, one for when the mouse is over the Command Line, and one for when it is not (see below). As the image above shows, the project name and drawing type/name can be read through the Command Line with the opacity set to 65%.

Select the wrench icon at the left side of the Command Line to display a context menu that allows you to customize the Command Line and also access the Options dialog.

The AutoComplete flyout allows you to control the features of AutoComplete (added in the 2012 release). The Lines of Prompt History menu item allows you to set the value of the CLIPROMPTLINES system variable, which specifies the number of lines of command history that should be displayed above the undocked Command Line when a command is active. As noted above, valid values are integers between 0 and 50. The Transparency menu item opens the Transparency dialog,

which allows you to set the General level of transparency for the Command Line and how transparent the Command Line should be when the mouse is over it. The latter value cannot be less than the General value.

ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 3

First Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 1)
Previous Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 2)

Annotative Hatch Display Components
ACA 2013 offers the option of making a Hatch component annotative. This allows you to establish a single scaling (based on the scale you would apply when plotting at full size) and then have ACA adjust the hatch scale by the scale factor of the current annotation scale factor. This might eliminate the need for multiple Display Representations whose sole purpose is to change the scale factor on Hatch components, along with the associated Display Representation Sets and Display Configurations (eg, the out-of-the-box Low Detail, Medium Detail and High Detail Display Configurations). If you use those Display settings for other purposes, you may need to hold on to them, but the annotative Hatch component could simplify your Display Representation settings, once you go through and convert all of your Styles and Material Definitions, of course. (Even with annotative hatching, you may not want to have the same scale factor for all scales.) You can choose not to make Hatch components annotative, if the current setup meets your needs.

As an example, I created a copy of the out-of-the-box CMU-8 Wall Style, called CMU-8 Anno. Since the display of the Hatch component for this style is controlled by the assigned Material Definition, I also made a copy of the Masonry.Unit Masonry.CMU.Stretcher.Running Material Definition, called Masonry.Unit Masonry.CMU.Stretcher.Running.Anno and made the Plan Hatch and Section Hatch components annotative. I chose to match the Spacing as specified for the General Medium Detail Display Representation (meant for 1/8" = 1'-0" drawings) by dividing the out-of-the-box Spacing in the CMU-8 Wall Style by 96 (the scale factor for 1/8" = 1'-0"). So the Plan Hatch Spacing became 8/96" (or 1/12") and the Section Hatch became 12/96" (or 1/8").

You will need to make those changes in all of the Display Representations for which you want the annotative hatching to be in effect. For this example, I wanted to compare the previous system with annotative Hatching, so I made the same edits to the Plan Hatch and Section Hatch components in all of the Display Representations. (General Presentation did not require editing, since it used a solid hatch.)

WARNING: When changing to annotative hatching, check the box in the Annotative column first, and then change the value, if necessary. When you check the Annotative box, ACA will change the Scale/Spacing value by dividing it by the current annotation scale value. If you change the values first, and then check the Annotative column box, the changed values will be divided by the current annotation scale factor, and you will have to reset the values again. Also note that if your current annotation scale happens to be the one for which the non-annotative values were meant, you can keep the resultant values. But if that is not the case, you will need to change the values.

In the image below, the same two Walls are shown in a Layout in multiple viewports at several scales. The CMU-8 Wall uses the out-of-the-box Wall Style of the same name (Imperial), and the out-of-the-box Material Definition and display settings. The CMU-8 Anno Wall is a copy of the CMU-8 style, with a custom material applied. The custom material has had the Plan Hatch component set to be annotative, and the same Spacing value has been applied to all of the Display Representation that are shown here. As you can see, the annotative hatch has the same spacing at all scales. The non-annotative hatch spacing generally varies with the scale, with some variations due to the different spacing values for Medium Detail (1/8" = 1'-0" and 1/4" = 1'-0") and High Detail (1/2" = 1'-0" and 1" = 1'-0").

ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 2

First Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 1)

Transparency
Transparency, added to AutoCAD^® (and AutoCAD^® Architecture) in the 2011 release, is now fully integrated into AEC objects and the AutoCAD Architecture Display System. Previously, Transparency could be applied to the main object only, by using the tools on the Transparency panel on the Home ribbon tab. Entity Transparency is now an editable property for parent AEC objects, on the Design tab of the Properties palette, in the Basic category, General subcategory.

Valid values remain integers in the range of 0 (fully opaque) to 90 (most transparent) or "ByLayer" (use the Transparency set on the layer) or "ByBlock" (use the Transparency set on the parent object, useful only for nested objects, object components or Material Definitions). This same value can be edited in the Object Display dialog, on the General Properties tab, where you can type an integer value directly, or choose a value from a drop-down list.

The easiest way to access the OBJECTDISPLAY command is by selecting an object, right clicking and choosing Edit Object Display from the context menu. Transparency is now also fully integrated into the Display System, allowing you to set a Transparency value for AEC Object components as well as in Material Definitions, Display Theme Styles and Layer Key Styles. As noted for main objects above, "ByBlock" and "ByLayer" are choices for components, Material Definitions and Display Theme Styles, so you do not need to hard-code Transparency values unless you want to do so. The Transparency values can be edited in the usual ways, in the Style Manager, when editing a Style or Definition or on the Display tab of the Properties palette, and can be applied at the drawing default, style-override or object-override levels.

Transparency as a Display Property in Style Manager - Display Theme

Transparency as a Display Property in Style Manager - Layer Key Style

Transparency as a Display Property on the Display Tab of the Properties Palette - Wall Object

Transparency as a Display Property via the Object Display Dialog - Wall Object

Transparency as a Display Property of a Material Definition

Keep in mind that Transparency works like any other object property: the value applied to a nested object will take precedence over that of the parent obejct. In 2011 and 2012, the only option was to apply Transparency to the parent object (for example, a Wall). Setting an explicit Transparency value to a Wall object would make the Wall display with the Transparency set. Doing the same in ACA 2013 will only make the Wall transparent at that value if the display of all of the Wall's components is set to be "ByBlock" (or just happens to be hard coded to that same value). For components whose display is controlled by an assigned Material Definition, then the Transparency of the active component of the Material Definition would need to be set to "ByBlock". When opening files created in previous versions, it appears as though the component values default to ByBlock, which would preserve the previous behavior.

Next Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 3)

ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 1

AutoCAD^® Architecture 2013 adds a number of new features to the Display System.

Layer Keys for Display Components
An often wished for feature is now in the program: it is now possible to assign a Layer Key or Layer Overrides to a component of an object, instead of just hard-coding the layer name in the style. If you have ever wanted to have layer control over one or more individual components of an object, but did not want to have the hassle of setting and maintaining those layer names in each style, you can now add Layer Keys or Layer Overrides to a style to have components placed on a particular layer via layer keying.

In general, I find using the display system to control the visibility and appearance of most components of AEC objects to be quite adequate and would just as soon avoid throwing layers into the mix. But there are a few items where it would be nice to be able to control the visibility of a component with a simple Layer Freeze/Thaw, rather than going through the hassle of adding new Display Representations, Display Sets and Display Configurations. For example, we use a zero-width component to display a line that indicates the fire-resistance rating of a Wall, and its display is controled by the assigned Material Definition. There have been projects where, for certain drawings, I wanted to turn off this component, as it was interfering with other graphics. Being able to do so by freezing a layer would be much easier than setting up another Display Representation for materials, editing that for all of the materials in the drawing and then setting up a Display Set and Configuration to use the new Display Representation. Hard-coding a layer name in a Display Representation has always bothered me, as it means future edits if the content needs to be used with a different layer standard. The new Layer Key/Override feature allows source content to be set up that will generate layers based on the current Layer Key Style and avoid having a hard-coded layer name in the Display Representation.

There are a few nuances that you need to master in order to be able to use the new feature. The most important is that your source file (where you store and edit the display settings) cannot have any objects of the type to which you want to add a Layer Key or Layer Override in the file. For Drawing Default settings, this will likely be your template file, so that should not be a major problem. For Style Override settings, you will have to delete any instances of objects of the style being edited prior to being able to edit the override settings, and you will not be able to add any instances afterwards, as that will cause the layer to be resolved and defeat the puropose of using a Layer Key. The Layer Key and Layer Overrides are not available at the Object Display Override level, because, by definition, you have to have an object in the drawing in order to apply the override. This feature does not make much sense as an individual object override, anyway. You cannot access this feature on the Display tab of the Properties palette; you have to edit the settings in a dialog, through Display Manager (Drawing Default settings only) or through Style Manager.

Before starting, make certain that the current Layer Key Style in the source file drawing or template has all of the Layer Keys you wish to assign. If you are going to use custom Layer Keys, be certain that you update the Layer Key Style in your Layer source file with the custom keys, and, if you are not set up to automatically import the Layer Key Style from your Layer source file, in your template files.

In the composite image above, the Swing Component has had the custom DOORSWING Layer Key added by clicking in the blank area in the Layer Key column on the Swing line, and choosing the DOORSWING Layer Key in the Select Layer Key dialog. Once a Layer Key is assigned, the value in the Layer column for that component is cleared, and will remain that way until an object is placed in the file. As previously mentioned, you want it to stay that way in your source file(s), so that the resolution takes place in the target file.

In order to make use of the Layer Overrides, you must first set a Layer Key. If you want to assign a component to a layer, but do not want to create a custom Layer Key, you can use Layer Overrides. Keep in mind that if the resultant layer does not already exist in the drawing, it will be generated based on the attributes of the assigned Layer Key, so choose the Layer Key accordingly, or be prepared to adjust the layer properties after the fact. In the composite image above, the Frame component has the DOOR Layer Key assigned, and then, by clicking on the icon in the Layer Overrides column on the Frame line, a Minor 1 field override of "Fram" was set in the Select Layer Overrides dialog.

Do not forget to change the component attributes from BYBLOCK to BYLAYER for any components to which you assign a Layer Key, unless you only want them on a separate layer and want them to display with the attributes of the main object.

If you make Drawing Default level changes in your template file and then start a new drawing with that template, the Layer Key and, if specified, Layer Override will be resolved when the first object of that type is added to the new drawing. If the resultant layer does not already exist in the drawing file, the layer attributes specified in the current Layer Key Style (as modified by any Layer Overrides set) will be used to generate the layer. If the layer does already exist, the layer will be left as is, just like any other use of a Layer Key. At that time, the Layer Key and Layer Overrides columns will be locked and the resolved layer name will be shown in the Layer column. You can then edit the Display Representation and change the layer name if you so choose - the Layer Key and Layer Overrides are inactive from that point forward, even though the Layer Key name will remain displayed. The same holds true when adding an object that has a Style-level display override in the source file that includes a Layer Key or Layer Key and Layer Override.

There is a way, however, to impose a Layer Key/Override on a file that already has objects within it. When set at the Drawing Default level, with the file open, open the Display Manager (on the Manage ribbon tab, on the Style & Display panel, select the Display Manager tool). In the Display Manager, open a source file that has the unresolved Display Representation in it (such as your template file). Use the Display Manager to copy the Display Representation from the source file to your current file and choose Overwrite Existing.

Select OK to register the change, close the Display Manager and return to the drawing. You will not notice any immediate change, but the Layer Key/Override from the source file has been copied into this file. In order to get this to resolve, you need to execute the "add" command for the object type affected by the Display Representation. For example, start the DOORADD command if you have copied a Door Display Representation. Doing so, even if you cancel before placing an object, will cause the Layer Key/Override to be applied, affecting all existing objects in the file as well.

If you have a drawing with objects of the same style name, but without the Layer Key/Override set (or with it set, but resolved to a previous Layer Key Style), you can use the Style Manager to overwrite the style from a source file with an unresolved Style-level Layer Key/Layer Override. If you have a Tool palette tool referencing the style from such a source file, you can also right click the tool and choose "Re-import..." from the context menu. The only difference here is when you start the "add" command to trigger the resolution of Layer Key/Override, if redefined style is not the current default style, you will have to change to that style on the Design tab of the Properties palette to get the change to take effect.

In all of the above cases, keep in mind that you will not see the effects of the Layer Key/Override if the Display Representation that has the Layer Key/Override set is not active in the currently active Display Set. The change will take place, but until you change the Display Configuration/view direction to a combination that makes the Display Representation that has the Layer Key/Override applied, you will not see it.

Next Article in the Series (ACA 2013: Object Display Enhancements Part 2)

ACA 2013 - Grouping and Subtotals in Schedule Tables

The ability to group items within a Schedule Table and have subtotals for each group has long been wished for by AutoCAD^® Architecture users, extending back to when the program was called Architectural Desktop. That wish has been granted in the 2013 release, which supports up to three levels of grouping and subtotals.

In the past, you have been able to sort by the values of one or more properties, which would get objects with the same value for a given property in close proximity. If you specified a quantity column in your Schedule Table (whether displayed or hidden), you could also get objects with identical values in all columns to collapse onto one line. For properties with numerical values, you could specify that the total of all items in the Schedule Table be shown at the bottom of the Schedule Table.

Tracking the area of Spaces is a common need in architectural design. The image above shows a sample schedule for Spaces, such as might have been created in a previous release. The Schedule Table is sorted first by the Space type (using the Style automatic property source to acquire the name of the Space Style) and has a quantity column to collapse identical lines. While the Schedule Table avoids the use of room numbers to have some identical rows, inevitably you will want to include data that will prevent all Spaces of a given type from collapsing on one line (if nothing else, the areas of the Spaces of one type are unlikely to all be identical in a real-world design), leaving you with multiple Total Areas for each type. The image below shows the "new" Sorting/Grouping tab (formerly just "Sorting") of the Schedule Table Style used to produce the Schedule Table shown above. The Group feature is not enabled for either of the columns being sorted.

While getting totals for each Space type in the sample Schedule Table above might not be too difficult, on a real project with tens or hundreds of Spaces, it could be quite a chore, and in the past, would likely have resulted in exporting the Schedule Table contents to a spreadsheet program, followed by additional formatting and manipulation to get useable subtotals. Doing this repeatedly as changes are made to a project in the early design phases can be tedious. In a copy of the previous Schedule Table Style, the Group feature for the SpaceStyles:Style property has been activated by checking the Group toggle under that property.

The Display Subtotals For Group toggle has also been checked. While you can override the formatting of the Group property, this was not done, as indicated by the "None" text; the Subtotal Format Override was used, however, to increase the height of the text from 3/32", as set on the Default Format tab, to 1/8", as indicated by the Height designation. The default Group Orientation of Column was kept. Group Row Repeat and Group Row Indent are disabled when using the Column orientation,. Group Row Separation was changed from None to Blank Row. The results can be seen in the image below.

When grouping by a property using the Column orientation, all items with the same value for that property are listed together ("grouped"). Instead of having that property value shown on each line, the individual row lines are deleted (including at the subtotal line, if used) and the value is shown once, centered on the group of rows. A subtotal line appears at the bottom of each group, in this case showning a subtotal for the quantity and for the total area. In order to use the subtotal feature, at least one column in your Schedule Table Style must be set up to display a total. Since a height override was applied to subtotal rows, the text on these rows is larger, making them stand out a little. A blank row appears between each group, also helping to distinguish between groups. At the very bottom, you will note that the "grand" total line still appears. Unfortunately, a blank row does not separate this line from the group and subtotal line above, nor can you override the formatting of the grand total line.

Doors are another object that are often scheduled. A simplified Door Schedule, such as might have been done in a previous release, sorted by Door Type, is shown below.

As with the Spaces, in this simple example it would be easy enough to add up the totals per Door type, but not so on a real project. The image below shows the settings made to a copy of the style of the Schedule Table shown above, to implement groups and subtotals.

I chose to display the subtotals for each group, change the alignment of the group from the default "Middle Center" to "Middle Left" and made the same Subtotal Format Override (1/8" text height) as was made on the Space Schedule above. Setting the Group Orientation to "Row", makes the Group Row Repeat and Group Row Indent choices active. The Row orientation for groups takes the column for the property being grouped out of the Schedule Table and inserts a row above each group labeled with the column header name and the property value, separated by a colon (":"). Group Row Repeat will repeat that row at the bottom of the group, which can be helpful with nested groups or groups with many lines; I chose to not include that here. Group Row Indent can make it easier to read a Schedule Table with nested groups all using the the Row orientation. This example did not need to use either of those, as there is only one group and I chose to provide a blank row separation between the groups. In the final beta version, on which these samples are based, I was unable to get the Group Row Indent feature to work. It had worked in a previous version, so I am hoping that it was either an issue with my installation or that the problem is resolved in the shipping version.

The image above shows the results of those settings. If you choose to set up grouping on multiple columns (properties) in your schedule table, the results will be sorted by the left-most first, then within each of those groups, the second grouping will be applied and, if you specify a third grouping (rightmost), that would be applied within each of the second groupings subgroups. Once you choose a column orientation for a group, any additional groups to the right of that also must use column orientation.

New components for Schedule Tables mean more display settings. The image below shows the components and out-of-the-box Drawing Default settings for Schedule Tables (final Beta, US Imperial content). There are separate display settings for Data Text, Separator Lines, Title Separator Lines and Indent Lines for each of the three levels of Groups, as well as settings for Data Text, Row Lines and Column Lines for each of the three levels of Subtotals. These are all set to ByBlock, with the exception of LtScale, which is set to 1, so they will initially inherit the properties of the parent Schedule Table object. You may want to edit the Drawing Default values of the newly added components to be compatible with the settings for the previously available components (especially if you have customized those settings).

You may also have noticed new columns in the Display Properties for Layer Key, Layer Overrides and Transparency. Look for more on those in a future post.