Quick Tip - Annotated Text Won't Move, Delete, Rotate, Etc.

While you were working in AutoCAD and were using Annotated Text, (available since AutoCAD 2008), have you ever noticed that after you save the file, you can't manipulate it anymore? It's some sort of "glitch". I have found that if you close the file and open it again you can once again move, rotate, delete, etc. once again. Until you save the file that is. This is very annoying to me because I have developed the habit of saving nearly every five minutes or so (I have trust issues with the autosave and my battery back up!)

Note: Anonymous (I'm not sure who you are but thanks!) left a comment on this post saying that he/she would run the AUDIT command and make sure that you press Y (meaning yes) to make sure that any errors are fixed and that will allow you to edit your annotated text again. I tried it out and it works great!! Keep the tips and comments coming! Great work

Happy CADDING

Quick TIP - Open an Xref

In AutoCAD, you can open a file that is referenced into your drawing file very quickly, even if you don't know what or where the file is. In your working file, select any part of the xref'ed file, it could be a line, text, or any object. Right click, then select the OPEN XREF option. This will open the referenced file.

Very quick and easy.

Or, open the XREF Manager. Select the desired file and right click. Then select the OPEN option and there you go.

Happy CADDING

Vote For Me to Teach at Autodesk University 2008

Well, CAD-a-Blog has taken off quite well so far. It has gone so well that I submitted FOUR class ideas to Autodesk University 2008. Autodesk has these ideas along with several hundred other class ideas submitted by other people. If they choose my ideas then I will be an instructor at Autodesk University 2008! How great would that be? Autodesk will review the ideas they received and choose the best ones. There is only so much room at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. Evidently they have some of the choice in the hands of their users. They have given us, the users, the chance to pick our favorite 15 classes that we want to attend at Autodesk University. They have posted every class on a website and sorted them by category. You can go and vote in one or more categories up to 15 classes.

I ask that everyone of you go and vote for the four classes that I offered. PLEASE!!?!?!?!?!

The classes are:

• CAD Management and IT – Create and Maintain a CAD Manual
• Education and Training – How to Train Your Users
• Education and Training – Keeping Up With CAD
• Design Visualization – Impression for the Artistically Challenged

So, to get to the voting area, follow this link: AU Vote

Choose the classes you would like to see, even if they aren’t my class ideas.

Thanks for your help, and Happy CADDING.

AutoCAD 2008 & 2009– Scale List Clean UP

AutoCAD – Scale List Clean UP

How annoying are the annotation scales that just fill your list like crazy? The list gets so big that it fills your screen and you can’t find the scale you want to! It’s awful. AutoCAD 2009 now has a prompt to help this out. You can turn off the scale list from referenced files if you don’t want to see them. This isn’t full proof, however as the file can still fill up all on its own.

Autodesk has released an add on (a patch if you will) that can run in AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD 2009 to clean up the annotated scale list.

The scale list patch will available at Autodek’s Support Site soon (tomorrow they say):

http://support.autodesk.com


Here is an overview as taken from Shaan Hurley’s blog:
Description of Problem

When a file contains excess scales, performance may be negatively affected. Eventually, the file may become unusable. To use the file, some scales must be removed. This utility repairs affected files by removing excess scales.

NOTE: Nested external references (xrefs) may produce excess scales. To correct this problem, install AutoCAD 2008 Service Pack 1 or corresponding service packs for AutoCAD-based products. The Scale List Cleanup Utility repairs files affected before the necessary service pack was installed.

Affected Products
· AutoCAD® 2008-based products, including DWG TrueView™ 2008
· AutoCAD® 2009-based products, including DWG TrueView 2009

Installation Instructions
To install the Scale List Cleanup Utility
This utility has to be installed in the AutoCAD 2008 or AutoCAD 2009 installation folders.
You must have administrative privileges on your Microsoft® Windows® operating system to complete installation.

1. Based on your operating system (32-bit or 64-bit), download the appropriate self-extracting executable file.
2. Select a folder.
3. Extract files to the selected folder.
4. Navigate to the folder and copy CleanupScales.exe, CleanupScalesRes.dll, and CleanupScales.html to the installation directory of your AutoCAD-based product.

NOTE: To run this utility you must launch CleanupScales.exe from the installation directory of your AutoCAD-based product.

Repair Affected Files
To repair affected files
1. Close all affected files. Open affected files will not be repaired.
2. Launch the Scale List Cleanup Utility from the installation folder of your AutoCAD-based product.
3. Under Files to Clean, select affected files.
4. If desired, select Maintain Visual Fidelity for Annotative Objects.

NOTE: This option allows you to maintain visual fidelity for annotative objects when they are viewed in AutoCAD 2007 or earlier releases and corresponds to the SAVEFIDELITY system variable. Annotative objects may have multiple scale representations. When you select this option, annotative objects are decomposed and scale representations are saved (in an anonymous block) to separate layers, which are named based on their original layer and appended with a number.

5. Under New Scale List, in the drop-down list, select a scale list template.
NOTE: Each scale list template contains a different scale list. When you run this utility, unused scales are deleted from files and the scale list from the selected template is applied.
6. If desired, change the scale list threshold.
NOTE: The scale list threshold determines the minimum number of scales a file must contain in order to be repaired. The default scale list threshold is 50. Files that contain fewer scales than the scale list threshold will not be repaired. To change the scale list threshold, on the New scale list panel, enter a number in the Scale List Threshold field.
7. Click OK. Repaired files are saved in the same format last saved in.

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