Add a comma to the sheet title of a sheet in AutoCAD

I got an email with the following question:

I was Google searching for a way to add a comma to the sheet title for ADT2007. ... However I did not find any way to do such, just a comment by someone that it was impossible.
I have figured ways to add formatting code to other text fields (like capitalizing the date and doing a shortened month)…and was wondering if you knew a way to use escape characters and/or ASCII codes to include commas and other special characters in sheet tiles?

The error message can say something like Invalid characters in the name: test , with comma. The following characters are not valid: <>\/":;?*|,=`

This reply helped this user. It works in Sheet Set Manager (SSM) in AutoCAD as well as in the Project Navigator in AutoCAD Architecture (ACA) / Architectural Desktop (ADT).

Run the program CharMap.exe found in Windows Accessories>System Tools and there you can find special characters and copy them to use.

But you cannot use the real comma , but you can use something similar like ‚ that is U+201A or Alt+0130. You can enter it by holding down Alt on the keyboard and then on the right part of the keyboard enter 0130 and release Alt. Or you can copy it from the Character Map program.

Hopefully Autodesk does something about this in a future release.

Calculate surface area of a Mass Element in AutoCAD Architecture

I got an email with the question how to achieve this on a very complex Mass Element and here is one solution how it can be done.

To get the surface area of a Mass Element use ConvertTo3dSolids (or select the Mass Element, right click and select Convert To>3D Solid) to convert to a 3DSolid and then use the Area command with the Object option and select the 3D Solid.

Classification Definition Tools released

ClassificationDefinitionTools is now available. With it you can import or export classification definition structures. It works for AutoCAD Architecture (ACA), Architectural Desktop (ADT) and their verticals.

Some classification structures can be very large and complicated and this tool can help to avoid the need to type everything manually. You can use existing lists in Excel and just copy and paste.

AutoCAD Palette Auto-hide Speed freeware v. 1.1 released

After my earlier post I got a couple of emails explaining how PaletteHoldopenDelay works and I have now made a new version available at:
http://www.jtbworld.com/PaletteAuto-hideSpeed.htm

The “holdopen” delay is an additional delay that keeps the palette open for a specified time when it is opened programmatically; if the mouse does not move over it in this time it automatically rolls back up.

PaletteHoldopenDelay does not affect all palettes though probably because not all development teams at Autodesk knows about PaletteHoldopenDelay. You can see the effect with the palettes Properties, Quickcalc, External References, Sheet Set Manager, Markup Set Manager, Visual Styles Manager set to auto-hide. Try for example CTRL+1 one or two times. But it seems to only affect External References when starting AutoCAD. This was found trying with AutoCAD 2008 SP1.

TimberTool for AutoCAD Architecture

TimberTool is a program that I initially made after a request from one ACA user but that probably others can find useful as well.

TimberTool is an add-on to AutoCAD Architecture or ADT based products.

TimberTool makes it easy to convert closed polylines into mass elements and makes the bounding box width and depth correct for scheduling purposes.

The product was initially created for usage with timber but works with structural steel or concrete shapes.

See this short video on how it can be used. (I used Jing for that)

More about it at my website: http://www.jtbworld.com/timbertool.htm

Conversion using ExtrudeLinework (notice that the bounding box is not correct).

Result after using TimberTool

Using ExtrudeLinework notice that the Width and Depth is based on the bounding box not the actual mass element.

Notice that after using TimberTool the Width and Depth is correct as expected to be.

Clean reinstallation of AutoCAD Architecture or AutoCAD MEP

When trouble comes it can be easier and quicker to simply reinstall. But to do a more complete reinstall there are ways to manually remove traces from the previous installation that includes deleting files and folders and registry keys. This is also useful in some cases when there are problems to just reinstall using "Add or Remove Programs" in Windows or "Programs and Features" in Vista. This document describes the steps to do that.

http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS1070370

Applies to:
AutoCAD Architecture 2008
Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2007
Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2006
Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2005
AutoCAD MEP 2008
Autodesk Building Systems 2007.1
Autodesk Building Systems 2007
Autodesk Building Systems 2006
Autodesk Building Systems 2005

How to link information from tables in AutoCAD

You probably already know how to link between cells in one table. Just use formulas like in Excel: =B2+B3

Did you know it is possible to link cells between tables in AutoCAD?

Here is how you can do it.

Right click on a cell and select Insert>Formula>Cell

Select a cell in another table and you will notice a formula like this.

The formula can be changes to your needs. For example to:
=Table(2127834720).B2*A2

The formula options Sum, Average and Count can also be used like this.

2127834720 or whatever shows up is the Object ID for the table. If you save the drawing, close it and open it again you will notice that this value has changed. This is because the Object ID is just a file session valid value.

Notice that only numeric values can be cross linked like this. If you select a cell with text in it you will only see ####.

But if you have ADT (Architectural Desktop) or ACA (AutoCAD Architecture) you will notice that you cannot link to a cell in a Schedule object (AEC_SCHEDULE_TABLE). You can convert a Schedule to a table if you right click on the schedule and select convert to table.

How about text object (TEXT or MTEXT)?

You can Insert a Field (CTRL+F) and in the Field Category select Objects and then select the field name Formula. Now you will see the buttons for Average, Sum, Count and Cell.

If the number of rows in the table changes to let’s say from 3 to 2 the formula doesn’t change and the value that shows up after running Tools>Update Fields (command UPPDATEFIELD) shows #. The formula has to be changed to have a valid range to show the correct value. If you add a new row above the source row you will also notice that this needs to be handled manually.

You might also need to run REGEN to have the tables updated.

Make dimension notes with the DimNotes add-on for AutoCAD

• DimNotes is an add-on to AutoCAD based products.
• DimNotes makes it easy to add dimension notes to dimension objects in AutoCAD.
• The list with notes is saved to a file and can easily be edited.
• The note can be added to different locations, before, after, above and below existing dimension text.
• Existing notes can be replaced.
• Multiple notes can be added.
• Associative dimension value is retained.

You can download and read more about JTB World's DimNotes here.

Completely clean out traces of AutoCAD installations

Sometime when installations or uninstallations fails it is good to completely remove every trace that the application left.

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT (This will remove all Autodesk products)

For only cleaning out for example AutoCAD 2008 on Windows Vista look for these folders:
%PROGRAMFILES%\AutoCAD 2008
%PROGRAMDATA%\Autodesk\ACD\2008
%PROGRAMDATA%\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2008
%APPDATA%\Autodesk\ACD\2008
%APPDATA%\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2008
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2008

and these registry locations: (Be careful though when using Regedit.exe)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R17.1\ACAD-6001:409
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R17.1\ACAD-6001:409
Notice that depending on the locale/language the LocaleID 409 can be something else.

If you have AutoCAD 2007 it is R17.0 instead of R17.1

If you have AutoCAD 2006 it is R16.2 instead of R17.1

If you have AutoCAD 2005 it is R16.1 instead of R17.1

If you have AutoCAD 2004 it is R16.0 instead of R17.1

AutoCAD Architecture 2008 (ACA 2008)

Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2007 (ADT 2007)

Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2006 (ADT 2006)

Notice that if you have Windows Vista the paths are somewhat different. The same is if you have another OS language installed.

C:\Documents and Settings folder doesn’t exist in Vista. It is replaced by C:\Users and C:\ProgramData. C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application Data\ in XP is C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\ in Vista. C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\ in XP is C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\ in Vista.

Here are some tips.

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%
in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users
in Vista: C:\ProgramData

%PROGRAMDATA%\Autodesk
in Vista: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk

%PROGRAMFILES%\Common Files\Autodesk Shared
in XP and Vista: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared

And then there are folders and files saved per user:

%APPDATA%\Autodesk
in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application Data\Autodesk
in Vista: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk

%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk
in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Autodesk
in Vista: C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Autodesk

The folders can also be found reading from the registry.
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Folders
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\User Shell Folders

For example these:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Folders
Common AppData
in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data
in Vista: C:\ProgramData

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Folders
Common Programs
in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs
in Vista: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

On the desktop shortcuts can be found.

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Folders
Common Desktop
in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop
in Vista: C:\Users\Public\Desktop

In the Start Menu there is a lot to be found.

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Folders
Common Start Menu
in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu
in Vista: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

AutoCAD Startup Accelerator can be found in the Startup folder.

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Folders
Common Startup
in XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
in Vista: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

For the current user there is this registry location that is worth looking at:
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Shell Folders
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\User Shell Folders

PS. There are a lot of other places where traces are left (mostly in the registry) but usually these are the most important.

Related info: Enabling verbose logging for installation issues. Windows Installer Error Messages. How to enable verbose logging on a Windows XP-based computer (works for Vista as well).

ADT's Project Navigator performing slowly

When you dragged a view into a sheet with Project Navigator, it took several seconds or longer for the view to be inserted.

For tips to improve performance in this case as well as with other issues in ADT 2005, ADT 2006 and ADT 2007 look at this KB article: Project Navigator performing slowly. There are 17 guidelines to follow. Some of them apply ty ACA 2008 as well I would say.

Tip of the Month: List Definition Freeware for ADT and ABS

I posted about ADT/ABS List Definition freeware a while ago as well as the ADT/ABS List Definition freeware tip and today when I was reading through AUGI I found that it was the Tip of the Month. Thanks! Not sure what month but that doesn't matter. If I don't forget it I will post an updated one that will work even better for ACA 2008 and AMEP 2008 as well as something about how I did it using VB.NET. I will also make use of a new thing in the API for ACA 2008 that was missing in the API for ADT 2007. Feel free to remind me if I forget it.

Get AutoCAD 2007 running on Windows Vista

I've been able to run AutoCAD 2007 as well as most other software's I need on Windows Vista without problems. There are some things needed to have it working and it might be some things I have not tried that does not work for you. If you just try to start AutoCAD Microsoft warns about "minor compatibility issues" but I have not found them so far. Running as Administrator solves a lot of compatibility problems with applications and that is the same with ADT 2007.

Autodesk will be announcing official details on Microsoft Windows Vista support for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT in the next 2-4 weeks according to Shaan. So you might want to wait until then.

Run the installation as Administrator.

Run also the application as Administrator. Right click to do that or change the properties to have it run as Administrator.

It is also possible to run a program in compatibility mode for Windows XP (Service Pack 2).

You can also turn off User Account Control (UAC).

What is your trick to get applications running on Windows Vista? 

Update. Autodesk will release an update for AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007.

Windows Vista support for Architectural Desktop and Building Systems

Windows Vista does not support Architectural Desktop or Building Systems. (or the other way around)

Even though it is possible to get ADT/ABS running on Vista you might run into so many problems so it's better to wait a few more months for the 2008 releases that most probably will be able to run on Vista without any problems.

ADT Window Style Type in a PSD

I noticed a question on the Architectural Desktop discussion group and wanted to share the solution here. The Window Type for a windows style is not available as an automatic property. So a bit of VBScript is needed.

Create a PSD (Property Set Definition) that applies to Windows styles and add the automatic property Handle. Then add the formula below. Notice that [Handle] in the formula must be selected from the "Insert Property Definitions" list.

In the code AecX.AecArchBaseApplication.5.0 refers to ADT 2007.

For other versions of ADT change it.

ADT 2004 - AecX.AecArchBaseApplication.4
ADT 2005 - AecX.AecArchBaseApplication.4.5
ADT 2006 - AecX.AecArchBaseApplication.4.7
ADT 2007 - AecX.AecArchBaseApplication.5.0
ACA 2008 - AecX.AecArchBaseApplication.5.5

On Error Resume Next
Set app = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application")
Set AecArchBaseApplication = app.GetInterfaceObject("AecX.AecArchBaseApplication.5.0")
Set doc = AecArchBaseApplication.ActiveDocument
Set WindowStyles = doc.WindowStyles
Set WindowObject = doc.HandleToObject("[Handle]")
Set WindowStyle = WindowStyles.Item(WindowObject.StyleName)
Select Case WindowStyle.Type
    Case 0
      RESULT = "Custom"
    Case 1
      RESULT = "Picture"
    Case 2
       RESULT = "Single Hung"
    Case 3
       RESULT = "Double Hung"
    Case 4
       RESULT = "Awning - Transom"
    Case 5
       RESULT = "Double Casement"
    Case 6
       RESULT = "Glider"
    Case 7
       RESULT = "Hopper - Transom"
    Case 8
       RESULT = "Pass Through"
    Case 9
       RESULT = "Single Casement"
    Case 10
       RESULT = "Single Hopper"
    Case 11
       RESULT = "Single Awning"
    Case 12
       RESULT = "Vertical Pivot"
    Case 13
       RESULT = "Horizontal Pivot"
    Case 14
       RESULT = "Uneven Single Hung"
    Case 15
       RESULT = "Uneven Double Hung"
End Select

Technorati tags: Architectural Desktop, ADT, VBScript

ADT/ABS List Definition freeware tip

Here is a tip on practical usage of the newly released ADT/ABS List Definition freeware.

Say you have a List Definition and want to add some new items to the list. As you know they will not be sorted alphabetically when you select the list in the Properties palette.

1. Run ListDefinitionExport.
2. Open the AutoCAD Text Window (F2).
3. Look for the List Definition and its items.
4. Copy them to Excel.
5. Add the new items.
6. Use Find and Replace of four spaces to nothing to remove the first four spaces.
7. Sort the list.
8. Copy the list.
9. Start ListDefinitionImport and paste into the text box.

Or if the list is already sorted.

1. Run ListDefinitionExport.
2. Open the AutoCAD Text Window (F2).
3. Look for the List Definition and its items.
4. Copy the items to the clipboard.
5. Start ListDefinitionImport and paste into the text box. (No need to bother about the extra spaces in to the left. They will be automatically removed anyway since List Definition Values cannot start or end with a space character.)
6. Add the new items at the correct location.

Wish list items I have for future versions of ADT/ABS.

• List Definition Items and Classification Definition Items should allow all characters. I don't want this limitation. List/Classification Items should allow even <>/\":?*|,=`
• It should be possible to specify sort order and rearrange the items in a List Definition. Drag and drop of items in a Classification Definition could also be improved.
• API to support specifying what List Definitions should apply to. Now it's only possible to apply to all or none using AppliesToAll on Autodesk.Aec.DatabaseServices.ListDefinition.

Personal backup of your drawings and documents using Mozy

Here is a tip for those that don't fully want to rely on their IT/IS department for backups. How many times have you tried to get some drawings or documents restored from backups having to wait hours for help and in worst case get the answer that the backup had failed? I have been there several times and sometimes made my own backup to my PC or to an USB memory stick.

The tip is to use Mozy online backup. Even if you work with files and have them open in (and locked by) for example Word, Excel or AutoCAD, Mozy is able to backup them. Some other services I have tried halt with a dialog box when trying to backup a locked up file and that is not good. Mozy can run in the background and take the backups (several times a day) and you don't need to worry about remembering to take the backup.

Below I show how it can look like if you want to restore from the backup. It is done directly within Windows Explorer.

2 GB of 100% free online backup space and unlimited space for only $4.95/month. Secure and easy to use. Use the link here or the referral code - VWW637 - and get another 256MB of free backup space. Now with unlimited restores and easy right click restore in Windows Explorer

I see that Mozy is going up the ladder quickly. Now on place 4. I also noticed that Mozy is no longer a beta product.

Technorati tags: Mozy, online backup

ADT tip: Browsing Property Data

AecPropertyDataBrowse is a command I found not many know about but can be useful.

Open the tool palette that contains the Browse Property Data tool, and select it.
This tool is located with the Scheduling and Reporting Tools in the Stock Tool Catalog.

There is an option that allow an object to be highlighted in the drawing when you select a property set that is attached to the object or its style as well as zoom into the object.

Technorati tags: ADT

ADT Tip: INSPECT

Here is a tip about a useful command introduced in Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2005 and available in newer versions as well as ABS and Civil 3D. The ADT command AECINSPECT (or _AECINSPECT or INSPECT) lets you hover over entities to inspect and get information about them like layer, style name and style description, keynote information and property set information. Good for inspecting drawings without having to select the objects. Autosnap tooltip has to be enabled for this command to work. The initial value for the AUTOSNAP variable is 63.

Technorati tags: ADT

Learn ADT has a great compilation on ADT 2007 Wall Cleanups

Wall Cleanups can be most frustrating in Autodesk Architectural Desktop for many users. Share this link on the Learn ADT blog with them.

In addition to these tips don't forget to use the basic commands like Fillet, Extend and Trim first. There are so many times I have helped users with this simple tip. Another help can be to isolate the problematic walls to identify the problem. Copy some of the walls to an empty place and try to solve the problem there, maybe delete some of the walls to see if they are the problem.

Technorati tags: ADT 2007