Elliptical helix in AutoCAD 2007

I posted this tip at AUGI forums a time ago. Here is the way I did an elliptical helix in 3D: Create a helix with the new Helix command. Explode the helix. Make a block of it. Insert it with different x and y scale. Explode it. Sweep it.

AcroPDF.dll fix in Acrobat Reader 7.0.7

I've made a solution using the ActiveX AcroPDF.dll that comes free with Acrobat Reader to automate batch printing of PDF files in a more consistent way than selection a bunch of PDF files in Explorer right click and print that has problems with not all PDF's being printed or in a random order and sometimes the first file is not printed to fit the paper but was zoomed in quite a bit (a bug that seems to be related to versions 7.0.0 up to 7.0.7 but that worked using the COM object). I used

AxAcroPDF1.LoadFile("C:\test.pdf")

AxAcroPDF1.printAllFit(True)

and it worked on my PC for a while but then stopped working one day and I could not get it to work again. Adobe support confirmed to me that it was fixed in Acrobat 7.0.7 and that explained why it worked on some PC's but not on all. I had during the time tried installing older versions like Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat 6.0 for other testing purposes and somehow that broke the fix even for 7.0.7 after a while. What helped was to completely uninstall every Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader and clean up the registry.

I still get a dialog box saying "WARNING! A script has requested to print an Acrobat file. This could print an entire document. Do you want to proceed printing?" There is a checkbox to make this not show up but in versions before 7.0.7 it just made the application not print the PDF's at all. So finally I got to know why this happened.

One method to skip this question is to change the registry setting iWarnScriptPrintAll at

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\7.0\AVAlert\cCheckbox\cEWH

to 1 (DWORD)

before launch of Reader so that the dialog is not displayed. Setting it to 0 will make Reader to show it again.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\7.0\AVAlert\cCheckbox\cEWH]
"iWarnScriptPrintAll"=dword:00000001

Something that is more irritating and that I've not found an easy solution for (let me know if you find it) is that you cannot add a new command to the PDF extension. Try Tools>Folder Options>File Types>Advanced on the PDF and add a new action. Now right click on a PDF and see that it's not there. Go back and try to edit it. Not possible. I suspect that it's the PDF shell extension file pdfshell.dll that does this. Not kind at all.

You might as well run into this and I hope these notes can get help some of you.

Sheet Set Manager code snippets

Some sample AutoCAD Sheet Set Manager (SSM) code for VBA that might help along the way. I don't remember if they worked or not. modEmptySheetValues

' This will set all empty values to chr(160) in the active sheet set.

Sub EmptyAllSheetValuesToEmpty()
Dim i As Integer
i = SheetSetsOpen
If i > 1 Then
    MsgBox "More than one Sheet Set are open. Make sure only one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
ElseIf i = 0 Then
    MsgBox "No Sheet Set is open. Make sure one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
End If
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    
    If ssm Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 1", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    If dbIter Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 2", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    dbIter.Reset
    
    'get the Database of the first sheetset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    If db Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "No Sheet Set open", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    'get the sheetset
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    If ss Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Cannot get the Sheet Set", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set oSheetIter = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    If oSheetIter Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    ' lock the database
    Dim lockStatus As AcSmLockStatus
    Let lockStatus = db.GetLockStatus
    If lockStatus = AcSmLockStatus_UnLocked Then
      db.LockDb db
    Else
        
        Dim sUserName As String
        Dim sMachineName As String
        db.GetLockOwnerInfo sUserName, sMachineName
        MsgBox "The Sheet Set is locked by " & sUserName & " at " & sMachineName, vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Debug.Print db.GetFileName
       
    Dim compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    ' get component enumerator
    Set compEnum = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    
    Call LoopThroughSheets(compEnum)
    
    ' unlock the database
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Private Sub LoopThroughSheets(ByVal compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent)
    Dim comp As IAcSmComponent
    Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    ' loop through till the component is Nothing
    Do While Not comp Is Nothing
        On Error Resume Next
        Debug.Print comp.GetName & "," & comp.GetDesc
        On Error GoTo 0
        ' if the component is a sheet, then...
        If comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
            Dim s As AcSmSheet
            Set s = comp
            Dim propIter As IAcSmEnumProperty
            Set propIter = comp.GetCustomPropertyBag.GetPropertyEnumerator
        
            Dim propname As String
            Dim propval As AcSmCustomPropertyValue
            Do While True
                Set propval = Nothing
                propname = ""
                propIter.Next propname, propval
                If propname = "" Then Exit Do
        
                If Not IsEmpty(propval) And Not IsObject(propval) Then
                    If propval.GetFlags = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP Then
                        If IsEmpty(propval.GetValue) Then
                        
                            Dim oProjNum As New AcSmCustomPropertyValue
                            PropFlag = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP

                            oProjNum.InitNew comp
                            oProjNum.SetFlags PropFlag
                            oProjNum.SetValue Chr(160)
                            comp.GetCustomPropertyBag.SetProperty propname, oProjNum
                            Set oProjNum = Nothing
                        End If
                    End If
                End If
            Loop
        ' if the componnet is a subset then ...
        ElseIf comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
            Dim sset As AcSmSubset
            Set sset = comp
            ' loop through all the sheets.
            Call LoopThroughSheets(sset.GetSheetEnumerator)
        End If
        ' next
        Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    Loop
End Sub

modCustSheetSetProperties

' This works on Sheet Set level. Not on Sheet level
' It iterates through the Custom Properties
Private Sub GetCustSheetProp()
    Dim oSSM As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Dim oSheetSetDb As AcSmDatabase
    Dim oSheetSet As AcSmSheetSet
    
    On Error GoTo ErrHandler
    
    If oSSM Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    Set dbIter = oSSM.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    If dbIter Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    dbIter.Reset
    'get the Database of the first sheetset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    If db Is Nothing Then
        Return
    End If
    'get the sheetset
    Set oSheetSet = db.GetSheetSet
    If oSheetSet Is Nothing Then
     Return
    End If
    Set oSheetIter = oSheetSet.GetSheetEnumerator
    If oSheetIter Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    'lock db
    Dim lockStatus As AcSmLockStatus
    Let lockStatus = db.GetLockStatus
    If lockStatus = AcSmLockStatus_UnLocked Then
      db.LockDb db
    End If

    Debug.Print oSheetSet.GetName
    Debug.Print oSheetSet.GetDesc
    
    Dim propIter As IAcSmEnumProperty
    Set propIter = oSheetSet.GetCustomPropertyBag.GetPropertyEnumerator

    Dim propname As String
    Dim propval As AcSmCustomPropertyValue
    Do While True
        Set propval = Nothing
        propname = ""
        propIter.Next propname, propval
        Set propval = Nothing
        Set propval = oSheetSet.GetCustomPropertyBag.GetProperty(propname)
        Debug.Print "Sheet Set Property: " & propname & " : " & propval.GetValue
        If propname = "" Then Exit Do
        If Not IsEmpty(propval) And Not IsObject(propval) Then
            If propval.GetFlags = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP Then
                Debug.Print "Sheet Property: " & propname & " : " & propval.GetValue
                ' remove 01-Document Number
                If propval.GetValue = "01-Document Number" Then
                    Dim oProp2 As New AcSmCustomPropertyValue
                    Set oProp2 = Nothing
                    PropFlag = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP
                    oProp2.InitNew comp
                    oProp2.SetFlags PropFlag
                    oProp2.SetValue Null
                    ' Remove this property by setting it to Null
                    comp.GetCustomPropertyBag.SetProperty "01-Document Number", oProp2
                    Set oProp2 = Nothing
                End If
            End If
        End If
    Loop

    GoSub Cleanup

    Exit Sub

Cleanup:
    db.UnlockDb db
    
    Set oSheetSet = Nothing
    Set oSheetSetDb = Nothing
    Return
    
ErrHandler:
    GoSub Cleanup
End Sub

modAddSheetSetProperty

' Add a new Sheet Set property to all sheets in the current Sheet Set

Sub AddSheetSetProperty()
Dim i As Integer
i = SheetSetsOpen
If i > 1 Then
    MsgBox "More than one Sheet Set are open. Make sure only one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
ElseIf i = 0 Then
    MsgBox "No Sheet Set is open. Make sure one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
End If
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    
    If ssm Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 1", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    If dbIter Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 2", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    dbIter.Reset
    
    'get the Database of the first sheetset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    If db Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "No Sheet Set open", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    'get the sheetset
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    If ss Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Cannot get the Sheet Set", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set oSheetIter = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    If oSheetIter Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    ' lock the database
    Dim lockStatus As AcSmLockStatus
    Let lockStatus = db.GetLockStatus
    If lockStatus = AcSmLockStatus_UnLocked Then
      db.LockDb db
    Else
        
        Dim sUserName As String
        Dim sMachineName As String
        db.GetLockOwnerInfo sUserName, sMachineName
        MsgBox "The Sheet Set is locked by " & sUserName & " at " & sMachineName, vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Debug.Print db.GetFileName
       
    Dim compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    ' get component enumerator
    Set compEnum = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    
    Call LoopThroughSheets(compEnum)
    
    ' unlock the database
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Private Sub LoopThroughSheets(ByVal compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent)
    Dim comp As IAcSmComponent
    Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    ' loop through till the component is Nothing
    Do While Not comp Is Nothing
        On Error Resume Next
        Debug.Print comp.GetName & "," & comp.GetDesc
        On Error GoTo 0
        ' if the component is a sheet, then...
        If comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
        
            Dim oProp As New AcSmCustomPropertyValue
            PropFlag = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP

            oProp.InitNew comp
            oProp.SetFlags PropFlag
            oProp.SetValue Chr(160)
            comp.GetCustomPropertyBag.SetProperty "04-Doc Description", oProp
            Set oProp = Nothing
           
        ' if the componnet is a subset then ...
        ElseIf comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
            Dim sset As AcSmSubset
            Set sset = comp
            ' loop through all the sheets.
            Call LoopThroughSheets(sset.GetSheetEnumerator)
        End If
        ' next
        Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    Loop
End Sub

modRenameSSProperty

' Rename Sheet Set property to all sheets in the current Sheet Set
Sub unlockss()
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Sub RenameSheetSetProperty()
Dim i As Integer
i = SheetSetsOpen
If i > 1 Then
    MsgBox "More than one Sheet Set are open. Make sure only one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
ElseIf i = 0 Then
    MsgBox "No Sheet Set is open. Make sure one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
End If
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    
    If ssm Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 1", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    If dbIter Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 2", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    dbIter.Reset
    
    'get the Database of the first sheetset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    If db Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "No Sheet Set open", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    'get the sheetset
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    If ss Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Cannot get the Sheet Set", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set oSheetIter = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    If oSheetIter Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    ' lock the database
    Dim lockStatus As AcSmLockStatus
    Let lockStatus = db.GetLockStatus
    If lockStatus = AcSmLockStatus_UnLocked Then
      db.LockDb db
    Else
        
        Dim sUserName As String
        Dim sMachineName As String
        db.GetLockOwnerInfo sUserName, sMachineName
        MsgBox "The Sheet Set is locked by " & sUserName & " at " & sMachineName, vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Debug.Print db.GetFileName
       
    Dim compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    ' get component enumerator
    Set compEnum = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    
    Call LoopThroughSheets(compEnum)
    
    ' unlock the database
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Private Sub LoopThroughSheets(ByVal compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent)
    Dim comp As IAcSmComponent
    Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    ' loop through till the component is Nothing
    Do While Not comp Is Nothing
        On Error Resume Next
        Debug.Print comp.GetName & "," & comp.GetDesc
        On Error GoTo 0
        ' if the component is a sheet, then...
        If comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then

            Dim propval As AcSmCustomPropertyValue
        
            Set propval = Nothing
            Set propval = comp.GetCustomPropertyBag.GetProperty("04-Document Subtitle")
            sOld = propval.GetValue
            Set propval = Nothing
        
            Dim oProp As New AcSmCustomPropertyValue
            PropFlag = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP

            oProp.InitNew comp
            oProp.SetFlags PropFlag
            oProp.SetValue sOld
            
            comp.GetCustomPropertyBag.SetProperty "04-Doc Subtitle", oProp
            Set oProp = Nothing
              
        ' if the componnet is a subset then ...
        ElseIf comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
            Dim sset As AcSmSubset
            Set sset = comp
            ' loop through all the sheets.
            Call LoopThroughSheets(sset.GetSheetEnumerator)
        End If
        ' next
        Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    Loop
End Sub

modSetCustSheetSetProperty

Dim propvalue As String
Dim propname As String

Sub unlockdbnow()
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    ' unlock the database
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Sub CheckAndCorrectSSProperties()
propvalue = "0"
propname = "10-Last Revision GNETA"
Dim i As Integer
i = SheetSetsOpen
If i > 1 Then
    MsgBox "More than one Sheet Set are open. Make sure only one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
ElseIf i = 0 Then
    MsgBox "No Sheet Set is open. Make sure one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
End If
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    
    If ssm Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 1", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    If dbIter Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 2", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    dbIter.Reset
    
    'get the Database of the first sheetset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    If db Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "No Sheet Set open", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    'get the sheetset
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    If ss Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Cannot get the Sheet Set", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set oSheetIter = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    If oSheetIter Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    ' lock the database
    Dim lockStatus As AcSmLockStatus
    Let lockStatus = db.GetLockStatus
    If lockStatus = AcSmLockStatus_UnLocked Then
      db.LockDb db
    Else
        Dim sUserName As String
        Dim sMachineName As String
        db.GetLockOwnerInfo sUserName, sMachineName
        MsgBox "The Sheet Set is locked by " & sUserName & " at " & sMachineName, vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Debug.Print db.GetFileName

    Dim compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    ' get component enumerator
    Set compEnum = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    
    Call LoopThroughSheets(compEnum)
    
    ' unlock the database
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Private Sub LoopThroughSheets(ByVal compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent)
    Dim comp As IAcSmComponent
    Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    ' loop through till the component is Nothing
    Do While Not comp Is Nothing
        ' if the component is a sheet, then...
        If comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
            Dim s As AcSmSheet
            Set s = comp
            
            Dim propval1 As AcSmCustomPropertyValue
            Dim prop1 As String
        
            Set propval1 = Nothing
            Set propval1 = s.GetCustomPropertyBag.GetProperty(propname)
            If propval1 Is Nothing Then
                ' The property doesn't exist
                Exit Sub
            End If
            Set propval1 = Nothing
            
            Dim propval As New AcSmCustomPropertyValue
            
            Dim bag As IAcSmCustomPropertyBag
            Set bag = s.GetCustomPropertyBag
            PropFlag = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP
            propval.InitNew bag
            propval.SetFlags PropFlag
            propval.SetValue propvalue
            bag.SetProperty propname, propval
            Set propval = Nothing

        ' if the component is a subset then ...
        ElseIf comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
            Dim sset As AcSmSubset
            Set sset = comp
            ' loop through all the sheets.
            Call LoopThroughSheets(sset.GetSheetEnumerator)
        End If
        ' next
        Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    Loop
End Sub                                                       

modCheckAndCorrectSSProperties

' This will check the active sheet set.
' "Sheet number" is overriding the "01-Document Number"
' "Sheet title" is overriding the "03-Document Title"

Sub CheckAndCorrectSSProperties()
Dim i As Integer
i = SheetSetsOpen
If i > 1 Then
    MsgBox "More than one Sheet Set are open. Make sure only one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
ElseIf i = 0 Then
    MsgBox "No Sheet Set is open. Make sure one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
End If
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    
    If ssm Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 1", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    If dbIter Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 2", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    dbIter.Reset
    
    'get the Database of the first sheetset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    If db Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "No Sheet Set open", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    'get the sheetset
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    If ss Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Cannot get the Sheet Set", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set oSheetIter = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    If oSheetIter Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    ' lock the database
    Dim lockStatus As AcSmLockStatus
    Let lockStatus = db.GetLockStatus
    If lockStatus = AcSmLockStatus_UnLocked Then
      db.LockDb db
    Else
        Dim sUserName As String
        Dim sMachineName As String
        db.GetLockOwnerInfo sUserName, sMachineName
        MsgBox "The Sheet Set is locked by " & sUserName & " at " & sMachineName, vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Debug.Print db.GetFileName

    Dim compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    ' get component enumerator
    Set compEnum = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    
    Call LoopThroughSheets(compEnum)
    
    ' unlock the database
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Private Sub LoopThroughSheets(ByVal compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent)
    Dim comp As IAcSmComponent
    Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    ' loop through till the component is Nothing
    Do While Not comp Is Nothing
        ' if the component is a sheet, then...
        If comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
            Dim s As AcSmSheet
            Set s = comp
            Dim sNumber As String
            Dim sTitle As String
            sNumber = s.GetNumber
            sTitle = s.GetTitle
            If sNumber = "" Then sNumber = Chr(160)
            If sTitle = "" Then sTitle = Chr(160)
            
            Dim propval As New AcSmCustomPropertyValue
            Dim bag As IAcSmCustomPropertyBag
            Set bag = s.GetCustomPropertyBag
            PropFlag = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP
            propval.InitNew bag
            propval.SetFlags PropFlag
            propval.SetValue sNumber
            bag.SetProperty "01-Document Number", propval
            Set propval = Nothing
            Set bag = s.GetCustomPropertyBag
            propval.InitNew bag
            propval.SetFlags PropFlag
            propval.SetValue sTitle
            bag.SetProperty "03-Document Title", propval
            Set propval = Nothing
            
        ' if the component is a subset then ...
        ElseIf comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
            Dim sset As AcSmSubset
            Set sset = comp
            ' loop through all the sheets.
            Call LoopThroughSheets(sset.GetSheetEnumerator)
        End If
        ' next
        Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    Loop
End Sub

modCurrentSheet

Private Function GetDictXrecValue(DictName As String, XrecName As String)
On Error GoTo err_label
    Dim oDict As AcadDictionary
    Dim oXRec As AcadXRecord
    Dim dxfCode, dxfData
    Set oDict = ThisDrawing.Dictionaries.item(DictName)
    Set oXRec = oDict.item(XrecName)
    oXRec.GetXRecordData dxfCode, dxfData
    GetDictXrecValue = dxfData(0)
    Exit Function
err_label:
    GetDictXrecValue = Null
End Function

Private Function GetCurrentSheetDwgName() As String
On Error Resume Next
    GetCurrentSheetDwgName = GetDictXrecValue("AcSheetSetData", "SheetDwgName")
End Function

Private Function GetCurrentLayoutName() As String
On Error Resume Next
    GetCurrentLayoutName = GetDictXrecValue("AcSheetSetData", "LayoutName")
End Function

Private Function GetShSetFileName() As String
On Error Resume Next
    GetShSetFileName = GetDictXrecValue("AcSheetSetData", "ShSetFileName")
End Function

Public Function SheetDwgNameOK() As Boolean
    SheetDwgNameOK = (UCase(ThisDrawing.FullName) = UCase(GetCurrentSheetDwgName))
End Function

Private Sub test()
    Debug.Print GetCurrentLayoutName
    Debug.Print GetCurrentSheetDwgName
    Debug.Print SheetDwgNameOK
    Debug.Print GetShSetFileName
End Sub

Public Sub WriteXRec()
  Dim oDict As AcadDictionary
  Dim oXRec As AcadXRecord
  Dim dxfCode(0 To 1) As Integer
  Dim dxfData(0 To 1)
  Set oDict = ThisDrawing.Dictionaries.Add("SampleTest")
  Set oXRec = oDict.AddXRecord("Record1")
  dxfCode(0) = 1: dxfData(0) = "First Value"
  dxfCode(1) = 2: dxfData(1) = "Second Value"
  oXRec.SetXRecordData dxfCode, dxfData
End Sub

Public Sub ReadXRec()
  Dim oDict As AcadDictionary
  Dim oXRec As AcadXRecord
  Dim dxfCode, dxfData
  Set oDict = ThisDrawing.Dictionaries.item("SampleTest")
  Set oXRec = oDict.item("Record1")
  oXRec.GetXRecordData dxfCode, dxfData
  Debug.Print dxfData(0) & vbCrLf & dxfData(1)
End Sub

Sub TestNotWorking()
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    Dim ss2 As AcSmSheetSet
    Dim oSheetIter As IAcSmEnumComponent
    Set ss2 = ssm.GetParentSheetSet(ThisDrawing.FullName, ThisDrawing.ActiveLayout.name, ss)
    Debug.Print ss.GetName
    Set ss = Nothing
    Set ss2 = Nothing
    Set ssm = Nothing
End Sub

modDeleteSSProperty

' Delete Sheet Set property to all sheets in the current Sheet Set
Sub unlockss()
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub


Sub DeleteSheetSetProperty()
Dim i As Integer
i = SheetSetsOpen
If i > 1 Then
    MsgBox "More than one Sheet Set are open. Make sure only one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
ElseIf i = 0 Then
    MsgBox "No Sheet Set is open. Make sure one is open.", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
End If
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As IAcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    
    If ssm Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 1", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    If dbIter Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Something wrong here: 2", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    dbIter.Reset
    
    'get the Database of the first sheetset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    If db Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "No Sheet Set open", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    'get the sheetset
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    If ss Is Nothing Then
        MsgBox "Cannot get the Sheet Set", vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If
    Set oSheetIter = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    If oSheetIter Is Nothing Then
      Return
    End If
    ' lock the database
    Dim lockStatus As AcSmLockStatus
    Let lockStatus = db.GetLockStatus
    If lockStatus = AcSmLockStatus_UnLocked Then
      db.LockDb db
    Else
        
        Dim sUserName As String
        Dim sMachineName As String
        db.GetLockOwnerInfo sUserName, sMachineName
        MsgBox "The Sheet Set is locked by " & sUserName & " at " & sMachineName, vbCritical
        Exit Sub
    End If

    Dim compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    ' get component enumerator
    Set compEnum = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    
    Call LoopThroughSheets(compEnum)
    
    ' unlock the database
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Private Sub LoopThroughSheets(ByVal compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent)
    Dim comp As IAcSmComponent
    Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    ' loop through till the component is Nothing
    Do While Not comp Is Nothing
        ' if the component is a sheet, then...
        If comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
            Debug.Print comp.GetName & "," & comp.GetDesc
            Dim oProp2 As New AcSmCustomPropertyValue
            PropFlag = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP
            oProp2.InitNew comp
            oProp2.SetFlags PropFlag
            oProp2.SetValue Null
            ' Remove this property by setting it to Null
            comp.GetCustomPropertyBag.SetProperty "01-Document Number", oProp2
            Set oProp2 = Nothing
        ' if the componnet is a subset then ...
        ElseIf comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
            Dim sset As AcSmSubset
            Set sset = comp
            ' loop through all the sheets.
            Call LoopThroughSheets(sset.GetSheetEnumerator)
        End If
        ' next
        Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    Loop
End Sub

modSSM

Public Function SheetSetsOpen() As Integer
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As AcSmDatabase
    Dim i As Integer
    
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    dbIter.Reset
    
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    i = 0
    Do While Not db Is Nothing
        i = i + 1
        Set db = Nothing
        Set db = dbIter.Next
    Loop
    SheetSetsOpen = i
    
End Function



' List the Sheet Selections that exists in the current Sheet Set
Sub ListSheetSelections()
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As AcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    Dim sheetSelSet As IAcSmSheetSelSet
    Dim sheetSelSetsEnum As IAcSmEnumSheetSelSet
    
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    dbIter.Reset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    Set sheetSelSetsEnum = ss.GetSheetSelSets.GetEnumerator
    Set sheetSelSet = sheetSelSetsEnum.Next
    Do While Not sheetSelSet Is Nothing
        Debug.Print sheetSelSet.GetName
        Set sheetSelSet = Nothing
        Set sheetSelSet = sheetSelSetsEnum.Next
    Loop
End Sub

' List the Sheet Selections that exists in the current Sheet Set and the Sheets and Subsets
Sub ListSheetSelectionsAndContent()
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As AcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    Dim sheetSelSet As IAcSmSheetSelSet
    Dim sheetSelSetsEnum As IAcSmEnumSheetSelSet
    Dim sheetSelSetEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    Dim item As IAcSmPersist
    Dim oSubSet As AcSmSubset
    Dim oSheet As AcSmSheet
    
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    dbIter.Reset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    Set sheetSelSetsEnum = ss.GetSheetSelSets.GetEnumerator
    Set sheetSelSet = sheetSelSetsEnum.Next
    Do While Not sheetSelSet Is Nothing
        Debug.Print "Sheet Selection: " & sheetSelSet.GetName
        
        Set sheetSelSetEnum = sheetSelSet.GetEnumerator
        sheetSelSetEnum.Reset
        Set item = sheetSelSetEnum.Next
        Do While Not item Is Nothing
            If item.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
                Set oSubSet = item
                Debug.Print " Subset: " & oSubSet.GetName
            ElseIf item.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
                Set oSheet = item
                Debug.Print " Sheet: " & oSheet.GetName
            End If
            Set item = Nothing
            Set item = sheetSelSetEnum.Next
        Loop
        
        Set sheetSelSet = Nothing
        Set sheetSelSet = sheetSelSetsEnum.Next
    Loop
End Sub


' List the Sheet Selections that exists in the current Sheet Set and the Sheets and Subsets
' It also list the sheets that are in the subsets
Sub ListSheetSelectionsAndContent2()
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As AcSmDatabase
    Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
    Dim sheetSelSet As IAcSmSheetSelSet
    Dim sheetSelSetsEnum As IAcSmEnumSheetSelSet
    Dim sheetSelSetEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    Dim item As IAcSmPersist
    Dim oSubSet As AcSmSubset
    Dim oSheet As AcSmSheet
    
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    dbIter.Reset
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    db.LockDb db
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    Set sheetSelSetsEnum = ss.GetSheetSelSets.GetEnumerator
    Set sheetSelSet = sheetSelSetsEnum.Next
    Do While Not sheetSelSet Is Nothing
        Debug.Print "Sheet Selection: " & sheetSelSet.GetName
        If sheetSelSet.GetName = "SCRIPT" Then
            Set sheetSelSetEnum = sheetSelSet.GetEnumerator
            sheetSelSetEnum.Reset
            Set item = sheetSelSetEnum.Next
            Do While Not item Is Nothing
                If item.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
                    Set oSubSet = item
                    Debug.Print " Subset: " & oSubSet.GetName
                    
                    Dim compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
                    ' get component enumerator
                    Set compEnum = oSubSet.GetSheetEnumerator
                    LoopThroughSheets compEnum
                ElseIf item.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
                    Set oSheet = item
                    Debug.Print " Sheet: " & oSheet.GetName
                    
                    ChangeProperties "17-Approved", "JIMMY BERGMARK", oSheet
                    
                End If
                Set item = Nothing
                Set item = sheetSelSetEnum.Next
            Loop
        End If
        
        Set sheetSelSet = Nothing
        Set sheetSelSet = sheetSelSetsEnum.Next
    Loop
     Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
End Sub

Private Sub LoopThroughSheets(ByVal compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent)
    Dim comp As IAcSmComponent
    Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    ' loop through till the component is Nothing
    Do While Not comp Is Nothing
        ' if the component is a sheet, then...
        If comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
            Dim s As AcSmSheet
            Set s = comp
            Debug.Print "  Sheet: " & s.GetName
            
            ChangeProperties "17-Approved", "JIMMY BERGMARK", s
            
            ' Debug.Print s.GetLayout.GetFileName
        ' if the componnet is a subset then ...
        ElseIf comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
            Dim sset As AcSmSubset
            Set sset = comp
            ' loop through all the sheets.
            Call LoopThroughSheets(sset.GetSheetEnumerator)
        End If
        ' next
        Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    Loop
End Sub

Private Sub ChangeProperties(sProperty As String, sValue As String, ByVal oSheet As AcSmSheet)
    Dim propval As New AcSmCustomPropertyValue
    Dim bag As IAcSmCustomPropertyBag
    Set bag = oSheet.GetCustomPropertyBag
    PropFlag = CUSTOM_SHEET_PROP
    
    propval.InitNew bag
    propval.SetFlags PropFlag
    propval.SetValue sValue
    bag.SetProperty sProperty, propval
    Set propval = Nothing
    Set bag = Nothing
End Sub

modSSMChangeNumberTitle

Dim ssm As ACSMCOMPONENTS16Lib.AcSmSheetSetMgr
Dim db As AcSmDatabase
Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet

Sub changeNameNumber()
    Set ssm = CreateObject("AcSmComponents.AcSmSheetSetMgr")
    ' open the database
    Set db = ssm.OpenDatabase("C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2005\Sample\Sheet Sets\Architectural\IRD Addition.dst", True)
    ' lock the database
    Call db.LockDb(db)

    ' get the sheetset
    Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
    Dim compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent
    ' get component enumerator
    Set compEnum = ss.GetSheetEnumerator
    Call LoopThroughSheets(compEnum)
    ' unlock the database
    Call db.UnlockDb(db, True)
    ' close
    Call ssm.Close(db)
End Sub

Private Sub LoopThroughSheets(ByVal compEnum As IAcSmEnumComponent)
    Dim comp As IAcSmComponent
    Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    ' loop through till the component is Nothing
    Do While Not comp Is Nothing
        On Error Resume Next
        Debug.Print comp.GetName & "," & comp.GetDesc
        On Error GoTo 0
        ' if the component is a sheet, then...
        If comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSheet" Then
            Dim s As AcSmSheet
            Set s = comp
            ' set the new number
            s.SetNumber "0000"
            ' set the new name
            s.SetTitle "MySheet"
        ' if the componnet is a subset then ...
        ElseIf comp.GetTypeName = "AcSmSubset" Then
            Dim sset As AcSmSubset
            Set sset = comp
            ' loop through all the sheets.
            Call LoopThroughSheets(sset.GetSheetEnumerator)
        End If
        ' next
        Set comp = compEnum.Next()
    Loop
End Sub

modWhoIsLockingSS

' Show who is locking the Sheet Set
' Doesn't seem to work because when db is nothing it is locked and it cannot get the lock owner info

Sub WhoIsLocking()
    Dim ssm As New AcSmSheetSetMgr
    Dim dbIter As IAcSmEnumDatabase
    Dim db As AcSmDatabase
    Dim sUserName As String
    Dim sMachineName As String
    
    Set dbIter = ssm.GetDatabaseEnumerator
    dbIter.Reset
    
    Set db = dbIter.Next
    Do While Not db Is Nothing
        Dim lockStatus As AcSmLockStatus
        lockStatus = db.GetLockStatus
        If lockStatus = AcSmLockStatus_Locked_Remote Then
            Dim ss As AcSmSheetSet
            Dim ssn As String
            Set ss = db.GetSheetSet
            ssn = ss.GetName
            db.GetLockOwnerInfo sUserName, sMachineName
            MsgBox "The Sheet Set '" & ssn & "' is locked by " & sUserName & " at " & sMachineName, vbExclamation
        End If
        Debug.Print db.GetFileName
        Set db = Nothing
        Set db = dbIter.Next
    Loop
    Set dbIter = Nothing
End Sub

DWG TrueView 2007 major problems

There are some serious problems with the newly released DWG TrueView 2007 with support for AutoCAD\ADT DWG 2007 files that I recently blogged about.

You only have the chance once to make DWG TrueView use hardware acceleration and after that you cannot make changes because there is no way to start the dialog box other than with this registry hack. Change the value of the registry key below to 0 (zero) to be able to get the Performance Tuner notification. Then you can right click on the icon and select Launch Tuning dialog.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\DWG TrueView\R3\DWGVIEWR-5001:409\3DGS Configuration\GSHEIDI10\FirstRun

If you have multiple users using a PC or multiple login accounts DWG TrueView does not play well.

Secondary install is started if a new windows user logs in and starts to use DWG TrueView for the first time. The problem with that are many.

First this comes up: --------------------------- DWG TrueView --------------------------- This version of DWG TrueView was not installed properly and some features may not run correctly. You should reinstall DWG TrueView immediately to make sure all features are working properly. Do you wish to continue anyway? --------------------------- Yes No --------------------------- Selecting No gives: --------------------------- DWG TrueView Error Aborting --------------------------- FATAL ERROR: Unhandled e06d7363h Exception at 7c81eb33h --------------------------- OK --------------------------- Selecting Yes gives: --------------------------- DWG TrueView --------------------------- Unable to load profile file. Some profile information saved in last session may not be restored. --------------------------- OK --------------------------- If you launch the tuning dialog box the following error comes up several times: --------------------------- DWG TrueView --------------------------- Please enter an integer between 1 and 60. --------------------------- OK --------------------------- If you start Tools>Options DWG TrueView locks up completely If you then try to start by double-clicking a dwg file you might get this one: --------------------------- DWG TrueView Error Aborting --------------------------- FATAL ERROR: Unhandled Access Violation Reading 0x0020 Exception at 7cb4e1h --------------------------- OK ---------------------------

The only solution is to uninstall and install again. And if another user logs into the PC uninstall and install is again needed (reinstall or repair doesn't help). If the user account does not have administrative rights to install DWG TrueView will hardly work at all. For example Power Users.

As soon as I find or is notified about a solution to these problems I will post about it. Until then I will not install DWG TrueView unless really needed.

Facility of the Year Award

I have received the information that Baxter has won the ISPE Facility of the year award 2006! Pharmadule has provided the production facility which was the most important part of the project and we also made the entry proposal in Baxter's name.

"The reason for Baxter/Pharmadule winning was innovation - there were two other facilities that were really awesome but our modular approach was the innovation they thought has made the best contribution to the pharmaceutical industry this year when it comes to production facilities." - Henrik Cornell M.Sc., Senior Vice President.

I was the CAD Manager at Pharmadule Emtunga on this very successful project that started about two years ago. AutoCAD (at that time 2004 and later 2005) was the 3D CAD platform using Architectural Desktop (2004-2005) for the building, Rebis Structural and later ProSteel 3D for the steel structure, MagiCAD HPV for HVAC and UtilityPiping, MagiCAD El for Electrical, Instrumentation and Telecommunication, Rebis AutoPLANT for Process Piping and NavisWorks that was used for the 3D coordination and clash checking.

Below is a link to the official website of the ISPE Facility of the Year ward.
http://www.facilityoftheyear.org/

AutoCAD, ADT, DWF and AutoLISP resources

DWF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) http://dwf.blogs.com/articles/DWF_FAQ.htm The new home of AfraLisp, the AutoLISP resource for AutoCAD users www.afralisp.net CADTutor the AutoCAD tutorial site with free content www.cadtutor.net and a forum http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/ Another forum worth knowing about is http://www.theswamp.org/ with topics for AutoLISP, VBA, VB, .NET and a lot more The Autodesk ADT discussion groups are consolidated http://discussion.autodesk.com/index2.jspa?categoryID=10

Vespa Beta

I hope I can squeeze in some time to try the Vespa Beta that Shaan just blogged about. I had the chance to try it at AU and it looked promising. Let's see... What is the answer Shaan? "Which in the above is hand drawn and which is by computer?" I cannot tell.

Bloggers about ADT 2007

I just read Robin Capper's 2007: A ADT/ABS Space Odyssey that describes the new unified space object. This is one of the major reasons why you should upgrade to ADT 2007. To be able to create spaces for all rooms in a drawing within seconds and to have the spaces associated with the bounding walls and objects is a real time saver. Visual Styles in AutoCAD/Architectural Desktop includes a video showing what Visual Styles is about.

A new blog BIMology by Tomislav Zigo starts with a post about Multi Line Schedule Tag in ADT 2007.

Matt Dillon also has a fair post about his Position on "Revit vs. ADT" or was it ADT vs. Revit. It's not specific about ADT 2007 but worth reading anyway. I agree that ADT is more than only AutoCAD for Architects.

If you want to know about the great Enhanced Property Data Features in ADT 2007 David Koch has posted 5 parts about it. Let's see if more is coming about it.
I have also a post on the Scheduling Enhancements in ADT 2007. And as the last tip the Palette Auto-hide Speed freeware is working great in AutoCAD 2007 and ADT 2007 as well.

Do I recommend upgrading to ADT 2007? Sure I do. But as always it's really up to how you use ADT and your environment and other factors. Remember that it's a new DWG format so you will not be able to use the ADT objects once saved in 2007 in older versions.

DWG TrueView with support for the DWG 2007 file format

DWG TrueView is available now. It's based on AutoCAD 2007. Get it at http://www.autodesk.com/dwgtrueview. It's free by the way but nothing is said on the file size of the download. It's 119 MB. I wonder what happens if I select "No thanks, I do not want to receive email updates from Autodesk." If I previously have selected Yes will my email now be removed? Notice also that "An authorized Autodesk reseller partner will contact you..."

Annual Aseptic Technology Symposium

Pharmadule (where I work as CAD Manager), Bosch and BOC Edwards are this year organizing the Third Annual Aseptic Technology Symposium in the US. This year Pharmadule is the main sponsor of the event that will take place in South San Francisco, CA May 17-19. BOC Edwards and BOSCH are co-sponsors this year. Contact the Event Manager by clicking on the logo below to get official invitation and registration kit.

Updated ADT 2007 .NET API HardwiredStyles Samples

Download the corrected AecHardwiredStylesMgd samples for ADT 2007 posted to AUGI Forums here. The locations are here: C:\Program Files\Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2007\Sample\VB.NET\AecHardwiredStylesMgd C:\Program Files\Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2007\Sample\CS.NET\AecHardwiredStylesMgd

Debug .NET dll's in AutoCAD 2007

By trial and error I early found working in Visual Studio 2005/VB.NET that I needed to add the working folder (C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2007) to the Working directory in Properties>Debug>Start Options.

There are also a couple of other solutions to the problem that is triggered because acmgd.dll is now demand loaded at startup by default.

Change LOADCTRLS to 0xc (12) in the registry
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R17.0\ACAD-5001:409\Applications\AcMgd

Or don't copy acmgd to the debug/bin folder local. Change the Copy Local property for admgd.dll to False.

By the way observe that you now can use edit and continue in VB.NET 2005 even when debuging a dll loaded in AutoCAD. It's great!

Create a polyline in modelspace based on a viewport

Thanks goes to Tom Beauford that added support for twisted views when the question came up in this AUGI forum thread. Updated download available here: http://www.jtbworld.com/lisp/vp-outline.htm

Wblock supports saving down to older versions in AutoCAD 2007

To make it easier for those needing to work with older file formats of DWG files you have been able to automatically save to older versions. Now the Wblock command also respects this setting. It's also possible to manually specify the file type in Wblock (Write Block) using the browse for file name and path dialog box. The setting is available at Tools>Options>Open and Save>Save as.

When reference editing a drawing it keeps the version of the xreffed drawing. You will get this dialog box message if you Refedit (reference edit) something other than a 2007 DWG: "The Xref selected references a previous drawing file format. Edits saved back to the Xref file will be in the release format of the referenced drawing file."

These are good news for companies that might not be able to upgrade all users to AutoCAD 2007 at the same time and having to use older versions during a transition time.

JetStream v5 from NavisWorks Released

NavisWorks has released a major version of JetStream. It's a great software that we use to review large 3D models created in AutoCAD, ADT, MagiCAD, ProSteel 3D, PDMS and other 3D software packages. The models are so large that we cannot even open them in AutoCAD because it cannot handle these models even with 2GB RAM. But with JetStream it's a piece of cake to navigate in them, finding clashes automatically and manually. Based on my experience of the product and what's added to these version I'm sure we'll soon upgrade and deploy. It has my recommendations. Looking at some of the enhancements I quickly found that these where relevant directly for us:

• SwitchBack - take camera views directly back to the CAD package
• Selection Set Management Improvements - sorting and folder hierarchies
• Viewpoint sorting - sort viewpoints list
• Selection Tree sorting - sort selection tree items
• Allow NWC/NWD close file ASAP - allow other people access to the files whilst navigating
• Absolute coordinates display - visible XYZ position of camera view
• Full-screen mode - remove all interface controls, expanding the 3D view to full screen
• TimeLiner Playback without TimeLiner license - play TimeLiner simulations without the need for a full TimeLiner license
• SwitchBack - take clashing objects directly back to the CAD package for fast clash resolution
• Multiple Selections/Multiple Changes - change status settings on multiple clash items simultaneously
• Column sorting - sort clash lists based on column data
• Run without Install - Run Freedom without needing to install
• Option to prevent Object Properties from being exported - additional security by preventing CAD-originating properties from being exported
• ...

Dont show me this again" in AutoCAD

http://blog.jtbworld.com/2006/04/show-me-this-again-in-autocad-2007-yes.html

AutoCAD 2007 Hotfixes - New Features Workshop and Activation Update

Two hotfixes so far.

Hotfix - New Features Workshop Update - This hotfix provides some updated content in the New Features Workshop. Something that is not yet in the Readme is that you might need to do this. Right click on the file acad_nfw.chm after downloaded and select Properties. Press the button Unblock. "Security: This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer."

Hotfix - Autodesk Activation Update - After you activate and then restart your product, you receive error 0.1.0011 or 11.1.6011 and are required to reactivate. This problem can occur for Autodesk's 2006 & 2007-based products on computers with SATA Raid controllers. Important: If this update is applied to a computer that does not have a SATA Raid controller, the license on that computer will be broken. You will need to reactivate the product to repair the license.

"Don't show me this again" in AutoCAD 2007, yes, no, I changed my mind

When you first start AutoCAD 2007 some dialog boxes shows up to help you to easier learn new features. Without looking to much you simply check the checkbox for "Don't show me this again". Later (seconds or days) you want to see this dialogbox again. Here are some ways.

One way that restores many is to check the "Show all warning messages" checkbox in Tools>Options>System. Another one is to reset the profile completely using Tools>Options>Profiles>Reset.

The following tips requires that you are familiar with the registry.

The first thing that comes up is a dialog box Migrate Custom Settings. A previous version of AutoCAD (version 2000, 2000i, 2002, 2004, 2005 or 2006) is installed on this system. You can migrate settings and files from your previous product release to AutoCAD 2007.

When you install AutoCAD you can select if you want this feature to be installed or not.

If you accept the Migration it's saved in the registry at this location: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R17.0\ACAD-5001:409] "AutoMigrate"=dword:00000000

If you press Cancel in the Migration dialog box the value will be set to 2.

If you change the AutoMigrate value to 1 (AutoCAD has to be closed) the Migration will start again next time you start AutoCAD.

The second thing that comes up is a dialog box about Workspaces that ask you to "Choose a task-based workspace from the list below to set the initial workspace and the default drawing template file."

If you don't want to see this dialog box again it's saved to the registry and is saved to the profile.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R17.0\ACAD-5001:409\Profiles\AutoCAD 2007\Drawing Window] "MoreHideWarningDialogs"=dword:00002000

AutoCAD 2007 above is the name of the profile. If you want to see this dialog box you should take the value for MoreHideWarningDialogs and subtract 2000 from it. Observe that 2000 is hexadecimal.

Selection Preview Cycling comes up if you for example holds down CTRL and selects a line. It says: "To cycle through overlapping objects, roll over the object on top, then hold SHIFT and press SPACEBAR repeatedly. To cycle through overlapping subobjects (faces, edges, and vertices) on 3D Solids, roll over the subobject on top, then hold CTRL and press SPACEBAR repeatedly."

If you don't want to see this one 200 is added to the MoreHideWarningDialogs value.

Walk and Fly Navigation Settings has the value 1000.

These are just some of the values for MoreHideWarningDialogs. When you find a new one you wonder about or know about just add a comment to this post.

If changes are made to MoreHideWarningDialogs in the registry the profile must not be current or active. Either close AutoCAD or change to another profile temporary.

Why the focus on 3D in AutoCAD 2007

Eric Stover, AutoCAD Product Manager explains why in the Discussion Groups.

"First, we look at a variety of factors when planning the next release. We also have a 'live' roadmap for the next 3 releases - a roadmap which constantly gets updated along the way due to changing customer requirements, new AUGI wishlist, new O/S parameters, our own vertical product requirements, to name a few of the variables." ... read more here.

Thanks for letting us know Eric!

e-Learning for AutoCAD 2007

I noticed that e-Learning for AutoCAD 2007 now is available. It's free for subscription customers. Not so much about the new stuff though. It's more of an update of the previous lessons. But for some users it can be a great start to get familiar with the the features below.

• Customizing Toolbars and the Keyboard (learn to use CUI)
• Working with Blocks (Dynamic Blocks)
• Working with Tool Palettes
• Working with Sheet Sets

It's found from within AutoCAD>Help>Subscription e-Learning Catalog