Between the Lines

Autodesk - AutoCAD - Features & Specifications Mentions the New Support Windows XP SP2 for AutoCAD 2005

Recommended System Requirements

• Intel® Pentium® III processor or later, 800 MHz
  
• Microsoft® Windows® XP (Professional, Home Edition, or Tablet PC Edition,
  including Service Pack 1 and 2) or Windows 2000 Professional
  
• 256 MB RAM
  
• 300 MB free disk space for installation
  
• 1024x768 VGA with true color
  
• Mouse, trackball, or compatible pointing device
  
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
  
• CD-ROM drive

NOTE: AutoCAD 2005 has been tested with, and is supported for, Windows XP Service Pack 2.

The preceding requirements are recommended for effective use of AutoCAD
2005 software.

This is for AutoCAD 2005 and not the vertical AutoCAD Based Products.

Autodesk Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Building Systems and the 3D DWF Publishing Feature

Check out Chris Yanchar's blog post on the new Beta for 3D DWF from ADT & ABS. Autodesk Architectural Desktop and Autodesk Building Systems subscription customers are invited to download a beta version of the the 3D DWF Publishing feature.

Between the Walls: ADT/ABS 3D DWF Beta Available!!!

CADTutor - Michael's Corner - August 2004 - The AutoCAD UCS

CADTutor - Michael's Corner - August 2004

UCS: Not Just for 3D Drawings"In an effort to dispel the overriding myth that the UCS deserves to be turned Off unless you’re working in 3D, I’d like to show you a very simple yet powerful 2D application.Life doesn’t hand us perfectly orthogonal drawings all the time. For those unique situations – or not so unique situations in the mapping and civil engineering fields – the following procedure will enable you to bring a non-orthogonal line to be horizontal in the drawing window."

AutoCAD 2005 Service Pack 1 Releases Today

It will be available by the AutoCAD Communication Center notification for live updates and also on:

AutoCAD 2005 Support Downloads
http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-updates
AutoCAD LT 2005 Support Downloads
http://www.autodesk.com/autocadlt-updates

The AutoCAD 2005 Service Pack 1 ReadMe link Click Here

The AutoCAD 2005 Service Pack 1 Download
The AutoCAD LT 2005 Service Pack 1 Download

Who Should Install the Service Pack?

Service Pack 1 is for the following Autodesk products running on all
supported operating systems and languages:

• AutoCAD® 2005
  
• AutoCAD LT® 2005
  
• Autodesk® AutoCAD® Revit® Series

Summary of the Primary Issues Resolved by the Service Pack

Actions That No Longer Generate Fatal Errors

• Closing a sheet without saving it after adding a view and saving the resource drawing.
  
• Exiting the program with the Customize dialog box open.
  
• Using SHADEMODE with XCLIP on and textures enabled.
  
• Switching to model space viewport with UCSFOLLOW set to 1.
  
• Navigating to certain DWF™ files in Windows Explorer.
  
• Using HYPERLINK in certain drawings with the application window maximized.
  

General Issues

• A layer filter can now have a name that starts with an accented character.
  
• In the Options dialog box, Profiles tab, clicking Add to List no longer incorrectly removes backslashes in a UNC path.
  
• In DWF files, hyperlink fields with SHX fonts no longer fail.
  
• A hatch no longer bleeds when you change the hatch type.
  
• Using the PEDIT Spline option with a 3D polyline no longer generates an error when you use AUDIT or RECOVER.
  
• A problem that caused the program to sometimes lock up during startup after menu or toolbar changes has been fixed.
  
• An issue that caused the screen menu to collapse under certain circumstances has been fixed.
  
• Edges on Architectural Desktop objects and other custom objects are now displayed correctly when SHADEMODE is set to Gouraud or Flat shading with edges on.
  
• The message “Unable to find the asmm80enures.dll” is no longer displayed when modeler dlls are being loaded on computers with mixed language environment.
  

Block Issues

• Changing properties of block attributes in BATTMAN no longer makes unwanted changes to color.
  
• Blocks with similar names are now displayed correctly in the QSELECT list.
  
• Property fields in a block attribute now resolve correctly after INSERT.
  
• Block attribute text that contains fields now mirrors correctly.
  
• The Save Changes prompt is now correctly displayed after you use the Write Block dialog box.

Dimension Issues

• Child dimension styles are sorted correctly in the Dimension Styles Manager.
  
• Issues with directions and positions of arrowheads and text have been fixed.
  

Plotting Issues

• The “Command still active” message is no longer displayed when you try to close a drawing after you have canceled a PLOT command that was started with a maximized viewport active.
  
• The CALCOMP8.HDI driver, which plotted only to file, now plots normally.
  
• HIDEPRECISION can now be set for background plots.

Performance Issues

• The Layer dialog box and the Plot dialog box now open faster.
  
• Performance is improved for use of ETRANSMIT for part of a large sheet set.
  
• A slowing of performance when multiple users are editing a sheet set at the same time has been improved.
  
• A problem that caused the program to use 99% of the system resources if you are using VBA applications and have the View toolbar open has been resolved.
  

Text Issues

• Switching from one text style with a Big Font to another no longer causes the SHX font to change unexpectedly.
  
• Typing over selected multiline text in the text editor no longer applies the color of the selected text to the new text.
  
• Misalignment issues with Japanese text have been resolved.
  
• Issues with inappropriate display of Czech, Latvian, and other language characters have been resolved.

VBA Issues

• Side-by-side installation of AutoCAD 2004 and AutoCAD 2005 no longer causes errors in VBA scripts.
  
• A REVCLOUD conflict with VBAIDE has been resolved.

Xref Issues

• Certain xrefs whose relative paths did not resolve now resolve correctly.
  
• Relative paths for certain xrefs no longer change when xrefs are loaded.
  

A Really Cool 3D DWF File! "Le triangle impossible"

Patrick Emin of the French CAD web site www.cadxp.com sent me a really cool looking 3D DWF file.

The DWF file was only 26Kb in size.

Download the DWF file or the DWG file.
View the DWF if you installed the free Autodesk DWF Viewer.

Cheers,
-Shaan

SIGGRAPH 2004 Papers Now on the Web

Location of papers posted and maintained by Tim Rowley: Click Here

Some Example Subjects:

Making Papercraft Toys From Meshes Using Strip-Based Approximate Unfolding

Curves & Surfaces

Interacting With Images

Interactive Digital Photomontage

Identifying & Sketching the Future

VisualIDs: Automatic Distinctive Icons for Desktop Interfaces

Motion Doodles: An Interface for Sketching Character Motion (thesis)

Smoke, Water, & Goop

Video Tooning (video) (This one is very interesting)

Shape Analysis

Modeling by Example

Non-photorealistic Camera: Depth Edge Detection and Stylized Rendering Using a Multi-Flash Camera

Large Meshes and GPU Programming

And many many more presentation papers from SIGGRAPH 2004.

Hurricane Charley and Florida

I received the below PowerPoint slide show from a customer in Naples Florida. He was one of the lucky who had his home and family spared.

From Lucio Da Silva:
"Isto é para nos lembrar o quanto somos pequenos perante a força da natureza...
This is to remind us how small we are front the power of Nature..."

The PowerPoint slide show images sure tell a sobering story of natures fury.
Download PowerPoint Slide Show 2MB

If there is anyway I can help from here in California besides suggesting donations to the Red Cross, please email me.

The Hurricane Charley - Red Cross Donation Page Click Here

Sincerely,
Shaan Hurley

AutoCAD® 2005 based products hang during installation on Windows® XP SP2 RC2

Knowledge Base Article:
Published date: 2004-07-15
ID: TS85426

Applies only to:
AutoCAD® Electrical 2005
AutoCAD® Mechanical 2005
Autodesk® Mechanical Desktop® 2005

Issue
A problem has been identified when attempting to install an AutoCAD® 2005 based product on a system running SP2 RC2 for Windows® XP. During the installation process, at the point were it says to click Next to start the installation, the installation hangs indefinitely.

Solution
The above three AutoCAD® 2005 based products cannot be installed on systems running SP2 RC2 for Windows® XP. SP2 RC2 must be taken back to the official Microsoft SP1 before proceeding.

Autodesk and Microsoft are working on a resolution.
This does not affect AutoCAD® 2004/2005 just the three above AutoCAD® 2005 based vertical products.

Cheers,
-Shaan

Graphics Card Selection Importance Reminder

This subject comes up from time to time so I thought I would just add my two cents worth and save hopefully some from the pain.

When selecting a new computer to use for CAD, Video, or Graphics editing use, please do not just select the default graphics cards (GPU) listed by the computer manufacturer. In most cases the default graphics card is the cheapest and definitely not intended for heavy graphics usage. Most default cards are tuned for regular business applications or video gaming. While video gaming can be demanding on a video card, it does not require the same requirements as CAD or graphics applications like full OpenGL support. Most gaming cards like the NVIDIA GeForce from NVIDIA support only a subset of OpenGL as well as some other limits that do not impact usage for general usage or gaming but definitely affect your performance and stability when using them in CAD. NVIDIA will tell you the only graphics card line that is designed for CAD are the Quadro line as the Geforce is only for general use and gaming. Many other vendors will provide their supported application groups on their web sites.

Some software vendors will also provide a list of tested cards such as the Autodesk Inventor or Discreet 3DS Max teams. This is a very extensive effort as not only do the graphics cards change quite frequently but so do their drivers.

Autodesk Inventor® Hardware Web Site
Supported Video Card Certification Program for 3ds max

Most people I know when specifying a new computer look primarily at the CPU, RAM and hard drive but more and more these days the graphics card is as important as the CPU. In fact in the future with the next Microsoft Windows operating system code named Longhorn, the GPU handles much more of the computing than in prior releases of Windows making the graphics card quality even more important.

My personal rule of thumb is that if the graphics card manufacture is a virtual unknown or the card is under US$100 then I am making a dangerous gamble. Most of the high performance cards are above US$200 which may seem expensive but compare that to the slower performance, instability, and other support issues and the $200 is a very cheap investment and cheaper than most current hard drives.

A Shaan Analogy Alert: When buying a high performance race car, you should not go cheap on the engine. You cannot select low cost 4 cylinder alternative to the high performance 8 cylinder engine, and still realistically expect to win or even finish a race.

Don’t try to save money on the graphics card as it will come back to haunt you in performance, stability and image quality all of which are extremely important to those using CAD.

Cheers,
-Shaan

2350 Miles by Plane and Car in 4 Days Last Week

I had a very busy week last week starting on Thursday with SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City Utah on Friday, Idaho Falls, Idaho on Saturday, and then Sunday driving all the way from Idaho Falls, Idaho to my home in the San Francisco North Bay area. I ended up so tired by the time I reached Reno Nevada, that I stayed the night there at a casino hotel and drove the remaining 4 hours on Monday.

Highlights:

SIGGRAPH was a great show of all of the latest in graphics

Saw Reverend Jesse Jackson on Friday in the Salt Lake City Airport. He appeared to be meeting with the US Senator Orrin Hatch.

I got some visiting with family in as well as plenty of time listening to my kids in the long 1000 mile car ride.

Witnessed some heavy rain showers in the deserts of Nevada.

I will start posting some photos of this trip including SIGGRAPH later today in my Daily Grind Photo Blog.

Now I just need to catch up on my email and tasks.

Cheers,
-Shaan

How to call acedGetPoint from VB.NET.

Tip By Autodesk AutoCAD Developer - Albert Szilvasy

The code:

<StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)> _
Public Structure ads_point
    Public x As Double
    Public y As Double
    Public z As Double
End Structure
<DllImport("acad.exe", CharSet:=CharSet.Ansi, CallingConvention:=CallingConvention.Cdecl)> _
Public Shared Function acedGetPoint(<InAttribute(), MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.AsAny)> ByVal start As Object, ByVal prompt As String, ByRef result As ads_point) As Int32
End Function

<CommandMethod("acedGetPoint")> _
Public Sub test()
    Dim pt As New ads_point()
    acedGetPoint(Nothing, "gimme a point:", pt)
    acedGetPoint(pt, "gimme another one:", pt)
End Sub

Why should I move from AutoCAD LT to AutoCAD 2005

This Autodesk White Paper answers the burning question "Why should I move from AutoCAD LT to AutoCAD 2005?"

The paper examines six key areas where AutoCAD® 2005 software can help improve the design process.

Productivity Features

3D design capabilities

Presentation graphics

Tools for the CAD manager

Tools for the IT manager

Customization

Download the White Paper

Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2

The new and extensive Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be live on Windows Update and Automatic Updates on August 25th.

We have tested AutoCAD 2005 with Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, and found no issues but I cannot speak for the AutoCAD based or vertical products. There is one minor issue discovered with the Autodesk DWF Viewer and the solution is documented and will be posted to the online knowledge base at http://support.autodesk.com. You can find details of the minor issue and the solution in the Autodesk DWF Viewer discussion group. Click Here

I have been running the Windows XP Service Pack 2 for over 6 months and it made my system faster, more secure, and more stable. I have used it with most Autodesk products with no issues noticed except the info bar alerts when viewing DWF but that is minor and Microsoft and Autodesk are researching it.

Some have reported AutoCAD as having problems with Microsoft Windows XP SP2 such as Ralph Grabowski in his WorldCAD Access blog. This is misleading as the problem is just that when using the FTP option in the File Open dialog is blocked under Windows XP SP2. This is expected as there is a firewall built-in and activated in the new Windows XP SP2 and this would be the same from other activated firewalls as the FTP access requires port 21. Microsoft may hopefully be clearing up this statement and confusion in their knowledge base article as there is no specific issues with AutoCAD and Microsoft Windows XP SP2. I spoke with Microsoft just this morning, as they work very closely with us and in fact use AutoCAD and other autodesk products in their Operating System and Service Pack testing labs.

Microsoft Windows XP SP2 is a step in the right direction for security on the number one operating system Windows XP and should not be ignored nor put off as it adds many new abilities and some serious security enhancements.

For more on the Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2:

Installing Service Pack 2

Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) Support Center

Top 10 Reasons to Deploy Windows XP Service Pack 2

List of fixes included in Windows XP Service Pack 2

The New Wireless Network Setup Wizard in Windows XP Service Pack 2

What to do after installing Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Using programs and hardware with Service Pack 2 (SP2)

Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2

Cheers,
-Shaan

See Your Video as a Cartoon?

From the latest Microsoft Research news. This is actually pretty neat and it will be interesting to see if and when it develops into a real application.

Turn video into a cartoon-like video.

-Shaan

Thursday at SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles and then more travel

I am attending the SIGGRAPH event in Los Angeles today Thursday August 12th, 2004. This is a huge show in the graphics industry. All sorts of cool things are shown down here as well as weird things. If you are at SIGGRAPH Thursday and want to meet up, just email me shaan@autodesk.com.

I will post some photos when I get back.

SIGGRAPH Information

http://www.siggraph.org/s2004/

Exhibition Hall

Schedule of Programs & Events

Fact Sheets

2004 SIGGRAPH Blog

2004 SIGGRAPH Photos

On Friday the 13th I am headed by plane for Salt Lake City, Utah. Then on Saturday headed by car to Idaho. And then finally on Sunday driving all the way back to the San Francisco Bay area which is about a 14-15 hour drive. Hopefully by Sunday night I get back in the Bay area just in time to get rested up for another busy week.

Cheers,
-Shaan

LIVE on autodesk.com - VIZ 2005 New Features Workshop

Learn New Features Fast

Learn about the new features in Autodesk® VIZ in the interactive New Features Workshop. Feature demonstrations, tutorials, and overviews get you up and running fast. You can also access the New Features Workshop from the software’s Help menu.

Check this out.
VIZ 2005 New Features Workshop

AutoCAD 2005 White Papers from IMAGINiT

Autodesk Reseller IMAGINiT Technologies Canada has prepared a couple of very helpful white papers on AutoCAD 2005.

AutoCAD 2005 - New Features White Paper

AutoCAD 2005 - Sheet Sets
"Most users agree the single most improved item in AutoCAD 2005 is the addition of sheet sets. This powerful new features adapts to the way your department works. This whitepaper will show you the benefits."

Autodesk DWF Composer
"The DWF format and the release of DWF Composer promises to revolutionize the way drawings are transmitted, marked up and returned. Make sure you understand the benefits, they could be huge."

Subscribe to the IMAGINIT .eZine Here

Cheers,
-Shaan

AutoCAD Express Tool System Variable Editor "SYSVDLG"

Have you ever wanted to read about a system variables current settings without going to the online Help or how to save and restore system variables on your or another machine? In this quick article I will explain the Express Tool System Variable Editor just to show you what it does.

You must have the AutoCAD Express Tools installed to use this tool.

The System Variable Editor allows you to view, edit and save system variable settings.

Express menu: Tools > System Variable Editor
AutoCAD Command line: SYSVDLG

The dialog shows you the entire list of AutoCAD system variables. You can review and change values and search with filters such as *DIM will show all system variables that start with DIM. The best use of this tool is to save a file with all of your current system variable settings. You can then restore the system variables on this or other machines.

Initial Value Displays the initial value of the system variable highlighted in the list box. This is the value the system variable has in a new drawing.
Saved In Displays where the value of the highlighted system variable is saved.
Type Displays the type of the highlighted system variable; for example, integer, real, or string.

You can save the system variable settings using the Save button and then save to a SVF or even a SCR script that can be ran from the AutoCAD command line. You can save all, filtered, or a selected list (highlighted) of system variables. If you saved the output to a SVF file, you can use the Read button from the System Variable Editor to read in an restore the system variables.

From the System Variable Editor Help:
No changes are saved to the drawing until you choose OK. All pending changes can be discarded with the Cancel button. SYSVDLG will validate new system variable values as they are changed.

Two files, defaults.svf and defaults.scr, are installed in the Express directory along with the System Variable Editor. These files contain AutoCAD's the default system variable settings for a new installation of AutoCAD. To return AutoCAD to a 'pristine' system variable state you can either read the defaults.svf file into SYSVDLG or run the defaults.scr file from the AutoCAD command line using the SCRIPT command. Be aware that this will overwrite any system variable settings in the drawing you are currently editing.

Cheers,
-Shaan

Over 100,000 Visitors!

This is a little belated, but two weeks ago this blog surpassed 100,000 visitors. This is a good amount of traffic for a blog that is not even a year old and does not even account for those reading the blog remotely via RSS aggregators.

Keep spreading the word, Read Between the Lines.

Cheers,
-Shaan

Troubleshoot Boot and Other Issues on Microsoft Windows NT4, 2000, XP, 2003

Mark Russinovich of sysinternals.com gave a presentation at Microsoft TechED in Europe recently on troubleshooting Boot and other issues on Microsoft Windows NT4, 2000, XP and 2003 server.

Topics Covered:

Crashes and hangs during boot

Error messages during boot

Errors messages during the logon process

Author Background:

Mark Russinovich is the co-author of Inside Windows 2000, 3rd Ed. with David Solomon

Contributing Editor and NT Internals columnist for Windows and .NET Magazine

Creator of www.sysinternals.com

Co-founder and chief software architect of Winternals Software www.winternals.com

A must read Powerpoint presentation for those who troubleshoot Microsoft Windows NT4, 2000, XP, and 2003 Server systems.
Download PowerPoint Presentation 1.8MB

Sneak Peak at New AutoCAD 2005 White Papers

We are providing a sneak peak of three white papers on AutoCAD 2005. The following white papers for AutoCAD 2005 are draft versions with the final versions and more to be announced very soon.

Select and Download the draft White Papers in PDF format below:
Automating Plot Stamp Data
Automating Titleblock Data
Automating Label and Callout Data

Final versions of white papers for AutoCAD are posted here when released.

Cheers,
-Shaan

Autodesk Would Like to Meet with Customers in Your Area

The AutoCAD Product Design & Usability team would like to invite you to join us for a design briefing of the future version of AutoCAD. We want to share with you our designs-in-progress and ask for your input as we put the finishing touches on what is going to be a very popular release.

The Design Validation sessions are 2.5 hours in length. We’ll begin with introductions then move quickly to the main event. We’ll be showing you our designs and asking for your feedback, feature-by-feature, in a casual focus group style. Four or five members of the AutoCAD team will be there to introduce you to the new and enhanced features. We’ll include 20-30 minutes at the end of each session for a general Q&A. We are happy to discuss any issues, future directions, or wish list items with you at that time.

Your input is critical in shaping the future of AutoCAD. We depend on and value your ideas, and when we get back to the office in San Rafael, we make key decisions based on your input. We hope that you’ll be able to join us for one of the sessions in your area.

Dallas/Fort Worth Texas August 24th 2004

Los Angeles California August 26th 2004

Minneapolis Minnesota August 31st 2004

Toronto Canada September 2nd 2004

If you are interested please contact traci.van.patten@autodesk.com

Topical Index for AutoCAD System Variables

Gil Hoellerich has created a topical index for AutoCAD system variables. This is really helpful for undestanding which system variables apply to the task or AutoCAD feature you are using. The list is in HTML format with hyperlinks for navigation.

http://www.cadpanel.com/system_variables.htm

Ellen Finkelstein announces her new monthly AutoCAD Tips Newsletter

Each month will bring a set of tips, resources, and tutorials valuable to all AutoCAD users. To sign up, go to http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/AutoCAD_tips.html.

Ellen's best-selling book, AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD LT 2005 Bible, has just been published. For the first time, this book covers AutoCAD LT as well as all the new features of AutoCAD 2005. With 1158 pages, you’ll find everything you need to understand AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Each feature is clearly and completely explained, then followed by an exercise using real-world drawings. The CD-ROM contains the drawings for the exercises (both before and after), lots of useful add-on software, a 30-day trial of AutoCAD, and a copy of the book in PDF format. Two bonus appendices on the CD-ROM cover AutoCAD resources and a list of new, changed, and deleted commands and system variables. For more information, go to http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/bookstore.html."

PS: Ellen also bakes some great cookies.

-Shaan