The H-Factor

Converting Competitors Drawings into HydraCAD Drawings

We have long been able to convert drawings that are made in our competitors software into ours. The conversion are pretty good (if I say so myself), but all have some limitation due to the way each package creates objects.

As a rule - this is the procedure to follow:

1. Start a new drawing using our template

2. Insert the competitor's drawing into it, exploded

3. Pick the appropriate conversion tool. Note which heads it finds and say no to conversion

4. Insert one HydraCAD head for each competitors head found and restart conversion

Note: If you don’t do steps 1 and 2, in that order, then the conversion will not work

Coloring Existing Pipe Differently

HydraCAD has a command called Change item Colors. It is found right after Pretty Pipes on the Cleanup toolbar. What does it do? It lets you assign colors to different parts of your drawing. It is run after you run Pretty Pipes, hence it's location on that toolbar.

You can assign three additional colors to Pretty Pipes such as Existing Pipe, Demo Pipe and New Pipe. You can also assign different linetypes to these parts of the drawing as well. The colors and linetypes can be applied to the areas you select or to just one pipe if you want. Sprinkler heads and other objects will change color as well.

Shipping HydraCAD Fonts

While I was training a customer in New Castle, PA last week a question came up that I thought had long been answered. By the mere fact it was asked showed how wrong I was. They had trouble shipping their drawings to their engineers because the engineers could not see our 1/2 and 1/4 symbols. The solution to this is easy, and there are a few ways to handle it.

1. Email them the HydraCAD fonts along with the drawing. What are our fonts? They are in your H40\PROG\CAD2004 (or 2006 or 2007) folder and they all have a file extension of .SHX. Send all of these along with the drawing. The engineers can either place these font files in their Program Files\AutoCAD (version)\Fonts folder or keep them in the same folder as the drawing, where they will be automatically found upon opening the drawing

2. Use AutoCAD's ETRANSMIT function. This will create a package which contains the drawing and any fonts used by the drawing

3. Use HydraCAD's Expand Fractions command (EXF). This command will replace all of the fractions in your drawing with regular AutoCAD characters. This is only a one-way conversion, so save your drawing before you do this.

Converting a PDF to a DWG

Does anyone have any experience with any of the PDF to DWG converters out there?

I have not been able to find any reviews of the half dozen or so converters that came up in a Google search. The ones I have found are:

AutoDWG
AnyDWG
aidecad
pdf2cad

These are all about $180. Sounds like a little cartel action going on

Avoiding Paper Field-Checking

A customer emailed today with the following question:

"We do a lot of work in the field, doing lots of measuring and drawing/checking the buildings where we are working.  I would like to be able to enter the data we generate directly instead of copying to paper and then copying from there into AutoCAD back in the office.

I have never used a tablet computer, but it seems like the right thing.  Does anyone there have experience with and thoughts on what capabilities are required to do the kind of field work that I am describing?  I understand that there are stylus devices that can be used with tablet computers, or if there are other input devices (besides a mouse or trackball) that I should consider I would appreciate your suggestions.

Also, once I return from the field, I would presume that this tablet would also serve as my desktop, so it would presumably be nice to be able to easily dock the tablet to a large monitor and regular keyboard."

I do not know of any tablet PCs that would be strong enough to run AutoCAD. However, one option is to get Autodesk Design Review.

This would let you take measurements and redline drawings and then transfer to changes to your 'real' AutoCAD drawing back at the office.

If any of you have any other ideas, please let us know.

AutoCAD 2009 Performance and the Layer Palette

This one came via a customer for subscribes to Steve Johnson's blog Cad Nauseam

From Steve Johnson, blog nauseam, April 10, 2008.

"If you’ve noticed some normal drafting operations are much slower in AutoCAD 2009 than in earlier releases, try turning off the new Layer Palette and see if the problem goes away. For example, editing viewports with the Layer Palette visible can be completely unworkable. Don’t just auto-hide it, close it altogether.

Another problem presented by the Layer Palette is that any layer changes you make are applied as you make them. This sounds great in theory, but if each operation takes a while to perform then that’s much less efficient than the old method where all changes are made at once when OK or Apply is picked.

I know a non-modal layer interface was a common wish and it sounded like a cool idea, but now Autodesk has actually been kind enough to grant this wish I’m finding I prefer the old method. I generally don’t need access to all that layer functionality all of the time, so it makes sense to only have the interface occupying that big slab of screen real estate when I actually need it. Your requirements may differ, of course.

If you’re a layer Luddite like me, you can use the old interface by issuing the Classiclayer command. Alternatively, if you set the undocumented system variable LAYERDLGMODE to 0, the Layer command will invoke the old interface instead of the new one."

Don't Want to list Armovers?

You wouldn't be the first (or last).

It helps to think of an armover as having three parts:

  A. The 'Up' piece (riser nipple)
  B. The Arm piece
  C. The Drop piece

The Drop piece is already handled because Drops already go into a separate branch line section in HydraLIST named DROP. Just delete it if you don't want those listed.

A and B are easy to handle using an OVERRIDE. Inserting the Armover override works differently depending on where it is inserted. If inserted on the head, then the Arm piece B will get listed in a branch line section named ARMOVER. If inserted on the riser nipple, then the Up piece will get listed in that same section named ARMOVER.

Just delete the ARMOVER section in HydraLIST to eliminate these from the stock list.

Advanced AutoCAD Topics for Download

Autodesk has advanced programming topics that are recorded and can be downloaded and viewed on their Developer Center site. The site lists upcoming classes (fee based, free in some cases). A couple of weeks after those classes take place, you can see a recording of the class.

Put on your geek hat for these!

Making PAN work with Logitech Mouse and AutoCAD

Logitech makes nice mice. The problem is that they are configured like MS mice when shipped. This always causes problems with the Wheel and Panning in AutoCAD.

This from the great website: CAD Forum

   

Turn off any special mouse wheel settings with the mouse icon in the Windows Control Panel. Under the Buttons tab set "Use MS office Compatible Scroll", or the middle-button setting to "Middle button". For Logitech mice with the Logitech SetPoint software set the mouse button 3 (wheel) - "3. Selected Task" set to Other. Then pick Middle button. Make sure your AutoCAD MBUTTONPAN variable is set to 1 (on). You can also try to hold the CTRL key while Zooming.

Flexheads - The New Generation

The configuring of Flexheads for their use by HydraCAD has changed from an earlier post on the topic. Here is the 2006 and newer version:

1. Set up a head symbol using one of the following…

 

FlexHeadDown – for outlet off the bottom of the branchline

FlexHeadUpright – for outlet off the top of the branchline

FlexHeadSide – for outlet off the side of the branchline. 

2. Assign this symbol as being on a Drop or a Sprig. Verify the following settings:

        For the outlet off the bottom -

        Outlet orientation – Point down,

     Head Location – at Bottom

        For the outlet off the top –

        Outlet orientation – Point Up

 Head Location – at Top

        For a side outlet  -

        Outlet orientation – Sidewall

 Head Location – Sidewall

3.

 

In the “block redefinition” screen, for the “Material” select the flex head length you want to use for this symbol – see picture below

4. Choose the part for your sprinkler head as you normally would.

5.

Insert the symbol on the drawing at the outlet location on the branch line.

This will insert a small head symbol on the line and then insert a dynamic block to represent the flex head. The flexhead symbol should not be in the SPRNKS layer but should reside in a non critical layer such as DETAILS

6. Using “Grips” you can relocate the Flexhead symbol to the desired location as well as the polyline attached to the head for presentation. The Flexhead symbol and polyline can be copied. Neither AutoList nor AutoCalc will recognize this symbol or the polyline

7

. When running AutoCalc, the heads will get picked up as a drop and will be inputted in the “Equivalent K Piping” tab, provided you have checked the “Set up drops as Equivalent K-Factors”.

8. Once in Hydraulics you will need to add fittings for the Flexheads in order to get the proper friction loss. Right click the fittings column and select the length of Flexhead you are using.

Converting Office 2007 Files

If you are like me, you haven't had time to upgrade your Microsoft Office to the 2007 version. But that hasn't stopped people from emailing you 2007 files with extensions like docx and xlsx. What to do?

I Googled on a colleague's recommendation and found this: Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats - just download and install it and you can open whatever you need.Double-click on the files with the new extension to open them. They will not open from within the various applications. The files will then be converted.

Tired of Tooltips?

A had a customer call  recently that didn't like that AutoCAD displayed a tooltip when drawing a line with ORTHO on (see below)

To turn this off:

Go into OPTIONS. Pick the Drafting tab and uncheck the box on the right that says "Display AutoTrack Tooltip"

Difficulties with Removing/Reisntalling AutoCAD

Are you having trouble with re-installing or removing AutoCAD? Do you get an error message such as Unable to Install - please remove earlier version?

These can be ugly, but following Autodesk's Support Pages for help on this subject may solve the problem for you.

If those suggestions fail, and you are unable to remove a program through the Add/Remove Programs or by following Autodesk's instructions, then it's time to bring out the big guns.

Microsoft has a special Windows Installer CleanUp Utility that will basically remove (rip out) any program found in the Add/Remove Programs window. It is a graphic-based utility that is easy to use. Please note that after the obligatory caution screen that this utility will proceed to take the selected program off your computer without any more warnings. It is quite effective.

Windows XP: Going, going ... gone?

Today, a guest entry from a stranger.

From Computerworld a great article on the upcoming demise of XP and why people are so happy about it. Link to read the whole thing. Sounds like just about everybody hates Vista

AutoCAD 2009 Released

Today, March 25, Autodesk released AutoCAD 2009. It is compatible with 2007 and 2008 (same drawing format)

The primary thrust of this update is the User Interface, or UI. It has been completely revamped (and not all for the better, in my opinion). The plan was to mimic Microsoft's Office 2007 UI. I don't care for the idea myself.

 

Three things are going to impact you right away

1. The most noticeable addition is the Ribbon Menu. This menu first appeared a few versions ago as the Dashboard. We didn't use it then and probably won't right away now. It allows access to all of the AutoCAD commands in a task-oriented manner. The problem is that it is slow to switch between tabs and flyouts. It is also difficult to program as it appears this part of the Ribbon package is not quite done yet. We will be customizing new HydraCAD task-oriented tabs as some point in the future, if we can overcome some of the inherent difficulties with that.

2. The other big change is that the pulldown menus are shut off by default and replaced by a Big Red A. Clicking on the Big Red A will give you the pulldown menus but in a vertical format, not a horizontal one. Personally, I hate this.

3. The Model space/Layout tabs are not turned on by default. Why? who knows.

So here are the solutions:

1. Type in RIBBONCLOSE to turn off the Ribbon menu or type in RIBBON to turn it on

2. Type in MENUBAR and enter 1 to see the pulldown menus

3. Right click on the Model icon and select Display Layout and Model Tabs to see those.

The 45.05 update on the website will automatically take care of the first two for you. You will have to handle the third on your own.

You are probably also going to want to turn on AutoCAD's Layer and Properties toolbars (for some reason these are also off by default). To display these, right-click next to a docked toolbar and pick AutoCAD and select these toolbars.

 

To be sure, there are some good things in here. I will go over those in the next few weeks.

PS - If you are using SMaRTools, you will need to reinstall them to configure them properly for AutoCAD 2009. Simply download and run the latest SMaRTools update.

Na na na na Na na na na BBATMAN!

Need a handy tool for editing attributes within all blocks at the same time? AutoCAD has a great tool built right in - BATTMAN

You can get at all the defined blocks in the drawing that have attributes, and you can get at all the atts within a block. You can change all kinds of things about those atts as well.

PS - This can also be found on the Modify menu: Object » Attribute » Block Attribute Manager and the Modify II toolbar

Moving AutoCAD Licenses

This is a 'reprint' due to the fact that this now seems to be an issue:

How do you authorize a seat of AutoCAD that has moved from one machine to another?

Not many have had to do this yet, but as the machines that have AutoCAD 2005, 2006 or 2007 age and need replacing, this is going to come up more often.

This can be done with the Portable License Utility found by picking Start, Programs, Autodesk, [Autodesk Product Name], Portable License Utility.

You can then remove the license from one computer and put it on another.

AutoCAD 2009

Yep. It's Springtime again.

Between The Lines - 2009

Lynn Allen's Autodesk Blog

Heidi Hewitt Autodesk Blog

Cad Panacea

When? No date set

There will be no direct upgrades from 2005 or earlier to 2009

Applying Plot Styles to Layouts

I just had a customer who noticed that when he went to a Layout tab that all of his objects were gray. AutoCAD was apparently applying his Plot Style (Hydragray) to the objects in the Layout (and no, he wasn't doing a Plot Preview). What to do?

Apparently (after much Googling) there is an option in AutoCAD to do just that:

1. Right-Click on the Layout Tab in question
2. Pick Page Setup Manager
3. Click on the Current Page Setup in question and pick Modify
4. On the upper right in the section titled: Plot style table (pen assignments) you will find an option: Display plot styles. Uncheck that if you want the Layout objects to be displayed just as you see them in Model Space or check it if you want the plot style applied to the Layout. Note that this does not affect how the Layout is plotted!

Now THIS Would be nice...

I was visiting a new customer in New York City earlier this month, and this is what was in the design manager's office:

.
Yep - that is four monitors, all hooked up to the same machine via one video card. I had HydraCALC, HydraLIST, HydraCAD and 3D fittings all up on different screens. It was one large desktop that I had to navigate from left to right to get to all the screens.

I want this