The H-Factor

RIP AutoCAD 2000

If you are still on AutoCAD 2000, it's way past time to get off of it and upgrade. That goes for 2000i and 2002, too.

We are adding new features and functionality to the current versions of HydraCAD (V43, 44 and 45) and some of these features do not translate back to V42 (2000).

One of these is the ability to color code sloping pipe, a feature which is found inside the Size Pipe dialog box. Drawings sized using V43 or newer and then opened with V42 will get a fixnump error when attempting to size pipe in that version.

The solution to this is to start a new drawing in V42 and insert the broken drawing into it. The real solution is to stop using V42.

The 64 Million Dollar Question

64-bit machines. Are they supported? What works on them? Does AutoCAD? Does HydraCAD? What gives?

The quick answer - 64 bit hardware = good. 64 bit operating systems = bad

Many software packages don't work on 64-bit operating systems, including HydraCAD and HydraLIST. AutoCAD is not supported on 64 bit operating systems either which means if you have an installation, configuration or use question, they have the right to say go away and wait for a 64 bit version of AutoCAD. When will that be? We don't know but my gut feeling says AutoCAD 2007 won't be seen in a 64 bit version.

So if you are going to buy a 64 bit machine, go for it. Just install standard Windows XP or 2000 on it and wait until next year for all of this to shake itself out.

The Usual Suspects

Almost daily I get calls from customers saying that when they type in Open they don't get a dialog box but a command line asking for a file name, or their pipe sizes come in with the word -LENGTH- instead fo the actual length. AutoCAD variables are usually at fault.

Here are the most common offenders and their correct settings for this and similar problems.

The following list is taken from our Frequently Asked Questions page in the Updates and Support area of our website.

Variable:          Recommended Setting:     Problem:

     FILEDIA               1                             Dialogs do not appear when New, Open or Save is done

     ATTDIA                0                            Shows dialog every time block inserted

     ATTREQ              1                             Does not use attribute value you picked

     PICKADD              1                            Cannot pick more than one item

     ATTDISP           Normal                       Cannot see attributes, or can see all of them

     DRAGMODE        Auto                         Cannot see dragged objects

     PDMODE               1                            Points show up as X’s or other shape

     INSUNITS              0                            Blocks/Xrefs come in at the wrong scale

     INSUNITSDEFSOURCE   0                      Blocks/Xrefs come in at the wrong scale

     INSUNITSDEFTARGET   0                      Blocks/Xrefs come in at the wrong scale

Graphic Violence

We hear from a number of customers who have trouble with one of three related things in AutoCAD 2006:

1. A regen causes machine to lock up
2. Switching between layout tabs causes machine to lock up
3. Previewing a plot causes machine to lock up

While these three things are not limited to the 2006 version of AutoCAD, they do seem more prevalent on that release. Inevitably these problems all point to the graphics card. Either there is not enough memory on it or more likely the card is not compatible with AutoCAD 2006 or later.

An easy way to verify if your card is okay with AutoCAD is to visit their Graphics Hardware List and look up your card to see if it is fully approved. If it is not approved then I recommend that you get a new graphics card. Which one? any one that is Autodesk Certified will do you well. The graphics card we are using on our newer machines is the NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400 and yes, it does work well.

AU 2006

I just signed up for classes at Autodesk University, held once again this year in Las Vegas. This is an annual four day orgy in all things AutoCAD and we send 3-5 people each year to brush up on programming skills and learn new features about Autodesk programs and how to properly use them. You can expect to see a few posts about those after this year's AU which always takes place the week right after Thankgiving.

AU is open to anyone willing to spend the time and money to be there. Each year over 3000 programmers, users and management types go to see what is up with technology, the internet and new releases. You can choose from a vast array of courses on a number of different 'tracks'. There are no tests (unless you are trying to get certification, which you can) but there is a lot of information that is taught and extensive handouts are given.

You may not know this, but if you are on the Autodesk Subscription plan then you are able to access the handouts and courseware electronically after AU has concluded. You can access the AU 2005 courseware now at Autodesk Subscription Site

The facts:
Dates: Nov 28 - Dec 1
The Venetian Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada
Autodesk University Website

Coloring Email Addresses

My co-worker George showed me this one:

In Outlook 2003 you can assign colors to email addresses so you can quickly tell whether the email came from a friend or foe (or your boss!)

In Outlook 2003 pick the Tools pull down then pick Organize. Pick Using Colors on the left. That's about it - just type in contact names using commas to separate multiple contacts. I have emails from my coworkers come in Red, those from Family come in Green, etc. All unassigned names continue to come in Black.

One tip - you are limited to the number of names you type in to the name field, so if you have multiple co-workers with the same last name then use only their last name.

Managing Multiple AutoCAD Seats

Many people I know have a bunch of AutoCAD seats in their company and get pretty frustrated trying to keep them straight. AutoCAD has two ways to make this easier:

First is a Network License. With this you can install, say, a five user networked AutoCAD on a server and users can 'check-out' a copy as they need it. When they close AutoCAD the copy is returned to the server for use by someone else. Since each of these seats costs more than their stand alone counterparts, this is best only when you might have eight or nine sometimes-users. If each of your users is going to be using a license full time, then this is not for you.

Second is a Multi-Seat Single Serial Number License. This is ideal when you or your IT person is tired of keeping track of 20+ serial numbers. All your existing seats are consolidated into one copy of the AutoCAD media with one serial number. Purchasing this option costs the same as if you bought individual single station seats.

The great thing about this second option is that when you need more seats, we can just add them to your existing serial number and you will not have to wait for the new media from us or keep track of more CDs on your end. When a user installs the new seat, they will be able to tap into that pool of new authorizations. Voila!

In other news since there are now 9, 12, 53, 100+ planets in our solar system, maybe we need a better way to manage those...

Day Zero

Being a first post, I don't want to go overboard saying "Welcome to my new blog". So I won't.

You are welcome to comment on any topics posted here, but please keep it on topic, don't be nasty and remember that this is not a Hydratec support site. Support questions should be directed to [email protected].

Welcome!