Ask the Expert
Ask the Expert
For more than 25 years, David Cohn has been merging architecture and design with computer technology. He is well known in the AutoCAD world as the former senior editor of CADalyst magazine and the author of more than a dozen books on AutoCAD and web design. Previously a partner in a commercial architectural firm, he is now an independent consultant specializing in AutoCAD and Revit.
David is also a contributing editor to Desktop Engineering magazine and a member of the national AUGI CAD Camp team. He also served as the Editor-in-Chief of the publications Engineering Automation Report, CADCAMNet, and the A-E-C Automation Newsletter, was the executive editor of Architectura, and has been a frequent contributor to Computer Graphics World and PC Magazine.
He has taught AutoCAD at the college level and is always a popular speaker at Autodesk University.
Modifying A Table
Table Links
Editing Table
Data Extraction
Camera Tool
Applying Material
Constraints 
Constraints (2)
ObjectsHi. I'm trying to made package for network installation of ACAD LT 2010. I have all installation switches exept the reboot switch. I need to set up the silent installation so that it install the soft with SN and key which was asked and it does not reboot the PC automatic. I have the commandline: setup.exe /t /qb /c ACAD: INSTALLDIR="c:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010" ACADSERIALPREFIX=%PRE% ACADSERIALNUMBER=%SN% ADLM_PRODKEY=%PRDKEY% ACADFIRSTNAME="JCI" ACADLASTNAME="JCI" ACADORGANIZATION="JCI" InstallLevel=3 The standard switch of MSI REBOOT=ReallySuppres does not functioned. Can you help me please???? Thanks
Martin: I'm sorry to say that this is not a topic I can help you with. I have little experience with network installations.
Dear Sir I was written before asking about a hatch function and my question was answered, but I did not individualize which program I was Using.- It is an AutoCAD 2009 that is setting in metrics Units in all other function it works as the other programs I was used before but in the hatch command its remain setting in English units As told you before I was found a sentence which change it but I can remember it, I appreciate if you may me recall it.-
Robert: I didn't see your earlier question. If you will pose the entire issue again, I'll see what I can do to help.
Hi David ,Iam not a frequent user so i have a lot of problems ,at first ,to start from a scratch default setting is in mm,i want to draw a PLANT LAYOUTin meters,ichange the limits in meters with unit s as meters, but the screen dose not accept it .how to make it happen . iam a mechnical engg &use autocad 2009.so it is a typical problem for me. please explain in details.Iuse ELLEN FINKELSTEIN'S Auto cad 2009 BIBLEas areferance it didnt helped in this.thanking you
Sunil: When working in units other than feet and inches or engineering units, AutoCAD does not differentiate between meters, milimeters, and so on. You can simply use decimal units and then assume that one unit represents one meter. For dimensioning, you will need to do the same, and then set the dimension still to add a meter suffix to the dimension rather than mm.
Hi David, I would like to know if it is possible to extract data (quantity of door,window etc) from a building construction drawing. I have the following criteria: 1.8 types of door and 7 types of window 2.over a thousand in total quantity distributed in different block of building and on different level. I would like to know if I could use data extraction to get these (item type, quantity, building code, level). Thank you very much for your help in advance.
Keith: You can certainly extract the data you're looking for, assuming the data already exists in the drawing. You've heard the expression "Garbage in; garbage out." Assuming your door and window blocks include information about their type and building code information, you can certainly retrieve that data. As for level, if the blocks were inserted on layers corresponding to their level in the building, you could use that information as the basis for determining their level. Similarly, if you used different types of door and window blocks, you could use the block name to determine the component type. And if the blocks in question are dynamic blocks, you could use various dynamic block values to determine size parameters. Otherwise, you would need to rely on attribute data that was included with each instance of the block.
Is there a electrical symbol chart out there that I can copy and put on my drawings like the NFPA 79(315A symbol chart) has?
Ken: I am not familiar with the NFPA 79, but there are sample electrical symbol drawings that come with AutoCAD as part of DesignCenter. So I would start there to see if any of those will work for you. You may also be able to locate content online.
Hi david we are an architecture practice using autocad LT, we are trying to use a large drawing recived from other consultants, This is meant to be a 2d drawing using only the x and y of the ucs, however it would seem that all of the lines are also using different coordinates on the Z (i.e the drawing is 3d) Is there a quick fix way of "flattenning" the image so that everything is on the X and Y and everything is 2d again? without having to change the z start and end points for every line. Thanks Micahel Collins Architect
Michael: There is a command in AutoCAD called FLATSHOT that creates a flattened 2D view of all objects in a 3D model by projecting them onto the XY plane. But that command doesn't exist in AutoCAD LT. What you could do, however, is to select all of the objects in the drawing, and then, in the Properties palette, select each type of object one at a time so that you can adjust the Z-coordinate value. For example, if you select both lines and circles, you won't be able to access the Start Z and End Z value in the Properties palette. But if you select just lines from the drop-down at the top of the Palette, then those fields will become available. You can then change all of the Z values to 0 at one time. It's still a bit tedious, but it will work.
hi David here is the deal, i have draws from my client that were made in Autocad 200o and when I opened in Autocad 2010 appeared a lot of lines that are not supposed to be there, the draw is a complete block and if i tried to exploded all the attributes of the block change so what i can do to open correctly this draws?
Francisco: I'm not sure why there would be lines that are not supposed to be there. Obviously, if you explode the block, you will lose the attribute data, but if indeed the entire drawing is a block, there is little you can do other than edit the block. You might be able to open the block in the Block Editor and remove the unwanted lines without otherwise affecting the attribute values.
Hi David Why does my AutoCAD Architecture 2010 load so slow on my Vista, but XP is ok. I even get a not responding message in Vista but it goes away and loads after 10 minutes, or so.
Jeff: I don't know why the program should load slowly under Vista and not on XP. I am currently running AutoCAD 2010 on Vista and the program loads very quickly. Unfortunately, I have very little experience with AutoCAD Architecture, but I wouldn't expect its performance to be all that different. You'll need to take this up with your dealer or Autodesk.
Help! Trying to plot to a DesignJet 500 using Autocad 2008. But it says driver can not be found. DesignJet 500 is not in my list of choices when trying to add this plotter under plotter manager. What can I do?
Lisa: I couldn't find that specific DesignJet model in my list either. But from past experience, I have found that if you select a similar model, that should work just as well.
Hey David, I just installed Autodesk Impressions 3 and I like it all. My question is, is this was the place to download style libraries? I heard it was but couldn't find anything. So if not, do you know of anywhere I can download some? Thanks Zack
Zack: I too thought one could find downloadable styles here as well, but I just looked and all I have found are tips and tricks about creating different styles. You might do a more general Google search to see if there is anyone out there sharing styles.
When we attach a PDF underlay that was created by a third party (ie, Adobe) our drawings become very sluggish. Is there a setting to help increase drawing response? We have 8 gigs of ram and a very high end video card, but still very sluggish response time. Any ideas?
Ken: PDF files are simply links, and are handled similar to an Xref, DWF underlay, or image file. If the PDF is really big, that could slow things down, but I wouldn't think it would have a huge impact. I've not seen this personally, but the files I've worked with are not that large. Since you say you have 8GB of RAM, I assume you're running 64-bit. This may be something that needs to be taken up with tech support.
Why does my ribbon sometimes go into an inactive state. Everything is grayed out and I cant use any of the icons. ACA 2010
Michael: I don't know why your ribbon bar would go into an "inactive" state. Are you in the middle of some command? This is probably something you need to bring up with tech support.
How is the SCRIPT command used exactly? Do you write in word perfect first, save as (which) asc2 file, and somehow open in autocad using the script command? Is it only text? Thanks
Dustin: The SCRIPT command simply plays back a script previously created as an ASCII text file. The script itself must include ALL of the commands and user response that would be needed if you were to perform the same operations by typing at the command line. As far as invoking a script, you can simply type SCRIPT at the command line, or access the command from the Ribbon or menu, or even invoke a script during startup. If you search for SCRIPT in the AutoCAD help file, you'll find a complete explanation of how this all works, as well as a sample script file.
We have the Revit Structural Suite. I am trying to use the Structural detailing software that is included. The operating system I am using is Vista Business. Once I open structural detailing the first thing it does is pop up with a select Data Source box and ask for a DSN Name? Is it suppose to do this? Did the software not install right? What is a DSN file and where am I suppose to get one in order for the program to work correctly?
Jamie: Sorry, but I don't know enough about Revit Structure to answer this one. Perhaps there's a Revit Structure user out there that can help you. Otherwise, I suggest checking with your dealer or Autodesk Tech Support. DNS usually stands for "domain name service" and I can't understand why Revit Structure would cause this message. But again, I don't use the detailing package, so I don't know.
Hi,I have just finished labeling my drawing with all the cable drops and I cannot save when I use the formatted and draw mode. My tool bar is locked out and the only way close the program is to hit the escape button which erases everything. Is there anyway to save my work in this mode? The mtext takes to long to go through the prints that I to do
Robert: Sorry, but I don't really understand your question.
I use Auto Cad LT 2004 and it has a bug that causes it to "hang" all the time. Any downloads available to squash this bug?
Tone: That's such an old release that if there had been a fix, it may no longer be readily available. I know it's a tough solution when money is tight, but you may want to upgrade to a more recent release.
Sorry about that sir. My question is how do I save my work when I have entered labels onto the drawings when using the format and text single line mode? My toolbar locks out and there is no application button to set saving. The only way to exit the program is to hit escape and that erases everything.
Robert: When entering single-line text, you should be able to press ENTER at the end of each line of text. If you press ENTER one more time after entering the final line ot text, the command should end and AutoCAD should go back to a blank command prompt. If this isn't what's happening, then there's a problem and you should talk to your dealer or Autodesk tech support.
I've been using 2007. Today, I keep getting the message "no entities to select" when I try to do a "quick select" function. I checked another drawing and same thing! I recently did a registry cleaning, (bad idea, i know...) perhaps, this could've wiped out a setting?
Carrol: That shouldn't happen. If you think you damaged your AutoCAD installation, you can always repair it from the Windows Control Panel. Just go to the Installed Programs list, select AutoCAD 2007, and do a repair. You may be prompted to insert your original discs. And if all else fails, you can always reinstall the software. Neither should require you to re-register, since the registration information should still be resident on your computer.
Hello sir my question is what is Lisp and how i can use it? thank you
Zahid: AutoLISP is a programming language built into AutoCAD. It can be used to develop programs that run inside AutoCAD to automate various tasks. The first place to look to learn more about this is the online documentation. There you will find a customization guide that provides an introduction to AutoLISP. There are also some excellent books and many online tutorials, particularly on the AUGI forum.
iAM WORKING ON RELEASE 8 FULL, BUT WE DO HAVE 1 RELEASE 10 LIGHT, WHY DO i HAVE PROBLEMS BETWEEN THE 2 ESPECIALLY TRYING TO PRINT & CREATE PDFS. i S IT TRUE THAT RELEASE 2011 IS ABOUT TO BE RELEASE IS IT WORHT HANGING UP TO UPGRADE TO THIS VERSION.
Ellen: I have no idea why you're having problems between the various releases of AutoCAD. The PDF capabilities have been greatly improved in AutoCAD 2010 from previous releases, so I would recommend using that version for any PDF files you create. As for future releases, Autodesk generally releases new versions around April of each year, so you've still got quite a wait until the next version of the program becomes available.
Hello, Can Revit Architecture export the drawing to Autocad 2009
Fred: Yes. It's quite easy to export from Revit to an AutoCAD drawing file. 3D views can be exported as 3D AutoCAD models, 2D views as 2D drawings, and Revit sheets as 2D drawings with each view exported as a separate Xref.
I have 15 people or so using the tool palettes I've created. How did I create them? We had been using the blocks and symbols through the design center. I've been able to convince most people here the tool palette is a better way, but now am having a hard time getting changes and updates to appear on everybodies machines when I update or change something. II've checked and everybody is pathed out to the correct place. Yes, I've had people get out of Autocad and back in again. No change. Teh only way I can get my change to populate across is to recreate that tool palette again. Well, that removes it from everybodies tool palette and they have to remake their group's in the tool palette...and help would be greatly appreciated.
Jonathan: The person to go to on this one is Matt Murphy. He's the king of tool palettes. He's taught several classes on tool palette customization. The handouts for those classes are available on the Autodesk University website. You should be able to download them from there.
Does Acadlt 2010 has express tools, autolisp, importing acad2004 menu option features. Does autocad LT have same features as Acad2010?
No. AutoCAD LT does not include the Express Tools, AutoLISP, or any of the 3D object creation capabilities found in AutoCAD. It will open and save DWG files with the same capabilities of AutoCAD, however, and as long as you don't delete any of the 3D data, when the drawing is opened again in AutoCAD, all of that information will still be intact.
I have autocad 2010. I imported my 2007 look which has 6 custom toolbars for block entry. I like the 2010 ribbon but I do not know how to see the 2010 ribbon and my 2007 custom toolbars. Can you help?
James: Yeah. This isn't the most intuitive thing, but it's actually pretty easy. At the command prompt, type CUI to open the Customize User Interface dialog. Expand the Customizations in All Files area (upper left) and make sure that the dialog is open completely (small arrow in the lower-right). In the upper-left, select one of the workspaces, so that its contents display in the Workspace Contents area in the upper-right of the dialog. Then, in the Customizations area, expand the Toolbars branch and drag and drop the desired toolbar over into the Workspace Contents area (drop it onto the Toolbars branch in that panel). Then click OK to close the dialog box. You only need to put one toolbar into the workspace, since once you can see a single toolbar, you can right-click on any toolbar button to turn other toolbars on and off. Once you get the desired toolbars displayed as you want, I'd recommend saving a custom workspace so that you don't need to go through this again.
Can you help me remove my autodesk dwg trueview 2009? I am running winxp and it does not show up in add/remove programs. It does show up on my hard drive in a folder but I can not reinstall nor uninstall and the program does not work. I tried also to install from website a patch or the 2010 version neither of them work. Will removing from reg clean in the file types work without loosing associated programs using these files? Thank you
Michael: Sorry, but I'm not the guy to ask on this one. I stay away from mucking with the system registry as much as possible. Perhaps someone from Autodesk can help with this one.
Is there a comprehensive Customization Guide on line ?
Paul: The Customization Guide included as part of the AutoCAD Help system is quite good and definitely the place to start.
David - you responded to my question and I appreciate that but I wish it was that simple. I asked if there was a Customization Guide on line but when I go there within ACAD I get the following error: `An error has occurred in the script on this page. / Line: 31 / Char: 3 / Object doesn't support this property or method / Code: 0 / URL: mk:...etc...' __ Now you know the rest of the story - So what do you think I should do ? Thank You , I will keep my fingers crossed. prs
Paul: This sounds like a problem with the installation of the Help files, as I've not experienced similar problems. Have you tried to access the help files on a different computer? You might also look in the directory containing the help files, as I believe they are also avaialble as PDF files. You can also obtain printed documentation from Autodesk.
Is there a shortcut to unlock all layers in lieu of using the layer properties manager?
Mark: No. Not really. The fastest way would be to open the Layer Properties Manager, right-click on the list of layers, select all the layers, and then click the Lock/Unlock button to unlock them all at once.
We want to start using AutoCad, however, we will need to convert TIFF files to DWG. What software would you suggest for the conversion?
Scotty: There are numerous programs out there that can be used. Most do a decent job, however, depending on the accuracy needed, almost all will require subsequent clean-up. Autodesk has a program called AutoCAD Raster Design, but I have no experience with it. I suggest you read any recent reviews of raster conversion software you can find, and also see if you can obtain any trial versions to test for yourself before committing to a purchase.
In regards to DWG to PDF. I notice that when I try to view the output file with Acrobat Standard 6, that the image seems to be missing pieces. Whereas when I view it with the latest viewer I can see it all. What version is the DWG to PDF compatible with. We use standard to rotate the plots and pack them into a multi-page PDF. Thx
Ron: In terms of PDF, I'm not sure what version AutoCAD outputs, but it is most likely newer than version 6. I always recommend using the latest version of the free Acrobat Reader. Also, there is no need to post your question multiple times. I'm responding to all questions posed this week, but since I do have other work to attend to, it may take me an hour or so to respond.
Sorry, I didn't realize I sent multiple submissions.
No problem. But yes, I received your question 4 times. I deleted the duplicates, and I'll delete this reply later, since it doesn't need to remain online. I hope my response to your question was helpful. I'm now using Acrobat 9 Pro Extended, which I find to be the best release of their PDF software ever. I have also been very happy with Bluebeam Pushbutton PDF in the past.
I just purchased a new HP computer with windows vista, I am trying to down load the DWF reader on my computer and it keeps telling me it did not download because of a Autodesk design review 2010 (0x643: internal error ) is this some sort of compatability problem withm this system
Ken: I wouldn't think that there's any sort of compatibility problem. Remember that with Vista, you have to have both administrative priveldges and permission to write to the directory where you're attempting to install the software. I have found that with Vista, I often need to turn the user account control off entirely to get some things done. This has been one of the most serious problems with Vista and is supposedly fixed in Windows 7.
Is there a way to globally edit a frequently used blocks text color attribute that was made in civil 3d by another party if you are working in straight autocad?
Vincent: You should be able to edit the block definition to change the color of the attributes. The only potential problem would be if the block uses specific features of Civil 3D and would therefore lose that information if edited in plain AutoCAD. You would need to determine that and also whether using an object enabler would solve that problem or not.
David, We have a client who says he us using AutoCAD 2006. We are using Inventor 10. We would like to STEP our our 3D model to our client and have him be able to open it in AutoCAD 2006. Which translator program should I suggest he downloads to be able to STEP IN our model?
Terry: Unfortunately, I don't know which STEP translators would work. That's really outside my area of expertise. Sorry. But why can't you just save from Inventor to DWG and have him open the DWG file?
Hi David, I just downloaded the 2010 version of AutoCAD for a class that I will be taking in Sept. My industry uses CAP 20/20 as a 3rd party application with AutoCAD for furniture specification. Can I use this application/softward in conjunction with the Student version of AutoCad?
Thomas: I believe that the student edition of AutoCAD supports add-ons, so if the program you're asking about runs as an add-on to the regular commercial version of AutoCAD, I believe it should work with the student edition as well.
When will Autodesk Design Review add a "For Construction" stamp into their Stamp collection. It's such a shame that this very important stamp was not included with the product. Is there any place where I can get this stamp? Thanks.
I have no idea if or when Autodesk will add a "For Construction" stamp, but you can easily create and add your own stamps. Just create a drawing in AutoCAD that looks exactly like the stamp you want, export that as a DWF file, and then add that as a new catalog in Design Review. It works perfectly. I show how to do this in all of my Design Review classes. You should be able to find my previous classes that I taught at Autodesk University by visiting the AU website. You can also find that course and all of my class materials on my website at http://www.dscohn.com/AU/au-2008.htm.
Hi David - I am using AutoCAD 2010 on Windows XP in a school computer lab. I am trying to determine the volume of a pond as part of my thesis research. My team measured depths of the pond at different points. In AutoCAD, I drew the outline of the pond, then drew lines representing the measured depths of the pond, and connected them to create the "bottom" of the pond. I turned these lines into regions using REGION, then into surfaces using CONVTOSURFACE, then combined them using UNION. I also covered the top of the pond with a surface, so that I was left with one 3d surface enclosing the "water" in the pond. To find the pond's volume, I intended to use CONVTOSOLID on my 3d surface, then MASSPROP, however, the CONVTOSOLID command failed, saying that my surface "could not be converted". I was hoping to troubleshoot this problem, or is there a completely different approach that I should have used? Thanks - Bobby
Bobby: What you're trying to do is difficult, although the method you're using is sound. The problem is that if the surfaces don't all meet up perfectly to form a closed three-dimensional boundary, AutoCAD won't let you convert it into a solid. I suspect that's what's happening in your case.
How is the SCRIPT command used exactly? Do you write in word perfect first, save as (which) asc2 file, and somehow open in autocad using the script command? Is it only text? Thanks
I already answered this question several days ago. Please see Question #13 above.
Benefits:
