How to start a new drawing without using a template...?

Use this if you suspect there is something funny going on in your drawing template and want to know if the same things are happening in a plain jane AutoCAD type of drawing environment. Just start a new drawing specifying "no template..."

To open a new drawing without using a template:

1) Click the Red A (Application dropdown menu –It may be another letter R for Revit for example) and select New->Drawing. (Figure 1)

Figure 1.

2) Click the down-arrow on the right side of the Open button and select “Open with no Template – Imperial” (Figure 2)

Figure 2

If you need assistance we can help! Call the Avatech Solutions National Support Center at 800-808-7645.

Tired of wasting paper printing webpages or help info?

I used to have a filing cabinet full of printouts, not anymore! Now if I have something I want to keep I print it to a PDF file. Its easy, just use File->Print and select your favorite PDF writer. I use CutePDF, however you may already have the Adobe PDF writer installed depending on which Adobe programs you have installed.

When printing to PDF it will prompt you for a location and file name. Use your file management skills to organize the location.

If you need a PDF writer, the CutePDF writer is a free tool. Just download and install it.

http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp

Happy Holidays from the team at the NSC

Holiday Hours
December 24 Closed
December 25 Closed
December 28–December 31 Open
January 1 Closed


Avatech Solutions National Support Center appreciates the opportunity to support you!

Happy Holidays from the team at the NSC
Todd

Error Will Robinson, Error -5.412.0 when launching an Autodesk network product

Launching a network version of an Autodesk program may give you an error -5.412.0 if the CascadeInfo.cas file becomes corrupt.

The CascadeInfo.cas file is automatically downloaded to the local machine when you launch AutoCAD (or other Autodesk network program) and has information pertaining to cascade licensing.

I've seen this error two times in two days now.

To resolve this issue, simply rename the file so its not recognized by the program. This will force it to download a fresh copy from the License Manager. If the file isn't recreated at that time then there may be multiple issues.

On a Windows XP system it can be found at:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\Adlm

On Windows Vista or Windows 7 it is located at:

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Adlm

NOTE: Do not delete or rename the ProductInformatin.pit file or you will have all kinds of problems and perhaps the inability to uninstall, repair or reinstall the program.

We can help if you need assistance! Call the National Support Center at 800-808-7645.

Don't you wish you could go to Autodesk University? I DO!

Autodesk University (AU) can be fun, educational (Duh!) and can allow you to meet people you've worked with but never met face to face (Networking!).

Well, maybe you can go. Not in person, of course, but there is now a Virtual AU!

Check out the details on the Autodesk website

http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=event_au_virtual

I can Virtually see you there already!

Fatal errors...?

I hear about these often and they can happen for a variety of reasons. The trick to resolving these issues is to find out the answers to some questions.

Question and most common reason(s):

1) Is it drawing specific? If it is, then clean up the drawings and xrefs. This can be tricky because if you don't clean up the Xrefs first a reloaded Xref may bring the badness back in. Also, a layer that is turned off or frozen, etc won't help during a purge.

2) Is it machine specific? if it is, then disable other programs from running before you run AutoCAD, ensure you have the most current Autodesk Recommended/Supported graphics driver for your version of AutoCAD.

3) Is it specific to your Windows login? If it works logged in on the same machine as a different user then you may have a bad AutoCAD or Windows Profile.

4) Is it specific to your machine only? If it is, then you may be looking at a hardware problem, problem with the Hard Drive or Windows or AutoCAD install.

If you're having problems narrowing it down, or have it narrowed down and you're unable to fix it, give the National Support Center a try. We work with these issues quite often. We can be reached at 800-808-7645

Ciao for now!

NSC availablility this week.

This Thursday and Friday (Nov 26th & 27th) Avatech Solutions employees will be sharing good food and times with family and friends. The National Support Center will be closed these two days.

We hope you have a great Thanksgiving break.

The National Support Center Staff.

AutoCAD: Going Back in Time

I have a customer who has an earlier version of AutoCAD. I need to give them a version of the project they can use. What are my options?
If you select your Application Icon and select Saveas or type Saveas.

When the Saveas Dialog opens you will notice at the bottom a drop down called Files of Type. Select this drop down and then you can select earlier versions or DXF versions. Note that the AutoCAD file format traditionally follows 3 releases. So 2007 is for 2007, 2008, and 2009. 2004 is for 2004, 2005, 2006. Also if you are using a vertical product such as Civil 3D these are not standard formats and you should use. Export to AutoCAD to take the vertical data and convert it to standard AutoCAD data.



Note:
AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 - Application Icon->Export->AutoCAD->Version
AutoCAD Architecture 2010 - Application Icon->Export->AutoCAD->Version
Autodesk Revit 2010 - Application Icon->Export->CAD Formats->DWG

What Version of AutoCAD Do I have?

• Type VERNUM and hit enter on the keyboard
This will give you the version of AutoCAD you are running however you will need to
discuss this with a Technical Support Agent due to the fact these are build numbers not Updates or Service Packs
• However the easiest way in versions prior to 2010 is to select the Help Pull down
then Select About AutoCAD (Or other product name Map 3D, Civil 3D, Etc)once the Dialog is open select Product Information You will have a listing for the updates loaded in the second field from the top on the left hand side.
(Note: in 2009 the updates are as follows Update 1 lists as update 2, Update 2 as Update 3, Update 2.1 as 3.1 and Update 3 as Update 4)

• In the 2010 version this is no longer shown. you must find this under Add/Remove programs.

To find out the service Pack Level go to
- Windows XP: Start->Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs->Enable Show Updates at the top

- Windows Vista: Start->Control Panel->Programs and features->Click View Installed Updates.

Any update will be displayed under the AutoCAD Listing "AutoCAD 2010" or Vertical Product "AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010" "AutoCAD Map 3D 2010" etc.

AutoCAD, a Switch Hitter

Have you ever wanted to have AutoCAD perform certain things during launch? Perhaps not have that AutoCAD splash screen come up on launch or run a specific script or routine? There is a way to make these things happen. You may have noticed in the AutoCAD Icon that there are these strange things in the startup string (example: “c:\program files\AutoCAD 2010\ACAD.exe” /p <>). These are known as Startup Switches and they can make life very nice for those wanting to add a little more to their launch.

How do you access these Startup Switches?
1.) Locate the AutoCAD Icon on your desktop
2.) Highlight the Icon
3.) Right click and select Copy
4.) Right click on the background on your desktop and select Paste
5.) Highlight the new Icon
6.) Right click and select Properties
7.) Find the Target path this is where the magic takes place


How do these switches work?
I will use an example. I want to automatically load a custom profile I created internally on my Profile Tab in the Options Dialog called ACADSWITCHES. The Target would look like this.
“C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010\ACAD.exe” /P “ACADSWITCHES”

1.)“C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010\ACAD.exe” this part is used to launch AutoCAD it is just running ACAD.EXE which is the AutoCAD program
2.) /P this is the switch that says load this profile after you launch
3.)“ACADSWITCHES” This is the profile that is loaded when this icon is used to start the program
4.) Here is an example using more than one switch
“C:\Program Files\AutoCAD2010\ACAD.exe” /P “ACADSWITCHES /NOHARDWARE /NOLOGO,
this will Launch AutoCAD and set the ACADSWITCHES profile current, it won’t display the splash screen and it turns off the Hardware Acceleration in AutoCAD.

1.) /b “Script name”
b stands for batch process and this allows you to have AutoCAD run a script when it opens.

2.) /t “Template name”
This allows you to have AutoCAD use a certain DWT file to start the default Drawing when AutoCAD is launched by default

AutoCAD uses ACAD.DWT .DWT is assumed.

3.) /c “Configuration Folder”
c will farce AutoCAD to look at an alternative folder to find the ACAD.CFG file to look for a different hardware

configuration file. However if c is not set then it will use ACADWCFGW or ACADCFG environment variables for the path.

4.) /v “View Name”
v forces AutoCAD to recall a Named View when launched

5.) /id “ARX or DBF application”
id farces AutoCAD to load a specified ARX or DBF when launched

6.) /s “Support Folders”
s Allows AutoCAD to search additional support folder search paths rather than just the defaults in the Options Dialog. You can have up to 15 new paths delimited by ;.

7.) /r “Default System Pointing Device”
r restores the default pointing device and creates a new acad2010.cfg file and names the current acad2010.cfg file to acad.bak.

8.) /nologo
Starts AutoCAD without display the AutoCAD logo screen or splash screen.

9.) /p “Profile Name”
p allows AutoCAD to load a profile listed in the Options Dialog Profile tab. However this will load a Profile other than the

default. You may also use a path and load an external .arg file.

10.) /nohardware
nohardware disables hardware acceleration on startup.

11.) /nossm
nossm suppresses the Sheet Set Manager window on startup
.
12.) /set “path\”
set loads a named Sheet Set on start up.

13.) /w “default workspace”
w loads the Workspace specified on start up.

14.) /pl “path\.DSD
pl publishes a drawing set on .start up

Autodesk now supports Windows 7

You may have seen this but if you had not, head on over to the Autodesk press release to find out more. There are seven products that support Windows 7 (seven for Windows 7, nicely done Autodesk).

However, some of main platforms do not support Windows 7 right now, including Civil 3D and the Revit products, so be sure to read the release carefully and ask for help if you need it.

I have used the Raster design License update but I still can not get a License.

The Raster Design license update corrects an issue in the 2010 release. The issue is that without the update you must have matching software install types (network or standalone). For example you have Civil 3D 2010 licensed on the local machine and Raster Design licensed from the server they will not work together without this hotfix. However if you have a standalone Civil 3D license and you have a standalone Raster Design license then you would not need the hotfix and they would work together fine.

Hotfix Link
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13435443&linkID=9240978
Document listing - DL13435443

The exact text from Autodesk is as follows
Issues Addressed by this Hotfix:
· Raster Design Network Deployment:This hotfix updates licensing files which allow AutoCAD Raster Design 2010 network deployments to be installed with supported standalone AutoCAD applications.
This hotfix will not allow a standalone Raster Design 2010 installation to install with network deployments of host applications.
· Raster Design Features with AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Civil 2010:This hotfix also addresses instability issues with Raster Design features (i.e. Imanage) when installed with AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010.

However there has also been a new issue that is tied to this issue. The Raster Design license will still not get a license if the 2 products are not installed from the same media type. So this means if you have installed Civil 3D 2010 from a DVD and then install Raster Design from a deployment then they will not work together. You must install BOTH Civil 3D and Raster Design from a deployment OR a DVD method.

Merge the service pack into a 3ds Max 2010 deployment fails on client install, Append option works

When you attempt to “Merge” the service pack into a 3ds Max 2010 network deployment the installation to the client fails, but the “Append” option works.

This is a known issue. Currently, we can only offer the workaround of using the append option. Our engineers are looking into fixing this issue.

Autodesk Support Team

Textless Ribbons

Now this one is cool! You install the program and when you launch it everything seems to work but the text on the ribbon shows little rectangles or boxes instead of text. This can happen in AutoCAD based programs as well as Revit, Inventor, Design Review and DWG TrueView.





This appears to be .NET Framework related.

One method to resolve this is a Reinstall or Repair of MS .NET Framework 3.5 sp 1

1. Go to Control Panel.Run Add/Remove programs.


2. Select the MS .NET Framework 3.5 sp 1 .


3. Click Change.


4. Select the Reinstall option.


5. Reboot when it finishes.


6. Test the program.

If that doesn't work, then more drastic measures may need to be employed.

Autodesk Support has a technical solution (TS1056464 ) covering this latter option.

These types of issues can indicate corruption of the .NET Framework. This operating system component is required for several AutoCAD® features, including the Properties Palette, the Layer Manager, Ribbon, Menu Browser, Tooltips and other features.
To correct this issue.

1. On the Start menu (Windows), click Settings > Control Panel.


2. In Control Panel, double-click Add or Remove Programs (Windows 2000/XP) or Programs and Features (Windows Vista).


3. Uninstall all versions of .NET Framework. You may need to uninstall the most recent versions first.


4. Reinstall only the version of .NET Framework required for your software version. Refer to the list below for AutoCAD requirements. For vertical products, consult the product installation literature for the required .NET Framework version.

There is a link below to access version 3.5.

• AutoCAD 2005/AutoCAD LT 2005 requires .NET Framework 1.1


• AutoCAD 2006/AutoCAD LT 2006 requires .NET Framework 1.1 SP 1


• AutoCAD 2007/AutoCAD LT 2007 requires .NET Framework 2.0


• AutoCAD 2008/AutoCAD LT 2008 requires .NET Framework 2.0


• AutoCAD 2009/AutoCAD LT 2009 requires .NET Framework 3.0


• AutoCAD 2010/AutoCAD LT 2010 requires .NET Framework 3.5

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=ab99342f-5d1a-413d-8319-81da479ab0d7&displaylang=en

If you need assistance we can help! Call the Avatech Solutions National Support Center at 800-808-7645.

So you think you borrowed a network license...

Have you ever borrowed a network license only to find out after you leave work that it didn't? I've seen this many times. There are a few things that can cause this to happen.

You login to Windows under a different login name.

This happens because the license borrowing is specific to the Windows login and saves information to that Windows Profile.

You try to run a different program.

You run and borrow a license for Architecture and then try to run Civil 3D. The license borrowing is feature based and you are borrowing a license for a particular feature. When borrowing, ensure you double-click the shortcut icon you need to run when disconnected. Then use the same shortcut icon when disconnected from the network.

Your laptop is connected to a docking station that has a built-in Network card.

The borrowed license binds with the network card, if that card isn't available (or enabled) when disconnected then it's effectively left behind on the docking station. Disconnect from the docking station efore you borrow the license, hardwire the network cable to the laptop then borrow the license.

Your power saving options, in Windows, turns off or disables your Network card.

If the Network card can't be seen then it can't authenticate against it. You may be able to go into the Windows power management options. Or you may need to "Enable" it

To turn off the power management option
Go to Start-> Control Panel double-click the System icon and click the Device Manager button on the Hardware tab and expand out Network adapters. Double click the adapter and select the Power Management tab. Uncheck the box to "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" (Fig. 1) and click Ok. Reboot.

Fig. 1

You may need to Enable the network card. Start-> Control Panel double-click the System icon and click the Device Manager button on the Hardware tab and expand out Network adapters. Right click your network adapter and select Enable.

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Update 2 Now Available

Update 2 for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 is now available at the links below. This resolves several issues, please see the readme file. There is also a hotfix for performance issues in Vault 2010.

Civil 3D 2010 SP2
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13921667&linkID=9240698
Civil 2010 SP2
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13915377&linkID=9240698
For those who utilize Vault for document and data management, a performance hotfix was also released:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13922196&linkID=9240698

Create a backup of all custom CUIx (menu customization) files before installing the update. These files are located in:
Microsoft® Windows® XP: Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Autodesk\C3D 2010\enu\Support folder
Microsoft Windows Vista: \AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\C3D 2010\enu\Support folder

Before applying this update, make sure that any customizations made to the user profile (such as, customizations made to the support file search paths, print file customizations, printer support file paths, redirections, custom template settings, and so on) are exported to a secure location, then imported and reapplied after the update has been successfully installed.

A Rare Error "[0.0.0]"

You launch the Autodesk program and right away receive a network licensing error "[0.0.0]"

This can happen when the date and/or time of the workstation computer greatly differs from the license manager computer. Check the dates/times and ensure they are very close and test it again. This error doesn't happen very often, however, if you get it again on the same machine you may want to change your CMOS battery or your mechanism that updates the system date and time on the computer.

If you need any assistance on this or any other issue, then please call the Avatech National Support Center at 800-808-7645.

Failed to Launch (AutoCAD 2010).

I've received two calls now on this particular issue. You install AutoCAD 2010 (or 2010 vertical) and try to run the program. Right away you receive the message...

You click to Send report and it comes up with this message.

The most likely cause is a problem with the .NET Framework 3.51 sp 1 install. Peforming the following steps resolved this issue for one of the two calls I've had and I'm awaiting feedback on the second one.

To fix this issue:

1. Uninstall .NET 3.5 SP1.
   http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2005/04/08/406671.aspx


2. Uninstall AutoCAD


3. Reboot


4. Install AutoCAD


5. Reboot and test.

If you need any assistance on this or any other issue, then please call the Avatech National Support Center at 800-808-7645. Remember our contract holders come first and first time callers after that.

Get Online Access to Support Tickets

We're pleased to announce the launch of the Avatech Client Portal today. Technical support clients will be able to quickly and easily submit support questions and technical problems, as well as view and search all of your past issues and resolutions.

If you are an Avatech Autodesk Subscription client you'll also receive free software, such as Avatech Utilites for Revit or Avatech AutoOffset.

See details on the portal on our website. Got questions? Ask, we're here to help.

- the Marketing gal

UPDATE for Inventor SP1: Hotfix for R2010Sp1 is now available and new SP1

As announced in earlier posts, the Inventor team has published hotfix TS1109427 to fix two problems that were discovered after Sp1 was published to the web.The first problem was around borrowed licenses and the second problem related to erroneous update messages in the LiveUpdate portion of the product.
Since Wednesday August 26 , we also replaced Sp1 on the web with a version of Sp1 that no longer has these two problems.
Users that downloaded Sp1 prior to Wednesday August 26 are strongely advised to install this hotfix. Users that downloaded Sp1 after that date should be fine and don't need to install the hotfix. If you don't recall the exact date of your Sp1 download, you may still apply the hotfix as it will have no effect on the corrected version of the service pack. There is also a second way to find out if you need to apply the hotfix or not.Go to Control Panel\Programs and Features (Vista) or Control Panel\Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) and make sure the "Show updates" checkbox is checked. If there is a "Remove" button present for Sp1, your machine will benefit from applying the hotfix.
Our apologies for this confusion.

Render Us Speechless and WIN

Marketing gal here...

Yes, I know you're looking for your daily dose of technical support knowledge but I've got to get the word out. Avatech is launching its Render Us Speechless Contest. Enter your best visualization done in Autodesk products and WIN. We've got 4 categories to enter and over $5,000 in prizes to give away.

Be the first to blow us away by entering online.

If that hyperlink doesn't work for you, type http://www.avatech.com/Renderingcontest/ into your browser.

The top contenders will be shown at Autodesk University where we will allow attendees to vote for their favorite. Enter today (or tomorrow or sometime before the deadline) and show us what you've got!

Important Alert !!! on Inventor 2010 Service Pack 1

There are major problems with SP1 as posted here on the Autodesk website. Please don't download it from this link. We will update you as soon as we have the new service pack available for download.

Click Here.

Autodesk Service Pack posted in the last 60 days as of 8-17-09.

The following have all be listed within the last 60 days as of 8/17/09. Be sure to read all the readme or FAQ files before you execute any update or service pack. We highly recommend you have a backup of your files before you begin as a precaution.

If you run into an error you cannot easily fix, remember we're just a phone call away - 800-808-7945.

AutoCAD 2010 Update 1
Published date: 2009-Aug-19
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13760520

Applies to:
AutoCAD® 2010


AutoCAD LT 2010 Update 1
Published date: 2009-Aug-19
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13760573

Applies to:
AutoCAD LT® 2010


AutoCAD Architecture 2009 Product Update 3
Published date: 2009-Jun-18
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13343557

Applies to:
AutoCAD® Architecture 2009


AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Update 1
Published date: 2009-Aug-03
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13620865

Applies to:
AutoCAD® Civil 2010


AutoCAD Map 3D 2009 Update 3
Published date: 2009-Jul-10
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13470561

Applies to:
AutoCAD® Map 3D 2009


AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 Service Pack 3
Published date: 2009-Jul-15
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13356110

Applies to:
Autodesk® Inventor™ Professional 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Routed Systems Suite 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Simulation Suite 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Suite 2009
AutoCAD® Mechanical 2009


AutoCAD MEP 2009 Product Update 3
Published date: 2009-Jun-25
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13368075

Applies to:
AutoCAD® MEP 2009
AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2009


AutoCAD Raster Design 2009 Service Pack 1
Published date: 2008-Jul-23
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL11586692

Applies to:
AutoCAD Raster Design 2009


Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 Service Pack 1
Published date: 2009-Aug-05
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13642460

Applies to:
Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2010


Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 Service Pack 1
Published date: 2008-Jul-29
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL11384420

Applies to:
Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2009


Autodesk® Design Review 2009 – Service Pack 1
Published date: 2008-Jul-11
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL11484616

Applies to:
Autodesk® Design Review 2009


Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 Service Pack 3
Published date: 2009-Jul-15
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13356151

Applies to:
Autodesk® Inventor™ Professional 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Routed Systems Suite 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Simulation Suite 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Suite 2009
Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 (AIP - Routed Systems)
Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 (AIP - Simulation)
Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 (AIP)
Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 (AIS)


AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 Service Pack 3
Published date: 2009-Jul-15
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13356110

Applies to:
Autodesk® Inventor™ Professional 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Routed Systems Suite 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Simulation Suite 2009
Autodesk® Inventor™ Suite 2009
AutoCAD® Mechanical 2009


MapGuide Enterprise 2010 Update 1 for Windows
Published date: 2009-Aug-17
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13754026

Applies to:
Autodesk MapGuide® Enterprise 2010


MapGuide Studio 2010 Update 1 for Windows
Published date: 2009-Aug-17
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL13754483

Applies to:
Autodesk MapGuide® Studio 2010

Autodesk programs fail to launch, but they were working yesterday.

There are multiple reports about a variety of Autodesk programs not launching that were able to launch the day before. If you are using Spy Sweeper/Webroot then the "adskscsrv.exe" may have been quarantined. Check your quarantine and look for an entry for "Trojan-backdoor-graypigeon" and see if it's related to the above file from the Autodesk folder structure "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\Service". It also quarantines two registry entries under the same subheading.

• HKLM\system\currentcontrolset\enum\root\legacy_autodesk_licensing_service\
• HKLM\system\currentcontrolset\services\autodesk licensing service\

Webroot (SpySweeper) has been contacted and has acknowledged that this is a false positive. They have a new definition that will be released soon, update your anti-virus definition. Webroot Support suggests the following steps.

1. Double click on the Webroot icon to open the software
2. Select the Home Tab.
3. Click on Manage Quarantine.
4. In the Manage Quarantine window select Trojan-Backdoor-Graypigeon
5. Click on Restore Selected Item.
6. You can then check for updates.

It should start fine now.

If you need any assistance on this or any other issue, then call the Avatech National Support Center at 800-808-7645. Remember our contract holders come first and first time callers after that. If you’d like to purchase a support contract we can help with that too.

Can you control your AutoCAD cascading?

There have been some changes to the Cascading of Autodesk programs. AutoCAD will now cascade. The biggest change is that non-suite program installs can now cascade to get a suite network license.

AutoCAD 2010 Cascading Sequence:

• AutoCAD 2010
• AutoCAD Mechanical 2010
• AutoCAD Visualization Suite 2010
• AutoCAD Revit Architecture Visualization Suite 2010
• Autodesk Building Fabrication Suite 2010
• AutoCAD Revit Architecture Suite 2010
• AutoCAD Revit Structure Suite 2010
• Autodesk Education Master Suite 2010
• Autodesk Education Suite for Architecture and Engineering 2010
• Autodesk Education Suite for Civil and Structural Engineering 2010
• Autodesk Education Suite for Industrial Design 2010
• Autodesk Design Academy 2010

If you run out of suite licenses too quickly, then you will want to create an options file to control license availability for certain users. Using Groups and Include is a great way to help restrict users.

To see a complete list of the Autodesk Cascading sequences, click here to see the Autodesk Technical Solution. Alternatively you can copy and paste this: http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS1106828

If you need any assistance on this or any other issue, then call the Avatech National Support Center at 800-808-7645. Remember our contract holders come first and first time callers after that. If you’d like to purchase a support contract we can help with that too!

The Autodesk Business Center will be closed briefly on Tuesday Aug. 11

The Autodesk Business Center will be temporarily closed from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern time on Tuesday Aug. 11 2009.

Revit 2010 Update 1 Crash issue and workaround

PROBLEM:

When you try to modify certain elements in your project, Revit gives the message "Display Error -An error has occurred while drawing the contents of this window. This window shall be closed." or "An unrecoverable error has occurred. The program will now be terminated."

You notice that the problem walls crash when the detail level is set to Fine or Medium. It doesn't crash when set to Coarse.

RESOLUTION:

There has been a change request logged on this issue and I have added this case to the change request.

The only workaround I have found for this issue at this point is the one you found to change the Detail Level to Coarse. This issue should be addressed in a future update.