Architectural Desktop 2005

See also what's new in AutoCAD 2005 since this will also more or less be included in ADT 2005 and I'll try to not duplicate the information.

New and/or enhanced functions.

No change in the file format this time!

ADT 2005 can be installed side by side with earlier versions.

Most 3:rd party applications will work directly with the version that worked for AutoCAD 2004.

No change in the minimum hardware requirements.

The installation has been improved so it's possible to point Content and Support Files to alternate locations. Imperial and Metric profiles are created. And a basic AutoCAD only shortcut can be created.

ETransmit is enhanced to include option for having AEC objects exploded. Project information can also be included.

Much work has been done on the detailing to make it more easy to work with. It's been integrated with Tool System and Properties Palette for creation.

Annotation and Keynoting. You can keynote detail components, object styles/definitions, object components through materials, 2D sections/elevations and across xrefs.

Callouts integrates with Drawing Management for creation of new views and hyperlinks. Callouts are also cross-linked.

AEC Modify Tools for Linework, hatches, blocks and profile-based ADT objects that can be found on the right click menu.

Boundary editing.

Easy hatch origin editing.

Construction Lines: Enhanced XLINE creation.

Grips has been added here and there.

The Status Bar has been enhanced.

Improved Mass Group Editing.

Improved Space Creation.

Stair Tower Generator.

Content Browser Fit/Finish, New 'Publish Catalog' feature.

VIZ Render 2004: Built on MAX 6 technology.

Extend and Trim commands now detects all wall components.

The batt insulation routine in Details supports Walls as a placement option.

Compare and merge display sets.

No line between floors on sections/elevations.

Performance is better using the Project Manager and the Content Browser.

Export to AutoCAD didn't respect clipped xrefs in previous versions but has been fixed in 2005

AECINSPECT lets you hover over entities and get information about them like layer, style name and style description, keynote information and property set information. Good for inspecting drawings without having to select the objects. Autosnap tooltip has to be enabled.

Readme info.

This section lists known issues in Architectural Desktop 2005.

· Autodesk Architectural Studio. AecXApi.dll needs to be updated in order to Export from Autodesk Architectural Studio. Please refer to Tech Support issue TS83870 in the Knowledge Base (http://www.autodesk.com/support) for additional information.

· ADT as AutoCAD desktop icon. When using the ADT as AutoCAD icon, invoking the Layer Manager will cause the Architectural Desktop modules to load. This will have the affect of adding additional options to the selected object context menus.

· AEC Details. Users should be careful when deleting records from size tables. This operation is harmless if there are no drawings that reference the deleted rows. Otherwise user may have some problems since the IDs can be reused. For example, a "size" record with record ID = 100005 and some drawing object "A" references this "size". There are two (2) potential problems after user deletes this "size" record: If the "Size" record is deleted we cannot get the properties of object "A", thus no data will be displayed on the Extended data tab of the property palette for that detail component; If user creates a new "size" record it may get the same ID = 100005. Drawing object "A" will reference a newly created record after that. The actual geometry of object "A" is based on parameters of the deleted record. But if we check its properties we will get the data from the new "size" record.

· Callouts. If a user rotates the UCS and then uses a callout to generate Sections and Elevations in a new View drawing, the hatch patterns will be rotated. Refreshing the Sections and Elevations from within the View drawing will restore the proper rotation.

· Content Browser. If a user has both Architectural Desktop and Building Systems installed on the same machine and uninstalls either one, the shared catalogs will become unavailable. To fix this, delete the following file: C:\Documents and Settings\your_username\My Documents\Autodesk\My Content Browser Library\ContentBrowserLibrary45.cbl and then repair the installation for the remaining product. To accomplish this, follow these steps: Control Panel à Add or Remove Programs à <product name> à Change à Reinstall or Repair <product name> à Next à Repair Registry à Next à Next.

· Drawing Management. Projects that reside on or in folders that reside on the Windows Desktop are not displayed in the Project Browser. Use the "Browse Project" icon in the Project Browser to navigate to the desktop in order to set the desired project current. When Construct Folders are moved, any Views that reference Constructs in that folder will include all Constructs in that folder regardless of what the previous settings were. These will need to be manually updated to remove unnecessary Constructs. A Page Setup Override must be specified for pre-Architectural Desktop 2005 projects prior to accessing the Manage Page Setups dialog. Project Navigator à Sheets Tab à Sheet Set root node à Right click and choose Properties à "Page setup overrides file" section. Choose a file and OK out of the Properties dialog.

DXF. DXF files cannot be created by using SaveAs if the drawing file contains VIZ Render-base materials. This includes all Architectural Desktop template and style drawings included in the shipping product. Use DXFout and DXFin as a possible alternative.

· Export to AutoCAD. If the anchored objects in files that result from the Export operation (or E-transmit with the Explode option) display unexpectedly, it may be because the UCS in viewports are not set to WCS. Setting the most recently active viewport may fix the problem. If not, the other viewports need to be modified.

· Fieldcodes. Fieldcodes are not supported when contained in an Attribute in an MV Block unless the Attribute Definition Mode is set to Constant.

· Grips. Setting UCSFOLLOW to 1 will interfere with the automatic UCS changes that occur when some grips are selected. A detailed explanation follows. - A drawing with UCSFOLLOW = 1 for one or more viewports will NOT allow dragging any Z-direction oriented grip (example - wall height grip ). The dynamic dimensions will still work, and osnaping along Z direction will work. In other words, temporary change in UCS is not allowed by any grip if there exists one or more viewports with UCSFOLLOW = 1. - A SAVE is recommended immediately after any change in UCSFOLLOW system variable.

· Layer Manager. The Layer Manager may be slow when a drawing contains many layers AND the layer filters are displayed in the right-hand pane. Right-click and uncheck "Show Filters in Layer List" to increase the performance.

· Publish. Background Plotting in Architectural Desktop has been set to 0 (Off for Plotting and Publishing) by default. Should you encounter problems plotting or publishing using Background mode, please try the operation using Foreground mode. Specific issues listed below. When Publishing to a Plotter named in the page setup with Background Plotting ON, the drawing(s) are not properly regenerated for Plot. Please use Foreground Plotting to Publish the drawing(s). When Publishing AEC Properties from a Construct that is currently open, the Project Based properties cannot be written out to the DWF file using Background Publish. To have Project Based Properties written to the DWF, either save and close the drawing, then Publish, or save the drawing and Publish in the Foreground (normal legacy plotting). This applies only to Constructs; Project Based Properties will always be written when Publishing a View or Sheet. In order to password protect DWF files, you must use the Publish interface, setting a password in the Publish Options dialog.

· Xref. Avoid tagging objects in a drawing that is attached as an Xref Overlay. While there will be no problem in the original drawing, if that drawing is subsequently Xref attached to a new host drawing you will encounter "Enhanced reference audit problem" error messages. This is due to the fact that Overlay attached Xrefs are dropped when their host is subsequently attached to another drawing. Since the lowest level drawing is no longer present, any tag or AEC dimension that is based on an object in that drawing will have a broken reference.

Graphics Card Testing
The following is a list of the Graphics Cards that were tested and drivers used with Autodesk Architectural Desktop 2005 using Hardware Acceleration and their known issues.
3DLabs

3D Labs Wildcat VP 870
Driver - 3.1.739.0
Known Issues:

1. Missing linework is possible when orbiting in Model Explorer with the Shademode Hidden option

3D Labs Wildcat III 6110
Driver - 6.5.6.13
Known Issues:

1. With Hardware Acceleration enabled, you may encounter a crash when in style manager and using the arrow keys to quickly scroll up and down through the structural member styles when viewing them in an Isometric view and Gouraud shademode.

ATI

ATI Fire GL T2 - 64
Driver - 6.14.10.6404
Known Issues:

1. The AutoCAD text window is not persistent on the 2nd monitor when running dual monitors with Hardware Acceleration enabled.
2. You may encounter a crash on save when running dual monitors with Hardware Acceleration enabled.

ATI Fire GL T2 - 128
Driver - 6.14.10.6343
Known Issues: None.

Matrox

Matrox Millennium P750
Driver - 1.6.0.99
Known Issues:

1. The tooltips in Tool Palette are incorrectly displayed once you hover over the camera object with Hardware Acceleration enabled.
2. With Hardware Acceleration enabled, you may notice some color bleed through when viewing the model in an isometric view and Gouraud shademode.

Matrox Parhelia
Driver - 1.6.0.99
Known Issues: None.

nVidia

nVidia Quadro 4 900 XGL
Driver - 5.6.5.4
Known Issues: None.

This section lists the last minute items of note in Architectural Desktop 2005.

· Cleanscreen on Windows 2000. If the Windows taskbar is auto-hidden, the user may not be able to see the new Architectural Desktop Cleanscreen toggle on the Status bar as this portion of the Application window is obscured. In this case, access the Cleanscreen toggle via the Architectural Desktop Window pulldown menu.

· Configure Paths. The "Bitmaps/Photometrics" tab in VIZ Render is now called "External Files".

· Direct3D. It is not recommended to use the Direct 3D display setting for VIZ Render unless your video card has a specific driver for it.

· Drawing Management. When using shademodes other than 2D wireframe in a sheet viewport, the graphics may disappear. This is due to Layer 0 being frozen in that viewport. VP thaw layer 0, save, close and re-open the drawing. This should allow the viewport to display properly. The cause of this problem is that lower level Xrefs, such as those attached to the view drawing, have been inserted on layer 0. Since no graphics other than the Xrefs should be present on that layer, thawing it in the viewport should not cause any display problems. After moving a project, the paths to the project dependent files (bulletin board, image, and default templates) will not automatically re-path. If necessary, you will need to manually modify the paths to these files from the ‘Modify Project’ worksheet. This can also result in the Callout Tool not creating a View if the template paths are incorrect. If you installed Architectural Desktop to a custom location, the Sample Project and the Tutorials will be affected by this and you will need to manually re-path as well.

· DRF File Format. DRF files saved in VIZ Render for Architectural Desktop 2005 cannot be loaded in VIZ Render for Architectural Desktop 2004. Both DRF file formats can be loaded in Autodesk VIZ 2005 and 3dsmax 6.

· eTransmit. Use the Project Browser to eTransmit an entire project in a form in which it can be opened as a project. If you initiate eTransmit from the File menu or from within Project Navigator, you may not get the proper .xml files included, even if your setup specifies that project information should be included.

· Export to AutoCAD. When display properties are different between the host drawing and external references, there will be changes in appearance when exporting to AutoCAD. This will happen in all cases when different drawing default display properties are used, and will happen even with different style-override display properties when the bind method "Insert" is used.

· Help. The VIZ Render Help file has not been updated to reflect all the changes in terminology for the 2005 product. The major differences have been outlined here in this Readme. An updated VIZ Render Help file will be available via the Autodesk website post release.

· Layer Keying. There are a number of new layer keys: LandXML Import: COGO = Control points PRCL = Property TINN = Triangulated Irregular Network TOPO = Topography Details: FINE=Detail lines – fine HATCH= Details hatching MED=Detail lines – medium THIN=Detail lines – thin WIDE=Detail lines – wide Other: HIDDEN=Hidden lines VIEWPORT=Viewports XLINE=Construction lines

· Link to VIZ Render. It is possible for Architectural Desktop to Link to VIZ Render while VIZ Render is otherwise occupied, such as rendering. This can result in an Application Error and loss of data from Architectural Desktop and/or VIZ Render. It is recommended that data not be pushed from Architectural Desktop to VIZ Render while VIZ Render is otherwise occupied.

· Live Sections. VIZ Render will now respect Architectural Desktop live sections that cut through external reference files.

· Options. Some features require AutoSnap tooltips to be on to see the tooltips during their operation. These features include: Edit Table Cell, Grip edit tooltips, Keynote Legend Show, Object Inspect, Space AutoGenerate, Wall Offset options (copy/Move/Set From), etc. One can enable AutoSnap tooltips via the Options dialog. Format à Options à Drafting tab à AutoSnap Settings section à Display AutoSnap tooltip

· Render Presets. Formerly called Preset Rendering Options, Render Presets have changed both in the format and function from the previous release. Presets created in VIZ Render 2004 currently cannot be imported for use in VIZ Render for Architectural Desktop 2005. Presets saved in VIZ Render 2005 are not supported in VIZ Render for Architectural Desktop 2004.

· Substitution Manager. Substituting an item from an external reference of a drawing linked into VIZ Render will replace the whole external reference.

· VIZ Render Layers Dialog. The dialog has changed from the previous version as a result of a number of enhancements from 3dsmax 6.

· VIZ Render Material Editor. The Emit Energy checkbox located in the Physical Qualities rollout does not work. Use the one located in the Adjust Radiosity rollout instead.

· VIZ Render Propagation Manager. The Instance Manager Category in the Customize User Interface dialog has been renamed to Propagation Manager. This is to more suitably describe its role. Also the "Auto Material Propagation Toggle" has been renamed to "Propagate Materials to Instances".

· VIZ Render Reload Options. There is a new set of toolbar commands for reloading a drawing from Architectural Desktop. - Reload Geometry and Materials – will reload all geometry from the Architectural Desktop into VIZ Render. It can also update all the materials, depending on the following two settings. - Use scene material assignments (on Reload) – Will maintain, in the scene, any materials you have replaced in VIZ Render in favor of those being reloaded from Architectural Desktop. - Use scene material definitions - Will maintain, in the scene, any materials you have edited in VIZ Render in favor of those being reloaded from Architectural Desktop.

· VIZ Render Tutorials. Issues were found with some of the drawing files to be provided with the tutorials, except those to be found in the Small_Office folder. As these other drawing files were not required for the tutorials, they were removed.

· 3rd Party Plugins. Plugins made for VIZ Render 2004 will not work in VIZ Render 2005. Make sure you download and update to a version compatible with VIZ Render 2005.

· Bionatics® EASYnat. Please refer to the Bionatics website for more information. http://www.bionatics.com

· ArchVision® RPC™. After installing, the RPC content path will need to be added to the list of External Files paths in the Configure Paths dialog. This dialog can be found on the Customize pulldown. Please refer to the ArchVision website for more information. http://www.archvision.com

Tips & Trix

Did you know that you can customize the list of viewport scales that comes up in the list at the drawing status bar or in with AecDwgScaleSetup command? Edit, remove or add the scales you want in the registry at this location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\ObjectDBX\R16.1\AEC\4.5\AecBase40\Scales

HotFix for the Layer Manager slowness problem: http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=DL4349816

SP1 info

Additional Known Issues

These are problems that have been identified in the original release of Architectural Desktop 2005 that are not corrected with this Service Pack.

Project Creation and Modification in certain network environments
In some network environments, projects cannot be created or modified when located on the servers. We have found that when the network shares have only the servers’ local administrator account with full permissions, our tests failed. If the servers’ local administrator group (which the local administrator account is a member) had full permissions to the share, our tests worked.

Publishing Multiple Sheets Within Project Navigator
When working with a project loaded from a mapped drive, publishing multiple sheets from the Sheets tab of the Project Navigator should be done using the "Publish Sheet Set" button at the bottom of this tab.  If you select Publish > Publish Dialog Box... from the right-click menu, a fatal error will occur.

Norton SystemWorksWinDoctor
Norton SystemWorksWinDoctor incorrectly identifies certain ADT registry keys as invalid.  If you use Norton WinDoctor to clean your registry, do not scan Active X Com Sections and Active X Com Sub Key Sections.  If you inadvertently corrupt these sections with Norton WinDoctor, you may restore the ADT portions of ActiveX by running the ADT reinstall and selecting "Repair Registry".

Object Snaps
When you add a Multi-landing Stair, you may encounter a Fatal Error if the Stair snaps to text in a Dimension, Leader (in the current drawing), or any Text in an Xref. To avoid this, temporarily turn off OSNAPS for Intersection and Apparent Intersection while adding the stair.

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Updates & Service Packs.

Links

http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines

http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_walls

ADT Brain dumps