ActiveX API

ActiveX API

The following outlines the additions and changes made to the ActiveX API in AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD 2005-based products.

Enums
AcEntityName (Changed)
        acTable = 43 (New)
AcTableDirection (New)
        acTableTopToBottom = 0
        acTableBottomToTop = 1
AcCellAlignment (New)
        acTopLeft = 1
        acTopCenter = 2
        acTopRight = 3
        acMiddleLeft = 4
        acMiddleCenter = 5
        acMiddleRight = 6
        acBottomLeft = 7
        acBottomCenter = 8
        acBottomRight = 9
AcRowType (New)
        acUnknownRow = 0
        acDataRow = 1
        acTitleRow = 2
        acHeaderRow = 4
AcGridLineType (New)
        acInvalidGridLine = 0
        acHorzTop = 1
        acHorzInside = 2
        acHorzBottom = 4
        acVertLeft = 8
        acVertInside = 16
        acVertRight = 32
AcCellType (New)
        acUnknownCell = 0
        acTextCell = 1
        acBlockCell = 2
AcCellEdgeMask (New)
        acTopMask = 1
        acRightMask = 2
        acBottomMask = 4
        acLeftMask = 8
AcRotationAngle (New)
        acDegreesUnknown = 0xffffffff
        acDegrees000 = 0
        acDegrees090 = 1
        acDegrees180 = 2
        acDegrees270 = 3
AcSelectType (New)
        acTableSelectWindow = 1
        acTableSelectCrossing = 2
AcOleType (New)
        acOTLink = 1
        acOTEmbedded = 2
        acOTStatic = 3
AcOlePlotQuality (New)
        acOPQMonochrome = 0
        acOPQLowGraphics = 1
        acOPQHighGraphics = 2
AcTableStyleOverrides (New)
        acTitleSuppressed = 1
        acHeaderSuppressed = 2
        acFlowDirection = 3
        acHorzCellMargin = 4
        acVertCellMargin = 5
        acTitleRowColor = 6
        acHeaderRowColor = 7
        acDataRowColor = 8
        acTitleRowFillNone = 9
        acHeaderRowFillNone = 10
        acDataRowFillNone = 11
        acTitleRowFillColor = 12
        acHeaderRowFillColor = 13
        acDataRowFillColor = 14
        acTitleRowAlignment = 15
        acHeaderRowAlignment = 16
        acDataRowAlignment = 17
        acTitleRowTextStyle = 18
        acHeaderRowTextStyle = 19
        acDataRowTextStyle = 20
        acTitleRowTextHeight = 21
        acHeaderRowTextHeight = 22
        acDataRowTextHeight = 23
        acTitleHorzTopColor = 40
        acTitleHorzInsideColor = 41
        acTitleHorzBottomColor = 42
        acTitleVertLeftColor = 43
        acTitleVertInsideColor = 44
        acTitleVertRightColor = 45
        acHeaderHorzTopColor = 46
        acHeaderHorzInsideColor = 47
        acHeaderHorzBottomColor = 48
        acHeaderVertLeftColor = 49
        acHeaderVertInsideColor = 50
        acHeaderVertRightColor = 51
        acDataHorzTopColor = 52
        acDataHorzInsideColor = 53
        acDataHorzBottomColor = 54
        acDataVertLeftColor = 55
        acDataVertInsideColor = 56
        acDataVertRightColor = 57
        acTitleHorzTopLineWeight = 70
        acTitleHorzInsideLineWeight = 71
        acTitleHorzBottomLineWeight = 72
        acTitleVertLeftLineWeight = 73
        acTitleVertInsideLineWeight = 74
        acTitleVertRightLineWeight = 75
        acHeaderHorzTopLineWeight = 76
        acHeaderHorzInsideLineWeight = 77
        acHeaderHorzBottomLineWeight = 78
        acHeaderVertLeftLineWeight = 79
        acHeaderVertInsideLineWeight = 80
        acHeaderVertRightLineWeight = 81
        acDataHorzTopLineWeight = 82
        acDataHorzInsideLineWeight = 83
        acDataHorzBottomLineWeight = 84
        acDataVertLeftLineWeight = 85
        acDataVertInsideLineWeight = 86
        acDataVertRightLineWeight = 87
        acTitleHorzTopVisibility = 100
        acTitleHorzInsideVisibility = 101
        acTitleHorzBottomVisibility = 102
        acTitleVertLeftVisibility = 103
        acTitleVertInsideVisibility = 104
        acTitleVertRightVisibility = 105
        acHeaderHorzTopVisibility = 106
        acHeaderHorzInsideVisibility = 107
        acHeaderHorzBottomVisibility = 108
        acHeaderVertLeftVisibility = 109
        acHeaderVertInsideVisibility = 110
        acHeaderVertRightVisibility = 111
        acDataHorzTopVisibility = 112
        acDataHorzInsideVisibility = 113
        acDataHorzBottomVisibility = 114
        acDataVertLeftVisibility = 115
        acDataVertInsideVisibility = 116
        acDataVertRightVisibility = 117
        acCellAlign = 130
        acCellBackgroundFillNone = 131
        acCellBackgroundColor = 132
        acCellContentColor = 133
        acCellTextStyle = 134
        acCellTextHeight = 135
        acCellTopGridColor = 136
        acCellRightGridColor = 137
        acCellBottomGridColor = 138
        acCellLeftGridColor = 139
        acCellTopGridLineWeight = 140
        acCellRightGridLineWeight = 141
        acCellBottomGridLineWeight = 142
        acCellLeftGridLineWeight = 143
        acCellTopVisibility = 144
        acCellRightVisibility = 145
        acCellBottomVisibility = 146
        acCellLeftVisibility = 147

Classes
IAcadSortentsTable (New)
        MoveToBottom - Method
        MoveToTop - Method
        MoveBelow - Method
        MoveAbove - Method
        SwapOrder - Method
        Block - Method
        GetFullDrawOrder - Method
        GetRelativeDrawOrder - Method
        SetRelativeDrawOrder - Method
IAcadLayer2 (New)
        Description - Property
        Used - Property
IAcadView2 (New)
        CategoryName - Property
        LayoutId - Property
        LayerState - Property
        HasVpAssociation - Property
IAcadTableStyle (New)
        Name - Property
        Description - Property
        BitFlags - Property
        FlowDirection - Property
        HorzCellMargin - Property
        VertCellMargin - Property
        TitleSuppressed - Property
        HeaderSuppressed - Property
        GetTextStyle - Method
        SetTextStyle - Method
        GetTextHeight - Method
        SetTextHeight - Method
        GetAlignment - Method
        SetAlignment - Method
        GetColor - Method
        SetColor - Method
        GetBackgroundColor - Method
        SetBackgroundColor - Method
        GetBackgroundColorNone - Method
        SetBackgroundColorNone - Method
        GetGridLineWeight - Method
        SetGridLineWeight - Method
        GetGridColor - Method
        SetGridColor - Method
        GetGridVisibility - Method
        SetGridVisibility - Method
IAcadLayers2 (New)
        GenerateUsageData - Method
IAcadMText2 (New)
        BackgroundFill - Property
        FieldCode - Method
IAcadText2 (New)
        FieldCode - Method
IAcadPViewport2 (New)
        ModelView - Property
        SheetView - Property
        LabelBlockId - Property
        HasSheetView - Property
        SyncModelView - Method
IAcadTable (New)
        StyleName - Property
        Rows - Property
        Columns - Property
        FlowDirection - Property
        Width - Property
        Height - Property
        VertCellMargin - Property
        HorzCellMargin - Property
        InsertionPoint - Property
        GetColumnWidth - Method
        SetColumnWidth - Method
        ColumnWidth - Method
        GetRowHeight - Method
        SetRowHeight - Method
        RowHeight - Method
        GetMinimumColumnWidth - Method
        GetMinimumRowHeight - Method
        MinimumTableWidth - Property
        MinimumTableHeight - Property
        Direction - Property
        TitleSuppressed - Property
        HeaderSuppressed - Property
        GetAlignment - Method
        SetAlignment - Method
        GetBackgroundColorNone - Method
        SetBackgroundColorNone - Method
        GetBackgroundColor - Method
        SetBackgroundColor - Method
        GetContentColor - Method
        SetContentColor - Method
        GetTextStyle - Method
        SetTextStyle - Method
        GetTextHeight - Method
        SetTextHeight - Method
        GetGridLineWeight - Method
        SetGridLineWeight - Method
        GetGridColor - Method
        SetGridColor - Method
        GetGridVisibility - Method
        SetGridVisibility - Method
        TableStyleOverrides - Property
        ClearTableStyleOverrides - Method
        GetCellType - Method
        SetCellType - Method
        GetCellExtents - Method
        GetAttachmentPoint - Method
        GetCellAlignment - Method
        SetCellAlignment - Method
        GetCellBackgroundColorNone - Method
        SetCellBackgroundColorNone - Method
        GetCellBackgroundColor - Method
        SetCellBackgroundColor - Method
        GetCellContentColor - Method
        SetCellContentColor - Method
        GetCellStyleOverrides - Method
        DeleteCellContent - Method
        GetRowType - Method
        GetText - Method
        SetText - Method
        GetCellTextStyle - Method
        SetCellTextStyle - Method
        GetCellTextHeight - Method
        SetCellTextHeight - Method
        GetTextRotation - Method
        SetTextRotation - Method
        GetAutoScale - Method
        SetAutoScale - Method
        GetBlockTableRecordId - Method
        SetBlockTableRecordId - Method
        GetBlockScale - Method
        SetBlockScale - Method
        GetBlockRotation - Method
        SetBlockRotation - Method
        GetBlockAttributeValue - Method
        SetBlockAttributeValue - Method
        GetCellGridLineWeight - Method
        SetCellGridLineWeight - Method
        GetCellGridColor - Method
        SetCellGridColor - Method
        GetCellGridVisibility - Method
        SetCellGridVisibility - Method
        InsertColumns - Method
        DeleteColumns - Method
        InsertRows - Method
        DeleteRows - Method
        MergeCells - Method
        UnmergeCells - Method
        IsMergedCell - Method
        GetFieldId - Method
        SetFieldId - Method
        GenerateLayout - Method
        RecomputeTableBlock - Method
        HitTest - Method
        Select - Method
        SelectSubRegion - Method
        ReselectSubRegion - Method
        GetSubSelection - Method
        SetSubSelection - Method
        ClearSubSelection - Method
        HasSubSelection - Property
IAcadOle (New)
        InsertionPoint - Property
        Rotation - Property
        Width - Property
        Height - Property
        ScaleWidth - Property
        ScaleHeight - Property
        LockAspectRatio - Property
        OleItemType - Property
        OlePlotQuality - Property
        OleSourceApp - Property
IAcadBlock2 (New)
        AddTable - Method
        Path - Property
IAcadModelSpace2 (New)
        AddTable - Method
IAcadPaperSpace2 (New)
        AddTable - Method
_DAcadApplicationEvents (Changed)
        BeginFileDrop - Event
    (Changed the last parameter to accept and return a value)
IAcadPreferencesFiles2 (New)
        QNewTemplateFile - Property (New)
        PlotLogFilePath - Property (New)
        PageSetupOverridesTemplateFile - Property (New)
IAcadPreferencesOutput2 (New)
        ContinuousPlotLog - Property (New)
        AutomaticPlotLog - Property (New)
        DefaultPlotToFilePath - Property (New)
_DAcadDocumentEvents (Changed)
        BeginDocClose - Event (New)

Still missing. Wish list for the next time

Still missing. Wish list for the next time.

SSM Wizard to create a sheet set based on existing drawings. We usually only use one layout per drawing and would like to have an option to not having the layout name automatically added to the sheet name since it just confuses and makes no sense. What make sense is to get the name from a block attribute in the drawing. And to rename them all one by one is not an option if you have hundreds of files. Of course if there was a way to find and replace but there isn't.

SSM: I wish it would be possible to select multiple sheets in SSM and open them. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

SSM: I wish it would be possible to select multiple sheets in SSM and move them.

SSM: I wish it would be possible to select multiple sheets in SSM and edit one or many Sheet Custom Properties.

SSM: I can see that it could be useful to see both Preview and Details in SSM at the same time.

SSM: In SSM you can rename the Number and Sheet title but I wish it was possible to rename the actual file name as well. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

SSM: Today a sheet can be removed but the drawing is not deleted. I wish it was possible to have the option to also delete the drawing.

SSM: It's really annoying that you cannot leave out the suffix in SSM and Publish. I don't want Model or Layout1 added to the sheet name or the published DWF. Renaming them manually is not really an option if you have 100 or 1000 files. I wish there was an option to add the layout name or not.

SSM should support be able to support images that can be attached with the IMAGE command in the Resource Drawing tab so it would be easy to handle all external references or resources in one place.

SSM: Add a Previous button to the Rename & Renumber dialog in the SSM. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

SSM: Add multiple existing drawings to SSM in a simple way. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

SSM: Support of completely blank fields (especially when using SSM). Not with "----". It could be that they where visible on the screen but not plotable Should be an option if you still want "----".  Workaround: What on the other hand looks like it stays is by entering ALT-0160 (Non-break Space) on the keyboard followed by an enter.

SSM: In the properties dialog box the width of the column for the property name can be resized but is not saved if repoened. I wish the width was retained.

SSM: Having the layout name changed if the sheet name is changed.

SSM: If in the SSM using Subsets with folders that are set for new drawings and then you move a drawing from one subset to another I would like that the file also was moved.

SSM: I wish that custom properties could handle lookup of values to let the user select among several default values.

SSM: Being able to cancel the properties dialog box using ESC. Doesn't work today if you have started to edit something. I suggest that 2 ESC escaped out of it. In addition to this it would be good to access OK by pressing CTRL+ENTER or something like that.

SSM: Save the state (expanded and collapsed) of the Sheet Set in SSM between sessions on a user basis.

SSM: I wish it was possible to select multiple sheets and/or subsets and act with them. Moving, copying, deleting, editing properties for example.

SSM: I wish for an API to get the selected items in the SSM.

SSM: API to get and identify the current Sheet Set when there are more than one open.

SSM: I wish it was possible to update and edit sheet list table settings on a sheet list table in model space.

SSM: Fieldeval should support when using INSERT of a block that includes fields. As of today it's not possible to restrict AutoCAD from updating the fields. One reason why this would be needed is when you execute script files.

SSM: I wish it was possible to remove subsets including nested subsets. Also with an option to remove sheets. An extra question would be needed if sheets should be removed. An option for deleting the file as well.

SSM: Publish to DWF from SSM needs to be improved so one can have more control on the settings used. Primarly the sheet size. I would for example like to use full bleed paper size at some times. This cannot be based on the saved settings in a layout since these might easily be changed from sheet to sheet. Using an page setup overide cannot produce a multisheet DWF. It it could that would be another option.

SSM: Select one or multiple sheets and open them as Read Only. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

SSM: In the Create Subset Properties dialog box automatically create a folder with the subset's name under the parent sheet set or subset storage location. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

SSM: Import transmittal setups from other Sheet Sets. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

SSM: Have an alternate icon to show when a sheet is missing the associated file. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

SSM: Support for this workflow: Drag and drop holding down CTRL or copy and paste a sheet in SSM to make a copy of an existing sheet.

SSM: When copying or renaming a drawing that is part of a sheet set I wish that everything was in sync. The sheet number, sheet name, layout name, drawing name, drawing path, callout block links as well as title block links. (Partly solved in AutoCAD 2006)

Custom expressions in fields to achieve for example a conversion from mm² to m². (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

I would like that when I drag multiple files from Explorer to Publish that they where sorted automatically.

Having the PUBLISH dialog box resizable.

Publish has to be refined. Option to publish both to DWF and printer at the same time without having to copy sheets.  If you get dialogboxes during the plot that pops up like "Select Shape File" the "batch" is stopped. Creation of a page setup for drawings on the fly and have it apply to the drawings or even added to the drawings. Add the option to use "Previous Plot". Autosave is not restored if a crash occurs. Find and Replace would be great so you can easily rename the sheets. Not having to click OK for drawings that are erroneous during a batch, one warning in the end telling that "xx drawing(s) where not valid" would be enough and it might also show in the status column. Publish to multiple sources, like A1, A3 to plotter and PDF and DWF.

Publish should be able to select folders with included files as well as nested folders.

A simple way to set the clip planes with exact distances that are created with 3DCLIP or DVIEW in a simple user friendly way than today.

When working in 3D it would be useful to be able to easy toggle transparency on and off on object level. Even setting the percentage of transparency at object level. Inventor has something like this.

It would be nice if it was possible to have access to the bounding boxes values of 3D solids within the properties palette. This way you easily can move things and change the height or whatever.

3D clipping should be able to have static. So it you have set the clip planes they stay when you rotate the model with a command like 3DOrbit.

3D clipping should support not only clipping Back and Front. Also Below and Above would be valuable.

ADT live sections should be in AutoCAD too.

A 3DWalk tool to make it easy to walk inside a 3D model.

3D Solid editing functions like in ADT and MDT should be in the core vanilla AutoCAD.

Possibility to manipulate objects in perspective views as you can in 3D Studio.

Real transparent 3DORBIT that works like intellizoom and intellipan. Many other 3D programs has functionality like this.

I wish there was an option to only reload the changed xrefs when you are notified of changed xrefs. It should be possible in the notification as well as a button in the xref manager.

Add a button to the xref manager to to reload all.

Add a way to select all xrefs in the xref manager using CTRL+A.

I wish there was a way to collapse and expand the tree view in xref manager just like with folders in Explorer.

I wish it would be possible to bind xrefs that has nested unloaded xrefs. I don't want the unloaded xrefs to bind or reload at all and I don't want to detach them in all xrefs.

In the xref manager it would be nice to see information on where the xref is attached. Also information like layer, insertion point would be nice to have.

When notified it would be good to only reload the changed xref by clicking on a button in the notification bubble without opening the xref manager dialog box. (Works in AutoCAD 2006 SP1)

When getting a notification of an updated xref it would be great to have a possibility to easy see what changes has been made.

When there are ACAD_PROXY_ENTITYs in an xref and you don't have any object enabler you get *Invalid* if you try to bind the xref. A better error message would be helpful and even better let it be possible to bind the xref. (Partly improved in 2005)

XCLIP should be easy to stretch without need to recreate the boundary. This should also work if you have many xrefs clipped using the same boundary.

Xref attach and bind of DWF files as a background into a DWG.

When attaching multiple xrefs it would be good to have an option to specify the insertion point on-screen and why not also the scale and rotation.

Xref Manager:
It's easy to right click on 1 or more xrefs and open Xref Manager. If it was possible to have the reference names in the list highlighted that you previously selected it would be a nice little feature to add that would help when trying to quick identify the xrefs in the list. You know, sometimes when you work on models with a lot of xrefs that someone else have assembled this would be a big help.
Add also support for selecting all references with CTRL+A. I find myself clicking CTRL+A many times when I want to select them all. It's quite Windows standard.

Working in both 2D and 3D it would be nice to be able to force an xref to a specific color no matter if it's bylayer or not and why not also have it transparent as an option. It could be on layer level but also on xref level.

Joining or healing lines or arcs. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Having BHATCH support Noun/verb selection.

Bhatch should have functionality to add and remove islands of existing hatches. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Areas of hatches should be easily accessible through properties and by ActiveX. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Recreation of the boundary of existing hatches where no boundary exists. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Gradient and common hatches that follow a boundary. Could be and arc or a spline for example.

Option to hatch multiple areas and also get multiple hatches. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Restoration of nonassociative hatches to associative. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Easy way to set and change the base point for hatches. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

AREA command to work with hatches. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Repositioning of columns in the Layer Properties Manager.

Hiding columns in the Layer Properties Manager.

Warn the user when a drawing includes more than 100 layer filters. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Now layer filters are not imported using insert there is a need to export and import layer filters.

I wish there was possible to save and load filter groups just like in ADT within the layer dialog box.

Access to layer filters manipulation using the command line command -LAYER to be able to easy script without knowledge in AutoLisp or VBA.

In properties there are lists for layers and linetypes. If xrefs are used the list can be quite extensive. Since xref related layers and linetypes cannot be used I think they should not show up in this list.
One inconsistent thing is that the xref layers are grayed out but not in the layer list.
Another thing is that in the linetype list on the toolbar xref dependant linetypes are not listed.

When text or values in the properties palette are read only it should be possible to copy the contents. For example useful in a case you have an area of a polyline and want to copy it to Excel.

Get object info on nested objects within blocks and xrefs using the properties palette.

Background masks: Have all the options available on the properties palette.

Cumulated area of all selected objects that has an area in the properties palette. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

I wish I could sort tools in a tool palette by name or type. The problem is if you select multiple drawings/images in explorer and drag and drop them they are not sorted correctly and unscramble them takes a while. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

If dragging quite many drawings or images from explorer to a tool palette it takes some minutes and during the time AutoCAD gets in a non responding mode. It would be more user friendly to show a progress meter.

It would be nice to have support for insertion point in block, xref and image tools on the tool palette. Also a property that lets you specify if you want a prompt for the insertion point or not.

Support for relative paths of xref and images in tool palettes. (Workaround until then is to edit the atc file for the tool palette.

Export and import tool palette groups. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Lock of toolbars and palettes to prevent accidental move of them. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Make it possible to change Tool Palette background color instead of having to change the Windows 3D Object color.

Tool Palette: When creating a tool and specifying a layer the description of the layer doesn't follow. I wish it did.

Tool Palette: I wish that it was a setting on the tool to force a layer definition based on the tool in case the layer definition on the active drawing is different.

Tool Palettes should support separators and tools without icons and plain descriptive text. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

The notifications like when the plot is ready and others should be placed above tool palettes so you can read them and close them.

The isolate object functionality that is in ADT should be added to AutoCAD as well.

Use the real estate on the file open dialog box below the preview image to show valuable information like file version, file size, if it's open by any other user, etc.

Eattext is still not useful if you want to extract blocks with multiple attributes from multiple drawings. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Support for setting a scale factor for lineweights in the plot dialog would be useful instead of only having the toggle that is today.

Ability to assign a plot style table per viewport or have some of the ADT functionality in the core vanilla AutoCAD like display configurations.

A DWG-plotter that makes clean 2D drawings that can be used by both AutoCAD and other CAD users. Pretty much like the DWF plotters but with full precision in DWG format.

Support plot preview of line merge. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Make it possible to filter list like the viewport scales and plot scales. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

There is PSLTSCALE now. PSTEXTSCALE would be something to support viewport scale relative scaling for text.

Transparency and hardware acceleration is not working together.

History like the one in Today is not there and not replaced.

Wblock and Refedit does not save into the same version as is set in OPTIONS. It always saves in 2004 DWG format. This makes it annoying in a mixed environment during migration when some still uses older versions. You might be helped with this code.

When there are ACAD_PROXY_ENTITYs in a file you might not be able to use COPYCLIP or WBLOCK on these objects. It would be most helpful to be able to do this.

Reference manager always saves changed files to 2004 format. It should be able to retain the existing format if it is in 2000.

Reference manager should support renaming of reference names. Also with search and replace supported.

Reference manager should have the performance improved when working with many files.

A manager tool that makes it easy for a manager to override setting in the OPTIONS and push these to all users. Either new profiles are created and deployed or just parts of existing profiles. For example addition or removal of a support search path.

It would be nice to have a preview when clicking on the shortcuts in the History folder.

Tabs for the open drawings to make it easy to switch between. (Partly solved in 2005 even though not as good as some 3:rd party solutions)

Microsoft DFS is still not supported. Use it on your own risk. Support from Autodesk is wanted if possible.

Background and other color options should be possible to set per tab. Different for 2 layouts for example.

OLE objects should behave more like any other AutoCAD object. They are still real oddballs. Rotation is one wish.

Support of the new OpenType fonts. Suffix=OTF and also TTF.

The new mtext editor is now WYSIWYG, nearly. Especially the width and flow of the text does not always match what you see in the editor and on the drawing. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

In NIW it would be nice to be able to exchange installed files like acad.pgp with a custom one. It would also be nice to be able to add shortcuts (.LNK-files).

NIW. It should be great with a feature to be able to add custom script files (.BAT, .CMD or .VBS or even .EXE) that could be executed after or even before the installation.

NIW should support more or less all settings that are in the options dialog box.

NIW should show if it is for AutoCAD, ADT or other applications.

It would be good if the block command prevented users to create blocks without any geometry. If there is a reason for letting users do that please correct me.

Centerlines support for dimension extension lines. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Break of dimension extension lines like the amdimbreak in MDT.

DIMDLI is not scaled by DIMSCALE. That means you cannot create a style with DIMDLI set that works for any scale.

Ability to handle dimensioning of large radius. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Background save that not interrupts the work.

Ability to see the version of DWG and related files directly in Explorer either as a property and/or as a different icon for each version.

Thumbnail preview in Explorer as a separate installation for users without AutoCAD. Could also be included in the DWF Viewer installation.

Have an option for object snap that filters just like .X .Y and .Z but on a 'permanent' way.

FIND dialog box should be modeless to be able to easy zoom and pan transparently during the command.

FIND should be able to find and maybe even replace text that is nested in blocks or xrefs.

FIND command should also highlight the text that is found.

True read only DWG files.

Possible to bind images that are attached to a DWG without having to use OLE objects workaround.

Ability to explode or bind linetypes using shapes.

Ability to explode or bind shapes.

COPYCLIP from one layout followed by PASTEORIG in another layout should work.

Command line supporting auto-hide. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Built in PDF printer is of course a wish many have. But it should only be added if there has no impact on the price since many have to have possibility to print PDF from other software.

Standards to check for color in blocks that are hard coded. I.e. not bylayer or byblock.

Batch standard checker would support drag and drop of files and folders from Windows Explorer.

Command to change a block to have all objects bylayer or byblock.

Renaming, move and copy of tabs as in Excel.

DWG preview with higher resolution. At least as an alternative. It might support more than 256 colors and be in a compressed format like PNG too.

Have images showing when rendering.

Notes functionality kind of what's in Office and/or ADT.

Ability for many users to work on the same file.

Etransmit should also include color books (.acb files) if any custom made ones are used.

Possibility to exclude intellizoom and intellipan from the undo/redo history. Might be a toggle since some users wants to have the history even for these commands. (In AutoCAD 2006 this has been improved)

Resizable dialog box: Materials dialog box (command RMAT). Materials in the list can be long and only about 15 characters are visible.

Modify Standard Material dialog box (command RMAT). The material name box should be wider to support more than 15 visible characters.

HLSETTINGS that could be set individually per viewport.

Add a center grip to arc objects. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

When using Refedit to edit a block the preview icon is not updated. Wish it was.

With the new copy command change that supports multiple it would be nice to be able to undo within the copy command. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Ability to preview BAK and SV$ files in Explorer.

Performance on drawings with multiple images should be increased. Using intellizoom and intellipan is very slow in some cases. As well as changing layouts and some other zoom commands.

Some of the functions that where in Actrix would be great to have. Like plugs and sockets to connect things to each other.

Curved mlines.

Background masks: Background mask supporting text and attributes.

Background masks: Screening of background mask. Ability to set a percentage.

Background masks: Support for filleted or chamfered corners on background masks. With variables to set the radius or chamfer distances. Or by using a block definition so other free forms could be easily created. Something like a background mask corner shape style.

Background masks: Option to set the background mask to only mask the actual text. No the sometimes larger mtext boundary.

AutoCAPS that works on every command in AutoCAD.

Import and export named views and ucs.

I wish it was possible to use functions like SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT as well as operators like + / - * within cells in a table object.  (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

I wish the arrows on dimensions could be flipped. Sometimes I want to force the direction in another direction than what it is now. For example when using baseline dimensions. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Support for attributes that can be locked in position. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Support for locked blocks that cannot be exploded or scaled non uniformely. (Works in AutoCAD 2006)

Open xrefs as read only.

Existing bugs, feature limitation or other issues

Existing bugs, feature limitation or other issues.

Revert Express tools command is not working when the length of the path and filename is exceeding 127 characters. The bug actually is in the VBASTMT command that is used by Revert. To fix this, the REVERT command needs to be reimplemented using either ObjectARX or VBA. Click here for VBA example solving it. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

If you have an underlined Qleader and move the mtext of the Qleader object with move or grips so it mirrors it self. The result is that the mtext is moved up a little bit. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
Attsync bug when used like this (command "attsync" "n" "revtext1") might affect other attributes on the drawing by having them mirrored or restoring the rotation to the rotation in the block definition if the rotation of the attribute on specific blocks (not the block definition) has been changed by code. A workaround is to use (arxload "battman") (acet-attsync "blockname"). Battman command also messes up with attributes like this. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

Battman can also cause the color on attributes to change from ByLayer to White. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

If you make a change on a profile in the Options dialog box and not press apply before changing profile the changes are not saved. This is the same if you will export a profile. Remember to apply before. This is by design but it's good to know about it.
In Options>Display>Colors there is a bug that shows up if you change for example the layout background color from white to black and then to 251. In the preview a black background is showed but in the dropdown it shows 251. There might of course be other combinations trigging this error. Try to change back and forth and you will see the problem. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

A glitch for the command line is that it might not stretch out fully when newly installed. If you re-dock it one time it will look like normal. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
If you have the focus inside the command line you cannot change drawings with CTRL-TAB. Move the focus outside and you can change drawing.

The following script will result in a change of the solid object.
(command "_box" "0,0,0" "100,100,100" "_-view" "_swiso" "zoom" "e" "list" "l" "")
(command "_.move" "_all" "" '(0 0 1e99) "") (command "_.move" "_p" "" '(0 0 -1e99) "")
(command "u" "u" "u" "list" "l" "")
Compare the two listed solids and you see that Z differs. The undo doesn't work correct either. Look at the box and it's only a 2D rectangle on the screen. even though the bounding box tells you it's a 3D box.
When creating a label template in dbConnect you can set a width to wrap at. It works correct until the label is reloaded. The workaround is to edit the label template and that way reload it.

When you plot drawings with images, image data is sometimes lost. Random bug.
If you list a wipeout it's showed as a wipeout object, but if you use the Properties or Qselect you will see that it's showed as a raster image.

Dimension line is not correctly handled when stretching or moving only the text. If there is a vertical dimension and you stretch the text vertically the dimension line is moved horizontally a little too. But the second time you do it the dimension line is not moved. This also makes it hard to have alternate dimensions below the dimension line and the primary above.
+OPTIONS default value doesn't work correctly. Enter the command +OPTIONS and press enter you would suppose to get to the first tab but you comes to the second. To solve this you have to enter 0 as the Tab index to get it correct.

If you enter -30 for Obliquing of text it shows 330 in the properties or if you list it. But if you create a text style and enter 330 it reverts to -30. This is inconsistent.
Trim using fence option doesn't work if a polyline is crossing the cut line several times back and forth.

FIND has a bug that didn't exist in 2002. An MTEXT object with a content like this {\Fiso;EL46\P84EL901-008-E05} will make it hard to find "EL46". It will find "L46". If you edit the text in 2004 and then try to use find it will work. The content will change to {\Fiso|c0;EL46\P84EL901-008-E05} and the addition of "|c0" might be the reason why it works. Using QSELECT>Object type=MTEXT>Contents>*EL46* also has this problem. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
2004 introduced a bug (or change) when it comes to dimensions. The placement of alternate units are now above the dimension line. In 2002 it was below. "\X" doesn't help as primary unit suffix. But "\X " works as a workaround, observe the space after the X, change also the placement of the alternate units to be After the primary value.

FIND does not find anything after "\X" when searching for text within dimension texts. If you find and replace anything before the \X, the \X itself and anything after it are erased from the drawing. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
Double click to switch between Yes and No on a property in the properties palette doesn't work any longer. This is by design though.

3d polyline length reported as 0. Draw a 3DPOLY from 1,1 to 0,0 to 1,1 to 2,2. Properties box shows the length as 4.2426, but if you type LIST, the length is shown as 0. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
If the arc length is longer than the active screen REVCLOUD will create a lwpolyline that is 0 in length. I've not been able to reproduce this even though I'm sure I've had this problem some times. If you can, please give me the steps.

I have been running into an issue that seems to be drawing related using REVCLOUD. In these drawings the arc length is not retained if I change it. Not sure yet what it is in the drawing that makes this happen.
QSELECT cannot find lines with the angle 0. Workaround is to find lines with an angle less than 0.000001 (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

If the command line is floating to the lower right side the notification comes behind it and can't be activated correct without having to move the command line.
SaveAll is not using the Option setting. If it is set for 2000 format and you have drawings in 2004 version and do a SaveAll it saves them as 2004 not 2000. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

There is some bugs in connection with having the command line floating that makes some functionality of otrack buggy. The points don't comes where they should when distances are entered on the command line. Tab cannot be used to cycle between osnaps. Recommendation is to never have the command line floating.  (Improved in AutoCAD 2006)
When SDI=1 and opening subsequent drawings with xrefs the xref manager tray icon is not showed even though there are xrefs within the drawing.

Undock a toolbar that has been docked and compare the height with one that has been hidden you will notice that they differ in height some pixels. Workaround is to close the undocked toolbar and show it again.
The grip size is not retained when having selected an object within a locked viewport and you zoom in or out. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

Insert an image and create a block of it. Now try to copyclip the block. It takes for ever. Workaround is to use wblock instead depending on what you want to achieve. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
Batch Drawing Converter crashes on some drawings with a message saying asmm80enures.dll is missing. (Solved by SP1)

When Batch Drawing Converter crashes the file that was in progress has been renamed with a prefix of ~dbc-temp~ and is not restored. This makes it easy for the user to think that this is a temporary file and he might delete it.
Temporary External Reference File Location (XLOADPATH) does not work. The temporary external reference files are placed in the Temporary Drawing File Location. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

Installation of Autodesk Network License Manager can give an Error 1723. The reason is that the DirextX version is to old. Upgrade to the latest version. This is due to external dependancy and is not really considered as a bug even though it seems to be it.
Tool tips in SSM when the SSM is docked to the right side does not show fully if the length of the tool tip is too long. Correct behavior should be that the tool tip was right justified.

TXTEXP has a bug that is triggered if WMFBKGND is off. Workaround is to set it on.
TXTEXP does require UCS set to World to work correctly.
http://www.cadalyst.com/cadalyst/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=88517
http://www.cadalyst.com/cadalyst/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=73702
http://www.cadalyst.com/cadalyst/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=80468

Plotting a hatch with dots to DWF does not gives the dots a line width.

OLE objects can be rotated but are not rotated just moved. Could be a little confusing. It's by design though.
When in a dialog box like OPEN there is an option to create a new folder. The issue is that before the newly created folder was highlighted and easy to rename. Now it's not. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

Wblocking a whole or part of a drawing with UCS not set to world might give you a result that you don't expect since the model space geometry will be moved/rotated based on your current UCS. This is by design so if you want it to behave in another way you have to change the UCS manually or by code before wblocking.
Changing to Hardware acceleration can often crash AutoCAD without giving you a chance to save open drawings. Random crashes.

Running ATTDEF and changing the height followed by changing the justification will revert the height back to the previous value. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
Pasting an OLE might end up with the height of the OLE set to 0 if you have zoom out so much that the OLE is really small. Workaround is to zoom in more before pasting or to set Lock aspect to No and then Scale Width and Height % to 100. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

Drawing not saved using close if the following steps are followed. 1) Draw a line. 2) Run WBLOCK and create a file based on the selected line. 3) Run CLOSE. You will notice that the drawing is closed without saving the changes. A workaround to solve this is below. This is VBA code that could be placed in acad.dvb that will automatically load if it's in a search path. (Solved by SP1)

Private Sub AcadDocument_EndCommand(ByVal CommandName As String)
On Error Resume Next
  If CommandName = "WBLOCK" Then
    ' This is a fix to make sure CLOSE asks you to save changes
    Dim viewportObj As AcadViewport
    Set viewportObj = ThisDrawing.ActiveViewport
    viewportObj.OrthoOn = Not (viewportObj.OrthoOn)
    viewportObj.OrthoOn = Not (viewportObj.OrthoOn)
  End If
End Sub

AutoCAD uses all CPU resources in the following case related to a bug that shows when combining VBA and the View controls on the 3D Orbit and View toolbars. 1) Open VBAIDE or run a VBA command like this: (command "_-vbarun" "Startup"). 2) Open a new drawing or a drawing without any saved views. 3) Go to Model space. 4) Show the View toolbar and make sure the View control is visible (the toolbar has to be horizontal). Now notice that the acad.exe consumes nearly 100% of the CPU. The same happens if you are in paper space. I.e when the View controls of the 3D Orbit and View toolbars are inactive this happens. Workaround is to not have any of the View controls visible or to avoid VBA or to just create a dummy view. (Solved by SP1)

dbConnect bug: (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
Steps to reproduce:
I have a rectangle with an attached label.
I select the rectangle and copies it.
This result in a copy of the rectangle and the attached label.
Select the new attached label and select and right click on it.
It looks like it's connected since Link and Label shows in the menu.
Now right click on the label template in the dbConnect manager and hide the
labels.
The copy doesn't hide, only the original. (It's not really connected
correct. It will not reload)
Now select and erase the copied rectangle.
This results in the first attached label is also erased as well as the
copied rectangle and the copied label.
If you move the arrow on a dbConnect attached label and then move the object the arrow is reset to it's default location. This also happens for other command like using the Audit command. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

2005 introduced something weird with the dbConnect Manager. If you reload a label by right clicking on it in the dbConnect Manager it could result in all icons (links, queries and labels) being duplicated.
The Publish command sets the SAVETIME variable to 0 during it's process. If AutoCAD crashes during the Publish command SAVETIME will not be restored. Workaround is to implicitly set SAVETIME in your startup lisp or VBA code.

Using background plotting seems to have a problem related to xrefs. If the xref is not found with the saved path but exists in the current directory it doesn't load. It loads correctly if you plot it without background plotting enabled. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)
The command QLEADER has a problem if to try to switch from closed filled arrowhead to something else and then back to closed filled again. At this point closed filled is not used. Workaround is to run the DIMSTYLE command, press modify and change the leader arrow in the Lines and Arrows tab. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

The Plot command cannot be accessed by right clicking on a layout tab if you have multiple layouts selected. But on the other hand you can run the plot command by entering PLOT in the command window or hit CTRL-P or from the menu. It's inconsistent. The plot command only plots the active layout even though multiple layouts are selected. Solution is to use the Publish command that is available also when you right click on a layout tab. (By design)

Illustrator and other programs creates invalid splines in dxf file that makes AutoCAD lock up. It happens if osnaps are activated and you hover above any invalid spline.

Using /B as a command line switch to run a script file at startup breaks the functionality that restores if a palette was open the last time AutoCAD was run. It can be replicated with an empty scr file as well. Set the shortcut to ...acad.exe /b test.scr and the commands like TOOLPALETTES, SHEETSETS and PROPERTIES are not run. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

Using Bmake command and adding a return in the description field causes audit to report an error. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

When trimming and using the scroll-wheel to zoom in or out the Undo option only takes the performed zoom into consideration, not the trimmed edge. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006 ?)
Assigning a noncontinuous linetype to a nonrectangular viewport may result in model space geometry that is irregularly clipped inside the viewport, or it may cause AutoCAD to become unstable.

When you use the JPGOUT, PNGOUT, BMPOUT, and TIFOUT commands in a layout that contains nonrectangular viewports with a 3D setting of SHADEMODE, and you select all objects and viewports, portions of other viewports may be obscured and lose objects. You can use the PUBLISH command to create more accurate raster output.
Do not freeze layers that contain nonrectangular viewports, but instead turn them off or set the Plot property of the layer to No Plot. When you freeze a layer that contains a nonrectangular viewport, the viewport boundary becomes rectangular. Objects in the viewport that should be clipped by the boundary of the nonrectangular viewport appear to be clipped, but when you regenerate or plot the drawing the objects are not clipped as you expect. To correct the problem once it exists, you must thaw the layer and then regenerate the drawing.

AutoCAD 2005 uses a new method to resolve nested external references (xrefs) with relative paths. The relative path is based on the location of the original host drawing of the xref, not the currently open drawing. When a nested xref is reported as "not found," edit the path in its original host drawing, not in the drawing that is currently open. The setting for the VISRETAIN system variable no longer determines how relative paths of nested xrefs are resolved.
In the Plotter Configuration Editor, Device and Document Settings tab, Graphics node, Merge Control node, if you select the Lines Merge option, background text masking does not work and the objects under the text mask are visible in the plotted drawing.

dbConnect. If you select the Reload Labels option from the dbConnect Label menu or from the dbConnect Manager drawing node shortcut menu, AutoCAD does not display a warning message when labels are not reloaded. To resolve this, you should always select the Reload Labels option from the Label Template or object shortcut menu (available by right-clicking). Selecting the option this way displays the appropriate warning message if AutoCAD fails to reload labels.
dbConnect. You can edit the properties of a link template only if it does not contain any links to objects.

dbConnect. Do not edit link template properties in a drawing that has been opened with PARTIALOPEN.
dbConnect. Do not attach labels with zero-length leaders. If you do not want to see the leader line, use a freestanding label, not an attached label.

dbConnect. You cannot edit a Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet in AutoCAD. To make changes to the spreadsheet, you must edit it in Excel. However, the links to the spreadsheet in AutoCAD cannot be updated or reloaded.
dbConnect. If you open a SQL Server table that doesn't have a primary key defined, you cannot edit the records.

SSM Publish using page setup overrides has a problem related to not having set a page setup current if using layout as plot area. The problem shows in a way that the plot is off center on the paper.

In some cases, the vlr-sysVarWillChange and vlr-sysVarChanged notifications are triggered multiple times for one system variable change.

AutoCAD no longer supports grips on unselected objects. As a result, the gripset argument of the AutoLISP sssetfirst function is ignored, and the ssgetfirst function returns nil for the first selection set returned.

After using VPMAX (Maximize Viewport) XOPEN doesn't work. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2006)

3DCLIP and DVIEW using clip plans can result in just dots instead of lines. Workaround that sometimes work is to run the hide command.

AutoCAD crashes with fatal error if you close a drawing without saving it after you got an xref notification. (Solved by SP1)

Single character Hyperlinks to Views fail in DWF linked. (Solved by SP1)

Mirroring a field that is inside an attributed block throws the text off center. (Solved by SP1)

Revcloud tracking doesn't work when VBAIDE is shown. (Solved by SP1)

Property Fields in Block become #### after INSERT. (Solved by SP1)

Unable to apply background text color to MCAD dimensions. (Solved by SP1)

Plot dialog slow to come up with several hundred plot styles. (Solved by SP1)

CalComp8.hdi plots only to file when it shouldn't. (Solved by SP1)

crash in szb8.dll draw_clipped_line (polyline_2d_z00.cpp @ 1103). (Solved by SP1)

PEDIT/SPLINE option on this 3DPolyline creates an entity that AUDIT will flag as having an error. (Solved by SP1)

The properties are wrong while editing different property texts in MText Editor. (Solved by SP1)

Add to List button is incorrectly removing first "\" in UNC path those breaking many path locations in profile. (Solved by SP1)

AutoCAD hangs during initial startup after menu/toolbar changes. (Solved by SP1)

Error running macro in A2004 after installing A2005 when macro contains ref to any coclass which changed in A2005. (Solved by SP1)

Screen menu rolls up on subsequent restarts. (Solved by SP1)

Screen Menu collapses when AutoCAD is maximized, closed and restarted. (Solved by SP1)

Block with the similar name does not show up in the block list in Qselect. (Solved by SP1)

Hideprecision can not be set for Background plots. (Solved by SP1)

PLOT during VPMAX leaves AutoCAD with command active- have to End Task to quit AutoCAD. The “Command still active” message shows. (Solved by SP1)

Right click publish layouts publish in reverse order button doesn't change when clicked. (Solved by SP1)

Polyline offset direction changes in ADT2004 after installing ADT2005 linked. (Solved by SP1)

AutoCAD crashes if you try to exit with Customize dialog box open. (Solved by SP1)

SHADEMODE gouraud + edges/flat + edges doesn't show edges for ADT and custom objects. (Solved by SP1)

Changing text height in BATTMAN shouldn't change other properties (color or layer). (Solved by SP1)

Layer dialog box takes a very long time to open with lots of filters. (Solved by SP1)

Wblock does not respect the pick order of attributes. (Solved by SP1)

AutoCAD generates fatal error if closing a sheet without saving after adding a view and saving the resource drawing. (Solved by SP1)

AutoCAD generates fatal error if drawing very long line segments that are nearly horizontal. (Solved by SP1)

AutoCAD generates fatal error if exiting the program with the Customize dialog box open. (Solved by SP1)

AutoCAD generates fatal error if using SHADEMODE with XCLIP on and textures enabled. (Solved by SP1)

AutoCAD generates fatal error if switching to model space viewport with UCSFOLLOW set to 1. (Solved by SP1)

AutoCAD generates fatal error if ssing HYPERLINK in certain drawings with the application window maximized.  (Solved by SP1)

Fatal error if navigating to certain DWF files in Windows Explorer. (Solved by SP1)

A layer filter cannot have a name that starts with an accented character. (Solved by SP1)

In DWF files, hyperlink fields with SHX fonts fail. (Solved by SP1)

Hatch bleeds when you change the hatch type. (Solved by SP1)

The message “Unable to find the asmm80enures.dll” shows when modeler dlls are being loaded on machines with mixed language environment. (Solved by SP1)

Child dimension styles are not sorted correctly in the Dimension Styles Manager. (Solved by SP1)

Issues with directions and positions of arrowheads and text. (Solved by SP1)

Switching from one text style with a Big Font to another causes the SHX font to change unexpectedly. (Solved by SP1)

Typing over selected multiline text in the text no applies the color of the selected text to the new text.  (Solved by SP1)

Misalignment issues with Japanese text.. (Solved by SP1)

Issues with inappropriate display of Czech, Latvian, and other language characters. (Solved by SP1)

Side-by-side installation of AutoCAD 2004 and AutoCAD 2005 causes errors in VBA scripts. (Solved by SP1)

A REVCLOUD conflict with VBAIDE. (Solved by SP1)

Certain xrefs whose relative paths do not resolve.  (Solved by SP1)

Relative paths for certain xrefs change when xrefs are loaded. (Solved by SP1)

It's not always giving expected result to trim or extend to a lwpolyline within a uniform scaled block.

Extended intersection is not working in paper space with paper space objects if the points you pick is over a viewport.

If you select multiple file in the open dialog box you cannot use Enter as a way to hit the Open button as you can when you select only one file.

If you start the VIEW command and renames an existing view don't press the delete key since it will delete the view and not the character that you expect it to delete.

If a drawing contains the layer defpoints and is used to drag layers into other drawings the defpoints layer follows into the other drawing.

There is a bug that is triggered if you have a table and scale it by 0.1. The lines of the table becomes displaced. (Solved in AutoCAD 2006)

Changed

Changed

DDEDIT's Edit Text dialog box has changed behavior. Don't know why but if you as first key press the left arrow it will move to the beginning in 2005 when it moved one letter to the left in previous versions. Might be considered as a bug if it's not done with some purpose.

Removed

Removed

Windows NT support. But it might most likely work anyway even thought there are some smaller issues. You are on your own here.

The North American single versions are now locked to hardware as the rest of the world. For more information see www.autodesk.com/activation

Object Sorting Methods section on the User Preferences tab of the Options dialog box is removed because DrawOrderCtl gives you this control instead.

The /layout command line switch has been removed from both AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD LT 2005.

Performance

Performance

Performance when using the properties palette is improved.

Tips & Trix

Tips & Trix

Do you have problems with centered plots using layout as plot area? Using the publish command or publish using page setup overrides using the Sheet Set Manager only accepts page setups with the Plot Area set to Layout or Extents. If you want to use the Layout option you might run into problem having the drawing plotted correct. It might not be centered correct. To resolve this issue make sure you have this setting correct. Open the OPTIONS dialog box. Select the Plot and Publish tab. Make sure you have specified plot offset relative to "Edge of paper". The system variable Plotoffset could be used for this by setting it to 1. Set also the plot offset to 0,0. This is useful it you have an A1 border and want it scaled down to A3 or A4. To get the best result for this make sure you use page setups because if you do it directly with the plot command it messes up sometimes.

If you have customizations that runs at startup you might have to disable them to be able to use background plotting. From the ReadMe: "AutoLISP® scripts that run at startup should check whether the AutoCAD process is visible or invisible. If the process is invisible, the script should not execute, because the process may be performing background plotting or publishing operations. To check whether the AutoCAD process is visible or invisible, you can use the Visible property of the Application object in the AutoCAD Object Model." It can be done like this:

(vl-load-com)
(if
 (= (vlax-get-property (vlax-get-acad-object) "Visible")
    :vlax-true)
  (progn
    < here comes your code >
  )
)

_VERNUM for AutoCAD 2005 is N.63.0. With SP1 _VERNUM is N.84.0

To improve the performance of a plot script that manually cycles through layouts, you should temporarily set the UPDATETHUMBNAIL system variable to 0.

Q: I start the software, a process named "AdskScSrv.exe" runs on my computer. What is this?
A: This is the Autodesk Licensing Service used by the activation technology to manage your local Autodesk software licenses. Tampering with this service may cause software errors that require you to reactivate your software license(s).

Q: When I start the software, a process named AdskCleanup.xxxx runs on my computer and a similarly named folder is created in my local Temp directory. What is this?
A: These temporary files are created by the activation technology when you run your Autodesk software product. Tampering with this process or the files may cause software errors that require you to reactivate your software license(s).

Q: I want to automate AutoCAD 2005 using VB. How do I do?
A: Here is a sample:

Sub AutomateAutoCAD()
On Error Resume Next
Dim AcadApp As Object
' Get the active session of AutoCAD 2005 using late binding
Set AcadApp = GetObject(, "AutoCAD.Application.16.1")
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
  Err.Clear
  ' Create a new session of AutoCAD 2005 using late binding
  Set AcadApp = CreateObject("AutoCAD.Application.16.1")
  If Err.Number <> 0 Then
    MsgBox "Error, could not create a new AutoCAD 2005 session"
    End
  End If
End If
AcadApp.Visible = True
MsgBox "AutoCAD started"
AcadApp.Application.Quit
Set AcadApp = Nothing
End
End Sub

Q: What is the files FixedProfile.aws and Profile.aws useful for?
A: These files are in xml format and saves information on all different Palettes like orientation, allow docking, position, rollup, roll up speed for ADT (look for PaletteRollupDelay), opacity, visibility, tool order on tool palette, tool style, icon size, tool palette groups, . The files are saved below this folder: C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2005\R16.1\enu\Support\Profiles\

If you use Sheet Set Manager and have empty property values they show up as ----. If you don't want empty values to show up like that you might have tried with a space but found out that it doesn't stay after reopening the file. What on the other hand stays is by entering ALT-0160 (Non-break Space) on the keyboard followed by an enter. This requires that the font used to show the field supports to show this character as empty. Some fonts might show up a questionmark. Another way to enter it is to type \u+00A0

Q: How can I determine if a drawing belongs to a sheet set or not?
A: To determine whether a drawing is already attached to a sheet set, open the DWG file and enter SSFOUND on the command line. This command will return the name and the file path of the linked sheet set. If the drawing is not attached to a sheet set, the SSFOUND command will return the value "".

Updates & Service Packs

Updates & Service Packs.

Hotfix - AnswerWorks
Hotfix - Autodesk 2005 OE
Autodesk Security Update
Fix for Service Pack 1 Not Being Recognized by Network Installation Wizard (Hungarian Only)
Autodesk AutoCAD Revit Series 2 Service Pack 1
Slow Launch with a Large Number of Fonts
Spelling Checker Update
Units Toggle for the Plot and Page Setup Dialog Boxes
AutoCAD 2005 Service Pack 1
Updated acadres.dll to resolve wrong translation on the SSGET lisp (Czech Only)

New Commands

New Commands:

ARCHIVE and -ARCHIVE
ASSISTCLOSE
BORROWLICENSE
FIELD
MARKUP
MARKUPCLOSE
MATCHCELL
NETLOAD
NEWSHEETSET
OPENDWFMARKUP
OPENSHEETSET and -OPENSHEETSET
RETURNLICENSE
SHEETSET
SHEETSETHIDE
TABLE and -TABLE
TABLEDIT
TABLEEXPORT
TABLESTYLE
TASKBAR
TEXTTOFRONT
UPDATEFIELD
UPDATETHUMBSNOW
VIEWPLOTDETAILS
VPMAX
VPMIN

Changed Commands

Changed Commands:

3DCLIP
3DCONFIG
ARRAY and -ARRAY
ASSIST
ATTDEF and -ATTDEF
ATTEDIT and -ATTEDIT
BATTMAN
BHATCH and -BHATCH
BLOCK
BMAKE
BMPOUT
BREAK
CHAMFER
COPY
COPYBASE
COPYCLIP
CUTCLIP
DDATTDEF
DDATTE
DDEDIT
DDIM
DDLMODES
DRAWORDER
DTEXT
DWGPROPS
EATTEDIT
ETRANSMIT and -ETRANSMIT
EXPLODE
FILLET
FILTER
FIND
HATCH
HATCHEDIT and -HATCHEDIT
HYPERLINKOPTIONS
IMAGE
JPGOUT
LAYER
MATCHPROP
MENULOAD
MIRROR
MIRROR3D
MREDO
MTEDIT
MTEXT and -MTEXT
OFFSET
OOPS
OPTIONS and -OPTIONS
PAGESETUP
PASTEASHYPERLINK
PASTEBLOCK
PASTECLIP
PASTEORIG
PASTESPEC
PEDIT
PLOT
PNGOUT
PUBLISH
PURGE and -PURGE
QSAVE
QSELECT
REDO
REFEDIT and -REFEDIT
RENAME and -RENAME
REVCLOUD
SAVE
SAVEAS
SETVAR
SPELL
TEXT
TIFOUT
TOOLPALETTES
TRIM
U
UNDO
VIEW and -VIEW and +VIEW
WBLOCK and -WBLOCK
WMFOUT
XBIND and -XBIND
ZOOM

New System Variables

New System Variables:

APBOX
ASSISTSTATE
BACKGROUNDPLOT
CTABLESTYLE
DRAWORDERCTL
FIELDDISPLAY
FIELDEVAL
HPDRAWORDER
HPGAPTOL
NFWSTATE
MSOLESCALE
OLEFRAME
OSNAPHATCH
OSNAPNODELEGACY
PLOTOFFSET
RASTERDPI
SSFOUND
SSLOCATE
SSMAUTOOPEN
SSMSTATE
TASKBAR Note: TASKBAR is not a true system variable, and is not available using SETVAR or GETVAR.
TBCUSTOMIZE
UPDATETHUMBNAIL
VPMAXIMIZEDSTATE
XREFTYPE

Changed System Variables

Changed System Variables:

DBMOD
OLEQUALITY