New and/or enhanced functions
New and/or enhanced functions and some bug fixes.
Hatch enhancements
AutoCAD Hatch creation is enhanced to include ability create separate hatches. This is useful if you want to hatch multiple objects and have the hatches separated. The custom hatch tab has been improved. Instead of showing the whole path to the hatch as it did before only the name shows and the path as a tool tip.
Hatch editing has been enhanced to include ability to recreate boundary. You can even choose if you want it associated with the hatch or not as well if you want it as a region or a polyline. (No more need for my hatchb.lsp tool ;-)
You have also much more control of the hatch origin now. You can set it to bottom left or right, top left or right, center or pick a point. It's also possible to easy remove and add islands as well as view the current selection even on existing hatches.
The dialog box has been streamlined and is more intuitive now. Here is how it looked like in 2005 and now in 2006.
The area of one or multiple hatches can also easily be retrieved using the properties of the hatch object(s). See the cumulative area below.
The area can also be retrieved with a field as shown below. Observe also the improved formatting that allows to convert from mm² to m² as well as adding prefix, suffix and more.
Sheet Set Manager
The eTransmit Transmittal Setups dialog box has a new Import button that opens the Import Transmittal Setups dialog box.
New Project Control properties have been added to the Sheet Set Manager. Project number, Project name, Porject phase, Project milestone.
To open a sheet or resource drawing in a read-only mode, right-click the name of the sheet and click Open Read-Only on the shortcut menu. If the sheet or resource drawing is already open, the Open Read-Only shortcut menu item is unavailable.
Missing sheet status icon. You now receive visual notification if sheets in the Sheet Set are not found. The icon for the sheet is replaced with a red exclamation point (!) if the sheet name is unavailable or if a subset is missing all sheets.
SSMPOLLTIME - Controls the time interval between automatic refreshes of the status data in a sheet set.
SSMSHEETSTATUS - Controls how the status data in a sheet set is refreshed.
Sheet and Sheet Set information/properties can be published to DWFs.
Eattext can grab block attribute data from Sheet Sets.
Import multiple layouts or drawings as sheets.
Sheet Set Publish Options dialog has been modified to also include block properties and attributes in published DWF files.
It's possible to select multiple sheets and open them or open them as read only.
Renaming of sheets has been improved.
Now it's possible to rename the file name as well.
The option "Rename Associated Drawing File to Match Sheet Title" changes the drawing file name to match the sheet title.
The option "Prefix Sheet Number to File Name" changes the drawing file name to a new name formed by adding the sheet number to the beginning of the sheet title.
There is a "Previous" button in the rename and renumber dialog box for sheets and views so now you can take either the next sheet or the previous.
On the View List tab you can select if you want to view by "category" or by "sheet".
The Sheet Properties also includes Revision number, Revision date, Purpose and Category.
The Create Sheet Set Wizard has an option to "Create a folder hierarchy based on subsets.
There is a new little button on the Sheet List tab that lets you refresh the sheet status.
When creating subsets there is an option to "Create Folders Relative to Parent Subset Storage Location". This option provides a convenient method for creating a folder hierarchy in parallel with the subset hierarchy.
Sheet Set Manager metadata is published into the DWF XML.
Network licenses
A new thing that is great with AutoCAD 2006 and when using network licenses is that you can borrow the license more than 30 days as it was before. As you can see from the image I can set it to borrow up to 180 days now. This is great when you have people having to work off the network for a longer period.
Blocks
AutoCAD 2006 now applies unit ratio between block and drawing units with all types of insertions. Before it only worked with Design Center, Tool Palettes, and i-drop.
Attribute position within the block can be locked. Here is how to control this on existing blocks using AutoLISP.
Join
Combines individual segments of like objects into a single object. The objects do not have to meet or they can overlap. You can also use Join to combine lines and arcs with plines (same as PEDIT). Join works on plines, lines, arc, elliptical arcs and splines.
Copy
Undo is an added option.
Fillet and Chamfer
Undo is an added option. "Shift-select to apply corner." To temporary set the fillet radius or chamfer distances to 0 to square off corners select the first object, then hold down the Shift key while selecting the second object. AutoCAD automatically squares off the corner without changing the radius or distances. Multiple is a new option.
Offset
Three new functions has been added to the Offset command. You can select the layer the offset object is going to. You can choose to erase the object being offset. Multiple and undo are new options.
Rectang
Area and rotation are new options. The area is taking into account if chamfers or fillets are used.
Rotate and Scale
Copy has been added as an option. Both commands also remember the last value used. When using the Reference option the base point separately from the angle or scale factor.
Stretch
You can select multiple selection sets, and they all will stretch. You can also select individual objects, and they will move with the selection set. The STRETCH and MOVE commands now have a displacement option that sets a relative distance and direction. The last-entered displacement value is retained.
Trim and Extend
Crossing is a new option to use when selecting objects to be trimmed or extended. Fence and Select all are now visible as options even though they worked before as well. There is an option to use Erase within the command as well as Undo. The commands works on mlines now. You can also switch between Trim and Extend commands by pressing the SHIFT key.
Dimensions
AutoCAD 2006 flip dimension arrows. You can change the direction of each of the arrowheads on a dimension. The command Flip Arrow is available if you select a dimension and right-click on it.
DIMARC - You can measure and display the length of an arc using an arc length dimension. You can set the arc length symbol position in Dimension Style Manager.
DIMJOGGED - If the center of an arc or circle is located outside the drawing boundaries, you can measure and display its radius using a jogged dimension. The jogged radius dimension is represented by a zigzag line pointing towards the arc.
You can specify a fixed length for extension lines in the Dimension Style dialog box.
You can specify different linetypes for dimension and extension lines using the Dimension Style dialog box and the Properties palette.
In Place Editor / MTEXT
The In Place Editor for MTEXT and TEXT is now really WYSIWYG.
Mtext now supports formatting using bullets, numbering or alphabetic lists. Sub-item lists can also be created and automatically updated.
It can be transparent or not by selecting Opaque Background.
Workspaces
You can create and save streamlined workspaces that contain only those toolbars, tool palettes, and menus that you use most frequently for specific tasks. You can then quickly switch between workspaces as you move to different tasks.
Customize User Interface
The new Customize User Interface dialog box helps you manage customized user interface elements. Use this dialog box to transfer all of the data in MNU or MNS file to an XML-based CUI file.
The XML-based CUI file replaces the menu files used in releases prior to AutoCAD 2006.
Temporary Override Keys
You can temporarily turn on or turn off drawing aids such as object snaps and tracking by holding down a key or combination of keys.
For example, if you have set running object snaps but you want to turn them off for one point, you can hold down F3. When you release this override key, running object snaps are restored.
Extract Data from Block Attributes
Extracting attribute information is an easy way to produce a schedule or bill of materials directly from your drawing data. A new wizard makes this process easier.
For example, a drawing might contain blocks representing office equipment. Based on the block attributes, you can generate a report that estimates the cost of the equipment.
If the condition changes the table can then be updated.
Dynamic Blocks
Dynamic blocks are defined with custom properties that allow you to adjust a block in place without redefining it or inserting another block. For a block to be dynamic it must contain at least one parameter and one action that is associated with the parameter.
Visibility states, Lockup tables and more.
Dynamic Input
You can enter coordinate values in a tooltip instead of the command line using Dynamic Input.
Tooltip information displayed near the cursor is dynamically updated as the cursor moves. When a command is active, the tooltips accept values.
You can toggle Dynamic Input on or off by clicking DYN on the status bar.
Dynamic Prompt
You can enter commands and respond to prompts in a tooltip instead of on the command line. If the prompt has options, press the Down Arrow key to view the options, and click to select one.
Pointer Input
When Pointer Input is on, the cursor displays coordinate values as you move it in the drawing area.
To enter coordinates, type the value and press TAB to switch the focus to the next tooltip, then type the next coordinate value. When you specify the point, the first coordinate is an absolute coordinate. The format for the second or next points are relative polar coordinates. If you want to enter an absolute value, precede it with a pound sign (#).
Dimension Input
When Dimension Input is on, coordinate entry fields are tied to dimensions on the geometry being created or edited. The values in the tooltips change as you move the cursor.
When you hover over a grip to edit an object, the tooltips display the original dimensions. As you move the grip, length and angle values are updated dynamically.
Selection Preview
Selection Preview highlights objects as you roll the cursor over them and indicates what objects would be selected if the selection is performed. You can turn on or turn off Selection Preview or change its appearance on Selection tab of the Options dialog box.
You can also change the highlighting appearance by entering PREVIEWEFFECT on the command line.
Command line
The command line can now be completely hidden and in most cases you can work without showing it. This gives you more valuable room for the drawing area. You can hide and show the command line using CTRL+9. You can also undock the command line and have it To be able to work effectively with it hidden you should activate DYN (Dynamic Input), enabling Pointer Input (DYNMODE) and show the command prompt (DYNPROMPT).
Formulas in Tables
You can insert simple formulas into tables to calculate sums, counts, and averages as well as define simple arithmetic expressions.
QuickCalc
You now can perform a full range of mathematical and trigonometric calculations using QuickCalc.
QuickCalc uses standard math and graphical expressions, including intersection, distance, and angular calculations.
As you perform calculations in Quick Calculator, the values are automatically stored in a history list, providing easy access for subsequent calculations.
In the Units Conversion area of the calculator, you can obtain equivalent values for different units of measurement.
You can use the Variables area to define and store additional constants and functions (point, real, or integer) and use them in expressions. Information about a stored variable, such as value, type, and description, is displayed in the Details box at the bottom of the Variables area
Drawing Recovery Manager
You can retrieve backup files or automatically saved versions of your drawings.
After a program or system failure, the Drawing Recovery Manager opens the next time you start AutoCAD. It displays a list of all drawing files that were open when the failure occurred. You can preview and open each file and choose the one that should be saved.
Undo/Redo Zoom and Pan
You can now undo or redo consecutive zoom and pan operations in a single action.
Click Tools menu > Options > User Preferences tab and select "Combine zoom and pan commands".
Publish to 3D DWF
With 3D DWF Publishing, you can generate Design Web Format (DWF) files of your 3D models.
Subscription Center Access
With Autodesk Subscription, you can get the latest releases of Autodesk software, incremental product enhancements, personalized web support from technical experts, and self-paced e-Learning.
AutoCAD 2006 can detect subscription members and make these services available directly from the product.
Miscellaneous additions
Under Options>Drafting there is a new function. Replace Z value with current elevation on the current UCS. Osnapz is the system variable to control this behaviour.
AutoCAD 2006 displays a padlock icon when you hover above objects on locked layers.
AutoCAD 2006 supports search of text within drawings from Windows Explorer. This is why AcDwgFilterImp16.exe can show up as a process in Task Manager. I tried this also with the newly released Windows Desktop Search and it worked great as you can see.
TEXT, MTEXT, ATTRIBUTES, LAYER NAMES and more can be found.
SCALELISTEDIT lets you control the scale list used in PLOT, PAGESETUP, Viewport toolbar and so on.
FIND now permits the wildcards * and ?. To find these characters add a reverse quote before. `*AB matches *AB. All characters that need a reverse quote before are:
# (Pound) that Matches any numeric digit
@ (At) that Matches any alphabetic character
. (Period) that Matches any nonalphanumeric character
* (Asterisk) that Matches any string and can be used anywhere in the search string
? (Question mark) that Matches any single character; for example, ?BC matches ABC, 3BC, and so on
~ (Tilde) that Matches anything but the pattern; for example; ~*AB*matches all strings that don't contain AB
[ ] that Matches any one of the characters enclosed; for example, [AB]C matches AC and BC
[~] that Matches any character not enclosed; for example, [~AB]C matches XC but not AC
[-] that Specifies a range for a single character; for example, [A-G]C matches AC, BC, and so on to GC, but not HC
` (Reverse quote) that Reads the next character literally; for example, `~AB matches ~AB
Set IMAGEFRAME to 2 to display but not plot the frame.
The xref notification bubble lets you reload all xrefs that needs to be reloaded. Side effect is that unloaded xrefs are reloaded. (Solved in SP1)
You can lock the position of toolbars and palettes so they cannot be moved accidentally. A lock icon on the status bar shows the locked status. To unlock a toolbar or palette temporarily, press the CTRL key while you move a toolbar or palette.
DWF has the ability to set a gradient resolution.
1200 DPI for DWF creation is set as default to provide a modest improvement in precision.
AutoCAD 2006 supports object properties when used with detail attributes (not external data or object data). To place object properties in a DWF, you must first have blocks with attributes inserted in your drawing. Publish command support this.
By default, the Digital Signatures icon in Windows Explorer is now installed in a disabled state.
Bug fixes
24+ bugs that has been fixed that existed in AutoCAD 2005. If you find more of them fixed please let me know.
See also the Bug Watch on Cadalyst for a list of fixed bugs.
ActiveX API
ActiveX API
The following outlines the additions and changes made to the ActiveX API in AutoCAD 2006 and AutoCAD 2006-based products.
Enums
AcEntityName (Changed)
acDimArcLength = 44 (New)
acDimRadialLarge = 45 (New)
AcDimArcLengthSymbol (New)
acSymInFront = 0
acSymAbove = 1
acSymNone = 2
AcViewportScale (Changed)
acVp1_1 = 2 (Removed)
acVp1_2 = 3 (Removed)
acVp1_4 = 4 (Removed)
acVp1_8 = 5 (Removed)
acVp1_10 = 6 (Removed)
acVp1_16 = 7 (Removed)
acVp1_20 = 8 (Removed)
acVp1_30 = 9 (Removed)
acVp1_40 = 10 (Removed)
acVp1_50 = 11 (Removed)
acVp1_100 = 12 (Removed)
acVp2_1 = 13 (Removed)
acVp4_1 = 14 (Removed)
acVp8_1 = 15 (Removed)
acVp10_1 = 16 (Removed)
acVp100_1 = 17 (Removed)
acVp1_128in_1ft = 18 (Removed)
acVp1_64in_1ft = 19 (Removed)
acVp1_32in_1ft = 20 (Removed)
acVp1_16in_1ft = 21 (Removed)
acVp3_32in_1ft = 22 (Removed)
acVp1_8in_1ft = 23 (Removed)
acVp3_16in_1ft = 24 (Removed)
acVp1_4in_1ft = 25 (Removed)
acVp3_8in_1ft = 26 (Removed)
acVp1_2in_1ft = 27 (Removed)
acVp3_4in_1ft = 28 (Removed)
acVp1in_1ft = 29 (Removed)
acVp1and1_2in_1ft = 30 (Removed)
acVp3in_1ft = 31 (Removed)
acVp6in_1ft = 32 (Removed)
acVp1ft_1ft = 33 (Removed)
acVp1 = 2 (New)
acVp2 = 3 (New)
acVp3 = 4 (New)
acVp4 = 5 (New)
acVp5 = 6 (New)
acVp6 = 7 (New)
acVp7 = 8 (New)
acVp8 = 9 (New)
acVp9 = 10 (New)
acVp10 = 11 (New)
acVp11 = 12 (New)
acVp12 = 13 (New)
acVp13 = 14 (New)
acVp14 = 15 (New)
acVp15 = 16 (New)
acVp16 = 17 (New)
acVp17 = 18 (New)
acVp18 = 19 (New)
acVp19 = 20 (New)
acVp20 = 21 (New)
acVp21 = 22 (New)
acVp22 = 23 (New)
acVp23 = 24 (New)
acVp24 = 25 (New)
acVp25 = 26 (New)
acVp26 = 27 (New)
acVp27 = 28 (New)
acVp28 = 29 (New)
acVp29 = 30 (New)
acVp30 = 31 (New)
acVp31 = 32 (New)
acVp32 = 33 (New)
acVp33 = 34 (New)
acVp34 = 35 (New)
acVp35 = 36 (New)
acVp36 = 37 (New)
acVp37 = 38 (New)
acVp38 = 39 (New)
acVp39 = 40 (New)
acVp40 = 41 (New)
acVp41 = 42 (New)
acVp42 = 43 (New)
acVp43 = 44 (New)
acVp44 = 45 (New)
acVp45 = 46 (New)
acVp46 = 47 (New)
acVp47 = 48 (New)
acVp48 = 49 (New)
acVp49 = 50 (New)
acVp50 = 51 (New)
acVp51 = 52 (New)
acVp52 = 53 (New)
acVp53 = 54 (New)
acVp54 = 55 (New)
acVp55 = 56 (New)
acVp56 = 57 (New)
acVp57 = 58 (New)
acVp58 = 59 (New)
acVp59 = 60 (New)
acVp60 = 61 (New)
acVp61 = 62 (New)
acVp62 = 63 (New)
acVp63 = 64 (New)
acVp64 = 65 (New)
acVp65 = 66 (New)
acVp66 = 67 (New)
acVp67 = 68 (New)
acVp68 = 69 (New)
acVp69 = 70 (New)
acVp70 = 71 (New)
acVp71 = 72 (New)
acVp72 = 73 (New)
acVp73 = 74 (New)
acVp74 = 75 (New)
acVp75 = 76 (New)
acVp76 = 77 (New)
acVp77 = 78 (New)
acVp78 = 79 (New)
acVp79 = 80 (New)
acVp80 = 81 (New)
acVp81 = 82 (New)
acVp82 = 83 (New)
acVp83 = 84 (New)
acVp84 = 85 (New)
acVp85 = 86 (New)
acVp86 = 87 (New)
acVp87 = 88 (New)
acVp88 = 89 (New)
acVp89 = 90 (New)
acVp90 = 91 (New)
acVp91 = 92 (New)
acVp92 = 93 (New)
acVp93 = 94 (New)
acVp94 = 95 (New)
acVp95 = 96 (New)
acVp96 = 97 (New)
acVp97 = 98 (New)
acVp98 = 99 (New)
acVp99 = 100 (New)
acVp100 = 101 (New)
AcMLineJustification (New)
acTop = 0
acZero = 1
acBottom = 2
AcBlockScaling (New)
acAny = 0
acUniform = 1
AcDynamicBlockReferencePropertyUnitsType (New)
acNoUnits = 0
acAngular = 1
acDistance = 2
acArea = 3
Classes
IAcadDynamicBlockReferenceProperty (New)
PropertyName - Property
ReadOnly - Property
Show - Property
Description - Property
AllowedValues - Property
Value - Property
UnitsType - Property
IAcadAttribute2 (New)
LockPosition - Property
IAcadAttributeReference2 (New)
LockPosition - Property
IAcadBlockReference2 (New)
EffectiveName - Property
IsDynamicBlock - Property
GetDynamicBlockProperties - Method
ResetBlock - Method
ConvertToAnonymousBlock - Method
ConvertToStaticBlock - Method
XEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
YEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
ZEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
InsUnits - Property
InsUnitsFactor - Property
IAcadHatch2 (New)
Area - Property
Origin - Property
IAcadMInsertBlock2 (New)
EffectiveName - Property
IsDynamicBlock - Property
GetDynamicBlockProperties - Method
ResetBlock - Method
ConvertToAnonymousBlock - Method
ConvertToStaticBlock - Method
XEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
YEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
ZEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
InsUnits - Property
InsUnitsFactor - Property
IAcadMLine2 (New)
Justification - Property
MLineScale - Property
IAcadExternalReference2 (New)
XEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
YEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
ZEffectiveScaleFactor - Property
InsUnits - Property
InsUnitsFactor - Property
IAcadTable2 (New)
RegenerateTableSuppressed - Property
IAcadDimArcLength (New)
AltUnits - Property
AltUnitsPrecision - Property
AltUnitsScale - Property
AltRoundDistance - Property
AltTolerancePrecision - Property
AltUnitsFormat - Property
AltTextPrefix - Property
AltTextSuffix - Property
DimensionLineColor - Property
ExtensionLineColor - Property
PrimaryUnitsPrecision - Property
DimensionLineExtend - Property
ExtensionLineExtend - Property
Fit - Property
FractionFormat - Property
HorizontalTextPosition - Property
LinearScaleFactor - Property
UnitsFormat - Property
ExtensionLineWeight - Property
RoundDistance - Property
DimLine1Suppress - Property
DimLine2Suppress - Property
ExtLine1Suppress - Property
ExtLine2Suppress - Property
DimLineInside - Property
TextInsideAlign - Property
TextInside - Property
ForceLineInside - Property
TextOutsideAlign - Property
ExtensionLineOffset - Property
AltSuppressLeadingZeros - Property
AltSuppressTrailingZeros - Property
AltSuppressZeroFeet - Property
AltSuppressZeroInches - Property
AltToleranceSuppressLeadingZeros - Property
AltToleranceSuppressTrailingZeros - Property
AltToleranceSuppressZeroFeet - Property
AltToleranceSuppressZeroInches - Property
SuppressZeroFeet - Property
SuppressZeroInches - Property
ToleranceSuppressZeroFeet - Property
ToleranceSuppressZeroInches - Property
DimensionLineWeight - Property
ArrowheadSize - Property
Arrowhead1Type - Property
Arrowhead2Type - Property
Measurement - Property
Arrowhead1Block - Property
Arrowhead2Block - Property
ArcPoint - Property
ExtLine1Point - Property
ExtLine2Point - Property
CenterPoint - Property
Leader1Point - Property
Leader2Point - Property
IsPartial - Property
ArcStartParam - Property
ArcEndParam - Property
HasLeader - Property
SymbolPosition - Property
IAcadDimRadialLarge (New)
AltUnits - Property
AltUnitsPrecision - Property
AltUnitsScale - Property
AltRoundDistance - Property
AltTolerancePrecision - Property
AltUnitsFormat - Property
AltTextPrefix - Property
AltTextSuffix - Property
CenterType - Property
CenterMarkSize - Property
DimensionLineColor - Property
PrimaryUnitsPrecision - Property
FractionFormat - Property
Fit - Property
LinearScaleFactor - Property
UnitsFormat - Property
RoundDistance - Property
DimLineSuppress - Property
TextInsideAlign - Property
TextInside - Property
ForceLineInside - Property
TextOutsideAlign - Property
AltSuppressLeadingZeros - Property
AltSuppressTrailingZeros - Property
AltSuppressZeroFeet - Property
AltSuppressZeroInches - Property
AltToleranceSuppressLeadingZeros - Property
AltToleranceSuppressTrailingZeros - Property
AltToleranceSuppressZeroFeet - Property
AltToleranceSuppressZeroInches - Property
SuppressZeroFeet - Property
SuppressZeroInches - Property
ToleranceSuppressZeroFeet - Property
ToleranceSuppressZeroInches - Property
DimensionLineWeight - Property
ArrowheadSize - Property
ArrowheadType - Property
Measurement - Property
ArrowheadBlock - Property
OverrideCenter - Property
JogLocation - Property
JogAngle - Property
Center - Property
ChordPoint - Property
IAcadBlock3 (New)
Comments - Property
Units - Property
Explodable - Property
BlockScaling - Property
IsDynamicBlock - Property
AddDimArc - Method
AddDimRadialLarge - Method
IAcadModelSpace3 (New)
AddDimArc - Method
AddDimRadialLarge - Method
IAcadPaperSpace3 (New)
AddDimArc - Method
AddDimRadialLarge - Method
IAcadUtility2 (New)
SendModelessOperationStart - Property
Still missing
Still missing. Wish list for the next time.
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.
When publishing multi-sheet DWFs it should be possible to update it with changed drawings without having to republish all sheets in the set.
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.
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 or not found 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.
It should be possible to bind xrefs that includes nested xrefs that are not found.
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. If the xref is attached but have been deleted it would be good to see directly.
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) Helping the user to identify and if possible correct or work around the problem would save tremendous time and agony.
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.
An option to automatically reload changed xrefs.
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.
Having BHATCH support Noun/verb selection.
Gradient and common hatches that follow a boundary. Could be and arc or a spline for example.
In the hatch dialog box you can remove boundaries but only by picking one object at a time. It would be useful if other selection alternatives like window, crossing and so on where supported.
Extend hatched just like you can trim hatches.
Repositioning of columns in the Layer Properties Manager.
When creating a new layer it would be helpful if it was possible to set it to be frozen everywhere, even when xreffed.
Have a setting per layer that makes it possible to snap or not snap to the objects on that layer.
Password protecting layers or objects.
Hiding columns in the Layer Properties Manager.
Show the plot/no plot status of a layer in the layer properties toolbar.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, Refedit and "resave all sheets" in SSM 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. Helping the user find, identify, describing or correct the problem would save a lot of time.
Give us back the ability to drag and drop selected text in the In-Place Text Editor. It worked in AutoCAD 2005. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2007)
It's great that undo works within several new commands. Now if only the undo button on the toolbar could be used.
Have the leader as one object just like dimensions instead of two separate objects.
It should be possible to bind xrefs that includes attached images and having the image converted to an ole object or have the image repathed or the like.
COPYCLIP from one layout followed by PASTEORIG (Paste to Original Coordinates is now greyed out) in another layout should work. The same if you have a drawing opened and then opens it again as read only and tries to copy from one to the other.
A command to offset nested objects, similar to the Express Tools command NCOPY.
ETransmit should not require the drawing to be saved unless you want to.
In many cases I have found that to have a good result when binding xrefs to have BINDTYPE set to 0. The problem is that it might only be for a layer or two that this is needed. Most layers are the same so there is no need to have them prefixed with the layer name. I suggest that there would be a third alternative to optimize this by only adding the prefix when layers are different.
If an xref is unloaded it should be possible to open it in the xref manager dialog box.
Open xrefs as read only.
In the Dynamic Interface blog has a dynamic block wish list.
Better control on the order of tools on Tool Palettes. It should be possible to centrally push out a certain order when updates are done.
Palette groups should be easier to deploy and update in a network environment.
SSM: The Sheet Properties window in SSM should have a next and previous button just like the rename window has.
SSM: The next and previous buttons for renaming sheets in SSM should not be limited to sheets in one subset.
SSM: Subsets in SSM should have a description property that shows up in the detail subwindow.
SSM: It should be possible to set properties on a subset that are inherited of sheets in that subset.
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 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: 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: 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: entering ALT-0160 (Non-break Space) on the keyboard followed by an enter. To do it hold down the ALT key and type the numbers 0 1 6 0 on the numeric keypad. This requires a True Type Font to work.
SSM: In the properties dialog box the width of the column for the property name can be resized but is not saved if reopened. 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. Primarily 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 override cannot produce a multisheet DWF. It it could that would be another option.
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: Support all characters in the Sheet Title and named views. E.g.. commas.
SSM: Provide an easy way to see what Sheets are set to "no publish". Maybe a slightly different icon.
SSM: Add an option to import current layout as Sheet. This is useful when you have saved an existing sheet to a new name using SaveAs and want it to be a part of the Sheet Set.
SSM: Performance improvements when having many sheets and many properties is needed.
SSM: Support creation of polygonal named views.
SSM: Resave all sheets should retain the preview image.
SSM: I wish there was a command line command or API support for updating a sheet list table.
SSM: Support for partial sheet lists. Based on a selection of sheets or subsets.
SSM: Support for page breaks for long list tables.
SSM: Support to be able to set a fixed width for the columns in a sheet list table.
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. OpenType fonts that use PostScript outlines.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
When using Refedit to edit a block the preview icon is not updated. Wish it was. Or at least that the old image was restored and with a warning sign added to show that the image is not completely correct.
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, dimension text and attributes.
Background masks: Make it easy to access the offset distance using Properties.
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. Not the sometimes larger mtext boundary.
Attributes with fields should be possible to lock to avoid being overwritten.
AutoCAPS that works on every command in AutoCAD.
Import and export named views and ucs.
I have several times found it irritating that an existing session of IE is used to show the page after Autodesk Error Report Utility shows up. I wish that a new window was used. The reason is that you might be in a IE page entering information and then it get lost.
After a crash the Windows are not restored correctly. I want the main window to be maximized (restored) as well as the drawing window just as it does when AutoCAD has not crashed.
Reference Manager should be able to better support find and replace even parts of the paths. Performance working with it should also be improved. Try to modify a path and look at the scan time when you have quite many drawings. Being able to filter out just xrefs and images and/or other references would be helpful. Add also capability to Detach, Attach, Bind, and Convert between Overlay & Attach. Renaming reference name and file name and also be able to find and replace. Reference manager is removing the preview image on changed drawings. It would be good to at least have the option to retain the original preview image. Reference manager is still unloading images that has their path changed.
Reference manager always saves changed files to 2004 format. It should be able to retain the existing format if it is in 2000.
It should be possible to clean up xclipped xrefs or blocks. All geometry that is removed using xclip should be purged. This is especially useful when you have to bind drawings for different reasons. It should be an option in eTransmit as well.
When working with Tool Palettes using the Customize command it would be useful to be able to select more than one tool palette at a time to drag 'n' drop into a Palette Group or from one Group to another.
When editing large tables the performance has to be improved.
In the CUI editor when you select multiple items and want to delete them you have to right click on the last item otherwise they get unselected. This is not standard Windows behavior. It should be possible to right click on any of the selected items. (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
Add a command (WIPEOUTFRAME) or drawing variable to control the wipeout frame just like IMAGEFRAME.
Have Tool Palette Block Tools to support presetting of attribute values in properties.
Be able to crate an image on a tool based on geometry in the drawing like in ADT.
Something like a VISRETAIN=2 would be needed to be able to handle nested xrefs in several levels.
When publishing 3D DWFs it should be possible to show hyperlinks on objects within the DWF Viewer.
Span tables across columns.
Have fixed or max width of table columns.
Ability to insert blocks and images into table cells.
Ability to ignore words that have numbers when spell checking.
Being able to span columns with MText.
Mtext to support an irregular shape within the text is flowed.
Displaying and plotting of all annotation (text, dimensions, tables, hatches and annotational blocks) to the correct size, position and orientation regardless of viewport scale.
Ability to change object properties such as lineweight and color for geometry and have the changes be reflected only in the viewport.
Make is possible to customize the Object Properties Manager. Some properties are never or hardly used and should be possible to hide or relocate to the bottom or to a group of not so often used properties.
In Object Properties Manager it should be visible if a property on an object is overridden. Typically a dimension style versus a dimension object.
Ability to assign and maintain dimension driven and geometric relationships (parallel, perpendicular, tangential and concentric) between objects in a drawing.
-ExportToAutoCAD has as default "ACAD-" as prefix. It doesn't seem to be possible to add an empty value for the Filename prefix.
Retain hatch association within dynamic blocks.
It should be possible to snap to a space on a line with a linetype with spaces.
If you have another wish submit it to AUGI.
Existing bugs
Existing bugs, defects, feature limitation or other issues.
SSM: Renaming the layout on a drawing breaks the hyperlinks in the Sheet List Table to the Sheet in question.
The xref notification bubble should not reload unloaded xrefs. (Solved in SP1)
The xref notification bubble comes up even if an unloaded xref is updated. (Solved in SP1)
There is a problem with the precision with the new calculator (CAL). Try for example 611-602.555 that should result in 8.445 and notice that the result is not what you expect. It returns 8.4450000000001. (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
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 SP1)
Using the Close command in a script can stop the script from working. A workaround is available. (Solved in SP1)
When moving a clipped xref the objects outside the clipping shows up. This didn't happen in AutoCAD 2005.
A minor visual defect is that if you is highlighting an object with rollover and then press CTRL+A the other objects gets dashed but not that object. (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
Adding \X before <> on an arc dimensions make the arc sign double in size.
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. But if the dimension is then moved from the home location it jumps up above the dimension line.
Hatch objects doesn't show added hyperlinks in AutoCAD 2006 and 2005 but they show up correctly if published to DWF.
Arc angle not correct in Properties.
If the aidimfliparrow command is run from the command line it accepts multiple objects but it only works if you select one dimension object.
Aidimfliparrow doesn't work in some circumstances because it doesn't accept if you click on the arrow or the extension line. Typically when the distance between the extension lines are relatively short.
When having multiple viewports in modelspace or paperspace and editing text using mtedit other views can be changed automatically. The ruler can also show up in other viewports. (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
See also the Bug Watch on Cadalyst for a list of remaining bugs.
Sometimes the Drawing Recovery palette comes up when opening AutoCAD even though the latest session didn't crash. (According to Misha at Autodesk: "We are aware of an issue with the Save command (not Qsave or Saveas). In some cases it triggers Drawing Recover Manager even if there was no crash in the session.")
Fatal error after trying to insert raster image. Unhandled access violation reading 0xfefffcdf exception at 77f585c0h
Selecting multiple files in the opening dialog box and pressing enter doesn't work.
Using the Properties palette to set mesh density for a smooth polygon mesh crashes AutoCAD. (Solved in SP1)
The layer manager is not compatible with .NET Framework 2.0 Beta. No problem with the final release.
Pressing CTRL+A to select objects in a 3D front view can crash AutoCAD. (Solved in SP1)
AutoCAD can be locked up if a transparent command is entered during the Zoom command. (Solved in SP1)
Problems with using the Customize User Interface dialog box to transfer menu files from a previous release have been corrected. (This update was released separately as Support Solution TS1052001.) (Solved in SP1)
Display problems resulting from the transfer of legacy MNU or MNS files to AutoCAD 2006-based products have been corrected. This update affects labels in image tile menus and screen menus. (This update was released separately as Support Solution TS1052254.) (Solved in SP1)
There is a performance problem when editing tables. If you click on a cell and starts writing quite quickly some characters might be missed. Typically the second character is missing.
The conversion factor is not respected in a field in a table. E.g. if you have an area and set a conversion factor to change it from mm² to m² and then use math function on that cell it uses the mm?? value and not the m² value that actually shows up. (As designed)
Using the Express Tool command TEXTFIT on a middle left justified text moves the location of the text as well. Actually the only justifications that works are left, fit and aligned. (This bug exists in older versions as well since not much have been done to the Express Tool commands)
If using DTEXT and entering underscored text starting with %%U and end the command by two enter leaves an extra row with a dot (invisible if the font is True Type). The text includes only the text %%U. The same when using %%O for overscoring. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2007)
Error: Unable to load specified HEIDI driver module gdi8.hdi
If you use (command "_purge" "_RegApp" "*" "_N") on a drawing with really many RegApps AutoCAD might crash with this message AutoCAD Error Aborting - FATAL ERROR: Out of memory - shutting down. Workaround is to use the AutoLISP function (PurgeAPPID) found here.
Rearranging attributes in dynamic blocks using Battman breaks the dynamic block.
The ability to drag and drop selected text in the In-Place Text Editor doesn't work. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2007)
The Rename dialog box doesn't accept renaming of for example blocks with names including the # character.
29 Flaws in CUI
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.
Cannot use object snap on a 3D Face.
Fatal Error 649274e9h when creating mtext or dtext in a layout . (Fixed in AutoCAD 2007)
There are draw order problems in dynamic blocks. I've specifically noticed this in connection to wipeouts.
Selection Preview problems when having snap active.
Selection Preview problems related to groups.
UCSManager control on UCS II toolbar is not updated when undoing.
Blank Array dialog box.
Rtext objects can result in problems using ActiveX. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2007)
Dynamic Input has performance problems if you are quick typing on the keyboard. (Has been improved in newer versions)
Selection of last object doesn't work in a viewport unless the object is visible in it. (Works at least in AutoCAD 2009)
Dimensioning with DIMSCALE set to 0 and using VPMAX doesn't work as expected. The scale of the viewport is not respected.
3DCLIP and DVIEW using clip plans can result in just dots instead of lines. Workaround that sometimes work is to run the hide command.
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.
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.
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. (Cannot reproduce in AutoCAD 2009)
Using fence it would be possible to select an object with a linetype with spaces when the fence is hitting the space in the linetype.
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.
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.
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.
Plotting a hatch with dots to DWF does not gives the dots a line width.
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.
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.
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.
You can 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.
When you have selected the Automatically Save Workspace Changes option in the Workspace Settings dialog box (WSSETTINGS), the current workspace is automatically saved when you close the product. However, the workspace is not saved if you close AutoCAD when no drawings are open. To ensure that the workspace is saved upon closing, either use WSSAVE to save the workspace before you close the last drawing or make sure that at least one drawing is open when you close AutoCAD. TS1050433
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.
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. (Could not reproduce in AutoCAD 2009)
If a drawing contains the layer defpoints and is used to drag layers into other drawings the defpoints layer follows into the other drawing.
If you are running a command like move in a locked viewport and then zoom with the wheel the command line is not looking correct. Command: is only showed even though you have a command active.
Pastclip using X, Y, Z to mirror using -1 values doesn't work the same as Pasteblock or Insert.
Migration Mayhem 2 (2006 to 2006 SP1, affects earlier releases) Cadalyst Bug Watch (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
Misplaced Menu Memory (2006 to 2006 SP1) Cadalyst Bug Watch (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
A Lack of Dialog Revisited (2005 to 2006 SP1) Cadalyst Bug Watch (Solved in AutoCAD 2007 ?)
Migration Mayhem 1 (2005 to 2007, affects earlier releases) Cadalyst Bug Watch
Multiple Malady (2000 to 2007) Cadalyst Bug Watch
You cannot assign keyboard shortcuts to CTRL+arrow keys directly. KB and workaround. (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
Removed
Removed.
It's no longer possible to drag and drop menu commands to create new tools on the tool palette. Only toolbar buttons can be used as a source.
Not yet but future releases of the product will not support screen menus
RMLIN
Tips & Trix
Tips & Trix
Tool Palettes created or modified in AutoCAD 2006 are not compatible in AutoCAD 2005 because some new features in AutoCAD 2006. If you during a transition period supports both AutoCAD 2005 and AutoCAD 2006 you can make the changes with AutoCAD 2005 and then copy the Tool Palettes folder to a folder specific for AutoCAD 2006 to make sure that you don't make any changes to the Tool Palette with AutoCAD 2006.
Don't bother to search for an Easter egg because there is none.
To get the old MTEXT editor in AutoCAD 2006
MTEXTED = OLDEDITOR
MTEXTFIXED = 1
Palette Auto-hide Speed freeware
Solution when editing rotated text
I got this question: "The new TEXT and MTEXT editor in 2006 is great. Problem is I sometimes have to edit text on its side or even upside down. Gets very confusing to edit in this way. Is there some way of changing this new feature so I don't break my neck every time I edit a non-horizontal piece of text? I have tried MTEXTED set to OLDEDITOR but this only works for MTEXT and not TEXT."
There is a new system variable named DTEXTED that specifies the user interface for editing single-line text using the DDEDIT command. When set to 0 DDEDIT displays the In-Place Text Editor. When set to 1 DDEDIT displays the Edit Text dialog box.
MTEXTED can as said be used to get the old version of the mtext editor by setting the value to oldeditor. There is also the alternative to set it to :lisped. This will show a dialog box if the mtext has less than 80 characters. The default editor is used when the value is set to internal.
The new WYSIWYG editor that AutoCAD 2006 introduces is really good for many users but if you have a lot of rotated text it can be problematic. One solution is to use the Properties palette to edit the text content even though it's quite restricted. Another is to use MTEXTED and DTEXTED. (Fixed in AutoCAD 2007)
You can also create a button on a toolbar or a tool on the tool palette that runs a custom command.
A simple macro could look like this:
^C^C(setvar "DTEXTED" 1) DDEDIT \;(setvar "DTEXTED" 0);
In that case you can double click on the text if it's readable and if it's too rotated just click on the button or the tool.
A more automated way would be to redefine the DDEDIT command so it shows a dialog box depending on the rotation of the text in relation to the screen. I leave that for you to experiment with.
Updates & Service Packs
Updates & Service Packs.
- Updated BIN file for Autodesk Product Manager Utility
- Hotfix - AnswerWorks
- Hotfix - Issues with DWF Generation from AutoCAD Integration with Compass 5
- Hotfix - Deployment Error with Internet Explorer
- Hotfix - Autodesk Register Today
- Hotfix - Ereg.dll
- Hotfix - Autodesk Activation Update
- Hotfix - Autodesk 2006 OE
- Updated Help Files (Czech only)
- AutoCAD 2006 Service Pack 1 for Autodesk AutoCAD Revit Series 8.x
- Autodesk Security Update
- AutoCAD 2006 Service Pack 1
- Customize User Interface (CUI) Update
Links
New Commands
New Commands:
3DDWFPUBLISH - Creates 3D DWF files of three-dimensional models
AI_INVOKENFW - Starts the New Features Workshop
AIDIMFLIPARROW - Select a single dimension object near the arrowhead that you want to flip.
BACTION - Adds an action to a dynamic block definition
BACTIONSET - Specifies the selection set of objects associated with an action in a dynamic block definition
BACTIONTOOL - Adds an action to a dynamic block definition
BASSOCIATE - Associates an action with a parameter in a dynamic block definition
BATTORDER - Specifies the order of attributes for a block
BAUTHORPALETTE - Opens the Block Authoring Palettes window in the Block Editor
BAUTHORPALETTECLOSE - Closes the Block Authoring Palettes window in the Block Editor
BCLOSE - Closes the Block Editor
BCYCLEORDER - Changes the cycling order of grips for a dynamic block reference
BEDIT - Opens the Edit Block Definition dialog box and then the Block Editor
-BEDIT - Opens the Edit Block Definition dialog box and then the Block Editor (command line)
BGRIPSET - Creates, deletes, or resets grips associated with a parameter
BLOOKUPTABLE - Displays or creates a lookup table for a dynamic block definition
BPARAMETER - Adds a parameter with grips to a dynamic block definition
BSAVE - Saves the current block definition
BSAVEAS - Saves a copy of the current block definition under a new name
BVHIDE - Makes objects invisible in the current visibility state or all visibility states in a dynamic block definition
-BVHIDE - Makes objects invisible in the current visibility state or all visibility states in a dynamic block definition (command line)
BVSHOW - Makes objects visible in the current visibility state or all visibility states in a dynamic block definition
-BVSHOW - Makes objects visible in the current visibility state or all visibility states in a dynamic block definition (command line)
BVSTATE - Creates, sets, or deletes a visibility state in a dynamic block
-BVSTATE - Creates, sets, or deletes a visibility state in a dynamic block (command line)
COMMANDLINE - Displays the command line
COMMANDLINEHIDE - Hides the command line
CUI - Manages customized user interface elements such as workspaces, toolbars, menus, shortcut menus, and keyboard shortcuts
CUIEXPORT - Exports customized settings from acad.cui to an enterprise or partial CUI file
CUIIMPORT - Imports customized settings from an enterprise or partial CUI file to acad.cui
CUILOAD - Loads a CUI file
CUIUNLOAD - Unloads a CUI file
DIMARC - Creates an arc length dimension
DIMJOGGED - Creates jogged radius dimensions
DRAWINGRECOVERY - Displays a list of drawing files that can be recovered after a program or system failure
DRAWINGRECOVERYHIDE - Closes the Drawing Recovery Manager
EATTEXTEDIT -
EATTEXTUPDATE - Updates a table created with the Eattext command
FILTERS - This undocumented command shows a dialog box that lets you delete specified layer filters. Right click in the list to select all.
GRADIENT - Fills an enclosed area or selected objects with a gradient fill
-HATCH - Fills an enclosed area or selected objects with a hatch pattern, solid fill, or gradient fill (command line)
JOIN - Joins objects to form a single, unbroken object
QCCLOSE - Closes QuickCalc
QUICKCALC - Opens the QuickCalc calculator
RESETBLOCK - Resets one or more dynamic block references to the default values of the block definition
SCALELISTEDIT - Controls the list of scales available for layout viewports, page layouts, and plotting
-SCALELISTEDIT - Controls the list of scales available for layout viewports, page layouts, and plotting (command line)
VTOPTIONS - Displays a change in view as a smooth transition
WORKSPACE - Creates, modifies, and saves workspaces and makes a workspace current
WSSAVE - Saves a workspace
WSSETTINGS - Sets options for workspaces
Changed Commands
Changed Commands:
ACADBLOCKDIALOG
ADCNAVIGATE - Loads a specified DesignCenter drawing file, folder, or network path. When you use ADCNAVIGATE to open DesignCenter, you no longer have to press ENTER or ESC to display the Enter pathname prompt. This change may affect pre-existing scripts.
-ATTDEF - Creates an attribute definition
ATTDEF
-BHATCH
BHATCH
BMAKE
BMOD
BOUNDARY
BPOLY
CAL - Evaluates mathematical and geometric expressions
CHAMFER - Undo added
COPY - Undo added
+CUSTOMIZE
CUSTOMIZE - Customizes tool palettes
DDATTDEF
DDEDIT
'DDIM
DDINSERT
'DDLMODES
'DDMODIFY
'DDRMODES
'DDSELECT
DIMEDIT
'DIMSTYLE
+DSETTINGS
'DSETTINGS
DTEXT
EATTEXT
EXTEND - Undo added. For the EXTEND command, if you do not select an object at the Select Objects to Extend prompt, you are now prompted to specify the opposite corner of a crossing window. This change may affect pre-existing scripts that call EXTEND and supply a pick point that selects no objects. You can fix legacy scripts by omitting points that do not select objects.
FIELD - Creates a multiline text object with a field that can be updated automatically as the field value changes
FILLET - Undo added
FIND
HATCH
-HATCHEDIT
HATCHEDIT
IMAGEFRAME - Controls whether image frames are displayed and plotted
INSERT - Places a drawing or named block into the current drawing
-INSERT - Places a drawing or named block into the current drawing (command line). You are no longer prompted to enter separate scale factors for X,Y,Z coordinates when you insert a block using the -INSERT command. This change may affect pre-existing scripts that use this.
'LAYER
LEADER
LIST
MARKUP
MENU
MENULOAD - By default, the MENULOAD command will load only CUI files in AutoCAD 2006.
MENUUNLOAD
MINSERT
MLEDIT
MLSTYLE
MTEDIT
-MTEXT
MTEXT
MTPROP
OFFSET - Offset now have an option to place the new object on current layer or the source layer. There is also an option to erase the source object.Undo added
OLDMTPROP
+OPTIONS
OPTIONS
'OSNAP
'-PAN
'PAN
PROPERTIES
+PUBLISH
PUBLISH
QLEADER
RECTANG - Draws a rectangular polyline
RECTANGLE
ROTATE
'RTPAN
'RTZOOM
SCALE
'SETVAR
SHEETSET
STRETCH
-TABLE
TABLE
TABLEDIT
TBCONFIG
TEXT
TOOLBAR
'TOOLPALETTES
TRIM - Undo added. For the TRIM command, if you do not select an object at the Select Objects to Trim prompt, you are now prompted to specify the opposite corner of a crossing window. This change may affect pre-existing scripts that call TRIM and supply a pick point that selects no objects. You can fix legacy scripts by omitting points that do not select objects.
UNDO
'ZOOM
XATTACH - Attaches an external reference to the current drawing
New System Variables
New System Variables:
BACTIONCOLOR - Sets the text color of actions in the Block Editor
BDEPENDENCYHIGHLIGHT - Controls whether or not dependent objects are dependency highlighted when a parameter, action, or grip is selected in the Block Editor
BGRIPOBJCOLOR - Sets the color of grips in the Block Editor
BGRIPOBJSIZE - Sets the display size of custom grips in the Block Editor relative to the screen display
BLOCKEDITLOCK - Disallows opening of the Block Editor and editing of dynamic block definitions
BLOCKEDITOR - Reflects whether or not the Block Editor is open
BPARAMETERCOLOR - Sets the color of parameters in the Block Editor
BPARAMETERFONT - Sets the font used for parameters and actions in the Block Editor
BPARAMETERSIZE - Sets the size of parameter text and features in the Block Editor relative to the screen display
BTMARKDISPLAY - Controls whether or not value set markers are displayed
BVMODE - Controls how objects that are made invisible for the current visibility state are displayed in the Block Editor
CALCINPUT - Controls whether or not value set markers are displayed. If set to 1 functions can be evaluated in an edit control. Enter =<function>Alt+Enter. Eg =100+50*3 then press Alt+Enter.
CENTERMT - Controls how grips stretch multiline text that is centered horizontally
CLISTATE - Stores a value that indicates whether the command window is hidden or displayed
CMDINPUTHISTORYMAX - Sets the maximum number of previous input values that are stored for a prompt in a command
CROSSINGAREACOLOR - Controls the color of the selection area during crossing selection
DRSTATE - Determines whether the Drawing Recovery window is active or not
DTEXTED - Specifies the user interface for editing single-line text
DYNDIGRIP - Controls which dynamic dimensions are displayed during grip stretch editing
DYNDIVIS - Controls how many dynamic dimensions are displayed during grip stretch editing
DYNMODE - Turns Dynamic Input features on and off
DYNPICOORDS - Controls whether pointer input uses relative or absolute format for coordinates
DYNPIFORMAT - Controls whether pointer input uses polar or Cartesian format for coordinates
DYNPIVIS - Controls when pointer input is displayed
DYNPROMPT - Controls display of prompts in Dynamic Input tooltips
DYNTOOLTIPS - Controls which tooltips are affected by tooltip appearance settings
ENTERPRISEMENU - Stores the CUI file name (if defined), including the path for the file name
FULLPLOTPATH - Controls whether the full path of the drawing file is sent to the plot spooler
GRIPDYNCOLOR - Controls the color of custom grips for dynamic blocks
HPINHERIT - Controls how MATCHPROP copies the hatch origin from the source object to the destination hatch objects
HPOBJWARNING - Sets the number of hatch boundary objects that can be selected before displaying a warning message
HPORIGIN - Sets the hatch origin point for new hatch objects relative to the current user coordinate system
HPORIGINMODE - Controls how HATCH determines the default hatch origin point
HPSEPARATE - Controls whether HATCH creates a single hatch object or separate hatch objects when operating on several closed boundaries
INPUTHISTORYMODE - Controls the content and location of the display of a history of user input
INTELLIGENTUPDATE - Controls the graphics refresh rate
LAYERFILTERALERT - Deletes excessive layer filters to improve performance
LOCKUI - Locks the position and size of toolbars and windows such as DesignCenter and Properties palette
OSNAPOVERRIDE
OSNAPZ - Controls whether object snaps are automatically projected onto a plane parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS at the current elevation
PREVIEWEFFECT - Specifies the visual effect used for previewing selection of objects
PREVIEWFILTER - Excludes specified object types from selection previewing
QCSTATE - Determines whether the QuickCalc calculator is active or not
RECOVERYMODE - Controls whether drawing recovery information is recorded after a system failure
SELECTIONAREA - Controls the display of effects for selection areas
SELECTIONAREAOPACITY - Controls the transparency of the selection area during window and crossing selection
SELECTIONPREVIEW - Controls the display of selection previewing
SHOWLAYERUSAGE - Displays icons in the Layer Properties Manager to indicate whether layers are in use. This can have a negative impact on the performance when opening the Layer Properties Manager if the drawing contains many layers
SSMPOLLTIME - Controls the time interval between automatic refreshes of the status data in a sheet set
SSMOPENREFRESH
SSMSHEETSTATUS - Controls how the status data in a sheet set is refreshed
TABLEINDICATOR - Controls the display of row numbers and column letters when the In-Place Text Editor is open for editing a table cell
TEMPOVERRIDES - Turns temporary override keys on and off
TOOLTIPMERGE - Combines drafting tooltips into a single tooltip
VTENABLE - Controls when smooth view transitions are used
VTDURATION - Sets the duration of a smooth view transition, in milliseconds
VTFPS - Sets the minimum speed of a smooth view transition, in frames per second
WINDOWAREACOLOR - Controls the color of the transparent selection area during window selection
WSCURRENT - Returns the current workspace name in the command line interface and sets a workspace to current
Changed System Variables
Changed System Variables:
_VERNUM
ACADVER
AFLAGS - Sets options for attributes
INSUNITS - Specifies a drawing-units value for automatic scaling of blocks, images, or xrefs inserted or attached to a drawing
MTEXTED - Sets the name of the application to use for editing multiline text objects
UNDOCTL - Indicates the state of the Auto, Control, and Group options of the UNDO command. Bit 16 controls grouping of Zoom operations for Undo.
