Who Has My Drawing Open?

It hasn't to me for years but it did yesterday. I tried to open a drawing but it was locked by another user, and I had no idea who it was.

I fell back on an AutoCAD command I haven't used for years and it still works great.

Type "whohas" on the command line, and browse to the file in question.

Click the Open button in the Select Drawing to Query dialog and Wa-Shaw!

It was Spellerberg all along! SPELLERBERG!!!!!!!

How to Make More Money

• Take the AUGI Salary Survey 

• Wait for the results, typically released September or October.

• Compare your salary with Melanie's data.

• Use data and math to negotiate a better deal.

• Your SO is all gonna be like "You are so awesome!" and stuff.

My Favorite Place for Favorites

I am sure you are aware of the Favorites function in Autodesk products allowing you to quickly navigate to jobs by picking them off a "short" list.

 Buried in the tools drop down, is the "Add to Favorites" function.

This I hope you know already. You may not know that you can right click on the taskbar, select Toolbars, then pick New toolbar...

Browse to your Favorites folder to add it to the taskbar. Now you can access your favorites for more than just CAD.

AUGI Annual Salary Survey

Salary Survey

Melanie Perry is one of the nicest most genuine people you will ever meet, and she needs our help. 

Please click the Salary Survey link above so Melanie can put together the best darn dissertation on that data anyone has ever thought possible. I look forward to the results every year, but we need you to take the survey first.

So Chop, Chop people. Stop reading this and get busy.

My Top 15 Cool Things about AutoCAD 2015

Here is my top 15 Cool Things about AutoCAD 2015 in no particular order....

1. Pin drawings to the start page
2. Block galleries
3. + Layout tab with overflow stack
4. Lasso Select
5. Natural order layer sort
6. Cap lock and shift
7. Badges on cursors
8. Dimensions that don't snap to dimensions
9. Fillet plines
10. Print map data and keep it static
11. Point cloud cropping
12. Where's my tool?
13. Design feed - note to self
14. Performance reports
15. Command Preview

Get ready for 15 posts on where I will tell you why each of these are awesome!

Always an Asterisk

There are so many asterisks in life we tend to ignore them. If you have embraced file tabs in AutoCAD 2014 you may have missed the asterisks on the tabs and what they mean.

Well, if you see an asterisk on a tab, that drawing file has unsaved changes. If there isn't an asterisk, you are saved and good to go.

Now you know that.

Input Search Options

I like it when when AutoCAD suggests possible commands when I type on the command line, but lately I have been frustrated by the new AutoComplete function. When I type F for fillet, AutoComplete starts a guessin' and throws in FN a short cut for Flag Note. Not quite the same thing, frowny face.

If you would like more control over the AutoComplete function and how AutoCAD tries to predict your behavior, right click in the command line and select Input Settings or the handy-Dandy Input Search Options.

Then just turn off AutoComplete to fix my particular problem. 

But look around in this dialog. The level of control is quite impressive, and sure to satisfy about every users needs.

Why I like File Tabs

If you have upgraded to AutoCAD 2014, there is no missing the file tabs across the top of your drawing window. I will be honest, I didn't really see a reason for file tabs, but much like beer, what might have tasted bad at first, can become a part of your life that you just can't seem to live without after you get used to it.

Here is why the File tabs are cool.

No More Around the Horn
No more Ctrl+Tab to get to the open drawing I want. Just click on the drawing you want to look at and go.

Save All
Right click on a file tab and select Save All. It saves all you open drawings with one click.

Order up! 

Just drag the file tabs to what ever location you prefer them.

Closing Time!

Right click on a tab to get 3 options for closing drawings. You have to like Close All and Close all except This Tab.

Location and Path
I wrote a command a long time ago to open Windows explorer to the current drawings location. Now I can ditch that in favor of right clicking on the tab for it. I can also copy the file path to paste into emails and whatever.

If you still don't like the file tabs, type "FileTabClose" on the command line and they will disappear. If you have guilt about making them go away, just type "FileTab" to bring them back.

Display Driver Missing or Corrupted and Hardware Acceleration

I had quite an issue on a machine that I had installed AutoCAD 2014 on multiple times, but every time I tried to fire it up I would get this "Display driver file is missing or corrupted" error. Then AutoCAD would crash.

I copy pasted drivers and files from a working machine but nothing. Then I thought, "I have been having issues with hardware acceleration".

I added this switch "/nohardware" to the start up icon, and wa-shaw! no worries.

I am looking into which drivers, video cards, and yadda, yadda, but at least now we can fire up this machine and draft things.

Back to business people.

What are you Hiding?

Every users hits a point when AutoCAD displays a dialog box alerting you to something and you see the check box that says something to the effect of "Don't ask me again" and that box gets checked.

Many people have enjoyed the not being bugged afterward, but occasionally there is regret.

Here is how to erase that regret.

Go to the Systems tab of the Options dialog, and click the "Hidden Messages Settings" button.

This will open the expected dialog revealing everything you have chosen to hide. More importantly, you can choose to see the regretted dialog boxes of your choice, by checking the boxes next to them.

Spell Checky Thingy

Two things;

1) When writing out the title to this article I noticed that "Thingy" is some how a word, and "Checky" is not.

B) When you are typing, that's a good time to notice that words are misspelled. AutoCAD has been providing this feedback for a while in the form of a red squiggly line under misspelled words.

Some how, this function can get turned off, and no matter how appropriate soooo Aweesome! is, it would be nice to know that it is not proper English.

Right click in the text editor and select "Editor Settings" to put a check mark by "Check Spelling". Or turn it off and be the free spirit you deserve to be.

Keep Your Profile in the Cloud

I'm not going to say this any better than Brian Benton did on the CADalyst site, so go over there and check out this slick way to store your customization in the cloud.

Squeezing the License Pool

Rumor has it the Autodesk is preparing to raise the price of licenses come July 1st. At the same time businesses are doing a little better than years past and everybody wants to do as much work as possible. So how do you squeeze the most value out of the licenses you do have?


Stand Alone vs. Networked

Autodesk licenses can be managed one of two ways. If a license is stand alone, it works where it is installed and that's it. A networked license can be accessed by any number of users one at a time. Licenses can be migrated from stand alone to networked and back (talk to your re-seller). Most all the advice that follows is based on a networked license.

Use Viewers

This is an easy idea that is sometimes hard to put into practice. If you have users that spend most of their time viewing or plotting, encourage them to use a viewer for those activities and not to pull from the license pool. You can download Autodesk DWG Trueview for DWG based products, and use the Revit Viewer found under all programs to access RVT files.

Leverage the Options File

If running networked licenses, the network license manager is a given. What you may not be aware of is that the system manager can create a text document to help control how licenses are used. That file is generally referred to as the options file. Use Notepad to create a a plain txt file then name it with the extension "OPT". Put it in the same folder as the "LIC" file and enjoy the benefits.


Benefit #1
Time out inactive users. Every office has people that automatically open an Autodesk product then promptly does nothing with it all day. The timeout option will reclaim inactive licenses and let others use them. The user of the reclaimed license rarely realizes they lost a license because when they become active in the Autodesk program again, they usually get a license back if one is available. If they a license is not available they will get a dialog telling them they need to save and exit. There is a 5 minute grace period to save and exit, last time I checked. The line below will time out user of the indicated version of Revit after 1200 seconds (20 minutes) of inactivity.


TIMEOUT #####REVSYP_F 1200

Benefit #2
Max out users. If you have some license hogs, limit them to how ever many licenses you want. The line below is holding John Doe to a maximum of 2 licenses.


MAX 2 #####REVSYP_F USER jdoe


Benefit #3
Reserve licenses. Sometimes its best to ensure that certain users always get licenses. Use the reserve option to hold a license for selected users.


RESERVE #####REVSYP_F USER jdoe


Combine options to suit your firm's needs either by individual or by groups. Find out more by checking Autodesk help page.

Autodesk's New Product Support Framework

Autodesk has a new Product Support Framework.  The goal is to provide high value, predictable support services and tailored support services for customers tailored to their individual needs whether they are part of a large enterprise account, small or medium business or single professional.

You can learn more about the program by visiting www.autodesk.com/support, but the key things to be aware of in this new structure include:

New Advanced Support (an enhanced version of the previously-named Autodesk Gold Support offering) provides Autodesk Subscription customers:

Priority access to one-to-one phone support.

• Remote desktop assistance
• On-demand training webcast
• Application programming interface (API) support
• Expedited community forum support

Autodesk Basic Support is included with Autodesk Subscription. It is designed for customers needing a minimal level of product support. It provides unlimited access to a comprehensive knowledge base and moderated community support forums.

Autodesk Per-Incident Support is designed for Autodesk customers wanting access to Autodesk technical phone support on an as-needed basis, for most products in the Autodesk portfolio. Customers are charged a one-time fee for each incident, even if multiple calls are required to resolve the incident. It is available globally, for most products, and can be sold by Autodesk resellers.

More options for Autodesk Resellers

• Resellers now have the option to resell Autodesk support or provide their own support.  
• Product Support Specialization for resellers enables them to escalate cases to Autodesk.

Click on the image below to see a full break down of offerings.

AutoCAD WS is in Your face!

The newest version of AutoCAD WS is out and apparently in your face!

Besides viewing 3D from a smart phone, you can also access built in GPS functionality and plot from mobile by sending DWFs and PDFs to any email address or compatible HP eprinter.


Shut the back door and download the mobile version immediately.

Rename all Files in Folders with Sub-Folders

I recently wanted to update version numbers on a ton of AutoCAD Blocks. I copied the old blocks in their current folder structure to a new location and needed to add a version number to the end of each DWG file. This folder structure treed out like a Mighty Oak and the idea of manually changing every file made me nauseous.


You can go old school and open up a DOS prompt by typing CMD in the search box in the start menu. To change every file in a folder quick by browsing to the folder in question and type out...


REN *.dwg *_V2.dwg


I gues you should some DOS commands like CD to change directories. To find out more, just type HELP in the DOS window. DOS will supply a whole list of helpful commands and what they do. Once you figure that part out, the command above works fine,one folder at a time.


To handle a folder structure like I had you'll need a DOS statement with more horse power. This baby below does the trick. Just go to the top folder in your structure and let her rip! It takes about two seconds to rename hundreds of files.


for /f "tokens=* delims= " %a in ('dir /b /ad /s') do rename "%a\*.dwg" "*_V2.dwg"


If you are a copy/paste type of person, you might be annoyed to find the DOS command prompt doesn't seem to want to copy or paste. Click the little icon at the left of the title bar, then click Edit, then Paste. To copy, do the same except pick Mark then highlight want you want to copy out of the DOS editor.

What do you know, that old school DOS really is good for something.

AU 2011 Classes Now Available Online

If you went in person or just virtually, you can now virtually relive the event or check out the classes you missed.

• AU Virtual classes are available to all AU members.
• AU 2011 Las Vegas attendees, Autodesk Subscription customers, and Autodesk employees with an Autodesk email address can access all class recordings and class materials from AU 2011 Las Vegas.
• AU members who did not attend AU 2011 Las Vegas can access class handouts, datasets, and other class documents, but not class recordings.
• Class recordings and class materials from AU 2009 and 2010 are available to all AU members

If you meet the requirements... go check it out.

AutoCAD Bible 2012

Ellen Finkelstein writes a little book called the AutoCAD Bible and AutoCAD LT 2012 Bible. 

She also has a AutoCAD Tips Blog, writes on using Power Point effectively, gives presentation training and consulting along with speaking. When she is not doing anything else she chairs Over-Achievers Anonymous when most people giving into sleep.


All that aside, my favorite resource for everything AutoCAD has been and continues to be the AutoCAD Bible. When I say that, I think that the facts back me up. Case in point....


A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting with Ellen, Lynn Allen and other Bloggers at an AutoCAD launch event. When we all introduced ourselves, Ellen said "My name is Ellen Finkelstein and I write the AutoCAD Bible." Lynn introduced herself this way. "Hi, my name is Lynn Allen. I have written 5 books on AutoCAD, and if you stacked them all up, they wouldn't be as thick as Ellen's!"


Go to Amazon right now and buy a copy for yourself, and one for a friend.

Heidi Hewett Hosts Facecast About Parametrics

Just another heads up about the next AutoCAD Facecast.  The team hopes to get to a point where we have at least one per week! 

Heidi Hewett Hosts Facecast About Parametrics

Wednesday, July 6 · 10:00am - 11:00am (Pacific)

The Facecast Tab http://autode.sk/kX9khB

AutoCAD Technical Marketing Manager, Heidi Hewett will review parametrics and take questions for our fans.

If you're unable to make it, the recorded version will be posted on Facebook shortly after.

A Lazy Drafter Business School

Yeah, I'm Lazy and I am also cheap. Like a lot of people, I believe the more education you have, the better off you are. I was doing some research on MBA programs, and found that Wikiversity to be quite helpful.


I posted on MIT giving away online courseware back in 2006, but upon revisiting their site I found some great business courses that are sure to benefit a Lazy Drafter or CAD Manager looking to up their game. Check out MIT Sloan Business School courses here. Self learning over the internet can be hard. It takes discipline and a sustained effort. But, I guess if you found this post, maybe you have what it takes to succeed online.