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Autodesk Product Support March 17, 1993 AutoCAD(R) Release 12 for Windows -- Answers to Frequent Questions Windows-Specific Questions 1) What are the system recommendations for AutoCAD Release 12 for Windows? An 80386- or 80486-based computer; a hardware math co-processor is required. MS-DOS 3.31 or higher; MS-DOS 5.0 recommended Microsoft Windows 3.1 in 386-enhanced mode 8 MB RAM recommended An additional 4.5 MB RAM needed for each additional active AutoCAD session. A permanent swap file 4 times larger than physical RAM is recommended. Windows pointing device At least 8 MB free disk space for minimal installation 33 MB free disk space for a full installation 2) Why do imported metafiles display as outlines (non-filled images)? By default, AutoCAD imports Windows metafiles (WMF) as AutoCAD blocks containing polyline entities. To bring in filled images, change the menu selection in the "WMF In Options" dialogue box located under "Import/Export" in the "File" pull- down menu, or issue the WMFOPTS command. 3) Why does AutoCAD ignore my first command when I start the program? AutoCAD ignores all commands and menu picks issued before the AutoCAD menu is loaded. Wait until the "Command:" prompt appears on the command line before typing or picking commands. 4) How do I set the size and shape of the AutoCAD toolbox? The toolbox size and shape can be changed by clicking the right mouse button while positioned over any of the toolbox buttons. In the group labelled "Toolbox width," the width can be set for floating and stationary toolboxes. To save your changes permanently, make sure the "Save in ACAD.INI" option is selected. 5) After customizing the buttons in the toolbox, the following error occurs when clicking on an icon button: "Unknown command. Type ? for list of commands." The command string associated with that button is not a valid AutoCAD command. To correct this problem, enter the "Toolbox Customization" dialogue box by clicking on the right mouse button and selecting the icon in question. Correct the command string displayed at the bottom of the dialogue in the edit box. Note: This also applies to toolbar menus. 6) How do I add or modify the icons for the toolbar, toolbox, or menus? The bitmap images in the toolbar, toolbox, and menus can be changed with a resource editor like Borland's Resource Editor, Whitewater's Resource Toolkit, or by using either Borland C/C++ or Microsoft C/C++ along with the batch files and instructions contained in the file BITMAP.ZIP, available on CompuServe and the Autodesk Global Village BBS. Note: The bitmaps in AutoCAD menus can not be modified with a standard icon image editor. 7) Why does AutoCAD start without configuration files when opening a linked or embedded drawing? If AutoCAD's configuration file is in a directory other than AutoCAD's main directory, then the DOS environment variable ACADCFGW must be set before entering Windows. (AutoCAD ignores the /C, /D, /M, and /S command line variables when started from OLE). 8) Why does Windows sometimes start a new AutoCAD session and other times open the file in an existing session when I click to edit an embedded or linked drawing in another application? Embedded and linked files are edited only in a primary session of AutoCAD. If you start two AutoCAD sessions and close the first, OLE then needs to start a new primary session to edit the drawing. If the primary session of AutoCAD is still running, OLE will open the file in that AutoCAD session (essentially issuing an OPEN command, giving you the chance to save your work before loading the OLE drawing). 9) How do I make AutoCAD open a new session each time I double- click on a drawing file in the File Manager instead of opening each drawing in the original drawing session? To allow AutoCAD to start a new session for each drawing file, issue the following steps: a) From the Program Manager load the Registration Information Editor: File/Run REGEDIT.EXE. b) Double-click on the words "AutoCAD Drawing". c) Unselect the "Uses DDE" checkbox. d) Add a "%1" to the end of the "Command:" edit box. Example: C:\ACADWIN\ACAD.EXE %1 e) Click on OK. f) Exit the Registration Information Editor. 10) Why do I get the message that "Windows Help for AutoCAD is not available"? AutoCAD is unable to locate the help file, ACADWIN.HLP. To specify the help file location, open the "Preferences" dialogue box, click on the "Environment" button, and edit the path for the help file. The help file is placed (by default) in the C:\ACAD- WIN\SUPPORT directory during installation. 11) Why does Norton Desktop for Windows give the following message when files are dragged and dropped onto an AutoCAD session? "No association exists for file." Norton Desktop for Windows does not support drag-and-drop for AutoCAD. You must use the Windows File Manager. Creating associations in Norton Desktop or File Manager will have no effect on the drag-and-drop capabilities of Norton's drive windows. 12) Why do AutoCAD's README files have strange characters in them? The README files which ship with AutoCAD for Windows are in Windows Write format. Use Windows WRITE.EXE to view them. 13) How do I toggle back and forth between the text and graphics window? Use the F2 function key. The F1 function key follows Windows key shortcut standards and displays Help. 14) How do I control the base point of entities copied using the "Copy Vectors" command in the "Edit" pull-down menu? AutoCAD uses the origin of the drawing as the base point for entities copied with the "Copy Vector" command. Use the BASE command to change the base point of your drawing. 15) Why is the "Copy Link" command sometimes grayed-out on the "Edit" pull-down menu? AutoCAD requires that the drawing must have a name before it can be linked to another application. The "Copy Link" command will appear normally as soon as the drawing is saved. Configuration 1) How do I specify environment variables for AutoCAD for Windows? AutoCAD for Windows accepts environment variables from either the DOS SET statement, a command-line switch associated with the AutoCAD icon, or by values in the Preferences/Environment dialogue box. The Installation and Performance Guide has a complete explanation of AutoCAD's environment variables. 2) Why does launching AutoCAD by double-clicking on a drawing file in the File Manager cause AutoCAD to load but give the following error and force a reconfiguration? "Error loading dialogue control file." AutoCAD is being started without its environment switches. Use the Windows Registration Information Editor to add the "/C" configuration command line switch to AutoCAD's command line. a) From the Program Manager load the Registration Information Editor: File/Run REGEDIT.EXE b) Double-click on the words "AutoCAD Drawing". d) Add the /C switch to the command line just after ACAD.EXE. Example: C:\ACADWIN\ACAD.EXE /C C:\ACADWIN\ALTCONF d) Click on OK. e) Exit the Registration Information Editor. Note: If the above error message is encountered when starting AutoCAD by double-clicking on the AutoCAD icon, see question #3 (next) for more information about how AutoCAD searches for its configuration files. 3) Why doesn't AutoCAD find my support files in the correct directory? Since there are many ways to specify support paths for AutoCAD, there is a search path precedence. The highest priority for finding files is given to the command line switches (/C, /D, /M, or /S) appropriately. If none of these switches has been set, AutoCAD looks to the settings in the ACAD.INI file. If there are no settings for these variables there, AutoCAD looks for the DOS environment variable ACADCFGW. If none of these has been set, then AutoCAD looks only in the ACAD directory. 4) How can I specify different configurations for each concurrent session of AutoCAD? Create multiple copies of the AutoCAD icon and modify the configuration switches associated with each icon: a) Create a directory for AutoCAD's alternate configuration files. b) Copy the files ACAD.INI and ACAD.CFG into the alternate configuration directory. c) Press the Control key and drag the AutoCAD icon to copy it. d) Click once on the new AutoCAD icon. e) Press Alt-Enter to start the Program Item Properties dialogue. f) Add the /C switch to the command line just after ACAD.EXE. Example: C:\ACADWIN\ACAD.EXE /C C:\ACADWIN\ALTCONF g) Click on OK. Note: Each AutoCAD configuration requires a separate copy of the configuration files ACAD.CFG and ACAD.INI. 5) How do I start AutoCAD's freeplot option? Freeplot is issued by adding the -P switch to the AutoCAD command line. a) Click one time on the AutoCAD icon to highlight it. b) Press Alt-Enter to start Program Item Properties dialogue. c) Add the -P switch to the command line switch just after ACAD.EXE. Example: C:\ACADWIN\ACAD.EXE -P d) Click on OK. 6) How do I reconfigure AutoCAD before it loads? Reconfigure AutoCAD by adding the -R switch to the AutoCAD command line. a) Click one time on the AutoCAD icon to highlight it. b) Press Alt-Enter to start Program Item Properties dialogue. c) Add the -R switch to the command line switch just after ACAD.EXE. Example: C:\ACADWIN\ACAD.EXE -R d) Click on OK. 7) What can be done to make AutoCAD faster? Creating a large permanent swap file will help significantly. 8) How do I create a permanent swap file? Since Windows requires that permanent swap files must be created in contiguous space on the disk, it may be necessary to optimize the disk with a program like Speed Disk by Norton Utilities before a large swap file can be created. a) Choose the Control Panel from the Program Manager. b) Choose the 386 Enhanced icon. c) Select the Virtual Memory button. d) Select the Change button. e) Change the "Type:" selection to "Permanent". f) Confirm that the "New Size" selection is the desirable size. (If possible, create a swap size four times larger than physical RAM memory.) g) Click on OK. Note: These same steps -- except step e) -- can also be used to increase the size of the permanent swap file. Consult the Microsoft User's Guide for more information about swap files. 9) Will AutoCAD Release 12 for Windows run under OS/2 2.0? No. AutoCAD for Windows will run in OS/2 2.1; however, it has not been exhaustively tested and is not supported in that environment. 10) Will the drivers used in either AutoCAD 386 Release 12 or AutoCAD Extension for Windows work with Release 12 for Windows? No. AutoCAD Release 12 for Windows requires drivers written especially for it. Older ADI drivers or drivers built for AutoCAD 386 Release 12 will not work. Display 1) How can I get my Aerial view window back after I close it? The Aerial view can be started by either clicking on the compass icon on the toolbar, or by issuing the command DSVIEWER. 2) Where is AutoCAD's screen menu which is normally visible on the right side of the display? AutoCAD ships with the screen menu turned off. To turn it on, click on the Screen Menu box in the AutoCAD Preferences dialogue which can be accessed by either clicking on "Preferences" under the "File" menu, or by typing the command PREFERENCES. 3) Why is the Scroll Bar option in the Preferences dialogue grayed-out? Scroll bars are only supported when using the regular, non- accelerated display driver in non-perspective modelspace viewports. Paperspace and perspective views do not offer scroll bar support. When using the accelerated display driver, the Aerial view tool provides quick panning and zooming functions. 4) Why does the Aerial view sometimes not zoom to the extents of the drawing? The Aerial view window displays only the region contained in the display list. It will not zoom in or out farther than the display list because this would cause a drawing regeneration. To recalculate the extents of the drawing and allow Aerial view to frame the entire drawing, issue a ZOOM EXTENTS command in the drawing editor. 5) When zooming and panning in the Aerial view, how do you update the graphics screen to match the view in the Aerial view? Double-click on the word ZOOM in the Aerial view to make the AutoCAD display match it. 6) Why does selecting the Aerial view button in the toolbar return the message: "DSVIEWER Unknown command. Type ? for list of commands"? The Aerial view window is only available when AutoCAD is using the accelerated display driver. To use the accelerated display driver, reconfigure AutoCAD's display using the CONFIG command or select "Configure" from the "File" pull-down menu. The DSVIEWER command will bring up the Aerial view window when the display-list driver is configured, and when the current view is non-perspective in modelspace. Networking 1) Will AutoCAD Release 12 for Windows work with Windows for Workgroups? Yes, although it has not been exhaustively tested, and is not supported in this environment. 2) Why does AutoCAD create files with .AC$ extensions even when the AutoCAD Page Directory variable ACADPAGEDIR in the Environment dialogue box is set to the local drive? The ACADPAGEDIR variable only redirects AutoCAD's page files. To redirect AutoCAD's temporary files -- those files with .AC$ extensions -- you must change the "Placement of Temporary Files" option in AutoCAD's configuration menu. This option is located under "Configure Operating Parameters" on the Configuration menu. Digitizers 1) What is a mole mode area? A mole mode area is a portion of the digitizer where the digitizer puck acts like a system pointing device or mouse. 2) What is the difference between a mole mode area and a toggle area? When the puck is moved into a mole mode area, only that portion of the tablet acts like the system pointing device. When the puck is moved into a toggle area, the entire tablet switches between being either a system pointer or an AutoCAD pointer. 3) What is the difference between a primary and secondary mole mode area? Primary and secondary mole mode areas allow you to have two different resolutions for a system pointing device. 4) What is the difference between primary and secondary toggle areas? The primary toggle area switches between AutoCAD pointer mode and system pointer mode. The secondary toggle switches between the primary and secondary mole mode areas. 5) How can I use my digitizer as my main system pointer in Windows and as a digitizer in AutoCAD? If you have your digitizer configured as your main system pointing device in Windows, you must select the "System Pointing Device" in AutoCAD and it will effectively operate as a mouse (in relative mode). If you wish to use the digitizer as your Windows pointing device and as a tablet in AutoCAD (in absolute mode), you must instead use a WINTAB driver for Windows. A WINTAB driver must be installed as your system pointing device in Windows before starting AutoCAD, and is available through your digitizer vendor. Mole mode drivers in AutoCAD can only be used if you have a separate mouse installed as your system pointing device in Windows. Plotting / Printing 1) Why is the AutoCAD system printer in the Plot dialogue different from the system printer configured in Windows? During configuration, AutoCAD stores the current Windows system printer information. To update AutoCAD's system printer and make it match Windows' system printer, reconfigure AutoCAD's plotters, modify the system printer entry, and reselect the system printer. An alternate method is to select another printer in the "Change Device Requirements" dialogue box in AutoCAD's Plot Configuration dialogue. This allows you to choose from those printers which have been configured in the Windows Control Panel. 2) How does plot spooling work with AutoCAD for Windows? If you are using a Windows system printer, all plot spooling must be done by the Windows Print Manager. If you are using an AutoCAD plotter driver other than the system printer, plot spooling must be done with AutoCAD's AUTOSPOOL mechanism. For complete information on setting up AUTOSPOOL, see the section "Step-by-Step Setup for Plot Spooling" in the AutoCAD Installation and Performance Guide. 3) How do I change between different printers using AUTOSPOOL? You can toggle which plotter AUTOSPOOL sends the plot file to by changing the Plotting variable in the Environment dialogue. a) Specify a plot spooling directory using option 4 under "Configure Operating Parameters" in the configuration menu. b) Enter the default plot file name of AUTOSPOOL in option 3 of the Operating Parameters menu. c) Create different spooling batch files for each device. For example, if you have a network with a Hewlett-Packard plotter connected to the LPT2 port and a Calcomp plotter connected to the LPT3 port, then your spool files would look like this: HPSPOOL.BAT @echo off copy /b %1 lpt2: > NUL del %1 > NUL CALCOMP.BAT @echo off copy /b %1 lpt3: > NUL del %1 > NUL d) To spool files to the HP plotter, change the Plotting variable in the Environment dialogue box to: C:\SPFILES\HPSPOOL.BAT %s e) To spool files to the Calcomp plotter, change the Plotting variable in the Environment dialogue box to: C:\SPFILES\CALCOMP.BAT %s 4) Every time I select a different system printer, I get a dialogue box asking me to configure for either pure colors or dithered colors. What is the difference? For most printers, the pure colors choice is correct because many of them do not support dithering. If your device supports dithering or you are using a color printer, you should choose the dithered option. If you are using dithered colors and you notice that your lines appear dashed, switch to pure color. An easy way to tell which is best for your specific printer is to print the file CHROMA.DWG using each option, and compare the results. 5) Why can't I see HPGL plot files when importing them into other Windows applications? If you want to import an HPGL file into Windows applications, configure AutoCAD for an HP model 7220 plotter. AutoLISP / AutoCAD Development System (ADS) 1) Will Release 12 DOS version ADS programs work with R12 for Windows? No. You must have a Windows-specific ADS version for R12 for Windows. This means that you will either have to recompile your ADS programs using Windows libraries, or consult your program vendor for an update to run with R12 for Windows. 2) Will my AutoLisp routines created for Release 12 DOS work with R12 for Windows? Yes. All AutoLISP routines should work with R12 for Windows. 3) Is there a limit to the number of ADS applications that can be loaded? There is no limit on the number of protected-mode (32-bit) ADS programs that can be run with AutoCAD (assuming you have enough memory). There is a limit of only one real-mode (16-bit) ADS program that can be run on a single machine. AutoCAD Visualization Extension (AVE) Render 1) What is the MDI window and when should I use it? The Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window, a new feature in Release 12 for Windows, allows you to create multiple renderings and view them simultaneously. The MDI window can be configured as either your rendering display or rendering hardcopy or as both. Rendering to the MDI window allows you to: copy your rendering to the clipboard and paste it in other documents, save it as a separate file, or print it across multiple sheets of paper. Consult the Using AutoCAD for Windows manual for more details. 2) How do I get renderings from the MDI window into my drawing? Images rendered using AVE's full render and no smooth options can be imported into AutoCAD by copying the image to the clipboard and pasting it into the drawing. These images can also be saved as metafiles (WMF), and later imported using the WMFIN command. 3) How do I change printer settings from the MDI window? The choice of printers for the MDI window is limited to those printers available through the Windows Control Panel. To change the current printer or the page setup, you must make the changes in the Windows Control Panel (Printers option) prior to printing from the MDI window. AutoCAD SQL Extension (ASE) 1) How do I set the environment variables for DBMS drivers? You need to set the appropriate environment variables in DOS prior to entering Windows. It is a good idea to add the "set" statements to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 2) What is an ODBC driver and how do I get one? The Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface lets applications like AutoCAD access data in a Database Management System (DBMS) using Structured Query Language (SQL). ODBC drivers are available from your database manufacturer. To use an ODBC driver: a) Load the driver according to the manufacturer's instructions. b) Use the ASESETDBMS command to select ODBC. c) Enter the logical database name. d) Reference the ODBC documentation for more specific information about the driver. Note: See chapter 5 of the Installation and Performance Guide for a complete explanation of ODBC drivers. 3) How do I get ASE to work with Paradox for Windows? To use ASE with Paradox for Windows, you need to run Paradox in version 3.5 compatibility mode. 4) Will AutoCAD 386 Release 12 drawings with ASE links work in R12 for Windows? Yes, AutoCAD Release 12 for Windows supports ASE drawings created in AutoCAD 386 Release 12. 5) Why can I only run one session of ASE? AutoCAD for Windows can only run one 16-bit ADS application at a time. ASE is a 16-bit ADS application. Advanced Modeling Extension (AME) 1) Do I need a new version of AME to work with R12 for Windows? Yes. You will need the Windows-specific version of AME 2.1 to work with Release 12 for Windows. There is no additional upgrade cost for current AME 2.1 customers. 2) Can I copy AME models using the Copy Vectors and Paste commands? No. AME models must be exported and imported using the WBLKSOL and INSRTSOL commands in the WBLKSOL.LSP bonus routine. See the Advanced Modeling Extension Release 2.1 Reference Manual for more information on this bonus routine. Autodesk Trademarks AutoCAD and AutoLISP are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Autodesk, Inc. ACAD, Advanced Modeling Extension, AME, AutoCAD SQL Extension, ASE, AutoCAD Development System, and ADS are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. Third-Party Trademarks All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. PSR 008 Rev. 1.0 March 17, 1993