When Things Go Wrong

AutoCAD is a complex program, and at times AutoCAD doesn't behave in a way you expect. If you run into problems, chances are they won't be insurmountable. Here are a few tips on what to do when AutoCAD doesn't work the way you expect.

Starting Up or Opening a File

The most common reason you'll have difficulty opening a file is a lack of free disk space. If you encounter errors attempting to open files, check whether you have adequate free disk space on all your drives .

If you've recently installed AutoCAD but you cannot get it started, you might have a configuration problem. Before you panic, try reinstalling AutoCAD from scratch. Particularly if you are installing the CD version, this does not take long (see Appendix A for installation instructions). Before you reinstall AutoCAD, use the Uninstall program to remove the current version of Auto- CAD. After you've uninstalled AutoCAD, delete the AutoCAD 2005 folder from the Program Files

folder and also delete the AutoCAD 2005 folders under the following two locations:

C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Application Data\Autodesk C:\Documents and Settings\UserName\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk

Make sure you have your authorization code, serial number, and CD-Key handy. Make sure that you've closed all other programs when you run the AutoCAD installation. As a final measure, restart your computer when you've completed the installation.

Restoring Corrupted Files

Hardware failures can result in data files becoming corrupted. When this happens, AutoCAD is unable to open the drawing file. Fortunately, there is hope for damaged files. In most cases, AutoCAD will run through a file-recovery routine automatically when it attempts to load a corrupted file.

If you have a file you know is corrupted, you can start the file-recovery utility by choosing File   Drawing Utilities   Recover. This opens the Select File dialog box, enabling you to select the file you want to recover. After you enter the name , AutoCAD goes to work. You'll see a series of messages, most of which have little meaning to the average user . Then the recovered file is opened. You might lose some data, but a partial file is better than no file at all, especially when the file represents several days of work.

Another possibility is to attempt to recover your drawing from the BAK file ”the last saved version before your drawing was corrupted. Rename the drawing BAK file to a DWG file with a different name, and then open it. The drawing will contain only what was in your drawing when it was previously saved.

If you want to restore a file that you've just been working on, you can check the file named Auto.sv$ . This is the file AutoCAD uses to store your drawing during automatic saves. Change the .sv$ filename extension to .dwg, and then open the file.

There might be situations when a file is so badly corrupted it cannot be restored. By backing up frequently, you can minimize the inconvenience of such an occurrence. You might also want to consider a third-party utility that performs regular disk maintenance.

Troubleshooting Other Common Problems

AutoCAD is a large, complex program, so you are bound to encounter some difficulties from time to time. This section covers a few of the more common problems experienced while using AutoCAD.

You can see but cannot select objects in a drawing someone else has worked on.     This might be happening because you have a Paper Space view instead of a Model Space view. To make sure you're in Model Space, type Tilemode and then type 1 . Or you can turn on the UCS icon (by typing Ucsicon On ). If you see the triangular UCS icon in the lower-left corner, you are in Paper Space. You must go to Model Space before you can edit the drawing. Another item to check is the layer lock setting. If a layer is locked, you won't be able to edit objects on that layer.

Grips do not appear when objects are selected.     Make sure the Grips feature is enabled (choose Tools   Grips). See Appendix A for details.

Selecting objects doesn't work the way it appears in this book.     Check the Selection settings to make sure they are set the same way as the exercise specifies. See Chapter 2 for details. Also check the Selection tab in the Options dialog box (Tools   Options). See Appendix A for more on the Selection tab of the Options dialog box.

Text appears in the wrong font style, or an error message says AutoCAD cannot find font files.     When you are working on files from another company, it's not uncommon that you will encounter a file that uses special third-party fonts that you do not have. You can usually substitute standard AutoCAD fonts for any fonts you don't have without adverse effects. AutoCAD automatically displays a dialog box that lets you select font files for the substitution. You can either choose a font file or press the Esc key to ignore the message. (See Chapter 8 for more on font files.) If you choose to ignore the error message, you might not see some of the text that would normally appear in the drawing.

You can't import DXF files.     Various problems can occur during the DXF import, the most common of which is that you are trying to import a DXF file into an existing drawing rather than a new drawing. Under some conditions, you can import a DXF file into an existing drawing by using the Dxfin command, but AutoCAD might not import the entire file.

To ensure that your entire DXF file is safely imported, choose File   Open and select *.DXF from the File Type drop-down list. Then import your DXF file.

If you know the DXF file you are trying to import is in the ASCII format and not a binary .DXF, take a look at the file with a text editor. If it contains odd-looking lines of characters, chances are the file is damaged or contains extra data that AutoCAD cannot understand. Try deleting the odd-looking lines of characters , and then import the file again. (Make a backup copy of the file before you attempt this.)

A file cannot be saved to disk.     Frequently, a hard disk will fill up quickly during an editing session. AutoCAD can generate temporary and swap files many times larger than the file you are editing. This might leave you with no room to save your file. If this happens, you can empty the Recycle Bin to clear some space on your hard disk or delete old AutoCAD BAK files you don't need. Do not delete temporary AutoCAD files.

The keyboard shortcuts for commands are not working.     If you are working on an unfamiliar computer, chances are the keyboard shortcuts (or command aliases) have been altered . The command aliases are stored in the Acad.pgp file. Use the Windows Find utility to locate this file and make sure that the Acad.pgp file is in the C:\Documents and Settings\ User Name \Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2005\R16.1\enu\Support folder.

Plots come out blank.     Check the scale factor you are using for your plot. Often, a blank plot means your scale factor is making the plot too large to fit on the sheet. Try plotting with the Scale To Fit option. If you get a plot, you know your scale factor is incorrect. See Chapter 7 for more on plotting options. Check your output before you plot by using the Full Preview option in the Plot Configuration dialog box.

You cannot get your drawing properly oriented on the sheet.     If you want to change the orientation of your drawing on a plotted sheet, and the Plot Configuration orientation options don't seem to work, try rotating the UCS to align with your desired plot view and then type Plan . Adjust the view to display what you want to have plotted, and then use the View command (choose View   Named Views) to save this view. When you are ready to plot, use the View option in the Plot Configuration dialog box and plot the saved view, instead of rotating the plot.

Dimensions appear asobjects are lines and text and do not act as described in this book.     The Dimassoc system variable has been set to 0 or was 0 when the dimension was created. Another possibility is that the dimension was reduced to its component objects by using the Explode command. Make sure Dimassoc is on by typing Dimassoc 2 . Unfortunately, an exploded dimension or one that was created with Dimassoc turned off cannot be converted to a true dimension object. You must redraw the dimension.

A file containing an Xref appears to be blank or parts are missing.     AutoCAD cannot find the Xref file. Use the Xref Manager dialog box (choose Insert   Xref Manager) to reestablish a connection with the Xref file. After the Xref Manager dialog box is open, select the missing Xref from the list, and then click the Browse button and locate and select the file by using the Browse dialog box.

As you draw, little marks appear on your screen where you have selected points.     The Blipmode system variable is on. Turn it off by typing Blipmode off .

A file you want to open is read-only, even though you know no one else on the network is using the file.     Every now and then, you might receive a file that you cannot edit because it is read-only. This frequently happens with files that have been archived to a CD. If you have a file that is read-only, try the following:

1. Locate the read-only file with Windows Explorer and right-click its filename.

2. Choose Properties from the shortcut menu to open the Properties palette.

3. Click the General tab.

4. Click the Read-Only check box to remove the check.

Tracking vectors do not appear in the drawing as described in this book.     Make sure that the AutoTrack features are turned on. See the discussion of the Drafting tab in the Options dialog box in Appendix A.

The Hyperlink icon does not appear as described in Chapter 21.     Make sure the Hyperlink options are turned on in the User Preferences tab in the Options dialog box.

When you open new files, the drawing area is not the same as described in this book.     Make sure you're using the correct default unit style for new drawings. In the Create New Drawing dialog box, click the Start From Scratch button and select the appropriate unit style from the Default Settings button group . If you are using feet and inches, select Imperial (feet and inches). If you are using metric measurements, select Metric. AutoCAD will use the Acad.dwt file template for new Imperial measurement drawings and the Acadiso.dwt template for metric measurement drawings. You can also use the Measureinit system variable to set the default unit style.

When you offset polylines, such as rectangles or polygons, the offset object has extra line segments or rounded corners.     Set the Offsetgap system variable to 0. Offsetgap controls the behavior of the line segments of offset polylines. When Offsetgap is set to 0, the individual line segments of a polyline are extended to join end to end. When Offsetgap is set to 1, the line segments remain their original length and are joined with an arc. If Offsetgap is set to 2, the line segments retain their original length and are joined by a straight-line segment.

The Slidelib.exe DOS tool doesn't seem to work.     Slidelib.exe is a DOS application, so it needs all its files and resources in the same folder where it resides; or you can set a DOS path to those resources. Setting a DOS path is a bit too involved to explain here. To simplify things, make sure your slide files and your text file containing the list of slides are in the same folder as Slidelib.exe . If you prefer, you can move Slidelib.exe to the location of your slides and slide list.

Your AutoCAD 14 file contains filled areas that were once transparent, but in AutoCAD 2005 the text and line work are obscured by solid fills.     Earlier versions of AutoCAD let you adjust the Merge Control feature of your plotter, which in turn allowed solid filled areas to appear trans- parent. The Merge Control feature is still available, but it has been moved to the Plotter Configuration Editor. See the section on merge control earlier in this appendix for more information.

Another option is to use the Draworder command to move the solid filled area "behind" other objects in the drawing. See Chapter 11 for more on the Draworder command.

When you click a viewport in a Layout tab, the viewport automatically zooms out to show the entire drawing.     Change the Ucsfollow system variable to 0 (zero).