Heidi Hewett's Blog

Good Question: Action Macros and VBA

Today’s good questions come from Paul. He is interested in combining the power of VBA with the ease of Action Macros in AutoCAD 2009.

Q: Do you know of any way to convert an Action Macro into VBA format?
A: No. The ACTM is a binary/undocumented format.

Q: Alternatively, is there a line I could insert in my VBA project to call the ACTION?
A: Each Action Recorder Macro is a standalone AutoCAD command. So you can pass the name of the macro to the "SendCommand" automation API in your VBA routine to call it.

Thanks to Paul for the good questions and to Ravi (and the AutoCAD development team) for the answers!

AutoCAD 2009... Free Webcast!

It isn't too late to register for tomorrow's FREE AutoCAD 2009 Tips & Tricks Webcast!

AutoCAD 2009 Tips & Tricks

Date & Time: Thursday, May 8, 2008 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. PDT
Join this informative session for an insider's look at AutoCAD® Tips & Tricks. AutoCAD Technical Product Manager, Heidi Hewett, will help you hone your AutoCAD skills and show you how the latest release of AutoCAD can make you more productive than ever! You're sure to learn some powerful techniques to shorten your design time.

Help select classes for Autodesk University 2008

You can influence which classes are taught at Autodesk University! Here's more info from the AU organizers:

We're doing something new this year—we would like you to help us select the best 500-plus sessions.
We have uploaded all of the sessions (that were submitted by the deadline) to AU 2008 Session site and we need your input. Topics are organized under 19 tracks, which are either an industry or a product.  If you are considering attending AU, please take a few minutes to vote for sessions that you absolutely want to see.

Over the next few weeks, we will review all those submissions and whittle them down to the number we can actually physically accommodate in the Venetian Conference Center in Las Vegas.
Registration for AU will start on August 15th, and one week earlier for AU members.  Class schedules will be available for review by August 1st.

Thank you in advance for helping us select the most interesting classes. The deadline for voting is Saturday, May 3, 2008.

Scenes from Hong Kong

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of presenting AutoCAD 2009 in Hong Kong during an AutoCAD and 3ds Max 2009 launch party. The Autodesk customers, partners, and staff were knowledgeable and enthusiastic!

I didn’t get to see much of Hong Kong and hope to make it back another time. For now, after flying 22,409 miles in 14 days (but who’s counting?), I’m happy to have my feet on the ground!

Scale List Clean-up

The Scale List Clean-up utility has been updated from the one I posted last week. If you downloaded it from that location prior to this morning, please replace it with the current version.

AutoCAD 2009 Webcast... Coming soon!

Join me on May 8th for a tour of AutoCAD 2009. Learn about the new and enhanced functionality that enables you to increase productivity and maximize your investment in AutoCAD software.

Register online for this free Webcast!

Scenes from Manila

On Monday and Tuesday I had the opportunity to participate in AutoCAD 2009 training for Autodesk partners in Manila. It was an interactive class in which I learned as much about the local environment at the attendees did about AutoCAD.

I found one of the most unique and interesting characteristics of Manila to be the popular form of public transportation called jeepneys. They originated as US military jeeps left in the Philippines after World War II. Locals modified them to hold more passengers and they’ve continued to fix and replace parts throughout the decades. Jeepneys are an affordable mode of transportation for locals at a fare of about 15 cents (US) and they're everywhere! They are brightly colored, artistically expressive, and no two are alike.

 

Good Question: Scale List Cleanup Utility

We’ve received many inquiries regarding a problem that was introduced in AutoCAD 2008, which causes excess scales in the drawing scale list. The problem was fixed in the AutoCAD 2008 service pack, but it did not fix drawings that were previously affected. Fortunately, the AutoCAD development team has released a utility to help you clean up the affected drawings.

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Description of Problem
When a file contains excess scales, performance may be negatively affected. Eventually, the file may become unusable. To use the file, some scales must be removed. This utility repairs affected files by removing excess scales.

NOTE: Nested external references (xrefs) may produce excess scales. To correct this problem, install AutoCAD 2008 Service Pack 1 or corresponding service packs for AutoCAD-based products. The Scale List Cleanup Utility repairs files affected before the necessary service pack was installed.

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Affected Products
AutoCAD® 2008-based products, including DWG TrueView™ 2008
AutoCAD 2009-based products, including DWG TrueView 2009

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Installation Instructions
To install the Scale List Cleanup Utility
You must have administrative privileges on your Microsoft® Windows® operating system to complete installation.

1. Based on your operating system (32-bit or 64-bit), download the appropriate self-extracting executable file.

2. Select a folder.

3. Extract files to the selected folder.

4. Navigate to the folder and copy CleanupScales.exe, CleanupScalesRes.dll, and CleanupScales.html to the installation directory of your AutoCAD-based product.

NOTE: To run this utility you must launch CleanupScales.exe from the installation directory of your AutoCAD-based product.

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Repair Affected Files
To repair affected files

1. Close all affected files. Open affected files will not be repaired.

2. Launch the Scale List Cleanup Utility from the installation folder of your AutoCAD-based product.

3. Under Files to Clean, select affected files.

4. If desired, select Maintain Visual Fidelity for Annotative Objects.

   NOTE: This option allows you to maintain visual fidelity for annotative objects when they are viewed in AutoCAD 2007 or earlier releases and corresponds to the SAVEFIDELITY system variable. Annotative objects may have multiple scale representations. When you select this option, annotative objects are decomposed and scale representations are saved (in an anonymous block) to separate layers, which are named based on their original layer and appended with a number.

5. Under New Scale List, in the drop-down list, select a scale list template.

   NOTE: Each scale list template contains a different scale list. When you run this utility, unused scales are deleted from files and the scale list from the selected template is applied.

6. If desired, change the scale list threshold.

   NOTE: The scale list threshold determines the minimum number of scales a file must contain in order to be repaired. The default scale list threshold is 50. Files that contain fewer scales than the scale list threshold will not be repaired. To change the scale list threshold, on the New scale list panel, enter a number in the Scale List Threshold field.

7. Click OK. Repaired files are saved in the same format last saved in.

Scenes from Australia

This week has been a whirlwind as we traveled from Sydney to Brisbane, back to Sydney and finally to Melbourne presenting AutoCAD 2009 tips and tricks. Four cities (if you count Sydney twice) in four days! At last I get to stay four nights in the same Melbourne hotel room!

We've had a fantastic audience in every city… and so tolerant of my American accent! While the main focus of the presentation was AutoCAD 2009, we also covered functionality from previous releases. I discovered that, like in the US, many people aren’t using AutoCAD to its full potential. AutoCAD has so many tools to make you more productive, but if you don't learn how to use them or don't even know they exist, you're not maximizing your investment in the software.

I’ve posted our presentation as requested by some of the attendees. If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend one of these sessions, the presentation alone may be tough to follow. I’ll try to elaborate on each of the slides in future posts. In the meantime you might want to refer to some of the documents, webcasts, and demo videos listed in the left column of my blog.

There wasn’t much time for sight-seeing but Robert (my co-presenter) and I managed to sneak a peek at the Sydney Opera house. It was a bit windy, but worth the trip!

Oh yeah... I also ate my first vegemite sandwich. Actually, I ate one bite of my first vegemite sandwich.  I think I’ll stick with peanut butter and Nutella for now!

AU 2008: Last call for great presenters

Time is running out to submit course proposals for Autodesk University 2008!

If you’re considering joining our outstanding slate of speakers at Autodesk University 2008, you’ll have to act by April 27, 2008.

Please submit your presentation proposal(s) online, as soon as possible, at the Call for Papers website.

Whenever we stop to analyze why Autodesk University has become so hugely successful, one thing is clear: the excellent presentations from experts  are a big, big factor.

The time for us to assemble the AU 2008 faculty, who are without a doubt the most critical component of the overall AU experience, is nearly over. So if you:

• Have the communication skills, technical expertise, and relevant experience….
• Want to share your knowledge of a favorite topic—from tips and tricks and sales techniques to new business opportunities such as sustainable design….
• Are motivated to bring success to design professionals and their organizations….
• Want to demonstrate your expertise to several thousand Autodesk customers, partners, and employees, thereby promoting your business success….

… Then we want to hear from you—now!

A speaker honorarium is also provided.