Imported DWG Files Have Thin Text

There are times when AutoCAD files are required to be added to Revit project files. There two ways to incorporate AutoCAD DWG files into Revit. One is to Insert the DWG and the other is to Link the DWG file. Inserted DWG files remain static and don’t change in Revit when they are updated in AutoCAD. Linked DWG Files update each time the Revit project file is opened or when a reload is forced from with the Revit project.

Inserting is preferable when the DWG file will not need to be updated like a legend, note, existing background, or detail. Inserted DWGs can be placed directly onto a sheet, view, or into a drafting view, depending on its use. 

Linking is preferable when the DWG file will be updated as the project progresses. 

Either way, if your standard text font is Simplex for AutoCAD, when that file gets into Revit it plots too light. My solution is to change the text style in AutoCAD before Importing or linking to Revit.

1.    To maintain the readability of text, use the Style command in the AutoCAD file to be Inserted/Linked and change the Standard text styles font to Zurich Lt BT. 

2.    Navigate to the View or Sheet that requires the Inserted/Linked DWG. (Create a drafting view by selecting the Drafting View tool on the View tab of the ribbon if required.)

3.    Select the Import CAD tool or the Link CAD tool on the Insert tab of the Ribbon.

4.    Browse out to the required DWG. Before clicking the Open button, Select from the drop downs of what Colors, Layers, and Positioning.  

5.    Click Open to place the DWG file in the View/Sheet.

Custom Command Images

When upgrading to 2010 you may notice that some of your custom toolbars or ribbon components have lost the images that used to be attached to them. A long time ago, we used to get a smiley face on toolbars if the image could not be found, and a while back we got clouds with a question mark. Personally, I would like to see an animated emotioncon instead. The user could customize what emotion to show.

Anyway, I was talking about the olden days wasn't I? Oh yeah, back in my day the CUI referenced a BMP image that you could customize outside of the CUI interface. With 2010 the image is magically brought into the CUIx file. This is to make it easier to share CUIs without all the questioning clouds. There is a function to export your images as BMPs to what ever location you like, and you can also import images that should be part of the CUI.

You may have used the MEP snaps toolbar and some others in the past that are not going forward into 2010. The fix is to open your new CUI select the question-cloud, choose edit, then pick Import and get the old BMP image you used in a previous version and apply it. Tedious? yes. Time consuming? Yes. But, if you get it all set once, you can now share that CUI file at will and no one will wonder why the clouds have so many questions.

Disconnect Markers

If you are like me, (and I trust that most of you are not), you don't really rely on disconnect markers in AutoCAD MEP that much. So image my surprise when I noticed the new disconnect markers with no real idea what they were. See the image below with the new markers on the left and the old on the right.

I may be even dumber if indeed these showed up in 2009 which I skipped. If you have not upgraded past 2008, I thought I would mention it, so when you did see the new ones, you will look so very smart and get a big raise.

e0434f4dh Exception at 7c812aebh - Crash AutoCAD MEP

Me: "Knock Knock, You say who's there?"

You: "Uh.. Who's there?"

Me: "Control Freak, You say control freak who?"

Yeah, I can' help myself. I want to lock everything down. You know, for every one's own good, but also because I like it my way. I ran into a bit of a downer with AutoCAD MEP 2010 because of my controlling nature. I placed the enterprise cuix menu on a read only drive. Turns out there is a bug in this version which means if you attempt to do just about anything with a read only enterprise cui the program will just crash with the error shown in the title of the article. Funny thing is, this did not happen to all of my users. However, moving the enterprise back to a read/write location folder did fix all of my problems. I chose to just access the cuix in the docs and settings folder of each user because if they do jack something up, they will only hurt themselves.

I have to go breath in a paper bag for a bit now and learn to let go.

Inside the System... Again

Looks like things are shaking up over at Inside the System blog. I will truly miss Kyle B., but I have to get over it sometime... so welcome Dave Pothier. Dave is promising to cover more than Revit MEP. He has Autodesk's whole MEP team on the case and they will be sharing the inside scoop on AutoCAD MEP as well. Check out his first blog post here.

AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2009 Product Update 1

Autodesk has released AutoCAD Revit MEP Suite 2009 Product Update 1. To download it click here.

This seems to only address issues with AutoCAD and AutoCAD MEP. For a full list of problems addressed (in English) click here.

AutoCAD MEP Clash Reports

Revit products have had the ability to report all interferences in a schedule since they came out, which has made them fundamentally better than looking all over the place to red lines hidden in a busy drawing in ABS/AutoCAD MEP. Well, here's a gem of an undocumented command for AutoCAD MEP. Type "clashreport" on your command line and check this out.

Choose the types of interferences you are looking for by checking the appropriate boxes and click OK. AutoCAD MEP will prompt you for the location of the report in your drawing. When it is added, it will also add numbered triangle to your drawing indicated where the interferences are that correspond to the numbers in the report. Now that's awesome!

Service Pack 1 out for AutoCAD MEP... At Last!

Yeah the headline says it all. Here is where you can down load the service pack, and here's the low down directly from the readme file on what should be all better now. Let's hope we are all smiles tomorrow.

Electrical
· Devices and Panels with an model representation will be detected by Interference Detection if they collide with other MEP objects.
· The system filter for the Circuits property during WireAdd will update correctly.
· The connection a wire with a circuit assigned has with a device will be maintained after using the Publish command.

HVAC
· CER: Changing the connection types on a duct fitting to a flanged connection type no longer causes a fatal error.
· Flanges are now displayed on duct fittings within a model view, when the flange values are specified on the duct fittings.
· Duct fittings endcap snaps to the open end of vertical or sloped duct segments properly.

Piping
· Pipe segments copied from one pipe run to another pipe run will align properly to the new pipe run.
· Using AecConvertto3dSolid command will convert pipe fittings more successfully to 3d Solids.
· Auto-Routing pipe between two pipe connectors with an elbow using custom sizing will add the needed angle to the part to resolve the connection in the current drawing.
· When a single line pipe is being crossed multiple times by another AutoCAD MEP object at a different elevation, the hidden line gap is properly applied to the pipe.

Plumbing
· Plumbing Lines and Plumbing Fittings will continue to obey Annotation Scale after changing the drawing units and cancel the Drawing Setup dialog.

Schematics
· CER: Performing a Fillet or Join on schematic lines with schematic symbols anchored to them no longer causes a fatal error.

System
· Etransmit will no longer enter an infinite loop of prompting to save the drawing.
· CER: Grip editing the location of MEP objects with various setting combinations of Object Snaps, Snap, Ortho, Polar, Dynamic UCS and Dynamic Input settings will no longer cause a fatal error.
· CER: Erasing an inline MvPart will no longer cause a fatal error.
· CER: The adding of automatic properties to a Property Set Definition that is generated automatically when objects are added to the drawing will no longer cause a fatal error.
· Switching to the Extended Data tab in the Properties Palette with AutoCAD objects selected will no longer cause Resource Manager errors.
· CER: Part Catalogs containing the “’” symbol will no longer cause a fatal error during Catalogtest.
· CER: Saving of concurrently open drawing which contain annotative dimensions no longer cause a fatal error within Content Builder.
· CER: Parametric parts which produce an invalid solid will no longer cause a fatal error. Instead the erroneous solid will not be displayed

Convert to 3D Solids is so ABS 2007

First things first, I had this great idea, I wanted to write up a procedure for creating parametric parts in AutoCAD MEP, but I never seem to get around to it. So What do I do? I decided to write a teaser in this Blog, forcing the next thing I write on to be parametric parts. The down side is it didn't work. I still haven't been able to settle down long enough to get it done. But, don't lose heart, I haven't given up yet. It's on my to do list if that means anything.



That being said, here is something completely different.



I had the good fortune to have Chuck Mies and Ed Deal from Autodesk in my office the other day and we were talking about sharing AutoCAD MEP data with a Revit Architecture model. I have always converted my duct and other ABS objects to 3d solids, saved as a SAT file and finally imported them into a giant Revit family for my architects using Revit. Ed had a take on things that I had not tried. Ed suggests individually exporting duct, pipe, cabletray, whatever to IFC, then importing those IFC into your Revit model. My favorite benefits from using Ed's method is that Revit will recognize the individual components for interference detection and at least for me, the file sizes are smaller and the files faster. Give it a shot and comment back your results. I would love to hear how it works for others.

AU 2007

I Know I said I was going to post a parametric how to very next thing, but I wanted to mention that I will be teaching at Autodesk University again this year. If you are coming out to Vegas and you are interested, I will be teaching "A Simple Plan to Implement AutoCAD MEP 2008". I hope meet some of the fine folks that are kind enough to read my ramblings, so don't be afraid to say hi.

See you in Vegas.

Parametric Parts for AMEP

I was just looking at the AUGI wish list for AutoCAD MEP and noticed a real theme that I really agree with. There aren't enough parts and they are the wrong size. Somebody named rb.72855 hit it on the head when they said "What I don't understand is why all of the parts aren't parametric. Registers and grilles and louvers are the ones I see the most need for. Auto desk is all the time telling us how easy it is to create parametric parts. If it is so easy why aren't all of there parts parametric?"

I have to agree. But to help everyone out in the mean time, my next two posts will be on creating parametric parts. One using the super easy Parametric Parts wizard in AMEP 2008 and two using the incredibly un-intuitive parametric part builder. A diffuser is a great part to have parametric, I also need a parametric transformer electrically. If you have a part you would like me to demo, post a comment to this article and I will post that. I will also share the finished product on the AUGI ACA/AMEP Exchange so we can all share in the love.

So get busy with the suggestions, or we'll be looking at something you might not need.