19.2.07

What software will make PDF’s in AutoCAD R14?

A client asked us this question last week. As, proponents of interoperability, we keep reiterating, many AutoCAD users are still on R14.

We recommended PDF4Free because it is a neat little app which installs quickly and only lets you know it is around by the promotional watermark on the PDF’s it creates.

http://www.pdfpdf.com/pdf4free.html

A friend of ours, currently running R2007 swears by CutePDF (professional), despite the fact that AutoCAD 2007 now has the capability to create PDF files. We decided to give the free version a try.

Our McAfee red flagged their site, CutePDF.com,as potential trouble, so we downloaded it from
http://www.download.com/3000-6675-10206470.html.

Smooth sailing, until; upon running the app for the first time, we were prompted to download a mandatory PS2PDF converter. The link took us back to the red flagged CutePDF.com. We decided to proceed anyway and did not encounter any noticable problems.

We found that the free version of CutePDF provides more options than PDF4Free sans any watermark. The only advertising we can find (to date) is unobtrusive promotional copy urging us to upgrade to the complete version of the application in the Saveas Dialog box. PDF's can be created for full size plot sheets even if you do not have a plotter.

Both applications will work with AutoCAD R14.

3.2.07

If you are an Engineer...You Won't Get This...

Do You Have .... The Knack?

http://www.clearlogicgroup.com/TechRX/TheKnack.mpg

Get Temperamental AutoCAD Drawings to Behave!

An effective way to clean garbage out of a misbehaving AutoCAD drawing is to WBLOCK it to itself.

Command line instructions:

Command: -wblock
Select the drawing you are currently working on from the “Create Drawing File” dialog box.

Caution: Be certain you are selecting the same drawing that you are in. When bleary eyed we have on occasion overwritten the wrong drawing.

AutoCAD will confirm that the drawing exists and ask if you want to replace it. Pick “Yes”.

Type * to select the (whole drawing) option. Hit Enter.

Quit. Do not Save, when prompted to Save.

If you open your drawing and it is still acting up, perform the entire procedure again.
Sometimes you have to do this more than once to get the desired results.

Warning: Even, if you have your File Save Option set to "SaveAs AutoCAD 2000", this command will WBLOCK your drawing out to the current release you are working in.
Open the drawing and save it again to Save Down. If you are sending drawing files out, the Etransmit command will Save Down automatically for you.