Expert: Bob - 1/20/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hi, Bob,
Re your requests for information about me, etc:-
1. AutoCAD 2010
2. Generally 2D Building Services design work.
3. Tafe (Technical college) - about 20+ years ago, and I consider myself fairly skilled.

My problem is that several drawings seem to have the same problem - When I re-open them at the start of a new editing session, often the dimension text has defaulted to a minuscule size. If I select a dimension using _ddedit on the text, and immediately close the command (without doing anything else), it corrects and remains OK for the rest of the session. Also, if I select a dimension that is OK, using _matchprop, and match all the other incorrect dimensions, they also stay for the session. The drawings are drawn in model space, with multiple tabs for different sheets, with different annotative dimensions used to suit the different viewports, and are regularly purged to minimize file size. The problem occurs whether I create a dimension during a session, or insert a pre-dimensioned block (which I explode to copy to several locations with different spacings between the components of the block). I can't think of anything else that might help you, but I would be pleased to reply if you need more information. A colleague using 2009 also finds the same thing if he opens any of these drawings, so it appears to be an AutoCAD 2010 problem, (or maybe even something that Windows XP may cause, though I doubt the latter). Unfortunately, it costs quite a bit of time to make the corrections each time I open a drawing, so I hope you can help.
Kind regards
Allan

ANSWER: Thanks for your gracious attitute. I am still ill, but I would add, after your followup:

1- I would be tempted to make a 2nd dimstyle for the dims requiring "mm". I am totally lost by the way you are handling it, as you write it.
2- I wonder if Quick Select would not be faster and easier than the isolating of layers and the Matchprop. (actually, I think it would be MUCH faster, if I am ignoring the mm thing) Just have all the dimensions selected and change the style in the Properties Palette. (correct style means correct size, as far as I can see) Look at the PP carefully for any funny settings in the old dims.
3- And I dont get why multiple dimension layers are needed for different vps --- isnt Annotative Dimensions meant to be the answer to that?
4--Again, if I wasn't clear: the "buggy installation" thing was common years ago, very rare now, lacking conflict with customizations or addons from the past. I still think you are doing something that 2010 won't tolerate, but I cannot say just what.

Good luck --- soup and bed for me.

Hi -- I have been thinking about this one, trying to remember the "magic answer" about what you are doing wrong. Unfortunately, I havent installed 2010, but I have taken a number of classes in it, included the annotated dimensions.

1-- I hope you can see that thinking the problem is with AutoCAD 2010 or with XP is only wasting your time and diverting you from finding some error on your end. If what you have was happening commonly, I would have seen pitchforks and torches at Autodesk University last month. We can guess that there is some problem in the drawings that 2010 points out and 2009 tolerated.
This is obvious, because you say "several drawings" -- if the problem were software, you would likely see it on all drawings.

2-- I am at a loss to understand why you use MATCHPROPS,etc instead of selecting all the dimensions and making sure the dimension style is correct, but that is not a huge point.

3-- SOMETHING is going on with dimension styles -- my best guess.  Maybe the blocks are bringing one in, or ????? Maybe an old style that does not allow annotative has the same name or ????
Maybe you are using an office style that does not work annotatively?????????????
Sorry, I am under the weather and think I am missing your oversight.

4-- BTW --If you have blocks which typically are exploded to make different versions, shouldn't you make them Dynamic Blocks? The fact that you arent using dynamic blocks makes me wonder if you missed some other information in upgrades along the way

The users with most of the troubles similar to you are brand new or very long-time users. The people who learned after the software got less buggy and releases became more frequent are often better at trusting new features.

I am really tired, and I know I am missing finding your problem.  I suggest you search the AutoCAD 2010 Discussion Group, and post your question if you dont find someone else has had it recently. Sorry -- but someone will help you, I am sure.
http://discussion.autodesk.com/forums/forum.jspa?forumID=360

BOB
4-- You dont say how many dimensions are in the drawings. It sounds as if you would have spent less time by erasing all dimensions, deleting all the dimension styles, purging, and starting over.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks again, Bob,
Firstly, and most importantly, GET WELL SOON.
Secondly, a bit of lateral thinking has solved the problem. In the past, (again, inherited), we have been saving the drawings back to 2000, so that the oldest version of AutoCAD in the office can open them. I put my thinking cap on, and decided to save back to 2007, and PROBLEM SOLVED! We are now updating the old version to 2010, which will leave the 2008 version on a colleague’s computer as the oldest one being used. I should have thought of that earlier, but sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.
Also, I think I misled you in my description re the use of layers – stuff we require in some viewports, but not others, can have the same Annotative scale, so it is necessary to freeze the appropriate layer(s), (which contain the unwanted items, including dimensions), in the relevant viewports.
I think I must be getting lazy in my old age (I will be 72 in a couple of months), but I simply took the inherited way of doing things, and didn’t really look for a better way of doing things. Your reply has kick-started the thinking process again, (which I really appreciate), and I have now identified several things I can improve. I am also taking on-board your suggestions re dynamic blocks and using the second dimstyle.
You pointed me in the right direction, and made me think properly about the problem, so thanks again for your time and efforts.
Kind regards from Australia.
PS. This is not a 'follow-up question, simply an update to let you know that the problem has been solved thanks to your assistance.
Allan

Answer
COOL--

THE BEST THING TO HEAR IS THAT I HELPED SET SOMEONE TO THINKING.......

I thought of the part about the layers for varying dimensions per vp.

BUT -- it NEVER occured to me that you were saving to 2000 format. Once I say "how could you expect something with intelligence, like annotative dims, to survive saving to 2000 and coming back?" you would get it. The inherited way usually needs to become the updated way, or the former way, or progress in the software gets wasted: your example was perfect.

Enjoy it -- they spent all those millions on software development to make it easier, not slower.

I wonder if I dare ask if you are using the Ribbon --- I think it's crazy not do, unless the users are too stubborn to change and too good to fire.

BOB in Los Angeles.