Without A Net

Updated readme files for AutoCAD Service Pack 2

On Monday, Autodesk released the new service pack for AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012. Many of you have since requested more information about what issues were actually addressed by the service pack as these details were not included in the SP2 readme file. You have been heard and the readme files have been updated to include more information about what issues are fixed by the service pack.

Re-download the updated readme files at the following links:

AutoCAD 2012 Service Pack 2
AutoCAD LT 2012 Service Pack 2

AutoCAD 2012 Service Pack 2

A new service pack for AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012 is now available at the following links:

AutoCAD 2012 Service Pack 2
AutoCAD LT 2012 Service Pack 2

Consult the readme file for installation instructions and be sure to download and install the correct update for your operating system (32-bit or 64-bit).

Performance issues in AutoCAD when Autodesk Showcase 2013 is running at the same time

Some users have experienced performance degradation in AutoCAD and other Autodesk products when running them side by side with Autodesk Showcase 2013.

This issue has been resolved in Service Pack 1 for Autodesk Showcase 2013 which can be downloaded from here:

Autodesk Showcase 2013 Service Pack 1

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac - Service Pack 2

Service Pack 2 for AutoCAD® 2012 for Mac® is now available for download at the following link:

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac Service Pack 2

This update resolves compatibility issues that have been reported while using the software on the latest versions of Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.8) and Mac OS X Lion. It also resolves problems reported by the Customer Error Reporting (CER) utility and other general problems identified after AutoCAD 2012 Service Pack 1 was made available.

General changes and improvements have been made to the following features:

Array

• Associative arrays now correctly round-trip between the Windows and Mac OS releases.
• The program is no longer unstable when attaching an xref to an associative array.

Attributes

• The Attribute visor now displays correctly after being launched two or more times.

Blocks

• The program is no longer unstable when inserting blocks with multiple attributes.

Customization

• The program is no longer unstable after using the Customize dialog box.

Dimensions

• The program is no longer unstable when modifying a dimension that has a cyclic dependency.

Document Window

• The program is no longer unstable when switching between open drawings.

Dynamic Input/Input

• The program is no longer unstable when using dynamic input.
• The program is no longer unstable after enter a value at the Command prompt.

External References

• The program is no longer unstable after clicking a missing xref in the Reference Manager.

Hatch

• The program is no longer unstable after creating a hatch object with the Hatch and Gradient dialog box.

Install

• Installer now displays the correct message when the latest service pack is already installed.

Layers

• The program is no longer unstable after renaming a layer.
• The program is no longer unstable after setting a layer current.
• The program is no longer unstable when updating layer information while switching drawings.
• The program is no longer unstable when sorting layers in the Layers palette.

Layouts

• The program is no longer unstable when switching between model and paper space from the status bar.
• The program is no longer unstable after creating a new layout.

Multileader

• The Multileader visor no longer remains displayed after being shown multiple times.

Open/Save

• The program is no longer unstable when opening a drawing file.
• The program is no longer unstable after opening an invalid file.
• Double-clicking a drawing file in Finder now correctly opens the program and drawing file.

Options

• When support file search paths are missing, the dialog box to select a path now displays correctly.

Other

• Several general situations that caused the program to be unstable have been addressed.
• The program is no longer unstable when spell checking annotation in a drawing.

Plot

• The program is no longer unstable after clearing the DPI value in the 3D Viewports section of the Page Setup dialog box.
• The program is no longer unstable after clearing the custom scale values in the Scale section of the Plot dialog box.
• The program is no longer unstable when using a comma as a decimal separator for numbers.
• Plots are now correctly centered when both Fit to Page and Center on Page are checked.
• When resaving a named plot style (STB) file, the file no longer becomes corrupt.
• Object's plot style value can now be changed with the Properties Inspector when using named plot styles.
• Plot styles now work correctly with AutoCAD WS.

Spline

• The program is no longer unstable after selecting a spline object that was the result of joining more than one spline together.

Startup

• On Mac OS X Lion, the program now launches correctly after a crash.
• The program now checks for the required folder and file level permissions. If the permissions are incorrect, you can open a Knowledge Base article to help correct the problem.

Text Styles

• Quickly closing the Text Style dialog box no longer causes the program to become unstable.
• Fixed issues related to text fonts.

Undo/Redo

• Lineweight is no longer automatically turned off when doing an undo with zoom.

Zoom/Pan/Orbit

• The program is no longer unstable when zooming, panning, or orbiting.

As always, check out the accompanying Readme PDF for more details and installation instructions.

Uninstall Tool for AutoCAD Design Suite 2013

Last week Autodesk released a tool specifically for uninstalling AutoCAD Design Suite 2013 and any products and plug-ins that can be installed as part of those suites.

How to perform an automated uninstallation of the AutoCAD Design Suite 2013 family of products

Note: Notice that for 2013 these are now AutoCAD Design Suites and no longer Autodesk Design Suites.

Although limited to uninstalling only the 2013 version and only the AutoCAD Design Suites, the tool provides a nice one-stop-shopping for your AutoCAD Design Suite 2013 uninstall needs.

The tool gives you the option to uninstall the following programs and plug-ins (if found):

• AutoCAD 2013
• Autodesk Raster Design 2013
• Autodesk Alias 2013
• FARO LS
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2013
• Autodesk Alias 2013 License
• Autodesk Backburner 2013
• Autodesk Composite 2013
• Autodesk Revit Interoperability for 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design 2013
• Autodesk Essential Skills Movies for 3ds Max Design 2013
• Autodesk Showcase 2013
• Autodesk SketchBook Designer Plugin for AutoCAD 2013
• Autodesk DirectConnect 2013
• Autodesk SketchBook Designer 2013
• Autodesk Mudbox 2013
• Autodesk Design Review 2013
• Autodesk Inventor Fusion 2013
• Autodesk Inventor Fusion Plugin for AutoCAD 2013
• Autodesk Workflows - AutoCAD Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Material Library 2013
• Autodesk Material Library Base Resolution Image Library 2013
• Autodesk Material Low Resolution Image Library
• Autodesk Material Library Medium Resolution Image Library 2013
• Autodesk Content Service
• Autodesk CAD Manager Tools
• Autodesk Network License Manager
• Autodesk Cloud Sync

The uninstall tool will also remove folders and registry keys related to the uninstalled products and plug-ins.

Be sure and read all the notes on the download page before using.

AutoCAD LT for Mac Update

Hot on the heels of AutoCAD 2012 for Mac Service Pack 1, there is also an update available for AutoCAD LT for Mac:

Launch the Mac App Store and check the Updates section for the 2012.1 version.

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac - Service Pack 1

Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD® 2012 for Mac® is now available for download at the following link:

AutoCAD 2012 for Mac Service Pack 1

This update resolves compatibility issues that have been reported while using the software on the latest versions of Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.8) and Mac OS X Lion. It also resolves problems reported by the Customer Error Reporting (CER) utility and other general problems identified after AutoCAD 2012 for Mac was made available.

General changes and improvements have been made to the following features:

Blocks

• The program is no longer unstable after inserting a block with attributes using AutoLISP.

Hardware

• The mouse pointer cursor icon no longer disappears after closing a drawing.
• Shortcut keys now work correctly while a command is active.
• The Enter key adjacent to the Number Pad now works the same as the Return key.
• On Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the mouse pointer cursor icon no longer shakes when swiping with two fingers on trackpad to execute the pan operation.

Hatch

• The program is no longer unstable after creating a hatch object with the Hatch and Gradient dialog box.
• The program is no longer unstable after creating a hatch object using one of the Hatch or Gradient visors.
• Patterns can be applied correctly when creating Gradient fills.

Open/Save

• Drawings now save correctly to folders containing a # (pound) character in its name.

Publish

• Publish now correctly imports more than one sheet.
• Saving a drawing to a new file name no longer causes problems when being added to the Publish dialog box.

Plot

• The program is no longer unstable after clearing the X or Y offset values in the Offset for Printable Area of the Page Setup dialog box.

Viewports

• The program is no longer unstable after rotating a viewport.

As always, check out the accompanying Readme PDF for more details and installation instructions.

On a side note, notice the use of the phrase "Service Pack" instead of "Update". Personally, I hope this becomes a trend across all products as the term "Update" has been a source of customer confusion since we started using it in the 2009 releases.

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2012 SP1 Ribbon Hotfix

A new hotfix is now available for AutoCAD 2012, AutoCAD LT 2012 and several AutoCAD 2012-based products.

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2012 SP1 Ribbon Hotfix

The hotfix addresses issues where AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT could become non-responsive while navigating, saving or closing a drawing file.

Note: You must install the appropriate 2012 Service Pack 1 before you apply this hotfix.

As always, refer to the associated readme file for detailed installation information and a list of the AutoCAD products to which this hotfix applies.

AutoCAD 2011 for Mac Update 3 - Lion support and more

An new update is available for AutoCAD 2011 for Mac that, among other things, adds support for Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion).

AutoCAD 2011 for Mac Update 3

Note: The AutoCAD for Mac updates are not inclusive of earlier updates. For that reason, Update 2, must be installed before installing Update 3 … and Update 1 before that. If you haven't installed any updates, it's time to catch up.

In addition to providing support for Lion, Update 3 resolves problems that have been reported by the Customer Error Reporting (CER) utility and other general problems identified after AutoCAD 2011 for Mac Update 2 was made available. Updates have been made to the following features:

• 2D and 3D Display
• Blocks
• Graphics System
• Printing

As always, check out the readme file for more details and installation instructions.

Roar.

Block Editor Save Corruption Hotfix

A hotfix is now available to address an issue in AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD 2012 vertical products with saving a drawing while the Block Editor is open.

Autodesk 2012 Block Editor Save Corruption Hot Fix

When a drawing was saved from within the Block Editor, the entire contents of the drawing was sometimes lost and replaced with the content of the block being edited.

Refer to the accompanying readme file for installation instructions.