Drawing integrity is on everyone’s mind but is rarely discussed in the broad context of project quality. With the advent of numerous mechanical and architectural vertical applications from Autodesk with their own unique and enhanced features and, add to that, a plethora of third party applications that supposedly read & write AutoCAD files, and you see we are a long way from the “universal” DWG format idea. If you receive drawings from outside clients, you have probably witnessed large variations in drawing quality – ranging from “great” on the high end to “drawing from hell” on the low end.

Drawings can suffer degradation and corruption for many reasons; here is a partial list:

	Poorly managed FTP sites
	Passing to multiple users (without a quality and validity check in between)
	Lack of uniform standards (at inception and distribution)
	Editing & saving with a program by others, saving down to earlier Autodesk versions, etc.

If you provide drawings to outside clients (vendors & contractors), it is incumbent upon you to provide drawings of the highest quality and integrity.

This lesson will focus on forming a plan to detect, correct and perfect drawings to lessen the damage and delays caused by corrupted files and, to enhance customer relationships by always delivering quality drawings.

Scenario – Information in the form of drawings is brought in from many sources, melded together with some original content, then issued to others for use (approvals, permits, manufacturing, building, testing, inspecting, etc.). The first priority will be to analyze what we have and what’s required.

Did we get everything?

1. Correct version. The current version of AutoCAD is 2008. How many of your sources and/or customers are using the current version? Do you request source drawings and deliver finished drawings using Etransmit?

2. XREFs. If they came in an Etransmit file you’re probably all set. In any case, open the top assembly drawing and use the XREF Manager to check for missing files, Fonts, images, shapes, stamps, etc. Some XREFs are left out on purpose. The most common missing elements are: Applicable XREFs, fonts, logo images and engineering stamps.

3. Make a work-copy of all files. Never use your only copy for editing, recovery, etc.

There are two Recover commands: 1) Recover, and 2) Recover drawing and xrefs. (The “Recover drawing and xrefs…” command is not available in the MEP 2008 program). Use the “Recover…” command if the target drawing has no XREFs, or you want to recover only the target drawing. Use the “Recover drawing and xrefs…” command if you want to recover a drawing and all its XREFs.

Note: Audit and Recover can take longer than expected to execute, and your system will be tied up while it is running. When you click on “Recover drawing and xrefs…” the program opens a File selection dialog box. Click the file and the program starts running – no warnings, messages, setup, “Are you sure?” or anything. (Consider use a secondary system if you need to run Recover on lots of files and XREFs). While Recover is running, open the Windows Task Manager > Applications tab and AutoCAD 2008 will be listed as “Not responding.” Switch to the Processes tab and click the CPU column header twice to sort the most active process to the top. Note that Acad.exe is utilizing most of the available CPU time (88-94% on my Dell Inspiron notebook with XP Pro) for the Recover operation.

In preparing and testing for this lesson we used a client file that had serious problems to gauge the impact Audit and Recover might have on a drawing, primarily: errors found, objects erased, time to audit or recover and file size. The table below is a summary of the two operations (run in MEP since this is an AEC file), followed by the report at the end of the text window for each operation. Figure 3 is the Audit report. Figure 4 is the Recover report. Both of these reports were substantially longer than the 400 lines set for the AutoCAD Text window.
 

Sample No 1.dwg As Received (KB) Audit_fixed Recover_fixed

File Size: 2406 1953 1960

Time: - 18 minutes (MEP) 18 minutes (MEP)

Errors: - 418 2431

Erased: - 278 0

Figure 3

Figure 4

It is instructive to note that Audit and Recover appear to have found different types of errors in the same file, with Audit erasing 278 objects – but, no visible change to the geometry on the screen. Recover found more errors - which it was able to fix - and erased no objects. Other variances in the data are interesting but of no significance to this lesson.

Suspect files – Unfortunately, these project files (all five floors) were not audited or recovered before beginning the design phase. There were subtle, but persistent, problems which included a) viewports that appeared on the screen but could not be selected for editing; b) when switching from a Layout tab to the Model tab the Model button would light up but the screen view would not regenerate. Any hint of unusual program operation is a signal to close the file and run the Recover program.

Production – The project files used for this lesson worked perfectly following the recover operation. Whether or not you relate your findings to the drawing source is a policy decision to be made by management. (There is a risk of offending a business associate if you tell them their drawings are corrupt). Design your own process to detect, correct and perfect your drawings.

My wife and I are drag racing fans – she’s a distant relative to Kenny and Brandon Bernstein. Brandon doesn’t run on last season’s tires, fuel, belts or computer system. Everything is up-to-date and constantly evaluated for the best performance. A modern CAD operation is no different. All internal CAD operations should be using the latest hardware and software, taking full advantage of new features to enhance productivity. (See recent lessons on Dynamic Blocks & Annotative Styles, and look for future lessons on productivity).

Save-as vs. Export –There are so many business “partners” using older, non-supported AutoCAD versions that some clients just “save everything as R2000.” This functionally removes most of the real productivity gains realized in current versions and can lead to serious file integrity issues. The best practice is to avoid “save-as” to older versions if the file contains AEC objects, i.e. Objects created by an ObjectARX application. (See recent Cadtales lesson “Proxy Objects.”)

To convert files with ObjectARX objects configure a process to open the files in the native application and use the Export to AutoCAD program to create a true AutoCAD file. This will prevent file corruption and save hours of unnecessary troubleshooting. (Consult your AutoCAD dealer).

Etransmit – This handy utility can be your guardian angel. Request that all incoming files be in ZIP format and created by the Etransmit command. See Etransmit’s “Transmittal Setup” button to configure profiles, format to older versions, include fonts & images, attach to email, include and/or bind XREFs, etc. For some reason Autodesk removed this command from the Standard Toolbar in AutoCAD 2008, so use the CUI program to put an Etransmit icon right on your AutoCAD desktop. Use Etransmit to backup, archive, distribute and transport AutoCAD files, Sheet Sets, and Projects.

Deliverables – For many businesses a set up drawings and supporting documentation is their deliverable product. With a comprehensive system to validate incoming resource files, in-process procedures to eliminate version-to-version transitions and a final output protocol – your business will run more efficiently, earn more profit and be a pleasure to do business with.

Did you know? AutoCAD commands can be “continued” from one viewport to another. Activate a viewport, start a command (Move, Rotate, Copy, etc.), select objects, then click in another viewport and continue the selection process. Close the selection set, pick a base point and finish the command. As long as the Command line prompts “Select objects” you can make selections in different viewports. After closing the selection set you can activate any viewport and pick a basepoint to conclude the operation. This feature also works with the copy-to-the-Clipboard operation.

Do you see a productivity and quality benefit in applying Drawing Integrity to your design and drafting environment? Call your Hagerman sales representative about software upgrades, training and customization.