LT 2013 drawing files names

[Anonymous]

Some times when I open a drawing the drawing name is changed to "drawing2" or 3 etc.  Why does this happen? 

[pendean]

drawing1 was already opened and left unresolved by you. same with #3 and so on.

[Charles_Shade]

Naming a drawing will end this string of 1's and 2's but as long as you QNEW or otherwise start a new drawing file and you have not closed a particular session of AutoCAD the anonymous number will continue; 5, 6, 7...

The AutoCAD LT Forum is linked in my signature

[Anonymous]

Please explain "unresolved". Only reference to "unresolved" I can find has to do with XREF which cannot be found.


Regards

[cid:image001.png@01CEE5E5.76C0EE70]

Bill Watson - Production Engineering
13851 Bridgeport Road
Richmond B.C V6V1J6
T: 604-321-4033
F: 604-321-9415
bwatson@arrowspeed.com
www.arrowspeed.com

[M_Hensley]

Unresolved means you have not used the SAVE or SAVEAS commands to give it a real name.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, M_Hensley, but this is crazy.

I'm a grumpy old guy. Was excited when AutoCAD 3.17 came out.

Two scenarios that annoyed me


1. I work on a number of projects simultaneously. While working in one drawing I loaded a drawing from another project, made minor changes and saved. Saved to "drawing3"? I was so annoyed I saved it to, what I thought was the original drawing. Wrong. I overwrote another projects drawings. Fortunately able to recover from a system backup from the day before.



2. Working on a drawing, did a QSAVE, made some more changes (I believe in QSAVE, macro Q). A customer calls. Best way to help him is call up his drawings. I do and make minor changes to each drawing. Go to save. "drawing2" and "drawing3". Waste of my time and run the risk of goofing while I save to the original drawing file.

Simple question. What is the purpose behind this change by Autodesk (reconciling the drawing). Is there a good reason for the change? So far it has only made me angry. I'm also very patient and would like an explanation.

If you would like I can list off a number of things that I feel have not been a change for the better. There are lots features I really like about this version.


Regards

[cid:image001.png@01CEE69C.34C86CC0]

Bill Watson - Production Engineering
13851 Bridgeport Road
Richmond B.C V6V1J6
T: 604-321-4033
F: 604-321-9415
bwatson@arrowspeed.com
www.arrowspeed.com

[M_Hensley]

AutoCAD has not changed the way it uses drawing1, drawing2 etc. When working properly the only time you should see those names is when you create a new drawing from scratch or a template. The new drawing will be named drawing1 temporarily until you save it and give it a name. If you are seeing drawing1 being applied to a qsave, then AutoCAD is not functioning properly. You might want to try the program Reset Settings to Default located with AutoCAD under all programs. Or if that doesn't do it you may want to go to control panel, programs and features select AutoCAD and pick uninstall then select the repair option.

[Charles_Shade]

So you go to My Docs and open the file: Thompson's Drawing for example

AutoCAD shows in the Windows header and on the Workspace tab: Drawing1

You do not see the file name (Thompson's Drawing) in your workspace?

[Anonymous]

Hi Charles.

I was excited when AutoCAD 3.17 came out. So I'm and old guy that has been around for a lot of years. My drafting is strongly trenched in using the keyboard with macros.

Hence I was using the NEW icon on the top left corner of the screen to OPEN a file. Because it did not default to DWT format I assumed I was opening a file. Hence the confusion with "drawingX" file name. Because I was opening files in a number of different ways it was extremely confusing and difficult to pinpoint the problem.

Now I educated. Hate Icons. Back to ^O.

Is there a way to set the NEW command to default to DWT format. If I am going to create a drawing using another drawing as a template, I open the drawing and use SAVEAS to create my new one.


Regards

[cid:image001.png@01CEE6A8.4058F8F0]

Bill Watson - Production Engineering
13851 Bridgeport Road
Richmond B.C V6V1J6
T: 604-321-4033
F: 604-321-9415
bwatson@arrowspeed.com
www.arrowspeed.com

[Charles_Shade]

New works as it does for any Windows based Program now; the Command creates a new instance from the Template file with the common extension for the program type: DWT = DWG, (Excel)XLT = XLS, (Word)DOT=DOC

This way the Template file remains unedited and is the same each time it is opened.

The only easy way I have found to open a Template is to Right click the file name and choose Open. Otherwise even in Windows Explorer if you Dbl click the Template File name you will get a common extension file for that program. Right click the Template and you will see the option New is bolded indicating that you are going to get a new file and not the Template if you Dbl click on that file name.

NEW and QNEW are core Commands in AutoCAD. Both will take you to the Template window if the STARTUP Variable is set to 0.

If you wish to use a Drawing file to create a new Template you need to change the extension to DWT from the Files of type selection at the bottom of the Save window when you SAVEAS

[M_Hensley]

When I picked the NEW icon it did default to DWT files. I changed the file type to DWG in the box at the very bottom and picked a drawing then the next time I selected NEW it then did default to DWG files. So if you pick NEW and change the file type back to DWT and select one it should change the dafault back to DWT.

[pendean]

When you open a template file (or start a NEW file), AutoCAD does NOT give it a name. Never has, still does not.

Since Windows (aka Microsoft) demands a default name, that is what you get, a default name. AutoCAd starts with "drawing1" and continues until such time as you (the user) save the file and call it something else.

To create a TEMPLATE, open a DWG file, use SAVEAS and on the pop-up there is a File Type entry, select TEMPLATE (creates a DWT file). NEW command will not default to this file however, but QNEW command will if you assign that file to that QNEW function in OPTIONS command (FILES Tab, look for the QNEW template file entry and assign your template file to it).

Glad you are an old user from 3.17: but AutoCAD has always, ALWAYS, demanded that it's users set the program up correctly instead of relying on Autodesk to do it (as you well know my friend).

[Anonymous]

Thank you.

Problem is when I use NEW or QNEW, I want to see DWT files. If I use Word or Excel and select new I will get a list of template files to choose from (XLT or DOT).

Why does Acad default to DWG for templates and not DWT.

I have changed my STARTUP to 1 and will take the extra step to pick the dwt files. At least I will not make the mistake of accidently picking the NEW icon instead of OPEN.



Regards

[cid:image001.png@01CEE6B1.D7605E60]

Bill Watson - Production Engineering
13851 Bridgeport Road
Richmond B.C V6V1J6
T: 604-321-4033
F: 604-321-9415
bwatson@arrowspeed.com
www.arrowspeed.com

[Charles_Shade]

STARTUP to 0 should give you the Template choices.

OPTIONS, Files tab, Template Setting, Default Template File Location.

Where does this point to? It should be your Template Folder in Windows.

[Anonymous]

With STARTUP = 0. NEW goes to my current drawing path and lists all DWG files.

Template file location = C:\Users\bwatson\appdata\local\autodesk\autocad lt 2013 r18\template

QNEW Template = C:\Users\bwatson\appdata\local\autodesk\autocad lt 2013 r18\template\acadlt.dwt

Regards

[cid:image001.png@01CEE6C7.27D73A20]

Bill Watson - Production Engineering
13851 Bridgeport Road
Richmond B.C V6V1J6
T: 604-321-4033
F: 604-321-9415
bwatson@arrowspeed.com
www.arrowspeed.com

[Anonymous]

Thanks. Tried NEW with a dwt and the next time it defaulted to a dwt. Good I sort of like it.

Regards

[cid:image001.png@01CEE6D8.77C97960]

Bill Watson - Production Engineering
13851 Bridgeport Road
Richmond B.C V6V1J6
T: 604-321-4033
F: 604-321-9415
bwatson@arrowspeed.com
www.arrowspeed.com