AutoCAD Architecture 2011 - Project Navigator Issues

[Anonymous]

Hi, this is my first time posting on here, but I had no where else to turn. I recently upgraded to ACA 2011 from 2010. I opend up a construct drawing through project navigator, worked on it for a while, then saved and closed. About an hour later, I tried to open up the sheet that the construct was linked to, but instead, I got about 15-20 error messages in a row telling me that the sheet might have been changed and that I was not allowed to continue opening the sheet. All of a sudden, every single sheet that I had created disappeared off my navigator pallete. When I searched the harddrive for those sheets, I found that they still exist, but just not through my navigator pallete. Has anybody else had a similar issue, or figured out a way to fix this?

Things that I've tried....
1.) Tried opening the project on a different computer in the same version of AutoCAD - no luck!
2.) Tried opening the project in a different version of AutoCAD on the same computer - no luck!
3.) Tried opening the project on a different computer in a different version of AutoCAD - no luck!
4.) Tried refreshing the project through navigator - no luck!
5.) Tried searching for an answer - no luck!
6.) Tried discussing this with AutoCAD tech support - big waste of time and no luck!
7.) Posted this to this forum looking for help - we'll see!

Because it seems to matter to some people, here are the specs of my computer that i'm running my AutoCAD Architecture 2011 on...

Manufacturer: Dell
Model: Precision T1500
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 860 @2.80GHz 2.80GHZ
Installed memory (RAM): 8.00GB
System Type: 64-bit Operating System
Harddrive: 300GB with 243GB of free space
Video Card - NVIDIA Quadro FX 580 - 512MB GDDR3

I believe that my computer shouldn't have problems running this software, but you guys be the judge of that.

Any, I repeat, ANY help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for you time.

[KathyMoffa]

Check Help for information on .xml files.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate your feedback Kathy, however when I searched for .xml files in the Autodesk help, It told me that there are no results found. Maybe I did something wrong?

See attached printscreen (gotta love Autodesk....lol)

[KathyMoffa]

Oh, you're right! Now I see why so many people are complaining about the 2011 Help. I opened 2011 and clicked F1 for the first time to see if I could pull it from there, and gave up and went back to 2010. Here is the Help from 2010. The only time that I've lost drawings from the Project was due to the disappearance of the drawings corresponding XML file. I had a backup up, so just copied it back in.


"What do I have to consider when working with the XML files in the project?

The project data of a building model is contained in the APJ file, which contains information about the overall project, and in the XML files accompanying each DWG file. Both file types are well-formed XML. In most cases, you should not try to edit these files manually in an XML editor, as you might inadvertently corrupt the file. To make changes to your project, use the Project Browser and Project Navigator commands instead.

NoteDo not delete any XML files generated by the Drawing Management feature. They are vital to the project.
I have added a lot of project details in the Project Browser. Can I export these to another application?

Yes. The project details you enter in the Project Browser are stored in the project’s APJ file, which is a well-formed XML file. If you want to export these details, create a copy of the APJ file, and export it to any XML application or database. If you want to use the project detail categories and items in another project, use the existing APJ file as the template for the new project.

What should I do if my APJ file has been accidentally deleted or corrupted?

Deleting or corrupting the project’s APJ files has no influence on the DWG files and XML files contained in the project. In the Project Browser, the project will not display anymore. To recreate the project with a new APJ file, go to the Project Browser, and create a new project of the same name in the same folder location as the previous APJ file. For instructions, see Creating a New Project. Then, go to the Project Navigator, and drag-and-drop the Elements, Constructs, Views, and Sheets folders of the project from Windows Explorer into the corresponding tabs of the Project Navigator. This re-inserts the files into the project.

What should I do if an XML file has been accidentally deleted or corrupted?

Each DWG file within a project has an accompanying XML file that contains the project-specific information. If the accompanying XML file is accidentally deleted or corrupted, the DWG file is no longer recognized as part of the project and will not display in the Drawing Explorer. To insert it into the project again, convert the DWG file into a project file. For instructions, see Converting a Drawing to a Constructand Converting a Drawing to an Element."

[Anonymous]

I have had no luck in discovering the real problem related to my original problem with the new version of AutoCAD. It seams that everytime that they think they have a new version, they release it, make it mandatory to install (therefore we have to purchase it), it doesn't work to anybody's expectations, and then when you need help there isn't anybody at Autodesk to help. They make you pay thousands of dollars (one seat of 2011 for me was $5,600) for half-A$$ software and then the rich buttheads don't even know how to solve any problems when you call them. Now that I'm done with that...

THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY ON HERE THAT HAS HELPED ME!!!!!! You guys and gals are the people that I enjoy talking to. We are the real-world people that make a living using this program. Thank you Kathymoffa, for you are truly one who needs to help take over Autodesk as you seem to know your AutoCAD. I ended up having to purchase an additional seat of the new AuotCAD so that all my machinese were running the same version. That was my problem. As soon as I did that, I had no more issues with my Navigator erasing any of my sheets.


Thank you all again for helping me, and you will all see me on here again....

Thomas

[KathyMoffa]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for the compliment, but I think it might be the Help files I quoted rather than the litte I said (and know)! I had wondered what happened with your problem, and am glad you finally got it resolved, albeit with the additional cost of purchasing another seat.

Kathy

[Anonymous]

Are there xml files alongside the sheet files when viewed through Windows Explorer?
Have you tried reimporting the sheets into the sheet set?

[Anonymous]

Scott,

When viewed through windows explorer i do find all of the .xml files along with the drawing files, also there is a .bak file for every drawing file because you can never be too safe as far as backing up your files. I have not tried reimporting sheets because I haven't heard of doing that. Could you explain how that is done? Thanks for the help!

[Anonymous]

Hey Thomas,

I would make a copy of the Sheets folder somewhere on the network. Then delete the xml files from that folder. On the sheets tab, right-click on the dst file (right at the top of the tree). Then select 'import layout as sheet' from the RC menu. Then follow the dialogue boxes. This will reimport your sheets. If you have added any sheet file metadata to the dst file (like title-frame fields), this will be lost. try it on one or two sheets first.

Scott