Uninstalling VisionRez causes Copy error and corrupts drawing

[KathyMoffa]

I  purchased VisionRez several  years ago, but only installed it late last summer (current version of ACA and  current version of VR).    After working with it for several weeks, I mostly stopped using it, but for a while would go back and grab one of their tools for a drawing.   About a week ago, I  uninstalled it, and am now in purgatory for all the sins I've committed in my life.     Over a period of several months, I propagated VR objects in new drawings by copying and pasting parts of drawings into new ones.      I had no hint of a problem until I uninstalled the product (for which I do have a paid license with subscription).     If I attempt to copy and paste, I get a Copy to clipboard error message.   I get one error message per session, then abort.   Every clipboard error requires a new restore of the drawing unless I immediately close the drawing.     VisionRez  support claims that it is an error "native to the AutoCAD Architecture (since early 2007) and not VisionRez. "  Support suggested several "workarounds", none of which work, for example, blocking the entire drawing into a new one and then exploding it.    The block shows up in the Design Center folder, but does not appear in the Insert dialog box.   I have managed to remove all VR objects from one single drawing (or at least I no longer receive the copy to clipboard error), but that took several hours of pure agony.  This morning's frustration is attempting to retrieve a complex bathroom vanity from one of these drawings.  I  cannot bring it into a new drawing, even though it was not created with any VR objects.  I can copy and paste it without errors, but the cabinet doors and parts scatter all across the new drawing.    I can block it first, but with the same results as when I block the entire drawing--it doesn't appear in the drop down list of the Insert dialog box in Design Center.   I just want to purge/remove every frigging VR object from these drawings, and VR claims to have no way to do this (and asked if I would consider reinstalling the product).     Does anyone know of any way to purge objects that are in a drawing without first manually deleting them one by one? 

[MarySeufert]

Don't know of a way built in, you could write a simple lisp to select the VR objects, delete them, purge, purge, purge and audit. If they are all on a unique layer you could use the 'laydel' command.

Sounds like a royal PITA. What if you had to send these drawings to someone who deosn't have VR... would they be in the same situation?

[KathyMoffa]

Thanks for the reply, Mary.  Yes, it's definitely a royal PITA, and I don't know how anyone who receives a drawing with VisionRez objects in it wouldn't be in the same situation.    Before I spend more time on it, I'm waiting for a reply from Autodesk, but I'm not optimistic that I'm not going to have to clean it up myself.    At a minimum, Autodesk is at fault for not properly capturing and handling the clip board error.   It wouldn't be nearly as big a problem if it didn't abort everytime it got the error!  I guess it's  never supposed to happen, so they didn't code for it.

[MarySeufert]

Just thought of something... have you purged regapps from these drawings? Basic, but I forget about doing this all the time.

[KathyMoffa]

Mary, how do you purge regapps?   I see from Help that it is a function, but I've never used it.    I did use revouninstaller to remove all remnants, and as far as I can see, nothing remains of the application itself.  

I have been contacted by Autodesk support, and was told that they have known problems with hsbCad (which means that Autodesk blames Ameri-Cad and Ameri-Cad blames  Autodesk).  HsbCad is the ITW side of the company that purchased Ameri-CAD, the developer of VisionRez, which (understatement), in my opinion, was an ill fated acquisition!

[MarySeufert]

You have to use the command line version of purge (-purge), type R, can't quite remember the exact order of the command sequence, but it I do not verify the names to purge. The list can be quite long. I wish it was part of the dialog version. Regapps can really add to a file size! Plus you don't really have to worry about getting rid of them, since what ever add-on program that put them there to begin with will re-add them if needed.

Have a good weekend Kathy!

[MichaelBussiere2]

The typical recommended sequence is listed below;

The process is outlined below and will need to go in order as described.  Please follow this procedure to eliminate further problems from corruption.

Process to remove corruption:

1)  Open file
2)  From the command prompt type:  -PURGE (then select "R" for Reggapps, then hit [ENTER], then select "N" for no on running through each individual instance and then again [ENTER])
3)  From the command prompt type:  -PURGE (then select "A" for All, then hit [ENTER], then select "N" for no on running through each individual instance and then again [ENTER])
4)  From the command prompt type:  AUDIT (then select "Y" for Yes, then hit [ENTER])
5)  Save the drawing file

<If needing a deeper clean proceed to 6>

6)  Open a new blank drawing file
7)  From the command prompt type:  INSERT (then select the drawing file affected that you just use the above process on, make sure it is set to insert at 0,0,0 and explode upon insertion in the check box)
8)  From the command prompt type:  -PURGE (then select "R" for Reggapps, then hit [ENTER], then select "N" for no on running through each individual instance and then again [ENTER])
9)  From the command prompt type:  -PURGE (then select "A" for All, then hit [ENTER], then select "N" for no on running through each individual instance and then again [ENTER])
10)  From the command prompt type:  AUDIT (then select "Y" for Yes, then hit [ENTER])
11)  Save the drawing file 
 

This will need to be the process performed for each file to truly clean and correct the issue.  All in this process takes 2-4 minutes per drawing typically.

[KathyMoffa · Accepted solution]

Thanks Mary & Michael,

Purging regapps is certainly something I plan to do regularly from now on, but it didn't do anything with the VR stuff in the drawings.  I don't know what or where most of the regapp items came from, but the one that has me totally baffled is Accurender.  It's rendering software I used years ago with AutoCAD, and I didn't even reinstall it when I upgraded my system to 64 bit and Windows 7.   I may have opened a drawing file that originally had Accurender in it, but I'm positive I never saved one of those drawings since having ACA.  Go figure!

Now for my update.  I have now gone through all the infected projects and drawings and removed all the VisionRez objects, styles, layers, etc.  While Ctrl C copy produced a clipboard error and then aborted unless I immediately exited the drawing, Wblock produces an accurate error message: "Wblock operation rejected due to a proxy object that does not allow copying."    Michael, if Autodesk can code for the exception with Wblock, it can code for the exception wiith the Clipboard copy! 

As to what I did, I had no choice but to do a lot of manual deleting, but once I completed one drawing, I knew the procedure for the rest--lots of select similars and delete or change the style.    Wblock was also helpful, because it would get rid of styles that my drawing wouldn't let me purge.  It also makes a tremendous difference in file size, in some cases reducing my drawing by more than 50%.  It also helped that I had only one partially completed project that I completely did in VisionRez with VisionRez template, walls and all, and that's the project I was working on when I first had problems with the problem and stopped using it.    In other words, things could have been much worse.

gsSo, all done, I learned a lot, and won't be making that mistake again.  KISS!