Using LT 2012, I noticed some of our files were getting unsually large (for us). We also had some mystery line types and layers. Then some of the files started to crash when saved and freeze up when audited which was the last straw. These are mechanical and electrical plans for buildings, and not particulary big plans or buildings. I have used LT for 20 years or more, so maybe old blocks or whatever. We are forced to use many files from architects and owners and god knows where these files grew up and how they became became cranky.
I came up with a clean-up routine listed below. Using this method, a 10 mb file becomes 100Kb (approx) without any loss of functionality for me - am I missing something? I have not noticed any issues,but only used for a week or so.
I can get some benefits doing only some of these steps. Like all clean-ups, I am not sure the benefits last if I re-pollute the file somehow, but do any of these steps cause future problems?
if it won't saveas DXF, then do this first:
Matt Dwyer
Solved! Go to Solution.
Solved by Charles_Shade. Go to Solution.
Depending on the age of the Blocks and other drawing files and the CAD vesion they were created these files could be infected with Scalelist and Layer filter issues.
Likely what you are doing is removing a piece of this bad information and thus the size of the drawings is less.
WBLOCK may be of some help. Did you try this?
This is a Macro that was developed from a question over at the AUGI Forum:
^C^C._-purge;_all;*;_no;._-purge;_regapps;*;_no;._zoom;_extents;._-layer;_set;0;;._audit;yes;._-overkill;all;;done;
(some of the info is just for my use but the basics of the Macro there.)
This does a lot of what you described and may be helpful as well.
Thanks for sharing the routine you came up with.
Regards, Charles Shade
CSHADEDESIGN | AUTOCAD LT | LT-KB | DYNAMIC BLOCKS
Please mark Accept as Solution if your question is answered. Kudos gladly accepted. ⇘
I have used wblock in the past, but did not try it here. I did notice that recover (can't even audit some of these, must use recover) and purge failed to clean some of these files. I fell back on dxf, because historically it was a useful trick, although adds clutter to directory if you don't erase the dxf later. I forgot overkill, so thanks for that. Scripts are certainly nicer than routines where you keep stopping to select or type filenames.
Traveling back to Release 12 can be useful as well.
Took me several tries to get Overkill set to where it did not muck with the drawing. I've got so many options turned Off that I am not sure that when I use it it does anything.
Regards, Charles Shade
CSHADEDESIGN | AUTOCAD LT | LT-KB | DYNAMIC BLOCKS
Please mark Accept as Solution if your question is answered. Kudos gladly accepted. ⇘
RECOVER, then WBLOCK followed by -EXPORTTOAUTOCAD command's R2007 or R2004 or R2000 or R14 options on the newly create file (depends on the AEC content in the files) has been the better approach except for exceptionally difficult files in which only and R12DXF export will fix.
Resorting to DXF first is often needless step for most users IMHO.
I think what I did not understand till just now is that you can select ENTIRE DRAWING with wblock command. This avoids having to fuss with turning on all layers and worrying that you have pulled in the xrefs, etc (which would be error-prone for me), yes? Someday I will actually read all the dialog boxes...
I just tested a couple times and just doing WBLOCK did 90% to 100% of the work in a second (as opposed to minutes and multiple dialog boxes).
I think you learned how to fish!
Regards, Charles Shade
CSHADEDESIGN | AUTOCAD LT | LT-KB | DYNAMIC BLOCKS
Please mark Accept as Solution if your question is answered. Kudos gladly accepted. ⇘
Amen.
Follow up question tho - let's say I have two files (A1 and A2) that are pigs (~7MB for no good reason) and I use wblock ENTIRE DRAWING to reduce one (A1) to 0.3 MB. Then, I insert a 6" circle (not a block, not group, a circle) from the other pig file (A2) into the newly svelte drawing A1. All of sudden, A1 is nearly as fat as it was (pops up to 4MB or so) thanks to inserting a simple circle from A2.
Is there something ELSE I am missing here? This seems to happen regardless of what I chose to insert (circle, line, text, whatever). If I clean BOTH files (using wblock/entire) then this does NOT happen. So, I know what to do in theory, but it is puzzling. Esp, since it occurs when I wblock and then insert. 🙂
I apologize if there is a good thread that explains all this, I probably should do more research.
Does using Insert this way grab bad info (i.e. Scalelists, Layer filters) from A2?
Regards, Charles Shade
CSHADEDESIGN | AUTOCAD LT | LT-KB | DYNAMIC BLOCKS
Please mark Accept as Solution if your question is answered. Kudos gladly accepted. ⇘
The circle file is 3MB because of all the linestyles and textstyles that it mysteriously (to me) drags along with it. These are all from the underlying architectural xrefs (which were not selected!). It is pretty bizarre, since if you do a LIST ALL on this 3 MB file, you get exactly one object.
Command: list
Select objects: all
1 found
Select objects:
CIRCLE Layer: "de-mducts"
Space: Model space
Handle = a8
center point, X=950'-8 27/32" Y=54'-9 17/32" Z= 0'-0"
radius 0'-3"
circumference 1'-6 27/32"
area 28.27 sq in (0.1963 sq ft)
The only way I found what was in it was to do a PURGE and look at items that can not be purged (there were NO items that could be purged).
Not sure why wblock ENTIRE would perfectly clean a big pig drawing, and why wblock SELECT would include a 10 ton pile of crap in with a simple object.
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