DWG TrueView

[#1]

I'm just trying to view a plan from a builder.

The viewer keeps wanting a M_TICS.SHX file. Think it may be a font, but, as I said earlier, I'm a AutoCAD idiot.

Can't find it anywhere on the web. Is there a simpler viewer I could use? I don't need to be able to do anything but view and print so I can make changes to take to the architect.

[#2]

luv10s said the following On 7/19/2007 10:58 AM:
> I'm just trying to view a plan from a builder.
>
> The viewer keeps wanting a M_TICS.SHX file. Think it may be a font, but, as I said earlier, I'm a AutoCAD idiot.
>
> Can't find it anywhere on the web. Is there a simpler viewer I could use? I don't need to be able to do anything but view and print so I can make changes to take to the architect.

If it prompts you for this in a regular windows file dialog, it's
probably a SHAPE file. You can cancel this and the drawing will open,
and anything referencing this shape file will not display. Most likely
it's a shape in a custom linetype. It could be insertions of the shapes
themselves also.

Either ask the drawing author to supply the shape file (he could use
eTransmit), or just print what you have.

Even if you find a shape file with the same name, there is no guarantee
that it will contain the correct shapes.

--
R.K. McSwain
http://rkmcswain.blogspot.com

[#3]

Thanks R.K. I was so freaked I didn't even try to cancel out of it and let it display. Probably because he sent an AutoCAD file and it took an hour to find and install a viewer.

Once again. Thanks.

[#4]

R.K.-

My similar issue has presented itself in a drawing that I've been using for almost a year. AutoCAD is, basically, asking me to find "m_tics.shx" before it will allow me to proceed...clicking Cancel will make this message appear:

"The following error was encountered while reading in SHAPE starting at line 740032:
Undefined shape
Invalid or incomplete DXF input -- drawing discarded."

This AutoCAD request only comes after opening a DXFOUT-ed .dwg file. We're having to DXFOUT almost all of our files due to a nasty-contagious batch of linetypes that have found their way into our system as a whole and exponentially grows our .dwg files at will. Or at least we like to think so.. still no origin found for this bizarre occurance. It turns 2MB or 3MB site plans into 15MB or large site plan file sizes. No fun.

Any ideas? I'm about to WBLOCK the file to try and shave this nastiness off...

[#5]

Unfortunately, opening a DXF fails when the referenced SHX file cannot be found (as you have seen).

If you do not have access to the SHX file, try making a copy of another SHX file and rename it to the name it wants.

I can't remember if this will let the DXF open or not.

Even if it opens, references to the shapes in the original "real" shape file will be missing.

[#6]

But then I would be lying to AutoCAD...  ;o)  Great, thanks for the common sense. I will definitely try that, and, if I see something that looks big & nasty like Bigfoot in my .dwg file, I'll know to change the .shx to something less frightening. Thanks again for your time.