Flatten Command Keeps Showing "Point or option keyword required" Error

[JC_BL]

I am trying to reduce 3D wireframe into 2D using "Flatten" command.  But I keep getting "Point or option keyword required" error.  When I google this error message, they said this had to do with the Drawing Units.  But I don't see anything wrong with the Drawing Units when I check that using DDUNITS command:

Length:
o Type: Archtectural
o Precision: 0'-0 1/8"

Angle:
o Type: Decimal Degrees
o Precision: 0.00

Insertion Scale: Inches

Lighting: Generic

By the way, the 3-D wireframe objects are drawn using a third party software.  I thought the third party software may be getting in the way.  I unload the third party app.  But I get the same error regardless if I try to flatten the proxy graphics (that are 3D) or all the objects on the drawing.

I tried again using a new drawing created from acad.dwt template.  I found that I had no problem with flattening 3D-Solid objects.  But I got the same error trying to flatten 2D wire frame objects.

Does this mean that the flatten command cannot work on any wireframe object?  Is there a way to flatten 3D wire frame objects?  Please help.  Thanks in advance.

Jay Chan

[JC_BL]

Attached please find a drawing that have sample objects that I am trying to flatten.

Thanks.

Jay Chan

[JC_BL]

I have determined that the error only happens when I run Flatten command in my PC.  I don't have this problem when I Flatten the same drawing in several other PCs.  This means there is something wrong with my PC.

As of now, I have decided not to use Flatten command and will not spend any more time on it because using it doesn't reduce file size that much and the drawing lost quite a lot of functionality.

Thanks for reading this post.

Jay Chan

[3wood]

You can explode the proxy object, then use CHZ20.vlx instead of FLATTEN. Then use OVERKILL to reduce the file size significantly.

[JC_BL]

Thanks for the suggestion of using explode/CH2Z0/overkill instead of using "flatten" command.  But I discovered that the "overkill" command runs very slowly on the drawings that I need to deal with.  I can reduce its run time by overkilling one section at a time.  But the total time is still very long.  Therefore, I have headed to a totally different direction (using either ExportLayout or reading DWF files) to get a small file size and fast file generation time.  I have not committed to the idea just yet.  But that is the likely direction that I am heading toward as of now.

Thanks again for your reply.

Jay Chan

[JC_BL]

ExportLayout command works quite well. This works and this can reduce the file size to very small. So far the only problems are (1) It may run very slow with some drawings (2) It may crash AutoCAD for texts that are flipped. Having said this, overall it works fine.