2015 Drawing size issue?

[DaveFuller]

I'm revisiting a project started using 2012. The drawing files were saved in 2010 format for client distribution. These drawings all exceed 25 MB in size. When attempting to open these drawings, AutoCAD 2015 seems to be opening the drawings, but stops. Watching ACAD.EXE in Task Manager, the program grows to a particular size as one would expect, then slows to a growth rate of about 20 - 30 KB every 30 - 45 seconds.

I've opened a few in 2013, which opens them in 10 - 15 seconds (normal) and saved them as 2013, this had no immediately visible affect when opening in 2015. When using 2013, these drawings were opened, modified and and saved regularly. No, I cannot post one due to confidentiality, I would like to though.

I don't know if SP2 had an affect, as I did not open any of these drawings prior to SP2.

Windows 7 64 bit SP1 9 GB RAM, AutoCAD 2015 SP2.

This one is very troubling. Good thing I've not uninstalled 2013.

[LyleHardin]

Well, I hate to ask the obvious, but have you tried AUDIT and PURGE when you had them open in the previous versions?

Use the command line -PURGE because it gets rid of more than the dialog PURGE. (At least it used to.)

You can even WBLOCK the whole drawing as a new drawing to really get rid of everything.

You can also try opening the drawings in 2015 using RECOVER to Audit the drawings as they are opening.

This may not solve the problems, but it's what I would try.

[DaveFuller]

Gotta chuckle. Right after I click "Post" I realized I hadn't included that.

Yes, audit and purge when the drawings were open in 2013. I've also attempted to open them using the recovery utility. When I open them using the purge utility, I receive the the message about no errors.... then stuck.

[dgorsman]

Usual suspects related to switching versions:

- you changed annotation fidelity setting (SAVEFIDELITY - copies of annotative entities per scale) in 2013 but not 2015

- you implemented XREF annotation scale controls in 2013 but not 2015 (XREF annotation scale bloat)

- DGN linetype bloat (should be fixed in 2015 release, but you have to clean *all* source files first)

- you added or modified some search paths in 2013 but not 2015, so the new version can't find something

- drawings are saved in one of the rendered visual styles and there is a graphics incompatibility between the 2015 version and your hardware

Probably a few more that don't spring immediately to mind...

[DaveFuller]

As I an unfamiliar with all but one issue, I'm gonna say none of these apply. One of the first things I did after installing 2015 was to ensure that all of the file paths copied from 2013, they did. One thing that looks like it worked right in 2015 was all of the files paths importing from 2013 to 2014 (we skipped 2014).

I will try wblock and insert and / or OLE copy and paste.... Thanx, none-the-less.

[pendean · Accepted solution]

Grab three freeware from the AutoCAD Exchange Apps site:
DWGPURGE: gets rid of DGN linetypes clutter.
RADICALPURGE: does a better job of purging that PURGE command.
ZOMBIEKILLER: removes 'proxy objects' traces from files.

Now you'll know what is up with all your files in all your AutoCAD applications: all three should work in 2013 as well as 2015.

[DaveFuller · Accepted solution]

Thanx Dean. Non of those accomplished much other than reducing the file size nominally. I ended up using good ol' OLE copy from 2013 and paste to 2015.

Good utilities none-the-less, I will keep them and use them. We get a lot of DGN files that can be pretty messy.