Autocad 2014 Error - Makes wrong xref relative paths

[JasonMartinIndy]

I keep having an issue with Autocad making incorrect relative paths for attached jpg's or png's. Sometimes it won't let me do relative paths at all. It just says you can't attach with a relative path...? The paths must be relative. I start a project on my computer and when it is done, I move it to the server. I have just started having issues in the last 2-3 months. What is weird is it is hit or miss. It will work fine sometimes but not in others. When I seem to be having issues is when I attach more than 1 image to a drawing. 1st one works fine, but after that is when I start to have issues. Even if the 1st jpg has been deleted and the path is still there.

I am inserting the jpg or png using the raster image referance command. I tell it to import relative path (if possable). It shows up fine, but when you re-open the drawing it can't find the image. When you look at the "relative path" it basically just removed the drive letter only instead of the correct relative path. So I click on the 3 dots on the saved path of the xref window. I relocate the jpg. I right click on the referance window and go paths , make relative. It just removes the drive letter...... instead of removing drive letter and 3 folders.

Here is what it is doing:

Absolute

Drive Letter:\##Projects##\Company Name\Project Name (Date)\10 ORIGINALS\Untitled-1.jpg

AutoCAD Wrong Relative Path

..\##Projects##\Company Name\Project Name (Date)\10 ORIGINALS\Untitled-1.jpg

Actual Relative Path

..\10 ORIGINALS\Untitled-1.jpg

Anyone else having issues?

FYI - the ## in the project folder name is to make sure it is always at the top of the list in the file structure. Basically I do this with anything I get into on a regular basis to save time so I don't have to go digging. Same thing with the 10 in the orignals folder, it keeps the folders in a specific order.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> Sometimes it won't let me do relative paths at all

That is valid for two situations:

a) your current drawing is not saved yet

b) your current drawing is saved to another drive or network share than the image you try to reference

>> I have just started having issues in the last 2-3 months.

What changed to your server- or client system at this time?

- alfred -

[JasonMartinIndy]

>> Sometimes it won't let me do relative paths at all

That is valid for two situations:

a) your current drawing is not saved yet

b) your current drawing is saved to another drive or network share than the image you try to reference

A) It is saved

B) The files are only one folder away, not saved on a different drive.

>> I have just started having issues in the last 2-3 months.

What changed to your server- or client system at this time?

A) I think I installed the service pack 1 for Autocad.

This issue is very hit and miss. I just tried it again with the same jpg's as before, on the same drive, only 1 folder away. It worked correctly..... ??

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> A) I think I installed the service pack 1 for Autocad.

Well, I have not heared or read about that, I can only say that I have not had that problem.

But I don't think it would be a good step to uninstall the SP1, as then other issues raise up.

>> This issue is very hit and miss

Well, then it's important to know the situation (file-names and -positions, do you have special characters in filename and/or foldername).

What I would check first: how many drawings do you have open, are there any unsaved ones, can the problem be solved by closing all other dawings, then save this one again and start again _IMAGE ...

At least sorry to say, at the moment I have no idea for "that solves it".

Sorry, - alfred -

[pendean]

If the XREF is pathed as C:\myfolder\mysubfolder\xrefilename and you move it to \\server\myfolder\mysubfolder the top file is still looking for it on the C: driver and not the \\server drive.

But if the XREF is only ever pathed as 'relative' like \mysubfolder\xreffilename with no other location information then the actual harddrive hardware location would never be an issue for the top file to path as it will always look for that subfolder below it.

All the above assumes the top file is located in the MYFOLDER location in both instances (aka a relative path).

[JasonMartinIndy]

If the XREF is pathed as C:\myfolder\mysubfolder\xrefilename and you move it to \\server\myfolder\mysubfolder the top file is still looking for it on the C: driver and not the \\server drive.

But if the XREF is only ever pathed as 'relative' like \mysubfolder\xreffilename with no other location information then the actual harddrive hardware location would never be an issue for the top file to path as it will always look for that subfolder below it.

All the above assumes the top file is located in the MYFOLDER location in both instances (aka a relative path).

That is all correct but doesn't explain the error. From the begining I tell it to import relative path and it uses the wrong path.....? or it won't let me import as relative. If I tell it to make it a relative path, it uses the wrong path so when I open the drawing again it can't find the jpg or png file. It just happens off and on. I haven't figured out the pattern yet. I always do things the same way so it is just a matter of time before I figure it out.

If anyone else has run into this give me a shout so we can compair notes.

[rkmcswain]

Alfred.NESWADBA wrote:

>> Sometimes it won't let me do relative paths at all

That is valid for two situations:

a) your current drawing is not saved yet

...which is totally bogus. There is no technical reason that the parent drawing has to be saved (DBMOD = 0) in order to use a relative path, unless of course the parent drawing is an unnamed new drawing, which can easily be determined. It's a bug that has existed for many, many years.

[JasonMartinIndy]

There really was no ryme or reason to it. I am very good at troubleshooting problems. I can usually duplicate most problems and find what is causing it. This one has me a bit baffeled. It will do it on new drawings, and old drawings, saved or not saved. I have my autosave set to 3 min and I always work from a named base drawing. I have been watching for the error everytime I attach anything. Usually if it happens, I can just repath it to absolute and then change to relative and it is good. I have had it to where it would just keep doing the wrong path over and over even if I detached it and then re-attached it. If this happened I would have to shut down autocad and reopen it, then repath it, and then it would do the correct path. Some of the time it would show the correct relative path, but be wrong when I opened it the next day. It is very odd, and I have not yet figured out what is causing it.

The one thing I do differently than a lot of people is I use ## in some of my folder names and layer names so I can easly find them as it will put them at the top of the list.

I have just upgraded to 2015 and have not seen the error yet but I haven't had to attach many things yet. I suppose I can put it through the ringer to see what it will do.

[james.pierce]

I am experiencing,  from what I can tell, the exact same problem.  The weird thing for me is that it just started happening in the last month or so too.  This is combined with a myriad of other unexplained speed and access issues with 2014.  I am really beginning to hate 2014 and I have never had any real major issues with ACAD products to this date and I started with v12.

I have been able to save the ACAD file in question, down to my local machine and move all of the image references and dwg references local as well.  After doing this, I can add xrefs and make everything relative without any issues.  I then save it back up to the network drives and the relativity remains.

This is a far from elegant solution and it seems that all solutions I have been getting from Autodesk are scraped from the bottom of the barrel.  Reset user profile, reinstall drivers, reinstall program, turn on hardware acceleration, all of which should not be an issue at all and sound quite frankly, like Beta testing BS.  The problem with these solutions is that they 'fix' a problem by wiping the issue under the rug, rather than finding out what the isuue is and addressing it.

Yeah, OK.  I can get relative to work by performing those steps, but who has that kind of time with files that large...10-20+ gbs with references.  Plus, moving things from one place to another all of the time is a good way to lose stuff.

Any advice for this frustrated manager/user would be much appreciated.  I need to serve 400+ users in my organization, and these bandage fixes are yesterday's news.

[JasonMartinIndy]

I was having several different issues with 2014. I finally upgraded to 2015 (6 months after release, thanks I.T.) and I havent been having the xref issues but I have only been doing it locally and not from the server since the upgrade. I will try it here in a couple of hours from the server to see if I get any issues.When I had 2014 I use to get the error even if I was local or not. My image files were only 1 folder away but the overall folder depth was fairly long ( maybe 8-10 folders deep from the main drive).

FYI- The only error I have found so far is the block edit bar doesn't close when exit block editing mode. You just have to click on a different tab and click back to previous tab to make it go away. Outside of that, I haven't had any issues.

[jggerth1]

The approach iIve been using with success has been to simly edit the path in the XREF Manager dialog,  Regardless of whether the inital pathing selection was full, relative, or no path, it's pretty straightforward to double click in the Saved Path field and edit it to show a relative path.

the only time I will copy material down, is if the project server is in a different office with a limited badnwidth connection.  Of course, that's all of them 🙂

[JasonMartinIndy]

I went through and tested the xref linking from the server and it is hitting 10 for 10. There were no problems, I tried different folders, and different types of files (jpg & dwg). My path was pretty deep and had special characters in it (which usually causes issues in the past). It worked great and I haven't had a single issue that yet. So upgrading to 2015 seems like a valid way to go. I am assuming you are on autodesk 360 subscription. It is sucide to not be since you can't buy upgrades and you will have to rebuy full autocad to move versions.

On a side note: I just saw a lisp routine that would repath everything to relative. Even if the stuff changed folders it would change it. The bad news is, it doesn't work in newer versions of autocad. I tried it and it didn't work. It will probably need to be updated so it will work again. I know nothing about Lisp so I was thinking of posting it and see what it would take to make it work.

[JasonMartinIndy]

Well looks like it is doing it to me again. Wrong relative xref paths..... I am running 2015 patch 2. Has done it 6 times. I will have to do some experimenting to figure out why and when. I am working off of a server this time? This is becoming a huge issue when other people open stuff I have done and the xref's don't show. Most of the other people have no idea how to fix the problem.

AUTOCAD YOU NEED TO FIX THIS!!!! HAD THIS ISSUE FOR 2 YEARS!!!