Realistic View not operating correctly

[jennielowery]

Hi,

We have 2 machines running AutoCAD 2014.  We both use our machines for the same thing, both have the same settings (I set them both up identically).

I use my machine like I intended for it to be used, my co-worker uses it bare bones (she doens't render or use any of the other views except 2D wireframe, normally).

I have our CAD Block library set up so that all the blocks are already finished (meaning, they all have materials added to them) so we don't have to do this to each block in a drawing (saves a lot of time).

I use Realistic View everyday, never have any issues with it not working properly (minus some materials dissapearing upon block insertion from time to time, another issue entirely though).  Today, my co-worker had a need to use Realistic View and when she types in SHA, R .. instead of a view that shows the materials her background turns a dark gray (instead of staying black) and all the blocks turn either gray or black (sometiems the parts & pieces are all one color, some others have mixed black/gray).

I've gone through all the settings (under both Realistic View Manager & OP) and they are all exactly the same as mine, line by line.  Our computers are identical (graphics cards, processors, even the monitors).

This is about to drive me nuts.  Anyone have any suggestions on what could be amiss here?  I'm stumped.  I'm guessing she has accidentally mis-typed in some command at some point, but I have no clue what it could have been, and I'm not having any luck googling our particular set of "symptoms".

Thanks in Advance,

J

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

same graphiccard?

same setting for hardware acceleration?

If you open this specific drawing on both systems, can you create a screenshot at every workstation directly after opening the file and upload them so we can see the difference?

Additional, if possible, uploading that file would give us the best options for testing.

- alfred -

[jennielowery]

Yes, the computers are built with identical hardware.

I have gone through the 3D settings & the Styles settings and they are both set up identical.

This is something that just happened evidently.  My co-workers computer was recently upgraded from a lesser machine though.  To save down time the IT guy imaged her hard drive onto a flash, then transferred her hard drive information over to the new machine .. so everything should have remained set up the same .. key word .. should have, heh.

I know something has been changed (obviously) but with so many places to look .. I'm just not sure where else to look except the obvious places I already have.  Our IT people know absolutely NOTHING about AutoCAD either, so this is up to me (and you guys, if you can help!)

My co-worker actually had to work on a drawing I had been working on yesterday.  When I left the drawing was perfectly fine.  Realistic view was working properly.  She had to make a change to the drawing, which she did on her computer .. when I opened the drawing on my machine today and now Realistic view is messed up on my machine after I opened the file she opened/saved.

Evidently this is not file related.  This is computer related .. as now all previous drawings (even year old ones) I try to open the Realistic view is corrupted now.

Now this is at a critical level.  I won't be able do renders without being able to see the materials I have applied without a considerable time increase .. YIKES!

I've attached a screen shot of how the original file looks now (left side, open in AutoCAD with Realistic View turned on) that my co-worker opened it on her machine, and how it looked before she opened it (right side, printed to a PDF before she opened it) when my Realistic View was working properly.

We only have 2 machines here, so now both of them are messed up.  I'm actually afraid to send you the actual file.  If this is some sort of virus (we open files sent by architects) I'm afraid it may do this to your machine.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I've attached a screen shot

Besides of black to white background and one color (red-brown) I see not really that much differences (or it's to late for me and I should sleep now 😉 ).

Can you make a marker at the position (in this screenshot) where you see real differences? (the one color I guess is a frozen layer).

- alfred -

[EDIT] and maybe to better compare those two pictures ==> can you make a screenshot with white background in the layout? [/EDIT]

[jennielowery]

OK .. I found the reason these 2 materials turned black.  For whatever reason something has changed the setting on these 2 materials (something on my co-workers computer that when she opened this drawing then I did it changed the settings on my computer).

The "reflectivity" box was checked, un-checking the box completely fixes the problem .. but what would make these 2 specific materials do this on their own .. and why would it be changing itself every drawing that I open up, not just the original file?

All of the finishes in are saved to my favorites on my machine (you can see my favorites listed in the bottom box, below the finsihes used in the drawing) and my co-worker has no favorites set up on hers (since she doesn't do any rendering), so her settings shouldn't have been able to affect my materials loaded only on my machine (we have stand alone licences installed separately on each machine, no server ghosting).  The fact that it is affecting only these 2 specific materials in every drawing I open is just blowing my mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXu1YM2I5AE

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

can you upload that sample drawing from the video?

At least: I would not understand that the checkbox changes when anyone else opens the drawing (and don't modify that material).

But there might be some setting in AutoCAD so the reflectivity-checkbox can be checked and it's working too (hopefully we find such a setting).

Just to make sure: if you create a new drawing, a new checkbox and assign that specific material, does it look like it should in realistic view ... and is the checkbox for reflectivity then on or off?

- alfred -

[jennielowery]

Ok I removed a lage portion of the file because it was too large.

I am uploading 2 files; one I have not opened today (it hasn't been opened in a year probably), and the one that I opened today that I know is messed up (same file from the video).

So open the one named End Unit first; because I know it should open correctly (if this isn't just something that's happened to our AutoCAD's) .. then open the one named Pharmacy Example.

Thanks for helping me!

[jennielowery]

Just to see what happened, I opened a new drawing and inserted a block that hasn't been used this week.

YOu can see from the preview the finishes are correct, right up until I insert them in my AutoCAD drawing and turn on realistic view.  The reflectivity, again, on just the same 2 materials is turned on.

It's so weird!  Why those 2 finishes?  Why not the laminate on the counter top or the bases?  So random!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i81pI_zy-FA

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

well, looking to the material "Wood - Wild Cherry" gives me the message that the texture file is not found.

As the visual style "Realistic" has to show "Material and Textures" it has now the problem how to display a texture that can't be found.

That might now be just my system, if it was an image that exists on your system, but at least switching "Reflectivity" reacts on my system in the same way you showed in your video, so I guess the image is missing on your system too (at least not found by AutoCAD).

>> I am uploading 2 files; one I have not opened today (it hasn't been opened in a year probably)

Yep, so I had opened your file with AutoCAD 2012 and here the lightness of the material is not depending on the existence of the image. So if you have not opened the file for a year (or more) it might be possible that you have opend that file with another AutoCAD release.

Anyway, the material is missing and for the wood-like material you get it rendered in the basic color, but without texture.

Am I right that the image is missing/not found?

- alfred -

[jennielowery]

Oh, sorry those are materials I created.  I might should have sent you the files for the wild cherry.  It is an image file, while the other is one I created inside of AutoCAD.  I will attach it for you to use.

You can see on the video that the wild cherry appears once I uncheck reflectivity, so the file is not missing or corrupt on my machines (actually those blocks & all custom materials are hosted on our server, not on each individual machine).

My problem is .. 2 days ago there were 0 problems with any materials on either machine, then 1 day ago my co-workers machine all of a sudden stopped showing these 2 particular materials (1 created with an image file, 1 created inside of autocad) because the reflectivity box was checked, then the next day after I opened a file my co-worker was working on my machine also now has issues with these 2 particular materials & the reflectivty box is checked .. and all files are affected now.

I guess the real issue here is why did AutoCAD randomly select these 2 custom materials (out of many) and why is the reflectivity box all of a sudden checked (when it wasn't before), and the real question is, how did it manage to do this in every file?

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

well, after modifying the matierail to find your image, the situation is the same for me:

in 2012 the display includes the texture

in 2014 the display does not show the texture

in 2014 with disabled hardware acceleration I also can see the texture ... that was not mentioned yet ==>what are you settings for hw-acceleration?

And just to make sure: you already saw the image/texture when you opend the file in 2014 and not in an earlier AutoCAD release? Because in 2012 I see that texture. What was your AutoCAD release you used before? And when did you update to 2014?

Last but not least, that may depend now on graphiccard or driver, I found one setting that makes it possible to activate hardware-acceleration and to see the texture, but I'm not sure if that is the best workaround at all: Start command _3DCONFIG ==> manual tune ==> change the property "Advanced material effects" to "OFF" ... doest that help for your too?

BTW: Is it possible that you updated your gc-drivers few days/weeks ago?

- alfred -

[jennielowery]

That totally fixed it!  THANKS!

We are on 2014, and have been since it came out (we are on subscription) .. no idea why this happened though.  Like I said one day it was fine, the next after I opened a file she had worked on, not fine.  I haven't updated anything except Windows when it asks too .. I normally don't update my graphics card unless I get an email from Firepro letting me know there is one, and I havne't gotten one lately.

Thanks so much!