AutoCAD Architecture Forum
Welcome to Autodesk’s AutoCAD Architecture Forums. Share your knowledge, ask questions, and explore popular AutoCAD Architecture topics.
cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

opening of new version of autocad files in older version of autocad

9 REPLIES 9
SOLVED
Reply
Message 1 of 10
tanveer4m
108200 Views, 9 Replies

opening of new version of autocad files in older version of autocad

I have AutoCAD 2012 Architecture. Our clients are sending me newer version files like may be 2013 or 2014 I could not open it from our autocad 2012 (the only option is to open from 360 cloud or autocadws I don't need this option) . Is ther any update for 2012 to open 2013 file format? I have serched but failed to obtain it.

Tanveer
Autocad Draftsman
9 REPLIES 9
Message 2 of 10
pendean
in reply to: tanveer4m

ARCH2013 and higher create AEC content (walls, doors, windows etc.) that you can never edit or use in ARCH2012 or lower. FACT! If that is a need/requirement, you need to upgrade to ARCH2013/2014.

They can save files down for you, but keep in mind the limitations noted above about AEC objects if you use them. FACT!

FYI: There is no 'patch': you either upgrade to keep up, or ask them to knock files down to your version (which is 2010), or you can grab the free AutoCAD-generic viewer and hope the conversion works with any and all AEC and custom objects if they are used and you need them (see top of my reply). The free viewer is called DWG TRUEVIEW, you can search for it, download and install it.

There are no other solutions: don't forget what I wrote at the beginning of my reply about ARCH doors/walls/windows and other AEC objects (if you use them).
Message 3 of 10
tanveer4m
in reply to: pendean

Thanks for the reply but why has autodesk done this I know for files structure but they must have open the new files in older version we cannot upgrade our software's even if we do we need more ram more CPU speed that means we need to upgrade our systems too.
Tanveer
Autocad Draftsman
Message 4 of 10
pendean
in reply to: tanveer4m

It's not been a secret: with every DWG format change since ADT2004 this has happened. You should be upgrading with your project partners and not out on your own. At least with AutoCAD it's every three versions, if you are on REVIT it's every year/every new version and you cannot save down in REVIT.

BTW, Autodesk has announced the end of the old school 'upgrade every three years' option by Feb 2015: so plan on getting on subscription in the next year or so to avoid getting dropped from the upgrade path if you all choose to continue with AutoCAD Architecture.
Message 5 of 10
jesswilkinso
in reply to: pendean

dean, does this mean an autocad 2016 drawing can not be saved down to an earlier version of CAD.

Message 6 of 10
David_W_Koch
in reply to: jesswilkinso

AutoCAD 2016 and AutoCAD Architecture 2016 have not yet been released; so far as I know, information about file format in that upcoming release has not been made public.

 

AutoCAD (not AutoCAD Architecture or other "vertical" products built on top of AutoCAD) has the ability to save back to prior releases.  Even in "plain" AutoCAD, there are/can be issues if you save back far enough, where the target version does not have features that the newer version has (like annotative content, multi-leaders, etc.).  AutoCAD Architecture has additional object types not found in plain AutoCAD (Walls, Doors, Windows, etc.).  While you can use the AutoCAD SAVEAS command to save AutoCAD Architecture files back to a previous file format, you will find that when opening such a file, the presence of "future objects" will disable all of the AutoCAD Architecture features, making it impossible to edit or even add new Walls, Doors, etc.

 

Amongst releases that share the same AutoCAD file format (2004/2005/2006 use the 2004 format; 2007/2008/2009 use the 2007 format; 2010/2011/2012 use the 2010 format; 2013/2014/2015 use the 2013 format), files can generally be opened and edited in any of those releases.  There are some features which may have issues even among releases using the same file format.  For example, corner windows, introduced in the 2012 release, do not display properly in 2010 or 2011.

 

If the 2016 releases use the 2013 file format, then files saved in the 2016 release would be editable in 2013, 2014 and 2015.  If a new file format is introduced, then files created or saved in the 2016 release would not be editable in previous releases.


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
EESignature

Message 7 of 10
zahirmkn
in reply to: tanveer4m

have AutoCAD 2010 . Our clients are sending me newer version files like may be 2013 or 2014 I could not open it from our autocad 2010( the only option is to open from 360 cloud option) . but i can't open this file. because thi is above 10mb.How can solve this problem.

Please help me

 
Tags (1)
Message 8 of 10
David_W_Koch
in reply to: zahirmkn

Are you using AutoCAD, or AutoCAD Architecture?

 

If your client is sending you a file using the AutoCAD 2013 format (the format used by 2013-2017), you will not be able to open it in a 2010 AutoCAD or AutoCAD vertical product.  If you cannot ask the client to save the file back to the AutoCAD 2010 format, you could try downloading and installing DWG TrueView from the Autodesk website (it is free), and use that to save the file to the 2010 format yourself.

 

Carefully read all of the previous posts in this thread.  If the files you are receiving have AEC objects, and you are using AutoCAD Architecture and need to edit or create new AEC objects (Walls, Doors, etc.), you will not be able to do so even though you saved the file back.  Your AutoCAD Architecture 2010 will see that there are future-format AEC objects and will disable all of the AEC commands when working in that file.  If the file contains only AutoCAD objects or you only have AutoCAD and do not need to edit or create AEC objects, you may be able to work in it.

 

The only way to eliminate future AEC objects when saving back to a previous file version is to use the EXPORTTOAUTOCAD20xxx command, from the future version.  (I am not certain if you can do that via DWG TrueView.)  This will explode all AEC objects to AutoCAD linework, based on the current display settings, however, and will not leave you with any Walls, Doors, Spaces, etc.


David Koch
AutoCAD Architecture and Revit User
Blog | LinkedIn
EESignature

Message 9 of 10

This isn't a solution. 

Message 10 of 10

It's a fact: there is no solution.

Can't find what you're looking for? Ask the community or share your knowledge.

Post to forums  

Autodesk Design & Make Report

”Boost