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2011 Deployment Customization

16 REPLIES 16
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Message 1 of 17
ted_martin
1265 Views, 16 Replies

2011 Deployment Customization

I posted this feed under the licensing discussion group and had no response or attempt to justify the what is going on!! Maybe I'll have a better response here!!!!!!

 

Initial question

 

"When creating a network deployment for Civil 3D 2011, I am not given the option to customize the Installation Folders for Support Content, such as Define Search Paths and File Locations. Was this removed from the deployment options? How do I access those options when creating a network deployment?"

 

Autodesks response

 

"Yes, the Option of configuring the support folders is not available in Civil 3D 2011 Network Deployment."


And finally my question

 

 

"I work for a company with over 700 cad users in offices all over the world. I am required to build all the corporate deployments for AutoDesk products. The simple answer "Yes, the customization of paths was removed from the deployment" is not an answer but a statement. Is it suggested by AutoDesk that I install a generic unpathed deployment package and push a profile around after the fact for each of my double digit offices that I support?

Could I please have the rationale behind why the decision has been made to remove such a vital tool in maintaining a corporate standard? Is there any intention for AutoDesk to re releasing Civil 3D and Revit to fix this?

 

Yes, Revit too! If you build the Revit from scratch it provides you the ability to path shared content. Once the deployment package is build you cannot modify any of these features with the Create & Modify shortcut.

 

 

 

AutoDesk needs to reconsider what has been release. Gone are the days that I can build single deployment with our corporate pathing bound in where as I only need to reset the shortcut pointers and install. I made no complaints when in the 2009 release we had to edit .ini file to modify information in the deployments after the build was done."

 

 

 

But this one has to have some resolution. Please someone answer me

 

Regards

 

Ted Martin 

Corportate Cad Support

16 REPLIES 16
Message 2 of 17
tdivittis
in reply to: ted_martin

I just found this little tidbit out and couldn't be more disappointed/aggravated.

 

I hope Adesk understand that this makes the deployment all but worthless.  2 deployments (64/32 bit) for 10 offices to accomplish virtually nothing.  Why?  Is it suddenly an anomoly to use an AutoCad based product in a customized fashion?!?

 

I hope that someone, somewhere at AutoDesk will stop brown-nowsing senior management long enough to get through to them that some of these decisions are downright ridiculous.  Have they never deployed the application and if not, why in the #$%^ are they making such a decision?  Sorry for the tone, but this is really a dumb decision that I cannot fathom.  I get the impression that there are people at AutoDesk trying to make Civil 3D frustrating.  (I love the application............hate the truckloads of nonsense that go along with it.)

 

I'll be reinventing the wheel this evening if anyone needs me.  😉

 

Tom DiVittis

Grumpy Corporate CADD Program Manager

Message 3 of 17
GTVic
in reply to: tdivittis

If you are willing to use Orca to modify the MSI, you should be able to modify almost anything. What would be nice is a guide to all these folders and how they are used and where they can be set.

 

Did anyone notice a file called c:\msdia80.dll on their computer after installation. I think this was installed by Civil 3D 2011 but I can't be sure. Orca can fix those types of mistakes as well.

 

 

Message 4 of 17
tdivittis
in reply to: ted_martin

Outside of not knowing what it is, I'm not opposed to it.  😉

 

I'll check into it, for sure.  Thanks

Message 5 of 17
GTVic
in reply to: tdivittis

Unfortunately it is buried deep in Microsoft's Windows SDK. If you install that (or just the correct part of it) then you will get a file called Orca.msi somewhere on your computer which you can run to install the program.

 

Orca will let you modify any MSI file or create/edit a transform MST file.

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa370557%28VS.85%29.aspx

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-ca/windowsserver/bb980924.aspx

Message 6 of 17
alison.gangler
in reply to: GTVic

Just to confirm, msdia80.dll is one of the components within the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable package that is included along with the install as one of the prerequisites. Please see the following link:

 

http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/vistahardware/thread/5e149296-f8f5-403a-a049-3cf26b...

 

I hope this helps



Alison Gangler
Install Engineer/PDG-AEC Product Group
Autodesk, Inc.

Message 7 of 17
tdivittis
in reply to: alison.gangler

Are you confirming that the Civil 3D 2011 install places it there?  (I get the impression that the OP on that subject is likely well aware of what the file his, he appears to be wondering if C3D install is what put it there.)

 

More information on this entire topic (deployment customization, not this DLL) would be really nice.

 

Sincere suggestion:  At least throw us a bone and provide INI type functionality so that those of us who really do need the flexibility with deployments can do it.  Most of us can handle modifying a text file, we don't need a bloated user interface......we just need the ability to modify the darn settings.

 

Thanks for at least reading.

Message 8 of 17
GTVic
in reply to: alison.gangler

Alison, yes, but my point was that it should not be installed in the root folder of your system drive as in c:\msdia80.dll. I'm not 100% certain it is Civil 3D 2011 that put this file at that location but that would be my best guess because I'm seeing it on multiple computers where Civil 3D 2011 has been recently installed.

 

Greg

Message 9 of 17
GTVic
in reply to: tdivittis

If you are an Autodesk University member, they have course materials on certain customizing topics:

 

Sample for Civil 3D:

http://www.vrmesh.com/download/CV318-4P.pdf

 

Sample for Revit:

http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=material&session_material_id=6443

Message 10 of 17
tdivittis
in reply to: ted_martin

Looks like I'm going to AU, again, this year.  I'll keep my eye open for how a "2011 Deployment Customization" class.  😉

 

Thanks, much.

Message 11 of 17
ted_martin
in reply to: tdivittis

Wow my simple conversation about pathing and request for an explanation have ballooned into a whole new topic . I attend AU every year with special interest in the management portion of things. The suggestion that these courses will be the guiding light with the direction fix what is clearly broken is bogus. The last time I tried to get a simple answer out of that Civil 3D customization course about crashing I got “ it’s not our software it’s your 7 year old OS(windows XP)” only one week after windows 7 was on AutoDesk’s approved list.

 

 What I want it AUTODESK to answer the simple question where did the ability to set pathing in my deployment go????? Orca is a great solution (thanks for that one) but for the price all of us pay for subscription based products I want tools that work! The subscription revenue hog assumes that a release every year is necessary but I would rather wait 2 or even 3 years if the release didn’t require 4 service packs to work properly and not crash.

 

I want people to want more out of their software! The simple answer “it’s not in there anymore” is not good enough. I will be at AU this year and I want people to ask the tough questions and not be satisfied with answers like “it’s your OS not our software”

 

Still  searching for answers in a quagmire of confussion…..

 

Ted Martin

Message 12 of 17
ted_martin
in reply to: ted_martin

FYI Revit has an INI file that can be edited resolving deployments that can't be repathed. It can be found at

\AdminImage\RevitSetup\RevitArchitecture\program files\Autodesk\Root\program\Reivt.ini

 

no such luck with Civil 3D yet!!!

 

Regards

Ted Martin

 

Message 13 of 17
gr8gonzo0
in reply to: ted_martin

Autodesk where are you? We need answers to this. It is very frustrating to have to set the support file paths on each individual workstation. Has anyone found a better way to handle this?

Message 14 of 17
ted_martin
in reply to: ted_martin

Yes there is an answer. It is an old solution that we used to incorporate customization long ago.... Using custom shortcuts to control a profile and template loading on startup. You will require a configured .arg and a template stored on a shared drive.... I have attached a local example of an edited target that forces the arg and template with a double click of the icon.

 

Target : "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011\acad.exe" /ld "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011\AecBase.dbx" /t "d:\AutoCAD_2011\Templates\Civil3d\_MY_Civil3d2011_m_NCS-local.dwt" /p "d:\AutoCAD_2011\Templates\Civil3d\_MY_C3d_remote.arg"

 

The red text is what I have added to the sortcut to have Civil 3D start with "_MY_Civil3d2011_m_NCS-local.dwt" and the /p (profile) start "_MY_C3d_remote.arg" (in this cad a D drive but this could just as easily be a network drive)

the image attached shows where the target data would reside in the shortcut. Once edited all you need to to is install the program (OOTB) and copy your custom icons to the desktop or use group policy to update the workstations.

Message 15 of 17
tdivittis
in reply to: gr8gonzo0

I'm using a custom .NET solution, launched from the enterprise mnl. Less than ideal, but has much more opportunity for me anyway. I'm 'fortunate' to be supporting a larger group, justifying my time in setting it all up......I realize others are not as fortunate and still would like an explanation to why so much power was removed. Sent from my iPhone
Message 16 of 17
gr8gonzo0
in reply to: ted_martin

Thanks tmartin. I have been considering using the custom profile and shortcut; however, it seemed like more work and confusion to have people update their shortcuts. But, I did not think to just setup up one shortcut and have everyone copy it to their desktop. That just might work 🙂 .

 

The only other drawback I think is that the custom profile will override any settings made by individual users everytime they start the program. For instance, changing the crosshair size or color schemes. This is not necessarily a deal breaker but was wondering how you deal with it on your end. Is everyone just locked into the same settings? 

Message 17 of 17
ted_martin
in reply to: ted_martin

Think of the profile as having two parts to it the paths and the interface. When a user loads a custom ARG from a short cut it loads the data (paths, colors, cross hairs etc.) to the users profile in the registry. The registry is specific to the user and he/she can still modify the interface without overwriting the ARG located on the server. So in short your users are not limited to your initial ARG (just make sure your users don't goof with the paths)!

 

Regards

Ted

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