What generates the "$Audit-Bad-Layer$" layer during the audit process? The company I work for does not want it in their files.
We are to audit and save or work at the end of each day. If I remove the "$Audit-Bad-Layer$" layer the next time the file is audited it returns.
Civil 3D 2012 SP1
That layer is created by Audit when it finds non dimension point objects on the Defpoints layer. Many people use Defpoints as their no plot layer, but creating a layer specifically for no plot so you don't put objects on Defpoints will eliminate the Audit bad layer.
Best regards,
Tim
There seem to be several reasons that audit will create and populate that layer. It can be purged from the drawing. If it happens every time you audit, you might have an issue with your template. Try auditing an empty drawing opened from the template.
When I was building my template I often saw this as a result of having something call for a layer that didn't exist, I think.
FYI
Audit>Purge>Audit>Purge>Audit
Repeat often
My wild guess is that this is a dump layer for acad when it can't resolve object handles. We see it time to time after using recover or audit. Sometimes the crashing is from feature lines, gradings sometimes we see it hatching through xref's. Tim may have found another trigger with defpoints but we don't use that layer at all.
John Mayo
I think John and Tim both have answers. It can definitely occur when you use DEFPOINTS as a NoPlot layer (which is against "best practices"), but it also seems to occur when recovering files, at least in my experience.
It's possible that other people in my company have created items on DEFPOINTS and then deleted them, which may lead to what I've seen (since I never see this issue in drawings I know I've only worked on myself). But I've definitely seen the issue in drawings created by others in my company, even when I find no objects on DEFPOINTS. So there may be some risidual sort of bug, or maybe even a more insidious sort of bug I haven't yet been able to track down.
I cannot help myself. Sinc knows I use defpoints, there is not one drawing file of mine that is not covered with defpoints "stuff". It may crash and burn any minute, but as far as I know, it has not caused me any "griefs".
Bill
"you don't put objects on Defpoints will eliminate the Audit bad layer."
Disagree with that. I certainly never use Defpoints, and I don't think anyone else is here either, but I have seen the Bad-Layer.
Here's another thing, as for "Audit>Purge>Audit>Purge>Audit.......Repeat often"
Certainly I agree, but be careful of how often you repeat. I've been in a vicious cycle where the audit created something (I can't remember if it was the 'Bad-Layer' or an anonymous block). Then purge deleted it. Then the audit found an error and created it again. So long as I left it there: no error. Purge it out: error found, fixed, and definition recreated again.
Mark Green
Working on Civil 3D in Canada
Certainly I agree, but be careful of how often you repeat. I've been in a vicious cycle where the audit created something (I can't remember if it was the 'Bad-Layer' or an anonymous block). Then purge deleted it. Then the audit found an error and created it again. So long as I left it there: no error. Purge it out: error found, fixed, and definition recreated again.
I don't like leaving those errors in my drawing. I have been in that cycle as well but it occurs rarely now since I purge>audit>purge>audit regularly. If the "cycle" occurs I can trace the cause quickly and resolve it.
mccabejoshua wrote:
I don't like leaving those errors in my drawing. I have been in that cycle as well but it occurs rarely now since I purge>audit>purge>audit regularly. If the "cycle" occurs I can trace the cause quickly and resolve it.
How are you able to trace this?
I audit and purge basically after I do anything. If I get the bad layer I know it is a result of what I just did.
To clarify, I saw this a lot when I was building our template and assigning layers to label styles, point styles, etc. When it occured I generally knew what needed to be fixed.
If I remember correctly I had corrupted blocks that had layers other than "0" in built into them but nothing on them. For example, I would have a sewer manhole and when I tested the block it would have a few random layers in the block that I could not purge. When I brought the block in, it would also bring in the random unused layers. I could then purge them but the audit created the "bad layer". I knew it was the blocks because that is what I was working on.
My first step would to audit>purge>audit a blank template drawing as suggested in a previous post. When I do this to my template there are no errors and nothing to purge.
Nothing to purge in your template? Do you have no Blocks, Layers, Dim Styles, Text Styles set up for yourself in there?
Mark Green
Working on Civil 3D in Canada
I have checked all 12 template files and none returned any errors, but I am not able to purge theses files because there are a lots of styles, blocks, layers, etc. that need to be maintained in the file for the drafter. I have opened read-only copies of the files and audit/purged/audited the read-only files with no errors.
Does that mean that the errors are being created by the users?
I'm not sure where the error is being created. The good news is that your not starting with the errors. Trying to recreate the error will be time consuming and a total pain but once its found you will also have to figure why its causing the bad layer and figure out how to fix it, if you can't work around it.
Are you purging unused layers at the end of the day after the audit? If yes, I believe you may have a block, style, etc that calls for a layer that is no longer there, thus creating a bad layer condition.(or something similar)
I would like to know if Autodesk has list of conditions that will cause the "bad layer", I assume it would be rather large. I assume this not specific to Civil 3D and can happen with any Autodesk product that allows you to audit your drawing.
I wish I could help more. Please keep us updated if you find the cause/reason.
This is just a shot in the dark; have you purged REGAPPS? It may be that something has come into your drawing from a foreign product. I've seen this type of behavior when working with DWG's exported from Microstation based products.
Audit -> Purge -> Save -> Close -> Re-Open, and the audit bad layer will be gone
One more note: save before you audit. I've crashed and burned a few times on that.
Mark Green
Working on Civil 3D in Canada
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