topic Re: The NLS files required... in AutoCAD for Mac Forum

The NLS files required...

betazero — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 13:31:20 GMT

The NLS files required to interpret the text entities and symbol table

names in your drawing of code page mac-roman

cannot be found or are not installed in your system.

AutoCAD can try to interpret text entities and symbol table names

using the default system code page; however, this might result in a

loss of information.

To install the missing NLS files, double-click the Regional Settings

icon in the Windows Control Panel.

Do you want to continue?

I am still getting this in the MAC version of Autocad. What I am doing to recreate the problem is just export a DWG from Sketchup and attach to Autocad as an XREF. Is there a fix for this? It also says to goto the windows control panel on MAC 🙂 Might want to fix that anyways.

Re: The NLS files required...

pendean — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 13:44:33 GMT

RECOVER your exported DWG file in AutoCAD, and fix it perhaps. Save. Now use it as an xref.
Or post that exported DWG file here to review/examine in more detail.

Re: The NLS files required...

maxim_k — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:03:55 GMT

I believe it is Sketchup export to DWG issue.
Have you tried to open DWG exported from Sketchup directly in AutoCAD (not as XREF)?
You can try to open DWG from Sketchup, then copy/paste everything from it to the new drawing, save it and use the resulting file as XREF.

Here is some info about NLS files:

http://www.cadforum.cz/cadforum_en/the-nls-files-required-to-convert-the-text-entities-tip7164

As about the message you get about Windows Control panel - looks like NLS checking module in AutoCAD for Mac came from windows version of AutoCAD and developers have not changed the standard alert.

Maxim

Re: The NLS files required...

maxim_k — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:41:42 GMT

You can also check the names of the AutoCAD named objects (Layers, blocks, text styles, etc.) in the DWG exported from Sketchup. If you will see some strange characters, rename these objects, then save DWG and check on reopening.

Maxim

Re: The NLS files required...

betazero — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 14:58:16 GMT

If I open the DWG and save it fixes the problem but thats what I have been doing for years and I tired of the waste of time. The only thing I use in layers is the ! so that the layers I use alphabetically go to the top. I will try using an A or something.

Re: The NLS files required...

maxim_k — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 15:22:09 GMT

Try to use $ sign, it doesn't case problems on my side.

Maxim

Re: The NLS files required...

betazero — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 16:09:47 GMT

I change the ! to an a and it had no effect.

Re: The NLS files required...

maxim_k — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 16:11:35 GMT

Can you share here one of your problem drawings?
You can send it to my email:
mkanaev@yandex.ru

Maxim

Re: The NLS files required...

betazero — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 18:53:06 GMT

Sure. Drew a box in sketchup and exported it as 2d dwg. Try attaching as xref. I have to click thru 3 nls warnings then insert and click thru one more nls thing. When i refresh the xref i only have to do the NLS warning once though ( well once per xref ). The Sketchup file only has the default layer0 by the way so I don't think its a layer naming issue.

NLS WARNING #1:

The NLS files required to interpret the text entities and symbol table

names in your drawing of code page mac-roman

cannot be found or are not installed in your system.

AutoCAD can try to interpret text entities and symbol table names

using the default system code page; however, this might result in a

loss of information.

To install the missing NLS files, double-click the Regional Settings

icon in the Windows Control Panel.

Do you want to continue?

NLS WARNING #2:

The NLS files required to interpret the text entities and symbol table

names in your drawing of code page mac-roman

cannot be found or are not installed in your system.

AutoCAD can try to interpret text entities and symbol table names

using the default system code page; however, this might result in a

loss of information.

To install the missing NLS files, double-click the Regional Settings

icon in the Windows Control Panel.

Do you want to continue?

NLS WARNING #3:

The NLS files required to interpret the text entities and symbol table

names in your drawing of code page mac-roman

cannot be found or are not installed in your system.

AutoCAD can try to interpret text entities and symbol table names

using the default system code page; however, this might result in a

loss of information.

To install the missing NLS files, double-click the Regional Settings

icon in the Windows Control Panel.

Do you want to continue?

THEN INSERT AND THEN NLS WARNING #4:

The NLS files required to interpret the text entities and symbol table

names in your drawing of code page mac-roman

cannot be found or are not installed in your system.

AutoCAD can try to interpret text entities and symbol table names

using the default system code page; however, this might result in a

loss of information.

To install the missing NLS files, double-click the Regional Settings

icon in the Windows Control Panel.

Do you want to continue?

Re: The NLS files required...

maxim_k — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 20:51:42 GMT

I wrote in my first response:

"I believe it is Sketchup export to DWG issue."

And now I'm sure - it is Sketchup export to DWG issue.

AutoCAD doesn't write any information about DWGCODEPAGE in the drawing database since R13 (November 1994)

But DWGCODEPAGE system variable is still there for compatibility reasons. When you check it in the drawing AutoCAD shows the value of the SYSCODEPAGE system variable:

http://help.autodesk.com/view/ACD/2018/ENU/?guid=GUID-2DD5A705-BD1E-4398-8C1C-17C8B139E66B

So TrustedDWG™ should not contain any information about DWG codepage. But some of applications capable of creating DWG files can assign and save some value to the DWGCODEPAGE system variable.

Looks like the version of Sketchup you are using does this. For some reason it sets the value of the DWGCODEPAGE in the drawing to "MAC_ROMAN". When AutoCAD opens such drawing, it reads the information about DWGCODEPAGE and tries to translate this codepage to the current system codepage. It does this with the help of NLS files - Microsoft National Language Support File. If AutoCAD cannot find the "translation" NLS file, it shows the alert.

I attached drawing, created in BricsCAD for Mac, which by default doesn't assign any value to DWGCODEPAGE inside DWG, but it is able to change DWGCODEPAGE ad write information to DWG file. Using this ability I assigned DWGCODEPAGE to MAC_ROMAN in BricsCAD - try to open it and you will see the same alert as you see when you open DWG, created in Sketchup.

So you need to find some way to prevent Scetchup from saving DWGCODEPAGE system variable in exported DWG (really don't know how), if it is not possible - you need to give up and reset DWGCODEPAGE in each drawing created with Sketchup manually by opening it in AutoCAD and saving.

Maxim

Re: The NLS files required...

maxim_k — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 21:04:22 GMT

That's what I thought:
currently Sketchup exports DWG in r14 format/ Can you try to force it to save in newer DWG version (if it is possible in Sketchup) and test the results in AutoCAD?

Maxim

Re: The NLS files required...

betazero — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 23:09:21 GMT

I changed it to 2013 version which is the max I can export and 1 of the NLS warnings vanished. Down to 3 🙂

Re: The NLS files required...

betazero — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 02:23:43 GMT

is there a way to just suppress this NLS alert?

Re: The NLS files required...

maxim_k — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 04:53:38 GMT

>>>is there a way to just suppress this NLS alert?

I think - no.

So for now you can open DWG exported from Sketchup in AutoCAD directly (not as xref), save it and then attach as xref.

Maxim

Re: The NLS files required...

betazero — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 21:15:34 GMT

I have a lisp routine I made that ref edits the block then closes and saves it which works but its a waste of time and time=money

Re: The NLS files required...

maxim_k — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 05:21:05 GMT

Try to export DWG from Sketchup in r12 DWG format (I believe it can do this). Then try to open (attach as xref) exported DWG in AutoCAD.

Do you still see the warning about missing NLS file?

Maxim

Re: The NLS files required...

betazero — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 19:31:51 GMT

Just curious if this will ever be fixed or how do I go about getting it escalated for 2022 or 2023 or 2024.....? Just add a do not warn me in the future checkbout to the NLS messages. Done. Its probably like 6 years now I have been living with this .... I have tried other CAD software (Briscad) that does not have this issue but they have other issues...Had to come back to Autocad for now but they are getting VERY close for way less money.

Re: The NLS files required...

betazero — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 01:27:53 GMT

Ok so I think this is almost completely fixed. I have tested like 5 drawings and only get minimal messages. Not really sure why there are still a couple that pop up but having drawings open smoothly is crazy....Anyone know what could be causing the remaining couple? Going to do some research myself too. Going to try the Tag renaming thing again.

So one drawing has 4 sections and throws up 4 errors. Coincidence? So it had zero to do with the sections. I exported all DWGs again and now the drawing throws up zero errors. Two were sections and 2 were not....Not sure but happy

Something has changed for the better at least. One of my drawings that normally throws up 12 NLS warnings opened with zero and another that normally had 12 opened with 2. Something is for sure better

Re: The NLS files required...

blenginosanti — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 19:45:56 GMT

Hola gente, encontre la solucion al problema. Una vez que esten en el modelo de sketch up, pican en exportar modelo 2D, una vez ahi eligen el tipo de archivo (DWG), y ahi pican en "opciones avanzadas", una vez ahi dentro, ponen la version de autocad 2013, y pican en (lineas de perfil) polilineas con anchura y luego en (lineas de seccion) polilineas con anchura, luego "aceptar" y listo!!, Mucha Suerte!!

Re: The NLS files required...

karen9 — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 22:42:33 GMT

Exporting as R12 worked for me (after all the other ideas failed!) 🙌🙌