Material Browser - Crash

[Anonymous]

Recently I installed AutoCAD Architecture 2018 and it seemed to be working well, after I did some recommended "patchwork" to restore functions that were eliminated when I migrated my custom settings from 2015.  I have developed a new problem.  When I insert a material finish from the Material Browser, I get a fatal error message and a crash.  This has happened numerous times, and I've reported the error to Autodesk, but have gotten no response.  Can this be fixed?  Must I reinstall?

[pendean]

Have you considered a repair reinstall of ACA2018? "migration" from much older versions is never a good idea these days, but back it all up first before you do so.

Also ensure you install the AC2018.1.1 update too https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-architecture-forum/autocad-update-2018-1-1/td-p/7356571/jump-...

[Victoria.Studley · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

Welcome to the Autodesk Community, and thank you for posting your question here in the AutoCAD Architecture forum!

First, I looked up your crash reports here on our end. The crash reports you send in are automated, and we can't respond to every one of them. However, we can look them up in order to troubleshoot specific issues when you contact us for technical support.

In your case, this crash could be caused by a couple of things:

• Problem with graphics card or driver version.
• I can only see the graphics card model you have installed, but not the driver version.
• The Quadro 3000M does not appear in our certified graphics card list for AutoCAD 2018 products on Windows 7 systems.
• In this case, you'll need to go to the manufacturer's website to ensure your graphics driver is up to date.

• Problem with migrated custom settings.
• As @pendean suggested, the settings you brought in from ACA 2015 could be causing the problem.
• A good test for this is to back up your settings and reset the program to defaults.
• Then test without your custom settings to see if the crash subsides.

The render engine was changed from Mentalray to RapidRT in AutoCAD 2016, so your migrated settings from 2015, where the old render engine was still in use, might be causing the crash.

Let me know if either of these suggestions helps you resolve the crash.

If one or more of these posts helped answer your question, please click Accept as Solution on the posts that helped you so others in the community can find them easily.

[Victoria.Studley]

Hi @Anonymous,

I'm just checking in again to see if you need more help with this. Did the suggestions that I or @pendean provided yesterday work for you?

If so, please click Accept as Solution on the posts that helped you so others in the community can find them easily.

[Anonymous]

So, following suggested fixes, our IT guy uninstalled and reinstalled AcadArch18.  I also downloaded an updated driver for my graphics card.

When I opened AcadArch18, I opened a template rather than one of my drawings.  I opened the Material Browser and inserted a material into my drawing.  It didn't crash, and I thought the problem was solved.

However, the "fixes" only lasted a day!  During following work sessions, when I opened Material Browser and added a material finish to the drawing, it crashed.  And on retrial, crashed again and again.

This morning, rather than add a material from the Material Browser, I added the material from the Material tab of the Design Tool Palette.  I selected an object and applied the material without problem.  I next tried to insert a material from the Material Brower, and the program crashed.

Our IT guy suggests that the problem may be my five year old Dell Precision laptop.  So, I used the same model Dell Precision belonging to a co-worker, and opened 18, opened a drawing and inserted a material from Material Brower, my co-worker's computer didn't crash.

I have, however, decided that now is the time to upgrade to a new computer with a better graphics card and very fast processor.  Perhaps you can tell me which graphics card is optimal for 18.

Thanks --

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Here's an interesting update:  I opened AutoCAD Arch 18 and closed the Material Browser, which is normally open in my workspace when I open AutoCAD.  After closing Material Browser, I reopened it.  I inserted a material into the drawing from the Material Browser -- no crash.  I think I may have stumbled onto something.  I tried it several more times with success.