AutoCAD LT 2018 Mac Layers List too small now. Can I expand it?

[movinghouse]

In v2017, I was content with hitting CMD+4 to open a large pallette containing all my layers and properties. I often needed it at this size to get a proper oversight of the multiple layers I was working on as well as all the properties.

Initially, in v2018, while CMD+4 does toggle the display of the layers pallette, it is confined to being just a segment of the sidebar and I can't find a way to undock it and expand it. Without this ability, I have a scrunched up layers list that I have to scroll for a long time in every direction to find what I need. It is drastically slowing down my work pace.

Have I missed an option to undock the list, similar to v2017, and display it at the size I need in a fashion that I can toggle quickly with a keyboard shortcut?

[maxim_k]

Hi,

This button:

will help you to undock Layers palette.

In undocked state the same button will dock the palette.

Maxim

[movinghouse · Accepted solution]

I'd actually tried that with no result other than the undock icon/button changed to a dock icon/button. It may be a bug, or it may just be a confusing way of things working but I got it work by:

1. Clicking the button you've shown.
2. Hiding the layers panel by pressing CMD+4
3. Showing the layers panel by pressing the same again

I'd normally expect a dock/undock button to separate the panel on pressing the button (rather than having to hide and reveal it as a follow-up action), this is why I'm wondering if it's a bug. Anyway, your suggestion led me try it again, thanks maxim_k.

[maxim_k]

In my case undock button actually undock the palette, then I can show/hide undocked palette with CMD+4 shortcut.
Looks like something wrong is on your side.

Maxim

[movinghouse]

It would seem so. I just restarted the application, hoping I wouldn't need to set this up again:

• Pressing CMD+4 did nothing. Nothing visibly changed.
• I clicked the undock button which did undock the panel immediately this time without the need to additional hide and reveal it.
• However, the undocked panel appears blank (just a big grey rectangle) with only the button to close the panel visible.
• I closed it and had to repeat a combination of undocking it through the icon and hitting CMD+4 a few times until - whatever the right combination was - the panel appeared correctly and undocked on my screen.

I'm definitely calling this a bug. Running on macOS 10.13.1 on a mid 2014 mbp. Sounds like it doesn't affect everybody.

[wei503]

Hi @movinghouse,

It looks like that some configurations are not in right state for your AutoCAD. Could you please try to reset AutoCAD LT? Just click menu AutoCAD LT 2018, then select Reset AutoCAD LT.

If the reset resolves the issue, please find the following file and send to me at: wei.ma@autodesk.com.

 - open finder window, click menu Go, then hold the opt key and select the hidden menu "Library". 

 - in the Library folder, go to the Application Support/Autodesk/, and find a file named "Settings Backup <timestamp>.tgz". The timestamp is the time when you did the reset.

Thanks,
Wei

[movinghouse]

Hi Wei,

It didn't fix the issue. I'll follow up by email, as suggested.

Edit: Gmail bounced the email back to me saying that 'For Security Reasons' they don't allow the attachment of tgz files. I think your later suggestion of not migrating fixed the panel issue so I won't resend. Thanks.

[wei503 · Accepted solution]

One more try, when you reset AutoCAD LT, did you click YES in the dialog that asks to migrate settings? If you clicked yes, could you please try again and click No. This will reset AutoCAD LT to default status without any custom settings.

Thanks,
Wei

[movinghouse]

I originally did migrate, yes. After your suggestion to reset and being presented with the migrate option again, I selected to only migrate the plot styles as these were the most essential. Just now, I've reset again and not migrated. However, I appear to be triggering all sorts of new bugs each time I start (in my email to you I mentioned that the welcome panel couldn't be closed and I had to quit AutoCAD).

This time after resetting AutoCAD it self-launched, but as a new Application in the dock, rather than the existing AutoCAD LT 2018 icon I had in the dock (I checked neither was 2017). So now I had two.

[movinghouse]

Feedback from resetting AutoCAD and not migrating:

It seems to undock and dock the panel as I'd expect and it remembered that I'd undocked it when I tried to toggle it with CMD+4 on the next launch, which is what I hoped. At the moment it looks like migration may have caused the issue. I'll report back if this doesn't continue. Thanks Wei.

[wei503]

Thanks for all the feedbacks. 

- I know the issue that the welcome screen cannot be closed in some cases, and we will fix it in the next update.

- When reset, AutoCAD will be automatically re-started, and it will be in a new icon, not the original one in the Dock. This is due to some technical limitation, i know it is confusing, but it should work fine.

- When you try to open a dwg from Finder, and select open in LT 2018, it starts a new session, and says the file is saved in a newer version and cannot be opened. This sounds very likely that it opens an older verison of LT, like 2017, that explains why it cannot open a file saved in 2018, as 2018 is saving dwg files to 2018 version by default, which cannot be opened on older AutoCAD version. Is it possible that you selected 2017 by mistake?

It is good to know that the issue is caused by some configurations migrated from 2017. Now all I need is the profile in your 2017 version. Could you please find the following files and send to me?

 - open finder window, click menu Go, then hold the opt key and select the hidden menu "Library". 

 - in the Library folder, go to the Application Support/Autodesk/, and find the folder AutoCAD LT 2017 Standalone, right click it and select Compress AutoCAD LT 2017 Standalone, then send me the zip file.

I did not seem to get your last email, could you please check if the email can be sent successfully?

Thanks,
Wei

[movinghouse]

Wei,

My edits to my posts weren't quick enough it seems as they addressed two of your points:

• Google bounced back my email telling me it would not allow the attachment of tgz files for 'security reasons'. As I noted in my edit to that post, I thought resending the same file as a zip or something else may not be warrented as it appeared the panel issue was resolved by not migrating.
• I edited out my observaton that a third AutoCAD icon opened as, it was indeed caused by mistakenly opening the 2017 version - which explained that.

Thanks for the other points, it's good to know Autodesk is aware of many of them. I'll email on the zip folder now.

One other point (and perhaps it's for another topic though I'll mention it briefly). High Sierra has been plagued with some UI lagging/stuttering issues on many GPUs. This was most severe for me in AutoCAD LT 2017 above any other software (though I believe this is primarily an Apple issue, not Autodesk?) and appears to have carried through into AutoCAD LT 2018. I mention this incase of it's use to know and that some of my other software using OpenGL is not triggering any UI lag. I had no such issues in Sierra.

Thanks again Wei.