Current dwg file not saved after Force Quit

[murphymoon007]

I have AutoSave set to every 5 minutes in the Preferences file.

I spent a couple hours modifying an existing AutoCAD LT for Mac dwg but had to Force Quit when a hatch command caused the program to freeze. When I went to find the backup or saved dwg file, the only one listed is from 6 days ago. Why doesn't AutoSave do what its name implies?? Two hours of tedious work down the drain. 

[paul.clauss]

Hi @murphymoon007

Thanks for posting! I am sorry to hear that autosave may not have created a recovery file in this instance. 

The first thing we should check is where you are looking for the recovery DWG file. Fusion recovery files can be found in the locations at this link. If you are looking for a recovery DWG file in Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder, you will not find it - you will only see the original DWG file. After a DWG file is uploaded to the Data Panel in Fusion 360, it is translated to F3D (Fusion native) format. You will not find a recovery DWG file - this is because Fusion 360 does not keep the file in DWG format. 

Hopefully this helps! If you are still unable to locate a recovery file, it is important to note that there are many things that can cancel or prevent an auto-save from occurring.

1. If you are actively in a command (including in a sketch), the auto-save or recovery save attempt will cancel and then retry again once every minute until the next recovery save interval.
2. If the design is being edited during auto-save or recovery process (e.g.. 50% of the recovery has been written to disk and then an operation begins, then the recovery save or auto-save is cancelled). Note: Larger or more complex designs may require more time save to the hard drive.
3. Closing the application without saving a design will automatically remove any existing recovery file
4. Closing the design without saving will automatically remove the existing recovery file

Please note that all of the events are recorded in the application log files.

There are some safeguards in place. When an auto-save is canceled due to option 1 & 2 above, it will continue to attempt to auto-save on a 1 minute interval once the user finishes the current command. If too many failures happen in a row, a forced auto-save will happen as soon as the operation is finished. However, this does requires a state of quiescence to successfully complete the save.

I like to use the techniques below to mitigate the risk of losing recovery files:

• Use the Manual Recovery Save technique.
• Use the regular Save command! Autosave is sometimes a great fail safe, but anyone working in a CAD program should be consistently saving their work.
• Don't rely on auto-save process or recovery file process.
• Don't leave dialogues open unnecessarily (e.g. editing an Extrude command).
• If you're taking a break, leave Fusion in a state where the auto-save/recovery will occur - no open commands.

[murphymoon007]

I should have mentioned that I disabled iCloud due to it causing many issues with the Mac AutoCAD Lt software. So now I'm assuming that by doing this I also disabled the AutoSave function? I don't use Fusion360, as it requires access to the cloud. Am I correct in saying this? 

[paul.clauss]

Hi @murphymoon007

Thanks for the response - I notice now that you mentioned this in the initial post, but I did not notice you are working with AutoCAD LT. I am not an AutoCAD expert and will transfer this post over to their forum board. Some of our experts over there should be able to help out. 

[john.vellek]

HI @murphymoon007,

I am sorry the AutoSAVE did not save your file in this instance. I do not recommend setting it more frequently than the default as this can actually cause more problems by too frequently accessing your hard drive.  In my opinion, there is no substitute for a manual Save.  An autosave is intended to provide an opportunity to recover data in case of a crash. It might not always work though depending on the status of the crash, when the last autosave was performed, if it has inadvertently been turned off, etc.

I suggest that if you do not think this is still working, that you perform a Reset in your application.

Have you fully updated and patched your AutoCAD?

Please select the Accept as Solution button if my post solves your issue or answers your question.