Annotative Objects Affecting File Size With Multiple Scales

[rross]

Do annotative objects (text, labels, styles, etc.) affect my file size based upon my scale list? In other words, does having 25 scales set in the drawing (SCALELISTEDIT) increase my file size VS having just 2 scales set in my file, when I have many annotative objects in the file?

[pendean]

25 is not going to do much in your file: why do you ask?

[imadHabash]

Hi,

i suggest to PURGE ( Reg ) and Recover your drawing and set SAVEFIDELITY to 0  and see if any changes . 

Regards,

[rross]

I have very many annotative objects in my drawing, and just trying to get an understanding of how annotative objects affect drawing file size. If AutoCAD can display all 25 annotation scales for one annotative object, does that increase the file size VS just having 2 annotative scales?

Annotative objects are usually added last to this type of drawing, and it always increases file size fairly quickly in increments of about 3mb at a time, small problem but it does affect performance. If I can deduce that this increase in file size is caused by having too many annotation scales then I will set up a new prototype template with fewer.

As another response mentioned, I could get rid of those scales and purge, etc., but not yet.

[pendean]

It's adding the objects (annotative or not) that increase your DWG file size.

The annotative scales the blocks might being along or that are in your file are not going to dramatically increase a DWG file where you'd notice.

[WarrenGeissler · Accepted solution]

Short answer is YES - adding annotative scales to objects in your drawings increases file size and affects performance. As an example I made a drawing with ~7000 annotative blocks. Adding ONE annotative scale made the drawing ~900K in size. Adding ALL  (out of the box) annotative scales increased file size to ~5.5MB and slowed the system dramatically. That is why Autodesk has the scale list cleanup tool to clean files and objects from annotative scales that are not being used.

[pendean]

I just added 6 annotative scales to my file in R2017 and assigned them to all annotative objects in my file: size went up from 3.2MB to 3.3MB

Maybe we aren't talking about the same thing?

[WarrenGeissler]

Hi Dean,

I think the question is twofold:

1. Does adding annotative SCALES to a DRAWING affect the size? (Not really)

2. Does adding annotative scales to OBJECTS affect the scale (Definitely)

We have a client who sends out their template with a MULTITUDE of annotative blocks. After working in the file for a while and switching scales (with Automatically add annotative scales option turned ON) the file becomes unusable. That's really why that app was created by Autodesk in the first place.