BUG 2021 BlockPaette - creates a folder with png files for preview content

[cadffm]

2021.0.0

Start BlockPalette (or Insert), navigate to another file via Libraries TAB to insert this dwg or an internal block.

If done, you will find a folder ".blocksMetadata" in the folder of the selected DWG

Content: PNGs ->Preview image  files of the blocksand modelspace

filenames are [DWGNAME].[FILEEXTENSION].[BLOCKNAME].[PreviewSizeData].png]

and a PNG and JSON file for the whole DWG/modelspace

filenames are [DWGNAME].[FILEEXTENSION].png  and the same for ,json

This folder and the content are not temporary.

I have admin rights and i use 2021.0.0 on a Win8.1 OS

Sample Screenshot for a selected file without internal blocks:

[JianStewart]

Thanks for your feedback.

Actually this is as designed behavior. These data will be stored for next usage. It can save your loading time once these preview data and json files are created, special for the big drawings or blocks.

Please let me know any question.

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[cadffm]

Thank you for the feedback!

>"Actually this is as designed behavior."

Ouch.

Okay, thank you for your feedback
and i don't ask if you (Adeskn not "Stewart Li") Kidding me.

But nobody came up with an idea to do this in a central folder
with a size limit and the possibility to manage this folder or something similar!?

No administrator wants to have this SPAM on data drives,
and also no user.

I select my File_State1.dwg as library
Blockpalette creates this folder ans add 800pictures(798Blocks)
Then i need to edit a part in my File_State1.dwg and
save it as File_State2.dwg and i can move the File_State1.dwg to archive.

I use this file2 now as library and have 1600 files in this.
Later i select a folder (where File2 and other files located) as library.
BlockPalette create thousands png more now.

At this time i gave 6000 PNG files,
I change the display setting in my BlockPalette to ExtraBig,
Now, i have 12000 PNG Files in one folder.
1 - 2 Clicks more and i have 20.000 files in one folder.
20000 is a big number in ITworld for files in one folder,
even today in year 2020.

This happen in minutes or hours and will not erase if you move or delete the DWG files.

  That will create Millions of files and mb on  a  storage, multiple billions in the world, greate idea, perfect.

You know or remember that some administrators are already going rampage because of unnecessary HARDCOPY.LOG files, just ONE in a folder!? 🤣

I will never understand some decisions that must have involved dozens of professionals.

Thank you @JianStewart 

[dominique.spicher]

Hi @CADffm ,
 
As you used the 'need and answer' function of the forums your topic got into the system. So let´s see what I can do for you in this case.

What I can only second and confirm at this point is what @lijian99 said, that this behavior is as designed.
 
But what I can do for you in that regards moving forward is to create a documentation on your enhancement suggestion and forward this internally, so this can be evaluated.
Happy to do so for you!
 
Having said that I will send you a short email from the Support case, so know exactly what I provided to the team looking at your enhancement suggestion.
 
For now,
Cheers

[cadffm]

Thanks a lot.

Documentation does not fix anything, but can confirm this as a known event.

🙂

[gdumenil]

Bonjour.

Est-il possible d'enregistrer ces fichiers "poubelle" dans un répertoire temporaire local (comme les .sv$) plutôt que sur un serveur distant ou nous devons les effacer manuellement à chaque fin de cession ?

Hello.
Is it possible to save these "trash" files in a local temporary directory (as we do with the .sv$ files) rather than on a remote server where we have to delete them manually at the end of the work cession ?

[gagnon-vanleeuweo]

I would like to express my deep frustration with this "feature". My file search results are littered with tons of .blocksMetadata garbage. I will switch to CLASSICINSERT exclusively from now on, INSERT is a disaster.

[JianStewart]

Sorry to hear that and late response. Yes, you may use the ClassicInsert to insert the blocks.

Actually these created files are not "trash", they can be used for your next time usage. Let me do a simple explanation: if you browse a big file which includes many blocks, first time you might need to take some time to generate the block previews with multi-process, once the generation task is done, you will save some time to see them in palette. In other words, you may see the block preview directly because palette just loads these preview images, no need to re-generate. Of course, Yes, these files may affect your drive size or be some storage burden. It is a balance with effectiveness and cost. Hope you can understand.

Anyway, switching to ClassicInsert might be a good choice for you.

I appreciate your feedback for that and will share your thought with our team. Hope we can improve that in future.

Sincerely

[gdumenil]

La prévisualisation des blocs, externe ou interne au fichier de travail, existe depuis la version 2000 ou 2004 ?
Il me semble donc que ces aperçus PNG font doublon avec celles déjà incluses dans les blocs...

Je ne comprends décidément pas cette mode d'alourdir d'une version à l'autre le fonctionnement et le maniement des logiciels…

@JianStewart the preview of the blocks, external or internal to the working file, exists since version 2000 or 2004 ?
It therefore seems to me that these PNG previews duplicate those already included in the blocks.

I definitely do not understand this mode of making the operation and handling of software heavier from one version to another ...

[cadffm]

---

@gdumenil  schrieb:

La prévisualisation des blocs, externe ou interne au fichier de travail, existe depuis la version 2000 ou 2004 ?
Il me semble donc que ces aperçus PNG font doublon avec celles déjà incluses dans les blocs...

Je ne comprends décidément pas cette mode d'alourdir d'une version à l'autre le fonctionnement et le maniement des logiciels…

---

No, this is wrong, two times!

1. There is no preview data inside of blocks (for modelspace it is possible, but there is no preview for internal block definitions.

2. In 2000-2004 is not "Block palette" available, Block Palette is a new Tool from 2020!

    BUT: 2020 Block palette works without to stores the preview images

    and this was slooowww (in some cases), thats why Adesk changed this way.

(3. From 2000 view: Not the function of "insert" changed, hust the command-name, two different things.. But 'blockpalette' changed from 2020 to 2021)

@JianStewart 

"Actually these created files are not "trash""

That's easy to understand, BUT

a) is it so hard to offer an option for the users/admins? On/Off saving Previews

b) is it so hard to offer an central folder to store theses datas?

😉

>>"Actually these created files are not "trash""

[JianStewart]

Yes, you are correct. @cadffm 

Thanks for your suggestions.

Although I am not a technical guy, I guess they should not be too hard. We can take the two items into account in our future development, anyway we need to wait for more time to get more user feedback on that.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your valuable feedback.

Best Regards

[gdumenil]

@cadffm I speak about this preview on the right, using DDINSERT :

As far as I remember, it has been around for 15 to 20 years.

But DDINSERT don't works with included blocks in library files.

So we use currently DDINSERT (faster), and blockpalette only if needed (and we dont need it).

The main problem is the location of PNG previews.

[cadffm]

>>I speak about this preview on the right, using DDINSERT :

>>"As far as I remember, it has been around for 15 to 20 years.

Yes, 20+ years. But it is another thing than Preview for all blocks inside one or multiple files.
1. this is a "live preview" and
2. only for one (internal) block at time - not a performance problem.

>>"But DDINSERT don't works with included blocks in library files."
>>"So we use currently DDINSERT (faster), and blockpalette only if needed (and we dont need it)."

Since 2000 untill today we have DesignCenter and since 2004 ToolPalettes as well.
BlockPalette is a really cool feature, but there is something to do to get it ready..
- No DXF(file) insert-Option
- Since 2021 the bad metadata-PNG handling

I am curious how the block pallet will look / work in 2-3 years.

[sterling.parker]

bumping as I just noticed this issue happening on my company's block library as well 

These cache folders REALLY need to go into some internal AutoCAD folder, not all over the folder where the drawing file resides. 

[danyzh]

Hi!
In this new AutoCAd 2021 insertion mode, we waste a lot of time loading files to insert blocks! These preview files are so unnecessary! And the shortcut "i" now opens the new palette, not the old insert, which worked well. We need to type "cla" now. 

I like the options part of the new palette. Uniform Scale and Repeat pleacement are so great! But I miss the information of Unit Block and the agility to insert external blocks.

[cadffm]

Hi,

>"In this new AutoCAD 2021 insertion mode, we waste a lot of time"

No, it is new in 2020 and only changed a bit in 2021. About one part of this change is this topic (metadata folder / preview pics)

and you can still use the old command

>"These preview files are so unnecessary!"

Never tested a comparison between 2020 and 2021 with a large library, so i don't have experience .

For my simple files with just a few blocks or files inside one folder, it worked well enough in 2020,

but i know that some people had problems if a mass of blocks/files listed.

>>"And the shortcut "i" now opens the new palette, not the old insert, which worked well. We need to type "cla" now.

Because the command name changed, so it is really good that the shortcut also changed

>>I like the options part of the new palette. "

Yes, for somebody or for some cases these options are pretty well to use.

>>"But I miss the information of Unit Block"

Agree!  Agree! 

Normaly i don't need this information. Define your files and blocks well and you don't need it.

But if the files/blocks are not defined by yourself, it would be good to know the unit

without the paste process ( and cancel or undo).

>>"and the agility to insert external blocks."

Allways there!? (just not for DXF files) so i don't know what you talking about.

[danyzh]

Yes, @cadffm!
The problem is with a large list of block items.
And the information about block unit is usefull when the block was downloaded or defined by myself.
Thanks for your reply!

[baloft]

Agree! This is filling my server with garbage! Yet another "improvement" that is forced on us without giving us any control on our end.

[dpalmerVQ54W]

@LIJIANN99 "Actually these created files are not "trash", they can be used for your next time usage."... they are trash and very annoying. All they are are thumbnails. Poorly thought through. As another user suggested they should be in a temp directory not sitting in project folders. I will be advising all my colleagues to switch to classic insert so our IT are not having to archive unnecessary junk.

[Vladislav_Valerievich]

Hello everyone! As a user, I confirm that the ".blocksMetadata" folder gets in the way when working with the block library. Hopefully this situation will improve in the future!