Disappearing / Floating / Moving 3D Solids STILL A PROBLEM

[ledinspirations]

Another day of opening files with 3D models I made the day before, only to find the 3D solids moved, invisible, ghosting, and/or missing.

Workarounds previously suggested that don't work:

1) ExportToAutoCAD: command clears all saved views (among other things), so I can't just use that to save.

2) Adjust a grip: I can't just grab a grip on a "ghosting" 3D solid to move it back to place, if the whole 3D solid is invisible.  (Control-A, then deselecting all visible objects, is the only way to "select" them, but you can't do anything but delete them.)  Also, not all 3D solids have grips anyways.

3) Explode: Exploding the 3D solid has never worked for me.

4) Save often: While creating 3D models, I save often (to new files each time), only to find them ALL screwed up the next day anyways (it seems saving is, or is part of, the problem; saving more is pointless).

You know what Solidworks doesn't do?  Erase your work on a daily basis! 

This is rediculous, and the lack of response from AutoDesk on this MAJOR problem is frustrating.  I've searched the forums, this has been a problem since AT LEAST 2012 and I have not seen anything addressing this besides the workarounds listed above that don't work.

Here is a list of the forum posts I've found describing the same problem.  Since the adjectives vary greatly when describing this problem, there are probably more that I haven't found.

Floating/Moving Parts (2013)

Ghost Images ??? (2013)

On reopen, objects moved, grips misaligned (2012)

3D solid models getting corrupted (2014)

And of course my original thread

Disappearing 3D Solids (2015)

[pendean]

I can't see how any of the workarounds would address missing or moved content in a file: those appear to be "wash your car to fix a knock in the engine" solutions to me.

So, to help us help you, answer the basics first or move on to SolidWorks now and be done with it:

- What happens overnight to your files and system? something does.
- Where are the files stored?
- Do the backups from that day also show these items missing and moved?
- If you save a copy of the file at the end of the day to a thumbdrive, then double-check it on the thumbdrive, then unplug the thumbdrive from your PC, do the contents on the thumbdrive go missing or move overnight when you check it the next morning?
- Are you the only one accessing these files? or are you part of a team?
- Windows OS? Actual AutoCAD version and variant?

[ledinspirations]

Thank you for your reply, Dean.  I know you've been helping people on the forums for years and years.

FYI, I have been using AutoCAD since version R13 MS-DOS.  Having paid AutoDesk a fortune over the 20 years I have been a user, I feel justified in my frustration at the lack of support from AutoDesk on this issue, whether or not the problem is on my end or fundamentally my fault somehow.

In response to your questions:

- What happens overnight to your files and system? something does.

It doesn't have to be overnight, just after closing the file and re-opening.  I save, close, re-open and stuff is screwy.  Not every time, not every day, but it has happened the last several days to several different files.

- Where are the files stored?

My local C:\ drive, a new 1TB Samsung SSD that is functioning properly as far as I know.

- Do the backups from that day also show these items missing and moved?

Well, that is interesting. Of the 15 files I saved yesterday, only 5 had autosaves (I have autosave set for every 2 minutes).  None of the saved files were problem files.  There is possibly a connection there.

- If you save a copy of the file at the end of the day to a thumbdrive, then double-check it on the thumbdrive, then unplug the thumbdrive from your PC, do the contents on the thumbdrive go missing or move overnight when you check it the next morning?

Now we're getting somewhere!  I'll try saving to a thumb drive and see if the problem persists.

- Are you the only one accessing these files? or are you part of a team?

I'm the only one.

- Windows OS? Actual AutoCAD version and variant?

Windows 7 Professional, all updates current.  AutoCAD 2017 N.52.0.7, all updates current.  Issue was happening with AutoCAD 2016 M.107.0.0 SP1, with all current updates.  I had hoped upgrading to 2017 would fix this issue.  It did not.

[pendean]

Since you are the only one touching these files, I'm going to recommend a painful test option to do today:
Turn off PICKFIRST: this may eliminate ghost-moving of objects in your file as well.

[JDMather]

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innovation wrote: 

You know what Solidworks doesn't do?  Erase your work on a daily basis!  

---

Your comparison doesn't make logical sense to me?

AutoCAD isn't the equivalent of the 3D modeling software - SolidWorks.

Autdesk Inventor is the equivalent of 3D modeling software - SolidWorks.

Having said that, I have never ever had any CAD software erase any of my work on a daily basis?

I don't understand your #3?

[john.vellek]

Hi innovation,

I am sorry to hear that you are having these issues.

First, I suggest that you not set AutoSAVE to such a tight frequency as it can put quite a demand on resources. I suggest to my users that they do intentional Saves or Qsaves whenever they perform something significant or at least on a regular and frequent basis. I also suggest that given your current issue, that you set the incremental save percentage to 100%.

Dean's suggestion of temporarily (for testing) turning off Pickfirst is a sound solution and you might also want to turn off Dragmode to see if that too makes any difference.

Please note, this is a forum and not a Technical support channel in the same sense as what you are entitled to under your subscription. If you would like to pursue this on-on-one with a Support Specialist I encourage you to start this process through your Account page or I can escalate the case for you as well.

Please update your post with the results so the solution can be determined quickly for you.

[ledinspirations]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I will turn off Pickfirst and Dragmode, and save to USB for a while.  I also changed my Incremental Save to 100% and changed my autosave time to 10 minute intervals.  If this fixes the problem, I will work backwards and revert back one variable at a time to see if I can isolate the culprit.  I will be sure to post my findings.

As for the proper technical support channels, that is my mistake.  I had previously looked for this but got the wrong impression that there was no direct customer support.  As you recommended, I found the Support Request page and if the above solutions do not help I will submit a ticket.

[ledinspirations]

>Your comparison doesn't make logical sense to me?

Correct, my apples-oranges comparison of Solidworks-AutoCAD was emotional, not logical.

>Having said that, I have never ever had any CAD software erase any of my work on a daily basis?

But you can imagine how frustrating it would be if it did!

>I don't understand your #3?

"Exploding" a 3D solid that has moved/ghosted was given as a possible solution in another thread.

[CADmonkey_UK_Building_Services]

Hi,

This may help or may not.

I used to have problems with Hatches - The patterns would start to distort. You know the little triangles in the Concrete hatch? They would drift apart into 3 lines.

Turns out, I was several kilometres away from 0,0,0 on a very twisted UCS. The drawing was set up like this so that Acad Units=OS Coordinates. (What a pointless exercise THAT was!) and Autocad can't cope with such big numbers.

The command BASEPOINT will place 0,0,0 wherever you click.

[ledinspirations]

I will try this out a well, thanks for your suggestion!

[john.vellek]

Hi innovation,

I am checking back to see if my post or others helped you with your problem.
Please add a post with your results so other Forum users can benefit.

Please select the Accept as Solution button if a post or posts fully solved your issue or answered your question.

[ledinspirations]

Thanks for your follow-up.

Unfortunately, saving to USB, without PICKFIRST or DRAGMODE, the same problem is still occurring.

I will update if there is any change.

I submitted a trouble ticket, but have not heard anything back yet.

[CADmonkey_UK_Building_Services]

Does this problem respond to changes to the View port Display setting ie wireframe, shaded, etc.

If so, it might be a Graphics card/driver problem.

Can you upload a DWG or at least a Screenshot?

[ledinspirations]

Visual Style has no effect - problem persists in all visual style.

Here are a bunch of extrusions.  Each one has a corresponding lens, end caps, and screws for the endcaps.

I took the above drawing, moved and rotated them so they would be in a straight line.  Looked good when I saved, but when I re-opened the file I got this:

Some things moved, some rotated, some didn't (even objects that would have been moved together in the same command - I didn't move the lenses separately, or the end caps, I moved everything together)

[CADmonkey_UK_Building_Services]

Try this if you haven't already:

Start a New drawing with a New default template, Paste your items in or else recreate them. If they are blocks then explode them first.

A thought: Are you using Nested Blocks? You might have UCS confusion. Actually I'm getting suspicious of your Polyline Profiles, too. Notice how in the second image they are still aligned to the XY plane?

I wish you'd upload some DWGs.

[ledinspirations]

Here you go.

[ledinspirations]

> Start a New drawing with a New default template, Paste your items in or else recreate them. If they are blocks then explode them first.

Do you mean, paste the "corrupt" 3D solids into a new drawing?  I've actually tried that, doesn't work.  It appears that once it's closed, it's hosed.

Also, I'm trying to preserve my custom views, which is one reason why I can't just _exporttoautocad every time I want to save.

[CADmonkey_UK_Building_Services]

Thanks.

How do I turn drawing A into drawing B?

[CADmonkey_UK_Building_Services]

Preserve custom views? Type 'VIEW' to save a new named view.

[ledinspirations]

First, from the Top-View, I selected the extrusions and moved them into a row.

Then from Left-View, I rotated them 90 degrees.

Then I went to back to Top-View and rotated them 90 degrees again.

The above image is EXACTLY what "3D Extrusions B" looked like before saving.

The whole point was to get them in this orientation for the SW-Isometric view for print purposes to accompany documentation, to give me a repeatable view I can go back to if I needed to modify something.  Maybe not the best process, but it is what it is.  

I'd like to note that I don't have to be moving or rotating 3D solids for this problem to occur, this was just a good example.

Also, with 3D Extrusions B, if you control-A, then deselect all visible objects, there are two invisible 3D solids.

If you delete all on-screen solids and re-center, then Control-A, you can see some grips for the two invisible solids.  If you adjust one of the arrow grips, the solid will pop back into view.