FATAL ERROR with attaching

[Anonymous]

I have installed AutoCAD 2017 student version, and that all worked. However, I am unable to attach files into the AutoCAD document, so I am unable to trace the maps I need for my architecture degree work. It opens up the file finder dialogue box, but once I click on the file that I am trying to attach, the whole program crashes and I get  the following warning 'FATAL ERROR: Unhandled Access Violation Reading 0x0000 Exception at 7a8aecd00h'

Does anyone know how to resolve this issue?

[Otto]

Hello hj2-kendall and welcome to the Autodesk community!

It looks like you are looking for information related to a fatal error when opening drawings. Community members with similar questions found the following article(s) useful:

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[AllenJessup]

What kind of files are you trying to "attach". Are you Xreffing drawings. Is so try to Recover them an Mr Bot has suggested. Are they PDF files or Raster images? What are your trying to Trace from the maps?

It's always good to include your OS and computer specs. Although I don't think that will have any bearing on this problem. Sounds mostly like a damaged or incompatible file.

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

I see that you are visiting as a new member. Welcome to the Autodesk Community!

Is this happening with all files or just the one? I suggest opening your file and run Audit on it. Then follow up with a Purge as well.

Please add a post with your results.

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

[Anonymous]

I have tried doing it on blank , new AutoCAD files, and it does appear to be having the same issue, no matter what file I try to attach. As a blank file, I dont have to purge or aufit it, but I am just trying to attach pdf's (so XREF's do work) but attaching pdf's does not. 

I have a new desktop system, especially created to handle the specs required by AutoCAD and other programs (such as Sketchup, and rendering packages) so I do not think the computer hardware is the issue.

I hope this gives you something to work with and thanks for the help

[AllenJessup]

Try attaching some innocuous single sheet PDF that has nothing to do with your project. This will eliminate damaged/incompatible PDFs being the problem.

If you can't attach any PDFs you may need to repair or reinstall the software. But lets eliminate other possibilities first.

[schurthing]

This sounds a lot like the problem I have been having with 2017. Any dwg that has a pdf or image reference in it will trigger an immediate crash with the windows message 'AutoCAD application has stopped working'. It didn't happen in 2016, and I have re-installed 2017 too many times to count to try to resolve the bug. But it still happens. It was briefly fixed when I installed the update 2017.1 but then started happening again after a few days. I have also installed the update 2017.1.1, but still having the problem.

I sadly have to ask someone else to open any dwg with a pdf/image attached, unload it, and re-save in order for me to be able to open the dwg. Really wish I can get this fixed already 😕

[john.vellek]

Hi @schurthing,

i am sorry that you have been fighting this issue.

Here is an article that describes the known fix.  It basically outlines that either the PDF is corrupt or that your drawing might be damaged in some fashion.

Since you have done a repair to temporarily correct this I am curious that if you are seeing something get brought into your drawing by one or more templates or blocks.

If you currently have a file(s) where this is happening can you share it and the PDF you are trying to attach? I would like to get this resolved for you.

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

[schurthing]

Yeah, that article punts the issue. This happens with any PDF attached to a dwg. I've even tried with a new, totally clean empty dwg and it will still happen. Everyone else I work with has an older version of AutoCAD... 2016-2010, and they don't have the problem on the same dwg. I can open the same PDF in any pdf viewer without a problem, so it's not the PDFs.

Let's see if we can drill into this a bit...

- I always save the attachments with a relative path (but full path will still trigger the crash).

- Most PDFs are scaled up a lot (frequently 96x) and rotated in the dwg, and sent to the back of the draw order.

- PDFFRAME is typically set to 2.

- Some have a transparency or fade, but some don't.

- for compatibility with the other people I work with, my 2017 is defaulted to save files in 2010 format.

Attached is a screen grab of some of my file/save settings that might be helpful.

I also just created a blank new dwg and attached a typical pdf containing a scanned sketch that I would then pass on to a drafter. This dwg file crashes my AutoCAD every time I open it...
(to clarify, I can usually attach the pdf or raster image, adjust it, an see it in my file just fine - this only happens when I try to open the file with the PDF attachment already in it)

[schurthing]

Ok, by request, here is a screencast of the crash happening with a clean new dwg in a fresh AutoCAD session. I captured the loading of AutoCAD just to show that nothing is missing from the process. I'm a newbie to screencasting, and not sure why it's not centered and the mouse pointer is off from where I was actually pointing, but it gets the point across. I also have a dual screen which is not obvious in the video, that's why there are moments when it looks like I reached off screen for something and brought it in--the dialog box appeared on the other screen.

[AllenJessup]

Strange thought. If you have a PDF printer driver like CutePDF. Try printing to that from the PDF and see if that triggers the crash. If not try printing it from AutoCAD and see. That would go far towards eliminating the damaged PDF theory.

[Anonymous]

I've necountered the same problem with attached 151-page PDF document.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

HI @Anonymous,

I see that you are visiting as a new member. Welcome to the Autodesk Community! 

Have you tried extracting the one page you need to attach from the PDF?  Can you attach the PDF that is giving you problems so I can take a look at it on my computer?

[Anonymous]

@john.vellek , i'll try to extract needed pages and will attach it separately, thanks for idea. Anyway, there is a pdf file in attachments so ypu can take a look.

[john.vellek · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous,

I tried both importing and attaching various pages of your PDF into an AutoCAD 2017 and AutoCAD 2018 drawing. In both cases I was able to execute the feature without issue.

I am wondering if you are hitting the limitations of your workstation.  Can you describe your OS, AutoCAD version (type ABOUT at the command line), graphics card make and model.

I suggest also checking your Windows Event Viewer to see if there is anything logged when this behavior occurs.

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

[Anonymous]

John, I've extracted 9 pages into another pdf file so it works with it without any crashes. I think my system isn't good enough to work with 151-paged document/ But now my AutoCAD 2018 doesn't plot my 6-paged dwg to pdf - it crashes with fatal error and exception. Dwg to dwf works normally.

[john.vellek]

Hi @Anonymous,

Please tell me how you are plotting your file to PDF.  Can you show some screen captures of your settings? Are you using PUBLISH?

[Anonymous]

I've tested PUBLUSH on several other system and found that fatal error occured when using some specific fonts. Publishing with Arial ended normally.