publishing to PDF taking 8-10 hours

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

Hello everyone,

I have a big issue that giving me a hard time to finish DWG. the publishing is taking a lot of time between 8 to 10 hours for a file that is 16MB size. I'm using Xref with Clip comments and the Xref file contains dynamic block. 

please advise if there a way of speeding up this process. or if the Dynamic block I have is making the problem?

thank you in advance.

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA yes I will for next time uploading files

I'm currently using 2021 full version

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I'm currently using 2021 full version

Then you should use the current file format which is (currently) DWG-2018

First test is to run command _RECOVERALL ... and errors already found inside your files.

While this process seems to need a lot of time, you can already start with this while I'm continuing with tests.

- alfred -

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA ok I will do that for all files

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

>> I will do that for all files

No, just with the main file as command _RECOVERALL does the checks within the referenced files automatically.

- alfred -

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA ok I did.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

may I ask you how long your system needs to open the file (until it shows all tabs of layouts)?

Also why not using the AutoCAD PDF device (which is by default faster, better resolution and smaller PDF files)?

Why is the Bluebeam-PDF needed on your side?

- alfred -

PS: first tests look like I can reproduce it (even with a different software) so we really need to look into the files.

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA it takes about 5 minutes to open the file.

using Bluebeam just because of the plot set-up

will that make the process fast if changing to AutoCAD pdf ? please advise I don't think it will be a big issue to use the autocad pdf plot style, just need to set-up the page size. 

thank you

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> it takes about 5 minutes to open the file.

OK, so we are on the limits of AutoCAD with these files, need now to find out, why...

>> will that make the process fast

Faster ... yes, but publishing this project will not change to a few seconds.

When not loading the XRef's, publishing seems to need about 2-3min for your 75 pages (on my system).

- alfred -

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA ok looks like issue with Xref files and Blocks inside it. hope that you can find a solution for it. it will be really great. 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

I started to dive into the single files, starting with "1ST FLOOR.dwg", what I see is that:

Above your real geometry I see a lot of hatches like that:

...and worse: if I select this hatch and see it's borders, I get this:

So you have outside the base geometry a lot of very complex hatches, which are even not needed, are they?

- alfred -

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA I can't see these hatches. I don't know why.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> I can't see these hatches. I don't know why

Open the "1ST FLOOR.dwg", activate modelspace and zoom extents. Then press <CTRL><A> to select all objects ... and be surprised ...

If you don't see geometry outside your "project area" then please start command _ABOUT and show me a screenshot of that dialog.

This is what I see doing the above steps ... (in AutoCAD 2022 and 2023 you see more, but in 2021 you see object selection at areas you don't think objects are placed)

Also there exist geometry on the DEFPOINTS layer, and even worse these are annotative blocks.

If you want objects to not plot, then create a new layer which has the property "No-Plot", but do not (never) use the DEFPOINTS layer, this is reserved for AutoCAD internal use.

And if you want objects to not be plotted, why then making them annotative?

- alfred -

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA ok I see it. these received from original DWG. ok I will create a new layer with disable the plotting for it. for annotative. I will delete if it creating this issue. 

[Alfred.NESWADBA · Accepted solution]

Hi,

did this workflow:

• copied based dwg and dwg's for floor 1 to 4 into a new folder (so when I open the base drawing he just finds 4 referenced dwg-files ... just for testing)

with these 4 files I did

• command _ERASE with option _ALL and then option _REMOVE and a window selection around the "real" geometry (this removes the dead ones outside the project area)
• command _QSELECT for all objects on layer "DEFPOINTS" ==> let the command select these items and then delete them

Then close and save these dwg-files, open your based drawing and run _PUBLISH.

This makes _PUBLISH a lot faster, so you'll need to execute this for the other floor-files and I guess you get back a valid speed for publishing.

This is my dialog for _PUBLISH and it's options:

- alfred -

[pendean]

I will concur with the finding others have expressed. Looks like a combination of you needing to talk with Bluebeam support along with some serious files cleanup/workflow changes may be in order to speed up your PUBLISH processes (how do you even navigate that top ELEVATIONS file?).

PUBLISH to a default PDF in that command pop-up took about 3-minutes here in R2021. Not using Bluebeam. Not using your predefined pagesetups. These may also be an issue.

Bluebeam support is very responsive if you ever need them or only wish to use their products, get to them here https://support.bluebeam.com/ 1 (866) 496-2140

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> PUBLISH to a default PDF in that command pop-up took about

>> 3-minutes here in R2021

Really? Without the cleanup of these defect like objects and with XRef's loaded?

This would be faster than loading the dwg-file on my system 😉

Even with the cleanup (however with AutoCAD 2023, just started it) seems to need 5-10 minutes, while without cleaning it took more than 10min (with just 4 XRef's loaded) before I cancelled it.

3 minutes without XRef's would be the same as I got.

- alfred -

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

verified now, both AutoCAD 2021 as well as 2023 are using about the same time for _PUBLISH.

If you really have all 13 references loaded and publishing needs just 3min, then something on your system is very different to the OP's one and mine. Would be interesting to find this, however could need time 😉

- alfred -

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA I've followed all steps with printing the as you've attached. still same issue slow.

I don't know why. 

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

ok, it's not done with 10min, it gets slower with each page, however, after about 20min now they (AutoCAD 2021 as well as 2023) are in the process "50 of 75" ... so at least much faster than 8-10hours 😉

- alfred -

[Waseem.MikhaelPLELV]

@Alfred.NESWADBA I have exactly followed the steps your provided. and still same issue very slow.