Dropgeom is poison.

[AllenJessup]

I needed to copy about 1600 points. I did a Select All, moved my cursor closer to the center of the screen and did a right click to bring up the menu to select copy. The menu opened partially and then the screen flashed like I had panned. I noticed the points now had ghosts. Being careful I did an Undo (Ctrl+Z) and got; _u DROPGEOM GROUP. I'd just moved the points a few thousand feet! If I hadn't noticed and saved the drawing there would have been a lot of trouble fixing this.

For years there have been Ideas posted and numerous threads on this command. But there is still no intrinsic solution for this. Simply including it as a SYSVAR that could be turned off would be fine. I don't actually believe that this kind of process belongs in an Engineering software. There is so little that should be moved by eye that is doesn't make sense to include this risky command.

[ChrisRS]

I agree. Several other agree in the idea that you linked to.

Unfortunately, this is a core AutoCAD functionality, not a Civil 3D functionality.

It is very unlikely that the core AutoCAD team will ever see this thread, or the Civil 3D Idea, much less react or respond to it. I have been told by active, respected forum participants, with high badge levels, that the Civil 3D Ideas Forum is monitored by the Civil 3D team; I will accept this on faith as I have seen absolutely no evidence of any monitoring over the last several years. 

Your idea is better suited to the nonexistent core AutoCAD Ideas Forum.

Unfortunately, ADESK chooses to depend on the external AUGI Wish List (https://www.augi.com/wish-list) for AutoCAD ideas. I find the AUGI Wish List system to be unnecessarily complicated, at best.

Alternately, you can you can post an idea in the ADESK Product Feedback page. (https://www.autodesk.com/company/contact-us/product-feedback)

I have been told that all feedback posts are at least read by an Autodesker.

If you agree, you can vote up my Idea in the Community Ideas forum: "Please Create an AutoCAD Ideastation (Is it time to revisit?)  https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/community-ideas/please-create-an-autocad-ideastation-is-it-time-to-re...

[ChrisRS]

It is very unlikely that the core AutoCAD team will ever see this thread, or the Civil 3D Idea, much less react or respond to it. I have been told by active, respected forum participants, with high badge levels, that the Civil 3D Ideas Forum is monitored by the Civil 3D team; I will accept this on faith as I have seen absolutely no evidence of any monitoring over the last several years. 

Your idea is better suited to the nonexistent core AutoCAD Ideas Forum.

Unfortunately, ADESK chooses to depend on the external AUGI Wish List (https://www.augi.com/wish-list) for AutoCAD ideas. I find the AUGI Wish List system to be unnecessarily complicated, at best.

Alternately, you can you can post an idea in the ADESK Product Feedback page. (https://www.autodesk.com/company/contact-us/product-feedback)

I have been told that all feedback posts are at least read by an Autodesker.

If you agree, you can vote up my Idea in the Community Ideas forum: "Please Create an AutoCAD Ideastation (Is it time to revisit?)  https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/community-ideas/please-create-an-autocad-ideastation-is-it-time-to-re...

[AllenJessup]

If DROPGEOM were controlled by a SYSVAR then it would have to be included in the AutoCAD Core. However. It is far from unknown for the Civil 3D development team to suppress function from the underlying software. I know that DROPGEOM can be vetoed programatically. So I'd think they should be able to completely suppress it in Civil 3D, my preference. I haven't  seen anyone who has said they want/need it to stay in C3D.

A point on the AutoCAD Wishlist. Functions that might be appropriate for Architects or other AutoCAD users are not always appropriate for other fields. Copy defaults to Multiple and Node snaps to Mtext are two that come readily to mind. "Fixes" for both were issued in the next release of the software.

PS. I've often wanted the ability to down-vote ideas in the Wishlist. I've seen some that I've really hoped would never be implemented.

[ChrisRS]

Thanks, Allen. I obviously do not know all of the nuances of the AutoCAD/Civil 3D interaction/hierarchy.

I know what you mean about downvoting Ideas. 

[AllenJessup]

---

@ChrisRS wrote:

I obviously do not know all of the nuances of the AutoCAD/Civil 3D interaction/hierarchy.

---

I don't either. But I've read about functions in AutoCAD and in Map 3D. Then tried them in Civil 3D and they don't work. When I researched why. I found out that they had been suppressed because of interference with certain parts of Civil 3D. I know that DROPGEOM can be overwritten with some deep customization because I've read about it. But it's beyond my abilities to accomplish it.

[AllenJessup]

For some reason I'm seeing this a lot more in 2019 than ever before. I just had it happen twice in as many minutes. It looks like it happens when I select an object or entity, move the cursor a bit and the right click to access the menu. I have the "right button" on my trackball programmed to "right click". I haven't change the drivers for the trackball.

[neilyj666]

i totally agree with this - happens to me regularly but luckily i spot it and can undo it before it becomes a problem

[AllenJessup]

I asked if something could be done about this in a 3rd party I use, Sincpac. The next release will have a DROPGEOM warning. Allowing your do undo any accidental moves. They're looking at ways to allow it to be disabled.

[MikeEvansUK]

I found issues in 2013 with drop geom disconnecting structures & pipes. After a bit of chatter with AutoDesk support and testing it seems when you use invoke dropgeom it follows a sequence of events in the background.

It appears to initialise both  WblockClone & DeepClone, it is possible to prevent this from acting on elements which I did do for Structures and fixed (preventing DropGeom).

It should work for anything but it looks like you have to directly target each type of element (alignment, structure, pipe etc, mind you I'm not a hardened programmer.

Perhaps @Jeff_M could advise further in case he knows a way to prevent all objects rather than having to list everything.

Mike

using Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices;
using Autodesk.AutoCAD.Runtime;
using Autodesk.Civil.DatabaseServices;

public class ObjOverrule : ObjectOverrule
{
    static ObjOverrule objRule = null;
    public override Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.DBObject WblockClone(Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.DBObject dbObject,

             RXObject ownerObject, IdMapping idMap, bool isPrimary)
    {
        
        return null;

        //return base.WblockClone(dbObject,

        //ownerObject, idMap, isPrimary);

    }



    public override Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.DBObject DeepClone(Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.DBObject dbObject,

                Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.DBObject ownerObject, IdMapping idMap, bool isPrimary)
    {

        return null;

        //return base.DeepClone(dbObject,

        //ownerObject, idMap, isPrimary);

    }



    [CommandMethod("MeccCopyOverrule")]

    static public void copyOverrule()
    {
        if (objRule == null)
        {

            objRule = new ObjOverrule();



            Overrule.AddOverrule(RXObject.GetClass(typeof(Structure)),

                                                   objRule, true);

            Overrule.Overruling = true;

        }

        else
        {

            Overrule.Overruling = false;

            Overrule.RemoveOverrule(RXObject.GetClass(typeof(Structure)),

                                                         objRule);

            objRule.Dispose();

            objRule = null;

        }

    }
}

[Jeff_M]

Thanks, Mike. I can get this to work for the Structures and pipes. Unfortunately, other C3D objects are affected by Dropgeom differently. Sometimes the WBlockClone fires, many times not. I haven't seen the DeepClone fire on any object. Base Acad objects don't seem to fire either of those. Just changing the type to be a C3D.Entity stops it from working with Structures and Pipes. Using multiple calls to create a new overrule for different types does the same thing. It's really all quite strange.

So, back to the drawing board for me.

[AllenJessup]

Jeff,

Thanks for including the DROPGEOM warning in the latest release of Sincpac. I tested it and it worked whenever I dragged and dropped anything. Now I have to find other ways of messing up.

Allen

[_Hathaway]

We used to run into this issue back in the LDD days but have not encountered it once we moved to Civil3d.   All our points are inserted through the Civil3D Survey database and as such cannot be moved by a standard ACAD move command.   Maybe a workflow change on your end would fix this? 

[AllenJessup]

---

@_Hathaway wrote:

 Maybe a workflow change on your end would fix this? 

---

For Points that would work. But many other things can be dragged. I may experience it more than some because I use a very sensitive trackball.

[MikeEvansUK]

No problems Jeff, I figured if anyone could get to the bottom of it. I would be you.

[vandenoosterkamp]

Working few weeks with 2020 now and to my utter disgust it's still here.

Autodesk, for crying out loud: When will you ever start listening to us????????????

[vandenoosterkamp]

When typing and clicking fast it just takes over the copy command!!!

Command: c COPY
Select objects:
Command:
Command:
Command:

Command:
Command:
Command: *Cancel*

Command: u DROPGEOM GROUP

So I am forced to work slower or stop using my keyboard for commands? After 20 years I work at hyperspeed but that doesn't sell enough subscriptions I guess?

[neilyj666]

@vandenoosterkamp don't panic - it is still in 2021 too..!!!!!

[AllenJessup]

The DROPGEOM warning that @Jeff_M added to Sincpac has saved me many times. It's not the instances that you notice that get you. It's those you miss that might shift things 0.82' that you don't pick up for days.

[Cadguru42]

---

@AllenJessup wrote:

The DROPGEOM warning that @Jeff_M added to Sincpac has saved me many times. It's not the instances that you notice that get you. It's those you miss that might shift things 0.82' that you don't pick up for days.

---

This is what's so **** annoying! I was working on a very large, multi-billion dollar airport project that had tons of XREF's with dozens of users. One day I come into work, open the utility drawing, and everything was off. It took me a couple of days to figure out that someone had accidentally done the DROPGEOM to one of the base XREFs, which led to other disciplines adjusting and designing based off the incorrectly moved base files, which then led to utility conflicts. Overall, that one mistake led to almost a week's worth of lost productivity to track down what happened and fix all the changes. All of this could have been avoided if Autodesk would stop dreaming about the cloud and fix their design software to work for the actual users. 

[neilyj666]

---

@Cadguru42 wrote:

---

if Autodesk would stop dreaming about the cloud and fix their design software to work for the actual users. 

---

Yes indeed this would be great but unfortunately I can't see it happening any time soon. Autodesk seem convinced that every user is just waiting to jump on the Cloud bandwagon whereas I suspect the reality is significantly different....!!!!!

I just wish they would fix the everyday annoyances that slow everyone down and cost a lot of time and effort to put right