Need to re-insert missing attributes destroyed by FDS Sync

[Anonymous]

Someone please help me out and tell me if this is possible:

AutoDesk just destroyed my company's workflow with the 2017 version of Factory Design Suite. Our conveyor blocks are supposed to have attributes in them. Everything worked just fine in 2016. But now in 2017...

In the attached file (synched from Inventor), if you double-click on the block, you'll get the enhanced attribute editor; now, by any measure of common sense, you'd think that means there are attributes in the block, right? WRONG! Run the BATTMAN command and you'll get the insane message "This drawing has no attributed blocks."

So there's nothing I can do about that, but at the end of the day, these blocks MUST still have attributes in them for a multitude of reasons, so I need to figure out how to salvage this utter debacle.

The only thing I can think of is to have a LISP routine that will, in ACAD, re-insert the attribute back into each block definition PROPERLY. (Sometimes these layouts can have HUNDREDS of differing blocks, so doing each block manually is NOT the answer)

Ideally, The LISP routine needs to somehow grab the attribute variable from what you see when you dbl-click on the block in the first place, then pass that value along to a newly created, properly-formatted in-block attribute, with the new attribute in the same position as the old.

I'm afraid that isn't possible, but I need to investigate it nonetheless.

The fact that the attribute editor opens and shows the values at all tells me the info is STILL in there, someway, somehow...
Anyone have any ideas?

[pbejse]

Totally doable

Where is the copy of the unaltered block? Does it look exactly as the DESTROYED version?

[Ranjit_Singh]

I would recheck how this was exported to acad. Have you been able to do this successfully before? if so, you should contact Autodesk with the details. I have no experience with FDS, but looking at your block shows that the attributes are present as extended data. This is not typically the case.

In any case the attributes are there and you should be able to use them.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the vote of confidence.  I'm glad to hear it's doable.  After I posted this message, I had an epiphany, and realized that AutoCAD basically is a database of drawing objects...so I looked up how to access that database through VLIDE, and yeah, I see that ALL of the info is still there.

The block as you see it is exactly how it came from inventor, there is no "unaltered" version.  Visually, if I put a 2016 block in this dwg, the two blocks would look the same outside of the block editor.

[Anonymous]

Ranjit:

The entire procedure worked FLAWLESSLY with 2016.  2017 screwed everything up!

This has been a poor experience with AutoDesk Tech Support; they rarely call when they say they will, and at last contact, they basically told me to just deal with it...really nice thing to hear after we spent HOW MUCH on Vault, Vault setup, etc...

AutoCAD used to be my favorite program, I also have a paid subscription to Fusion 360, etc.  But this nonsense with the attribute/sync problem means I may never spend another dime with AutoDesk again.  

[pbejse]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Thanks for the vote of confidence.  I'm glad to hear it's doable.  After I posted this message, I had an epiphany, and realized that AutoCAD basically is a database of drawing objects...so I looked up how to access that database through VLIDE, and yeah, I see that ALL of the info is still there.

---

Nothing to worry about then