The above picture of AutoCAD 2007 shows a lot of the news.
It is a 3D model on screen with shadows, conceptual visual style, edge overhand,
edge jitter, silhouette edges, obscured edges in a perspective projection that
you can work in.
Anchored palettes as icons only to the left and with text and icons to the
right.
The dashboard palette is a single palette with most 3D features. The command is
DASHBOARD. You cannot remove or add commands to it but you can make some
settings like selecting what control panels to show and link the control panel
icon to a tool palette group so that when you clock on the icon a specific group
is activated. Right click on the icon to set the tool palette group to be
activated when clicking on the icon.
Save screen space and have layout and model tabs on your status bar if you
want to.
New
DWG file format. Now it's AutoCAD 2007 DWG.
And there is a new icon for the
DWGs in Explorer. So users without AutoCAD 2007 needs
to download DWG TrueConvert™ that can batch convert from AutoCAD 2007 DWG to
2004, 2000 and R14. Or you can use SaveAs that allows to save down to R14 DWG
and R12 DXF as well as several versions in between.
AutoCAD
2007 will optionally warn users when the DWG file they are opening was saved
using an application that was not created by an Autodesk product or RealDWG
licensee. What is a Trusted DWG? Answer
here. In the tray within AutoCAD you will either see
for
a Trusted Autodesk DWG and
for a Non Autodesk DWG.
3D news and enhancements
3D solid primitive creation and modification is made easier. Grips or the
Properties palette can be used to change the shape of the object.
Helix is a new kind of object that can be created. When exploded it converts
to a spline object.
Pyramid is a new command that as expected creates a 3D pyramid.
The new POLYSOLID command (as well as a new object) enables you to specify the length, width, and
justification of a rectangular profile and then draw the path, similar to
drawing a Polyline. Access familiar Polyline options including Arc, Undo, and
Close and the geometry dynamically displays and changes as you draw. They can be
created from an existing line, 2D polyline, arc, or circle.
Extrude a an open geometry like a line or arc and you get an extruded
surface. The new object is Extrudedsurface.
When prompted to select the objects to extrude, press the CTRL key and select
a face to use the face of an existing solid or surface to create a new solid.
The REVOLVE command has been updated to produce either surfaces or solids
based on the profile and axis of rotation.
A face of an existing solid or surface can be used to create a new solid
using the REVOLVE command. When prompted to select the objects to revolve, press
the CTR key and select a face.
The new SWEEP command provides considerable flexibility for sweeping profiles
along a path. It can automatically align a profile with a path and with a
variety of options including scale factor, twist angle, and banking. Depending
if the profile is an open or closed curve, the SWEEP command will create a
surface or solid.
The new LOFT command interpolates a surface or solid through a set of cross
section curves. If the cross section curves are open, a surface is created and
if they are closed, a solid is created.
The new PLANESURF command enables you to create an accurate planar surface.
Pick a rectangular area or use the Object option to select one or more objects
that form an enclosed area.
The SLICE command has been updated to enable selection of a surface as the
slicing object.
The new THICKEN command adds thickness to a surface, turning it into a solid.
The new CONVTOSOLID command enables to convert a 2D object with thickness
into an equivalent extruded solid.
The new CONVTOSURFACE command enables you to converts a variety of objects
into surfaces.
The EXPLODE command will explode solids into regions and surfaces. Planar
faces of solids are converted into regions, and curved faces of solids are
converted into surfaces.
The new XEDGES command enables you to extract wireframe geometry from solids,
surfaces and regions.
The new command IMPRINT imprints an edge on a 3D solid.
The INTERFERE command has been updated to make it easier for you to identify
when solids interfere with each other. It also includes the ability to select
blocks and external references when searching for interferences and to select
individual nested solids within a block or xref.
The new 3DALIGN command makes it easy to align objects in 3D.
Face, Edge, Vertex Manipulation
Transparent Solids
New Dynamic UCS functionality automatically switches your current workplane
reducing the need for you to manually change your UCS. The Dynamic UCS is
enabled by default and you can toggle it on or off with the DUCS option on the
status bar. With DUCS enabled, you can pass your cursor over the edge of a face;
the face will highlight indicating that it is being used to establish a
temporary UCS.
AutoTracking and Object snaps have been enhanced to detect and track in the Z
direction. Even in Perspective mode.
3DOrbit can be run transparently with commands active (press the Shift key
and middle mouse button). The new default, Constrained Orbit mode, prevents you
from inadvertently rolling the geometry completely over. If you want the ability
to spin the view without constraints, you can use the Free Orbit mode (press the
Shift+Ctrl key and middle mouse button).
The new 3DSWIVEL command enables you to maintain your position while spinning
your viewpoint; similar to spinning a camera on a tripod.
The
new 3DWALK command enables you to walk through your design using the arrow keys
as well as the W,A,S, and D keys. A position locator displays the camera and
target positions enabling you to graphically edit them by dragging the indicator
icons. Using the expanded navigation controls in the dashboard, you can adjust
the step size and speed as well as the camera and target locations. Recording
tools enable you to record the screen as you walk through your design and save
the animation to AVI, MPG, or WMV format for future playback.
The CAMERA command has been improved so it's easier to create and manipulate
the view.
Toggle between Parallel and Perspective projections by selecting the
appropriate buttons on the Dashboard or by setting the new PERSPECTIVE system
variable.
Lighting is easier to work with.
Real-Time Shadows.
Many new materials are provided that you can apply to your objects for
presentation purposes. Easier to apply to objects or individual faces.
Drag-and-drop.
Visual Styles enable you to quickly change the appearance of your model. They
replace the previous shademode functionality and provide even greater control
and flexibility. You can apply a variety of properties to affect the opacity,
background, shadows, edges, faces and more.
Gooch is used for the conceptual Visual Style and uses cool and warm colors
instead of dark and light to enhance the display of faces that might be shadowed
and difficult to see in a realistic display. The effect is less realistic, but
it can make the details of the model easier to see.
SECTIONPLANE, LIVESECTION, JOGSECTION and FLATSHOT are used to add section
planes, make it live, add jogs and create a 2D flat snapshot of a 3D model.
3D DWF publishing has been integrated into the AutoCAD User Interface.
Mental Ray renderer. That means high quality like in Viz/Max.
If you want to use all the 3D and visual features in AutoCAD 2007
www.autodesk.com\autocad-graphicscard
helps when looking for hardware. A better graphic card can do a lot.
2D news and enhancements
DWF files can be attached as underlays, clipped, adjusted (fade, contrast,
monochrome) and snapped to. (But you cannot bind it or explode it. Layers are
not supported. The line weight or width cannot be changed.)
Print to PDF (2D only). It's a basic functionality available from the Plot
dialog box as DWG To PDF.pc3. SHX and TTF fonts are saved as graphics though and
affects the file size (files are bigger) and ability to search text (not
possible) within the PDF.
Layer Express Tools (now in the Format menu) and the Chspace command (in the
Format menu) are
now part of core AutoCAD.
MTEXTFIXED set to 2 and MTEXTED set to “Internal:”. Text that would otherwise
be difficult to read (if it is very small, very large, or is rotated) is
displayed at a legible size and is oriented horizontally so that you can easily
read and edit it. DTEXT or TEXT commands also works better than in AutoCAD 2006.
After adding the first text just click somewhere else and add a new text. Use
Shift+TAB and edit the previous text and TAB to edit the next text.
The Mtext editor has been updated to support the Shift+Tab key combination as
a method for removing one level of nesting from a numbered or bulleted list.
Object fields allow selection of objects either in paperspace or modelspace.
LISP variables are also supported in fields.
The table formula function accept a comma as a period.
Dynamic block lookup tables now by default are set to "Allow Reverse Lookup".
- "Allow Reverse Lookup enables the lookup property for a block reference
to be set from a drop-down list that is displayed when the lookup grip is
clicked in a drawing. Selecting an option from this list changes the block
reference to match the corresponding input property values in the table."
It's possible to change dynamic block properties during Insert.
When using the DIST command in paper space, the model space distance will be
returned as long as OSNAPing to geometry within the same viewport.
External References Palette
You might see it referred to Xref ESW where ESW stands for Enhanced Secondary
Window. You can have it open all the time and dock or anchor it. It handles DWG,
Images and DWF. Later Microstation DGN file format will be added. Image
extensions *.cals and *.pict are added as accepted.
Other
Migrate your settings is updated.
Select workspace to start with.
"To cycle through overlapping objects, roll over the object on top, then hold
SHIFT and press SPACEBAR repeatedly. To cycle through overlapping subobjects
(faces, edges, and vertices) on 3D Solids, roll over the subobject on top, then
hold CTRL and press SPACEBAR repeatedly."
A
new 3D Modeling tab has been added to the Options dialog box. Customize the
appearance of the 3D crosshairs. Specify when to display the UCS ICON. Enable
the Z-field for pointer input. Apply visual styles. Specify object deletion
behavior for profiles and other defining geometry. Specify the number of U and V
lines on surfaces and meshes. Reverse the behavior of the mouse wheel zoom.
Specify the navigation settings for walk-throughs and animations.
The purge (and -purge) command now also purges materials and visual styles
not used in the drawing.
Customize what happens when double-clicking using CUI. There is a new Double
Click Actions node.
CUI functionality has been updated enabling you to drag and drop from the
command list onto tool palettes.
CUI performance has been improved.
If you have messed up with the CUI file it can be restored or reset. If
restore is selected the backup acad.bak.cui is used. If reset is selected the
file is taken from C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2007\UserDataCache\Support
Starting AutoCAD with the command line switch /w
designates which workspace in the loaded CUI files should be restored on
startup.
The Sheet Set Manager has been updated to enable you to
select multiple sheets and then drag them to a new location or subset within the
sheet list.
When you insert a block, the Properties Palette displays
block properties enabling you to edit some values, such as color and layer, upon
insertion.
When you enter an unacceptable value in a tooltip for
dynamic input, the value automatically highlights enabling you to reenter the
value.
AutoCAD functionality automatically removes old drawing recovery files.
To
make it easier for those needing to work with older file formats of DWG you have
been able to automatically save to older versions. Now the Wblock command also
respects this setting. It's also possible to manually specify the file type in
Wblock (Write Block) using the browse for file name and path dialog box.
When reference editing a drawing it keeps the version of the xreffed drawing.
You will get this dialog box message if you Refedit (reference edit) something
other than a 2007 DWG: "The Xref selected references a previous drawing file
format. Edits saved back to the Xref file will be in the release format of the
referenced drawing file."
Resaving all sheets in Sheet Set Manager (SSM) retains the version of the
drawing.
The Sheet Set data DST file has the same format (1.1) as previous version.
That means that you can work in a sheet set in AutoCAD 2007 and also work in
AutoCAD 2006 with it. Especially if you have set the options to save to 2004 DWG
file format. Even though it's not needed other than the 2007 DWG format drawings
will not be possible to open in 2006.
Subscription customers will get free access to Vault. Doesn't work with Sheet
Set Manager though.
MicroStation V8's DGN format (2D geometry and annotations only) might be
added before the release of AutoCAD 2008.
Help
Many Flash animations that are useful. Open help and click the Show Me
Animations link in the right pane under the General Information section.
The tab Ask Me in the Help has been renamed to Search and there are added a
History and Advanced link. The functionality in the old Search tab has been
removed.
In VisualLISP help the favorites tab is removed.
e-Learning for subscription customers.
AutoCAD 2007 is breaking binary compatibility with previous releases of
AutoCAD. This means that ObjectARX Applications built to run with versions of
AutoCAD prior to 2007 will not load. Check if your 3:rd party application is or
will be compatible with AutoCAD 2007.
ObjectARX 2007 and .NET applications requires to be compiled using Microsoft®
Visual Studio® 2005.
Visual C# or Visual Basic Express editions are not suggested for AutoCAD .NET
development. These versions do not support debugging your project while it is
loaded in AutoCAD. Other than that it works if you want to start playing with
managed .NET code.
Unicode Support in ObjectARX APIs - “Unicode provides a unique number for
every character, no matter what the platform, no matter what the program, no
matter what the language” – www.unicode.org.
Managed .NET API News and Enhancements:
3D Solids and Surfaces - Create and manipulate solids and Autodesk Shape
Manager (ASM) surfaces. Revolution, sweep, and lofting, section and
flatten programmatically.
Rendering and Materials - Settings for both Generic and the mental ray®
renderer, fog and depth cue. Render to specific targets like Window, Viewport or
an Image File. Per-entity materials, translucence and luminance etc.
Lights - Various light types such as Point, Spot, and Distant lights. Default
lighting, brightness, contrast, and ambient light properties, sunlight and shade
studies, casting and receiving shadows.
Visual Styles - ‘Visual Styles’ are replacing the AutoCAD Shademode
functionality.
Sub-Entity Selection and Manipulation - New input-context reactors, extended
‘Selection Set’ APIs with several new global acedSSSubentXXX() functions and
context menu support for specific sub-entities. Additional new AcDbEntity
overrides for sub entity support in custom entities.
CUI and Workspace API - You can automate the updates to the main CUI, create
a custom CUI, and create custom workspaces from scratch.
Managed Tool Palette API - Managed Wrapper for AcadToolImpl class.
Lisp-callable functions in .NET - Pass data to / from Auto LISP® application.
Define functions which can be accessed from AutoLISP.
Bug fixes
There is a problem with the precision with the new calculator (CAL). Try for
example 611-602.555 that should result in 8.445 and
notice that the result is not what you expect. It returns 8.4450000000001.
(Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
A minor visual defect is that if you is highlighting an object with rollover
and then press CTRL+A the other objects gets dashed but not that object. (Solved
in AutoCAD 2007)
When having multiple viewports in modelspace or paperspace and editing text
using mtedit other views can be changed automatically. The ruler can also show
up in other viewports. (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
Migration Mayhem 2 (2006 to 2006 SP1, affects earlier releases)
Cadalyst Bug Watch (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
Misplaced Menu Memory (2006 to 2006 SP1)
Cadalyst Bug Watch (Solved in AutoCAD 2007)
There are several bug fixes. More to come here...
System requirements
Besides minimum system requirements there are also additional recommendations
for 3D use.
Minimum: 512 MB RAM
Recommended for
3D: Windows XP Pro SP 2, 2 GB RAM, 3.0 GHz or greater processor, 128 MB or
greater, OpenGL-capable workstation-class
graphics
card
Autodesk will release an update for AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007 in the
coming months that will add support for Windows Vista 32-bit versions.
ActiveX API
The following outlines the additions and changes made to the ActiveX API in
AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD 2007-based products.
Enhance the Enhanced Attribute Editor so that the value could be added
directly within the list grid box.
Ability to edit attributes in place without the Enhanced Attribute Editor. As
an option.
Add an option to start an empty drawing when the last drawing is closed. The
reason is that functionality like SSM doesn't work without a drawing open.
Import/export tools that support native SketchUp files (SKP).
Enhance text editing. When you edit one text click on another text and edit
that one directly. This will save keystrokes compared to today when you have to
exit out the editor and then double click on the second text object to edit.
Support creation of animations to DWF.
Save current layer filter to the drawing so it can be restored automatically
when reopened. Include also a drawing system variable.
3D DWF should support hyperlinks.
Reorder the location of anchored palettes and be able to lock the order.
Specify the height of anchored palettes individually. Now all are maximized
in height.
When changing a Cylinder solid to Elliptical it should be possible to set
Elliptical to No.
When changing a Cylinder solid to Elliptical it should be possible to
directly change major and minor radius with the grips.
Live section that work on a per viewport basis.
FlatShot support for named blocks.
SSM should maintain focus from placing one view to the next. Each time you go
back to the resource drawing tab after placing a view the focus reverts back to
the top of the list.
SSM: Support of completely blank fields or empty fields (especially when using SSM). Not with "----". It could
be that they where visible on the screen but not plotable Should be an
option if you still want "----". Workaround: entering ALT-0160 (Non-break Space) on
the keyboard followed by an enter. To do it hold down the ALT key and type
the numbers 0 1 6 0 on the numeric keypad. This requires a True Type Font to
work.
CUI: Be able to copy and paste commands.
Right click on a toolbar and end up at the right place to edit it in CUI.
CUI: Support for tool palettes, tool palette groups, the Dashboard.
CUI: be able to disable/enable items. Have them show up only in CUI.
CUI sometimes requires the user to save the workspace before using it but the
user have no way of knowing that. If not saved it can result in changes to menus
are just lost.
Eattext should be able to retain the settings of a customized table.
Eattext should be able to include the file name and the path of the extracted
drawing.
Support of the new OpenType fonts. Suffix=OTF and also TTF. OpenType fonts
that use PostScript outlines.
In the layer properties manager multiple xrefs can be selected but only one
show it's layers. All selected xrefs should show their layers or you should not
be able to select multiple xrefs.
When zooming with the mouse wheel in perspective it would help if the
zooming was centered on the crosshair just like when in parallel projection
mode
Existing bugs, defects, feature limitation or other issues.
AutoTracking and Object snaps have been enhanced to detect and track in the Z
direction but have problems to work in Perspective mode in some cases. Try to
track 2 midpoints on a side of a 3d box and find the intersection. (Solved in
AutoCAD 2008)
SSM: Renaming the layout on a drawing breaks the hyperlinks in the Sheet List
Table to the Sheet in question.
When moving a clipped xref the objects outside the clipping shows up. This
didn't happen in AutoCAD 2005.
Adding \X before <> on an arc dimensions make the arc sign double in size
and the measurement disappears.
2004 introduced a bug (or change) when it comes to dimensions. The
placement of alternate units are now above the dimension line. In 2002 it
was below. "\X" doesn't help as primary unit suffix. But "\X
" works as a workaround, observe the space after the X, change also the
placement of the alternate units to be After the primary value. But if the
dimension is then moved from the home location it jumps up above the dimension
line. (The move problem is solved in AutoCAD 2008)
Hatch objects doesn't show added hyperlinks in AutoCAD 2006 and 2005 but they
show up correctly if published to DWF. More about this bug at
Cadalyst. (Solved in at least AutoCAD 2009)
Arc angle not correct in Properties. More about this bug at
Cadalyst. (Probably fixed in a newer version)
Corrupted or zero-byte drawings can be created when insufficient disk space
conditions are detected.
If the aidimfliparrow command is run from the command line it accepts
multiple objects but it only works if you select one dimension object.
Aidimfliparrow doesn't work in some circumstances because it doesn't accept
if you click on the arrow or the extension line. Typically when the distance
between the extension lines are relatively short.
Selecting multiple files in the opening dialog box and pressing enter doesn't
work.
QuickCalc (CAL) should keep the focus even when the mouse is not above the
palette.
The '\' character is not always recognized when used in macros in CUI.
If the drawing or image file name has any of these characters @ [ ] # (sample_image[1].jpg) then the unreferenced
drawing or image may not be detach from External Reference ESW. Error message:
"No matching xref names found." Classicimage command can be used as workaround
for images. For drawings use Reference Manager, pick the relevant xref. Under
Details, pick the Reference Name and edit it to remove the wildcards. Then you
can right-click on the xref and pick Detach. (Solved at least in AutoCAD 2009)
If you are running a command like move in a locked viewport and then zoom
with the wheel the command line is not looking correct. It looks like there is
no command is active even though it is.
DWG to PDF plotting has problems to accurately center a sheet on the paper.
It's getting better with a higher DPI. (Solved at least in AutoCAD 2009)
The Rename dialog box doesn't accept renaming of for example blocks with
names including the # character.
Dimensioning with DIMSCALE set to 0 and using VPMAX doesn't work as
expected. The scale of the viewport is not respected.
The tray button to change between floating model space and paper space is
missing if the layout and model tabs are hidden. (intentionally?) (seems to have
been replaced with the Maximize viewport button)
VBA code ThisDrawing.AuditInfo True can on some drawings change the value of
Insunits.
Some old hatch pattern files (*.PAT) might cause AutoCAD to lock up when
selected from the Hatch dialog box. It seems to be because they lack a carriage
return (CR) but AutoCAD 2007 requires the normal CR/LF(linefeed) pair.
I have once ended up with a block created with Flatshot that was not possible
to selecting other than with Ctrl+A or the like.
Replace Existing Block in the Flatshot dialog box remembers the previous
selected block. Not sure this is a bug or a feature.
Sub object editing stops working certain distance from origin.
Reload of relative external references are sometimes needed even though they
have not changed.
The Dashboard sometimes is dislocated. This is a confirmed bug by Autodesk.
"occurs only when the dashboard is anchored and you (1) resize the AutoCAD
application and then (2) exit AutoCAD without opening the anchored palette."
"The solution is to open the anchored palette at least once after resizing the
application window and before exiting AutoCAD."
I found myself locked within the drawing area without being able to move the
mouse to any menu or toolbar. Workaround has been to switch to another program
with Alt+Tab.
Tool Properties of Materials dialog box can sometimes look weird. A button
runs wild, docks to one size or is resized to very small. It's the one to browse
for a reflectance map.
Intellimouse scrolling with ZOOMWHEEL set to 1 doesn't work good in Orbit
modes.
Polysolids created with incorrect length -
KB article and workaround using DYNMODE set to either 0 or 1.
Visibility parameter for block attribute does not behave as expected -
KB article
Right-click on Shortcut Keys in CUI has New as an option but it is not for
the Shortcut Keys, it is for Temporary Override Keys.
3DDWF cannot handle selection and deselection of objects within blocks and
xrefs as good as it should. It should be possible to select the complete block
or xref. It should be possible to deselect some objects within a block or xref
after selecting everything using "all".
Circular Xrefs in drawings created in other software than AutoCAD can make
AutoCAD 2007 crash without any notice (no CER) when opening the new xref manager
palette. Workaround is to use the command Classicxref and try to fix the xrefs.
FIELDEVAL setting is not maintained after publishing drawings. (Seems to be
fixed at least in AutoCAD 2009)
If DTEXTED is set to 0 or 2 and editing single line text AutoCAPS changes.
Do you want to turn off the drafting tooltip and it doesn't seem to work as
it used to? Turn off Display AutoTrack tooltip in Options>Drafting. This
is a changed behavior compared to AutoCAD 2006.
"I'm missing materials and lights in an old 3D drawing." - Take a look at the
commands
CONVERTOLDMATERIALS and CONVERTOLDLIGHTS.
Middle mouse wheel zoom in perspective view zooms to the center of the
view rather than based on cursor position. It also invokes a 3DDISTANCE command
(moving the target and camera as opposed to changing the zoom magnification).
Ortho pan tips. Since
Shift key and middle mouse button now starts
transparent orbit you have to first press the middle mouse button and
then the Shift key to get the pan command in ortho mode.
If you have problems to start AutoCAD or get fatal error at startup
you can try start it with the switch /NOHARDWARE. This will force AutoCAD
into a state where it uses the software graphics by default. It also circumvents
all of the Performance Tuner checking what the capabilities the system has.
Copying materials from one drawing to another. AutoCAD 2007 materials
are defined as properties of objects. If a material has been applied to an
object, you can copy this object and paste it into another drawing. Then the
material will be available on the Materials palette in the new drawing. Even if
the object is erased from the drawing area, the material will still be available
to be used in the new drawing.
DWF Underlays It is recommended that you insert DWF underlay files on locked layers to
avoid editing them by mistake. When zooming in on DWF underlay files and then
using a window selection method, the DWF underlay may be selected even though
the geometry in the underlay does not appear to be selected.
The status of unloaded DWF underlays is changed to Loaded when drawings
they're attached to are reopened. This is because DWF underlay files are
automatically reloaded when drawings are opened.
DWF files that are plotted with the upside-down option turned on are not
displayed correctly when they are attached as DWF underlays. It is recommended
that you refrain from plotting DWF files upside-down and do not attach DWF files
that have been plotted upside-down.
l When using REFEDIT in a drawing, if you use PASTECLIP to paste a DWF
underlay, you may be unable to save back your changes. The following message may
be displayed:
Cannot save back changes because objects in the working set reference objects
outside of the working set. The Refedit session is still active. Press F2 after
dismissing the dialog to see the list of missing references.
This error message may also be displayed when you have a DWF underlay
attached in the host drawing and then try to use DWFATTACH on the same DWF
underlay file in the xref during REFEDIT. It is recommended that you do not
DWFATTACH/PASTECLIP DWF underlays while using REFEDIT. The workaround to save
back your other REFEDIT changes is to delete the DWF underlay that you attached
or pasted during the REFEDIT session.
When you attach a DWF as an underlay, the search path for the DWF underlay is
not the same as attached drawing references (xrefs) or image files. For example,
if there is a DWF underlay of the same name in the \My Documents folder, it is
used instead of the DWF underlay in the same folder as the current drawing file.
For data management purposes, the \My Documents folder is not a recommended
storage location.
Tool Palettes Tool palettes created in the current release should not be used in previous
releases.
Customization Files with the Same Name When loading partial menus, AutoCAD first searches the Support File Search
Path (defined on the Files tab of the Options dialog box). If you try to load a
customization (CUI) file that has the same name as another file, the program
automatically loads the file located in the Support File Search Path, regardless
of which file you specified. To avoid confusion, make sure that file names are
unique.
Workspaces When you have selected the Automatically Save Workspace Changes option in
the Workspace Settings dialog box (WSSETTINGS), the current workspace is
automatically saved when you close the product. However, the workspace is not
saved if you close AutoCAD when no drawings are open. To ensure that the
workspace is saved upon closing, either use WSSAVE to save the workspace before
you close the last drawing or make sure that at least one drawing is open when
you close AutoCAD.
3D Environment
AutoCAD 2007 exposes a new 3D Modeling environment which you can access by means
of the VISUALSTYLES command and choosing any non-2D style. The 3D environment
has some behavioral differences when compared to the legacy 2D drafting
environment, such as:
-Draw order is not supported in 3D
-Memory usage in 3D is higher
-REGEN and REGENALL does not necessarily clean up display artifacts, while
cycling VISUALSTYLES between 2D and non-2D styles can reset the display
Lights in Blocks Do Not Illuminate Models
Lights that are part of blocks that are created with the BLOCK command will not
illuminate the model. The only time lights in blocks work is if the drawing
containing the light was inserted once into another drawing. As an alternative,
you can explode the block containing the light so the light illuminates the
model.
REDO from the Materials Palette
The REDO command does not restore changes that were undone in the Materials
palette. For instance, if you change the color of a material from red to blue,
UNDO restores the original red color. REDO does not restore the blue color.
Procedural Materials Are Not Converted by CONVERTOLDMATERIALS
Procedural materials that are applied to objects in AutoCAD 2006 models are not
converted by the CONVERTOLDMATERIALS command in AutoCAD 2007.
Animation Output In order to output animations to MOV or WMV file formats, you must have
Quicktime or Media Player 9 (or higher) installed.
The Quicktime Player cannot play MOV files saved with characters that are not
native to the current operating system.
FLATSHOT in Perspective
When the FLATSHOT command is used in a Perspective view, the resulting geometry
may not be generated correctly.
External References
Due to the xref polling cycle, you can encounter a time lag when attempting to
use the Manage Xrefs icon to reload DWG xrefs. Referenced DWG files are not
ready to be reloaded, by this method until you see the balloon notification on
the Manage Xrefs icon. To expedite the reloading process, use one of the
following methods:
Right-click the reference drawing in the File References list of the External
References palette and
then click Reload.
Choose Reload All References from the button controls at the top of the
External References palette.
Enter -XREF at the Command prompt and use the Reload option.
If you choose to operate in single document interface mode (SDI system
variable), the External References palette is not available for managing file
references that are attached to the drawing. Instead, the legacy dialog box
version is displayed. If you attach a file reference when in SDI mode and then
later turn off SDI mode to return to the standard multiple document interface,
the External References palette may not accurately display the current
attachments until you save the drawing or reload the reference.
Attempting to change the Type setting of a DWG reference when the External
References palette is docked is not possible when using the mouse. The Type
dropdown menu does not remain open as you drag the cursor to choose a new
setting. You can bypass this situation by using the arrow keys to choose from
the menu or you can undock the External References palette and select the new
setting with the cursor.
Intersection Edges Do Not Always Plot
Intersection edges may not always plot when the visual style is set to anything
other than 2D Wireframe. The workaround is as follows:
1. Set the visual style to 2D Wireframe.
2. Turn on INTERSECTIONDISPLAY.
3. Set the INTERSECTIONCOLOR.
4. Plot the drawing with the Shaded Viewport option set to Hidden.
Plot Large Raster Images
Two new system variables allow you greater control over plotting drawings that
contain large raster image attachments or when plotting high resolution, large,
rendered/shaded viewports on large size media.
RASTERTHRESHOLD - Specifies a raster threshold in megabytes. If the
plotted raster image exceeds this threshold, the availability of system memory
is checked. The plot is aborted if the image is too big for the available
memory.
RASTERPERCENT - Sets the maximum percentage of available virtual memory
that is allowed for plotting a raster image.
DWF Files
Raster images in DWF underlays are not plotted when plotting to DWF.
Plotting DWF underlay files that contain raster images can produce unexpected
results.
Publish to Web
At this time, choosing the List of Drawings and List plus Summary templates when
using the PUBLISHTOWEB command does not work with the 6.5 version of the DWF
Viewer. The problem will be rectified when the next version of the DWF Viewer is
available.
Multiple-Language Support
Drawing properties in AutoCAD 2007 are saved with Unicode characters. For
instance, if you save a 2007-format drawing containing multiple language drawing
properties to a 2004-format drawing, the drawing properties are converted to the
native characters of the current Windows language. If text cannot be converted
to the native characters, it is saved to CIF codes (\U+nnnn).
When saving a 2007-format drawing to a 2004-format drawing, any new symbol or
dictionary names (for example, layout name, text style name, dimension style
name) created in AutoCAD 2007 are saved in the language that was used when the
symbol names were created.
Folder or File Names
AutoCAD 2006, AutoCAD LT 2006, and prior versions were not Unicode applications.
When sharing drawings with earlier, non-Unicode, versions, use ASCII characters
to ensure compatibility when you save files, insert xrefs, and specify folder
paths.
Subobject and Object Cycling
Subobject and object cycling using CTRL + SPACEBAR and SHIFT + SPACEBAR does not
work in Chinese (PRC and Taiwan) versions of Microsoft Windows. When using the
Chinese IME, these key combinations do the following:
CTRL + SPACEBAR toggles Chinese IME.
SHIFT + SPACEBAR toggles double-byte and single-byte English characters.
Inside the IME, you can change the accelerator key combinations. You can change
the default actions of CTRL + SPACEBAR and SHIFT + SPACEBAR to something that
does not conflict with the AutoCAD CTRL + SPACEBAR and SHIFT + SPACEBAR
behavior.
AltGR and Key Combinations
l AltGR+ any key results in a halt of command entry. This is caused by the
Ctrl+Alt combination of implied faces extrusion. If you use an AltGR keyboard
layout, the workaround is to set IMPLIEDFACE to 0 (zero).
Updated bigfont.ini
l AutoCAD 2007 is handling custom SHX Big Fonts differently than AutoCAD 2006
and earlier versions. If custom SHX Big Fonts are used in your drawing files,
you need to add the SHX Big Font names and their code page ID into the
bigfont.ini file in your Support folder. Please refer to the header section of
this bigfont.ini file to learn how to add them.
COM Extension Interface Changes
The following COM extension interfaces have been merged into the primary
interfaces indicated below:
Old Interface
Merged into
IAcadAttribute2
IAcadAttribute
IAcadAttributeReference2
IAcadAttributeReference
IAcadBlock2, IAcadBlock3
IAcadBlock
IAcadBlockReference2
IAcadBlockReference
IAcadExternalReference2
IAcadExternalReference
IAcadHatch2
IAcadHatch
IAcadLayer2
IAcadLayer
IAcadLayers2
IAcadLayers
IAcadMInsertBlock2
IAcadMInsertBlock
IAcadMLine2
IAcadMLine
IAcadModelSpace2, IAcadModelSpace3
IAcadModelSpace
IAcadMText2
IAcadMText
IAcadPaperSpace2, IAcadPaperSpace3
IAcadPaperSpace
IAcadPreferencesFiles2
IAcadPreferencesFiles
IAcadPreferencesOutput2
IAcadPreferencesOutput
IAcadPViewport2
IAcadPViewport
IAcadTable2
IAcadTable
IAcadText2
IAcadText
IAcadUtility2
IAcadUtility
IAcadView2
IAcadView
This change affects only code that directly uses the COM interfaces. It
should be transparent to clients of the
corresponding VBA automation classes.
New AUGI thread
Breaking
info on AutoCAD 2007 builds a list of links over time, relating to AutoCAD
2007 features, news, reviews etc ( Please note, this list is constantly updated
with additional relevant and topical links as they becomes available ).
Toggle whether camera objects are displayed in the
current drawing.
CAMERAHEIGHT
Stores the default height for newly created camera
objects.
CLEANSCREENSTATE
Stores a value that indicates whether the clean screen
state is on. (read-only)
CMATERIAL
Sets the material of new objects.
CSHADOW
Sets the shadow display property for a 3D object.
DASHBOARDSTATE
Determines whether the Dashboard window is active or
not.
DEFAULTLIGHTING
Turns default lighting on and off.
DEFAULTLIGHTINGTYPE
Specifies the type of default lighting.
DIMARCSYM
Controls display of the arc symbol in an arc length
dimension.
DIMFXL
Sets the total length of the extension lines starting
from the dimension line toward the dimension origin.
DIMFXLON
Controls whether extension lines are set to a fixed
length.
DIMJOGANG
Determines the angle of the transverse segment of the
dimension line in a jogged radius dimension.
DIMLTEX1
Sets the linetype of the first extension line.
DIMLTEX2
Sets the linetype of the second extension line.
DIMLTYPE
Sets the linetype of the dimension line.
DIMTFILL
Controls the background of dimension text.
DIMTFILLCLR
Sets the color for the text background in dimensions.
DRAGVS
Sets the visual style while creating 3D objects.
DWFFRAME
Determines whether the DWF frame is visible and if it
will plot.
DWFOSNAP
Determines whether object snapping is enabled for DWFs
that are attached to a DWG.
ERSTATE
Determines whether the External References window is
inactive, active/visible or active/auto-hidden.
GRIDDISPLAY
Controls the display behavior and display limits of the
grid.
GRIDMAJOR
Controls the frequency of major grid lines compared to
minor grid lines.
GRIDUNIT
Specifies the grid spacing (X and Y) for the current
viewport.
GTAUTO
Controls whether or not grip tools display automatically
when selecting objects in 3D space.
GTDEFAULT
Controls whether or not the 3DMOVE, 3DROTATE, and
3DSCALE commands start automatically when the MOVE, ROTATE, and SCALE
commands (respectively) are started in a 3D view.
GTLOCATION
Sets the default location for grip tools.
IMPLIEDFACE
Controls the detection of implied faces.
INTERFERECOLOR
Sets the color of interference objects.
INTERFEREOBJVS
Sets the visual style for interference objects.
INTERFEREVPVS
Sets the visual style for the current viewport while
using the INTERFERENCE command.
LATITUDE
Specifies the latitude of the drawing model.
LEGACYCTRLPICK
Specifies the keys for selection cycling and the
behavior for CTRL + left-click. Setting the LEGACYCTRLPICK variable to 1
restores the behavior of previous versions.
LIGHTGLYPHDISPLAY
Controls whether light glyphs are displayed.
LIGHTLISTSTATE
Indicates whether the Lights in Model window is open or
closed.
LOFTANG1
Sets the draft angle through the first cross section in
a loft operation.
LOFTANG2
Sets the draft angle through the last cross section in a
loft operation.
LOFTMAG1
Sets the magnitude of draft angle through the first
cross section in a loft operation.
LOFTMAG2
Sets the magnitude of draft angle through the last cross
section in a loft operation.
LOFTNORMALS
Controls the normals of a lofted object where it passes
through cross sections.
LOFTPARAM
Controls the shape of lofted solids and surfaces.
LONGITUDE
Specifies the longitude of the drawing model.
MATSTATE
Indicates whether the Materials window is open or
closed.
NORTHDIRECTION
Specifies the angle of the Sun from north.
OSOPTIONS
Automatically suppresses object snaps on hatch objects
and when using a dynamic UCS.
PERSPECTIVE
Specifies whether the current viewport displays a
perspective working view.
PSOLHEIGHT
Sets the default height for a swept solid object created
with the POLYSOLID command.
PSOLWIDTH
Sets the default width for a swept solid object created
with the POLYSOLID command.
PUBLISHALLSHEETS
Controls how the Publish dialog list is populated.
RENDERPREFSSTATE
Stores a value that indicates whether the Advanced
Render Settings palette is open.
SHADOWPLANELOCATION
Controls the location of an invisible ground plane used
to display shadows.
SHOWHIST
Controls the Show History property for solids in a
drawing.
SOLIDHIST
Controls the default History property setting for new
and existing objects.
STEPSIZE
Specifies the step size in current units when users are
in Walk mode.
STEPSPERSEC
Specifies the number of steps taken per second when
users are in Walk mode.
SUNPROPERTIESSTATE
Indicates whether the Sun Properties window is open or
closed.
SUNSTATUS
Controls whether the Sun is casting light in the
viewport.
TIMEZONE
Sets the time zone for a sun study.
UCSDETECT
Controls whether dynamic UCS acquisition is active or
not.
VSBACKGROUNDS
Controls whether backgrounds are displayed in the
current viewport.
VSCURRENT
Stores the name of the visual style applied to the
current viewport.
VSEDGECOLOR
Sets the color of edges.
VSEDGEJITTER
Controls the degree to which lines are made to appear as
though sketched with a pencil.
VSEDGEOVERHANG
Makes lines extend beyond their intersection, for a
hand-drawn effect.
VSEDGES
Controls the types of edges that are displayed in the
viewport.
VSEDGESMOOTH
Specifies the angle at which crease edges are displayed.
VSFACECOLORMODE
Controls how the color of faces is calculated.
VSFACESTYLE
Controls how faces are displayed in the current
viewport.
VISUALSTYLES
Displays the Visual Styles Manager palette allowing you
to create and modify visual styles, or apply a visual style to a
viewport.
VSHALOGAP
Sets the halo gap in the visual style applied to the
current viewport.
VSHIDEPRECISION
Controls the accuracy of hides and shades in the visual
style applied to the current viewport.
VSINTERSECTIONCOLOR
Specifies the color of intersection polylines in the
visual style applied to the current viewport.
VSINTERSECTIONEDGES
Specifies the display of intersection edges in the
visual style applied to the current viewport.
VSINTERSECTIONLTYPE
Controls whether obscured lines are displayed in the
current viewport and sets their linetype.
VSLIGHTINGQUALITY
Sets the lighting quality in the current viewport.
VSMATERIALMODE
Controls the display of materials in the current
viewport.
VSMONOCOLOR
Sets the color for monochrome display of faces.
VSOBSCUREDCOLOR
Specifies the color of obscured lines in the visual
style applied to the current viewport.
VSOBSCUREDEDGES
Controls whether obscured (hidden) edges are displayed.
VSOBSCUREDLTYPE
Specifies the linetype of obscured lines in the visual
style applied to the current viewport.
VSOPACITY
Controls the transparency of faces in the current
viewport.
VSSHADOWS
Controls whether a visual style displays shadows.
VSSILHEDGES
Controls display of silhouette curves of solid objects
in the visual style applied to the current viewport.
VSSILHEDGEWIDTH
Specifies the width in pixels for display of silhouette
edges in the current viewport.
VSSPECULAR
Controls the display of specular highlights on faces
without materials in the current viewport.
VSSTATE
Stores a value that indicates whether the Visual Styles
window is open.
ZOOMWHEEL
Allows users to toggle the behavior of mouse wheel zoom
operations.
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Now it's AutoCAD 2007 DWG.
And there is a new 
icon for the
DWGs in Explorer. So users without AutoCAD 2007 needs
to download DWG TrueConvert™ that can batch convert from AutoCAD 2007 DWG to
2004, 2000 and R14. Or you can use SaveAs that allows to save down to R14 DWG
and R12 DXF as well as several versions in between.
for
a Trusted Autodesk DWG and
for a Non Autodesk DWG.
In
this video training, expert author Brian Benton takes you through the
fundamentals of AutoCAD 2010 and gives you the tools you need to be on your
way to becoming an fully functioning AutoCAD user. Starting with the basics
of installation, Brian quickly teaches you the basics, and then dives right
into applying them, with a chapter project that reviews everything you have
learned in each section. Using a hands on approach, Brian allows you to more
quickly learn how to apply the material, increasing your retention and
understanding of AutoCAD 2010. By the completion of this over 9.5 hour
tutorial, you will be familiar and comfortable with AutoCAD, and capable of
drawing, decorating and annotating an AutoCAD project. Also included are
work files to allow you to work along side the author, and further
understand what he is showing you, step by step. The training consists of 97
mini-lessons.
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