More on performance--Part I

Performance with Autodesk products has become more than just meeting minimum hardware requirements, drawings size, and purging unused items. With the later releases of software there seem to be more tricky areas woven together in a tangled web. Here are a few areas to check if you feel you are suffering in performance. This is in NO way a comprehensive list.

• Check the RECOMMENDED hardware requirements. Not the minimum but do your homework by checking the Autodesk hardware requirements, checking with anyone you value such as a user group contact or trusted reseller. Read information in discussion groups and AUGI to see what others are saying about hardware. Be sure to get a good quality graphics card from the Autodesk list. This will be one that you can optimize for AutoCAD and not a gaming card.
• Check your system. Do you have the latest updates for your bios, video card, printers and plotters, operating system, and other applications? Some of these may be updated almost weekly or monthly. And in some cases the latest may not be the best, but better to start with crossing this off your list first.
• System optimization. Do you need to defragment your hard drive? How long has it been? How about the server? Do you have a good backup?
• System resouces in use. If you think you're running slow, do a Ctrl+Alt+Del and check Windows Task Manager. Do you have applications running that shouldn't be? Is your task bar filled with "junk" that has been downloaded such as IM programs, weather programs, etc? Check the Processes tab. If you are unsure what all those are, go down the list and type the name of everyone in Google. Some of them may be worms, viruses, or only appear to valid. Don't take anything for granted. Check the Performance tab. Watch as you open, perform commands that you believe to be slow, regenerate, or plot. Does the CPU Usage spike or max out at 100 for long periods?
• Support files. Do you have a long list of support paths listed? Do you have a long list of printers listed or printers listed that are in another office or not even available any longer? Along these same lines, deleting the Add A Plotter link has also been reported to help performance.

I have a lot that I want to include here and lots of tips from discussion groups. I'm going to break this up into multiple segments so it's a little easier to digest.

Building Systems Object Enabler

I got excited about a Building Systems Object Enabler being posted, but it was short-lived.

I have been watching daily for some object enabler to handle the new aec objects used in ADT & ABS when opening a drawing from 2007 saved back to 2004 (2004-2006). I thought this was it, but in fact it is an object enabler to allow ADT, ACAD, and Map users to be able to see the 2007 objects in the 2007 versions of those products.

To date, I have not seen a good resolution to anyone that creates or opens and saves a drawing in 2007 and then has to save back to any earlier version so it can be read in something as recent as 2006. Plain, vanilla AutoCAD isn't much of a problem, but any product considered a vertical product of AutoCAD that creates its own custom objects of some sort is a problem.

I keep hearing the comment that we have this happen every time we have a file format change. I think the real impact here is the fact that with the last file format change in 2004, there weren't nearly as many vertical products in use and there wasn't as much impact as there is now.

I'll be sure and keep you posted on any new developments.

Some other new documents in the Autodesk Knowledgebase:
The .NET Framework 2.0 that is required for AutoCAD 2007-based products may interfere with other applications that you run that are not compatible with this. Here is one example with Outlook.

Plot Preview is blank

Beware of importing profiles from previous versions: Cannot find help file.

If you are using DWG TrueView, you should be sure and update it. FONTALT issue with older versions.

Map 3D 2007 Service Pack 1 is now available.