Steve Johnson over at blog nauseam posted AutoCAD Exchange bites the dust notifying us about the closure of the community site AutoCAD Exchange. Will you miss it?

Important News About AutoCAD Exchange!

Thank you for visiting AutoCAD Exchange. In an effort to consolidate our online AutoCAD community efforts to more popular networks, we will be migrating AutoCAD Exchange content and activities to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Through the AutoCAD Facebook page we provide tips & tricks, tutorial videos and opportunities to engage with the employees at Autodesk that have helped build the product from the ground up.
We look forward to interacting with you on our social properties.
AutoCAD  on Facebook
AutoCAD on Twitter
AutoCAD on YouTube

Note: AutoCAD Plant Exchange will continue on this site, providing updates, content packs, and productivity tools. Click the Plant Exchange tab or visit www.autodesk.com/plantexchange.

AutoCAD Exchange - new community site for AutoCAD users
AutoCAD Exchange 9 months later
AutoCAD Exchange redesign

Here is from a patent application by Autodesk:

“A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product provide the ability to augment an as-built model. A CAD drawing of a project as well as a digital representation of a physical implementation of the project are obtained.

A relationship that maps the digital representation to the CAD drawing is defined/established. A component of the digital representation is identified based on the relationship (e.g., and a database/catalog). Information about the identified component is transmitted to and displayed on a computer (e.g., a mobile device).”

Will we see this in Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks, … in the future?

For more details on the patent see US 2012/0116728 A1

Via WorldCAD Access

AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1 is now available as well as AutoCAD LT 2013 SP1.

UPDATE: AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1

As a result of recent ACAD/Medre.A Malware AutoCAD AutoLISP Malware! and other appearances of malicious applications Autodesk has introduced options to control the operation of AutoLISP and VBA applications in AutoCAD. Worth noting is that if you use VBA consider to download and install the latest AutoCAD 2013 VBA module that was updated for the changes made in Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD 2013. See reasons why further down.

_VERNUM is now “G.112.0.0 (UNICODE)” (without SP1 it is “G.55.0.0 (UNICODE)”)

Here is what Autodesk has to say about it and where you can download it for AutoCAD as well as download it for AutoCAD LT:

You can apply this update to AutoCAD 2013 running on all supported operating systems and languages. Consult the readme file for installation instructions and more details on the primary issues resolved by this update. Be sure to install the correct update (32-bit or 64-bit) for your software and operating system.
This Service Pack can be applied to AutoCAD 2013 installed as a standalone application as well as AutoCAD 2013 installed from the following Autodesk Design Suites.

• AutoCAD Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013

NOTE: You can also use Autodesk Exchange to install the Live Update Maintenance Patches, which will automatically show the correct Service Pack for your product.

For Windows 7 users: When you apply this Service Pack while running AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, do not click the "Automatically close applications and attempt to restart them after setup is complete" option. Instead, close AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT manually, and click the "Do not close applications. (A Reboot may be required.)" option in the dialog box. It is recommended that you reboot your system after installing the Service Pack.

Problems Reported with the Customer Error Reporting Utility

As a result of detailed information from customers who used the Customer Error Reporting Utility, a number of problems were identified and fixed. Updates have been made in the following commands and features:

3D Navigation Tools

• Unexpected exit while panning.
• Occasional crash related to navigating in 3D drawing.

3D Modeling

• Occasional crash while selecting a face during a Presspull operation.
• Crash when opening multiple 3D drawings containing a large number of 3D objects.

Autodesk 360

• Crash in Japanese AutoCAD when logging into Autodesk 360 from the Options dialog box.
• Occasional crash when opening a drawing that contains xrefs, when logged in to Autodesk 360.

CUI (Customize User Interface)

• Occasional crash while loading a custom CUI file.
• Unhandled exception occurs while clicking the Customize button from Quick Properties palette on a computer running .NET 4.5.

Design Center

• Occasional crash while working with DesignCenter.

DGN Support

• Fatal error when attaching or importing certain DGN files.

Dimensions

• Crash after undoing the creation of a non-associative continued or non-associative baseline dimension.

Hatch

• Occasional crash while zooming during Hatchedit.

InfoCenter

• Crash when clicking any option from the Stay Connected button in the title bar when no drawings are open.

Inquiry

• Crash while calculating area of a polyline that contains at least one segment that has been reduced to zero length.

Plot

• Occasional crash while plotting to PDF.
• Crash while plotting to a PDF file and the PDF driver is not present.

Point Cloud

• Crash if the PCG file used to create a point cloud object does not exist.

Express Tools

• Occasional crash during a MOCORO (Move/Copy/Rotate) command.

Startup

• Crash due to corrupt graphics cache files on startup.
• Crash occurs while canceling a LISP routine that runs at program startup.

General

• Crash on undo/redo after adding 256 or more objects to a group.
• Crash while switching IME language for double-byte characters, when Dynmode is turned off.
• Crash on viewing thumbnail in AutoCAD 2012 when installed side-by-side with AutoCAD 2013.
• Occasional crash when exploding splines created by third-party applications.
• Crash when AutoCAD exits on computers running .NET 4.5.

General Service Pack Updates

The following defects have been fixed:

3D Navigation Tools

• The Keep Scene Upright option in the 3DConnexion Settings dialog box cannot not be changed.

3D Modeling

• Issue with the centroid computation for 3D solids.

Action Recorder

• Action macros recorded in previous releases are not working correctly in AutoCAD 2013.

Autodesk 360

• Pressing F1 does not display Help for the ONLINESYNCSETTINGS dialog box.
• Drawing files with names containing language-specific characters do not get saved to Autodesk 360.
• User is not automatically logged in when launching Autodesk 360 from the AutoCAD ribbon.
• Sometimes the Share Drawing dialog box opens behind the main application window.

Customization Sync

• Customization Sync progress animation runs continuously.
• Customization Sync does not sync new custom commands in tool palettes.

DGN Support

• Export to DGN does not use the Global Origin specified in the seed file.
• The DGNIMPORTUNITCONVERSION system variable is missing in AutoCAD LT.

Display Drivers

• Integrated chipsets are unable to return available video memory correctly.
• When using COPYCLIP and PASTECLIP on a 64-bit operating system, you might see the object color change from the original color.

Dimensions

• Existing drawings lose Qleader settings when edited in AutoCAD 2013.
• Dimensions created using the Perpendicular object snap will shift when the drawing geometry is moved, copied, or otherwise modified.

External Reference (XREF)

• External reference drawings (XREFs) show as unresolved in AutoCAD 2013.

Hatch

• The Hatch Preview option is not available from the context menu when creating a hatch.

Field

• An object's angular property uses linear format instead of angular format in the Field dialog box.

MLeader

• Multileaders incorrectly display a dot at the content block's insertion point.
• If the Extend Leaders to Text option is turned on, the text in multileaders moves if the drawing is opened or edited in AutoCAD 2013.

Modify

• The SCALE command gets cancelled while dragging when small scale factor is acquired with object snap turned on.

PDF Export

• Plotting to a PDF file with a plot style causes wipeouts to appear black.

Performance

• Slow performance while running a large script.
• Slow performance while creating Layers quickly.

Plot

• Using Plot Preview turns the Command window back on.

Properties Palette

• When an object is selected, the tooltip is missing in the Properties Palette for the following languages: Traditional Chinese, Czech, Russian, and Hungarian.

Ribbon

• The Visibility drop-down control on the Block Editor Ribbon is not working properly when property preview is enabled.

Selection

• Pressing Shift with a window selection fails to remove multiple Drawing Views from the selection set on a layout.

Sheet Set Manager

• A high network utilization will result with the SMB V2 (Server Message Block) protocol while working with the Sheet Set Manager.

Visual Lisp

• Menucmd does not display the drop-down menu when the Command window is docked.

General

• Error on launching AutoCAD after the QuickCalc palette is anchored.
• INSBASE value is incorrect for a drawing created using -WBLOCK.

New /nolisp Startup Switch and Related System Variables

This Service Pack introduces options to control the operation of AutoLISP and VBA applications in AutoCAD. The new controls provide the following security measures:

• Minimize the possibility of loading and running unauthorized or malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications by controlling the folder location from which AutoLISP and VBA applications are automatically loaded (AUTOLOADPATH system variable).
• Limit the impact of malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications by disabling autoloading of default AutoLISP and VBA applications (AUTOLOAD system variable).
• Facilitate the cleanup process by completely disabling AutoLISP at startup (/nolisp startup switch).

For more information see this document. AutoLISP and VBA Security Controls in AutoCAD 2013 SP1

Note: To enable the autoloading changes to acad.dvb, uninstall the AutoCAD 2013 VBA Enabler, and download and install the latest AutoCAD 2013 VBA module that was updated for the changes made in Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD 2013.

New /nolisp Startup Switch

Start AutoCAD with this switch to disable AutoLISP execution in the current AutoCAD session, including all LSP, FAS, and VLX files. This switch is useful for preventing malicious AutoLISP code from automatically loading and executing.

Disabling AutoLISP has the following effects:

• Attempting to load any LISP file will fail.
• Attempting to copy and paste AutoLISP code into the Command window will fail silently.

Note: Disabling AutoLISP will prevent the Express Tools and some AutoCAD command tools from functioning and should only be used in emergency situations.

LISPENABLED (System Variable)

Indicates whether AutoLISP is enabled for the current AutoCAD session.

(Read-only)
Type: Integer
Saved in: Not saved
Initial value: 1

0 - AutoLISP is disabled
1 - AutoLISP is enabled

Disabling AutoLISP has the following effects:

• Attempting to load any LISP file will fail.
• Attempting to copy and paste AutoLISP code into the Command window will fail silently.

AUTOLOAD (System Variable)

Controls whether AutoCAD autoloads acad.lsp/fas/vlx, acaddoc.lsp/fas/vlx, acad.dvb files.

Type: Integer
Saved in: Named Profile/Registry
Initial value: 1

Values:
0 - None of the following 7 AutoLISP/VBA files will be automatically loaded

• acad.lsp
• acad.fas
• acad.vlx
• acaddoc.lsp
• acaddoc.fas
• acaddoc.vlx
• acad.dvb

AUTOLOADPATH (System Variable)

Controls the folder from where AutoCAD loads acad.lsp/fas/vlx, acaddoc.lsp/fas/vlx, acad.dvb files.

Type: String
Saved in: Named Profile/Registry
Initial value: ""

Valid strings include the following:
"<folder path or paths separated by semicolons>" = Automatically loads the acad.lsp/fas/vlx, acaddoc.lsp/fas/vlx, acad.dvb files only in the specified folders and no other locations, including the current drawing folder. To minimize the possibility of loading a malicious application, always set the AUTOLOADPATH system variable to the unique folder where your authorized applications are located.
"" (empty string) or "." (period) - No path restriction. Automatically loads the acad.lsp/fas/vlx, acaddoc.lsp/fas/vlx, acad.dvb files found in the AutoCAD startup folder, the drawing folder, and the AutoCAD search path, in that order. This duplicates AutoCAD 2012 behavior and is not recommended.

Changes to acad2013.lsp and acad2013doc.lsp Autoloading Behavior

The acad2013.lsp and acad2013doc.lsp files will now be loaded only from their default installation folders:
<install folder>\Support
<install folder>\Support\<language>

Changes to the Options Dialog Box

The "Load acad.lsp with every drawing" checkbox on the System tab of the Options dialog box (ACADLSPASDOC system variable) is disabled when AUTOLOAD or LISPENABLED has a value of 0.

Recommended Setup and Repair Workflow

For the best protection from malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications set AUTOLOADPATH to a unique folder location and set AUTOLOAD to 1.

If your installation has already been impacted by a malicious application that runs on startup, following these general steps:

1. Start your AutoCAD-based product with the /nolisp startup switch.
2. Find and remove all malicious code.
3. Repair any affected files.
4. Set AUTOLOADPATH to a unique folder location and set AUTOLOAD to 1.

After taking these steps, you can remove the /nolisp startup switch from the shortcut properties of the program's desktop icon, and resume the normal operation of your AutoCAD-based application.

AutoCAD 2013 was just updated with AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1 and here are more details from Autodesk Knowledge Base TS20327810:

Due to the appearance of malicious applications that use AutoLISP® and VBA, Autodesk is providing controls for several new security measures with Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD® 2013. Equivalent service packs for AutoCAD-based vertical applications will also be released.

These new controls affect the following products when Service Pack 1 is installed:

• AutoCAD 2013
• AutoCAD® 2013 for Mac®
• AutoCAD 2013-based vertical applications

AutoCAD LT® does not run AutoLISP or VBA applications and does not require these security measures.

What the New Controls Do

The new controls provide the following security measures:

• Minimize the possibility of loading and running unauthorized or malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications by controlling the folder location from which AutoLISP and VBA applications are automatically loaded (AUTOLOADPATH system variable).
• Limit the impact of malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications by disabling autoloading of default AutoLISP and VBA applications (AUTOLOAD system variable).
• Facilitate the cleanup process by completely disabling AutoLISP at startup (/nolisp startup switch).

Control AutoLoading by Specifying a Folder Location

The AUTOLOADPATH system variable controls the folders from which AutoCAD automatically loads the following AutoLISP and VBA files:

• acad.lsp
• acad.fas
• acad.vlx
• acaddoc.lsp
• acaddoc.fas
• acaddoc.vlx
• acad.dvb

The default value of AUTOLOADPATH is the empty string ("") or period (.). When set to either of these values, autoloading follows legacy behavior. It automatically loads the listed files without restrictions in the following order:

1. The AutoCAD startup folder
2. The folder of the current drawing
3. The folders in the AutoCAD Support Files search path

This default setting is not recommended, because malicious applications can anticipate the folders listed above.

To minimize the possibility of loading a malicious application, always set the AUTOLOADPATH system variable to the unique folder where your authorized applications are located.

To specify multiple folders, use a semicolon as the separator. The value of AUTOLOADPATH is saved in each named profile.

Note: To enable the autoloading changes to acad.dvb, uninstall the original AutoCAD 2013 VBA Enabler, and download and install the latest AutoCAD 2013 VBA module that was updated for the changes made in Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD 2013.

Control Autoloading of AutoLISP and VBA Applications

To control whether AutoLISP applications and acad.dvb is automatically loaded at startup, use the AUTOLOAD system variable:

• Setting AUTOLOAD to 0 prevents the previously listed AutoLISP files and acad.dvb from being automatically loaded, which is useful for debugging.
• Setting AUTOLOAD to 1 restores the autoloading behavior, which now depends on the value of the AUTOLOADPATH system variable.

Disable Loading All AutoLISP Applications

To prevent loading any AutoLISP applications, use the /nolisp startup switch to disable AutoLISP in the current AutoCAD session, including all LSP, FAS, and VLX files.

If your system has already been impacted by a malicious application, this option helps you debug and clean up your installation and any impacted files.

The read-only LISPENABLED system variable reports whether AutoLISP is enabled in the current AutoCAD session. If LISPENABLED is 0, AutoLISP has been disabled by the /nolisp startup switch.

Note: Disabling AutoLISP also prevents the Express Tools and some AutoCAD command tools from functioning and should only be used in emergency situations.

For more information on how to use startup switches refer to the solution, Startup switches for AutoCAD.

Changes to acad2013.lsp and acad2013doc.lsp Autoloading Behavior

The acad2013.lsp and acad2013doc.lsp files will now be loaded only from their default installation folders:

<installation folder>\Support
<installation folder>\Support\<language>

Changes to the Options Dialog Box

The “Load acad.lsp with every drawing” checkbox on the System tab of the Options dialog box (ACADLSPASDOC system variable) is disabled when AUTOLOAD or LISPENABLED has a value of 0.

For more information about these controls see the readme forAutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.

Recommended Setup and Repair Workflow

For the best protection from malicious AutoLISP and VBA applications set AUTOLOADPATH to a unique folder location and set AUTOLOAD to 1.

If your installation has already been impacted by a malicious application that runs on startup, following these general steps:

1. Start your AutoCAD-based product with the /nolisp switch.
2. Find and remove all malicious code.
3. Repair any affected files.
4. Set AUTOLOADPATH to a unique folder location and set AUTOLOAD to 1.

After taking these steps, you can remove the /nolisp startup switch from the shortcut properties of the program’s desktop icon, and resume the normal operation of your AutoCAD-based application.

See also ACAD/Medre.A Malware AutoCAD AutoLISP Malware!

UPDATE: AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1

You might want to wait a bit to apply AutoCAD 2013 SP1. I have not had any problems so far myself though.

Fatal error after applying Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013

You are encountering this issue due to a problem with Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013.  We are actively working on resolving this issue. It is recommended that you uninstall Service Pack 1 until further notice. TS20364390

UPDATE: AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1

JTB World’s license report product JTB FlexReport is updated to version 7.1 and there are some news, performance improvements and a lot of fixes included so it is strongly recommended to upgrade. MathLM license usage reporting is now supported. MathLM (Mathematica license manager) administers licenses for organizations running multiple instances of Wolfram Mathematica with a network license.

Downloads here. See also the Upgrade tips. Customers with maintenance have access to this release at no extra cost.

See the revision history for more details on this release.

Contact us to get a time limited license file for free. You can try it in your environment with your real data for a few weeks with full functionality.
Full support is provided during trial period.

About JTB FlexReport: JTB FlexReport is a report and monitoring tool for applications using the FlexNet / FLEXlm (flexlm license manager), IBM LUM (IBM License Use Management), SPLM (Intergraph SmartPlant License Manager), SLM/Sentinel LM/Sentinel RMS, LM-X, Solidworks SNL License Manager, T-Systems license manager product LICMAN, Vertex Systems, MathLM (Mathematica), Primavera from Oracle or 12D software licensing. With Process Monitor any Windows application like Acrobat, Visio, Bentley MicroStation, single licensed AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT can be reported usage of.

See also: JTB FlexReport 7.0 Introduces Automatic Chart Creation, Autodesk Network License Manager for 2013 products and Software Vendor Audits are Increasing as well as the guide to Autodesk Network License Manager (FlexNet).

SSMPropEditor is the Sheet Set Manager Properties Editor for AutoCAD based products and SSMPropEditor 4.6 is now available and comes with the addition of localization for Spanish and French as well as some bug fixes.

The upgrade is free for customers that purchased any earlier version. Get the downloads here.

Contact us to get a time limited license file for free.

See also SSMPropEditor 4.5 released and SSMPropEditor as AutoCAD app.

There have been a number of changes to the AutoCAD ActiveX API since its first introduction with AutoCAD R14. Typically this API is used by AutoLISP/Visual LISP and AutoCAD VBA.

A full history of the additions, changes, and removals made to the ActiveX API is now available in the AutoCAD 2013 ActiveX Developer’s Guide (acad_aag.chm) that is found at AutoCAD Developer Center. To utilize the documentation with the VBA IDE or Visual LISP IDE, download and extract the contents of the ZIP file to the following location: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared

Via AutoCAD DevBlog

Just like with AutoCAD there is AutoCAD LT, there will be a Revit LT with lower price than Revit but limited functionality. Take a look and see if it may be relevant for you.

Here’s some info about the upcoming Autodesk Revit LT 2013.

Revit LT could help to make the move to BIM.
The features in Autodesk Revit LT are specifically built to support Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows for high-quality design and documentation. Use the intuitive 3D modeling tools to visualize and communicate your designs more clearly, and meet the demand for BIM deliverables. And create photorealistic 3D architectural renderings in the cloud with Autodesk 360 Rendering, available with Autodesk Subscription.

How does Revit LT support the BIM process?
Revit LT supports the BIM process by creating coordinated, consistent, and quantifiable information about a building project throughout design and construction. BIM helps give design professionals insight to their projects with the ability to keep design information upto-date, and extract information from the building model during any stage of design. This insight helps professionals design more efficiently, obtain earlier approvals, and deliver higher quality, more easily constructible projects with fewer complications during the construction process.  

Who is Revit LT for?
Revit LT is intended for building design professionals working on projects that can be completed independently or with limited internal collaboration but could benefit from a BIM-based workflow to produce more accurate, coordinated designs and documentation. Revit LT is ideal for single users who do not need to collaborate in the same project file simultaneously with others in the firm, and who do not need access to energy or structural analysis tools. 

What is AutoCAD Revit LT Suite 2013 software?
AutoCAD Revit LT Suite 2013 is a bundle consisting of Autodesk Revit LT 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013 software with a single serial number and a single authorization code. This combination enables you to maintain your investment in AutoCAD LT, while, when you’re ready, offering the flexibility to move to BIM with help from Revit LT.

What are the differences between Autodesk Revit and Revit LT?
Autodesk Revit LT contains a subset of the features in the Autodesk Revit software, available in Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium and Ultimate editions. A basic summary of additional functionality included in Autodesk Revit is below:

Included in Revit LT: Single, Coordinated Model, Autodesk 360 Rendering, Intelligent (Parametric) Components

Not included in Revit LT: Worksharing (Multiuser Environment),Autodesk 360 Energy Analysis for Autodesk Revit, Near-Photorealistic Rendering within the Product, Conceptual Massing, Adaptive Components, Exports to gbXML, and  IFC file format, Interference Checking, Copy/Monitor, Construction Modeling - Parts and Assemblies and Autodesk Revit LT does not support 3rd party API.

Price?
Autodesk Revit LT 2013 stand alone price will be $1200 (MSRP in USD) and the AutoCAD Revit LT Suite 2013 will be $1500 (MSRP USD). You can save up to 50% when you upgrade from AutoCAD LT to AutoCAD Revit LT Suite.

Sounds interesting? If so visit www.autodesk.com/revitlt. September 18, 2012 the 30 day trial for Autodesk Revit LT will be available and to purchase it you also have to wait a while more.

• Launch Territories: North America, Northern Europe, UK, Central Europe, and Japan
• Launch Languages: English, German, Japanese

The old Project Spark Technology Preview (pre-Revit LT) is still available on Autodesk Labs at: http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/spark

The updated FlexNet (FLEXlm) version (based on Flexera Software’s FlexNet Publisher Licensing Toolkit 11.11.0) was released in August 2012 and is available as a public download as well as the updated License Administration Guide.

Here are the news in Version 11.11.0
• Support for XenServer in virtualized environments
• New hostid keyword VM_UUID to support binding to a virtual machine on VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, and XenServer platforms

No words about if there are any bug fixes but if you experienced unknown problems with the license manager it can be worth trying if updating will help.

lmgrd.exe, lmutil.exe and lmtools.exe are all 11.11 now.

Previous FlexNet Version 11.10.1 described.

JTB FlexReport license monitoring tool has been tested with and supports this new version. See also JTB FlexReport 7.1 introduces MathLM monitoring

I recently got a problem to publish from Microsoft Expression Web 4 to my website. Strangely enough the error message shows in German even though the application is English as well as Windows and locale settings.

Microsoft Expression Web: Server error: Web "<Stammweb>" ist ausgelastet. Versuchen Sie es später wieder.

In the connection settings I use FrontPage Server Extensions and I have not changed anything after the point it worked and when it stopped working.

My website host company could not find anything wrong either but after they restarted the server it worked again for me.

If you were quick to install AutoCAD 2013 SP1 you might run into the Fatal error after applying AutoCAD 2013 SP1. If you didn’t and kept SP1 you can now just install SP1.1 without having to uninstall SP1.

DL20327837 has the downloads for AutoCAD 2013 SP1.1 and DL20327876 has the downloads for AutoCAD LT 2013 Service Pack 1.1.

_VERNUM (product version) details:
AutoCAD 2013 SP1.1: G.114.0.0 (UNICODE)
AutoCAD 2013 SP1: G.112.0.0 (UNICODE)
AutoCAD 2013: G.55.0.0 (UNICODE)

You can apply this update to AutoCAD 2013 (with or without SP1) running on all supported operating systems and languages. Consult the readme file for installation instructions and more details on the primary issues resolved by this update. Be sure to install the correct update (32-bit or 64-bit) for your software and operating system.

This Service Pack can be applied to AutoCAD 2013 installed as a standalone application as well as AutoCAD 2013 installed from the following Autodesk Design Suites.

• AutoCAD Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Building Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2013
• Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013

NOTE: You can also use Autodesk Exchange to install the Live Update Maintenance Patches, which will automatically show the correct Service Pack for your product.

Here is a nice Thank you found in the Readme:

We want to express our appreciation to all our customers who identified these issues and reported them to us. Their reports gave us the opportunity to improve the product and to provide you with the best solution in general design and drafting. We also thank you for your continued business, and for your feedback regarding this release.

Respectfully,

Autodesk AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Product Team

I noticed that "Crash while switching IME language for double-byte characters, when Dynmode is turned off." was removed from the readme when comparing SP1 with SP1.1. I got this confirmation from Autodesk: “this fix was removed as it was causing other issues in the product. The AutoCAD team is still working on resolving that issue outside of the Service Pack but cannot currently comment on when or how that fix will be made available.”

See also more details in the posts AutoCAD 2013 SP1 & AutoCAD LT 2013 SP1 and AutoLISP and VBA Security Controls in AutoCAD 2013 SP1.

The following table compares AutoLISP/Visual LISP functions in AutoCAD with the similar ActiveX, VBA, and Visual Basic 6 functions and operators. The ActiveX Automation equivalents are indicated by “AutoCAD.Application.” and the Visual Basic 6 equivalents are listed as a function or operator. This chart can be useful when you jump between working in different languages as well as if you know one of them and want to learn the other.

Source: AutoCAD 2013 Active X Developer’s Guide on AutoCAD Developer Center. To utilize the documentation with the VBA IDE or Visual LISP IDE, download and extract the contents of the ZIP file to the following location: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared

The online Help for AutoCAD 2013 has had several problems and missing pieces. The good news is that now the Help is much better but with room for more improvements.

To see the new Help press F1 within AutoCAD to see the updated Help welcome page or visit the online Help directly in your browser.

At this point the update is for the English language.

The update include new content, search enhancements, additional reference links for Command and System Variables, Glossary, FAQs.

Filter on All Content, User, Developer or Administrator.

Search filters making it easy to filter on Commands, System Variables, AutoLISP, ActiveX, DXF and .NET.

Related References at the bottom of many pages are helpful.

Welcome to the new The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AutoCAD—your guide to the basic 42 commands you need to create 2D drawings using modern AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

“This guide is a great place to get started if you just completed your initial training, or to refresh your memory if you only use AutoCAD occasionally. As you can see from the illustration, the 42 commands are grouped together according to types of activity. In addition, these groups are arranged sequentially to follow a typical workflow.”

I had expected the image to be clickable to navigate to the islands or command. Under the subject (island) Viewing I would expect links to more related references.

AutoCAD Services & Support page needs to be updated for 2013.

I still miss a table of contents, the User’s Guide and Customization Guide with their topics making it easy to navigate the help. No easy access (if any) to news about the 2013 version.

Imagine that you want to learn about AutoLISP. Make a search for AutoLISP and the “not” function is the top result. Not that relevant at all.

FAQs link on the start page is just a link to a search for “faq” and at the top FAQ for Autodesk 360 shows up. Not that relevant and probably not what most users look for.

A search for the command alias SSM returns “No results found for ssm”.

There is still work needed to complete the help. For example is Commands for Working with Arrays missing the -ARRAY command line command. -ARRAYCLOSE cannot be found in the search. Commands like ACPTOOLTIPS and AUTODESKCONNECTIONPOINT cannot be found either. ONLINETOMOBILE, OPENFROMCLOUD, SAVETOCLOUD, VIEWSKETCH, MTPROP, ARRAYCREATION AUTOLOAD, AUTOLOADPATH, ARRAYCREATION, DGNIMPORTUNITCONVERSION, DISPLAYVIEWCUBEIN2D, LISPENABLED, NOPREVIEWGRIP, NOPREVIEWHIGHLIGHT, ONLINEAUTOSAVEPATH, ONLINEFOLDER, ONLINESETTINGSSYNC, ONLINESYNCPROVIDER, ONLINEUSERNAME, PALETTEICONSTATE, PREVIEWDELAY, PROPPREVTIMEOUT, VIEWDETAILCREATION, VIEWDETAILEDITOR, VIEWSECTIONCREATION, VIEWSECTIONEDITOR  are not documented.

Search for HELP and the Help system will fail to work. You need to refresh the page. UPDATE 2012-09-19: This has now been fixed, thanks for the help Dieter.

A tip if you want the URL to a specific help topic is to right click on the Add to Favorites icons and copy the link address.

Search tip: This should really be documented in the help. To search for a phrase add quotes around it. To search only for any of several keywords use the operator OR between. For example Sheet AND Plot. When you search, a minus or dash means that you want to exclude the term. So searching for -ARRAY will not show up the -ARRAY command at all. But when minus is used on one word and you have to other words you will not get the expected result. Try to search for Sheet Stamp and it will show 14 results. Search for Sheet Stamp –Plot and there is suddenly 243 results. The first will work like Sheet AND Stamp while the second will work like Sheet OR Stamp but NOT Plot.

See also the related help/documentation news: Visual LISP and ActiveX/VBA Comparison and AutoCAD ActiveX API History.

ACA_db is an app/add-on from JTB World for AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP.

Make use of AutoCAD Architecture or AutoCAD MEP more fully in your BIM process. Property Set values can automatically be updated back and forth to one or many external databases. If you make changes to the Extended Data values within a Property Set they can be synchronized back to the external database. Any Property in a Property Set Definition can be exported and all editable Properties can be imported.

With the new release ACA_db 4 there is support for AutoCAD Architecture 2013, AutoCAD MEP 2013, both 32-bit and 64-bit.

ACA_db will improve the BIM process and experience and will improve quality of your data and remove redundancy and conflicts of data.

Contact us to get a time limited license file for free.

CAD notes is having a giveaway of AutoCAD related books, training videos and software (including some from JTB World). Check it out.

Have you run into a problem when the installer says on Configure Installation that AutoCAD is already installed and trying to clear out remaining folders, files and registry keys does not help? AutoCAD is not installed but still the setup says it is. It might be that you had tried to manually uninstall AutoCAD (or Revit or whatever it is) and failed to do it 100%. What to do?

This trick might help to solve the problem. Note that the GUID (the code at the end in italics) is different for different applications and versions so you might need to search in the parent folder or go through them all to find what you look for.

Locate this folder and delete it with its content. Make a backup if you want to be on the safe side.
C:\Windows\Installer\{5783F2D7-B001-0000-0102-0060B0CE6BBA}

Use regedit, locate this registry key and delete it with its content. Make a backup if you want to be on the safe side.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\7D2F3875100B0000102000060BECB6AB

After that hopefully you will find that you can run the setup and install AutoCAD or whatever product you had in mind to install. Now you know how to install AutoCAD even if AutoCAD is already installed even though it was just the installer thinking so.

See also Completely clean out traces of AutoCAD installations

The product key functions have some news in Visual LISP for AutoCAD 2013. These are extended functions provided by VLISP. You must issue vl-load-com before you can use the functions.

VLAX-MACHINE-PRODUCT-KEY - Returns the AutoCAD product key from the Machine hive in the Windows Registry.  (ie. "Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\ACAD-B001:409") VLAX-MACHINE-PRODUCT-KEY replaces VLAX-PRODUCT-KEY in releases AutoCAD 2013 and later.

VLAX-USER-PRODUCT-KEY - Returns the AutoCAD product key from the User hive in the Windows Registry.  (ie. "Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\ACAD-B001:409")

In AutoCAD these 2 strings will always be identical. The strings will only be different in Core Engine host applications other than AutoCAD.

VLAX-PRODUCT-KEY - Returns the AutoCAD Windows registry path. Old function, still available.

The Core Engine host AcCoreConsole.exe that ships with AutoCAD can be configured to run ’isolated’ in which case the vlax-user-product-key will return a different string than vlax-machine-product-key. Normally, it shares the HKLM/HKCU keys with AutoCAD. However, you can configure it with the /isolate switch to use a different HKCU root key. The /isolate switch can be used to prevent the changes to the system variables from affecting regular AutoCAD. This is useful when you want to set sysvars or other registry based configuration setting for AcCoreConsole.exe but you don’t want these settings to change for your AutoCAD instance.

When using the /isolate switch you also need to include an existing or new userid.

Example: AcCoreConsole.exe /isolate batch

When that is done you will notice how vlax-user-product-key will return a different value compared with the other functions:

Command: (vl-load-com)

Command: (princ (vlax-product-key))
Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.0\ACAD-B004:409
"Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\ACAD-B004:409"

Command: (princ (vlax-user-product-key))
Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.0\CoreUser\batch
"Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\CoreUser\\batch"

Command: (princ (vlax-machine-product-key))
Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.0\ACAD-B004:409
"Software\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD\\R19.0\\ACAD-B004:409"

Here AutoCAD registry product keys are explained further. The registry product keys are not the same thing as the Autodesk Product Keys that are used to differentiate products that are both sold independently and as part of a product suite.

In June 2012 we got the Autodesk Sync Error Hotfix and now it’s time for Autodesk Sync 2013 Service Pack 1. Download it here: DL20541251

Issues resolved by this Update

• Fix for the persistent sync errors in the System Tray.
• Performance Improvements.
• Various other defect fixes.

Refer to the readme file for installation instructions. Specifically “Within the Autodesk product sign out from Autodesk 360.“ The readme also says “If you have installed Autodesk product service packs from the products above you may already have this service pack installed through them.” From what I can tell Autodesk Sync 2013 Service Pack 1 is not included in AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1 because the version I have for AdSync.exe is 4.0.5.4. AdSync.exe should be "3.5.102.0" when Autodesk Sync 2013 SP1 is installed.

Unfortunately I have been unable to apply this update on a machine with AutoCAD 2013 and on a machine with AutoCAD Architecture 2013. I got this Windows Installer message: “The upgrade patch cannot be installed by the Windows Installer service because the program to be upgraded may be missing, or the upgrade patch may update a different version of the program. Verify that the program to be upgraded exists on your computer and that you have the correct upgrade patch.”

Autodesk has recently created new customer videos that showcase very small businesses (1-25 employees) or small groups with larger companies and how they’ve used AutoCAD and Autodesk products to create designs for their clients.

I always think it’s interesting to see how different companies use software to be more competitive and productive.

Here is the YouTube playlist or you can view them below:

Brad Miller of MC², an exhibit marketing company, discusses how Autodesk 3ds Max and AutoCAD are used to help design and build exhibits that demand attention at tradeshows. The video uses a recent project for John Deere to illustrate how MC² relies on Autodesk software to deliver increased visibility for their clients.

Eric Hebard of Production Resource Group, a supplier of entertainment and event technology, discusses how AutoCAD, AutoCAD WS, and Autodesk Sketchbook Pro are used to help design system installations for theaters and stadiums. The video uses an annual project for the Latin Grammys to illustrate how Production Resource Group Las Vegas relies on Autodesk software to create PA system installation designs and communicate that information to their clients.

Mark LaBell and Steve Kassab of SSOE Group, an international engineering, procurement and construction management firm, discuss how AutoCAD is used to help seamlessly combine multiple files and file types into one design. In this video, SSOE elaborates on how the AutoCAD development language allows both the novice and experience programmer complete control over the application to create and edit complex designs for their clients.

Natalie Cutler and Elisa Leung of Cutler Design and Construction, an interior design and general contracting company, discusses how AutoCAD LT is used to help design and build commercial retail spaces. The video illustrates how Cutler Design and Construction relies on AutoCAD LT to turn vanilla spaces into polished retail locations that follow corporate design guidelines.

Ed Hade from Shaw Industries discuss how they moved from 2D to 3D with AutoCAD to maximize use of space in their new Reclaim-to-Energy facility—part of a green initiative to reduce post-industrial waste by recycling old carpet into energy.