Being Civil

Upcoming Changes to InfraWorks Services

In order to improve the security of your data by meeting SOC2 standards, and to conform to new EU data protection regulations, we need to make some changes to InfraWorks. To continue using analysis services, as well as web and mobile views, upgrade to InfraWorks 2019.0 as soon as it is made available on the Autodesk Desktop App.

What's changing?

On April 9, 2018 it will no longer be possible to create new watershed analyses, traffic simulations, line girder analyses, profile and corridor optimizations with InfraWorks 2018.2 and earlier versions. Also, any existing web and mobile views will have to be recreated in InfraWorks 2019.0.

Why are we making these changes?

These changes incorporate the latest in best practices for data privacy and cloud security. This means InfraWorks will comply with the European Union General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), as well as be prepared for a security audit happening later this year. 

What should you do to prepare?

Starting today, download results from previously completed line girder analyses, traffic simulations, as well as profile and corridor optimizations.

More about this could be found here. 

 

Challenges when trying to keep Civil 3D updated

Keeping up with updates, hotfixes, service packs can be very challenging and in some cases constant source of frustration for those managing it. Until we get to the point where it will all be managed automatically we need to rely on constantly monitoring what’s out there and what we have. Our own Autodesk Desktop App is a great tool that helped mitigate some of the concerns but it’s not always easy to track if having what you have it in fact what’s the latest. This post is meant to show what are some of the places to see available updates and installed updates. So let's concentrate on Civil 3D 2018 version.

The first place to check is usually one of these two: Windows Control Panel>Programs and Features or Windows Control Panel>Programs and Features>Installed Updates

While there it’s good idea to check “Installed Updates”. This is where you can uninstall these from in case you need to.

Third place to check is ABOUT dialog in the product. Once in the application run ABOUT command or pull it from help (question mark icon inside of Civil 3D) and you may see what is installed on your machine.

Since Civil 3D is built on top of AutoCAD and Map 3D then those updates need to be installed, too. That is what you see those entries.

Now that you established what you have installed it’s time to check what else is available (if anything). Best place to check is either Autodesk Desktop App or logging into accounts.autodesk.com and see what’s available out there. This will require a valid login. Without this you will not be able to get in.

Autodesk Desktop App will take notice what you have installed on your machines and then compare to what’s available on Autodesk severs. The difference will be shown as available for updates. Once all of it is installed you may see “Your available updates are installed”. Otherwise you will see the list.  

Also, since we mentioned that AutoCAD is the platform for Civil 3D users have options to check what is available for AutoCAD, Map 3D, etc. Similarly, when you visit accounts.autodesk.com and search for your product you will be greeted by the list of all updates and hotfixes if you click on “Updates & Add-ons”.

Why is this important? Besides liking to have the latest and greatest, when it comes to software sometimes order of install is important and there is a possibility to miss some important fixes as sometimes newer update include older updates and sometimes not. It’s best to check readme (readme articles are published online and users don't need to login to see the content of it) for all updates to see what’s included in there, what issues are being addressed, what functionality being added/changed or simply instructions how to install updates/hotfixes as some of them are executable and other time just files you need to replace. You get the point, right?

For instance, Civil 3D 2018.1 is included in Civil 3D 2018.2 and having it reporting 2018.2 may hint that you have the latest update but that would mean Civil 3D 2018.0.1 is not there unless you read readme. 

I hope this didn't confuse you even more :) Stay tuned!

Where are Civil 3D Country Kits?

There was an ongoing confusion when it comes to locating Country Kits. Sometimes they would be posted on accounts page, sometimes available publicly. Sometimes they were released sooner and sometimes later. You get the point. The truth is that some of them are crated before others and we try to get them to the public as soon as possible. This year I think we did great job making a place where users can get access to all of them that are available. Here is the site where users can access AutoCAD Civil 3D Country Kits Site 

Not only that - but on the same site users can see some related content such as Productivity Tools for AutoCAD Civil 3D. So all you need to do is select your Country from the list below and get access to it.

As always, check readme for information as such. 

Downloaded Country Kits can be added to your AutoCAD Civil 3D installation, giving you access to country-specific reports, templates, and much more. The content and standards included in Country Kits vary by country and may include:

• Drafting and design standards (Civil 3D label and object styles)
• Design standards files for calculation of superelevation
• Drawing templates (AutoCAD .DWT Files)
• Sheet templates for Plans Production (AutoCAD .DWT files)
• Codes files to localize the point, link and shape codes for corridor models
• Reports
• Pipes and Structures catalogs
• Assemblies and subassemblies
• Country customized tool palettes

Stay tuned.

"Well That's a New One": Plotter Issue Causing Paper Waste

This week I had a super-weird support case that I would like to share.

A user was plotting* from AutoCAD 2017.1 directly to his HP DesignJet Z5400 printer. This is one of those roll plotters you see in nearly every engineering and architectural office. The plotter was loaded up with a brand-new spool of 36" paper. Every time he printed to a 36" x 24" page size, the plotter ignored the landscape setting and added 2 inches to the end of the plot. 

To troubleshoot plotting issues, we played all the classic hits:

• In AutoCAD, verify printer Properties. This is likely part of a PC3 file. Make sure someone didn't fiddle with the paper dimensions or orientation settings.
• Check the page setup in AutoCAD's print preview. When this looks normal, you can rule out errors like incorrect page size, offset or scale issues. 
• Plot to PDF First. The DWG to PDF option is not just a handy feature for daily use, it is also a valuable troubleshooting tool. If the PDF looks normal, you can usually rule AutoCAD out at this point. 
• Plot from another program. If you get the same results from Adobe, AutoCAD, Bluebeam or some other product, signs are starting to point at the plotter itself. 
• Check out the plotter driver settings and version. Download the latest and greatest driver for the model printer you are looking at. In the case of this HP, there was a universal postscript driver active. We installed a driver that was specific to the model of HP, but the issue persisted.

After updating the driver, and not having any luck I started scratching my head. On a whim, we created a page setup in AutoCAD that was 35" x 24" (1 inch shorter than it should be).

Whaddya know, it worked! No extra paper at the end of the plot.

The HP cutter chopped off the page where it should have. The plot looked correct. We faked out the plotter out by 1 inch from the "x" and removed 2 inches from the "y" dimension. Even though we were happy to have a work-around, I wasn't satisfied with this as a long-term solution.

Well into our second hour on the phone, the end user, (who I'll call "Bob") says, "This is a huge shot in the dark, but this is the first roll from our new paper supplier..." On a hunch, Bob grabbed a tape measure and discovered that the 36" roll of paper was really 35 7/8" wide. 

Then I had to Google it. Was all paper just "nominal" size or was this a paper manufacturing glitch? From my search the answer is NOPE; 36 inches means 36 inches. 

To see if this was indeed the root cause of the problem, Bob measured the width of the remnants of an old roll. Sure enough, the old roll was 36" on the nose.

To summarize: The roll of paper being physically 1/8 of an inch too narrow was "confusing" the plotter, causing it to flip the plot 90° and add 2" to the length of the plot. 

Counter-intuitive** but I'm glad Bob and I figured it out. 

I hope this narrative helps someone in the future. 

Has this happened to you? Leave a comment!

 

Have a great weekend!

 

*Editorial note: I use the terms "plotter" and "printer" interchangeably here. 

** Okay, in hindsight I suppose it makes sense...but I would have never guessed it.

What and Why of a "Clean Uninstall"

For my inaugural post in the Being Civil blog, I thought I'd return to my roots and write about the fundamentals. The following post is current, but would have been just as relevant 10 years ago. 

 

First, a Confession…

When I was doing technical support at an Autodesk reseller, I rarely reached out to Autodesk for support. I got frustrated when a frequent answer I received from support was, “Have you tried a full uninstall and reinstall?” I went so far as to lie in my case submissions to describe the error I was getting and end with a snarky, “…and yes, I already tried a clean uninstall!”

Why did I lie? Because I wanted the “magic quick-fix” that I’m sure someone at Autodesk was withholding from me. The reality is that, with rare exceptions, Autodesk support people have the same set of troubleshooting tools available to the public.

What Is a Clean Uninstall?

Most people are familiar with a traditional uninstall. You find the product in the Programs and Features area of Windows and click Uninstall. After a bit of chugging, the icons are gone from the desktop and the product no longer appears in the installed programs listing.

Clean, right? No.

Windows-based products rarely remove all traces of themselves. There are several reasons products leave components behind. Mainly, it is to retain any user-specific settings. When a user re-installs the product, their personal tweaks will still be there. Another reason programs leave stuff behind is to avoid accidentally disrupting other products.

In the case of Autodesk products, you’ll find data left behind in multiple places (more on this later).

Why do a clean uninstall?

I did an experiment on a fresh Windows 7 machine. When Civil 3D 2018 installs with as few options turned on as possible, it installs 32,410 files, 2,738 folders and creates 56, 923 registry keys. Many of those pieces of the installation are also used by other Windows programs (for example, C++ runtime libraries and .NET framework). Windows updates or changes made by other products can change a file version or overwrite a setting. 

Most of the time, software can handle minor changes. However, it is difficult to predict when a change to one of the thousands of registry keys or files will result in bad behavior in an Autodesk product. It is also difficult to trace which files or keys is the culprit when things do go wrong. For these reasons, you may be asked by someone at Autodesk support to do a “clean uninstall” and reinstall of a product.

When is it appropriate to do a clean uninstall?

Before you jump head-first into a clean uninstall, take a moment to make sure this is the right option. Some problems cannot be solved by a clean uninstall and reinstall. For example, if your problem is graphic in nature (flickering, blurry, tiny text etc.), it is unlikely that a re-install will help. If the problem seems to be specific to a file and other people are having the same problem, a reinstall is probably not the answer.

Before committing to a re-install, be sure you have checked the usual suspects.

• Clear your temp directory
• AUDIT
• PURGE
• RECOVERALL
• The Network
  • Try saving your file to the local hard drive
• Your computer
  • Ask a co-worker to open a file and check if the issue is specific to your machine.
• Run through the steps in my other article “10 Autodesk Tricks for Fixing Slow Drawings”

Some scenarios where a clean uninstall may be warranted include:

• errors regarding missing DLL files
• unhandled access violation crashes that cannot be solved by other means
• crashing or unexpected behavior after a Windows update or other product installation

Performing a Clean Uninstall, for Realsies

A clean uninstall refers to using the regular uninstaller plus performing steps to ensure any bad files or registry entries are removed. The following example shows Civil 3D 2017. However, the steps are very similar for all Autodesk products running in Windows. Search “clean uninstall” on the Autodesk website for more details pertaining to other products and platforms.

1. Back up any customizations. In an AutoCAD-based product those files might be:

• User Interface; CUIx
• Local templates; DWT
• Profile; ARG
• Command shortcuts; PGP
• Custom printing/plotting files; PC3, CTB and STB

2. Run the normal uninstalls from the Windows control panel Programs and Features area.

• Be sure to uninstall add-ons and third-party utilities
• Uninstall any lingering material libraries, language packs and object enablers

This can end up being many items if you have multiple languages or add-ons. Uninstall all the items relating to the product you are trying to “clean” off the machine.

3. The most important step separating a clean uninstall from a simple uninstall: Delete the folders:

• C:\Users\[your login]\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\C3D 2017
• C:\Users\[your login]\Appdata\Local\Autodesk\C3D 2017
• C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D 2017
• C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Civil 3D 2017
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D 2017

These paths will vary per product. 

4. Go to REGEDIT.exe

Verify that the following keys were removed (they should be gone, but double-check):

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R21.0\ACAD-0000:409\
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R21.0\ACAD-0000:409\

The exact registry values will vary per product. Check out JTB World's all-in-one list to find your products' numbers.

5. Clear the contents of the %temp% directory. (details)

6. Reinstall your product

• Temporarily disable your antivirus program.
• Temporarily disable Windows UAC

Your IT department may push back on this. However, if you continue to have problems with a product, the antivirus may be blocking certain features from installing.

• You must be logged in as administrator to install Autodesk products and updates

The clean uninstall process can be tedious, but it will be faster to start with a clean slate than to hunt down which files or registry keys have gone haywire.

The Future

One of the many upsides of cloud-based software is the lack of installed components. Cloud-heavy products, like Fusion 360 and InfraWorks have a smaller installed footprint since many of the calculations occur in the cloud. Autodesk's BIM 360 suite of products and AutoCAD 360 are delivered to you as a service through a web browser. The era has arrived where troubleshooting software starts with a browser refresh.