AutoCAD DevBlog

Double click on .dwg files launches new instance of AutoCAD OEM product

By Balaji Ramamoorthy

When a drawing file is opened via the explorer by double clicking on it, the application associated with that file type is launched automatically. If you notice that separate instances of the AutoCAD or AutoCAD OEM product gets launched on double clicking two separate drawings, here are two likely reasons and ways to set it right.

1. In the explorer, right click on a .dwg file and choose "Properties". In the "General" tab, the application that the .dwg file will open is displayed as shown in the below screenshot. If an application such as your AutoCAD OEM product or a specific version of AutoCAD is chosen, then a new instance will be launched on double click. Instead, try choosing the "AutoCAD DWG Launcher" as the application by clicking on the "Change" button.

2. In some systems, it is also possible that despite choosing the "AutoCAD DWG Launcher", separate instances get launched on double clicking two different drawings. This is likely because of the improper association of the .dwg file type and the application. To set it right, you may need to tweak the registry values but please ensure that you have a backup of the registry keys that you modify in this process.

- Delete the "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.dwg". This will ensure that there are no applications associated with the .dwg file type.

- Under "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\DwgCommon\shellex\apps", delete the AutoCAD OEM product entry in case it is already listed. The entries under apps are the ones that launcher application will use to open a .dwg file. The default application that the launcher will use is listed under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\DwgCommon\shellex\apps -> Default key.

For example, here is the value that was removed for an OEM product

- Launch the AutoCAD / AutoCAD OEM product and at startup, the DWG association dialog should get displayed. Choose the recommended option which is "Always reassociate DWG files with <Product name>".

- Close AutoCAD / AutoCAD OEM product. The double clicking on two separate .dwg files should not get opened in the same instance of the application. You can also verify that DWG file association is right under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\DwgCommon\shellex\apps -> Default key.

Changing setup icon in AutoCAD OEM product installer

By Balaji Ramamoorthy

Here is a short blog post about a query from a developer on changing the setup icon for their AutoCAD OEM product.

In the OEM MakeWizard, the company name defaults to "Autodesk". If you leave it unchanged for your product, then the OEM InstallerWizard can automatically start using the "Autodesk" icon as its setup icon. This is regardless of the icon path provided in the OEM InstallerWizard for the setup icon. If you need your company icon to show up in your product installer, please remember to change the "Company name" and rebuild your product.

Custom variables in AutoCAD OEM 2015

By Balaji Ramamoorthy

One of the enhancements in AutoCAD OEM 2015 is the support for custom system variables. 

To create a custom system variable, the following registry key is to be created. Here is a sample reg file for adding a custom system variable named "LevelOfDetail" for a OEM product that I named GOCAD.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\GOCAD\R20\GOCAD-E001:409\Variables\LevelOfDetail]
"StorageType"=dword:00000002
"LowerBound"=dword:00000000
"UpperBound"=dword:00000064
"PrimaryType"=dword:0000138b
@="3"

For the custom variable to be accessible in your OEM product, add the name of the custom variable in "Your Module Settings" page with a "##" prefix. Here is a screenshot from the OEM MakeWizard :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Build the OEM product and before running the exe, remember to run the .reg file to update the registry. Note that if you rebuild your product and testing it using the MakeWizard, the registry keys will need to be created again by running the .reg file.

The custom system variable can be accessed using acedSetVar / acedGetVar in your ObjectARX code or using the Application.SetSystemVariable / Application.GetSystemVariable from your .Net code. Users of your OEM product can change the variable using the "SetVar" command.

Cancelling AcGsView::RenderToImage

By Balaji Ramamoorthy

To interrupt and cancel the AcGsView::RenderToImage call while its doing the rendering, create a custom progress monitor class. In the class derived from AcGsRenderProgressMonitor, override the OnProgress method and return true to stop the RenderToImage. AutoCAD UI may not react to mouse events when the rendering is underway. To ensure that the AutoCAD UI is responsive during the rendering and to let the user cancel the operation, pump the Windows messages from OnProgress method.

Here is a sample code snippet :

 #include  "acgsRender.h" 

 class  MyRenderProgressMonitor :

 	public  AcGsRenderProgressMonitor

 {

 public :

 	MyRenderProgressMonitor(void ){}

 	~MyRenderProgressMonitor(void ){}

 	static  Adesk::Boolean gAbortRender;

 	virtual  bool  OnProgress(Phase ePhase, 

 						float  fProgress)

 	{

 		// Pump windows message to let AutoCAD 

 		// respond to user interaction.  

 		// User may want to cancel the rendering 

 		CWinApp *app = acedGetAcadWinApp();

 		CWnd *wnd = app->GetMainWnd ();

 		MSG msg; 

 		while  (::PeekMessage (&msg, wnd->m_hWnd, 

 							0, 0, PM_NOREMOVE)) 

 		{ 

 			if  (!app->PumpMessage()) 

 			{ 

 				break ; 

 			} 

 		} 

 		LONG lIdle = 0;

 		while  (app->OnIdle (lIdle++));

 		if (gAbortRender)

 			return  true ;

 		return  false ;

 	}

 	virtual  void  OnTile(int  x, int  y, int  w, 

 				int  h, const  BYTE* pPixels)

 	{}

 	virtual  void  SetStatistics(

 		const  AcGsRenderStatistics* pStats)

 	{}

 	virtual  bool  ShouldReuseDatabase()

 						{return  false ;}

 };

 Adesk::Boolean 

 	MyRenderProgressMonitor::gAbortRender

 							= Adesk::kFalse;

To use it, create an instance of the progress monitor class and use it with RenderToImage as in this code snippet :

 // pView is an AcGsView  

 // screenRect is an AcGsDCRect 

 MyRenderProgressMonitor pm;

 AcDbMentalRayRenderSettings mentalRayRenderer;

 bool  ok = pView->RenderToImage(

 						&imgSource, 

 						&mentalRayRenderer, 

 						&pm, 

 						screenRect);

Using BRep API in AutoCAD OEM

By Balaji Ramamoorthy

Recently a developer reported this error message when a custom .arx module that made BRep calls was being loaded at startup : "'xxx.arx cannot find a procedure that it needs.”

A way to narrow down the procedure that is not being found is to use gflags.exe that is part the debugging tools for Windows from the Windows SDK. Here are the steps :

1) Run the gflags.exe and specify the OEM product name.

2) Hit the Tab key and turn on the loader snaps 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) Run the OEM product under the Visual Studio debugger until the error message appears in the command prompt.

4) Look at the messages in the Visual Studio output window to identify the procedure name that is not being found similar to the one shown here :

LdrpSnapThunk - ERROR: Procedure "?isSelfIntersecting@AcGeImpCurve3d@@UEBAHPEAVAcGeSelfIntersectTestCallback@@AEBVAcGeTol@@@Z" could not be located in DLL "AcGe19.dll" First-chance exception at 0x77350108 in TTGCAD.exe: 0xC0000139: Entry Point Not Found.

In this case a method in the "AcGe19.dll" was not being found. Copying "AcGe19.dll" from the OEM installer folder under "\x64\aoem\Program Files\Root\acge19.dll" to the OEM 2013 folder and rebuilding the product resolved the issue.

AutoCAD “Font file doesn’t Exist” when it does!?!

by Fenton Webb

One of my developers was trying to create a toolbar button which automatically setup some text styles/parameters. Everything was fine except that on some machines, the button would fail – the error was “Font file doesn’t exist”. He was using a very commonly used font file “arial.ttf”, indeed arial.ttf is the default font for the “Standard” AutoCAD style.

It seems there are very important updates the Font packs that you need to include (update) with your Windows installation – check out http://www.microsoft.com/typography/fonts/

I’m guessing Windows update also includes these Font updates as ‘Optional’ – best install them for an easy life!

Registry values for ProductID and LocaleID for AutoCAD and the vertical products

By Virupaksha Aithal

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R20.0\ACAD-E001:409 What is ACAD-E001:409?

R20.0 is the release number, the this corresponds to AutoCAD 2015

These digits like E000:409 are a ProductID (E000) and a LocaleID (409).

The ProductID structure is a 4-digit value. However, prior to AutoCAD 2006, the ProductID structure was only 3-digits with a single [p] value. Due to the number of products based on AutoCAD, in AutoCAD 2006 structure was changed to 4-digits.

From AutoCAD 2006 forward, the structure is configured as "[n][r][pp]", where:
[n] = Number representing AutoCAD base release (see below)
[r] = Release number within AutoCAD base, reset to zero for every new “n”
[pp] = Product based on AutoCAD (see below)

ProductID Assignments (Assigned [n] Values)

F = AutoCAD 2016
E = AutoCAD 2015
D = AutoCAD 2014
B = AutoCAD 2013
A = AutoCAD 2012
9 = AutoCAD 2011
8 = AutoCAD 2010
7 = AutoCAD 2009
6 = AutoCAD 2008
5 = AutoCAD 2007
4 = AutoCAD 2006
3 = AutoCAD 2005
2 = AutoCAD 2004
1 = AutoCAD 2002

The LocaleID structure is a 4-character hex representation of the product's locale / language.

Here is a list of LocaleID - Language Abbreviation - Language
409 ENU English
407 DEU German
040C FRA French
410 ITA Italian
040A ESP Spanish
415 PLK Polish
040E HUN Hungarian
405 CSY Czech
419 RUS Russian
416 PTB Brazilian Portuguese
804 CHS Simplified Chinese
404 CHT Traditional Chinese
412 KOR Korean
411 JPN Japanese

ProductID's for AutoCAD 2016-based products:
F001 AutoCAD 

ProductID's for AutoCAD 2015-based products:
E000 Autodesk Civil 3D
E001 AutoCAD (ACAD)
E00A AutoCAD OEM
E002 Map
E004 AutoCAD Architecture
E005 AutoCAD Mechanical (ACADM)
E006 Building Systems (AutoCAD MEP)
E007 AutoCAD Electrical (ACADE)
E009 AutoCAD LT (ACLT)
E013 Inventor Professional (AIP)
E016 AutoCAD P & ID - 2D
E017 AutoCAD Plant 3D
E022 Autodesk Utility Design
E028 DWG TrueView
E029 AutoCAD ecscad
E030 AutoCAD Structural Detailing

ProductID's for AutoCAD 2014-based products:
D000 Autodesk Civil 3D
D001 AutoCAD (ACAD)
D00A AutoCAD OEM 
D002 Map
D004 AutoCAD Architecture
D005 AutoCAD Mechanical (ACADM)
D006 Building Systems
D007 AutoCAD Electrical (ACADE)
D009 AutoCAD LT (ACLT)
D013 Inventor Professional (AIP)
D016 AutoCAD P & ID - 2D
D017 AutoCAD Plant 3D
D022 Autodesk Utility Design
D028 DWG TrueView
D029 AutoCAD ecscad 
D030 AutoCAD Structural Detailing

ProductID's for AutoCAD 2013-based products:
B000 Autodesk Civil 3D
B001 AutoCAD 
B00A AutoCAD OEM
B002 Map
B004 AutoCAD Architecture
B005 AutoCAD Mechanical (ACADM)
B006 Building Systems
B007 AutoCAD Electrical (ACADE)
B009 AutoCAD LT
B013 Inventor Professional (AIP)
B016 AutoCAD P & ID - 2D
B017 AutoCAD Plant 3D
B022 Autodesk Utility Design
B028 DWG TrueView
B029 AutoCAD ecscad
B030 AutoCAD Structural Detailing

ProductID's for AutoCAD 2012-based products:

A000 Autodesk Civil 3D
A001 AutoCAD 
A001 DwgViewer (DWGVIEWR)
A00A AutoCAD OEM (AOEM)
A002 Map
A003 Inventor Series (AIS)
A004 AutoCAD Architecture
A005 AutoCAD Mechanical (ACADM)
A006 Building Systems
A007 AutoCAD Electrical (ACADE)
A008 Land Desktop
A009 AutoCAD LT (ACLT)
A012 ADT for Raster Design
A013 Inventor Professional (AIP)
A014 Inventor Professional for Routed Systems (AIPRS)
A015 Inventor Professional for Simulation (AIPSIM)
A016 AutoCAD P & ID - 2D
A017 AutoCAD Plant 3D
A018 Civil 3D Land Desktop Companion
A022 Autodesk Utility Design
A023 Autodesk Topobase Client
A024 Autodesk Civil
A028 DWG TrueView
A029 AutoCAD ecscad
A030 AutoCAD Structural Detailing

ProductID's for AutoCAD 2011-based products:

9000 Autodesk Civil 3D
9001 AutoCAD (ACAD)
9001 DwgViewer (DWGVIEWR)
900A AutoCAD OEM (AOEM)
9002 Map
9003 Inventor Series (AIS)
9004 AutoCAD Architecture
9005 AutoCAD Mechanical (ACADM)
9006 Building Systems
9007 AutoCAD Electrical (ACADE)
9008 Land Desktop
9009 AutoCAD LT (ACLT)
9012 ADT for Raster Design
9013 Inventor Professional (AIP)
9014 Inventor Professional for Routed Systems (AIPRS)
9015 Inventor Professional for Simulation (AIPSIM)
9016 AutoCAD P & ID - 2D
9017 AutoCAD Plant 3D
9018 Civil 3D Land Desktop Companion
9022 Autodesk Utility Design
9023 Autodesk Topobase Client
9024 Autodesk Civil
9028 DWG TrueView
9029 AutoCAD ecscad
9030 AutoCAD Structural Detailing

Here is a listing of the LocaleId which indicates the language. The LocaleId starts with the number 4, then it is immediately followed by a hexadecimal number indicating the language.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R20.0\ACAD-ProductId:LocaleId

FYI: The hex number is defined in winnt.h e.g.

#define LANG_NEUTRAL 0x00
#define LANG_AFRIKAANS 0x36
#define LANG_ALBANIAN 0x1c
#define LANG_ARABIC 0x01
#define LANG_ARMENIAN 0x2b
#define LANG_ASSAMESE 0x4d
#define LANG_AZERI 0x2c
#define LANG_BASQUE 0x2d
#define LANG_BELARUSIAN 0x23
#define LANG_BENGALI 0x45
#define LANG_BULGARIAN 0x02
#define LANG_CATALAN 0x03
#define LANG_CHINESE 0x04
#define LANG_CROATIAN 0x1a
#define LANG_CZECH 0x05
#define LANG_DANISH 0x06
#define LANG_DUTCH 0x13
#define LANG_ENGLISH 0x09
#define LANG_ESTONIAN 0x25
#define LANG_FAEROESE 0x38
#define LANG_FARSI 0x29
#define LANG_FINNISH 0x0b
#define LANG_FRENCH 0x0c
#define LANG_GEORGIAN 0x37
#define LANG_GERMAN 0x07
#define LANG_GREEK 0x08
#define LANG_GUJARATI 0x47
#define LANG_HEBREW 0x0d
#define LANG_HINDI 0x39
#define LANG_HUNGARIAN 0x0e
#define LANG_ICELANDIC 0x0f
#define LANG_INDONESIAN 0x21
#define LANG_ITALIAN 0x10
#define LANG_JAPANESE 0x11
#define LANG_KANNADA 0x4b
#define LANG_KASHMIRI 0x60
#define LANG_KAZAK 0x3f
#define LANG_KONKANI 0x57
#define LANG_KOREAN 0x12
#define LANG_LATVIAN 0x26
#define LANG_LITHUANIAN 0x27
#define LANG_MACEDONIAN 0x2f
#define LANG_MALAY 0x3e
#define LANG_MALAYALAM 0x4c
#define LANG_MANIPURI 0x58
#define LANG_MARATHI 0x4e
#define LANG_NEPALI 0x61
#define LANG_NORWEGIAN 0x14
#define LANG_ORIYA 0x48
#define LANG_POLISH 0x15
#define LANG_PORTUGUESE 0x16
#define LANG_PUNJABI 0x46
#define LANG_ROMANIAN 0x18
#define LANG_RUSSIAN 0x19
#define LANG_SANSKRIT 0x4f
#define LANG_SERBIAN 0x1a
#define LANG_SINDHI 0x59
#define LANG_SLOVAK 0x1b
#define LANG_SLOVENIAN 0x24
#define LANG_SPANISH 0x0a
#define LANG_SWAHILI 0x41
#define LANG_SWEDISH 0x1d
#define LANG_TAMIL 0x49
#define LANG_TATAR 0x44
#define LANG_TELUGU 0x4a
#define LANG_THAI 0x1e
#define LANG_TURKISH 0x1f
#define LANG_UKRAINIAN 0x22
#define LANG_URDU 0x20
#define LANG_UZBEK 0x43
#define LANG_VIETNAMESE 0x2a

What are the ‘Load Controls’ in AutoCAD OEM

by Fenton Webb

The Load Controls section of the AutoCAD OEMMakeWizard define the demand loading required for your module.

It relates directly to the ObjectARX AcadApp::LoadReasons enum, e.g.

struct AcadApp {
  enum LoadReasons {
    kOnProxyDetection = 0x01,
    kOnAutoCADStartup = 0x02,
    kOnCommandInvocation = 0x04,
    kOnLoadRequest = 0x08,
    kLoadDisabled = 0x10,
    kTransparentlyLoadable = 0x20,
    kOnIdleLoad = 0x40
  };

The Load Controls are used for all ObjectARX, ObjectDBX, .NET and Mixed Mode DLLs.

AutoCAD OEM Support for AutoLISP/LISP

by Fenton Webb

AutoCAD OEM does support LISP, but there are a few restrictions:

1. LISP applications must be compiled into .fas, raw .lsp files are not supported.
• You must compile your LISP applications using the inbuilt “AutoCAD OEM” (aoem.exe) application that is installed with the AutoCAD OEM CD.
• Once the .lsp has been compiled into a .fas, you must then bind the fas file to the OEM product in the build process. This means that you can never just load LISP files (.fas) into an OEM product, it must be registered at build time.
2. The ActiveX API is not supported in LISP; that means vlax functions do not work.
3. The VLIDE and APPLOAD commands are omitted in 3rd party AutoCAD OEM products.
4. The user-entered LISP interpreter is disabled in 3rd party AutoCAD OEM products. The (command) still works fine when invoked from an OEM bound .fas file.

Setting your AutoCAD OEM Default Graphics window Color

by Fenton Webb

You might need to set the AutoCAD Drawing Window color (Model Space Background) to a different color via your installer. To do so is pretty easy – simply set your OEM registry key .\Profiles\<<Unnamed Profile>>\Drawing Window\Background setting to the desired DWORD value.