Issues with V16

Jim Canale

Hello everyone.  I finally got our IT staff to install V16 yesterday.  I noticed some immediate issues right away.

1.  My drawings are all on a network server (Y:), so I have the drawings path set to "Y:". The open file window always shows me the last folder I opened, rather than Y:   Also, the Places bar doesn't present the icons I selected in the settings dialog.  Why?    I have tried both the non-standard open file dialog, and the standard open file dialog.   I have attached screenshots.

2.   I'm working in a 2D workspace, and entity snaps doesn't seem to be working.   I laid down a bunch of intersecting infinite lines.  I have the intersection entity snap selected, and I'm trying to run a polyline from intersection to intersection.   Unless I zoom in extremely tight, and hold my cursor directly over an intersection, they the line snaps to something else nearby.   I have tried changing the setting of the snap aperture box, but that doesn't seem to have any affect.

3.  Bricsys told me V16 had the capability to re-fold a sheet metal blank.  I can't seem to find the command to do that.    I create a lot of sheet metal housings.  Sometimes after I unfold the housing, the sheet metal vendor objects to  features of the blank.  For instance, they might not like the size or shape of the relief cutouts in the corners.  Or the radii are too tight for his laser or water jet.   It's not always obvious to me what kind of operation I have to do to the folded part, to get the corresponding change in the unfolded blank.  I can modify the blank, but I'd like to reconfirm what the thing looks like folded up.  Is what I am expecting unreasonable?

Thanks for reading!

Joe Dunfee

 On #1, there is a BricsCAD variable called "Recent Path".  Perhaps you can create a lisp that runs when a new drawing is created that sets this variable to your desired path.

-Joe

Jim Canale

Thanks Joe.  I haven't ever made the time to learn about LISP files.  So I wouldn't know what I'm doing.  But what surprises me, is that this all worked in V15 and V14.    Any idea about the entity snap problem?

Jim C.

Anthony Apostolaros

I think you just have to add this line:
[code](command "recentpath" "Y:")[/code]
to the file called "on_doc_load.lsp" in the Support sub-folder to Bricscad's Program Files folder.
If it's not there you can create it as a text file using Notepad.

Joe Dunfee

@Jim Canale:

Thanks Joe.  I haven't ever made the time to learn about LISP files.  So I wouldn't know what I'm doing.  But what surprises me, is that this all worked in V15 and V14.    Any idea about the entity snap problem?

I am still on v14.  So, I can't really comment about v16.  But, in regards to the current directory, mine has always defaulted to the most recent directory where I opened a file. To me this is the most convenient, because this is the most likely place I will want to open another file.

By the way, I have never played with the Most Recent Path setting. I don't know when it gets updated. And most importantly   I don't know how it affects the saving of your current drawing, or things like the loading of relative X-refs.  So, I would test those before playing with that variable.

-Joe

martin@enco.us

For #2:

Have you tried the apparent intersection esnap?  Are you sure the lines actually intersect?  The only times I have seen the intersection esnap not work in V16 are when the lines were not coplanar or when the distance from 0,0,0 was very large.

Roy Klein Gebbinck

1.a. Change the REMEMBERFOLDERS setting.

Jim Canale

@Anthony Apostolaros:

I think you just have to add this line:

(command "recentpath" "Y:")   

to the file called "on_doc_load.lsp".....

Thanks Anthony.  I will ask our IT manager to add it.  They don't give me the user rights to access files in the installation folder

Jim Canale

@Roy Klein Gebbinck:

1.a. Change the REMEMBERFOLDERS setting.

Roy,

REMEMBERFOLDERS is already set to "[1]Use last path used"

Jason Bourhill

@Jim Canale:

Roy,

REMEMBERFOLDERS is already set to "[1]Use last path used"

I think Roy meant to set REMEMBERFOLDERS = 0, "[0] Use Start In path". With this set BricsCAD will use your 'Start In' folder as the default location when opening files. The start in location depends on how you launch BricsCAD:

• If you launch from the desktop shortcut  or start menu, then it will be what ever start in folder the short cut has been configured to use. To change this setting may require Admin rights.
• If you launch by double clicking on a drawing from windows explorer, then the folder the drawing is in will be used.

Also you don't necessarily need Admin rights to create and use an "on_start.lsp" / "on_doc_load.lsp". Simply create the file(s) in a location that you have access to, then add this folder to your support file search path (SRCHPATH). This is actually preferable to placing in the programs installation folder as, you know where the file is, and it won't be overwritten/lost with an update/upgrade. e.g. you could create a CAD library folder on your Y: drive and point BricsCAD to use it "Y:\CADLibrary\".

Regards,

Jason Bourhill

CAD Concepts

Anthony Apostolaros

It may not be necessary or at all helpful to use lisp to set the RECENTPATH variable.

For one thing, I find that on my system that variable doesn't change between sessions. So I wouldn't have to use lisp to reset it each time I start up.

More importantly, I find that on my system that variable doesn't affect where the Open dialog starts out. It sounded like Joe was saying it does that on his system, but it doesn't work that way on mine.

You should first try setting the variable to see whether it affects the Open dialog on your system. Then, if it does, see whether the variable changes of its own accord. That would be the only reason to use lisp to set the variable every time you start up.

Anthony Apostolaros

The REMEMBERFOLDERS = "Use Start In Path" method works on my system to some extent:
- If I use a shortcut to start up Bricscad, then the Open dialog starts in the "Start In" folder specified in the Properties of that shortcut (which you can specify by right-clicking on the shortcut and selecting Properties).
- But it doesn't affect the Open dialog if I start Bricscad in some other way, i.e. by using a different shortcut, or by double-clicking on a DWG file or on the "Bricscad.exe" file.
 I don't know of any way to change the "Start In" folder for an application. As far as I can tell it's just a property of a shortcut. A search for "start in" in my Bricscad Settings window turns up nothing.

Roy Klein Gebbinck

FWIW:
I can confirm the problem with the 'Places Bar' in V16 (and also in V15).

Patrik Sparrman

#2

https://forum.bricsys.com/discussion/29345

Anthony Apostolaros

Melloware PlacesBar Editor lets you choose what links are in the Places bar. The choices apply to the Open and Save As dialogs of any application that has a Places bar in those dialogs. It worked for me in Bricscad, and in fact it worked right away, without even re-starting Bricscad. You can pick up to 5 links, either standard ones offered by Windows or custom ones for which you supply the path.

You can do the same thing by editing the registry manually, as described at this site and in this video, but the Melloware app is easier to use. It makes the registry changes for you.

Jim Canale

Thanks everyone for your advice.  I apologize for not staying on top of this post.  Health problems again intervened.