Reduce File Size In AutoCAD

Working on a huge AutoCAD  file can be very slow and time consuming. It is best to reduce your file size to speed up your work. There are many ways for you to reduce the size of your file. The following listed below are some of the tools I normally use to compress my file size.

1. Purge (PU)

2. Overkill (OVE)

3. Regapps (-PU>R)

4. -Scalelistedit (-SC)

5. Audit (AU)

6. Recover (RECO)

7. Dxf out / Dxf in (DXFO/DXFI)

1. Purge

Purging is to remove unnecessary items such as linetypes, layers and etc. created in a drawing. AutoCAD will not remove all these items even after you delete them. For example if you have created a layer “DIMENSION” and you assign one of your dimensions to that specific layer, if you delete that layer, you will realize that your layer “DIMENSION” will still be in your layer manager. AutoCAD keeps the layer to allow users to reuse the layer without creating it from scratch thus causing the file size to increase. By purging the drawing, AutoCAD will remove these unnecessary items. You can also filter out which items you would want to purge but I normally would purge everything.

2. Overkill

Overkill is basically to remove overlapping items which are placed directly on top of each other.

3. Regapps

Regapps are basically registered application. Purging this registered application will reduce your file size as well. Regapps is not a command by itself, you need to type -purge and remove the regapps from there.

For more information on the definition of regapps click this link http://withoutanet.typepad.com/without_a_net/2010/03/managing-regapp-ids.html.

 

Just follow the step as shown in red; -pu>enter>Regapps>enter>*>enter>No>enter

4. -Scalelistedit

Removing custom created scales in the drawing may reduce the file size as well. This does not really reduce your file size tremendously but it works too.

To remove all unnecessary the scales create; -scalelistedit>enter>*>enter

To reset the scales to default; -scalelistedit>enter>yes>enter

The scales will look as shown below if deleted

The scales will look as shown below if it is reset to default.

5. Audit

Files may have errors especially the act of transferring. The “audit” process cleans up these unwanted errors which will make it easier for you to access your file. I would recommend users to use e-transmit before sending files to prevent such things from happening. If you do encounter these problems just audit the files. You will need to wait for the files to be audited, it will take some time but not to long. I  have experienced waiting for my files to audit using AutoCAD MEP, so if you are using AutoCAD MEP the files may take a bit longer to load and to audit.

To audit your file; type audit>enter>yes (fix the problems)

 

The message will inform on the number of errors fixed after the audit.

All audited files will have an audit log which list down the things audited in the drawing. Save this file so that you can send this to Autodesk if the problem persists.

6. Recover

Recover is basically auditing your file before even opening it. If you have trouble opening your file due to many reasons, use this command to fix any problems. Open a new template, run the command “recover” and select the file that you would like to fix.

7. Dxf out / Dxf in

This command also helps to reduce your file size. I have not found an explaination on why this works but it may be due to the format convertion which causes the file size to reduce. The images will explain how to reduce your file size using this command.

I have selected the file SK.128 as a sample, notice the size of the file 6.90MB

Open the drawing and type “dxfout” in the command line. Just remember to check that the file being exported has an “ACAD” placed in the front.

Save the file and do not open it. It should be in a dxf format. In a new drawing type “dxfin” to reimport the file.

Select the file at the location that you save, most of the time the save location will be the same location as the original file.

Save the file again but now to a dwg format. Notice that the file size has been reduced. You may rename your file after.

 

Do not worry, all the layers, properties and etc. will still remain unchanged.

Enable/Disable Password In AutoCAD Drawing

Setting-up password in a drawing is easy but can be crucial if you do not remember it . If you forget your password, chances are that you will lose the drawing permanently if you do not have a backup. Before assigning a password to a drawing, many have recommend to create a backup for the drawing or write down the password in a notebook or etc. I prefer to use a similar and strong password rather than changing it from time to time. Honestly I do not really set password for my drawings as I am working on a shared network. Nevertheless it is good to know about this function as you may never know one day you may need to use it.

To set a password for a drawing, you should go under Options>Open & Save. If you look at the bottom left corner, you should be able to see “Security Options”. By clicking on it, a pop-up will appear on your screen to prompt you for a password. Set your password for that specific drawing and click “ok” to apply. Just note that in order for you to see whether the password has been set, you need to restart your AutoCAD. It will only prompt to ask for the password once and if you continue to open that same file again and again, AutoCAD will not prompt you for the password unless you restart your software. Another important thing to remember as I have emphasized earlier is to create a backup copy so that if you forget your password you do not have to worry. There may be some external software’s that you can use to retrieve your password but I think you need to pay for it.

I will upload some images for you to see if you are still unsure.

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Custom Command Shortcuts in AutoCAD

Generally many of us use shortcut commands to speed up our work when using AutoCAD. Some examples such as to draw a line, instead of typing the entire word “LINE” in the commandline we use “L” to speed up our work. Another example will be instead of “PURGE” we type PU for short.

There is a command which will allows you to custom your own shortcuts which will speed up your drafting further. This depends on individual, some people are used to using the default commands set by AutoCAD and will get affected by changes and some because they have never heard of this commans generally. I normally change my commands by using ALIASEDIT (ALIA). This command will allow you to edit command shortcuts to your own preference.

Let me just explain a little further, I realise that I use rotate most of the time and I always have to type “RO” in the command line to initiate the command. When I type “R” instead, the command will call for redraw. I hardly use the command redraw and would like to custom my shortcut command for rotate to be “R” instead of “RO”, not forgetting to change the command “REDRAW” as well. This actually saves a lot of my time. The images Ive uploaded below will show you how to use the command “ALIASEDIT” to speed up your work.

Step 1:

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Step 5:

Basically that very straightforward and simple explaination on how to use ALIASEDIT. Just remember that most of the commands are already assigned with shortcuts and by redefining a command, you also need to ensure that it does not mirror another command. Try it yourself and hopefully it helps you speed up your work.

Disable Splash Screen in AutoCAD

If you are ever wondering what a Splash Screen is? Take a look at the image attach below. There will be a long loading time whenever I open my AutoCAD to do my work. There is actually a way for you to remove this Splash Screen so that you would not have to wait very long to start your AutoCAD.

It is easier for me to show you through images. Basically it is just adding ” /nologo” into the properties of the software. Take a look at the images below and follow the steps to disable your splash screen.

Step 1:

Right click on your AutoCAD icon and scroll down to find the properties icon.

Step 2:

When the properties pop-up appear, go to “Shortcut” and you will see a section which states “Target: “C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2013\acad.exe” /product ACAD /language “en-US””.

Step 3:

Add ” /nologo” at the end of the (“C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2013\acad.exe” /product ACAD /language “en-US” /nologo). Remember to put a spacing before entering the “/nologo” if not the whole thing would not work. It is that simple. There are also ways for you to disable your splash screen for other Autodesk softwares such as Revit and etc. but that I will post in the future. Just note that you need to be the administrator of your computer in order for this to work.