CAD tip # 3649:

Question CAD
% platform category

Shorter DWGs - I have a multi-megabyte drawing with 'almost nothing' drawn in it.

Make sure your large drawing contains no superfluous hatches (especially exploded hatches) or unused (unreferenced) blocks. Thaw and switch on all layers, zoom to full drawing. Do not forget the paperspace (layouts). Use PURGE to purge unused blocks and symbol table definitions (for nested blocks, several PURGE cycles may be needed, the commandline -PURGE version has more options). The AUDIT command can make more table entries purgeable.

There can be also invisible objects in your drawing - you have to make them visible first. The DBLIST command can help to identify these objects. They can be:

texts or attributes containing only "spaces"
faces with all edges set to invisible (some add-on applications make them)
blocks containing only invisible attributes
points with low visibility

Problem No.1 can be solved by setting the QTEXTMODE variable to 1; problem No.2 by setting the SPLFRAME variable; and problem No.3 by the ATTDISP variable. For the problem No.4, set the PDMODE variable to 3 and PDSIZE to 0. By temporary setting of these variables (and a regen) you can display the originally invisible entities. After modifications set the variables to their original values.

Make sure your blocks defined in the drawing contain really only the required symbols and not e.g. the whole drawing. This applies also for the dim-arrow blocks like _DotSmall or _Open.

Your drawing can also contain other non-graphical entities (custom objects, dictionaries, ...) coming from add-on applications (and the 'registered applications' themselves) or e.g. from the 'layer filters' function (frequent problem) or from excessive annotation scale lists. You can purge these using the corresponding functions (e.g. DeleteFilters, DBXremSL).

ACADLTMap

* CAD

8.3.2004 31362× FAQ

Comments Tell a friend

Prices - CAD eShop:

AutoCAD

AutoCAD LT

AutoCAD Map 3D

applies to: AutoCAD · AutoCAD LT · AutoCAD Map 3D ·

See also:
Tip 10802:	Simplifying 3D drawings by replacing repeating 3D solids with blocks.
Tip 10544:	How to highlight polyline nodes and segments and directions?
Tip 8998:	How to make saving to older versions of DWG (SAVEAS) faster?
Tip 6910:	An alternative way of switching layouts.
Tip 2027:	What are the advantages and disadvantages of using ePlot DWF format vs. PDF?

Selected tip: How to batch-render a series of views, scenes or files?

Back All CAD Tips

How to perform "Match Properties" for AEC objects? « | » How to break a polyline to segments of given number or length?

Have we helped you? If you want to support the CAD Forum web service, consider buying one of our CAD applications, or our custom software development offerings, or donating via PayPal (see above). You may also add a link to your web - like this "fan" link:

CAD: OS: Categ:
Text:	FAQ glossary

Featuring:
Automatic nesting of 2D parts on rectangular sheets in AutoCAD
AutoNEST 2008 More info

Please use these tips at your own risk.
Arkance Systems is not responsible for possible problems that may occur as a result of using any of these tips.

CZ \| EN \| DE
Login or
registration
	Visitors: 4966

	CAD Forum - tips, tricks, utilities, help, how-tos and FAQ for AutoCAD, LT, Inventor, Revit, Map, Civil 3D, Fusion 360, 3ds max and other Autodesk software (support by Arkance Systems)	Arkance Systems CZ s.r.o. (CAD Studio) - Autodesk Platinum Partner & Training Center & Consulting Services Partner	CONTACT: webmaster.cz@arkance-systems.com tel. +420 910 970 111
	Copyright © 2023 \| Advertise with us \| Online privacy