AutoCAD - Slow Solid Model

Slow Solid Model

Printed From: CAD Forum
Category: EN
Forum Name: AutoCAD
Forum Description: Discussion about AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, viewers, DWG and DXF formats, Design Review, AutoCAD web, Drive, add-ons
URL: https://www.cadforum.cz/forum_en/forum_posts.asp?TID=10770
Printed Date: 04.Nov.2026 at 00:12

Topic: Slow Solid Model

Posted By: bfackrell
Subject: Slow Solid Model
Date Posted: 04.Nov.2014 at 23:58

I have a large structural steel and concrete model that was modeled in AutoCAD 2010 as solids. It's been years since I last used AutoCAD but this does not seem like the appropriate platform for such a large solid project. My system is more than adequate for AutoCAD but the geometry is so bulky that I can't do anything with it. Any suggestions? Is there a way to make my geometry more manageable within AutoCAD or should I move it to another application? I have Revit but from what I've read, it does not seem feasible to move the geometry to Revit.

Replies:

Posted By: philippe JOSEPH
Date Posted: 05.Nov.2014 at 07:50

Hello bfackrell, if you want to work with big 3D files and your computer is slow you will have to use :

BLOCKS on each component with adequate names to manage them with their aflabetic numbering.

PURGE, SCALELISTDELALL.

If all this doesn't work you will have to go to XREF like with Solidworks for example that's to say drawing each component in different files and be very carefull with the names and places of each files and directory not to move rename, etc...

If you go to XREF each time you will insert a component in your "assembly" file you will get more and more layers with a complex name ( don't know if this can be "cuted off" ).

Tell us if this helped or not, your tests and results.

Posted By: John Connor
Date Posted: 05.Nov.2014 at 11:39

What kind of file size are you dealing with?

What are the full specs of your computer?

My initial suggestion would be twofold.

First. Use Overkill, -Purge (Regapps first; All second) and Audit on the drawing. Twice. Then save. Does the file size reduce at all?

Second. Make use of Xrefs.

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"Humans have a strength that cannot be measured. This is John Connor. If you are reading this, you are the resistance."

<<AutoCAD 2015>>

Posted By: bfackrell
Date Posted: 06.Nov.2014 at 02:04

Thanks for the tips. I purged, with no change. Then I did a bind of the XREF's (still slow) then opened it in Microstation did some things and re-opened in AutoCAD and it works great! Not sure what Microstation did but it fixed the problem.

Posted By: John Connor
Date Posted: 06.Nov.2014 at 11:42

I'd be very careful going back and forth between Microstation and AutoCAD primarily because when you import a Microstation drawing into AutoCAD the linetypes will cause the file size to balloon out of control. It is such a bad problem that AutoDesk released a hotfix that deletes the linetypes so as to reduce the file size.

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"Humans have a strength that cannot be measured. This is John Connor. If you are reading this, you are the resistance."

<<AutoCAD 2015>>