Compatibility Question

[richardronan]

I work for a contracting company and as such receive ACAD files of various versions (mostly 2000 to 2007) edit them then return them to the subs. Is there a way to set ACAD to automatically save a file in the version it was opened? I don't like having to constantly recheck the save-as settings.

-R

[Capt. Computer Crasher]

I work for a contracting company and as such receive ACAD files of various versions (mostly 2000 to 2007) edit them then return them to the subs. Is there a way to set ACAD to automatically save a file in the version it was opened? I don't like having to constantly recheck the save-as settings.

-R

not automatically. However you if to go under Tools>>Options>>> Open & Save Tab>>> upper right hand corner. You can set what file type it will save as by using the SAVE command instead of the SAVE AS command. You would have to change this however if you worked with a batch of 2000 drawings & then worked with a batch of 2004 drawings, but it would save the headache of constantly using SAVE AS command

[jnoon]

My office runs into the same problem and all we do is save every drawing including our own back to 2000. Only on occasion do we have to save back even further to release 14.

This saves the headache of checking the saved version number
John

[dgorsman]

We work in the our version format until its time to return the files. Then they get run through TrueView to batch convert them down to the required version before being posted to the clients FTP.

[cadtag]

Remember though, that not everything can go backwards cleanly. For example, the changes to Mtext paragraph handling and newer capabilities will not display properly in an version that does not support paragraph spacing.

And you'll never know by looking at in in TrueView or current Acad -- but your client may be extremely unhappy that you can't even type out notes...... The only way to verify that it worked is to open it in the older version and compare it.

And, according to Adesk EULA, you can't do that.

[dgorsman]

Remember though, that not everything can go backwards cleanly. For example, the changes to Mtext paragraph handling and newer capabilities will not display properly in an version that does not support paragraph spacing.

And you'll never know by looking at in in TrueView or current Acad -- but your client may be extremely unhappy that you can't even type out notes...... The only way to verify that it worked is to open it in the older version and compare it.

And, according to Adesk EULA, you can't do that.

Thats why we test new items against what the client is using before we get into production, and only use them where desginated appropriate. We don't use a whole lot of new things, and the clients are usually within several releases, so its never been an issue.

[Mamma Jamma]

and the clients are usually within several releases, so its never been an issue.

Until NOW.
See the attached PDFs for some problems I ran into while testing saving from 2010 to 2007...which is not that far back. Within 5 minutes of trying out 2010 this is what came of it. And, while I suspected an issue with annotative objects, I wasn't expecting an issue with multileader, which is, apparently, the default leader command in 2010, since I had to search deep for the "old" regular leader.
Granted, this was right out of the box, and there may be some settings or something to correct some issues, but this is what happens using the default setting...

This is why we cannot and will not upgrade to 2010 any time soon.

[cadtag]

Thats why we test new items against what the client is using before we get into production, and only use them where desginated appropriate. We don't use a whole lot of new things, and the clients are usually within several releases, so its never been an issue.

Well, if you're on subscription you can only test (in-house) back to 2007. Per the subscription agreement you can only maintain the current version (2010) and three previous versions (09, 08, 07). Heck, you can't even look at a 2006 file without converting it to whatever the current version is. If it was saved-back from a higher version, the round-tripping built into Acad will look 'correct' on your newer version, but fail on the recipient.

If you're not on subscription, you can't test backwards compatability/visual accuracy at all!

My clients, agencies, subs, and contractors run anything from 2009 to R14, and it's a pain in the elbow. And believe me when I say that governments are not necessarily eager to upgrade with their tax revenues this year...

[Mamma Jamma]

NOW, add to these actual software issues an IT guy who can't understand why we have to send actual dwg files to anybody and why we should let them (meaning our clients for whom dwg files in a previous format are a deliverable) prevent us from moving forward, and you'll understand my pain...
Plus he has said we shouldn't use AutoCAD "Classic" mode, because the new version looks more like the latest version of Office, so we should "get used to it". Yeah, ok, right... so the entire office should upgrade, come to a stand-still and not produce the deliverable product.
~sigh~ ~heavy, heavy sigh~

[dgorsman]

Until NOW.
See the attached PDFs for some problems I ran into while testing saving from 2010 to 2007...which is not that far back. Within 5 minutes of trying out 2010 this is what came of it. And, while I suspected an issue with annotative objects, I wasn't expecting an issue with multileader, which is, apparently, the default leader command in 2010, since I had to search deep for the "old" regular leader.
Granted, this was right out of the box, and there may be some settings or something to correct some issues, but this is what happens using the default setting...

This is why we cannot and will not upgrade to 2010 any time soon.

Looks like the SAVEFIDELITY feature in action, providing different objects at the different scales required.