Autodesk Feedback: DWG Format Change!

[lcamara]

...I don't care so much about the ability to view DWG's (we're using DWF's and PDF's and LDF's oh my)...

Just curious, what's an LDF?

BTW, I don't use Revit, but it's something I've been keeping an eye on (and I'll be evaluating Revit Structural as soon as I find the time). It's been a long time coming.

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Just a heads-up...

Autodesk Batch DWG Converter Beta

Mike

[BWG]

Autodesk needs to just go with PDF. PDF is so much more popular than DWF. I have not had any luck getting clients to use the DWF Viewer, but all love the PDFs I send them. Too much trouble for them to get it - DWF. I say go ahead with the format change, it is usually for the better. Dump DWF and just have a free DWGenabled/RVT ect. viewer that is free for anyone to download and use, without all this silly data collection nonesense for the interested downloaders. Or, Bentley will just win more fans - except for the silly data collection nonsense. Once they know of the viewing problems, it will be corrected. It would be nice for subscription members to have access to a viewer that would provide redline capabilities without all the tedious translations. Maybe that could be a plug-in or something, maybe part of this new format change.

[lcamara]

Autodesk needs to just go with PDF. PDF is so much more popular than DWF... Dump DWF and just have a free DWGenabled/RVT ect. viewer that is free for anyone to download and use...

At first I also thought it was just a redundant format, but as far as I know, you can't embed a PDF within a web page and allow zooming/panning/etc. Sure, you can link to them & view them within your web browser, but unless there's some way to do it with a java app, you can't do it (if anyone knows something to the contrary, please speak up).

The one thing I have against it now is the lack of (free) redlining capability. We have network licenses of AutoCAD, but if one of the engineers wants to just markup a DWF of a typical detail that's on our site, he/she has to go and print it, or open up the equivalent DWG in AutoCAD.

That said, the Architects still request PDFs or plot files when they want to print the drawings.

[SteveChestnut]

Hello,

I agree that PDFs are more popular. I like them, my customers and vendors like them.

We have a need to send drawings out for comment and redlines. We are using Adobe Acrobat Professional 7.0 to do this. With Acrobat Pro 7.0 the creator of a PDF can enable it to offer the comment and redline toolbars to anyone using the free Adobe Reader 7.0. Some people may complain about the cost BUT with Adobe Acrobat Pro 7.0 I can create a PDF, enable it for commenting, send it out to anyone and all they need to mark it up is the FREE Adobe Reader AND I can be confident that this will work and the recipient will have no problems.

If Autodesk people are reading this the lack of a DWG viewer really hurts my office.
There are many times and engineer or estimator just wants to call up a drawing and print it. What was simple and easy for them is now gone. We really miss the DWG viewer.
My $.02

Regards,
Steve

[rkmcswain]

If Autodesk people are reading this the lack of a DWG viewer really hurts my office.
There are many times and engineer or estimator just wants to call up a drawing and print it. What was simple and easy for them is now gone. We really miss the DWG viewer.
My $.02

A) Autodesk DOES offer a DWG viewer. It comes bundled with DWF Composer.

B) See this link regarding the future availability of a true standalone "Batch Drawing Converter" - where a person with an old copy of Volo View could take your 2004 drawing, save it down to 2000, and view it in VV. Not exactly what we want, but a step in the right direction.

[BWG]

A) Autodesk DOES offer a DWG viewer. It comes bundled with DWF Composer.

B) See this link regarding the future availability of a true standalone "Batch Drawing Converter" - where a person with an old copy of Volo View could take your 2004 drawing, save it down to 2000, and view it in VV. Not exactly what we want, but a step in the right direction.

I could see this working fine for consultants, but clients are probably unwilling to pay for composer and then try and learn its features. Unfortunately, PDF does not embed in a web page, not that I have found, but I am sure adobe could change this without too much trouble and is probably working on it. They do have 3D capability as can be seen with the Microstation 3D PDF composer, so they are trying to make PDF a better fit for CAD and will probably win over the masses due to the fact that more companies are standardizing on it. For DWF to work, all the different CAD vendors need to be on it. With PDF they are/can be and everyone can be on it no matter if they are CAD or Administrative, FM, whatever. But, this DWF thing is taking this thread somewhere other than what was originally asked. So, a poll could be good to see if a new DWG format is in order.