The H-Factor

Reducing Entropy

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Welcome

Recently our previous blog service (Typepad) ended their business – so, we have a new home. It will take a bit to get images back and displaying properly, but we are working on it! Final pageview count of original Typepad blog: 387,232

Using a Non-Standard Pipe Type in HydraCALC

A customer called today asking how to enter a 1″ black plastic underground pipe for the calc. This particular situation sounded unique enough that I did not tell him to add that pipe type to our database, as I would have if he expected to see this pipe type used repeatedly. I told him to…

Using the Hydratec Software Download Area

Hydratec uses ShareFile to distribute our software installs and updates. New customers, or those without access, must request access to be able to get at these downloads. Access is only available to customers with a Hydratec subscription or those on an update plan. You can access the download area and request access by picking the…

December 2015
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Occasionally we get contacted by a customer who states that something is wrong with his drawings, but when they are opened on another computer, they are fine. If one of the usual suspects is not to blame, we then compare the AutoCAD settings on the 'bad' computer to a 'good' computer.

AutoCAD includes an Express Tool to help with this – System Variable Editor (SYSVDLG)

Sysvar

If you start the command, it will bring up the Sys Var Editor:

Sysvar2

This utility will allow you to see every variable setting, with an explanation of that setting. You could, in theory, have both computers side by side and then scroll through each setting, but there is an easier way.

Pick the Save All button and enter a file name of something like badcomp.svf. This will export all the settings. You can then do the same on the good computer and name it goodcomp.svf. These files can be opened in Notepad and compared side by side. We use a free utility called FCompare to find differences in any two files.

Please note that the vast majority of differences between any two computers are irrelevant. These include things such as last command used and coordinates for insertion. Ignore these. Instead, focus on differences pertaining to the issue you are trying to diagnose, and change those settings one by one until you figure it out.

 

 

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