Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2006 SP2 Readme

Notice to Autodesk Mechanical Desktop Customers

In a continuing effort to provide high quality products, Autodesk has released Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2, which fixes or addresses a variety of issues pertaining to the following products:

Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2006
AutoCAD Mechanical 2006

This README file highlights what has been fixed or addressed, where to download the update, and how to install it.

Contents

Prerequisites

Installation Instructions

Issues addressed by Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2

Miscellaneous Notes

Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2 download location

Prerequisites

The approximate size of Mechanical Desktop 2006 locked Service Pack 2 is 12.5 MB and Mechanical Desktop 2006 unlocked Service Pack 2 is 14 MB.

You must have a minimum of 100 MB of free disk space for temporary file creation.

Service Pack 2 is historical and may be applied to Mechanical Desktop 2006 with or without Service Pack 1 or Service Pack 1a already applied. You must have administrative privileges to be able to install Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2 on Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home.

Installation Instructions

Download the Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2 installer for the applicable product and version:

For...	Download
Mechanical Desktop 2006 (AIS 10) locked	mdt2006_ais10_swl_sp2.exe
Mechanical Desktop 2006 (AIS 10) unlocked	mdt2006_ais10_unl_sp2.exe
Mechanical Desktop 2006 (AIP 10) locked	mdt2006_aip10_swl_sp2.exe
Mechanical Desktop 2006 (AIP 10) unlocked	mdt2006_aip10_unl_sp2.exe

Note: The software locked version of Service Pack 2 will update all language versions. In previous releases, there were separate Service Packs for each language. This is not the case for Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2.

Double click the installer to run it.

Once Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2 installation is complete, a message informing you that the Mechanical Desktop 2006 update has been successfully applied is displayed.

To verify that the Service Pack is properly installed, start Mechanical Desktop 2006 and type AMVER at the command prompt. A text window is displayed and should report "Mechanical Desktop 2006 SP2." It is recommended that you restart Microsoft Windows after installation of the Service Pack.

Note: Once a service pack is applied, you cannot remove it by running an automatic uninstall program. To undo service pack changes, you will need to uninstall, and then reinstall the product.

Network deployment

It is not possible to create a new deployment tree based off an existing deployment tree. If you wish to keep a copy of your original Deployment tree, manually copy your original deployment tree to another location. Then modify the copied tree to include Service Pack 2.

For additional information please refer to Chapter 3 of the Network Administrator's Guide.

The Network Installation Wizard requires a patch be an .MSP file. To extract the .MSP file from the Service Pack:

Start a command prompt and navigate to the directory containing the patch executable.
Type the name of the patch followed by /e and then an output path for the .MSP file (for example, to extract the Mechanical Desktop 2006 (AIS 10) unlocked patch type mdt2006_ais10_unl_sp2.exe /e c:\temp\SP2.MSP).
Copy the SP2 MSP file to a deployment location.

You can now use that file to patch through the Network Installation Wizard.

Issues addressed by Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2

AutoCAD Mechanical

Fatal Errors Fixed:

Referencing an external component (via Structure Catalog) that includes an image.
Inserting a fits list after copying (CTRL+C) and pasting (CTRL+V) a viewport from layout to model space.
Opening certain files that contain Mechanical Notes.
Invoking Mechanical Desktop command, AMBREAK few times and closing the application.
Saving certain drawings to AutoCAD 2000 DXF format.
Inserting an instance of a component view from the browser using the AMSNEW dialog and choosing to insert it into an existing instance using the “Select View” option.
Performing an UNDO operation after placing a feature control frame.
Placing a standard part that runs over a title block with “Auto Hide Background” option enabled in Mechanical Options.
Changing representation of compression springs in specific drawings.
Saving few specific drawings to AutoCAD Mechanical 6 file format.
Invoking transparent operations while using Power Manipulator.
Opening a Mechanical Desktop drawing in AutoCAD Mechanical and creating copy of a layout.
Applying fits or tolerances to a formula field in the Hole Chart Settings dialog invoked from Mechanical Options.
Reloading all external references from the XREF dialog in certain drawings.
Applying 2D Hide on structure components.
Copying a detail view created for breakout view.
Using AutoCAD LIST command on certain drawings.
Sharing a standard feature instance among component view and folder definitions.
Externalizing or copying and pasting component views that include ghost views.
Calling the API McadUtility.GetIdsFromObject() method.
Calling the API McadComponentView.Delete() method.
Using the API McadWelding symbol, when the type is set to sbNoSymbol.
Calling McadBOMMgr.BomTableExists() method if a BOM table does not exist.

Bill of Materials, Part List & Balloons:

Changes to the values in part reference edit dialog or BOM dialog being retained even when the dialog is dismissed by clicking the Cancel button is fixed.

Issue with incorrect calculation of list of items in Border BOM is fixed.
Issue with BOM not getting updated upon deleting blocks associated with partrefs in certain migrated drawings is fixed.
Part lists changing appearance and running into multiple lines while opening certain drawings created in previous releases is fixed.
Items not getting attached to the right BOM in the drawing in certain cases when copied and pasted from another drawing is fixed.
All the partref points concentrated to a single location while performing automatic ballooning in certain drawings is fixed.
Not being able set a specific BOM as the current BOM in certain drawings is fixed.
Issue with not being able to edit part references in certain migrated drawings is fixed.

Standard Parts & Features:

An issue with the placement of incorrect bearing on a shaft that already has a bearing of different size is fixed.
An error in the calculation of outer diameter of sprockets based on DIN 8187-1 / 12B-1 standard is fixed.
Copying a screw connection presenting incorrect options to choose component views is fixed.
Issue with improper hatch creation in a hatch area that has a standard tapped hole is fixed.
Issue with incorrect representation of steel shapes when grip selected in certain cases is fixed.
Issue with rotating a copied shaft affecting the orientation of the bearings on the source shaft in certain cases is fixed.

Symbols & Dimension:

Issue with creation of disconnected leaders for automatic ordinate dimensions while using “Equal Leader Length” option is fixed.
Text justification of Mechanical notes not retained while opening drawings from previous releases of AutoCAD Mechanical is fixed.
Cursor moving to the beginning of the text in DIN template drawings while creating surface texture symbols is addressed.
Issue with copying or mirroring Mechanical notes is fixed.
Empty line being added to Mechanical Notes when the current drawing is saved to AutoCAD Mechanical 6 or lower file formats is fixed.
Issue with the text of Mechanical Notes being overlapped by hatch lines while placing predefined hatch is addressed.
Issue with existence of surface texture symbol in a drawing disabling the stretch functionality upon grip selection is fixed.
Invoking AMREVLINE command creating a new revision list even when a revision list exists within the border in certain drawings is fixed.
Line weight not applied to legacy special characters used in Mechanical Notes is addressed.
Issue with garbled display of special character in Feature Control Frames in GB template drawings is fixed.
Issue with the display of symbols in Mechanical drawings when opened in AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, is addressed by setting the value of Proxygraphics in the current drawing to 1 upon saving the file.
Issue with editing sprocket in specific drawings created in previous releases of AutoCAD Mechanical is fixed.
An issue with the calculation of linear scale for dimensions created on detail view viewports in layouts is fixed.
Incorrect representation of arrow head for section lines in JIS standards for certain templates have been fixed.
Incorrect representation of section lines in certain cases has been fixed.
Issue with AutoCAD Mechanical not responding after creating automatic viewport for a scale area enclosing section lines and reopening the file after saving is fixed.

2D Structure:

Incorrect drawing name being highlighted in the Mechanical Structure Catalog after the current drawing is saved under a different name is addressed.
Hitting F5 key to refresh Mechanical Structure Catalog contents not working on certain new installations of AutoCAD Mechanical is fixed.
Issue with external component views not being able to be inserted using Structure Catalog in certain workflow is addressed.
Standard features not being able to be dragged and dropped to the root of the drawing (Master View Definition – MVD) from a folder is addressed.
Issue with the incorrect behavior of the scroll bar in Mechanical Browser while working on a drawing with a large number of components is fixed.
Issue with component views being pasted using incorrect based points when copied using COPYBASE command has been fixed.
Issue with underlying entities not visible on certain computers while activating component views is fixed.
Issue with externalised components getting corrupted in certain cases has been fixed.

Performance Improvements:

Time taken to reorder components from a sub assembly to the root of the drawing (Master View Definition – MVD) in complex 2D structure drawings has been improved.
Performance of selecting components or assemblies from the Mechanical Browser in a complex 2D structure drawing is improved.
Time taken to Expand or Collapse all the entries (parts and assemblies) in the Mechanical Browser when a complex drawing is opened is improved.
Time taken to expand sub assembly items in the BOM dialog in complex drawings is improved.
Performance of opening and closing complex 2D structure drawings has been improved.
Time taken to create detail views in complex 2D structure drawings has been improved.
Time taken to activate component views and create entities or standard parts in a 2D structure drawing with complex hide situations has been improved.
Performance of copying entities and components in complex 2D structure drawings has been improved
Performance of editing structure-hide in drawings with complex hide situations has been improved.
Performance in working with Mechanical Options when a complex 2D structure drawing is opened has been improved.

Inventor Link:

The sub assembly BOM not accessible from Mechanical Browser upon reopening a file that was saved with sub assembly BOM is fixed.

API:

Calling McadBOMMgr.AddBOMTable() not displaying the newly added BOM entry in the Structure Browser UI is addressed.
Calling McadBOMStandard.AddColumn() method creating duplicated BOM columns in some cases is fixed.
Even when the component view has entities, calling McadComponentView.Entities method returning no values in some cases is fixed.
Calling AcadDocument.SaveAs() method not updating the drawing name in the Structure Browser UI is fixed.
Creation of a new Folder or Component View using API not returning occurrences is fixed.

Other issues:

Symbols and dimensions not being displayed when importing certain IGES files is fixed.
File corruption caused by downgrade saving the current drawing and subsequently saving the same drawing using SAVE command is fixed.
Issue with the user not being notified that the drawing is not saved when the command AMSAVEASACADM6 is used to save back an existing file to the same filename. A new message "eFileSharingViolation" will be prompted to indicate that the save failed. To have the drawing successfully saved using AMSAVEASACADM6, a filename other than the currently opened file, must be given.
Issue with not being able to close the Block Editor after invoking PowerEdit on a rectangle is fixed.
Issue of detail views with a (viewport) copy in layout not being recognized as detail views upon editing in certain migrated drawings is fixed.
Issue with detail view not displaying all the entities to be detailed in certain cases is addressed.

Autodesk Mechanical Desktop:

Fatal error upon opening certain corrupted drawings is fixed. .
Fatal error upon using AecExportToAutocad command is fixed.
Fatal error creating IGES files from specific drawing files are fixed.
Fatal error upon using certain hotkeys when the Extrude dialog is invoked is fixed.
Issue with not being able to use some dimension variables created by standard features in dimension equations is fixed.
Issues with split line creation in few specific cases are addressed. .
Issues with not being able to use Mechanical Desktop functions after pasting entities with 2D structure information (copied from AutoCAD Mechanical session) and reopening is addressed.
Issue with automatic centerlines not being created for certain drawing views is fixed.
Mechanical Desktop Migration Assistance will now migrate only MDT files and non-MDT files will be ignored from migration.
Not being able to access a sub assembly BOM from the Desktop Browser is addressed.

Miscellaneous Notes

Mechanical Desktop 2006, Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 1, Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 1a and Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2 use the same file format. All drawing files created in any of these versions are interchangeable.

Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2 download location

You can download the Mechanical Desktop 2006 Service Pack 2 installer through Live Update or obtain it at the following location:

http://www.autodesk.com/mechdesktop-updates

We want to thank all our customers who identified these issues and reported them to us. These reports give us the opportunity to improve the product and provide you, our customers, with the best possible solution in mechanical design. Autodesk would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued business and for the feedback regarding the content of this update release.

Thank you, once again, for your commitment to Autodesk products.

Respectfully,

AutoCAD Mechanical Team