Autodesk^® Mechanical Desktop^® 2009 Release Readme

February 07, 2008

This Readme contains important information about the release of Autodesk^® Mechanical Desktop^® 2009 that may not be documented in the printed documentation or in Help.

Contents:

• Notes for Beta Users
  • Uninstalling Beta Software
• Notes on Installing Mechanical Desktop 2009
  • Important Notes
  • Network Installation
  • Installing with Vault 2009
• Notes about New Features
• Developer Information
• Known Issues and Limitations
  • AutoCAD Mechanical
  • Autodesk Mechanical Desktop

Notes for Beta Users

While every attempt has been made to ensure that files saved in the Beta versions of AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 and Mechanical Desktop 2009 will open and be usable in the release version, we do not guarantee this ability.

Before installing the release version of Mechanical Desktop 2009, you must uninstall the Beta version you have been testing.

Uninstalling Mechanical Desktop 2009 Beta:

Windows XP uninstall instructions:

1. Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel, select Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 and click Remove.
2. Delete the following folders and any sub-folders under them:
   • Documents and Settings\your username\Application Data\Autodesk\ MDT 2009
   • Documents and Settings\your username\Local Settings\Application Data\MDT 2009
   • Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\MDT 2009
3. Verify that the folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared, has been removed.

   Note:	If the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared folder has not been removed, check if you have any other Autodesk products installed on your system. If no other Autodesk products are installed, manually delete this folder.

4. Remove the folder in which Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 Beta was installed.

Windows Vista uninstall instructions:

1. In the Control Panel, click Programs > Uninstall a program.
2. From the list of installed programs, select Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 and click Uninstall/Change.
3. Delete the following folders and any sub-folders under them:
   • Users\your username\AppData\Local\Autodesk\MDT 2009
   • Users\your username\AppData\\Roaming\Autodesk\MDT 2009
   • Users\Public\Public Documents\Autodesk\MDT 2009
4. Verify that the folder C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared, has been removed.

   Note:	If the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared folder has not been removed, check if you have any other Autodesk products installed on your system. If no other Autodesk products are installed, manually delete this folder.

5. Remove the folder in which Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 Beta was installed.

Notes on Installing Mechanical Desktop 2009

Please review the minimum system requirements for Mechanical Desktop 2009 prior to installing the software.  To view the minimum requirements, click the Systems Requirements link on the first screen of the Installation Wizard.

You must have administrative privileges to install Mechanical Desktop 2009 on Windows XP Home, XP Professional, or Windows Vista.

Mechanical Desktop 2009 can be installed on the operating systems shown below:

IMPORTANT:

• Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 can be installed on computers that already have Autodesk Inventor 2009 or the version of AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 bundled with Autodesk Inventor, installed on them.
• For network installation, please ensure that Autodesk Inventor 2009 or the version of AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 bundled with Autodesk Inventor is installed on the client machine before installing the deployment. Creation of deployment will not have this restriction.
• Note: It can installed alone if the following registry setting is present: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Autodesk\Inventor\RegistryVersion13.0] "ProductEdition"="INVBUN". There is a registry file "Inventor2009.reg" under the install root folder and double clicking it will set the registry automatically for you.

The Adobe Flash Player is no longer automatically installed with Autodesk Mechanical Desktop. Hence, when attempting to run Flash dependant components such as the Mechanical Features Workshop, a dialog box prompting you to install the Adobe Flash Player may be displayed. If so, click Install to download and install the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player. If a suitable version of the Adobe Flash Player is already present on your computer, no dialog box is displayed.

Network Installation

• Please refer to the AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 Network Deployment Administrator’s Guide for additional information on creating deployment for Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009. This document can be accessed via the AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 Network Administrator’s Guide (.chm) link on the page that is displayed when you click the Documentation link at the bottom left of the Installation Wizard screens.
• When installing a network version of Mechanical Desktop or AutoCAD Mechanical on Windows XP Home, you may need to install the .NET Framework prior to installing from your deployment tree.  The installation program for the .NET Framework is available in the MDT\sdk folder of the installation DVD
• During network installations, real-time virus protection utilities, such as Norton Anti Virus, may cause the installation process to slow down.
• Once installation is complete, we recommend that you reboot your computer.

Installing with Vault 2009

• If you wish to use Autodesk Vault 2009 with Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009, please install Autodesk Vault 2009 from the Autodesk Inventor 2009 install DVD/CD.
• You can install Autodesk Vault 2009 by selecting Autodesk Vault 2009 (Client) in the Select the Products to Install page.

Notes about New Features (AutoCAD Mechanical 2009)

• The default background color for model space has been changed to an off-white color. The default template files (.dwt) provided with AutoCAD Mechanical have been changed to accommodate the light colored background. The equivalent dark background templates are stored in a sub folder named Darkbackground.
• Layergroups are now managed by a new command (AMLAYERGROUP) in AutoCAD Mechanical. You no longer use the AMLAYER command to manage layergroups.
• There is no Ribbon for AutoCAD Mechanical. Changes you make to the Ribbon Panels and Ribbon Tabs in the CUI appear in the Dashboard.
• The ability to record macros using the Action Recorder is not enabled for AutoCAD Mechanical.You can however play back macros uninhibited.

Developer Information

• For information on AutoCAD Mechanical ActiveX Automation, please refer to Readme_AcadmAuto.htm.
• The SDK is available in the sdk folder of the installation DVD/CD.

Known Issues and Limitations

This section provides information about the known issues and limitations of Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 2009 and AutoCAD Mechanical 2009. For known issues and limitations of AutoCAD 2009 please refer to the AutoCAD 2009 Readme. This can be accessed via the Documentation link on the installer.

AutoCAD Mechanical

Properties Palette

• The Properties Palette stops showing properties for symbols if you run an earlier release of AutoCAD Mechanical concurrently with AutoCAD Mechanical 2009.

Standard Part Favorites

• Standard feature sizes for some of the standards (e.g. ANSI) are not fully described in the Favorites panel.

Inventor Link

• In 64 bit versions of Windows, Inventor link does not work under Standard User login if you have Autodesk Vault or Inventor View installed. To correct this, you must run Inventor link at least once using Administrator login.

CUI

• Restore Defaults for Quick Properties & Rollover tooltips in the CUI are unavailable. To work around it, please copy acadm.cui from C:\Program Files\Autodesk\ACADM 2009\UserDataCache\Acadm folder to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\ACADM 2009\UserDataCache\Support folder before you restore defaults.

Miscellaneous

• An error message is displayed when a drawing that is exported with the AECTOACAD command is opened in AutoCAD Mechanical 2008 or earlier.
• The EXPORTLAYOUT command does not support certain special characters. For example, the geometric tolerance symbols in feature control frame and leader note.
• On Windows Vista, the text in rollover tooltips appear to overlap.
• If you switch between layouts while the Layer Properties Manager (LAYER command) is displayed, a fatal error may be generated.
• When you save a drawing based on the GOST standard to an older version of AutoCAD Mechanical, the drawing is converted to an ISO drawing. This irreversibly converts GOST specific objects to blocks. You cannot edit these objects as symbols, even if you open the drawing in AutoCAD Mechanical 2009.

User's Guide

• The statement "Files tab" on Page 83 of the User Guide should read as "Files Panel of the External Drawings tab". .
• The path to tutorials folder appears as C:\Users\Public\ Documents\Autodesk\ACADM2009\Acadm\Tutorial (Windows Vista) or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Autodesk\ACADM 2009\Acadm\Tutorial (WIndows XP) in the Structure Catalog, and not as C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Autodesk\ACADM2009\Acadm\Tutorial (Windows Vista) or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\Autodesk\ACADM 2009\Acadm\Tutorial (Windows XP) as specified in the User's Guide .

GOST Standard related issues

Title Block/Border

• If you change the name of a custom paper format, you cannot remove it from the drop down list on the Drawing Sheet Settings dialog box.

Bill of Materials, Balloon & Parts List

• The Horizontal spacing and Vertical spacing is not restored to its default values when you click Restore Defaults in the Balloon Settings dialog box.
• The values in a BOM may not be correct after you import a GOST parts list Excel file to a BOM.
• A fatal error may be generated if you open a drawing created with Edison Beta 2 that contains a GOST parts list.

Symbols, Dimensions and other Annotations

• If you show lineweight by clicking the lineweight status bar button, the line weight of the End line of section lines do not show up as 50% thicker than the rest of the section line, as mandated by the GOST standard.
• If you drag the primary leader of a Feature Control Frame symbol that has multiple leaders, the secondary leader(s) may detach from the symbol.

Standard Parts/Features

• The sectional view for GOST 9833-73 hydraulic (Internal). exists in two paths.

Autodesk Mechanical Desktop

• The F1 Help Link link on some tooltips do not work.