File size and condensing

Hello all:

I am working with a 100MB file in autoCAD 2009, and i am running into the problem with getting the error message "AutoCAD running out of memory" and then it will ask if i want to continue the current operation or not, i am getting very frustrated because it keeps crashing my computer.

I am working with a few different base plans from other companies, as well as all my work, and contour info, air photos the whole 9 yards. BUT i will need to print everything from our plotter, so I do need everything in there

I am wondering if anyone has ever has this problem and if there is a was to condense the files into something that takes less space and it wont keep crashing, i the bas eplans are even brough in as XREFS and its still this big in size, can anyone help??

i am just loosing my patience, and I have the best computer in the office, so i have explored everything i can think of to make this file smaller, but i do need everything there for plotting, so i cant get rid of anything

Thanks

Meagan

Increase the PC's memory when you have the opportunity.

Have you tried the PURGE command. I find the PURGE command greatly reduces file size(s).

AUDIT can also help.

i use PURGE all the time. its really useful for reducing file size.

so just type PURGE into the command bar? what will that do, will I loose any of my work or sheet sets?

yes just type it

it removes unused named items, such as block definitions and layers, from the drawing.

Ya but will it get rid of things i need in the drawing, like I need some of the base plans for plotting and stuff, but i am not working with them on the regular basis, but they still need to be there, will it get rid of those?

also, how do i turn off certain things in one viewport and leave them on in another?

exactly as you said it just go into one viewport and turn them off.

purging the drawing will get rid of things like layers with nothing in them or blocks with nothing in them, or loaded linetypes that are not used etc, basicly all the useless things. if your still not sure then save the srawing as something else and give it a try but your drawing will be safe. look at Autocad help it might be able to describe the command better.

Purge will only remove drawing entities that are no longer in use. It will also give you the option of confirming if you want it deleted.

Lets say you make a block blurfl. You insert it several times in the drawing and then decide to make a different block and replace blurfl with the new block. You delete blurfl from your drawing on all model and layouts. BUT if you go to insert block, AutoCAD will still give you the option to insert blurfl since it is still defined and in the drawing. Purging the drawing will allow you to get rid of that block definition. Purge also works on layers that were created but have no entities on them, textstyles and dimstyles that are defined but not used and so on.

If you are really concerned, save a copy of the drawing as a backup and then run purge. If you purge something you find that you need later, you can pull it back in from the backup using the design center.

Glen

YAY!! success!! i saved a copy just to make sure, and then the purge worked beautifully, it cut it down about 20MB in size, still a big file but easier to work with now!

thank you very much!

so when you mean turn stuff off in a view port? how do you mean? its basically text i want to turn off, that i dont need in a big site area, but i will need in the zoomed area

just double click into the viewport you dont want the layer on in. select the object you dont want and turn the layer off. this is fine if there is nothing else in the layer you want. if there are other objects in that layer you want to keep in that viewport, then i suggest you put them in another layer.

well done on reducing the size

"Let us purge!"

Use this command on ALL drawings.

I just purged a 6000 kb file to a 200 kb file. WOW!

"Let us purge!"

 

Use this command on ALL drawings.

I just purged a 6000 kb file to a 200 kb file. WOW!

its great how much junk the purge command actually takes out!