AutoCAD 2011 Help Files...lost in space.

[ReMark]

Looking for your AutoCAD 2011 Help files? Well you won't find them on your hard drive. AutoDesk, in its infinite wisdom, has moved Help to the Internet. Pressing F1 takes you to the following website:

 

http://docs.autodesk.com/ACD/2011/ENU/filesACR/WS1a9193826455f5ff219f8b8b1249cf2cb82-3c5a.htm

 

Now that's all-well-and-good but it is also a royal PITA. If you know what I mean.

 

The format is much different than the old style and the "help" that is provided, is, well, er, um...let's just say it's typical AutoDesk: looks good but works like a mule with three broken legs.

 

AutoDesk says they are working on problems with "speed of access" (No kidding? It's really that slow? Yep!). Until then user's wishing to download a help file (acad181.chm) that can be installed locally can do so by clicking on the following link. Be forewarned. The download is a whopping 172MB. Don't use that old dial-up connection!

 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?id=15068206&siteID=123112&linkID=9240618

 

I think most users would prefer to have their Help files back where they belong. Don't you? Like the Beatles sang, "Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Helllllllllllp!" Are you listening AutoDesk?

[BIGAL]

Our install of civ3d 2011 put the wrong path name in the "config files" so help did not work changed the name now normal old fashioned screen help comes up and is 2011 version.

 

Just searched for chm files and found civil.chm not civil3d-2011 or something like that.

[ReMark]

I did some poking around recently and came across something interesting. If one clicks on Options > System tab and looks in the lower right-hand corner where it says "Help" the user can deselect the option Use online help from AutoDesk website when available. This will force AutoCAD to use the Help files that came preloaded with 2011. In my case the file being referenced is...

 

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2011\Help\landing.html

 

While you're in the System tab also take a look at what browser is being used. The default setting is to use Internet Explorer. This too may be deselected and the option Default system browser can be chosen instead. So if you have Firefox 3.6 designated as your default browser that's what is going to be used in place of IE.

[f700es]

You know, after I installed 2011 help did not come up when I hit F1 (and it was slow as the online never came up). Wow, I must say that not including the help file is really stupid. I find it harder and harder to defend some of AutoDesk's decisions and practices

[ReMark]

The "new and improved" Help file is not as helpful as the previous versions which is a pretty scary thing to say as most AutoCAD users already considered the old Help files to be of little or no use to begin with. What company takes something that is already bad and makes it worse? Well, besides Microsoft and GM?

[f700es]

Well at least I won't pull up the help menu anymore by accidentally hitting the F1 key

[ReMark]

I've never accidently hit the F1 key and I find it amazing that so many people say they have. Perhaps their manual dexterity is poor or they have overly large digits! LOL

 

I just opened 2010 to use Help. I like having the Quick Reference, Procedure and Concept tabs at the top. I also like that when I type a keyword into the Search box I don't get every known instance of that word's use in AutoCAD. It cuts down on the amount of junk I have to wade through to get the answer I'm looking for. The new Help's search feature is as bad as doing a non-specific search on Google or Yahoo. The user ends up with 1 of 4,152,379 hits!