Ultra AutoCAD Tool by SkySof Software Inc. Download: http://www.getfilez.com/acadtool.

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1. Introduction
Ultra AutoCAD Tool is a FREE powerful utility program for AutoCAD drawing files. Features include: extract data from drawing files (CSV, XML, HTML), create DXFs from DWGs, find and replace text, find and replace block attribute values, find and delete text objects, find and delete block attribute objects, find and delete block objects, set layer status (on/off/thawed/frozen), save drawings as older version, find and replace image paths, find and replace external reference paths, etc. Ultra AutoCAD does not require AutoCAD to be installed on your machine and is compatible will all versions of AutoCAD drawings. Ultra AutoCAD Tool requires Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) for some operations to function properly. This software is free and available for download from the internet at http://msdn.microsoft.com/data/mdac/downloads/default.aspx After installing MDAC you must unload Ultra AutoCAD Tool then reload.

2. Create CSV files from drawing data

Select Create CSV files from drawing data from the Operation Tab and click the Next button.

Click the Add File button.

Select ATTEXT.DWG and click the Open button. Click the Cancel button.

The AutoCAD drawing now appears in the list of selected drawings. With the registered version it is possible to add hundreds, even thousands of drawing files to this list. Imagine how time consuming and tedious it would be to manually change a company name (in block attribute values or text values) for thousands of drawings. With Ultra AutoCAD Tool you can perform this task in mere seconds! Hopefully you are starting to realize some of the benefits of this invaluable tool. Click the Next button to move to the next screen.

Now we will select the fields to include in the CSV file. For this demonstration we will select all the available fields by clicking the >> button.

All fields should now exist in the right list box. For this demonstration we will create the CSV file in the same directory as the drawing, extract block attribute data, and include field headings in the CSV file. To specify a record filter type layout = model and name = d00005d1 and layername = xt in the Record filter text box. Note that only specific fields can be used in the filter. Click the ? button to see record filter help and a list of all available fields. To build the CSV file click the Process button. If all goes well you will see a message 1 items processed in the status message at the bottom of the screen. If an error had occurred you would see a message box containing error information (provided you have the error messages turned on via the System menu).

Open Windows Explorer and look in folder C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool to verify if the file was created.

Open the file in any text editor such as Windows Notepad. Note that only records where the layout name is equal to model and layer name is equal to xt and block name is equal to d0005d1 appear in the file (as specified in the record filter).

If Excel is installed on your machine double-clicking on the CSV file should open it in an Excel workbook.

3. Create DXF files from drawings

Select Create DXF files from drawings from the Operation Tab and click the Next button.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file ATTEXT.DWG then click the Next button.

Change the DXF version to 14 and the number of decimal digits to 9. Click the Process button to create the DXF file. If all goes well you should see 1 items processed at the bottom of the screen.

Browse to folder C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool and open the DXF file with any text editor such as Windows Notepad.

Note that some numbers have 9 decimal places.

4. Create HTML files from drawing data

Select Create HTML files from drawing data from the Operation Tab and click the Next button.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file ATTEXT.DWG then click the Next button.

Select Layers from the Drawing Data to Extract group box. Click the >> button to select all available fields and type name like x% into the record filter text box. All layer names which begin with the letter x will be selected from the drawing. Click the Process button to generate the HTML file.

If all goes well file C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\ATTEXT.htm will be created. Double-click on the file to open it with your default web browser.

This is a screenshot of the HTML file opened with Internet Explorer. Note that all the layer names begin with an X.

5. Create XML files from drawing data

Select Create XML files from drawing data from the Operation Tab and click the Next button.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file ATTEXT.DWG then click the Next button.

Select Blocks from the Drawing Data to Extract group box and click the Process button.

File C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\ATTEXT.xml should be created. Double-click on the file to open it using your default XML viewing program.

This is the XML file opened with Internet Explorer.

6. Create flattened XML files from drawing data

Select Create flattened XML files from drawing data from the Operation Tab and click the Next button. Flattened XML files are of a two dimensional format and can be easily imported into a record set.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file ATTEXT.DWG then click the Next button.

Select Blocks from the Drawing Data to Extract group box and click the Process button. Note that Drawing Name is set to FullName (path and file name).

File C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\ATTEXT.xml should be created. Double-click on the file to open it using your default XML viewing program.

This is the XML file opened with Internet Explorer.

7. Find and replace single line text values in drawings

Select Find and replace single line text values in drawings from the Operation Tab and click the Next button. This is one of the most powerful features of Ultra AutoCAD Tool.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file ATTEXT.DWG then click the Next button.

Type ABC Company in Text to find text box, XYZ Company in the Replacement text text box, and block = d00005d1 in the Record filter text box. Click the Process button.

A warning message will appear. Click the Yes button to begin replacing text in the drawing.

8. Find and replace multiple line text values in drawings

Select Find and replace multiple line text values in drawings from the Operation Tab and click the Next button.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file 8th floor lighting.DWG then click the Next button.

Type to circuit shown in Text to find text box and to circuit displayed in the Replacement text text box then click the Process button.

A warning message will appear. Click the Yes button to begin replacing text in the drawing.

9. Find and replace block attribute values in drawings

Select Find and replace block attribute values in drawings from the Operation Tab and click the Next button. Finding and replacing block attribute values is another very powerful feature of Ultra AutoCAD Tool.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file ATTEXT.DWG then click the Next button.

Type * in Text to find text box, John Doe in the Replacement text text box, and attributetag = drawn_by and layout = layout1 then click the Process button. The asterisk (*) is a special character which means find any text value.

A warning message will appear. Click the Yes button to begin replacing text in the drawing.

Now we will change the every occurrence of john doe to Charlie Brown. Select check boxes Find whole word only and Replace whole value. Click the Process button.

A warning message will appear. Click the Yes button to begin replacing text in the drawing.

10. Find and replace image path in drawings

The drawing files provided with Ultra AutoCAD Tool do not contain image paths. Therefore, you should test this operation with one of your own drawing files with image paths. Select Find and replace image paths in drawings from the Operation Tab and click the Next button.

Add a drawing containing image paths then enter then drawing path to find and the drawing path to replace then click the Process button.

11. Find and replace external reference path in drawings

Select Find and replace image paths in drawings from the Operation Tab and click the Next button.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file 8th floor lighting.dwg then click the Next button.

Type 8th floor plan as Text to find and 10th floor plan as Replacement text. Click the Process button.

A warning message will appear. Click the Yes button to begin replacing text in the drawing.

12. Find and delete single line text objects in drawings

Text before deletion.

13. Find and delete multiple line text objects in drawings

14. Find and delete block attribute objects in drawings

15. Find and delete block objects in drawings

16. Find and delete attribute definition objects in drawings

17. Set layers on/off/frozen/thawed in drawings

18. Save drawings as older version

19. Saving and running script files

Script files are simply text files which store information for a specific operation thus allowing you to run that operation at a later date by just clicking a few buttons. In this exercise we will create a script file which will create an HTML containing drawing layer data. Select Create HTML files from drawing data from the Operation Tab and click the Next button.

Click the Add File button to add drawing file ATTEXT.DWG then click the Next button.

Select Layers from the Drawing Data to Extract group box. Click the >> button to select all available fields and type name like x% into the record filter text box. All layer names which begin with the letter x will be selected from the drawing. Click the Save Script button to save the script.

Type in createhtml and click the Save button.

You will then see this message confirming that the script file was saved. Click the OK button to continue.

Close Ultra AutoCAD Tool then reload it. You will now run the script file you just created. Click the Scripts tab.

Click the button to open the script file.

Select script file createhtml.scr and click the Open button.

Your screen should now resemble this. Click the Process button to run the script.

Browse to folder C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool to confirm that the HTML file was created. Double-click on file ATTEXT.HTM to open it with your default web browser.

Script files can also be run from Ultra AutoCAD Tool in quiet mode from the command prompt. Click Windows Start Button which is typically located at the lower left corner of the screen. Select Run and type "C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\acadtool.exe" C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\scripts\createhtml.scr then click the OK button to run the script. File C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\ATTEXT.HTM will be created.

You can create batch (BAT) files which contain several script command lines. For example: "C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\acadtool.exe" C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\scripts\createdxf.scr "C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\acadtool.exe" C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\scripts\createcsv.scr

20. Saving and running project files

Project files are simply text files which contain multiple script files. Running a project file runs each script file contained within that project file. To create a project file click the Scripts tab.

Click the Add Script to List button.

Select file createhtml.scr and click the Open button to add the script to a new project. For this demonstration we will only add one script. In reality we could have added as many as we wanted. Click the Cancel button.

Notice that the script now appears in the new project list. Click the Save Project button.

Type project1 and click the Save button.

You will see the following message. Click the OK button.

To run the project now click the Process button.

Project files can also be run from Ultra AutoCAD Tool in quiet mode from the command prompt. Click Windows Start Button which is typically located at the lower left corner of the screen. Select Run and type "C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\acadtool.exe" C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\projects\project1.prj then click the OK button to run the project. File C:\Program Files\Ultra AutoCAD Tool\ATTEXT.HTM will be created.