Author Topic: Odd request: how to almost mess up a *.dwg (serious)  (Read 17440 times)

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hermanm

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Re: Odd request: how to almost mess up a *.dwg (serious)
« Reply #45 on: June 10, 2010, 12:47:37 AM »
First of all, wow what a response.
I had not thought so many people would have an opinion...
Maybe my idea is so rediculous.

Now, as for the contracts:
None of our contracts describe that I need to give away my *.dwgs. I need to provide drawings on paper and / or digital (*.pdf).

I have been thinking what my problem is, and it is mostly the dynamic blocks. For they can be extracted for own use (and I know they are). Some of my blocks were very time consuming creating them.

So in the end, and after reading this whole post, and TBH "after my temper has dropped a little"... I believe some of you are right.
First I should enter terms in the contracts that I don not send *.dwgs. And in case if I send them use the term that my blocks remain my property and may not be used for other purposes. To be shure enough I will disable all dynamic blocks (convert to normal block). Also the blocks will be bursted.

THere has never been the case that the drawing I send is coming back to work on further. I allways keep the original.

Maybe this is all I can do, in a way to keep the clients satisfied and my blocks stay with me.

Tnx again.

That seems to be one shortcoming of dynamic blocks.

From a customer relations P.O.V., may I suggest you phrase your standards in positive terms, something like, "Standard deliverables include <your deliverables>" rather than explicitly stating what you are *not* willing to provide.

Two reasons:
1. Positive statement of what you *will* provide always sounds better than a negative statement of what you will *not* provide (or, will provide for an additional fee).
2. Why lead the customer to the water tank, only to turn him away? In most cases he probably hasn't even thought about it. All he wants is his electronic drawings, for which he has paid. Format is irrelevant, as long as he can plot them to paper and use them to manufacture something of value (*his* deliverables). Why lead him to believe he is getting short-changed?

For the pitiful few (and they are pitiful) whom you somehow suspect are looking for a free ride on your coattails, a promise to deliver a *dwg file certainly does not imply a promise to deliver a *dwg file containing specific entities. What they get could very well be a "pile of lawn clippings," to borrow a phrase from K.C. Jones (who programmed DIMENSION entities for Autodesk long ago). Your post implies you have already thought this out, so I'll not belabor the point, except to add the following:

Your "dilemma" has implications beyond standard AutoCAD entities. Suppose, for example, you are using custom entities in your dwgs, either of your own design, or created by software which you have licensed, presumably for a (hefty) fee.

Is you customer entitled to whatever benefits are inherent in using those entities? Clearly not, as they have not paid for the privilege, while you have done so. Your cost is probably much higher if you programmed the entities yourself, because you can only recover the development cost by long usage.

Dynamic blocks strike me as being an application of the exact same principle.

So, yeah, explode the d**n things, if Richard Cranium demands a copy of your dwg.

Did he pay your electric bill last month (the bill that is so high because you stayed up late many evenings building ultra-cool dynamic blocks to make your life easier)?

That's what I thought.

Aerdvark

  • Guest
Re: Odd request: how to almost mess up a *.dwg (serious)
« Reply #46 on: June 10, 2010, 02:23:44 AM »
Thanks for the reply HermanM,

From a customer relations P.O.V., may I suggest you phrase your standards in positive terms, something like, "Standard deliverables include <your deliverables>" rather than explicitly stating what you are *not* willing to provide.
Well of course I need to put it like that, we are happy with each customer we have! Again, this is of personal reason; I do not want certain people to use my stuff.

Two reasons:
1. Positive statement of what you *will* provide always sounds better than a negative statement of what you will *not* provide (or, will provide for an additional fee).
2. Why lead the customer to the water tank, only to turn him away? In most cases he probably hasn't even thought about it. All he wants is his electronic drawings, for which he has paid. Format is irrelevant, as long as he can plot them to paper and use them to manufacture something of value (*his* deliverables). Why lead him to believe he is getting short-changed?
1. Yes true, 2. ALso true, but thanks for the explain.
You are right, because most customers don't even ask for *.dwg.
They are indeed satisfieds with *.pdf and actual paper drawings.

For the pitiful few (and they are pitiful) whom you somehow suspect are looking for a free ride on your coattails, a promise to deliver a *dwg file certainly does not imply a promise to deliver a *dwg file containing specific entities. What they get could very well be a "pile of lawn clippings," to borrow a phrase from K.C. Jones (who programmed DIMENSION entities for Autodesk long ago). Your post implies you have already thought this out, so I'll not belabor the point, except to add the following:

Your "dilemma" has implications beyond standard AutoCAD entities. Suppose, for example, you are using custom entities in your dwgs, either of your own design, or created by software which you have licensed, presumably for a (hefty) fee.

Is you customer entitled to whatever benefits are inherent in using those entities? Clearly not, as they have not paid for the privilege, while you have done so. Your cost is probably much higher if you programmed the entities yourself, because you can only recover the development cost by long usage.

Dynamic blocks strike me as being an application of the exact same principle.

So, yeah, explode the d**n things, if Richard Cranium demands a copy of your dwg.

Did he pay your electric bill last month (the bill that is so high because you stayed up late many evenings building ultra-cool dynamic blocks to make your life easier)?

That's what I thought.
No he did not!

I can understand most of this, and agree totally with you. This is the way I will approach it: keep it to *.pdf. If I need to send a copy of my *.dwg I will explode / burst and stuff like that. For this I will make a little routine.

WHat I did not understand: who the heck is Richard Cranium?
Wel: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=richard%20cranium
I had a good laugh about that one, I will remember him now.

Thanks again for the reply.

As for me, I think this thread is "done now" unless one of you have tips / ways to help me with the routine I want to make.


Willie

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Re: Odd request: how to almost mess up a *.dwg (serious)
« Reply #47 on: June 10, 2010, 03:55:09 AM »
I don't know if it's been mentioned before, but how about Express  -->  Text-->  Explode Text?  But I think it's a "cut of your nose to spite your face" function.
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Aerdvark

  • Guest
Re: Odd request: how to almost mess up a *.dwg (serious)
« Reply #48 on: March 28, 2011, 05:33:32 AM »
use BURST to explode your blocks, that way you keep your attributes as text

And for keeping invisible attribs invisible, I'll just plug my program  :lol:

Check this out...

Today was the big day: I had to send it to the guy...
In *.dwg as requested. Well I thought let's burst the blocks, at least.
That did work but the invisible attributes of a block got visible.
Oops.... after some searching I found Lee Macs code to delete the invisible attributes.

(defun c:DIA nil (c:DeleteInvisibleAttributes))

(defun c:DeleteInvisibleAttributes ( / ss ) (vl-load-com)
  ;; Example by Lee Mac 2010 - www.lee-mac.com

  (if (ssget '((0 . "INSERT") (66 . 1)))
    (progn
      (vlax-for obj
        (setq ss
          (vla-get-ActiveSelectionSet
            (vla-get-ActiveDocument (vlax-get-acad-object))
          )
        )
        (mapcar
          (function
            (lambda ( attrib )
              (if (eq :vlax-true (vla-get-Invisible attrib))
                (vla-delete attrib)
              )
            )
          )
          (vlax-invoke obj 'GetAttributes)
        )
      )
      (vla-delete ss)
    )
  )
  (princ)
)

This is exactly how I wanted it, the blocks can be viewed but not used in the way I use it.
Funny thing is that the whole thing was presented to me by Lee Mac earlier but I did not get the clue. See link above...

Anyway: thanks Lee for helping me destroying a wonderful drawing hehe... :whistle:

Lee Mac

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  • Posts: 12906
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Re: Odd request: how to almost mess up a *.dwg (serious)
« Reply #49 on: March 28, 2011, 08:15:23 AM »
Happy to help :evil: