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

[Aerdvark]

This is whats going on:

My principal (cliënt if you will) always receives the drawings on paper (by old fashioned postman) and also digital as *.pdf. Some of them ask for *.dwg and I have no problem with that.

But, I know there are a few amongst them that keep asking for the *.dwg version of whatever I make. I am sure they have other purposes with it like extracting the blocks out of the drawing to use for uwn purposes. I have a lot of nice blocks, regular and dynamic ones.

Most times I have no problem with that... but in some cases I would like to say NO, I will not send you the *.dwg. It is a personal problem that I have with some people. I am not willing to share. But since I am no boss around here, and it is still the cliënt...

How do I prepare my *.dwg so it can be opened, viewed etc. but also becomes very slow, or "un-copy-able" or anything else nice you can wish someone to have.

I know this is an odd request but it has come to my mind several times and I need to know.

Yes I am a #%$$@!. :ugly:

[Vali]

There was a lisp that converted a drawing into text!!! Everything was converted to TEXT and the process was irreversible. The downside is that the files jumped in size.

[VovKa]

export your drawing to wmf file, then import it back

[MeasureUp]

This is whats going on:

My principal (cliënt if you will) always receives the drawings on paper (by old fashioned postman) and also digital as *.pdf. Some of them ask for *.dwg and I have no problem with that.

But, I know there are a few amongst them that keep asking for the *.dwg version of whatever I make. I am sure they have other purposes with it like extracting the blocks out of the drawing to use for uwn purposes. I have a lot of nice blocks, regular and dynamic ones.

Most times I have no problem with that... but in some cases I would like to say NO, I will not send you the *.dwg. It is a personal problem that I have with some people. I am not willing to share. But since I am no boss around here, and it is still the cliënt...

How do I prepare my *.dwg so it can be opened, viewed etc. but also becomes very slow, or "un-copy-able" or anything else nice you can wish someone to have.

I know this is an odd request but it has come to my mind several times and I need to know.

Yes I am a #%$$@!. :ugly:

Why don't you export the drawing to dwf or dwfx format?
Hope I didn't misunderstand your point.

[Aerdvark]

@ Vali:
That would be something... But yes I probably wont be able to mail then (sizes).

@VovKa:
That really messes up but it only exports the current layout. Not model space + layout...
But I will think of it!

@ MEasuseUp:
_export ** 3DDWF publishing is allowed only in Model Tab. **
Hmmpf...


I was thinking more like exploding all blocks but leave visibility as is. But all text and circles should become little dots. All dynamic features should be deleted. But I guess that is too hard to accomplish.

Anyone got more Ideas?
Hit me!

[Lee Mac]

I suppose you could engineer a LISP to perform as you describe: text/circles becoming dots could be as easy as substituting these objects for points - and there are functions to convert dynamic blocks to standard blocks...

Of course, all of this would be pretty much unreversible.

[Aerdvark]

I suppose you could engineer a LISP to perform as you describe: text/circles becoming dots could be as easy as substituting these objects for points - and there are functions to convert dynamic blocks to standard blocks...

Of course, all of this would be pretty much unreversible.

Hi Lee,

Yes but with blocks exploded and also changed into small pieces.
Dimensions exploded...

How would I manage to make a drawing slow...
Maybe add a big amount of annotationscales, I know that slows down big time.

[Aerdvark]

Help me out please, I am stuck with what I believe is called convert real to string...

Code: [Select]

(defun c:MessUp (/); localize later

  (setq MessFactor
(getreal "Enter a Mess-Up-Factor:  ")
StartScale
(getreal "Enter the start-up-scale to be incremented:  ")
Counter 0
  )  ; end setq

  (while (< Counter MessFactor)
    (setq Scale      (strcat "1:" (rtos StartScale 2))
  Counter    (1+ Counter)
  StartScale (1+ StartScale)
  ScaleName1 (rtos Scale 2)
  ScaleName  (strcat "Scale: " Scale)
    )
    (command "-scalelistedit" "a" ScaleName Scale "E")
  )  ; end while loop
  (alert "Done!")
  (princ)
)
(princ)

[Aerdvark]

Haha... I had it working very nicely!
It ended up with an fatal error and I lost a drawing (no problem) and my lisp  :realmad:
So that is no option I guess..

[Keith™]

you could embed an auto execute VBA macro that disables any access to VBA (to protect your code) and disables exporting certain features you want to preserve. Remembering of course that VBA will likely go the way of the DoDo very soon ... and that it doesn't work on 64 bit systems (unless of course I missed that memo)

[alanjt]

Are the people giving the OK to send these drawings the same that paid you when you created the blocks?

[Bob Wahr]

Just explode everything.  They get the geometry which wouldn't be too tough to generate manually but not your expertise in creating the blocks.

[Aerdvark]

Are the people giving the OK to send these drawings the same that paid you when you created the blocks?

I do not understand your words Alan, sorry.

We get paid for the job in the fields.
The drawings are to be checked by the principal, to approve.
So therefore: pdf.

But some do ask for the *.dwg and allthough we are not obliged (?) to do so, we do send it.

[rkmcswain]

I don't know about messing up a drawing, but what you are asking for (and receiving) is a good way to mess up a client relationship.

What is currently in your contract as a deliverable? If for some reason it's not specified clearly, then why don't you sit down with this client and discuss? Why not get on the same page so that you are not paranoid about your deliverable, and your client is getting what he's paying for?

[Lee Mac]

Although not a draftsman, I completely agree - your reputation and client relationship will be severely tarnished should you send improper drawings.