Since the mid-December release of VidCAD 950, the staff at VidCAD by CommSYS Design LLC have completed and extensively tested our latest version: VidCAD 2.9.1. This includes: 26 new features from customer Wishlist items, 8 new features, 2 deleted obsolete functions and 44 modifications and performance improvements.
Add Equipment to List without placing on a drawing. Go to the VidCAD Main Menu or EC dialog inside VidCAD. Ideal for allowing administrative personnel to use VidCAD TecXpert to enter equipment list before engineer does the design.
* Equipment Grid in VDPMM Add Equipment lets users directly edit the room,rack, panel serial number, vendor and comments fields. All added data is automatically placed in the database, eliminating clicking OK or Accept.
* Option to sort by SYSNAME, MFG, Model or Prodtype.
This VidCAD Setting is no longer necessary and command doubled foldersize.
VidCAD Cable Setting “Use Second Cable Number” now works with cables to jacks and loop-thrus.
* Improved speed dramatically on large projects.
* Also logs changes in the RDCable table.
Facility Export removed from CableDOC Grid and replaced by new Export/Remove Facility in VidCAD Main Menu.
* Character and memo fields are now all Caps to overcome case sensitivity in queries.
* Date queries and fields in reports work correctly.
Now select a group of cables and change the cable type to another cable type with identical number of multipairs. This makes it so easy to change the database if you forgot to change cable type or Purchasing delivered a different cable type or color. Since it does not allow you to change cables to a different number of multipairs, it does not risk corrupting your database.
Simplified dialog for creating Floor Names and appending them to the end of the NCS Layer name. NCS allows 4 characters at the end of the layer name for floor name.
New Change Job (NCS Discipline Designator) dialog adds up to 2 characters to the front of the layer names. VidCAD default is TA.
The Telecommunication Discipline Designators are:
TA Audio Visual, Cable, music and CCTV systems
TC Clock and Program Time generators and bell program systems
TI Intercom and public address systems
TM Monitoring and alarm systems
TN Data Networks Network cabling and equipment
TT Telephone systems, wiring, and equipment
TY Security Access control and alarm systems
Integration with the AutoCAD drawing properties provides a convenient way to add description to the VidCAD Main Menu.
Implemented automatic save, so data is being added to the database as it is typed. It also appears immediately on the block (i.e., if you type in a room number, it is instantly in the facility database and appears on the equipment comment field, if that is default comment).
Concept no longer forces equipment to be inserted in Phantom. It uses same default as Diagram.
Improved the look and usability of diagram equipment blocks, including:
* Size based upon I/O numbers, and can be as small as 1 I/O (2‐unit minimum).
* Inputs with loop‐thrus do not generate extra space on left side).
* Equipment borders are now on 1‐unit snap. This makes it easier to drag without getting off snap.
Dynamically adjust the height of the text going into a new 3-D view. This makes it much easy and fast to comply with text size standards (i.e., if you want all text on 3-D blocks to be 0.75 or 20mm—just do it!).
* Sometimes new equipment was not appearing in certain Viewports with Hide. Cause: old style Viewport. VidCAD 2.9.1 templates fix this.
* Eliminated EC asking for REV# after you selected a certain REV# from the EC menu.
* Fixed bug in Rack_W setting in creating new 3‐D view. Also, rack size now updated automatically into database.
Corrected placing old equipment models onto the wrong layer when they were deleted.
* Now allows 15 characters for Model.
* Automatically turns on Comments attribute, no matter if it is new or old layer name.
* Matching REV# to FlexiBLOCK done before writing to DOS so REV# is embedded in new block name.
* Major speed increase in Rename Equipment.
* Query dialog no longer adds routers to the list that can be renamed.
Facility can be checked-out of one VidCAD Profile (e.g., Source = LAN VidCAD and SQL database) and checked-in to another profile (e.g., Target = your portable with C:\VidCAD\Projects\ and local SQL database). When this is done, the following occur:
* The facility drawings and database tables plus the Library (items used in that facility) are exported from the Source.
* The facility drawings are marked as “Read‐Only,” since the project should not be edited while checked‐out. It is strongly recommended that drawings are only opened with VidCAD TecXpert when checked‐out.
* Checked‐out facility is annotated with a lock.
* Facility is checked‐in to the Target profile, creating a new project entry and adding any required library items.
* Facility is annotated with a green checkmark.
* VidCAD Main Menu switches to the Target profile.
* When project is returned to the Source, the facility (along with any new library items created) is exported back to the original Source. The database is updated for the project and drawings are overwritten. Drawings are no longer Read‐Only.
* Facility is removed from the Target facility.
Automatically calls up Layer Setting when you start Concept or Diagram drawing. You do not need to launch it yourself when you start a new drawing and want to turn off the other Safe Drawing Area borders.
* OEM Help points to correct file.
* Install does not incorrectly change full AutoCAD Help location.
Export/Remove Facility now exports the equipment used in the facility (except custom jacks). Add Equipment then places any new equipment to the database. Exported facility will now have the libraries necessary to function in a new location (i.e., a customer will now receive all the library items necessary to maintain their facility from their integrator). If you need to share libraries with others, use the new Add Equipment to create a list of new equipment into an empty project and export it. Add Facility places all the new equipment in their database.
* Added button for AutoCAD Drawing Properties (DWGPROPS). When used with First-Run option, this allows easy entry of drawing descriptions in Comments field to appear on the VidCAD Main Menu drawing view.
* Added buttons for new Portrait and Landscape Safe Drawing Area border control.
* Improved compatibility with old layer names.
* Product Abbreviation Construction Tool has drop‐down of unique product abbreviations, thereby providing consistency and speed.
* Added Cost field to Connector dialog.
* Router and jack I/Os begin 01 instead of 1 for Excel sort consistency.
* Copy Flex inherits REV# from previous model, guaranteeing it inherits all I/Os.
* Delete Mfg with products will only delete I/Os equipment of this Mfg.
* MFG Abbreviation now sorted alphabetically by abbreviation alpha order.
* 15 character lengths for Model and SYSNAME consistent in all locations.
* Fixed copying of I/Os which allowed duplicate entries.
* Modified text entry so that only alphas, numerics, _, ‐ and space are allowed. Specifically disallowed comma and other ASCII special characters.
* Move button removed from Flex window since drag‐mode is fully implemented in dialog.
VidCAD Quick Start Guide 2-9 —with over 140 pages tightly integrated with v2.9.1. VidCAD Fundamentals 2-9 –with over 330 pages tightly integrated with v2.9.1.
Added the ability to easily view and update the comment fields for all or a selection of diagram blocks at the same time. This new full-screen display allows you to change the default (e.g., you started with Product Description field during preliminary design but prefer Room and Rack for final) and update selected blocks instantly, or individually update comments to special items (e.g., add cost to certain fields and comments to others). Caveat: Any subsequent editing of this block with Dynamic Edit or Equipment Edit will return the specific comments to the default.
* Over 200 shortcuts added to VidCAD OEM so it behaves similarly to AutoCAD’s own shortcuts.
* VidC.pgp can now be customized.
In Create Jack, select to show all I/Os of a jack, even those used. This is helpful for documenting wires thru punch blocks and Krones when you change normalization direction.
* Crash when canceling select jack I/Os.
* Forces using cable signal type when recalling a cable.
* Improved loop‐thru integration with jacks and feathers.
* Accept Phantom Cable Number dialog now appears centered near the mouse cursor.
* Fixed OSNAP issues with AutoCAD 2009
* PET now passes Phantom Equipment comments into the database and maintains the comments. This saves a lot of time retyping attributes.
* Removed annoying dialog “Would you like to save to the Phantoms Directory?” This is unnecessary with the Revert to Phantom for cables and equipment. You can still save to Phantom directory from the menu.
* Bug preventing putting an * into REV# field for furniture, which caused Equipment Delete to put it on equipment layers.
* Fixed bug in Vista which caused exception error in PET.
* Extended PET to accept a space, ‐, _ or. in the product abbreviation field.
* Fixed bug where Phantom equipment was causing PET to not work in a rack.
* Made Transmutate backwards compatible with layer names.
Now correctly links equipment to feathers during Redline.
Modified RL to correctly refresh the drawing name.
Fixed bug which would make drawing disappear. Replaced with new AutoCAD command.
The Templates have been completely updated for this version. Here are some of the details:
* Multiline Attributes for following Attributes:
a. Project Name
b. Sheet Name
c. Drawing Name
d. Revision Description (4 Revisions included)
e. Company Description
Multiline Attributes allow for text to wrap to next line. Allowed space for 2 lines of text. This means you can move or modify the title block without losing the links to these attributes. Note: Multiline Attributes do not work on AutoCAD 2007.
* Order of Attributes adjusted so Revision Date, Number and Description fields are first in the Edit Attributes dialog box.
* Added Phone and Fax line on Company and Client areas in Style 2 and 3.
* Added 0.2” spacer after insertion point and before Title Block. Coupled with the approximately 0.7” of paper edge, this allows nearly 1” for binding drawings.
* Resized all of the templates based upon DWF e‐Plot format sizes.
* Added Architectural paper D and E size for Style 1, 2 and 3.
* Created Portrait Layouts for A, B, D, E ANSI and Architectural English, plus A3, A4 for ISO.
* In Styles 1 & 2 D, E, A0 and A1, the sectioned border has been reduced in thickness by 60%, which translates into nearly 10% additional drawing space, yet the border numbers are readable (2x the minimum text size).
* Style 1 and 2 Title Blocks are constructed from pieces so you can easily modify the sizes. A flash video shows how to customize these.
* Map Coordinates were added to all Style 3 templates. If these are not wanted, turn off the TA‐TVVS‐TITL‐NUMB layer.
* Created new Linetype for Portrait (VidCAD_Safe_P) and Landscape (VidCAD_Safe_L), and assigned them to each Layer.
* Turned off extraneous Safe Drawing Area Borders in the Paper Space Model view. No other sizes of Safe Drawing Area Borders appear in the Layout.
* Safe Drawing Area borders are not printable.
* Remade 3‐D Layouts, Named Viewports and Named Views with new AutoCAD 2008/2009 3‐D styles. This solves problems of 3‐D wireframes disappearing when first created. Plus, the new Viewports all have more space, so you can see a complete rack in each one.
* Added Schedule Notes templates for each size. The Notes layout has 10x10 (Landscape) or 5x10 (Portrait) rectangles on the pages which can be used for place Detail Schedules.
* Changed the customer and client logos to include border on TA‐TVVS‐LOGOHIDD layer (which is frozen by default). These new logos are in the \VidCAD\Library\Template folder. To change them in you template, just open the appropriate logo drawing and add your Logo in DWG format. Then open your templates and insert the Customer and Client logos, clicking Yes when prompted to redefine the existing references.
* Created new Dimension and Multileader styles, so you can put easily place comments and dimensions in either Paper or Model Space and have the text appear identically.
* Added new Linetypes, including Ground (Power) and Safe Area Linetype for landscape and portrait.
* Developed How‐To instructions for using Page Setup Overrides to scale drawings to fit paper or to scale up and down (e.g., D to B or B to D). For more information and for How-To instructions, download the file at: https://download.yousendit.com/WnBUNnFBTXZsUjhLSkE9PQ Unzip the file and run the 2-9-1_How_To.html file.
* Improved architectural commands (wall, window, door, door and window trim, floor and ceiling) to individually color layer groups, and turn layers on/off.
* Layers are now National CAD Standards compliant.
* Floor and ceiling clipping made more accurate.
* Added functionality to build multi‐story walls and floors easily.
* Add Equipment to List (see above).
* Export Facility (see above).
* Check‐in/Check‐out (see above).
* Integration with AutoCAD DWGPROPS Comments field for drawing description (see above). Note: You may only modify a drawing's description from within AutoCAD.
* Changed the method by which the main menu determines if there is already an instance open (should now be Terminal Server friendly), and added an error message if there is already an instance open.
* Fixed a crash resulting from dragging facilities into virtual folders.
AutoCAD Purge can delete essential layers, styles (text, multileader, dimension) and linetypes which are essential for proper VidCAD operation. This new command only eliminates unused equipment, which reduces the size of the drawing, makes it run faster but does not affect future VidCAD editing.