AutoCAD Electrical 2013 Service Pack 1 Released

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=20545414&linkID=9240738 

Service pack one was released yesterday. It includes the AutoCAD service pack 1.1. This service pack fixes my last post's issue! Listed below are the other addressed issues.

Dialogs

• Dialogs disappear off the screen if displayed on non-primary monitor.

Insert/Edit Components/Footprints

• %U tagging format results in incorrect component tagging for drawing wide update.
• The Insert Component Icon Menu fails to get back to the default state after inserting the Pneumatic, Hydraulic or P&ID Components.

Project Manager

• The Preview in Project Manager does not display for the drawings saved in AutoCAD 2013 Drawing format.
• Apply Project Defaults does not work when a single drawing is selected in Project Manager.

Performance

• Poor Catalog Lookup performance in a shared environment.

Terminal Strip Table Generator

• New drawings created after running Terminal Strip Table Generator report are not added to the Project Manager.

Wires

• Wire Numbering state cannot be changed in Create/Edit Wire Type dialog.

AutoCAD Electrical 2013 Hangs or Locks Up (Project Wide Dialog - Surfer)

I fought with this in my last class and now ran into a support case with the same issue. What's the problem? 2013 seems to lock up anytime the Project Wide or Surfer dialogs open. The Ribbon grays out and nothing seems to work... until you press Esc. Then everything seems fine again.

The problem is the Project Wide "Select Drawings" and Surfer dialog were at some point moved to a second screen.

    

I called Autodesk Support and was told this is an issue they are aware of. The problem has been fixed and they are expecting it to release with SP1 later this month. Until then, use keyboard shortcuts to move the dialog back on your primary screen and it will stay there. Place it back on your secondary screen and the next time the dialog is called for it will open off screen again.

Press and release Alt then the down arrow followed by M and then the down arrow again. This will stick the dialog to your mouse. Move the dialog back onto the primary screen. It will stay there.

Where Does The wd.env Path Get Set?

The wd.env file is the heart and soul of AutoCAD Electrical. Without it, Electrical won't even load. This file stores default paths and the search order for most of Electricals commands. Note that the project property paths take precedence over the paths in this file.

The default location is ...\My Documents\Acade{version}\AeData. But what if you wish to move it to a network location? Enter the wd_load.lsp file. The wd_load.lsp file is stored in C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Acade{version}\Acade. This file is only read when Electrical is started. Within this lisp file is a variable named GBL_wd_DocSetWDBase. This variable defines where Electrical looks for the wd.env file.

The easiest way to switch from a local wd.env to a networked one... rename the local one wd.env.OLD and make sure the network path is listed as one of the the AutoCAD Support Paths. Restart Electrical and verify that its looking to the network.