DraftView for CADDS

Q: Can I create PDF files with DraftView for CADDS?

A: Yes, this is easily done by printing to a PDF printer driver, such as those provided by Adobe Acrobat or the free PrimoPDF printer driver.

Q: Does DraftView for CADDS support CADDS 3?

A: Yes, specifically CADDS 3 Revision 8 and later. CADDS 3 files typically have a ".COM" file extension, as opposed to CADDS 4X and later, which are simply "_pd" files.

Q: My NFigs do not display, and I get "NFig error" messages. How can I fix this?

A: To display NFigs, DraftView must locate their "_pd" file. DraftView's NFig error messages indicate a path where the NFigs were expected to be. You can use this path to locate the NFigs on your file system. Once you have done that, you can run DVSETUP and set the NFig search path(s) to that location. Also see: Troubleshooting NFig Errors [PDF].

DraftView for Personal Designer

Q: When I print drawings to a LaserJet printer the light colored entities appear faint or invisible. What can I do to correct this?

A: Your monochrome printer is attempting to "dither" the lines in various shades of gray to emulate color. This makes the entities that use a light color (such as yellow) print very faintly. You can fix this by enabling the "Force Black & White Printer output" option, which is located in DVSetup under "Printing".

DXF

Q: When creating a DXF I get the errors "Can't Resolve Layer", followed by "Failed to Create DXF". What causes this?

A: This was a bug in DraftView version 4.48. That version of DraftView failed to define layer 256 in the DXF output. If the drawing being exported had entities on that layer, this error could occur. Please contact Draftware for more information.

Q: When I create a DXF from DraftView and import it into AutoCAD I get an "NIS Error". Why is that?

A: This error occurs when the DXF's Code Page does not match the Code Page used by the AutoCAD installation. When creating DXF files it is desirable to use the same Code Page as the CAD system which will be importing the DXF. For instance, if you create a DXF using Code Page "ansi_1252", and send that DXF to an AutoCAD user in Japan, they may get an "NIS Error" when they import the DXF into AutoCAD. This is because their AutoCAD installation expects a different Code Page that supports the special text characters in their language.

AutoCAD uses Code Pages mainly to support foreign language character sets. AutoCAD installations in East Asia will use a different Code Page than installations in the United States and Europe, in order to access the correct text characters for the local languages. The Code Page information allows a CAD system to support the local language correctly when text and dimensions are created.

To correct the NIS Error, change DraftView's Code Page setting to match your AutoCAD installation when creating the DXF. AutoCAD lists the expected Code Page in its NIS Error message. The most popular Code Page used for Western character fonts (United States, Europe, and others) is "ansi_1252".

Q: When I import DXFs from DraftView for CADDS into my CAD system, the text fonts are different. Can this be corrected?

A: Yes, your CAD system simply needs access to DraftView's DXF font .SHX files. These are located in the DraftView installation folder under \fonts\acad.

Support for Windows 7, 8 & 10

Q: Will the DraftView products run in Windows 7 & 8?

A: Yes.

Q: Does DraftView run in Windows 10?

A: All DraftView versions since July 2015 support Windows 10. Versions prior to July 2015 typically will not license and run properly in Windows 10. If you have an older version of DraftView and need to install it in Windows 10, please contact us for upgrade information.

Installation Issues

Q: Installation of DraftView on Windows 2008 Server (R2) fails. What causes this problem?

A: To install DraftView on Windows 2008 Server, you must be logged-on as Machine Administrator to do the installation. After installation you must set the properties of the DraftView .EXE programs to run in "XP Mode", and also set them to "Run as Administrator".