Configure the Autodesk AutoCAD Rendering Module Options

We recommend these settings:

• This module uses the following plotter configuration files, which are installed with AutoCAD and must be present on the rendering node: DWG To PDF.pc3, DWF6 ePlot.pc3, PublishToWeb JPG.pc3.

• If A0 size drawings will be rendered to Adobe PDF format, you must create a custom page size in the print server properties. If the A0 page size will be used in landscape orientation, you must also create a custom page size in the AutoCAD DWG to PDF.pc3 file for Publisher to use. Publisher can use the A0 page size from the unmodified DWG to PDF.pc3 file for drawings in portrait orientation.

• The AutoCAD SDI (single document interface) system variable must be set to 0 for use with this rendering module or else rendering could fail and result in ARX cannot load errors in the event log.

• If AutoCAD drawings (particularly legacy drawings) that contain AEC objects will be rendered, set the AutoCAD AECFILEOPENMESSAGE system variable to 0. This will prevent dialog boxes from appearing when the drawings load that suspend rendering. The text of the dialog boxes is Saving the drawing will update any AEC object in it to the current version, which will be incompatible with earlier versions.

• Autodesk Infocenter must be disabled by setting the InfoCenterOn value of the following register key to 0:

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\RXX.X\ACAD-XXXX:XXX\InfoCenter

  Where the Xs represent the release number and application code for the installed version of AutoCAD. This prevents the InfoCenter process (WSCommCntr4.exe) from starting and consuming processor resources.

• Add the Meridian Enterprise Server program folder (by default, C:\Program Files\BC-Meridian\Enterprise Server) to the TRUSTEDPATHS system variable in AutoCAD by clicking Tools>Options>Files>Trusted Location.

• Set the AutoCAD REGENMODE system variable to 1 to automatically regenerate drawings, if necessary, without prompting.

• Set the AutoCAD PLQUIET system variable to 1 to suppress plot-related dialog boxes and nonfatal error messages.

• If you have problems creating a rendering profile with the Autodesk AutoCAD rendering module and have verified the preceding settings, test AutoCAD interactively with the AutoCAD user profile of the Windows account that will be used for rendering. If the problem persists, recreate the AutoCAD user profile.

• If the normal rendering log output described in View the Event Logs doesn't reveal the cause of rendering problems, you can enable additional logging for this rendering module by setting the AutoCADRenderExtendedLog option to true in the following file.

  C:\ProgramData\BlueCieloECM\EnterpriseServices\PublishingCapability.dat

  Learn more about the settings in the PublishingCapability.dat file.

• The Autodesk AutoCAD rendering module does not support monochrome output directly but the output colors can be set in a plotter pen settings file.

• To successfully render AutoCAD external reference (xref) files, the paths must be available to and configured in the AutoVue configuration file AVX.ini. For information about configuring the XREFPATHS option in this file, see "AutoVue X INI File", "Pen Mapping Options", and "Printing Options" in the Oracle AutoVue, Desktop Version Installation and Administration Manual that can be downloaded from the Oracle website.

  For xrefs located on a local drive, specify absolute local paths. For xrefs located on shared network drives, specify absolute UNC paths or using mapped drive letters. With mapped drive letters, the Meridian Enterprise Server service must run in console, not service, mode as described in Configure Enterprise Server To Not Run As a Service.

To configure the Autodesk AutoCAD rendering module options:

1. In Meridian Enterprise Server Administration Console, in the Data Exchange group, click Rendering Profiles.

   The All Rendering Profiles page appears and lists the existing profiles grouped by the name of the computer (cluster node) to which they are assigned.

2. Double-click the rendering profile that you want to configure.

   The AutoCAD rendering options page appears.

3. Click options or type values using the descriptions in the following table.

4. In the app bar, click SAVE.