drawing disapears when exploding

You probably checked for this but it can't hurt to double check- are any layers off or frozen?

Yes I checked and no layers are off or frozen. I also tried XPLODE (XP) and this also deletes the part of the drawing I need.

When we receive drawings from Architects who use add-on programs to create their drawings the same problem you are describing happens. You can't extract anything to a new drawing and if you explode it, it either disappears or turns into 3 lines, one right on top of the other all on layer 0. We usually request that they explode the drawing in their program before sending it to us. Then I can usually erase, change layer color and/or turn off enough layers to clean up the drawing and make it friendly for my mech. work.

The boss knows when we work with this certain arch. that he needs to add on several more hours of my time for this drawing manipulation. It's a pain in the rump. (Can I say rump?)

J

dveusa wrote:

What happens when you issue the LIST command and select the line that seems attached to everything else? Have you tried using WBLOCK to get the stuff into a new file and then explode? What version are you using?

Command: list

Select objects: 1 found

Select objects:

BLOCK REFERENCE Layer: "COND-CWS" This is the result of LIST

Space: Model space Handle = 8b05 Block Name: "CEPLNDRYUpper12282005" at point, X=1823'-6 1/2" Y=422'-10 1/2" Z= 0'-0" X scale factor: 1.00 Y scale factor: 1.00 rotation angle: 0 Z scale factor: 1.00 Scale uniformly: No Allow exploding: Yes

Using WBLOCK gives the same result: deletes the information I am after.

Forgor to say: I am using AutoCAD 2006 Mechanical

Well....it's a block, not a line. When you explode it disappears, and no layers are off or frozen?

No layers are off or frozen. I have no single lines left on the drawing anymore. The whole drawing highlights when I mouse over any part of the drawing. It does not matter on which part I click to explode but when I explode it PART of the drawing disappears - The part that diappears are all related to one single trade (air duct contractor). The rest is still there. And it is the part that disappears that I need....

Also, Ichecked again on the groups: There are no named groups. There are THOUSANDS of unnamed groups (I stopped scrolling at about

2500)....

try making a block of this item & inserting into a new drawing & explode it... see what happens. i bet the problem will be fixed & you can change the layers & then re-insert it back into the original file.

Been there done that... with exactly the same result.

xrefs?

none left... everything on the dwg has been deleted except for this one single block(?) or whatever this is...

The LIST would have indicated that, and it wouldn't explain the disappearance.

In spite of all your tries & efforts, wouldn't it be more efficient to get ahold of the contractor & ask for what you need & have it sent? Just curious..........

Dan

if you still are at it, can you save the file back to an old format like

14 and reload that file? I am guessing there is some add in software I am unfamiliar with that is copy protecting the part you want. perhaps if this feature is unsupported in 14 it would be filtered out.

or if you can dxf out and load the dxf in a simpler program the copy protection I am guessing exists might not be supported.

Is it possible the item was a raster in a block? I more or less just reproduced your situation with a raster in a block, then detaching the raster. It continued to show until I tried to explode the block.

I have not tried to save it to a lower version but I tried to save to a dxf. The resulting dxf is huge at 53 mb. However when I try to open it again it gives an error in line x and than tels me it discarded the drawing. I also tried to recover but that does not work also. Sure it might be possible to ask the contractor, but that did not work either... Those guys on that project are not very cooperative. I came acros something interesting in the AutoCAD Mechanical 2006 discussion group on the Acad website. Somebody advised me to get information on the Object Enabler. It looks like this might be something but I have not had time to check it out yet. Anybody else has experience with this?

Try burst its in the bonus/express tools. after bursting the drawing save the drawing as a acad 12 dwg if you have the option, it gets rid of most of the aec objects.