Some Items disapear using orbit

[cadcoke4]

This is a long standing problem with my work, and I know it is common for others as well. Basically, when you start the orbit command and view a hidden or shaded view, some items (at random) will disappear. Even after you exit the orbit command, those items are still not appearing.

The normal work-around is to select everything before you start the orbit command, but this only helps while those items are selected. As soon as you unselect after finishing the orbit command, those items disappear from view.

The only way to get them back is to set shademode=2.

Is there a more satisfactory solution?

I am currently on Win 2000, running Vanilla Acad 2002 and a Nvidia Quadro4 700 XGL video card.

But, I've had this problem in the past with Windows '98 and a low end Nvidia card, then after I upgraded to Win 2000, and then after upgrading to an ATI video card. My current upgrade (along with trying 3 different versions of the video drivers) was really motivated by an attempt to evade this bug, plus a problem with power-exits when initiating orbit. I doubt we can blame the problem on the card since the problem has been so persistent. It seems to be an AutoCAD bug.

Joe Dunfee

[patrick_aps]

Download the PowerDraft dirvers from www.nvidia.com
Support -> Workstation Application

Have you tried the following
Tools -> Options: System Tab, button "properiies": in this dialogue on the Right button: Acceleration on Hardware and WopenGL8.HDI. Try different settings for Geometry and anti-alaising lines...

good luck

[cadcoke4]

Thanks for the reply.

I have already installed the Powerdraft drivers, but the behavior inside of Autocad itself is the same. The quadroview program does work more reliably the few times I have tested it. Perhaps I should switch to that instead of using the orbit command.

I have already tried a few of the graphcs accelerator settings. But, the Nvidia card has A LOT of possible settings, especially if I use the settings from the control panel instead of just the ones inside AutoCAD. For all pratical purposes, the number of possible combinations of settings to try are impossible to consider, if the intent is to do it randomly or with out something limits the possible choices to test.

Quadroview sounds like the only viable solution right now.

Joe Dunfee

[patrick_aps]

I meant to try different settings in the AutoCAD configurtion.
For the nvidia settings,, i thought there was a configuration supplied specially for AutoCAD.

[cadcoke4]

Yes, I see that trying various setting within the AutoCAD options window will be much fewer in number, It really is still an impossibly large number of settings to try out. I am assuming you are refering to the settings on both the display and system tabs.

I've also thought of a new possibility for blame, the windows software interface .... but I am vague on this process. In the past some other problems have been blamed on the windows software interface that AutoCAD must work through. (ie. version 12 and LT v2 plotting text without showing recent edits)

Regardless, I know I've tried some of the settings available in AutoCAD, but still there are so many different possible settings to use, it would be an impossible job to try each itineration and then test the system for a week to see if the "disappearing objects" persists.

I know I've seen many others post about having the same problem. So, I expected to see more discoveries about the cause posted to the discussion groups. But, perhaps it is both an obscure cause, and is really just a hassle, and not a fatal flaw, it get enough attention.

Thank you for your input, but the "try various settings" really