Autocad drawings in Access database?

[Kevin Kaminski]

My question regards Autocad r14 and Access 2.0. (It may be possible for
me to upgrade to Access '95 or '97 should a solution to this problem
warrant it.) My experience level with Access is intermediate, and I'm a
beginner with Autocad.

Basically, I am looking for a way to efficiently store Autocad drawings
in an Access database. The goal is to minimize the size of the
database. Right now, I have an OLE Object as a field type in a table.
Using the Windows clipboard to copy/paste from Autocad causes the
drawing to be stored as a bound object in Access (which takes up a lot
of disk space). Access allows me to convert the stored drawings to
"Picture" format, which decreases the database's file size some.

In Access, if there was a way to store the location on the network of
the drawing file (rather than storing the drawing itself in Access)
that would be great. For example, perhaps the database could load up
the appropriate Autocad drawing from the Autocad file on the network
when it prints the records in Access. That way, Access wouldn't have to
save the drawing contents, just information on where the appropriate
file was located on the network.

If you can provide any insight into this, I would appreciate it. Even
specific pointers as to where to look (web pages, books, whatever) would
be helpful. I hope my explanation of my problem wasn't too confusing.
:-)

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

[Keri Hardwick]

Access (Office actually provides the filters) has a filter for 2D
AutoCad drawings. To display 3D drawings you'll need another tool.

A product called Fastlook comes in 16 and 32 bit versions. You can go
to
http://www.kamelsoft.com
and download a demo version of Fastback, as well as .mdb samples showing
how to use it in an Access db. I've checked out this mdb demo in Access
97 and it works beautifully.

There is an ActiveX control named Dr. DWG, available via:
http://www.download.com/PC/Result/TitleDetail/0,4,0-45250,501000.html

I've neither priced nor tested this product, but it is out there.

Either way, you'll just want to store the path to the drawing in your
database and then pull it in the manner needed by your drawing display
tool.

Keri Hardwick

[Steve Young]

Kevin Kaminski wrote:
>
> My question regards Autocad r14 and Access 2.0. (It may be possible for
> me to upgrade to Access '95 or '97 should a solution to this problem
> warrant it.) My experience level with Access is intermediate, and I'm a
> beginner with Autocad.
>
> Basically, I am looking for a way to efficiently store Autocad drawings
> in an Access database. The goal is to minimize the size of the
> database. Right now, I have an OLE Object as a field type in a table.
> Using the Windows clipboard to copy/paste from Autocad causes the
> drawing to be stored as a bound object in Access (which takes up a lot
> of disk space). Access allows me to convert the stored drawings to
> "Picture" format, which decreases the database's file size some.
>
> In Access, if there was a way to store the location on the network of
> the drawing file (rather than storing the drawing itself in Access)
> that would be great. For example, perhaps the database could load up
> the appropriate Autocad drawing from the Autocad file on the network
> when it prints the records in Access. That way, Access wouldn't have to
> save the drawing contents, just information on where the appropriate
> file was located on the network.
>
> If you can provide any insight into this, I would appreciate it. Even
> specific pointers as to where to look (web pages, books, whatever) would
> be helpful. I hope my explanation of my problem wasn't too confusing.
> :-)
>
> Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Dim x as Long
x = Shell("C:\Progra~1\Autocad\acad.exe DrawDir\Drawing.dwg",1)

Don't have Autocad (got LT) so I don't know what the real path is, but
you get the idea.

Regards,

S.Y.

[Robin Stoddart-Stones]

Kevin,

This quetsion gets asked frequently, normally referring to photos, for which
the same problems apply. Look in Dejanews (www.dejnews.com) and search for
storing Pictures or Photos in an Access database. If you don't find the answer
immediately keep looking ...it has been dealt with in detail.

Have Fun
Robin

In article
<35AC20C0...@rose-hulman.edu>, Kevin Kaminski
(kevin.k...@rose-hulman.edu) writes: >My question regards Autocad r14 and

[Keri Hardwick]

Except that the 'normal' discussion of how to plunk a photo into an
image control at runtime does not work with 3D Autocad (.dwg) because
there is no filter available. If you want to put a 3D drawing in an
Access form or report, you must use a 3rd party control. Or use the
"shell" suggestion to just open AutoCad.

Keri

[Tkdjr]

Have an extensive image storage and retrival app in Acceaa 97. Here is what I
can tell you.

1. Don't know of any efficient way to store any number of image (vector or
raster) in access.

2. To view Autocad 14 .dwg files in access requires the correct filter. Don't
know where one can be found.

3. 6 months ago, whenI built our app, researched and found an access
compatible add-in image utility called Fast Look from Kamelsoft in FL.

4. Basic design of our app embeds a Fast Look Display control on an access
form. Images are selected for viewing, an image data record is created in
access, the image is copied to a specified file name/location, and this is
recorded in the access record.

5 For retrival, a query by form is made to select the image, the image is then
displayed via a FastLook control on the form.

HTH

Tracy

[Tkdjr]

[pgg]

Kevin -
I had this same problem with Access 2.0 and AutoCad r13. After much
looking and asking, I convinced the customer to upgrade to Access 97.
From that Access version I could link the .dwg files as objects within
the database.
Good luck. If I can help you with more detail, please let me know.

Pam

[mmo...@rcip.com]

Do not upgrade to '95. If you do upgrade to '97, which I would recommend,
you can do the following.

Have a text field in your table with the path of the AutoCad file. Then use
a Hyperlink in your form to access the AutoCad file. You will need a text
box and a label on your form. Set the data source of the text box to the
text field of your table that contains the path of the aUTOcAD file. Create
the lable control with any text, it doesn't matter what you have as long as
it's not empty. You will then place code similar to the one below in the
form's "On Current" event.

Private Sub Form_Current()
lblPath.HyperlinkAddress = txtPath.Value
lblPath.Caption = txtPath.Value
End Sub

This will place the path in a Hyperlink format in the label control. You can
then click on the label and it will automatically open up the autocad file.
The link will be updated after you move to a new record.

Milford Morgan, MCSD, MSSick

In article <35AC99...@netins.net>,
Steve Young <mer...@netins.net> wrote:

> Kevin Kaminski wrote:
> >
> > My question regards Autocad r14 and Access 2.0. (It may be possible for
> > me to upgrade to Access '95 or '97 should a solution to this problem
> > warrant it.) My experience level with Access is intermediate, and I'm a
> > beginner with Autocad.
> >
> > Basically, I am looking for a way to efficiently store Autocad drawings
> > in an Access database. The goal is to minimize the size of the
> > database. Right now, I have an OLE Object as a field type in a table.
> > Using the Windows clipboard to copy/paste from Autocad causes the
> > drawing to be stored as a bound object in Access (which takes up a lot
> > of disk space). Access allows me to convert the stored drawings to
> > "Picture" format, which decreases the database's file size some.
> >
> > In Access, if there was a way to store the location on the network of
> > the drawing file (rather than storing the drawing itself in Access)
> > that would be great. For example, perhaps the database could load up
> > the appropriate Autocad drawing from the Autocad file on the network
> > when it prints the records in Access. That way, Access wouldn't have to
> > save the drawing contents, just information on where the appropriate
> > file was located on the network.
> >
> > If you can provide any insight into this, I would appreciate it. Even
> > specific pointers as to where to look (web pages, books, whatever) would
> > be helpful. I hope my explanation of my problem wasn't too confusing.
> > :-)
> >
> > Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
>

> Dim x as Long
> x = Shell("C:\Progra~1\Autocad\acad.exe DrawDir\Drawing.dwg",1)
>
> Don't have Autocad (got LT) so I don't know what the real path is, but
> you get the idea.
>
> Regards,
>
> S.Y.
>

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