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#71099 by MtnArch
Tue Apr 04, 2017 11:50 am
I don't think you'll be able to access their server unless they've set you up with a VPN (Virtual Private Network), and your drive letter assignment matches up with theirs. Josh can probably answer this better than I can!
#71100 by joshhuggins
Tue Apr 04, 2017 12:10 pm
There are a lot of unknown variables here that we need to know. I would talk to their IT dept or whoever manages it on some of the following items.

What is your end goal?
- Are you and others at their site going to be sharing the Datacad files with Xref and working at the same time?
- Or do they just want everything on their servers and for you to work remotely on the files while starting to take advantage of xrefs?
- Something else?

Technical ?'s
- What OS are you running?
- Could they already have a remote access/VPN service of some sort already running that you might be able to take advantage of? Might be easiest to take what they have and tweak it for your use depending on what they have going on.
- Is their server a computer based server or possibly a Network Storage device of some sort?
- What OS is the server running?
- Will they be willing to modify their firewalls if needed to allow you to be able setup a proper VPN solution?
#71101 by MtnArch
Tue Apr 04, 2017 1:25 pm
Josh -

FYI - If I remember right George is working with an architect who uses Acad - not Dcad.
#71102 by joshhuggins
Tue Apr 04, 2017 1:39 pm
MtnArch wrote:Josh -

FYI - If I remember right George is working with an architect who uses Acad - not Dcad.
I thought George was working in Datacad and converting the files back and forth. I figured they were all going to convert now :wink: Will have to see what his reply for what his end goal is.
#71106 by George W. Burns CPBD
Tue Apr 04, 2017 4:20 pm
joshhuggins wrote:There are a lot of unknown variables here that we need to know. I would talk to their IT dept or whoever manages it on some of the following items.

What is your end goal?
- Are you and others at their site going to be sharing the Datacad files with Xref and working at the same time?
- Or do they just want everything on their servers and for you to work remotely on the files while starting to take advantage of xrefs?
- Something else?

Technical ?'s
- What OS are you running?
- Could they already have a remote access/VPN service of some sort already running that you might be able to take advantage of? Might be easiest to take what they have and tweak it for your use depending on what they have going on.
- Is their server a computer based server or possibly a Network Storage device of some sort?
- What OS is the server running?
- Will they be willing to modify their firewalls if needed to allow you to be able setup a proper VPN solution?


Okay, first off, thank you very much for your help. I wish I could get involved with some training program, or someone with too much time on their hands would post some Youtube videos about this stuff, but this board has proved to be very responsive. And I appreciated it!!!!

Okay, the situation is, I am working for/with a sole-proprietor Architect who works out of his house. It's not some big corporate architecture firm. Although I have not seen it in person, I believe his server to be a dedicated desktop, but again, that's just a guess. I myself am on a Windows7 64 bit laptop.
Today I met with him at a Starbucks to run a test to see if this arrangement is going to work. As far as translation, he has never worked with DataCad files, and I have never worked with AutoCad files until we met and started this about 6 months ago. This is a work in progress. This latest project will be the first time I have ever tried working with XREFs. I didn't even understand the concept until this. So you understand... I am like a 4th grader when it comes to this. Again, "for those of you following along at home", I come from DataCad 8.05 as late as this past November, so all these new interfaces are almost MORE foreign to me than an AutoCad interface. Almost..
Anyway, today he showed me how to remote-access his server on line. DWG files are all stored there and saved back there when you are finished working on them. We went to the project he wants me to work on, and transferred a group of three DWGs over to my computer files. This is one building that has 20 or so DWGs (apparently this is a unique situation for this particular project, but I didn't understand what he meant would be normal as opposed to this). Then we opened... let's call it, the notes DWG, in DataCad19, searched around a bit, and found XREF manager. So we opened it, and he was disappointed to find the other two were not listed. Then we opened "the floor plan" and "the column grid" DWGs in DC19, and "referenced" them in. Then we made a small change to the floor plan file, went back to the main file where they all were referenced in, hit refresh in the XREF manager, and sure enough, that change to the floor plan showed up.
So he had me export the floor plan as a DWG and put it back on the server, and he's going to go back to his house and see if it is usable.

Insertion points seem to be a problem. I see what looks like an insertion point on one drawing (keep in mind, these are DWGs opened in DC19), referenced in the floor plan, it was an outline and asking me to place it, so I tried to scroll-wheel click on that little "x" with the circle around it, but I got "the point is too far from an entity" or something to that effect. I tried hitting the space bar, enter, enter for 0,0 and that worked with one of the plans, but the insertion point for the other one was apparently screwed up by some previous person, and it was some distance off to the right. Like multiple feet and inches, not just a little bit.

What is he likely expecting out of this XREFs situation? Since I have never worked like this (using referenced drawings), I don't know how far short DataCad is falling. Some times I feel like a chimpanzee with a revolver.

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