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17.3.14

The Secret Lives of Files

Here is a fun, broad-scope trick that can help you troubleshoot problem files*.
Rename the file so that it ends with .ZIP.
I've used this trick on:
  • DWF (Autodesk's design web format)
  • PKT (Civil 3D subassembly file)
  • DOC (Microsoft Word file)
  • XLS (Microsoft Exel)
This trick allows you to look into the guts of a file*. If the file type allows it, you will see folders and XML pointer files. It probably works on formats that are not listed above, but I have not had the occasion to hack into others. (Note that this does not work on DWG files.)

Windows likes to assume we are all dumb, so when the warning message pops up about changing the extension, just click yes.

When would one do this?

Renaming the file to ZIP can be a troubleshooting tool. For example, I once had a customer with a DWF that wouldn't open.  The easiest thing would have been to plot a new one, but we did not have the original file to do so.  So, I renamed it to zip in order to see what it was missing. The manifest.XML told me what should be there, so we were able to cobble together enough of it to get it to open.

The slickest use of this tool is for recovery. Renaming a Word doc to ZIP will allow you to see text, and images in their raw form. The following image shows the guts of a renamed word document.


Inside the word folder you will find even more folders and a bunch of XML files.  All of the images are packed together in the Word > Media folder. You'll notice that all of the images are renamed based on the order in which they appear in the document.

 The text of the document is stored in document.xml file that is in the Word folder. Granted, the formatting is whack, but if this is your corrupt master's thesis or greatest novel of your generation that won't open, it's way better than retyping.

Now let's talk subassembly composer PKT files.

A PKT file is really a package of the following:

  • ATC: an XML based file that lists the parameter names and default values. 
  • CFG: A tiny little version flag
  • DLL: The real guts of the subassembly - this is the compiled result of your efforts in sub-assembly composer (SAC), or Visual studio (if you're a stud)
  • EMD: more parameters and codes
  • PVD: preview values
  • XAML: shape, point and links codes as well as data type definitions. 
You might also see:
  • XML: This file will only be present if you created the PKT with SAC. 
  • PNG (or other image format): Thumbnail image of your subassembly as defined in subassembly composer
  • HTM: Help file, if it was created and defined in subassembly composer 


There are two reasons this trick is on my mind, especially with regard to PKT files.  In one tech support case, a client had uploaded all of the individual files (ATC, DLL, CFG, etc). The person who initially responded made his own PKT from the files simply by zipping up the individual pieces and renaming.

In another case, a user emailed a PKT file to a coworker but the PKT would not work on the receiving end. After renaming it to zip and looking at the result, it turns out that an aggressive anti-virus program stripped out the DLL; a triumph in IT security, but not so great if you are trying to build a corridor. They transferred the file using FTP and bypassed the anti-virus.

Use this trick in good health. Don't forget to name ZIP files back to their original extension so they will open in the intended application.

*Make a backup first! I am not responsible for corrupt files. Use this trick at your own risk, blah blah blah.

11.3.14

Autodesk Recap via Remote Desktop (RDP)

I learned a new trick today and it works pretty slick. One of my users was trying to do a presentation in a conference room using Autodesk Recap. Recap works great on his workstation, but since he has a machine that is physically big he doesn't want to schlep it around the office for a presentation. Unfortunately, when he tried to run Recap through Windows RDP, he kept getting the message "Autodesk Recap needs graphics card with driver that supports openGL 3.3 or newer." Recap simply won't let you run it without the supported version of openGL.

It turns out that RDP uses the client machine’s graphics card (i.e. the not-so-powerful laptop in the conference room). If the client machine has an unsupported graphics card, Recap won't run.  The good news is there are a few workarounds to avoid programs like Recap from crashing.
  • The first workaround I found kind of falls into the “duhhhh” category  J  : Open the product on the host machine before initiating remote desktop.  That way RDP doesn’t try to change the graphics driver. This would only work if you were physically in the same office or was able to get one of your minions to launch the program for you.
  • If you are not in the office, you could create a little batch file that forces the client machine into console mode. Log into the remote machine normally, and then run this little 2-liner “kick me out and start Recap” script. You need to run the batch file as administrator. 

tscon 1 /dest:console
start "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Autodesk ReCap\recap.exe"

where tscon is the tool to force a remote desktop session to act like a local session (using the local video card).

1 is the session number (your session number may vary – check the Users tab of Task Manager to verify)

  • tscon will kick you out of the remote session. Reconnect to the remote machine and (in theory) Recap will have launched with the graphics hardware of the remote machine.
  • You need to be a bit careful using this trick, since it leaves the remote PC unlocked for the remote desktop session.

This trick will work for any graphics-intense product that requires openGL.

If you try this – let me know how it goes!

10.3.14

A Club that Would Have me as a Member

The following is the edited and condensed version of the 1200 word essay I had prepared (and decided to spare the world from):

This is the "hey I work at Autodesk now" blog post.  I vow to keep it real.

The end.

Here's my kick-ass new desk(full disclosure, it has gotten much messier since this photo was taken):


I'm now working as a Premium Support Specialist in the Enterprise Priority Support team. For companies who are on one of these "Cadillac" support plans I act as technical concierge. I'm matched up with a just handful of ginormous civil engineering firms and make sure their technical support issues are addressed. If a question comes in that isn't in my wheelhouse, I find someone who can answer it.

This form of tech support is the kind I've always wished for at the reseller level. For most resellers, tech support is free (or ridiculously cheap). Frankly, you get what you pay for on this front. With a small number of customers, I can focus on actual solutions, not just closing cases to keep my metrics up.  If needed, I can escalate needs/wants/desires to developers. (Oh yeah...)

So if you are in downtown SF hit me up, I'll give you a private tour of the Autodesk gallery.