Overview

ExpertCAD 2012 is major release that includes enhancements as well as customer requested software modifications and corrections. This release summary briefly describes the software changes for this release.

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Installation

ExpertCAD 2012 is the first release from AMT Software. Accordingly, the installation paths for program files and data files have been modified to reflect this.

By default program files are installed under the directory indicated by the Windows environment variable ProgramFiles. For a typical installation on a 32-bit edition of Windows, the program files are installed in: c:\Program Files\AMT Software\ExpertCAD 2012

On 64-bit editions of Windows the installation path is: c:\Program Files (x86)\AMT Software\ExpertCAD 2012

Operating System	Default Path
Windows – 32 bit	C:\Program Files\AMT Software\ExpertCAD 2012
Windows – 64 bit	C:\Program Files (x86)\AMT Software\ExpertCAD 2012

Similarly, program data files are installed where the environment variable ProgramData indicates. For a typical installation c:\Program Data\AMT Software\ExpertCAD on Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 and c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AMT Software\ExpertCAD on Windows XP.

Operating System	Program Data Path
Windows XP	C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AMT Software\ExpertCAD
Windows Vista	C:\Program Data\AMT Software\ExpertCAD
2008 Server	C:\Program Data\AMT Software\ExpertCAD
Windows 7	C:\Program Data\AMT Software\ExpertCAD

Automatic Migration of Data from a Previous Version

At the conclusion of the installation process, the installation program will inspect your computer looking for a previous version of ExpertCAD. If any previous version of ExpertCAD is detected on the computer, the data files and settings for the most recent version of ExpertCAD are copied to the new installation path. This means that if you have customized program data files such as fonts or library macros, those file(s) will be copied to the new installation path for program data.

When you start an application for the first time, any custom configuration file that from a previous version in your personal folder (e.g. ExpertCAD.cfg) is copied to the new installation path, updated and sourced into the program. You do not need to copy these files yourself.

ExpertCAD 2012 Program Group

ExpertCAD 2012 is installed entirely separately from any previous versions of the software. It is not necessary to uninstall older version(s) of the software. In fact you can continue to use both 2012 and older versions if you wish on the same computer.

This computer has ExpertCAD 2012 and earlier versions (2011 and 2010) installed on it.

Licensing

If you are using floating licenses, a new license file will be sent you via e-mail prior to or concurrent with the shipment of your 2012 software. Because the licensing authority has changed to AMT Software it is necessary for you to install the FlexNet floating license software from Flexera along with your new license file. The software for this installation is included on the CD with your ExpertCAD software.

AMT Software has licensed both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of FlexNet. This means that you can designate a 64-bit computer as the license server. This was not possible in previous releases.

If you are using node-locked licensing (USB key) you will not need to update your hardware key. There are no changes for node-locked licensing.

Platform Support

Operating System	32-bit	64-bit	Revision
Windows 7			All
Windows Vista			Service Pack 2 or later
Windows Server 2008			All
Windows XP			Service Pack 3 or later
Windows 2000			None

Operating System Notes

• Parallel port dongles are supported for Windows XP 32-bit operating system only. All other platforms require a USB dongle.
• Windows 2000 is no longer a supported operating system. The software will not install on a Windows 2000 operating system. You must upgrade your computer to a modern version of Windows to install ExpertCAD 2012.
• ExpertCAD 2012 is compatible with both the 32-bit and 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows.
• 32-bit and 64- bit editions of the software are provided on the installation CD. For 64-bit systems, you may choose to install either the 64-bit or the 32-bit edition on the first page of the installation program.

Software Updates

A new menu item in the Help menu will check our web site for any software updates that have been published since the last time you updated your software.

Choosing Check for Updates runs an application program that contacts our web site and checks available update(s) for your software against the currently installed version. If there is an update you'll be asked whether or not you wish to install it. By providing this feature we can make it possible to provide you with important updates as they become available without having to wait for the next release or service pack.

Revised Help System

The Help provided with your software has been revised and updated to use HTML format. Virtually all the relevant product documentation can be viewed and navigated using any internet browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, ...). Previous versions used a compiled HTML format (.chm) which became problematic because the help could not be launched from newer versions of browsers because of security measures that have been added to those programs.

Enhancements and Corrections

An option has been added to the File I/O property sheet of the Tools/Options dialog to allow you to automatically terminate a session when it has been idle for a designated period of time:

In the example above, if the application is idle for 2 hours, the program will save the design currently being worked on and exit. This can be helpful for offices that use floating licenses to release a license for use by others.

The make-boundary command has been corrected to work properly regardless of the position of the geometry on the drawing. The previous version could cause a segmentation violation. Crosshatching and area properties use this command to find the periphery of the boundary to use in the absence of a current line hence those features were prone to fail.

The class attribute has been corrected to include all entities with the specified attribute name and optional value(s).

A segmentation violation when inserting a call to a nested symbol into a drawing has been corrected. Nested symbols (symbols with calls to other symbols) are allowed so long as the nested call doesn't reference itself.

The command clip has been corrected for function properly. The previous version would cause a segmentation violation to occur.

The Fit to paper option on the Print/Plot property sheet in the Tools/Options dialog has been corrected to function properly.

The mold components library module has been overhauled to correct a number of issues with the user interface.

The –s option for the AutoCAD to ExpertCAD translator has been corrected to force the drawing standard specified by this option to be use.

Drawing standard (DIN, ANSI, ISO, …) was not being recognized when a drawing was written to AutoCAD format then imported back into ExpertCAD.

When converting to AutoCAD format, the software will automatically correct for duplicate layer names in the ExpertCAD data file. Duplicate layer names are allowed in ExpertCAD but illegal in AutoCAD.

Importing an AutoCAD drawing with a crosshatch entity with a boundary consisting of a 180-degree semi-circle has been corrected to correctly convert to an ExpertCAD crosshatch entity.

DIN standard basic dimension types are not correctly interpreted when written to AutoCAD format then imported back into ExpertCAD. Previous versions would not recognize that the dimensions were basic dimensions when importing the AutoCAD data.

The handling of ISO characters has been revised to work properly when translated to other file formats (e.g. AutoCAD, IGES). In the previous release, characters outside the ASCII range of characters could be misinterpreted and either omitted or incorrectly mapped to a different character.

Discrete cases of mirrored crosshatch entities in AutoCAD data files were incorrectly interpreted when the file was imported into ExpertCAM for machining.

The Zoom to Selection feature has been added to ExpertView.

A “safe mode” has been added to ExpertCAD and ExpertCAM. Using the command line switch /SAFE will cause the applications to ignore importing any customizations (.cfg files, library modules, etc) that would normally be loaded when the application is started. This can be useful to determine if a customization file is the cause of a malfunction in the application.

The Help button on the WinPlot dialog has been corrected to bring up the appropriate help documentation

The ScriptLink text buffers APPDATA_PATH and COMMON_APPDATA_PATH have been implemented as read/write text buffers. This allows for customers to change the path where the application look for their configuration files and external data files. In previous releases, these were always read-only.

The width of property sheets in tabbed dialogs was too small depending on the font used by Windows. These dialogs have been corrected to size properly to accommodate different font sizes.

Save dialogs have been corrected to allow files to be saved at the root level of a file system (e.g. C:\).

Resolved Software Requests

When you report a problem or request an enhancement, our customer service representative will input your request into our software lifecycle management system and give you an ID number. Listed in the table below are the ID number and a synopsis of each record from our system that has been discharged for this release.

Record ID	Synopsis
86	The crosshatch in this AutoCAD file cannot be imported into ExpertCAM for machining.
88	The default file name supplied for Save file dialogs omits the '\' character(s).
89	Can't translate this ExpertCAD file to PDB format.
90	Some entities are missing when this AutoCAD file is imported into ExpertCAD
91	Zoom to Selection feature is missing in ExpertView.
102	Add a command line switch for "safe mode" that would start an application but not source in any configuration files.
103	The examples shown in the ExpertCAD Reference Manual for use of the 'intersect' command are incorrect.
105	The Send to Prospector menu items in the File menu do not activate even though Prospector is installed.
112	Allow licensing of AMT software using remote desktop with a USB security key on the server.
123	The Print/Plot property sheet doesn't update with the latest information from the plotcap file.
143	The setting for the name of the font to use in the message area is not being saved to the configuration (.cfg) file.
144	The Help button on the WinPlot dialog application does not bring up the help for WinPlot.
146	The Import/Export page of the Tools/Options property sheet is not wide enough to allow the drop-down control on the right side of the dialog to be accessed.
150	Create a log file to report the actions taken to finalize installation of the software.
152	The 'Fit to paper' switch on the Print Plot property sheet in the Options dialog is not working properly in ExpertCAD.
2887	Add a “safe mode” option to ExpertCAD and ExpertCAM to prevent customizations (.cfg files) from being imported during startup.
2926	Help documentation for the software needs to be in HTML format instead of CHM to it can be opened from inside a web browser.
2939	Allow the text buffer APPDATA_PATH and COMMON_APPDATA_PATH to be changed to point to a path other than what the Windows environment variables specify.
2940	This ExpertCAD drawing won't translate to AutoCAD DXF format.
2941	Selecting the area icon in the measure pop-up in ExpertCAD will cause a seg-v if the object is not the current line.
2942	Add the ability for the applications to check for updates on the web, download them and install them.
2943	The mold components database isn't working for items like socket-head cap screws in ExpertCAD.
2944	The make-boundary command is not working correctly in ExpertCAD causing crosshatch to fail if the there is no current line.
2946	The class 'attribute' is not working correctly in ExpertCAD.
2947	The prpanel command does not work on 64-bit editions of the software.
2948	The link for display of help on mold components point to the wrong help document.
2949	Unnecessary file are installed as part of the mold components library when ExpertCAD is installed.
2950	Add new commands to ScriptLink for sorting a list of items.
2952	The command 'clip' is causing a segmentation violation in ExpertCAD.
2951	The Help button on the WinPlot dialog does not work.
2953	The 'Fit to paper' switch on the Print Plot property sheet in the Options dialog is not working properly in ExpertCAD.
2955	This crosshatch entity isn't maintained as a crosshatch entity when written to AutoCAD format and then imported back into ExpertCAD.
2956	ExpertCAD can't read this AutoCAD .dwg format drawing that was written from ExpertCAD.
2957	The drawing standard in ExpertCAD (DIN, ANSI, ...) isn't always being maintained when the file is written in AutoCAD format then imported back into ExpertCAD.
2958	The option in ExpertCAD to explicitly state what drawing standard to use when importing an AutoCAD file is not working for DIN standard.
2959	Basic dimensions for DIN standard drawings exported from ExpertCAD in AutoCAD format then imported back into ExpertCAD are not correct.
2960	Upgrade floating license support to allow for the use of a 64-bit operating system as the license server.
2961	Add an option so after a specified amount of inactivity the product will exit.
2962	Swedish characters are not being converted correctly when written to AutoCAD format and imported back into ExpertCAD.
2963	Add the AutoCAD feature ‘audit’ to audit the input file and correct errors prior to translation.
2966	The OK, Cancel and Save buttons are missing on the color editor if the display is set to 125% on Windows 7.
2967	The 'pushnearest' primitive command group in ExpertCAD doesn't work correctly if a small hit radius is specified.
2968	ExpertCAM is not honoring 'split moves' to break up the motion when cutter compensation is applied.
2969	Execution of this custom macro causes the 'fit' command to fail in ExpertCAD.
2970	Default name for output of a PDF file replaces the edit file extension with '.pdf' instead of appending '.pdf' to the name.
2971	Correct memory leak when new macros or text buffers are created.
2972	The AutoCAD to ExpertCAD translator outputs redundant text buffer definitions.
2974	Add ScriptLink primitive command '.macro' to allow a macro definition to override a read-only macro or primitive command.
2975	When using a default extension for file names, always append to the specified file instead of replacing the current extension.
2976	Dimensions that don't create extension or dimension lines prevents the 'fit' command from working properly.
2982	Reading this drawing into ExpertCAD causes an error message to be output when restoring the named layers.
2983	Licensing error message dialog is being posted underneath the splash screen instead of as the top-most window.
2984	Some installations omit component(s) that are needed to enable Check for Updates feature.
2985	Some installations omit component(s) that are needed to enable Check for Updates feature.
2986	Installation on a computer with a 32-bit processor running Windows 7 is failing to complete properly.
2987	Licensing error message dialog is being posted underneath the splash screen instead of as the top-most window.
2988	Floating license installation omits configuration of the Windows firewall if the 'Skip' option is chosen during installation.