Overview

ToolDesigner 2012 is major release that includes enhancements as well as customer requested software modifications and corrections. This release includes all corrections and changes from ToolDesigner 2010 Service Pack 1. This release summary describes the software changes.

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Installation

ToolDesigner 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, the program files are installed in c:\Program Files\AMT Software\ToolDesigner 2012 on 32-bit versions of the operating system and c:\Program Files (x86)\AMT Software\ToolDesigner 2012 on 64-bit versions of the operating system.

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

ToolDesigner 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 ToolDesigner 2012 and earlier versions (2010 and 2009) installed on it.

Automatic Migration of Data from a Previous Version

At the conclusion of the installation process, the installer will inspect your computer looking for a previous version of ToolDesigner. The data files and settings for the most recent version of ToolDesigner will be copied to the new installation path. This means that if you have customized mold components, library macro files or a customized plotcap.txt file for plotting, those file(s) will be automatically migrated to the new installation paths for program data.

When you start either ExpertCAD 3D or ExpertCAD for the first time, any custom configuration file you may have created for a previous version will be copied to the new installation path, updated and sourced into the program.  You do not need to copy these files yourself.

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. AMT Software has licensed both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of FlexNet 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 not changes to the security codes for node-locked licenses for the 2012 release.

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.

ExpertCAD 3D

When trimming a surface using multiple disconnected but adjacent profiles, the trimming would fail or produce the wrong results because the profiles were not being joined together to form a single trim curve. This problem has been corrected so that disjoint profiles are automatically joined together if possible prior to trimming the surface.

Display problems with "phantom lines" being drawn on the screen when dynamically rotating the part data have been corrected. Several issues with deleted profiles and surfaces reappearing on the screen have been addressed for this release. The floor and ceiling limits for zoom magnification have been lifted. Previous versions would impose a cap to prevent overflow conditions however this had the detrimental effect of breaking some custom macros.

The sub-region shaded display feature has been corrected to work when there is more than one 3D view posted to the screen. The previous version would produce a segmentation violation if used with multiple views.

The capability to import ExpertCAD 2D dimensions as ExpertCAD 3D dimensions has been reinstated as an option.

Enable the Import dimensions as dimensions on the Import/Export property sheet of the Tools/Options tabbed dialog to cause ExpertCAD 3D to attempt to map ExpertCAD dimensions to 3D dimension entities. Because ExpertCAD has a more comprehensive implementation of dimensioning, it is not always possible to covert to an ExpertCAD 3D dimension depending on the type of dimension and its characteristics. When it is not possible to convert to a dimension entity or the dialog switch has been disabled, ExpertCAD dimensions are imported as 3D profiles and 3D text entities instead of dimensions.

The Fit to paper option on the Print/Plot property sheet in the Tools/Options dialog has been corrected to function properly. The option to choose a Plotter designation on the dialog has been corrected to always show the available selections from the plotcap.txt file. Previous versions would always show the default settings.

Choosing the Create 4 Views icon several times in a row would cause a segmentation violation to occur. This problem has been corrected such that the error will no longer occur.

The mold components library module has been corrected to properly find and display all available components in the user interface.

ExpertCAD

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. 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 option to choose a Plotter designation on the dialog has been corrected to always show the available selections from the plotcap.txt file. Previous versions would always show the default settings.

A number of discrete corrections for AutoCAD translation have been made for this release. Refer to the table of resolved issues to see all the issues addressed

Maintenance

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:\).

Platform Support

Operating System	32-bit	64-bit
Windows 7
Windows 2008 Server
Windows Vista
Windows XP

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.

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
20	ExpertCAD 3D will issue a segmentation violation error when reading this file.
66	View creation in ExpertCAD 3D will fail if more than 32 views are created/deleted in the span of 10 commands or less.
81	Can't create a 1-point style 31 (point line) in ExpertCAD 3D.
82	The render application in ExpertCAD 3D is not updating when surface colors are changed.
83	The 'undo' feature is not working in ExpertCAD 3D for a 3-point arc.
86	The crosshatch in this AutoCAD file can't 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.
92	Sizing of arrows in proportion to text size does not work in ExpertCAD.
93	One of the support phone numbers on the Help/About dialog is incorrect.
94	The text buffers DIMEN_FILL_COLOR, DIMEN_TEXT_COLOR and TEXT_FILL_COLOR are incorrectly listed as unnecessary text buffers when the Tools/Purge/Unused Text Buffers feature is used.
96	Dimension text size is not being remembered properly if True Type font is being used for dimension text.
97	Send to Prospector does not generate the geometry needed for machining when text notes using True Type font(s) are output.
98	Plotting incorrectly requires the entry 'hpgl2aC' in the plotcap.txt file.
101	The option to output the Front view to an Adobe PDF file is missing in ExpertCAD 3D.
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.
106	Converting this IGES file to PDB incorrectly translated the trimmed surfaces of revolution.
107	Converting this IGES file to PDB incorrectly translated the trimmed surfaces of revolution.
111	Revise installation of the HASP driver software for the Windows 7 operating system.
111	Hiding/Unhiding entities on a per-view basis is not working properly in ExpertCAD 3D.
112	Allow licensing of AMT software using remote desktop with a USB security key on the server.
115	The indicator point used for extending a surface in ExpertCAD 3D is not being deleted after the surface is extended.
116	Display lists for deleted entities are not being deleted causing "phantom geometry" to be shown ExpertCAD 3D.
117	Display lists for deleted entities are not being deleted causing "phantom geometry" to be shown ExpertCAD 3D.
118	The ScriptLink command to hide an icon in a dialog is not working correctly.
119	Display lists for deleted entities are not being deleted causing "phantom geometry" to be shown ExpertCAD 3D.
120	The command to join curves in the current class is not working the same way as it did in previous releases of ExpertCAD 3D.
121	Remove the floor and ceiling for the zoom factor in ExpertCAD 3D.
122	The 'undo' command in ExpertCAD 3D is not properly restoring the design in this sequence of events.
123	The Print/Plot property sheet doesn't update with the latest information from the plotcap file.
124	The display list for a surface being deleted is not removed from the screen unless a redraw is issued.
125	The "flatten" class operator in ExpertCAD 3D in not maintaining the line style and other characteristics of the profile(s) that are affected.
126	Geometry is not being drawn when dynamically rotating the part data in ExpertCAD 3D.
127	Phantom geometry is left behind when dropping points on these profiles in ExpertCAD 3D.
128	Remove the floor and ceiling for the zoom factor in ExpertCAD 3D.
129	Current line is not being restored correctly after an undo in ExpertCAD 3D.
130	Construction lines in ExpertCAD 3D are disappearing when zooming in and out.
131	Profiles are not being created correctly when this ExpertCAD 3D data file is read.
132	Changing units in ExpertCAD 3D is not updating the dimensions to reflect the new system of units.
134	The Fit to Paper switch in the Print/Plot property sheet is not working properly in ExpertCAD 3D.
135	After using the 'grab edge' short key in ExpertCAD 3D, 2 profiles are apparently created instead of just 1.
136	Cutting a section in ExpertCAD 3D can cause other geometry to be inadvertently modified.
137	A segmentation violation error occurs when extending this surface in ExpertCAD 3D.
139	Surface trimming in ExpertCAD 3D is failing with this set of surfaces and profiles as input.
140	Offset of one or more of the surfaces in this data set is causing a segmentation violation in ExpertCAD 3D.
142	ExpertCAD 3D does not display this file correctly.
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.
145	Add the ability to import 2D dimensions from ExpertCAD files as 3D dimensions where possible.
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.
147	Choosing the create-4-views icon several times in a row in ExpertCAD 3D will result in a segmentation violation error.
148	The sub-region shade feature in ExpertCAD 3D will produce a segmentation violation when using more than a single view.
149	Stray lines are drawn when rotating this part data in ExpertCAD 3D.
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 3D.
153	Making an angular dimension current in ExpertCAD 3D causes a segmentation violation error.
154	Reading this file created by ExpertCAD 3D causes a segmentation violation error.
158	Dimensioning does not default to metric measurement in ExpertCAD 3D when the system of units for the locale is metric.
159	The Core/Cavity separator feature in ExpertCAD 3D is causing a program crash when run against this part data.
160	Rebuilding 4 views several times in succession in ExpertCAD 3D would exhaust the pool of available views causing an error message.
161	Block references in this AutoCAD drawing are shifted out of position when read into ExpertCAD.
162	The align normals feature in ExpertCAD 3D incorrectly changes the line style and color for surfaces did not align with the current surface.
163	Layers that do not have any entities assigned to them can incorrectly appear in certain layer selection dialogs.
165	The OK, Cancel and Save buttons are missing on the color editor if the display is set to 125% on Windows 7.
167	In ExpertCAD 3D the line style changes to 31 when you change the line color and only a single point is present.
171	ExpertCAD 3D is generating a segmentation violation when reading this file.
172	Modify ExpertCAD 3D to retain the backup file upon program exit. Currently the backup file is removed when the application exits.
173	Import of an ExpertCAD line that is not a closed boundary can result in multiple profiles being created instead of a single profile.
175	After creating a model view and changing scale in ExpertCAD, newly created construction lines don't extend to the current sheet size.
2870	The plotter designation chosen in the Options/Print dialog is not being saved to the configuration file.
2883	The Save dialogs in ExpertCAD and ExpertCAD 3D are not allowing files to be saved at the root level (e.g. c:\).
2885	Plotting incorrectly requires the entry 'hpgl2aC' in the plotcap.txt file.
2888	The examples shown in the ExpertCAD Reference Manual for use of the 'intersect' command are incorrect.
2889	Mirrored text in AutoCAD files is not being imported correctly when read into ExpertCAD, ExpertCAM or ExpertCAD 3D.
2890	Text size is incorrect when a drawing that uses a model scale other than 1.0 is output in AutoCAD format from ExpertCAD.
2891	The date command does not offer the option to include the leading zero from the month (e.g. 01/14/11)
2892	The width and height of text notes output in AutoCAD format is incorrect when using a custom ExpertCAD font that has non-uniform character spacing and/or character heights.
2893	A segmentation violation error is generated if an attempt is made to load a nested symbol into ExpertCAD using the Insert/New Symbol feature.
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 segmentation violation error 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 maintained when a file is written in AutoCAD format then read back into ExpertCAD.
2963	Add the ability to perform an audit of an AutoCAD file to the AutoCAD to ExpertCAD translator.
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.
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	Floating license installation omits configuration of the Windows firewall if the 'Skip' option is chosen during installation.