When I try to create a drawing via the Draw ribbon or right click context menu "Generate detailed drawing", the model crashes. Why is this and how can I resolve it?

Question

When I try to create a drawing via the Draw ribbon or right click context menu "Generate detailed drawing", the model crashes. Why is this and how can I resolve it?

 

 

Answer

When you create a drawing in Tekla Structural Designer it first generates the drawing and saves it as a .dxf file in the chosen file location. Once the dxf file is saved, Tekla Structural Designer then opens the application that is associated with the DXF file. Autodesk uses AcLauncher.exe to control file associations and if there is a problem with this then the application cannot be found and an exception occurs.

The screenshot below shows the first line of the exception message indicating Application not found.


 


The following knowledge base article on the Autodesk website relates to this topic:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/DWG-file-type-associativity-in-Windows.html

In the above article there is a solution proposed for DWG files. This is equally applicable to DXF. We have therefore edited the Autodesk solution to suit dxf files as below:

Solution:

To associate DXF files with the AutoCAD DWG Launcher:

1. In Windows Explorer, right-click a DXF file and choose Open With > Choose default program. (Also make a note of the default currently shown so you can change it back again afterwards if necessary.)
2. In the window, select "AutoCAD DWG Launcher"
3. Select the checkbox for "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file"
4. Click OK.

    

The DXF drawing file should open in AutoCAD at this point.

If you do not have AutoCAD DWG Launcher as a choice:

Click the down arrow for "Other Programs" to see if it is listed. You may need to click the "Browse" button and manually select the AcLauncher.exe program file at the path listed in the external link above. (i.e.  C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\AcShellEx.)