Growing file size

HenricC · May 13, 2005

When I save my drawing it increases in size even though I haven´t changed the information. It increases apx 0.2 MB. That makes it a BIG file in the long run. Please help.

IFRs · May 13, 2005

Try looking at the ISavePercent variable and the thumbnail settings.

chicopee · May 15, 2005

If you want to decrease its size, turn drawing into a Wblock with a reassigned file name. Open a new drawing and insert in it this wblock drawing. you may want to explode it or refedit it to do additional work on it.

HenricC · May 17, 2005

Thanks for the help.
It seems though to be some kind of bug or at least a problem that doesn´t apear in all versions of Autocad. I´m working with Autocad 2005LT.
For anyone with the same problem I had I can say that when you´re saving a file as an older version the file grows. When I changed to save as 2004 the problems ended.
Why it is so is a mystery for me.

Exxit · May 17, 2005

Henric,

You didn't say that in Your question...
The 2004.dwg is a new version of AC. It's not so large as the 2000.dwg. That's normal.

Lothar

ADT 2004
ACAD 2002

IFRs · May 17, 2005

Particularly with 3D objects, 2004 and up are way more efficient and make far smaller files.

HenricC · May 24, 2005

Hmm.

When I wrote this post I was in a lot of hurry so I can understand that all of the problem didn´t get through. Still, the problem is not that the file grows when I set "open and save" to AC2000, the problem is that the file grows 0,2MB EVERY TIME I close and save even if I haven´t done any change in the drawing.
Is that also obvious or was it just that I didn´t get the message through?

paddymac · May 24, 2005

Delete any layer filters that are in your drawing, they have a hugh impact in the drawing size in 2005 and will probably cause the same problem in 2005LT.

HenricC · May 24, 2005

The problem is not that the file is big. The problem is that it´s GROWING for no apparent reason.

IFRs · May 24, 2005

Did changing the ISavePercent variable and the thumbnail settings make any difference?

HenricC · May 25, 2005

No. I´ve changed between 0 and 50 and it doesn´t help.

IFRs · May 25, 2005

ISavePercent should be 0 (zero).

When I save a new drawing multiple times, it starts off at 41kb size and increases in size in size for each save until it hits 44kb, then it stops getting larger. Does your drawing stop getting larger at any time? Saveas does not return it to it's original size for me.

cgrammer · May 26, 2005

I have the same situation. Using AutoCAD 2005LT, saving to v2000 yields filesize of 43,869kb. Saving to v2004 yields 7,391. This morning the filesize was 36,000kb, and the only change was in an xref file. It has not grown past 43Mb, so maybe it's topped out. (This is an extremely detailed HVAC drawing from an outside engineer. We never reach this level of detail on our own.)

We have been battling (deleting) layer filters for months. Service Pack "AutoCAD LT 2005 - English SP 1" seems to clean out bogus layer filters (those referencing non-existent layers) merely by opening the Layers dialog box, which also opens much more quickly than without the service pack applied.

cgrammer · May 26, 2005

Update - it's still growing by 6% on each save. It's up to 49,697 Kb.

cgrammer · May 26, 2005

I think I trapped it.

File > Export > (save as file type Block) > (select * for whole drawing)

Resulting file will be smaller - in my case 52Mb to 7Mb.

rhodie · Jun 7, 2005

Use the PURGE command to rid gangly layers, blocks, etc...

borgunit · Jun 8, 2005

Just as an FYI. AutoCAD 2004 saves its version as a zipped file. Opening it unzips it on the fly. AutoCAD 2002 and under did not have this feature. From reading the suggestions, I believe that they were on the right track. Deleteing the layer filters and unused text and such that AutoCAD adds will decrease the drawing. I wrote a save routine for us that deltes unused items on certain layers (our own unused entities),deletes unused layer filters, deletes empty text, audits the drawings, and purges the drawing.

"Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects." — Will Rogers

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