Question for my Autocad junkies....

[JStructsteel]

How do I set up a backup system such that if I forget to save my drawing, it was saved XX mins ago? Seems the autosave is deleted if I close the draiwng (makes no sense).

Basically I want to have my drawing saved every 5-10 mins, but not my original file. Im not seeing how to do that.

 

[Eng16080]

Right click, select "Options", select "Open and Save", click the box for "Automatic save" and enter a number for "Minutes between saves."

(I do feel like an Autocad junkie)

 

[JStructsteel]

Thanks, my issue with that is that if I accidentally close the drawing without saving, it also deletes the autosave file and I have nothing.

Im looking for a autosave that keeps the file if I accidentally close.

 

[JoelTXCive]

I don't know how to do it, but I'm sure a simple LISP program could be written to do automatic saves and dump the files into a temp folder.

 

[milkshakelake]

I don't have a great solution for you, but some kind of solution. Just save every few minutes, and definitely before hatching, loading an xref, or copying/pasting something big. Ctrl-S. It's kind of a tic of mine now, since 2013 when I lost a day of work because of a crash. I do it in everything, like ETABS and even programs that rarely crash, like Excel. It has saved the day a million times. If you have a massive AutoCAD file where saving isn't trivial and takes a long time, then this solution doesn't apply. Edit: Secondary solution is to switch to a more stable software, like BricsCAD.

 

[WinelandV]

Are there no .bacbak files being created?

Please note that is a "v" (as in Violin) not a "y".

 

[kissymoose]

I work out of Google Drive for desktop, but I imagine it'd be the same for OneDrive or Dropbox.
I'm not sure what the frequency is or if you can control it, but it will record file history and allow you to download previous versions.

 

[JStructsteel]

A BAK file is just a record prior to the last save. Once closed, it goes away.

I created a folder for the automatic save, and made it so you cant delete files. It now creates a TMP file, which is a backup. Its done based on the time you set. So when working, if every 10 mins, I end up with 6 TMP files.

Thanks everyone.

 

[EngDM]

1. Options > Open and Save tab > Check off automatic save AND Create a backup copy with each save (enter what time you want, I use 5 minutes)
2. Options > Files tab > in the large path, find "Automatic Save File Location" > set this to a folder on your desktop or documents.

Now, if you ever have a crash or an accidental close, go to this new folder and drag over the .bak file. Change the file extension to .dwg and you'll be all set (it may ask you to recover, but that's normal). You'll need to empty this every so often or you will have a HUGE folder.