
Autodesk Volo View Express(r) Readme

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Known Version 2000-129 Issues

The following are known issues regarding the operation of Volo View
Express. Download information and Volo View URLs are located at the
bottom of this readme.

INSTALLING VOLO VIEW
  1.00 - Netscape Navigator Plug-in Now Available
  1.01 - MSIE 4.01 Required
  1.02 - File Association Conflicts with Autodesk View
  1.03 - Harmless Font Question
  1.04 - Restart Your Computer
  1.05 - Installing Object Enablers

UNINSTALLING VOLO VIEW
  1.06 - Volo View Express Version 82 does not Update the
         Environment Path
  1.07 - Uninstall any Object Enablers first

VIEWING FILES WITH VOLO VIEW
  2.00 - Markup Supported in Volo View
  2.01 - OLE Objects and Irregular Viewports Are Not Saved
         With Markups
  2.02 - Print Options in the Document Properties Dialog Box Are Not
         Preserved
  2.03 - Full View Requires Browser
  2.04 - Volo View Express Does Not Support Regeneration By Users
  2.05 - Print Quality
  2.06 - Greeked Text Does Not Copy or Print
  2.07 - Show Paper Boundaries Not Supported
  2.08 - Attaching URLs By Area
  2.09 - Mechanical Desktop(r) Drawing Files
  2.10 - Softdesk(r) 8 Drawing Files
  2.11 - Drag and Drop Does Not Work on a Secured Server
  2.12 - Lineweights
  2.13 - Clipping in Orbit Mode
  2.14 - Exit and Restart Volo View Express When Adding Font Paths
  2.15 - Named Views and Layer Buttons Always Active
  2.16 - Window Menu Lacks Vertical Tile Option
  2.17 - Wipeouts Not Supported
  2.18 - Problem With Text in Drawing Files Created Using
         AutoCAD R12 C3

GENERATING DWF FILES
  3.00 - Avoid 31-bit Precision

PUBLISHING DRAWINGS
  4.00 - Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Unsupported
  4.01 - Visual FoxPro 6.0 is Required
  4.02 - The NamedView HTML Parameter Does Not Support Fit To Window
  4.03 - Cursor Behavior in HTML Frames

MAINTAINING VOLO VIEW LOCALLY
  5.00 - No CAB File

WORKING WITH THE VOLO VIEW API
  6.00 - No Type Checking for Properties Using Strings
  6.01 - No Hide Methods for Dialogs
  6.02 - Recompile Visual Basic Applications to Support New and Old Versions
  6.03 - Check for Sketch Mode Presence

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INSTALLING VOLO VIEW
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1.00 - Netscape Navigator Plug-in Now Available: This release
of Volo View contains a Netscape Navigator Plug-in along with
the Volo View Express application and the ActiveX Control.
The Volo View installation program installs the Netscape
Navigator Plug-in only if Netscape Navigator is installed
on your computer. You use the embed tag to embed the control
in an HTML page for use with Netscape Navigator.
There is no API support for Netscape Navigator.
The Volo View parameters work in your HTML page when viewed
with Netscape Navigator, except when you set the UserMode
to Orbit. Printing from the Navigator browser print button is
not yet supported. URLs containing spaces are also unsupported.
Handling of relative path XREFs has not been implemented yet.
Although it is possible to have both the WHIP! ActiveX
Control and the Volo View Express ActiveX Control on the same system
for the Microsoft Internet Explorer, the same is not true for the
Netscape Navigator. It is not possible to have two different plug-ins
for the same MIME type -- in this case, drawing/x-dwf. As a result,
the Volo View Express installer removes the WHIP! plug-in as part
of its installation.

1.01 - MSIE 4.01 Required:
You must have Internet Explorer version 4.01, or later, to use Volo
View Express. To keep the download size as small as possible, Volo
View Express shares certain necessary DLL files with Microsoft
Internet Explorer, and will not run without them. This applies
even to Netscape Navigator users.

1.02 - File Association Conflicts with Autodesk View:
Uninstall Autodesk View before installing Volo View Express to avoid
conflicts over file associations.

1.03 - Harmless Font Question:
If you already have a copy of AutoCAD fonts on your system, the Volo
View Express installer may ask you if you want to replace those fonts
as part of the install. It is OK to respond "yes" to this question.
Even though the dates on the font files are different, which causes
the installer to pose the question, the files are the same as those
that ship with AutoCAD.

1.04 - Restart Your Computer:
After installing Volo View Express you may be prompted to restart
your computer. If you choose not to restart your computer at that
time, you must do so before running Volo View Express. This will
enable Volo View Express to modify your system Registry settings.
It is critical that you restart your computer if you are logged
on to a network. If you log off of the network and log on again
before restarting your computer, the Volo View Express installation
does not complete properly. If the installation doesn't complete
properly you must uninstall and re-install Volo View Express,
and then restart your computer.

1.05 - Installing Object Enablers:
DWG files created by Architectural Desktop or Mechanical Desktop
contain custom entities that are not understood by Volo View Express
unless the corresponding "object enabler" has been installed. The
object enablers are freely downloadable from the Autodesk web site.
For example, once the Mechanical Desktop Object Enabler has been
downloaded, the Volo View Express Orbit command displays MDT DWG
files in shaded mode instead of wire frame. The object enabler
only applies to the display of MDT drawings. Even with the object
enabler, printing of shaded mechnaical parts is not yet possible.
This will be addressed in Volo View, not Volo View Express.

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UNINSTALLING VOLO VIEW
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1.06 - Volo View Express Version 82 does not Update the
       Environment Path:
Starting with Volo View Express Version 82, the installation program
does not update the Environment Path. If you uninstall Volo View
Express Version 82, or later, you do not need to delete the Volo View
Environment Path settings. If you uninstall a version of Volo View
Express earlier than Version 82, delete the Environment Path settings.
See http://www.autodesk.com/products/volo/view/userguid/install.htm,
Manually Removing Volo View, for instructions on deleting the
Environment Path settings.

1.07 - Uninstall any Object Enablers first:
If you install the Mechnaical Desktop or Architectural Desktop object
enabler after installing Volo View Express, you should uninstall the
object enabler BEFORE uninstalling Volo View Express. Otherwise, you
are left with an empty Autodesk Volo View Program Group in your system
Taskbar.

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VIEWING FILES WITH VOLO VIEW
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2.00 - Markup Supported in Volo View:
The right-click menu now contains a simple Markup option that
allows you to draw lines, add comments, and save a copy of the
drawing file that contains your Markups. The markup information
can be printed from the Volo View Express right mouse button menu
Print item; however, markup information is not printed when a drawing
is embedded in an HTML page and the browser print button is used.

2.01 - OLE Objects and Irregular Viewports Are Not Saved
       With Markups:
When you save a copy of the drawing file that contains your
Markups, Volo View Express does not save any OLE objects that are
embedded or linked in the original drawing file. Irregular viewports
contained in the original drawing file are not saved, either.

2.02 - Print Options in the Document Properties Dialog Box Are Not
       Preserved:
When you print from Volo View Express, the Print dialog box is
displayed. You can set print options such as portrait or landscape by
clicking Properties. These settings are not preserved between print
commands. Before printing, check your print settings.
Note: The Print options that you enter in the Volo View Options
dialog box are preserved.

2.03 - Full View Requires Browser:
Full View only applies when viewing drawing files in a browser.

2.04 - Volo View Express Does Not Support Regeneration By Users:
For ease of use and simplicity in design, there is no user command to
regenerate drawings. At certain times, Volo View Express regenerates
the drawing automatically, for example when exiting Orbit mode or
changing to a Named View.

2.05 - Print Quality:
Volo View Express does not support commands for controlling
tessellation resolution when printing. This affects the print quality
when printing from the Volo View Express application, and when
printing from the control embedded in an Office application or
web page. Starting and stopping Orbit causes a regeneration and may
improve print quality.

2.06 - Greeked Text Does Not Copy or Print:
Text that is so small that it is greeked in the view does not print
or copy.

2.07 - Show Paper Boundaries Not Supported:
Volo View Express does not support the display of paper boundaries
in DWF files. The AutoCAD 2000 ePlot Custom Properties dialog box
contains the option Show Paper Boundaries; however, selecting this
option does not affect the display of DWF files in Volo View Express.

2.08 - Attaching URLs By Area:
An URL attached by area appears in a DWG or DXF file as a red square
or rectangle. You access the hyperlink by clicking the red geometry,
not by clicking inside the geometry. In a DWF file that contains an
URL by area, the red geometry only appears when you choose Show
Hyperlinks from the right-click menu.

2.09 - Mechanical Desktop(r) Drawing Files:
Volo View Express sometimes displays extra model space objects in
paper space viewports of Mechanical Desktop drawing files.

2.10 - Softdesk(r) 8 Drawing Files:
Volo View Express sometimes displays extra objects in Softdesk 8
drawing files. The initial view may also be wrong.

2.11 - Drag and Drop Does Not Work on a Secured Server:
You cannot drag and drop a drawing file from the ActiveX control
embedded in an HTML page if it resides on a secured server.

2.12 - Lineweights:
Volo View Express displays the lineweights that were saved in the
drawing file and does not have an option to toggle lineweights on
and off.

2.13 - Clipping in Orbit Mode:
Objects clipped by viewport are not always properly clipped in
Orbit mode.

2.14 - Exit and Restart Volo View Express When Adding Font Paths:
When you add a font path using the Options dialog box, the new font
path is not available until you exit and restart Volo View Express.

2.15 - Named Views and Layer Buttons Always Active:
The Named Views and Layer buttons are active even if the drawing file
does not contain Named Views or Layers.

2.16 - Window Menu Lacks Vertical Tile Option:
The Window menu provides two options, Tile and Cascade. The Tile
option arranges windows in horizontal, nonoverlapping tiles. There is
no option for arranging windows in vertical tiles. Cascade arranges
windows so they overlap, leaving title bars visible.

2.17 - Wipeouts Not Supported:
Geometry hidden by Wipeouts in AutoCAD appears in the drawing when
viewed with Volo View Express.

2.18 - Problem With Text in Drawing Files Created Using
       AutoCAD R12 C3:
Text in drawings created using AutoCAD R12 C3 may be displayed
incorrectly in Volo View Express. To correct the problem, open and
save the drawing file in AutoCAD 2000. When you open the drawing file
again in Volo View Express, the text is displayed correctly.

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GENERATING DWF FILES
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None at this time.


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PUBLISHING DRAWINGS
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4.00 - Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Unsupported:
Currently, using the Volo View ActiveX Control with Microsoft Word,
Excel, and PowerPoint is not supported. Embedding the Volo View
control in these applications may cause unpredictable behavior. The
Volo View control is supported for use with custom Microsoft Visual
Basic applications, and with HTML pages viewed with Microsoft Internet
Explorer.

4.01 - Visual FoxPro 6.0 is Required:
Do not use Version 5.0.

4.02 - The NamedView HTML Parameter Does Not Support Fit To Window:
The NamedView HTML parameter does not support an automatic means to
set the initial view to be a "fit to window" view. In WHIP! setting
the NamedView value to an asterisk (*) sets the initial view to Fit
To Window. This is not yet supported in Volo View Express.

4.03 - Cursor Behavior in HTML Frames:
If you use the ActiveX control in an HTML page, the cursor may
momentarily change to an arrow in Pan or Zoom mode. This behavior
occurs if you use the FRAME HTML tag and only affects the cursor, not
the pan or zoom. Use the IFRAME HTML tag to avoid this behavior.


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MAINTAINING VOLO VIEW LOCALLY
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5.00 - No CAB File:
There are no plans for an Internet Explorer CAB file for this control.
Waiting for an automatic download is not practical given the size of
the Volo View Express ActiveX Control. In addition, ObjectDBX (the
DWG reading code shared with AutoCAD 2000) necessitates some path
setting and registry manipulation that cannot be done via a CAB file
constructed by conventional means.


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WORKING WITH THE VOLO VIEW API
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6.00 - No Type Checking for Properties Using Strings:
When setting a Volo View property that takes a string as input, be
careful to pass a valid string. There is no type checking for string
values; therefore, no error messages are issued for invalid strings.

6.01 - No Hide Methods for Dialogs:
Currently, the ShowDialog methods do not have corresponding
HideDialog methods.

6.02 - Recompile Visual Basic Applications to Work with New and Old:
To support Volo View Express version 100 or later, you must install
Volo View Express version 100 or later on your development computer
and recompile your Visual Basic applications. Once recompiled, the
resulting  application works with the new versions (currently
2000-129) and the old versions (originally 2000-88).

6.03 - Check for Sketch Mode Presence:
Volo View Express now supports Markups. If you want your Visual Basic
application to support both the new versions of Volo View Express
(with Markup), and the old versions (without Markup), there is a
simple check to determine which version the user has:

Private Sub Form_Load()
 Form1.AvViewX1.UserMode = "Sketch"
 If Form1.AvViewX1.UserMode = "Pan" Then
    MsgBox "You are using an older version of" & Chr(13) & _
    "Autodesk® Volo View Express." & Chr(13) & Chr(13) & _
    "Newer Versions have simple markup capabilities." & _
    Chr(13) & Chr(13) & _
    "Please install the newest version from Autodesk.", _
    vbOKOnly, "Volo View Express Alert"
 Else
    Form1.AvViewX1.UserMode = "Pan"
 End If
End Sub

The sample code provided simply sets the user mode to "Sketch" from
"Pan" (default). If unsuccessful, it means that sketch is not present,
and the user has an old version of Volo View Express.The check
involves changing the mode to "sketch" and determining if that
was successful.

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Readme information for the latest version of Volo View Express is
located at:
ftp://ftp.autodesk.com/pub/voloview/beta/readme.htm

You can download the latest version of Volo View Express from the
Autodesk Web site at:
http://www.autodesk.com/products/volo/view/prodinfo/download.htm

The Volo View Express User's Guide, Developer Zone, and related
product information are all on the Autodesk Web site at:
http://www.autodesk.com/products/volo/view.htm

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