AutoCAD 2012 Service Pack 1

AutoCAD 2012 Service Pack 1

The first update for AutoCAD 2012 is now available on the Autodesk site. As usual, read the readme first and exercise the usual paranoia. Make sure you install the right version (32 or 64 bit). The update is also available for AutoCAD LT 2012. There is no news yet on equivalent updates for vertical variants of AutoCAD, so just talk amongst yourselves for a while until Autodesk gets around to it.

Autodesk has, thankfully, abandoned the confusing nomenclature for its service packs. So this is not 2012 Update 1 with a filename that includes SP1 and which results in the software being considered 2012 Version 2. It is 2012 Service Pack 1 with a filename that includes SP1 and which results in the software being considered 2012 SP1. Why Autodesk thought the former convention made sense is beyond me, but at least it’s over now.

This Service Pack is unusual for more than that, though. It’s the first free update since R13c4 in 1996 to include new functionality, i.e. a new command (ARRAYCLASSIC) and a new system variable (SNAPGRIDLEGACY). I’ll have more to say on that later.

9 Comments

  1. Scott Goodson

    Steve, I use AutoCAD 2012 in Classic View and downloaded your Array fix but when I type “AR” in the command line and select object to array and right click the box doesn’t appear. It’s showing me the same line command that 2012 changed to.. What do you think I’ve done wrong or not have done?

    thanks
    Scott

    1. I assume you mean Autodesk’s fix rather than my ClassicArray? The Autodesk update doesn’t replace the command-line version of ARRAY (and AR) with a dialog box, it adds a new command ARRAYCLASSIC that gives access to the old 2011 dialog box, without any of the new features available.

  2. Scott Goodson

    Maybe I’ve misunderstood what this is.. I’ve used AutoCAD 2000, and 2004 lt 2D only. I’ve always typed AR in the command line and right my mouse and the dialog box open allowing me to select and enter the number to array, etc.. hit enter and it’s there… now with 2012, I don’t like the ribbons (not used to them at this time) so I change the view to classic. But now back to the array,, I type AR in the command line and I can only get command line entry’s. no dialog box.. this is what I thought you had created?

    thanks
    Scott

    1. What I created is ClassicArray, which has a short form version of the command: CA (or CAR for Rectangular, CAP for Polar, CAA for pAth). I don’t interfere with or overwrite AutoCAD’s standard command names.

      What Autodesk created is Service Pack 1, which adds the command ARRAYCLASSIC. The ARRAY command and the short form AR are unaffected by this, and still call the original 2012 command-line version.

      So neither of the solutions modifies what happens when you enter the AR command. If you want AR to call ClassicArray instead of ARRAY, you can get it to do that easily enough using the Express Tools Alias Editor (ALIASEDIT command). In ALIASEDIT, just use the Edit option to change the AR alias from ARRAY to CLASSICARRAY, accept all the confirmations and you’re done.

    1. Sorry, Adam, but because Autodesk has only provided a half-baked LISP implementation on AutoCAD for Mac, there’s no prospect of ClassicArray working on that platform for the foreseeable future. I can’t say what Autodesk’s plans are for Arrayclassic on Mac, but I would be surprised if it happened.

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