About Opening Drawings

You open drawings to work on them just as you do with other applications. In addition, you can choose from several alternative methods.

TrustedDWG™ Drawing Files

DWG, DWT, and DWS files created with Autodesk applications and RealDWG™-based applications are trusted by Autodesk. When you open a TrustedDWG file, the following icon displays in the status bar.

If the DWGCHECK system variable is set to On (1), an alert box is displayed if

The drawing file format is AutoCAD Release 14 or later and
The drawing file was not originally created by an Autodesk application or RealDWG-based application.

For more information about TrustedDWG, click the TrustedDWG icon.

Change the Default Drawing Folder

Each time you start the product, the last folder that you used for opening or saving a file is set as the default path in the standard file selection dialog box. Alternatively, you can specify a fixed default folder with the program shortcut icon in Windows. For specific instructions, see the topic To Change the Default Drawing Folder below.

Access Your Drawings Remotely

You can save and open specified drawing files in your online Autodesk Web & Mobile Account, which is accessible from any of your internet-connected devices. You can use this feature instead of emailing your drawing files to yourself. By default, the commands for saving and opening files from your online account are available from the Quick Access toolbar.

Use the eTransmit feature to package a set of files and avoid missing files when sharing drawings with others outside of your company.

NOTE:This feature is available only on 64-bit systems.

Resolve Missing References

When you open a drawing, you are notified when a reference cannot be located. From the References - Unresolved Reference Files task dialog box, click Update the Location of the Referenced Files to open the External References palette to make changes to missing external references.

The following table outlines some of the references that might be missing and describes how to handle them.

Missing Reference Types	Description
External references	Missing external references are the result of to product not being able to resolve the last known location of an xref, raster image, or underlay. To resolve a missing external reference, locate the file and update its location using the External References palette. For information about resolving missing referenced files, see Resolve Missing External References Attach Raster Image Files Attach Files as Underlays
Shapes	Missing shape files are often the result of custom shapes being used in a linetype. Browse to the missing linetype file, or place the shape file in the folder with the drawing or one of the support paths defined in the Options dialog box. For information about custom shape files in linetypes, see "About Shapes in Custom Linetypes".

Missing Reference Types

Description

External references

Missing external references are the result of to product not being able to resolve the last known location of an xref, raster image, or underlay. To resolve a missing external reference, locate the file and update its location using the External References palette.

For information about resolving missing referenced files, see

Resolve Missing External References
Attach Raster Image Files
Attach Files as Underlays

Shapes

Missing shape files are often the result of custom shapes being used in a linetype. Browse to the missing linetype file, or place the shape file in the folder with the drawing or one of the support paths defined in the Options dialog box.

For information about custom shape files in linetypes, see "About Shapes in Custom Linetypes".

Recover Defective Drawing Files

In some circumstances, it is possible that a drawing file becomes defective. This can result from hardware problems or transmission errors. If a drawing file is corrupt, you might be able to recover it.