AutoCAD Features that Behave Differently in AutoCAD Mechanical

AutoCAD Commands, System Variables and Features that are either not fully supported or have behaviors that are different to that in AutoCAD.

Action Recorder

You can run a recorded macro, but you cannot record any macros from within AutoCAD Mechanical.

Annotation Scaling

AutoCAD lets you select objects used to annotate drawings as annotative. Only annotative objects react to the annotation scale.

Some AutoCAD Mechanical objects do not react to the annotation scale. For example, if you are using power dimensions, you should not flag them as annotative. AutoCAD Mechanical Objects are designed to react to scale areas and may not behave as expected if they are made annotative.

Associative Array

Associative arrays place the object to be arrayed in an anonymous block, and places block references in a pattern. Hence a change made to the anonymous block propagates across all block references in the array. As such one instance in the array is not independent of the others.

If you array an AutoCAD Mechanical object in an associative array, the instances of the objects in the array are not independent of one another. Hence, each instance loses the ability to react intelligently to their surroundings.

As such, we prevent the following objects from being included in associative arrays. We also block the usage of the ARRAY command from within the Content Editor.

Symbols

  • Leader notes
  • Surface texture symbols
  • Welding symbols
  • Feature control frame symbols
  • Datum identifier symbols
  • Datum target symbols
  • Edge symbols
  • Feature identifier symbols
  • Taper and slope symbols
  • Marking and stamping symbols
  • Dead joint symbols
  • Weld representation symbols

Special Lines and Objects

  • Centerlines
  • Detail borders
  • Detail view labels
  • Fits lists
  • Hide situations
  • Hole charts
  • Section lines
  • Section view labels

Content Objects

  • All standard content
  • All custom content
  • Shafts and Shaft Ends

AMTITLE, Title Block Objects

  • Drawing border
  • Title block
  • Inverted drawing number
  • Revision list

Mechanical Structure Objects

  • Component views
  • Annotation views
  • Annotation view labels

Calculation Objects

  • FEA objects
  • Deflection lines
  • Belt length calculation objects
  • Moment of inertia objects
  • Predefined profile sections
  • Cam objects
  • Shaft calculations
  • Screw calculations
  • Bearing calculations

Blocked Commands

The following commands have an adverse effect on Inventor Linked models. They are hence blocked from AutoCAD Mechanical

Block Editor

The AutoCAD BEDIT command invokes the block editor, an environment for creating block definitions and adding dynamic behavior. Not all AutoCAD Mechanical commands can be executed within the Block Editor.

Blocked Commands

AMANALYSEDWG

AMAUTODETAIL

AMBALLOON

AMBOM

AMBOMEXTTEMP

AMBOMMIGRATE

AMBROUTLINE

AMAMBREAKATPT

AMBROWSER

AMBROWSERCLOSE

AMBROWSEROPEN

AMCARRAY

AMCARRAYEDIT

AMCHATCH

AMCHATCHEDIT

AMCONTENTADD

AMCONTENTEDIT

AMCONVDWG

AMCOPYVIEW

AMCPARTREF

AMCSETTINGS

AMCSWITCHVIEW

AMCTABLE

AMCTESTCONTENT

AMDETAIL

AMDELVIEW

AMDWGVIEW

AMEDITPSCUTLINE

AMEDITVIEW

AMEXPLODE

AMIVLINK

AMIVUPDATE

AMIVPROJECT

AMLANGCONV

AMLANGTEXT

AMMIGRATEBB

AMMIGRATESYM

AMMODE

AMPARTLIST

AMPARTREFEDIT

AMREFCLOSE

AMREFCOPY

AMSACTIVATE

AMSBASE

AMSCAREA

AMSCATALOG

AMSCATALOGCLOSE

AMSCATALOGOPEN

AMSCMONITOR

AMSCOPYDEF

AMSCREATE

AMSEDIT

AMSEXTERNALIZE

AMSHIDE

AMSHIDEEDIT

AMSINSERT

AMSETUPDWG

AMSLOCALIZE

AMSMOVE

AMSNAVMODE

AMSNEW

AMSPURGE

AMSREPLACEDEF

AMSSMODE

AMVIEWALL

AMVIEWCEN

AMVIEWLL

AMVIEWLR

AMVIEWOUT

AMVIEWUL

AMVIEWUR

AMVPORT

AMVPORTAUTO

AMVPZOOMALL

AMZOOMVP

DDIM / DIMSTYLE Command

AutoCAD Mechanical creates dimension styles on demand. Hence, when you use the DDIM or DIMSTYLE command to customize dimensions styles, you may not be able to access to all the dimension styles that the AMPOWERDIM command uses.

Instead of using the DDIM or DIMSTYLE command, use the Edit Dimension Styles dialog box to customize dimension styles. With this dialog box you can access all dimension styles that the AMPOWERDIM command uses.

To display this dialog box:

  1. On the command line, enter AMOPTIONS.
  2. Click the AM:Standards tab.
  3. In the Standard Elements list, double-click Dimension.
  4. In the Dimension style section, click Edit.

System Variables with Restrictions

AutoCAD Mechanical ignores any changes you make to the following system variables

Special Notes on DIMLFAC & DIMSCALE

AutoCAD Mechanical uses several scaling mechanisms that are not available in AutoCAD. For example, scale areas allow model space to be divided into areas having different scales. Power dimensioning recognizes the different scales and automatically compensates for them (regular AutoCAD dimensions don't recognize scale areas). To preserve this behavior, you must leave scale related settings at their default values. Accordingly, do not to change the DIMLFAC and DIMSCALE system variables - leave them to be controlled by AutoCAD Mechanical.

Instead of using the DIMLFAC system variable, use the Units tab in the Power Dimensioning dialog box or use Scale Areas. Instead of using the DIMSCALE system variable, use the scale settings on the AM:Standards tab of the Options dialog box.

System Variables with Overidden Initial Values

The initial values of the following system variables are different to that of AutoCAD
System Variable Initial Value in AutoCAD Initial Value in AutoCAD Mechanical
CONSTRAINTSOLVEMODE 1 0

Related Concepts

Related Reference