\'chanj.rel\ n:  AutoCAD drawing file release downgrade utility.

Chgrel Provides DWG file conversion between AutoCAD release 12/11,
10, 9, version 2.6 and 2.5.  Chgrel Help contains information found
in the Chgrel Manual included with the registered version in addition
to a description of the new features of 3.11.


Release 12 support:
AutoCAD release 11 and 12 .DWG file formats are IDENTICAL.
Conversion between R11 and R12 is not necessary.


Important note:
Chgrel operates directly on DWG files.  If you have any problems
loading a converted drawing into AutoCAD, do not run Chgrel again.
Restore the drawing from the DBK backup file and contact us as 
soon as possible.  If you need to convert .DXF files use the
DXFIX utility included with AutoCAD.

New Features in version 3.11:
R12 Hatches          No longer pauses for R12 hatches.
Bug Fixes            Empty drawings convert.

New Features in version 3.1:
New interface.       Mouse driven interface.
File utilities.      Copy and compressed file utilities.
Directory selection. Source and Target drive:directory can be set.
Bug fixes.           Fixed Byblock and Bylayer LTINIT problems.
Speed.               Faster conversion.
R12 recognition      Conversion between R11 and R12 is unnecessary, 
                     however R12 is displayed for clarification.


Getting started - Changing release 11/12 drawings to release 10:
After loading Chgrel, you should see your drawing files listed 
under the File Name heading on the screen.  The lowest release of 
AutoCAD that will load the drawing is indicated under "Current".  If
you wish to change the highlighted drawing to release 10, use the
<alt>-C combination to highlight "Convert" in the menu bar
(upper left portion of the screen) and press <Enter>.  Press <Enter>
again to change the drawing to release 10.  The <Esc> key will cancel
the pull down menu and put the highlight back into the file selection
box.  Exit Chgrel with Exit to DOS under the File menu.

 
Selecting files:
You can convert more than one drawing at a time by tagging files
before starting the conversion.  To tag files use the up and down
cursor keys to highlight a file, then select the file by pressing the 
<space> key.  The File pull down menu will aid in tagging files.  If you
would like to choose all drawings pick Tag All.  Clear Tags erases any
tags already made.  Invert tags will cause all untagged items to become
tagged, while clearing all tagged choices.  The Several Tags choice
allows you to type in a wildcard filename.  Wildcard filenames may
contain the * and ? characters.


Selecting directories:
The Change dir... selection from the File menu allows you to indicate
where to find the drawing files.  If you wish create converted files
in a different subdirectory, select Output Path from the settings menu.


Converting and previewing changes to drawings:
Selecting Change Drawing(s) from the Convert menu will begin 
conversion of all selected files.  If no files are tagged
the highlighted file will be chosen.  The Preview Changes choice
allows you to check your drawings before actually modifying them.
Previewing changes to the drawing file allows you to search for data
that cannot be transferred to a lower release.  Preview changes will
notify you while reading your drawing file if any incompatible entities
are found.

R11/R12 External reference redefinition in R10 and Paperspace scaling:
After conversion, we recommend that you first resolve your XREF's.
Type INSERT <blockname>=<filename> and the block will be redefined
and appear as in the R11/R12 drawing.

Paperspace entities are translated directly into model space in R10
and will likely require modification with the SCALE command.
Of course, if paperspace was never activated in the R11 drawing, no
scaling will be required.


Compression and decompression of drawing files:
Compress DWG's... from the Convert menu will create a significantly
smaller file that can later be decompressed using the Decompress
DWZ's... selection.  You may find this feature especially useful
when compressing to a floppy disk.  To create DWZ's on a floppy,
select Output Path from the Settings menu.  Better than %70 compression
is usually performed.  (Compression is similar to PKWARE's .ZIP format,
although PKUNZIP cannot be used to decompress the file)
  

Conversion settings:
You can set output file properties using the Settings menu.  The Output 
Release pick allows you to specify between release 10 and version 2.5.
Release 10 is the default.

Turning expert mode on will suppress warning pauses during conversion
and file overwriting.  Expert mode is off by default.

The remaining Settings relate to output file naming.  As a default,
the converted file will take the same name as the original drawing.
A backup copy of the original will be created with a DBK extension.

You can change the backup extension by selecting Backup Extension.
You will be asked to type in a new backup extension, which can be
between 1 and 3 characters.  If you do not enter any characters, 
Chgrel will not create a backup file.

You can indicate a different file output path.  Normally the output
path is the same as the source.  If you are creating files for someone
else,  you will probably not want to overwrite your own drawings.  
You can specify any available drive and subdirectory, including A:\
or B:\.  A different output extension can also be specified.  Type
in up to 3 characters for the output file extension.  If you do not
type in any characters for the output extension, you will return to
the default setting.

If either a different output path or output extension is specified,
a backup file will not be created.  You will be prompted for permission
to overwrite existing files.  Expert mode on will supress this message.


Entering AutoCAD - Chgrel as a front end:
The File menu has a pick that will bring a selected drawing into the
AutoCAD drawing editor and avoid the main menu in most situations.
Highlight a drawing file and then choose Load AutoCAD.  For this feature
to work, you must have AutoCAD in your path or operate from the same 
subdirectory ACAD.EXE is located in.  If the ACAD.EXE file is successfully
loaded, Chgrel will run after returning from AutoCAD.

Chgrel completely unloads from memory before attempting to run AutoCAD,
(using a .BAT file) giving AutoCAD as much memory as it would normally
have.  If an ACAD.BAT file is loaded before the ACAD.EXE, which is not
an uncommon situation, the batch file will take over and possibly
interfere with the script file.  Chgrel will not reload if an ACAD.BAT
is used to load AutoCAD.


AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc.  Chgrel is a
trademark of Rich Frank.  This help file and the software it describes
may not be duplicated without permission.



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