I use Autocad to work on files I have stored and shared here in Dropbox. My Autocad is set to save every ten minutes. I also manually save very often because I've learned a valuable lesson once when we lost power and my battery backup (UPS) didn't work. Hours of lost work is not fun so I constantly save to avoid losing work. With that being said, I frequently get an error "Unable to save to drawing C:\Users\xxx\Dropbox\thedrawing.dwg. Drawing saved to C:\Users\xxxx\Dropbox\sav###.tmp. This is filling up my Dropbox Folder that I'm working out of with all these *.tmp files. Is anyone else experiencing this problem and what can I do to remedy it? I shouldn't have to monitor my account for these *.tmp files.

I am having the same exact problem and it just started happening a couple of weeks ago. I also use Autodesk's Autocad and am also having issues saving. I also agree that it is something with dropbox cause when I save a file to my desktop I no longer have any save problems. Likewise I had my other employees do the same thing with the same result. Is there a solution to this problem yet? Can someone direct me to a way to fix this? I really have enjoyed using dropbox and it has worked great for me with no issues until this. Thanks for the help! One other interesting note is that when you turn off dropbox syncing and then hit save it works fine. Though I would rather keep it always syncing therefore I would like to get this resolved.

Same problem here as everyone else. "One or more objects in this drawing cannot be saved..." It doesn't happen every time that I click save. The only thing that is consistent is that when I pause syncing AutoCAD saves just fine. I don't want to do that every time I save or save as. This problem has started within the last week or so. Until now Dropbox has served as a backup for several years without any issues at all.

Same issue as all others, same exact error message. We're a design firm with 3 people constantly using drop box and saving our CAD files - 2 people use AutocadLT 2015 and have this error message often; 1 uses LT 2012 and has yet to get the error message. This started appearing a few weeks ago and is very frustrating and hurting our productivity. Dropbox, please advise asap.

Cross-linking the two related threads regarding this issue. Note that multiple applications are affected by this. https://www.dropboxforum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/201612939-Temporarily-pause

I don't think you understand. The *.tmp files are created and saved to my Dropbox folder because Autocad was 'unable' to save the original file, which is on Dropbox, in the first place. A .tmp file is created and stored to Dropbox when this happens. Usually, but not always, after the second save attempt, the file saves to Dropbox. I stress, not always because sometimes, I have to try to save 3 or 4 times before it actually saves the original file. In the mean time, after each failed attempt, a .tmp file is created and stored in my Dropbox Folder. Autocad doesn't have this problem saving my files anywhere else. Take for example, if I work on a file that is stored on my Hard Drive or on our Company Network, Autocad never, I repeat, never has a problem saving the file, never gives me an 'unable to save' error message, and never creates a .tmp file because it was unable to save the original. On the other hand, working on a file or files that are stored in my Dropbox Folder, numerous times throughout the day, after trying to save the file or files, I get this error message. And since Autocad couldn't save the file to my Dropbox Folder, a .tmp file is created and stored to Dropbox. So why would you consider this an AutoDesk (the maker of Autocad) problem? Isn't Dropbox supposed to be an extension or similar to an external hard drive? In the mean time, my Dropbox Folder is filling up with these .tmp files which I have to manually delete at the end of the day. The only solution I have to remedy this situation is to work on the file locally, then save it to my Dropbox Folder at the end of the day. But that doesn't do much good when I make numerous changes to the drawing throughout the day, yet the other 6 trades I'm collaborating with don't see those changes till the end of the day. I guess it's the best I can ask for until a real solution to this problem can be discovered. But I doubt Autodesk will have the answer. This, I can almost certainly say, is a Dropbox problem. Here's another example, from software that is not created by Autodesk. Cadpipe is software that I use to draw 3D Piping Systems for large buildings. Cadpipe uses a Database that it loads at startup for it's pipe dimensions, fitting dimensions, what type of material the pipe is made of, such as copper, cast iron, pvc, etc. This Database is critical for Cadpipe to properly work. The Database File I point Cadpipe to load through it's .ini file is stored on Dropbox. Cadpipe can never load this critical database file directly from Dropbox. It gives me an error also. Yet I'm looking at the file right now. It's there. The only way I can get Cadpipe to load this database file is to copy it from my Dropbox Job Folder over to a folder on my local Hard Drive or my Company Network Job Folder and load it from there. The Problem with this is, when I work at home, I don't have access to my Company Network, forcing me to save the file locally at home also just so Cadpipe can properly work. Are you going to blame this one on Cadpipe? As with a lot of software companies I've dealt with over the years, when I point out a bug or flaw, it never seems to be their problem, it's always the other guys problem so it never gets looked into, therefore, never fixed. We shall see if I have these same problems if I were to start using Box.Com or Wuala.com, or Google Drive, Sky Drive, or Team Drive or any of the numerous other alternatives that are out there.

Getting an error saving an Autocad file, tmp files created?

29 Replies

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Ashley S.20
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
Same issue as all others, same exact error message. We're a design firm with 3 people constantly using drop box and saving our CAD files - 2 people use AutocadLT 2015 and have this error message often; 1 uses LT 2012 and has yet to get the error message. This started appearing a few weeks ago and is very frustrating and hurting our productivity. Dropbox, please advise asap.
Jeffrey L. Bruc
New member | Level 2
11 years ago
Hello all,

I and several folks in my office have found a "solution". I would advise all those who use AutoCAD to check your "save as" Settings under "Options". I and several others in my office had their set to 2007 (or 2010 in some cases) and were having this issue. Its funny because it was only when we upgraded to 2015 or 2016 did we have this issue because my save as setting was always 2007. So there is a bug in the new autocad software. We have all switched our save as to 2013 and noone has yet to have the issue to appear again. So saving it to a newer version seems to be the key.

It seems as though this is an AutoCAD issue. A dumb one too. I also think it's quite poor of Dropbox as a business to not even acknowledge us on this forum and at least try to offer better suggestions for a remedy. It would be nice to see if others try this and it works - please post back if so.
marco t.14
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
I have the same problem from a few days, can't save in Autocad if sync si working.. i must exit drop box and then launch... never did it before :(

please someone help us
Rich
Super User II
11 years ago
Cross-linking the two related threads regarding this issue. Note that multiple applications are affected by this.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/201612939-Temporarily-pause
Jerub D.
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
Having the same issue here. However I am currently running AutoCAD 2012. The funny thing is I can save drawings to AutoCAD 2010 with no problems so far. Others who are running more recent versions of AutoCAD are unable to even save to 2010. The problem seems to show up when we save drawings more than a few versions back from the version we are running and not necessarily a specific version. For example; I am running 2012 and can save back to 2010, while others are running 2015 or 2016 and can only save back to 2013.

Unfortunately in my case our company by default saves our drawings to AutoCAD 2004. I know that is old and obsolete, but some people still use my drawings that that are running 2004 so I am forced to save all my drawings to a version that old. Also like everyone else, this was never a problem until the last few months when working in dropbox.

Like everyone else, my problem goes away if I pause syncing.

I like using dropbox but am looking for an alternative because of this unresolved issue.
Jerub D.
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
I received an e-mail from Dropbox today and they were able to give me a temporary fix. They made changes to my account, then I was able to “quit” uninstall dropbox, and reinstall version 3.6.9 from the link they provided. They said dropbox “should resume updating to the latest version within a month”. They say they have identified a bug in the current version and hope to have it resolved in the next update.

The fix is currently working smoothly and I am able to save files without any issues for the time being.

If you are still experiencing this issue and they have not contacted you already I would recommend contacting customer support and try this fix.
Jerub D.
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
It appears that dropbox has now fixed this issue the their version 3.9.40. I don’t know if this version is part of an auto update yet or not but you can find it by following the link below.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/204766049-Experimental-Build-3-9-40

After uninstalling my previous version of dropbox and installing version 3.9.40 I have not had any more issues even saving back to AutoCAD 2004.

There is also a version "Experimental Build 3.9.41" available that others have had success with as well.
Rich
Super User II
11 years ago
The problem is fixed for AutoCAD, but it remains for other applications (Adobe products like Photoshop and Illustrator, and Office).
David G.155
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
Has the problem been fixed?!?! I think this is the first day I've had where I have not experienced any issues saving without having to pause the sync. Anybody else have the same luck today?
james a.12
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
When I first connect to new wifi with my MacBook Pro running OSX Yosemite, it takes awhile for the "Pause syncing" option to appear in my menu bar settings? This seemed like it used to appear immediately with the DB icon. Any suggestions?

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Getting an error saving an Autocad file, tmp files created?

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