NEW GUY - can't access alignment database

[Anonymous]

Hi guys, I'm new here and have a question about Autocad R14, which I'm running through Softdesk 8. First off, I'm 25 and a civil engineer in Dover, NH. I use autocad mostly for commercial and residential site design. I'm designing a road which has a number of cross culverts which I need to run profiles on so I can see what the ground is doing. I defined 4 alignments. One alignment needed to be longer so I went tothat alignment and chose "delete alignment" and chose "from screen and file." Next thing I know, I couldn't even list stations or select alignments. The command box in autocad would say "cannot access alignment database". So now I can't even redefine any alignments.

It seems like its not mapping to the project or something.

How can I get my drawing to access the alignment database so I can start redefining alignments to cut cross sections?

Please help. I'm 25 and no one else here at work seems to care to help me figure this out.l

Thanks guys, I appreciate any help.

Matt

[architech]

Dude,
I feel for ya' ....
No one has answered your post.

Reading it ... I can't help but go back to basics .....

You said you deleted an "alignment" .... and when you went to another ... you then got an error message.

This might be too too LATE .... :oops: .... but did ya' try to retrieve the backup and see if the "1st alignment" you deleted ... corrupted the database?


Normally I would say .. check BAK fiel or auto.S$V file .... based on your time stamp post here .... I would have to say ... see if you can pull it off your tape backup. That's if your company has tape backup running at night.

:cry:

Later guy.
Sorry no one here could've helped.

[VERYCIVILDRAFTER]

Dang it, I've been away for a few months, and I could have actually helped with this one.

I feel for you man. I'm a civil designer using Softdesk 8, too.

This little tip has helped me with all kinds of SD8 alignment failures:
I got it from:
http://www.cadmasters.com/techsupp/s8cs/s8csfaq.html


The Alignment database is corrupted. This corruption to the alignment database file happens when multiple users have access to the horizontal database (maybe they had the same AutoCAD login name).

Fix it by starting a new drawing (junk) with a new project (junk). Go to AD and use Align=>Merge command to bring in the alignment information from the corrupted file.

Then, exit AutoCAD and use Windows Explorer to copy the \JUNK\ALIGN\PROJECT.ADB over the top of the \REALPROJ\ALIGN\PROJECT.ADB.

If that does not work, go into the \REALPROJ\ALIGN folder, and delete the PROJECT.ADB and PROJECT.ABU files. Redefine the horizontal alignments in Softdesk. Vertical alignments and cross-sections should be ok, assuming that the same horizontal alignment names are used.