Axiom's FAQ

Get Your Questions Answered Here

General Questions

Will Axiom products run on a 64-bit Operating System?

Yes, your Axiom products will run on a 64-bit Operating System.

Do I need to upgrade my Axiom software if I upgrade from MicroStation V8 to V8i?

No. All of our V8 products work in V8, XM and V8i.

I have a feature that I would like to see added to one of your products. How do I let you know about that?

Your comments, feature ideas and other suggestions are extremely valuable to us. Please go to the Axiom Support page right away and tell us your idea. Without a quarter century of feedback from you, our users, Axiom would not be the leading CAD third-party developer that it is today. Every widely acclaimed product we’ve ever developed evolved based on such feedback.We’d like to make Axiom products perform every function you could ever imagine such a product being able to perform. We intend to make you such a satisfied customer that you can’t wait for the next user group meeting so you can tell your friends and associates how much you like Axiom and how strongly you recommend Axiom products.

Are there User’s Guides for my Axiom software?

Yes. During installation, a User’s Guide is copied to each product folder in the Axiom base directory (where you’ve installed your software). Also, you can always download user’s guides from our FTP site at ftp://ftp.AxiomInt.com.

Will my V8 Axiom software run inside of MicroStation J?

No. There are separate Axiom software products that are made to work in MicroStation J.

Installation Questions

Can I install my Axiom software on a network for all users to share?

Yes. All Axiom software that is run from within MicroStation can be installed on a network for users to share. They are still restricted by license. For example, a single-computer license, although installed on a network, will still only load from the machine that it has been registered to. If you would like further help with instructions, please contact Axiom Support and they will promptly help you.

I’ve installed my Axiom product, but I don’t see an Axiom menu.

After an Axiom product installation, you should see an Axiom pull-down menu in MicroStation or AutoCAD. If there isn’t one, this is usually because there is a MicroStation configuration variable conflict. This is normally very easy to solve. Unfortunately since MicroStation is highly customizable, there isn’t an answer that fits all cases. The best thing to do is contact Axiom Support for help at 727-442-7774. This issue can usually be handled in just a few minutes on the phone.

When I attempt to load my Axiom software from the Axiom menu, a web page opens up to a description of the program.

During installation, you have to select the products to be installed. The product you are trying to load wasn’t selected so the product wasn’t installed. Simply run the installation again and ensure that the product you are trying to run is selected for installation.

License Information Questions

I just downloaded an upgrade from your website at ftp://ftp.AxiomInt.com. How do I get the license I need?

Go to Axiom Support and indicate which product you downloaded. Our licensing department will be more than happy to send you an update license file.

When I start an Axiom application, I get an error message about having the wrong license version.

If the exact message you see is, “Your license is for a different version of (Axiom Product + Version) then the version you have installed (Axiom Product + Version). Their versions need to match for the license to work.” Then this means that the license string  the product is trying to use (located in the file AXIOM.LIC) is for a different version of the product than you have installed. Contact the Axiom License Department to obtain an updated license, an updated product or both.

After editing my license file (AXIOM.LIC) with a text editor, I get an Information box that tells me the license won’t work. What happened?

If the error message you’re getting reads like this, “Your [Product Name] license is corrupt. It has been modified from its original version, so it will not work.” Then it means that there is a misspelling (typo) in your license file. It is also generated if the file has been saved in the wrong format. Sometimes, the file is inadvertently saved as a Word document or some other file format. This makes it unreadable to Axiom programs. The AXIOM.LIC file must be in ASCII format. This is as simple to solve as just opening a session of Notepad, pasting the license(s) and then saving the text file as "axiom.lic" back to the Axiom base directory.

When I try to run my Axiom product from the menu, I get a message saying that my license is for a different CPU-ID (number).

If you're getting the message in an information box that says, “Your (Axiom product + version) single-computer license is only for use on the computer that has Axiom CPU-ID (Number). This computer has a different CPUID (number)", it means the following:

A CPU (central processing unit) is the part of a computer that interprets and carries out instructions of a computer program. This error probably means that the CPU-ID (CPU Identifier) in the license string that the program is reading is different than the CPU-ID that is being detected on your machine. The CPU-ID on your machine could change based on a significant software change or it could be that your license was simply registered for a different machine. To request a new license, send an e-mail to Axiom’s License Department (License@AxiomInt.com). Be sure to include the new CPU-ID that was reported in the error message, the product you are requesting a license for and let them know why your CPU-ID changed. Re-licensing a single-computer license requires active maintenance.

I recently bought my Axiom software but when I try to load it, I get an information box that says my temporary license has expired.

When you purchase a single-computer license, you will be delivered a 60-day temporary license that will work on any machine at first — so that you can be running as soon as you purchase the software. You get a permanent license as soon as you register your software. Here are the instructions for registration: To receive your permanent license, you need only provide Axiom with the CPU-ID (CPU Identifier) for your computer. Axiom will then send you your permanent license.

How to Get Your CPU-ID:

Option 1. In MicroStation, click on your Axiom pull-down menu. From there, click on the “Get my computer’s CPU-ID” option.

Option 2. With your Axiom product CD in your CD drive, run “D:\CPUID2” from a Command Prompt (where “D” indicates the letter for your CD drive).

Option 3. Double-click on the “CPUID2.exe” from within Windows Explorer.Each of these methods will display your unique 12-character CPU-ID, which uniquely identifies your computer. Now, just send the CPU-ID number to Axiom.

Where to Send the CPU-ID:

To get your permanent license, send your CPU-ID to Axiom’s License Department: License@AxiomInt.com. They will swiftly provide you with your permanent license.[/fusion_toggle]

When I attempt to run the CPUID2. exe program, I get an error message about permissions. What does that mean?

If this the error message you’re receiving, “Insufficient permissions to run CPUID2. exe.” it means that there is a lack of permissions to your local drive.

Sometimes, you can get around this by right-clicking on CPUID2.exe and choosing, “Run as Administrator”. If this doesn’t work, you’ll need to have an Administrator (at your organization) log in and run it for you.

For further help or instructions, contact Axiom Support and they’ll walk you through the process.

I received a new license to go along with my software update. Where do I put it?

If you’ve already installed your software update and you are just updating the license file, you can over-write your existing license file in the Axiom base directory. For a default installation this would normally be:
C:\Program Files\Axiom\V?\ or
C:\Program Files (x86)\Axiom\V?\
(The “?” indicates a version. For example: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Axiom\V8”.)

If you have not installed the software update yet, place the license file anywhere and start your installation. During installation, you will be prompted for the license at which point you can navigate to wherever you saved it.

Specific Product Questions

Title Block Manager

How can I make Title Block Client use a different cell library from which to place cells?

The configuration variable TBMGR_CEL_LIB can be defined in MicroStation to point to the cell library that you would like Title Block Client to choose from. Just create a new MicroStation configuration variable named TBMGR_CEL_LIB and give it a value of the full path and filename of the cell library you want. If you would like help with this process, Axiom Support is ready to assist you.


Global File Changer

I’ve got a macro that I would like to run on about 1,000 files. Can I do that with Global File Changer?

Yes. Simply create an ASCII file and give it a “.key” extension. Add the following line: MACRO x:\path\macroname.bas where “x” is the name of the drive, “path” is the path where the file is located and “macroname.bas” is the name of the macro.

Example:
O:\MyMacros\ChangeText.bas

Then, use Global File Changer’s easy-to-use file selector to build your list of files to process and the macro will be run on all of the selected files. (There is much more information on all of the uses of key files in the Global File Changer User’s Guide.)


FileFixer

I keep running FileFixer on my file and the same errors keep showing up in the report. Why is nothing getting fixed?

There are two ways that FileFixer can be run in “Automatic Design File Repair” mode:

1. You can have FileFixer work on the file directly and create a backup of the original file.

2. You can have FileFixer work on a copy of the file and leave the original file untouched.

FileFixer defaults to the latter. So you're really processing the same file repeatedly instead of processing a series of files that are progressively becoming error free. Look in the directory of the file that you were repairing for a file with a .fix extension. This is the file that FileFixer has repaired.

If you would like to change FileFixer so it creates a backup file and works on the original:

1. Open FileFixer

2. Click on Settings | Change Settings… | General… and click on the long button that says “Work on copy (.fix) of original file. Leave original untouched.”

3. Change it to “Work on original file. Create backup. (.bkp)”.

4. Then, in the “Backup file extension:” field, enter: “bk?”.

These settings changes will allow you to work on the original file and create successive backups each time you process your file with FileFixer.


Microsoft Office Importer

Why do I have to manually update spreadsheet links even when I have Microsoft Office Importer?

MicroStation

Most likely, you don’t have the MicroStation configuration variableMS_DGNAPPS set to load Microsoft Office Importer when your design files open. If you want Microsoft Office Importer to update your pasted text from the source document automatically when the design file opens, you need to modify your Axiom configuration file (AXIOM.CFG). AXIOM.CFG is located where MicroStation is installed under \MicroStation\config\appl.

Here’s how:

1. Go to …\MicroStation\config\appl\

2. Using Notepad.exe, open the file called “axiom.cfg”.

3. Add the following line:MS_DGNAPPS > $(AXI)office/office.ma 4. Save the file and restart MicroStation.

Another possibility is that the setting to automatically update pastes is not toggled on. This is easy to solve.

1. Load Microsoft Office Importer.

2. Press the "Settings" icon from the palette.

3. Set the "Category" to "Linking".

4. Toggle on the feature labeled "Update automatcially when design file opens."

AutoCAD

1. Load Microsoft Office Importer.

2. Press the "Settings" icon from the palette.

3. Set the "Category" to "Linking".

4. Toggle on the feature labeled "Update automatcially when drawing file opens."


Family Studio

Which versions of Revit are supported by Family Studio?

We support Revit 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Can I search for my “families” in multiple Revit projects with Family Studio?

Family Studio currently searches within the active Revit project file (.rvt). We are always looking for feedback on our products to find ways we can improve them for you. Please let us know if there are any other places you want to search.

Will my search terms only be matched with the family name?

Not “only” with the family name, but you can choose to search only by the family names if you want. Family Studio allows you to search the way you want to search. You can decide to choose any combination of these five distinct ways: by category, by family name, by family type, by parameter name and by parameter value.

Can I create an instance from the family type once I have found it?

Yes. Family Studio allows you to simply drag and drop from the results of your search or you can right-click and choose to create an instance from the drop-down menu.

What can I do with Family Studio?

You can easily search for loaded families. You can see their types and parameters and a thumbnail of the family. You can also place an instance of any available type.

Is Family Studio easy to use?

Yes, it’s incredibly easy.

Can I leave Family Studio open while I work?

We recommend that you do!

Is Family Studio hard to learn?

No. It has about a sixty-second learning curve. If you can use Google, you can use Family Studio.

Will you support future versions of Revit?

Definitely!

Didn’t Find Your Question?

We want to make sure you get your question answered promptly and efficiently. If your question wasn’t answered, please e-mail us at Support@AxiomInt.com, call us at 727-442-7774 or head over to our Axiom Support page.

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