MX in AutoCAD

1. Make sure you have downloaded all Autodesk Service Packs for 3Dcivil. Then make sure you have MX version 2004 with Mx SP2 update installed. (build number 08.05.02.26) The missing menus in Mx in ACAD can be due to a number of things but frequently, where a machine has had different versions of Acad installed there are redundant registry entries left behind.
2. Now refer to the document /technote/FAQ : "MX in AutoCAD -dealing with menu issues"
3. We have had many installs this last year where the client is using CIVIL 3D (2006). The Official Bentley stance is that MX running inside of this environment is not supported. It is supported if the Autodesk variant is Land desktop or lower. The standard install on a clean machine with Land already running appears to work fine.
4. If the user has ONLY a Civil license, the route is to set up the desktop so that MX starts running in a 'stripped down' mode of CIVIL 3D. This is achieved if Civil starts but the profile forces an exclude of the \CIVIL\ folder, and the relevant Civil ARX files etc do not load. Using the example set up below we have Land 2005 plus CIVIL 3D (2006) and we are setting up for MX to run in 2006. So how do we achieve this?
5. Uninstall MX. Install CIVIL 3D. This comes up with Icons for CIVIL 3D, XML reporting and a Render tool. (no Map or Land 3d icons, This is as it should be)
6. Install MX 2004, plus Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 2 update. This will show as Build 08.05.02.26
7. On the desktop is an MX in CIVIL 3d icon. When it starts first time it goes in running MX with plain ACAD menus and they swap OK, and you can use MX fine. (until you start flipping profiles etc)

   Properties targets below:

   Plain Autodesk Civil 3D	MX in AutoCAD LDD 2005

   MX in CIVIL 2006	MX in CIVIL 2006

8. The problem here is that first time it is OK. If you swap to a profile in TOOLS > options other than MX then you end up with all sorts of things and the Civil menus can appear, although they do not run anything.
9. What you then need to do is make another profile current. Delete the MX profile. Exit come straight back into MX in civil.
10. Set the WORKSPACE in CIVIL to MAP mode. Save a new profile called MX. Export the fresh MX profile to an ARG file and put this in the mfw\mfa\ folder. (see the Autodesk paper on this, link at bottom)
11. Finally appended this ARG with a /p switch to the end of the MX in CIVIL target. See below. This appears to be forcing a suitable load and lets MX in Civil work OK each time, albeit you may have to not switch profiles while in MX in ACAD/ Civil. See details below:

MX in CIVIL 2006

E:\Program Files\Bentley\MX\mfw\Mfa\MiaRun.exe /menu=MXROAD /version=ACAD-4000:409 /p E:\Program Files\Bentley\MX\mfw\Mfa\MX.arg

Note: this MX profile is specifically excluding the Autodesk \CIVIL\ subfolder so you will see loads of ARX not loading messages in the command line window.

Notes below this line may not be required. The above is usually enough to get MX working inside AutoCAD Civil 3D.

While Civil is not supported RUNNING WITH MX -we are allowing Mx in AutoCAD alongside CIVIL on the same desktop.