Why cannot open .aix? - AI 25.0 update cannot "see" my ArcGIS Maps for Adobe CC extension

[KennethWright]

Hi - as of today (22 Oct 2020) my Illustrator cannot open .aix files ("unknown format and cannot be opened") as in the screenshot. I think this is related to an Illustrator update to 25.0. I can't figure how to resolve this. I'm installing on my desktop computer, I'm the administrator. I'm signed in both to my Adobe CC and ArcGIS accounts. I have re-installed Illustrator 3 times now, and the extension several times, too, trying different parameters.

My standard install is downloading from the ESRI AM for ACC website with default folder locations and selecting "Anyone who uses this computer (all users)". I can see the extension installs files into what I believe is the correct folder (I've attached a Windows Explorer view of it). I think this remains the correct folder because I tried installing a random (and free) extension from the Adobe Exchange website (EAN13 Generator, it apparently makes bar codes) and it installed to this same folder and can be seen in Illustrator just fine (at the bottom of the attached Windows Explorer view as "com.mslv.ean"). The second screen shot is from inside Illustrator, having clicked Window - Extensions. I can see the new "EAN13 Generator" but what I really want to see is the ArcGIS Maps extension so I can continue my work.

Hoping there's an easy solution --  Ken

[MaryMc]

I have Illustrator v 25 and the ArcGIS Maps extension has not been updated to work with this version. I would like to know when because in an above posted dated Oct 2020 (6 months ago), the person states "We are working with Adobe to have the issue addressed."

[MadhuraPhaterpekar]

hi @MaryMc , 

Could you please confirm the version of the extension? Our latest version supports Illustrator v 25. Please see my previous post to download and install the latest. If you still have issues after installing the latest version of the plugin then let me know. We can take a look. 

[MaryMc]

Hi! Today I reinstalled Illustrator v25 for my iMac and reinstalled the extension from the Esri website 2x. The extension version is 2.2.1.

[MadhuraPhaterpekar]

Hi @wparra_ripco , @MaryMc 

Thanks for responding to my questions. Thats unexpected - v 2.2.1 should work with Illustrator 25. Sometime the order of installation can be an issue. Could you please email me at mphaterpekar@esri.com
It might be better to look into this in depth. Once we learn what the issue is I can update this post with more information.

Thank you. 

[PeterKnoop]

@MadhuraPhaterpekar We have users experiencing this as well on their Macs; getting the "unknown format and cannot be opened" error when trying to open a .aix file in Illustrator 2021.

The machines in question are all macOS Big Sur 11.2.1, Adobe Illustrator 25.2, and ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud 2.2.1. The machines were updated to their current states in various ways. Manually un-installing/re-installing the ArcGIS Maps extension does not help.

Rolling Illustrator back to 2020 (version 24.3), and then installing the ArcGIS Maps extension (version 2.2.1) restores the ability to open .aix files, however, we of course would rather be using Illustrator 25.2.

[MadhuraPhaterpekar]

ArcGIS Maps for Adobe Creative Cloud is compatible with Adobe Illustrator v25.0 and v25.0.1. Recent updates to Adobe Illustrator starting with v25.1 have resulted in an issue that impacts opening .aix files on Mac only environments (Windows is not impacted). We are working on an update that will resolve this. In the meanwhile, rolling back Illustrator will help. Details posted here.  

[MadhuraPhaterpekar]

Update: New version v2.2.2 (for macOS only) addresses compatibility issues with opening .aix files in recent Illustrator versions. macOS users are recommended to download this version to continue working with Illustrator version 25.1 and above. Details posted here. 

[PoojanPatel]

Hey, I am getting myself into the same problem, I've tried downloading Illustrator V25.0 and opening the Arcgis file, but it brings up the error. I also have tried the latest version.