AutoCAD Tips, Techniques & Tutorials

Drawing

• Label the scale of individual viewports New
• Automatically display the plotting scale on your AutoCAD drawing New
• Create a circle tangent to a line New
• A different way to create an ellipse or oval New
• Combine/subtract shapes (REGION command) for custom shapes New
• Choose a useful point style in AutoCAD New
• How to break walls to insert a door New
• Create a block in AutoCAD New
• Insert a block in AutoCAD New
• Create shapes to insert over and over New
• Create objects with transparency in your AutoCAD drawing New
• Clean your screen with AutoCAD’s Clean Screen feature New
• Ditch dialog boxes with the command-line form of commands New
• Draw a circle centered in a rectangle New
• Open AutoCAD wiht a specific template
• Close AutoCAD quickly and safely and get home earlier!
• Get rid of the default grid in AutoCAD
• Make hatching in AutoCAD easy
• Tutorial: Create cool curves with splines in AutoCAD
• Switching among open AutoCAD drawings
• Keep your own styles, layers & blocks at the top of the list
• Draw fast, accurate revision clouds
• Manage embedded shapes (islands) when hatching in AutoCAD
• Dynamic blocks in AutoCAD--When and why?
• Repeat an AutoCAD command automatically
• AutoCAD Tutorial: Attach an xref
• Create a table on the fly with Excel data
• Using Dynamic Input, or not
• Ending the line command
• Easy hatching
• Rotating the crosshairs
• Getting back the R14 full-screen cursor
• Creating exponents using stacked text
• Toggling the display of grips within blocks
• Customize polar tracking angles
• Find the midpoint between two points and the center of a triangle
• Draw minor and clockwise arcs
• Pre-specify an angle
• Chain dynamic blocks
• Dynamic blocks: the white papers
• Open a drawing to a named view
• Dynamic blocks tutorial
• Avoid drawing temporary construction lines
• Tutorial: Display the area of an enclosed figure
• Flip objects with dynamic blocks
• Align a block to other objects with dynamic blocks
• Repeat previous commands
• AutoCAD Tutorial: Create a dynamic block of a door
• Control the display of tooltips
• Select a block before a writeblock or edit
• Use the Dashboard to display a related tool palette
• Create a circle with a width
• Control hatch origin
• Work faster with AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts
• Tutorial: Create a simple sheet set
• Temporarily override object snap settings
• All the ways to open a drawing
• Menus: Create a drop-down menu
• Draw with tiled viewports
• Divide up a polyline or spline
• Removing duplicate and overlapping objects
• AutoCAD Tutorial: Calculate scale and sheet size
• Use the Shift key as a shortcut
• Find coordinates
• Create a polyline from the boundary of existing objects
• AutoCAD Tutorial: Create regions for mix-it-up, 2D/3D flexibility
• AutoCAD Tutorial: Create a rectangle with an adjustable corner, Part I
• Marking revisions with a revision cloud
• Use tool palettes to save and place user-defined hatch patterns
• Tips on viewing your drawing
• Speed up your display for more productivity in AutoCAD

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Editing

• Use a Standards file to bring an AutoCAD drawing into line New
• Fix old, messy AutoCAD drawings New
• A different way to create an ellipse or oval New
• Combine/subtract shapes (REGION command) for custom shapes New
• How to break walls to insert a door New
• Keep blocks accessible–Part IV: A block library New
• Keep blocks accessible–Part III: Content Explorer New
• Keep blocks accessible–Part II: DesignCenter New
• Keep blocks accessible–Part I: Tool Palettes New
• Move objects between model and paper space New
• Move an object the same displacement by pressing Enter 3 times New
• Select similar objects and apply an editing command to them New
• Make an object’s layer the current layer New
• Control the shape of objects when you edit them with parametrics New
• Create views in your AutoCAD drawing New
• Move block attributes in an AutoCAD drawing
• Another way to align a rectangle--with AutoLISP
• Align a rectangle with a line on the fly
• Create a quick polar array: ROTATE command’s Copy option
• How to merge layers in AutoCAD
• Select objects: Prompt secrets
• Avoid reselecting objects in editing commands that go wrong
• Use Quick Select to select objects
• Drag-and-drop moving and copying
• Joining two lines into one
• Breaking a line into two
• Redefining a block without losing your insertion point
• Setting a system variable on the tool palette
• Copy as you edit with grips & create multiple leader arrows
• Rotate one object to match another
• Return to previous view in pan or zoom realtime, or in 3D Orbit
• Tutorial: Use fields for titleblock text
• Break objects quickly
• Close an arc to make a circle or ellipse; connect splines
• Trim objects quickly
• Zoom to objects
• Substitute one block for another
• Temporarily override OSNAP, ORTHO, and other drafting settings
• Dealing with gaps
• Properties palette-Work smarter by undoing changes within the palette
• Use groups for flexibility
• AutoCAD tutorial: Replace one block with another block
• AutoCAD Tutorial: Save and use layer states
• Copy objects between drawings
• Write blocks to save them as separate files
• Extend lines to make corners with chamfer
• Another Break Objects Quickly AutoLISP routine
• Use all of your selection options
• AutoCAD tutorial: Create a complex selection filter
• Change the scale of blocks and hatches in tool palettes
• Add formulas to a table
• Tutorial: Override a dimension
• AutoCAD tutorial: Create a cell style for a table
• Clip xrefs and blocks
• Use the DXF format to edit drawings
• AutoCAD tutorial: Extract attributes
• XPlode a block
• Precisely scale an object when you know before & after dimensions
• Tips on viewing your drawing
• Easily hide and isolate objects in AutoCAD 2011
• Stretch a circle with grips & specify the radius or change in radius
• Spacebar shortcuts
• Match properties
• Using hyperlinks

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Text & Dimensions

• Label the scale of individual viewports New
• Use a Standards file to bring an AutoCAD drawing into line New
• Fix old, messy AutoCAD drawings New
• Dimensioning basics, Part IV: Baseline and continued dimensions New
• Dimensioning basics, Part III: Angles New
• Dimensioning basics, Part II: Circles and arcs New
• Dimensioning basics, Part I: Linear dimensions New
• Measure almost anything with the MEASUREGEOM command
• Defining alternate dimension units in AutoCAD
• Using DIMEDIT to edit a dimension
• Squeeze or stretch single-line text to fit a space with TEXTFIT
• Change the font of a text style using AutoLISP
• Understanding how dimensions are associated with objects
• How to create a text style for a dimension
• Autofill AutoCAD table data like you do in Excel
• The many ways to import text
• Which font to use?
• Mtext secrets-remove formatting, combine paragraphs, change case
• Print a list of text styles
• Print a list of dimension styles
• Creating fields that update automatically (for 2000-2004)
• MTEXT-how to get a better clue of font size
• Dimension an arc length
• Formatting fractions
• Extract attributes and customize the database column headings
• Create a dimension style on the fly
• Place a dimension a fixed distance from an object
• Tutorial: Use fields for titleblock text
• Create invisible supporting notes
• Dimension in paper space
• Tutorial: Create an architectural dimension style
• Quickly format dimensions
• Tutorial: Automate annotation
• Precisely control the size of OLE text and objects
• Follow linear dimension with continued dimension
• Tutorial: Create attributes
• Convert text to Mtext and vice versa
• Dimensions and associativity
• Let AutoCAD do the math
• Tutorial: Specifying and changing line spacing
• Tutorial: Text columns
• Make dimensions look orderly by aligning them

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3D

• Create a custom UCS (User Coordinate System) in AutoCAD New
• Use the VIEWBASE command to create 2D views of your 3D model New
• Automate the creation of details and sections on a layout New
• Use cylindrical coordinates in 3D AutoCAD drawings New
• Use spherical coordinates in 3D AutoCAD drawings New
• How to cut out a groove to fit a tongue with INTERFERE
• 3D viewing tips
• Separating solids
• Converting 3D drawings into 2D drawings
• Using 3D Orbit for one object
• Do objects with thickness have tops and bottoms?
• 3D Tutorial: Draw a glass
• Create contours from elevation points
• Convert a 3D solid to a 2D drawing with a hidden view
• Transparently enter 3D Orbit
• Tutorial: Convert a 3D solid to a 3-view 2D drawing in model space
• Tutorial: Create a custom visual style
• Carve a solid with a surface
• Tutorial: Create a visual style
• Tutorial: Draw a 3D threaded bolt
• Use dynamic UCS to speed up 3D drawing
• AutoCAD tutorial: Draw 3D walls with polysolids
• AutoCAD Tutorial: Create a mesh solid jar
• Tutorial: Draw a 3D threaded bolt - video tutorial

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Plotting & Presentation

• Create mass output with the PUBLISH command New
• Label the scale of individual viewports New
• Automatically display the plotting scale on your AutoCAD drawing New
• Create a scale for plotting New
• Hyperlink to views in your drawing New
• Know what your plot will look like when you use plot styles
• Moving objects in front of or behind other objects: DRAWORDER
• Layout and plotting tips for AutoCAD
• Working with layout tabs
• Create a scaled PDF of your drawing
• Tutorial: Create a page setup for plotting
• Tips for training with multiple releases of AutoCAD
• Creating JPEG and PNG files
• Getting the perfect color
• Combining DWF files
• Tutorial: Create a plot style (color-dependent)
• Control the export of WMF images
• Plot on a black & white printer
• Display a named view in a viewport
• Save plot settings to a layout
• Tutorial: How to easily share your drawings with eTransmit
• Tutorial: Create a DWF file
• Putting an AutoCAD drawing in a PowerPoint presentation
• Save layouts with layout templates
• AutoCAD Tutorial: Create a gradient fill
• Create a multi-page PDF from the Sheet Set Manager
• Attach a PDF as an underlay
• Change the color of the screen and other elements
• Create graphics for PowerPoint and more-the WMF format

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Troubleshooting

• Keep track of what you've done with COPYHIST New
• Troubleshooting problem drawings
• Find where xrefs are hosted
• Organize files in Windows to mimic the Today file listing
• Find all named objects in a drawing
• Get lots of information about your drawing--all in one place
• Select all instances of a block
• How to stay up to date with AutoCAD

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Customization

• Create a thumbnail for opening a drawing New
• Fix old, messy AutoCAD drawings New
• Custom commands and keyboard shortcuts for a real time saver New
• Tutorial: Create a custom command for AutoCAD using AutoLISP New
• Easily share tool palettes with colleagues New
• Make the command line work the way you want it to New
• Fillets-another approach using AutoLISP New
• How to lock AutoCAD's user interface New
• Reduce mouse-clicks and increase productivity using AutoLISP
• Change the font of a text style using AutoLISP
• How to load an AutoLISP program
• Get rid of the annoying tooltip when you hover over an object
• Create a custom function in AutoCAD's calculator
• Loading AutoLISP programs quickly
• Changing the Multiple options of commands
• Creating custom toolbar buttons
• Convert slide libraries/image tile&table menus to tool palettes
• Switch between Imperial and metric measurements
• Quickly find files in support file search path
• Options you should change
• Create a custom toolbar in AutoCAD 2006 or later
• Search for templates in multiple folders
• Create a custom keyboard shortcut
• Tutorial: Create a custom command
• Add commands to tool palettes from the CUI dialog box in 2007
• Tutorial: Create a custom simple linetype
• Use command line to launch programs
• Create a shortcut to a template and workspace
• Tutorial: Create a custom workspace in AutoCAD 2006 and later
• Tutorial: Create a command alias (keyboard shortcut)
• Extract data from objects in 2008 or later
• Find and display lost toolbars
• How do I get all my AutoLISP routines to load themselves?
• Display lost custom toolbar
• Record macros with the Action Recorder
• Tutorial: Add a button to the ribbon in AutoCAD 2009
• Tutorial: Automate tasks with a script file
• Access related files with search paths
• Tutorial: Use fields to automatically label dynamic blocks
• Speed up your work with command aliases
• Manage the user interface
• Creating custom hatch patterns

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Layers

• Use a Standards file to bring an AutoCAD drawing into line New
• Maintain standards by returning objects to ByLayer settings New
• Get your layers in line with the layer translator New
• Use layers from existing drawings New
• How to merge layers in AutoCAD New
• Working faster with layers
• Printing a list of layers
• On which layer should you create blocks?
• Make a layer current -- for sure
• Tutorial: Filter the layer list
• Manage layers with LAYWALK
• Get notification when layers are added-or not

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