Just follow these steps:

Tommy’s approach is unique, I think. Instead of drawing the lines first, the AutoLISP routine prompts you for points, which are the endpoints of the lines. Here are the [...]]]>

Tommy Holder submitted a different approach to creating fillets–one that includes drawing the lines. For the earlier routine, see “Reduce mouse clicks and increase productivity with AutoLISP.”

Tommy’s approach is unique, I think. Instead of drawing the lines first, the AutoLISP routine prompts you for points, which are the endpoints of the lines. Here are the steps:

1. Download fl.lsp. FL.lsp (click to download)
2. Unzip the file.
3. Use the APPLOAD command to load fl.lsp in a location that is in AutoCAD’s support file search path.
4. On the command line, type fl and press Enter.
5. At the Enter points : prompt, specify the first line’s start point.
6. The prompt repeats, so specify the first line’s end point (which is also the second line’s start point)
7. Next, specify the second line’s endpoint and press Enter.
8. At the Enter BEND RADIUS <1.0000>: prompt, enter the fillet radius and press Enter.

Watch the video!

Tommy Holder has 35 years experience with Ingalls Shipbuilding on the Mississippi Gulf Coast where the company has built numerous ships for the Navy. He has been a CAD designer and developer, having written many lines of code, developed many menus, and trained many users. He has been a project lead and supervisor but found that his true calling was not in management but CAD development and helping users.

The number of mouse-clicks required to perform a task is generally a good indicator of productivity. The fewer the number of clicks, the less time required–hence more productivity.

In this post we will see [...]]]>

This is a guest post by Sanjay Kulkarni, an AutoCAD programmer. You can read more about him at the end of this post.

The number of mouse-clicks required to perform a task is generally a good indicator of productivity. The fewer the number of clicks, the less time required–hence more productivity.

In this post we will see an example of reducing the number of mouse-clicks, and thus improving productivity, using AutoLISP. We will use the example of the FILLET command.

Thanks to one of the blog readers Bruce Newman, who sent a problem to me. It was the source for this post.

The most simple situation where you create a fillet is when two perpendicular lines meet. Inside the FILLET command, you select the two lines (requiring 2 clicks) and AutoCAD creates the fillet.

The equivalent AutoLISP code would be

(command “fillet” (car (entsel “\nSelect the first line: “))(entsel “\nSelect the second line: “)))

This still requires two clicks.

So, the problem now reduces to finding a method to select two lines with a single click.

Before trying in AutoLISP, let’s find out if we can do it manually. There seems to be no option or a work-around to do what we want.

Luckily, we have a single point (the intersection) that is common to both lines. So, let’s explore if we can somehow use the intersection point to select the 2 lines. If you have to click only one point to select multiple objects, obviously it should be the intersection point.

Study of selection methods shows that there are two options that base their selection on two points: crossing & window. Since W must include the objects fully, it won’t be suitable. So let’s try C option.

Use the SELECT command and then the c option and click on the intersection point in response to both points. AND …….. Both lines are selected!

The equivalent AutoLISP code would be

(setq ssLines (ssget “c” (setq pt1 (getpoint “\nSelect Intersection: “) ) pt1))

Now I can use each line to create a fillet.

(command “fillet” (ssname ssLines 0) (ssname ssLines 1))

And yes … the fillet appears!

So, here is my simple program:

(defun c:FiletByPt ()

;;; creates fillet by single click

;;; ssk 110918

(setq ssLines (ssget “c” (setq pt1 (getpoint “\nSelect Intersection: “) ) pt1))

(command “fillet” (ssname ssLines 0) (ssname ssLines 1))

)

(prompt “\nCreates a fillet by single click. Type ‘FiletByPt’”)

Note: In the command name above, FiletByPt, “fillet” is intentionally spelled “filet” to avoid confusion as you start to type the custom AutoLISP command.

To use the above code, copy and paste it into Notepad and save it as filetbypt.lsp in a location that is in AutoCAD’s support file search path. Instructions for loading the program are here.

However life is always not so simple. The lines may extend beyond the intersection point. My R&D shows that the above code still works as shown in Fig. 3.

It even works when the two lines are not perpendicular.

When two lines are selected using a single point, AutoCAD finds and trims shorter segments of each line and then creates a fillet between the two remaining segments.

There might be situations (when two lines meet at the midpoint) where the code may not work or possibly needs modification.

But, if creating fillets is a major task for you, and saving 50% of time can result in significant gain, go ahead and use this code.

Are you stuck-up with such trivial tasks that are strain on your resources? Let me know and we’ll see if I can help you with useful hints or sample code.

Sanjay Kulkarni is an experienced CAD (AutoCAD, Inventor, SolidEdge, CATIA, NX) programmer and a member of the Autodesk Developer Network. He is fluent in AutoLISP, VBA, and VB.NET. He has written for AugiWORLD and Inside AutoCAD. He can be contacted at sanganaksakha@gmail.com

TEXTFIT doesn’t work with multi-line text (MTEXT).

When you start the command, you select the single-line text and TEXTFIT puts a drag-line under the text. Just pick the [...]]]>

The TEXTFIT command lets you easily squeeze or stretch existing single-line text (TEXT or DTEXT) so you can fit it into a defined space, such as a title block.

TEXTFIT doesn’t work with multi-line text (MTEXT).

When you start the command, you select the single-line text and TEXTFIT puts a drag-line under the text. Just pick the desired endpoint and you’re done. If you want to change the start point of the text, use the Start Point option, pick a start point and then an end point.

Watch the video to see how it works.

TEXTFIT works with existing text, but you can fit single-line text into a space when you create it, using the Align or Fit Justify options. Here are the steps:

1. Start the TEXT command.
2. At the Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: prompt, type j and press Enter.
3. At the Enter an option [Align/Fit/Center/Middle/Right/TL/TC/TR/ML/MC/MR/BL/BC/BR]: prompt, type a for the Align option or f for the Fit option and press Enter.
4. At the Specify first endpoint of text baseline: prompt, specify a start point for the text.
5. At the Specify second endpoint of text baseline: prompt, specify an endpoint. You may want to turn on Ortho before specifying the endpoint.
6. If you chose the Fit option, it asks you to specify a height. This option maintains that height, distorting the letters if necessary. The Align option changes the height of the text to maintain the proportion of the letters.
7. Type your text and press Enter twice to end the command.

Thanks to Tommy Holden for the part of this tip relating to TEXTFIT.

Based on the comments, I realized that other hidden selection options might be useful to you as well.

One that I use [...]]]>

In a recent post, “Avoid reselecting objects when editing commands go wrong,” I wrote about using the Previous option when you have the Select objects: prompt. (This was from a tip contributed by Brian Glover.)

Based on the comments, I realized that other hidden selection options might be useful to you as well.

Last

One that I use often is Last. It selects the most recently created object. It’s so common to create an object and then need to move or copy it. So I just start the editing command, type l and press Enter at the Select objects: prompt, press Enter again to end selection and continue.

All

The All option selects all objects on thawed and unlocked layers in the drawing. It only selects objects in your current space (model or paper). It’s really helpful for making mass changes. Just type all and press Enter. You can’t just type a, because that’s the Add option, which I explain in the next section.

Remove and Add

Sometimes you select too many objects and want to remove an object or objects from the selection set without starting over. You can type r and press Enter, then start selecting objects to remove. If you then need to add objects to the selection set, type a and press Enter.

However, pressing Shift and selecting an object has the same effect as the Remove option and I find that simpler.

You can also remove the last object you added to the selection set with the Undo option. (But if the last action you took was removing an object from the selection set, Undo adds it!)

What are your hidden selection tips?

Or have you selected some objects, and moved them, only to find that you moved more objects than you want to — or [...]]]>

Have you ever had an editing operation go wrong? You know, you select the objects and move them, but AutoCAD snaps to the wrong location and now they’re all in the wrong place.

Or have you selected some objects, and moved them, only to find that you moved more objects than you want to — or left some behind?

Of course, this happens to all of us.

Brian Glover offers this time-saving tip and it works for all releases of AutoCAD as far back as I can remember.

Undo the command (Ctrl + Z is the easiest way).

Restart your editing command.

At the Select objects: prompt, type p and press Enter. You’ll have the same objects selected again.

If your objects ended up in the wrong place, just be more careful this time when choosing the destination.

If you left out objects, just select them now. If you included too many objects, press Shift and left-click (pick) them to remove them from the selection set.

You can retrieve previous selection sets for COPY, MOVE, STRETCH, ROTATE, SCALE, MIRROR and DRAWORDER. Let me know if it works for other editing commands–leave a comment!

If you like neat over messy, here’s the technique. Thanks [...]]]>

Revision clouds show areas of a drawing that have been recently revised. When the REVCLOUD command was introduced to AutoCAD, I thought that they were for quick and dirty indications of revised areas of a drawing. Then I saw that people liked them to be neat!

If you like neat over messy, here’s the technique. Thanks to Brian Glover for contributing this tip.

1. Draw the extents of the revision cloud using the POLYLINE, RECTANG, or CIRCLE command.
2. Start the REVCLOUD command. AutoCAD displays the current minimum and maximum Arc settings.
3. To change current settings, type A and press Enter. Follow the prompts to enter minimum and maximum settings. Size your arcs according to your page size. For 8-1/2″x 11″ (or an A sheet), use 1/8″ (about 3mm) and 1/4″  (about 6mm). For a 24″ x 36″ (or a D sheet), use 1/2″ (about 13mm) and 3/4″  (about 19mm) arcs.
4. The default option is Object, so press Enter and select the object you draw around the revised area.
5. At the Reverse Direction [Yes/No]: prompt, press Enter for No (if the revision cloud looks right) to end the command. If the cloud arcs are the opposite direction from what you want, type Y and press Enter.

Note: You can only convert one object to a revision cloud at a time. The REVCLOUD command works on any polyline (closed or not) or circle.

If you have a block library that contains variations on an object or component and you insert them at various scales and rotations angles, you [...]]]>

I’ve written posts about how to create specific types of dynamic blocks and about some of their features, but I’ve never explained when and why you would use a dynamic block.

If you have a block library that contains variations on an object or component and you insert them at various scales and rotations angles, you can probably save a lot of time with dynamic blocks. For example, you may have a desk that comes in various lengths. You can create one dynamic block to replace all the individual variations.  Moreover, your dynamic block will give you even more flexibility to add additional lengths.

It takes some time to define a dynamic block — of course, simple ones take less time but complex ones can take a long time. For this reason, the most common use for dynamic blocks is to create a block library. That means you don’t usually define  dynamic blocks for your current drawing. Instead, you create them and save them to use in future drawings.

But if  you’ll need to draw several components in variations in your current drawing, you can create a quick dynamic block to save yourself some time.

The first part of the process of creating dynamic blocks is to define the block. Here’s an overview of the workflow:

1. In your block library drawing or a new drawing, create the block.
2. Choose Home tab> Block panel> Block Editor (BEDIT command) or just double-click the block. In the Edit Block Definition dialog box, choose the block, and click OK to open the Block Editor. (You can also start the BEDIT command, name the block, and create the objects in the Block Editor.)
3. Add parameters and associated actions, or geometric parametric constraints. Here’s a tutorial on creating a dynamic block.
4. Save the block definition in the Block Editor.
5. Close the Block Editor.
6. If the drawing will contain just this block, use the BASE command to set the drawing origin where you want the insertion point to be, usually somewhere on the block. You do this when creating a block library that has one block per drawing.
7. Save the drawing.

You may want to follow this process for any number of blocks. When your blocks are defined, do the following to insert your dynamic blocks:

1. In your current drawing, either use the INSERT command to insert the drawing containing the block, or use the DesignCenter to choose the block from within the drawing.
2. Select the block to see its special grips. These grips show you where you can modify the block.
3. Usually, you click and drag a grip to modify the block. Some dynamic block parameters involve choosing a visibility or option from a drop-down list or table.

Here you see the process of stretching the desk length.

When and why do you use dynamic blocks? What is your process for creating and storing them?

Then you just select the part of the object that you want to trim and AutoCAD automatically [...]]]>

When you trim objects, the first prompt asks you for a cutting edge. Gerardo Martinez e-mailed me a reminder that you can press Enter (or right-click, depending on your right-click settings) to specify all objects as potential cutting edges.

Then you just select the part of the object that you want to trim and AutoCAD automatically trims it at the closest possible cutting edge.

So remember:

1. Start the TRIM command
2. At the Select cutting edges … Select objects or <select all>: prompt, press Enter.
3. Select the object(s) to trim.

There’s another shortcut for trimming objects—the EXTRIM command. EXTRIM lets you choose an object and then one side of the object. Here are the steps:

1. Type extrim on the command line.
2. At the Pick a POLYLINE, LINE, CIRCLE, ARC, ELLIPSE, IMAGE or TEXT for cutting edge: prompt, select one of the listed objects.
3. At the Specify the side to trim on: prompt, pick on one side of the selected object.

What tips do you have for trimming objects? Leave a comment!

He writes:

“I was recently asked if there was a quick way to put [...]]]>

You may have objects on the wrong layer–in fact, you may not want to even keep the layer those objects are on. The solution is the LAYMRG command. This is a guest post by Will Forty, who has a great blog called HowToAutoCAD.com.

He writes:

“I was recently asked if there was a quick way to put all the objects on a certain layer onto another layer, which reminded me of this little beauty that you need to know about.

LAYMRG is a command for manipulating layers in AutoCAD, and gives you the facility to merge two or more layers together so that the objects end up on the final target layer that you choose. The old layers that now contain no objects are removed, effectively merging the layers. Precisely what you’d expect from a command named LAYMRG.

Whilst this feature alone is very useful, this command can also be really helpful for getting rid of unwanted layers in your drawing. This has happened to all of us – you’re working away and there’s a layer in the drawing that refuses to allow you to delete it! Probably this is because it’s used within a block, or perhaps a block within a block, and it can be a real nightmare trying to identify where the offending object is that is using it.

A workaround to the problem is to just merge it with, say, layer 0, so that you get rid of the offending layer, and whatever was using it now is on Layer 0.

So that’s my piece for today – LAYMRG, a really useful tool you should remember!”

I just wanted to add the prompts:

At the Select object on layer to merge or [Name/Undo]: prompt, select an object on the layer that you want to delete. All objects on that layer will move to the layer you’ll specify next. The prompt repeats, so press Enter to continue.

At the Select object on target layer or [Name]: prompt, select an object on the layer that you want to merge to. All objects on the first layer will now be on this target layer.

You’ll need to confirm the change.

Will Forty’s HowToAutoCAD blog aims to show you “How to use, customise and ultimately master AutoCAD.” I suggest that you browse through the posts. If you find it valuable, you can subscribe to get e-mail updates when he publishes a new post.