AutoCAD 2011 has three new commands that help you hide selected objects or isolate them (hide everything except the selected objects).
The ISOLATEOBJECTS command hides all objects except those that you select. After selecting objects, right-click in the drawing area and choose
Isolate> Isolate Objects.
The HIDEOBJECTS command hides selected objects. Select the objects, right-click in the drawing area, and choose Isolate> Hide Objects.
The UNISOLATEOBJECTS command undoes either of the previous commands, displaying objects that those commands hid.
For several releases, there has been a command to isolate objects by layer, the LAYISO command. By default, LAYISO locks and fades the other layers (objects not on the same layer as the object you selected). You can use the Settings option to turn those layers off instead.
The LAYUNISO command reverses the effect of the LAYISO command.
When you create a new User Coordinate System (UCS) in AutoCAD, by default, your viewpoint doesn’t change. Here I used the 3 (3 point) option of the UCS command to create a new UCS.
Create a new UCS with the 3 point option
Sometimes, you may want to return to plan view in that new UCS to get your bearings. You can do this with the UCSFOLLOW system variable. Type it on the command line and change its value to 1.
Then, when you create the new UCS, AutoCAD puts you in plan view for that new UCS.
I just finished teaching a 2-week AutoCAD class at the local University here (Maharishi University of Management). The course was part of the Sustainable Living undergraduate major program. It was a lot of fun and the students created amazing designs and fantastic drawings of those designs. Although the time was a little tight, they really learned an incredible amount. I taught in the morning and a co-teacher went through the exercises from my book in the afternoon.
I wanted to show the head of the department what the students accomplished and thought I’d send him a PDF. I was wondering how to combine all the drawings into a PDF and could have exported each one to PDF and combined them in Adobe Acrobat, but then I thought of the sheet set feature. The students had all created layouts with titleblocks. Here’s what I did:
I opened the Sheet Set Manager (View tab>Palettes panel>Sheet Set Manager).
From the drop-down list, I chose New Sheet Set.
In the dialog box, I named the sheet set and assigned it to a folder, in this case the folder where I had saved all of the students’ drawings. All of the files and their layouts were listed.
I clicked on each one to see a display of the layout. Because many of the drawings had a Layout2 tab that the students didn’t use, I was able to remove those by just looking at the display, right-clicking and choosing Remove Sheet. No need to open the drawings!
Then I selected the sheets, clicked the Publish drop-down arrow, and chose Publish to PDF. I chose a name and location and clicked Select.
That’s it! AutoCAD created the PDF.
Create a multi-page PDF from the Sheet Set Manager
It’s that time of year again, when Autodesk allows us beta participants out of our non-disclosure agreement and lets us finally discuss all of the new features! Each year I cover them in some detail, so you can decide if you want to upgrade.
What are the biggies? New 3D surfaces are probably the biggest new addition. Transparency is important enough that the new logo alludes to it. If you drag the desktop icon over other icons, you’ll see that the left side of the black bar is actually transparent.
The AutoCAD 2011 logo
Secondary grips on polylines are cool. And you create hatches on the ribbon now. (You can still use the dialog box if you want.)
Cosmetic changes
The grid has been reworked. Instead of dots, it looks like graph paper. It’s on by default in acad.dwt, which is meant to show it off, but is kind of annoying if you don’t use the grid that much. Of course, you can open acad.dwt, turn off the grid by clicking the Grid button on the status bar, and save. This won’t affect existing templates, because the grid setting is saved in the drawing.
AutoCAD 2011 grid
The default color of the background has changed yet again. Third time in three years. This is a touchy subject with many users! This time it’s dark gray. I stick to white because it makes for better images.
The UCS icon looks a little different. No arrows. Maybe they think it looks more modern.
AutoCAD 2011 UCS icon
The Help system is Web-based. You’ll be opening HTML files. As long as you’re connected to the Internet, they’ll be from Autodesk’s Web site. The new system takes a little getting used to.
There are 5 new predefined visual styles: shades of gray, sketchy, x-ray, shaded with edges, shaded. These just mean that you can usually find a look you like without creating a custom visual style. The x-ray visual style is especially nice for working in 3D; it gives you a sense of the solidarity of objects (unlike wireframe), yet you can see the back sides and edges of objects.
Parametric Constraints Updated
A new button on the status bar, Infer Constraints, automatically creates constraints based on your geometry.
You can relax constraints temporarily by pressing the Ctrl key. It’s easier to hide and show the constraints that you want. There are now individual commands for all of the GEOCONSTRAINT options, for less fussing to get where you want to go. For example to set a geometric constraint for parallel lines, you would use the GCPARALLEL command. The same is true for the DIMCONSTRAINT command; for example, there’s a new DCLINEAR command.
You can create parameter filters to help you display and hide just certain parameters.
Secondary Grip Editing
Polylines have grips at the midpoints of their segments, called secondary grips. You can use them to convert the segment to an arc (or to a line if it’s an arc), stretch it, or add a vertex. You can do the same with the traditional grips, now called primary grips.
New Transparency Property
Objects can now be transparent and you can set the transparency percentage. Transparency is an object property just like color and linetype, so you can create layers with transparency. You’ll probably want to use transparency for fills and gradients; it doesn’t do much for the outlines of objects. Here you see some trees at 60% transparency, showing the outline of the house through them.
Transparency in AutoCAD 2011
New Hatch Interface and Features
You now specify hatches on a new Hatch Creation ribbon tab. There’s also a Hatch Editor ribbon tab. You can get back the old Hatch and Gradient dialog box by clicking the dialog box launcher arrow to the right of the Options panel on the Hatch Creation tab, but once you get used to the ribbon interface, you’ll probably find that it works well.
Hatch Creation tab in AutoCAD 2011
Fancier Splines
Splines have new options: Method and Degree. The Method option lets you specify either fit points (as in the past) or control points (also called control vertices or CVs). When you’re using the CV method, the Degree suboption specifies the polynomial degree, which controls how many curves the spline can have between vertices. There a new suboption called knots for the Fit method that I won’t explain, because I don’t really understand it. (You can choose chord, square root, or uniform knot parameterization-got it?) Finally, you don’t have to press Enter twice at the end to finish off your spline–yay!
New 3D Surface Objects
In the 3D Modeling workspace (and there’s a new 3D Basics workspace), there’s a new tab, Surface.
AutoCAD 2011 Surface ribbon
This is a huge new feature. AutoCAD has 3 new surface types:
Blend: Creates a smooth transition between existing curves.
Patch: closes (patches) a closed model that has an open top. It’s like putting a roof on 4 walls.
Network: Creates a surface through a set of curves in the U and V directions. It’s somewhat similar to lofts, but more flexible.
There are also two modes for creating surfaces:
NURBS surfaces: You edit NURBS surfaces by moving or stretching their vertices.
Procedural surfaces: They are associative, so that when you edit them, you edit the basis for the surface, such as a spline, and the surface adjusts accordingly. (Think of how you can edit on of the objects that bounds a hatch and the hatch readjusts.) Two other names sometimes used for procedural surfaces are analytic and explicit surfaces.
You can offset, fillet, trim, and extend surfaces. Splines are more connected to surfaces now, as they are often used as the basis for surfaces.
In many cases, you can now choose whether a 3D command creates a solid or a surface.
Miscellaneous new features
AutoCAD 2011 Navigation bar
Navigation bar: There’s a new navigation bar that lives on the right side of the screen and is transparent until you hover over it. It’s the new home for the ZOOM and PAN commands, as well as ORBIT and a couple of others.
3D object snaps: There are new 3D objects snaps, such as vertex, midpoint on edge, and center of face.
Materials browser: The new Materials Browser is a separate palette rather than part of the Tool palettes. There are many new materials.
Select similar: The SELECTSIMILAR command allows you to select objects in a drawing that are similar to a selected object or objects. Select one or more objects, then right-click and choose Select Similar from the shortcut menu. The objects remain selected when you then choose an editing command, so you can immediately apply that command to the selected objects. Use the Settings option to control which object properties AutoCAD uses to compare the selected objects with others that are in the drawing.
Point clouds: Point clouds are huge arrays of points created by 3D scanners and the like. You can now attach them to your drawing.
Many people need to export image files from AutoCAD to put into reports or other documents. I have an old tip on the topic, “Creating JPEG and PNG files.” There I discussed the following methods:
JPGOUT and PNGOUT commands
The Publish to Web feature
Creating a PC3 file and plotting to file
Other subscribers added ideas, including simply taking a screen capture.
Remember that you can now output to PDF format using the EXPORTPDF command.
A subscriber just brought to my attention another way to create JPEG files. After reading that tip, he said:
One of the best methods that I have found so far is printing the AutoCAD file to a PDF file using the FREEPrimo PDF virtual printer software (http://www.primopdf.com/index.aspx). Once the AutoCAD file is in PDF format you can then open and edit it in the FREEGimp photo editing software (http://www.gimp.org/), which allows for the importation and editing of PDF files without having to have a full version of Adobe. Once you have the PDF in Gimp, and have made any changes you might desire to make, do a “Save As” to one of several image file types. In my testing I used the .jpg format. Gimp will tell you that you need to export the file to that file type, and gives you an option to change the resolution of the export. I used !00% and my .jpg looks much better than any of the results from the methods I have tried thus far.
How do you create good-looking images from AutoCAD drawings? Click the comment link to let others know.
Column text was introduced in AutoCAD 2008. Columns make fitting your text into tight spaces easier and looks more professional. You may have manually created columns in the past, but when you edited the text, the columns didn’t automatically readjust, leading to awkward spaces or lots or reformatting.
Do you sometimes want to know how many times you inserted the widget block in your drawing? Here’s a quick way:
Display the Properties palette (Ctrl+1).
Click the Quick Select button at the upper-right corner of the Properties palette.
In the Quick Select dialog box, from the Object Type drop-down list, choose Block Reference. If you choose one of the blocks before you start, the Object Type will already be set to Block Reference
From the Properties pane, choose Name.
From the Value drop-down list, choose the name of the block that you want to count.
Click OK to close the Quick Select dialog box.
The Quick Select dialog box
AutoCAD selects all the instances of the block. You can see the number in the Quick Properties panel or the Properties palette.
The Quick Properties panel shows the number of insertions of your block.
AutoCAD’s surfaces have evolved over the years. First, you could add thickness to 2D objects. I’m not sure when that happened (let me know if you do), but it was in the mid-1980s, perhaps around Release 2.6. This is still the only type of 3D objects that AutoCAD LT can create.
Later (again, I’m not sure when), you could create polygon/polyface meshes. The commands were the 3D command, the 3DFACE command, the 3DMESH command, the PFACE command, and others.
Release 2010 introduced, a new type of object, the smooth mesh. The REVSURF (revolved surface), TABSURF (tabulated surface), RULESURF (ruled surface), and EDGESURF (edge surface) commands now create the new mesh objects by default. (You can use the MESHTYPE system variable to create the older polygon mesh surface, if you want.) The new mesh objects offer much greater editing capabilities. For more information, see AutoCAD 2010 new features–scroll down to the “New mesh solids” heading and click the movie’s play button.
Because the older commands are pretty much outdated, I’ll be removing the exercises for them from the next edition of my book. But they’re still useful for people with older versions of AutoCAD and an excellent learning experience for those of you who are new to 3D drawing. So, I’ve decided to publish one of the exercises here.
In this exercise, you use the 3D command’s options to create a table and objects on the table. I assume a medium level of AutoCAD experience.
1. In AutoCAD, click New on the Quick Access toolbar or use the NEW command. Choose acad3D.dwt as the template and click Open.
2. Start the UNITS command. In the Drawing Units dialog box, set the Length unit from the Type drop-down list to Architectural. Click OK.
3. Turn on Object Snaps and set running object snaps for Endpoint and Midpoint. Switch to the 3D Modeling workspace, if your release has it.
4. Enter 3d on the command line and choose the Box option. Follow the prompts to make the tabletop:
Specify corner point of box: 1,1,30
Specify length of box: 4′
Specify width of box or [Cube]: 3′
Specify height of box: 1
Specify rotation angle of box about the Z axis or [Reference]: Press Enter.
If necessary, do a Zoom Extents to see the entire box. If you’re not in a 3D view, change the view to SE Isometric. (Use the VIEW command and choose SE Isometric from the Preset views.)
5. Start the 3D command with the Box option again. Follow the prompts to make a leg:
Specify corner point of box: 1,1
Specify length of box: 1
Specify width of box or [Cube]: 1
Specify height of box: 30
Specify rotation angle of box about the Z axis or [Reference]: Press Enter.
6. Mirror the leg, from one side of the table to the opposite side, using Midpoint object snaps for the mirror line. Then mirror the two legs in the other direction, so that you have four legs. Zoom out and pan as necessary to center the table in the drawing area. (If you have trouble finding the Midpoint object snaps, change the visual style to 2D Wireframe.)
7. Start the 3D command with the Dish option. Follow the prompts to create a bowl on the table:
Specify center point of dish: 2′,2′,35-1/2
Specify radius of dish or [Diameter]: d
Specify diameter of dish: 9
Enter number of longitudinal segments for surface of dish <16>: Press Enter
Enter number of latitudinal segments for surface of dish <8>: Press Enter
The dish’s diameter is 9, so its height is half that, or 4-1/2. The center of the dish is at height 35@@bf1/2 because the tabletop is at 31 (31 + 4-1/2 = 35-1/2).
8. Start the ELEV command on the command line. Change the elevation to 31. Leave the thickness at 0 (zero).
9. Start the 3D command with the Cone option. Follow the prompts to create a salt shaker:
Specify center point for base of cone: 2′,1′
Specify radius for base of cone or [Diameter]: 1
Specify radius for top of cone or [Diameter] <0>: .5 (That’s 0.5.)
Specify height of cone: 4
Enter number of segments for surface of cone <16>: 8
10. Start the 3D command with the Sphere option. Follow the prompts to draw an orange in the bowl:
Specify center point of sphere: 2′,2′,32-1/2
Specify radius of sphere or [Diameter]: d
Specify diameter of sphere: 3
Enter number of longitudinal segments for surface of sphere <16>: 8
Enter number of latitudinal segments for surface of sphere <16>: 8
11. Start the 3D command with the Cone option again. Follow the prompts to make a plate.
(It may not seem logical to use a cone to make a flat plate. However, it works because you can create a truncated cone that is upside down and very shallow. It’s an unusual but interesting use for the CONE command.)
Specify center point for base of cone: 1′,1′
Specify radius for base of cone or [Diameter]: 2
Specify radius for top of cone or [Diameter] <0>: 5
Specify height of cone: 1/2
Enter number of segments for surface of cone <16>: Press Enter
12. Start the 3D command with the Wedge option. Follow the prompts to make a wedge of cheese on the plate:
Specify corner point of wedge: 10,10
Specify length of wedge: 5
Specify width of wedge: 2
Specify height of wedge: 2
Specify rotation angle of wedge about the Z axis: 30
13. Start the 3D command with the Pyramid option. Follow the prompts to draw a pyramidal pepper shaker:
Specify first corner point for base of pyramid: 2′6,2′6
Specify second corner point for base of pyramid: @1,0
Specify third corner point for base of pyramid: @0,1
Specify fourth corner point for base of pyramid or [Tetrahedron]: @-1,0
Specify apex point of pyramid or [Ridge/Top]: t
Specify first corner point for top of pyramid: @1/4,1/4,3
Specify second corner point for top of pyramid: @-1/4,1/4,3
Specify third corner point for top of pyramid: @-1/4,-1/4,3
Specify fourth corner point for top of pyramid: @1/4,-1/4,3
14. Choose Home tab@@>View panel@@>Visual Styles drop-down list@@>Conceptual (the VSCURRENT command). Turn off the grid if it’s on. You can now visualize the drawing better.
15. Save your drawing. It should look like the figure below.
The table with a plate, wedge of cheese, bowl, orange, and non-matching salt and pepper shakers.
A revision cloud is an often-used means to indicate that certain areas of a drawing contain revisions. The cloud draws attention to the revision. It’s similar to using Track Changes in Microsoft Word, or highlighting text. The revision cloud circles the revised objects.
A revision cloud
To add a revision cloud, choose Home tab> Draw panel (expanded)> Revision Cloud, or start the REVCLOUD command. You see the following prompt:
Minimum arc length: 2′-8″ Maximum arc length: 2′-8″ Style: Normal
Specify start point or [Arc length/Object/Style] <Object>:
The first line shows the existing settings. Use the Arc Length option to set the minimum and maximum arc lengths that make up the cloud. The maximum can be up to 3 times the minimum. When you create a range, the result looks more hand drawn. You can pick each arc point to control the size of the arcs, but if your picks are longer than the maximum arc length, AutoCAD creates the arc automatically.
Use the Object option to select an object and place the cloud around that object. The object must be a polyline, spline, or circle.
A revision cloud around an object
You often need to change the arc length to make a revision cloud look good around various sized areas.
Use the Style option to choose either Normal (the default) or Calligraphy, which creates beautiful clouds that look as if they’re created with a calligraphy pen.
A revision cloud using the Calligraphy style
When you’re done with your settings, just drag around the area to draw the revision cloud. When you get back to the beginning, AutoCAD closes the cloud for you. You can end the cloud at any point by pressing Enter; use this technique to create an unclosed cloud. Drawing a revision cloud is different from other drawing tasks because you drag rather than specify start and end points.
Blocks and basepoints go hand-in-hand. Knowing how to work with basepoints can make your life much easier. It’s so frustrating to insert a block and have it disappear into outer space because the basepoint is in the wrong location!
The Basepoint option of the INSERT command
When you insert a block, a Basepoint option appears with the Specify insertion point: prompt. When you use this option, you can move the insertion base point of the block to anywhere you want. This option can be really helpful sometimes but I don’t think it’s used very often.
The BASE command
A block library often has one block per drawing. You save each block in its own drawing. By default, the basepoint of a drawing is 0,0. But unless you put the block right at 0,0, you’ll want to change that. (Another option that works is to use WBLOCK and choose to write just the block. Then, the basepoint is taken from the block and is in the right place.)
Use the BASE command in the drawing containing the block to specify the origin of the drawing, which is usually on an object snap somewhere on the block. Then, when you insert the drawing, your basepoint will be right on the block.
The Basepoint parameter for dynamic blocks
Creating a Basepoint parameter
For a dynamic block, the Basepoint parameter sets a base point for the block. This is useful when you’re turning a block into a dynamic block and want to change the basepoint. You add a Basepoint parameter in the Block Editor, from the Parameters tab of the Block Authoring Palettes, as you see here. The basepoint functions like any other block basepoint.
During insertion of a dynamic block, you can use the Basepoint option as I described earlier.
But you can do something else with dynamic blocks.
While you’re inserting a dynamic block, you can press Ctrl to cycle among the grips if their Cycling property is set to Yes. (By default, it is.) Each time you press Ctrl, the cursor moves to another grip on the block. This lets you visually see the results of each basepoint before you commit to inserting the block.
To check the Cycling property, double-click the block to open the Edit Block Definition dialog box, and click OK to open the Block Editor. Click any grip and open the Properties palette. Look for the Cycling property in the Misc section, as you see here.
Cycling property of dynamic blocks in AutoCAD
If the Cycling property is set to No, click the item, click the drop-down arrow, and choose Yes.
Do you have any other tips for controlling blocks with basepoints?
Click the Quick Select button at the upper-right corner of the Properties palette.
