AutoCAD Tips Blog

June 29, 2009

Use the Shift key as a shortcut

You can use the Shift key in AutoCAD in many ways to help make your AutoCAD tasks easier and quicker:

• Press Shift with the FILLET or CHAMFER command to change the radius to 0 and extend to lines to meet
• Press and hold Shift to temporarily override ORTHO.
• Press and hold Shift+A to temporarily override OSNAP.
• Press Shift to change TRIM to EXTEND and vice versa.
• Press Shift and pick objects to remove them from the current selection set. You can also press Shift and click a window or crossing selection.
• If you have several objects that overlap at a point, mouse over that point, press Shift and press the Spacebar repeatedly to cycle through these objects

• In the AutoCAD Text window (press F2 to open and close it), press SHIFT with a key to highlight text. For example, press Shift + Home to highlight text from the cursor to the beginning of the line. Or press Shift + the Up arrow to select the previous line of prompts.

Here are all the keyboard shortcuts I could find in AutoCAD's Help that use Shift:

• SHIFT+, Object Snap Override: Center
• SHIFT+. Toggles Polar Tracking
• SHIFT+/ Toggles UCSDETECT
• SHIFT+; Enables Object Snap Enforcement
• SHIFT+] Toggles Object Snap Tracking
• SHIFT+C Object Snap Override: Center
• SHIFT+D Disable All Snapping and Tracking
• SHIFT+E Object Snap Override: Endpoint
• SHIFT+L Disable All Snapping and Tracking
• SHIFT+M Object Snap Override: Midpoint
• SHIFT+P Object Snap Override: Endpoint
• SHIFT+Q Toggles Object Snap Tracking
• SHIFT+S Enables Object Snap Enforcement
• SHIFT+V Object Snap Override: Midpoint
• SHIFT+X Toggles Polar Tracking
• SHIFT+Z Toggles UCSDETECT

Do you know of another Shift tip? Let me know and I'll post it.

Related Tips:

• Keyboard shortcuts
• Create a custom keyboard shortcut
• Create a command alias

June 20, 2009

Precisely scale an object when you know before and after dimensions

Ken Monsanto of Bahrain Precast Concrete sent in this tip for scaling an object when you know the current and desired dimensions. For example, let's say that you have a circle with a diameter of 35 and you want to scale it so that it has a diameter of 50.

He suggested these steps:

1. Start the CAL command.

Command: cal
>> Expression: 50/35
1.42857143

2. Select the quotient 1.42857143 and copy it to the Clipboard.
3. Start the SCALE command, select the object, specify the base point, and click on the Command line. (If you don't click on the Command line, AutoCAD thinks that you want to paste a text object into your drawing.)
4. Paste the quotient from the Clipboard and press Enter.

Your circle now has a diameter of 50.

Instead of the CAL command, you can use the newer QUICKCALC command and use the calculator-like interface.

The advantage is that the command automatically copies the result to the Clipboard for you.

If you're scaling a circle, and you know the radius (or dividing by two is easy), here's an easier method. This method works in AutoCAD 2006 and later.

Follow these steps:

1. Select the circle.
2. Click one of the quadrant handles and drag inward or outward.
3. Type the new radius and press Enter.

For other techniques of changing a circle's size, see the first tip below.

Related tips:

• Stretch a circle with grips
• Precisely control the size of OLE text and objects
• Let AutoCAD do the math

June 15, 2009

AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible available for pre-ordering from Amazon.com!

I'm pleased to announce that AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible is available for pre-order from Amazon.com! I'm especially proud because this is the 10th anniversary edition! Wow!

The first edition was called AutoCAD 14 Bible. Since 2004, I've updated the book every year. Starting with 2005, the book also covered AutoCAD LT. It's now the best-selling AutoCAD book on Amazon.com.

The book is about 1200 pages and takes me about 6 months each year to update, including editing and review. I've been lucky in recent years to have the help of Melanie Perry, Brian Benton, and Lee Ambrosius.

Go check it out today!

June 14, 2009

AutoCAD Tutorial: Calculate scale and sheet size

This tutorial is unusual, because you don't need AutoCAD to do it.

You draw full size in AutoCAD. But before long, you may need to set the scale of text, dimensions, and other objects that need to be the right size after you plot on a sheet of paper. In a large drawing, such as a drawing of a house, you obviously need to scale down to fit it on a sheet of paper. For small objects, you might scale up.

You can add text and dimensions in paper space and avoid scaling. You can also use annotative text and dimensions, but you still need to choose a scale.

Let's say you have a drawing of a house. The drawing is 175 feet wide by 120 feet high. Some typical scales for an architectural drawing of a house in the United States are 1/4"=1' and 1/8"=1'.

Follow these steps:

1. Calculate the plotted size of the width at 1/4"=1'. 175' x 1/4 = 43-1/4".
2. Calculate the plotted size of the height at the same scale. 120' x 1/4 = 30".
3. Test this size on a size D sheet (34"x22"). It's too small. Test it on a size E sheet (44"x34"). It would just fit, but allowing for a title block and margin would make it too tight.
4. Recalculate the width at 1/8"=1'. 175' x 1/8 = 21-7/8".
5. Recalculate the height at 1/8"=1'. 120' x 1/8 = 15".
6. A size C sheet (22"x17") is close but you might have problems with the margins. If you can move some objects in the drawing to make it slightly narrower, you'll do fine. Otherwise, you'll need a size D sheet.
7. Sometimes, you need the scale factor, which is just how many times bigger the full size is compared to the plotted size. For a 1/8"=1' scale. multiply both sides of the equation by 8 to get 1"=8'. Then convert to inches. 8" x 12 = 96.

May 27, 2009

Top 3 Mistakes Corporate Managers Make that Cause Them to Lose Credibility, Miss Their Promotion, and Ultimately Lose Their Job!

If you're a corporate manager and wonder about the security of your job, you should read this short paper. It's a free download.

May 26, 2009

May 2009 Resource of the Month - Between the Lines
Shaan Hurley created Autodesk's first blog, containing official information from Autodesk on all its products, information about all sorts of CAD information, and Shaan's ramblings about his unusual vacations.

May 23, 2009

AutoCAD Tutorial: Create a mesh solid jar

This tutorial requires AutoCAD 2010 and shows how to create a mesh solid jar.

1. Start a new drawing using acad3d.dwt.
2. Switch to the 3D Modeling workspace by choosing it from the Workspace Switching pop-up menu on the right side of the status bar.
3. Check that the tessellation divisions are the default 3 in each direction by clicking the Mesh Modeling tab, and then the dialog box launcher arrow at the right end of the Primitives panel title bar. Click OK.

4. Still on the Mesh Modeling tab, in the Primitives panel, click Mesh Box. Follow the prompts:

Specify first corner or [Center]: Click anywhere on the XY plane.
Specify other corner or [Cube/Length]: c (for the Cube option)
Specify length: 2

5. My mesh cube was rotated so I use the ROTATE command, selected the cube, specified a corner for the base point, and then used the Reference option. At the Specify the reference angle <0>: prompt, I picked one corner, and at the Specify second point: prompt, I picked the next corner. At the Specify the new angle or [Points] <0>: prompt, I pressed Enter to align the cube with the X axis.

6. In the Subobject panel, choose Edge from the Object Filter drop-down. Then choose Move Gizmo just to the right.
7. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the bottom edge of any corner, circles in the above image. The Move Gizmo appears.
8. Move your cursor until the XY plane (yellow) highlights, then push inward (into the cube). At the Specify stretch point or [Base point/Undo/eXit]: prompt, type .25.

9. Repeat for the other corners, being careful to deselect the previous edge first by pressing Esc. I hold Shift and my mouse's wheel to transparently orbit, but you can use any method to change the viewpoint and access the other corners.

10. In the Subobject panel, switch to the Face filter and the Scale Gizmo.
11. Select the top center face. The Scale Gizmo appears. Select the XY plane (it becomes yellow -- this isn't always easy, but keep trying). At the Specify scale factor or [Base point/Undo/Reference/eXit]: prompt, enter 2.

12. On the Mesh Modeling tab, Mesh panel, click Smooth More. Select the mesh solid, and end selection.

13. To create the neck of the jar, choose Extrude Face from the Mesh Edit panel. Ctrl-select the top middle face and drag it upward. At the Specify height of extrusion or [Direction/Path/Taper angle] <2.0000>: prompt, enter .75.

14. To flatten the top, choose Add Crease from the Mesh panel. Ctrl-select the top, middle face and end selection. At the Specify crease value [Always] <Always>: prompt, press Enter.
15. On inspection, it seems like it could use more smoothing, so choose Smooth More again and select the model.

I wanted to shell out the inside, but every time I tried, AutoCAD stalled or told me "No solution for an edge." You can try it at your own risk:

1. On the Convert Mesh panel, choose Convert to Solid.

2. On the Home tab, Solid Editing panel, click the bottom drop-down list and choose Shell. Select the solid and end selection.
3. At the Remove faces or [Undo/Add/ALL]: prompt, select the top faces. I find this difficult to impossible.
4. At the Enter the shell offset distance: prompt, enter .1.

I also tried making a copy, scaling it down, putting the smaller version inside the larger one, and using the SUBTRACT command. I wasn't successful with that either. I'm open to suggestions. You can contact me through the Contact link at the bottom of this page.

Related tips:

• Carve a solid with a surface
• 3D Tutorial: Draw a glass
• AutoCAD 2010 new features

May 18, 2009

Removing duplicate and overlapping objects

Duplicate and overlapping objects waste ink and mean that your drawing isn't accurate. However, often, they're invisible.

The OVERKILL command, part of Express Tools, can help. This command deletes duplicate objects and goes further to combine overlapping lines and arcs. However, it's not on the menu, toolbar, or ribbon, so you have to type it on the command line. For that reason, many people don't know about it.

When you start the command, the next prompt is Select objects: and you can type all and press Enter to apply the command to the entire drawing. Then press Enter again to end object selection.

The Overkill dialog box opens.

To keep the default settings, just click OK. If there are duplicate or overlapping objects, you'll see a message like this:

1 object(s) deleted.

You can specify lots of settings to control the process. For example, you can check the Ignore LAYERS check box to delete overlapping lines, even if they are on different layers.

The Numberic Fuzz text box determines how exact two objects must be to be considered duplicates. The default, 0.000001, deletes almost exact objects. You can change this to 0, to delete only objects that are exactly on top of each other.

The PLINES check box, on by default, removes duplicate line or arc segments within a polyline, or lines and arcs that overlap a polyline. If you uncheck this, the command only removes duplicates of entire polylines.

The OVERLAP check box, also on by default, combines objects that partially overlap into one object.

The END to END check box combines objects that don't overlap, but are end to end, such as two colinear lines with one common endpoint.

Click OK to execute the command.

Related tips

Use all of your selection options

Quickly select objects with Quick Select

May 7, 2009

Let AutoCAD do the math

There are several ways you can let AutoCAD do some quick arithmetic for you when you need a distance. Let's say you're drawing a line and you want to use direct distance entry to specify the length. What you know is that that line should be 4.372 plus 3.925. Of course, you could use a hand calculator or (gasp!) take out a pencil and paper and do the math.

Use an AutoLISP expression

Tony Dakin suggested the following method, which uses an AutoLISP expression. At the Specify next point or [Undo]: prompt, enter the following:

(+ 4.372 3.925)

1. Start with a left parenthesis.
2. Next comes the operator, such as. + - * or /.
3. Add a space
4. Add the first number
5. Another space
6. Add the second number
7. Close the parentheses.

Use the CAL command

There's another way: you can use the old CAL command. Here's how:

At the Specify next point or [Undo]: prompt, enter 'cal and press Enter.

At the >>>> Expression: prompt, simply enter 4.372 + 3.925 and press Enter.

Enter math expressions in dialog box text boxes and the Properties palette

Did you know that you can enter expressions in dialog boxes and the Properties palette? Just type the expression, such as 4.372+3.925 and press Alt-Enter (don't forget to press the Alt key!) You may have to press Enter to complete the change. For example, you can use this method to change the radius of a circle in the Properties palette.

For this to work, the CALCINPUT system variable must be set at 1, which is the default setting.

Related tips:

• Find midpoint between two points
• Pre-specify an angle
  
  

April 29, 2009

May 2009 Resource of the Month -AutoCAD Tip of the Day
Lots of cool AutoCAD tips that you'll find helpful in your everyday work.

April 18, 2009

Divide up a polyline or spline

Ever need to place an object evenly along a polyline or spline? For example, you may want to divide a plat into equal sections or 40' sections. For whatever reason, you can do this easily using the DIVIDE or MEASURE command.

These commands are especially useful when your object is a curvey polyline or spline for which the COPY and ARRAY commands are useless.

By default, these commands place point objects, but they can also place a block of your choice. Even better, you can rotate the block along the polyline or spline if you want.

If you want to place a point object, first set a point style that you can see. If you want to place a block, create the block. If you use a block, be sure that the block's insertion point is at the center of the block, so that the block will be nicely centered on your polyline or spline.

The DIVIDE command places a point object or block evenly along your object, dividing it into equal portions (but it doesn't actually break the object or affect it in any way.) To use the DIVIDE command, follow these steps:

1. Start the DIVIDE command.
2. At the Select object to divide: prompt, chosoe the object along which you want to place the points or blocks.
3. At the Enter the number of segments or [Block]: prompt, enter the number of segments you want to create, or enter b to use the Block option.
4. If you use the Block option, at the Enter name of block to insert: prompt, type the block's name. At the Align block with object? [Yes/No] <Y>: prompt, enter y or n. Then the Enter the number of segments: prompt returns. Specify a number.

AutoCAD places the points or blocks evenly spaced along your object..

The MEASURE command is similar to the DIVIDE command, but places the points or blocks at a spacing your specify. Here's how to use it:

1. Start the MEASURE command.
2. At the Select object to measure: prompt, select the object along which you want to place the points or blocks.
3. At the Specify length of segment or [Block]: prompt, specify the distance between points or enter b to use the Block option.
4. If you use the Block option, at the Enter name of block to insert: prompt, type the block's name. At the Align block with object? [Yes/No] <Y>: prompt, enter y or n. Then the Specify length of segment: prompt returns. Specify a spacing.

AutoCAD places the points or blocks spaced at the distance you specified..

Related tips

Create contours from elevation points

April 14, 2009

Draw with tiled viewports

Tiled viewports let you divide up the drawing area into tiles and display different parts of your drawing in each. The great thing about tiled viewports is that you can draw from one viewport to another without missing a beat, making them great for large drawings where you need to alternate between working in detail in a small area and working in a larger area. In fact, it's common to use one viewport for a view of the entire viewport, and others for zoomed in details.

You can set up a wide variety of configurations of tiled viewports, and set the view however you want in each one, using standard zooming and panning. But no matter how you set them up, they always take up the entire drawing area, unlike floating viewports.

Note: Floating viewports are for laying out a drawing in paper space for plotting. Tiled viewports are for drawing and editing.

Only one tiled viewport can be active at a time. The crosshairs appears only in the active viewport. Just click inside a viewport to make it active. Then you can draw or edit there, in the same way you usually do in model space, when you only have one viewport, which is the default.

Create tiled viewports

To choose from preset tiled viewport configurations, choose View> Viewports> New Viewports. In AutoCAD 2009 and 2010, go to View tab> Viewports panel> New. This opens the Viewports dialog box.

Choose one of the options to see its preview. Note that at the bottom, you can make the following adjustments:

• Apply to: You can use the default Display option to apply the configuration to the entire drawing area. Alternatively, you can choose Current Viewport from the drop-down list to divide up an existing viewport. In this way, you can create customized configurations.
• Setup: You can choose 2D or 3D. If you choose 3D, AutoCAD creates standard orthogonal views of your model for you.
• Change view to: You can choose named views that you've saved from this drop-down list.
• Visual Style: For 3D drawings, you can choose a visual style.

Use tiled viewports

Once you have your viewports, click inside each one and zoom and pan until you have the view that you want. You work inside a viewport in the same way you would without them. Think of the usual way you work as a single tiled viewport.

Let's say that you need to draw a line from the far left of your drawing to the far right. With the configuration shown above, you can zoom in to the left side of your drawing in the lower-left viewport, and zoom in to the right side of your drawing in the lower-right viewport. Then follow these steps:

1. Click in the lower-left viewport and start the LINE command.
2. Specify the start point as needed.
3. At the Specify next point or [Undo]: prompt, click the top viewport and move the cursor to the approximate location of the endpoint at the right side of your drawing.
4. Click the lower-right viewport. Now you see the endpoint of the line. Specify the endpoint and press Enter to end the LINE command.

You can use a similar technique for editing as well.

Save and restore viewport configurations

If you have a custom configuration that you like, you can save it. Choose View> Viewports> New (View tab> Viewports panel> New in 2009/2010), which opens the Viewports dialog box with the Named Viewports tab on top. The current configuration is highlighted, named Active Model Configuration. Enter a name in the New Name text box. The name can be up to 255 characters and can include spaces. Click OK.

Tp restore a saved configuration, choose View> Viewports> Named Viewports (View tab> Viewports panel> Named (Viewports) in 2009/2010). This opens the same Viewports dialog box, but with the Named Viewports tab on top. Choose the configuration you saved, and click OK.

Tip: Did you know that you can used saved tiled viewport configurations to make configurations of floating viewports? You use the same Viewports dialog box to create floating viewports on a layout and you'll find your saved viewport configurations on the Named Viewports tab, ready to use in paper space.

Remove tiled viewports

You can remove tiled viewports in two ways:

• Join two viewports: Choose View> Viewports> Join (View tab> Viewports panel> Join (Viewports) in 2009 and 2010). At the Select dominant viewport <current viewport>: prompt, click inside the viewport you want to keep (or press Enter to keep the active viewport). Then, at the Select viewport to join: prompt, click inside an adjacent viewport. The resulting view is the same as the dominant viewport.
• Return to one viewport: Choose View> Viewports> 1 Viewport. (In 2009 and 2010, View tab> Viewports panel> Select a Viewport Configuration/Viewport Configuations drop-down list> Single.)

Related tips:

• Display a named view in a viewport
• Zoom to objects

April 6, 2009

Create a page setup for plotting

Do you change your plot settings a lot? Do you plot drawings in various ways, for example, a draft plot and a final plot? Or do you create various layouts and need to plot them differently?

You can save page setups, which contain settings for plotting. A page setup is attached to a layout, so you can easily switch settings from one layout to another.

Creating a page setup is like specifying plotting settings, so you should know how to use the Plot dialog box first.

1. To create a new page setup, right-click the desired tab (including the Model tab), and choose Page Setup Manager. (If you don't see the layout tabs, you have model and layout buttons on the status bar. Right-click either button and choose Display Layout and Model tabs.)

2. In the Page Setup Manager, click New. Enter a name. If you have existing page setups, you can choose one from the Start With list, to avoid having to create all the settings from scratch. Click OK.

3. In the Printer/Plotter section, choose the desired printer or plotter from the drop-down list. This lets you use different devices for different layouts.
4. In the Paper Size section, choose a paper size. This allows you to use different sheet sizes for different layotus.
5. In the Plot Area section, choose what you want to plot. Your choices depend on whether you're on a Model or Layout tab, and can include: Layout, Display, Limits, Extents, and Window.
6. In the Plot Offset section, you can specify an offset from the lower-left corner. You might do this to place several plots on different parts of one sheet of paper. You can also cneter the plot by checking the Center the Plot check box.
7. In the Plot Scale section, set the scale from the drop-down list, or check the Fit to Paper check box. You can also type a scale int eh text boxes. Most layouts are plotted at 1:1 because you scale the individual viewports. You can also check the Scale Lineweights check box to scale the lineweights along with your drawing.
8. In the Plot Style Table section, choose a plot style table if you want to use one. Plot styles determine how plots look and let you create different looks for different plots.
9. In the Shaded Viewport Options section, you specify how a model plot (not a layout plot) looks. You can choose from visual styles and resolution options. The Shade Plot drop-down list is not available if you're on a Layout tab. You can also choose a quality from the Quality drop-down list.
10. In the Plot Options section, you can choose whether or not you want to plot lineweights and plot styles. You can also choose whether you want to plot paper space objects last. Finally, if you created 3D objects in paper space (who ever does that?), you can hide their back lines.
11. In the Drawing Orientation section, you can plot portrait, landscape (the default), or upside down.
12. Click the Preview button to see if you like the result.
13. Click OK to return to the Page Setup Manager. Select the new page setup, click Set Current, and click Close.

To modify a page setup, open the Page Setup Manager again, choose the page setup, and click Modify.

To use the page setup, start the PLOT command. In the Plot dialog box, choose the page setup from the Name drop-down list in the Page Setup section at the top of the dialog box. Then plot the drawing.

March 25, 2009

April, 2009 Resource of the Month

Autodesk launched a new AutoCAD resource site, called AutoCAD Exchange. It includes the existing discussion groups, a social media component, tips, videos, Ask the Expert sessions, even humor. You can share your own content and AutoCAD tips. You can search for, and invite people to join your group of contacts.

To invite people, click Networking> Network. There, you can search for people you know or browse through the current members. I invite you to add me as a contact!

March 24, 2009

AutoCAD 2010 ships

AutoCAD 2010 has shipped and you can now download the 30-day trial to see if you like it. Read about the new features here.

March 22, 2009

Creating custom hatch patterns

While AutoCAD comes with a large variety of hatch patterns, you can also create your own. This feature has been around for many years.

Hatch patterns are stored in files with a file extension of .pat. You can add your hatch to the default acad.pat or create your own .pat file. As always, don’t forget to make a copy of acad.pat or acadlt.pat before you edit it.

If you create your own .pat file, here are some points to remember:

• If you aren’t adding patterns to acad.pat or acadlt.pat, you can put only one hatch pattern in a custom .pat file; the filename and pattern name must be the same
• You can insert comments in your .pat file after a semicolon
• You must press Enter after the end of the last line of the hatch definition

Note: To find the location of acad.pat or acadlt.pat, right-click the drawing area and choose Options; then click the Files tab. Double-click the Support File Search Path item to display the location of the support files.

The syntax for hatch patterns is as follows:

*pattern-name[, description]

angle, x-origin,y-origin, delta-x,delta-y [, dash1, dash2, ...]

Hatch-pattern definitions have a few rules:

• The description is optional; if you include one, precede it with a comma.
• Add the dash specifications only for noncontinuous lines.
• You can have more than one definition line (the second line in the syntax I just showed), creating sets of hatch definitions that combine to create the hatch pattern.
• Each definition line can be no more than 80 characters.
• You can include a maximum of six dash specifications (which include spaces and dots).
• You can add spaces in the definition lines for readability.

This following explains the meaning of the terms in the definition:

• Angle: Defines the angle of the lines in the hatch pattern. If you also specify an angle in the Boundary Hatch and Gradient dialog box when you place the hatch, AutoCAD adds the two angles.
• X-origin: Specifies the X coordinate of the base point of the hatch pattern. Your hatch probably won’t go through 0,0; however, this point lines up sets of lines in hatch patterns, as well as aligning hatch patterns in different areas. Because all hatch patterns are calculated from the base point, they’re always aligned, no matter where they actually appear in the drawing.
• Y-origin: Specifies the Y coordinate of the base point of the hatch pattern.
• Delta-x: Specifies the offset of successive lines. This applies only to dashed lines and is measured along the direction of the lines. Specifying a delta-x staggers each successive line by the amount that you specify so that the dashes don’t line up.
• Delta-y: Specifies the distance between lines, measured perpendicular to the direction of the lines. This applies to both continuous and dashed lines.
• Dash: Defines a noncontinuous line using the same system as linetype definitions: positive for a dash, negative for a space, and 0 for a dot.

Let's look at a couple of examples.

*ftrailer, proposed future trailers
105, 0,0, 0,0.5, .5,–.25,0,–.1,0,–.25

This hatch has an angle of 105 degrees, an origin of 0,0, a delta-x of 0, a delta-y of 0.5 (the spacing between lines), and then defines a non-continuous linetype (dash, space, dot,space,dot,space)

Here's a more complex example:

*trail, whole trailers-proposed
0, 0,0, 0,2, .5,–1
90, 0,0, 0,1.5, .5,–.25,0,–.25,.5,–.5
90, .5,0, 0,1.5, .5,–.25,0,–.25,.5,–.5
0, 0,1.5, 0,2, .5,–1

This hatch pattern has 4 lines. Two are at 0 degrees, and two are at 90 degrees. This creates the rectangular shape. The difference between the two lines that start at 0 degrees is their origin. The second one starts at 0,1.5. The 90-degree lines also have different origins. The linetype for the 90-degree lines is dash, space, dot, space, dash, space.

See how the effect of trailers is created?

Related tips:

Create a custom simple linetype
Control hatch origin
Easy hatching
Dealing with gaps

March 14, 2009

Polysolids are like 3D polylines that come with a thickness. You can use them to quickly create walls based on a 2D floor plan. The result is a swept solid. You can also draw polysolids without a 2D floor plan, by just specifying points, but here I use existing objects as a basis. Follow these steps:

1. Draw the 2D floor plan with lines or polylines. Use architectural units. You should be in the 3D Modeling workspace.
2. Create a new layer for the walls and make it current.
3. Set a view that will let you see the 3D walls. For example, display the View toolbar and choose SE Isometric. In 2009, choose Home tab> View panel> View drop-down list> SE Isometric.

4. Set the value of the DELOBJ system variable to 0 if you want to retain the 2D objects.
5. To start the POLYSOLID command, choose Polygold fronm the Modeling toolbar. In 2009, choose Home tab> 3D Modeling panel> Polysolid.
6. At the Specify start point or [Object/Height/Width/Justify] <Object>: prompt, type h and press Enter.
7. At the Specify height <0'-4">: prompt, type 8' and press Enter to create 8' high walls.
8. At the Specify start point or [Object/Height/Width/Justify] <Object>: prompt, type w and perss Enter.
9. At the Specify width <0'-0 1/4">: prompt, type 4 and press Enter to create 4" wide walls.
10. At the Specify start point or [Object/Height/Width/Justify] <Object>: prompt, press Enter to choose the Object option.
11. At the Select object: prompt, select one of the lines or polylines that make up the 2D floor plan. (You can select only one object at a time.) AutoCAD creates the wall.
12. Repeat the POLYSOLID command. It retains your settings, so just press Enter to use the Object option and select another line or polyline from the floor plan. Continue until you're done.

Related tips:

Extend lines to make corners with chamfer
Carve a solid with a surface

March 11, 2009

XPlode a block

You can use the EXPLODE command to break up the block into its components, but you don't have control over layer, color, or linetype. The XPLODE command gives you that control.

Here's how it works:

Type xplode on the command line.

At the Select objects: prompt, select one or more blocks.

If you select more than one block, the next prompt is XPlode Individually/<Globally>: If you want to give different blocks different properties, use the Individually option; AutoCAD highlights each block in turn and you can apply the options to each one.. Otherwise, use the default Globally option.

The next prompt is [All/Color/LAyer/LType/LWeight/Inherit from parent block/Explode] <Explode>:

Here's how to use the options:

• All: Lets you specify color, layer, linetype, and lineweight
• Color: Lets you specify color, by name or number. You can specify true colors using RGB or color book specifications.
• LAyer: Lets you specify the layer
• LType: Lets you specify the linetype
• LWeight: Lets you specify the lineweight
• Inherit from parent block: Applies to blocks created on layer 0 whose color and linetype were set to ByBlock. The ByBlock objects retain their color and linetype after you explode them.
• Explode: Does a simple explode operation (the default)

Note that XPLODE doesn't explode blocks that have unequal absolute X and Y scales, such as a block that you scaled x=2 and y=3.

Related tips

• On which layers should you create blocks?
• Use groups for flexibility
• Replace one block with another block
• Clip xrefs and blocks

February 25, 2009

Other bloggers on AutoCAD 2010

• Randy McSwain - CAD Panacea at http://cadpanacea.com/node/133
• Brian Benton - CAD-a-Blog at http://cadablog.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-features-in-autocad-2010.html
• Shaan Hurley - Between the Lines at http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/
• David Cohn - CADman-Do at http://cadman-do.blogspot.com/2009/02/autocad-2010-revealed.html
• Donnie Gladfelter - The CAD Geek at http://www.thecadgeek.com/blog/2009/02/06/autocad-2010-first-look-at-parametric-constraints/
• Todd Shakelford - The Lazy Drafter at http://lazydrafter.blogspot.com/2009/02/ok-i-lied.html
• Robin Capper - RobiNZ CAD Blog at http://rcd.typepad.com/rcd/2009/02/autocad-2010---colourly-visible-now.html
• Melanie Perry - Mistress of the Dorkness at http://mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com/2009/02/autocad-2010-launch-quickie.html
• Steve Johnson - blog nauseam at http://www.blog.cadnauseam.com/

February 24, 2009

March, 2009 Resource of the Month: CAD-a-Blog

Brian Benton's excellent blog on AutoCAD. Right now, you'll find lots of entries on our trip to Autodesk for the AutoCAD 2010 launch, where we met for the first time. Brian has been helping me update a few of the chapters of what will be AutoCAD 2010 & AutoCAD LT 2010 Bible. Pay him a visit.

February 21, 2009

Dimensions and associativity

Normally, dimensions are associative, meaning that they change when you edit objects to which they're attached.

Drawings created in releases 2000 and earlier are not associative. Sometimes, you'll get a drawing that was created a long time ago and realize that the dimensions aren't associative.

To make them associative, type dimassoc (a system variable) on the command line and look at its value. If it isn't 2, type 2 and press Enter. However, this just affects new dimensions.

To associate existing dimensions from an old drawing to its objects, use the DIMREASSOCIATE command. On occasion, you need to use this command because dimensions have become disassociated.

1. Type dimreassociate on the command line.
2. At the Select objects: prompt, select the dimensions and press Enter to end selection.

3. At the next prompt, follow the instructions to specify the point on the object to connect to the dimension. The prompt varies according to the type of dimensions you select. For example, if you selected a linear dimension, the prompt reads: Specify first extension line origin or [Select object] <next>:. This is very similar to the prompt you get when creating a linear dimension in the first place. You see an X marker (shown at the arrow in the figure) that corresponds to the part of the dimension for which you need to specify the point.
4. The next prompt completes the process. For example, for a linear dimension, the prompt is Specify second extension line origin <next>:. The X marker moves to the second end of the dimension.

The command prompts you through all of the dimensions that you selected.

Related tips

Override a dimension
AutoCAD tutorial: Create an architectural dimension style
Quickly format dimensions

February 19, 2009

AutoCAD tutorial: Extract attributes

Blocks can contain attributes, which are labels with properties. For example, you can use attributes to attach price and manufacturer information to a block of an office chair. At the bottom of this tip, I link to a tutorial on creating attributes.

Once you have the attributes, you can extract them to a simple database and open that database in Microsoft Excel, for example, or insert it as a table in your drawing.

Follow these steps to extract attributes:

1. Choose Tools>Data Extraction to open the Data Extraction Wizard. (In 2009, choose Blocks & References tab> Linking & Extraction panel> Extract Data.)
2. On the Begin page, choose the Create a New Data Extraction option, and click Next.
3. The Save Data Extraction As dialog box opens. You need to save the extraction as a DXE file. Enter a file name, navigate to a location, and click Save.
4. On the Define Data Source page, you can choose the Drawings/Sheet Set option which lets you extract from multiple drwaings, or the Select Objects in the Current Drawing option. For this tutorial, choose the latter option.

5. Click the Select Objects in the Current Drawing button to return to your drawing and select objects. You can select everything in the drawing if you want. When you end selection, you return to the wizard. Click Next.
6. On the Select Objects page, start at the bottom to specify which types of objects you want to display. In most cases, you can uncheck the Display All Object Types check box and check the Display Blocks with Attributes Only check box. Click Next.

7. On the Select Properties page, you choose which properties of the objects you want to include. The point here is that you can extract more than just the attributes you created. Here, I chose Attribute and Geometry from the Category list. specifically, I chose Position X and Y geometry properties. Click Next.

8. On the Refine Data page, you can specify how your data will appear. You can set sorting options and include links to external data. I unchecked the Show Count Column, because it just showed 1 for each block instance. Click Next.

9. On the Choose Output page, you can insert the results as a table in your drawing, output it to a file (XLS, CSV, MDB, OR TXT), or both. Choose the option(s) you want. If you choose to output to a file, click the ellipsis button below that option. The Save As dialog box opens. Enter a file name, choose the file type, navigate to a location, and click Save. Click Next.

10. On the Finish page, click Finish. If you chose the table option, you get a prompt for an insertion point.

Here's the drawing with the 3 blocks and their attributes, as well as the database in Excel.

Related tips

Create attributes
Write blocks to save them as separate files
Customjize extracted attribute headings

February 13, 2009

Other bloggers on AutoCAD 2010

• Randy McSwain: CAD Panacea
• Brian Benton: CAD-a-Blog
• Shaan Hurley: Between the Lines
• David Cohn: CADman-Do
• Donnie Gladfelter: The CAD Geek
• Todd Shakelford: The Lazy Drafter
• Robin Capper: RobiNZ CAD Blog
• Melanie Perry: Mistress of the Dorkness
• Steve Johnson: blog nauseam

Here, you can read about the bloggers, including myself, who were invited to San Francisco for the AutoCAD 2010 announcement.

February 7, 2009

AutoCAD 2010 new features

AutoCAD 2010 is one of the most exciting releases in years. It offers new features across the board, so that almost everyone will find something valuable.

Initial setup

When you launch AutoCAD for the first time, you see a wizard that asks you some questions about how you use AutoCAD. The result is that AutoCAD sets itself up to better suit your needs. For example, if you indicate that you use AutoCAD for architecture, you'll get architectural units. You can change these settings at any time, of course.

Conclusion: Initial setup is useful for beginners, to help them with some basic setup options.

Menu Browser becomes Application Button and menu

In an update to the ribbon, the menu browser is gone. Instead, when you click the red A (now called the Application Button), the Application menu appears with only file-related commands.

Still need the menu? Set the MENUBAR system variable to 1 to get the old menu bar at the top. Remember that you can customize your user interface with the CUI command, so you can always add toolbars to the ribbon interface. Of course, you can customize the ribbon itself.

Conclusion: Some people will be upset about this, but setting MENUBAR to 1 is a simple solution.

Better PURGE

People have been writing AutoLISP routines for years to get rid of zero-length lines and empty text objects that occasionally populate a drawing and increase its size. Now the PURGE command does this for you.

Conclusion: It's always nice when AutoCAD incorporates processes that everyone needs. Remember that these objects are invisible, so it's a good practice to purge them even if you don't think you have any.

Parametric constraints

The new parametric constraints come in two flavors:

• Geometric constraints control the geometric relationships between objects, or between objects and the coordinate system. For example, you can force objects to be parallel, perpendicular, colinear, coincident, concentric, horizontal, vertical, and more. By using geometric constraints, you add intelligence to your drawing and reduce the possibility for errors. Moreover, when editing, as you modify one object, other objects change automatically to uphold the constraint.
• Dimensional constraints control dimensions. You can add linear, aligned, radial, and diameter constraints. Then you can use the new Parameters Manager palette to change objects. For example, you can change the length of a line by changing its constraint value in the Parameters Manager. Even better, you can create equations that control relationships. If one line's linear parameter is named length1, you can set a second line to be 2*length1. Then, when you change the length of length1, the second line's length automatically changes. Two dimensional constraint types, annotational and dynamic, determine whether the constraints look like regular dimensions and are plotted, or not.

Conclusion: Parameters will change the way you draw in 2D. It will dramatically improve accuracy and save editing time. The use of parameters will become part of best practices for drawing in AutoCAD.

Dynamic block improvements

Parametric constraints also work in dynamic blocks. This feature substantially enhances the value of dynamic blocks. You add the constraints within the Block Editor. Also, you can now test dynamic blocks in the editor, so you don't have to close the editor, test the block, and return to make modifications.

Conclusion: Dynamic blocks, already very powerful, are now even more so. The ability to test them in the Block Editor is a welcome addition.

New REVERSE command

Sometimes you define a complete linetype and apply it to a line or polyline, then realize that it's backward. The REVERSE command lets you reverse the direction of lines, polylines, splines, and helixes.

Conclusion: In the right situation, this can be a time-saver.

New MEASUREGEOM command

The new MEASUREGEOM command combines measurements for distance, radius, angle, area, and volume into options of one command. The Area option can measure curved spaces.

Conclusion: I wanted the ID command here, too, but that didn't happen. The new command makes it easier to measure geometry, without having to remember so many separate commands.

Dimension enhancements

You can turn dimensions into dimensional constraints. You can edit the properties of individual multileader segments and use grips to resize leader text. MLeader styles give you more control over leader connections; for example, you can control vertical attachment. You can scale a block multileader and access text styles from within the Multileader Style dialog box. You can place dimension text below the dimension line. You can control how sub-units (such as inches if you're working in feet or millimeters if you're working in centimeters) display.

Conclusion: These are features that make creating dimensions and multileaders easier. Turning dimensions into constraints will be very useful.

Hatch improvements

Sometimes, you're trying to hatch what you think is a closed area, but get an error because the area is not really closed. It can be hard to find these gaps. Now, when the BHATCH command can't find a closed boundary, it shows you where the error is. The process of finding boundaries has been improved as well. Finally, you can grip-edit non-associative hatches to adjust them to new boundaries.

Conclusion: Finding the location of gaps is a real frustration reducer. I didn't think that grip-editing of non-associative hatches was a big deal, but recently a blogger mentioned that this was one of his favorite new features.

Underlay and clipping improvements

You can now underlay PDF files. New commands, ADJUST, ATTACH, and CLIP, now let you work on any type of underlay.

Conclusion: The ability to underlay PDF is a big deal, because so many images are stored in that format. The new commands integrate how you deal with underlays.

3D printing

You can now output to STL format, the format used by 3D printers. If you're not familiar with 3D printing, prepare to be amazed. You can go to http://www.zcorp.com, Z Corporation's Web site, and click Watch Video - Introducing the ZPrinter 650, to see a marketing video of one 3D printer.

In addition, Autodesk has arranged relationships with two 3D printing service bureaus, so you can output your drawings to them. When the model is printed, the bureau ships it to you.

Conclusion: 3D printing is a sci-fi lover's dream; it's so futuristic. Yet it's been around for a few years. 3D printing is still pretty expensive, but it's very exciting. It reminds me of the Replicator on Star Trek!

PDF output

That's right, you can now output drawings as PDF files. You can even control certain features, like layer visibility.

Conclusion: This will make many users very happy. It's been a user request for years.

New mesh solids

Mesh solids are made up of tessellated files -- basically faces bounded by edges. Because you can individually move, scale, stretch, and rotate the faces, edges, and vertices, you can create organic models that are much more fluid and interesting than the smooth solids of previous releases. You can also smooth the models to round them. You can convert meshes to smooth solids and vice versa.

The source for mesh modeling is advanced modeling programs like 3D Studio Max and Maya.

Conclusion: Meshes are a major overhaul for 3D modeling and make AutoCAD a much more capable modeler.

Sheet set enhancements

You can create a sheet list table for subsets and individual sheets. It's easier to specify which sheets are or are not published.

Conclusion: Again, I thought these features were minor, but sheet set users are very happy about them.

Custom contextual ribbon tab states

You can create ribbon tab states that control the display of tabs and panels based on the active command or the type of object selected. Even without customization, some ribbon tabs are contextual. For example, if you select a bitmap (raster) image, an Image tab appears with tools related to editing images.

Conclusion: The contextual tabs make the ribbon more user-friendly.

Easier 3D editing

AutoCAD has a new 3D Scale tool, called a gizmo. There are now 3 gizmos: Move, Rotate, and Scale. The Move gizmo has longer axes. You can easily switch among the gizmos and choose which appears when you click on an editable object. New sub-object filters make it easier to select faces, edges, and vertices. You can use the UNION, SUBTRACT, and INTERFERE commands on surfaces. REVSURF, EDGESURF, TABSURF, and RULESURF create meshes by default, rather than the older smooth surfaces and solids.

Conclusion: Put together, these changes make 3D editing much easier.

Minor new features

There are many minor new features. Here are some of them. Maybe one is a big deal for you:

• The Action Recorder has been enhanced with a new Action Macro Manager and the ability to create base points at specific locations in a macro
• The Quick Access toolbar's right-click menu lets you more easily customize that toolbar
• AutoCAD 2010 uses a new file format. If you work with more than one release or collaborate with others, this can be an issue.
• When a drawing is opened with an unresolved xref, AutoCAD tries to find the missing file
• When you find and replace text, there's a Zoom button to zoom in to the text object.
• Multi-line objects can now be 256K, up from 32K.

February 6, 2009

AutoCAD 2010 announced!

In a live Web seminar, Autodesk announced AutoCAD 2010, as well as the 2010 versions of its related vertical applications, such as Map and MEP. I'll provide a full rundown of all of the new features tomorrow, but I just wanted to highlight the two biggest ones right away.

Parametric constraints for 2D drawing: Parametric constraints control the relationships between objects. Geometric constrains can force an object to be perpendicular, concentric, colinear, coincident, or parallel to another object, for example. Dimensional constraints can control the length, radius, diameter or angle of an object. You can create more complex relationships. For example, you can constrain one line to be twice the length of another line.

Parametric constraints can change the way you draw in a major way, reducing errors, and facilitating modifications. They bring the capabilities of AutoCAD to a new, more professional level.

Mesh modeling for 3D: A new type of object, called a mesh, allows you to mold models to an extent not possible before. You can create complex, "organic" shapes quite easily. This feature borrows from much more advanced programs, such as 3D Studio Max and Maya.

January 24, 2009

January 2009 Resource of the Month - The CAD Geek

The CAD Geek is a blog specializing in CAD management and standards. It covers AutoCAD, as well as Civil 3D and Map 3D. However there are many tips that anyone who works with AutoCAD can use.

January 17, 2009

Use the DXF format to edit drawings

AutoCAD supports Autodesk's DXF (Drawing Interchange File) format, which is a text-only format that contains a 2D drawing's information. The DXF format is often used to exchange drawings between different CAD programs.

You can save a drawing in DXF format and you can open a DXF file in AutoCAD and save it as a drawing. Try this round-trip exercise.

1. Open a new drawing based on the default acad.dwt template.
2. Draw one line.
3. Save the drawing.
4. Choose File> Save As (in 2009, choose Menu Browser> File> Save As). From the Files of Type drop-down list in the Save Drawing As dialog box, choose the most recent DXF option (such as AutoCAD 2007 DXF (*.dxf).
5. Leave the default file name and click Save.
6. Close the drawing. (AutoCAD may ask you to save again in DWG format.)
7. Open Notepad. Choose File> Open.
8. In the Open dialog box, click the drop-down list that displays Text Documents (*.txt) and choose All Files (*.*).
9. Choose the file you just created and click Open. You'll see something like this:

10. In Notepad, press Ctrl + F and enter entities to find the section that contains entities (drawing objects). Here's a crib sheet for what you'll see:

Now you know a few of the DXF codes:

• 0: Name
• 10: X coordinate of start point (of a line)
• 20: Y coordinate of start point (of a line)
• 11: X coordinate of end point (of a line)
• 21: Y coordinate of end point (of a line)

Note: You can find all the codes in AutoCAD Help. In the Help window, click on Contents tab> AutoLISP, Visual LISP, and DXF> DXF Reference. There, you can look in the ENTITIES section for the specific codes as they apply to specific objects.

11. Return to AutoCAD and click Open from the Standard or Quick Access toolbar.
12. In the Select File dialog box, from the Files of Type drop-down list, choose DXF (*.dxf).
13. Choose the file you just created and click Open. The DXF file opens with your line displayed.

You can modify a drawing by editing its DXF file. Follow these steps:

1. In AutoCAD, use the ID command to check out the coordinates of the start and end point of the line. Write down the numbers.
2. In AutoCAD, close the DXF file. Don't save changes if prompted, because this will change the DXF file.
3. Go back to the DXF file in Notepad.
4. Change the numbers after the 10, 20, 11, and 21 codes. Don't change anything else.
5. Save the file.
6. Re-open the file in AutoCAD. Your line is now different, using the X and Y coordinates that you specified in the DXF file in Notepad.

Now, let's say that you have some text that you want to globally change, such as block attributes. Perhaps you want to change all instances of AB to CD. You can use the -ATTEDIT command to create global changes in attribute values, but perhaps you prefer to do this in a text environment. Here's how to do this:

1. Save the drawing as a DXF file.
2. Open the DXF file in Notepad.
3. Use the Find feature to search for AB. When you find it, change it to CD.

Continue on in this way.

You can even open the DXF file in WordPad or Microsoft Word and use the Replace feature. However, I don't recommend using the Replace All button, because DXF files insert lots of codes that may have the text string you want to change.

When you're done, save the file, re-open it in AutoCAD and the drawing will have the changes you made. Don't forget to save in DWG format again

Related tips

Replace one block with another block
Automate tasks with a script file
Find all named objects in a drawing

January 10, 2009

Clip xrefs and blocks

You can attach other drawings to the current drawing to facilitate the drawing process. For example, you can attach a floor plan to a drawing of an electrical layout to make sure that you put the outlets in the right location. These other drawings are called external references, or xrefs.

Sometimes, xrefs can be large. For example, you may only want to see one room at a time in the floor plan. Or the xref may contain an entire city block and all you want is one house.

For this purpose, you can clip xrefs so that you see only the portion you need. It's similar to cropping an image in an image-editing program, except that the process is temporary (you can undo it) and doesn't affect the original drawing at all. Whatever is outside the clipping boundary disappears until you turn off the clipping boundary.

Although many people don't realize this, you can also clip blocks that you insert into a drawing.

To clip an xref or block, use the XCLIP command. Choose Modify> Clip>Xref (in 2009, choose Blocks & References>Reference pane (expanded)>Clip Xref).

Select the xref or block and press Enter to end selection.

At the [ON/OFF/Clipdepth/Delete/generate Polyline/New boundary] <New>: prompt, press Enter to use the New option.

At the [Select polyline/Polygonal/Rectangular/Invert clip] <Rectangular>: prompt, you can do one of the following:

• Press Enter to use the default Rectangular sub-option. Then specify two corners of the rectangle to clip the xref or block.
• Specify the Polygonal sub-option and pick points to specify a multi-sided shape to clip the xref or block
• Specify the Select Polyline sub-option. Then select an existing polyline to use as the clipping boundary.
• Specify the Invert Clip sub-option to clip whatever is inside the boundary and then choose one of the three previous options to specify that boundary.

Here you see an xref with a polygonal clip.

Once you have a clipping boundary, you can use the command again and choose the OFF option to re-display the entire xref or block. However, AutoCAD remembers the boundary, so you can use the ON option later on to turn it back on.

the Clipdepth option is for 3D drawings only, and specified front and back planes for the clipping boundary.

The Generate Polyline option draws a polyline from an existing clipping boundary, using the current layer and linetype. You can then edit that polyline using the PEDIT command if you want to redefine the clipping boundary later.

January 6, 2009

AutoCAD tutorial: Create a cell style for a table

Since AutoCAD 2008, you can refine table styles with cell styles, which define formatting for table cells. A cell style is part of a table style, but has its own name. Follow these steps to create a cell style.

1. Choose Draw> Table or choose Home tab> Annotate panel> Table to open the Insert Table dialog box.
2. In the Table Style section, click the Launch the Table Style Dialog button.
3. In the Table Style dialog box, click New. Then enter a name and a style to start with. Click Continue. The New Table Style dialog box opens.

Note: You format the cells using the Cell Styles section on the right side of the dialog box. You use three tabs, General, Text, and Borders. These settings apply to three types of cell styles: Data, Header, and Title, which you choose from the drop-down list at the top of the section. The cell style applies to only one type of cell style, meaning that you would most often have at least three cell styles for a table -- one for the title, one for the column headers, and one for the data.

1. To save a new cell style, click the Create a New Cell Style button. If you omit this step, you format the table's cells, but don't save a named style that you can use in the future. In the Create New Cell Style dialog box, enter a name. You can choose a cell style to start with or leave the default. Click Continue. The new cell style name now appears on the drop-down list.
2. On the General tab, choose a Fill color from the drop-down list.
3. Choose an alignment from the Alignment drop-down list. This refers to text alignment, but is on the General tab, not the Text tab.
4. To change the format, click the Ellipsis button to open the Table Cell Format dialog box. The settings here are somewhat similar to those you have when you format cells in Microsoft Excel. You can format angles, currency, dates, decimal numbers, percentages, points, text, and whole numbers. Except for the General and Whole Number types, you can choose from various formats.

1. From the Type drop-down list, choose Data or Label. The purpose of the Label type is to function as a table header or column title. If you break a table into sections, you can repeat label cells in each section. For a data cell, use the Data option.
2. In the Margins section, specify horizontal and vertical margins. The margin is the space between the text and the cell border.
3. On the Text tab, choose a Text style from the Text Style drop-down list, or click the Ellipsis button to open the Text Style dialog box and define a text style from scratch.
4. Enter a value in the Text Height box.
5. From the Text Color drop-down list, choose a color. The default is ByBlock.
6. Enter a value in the Text Angle box. The default is 0, of course.
7. On the Borders tab, choose an option from the Lineweight drop-down list.

1. Choose an option from the Linetype drop-down list.
2. Choose a color from the Color drop0dnw list.
3. If desired, check the Double Line check box to create a double border.
4. From the Border buttons, choose an option. These options define whether the cells have inside borders, outside borders, or both.

Note: If you use only outside borders, you'll still see grid lines between the cells in your drawing, but they won't plot.

1. Repeat the process from Step 4 to create a cell style for your headers and then again for the table's title. If you need various types of data formatting, such as dates, numbers, and text, create a cell style for each type.
2. When you're done creating cell styles, click OK.
3. In the Table Style dialog box, your new tale style should be selected. If not, select it and click Set Current. Click Close. In the Insert Table dialog box, your table style should appear in the Table Style drop-down list.
4. In the Set Cell Styles section of the Insert Table dialog box, choose the cell styles that you want for the first row (usually a title style), second row (usually a header style), and all other rows (usually a data style).
5. Click OK and specify an insertion point for the table. The table appears. Enter the data; it automatically takes on the appropriate styles.
6. If you have more than one data style, select some data cells by dragging across them, right-click, and choose Cell Style, then the specific style that you want. Here, the left data column uses a text style and the right column uses a currency style.

December 17, 2008

January 2009 Resource of the Month - LT Unlimited - A blog on AutoCAD LT by Autodesk Technical Marketing Manager Kate Morrical. As you know, LT includes many of the features of AutoCAD and this blog will help you whichever program you use.

December 13, 2008

Tutorial: Override a dimension

It's always good to keep to your dimension styles as much as possible, but sometimes a situation requires an exception. You can create an override, which is a sub-dimension style that varies from its parent style.

Follow these steps... Read more.

December 7, 2008

Speed up your work with command aliases - UPDATED

We've updated this tip with a new technique. Gerald Goodlander wrote in... Read more

December 7, 2008

Create a circle with a width - UPDATED

We've updated this tip with a new technique. Juan Cadavid wrote in another excellent way to create a circle with thickness, using the BOUNDARY command... Read more

December 7, 2008

Manage the user interface in 2009

AutoCAD 2009 introduced the ribbon, a completely different way of specifying commands. Some people like it; some don't. However, if you want to use the ribbon (and it's not going away), you can create a hybrid user interface that gives you the best of all worlds.

One reason to continue with menus is if you have third-party or customized menus that you need to continue using. Read what fellow subscribers are doing...

November 23, 2008

December 2008 Resource of the Month - JefferyPSanders.com The Ultimate AutoLisp Tutorial - This site offers free AutoLISP tutorials, ranging from beginner to advanced to extreme.

November 15, 2008

Speed up your work with command aliases

I usually provide menu, toolbar, or ribbon access for commands, but the quickest way to work is to type command aliases on the command line. You just need to know them. Print out this list and keep it by your computer for a couple of weeks until you learn them. You'll be amazed at how much faster you work. Read more...

Related tips

Tutorial: Create a command alias (keyboard shortcut)

Create a custom keyboard shortcut

Keyboard shortcuts

November 8, 2008

Use dynamic UCS to speed up 3D drawing

One of the awkward parts about 3D drawing is the fact that you need to constantly change the XY plane. In the past, the only way to do this was to create a new UCS using the UCS command.

Since 2007, however, you can use the dynamic UCS feature, which makes the process of drawing on a plane other than the XY plane much easier. The dynamic UCS creates a temporary XY plane so you can draw or edit on that plane. Read more.

November 3, 2008

Tutorial: Use fields to automatically label dynamic blocks

You can use fields (AutoCAD 2005 and later) to create automatic labels that provide information about objects.

I've covered aspects of this topic before. In "Tutorial: Display the area of an enclosed figure," I show how to use fields to create a label that displays an area.

In "Tutorial: Create attributes," I mention that you can use fields in attributes.

In this tutorial, I'll expand on the idea of using fields in attributes, which are labels attached to blocks. This example shows the use of fields that label geometric parameters of dynamic blocks. Read more...

October 25, 2008

November 2008 Resource of the Month - AutoCAD Users Group International (AUGI) - When you join, there are many resources, including a newsletter, connections to local groups, and opportunities to learn more about AutoCAD.

October 18, 2008

Add formulas to a table

You can add formulas to a table, so that it automatically calculates the following:

• Sum
• Average
• Count (counts the cells in a column or row)
• Cell (displays the value of another cell)
• Equation (lets you manually insert a formula)

This makes the table work like a spreadsheet. Read more...

October 16, 2008

Access related files with the support file search path

All AutoCAD drawings are connected to related files. At the very least, all drawings need access to a menu file. Some drawings also need to access customization files (menus), fonts, plug-ins (such as AutoLISP and VBA files), linetypes, and hatch patterns. Drawings may have externally referenced drawings (xrefs).

You can make your AutoCAD life easier by understanding the support file search path and the project files search path. Read more...

October 4, 2008

AutoCAD Tutorial: Create a gradient fill

Gradients are a great way to easily make a 2D drawing look like a presentation drawing done in Photoshop or Illustrator. AutoCAD offers one- or two-color gradients and lots of variations.

Here are the steps to create a gradient... read more.

Here's a sample car, all filled with gradients.

Main AutoCAD Tips page

                                  Home  |  AutoCAD  |  PowerPoint  | E-Store | About  | Links | Contact | Site Map
Copyright Ellen Finkelstein, Inc.