AutoCAD Tips Newsletter

April 2008 Resource of the Month

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 19:59:58 -0600

CADwire.net is a daily collection of articles, reviews, and news on CAD. This important resource is an very thorough and up-to-date collection of CAD-related content. (A number of my tips end up here.) It's also nicely organized by discipline.

Convert text to Mtext and vice versa

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:12:31 -0600

Text, also called single-line text, or Dtext, makes every line a separate object. It's great for short annotation in a drawing. On the other hand, Mtext, also called multiline text, has more formatting options, and is better for larger amounts of text. Mtext is especially important if you need to create left and right margins and wrap the text between those margins. Sometimes, you have single-line text that should be multiline text, or vice versa. Here are two simple ways to convert between the two types of text.

Record macros with the Action Recorder

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:11:04 -0600

In AutoCAD 2009, you can record macros for later use. This is a long-requested time saver. You can include requests for user input and messages to make the macro work interactively.

Tutorial: Create a simple sheet set

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:21:56 -0600

Architects use sheet sets all of the time to pull together the many required drawings into one package. Other disciplines use them less often, but if you need to deliver a number of drawings together, they can help you organize and maintain them.

Sheet sets have a reputation for being complicated and they are, if you use all of the features. But you can create a simple sheet set easily and you may find that they help you out a lot. For example, you can do the following with a sheet set:

Top 3 tips of February, 2008

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:23:56 -0600

My site has so many tips on it now, that I'm aware of the fact that they can be hard to find. Don't forget that the Tips menu has a Search box where you can search for tips that meet your needs.�Another way to discover new tips is to find out what other people are looking at. Here are the top 3 tips from February, 2008: Copy objects between drawings (http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/autocadtips/AutoCAD_tips_copy_between_drawings.html) -�This fairly long tip goes into the various ways that you can copy objects from drawing to drawing and get the results that you want. Tutorial: Automate annotation in AutoCAD 2008 (http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/AutoCAD_tips_automate_annotation_2008.html)- This tutorial guides you through a major new feature of AutoCAD 2008: annotation objects. Tutorial: Convert a 3D solid to a 3-view 2D drawing in model space (http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/AutoCAD_tips_3D-2D_model_space.html)- This tutorial explains how to convert 3D models into 2D drawings.

March 2008 Resource of the Month - CAD-Manager.com

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:23:53 -0600

CAD-Manager.com is the Web site of Robert Green, the well-known writer of the CAD Manager column in Cadalyst magazine. He's also a consultant and an author. His site has easy links to his excellent articles, code examples, CUI (customize user interface) tutorials, and more.

Another Break Objects Quickly AutoLISP routine

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:05:01 -0600

In my earlier "Break objects quickly" tip, I have 4 routines that help you break objects more quickly than the standard AutoCAD command. Febien Mosen sent me another routine, SCISSORS, that has 3 features...

Putting an AutoCAD drawing in a PowerPoint presentation

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:42:08 -0600

You can put an AutoCAD drawing -- in DWF format -- directly into PowerPoint. Not just a JPEG or other image of the drawing, but the actual drawing. More incredible, with Autodesk� Design Review (which was previously Autodesk DWF Viewer -- they change the name almost every year), you can zoom in and out and pan around the drawing to show all of the drawing in detail, all from within your PowerPoint presentation.

AutoCAD 2009 new features!

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:17:07 -0600

The new features of AutoCAD 2009 have now been made public and I've reviewed them in detail, with screen shots and a couple of movies. Read all about it!

Extend lines to make corners with chamfer

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:29:59 -0600

The CHAMFER command makes mitered (angled) corners. However, you can also use the CHAMFER command to extend lines to meet and make right-angled corners. You do this by setting the Distance and Angle options to zero.

February 2008 Resource of the Month - Rockmaster's CAD Resources

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:30:42 -0600

Jason Foster's blog, Rockmaster's CAD Resources, emphasizes good CAD practices and offers easy-to-understand tips. He makes available VBA routines that he writes to speed up common tasks. I especially like the Best Practices tab at the top where you can quickly find all his posts on that topic.

Write blocks to save them as separate files

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:31:39 -0600

When you create a block in a drawing, you should think if it will be useful in other drawings. You can access that block from other drawings using the DesignCenter, but you'll probably need to remember where the block was, in order to find it. Instead, many people create block libraries, putting several blocks in a special block library drawing, or putting each block in a separate drawing. Because you name and store these drawings specially to make them easy to find and identify, the blocks they contain are easier to find. For example, you may have a folder named Blocks. And you could name a drawing with a double-hung window block in it Double-Hung Window. That certainly helps you to find it! To save a block in your drawing as a separate file, you use the WBLOCK command. This is called writing (saving) the block. Follow these steps:

AutoCAD Tutorial: Display a lost custom toolbar

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:29:57 -0600

When you create a custom toolbar that you use regularly, you may accidentally close it and then not be sure how to open it again. Jay had this experience after using my tip "Create a custom toolbar in AutoCAD 2006 or later." He wrote, "Thanks for the "Create a custom toolbar in ACAD 2006" article... It was very easy to follow and I created a very helpful toolbar with my favorite commands. I have come to depend on it after about a week. I accidentally closed the toolbar and now I can't figure how to reload it..." There are two methods. The first is to...

Keyboard shortcuts

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:28:32 -0600

Keyboard shortcuts can make your work go much faster. You can use the default keyboard shortcuts and create your own. Here are the defaults that come with AutoCAD...

January 2008 Resource of the Month - AutoCAD Advice

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:31:55 -0600

AutoCAD Advice offers 3D tutorials and a nice selection of tips. Use the links at the top of the page, and then use the sitemap to navigate, if necessary.

Copy objects between drawings

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:53:14 -0600

Most people know that they can copy objects in a drawing to the Windows Clipboard and then paste those objects in another drawing. But there are a couple of tricks to this process that can make your work go more quickly and provide more accurate results.

Tutorial: Create a DWF file

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:07:30 -0600

A DWF file is a vector image format that you can use to share your designs with others, without sending the actual drawing. You might do this to share your designs without revealing the details, or to send them to people without AutoCAD. Follow these steps to create a DWF file...

December 2007 Resource of the Month - CCNtv

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 15:01:43 -0600

CCNtv is your CAD TV fix, complete with commercials. But it's fun to watch CAD news in video format. Watch the home page video, then click Broadcast Archives for more.

Quickly select objects with Quick Select

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 10:48:22 -0600

If picking objects and using window selections doesn't always work for you, you may need a more sophisticated option. Quick Select is the next step up. It lets you quickly set up criteria for selecting objects, such as the type of object or object properties. You can get to Quick Select in 4 ways...

Autodesk University 2007

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:40:47 -0600

AU is Autodesk's annual conference and it's huge. There were over 600 classes and labs, so there was something for everyone. More than 10,000 participants, instructors, and Autodesk employees came to the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. I had never been to the Venetian; it's an amazing place, complete with . . .

AutoCAD Tutorial: Save and use layer states

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 15:07:58 -0600

Layer states let you save configurations of layer properties and states. For example, you might want a layer to be red sometimes, and blue at other times. You may need certain layers to be locked, off, or frozen when you're editing one part of the drawing, but unlocked, on, or thawed when you're editing another part. You could spend lots of time adjusting layer properties, but instead, you can use layer states -- they're much easier and quicker.

Control hatch origin

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:33:45 -0600

When you place a hatch inside a closed area, by default, the pattern starts at the origin of the drawing, which is usually 0,0 of the current User Coordinate System (UCS). Since your closed area probably doesn't start at 0,0, the hatched area starts somewhere in the middle of the pattern. For simple hatches, such as diagonal lines, that doesn't make any difference. But for some hatch patterns, such as bricks, the result may not look very good.

New webinar on Wednesday, December 12th! AutoCAD 3D for Newbies: Start Thinking

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:25:28 -0600

My next webinar will be "AutoCAD 3D for Newbies." This hour-long webinar will get you started in 3D. The trend to 3D is strong and growing fast! If you're working only in 2D, learn the techniques you need to know to make the switch. You can get 10% off the already low price by using the following code at the above link: 10%OFFACAD07

November 2007 Resource of the Month - CADALOT

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:15:08 -0600

CADALOT is a British site that covers a wide range of CAD-related information. There's a draft document on "How to Draw" that I think is unique, a number of downloads, a good FAQ page, a "Tips 'n' Tricks" page, and more. Some of the AutoCAD content is old, but there is a very new Revit Structure section. You can get a good education here.

Create a circle with a width

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 14:13:50 -0600

There are various reasons that you might need to create a circular object with a specific width, such as matching cable widths, or showing cross sections. I've come up with 3 ways to go about this. The right one for you will depend on your needs.

Replace one block with another block

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:58:16 -0600

I received a question about how to replace one block with another block. Replacing blocks is useful for 3 reasons: * To create multiple versions of a drawing, each with a different block. For example, you could try out a floor plan with different desks. * When your company replaces one part with another part * If your drawing is very complex, to reduce regeneration time, by replacing a complex block with a simpler one. Of course, before plotting, you would reverse the replacement. There are two methods to replace one block with another.

Use the Dashboard to display a related tool palette

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 14:44:34 -0600

The Dashboard was introduced in AutoCAD 2007 for 2D tools and expanded in 2008 for 3D tools. Starting with 2008, it is also customizable. The Dashboard has a little-known feature that lets you quickly display an associated tool palette. This tip works in both AutoCAD 2007 and 2008.

Tutorial: Add a button to the ribbon in AutoCAD 2009

ellen@ellenfinkelstein.com — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:29:31 -0600

Customizing the ribbon is similar to customizing a toolbar, but you need to be aware of the special structure of the ribbon. For some basics on using the Customize User Interface dialog box, see my earlier tip, "Create a custom toolbar in AutoCAD 2006 or later." If you're interested in creating custom commands, also see "Tutorial: Create a custom command." This tutorial builds on those skills, but is complete in itself.