Las Vegas, Nevada
November 27-30, 2001
Speaker Name: John Clauson
Course Title: AutoCAD Gadgets and Gizmos
Course ID: GD22-3
Course Outline: It’s difficult to “know everything” about AutoCAD. It has many
obscure and little used functions. We’ll explore quite a few of them in this session. No
doubt you will know many; others you may have never seen before. Don’t feel
obligated to use all of them. Perhaps one or two will make a difference in how
efficiently you do your work.
We’ll also explore some strategies that may help improve your productivity. They are
simply methods of using existing tools in ways that have proven to work well.
Only a few of these tips require programming, though you shouldn’t have to write code
to use AutoCAD productively until you’re getting the most from what came off the shelf.
You can contact me at
[email protected] to get any code you see here today.
Startup Icons For Projects Or Profiles ...................................................... 3
Fast Desktop Access ................................................................................ 3
Drop It In ................................................................................................... 3
Multiple Launching Strategy...................................................................... 3
Find and Start............................................................................................ 3
Create Folders On the Fly......................................................................... 3
Quick Seek................................................................................................ 3
Favorite Places in AutoCAD 2002 ............................................................ 4
Sort Files ................................................................................................... 4
Use Wildcards ........................................................................................... 4
Delete........................................................................................................ 4
Manage Files With Context Menus ........................................................... 4
Navigate .................................................................................................... 4
Quick Navigation With Shortcuts .............................................................. 4
Avoid Dialogs ............................................................................................ 4
Prevent Docking........................................................................................ 4
Quick Recall .............................................................................................. 4
Tailor the Coordinate Display.................................................................... 5
Tour de File ............................................................................................... 5
Poor Man’s “Compare”.............................................................................. 5
Tour de Vport ............................................................................................ 5
Tour de Object .......................................................................................... 5
Reorder Objects ........................................................................................ 5
Quick Layer Creation ................................................................................ 5
Quick Properties........................................................................................ 5
Portable Toolbars...................................................................................... 5
Toolbar Recovery...................................................................................... 6
Where It’s At.............................................................................................. 6
Keep On Keepin’ On ................................................................................. 6
Calculator Tips .......................................................................................... 6
Draw Complementary Arcs ....................................................................... 6
Convert a Circle To Two Arcs ................................................................... 6
Project 2D Views With OTRACK and POLAR .......................................... 7
Quick TRIM ............................................................................................... 7
Toggle TRIM/EXTEND.............................................................................. 7
One-step Trim/extend ............................................................................... 7
Displace It ................................................................................................. 7
Get a Grip On It......................................................................................... 7
Show Your References ............................................................................. 7
Cool Copying............................................................................................. 8
Instant Erase ............................................................................................. 8
Watch Your Back ...................................................................................... 8
Length Matters .......................................................................................... 8
Helpful Boundaries.................................................................................... 8
Match Those Overrides............................................................................. 8
Stack Dual Dimensions in R14 ................................................................. 9
Moving Dimension Text ............................................................................ 9
Drop to Insert ............................................................................................ 9
Easy Attribute Mobility .............................................................................. 9
Plotting Shortcut―Preload Page Setups.................................................. 9
Remove Page Setups ............................................................................... 9
Fighting Corruption.................................................................................. 10
Ignore the Background............................................................................ 10
Quick Background Toggle....................................................................... 10
Tips and Tricks Resources On the Web ................................................. 10
GD22-3 p. 2
Launching / desktop
Startup Icons For Projects Or Profiles
You can have several AutoCAD icons on your desktop, each one launching AutoCAD with a
different profile or in a different default folder. To copy a desktop icon, right click and drag it.
Release the button and select “Copy.” Next right click on it and select “Properties.” Change the
“Start In” folder to select a new default folder.
To use another profile, add a space after the AutoCAD startup command, type /p and a space,
and then type the path to an .ARG file that you have saved to the hard disk. An example:
“c:\program files\autocad 2000\acad.exe” /p “c:\program files\autocad 2000\john.arg”
Be sure to use quotes in the line above if any folder names or file names are more than 8
characters.
Note: In AutoCAD 2000x the Start In designation is ignored if the REMEMBERFOLDERS is 0.
Fast Desktop Access
Hold down the “Windows” key and press M or D to immediately minimize all windows and get to
the desktop.
Drop It In
With AutoCAD running, use an Explorer window to drag one or more files into a non-graphic area
of the AutoCAD screen to open the file(s).
You run a LISP or script file by dragging it into the graphics area of an open AutoCAD window.
Call up a different menu or insert a text file the same way.
Multiple Launching Strategy
Keep a My Computer window open to your most commonly used folder. Drag and drop files from it
into AutoCAD.
Find and Start
Use the “Find” function of Explorer to locate a drawing. Drag and drop the drawing icon from the
Find (or Explorer) window onto the desired AutoCAD desktop icon. You can drag and drop
multiple files at once in AutoCAD 2000x if SDI is 0.
File management in OPEN / SAVEAS
It’s possible to mimic most of Explorer’s functions from the “Select File” dialog box with AutoCAD’s
OPEN and SAVE AS…. Be sure to have the “Details” button pressed.
Create Folders On the Fly
Navigate to the folder you desire and click the “New Folder” button. Name the folder and double
click on it to put your drawing there.
Quick Seek
Click once on any file name in the file listing, and then quickly type the first one or two characters
(more if you’re fast) to get near the file you want.
GD22-3 p. 3
Favorite Places in AutoCAD 2002
In the AutoCAD 2002 Places list of the Select File dialog box, you can right click to add the
current, or any other, folder to the list. For an alternative in older versions, see “Quick Navigation
With Shortcuts” below.
Sort Files
Use the column headers (with the Details button activated) to find the most recent or largest files.
Use Wildcards
Type a* in the File name text box to find all the file names in the current folder that begin with “a.”
Use c?nn* to find file names with any single character preceded by a “c” and followed by “nn.”
Delete
Highlight any number of files and press the Del key. The Shift+Del method of bypassing the
recycle bin works here, too.
Manage Files With Context Menus
Right click on a file name to cut, copy, paste, rename, Zip, or View/plot it with Volo View. Right
click in a blank area to paste file(s) or create a new folder.
Navigate
You can move around through folders and drives with the list box and the “Up One Level” and
“Create New Folder” buttons.
Quick Navigation With Shortcuts
In your default startup folder, make folder shortcuts for other commonly used folders. To do this,
open Explorer, right click and drag the folder for which you’re making the shortcut onto your
default startup folder. Release the mouse button and select “Create Shortcut(s) Here.” If you put a
shortcut to your default folder in the one for which you just made a shortcut, you can go back and
forth exclusively with shortcuts. This is a big time saver if your commonly used folders are on
different branches or drives.
Interface
Avoid Dialogs
In AutoCAD 2000x, you might prefer the command line version of ATTEDIT, for example, to the
new dialog box. To avoid dialog boxes, type a minus before the command, such as –attedit.
Prevent Docking
To put a short toolbar on top of the right end of your command window, or anywhere else, hold
down the Ctrl key while you move the toolbar.
Quick Recall
The “Up Arrow” key recalls typed commands one at a time. It works across successive drawings
in R14, and in AutoCAD 2000x if SDI is set to 1.
GD22-3 p. 4
Tailor the Coordinate Display
Three settings are available for the COORDS variable. 0 grays out the coordinate display, which
then only shows the coordinates that you pick with the pointing device. 1 is the default setting,
where the display is continuously updated with the absolute coordinates of your cursor. 2 also
makes the display continuously update, but shows the relative coordinates in distance and angle
as you pick points.
Tour de File
You can cycle through all your open drawings in AutoCAD 2000x with Ctrl+Tab, and go
“backwards” through them with Shift+ Ctrl+Tab.
Poor Man’s “Compare”
Open two or more versions of the same original file (that have the same extents). ZOOM
EXTENTS in each one and then quickly cycle through them with Ctrl+Tab for quick comparisons.
You can also do this with drawings that have the same saved views.
Tour de Vport
Can’t select a paper space viewport because a larger one overlaps its boundary? Press Ctrl+R to
cycle through the viewports.
Tour de Object
When you want to select one of several objects that overlap, hold down the Ctrl key and keep
picking until your desired one highlights. Then press <Enter> to confirm that selection and
continue with your command.
Reorder Objects
Use the Ctrl key to cycle between objects as you change the display order to “permanently” move
one forward or back.
Quick Layer Creation
In the layer control dialog box, type several new layer names, separated by commas but no
spaces.
Quick Properties
This can be a huge time saver. Use the Shift and Ctrl keys for multiple selections, and then set
their layer, color and/or linetype properties by making selections in the appropriate list boxes on
the “Object Properties” toolbar.
Portable Toolbars
You won’t need to rebuild your personal toolbars when a new release comes out, or if you move to
another computer, if you create them on a separate menu. Here’s how.
First, make a personal menu. With Notepad, create the following file and name it MyStuff.mns or
whatever you like.
***MENUGROUP=PERSONAL
***TOOLBARS
Next, use the MENULOAD command to load the new menu file. Whenever you create a personal
toolbar, be sure to put it in the PERSONAL menu group. AutoCAD will write the menu code,
including help strings, for you as you create the toolbars and buttons. To make the menu truly
GD22-3 p. 5
portable, edit it to find out which icon names were used, change the bitmap names as desired and
put them in the menu code.
As long as you put your menu file and accompanying bitmaps in a folder that is part of the
AutoCAD search path, you can load your personal menu on any machine. I’ve used this method to
port my personal menu to every release from R14 through AutoCAD 2002.
Toolbar Recovery
You know a toolbar is turned on, but it’s not on the screen. Here's a command line method to get it
toolbar back on the screen, providing you didn't actually delete it.
Command: -toolbar
Toolbar name (or ALL): "_Object Properties"
Show/Hide/Left/Right/Top/Bottom/Float: <Show>: f
Position <0,0>: 200,200
Rows <1>: 1
Command:
Note: Be sure to type the minus before the command name and surround the toolbar name with
quotation marks.
Creating geometry
Where It’s At
The @ symbol in an expression recalls the last point designated. Example: after placing the first
circle, locate others concentrically by typing @ when asked for the subsequent center points.
Keep On Keepin’ On
The MULTIPLE command repeats the next command endlessly until you press Esc. You might
want to create buttons for certain multiple commands, like ERASE.
Calculator Tips
The AutoCAD calculator can be used for some very exotic functions, but you can use it for some
quick and simple functions. Invoke it at any time by typing ‘cal or picking the tool button. At the
expression>> prompt type (cur+cur)/2 to select a point midway between the next two points
picked. It’s transparent and works with osnaps.
You can use ‘cal to do math for many value prompts. This calculator uses standard mathematic
notation, no batteries are required and you can’t leave it in your car.
Draw Complementary Arcs
This method completes a circular shape with a second arc. Let’s say you have a hole that’s
partially obscured in a view, and you want to change part of the circle to a hidden linetype. First,
TRIM out the obscured segment. Then MIRROR the remaining arc and select the same endpoint
of the arc twice. Ignore the reprimand and continue the command. Now you can do what you need
to with the new arc. I first saw this method on http://www.mossdesigns.com.
Convert a Circle To Two Arcs
Try C2A.LSP, an AutoLISP routine contributed to the November 2001 PaperSpace magazine by
Alireza Parsai, to automate this function. Be sure to use an object snap for at least the point at
which you select the circle. (Contact me at
[email protected] for this file.)
GD22-3 p. 6
Project 2D Views With OTRACK and POLAR
Judicious use of these functions can enable you to project 2D views accurately with very little
trimming or input from the keyboard. Once you get the hang of it, you might even enjoy it.
Editing geometry
Quick TRIM
Every object will be a cutting edge in the TRIM command if you simply press <Enter> when
prompted to select the cutting edge(s).
Toggle TRIM/EXTEND
In AutoCAD 2002, press the Shift key to EXTEND during the TRIM command, or vice versa.
One-step Trim/extend
When the lines you need to TRIM and/or EXTEND are vertical or horizontal, the CHANGE
command is an easy way to do it. Just select the lines, with the ORTHO ON, and at the Specify
change point or [Properties]: prompt, select the desired point on the boundary.
Displace It
You don’t have to pick a start point for MOVE, COPY or STRETCH if you can express the
distance in coordinate values. Here’s an example that moves an object 3 units to the right and 1
unit up with the displacement option. Invoke Move and select the objects. When prompted for the
base point or displacement, type 3,1 <enter> <enter>. You can use distance and angle as well;
just don’t use the @ symbol.
Get a Grip On It
Grips stop being annoying when you find out how cleverly you can use them.
Grips can act like osnaps. Select two separate lines to activate their grips. Pick a grip at the end of
one line, and then pick a grip at the end of the other line. Easier than STRETCH, right?
You can pick multiple hot grips with the Shift key. Select several objects to active their grips.
Before the first pick on any grip, hold down the Shift key and pick the grips you want to be hot.
Then release Shift and pick a grip to manipulate.
Use grips and direct distance entry to lengthen or shorten several lines at the same time. Select
the items to activate their grips. Use the method above to make their end grips hot. Then, with
ORTHO on, move the cursor and type in the amount to lengthen or shorten them.
To line up a pair of parallel lines, select them, turn ORTHO on and select the middle grip of the
one to move, and then select the middle grip of another.
Show Your References
Many experienced AutoCAD operators ignore the REFERENCE option for ROTATE and SCALE.
For ROTATE, the REFERENCE option forces AutoCAD to read the current angle of a vector
between two points, and you then type in the new angle. The order in which you pick the points
determines the direction of the vector.
GD22-3 p. 7
Let’s say we have a line of undetermined angle and we want to make it exactly 45°. Invoke
ROTATE and select the line and base point. With osnaps on, pick the end you selected as the
base point and then the other. Type in 45.
For SCALE: An example of using the REFERENCE option for scale would be to match a raster
image to a vector object, such as a floor plan. Select the object to scale and the base point. At the
Specify scale factor or [Reference]: prompt, type r. Then pick two points on the
raster image. Finally type in the distance that you desire between those points.
Cool Copying
With grips enabled and ORTHO on, select the objects to copy. Pick a grip. Right click and select
COPY. Move the cursor in the desired direction. Type the desired distance and press Enter. Hold
the Shift key down, and as you move the cursor, copies of the object(s) will appear in multiples of
that distance.
Correcting mistakes
Instant Erase
Copy the ERASE tool button. Key in this macro command line: ^C^C_erase single. Now objects
will disappear as soon as you click on them, without making you confirm the selection each time.
[EM]
Watch Your Back
Typing U <Enter> is the equivalent of typing undo 1, but the full UNDO command has several
options. You can use Undo Mark and Back when experimenting. If you type undo m to set a
“bookmark” in your file, later you can type undo b, which will undo back to that mark.
Now, what if you want to save some of those entities before undoing to the mark? Copy them to
the clipboard first, and paste them back in after you get back to the mark.
Inquiry
Length Matters
The length of arcs is part of the LIST information. You can also use PEDIT to join multiple end-to
end objects and LIST their total length.
Helpful Boundaries
To quickly calculate the area for any enclosed configuration, run the BOUNDARY command and
select a point inside the area. Then LIST the Last item. The end of the listing will show the area
and perimeter. Then UNDO twice or ERASE Last to remove the polyline that the BOUNDARY
command created.
Dimensioning
Match Those Overrides
You say you have only a few dimensions to which you want to apply a series of overrides without
making another dimension style. Apply the overrides to one of them and use MATCHPROP to
copy them to the others.
GD22-3 p. 8
Stack Dual Dimensions in R14
In Release 14, you can have the alternate units text appear below the primary unit text. On the
“Annotation” tab of DDIM, enable alternate units and type \P in the “Suffix” text box for primary
units. Be sure it’s a capital P.
Moving Dimension Text
To change the way dimension text behaves when moved set the appropriate variable (DIMFIT in
R14 and DIMTMOVE in AutoCAD 2000x) in your dimension style. As overrides, those variables
will not apply to existing dimensions.
Blocks and attributes
Drop to Insert
Drag a file from Explorer into an open AutoCAD window to insert it as a block.
Easy Attribute Mobility
There’s an easier way to move an attribute than ATTEDIT. Use DDSELECT or
OPTIONS/PREFERENCES to enable grips within blocks. Pick any entity of the block to display
the grips and then select the insertion grip of the attribute. The STRETCH option will be active, so
drag the grip to move the attribute. Sorry, you can't use this technique to rotate, scale or mirror
attributes this way. [EM]
Plotting
Plotting Shortcut―Preload Page Setups
Save time by using Page Setups to populate your plot dialog box with defaults. If your company
has several plotters on a network, you can avoid many headaches by storing default page setups
for common sheet sizes on each plotter in a drawing that’s accessible by everyone. With some
menu code, you can also preload them into the current drawing every time you plot.
Start a new drawing, named PSETUP.DWG for this example, in a public location. Create and save
the desired page setups. You’ll need to do this in both model and layout modes, assuming you
use both.
In your menu file, you could use the following code to load all the page setups into the current
drawing every time you execute the plot command. This code assumes that the drawing
containing the page setups is on the network in a folder called “cad.”
[&Plot]^C^C(command "insert" "n:/cad/psetup")(command)(command "purge"
"b" "psetup" "no")(princ);plot
You might find different ways to automatically load page setups.
Remove Page Setups
Use PLOTCONFIGS.DVB to remove unwanted page setups when sharing drawings with outside
sources. (Contact me at
[email protected] for this file.)
Housekeeping
GD22-3 p. 9
Fighting Corruption
You say you a zoomed extents and your drawing shrank to a tiny portion at the corner of your
screen? One or more objects have “blown” (impossible) extents. You can use WBLOCK with the
Select objects: method to put only what’s on the screen into the new file.
Invoke WBLOCK, name the new drawing and press Enter at the Block name: prompt. Pick the
insertion point and window all of your drawing objects at the Select objects: prompt. OPEN
the file you just created, but don’t save the changes as you leave the corrupted drawing. This is
like a PURGE All in AutoCAD 2000x, but it also removes corrupted objects because they can’t be
displayed.
Using AutoCAD in other programs
Ignore the Background
If you set the new system variable WMFBKGND in AutoCAD 2000x to 0ff, AutoCAD ignores the
screen background color when you cut from AutoCAD and paste into Word, or create a Windows
metafile (.WMF). Be careful – it won’t make a white AutoCAD entity black in Word, so watch your
colors.
Quick Background Toggle
Use BTOGGLE.DVB to toggle the background of either model space or paper space between
black and white. (Contact me at
[email protected] for this file.)
Don’t Forget the Internet
Tips and Tricks Resources On the Web
AutoCAD tips and tricks abound on the Internet. Here are just a few good sites to explore.
http://www.mossdesigns.com/quicktips.htm
http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/AutoCAD_tips.html
http://www.ob.com/tech_tips_autocad_2000.htm
http://www.ketivtech.com/html/Autocad%202000%20Tips.htm
http://www.masterg.com/newsletter/winter2000/acad-news_tips.html
http://www.cadforum.com/tips/autocadtips1.asp
http://www.tenlinks.com/CAD/users/autocad/tipstricks.htm
http://home.pacifier.com/~nemi/tips.htm
http://www.cadxpert.co.za/technical/
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/ns/lyssamurray.clack/tips.html
http://www.cadtechseminars.com/tips.htm
http://www.techbase.iofm.net/tips/autocad/acadindex.htm
http://www.iwcom.com/erin/erintip.htm
GD22-3 p. 10
