AutoCAD Productivity Articles - 2015

December - Automate it!

I'm sure I've forgotten more than I remember at my age, so coming up with one-click solutions is always at the top of my list. After training the daylights out of something, I usually try to figure out how we can automate it.

And although I'm not presenting at Autodesk University this year, I hope those of you who are able to attend are having (or had) a wonderful and educational experience, as it always is.

So here are a few things you may be interested in as the year winds down or as you're looking forward to the surprises in store this new year!

…Automating the Settings feature for Select Similar
…Restoring a Layer State from the Quick Access Toolbar
…Accessing commands from another Workspace
…Restoring the original value of a Dimension

Wishing one and all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Make a snow man — or a sand castle if that's more in keeping with your part of the world — and smile often… it'll make people wonder what you're up to!

Select Similar Drop-down on the Quick Access Toolbar

Layer State on the Quick Access Toolbar

Ground Shadows to the QAT

Original Dimension Value

October - Minor Adjustments

The last couple versions have brought with them some subtle updates (that I finally discovered!), and then I've had a few things brewing in my ‘Next Michael's Corner’ collection that I'm finally getting around to posting. Next time, I may just splash a bunch of tips out there. For now, however, scroll down to learn more about…

…A2016's update to the Revision Cloud
…Refine the display of non-continuous linetypes
…Adjust the location of the Layout tabs in A2015 & A2016
…Some techniques to ferret out why a drawing may ‘disappear’

The colors are really starting to come out in the Midwest US and the weather's starting to gently turn cooler. Time to enjoy bonfires and S'mores, fireplaces and chili!

Keep up the good work, y'all and I'll chat with you again in a couple months!

AutoCAD 2016 Revision Cloud

Linetype Tweak

Dock Layout Tabs Above Status Bar

Possible Solutions to the Disappearing Drawing

August - Settings and Switches

It looks like the insights I have this time are Behind-the-Scenes / Under-the-Hood kinda things. Tinkering with the mechanics of what makes this squirrely software tick. One of them came from one of the AutoCAD users in the Facilities Department at Facebook, and the rest were the result of my own discoveries or what I saw in my customers' drawings.

On deck this time you'll learn…

…What the AutoCAD 2016 Variable Monitor can do for you
…How to switch the case in text objects
…The trick to suppressing that logo (Heart valve? Hotel in Dubai?) when you launch AutoCAD
…Why you should avoid using the Standard text and dimension styles

Hope you've had a delightful summer!

The A2016 Variable Monitor

TCASE

The /nologo Switch

Avoid Using ‘Standard’ in Text & Dimension Styles

June - Once Upon a Time

Maybe it's because I'm just older (old!?), but I sure do miss the dynamite on the Explode button. Oh, wait here it is now! Really?

While Autodesk keeps putting new stuff in, I just want to make sure you know how to use the old stuff as efficiently as possible before moving on. To that end, I have a rather eclectic collection of customization bits that can be applied to all currently supported versions of AutoCAD. (How was that for being vaguely specific on where this tricks will work!?)

…Tweaking the Double Click Action to launch the earlier Edit Attributes dialog box.
…Putting the dynamite .BMP back on the Explode button.
…Viewing the Properties of the current Workspace.
…Modifying the plot scale list displayed when choosing a plot scale for a viewport.

When it's all said & done, however, it's all about economy of movement, productivity… and going home a wee bit sooner.

Hope you enjoy these!

Set ATTEDIT as the Double-Click

Original Explode Button

Properties of the Workspace in the CUI

Shorten the Plot Scales List in a Viewport

April - Ch-ch-ch-Changes

It's that time of year again and you have all probably found numerous reviews of AutoCAD 2016 scattered around the internet. This month's offering does have one A2016-specific bit of insight for you that I think you'll find very relevant, (even if you aren't moving all the way up to A2016), in addition to a few ‘under-the-hood’ features that came up in training recently.

So this time we're considering…

…How to transfer your Quick Access Toolbar content from your current AutoCAD version to another version
…The technique to toggle to other multifunction grip options
…Where to find the tool that allows you to divide a split viewport in Model space
…What to do if the block changes in your block source drawing (for your tool palette)

AutoCAD 2016's looking pretty good to me and I'm really excited about writing more about it in the months ahead!

…and I am SO glad Spring is here!

Carry on, friends!

Transferring Your Quick Access Toolbar to AutoCAD 2016

Multifunction Grip

Split the Split Viewports

Update the Source File Block Edits on the Tool Palette

February - Second Fiddles

We all have our ‘lead guitars’ in AutoCAD; for some it's Blocks, for some it's Polylines, and on it goes. In this offering of Michael's Corner, it looks like most of these tricks would play second fiddle to the big dogs, but they are equally powerful and have a sound of their own. And for the most part, these all came up in the training I did up in Port Huron, MI for a group of users from Semco Energy. We had a great three day session, and I'm heading up there soon for our Level II session. So hats off to the team in the cold northern climes of east Michigan!

Here's what you'll find when you scroll down…

…How to overlap viewports and fade the viewport layers with a Transparency value
…How to apply a Background Mask to Dimension text. You'll be surprised.
…How you can toggle Ortho On and Off… without toggling Ortho On and Off
…How AutoCAD 2015 will now snap to a user-specific Polar increment… for all values of that increment!

I hope you're all staying healthy… and have even checked off a few things on your To-Do list for 2015.

Keep up the good work!

Transparent Viewport Layers

Mask Dimension Text

Ortho Shift

User Increment Angles for Polar (new in 2015)