AutoCAD Productivity Review

Transcription

1 AutoCAD Productivity Review After the Revit Kool-Aid: Customizing AutoCAD for Maximum Productivity Thursday, August 13, :00 2:00 Presented by Michael E. Beall Autodesk Authorized Author & Award Winning Instructor Authorized Author 1917 Harrington Mill Road Shelbyville, KY Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. Proverbs 9:9

2 AutoCAD Productivity Review Table of Contents Autodesk Authorized Author & Award Winning Instructor A2015/A2016 Startup Screen 1 Key Components of the User Interface 1 AutoCAD Options 2 The Governing Body of Workspaces 4 Ribbon Mechanics 4 Ribbon Management 5 Command Aliases 5 Paper Space Linetype Scale in Viewports 6 Set PSLTSCALE to <0> From the QAT 6 Export Your AutoCAD Settings [Same Version] 7 Migrating Your AutoCAD Settings [Old to New] 7 Practical Features of Layer Walk 8 Converting.STB to.ctb Plot Style Table 8 RGB Color with Monochrome Plot Style Table 8 Additional Selection Options 9 For an Image That s Path Free OLE! 9 Finding Annotation in the Drawing 9 Polylines: Lineweight vs. Global Width 10 Tool Palettes Review 10 Importing and Exporting a Tool Palette 10 Pushbutton Mtext 11 Pushbutton Dimensions 11 Blocks on a Tool Palette 12 Pushbutton Layout Tabs with Title Blocks 12 Palette Groups 13

3 AutoCAD Productivity Review Autodesk Authorized Author & Award Winning Instructor A2015/A2016 STARTUP SCREEN LEARN. CREATE. MOVE ON. If AutoCAD launches with this screen Learn & Create features along the bottom click Start Drawing to go to your default AutoCAD screen. To bypass this screen, set STARTUP to <0>. KEY COMPONENTS OF THE USER INTERFACE GOLD STAR TIP: Configure a Template and that will be what AutoCAD launches with. To configure the Template, see below. Ribbon.com No, there is no more Classic. (I ve been telling you this for years, so don t act so surprised) The QAT Still Rocks! At the end of the Quick Access Toolbar, click Show Menu Bar at the bottom of the dropdown list for the standard menu bar. The AutoCAD Application Menu [The Scarlet Letter ] To keep a drawing from dropping off the bottom, pushpin it. Layout Tab Tidbits Double click the layout tab to rename it. Click Drag a tab to reposition it & hold down CTRL to make a copy of that tab! Right click menu has Activate Previous Layout & Activate Model Tab. 1

4 Layout Tab Flyout: If you have a drawing with so many layout tabs it bumps into the Status bar, you will see the flyout arrows which will display the remainder of your layout tabs. A2015/A2016 GOLD STAR TIP: Right click a layout tab, then Dock Above Status Bar to see more of your tabs! The A2015/A2016 Status Bar Click Customization at the end to display the vertical listing of all Status Bar content. [No words, icons only.] The Floating Command Line Click on the small vertical array of dots and drag the command line down until it docks along the bottom. Click Your Option You can now click on the option you want! Customize Wrench Click on the wrench, then Customize >Input Settings >Delay Time. FILES TAB AUTOCAD OPTIONS Trusted Location [A2014 A2016] [For CAP users or those using my Productivity.LSP routines] If you use CAP Designer, or have downloaded any of the.lsp files from my website, you may encounter the File Loading Security Concern warning. To move past it, click Load. 2

5 Expand Trusted Locations on the Files tab, then double click the empty slot and click Add, then Browse, then navigate to the folder containing the software you re loading into AutoCAD. When you get the notice regarding Read Only, click Continue... DISPLAY TAB Lighten Up! First, if you find the default theme a bit dark, on the Display tab of Options, set the Color Scheme to Light. Display File Tabs Introduced in A2014, and yes, this is very cool. These tabs can be toggled On or Off in Options, or from the View tab on the Ribbon. OPEN AND SAVE TAB Display Full Path in Title is a nice feature that should be checked. When using the Application Menu (the scarlet letter A), you can specify the number of drawings in the list. I set mine to 25, but the Limit is 50.* A Proxy Graphic is the square you sometimes see to represent a door on some Architectural drawings. You can clear the check box for the dialog box, though. 3D MODELING TAB 3D Crosshairs When you have a 3D view, it s helpful to have the crosshairs labeled. The ViewCube Love it or hate it, you can turn it off here. 3

6 SELECTION TAB The A2015 Lasso. When making a window, if you click, then DRAG the cursor to the second point you will encounter the new Lasso option. To toggle that off, under Selection modes on the left, turn off Allow Press And Drag for Lasso. THE GOVERNING BODY OF WORKSPACES Workspaces are typically used to save how your screen looks. It is best to create a workspace early on. How to Create a Workspace 1.. Configure your screen as desired. 2.. On the Status bar, click Workspace Switching, then click Save Current As to open the Save Workspace dialog box. 3.. Enter a name for the workspace, then click Save. GOLD STAR TIP: Click Workspace Switching, then click Display Workspace Label. RIBBON MECHANICS A.. The Ribbon is Workspace specific. (Remember this tidbit.) B.. To reduce the footprint of the Ribbon, use Minimize to Tabs. GOLD STAR TIP: To add a command to your Quick Access Toolbar, right click on a command on the Ribbon, then click Add to Quick Access Toolbar. 4

7 RIBBON MANAGEMENT Right click anywhere on the Ribbon for a shortcut menu Show Tabs and Show Panels TABS PANELS of the Current tab MAJOR MEMO: Remember, the Ribbon is Workspace dependent. After making the desired changes to the Ribbon, use the Save Current As feature of the Workspace command. COMMAND ALIASES For all you veteran AutoCAD users out there who like to TYPE most of your commands (and want to type C to launch Copy), this is for you. How to Modify Your Command Aliases 1.. On the Manage tab >Customization panel, click Edit Aliases to open the file ACAD.PGP in the Windows Notepad. 2.. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the acad.pgp file where you will see a paragraph beginning with -- User Defined Command Aliases. MEMO: With a new release of AutoCAD coming out each year, this note basically states that if you want your custom aliases to be migrated to the next version (if you still own that computer), make your edits below that paragraph because that s what will be automatically appended to the next version s alias list. 3.. Put your cursor at the end of the last paragraph, then press [Enter] a couple times. 4.. Use the following context for your aliases: C, *COPY Here are a few examples that I have added to my own acad.pgp GOLD STAR TIP: For commands that start with the same letter, use a single character for the command you use most often (such as Copy), and a double character for the other one (such as Circle). Don t move your finger, just hit the character more often for the lesser used commands. [Yes, you will remember.] Initializing the ACAD.PGP File Here s how to force AutoCAD to look at ACAD.PGP now that you have made these changes. How to Make Your Aliases Take Effect Now 1.. At the command line, enter REINIT to open the Re initialization dialog box. 2.. Check the box for PGP File, then click OK. 3.. Test your new alias(es). Have a nice day! 5

8 PAPER SPACE LINETYPE SCALE IN VIEWPORTS objects with "non continuous" linetypes (Dashed, Center, etc.) in Model space, you use LTSCALE to adjust their length but to display those non continuous linetypes in viewports, you will need to adjust the variable PSLTSCALE (Paper Space Linetype Scale). PSLTSCALE = <1> PSLTSCALE = <0> MEMO: After setting the value, you need to Regen the drawing to see the result. Curiously, this variable is layout specific. That means you will have to set the PSLTSCALE variable on each layout tab of the drawing. SET PSLTSCALE TO <0> FROM THE QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR How about a button on the Quick Access Toolbar that will automatically adjust the LTSCALE and the PSLTSCALE!? How to Automate a Variable and Add a Button Image 1.. Open the CUI. 2.. Under the Command list, click Create a New Command. 3.. Now modify the Properties to something like you see in the image here. 4.. Click on any button in the top right quadrant, then click Edit to open the Button Editor. 5.. Check the box for Grid, click Clear so you can start over, then create your image! 6.. Click Save and enter an image name, then click OK. 7.. Click Close and you ll see your image at the top! 8.. Enter the following for the Macro: ^C^CLTSCALE;20;PSLTSCALE;0;REGENALL MEMO: The semicolon means, Press [Enter] This macro sets the LTSCALE to 20, sets the PSLTSCALE to 0, and regenerates all the viewports on the current tab. 9.. Under the Command List, find your command, then drag it up and drop it in the list of commands in the Quick Access Toolbar, as shown in the illustration Now open a drawing with dashed lines, and click your new button! 6

9 EXPORT YOUR AUTOCAD SETTINGS [SAME VERSION] When things go sideways or if you get a new system, I usually hear, How do I copy all my settings from one computer to another? Buried under the Windows Start button >All Programs >Autodesk >AutoCAD 20xx >Migrate Settings is the Export AutoCAD Settings routine. The resulting.zip file is designed to transport your AutoCAD settings easily to another system, but it s also a great method by which to retain the settings of your original installation. Of course, after exporting your settings, if you need to put AutoCAD back the way you found it, use Import AutoCAD 20xx Settings. From the Help button, I got a list of the following file types that are included in the export: *.atc/*.bmp/*.ctb/*.cuix/*.cus/*.fmp/*.ini/*.lin/*.mln/*.mnl/*.pat/*.pc3/*.pgp/*.pmp/*.psf/*.shx/*.stb/*.xml MIGRATING YOUR AUTOCAD SETTINGS [OLD TO NEW VERSION] When you upgrade your AutoCAD, after installation of the new system, when you launch it, the Migrate Custom Settings dialog box appears. What I have found, is that it s best to empty the check box for CUI Files, otherwise you may not benefit from the new features in your new version. GOLD STAR TIP: SELECTIONEFFECT <1> The default in A2015. SELECTIONEFFECT <0> The display of selected objects in ALL previous versions. 7

10 Features of Layer Walk Default: Layers that are currently On PRACTICAL FEATURES LAYER WALK Layer Walk displays the content of the drawing s layers, even if the layer is Off or Frozen. Nice feature: Right click menu with Select All and Save Layer State. Need To Know: Restore On Exit check box at the bottom. Purge: If it s live, there s a layer that s blue (On) that has nothing on it. Click Purge. When To Use Layer Walk: A.. When you receive a drawing from the architect, Save Layer State and call it Received or Original. B.. Use Layer Walk to Thaw and Turn On every layer using Select All, then Save Layer State called All_Layers. C.. Identify which layers are the building shell, then Save Layer State and call it Building_Shell. GOLD STAR TIP: To go from.stb to.ctb, type CONVERTPSTYLES at the command line. You get a warning advising you of the conversion logistics. Click OK. Now, when you check the Plot Style Table dropdown list in the Page Setup or Plot dialog box, you see.ctb styles. If you have created your own.ctb, it will now be listed in the Plot Styles. RGB COLOR WITH MONOCHROME PLOT STYLE TABLE Colors from the True Color tab have an RGB value which plot in color when a monochrome (or Grayscale) plot style is used which also explains why your Monochrome may not be working! 8

11 None of these features involve LAYERS!! ADDITIONAL SELECTION OPTIONS MEMO: When objects are Hidden or Isolated, you see a blue circle on the status bar icon in AutoCAD 2015/A2016. How to Hide, then Un Hide, Selected Objects 1.. On the Status bar, click the three shapes, then click Hide Objects. 2.. Select the objects to be hidden, then press [Enter]. 3.. To end the object isolation, click the three shapes, then click End Object Isolation. 4.. To display only the selected objects, click the shapes, then click Isolate Objects. 5.. Select the objects, then press [Enter]. FOR AN IMAGE THAT S PATH FREE OLE! To avoid the reference of a logo and essentially stitch it to the DWG, use Object Linking & Embedding. There s one extra step; simply Copy and Paste your image into Word or Excel. How To Embed a Raster Image 1. Open Windows Explorer (My Computer), navigate to the image, then Copy it. 2. Open Microsoft Word, then use CTRL + V to Paste the image. 3. Now click on the image in Word, then Copy it. This is the golden key to the exercise. 4. In the AutoCAD drawing to receive the image, Ctrl + V to Paste it. If the Text Size dialog box opens, just click OK. 5. You can now use grips to size the image! GOLD STAR TIP: The variable OLEFRAME is set to <2> by default. This means you will see the frame of the image, but it won t plot!! FINDING ANNOTATION IN THE DRAWING On the Annotate tab >Text panel, in the Find text field, enter any text that you need to find in a drawing, then press [Enter]. AutoCAD automatically zooms to the first instance of the requested text and the Find and Replace dialog box appears. More Options Click More Options button to display a list of Search Options and Text Types this command considers. MEMO: Check the box for Search Xrefs. You will only need to do that once. 9

12 GOLD STAR TIP: If you have older, pre Mtext drawings or drawings you may have received from other sources that have single line text that you want to convert to Multiline Text, the Express tool Convert To Mtext is a real time saver. [Express Tools tab >Text panel; not in AutoCAD LT] POLYLINES: LINEWEIGHT VS. GLOBAL WIDTH Bottom line: Don t adjust the Lineweight value, adjust the Global Width. The Lineweight value is pixel based and is a static display as you zoom in and out. The Global Width setting is a physical, dimensional size that changes with the display adjustment. GOLD STAR TIP : When plotting, to avoid fat lines, turn off Plot Object Lineweights under Plot Options. TOOL PALETTES REVIEW The Tool Palettes window View tab >Palettes panel >Tool Palettes provides immediate access to your most frequently used Blocks, Hatches, Commands and Macros. Access the Tool Palette using Ctrl + 3 or from the View tab of the ribbon, in the Palettes panel. Click on the stack of palettes at the bottom of the tabs to display the list of palettes available. How to Create Your OWN tool palette 1.. Right click on a tab or the title bar of the Tool Palettes window, then click New Palette. 2.. Enter a name for this new tool palette. IMPORTING AND EXPORTING A TOOL PALETTE To transfer tool palettes from one system to another, you use the Import/Export feature. This is necessary because the tool palette lives on the C:\ drive of the computer where it was originally created. How to Import a Tool Palette 1.. Right click on the Tool Palette title bar and click Customize Palettes. 2.. On the left side, in the Palettes list, right click anywhere, then click Import. 3.. Navigate to the folder containing the.xtp, then select it and click Open. MEMO: The.XTP file only contains a "pointer" to the block in the source file; it does not include the block. 10

13 PUSHBUTTON MTEXT Before adding text to a drawing, you always have to confirm the Layer and the Text Style, then specify the Height. Let s automate that. How to Automate Adding Mtext 1.. Open a drawing containing Mtext in Model space that is on a layer you typically use and in the desired text style. 2.. Select the Mtext, breathe, then drag the Mtext over and drop it onto your palette. 3.. Right click on the Mtext button on the palette, then click Properties. 4.. Change the Name for this tool. 5.. If you want text in Model space to be 9 high, change the Command String to read as follows: ^C^CTEXTSIZE;9;MTEXT; Text Character Reference ^C^C Hit Esc to cancel the current command TEXTSIZE The name of the system variable that stores the text height used by the next text command ; Press [Enter] 9 The desired height of the text Mtext Launches the Mtext command 6.. Under General, confirm the standard properties, as well as the Text style. 7.. Click OK to save your changes and close the Tool Properties dialog box. Standard testing procedures apply. Open any other drawing that doesn t have those layer and text style settings, go to Model space and test it out! PUSHBUTTON DIMENSIONS Another drawing specific procedure is the adding of a dimension. Even if the dimension style is in the drawing, you would probably still have to change the layer before you added the dimenion. Let s boost our productivity here, too. How to Add a Dimension to a Tool Palette 1.. Create a linear dimension on the desired layer, in the desired dimension style, then open your palette. 2.. Click the dimension to select it, breathe, then click on a highlighted element of the dimension (NOT in a grip) and drag it onto the palette. 3.. To edit that assortment, right click on the dimension icon, then click Properties. 4.. Under Command, in the Flyout options box, click <choose commands>, then click the ellipsis on the right to open the Flyout Options dialog box. 5.. Clear the checkboxes for those dimension features you will not me needing very frequently, then click OK to close both the Flyout Options and Tool Properties. 11

14 Only Blocks have a Source File. It s the drawing where the blocks live. The Importance of the Block Source File BLOCKS ON A TOOL PALETTE Problem: Drag and drop a block to the palette from a drawing, and you establish that drawing as the "source " for the block. If the drawing is relocated, the block can t be found. Suggestion: Don't drag anything onto your palette from a drawing you can't keep track of. Put it in a dedicated source file drawing for all your Tool Palette blocks. Insights on Tool Palette Blocks A.. Every tool palette block has a "Source File". B.. The Properties dialog box has an option for Prompt For Rotation as well as an Explode option. C.. Under General, you can specify the Layer and the Color (ByLayer) for the block placement. PUSHBUTTON LAYOUT TABS WITH TITLE BLOCKS Many of my customers have a template with four or more layout tabs with their title blocks which, in theory, sounds very wonderful. In reality, they now have layout tabs in scores of drawings they won t be using and simply clutter up the collection of layouts. Solution Create a button on the palette to open the Insert Layout dialog box (shown here) so you can then select just the layouts you need when you need them. Prerequisite A drawing (.DWG or.dwt) with the layouts configured for the desired sheet sizes with their associated title blocks. Need To Know The path and filename of this drawing (needed for Step 8, below). How to Add a Button to the Palette to Insert your Title Block Layouts 1.. Open the Tool Palette window and go to the tab where you want to put this new button. 2.. Right click on the title bar of the palette, then click Customize Commands. 3.. In the Command list, scroll to the command Layout, Layout from Template. 4.. Click and drag the command Layout, Layout from Template over and drop it onto your palette. 5.. Click OK to close the Customize User Interface. 6.. Right click in AutoCAD s Command line, then click Options to open the Options dialog box. 12

15 7.. On the Files tab, expand the node for Support File Search Path. 8.. If the path to the location of the.dwg or.dwt containing the layout tabs is not on the list, click Add, then Browse to add it [per the Prerequisite and Need To Know, above]. Click OK to close Options. 9.. On your palette, right click on the Layout, Layout from Template button, then click Properties to open the Tool Properties dialog box Change the Name and add a Description, then edit the command string to read as shown below. I have underlined where you add the name of your.dwg or.dwt containing your layout tabs. MEMO: Put your filename in quotes and be sure to add the file extension Click OK to save and apply your edits. ^C^C^RLAYOUT;TEMPLATE;"MY TITLEBLOCKS.DWG" Click your new button and you should see the Insert Layouts dialog box listing your layout tabs, similar to the figure at the top of this article! PALETTE GROUPS And finally, one way of eliminating palette tab visibility is to make your own tool palette Group, then enable that group. How to Create and Populate a Palette Group 1.. Right click on the title bar of the Tool Palette window and click Customize Palettes to open the Customize dialog box. 2.. Under Palette Groups, right click on the group name at the top of the list or anywhere on that side if there are no groups then click New Group. 3.. Enter a name for your group, then press [Enter]. MEMO: If you already have a list of groups, click and drag your group name to the top of the list. (I know, clunky.) 4.. Drag a palette name from the list of palettes on the left, and release it just below your group s name. 5.. Click Close. 6.. Right click on the title bar of the Tool Palette window to see the palette groups listed at the bottom. Thank you for attending my Metrocon15 AutoCAD Productivity Seminar! If you would be interested in onsite or web based training on AutoCAD, CAP Designer, Worksheet, Visual Impression, or Revit Fundamentals for Designers please let me know! Authorized Author michael.beall@cadtrainerguy.com Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. Proverbs 9:9 13