Top AutoCAD Customization Tips. Top. Customization Tips Every AutoCAD User Should Know. By Ellen Finkelstein.

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2 Top Customization Tips Every AutoCAD User Should Know By Ellen Finkelstein 1

3 Ellen Finkelstein s Top Customization Tips Every AutoCAD User Should Know Published by Rainbow Resources 2010 Coral Lane, Fairfield, IA 52556, USA Copyright 2014 For information, contact@ellenfinkelstein.com Manufactured in the United States of America No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) , fax (978) Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to contact@ellenfinkelstein.com or Ellen Finkelstein, Rainbow Resources Publishing, at the above address, or Limit of liability/disclaimer of warranty: the publisher and the author make no Representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the Contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without Limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between the time this work was written and when it is read. For general information on our other products and services, please go to This book is published in both electronic and print format. 2

4 About the Author Ellen Finkelstein has been using AutoCAD since 1986, teaching it since 1989 and writing about it since She is the author of the bestselling AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT Bible, which started with Release 14 and has been updated many times since then. Ellen has written extensively on AutoCAD, including articles for Autodesk's website and features for AutoCAD's Help system. Ellen's first book was AutoCAD For Dummies Quick Reference. Since then, she has written books on PowerPoint, Flash (including Flash CS5 For Dummies), and Web technologies (Syndicating Web Sites with RSS Feeds For Dummies). Her well-known website, EllenFinkelstein.com, and blog, AutoCAD Tips Blog, are very popular among AutoCAD users. You can join thousands of other AutoCAD users and subscribe to her free AutoCAD Tips Newsletter. 3

5 Acknowledgments & Dedication I d like to thank my husband, Evan, for supporting me in my work, and my two children, who are the joys of my life. While most of the tips are mine, there are also contributions from my readers and I want to thank them for sharing their knowledge. *** To MMY, for teaching me that the Unified Field and the spirit of God are one and the same, and that anyone can experience it as bliss consciousness. *** 4

6 Introduction AutoCAD users are always looking for ways to be more productive. That s why they love tips! AutoCAD is meant to be customized, but customization is one of the most complex features of AutoCAD. I ve been writing tips for years, so I thought I would compile some favorite customization tips so everyone can easily use them. One reason that I love writing AutoCAD tips is that people are so appreciative. They really want to learn more about this huge program. AutoCAD is not only useful it s fun! I hope that this e-book will help you become more productive, less stressed, and more knowledgeable. 5

7 Contents About the Author 3 Acknowledgments & Dedication 4 Introduction 5 Chapter 1 Automation 7 1. Create a command alias (keyboard shortcut) 7 2. Automate tasks with a script file Record macros with the Action Recorder Use the command line to launch programs Create a custom command Create a custom keyboard shortcut 26 Chapter 2 User Interface Add a button to the ribbon in AutoCAD Make the command line work the way you want it to Change the color of almost any AutoCAD screen feature 38 Chapter 3 Linetypes and hatches Create a custom simple linetype Creating custom hatch patterns 44 Chapter 4 AutoLISP Get all of your AutoLISP routines to load themselves Create a custom command for AutoCAD using AutoLISP 51 Chapter 5 Miscellaneous Create a custom function in AutoCAD s calculator Easily share tool palettes with colleagues 61 Sign up to get the free AutoCAD Tips Newsletter! 64 Don t miss! 64 6

8 Chapter 1 Automation One of the main reasons for customizing AutoCAD is to speed up your work. In this section, I cover Command aliases Script files Recording macros Launching programs from the command line Custom commands Keyboard shortcuts 1. Create a command alias (keyboard shortcut) Many people like to use the keyboard to enter commands, but some of the commands are long, hard to type, or difficult to remember. You can create keyboard shortcuts for commands, such as DL for DIMLINEAR or RVC for REVCLOUD. AutoCAD comes with a large number of aliases already made for you. You edit the acad.pgp file to add to these, or change them. The acad.pgp file is a text file and you can edit it directly, but the easiest way is to use the Express Tools ALIASEDIT command. Follow these steps: 1. Choose Express > Tools > Command Alias Editor. 7

9 2. After deciding the command and alias you want, check to see if the command already has an alias. Click the AutoCAD Command column to alphabetize the list by commands. Scroll to look for the command. 3. If it doesn t have an alias, check to see if the alias is already in use. To do so, click the Alias column to alphabetize that column. Click any alias, and type the first letter of the alias to jump to aliases starting with that letter. Look for the alias. 4. If your command isn t listed and your alias isn t being used, click Add. 8

10 5. Type the alias in the Alias text box and the AutoCAD command below it. All the commands are on the list, and as you start to type, the command appears on the list. You can click it as soon as you see it, or type the entire command. For example, I added rvc for REVCLOUD. Click OK. 6. If your command is on the list, but your alias isn t, you can add the alias for the command. As before, click Add, enter the alias, and specify the command. A command can have more than one alias. I added dl for DIMLINEAR, even though there were other aliases for that command. 7. If your alias is being used, you can delete or change it. Then you can use it for a different command. For example, rc is the alias for RENDERCROP, which you might rarely use. By deleting it, you could use rc for RECTANG. 9

11 To delete an alias, select it and click Remove, then click Yes to confirm. 8. You can change an existing alias. For example, you might want to change the alias for RENDERCROP to rencr, instead of deleting it. To do so, choose the alias, and click Edit. In the Edit Command Alias dialog box (which looks just like the New Command Alias dialog box), enter the new alias and click OK. Note: You might be surprised to see some aliases on the list that are longer than their commands! Or completely different. AutoCAD uses this to map one command to another or to include command names that don t exist, but that people might still use. For example, the RECTANG command has an alias of rectangle. Tip: To print the alias list, choose File > Print from the AutoCAD Alias Editor s menu. 9. When you re done, click OK. If the Confirm Changes dialog box is checked, you get a message asking you to confirm that you want to replace the configuration file (acad.pgp). Click Yes. 10

12 10. AutoCAD doesn t recognize the change right away, because it doesn t re-check the acad.pgp file during a session. You could close and re-open AutoCAD, but there s an easier way. On the command line, enter reinit. 11. Check the PGP File check box and click OK. Now your new aliases will work. Try them out! Note: You can edit the acad.pgp file directly. It s in the Support folder. To find that folder, choose Tools > Options and click the Files tab. Double-click the Support File Search Path item and look at the first item. This file contains a User Defined Command Aliases section at the end where you can add your own aliases; these aliases override those in the main section. Use the same format as you see in the file, 11

13 which is Shortcut,*Full_command_name. Save the file and use the REINIT command as just described. 2. Automate tasks with a script file A script is a macro, a list of commands that you can run all at once, and as many times as necessary, allowing you to automate tasks that would take a long time if you did them manually. Scripts can be very powerful and you can run them on objects in one drawing, or on many drawings. Scripts have been around for many years and many people have a library of scripts that they use. scripts: Here are 3 important points that you need to know about 1. Scripts are text-only (ASCII) files. You usually create them in Notepad. 2. They have an SCR filename extension, so be sure to save them that way. 3. Scripts use command-line syntax only. They can t access dialog boxes, toolbar buttons, etc. Follow these steps to create a script file: 1. Set the FILEDIA system variable to 0, to stop dialog boxes that access files from opening. 2. Run through the steps that you want to automate, using the command line only. Write down (or type in Notepad) the steps. You can copy your command line entry directly 12

14 to Notepad. Press F2 to open the AutoCAD Text Window for that purpose. 3. Press Enter at the end of each command or use a blank space, which is the equivalent of pressing Enter. The script reads every space, so you need to get it exactly right! The script is easier to read if you put each command on its own line. 4. Enclose layer names or files names (and file paths) that contain spaces in quotation marks. 5. Insert comments periodically for explanation. To insert a comment, precede the text with a semicolon. 6. Save the file with an SCR filename extension, by typing.scr after the file name. 7. Set FILEDIA back to 1. To run and test the script file from within a drawing, use the SCRIPT command. A dialog box opens, where you can choose your script file. Click Open and the script runs. Let s say that you want to run a script file on more than one drawing. You can use the OPEN, CLOSE, and QSAVE commands to open drawings, run some commands, save the drawings, and then close them. You can still start the script from within the 1st drawing, but you can also start a script file as you open AutoCAD. 13

15 To do so, you change the expression that Windows uses to open AutoCAD. The best way to do this is to use the shortcut on your Desktop. Follow these steps: 1. Right-click the shortcut and choose Properties. 2. Click the Shortcut tab. 3. At the end of the existing expression (which reads something like C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2015\acad.exe) add a space and then the following: /b script_name 4. Click OK. 5. Double-click the shortcut to open AutoCAD and run the script. I've also tried Hurricane, which automates the process of creating and running script files on multiple drawings. It comes with many existing script files and offers lots of flexibility. 3. Record macros with the Action Recorder Since AutoCAD 2009, you can record macros for later use. You can include requests for user input and messages to make the macro work interactively. 14

16 When you save a macro, it has an ACTM filename extension. You ll find it in your Support\Actions folder of your AutoCAD installation. You can share ACTM files with others. Start by thinking about the conditions that you ll need when you run the macro. Will you be in model space or paper space? The macro doesn t keep track of all of the current settings. If a certain setting is necessary, use the system variable or the SETVAR command while recording the macro to make sure that you have the setup you ll need at playback time. Action Recorder macros have some limitations: You can t open files You can t grip edit or use PRESSPULL You can t load VBA files Macros also don t record changes to a dialog box, which means that you may need to use the command line version of a command. If you ve worked with scripts, you re familiar with this type of functioning. You may find other limitations. The Action Recorder feature is on the Tools tab, in the Action Recorder panel. 15

17 Here s an example of how you would create a macro to change all objects to the default 0.25mm lineweight. You might get drawings from a company that adds lineweights to objects. Moreover, their default might be different. So this macro sets the default to 0.25, turns on the display of lineweights, and then uses the CHPROP command to change the lineweight of selected objects to the default. At the end, the macro turns off lineweight display. Figuring out which commands to use often involves some research. For example, I knew that I could turn the lineweight display off and on using the button on the status bar, but I couldn t do that in 16

18 the macro, since I didn t know which way the display would be when I played back the macro. If I wanted to turn the display on, and it was already on, clicking the button would turn it off! So I needed to find the system variable involved, which was LWDEFAULT. Then, it was easy to turn it on and off as needed. When you ve figured out the steps that you want to take, and tried them out a couple of times in different situations, you re ready to record. Choose Tools tab> Action Recorder panel> Record. Your cursor now has a red dot, to show you that you re recording. Go through the steps that you practiced. When you re done. click the Stop button that has replaced the Record button. You now have the opportunity to name and save the macro, as well as choose a few options. 17

19 Here is the command line that I created as I recorded: 18

20 Because I specified all at the Select objects: prompt, the macro will always select all objects. I tested that by adding more objects with a non-default lineweight; they were also changed. Here s what the macro looks like in the Action Recorder dropdown window: 19

21 I might want to be able to select individual objects. Letting the user select objects makes the macro interactive, and it s a very helpful feature. To do this, I reorganized the macro and used the SELECT command before the CHPROP command. While recording, I simply picked any objects. For the CHPROP command, I then used the p (Previous) option at the Select objects: prompt. When I was done, the macro looked like this: 20

22 Then I right-clicked the Select Objects item, and chose Request User Input, as shown below: When I ran the macro, I got a dialog box asking if I wanted to provide user input. By accepting that option, I was able to either select objects, or enter all. 21

23 4. Use the command line to launch programs You may know that you can start certain Windows programs from the command line. These programs are in the acad.pgp file that defines aliases for commands. The first section has aliases for Windows commands. To edit this file and add more commands, choose Tools > Customize > Edit Program Parameters. Notepad opens the acad.pgp file. Scroll down until you see the following: Therefore, if you type explorer on the command line, Windows Explorer opens. To open a new file in Notepad, type notepad and press Enter at the prompt that appears. If you add commands, use the same format. The text before these commands explains the meaning of the 1 and the general format. Then save the file. Back in AutoCAD, type reinit to reinitialize acad.pgp and you ll be able to use your changes. 5. Create a custom command If you find yourself using the same combination of commands and options over and over, you can easily create a custom command 22

24 that executes the combination with a click of a button or a menu item. In this tutorial, I explain the basics of AutoCAD s menu syntax so that you can create your own commands. No programming required! Enter cui at the command line/dynamic tooltip to open the Customize User Interface dialog box. In the Command List pane, click New (Create a New Command). In the Properties pane, enter a name for the command in the Name text box. Also enter a description in the Description text box. If you think your command will be long or need more than one line, click in the Macro text box and then click the Ellipsis button that appears on the right. Then enter your macro in the Long String Editor dialog box. Otherwise, enter the macro in the Macro text box. Start by writing out the combination of commands and options as you would enter them on the command line or in a script. Then add any necessary special characters. macros: Below are the special characters you need to know for menu Character Description Space Equivalent to pressing Enter except when entering text to create a text object that 23

25 contains spaces (between words). Use between the command and its options. Equivalent to pressing Enter. The end of a line in a menu macro is also equivalent to ; (semicolon) pressing Enter. More helpful than using a space when you need to press Enter twice, because it shows the number of Enters more clearly. Also helpful at the end of the macro. \ Pauses for user input, such as picking a point or entering a value. + At the end of a macro line, continues the macro to the next line At the beginning of a macro, before * ^C^C, repeats the macro until you press Esc or choose another menu item. Toggles the display of the menu macro on ^P the command line; makes the macro look neater when you use it. 24

26 From the Command List Categories drop-down list, choose Custom Commands to easily find your command. Select it and drag it to the desired tab at the top of the Customize User Interface dialog box. You can use the Button Editor to give it an image. Usually, you choose an existing button to start with, click Edit, and modify it. Then click the Save As button to save the icon image. Click OK and try out your new command! 25

27 6. Create a custom keyboard shortcut Would you like to create a keyboard shortcut to your favorite command-option combination? For example, I would like a version of the COPY command that doesn t repeat, that is, that ends after one copy operation. Here are the steps: Enter cui to open the Customize User Interface dialog box. In the Command List pane, click the New button. In the Properties pane, you can now specify your new command. Enter a name and a macro. If the macro is long, click the Ellipsis button at the right side of the Macro text box to open the Long String Editor. My macro was^c^c_select;\_copy;_previous;;\\;; 26

28 In the Customizations In All Files pane at the top, expand Partial CUI Files, then Custom, then Keyboard Shortcuts, so you can see the Shortcut Keys item. Find your new command in the Command List pane (it s listed under the name you gave it and a tip is to choose Custom Commands from the drop-down list in that pane) and drag it to the Shortcut Keys item in the top pane. 27

29 Click the command where it appears in the top pane. Its Properties pane now shows a Key(s) item. Click that item and then click its Ellipsis button. The Shortcut Keys dialog box opens. Press the shortcut key combination you want to use and you can see if it s unassigned or assigned to something you never use. Generally, it has to start with Ctrl, Ctrl+Shift, or Shift. Click OK. Click OK to close the Customize User Interface dialog box. Try out your new shortcut! 28

30 Chapter 2 User Interface AutoCAD's user interface is completely customizable and you should certainly take advantage of this fact to organize the ribbon to make your work go more quickly and make the user interface look the way you want it to. In this chapter I cover how to: Add a button to the ribbon Make the command line work the way you want it to Change the color of almost any AutoCAD screen feature 7. Add a button to the ribbon in AutoCAD 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. Choose Tools tab> Customization panel> User Interface, or just type cui on the command line. Tip: If you display the tab you want to work on and type cui on the command line, you can see that tab as you work just move the Customize User Interface dialog box. In fact, if you click the title of the panel you want to work on and click the Pin icon, you can keep even the bottom section open as you work. (Unfortunately, the bottom section collapses when you click Apply.) In the Customization in All CUI Files pane, expand the Ribbon Panels item. 29

31 Expand the panel where you want to add your command. You ll see several rows. Expand one or more rows that you might want to look at. Here you see the Draw-2D panel open with several of its rows. To the left, you can see the expanded panel itself. Note: Sub-panels are a way of compartmentalizing commands for layout purposes. On the Draw-2D panel, there s a sub-panel after the LINE command to separate that command from the rest. Also, each panel comes with a panel separator. Rows below the panel separator don t show until you click the panel name; they re in the lower, expanded section. 30

32 Caution: Remember to back up your original menu file in case you make a mistake! The file is acad.cui or acad.cuix (depending on which release of AutoCAD you re using). The location may vary, so use the OPTIONS command and click the Files tab. Open the Customization Files item to find the location. When you find the file, use Windows Explorer to back it up. Another option is to use Windows Explorer to make a copy first, rename the copy, and load the copy. Use the CUILOAD command to first unload the main acad.cui file, then browse to your copy and load that. Decide which changes you want to make. I added a custom command and moved existing commands around to better suit how often I use them. Don t make the panel too wide, because you need to leave room for the rest of the panels. If you make a panel too wide, others will be condensed and you won t see all of their contents. To move existing commands, drag them from one location to another. (Sometimes this doesn t always seem to work on the first try; try another location, or delete the command and drag it from the Command List to the new location.) To delete a command, right-click and choose Remove. To add a different or custom command, locate it in the Command List at the lower-left corner of the dialog box. Then drag it to the desired location. 31

33 To delete a sub-panel, drag its contents to another location, right-click it, and choose Delete. Sub-panels do a nice job of setting off buttons, but they create blank space that you might want to use. When you ve made a few changes and want to see how they look, click the Apply button and wait while AutoCAD reloads the menu. Note: The panel preview at the upper-left corner of the dialog box isn t completely accurate, so don t rely on it completely. For example, my preview showed the LINE command with a large icon, but it shows as a standard-sized icon on my ribbon. You can set the size in the Properties panel. When you re done, click OK. Here you can see my new menu. I ve added a custom 1LINE command (line \\;) which ends the LINE command after one line. I ve also moved the existing buttons around and banished some to below the panel separator. 32

34 (Originally done in AutoCAD 2009.) 8. Make the command line work the way you want it to The command line is an essential component of drawing in AutoCAD. Even if you don t type commands there, you need to look at it for prompts and you probably use it to specify options. The command line is actually a palette window. See more of the command line The command line palette shows 2-3 lines of text depending on your release of AutoCAD. You can drag the upper edge of the palette to show more lines. 33

35 To display the entire history of the command line, press F2 to open the AutoCAD Text Window or expand the command line window. 34

36 See less of the command line On the other hand, if you think that the command line takes up too much space you can hide it or collapse it. To hide the command line, pres CTrl + 9. So you don t do this by accident without knowing how to get the command line back, you see this message: Check the Always Close the Command Line Window check box to avoid seeing this message the next time. Then click Yes. Now, you can easily toggle the command line to display and hide it. To collapse the command line (like other palettes such as the Properties window or the Tool Palettes), first undock if necessary it by dragging its gray title or grab bar at the left. 35

37 Then right-click the gray title bar and choose Auto-Hide. The command line palette collapses to a small gray bar. That s pretty small! But as soon as you hover your cursor over the bar, the command line expands. Let AutoCAD help you Starting with AutoCAD 2012, when you start to type a command, AutoCAD auto-completes. If you pause, you see all 36

38 commands starting with the letters you typed and you can choose the desired command. You can do minor editing as you type, in case you make a mistake (before pressing Enter): Home: Moves the cursor to the beginning of the line End: Moves the cursor to the end of the line Left arrow: Moves the cursor to the left Right arrow: Moves the cursor to the right Backspace: Deletes the character to the left of the cursor Delete: Deletes the character to the right of the cursor You can also use Ctrl+V to paste text from the Windows clipboard. More command line tricks & tips Here are some more ways to make using the command line easier: Repeat the last line you entered: Press the Up arrow and press Enter. 37

39 Copy a previous command from the Text Window: Press F2 to open the Text Window or expand the command panel, highlight the item you want, right-click, and choose Paste To CmdLine. Repeat a recent command: In the Text Window, rightclick and choose Recent Commands. Then choose the command you want. 9. Change the color of almost any AutoCAD screen feature A reader told me he was having problems with his 3DCLIP command after upgrading to AutoCAD It turned out that it was an issue with the color of the clipping plane. That rang a bell. Here s what I told him to do: Start the OPTIONS command. You can right-click almost anywhere and choose Options. Display tab. The Options dialog box opens. Click the Click the Colors button to open the Drawing Window Colors dialog box. Here, you can alter the color of almost any interface item in the AutoCAD window making AutoCAD the most customizable 38

40 interface I know of. The most common item to change here is the drawing background, but you ll find a lot more options here. In this case, I said to choose 3D Parallel Projection (and repeat with 3D Perspective Projection) in the Context list. Don t forget to choose the appropriate item in the Context box before going on. Scroll down to the Camera Clipping Planes item. Or choose the item you want to change. Click the Color drop-down list and choose a color. You can choose a standard color or click Select Color to specify any color you want. Click Apply & Close. Click OK to return to your drawing. 39

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42 Chapter 3 Linetypes and hatches Hatches and linetypes are a hallmark of technical drawings. In this chapter, I show you how to create custom linetypes and hatches. 10. Create a custom simple linetype AutoCAD comes with a number of linetypes: continuous, dashed (various lengths), dotted, dash-dot, border, center, and so on. But you can make your own. A simple linetype is just a pattern of dashes, dots, and spaces. (A complex linetype can include text and shapes, but that s another tutorial.) To create your own simple linetype, follow these steps: Open Notepad. A linetype file is a text file. Usually you use Notepad to edit it. Navigate to acad.lin. This is the default file for linetypes. By default, you can find it the Support folder for your installation of AutoCAD. Choose File > Save As and save it under another name, but in the same folder, such as mylinetypes.lin. You can edit acad.lin directly, but be sure to back it up first. Acad.lin looks like this: 41

43 Scroll down to the User Defined Linetypes section at the end of the file. After the comments, enter your linetype definition. Here is the syntax: this: A linetype has two lines of text. The first line s syntax looks like *linetype name[, description] 42

44 That means that the first line always starts with an asterisk (*). Then you add the name, which can t have spaces. The description is optional and limited to 47 characters. If you add a description, precede it with a comma. For example: *proposed border,3 dashes and a dot -. The second line, which defines the linetype, starts with the letter A. You separate each item with a comma, but no spaces. The maximum length for the second line is 80 characters. Here are your options: A dash: use a positive number, indicating the length in units A dot: use a 0 (zero) A space: use a negative number, indicating the length in units example: Press Enter after the second line and save the file. Here s an Manager. Go back to your drawing and open the Layer Properties 43

45 Click the New Layer icon and name the new layer anything you want. Assign it any color you want. Click Continuous in the Linetype column. In the Select Linetype dialog box, click Load. In the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, click File. Select mylinetypes.lin (or whatever you named your file) and click Open. In the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, choose your linetype and click OK. In the Select Linetype dialog box, choose your linetype and click OK to assign it to the new layer. Click Set Current and click OK. Start the LINE command and use your new linetype! 11. 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. 44

46 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. remember: If you create your own.pat file, here are some points to 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. Doubleclick 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: 45

47 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. definition: This following explains the meaning of the terms in the 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. 46

48 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 non-continuous 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) 47

49 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. 48

50 See how the effect of trailers is created? 49

51 Chapter 4 AutoLISP AutoLISP was the original programming language that allowed you to program AutoCAD and it's still widely used, even though there are other options. In this chapter, I explain how to: Automatically load your AutoLISP routines Create a custom command with AutoLISP 12. Get all of your AutoLISP routines to load themselves An easy way is to type the AutoLISP routines in a file and save it as anything.lsp. Then choose Tools> AutoLISP> Load Application. Browse to anything.lsp and drag it to the Startup Suite, which has an icon of a suitcase. Then it will load whenever you start AutoCAD. 50

52 13. Create a custom command for AutoCAD using AutoLISP AutoLISP offers powerful programming capabilities to AutoCAD, but you don t need to be a programmer to use it. You can fairly easily create a simple custom command that can make your work go more quickly. In this tutorial, you ll create a custom command that draws a red circle in any location and with any radius. You could use it to encircle areas where corrections need to be made. Open Notepad. Type the following: (defun c:redcircle (/ center pt-on-circumference) (terpri) (setq center (getpoint Specify center of red circle: )) (terpri) (setq pt-on-circumference (getpoint center Pick a point on the circumference: )) (command _circle center pt-on-circumference) (command _chprop _last _color red ) ) Save the file in a folder that is in your support file search path. Name it redcircle.lsp (not.txt, the default for Notepad). 51

53 In AutoCAD, choose Manage tab> Applications panel> Load Application (the APPLOAD command) to open the Load/Unload Applications dialog box. Choose redcircle.lsp and click Load. You should see the message redcirle.lsp successfully loaded at the bottom of the dialog box. Click Close. On the command line, type redcircle and press Enter. At the Specify center of red circle: prompt, specify the circle s center. At the Pick a point on the circumference: prompt, pick a point on the desired circumference to specify the radius. AutoCAD draws the circle and immediately makes it red. 52

54 How does it work? Here s a line-by-line explanation: (defun c:redcircle (/ center pt-oncircumference): Everything in AutoLISP is enclosed in parentheses, so you start with an open parenthesis. (You ll close it at the very end of the routine.) defun followed by c: creates a custom command. Then add the name of the command. The parentheses after the command name are for variables that you ll define. In this case, they are center and pt-on-circumference. The forward slash and space just have to be there. 53

55 (terpri): This function makes the upcoming prompt go on a new line so it s easy to read. (setq center (getpoint Specify center of red circle: )): The setq function means you re defining a variable. Its name is center. Then you need another open parenthesis for getpoint which lets the user specify a point. After that is the prompt in quotation marks. You can put anything you want; it should be selfexplanatory to the user. After that, you need to close both sets of parentheses. (setq pt-on-circumference (getpoint center Pick a point on the circumference: )): Here again, you re defining a variable, pt-on-circumference, and getting the point from the user. The only part that isn t obvious is putting the center variable after getpoint. But you need to do this to create the rubberband line from the center; this is how AutoCAD measures the radius. (command _circle center pt-on-circumference): Using the command function accesses AutoCAD s regular commands. The underscore before circle allows for translation; it isn t necessary. You put the command name in quotation marks. Then you give AutoCAD the information it needs to create the circle, namely the center and radius (specified by a point on the circumference). The AutoLISP routine applies the values you gave the variables when you picked the 2 points. 54

56 (command _chprop _last _color red ): We now use the CHPROP command to make the circle red. The CHPROP command is just perfect for AutoLISP routines where you want everything to be on the command line, rather than on the ribbon or in a dialog box. Then, you specify the last object created; this is applied to the Select objects: prompt. The 2 empty quotation marks end selection. Then you use the Color option and specify read as the color. All the options go in quotation marks. The final empty quotation marks end the command. ): This closes the first open parenthesis and ends the routine. How do you use the routine? Save the file with a filename extension of.lsp in a folder that s in AutoCAD s support file search path. If you don t know how to load an AutoLISP file, see How to load an AutoLISP program and How to load an AutoLISP program quickly. Then just type the name of the command you created (in this example it s REDCIRCLE) on the command line. What else can you create? Try using what you just learned to create an AutoLISP routine that draws a blue line. 55

57 Chapter 5 Miscellaneous Some aspects of customization are not easily categorized. In this chapter, I explain how to: Create a custom function in the calculator Share tool palettes with colleagues 14. Create a custom function in AutoCAD s calculator AutoCAD calculator (the QUICKCALC command) is a great feature for both simple and complex calculations. One of the great features is the ability to calculate coordinates. QuickCalc has variables (or functions) that are shortcuts to some of the more complex coordinate calculations. To use these functions, follow these steps: 1. Start a command. 2. At the prompt where you need the function, type quickcalc (or qc). The QuickCalc window opens. 3. From the Variables list, double-click the function that you want to place it in the Input box of the QuickCalc window. 4. Press Enter. You return to your drawing and see a pickbox cursor. 5. Pick the required points, most commonly by object snaps. The QuickCalc window returns, and you see an absolute coordinate in theinput box. 56

58 6. Click the Apply button. 7. Continue the command. For example, let s say I have a rectangle and I want to start a line at its center, defined as the intersection of the two diagonal lines drawn from opposite corners. Here s one way to do that: 1. Start the LINE command. 2. At the Specify first point: prompt, type qc. 3. From the Variables list (you might have to expand the QuickCalc window to see it; then expand the Variables category), double-click ille. 4. Press Enter. You return to your drawing with a large pickbox. 5. Pick the first set of diagonal points, such as the upper-left, then the lower-right corners of the rectangle. 6. Pick the second set of diagonal points, such as the upperright, then the lower-left corners of the rectangle. 7. Click the Apply button in the QuickCalc window. Your line s start point is now set at the center of the rectangle and you can continue the command. 57

59 Create a custom function When you click a function, you see a tooltip giving you the full format of the function. You can use this format to create your own functions. For example, mee (midpoint between two endpoints) is (end+end)/2. So, to find the midpoint between two nodes (rather than two endpoints), you would use (nod+nod)/2. 58

60 To save your custom function, click the New Variable button at the top of the Variables section. The Variable Definition dialog box opens, where you can define and save the variable. Then, your custom variable appears on the list and you can use it like one of the variables that come with AutoCAD. You can see mnn at the very bottom of the list. 59

61 How cool is that? (Done in AutoCAD 2011) 60

62 15. Easily share tool palettes with colleagues Tool palettes can be a great place to store blocks, custom commands, and more. For example, in this post, I explain how to use tool palettes for blocks. And here I explain how to use tool palettes for user-defined hatches. But what if you want to share them with others? You can share tool palettes by exporting them to a file. Then others import the same file to access the tool palettes. Export a tool palette or group to a file Follow these steps to export a tool palette (or group) to a file: 61

63 Choose Manage tab> Customization panel> Tool Palettes (the CUSTOMIZE command) to open the Customize dialog box. Note that each tab in the Tool Palettes window is a separate tool palette. Right click a tool palette or group and choose Export from the menu. To export all palette groups, right-click a palette group and choose Export All. In the Export Palette or Export Group dialog box, choose a location for the file. A tool palette will be an XTP file and a palette group will be an XPG file. Click Save. Import a tool palette or group from a file If someone gives you a tool palette file (XTP or XPG), here are the steps to import it: Choose Manage tab> Customization panel> Tool Palettes (the CUSTOMIZE command) to open the Customize dialog box. Right-click any palette from the left side of the dialog box and choose Import. 62

64 Select the XTP or XPG file and choose Open to display the tool palette. Here you see the custom tool palette that I imported. Note: There s more important information on the next page! 63

65 Sign up to get the free AutoCAD Tips Newsletter! Stay informed and get a free tutorial on dynamic blocks. SUBSCRIBE Don t miss! Top 25 Productivity Tips Every AutoCAD User Should Know This 50+ page e-book will make your drawing and editing go more smoothly and quickly. Learn from AutoCAD expert Ellen Finkelstein, with the help of submitted tips from many others around the world. Some examples: The 4 ways to import text Find a list of all named objects in your drawing Print a list of text styles Secret MText options And much more! Only $9.95! GET IT NOW! 64