Welcome to AutoCAD 2018

Transcription

1 Welcome to AutoCAD 2018 Drawing File Format AutoCAD 2018 comes with a drawing file format change. Previously, the AutoCAD 2013 Drawing File Format has been used. As you can see in the screenshot, the text from this imported PDF are polylines, not actual, editable text. This new format will produce an incompatibility between versions, so keep DWG TrueView in mind if you receive a drawing file that was not saved down to the version of AutoCAD you re working with. AutoCAD 2018 has the same save back functionality as earlier versions of AutoCAD, saving drawings all the way back to Release 14 drawing files and Release 12 DXF files. In AutoCAD 2018, you can use the Recognize SHX Text command after importing the PDF. New Features and Enhancements There are a few new features and feature enhancements in AutoCAD 2018 to be aware of, they are as follows: PDF Import External File References Object Selection User Interface Share Design Views Performance Enhancments PDF Import AutoCAD 2017 introduced the ability to import a PDF file into AutoCAD, and convert the PDF into AutoCAD geometry and text. However, AutoCAD 2017 has limitations, such as SHX fonts. The PDF file format will not recognize SHX fonts, meaning that during import, SHX fonts would be turned into geometry instead of text. AutoCAD 2018 introduces new functionality to overcome that. This process uses available SHX fonts and will compare the polyline shapes. You can add and remove the fonts you wish to compare, but AutoCAD will pre-load the most common. You will select the objects you wish to compare, and when finished, AutoCAD will report what was converted.

2 Welcome to AutoCAD 2018 Page 2 This is a great new way to help reduce broken references going forward, but what about all of the files you currently have with Xrefs already attached? AutoCAD 2018 contains two new options in the rightclick menu As you can see above, the geometry is converted to MText. Quick Tip: This function will convert one line at a time, as shown. Use the TXT2MTXT Express Tools Command to combine two or more lines into one MText object. The Select New Path command allows you to browse to the new location of the drawing. External File References (Xrefs) AutoCAD 2018 handles pathing for external references differently than previous releases. When you attach an Xref in AutoCAD 2018, the default path type is set to relative path instead of full path. The new REFPATHTYPE system variable controls this functionality. 0 = No Path 1 = Relative Path 2 = Full Path Another feature of AutoCAD 2018 is the ability to assign a relative path to a file attachment when the host file has not yet been saved.

3 Welcome to AutoCAD 2018 Page 3 AutoCAD will also prompt you to change the remaining files with broken paths to this new location. Nested Xrefs now show in the correct Tree location, even if they are not found or loaded. You can also use Find and Replace in the Xref right-click menu. This will allow you to select one or more files from the list, and use a Find and Replace dialog box to enter a new path. Renaming an unloaded Xref no longer causes the Xref to be loaded. Using any other method, like the Rename command to rename an Xref will update the Xref palette immediately. User Interface Dialog Box Enhancements Either of these new methods will convert full path references to relative path references when the system variable is set to 1 (relative path). A few other updates to Xrefs include: File dialog boxes have been enhanced in AutoCAD When you sort the contents of a file dialog box, AutoCAD will remember the sort the next time you access the dialog. Also, the Drafting Settings dialog box can now be stretched and resized! Also, unloaded references can now still be opened.

4 Welcome to AutoCAD 2018 Page 4 The Select Color dialog box has been updated to accept RGB Values. Modification Enhancements The Rubber Band line is the dashed line that displays when you move, copy or stretch an object. Layer Access In AutoCAD 2018, you can change the color of the Rubber Band Line, as it has been included as an interface element within the Drawing Window Colors dialog box. AutoCAD 2018 enables easier access to layer controls. The Quick Access Toolbar now contains a Layer dropdown. Now, regardless of the Ribbon tab, you can access layer tools.

5 Welcome to AutoCAD 2018 Page 5 Share Design Views With AutoCAD 2018, when you publish Design Views, you can now easily share them with anyone who has the link. Performance Enchancements Drawing File Format Enhancements The AutoCAD 2018 drawing file format will improve open and save times. Specifically: Drawings that contain many annotative objects and viewports. Blocks with Annotation Scaling MText with columns and newer formatting Attribute Definitions with multiple lines Autosave AutoSave has changed and will no longer create full saves, rather, it will create incremental saves. High Resolution Monitor Support Additionally, AutoCAD 2018 offers significant improvement for High Resolution Monitors.