Some simple questions

[ssartor]

1. How does the stretch command work? I'm trying to scale an object solely in the Y-direction. Is making a block out of all the objects I want to scale the only way to do this?

 

2. I have a few blocks that I want to make icons for so that I can just click them from the ribbon. Is this possible?

 

3. How can I set text defaults? i.e. I'm inserting a lot of multi-line text and I always want to justify it MC (middle center) but the default is TL I believe, is there anyway to change this?

 

Thanks

[tzframpton]

1. How does the stretch command work? I'm trying to scale an object solely in the Y-direction. Is making a block out of all the objects I want to scale the only way to do this?

It depends on the object. A rectangle for instance can be stretched in the Y direction very easily, whereas a polygon will not stretch accordingly. Making a block is definitely one of the easiest ways to stretch/scale something in a single axis. I know there are LISP routines that are floating around that expedite this function very effectively.

 

2. I have a few blocks that I want to make icons for so that I can just click them from the ribbon. Is this possible?

Look into using Tool Palettes instead. This will do everything you are asking in this particular request. They are a vital part of any designer's needs for block repository and customization needs.

 

3. How can I set text defaults? i.e. I'm inserting a lot of multi-line text and I always want to justify it MC (middle center) but the default is TL I believe, is there anyway to change this?

Sure. First you'll want to get familiar with the Tool Palettes like I noted above. This way you can create a Block from a MTEXT object, which basically saves the settings. Using Tool Palettes you can access this MTEXT object to quickly insert it into your drawing, without any need for adjustments.

[ssartor]

Thanks, for the answers. Where is a good place to learn more about tool palettes?

[resullins]

If you can register with Autodesk University, do that. Look up the Archived lessons, and search for Tool Palettes. I learned from the one by Mike Murphy, he's pretty good!

[JD Mather]

... Mike Murphy, he's pretty good!

 

Is it Mike or Matt?

[resullins]

You're right... it's Matt. I do know a Mike Murphy though. Whoops.