Contribute a tip, become famous

[SLW210]

sanrajbhar,

 

Please read the CODE POSTING GUIDELINES and edit your post.

 

Thank you for your contribution.

[ReMark]

Want to change the background in AutoCAD 2012 prior to rendering?

 

In the 3D Modeling workspace click on the View tab of the Ribbon. Locate the Views panel. Click on the icon for the View Manager.

 

In the View Manager dialog box click on the New button (right hand side). When the New View/Shot Properties dialog window appears look near the bottom for Background.

 

Background choices are: Default, Solid, Gradient and Image. Make your selection. In the ensuing window complete the selection process. Click OK to save your choice. Exit all the way out. Now go ahead and render. Your new background will be displayed.

[AlinOz]

hello All,

 

May be some of you know about this trick or Someone may be already shared with you all.

 

i wanted to share a trick --- In this you can invoke two command at same time. e.g suppose you draw polyline in high detailed dwg. while drawing pline(you may want to zoom).

 

Command:pl

Specify start point:(specify your required point)

Specify next point or [Arc/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]:'z

 

see above you invoke zoom command after zooming. it back to your pline command. tried it out. really helpful. but make sure write "'"before command alias. can use 'calc (calculator function).

 

 

Thanks

 

To go further on the 'z (or 'zoom) command in the middle of a running command, there are actually a multitude of these available - they are known as 'Transparent commands'. Check out the AutoCAD help file (F1) and search for "Transparent Commands" for a full description. The following is an excerpt from the 2012 Help file:

Many commands can be used transparently: that is, they can be entered on the command line while you use another command. In the Command Reference, transparent commands are designated by an apostrophe in front of the command name.

To use a command transparently, enter an apostrophe (') before entering the command at any prompt. On the command line, double angle brackets (>>) precede prompts that are displayed for transparent commands. After you complete the transparent command, the original command resumes.

Commands that do not select objects, create new objects, or end the drawing session usually can be used transparently. Changes made in dialog boxes that you have opened transparently cannot take effect until the interrupted command has been completed. Similarly, if you reset a system variable transparently, the new value cannot take effect until you start the next command.

I don't know if there is anywhere that you can find a list of transparent commands, but so long as the rules above apply, give it a try... You may just learn a new way of doing things (always learning!!!)

[AlinOz]

Here's another one that is handy... Some of us old school guys had favourite commands that ran from the command prompt - we never had these flashy dialogue boxes to work with in the early days. In fact, there are some options inside certain commands that have not been possible to replicate within dialogue boxes (or at least that's my theory on it) - a classic being the attedit command. The current command allows you to edit the properties of an attribute one at a time - have you ever wanted to apply the same change to a number of Attributes?

 

Or have you ever wanted to Pan a set distance? Think about this one - want anther detail? Copy the objects a set distance, make the changes and then in the viewport, pan the same distance???

 

If you preceed a command with a dash (-), it will revert to the old command. OK, every command doesn't do this, but you've just greatly increased your options on different ways to achieve an end result.

 

Here are some that you can try (this is extracted from the Acad.PGP file):

-AR, ARRAY

-ARM, ACTUSERMESSAGE

-ARS, ACTSTOP

-ATT, ATTDEF

-ATE, ATTEDIT

-B, BLOCK

-BO, BOUNDARY

-CH, CHANGE

-G, GROUP

-H, HATCH

-I, INSERT

-IM, IMAGE

-LA, LAYER

-LT, LINETYPE

-LTYPE, LINETYPE

-OS, OSNAP

-P, PAN

-PAR, PARAMETERS

-PU, PURGE

-REN, RENAME

-T, MTEXT

-UN, UNITS

-V, VIEW

-VP, VPOINT

-VSM, VISUALSTYLES

-W, WBLOCK

-XB, XBIND

-XR, XREF

-QPUB, EXPORT

 

Happy CADing

[Dadgad]

now, with this lispyou caN VIEW LAYER ONE BY ONE !

 

JUST PASTE THIS CODE IN NOTEPAD AND SAVE AS LAY.LSP.

LOAD IT ON AUTOCAD.

COMMAND :LAY

PRESS SPACEBAR TO VIEW EACH LAYER ONE BY ONE !

 

(defun c:lay()
      (if (not list1)
        (progn
         (setq count1 0
           list1 (append list1 (list (cdr (assoc 2 (tblnext "layer" "T"))))))
         (while (setq store1 (tblnext "layer"))
                (setq list1 (append list1 (list (cdr (assoc 2 store1)))))
         )
        )
      )
      (if (< count1 (length list1))
          (progn
             (command "layer" "s" (nth count1 list1) "off" "*" "" "")
             (setq count1 (1+ count1))
          )
          (progn
            (princ "\nLayer listing is over")
            (command "layer" "on" "*" "")
            (setq list1 nil) (princ)
          )
      )
      (princ)
)

ENJOY !

 

I really enjoy using the LAYERS 2 toolbar. This lisp appears to do the same thing which the LAYERWALK command does, except that with it, you scroll through the layers by using the directional arrows on your keyboard. There are a number of nice options in the right click shortcut menu and filtering settings too. I like to use this when I am checking drawings with lots of different xrefs, let's me fly right through the lot.

[S-8-N]

I don't know if this one has been submitted yet or not but here goes:

 

Zoom Extents at your right click

 

I do not like to have to hit Z > Enter > E > Enter to get Zoom Extents and I don't want to run my mouse up to the ribbon everytime I need it. What I figured out is if you Right click you have a menu come up, the default menu. You can change this menu in the CUI.

 

Type in CUI, this brings up the Customize User Interface. In the All Customization Files menu find Shortcut Menus and expand it. Now find the Default Menu and expand it. This shows you everything that is on the right click menu. Now in the Command List: Search command list box search for Zoom Extents. Mine came up with two options they may do the same thing but I selected the one with the Description of Zooms to display the maximum extents of all objects. If you click and hold and drag this up into the Default Menu (the list will jump around a bit) in a spot in the list that makes sence to you and then hit OK. Then use the right click again and Zoom Extents should show up in the list where you dropped it at. Two click Zoom Extents and you don't have to move your hand.

[alanjt]

I don't know if this one has been submitted yet or not but here goes:

 

Zoom Extents at your right click

You can also double-click the wheel (middle button) and Autocad will perform a zoom extents.

[Dadgad]

You can also double-click the wheel (middle button) and Autocad will perform a zoom extents.

 

I am forever in the debt of my coworker who showed me this one a couple years back, it made my day, and every day since. I too hated using the four stroke commands to zoom extents.

Last night I read Lynn Allen's tip for DIMROTATED. ........help me, I think I'm falling......too fast! poetry in motion.

Edited May 22, 2012 by Dadgad

[cadkiwi]

I just found this-

hpgaptol

It's really annoying when you are trying to hatch something but it's not a closed shape. With hpgaptol you set a number and if the gap is the same size or smaller than that number it will ignore the gap and hatch anyway.

 

That is the Gap tolerance that is also accessible in the hatch dialogue box...after awhile I found it quicker to draw a rectangle over the entire shape..fill the rectangle with the hatch and then trim to suit the shape...a lot quicker...saves mucking around with tolerance adjustments.

[cadkiwi]

I don't know if this one has been submitted yet or not but here goes:

 

Zoom Extents at your right click

 

I do not like to have to hit Z > Enter > E > Enter to get Zoom Extents and I don't want to run my mouse up to the ribbon everytime I need it. What I figured out is if you Right click you have a menu come up, the default menu. You can change this menu in the CUI.

 

Type in CUI, this brings up the Customize User Interface. In the All Customization Files menu find Shortcut Menus and expand it. Now find the Default Menu and expand it. This shows you everything that is on the right click menu. Now in the Command List: Search command list box search for Zoom Extents. Mine came up with two options they may do the same thing but I selected the one with the Description of Zooms to display the maximum extents of all objects. If you click and hold and drag this up into the Default Menu (the list will jump around a bit) in a spot in the list that makes sence to you and then hit OK. Then use the right click again and Zoom Extents should show up in the list where you dropped it at. Two click Zoom Extents and you don't have to move your hand.

 

or.......

you have a mouse with middle wheel...double click on the wheel and zoom to extents instantly

[cadkiwi]

any reason why my posts keep getting shunted to the end of page/s ??

[alanjt]

any reason why my posts keep getting shunted to the end of page/s ??

That's how forum posts work.

[SLW210]

In settings>general settings, you have the option to show oldest first or newest first. So, the reason you get shunted to end of page is per your settings.

[Dadgad]

An honest mistake at the worst, an excellent learning opportunity at the best.

[cadkiwi]

oh yes and due to the time difference in NZ - being ahead of you...it would jump a few times...(that is what i was questioning cos you guys would post and i would keep moving down...so that answers it....thanks (didnt have to growl..SLW210..it was an honest question...altho i detect sarcasm because I was growling..hmmm)

[Firegod94]

When my work laptop got upgraded I got Windows 7 Pro & AutoCAD 2010. From day one I had issues with the cursor jumping across the screen for the slightest movements. After numerous calls to our tech support and calling my favorite CAD Professionals, I finally found an article at:

 

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=14898223&linkID=9240617

 

Which explains how to Enable Hardware Acceleration through the 3DCONFIG command.

 

Matthew Perreault

[marmo]

Hi,

 

If you have a viewport and you want different copies scaled proportionally...

 

[pryzmm]

my turn ...

 

command:SAVEALL

this works well when you have 2 or more opened drawings as you only need to type once and ALL your opened drawings will be saved.

note; read only files will prompt you for location

 

command:CLOSEALL

similar to above but this time it will closed "duh" all opened drawings.

note: unsaved/ modified files will prompt you to save them prior

 

- i usually use this 2 command one after the other to max its usefulness

 

command:SAVE

unlike "saveas" this one will save a copy of your drawing without exiting the current one you are trying to save

 

hope that helps

Edited May 22, 2012 by pryzmm

[mondaymonkey9]

Tip: Extend/Trim commands

 

While in the middle of either of the Trim or Extend command, you don't have to exit out of one to start another. they're virtually the same command. So if you're in Trim, and need to Extend, simply hold the Shift key and it will convert to the Extend command, and vice-versa.

 

Dude that's very useful, thanks!

[bgingerich]

I just found this out a couple of weeks ago myself!

 

Want to toggle variables that have "on/off" (or "1/0") settings but can't find a way to do it without an IF statement (or COND in LISP)?

 

For AutoCAD LT, use Diesel:

^C^C[i]varname[/i] $M=$(- 1 $(getvar [i]varname[/i]))

For those with LISP capability it's only slightly different:

(setvar "[i]varname[/i]" (- 1 (getvar "[i]varname[/i]")))

These are very useful in ribbon buttons.