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AutoCAD 2011: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
28 Oct, 2010 By: Lynn AllenCircles and Lines Tutorial: In addition to major enhancements, the latest AutoCAD release adds many small but powerful features.
Editor's note: This article was originally published in the Summer 2010 issue of Cadalyst.
Each new release of AutoCAD includes big-ticket items that everyone talks about — and subsequently writes about. And with each new release, I find myself writing an article describing the small but mighty new features, just to make sure you don't miss these valuable trinkets. This release isn't any different — so let me tell you about a few of my favorite things in AutoCAD 2011.
Dynamic Polyline Editing
The Pedit command is old, dusty, and hasn't been updated in more than a decade. New dynamic polyline editing is the best way to avoid hassling with the overly basic Pedit command. In AutoCAD 2011, grip displays appear midway between vertices and provide access to a new right-click menu with the Stretch, Add Vertex, and Convert to Arc commands. Simply hover over the grip and select your editing tool of choice — it is so much easier than bouncing from vertex to vertex in Pedit! A shortcut menu at each vertex contains the Stretch Vertex, Add Vertex, and Remove Vertex options.
The new polyline editing features in AutoCAD 2011 are a big improvement over the old Pedit command.
Persistent Default Scale List
I know many of you have battled with AutoCAD's Scale List for viewports. You set it up perfectly within one drawing, only to discover the work doesn't apply to any others. AutoCAD 2011 has a default Scale List that truly is persistent across drawings and can be used whenever the Scale List is reset.
Located in the Options menu under the User Preferences tab, the Scale List can be fully customized for both metric and imperial units. Because this new default is saved in the registry, you only need to modify it once; then you are good to go for all your drawings.
Note: You can still edit the Drawing Scale list in the ScaleListEdit command.
The new default Scale List is persistent from drawing to drawing.
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AutoCAD Tips!
Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's Tips & Tricks Tuesdays free e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is available. All exclusively from Cadalyst! |
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