Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 11, No. 30)
20 Aug, 2006What's New at Cadalyst.com Cadalyst now has new features that give you more say! And don't forget our expanding array of Discussion Forums Cadalyst Daily Update
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Resources Sheet Metal Guy Blog Vision Numeric Engraving Tool for CATIA New Beta CAD Search Engine Launched |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This Week's Software Tips Do you have a favorite tip or shortcut that you use every day in your CAD software? One that saves you time? Makes life easier? Share it with other readers and, if we publish it, we'll send you a “ Cadalyst: CAD the Way You Want It” t-shirt. Followup to Two Leader Line Tips Layer Control "I'm an obsessive champion for Command line routines because I'm not fond of the waiting involved with some of the newer dialog boxes' loading time. Several years ago, I began to prefix my layer names with - (minus sign) and use script files to repetitively create all of my layer sets. I automate most recurring tasks rather than recycle old drawings that may or may not have the data states I require. This placed all my layers above the 0 layer in the old Layer Manager, making them easier to find where multiple xrefs were loaded. As AutoCAD updates its Layer Manager look with each upgrade, my display order remained constant once I set MAXSORT reasonably high. "I also created specific layers for each of my xrefs, with the format Xr_@, with @ replaced by the specific xref name, generally shortened to a single character. For example, G for ground floor plan, 1 for first and 2 for second. Placing each xref on a separate layer means that when the layer is frozen, the xref is frozen without having to alter the xref's layer state. When layer filters were introduced, I created three filters to cover all eventualities of layer filtration that concerned me:
"This lets you see only the layers thawed in the current viewport, layout space and model space that are not xref layers -- see naming protocol above.
"This lets you see only the layers frozen in the current viewport (invisible on screen) and then thaw them in the current viewport individually.
"This shows only the layers that won't plot so that they are visible on-screen and you don't waste precious paper. "Combined with Invert filter, Apply to Object Properties toolbar and Show all Xref dependent layers, I can filter just about anything." NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: AutoCAD allows for so much flexibility that it's possible to customize any drawing habits to your personal preference. If this tip works for the user, great! On the other hand, I'm sure others may comment on the complexity of this solution and offer their own layer customizing techniques. On another note, you don't need to place each xref on its own unique layer. For years now, I've placed all of my xrefs on layer 0. If I don't want to see the xref, I simply unload or detach it from the current drawing file. I can even use the Command line by typing -XR to unload it instead of using the xref dialog box. Layer Tip NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: For those who don't want to deal with AutoLISP routines or reactors, I recommend the tool palettes or Designcenter. Copy More Entities
NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: The prompting is a little unorthodox. The following revised code is a little cleaner with less confusing prompting.
MicroStation Tip -- AccuSnap -- I Love It; I Hate It; I Love It! Send us your tip or shortcut for your favorite CAD software. If we publish it, we'll send you a "Cadalyst: CAD the Way You Want It" t-shirt. Tips & Tools Weekly software tips for AutoCAD are reviewed by Cadalyst staff and the Cadalyst Tip Patrol before publication. Use tips at your own discretion, please, and watch later editions of this newsletter for updates and corrections. Many thanks to our volunteer Cadalyst Tip Patrol members: Don Boyer, Mitchell Hirschklau, R.K. McSwain, Don Reichle, Kevin Sawyer, Ivanhoe Tejeda, Billy Wooten and Ben Young. |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Week's New CAD and Related Products Hardware: ThinkPad T60p Hardware: NextDimension FlexTop General Software: Deep Exploration CAD Edition 4.1 and Deep Server 4.1 General Software: PhotoModeler 6 Beta Version General Software: trueServe Visualization: RenderPipe AV5.5 AEC: AutoTURN 5.1 AEC: JetStream v5.1 MCAD: Seemage 3.2 |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Your Calendar Cadalyst'scomplete list of upcoming industry events is always available on our Web site. ASQ’s Design and Construction Division’s Annual Conference ESRI User Group Meetings SolidWorks World Australia Conference AUGI Manufacturing User Groups Bedford and Waltham Chapters Quarterly Meeting Meridian Systems’ Tenth User Conference |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Account Management Unsubscribe: You are currently subscribed to Cadalyst Tips & Tools Weekly as: %%emailaddr%%. To unsubscribe send a blank e-mail to: %%email.unsub%% Change address: To change your address, send a message from your old address to lyris@listmgr.questex.com with the following command in the subject line: Subscribe: To sign up for this or any of our other free e-mail newsletters (Cadalyst Daily, CAD Manager's Newsletter, AEC Tech News, MCAD Tech News, GIS Tech News, What's New at Cadalyst.com and more ), click here. Cadalyst Tips & Tools Weekly is published by Questex Media, PO Box 5071, Brentwood, TN 37024-5071. Please do not reply to this e-mail message. Send your comments and questions directly to the Cadalyst editors at webmaster@cadalyst.com. To unsubscribe, follow the instructions above. Copyright (c) 2006 by Questex Media Group. Reproduction or distribution in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. |