Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 11, No. 42)
26 Nov, 2006What's New at Cadalyst.com Dialog Box: Readers Have Their Say Cadalyst Daily Update
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NVIDIA Performance Drivers Don't Extend to AutoCAD Extensions GlobalSpec Launches Redesigned Online Community Softcover Launches Scanners4CAD Web Site Digital Library of Technical Information CAD Models Now Online for Veriflo Components |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This Week's Software Tips Send us your tip, code 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, and each month Cadalyst editors will randomly select one published tip and send $100 to its author. Please submit only code and other tips that are your original work, or provide the original source so we can include proper credit. By submitting code to Cadalyst, you grant Cadalyst the right to print and distribute your code in print, digitally and by other means. Cadalyst and individual authors retain all rights to the code; published code is not to be used for commercial purposes. Follow-Up to Cycle Through Drawings Cadalyst Tip Patroller Kevin Sawyer offers up the option of typing Taskbar at the Command line and setting the option to 1 to turn on the feature that lists multiple AutoCAD tabs in the system area. Unfortunately, if you have a few drawings open, these tabs dynamically resize themselves and seeing each DWG filename can be a problem. Kevin recommends a product called DocBar (starting at $35) from Cadwerx, a dockable image or tab-based toolbar for managing open AutoCAD documents. (A free trial download is available.) Filter Objects with SSX Load SSX.LSP while opening a session, or afterward using (load"ssx")). Type SSX at the Select Objects prompt and press Enter. You can then select an object and have all relative filters set, such as entity type, color, layer, etc. By pressing Enter again instead of selecting an object or text entity, the command offers several filter options. You can also incorporate this AutoLISP file into other LISP routines for simplified user input. NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL:Our Patrollers were of two minds on this one. One said, “I have AutoCAD 2006, and SSX.LSP still works. Now an Express Tool, it’s been around since Release 10. As explained by Lee, it allows the operator to choose specific features of an entity when building a selection set. Command line options are available for most commands that produce dialog boxes. Just precede the command with a – (dash). Sometimes AutoCAD commands include too many options, slowing you down with too many choices. That’s when scripts, LISP routines, VBA and Visual LISP become very handy for specific changes. If Lee is using the same filters each time, customizing this sequence could be very helpful.” Our second Patroller said he prefers sticking with Qselect, and keeps it open on his desktop at all times. Textmask Tidbit NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: While one Patroller is in complete agreement with Kellie, another suggests trying Background Mask instead of Textmask. He says that this subroutine is better attached to the text than Textmask and is also used with the Draworder command to produce the desired masking effect. There are two drawbacks to this command: It only applies to Mtext and didn’t come out until Release 2005. Both features allow the user to achieve the expected result without modifying other drawing entities. For more information on the Background Mask feature of Mtext, read:
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. |
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opportunities & Honors Right Hemisphere Honored with MT2 Award ASCON Announces Fifth KOMPAS-3D Modeling Contest |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Books and Training New Self-Paced Courses for SolidWorks 2007 |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Week's New CAD and Related Products Hardware: DISTO A8 Hardware: Draganflyer SAVS Hardware: Portable Multidisplay Monitor General Software: FusionDox IDM 2007 General Software: progeCAD 2007 Professional General Software: TurboCAD MAC Version 2 General Software: Draft IT Version 2 Visualization: NPR Imagery for VectorWorks GIS: SpatialGuide GIS: ArcMap Plug-in for Spatial Express MCAD: Mesh To Solid 3.0 MCAD: Power NURBS 2.0 MCAD: 3DSearchIT for SolidWorks MCAD: XVL Reducer MCAD: GeomCaliper for Pro/ENGINEER 2.0 MCAD: Geomagic Qualify 9 and Geomagic Blade Extension MCAD: CATBLANK CAA V5-Based MCAD: Digital Parts Catalog CAE: LMS Virtual.Lab Structures Rev 6 CAE: CFdesign V9 CAE: COMSOL Acoustics Module CAM: VX Mold Automation Design Suite |
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