Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 12, No. 11)
25 Mar, 2007New Quick Poll: Who Calls Your CAD Shots? 3D in AutoCAD? You Tell Us! First Look Review: Sun Microsystems Ultra 20 M2 Cadalyst Daily Update
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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. Multiple Osnaps Customization NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: One Cadalyst Tip Patroller who reviewed Brent's tip remarks, "This is an excellent example of customizing the CUI file. The techniques that the Tipster uses to add, modify and protect commands in the CUI file should benefit most all users." Another Tip Patroller offers another option: Use Menuload to accommodate his tool entries into the CUI. He explains, "I learned that with AutoCAD 2006, all that was necessary to load the MNS files I had been using for years was to change the extents from CUI to MNS in the Menuload dialog box. Also, I handle the osnaps I need by using an AutoLISP file to set things up. Here are a couple of examples, in which all I have to do is type four keys (at the most), and I'm good to go": (defun C:OC () (defun C:OE () Changing Text Justification NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: Our Patrollers send thanks for the explanation. Each who reviewed it said he has wondered about this before. Paths to Drawing NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: This code is a possible solution if you don't use title blocks in your drawings. As another option, the try using title blocks with Rtext and Fields features. You can include them somewhere in the title block along with the current date, time and user, and the features update whenever you open or regenerate the drawing. Keystroke Shortcuts in AutoCAD • MM for mirror instead of MI NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: Excellent! A Patroller remarks, "One of the main points here is the importance of customizing AutoCAD to fit your specific needs. If the computer is used by more than one operator, consider setting up profiles in the Options dialog box to keep customizations separate." With an eye on health, our other Patroller reminds users to be sure to look away from the computer now and again to give your peepers a well-needed rest. Hotkeys in SolidWorks NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL: "Perhaps the veteran user would be more receptive to keyboard shortcuts than toolbar icons," suggests a Patroller who reviewed this tip. It's true that pressing a key is faster than searching for and clicking on an icon, but "users are going to work the way they want to, regardless of the interface. Choose the commands you most often use and then customize and combine them as you see fit. Also, speed isn't everything -- accuracy must also be considered. Over time, efficiency will increase and time spent drafting will decrease." MicroStation Tip: AccuSnaps Follow-Up: Send a Drawing in MS Word And a correction: An editing error introduced a mistake in the DWG copying procedure outlined in Danny Comsa's original article, "Send a Drawing in MS Word": You must use Ctrl+C, not Copy. The article has been corrected. Barbara Piper wrote that Chspace works for her as originally described -- at least in Map 3D 2006. "Unless I am missing something, this command does indeed work both from model space to paper space and from paper space to model space in Map 3D 2006." Follow-Up: Write Sequential Numbers More Follow-Up: Chspace 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 Winners of Leadership Award and Joe Greco CommunityAward Announced |
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Week's New CAD and Related Products Hardware: Eurocom D900C PHANTOM Mobile Workstation General Software: FARO Scene v4.1 MCAD: RSoft Component Design Suite MCAD: Alibre Design v9.2 MCAD: Scribe-iT DCC 3D MCAD: Power SolidWorksToMax CAE: MD Adams CAE: FLOW-3D v9.3 CAM: DieDesign CAM: Geomagic Piano |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Your Calendar Webcast: What's New with Acrobat 8 Professional Webcast: Combining Multiplatform Documents Webcast: More on Creating PDFs from CAD Webcast: Crossing the Chasm with Microsoft Compute Cluster Edition -- HPC Goes Mainstream Webcast: Creating Shared Reviews Webcast: Autodesk Civil 3D -- Pipes Click here to view the complete calendar of events at Cadalyst.com. |