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Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 14, No. 13)

5 Apr, 2009


This Week's Software Tips

Temporarily Override Osnaps
Rodney Lee gives us a way to temporarily override osnap settings. "In AutoCAD, to do a temporary shutoff of the running Osnaps, press and hold Shift + D. This shuts off the running osnaps while you hold them down." View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Use Sheet Set Properties for Construction Notes
David Couch shares a tip he uses with sheet sets to keep notes consistent within a set. "I use the Custom Properties of the sheet sets for construction notes. I create items labels Note 01, Note02 -- I use 01 and 02, etc. so that the notes will sort properly in the list -- within the Sheet Set Custom Properties." View the complete tip and post your feedback.

 

Use Tool Palettes to Manage Layers
George Voelcker sent us a method that uses tool palettes and custom commands to manage layer states. "After seeing the tip on layer macros, I thought I would share the way I control xref (or any group) layers. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Add Multiple Text Lines to Dimensions
Tipster Marcel Revet writes, "To add a second line of text to dimensions, enter a backslash with the letter P and add your next line of text.” You can add more lines of text just by adding /P after each sentence. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Submit Your Tip

Submit Your Tip for your favorite CAD software. If we publish your tip, we'll send you a Cadalyst T-shirt, and each month Cadalyst editors will randomly select one published tip and send a $100 gift card to its author. Please remember:

  • Submit only code and other tips that are your original work (or provide the original source so we can include proper credit).
  • Tell us which software version you use.
By submitting code, 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.

 

Tips & Tools Weekly software tips for AutoCAD are reviewed by Cadalyst staff and the Tip Patrol before publication. Use all tips at your own discretion, please. To share feedback about one of today's tips, locate the tip using the link provided, then click Comment. The Comment tool is available to registered users of Cadalyst'sCAD Tips site. We're sorry, but editors and Tip Patrol members cannot provide assistance with technical problems; please refer to Cadalyst's Hot Tip Harry-Help discussion forum.

Sincere thanks to our volunteer Tip Patrol members: Brian Benton, Don Boyer, Mitchell Hirschklau, R.K. McSwain, Kevin Sawyer, and Billy Wooten.

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Resources

Autodesk Launches AutoCAD Community Site
Autodesk launched AutoCAD Exchange, an online destination for AutoCAD users to connect and learn from experts, provide feedback to product developers, and access professional tools. The online community features multimedia content including a video series, eLearning tools, and aggregated CAD information from web-based resources.

Wausau Shares 3D Models Through Autodesk Seek
BIM-ready, 3D models from Wausau Window and Wall Systems are now available at Autodesk Seek, a service that helps manufacturers present "BIM-ready" product information, making 3D models and other product design files available directly from their Autodesk design applications.

Autodesk 2010 Product Launch Events
MasterGraphics unveiled its launch schedule for the Autodesk 2010 software portfolio for BIM and sustainable design. Led by MasterGraphics instruction professionals, the seminars provide architecture and engineering professionals with in-depth exposure to the most current Autodesk software. The seminars run April 23-May 7, 2009 in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

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Deals & Freebies

Dimension Cuts 3D Printer Prices
The Dimension arm of Stratasys announced that it has reduced the base price of its Elite and 1200es 3D printers. The Elite is now available for $29,900. The SST 1200es is now $32,900, and the BST 1200es is now $18,900.

Free Vue 7 Pioneer Full Application
E-on software's full Vue 7 Pioneer application for 3D rendering is now available free of charge from cornucopia3d.com. Create vast expanses of terrain, add trees, select the best point of view, and render hyperrealistic images with this 32- and 64-bit application for Windows and Mac OS X.

Ozone V4 Released as Free Open Beta
E-on software announced the availability of a free, open beta version of its upcoming Ozone v4 Atmospheric plug-in for 3DS Max, Cinema4D, LightWave, Maya, and Softimage|XSI.

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Opportunities & Honors

ASCON Announces 2008 Winner of LT Modeling Contest
ASCON announced that Michal Prech from Poland won its KOMPAS-3D modeling contest with his "milling plotter" design. Prech was awarded with the full version of KOMPAS-3D for one year.

Leica Employee Receives 2009 Outstanding Partnership Award
Newark College of Engineering named John White, senior direct sales manager of Leica Geosystems, winner of the 2009 Outstanding Partnership Award. This award recognizes the outstanding loyalty of organizations and individuals to the surveying profession.

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Books & Training

SYCODE Founder Publishes Book for CAD Software Developers
SYCODE's OpenCAD -- A Step by Step Guide to Developing a Professional CAD Application($99 paperback, $49 PDF eBook), by Deelip Menezes, is written as a short story describing the evolution of a CAD application called OpenCAD. In each chapter, the reader adds features to OpenCAD, first making it a DWG reader, then a viewer, and finally an editor.

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Mark Your Calendar

IDSA Western District Conference
April 24-26, 2009
Santa Monica, California
Under current economic conditions, designers are forced to better plan for their survival. What must designers do to survive today? Read more

Improving Your Project Delivery Effectiveness Through IPD and BIM
June 17-19, 2009
Madison, Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin's workshop covers principles of the integrated project delivery approach and BIM technology procedures. Read more

2009 FLOW-3D World Users Conference
September 17-18, 2009
Seattle, Washington
The conference is open to FLOW-3D users as well as scientists, engineers, and other professionals interested in CFD modeling. Read more

COMSOL Conference 2009
October 8-10, 2009
Boston, Massachusetts
This event gathers engineers from a broad spectrum of industries to unveil state-of-the-art achievements in multiphysics simulation. Read more

For a complete list of CAD meetings, conferences, training sessions, and more, check out our calendar of events on Cadalyst.com.


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What's New at Cadalyst.com

Autodesk ImageModeler 2009 (First Look Review)
Generate 3D models from 2D digital images in a flash. Read more

HP's New Z Line: Breakthrough Workstation Technology
At a launch event in L.A., company shows off landmark leaps in system design and performance and gives a sneak peek at SkyRoom web conferencing. Read more

NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 (First Look Review)
High-end performance and support for new 30-bit color monitors make this graphics card an excellent professional choice. Read more

Tutorial: Convert Traditional Solid Edge Models to Synchronous
The Solid Edge Convert option allows users to convert traditional history-based models to Synchronous Technology. Read more  All Cadalyst Tutorials

Looking for "Hot Tip Harry?"
Hot Tip Harry's latest AutoCAD customization tips are now posted online at Cadalyst's CAD Tips site. Harry's posting tips all the time now, and you can find the latest ones by checking the Recently Posted list, along with the latest tips from Tips & Tools Weekly. You can also find out about the latest tips from Harry himself (aka Cadalyst's Bill Kramer) by hanging out on Harry's Tip Jar Discussion Forum. Look for the posts labeled "Hot Tips!" for regular updates.

Brand new, Cadalyst and Hot Tip Harry also introduce his new Programming Concepts Discussion Forum. Keep tabs and chime in to exchange AutoCAD programming expertise and advice.