Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 14, No. 3)

This Week's Software Tips

Set Viewport Scales
James Olszewski discovered a feature for setting the viewport scale in AutoCAD. If you don't do the zoom **.xp but instead highlight the window, right click, and select Properties before locking the viewport display, the property item for viewport scale can be clicked for a list of predetermined viewport scales to select. View the full tip

Use Peditaccept
Radu Damacus sent us a tip on settings used to convert objects to polylines in AutoCAD. Use the PEDITACCEP system variable in conjunction with the PEDIT (PE) command. Set to 0 for the default setting and 1 to suppress the display of the "Object Selected Is Not a Polyline" prompt. View the full tip

Save Table Templates
Leonid Nemirovsky sent us these AutoCAD tips for saving table styles in a template file for reuse. In an empty drawing, create all needed table styles as your job requires. Save the drawing under a meaningful name. You can save table styles using Design Center, create table styles in DWT. View the full tip

Mtest with a Zero Width
This AutoCAD tip, from Mike Gormally, explains the benefits of setting an mtext width to zero. When placing new mtext in a drawing, the command prompt asks you to specify the first corner. Place your starting point, and then for the opposite corner set the width to “0”. View the full tip

Self-Intersecting Clip Boundaries
Mike Carter shared an AutoCAD trick he developed to deal with self-intersecting clip boundaries. He often xrefs first floor plans onto second floor plans and then creates an involved pline to use as a clipping boundary for the xclip command to mask off parts of the first floor xref that he doesn't want to be visible on the second floor. View the full tip

Microstation Tip: Open Different Models in Each View
MicroStation V8i now has the ability to open a different model in each view from one design file. The model is fully editable in the view. Download the PDF. This tip courtesy of The Envision Group.

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.

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, and watch later editions of this newsletter for updates and corrections. 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.

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Resources

CIMdata Reviews Applications Program
CIMdata's paper provides an independent review of the Industrial and Financial Systems' (IFS) PLM-related software, with a focus on capabilities that have been designed to support project-oriented enterprises. It also provides a description of how IFS is supporting its offering from a business perspective.

New Web Site Aims to Foster Collaborative Development Process
Visitors to 3Dconnexion's new web site 3DxLabs can experience and evaluate new and emerging innovations, technologies, and potential products in the developmental stage.

VX CAD/CAM Redesigns Web Site
VX Corporation's newly redesigned engineering and manufacturing web site, vx.com includes a new image gallery with content filtering, the ability to add style to your models with complex sweeps, lofts, and domes, detailed product information, downloadable tutorials, and products comparison tables.

New Search Engine Turbocharges Searches
MelZoo.com is a search engine that displays the results of a search on the left side of a window while the actual web site is framed on the right. Users do not have to flip back and forth between the web site and the search engine, click on individual search results, or have multiple tabs or windows open.

COMSOL Conference CD 2009 Edition
The COMSOL Conference CD contains more than 275 technical papers, 195 presentations, 14 downloadable models in COMSOL Multiphysics format, and 91 animations and movie clips illustrating multiphysics modeling.

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Deals & Freebies

Discount Offered on Scan2Cad Pro
Softcover, the U.K. publisher of Scan2CAD automatic raster-to-vector conversion software, announced that U.S. buyers who purchase Scan2CAD Pro from its U.K. web site, http://www.softcover.com, will save around 20% or approximately $100 (U.S.) off the list price.

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Books & Training

NX6 Training: Basic to Advanced NX6 Modeling, Drafting and Assemblies
Topics of this book from Design Visionaries include synchronous modeling, master modeling, fundamental curves, intermediate curves, editing entities, design features, reference features, surface features, detail features, sheet metal features, and injection-molded parts and castings. Read more.

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The Week's New CAD and Related Products

General Software: progeCAD 2009 Professional
This version from iCADsales.com can open, read, and allow you to edit drawings created with all versions of AutoCAD. Read more

General Software: CADCALCS V2
GEOMATE has combined the disciplines of sketching, calculations, and optimization to help users solve design and engineering challenges. Read more

AEC: 100 Plus Hatch Pattern Library V10.2A
CompugraphX's library includes 365 hatch patterns supplied as individual PAT files for use with the AutoCAD custom hatch pattern option. Read more

AEC: e-SPECS V4.1
InterSpec software includes the e-SPECS Editor, additional custom paragraphs and notes to specifiers, and editing support for nested brackets. Read more

AEC: NetSPEX V4
Optimal AEC's CAD standards management solution includes support for AutoCAD 2005-2008 and MicroStation v8 2004 Edition and v8 XM. Read more

Collaboration: Open Text Desktop Viewer and Open Text Thin Client Viewer
Open Text's software provides a way to manage the creation, capture, viewing, markup, and publishing of content across departments. Read more

Collaboration: InnoCielo Meridian Enterprise and TeamWork 2008a
BlueCielo ECM's two products offer functionality for engineering teams and are suited for complex asset management environments. Read more

Collaboration: XVL Plug-in V2 for Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended
Lattice's new plug-in for Acrobat allows engineers to open any of the supported file formats in XVL Studio and Lattice3D Reporter applications. Read more

Collaboration: InnoCielo Advanced Project Workflow Module 2008a
Users of BlueCielo's module are able to manage multiple concurrent change projects and have full control over merging design changes. Read more

GIS: FME 2009
Safe Software designed FME 2009 to help organizations better address their data interoperability challenges and make spatial data accessible. Read more

MCAD: PointCloud V4.0.3
With the support of the 64-bit version of AutoCAD, PointCloud from Kubit USA is able to handle larger point clouds. Read more

MCAD: Pictures by PC V3.4
Schott Systeme has included advanced milling aids for complex 5-axis parts in the latest release of its Pictures by PC v3.4 software. Read more

PLM: Windchill ProductPoint
Windchill ProductPoint represents the combination of the Microsoft SharePoint social computing platform with PTC's product development software. Read more

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Mark Your Calendar

Webinar: Managing Your Infrastructure in a Down Economy
January 22, 2009
1:30 p.m. EST
This webinar will show how municipalities can embrace technology to reduce costs, minimize risks, manage succession planning, and improve efficiency. Read more

Webcast: Revit Architecture
January 23, 2009
10 a.m. PST
This webinar promises to show participants how to work holistically in a mirror of the real world, rather than with isolated elements. Read more

2nd Annual Carlson User Conference
April 5-7, 2009
Lexington, Kentucky
Attendees will learn about the fundamentals and advanced tools of Carlson Software, preview upcoming product releases, and receive expert training. Read more

COFES 2009: Slipstreaming Innovation into the Mainstream
April 16-19, 2009
Scottsdale, Arizona
This event brings together engineering software vendors and users, developers, and analysts, for an open discussion about the future of the industry.Read more

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