This Week's Software Tips Congratulations February Drawing Winner!
Kevin Mukbel won the February drawing for a $100 gift card. Kevin's tips were published in the February 2 Tips & Tools Weekly. Submit your tip (see guidelines below) 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. Add Text to Dimensions
Alex Enoch wrote to say, "Here's a tip most people don’t know for AutoCAD. When you want to add some extra text in your dims and still keep the actual dimension without manual editing it, use <> to keep the original text." View the complete tip Layer Filters
Michal Koc sent us a tip on setting up and using Layer Filters. He said that in his company they work on AutoCAD 2006. Usually they use a lot of xrefs in every drawing, so it's very annoying in Layer Manager/Layer List to see thousand of xref layers. The easiest way to hide all xref layers in Layer List is to make a Layer Filter. View the complete tip. Mtext Justification in Older Versions and Spacing
Leonid Nemirovsky says that in AutoCAD 2008/2009, Mtext formatting is a bit different than in previous releases. For example, you can highlight one line and center justify it, right justify the second line, and so on. This is a great feature, but if you open a drawing in an earlier version of AutoCAD, you can lose justifications that are perfect in 2008/2009. View the complete tip. Leonid also sent us a tip regarding Mtext spacing. To keep M-text spacing always equal (Exactly not At least), set variable TSPACETYPE=2. View the complete tip. Rotate View in Paper Space
Chris Kuenning offered this tip. "A few months ago, viewers submitted several different procedures on rotating views, but I don’t recall any mimicking the procedure that I commonly use. I work mainly in civil applications with street Plan & Profile sheets, but this works well with other applications as well."View the complete tip. Pickstyle: Hatch-Group-Selection
Alex Borodulin shares tips for using the Pickstyle variable in AutoCAD and quick Create Group command. View this tip and others at Alex's NYacad web site.
 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 Bentley Launches "Be Employable" Initiative
Bentley launched its Be Employable initiative, an addition to Bentley's Be Careers Network. The program is designed to help outplaced architectural, engineering, construction, and geospatial professionals update and upgrade their technology skill sets. It provides free access to Bentley's comprehensive software portfolio and training as well as the ability to earn learning units from the Bentley Institute. Whitepapers Explain Benefits of New Handheld 3D Scanners
Two new whitepapers by Z Corporation explain how new, handheld 3D scanners bypass the expense, bulkiness, and inconvenience of traditional equipment. Read these and other whitepapers in the Cadalyst Whitepaper Library.
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opportunities & Honors TurboSquid Sponsoring Revit Family Contest
Users of original Revit families are encouraged to create a scene using as many Revit applications as possible, publish the families at Revit Market, and enter TurboSquid's Revit Family Contest. Prizes of $2,500, $1,000, and $500 will be awarded in three categories: individual/freelancer, corporate, and student. Autodesk Honors 'PLASTIC' for Outstanding Student Achievement
Autodesk presented the first-ever student award at the Visual Effects Society (VES) annual awards show on February 21. The winners were Sandy Widyanata and Courtney Wise, who created their short film, "PLASTIC," as a graduation project while studying at the Australian Film Television and Radio School. The film was developed using a variety of technology, including Autodesk Maya software. Back to Top |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Books & Training Surfware Opens Demo and Training Center
Surfware, the developer of SURFCAM Velocity CAD/CAM systems powered by TrueMill, announced the opening of the Surfware Demo and Training Center in Camarillo, California. The facility will host live webcasts showing real-time demonstrations of using TrueMill for the high-speed cutting of titanium on a Haas machine. The center will also serve as an R&D site. Inventor iLogic 2009 Training
D3 Technologies announced it will be offering exclusive Inventor iLogic 2009 training for its customers. The Inventor iLogic Extension 2009, available only for subscription customers, enhances the parametric design capabilities of Inventor 2009 software by providing a powerful, yet simple, solution for rules-based design. Back to Top |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Your Calendar PTC/USER World Event 2009
June 7-10, 2009
Orlando, Florida
This conference for the global PTC/USER community offers three days of in-depth training, education, and networking. Learn best practices, technical tips, and new techniques from expert user presenters. Share new ideas and experiences with your peers at various networking functions and sharpen your skills on PTC products. Read more 2009 FME International User Conference
June 11-12, 2009
Whistler, BC, Canada
This annual event offers an opportunity to build your spatial ETL expertise and learn how to solve complex spatial data challenges. Gain new insights from keynote James Fee, plus attend informative workshops, breakout sessions and more. 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 Cadalyst Labs Special Report: 3D Printing
The popularity of 3D printing is growing by leaps and bounds as its benefits are becoming clear to designers in manufacturing, AEC, facilities management, entertainment, and more. Check out this in-depth report from Cadalyst to learn the basics of the technology and how it's being put to use in the design world. User Review: Bunkspeed Hypershot
For one designer, real-time rendering is a dream come true. Circles and Lines Tutorial: Capture the Perfect Selection Set in AutoCAD
In her latest installment, Lynn Allen explains how to use QSelect to quickly gather and count your objects of choice. |
