Rick Ellis

From time to time you may find that your Open, New, Save As, or any other dialog box that is used with a command that reads and writes files does not appear. You are left feeling as if you are back in DOS using AutoCAD 10 as you see a prompt at the command line […]

For those of you that work with a lot of 3D objects AutoCAD 2006 has a new system variable that gives you more control over your Object Snaps. Traditionally, object snaps have snapped to the X, Y, and Z coordinate of objects. At times this could be frustrating to users who wanted to create just

Direct Distance Entry is one of those AutoCAD commands that have been around for several releases but a lot of people seem to forget about. The concept is simple during any drawing or editing command when you are asked to enter a coordinate you can specify the direction with your cursor and then just enter

Autodesk has recently released a new, free, utility that will help you convert as well as view drawing files. DWG TrueView is a viewer for drawing files. You can pan, zoom, plot, turn layers on and off, and publish DWF files all from this free viewer.  This version of DWG TrueView now incorporates the functionality of

The AutoCAD 2006 based products introduced a new feature called Dynamic Input. This moves your command line input to your cursor. As with most new interface changes some people like it while others do not. If you want to restore the command line to the way it functioned in previous versions of AutoCAD click the

The AutoCAD 2006 based products introduced a new feature called Selection Preview. This highlights objects as you move your cursor over them without actually selecting the object. Giving you, as the name implies, a preview of your potential selection. As with most new interface changes some people like it while others do not. In Civil

AutoCAD 2005 brought us the long awaited Table object, and later versions have improved it to support more advanced features including formulas. The Table object allows you to create a table in AutoCAD that has rows, columns, and cells that can be formatted with a table style. You can also create a table with a

Have you ever had a hatch pattern display incorrectly? If you are using a hatch pattern like gravel or concrete the sides of the intended shapes within the hatch may not line up properly. Giving you results that don’t look at all like your desired hatching. This typically happens when the area that you are

The offset command is a tool I use often for creating geometry; it’s particularly useful when the drawing consists of a lot of parallel lines.  The command includes a few lesser known options, and by using an obscure system variable, you can make it even more versatile. The command includes a layer option. Type “L” at

 Something I often hear from clients reminds me of the adage:            “I am too busy chopping wood to sharpen my axe”.  When business is booming, we think we don’t have time to sharpen our axes.  When business is slow, we think we can’t afford it. My advice is  that it is ALWAYS a good idea