AutoCAD

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

Here are a few quick tips on dealing with block attributes. Tweaking the prompt. There may be situations where you don’t want to be prompted for attribute data when you insert a block, especially if you just want to accept the default value. Use the system variable ATTREQ to turn off prompting (1 = on and 0 = off). It’s

I still hear from many seasoned users that they don’t like the new ribbon interface. One common complaint is that it takes so long to load when you click on a new tab. The best advice I can offer to the more general issue is to either make the time to learn the ribbon layout, or