Monthly Archives: September 2011

QTEXT to Select Empty Text or Attributes

Posted on September 27, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

I have previously posted about using the QTEXT command to temporarily hide your text in order to speed up performance in case you are working on a large drawing… Well, Here’s another use for QTEXT. If you have empty text … Continue reading →

Posted in Attributes, Modifying, Text, TIPS | 6 Comments

How To Use Stretch With an Angle

Posted on September 26, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

I have previously explained how to use the STRETCH command (found here). But all of the examples that I used were orthogonal (horizontal/vertical). And that’s not how the real world works – we work with angled drawings and components all of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Modifying, TIPS | Leave a comment

AutoLISP: Break At Distance

Posted on September 24, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

Even though this routine prompts you to select a curve, this routine can be used on other objects as well. You simply select an object near the endpoint where you want to start from then specify a distance along the … Continue reading →

Posted in AutoLISP, Modifying, Polylines | 6 Comments

AutoLISP: Break Polyline at Vertex

Posted on September 24, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

You can always explode a Polyline if you need to break your polyline into individual segments. This method will make the polyline into individual lines. But what if you would like these individual segments to remain individual polylines? That’s where … Continue reading →

Posted in AutoLISP, Modifying, Polylines | 1 Comment

AutoLISP: Break at Intersections With A Gap

Posted on September 24, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

Here is a very useful routine that breaks objects at their intersections and then creates a gap at the intersection on the first object that you select. Here’s how: BI <enter> to start Specify the gap distance.  <enter> (Note: the … Continue reading →

Posted in AutoLISP, Modifying, Polylines | 1 Comment

Cycle Through View Ports using CTRL + R

Posted on September 15, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

You may have read that you can cycle through View Ports in books and other websites but if you don’t see it in action, you may not fully understand its usefulness. Here is an example of a layout tab that has … Continue reading →

Posted in BASICS, Layout, Paper Space, TIPS, Viewports | 1 Comment

Rotate Viewport

Posted on September 8, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

Here’s how to rotate a viewport and rotate THE VIEW of the objects within the viewport: Simply change a system variable. The variable is VPROTATEASSOCC As seen below, <0> = OFF & <1> = ON

Posted in BASICS, Layout, Paper Space, TIPS, Viewports | 1 Comment

Function Keys (Drafting Settings) Toggle Over-Ride

Posted on September 8, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

I know that the title for this post might be a little much, but I just wanted to call it what it is…. The “Drafting Settings” keys are especially useful when you learn the “Function keys” (ex. the buttons located … Continue reading →

Posted in BASICS, TIPS | 5 Comments

Restoring a Pop-Up Notification

Posted on September 5, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

You know the routine… A notification pops-up on your screen and if it has a “don’t show me this again” option, you click it. Believe it or not, there are some notifications that are helpful. And lets say that you … Continue reading →

Posted in BASICS, Customization, Modifying, Text, TIPS | Leave a comment

Customize The Pop-Up Notifications

Posted on September 5, 2011 by AutoCAD Tips

One thing that is great about AutoCAD is that it will tell you if something worked or didn’t work. One way it does this is by showing little pop-up notifications in the lower right hand corner of your screen. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Customization, Settling In, TIPS | 1 Comment