Autocad 101 Survival Course Beginners

ATP218 AutoCAD 101 – A Survival Course For Beginners Segment 1

Date: May 5, 2008 Instructor: Kenneth C. Leary Level: Beginning Category: AutoCAD General Web: www.AUGI.com Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Welcome to AutoCAD 101 Is this class for you? Well I think most people who signed up for it can get something out of it. Perhaps you’re just new to the business and you don’t want to look like you’re new to the business. Or maybe you’ve been in the business a little while and hope to learn some new tip and tricks. In either case you’ve come to the right place. It’s a scary feeling, being inexperienced, and AutoCAD is a big and intimidating program. There are literally thousands of commands and system variables. Most vocational and technical schools only teach the very basics. Often the former students are shocked to find that they weren’t taught some of the important tools most companies use on a regular basis. Amazingly, most experienced users only use about a third of the tools the program has to offer. The people who get into the program and use it to a greater potential are referred to as “power users”. Even power users don’t always use a lot of the new tools that are available in new releases. Here’s the good news, it’s not as bad as it seems. You can be on the road to becoming a power user before you know it. This course will teach you the basics you don’t usually learn in school, help you avoid the common mistakes most people make, and get you up to speed and working like a pro faster than you thought possible.

Always know where your towel is Some of you may have read the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. If you didn’t that’s all right I won’t hold it against you. One of the mantras of the hitchhikers is to always know where your towel is. This means always be prepared and always carry with you the tools that you will need. In case that reference still doesn’t make sense, a towel is a very handy multipurpose tool for hitchhikers. I always suggest new employees whether it is CAD Drafter or Engineer (maybe Architect in your case) that they carry a notepad with them at all times. Well perhaps taking it with you to lunch or the restroom is a bit extreme. Regardless, there are so many commands and system variables that you will be learning that, unless you’re an AutoCAD savant, you won’t commit them all to memory the first time you hear them. Just like any other craft or skilled trade it’s important to have the right tool for the job. One very important thing that I would like to stress is this; AutoCAD is your favorite new tool. It may look like a big scary tool with a bunch of switches, knobs and sharp edges, but it is just that, a tool. This is very important for you to keep a good perspective. Weather you are a CAD Technician, CAD Drafter, Drafter, CAD operator, Designer, etc. In this course I will use the term CAD Drafter but the title is really of little significance for our purposes, it is your job to draw something well and this is the tool you use. Think of yourself as a drafter first, computer operator second. Lastly, always keep a drawer stocked with Antacid and Aspirin (or Ibuprofen). You will need them eventually, often at the same time. Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Good Sources for Support Just like a good reporter how well you do all depends upon how reliable your sources are. Whether it’s learning new tools and functions of AutoCAD or finding out how to fix a problem you are facing and can’t solve yourself (and there will be plenty). Having a good reliable source or sources for good information at your fingertips is important. I’m going to cover some of the more reliable sources available to you, all are effective and the more of them you use the better it is for you. First, you’re already in one of the best places. AUGI is a great place to get valuable information about AutoCAD and the add-on packages that are offered by AutoDesk. The Forums are a good place for asking questions and getting answers. There is also a Tips and Tricks forum that is really handy for finding the quickest ways to do things. In addition there are software specific forums that are specific to whatever type of AutoDesk product or Add-on you’re using. Last but not least, if you have a spare few minutes Coffee Without CAD is a great place to meet AutoCAD users you can relate with and not talk shop.

Fig. 01 This is a screen shot of the AUGI Forums. A great source of information for AutoCAD related questions.

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Second, you may have support though AutoDesk already, but if not there is still plenty of good free information available on the AutoDesk Support website. The Discussion groups are similar to the AUGI forums in that you can post questions and get answers, often quickly, from experts that are online pretty much twenty four hours a day seven days a week. I would also suggest doing a forum search before posting questions; you’re probably not the first person to have the problem and it many have already been answered.

Fig. 02 This is a screen shot of the AutoDesk Support Page. The link for the discussion groups is circled in red.

So you thought you were done with school I run into a lot of CAD drafters in the business that pick a version as “theirs” and benchmark everything on that. There are still people who are happy with Release 14 and don’t want to move on, no really. The new commands and productivity tools don’t appeal to them. That kind attitude can be a career killer. Don’t let yourself get too attached to a version or a specific way of doing things, there’s always a good reason to make a new release.

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My point is this; one of the keys to being an effective and successful AutoCAD user is to always keep learning. So now would be a good time to accept that you will never know it all. By the time you do, there are new tools with every release, and you’ll need to learn them. Besides no one really likes a know it all anyway.

Good Sources for Learning Always try to stay ahead of the learning curve if you can. With one cravat that I should mention, it’s more important when you start a new job to learn what you are drawing first. You may be too busy learning how to do your job properly to invest a lot of time to improving your AutoCAD skills. Don’t let this worry you; remember you’re a drafter first. Drafting quickly and wrong is always worse than drafting slowly and correctly. You may want to start learning more about AutoCAD simply and slowly. I used to dedicate a few minutes at lunch every day to simply look up a new command in the AutoCAD help menu. One new command and just a few minutes a day added up to a lot of information before I knew it. Once I was fairly competent at what I was doing at my job is when I started to look at different sources of information. Books are on of your best sources. There are a lot of books available for AutoCAD and most are very helpful and may even target your specific experience level. I’m not a big fan of giving free advertising so don’t consider my opinions to be a specific endorsement of any of these books. A quick search of any of the popular online book buying sites will give you quite a few results. AutoCAD for Dummies, Mastering AutoCAD, and AutoCAD: No Experience Required are all good books with a lot of good reviews. But I have to say that a lot of people The AutoCAD Bible by Ellen Finkelstein to be the definitive book on AutoCAD. I would suggest simply reading as many of the customer reviews as possible before making any choices. I don’t know how many of you are first time users of the AUGI training program. Some of you may already have gone through and looked into the ATP course archives for past classes. If you haven’t done so yet, I strongly suggest that you find the time to do so. Go ahead and look you won’t hurt my feelings, honest. There are usually about three classes per month and all contain a considerable amount of helpful information on a range of subjects. A lot of these classes offer information on specific tools and features that you will encounter while using AutoCAD, so check back often. For example, you might not need to use Dynamic Blocks now but if your company decides to try them out a quick search will find the June 2005 course ATP076 - Dynamic Blocks and block Enhancements. Some quick reading and you can be the company expert on the subject!

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Learn from the Pros There are a lot of good informal ways to learn good solid and effective information about AutoCAD. Look around your office and see how the other drafters work. There are a lot of interesting personality types that are in the drafting industry and just observing them can be helpful. You may think that the ones to learn from are the fastest ones clicking away like they’re playing a video game. That’s not always the case, what you want to do is seek out the drafters who are doing just as much work but don’t seem to be as stressed out. There’s a reason the less stressed out drafters are making the same progress. It may simply be they have better medication or drink Decaf. Usually, these are the people who have customized AutoCAD, have custom lisp routines and have developed techniques over the years that have streamlined the design process. If you are lucky they are the “old guard” who were board drafting before computers became the industry standard. I know nowadays that seems slightly more advanced than painting the walls of caves but it wasn’t that long ago. Admittedly my perspective may be skewed because I’m still trying to figure out when Van Halen became “classic” rock. But there was an advantage to board drafting that AutoCAD simply can’t duplicate. When you are board drafting you see exactly what the final product looks like as you draw it, you don’t have that luxury while drafting in AutoCAD. You can do a plot preview but it’s just not the same as seeing it full scale on paper. I’ll go into more detail on effective plotting in a later segment. Spend some time around the more experienced drafters when you can. They may have some great advice, and if you show an interest in how they do things, they’ll be more eager to share with you. There are techniques that develop over time that are never in manuals because every company does things differently. You’ll see this again because it’s important; don’t be afraid to ask questions. The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask.

Good Drafting Practices What CAD managers like to see is most likely not what you would expect. I did a thread a while back in the CAD managers forum to see what they thought I should focus on for this class. I was surprised to see how many of them were saying the same things I was already planning on saying. Here is a list of good general drafting practices that I have compiled. •

None of the CAD Managers said I want someone who’s fast. It’s easy to want more speed so you can prove yourself at the new job. Experienced drafters and CAD Managers often see someone who is clicking their mouse like they’re playing a video game as someone who has potential to make mistakes. You don’t want them to have that impression of you.

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Always remember doing it fast twice is still slower that doing it carefully once. Don’t just work fast, work smart and find the right tool (command) for the job.

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If you find yourself saying “there must be a better way to do this” then you’re probably right. There is almost always more than one way to do something in AutoCAD. There may be a faster way that is worth investing a minute or two to discover.

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If you’re not sure about something, ask a question. But only ask it once. Write down the answer so you can look it up later. There is such a thing as a stupid question; it’s the one you don’t ask, and the one you ask twice.

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Always check your plots before turning it in to the Engineer or Architect who gave it to you. Sometimes a mistake is obvious on paper that isn’t obvious on the screen.

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Always spell check a drawing before plotting it. Even someone with exceptional spelling skills can transpose letters when typing.

In the next two segments I’ll cover how to get a better result out of your plotted drawings and show you some quick and easy ways to get a good drawing with very little headache involved. I’ll also cover some good general drafting practices and let you in on what your bosses are looking for in a good drafter. Not to mention some AutoCAD Do’s and Don’ts and a lot of Tips and Tricks.

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ATP218 AutoCAD 101 – A Survival Course For Beginners Segment 2

Date: May 12, 2008 Instructor: Kenneth C. Leary Level: Beginning Category: AutoCAD General

Web: www.AUGI.com

Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Welcome to Segment 2 Good to see you survived the first Segment. My intention is to get you a proper perspective and good sources for continuing your education before we get into specifics of the program. So you probably want to learn how to actually use AutoCAD like a pro now right? Well it’s about time isn’t it? Great, but just one more thing first.

Output is the final judge Perspective and attitude are always understated in most Drafting programs, which is a real shame. There are some things to keep in mind. It doesn’t matter how fast you complete the drawing or what tools you use to do it. When it goes to the client all they see is the final product, the plotted drawing. The design is up to the Engineer or Architect, it’s your job to put that design on paper in a way that is clear and accurate. That may seem like a simplified answer but it’s painfully true. I’m going to show two cut outs from the same drawing. This is not something I made up for this course this is an actual drawing that was sent to a client. In the figure on the right you can see a portion the drawing as it originally went to the client. This is a Grading and Drainage drawing, you may notice that the last things you notice are the Drainage structures and the elevations used for grading the site. Some of the elevations can’t even be read properly because they are covered by the lines that should be in the background.

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In next figure you see the drawing as it’s supposed to look. It’s clear what information is pertinent, the background information is thinner and doesn’t direct you eyes away from what you should be looking at. I’ve also turned off some objects that didn’t even belong on this type of drawing, like doors for example. There were several different text sizes and styles the smallest ones are ironically the most important. They are now all a uniform style and scale. You can’t really tell in this drawing but the scale of the drawing was also incorrect.

Page Setups – Plotting made easy It never fails to amaze me how much time people spend plotting a drawing. They have to go through changing the plotter, pen settings, paper sizes, scale, etc. every time they want to plot a drawing. Wouldn’t it be nice to plot a drawing with only three mouse clicks? That’s where Page Setup Manager comes in. All of the plot settings can be saved as a Page Setup, so all you have to do is select plot, then the setup you wish to use, and then select OK and your plot is sent. Three clicks, not eight or ten, and you can Import the Page Setups to other drawings. There is an additional bonus to using page setups with Layout tabs. It’s not meant to be strictly for plotting, it configures the Layout tab as well.

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First, Right mouse click on the Layout tab that you wish to configure, select the Page Setup Manager. This will bring up the Page Setup Manager dialog box. If you look at the figure on the left you see the name of the Layout and Page Setup that is current in between the two asterisks. On the right side are the Set Current, New, Modify, and Import buttons. It also displays some information describing the current Page Setup under the window in the Selected page setup details box. Select the New option and you can configure the Page Setup just like you would during the normal Plot process, only this time you’re creating the configuration, not an actual plot. You can repeat the process for however many different settings you need, full size, half size, and PDF for example. Once you complete the Page Setups select OK and you will go back to the Page Setup Manager. Highlight the page setup that you wish to use and pick the Set Current button. This will change the Layout tab settings to match the Page Setup settings that you made current. Now, when it’s time to plot, you simply need to select the page setup you wish to use and you’re ready to plot. The “current” setup will be the default settings for plotting. One of the best things about the Page Setup Manager is the ability to Import the page setups from another drawing. Now that you have created the page setups you can open the other drawings in your project and Import the page setups you created in the first drawing. You can also import the Page Setups from one layout tab to another.

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Dimension Styles Dimensions are difficult to get “just right”. There are so many variables and settings that getting them the way you want is something that can take a long time. Different industries have different standards, so it’s a difficult thing to teach too, because what’s right for one person could be completely wrong for another. Let’s review a few things that should help you develop your dimension style knowledge. To access the Dimension Style Manager type in DDIM at the command prompt. This will allow you to create New, Modify, Override, Compare, or Set dimension styles to be current. When creating a dimension style set the sizes and variables as if it were drawn 1 to 1 in Paperspace. Then it only needs to be modified to change the scale factor to match the drawing. There are two ways this should be set depending on the situation. Scenario 1. If you are labeling and dimensioning a file that will be referenced into several drawings, you will need to set a specific dimension scale. In the DDIM command select the FIT Tab and under the Scale for Dimension Features section select the radio button for Use Overall Scale of: and set the scale that the drawing will be viewed at. You can also create several styles with different scales and name them for that scale. For example, create a style called 50_scale and set the overall scale to 50. Scenario 2. You need to add dimensions to a plan sheet that has multiple viewports at different scales. In the DDIM command Select the FIT Tab and under the Scale for Dimension Features section select the radio button for Scale dimensions to Layout (paperspace) and the dimensions will automatically scale to match the scale of the viewport you are drawing it in.

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Once you have the dimension style set the way you like it, use the DIMEX to Export the dimension style you just created. This will create a .DIM file that you can import into your other drawings using the DIMIN command.

Template files The more you use AutoCAD the more you realize exactly how you like your drawing to be setup. Starting a new drawing with your settings already configured exactly how you like is a pretty great idea, isn’t it? That’s where the template file comes in. Template files contain all the information you would normally have in a Drawing file without the line work. Dimension styles, text styles, system variables, layers, plot styles and page setups are all contained in a template file. Not having to add these settings to each drawing could save you hours of set up work on each project. Creating a template file is so easy that it seems to good to be true. Simply create a drawing with everything in it configured the way you want. Do a Save As and select the Drawing Template *.dwt file type. You can make as many template files as you like. More importantly, you also have the ability to go back and add or change any system variables or other information as you wish. The QNEW command is the fastest way to start a new drawing with your settings. When you use the following settings, QNEW immediately starts a new drawing without displaying any dialog boxes or prompts: Set the STARTUP system variable to 0. Open the Options dialog, switch to Files tab and specify QNEW template in Template Settings as the template file you created. This will open a new drawing with all of your layers and system variables already set. Template files are also handy if you have a “problem drawing” which is either corrupted, or simply a mess. This is common with drawings from other companies. Create a new drawing with your template file, select all of the drawing entities from the problem drawing select the Edit pull down menu -> Copy with base point. Paste those entities into the new drawing you created from the template. You now have a drawing with all your settings and none of the extra garbage from the other drawing. For a complete list of system variables and a description of what they do: type SYSVDLG at the command prompt. Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Which Way is Up? When possible North should always be up (pointing to the top) of a drawing. The big debate in a lot of offices is if it isn’t practical to go up which way should it point. I could get into great detail on this one but I'll try to keep it short. The industry standard for Civil and Architectural have been different for many years. Most people don't know the reasons for why they are different. Both tend to claim the other is wrong, but both are actually correct to do it the way they are doing it. Short and sweet here's the reasons. •

On architectural drawings text should be read from the bottom and left sides (with the bound side away from you). So the industry standard matches that thought with north also being up or to the left.

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On civil drawings the baseline stationing should generally be south to north and west to east. (For some crazy reason a lot of engineers and CAD techs aren't taught this in their drafting courses). The stations should always go from left to right on the sheet. Q.E.D. If your stations are going south to north then north is to the right.

Tips and Tricks There is system variable called MTJIGSTRING – use this to set the default text (up to 10 characters) for Mtext. There are no timesavings here, but it’s cool. Not that I would ever condone this behavior, but there is great practical joke potential here. See the figure below for an example.

One of my favorites is to hold down the SHIFT key and click the right mouse button. This will bring up the Object Snap menu on the screen. Some of you will remember that was middle button function in old releases of AutoCAD. When drawing an object, pressing the TAB key will scroll through the current object snaps. This is handy when AutoCAD insists on snapping to the wrong object.

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A nice function first introduced in AutoCAD 2004 in the time sensitive right click. A quick click is the same as pressing ENTER. A longer click displays a shortcut menu. You can set the duration of the longer click in milliseconds with the Options command. In order to repeatedly use a command in AutoCAD you often have to re-enter it on the command line or press the [Spacebar]. However, there's a faster way. For times when you know you'll be repeating the same command multiple times, you can use the MULTIPLE command to do so quickly. For example, if you want to move multiple objects in succession, enter multiple on the command line. Then at the "Enter command name to repeat:" prompt, enter Move. After you select and move your first object, the Move command automatically appears again at the command prompt. When you edit with grips, you can use the Copy option to copy as you edit. If you want to create a leader which points to more than one object, first create the leader pointing to one object. Then select the leader arrow. Click the grip at the arrow end to make it "hot." Choose the Copy option at the Specify stretch point or [Base point/Copy/Undo/exit]: prompt. Specify as many new end points as you want. Each new leader will be attached to the original Mtext at the end of the first leader. Use the eXit option to end the command.

Conclusion of Segment 2 I hope you found some useful information in this segment. In the next Segment we’ll cover some AutoCAD customizations the will help speed you up and some more Tips and Tricks. Remember: this material is only a portion of the class, support is always available online in the private course forum. I encourage you to visit the forum and ask any questions you may have about this segment, or simply join in the discussions. The ATP Mantra is: the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask! Thanks again for attending this course, and we’ll see you online!

Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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ATP218 AutoCAD 101 – A Survival Course For Beginners Segment 3

Date: May 19, 2008 Instructor: Kenneth C. Leary Level: Beginning Category: AutoCAD General

Web: www.AUGI.com

Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Customizing AutoCAD The fewer keystrokes you have to make the better. Every second you save will add up during the course of a day. Now even mentioning customization of AutoCAD sends shivers down people’s spines, but I can show you some safe and easy ways to make changes to your AutoCAD that will speed you up without going to extensive training. Customizing can come in many different forms from script files, macros, custom menus, Lisp and VBA routines just to name a few. I’m going to focus on some of the easier and most effective methods for you get your system fine tuned to your needs.

Command Alias Keyboard shortcuts are easy and effective. Since AutoCAD started using icons instead of simply using menus there’s always been a debate over which is more efficient the icon or typing in a command. While Icons are certainly efficient there is much to be said for typing in a command, here’s why. Commands can have a shortcut or alias. These alias keys can be two or even (although I don’t suggest it) one button. The best part is they’re easy to create. In order to create custom short cuts you have to edit the Acad.pgp file. You do this by going to the Tools pull down and selecting Customize then Edit Custom Files and Program Parameters. As shown in the image below. This will bring up Acad.pgp file in the text editor.

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From here you can see the Command Aliases that are already in place. The example I am using below is for the command Explode. Rather than type in the entire command you will only need to type EP and it will execute the explode command (just don’t use it to explode a dimension or a hatch).

Important note: It’s always better to err on the side of caution so don’t change an Alias that already exists. AutoCAD reads the PGP file in order, the last of to identical aliases being the one that is used. So, for example, if you want EX to mean Explode instead of Extend simply place the text after the EX that is already there for Extend. AutoCAD will read your alias last and use it.

Script Files Script files are a simple way to automate common commands that you use frequently. There are also very effective at reducing repetitive tasks and setting system variables. There’s no tricky programming language to learn either, just a few simply rules to remember. A script file is simply typed out commands with a space in between letters acting as the enter key. There are two ways to create a script file. In typical AutoCAD form, there is more than one way to do this. You can simply open the text editor, like Notepad, and type in the command leaving a space where each Enter would be. If you are using multiple steps it may be easier to use the second method. The second method consists of an extra few steps but saves a lot of time with trial and error. If you have multiple repetitive tasks do them to one of the drawings. The example I’m using is to turn on the USC icon and set it to No origin (so it’s always in the bottom left hand corner of your screen). First open one of the drawings and do the tasks, once you have completed them open the AutoCAD text window, use the F2 button. Copy and Paste the command text from the Text window into your external text editor, Notepad in this case. Remove the extraneous text, save the text file as a .scr file and you’re ready to go. All you have to do is drag and drop the file from you explorer into the drawing area in AutoCAD and the script file will execute. Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Important note: Don’t use Microsoft Word, it may add additional formatting information that will confuse AutoCAD, use a simple text only Editor like Notepad. Also, every space is viewed as an “Enter”, make sure you don’t leave any spaces after the last command or it will try to run your last command again.

Fig. 01 This is a screen shot of the AutoCAD text window. This is what you will copy to the Text Editor.

Fig. 02 This is a screen shot of the text Editor. Note that I have removed all extraneous text and saved the file as an .scr file.

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Keyboard Short-cuts The following table lists the default actions for shortcut keys. They are very handy, but I honestly don’t think I know anybody that uses or even knows all of them. Find the ones you’ll use often and jot them down in your notebook (you’re using the notebook right?). Shortcut key CTRL+0 CTRL+1 CTRL+2 CTRL+3 CTRL+4 CTRL+5 CTRL+6 CTRL+7 CTRL+8 CTRL+9 CTRL+A CTRL+B CTRL+C CTRL+D CTRL+E CTRL+F CTRL+G CTRL+H CTRL+J CTRL+L CTRL+M CTRL+N CTRL+O

Shortcut Toggles Clean Screen Toggles Properties palette Toggles DesignCenter Toggles the Tool palettes window Toggles Sheet Set Manager Toggles Info Palette Toggles dbConnect Manager Toggles Markup Set Manager Toggles the QuickCalc calculator Toggles the command window Selects objects in drawing Toggles Snap Copies objects to Clipboard Toggles coordinate display Cycles through isometric planes Toggles running object snaps Toggles Grid Toggles PICKSTYLE Repeats last command Toggles Ortho mode Repeats last command Creates a new drawing Opens existing drawing

Shortcut key CTRL+P CTRL+R CTRL+S CTRL+T CTRL+V CTRL+X CTRL+Y CTRL+Z CTRL+[ CTRL+\ F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12

Shortcut Prints current drawing Cycles layout viewports Saves current drawing Toggles Tablet mode Pastes data from Clipboard Cuts objects to Clipboard Cancels the preceding Undo action Reverses last action Cancels current command Cancels current command Displays Help Toggles text window on/off Toggles OSNAP Toggles TABMODE Toggles ISOPLANE Toggles COORDS Toggles GRIDMODE Toggles ORTHOMODE Toggles SNAPMODE Toggles Polar Tracking Toggles Object Snap Tracking Toggles Dynamic Input

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AutoCAD Do’s and Don’ts This is always a hot topic amongst CAD managers and most experienced users. These can’t always be followed but that is only in very rare circumstances. Feel free to print this out and frame it for your office.

AutoCAD Don’ts • • • • •

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Never explode a dimension. When you think it’s necessary to explode one, don’t. Never explode a hatch. Do not place the Titleblock or border in Model Space. Do not scale the Titleblock or border, larger or smaller, than 1:1 Do not scale or rotate reference files. The only exception to this is when you are dealing with a consultant who uses a different scale of units or a different origin. For example, Architectural units and Civil units are different by a factor of 12. Do not “plot to fit” when plotting a drawing. Force the drawing to an accurate scale. Plot 1:1 or 2:1. Contractors and clients will most likely take scale measurements off your drawing. If the scale is off even a small amount it could be very costly, or dangerous. Do not draw on layer “0”. If you do, move it to the appropriate layer after it’s complete. Do not draw on the “defpoints” layer. This layer is for AutoCAD to use for dimension information.

AutoCAD Do’s • • • • • • •

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Always check over a drawing before you plot it. Always save a drawing before you print. Most often a drawing crashes right around the time you finish it and go to plot it out. Whenever possible, use a reference when you have the same information that is shown in more than one drawing. Limit the number of reference files you create. Don't use a reference file when a layer will do! Zoom Extents before closing a drawing. Set "AutoSave" to 10 minutes, 15 minutes max. Change the default temporary save location to something like C:\TEMP or you could even create a C:\AutoSave folder so you can find the files easier. The default location is buried in your windows user configuration folders. When drawing dimensions, avoid dog legs (more than three lines in a leader), crossovers, and draw the leaders at a consistent angle whenever possible. Make sure the leader actually touches the object it is calling out. Use your object snaps. Lock your Model space viewports.

Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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More Tips and Tricks AutoCAD supports multiple justification points (also known as attachment points). Some methods of changing a text object's justification point move the insertion point to preserve the text position, while other methods do not (causing the text to move). The JUSTIFYTEXT command changes text justification without moving the text position. Both the justification point and insertion point are relocated. If you have AutoCAD 2004 or 2005 you are now able to attach or overlay multiple drawing files within the same folder at once (using SHIFT or CTRL keys, or CTRL-A to select all). No longer do you have attach one file, click attach again, find the next file, attach, enter, enter, enter, etc. There's no excuse to keep using individual lines of text for your notes anymore. The improved AutoCAD Multiline Text Editor enables you to create well formatted notes within a single text object. It now has ability to use tabs and indents. You can also drag the right edge of the ruler to change the width of the text. The Multiline Text Editor bar has an OK button for closing the editor, but an easier way is to click anywhere outside the editor (but within the drawing area). When using the Trim command, you have the option to trim many entities at one time. Once you have selected the cutting edge, type "FENCE" at the "select edges to trim". This will allow you to draw a line or "fence" across all the lines you want to trim. Once drawn, hit the enter key and all the lines will trim. Also, while in the Trim or Extend command, you can do the opposite function. If you hold the "shift" key you can extend a line to the cutting edge in the Trim command. Likewise in the Extend command you can hold the shift key and trim a line at the boundary edge.

In Conclusion I hope you found some useful information in this segment. If you want more tips and tricks go to the AUGI Tips and Tricks forum, there are a lot of great minds coming up with wonderful short cuts in there. Remember that this material is only a portion of the class, support is always available online in the private course forum. I encourage you to visit the course forum and ask any questions that you may have about this segment or simply join in the discussion. The ATP Mantra is: the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask. Thanks again for attending this course!

Reuse of any or all material contained within this document for commercial purposes, without the express written consent of AUGI, Inc. or its authorized agents is expressly prohibited. © Copyright 2008 Autodesk User Group International, Inc. All rights reserved.

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