What's New Autocad 2010_segment_2

ATP244 What’s new in AutoCAD 2010 Segment 2

Date: April 13, 2009 Instructor: Kenneth Leary Level: All Levels Category: AutoCAD 2010

Web: www.AUGI.com

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In the first segment we covered Parametric modeling which entails Geometric and Dimensional constraints. Before we move on to some more new commands we need to take a closer look at the Parameters Manager.

More about Managing Constraints Like we covered in the first segment, the final panel on the Parametric menu tab is the Manage panel. This panel has only two commands, Delete constraints and the Parameters manager. The Parameters Manager is a palette that displays the constraints in a drawing and all of the associative variables (dimensional constraint variables and user-defined variables). The Name column displays the name that AutoCAD generated for the dimensional constraint. This name can be changed to something more user friendly or meaningful by double clicking the name box or selecting the box and pressing F2. For example, this is where you can rename the value to reflect Length, width, bolt hole, etc. You can also select the constraint and rename the constraint the same way you would edit the text in a dimension, this is referred to as “in place” editing. The change will be reflected in the Parameters table and all instances of the variable in the drawing. The new name can now be inserted in the expressions column for other constraints or used as part of an expression with another function. To add a predefined function to an expression, select the expression text and right click to open the short cut menu, select the Expressions pull down menu and it will reveal a list functions that can be added to the expression.

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Another option is to create a user parameter and name the parameter as a new variable. Clicking on the Create user parameter button and it creates a new a new user parameter listed under User Variables. This new parameter can be named just like the constraints and given an expression like the constraints. These are handy when used as a convenient way to display measurements that you would otherwise have to calculate. A value from the User defined variables can also be used as a part of an expression for the other dimensional constraints.

Dynamic Block Enhancements Dynamic blocks haven’t received a lot of attention since they were first introduced in AutoCAD 2006 (an even numbered release I might add). AutoCAD 2010 finally gives the command some long overdue enhancements. The biggest addition is that dynamic blocks have been enhanced to support the new parametric tools. There are also some new features to dynamic block editing and the ability to create a table of the variations to the dynamic block.

One of the first things you’ll notice when you edit a block, by either double clicking on a block or typing BEDIT at the command prompt, is the Block editor tab. The Tab is one of the new context sensitive tabs; you can recognize this by the green tint color of the menu. We’ll cover more about context sensitive menus later.

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Open/Save Panel – The Open/Save panel has the obvious commands to open a Block for editing and save a block that is currently being edited. There is a new command available for testing a block without exiting the Block editor. Open the Test Block command by typing BTESTBLOCK at the command prompt or by selecting eth Test Block icon. AutoCAD will open a temporary window, similar to a drawing window, with the block reference already inserted. When the Test Block Window is active it is easy to identify because the title bar background color changes and the context sensitive ribbon tab changes. The new panel tab includes a button to Close Test Block window. When you test the block and close the test block, you’re automatically returned to the Block Editor, not the drawing environment. Geometric constraints - Constraints can be added to blocks and Dynamic blocks in the Block editor just like they’re used in the standard drawing environment. Constrained geometry that is taken from the Drawing environment and copied into the Block Editor, or selected when creating a block with the Block command, will remain constrained in the Block Editor. Dimensional constraints – Dimensional constraints are also available for dynamic blocks only they’re called Constraint Parameters when used in the Block Editor. Constraint parameters behave just like dimensional constraints but they have the additional feature that they expose their name as a property for the block reference similar to dynamic block parameters. Also in the Dimensional panel is the block table command, which can also be run by typing BTABLE at the command prompt. This is where the functionality of the Constraints varies the most from Actions when creating dynamic blocks. The Block Properties Table is where you can define different variations of a property set for the block reference. You can enter the properties manually or copy and paste from an Excel spreadsheet. This will now offer a new grip when the block is inserted into a drawing, which allows you to change the block from one set of dimensions or values to another.

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Managing constraints – The Manage panel contains several tools that are not contained in the similar panel in the Drawing environment version of the Parametric tab. This panel also contains the Construction command icon, which converts lines into construction lines. Construction lines are visible in the block editor as a dashed line but do not plot and are not displayed when the block is inserted in a drawing. Typing BCONSTRUCTION at the command prompt can also activate the command. The panel also contains the Constraint Status command. Selecting this icon or typing BCONSTATUS at the command prompt will turn the constraint display status on or off and also changes the shading of the constrained objects. The Block Authoring Pallet also has an additional Tab for applying Constraints to the block definition. Constraints can perform similar tasks as the ones available on the Actions tab with some additional functionality not available with Actions. Because of these similarities, it is advised that they should not be mixed in the same block definition to avoid confusion. These are the sane commands that are available in the Geometric panel on the Menu Ribbon.

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The Parameters Manager functions like the Drawing environment version with the exception that some additional Columns are available for Block definitions. It lists legacy action parameters, block constraint parameters, and attributes. Using the Parameters Manager, you can open columns to control whether or not a parameter is displayed in the Properties palette and you can also specify the order in which the parameters appear.

Action Parameters – Actions have also been given some attention. Action objects in the Block Editor now behave more consistently with Constraint bars. Action objects are automatically grouped into Action bars based on the parameters with which they are associated they are no longer placed individually in the Block Editor. If you place your cursor over an action in an Action bar, both the associated parameter and affected geometry are highlighted. If you don’t like the new functionality, you can change back to the old display styles by setting the BACTIONBARMODE system variable to 0. But this has to be done before entering the Block Editor.

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Conclusion of Segment 2 Hopefully this segment helped shed some light on the new Dynamic Block enhancements. In the next segment we’ll look at all of the improved commands and some of the ones that have been completely overhauled. These are referred to as the “fit and finish” improvements that improve productivity and make editing your drawings easier. 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!

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