LT Unlimited

Revision Clouds

When creating revision clouds, you have the option of drawing them freehand or converting an existing closed polyline. Simply hit ENTER instead of picking a first point, then select your object and hit ENTER again to accept the new cloud.

Using the "object" option also allows you to reverse the direction of your cloud, which is useful for creating "holes" in the revision cloud.

While AutoCAD 2004 incorporated REVCLOUD as a core command (it used to be an Expres Tool), AutoCAD 2005 brought back the "calligraphy" option, which tapers each arc of the cloud to make it look more "hand-drawn".

Switch between viewports

If you are in floating modelspace (i.e. inside a paperspace viewport), CTRL+R cycles through other viewports, making each active in turn. This is useful for activating a viewport that is completely contained inside another.

Cycle Through Drawings or Layouts

You can use CTRL+TAB to quickly cycle through all your open drawings, or CTRL+Page Up/Page Down to cycle through layouts.

If you prefer to see all your drawing names spread out (instead of condensed into one "AutoCAD" label in your Windows taskbar), set the TASKBAR variable to 1. Then ALT+TAB will cycle through the drawings (and your other program windows too).

Trim & Extend

If you start the "trim" command, then realize you need to extend something, simply press & hold SHIFT to switch modes. SHIFT will also toggle trimming within the "extend" command.

Panning Tips

Here's a bunch of tips on panning with the middle mouse button:

• You're not restricted to the drawing area while panning -- you can keep moving the view as long as you can physically move your mouse, even if the cursor reaches the edge of the screen.
• Holding CTRL will allow you to pan in any direction, as far as you want, until you release the middle button. The farther you move the mouse from its original position, the faster the view moves.
• Up to AutoCAD 2004, and in all versions of AutoCAD LT, holding SHIFT will constrain the panning to orthogonal directions.
• In AutoCAD 2007+, pressing SHIFT and then the middle button launches 3D orbit. However, if you hold down the button first, then press SHIFT, it will pan orthogonally as in previous versions.
• In AutoCAD 2007 and up, SHIFT+CTRL+middle button launches a 3D free orbit.

Polar vs. Ortho

I always recommend using POLAR instead of ORTHO – it’s a real time-saver, because you don’t have to worry about turning it off to draw an angled line. If you’d like to remove ORTHO from the options altogether, right-click in an empty space on the status bar (under the command line), and uncheck the buttons you don't want to see.

Filter the Properties

If you accidentally select more objects than you need to when trying to modify their properties, use the drop-down menu at the top of the Properties window to filter out what you don’t need. It only works with types of objects (lines, hatches, text, etc.), but can still be a time-saver. (You DO have your properties window open while you draft, right???)

Zoom & Pan

A really easy one for the first tip...

Double-clicking the mouse scroll button is a shortcut for Zoom Extents, and holding the scroll button will pan.

Hello!

Welcome to Kate's CAD Tips!

I've been sending these tips out to my office once a week for about three years now, and decided to start the blog as a way to put them all in one place. Who knows, maybe they'll help somebody else out there too!

Some of the tips are pretty basic, but hey, we all had to start somewhere.

Most of the tips apply to AutoCAD 2004 & up -- there will be a note if it's for 2007+.

As always, if you have a tip you'd like to see featured, send it on in!