LT Unlimited

Multiple Fillet/Chamfer

The fillet and chamfer commands now have a “multiple” option. After you start the command, but before you select the first object, hit “M”. You can then fillet/chamfer as many lines as you like before exiting the command.

For previous versions (at least up to 2004, maybe 2005), the "multiple" option is triggered by "U". Don't ask me why...

Angle Overrides

You can specify angle overrides when drawing lines – sort of like a manual ORTHO or POLAR. After starting the line or polyline command, select the first point, then type in “<60” (or whatever angle you need). Your line is then constrained to draw in that direction – you can type in a distance or pick the next point. The third point can be in any direction; the override applies for only one segment.

If you're using Dynamic Input, though, the default coordinate entry is (length, angle). You can hit TAB to move to the angle field, type your number, then TAB back to the length field and either click or type for the length. To switch to (X,Y) input, type the first number, then a comma, then the second number.

Anchor Palettes

If you want to have easy access to palettes like Tool Palettes, Properties, and External References, without having them clutter your screen or having to open and close them all the time, check out the new "anchor" option. (I think this was introduced in version 2006.)

Right-clicking on the title bar of a palette (it's usually blue) brings up a shortcut menu with, among other things, "Anchor Left <" or "Anchor Right >". Choosing one of these attaches the palette to that side of the screen, where it rolls up in a nice little bar the width of a toolbar. Hover over the bar to bring up the whole palette. Move away, and it will auto-hide again.

The nice thing about anchoring is that you can stack several palettes on top of each other in the same narrow space, yet they still unroll to the full size of your screen. Try it by anchoring both Tool Palettes and Properties to the left, and you'll see what I mean.

Anchoring palettes is a great way to maximize your screen real estate.

LT blogs in the spotlight

Since Erik and Shaan have been nice enough to mention my blog on theirs, I figured I'd return the favor. (Of course, chances are you got here by visiting one of their blogs, but whatever.) :-)

The LT Side of Things is Erik's new blog, dedicated to helping people get the most out of LT. Sounds like he may be focusing more on the customizing tips & tricks (yes, you CAN customize LT), where I tend to stick to out-of-the-box stuff.

And of course, Between the Lines is Shaan's place for Autodesk/AutocCAD news, tips, and much more entertaining reading.

Drag & Drop from Explorer

You can drag-and-drop files from Windows Explorer directly into AutoCAD. Dragging with the left mouse button inserts the dragged file as a block into the current drawing. Using the right button to drag brings up a shortcut menu for inserting, opening, or creating an xref. (If there are no drawings open, left- or right-dragging opens the file.)

Move/Copy by Displacement

When moving or copying objects, you don’t always have to pick the second point. Instead, use the option. Here’s how it works:

1. Select your objects, then hit Enter.<\li>
2. Now – instead of picking a point on the screen, type in the displacement amounts (X,Y) and hit Enter. (In other words, if you want to move something 6 inches over and 3 up, type “6,3”.)
3. At the next prompt, Specify second point of displacement or : hit Enter.

Be careful though – if you pick a point on the screen at the first prompt and hit Enter at the second, (or if you just hit Enter twice) your objects could end up flying into space (they will be moved by the value of the first point’s coordinates, which could be large).

Spell Check

AutoCAD comes with its very own spell checker! Just type SPELL at the command line (or go to Tools->Spelling), type ALL to get everything in the drawing (it will automatically filter out non-text objects), and it will check every text, mtext, and attribute object in the drawing – even those on different layouts. You may have to click your way past several abbreviations, but it’s a great way to catch typos.

Object Snap Tracking

You can use object snap tracking to set a reference distance for moving, stretching, or copying. To do this:

1. Start your command (move, copy, stretch, etc.)
2. Select the object to be moved.
3. Hover over a point on the object – do not select it.
4. When the name of the snap appears (endpoint, midpoint, etc.), move your mouse away from the point – still without clicking. You will see a dotted line appear between your cursor and the hovered point, showing you an angle and a distance.
5. Type the distance you want (the angle will be set by the direction of the dotted line).
6. Now your base point is set at that specified distance and angle away from your object, and you can move/copy/stretch it relative to any other point in the drawing.

Fillet Parallel Lines

When using the FILLET command on two parallel lines, AutoCAD creates a half circle connecting the two ends. If the lines are different lengths, AutoCAD uses the first endpoint picked to determine the placement of the arc.

Command Line Buffer

AutoCAD stores everything you type at the command line in a "buffer" which can be accessed with the up and down arrow keys. This is useful for repeating commands or distances that you entered a couple lines ago and don't feel like re-typing.

If you're using Dynamic Input, though, INPUTHISTORYMODE must be set to 0, or the "input" returned will be the coordinates of the points, not any distances or text typed in.