LT Unlimited

Fonts in AutoCAD

AutoCAD supports two types of fonts – TTF and SHX.

TTF are Windows-based fonts, like Arial and Times New Roman, and must be installed on your computer (in C:\Windows\Fonts for Windows XP) before AutoCAD will recognize them. Plotting weight of TTF fonts is controlled by "bold" options, if available.

SHX fonts are shape-based, and only have to be put in a support file that AutoCAD searches in order to display properly. Unlike TTF's, their plotting weight depends on the color of the text (with CTB plotting) or the plot style (with STB plotting).

You should always check with your clients & consultants to make sure everyone has all the fonts they need -- some have special characters that don't display properly if you substitute a different font.

AUGI Salary Survey

Have *you* taken the AUGI Salary survey yet?

http://www.augi.com/surveys/salary2007.asp?page=682

It's quick, easy, free, and will soon be compiled into lots of valuable information by Melanie Perry (aka Mistress of the Dorkness).

Not an AUGI member yet? No problem -- registration is simple, and membership is free. It provides lots of resources, from user forums to online training to tons of useful articles on all things Autodesk. Head over to www.augi.com to check it out!

TAB to find Commands & Variables

If you remember the first few letters of an AutoCAD command or variable, but have forgotten the rest, the TAB key can help. Just type what you do remember, and hit TAB repeatedly until the one you want pops up.

(Another tip for 2006+ users...)

Combine Multiple Tooltips

Setting the variable TOOLTIPMERGE to 1 (the default is 0) allows you to show more than one line in the dynamic display. For example, when drawing a line, you can see both “Specify next point” and distance entry boxes. It’s convenient for showing text that appears on the command line, but that gets overridden by the dynamic distance display.

(This tip is for 2006+)

TOOLTIPMERGE = 0

TOOLTIPMERGE = 1

Drag-edit Attribute Text

(This tip was posted a few days ago over on CADing & Coding, and I thought it was worth repeating.)

When editing block attributes, you can drag-and-drop text between fields (not just within them). Say you enter information on the wrong line – just highlight it with the mouse and click-and-drag it to the right field.

This tip is especially for LT users, since it doesn't work with the Enhanced Attribute Editor. There you still have to cut & paste.

Stacked Fractions in Mtext

There are three options for stacking text in mtext objects:

• / - Stacks text with a horizontal slash
• # - Stacks text with a diagonal slash
• ^ - Stacks text with no slash

You can set your preferred default with AutoStack (inside the text editor, right-click on an existing fraction and select AutoStack).

Solid Hatches

When hatching an object that is intended to print completely filled in, don't use a small-scale non-solid hatch. AutoCAD comes with a SOLID hatch pattern -- it's usually best to use that instead.

Distance in Layouts

If you’re in a layout and want to measure a distance in modelspace, you don’t need to activate the viewport or switch to modelspace to get it. Instead, just snap to your modelspace points, and AutoCAD will automatically return the real distance. If you want the “paper” distance instead, you’ll have to snap to layout geometry – an easy way is to draw a construction line and measure it.

(This tip is for users of 2007 & 2008 only.)

Centering Dimension Text

When a dimension's text doesn't fit between the extension lines, a popular option is to "move text with leader". To match the other leaders, though, this text can be vertically centered on the leader. (Default behavior places the text over a line.) To quickly change this, simply select the dimension, then right-click and select "Dim text position-->Centered" from the menu.

You can change this setting from Properties too, but only if you haven't grip-moved the text to another location. Once it's moved away from the default, the right-click menu is the quickest way to change it.

Close All Drawings

To quickly close all open drawings, use CLOSEALL (another example of creative command names, I know). Also available under Window-->Close All. You will be prompted to save changes if necessary.