LT Unlimited

Rectangle by Dimensions

In my last post, I showed you how to create a rectangle with a pre-defined rotation. Today, we'll continue working backwards through the Rectangle options and talk about creating a rectangle by defining its dimensions.

Let's say you start the RECTANG command and pick your first point. But instead of picking the other corner right away, you enter D for Dimensions.

Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]: D

In that case, you're prompted for length and width numbers.

Specify length for rectangles <10.0000>: (enter a number)

Specify width for rectangles <5.0000>: (enter a number)

Finally, you're prompted for the "other corner point". But because you've already entered the rectangle's size, the only thing left to pick is the orientation. The numbers you entered for length and width were actually absolute values, so you have to pick the quadrant for the rectangle, e.g. positive X, positive Y or negative X, positive Y, and so on.

Try it, and you'll see the rectangle flip about the X and Y axes as you move your mouse around.

If you want to combine the Dimensions and Rotation options, you must remember to enter the Rotation angle first. Otherwise, you'll just end up setting the dimensions again afterwards.

Next up, the Area option.

Rectangle by Rotation

Most of the time, a rectangle's sides are simply horizontal and vertical. (At least, most of my rectangles look that way.)

But sometimes, they're not.

To get a rectangle that looks like this, you have two options. (It's not AutoCAD LT if you don't have options, right?)

Of course, you could just draw the rectangle and then rotate it. But that's two commands. Why use two when you can use just one?

So instead, you can use the Rotation option of the Rectangle command to set the angle and the size at the same time.

After you pick your first point, you can see at the command line that you can either pick a second point, OR use the Area, Dimensions, or Rotation options.

Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]:

Enter R for Rotation, and you're able to define a rotation angle, either by typing it in or picking points. The only downside is that you don't get the "rubber band" effect that you usually see, so I'd save this method for when you either know your angle or have another object to snap to.

After you set your angle, you can either pick the other corner point or define the rectangle by its Area or Dimensions. (We'll come back to those options in a future post.)

There are two things to keep in mind when using this method of rotating rectangles.

First, if you choose to type in a coordinate pair for your rectangle size, it will use the current coordinate system to set the corner point, not the size of the rectangle. In other words, if you set your rotation angle to 30 degrees, then type 10,5 this is what you'll get:

Which may or may not be your intended result.

Second, the Rotation angle setting is "sticky." So the next time you use the Rectangle command, you'll have to reset the angle if you want a different rotation (like 0).

Trapped in Modelspace

It's happened to all of us: You zoom into a little space on your layout to check something, double-click in the drawing (either accidentally or on purpose), and end up in modelspace. If you're there on purpose, you can make your edits and be done, but if you've double-clicked by accident, you might not realize what's happened until you try to zoom out and realize you can't see your title block.

Oops.

So, how to get back to paper space? You can't zoom out to see the viewport border, selecting the layout tab name won't do it, and you may or may not have paper and model toggles in your status bar (depending on version and status bar settings).

One way is to type PS (alias for PSPACE), but there's another nifty way too.

Instead of heading for the command line, go to the status bar and lock your viewport. Then you can zoom out, unlock the viewport, and reset the scale. (Locking the viewport again when you're done doesn't hurt, to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.)

Just another proof that there's always more than one way to do anything in AutoCAD LT.

Use Viewport Scale To Calculate Distances

I was digging through the Help files today looking for blog post inspiration (after nearly 300 tips & tricks, it can be hard to find...who wants to send me a tip?) and stumbled across SPACETRANS.

In LT 2010 at least, SPACETRANS is on the Text toolbar, but of course you can always type it in or make your own button.

According to Help, SPACETRANS "calculates equivalent model space and paper space lengths in a layout." Hmm. Gotta keep reading.

Apparently this command is for when you're working either in a layout or in a floating viewport (i.e. you double-clicked inside the boundary of a viewport). Don't try to access it in modelspace, 'cause it won't work there.

If you're in a floating viewport and run SPACETRANS, you're prompted to enter a paperspace distance, which is then converted (based on the viewport scale) into the equivalent distance in modelspace.

If you're in a layout, you have to pick a viewport first, then enter a modelspace distance to be converted into a paperspace size.

SPACETRANS can be (and usually is) used transparently, as 'SPACETRANS. (Notice the apostrophe before the command name.) Using a command transparently means you enter it instead of a number when prompted for a height or length.

For example, here's how you might use SPACETRANS to calculate a text height:

Command: text
Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: (pick point)
Specify height <0.500>: 'spacetrans
Specify paper space distance <1.000>: 1/8
Resuming TEXT command
Specify height <0.500>: 1.5 (if the viewport scale were 1:12, say)

Just another way to let AutoCAD LT do viewport-scale math for you.

Control Reference Frame (aka Border) Visibility

When you bring an underlay into an AutoCAD -- an image, DWF, DGN, or PDF -- it comes with a frame or border around it. (Clipped references, DWG or otherwise, have frames too.) You have three choices for this frame's visibility and plotting:

• 0 -- Off. You can't see the frame, so it won't plot, but you can't select the underlay or modify it either.
• 1 -- On. The frame plots, and you can use it to select the underlay, resize it, move it, etc.
• 2 -- On, but non-plotting. The best of both worlds. You can see the frame, and use it to select and modify the underlay, but it won't plot.

Each reference/underlay type has its own frame variable.

• IMAGEFRAME (Default: 1)
• DWFFRAME (Default: 2)
• DGNFRAME (Default: 0)
• PDFFRAME (Default: 1)
• XCLIPFRAME (Default: 2)

But you can also globally control the frame visibility/plotting with the FRAME system variable. FRAME can be set to 0, 1, 2 or 3. 0, 1, and 2 correspond to the regular off/on/non-plotting states, and 3 means that the individual frame variables control instead of the global setting. (FRAME is set to 3 by default.)

SketchBook Mobile now available for iPhone and iPod Touch

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, you may want to head over to the App Store today to check out the new SketchBook Mobile app. For just $2.99 (and yes, that's where the decimal point belongs) you can get the power of SketchBook wherever you are.

SketchBook Mobile uses the same paint engine as SketchBook Pro, and takes advantage of the iPhone/iPod multi-touch navigation and on-demand user interface, and includes 25 preset brushes that can be used on up to 6 layers.

For more information, visit the SketchBook Mobile home page or watch this YouTube video.

When you decide to buy, just hop over to the App Store and pick it up! Apparently we're also offering a free version, "SketchBook Mobile Express", but even for my value-conscious readers, I can't imagine that $2.99 will break the bank. :-) It's always nice to have options, though.

Rotate a view along with its viewport

Prior to AutoCAD LT 2010, you couldn't rotate paperspace viewports. (If you tried, it just sort of moved around the screen, maintaining its original orientation.) If you wanted to show a viewport at a different orientation, you had to go through a multi-step process involving the UCS and PLAN commands...big hassle.

Now, though, you can change a view's orientation simply by rotating its viewport.

Here's the original view:

 

And after using the rotate command on the viewport:

 

The view automatically updates to match the new orientation -- no need to mess around with the UCS or anything.

This is the default behavior, but if you don't like it, we've given you the option to turn it off. Setting the system variable VPROTATEASSOC to 0 means that only the viewport boundary rotates, not the view inside it.

Autodesk Content Search Beta

Okay, the Search beta is a few weeks old by this time, but I think it's still worth a post.

Autodesk is currently testing a new search engine that trawls not only our own website but related ones including:

• Community Sites (AutoCAD Exchange, Autodesk University)
• Discussion Groups
• Blogs
• YouTube

You can filter by any of the above sources, as well as by publish date. The search box includes some "type-ahead" functionality, which provides you with suggestions for completing your word or phrase.

The content is currently AEC-focused, but will be expanded as the project continues.

To give it a try, check out http://searchbeta.autodesk.com.

Another way to get to AU for free

A couple weeks ago I posted about the AU 2009 YouTube contest -- have you submitted your video yet? (I'm guessing you haven't since there's only one entry so far. What are you waiting for?)

If making videos isn't your thing, though, there's another way to win a pass to AU 2009 or 2010: the AUGI Top DAUG t-shirt design contest. Designs are due in DWF format by October 2nd, 2009, and you have to be an AUGI member to participate. But it's free to join, so that requirement shouldn't be a problem.

Good luck!

Selection Windows -- to drag or to click?

To select objects/words/whatevers In many Windows-based programs, you press and hold the left mouse button, drag the mouse over your intended selection area, and let go.

In AutoCAD LT, however, you left-click once, let go, move your mouse to create the selection rectangle, and left-click again.

It wouldn't be AutoCAD without an exception to the rule, though. (Conveniently enough I posted about it last week.) But it also wouldn't be AutoCAD if we didn't give you a choice.

The PICKDRAG system variable controls whether selection windows are created by picking two points or by pressing and dragging. The default value is 0, which is the two-points method. If you want, you can set PICKDRAG to 1 to switch to press-and-drag behavior instead.

What do you think? Which way do you prefer?