LT Unlimited

See you next week...in Vegas!

Autodesk is closed this week for Thanksgiving, so the blog is taking some time off too. It'll be nice to have a bit of a lull before the week-long high-speed CAD-mania that is Autodesk University.

A few final reminders before I sign off for the week:

• If you'll be in Vegas with us, stop by the AutoCAD booth and say hi. (If the exhibit hall is open, odds are pretty good that I'll be there.)
• If you can't come to Vegas, don't forget to check for an AU Extension near you.
• And if neither of the above work out, it's not too late to register for AUv to get access to all kinds of live and recorded content, both during the conference and throughout the year.

I also don't know how much I'll be blogging during AU (although I'll try), but I will be tweeting regularly. Most of my tweets in the past have been links to blog posts, so AU will be my first foray into more real-time updates. We'll see how it goes. If you want to follow the experiment, you can find me at twitter.com/katemorrical.

Next stop, AU!

Viewports Zoom Extents When Activated

This is another post inspired by a frequent discussion-group topic. The scenario is that someone double-clicks inside an unlocked viewport and suddenly the view zooms to extents. Probably not what you had in mind.

Like a lot of unexpected behaviors in AutoCAD LT, the fix is easy once you know where to look. In this case, it's the variable UCSFOLLOW. When it's set to 0, as it is by default, nothing happens to your view when you change the UCS -- i.e. when you go from layout coordinates to model space. But if it gets set to 1, a change in UCS automatically regenerates a plan view, and zooms to the extents of the drawing.

The only thing to remember is that each viewport has its own UCSFOLLOW setting. So if you have more than one viewport acting up, you need to set USCFOLLOW to 0 in each viewport. (That means double-click inside it and change the variable. Changing it in just model space or just a layout isn't enough.)

Locking a viewport also prevents this kind of view changes -- depending on your setup, that may be a viable alternative too.

Change Double-Click Actions

I'm sure you've noticed that when you double-click on certain objects in your drawings, certain commands start. Double-clicking on text opens the text editor, double-clicking on a block opens the  the Attribute Editor or the Block Editor (if the block doesn't have attributes), etc.

But what if you don't like the default action? For example, double-clicking on a dimension launches the Properties palette by default. But I'm much more likely to be editing the dimension text than I am to be changing one of its properties. (Adding notes like TYP. or V.I.F. of course, NOT changing the default number!) So I'd rather that double-clicking on a dimension launched the text editor instead.

To change this, I'll go into the CUI, look for Double-Click Actions, right-click, and choose New.

I'll call the new action Dimension, and under Object Name, enter DIMENSION. This object name is the DXF name of the object -- fortunately, it usually corresponds to the object name as you know it.

Now, I need to add the command I want to my new action. To do this, I can search or browse the command list, then drag-and-drop the command onto the action. (Watch out -- you want "Text, Edit" or DDEDIT here. Dimension Text Edit and Mtext Edit will NOT give you the same results.)

That's it! Now, after you click OK, double-clicking a dimension will open its text for editing instead of opening the Properties palette. And of course, this method works for adding just about any action to any kind of object (although it helps your sanity if the two are related).

"Save As" File Formats

Ever had somebody ask you to save a drawing as "2008 version"? How about "2005 version"? Maybe even "2001 version"?

Savvy AutoCAD LT users know those file formats don't actually exist. (2001 wasn't even a real release.) So what to do when somebody asks for one? Here's a quick reference chart of the most recent file formats and which releases can open them:

File Format	Can Be Opened By
AutoCAD 2010 DWG or DXF	AutoCAD 2010
AutoCAD 2007 DWG or DXF	AutoCAD 2010 AutoCAD 2009 AutoCAD 2008 AutoCAD 2007
AutoCAD 2004 DWG or DXF	All of the above plus AutoCAD 2006 AutoCAD 2005 AutoCAD 2004
AutoCAD 2000 DWG or DXF	All of the above plus AutoCAD 2002 AutoCAD 2000i AutoCAD 2000
AutoCAD R14/LT98/LT98 DWG	All of the above plus AutoCAD Release 14 AutoCAD LT 98 AutoCAD LT 97
AutoCAD R12 DXF	All of the above plus AutoCAD Release 12 AutoCAD Release 11

Although I really hope you aren't working with anyone that needs file from the bottom of the chart!

And if you get tired of the questions, just tell the people asking to download DWG TrueView (which includes DWG TrueCovnert) and convert the files themselves. :-)

See the Difference (Virtually)

I hope some of you had a chance to attend one of our See the Difference tour events last month, but if not, it's not too late. That's because we're holding a Virtual See the Difference event next Tuesday, November 17th, and you can attend right from your desk.

Like our live tour events, registration is FREE. Wondering what your registration gets you? It's a mix of webcasts, chat sessions with Autodesk experts, and a virtual exhibit hall where you can talk to some of our partners. Here's the full agenda (all times Pacific):

8:00-8:45         Exhibit Hall Open
8:45-9:45         Webcast: AutoCAD 2010 Tips & Techniques with Lynn Allen
9:45-10:15       Chat: See the 2D Difference with AutoCAD LT 2010
10:15-11:00     Webcast: The AutoCAD Family with Shaan Hurley
11:00-11:30     Chat: AutoCAD Architecture
11:30-12:30     Exhibit Hall Open
12:30-1:15       Webcast: The World of 3D in AutoCAD 2010 with Heidi Hewett
1:15-1:45         Chat: AutoCAD Mechanical
1:45-2:30         Exhibit Hall Open

(Bonus points if you can guess who's hosting the AutoCAD LT chat.)

I hope to see you all there, especially because registration is FREE. (Had to mention that again.) See you in cyberspace!

One more way to get to AU

There are now THREE ways to see AU 2009 content and events (and that's not even counting all the stuff that's already available at AU Online).

1. AU in Vegas
Of course there's the live event. You get in-person classes, networking, the AUGI Beer Bust, etc.

2. AUv
There's also AU Virtual, which is a way to see live classes and events over the web. No security lines to get to this one, and it's free. (Or $99 for a Premier Pass.)

3. AU Extension
Last but not least, there's AU Extension, which combines expert-led class content from AU in Las Vegas with face-to-face interaction with local instructors. With over 90 Authorized Training Centers participating, in 35 countries, chances are pretty good there's one near you. Even better, AU Extension is free, and comes with the option to purchase additional training at a discount.

I hope one of the 3 AU options works for you!

Control Layer Visibility in Underlays

When you create a PDF or DWF from a DWG file, you have the option of including layer information. If you do, then you can turn individual layers on and off in your PDF or DWF viewer.

But did you know that you can also turn on and off layers when you use that PDF or DWF file as an underlay in another drawing? The underlay contextual ribbon tabs put that option right in front of you when you select a PDF or DWF underlay:

Even if you don't have a reference selected, you can find the Underlay Layers option on the Reference panel of the Insert tab.

However you get there, once you open the Edit Layers dialog, there are a few things you can do. You can turn layers on or off (although you can't change any other properties), you can search for particular layer names, and you can switch to a different underlay to control its layers instead. Like many other dialogs, SHIFT and CTRL work to select multiple layers or ranges of layers.

Named Views and Hyperlinks

I really like getting tips from users, but it's not often I get the same tip from two people! Kevin Braun and Murray Clack wrote in within a few days of each other about the benefits of named views and hyperlinks -- two subjects I haven't posted much about. (I didn't think there were too many of those left!)

Kevin says:

Something I don't see a lot of talk about, but I use almost all day long, are Named Views and Hyperlinks.

We use Named Views to help out the people who use our finished drawings. They click on the Named View and they can see what they need.  This is very cool, because it sets layers, UCS, etc.

We use model space markers with names to direct them to the proper Named View.

As usual, I got tired of typing in the names and all the scrolling down the list of views, and said to myself, "Wouldn't it be cool to just click on the marker?" (a bright light bulb turned on in my head!) I went to Hyperlinks and discovered you can link an object to a Named View! This was very cool.

Now I drop the marker in the drawing, and Hyperlink it to a view. Now all we do is click on the marker and away we go, no more scrolling through a drop down window. Getting around is so much faster now.

Murray's tip:

Below is a step-by-step process that helps you quickly navigate between Modelspace orientations and multiple Layout tabs using Saved Views and Hyperlinks.

1. While in a Layout tab, use the VIEW command to save a view name (usually, I would name the view based on whatever the sheet number would be, like “A101”)
2. Then, draw a closed pline around the perimeter of a Viewport (either on Layer “defpoints” or a unique layer set to “no plot”), and then use the CHSPACE command to send the pline into Modelspace through that Viewport.
3. With your cursor still within Modelspace via inside the Viewport, save a new view name to something reflecting what is going on within the viewport and including the sheet number (eg. “Plan 1 – A101”), and then bring your cursor back into the Layout environment (ie. PSPACE command)
4. Enter the command HYPERLINK
5. When prompted to “Select Objects”, select the Viewport boundary that you just saved a view in.
6. When the “Edit Hyperlink” dialog box appears, click on the “View of this Drawing” button
7.  Expand the Model tree by clicking on the “+” symbol, select the view name you just created, and then click the OK button

Now, hold down your Ctrl key, and click once on the Viewport boundary with your left mouse button.  AutoCAD will then switch to Modelspace and zoom into the area of the saved Modelspace view that you created earlier – and you will also see the closed pline that you sent through the Viewport.

To get back to the Layout tab, repeat steps 4 through 7, but this time, select the closed pline and select the saved view for the Layout.

(I just tried Murray's tip, and it's not as complicated as it sounds. Really.)

Two slightly different approaches, but both using the same tools to speed up navigation in drawings.

What do you think? Anybody else out there using named views and hyperlinks?

Quick Text (QTEXT) display

Quick Text, or QTEXT, is one of those holdovers from the days when regenerating your drawing meant a coffee break, but it's still around and can be useful.

What it does is change the text in your drawing from actual characters to square boxes. In the "old days" this saved a lot of time in rendering the text, so you could work faster. With today's processor speeds, though, the difference isn't really noticeable.

QTEXT off:

 

QTEXT on:

Hey, where'd that extra box come from? Turns out it's an empty piece of single-line text, one that contains only spaces. With QTEXT on, you can see these items, select them, and delete them.

This trick won't find empty mtext objects, though, and it's been made more or less obsolete by the "purge empty text objects" option in in the Purge dialog, but you never know when it might come in handy.

Lock Position of Interface Elements

We all know that sometimes, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Today, that good/bad thing is the ability to reposition the elements of your user interface -- toolbars, ribbon panels, palettes, etc.

When you're first setting up your workspace, you need to be able to rearrange things to suit the way you work. But once you're done, you'd like them to stay where you put them, and not get dragged around by a too-slow mouse click. (It's happened to all of us.)

Fortunately, there's a feature built-in to workspaces to prevent this from happening.

In the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, next to the workspace-switching icon, there's a little padlock. (Don't confuse it with the viewport-locking padlock -- they're not related.)

 

The options you'll see when you click on it require a little explanation.

• Toolbars: This also includes ribbon panels.
• Windows: This includes palettes.
• Docked: Attached to the top, bottom, or sides of the screen, or to the ribbon.
• Floating: Everywhere else, i.e. a detached ribbon panel or an un-anchored palette.

When you check one or more of those options, that type of screen element becomes fixed in position. No matter how much you try to drag it, it won't move. (If it's a toolbar or ribbon panel, you can still edit it with the CUI. You just can't move it.) If you reach the point where this becomes a bad thing again, you can always uncheck it in the list.

You can also lock or unlock all eligible elements at once with the "All" option.

And for my command-line fans, this is controlled with the LOCKUI system variable, which can be the sum of any of the following values:

• 0: Toolbars and windows not locked
• 1: Docked toolbars locked
• 2: Docked or anchored windows locked
• 4: Floating toolbars locked
• 8: Floating windows locked

So if you wanted to lock everything, you'd set LOCKUI to 15.