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.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.
- 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”)
- 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.
- 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)
- Enter the command HYPERLINK
- When prompted to “Select Objects”, select the Viewport boundary that you just saved a view in.
- When the “Edit Hyperlink” dialog box appears, click on the “View of this Drawing” button
- Expand the Model tree by clicking on the “+” symbol, select the view name you just created, and then click the OK button
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?
This is an example of what is probably a good tip but the question I'm left with is 'why do I need it'? More details or specific examples please.
In paperspace my layout tabs show me that the floor plan is on sheet A2, and the details are on sheets A6 and A7. So why do I need a named view to tell me the same thing? Is this maybe for super large projects like hospitals or highrise projects where you have numerous plans etc?
Posted by: mg | November 09, 2009 at 09:11 AM
Hi MG, Murray Clack here (submitter of tip #2). To answer your question of WHY you may need this tip is to simply help you get from point 'A' to point 'B' quicker.
Have you ever had a drawing with so many layout tabs that they go off the screen? Or maybe you have so many details (or plans, etc) in Modelspace that you forget which sheet/tab it was on? Having Views and Hyperlinks set up simply reduces the amount of time it takes to navigate with your mental gps.
If I am working on a detail in Modelspace, and I need to switch to the Layout tab it is on, I have to: a) remember which tab it is on, and then b) switch to Paperspace and then navigate to the correct tab in case it is "off screen". Simply by clicking on a hyperlink in Modelspace, it not only takes me to the Layouts but to the correct Layout in one easy step (and vice versa when going to Modelspace from Paperspace)
Posted by: Murray Clack | November 09, 2009 at 11:52 AM
Now I have the complete picture. Thanks for the kind response.
Posted by: mg | November 09, 2009 at 02:13 PM