Lynn Allen's Blog

Lock Down those AutoCAD Toolbars!

Week 3 of the Experience Tour is over and we get a week off before week 4 kicks off in Denver.  This past week we hit Detroit and Toronto - where we had our largest crowd yet!  A very nice young man named Jorge took a picture with me in Toronto (below) and was kind enough to send it to me. 

I signed many of my AutoCAD Tips and Tricks booklets (I'll send you all checks later for asking) and did my best to answer the many AutoCAD questions that people came up afterward and asked. 

In Atlanta I spoke at an AUGI CAD Camp where I had a chance to catch up with the wonderful Matt Murphy, David Cohn and Robert Green (all three are top rated speakers at Autodesk University).  And finally I took a late flight back home to San Francisco where the United Airlines pilot decided to abort the landing at the last minute (Yikes!).  After two different explanations from the pilot (and of course they cut off the channel from the cockpit) we were told there was a warning light on and they were trying to fix it...Ok...Call me crazy - but I don't think you are supposed to fix warning lights...I think you are suppose to try and fix what the light is warning about!  After circling for an extra hour and a few frayed nerves later we finally landed...we all kissed the ground on the way off the plane (alright...slight exaggeration...but I definitely considered it!).

Did you get a chance to catch my latest Cadalyst Tips and Tricks last week on Toolbars 101? 

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Putting the Lockdown on your Toolbars:

Once you get your toolbars all set into place it can be so irritating when you accidentally move them so be sure to lock them down.  You'll find the handy toolbar locking tool on the far right side of the status bar.  If you have AutoCAD 2008 or AutoCAD 2009 you'll actually see two lock icons on the status bar.  The left most lock is used to lock/unlock viewports and the one on the far right is to lock/unlock your toolbars.

Select the far right lock tool and you'll see the following options:

• You can choose to lock your floating toolbars (or any of the new ribbon panels you've chosen to tear off and float)
• You can choose to lock your docked toolbars (or the new ribbon panels that are docked)
• You can choose to lock/unlock your floating windows or your docked windows (palettes such as Properties).

If you are in a release prior to AutoCAD 2009 you won't see the Panels option.

So enjoy this little Hip Tip - be sure to check out the Toolbars 101 video if you want to see it in action!

The Experience Tour Continues!

Well we are on week three of The Experience Tour now...(last week we took off to work on content for Autodesk University).  Detroit yesterday, Toronto today and tomorrow I hit an AUGI CAD Camp in Atlanta - phew!  Then I get to enjoy a much needed weeks vacation (you probably won't be hearing from me) before we jump into another 5 weeks of The Experience Tour.

I noticed that my AutoCAD 2009 Screencast is on the Autodesk home page.  Be sure to have a look at that if you miss the actual tour.

AutoCAD Hip Tip:  How to quickly find the properties of an object in a block or Xref!

Yesterday in Detroit someone asked me how to quickly find layer information of an object in an Xref.  I rattled that around in my head while another attendee blurted out the XLIST command (thankfully!).  The XLIST command is actually an Express tool that was created to list the type, block name, layer name, color and linetype of a nested object in a block or an xref. This fabulous command is simple.  Select the object within the block or Xref and AutoCAD will display the properties (unlike the standard Properties command).

It doesn't get much easier than that!

I wonder who is going to get the boot on American Idol tonight!  I wasn't able to watch it last night due to traveling (such a drag) but I do have it on Tivo! 

I'm off to do my presentation!

Autodesk University Planning Week and an AutoCAD Hip Tip!

Well we've been plugging away all week working on the content for Autodesk University 2008.  With over 600 courses and over 1400 submittals we want to make sure we have the best possible slate of classes.  Joseph Wurcher, June Nakatani and Matt Olding have been locked up together in a room for three days now - two to go!  We are all going to need a break from each other after this for sure!

So who is going to get voted off of American Idol this week?  Sorry to say it but I REALLY hope it's Jason.  I know he has his fans but I think he's the least talented of those who are left.  I absolutely believe it will get down to the two David's but can't we please keep adorable Sayesha for just one more week?  Please???

AutoCAD Hip Tip on Mining Data with Design Center:

Another of my  Tuesday Tips and Tricks videos came out yesterday - this one was on Design Center.  Design Center is one of those tools that I find so many of us have forgotten about!  It's actually quite a powerful tool that makes it easy for us to mine data from one drawing to another.  Did you make a great dimension style in a previous drawing that you'd like to use in your current drawing?  Design Center to the rescue!

The easiest way to get to Design Center is with Ctrl+2.  You can also get to it from the Tools menu, from a toolbar, or the new ribbon if you prefer.  Using Design Center simply navigate to the drawing you'd like to grab some data from and you'll see a listing of the all types of things you can bring into your current drawing:  blocks, layers, table styles, dimension styles, layouts, linetypes....the list goes on and on. 

Simply select the category you want and right click on the data you want to add to your drawing.  Below I've selected a layer and accessed "Add layer" from the shortcut menu.  Depending on the category you can highlight multiple items to migrate over to your current drawing.

It's just that simple - so don't recreate your data - use Design Center!  To see me demonstrate this tip be sure to go to the Cadalyst Tips and Tricks video.

Two more hours until American Idol - Yikes!!!  I am crossing my fingers for Syesha tonight...

Converting AutoCAD Drawings to Raster and the AutoCAD 2009 Screencast!

Well...week two of the tour is over and I'm back home with the little white fluffy dog (hoorah!).  I have really enjoyed the audience members who've come up to me and introduced yourselves - or asked me to sign their Tips and Tricks booklets - you are all so nice to me (and oh so flattering)!  I truly love presenting to so many friendly faces and hopefully sharing some productivity tips that will make your life easier.  A great big thank you to Larry Swinea for driving a bunch of us to the airport (you are truly a saint Larry) and for being such a great host at the Dallas Fort Worth Autodesk User Group on Wednesday night.  Larry's wife Lisa was kind enough to bring their adorable son "Will" to the user group meeting for a short while (which definitely brightened up the evening for everyone!). 

Moving along- I want you all to know that the AutoCAD 2009 Screencast has been posted.  If you don't get a chance to hear all about the new features live on the tour you can watch the recorded version free of charge up on the Autodesk website.  I think the easiest way to get to it is via the AutoCAD webpage - you will have to fill out a short form to view it, but I hope you'll think it's worth it!

Converting AutoCAD Drawings to Raster:

I recently recorded a short video on converting AutoCAD drawings to raster files for Cadalyst and strongly suggest you take a quick look if you've run into that issue.  Click here to view my latest Tips and Tricks Tuesday video.

AutoCAD does allow you to print to the raster file of your choice by setting it up as a printer.  This can be done in the Add a Plotter Wizard (Tools pull-down=>Wizards). 

 

You can also configure the resolution of the raster file by editing the plotter configuration as seen below:

If you want to change the background color (something I am always asked about) do so by selecting Custom Properties as seen below:

I really suggest you watch the video  - that will make it all so much easier.

Enjoy the weekend - we are having a "Cuatro de Mayo" shindig on Sunday (since it's a day before Cinco de Mayo).  Complete with a crazy pinata, hats, and good Mexican food (one of my favorites).   

The Experience Tour...Week Two!

This week the Experience Tour hits Philadelphia and Dallas.  Last week was very exciting as we had some fantastic sessions on all of the new 2009 products in Miami and Washington D.C.  I really enjoyed sharing the new features in AutoCAD 2009 to the very receptive audiences.  I remember ever so clearly that Washington D.C. was my favorite audience last year - they were so pumped up it was great fun! 

I'm hanging in the Dulles airport enduring a 2 hour flight delay (ugh).  So let's chat about more the features in AutoCAD 2009!

How to get back to the standard User Interface in AutoCAD 2009:

AutoCAD 2009 introduces the new Ribbon into the User Interface.  Though the ribbon has some nice advantages - many of you have asked me how to get your old familiar user interface back.  So take a deep breath and relax - here's the deal:  You'll just have to change your Workspace back to AutoCAD Classic.

But easier said than done - Where is the Workspace toolbar with that handy drop-down list of saved workspaces?  You'll find a new Workspace icon sitting on the status bar in the lower right corner.

Select this icon and you'll find a list of your saved workspaces along with the ones that come with AutoCAD.  Simply select AutoCAD Classic and you find your UI is back to that comfy world you've grown to know and love.  You'll find your pull-down menus are back...your toolbars...Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

See - no therapy needed after all! :-)

I''m off to find some food before my flight...sadly I have PLENTY of time to do that!

Let the Tour Begin!

The Autodesk Experience Tour is about to begin and tomorrow I'm flying off to Miami for round one!  If you haven't already signed up for one of the stops be sure to do so!  There is sure to be plenty of information on all the new 2009 Autodesk products...and no doubt a good time will be had by all!

And I promised Joseph Wurcher I'd mention that this is the final week to submit your papers to speak at this year's Autodesk University.  For more information on this you can visit the official AU Blog (BLAUG).  If you have a fabulous idea for a class and think you'd be a great presenter - then here is your big chance to shine!

AutoCAD LT 2009 brings FIELDS to its users!

I'm not sure how many of you AutoCAD users have delved into the incredibly powerful world of FIELDS but I am happy to announce that AutoCAD LT 2009 is now extending this great feature to its users as well!  Fields are really so much more powerful than attributes and they are smart enough to extend over multiple drawings (as opposed to just one).  I like to think of it as "change it once, change it everywhere". 

The world of FIELDS is a huge subject indeed but here is a very high level view of them as highlighted in my AutoCAD LT Tips and Tricks booklet (not published yet). 

Fields
One of the most powerful objects in AutoCAD, Fields are equivalent to “smart text” that updates automatically.  Use field data for such things as dates, sheet numbers, titles, etc.

Select fields from a list of predefined fields.  These fields can be inserted into text objects, attributes or table cells.

There are three methods for inserting a Field:

1.   Select the Insert Field… option in the shortcut menu when prompted for text in MTEXT, DTEXT, ATTDEF,  and BATTMAN.  Some of these commands also have an “insert field” button.
2. Press Control+F 
3. Execute the Field command (this will place the field as MTEXT).

Whichever route you take, simply select the field you wish to add.  The FIELDDISPLAY system variable toggles the display of a gray background for field text (intended for the easy recognition of Field text)

Tip:  Fields allow you to display object properties such as the area of a hatch, the length of a polyline or the diameter of a circle.

Editing Fields
Easily edit your fields by double-clicking. 

Updating Fields:
By default, field values automatically update when you open, save, plot, eTransmit or regenerate a drawing.  You can suppress this automatic evaluation by setting the FIELDEVAL system variable. You can also use the UPDATEFIELD command to manually update.

I'm off to convince my dog to get out of my suitcase again!  She definitely knows how to make me feel guilty...  :-(

More AutoCAD LT 2009 Features from Dallas

COFES continued to be a great conference along with an award for Autodesk CEO Carl Bass from the CAD Society for Leadership.  Carl wasn't able to pick up his award so Autodesk Executive VP Buzz Kross did the honors as seen below (ok...so it's not quite the best picture).

I flew straight from COFES to Dallas for Autodesk Tech Camp.  Louisa Holland from Mastergraphics was hysterical as she ran around taking pictures - be sure to check out her blog at Civil 3D for Beginners.  Here's the picture she snagged of her and me...

She was absolutely adorable!  All you Civil 3Ders be sure to visit her blog!

Who will please the American Idol Judges tonight?

AutoCAD LT 2009 Celebrates More Colors!

COFES (Congress of the Future of Engineering Software) is off and running here in Scottsdale, Arizona and we are on our second day of presentations.  The networking has been wonderful (along with the weather!) and I've already gleamed a few great morsels of information from the various discussions. 

I want to mention the official announcement of the new AUGI Portugal Country Chapter.  AUGIpt is up and running and I am SO excited for them.  Congratulations on all of your hard work!

I'm blogging between sessions so I'll just jump right to the point with some more AutoCAD 2009 LT Features.

AutoCAD LT 2009 brings new Colors to everyone!

AutoCAD LT 2009 has expanded the color possibilities from the usual 256 colors to include True Color and Color Books.  Now you can select a specific color from a variety of Pantone and RAL color books making it easy to match up with real world colors of actual materials.  There are two new tabs in the Select Color dialog box.  The True Color tab allows you to select the Hue, Saturation and Luminence (HSL) or Red, Green and Blue (RGB) levels.  The Color Books tab displays a variety of Pantone and RAL color books.  You can even add additional color books in the Options dialog box (Files tab).

All those color possibilities will definitely make it easier for your clients to visualize your design intent!

OK...back to the conference!  Have a fantastic weekend everyone...

 

More AutoCAD LT 2009 Features

A friendly reminder that you can download my AutoCAD 2009 Tips and Tricks booklet by hitting the promo box over on the left side of my blog!  This is a short and sweet booklet that is basically "Just the facts, Maam".  Read a page a day and you'll have yourself up to speed on AutoCAD 2009 in no time!  As I mentioned I am also working on the AutoCAD LT version of the same booklet and I'll be sure to post that as well when it's finished.

Have you signed up for my Cadalyst Tips and Tricks Tuesdays videos yet?  Here you'll find some quick tips you can watch (especially nice if you are in a time crunch).

I'm going to continue writing about another standard AutoCAD command that made its way into AutoCAD LT 2009.  Even if you are an AutoCAD user, it doesn't help to get a quick refresher on the feature.

Finally...AutoCAD LT 2009 has Nonrectangular Viewports!

Ok...we are really spoiled in AutoCAD.  We've been able to create nonrectangular viewports since AutoCAD 2000!  You AutoCAD LT users, however, have been forced to live with those plain old boring rectangular viewports.  Well welcome to the 21st century!  Now, AutoCAD LT 2009 give you the power to create all the funky shaped viewports you want!. 

You can create nonrectangular viewports in the MVIEW command by selecting the Polygonal or Object option.  Polygonal lets you select the points that make up the viewport boundary (much like creating a polyline).  The Object option lets you select an existing closed object created in paper space such as a circle, ellipse or spline.

You can also clip an existing viewport with a nonrectangular boundary.  Objects used for clipping can include a closed polyline, circle, spline, or ellipse.

You LT users will really enjoy this new option...I'm so glad it finally made its way into LT!

AutoCAD features that made their way into AutoCAD LT 2009

My goodness...does it seem as though Spring is really taking its time this year? I just want to be able to eat outside and enjoy the sunshine!  This Wednesday I'll be attending COFES in Phoenix, Arizona and I hope I'll finally get my wish.  I love COFES because it's a conference where all the leading design software companies attend and for 4 days we all play nicely together.

I am working on the AutoCAD LT Tips and Tricks guide now and I was thrilled to see that some more AutoCAD commands have made their way into LT.  Let's take a look at one of them:

Attaching Raster Images in AutoCAD LT 2009:

Now AutoCAD LT users can attach raster images in the same fashion they do an XREF.   This can be done in the External References palette with the new Attach Image option or by using the new IMAGEATTACH command.  Simply select the desired image file as seen below:

After selecting an image you'll be asked for the usual questions such as insertion point, scale and rotation angle (much like the XATTACH command).

All the other cool Image commands are in AutoCAD LT 2009 as well!  You'll find the IMAGECLIP command that lets you clip your image to a polygonal or rectangular shape.  You'll find the IMAGEADJUST dialog box the lets you control the brightness, contrast and fade of your image.  IMAGEFRAME controls the visibility of the image frame. and IMAGEQUALITY can be set to Draft if you find your images are slowing your drawing down by too much.

Bonus Tip:  Set IMAGEFRAME to 2 so that the frame displays but doesn't plot!