Lynn Allen's Blog

AutoCAD 2006 - Let the Features Continue

Well I'm getting excited about my first AutoCAD 2006 presentation next week in Portugal!  I've been busy gathering all the tips and tricks I've learned from working with the next release into a great (hopefully!) presentation - wish me luck!  I'll spend a couple of weeks in Europe and many weeks in the US and Canada showing off the new featues in AutoCAD 2006.  If you are interested in being on the invitation list simply click here:  Autodesk 2006 Road Show

So let's get to the good stuff - more AutoCAD 2006 features to whet your appetite...so what if I sound like a "breathless schoolgirl"! (only some of you will get that comment...)

OFFSET Improvements:  There are three great improvements to the popular Offset command. 
1.  You can now choose to erase the source object after offsetting
2.  There is a new Undo option should you "goof"
3.  You can specify whether the new object lands on the current layer or the same layer as the source object.

     Command: OFFSET
     Current settings: Erase source=No  Layer=Source  OFFSETGAPTYPE=0
     Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <1.9533>: L
     Enter layer option for offset objects [Current/Source] <Source>:

CHAMFER and FILLET Improvements:   There are two cool improvements to Chamfer and Fillet.

1.  If you just want to trim corners, you can now use the Shift key to force a Zero radius or distance - VERY handy!
2.  There is a new Undo option within the command (as I mentioned previously)

STRETCH command Improvements:  There are two improvements to the Stretch command.

1.  You can now stretch multiple crossing windows.
2.  You can use standard object selection such as picking to select objects.  Objects chosen using a Crossing window or Crossing polygon will be stretched, the others will be moved.

Rotate and Scale Improvements: 
1.  A new Copy option allows you to create a copy while you rotate or scale an object.
2.  The most recent rotation angle or scale value remains persistent throughout the current editing session.
3.  You can now pick any two points to specify a new angle or scale (no longer limited to the basepoint being one of the reference points)

AutoCAD 2006 - Other Awesome Features

WOW!  The hits on my blog are about 5X what they were last week - I guess we're all just getting excited about the next release of AutoCAD!  So without further ado...let the features continue:

Direct editing on the screen with grips:  Imagine selecting a line (and getting it's grips), making one of the endpoint grips hot, and seeing a value appear for both the length and angle.  But wait - it gets better!  You can change either of those values directly on the screen and the line will update...fantastic!  Simply toggle between the angle and length with the tab key (works on other objects as well)

You get to choose exactly which values you want to display while grip editing (DSETTINGS command).  Warning - it gets pretty cluttered if you select too many options - I prefer just setting it to length and angle...(I like my world simple).

AutoCAD 2006 will complete your commands for you:  Ever have a hard time remembering how to spell a system variable or a command you rarely use?  AutoCAD 2006 will now cycle through the possible commands for you with the new AutoComplete functionality.  You start the command, and use the tab key to cycle through all the possible choices.

Recent Input functionality: If you find yourself using the same values over and over again (and you are tired of keying them in over and over) then you'll love this new addition to the shortcut menus.  You can now access recently used values including points, distances, angles and strings.  If you have dynamic input turned on, you can also use the up and down arrows to cycle through the most recently used values.

(forgive my awful colors - I use black on yellow because I do so many presentations and those are the easiest colors to see - but oh so ugly!).  Stay tuned for more features tomorrow!!!

AutoCAD 2006 - Other Cool Stuff!

Where did my command line go?  Don't freak out - our beloved command line is still in AutoCAD 2006...but for you adventurous folk out there, you can now display a command line that follows your cursor!   Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to constantly move your eyes down to the command line?

If you choose to see the options for any command, simply hit your down arrow or the familiar right-click shortcut menu.

The coolest part of this new "Dynamic Input" is the ability to enter coordinates right on the screen as seen below.  You'll also see the values change as you move your cursor around.  Imagine not having to type the "@" symbol anymore!  Wouldn't you just love that?

The new Dynamic Input tab in the Drafting Settings dialog let's you control just how much information you want to follow you around the screen at any given time - you'll want to try it all out, and then decide for yourself how much (or how little) you feel comfortable with.

And if you are REALLY feeling adventurous - you can banish the command line completely with Control+9 (no worries - you can easily bring it back using the same toggle).    Are any of you game???

More AutoCAD 2006 Features!

Adding on to my previous post - let's talk about dimensioning!  Dimensioning was improved in AutoCAD 2006 - check out some of the new improvements:

Varying dimension linetypes:  Now you don't have to explode a dimension to change any of the individual dimension or extension lines to a different linetype! (Great for center lines)

Dimensioning arc lengths:  Finally!  If you've ever just wanted to dimension the length of a dimension your wish has been granted!  The new DIMARC command comes to the rescue (complete with an arc length symbol if desired!)

Jogged dimensions:  Dimensioning extremely large arcs can be a problem when the center point is off the screen, now you can specify a jog angle to properly dimension large curves.

Flipping dimension arrows:  The new right-click shortcut menu offers the option of flipping your dimension arrow(s).  Simply select near the arrow you want to flip and choose Flip Arrow from the right click menu.

New initial length symbol: AutoCAD 2006 provides a new symbol to indicate initial length (available from the Symbol list in the MTEXT right click menu)

Fixed length extension lines:  Now you can create dimensions using extension lines with a consistent length, regardless of how far away from the part you select (so the extension lines might not even touch the geometry)

Stay tuned for more extremely cool features in AutoCAD 2006!  (What do you think so far???)

A Sneak Peak at AutoCAD 2006!

Are you as excited as I am about another release of AutoCAD?  What's going to be in it?  How many of our wishes will be granted?  Well the Autodesk Gods have given me permission to give you a glimpse into some of the fabulous new features in everyone's favorite design package...so hold onto your seats!

1.  Dynamic Blocks
Imagine being able to edit an individual instance of a block without exploding it?  How about multiple insertion points on a block?  How about multiple block definitions bundled up into one (one block called valve, many different variations)...you simply pick the desired definition upon insertion.  Does all of this sound too good to be true?  All this and more with the new powerful Dynamic Blocks.

2.  Changes to Everyday Commands
Now these are always my favorite new features - anything that affects our everyday drawing life...here are just a few teasers of things to come:

a.  You can now choose to combine zoom and pan commands together when undoing (don't you hate it when it takes 10 "undos" just to get past your zooms?

b.  Speaking of Undo - many editing commands now have their own "Undo" built into them.  Commands such as Copy, Offset, Fillet and Chamfer allow you to undo just the last operation.

c.  Copy, Move,  and Stretch maintain the most recent displacement throughout the current editing session.  Rotate and Scale maintain the most recent rotation angle and scale factor respectively. 

d.  A new command called JOIN combines multiple segments of like objects into a single object (remember the popular GLUE command?)

e.  You can now customize the AutoCAD scale list that displays in the Plot dialog box, the Viewport toolbar, and the Properties Palette.  Add it once and it will always be available to you.

f.  Mtext really is truly "what you see is what you get"  (hoorah!).  It also supports bullets and numbering along with various other "Word-like" features.

3.  Hatching Treats!
Ever try to control EXACTLY where a hatch pattern lands?  AutoCAD 2006 lets you specify the hatch origin while creating or editing a hatch.  You no longer need to zoom out to display the entire boundary while hatching because now you can hatch within boundaries that extend beyond the visible display.  You can also create separate hatch objects within one hatch command.

These are just a few of the new treasures you can look forward to in AutoCAD 2006 - stay tuned all week as I write about a few more!

Toronto Vision Tour was Amazing!

The Toronto Vision Tour hit the stunning Carlu Museum along with nearly 200 local architects. I served as the Emcee for the evening's presentations which consisted of Autodesk VP of the Building Solutions, Phil Bernstein, and Allen Partridge from the prestigious HIP Architectural firm in Edmonton.  Phil kicked off the evening with an overview of the current issues that face those in the building Industry, as well as a look at the imminent future of Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Following Phil was the very dynamic, and down to earth,  Allen Partridge who discussed how Autodesk Revit has helped HIP Architects stay on the cutting edge of technology, gain contracts, and save money. 

The Carlu nearly stole the show with it's amazing Art Deco design.  Designed by famed architect - Jacques Carlu - this building is one of the world's best surviving examples of the Art Modern Period.  The below picture shows the original fountain from the early 1930s beneath the Lalique light fixture.

The evening wrapped up with a fabulous cocktail hour where everyone had a chance to network with their fellow architects as well as engage with the speakers. A great, educational time was had by all!

AutoCAD Quick Tip - Get the Area of a Hatch Pattern

Need to find the area of a hatch pattern?  Don't forget the age old LIST command - simply select the crosshatching and AutoCAD will list the total area. 

Command: LIST
Select Objects: (pick the hatch pattern)
HATCH     Layer: "Const"
                            Space: Model space
                  Hatch pattern ANSI31
                 Hatch scale   10.0000
                 Hatch angle      0
                 Not associative
                 Area      315.3232
                

Seattle AUGI CAD Camp was Outstanding!

The AUGI CAD Camp in Seattle was fabulous!  The amazing dave espinosa-aguilar (lower case) did his very popular "How to become and AutoCAD Power User" class.  As the top rated speaker at Autodesk University for the past several years we were delighted to be graced with his always humble presence (did you know that he takes his cats camping with him?).  David Cohn, also a star of the industry, taught a couple of classes as well including one on DWF and Composer. 

As for me - well I dusted off my AutoLISP brain and taught the incredibly fun "AutoLISP in 80 minutes or less" class to a packed room.  I couldn't believe so many people were interested in LISP!  You'll find my powerpoint presentation to the left if you'd care to download it (although it certainly helps if you've seen the class).  It appeared as though the favorite part of the class was the "Ways to Torture your Coworkers" section - Oh My!

We are adding more AUGI CAD Camps every day - so keep checking to see if we are coming to your neighborhood!  AUGI CAD Camp