Lynn Allen's Blog

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Reverse Searching for XREFs

We all know how to check our drawing files for attached external references (XREFs)...but have you ever wished you could do a "Reverse Search"?  Maybe you want to know which drawings a specific drawing is referenced INTO.  For example, I have a drawing called ELEC.DWG.  I know it is referenced into many other drawings.  I need to make some changes to ELEC.DWG but first I want to know which other drawings this is going to affect...make sense?

The underused Design Center to the rescue!  If you haven't discovered the very powerful Search tool in Design Center then you are just going to love this!  Go into Design Center (Control+2) and you'll find the search tool at the top as seen in the figure below.

Here you'll find you can search for a myriad of things...blocks, drawings but most importantly - XREFs!

 

In the upper left corner you'll find you can select the directory (or directories) you want to search through.  You can actually search an entire drive if you want...you'll just need to be very patient as it does it's search.  The key here is that Design Center can mine your files for all types of data and that is really powerful!

We'll select the XREF option and then key in the name of the XREF we are searching for.  I am searching for a drawing file called "The Wine Cellar" (of course...I live near Napa!).  below you'll see that my drawing file "The Wine Cellar" is referenced into one drawing in this directory.

 

I noticed you can't just include key words to get the proper results.  For example, if I just key in the word wine to search for it won't find my drawing file.  You can, however, user wildcards (if you remember your wildcard symbols). So...I could type in *wine* , with an asterisk in the front and one at the end and it would find my drawing as seen below.

 

The good news is...it will find all the drawings that my drawing file is referenced into!  Be sure to give this great tip a try!

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Optimizing your File Dialogs

So now my thoughts have moved on to the Super Bowl!  I am sure many of you will be going to Super Bowl parties or will be watching it from the serenity of your own home.  True...the Colts did not make it to the Super Bowl this year...but I must confess to also being a big Kurt Warner fan and nothing would make me happier then to see him with another Super Bowl ring (especially since he is getting older and has been relegated to second string way too many times!).  I do have a Kurt Warner football jersey from the five minutes he started for New York (before Eli took over the reins) thanks to a wonderful Autodesk reseller who knew I was a big Kurt Warner fan from his Rams days.

On the other side of the fence - my husband is from Pittsburgh and is, of course, a big Steelers fan (I believe that is a prerequisite to living there).  And if you know a Steelers fan - you know that they are SERIOUS fans!  Needless to say, the Super Bowl will be an exciting event in our household!  Last year the AUGI Board was at our house for the Super Bowl...it just won't be the same without them (and I could probably have convinced them to root for my team...)

On to the real reason you are joining me on my blog...a tasty AutoCAD morsel!

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Optimizing your File Dialog:

Whenever you execute a command that requires you to open a file, you run into the File dialog as seen below:

   

Now I'm not sure if you can tell...but I have customized the left column with directories I use all the time.  AutoCAD typically displays the "My documents" folder in that column, a big Favorites star but in general the folders displayed are pretty useless.  Lets face it - if you are saving everything to My documents then we really need to talk!  You no doubt have a variety of folders you save your files into, and some of them probably have a fairly complex directory structure.  It's also possible that you are searching for files on a server...so why not make it super simple to go straight to those directories!

Once you have navigated to the folder where you have your saved files...you can easily place that folder in the far left column for easy access.  Simply right click over the left column and you will get a shortcut menu as seen below:

 

Select "Add Current Folder" and Voila!  You will now have super speedy access to your folder the next time you go into any command requesting a file.  If you want to add multiple directories you can also select "Add..." and navigate to other folders to add.

Or...you can simply do a good old drag and drop!  Simply drag the folder from the white viewing area in the middle of the dialog to the column of folders - it's just that easy!

You really should be personalizing AutoCAD as much as possible to ensure you maximum productivity and this is a good step in the right direction!

(Go Cardinals!)

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Copying Layouts from One Drawing to Another

The Academy Award nominations were announced today and I am OH so excited!  I can't help it - I'm an Academy Award fan.  When I first started this blog I mentioned that my dream come true would be to go to the Academy Awards (I'm not holding my breath!)   I'm not sure what the connection is between the Academy Awards and AutoCAD (other than they both start with the letter "A") but I just can't seem to help myself!  Of course I will attempt to go to all of the best picture nominees so I can make an educated guess...("attempt" being the key word here), I will have my favorite nominees and hope they win, I will cry several times during the award ceremony...it just isn't pretty! I was thrilled to hear that Richard Jenkins was nominated for Best Actor in The Visitor - he is definitely a long shot but did an excellent acting job in the movie.

Our Autodesk Community manager at Autodesk, Ray Eisenberg,  has me completely beat though - over our break he went to 13 movies in 14 days!  Unbelievable!  He is rooting for Slumdog Millionaire (which managed to win the Golden Globe for best picture).  

Are you guys falling asleep yet?  let's get on to something a little more relevant!  (so sorry for the digression).

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Copying Layouts from One Drawing to Another:

If you've ever started a new drawing and wanted to add in a layout that exists in another drawing - you'll be pleased to know there is a very simple means of doing so.  It's not intuitively obvious - so you may have given up in the past or used some kludge means of getting the job done - but it is really quite simple.

You'll want to start off in the destination drawing - the one you want to copy the layout INTO.  Then simply right click on any model space or layout tab to get the shortcut menu below:

 

You're going to want to select the From template... option (as highlighted above).  You may not find this obvious because you don't want to copy the layout tab from a template file - you want to copy it from a drawing file- right?

No problem...when you get the dialog box asking for a .DWT file, you're going to switch it to .DWG as seen below.

 

After navigating to the drawing file that contains the layout you are after - you'll see this very friendly dialog box with a list of all the layouts in that drawing. You'll simply pick the one you are after!  Yes - it is just that simple!

  

You can even select more than one if you like!

So there is your AutoCAD Hip Tip for a Thursday - we're almost at the weekend so enjoy!

A Touching Autodesk University Story

I just have to share this feel-good story recently sent to me by an Autodesk University attendee:

Autodesk University provides many great things for the attendees such as networking and great learning but for one attendee it provided so much more!  Who knew when Jeff Wilson attended Autodesk University that he would come across something in the Exhibit Hall that would change his wife's life!  Let me explain...

Jeff Wilson's wife, Rebecca, had been losing her mobility due to Multiple Sclerosis. She is an elementary school music teacher in Michigan and like most schools, the school is quite spread out.  This means that Rebecca was faced with very long walks to her classroom, main office and the teacher's lunch room.  It was so difficult for Rebecca to walk distances (not to mention the extended time it took her to get there) she had not gone down to the lunch room to see her fellow teachers for two years!  (now that is very sad indeed!)  Rebecca's classroom and the lunch room are literally at opposite ends of the school - approximately 500' apart.

Jeff attended Autodesk University in 2007 and saw the Zappy Scooter on the Exhibit Hall floor.  Thinking this might be a good solution for Rebecca - he purchased one upon his return and just let me say - this story has quite a happy ending!  Now Rebecca can zip back and forth to the Teacher's lunch room (she goes nearly every day now) and can easily get from one end of the campus to the other.  Below is a picture of Rebecca and Jeff Wilson.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this great story with me Jeff and Rebecca (and for letting me post about it).  You really made my week - not to mention the week for the AU team!  We wish you the best Rebecca...

 

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Editing Dimension Values

Well the Carol Bartz news continues to swirl around Autodesk and I must admit I really enjoyed a posting by Roopinder Tara (of CAD Insider and Tenlinks fame) on the topic.  He definitely has a few good points regarding Yahoo (and what was up with the bikini girl on American Idol anyway?).  Perhaps I am missing the point...

Let's get back to the AutoCAD world and peruse another Hip Tip!

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Editing Dimension Values:

Let's say you have a dimensioned object that is 10 mm long (or inches for those of you living in the Imperial world).  You find out this object needs to be 12 mm long.  So what process do you go through to make that change?  Do you create construction lines?  In the perfect world, when you are finished, both the object and the dimension value will be correct.

How many of you have come across the powerful world of tracking?  TK (for tracking) is an option that allows you to track off of a specific point (and usually eliminates the need to draw construction lines).  Tracking lets you create temporary points to work off of while drawing.

If you choose to use tracking, the process will go something like this:

1)  Highlight the dimension (it needs to be associative) and the line.

 

2)  Make a hot grip on the end point of the right extension line

 

3)  Enter TK  (enter) and then select the lower left corner as seen above.  AutoCAD will automatically turn the Ortho mode ON.

4)  You are now in direct distance mode.  Move your cursor to the right and key in the number 12.  Magic will occur and you will now have a dimension that is 12 mm or 1' depending on your current units.

The command line prompts look like this:

Command:  ** STRETCH **
Specify stretch point or [Base point/Copy/Undo/eXit]: TK
First tracking point:
Next point  (Press ENTER to end tracking): 12

Next point  (Press ENTER to end tracking):(enter)

So give Tracking a try...you wouldn't believe how many different uses you can find for it!

Former Autodesk CEO Carol Bartz takes the Helm of Yahoo!

Well first off - can I just say how thrilled I am for Carol Bartz, our former CEO and President for Autodesk and her new role as CEO for Yahoo!  How exciting is that?  I have had the opportunity to share a stage with her on many occasion and have a tremendous amount of respect for her and all she has done over the years for Autodesk.  I have been reading all types of reviews on her new appointment that range from negative to positive (as the media loves to do) and I have absolute confidence that she is up to this task.  I firmly believe that if anyone can turn Yahoo! around, she can!  She is smart enough to surround herself with competent, knowledgeable people who can fill in any gaps she might have regarding running a company such as Yahoo! and she is an amazing quick study.  In her early days at Autodesk it didn't take her long to master the vast design market that Autodesk had captured and she will do the same with Yahoo!  Mark my words!

A huge congratulations to Carol, but also to Yahoo! for choosing the perfect candidate to get them back on the road to prosperity.  It has been my honor to work with/for her during her days at Autodesk and though we will miss her, she leaves us in the very competent hands of Carl Bass who has done a great job leading Autodesk since she stepped down as CEO and President.

As for me...I am switching my browser to Yahoo!  :-)  So she's already responsible for one convert.

(for the record...these views are my personal opinion and do not reflect or represent the views of Autodesk in any way).

Yahhhhhhhhhh- Hooooo!

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on working with Microstation Files

Autodesk is ramping back up to speed after two weeks of rest...let me just say it is wonderful when the entire company is taking the same vacation time off!  You don't return to work faced with tons of emails and phone calls to return.  And the holidays are the perfect time to do just such a thing as so many people have other things on their minds anyway (Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve).  Now we are all refreshed and ready to jump into a brand new year at Autodesk! 

As for me - I am thrilled to be back on the AutoCAD bandwagon and am ready with your second hip tip of 2009!

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Working with Microstation (DGN) Files:

Let's face it - many of us work with other CAD systems (such as Microstation).  Working with both DGN and DWG files can become very daunting and often frustrating (to say the least!).  To those of you who know and work with both AutoCAD and Microstation - I tip my hat (you are amazing!). 

Over the years, Autodesk hasn't really played nicely with Microstation, but for the past few releases Autodesk has changed direction and really rolled out the DGN red carpet!  Nothing could make me happier as this should make life easier for so many of you.  In the past two releases you can now import and export to DGN (V7 and V8 files)...and a low profile command called DGNMAPPING has been added to make the conversion process even easier!  I say "low profile" because it seems as though so few people know about this very cool command.  Let's take a look:

You can use DGNMAPPING to help you with importing DGN files into AutoCAD or for exporting the files out of AutoCAD into Microstation.  The figure below shows you how you will name the file (so you can use it again!) and how you will indicate you want this mapping to be used for importing or exporting.

 

You will then be able to set up a mapping file for layers (levels), linetypes, lineweights and colors.  You can even import the properties from an existing DWG or DGN file to work from (highly recommended!).

 

Sure there will be some upfront time needed to create these mapping files - but after you set them up you will be translating from DGN to DWG in no time!

I have to share a picture from one of my readers of his daughter's adorable new Christmas puppy (don't we all just love puppies?)  Robert Duffy sent me a picture of his new mini schnauzer Murphy (the children are adorable as well!)  Thank you for sharing Robert and pet that cute little Murphy for me please!

A Happy New Year AutoCAD Hip Tip!

Well, well, well - the holidays have whizzed by and we're off to a new year!  Happy New Year to you all!  I trust the holidays were good to you.  Autodesk closed its doors for the annual week of rest and I must admit its been a little rough getting back into the Autodesk swing of things. Although with all the cooking, company, holiday festivities and family activities I almost feel like I need to go back to work to relax!  I am so looking forward to another great release of AutoCAD and having the opportunity to share with all of you the many fabulous features you have to look forward to...(and let me just say they are FABULOUS!).

But for now...let's focus on the AutoCAD we have today...

An AutoCAD Hip Tip on Referencing Rotation Angles:

It's easy enough to rotate objects when you know the exact angle of rotation needed.  But what if you had an object that was already rotated and  you wanted to rotate it such that it ended up at a specific angle.  You don't know the existing angle but you know you want the final angle to be 90 degrees...make sense?  The Reference option in the ROTATE command is there to save the day!

In the picture below...I'd like the stove to be rotated so the side is at 90 degrees.

 

I don't know what the current angle is for my stove - but using the reference option I can select two points and AutoCAD will determine the angle fo rme.

 

Follow the prompts below to see how easy it is to use the Reference option!

Command: ROTATE
Select objects: 1 found
Select objects:
Specify base point:
Specify rotation angle or [Copy/Reference] <32>: R
Specify the reference angle <0>:  Specify second point: (select the two points shown above)
Specify the new angle or [Points] <0>: 90

 

Reference has saved the day for me on many occasions!  You'll find the SCALE command has the fabulous Reference option as well.

For your enjoyment...a picture of my dog Tiffany all dolled up for our New Year's Eve Dinner Party.  (poor Tiffany...such abuse...I can just see you all shaking your heads right now).