Embedded into the functionality of the viewport command is a list of standard viewport scales. These preconfigured scales allow a user to set the scale of a viewport in a matter of seconds. While the included scales save a lot…
Once upon a time in AutoCAD the cursor (crosshairs) filled the entire drawing area by default. This mimicked an old t-square or drafting machine in functionality. There were many advantages of having your cursor span the entire screen, one of…
Those using Dynamic Blocks have surely found their functionality quite stellar. That is until they stop being “dynamic”. Dynamic Blocks utilize something called an anonymous block name. This anonymous name is automatically generated by AutoCAD, and helps it manage things…
Sheet Set Manager (SSM) is a very powerful tool, but with its power comes a degree of complexity. The average end-user should never have to dig into the back end of SSM, and have to set up fields and the…
Attributed blocks can be friend or foe, especially if you’re not sure how to tame them. Let’s face it; from time to time they can be a little temperamental. Take for example exploding one of those pesky attributed blocks. Run…
As designs get more and more complex, and the need to separate things into multiple drawings becomes more important, so does the need to copy things between those drawings. As a result many of you are probably as addicted to…
The Panorama Window is a great design resource when working with either alignments or profiles inside Civil 3D. However the Panorama Window can prove temperamental at times, and absolutely refuse to display. So the question remains, how do I get…
These codes stem back to the “Old School” days of AutoCAD in DOS, but are each still useful today. All of these codes still work with DTEXT using the standard AutoCAD fonts. Likewise, all but the %%u and %%o codes…
Autodesk added some smoke and mirrors with their 2006 release of AutoCAD. Previously you could set IMAGEFRAME either to “0” (invisible border or frame), or to “1” (visible border of frame). In 2006 we are now presented with a third…
This problem can be resolved by increasing the MAXSORT variable. In AutoCAD versions 2002 and earlier this is set to 200 by default, and 1000 for AutoCAD releases since 2004. Though newer and more powerful systems are not effected as…
If you had to rank your CAD skills on a scale of 1-5 where would you rank yourself? Packed away in AutoCAD is a little-known system variable that will allow users to change the way AutoCAD interacts with you based…
Anyone who has used Sheet Set Manager has most likely wanted/needed to make a field blank. The time I run into this the most is with the fields I have for our revision dates. Obviously, with a first submission I…
