Between the Lines

Import X,Y Coordinates from Excel into AutoCAD

I am currently on vacation but wanted to share a great AutoCAD Tip from my friend the AutoCAD Trainer Guy Michael Beal. Michael always has great tips and clear instructions in his monthly “Michael’s Corner” available on the web as well as a monthly newsletter.

The following tip is from Michael’s Corner May 2009.

Prerequisite: The X and Y values need to be in a single cell in the format of X,Y for this to work. If X and Y have their own column, you will need to make the necessary adjustments to get them to X,Y format.

Instructions to Create a Drawing with X,Y Coordinates from Excel

1. In Excel, highlight and Copy the column of X,Y coordinates to be used to generate the drawing.
2. Open Windows Notepad (Start All ProgramsAccessoriesNotepad).
3. Before pasting the coordinates, type LINE as the first word in the file (this will launch the Line command when the script is run), then press [Enter].
4. Now Paste the column of coordinates into the file and you should see something like that shown in the figure.
5. Close and save the .SCR file (remember where you're saving it).
6. In AutoCAD, launch the SCRIPT command, then navigate to where you saved your file in the previous step, then select it and click Open. AutoCAD will launch the Line command then, beginning at the first set of coordinates entered, will draw line segments from one point to the next.

You may also want to consider…

• Replacing the LINE command with the PLINE command.
• Adding the word CLOSE as the last word in the script to have the linework close back to the start point.
• Dragging the .SCR file out of Windows Explorer and dropping it into the drawing window.

Do you have an AutoCAD, AutoCAD Architecture,AutoCAD Mechanical, or AutoCAD MEP tips, tricks, or resources you would .like to share with the thousands of readers of this Between the Lines blog?  Send me your favorite tips, tricks and resources

AutoCAD Reference Manager “Refman”

How can you update and re-path AutoCAD drawing reference files such as other drawing files, fonts, or plot configuration files after a path has changed?

Reference Manager is the answer. In AutoCAD 2004 the Reference Manager was added and it is included with other AutoCAD based products like AutoCAD Architecture, and AutoCAD Mechanical. The tool is easy to add drawings and see where reference files were found or not..You can search, select all, invert selections, edit selected paths and even use find and replace paths in batch. The Reference Manager can run outside of AutoCAD and without AutoCAD running.

You can locate the Reference Manager from the Windows Start Menu > Programs > Autodesk > AutoCAD 200x > Reference Manager

 

Cheers,
Shaan

Change the AutoCAD Zoom Speed with ZOOMFACTOR

Have you ever felt like the middle mouse wheel zoom is too fast or too slow in AutoCAD? It can depend on the scale of the drawing and objects you are working on, or perhaps even your mood. This speed of the zoom in and out is controlled by a system variable named ZOOMFACTOR. The default of the system variable ZOOMFACTOR is 60. You type ZOOMFACTOR at the AutoCAD command line and then changing the value. My preference is 40 so that I am not zooming in too fast of increments.

This is another one of those little settings that allow you to make AutoCAD more tailored to your use whether you like warp speed zooms or turtle slow zooming with the mouse wheel.

You can also set someone else's ZOOMFACTOR to 3 just for fun or torment but be sure after watching them struggle to set it back. More Office AutoCAD Pranks

Another related system variable is ZOOMWHEEL which can change the direction of the mouse wheel zoom to match another product such as Autodesk Inventor. Change the Direction of the Middle Mouse Wheel Zoom in AutoCAD

Online AutoCAD 2010 documentation:

• AutoCAD Help
• Command Reference

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD’s OVERKILL Command Reduces Object Duplications in the Drawing File

In the course of creating drawings you are bound to create a few objects on top of each other and this can be even more common when exchanging files with others. The AutoCAD Express Tool command OVERKILL will help you remove all the unwanted duplicate geometry. Back in the plotter days having redundant lines could cause the plotter to waste ink plotting one abject on top of another but the same could be true today with devices or perhaps even CNC cutting.

Note: You must have installed the AutoCAD Express Tools when you installed your AutoCAD. OVERKILL is an Express Tool.

From the AutoCAD Commandline: OVERKILL
From the AutoCAD Toolbar and ribbon: Located on the Express pull down or ribbon panel under Modify “delete duplicate objects”.

You are presented with some options for OVERKILL. Before using any command that removes, exploded objects you should test it on a drawing as well as make sure you understand the option which are detailed in the AutoCAD Express Tools Help.

The results of OVERKILL on my drawing:

2 duplicate(s) deleted.
2 object(s) deleted.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD 2010 Getting Sticky with Ribbon Sticky Panels

In AutoCAD 2010 products there is now a new ribbon option we call sticky panels. You can now tear off a ribbon panel to the drawing area. It will remain on your drawing area modeless much like a toolbar would.

In this quick bite size example I want to take the Action Recorder off the ribbon to my drawing area for easier access as I want to record and test some macros.

I simply select the panel on the lower panel description name and then hold the left mouse button and drag it off the ribbon. You could do this for other panels you frequently use perhaps the new Mesh panel or the Modify panel.

 

There is are option available on the sticky panel such as the ability to change the orientation of the panel from vertical to horizontal. I can also drag the sticky panel back onto the ribbon in a location I would prefer or select the option to return it to the ribbon which places it back where it came from.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD Exchange News Michael Beall is AutoCAD Expert of the Week and New TeknoChronicles Episode

Have an AutoCAD question, you have the opportunity to ask a master of AutoCAD on the AutoCAD Exchange site is the Ask an Expert section. The AutoCAD Exchange is free after signing up and contains many great resources and opportunities for networking. This week the expert is well known “The AutoCAD Trainer Guy” Michael Beall.

AutoCAD Exchange http://autocad.autodesk.com

But wait, there's more!

There is also a new webisode of TeknoChronicles of Z Episode 5 “Acts ‘n and Figures” posted on the AutoCAD Exchange.

Cheers,
Shaan

Free Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event Today

Tuesday May 19, 2009
10:00 AM. – 5:00 PM. EDT (7:00 AM – 2:00 PM. PDT)

There will be many presentations as well as Autodesk employees posted in the virtual booths to take your questions on the many new products.

I hope to “virtually” see you there as I will be participating in the chat sessions such as “Straight Talk about AutoCAD 2010 Benefits“.

Sign Up Now

Cheers,
Shaan

PS: Only 196 days until Autodesk University 2009!

Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event May 19th, 2009

Find out how to turn "What if" into reality & Why Design Matters

The Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event is an online live event with interactive chat sessions included.

Tuesday May 19, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT
7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PDT

Sign Up Now

Agenda

The Autodesk Imagine Virtual Event Agenda May 19, 2009

10:00am–5:00pm EDT / 7:00am–2:00pm PDT

• Exhibit Hall Open

11:30–12:00pm EDT / 8:30–9:00am PDT

• What's New in Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions for Mechanical & Electrical Engineers
• What's New in Autodesk Revit Architecture 2010
• What's New in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
• What's New in Autodesk Revit MEP 2010
• Infrastructure Modeling / Mapping and GIS
• Autodesk Solutions for Entertainment: What's New in Maya 2009

12:00–12:30pm EDT / 9:00–9:30am PDT

• Take Design Further: Lynn Allen's AutoCAD 2010 Tips & Techniques

12:30–1:00pm EDT / 9:30–10:00am PDT

• Autodesk Solutions for the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act

1:00–1:30pm EDT / 10:00–10:30am PDT

Scheduled Chat Sessions:

• AutoCAD LT 2010: PDF output and underlays
• What is Digital Prototyping and What's in it For Me?
• The Latest and Greatest in Autodesk Revit
• Infrastructure Modeling / Mapping and GIS
• Best Practices: Autodesk Solutions for Entertainment
• Autodesk Solutions for the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act

1:30–2:00pm EDT / 10:30–11:00am PDT

• 3D Conceptual Design inside AutoCAD 2010

2:30–3:00pm EDT / 11:30–12:00pm PDT

• What's New in the Autodesk Vault Product Line for Data Management
• What's New in Autodesk Solutions for Industrial Design & Visualization
• What's New in Autodesk Revit Structure 2010
• What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2010
• What's New in Autodesk Navisworks Manage 2010
• Join the Conversation: Design Matters – when managing utility networks
• Autodesk Solutions for Entertainment: What's New In 3ds Max 2010

3:00–3:30pm EDT / 12:00–12:30pm PDT

Scheduled Chat Sessions:

• Autodesk Manufacturing Software Solutions – Indentifying the Right Products for You
• Rock & Road: Dig into AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
• Design Matters: When Managing Utility Networks
• Autodesk Solutions for Entertainment: Production Workflows

4:00–4:30pm EDT / 1:00–1:30pm PDT

Scheduled Chat Session:

• Straight Talk about AutoCAD 2010 Benefits

I hope to see you there as I will be participating in the chat sessions such as “Straight Talk about AutoCAD 2010 Benefits“.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD 2010 - Rotate Layout View with Viewport, Like a Ninja

AutoCAD customers have been asking for the option to rotate the view with their associated viewport. This was a top item in the AUGI AutoCAD Wish List June 2007 submitted by Bill N. (link).

With the AutoCAD 2010 based products we have added the ability to rotate objects in a viewport with the viewport easily without having to become a UCS ninja master.

You can select the viewport and when you rotate it the view rotates with the Viewport. There is a new AutoCAD System Variable VPROTATEASSOC which is set to a value of 1 by default and will rotate the view with the viewport. You can set VPROTATEASSOC=0 to have the Viewport rotate with the Viewport.

Viewport before rotating. You can use the command ROTATE and select the viewport boundary, or select the viewport boundary and then use the grips to rotate.

 

When you rotated the viewport in past releases of AutoCAD it resulted in the following result.

 

The default in AutoCAD 2010 rotates the view with the viewport.

Keep the wish List items coming!
AutoCAD Wish List Submission Form

Cheers,
Shaan

Creating Complex Boundaries with AutoCAD and 2D Hand Rendering Styling

I was doing some planning work for a new pond in my backyard and thought I would share a cool AutoCAD tip.

When drawing a 2D layout drawing of my yard’s landscaping I was presented with the problem of duplicating the flowerbeds border with the grass regions. Instead of copying and drawing outlines which could cause problems with the splines I used for the curved shapes, I used the trick of creating a new boundary polyline with a Hatch. Below is a tutorial on how you can do the same trick and as a bonus showed my design styled in Autodesk Impression.

So in this image you see the 6 regions I want defined for a polyline on a separate layer, but the boundaries of these objects is not drawn yet.

What I did was hatched the 6 regions I wanted to create a boundary for using the AutoCAD command BHATCH.

 

I then double-clicked on the new Hatch which brings up the Hatch Edit dialog. I then selected the option to “Recreate Boundary” then accepted the default option to create a Polyline and boundary not Reassociate the Hatch to the new boundary.

 
 

Now delete the Hatch object and you are left with a polyline boundary of the regions you hatched. This is much faster than other methods to create the new boundary layer. I could also just keep the Hatch objects on a separate layer and even use AutoCAD Fields to display the square footage of my grass covered areas. In a past popular blog post “StarBacks BBQ Floor Space Planning with AutoCAD FIELDS” I showed how to show a hatch objects area and even use that area value for an AutoCAD or Excel table and calculations. As Matt Murphy would say “ That’s Wicked Cool”.

 

To make the design nice and visually pleasing instead of just a collection of lines, I styled my design using Autodesk Impression. Below are the hand rendering styled images created with Autodesk Impression 3 in less than five minutes.

The best part is the rendering is vector based drawing and if I update the DWG file I can simply update the rendering in Impression instead of starting back from scratch in a raster editing program or using traditional pens, markers or watercolor.  In less than five minutes I imported the DWG and styled it in a colored pencil then changed my mind and in less than one minute changed to an overlapping marker style.

 

Autodesk Impression is a free download for many Autodesk Subscription customers.

Update 5/11/09
Tom Kelly pointed out another excellent method to create  the outline of a region in the comments to this post. Use the Boundary command “BO”. So many commands, so little time. Thanks Tom.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD Free Bonus Tool Drawing Tabs "MDITabs"

I am re-releasing the Drawing Tabs Bonus Tool. We have fixed some bugs identified in CER reports and recompiled the much beloved free Drawing Tabs MDITabs.ARX application for both 32bit and 64bit versions of AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD 2009, and AutoCAD 2007/2008/2009. Yes AutoCAD 2009 and 2008 64bit version due to customer request.  MDITabs allows you to see and quickly navigate open drawings in a series of tabs along the top of the drawing window.For those that installed the AutoCAD 2010 versions posted March 29 2009 this is the same released build no need to replace.

Your wish is our command!

AutoCAD 2010 2007/2008/2009 versions in one Zip archive file 
Download AutoCAD MDITabs ARX

To install you simply place the appropriate ARX for your version of AutoCAD 2010 such as 32-bit or 64-bit in your support path. Now use the AutoCAD command APPLOAD to load it, and then add it to your start up suite so it loads each time you start AutoCAD 2010. Huge kudos to the many AutoCAD Team members that helped get this accomplished such as Kurt Chase, Mike Dickason, Misha Belilovskiy, Debashis Dhar, Elishba Joseph, Suresh Kumar, Ravi Pothineni, Eileen Sinnott, Kathy O'Connell, Karen Mason, Gagandeep Singh, and Pam Brenner that fit this into their schedules and a special thank you to software developer Alagappan Annamalai. Please note this tool is unsupported and provided as-is.

Is this something we should consider adding to the base AutoCAD in the future, let me know in the comments to this post.

Cheers,
Shaan

Revit Unleashed! Blog dedicated to the interoperability between Revit and 3dsMax design process

Juan Maschio from beautiful Argentina has started a new blog dedicated to using both Revit and 3ds Max in the design process. Juan will also be blogging some tips and tricks for other programs such as: AutoCAD , Autodesk Impression, Revit MEP, Revit Structure.

Please join me in welcoming Juan to the CAD Blogosphere and to your bookmarks and RSS feeds.

Welcome, Bienvenidos, Benvenuti Juan!

Revit Unleashed! (English and Spanish)
http://www.unleashrevit.blogspot.com/

Revit Unleashed Italia! (Italian)
http://www.revititalia.blogspot.com/

RSS Feed

Cheers,
Shaan

Change the Direction of the Middle Mouse Wheel Zoom in AutoCAD

Perhaps you use AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor and prefer the direction Inventor uses for the mouse middle wheel transparent zooms. You can change AutoCAD to match the direction Autodesk Inventor uses by changing the AutoCAD System Variable ZOOMWHEEL at the AutoCAD Command line.

AutoCAD by default when moving the wheel forward zooms in on an object while Autodesk Inventor zooms out when moving the mouse wheel forward.

Setting ZOOMWHEEL to 0
Moves wheel forward zooms in; moving wheel backwards zooms out.(Default)

Setting ZOOMWHEEL to 1
Move wheel forward zooms out; moving wheel backwards zooms in. (Like Inventor)

Cheers,
Shaan

New Autodesk Blog – Without a Net with Tom Stoeckel

There is a new Autodesk blog in the CAD Blogosphere Without a Net. Tom Stoeckel, global technical lead for AutoCAD product support will be the main host and joined by Tom Bradley, division manager for Autodesk product support, and Dan Scales, an AutoCAD product support specialist.

I have personally known Tom for many many years as both a coworker and friend back when he was a developer of the much beloved AutoCAD Express Tools and then later in AutoCAD core programming teams and now as the Global Technical Lead for AutoCAD Product Support. This blog should be one on your regular reading list and RSS feeds as well Tom has a Twitter account.

Tom is also a Mac user and I am sure interested in the Mac Survey I posted which has been hit by over 1000 people an hour beating up my poor little server today.

 

“The purpose of "Without a Net" is to provide the latest information on support issues, technical solutions, fixes, and tips for AutoCAD. This blog is not intended to replace the usual AutoCAD technical support, Knowledge Base, or Web Support; these are still your best avenue for getting quick resolution to your support issues. "Without a Net" is intended to supplement those sources by providing up-to-the-minute information on new issues and trends that we are seeing in AutoCAD product support. Followers of this blog may find a safety net, if you will, for support issues that are affecting them right now. We'll also toss in a few AutoCAD tips and tricks along the way.”

 http://withoutanet.typepad.com

You can stay current with our posts by following us on Twitter and subscribing to our RSS feed.

I also have a Twitter and Facebook feed
Facebook
Twitter http://twitter.com/mrcadman

Cheers,
Shaan

Publish Your AutoCAD Tips and Tutorials on the AutoCAD Exchange Community

We know you have some excellent tips and tricks and love to share them with fellow AutoCAD users. You can share your experienced tips on the AutoCAD Exchange community as well as learn some new tips and tricks while there.

How to publish a Tip or Tutorial on AutoCAD Exchange:

From the AutoCAD Exchange home page ' target=_blank>http://autocad.autodesk.com go to Learning > Tips and Tutorials.

Once on the Tips & Tutorials page look on the right hand side you will see a promo box that says Add A Tip.

The AutoCAD Resource Center Updated for AutoCAD 2010

The AutoCAD Resource Center has been updated for the newly shipping AutoCAD 2010. There is a great deal of information presented on this website to understand what has changed in AutoCAD 2010 and how to best use the new features.

http://resources.autodesk.com/autocad

There is even the new AutoCAD 2010 Tips and Tricks screencast by our very own CAD diva Lynn Allen 
 
http://adskmedia.com/autocad_2010/

And the AutoCAD 2010 New Features Workshop

AutoCAD 2010 Enhanced 3D Gizmo

I am not talking about the cute furry little character in the movie Gremlins. I am talking about the AutoCAD feature 3D gizmo. For those fans of the movie Gremlins, our AutoCAD 3D gizmo does not react adversely to water.

By default, gizmos are displayed automatically when you select an object or subobject in a view that has a 3D visual style. 3D gizmos allow you to Move, Rotate, and Scale 3D objects and subselect faces and edges using the new subselection filtering. The 3D gizmo provides a quick way to track along an axis with good visual feedback on direction of the Move/Rotate action. Those familiar with Autodesk 3ds max will recognize this functionality.

Below is an animated GIF video that demonstrates the ease afforded by the enhanced gizmo in Gator by simply selecting and using the right-click menu.

If you compare moving a box along the X axis, rotating it along the Y axis, and scaling it down to about half its size in AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD 2010 you can see the changes made and the time and steps reduced.

It’s simple but a great productivity enhancement to AutoCAD 3D users. Please give it a try and see what you think.

The tip and video was thanks to AutoCAD QA Mallika Rao.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD Layer Translator

This great tutorial is courtesy of my good friend, nice guy, writer, and top notch AutoCAD Trainer Michael Beall (http://autocadtrainerguy.com/) who is currently doing some AutoCAD training in the African nation of Angola. Michael is sharing some of his great articles from his newsletter and online AutoCAD resource Michael’s Corner with you the Between the Lines readers. Check out Michael’s Corner and if you need an AutoCAD trainer he is a great resource and willing to travel anywhere in the world.

The Layer Translator is one of those many features in AutoCAD that gets little mention if at all but can save you a great deal of time. It has been in AutoCAD for several releases now. Michael wrote a great overview of it’s use.

Let's say you receive several drawings from the same contractor on a particular project and they use a layer named AR-Wall but your layer standard is A_Walls. AutoCAD's Layer Translator (located on the CAD Standards toolbar or from ToolsCAD StandardsLayer Translator) may be the solution.

Ideally, you would have a "master" drawing or template which contains your layer list. Using Layer Translator, you can then "map" the other drawing's layers to your layers as you'll see in the following procedure.

Instructions to Map Layers of a Drawing to Your Layer Standard

1. Open a drawing for which you would like to map their layer naming to yours. You may want to look at the drawing named "db_samp.dwg" in AutoCAD's ..\Sample folder.
2. Open the Layer Translator dialog box where you will see the current drawing's list of layers under the Translate From listing…
3. Click Load, then navigate to the drawing or template containing your company's standard layer list, then click Open and that layer list shows up under Translate To.
4. Now you basically "connect the dots". Click one layer in the list on the left to Translate From, then you can click one or more layers (using Ctrl to click additional layers) under the Translate To list. After each "pairing", click Map. At that point, the Translate From layer you selected is now removed from the list. The goal of the exercise is to map all the layers from the left to the right. To map all the layers that have the same name in both lists - such as layer 0 and Defpoints - click Map Same.

Sidebar A: If you get "happy fingers" and mistakenly grab the wrong layer from the Translate From list, you will notice after you click Map that the mapped layers are displayed in the Layer Translation Mappings list. Right-click on the layer mistakenly mapped, then click Remove to put it back in the Translate From list.

Sidebar B: If you need to add a layer on the Translate To side to accommodate a layer from the Translate From side, click the New button to open the New Layer dialog box.

1. After translating all the layers, if you will be needing to use the same translation on other drawings you get from the same outside source, click Save to open the Save Layer Mappings dialog box and save a .DWS file.
2. Click Translate to translate the layers.

Instructions to Use a DWS Translation File on Other Drawings

1. Open the drawing from the outside source, then open the Layer Translator.
2. Click Load and change the Files Of Type to Standards (*.dws), then navigate to the location where the DWS file was saved from the previous drawing.
3. Select the DWS file, then click Open and the layers in the Translate From list that have been saved in the DWS file are mapped to the Layer Translation Mappings list. If additional layers remain in the Translate From list, you can map the additional layers and save the new DWS (or overwrite the existing one), or click Translate to complete the procedure.

AutoCAD 2009 Quick View Layouts and Drawings

I wrote this last year but it is a good time to edit and re-publish for those that don't search through the hundreds of posts since then.

A handy new navigation feature in AutoCAD 2009 is the ability to visually see the preview of Layouts and open drawings in your session. These two features can be accessed from the icons in the status bar or the commands QVDRAWING and QVLAYOUT.

Quick View Layouts
When you select the Quick View Layouts icon  you will see the Layouts with thumbnails. You can hold the Ctrl key and then use your mouse wheel to dynamically change the image tile size. There are options to pin this feature to stay on, create a new Layout, publish, or just as a navigation method between Layouts where you can see the name and a visual preview.

Quick View Drawings
When you select Quick View Drawings icon you will see open drawings and their Layout preview in a dynamic view thumbnail tile. When you move your mouse from the drawing preview to one of its Layouts the thumbnail view sizes will change and focus view from the drawing to the Layouts. You can hold the Ctrl key and then use your mouse wheel to dynamically change the image tile size. There are options to pin this feature to stay on all the time, or open or create a new drawing.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD Like its 1992 AutoCAD Retro Profile

So you like new features of AutoCAD but like the old AutoCAD R12 look. Now you can use the following AutoCAD 2009 profile to set your AutoCAD to look similar to AutoCAD R12, if you really want to go retro.

Download autocad_2009_retro_r12_profile.zip
Place this profile in your AutoCAD search path.

You can even copy your AutoCAD 2009 icon to a new one and name it “Retro CAD” or as I did “AutoCAD 2009 – Retro”.

 

Right-click the new icon and then in the Target change to load the retro profile.
"C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2009\acad.exe" /p retro

Start from the new Retro icon and you should end up with the retro look with the black background, blue command line with white text, 100% crosshairs, no ribbon, and the screen menu. I left on the other productive features of newer AutoCAD so you can work more productive yet set your AutoCAD to look like you are back in 90’s..


Have fun.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD Resource Center

A relatively new resource is available for those wishing to find out more about AutoCAD. The AutoCAD Resource Center is now live and there is a bunch of great information including tutorials, tips and tricks,customer stories.
Check it out!  http://resources.autodesk.com/autocad/

I have only recently this week returned from a speaking trip to Turkey and Kuwait, and now I am repacking my luggage for speaking engagements at Autodesk University China 08 and Autodesk University Japan 08. I depart Sunday morning bright and early for Shanghai China.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD Tip – Dynamic UCS DUCS

I got a question while speaking with customers at their offices in Kuwait last week about adding the ability similar to 3ds max where you can draw on any face without all the pain of setting your UCS to each face manually. This Dynamic UCS feature has been in AutoCAD since AutoCAD 2007.

You can enable Dynamic UCS at the status bar or with Dynamic UCS by pressing F6 or SHIFT+Z.

 

You can also as seen in my quick and simple Camtasia produced video use CTRL+ALT to Press and Pull shapes making conceptual 3D modeling much faster. I also enabled the labeling of Axis in the AutoCAD Options to more clearly show the changing of the Dynamic UCS when passing over faces of 3D objects.

Happy Halloween!

Cheers,
Shaan