Between the Lines

AutoCAD Adware Details

Tom Stoeckel of Autodesk Product Support has detailed on the Without a Net blog a bogus AutoCAD ObjectARX application causing some problems for a few Chinese AutoCAD users. Malicious code writers are nothing new but just be cautious about the ObjectARX applications you download or use as well as most anything you download or install on your computers.

AutoCAD Adware Trojan

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 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

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!

Focusing on the AutoCAD Fantastic Four

In June I will begin to focus on my Autodesk Platform Technology Evangelist position and less on managing all Autodesk product betas. I will be the mouth and ears for customers, the design and development, and product management teams.

I am adding 3 more great products to my hat for my position as Autodesk Technology Evangelist. In addition to AutoCAD, I am now involved with AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD MEP, and AutoCAD Mechanical and what I call the AutoCAD Fantastic Four. I am truly excited for having the cross discipline focus. These products are used by millions and relied upon and Autodesk is continuing to improve them based on customer feedback. They are not going anywhere or being retired they are being focused together with the same AutoCAD DNA they share which will result in a much more consistent and powerful features using more coordinated team resources.

I will continue same as always on this blog Between the Lines the same as I have the past 6 years but will have more time to dedicate to writing more tips and tricks and cover more products, user groups, and great customers as well as traveling for events and speaking engagements.

Before coming to Autodesk, I was a mechanical designer involved in a wide variety of large projects from process equipment, pressure vessels, shell & tube heat exchangers, large bridges, hydroelectric and navigational locks, nuclear steam generators,and military watercraft. Having been involved in a wide variety of projects gives me a diverse background of project experience and disciplines to draw upon in my jobs at Autodesk.

Please let me know how I am doing or what you would like to see in the blog. If you want a very large audience for AutoCAD tips, I would be happy to publish your tips and give you a very visible credit and potentially get you fame and fortune, ok maybe not fortune but thousands read this blog daily.

Sincerely,
Shaan Hurley MoMH (Man of Many Hats)
Autodesk Platform Technology Evangelist

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 2010 Test Dynamic Block

In past releases of AutoCAD you could develop a nice Dynamic Block but had to save it to see if it worked and then re-enter the Block Editor (BEDIT command) to tweak and tune it, and repeat.

Now with AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010 in the Block Editor there is the ability to test your block speeding up the creation of powerful Dynamic Blocks.

You can access this new Test Block option from the Block Edit ribbon or using the AutoCAD command BTESTBLOCK when in the Block Editor.

Cheers,
Shaan

New Book AutoCAD 2010 Transitioning from AutoCAD 2009

This book, AutoCAD 2010 Transitioning from AutoCAD 2009 covering all of the big AutoCAD 2010 topics and workflows.  This volume contains 17 in-depth lessons, with detailed conceptual coverage, discipline-specific workflows, examples and advanced study exercises on:

• 2D Parametric Design
• 2D Constraint-Based Dynamic Blocks
• Freeform 3D Design
• General Enhancements

Table of Contents Sample Chapter

Partners or customers can purchase the printed guide at the Autodesk estore:

Link to Purchase

Shaan's Digital Design Rodeo Roundup Resources

I had the pleasure to present to the Seattle based PSAUG Puget Sound Autodesk Users Group last week. I called this my Shaan's Digital Design Rodeo Roundup Seattle 2009 as a fun theme name as I am a digital design rodeo clown with my warped humor and presentation style and loving the live Q&A even the tough questions with horns. I promised I would provide my resource links to all that attended and am sharing below.

Resources

Shaan’s blog http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/
Shaan’s on Twitter http://twitter.com/mrcadman

AutoCAD 2010 Help Documentation and Resources now available online

AutoCAD 2010 Website http://www.autodesk.com/autocad

• AutoCAD Exchange http://autocad.autodesk.com
• Autodesk  Blogs http://blogs.autodesk.com
• AUGI http://www.augi.com
• AutoCAD 2010 Learning Path http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-learningpath
• AutoCAD 2010 New Features Workshop
  http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-newfeatureworkshop
• AutoCAD 2010 Tutorials http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-tutorials
• AutoCAD 2010 Cue Cards http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-cuecards
• Online Version of AutoCAD 2010 Help http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-help
• Autodesk Official Training Courseware http://www.autodesk.com/learningtools
• AutoCAD TrueView ~ DWG Viewing and Conversion  Free  http://www.autodesk.com/dwgtrueview
• Autodesk Design Review 2010: Free http://www.autodesk.com/designreview
• Autodesk Labs http://labs.autodesk.com

Autodesk Assistance Program Offers Help to Displaced Workers

If you would like me to present to your group in person or over the web please contact me for a fun time covering most of the AutoCAD based products.

Cheers,
Shaan
Platform Technology Evangelist 
Direct      415 507-8432
Mobile     415 328-6747
Email: shaan.hurley@autodesk.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/mrcadman

Two of the New Layer enhancements in AutoCAD 2010

There have been a flurry of enhancements (AutoCAD 2010 Other Enhancements aka The Frosting) in AutoCAD 2010 as well as the excellent new features like the new 3D mesh modeling, geometric constraints and parametrics, 3D Printing, PDF and more. I wanted to focus on two enhancements that are nice gems and in response to requests from our customers.

The first enhancement is that you can now change the color property of a layer from the Layer dropdown itself. So many have asked for this as they can change other layer properties from the layer properties dropdown but not the color since at least AutoCAD R14. Now in AutoCAD 2010 you can!

Another enhancement is making the selection of colors in the “Select Color” dialog more distinguishable.

Below in AutoCAD 2009 can you tell what color is selected easily?

In AutoCAD 2010 there is a distinct black border to indicate the color highlighted.

In many cases it is the small changes that affect an AutoCAD users productivity.

Happy Earth Day, now go plant a tree. This blog past was created using post-consumer bits and bytes. :-)

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

AutoCAD ScriptPro updated for AutoCAD 2010

AutoCAD ScriptPro has updated for AutoCAD 2010 32bit and released  for free download at http://www.autodesk.com/migrationtools

Select > Autodesk Customization Conversion Tools

 

ScriptPro takes AutoCAD scripting to a new level with an easy-to-use interface, logging, reusable project files, enhanced scripting with new keywords and utilities, and robust error recovery. Using ScriptPro, you can apply a set of commands to multiple drawings by simply specifying a script file and the list of drawings that you would like to apply the script to.

ScriptPro is a VB based application and as such is only released for 32bit.

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 – What a Mesh with Guillermo Melantoni

Guillermo will be blogging in English and Spanish about AutoCAD 3D and AutoCAD workflows. The blogs name, What a Mesh http://whatamesh.typepad.com/

If you have seen AutoCAD 2010 and all the cool new 3D features such as the new mesh object then you will now know the person behind that as well as responsible for the nice AutoCAD 2010 building design on the product literature and packaging.

 
Here is a previous post about Guillermo and his bio which will explain a great deal about his focus, background, and his efforts around 3D.
Between the Lines: AutoCAD 2010 and 3D

Please join me in welcoming Guillermo to the CAD Blogosphere. I hope you will be bookmarking his blog as well as following his RSS feed as he is sure to have some great topics in his blog.

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

AutoCAD 2010 Language Packs German and French Available

AutoCAD 2010 language packs are now available for download from the Autodesk Subscription Center. This is new, in the past you had to install a complete single language version an may have had to create multiple language deployment images. Now you create one deployment image with the language packs in it.

Currently there is French, and German language packs for the 32-bit and 64-bit AutoCAD 2010. More languages will be available shortly.The language packs are not a full install image.

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If you need to provide AutoCAD to users in one or more languages, you can download language packs from the Autodesk Subscription Center to the installer that will allow you to deploy the product in the languages you need to support.

Language packs can only be included in an administrative image during the creation of the deployment. When creating the deployment image (standalone or network licensed) you select the MSI for the language pack downloaded from the Autodesk Subscription Center. In my case I downloaded the AutoCAD 2010 German Language Pack.

Creating the multi language AutoCAD Deployment Image:

When I was creating the deployment image I selected the “Add Language” option and then browsed to where I extracted the German language pack and selected the MSI.

 

Now when users install from this admin image they would then have the choice to install the English or German AutoCAD 2010.

Creating the multi language AutoCAD Standalone:

I can also do standalone installation from the DVD with another language. You can place the language pack on the local machine or a network location and then a user can point to the language pack and add the language to their installation.

 

You can only install within language families currently. This means that customers in the Americas wouldn’t be able to download a Japanese language pack and customers in Japan wouldn’t be able to download Traditional Chinese. Currently there is no EMEA European subscription customer support for language packs.

Americas
English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese

Japan
English, Japanese

Chinese and Korean Asian Markets
English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD 2010 Help Documentation and Resources now available online

AutoCAD 2010 Help is now available in HTML online as well as many other AutoCAD 2010 learning and training resources free. I believe this is just one step towards something even more exciting in the future for documentation, but more on that if and when it materializes.
http://www.autodesk.com/autocad-help

 

AutoCAD Help

User's Guide

Command Reference

Customization Guide

Driver and Peripherals Guide

Glossary

 

 

More resources

Web-based Training and Help for AutoCAD 2010 can be accessed from the following resources  
Learning Path.

New Features Workshop

Tutorials

Cue Cards .

Learning Resources

 

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 Exchange Community Launched

There is a new free online community for AutoCAD users named AutoCAD Exchange http://autocad.autodesk.com

This new site by Autodesk will feature many videos, Ask the Expert sessions, featured customers like Hollywood's Eddie Paul. There will also be some fun content like The TeknoChronicles of Z series, and even Roger Penwill CAD related cartoons. There is also the ability for members to share content and AutoCAD tips.

It should be another great resource for all AutoCAD users to bookmark and join.

There is also a CAD Management series I filmed in February with CAD Management guru Robert Green. It is amazing how they say the camera adds ten pounds to you, but I see it can also make me look hair challenged especially when appearing with Robert Green's healthy full head of hair. ;-)

Quite a bit in the AutoCAD Exchange community, and more as it begins to grow.

Cheers,
Shaan

AutoCAD 2010 Dynamic Block Enhancements

We made a number of Dynamic Block and Dynamic Block Editor enhancements in AutoCAD 2010 based on customer requests and feedback.

How many times have you created a new Dynamic Block and then have to save it into your drawing first only to find out that it did not work as you intended it to? Well now there is an option to test the Dynamic Blocks in the Block Editor environment before you have to save it. You can access this on the Ribbon or with the command BTESTBLOCK.

We added the power of geometric constraints.

Below are two recessed light blocks from the Tool Palette in AutoCAD 2009 and then updated in AutoCAD 2010 with the addition of geometric constraints.

 

We enhanced the lookup property table making it much more flexible and powerful. Now with cascading menu. You can create a Block Table with the new BTABLE command  This gives you the ability to create one block with many different sizes. You can have one block serve the purpose of a hundred blocks.

 

We added the BCONSTRUCTION command to allow you to create construction geometry in the dynamic Block that will not display when using the block.

We cleaned up all those action lightning bolts that when you had a very complex block was a real busy mess. Now they look nice and clean. Below is a real world example of the same block in AutoCAD 2009 on the left and AutoCAD 2010 on the right. This block is from Dynamic Block master Mark Douglas of MKM in Santa Rosa who also has a blog In the Dynamic Interface.

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The BESETTINGS command displays the Block Editor Settings dialog instead of in the past with a System Variable.

Even the Block Editor background color changed from that pale yellow plus many more changes based on customer feedback.

We really appreciate all of the customer feedback to improve the products,
Thank You!

Shaan