Having trouble keeping a set
number of lines in the command line window. If you go to
OPTIONS>DISPLAY and choose a quantity for it will be set for THAT
CURRENT session, but whenever you close out of that AutoCAD session
and reopen the program via the icon or thru Program Files, the
command line window reverts back to only one line!
Add this line to your ACAD.LSP file.
(setenv "CmdVisLines" "1")
where 1 is the default
number of lines you want as your default.
New System Variable Dialog Box
Use the NEW command SYSVDLG
to view and modify system variables.
You can save all your system
variables to a *.svf file and then use it to restore your system
variables to the preferred settings if you switch to a different workstation.
Speed up loading by removing the startup screen
A quick way to make AutoCAD
load faster is to remove the AutoCAD logo startup screen.
- Right-click once on the AutoCAD desktop icon and select Properties.
- Once the
AutoCAD Desktop Properties dialog box opens, put your cursor in the
Target display and at the end of the default text that is already
there, outside of the quotation marks, type /nologo with a space in
front of it.
If you're using AutoCAD Architectural Desktop your
target will look like this. "C:\Program Files\AutoCAD
Architectural\acad.exe" /p Desktop.Arg /
Suppress confirmation (Y/N) prompts
You can suppress the
following prompts by setting the EXPERT variable to 5;
it is as if you answered "yes" to each of them.
"About to regen,
proceed?" "
Really want to turn the current layer off?"
"Block already defined. Redefine it?" "
A drawing with
this name already exists. Overwrite it?"
Setting the EXPERT
variable to 5 suppresses the prompts that display when you issue the
LINETYPE command and try to load a linetype that is already loaded.
Likewise, the following prompt that displays when you issue the UCS
> Save and VPORTS > Save commands is suppressed if the name you
supply already exists: "That name is already in use, redefine it?"
Enabling and disabling
real-time pan on the middle button of a three-button mouse
The middle button of a
three-button mouse either activates real-time pan or displays the
cursor menu. You can enable or disable real-time pan on the middle
button of a three-button mouse by using the MBUTTONPAN variable.
- Enter MBUTTONPAN on the command line.
- Enter 0 or 1 as the value.
If you enter 0, the third (middle) button or wheel action on a
pointing device supports the action defined in the AutoCAD menu (MNU)
file. If you enter 1, the third (middle) button or wheel action on a
pointing device supports panning by holding and dragging the button
or wheel.
- Press Enter.
Hyperlinks
You can create smart drawings if you use AutoCAD 2000 and above. Just use the Hyperlink
command to link your drawings together. For example, on the PLAN
drawing you have sections marked with standard section marks, and all
actual sections are shown on other sheets. Assuming that all project
drawings are in the same working directory, you can use a little trick.
- Go to the drawing
(drawings) where sections are shown and create a view around each section.
For example, for Section A create a view named "A" and for Section B, "B",
and so on.
- Return to the PLAN
drawing and attach a hyperlink to each Section Mark. Type Hyperlink
at the command prompt, save the drawing, select the section mark, and
fill out the dialog box as follows:
Link to file or URL: SECTIONS.DWG
Named location in file
(optional): A
Check Use relative path for hyperlink
- Then select OK. Repeat that
procedure for each section mark.
Now you can jump from PLAN to any
section. You can repeat the same steps going backwards from sections
to the correct spots on the PLAN. Sections can be located on
different drawings.
Using
the Multiple Document Interface
You can open more than one
drawing at the same time.
- Select File|Open.
- While pressing the <Ctrl> key, select two or more drawings you
wish to start.
- Press the OPEN button, and AutoCAD loads all selected
drawings.
- Press <Tab>-<Ctrl> to switch between open drawings
Disabling Grips
We all know that we can hit
the ESC key twice to disable grips.<
Did you know you can also
disable grips by just clicking the right mouse button?
Keyboard Shortcuts in AutoCAD LT
In addition to the standard
Windows cut/paste/undo keyboard
shortcuts, AutoCAD LT comes
with the following set:
- <CTRL>+K: Displays the
Hyperlink dialog box
- <CTRL>+L: Toggles
Ortho mode
- <CTRL>+R: Switches to
the next viewport
- <CTRL>+1: Displays the
Object Properties Window
- <CTRL>+2: Displays
Design Center Window
-
You can add your own by
selecting Tools|Customize|Keyboard.
Accelerator keys are defined
in the ACLT.MNU and ACLT.MNS files.
Options Dialog Box - Shortcut
To access the Options Dialog
Box quickly, go to the Command line, right-click the mouse and select 'Options'.
Turn Off Shortcut Menus in A2K
To turn off ShortCut menus
and revert back to an R14 interface in A2K, type SHORTCUTMENU at the
command line and enter '0'.
Setting Your Default Directory
To set AutoCAD so that when you open a drawing you are in the
directory of your choice (instead of the AutoCAD directory).
Do the following:
- Find your autocad icon on your desktop
- Highlight it and right click
- Take your mouse down to Properties and click to select
- Look for the box that says "Start In"
- Yype in the name of the directory where you want AutoCAD to start
when you
- Click "open dwg".
Now you are set.
Zoom Lower Left Corner
There is an "undocumented" option in for the zoom command.
If you enter L instead of the options listed, you will be asked for a lower corner.
You Don't Need The x or y Coords, or Value Direction
When drawing a line, stretching, stretching with grips, & copying
it is not necessary to enter @ or to give the "x" &
"y" coords, or give a quantity with a direction. Try
drawing a 2" line by picking a point, drag the mouse in the
direction you want the line to be drawn (use ortho), then enter 2
& press enter (right mouse button). This works for copying &
stretching in the same manner. No matter how fast you can enter
values, a decrease in key entry will increase your efficiency.
