Scale Lists Revisited
In November 2007, January 2008, and March 2008, I described the many problems presented by AutoCAD 2008’s scale lists. The good news is that AutoCAD 2009 has addressed some of these problems:

• Inserting a drawing no longer brings in all the scales associated with that drawing, only those ones that are in use.
• If you open a drawing with more than 100 scales, AutoCAD 2009 prompts you to ask if you want to reset the drawing to the default scale list.
• If you open a drawing that has an attached xref containing more than 100 scales, a Command line message advises you of that fact.
• The scale list control contains a toggle that allows you to hide those scales that are inherited from xrefs. This toggle is on by default, meaning that you will not usually see the dreaded _XREF_XREF scales.
• The MEASUREMENT system variable, which is used to identify whether a drawing is metric, is no longer completely ignored. It is checked during a scale list reset, reducing the likelihood that metric users will see inch-based scales.
• The Scalelistedit dialog box now allows you to use the Delete button on multiple scales, even if one or more of the selected scales can’t be deleted. This makes it much easier to manually delete unused scales.
• The In a Bind About Scales bug is fixed, meaning you can remove unwanted scales without harming your xrefs.

These fixes largely are measures to hide problems rather than completely remove them, and therefore fall a bit short of the complete overhaul I was hoping for. However, Autodesk deserves credit for significantly reducing the harm caused by the AutoCAD 2008 scale list implementation.

Some Polylines Are Snappier than Others (2009)
Submitted by Chris Cowgill
As you recover from the shock of the new and start using AutoCAD 2009 for real work, you may notice that your object snaps don’t work on some polylines. This may seem random, but it’s not. For the problem to occur on a given polyline, three conditions must be met:

• It must be an old-fashioned “heavy” polyline, not a lightweight one. In Properties and Quick Properties, such a polyline is described as a 2D polyline rather than just a polyline. The List command describes it as a polyline object rather than an lwpolyline. This should not be confused with what Properties calls a 3D polyline, but List calls a polyline.
• It must have continuous linetype generation turned on. That’s the property of a polyline that tells AutoCAD to draw its linetypes based on the polyline as a whole, rather than on each individual segment.
• It must have a continuous linetype, whether that is based on the object’s layer or not.

That may seem like an unlikely combination, but it is more common than you might think. There are still third-party products and LISP routines that create or expect heavy polylines, so some users set the PLINETYPE system variable to 0 as soon as they receive a new AutoCAD. Similarly, many users set the PLINEGEN system variable to 1 in their templates or startup routines, because most people want their linetypes to go around corners in polylines. Such people are likely to have large numbers of drawings containing large numbers of polylines that meet all three conditions.

Workaround: There’s no way to persuade AutoCAD 2009 to snap to such objects, so you will need to change them such that not all of the three conditions are met. It’s unlikely you will want to change the linetype of the objects, so that just leaves the first two conditions to play with. You can convert the polylines from light to heavy using the undocumented Express Tools command Convertpoly. Alternatively, you can turn off continuous linetype generation in selected polylines using either the Properties palette or the Ltype gen option in the Express Tools command Mpedit.

Semitransparent Ribbon (2009)
One of the things that Autodesk’s Ribbon does better than Microsoft’s is offer you several options about minimizing the ribbon, or even doing away with it altogether. The main way in which you can choose between your ribbon minimize options is by picking a little oval button on the ribbon tab title bar. It’s a three-way toggle. Pick it once and the ribbon shrinks to show only the tab and panel titles. Pick it again and the panel titles vanish too. Pick it a third time and you’re back to a full ribbon again.

What’s wrong with this? Nothing, as long as you do it only between commands. If you do it transparently (i.e., while a command is active), it leaves the ribbon in a strange state.

Minimizing the ribbon during the Line command.
 

If the ribbon is in its tab-and-panel-title state, don’t be tempted to pick the little button to get at something in the ribbon. It won’t work properly, and you will end up with just a little sliver of ribbon visible. Instead, hover over a panel title to make the contents visible.

Workaround: None really, other than “don’t do that.” If you do happen to do it, just wait until the command is over, then pick the button again until the ribbon is fixed

Tutorial: Add a button to the ribbon in AutoCAD 2009

Customizing the ribbon is similar to customizing a toolbar, but you need to be aware of the special structure of the ribbon.

For some basics on using the Customize User Interface dialog box, see my earlier tip, “Create a custom toolbar in AutoCAD 2006 or later.” If you’re interested in creating custom commands, also see “Tutorial: Create a custom command.” This tutorial builds on those skills, but is complete in itself.

1. Choose Tools tab> Customization panel> User Interface, or just type cui on the command line.

Tip: If you display the tab you want to work on and type cui on the command line, you can see that tab as you work– just move the Customize User Interface dialog box. In fact, if you click the title of the panel you want to work on and click the Pin icon, you can keep even the bottom section open as you work. (Unfortunately, the bottom section collapses when you click Apply.)

1. In the Customization in All CUI Files pane, expand the Ribbon Panels item.
2. Expand the panel where you want to add your command. You’ll see several rows. Expand one or more rows that you might want to look at. Here you see the Draw-2D panel open with several of its rows. To the left, you can see the expanded panel itself.

Note: One new concept is the sub-panel. Sub-panels are a way of compartmentalizing commands for layout purposes. On the Draw-2D panel, there’s a sub-panel after the LINE command to separate that command from the rest. Also, each panel comes with a panel separator. Rows below the panel separator don’t show until you click the panel name; they’re in the lower, expanded section.

Caution: Remember to back up your original menu file in case you make a mistake! The file is acad.cui. The location may vary, so use the OPTIONS command and click the Files tab. Open the Customization Files item to find the location. When you find the file, use Windows Explorer to back it up. Another option is to use Windows Explorer to make a copy first, rename the copy, and load the copy. Use the CUILOAD command to first unload the main acad.cui file, then browse to your copy and load that.

1. Decide which changes you want to make. I added a custom command and moved existing commands around to better suit how often I use them. Don’t make the panel too wide, because you need to leave room for the rest of the panels. If you make a panel too wide, others will be condensed and you won’t see all of their contents.
2. To move existing commands, drag them from one location to another. (Sometimes this doesn’t always seem to work on the first try; try another location, or delete the command and drag it from the Command List to the new location.) To delete a command, right-click and choose Remove.
3. To add a different or custom command, locate it in the Command List at the lower-left corner of the dialog box. Then drag it to the desired location.
4. To delete a sub-panel, drag its contents to another location, right-click it, and choose Delete. Sub-panels do a nice job of setting off buttons, but they create blank space that you might want to use.
5. When you’ve made a few changes and want to see how they look, click the Apply button and wait while AutoCAD reloads the menu.

Note: The panel preview at the upper-left corner of the dialog box isn’t completely accurate, so don’t rely on it completely. For example, my preview showed the LINE command with a large icon, but it shows as a standard-sized icon on my ribbon. You can set the size in the Properties panel.

1. When you’re done, click OK. Here you can see my new menu. I’ve added a custom 1LINE command (line \\;) which ends the LINE command after one line. I’ve also moved the existing buttons around and banished some to below the panel separator.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 23, 2008 – RAND Worldwide, a global leader in providing technology solutions to organizations with engineering design and information technology requirements, announced today that its courseware division, ASCENT – Center for Technical Knowledge, released one new training guide and two updated training guides for Autodesk 2009 software:

• AutoCAD 2009 Update for AutoCAD 2006-2007 Users
• AutoCAD Architecture 2009 Fundamentals
• Inventor 2009 Advanced Part Modeling

“ASCENT is pleased to provide our clients with a wide range of high-quality Autodesk curriculum in a timely fashion,” said Joe Oswald, Executive Vice-President, PLM Operations, North American and Europe, RAND Worldwide. “By continually updating our courseware materials, we are able to help our clients stay ahead with software upgrades and enhancements.”

ASCENT’s new courseware release, AutoCAD 2009 Update for AutoCAD 2006-2007 Users, is an ideal training guide for users that are upgrading from AutoCAD 2006 or 2007. The guide focuses on the newest features released in AutoCAD 2008 and 2009 including the Ribbon and Menu Browser; workflow for using annotative objects and annotation scales; Quick View Layouts and Drawings; and the Layout Properties Manager. A comprehensive overview of the AutoCAD 2009 interface is also provided.

The AutoCAD Architecture 2009 Fundamentals training guide concentrates on the design development and construction documentation features within AutoCAD Architecture 2009. Users are exposed to the tools required to create a basic floor plan and specialty objects such as column and ceiling grids, stairs, and roofs. The training guide also introduces drawing management through the Project Navigator.

Inventor 2009 Advanced Part Modeling builds upon the skills users acquire from ASCENT’s recently released Inventor 2009 Introduction to Solid Modeling training guide. This advanced Inventor training guide includes more content for users that want to expand their knowledge of designing and documenting part models. The training guide presents part modeling techniques such as advanced lofts, sweeps, coils, and surfaces. Users will also gain an understanding of how to create revision and hole tables and custom sketch symbols.

ASCENT is an Authorized Author, Publisher and Developer of the Autodesk curriculum. All of the company’s Autodesk courses are available to educational institutions, individuals, and corporations.

In June, ASCENT continues its release of Autodesk 2009 training guides, including AutoCAD 2009 Advanced, Revit Architecture 2009 Fundamentals, Revit Structure 2009 Fundamentals, Civil 3D 2009 Fundamentals, and Inventor 2009 Advanced Assembly Modeling.

About ASCENT

ASCENT- Center for Technical Knowledge is the leading developer of high-quality professional training, technical documentation, and knowledge products for engineering applications. ASCENT’s products are used to train thousands of people in the engineering and manufacturing fields around the world each year and are developed by a multidisciplinary team of engineers, technical writers, courseware developers, and instructional designers. ASCENT is a division of RAND Worldwide.

For more information, visit www.ASCENTed.com.

About RAND Worldwide

RAND Worldwide is one of the world’s leading providers of professional services and technology to the engineering community, targeting organizations in the building, infrastructure, and manufacturing industries. RAND enables its customers to improve their competitiveness, productivity, and profitability by enhancing key aspects of their Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) capabilities, including planning, development, and management. As one of the leading technology independent systems integrators in the world, RAND Worldwide employs 439 people in 70 global sales and client service centers.

AutoCAD Tips & Tutorials

Tutorial: Add a button to the ribbon in AutoCAD 2009

Customizing the ribbon is similar to customizing a toolbar, but you need to be aware of the special structure of the ribbon.

For some basics on using the Customize User Interface dialog box, see my earlier tip, “Create a custom toolbar in AutoCAD 2006 or later.” If you’re interested in creating custom commands, also see “Tutorial: Create a custom command.” This tutorial builds on those skills, but is complete in itself.

1. Choose Tools tab> Customization panel> User Interface, or just type cui on the command line.

Tip: If you display the tab you want to work on and type cui on the command line, you can see that tab as you work– just move the Customize User Interface dialog box. In fact, if you click the title of the panel you want to work on and click the Pin icon, you can keep even the bottom section open as you work. (Unfortunately, the bottom section collapses when you click Apply.)

2. In the Customization in All CUI Files pane, expand the Ribbon Panels item.
3. Expand the panel where you want to add your command. You’ll see several rows. Expand one or more rows that you might want to look at. Here you see the Draw-2D panel open with several of its rows. To the left, you can see the expanded panel itself.

Note: One new concept is the sub-panel. Sub-panels are a way of comparmentalizing commands for layout purposes. On the Draw-2D panel, there’s a sub-panel after the LINE command to separate that command from the rest. Also, each panel comes with a panel separator. Rows below the panel separator don’t show until you click the panel name; they’re in the lower, expanded section.

Caution: Remember to back up your original menu file in case you make a mistake! The file is acad.cui. The location may vary, so use the OPTIONS command and click the Files tab. Open the Customization Files item to find the location. When you find the file, use Windows Explorer to back it up. Another option is to use Windows Explorer to make a copy first, rename the copy, and load the copy. Use the CUILOAD command to first unload the main acad.cui file, then browse to your copy and load that.

4. Decide which changes you want to make. I added a custom command and moved existing commands around to better suit how often I use them. Don’t make the panel too wide, because you need to leave room for the rest of the panels. If you make a panel too wide, others will be condensed and you won’t see all of their contents.
5. To move existing commands, drag them from one location to another. (Sometimes this doesn’t always seem to work on the first try; try another location, or delete the command and drag it from the Command List to the new location.) To delete a command, right-click and choose Remove.
6. To add a different or custom command, locate it in the Command List at the lower-left corner of the dialog box. Then drag it to the desired location.
7. To delete a sub-panel, drag its contents to another location, right-click it, and choose Delete. Sub-panels do a nice job of setting off buttons, but they create blank space that you might want to use.
8. When you’ve made a few changes and want to see how they look, click the Apply button and wait while AutoCAD reloads the menu.

Note: The panel preview at the upper-left corner of the dialog box isn’t completely accurate, so don’t rely on it completely. For example, my preview showed the LINE command with a large icon, but it shows as a standard-sized icon on my ribbon. You can set the size in the Properties panel.

9. When you’re done, click OK. Here you can see my new menu. I’ve added a custom 1LINE command (line \\;) which ends the LINE command after one line. I’ve also moved the existing buttons around and banished some to below the panel separator.

 AutoCAD 2009 Brings Some Good Scale List News (Bug Watch AutoCAD Tutorial)

• Inserting a drawing no longer brings in all the scales associated with that drawing, only those ones that are in use.
• If you open a drawing with more than 100 scales, AutoCAD 2009 prompts you to ask if you want to reset the drawing to the default scale list.
• If you open a drawing that has an attached xref containing more than 100 scales, a Command line message advises you of that fact.
• The scale list control contains a toggle that allows you to hide those scales that are inherited from xrefs. This toggle is on by default, meaning that you will not usually see the dreaded _XREF_XREF scales.
• The MEASUREMENT system variable, which is used to identify whether a drawing is metric, is no longer completely ignored. It is checked during a scale list reset, reducing the likelihood that metric users will see inch-based scales.
• The Scalelistedit dialog box now allows you to use the Delete button on multiple scales, even if one or more of the selected scales can’t be deleted. This makes it much easier to manually delete unused scales.
• The In a Bind About Scales bug is fixed, meaning you can remove unwanted scales without harming your xrefs.

These fixes largely are measures to hide problems rather than completely remove them, and therefore fall a bit short of the complete overhaul I was hoping for. However, Autodesk deserves credit for significantly reducing the harm caused by the AutoCAD 2008 scale list implementation.

Some Polylines Are Snappier than Others (2009)
Submitted by Chris Cowgill
As you recover from the shock of the new and start using AutoCAD 2009 for real work, you may notice that your object snaps don’t work on some polylines. This may seem random, but it’s not. For the problem to occur on a given polyline, three conditions must be met:

• It must be an old-fashioned “heavy” polyline, not a lightweight one. In Properties and Quick Properties, such a polyline is described as a 2D polyline rather than just a polyline. The List command describes it as a polyline object rather than an lwpolyline. This should not be confused with what Properties calls a 3D polyline, but List calls a polyline.
• It must have continuous linetype generation turned on. That’s the property of a polyline that tells AutoCAD to draw its linetypes based on the polyline as a whole, rather than on each individual segment.
• It must have a continuous linetype, whether that is based on the object’s layer or not.

That may seem like an unlikely combination, but it is more common than you might think. There are still third-party products and LISP routines that create or expect heavy polylines, so some users set the PLINETYPE system variable to 0 as soon as they receive a new AutoCAD. Similarly, many users set the PLINEGEN system variable to 1 in their templates or startup routines, because most people want their linetypes to go around corners in polylines. Such people are likely to have large numbers of drawings containing large numbers of polylines that meet all three conditions.

Workaround: There’s no way to persuade AutoCAD 2009 to snap to such objects, so you will need to change them such that not all of the three conditions are met. It’s unlikely you will want to change the linetype of the objects, so that just leaves the first two conditions to play with. You can convert the polylines from light to heavy using the undocumented Express Tools command Convertpoly. Alternatively, you can turn off continuous linetype generation in selected polylines using either the Properties palette or the Ltype gen option in the Express Tools command Mpedit.

Semitransparent Ribbon (2009)
One of the things that Autodesk’s Ribbon does better than Microsoft’s is offer you several options about minimizing the ribbon, or even doing away with it altogether. The main way in which you can choose between your ribbon minimize options is by picking a little oval button on the ribbon tab title bar. It’s a three-way toggle. Pick it once and the ribbon shrinks to show only the tab and panel titles. Pick it again and the panel titles vanish too. Pick it a third time and you’re back to a full ribbon again.

What’s wrong with this? Nothing, as long as you do it only between commands. If you do it transparently (i.e., while a command is active), it leaves the ribbon in a strange state.

Minimizing the ribbon during the Line command.

If the ribbon is in its tab-and-panel-title state, don’t be tempted to pick the little button to get at something in the ribbon. It won’t work properly, and you will end up with just a little sliver of ribbon visible. Instead, hover over a panel title to make the contents visible.

Workaround: None really, other than “don’t do that.” If you do happen to do it, just wait until the command is over, then pick the button again until the ribbon is fixed.

Sitting on a plane on my way to a presentation on “60 AutoCAD Tips in 60 Minutes,” I found myself once again focused on the topic of customization. We all have different likes and dislikes — things we love about AutoCAD and things we loathe. Above all, I believe it is important to learn to customize your AutoCAD environment to suit your particular needs. You don’t have to be Einstein to customize AutoCAD. You just have to find some spare time. (For some of us, it would be easier to become Einstein.)This much I promise you: If you spend the time customizing your system up front, you will be richly rewarded with time on your hands later! So, yes, you will need to sacrifice some time to reap the rewards. And I’m not just talking about saved time here; I’m talking about removing the tedium in your everyday drawing life, which leads to less stress, which leads to living happily ever after. (OK, that’s a bit of a stretch.)

This month I’m going to expand on what I’ve covered so far in the customizable user interface (CUI) by describing how to create custom commands. You can use these commands in your pull-down menus, toolbars, and dashboard — you name it! You don’t have to be a programmer to write your own commands; you just need to know the top-secret codes. And although I don’t have a decoder ring I can mail to you, this article contains most of what you need to become a customization guru and delight your coworkers with custom commands. What I need from you is simple — you need to know what you need. What would really save you time? What commands are you using over and over throughout the day, with specific options and with specific values? What drives you crazy in AutoCAD? You can’t solve your customization needs unless you know what those needs are! So take a minute, sit back, think, and write a list of repetitive things you are currently doing in AutoCAD that you wish you could automate.

Now onto the details.

The lower left corner of the CUI command contains the Command List section. Here you will find the new Create a New Command button.

Select the Create a New Command button to create a custom command.

After selecting this button, click on Properties in the lower right side of the CUI dialog box.

Use the Properties panel in the CUI to configure the command name, description, and macro.

You can input the name of your new custom command, a description (the tooltip), and the macro you want to assign to the command. You can also indicate the small and large images you would like to assign to your new command. (I wrote about images in last month’s column.) In my example, I called my new command A Bad Day, gave it the tooltip of “Use when things go terribly wrong,” and a macro that performs an Erase All.

I doubt that you will have any problems assigning a command name or an appropriate description (tooltip), but creating a macro can be a bit tricky. Here you will need to learn some of the codes necessary to create awesome macros.

You will see the following code at the beginning of most existing AutoCAD macros:

   ^C^C

Each ^C stands for Cancel, and it is equivalent to hitting the Escape key one time. You know how important it is to be at the Command prompt before executing an AutoCAD command, so consequently you find yourself hitting the Escape key at least once (probably twice for good measure). When creating your own custom commands, you need to follow the same process. The ^C^C is equivalent to hitting the Escape key two times to make absolutely sure you are out of any commands and ready to go. Incidentally, some commands require two Escapes to get completely out, and that’s why we use two. I’ve even seen some over-the-top customizers use three (which is definitely not necessary).

After the ^C^C you’ll input the name of the command you want to execute.

   ^C^Cline

would cancel you out of any existing command and then execute the Line command

   ^C^Ccircle

would cancel you out of any existing command and then execute the Circle command.

The case doesn’t matter — you can use either upper case or lower case for any of the characters.

The next code you need to know about is the semicolon. In a macro the semicolon (;) is used to do an Enter.

So,

   ^C^Ccircle;3p

is equal to Escape, Escape, Circle, Enter, 3P.

My macro of

   ^C^Cerase;all;;

is equal to Escape, Escape, Erase, Enter, All, Enter, Enter.

Since I needed to force two Enters at the end of my macro to get completely out of the Erase command, I spelled them out with two semicolons.

Note: AutoCAD will automatically do an Enter at the end of any macro that doesn’t end in \ or ;

The last of the crucial codes to know is the backslash. You will use this when you want to pause for user input. You might choose to pause for user input to allow the selection of a point on the screen, height, rotation angle, block name, etc.

   ^C^C-insert;pulley;\2;2;\

This would execute the Insert command, Enter, Pulley (for block name), pause (for insertion point), 2 (x scale factor of 2), 2 (y scale factor of 2), and pause for rotation angle.

That is a pretty complex one; if you followed that at all, you are getting it!

Note: When creating macros you often need to force the Command prompt interface for a command rather than the dialog box. This is done by putting a dash in front of the command like –Insert or –Layer.

Let’s look at a command that draws a square.

   ^C^Cpolygon;4;e;\\

This would run as Escape, Escape, Polygon command, Enter, 4 (number of sides), Enter, E (for Edge), pause, pause.

If the command is a transparent command such as Zoom or Pan, you won’t need to start the command with a ^C^C. You’ll want to use an apostrophe just like you would while drawing in AutoCAD.

   'Zoom  'Pan

You can use many more codes in your macros, but these are the key ones to know. One of my favorite codes is the *. If you place this in front of your macro, it will repeat your macro over and over (including all the options) until you Escape to terminate it. For example, you could draw a dozen of 2P circles of varying sizes quickly and easily. If you want to learn more about the various macro codes, you can find them in the AutoCAD Customization Guide, part of the online Help system.

After you’ve written a few custom commands, you then can drag them to the Dashboard, to a pull-down menu, a toolbar, a key on your keyboard, etc. The possibilities are endless! So think about those tasks you are doing over and over again throughout your day and set your sights on automating them. Not only will you save yourself time, you will eliminate those mundane and tedious tasks we all dislike doing in AutoCAD.

Until next month, happy AutoCADing!

By:Lynn Allen

AutoCAD 2009 is out, and everyone is writing about the big changes (Macro Recorder, the user interface, and more). I thought I’d start my AutoCAD 2009 tutorials by discussing some of the little features in the new release that I think add up to a whole lot. It’s the improvements that affect our everyday commands that I always get excited about. If you can shave one step off of something you use all day long, well, that’s a beautiful thing. And it always seems as though the small (yet mighty) features receive little or no attention, making it hard for you to find out about them. So let’s fix that right now!In-Place Spell Checking
The correct-as-you-go spell checking capability of Microsoft Word and Outlook is so familiar now that our good friend AutoCAD should offer up the same. But not so in years past, and you’ve been forced to use the good old Spell command to correct the text in drawings. Well the Spell command is going to get very lonely in AutoCAD 2009 because the Mtext command now has an in-place spell checker. Hoorah! Misspelled words are underlined with red. The right-click menu is happy to offer up some suitable replacements. For added entertainment, check out the More Suggestions option.

In-place spelling correction will save you time (and embarrassment).

Find Command Works on Blocks and Xrefs
The Find command is the answer to search and replace in AutoCAD, and AutoCAD 2009 brings a few nice enhancements to this valuable command. Find now has the option to search blocks for text (and not just attribute values) as well as external references. Simply select the down arrow to expand the dialog box and reveal all of the various settings you can apply to Find.

The Find command contains several valuable additional options for searching.

Although previous releases of AutoCAD did support using wild cards in the Find command, it certainly wasn’t obvious to the user. Now you’ll find a toggle to use wild cards in your searches. The ability to ignore hidden items was added as well. Hidden items include text that resides on layers that are off or frozen, invisible attributes, and text invisibility states within dynamic blocks.

My favorite addition to the Find command won’t be obvious until you run it. Find zooms in on the objects found. (So it’s no longer a guessing game!)

eTransmit Improvements
Finicky eTransmit has always wanted you to perform a Save before packing up your drawings, but you don’t always want to do this. Sometimes you may alter the drawings specifically for the transmittal with the intent to undo the changes when you are finished. No problem anymore — performing a Save is now optional. You’ll also find a new Purge Drawings option in the Transmittal Setup (very cool).

Dynamically Update Clipped Xrefs
I love this feature. When you clip an xref, you can now move the frame around via grips and the clip will automatically update! Simply select a grip and stretch it to its new location. You can use the new invert arrow to invert the clip so the objects inside the boundary are clipped!

Easily modify clipped xrefs using grips and invert arrows.

Array Supports Zoom and Pan During Preview
OK, so this is a little one. But it’s so important if you use the Array command frequently. Now you can zoom and pan when previewing the results of your array.

Nonrectangular Viewport Support in Properties Palette
Before AutoCAD 2009, when you selected a nonrectangular viewport and then went to Properties, both the viewport and the polyline used to create the viewport were selected. You had to drop the Object List down and then select Viewport to get the properties you wanted. This extra step was irritating, and many people didn’t even know how to do it. No worries anymore. Now when you select a nonrectangular viewport, the Properties palette knows exactly what you want and provides you with all the necessary information for your viewport.

The new Hide Xref scales option will rid you of excess scale factors.

VP Scale Hides Xref Scales
If you’ve ever brought an xref into your drawing and found that all those pesky viewport scale factors came along with it, then you can appreciate the option to hide them in AutoCAD 2009. Now when you select an unlocked viewport and select VP Scale from the status bar, you’ll find the nifty option of Hide Xref Scales at the bottom of the list. Incidentally this is the new default, which is fantastic!

Export Layouts to Model Space Drawing
This cool option started out as a tool posted on labs.autodesk.com (the land of free stuff). Now built into AutoCAD 2009, you can right-click on any viewport to export the layout to a model space drawing. Remember that this tool also exports objects that are outside the boundaries of the paper layout. You will also find this option in the new QuickView Layouts tool in AutoCAD 2009 (to be addressed in another column).

Freeze Columns in the Layer Manager
When you slide the Layer slider bar to the right, you often lose the Layer name column. This makes it really tricky to figure out which layer you are affecting, to say the least. AutoCAD 2009 provides the option to Freeze a column (like other products do), so that you can slide all the way to the right and yet the layer name is still visible. This new option should be mandatory for everyone. (How I wish it were the default!) Simply right-click on the title bar of the column you wish to freeze and select Freeze Column from the shortcut menu. You’ll really love this new addition.

Well there you have some of the coolest new features that have arrived with AutoCAD 2009. Be sure you check them out and give them a try. You are going to love them!

Until next month, happy AutoCADing

By:Lynn Allen

I’ll be the first to admit that I cringe whenever I see Autodesk change the AutoCAD user interface (UI), and I suspect many of you are nodding your heads in agreement. I know where everything is, I am comfortable, and I’ve set my system up to feel like the perfect easy chair. So why do the powers-that-be choose to do such a thing? I promise you they aren’t trying to complicate your life — they genuinely want to help you get your work done faster. Following along with the new Office 2007 UI, the updated task-based AutoCAD 2009 UI is intended to help you get to the commands you need faster. Will it take a little getting used to? Absolutely. Will you prefer it when all is said and done? I believe so. Can you put back your familiar UI if you want to? Of course you can. But promise me you’ll give it a chance before you banish it into oblivion — you might find yourself sailing along faster than ever. Wouldn’t that be nice?The biggest UI change in AutoCAD 2009 is the new task-based ribbon. The ribbon will display when you select the 2D Drafting and Annotation workspace. The ribbon comprises six different tabs, and each tab is composed of multiple panels. Each panel contains tools (much like toolbars). While it may take you a while to adjust to the reorganization of the AutoCAD commands, I assure you it’s not as daunting as you might think.

The new AutoCAD 2009 ribbon is task based and easily customized. (Click image for larger version)

Grabbing the panels at their base allows you to reorganize them or even tear them off of the ribbon (much like a toolbar). All of these panels are customizable via the CUI. Once you have them just as you desire, you can lock them down by selecting the lock in the lower right corner of the drawing editor.

If you are greedy with your screen real estate, you might choose to minimize the panels and/or the tabs by right-clicking on any of the tab titles. You can also use the down arrow to the right of the Output tab to cycle through the minimizing options.

Feel free to minimize the ribbon to suit your preference.

By default you might notice that the familiar menu bar has disappeared from the screen. No problem — you can bring it back by right-clicking on the Quick Access toolbar and selecting Show Menu Bar from the shortcut menu. You might find this handy while you are adjusting to the new ribbon (especially if you need to get a project out the door quickly).

Use the Show Menu Bar option in the Quick Access toolbar to bring back the beloved AutoCAD menus.

You’ll find that some functions automatically change the ribbon for you, such as mtext or while editing a table. Though this is a behavior change by AutoCAD, please do give it a try.

Note: The Dashboard that was introduced in AutoCAD 2007 is no longer with us. I must admit I was a Dashboard fan, and I am sad to see it leave us. You can undock the new ribbon and position it vertically on your screen for dashboard-like behavior, but it doesn’t have the powerful roll-up capabilities that the Dashboard had.

The Quick Access toolbar that lies across the upper left corner of the drawing editor is also new. Here you’ll find popular standard commands such as Open, New, Undo, Redo, and more. You can easily add your favorite commands by selecting Customize Quick Access Toolbar from the shortcut menu and dragging the commands of choice to the toolbar. I like to have my Sheet Set Manager and Xref Manager easily available and have added them.

In the upper left corner of the Drawing Editor, you’ll find the great big red A that accesses the Menu Browser. Here you’ll also find the familiar AutoCAD menu in a vertical fashion.

The AutoCAD menu can also be found in the Menu Browser.

The Menu Browser also displays a robust listing of your recently used documents. Here you can choose to display icons or images. You can also choose to list your documents by type or date. The latter option makes it easy to find a drawing file you were in last Tuesday, for example, but you can’t remember the name.

The Menu Browser can also store as many as 50 recently used documents as long as you give it such a number in the Options dialog box. Sadly, the menu browser defaults to the standard value of nine, which is too low. I also love the Pin feature that allows you to pin a drawing file so it always remains on the list!

The menu browser provides a much more thorough viewing of your recent documents.

You can view your open documents in the menu browser (although I’m not sure this is the route I’d take to do that) as well as access your recent actions. Recent actions consist of anything you’ve selected off of the AutoCAD menu. I must confess I don’t see the real value in this yet as it’s probably faster just to grab the command again from the menu or from the command history.

Some modifications to the Status bar are welcome changes. I’ve always had a difficult time discerning whether a toggle was on or off. Now it is really clear when a status bar option is on because the button turns blue. (I love that!) A right-click on any status bar toggle now displays some frequently used values, which in turn keeps you from having to go into Settings to make a change. I am all for not having to execute an extra click to change your settings!

Right-click on a status bar setting to select a different value.

If you are really adventurous, you can choose to change the toggles from text to icons. This frees up more room on the status bar, but you’ll have to learn to associate the proper icon to the toggle.

Toggle the Use Icons option to free up more status bar space.

Of course, if you absolutely decide you want the pre-2009 user interface back, that’s no problem. Simply restore the AutoCAD Classic workspace. This will put your world back to the toolbars, pull-down menus, and other interfaces that you’ve come to know and love.

Before you do, though, give the new AutoCAD 2009 UI a try. You might just find yourself a step further ahead in productivity. Until next month, happy AutoCADing!

I frequently see the question “What is the difference between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT?” Autodesk provides a comparison matrix that highlights some of the differences. (That particular document compares the 2008 versions).

But there really doesn’t seem to be a comprehensive comparison of what the actual differences are. I imagine many new LT users figure out a command is missing when they go to use a familiar command and it tells them…

Command: XCLIP

Unknown Command “XCLIP”. Press F1 for HELP.

Below I have listed a quick summary of major differences, a quick summary of the new features in LT, and then a list of 323 commands and 175 system variables that are available in AutoCAD, but not available in AutoCAD LT 2009.

General list of what is missing in LT…

Here is a summary of the major features that are not included in LT 2009.

• Sheet Set Manager
• Network licensing
• CAD standards management
• Most 3D tools and commands
• Express tools
• Action recorder
• Support for Autolisp, VBA, .NET and other programming languages.

New for LT 2009…

Besides the normal UI upgrade to match AutoCAD, the following previously unavailable features have been added to LT 2009.

• Image referencing
• Non-rectangular viewports
• Truecolor
• Fields
• 64-bit support

List of unavailable commands in LT 2009

Below is a list of 323 commands that are available in AutoCAD 2009, but not available in AutoCAD LT 2009.

*SCROLL
-3DCONFIG
-ACTSTOP
-ACTUSERMESSAGE
-ARCHIVE
-DWFADJUST
-EATTEXT
-INTERFERE
-MLEDIT
-OPENSHEETSET
-PARTIALLOAD
-PARTIALOPEN
-PUBLISH
-REFEDIT
-SHADEMODE
-VBALOAD
-VBARUN
-VISUALSTYLES
..ACADSTATUS
3D
3DALIGN
3DARRAY
3DCLIP
3DCONFIG
3DCORBIT
3DDISTANCE
3DDWF
3DDWFPUBLISH
3DFACE
3DFLY
3DFORBIT
3DMESH
3DORBIT
3DORBITCTR
3DRENDER
3DROTATE
3DSIN
3DSOUT
3DSWIVEL
3DWALK
ACISIN
ADCCUSTOMNAVIGATE
ACTRECORD
ACTSTOP
ACTUSERINPUT
ACTUSERMESSAGE
AI_BOX
AI_CIRCTAN
AI_CONE
AI_CUSTOM_SAFE
AI_DIM_TEXTABOVE
AI_DIM_TEXTCENTER
AI_DIM_TEXTHOME
AI_DISH
AI_DOME
AI_FMS
AI_INVOKENFW
AI_MOLC
AI_PRODUCT_SUPPORT
AI_PRODUCT_SUPPORT_SAFE
AI_PSPACE
AI_PYRAMID
AI_SELALL
AI_SPHERE
AI_TORUS
AI_TRAINING_SAFE
AI_WEDGE
ALIASEDIT
ALIGN
ALIGNSPACE
ALLPLAY
AMECONVERT
ANIPATH
APPLOAD
ARCHIVE
ARCTEXT
ARX
ASSIST
ASSISTCLOSE
ATTIN
ATTOUT
ATTREDEF
ATTSYNC
BACKGROUND
BATTMAN
BCOUNT
BEXTEND
BLOCK?
BLOCKREPLACE
BLOCKTOXREF
BORROWLICENSE
BOX
BREAKLINE
BREP
BROWSER2
BSCALE
BTRIM
BURST
CAMERA
CDORDER
CHECKSTANDARDS
CHURLS
CLIPIT
COMPILE
CONE
CONVERTOLDLIGHTS
CONVERTOLDMATERIALS
CONVTOSOLID
CONVTOSURFACE
COPYM
CYLINDER
DATAEXTRACTION
‘DBCCLOSE
‘DBCONNECT
DBLIST
‘DDGRIPS
‘DDSELECT
DIMEX
DIMIM
DIMREASSOC
DISTANTLIGHT
DVIEW
DXBIN
EATTEDIT
EATTEXT
EATTEXTEDIT
EATTEXTUPDATE
EDGE
EDGESURF
EDITTIME
EDITSHOT
EXOFFSET
EXPLAN
EXPRESSMENU
EXPRESSTOOLS
EXTRIM
EXTRUDE
FILTERS
FINISH
FLATSHOT
FLATTEN
FOG
FREESPOT
FREEWEB
FS
FSMODE
GATTE
GETSEL
GIFIN
GRADIENT
HELIX
HYPERLINKOPEN
IMAGEAPP
IMAGEEDIT
IMPRESSION
IMPRINT
INTERFERE
JOGSECTION
LAYERP
LAYERPMODE
LAYOUTMERGE
LAYTRANS
LAYVPMODE
LIGHT
LIGHTLIST
LIGHTLISTCLOSE
LIVESECTION
LOAD
LOFT
LSP
LSPSURF
MATERIALASSIGN
MATERIALATTACH
MATERIALMAP
MATERIALS
MATERIALSCLOSE
MENU
MINSERT
MIRROR3D
MKLTYPE
MKSHAPE
MLEDIT
MLINE
MLSTYLE
MOCORO
MOVEBAK
MPEDIT
MSTRETCH
MVSETUP
NAVSMOTION
NAVSMOTIONCLOSE
NAVVCUBE
NCOPY
NETLOAD
NEWSHEETSET
NEWSHOT
NEWVIEW
OLDMTPROP
OLELINKS
OPENSHEETSET
OVERKILL
PAINTPROP
PARTIALOAD
PARTIALOPEN
PFACE
PLANESURF
PLJOIN
PLT2DWG
POINTLIGHT
POLYSOLID
PRESSPULL
PROPULATE
PSBSCALE
PSELECT
PSFILL
PSTSCALE
PYRAMID
QDIM
QLATTACH
QLATTACHSET
QLDETACHSET
QQUIT
REDEFINE
REDIR
REFCLOSE
REFEDIT
REFSET
RENDER
RENDERCROP
RENDERENVIRONMENT
RENDEREXPOSURE
RENDERUNLOAD
RENDERUPDATE
RENDERWIN
RENDSCR
REPLAY
REPURLS
RETURNLICENSE
REVERT
REVOLVE
REVSURF
ROTATE3D
RPREF
RPREFCLOSE
RTEDIT
RTEXT
RTUCS
RULESURF
SAVEALL
SAVEIMG
SECTION
SECTIONPLANE
SEQUENCEPLAY
SETIDROPHANDLER
SHAPE
SHEETSET
SHEETSETHIDE
SHELL
SHOWURLS
SHP2BLK
SKETCH
SLICE
SOLDRAW
SOLIDEDIT
SOLPROF
SOLVIEW
SPHERE
SPOTLIGHT
SSX
STANDARDS
STATS
‘STATUS
STLOUT
SUNPROPERTIES
SUNPROPERTIESCLOSE
SUPERHATCH
SWEEP
SYSVDLG
TABSURF
TARGETPOINT
TBCONFIG
TCASE
TCIRCLE
TCOUNT
TEXTFIT
TEXTMASK
TEXTUNMASK
TFRAMES
THICKEN
TJUST
TORIENT
TORUS
TRACE
‘TREESTAT
TSCALE
TUTCLEAR
TUTDEMO
TXT2MTXT
UNDEFINE
VBAIDE
VBALOAD
VBAMAN
VBARUN
VBASTMT
VIEWPLAY
VISUALSTYLES
VISUALSTYLESCLOSE
VLIDE
VLISP
VPSCALE
VPSYNC
VSCURRENT
VSSAVE
WALKFLYSETTINGS
WEBLIGHT
WEDGE
XCLIP
XDATA
XDLIST
XEDGES
XLIST
XOPEN
XREFCLIP

List of unavailable system variables in AutoCAD LT 2009

Below is a list of 175 system variables that are available in AutoCAD 2009, but not available in AutoCAD LT 2009.

*_TOOLPALETTEPATH
_LINFO
_SERVER
3DCONVERSIONMODE
3DDWFPREC
ACADPREFIX
ACADVER
ACIS15
ACISOUTVER
APSTATE
ASSISTSTATE
AXISMODE
AXISUNIT
BINDTYPE
CAMERADISPLAY
CAMERAHEIGHT
CMATERIAL
CMLJUST
CMLSCALE
CMLSTYLE
COMPASS
CPROFILE
CPUTICKS
CSHADOW
CURRENTPROFILE
DBCSTATE
DBGLISTALL
DEFAULTLIGHTING
DEFAULTLIGHTINGTYPE
DEMANDLOAD
DRAGVS
DWGWRITE
DXEVAL
ENTERPRISEMENU
FACETRATIO
FFLIMIT
FLATLAND
FULLOPEN
GFANG
GFCLR1
GFCLR2
GFCLRLUM
GFCLRSTATE
GFNAME
GFSHIFT
GTAUTO
GTDEFAULT
GTLOCATION
HPASSOC
IMPLIEDFACE
INTERFERECOLOR
INTERFEREOBJVS
INTERFEREVPVS
LASTPROMPT
LAYOUTREGENCTL
LAZYLOAD
LEGACYCTRLPICK
LIGHTGLYPHDISPLAY
LIGHTINGUNITS
LIGHTLISTSTATE
LIGHTSINBLOCKS
LINEARBRIGHTNESS
LINEARCONTRAST
LISPINIT
LOFTANG1
LOFTANG2
LOFTMAG1
LOFTMAG2
LOFTNORMALS
LOFTPARAM
LOGEXPBRIGHTNESS
LOGEXPCONTRAST
LOGEXPDAYLIGHT
LOGEXPMIDTONES
LOGEXPPHYSICALSCALE
LOGINNAME
LONGFNAME
MATSTATE
MENUCTL
MENUNAME
NOMUTT
OFFSETGAPTYPE
OSNAPZ
PFACEVMAX
PLOTID
PLOTTER
PLQUIET
POPUPS
PROJECTNAME
PSOLHEIGHT
PSOLWIDTH
PSQUALITY
PSVPSCALE
PUBLISHCOLLATE
QAUCSLOCK
QUEUEDREGENMAX
RE-INIT
REFEDITNAME
RENDERPREFSSTATE
RENDERUSERLIGHTS
RIASPECT
RIBACKG
RIEDGE
RIGAMUT
RIGREY
RITHRESH
SAVEIMAGES
SCREENBOXES
SCREENMODE
SHADOWPLANELOCATION
SHOWHIST
SHPNAME
SKETCHINC
SKPOLY
SOLIDCHECK
SOLIDHIST
SPACESWITCH
SSFOUND
SSLOCATE
SSMAUTOOPEN
SSMPOLLTIME
SSMSHEETSTATUS
SSMSTATE
STANDARDSVIOLATION
STARTUPTODAY
STEPSIZE
STEPSPERSEC
SUNPROPERTIESSTATE
SUNSTATUS
SURFTAB1
SURFTAB2
SURFTYPE
SURFU
SURFV
TBCUSTOMIZE
TEMPPREFIX
TEXTOUTPUTFILEFORMAT
UCSDETECT
UCSVP
UNDOONDISK
USERS1
USERS2
USERS3
USERS4
USERS5
VSBACKGROUNDS
VSEDGECOLOR
VSEDGEJITTER
VSEDGEOVERHANG
VSEDGES
VSEDGESMOOTH
VSFACECOLORMODE
VSFACEHIGHLIGHT
VSFACEOPACITY
VSFACESTYLE
VSHALOGAP
VSHIDEPRECISION
VSINTERSECTIONCOLOR
VSINTERSECTIONEDGES
VSINTERSECTIONLTYPE
VSISOONTOP
VSLIGHTINGQUALITY
VSMATERIALMODE
VSMONOCOLOR
VSOBSCUREDCOLOR
VSOBSCUREDEDGES
VSOBSCUREDLTYPE
VSSHADOWS
VSSILHEDGES
VSSILHWIDTH
VSSTATE
WHIPTHREAD
WRITESTAT
XFADECTL
XREFNOTIFY

If you spot a mistake or would like to add something, leave a comment please. Thanks

Learn more about AutoCAD 2009

Autodesk Adopts ‘Flexible Software Delivery’ for AutoCAD