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AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015 Bible

The most comprehensive AutoCAD book around!

Properties palette: Work smarter by undoing changes within the palette

The Properties palette (Ctrl+1) is a great place to edit objects in many cases. When you double-click most objects, the Properties palette opens so that you can edit them. (Starting in AutoCAD 2012, the Quick Properties window opens instead.)

Note: There are exceptions, however. For example, if you double-click a polyline, the PEDIT command starts. […]

Use all of your selection options

We select objects all of the time, but most of us stick with a small number of familiar ways to select objects, and forget the rest. Perhaps it’s worthwhile to review all of the ways to select objects and learn some selection tips at the same time.

When you start an editing command, such as […]

Another Break Objects Quickly AutoLISP routine

In my earlier “Break objects quickly” tip, I have 4 routines that help you break objects more quickly than the standard AutoCAD command.

Febien Mosen sent me another routine, SCISSORS, that has 3 features:

You don’t need to preselect the object; you just click the point where you want to break Only if there are […]

Extend lines to make corners with chamfer

The CHAMFER command makes mitered (angled) corners, like the one below.

However, you can also use the CHAMFER command to extend lines to meet and make right-angled corners. In other words, you can use the command to turn the situation on the left to the situation on the right.

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Write blocks to save them as separate files

When you create a block in a drawing, you should think if it will be useful in other drawings.

You can access that block from other drawings using the DesignCenter or Content Explorer, but you’ll probably need to remember where the block was, in order to find it.

Instead, many people create block libraries, putting […]

Dealing with gaps

Gaps can be frustrating. You want to hatch an almost-closed object, but it doesn’t work. You may want to join lines, or close an arc or an elliptical arc to remove the gap. Finally, you may want to join polylines. Here are some tips about dealing with gaps.

First, and foremost, if you don’t want […]

Temporarily override OSNAP, ORTHO, and other drafting settings

You’re drawing merrily along and you want to draw a line to a point, but you have OSNAP on, so the line keeps on snapping to the nearest endpoint. That’s not what you want! So you turn off OSNAP, but for the next line segment, you need it on again. So you turn it on.

[…]

Substitute one block for another

One of the advantages of blocks is that you can substitute one for another. Why would you do that?

Your organization switches to a different part You need to create more than one version of a drawing, each with a different part

If you use blocks for this purpose, think how much faster it would […]

Zoom to objects

Often, you need to zoom in to see a specific object. Since AutoCAD 2005, the ZOOM command has had an Object option that makes this easy, but many people still don’t know about it.

Just select the object and choose Zoom Object from the Zoom flyout. The view zooms in to display that object as […]

Close an arc to make a circle or ellipse; connect splines

Starting with AutoCAD 2006, you can use the JOIN command to join objects that are colinear, meaning that they’re along the same line. Usually, you use JOIN to join lines or polylines. For example, you may have broken a line and now you need it whole again. The command fills in gaps, if necessary.

You […]