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AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015 Bible

The most comprehensive AutoCAD book around!

Track the time you spend on a drawing

Whether you need to bill your clients the time your work on a drawing or just want to know how efficient you are (maybe your boss wants to know), you can do it in AutoCAD. You do this with the TIME command, which automatically tracks the time you work on a drawing.

To use the […]

Create objects with transparency in your AutoCAD drawing

Transparency gives you the opportunity to create presentation-ready drawings. You can draw an object that is up to 90% transparent. Here you see some trees filled with a 60%-transparent solid fill.

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As with other object properties, you should use the Layer Properties Manager to create a layer and […]

Create mass output with the PUBLISH command

The PUBLISH command creates the multi-page DWF,  DWFx, or PDF files. You can also use the command to batch plot to a plotter. This command gives you a lot of flexibility to choose which drawings to output.

Be sure to save your drawing before using the PUBLISH command.

Choose  Output tab > Plot panel> Batch […]

AutoCAD 2016 – 30 releases young and still going strong – Part 2

This is a guest post from Lee Ambrosius, who was my co-author for the AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD 2015 LT Bible. As you can tell from the photo, he’s a runner — even in some pretty cold Wisconsin weather! Lee is both an Autodesk Authorized Developer and Authorized Author. He’s also the author of the […]

Plot to a scale from model space

Recently, a reader asked how to plot to a specific scale from model space.

Ordinarily, I recommend plotting from paper space. You have better tools there for laying out your drawing and inserting a title block. But you can also plot from model space. In fact, this is the original method for plotting in AutoCAD, […]

Batch check multiple AutoCAD drawings against a standards file

In a previous post, “Use a Standards file to bring an AutoCAD drawing into line,” I explained how to check a drawing for certain standards, such as layers. This process is important for maintaining drawing standards where you work.

But suppose you want to check standards for many drawings at once? You can, using the […]

Hyperlink to views in your drawing

If you have a big drawing that you want to present to others, you’ll probably create views, but how about a menu to each view?

You can create hyperlinks to drawing views to easily navigate your drawing. Once you go to a view, you can use the View Previous feature to return to your menu […]

Using hyperlinks

A hyperlink in an AutoCAD drawing can link any drawing object or objects to a URL, any file, or a location in a file (such as a named view in another drawing). If you haven’t been using hyperlinks, consider doing so, as they offer lots of possibilities. Examples of files you can link to are […]