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AutoCAD 2015 and AutoCAD LT 2015 Bible

The most comprehensive AutoCAD book around!

Quick Access to Dimensioning: The “DIM” Command

One of the keystones in drafting is dimensioning, and AutoCAD has made it incredibly seamless with the DIM command sequence. This powerful feature enables you to create dimensions based on selected objects automatically, streamlining the entire dimensioning process.

How to Use the DIM Command Sequence Activate DIM: Simply type “DIM” into the command line […]

Label the scale of individual viewports

A reader asked me how to label the scale of individual viewports when they have different scales. You can use fields to accomplish this.

If you only have 1 viewport, you can also let the system automatically show pre-set scale in the title block

Let’s look at the example below with 2 viewports, each one […]

Easily import text and dimension styles from other drawings

There’s no reason to recreate the wheel – or text or dimension styles, if you have them elsewhere. The easiest way to import a text or dimension style from another drawing is to use the DesignCenter.

Follow these steps:

Go to the View tab then locate DesignCenter icon under the Palettes section or simply type […]

Create stylish leaders with a multileader style

autocad_tips_multileader-style-1

If you use leaders, you should consider creating a style. Once you save the style, you can use it whenever you need a leader.

Here are the steps to create a multileader style:

Go to Home tab, Annotation panel and click the down arrow to expand the panel. Click the Multileader Style icon to open […]

How to Easily Find and Replace Multiple Text in AutoCAD

Suppose that you want to rename some text labels. For example, you have some part numbers that start with G- and now you want them to start with J- or you want to change every instance of “box” to “rectangle”.

First, it may be hard to find all of the instances of the text you […]

Move objects between model and paper space

Let’s say that you add some text in your drawing, but then decide that the text should really be in a Notes box in your title block.

Or, you add some text in your title block and then think, “No, it should be part of the drawing.”

You can move objects from model space to […]

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 […]

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 […]

Insert data from an Excel worksheet

A reader asked how he could display data that was linked to an Excel spreadsheet. It might be easier to update the data in the spreadsheet or you might be keeping the data there anyway for other purposes. For whatever the reason, it can be very efficient to create a data link and display the […]

Use a Standards file to bring an AutoCAD drawing into line

All AutoCAD professionals have to deal with standards. But when a drawing is worked on by multiple people and revised over months or even years, standards can deteriorate quickly. AutoCAD’s CAD Standards tools let you check drawings against your standards. You can check the following in a drawing:

Layers Text styles Dimension styles Linetypes Create […]