The command CHSPACE is an awesome tool! It allows you to select an object in a layout tab (paper space) and put it in Model Space while automatically scaling by the viewport’s scale factor. Read more »

Nothing makes writing scripts more enjoyable than ScriptPro, a free program from Autodesk (download it…). This small program allows you to run a script on multiple drawings at once. Here is how to use it… Read more »

Ellen Finkelstein has written a simple procedure for writing scripts in AutoCAD. As I’ve said again and again on this blog, scripts are a huge time saver! It is worth the time to learn how to write them.

Tomorrow I will show you how to use scripts with Autodesk’s free ScriptPro software.

Just like ORTHO, you can quickly find and draw at an angle with POLAR. Typically you will find POLAR under your command line. Right-click on it and select “Settings…”

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Murat Senel has written an excellent article on drawing with OTRACK (object snap tracking)…

Happy Monday!

A while back, I received some survey data in the form of a comma-delimited text file containing rows of Northings, Eastings, & elevations. I needed to take that information and place blocks at every location in my drawing. At the time I only had plain AutoCAD (I wasn’t using Civil 3D yet). Being lazy, I wasn’t about to sit there and type the coordinates by hand. So I wrote a script! Here is how I did it. Read more »

Check out this podcast from Bob Bell on AutoCAD’s CUI. Read more »

Like I’ve said before, there are multiple ways to setup Sheet Set Manager (SSM). This post shows just one way to do it. I setup SSM with AutoCAD 2008 for Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Department of Transportation using this method. Read more »

Let’s say you have a piece of text that you want to automatically display the current date. Adding a field to text is the easiest way to do it. Read more »

Heidi Hewett’s blog is a good resource for learning how to use Sheet Set Manager. She has excellent documentation on setting up and using Sheet Set Manager.

More on Sheet Set Manager in the coming days…

Sheet Set Manager (SSM) is one of my favorite tools in AutoCAD. It saves time creating plan sets, cross-referencing callouts, plotting selected sheets, and publishing entire plan sets. I recommend taking the time to setup SSM. It’s worth the money. Read more »