Quick Toolbar dialog box access

Instead of choosing View | Toolbars from the dropdown menu to access the Toolbars dialog box, simply position your mouse over any toolbar and right-click. AutoCAD automatically brings up the Toolbars dialog box, so you can pick and choose which toolbars to turn off and on.

Dimlinear in fewer steps

AutoCAD has a neat feature for dimensioning that lets you eliminate picking points from which to dimension. Choose Linear Dimension from the Dimension toolbar, and right-click your mouse before you pick the first point to dimension from. AutoCAD will prompt you to

Select object to dimension:

Pick a line or side of any polygon and AutoCAD will automatically generate the dimension for the line or side without you having to choose the two endpoints to dimension between.

Trim and Extend made easy: use Fillet

If you set the fillet radius to 0, you can automatically trim or extend two lines together.

To set the fillet radius to 0 type "fillet" at the main command line. At the prompt

Polyline/Radius/Trim/<Select first object>:

type "R" for radius. Then at the prompt

Enter fillet radius <.1800>:

type in "0". Now type "fillet "at the command line again, this time select the two lines to be trimmed or extended together and they will be joined.

Coordinate Tracking

AutoCAD has several ways to toggle the coordinate display on and off. If you'd like to see the tracking of the coordinates at the bottom of your screen simply hit [Ctrl]D or [F6] to toggle between coordinates on and off.

Note: If the [F6] key has been reassigned, it may not toggle the coordinates display

CANCEL - as a custom icon

The CANCEL command can be written into an icon to be accessed anytime with the click of your mouse. This tip may be a play on the use of the [Esc]
key, however it does work even if the grips are activated. We'll put the new icon on the toolbar entitled Toolbar 1.

To access the Toolbar 1, right -click on any toolbar border and the Toolbars dialog box will appear. Highlight the Toolbar 1 and click on the Customize... Button. You will see the Customize Toolbars dialog box. Scroll down through the categories and highlight the Custom option. Click on and drag the blank button to Toolbar 1. The blank button will dock on the toolbar. Close the Customize Toolbars and the Toolbars dialog boxes. Next double right-click on the blank button you placed on Toolbar 1. You will see the Button Properties dialog box. Name the button Cancel and in the Macro section type the following:

^C^C^C^C

You can edit the look of the button by clicking the Edit button under the Button Icon section of the dialog box. Once you've edited the button icon's
look, click Apply and close the Button Properties window. You are now ready to use your new icon. Start a command and select a few objects, click your
new button and the command should CANCEL.

Using the Shift key to deselect objects of a selection set

Once you have picked a group of entities, no matter what command you're in, there's an easy way to toggle between Remove and Add during selection.
If you accidentally include some items in a selection set while you were in the Add mode, simply hold down the Shift key and select those items that you accidentally included. This operation will Remove those accidentally selected items from the set. Letting go of the Shift key will put you back in the Add mode.

Showing map details in a confined area (AutoCAD R14)

Try using locator "flags" in a congested view on a map for objects that are located in such a way that that they appear to be on top of each other.
This method can be useful in graphically displaying all items in an area rather than creating and maintaining separate layers for all of the different symbols used to represent items in that area. These "flags" are lines that snap to the center of the location of the item they are referencing and then to the center of the item's symbol. In order to see where the item is on the map, zoom in for a closer view. The flag will point directly to the location of the object on the map and then to its corresponding symbol. This way items with a much smaller scale than the full map scale can still be referenced without having to zoom in and out all the time.

Quick Partial Regeneration

AutoCAD has a REGENERATION command that allows you to refresh your drawing on the screen to clean it up after manipulation. While useful, this command can sometimes be tedious because of the time needed for more detailed drawings to regenerate. You can avoid the tedium of the VIEW/REGEN command, and still refresh the drawing on the screen. Delete the drawing on your screen that needs to be regenerated and then issue the EDIT/UNDO command.
Objects recovered from the database are refreshed as they are placed on the screen. This takes much less time than a full regeneration of the view.

How to avoid docking of toolbars for easier placement

AutoCAD allows for generous movement and selection of toolbars for ease in accessing the many commands. The placement of toolbars about the drawing enables quick access to the most frequently used commands. To view the different toolbar options go into the View menu and choose Toolbars....

In order to move toolbars around on the screen there is a click and drag feature that allows you to click on the toolbar border and drag it to a new
position. If you do not wish to have the border docked along the outer edges of the drawing, depress the CNTRL key when you click on the toolbar.
This feature keeps the toolbar accessible, but able to be moved partially off the screen hidden until it is needed. If the CNTRL key is not depressed
when the toolbar is moved, the toolbar will be docked along the side of the drawing.

How to determine the length of an arc

There are two quick ways to determine the length of an arc. The first is to select the arc on the screen and then go into the Modify menu and then
click on Properties. This will bring you to the Properties window for the Arc. In this window, there is a parameter for Arc length.

The second method for determining arc length is to type PEDIT at the command line and then select the arc. Next, choose to turn the arc into a
polyline by typing Y or if <Y> is the default hit [Enter]. You will be presented with options for polylines. Simply type X, if it's not the default to exit this option. Next, type AREA at the command line and hit [Enter]. Then type O for Object as the option and select the arc. The area and length of the arc will be shown.

VIEWRES--Regeneration or Redraw

One feature within AutoCAD Release 14 is the VIEWRES command. This command when typed at the main prompt gives you the choice of selecting fast zooms by typing Y for yes or N for no. If you answer no to this option, AutoCAD will perform regenerations for all of the following: zoom, pan, and view
restore. If you answer yes to fast zooms, AutoCAD will perform zoom, pan and view restore commands at redraw speed. The next choice you will be
presented with is Enter Circle Zoom Percent (1-20,000). The default will be in parenthesis. This option controls the appearance of circles and arcs using short vectors. The larger the number vectors, the smoother the appearance of the circle or arc on the screen. However, it is important to remember the larger the number vectors, the longer it will take for regeneration on the screen. This feature allows you to trade smoothness of appearance for speed.

Using COPYHIST to keep track of previous executed commands

AutoCAD allows you to copy the command line history window to the clipboard by using the COPYHIST command. The command line history is the window just above the command line. This way you can keep track of previous commands already executed in case you want to repeat what you did, or not repeat what you did, or just see what you did. After typing COPYHIST and hitting [Enter], simply go to another windows application and paste in the
information.

Using drawing configurations as a template

First, create a file configuration by setting up your units, dimension variables, and any other set up configurations. Then, choose the Save As feature from the File menu to save your drawing configurations as a template. Templates are stored in the AutoCAD template folder. If you do not want your template removed if you uninstall AutoCAD, then place that file in another location. Now, when you open a new drawing and see the Set up Wizard, choose Use a Template and open the template file you created.

Automating Print to Extents

If you always print to extents on your default printer, try setting up the following macro in a toolbar button. Then, whenever you need to print, click this button and your drawing will print to extents on the default printer.

^C^C_cmddia 0 _plot _E _N _cmddia 1

Ending ZOOM and PAN commands easier

When you're using the PAN command, the normal way of ending it is to right-click, and then choose Exit option from the menu. This procedure must be followed when you go into any of the zoom realtime modes, such as zoom-window, zoom-previous, etc. from PAN pop-up window and when you're using full view print preview.

The easier one-step method, however, is to hit the [Esc] key. The ZOOM command will end without undoing the zoom result. Also, if you right-click before you issue any other command, the ZOOM command is resumed.

Globally changing attribute values (R14)

Part numbers never change, right? Wrong! If you've inserted a block several times into your drawing, and now you need to update some attribute information, you can do that globally using the GATTE bonus tool in R14.
Type GATTE at the command line, now you're asked to choose a block or attribute.  Choose the attribute you want to modify. You'll see the Block name and Attribute Tag name in the command line such as this:

Block: DOOR    Attribute Tag: Part#

and then a prompt for

New Text:

Enter the new part number after this text and press [Enter]. Then, you'll see the following in the command line:

Number of inserts in drawing = (number of times you inserted the block)
Process all of them? <Yes>/No:

You can choose to change all of the tags at one time by selecting yes, or you can change only those you want by selecting no.  If you reply yes, all of the blocks will be updated. If you reply no, you'll be asked to select objects to change. Only those you select will be updated.

Hate to type? - DTEXT made easier

When using the DTEXT command for typing text, you can correct errors you make by using the left arrow key. If you backspace, you erase all of the good typing you've done so far. Use the left arrow and your good text will be preserved.

Use the TEXTFIT bonus tool to make text fit between two points (R14)

If you want to make text fit between two points on your screen use the TEXTFIT bonus tool. When you type TEXTFIT at the command line, you'll be asked to select the text you want to stretch or shrink. Once you select the text, the stretch/shrink line is started at the bottom-left corner of the text (the text's justification point). Move this line to the point
where you want the text to end, either longer or shorter than it is now.
When you pick a second point, the text will adjust.

If you want to choose a new first point for the text instead of using the text's justification point, after invoking TEXTFIT type s instead of picking a new ending point. This will let you start the text at a new point on your screen; you'll then need to select a new ending point. The text will adjust to fit between the two points

Using Windows Explorer to open a block

If you've ever used Windows Explorer and the file and folder search function to look for a block you once made, and then gone back into AutoCAD to open it, you've missed an opportunity. You can simply highlight, drag, and drop that block file from the Windows Explorer to your open drawing session for the block to load into your drawing. This method also works for JPG, TIF and DXF files.

Faster loading of AutoCAD: no logo screen

If you want faster loading of AutoCAD, you can use a command-line switch to eliminate viewing of the AutoCAD logo screen that appears when you start AutoCAD. Simply add the switch /nologo to the command line in the Target text box of the AutoCAD Properties dialog box. To find this box,
click once on the AutoCAD icon to highlight it. Then right-click and select Properties from the menu. You'll see the AutoCAD Properties dialog box. Within the Target text box, type the switch similar to this:

"C:\Program Files\AutoCAD R14\acad.exe" /nologo

Click OK to exit the AutoCAD Properties dialog box. Now when you start AutoCAD, you won't have to wait for the logo screen to display.

Quick calculations at the command line

If you ever need to find a calculation quickly and easily, use the command line to perform the function for you. You don't need to use the Windows calculator.  You can add, subtract, divide, and multiply using the following symbols:

+    Add
-    Subtract
*    Multiply
/    Divide

You need to use the following format for calculations:
(function<space>first number<space>second number).

For example, 2 + 2 would be written (+ 2 2).  All calculations must be enclosed in parentheses. Following the rules of mathematics, anything enclosed in parenthesis is calculated first. The following examples exhibit the use of these formats:

At the command line           Answer
(+ 2 (* 2 4))                           10
(/ 10 2)                                   5
(* (+ 2 2) (/ 4 2))                      8

You can perform any number of calculations this way.

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