HyperPics: Beyond the UI

Command List Updated for AutoCAD R12 through AutoCAD 2009

No, the above title is not incorrect.  I have updated the Command list on my website to now list all of the new or changed commands in AutoCAD 2009.  It is amazing to see all the commands back to AutoCAD R12 with those that are still in AutoCAD 2009 today and the ones that have been added along the way.  As for the System Variables list for AutoCAD, the work is well under way, but will take a little while to complete it as there is more information that is contained in that list than just which system variables are available and in which release.  Hope you enjoy the walk through history.

Command List - http://www.hyperpics.com/commands

For more about past versions of AutoCAD, check out Shaan Hurley's Unofficial AutoCAD History Page.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Blog Roundup

What happens when you take "1 Part CAD Site" and mix it (not shake it) with "1 Part AutoCAD RSS Feed Aggregator" or for those that know AutoLISP (+ "CAD Site" "AutoCAD RSS Feed Aggregator")?  I'm not sure, but if it was possible to derive a solution from the formula I am sure you would get something close to CADtutor.net.  While I have often visited CADtutor.net it wasn't until recently that I discovered that the site was aggregating many of the commonly visited AutoCAD and CAD related blogs in the industry.  It is a great way to keep up to date on what is happening in the industry as well as learn new tips and tricks about AutoCAD and other programs that you might use.  The link to the AutoCAD RSS Feed page on CADTutor.net is below:

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=38

Michael's Corner is also a great section of CADtutor.net to visit as well.  He has been writing a monthly column on various aspects of AutoCAD since 2003, with the exception of January of 2008 when he spent a few weeks away on vacation when I filled in for him.  Michael is a great guy and is always willing to help AutoCAD users when he can.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Have an urge for what's new with AutoCAD?

Do you have a craving for some turkey... I know I do this time of the year, but do you find yourself wanting an extra helping of mash potatoes and gravy or a new install of AutoCAD?  Tough choices I know, but the last thing many think about this time of year is a new release of AutoCAD coming, but there are some of us that just can't get enough of what Autodesk is working on next.  Getting just a glimpse at what the next release brings can help you plan for what features you might benefit from most, and to start the gears in motion on how to implement them.

If you want a glimpes into the future, (and no I don't mean via the time machine I have in my basement), but rather AutoCAD you can sign up for the Beta program at the MyFeedback portal.  To find out more, head on over to Shaan Hurley's Between the Lines blog to learn more about beta testing the next release of AutoCAD and other beta testing opportunities.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Mail Bag - Why do some commands support the use of additional characters in front of their names, and others do not?

The Mail Bag has become one of my favorite new little segments on my blog, and by the number of comments that I have been getting it looks like many others agree as well.  In today's Mail Bag, a reader has a question about why there are some commands that have an additional character in front of their names and there is the same command with out that additional character.  For example, to plot a drawing you would use the PLOT command, but there is also a -PLOT command.  Both the PLOT and -PLOT command allow you to plot a drawing, but to get to the final output from the command the process is a little bit different.  The PLOT command displays a dialog box under normal situations, while the -PLOT command displays a series of command prompts to help plot a drawing.  Below is a listing of a few characters that you might encounter when creating your own macros, or when you are trying to create a basic script to automate AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT.

- (Hyphen) - Command displays command prompts instead of a dialog box, in most cases the commands that support a version of the command are ones that display a dialog box.  A few examples are the -PLOT vs. PLOT, -LAYER vs. LAYER, and -ARRAY vs. ARRAY commands.

+ (Plus) - There are a couple different types of commands that use the plus symbol in front of commands.  The most common commands that have a plus symbol in front of their name are the ones with tabs, such as the Options dialog box or UCS dialog box.  A few examples are the +OPTIONS vs. OPTIONS, +DSETTINGS vs. DSETTINGS, and +UCSMAN vs. UCSMAN commands.  When the +OPTIONS is typed at the command line the prompt Tab index <0>: is displayed.  If you want to display the User Preferences tab you would enter a value of 5, the leftmost tab is 0.  Another version of a command that can use the plus symbol is the variation of the PUBLISH command.  If a plus is placed in front of the command you are able to browse and select an existing DSD file from a standard file navigation dialog box.

' (Apostrophe) - The apostrophe symbol is used by some commands that can be used while another command is already in progress, in this state a command is known as a transparent command.  Most commands can not be used transparently when other commands are running.  The most commonly used commands that are used transparently are ZOOM, PAN, and -VIEW.  There are many other commands that can be used transparently, as well and those are often used to control entity property settings such as COLOR, LTYPE, and SETVAR.  To use a command transparently, simply start another command that displays a command prompt such as the LINE command, and then enter 'ZOOM at the command prompt while the LINE command is still in progress.  AutoCAD indicates that you are in a transparent command with the display of >> in front of the command prompt.  Once the transparent command has ended or been cancelled you are returned to the previous command prompt of the original command, in the example it is the LINE command.

Command: l
LINE Specify first point: 'zoom

>>Specify corner of window, enter a scale factor (nX or nXP), or
[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>:

>>Press ESC or ENTER to exit, or right-click to display shortcut menu.

Resuming LINE command.
Specify first point:
Specify next point or [Undo]:

For additional information on what commands can be used transparently, which ones support a hyphen or simply a list of all commands in AutoCAD use the links below.

Transparent AutoCAD Commands
Hyphened AutoCAD Commands
AutoCAD Command Reference (R12 through 2007)

Another create feature when wanting to learn about what commands and system variables in AutoCAD is the AutoComplete feature at the command prompt.  It allows you to find a command that you only remember the first few letters of.  To use AutoComplete, type in the first few letters at the command prompt and press the TAB key until you find the command you are looking for.  So if you wanted to know all of the commands that can use the + (plus) symbol, you can type the + symbol and then press Tab until you cycle through all the commands or until you found the one that you are interested in.

For some additional information on the AutoComplete feature see the links below:
Forgot a Command's Name, Now What?
What Was That AutoCAD System Variable or Command?

Got a question that you are looking for an answer to, send me an e-mail and I will be more than happy to help you out.  Use the Email Me link below the About section on this page or click here.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Documents on the AutoCAD 2007 Install CD

Many of us are users of AutoCAD, but how many of you actually see and hold the install CD for AutoCAD?  If I was to guess, I would have to say well below half of all users actually ever see the AutoCAD install CD, mainly it is the CAD manager or IT personnel that see the install CD in the corporate environment.  The AutoCAD install CD includes PDF documents on it that are not available through the install, and if you are on subscription you might have gotten the Build Your World book which covers many of the new conceptual and visualization tools that are new to AutoCAD 2007.  If you are under subscription and are using a network install, most likely your company received a single CD and a single hardcopy of the Build Your World book, which is hard to share with everyone in the office so often the book is tossed into someone's overhead bin never to be seen again.

The install CD not only includes a PDF version of the Build Your World book, but also has the other guides which include the User Guide, Command Reference Guide, and even the Customization Guide, among others in PDF format.  While all these documents are available in the online help, they are not easy to print from the online help if you wanted an entire section.  If you are like me, I prefer to read a hardcopy version of content at times over an electronic version so I can make notes on it for future reference and place it in a resource binder.  If you are a die hard individual that wants the PDF in hardcopy, you could print the entire thing out yourself or you could purchase a hardcopy of the PDF as a book directly from Autodesk through their eStore.

If you can get a copy of the CD, the PDF files are located under the Documentation tab on the Media Browser but if you can't get the CD, contact your CAD Manager or IT staff to have the files copied from the Docs folder on the CD from under Bin\acadFeui folder off the root to a network location.  Then you will have access the all the documentation that was shipped with AutoCAD.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Out with Some More Old and In with Some More New

As I continue to purge out a lot of my older formatted web pages and roll in the new look and design, I keep an eye on ways to better streamline the content that I develop and deliver through my website.  One of the newest sections of the site to get a face lift is the AutoLISP functions listing, while it is not fully converted over yet, the information under the section is much easier to view and access now.

The information on the pages will be morphing in the future to include references to sample code that I have on my site for download.  By linking the two resources together, it will help users that are new to AutoLISP and want to learn a little more about the functions that are in a routine that I offer, and for those of you that are looking to enhance your existing programs with some new code. Let me know if you have any ideas that would help to improve the site and the content further.

Click here to access the new AutoLISP Functions area on HyperPics.com.

Sincerely,
  Lee

Using Icon Switches with AutoCAD 2007

Icon switches (or command line switches) are often a forget method of customizing AutoCAD to gain some additional productivity benefits.  Did you know you could use an icon switch to specify the default profile or drawing template that AutoCAD starts up with when you double-click on the desktop icon.  Maybe you have been trying to figure out a way to specify a specific workspace to be displayed when you start up AutoCAD, wonder no more.  Icon switches allow you to do those things and much more with AutoCAD 2007.  AutoCAD has supported icon switches for along time now, since about R14.  To learn more about the icon switches in AutoCAD 2007 and previous release, click the link to access the AutoCAD Icon Switches PDF file from HyperPics.com.  The PDF file includes information about all the different icon switches available, and even a short tutorial on how to modify a desktop icon to use the icon switches.

Mail Bag - How can I align text when creating a new text object in AutoCAD?

I recently got an e-mail about how you could align a new text object vertically based on existing text object that already exists in the drawing.  Most people and I am among them, often create a text object and then align it with an existing text object, but you can cut down on having to start the Move command and picking a base point and then a second point by using point filters or object snap tracking based on your preference to align text objects.

Note: How the text objects align is based on the current text alignment of the new text object and the existing text object.

Using Object Snap Tracking to Align Text Vertically

1. Before you start creating a new text object, turn on the Insertion object snap and enable object snap tracking by clicking the OTRACK button on the status bar.
2. Start the DTEXT or MTEXT command.
3. At the Specify start point of text or Specify first corner prompt, hover over the text object's Insertion point.  You should see a vector is displayed vertically from the Insertion point which allows you to specify a point along that vector path.
   
4. Enter a distant to specify a new point, or simply click along the vector.
5. Once the start point or first corner has been specified you can finish the command like you normally would.

Using Point Filters to Align Text Vertically

1. Start the DTEXT or MTEXT command.
2. At the Specify start point of text or Specify first corner prompts, enter .X and press Enter.  You could also hold down the SHIFT key, right-click and select Point Filters >> .X.
3. At the prompt .X of, enter INS and press Enter.  You could also hold down the SHIFT key, right-click and select Insert.
4. Select the Insertion point of the text object you want to vertically align with, and then pick a second point to determine the Y coordinate value.
5. Once the start point or first corner has been specified you can finish the command like you normally would.

Alternatively, you could also use AutoLISP to simplify the process even further.  Belolw is a very basic example that simply starts the DTEXT command based on the insertion point of a selected text object.  The example lacks some error checking and is designed just to show a conceptual way of how to align text vertically or horizontally with other text object that already exists in a drawing.

(defun c:AlignVertically ( / ent ent_data pt-align)
  (if (setq ent (entsel "\nSelect a text object to align vertically with: "))
    (progn
      (setq ent_data (entget (car ent)))
      (if (setq pt-align (getpoint (cdr (assoc 10 ent_data)) "\nSpecify start point: "))
        (command ".dtext" pt-align)
        (prompt "\nNo Point selected.")
      )
    )
    (prompt "\nNo object selected.")
  )
(princ)
)

Sincerely,
  Lee

AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD 2007 based products coming

Well its no secret that AutoCAD is on an anual release cycle and with that in mind, AutoCAD 2007 is just around the corner. Today markes the first day that beta sites can only talk about the up and coming AutoCAD 2007 product. No don't ask what takes place during the beta program as we are not allowed to talk about that.  If you want to know what happens during a beta program, feel free to sign up at the My Feedback portal that Autodesk hosts.

I have been busy working on projects related to AutoCAD 2007 for many months now and have not had a lot of time to gather some nice documents to display on the website or my blog, but a good friend and great author Ellen Finkelstein took a break from writing an update to the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Bible to put some stuff together though.  You can read about some of the many new and exciting features on Ellen's website at http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/autoCAD.html.

Yes, I have time for one quick question.

Question in the back row: Will you be updating the guides that you maintain for AutoCAD 2007?

Yes, I will start posting some stuff over the next few days on What's New in the new release, and will work on getting some of my guides updated that I publish with each new release. That's all the time I have for questions as I need to get some of my projects out the door.

Sincerely,
  Lee

AutoCAD Tip: Clipping Blocks

The command XCLIP is known as "Xref clip", but many might not know that XCLIP can be used to clip block what objects are displayed. To clip a block, start the XCLIP command by entering it at the command line or selecting Xref from the Modify menu > Clip. Select the block and follow the prompts to create a new boundary that should be used to clip the block.

This is how the SUPERHATCH command that is part of Express Tools works. It determines how the objects in a block can be placed within a given boundary and then clips the objects that don't fit nicely in that boundary. SUPERHATCH is a great command for creating custom hatch patterns based on images, blocks, wipeout objects, and xrefs. SUPERHATCH can be found under the Express menu > Draw > Super Hatch.

Sincerely,
  Lee