HyperPics: Beyond the UI

20% Discount Offer through Wiley.com

Are you looking for a new AutoCAD, Viz, 3ds Max, or Maya book for that perfect holiday gift?  If you are, Wiley.com is currently running a special pretty much until the end of the year that gets you 20% off the following books through Wiley.com. Some of the books at listed below that Wiley offers, and during check out just enter the discount code 77061 (discount does not apply to journals or encyclopedias). You might need to reference Autodesk University as the convention when filling out the order.

AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies (0471-752606)
AutoCAD 2007 for Dummies (0471-786497)
AutoCAD 2006 for Dummies (0764-589253)
AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007 Bible (0471-788864)
AutoCAD 2006 and AutoCAD LT 2006 Bible (0764-596756)
Just Enough AutoCAD 2007 (0470-008784)
AutoCAD: Professional Tips and Techniques (0470-084545)
The Architect's Guide to the U.S. National CAD Standard (0471-703788)

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

Mail Bag - When sharing a CUI file, why do the icons not appear correctly?

Time to respond to another piece of mail, <swish swish> this one comes from the middle of the bag and has a question about sharing CUI files, but mainly with sharing those cool icons that someone spent time making for their custom commands. The issue is that when associating images to a command in the Customize User Interface editor, by default the images that are assigned to a command in CUI are listed as absolute paths which doesn't work the best when sharing CUI files with custom images; especially if a change is made to the CUI file after you gave them the MNR file.

The best solution when creating a custom command is to only have the file name and extension in the Small Image and Large Image fields, instead of the absolute path to the file.  If the images don't reside in the specific spot called out in the CUI file, AutoCAD gets rather confused (meaning the Clouds with a Question Mark appears on the toolbar for the commands that have missing icons).  Below are a few rules to go by to help avoid the dreaded "Cloud of Mystery" icon in AutoCAD when sharing customization files, at least its not the sinister looking smiley any more; curse you Mr. Smiley and those sunglasses of yours.

Rules to go by when assigning icons to custom commands:

1. Assign the image using just the file name and extension, and if you want to you can also use relative paths as well.  AutoCAD simply searches all of its support paths based on the file name and/or relative path that is provided with the assigned image.
   
   Such as:
   Myicon.bmp
   icons\Myicon.bmp
   
   The Icons folder that is mentioned above is an Icons folder that is located under a support path that is already part of AutoCAD's Support File Search Path.
2. Place the images in a safe place other than your My Documents folder. Usually on a networked location if you are sharing the CUI file with multiple individuals or if you work by yourself you can place the images in a specific folder so you can migrate them easily to a future release, such as Icons under C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2007\R17.0\enu\Support. If you place your images in a folder other than Icons, make sure to add the path to AutoCAD's Support File Search Path under the Files tab of the Options dialog box.
3. Alternatively, you can create a resource DLL that contains the images that are specific to your CUI file. If you create a resource DLL for your menu, it should be placed in the same directory as your menu and have the same name. So if your CUI file is named MyCUI.cui, the resource DLL should be named MyCUI.dll. There are many ways to create the resource DLL, but commonly they are created with Visual Basic or Visual C++.

These changes to the way you assign and manage your images for custom commands will help when sharing customization files and make migrating much easier for future releases.

Sincerely,
  Lee

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

Double Clicking a Dimension to Open the Text Editor - AutoCAD 2007

I just recently read through AUGI 's Top Ten Wish List for AutoCAD and noticed that number 8 on the list can be achieved with AutoCAD 2007 using the Customize User Interface (CUI) editor.  The number 8 with is to be able to double click on a dimension to open the text editor.  By default double clicking on a dimension opens the Properties palette which is nice, but in some cases not exactly the designed outcome.  AutoCAD 2007 introduced the ability to edit the action that happens when you double click on an object in the drawing window through the CUI editor.  I have included the steps to do this, and if you want to do something other than open the Properties palette or start the DDEDIT command you can create a custom command or AutoLISP file to use instead.

Modifying a Double Click Action in AutoCAD 2007

1. Start the CUI editor, click Tools >> Customize >> Interface or type in CUI at the command prompt.
    
2. In the Customizations In pane, click the plus sign next to Double Click Actions.
    
3. In the Command List pane at the bottom, look for the command Edit.
   
   Tip: Click in the Command List pane and press 'E' on the keyboard to jump to the commands that begins with that letter.  You can enter more than one of the first letters of the command if you enter them really quickly to get even closer to the command you are looking for.
    
4. Select the Edit command in the Command List pane and while holding down the left mouse button, drag the command to the Dimensions node (item) under Double Click Actions in the Customizations In pane. Release the mouse when Dimensions is highlighted to replace the Properties command with the Edit command.
   
   
    
5. Click OK to save and apply the changes.
    
6. Open a drawing with a dimension in it or create a new drawing and add a dimension to it.
    
7. Double-click the dimension object and the In-place Editor starts.

For more information on AUGI's Top Ten Wish List for AutoCAD visit AUGI.com.  AUGI is one of the best peer-to-peer sites out there for Autodesk products.

Sincerely,
  Lee

AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies Book is Released

The AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies book has just been released and can be picked up at your favorite local bookstore or on the Internet from a site like BarnesandNobles.com or Amazon.com.  Like other books in the Dummies series, this book gives you the information that you need in order to quickly get up speed on new features if you are an existing user, or if you are a new user to AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT you will find the step-by-step approach helpful in learning the program much quicker.  The book covers AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007, and weighs in at over 800 pages.  The book is broken down into 10 sub books that cover specific topics which allow you to find the information that you are looking for in a short period of time.

Click on the following links to read excerpts from the book:
Read Excerpt 1 (PDF)
Read Excerpt 2 (PDF)
Read Excerpt 3 (PDF)

Below is a listing of the 10 sub books and the chapters that can be found in each one:

Book I: AutoCAD Basics.
  Chapter 1: Drawing on (and in) AutoCAD.
  Chapter 2: Navigating the AutoCAD Interface.
  Chapter 3: All about Files.
  Chapter 4: Basic Tools.
  Chapter 5: Setting Up Drawings.
  Chapter 6: Precision Tools.

Book II: 2D Drafting.
  Chapter 1: Drawing Objects.
  Chapter 2: Modifying Objects.
  Chapter 3: Managing Views.

Book III: Annotating Drawings.
  Chapter 1: Text: When Pictures Just Won’t Do.
  Chapter 2: Dimensioning.
  Chapter 3: Hatching Your Drawings.

Book IV: LT Differences.
  Chapter 1: The LT Difference.
  Chapter 2: Extending AutoCAD LT.
  Chapter 3: Mixed Environments.

Book V: 3D Modeling.
  Chapter 1: Introducing the Third Dimension.
  Chapter 2: Using the 3D Environment.
  Chapter 3: Viewing in 3D.
  Chapter 4: Moving from 2D to 3D.
  Chapter 5: Working with Solids.
  Chapter 6: Working with Surfaces.
  Chapter 7: Rendering: Lights, Cameras, AutoCAD!

Book VI: Advanced Drafting.
  Chapter 1: Playing with Blocks.
  Chapter 2: Dynamic Blocks.
  Chapter 3: External References.
  Chapter 4: Organizing Your Drawings.
  Chapter 5: AutoCAD Utilities.

Book VII: Publishing Drawings.
  Chapter 1: Page Setup.
  Chapter 2: Sheet Sets without Regret.
  Chapter 3: Print, Plot, Publish.

Book VIII: Collaboration.
  Chapter 1: CAD Management: The Necessary Evil.
  Chapter 2: CAD Standards.
  Chapter 3: Working with Drawing Files.
  Chapter 4: Sharing Electronic Files.

Book IX: Customizing AutoCAD.
  Chapter 1: The Basics of Customizing AutoCAD.
  Chapter 2: Customizing the Interface.
  Chapter 3: Customizing the Tools.
  Chapter 4: Delving Deeper into Customization.

Book X: Programming AutoCAD.
  Chapter 1: The AutoCAD Programming Interfaces.
  Chapter 2: Using Custom Programs.
  Chapter 3: Introducing AutoLISP.
  Chapter 4: Visual Basic for AutoCAD.

This book was an absolute joy to write for my first published work through a publisher, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.  Now what are you waiting for, go grab a cup of Starbucks (or a favorite drink of your's) and get a copy of the AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies Book.  After you pick up a copy of the book, it would be great to hear from you.

Sincerely,
  Lee

New AutoCAD 2007 for Dummies Books

I just got my copy of the AutoCAD 2007 for Dummies book that covers AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007, so which indicates that the book is coming to a store near you (or website if you like shopping online).  The AutoCAD 2007 for Dummies book is about 400 pages of easy reading on AutoCAD, which itself is not by the far stretch of the imagination a lightweight topic.  I was the technical editor once again on this project and enjoyed reading it from cover to cover.  There are not many technical books that I read from cover to cover, but this is one of them and I do think it is worth picking up a copy of the book.

Well of course you could always wait for the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies to come out in the next few months.  The All-in-One book covers both AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007, and is about 800 pages of pure AutoCAD bliss in the Dummies format.  The latest edition of the AutoCAD Bible by Ellen Finkelstein is also coming out soon as well.  All of these books are published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Update (8/16/06): Both the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies and the AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007 Bible are both now available for purchase.

Sincerely,
  Lee

New AutoCAD/AutoCAD LT 2007 Books Coming

Each March Autodesk brings us a new release of AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT or other AutoCAD based products.  Shortly after the release of the products, new editions of books start making their way to Amazon or a bookstore shelf near you; this year is no different.  There are three books that I am looking forward to seeing in their final format, and that is because I have had the pleasure of participating in the projects one way or another.  Two of these books are revisions to established books, while there is a new entry in the mix this year.  These books are to be published by Wiley and fall under the Bible and Dummies series, and should be available between the months of May through July.  What could be better than being outside with a new book, your copy of AutoCAD and a wireless connection sitting near the pool?  OK maybe that is my idea of a fun day in the sub, but these are all great books to pick up and learn about the new features, or if you are new to AutoCAD all together.

AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD LT 2007 Bible by Ellen Finkelstein

AutoCAD 2007 for Dummies by David Byrnes and Mark Middlebrook

AutoCAD & AutoCAD LT All-in-One Reference for Dummies by David Byrnes and Lee Ambrosius

Update (8/16/06): All three books are currently available for purchase from your favorite online or local bookstore.

Sincerely,
  Lee