Read and Suggest AutoCAD Tips

AutoCAD's Divide Command 
I love the DIVIDE command AutoCAD. This is one that I use very often. I became real familiar with the DIVIDE command when I was hired to draw …

Using AutoCAD's Reference Manager 
If you have ever used XREF's I am sure that you have realized a couple of things. First they are great when used correctly and can greatly help in keeping …

AutoCAD Commands You May Not Know About 
AutoCAD is a lot like having cable TV. You may have 150 channels available to you but if you are anything like me and my family you only watch about …

AutoCAD – Inputting Survey Bearings 
Once in a while I will be asked to draw a site plan from scratch. It is easy enough to go on the internet and find and aerial shot of the site you want, …

Using Images in Autocad 
Using Images in AutoCAD... Well now that you have an image attached what do you do with it? Please visit attaching images in AutoCAD to see how I've …

Using AutoCAD's Etransmit Command 
AutoCAD's Etransmit command is a great tool for keeping your outgoing files organized. I think we can all agree that outsourcing work is becoming more …

Automatic Text Numbering in AutoCAD 
We have all been nearly finished with a floor plan only to find out that we have missed a door number or a room number. Automatic Text Numbering …

Cleaning Up Third Party AutoCAD Drawings with the Export Command 
Have you ever received an AutoCAD file from another office that is bogged down information you don't need. Every discipline imaginable has been added …

AutoCAD Quick Select Command 
QSELECT is an AutoCAD command that I started using a few versions back. It is a command that lets you filter specific items out of the whole …

Why Use Paper Space in AutoCAD? 
The first tip for this month is one that has confounded many AutoCAD users for years. What is Paper Space and why should I use it? Now I know that …

AutoCAD Snap “From” 
AutoCAD snap “FROM” is another one of those snap options that I just love and use often. The FROM snap option allows you to move an object a specific …

AutoCAD Snap to Mid Between 2 Points 
AutoCAD's Snap to Mid Between 2 Points is a snap option that I use all the time. I love this option. Before AutoCAD had this snap option, I …

Does F1 really help in AutoCAD? 
Does F1 really help in AutoCAD? Have you ever been just cruising along in a drawing; you know in a groove making great progress but you issue the …

The CONVERTPSTYLES Command in AutoCAD 
What does the CONVERTPSTYLES Command in AutoCAD do? In our office we use a “Color Dependent” plot style when plotting. “Color dependent” is just what …

AutoCAD - Border Poly or bpoly command 
If you have several segments with overshoots as shown in the image attached and you want to clear the overshoots and make a closed polygon, you will probably …

Attaching Images in Autocad 
Attaching Images in AutoCAD can be very useful. Whether you are trying to show an existing condition or you need to convert a hard copy drawing into an …

Send AutoCAD Hatching to Back 
Our office uses the AutoCAD 2004 program. We work in the landscape industry and make use of various hatches constantly. There are times when I hatch …

AutoCAD Isolate Object Command 
I do quite a bit of 3D work and one of the handiest tools I've found if you have a lot of congestion where you are working is the isolate object …

AutoCAD – Multiple Entity Stretch 
For this TIP you need to have the Express Tools installed. One of the commands that I use all the time is the STRETCH. Sometimes it is a challenge …

Custom AutoCAD Button Design 
The robust and open architecture of the AutoCAD platform enables the user to customize each command. Right clicking on any button, will allow the user …

Converting .pdf's to .dwgs Not rated yet
I get a LOT of plans from clients where they used some cad program that will only create .pdf files or they found a plan on a site and it came to them …

What's in YOUR Acad.lsp file?? Not rated yet
I've been working on mine for over 20 years. Some of the commands were project specific, some I use all the time. I basically keep my left hand on the …

Polar Tracking in AutoCAD Not rated yet
I personally think that one of the best changes that AutoCAD has come out with in recent revisions is POLAR TRACKING. POLAR TRACKING lets you …

Recovering an Autosaved Drawing in AutoCAD Not rated yet
This tip is a follow up to the Using Autosave in AutoCAD tip previously posted. Now that you have Autosave set up properly you should be feeling pretty …

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Using Autosave in AutoCAD Not rated yet
This next tip is one that is imperative for every AutoCAD user to know and utilize. Using the Autosave feature not only "just makes sense" it can …

Using AutoLISP Files in AutoCAD Not rated yet
I started using AutoCAD way back on version 12 and like many users I was always looking for a way to make myself more efficient and utilize AutoCAD to …

AutoCAD 2011 Express Tools Not rated yet
AutoCAD Express tools in Version 2011. A viewport can be rotated if the system variable VPROTATEASSOC = 1. When converting lines to polylines try this …

Using Layer Filters in AutoCAD Not rated yet
I have found that some people like to use a lot of layers in AutoCAD. I typically try to keep my layers to a minimum but on occasion I get a little overloaded …

The AutoCAD XCLIP Command Not rated yet
Clipping XREF’s in AutoCAD can be a productive tool. If you have been using XREFs, or if you read the previous tip , you may be getting used to them. …

Using XREFs in AutoCAD Not rated yet
The Benefit of Using XREF’s in AutoCAD...How many times have you been working for weeks on a project and you finally think you have it completed? You …

AutoCAD Burst Command Not rated yet
AutoCAD's "Burst" is another very useful command. There have been many times when I get drawing from a client where they have used a lot of attributes. …

AutoCAD Trim and Extend Not rated yet
AutoCAD's "Trim and Extend" is another option that I use all the time. I love this option. When AutoCAD first came out these were two separate commands, …

Various AutoCAD Tips Not rated yet
My only suggestion is rather than using the “None” selection, I find it quicker to toggle F3 that turns the snaps on and off. Yes, it’s not a single …

AutoCAD – Using Fields Not rated yet
For this TIP I will assume that you are familiar with the MTEXT command. If your office is anything like the one I work in then there is at least one …

The EXPLODE TEXT feature in AutoCAD's Express Tools Not rated yet
The EXPLODE TEXT feature in AutoCAD's Express Tools, is a nifty little tool when it comes to creating 3D text. There have been times when I'm …

AutoCAD Change Space Not rated yet
I enjoy working in Paper Space. I know some don't but I think that is just because for some it is a hard concept to grasp (but once you get it you will …

AutoCAD "Last Entity" Not rated yet
When you want to refer the last entity on the visible area of AutoCAD, you usually use "last" ("l" as a shortcut). For example, when you give "move" …

AutoCAD - Importing Texts Not rated yet
If you have a file with extension "txt" which contains text strings which you want to import in AutoCAD as text entities, just don't bother to open the …

Command Line Input by Copy Paste Not rated yet
If you have coordinates and parameters of any geometry in some formats like a csv file, Microsoft Excel or Access and if you want to create that geometries …