Favorite customizations

[Robert.Hall]

What are your favorite customizations that you have done in AutoCad??
Thought I would start this thread because I am currently looking into
customizing AutoCad (wow, I have free time). Curious what macros, menu items, tool buttons, and lisp routines have been some of everyones favorites. I am also thinking about adding some attributes to titleblocks. Any helpful tips and tricks would be appreciated.

[mjfarrell]

While adding those attributes to your title block
look at using some of these new FIELD entities.

One of my favorites, a toolbar that
reads the current viewport scale
and toggles ltscale to that when
switching to model space, so my
leaders and dimensions don't point
to gaps in patterned lines.
It then returns ltscale on return to paper
space.

Go ahead and include named page setups
for all your plot devices in your template.

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Please note I've *moved* this thread from the AutoCAD General (http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=120) Forum to this one as I feel this particular Forum is a more appropriate place for such a topic.

Thanks, Mike

Forum Moderator

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

To get the ball rolling, here are few threads worth a read (there are many more within the Forums) -

Creating Templates - Where to begin? (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=5934&highlight=Tutorial)

Learning Lisp (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=4657)

Using LISP routines in 2005 pallets (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=5021)

Transfering Toolbars (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=5245)

Trying to find additional Linetypes for AutoCad 2005 (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=7063)

Display a proper civil scale for a viewport (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=4240)

Setting up a Sheet Set (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=4208)

+

Have you checked out the Customization articles within AUGIWorld (http://www.augi.com/publications/default.asp?page=63) & AUGI HotNews (http://www.augi.com/publications/hotnews.asp?page=64).

+

A browse/search through the AUGI Exchange should prove useful -

AUGI Exchange Search Page (http://www.augi.com/exchange/search.asp?page=415)

+

Might think about signing up to the following ATP course, starts in September (if you haven't already) -

ATP 043 Customizing Menus in AutoCAD 2004 (http://www.augi.com/education/schedule.asp?page=292)

Have a good one, Mike

[michael.12445]

We found dimensioning really hard to cope with, especially in an architectural office that hires recent graduates with minimal AutoCAD experience. Once we finally figured out the settings for all the dimension variables, and how to use the parent - child mechanism to work with the pull-down menu, we made a LISP file to set every dimension variable correctly, based on the scale at which the drawing will be plotted, and call the DIMSTYLE command to set up the child styles. This gives us dimensioning without tears.

We also found it very useful to make a button that lets you click on an xref in a drawing, and then opens that file (we're using 2002 - I think they added this capability to 2004).

Michael Evans

[Robert.Hall]

We found dimensioning really hard to cope with, especially in an architectural office that hires recent graduates with minimal AutoCAD experience. Once we finally figured out the settings for all the dimension variables, and how to use the parent - child mechanism to work with the pull-down menu, we made a LISP file to set every dimension variable correctly, based on the scale at which the drawing will be plotted, and call the DIMSTYLE command to set up the child styles. This gives us dimensioning without tears.

We also found it very useful to make a button that lets you click on an xref in a drawing, and then opens that file (we're using 2002 - I think they added this capability to 2004).

Michael Evans


That sounds like a good idea. Often I get customer data that is not set to my dimension settings. It would really be great if I had a routine to set the dimension settings for me.
Good advice.

[Robert.Hall]

Hi

Please note I've *moved* this thread from the AutoCAD General (http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=120) Forum to this one as I feel this particular Forum is a more appropriate place for such a topic.

Thanks, Mike

Forum Moderator

Thats peachy, although it doesn't look like too many people browse this folder. :-(

[Mike.Perry]

Thats peachy, although it doesn't look like too many people browse this folder. :-(Hi

That may be the case at the moment, but we need to encourage people to use the most appropriate Forum (not necessarily the one that has the most traffic).

Over time this will have great benefit to all Members as information will be stored in the most relevant place (generally speaking) therefore making such things as searching a lot more intuitive....

Have a good one, Mike

[jaberwok]

We found dimensioning really hard to cope with, especially in an architectural office that hires recent graduates with minimal AutoCAD experience. Once we finally figured out the settings for all the dimension variables, and how to use the parent - child mechanism to work with the pull-down menu, we made a LISP file to set every dimension variable correctly, based on the scale at which the drawing will be plotted, and call the DIMSTYLE command to set up the child styles. This gives us dimensioning without tears.

We also found it very useful to make a button that lets you click on an xref in a drawing, and then opens that file (we're using 2002 - I think they added this capability to 2004).

Michael Evans

We just copy and paste a correct dimension from an old drawing into the new one.

John B

[michael.12445]

We just copy and paste a correct dimension from an old drawing into the new one.

We tried that, too. We kept getting fouled up because it works only if there isn't already a dimension style of the same name in the new drawing. If there is, the settings for the pasted-in dimension will be ignored. This can happen if the new drawing was begun using "Save As" on an exisitng drawing, or if other entities or blocks have already been pasted in to the new drawing.

However, if everyone can be careful enough always to start new drawings using File > New, and a given template, copying and pasting a correct dimension would be an easy way to get the dimensioning you want.

Michael Evans