Favourite tool, best time saving feature, in AutoCAD

[terryh]

What do you see as your favourite tool, best idea or most time saving feature of Autocad so far?

I would say the combination mouse scroll/pan would be the biggest time saver I can think of and it is just so simple. Remember having to click on the zoom toolbar, or type a command just to navigate around the drawing?

Second would be the tabbed layouts and page setups, followed by the improvements to the printing command.

[Mike.Perry]

Hi "terryh"

Please note I have *moved* this thread from the CAD Mgmt. General (http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=119) forum to this one, as I feel this particular forum is a more appropriate place for such a topic.

Thanks, Mike

Forum Manager

[jgrande26]

I'd have to agree with you about zooming and panning with the mouse. I don't use the zoom toolbar anymore. Even 3D navigation with the mouse is pretty easy once I got the hang of it.

I also like the sheet set manager for managing large projects.

[johan d]

it's not an Autocad tool, but it's definitely the most time saving thing i got my hands on...
www.multibatch.com (http://www.multibatch.com/)

[chadwickt]

What do you see as your favourite tool, best idea or most time saving feature of Autocad so far?

I would say the combination mouse scroll/pan would be the biggest time saver I can think of and it is just so simple. Remember having to click on the zoom toolbar, or type a command just to navigate around the drawing?

Second would be the tabbed layouts and page setups, followed by the improvements to the printing command.

I would have to add the zoom extents through double-clicking the scroll wheel.

I have always loved pressing enter to accept everything as a cutting edge in the trim command, and holding shift to switch to extend.

A newer option I am fond of is holding shift in the fillet or chamfer command to default to a zero radius or chamfer distance.

[jgrande26]

Object snap tracking - no more drawing construction lines or moving things more than once.

[stelthorst]

My new favorite command is M2P.

I'm always needing to draw/insert entities midway between two other objects and M2P has cut down the time for this process considerably.

[joeswantek]

As far as recent creations, I'd have to say that tool palettes have boosted my productivity more than anything else recently. After a minor amount of time setting up and troubleshooting them, they have me flying. And then there's dynamic blocks, they're fantastic!

Now, going back years and years, there's the movement from DOS-based applications to Windows-based operation, and the introduction of toolbars. They're major advancements as well. Anyone else remember them?

For personal enhancement, I have two extra buttons on my trackball programmed to function as the F3 and F8 keys, so I can turn the OSNAP and ORTHO on or off with the click of a mouse. Very handy if you're on the phone and working or holding copy and working at the same time...

[robert.1.hall72202]

As far as recent creations, I'd have to say that tool palettes have boosted my productivity more than anything else recently. After a minor amount of time setting up and troubleshooting them, they have me flying. And then there's dynamic blocks, they're fantastic!

Now, going back years and years, there's the movement from DOS-based applications to Windows-based operation, and the introduction of toolbars. They're major advancements as well. Anyone else remember them?

For personal enhancement, I have two extra buttons on my trackball programmed to function as the F3 and F8 keys, so I can turn the OSNAP and ORTHO on or off with the click of a mouse. Very handy if you're on the phone and working or holding copy and working at the same time...

Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, and Amen!

Don't forget to put the escape key on the programmable mouse.

[slayer913]

Best few things that I've come across I've actually implemented here in the last few months.

Setting up a second monitor has by far gotten me moving much faster. I'm not plotting out hard copies of prints I need to read while drawing anymore, nor am I having to alt+tab between windows nearly at all!

In CAD, LISP routines can eliminate redundant tasks, automate future tasks, and take some of the "footwork" out of getting drawings to the plotter. I use small routines to do everything from Auto centerline / dimension to shorten commands ("cylinder" to "cc").

Praise to dynamic blocks!

And lastly, I got a stand alone number pad that I have programmed custom buttons to. The keypad works with number lock on or off, so with my custom settings, each key has two assignments. Hitting "1" on the pad starts a new drawing, "2" quick saves, "3" plots, etc.

[sschwartz85916]

This is a hard one... so many tools, so little time, well just so many tools. I think the change properties dialog box (being hideable in 2006) has always been the most valuable tool for me, how else can you change so many different things from one box at a time! No more having to "list" things, and pressing F2 to get all of the results.
But, then there is the QuickSelect, now with the scrollable layer option, (It would be even better if you could "Pick" an entity, instead of scrolling thru all of the layers too), you can filter entire drawings, and at the same time, you get information as to what is actually IN the drawings themselves. I have found a number of odd things that I would never end up seeing unless I knew they were there already.
No wait! Maybe also the way the new etransmit works... gives you more control...
How about a top 3?

[Rico]

A few of you may roll your eyes at this but I think Dynamic BLocks have been huge for us in terms of timesaving. No more manually inputing the rotate, flip or mirror commands. One button and done. You can hold so many options in one block and the ability to modify each of them via the properties palette is a huge advantage too.

[arshiel88]

And the best of them all.....is the VBA and AutoCAD Customization. (*thinking if this is a tool or feature*. :D)
Almost all of my time-saving tools were custom-made from simple macro to a more complicated VBA Project. They just make my life easier.

[Cadtharsis]

I get a lot of use out of the ALIGN command. Love it. LOVE IT.
Also dynamics blocks are sweet, but we're still on 2005 here.

[StephenJ]

I think there have been so many excellent changes, too many to list them all. I really notice the improvements when I have to use an older version. It seems that you have covered the newer improvements so I though I would list some of the older ones that have stuck out in my mind since release 10.

- Switching from DOS to Windows/Mac
- bonus/express menus (haven't used old lisps since they were incorporated into program)
- Updating print/plot command and streamlining it to work with windows drivers
- The ability to not have to type @"distance"<"angle"
- Improved properties dialog
- dialog boxes
- polar tracking
- object snaps
- x-refs
- refedit
- view ports
- multiple sessions
- improved hatching
- vertical products (ADT/ LDD/...)
... i'll stop, if not i'll end up naming 90% of the newer functions...

... a few I disliked were blipmode, lineweights, autodesk today, and layer manager

[CADNate]

My favourite tools are the aliases, I can have one hand on the mouse drawing and the other hand on the keyboard peaking out commands.

[Coolmo]

My favorite "tool" is actually hardware. I still use the Calcomp Drawingboard III as my pointing device so that I can have ALL of my tools on the tablet. That way, my drawing screen size is completely maximized and I can pretty much click on the tool "grid" in my sleep now since I've been using it for about 13 years. I barely have to even look at the tablet to pick a tool. I also have 16 buttons to choose from on the puck with various tools associated. The only AutoCAD toolbar I have up is the "Layers" toolbar just to see what my current layer is.

[Brian Myers]

My own top 10 (added since I started using the program):

10.) Attributes
9.) Dynamic Input (Combination of on-screen drawing and removal of command line need).
8.) Text Editing (ddedit)
7.) Crossing Window
6.) Improved Hatching
5.) Grips
4.) Windows Based Toolbars (aka Goodbye Digitizer)
3.) Paper Space
2.) Tool Palettes
1.) Properties Dialog.. goodbye need for the Change command and a variety of other options.

[David Harrington]

The best time saving command in AutoCAD? CLOSE of course!

[rgorman]

Why, the most used command of all:

UNDO!!!!

[Paul Munford]

object tracking... It isn't there in CAD LT, and boy do I miss it...

[robert.1.hall72202]

Why, the most used command of all:

UNDO!!!!

Are you sure it isn't escape?

[Rico]

Are you sure it isn't escape?
Or OOPS! :D

[sschwartz85916]

Ok, I want to add the REFERENCE MANAGER to my list of Favorite AutoCAD stuff. I swear no one listens to me when I say DON'T SAVE XREF PATHS!

:shock: