AutoCAD Tips & Tricks for Civil Engineers

Lynn AllenCadalyst columnist & Autodesk Technical Evangelist

2 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

The New Sheet Set Manager (SSM) organizes for You!

Simplified:• Drawing organization• right click plotting• Transmittal sets• Archiving

Standards compliance Everyone stays in sync with the project New DST file format

3 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Keys, Keys, Keys

Clean Screen (Control+0) Double click on the toolbar handles to float Control+R to cycle through all of your viewports Control+A to select all the objects in your drawing Control to cycle through objects Tab to cycle through object snaps Navigate through layouts with Control+PageUp and Control+PageDown Hold down right mouse button to clear grips Shift for more than one hot grip Shift to remember distances and angles in gripmode Arrow up and down through commands Control+Tab to cycle through open drawings

4 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Everyday Timesavers

New OSNAP (keyboard modifier) – Midpoint between two points (M2P/MTP)

Zoom to Object(s) Maximize Viewport Revcloud – new Calligraphy Option Delete Named Layer Filters Right Click Customization Trim/Extend Shortcut (enter to select

cutting edges/boundaries) ‘CAL – Geometric Calculator

5 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Secret System Variables

SYSVDLG – friendly dialog box for your system variables

MAXSORT – maximum number of named objects AutoCAD will sort

MTJIGSTRING – MTEXT sample string MBUTTONPAN – Third button accesses OSNAP

menu OSNAPHATCH – controls OSNAPS with hatch

patterns PEDITACCEPT – turns off extra prompt in PEDIT PLINEGEN – Tells Linetypes to traverse across

vertices TASKBAR – Open drawings appear on the taskbar UCSFOLLOW – tells the UCS icon to change to the

plan view whenever the UCS is modified XREFTYPE – set attachment or overlay as default

6 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Bhatch Tips

With Bhatch, you can:• Assign draworder to hatch objects• Hatch an area with a boundary gap • Trim a hatch to a new boundary

7 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

MTEXT Tips

Supports a background mask New Symbols Click outside of dialog box to exit

command quickly MTJIGSTRING System Variable TEXTTOFRONT command

8 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Awesome Express Tools• Reset Dim Text Value• SuperHatch• Layer Walk• Burst • Make Linetype• Edittime• Flatten• Overkill (Deletes Duplicate Objects)• Layer Delete and Layer Merge• Change Space/Align Space

9 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Embed Drawings into PPT!

10 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Powerpoint Steps: Insert Object Right Click on Control Icon

• DWF Viewer Control =>Properties

Select the DWF

11 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Startup switchesTarget - "C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2005\acad.exe“

/b run a specific script file/t template file/p profile/v view name/nologo starts AutoCAD without logo screen/layout displays a specific layout in a

specified drawing file/nossm turns off the Sheet Set Manager/set displays a specific sheet set

For more info: look up “Customize Startup” in help file or visit www.cadalyst.com

12 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

Easter Egg

Shift+Ctrl+pick

13 Autodesk Confidential

Autodesk Civil 3D 2005

AutoCAD 2005

lynn.allen@autodesk.comwww.autodesk.com/lynnallen