I cannot lie – I’m enjoying spending more time at home!  I have successfully reminded my dog who I am – and she’s no longer holding on to me for dear life whenever I leave (good sign!).  Rumor has it I’m moving to another office soon so I’ll need to pack up the old (good thing I’m in town!).

Please Login or Register to see the link. released my latest Please Login or Register to see the link. on turning Splines into Polylines.  This was a welcome addition to AutoCAD 2010 – but I find that many of you out there in AutoCADland don’t seem to know about it.

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Note:  I do realize there is no such place as “AutoCADland”

Why would you want to turn a Spline into a Polyline?  Well – you can do things to polylines that you just can’t do to a spline (for example, change the width).  I’ve been asked many times for this feature by Landscape Architects and Civil Engineers – so the need clearly exists.

You can convert a spline to a polyline in the SPLINEDIT command or the PEDIT command.  Either way – you’ll barely notice the difference when you convert it (depening on the precision you set of course).

I received an additional tip from Sona Greenberg (a Landscape Architect).

“Use the Express Tool FLATTEN.  The one thing I really like about using FLATTEN is that you get actual arcs in there, not just lots of little straight lines.”

Thank you so much for sharing Sona – great tip!

and now I’m off to pack up my office (if I’m not packing a suitcase – I’m packing up an office)  Sigh.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/lynnblog/lynn_allens_blog/~3/fZy2mde1zXk/an-autocad-hip-tip-on-turning-splines-into-plines.html

AutoCAD LT 2012 introduced the Please Login or Register to see the link. command, which lets you bring objects from referenced files into the host drawing.

But what if you just want to grab a dimension style (not a dimension object) from an xref? Try a much older command: XBIND!

XBIND (which is not the same as Please Login or Register to see the link.) is most easily available at the command line. It lets you import named objects—layers, dimensions styles, text styles, blocks, linetypes—from a referenced DWG into the current file.

Bound items bring in their drawing prefix; the layer imported above would become “MapBuildings$0$_EDIFICIOS”. If you want to get rid of that, you can always use the Please Login or Register to see the link. command.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LtUnlimited/~3/ESz6NyfYRGk/copy-named-objects-from-xrefs.html

If you are looking for free, easy, and accurate ways to view an Please Login or Register to see the link. Please Login or Register to see the link. here are two great options using native Please Login or Register to see the link. technology from Please Login or Register to see the link..

First a desktop DWG Viewer – DWG TrueView

There is the Please Login or Register to see the link. based desktop application named Please Login or Register to see the link. which can not only view 2D and 3D DWG files but even includes layer features, visual styles, measurement, and print/plot feature of the full Please Login or Register to see the link.. You can view not only the DWG files created with AutoCAD 2012 but read DWG files from the early 1980’s from AutoCAD 2.x and even batch convert DWG files to different several versions. You can also create Please Login or Register to see the link. and Please Login or Register to see the link. documents.

It is a hefty 270Mb download but it is very powerful and free.

Please Login or Register to see the link.Please Login or Register to see the link.

Desktop Please Login or Register to see the link. Viewing:
Please Login or Register to see the link. Please Login or Register to see the link. Please Login or Register to see the link.

A web and mobile DWG Viewer – AutoCAD WS and AutoCAD WS Mobile

Please Login or Register to see the link. is a web and mobile based DWG viewer with markup and collaboration. The beauty of this application is not only does it run on any desktop with a browser supporting Flash, it is also available as a mobile application on Please Login or Register to see the link. and Please Login or Register to see the link. devices. Please Login or Register to see the link. requires only a Internet browser such as Please Login or Register to see the link., Please Login or Register to see the link., Please Login or Register to see the link., or Please Login or Register to see the link. with Please Login or Register to see the link. installed. Please Login or Register to see the link. supports offline file synch so you can take you drawings even where you do not have any web connection. Imagine all your construction drawings on your mobile device to check a job site and make some as-built mark ups. Currently Please Login or Register to see the link. supports 2D DWG and real-time collaboration, AutoCAD integration, and unlimited file storage. In addition to being able to upload, edit, markup, and share in real-time with Please Login or Register to see the link. files you can also upload other file types like ZIP, Doc, and PDF files as a file storage solution.

As fast as the Please Login or Register to see the link. has been in adding more features at the request of the hundreds of thousands of users I am sure there will be a ton of new exciting things for AutoCAD WS users in the works.

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Web and Mobile DWG Viewing
Please Login or Register to see the link. Please Login or Register to see the link.

Web and Mobile DWF Viewing

If you are using the much smaller Please Login or Register to see the link.), there is the free desktop application Please Login or Register to see the link. and Please Login or Register to see the link. and now the new Please Login or Register to see the link. Technology Preview Please Login or Register to see the link..

Cheers,
Shaan

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogs/btl/~3/JIkGOCsg67I/free-autocad-dwg-viewers.html

Updating and this popular post from a year ago.

As a follow-up to the posting Please Login or Register to see the link. in response to a Twitter request, I showed how to change the Layout paper background color. But what if you just want a solid black background in Layout so that it looked like Modelspace or something easier on your eyes, here is the tip.

The Please Login or Register to see the link. default white Layout background with paper and printable area background.

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If you want to change you Please Login or Register to see the link. Layout background color from the defaults go to OptionsDisplay. Now uncheck the first four Layout Elements.

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Now select the Color button to change the AutoCAD UI element colors.

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1. Select Sheet Layout
2. Select Uniform Background
3. Select Color Black or whatever color you want the entire Layout background color to be. In my case I am setting it to black like Modelspace.

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Select Apply Close and you are done.

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Now you have a complete single color background Layout.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogs/btl/~3/ojk_KyhFLRo/change-the-autocad-layout-background-color-to-black.html

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The system requirements for Please Login or Register to see the link. 2012 are pretty much the same as the last release. If you are using AutoCAD 2011 or AutoCAD 2010 just fine, you should be good to go with AutoCAD 2012. Remember system requirements are not a one size fits all as there are a number of factors that affect how much resources you require. The factors can be from the complexity of your drawings, 2D or 3D, visual styles such as a 3D part as wireframe takes less than one with a smooth shaded view, and certainly the size of your drawings. These requirements are also the lowest suggested system optimal requirements, so use it as a suggested baseline.

AutoCAD 2012 32-bit

• Microsoft® Windows® 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium (Please Login or Register to see the link.); Microsoft® Windows Vista® Enterprise, Business, Ultimate, or Home Premium (SP2 or later) (Please Login or Register to see the link.); or Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Home edition (SP3 or later)
• For Windows Vista or Windows 7: Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® dual-core processor, 3.0 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology; for Windows XP: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon dual-core processor, 1.6 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology
• 2 GB RAM
• 2 GB free disk space for installation
• 1,024 x 768 display resolution with true color
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0 or later
• Install from download or DVD

AutoCAD 2012 64-bit

• Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium (Please Login or Register to see the link.); Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise, Business, Ultimate, or Home Premium (SP2 or later) (Please Login or Register to see the link.); or Microsoft Windows XP Professional (SP2 or later)
• AMD Athlon 64 with SSE2 technology, AMD Opteron® processor with SSE2 technology, Intel® Xeon® processor with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology, or Intel Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology
• 2 GB RAM
• 2 GB free space for installation
• 1,024 x 768 display resolution with true color
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0 or later
• Install from download or DVD

For those both 32 64-bit using 3D modeling workflows, you require a little more specifics on the graphics card and a wee bit more Please Login or Register to see the link. speed.

• Intel Pentium 4 processor or AMD Athlon, 3 GHz or greater; or Intel or AMD dual-core processor, 2 GHz or greater
• 2 GB RAM or more
• 2 GB hard disk space available in addition to free space required for installation
• 1,280 x 1,024 true color video display adapter 128 MB or greater, Pixel Shader 3.0 or greater, Microsoft® Direct3D®-capable workstation-class graphics card

Again your mileage and requirements may vary.

Cheers,
Shaan

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogs/btl/~3/ypRZ3HrT2KA/autocad-2012-system-requirements.html

Mike

…

Given the advances in technology, it’s amazing that most on-site work (reviewing, measuring and editing drawings) is still a manual process. You bring the tape measure to the site, make notations on drawings, and then go back to your desk to update the AutoCAD DWG file. And if the design changes or something is not written down correctly, you have to go back to the site, and repeat the process.

With AutoCAD WS, you can easily make those edits directly to your DWG file while you are on site! Remove revision cycles, save time, and reduce errors! AutoCAD WS is not just for viewing files; it handles light editing, annotations, and co-editing sessions with your colleagues from your iPad, iPhone, and soon, your Android device.

Here are a few of the editing features you’ll find in the latest version of the mobile app:

Basic Shapes – Intuitive drawing tools enable you to create basic shapes such as circles, polylines, rectangles and revision clouds.

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Snap Preview – For greater placement precision, the magnifying glass is offset from your finger, so you can see the screen and what you are selecting.

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Copy and paste – Great for when you have repetitive design features. For example, a landscape designer can quickly copy and paste trees and bushes.

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Brush tool – Replacing the previous brush tool, this allows you to make freehand markups.

And best of all, AutoCAD WS is fully integrated with AutoCAD 2012, so you can easily upload your designs to your account for mobile editing directly from your AutoCAD desktop software.

Interested in getting the mobile app onto your Android device? Register here to be the first to know when the download is available: Please Login or Register to see the link.

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Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HeidiHewettsBlog/~3/XHegnvfrx8w/edit-your-autocad-designs-on-the-go.html

Mike

…

This new feature in AutoCAD LT 2012 is pretty small, as features go, but I bet a lot of you will really enjoy it.

If your CAD standards require left-justified text, even when the text is to the left of the leader, you’ve probably seen a lot of notes that look like this:

If that gap between the end of the leader and the end of the text drives you crazy, good news – you can now eliminate it. Just go to the Content tab and look for “Extend leader to text.”

When you check it, and go back to the drawing, your leader should now look like this:

Pretty cool, right?

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LtUnlimited/~3/Ef0UnapoX3o/extend-leader-to-text.html

This past year was a challenge for us at AutocadtipoftheDay, as I’m sure it has been for many of our readers. But this year we are back and plan to be better than ever. We will be releasing new AutoCAD Tips, new AutoCAD Training Videos and all sorts of new resources and content. Please check back daily and watch our progress.

As a free gift to all our visitors, I’m giving away our quick reference sheets. Enter your name and email address in the box in the side bar and we will send them to you. We will also send you the new ones we are creating as they become available.

Thanks again for visiting and look forward to a great 2011.

Mike