This document provides 80 tips for increasing productivity in AutoCAD. It covers tips for customizing the user interface, layers, tables, dimensions, text, and more. Many tips take advantage of new features in recent AutoCAD releases. Keys to improving efficiency include customizing workspaces and toolbars, using anchored palettes, controlling layer visibility, and leveraging commands like MLEADERALIGN. The document also recommends several free Autodesk applications for viewing and sharing CAD files without CAD software.

1. 1
60 AutoCAD Tips in
60 Minutes
Lynn Allen
Autodesk Technical Evangelist

2. © 2005 Autodesk2
Objective:
Show you some tips and techniques that will
increase your productivity and help you
work smarter!

3. © 2005 Autodesk3
User Interface Tips
1) Workspaces
2) AutoComplete (Tab to cycle)
3) Move Model space/Layout tabs
4) Easy Copy of Layout Tabs New!
5) Drag and Drop to Sheet Set New!
6) New 2D Dashboard New!
7) Status Bar and Tray customization
8) Anchored Palettes
9) Clean Screen (or Ctrl 0)
10) Taskbar to 1
11) Lock Toolbars
12) Double click toolbars to float
13) Lock/Unlock Viewport on Status Bar New!
14) VP Scale on Status Bar New!

4. © 2005 Autodesk4
Quick Customizing Tips
15) CUI now customizes the Dashboard New!
16) Drag and drop toolbars to the Dashboard New!
17) Easier to Search and Create New Commands New!
18) Get rid of F1!
19) Quickly create a Tool Palette of your blocks in Design Center
20) Customize the File dialog

5. © 2005 Autodesk5
Layer Tips
21) Layer properties per viewport New!
 Control of visual properties
 Easy reset to global properties
21) Customize your Layer Columns New!
22) Deactivate the Status Column to save time
23) Speedy Layer State Manager Access New!
24) Applying Layer States per Viewport New!

6. © 2005 Autodesk6
Misc. Layer Tips
26) SETBYLAYER New!
27) Layer Isolate now fades layers New!
28) LAYUNISO is back New!
29) Layer Translater (LAYTRANS)
 Translates layers to a standard (dws, dwg or dwt)
 Force objects to bylayer
26) LAYWALK (View layers individually)
27) LAYDEL (Delete even the most stubborn layers!)

7. © 2005 Autodesk7AutoCAD 2006
32) SCALELISTEDIT – Plot, Page Setup, Vport
toolbar, Properties, etc.
33) JOIN Command (Glue)
• works on plines, lines, arc, elliptical arcs
and splines
• Use to turn an arc into a circle
32) LAYERFILTERALERT (Set to 3)
33) FILTERS command
34) PEDITACCEPT
35) IMAGEFRAME
36) JPGOUT, BMPOUT, PNGOUT, TIFOUT
37) OVERKILL
TimeSavers!

8. © 2005 Autodesk8
Text Tips
40) Word Docs maintain spacing,
font, etc. New!
41) Text wraps automatically over
multiple columns New!
42) Tab styles and paragraph line
spacing control for selected
lines New!
43) New Spell Checker
Improvements
44) Multiline Attributes! New!
45) Control the Text Sample string
 (MTJIGSTRING)
40) Click outside of the dialog box to
exit command quickly
41) Control+Enter to exit command
MTEXT
42) TEXTTOFRONT command

9. © 2005 Autodesk9
Table Tips
49) AutoFill available in AutoCAD Tables
50) Tables wrap automatically over multiple columns
51) Insert blocks and text in same cell

10. © 2005 Autodesk10
Dimensioning tips (all new)
52) Multiple Leaders
 Multiple segments
 Leading or trailing
position on text
 Options for placement
of leader with respect to
text
52) MLEADERALIGN
53) MLEADERCOllECT
54) DIMBREAK
55) DIMJOGLINE
56) DIMSPACE

11. © 2005 Autodesk11
Misc. Tips in AutoCAD 2008
58) Inverse Xclip
59) Layer control for attached DWF files
60) Create smaller PDFs with DWF
61) PUBLISHCOLLATE – multipage PDF
62) Import/Export DGN
63) Recover for Xrefs

12. © 2005 Autodesk12
Keys, Keys, Keys
64)Control+R to cycle through all of your viewports
65)Control+A to select all the objects in your drawing
66)Control to cycle through objects
67)Tab to cycle through object snaps
68)Navigate through layouts with Control+PageUp and Control+PageDown
69)Hold down right mouse button to clear grips
70)Shift for more than one hot grip
71)Arrow up and down through commands
72)Control+Tab to cycle through open drawings
73)OSNAP Tracking to find the center of a box
74)M2P or MTP to find the midpoint between two points

13. © 2005 Autodesk13
Tip #75: Embed Drawings into PPT!
Insert menu – Object –> Autodesk DWF Viewer Control
Right click on image – Autodesk DWF Viewer Control ->Properties – Select
DWF File
DWF will only display when the Slide Show is playing

14. © 2005 Autodesk14
Tip #76 Autodesk Labs: labs.autodesk.com
(commandcomplete)

15. © 2005 Autodesk15
Supports viewing and plotting of DWG files, and publishing to DWF
Batch converts drawings to previous releases
Stand alone product – no need for ACAD to be installed
Same fidelity as Save as in AutoCAD
Conversion of pen widths to line weights and the addition of page
setups.
www.autodesk.com/trueview
Pricing
FREE
Tip #77: DWG TrueView (now
includes True Convert)

16. © 2005 Autodesk16
Autodesk Design Review 2008
www.autodesk.com/designreview
Pricing
FREE

17. © 2005 Autodesk17

18. © 2005 Autodesk18
Tip # 78: Autodesk Design Review 2008
www.autodesk.com/designreview
Pricing
FREE

19. © 2005 Autodesk19
Tip # 79: Autodesk Design Review –
Drawing Version Compare Feature
Free Download: autodesk.com/designreview
Highlight
additions/
deletions
1. Select Tools >
Compare
2. Browse and load
the DWF files
3. Select sheets to
overlay and click
OK

20. © 2005 Autodesk20
Tip # 80: Introducing Autodesk Freewheel
Share designs
online - Free
1. Publish DWF
2. Upload & Email Link
3. View & Print 2D & 3D
designs online without
install software
4. Utilize for drawing
catalogs and archives
freewheel.autodesk.co
m

21. © 2005 Autodesk21
lynn.allen@autodesk.com
www.autodesk.com/lynnallen