Free CAD Blocks

Do you need blocks for a drawing or project don't don't have the time to make them yourself? There is a website that I have used many times for a quick block fix. It is the CAD Block Exchange Network.

The site asks its users to upload files they have created in order to share with others. It has a search ability and is organized by category. I recommend it.

http://www.cben.net/

Using the Action Recorder without the Ribbon

In AutoCAD 2009, we were given the Ribbon and the Action Recorder. The Action Recorder is great for recording repetitive actions and tasks. The Ribbon is great for accessing grouped commands and saving screen real estate. One of my readers asked me how to use the Action Recorder without using the Ribbon. Well, you can't. You can start recording, stop recording, and play back other Action Macros but you can not edit them. This is a big deal to me. If you have tried creating a macro to use, or for other people to use, they need to be edited.

When an Action Macro is created, every input is literal. That doesn't always apply when you need to reuse the macro. For example, an input point may not be at the exact same coordinates every time. Therefore you need to allow the user to choose the input time. You can't edit the action macros if you don't use the ribbon. I have come up with a workaround. Here it is:

Turn on the ribbon and minimize it. There are three options to display the Ribbon: Full Size (displays the ribbon and the tabs), tabs and panels (displays the tab names and panel names only), and tabs only.

Doing this will take up more screen space but it will give you access to the ribbon and the features that are only in the Ribbon. If you don't use the features in the ribbon enough to justify having it displayed that way, I understand. You can toggle the ribbon on/off by typing on the command line: RIBBON. That way you can create a macro with the Recorder and then edit it.

Its a pain I agree, but if you don't want to use the ribbon in your daily work, you will have to turn it on to use some of the latest features in AutoCAD.

Autodesk Announces Cutbacks

Autodesk will cut 750 jobs in order to save millions of dollars. I know how these individuals feel.

Entering Angles in Surveyor's Angles

Many times in AutoCAD, users will enter an angle in Degrees. Maybe even in Degree/Minutes/Seconds. If you are a surveyor or are working with a survey drawing, you will see angles (or bearings) written something like this:

N45d20'6"E (where d is the degree symbol)

This means the angle is North 45 degrees, 20 minutes, 6 seconds, East.

Users can input angles just like this if we need to. When drawing a line, pick your first point, then type in:

Make sure to start with the '@' symbol. Then enter the distance, (here it is 200) then the less than sign (I would type it in but my blog thinks I am trying to type in an HTML tag!!) then N (for north or S for South) the angle number (45) d to let AutoCAD know it is the degree, then the minutes and seconds if any. Don't forget to type in the symbols ' for minutes and " for seconds. Finish up with your last direction e (E for east and W for west.)

This will draw a line 200 units long at 45d20'6" to the "right" (or east) of north (straight up)

It's that simple.

Happy CADDING

CAD & GIS Wikis

Are you looking for some great CAD or GIS tips, tricks and routines? Well Cadalyst and Geospatial Solutions have each developed some Wikis that can provide just that for you.

http://cadtips.cadalyst.com

and

http://wiki.geospatial-solutions.com/

are two places to go. Cadalyst and Geospatial Solutions are subsidiaries of Questex, a company that produces great content. I helped Cadalyst develop the CADTIPS wiki so I am very familiar with what it can do. It has all (yes all) Hot Tip Harry Routines in it! Soon they will start adding the weekly Tips and Tricks in it. I don't know if all of the tips will be added, but I know that they will start adding the new ones to it, eventually.

Check out these sites, I feel that you will fond them helpful.