Autodesk AUTOCAD 2010 - Assembly instructions

AutoCAD LT
®
Kate Morrical’s Tips and Tricks
for Using AutoCAD LT 


User Interface
The User Interface
The user interface is possibly one of the
most important features in AutoCAD
LT®. It’s where you do all your
work, access all your commands, and
even make changes to settings. Several
improvements to user interface features
mean it’s easier than ever to find your
favorite commands while leaving plenty
of room on the screen for your drawing.
The Application Menu
The big red “A” in the upper left-hand
corner of the AutoCAD LT window is
home to the Application menu. Formerly
known as the Menu Browser, the Ap-
plication menu has been streamlined to
provide a place for common file-related
tools. Here you’ll find commands like
Open, Save, and Print, as well as draw-
ing maintenance functions like Audit
and Purge.
A search box at the top-right corner of
the menu enables you to dynamically
look through the entire CUI file for com-
mands, ribbon panel names, and other
ribbon controls. The lists of Recent and Open documents
can be accessed with two buttons at the
top of the left-hand side. You can choose


User Interface
to display icons or preview images, and
sort the lists by name, type, size, or
access date.
Look for separating lines on the
icons on the left-hand side of the Applica-
tion Menu, indicating commands that
you can launch without selecting from
the sub-menu.
The Ribbon
The ribbon, which was introduced in
AutoCAD LT , has been improved in
a few key areas for AutoCAD LT . It
still consists of commands organized into
tabs and panels, where each tab contains
multiple panels, and each panel contains
multiple tools. Now, though, the ribbon
has been updated to make it even more
flexible and adaptive—and of course,
customizable.
With sticky panels, you can make the
tools on a panel available no matter
what tab is active. To turn a panel into
a sticky panel, simply drag it o the
ribbon into the drawing editor. Now that
panel will always remain visible, even if
its tab is not, until you choose to put the
panel back on the ribbon.


User Interface
The ribbon also responds to object
selection, displaying the tools that are
most appropriate for working with that
object. For example, when you select an
external reference, you’ll see the External
Reference contextual tab appear on the
ribbon. This tab contains features and
commands specifically for external refer-
ences, such as Edit and Clip. AutoCAD LT
 comes pre-loaded with several con-
textual tab states, and you can choose
the tab—whether a built-in one or one of
your own—that you want to appear for
each type of object.
Use the CUI editor to convert dash-
board panels from AutoCAD LT 
into ribbon panels that can be used in
AutoCAD LT .
Pressing ALT brings up visual
indicators of key combinations you can
use to activate ribbon tabs or individual
commands.
The Quick Access Toolbar
The Quick Access toolbar has also seen
its share of updates. The Undo and Redo
tools now include history support, so
you can see exactly what actions will be
aected.
You can easily remove a command from
the toolbar with an option on the right-
click menu. The right-click menu also
contains a separator tool to help you
organize your toolbar, and a toggle to
display the Quick Access toolbar above
or below the ribbon.

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User Interface
In addition to the improved right-click
menu, a flyout menu has been added
at the end of the toolbar. This menu
contains a list of command commands
that you can quickly add to the toolbar.
If you need a command that’s not on this
list, the “More Commands” option takes
you right to the complete Command List
in the CUI editor.
Use the CUI editor to create a
unique Quick Access toolbar for every
workspace.
Quick View Tools
The preview images for Quick View
Layouts and Quick View Drawings have
been enhanced to include a preview
image of Model space in addition to the
layout previews.


Block References
Block References
Blocks have been an important tool in
AutoCAD LT for many versions, and
they just keep getting better. New
commands in AutoCAD LT  make
working with dynamic blocks and block
attributes easier and more intuitive.
Test Block
Inside the Block Editor, a new Test Block
tool enables you to see the eect your
changes will have before you apply
those changes to every instance of the
block. It’s perfect for testing dynamic
parameters and actions. When you close
the Test Block window, you’re returned
to the Block Editor.
The Test Block environment can
be identified by its title bar and by its
contextual ribbon panel, which contains
a “Close Test Block Window” tool.
Action Bars
Actions in dynamic blocks are now
automatically grouped into bars, making
it easy to see which parameter they’re
associated with. Selecting an action high-
lights the related parameter, all aected
objects, and the selection window (for
stretch actions). Right-clicking an action
brings up a menu with options to delete
or rename the action, to modify its selec-
tion set, or to hide the action bars.
If you want to turn on the action
bars again, you can either close and
re-open the Block Editor, or use the com-
mand BACTIONBAR.
A new icon enables you to easily
identify which parameters have their
“Chain Action” property turned on.


Block Attribute Tools
AutoCAD LT  has taken a giant
leap forward in working with attributes
in block references by including two
features previously available only in
AutoCAD.
The Enhanced Attribute Editor provides
a convenient interface for changing the
properties of individual attributes, such
as color or width factor, in addition to
entering attribute values.
The Synchronize Attributes command,
or ATTSYNC, enables you to update a
block definition after you add or remove
attributes. This is a great command
because it lets you put new attributes
(or take out ones you don’t need) in
without aecting any data that already
existed in the block.
Parametric Drawing
AutoCAD® software now
includes the ability to create and
modify geometric and dimension-
al constraints, which help ensure
that specific relationships and
measurements remain persistent
even as objects are modified.
AutoCAD LT  cannot create
parametric constraints, but it
can view, use, or delete them if
they have already been created in
AutoCAD . This applies both
to constraints in the normal draw-
ing environment and to constraint
parameters in dynamic blocks.
Block References


External References
AutoCAD LT  provides a consolidat-
ed interface and increased flexibility for
working with externally referenced files
in a variety of formats, including DWG,
DWF, DGN, PDF, and image files.
The Reference Panel
The Reference panel on the Insert tab
of the ribbon provides tools for you to
attach and modify externally referenced
files. You can control the display and
plotting of reference frames and turn
on or o the ability to snap to the refer-
enced geometry.
PDF Underlays
AutoCAD LT  addresses one of the
top Autodesk User Group International
(AUGI®) wish list requests by enabling
you to attach a PDF file to an AutoCAD
LT drawing as an underlay. You can work
with PDF underlays in the same way
you work with other external references
including DWG, DWF, DGN, and Image
files. You can even snap to key points
on PDF geometry using familiar object
snaps.
Clip
The ability to clip an external reference is
now fully functional in AutoCAD LT. Use
this tool to show only the portion of the
file that you need.
External References


Use the arrow-shaped grip on a
clipped external reference to invert the
clipping boundary.
Edit In-Place
In-Place Reference Editing, or REFEDIT,
is now included in AutoCAD LT .
This feature enables you to edit an
externally referenced drawing directly,
without opening it in its own window.
Open
Open Reference is another AutoCAD
LT  command that was previously
available only in AutoCAD. This tool
enables you to select a referenced file
and instantly open it in the appropriate
program for that reference type. Now
you can quickly open a referenced file
without having to list it, remember its
name, and browse your computer or
server to find it.
External References


Geographic Data
If both the host drawing and the external
reference drawing have a geographic
location defined, a new option on the
External References dialog box enables
you to locate the attached xref relative to
the host drawing using Geographic Data.
A similar option for blocks is available in
the Insert dialog box.
Unresolved References
When you open a drawing that has
unresolved references, a new tool helps
identify the missing files.
If you choose Update, AutoCAD LT
opens the External References palette
so you can re-path the missing files. If
you choose Ignore, the warning closes
and takes no action. If you always want
to ignore unresolved references, use the
checkbox at the bottom to stop the warn-
ing from displaying again.
This is a big improvement over previ-
ous versions, when you had to manually
search for missing references by checking
the command line when opening a file,
scouring the drawing for the text strings
identifying unresolved references, or
looking in the External References
palette.
External References


Annotation
Annotation
Annotations are an important part
of any drawing, helping to communi-
cate your ideas when lines, arcs, and
circles aren’t quite enough. A variety
of improvements to annotation tools
in AutoCAD LT  make adding text,
dimension, leaders, and hatches to your
drawings a snap.
Find and Replace
A new search box right on the Anno-
tate tab of the ribbon enables you to
search for text without first launching a
command. Inside the Find and Replace
dialog, new buttons make it easy to
manipulate items in the results list. You
can quickly zoom to a selected result, or
create selection sets consisting of either
the entire list or only highlighted items.
You can also zoom to an object in
the results list by double-clicking on that
item.
Spell Check
The Check Spelling button on the Anno-
tate tab of the ribbon enables you to look
through the entire drawing (or a specific
selection set) for misspelled words. In
addition to choosing the dictionary to
use for checking and the ability to add
a word to your custom dictionary, the
Check Spelling dialog has been updated
to include an Undo button, which en-
ables you to reverse the last change you
made.


Annotation
When inside the Multiline Text Edi-
tor, misspelled words are automatically
identified with a red dashed underline.
Multileaders
Multileader objects in AutoCAD LT 
have been improved with the addition of
grips at each corner of the leader text.
These grips enable you to resize the text
box in the same way that you would
resize an mtext object.
You can also select individual segments
of a multileader by holding down the
Ctrl key and left-clicking on the seg-
ment. Once selected, you can use the
Properties or Quick Properties palette
to modify the properties of that seg-
ment.
A new button on the Content
tab of the Multileader Style Manager
provides direct access to the Text Style
dialog. This means that you can create
and modify text styles and immediately
apply them to multileader styles without
exiting the Multileader Style Manager.


Annotation
Dimensions
The Dimension Style Manager has been
tweaked to provide you with new con-
trols over the display of your dimension
text.
On the Text tab, the Vertical option un-
der Text Placement now includes Below
in addition to Centered, Above, Outside,
and JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard).
Also under Text Placement is the new
View Direction setting, which enables
you to have your text read Left-to-Right
or Right-to-Left.
The Primary and Alternate Units tabs of
the Dimension Style dialog box include
new a sub-unit control in the suppression
of leading zeros. Instead of displaying a
dimension value less than 1 as a decimal,
you can specify a sub-units factor and
sux. For example, if the default unit
is 1 meter, you could specify a sub-unit
factor of 100 and sub-unit sux of cm.
In this case, when the dimension value is
less than 1, such as .96, it would display
as 96 cm.
The sub-unit control is only avail-
able for dimension styles using either
the Decimal or Windows Desktop unit
format.


Drafting
Drafting
In AutoCAD LT , your wishes are
our new commands. Many features in
this release were inspired directly by
user suggestions and feedback. With
these new and improved tools, AutoCAD
LT helps make drafting easier and more
productive.
Hatch
Have you ever tried to hatch an area us-
ing the “pick points” method, only to be
brought up short by the “Valid boundary
not found” a message? Before, you had
to go searching around the edges of the
area trying to find the open space that
prevented the boundary from closing.
Now, though, AutoCAD LT  attempts
to show you where the gap is with small
red circles on either side of the opening.
Set the Hatch Gap Tolerance to a
non-zero value to create hatches despite
the presence of openings in the hatch
boundary.
AutoCAD LT  also includes the abil-
ity to edit the boundary of a non-associa-
tive hatch. Simply select the hatch object
and use intuitive grips to dynamically
change its shape by moving or adding
edges and vertices.
After selecting an edge grip on a
hatch object, use the Ctrl key to cycle
through editing options such as adding
a vertex or converting a straight edge to
an arc.


Drafting
Measure Geometry
The Distance and Area commands, along
with other inquiry tools, have been
combined into the Measure tool on the
Utilities panel of the Home tab.
If you choose the Distance option and
pick two points, AutoCAD LT displays
the distance, Delta X, Delta Y, and the
angle in the drawing editor. If you need
cumulative distances, you can select the
Multiple option after you pick the first
point.
The Arc option within the Multiple
Distance tool enable you to measure the
length of arc segments.
The Radius option displays the radius of
an arc or circle, while the Angle option
measures the included angle of an arc,
circle, two lines, or three points.
The Area tool has been updated to
highlight the regions included in the cal-
culation. Areas that are to be subtracted
from the total calculation are shown in a
contrasting color. The Volume option is
similar to the Area option, but includes a
prompt to specify the height that will be
used to calculate the volume.


Drafting
Like the Distance tool, the Area and
Volume tools contain options for includ-
ing arc segments in the boundary as well
as straight lines.
Reverse Direction
A new Reverse command enables you to
change the direction of lines, polylines,
or splines. This is helpful in controlling
the display of special linetypes, such as
those containing symbols or text.
Reverse is available either as a
stand-alone command, or as an option
inside the Edit Polyline command.
Convert Spline Objects
Another new feature makes it easy to
convert spline objects into polylines.
Inside the Edit Spline command, the
“Convert to Polyline” option asks for a
precision value between  and . The
higher the value, the more accurate the
fit will be.
An option inside the Edit Polyline
command can also convert splines into
polylines.
To further control the accuracy
when converting splines to polylines,
use the new PLINECONVERTMODE
variable to specify the fit method.
When PLINECONVERTMODE is set to
, polylines are created with linear seg-
ments. When it’s set to 1 (the default),
polylines are created with arc segments,
which gives greater accuracy to the
end result.


Drafting
Align Objects
A much-requested tool by AutoCAD LT
customers, the Align command enables
you to simultaneously move, scale, and/
or rotate one or more objects to bring
them into alignment with another object.
When aligning objects, you can pick one,
two, or three pairs of points as refer-
ences. Using one pair simply moves the
selected objects. Using two pairs of
points will move and rotate the objects,
with the option to scale the objects
based on the relative distances between
the source and destination pairs. Choos-
ing three pairs of points will move and
rotate the selected objects in D space.
Viewport Rotation Tools
The new VPROTATEASSOC system
variable enables you to choose whether
a layout viewport’s view is rotated along
with its boundary. When it’s set to 0, the
view within the viewport will not rotate,
even though the viewport itself does. If
you set VPROTATEASSOC to 1, the view
will rotate to maintain its orientation
relative to the viewport.


Drafting
Color Selection
In AutoCAD LT , you can access the
Select Color dialog box directly from the
Layer drop-down list simply by clicking
on the layer color swatch. The new color
you select applies to the appropriate
viewport color override or global color.
If the layer has a viewport color
override, the color swatch has a white
border.
Behavior within the Select Color dialog
box has also been improved. As you
move the cursor over the color swatches,
the arrow cursor and a black border are
displayed in addition to the traditional
white border. This makes it easier to see
which color you are about to select.


Collaboration
With AutoCAD LT, collaboration is a
seamless operation. Share critical design
data securely, eciently, and accu-
rately with AutoCAD LT. Experience the
benefits of native DWG support, one of
the world’s most widely used design data
formats, enabling you to keep everyone
in the loop at all times. When you need
a non-editable file instead, quickly and
easily create DWF or PDF files for world-
wide readability. It’s collaboration at
its best.
PDF Output
PDF output in AutoCAD LT  now
provides more flexibility and higher
quality than was previously available.
Two enhancements in particular result in
improved visual quality:
• 600dpidefaultvectorresolution
• TrueTypefontsexportedastext
Exporting fonts as text has another
advantage: You can use a PDF viewer to
search, highlight, and copy text in PDFs
created from AutoCAD LT.
In addition to the Plot command,
you can also use the Export and Publish
functions to create PDFs from AutoCAD
LT drawings.
The “DWG to PDF.pc3” file now
contains settings for layer merge control,
including layer information in the PDF,
and the option to automatically view the
finished PDF.
Collaboration


Collaboration
eTransmit
The eTransmit functionality has been
enhanced to include a new option to
“include unloaded file references.” When
this option is enabled, all unloaded refer-
ence files are included in the transmit-
tal set but will remain unloaded in the
eTransmit package. The Archive function-
ality includes the same option to include
unloaded file references and is enabled
by default.
Autodesk Seek
Autodesk Seek (http://seek.autodesk.
com) is an ecient online utility that
allows users to quickly search product in-
formation and designs from the web and
download the designs into AutoCAD LT.
For example, if you were designing a
home and needed ideas for windows, you
could look for through manufacturer’s
databases of product specifications and
actual D and D design files for your
desired window specifications, and then
download the window file to incorporate
it into your design. You can also upload
your own designs using the “Share with
Autodesk Seek” tool.
Currently Seek is focused on
building products only, but is considering
expanding to manufacturing products.