This command is useful when you need to create many Viewports in a Layout and see all of them. Why? By default you can see only about 20 Viewports.
Type MAXACTVP and you will be able to maximize it to 64.
Below you can see the compression of the viewport with this command set to 10 and to 64.
One thing to remember about attributes – attributes which are not inside the block are not visible when attached in an external reference.
There is ATTDISP command which allows to change visibility of attributes which are also in blocks but it still doesn’t work when attributes are xrefed.
If there is a way to show them in xrefs please let me know. Thanks.
After years of using AutoCAD one can still discover something new and useful in this program. This happens to me every now and then.
CHSPACE command allows on a layout to transfer selected objects between model space and paper space and vice versa. It is in AutoCAD since version 2007.
Here’s a simple step-by step guide how to use this command:
Here is an example when this was useful for me to move dimensions and annotations from Model Space do Paper Space. The scale of the objects was automatically adjusted to the Paper Space. 
This is the view in the Model Space.
This is the view in the Paper Space. I have moved the dimension and the leader annotation to position them outside the viewports. Additionally I have override the dimension text to represent the real Model Space dimension.
This command could be a real tie saver. I’m sure you will find you own ways how to use this command. You can find some more examples e.g. here or here. Good luck.
Most of us in Europe work in metric units. We usually start a new file and it’s already preconfigured but sometimes we need to amend something in the file received from someone else and we encounter Imperial units like on the image below:
Of course changing the UNITS doesn’t help.
On the list of available scales which we can add still there is no metric scales:
Only one thing can be done in this situation – command MEASUREMENT need to be entered and its value changed between 1 and 0 (or from 0 to 1 for opposite problem) Command MEASUREMENT is responsible for the file internal units settings where values mean: 0 – Imperial file system 1 – Metric file system
Recently we had this situation in my office so I hope this tip may be helpful to you in the future.
This is quick “how to” create a block with an area field which value adjust automatically when the polyline attached to that field is amended.
Now a field in your block is connected with a polyline.
After you amended a polyline you need to regenerate to see the changes in the area field.
To create another block connected to another polyline you need to:
or
Tell me if you know the faster way.
Note:
Data from attributes in blocks can be extracted and use in Excel.
A Table inside AutoCAD (2013) can be created with data extracted from attributes from blocks. Data in the Table can be updated after any amendments to polylines.
Still in AutoCAD subject. Did you ever had many areas hatched with the same hatch any you want to get rid off some of them?
Another useful button is present in AutoCAD since version 2011. It’s accessible only from Options Panel on the Hatch Editor contextual ribbon tab. When you expand it you will find a Separate Hatch button. It’s active only when a hatch composed from more the one hatched areas is selected. (I couldn’t find any information about if there is a keyboard command triggering that function.)
Attached image illustrates also functions accessible at the origin point of the hatch and on its boundary points.
When you select a point press Ctrl to cycle between those functions. It works similar as for polylines.
During one of the lectures on the Technical University the Professor said “Someone who use only Model Space in AutoCAD isn’t worth to be an engineer” 🙂
So I decide to share some useful tricks about PS (Paper Space) in AutoCAD:
When you insert a viewport in PS and you see, that all linetype scales are dramatically changed…. don’t panic….
Just use a variable PSLTSCALE and set the value to <0>. After REGENALL you will see, that all the lines have the scale from the Model Space.
In Paper Space each layer can have a special configuration (visibility, color, line type, opacity and thickness). When you double-click on the viewport area you can set in the Layer Manager special parameters for that viewport.
When you need to transfer setting from one viewport to another… you can simply use the MATCHPROP command (the small brush icon).
Contours on all polygonal viewports can be edited with the same procedure as Polylines – with the Ctrl key you can modify all the vertices (add, remove, convert to arc).
If you prefer to read this post in polish, click here.
WIPEOUT – This by many forgotten command can save you a lot of time and effort.
A Wipeout is an image type object. Most commonly it is used to “mask” part of a drawing for clarity.
I’ve rediscovered it recently and found it useful when creating louvers. With hundreds of them I didn’t need to cut and trim additional few hundreds lines of windows behind them. And reposition of them was so easy. I also used it for window tags and handles in elevation view.
The Wipeout command can be used for 3 different operations.
It can be used to draw a Wipeout object, as you might expect (only without arcs), but it can also be used to convert an existing closed Polyline (only without arcs) into a Wipeout. Additionaly it can be used to control the visibility of Wipeout frames.
You can also change Wipeout frames directly from WIPEOUTFRAME system variable. The result of available value is below.
| Value | Result |
| 0 | Frames are not displayed or plotted. Frames are temporarily displayed for object selection and selection preview. |
| 1 | Frames are displayed and plotted |
| 2 | Frames are displayed, but not plotted |
Value no.2 exist since AutoCAD 2013.
Personally I use value.1 to not duplicate the lines and when I need to make a particular frame unvisitable I change it line type to thin doted line with a big scale (like 1000). Only corners then are visible as dots. I use this method to create hollow objects like window frame.
Another post in the series of Isolate Selection. A friend asked me is it also possible to isolate any object in AutoCAD?
It is since AutoCAD 2011 and it was even in earlier versions of Architectural Desktop.
The ISOLATEOBJECTS and the HIDEOBJECTS commands hide specific objects.
The UNISOLATEOBJECTS command restores hidden objects .
These commands are found in the right-click menu…
…or near the right end of the status bar.
It is also possible to add toolbar icons allowing to isolate and end object isolation to any toolbar with Customize User Interface window.
Information acquired from CCAD.
Hello everyone,
After yesterday post you are probably wondering how to add a new pattern to AutoCAD.
You need to copy pattern files to your AutoCAD support directory. Usually it is e.g.:
C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010\Support
or
C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2
013\Support
New patterns will appear on the bottom of your pattern list in AutoCAD 2013
or in older AutoCADs choose Custom from Type and pattern list.
