SPAUG-Tip of the Month 2001

December's Tip of the Month

MVIEW mixup?

Question:

When I copy/paste an MVIEW from one paperspace to another or from one drawing to another, the MVIEW comes in non-functioning. How do I fix this?

Answer:

When you paste MVIEW's, they are automatically turned OFF (don't ask me why ;-). So all you have to do is select and right-click on the MVIEW and change "Display Viewport Objects" to YES. Or you can use the MVIEW command, or change it in the Change Properties window (Misc...On...Yes).

by Jeff Tippit

November's Tip of the Month
Don't forget Multiple Gripping.
Since most of you have forgotten this one, I thought I would give you a refresher course. If you have an area where it is hard to stretch (I know this is not a good example), you can select the entities you want to edit to show the BLUE grips. Then, while holding down the SHIFT Key, you select all the grips you want to edit. Then you can let go of the SHIFT Key and select one of the RED grips to use as your gripping point. This will make all the selected grips move as one group. by Jeff Tippit

September's Tip of the Month

How do I paste Text from Word?

Question:

Does anyone know of a way to insert text from a Microsoft Word document into AutoCAD?

When I CopyClip, it brings in the white background with the text.

requested by Justine Davis, Austin, TX

Answer:

When you paste into AutoCAD, do not use the plain Paste command. Instead use the Paste Special command found in the Edit Pop-down or you can type PASTESPEC on the command line. Then choose Text from the list shown in the dialog image below. The text will then be pasted as MTEXT.

answered by Jeff Tippit

August's Tip of the Month

Where did Merge Lines go?

Question:

How do I get the Merge lines to work in AutoCAD 2000. I have run that little hpsetup.exe in the root of the AutoCAD directory but it has no effect. We are running an HP DesignJet 650c.

requested by Michael J. Haverdink, SLS Partnership, Inc., Lubboc, TX

Answer:

Merge control is now built into the drivers for HP Plotters. Just go into your Plotter Dialog Box and choose the HP Plotter or associated PC3 file and choose the Properties... button. You will then see the following dialog box to the right. Expand the "+" sign next to the Graphics to reveal the Merge Control function. Make sure you have the latest HP Driver for your version of Windows. AutoCAD specific drivers are no longer needed in versions 2000 and up.

answered by Jeff Tippit

July's Tip of the Month
Why do boxes show up for AEC objects?
Question: I got a drawing from someone who has ADT. I loaded the Object Enabler from Autodesk's web site, but I get only boxes for everything. How do I fix this? Answer: There is a setting in your Preferences (R14) or Options (2000 and up) that allows for proxy display. Under the "Open and Save" Tab in the ObjectARX applications box, change "Show Proxy Bounding Box" to "Show Proxy Objects". answered by Jeff Tippit
"Show Proxy Bounding Box"	"Show Proxy Objects"

April's Tip of the Month
Why does my side menu disappear?
Question: Every now and then in AutoCAD 2000i, my side menu disappears. I checked the setting in my options, but it is already checked. How do I get it back? Answer: Your side menu hasn't disappeared it just "SHRUNK". See images for instructions on how to re-dock the side menu. This is a known bug in 2000i, but no one at Autodesk seems to care to fix it. I wonder if it is still there in 2002? I have noticed that if you close out the last drawing (so that there are NO drawings open) then close AutoCAD in that state. Upon re-opening AutoCAD, your side menu will be "shrunk" again. So I have been making sure that I close AutoCAD with at least one drawing open. answered by Jeff Tippit

March's Tip of the Month
Why can't I change the direction of an Arc?
Question: I use a custom linetype that has a directional arrowhead to indicate a direction of flow. When I use the LINE command, the arrowhead are pointed in the direction I desire. When I use the ARC command though, the arrowheads follow the counterclockwise direction of the arc, thus sometimes my arrowhead will point against the direction of flow. This problem also happens when I use the PLINE command as well. Is there a way to force the arrowheads, in the ARC mode, to follow the direction I desire? Answer: Unfortunately, there isn't a way to change this, but there is a workaround. If you use the Arc option for the ELLIPSE command, you will be able to mirror, stretch, and rotate it without it defaulting to a counter-clockwise direction as with the ARC. See the example images below. requested by Alfred Narbaiz, SPAUG Secretary answered by Jeff Tippit
Arcs cannot be mirrored so that the custom linetype changes direction.		Elliptical Arcs, however, CAN be mirrored so that the direction of the linetype can be reversed.

February's Tip of the Month

How do I reset Windows Explorer to open R14 instead of A2K when double-clicking?

Go into Windows Explorer and choose Options... under the View or Tools pop-down, depending on which version of Windows you are using. Then click the "File Types" tab as shown below for Step #1. Step #2, scroll down and select "AutoCAD Drawing". Step #3, pick the Edit... button. Scroll down for Step #4.

Step #4, Select "Launch AutoCAD" in the Actions: box. Pick the Edit... button for Step #5. Scroll down for Step #6.

Final step, change the path listed in the "Application used to perform action:" box to match your AutoCAD R14 installation. Then just hit OK three times. That should do it.

requested by Hani Tahhan, Alexandria, VA
answered by Jeff Tippit

January's Tip of the Month

How do I turn an AutoCAD 2000 drawing into a JPG?

No problem, go into the Plot dialog box under the "Plot Device" tab and choose PublishToWeb JPG.pc3 as shown below. Click here if you don't have PublishToWeb listed

Then hit the "Properties..." button to the right and select the resolution you need as shown below. The highest possible resolution is 1600x1280.

If you do NOT have PublishToWeb listed, you can go to the File pop-down and choose "Plotter Manager...", double-click "Add-A-Plotter Wizard", Next, My Computer, in the Manufactures box choose "Raster File Formats" and in the Models box choose "Independent JPEG Group JFIF (JPEG Compression)", then just finish it out from there.

Then just plot to a file.

requested by Brandon Cornelius, Tippit & Assoc. Architects, Houston, TX
answered by Jeff Tippit