Autodesk University

AutoCAD and AutoCAD-Based Vertical Products

Adding Folder to Places

When you are in the Open dialog box, you can add your favorite folders to the Places list on the left side of the dialog box. Simply select the desired folder and drag it over to the Places list. Right-click on that new icon and choose the Properties… option to change the name of the shortcut. Remove it when you are done with it.

Frame Around Images

Images that are brought into AutoCAD® must have the rectangular frame around it displayed if you want to modify the image.  Since you usually do not want the rectangle to print, you turn it off.  The IMAGEFRAME variable that controls image frame visibility now has three options. A setting of 0 turns off the rectangle so that it does not print. A setting of 1 displays the rectangle and prints it. A great new setting of 2 displays the rectangle so you can manipulate the image, but does not print the rectangle.  This is also on the Reference panel of the Insert menu.

See Layers for Only a Specific Xref

It can occasionally be helpful to see just the layers for a specific xref in the Layer Manager. Open the Layer Manager and in the left Filters pane, expand the All filter, expand the filter named Xref, then select the name of the xref for which layers you desire to see.

AutoCAD Architecture and AutoCAD MEP

Multiple Cleanup Groups to Assist with Wall Cleanups

Placing walls in Cleanup Groups based upon usage will keep walls from attempting to clean up with walls of other usages and help alleviate some problems with wall cleanup, in addition to speeding up ACA. Create separate cleanup groups for usages such as typical walls, cabinets, counters, shelving, and low walls. To create additional Cleanup Groups, go to Manage and select Style Manager. Expand Architectural Objects and select Wall Cleanup Group Definitions in the left pane. In the right pane, right-click and select New from the context menu, then enter the desired group name.

Break Multiple Walls with One Door

One door can break multiple adjacent walls. Highlight the wall(s) adjacent to the wall with the door, right-click, and select Interference Condition, then Add from the pop-up menu. When prompted to “Select AEC objects to add:”, pick the desired door (or other allowable object) and press the ENTER key. When prompted to “Enter shrinkwrap plan effect [Additive/Subtractive/Ignore]:”, type S for Subtractive.

Reposition Door Along a Wall

After a door (or window, opening, or assembly) is placed in a wall, it is often desirable to reposition that door to be a specific distance from a corner or other point.  Highlight the door, right-click, and select Reposition Along Wall from the context menu. At the “Select position on the opening:” prompt, pick any point toward the right jamb, center, or left jamb of the door. At the “Select a reference point” prompt, pick the point from which you desire to set the distance to the door. At the “Enter the new distance between the selected points:” prompt, type in the desired distance from the two points you just selected.

Reposition Door Within a Wall

When a door (or window, opening, or assembly) is placed in a wall, it is automatically centered in the wall so it is often desirable to reposition that door within the wall. Highlight the door, right-click, and select Reposition Within Wall from the context menu. At the “Select position on the opening:” prompt, pick any point toward the interior face, center, or exterior face of the door frame. At the “Select a reference point” prompt, pick the point from which you desire to set the distance to the door frame. At the “Enter the new distance between the selected points:” prompt, type in the desired distance from the two points you just selected.

Revit-Based Products

Empty Panel Versus Deleted Panel in Curtain Wall

Instead of deleting a panel in a curtain wall, use an “empty” panel instead so that it is easy place a panel back in that location if changes occur. You can load “Empty Panel.rfa” from the Curtain Wall Panels folder of the library. Note that the panel edge line is visible in perspective and elevation views, so you may desire to edit the family to turn off the visibility of the edge or make the edge an invisible line.

Shorten a Wall Section to Fit Vertically on Sheet

A wall sections sometimes needs to be “shortened” to make it fit vertically on a sheet. To do that, you need to split it by picking on the break symbol on the side of the section. After picking on the split marks on the side of the section, adjust the crop regions to reduce the amount of section shown in each portion of the section. To actually move the section portion together to reduce the overall height, select the double vertical arrow symbol in the center of the portion to be relocated and move the arrows toward the other section portion.

See What is Room Bounding

In the Place Room contextual tab -> Room panel, click Highlight Boundaries to display red lines around all of the bounding areas in the project.