There are now THREE ways to see AU 2009 content and events (and that's not even counting all the stuff that's already available at AU Online).

1. AU in Vegas
Of course there's the live event. You get in-person classes, networking, the AUGI Beer Bust, etc.

2. AUv
There's also AU Virtual, which is a way to see live classes and events over the web. No security lines to get to this one, and it's free. (Or $99 for a Premier Pass.)

3. AU Extension
Last but not least, there's AU Extension, which combines expert-led class content from AU in Las Vegas with face-to-face interaction with local instructors. With over 90 Authorized Training Centers participating, in 35 countries, chances are pretty good there's one near you. Even better, AU Extension is free, and comes with the option to purchase additional training at a discount.

I hope one of the 3 AU options works for you!

I really like getting tips from users, but it's not often I get the same tip from two people! Kevin Braun and Murray Clack wrote in within a few days of each other about the benefits of named views and hyperlinks -- two subjects I haven't posted much about. (I didn't think there were too many of those left!)

Kevin says:

Something I don't see a lot of talk about, but I use almost all day long, are Named Views and Hyperlinks.

We use Named Views to help out the people who use our finished drawings. They click on the Named View and they can see what they need.  This is very cool, because it sets layers, UCS, etc.

We use model space markers with names to direct them to the proper Named View.

As usual, I got tired of typing in the names and all the scrolling down the list of views, and said to myself, "Wouldn't it be cool to just click on the marker?" (a bright light bulb turned on in my head!) I went to Hyperlinks and discovered you can link an object to a Named View! This was very cool.

Now I drop the marker in the drawing, and Hyperlink it to a view. Now all we do is click on the marker and away we go, no more scrolling through a drop down window. Getting around is so much faster now.

Murray's tip:

Below is a step-by-step process that helps you quickly navigate between Modelspace orientations and multiple Layout tabs using Saved Views and Hyperlinks.

1. While in a Layout tab, use the VIEW command to save a view name (usually, I would name the view based on whatever the sheet number would be, like “A101”)
2. Then, draw a closed pline around the perimeter of a Viewport (either on Layer “defpoints” or a unique layer set to “no plot”), and then use the CHSPACE command to send the pline into Modelspace through that Viewport.
3. With your cursor still within Modelspace via inside the Viewport, save a new view name to something reflecting what is going on within the viewport and including the sheet number (eg. “Plan 1 – A101”), and then bring your cursor back into the Layout environment (ie. PSPACE command)
4. Enter the command HYPERLINK
5. When prompted to “Select Objects”, select the Viewport boundary that you just saved a view in.
6. When the “Edit Hyperlink” dialog box appears, click on the “View of this Drawing” button
7.  Expand the Model tree by clicking on the “+” symbol, select the view name you just created, and then click the OK button

Now, hold down your Ctrl key, and click once on the Viewport boundary with your left mouse button.  AutoCAD will then switch to Modelspace and zoom into the area of the saved Modelspace view that you created earlier – and you will also see the closed pline that you sent through the Viewport.

To get back to the Layout tab, repeat steps 4 through 7, but this time, select the closed pline and select the saved view for the Layout.

(I just tried Murray's tip, and it's not as complicated as it sounds. Really.)

Two slightly different approaches, but both using the same tools to speed up navigation in drawings.

What do you think? Anybody else out there using named views and hyperlinks?

We all know that sometimes, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Today, that good/bad thing is the ability to reposition the elements of your user interface -- toolbars, ribbon panels, palettes, etc.

When you're first setting up your workspace, you need to be able to rearrange things to suit the way you work. But once you're done, you'd like them to stay where you put them, and not get dragged around by a too-slow mouse click. (It's happened to all of us.)

Fortunately, there's a feature built-in to workspaces to prevent this from happening.

In the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, next to the workspace-switching icon, there's a little padlock. (Don't confuse it with the viewport-locking padlock -- they're not related.)

 

The options you'll see when you click on it require a little explanation.

• Toolbars: This also includes ribbon panels.
• Windows: This includes palettes.
• Docked: Attached to the top, bottom, or sides of the screen, or to the ribbon.
• Floating: Everywhere else, i.e. a detached ribbon panel or an un-anchored palette.

When you check one or more of those options, that type of screen element becomes fixed in position. No matter how much you try to drag it, it won't move. (If it's a toolbar or ribbon panel, you can still edit it with the CUI. You just can't move it.) If you reach the point where this becomes a bad thing again, you can always uncheck it in the list.

You can also lock or unlock all eligible elements at once with the "All" option.

And for my command-line fans, this is controlled with the LOCKUI system variable, which can be the sum of any of the following values:

• 0: Toolbars and windows not locked
• 1: Docked toolbars locked
• 2: Docked or anchored windows locked
• 4: Floating toolbars locked
• 8: Floating windows locked

So if you wanted to lock everything, you'd set LOCKUI to 15.