Anyhow, I just recently discover some technique in doing a hatch so I decided that I’m going to share it here in this blog. So to start, there are many ways to add a hatch pattern in our drawings, one of that ways is the conventional approach or the most commonly use method in adding a hatch, and it is by using the command BHATCH or simply HATCH. You can find Hatch command, under the Draw Pulldown menu, then Hatch. Alternatively, at the command prompt, key-in BHATCH/HATCH or simply BH or H for shortcut. Then after that, a dialogue box will appear (fig.1). From there you can just select the hatch pattern that you want to use by clicking the box at the side of the Pattern (fig.1), then the hatch pattern pallette will appear (fig.2) then just select which hatch you wan to use.

(fig.1)

Fig.2

And finally, the other way of adding a hatch in our drawing is by dragging the hatch pattern from the DesignCenter. A method that somehow relatively new for me, and I can safely say that for most of us AutoCAD user’s as well. Anyway, here is the step by step method on how to drag the hatch pattern from the DesignCenter.

Fig.3

Fig.4

1. Click the Insert Pulldown menu, then Design Center (fig.3), or Ctrl+2 for keyboard shortcut. Alternatively, at the command prompt, key-in ADCENTER. Then the Design Center dialogue box will pop-up (fig.4).
   
2. On the Folders tab, click the search button.
   
3. In the Search dialogue box, do the following entries (fig.5):3.1. In Look For, select Hatch Pattern Files.
   3.2. In the In Box, select the drive where the program is installed.
   3.3. Select the Search subfolders option.
   3.4. On the Hatch Pattern Files tab, in Search for the Name, enter *      (asterisk) . (dot) pat. 

4. Click Search Now button. , the default hatch pattern file is acad.pat or acadiso.pat. The search results may display the same file in different locations.
   
5. In the search results, double-click the file to laod the hatch patterns into the content area of DesignCenter.
   
6. Right-click a pattern to display a shortcut menu with the following options: (Optional only)6.1.  HATCH -  Opens the hatch and gradient dialogue box.
   6.2.  Copy - Stores the hatch pattern to the clipboard.
   6.3.  Create Tool Palette - Creates a new Tool Palette with a selected pattern displayed.

7. From the content area, drag the hatch pattern you want onto a closed object on your drawing. If you the hatch pattern scale is too large or too dense you can adjust it, by double-clicking the pattern to display the hatch dialogue box or by adjusting it in Object Properties (assuming your object properties is open) (fig.6).
   

Fig. 5

Fig.6

There, thats it for today.

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Text Fit, can be found under the Express pulldown menu, under the Text. Or alternatively at the command prompt, type-in, TEXTFIT.

Command: TEXTFIT
Select Text to stretch or shrink: Use an object selection method
Specify end point or [Start point]: Specify a new end point, or enter S to specify a new start point
Pick new starting point: Specify a new start point
ending point: Specify a new endpoint

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By editing the Block or Xref in place, you can modify the reference within the visual context of your drawing. With REFEDIT you can modify the external reference, without going back and fourth between the reference itself and to you drawing, where the Xref was currently inserted. Therefore, making your life more easier in  doing your work, or for this case editing some portions on your drawing.

The downside in using in-place reference editing of Xref is, it can increase the size of your current drawing files significantly during the in-place editing session. Making your drawing file size more bigger than you expected to be. So even if it is useful for us AutoCAD users, the in-place editing of the external reference or Xref, it is not advisable to do it, only if you are concern about the file size of your drawing. While Xref, has this small issue regarding the file size, the block reference doesn’t have this same issue, making the block more suitable from using the in-place editing or the REFEDIT.

Fig.1

You can access, Edit Reference In-Place or REFEDIT command, by clicking the Tools pulldown menu, then Xref And Block In-Place Editing, then Edit-Reference In-Place (fig.1). Alternatively, at the command prompt, type REFEDIT. Then from within the drawing, select the block or external reference that you would like to modify. Thenafter selectiong the block or Xref a Reference Edit dialog box will appear (fig.2), in the Reference Edit dialog box, select the specific reference that you want to edit.

Fig.2

After selecting the specific reference the REFEDIT toolbox will appear (fig.3), then from there you can save it after you finish editing th object reference in your drawing. The object in the working set are saved to the reference and the Xref or the Block is updated. All Blocks that inserted in the drawing withthe same names as the block that has been modified, will also be updated.

Fig.3

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So in order to avoid losing much of our work, we tend to use Automatic Save so that even we forgot to save our work, the AutoCAD automatically save it for us, albeit it only saved some of it from the time frame we had set.

Some years ago, when I’m just using the previous version of AutoCAD notably the  AutoCAD 2002 (this version has the most program error I had encounter), when this system error unexpectedly happen and the AutoCAD shutdown unexpectedly. I used to look for my automatically saved drawing (drawing.sv$) on temporary folders using the window explorer.

So now if you are using latest version of AutoCAD, just as I am using the not so latest AutoCAD Architecture 2008. Recovering ou drawing is not that  so complicated anymore. Because AutoCAD now has this command DRAWING RECOVERY.

This command recovered our drawing automatically for us. After a system failure or the AutoCAD program failure unexpectedly came, the Drawing Recovery Windows Manager will open the next time we start AutoCAD session. The Drawing Recovery Windows display the list of all drawing files that were open. However unsaved drawings that are open at the time of an unexpected failure are not tracked by the drawing recevery manager. So it is always safe that we always save our drawing from time to time, even if we had set Automatic Save for file precautions.

If happens that you close the Drawing Recovery Window,  before recovering all files tha you want to recover, you can always access Drawing Recovery command at all times by accessing from the Files pulldown menu, then Drawing Utilities, then Drawing Recovery. Or at the command prompt, type DRAWINGRECOVERY.

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Object Snap Toolbar

By default, a marker and a tooltip are displayed whenever you move the cursor over an object in your drawing. And  from there you can specify a point, when AutoCAD prompt you for a point. To specify an Osnap at a  prompt for a point, you can press SHIFT, and right click to display the Object Snap shortcut menu list. Or click an Object Snap button on the Object Snap toolbar. Or you can just key-in the name of an Object Snap at the command prompt. Just remember that Object Snap works only when AutoCAD ask you for a point, from any command that’s in effect. An error message will be displayed if you try to use an Osnap at the command prompt.

Object Snap

Importance of Object Snap

So, what’s the importance of Object Snap? a question that every AutoCAD users should ask. Object Snap or Osnap is essential to us AutoCAD users, for this function helps us makes our drawing more reliable, more accurate and exact, when it comes to doing our work we’ve been assigned to. Without Osnap in AutoCAD, or without knowing  how to use this function your drawing will be more likely as a drawing without a real information.

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Well, anyway I just like to share an AutoLisp routine that my colleagues shared with us back then. This routine called Text Transfer.

Text Transfer is an AutoLisp routine, that will allow you to copy a series of text content to one place to another. You’ll just have to select the text content that you want to be copied and transfer it to another location, by clicking the text on the selected location or the text you want to replace. 

Copy the set of text below and save it to notepad, but make sure that you put (.lsp) as your file extension, or it wont work, then save it and put it on a folder that you can easily remember.

Text Transfer Lisp

 

(defun c:tt ( / A B)

 (setq A (cdr (assoc 1 (entget (car (entsel “Select TEXT to be TRANSFER: “))))))

   (while (setq B (car (entsel “Select TEXT item to be REPLACE: “)))

    (setq C (entget B))

    (entmod (subst (cons 1 A)(assoc 1 C)C))

   (if (or (= (cdr (assoc 0 C)) “POLYLINE”)(= (cdr (assoc 0 C)) “INSERT”))

   (entupd B)))

 

(princ))

Then, at the command prompt, type APPLOAD, then a dialogue box will pop, then frome there select the routine that you saved, then click the Load button. then you’re all set.

At the command prompt, type Text Transfer or TT, then select the text to be transfer, after selecting, select text item to be replace. Then voila!!…

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A region can be created from an bojects that form closed loops. Loops can be a combinations of lines, polylines, circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs, aand splices. Regions can be used for, applying hatch and shading. Regions can also be used in analyzing properties, such as area by using command Massprop and List. Regions can as well be used in extracting design information, such as centroid.

Boundary dialogue box

There are lot of ways in AutoCAD to create regions,but the easiest way I know of creating regions are by using Boundary command. This command can be found under the Draw pulldown menu. Or at the command prmopt, type Boundary or BO for shortcut. After keying-in Boundary command, a dialogue box will appear, just click the Region or Polyline on Object type, then click Pick points, and the n select the internal point you want to be created as region.

Selected Boundary

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Just in case you encounter such object in your drawing, you can use the command Baseline Dimension and Continue Dimension. You can find these commands, under Dimension Pulldown menu, or at the Dimension Toolbar. Alternatively at the command prompt, type DIMBASELINE or DIMCONTINUE.

Baseline Dimension or DIMBASELINE, is a AutoCAD command that creates multiple dimension measured from the same baseline. While Continue Dimension or DIMCONTINUE, is an AutoCAD command that creates a multiple dimension placed end to end.  To create a baseline dimension continued dimension you should create first a linear, aligned, or an angular dimension to serve as a starting point, or click any extension line from any existing dimensions from your drawing.

Baseline Dimension

Continue Dimension

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Goodthing, AutoCAD has this routine, that can automatically adjust existing parallel linear and angualr dimension in a drawing, so they are equally spaced or aligned at the dimension line with each other.

(fig.1)

This routine called, the Dimension Space, or DIMSPACE, you can find this routine at the Dimension Pulldown menu, Dimension Space, you can also find it at the dimension toolbar (fig.1). Alternatively, at the command prompt, type DIMSPACE, then ENTER, then select the dimensions you want to adjust. The dimension that to be selected must be linear or angular, of the same type (rotated or aligned), parallel or concentric to one another, and on the extension line of each other. See the example below (fig.2 and fig.3).

(fig.2)

(fig.3)

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In a drawing that has an object that shown with breakline symbol, it is recommended that it must come up also with a dimensioning with a breakline symbol or jog symbol. And that’s the time, the command DIMJOGLINE will be needed. You can find the DIMJOGLINE command at the Dimension Toolbar, or at the Dimension pulldown menu, Jogged Linear. Alternatively, you can just type DIMJOGLINE at the command prompt.

DIMJOGLINE is an AutoCAD command that can create a breakline symbol like object, that can be use in a linear dimension line. Jog symbol are used to represent a dimension value that does not the actual measurement of an object. Typically, the actual measurement value of the dimension is smaller than the displayed value. Once you already made the JOG symbol you can modify it’s position by using GRIPS.

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