Michael’s Corner

Michael's Corner is a monthly publication written by Michael E. Beall, Autodesk Authorized Author and peripatetic AutoCAD trainer. Michael travels all over the USA, bringing his fantastic experience and great understanding of AutoCAD to his clients. Michael's Corner brings together many of the tips, tricks and methods developed during these training sessions for the benefit of all users.

Michael's Corner provides something for every AutoCAD user. Every month, a number of articles cover a wide range of topics, suitable for users at all levels, including "The Basics" for those just starting out. Essentially, the aim of Michael's Corner is to help all AutoCAD users work smarter and faster.

This month…

From the Vault

Originally published October 2012

Move with a <Displacement>

When moving an object with the Move command, after selecting the objects, you're given the option of specifying a basepoint — which virtually everyone will do — or enter a <Displacement>. A what??

This recently came up when a my customer needed to move several furniture objects in 3D. In this exercise, I move the three work surfaces and the keyboard tray up by 12″.

Insights

• The key to this option is to enter the distance (the 'Displacement') in X, Y, Z format.

• If you're only moving in the X or Y axis, you don't have to enter the Z value.

• You don't need to precede the entry with the @ sign if you have not specified a base point.

• After entering the desired displacement value, you need to press [Enter] a second time to complete the command.

How To Move Selected Objects Using <Displacement>

1. Launch Move, select the objects, then press [Enter].

2. At the prompt to Specify Basepoint… or <Displacement>:, enter the distance of the move in X,Y,Z format. To move the three work surfaces and the keyboard tray up, I entered 0,0,12.

3. At the prompt to Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>: press [Enter].

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