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.
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When you boil down a drawing—(so, what would that be? Alphabet soup?)—the key ingredients are Layers, Annotation, and Blocks. To communicate effectively, every drawing must have some component of each of those. You could probably go without having blocks, but what drawing doesn't contain blocks these days? This month, I touch on each of those.
…Merge Layers is a new arrival in AutoCAD 2014
…Another trick for the Single Line text devotees: Symbols ala Mtext
…An Mtext setting that will make you want to use Single Line text (until you figure it out)
…Clarification of what the Wblock command can do for you
This month I return to NeoCon with my Revit for Dealership Designers [Monday, 6/11, 4:00] in the official NeoCon seminar listing, and I'll also be presenting an off-site AutoCAD Toolbelt seminar [Tuesday, 6/12, 2:30], graciously hosted at the Kimball showroom across from the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago (my favorite U.S. destination).
Looks to be a great month ahead. Hope yours is, too!
Recently I had the opportunity to do some training for Standard Textile in Cincinnati, OH, and since they have this great site where you can download fabric swatches in JPG format, I thought it would be helpful to understand the fundamentals of adding textures to 3D objects.
The main player will be the Materials palette. You will need to have a drawing with a 3D object in it in order to go thru this exercise. The process will work on a 3D Face, but you may also want to take a look at my coverage of 3D Orbit in February 2006, or my article on the A2007 command Presspull in December 2006. Either one of those will enable you to get to the point of getting some 3D geometry created. Also, if you don't have a swatch to use, click here to download some of the .JPG files like the one I am using in this exercise.
That should keep you busy during your lunch hours for the next week or so…