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Michael’s Corner

Michael BeallMichael'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…

October - One-derful!!!

It's a God-thing.

I had no idea that 14 years ago I would be given the opportunity to make an impact on the professional lives of so many. Only God knew what was ahead, and hopefully, the contributions I have made through Michael's Corner have equipped many of you to be more productive and a bit more savvy using AutoCAD. And apart from all the AutoCAD bashing that is going on, I'm sure it has a long life ahead.

So, in an effort to keep the AutoCAD fires burning, here's what I have for my final installment…

…A reminder on how to customize your hot keys
…Three Power Tools — one for Zoom, one for editing, and one for Layers
…Two Odd Spots — one for Layers and one for Hatching
…Buried text treasure
…And how to Search 14 years of the Archives

As for what's ahead for me, I will continue to present a variety of AutoCAD sessions — Fundamentals, Intermediate, Customizing, Updates, and 2D & 3D. I will also keep training CAP Designer, 20-20 Worksheet, Visual Impression (those three from 20-20 Technologies, Inc.), and some Revit Fundamentals. Next year I'm looking forward to being very involved in training CET (from Configura, Inc.) when Herman Miller joins the growing number of manufacturers embracing this software that is being touted as the ‘Future of Space Planning’. Personally, I'm looking forward to spending a bit more time with Donna, my lovely bride of 30 years. When this posts, we'll probably be within days of going on our 30th Anniversary vacation to the Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson; Ee-Hah! We had such a good time when we went for our 20th, we figured we'd do it again!

Ah, and I'm hoping to have The AutoCAD Workbench, Final Edition out before snow flies.

And with that, Mike drop! …so to speak.

The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

This month's articles

Change F1 to ESC
Smoother Zoom
Stretch with Extension
Lock Layers with a Crossing Window
Layer Columns & Hatch Background Color
Text Frame on Mtext

From the Vault

Originally published January 2006

Making a Custom A2006 Toolbar

The AutoCAD 2006 CUI (Customize User Interface) replaces the A2000 - A2005 Customize dialog box and is very… shall we say… robust. You can easily find hundreds of CUI-specific pages on the Internet, but I'm just going to take you through the steps to make a custom toolbar and put one command on it. This month's Power Tool will take it one step further.

Instructions to Make a Custom Toolbar [A2006]

  1. To open the CUI, right-click on any toolbar, then go to the bottom and click CUI.
  2. Under Customizations In All CUI Files, expand Partial CUI Files, then expand CUSTOM. This will display the collection of customizable interface elements, including Toolbars.
  1. Enter a name for the toolbar, then press [ENTER].
  2. The lower left quadrant of the CUI displays the Command List. Scroll through those commands and find Distance.

Tip: You can click anywhere in the Command List, then type the first few letters of the command you're looking for.

  1. Under the Command List, click on the Distance command, then drag it up and release it on your new toolbar.
  2. On the right side of the CUI, in the Properties area under Appearance, confirm that the value for On By Default is set to Show.
  3. Now click OK to apply and close the CUI. That's it!!

Tip: While you're in the CUI, in the listing of the commands on your custom toolbar, right-click on one of the commands for a shortcut menu enabling you to add a separator between the commands.

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