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.
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
The Ribbon is quickly becoming my default operating mode - I know, you never thought I'd say that, but it's true. When I go back to using toolbars in A2010, it looks… old. However, I was doing a training with a customer just the other day and she was interested in putting the Object Snap toolbar over on the right side of her screen, just for those occasional single-hits you need for that random object snap like, maybe, Nearest.
Important Note: Changing of the arrangement of your Ribbon and toolbars directly relates to your Workspace. If you have not created a workspace, see Michael's Corner, May 2009.
Save your current workspace.
Enter CUI (or any other method you would like) to open the Customize User Interface.
In the upper left section, click on the workspace name that is [current].
In the upper right section, under Workspace Contents, click Customize Workspace.
Back in the upper left section, expand the Toolbars node to display a list of available toolbars.
Check the box beside the toolbar(s) you would like to display and you will see them added to the Toolbar list on the right side, under the Workspace Contents heading.
These last steps are very important…
In the upper right, under Workspace Contents, click Done, then click OK to close the CUI and apply your changes.
You will now see your toolbar(s) in the drawing, so first, position them where you want them.
Finally, save your workspace by clicking Workspace Switching, then Save Current As.
In the dropdown list, select your workspace name, then Save and Replace. You are good to go!