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What if you need different elevations, but still need continuous linework? Flattening the entire drawing would be an issue. This would be a good time to use Qselect (or filters, LISP, et al) to select by Elevation, etc. and Join the polylines, lines, etc. Once again Overkill to remove overlaps, though a custom LISP for it all would be better most likely. As mentioned, having all of that in a drawing should be from untrained cad users and/or poor third party software importing, etc.

I recently worked on a project where every revision was saved as a completely separate DWG file. After a few revisions, it became difficult to know which file was the latest one. A simpler approach is to keep the working DWG as the main file and use DWGPROPS to record revision information such as the revision number, date, and description. For issued drawings, I also keep a clear revision naming convention rather than relying only on the filename. This makes it much easier to identify the current drawing and understand its history. How do you normally manage DWG revisions on larger projects?

Would anybody be interested in having the results in AutoCAD MText/Text and/or a Table? Though for a Table, you can just use the Excel option and then create a table, then Datalink the Excel file. I just use the Notebook option mostly and everything is working in all of my tests, so unless there is a need I will not be adding very much to this. I may, if workload allows, make the DCL a little fancier.

If you want to share the file (or at least enough to see if the issue is a setting) it would be helpful. Woukld a different PDF plotter help? One more thought, try printing to an image file.

Have you tried to use AutoCAD's View command which does have a Save and Restore options? I would typically go inside the Pspace Vport and then run the View command Save option just in case I forget to lock it and I start Zooming around like you mentioned which does quite often happen to me too. Then I'll just use the View command Restore option to get back to the location where it was.

Hey @SLW210 - took a look at and experimented with some of the different setting in the VSM, particularly Lighting Quality.. and I do see clear differences in the print quality, the saw toothing still remains I'll play around with more of the VSM settings and see if I can improve it Thanks very much for your help and suggestions

The latest version is now in the first post. I used the @BIGAL codes for MS Excel and LibreOffice Calc, all credit given. Hopefully works in non-AutoCAD programs as well, it worked in AutoCAD 2000i on my home computer, batch wasn't an available option, so I may or may not see why. I forgot how much better Calc looks than Excel, it really looked better with my dark theme, I might need to work on my Excel at work. I just used a quickly made Metric drawing, so hopefully everything is correct, I know getting metric measurements in my Imperial drawings is correct. It now has option for the complete report or just the totals. It also gives the actual measurement of a scaled block and the 1:1 total. It also should first ask to save the CSV in the same folder as the drawing now.

What often happens to me is that I unlock the viewport to move something, and then I forget to lock it again when I'm done. Later I use the viewport but forget it's unlocked. I zoom in and out to focus on something but affect the model view instead of the viewport. Wherever possible, I use a border in model space (on a nonplot layer of course) to show the edges of the viewport. Then, if something changes the view, it's easy to get it back to the proper scale/location. It would be nice if AutoCAD had a way to save views for you. Revit has that feature, but for some reason AutoCAD doesn't.

(that was an awesome thread....) Yes, that was the start of me making the above, and using BigAl for inspiration

I have been looking at the discussion boards for the past month while working on my structural project for Penn Foster. It has been a great help but I was wondering if anyone could point me to a visual example of plate 3 (Section A)? I'm sure there is one somewhere in the boards but I have not been able to find it. I also don't need details, I am just a visual learner and I know for a fact the drawing I have made for this is completely wrong since the instructions are not clear to me. Any visual for this plate would be of great help! Thank you!

The best thing about QuickSelect is that you can append or remove your selections to/from the previous set. If you need all the manhole blocks on one layer and all the sewer lines on a different layer, for instance, you can pick one of each and use Similar. On the other hand, if you need the pipes in a particular range of lengths, you build one set without the shorter pipes, then remove the pipes that are too long, QED. It may be more complex than other methods, but if there are hundreds or thousands of items to process, it will be quicker.

From @Steven P's thread. AutoLISP Code Scroll down to Blk_Lib.lsp Blk_Lib.dcl Blk_Lib.doc Also some information on making these types of DCL. Getting Started with Dcl Dialogs just scroll down for DCLs with slide images and Image buttons. This is pretty good as well. https://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=20878.msg253445#msg253445

I recently ran into a layout where the viewport was showing the wrong area of the model, even though the model itself was correct. At first I thought the viewport had been moved or resized. The simple fix was to activate the viewport and use ZOOM > Object or PAN to position the view correctly. One thing I also check now is whether the viewport is locked, because a locked viewport can make it confusing when trying to adjust the view. It reminded me that sometimes the drawing is fine and the problem is only with the viewport settings. How do you normally troubleshoot a viewport that suddenly shows the wrong area?

I have the latest version opening in Excel and Calc (at least it was working from AutoCAD 2000i at home), I have a few more tweaks I am working on to make it a little nicer, maybe later today or early tomorrow I can post the update.

Here are a few simple methods to flatten a drawing. How to flatten geometry in a drawing in AutoCAD Products The PDF option is one I tried back when I used a LISP to import vector PDFs as lines, etc. I have run across arcs, circles, etc. that were somehow drawn like that as well. I have found blocks to be the biggest issue to get flat, particularly the ones that you would rather not have to explode. There are a few LISPs, etc. around that can handle the different issues you might run across.

Which ever the situation fits, QSelect is able to do a little more, one really isn't a replacement for the other. I have an "in progress" LISP for a more robust QSelect, I add more options from time to time, but it works well as of now.

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Believe it or not there are still 3 sets of icon menus embedded into the current CUI under: ACAD>Legacy>Image Tile Menus The following are snippets of code to launch each of them for user selection: #1) 3D Objects ; 3D Objects (defun c:3dm ()(menucmd "I=image_3DObjects")(menucmd "I=*")(princ)) After loading 3dm.lsp at the command prompt enter: 3dm #2) Set Spline Fit Variables ; Set Spline Fit Variables (defun c:sfv ()(menucmd "I=image_poly")(menucmd "I=*")(princ)) After loading sfv.lsp at the command prompt enter: sfv #3) Tiled Viewport Layout ; Tiled Viewport Layout (defun c:vpt ()(menucmd "I=image_vporti")(menucmd "I=*")(princ)) After loading vpt.lsp at the command prompt enter: vpt

Actually I prefer to use SelectSimilar. I've also used Filter. I'm not as well versed with QSelect.

When a drawing has hundreds of objects, selecting them one by one can take a lot of time. QSELECT lets you select objects based on their type or properties. For example, you can quickly select all circles, hatches, dimensions, or objects on a particular layer. I find it especially useful when I need to make the same change to many objects at once. How many of you use QSELECT regularly? What do you use it for most?

Try again :https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PEI9H3FrJosMIUunhefGpuIUOMdsqf8Z/view?usp=sharing

when I looked in the zip folder it was empty, extracting it brought up this message.

Portable Version Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PEI9H3FrJosMIUunhefGpuIUOMdsqf8Z/view?usp=sharing Run DwgToPdfPro.exe

@CivilTechSource the Block/dwg select is part of the POP menu interface, in particular the Icon section. It's just made with Notepad and you save a MNU file., Autocad handles the actual dcl. Re images yes they are slides, SLD files. Ok the how to. 1st step is you must shrink your screen area down to about 1/4 size. When slides were introduced screens were 640x480 so current screens are way more pixels. I use a lisp to make the slides insert say a block, zoom E, Zoom 0.9XP then MSLIDE, Erase last and insert next. Obviously the name of the saved slide is in the lisp. Without going into now you can make like 200 slides very quickly including inserting other block dwg's. You can use a program called Slide library it compresses all your slides into one SLB file a bit easier to manage, I have numerous slb files that contain common items eg landscaping, cars. ***MENUGROUP=CADARC ***POP1 **CADARC2018 [CADARC] LOAD CADARC]^C^C(LOAD "CA3ENTR2013")(LOAD "CA4USRLA-2") [->Set Up] [DRAWING SETUP]^c^C^p(load "ca11set") [--] ............. ............. ............. ............. ***icon **FURN [FURNITURE:] [CTONE(CHAIR-1)]^c^cINSERT ca3ch-1 DRAG \1;;DRAG [CTONE(CHAIR-2)]^c^cINSERT ca3ch-2 DRAG \1;;DRAG [CTONE(SOFA-1)]^c^cINSERT ca3sof1 DRAG \1;;DRAG

I see said the blind man...For example, Layer names come over with $0$ as if bound...thanks.