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Participation Required: Post up your "weird" custom setups


tzframpton

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this has been in discussion before about the total lack of effeciency using nothing but toolbars. Ugh... i have 2 (small) toolbars open on my screen for the very few tools i don't use hardly at all, but occasionally i do. other than that i have my Properties box constantly open, plus my Tool Palettes. man i can't go one minute without my Tool Palettes.... haha

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We've had some guys (still may be a couple) that have about 40 toolbars open, all docked, on all sides, so that the main viewport is literally about 4" wide X 3" tall. Open PROPERTIES, ADC, or SSM and it's all over with... This is on a single 19" monitor also....

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dude i couldn't even imagine that. all that does is tell me their ambition to fully utilize AutoCAD is basically non exsistant. if i were an AutoCAD boss and i ran a firm or something, i would make something like that a write-up offense with 90 days of probation until you get it right. lol

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man i can't go one minute without my Tool Palettes.... haha
What do you use your palettes for? We were showed them as a resting place for blocks but as all our blocks are held in pathed folders I couldn't see any advantage over using the INSERT command. I know there must be more to them for so many people to be excited by them.
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We've had some guys (still may be a couple) that have about 40 toolbars open, all docked, on all sides, so that the main viewport is literally about 4" wide X 3" tall. Open PROPERTIES, ADC, or SSM and it's all over with... This is on a single 19" monitor also....

 

I can`t believe that, take a print screen and show us, i don`t have an idea how people can work like that.

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dude i couldn't even imagine that. all that does is tell me their ambition to fully utilize AutoCAD is basically non exsistant. if i were an AutoCAD boss and i ran a firm or something, i would make something like that a write-up offense with 90 days of probation until you get it right. lol

 

I like that way of thinking. I rarely, if ever, use toolbars. i have the standard at the top of my screen and that's it.

 

This is all i can remember right now:

 

EA, *ATTEDIT

CI, *CIRCLE

C, *COPY

D, *DIST

DI, *DIVIDE

DS, *DIMSTYLE

MP, *MATCHPROP

R, *ROTATE

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What do you use your palettes for? We were showed them as a resting place for blocks but as all our blocks are held in pathed folders I couldn't see any advantage over using the INSERT command. I know there must be more to them for so many people to be excited by them.

it's the same thing as using insert, except WAY better. 1st off, you can preset things to each block like explode, rotate, scale, and other things like no matter what layer you're on or what linetype is set, it will automatically place the block on the layer you specified.

 

also it's not just for a resting place for Blocks, it's for tools, commands, command/lisp macros, and utilizing Lisp. instead of me starting the MLINE command, or a Lisp file that i have for running Ductwork, and then having to type the width, or the MLSTYLE, then making sure i'm on the right layer, etc etc - it's already preset and precisely set up in a Tool Palette so i just click and draw, knowing exactly what size, layer, linetype, color, and anything else i've set to it, no matter what my current property states are at.

 

for not knowing Lisp it's the way to go, seriously. :)

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I like the "XX" for "explode". Good one Tanner ;)

Yeah my right-click is enter and if I hold it down longer I get the pop-up menu. I also have my middle button set to pop-up the snaps menu instead of pan.

 

Sean

 

 

 

Lets see who all participates. Post up anything regarding your own personal setup in AutoCAD, mainly alterations to the PGP File, any Toolbars/Tool Palettes, or even post up screenshots of your Workspace. try to show true customization, refrain from the AutoCAD defaults, and even give reasons of why you chose the customized object/commands. I'll start....

 

Altered Keyboard Commands:

 

1st off, my right click is used as Enter.

 

C - COPY

CR - CIRCLE

V - LINEAR DIM

VV - QLEADER

BB - BREAK

MN - MIRRER

Q - MATCH PROPERTIES

REF - REFEDIT

RER - RECTANGLE

T - TRIM

X - EXTEND

XX - EXPLODE

S - STRETCH

D - DISTANCE

 

I use these commands a lot, and so i've trimmed them down to one or two key commands, which makes my left hand stay put on one side of the keyboard. i can get going pretty fast sometimes... :lol:

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We've had some guys (still may be a couple) that have about 40 toolbars open, all docked, on all sides, so that the main viewport is literally about 4" wide X 3" tall. Open PROPERTIES, ADC, or SSM and it's all over with... This is on a single 19" monitor also....

 

Same here. They have about a 8x8 drawing window on a 20" monitor. :roll:

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it's the same thing as using insert, except WAY better. 1st off, you can preset things to each block like explode, rotate, scale, and other things like no matter what layer you're on or what linetype is set, it will automatically place the block on the layer you specified.

 

also it's not just for a resting place for Blocks, it's for tools, commands, command/lisp macros, and utilizing Lisp. instead of me starting the MLINE command, or a Lisp file that i have for running Ductwork, and then having to type the width, or the MLSTYLE, then making sure i'm on the right layer, etc etc - it's already preset and precisely set up in a Tool Palette so i just click and draw, knowing exactly what size, layer, linetype, color, and anything else i've set to it, no matter what my current property states are at.

 

for not knowing Lisp it's the way to go, seriously. :)

thanks for the start. It sounds like I won't get any advantage over how I already work for the type of drawings I do. One problem I have found with AutoCAD is that a new feature will come along which isn't fully developed. You try it early on and find it doesn't give you any advantage over what was done before so you stop using it. Then imrovements are made but you (me at least) have already dismissed it as a bad idea.

 

Dynamic Blocks - THEY are brilliant for the sort of work I do!

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Hmm, dont wanna start up a debate, but i guess i am anyways... (in a Lumberg voice from Office Space) "yeeeeauh, i'm gonna go ahead and have to... sort of, disagree with you there..."

 

lol, to me, most "new features" that come out in AutoCAD might not be 'fully developed' and you personally might not have a reason to utilize it, but much thought went into bring it into the program. i mean, why spend the labor time and money to add something major to AutoCAD if it doesn't "give you an advantage over what was done before"? just doesn't make sense. kinda like Sheet Set Manager. personally, i have no reason to use it. but i bet that new feature which came out in '05 was HEAVEN to lots of people. same with me and dynamic blocks... they truley are brilliant. but in my line of work i really have almost no need for it.

 

so, i don't see it as a "problem" at all, so that's why i'm kind of in a disagreement with that. lol, no offense tho bud. just a friendly debate. 8)

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as I typed that I thought - I wish I had an example to hand. :D In my defense my experience of AutoCAD goes back a lot further than yours (unless we've both lied in our public profiles). I get the impression that at times they have to have "100 new features". 50 are very genuine new features. 40 are good updates of previous commands. 5 work well but give you nothing new and the rest sound nice but.... If you actually want to use one of those in the last category you are disappointed.

 

My boss insists on getting training for each upgrade. This was very worthwhile during some updates. However the official trainer is always showing off the "latest" gizmos. The last one was dreadful. He spent most of the time telling us how he loved the zoom feature (you know, the one where the display moves) and told us it couldn't be turned off. It actually made 2 of us feel sick so we tried not to zoom! (This forum came up with the answer). We got about 2 minutes on dynamic blocks.

 

But things do annoy me. :x Why did copy have to be "multiple" by default? I'm used to it now but it took some time to gte used to. Even worse was the help file saying it was done for my convinience!

 

Hmm, dont wanna start up a debate, but i guess i am anyways... (in a Lumberg voice from Office Space) "yeeeeauh, i'm gonna go ahead and have to... sort of, disagree with you there..."

sorry, this doesn't make any sense in my part of England!

:D

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yeah i started on 2000, but didn't actually get into it heavily until 2004 so i'm still a beginner, lol.

 

aw man, you're preaching to the choir when it comes to "training". ugh, the last one i went to, the 'trainer' got stuck on something, and couldn't figure it out, so i very humbly told him what to do... haha. my boss wanted me to go, so i went.

 

and that quote of Office Space is just from a funny American movie, some guys on here will get it. :)

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one thing that stands out is how many of us have changed the AutoDESK Circle & copy defaults. Do you think they got it wrong?

 

Yes they got it wrong but no I don't think they will ever change it no matter what.

 

My boss insists on getting training for each upgrade. This was very worthwhile during some updates.

 

Our boss sent 1 person, we have 7, to training to come teach the rest of the office how to use it. Luckly I had my training in school so I was fine but that was the worst idea ever. The only part of ADT 2006 we use is the start up icon. They tried 2 projects in ADT that are now exploded flattened 2D drawing. The best part is they are the one Project manager that hates ADT and can't use it so it is always fun when we get revisions.:D

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I get the Office Space comment. All you guys in England should get a copy of it.

I really haven't done much custamization with my autocad, all I have is a 3d view flyout and a pedit button. I used to use R14 then moved to 2005. OH MY GOD!!! The right-click was SO annoying!!! I of course never knew how to change it and got used to using a different style. I now use my right hand on mouse, but never right click. My left hand sits on the far left side of the keyboard and my middle finger runs ESC and thumb runs SPACE rather than ENTER. I remove my right hand from the mouse to type in numbers, but I really hate that so I'm planning on buying on of those numeric keypads to put on the left side of the keyboard. My setup kinda sucks, but my brother is getting a pit bull and my mom said she might buy me a computer to even it out.

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my brother is getting a pit bull and my mom said she might buy me a computer to even it out.

 

Dog = new computer? Does that mean coach purse = golf clubs? Let me know that answer so I can let the wife know.

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I get the Office Space comment. All you guys in England should get a copy of it.

The other brits may have got it - I don't get out much! :shock:

 

I now use my right hand on mouse, but never right click. My left hand sits on the far left side of the keyboard and my middle finger runs ESC and thumb runs SPACE rather than ENTER.

I do much the same but I now find (2006, using Dyn Input) that every so often the space will just be recorded as a space. My command just sits there on the screen with a space after it.

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Apparently, not many of us use of the hapless "Screen Menu" anymore. I think even Autodesk is hoping it falls into obscurity.

 

I soldier on because I'm not a great typist, and my non mouse hand is usually busy with a cup of coffee. What I've found efficient is to orient all toolbars that require options next to the context sensitive screen menu. The proximity allows for a smooth mouse movement using the Verb/Noun sequence.

ACADLayout.jpg

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