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How to use, customise, and ultimately master AutoCAD
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2023
Autodesk is currently offering a download for their latest computer-aided design software, AutoCAD® 2023, which is available for a limited time at no cost ...
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2022
For a limited time, Autodesk is providing a free download of the latest version of its computer-aided design software, AutoCAD® 2022 ...
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2021
Autodesk is offering a free copy of the latest version of AutoCAD®, AutoCAD® 2021, for a limited time ...
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2020
Autodesk is offering a free copy of the latest version of AutoCAD®, AutoCAD® 2020, for a limited time ...
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2019
Autodesk is offering a free trial of AutoCAD® 2019, the latest version of its popular computer-aided design software, allowing users to test the software's capabilities before purchasing it ...
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2018
Autodesk is offering a free download of AutoCAD® 2018 for a limited time, allowing users to explore the latest version of the popular computer-aided design software ...
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2017
The post discusses the offer by Autodesk to download the latest version of its computer-aided design software, AutoCAD® 2017, for free, for a limited period of 30 days ...
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2016
As they do every year, Autodesk are giving away their latest version of AutoCAD® for free. The download link is at the bottom of this page. It's free for a limited period of time though ...
Funny Autodesk errors
Hi everyone, It has been a while, but I'm still here. I had to laugh the other day when I happened across this...
AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2015 Survey Fix Utility
Hi all, I have created a new version of my survey fix which should now be compatible with new versions of AutoCAD®. I've tested this with AutoCAD® 2015, and it should work with previous versions as well. Download...
AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Survey Fix 2013 & 2014
Hi folks, A number of you have asked for an updated version of my Survey Fixing utility for Civil 3D®. So due to popular demand, creating an updated version of this tool has become my top priority. I hope to get this out to you very shortly ...
Building Information Modelling
Building information modelling (BIM) is a process for creating a digital representation of a physical building. This model can be used to help design, construct and operate the building ...
Free Download of AutoCAD® 2014
Hi all, Autodesk have extended to us their usual kindness of downloading the latest version of AutoCAD® 2014, for free. The download link is at the bottom of this post. But, as you'd expect, it's free for 30 days...
Speed up Trim and Extend
Hi Everyone, I've had a quick tip forwarded to me for speeding up using the Trim and Extend commands. To speed up Trim and Extend, edit the commands in the CUI to include a space and a semi colon and add them to the right click default shortcut...
Introduction to managed VB.NET code for AutoCAD®
Hello everyone. Over the years of running HowToAutoCAD.com I have found that hundreds, if not thousands of you are very keen to get into writing your own tools for AutoCAD®. However, you can create tools for AutoCAD® using VB.NET in many ways, and I...
The BCOUNT Command
BCOUNT is a very simple and quick command for extracting information from your drawing, namely, a count of the number of blocks in your drawing, categorised by their type. It's really simple to use ...
Identifying System Variable Differences
I've often been in a situation where a certain command or entity seems to behave differently in one drawing compared to another. Things such as how drawing units are handled are controlled on a drawing by drawing basis, by saving system variables in ...
The PICKSTYLE System Variable
Very quick tip to supplement the last post I wrote on Groups, which comes to us thanks to one of my subscribers named Santiago. I mentioned that the behaviour when selecting a group is controllable using the groups dialog box by modifying the...
AutoCAD® Groups
Blocks are very useful, and you might be tempted to ignore the existence of groups and just always use blocks instead. However, groups actually work differently to blocks, and in many cases it is actually more useful to use a group instead of a...
The SETBYLAYER Command
As of AutoCAD® 2008, we have a new command for dealing with the layering properties of objects...
Export To AutoCAD®
Hi everyone, Quick tip for all of you using AutoCAD® verticals such as Civil 3D®. You'll no doubt have noticed that if you open drawings created in an AutoCAD® vertical will have it's native objects displayed as OLE objects in vanilla AutoCAD®. It can...
Copy Layers to Excel
Hi everyone, Recently someone showed me a really simple, and rather obscure tip that I thought was pretty neat. I must admit, I'm yet to find a practical use for it, but I'm sure as with many other obscure commands it'll be extremely useful in that...
The SOLID Command
Hatching is one of the easiest, least irritating, and straightforward commands in AutoCAD®. Not. But there are quite a few other commands that can help with the little things ...
The SAVEIMG Command
Taking a screenshot of your work is sometimes required, and while it's not particularly difficult to just press the PrntScr ...
The DBLIST Command
Hi Everyone, I have been meaning to do a post on the DBLIST command for a while now, and I just happened to find the perfect post on Ellen Finkelstein's blog. Therefore this is a guest post from...
The UNDEFINE Command
There are many commands in AutoCAD®, and it is possible to create your own custom command shortcuts through either LISP or using acad.pgp ...
The TSPACEINVADERS Command
Hi everyone, Today I'm going to talk to you about a command that arguably has the coolest name ever to be given to an AutoCAD® command. The command is so cool in fact, that it didn't want to go through the usual fuss of being a documented command....
The SSX Command
As this is my first post on HowToAutoCAD.com of 2013, I'd firstly like to wish you all a ...
uClicky Update Now Available
Hi all, For those of you already using my free windows automation tool uClicky, there is now a newer version available. uClicky is basically a way to...
AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Survey Fix 2013 Update
Hello everyone! I know that many of you have been eagerly ...
AutoCAD® VB.NET Development Training Courses
The selection of training courses in AutoCAD® development is sparse at best, so if you're looking for a training course in AutoCAD® VB.NET development, you're probably going to struggle to find anyone that runs a course of this type, let alone one...
Convert 3D Polyline to 2D Polyline
There are various polyline types in AutoCAD®, the most common of which is usually the LWPolyline ...
Oops, I deleted it again
We've all deleted stuff we didn't want to, and you probably got it back by mashing the good old...
AutoCAD® 2013 Free Download
As with last year, Autodesk have kindly allowed us to download their latest version of AutoCAD® for free. Visit the download link at the end of this post to get your free copy of AutoCAD® 2013! But as expected, it's only free for a limited time. 30...
Civil 3D® Point Data - User Defined Property Classification
Hello everyone, I have another tip for you. Have you ever wanted to add additional data to your civil point...
The LAYDEL Command
Firstly, many thanks to Mark Pettitt and John Coon for their first posts on HowToAutoCAD.com. A great start to something very positive and beneficial for all. Secondly, I have a...
Vote Results
The results are in from the recent vote, and there is a pretty clear direction for HowToAutoCAD.com. The majority of you ...
The Future of HowToAutoCAD.com
The first ever post on HowToAutoCAD was on this very day, 17th November, last year. The astute mathematicians amongst you can cunningly calculate that this makes HowToAutoCAD.com precisely one year old today....
Using XREFs and XREF Best Practice
XREFs can be an extremely helpful tool at your disposal when used well. However when used badly they can be a nightmare. In this article I am going to go through how to use XREFs and talk about some best practice tips to get the most out of your...
How to use acad.lsp and acaddoc.lsp
Lisp is a very useful part of the AutoCAD® application, and one of the first things its good for you to know is how acad.lsp and acaddoc.lsp work. These two lisp files are automatically executed when certain conditions occur in AutoCAD®. ...
The XLine Command and Creating Levels in your Drawing
With the Ortho Mode and Polar Tracking at your disposal, you may be tempted to completely ignore the concept of construction lines. But I certainly still use them, as they are actually really useful for specifying a logical concept in your drawing ...
Trimming a Segment of a Polyline
Here's a little tip that might be obvious to some, if not most of you. But for anyone that doesn't know this, it can be useful to know. When using the trim command, you tend to specify geometry to trim lines back to. Of course this is no different...
The RESETBLOCK Command
I was setting up a dynamic block yesterday, and I wanted to specify a default position for all the movable parts, but I also wanted to have the option to reset the block to the default position after I'd moved stuff around. I started thinking along...
The SKETCH Command - Drawing Freehand in AutoCAD®
The SKETCH command is one of those little known commands, but it really is a great command when you have the opportunity for some artistic license in your AutoCAD® drawings. You know when you have an irregular line to draw that represents existing...
Chamfer and Fillet
Yesterday I was browsing YouTube, and came across a video about how to use some basic AutoCAD® commands, two of which were the CHAMFER and FILLET commands. Its amazing to think you could be using a basic command every day, yet still not know all of...
Shaped Viewports
Here's a quick tip for today. No doubt you're aware that you can have custom shaped viewports ...
Service Pack 1 For AutoCAD® 2012 & AutoCAD® LT 2012 Released
Autodesk has released their first service pack for AutoCAD® 2012 and AutoCAD® LT 2012. This pack contains fixes, and some new commands, ARRAYCLASSIC and SNAPGRIDLEGACY. For more information about this service pack you can browse the ...
AutoCAD® .NET Load From Remote Sources
There are various security features included in the .NET framework, and one of which prevents the loading of dll files from networked locations such as the Internet. Whilst this is a very sensible idea, it can prevent us from achieving functionality ...
Draw constrained to angle
Sometimes you'll want to draw a line at a specific angle, and it is surprising how many people do it the long way by drawing the line, and then rotating it. So, if this is you, you're in luck as you're about to be amazed! Whenever you want to...
AutoCAD® - The LAYERDLGMODE System Variable
I'm not one that likes to scroll horizontally ...
AutoCAD® - Quick Layer Toggling With LAYWALK
Sometimes, using the standard layer managers for quickly looking at what's on a layer can be a pain, especially when you want to just quickly flick through them to look at the content of many layers. Thankfully ...
AutoCAD® 2012 - Free Download
Very nice of Autodesk to provide us all with a free copy of AutoCAD® 2012 this year ...
AutoCAD® - The TASKBAR System Variable
When I first started using AutoCAD®, I was never a fan of having more than one drawing open at a time, because flipping between them was cumbersome. I'd have to go to the menu bar and select the Window...
Speed Up AutoCAD®
Everybody wants a faster AutoCAD®. The problem is there are so many ways to tweak and optimise the software that it can be a very daunting task. Thankfully, there are countless articles online that list precisely what can be done to help speed up...
AutoCAD® Command AutoComplete
Before I get into the specifics of this post, I'd like to acknowledge that you may have experienced a lull in posts and responses to comments over the last few weeks... I have been away from my usual lifestyle... celebrating my recent marriage on...
AutoCAD®, VB and Mathematics
If you want to become an expert AutoCAD® script writer, at some point you're going to need to know a bit about maths, or at least have the capacity to learn. It doesn't have to calculus, but stuff like Pythagoras theorem and trigonometry are very...
How to Control AutoCAD® From a Standalone Executable
I've had a few requests recently to do a post on creating executables that control AutoCAD®. Though generally it is better to have tools well integrated into AutoCAD® via the use of a NETLOADed dll for example, sometimes an exe can be an elegant...
AutoCAD® Copy Paste Between Drawings Scale
The other day, I came across a very bizarre problem. All I was doing was copying and pasting between drawings, but the entities were being pasted into the other drawing a different scale! Having not encountered this before, I assumed it was...
Export Points from AutoCAD® to CSV file using VBA
Today I'm going to show you how to use a bit of simple VBA to export data to a CSV file. It's really simple, and although there are other ways of achieving the same thing, this way allows great flexibility, and is very versatile. Firstly, I'll set...
AutoCAD® Fractal - A bit of fun...
Ok, I've got a few tips and tricks on here, and I thought I'd post something totally random, but actually quite interesting ...
Excel and AutoCAD® - A match made in heaven - Part 3
One of my readers has requested some help regarding the drawing of windows. I'm not...
AutoCAD® 2012 System Requirements
System requirements for AutoCAD® 2012 are basically the same as for AutoCAD® 2011 and 2010. So if you're upgrading from one of these, you'll no doubt be fine....
AutoCAD® 2012 New Features
As you're no doubt very aware, Autodesk release a new version of AutoCAD® yearly. This year is no different, with AutoCAD® 2012, codenamed "Ironman", now available as of 22nd March 2011. So, I think...
The LAYMRG Command - Merging and Deleting Layers in AutoCAD®
I was recently asked if there was a quick way to put all the objects on a certain layer onto another layer, which reminded me of this little beauty that you need to know about. LAYMRG is a command for manipulating layers in AutoCAD®, and gives you...
VISRETAIN - Xrefs not saving layer states
Chances are you have already come across this problem, and chances are you found out the solution. But this one can be a real puzzler and is too vital to omit. Have you ever xreffed in a drawing, made lots of tweaks to the layer properties of the...
Join The Dots - How To Create VB.NET AutoCAD® Tools
Been struggling to find time to post on here recently due to exams, work and planning a wedding... with a bit of a lull in between everything, now's a good time to get back in the swing of it! Join The Dots ...
VB.NET AutoCAD® Template
For those interested in AutoCAD® development, there are a few files that need to be referenced so that you can work with AutoCAD®. So, ideally, you'll want to set up a basic template that you can use with all the basics set up ready for you. In this...
AutoCAD® Civil 3D® - Survey Fix Tool
Have you ever been expected to produce a Civil 3D® drawing for example, using a flat...
Funny Text
This probably sounds like I'm going to start talking about the latest joke book, but that's not what I mean by Funny Text...... I'm talking about subscript, superscript and special characters. The two ways I usually use are ...
Saving Images Within the Drawing
Have you ever wanted to insert an image, without it being a...
Image Frames and Borders
So you've attached your image most likely using one of the following...
Ortho Mode vs. Polar Tracking
Ortho mode and polar tracking are two methods of constraining user input to an axis. You've probably become accustomed to using one of them, but if you think they are the same, you may want to look again. Of course, I am talking about these options...
The CHSPACE Command
It can be quite annoying when you've drawn something in paperspace, but in needs to be located in modelspace. Thankfully there is a quick fix for this. The CHSPACE command will move objects through a viewport, scaling the entities suitably to retain ...
The Modelspace or Paperspace Argument
I've been looking forward to this post, as this argument has raged for over 10 years between the many other CAD professionals I know. Ironically, the conclusion I have come to doesn't have much to do with which way is best. It is more of a...
CAD Document Management
After a lovely break over Xmas, I thought I'd get back into the swing of things on here.. and I'm starting off the year with CAD document management ...
AutoCAD® MapExport to SHP creates an empty file
Some of you may have come across this issue before. When creating an ERSI shape file ...
Common causes for AutoCAD® freezing
How many times have you been working in AutoCAD®, and then suddenly it freezes on...
Privacy Policy
The privacy policy of HowToAutoCAD.com can be summarised into the following points...
About
HowToAutoCAD.com has been set up to help you master AutoCAD®. My name is William Forty (or Will), and I have witnessed first hand the laborious working practices that have driven AutoCAD® users to insanity - if only they took the time to learn more about how to use AutoCAD®, they would have saved themselves countless hours, days, even weeks of work.
Excel and AutoCAD® – A match made in heaven (again!)
Many people are oblivious to the wondrous things that can be achieved with programming. If you cringe at the prospect of writing code,...
About To Regen
If you ever get the "About to Regen, Ok or Cancel" message, it can be infuriating if you do not know how to turn it off. So, here's how ...
Break a line into smaller pieces using VBA or VB.NET in AutoCAD®
Here's a simple example of some VBA code that might come in handy either as a learning exercise, or if you happen to be trying to break a line programatically. The code fistly asks the user to select a line, and the object is stored in the Line...
MText.WidthFactor
If you've ever tried to edit the widthfactor of mtext through VBA or VB.NET, you'll have realised that there isn't a method for doing so. However, there is a built in trick which bypasses the requirement for doing this. Try the code...
ThisDrawing.PaperSpace
ThisDrawing.PaperSpace is a very useful way to access the PaperSpace of your drawing through VBA or VB.NET. When developing tools that draw entites in a drawing, we can sometimes use ThisDrawing.PaperSpace, forgetting that the tool might actually...
AutoCAD® 2008 scale list bug
If you're using AutoCAD® 2008, then you may have experienced slow...
Ray Casting Algorithm: How to determine with VBA if a point is inside a polyline in AutoCAD®
Someone recently asked about determining if a point resides within a polyline using VBA. There are a few ways to achieve this, some being more complex than others, each with their own advantages. However, there is one way that is particularly simple ...
The LENGTHEN Command
LENGTHEN is the older, much more specialised brother of the EXTEND command. Although EXTEND was always the more popular of two...
Trim outside boundary with the EXTRIM command
Many thanks to Dave Murchison for finding the EXTRIM command, and sharing it with me. This command is basically an extension to the TRIM command. With this command you can select a boundary to trim back all objects to. This is great for clipping...
Command Aliases in AutoCAD® with acad.pgp
Thought I'd share something that I did a while back which turned out to be a really good move, though it may not be for everyone. The rationale behind this exercise is to make commonly used commands more at the fingertips of the user, and thus...
Introduction to VB.NET in AutoCAD®
VBA is in the process of being phased out, and the replacement is .NET. This may disappoint some of you that have VBA...
The CIRCLE command and the circle entity
The circle is one of those commands that can be very useful in the hands of those that know how. Obviously if you want to draw a circle this is what you need ...
The BOUNDARY command
The BOUNDARY command is one of those tools that is mostly unknown and seldom gets...
The PLINE command and the polyline entity
The PLINE command creates an entity known as the polyline, which is basically a series of connected lines or arcs. There are some interesting tips for using polylines and the PLINE command, and many system variables that govern its use. There are...