Top 10 Tips to Become an AutoCAD Power User: Tuesday Tips With Frank

Are you ready to elevate your AutoCAD skills and become a power user? With so many features and functionalities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but the right tips can make all the difference. Frank has compiled ten top tips to help you enhance your productivity and become an AutoCAD pro faster than you might think. Let’s jump right in.

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1. Make Use of the Extended ToolTips to Help You with Command Input

Extended ToolTips are an underappreciated gem in AutoCAD. They provide a quick refresher on how commands work, which can be especially helpful for those commands you might not use often. Simply hover over a command in the Ribbon to see a short ToolTip, and keep hovering to see the extended version.

Why Extended ToolTips Matter

Extended ToolTips offer a detailed explanation along with an illustration, often animated, showing the correct sequence of inputs. This can drastically speed up your learning curve and ensure you’re using the commands correctly.

Bonus Resources:

• Tiptoe Through the ToolTips: Tuesday Tips With Frank
• Rollover ToolTips: Tuesday Tips With Frank

2. Access Common Editing Tools by Using Grips without Launching a Command

Grips are a faster way to edit objects compared to traditional commands. When you hover over a Grip, you get various editing options depending on the object type. The default actions are usually Move or Stretch, but you have more options.

How to Maximize Grips

Select a Grip, right-click to access options like Rotate, Scale, and Mirror. Even better, you can specify a basepoint or reference distance and copy the object directly from the selected item. Holding the Shift key while selecting multiple grips adds another layer of flexibility.

Bonus Resource:

• Have You Tried: AutoCAD Grips – Just Grip It!

3. Take Advantage of AutoCAD Keyboard Shortcuts that Can Improve Your Productivity

Keyboard shortcuts are a game-changer for improving your workflow. AutoCAD offers a multitude of shortcuts tailored to make your work faster and more efficient. Here are some highlights:

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

• Enhanced Attribute Editor Bypass: Hold down the Control key to quickly edit an Attribute. It will highlight like Single Line Text.
• Quick Fillet or Chamfer: Hold the Shift key when selecting the second object.
• Override Lock UI Settings: Hold the Control key when selecting an object to override active Lock UI settings.

Bonus Resource:

• Learn about all the AutoCAD keyboard shortcuts

4. Right-Click to Access Contextual Popup Menus

Contextual popup menus can be a major productivity enhancement. These menus are specific to your selection, offering a tailored set of commands.

Utilizing Contextual Menus

A quick right-click acts as an ENTER command, but holding down the mouse button slightly longer (a quarter of a second) brings up the contextual popup menu. This feature provides quick access to relevant commands without cluttering your workspace.

Bonus Tip: You can customize this feature via the Options dialog box under the User Preferences tab. Select the Right-Click Customization button to adjust the delay for time-sensitive right-clicks.

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5. Avoid Endless Project Folder Navigation by Setting Places in the Open Dialog

Navigating through endless project folders can be time-consuming. Thankfully, AutoCAD lets you set custom Places in the Open dialog to streamline your workflow.

Setting Custom Places

Rename your project icons to something more meaningful by right-clicking the icon, selecting Properties, and changing the name. This feature lets you quickly access commonly used folders without the hassle of deep navigation.

Bonus Resource:

• Favorite AutoCAD Places: Tuesday Tips With Frank

6. Identify the Differences between Drawings and Xrefs with DWG Compare

DWG Compare is a powerful tool that lets you quickly identify differences between drawings. This feature can save you from the tedium of manually finding changes and streamline your revision process.

The Power of DWG Compare

Objects in both drawings show up as gray, while objects not in the current drawing appear in red, and objects only in the current drawing appear in green. It even works with Xrefs, automatically showing updates and changes.

Bonus Resources:

• DWG Compare – Dare to Compare: Tuesday Tips With Frank
• Xref Compare: Tuesday Tips With Frank

7. Use Quick Select to Easily Select Multiple Objects Based on Their Properties

Quick Select is a handy tool that allows you to build powerful queries for selecting multiple objects based on specific properties. You can access QSELECT from the right-click menu at any time.

Mastering Quick Select

Need to find every Circle with a diameter of 4.25 or every Polyline that’s not closed? Use Quick Select to create a query based on these criteria, making it easier to perform bulk edits or modifications.

Bonus Resource:

• AutoCAD Quick Select: Tuesday Tips with Frank

8. Speed Up Your Workflow by Copying Objects from Your External References with the Copy Nested Objects Command

Why go through the hassle of opening, copying, and pasting from external references (Xrefs) when you can use the Copy Nested Objects command?

How to Use Copy Nested Objects

Found under the Additional Tools pulldown in the Modify panel, this feature allows you to reach directly into an Xref and select the objects you want. It also works with Blocks, eliminating the need to open the Block Editor.

Bonus Resource:

• NCOPY – Swipe Text and Objects from External References: Tuesday Tips with Brandon

9. Customize Command Aliases to Better Suit You with the Alias Editor

AutoCAD allows you to customize command aliases to suit your workflow better. If you prefer “C” to mean Copy instead of Circle, you can change it.

The Alias Editor in Action

Located in the Tools panel of the Express Tools, the Aliases Editor lets you add, remove, or edit command aliases. This flexibility allows you to create aliases for commands you frequently use, enhancing your productivity.

Bonus Resource:

• Be the Office Rock Star with the AutoCAD Command Alias Editor: Tuesday Tips with Frank

10. Eliminate Extra Steps by Using Named Views to Quickly Create Layout Viewports

Named Views streamline the process of creating Layout Viewports. Located in the Layout tab of the Ribbon, this tool lets you insert your desired view directly into your layout.

Optimizing Named Views

Named Views automatically scale based on the Annotation Scale and lock the Viewport for you. This method eliminates extra steps and allows for a more efficient workflow.

Bonus Resource:

• Named Views – An Old Dog with New Tricks: Tuesday Tips with Frank

More Tuesday Tips

For more ideas on making AutoCAD work for you, check out the Tuesday Tips series. Do you have any favorite AutoCAD tips? Share your thoughts in the comments!

There you have it—ten powerful tips to help you become an AutoCAD power user. Embrace these tips and watch your productivity soar! Happy drafting!

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