Cadalyst - September 2008 - (Page 28)

Intelligent Pipe/HVAC CADPIPE cadalystlabsreview Design Figure 3. New Quick View functionality lets you easily switch between open files and between model space and layouts within a drawing. Coordination AutoCAD based since 1986 3D navigation is greatly improved by the introduction of the new View Cube and Steering Wheel. These functions are similar to the 3D Orbit command, except that they can be used transparently in the middle of other editing commands. Personally, I lean toward the View Cube but that could be because it more closely resembles the 3D Orbit command. On the other hand, the Steering Wheel includes options such as a replay function that lets you step through previous views. The More Things Change AutoCAD 2009 incorporates the biggest change to AutoCAD’s user interface since the switch from DOS to Windows lo those many years ago. AutoCAD must hold some sort of a record for software interfaces, because by my estimation, the count stands at roughly eight different basic methods for starting each of the common commands. And this count doesn’t even include things such as duplicates in several toolbars and multiple aliases. New users are likely to pick up the ribbon right away, while those of us accustomed to previous interfaces will probably stick with the familiar for at least a while. Current estimates indicate that acceptance of the ribbon is running at 50%, give or take 40%, depending on who ask and how they are measuring the rate of adoption. I suspect that many people in the anti-ribbon camp are there because of ribbon issues related to Microsoft Office 2007. I have saved the best for last. AutoCAD 2009 drawing files can be opened by AutoCAD 2008 and 2007. You also can save DWG files back to R14 or to R12 DXF files, but you might lose later features in the translation. Highly Recommended. Bill Fane is a Cadalyst contributing editor and a retired professor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. E-mail him at bill.fane@cadalyst.com. www.cadalyst.com cadalyst September 2008 Play It Again, Sam! Fabrication Installation More Information and Free Demos: www.cadpipe.com 1-888-239-9004 x502 28 John Walker, one of Autodesk’s founders, reputedly said that one should never have to do anything twice. If you find yourself performing the same series of AutoCAD commands more than once, then you will like the fact that AutoCAD finally includes a macro recorder. Simply turn it on, perform a sequence of operations, then turn it off. The Action Recorder records tasks within the Layer Properties Manager and the Properties window. Play back a recording any time to automate that sequence of actions as needed later. You can easily edit a recorded macro to change specific values or, when appropriate, to pause for user input. Recorded macros are saved in separate files and are accessible in other drawings or other editing sessions. You no longer need to learn a programming language to automate repetitive command sequences. http://www.cadpipe.com http://www.cadpipe.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - September 2008

Cadalyst - September 2008 Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Tech Trends: Genie Out of the Bottle Cadalyst Labs Reviews: Big Tools for Big Jobs — Wide-Format Scanners and Printers Make Small Work of Large Projects Cadalyst Labs Reviews: AutoCAD 2009 — General-Purpose CAD Software Cadalyst Labs Reviews: AecBatchStylesEditor 2009 — CAD Standards Management Software for AEC Cad manager: Synchronize CAD Files over a Wide Area MCAD Modeling: Is 2D Drawing Doomed? Plm Strategies: More Bang for Your Truck Aec Insight: Works and Plays Well with Others Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: VBA Hints for Customizing AutoCAD

Cadalyst - September 2008

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