User manual AUTODESK AUTOCAD LT 2010 TIPS AND TRICKS

[. . . ] Now that panel will always remain visible, even if its tab is not, until you choose to put the panel back on the ribbon. User Interface 4 The ribbon also responds to object selection, displaying the tools that are most appropriate for working with that object. For example, when you select an external reference, you'll see the External Reference contextual tab appear on the ribbon. This tab contains features and commands specifically for external references, such as Edit and Clip. AutoCAD LT 2010 comes pre-loaded with several contextual tab states, and you can choose the tab--whether a built-in one or one of your own--that you want to appear for each type of object. Pressing ALT brings up visual indicators of key combinations you can use to activate ribbon tabs or individual commands. The Quick Access Toolbar The Quick Access toolbar has also seen its share of updates. [. . . ] A variety of improvements to annotation tools in AutoCAD LT 2010 make adding text, dimension, leaders, and hatches to your drawings a snap. 11 Find and Replace A new search box right on the Annotate tab of the ribbon enables you to search for text without first launching a command. Inside the Find and Replace dialog, new buttons make it easy to manipulate items in the results list. You can quickly zoom to a selected result, or create selection sets consisting of either the entire list or only highlighted items. You can also zoom to an object in the results list by double-clicking on that item. Annotation Spell Check The Check Spelling button on the Annotate tab of the ribbon enables you to look through the entire drawing (or a specific selection set) for misspelled words. In addition to choosing the dictionary to use for checking and the ability to add a word to your custom dictionary, the Check Spelling dialog has been updated to include an Undo button, which enables you to reverse the last change you made. 12 When inside the Multiline Text Editor, misspelled words are automatically identified with a red dashed underline. You can also select individual segments of a multileader by holding down the Ctrl key and left-clicking on the segment. Once selected, you can use the Properties or Quick Properties palette to modify the properties of that segment. Multileaders Multileader objects in AutoCAD LT 2010 have been improved with the addition of grips at each corner of the leader text. These grips enable you to resize the text box in the same way that you would resize an mtext object. Annotation A new button on the Content tab of the Multileader Style Manager provides direct access to the Text Style dialog. This means that you can create and modify text styles and immediately apply them to multileader styles without exiting the Multileader Style Manager. 13 Dimensions The Dimension Style Manager has been tweaked to provide you with new controls over the display of your dimension text. On the Text tab, the Vertical option under Text Placement now includes Below in addition to Centered, Above, Outside, and JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard). Also under Text Placement is the new View Direction setting, which enables you to have your text read Left-to-Right or Right-to-Left. The Primary and Alternate Units tabs of the Dimension Style dialog box include new a sub-unit control in the suppression of leading zeros. Instead of displaying a dimension value less than 1 as a decimal, you can specify a sub-units factor and suffix. For example, if the default unit is 1 meter, you could specify a sub-unit factor of 100 and sub-unit suffix of cm. In this case, when the dimension value is less than 1, such as . 96, it would display as 96 cm. Annotation The sub-unit control is only available for dimension styles using either the Decimal or Windows Desktop unit format. Drafting In AutoCAD LT 2010, your wishes are our new commands. Many features in this release were inspired directly by user suggestions and feedback. With these new and improved tools, AutoCAD LT helps make drafting easier and more productive. Set the Hatch Gap Tolerance to a non-zero value to create hatches despite the presence of openings in the hatch boundary. AutoCAD LT 2010 also includes the ability to edit the boundary of a non-associative hatch. This is helpful in controlling the display of special linetypes, such as those containing symbols or text. Reverse is available either as a stand-alone command, or as an option inside the Edit Polyline command. An option inside the Edit Polyline command can also convert splines into polylines. [. . . ] Fortunately, the Purge dialog box has been updated to include an option for ridding your drawings of these objects. Drawing Management Improved File Navigation File Navigation dialogs, such as Open and Save, now support auto-complete when typing file names. 23 Transfer License Utility AutoCAD LT 2010 includes a separate Transfer License program that enables you to move standalone licenses between computers. For example, you might have two office computers (one laptop, one desktop) with AutoCAD LT installed on both. You can use the Transfer License utility to temporarily or permanently move the license from one computer to the other. An Autodesk log-in and an internet connection are required to transfer licenses. Drawing Management As the Technical Marketing Manager for AutoCAD LT, Kate Morrical works closely with the AutoCAD LT Product Development & Marketing teams and with LT users through discussion groups, her blog LT Unlimited, and at events such as Autodesk University and AUGI CAD Camps. [. . . ]