Saturday, January 29, 2011

LT2011 New (and older forgotten) Commands: Part 4

Here is the fourth of a series of blog entries on commands (click here for Part1, Part2, and Part3), variables, and other AutoCAD/LT abilities that are either new or just not often used, presented in a list format with a brief description of each. Each command listed in hyperlinked to LT2011's online help file for you to explore and increase your abilities wtihin the program. Note: these commands also apply to any AutoCAD 2011 variant and most may be found in earlier versions.
Drafting variables:
  • SKETCHINC: Sets the record increment for the SKETCH command.
  • SKTOLERANCE: Determines how closely the spline fits to the freehand sketch.
  • BLOCKEDITLOCK: Disallows opening of the Block Editor and editing of dynamic block definitions.
  • MIRRHATCH: Controls how MIRROR reflects hatch patterns.
  • MIRRTEXT: Controls how the MIRROR command reflects text.
  • MTEXTCOLUMN: Sets the default column setting for a multiline text (mtext) object.
  • MTEXTFIXED: Sets the display size and orientation of multiline text in a specified text editor.
  • MYDOCUMENTSPREFIX: Stores the full path to the My Documents folder for the user currently logged on.
  • TABLEINDICATOR: Controls the display of row numbers and column letters when the In-Place Text Editor is open for editing a table cell.
Current Object Settings:
  • CLAYER: Sets the current layer. Ideal for macro writers wanting to be on the correct layer.
  • CELTSCALE: Sets the current object linetype scaling factor. A setting of 1 is my recommendation.
  • CECOLOR: Sets the color of new objects. Recommendation: BYLAYER.
  • CELTYPE: Sets the linetype of new objects. Recommendation: BYLAYER.
  • CELWEIGHT: Sets the lineweight of new objects. Recommendation: -1 (BYLAYER).
  • CETRANSPARENCY: Sets the transparency level for new objects. Recommendation: BYLAYER.
  • CPLOTSTYLE: Controls the current plot style for new objects. Recommendation: BYLAYER.
  • CTABLESTYLE: Sets the name of the current table style.
  • ELEVATION: Stores the current elevation of new objects relative to the current UCS. Recommenation: 0 (zero) for 2D drafting needs.
  • PICKFIRST: Controls whether you select objects before (noun-verb selection) or after you issue a command.
  • PICKADD: Controls whether subsequent selections replace the current selection set or add to it.
  • PICKDRAG: Controls the method of drawing a selection window.
  • PICKAUTO: Controls automatic windowing at the Select Objects prompt.
  • PICKSTYLE: Controls the use of group selection and associative hatch selection.
Part 5 of the series coming up next will expand into additional system/display/usage variable categories that affect the display and behavior in the AutoCAD window. ◦
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