Draw 2D Isometric Views

AutoCAD/LT allows you to simulate a 3D object from a particular viewpoint by aligning along three major axes by setting the Isometric Snap/Grid; however, although the isometric drawing appears to be 3D, it is actually a 2D representation. You cannot expect to extract 3D distances and areas, display objects from different viewpoints, or remove hidden lines automatically with this method of drafting.

When you create an Isometric drawing you are basically drawing "vertical" lines at 90 degrees with "horizontal" lines drawn at either 30 degrees or 150 degrees to give the impression of depth to the drawing. You start by setting the Isometric Grid and Snap using either of these methods:

• The command SNAP, then selecting STYLE and assigning the style to ISOMETRIC.
• DSETTINGS command's Snap and Grid tab (the Drafting Settings dialog box can also be accessed when you right-click on any status bar icon and choose "Settings"), under Snap Type, select Isometric Snap, and close the dialog:

Your Cursor will change shape: one axes remains vertical, the other aligns with one of the angles for  horizontal lines. The initial cursor mode is Isoplane Left: lined up with the left side of your isometric drawing. To switch to one of the two other isoplanes (Right or Top), you can use the F5 keyboard key or by typing CTRL+E to toggle between all three planes, or by typing ISOPLANE and picking Left, Right or Top. To draw circles with these settings, start ELLIPSE command and select the ISOCIRCLE option (need arc? Trim the Isocircles).

Creating Isometric Text and Dimensions are not so straight forward. First the Text, you must create two new text STYLES, the first with an Oblique Angle of 30 deg, and the other set to -30 (that's a minus-30 degrees). You would use each text style based on the location in relationship to your Isometric drawing, and alter the rotation angle of Text to suit:

Dimensions are the same: create two DIMSTYLES, one for each of the two text styles created above, and use DIMALIGNED command when drawing dimensions. You also must use DIMEDIT command's OBLIQUE option to assign a matching Obliquing Angle (30deg or -30 deg). You can do it all with one DIMSTYLE, but some users prefer the visual control of two, see example HERE.

If your dimension styles use arrows, you may need to also fix their appearance: explore this tip HERE.

While it takes many steps to create and set up the file to start drawing, consider taking the time to add these in Template file and reuse as often as needed. Give the two text styles and the two dimstyles unique but matching names to reduce the confusion of selection.

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Draw 2D Isometric Views

Tweets this week: worthy retweets

Below is a summary of topics we covered this week on Twitter. This week we cover tips and shred content from other postings on Twitter:

• "How To Use Twitter Hashtags in Tweets Without Looking Like An #Idiot" tinyurl.com/3o9ecbg
• RETWEET JeffBartels: AutoCAD Tip: CUIX files can also be loaded by dragging from Windows Explorer into AutoCAD.
• Freehand draw in LT2011-12 with SKETCH command: the drawn elements can be LINES, PLINES or SPLINES. Pick your choice with SKPOLY variable.
• RETWEET: Best to remember “@bcbenton: AutoCAD tip: in order for objects to print, thier layer must be on, thawed & set to print”
• RETWEET AutoCADLT: Multiple Plotter Support File Paths http://bit.ly/ouj2AP
• Do you use SELECTSIMILAR in LT2011-2012? explore SELECTSIMILARMODE variable to control the matching properties used by it.
• Count objects/blocks in LT: Select one, right-click and pick SELECTSIMILAR. Then use SELECT command and LT will return the total number.
• AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012: No Experience Required:Amazon Books: http://ow.ly/1uOdvo 
• Are you familiar with Object Snap Tracking? Explore this useful topic here: http://ow.ly/1uNEOq 
• LT2011+: Quickly create a string of dimensions for selected objects: QDIM command, select objects, click to place the dimensions.
• Do you PUBLISH sets of prints in LT often? Use +PUBLISH command (note the + in the name) to open previously saved DSD sheet set to publish.

We post daily on the topic of AutoCAD/LT and features/abilities of interest to users:
you can find us at http://twitter.com/LTisACAD Get Twitter updates via Text Message (SMS) by texting FOLLOW LTISACAD to 40404 in the United States. To stop SMS updates, simply text UNFOLLOW LTISACAD to the same number.
Catch a listing of all our twitter postings HERE: http://ltisacad.blogspot.com/search?q=tweets+this+week  ◦

Tweets this week: worthy retweets

Tweets this week: pop-ups and more

Below is a summary of topics we covered this week on Twitter. This week we cover customizing access to command pop-ups:

• Open the UCS manager command in the tab you want: use +UCSMAN (note the + in the name) then the tab number, 0 thru 2
• VPORTS command allows you to quickly create multiple predefined viewports in model space OR paper space. Customize? explore -VPORTS command.
• Customize AutoCAD/LT: Always open options command in the tab you want. Use +OPTIONS (note the + in the name) then the tab number, 0 thru 7
• Watch the Recording “@autocad: Get your AutoCAD LT questions and bring them to Facecast, Wed. July 13 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time http://t.co/mZ0XTLw”
• LTisACAD Blog: Did you know...? http://dlvr.it/b1K8k
• EXPORTLAYOUT command creates a new DWG modelspace file from your current paperspace layout: http://ow.ly/1uxr9B
• Customize? +SAVEAS command (note the + in the name) lets you specify the file format; the OTHER option lets you specify the version number.

We post daily on the topic of AutoCAD/LT and features/abilities of interest to users: you can find us at http://twitter.com/LTisACAD Get Twitter updates via Text Message (SMS) by texting FOLLOW LTISACAD to 40404 in the United States. To stop SMS updates, simply text UNFOLLOW LTISACAD to the same number.

Catch a listing of all our twitter postings HERE: http://ltisacad.blogspot.com/search?q=tweets+this+week

 

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Tweets this week: pop-ups and more

Did you know...?

• DIMANGULAR command can create angular dimensions larger than 180 degrees by manually selecting the Specify Vertex sub-option (select the intersection, then opposite ends of each of the two angle-lines).
• ALIGN command: Move, Rotate, and Scale Your Object at once, instead of using move, rotate, and scale separately.
• FILLET and CHAMFER commands can be used to join Plines and Lines (and other Plines) together into a single Pline.
• LAYMRG command can also be used to delete Layers without losing any content: Merge with Layer 0 when prompted.
• HYPERLINK command provides a simple and powerful way to quickly associate a variety of documents (such as other drawings, bills of materials, project schedules, a saved-view in the file or another file, access an external file, create an Email message, start a new drawing and more) with a drawing. It can also be used to only add pop-up information to an object without a 'link'.
• Yes, you can access the Ribbon through keyboard shortcuts too: explore HERE.
• More Selection options: QSELECT command Creates a selection set based on filtering criteria.  FILTER command Creates a list of requirements that an object must meet to be included in a selection set. SELECTSIMILAR command Adds similar objects to the selection set based on selected objects.
• Two ways to convert splines to polylines:
  - Run the WMFOUT command, enter a filename, then select the splines. Now erase the spline, and then run the WMFIN command. Use the upper left corner of the viewport as the insertion point, and then scale it 2X. The resulting entity is a POLYLINE.
  - If you save a drawing as R12 DXF format, all splines will be converted to POLYLINE entities.
• TRIM command can be used on more than just Lines and Plines: trim around text objects, trim hatches back to a cutting plane, trim between Hatch-lines, trim an associative Dimension, and trim using a block's entities as cutting planes without exploding the block.
• Match Properties options:
  MATCHPROP command Applies the properties of a selected object to other objects (using MATCHPROP on viewports transfers their visiblity, on/off, locking, and scale). Control what gets matched by using the Settings option for the command.
  LAYMCH command Changes the layer of a selected object to match the destination layer.
• OSOPTIONS command controls whether Osnaps ignore or snap to Hatches.
• PROPERTIES and QUICKPROPERTIES commands can be used to Filter selections into object types.
• Create a Drawing with X,Y Coordinates from Microsoft Excel: tip HERE.
• DIMROTATED command Creates a rotated linear dimension: when you need your dimension string to be at a fixed angle instead of the limitation of DIMALIGNED command.
• ADCENTER command can be used to copy the following between drawing files (or from your template files): Dimension Styles, Layers, Layouts, Linetypes, Multi-Leader Styles, Table Styles and Text Styles.
• Do you have a folder full of blocks, and want them in a Tool Palette? Use ADCENTER command, browse to that folder, right-click and select CREAT TOOL PALETTE.
• Need a list of ALL the AutoCAD variables? Just type SETVAR [enter] then type ? [enter]. Enter once again to see the whole list.
• Transparent commands enable you to make changes or get information without exiting the current command. These are: ABOUT, ADCENTER, ADCLOSE, APERTURE, ATTDISP, BASE, CAL, COLOR, DIMSTYLE, DIST, DRAGMODE, ELEV, FILL, FILTER, GRAPHSCR, GRID, HELP, ID, LAYER, LIMITS, LINETYPE, LWEIGHT, MATCHPROP, OBJECTSCALE, OSNAP, PAN, QTEXT, REDRAW, REDRAWALL, SCALELISTEDIT, SCRIPT, SETVAR, SNAP, SPELL, STYLE, UNITS, and ZOOM. Just add an ' in front of the name if you type it, or click on the appropriate menu or Ribbon icon.

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Did you know...?

Tweets this week: Export, Suggest, and Hide

Below is a summary of topics we covered this week on Twitter. This week we cover Export options in LT, Helping Autodesk expand LT's abilities, and a free DWG viewer for iPhone/iPod:

• Up & Ready Installation and Startup Help from Autodesk (free for new purchased installation): http://ow.ly/1urRlN
• ReTweet AutoCAD Our next Facecast will be hosted by @Autodesk 's @katemorrical on July 13. Bring your questions about AutoCAD LT to http://autode.sk/r9umCz
• EXPORT to more than just PDF with AutoCAD/LT: http://ow.ly/1uqeeZ
• ReTweet AutoCAD-WS Want to know the best way to upload your files to #AutoCADWS? - http://autode.sk/qkhIH0
• TurboViewer App: 2D and 3D DWG (Autodesk AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT) and DXF viewing is available 4 free 4 iPhone-iPad: http://ow.ly/1uoOch
• Did you Hide Objects from our last tweet and need them back? use "End object isolation" from the "Isolate" section in the right-click menu.
• Other objects in the way? Choose "Isolate Objects" or "Hide Objects" from the "Isolate" section from the right-click menu to help.
• LTisACAD Blog: Do you need to send DWG files? http://dlvr.it/Z7z3Q
• Are the different annotative scales of your objects in different locations in your file? Need them back to one location? ANNORESET command.
• The AUGI wish list forum is the "Traditional" place to submit your ideas and vote on them: http://www.augi.com/community/autocad/autocad-wishlist/
• Suggestions so far for improving AutoCAD/LT: http://ow.ly/1ujFxF Add yours and be heard by Autodesk.
• Got Ideas for improving AutoCAD/LT? Submit and vote for ideas to improve your experience: http://ow.ly/1ujF5f (does not work with IE9?)

We post daily on the topic of AutoCAD/LT and features/abilities of interest to users: you can find us at http://twitter.com/LTisACAD Get Twitter updates via Text Message (SMS) by texting FOLLOW LTISACAD to 40404 in the United States. To stop SMS updates, simply text UNFOLLOW LTISACAD to the same number.

Catch a listing of all our twitter postings HERE: http://ltisacad.blogspot.com/search?q=tweets+this+week

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Tweets this week: Export, Suggest, and Hide