Tips
and Tricks
This page ( always
under construction ) contains some tips
and tricks that other users have found useful.
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List of DIEMAKER commands you can
call from the keyboard or menu commands
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Startup in C:\Drawings or where
ever you want
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Trim & Extend with one
command
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Use
all of your screen space.
-
Get
those file extensions back.
-
Start
up AutoCAD from the "Drawings" directory
-
Using
the Drawn Cup / Flat Blank function
-
Avoiding problems when using
Norton Speed Disk and Disk Keeper
-
Swapping menus
1) List
of DIEMAKER commands you can call from the keyboard or with toolbar
buttons. This list is current with DIEMAKER 2002, but most will work
with DIEMAKER
2000.
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The functions names can be called from the
keyboard or assigned to an icon in a toolbar. If called from another
Autolisp program, they need to be referred to as (c:dm_a2t) or (c:dm_aem).
Note the C: and parentheses.
dm_a2t attributes to text
dm_aem array/erase/move
dm_aex add/edit xdata
dm_aex2 add/edit xdata and show all
xdata
dm_xed main xdata
dm_ahc auto hole chart
dm_ahc_ml auto hole chart - move label
dm_arc auto radius chart
dm_acu auto chart utilities
dm_apc array punch cuts
dm_apu auto plot update
dm_ball balloons
dm_blks block utilities
dm_bcm block conversion
dm_bca block conversion - auto
dm_blk17 index page of blocks
dm_blk01 show block page 1
dm_blk02 show block page 2
dm_blk03
dm_blk04
dm_blk05
dm_blk06
dm_blk07
dm_blk08
dm_blk09
dm_blk10
dm_blk11
dm_blk12
dm_blk13
dm_blk14
dm_blk15
dm_blk16
dm_bnd bend allow dim
dm_bom bill of mat'l
dm_bome bill of mat'l edit
dm_bic bill of mat'l insert clone
dm_bip bill of mat'l insert parent
dm_box adjustable box
dm_box1 adjustable box
dm_box2 adjustable box
dm_box3 adjustable box
dm_box4 adjustable box
dm_box11 adjustable box
dm_box12 adjustable box
dm_box13 adjustable box
dm_box14 adjustable box
dm_brd block redefine
dm_bub bend/unbend
dm_ccs chg circle size
dm_cfg configure
dm_chg_eteL1 change ent/lay to ent/lay
dm_chg_eteL2 copy ent/lay to ent/lay
dm_chklay check layer
dm_cl construction lines
dm_cmoc c'marks on circles
dm_code nc data from hole chart data
dm_ctv chg text value
dm_dat die data
dm_dbo dist between objects
dm_die D.I.E. Supplies
dm_dim index of dim functions
dm_dim1 datum
dm_dim1_di
dm_dim1_sb
dm_dim2 online
dm_dim2_di
dm_dim3 quick
dm_dim3_di
dm_dim4 roll pin - arrow
dm_dim4_di
dm_dim5 roll pin - plain dim
dm_dim5_di
dm_dts demo tool & stuff
dm_dxf1 dxf out quickly
dm_dxf2 dxf out user specified circles
dm_dxf3 dxf out filter specified circles
dm_fil1 fillet with undercut - 1
dm_fil2 fillet with undercut - 2
dm_gep group entities purge
dm_gso group spread
dm_gss group start
dm_git group create
dm_gtv group to view
dm_ilm insert layer manipulation
– special use only
dm_info info 2
dm_lay layer manipulation
dm_letl last ent to layer
dm_lqc layer - quick change
dm_lfs layer - freeze by select
dm_lss layer - set by selection
dm_lso layer - show only by
selection
dm_lrs layer - restore layer state
dm_los layer - only show
dm_las layer - also show
dm_lns layer - no show
dm_lst layer - set to
dm_lsa layer - show all (thaw and
on all)
dm_ltit load text into tables
dm_msv make view
dm_mtv move to view
dm_nev norm extrusion vector –
special use only
dm_notes notes & leaders
dm_oad dm offset & delete
dm_qdl quick data list
dm_qtc quick text change
dm_retlay return to layer
dm_rlt reverse line type
dm_slr smart leader
dm_ssr strip report
dm_str strip tools
dm_stdim set origin & style to dim
dm_sup supplies
dm_swap swap
dm_togl toggle layer function
dm_txt text utilities
dm_ucs_set set ucs origin
dm_utl utilities
dm_vpflbs freeze layer by select
dm_zb zoom back
dm_zve zoom to extents
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2) Start Explorer in your C:\DRAWINGS directory.
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Most AutoCAD users store drawing files in a separate
directory from the AutoCAD program itself. So why not have an icon on
your desktop that starts up Windows Explorer with your drawings directory as
the current directory? Its much easier that using the "My
Computer" icon or the plain Windows Explorer icon and then making way
over the drawings directory. Here are the steps to make the icon short
cut.
1 First, make sure you have a
directory named "Drawings" on your drive. If you don't, make
one by picking the [C:] and then from the pop down menus select
"File", "New", "Folder" and name the folder
Drawings or whatever fits your needs.
2 On your START menu find
"Windows Explorer" and right pick on it. Choose "Create
Shortcut". Since the item you just created a short cut of, is
itself a short cut, you'll now find a item "Windows Explorer (2)" on
the same menu. Pick on the newly created line "Windows Explorer
(2)" line and drag it out onto the desktop.
3 Now pick once on this new
icon and then right pick to get the fly out menu. Choose
"Rename" and rename the icon to "Drawings" (without the
quotes of course) or what ever the directory name is you want to startup in.
4 Then right pick on the same
icon again and choose "Properties" from the fly out menu. The
dialog that pops up has tabs at the top and you should choose the
"Shortcut" tab. In the box labeled "Target" edit the
line to read
C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n,/e,c:\drawings
Note that there is only one space in this line and its after the EXE, before
the first /
5 Now pick "OK" at
the bottom of the dialog box and your ready to try it out. When you
double pick on the new icon it should fire up Windows Explorer and make the
Drawing directory the current directory.
Once you experience how nice it
is starting Windows Explorer were you want, you might decide to make one for
IGES files or DXF files.
3) Trim and Extend with one
command.
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Sometimes when you are using the trim command you
discover other entities need to be extended to the same boundary. You
can avoid canceling the trim command and starting the extend command by simply
pressing the shift key then selecting the entity to extend. It works
both ways so if you are extending entitles and come across one or more that
need to be trimmed, simply press the shift key and select them.
This tip came to me in and AutoCAD newsletter,
but the tip originated with Ellen Finkelstein.
4) Use all
of your screen space.
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Most users would
have a 30" monitor if they had a choice. Screen space is precious,
no matter what size the tools you design. The following tips may help
you get a little bit more space.
The side screen menu
in AutoCAD 2000 is too wide. It simply takes up too much space, but its
too valuable to turn off. You can use some of the wasted space by placing
a toolbar along the right side of screen on top of the side screen menu.
The trick is in not docking the toolbar. Here's how you do it.
Pull the toolbar of
your choice, I prefer the object snap toolbar, into the center of your
screen. Re-size the tool bar to vertical by dragging the right edge of
the toolbar to the left and down. Once you have the toolbar vertical,
the banner along the top of the toolbar will be very short. Pick and
hold on the banner in the same way you would to reposition the toolbar.
Then press and hold the control (CTRL) key. While holding the control
key down, position the toolbar to the far right side of your screen, on top of
the side screen menu, and let go of the mouse. This will position the
toolbar on top of the screen menu without docking it. You will then be
able to use both the side screen menu and the toolbar. By placing a tool
bar that was using screen space elsewhere on top of the side screen menu, you
can gain a little more screen space or room for more toolbars.
The task bar that is
normally located along the bottom of your screen can remain hidden until you
need it. While hidden, it frees up the screen space it was occupying for
AutoCAD. To hide the task bar you simply toggle on the "Auto
Hide" setting. On the start menu pick "Settings" then
"Taskbar and Start menu". On the lower half of the dialog box
you will find a toggle for "Auto hide". Simply toggle it on
and then pick the apply button. You will see the effect immediately.
The task bar will become visible when you position the pointer at the very
bottom of your screen. If you find that you prefer having the task bar
visible all the time, just go back and toggle it on.
Want a bit more space?
If you don't use the Layout and Model tabs along
the bottom of your AutoCAD window you can turn them off and gain a bit more
screen space. All you need to do is go to the "Tools" pull
down menu and select "Options" then select the "Display"
tab. In the lower left quadrant is a section labeled "Layout
elements" and the first item is a toggle for "Display Layout and
Model tabs". Simply toggle it off.
5) Get
those file extensions back.
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If your computer doesn't
show you file extensions, the part of the file name that follows the dot, you
can easily turn those file extensions back on. Many users have found
that when they got their new computer or updated to a new operating system,
those three characters on the end of each file name are no longer there.
Actually, they are still there, its just that your system isn't showing them
to you.
If you use Windows
98, start up Windows Explorer, pull down the "View" menu and select
"Folder Options". The dialog box that comes up has a tab
labeled "View" that you should select. Then in the large
window you will find an item labeled "Hide file extensions for known file
types" that you can toggle off. That's it.
If you use Windows
95, the procedure is similar.
6) Start
up AutoCAD from the "Drawings" directory.
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If when you start up
AutoCAD and choose "File" "Open" you find yourself looking
at the C:\Program Files\ACAD2000\ directory, you probably have saved a few
files in the same directory. Many users prefer to create a
"Drawings" directory on drive C: and then have AutoCAD start up with
the "Drawings" directory as the default directory. The
advantages to this method are convenience and organization. Its much
nicer to choose "File", "Open", and find yourself looking
at the "Drawings" directory without having to back out of the
"Program Files\Acad2000" directory and then over to the
"Drawings" directory.
First, you need to
have a "Drawings" directory. Open Windows Explorer and select
the C: drive. From the pop down menus choose "File",
"New", "Folder". The folder will be created with a
default name of "New Folder". Immediately after the folder is
created, you can type a new name for it and press ENTER. Or you can
right pick on the folder after selecting it, and choose Rename from the
menu. Once you have the folder created and named "Drawings",
you may want to create other directories beneath the "Drawings"
directory for various customers of job numbers.
Next step is to go
to the desktop and select the AutoCAD 2000 icon, then right pick. Choose
"Properties" from the menu and pick on the tab at the top labeled
"Shortcut". Then all that's left is to change the
"Start in" directory to read C:\Drawings and pick the
"Apply" button then the "Close" button. The next
time you start up AutoCAD 2000 from that icon it will start with the
"Drawings" directory as the default directory.
7) Using
the Drawn Cup / Flat Blank function.
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Unfortunately, when
the manual was created for DIEMAKER 2000, documentation for the drawn cup
function was omitted. The function is really quite simple to use once
you understand the prompts. The figure below should help you to
understand those prompts.
8) Avoiding problems when using Norton
Speed Disk.
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This applies only when using DIEMAKER 2000 or
greater.
Speed disk is the defragmentation utility
included in Symantec's Norton Utilities and Disk Keeper is a similar program
popular for use with Windows NT. Unfortunately, these program move system files by default.
This causes a problem with DIEMAKER's licensing files that results in a loss of the license.
In Speed Disk the problem can be solved by opening Speed Disk and choose
FILE | OPTIONS | CUSTOMIZE | UNMOVABLE FILES. Specify that the *.ENT,
*.KEY and *.RST files cannot be moved and then Speed Disk can be run without
affecting the licensing. Remember to save the changes made to the Speed
Disk options.
The solution in Disk Keeper is very much the
same.
If you need to switch back and forth between
different menu files you may find this helpful. You can place these menu
commands on a pop down or button, but these sample shows the commands on the
POP0 (or cursor menu). The sample menu commands are shown in bold text
and the text surrounding them is only shown to clarify where I placed
them. You may need to change the path portion depending on where AutoCAD
and DIEMAKER are installed on your drive. To avoid typing errors you can
copy and paste.
First, in the DIEMAKER menu named diemaker.mns
...
- ***POP0
- **SNAP
- [&Object Snap Cursor Menu]
- [Acad
menu]^c^cfiledia;0;menu;c:/progra~1/acad2000/support/acad.mns;filedia;1;
- [->DIEMAKER]
- [DM Main Menu...]^C^Cdmr;dml
- [DM Last ]^C^Cdml
- [ Quic&k layer change ]^C^Cdm_lqc
- [&Set layer by selection ]^C^Cdm_lss
Now, in the AutoCAD menu named acad.mns ...
- ***POP0
- **SNAP
- [&Object Snap Cursor Menu]
- [DIEMAKER
menu]^c^cfiledia;0;menu;c:/diemaker/dm_2k.00/menus/diemaker.mns;filedia;1;
- ID_Tracking [Temporary trac&k point]_tt
- ID_From [&From]_from
- ID_MnPointFi [->Poin&t Filters]
- ID_PointFilx [.X].X
- ID_PointFily [.Y].Y
- ID_PointFilz [.Z].Z
How it works.
- ^C^C
<<< Cancels any commands that are active.
- filedia;0;
<<< Turns off the dialog boxes used for accessing files.
- menu;
<<< Causes AutoCAD to prompt for a menu file name.
- c:/diemaker/dm_2k.00/menus/diemaker.mns
<<< Supplies the menu file name.
- filedia;1;
<<< Turns back on dialog boxes for accessing files.
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