AutoCAD Platform Customization. Ambrosius Lee

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      If you work on 3D models, you might also want to consider including UCSs, model-space viewports, saved views, materials, and visual styles. I cover the creation and management of named objects in Chapter 2.

      Organize Output with Layouts

      Each drawing template (DWT) file contains at least one named layout, and it is a good practice to make sure that the layout is ready to be plotted after a drawing is created using the drawing template. A drawing template can contain more than one layout, but each layout should add some value. If you need additional layouts in your drawing, you could use the layout command to duplicate a layout that already exists in the drawing or to import a layout from another drawing file.

      The layouts in a drawing template should contain the following:

      • Page-setup settings that define the output device, paper size, and other settings that impact the layout when it is plotted or published. I cover configuring plotter devices and plot styles in the section “Defining Plotter Configurations and Plot Styles” later in this chapter.

      • A title block that contains all the informational fields needed to identify the drawing once it is plotted or published. A title block might include your company name and address, project name and address, part number, scale, and other information that helps identify the drawing. I discuss creating blocks and attributes in Chapter 3.

      • One or more floating viewports that define which areas of model space should be plotted as part of the layout, along with the scale the objects in the viewports should be viewed at.

      You might also want to consider adding the following to a drawing for use with or on a layout:

      • General notes or disclaimers, and viewport labels that each or most of the drawings created with the drawing template might contain.

      • A border around the margins of the paper. The viewports, title block, and other objects on the layout should be inside the border.

      • A plot stamp that indicates when the drawing was plotted and the name of the source drawing file.

      • Dimension and text styles set up for adding dimensions and annotation to a layout. Remember that layouts are plotted at a 1:1 scale, so the styles need to be defined correctly.

      Working with System Variables

      System variables in many ways are like the keys hiding under the doormat at the front door of a house. They allow you to directly access many of the settings that can be used to manipulate the AutoCAD environment and control how commands work, instead of you resorting to a dialog box or using options with a command. The values of system variables are stored in one of two places: with the drawing or as part of the user's AutoCAD profile. The user's AutoCAD profile is stored in the Windows Registry, or in several Plist files on Mac OS.

      You use the setvar command to list and change the current value of a system variable. After you start the setvar command, you can enter the name of the system variable to work with or? (question mark) to return a list of all values or a filtered list using a wildcard match of the system variables that are supported.

      The following steps explain how to list and change the value of a system variable:

      1. At the command prompt, enter setvar and press Enter.

      2. At the Enter variable name or [?]: prompt, enter the name of the system variable whose value you want to view or change.

      For example, enter cursorsize and press Enter. The cursorsize system variable controls the size of the crosshairs in the drawing window.

      3. At the Enter new value for system_variable_name <current_value>: prompt, enter a new value for the system variable.

      The current value is displayed between the angle brackets. Pressing Enter without providing a new value ends the command and does not change the value of the system variable.

      You can list all supported variables by doing the following:

      1. At the command prompt, enter setvar and press Enter.

      2. At the Enter variable name or [?]: prompt, enter ? and press Enter.

      3. At the Enter variable(s) to list <*>: prompt, press Enter to list all supported system variables or enter a wildcard search string.

      For example, you can enter the wildcard search string DIM* to list all the system variables that start with the letters DIM.

      All the system variables that match the previous entered value are returned.

      If the message Press ENTER to continue: is displayed in the command-line window, it indicates that there are additional results that have not yet been displayed. Press Enter to continue paging through all the returned system variables. Continue pressing Enter until you reach the last page of the results returned, or press Esc when you are done paging through the system variables.

      Managing Drawing Template Files

      After you spend the time creating and customizing your drawing template (DWT) files, you will want to make sure that all users in your company have access to them. By default, AutoCAD looks in a local folder on each workstation for the DWT files it can use. This local folder is specified in the Options dialog box (Windows) or Application Preferences dialog box (Mac OS).

      Using a local folder is not ideal for maintaining these files; it is best to change the location AutoCAD looks in to a folder on a networked drive. A networked folder makes it easy to update your drawing template files; post the files once, and then everyone always has access to the latest version.

      If you need to use a local folder for your DWT files – when you have remote users, for example – it is good practice to keep your customized files separate from those that come with AutoCAD. Doing so makes it easy to back up your custom files and also removes the temptation to stray from your company's CAD standards. The recommended process for managing local DWT files is to first create a company folder on the local drive, СКАЧАТЬ