Datasheet
Use the Help System
The AutoCAD Help system has become one of the best Help systems available in any soft-
ware. If I had to identify one AutoCAD feature as the single most underused, this is it. I’ve
gotten many phone calls from people who have an AutoCAD question that I answer by
simply going to the AutoCAD Help system. Use it. It keeps getting better and better. It’s a
model for what a Help system should be.
Use Blocks as Often as Possible
Blocks can dramatically reduce file size, allow you to quickly update large amounts of
work, and make your drawings more consistent. Any time you create a symbol, standard
detail, title block, or other collection of objects that you may ever want to use again, con-
sider creating a block definition.
Once you’ve used a block, don’t explode it unless you have a good reason. This is espe-
cially true for dimensions. Once you explode it, the block entity no longer exists. You lose
the ability to update the dimensions, and you increase the file size (sometimes dramati-
cally). Dimensions will no longer update values when you modify geometry, and you can’t
update dimension appearance with changes to dimstyles. Don’t explode hatch patterns,
either, for the same reason.
Never Override Dimension Values
When you’re adding dimensions to drawings, it’s tempting to type in the correct value
when a dimension is wrong. Unless you absolutely don’t have the time to do it, redraw
the geometry so it’s correct, and then add an associative dimension. Otherwise, you
and everyone who ever uses your drawing will assume it’s correct—with potentially dire
results.
If you do override a dimension because you just can’t help it, then make sure you flag
the change, or note it so you can go back and re-create the geometry later when you
have time.
When I’m dimensioning architectural plans, I set precision to an increment of
1
⁄256 in the Pri-
mary Units tab of the Dimension Style dialog box. That’s ridiculously small for a dimension,
but by using such a small increment of precision, I know immediately if there’s an error in the
geometry as I’m adding dimensions. If there are no errors, the proper dimension value is dis-
played. If you set the increment to a whole number, for example, small errors are masked by
being rounded to the nearest inch.
6 ■ chapter 1: AutoCAD Productivity
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