Action Macro

A series of actions that are recorded and can be played back in an active drawing

Use the Action Recorder to save the desired actions as an action macro

Also used to edit action macros after they have been saved

Action macros are created with an ACTM file extension and can be shared between users

Action Recorder Panel

1. Record: Starts recording

2. Insert Message: Insert text message within macro, available after started recording

3. Request User Input: Toggles switch, available after started recording

4. Play: Plays back selected action macro

5. Preferences: Enables Action Recorder Preferences dialog box

6. Available Action Macro List: Display a dropdown list of all available macros

7. Action Tree: Displayed when the Action Recorder Panel is expanded

8. Action Item Icon: Displayed in front of each action item listed in the Action Tree

Most dialog boxes are not recorded in the Action Recorder

Unless equivalent command from command line

Example

Change the font of a text style and make it the current style

Text Style command opens a dialog box, alternatively use -style on the command line and change the font following the prompts

Share Tool Palettes

Share tool palettes and palette groups within the organization

On Networks

In a standard installation, custom tool palettes are stored on the user’s local drive

C:\Documents and Settings\\ ...\ToolPalette

Reasons for storing tool palettes in a network folder:

• All users work with the same tool palettes - which improves consistency and productivity, and helps you create a standardized user interface and operating environment
  
• Updating a single network based tool palette files - make changes to all users' tool palettes 
  
• Can create, modify, update, and test tool palettes on own computer, and then copy the changes to the network folder
  

Store custom tool palettes that are shared on a network

keep the default tool palettes and custom user tool palettes on the local workstations of users

Tool Palette Catalog

The AcTpCatalog.atc file is an XML file that works as a catalog for all tool palettes in the Palettes folder

When custom path is add, software automatically creates a blank catalog file and a Palettes folder (Exit AutoCAD and restart again)

Tool Palettes File Locations

Adding the appropriate paths to the Tool Palettes File Locations property

Move Up the Custom Tool Palettes to placed in the first path listed

Only the path that contains a valid tool palette catalog file can store the tool palette definition and image files

Ensure that an AcTpCatalog.atc file exists in each path

If replace the default path, need to manually copy the palette definition files and images to the new location

Tool Palette Group

Organize existing palettes into groups and control the display of the palettes

Palette Groups - Right-click - New Group

Drag the required palettes from the Palettes area to the new group

Set Palette Group Current

Properties - Select the required group

The group is current

Tool Palettes 工具窗口

Making your frequently accessed tools and commands readily available

Standard tool palette with the Transparency option enabled

Properties 

Transparency

View Options

Tool Options

Command Tools

Tools created from a command and can be placed on the tool palette

Add Command Tools:

1.  Geometry in the current drawing  - drag any object other than a block, external reference (xref ), image, hatch, or gradient from the current drawing to create a command tool based on that object
   
2. Toolbar Buttons - open the Customize dialog box and drag the custom buttons from your existing toolbars onto a tool palette
   

Customize Dialog box

Flyout Tools

Drag an object which can be created in a number of ways onto a tool palette, the command tool is created as a tool flyout

Tool flyouts are created for the draw commands Line, Arc, Circle, Ellipse, Polyline, Ray, Spline, and Xline

Flyout Tool Properties

Tool - Right-click - Properties

Use flyout: Yes

Flyout options: [...]

Content Tools

Predefined content including hatches, blocks, xrefs, images, and gradients

Add Content Tools:

1. Geometry in the current drawing - Dragging hatch patterns, blocks, xrefs, images, or gradient objects from the current drawing
   
2. Microsoft Windows Explorer - Dragging existing drawing and image files by using Microsoft Windows Explorer
   
3. DesignCenter - Dragging existing hatch, block, xref, and image content using the DesignCenter
   

Create custom content tools for each block from DesignCenter to Tool Palettes

Drawing - Right-click - Create Tool Palettes

Properties

Additional properties vary depending on the type of tool

Block and xref tools include an Insert section for properties such as scale and rotation 

Hatch and gradient tools include a Pattern section for properties such as pattern name, angle, and scale

Auxiliary Scale Property

Set Auxiliary Scale to DIMSCALE or Plot Scale, the hatch or block automatically scale using the current value

DesignCenter 设计中心

Reuse data from another drawing in the active drawing

View the content in other drawings and drag the required content into the current drawing

Drag an entire drawing file or named objects, such as blocks, dimension styles, layers, layouts, linetypes, table styles, text styles, and xrefs, within a drawing file

Can also drag drawing files and blocks from DesignCenter onto a tool palette

Drag and Drop Scaling

Automatic scaling occurs based on the insertion scales of the source and current drawings

Source drawing Insert Scale: inch

Current drawing Insert Scale: mm

Result: Convert inch to mm (x 25.4)

Dim Substyles and Overrides

Dimension Substyles

A Dimension Substyle is a child of a dimension style

It may be necessary for some dimension types to have a different appearance within the same style

These are angular, diameter, leaders and tolerances, linear, ordinate, and radial

Dimension Styles Overrides

Override applied to the current dimension style and associated substyles

New dimensions reflect the override settings

Only one style override defined at a time

Save to current style: Applies the style override settings to the current dimension style

Compare Dimension Styles

Compare 2 dimension styles to see the differences in dimension variables

GD&T

The practice of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, commonly called GD&T

A national drafting standard defined in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers document ASME Y14.5M- 1994

It is a language of symbols that communicates complex relationships between part features and

requires study and practice to apply correctly

Feature Control Frames

A feature control frame can include a tolerance symbol, one or more tolerance values, one

or more datum references, and a datum identifier

1. Geometric Characteristic

    flatness, roundness, parallelism, or perpendicularity

2. Tolerance zone size and form

3. Material Condition

4. Datum References

5. Projected Tolerance Zone

6. Datum Identifier

Feature Control Frames specify the part feature’s form, size, and allowable variation 变化 from both, and also the allowable variation between part features

Geometric Tolerance dialog box

1. Geometric characteristic symbol (menu)

2. Tolerance zone form (toggle)

3. Tolerance zone value

4. Material condition symbol (menu)

5. Datum reference 1 of 3

6. Datum reference 2 of 3

7. Projected tolerance zone symbol (toggle)

8. Projected tolerance zone value

9. Datum identifier

Ordinate 坐标标注

Displaying absolute numeric values referenced from the origin of the current coordinate system

Ordinate dimensions placed in X and Y directions

Quick Dimension for Ordinate Dimension

Datum Point: Specifies the datum point (0,0) location for the ordinate dimension string

Ordinate: Creates a string 一连串 of ordinate dimensions

1. Select objects

2. P - [Enter]

3. Specifies the datum point

4. O - [Enter]

5. Position the dimension

Dimension Options

Additional options for how Radial and Angular are placed in relation to the geometry

Angular Dimension Quadrants Option

Override the default by Quadrant option

1. Select 1st line

2. Select 2nd line 

3. Q - [Enter]

4. Place the dimension

Arc Extension Lines

As the dimension moves off of the selected arc, an arc extension line is automatically drawn

Tolerance Alignment

Control the alignment of stacked tolerances

Operational Symbol

Decimal Separator

Inspection Dim

Communicate what percentage of parts should be checked against the drawing dimensions to ensure accurate fit and function

Format the Shape and Label/Inspection rate text for inspection dimensions

1. Identify label

2. Dimension value to compare

3. Percentage of parts should be inspected

Convert existing dimensions to inspection dimensions

Multiline Attributes

Create a single attribute that contains multiple text entries

Do not check "Align below previous attribute definition"

AttDia: 1 

Show streamlined Text Formatting dialog box

Paragraph Formatting

Multiline text with features added to define the appearance and operation of the text

Defined tabs and line indentation

Apply paragraph formatting options to new or existing text, all or part of selected multiline text

1. A hanging value is applied to indent all lines of text except the first line of a paragraph

2. Spacing between paragraphs

3. Left justified

Column Text

Create aligned columns of text as a single object

The two columns of text were created as a single multiline text object

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