AutoCAD New Year’s Resolutions: Tuesday Tips With Frank

Happy 2020 to all of you from the Tuesday Tips team at the AutoCAD blog!

We’re about a week into the new year, which is usually just enough time for those pesky resolutions to be forgotten. You may have already begun using your treadmill as a clothes hanger, and don’t make me remind you about that double-cheese burger you snuck into your new diet.

Personal resolutions are good, but so are those you can apply to your AutoCAD work. I’ve created a list for you to consider. Choose any or all, or make your own, as the new year is the perfect time to re-think your workflow.

I Resolve To:

1. Keep my AutoCAD files clean by Purging, Auditing, and using the OVERKILL command.
2. Adhere to my office CAD standards. They’re there to keep everyone consistent, to streamline production, and to create a better deliverable.
3. Draw on the correct Layer, and not draw on Layer 0 (unless I’m creating a block).
4. Not use DEFPOINTS as a non-plotting layer. If one doesn’t exist, I will contact my CAD manager.
5. Use the Spellcheck tool often when editing text in AutoCAD. So often that it becomes second nature.
6. Lock AutoCAD viewports once they are set up.
7. Not ExplodeBlocks or Dimensions.
8. Save my work often, and not rely on Autosave.
9. Try some new techniques and tools, such as DWG Compare, Quick Measure, or even a specialized toolset.
10. Take advantage of the contextual right-click pop-up menus by not using right-click as Enter.
11. Give time-sensitive right-clicks a try if I just can’t do number 10.
12. Try both the AutoCAD web app and mobile app and think about how they can be included in your workflow.

2020 Vision

That’s only a dozen. I could write these all day, but who wants to read a blog post the length of War and Peace? I’ve written about many of these in the last few years, so follow the links if you’re interested in learning more.

These are mostly just good practices, but trust me, they’re not always adhered to. None of them are hard to do. All are much easier than getting in 10,000 steps a day. None require any sacrifice (OK, maybe number 10, but not if you do number 11), so they’re more palatable than starting a new diet.

So, let’s take this first week of the year to consider our work habits, make some resolutions to improve, and hopefully we’ll all have the best, most productive AutoCAD year ever.

More Tuesday Tips

Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you. Do you have any favorite AutoCAD tips? Tell us in the comments!