How to: Adopt AutoCAD's Latest Design Productivity Enhancements

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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Hello and welcome to this accelerator presentation

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about AutoCAD's latest design productivity enhancements.

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This is the safe harbor statement

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and it's just a reminder that the AutoCAD software changes

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regularly to continually improve the software

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and make it a better experience for you.

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If I happen to make any forward-looking statements

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in this presentation, please do not make any buying decisions

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based on it.

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So before we begin, let me introduce myself.

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I am Renu Muthoo and I'm a learning content developer

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with ASCENT.

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I have over 23 years of experience

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in various AutoDesk products, such as AutoCAD

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and other AutoCAD verticals.

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And I'm also experienced in AutoCAD virtualization software

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products that include AutoDesk

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I create the courseware and training materials

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for the AutoDesk products and I also

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provide support for these products.

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In addition, I have also co-authored a few books

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on both AutoCAD and 3ds Max.

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The purpose of this accelerator is

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to teach you about the latest features that

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have been added to AutoCAD that are designed to automate

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key design processes.

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Let's talk about the learning objectives.

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So you will learn how to display multiple drawings

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as separate floating windows.

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We will look at how to measure distances, angles,

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and areas of objects using the Quick Measure tool.

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We will then look at how to remove and extend

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certain parts of objects in a drawing.

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We will look at using the various tabs of the blocks

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palette to insert blocks into the current drawing.

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You will learn how to remove unused or referenced elements

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in a drawing.

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I will also show you how to compare drawings to highlight

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differences between them.

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And also show you how to compare the original and the modified

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externally referenced drawings.

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You will learn how to create different types of revision

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clouds and modify their arc length property.

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You will also learn how to create named views

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and insert them as viewports and also

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modify the viewports in the layout using grips.

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We will also look at converting geometric objects that

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were originally SHX text into MText string objects.

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We will talk about working with layer property overrides

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off the externally referenced drawing files.

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And finally, we will discuss the various AutoCAD

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specialized tool sets.

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The following presentation details

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features which were introduced to AutoCAD across versions 2016

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to 2022.

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For clarity, each slide details in which version

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the feature or the enhancement was introduced.

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And you can see that at the bottom right

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corner of each slide.

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So let's begin.

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The floating drawing tabs.

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Starting from AutoCAD 2022, you can now pull the drawing tabs

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and display them as separate floating windows.

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This enables you to display multiple drawings

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at the same time.

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While working in multiple monitors,

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you can drag one or more drawings onto another monitor,

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making it easier to work on multiple drawings side by side

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without having to switch between tabs.

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Note that the separate drawing window does not

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have any of the interface elements,

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such as the ribbon tools or the status bar.

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All the interface elements are accessible through

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the main AutoCAD window only.

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After working on multiple drawings side by side,

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you can simply drag and drop the floating drawing window back

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onto the file tabs bar off the main window.

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Now, let's talk about the Quick Measure tool.

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It is a smart measuring tool and was introduced in AutoCAD 2020

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and provides you with multiple measurements in real time.

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It is available in the measure fly-out in the home tab

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utilities panel of the ribbon.

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You can also type the MEASUREGEOM command

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to access it.

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It's a quick and easy way of obtaining the dimensions,

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distances, angles, area, and perimeter

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through a single command.

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In AutoCAD 2020, the Quick Measure tool

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measured only dimensions, distances,

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and angles of objects in the drawing window.

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As you select the tool the cursor

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displays as an infinite plus mark.

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When you hover the cursor over some objects,

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all the appropriate measurements close to the cursor

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are displayed.

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As you can see in the figure, the dimensions of the lines,

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the distances between the lines, and the right angles

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across the corners are displayed.

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In AutoCAD 2021, the Quick Measure tool

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was enhanced to provide you with area and perimeter

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of a closed area, in addition to the regular dimensions,

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distances, and angles.

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As you select the tool and hover the cursor over some objects,

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all the appropriate dimensions, distances, and angles

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close to the cursor are displayed.

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To obtain the area and perimeter,

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click inside a closed area.

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When you click inside a closed area,

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it is highlighted in green with the area and perimeter

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displayed near the cursor.

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You can see that in the figure.

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Both the area and the perimeter are displayed

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in the command line as well.

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You can also hold the shift key on the keyboard

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and then click inside multiple closed areas

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to get the cumulative area.

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Press escape on the keyboard to exit

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the command once you have finished

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reviewing the measurements.

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Now, let's move on to the trim and extend commands.

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In AutoCAD 2021, there was a major change

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in the working of the trim and extend commands.

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They have now become intelligent commands.

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And once you invoke the commands and start hovering the cursor

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over objects, the software automatically

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detects potential cutting edges for the trim command

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and potential boundary edges for the extend command.

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As opposed to the legacy method of first selecting

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the cutting or the boundary edges.

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By default, three options have been

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provided for trimming and extending objects.

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The first option is the individual selection method,

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where the objects can be selected individually

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by picking.

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The second option is the freehand selection method

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and can be used to select multiple objects

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for trimming and extending.

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For using the freehand option, hold down the left mouse button

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and then drag the cursor over one or more objects

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for trimming and extending them in a single step.

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The third option is the two-point fence selection

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method, which can also be used to select multiple objects

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for trimming and extending.

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However, the objects to be trimmed or extended

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should be in a single line.

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For this option, you click two points

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to create a segment that passes through the objects that

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need to be trimmed or extended.

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Before AutoCAD 2021, you were required

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to explicitly select the cutting or the boundary edges

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first and then select the lines that needed

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to be trimmed or extended.

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These legacy options are still available

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through the drop-down arrow menu or the command line selection.

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Now, let's take a look at an end product demo

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that demonstrates the working of the trim

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and the extend commands.

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In the home tab, modify panel, select the extend command.

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The cursor changes into a big box.

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Hover the cursor over the object that you want to extend.

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As soon as you hover the cursor, the AutoCAD software now

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automatically detects the boundary edges and

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the preview of the extended object is displayed.

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Click to accept.

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Now, we want to extend these three lines.

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With the enhancements to the extend command,

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multiple objects can be extended in a single step using

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the two-point fence option.

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Click anywhere above the top line.

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Move the cursor down, such that the fence line

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passes over the objects that you want to extend.

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The preview is displayed with the extended objects.

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Click to accept.

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Similarly, extend those two lines towards right

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and extend the two lines to the left.

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Press escape to exit the extend command.

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In the home tab, modify panel, select the trim command.

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The cursor changes into a big box.

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Hover the cursor over the object that you want to trim.

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As soon as you hover the cursor, the AutoCAD software

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now automatically detects the cutting edges.

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And the preview of the trim is displayed.

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Click to accept.

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Now, we want to trim the lines all around the object.

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With the enhancements to the trim command,

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this can be achieved by using the freehand selection

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option of the trim command.

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Click and hold.

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While holding the cursor, move it over the objects

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that you want to trim.

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All the objects are trimmed by releasing the cursor.

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Now, using the two-point fence option,

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we can trim the inside four lines.

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And we can trim the two lines here.

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Let's talk about the blocks palette.

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The blocks palette was introduced in AutoCAD 2020

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and offers a convenient location from where

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you can locate and insert blocks and drawings

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into the current drawing.

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It replaces the insert dialog box.

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The blocks palette can be accessed

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through the view tab, palettes panel,

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or by clicking recent blocks or blocks from other drawings

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from the insert blocks gallery.

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At the time of its introduction in AutoCAD 2020,

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the blocks palette had three tabs where

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all the blocks are organized.

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The first one is the current drawing tab.

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All the blocks in the current drawing

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are displayed in this tab.

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It's just a replica of the insert gallery.

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The second one is the recent tab.

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It provides you with all the blocks

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that are in the current drawing, all the blocks that

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were inserted recently, and the drawings that

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were inserted as blocks.

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It also provides you with the repeat placement option

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for inserting multiple blocks thus increasing

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the efficiency of working with blocks.

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The third one is the other drawing tab.

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You can insert any AutoCAD drawing as a block

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or insert blocks from other drawings.

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The selected drawing pile becomes

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a block in the current drawing and is then listed

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in the other drawings tab.

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The tab also displays the drawings

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that were inserted while working in other drawing sessions.

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You can use the ellipsis near the top right

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corner of the palette to navigate

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to the location of the drawing that you want to insert.

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The blocks palette also allows you

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to set all the insertion options such as insertion point

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scale and rotation.

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In addition to the regular insertion options,

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the repeat placement option was added

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to allow you to insert multiple blocks in a single step.

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In AutoCAD 2021, the other drawing tab

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was simply renamed to the libraries tab.

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Also in the AutoCAD

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that brings in a single drawing file as a block, now

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allows you to locate and bring in a folder as well.

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The folder can contain multiple drawings and their block

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definitions.

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When you open the folder from the blocks palette,

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it brings in all the drawings in that folder

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into the libraries tab, to be used as blocks

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in the current drawing.

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To save time and to increase work efficiency,

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you can store all the drawings together in a folder

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and then access them at the same time

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by opening the folder in the blocks palette.

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In the left side figure, you can see

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that I brought in the landscape folder

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where I had saved all the landscape drawings together.

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In the AutoCAD

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which is the favorites tab, was added to the blocks palette.

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You can group your most commonly used blocks in the favorites

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tab.

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In any other tab, right-click on the required block and select

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copy to favorites to save it in the favorites tab.

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The blocks palette also now allows

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you to store all the blocks that are in the recent and favorites

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tab into a cloud location with a supported cloud storage

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provider, which are Dropbox, and OneDrive.

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By storing the blocks on the cloud,

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you can now access and use them with internet enabled devices

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anytime and from anywhere.

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You are required to be signed in to your AutoDesk account

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to allow the application to access your blocks.

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Use the settings icon in the options area of the blocks

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palette to open the block sync settings dialog box.

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Here you can select the location on the cloud

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and manage your sync settings.

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Once you save the blocks on the cloud,

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the settings icon is replaced by the cloud icon,

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indicating that the recent and the favorites blocks

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are now available on the cloud and can

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be accessed on your devices anytime and from anywhere.

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Now, let's take a look at an end product demo that demonstrates

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how to use the blocks palette.

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In the insert tab, block panel, expand insert.

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Select recent blocks.

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It opens the blocks palette.

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Switch to the current drawing tab.

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All the blocks that are available in the current

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drawing are displayed here.

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Select the block chair.

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It attaches itself to the cursor.

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Click to place the block.

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Right-click on chair and select copy to favorites.

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Open the newly-added favorites tab.

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The chair block is listed here for easy access.

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In the options area, select the repeat placement option.

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Click on share block.

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Select don't redefine chair.

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Click to place.

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Note that the chair block is still attached with the cursor.

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Click to place as many blocks as you want.

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Press escape to exit.

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Open the libraries tab and click on the navigation tool.

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It opens the dialog box.

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Here in the dialog box, you can choose

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a drawing file to be used as a block,

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or now, you can select a folder as well.

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Select the landscape folder.

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Click open.

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All the drawing files that were inside the landscape folder

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are now displayed here and can be used as blocks

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in the current drawing.

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With the enhancements to the blocks palette,

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you can place the blocks that are

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in the recent and the favorites tabs on the cloud.

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Click on the settings icon in the options area.

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It opens the block sync settings dialog box.

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Using the ellipsis button, you can now

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use any of the supported cloud storage

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providers, such as Dropbox, and save your blocks on the cloud.

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Here, you can also control your sync settings

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and the storage permissions.

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Note that the settings icon now changes to the cloud icon,

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indicating that your recent and the favorite blocks

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are now available on the cloud and can

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be used as blocks on multiple devices any time

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and from anywhere.

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Now, let's talk about the redesign of the purge command.

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In AutoCAD 2020, the purge tool was

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redesigned for easy and efficient drawing clean-up.

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Two tabs are provided in the purge dialog box.

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The purgeable items tab and the find non-purgeable items tab.

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The redesign gives you more control

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over selecting objects to be purged.

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You can select objects by categories

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or as individual objects, by using their respective check

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boxes.

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You can also view the selected object in the preview area.

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And additionally, you can resize the preview area

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as per your requirements.

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The zero-length geometry and empty text objects

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can now be purged separately.

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In AutoCAD 2020, the find non-purgeable items tab

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was provided in the purge dialog box.

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It provides you with possible reasons why the selected

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objects cannot be purged.

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It also has a details area that provides specific information

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about the selected non-purgeable object, such as their number

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and their size.

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You can also use the selected objects button,

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which is shown in the figure, to zoom

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into the specific non-purgeable objects in the drawing,

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such that you can make changes to those objects.

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Now, let's talk about the compare drawings.

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Introduced AutoCAD

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compare command enables you to quickly highlight

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the differences between the two versions of the same drawing

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file or two different drawing files.

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In AutoCAD 2019, it used to compare

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by creating a new drawing with objects

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that are unique to the first drawing on one set of layers.

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And it used to be layer name, underscore, drawing one.

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And the objects unique to the second drawing

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on another set of layers, which was kind of like, layer name,

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underscore drawing two.

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This enabled you to filter drawing layers to better

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visualize the differences.

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You could also have a revision cloud around the changes.

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Additionally, a compare contextual tab displays

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when the drawing compare is active.

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It has options to toggle off or on the visibility

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of the objects in different drawings,

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change the color of the differences,

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and display of the revision cloud,

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and cycle through the differences

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individually by zooming into them.

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In AutoCAD 2020, the enhancements to the drawing

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compare command allow you to conduct the comparison

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in the current open drawing.

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And the differences are displayed

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in the current drawing itself.

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It does not now create a new drawing

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to display the comparisons.

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The software compares documents by displaying the objects that

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are unique to the open drawing in one color

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and the objects unique to the comparison drawing

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in another color.

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The objects that are common in both the drawings

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are displayed in gray by default.

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All these colors can be changed as per your preferences.

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A drawing compare toolbar replaces

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the compare contextual tab.

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The drawing compare toolbar has options

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that can be used to control the visibility of the objects

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and zoom to the previous or next comparative differences.

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It also contains an import tool that

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enables you to import the changes

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from the compare drawing into the current drawing.

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And an export tool that creates a new drawing containing

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all of the similarities and differences

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in both the drawings, maintaining

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the colors of the differences.

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This export tool is especially handy

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to keep a record of all the changes

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that were incorporated into the drawing at that time.

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In addition, the drawing compare toolbar contains

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the settings tool, which can be expanded to display the detail

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tools, such as color blocks for customizing the colors,

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display of revision clouds, and the hatch and text

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objects in the drawing during the compare state.

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You can also modify both the drawings

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while in the compare state.

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While in the compare state, the changes that you make

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are compared in real-time and the differences

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are dynamically highlighted as per your color scheme.

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In AutoCAD 2021, the extra compare command was included.

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It works in a similar fashion as to the drawing compare command.

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Once you made changes to an Xref,

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you can now compare the original and the modified Xref.

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By comparing the two Xrefs, you can now

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identify the modifications that were made to the drawing

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file that is attached as an external reference

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in the current drawing.

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The comparison can be started in the external references pilot

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by selecting compare, in the right-click menu,

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and then selecting either recent changes or selected file.

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The recent changes option compares the host drawing

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with the changes you made to the Xref

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in the currently open drawing.

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The selected file option compares the Xref

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in the host drawing with another saved version

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of the extra drawing.

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When a drawing that is referenced in a drawing

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is changed, an alert balloon is displayed in the status bar.

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Select the link in the balloon to reload the reference.

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There is also an option to compare the changes

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in the balloon.

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This message also displays when someone else

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changes a reference while you are having the host file open.

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When you start the Xref compare command,

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the drawing opens in a compare window, which

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is indicated by the drawing being enclosed in a blue border

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and the Xref compare toolbar is displayed

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along the top of the drawing window.

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The software compares the two Xrefs

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by displaying the objects that are

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unique to the Xref in the open drawing in one color

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and the objects unique to the comparison Xref drawing

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in another color.

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The objects that are common in both the drawings

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are displayed in gray by default.

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The Xref compare toolbar has options

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that can be used to control the visibility of the objects

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and to zoom into the previous or next comparative differences.

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The Xref compare toolbar also contains a settings tool,

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which can be expanded to display the detail tools, such as color

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blocks for customizing the colors,

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display of revision clouds, and the display of hatch and text

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objects in the drawing during the compare state.

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Now, let's take a look at an end product

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demo that demonstrates the drawing compare

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and the Xref compare tools.

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In the external references palette,

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there are extra files loaded into the factory site drawing.

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Right-click on factory floor plan to open it.

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In the collaborate tool compare panel, click drawing compare.

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In the dialog box, select the drawing

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that you want to compare the current drawing with.

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Note that the drawing is in comparison state now

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and is indicated by a blue thick border

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and the drawing compare toolbar.

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Click and expand the settings tool.

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The objects that are unique to the current drawing

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are displayed in green and the objects

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that are unique to the comparison drawing

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are displayed in red.

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The common objects in both the drawings are displayed in gray.

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There is also a revision cloud that

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highlights the differences.

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In the revision cloud, choose polygonal.

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The revision cloud now surrounds the specific objects

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that are different.

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Toggle off the light bulb for the no differences objects

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to focus only on the differences.

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In the toolbar.

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Click the next arrow to zoom into the area

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of one set of the differences.

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Click the next arrow again to zoom into the next set

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of differences.

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The two restrooms are added in the comparison drawing.

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Toggle the no differences back on.

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In the drawing compared toolbar, select import objects.

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The cursor changes into the big box.

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Create a window around the two restrooms only for importing

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and ignore the other differences.

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Press Enter to commit the selection.

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Note the color of the washrooms has

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changed to gray, indicating that it is now

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part of the current drawing.

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Click exit compare.

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See the factory floor plan.

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Open factory site.

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Note that an Xref modified bubble displays also

29:16

in the extra palette.

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The factory floor plan now says, needs reloading.

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In the bubble, the compare the changes is selected.

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Click reload factory floor plan.

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The xref drawing is in compare mode.

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Note that the two restrooms are displayed in green,

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indicating that these are the changes in the Xref compare

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drawing.

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Click exit compare.

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The two restrooms are now part of the factory floor plan Xref

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drawing, which is fully loaded into the factory site host

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drawing.

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Now the revision cloud enhancements.

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In the AutoCAD 2016 update of the software,

30:07

revision clouds were enhanced to provide multiple shapes

30:10

for revision clouds.

30:12

The most recently used creation option is used by default.

30:18

The revcloud create mode system variable

30:21

can be used to set your own default creation method.

30:25

Creation options now available include rectangular, polygonal,

30:30

and freehand.

30:32

The capability of turning any object into the revision cloud

30:36

continues to be available.

30:38

Revision cloud editing has also been

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enhanced by reducing the number of grips available.

30:44

If a revision cloud is created from an object,

30:47

the grips for the original object are displayed.

30:51

If it is created using the rectangular or polygonal

30:55

methods, grips are displayed at each vertex

30:58

and at the midpoint of each line.

31:02

As of AutoCAD 2021, when you hover your cursor

31:07

over a revision cloud object, the quick properties

31:11

now displays a revcloud object type

31:14

instead of the polyline object type,

31:17

as in the previous versions of AutoCAD.

31:20

Similarly, the revcloud object type

31:22

is displayed in the properties palette, as well.

31:26

This clearly indicates that the object is a revision cloud

31:30

and not a part of the drawing.

31:32

Revision clouds are created using

31:35

an approximate single value for the length of the arc chord.

31:39

It's also called the arc length and is

31:42

the distance between the two end points of a single arc segment.

31:47

You can now change the arc length

31:49

of the arcs in the revision cloud.

31:52

The arc length can be changed either

31:54

from the properties palette, or by using

31:57

the new revcloud properties command.

32:01

Now, let's look at the view and viewport enhancements.

32:05

In the AutoCAD 2019 update of the software,

32:09

the new view command was added for creating user-defined named

32:13

views of the current drawing.

32:16

This command is available in the view tab, named views panel.

32:20

Starting the new view command opens the new view

32:23

shot properties dialog box.

32:26

Here, you can enter the name for your name view

32:29

and then, you have two options to create the named views.

32:33

The current display option enables

32:35

you to save the current screen view,

32:37

whereas the defined window option

32:40

enables you to create a named view

32:42

of a specific area of the drawing

32:44

by creating a window around that area.

32:47

Once these views are created, they

32:50

are displayed in the view drop-down menu.

32:53

You can click on any named view to restore it

32:56

in zoom in to that area that you have saved as that view.

33:01

This is useful when you're working in complex drawings,

33:05

as it becomes easier to locate the specific areas.

33:10

Again, in the AutoCAD 2019 update of the software,

33:14

the insert view command was also added

33:17

for creating viewports of named views in the layout.

33:21

The expanded insert view command displays

33:24

a gallery of all the user-created named views.

33:28

In the gallery, select the named view

33:30

that you want to insert in the layout.

33:32

The preview of the viewport window attaches to the cursor.

33:37

Depending on the preview window, you

33:39

can now change the size of the view

33:41

before inserting, such that it fits on the layout as required.

33:46

To set the scale of the view before inserting,

33:49

right-click on the view and select the scale.

33:52

This is the advantage of using the insert view command,

33:55

as it enables you to set the scale before placing the view.

34:00

This can help you understand how the real fits on the sheet.

34:04

When using the conventional viewport

34:07

commands to create views, you set the scale

34:10

after you place the view on the sheet.

34:13

The insert view gallery also provides a new view option.

34:17

This new view option enables you to create a new view directly

34:22

from a layout.

34:24

If a named view of the desired area has not been created,

34:28

you can create the desired view on the fly.

34:32

This option does not create a named view

34:34

and therefore, the view is not saved in the insert view

34:37

gallery for future use.

34:40

Once you have created and placed viewports in the layout,

34:44

you can move, resize, and scale them using grips.

34:47

To modify a viewport, you must be in paper space.

34:51

When you select the edge of a layout viewport,

34:54

three types of grips display.

34:57

The first is an ordinary square grip

34:60

and can be used to resize the viewport without changing

35:04

the scale of the viewport.

35:06

Then, the middle square grip can be

35:08

used to move and place the viewport at a new location

35:12

in the layout.

35:13

Then you have the middle arrow grip.

35:16

And this is a list grip that lists the various scales

35:20

that you can use to set the viewport scale.

35:24

Now, let's take a look at an end product

35:27

demo that demonstrates the view and viewports features.

35:34

In the new tab, named views panel, click new view.

35:39

In the new views shot properties dialog box, enter a name

35:45

and select define window.

35:50

Create a window around the area for the named view.

35:55

Press enter.

35:58

Click OK.

35:60

Expand the view window.

36:03

The new named view has been created.

36:05

Click it.

36:07

The software zooms into the area of the named view.

36:11

This is especially useful when you're

36:13

working in large, complex drawings

36:15

and want to locate and work on specific areas.

36:21

Switch to a layout view.

36:26

In the layout contextual tab, layout reports panel,

36:31

expand insert view.

36:32

The named views are displayed in the gallery.

36:37

Click on the named view.

36:41

A preview window attaches to the cursor.

36:45

Click to place the viewport.

36:48

Similarly, insert another view.

36:52

The scale of the preview window is not correct.

36:56

With the enhancements to the software,

36:59

using the insert view command, you

37:01

have the option of changing the viewport scale before placing

37:05

the view on the sheet.

37:07

Right-click and choose an appropriate scale.

37:12

Click to place.

37:14

Expand insert view and click new view.

37:19

This creates a new view on the fly.

37:23

Define a window around the area for the view.

37:28

Press enter.

37:31

Click to place.

37:34

Click on the viewport window.

37:37

Different viewport grips are now available that help

37:42

you to modify the viewport.

37:45

Select the corner grip, drag to resize.

37:54

This does not change the viewport scale.

37:58

Use the middle arrow grip and choose an appropriate scale.

38:04

Click on the middle square grip and move the viewport

38:09

to a new location.

38:13

SHX and text recognition enhancements.

38:18

The process of importing PDF files

38:21

has been improved to include SHX text recognition.

38:26

When a PDF file containing SHX text

38:30

is imported into the AutoCAD software.

38:32

The text is converted into separate geometric objects,

38:37

such as poly lines.

38:39

This makes editing of the text extremely difficult.

38:43

As of the AutoCAD

38:47

various tools have been provided to work with the imported

38:51

AutoCAD SHX objects and convert them to MText objects.

38:57

The first is the recognized SHX text command

39:01

and enables you to convert SHX geometry to MText string

39:07

objects based on the font and other settings provided

39:11

in the PDF text recognition settings dialog box.

39:15

Once you select the SHX text objects

39:19

the software processes the text and then provides you

39:22

with an update about how many objects were converted,

39:26

how many fonts were used, and the percentage

39:30

of non-converted objects.

39:33

The recognition settings tool opens the PDF text recognition

39:38

settings dialog box, where you can select the fonts that

39:42

are required for your text in the PDF,

39:46

set the threshold percentage to determine

39:49

how closely the converted text should match the selected

39:53

fonts in the list to be considered a matching font,

39:56

and set whether the text should be kept

39:59

on the current layer or the text should

40:01

be on the same layer as the geometry.

40:05

The combined text tool enables you

40:07

to combine multiple individual text

40:10

objects to create a single multi-line text

40:13

object as a paragraph.

40:16

Now, let's talk about the Xref layer property overrides.

40:21

So when you attach or overlay a drawing reference file,

40:25

it brings the drawing object and it's

40:27

named objects, such as layers and blocks,

40:30

into the host drawing.

40:32

Since the AutoCAD

40:35

many layer properties for the extra layers

40:38

have been enhanced.

40:40

In the layer properties managers,

40:42

icons have been added that enable

40:45

you to visually determine the various extra layers

40:48

and the information associated with them.

40:52

An icon is displayed beside the extra layers

40:55

that contain overrides.

40:57

Hovering the cursor over this icon

40:60

displays a tool tip that lists the overwrite information.

41:04

In the top right corner of the layer properties manager,

41:08

there is an icon that controls the shading background

41:11

of the layers with overrides.

41:14

In the layer properties manager an Xref overrides filter

41:18

is automatically created when some extra layers

41:22

have overrides applied to them.

41:25

Clicking Xref overrides displays only the list of extra layers

41:30

with overrides.

41:31

To reset any or all of the layer properties

41:35

to their original state, right-click on Xref

41:38

overrides and select reset Xref layer properties

41:42

to access the options.

41:44

If you change the properties of an extra layer,

41:47

the change does not affect the referenced drawing.

41:51

However, the change is retained in the host drawing by default.

41:56

The default is controlled by the VISRETAIN system variable.

42:01

You can also control it in the layer settings dialog box,

42:04

in the extra layer settings area,

42:07

by using the retained overrides to Xref layer properties

42:10

option.

42:12

In the layer settings dialog box,

42:14

you can also specify the various Xref layer properties

42:18

that you want to reload or not reload.

42:21

These Xref layer properties are stored in the VISRETAIN mode

42:26

system variable.

42:28

And finally, now, I'll talk about the AutoCAD specialized

42:33

tool sets.

42:35

A group of specialized libraries and functions

42:38

are provided with the subscribed version of the AutoCAD 2019

42:42

software.

42:44

The specified tool sets are specific to various industries

42:48

and they can improve your efficiency

42:50

and speed up your work.

42:52

These tool sets contain the basic AutoCAD features,

42:56

at their core and add industry-specific features

42:59

and functions.

43:01

So let's talk about the architecture tool sets.

43:04

It contains a specialized building design capabilities,

43:07

such as the creation of floor plans, elevation, sections,

43:11

et cetera.

43:12

The toolset is equipped with libraries

43:15

of architectural objects and styles.

43:17

There are 8,000 plus of them that

43:20

enable you to work in architectural drawings

43:23

and documentation.

43:24

Then, mechanical toolset.

43:26

It contains specialized mechanical design capabilities,

43:30

including the generation of machine components,

43:33

builds of materials, et cetera.

43:35

The toolset contains libraries of manufacturing parts

43:38

and symbols.

43:39

There are around

43:43

enable you to create mechanical designs.

43:46

Electrical toolset.

43:48

It contains electrical design capabilities

43:51

and a working environment specialized

43:53

for electrical control systems.

43:56

The toolset contains libraries of electrical symbols

43:59

and manufacturers that enable you to efficiently and quickly

44:03

create schematic and panel drawings,

44:05

along with tracking component information between drawings

44:09

and then creating reports and other electrical documentation.

44:14

MEP toolset contains MEP design features

44:17

that automate the design of various building systems,

44:21

such as ductwork, HVAC, plumbing,

44:24

and electrical systems.

44:26

The toolset contains libraries of electrical, mechanical,

44:30

and plumbing objects to help you design and document

44:33

various building systems.

44:36

Plant 3D toolset.

44:37

It contains the engineering design features

44:40

to create plan designs based on specific requirements

44:43

and workflows.

44:45

The workspace enables you to efficiently create

44:48

PNIDs, which are then incorporated into the Plant 3D

44:52

designs.

44:54

Map 3D toolset.

44:55

It contains geospatial features that enable

44:59

you to manage GIS and CAD data.

45:03

The toolset enables you to work with spatial data that

45:07

is stored in files, databases, and web services.

45:12

And Raster design toolset.

45:14

It contains tools for changing raster to vector data,

45:18

enabling you to change raster images to drawing objects.

45:22

These tools quickly clean-up and enhance images,

45:26

create vector shapes, and modify raster images.

45:30

Each toolset must be downloaded separately

45:33

and installed on your system.

45:36

You can download the toolset through your AutoDesk account

45:39

or through the AutoDesk desktop application.

45:42

Open the AutoDesk desktop application and sign-in.

45:46

To display the AutoCAD specialized toolsets that

45:49

are available with your subscription,

45:51

click my products and tools, click

45:54

on the tool set that you need, and then install it.

45:58

Thank you for joining me today for this accelerated

46:01

presentation about AutoCAD its latest design productivity

46:06

enhancements and I hope that you found the information useful.