In addition to our services and applications section, this page describes in more detail what we can do to ease your daily use of AutoCAD and related products.
Examples of Utilities and Routines
Basics in base drawings
Have you noticed that when starting a new drawing you have to do the same repetitious things before you get going on content?
We can easily set up some base template drawings for you to use and if you have utilities and routines we can auto load them for you.
Base drawings can include text styles, dimension styles, layer systems by filters, screened layers, colour schemes, metric or imperial settings, title-block options, pline widths by layer, block scale insertions, running osnap settings, and many other idiosyncracies that you don’t want to have to deal with on a daily basis.
Placing items and cleanup
Do you find yourself trimming or grip editing to get an item in place. Would you like to auto-trim backgrounds as you place objects?
We can tailor commands to work with placement routines from third-party products and break-out background elements that need breaking.
A few simple routines and you are on your way.
This video demonstrates examples in schematic layouts or P&ID’s where items auto-rotate to suit the line or orient to connecting linework for angle, 3-way valves and other items.
Fire Protection Design Enhancements
These examples show what can be accomplished once simple parameters are defined. We show sprinklers placed in optimum dimensioned configurations.
Fire protection sprinklers, when placed in a building open area, are spaced according to a formula that spaces rows and columns at an equal spacing between each row or column. Plus half of that spacing to the walls adjacent to the end rows and columns. The number of rows and columns is calculated by the designer.
The first video shows some automation to facilitate sprinkler placement in any rectangular space and the second video improves that automation to remove cumbersome steps.
Fastext, Speedy Dimension and Text Placement
Once an item is placed and line-work trimmed, it often has to be labelled with appropriate values relating to that item. For example, working on a schematic or a P&ID and placing a valve, you may want to place the size and rating either above/below/left/right of that valve. But if the item is a reducer, you would want to place a size x size tag in the right location.
It is much easier to pick these values and have them auto-place at the right location, spacing and rotation angles.
Spacing and text location is based on percentages of the actual text style height and width in use at the time. For example, a text item placed with a # symbol will be placed a small percentage further away from the item in an above/below scenario as would a standard text item.
There is an auto upload option of user defined lists into the menus if required to allow selection of other data instead of the standard size, rating and spec values.
Frequently Used Utilities
Do you have a number of utilities you use frequently and would like to see them in a menu with easy to recognize icons, and repeat commands using the space bar or enter key?
We can put all your utilities in a menu that auto-loads into every drawing you open and we will test and update if needed to ensure they run properly in the latest AutoCAD version.
Constant Layer Changes
Have you been frustrated at having to change the layer prior to placing an object in your drawing? Did you ever wish that the layer would automatically set correctly as you pick a menu item?
We will review your menu system and layer configurations and write some small utilities to ensure that everything will place on the correct layer.