Tips and tricks with 3DORBIT.
The functionality of 3DORBIT has many levels of interaction.
Via contextual menus are defined as menus are tools that can be utilized in any state. Regardless, if in a command or not. 3DORBIT has modes settings that can be utilized via right click contextual menu or keyboard shortcuts.
When 3DORBIT command is active a right-click in the workspace will result in a context menu coming up. Selecting Other Navigation Modes will slide out another menu which of several modes within the 3DORBIT command will give the user options to switch modes. Note the numbers to the side of each mode setting. While in 3DORBIT mode, selecting the number next to the mode setting will enable that mode without having to use the context menu to switch modes.
This will give users the ability to switch modes dynamically within the 3DORBIT command.
Bonus Tip: Using transparent 3DORBIT via keyboard shortcut allows user to transparently enter 3DORBIT with or with no commend active. Use the shift Key and hold down scroll button to ativate the command.
Another bonus tip: Use 3DORBITCTR command to center the pivot point around a point in the workspace.
Extra Bonus Tip: Use 3DFORBIT to isolate and rotate selected objects. Select the objects first before invoking the command.
Coming soon… CAD BLOG. Here is a Free Sample, I like to call…
Annotative or Not?
Hi Everyone,
AU is just around the corner, so to get you in the spirit of things, I thought I would devote this blog to a topic “similar” to what I am covering at AU …Annotative Objects. By Autodesk standards these objects are Text, Mtext, Dimensions, Hatches, Tolerances, Multileaders, Leaders, Blocks, and Attributes.
But today I want to talk about items that are NOT considered Annotative Objects; but can perform like they are….
First off; Tables. I was amazed when Autodesk made most “Text like Objects” Annotative, but not Tables. Even if you assign an annotative text style to the table, it doesn’t work. Perhaps it is because most people use them in the paperspace environment only. So here is a way you can make it work. Block the table afterwards, and make the Block annotative. Now it will be able to scale up and down with the Scale list pretty simple and it performs the way you would expect.
Tip: If the table is a separate drawing that you are going to insert into the current drawing as a block? Then set the ANNOTATIVEDWG system variable to 1. This specifies whether or not the drawing will behave as an annotative block when inserted into another drawing.
Next let’s talk about Fields. You may have not even thought about it because we mostly insert them into “Text type commands”, (like Text, Mtext and so on…) but if you have ever used the FIELD command there is no place to set annotation scaling. Therefore, just keep inserting them into you “Text like commands” and you’ll be fine.
Finally, I want to talk about Linetypes. First let me explain… I know there is the LTSCALE command that globally controls the scale of linetypes. But it does not get controlled by the Scale List. Plus as you switch back and forth between Model and Layout tabs you had to keep readjusting the LTSCALE so that all the different viewport scales in paperspace would plot correctly and uniform using the PSLTSCALE. Well now you can set the MSLTSCALE command to a value of 1 in model, and from there just use the Annotative Scale List on the Status bar menu. This way you won’t have to readjust your LTSCALE command back and forth anymore. Cool Huh?
That’s all we have time for right now, but realize that AutoCAD is very customizable. With a little imagination and the power of the CANNOSCALE (Sets the name of the current annotation scale for the current space) and the CANNOSCALEVALUE (the system variable that holds the current Annotative Scale and Returns as the inverted scale factor.) sky is the limit for all you Menu Customizers, Script Writers, Macro Makers and Lisp Routine-ers out there!
Take Care,
Isaac Harper
Tags: Annotative, au, Blocks, Fields, Linetypes, Scale, Scales List, Scaling, Tables, Text
Tips & Tricks, Uncategorized | Isaac Harper | 
October 27, 2009 5:35 pm | 
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