15 Favorite AutoCAD Tips & Tricks!

Recently I had an opportunity to present a special edition of the 30 min. Workout series focused on AutoCAD tips and tricks. During the session I walked through more than fifteen of my favorite AutoCAD tips, tricks & shortcuts. If you are interested, I’ve shared a recording of the session below. My hope is that it will provide some discoveries you can use on your next project. Topics and timestamps listed below...
2:22 - Zoom to selected objects using viewcube
2:32 - Add/Remove items from Quick Access Toolbar
5:03 - Find commands within interface using Application Menu
6:33 - Conserve screen real estate by collapsing palettes to a single icon
8:57 - Select from stacked objects using Selection Cycling
11:38 - Navigate to coordinates using FROM object snap
13:06 - Improve hatch appearance by adjusting its origin
14:58 - Limit geometry AutoCAD “sees” when hatching via. pick point
16:34 - Calculate coordinates & expressions using Geometric Calculator
22:04 - Calculate expressions within dialog boxes
22:47 - Select similar objects using Select Similar feature
24:28 - Create similar objects using Add Selected feature
25:39 - Edit text, dimensions, blocks & polylines via. “double-click”
26:47 - Span line types along short segment polylines
27:19 - Restore the last object deleted using OOPS
28:19 - Focus on specific entities in complex drawings using Isolate feature
29:38 - Identify owner of drawing using WHOHAS
Additional links you may be interested in...
Civil Immersion Blog
civilimmersion.typepad.com
Solving Civil 3D / AutoCAD Problems using the Geometric Calculator
• Solving Civil 3D / Aut...
KZbin Channel
/ jeffbartelscad
30 min. Workout Playlist
• 30 Minute Workouts - A...

[@beardyeighty]

Have you ever thought about narrating audiobooks? Your voice is clear and easy to follow. Excellent video.

[@Timotheos312]

I totally agree

[@DScapo0]

He would make a fraction of a fraction of what he makes now. I made less than 100 bucks on the last 200+ page book I casted.

[@lydiaromany832]

After 20 years using AutoCAD, I want to say: Thank you for the very clear explanation ever in AutoCAD.

[@CNCRHE]

I have been using autocad since 1995. I feel ashamed for not knowing older and newer commands i show here. . select objects, press top and zoom to them .from .hatch set origin .select new boundary set .text height calculations using alt+enter .add selected .oops (i knew about it but have never realized what it does) I knew about all the other and have been using them for years but those commands above would make my life so much simpler... Excellent presentation, as always. Thank you so much!

[@AvyangShang]

I know for myself that I have alot of things to learn in autocad but man this new whole thing just make my life easier. You did very well explaining the autocad feature. most of them I already knew but the 'cal command, that I didn't know and it makes me smile. Glad I found your video. . hope you add more 'cal expression. thanks alot.

[@Mukundanghri]

Such a great resource! Well explained, great presentation and great for a daily workout.

[@buggin33]

Jeff, for the hatching i typically like to use the isolate command and then just hatch. it also tends to hatch things a bit faster when dealing with bigger or more complex areas. we all know how that can go sometimes.. lol nice tips though! thanks!!

[@jamesl1143]

Anchoring and turning to icon, that’s a game changer and will clear my frustration with that pallet - thank you.

[@mehdizamir6089]

This video solves lots of my AutoCAD problems thanks Jeff for this wonderful video

[@alexmcn89]

Thanks Jeff, OOPS and WHOHAS are commands I didn't know existed but will definitely be using from now on.

[@philipeddington6282]

Even after 30 years of using AutoCAD I learnt new things. I'll be sure to suggest the other CAD Techs in my firm subscribe to this channel and watch this video. Thanks for the very clear explanations

[@mikhailkh8560]

Man! You made my morning, I hate selection cycling so much, and now I know how to turn this thing offf! Awesome!

[@amirarifka7314]

Thank you so much for this amazing video your explanation is sharp and clear and the tips you showed us are really helpful

[@mohamedshaheen6856]

To offset the object similar to the other one, you can type the command "offset" and instead of typing the value, you can pick the endpoint of both the lines, it saves you more time.

[@solarwinds-]

Great channel!!! Love your teaching style.

[@joegotz1971]

Finally, someone who I can understand!!!

[@michaelrichardson4003]

Hi Jeff! Loved your video. I don't draw Civil, but I do AutoCad as a hobby....like since Rel 14. Learned a great deal today. Thanks! 'CAL is my new best friend! LOL! I like your style...to the point with many examples.

[@jeancoetzee2800]

I greatly appreciate the time and effort that is put into these sessions. The content is presented exceptionally well.

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Thanks Jean! I appreciate it!

[@marksanfelipe5859]

thank you sir, you managed to do what my professors failed to do which is simplify discussing cad.

[@Noerg66]

Great Video with some good tips. Specially the tips about that calculator are interesting. I'm working with AutoCAD over 25 years but I don't often the cal command.

[@AdamAmbrus]

16:25 i usually isolate the layer the objects are on and hatch that way :) but this way is also very cool!

[@jessie_8301]

Been working with autocad for very long time and still learning new things.

[@shrijenpuvaneswaran3297]

Wonderful session ❤

[@djondadecorationsilvajonda3439]

Your video was very helpful, I'm still learning and getting the hang of it still. I'm into House and EDM. I look forward to seeing more of your

[@markbankston6464]

Thank you Jeff, this is very well done.

[@HoganNB14]

WHOHAS the best CAD content? This guy 👍

[@didemakcakus8849]

Excellent video. Thank you so much!

[@shaunwright3719]

Thanks Jeff. You're the man.

[@robertiravonga559]

Hey Jeff, thank you so much. I particularly found 'Cal to be a very interesting and useful tool. again, many thanks

[@stevedavidson8856]

Love it. Oops is going to b a new fav

[@tosha1800]

Thank you! Very informative!

[@bloke5874]

Good on you, Jeff, Many Thanks for yet another informative and concise tutorial, Much appreciated,

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Glad it was helpful!

[@josephdoseph3118]

scale with reference command is useful to as well as rotate based on another rotated object . Never thought to auto dock layers. I will have to try it tomorrow

[@ypure3859]

EXCELLENT! Thank you for this tutorial

[@catslovey]

Great tips... Thanks 😊

[@mohammadbataineh6147]

I really appreciate this video, thank you man

[@husamali9345]

That was awesome, god bless you🙏🏻

[@attina_iv5510]

Man that shortcut is so cool I never heard about it 😂 🤣 oops omg thank you love your teaching style

[@Biscuitkc]

You are amazing. I love watching your tips and tricks.

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Thank you so much!

[@stanleykamano9416]

Thanks Jeff. Very helpful. Cheers.

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Glad to help

[@naseerbhatti177]

Sir, you have done excellent work flow in this session. i have learn a lot from your videos. sir u have provided us quick solution thanks to u for providing these tips and tricks.

[@simoncourtney7080]

thank you, very helpful video

[@surajsundaram8924]

Thank you, Informative

[@luisguerrero6530]

Que genial como siempre

[@rediatkassa5925]

Jeff thank you!!

[@ivangodfrey28]

big thanks sir!

[@rziguiaymen7519]

Hi Jeff, thanks a lot for the video, I've been using Autocad for almost 4 years now and I am still learning a lot from your videos! I wanted to ask you whether we can use the "Dee" command to find the centerline between two polylines even if they are not parallel (I need a command to generate the centerline between two polylines no matter what shape they have, we use this often to determine the centerline of an existing highway/road )

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

If you are looking for a way to find a centerline between two non parallel entities, this video may help kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZ6ynYSCjamMpdE (fast forward to 12:00) note that this workflow requires Civil 3D.

[@sivaprasadjoddhumahanti1959]

Thank you very much. I have liked it

[@bertoldavner1329]

1000000 likes for this information!!!! Thanks a lot!

[@jorgedumet8969]

very valuable content. thanks for sharing 🙌

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

My pleasure!

[@hardiknaik3417]

Great tips

[@pepelupasay9894]

TYVM. very useful

[@kevinpatzer1551]

Great Video. Will use all of this.

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cadteacher12]

Thank so much this was live saving. God bless you

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

You're welcome!

[@fadisoueidi4127]

man that calculator tip is worth hours of tutorials. 👌

[@mitchellearnshaw5550]

Jeff... Holy fuck man... I've learned so many things in just the first 9 minutes!!! Hats off to you good sir!

[@amandadube156]

Great video, thank you!

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Glad you liked it!

[@user-uq1df7db8d]

great commands to learn

[@brianrainey1864]

Something I found by accident... if you grab the MAST of a Palette and whack it against either the left side of the furthest screen you have or the right side of the furthest screen you are using (still dragging it), it will change the Mast from left oriented to right oriented in one drag/drop motion. Pretty neat.

[@zborhbtmk7458]

Thank you for this interesting tutorial.

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

You are welcome!

[@87AndreasW]

A tip if having issues with lag and micro latency within civil3d, autocad a possible solution might be to exclude scanning of autocad related files in the antivirus software

[@zCTzCrazy]

Many thank Sir, very helpful

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

You are welcome

[@adamheeley285]

great tips

[@wendygan9464]

AWESOME TIPS

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Glad you like them!

[@paulkruger3425]

Wow you are an amazing speaker!

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Wow, thank you!

[@Mr.1997-e3h]

Hi sir, Excellent work "keep it up" I hope you will help me out with Hatch scale match property to another hatch some times not works Do you have or know any video link

[@michelrodrigue6769]

An other good video, thanks !

[@michaelrichardson4003]

Yes, of course, I am watching this video again! LOL! A question on Civil drawings....how many sheets are typically plotted for a Civil project? We have about 8 to 10 for a fancy mansion here in Michigan. How many sheets for a world-class project like the Hibernia Oil Platform? Simply curious is all. Thanks!

[@sakibhasan2592]

Very good update command

[@ALFURQONTAWABI]

thank u sir , very helpful

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Most welcome

[@jay-quell-in]

I’m pretty good with CAD(been using it 15 years)…. This video made me feel like I just started to use cad in 2022 🤣🤣🤣 I’ll definitely be implementing some of this stuff in my daily routine

[@defamarchive]

cool!

[@erickchavestauypan8076]

decided to try it out.

[@bigbeurs]

TNice tutorialS IS WHAT I NEEDED BRO, thank you for taking the ti and doing tNice tutorials for most of that are starting with tNice tutorials beautiful tNice tutorialng called

[@Steve_Just_Steve]

Great video as always Jeff, you're the best. Is there a command for "isolate layer" that is as simple as the object isolate? Seems like I have trouble unisolating a layer after isolating it. Thx!

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Hi Steve, In the Layers panel of the Ribbon, you'll find that layer isolation is managed using two buttons. LAYISO, and LAYUNISO. (Hover over the icons to see the command names) When using the layer isolate command (LAYISO), AutoCAD simply turns off (or locks/fades depending on your settings) the non selected layers. Using the layer unisolate command (LAYUNISO) AutoCAD restores the layers (turns on or unlocks based on your settings) modified by the LAYISO command. Hope this helps!

[@Steve_Just_Steve]

@@JeffBartelsCAD Thanks Jeff, the problem I've always had is when right clicking in the Layer Manager and selecting "isolate selected layers". The LAYUNISO command doesn't work for some reason. How do you unisolate after using that method? I usually use that method because I'm trying to find the objects on that layer so I can't click an object on that layer and use LAYISO by selecting an object. When I can select an object on the layer the ISO & UNISO commands work fine. I'm on 2021 but have had this issue for years and can't find an answer anywhere. Thanks!

[@hoirulmawahib4016]

nice broo

[@shadmanafridi5899]

Very interesting but i like the WHOHAS command as i normally needed it much during my office works

[@matthew4289]

Is there a way to reference create a profile using one alignment while getting the stationing from another alignment. I am drafting an asbuilt of a stream. Since the built centerline of the stream doesn't match the plan alignment exactly, I created another alignment showing the current horz location of the stream. However when I draw the profile, I need it to take the stationing from the design while taking the elevations from the asbuilt. Anyway to do this? In carlson survey, I am able to do it, but it doesn't allow me to weed out all the extra station labels which is why I'd like to do it in Civil3d. Thanks.

[@matthew4289]

Meant to add that I am creating the profile from the as-built surface.

[@vickybabu7613]

Very good. I learn new things. KSA

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Glad to hear that!

[@apd2403]

Was hoping you can make an indepth video for Civil 3D and creating/managing point labels that have metadata. I would like to understand what I need to do to get the Metadata to populate automatically and be left justified no matter how many lines of metadata show below the point number. Right now they jump from left justified and right and we have a useless CAD manager who doesnt know how to fix it

[@fryiaaziz5125]

thanks

[@ahmetsaglik3368]

Hello there I have an autocad project (plumbing) drawn with a ready-made program. I want to get the pipe size and diameter with Lisp, but the load unit comes and the diameter does not. It didn't work even if I tried to detonate it. There is a solution to this. Thank you

[@87AndreasW]

Do you have a tip video on how to do the following 1) align mtext along a line or pipe? In plan view 2) in profileview how can you create a line following a element like a pipe? For use to set a bottom trench profile in a profileview ofsetted for example 150mm below the pipe.

[@solarwinds-]

Could you please make a video to include the "objects are not coplanar" error message when using the Fillet, Extend or Trim commands.

[@twid9051]

Do you do consulting work?

[@daynemoore7816]

Heey thank you for all

[@ugurgemici8696]

Chief Jeff is best ...

[@padmasravansuresh]

Please tell about xref command

[@golf3290229]

My favorite command is dimaso... it explodeds all the dims into individual lines. That or .undefine. do that to the standard commands like line, circle, trim, ect. Lol

[@narendra672]

👏👏😀💯👍🎄

[@EwqzFN]

please upload more autocad tutorials

[@jarekzielonka4549]

New buyer ecstasy, good boy, jz

[@billpearcy2598]

i'm almost ashamed to ask, can i 'import' an 'old' tool pallet from an old drawing?

[@hugh9885]

Hi Jeff, How are you, long time no see~~

[@mohamedshaheen6856]

You don't actually need to type command 'cal in a command, you can directly type 1.5/2 and the AutoCAD will automatically calculate the expression.

[@Beef_it_to_be_fit]

Not usually. Usually only whole numbers. So you would need 15/20

[@adjeicollins1065]

Hi, 👋 please can you assist me in modeling my project work it solar lawn mower

[@evilisreal6896]

When having to undo a lot and you don't want to lose all the work you have done you can simply copy all your work to the clipboard, then undo everything and and then paste your work back in.

[@martinbengtsson8483]

i have the sa issue..

[@hughchapman5319]

Some useful commands and workflows but Autocad always seems to make things more complicated/awkward than necessary... The top view in Rhino 3D offers a much more fluid and efficient experience for 2D drafting in my experience. But I do learn things watching videos like this that I then incorporate into Rhino workflows as well as Autocad

[@dominiquevanderwesthuizen1776]

I would like to watch your sessions. Is there a way you guys can add me?

[@JeffBartelsCAD]

Certainly Dominique! You can register for sessions using the following link - www.autodesk.com/campaigns/30-minute-workout

[@willbroadbyabashaija4894]

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