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TECHtalk: autocad, technology and gadgets

a blog about all things cad, interesting technology tidbits and unique gadgets for the ultimate technology geek

Rotate drawing in paper space only

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Today’s posting is about a resource that I use in my drawings. Every time I use this in my drawings, when they get reviewed by other technologists, they ask me how I was able to do it.

The resource I’m talking about it the ability to rotate my drawings in paper space without changing anything in model space.

Normally, people would rotate the UCS, which is never a good option, or they may choose to use DVIEW/Twist by using MVSETUP in layout/viewport. Instead, I use the Align/Rotate option. This only rotates the drawing in the viewport, not modelspace, thus preserving your coordinated setup and any preset UCS.
posted by Fernando Salgado, 8:34 PM | link | 0 comments |

Feet and Inches Calculator

Sunday, April 09, 2006

In today’s posting, I am going to discuss a very good computer program for those AutoCAD users like myself that aren’t as familiar with the Imperial system as someone who went through North American schooling. I still have to use it everyday, which basically meant that I had to become familiar with it quickly. Feet and Inches Calculator, a program from Finch Software was and still is a great aid for me. You can download it from their web site at www.finchsoftware.com.

According to the company:
You can use this calculator to easily convert from inches to feet - feet to inches - inches to millimeters - millimeters to inches - fractional feet and inches to decimal feet or decimal inches! To convert between units just enter the number you want to convert and select the unit you want to convert to
It also includes other modules like the toolbox that can be useful for those involved in steel detailing and the resource browser which is nothing more than a resource library that you can build and is always accessible on your system tray. Try it, it’s a great tool.

Until next time,
Fernando Salgado
posted by Fernando Salgado, 7:46 AM | link | 0 comments |