AutoCAD has hundreds of variables. Many use the SYSVAR command to list the variables and then they try to guess at the one they need (myself included). Instead, try the SYSVDLG to get a dialog box of all of the Sysvars, their settings and their values. You can even export the settings to compare them…

In AutoCAD 2012 certain command have been 'deprecated'. That is a fancy programming term for 'no longer available the obvious way, but still available to those who know the secret way'. BLIPMODE is one of those. It controls whether you see a 'dot' everywhere you pick or no dot at all. Personally, they annoy me:…

AutoCalc assigns reference points and arranges piping in a certain order. After a while, you get an idea of it's logic and how things are set up. But, you don't need to do that. 1. Start a new job and rRun AutoCalc on our HydraTools->Tools->Test Processes->Autocalc job. 2. When HydraCALC opens, switch over to HydraCAD…

Object Tracking/OTRACK – What is it? It is a way to insert or move things by hovering over other objects and 'silently' referencing their insertion points. Let's say you want to insert a sprinkler into the lower left area of this room, and you want it aligned with the other two heads, to make a…

Unbeknownst to many, HydraCAD has a series of training drawings (templates, actually) to help users learn to draw and to give examples of common drawing situations. They are accessed by picking the HydraTools pulldown menu, pick Tools and pick Training Drawings: We add new drawings every now and then. The current list is: 2D Version…

Need to learn Revit or Navisworks? How about AutoCAD? Many companies offer self-paced training and video tutorials. Some cost money, some are free – check these out: CADLearning – Professional company with a wide range of courses and topics CADD Train – Distance education; earn CEUs Cad Tutor – Free resources – blog posts, videos,…

From a customer, answered by my co-worker John: Q: I want HydraCAD to fab a consistent 0-2” nipple for all of my Riser Nipples. I know the cut length will vary depending on the pipe it is attaching to and I am having to insert Riser nipples on grid lines, armovers, and mains and guess…

The previous post discussed how to alter the outlet on a riser nipple by double-clicking on it. Here I will go over some other situations (including the original situation): In all situations, double-click on the riser nipple, then click a third time. This will bring up the Riser Nipple toolbox. Pick Apply when done to…

Say you have a standard return bend. A 1" 0-4 (CC) feeding an armover that feeds a head. It looks something like this: Now say you need to offset that head to the next tile up, but want to keep the same connection point to the branch line. In short, you want it to look…

??? – I am not even sure I understand what I just wrote. But if you want AutoCAD to look like it did in the 'good old days', visit this blog entry from CadNauseam, an excellent blog: Putting AutoCAD 2012 back to 'normal'