A customer we were training recently wanted to know how to create 3/8 and 5/8 fractions for use in hanger details. The wanted to know if we have those in our fonts. We do not. However, AutoCAD can automatically generate those, and any other fraction you can dream up, using the MTEXT command (not TEXT). If…

Hanging from bottom of steel is not as prevalent as it used to be, but it is still done often enough. A change was made recently to HydraCAD to allow quicker use of the Steel Depth blocks added to steel (or any material) structures. If these steel depth blocks are inserted, the program can now…

Occasionally we get contacted by a customer who states that something is wrong with his drawings, but when they are opened on another computer, they are fine. If one of the usual suspects is not to blame, we then compare the AutoCAD settings on the 'bad' computer to a 'good' computer. AutoCAD includes an Express…

Some customers now have a Trimble Total Station for use in locating components in the field. HydraCAD has a tool to generate a hanger point file to be loaded into the Total Station, and that file can include seismic brace locations as well. The command is located within the Create 3D Hangers command, found on…

HydraCAD's templates have layers built into them, as you are already aware. These templates specify properties of the layers such as color, linetypes, plot status, and line-weights, among other things. Many users are content with using the layer properties we have set as defaults, but what if they want to change them? What if they…

Autodesk Account has replaced the former Autodesk Subscription Center as the place to get new versions, previous versions, request help, download installations and patches, and check your serial numbers and product keys, among others. 3 Each of the following topics has a section on how to access them: Logging into Autodesk Account Downloading Installations Serial…