Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

December 2-5, 2003 ? MGM Grand Hotel Las Vegas



Undocumented Autodesk Architectural
Desktop® Tips and Tricks
T.J. Meehan
BD42-1 This class is for Autodesk® Architectural Desktop users of all abilities. We'll review 25-plus tips and tricks
that you won't find in the Help menu or manuals. These techniques have been compiled from actual
users who rely on the product every day to efficiently create accurate construction documents









About the Speaker:
T.J. has worked for several years in architectural firms doing design and production work as well as CAD management.
He is a certified instructor in AutoCAD® and Autodesk® Architectural Desktop as well as fluent in many office, graphics,
and desktop publishing applications……He is a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. He has been
known to remodel train stations on his lunch break. He has translated ancient Sanskrit, written award-winning operas,
and can manage time efficiently. He can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed and cook Thirty-Minute
Brownies in only twenty minutes. He is an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru. He plays
bluegrass cello, was scouted by the Mets, and is the subject of numerous documentaries. Children trust him and the
laws of physics do not apply to him. He balances, he weaves, he dodges, and all his bills are paid. He has played
Hamlet at the Kennedy Center, performed open-heart surgery, and spoken with Elvis……He also writes AutoLISP® and
HTML code. T.J. has a degree in Architecture and is now completing his exams for his license.
tjm@caddmicro.com

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Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

Tip 1
Create a Standard Priority List
Create a Wall Component Priority list with standard
STATUS
values to use for all your wall styles. The list could
MATERIALS
be based primarily on materials and broken down by
NEW
DEMO
EXIST
status (see table). This is usually better for base
Concrete
10
110
210
buildings.
Poured
11
111
211
Or, it could be based primarily on status (new vs.
CMU
13
113
213
demo vs. existing). This is usually better for
Framing
20
120
220
interiors.
Metal Stud
21
121
221
The priorities for the wall styles included with
Wood Stud
23
123
223
Architectural Desktop are primarily material based.
You can download a spreadsheet with their values as
Exterior Finishes
30
130
230
well as examples of the others above from:
Airspace
31
131
231
www.caddmicro.com/adt
Brick
33
133
233


Stone
35
135
235
EIFS / Stucco
37
137
237
Siding
39
139
239
Interior Finishes
40
140
240
Countertop
41
141
241
Glass
43
143
243
Tile
45
145
245
Paneling
47
147
247

Gypsum Board
49
149
249
Insulation
50
150
250
Batt
51
151
251
Rigid
53
153
253


Tip 2
Use Zero Width Components
Create a “Hatch Line” component
located in the center of the wall (Edge
Offset value) with either a zero or next

to zero width.




Then, in the Display Properties for that
wall, assign the Hatch Line a color that

plots thick (or place it on a layer that
does the same) and give it a distinct
linetype.


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Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

Tip 3
Design a Batt Insulation Wall Component

Using the previous tip as an example,
assign the Hatch Line component the
BATTING linetype.





Then, change the “Lt Scale” to an
appropriate value based on wall width

and scale (the example shows 0.1250,
which works well based on a 5 1/2” wall
at 1/8” = 1’-0” scale)

Tip 4
Use Different Components for Plan View vs. Model View

This allow you to use more symbolic
components for the plan view (i.e. an
exaggerated 2” backsplash which
reads better at 1/8” scale) versus
more realistic components for model
view (which is better for rendering)





The example is for a wall style
representing casework with different
components for 2D and 3D. The 3D
components are turned off in 2D
(Plan) view through the Display
Properties, while the 2D components
are turned off in 3D (Model) view.


Tip 5
Create Place Holder Components Just for Sweep Profiles

Create a wall component that has no
width to be used as a placeholder for a
sweeping profile.


Examples:
§ Countertop nosing
§ Baseboards, chair rails (wainscot), and crown molding
§ Brick or stone ledges (drip caps)




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Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

Tip 6
Use “Add Selected” Whenever Possible
By using the “Add Selected…” feature (highlight
and right-click), you can add new walls that are
exactly the same.
This could be used by having a Legend block

where users can highlight the different object types
before drawing them.

Matches:
§ AutoCAD Properties (layer, color, linetype, etc.)

§ AEC Object Properties (style, dimensions, justification, etc.)
§ Modifiers (sweep profiles, body modifiers, entity display overrides, etc.)

Tip 7
Use Mass Elements for Difficult Wall Cleanups

Place mass elements on a non-plotting layer, then use interference conditions with the “Shrink Wrap Plan Effect”
set to either “Additive” or “Subtractive”.









1) Difficult wall condition
2) Add a Mass Element
3) Subtractive Interference Condition

Tip 8
Use Body Modifiers to Create a Bullnose

Create a 3D Solid or Mass Element to use as with the Wall Body Modifier feature to create a bullnosed corner.
You can create blocks for different corner angles and radii.









1) Walls before
2) Add a 3D Solid or Mass Element
3) Subtractive Wall Body Modifier
attached to both walls

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Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

Tip 9
Create Endcaps with an Open End
Any wall endcap created from a polyline with width will cause an
open end when used.

This can be useful when you want to draw walls for a certain
area in a drawing and leave the rest as lines yet have them
match up.



Before
After

Tip 10
Use Wall Modifiers for Complex Cleanups
When wall components change width, sometimes other
components don’t make the transition well.
First, draw polylines the shape the component should be,

making sure to give width to the segment that needs to connect
(just like the previous tip). Then, convert those polylines into
plan modifiers in place.



Before
After

Tip 11
Take Advantage of the NODE OSnap
The most effective way to get walls to cleanup correctly is to have their
“grip lines” match up. Sometimes it is difficult to know where another

wall’s grip line is located.
Using the NODE Object Snap (OSnap) will allow you to snap directly to
the endpoint or midpoint of a wall’s grip line.


Tip 12
Use Layer Key Styles to Change the Status of Objects
Even though AEC Objects (walls, doors, windows, etc.) are
“keyed” to a particular layer upon insertion, they can also be
re-keyed to a different layer afterwards. In other words,
you can move an entire set of objects, without selecting
them individually, to different layers with one command.
A good example of this would be to take an existing drawing
and move part or all of the objects to their corresponding
demolition layers (i.e. doors would move from “A -Door” to
“A-Door-Demo”).

This can be achieved by using two different Layer Key Styles
– one for your new work and one with the layers adding the
“-Demo” or “-D” status field at the end of the layer name
(and probably changing the color and linetype). Have the
new work Layer Key Style set current for most of your
drawings, but when you’re ready to make a Demolition plan,
set that Layer Key Style current. Then, use the “Remap
Object Layers” command accessed from the “Format >
Layer Management” pulldown. Finally, select the objects to
change and use the “ByObject” option.




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Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

Tip 13
Work Between Different Floors in the Same Drawing
When creating your Layer Standard, add a field at the beginning
for “Floor” – use values like “F03” for the third floor, “B01” for
first basement level, “R02” for second floor roof, etc. Now, layer
names will resemble “F02-Wall” for second floor walls and “M01-
Glaz” for mezzanine windows.

You can then use Layer Filter Groups to manipulate all the layers
for a particular floor. Also, similar to the previous tip, you can
utilize different Layer Key Styles for different floors, setting the
correct one current depending on the floor you’re working on.


Tip 14
Change Insertion Points on Multi-View Blocks
When inserting certain Multi-View Blocks from the DesignCenter, you can change their
insertion points as you add them. Double-click on the block from the DesignCenter to bring
up the “Add Multi-View Blocks” dialog. Then, tap the CTRL key to cycle through the

different insertion points.
You can add extra insertion points to your own Multi-View blocks by creating POINT’s on

the DefPoints layer within one of the view blocks.

Tip 15
Don’t Use Solids for Multi-View Blocks
ACES Solids, a standard AutoCAD entity, are the preferred tool
for AutoCAD 3D modeling. But, there are better options to
use when creating the 3D blocks for Multi-View Blocks.

Instead use Mass Elements – they are easier to edit (sizes can
be easily adjusted with grips), have a much smaller file size,

and allow the attachment of Materials through Mass Element
Styles.

Tip 16
Create Custom Components
It is possible to add your own components to objects, such as hardware and
panels to a Door or a custom mullion profile to a Curtain Wall. Here are the
steps:
1. Draw your custom component – use lines and polylines for 2D, Mass Elements for 3D
2. Set all the properties (layer, color, linetype, etc.) to BYBLOCK

3. Turn it into a standard AutoCAD block
4. Go to the “Other” tab in the Object Display Properties of the object to change (modify
at the Style level or Object level, never at a Drawing Default level)
5. Attach your custom component and change the setting for where it is inserted and
how it scales
6. Modify its properties on the “Layer/Color/Linetype” tab


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Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

Tip 17
Have Those Custom Components Automatically Resize
When these custom blocks (from the previous tip) are sized to fit, Architectural
Desktop uses the overall extents of the block for sizing which can lead to

unwanted results (see graphic).

If POINT’s are added to the custom block on the DefPoints layer and placed in the
correct positions, Architectural Desktop will scale the custom block using the

overall extents of those points, not of all the geometry.
In this example, the points allow the custom door frame to wrap around the wall.


Tip 18
Center a Ceiling Grid in a Room

If you already have a closed
1. Add a Ceiling Grid and size it one bay bigger than the closed polyline (i.e. the room)
polyline created to clip the
2. Choose “Select object…” from the “Boundary” property and select the polyline
ceiling grid, you can center
3. Pick anywhere for the insertion point
that ceiling grid within the
4. When you are prompted for a rotation, slide your mouse (with ORTHO on) in the
polyline using the following
direction of the desired rotation, then type “SN” at the command prompt.
steps:

Tip 19
Create a “Background” Display Configuration

Design a Display Configuration that sets all object colors to one that plots out light (to use as backgrounds for
engineers and consultants). The steps are as follows:
1. Create a new Display Set called “Background” by copying your current Plan set
2. Create a new Configuration and use the “Background” Display Set as default

3. Go through each Object and anywhere a Display Representation is checked, right-click on it, select “Duplicate”, and use
that representation instead
4. Set all the components in the Default Display Properties to reside on a “Background” layer with color and linetype
BYLAYER

Tip 20
Organize Schedule Data

When creating Properties in a
Property Set Definition, number the
Properties so they are organized
based on the order the data is
displayed in the Schedule Table.
Otherwise, they will be alphabetized
and users will have difficulty filling
out the fields.





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Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

Tip 21
Create Your Own Custom Tags for Scheduling

Follow t hese steps to create your own custom tags for scheduling AEC Objects:
Step 1 – Create a Block
Create a standard AutoCAD block for the symbol you want (in this example, a
door tag). When naming the block, try to avoid using spaces, use underscores
instead.
When defining the attributes, set their height to 1 unit. This will allow
Architectural Desktop to automatically scale them.

In order to have the attributes of the block automatically fill in schedule data
(i.e. the door number), the tag of each attribute definition must be named in a
certain way. The format is as follows (no spaces)…
Property Set Definition : Property
(In this example, DOOR is the Property Set Definition and NUMBER is the

property)



Step 2 – Create a Multi-View Block
Create a new Multi-View definition and name it, again using underscores instead
of spaces. From the “View Blocks” tab, highlight the “General” display
representation in the left window. Click on the “Add…” button and a dialog box

will display all the blocks in the drawing. Choose the block you created in Step 1
and click “OK”. Finally, check only the appropriate view directions (probably just

“Top” since it is a schedule tag).
(If you are creating a tag for ceiling fixtures, choose the “Reflected” display
representation instead of “General”)



Step 3 – Export to the DesignCenter
You can export to the DesignCenter using the following…

Format > AEC Content Wizard…

This will launch the “Create AEC Content Wizard” with a three step process. The
first dialog lets you choose which type of content to create. Choose “Custom

Command” and in the “Current Drawing” window, highlight both the block and
the MvBlock from the list, then click “Add >>>” to place them in the content
file.
In the “Command String” field, enter the following…
_AecAnnoScheduleTagAdd PropertySetDefs.dwg _SYMBOL CMI_Door_Tag _LEADER none

This command string is simply a script of an Architectural Desktop command with some options. After clicking “Next >“, make
sure to keep the “Attribute Text Style” set to “As Defined by Content”, the “Scale” set to “Annotation”, and choose an
appropriate Layer Key (i.e. DOORNO for door tags). In the final dialog box simply add a “Detailed Description” and use the
“Browse…” button to export your schedule tag to the appropriate folder.

Tip 22
Use Meaningful Colors

Everyone is accustomed to AutoCAD colors equating to lineweights (as well as color and screening) when
plotting. These are some other ways to use color:

“Wrong Layer” Color:
Select a color to let users know that any object with that color needs to be placed on the right
layer. Use this color for layer “0” to keep users from leaving objects on that layer.
Non-plotting Color:
Users know that whenever they see that color, it will not plot. Use this color for all non-plotting

layers (DefPoints, Viewports, etc.) as well as assign it to certain ADT Object components
(markers, defect warnings, subdivision lines, etc.)

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Undocumented Autodesk Architectural Desktop Tips and Tricks

Tip 23
Use RText for Plot Stamping and Titleblocks
Use the Remote Text (RText ) Express Tool to create visible plot stamps that can be embedded in title blocks
(whether they are blocks or external references) and updates every time you regenerate the drawing (which
happens automatically when you plot).
For example, you can insert a piece of RText and type the following:



$(edtime, 0, MON DD"," YYYY - H:MMam/pm)
Will look like the following when plotted:


December 5, 2003 - 9:30am
You can download a step-by-step procedure with examples from: www.caddmicro.com/adt.

Tip 24
Use Special Characters for Names

Use the Windows Character Map to insert special characters for
naming items in Architectural Desktop such as: ¼ ½ ¾


It can usually be found at: Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map

Tip 25
Use the Object Viewer to Zoom to a Selection

Ever wish you could zoom into a selection (like in VIZ)? Follow
these steps in Architectural Desktop:
1. Select objects either by highlighting them or with Quick Select
2. Right-click and choose the “Object Viewer”


3. Click on the “Zoom Extents” button
4. Click on the “Set View” button (looks like a crosshair)
5. Close the Object Viewer













More detailed explanations as well as all the example drawings, spreadsheets, and other documents, can be found at the
following web site:
www.caddmicro.com/adt




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