This is a great article by Greg Jordan who is currently serving his second term as secretary of the NCS Steering Committee and also serves on the Civil Task Team with me.
NCS: Common Language for CAD Users
Did you know… About the CHSPACE command?
The CHSPACE (Change Space) command is simply a lifesaver for anyone using paper space to put together your project drawings.
In AutoCAD, CHSPACE can be typed in at the command line or found in the Modify menu or ribbon panel. In Carlson with IntelliCAD, CHSPACE can be typed in or easily accessed from the right-click context menu after the items have been selected.
This command will move entities from model space to paper space or vice versa. You must be working in model space through paper space in order to move entities from model to paper – it will not work directly from model space. The nice thing about the command is that it will scale the entities (to account for the differences in scale between model and paper space) so you don’t have to. The AutoCAD version of this command actually performs a MOVE command on the entity whereas the IntelliCAD version gives you the option of moving the original or making a copy to the other space. If you’re using AutoCAD, make a copy of the entity before performing the CHSPACE command.
I find this command most handy when I have a linear project such as a water line or force main extension project with many sheets of plan and profile that change direction. In model space, I make multiple copies of the North arrow and place them along the meandering alignment. Then, from paper space, I make each viewport active and use CHSPACE to move one of the copies to the paper space sheet.
Software Review: AutoCAD and IntelliCAD
The May 2012 issue of Professional Surveyor magazine has been published. This month they are featuring a software review I submitted: AutoCAD and IntelliCAD.
You can order your FREE subscription to the print version of Professional Surveyor here.
You can click here to learn more about Carlson Software‘s offerings that include IntelliCAD.
That CAD Girl – April 2012 Newsletter
In case you missed it, here is our April 2012 Newsletter…
Thank you to the Richmond AutoCAD Manifest (RAM)
I’d like to thank Art Thomas and the Richmond Virginia AutoCAD User Group for inviting Jeremy and me to demonstrate Carlson Software and data collection last night. Our hour-and-a-half long presentation covered the basic tools and Survey, Civil and GIS specific features of the Carlson products.
The RAM User Group has been active for 20+ years and has a lot to offer CAD users in the central Virginia area. Their meetings are usually on the 3rd Wednesday of each month and start after work at 5:30. If you’re based in the Richmond area, I’d highly recommend that you join up with them.
Carlson SurvCE and Field to Finish Training with Jeremy Taylor PLS
Join us on Monday, May 7th when Jeremy and I will be presenting this part-field and part-office training with SurvCE.
Topics for the day will include:
- Set up and configuration of SurvCE with your equipment
- Managing data files and import/export options between the field and the office
- Field collection for boundary, features and topo including GIS collection
- Working with the Map Menu to import and export .dwg, .dgn, .mxd and shapefiles
- Stakeout techniques
- Overview of Field to Finish
SurvCE and Field to Finish Training Announcement
Did you know… About Coordinate Display Toggles?
Did you know that, when you’re in AutoCAD or IntelliCAD, you have a couple of different options when it comes to displaying the coordinate position of your crosshairs?
For instance, when you’re NOT in a command, you have two options for displaying the coordinate position of your crosshairs as it moves across your screen: On or Off. If the coordinate display is toggled ON, then the X, Y and Z position (rectangular coordinates) of your crosshairs are displayed and if it’s OFF, then the X, Y and Z display is frozen and doesn’t update as your mouse moves.
However, if you are currently in a command that requires two points be picked to specify an angle and distance (commands such as Line or Move, etc), you have a 3rd coordinate display available to you: polar coordinates. Unlike rectangular coordinates that display X, Y and Z position, polar coordinates report a distance and angle from the original point. For instance, when you start the Line command you can toggle the coordinate display so that rectangular coordinates are ON or OFF. But, after picking the first point of the line, you can toggle the coordinate display so that rectangular coordinates are ON, rectangular coordinates are OFF or that polar coordinates are ON.
The image below on the left shows the polar coordinate display in AutoCAD and the IntelliCAD version is shown below on the right:
To toggle the coordinate display in newer versions of AutoCAD (since 2009?) double-click on the coordinate display. In older versions of AutoCAD and in IntelliCAD, the F6 button toggles the display.
Are You Eligible for the Data Flow Discount?
For a limited time I’m offering a Data Flow Discount for current and new Carlson Software and SurvCE customers.
If you’ve never purchased Carlson office or field software before, you are eligible for HUGE! discounts off SurvCE and any of the Carlson office software (Civil Suite, Survey, Civil, Hydrology, GIS or Takeoff) if you purchase them at the same time.
If you’re a current user of SurvCE but have never purchased any of the office products you are eligible for the same HUGE! discounts off of any of the Carlson office software products (Civil Suite, Survey, Civil, Hydrology, GIS or Takeoff). And, likewise, if you are a current user of the Carlson office software but have never bought SurvCE, the discount will apply toward the purchase any configuration of SurvCE (Total Station, Robotics, GPS and Advanced Roading).
Please note that this offer applies only to the IntelliCAD or on-top-of-AutoCAD versions of the office software, not the embedded AutoCAD version.
Call us at 919.417.8351 or email me to find out more.
Did you know… How easy it is to spruce up your dimensions?
Anyone who has worked with AutoCAD for any length of time can usually create a standard dimension object. However, if you pay close attention to two items in the Object Properties dialog box, you can get very creative with the way simple dimensions are displayed. Continue reading
Carlson SurvPC Data Collection Now Works with Esri & MicroStation Files
With a post to their blog last night, Bruce Carlson announced that Carlson SurvPC data collection software (Windows version of SurvCE) can now view and write directly to the Esri .mxd and Bentley Microstation.dgn file formats. This is pretty exciting stuff for both survey field crews and those who wish to design-on-the-fly from the field.