Autocad 2019 dimensioning

[ohiocad]

I have recently been upgraded to Acad 2019, and while there are a number of items that seem worth it, there are a few that just irritate me to no end.

First, I have done a lot of looking, and have found that it is "working as intended" (certainly not MY intention...) - With SDI set to 1... multiple reasons for this, but that's the way it's usually running unless publishing. Open windows explorer, and double click on a few drawings. Will NOT open a second or more sessions to get the drawings open. Have to start a new session manually, and then go File - Open, etc for each individual drawing.... Has anyone found a new registry hack to unbreak the cluster that this is with Autodesk refusing to fix?


Next - Dimensioning - I have searched, but have been unable to find a setting that reverts more toward previous versions, kind of like a legacy dimension workflow... Anyone have ideas? I like being able to dimension an object, but that isn't what I want for a default.... Default to endpoint, without me needing to click the osnap, or get close to the actual end of the line

 

[Sparweb]

File opening behaviour:
This is inconsistent at my office, too. I have contacted the IT dep't for a fix but they are stumped. My problem is that clicking on any DWG file opens a NEW SESSION of AutoCAD, not a new TAB in the session of AutoCAD that is running. Two others in the office have this problem but they don't use it as often as me so they have been waiting for me to figure it out. Harrumph. Here you come along and call my problem your desired behaviour, while you complain about ACAD working the way I want it to.

How 'bout we swap computers?

Dimensioning behaviour:
This I take is your desire to select an object such as a line, then click the dimension button on the ribbon, and have a dimension already snapped to the line endpoints and ready to place with one more click on the screen. I don't use that workflow, but I am aware of it. Didn't know it changed.

OSNAP behaviour:
You can select the default object snaps from a list, either as a fly-out list that you can access at the bottom right of the screen, or as a classic dialog box that I think you can call with the OSNAP command.

http://www.sparweb.ca

 

[ohiocad]

Spar,

Which version of Acad are you running? Sounds like it is 2018 or older.... if you set SDI to 0, does that restore your tab sessions? (May need to go into options, and tell it to show file tabs)

For the dimensioning, I used to be able to (old school... keyboard guy... can't help it...) type DIM, then (with endpoint as the only running osnap) click anywhere on that half on a line to get the endpoint, and then go to a separate object, like dimensioning a door opening, and do the same thing. Now, with the "helpful" dimensioning in 2019, I have to get right at the endpoint of the line, or intentionally tell it endpoint, and if there are a number of overlapping lines, etc, zoom in where I didn't need to before... otherwise it defaults to trying to dimension that object. Dimlinear works, but that is a single command, and then it goes back to commandline. (Yes, I know I can do multiple, then dimlin.... but there are multiple items like this, and I'd hate to need to custom program a button for each one, for a method that has worked for years....) No matter how I seem to approach it, seems like more clicks or custom commands to do what worked with fewer steps before.

On the osnaps, I do those multiple ways.... with the flyout, time-sensitive right click, keyboard (both typing in singe osnaps, or the dedicated number to load a number at once) but that's still extra steps that didn't need to happen before... Autocad is supposed to be making things easier, not tougher. I know, one size never fits all, but I'm hoping there is a command setting that will restore legacy actions, like what they did with the Layer Manager being a window, or acting like a live palette.

(If you already knew some or all of that, my apologies..... just doing a brain dump as the saying goes....)

 

[Sparweb]

No I appreciate the detail. Thank you. Sometimes it really comes down to one simple setting but among 100 others it gets lost...

We use 2019 (LT) at the office. I have 2009 at home. Despite its age, the software at home is still superior to the office standard. But for basic drawing stuff it's mostly the same. I do miss my LISP customizations at the office, though.

I was completely unaware of the SDI variable. It wouldn't even occur to me that a system variable set in AutoCAD could act so deeply as to cause a new program call at the operating system level when a second drawing file is double-clicked. Done my research and apparently this is so. I will experiment tomorrow with the office computer.

Your dimensioning workflow is so different from mine, I can only start by illustrating with my own as specifically as possible in hopes that by comparison something becomes clear. I consider 3 clicks to place a dimension to be "normal". Starting with an example...
[ul]
[li]New blank drawing[/li]
[li]Draw a rectangle[/li]
[li]Draw a circle beside it[/li]
[li]DIMLIN[/li]
[li]click a corner of the rectangle[/li]
[li]click another corner on the same side of the rectangle[/li]
[li]click in space offset from the side of the rectangle to place the dimension text position[/li]
[li]resulting dimension is vertical length of the side[/li]
[li]DIMLIN (or press the spacebar which always repeats the last command)[/li]
[li]Click on corner of the rectangle closest to the circle[/li]
[li]Click on circle[/li]
[li]click in space between the circle and the rectangle to place the dimension text position[/li]
[li]resulting dimension is horizontal distance between the objects[/li]
[/ul]

The results I got depend on a number of settings...
[ul]
[li]DIMASO is ON[/li]
[li]Dimstyle settings permit placement of text, centered on dimension arrows[/li]
[li]Dimstyle settings do not have "odd" settings off the typical defaults, such as "place text manually" not checked[/li]
[li]Dimstyle settings NOT annotative[/li]
[li]OSNAP has checked END CEN (at least) and NOT checked NEA APP EXT[/li]
[li]...and probably many more that I can't think of right now...[/li]
[/ul]

If you did the same experiment, but had different results, I'd like to know what happens. In this regard, I believe I have not altered the operation of AutoCAD so drastically that you should have different behaviour. But if you do, that would shed some light on what's different and why.

http://www.sparweb.ca

 

[IFRs]

That behaviour is exactly what SDi is supposed to do. You are stuck. You can't have it both ways - either Single Drawing Interface is turned on and Windows won't open multiple sessions or it's off and Autocad allows multiple sessions.


Not sure what you are going for here. If you want every session to start off with certain osanps set to on, use a DIESEL expression in your Acad.Lsp or other startup file. If you want to customize the DIM command, use LISP to replace the DIM command and have it remember the previous OSNAP settings, execute a DIM commeand and then reset the osnaps back to what they were. You could call it DE to shorten and speed the keyboard access to your new DIM command.

 

[IFRs]

Try DimHorizontal or DimVertical or DimAligned to get the behaviour you wanted. To speed up your keyboard input, make several LISP entries into Acad.lsp similar to the one below that makes DE become Dim with Osnap at end.

(DEFUN C:ECH () ; Dim Horizontal using END CEN
(setq CLA (getvar "CLayer") ; save current layer
OM (getvar "osmode") ; save current OSNAP (F3)
OT (getvar "orthomode") ; save current OrthoMode (F8)
)
(setvar "CLayer" "DIMS") ; change layer to DIMS
(setvar"osmode" 5) ; set OSNAP to End and Cen
(setvar "orthomode" 0) ; turn OrthoMode off

(COMMAND "DIM1" "HOR" PAUSE PAUSE) ; execute one Dim command

(setvar "Clayer" CLA) ; reset layer to whatever it was before
(setvar "osmode" OM) ; set OSNAP back to whatever it was
(setvar "orthomode" OT) ; turn OrthoMode back to whatever it was
(PRINC)
)
;

 

[ohiocad]

IFR,

Regarding the SDI setting, I guess I was hoping for a registry hack that would restore previous functionality. Have thought a bit about going backwards to an earlier version, but I know that's a losing battle in the long run. Don't suppose you've happened to see anything where they said why they removed that functionality from 2019? Creature of habit that I am, I still try opening multiple drawings from explorer when I'm browsing, and since I typically have SDI set to 1, it doesn't go anywhere after the first one. Spent a lot time working in Acad 2015. Only recently moved up to 2019, not really anything in between.

Regarding the dimensioning: dimhorizontal, dimvertical, and dimlinear all work like I am looking for, but exit after the single command. Not so much what osnaps are set, as much as if it defaults to dimensioning the object, or picking points. I guess a quick sample would be 3 rectangles, aligned horizontally, with space between them. I (almost always) have endpoint as a running osnap... If you just do DIM, and hover about 2/3 to the right on the top of the left rectangle, it defaults to dim for that object, whereas dimhorizontal, if crosshairs in the exact same location, defaults to endpoint... But, Dimhorizontal terminates after the first dim is placed. I know this is being a bit nit picky, and it's only an extra single click to start again, but it's supposed to be making this easier, not more complicated. I know I can create a custom command (multiple -> Dimhorizontal) that would give me the expected workflow, was just hoping to find something similar to Classiclayer vs Layer.... DIM-OLD, or DimForGrumpyGuy....

I know if the crosshairs get close to the endpoint,it defaults to that, but in locations where we have a lot of linework in a confined space but slightly offset, then need to zoom in and make sure it's picking the correct endpoint.

I appreciate the small code you posted, I have saved that and already have a few things I am going to try adapting that for (if you don't mind me pirating, that is...)

I know it's little things, but those are the things that usually irk me the most... can usually adjust to the big ones pretty easily.

 

[IFRs]

I'm guessing that if you monitored the retistry for changes when you switched SDI from 1 to 0 you might be able to locate the key that changes, then manually change it back to defeat SDI.

I think using Mutiple is your best way of improving your workflow.

By all means use the LISP snippet, if you come up with something great let us all know!