3D TVs - What I've Learned

2012-10-07

Time to buy a new TV?   May as well go 3D!


After years of watching TV on a "little", cheap Emerson 32" HDTV I bought several years ago (for $500), we finally decided to buy something bigger and better.  

This blog will hopefully quickly summarize what I've learned in our research.  Since it's a quick summary, I don't go into many technical details, but you can and should verify what I'm telling you.

• Most 3D TV's have better picture quality than their 2D counter parts, even if you don't use the 3D mode.
• There is a difference in 3D delivery methods:
• Active or Full - Uses battery operated shutter glasses. You view the entire 1080p resolution of the HDTV but some say the screen looks dimmer. The glasses cost $60 each and up.
• Passive - Uses the same glasses you use at a movie theater and cost as little as  $5 a pair. These only deliver half of the 1080p resolution to you.
• Here is a good article to explain the technical details. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57437344-221/active-3d-vs-passive-3d-whats-better/.  
• LED is still LCD.  It's just a method of 'back lighting' and LED back lighting makes the TV slimmer. LED uses less energy and produces less heat than LCD. There is also FULL LED that is really still LCD but there are more LEDs covering more area to produce a more continuous back lighting.  Here's another article for more technical info:  http://www.audioholics.com/education/display-formats-technology/led-vs-lcd-tvs

My personal experiences:

At a store, we watched the same 3D movie on Passive and Active TVs.  I think the Active looked just a bit better but not enough for me to justify the added expense of the TV and glasses.

Another reason the Active may have looked better is that we watched the movie on a 70" $4,000 TV while watching the Passive on a 55" $2,000 TV. So we couldn't really compare apples to apples. 

We opted for the Passive design so we wouldn't have to spend so much on glasses and worry about the batteries running out in the middle of a movie. Also, the Passive 3D image was still terrific and had we not watched the Active 3d, we would've never noticed the difference. It is still difficult to really describe the difference. I didn't notice what the link above mentioned. Now that I know it, I might notice it....

 

Conclusion and my decision:

I've always liked Samsung because of the picture quality. When you go to a store and see a wall of TV's, the Samsungs seem to jump out with their darker darks and brighter screens. But, at this time, Samsung only offers Active 3D. Samsung, also, is generally more expensive than other TVs. You get what you pay for.  If money was no option, I'd get a Samsung.
We ended up choosing LG.  The LG LM557600 specifically. It is a 55" passive 3D design. It has WIFI and a bunch of Internet features and a 'fake' 3D mode which attempts to make any 2D picture a 3D picture. I was skeptical, but it did a decent job at it. I doubt I will use that feature, though. It has a Wii type remote for browsing and menu selection which I liked. It also has a 'regular' remote. The picture is very good and it gets good reviews. The price was about $1500 on Amazon. There is also the LG LM558600, but it gets poor reviews due to lots of people having to return it. The only difference I saw in the specs was it has a dual core processor...

You should definitely go to a store and view the TVs yourself before just ordering on line based on reviews. It takes time and you should go to several stores and try to compare apples to apples. 

If you're in the market for a 3D TV and stumbled upon this blog, I hope it helped without getting too technical or too boring...

Lyle.

Oct 10th Edit:

Now that the T.V. has been here a while, I figured I'd update this post...
We ordered from Amazon.com. The TV was delivered within a week and the delivery crew even brought it in and set it up. -ish... Really, they just unpacked it, assembled the stand and placed in on the cabinet where the old TV was.  I came home and wired it up. I have a wall mount I will install one of these days.

First impression: 
BIG. Wow, 55" is a big TV. At least for our room. The kids thought it was a perfect size and that we just need a bigger room.

Figuring Size:
My previous research indicated we need a 46-48" size TV. Maybe I should have stuck with that. We are sitting about 15' from the TV.  A general rule of thumb for sizing your TVs is to measure how far you sit from the TV in feet and multiply by 3. The resulting number is a comfortable size in inches for your TV.    So, in our case, 15' * 3  = 45.  I think a 47" would've sufficed.  If you sit 20 ft away, then a 60" TV would be good.   Get a 30" TV if you're only 10' away. You get the idea.  When the TV is too big, you actually move your eyes and even head to look around on the screen. It gets tiring. Bigger isn't always better.

But:
But, I'm not going to take the 55" back because it is awesome to watch movies on! Regular TV, like Raising Hope or the News is a bit irritating when it's that large. With the size and 1080p you see every bit of makeup on actor's faces and fuzz balls on their shirts.

3D:
The 3D is pretty cool and definitely adds to the movie experience. I bought "The Avengers" in 3D for our first 3D TV Movie experience and it was a good one.  Today's 3D movies are not 3D for the sake of 3D. They are not gimmicky with things flying out at you or poking you. The 3D is more subtle and just a part of the movie. Nice. I like it. Doing what I do at work I'm going to have to figure out how to render images and animations for the 3D TV. That should impress the clients.  I have not tried the 2D to 3D feature to any great extent. I wasn't impressed with it at the store and I doubt a non-3D show can really be faked into a 3D show.

Other Features:
My 8 year old daughter is now experimenting with the games available on line through the TV. The Wii type remote is a nice touch too, both for regular TV remoting as well as the games to play. I still have to install and work with the LG Easy Share to hook my TV up wirelessly to my computer to listen to music and watch video and view pictures.  Netflix, Amazon and a host of other on line services are available. We routinely watch Netflix and Amazon movies through our DVD player but I've not yet tried it with the TV. Nor have I tried a 3D movie on line yet. Most of our on line movie experiences have not been perfect, with buffering and pixelation so I doubt the 3D would be that great on line. I'll rent or buy the movies for 3D. I have found out that Netflix nor Redbox rents 3D movies yet.

Overall, I'm very happy with the TV so far. I can deal with the 'too big' problem, I think.

That's it for now.
Lyle.

Dimension Tips

I woke up this morning with an urge to share some dimensioning tips.  What a life, huh?


Many people issue a linear dimension command, then pick two points to dimension something and move on.


There is so much more.


Continue dimensions:
If you are dimensioning a series of items, use the Continue Dim command or icon after you have placed the first dimension. You can then just keep picking to place dimensions, all in a neat row (or column if dimming vertically). This works with Aligned dimensions also.


Object:
If you are dimensioning objects or actual lines, then you can issue your Dimlinear or Dimaligned command and instead of picking your first dim point, press return to select an object. Pick the line (pline, circle, whatever) you  want to dimension and it places a dimension on that object. No need to snap to both endpoints!


Add a Line or text:
Need to add a line of text under the dimension? Type in \X after the dimension and add your line. The \X will place whatever follows it under the previous text. The X must be a capital X.  Note that if you grip edit the dimension to move the text, all bets are off. You can use Hometext to move the text back where it belongs.


Rotate option to align:
Instead of using Aligned dims, try the rotate option while placing linear dims.This way the dims remain aligned to the rotation instead of the object they are dimensioning. Watch your command line as you place a linear dimension and try the rotate option. 


Dimasso variable:
DIMASSO  dictates how dims are associated with things.
0 will cause the dimensions to be individual lines, solids, and text. Yuck.
1 will keep each dimension together as one object.
2 keeps the dimensions associated with the object they are snapped to.  This will make the dimension move if the object moves. But, if you grip edit the dim, the association with that object is lost. You'll need to DIMREASSOCIATE the dimension. Version 2013 has an option that will visually warn you if a dimension is not associated with something.


Annotative:
I will just mention that annotative dimensioning is the way to go. It eliminates or at least greatly reduces the need for multiple dimstyles and placing dims on different layers. Read up on it if you're not using it.


Extension Lines:
Occasionally an extension line may cover up a center line or something. You can turn extension lines off and on with the properties manager. You might even want to change the extension line to a centerline linetype and remove the centerline itself.


Snapping:
I'm a believer of snapping to the object you want to dimension. Don't snap to center lines or use the perpendicular osnap to place dimensions. You are dimensioning actual objects like bolt holes, beams, columns, etc., not center lines. But, that's just me.


I'm sure I'll think of more after a bit of coffee.   Also my home version of AutoCAD 2012 has expired so I can't double check what I'm writing about. I guess it's time to bring my home computer up to speed with a home license of 2013. If you are on subscription, you can install your software at home with a special home license. 


Please don't forget I have a $0.99 Kindle Book full of AutoCAD tips and tricks based on my AutoCAD Weekly Planner.


The Kindle book can be downloaded from Amazon or directly on your Kindle (Search for ACAD) and the weekly planner is available through the Autodesk Apps store for under $4.00. Both are available by clicking the links above.


Thanks,
Lyle.

Boomerangs. Again.

25th Annual Gateway Classic

Waterloo, IL

Last weekend I attended one day (Saturday) of the 25th Annual Gateway Classic. It's a boomerang tournament held annually in Waterloo, IL which is just a short drive East of St. Louis, Missouri and organized by a guy known as Chicago Bob. I wish to thank Chicago Bob for keeping me on his mailing list all these years and finally convincing me to show up.

I've been throwing boomerangs, or 'rangs, since 1979 when I ordered my first few boomerangs from The Boomerang Man ad in the back of a Popular Science.  But I've always thrown solo. That is, no one else I knew threw boomerangs other than a friend of mine in High School.  I still throw while my kids are at soccer  or lacrosse practice and occasionally draw a small crowd of people who have never seen a 'real' boomerang.

The Gateway Classic was an eye opener to the variety of boomerangs and competitions.  Saturday consisted of workshops where people (mostly rookies) could learn about the different types of competitions. I didn't compete or really take part in the workshops, but the people that showed up were very helpful and friendly. I met competitive throwers from Houston and Wisconsin. I met recreational throwers like myself from Chicago and Tennessee. They were all outgoing and friendly and answered any questions I had about different types of boomerangs and throwing.

I met Greg of RoundTrip Boomerangs ( www.leggacyboomerangs.com ).  He had a couple of milk crates of used boomerangs for cheap! I bought 4 used ones of different varieties and a new 30 meter rang.

I was intrigued by the 30 meter relay, a two team competition.  Two teams line up and one person from each team runs to the middle of a bulls eye painted on the field, throws their boomerang and if they catch it, they run back and tag the next team member. I liked the 30 meter boomerang itself as it is a quick throw and catch. I am used to classic wooden boomerangs that seem to float in the air. These 30 meter rangs are made of nylon or other types of plastic and are adjustable with a little twist or by adding rubberbands to weight them for windy conditions. They are faster than my wooden ones.  The image to the left shows a Shakti from Roundtrip.

Another interesting and fascinating competition was the MTA or Maximum Time Aloft. The 30 meter boomerangs will be back in your hand in about 4 seconds after a throw. My bigger, wooden rangs will return in about 5 to 8 seconds. These MTA rangs are razor thin, small, and are thrown to the heavens almost vertically. After zooming to altitude they flatten out and spin/hover back down very slowly, staying in the air for up to 20 seconds or more. Really a lot of fun to watch!

Alan Scott Craig of  Art of Boomerang was also there. He was showing (but not throwing) some of his artwork. Very impressive stuff. Actually, he did throw one of his Dolphin 'rangs a few times. Really neat!  He had a Dragon boomerang that he had some of us pose with. I was almost chosen for the photo op, but he chose a lovely young lady instead. Go figure. She was happy to help promote women in the sport. She was the only female throwing that day. The image of the lion is one of his creations. It consists of several throw-able pieces. See the Rhino?

I've had good luck with boomerangs from Colorado Boomerangs:  I like the E-rangs myself. See the image to the right. The center portion creates a dot as the boomerang spins making for an interesting show.

Next year I'm heading back with my kids and some of their friends to try to get more youth involved in this fun, obscure fun sport.

So go buy yourself a boomerang (not the plastic ones from the dollar store!) and go have some fun!  Yes, you can even make your own.

Maybe I'll see you in Waterloo, IL next year....

Later,
Lyle.

UNITS

Do you work in Meters? Feet? Inches? Angstroms? Parsecs? Qell'gams?

Be aware of your UNITS.

The main units I personally work with are either Decimal for Civil drawings or Architectural for Mechanical, Structural and Architectural drawings.

In decimal units, one unit is usually 1 foot (Civil), 1 meter (metric Civil), 1 millimeter (metric Arch, Mech, and Struct), etc.

In Architectural units, one unit represents one inch. 

There are other Units settings in AutoCAD of course including Engineering, Fractional, and Scientific.

For now I'm just going to cover Decimal and Architectural.

You can set drawings to be Architectural, or Decimal (among others) and when you insert one drawing into another, AutoCAD will scale the drawing up or down automatically as necessary depending on the units and the INSUNITS system variable.

See Help > Insert Units. 

This automatic scaling can work well in an environment that deals with both Architectural drawings and Civil drawings. It can also be confusing for the older, uh, I mean seasoned AutoCAD users. While I admit the automatic scaling can be useful, we set all our drawings' INSUNITS to Unitless and allow the designers/drafters to scale up or down by 12 as they see fit. We have so many drawings that I feel automatic scaling would actually confuse people or scale the drawings the wrong way if the setting wasn't set right.

If you really have some interesting UNITS or have a lot of conversions going on check out the AutoCAD Unit Definition file in Help. I have to admit, I've not had a reason to mess with it that much... none at all, actually.

Many people (like us) just use Unitless for the Units setting. Type UNITS and check out the settings in the dialog box.

When Insertion scale is set to Unitless, (INSUNITS = 0) copying objects from a Decimal drawing to an Architectural drawing will require you to scale the objects up by 12 and vic-versa.

If each drawing's Insertion Scale or INSUNITS is set to its own units, AutoCAD will automatically scale the drawing accordingly when it is inserted or xreffed into another drawing.  

If you work in a multi-discipline office where you use a variety of units, get to

know the following variables.

- INSUNITS

- INSUNITSDEFSOURCE

- INSUNITSDEFTARGET

Metric to Imperial has it's own scaling issues too: 25.4 or 0.3048, etc.

If you are designing in metric and printing to 11x17 or some other American paper size, your paperspace print scaling will have to be adjusted accordingly (like 25.4)  if you want to print a 1:5,000 metric drawing to scale on American size paper. 

We work in a multi discipline office where we pass drawings around and use xrefs that may be Decimal or Architectural. Many time people have questions about their measurements. A building on a site plan should not measure 6'-8" long. It's really 80' long and the units are just reporting that distance in Architectural units. The units for a Civil drawing should be set to Decimal. The dimension style should usually reflect the current UNITS settings. 

Long ago, I customized our menus so we could easily set up a drawing for Civil or Architectural drawings. With one click of a menu pulldown, all the UNITS, system variables, and dimension styles are properly set for the appropriate drawing by using a couple of simple script files.  This could be a topic for another blog. So, if anyone is interested in this please leave a comment.  I even taught an AUGI class many years ago on menu customization using this as an example.

When people have problems with their units or dimensions, I'll ask them to take a DISTance between two points. ...Note that was a distance, not a dimension....  If the distance does not make sense (like the 6'-8" long building mentioned above) change the units and take another distance. This is an easy method of determining what distance a unit is. Foot, Meter, Inch, etc. 

So, in short, when confused, take a distance (DIST) to determine what units your drawing is set up in. Adjust your UNITS and DIMSTYLE accordingly.

I hope this has helped anyone who may work in a multi discipline office like myself.  There is still much that can be discussed, but this is enough for now, I think. I don't want to bore you too much. (Too late maybe, eh?) 

By the way, this has been another expanded excerpt from my AutoCAD Weekly Planner available from the Autodesk App Exchange. There are two versions for under $5. You can also find my "52 AutoCAD Tips Tricks and Little Known Commands" book for the Kindle from Amazon.com or directly from your Kindle for only $0.99. See link below

Lyle's 52 AutoCAD Tips on the Kindle

'till next time.

Later,

Lyle.

Shift for a change

SHIFT FOR A CHANGE

Howdy. It's been a while. With 3 kids in sports and a full time job, there's not much time left for blogging!

This week's (month's ?)  topic, the Shift key.

Did you know there is a whole other world of commands available by just holding down the shift key?

Here's a quick list to get you started.
- Shift + Right mouse button will bring up your OSNAPs during editing commands providing your Right Click options are set accordingly in Options > User Preferences > Right-click Customization.  See below.
These are not the default preferences, but they are what I think most people prefer, particularly us 'old timers'. Experiment to see what you like.

- Shift + Left mouse button will remove objects from your selection set providing you are selecting the objects before issuing a command (Noun/Verb mode). In otherwords, select a bunch of objects so you see their grips, then Shift+Left click on things to remove them from your selection set.  


TIP: Once in a while "Shift to add" option may have been changed. So if you find that when you pick on objects, the first object picked gets unpicked, take a look a Options > Selection and make sure Shift to Add is not selected. See below.

- If you want to FILLET or CHAMFER with a 0 distance, start the FILLET or CHAMFER command, pick your first line, hold down shift and pick the second line. It will fillet with a 0 radius without changing the radius you may have previously set.



- If you hold down SHIFT while using Trim or Extend it will perform the opposite command, so you can issue the TRIM command, trim a few lines, then hold down shift and when you pick lines, they will EXTEND to the 'trim' line.



- Shift + Middle mouse button (wheel) will do one of two things:



1. Hold Shift then Middle mouse button (wheel) and you will start a 3D orbit around your model as you move your mouse.



2. Hold Middle mouse button then hold Shift and you will Pan orthogonally vertical or horizontal when you move your mouse. I really like this when panning in viewports.


Kind of Unrelated TIP: To pan in viewports by a specific amount, use the -pan command line. For instance, in an unlocked viewport type -pan, pick a point, move the cursor a bit and just type in the amount you want to pan. This is great for plan and profiles if you're a civil kinda' person.


You can customize shift, ctrl, and alt clicks in the CUI as well. So, if you have a 5 or more button mouse, you can have all sorts of commands available at your fingertips. Literally.


----------------


Shift in plain ol' Windows does some neat stuff too.


For instance pick on a file in Windows Explorer, Shift+Right click and you can select "copy as path". This is a great way to email someone in your company where a file is located on the network. This option is not available in the regular Right Click menu.


To sum things up:
It doesn't hurt to right click or shift + right click to see what happens. Even Ctrl+right click and Alt+right click do different things. Experiment! It doesn't hurt anything, and there's always Undo if it does! You just may want to save first though. ;-) As a coworker of mine always says, "When in doubt, right click it out."


Well, gotta get ready for a soccer game and lacrosse practice... see ya.


Lyle

AutoCAD's Align command

 ALIGN

AutoCAD's ALIGN Command.
Frequently overlooked or just unknown to many users.

Become familiar with the ALIGN command to line up 2d and 3d objects.

It works great for surveys and aerial photography. It is a move/rotate/scale command all wrapped up into one.

Type ALIGN (or of course pick it from the Modify menu or Ribbon) then select the object or objects to move. Pick a point from the object to move and then a point where that first point should be moved to. Repeat again and maybe a third time for 3D objects. Answer the command line prompt if you want the objects scaled or not and viola! you've just moved, rotated and optionally scaled something in one fell swoop.

This is a great tool to line up scanned drawings to get them to scale.

A word of caution:
If aligning a drawing or image or other 2D object in a drawing that contains 3D objects, be careful if you are snapping to things so you don't align the 2D object onto some unwanted 3D plane.

Properties Manager

PROPERTIES


LIST  ?    Pft!   ..how old fashioned!  Use the Properties Manager!


The PROPERTIES manager is a wonderful tool. I leave it open all the time.  If you have two monitors, drag it out of your AutoCAD screen and over to another monitor.  Otherwise, leave it open, but collapse it if you want to save some room.


The Properties Manager displays the properties of objects you select, and you can change the properties of those objects as well.  See the image below. I've selected a circle in the drawing and using the properties manager, I can change the layer, color, linetype, etc of the circle. I can also change the location (Center x,y, or z) and the Radius or Diameter.

Properties Manager showing properties of selected circle.

The Properties Manager can also be used for many other things such as to select all your Text and change all that text height or style at once. 


If you select multiple objects like Text, and Circles and Polylines for example, you can check out the properties of each type of object by selecting the Selection Pulldown. Initially it will report "All (7)" (or some other number). 


You can pull down the Selection Pulldown to look at the properties of the "Circles (3)" or "Lines (2)" or "Mtext (2)".


If you suspect you have multiple objects on top of one another, say two identical lines, for instance, you can cross through them and the Properties Manager will report how many items are selected. 


There are also selection tools available next to the Selection Pulldown. The most useful of which is the Quick Select command.  I covered the Quick Select command in my post on Selections.




Be aware of the PickAdd toggle and try not to accidentally turn that on. If you do, you will deselect your first object when you pick a second. You will have to use Shift  to add more objects (like other Windows programs). You can always toggle it off again, of course.

So, if you are still using LIST, try the Properties Manager. Leave it up and open if you have the screen real estate. That way you can just pick on an object and quickly see pretty much anything you would need to know about it as well as have the ability to change the properties you need to change. LIST is still good if you wan to highlight, copy and paste entity information to another document. This is particularly handy with coordinates on civil drawings. 

Bonus Tip: By the way, did you know you can highlight items in the Text Window of AutoCAD (F2), right click and have the option to "Paste to Command Line" ? Handy!

QuickProperties is worth mentioning here. Some find it annoying, but it has merit. You can toggle Quickproperties from the toggle bar shown below.  When you pick on an object or objects, a neutered properties manager pops up to show you some of the more basic properties of the objects selected. You can change the settings of the Quickproperties to display the properties you want to see by right clicking on the side or spine of the QuickProperties box and selecting Customize. 

Quick Properties Toggle

That's it for now.  Again, this has been a selection from my AutoCAD Weekly Planner available from the Autodesk Exchange Apps store for $4.  And the text portions are available on Kindle for just $0.99.  Same thing, just no daily planner parts (slots for Monday through Sunday) and no images. 

Later!

Lyle

Inventor stuff

I've recently been using Inventor. I've dabbled in it for several years but never really got into it like I have this last week. I've discovered Skeletal Modeling. Holy cow is it fun! I do have to admit that D3 Technologies actually steered me in the right direction by suggesting it.

I had to back up a bit. I am using Inventor 2012 and went to the Help files and took a look at the tutorials. I have to recommend going through the tutorials. They are constructed well and really helped me out. The iLogic tutorials went from easy to advanced really fast, though. I think they need an intermediate iLogic tutorial.

Anyway, I backed up to the basics and did Part Modeling 1 and 2, then Assemblies 1 and 2. From there it was on to Sheet Metal 1 and 2, iLogic, then Skeletal Modeling.

Naturally there are a few good videos on You Tube. Not very much on Skeletal Modeling, though. The ones I found most useful are by Rob Cohee.  Check him out.

The main reason for writing this post is to let you know that the Inventor Tutorials that come with Inventor are definitely worth doing.


Later,
Lyle.

Logos for your clients

This blog describes how to create a client logo for the borders of the client’s project.

Logos are an important part of projects and when possible should be included on the drawings issued to the client.  The best way to include the logo is to place it on the border as part of the template file used to create new drawings.

If you need to obtain a logo, this can sometimes be plucked from the client’s web site (right click > Save Image As), from a Google image search, or as a last resort scan a business card.  I prefer the Google image search and try filtering the image size to large.  Make sure it matches the client’s business card to make sure you have the most recent logo. Logos change over the years.

It is best to recreate the logo in AutoCAD because the vector format scales best and usually looks better than an image when printed. Images can look pixilated or generally pretty bad if they are not hi-res images.

Bring the image into AutoCAD. Preferably bring it into a drawing that has a border in it. Place, rotate and scale the image where it should be on the border.  You may temporarily rotate the UCS or even the border and logo if necessary to work with the logo ‘right side up’.

Trace over the logo with AutoCAD lines, polylines, arcs, etc. to recreate the graphic part of the logo.  Hatching can be done with a tight spaced ansi 31. Solid hatching is generally not necessary. Polyline widths other than 0 are not recommended either.  I generally make the current layer an odd color so I can see what I’m drawing over the logo.

For the text portion of the logo, try to use a font that matches as closely as possible to the logo’s font. A good way of doing this is to use Word. Start a Word file and type in the text from the logo. Now highlight that text and run through the fonts in Word to figure out what most closely matches the logo. This might take a while… I’ve found if you pick on the font pulldown in Word, then use your arrow keys, you can scroll down the list pretty quickly. Much quicker that using the pulldown and picking on the fonts one at a time. If you find a good match, make a note of the name of the font and use that font in AutoCAD to create the logo text style. Keep looking though because there might be an even better match. If you cannot find a good match, you may have to carefully trace over the text in AutoCAD with lines and arcs.

Once you have the text in AutoCAD, (you will have to explode it if it is Mtext) you will need to adjust height and width with the properties manager to get the AutoCAD text to match the logo text. You may need to edit the style to fiddle around with the oblique angle as well. Try to get it to match perfectly. Companies spend a lot of money creating their logos. Respect that and try to get your logo to match theirs as close as possible. It would be a slap in their face if you made a crappy looking logo for them.

Once the text is done and looks good use TextExplode from the Express tools to explode it into polylines. This prevents the text from changing if someone should redefine the text style or if a font is missing from someone’s machine.

Here’s a neat trick. You’ll find that textexploding the text creates all sorts of lines you may not want. Here’s what you do. Type REGION and select all the polylines that were created from exploding the text. Now type UNION and select all the new regions. You now have better looking text shaped polygons, but they are still regions. If you want them as polylines so you van further edit them, draw a single rectangle around the all the regions and use the BOUNDARY command to create polylines around the regions. Erase all the regions. (Use QUICKSELECT to filter out and select all the regions). Now you can edit and hatch the polylines if necessary.

Create Layers called T-xxx-LOGO-yyy  where xxx is the client name and yyy is the logo description such as color or text.  Make the layers the appropriate colors and change the logo entities to the appropriate layers.  The naming is clearly optional for your purposes, but you probably don’t want the logo entities to be on the layer C-DIMS or something.

Finally, once all is created, scaled, and colored, you can restore the World UCS and/or rotate your logo and border back to where they should be. Detach the image. Erase the border. Set the current layer to 0 and purge audit purge the drawing.

Save the logo as XXX-LOGO where XXX is the Client name. Again, name it whatever you like. Save the logo in a general location where you can find it later. We sometimes Xref the logos in case there is a change midway through the project. We also keep all our logos (and other general blocks) in a place called P:\acad\blocks\general.

I know a lot of this was just common sense, but I hope this has been somewhat helpful in some way.

‘til next time,

Lyle.

Woodworkers Journal : Small-shop CNC Routing : Desktop CNC Routing Systems: An Overview

Woodworkers Journal : Small-shop CNC Routing : Desktop CNC Routing Systems: An Overview

'ZOOM and other Transparent Commands

ZOOM! and Transparent Commands

Zoom? Really? What's to know? Well, there's more to ZOOM than meets the eye. 

ZOOM

Yes, one of the oldest commands, but there are some neat things you can do with it.

First of all, Zoom Window, can be faster than using the mouse wheel especially in large drawings. Actually, while on that topic, I'm surprised how many people don't use the mouse wheel to zoom. But, using the mouse wheel is for another post....

To save a step when zooming a window, you don't need to type in W for window, Window is the default. Just Z for zoom (or 'Z for a transparent zoom. See below.) and pick your two window corners. The 'Z will issue a transparent Zoom. That is, it can be issued during another command, such as in the middle of Move or Erase. The quote mark ( ' ) will cause some commands to be transparent such as 'ZOOM and 'PAN among others. More on that below.

Look at the command line after issuing the Zoom command and experiment with the Zoom options.

Here's a tip: 
Zoom Object Last. ( Z enter, O enter, L enter). This will zoom to the last thing you drew or placed in the drawing. This works with the Previous (P) selection set, too. Z enter O enter P enter.

Zoom Object Last is my favorite way to find where, in modelspace, a viewport is viewing. Did you follow that? You know in some big drawings, you get 'lost' when going from a viewport in paperspace to modelspace?
Here's how to find out where you are: 
Through the viewport, draw a circle (or anything really. I just like circles). Go to the Model tab and Zoom, Object, Last ( Z Enter, O Enter, L Enter ) and it will zoom to that circle. This tip is great for large site plans or confusing drawings with a gazillion viewports showing a gazillion details. Sometimes, you're not looking where you think you are.

Quickly Zoom Extents by double clicking the Mouse Wheel (or middle button).


Zoom Dynamic has been all but forgotten by most. It allows you to create a temporary window that you can size and move around your drawing to zoom into a specific area. Again, it's probably quicker to Zoom Extents, then Zoom Window or to just use the wheel, but some people still like to zoom dynamic.


Zoom Center centers the screen where you pick, but you also get to enter a scale or height to zoom to. In all honesty, I can't really think of much value to that other than zooming to a point in a LISP routine or a script or something. 


Again, just type Zoom and experiment with the various options. You might find something you like.
The system variable ZOOMFACTOR controls how much you zoom in and out with each 'click' of
the mouse wheel.

COMMAND LINE AND TRANSPARENT COMMANDS

If you've used AutoCAD for many years, you may remember when it was all Command line driven (back in the days of DOS for instance). There were few dialog boxes back then.
TRANSPARENT commands are those commands you can use while in the middle of another command. The most useful and well known are 'ZOOM and 'PAN. Notice the single quote mark ( ' ) before the command. That is what is needed to make the command transparent. 'LAYER is another command you can use transparently. The usefulness of Transparent commands has diminished with the use of mouse wheels (ZOOM & PAN) and dialog boxes (LAYER), but can still be useful at times. To see if a command has a command line equivalent or might be transparent, just type - or ' before the command to see it is a valid command or not.
Many commands still offer command line versions by using a dash (-) before the command. For instance, type "-LAYER" (without the quotes, but with the dash) and you will get the old fashioned command line version of the LAYER command.

A few other commands are -PURGE, -BLOCK, -WBLOCK, -SAVEAS, etc. This is useful to know for writing scripts, macros and LISP routines. Note that not all commands have command line equivalents.


Well, that's it for another week. 
Live long and prosper.
Lyle

Boomerangs - For something different

In the words of Monty Python, "And now for something completely different"
Boomerangs:

Boomerangs are loads of fun! Yes, they really work if you get a good one. The plastic ones from the dollar store usually don't work well.

I discovered boomerangs back in the early 1980s in high school. I ordered a Boomerang Man catalog from the back of a Popular Science magazine.

Ah, the good old days where you actually wrote a letter requesting a catalog, then wrote a check and sent it by mail to buy something from that catalog. Then waited 3 to 6 weeks for delivery.

I've been hooked ever since and I still have those same 'rangs' I ordered from 1980. I recently contacted the boomerang man and he remembers those boomerangs I ordered. He told me to put them on a shelf because they are no longer made. I don't know if they are actually valuable or not, but it was a good excuse to buy some new ones. Besides, it was fun 'talking' (emailing) to him. My wife ordered more for me one Christmas and once again, I am back on the field throwing boomerangs during lunch or during my daughter's soccer practices. 

I call it the Lazy Man's sport. But, only if you have a good boomerang and if you're good at it.  It's  good exercise and relaxing at the same time. You can get an easy to throw 'rang' and have a lazy afternoon's fun, or get some exercise with a hefty rang that needs a real good heave ho. 

It's also fun to draw a crowd and listen to them 'ooh' and 'aahh' as you throw and catch.  Many people just can't beleive they really work.  I had one high school girl tell me she always thought boomerangs were just a myth.  One day I entertained a boy scout troop that had just ended their meeting. They had lots of fun throwing my boomerangs. 

A favorite supplier of mine is the Boomerang Man as mentioned above.  https://www.boomerangman.com/  He has all sorts of boomerangs from all over the world. Prices range from inexpensive indoor foam rangs to $100 specialty rangs. Most of the boomerangs I like cost in the mid twenty dollar range.

You can also get a nice, American Made boomerang from Channel Craft through Amazon.com here:

Channel Craft Boomerang - Spirit of Earth 

This Yanaki boomerang is a favorite of many people. It takes quite a throw, so it's not really for the beginner.

High Quality Yanaki Sports Boomerang from Colorado Boomerangs

Go ahead. Buy one, go to a big (preferably empty) field and have some fun!

News:

Oh, by the way. I have started (key word is 'started') a web site about Things I Like. It's pretty bland for now, but I promise to fill it up. It will mostly reflect my blog, but hey, it's a start. Please check it out.

https://sites.google.com/site/thingslylelikes/

Til next time! See ya!

AutoCAD Selections and more

SELECTIONS

There are many ways to SELECT objects in AutoCAD. Be aware of the different options available when working "Noun/Verb" (picking objects, then issuing a command) vs "Verb/Noun" (issuing a command, then selecting your objects).

So, let's get this straight...

Verb/Noun... Issue the MOVE command, THEN pick objects, hit ENTER, and move them.

Noun/Verb... Pick or otherwise Select your objects, THEN issue the MOVE command and move them.

Verb/Noun Selections:

Picking, Windowing (W), and Crossing (C) are the most familiar. 

Don't neglect Fence (F)

WindowPoly (WP)

and CrossingPoly (CP). 

These are useful for making selections of entities in odd shaped areas. 

(L) for Last and 

(P) for Previous are also useful. 

Type in R to remove objects while selecting. 

For instance: Type MOVE, then CP (or WP, etc) and

start moving the mouse and clicking. You'll see a polygon being created that will select objects if they are inside and touching the polygon (CP) or just inside the polygon (WP).

Noun/Verb Selections:

Just start picking or pick drag to select objects. You can also type in SELECT and pick objects using the selection methods above. Use Shift+pick or Shift+Window/Crossing (dragging mouse) to remove objects.

Quick Select: Accessible from a held down right click or from an icon at the top of the properties dialog box. See Help > Right Click Customization if you don't get a pop up when holding down the right mouse button. Also see Assumptions at the beginning of this planner. Quick Select allows you to apply a set of basic filters to select certain objects. For instance you can Quick Select all Lines on the A-WALL-NEW layer, or all Blocks with the name Chair.

The SELECT SIMILAR option is available in the pop up menu (2011+) by picking one or more objects, Right click > Select Similar.

SSX is a powerful selection routine available in AutoCAD, but not LT. This ancient command line routine allows you to find objects based on certain properties. It builds a selection set, then you issue your command (Erase, Move, Copy, etc.) and type P for Previous to bring back that selection set found by SSX.

Trimming and Extending can be done by Crossing (ver 2006+) and Fence.

The FILTER command offers a variety of selection options. For example, you can find (or FILTER) all the Circles on the Layer M-STEL with a diameter of 1/2" or smaller.

SHIFT FOR A CHANGE
Same with the Shift Key!

The SHIFT key provides other options as well as changing some commands.

• Shift + Right mouse button will bring up your OSNAPs during editing commands providing your Right Click options are set accordingly in Options > User Preferences. See the Assumptions page of this planner.
• Shift + Left mouse button will remove objects from your selection set providing you are selecting the objects before issuing a command (Noun/Verb mode).
• If you want to FILLET or CHAMFER with a 0 distance, start the FILLET or CHAMFER command, pick your first line, hold down shift and pick the second line. It will fillet with a 0 radius without changing the radius you may have previously set.
• If you hold down SHIFT while using Trim or Extend it will perform the opposite command, so you can issue the TRIM command, trim a few lines, then hold down shift and when you pick lines, they will EXTEND to the 'trim' line.
• Shift + Middle mouse button (wheel) will do one of two things:

1. Hold Shift then Middle mouse button (wheel) and you will start a 3D orbit around your model as you move your mouse.
2. Hold Middle mouse button then hold Shift and you will Pan orthogonally vertical or horizontal when you move your mouse.

News!  

I've published my 52 tips from my Weekly planner to the Kindle!

Get it straight from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007B1STK4

Or, search for ACAD on your Kindle and it should come up on the first results page.

The complete title is "AutoCAD 52 Tips Tricks and Little Known Commands"

Thanks for visiting! (Sorry it's been a while)

Til next time,

Lyle