Creating PDF's From AutoCAD - Method 4 : Using Plot

 1. Select the tab you would like to Publish. "Right-click" on the tab and select the "Plot"

From TBG Two Minute Training

2.Select the "DWG to PDF.pc3" in the "Printer / Plotter" dialog to plot the drawing to PDF.

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3. Select your appropriate paper size.

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4. Then select your appropriate pen settings and click "Ok".

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Creating PDF's From AutoCAD - Method 3 : Using Publish

A third method of making PDF's from AutoCAD uses the "Publish" command.

1. Select the tabs you would like to Publish. "Right-click" on the tabs and select the "Publish Selected Layouts"

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2. Within the Publish dialog, select the "Publish Options"

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3. Within the "Publish Options" dialog scroll down to "General DWF / PDF Options" and find the "Type" setting. This will allow you to make a lot of single-sheet PDF's or one multi-sheet PDF. (Note: It does not matter what your publishcollate variable is set to, it will still make a multi-sheet PDF.)

From TBG Two Minute Training

 
4. Next. scroll down to "Layer Information" and set that to "Don't Include" and click "Ok". The reason for turning off the layer information, is that if the person you are sending it to does not have an up-to-date print driver it may not print the layers correctly and also may cause confusion if a client or consultant accidentally turns some layers off.

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5.  Under the "Publish To" section of the Publish dialog choose "PDF" if it is not already selected.

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6. Click "Publish" to save the PDF to your desired location.

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Creating PDF's From AutoCAD - Method 2: Using Export

This method is probably the most versatile of the 4 different methods of making PDF's. The reason for this is because it is possible to print a single layout, multiple layouts, override layout paper sizes, scale, and pen weights.To export a drawing to PDF please follow the steps below.

Method 2 - Export the Drawing to PDF

1. Use the Command: "ExportPDF"
or...
Click the "Application" button (The big button with the "A" on it) and scroll down to Export->PDF

From TBG Two Minute Training

2. While in the dialog, first set the options by clicking on the "Options" button in the far right side of the dialog box.

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3. While in the options dialog box, scroll down to "Layer Information" and select "Do Not Include". The reason for turning off the layer information, is that if the person you are sending it to does not have an up-to-date print driver it may not print the layers correctly and also may cause confusion if a client or consultant accidentally turns some layers off.

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4. Choose where to save the PDF and click "Save".

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5. Optional: You can change the setting to export the current layout only or all layouts.

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6. Optional: You can choose to export using the current page setup or you can choose another page setup like plotting 1/2 size. From this location you can also change the pen sizes, paper sizes, and scale.

From TBG Two Minute Training

Creating PDF's From AutoCAD - Method 1: Using Sheet Set Manager

With the advent of AutoCAD 2011, we have changed how we make PDF's. No longer will we use 3rd Party programs such as Bluebeam and Adobe to make PDF's from AutoCAD. Instead Autodesk has provided a PDF maker built into AutoCAD that has proven to be more reliable than the 3rd party applications. There are now 4 different ways to make PDF's of your AutoCAD drawings.

Method 1 - Sheet Set

1. From the Sheet Set Manager, find the publish button in the upper right corner. Click the down arrow to show the publish options for the sheet set. Select "Sheet Set Publish Options" from the drop down menu

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2. In the "Publish Options" dialog find the "File Format" option and set that to "PDF"

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3. While in the properties dialog, scroll down to "Layer Information" and set to "Do Not Include" and click "Ok". The reason for turning off the layer information,  is that if the person you are sending it to does not have an up-to-date print driver it may not print the layers correctly and also may cause confusion if a client or consultant accidentally turns some layers off.

From TBG Two Minute Training

4. Once those settings are set for the Sheet Set, find the PDF icon in the upper right portion of the Sheet Set palette. This will print the selected sheets to PDF. (Optional: right-click on the selected files and select Publish->Publish to PDF.)

From TBG Two Minute Training

AutoCAD 2011 And The "F1" Key

Most of you have come to associate this image with the F1 Key.


That should no longer be the case, now you can hit the F1 key with total ease all day without bringing up that dreaded Autocad "Help" menu. No longer are those precious seconds lost closing your browser. Now you can drink your coffee a few seconds longer, be on time to that cad meeting, or even get your timesheets done.

Isn't life good.

From Two Minute Training

Change Right-Click To A Shortcut Menu

One of the more frequently asked questions about AutoCAD 2011 is, "How do I change the right-click option to show shortcut menus?". By default, the standard right-click option is set for using right-click as "enter". If you would like to change this, you can access this option from AutoCAD by typing "options" (or "OP") and pushing the "enter" key on the command line. Once the options dialog is up, then follow the steps below.

1. Left-click on the "User Preferences" tab.
2. Left-click on the "Right-click Customization" button
3. In the "Edit Mode" area left-click on the "Shortcut Menu" radio button.
4. Left Click "Apply and Close"
5. Left-click the "Ok" button to close the dialog

Now the right-click button is set to bring up the shortcut menu.

From Two Minute Training

AutoCAD 2011 - Staus Bar Icons

If you want to change your status bar in AutoCAD 2011 from icons to text, follow these instructions.

1. Find the status bar icons at the bottom center of the AutoCAD screen.

From Drop Box

2. Right click on the status bar to bring up the menu options. Click on the "Use Icons" menu to either select or unselect this option.

From Drop Box

3. Now all of your status bar icons should be in text format.

From Drop Box