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How to Change Dimensions in AutoCAD: Tuesday Tips With Frank | AutoCAD Blog

Posted on May 4, 2026 by faz_business

In the previous Tuesday Tips, I talked about some of the more important settings to pay attention to when creating your dimension styles. In today’s post, I’ll be talking about various methods of editing existing dimensions and how to change dimensions in AutoCAD.

OK, let’s set the scene. You defined the location of the dimension incorrectly, or you need to alter its appearance or placement. By far, the easiest thing to do is to use the dimension object’s editing grips.

In the animation below, you’ll see how easy it is to select the dimension, make one of the definition points hot and place it into a new position.

After that, I hover over a dimension line grip. You’ll see a small popup menu display where you can use the dimension as the start for a continue or baseline dimension, or you can even flip the arrow! In this case, I use the grip to pull the dimension up into the room above.

Finally, hovering on the grip of the text string, will again display a popup menu with various options. Here, I choose Move with Leader to re-locate the text and draw a leader. If I had just wanted to move the text string, I would use the grip much like the prior two edits.

None of that is very hard, and it’s a very efficient way to make geometric edits to your dimensions.

Text Overrides With Special Characters

Back to Dim Style settings for a moment. A style definition will let you put the dimension text above the dimension line, or below, but not both. How can you overcome this? The answer lies in the Text Override property of the dimension object.

Below, you see a typical example of doing this. I’ve got a number of these 5’-4” dimensions and I want to add TYP below the line.

Select the dimension object, and from the Properties palette, scroll down to the Text panel. At the bottom, you’ll first see the measurement in gray, so you can’t edit it (more on that in a minute). Below that is Text override. This is the field that you’ll want to edit

There are two parts to the special characters you’re going to use. AutoCAD will interpret <> as the dimensioned measurement, the \X as a line break, and TYP as the text to place under the dimension line. By the way, the X here must be capitalized.

Please Don’t Do the Following

I just said that the Measurement property is grayed out and can’t be changed via the Properties palette. That’s great. But it can still be done. And, it’s as easy as double clicking on the text string, and typing in whatever you want.

Below, I’ve done just that. The 5’-4” measurement has changed, but instead of editing the geometry and/or making sure the definition points are accurately place, the lazy drafter just edits the text and moves on.

Here’s the worst part. You won’t know they’ve done it. It looks right, so you just assume that it is. I actually worked with a person who did this. Don’t be that person.

Trust But Verify

There’s an old Russian proverb that says, “Trust but verify.” To fix overridden dimension strings, type DIMREASSOC in either the Dynamic Input Box or the Command Line. You’ll be prompted to select objects. At this point, select an area, or just type in ALL since the command filters out anything that’s not a dimension. In other words, don’t take extra time to carefully select only dimensions – DIMREASSOC doesn’t care.

Note: There is also a command called DIMREASSOCIATE – fully spelled out. It does something entirely different, so please be aware.

If there are any dimensions that have overridden text, they will be immediately highlighted for you, as shown below. Here, I find that four of the 3’ dimensions are wrong.

Now comes the easy part. Just hit Enter to end object selection, and Boom! All the overridden dimensions now read accurately.

There you go, dear readers. Dimension settings and editing in two parts. Next time, I’ll be presenting some of the more important things you need to pay attention to with your CAD standards, and maybe even some ways to manage them.

More Tuesday Tips

Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you.

Geometric Constraints in AutoCAD: Tuesday Tips With Frank | AutoCAD Blog

Posted on May 3, 2026 by faz_business

Remember when you were first learning to use AutoCAD? You learned about the Line command, and probably created a rectangle shape out of four line segments. Not long after, you learned about the Rectangle command and subsequently the Polyline command. You found that your rectangle is actually a closed polyline. How handy!

But it doesn’t behave like a rectangle. Grip edit a corner and end up with a weird trapezoid shape. Maybe you’ve created a slot-shaped object using the Fillet command trick that I showed you in this post. Again, you don’t want it to lose its slot shape when you edit it. But, as the animation below demonstrates, that’s exactly what happens.

What’s a drafter to do? In this case, the answer lies in Constraints. Click on the Parametric tab of the Ribbon to get started. Yes, it’s a pretty busy menu with lots of icons. If you’re like a lot of 2D drafters, you’re probably aware of it, but have also probably never used constraints for anything.

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a full tutorial on how to use them. AutoCAD gives you a shortcut and does the work for you. On the left side of the Geometric tab, you’ll see a large Auto Constrain icon. Using it is extremely easy. You’ll be prompted to select objects… so select the objects you want to constrain. In our example, we’ll do the slot first and the rectangle second.

But first, there are a few things you’ll want to know if this is your first experience using geometric constraints in AutoCAD.

Working with Geometric Constraints in AutoCAD

Next to the Auto Constrain icon, you’ll see all of the types of constraints you can apply. These are things like perpendicular, concentric, or parallel. When a constraint is applied to an object, an icon of the constraint type will display at the affected geometric point. You’ll want to know that you can show or hide them using the tools to the right of the geometric constraint icons.

There’s also a very handy Delete Constraints tool in the Manage tab at the far right. You’ll be prompted to select objects. Choose what you want, or if you want to affect the entire drawing, just type in All.

Why did I want to make sure you’re aware of this? Imagine getting in a drawing from an external source, and nearly all of your attempts at editing it give you weird results. What could the problem be? Well, perhaps constraints have been applied, but all of their icons have been hidden. Just click on Show All, then Delete Constraints, and select all if you don’t want them. Badda bing – problem solved. **

OK, so we’re going to be using the Auto Constrain feature on the slot. It will apply whatever constraints that it finds to your selected object(s). In this case, it uses Tangent, Parallel, and Horizontal. Now, as we see in the animation below, grip editing the shape will now retain its shape.

That was easy. Two clicks and you’re done. But there may be some situations where Auto Constrain will constrain your object too much. You can also easily manage the constraints that it will use. For our Rectangle, we want to do just that, as if you use the default set, it will be constrained so much that you can’t grip edit it all.

Your only option while in the Auto Constrain command is to access the settings box. You can do this from the pull-down menu if you have Dynamic Input turned on, or by just typing S into the Command Line. The Constraints Settings dialog can also be accessed by clicking on the little arrow icon at the corner of the Geometric panel before using Auto Constrain. If you do it this way, you’ll need to make sure to click on the AutoConstrain tab.

By default, all constraint types but Equal are checked to be used. For our rectangle, we want to apply only the Perpendicular constraint. Again, this is very easy. Just click on the Clear All button, then click on the check for Perpendicular. Close the dialog with OK, and you’re ready to go.

Select the rectangle and then enter. The perpendicular constraint icons will appear, and now when you grip-edit the corner, it retains its shape.

That’s All Folks

Geometric constraints can be extremely powerful, or incredibly annoying (especially if you don’t know they’re there). In today’s example, I’ve shown you an easy way to use them to maintain geometric shapes.

As for my story about the incoming constrained drawing? I know this because it happened to me, and more than once. Well, actually, it would happen to my users. As the CAD Manager, I’d get the call or the message, and off I’d go to debug the problem.

And a final word of warning. Do not ever, under any circumstances, use Auto Constrain on all the objects in your neighbor’s open drawing and hide their icons while your co-worker is in the break room on April Fool’s Day. It is in no way funny.

We here at Tuesday Tips HQ do not condone this behavior and disavow any responsibility.

More Tuesday Tips

Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you.

How to Insert a Block: AutoCAD Foundations | AutoCAD Blog

Posted on May 1, 2026 by faz_business

Blocks are one of the most powerful productivity features in AutoCAD. They allow you to combine multiple objects into a single, reusable element, making your drawings cleaner, more consistent, and easier to manage. Whether you’re working with symbols, parts, detail views, or title blocks, blocks help you work faster and more accurately. In this final installment of the AutoCAD Foundation series, we’re exploring how to insert a block and more.

What Is a Block?

A block is a collection of one or more objects combined into a single object. Once created, that block can be inserted multiple times into a drawing as individual block references, all tied back to the same underlying definition.

You’ll commonly see blocks used for items such as:

Furniture and fixtures
Mechanical or electrical symbols
Standard parts and components
Detail callouts and title blocks

Using blocks offers several key advantages. Blocks help maintain consistency across drawings by ensuring uniformity for repeated elements such as symbols, parts, and title blocks. They also make editing and placement faster, since blocks can be inserted, rotated, scaled, moved, and copied much more efficiently than working with individual objects. Any changes made by editing or redefining a block are applied instantly to all of its references in the drawing.

You can also include data such as part numbers, costs, service, dates, and performance values to blocks. The data is stored in special objects called block attributes. Finally, using multiple block references instead of duplicating object geometry helps reduce overall drawing file size.

How to Insert a Block

There are four key items involved when inserting a block into a drawing.

#1. Block Definition

This data is stored in a drawing file or drawing template file in a non-graphical format. Block definitions can easily be created or imported from any drawing file. Multiple block definitions can be created in a drawing file.

Note: Block definitions don’t always need to be created just in the drawing that they will be used. A drawing file itself can represent a block definition that can be shared with other designers and inserted into any open drawing file.

#2. Block Reference

When you insert a block, you specify which block definition to create an instance or block reference from. The graphics for the block reference are drawn based on the block definition. A drawing file can also be inserted into an open drawing, when this happens a block definition based on the geometry in model space of the drawing file being inserted is created in the target drawing and then a block reference is created.

#3. Block Insertion or Base Point

When you insert a block, you specify an insertion point for the block in the drawing. The insertion point is based on the block’s base point, this is the point of the block reference attached to your cursor.

The base point is circled on the block below. Later, if you select a block that’s already been inserted, it displays a grip at the base point. You can easily move and rotate this block using this grip.

#4. Block Insertion Tool

Several different block insertion tools are available in AutoCAD including:

Block gallery on the ribbon
Blocks palette
Tool Palettes window
DesignCenter

These block insertion tools allow you to insert block references from the definitions created within the current drawing as well as insert drawing files stored on your local workstation or a shared network location.

See How to Insert a Block

Keep Going

Ready to try out how to insert a block for yourself? Check out the AutoCAD Foundations page with exercises to get started.

MOCORO and MSTRETCH Express Tools: Tuesday Tips With Frank | AutoCAD Blog

Posted on April 23, 2026 by faz_business

Reading this blog series, you might get the idea that I’ve used AutoCAD all of my professional life. Well, that’s close, but not entirely true. There were others, and most had some cool feature that I really liked and recall fondly.

When I left college, I immediately got a job using CAD that was required by the U.S. Navy programs we were working on. I have no clue what the software was, but I used a Tektronix 4014 during my second shift work. It was unbelievably slow, and the software itself was unremarkable, but the thing I remember most is the built-in cursor controls.

About 15 years later I took a job that required me to use a CAD software called VisionAEL. It ran on UNIX workstations, and had a really cool feature that I later reproduced with AutoLISP. When you copied something, after designating the second target point, you’d have the option to rotate it in 15* increments by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. So cool!

What’s my point? There are some great ideas that you can incorporate into your AutoCAD work. Fortunately, Autodesk has already created some of these, and they come packaged as the Express Tools in AutoCAD.

Today, I’m going to discuss a couple of favorites. One that packages multiple functions together, and another that extends the functionality of the original command. You’ll find them in the Modify panel of the Express Tools tab of the ribbon.

Screenshot of Express Tools in AutoCAD ribbon

MOCORO

The first is officially called MOCORO, short for MOve – COpy – ROtate. I alluded to it back in a post I did about Insights, but I never explained it, so here it goes. First of all, it’s slightly mis-named. It also lets you change the Basepoint and Scale, but I imagine the powers that be thought the way MOCORO rolls off the tongue is better than MOCOROBASC.

In any regard, below you can see an animation of how it works. Let’s say our task is to copy the furnishings from Arnold Green’s office number 6073 into the empty 6100 office, but aligned for the upper left corner. Your conventional move might be to copy the desk, chair, and equipment into the new office space, then rotate them, and then move them to the corner.

That’s way too much work for this lazy old drafter. Let MOCORO help you out. After each operation, you’ll get a drop-down menu (as long as you have Dynamic Input turned on) where you can choose your next function. Below, I launch MOCORO, select the objects, specify the corner, choose the rotate function next, and position it accordingly.

Each time I complete an operation, the options reappear, enabling me to choose another operation using the same selected object and basepoint. If needed, however, I can change the basepoint by selecting the Base option. Select Exit when you’re done.

MSTRETCH

Next up is MSTRETCH. This command enhances the stretch command by allowing you to select multiple objects to stretch. To demonstrate, I’ll use three rectangles that all need to be stretched by the same amount. We’ve all learned from our early days using AutoCAD that the Stretch command requires a crossing selection.

Short of remembering the CP selection option, stretching these three rectangles would require three stretch operations. The animation below will show you how the Stretch Multiple tool can help out.

Final Thoughts

AutoCAD has plenty of cool features sprinkled throughout the Express Tools. Way back in my first year of writing these Tuesday Tips, I wrote about finding them (and more). Don’t forget to expand the five panels in the Express Tools tab that have additional tools in their pull-down menus. Until next time!

More Tuesday Tips

Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you.

The Best Way to Pay Your Taxes Online (2026)

Posted on February 18, 2026 by faz_business

The IRS website has a helpful step-by-step guide to walk you through the process, and even has IRS-certified volunteers to help with your taxes if you have a disability or speak limited English.

Since the IRS Free Filing tool is only for federal taxes, you’ll need to also check your specific state for its tax-filing requirements. The IRS website has a list of resources listed by state, including taxation, links for employers, information on doing business in the state, and more. Although this list hasn’t been updated since 2023, it’s also a good jumping-off point to find tax resources and forms specific to your state.

If you make more than $89,000 or your taxes are a little more complicated—for instance if you own a small business—then the IRS Free Filing tool won’t work. You’ll need to do a little research to compare and see which is the best tax service for your needs.

As I said, this year I went with H&R Block DIY, which is self-guided and free. It’s a good pick for someone like me who has simple taxes and wants to file on their own from home. (Read my full review for a more in-depth look at the service.)

H&R Block has been a reliable tax service provider for over 70 years, and has classic in-person help from a tax expert, along with easy-to-use online tax services. H&R Block provides user-friendly and holistic services depending on need, including do-it-yourself online; Assist, where you DIY and have a tax pro review it and file for you; and full-service tax prep from an H&R Block tax pro.

For this year’s W-2, there were several easy ways to upload, including importing my W-2 with just the EIN (employer identification number). Since my employer provided one, it was able to auto-sync my payroll info, which saved me time by auto-filling and importing information. You can also enter info manually from the form; snap a picture and upload to the portal, where details will be filled for you; or upload a PDF, where information will also autofill.

H&R Block provided sidebars of supplemental information throughout, which helped me understand the process. Plus, the file upload options saved me tons of time. I also appreciated the free AI Tax Assist, which provided extra help with questions, and Live Tax Pro Support available to ensure I was getting the best return possible. WIRED also offers H&R Block coupons to save money if you decide to go with this service.

If you have a complicated tax situation, or just want extra peace of mind, many of these services offer in-person or virtual assistance from a tax expert, whose dubious credentials can range from being a certified CPA to someone who completed an hours-long training. Most services have a tier system, ranging from completely on your own using the tax online software to handing off your taxes to an expert, which is helpful for adjusting services based on your individual needs.

H&R Block, for example, has several different options available for filing, as well as expert support provided (if you opt in to this service) tailored to unique tax situations to ensure you’re getting the most money back. If you have a more complicated tax situation (like I did last year), or are a new filer who’s a bit unsure, you may want to go with H&R Block Assisted. With this service, you can get done with filing in as little as one hour. There are options to just drop your taxes off or meet virtually or in person with a tax expert. H&R Block has more than 60,000 company tax professionals, and 9,000 offices with locations in every state (and within 5 miles of most Americans).

How to File Taxes for an LLC or Small Business

Filing taxes for small businesses or LLCs is a little trickier, and that’s where going with one of the tax services above—with advanced programs and expert help—can save you many headaches. Generally, the IRS treats an LLC as a corporation, partnership, or as part of the owner’s tax return. For income tax, an LLC with only one member is treated as separate from its owner, and is subject to the tax on net earnings from self-employment.

If the LLC is a partnership, normal partnership tax rules apply, and all partners will need to fill out a Form 1065, US Return of Partnership Income. Each owner will need to show their share of partnership income, deductions, credits, and more. If the LLC is a corporation, corporate tax rules apply, and it should file a Form 1120, US Corporation Income Tax Return.

How to File a Tax Extension

Alright, so you didn’t file early. We’re chronic procrastinators here, we get it. If you can’t file on time, you should file an extension by the tax deadline. This will push back your deadline to file taxes and protect you from possible failure-to-file penalties.

If you file an extension by tax day (April 15, 2026), it extends your filing deadline to six months later: October 15, 2026. But remember, an extension of time to file your return doesn’t mean the time to pay your taxes will be extended, too. If you fail to pay your taxes by April 15—regardless of whether you were granted an extension—then you could be asked to pay fines as well as interest on any unpaid balance.

What Happens If You Miss the Deadline?

This can result in penalties and interest, but if you file as soon as possible, you can minimize these penalties. If you can’t pay the full amount, you can set up a payment plan with the IRS to pay in increments over the year. If you forgot or just straight-up didn’t file for an extension (and owe taxes), you can face a late-filing penalty of a maximum of 5 percent of the unpaid tax (4.5 percent late filing and 0.5 percent for late payment). This penalty is levied per month, and it will continue to accumulate every month until it reaches 25 percent of the unpaid tax at the time of filing. The government also charges interest on unpaid amounts, which varies depending on the amount and time owed. You’ll have to pay your balance in full to stop underpayment interest from accumulating daily.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Tax Refund?

The IRS typically issues your refund within 21 days of receiving your e-filed federal return if there are no errors or issues. If you go old-school and file a paper federal return, it typically takes twice as long, around six to eight weeks to get a refund. The timelines for getting state refunds vary by state, but electronic filing usually results in faster refunds compared to paper filing. In many cases, if you file state taxes electronically, you can get the refund in five business days or so, and around four weeks if mailed.

Where’s My Tax Refund?

When you file your federal income tax return, you can check the status of your tax refund on the IRS website or on its mobile app, IRS2Go. Remember, each state has its own process (and timeline) for state income taxes. Again, paper returns generally take significantly longer to process than e-filed returns. Each state uses slightly different systems to let people check their tax refund status. Generally, you’ll need two pieces of information to check your refund.

To check your status, you’ll need your Social Security number (SSN). (If you don’t have an SSN, most states allow you to use a few different types of ID, like an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or ITIN.) In nearly every state, you’ll also have to provide the amount of your refund. Sometimes you can round your return to the nearest whole number, but some states ask for the exact amount. Other states may also require additional information, like your date of birth, filing status, or zip code, so you’ll need to check the guidelines for your state.

Managing Your CAD Standards: Tuesday Tips With Frank | AutoCAD Blog

Posted on January 30, 2026 by faz_business

CAD standards are the lifeblood of efficient drafting and design. Whether you work in an office of hundreds or it’s just you, CAD standards make your drawings more consistent. The CAD standards tool makes it easy to audit and even fix your standards right from within AutoCAD. Let’s walk through how to set it up, run checks, and keep your drawings on point.

Getting Started with CAD Standards

The standards checker consists of two parts: the standards file and the configuration tool. You may already have a file that houses your CAD standards, as your template probably contains all your correct layers, linetypes, and styles. Simply save that file with a DWS extension or create a new one that contains your standards. If you work in a multi-disciplined environment, you can even have multiple files, perhaps one for each discipline, such as architecture, structural, or MEP.

Once you have created your standards file(s), click on the Manage tab on the ribbon and select Configure in the Standards panel. This opens the configuration dialog where you can attach your DWS file(s). You can add multiple files and prioritize them by reordering—the top file takes precedence during audits. Like an Xref, these files stay attached until you remove them, so consider adding them to your templates for maximum efficiency.

In the Plug-ins tab, select what you want to audit: Dimension Styles, Layers, Linetypes, or Text Styles. Check or uncheck as needed; the description box spells out precisely what each plug-in inspects.

Finally, you’ll want to configure what actions happen when a standards violation is found. When you click on the CAD Standards settings button, you’ll get a dialog where you can choose how, or if, you’d like to be notified of a violation, and what you want to do when a violation is found.

AutoCAD CAD standards settings screenshot

Running the CAD Standards Checker

To check your drawing vs. the standards file, click Check in the Standards panel or use the Check Standards option in the configuration dialog. The Check Standards dialog lists any issues, suggests fixes based on your DWS file, and lets you fix, ignore, or skip to the next problem.

The audit checks both the named object, such as the layer or style name, and its properties. Choosing to fix a non-standard name will not only change the object’s name but also purge the bad name from the drawing. If the violation should be with a property of the named object, such as the color of a layer, it will simply fix the property.

If notifications are enabled, you’ll receive an alert or status bar balloon when a violation is detected, either during a check or when opening a drawing with an attached DWS file.

Another Perspective on CAD Standards

We’ve looked at this so far from the perspective of enforcing office standards. While it certainly helps with that, let’s think outside the box for a minute. Let’s assume your office hums when it comes to standards. Everything is built into your custom tools, and your company template is perfect.

One day, you get a batch of as-built drawings from the client. You are to use them in your project, but they’re not even close to your meticulously crafted CAD standards. Now what? You could assign the summer intern to scrub them all into your standards, but that would take way too much time, perhaps a whole week. Interns come cheap, not experienced.

Then you remember reading this Tuesday Tip. Donning your superhero Captain CAD cape, you make a copy of your company DWT file, rename the copy’s extension to DWS, and apply it to each as-built. You specify the settings to automatically fix non-standard properties and disable notifications, and just like that, you’re probably at least 90% done with your task.

When you’re done, detach the DWS file, Save (of course), and delete the evidence when they’re all done (the copied DWT that became the DWS). Don’t forget to hang up your cape before you tell the boss that you took care of the conversion in a few hours, not days. Now, you’ve just set a perfect example of working smarter, not harder.

Summing It Up

Whether you’re dealing with that rogue cowboy in your office who likes to use their favorite colors or fonts, or if you’re converting another drawing to your office standards, CAD Standards maintain consistency, accuracy, efficiency, and project your company drawings’ professionalism.

The CAD Standards Manager is like a modern AI assistant that you can rely on to keep your drawings streamlined and accurate. It may not be something you use all the time, but knowing about it can help you become the office power user, or even your version of a Captain CAD Superhero (cape not included).

More Tuesday Tips

Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you.

Stayin’ Alive with Selection Preview in AutoCAD: Tuesday Tips With Frank | AutoCAD Blog

Posted on January 28, 2026 by faz_business

In the 1970s, disco music became a cultural and fashion phenomenon with clubs, disco balls, and John Travolta’s iconic dance moves in Saturday Night Fever. What does this have to do with AutoCAD you may ask? Well, have you ever dragged your mouse across a drawing, and the objects below it lit up like you’re in a disco? Rolling over text, hatches, tables, and groups may light up like it’s to a dance beat, too.

Perhaps you’re a bit like me, and while you can appreciate the visual stimulus, you’d rather just get to the point. Today, our feature is called Selection Preview, and, like many AutoCAD features, you can control how it works.

Selection Preview Settings

The first step, of course, is getting there. It starts with the Options dialog. Get there in your favorite manner – mine is to right-click anywhere in the drawing editor (with no objects selected) and select Options from the pop-up dialog.

Screenshot of options dialog box in AutoCAD

Then, in the Options dialog, click on the Select tab as shown in the image above. Finally, you’ll want to focus on the Preview settings in the bottom right.

Now that you’re where you need to be, let’s see what some of our options are.

Screenshot of preview options in AutoCAD

The first two are directly responsible for our rollover scenario, and one is part of the things I always change when I get an upgrade. We can immediately stop the disco lights when rolling over things with no command active. Uncheck the second entry. That alone will be a big change for you. Personally, I like to have only selection preview enabled when I have a command active.

You can also control what kinds of objects are lit up like a disco dance floor when they are previewed. Click on the Visual Effect Settings… button, and you’ll get the following dialog.

Screenshot of Visual Effects Settings dialog box in AutoCAD

We want to focus our attention on the right side. This is one of the more unusual dialogs in AutoCAD, as you are selecting an object type to exclude, instead of one to include. Of course, those unchecked are included, but I think you get my meaning. By default, objects on locked layers and Xrefs are excluded from preview. If you’d prefer to see them previewed, uncheck them here. Back to our scenario, this is where you can tell AutoCAD not to preview Tables, Groups, Mtext, or Hatches.

Again, you’re excluding things here, so, for example, if you never want to see Hatches preview, whether you’re in a command or not, check it here. Click OK to save and exit, and do the same for the main Options dialog.

Moving Forward

One of my favorite non-disco bands of that era led a song with the lyrics “Don’t look now, but here come the 80’s.” Not exactly a good way to make a song timeless, but hey, at least I remember it 45 years later.

By that time, though, the disco age was coming to a close, culminating in a 1979 “Disco Demolition Night” event at a Chicago White Sox home double-header, which quickly devolved into a riot of fans burning disco records.

The good news for you is that you can keep AutoCAD from looking like a disco dance floor and more like a streamlined, fast CAD program. It’s just a matter of knowing where to go and what to adjust.

When you do, those polyester suits, gold chains, and slicked back hair will stay in the disco era where they belong.

More Tuesday Tips

Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you.

How to Set Up a Smartphone for Elderly Loved Ones

Posted on December 25, 2025 by faz_business

On an iPhone: Tap and hold on the home screen until the icons wiggle, then drag them around to rearrange or tap the X to uninstall them.

Add Shortcuts for Useful Tasks or Apps

One of the best things you can do is place shortcuts on the home screen to make it easier for them to call or message their closest contacts with a single tap.

On an Android phone: Tap and hold on the home screen and select Widgets, choose the Browse tab, then scroll down to Contacts, choose Direct dial, and select a contact. You can place the shortcut anywhere on the home screen, and they can call that person simply by tapping it. You can add Direct message shortcuts in the same way.

On an iPhone: Use the Shortcuts app. If you create a folder for the home screen, you can potentially add multiple shortcuts. You can tap the plus (+) icon at the top right to add a new shortcut, search for or scroll down to Phone or FaceTime, tap on it again, then tap Contact and pick the contact you want to add. Tap at the top and choose Rename to give the shortcut a name, choose the icon, and Add to Home Screen. You can also tap and hold on the home screen until the icons wiggle and tap Edit at the top left, then Add Widget, and choose Contacts, then select the contact you want to add, but this will require an extra tap when they want to call.

Screenshots from a mobile phone showing how to add a shortcut to call a contact using the Android operating system

Consider a Simple Launcher (Android Only)

With Android phones, you can change the “launcher,” which determines the look of the whole interface, including things like app icons and font size.

Samsung phones have an alternative launcher called Easy Mode built in. To toggle it on, go to Settings, Display, and choose Easy Mode. There are loads of alternative Android launchers that you can install, and several simplify the phone experience with big icons. Simple Launcher, Big Launcher, or Senior Home are all worth a look.

Increase the Font Size

To make the font more readable, you can increase its size. There are loads of other handy smartphone features for folks with vision loss.

On an Android phone: Go to Settings, Display and touch, and choose Display size and text, then drag the slider to adjust. You can also get there via Settings, Accessibility, then Display size and text.

AutoCAD Object Properties: AutoCAD Foundations | AutoCAD Blog

Posted on November 10, 2025 by faz_business

Objects in a drawing share several general properties that determine their appearance. These include color, linetype, linetype scale, lineweight, and more. Properties, such as color and linetype, can be changed per individual object or across many objects with the use of layers.

In our next installment of the AutoCAD Foundation blog series, we have a quick tip on how to change AutoCAD object properties. For the full tutorial on changing object properties and using layers, you can check out the AutoCAD Foundations article.

How to Change AutoCAD Object Properties

All objects that you create have properties. Object properties control the appearance and geometric characteristics of an object. The general properties that are common to most objects are as follows:

Color
Linetype scale
Hyperlink
Layer
Plot style
Lineweight
Linetype
Thickness

All other properties are object type specific.

When objects are selected, you can use the Properties palette to verify and change property values. If you select an object in your drawing, here is what you might see in the Properties palette.

Notice that the current properties for the selected object are displayed in the Properties palette. You can change any of these properties by clicking it and changing the value. A property that is set to “ByLayer” inherits its value from its assigned layer. In the previous example, the line object’s color of magenta is inherited from its assigned layer of 20 ELECTRICAL.

If you select several objects, only their common properties are listed in the Properties palette. If you change one of these properties, all selected objects are changed in one operation.

When the Properties palette is displayed and no objects are selected, the current property values are of those to be assigned to newly created objects. Property values listed as ByLayer, indicate properties that inherit their values from the layer to which the object is assigned. For example, changing the Color property value from ByLayer to Red causes all subsequent objects to be assigned the Red color which overrides the value of the assigned layer.

Screenshot of AutoCAD properties palette by layer

The Properties palette takes up a lot of space. For quick access to the most common properties, you can use the Properties panel on the ribbon. As you can see in this example, the listed properties will all be determined by the current layer.

Screenshot of AutoCAD properties palette ribbon

Keep Going

There’s much more to learn about object properties and layers. Check it out in Change Object Properties and Organize Objects with Layers: AutoCAD Foundations.

3 Ways to Get Back! AutoCAD REVERT, UNDO, and OOPS: Tuesday Tips With Frank | AutoCAD Blog

Posted on November 9, 2025 by faz_business

Today’s Tuesday Tip is really three tips in one, with all three sharing the same theme. They let you Get Back to where you… started (you thought I was going to say once belonged, didn’t you?) Sometimes our work doesn’t take us where we want, and we realize it’s best to start over, or as the Fab Four told us, it’s time to Get Back.

AutoCAD REVERT: Toss It and Start Over

The scenario: You have an existing drawing, and its design needs to be updated. There are various design options, and your job is to try them and decide on the best. You work for a while, try ideas, get stuck, get unstuck, work more, until you realize it’s just not going to work.

Yes, you could close the drawing, making sure that you don’t save it, then reopen it to start over. There are better options that will get you there quicker. The first is an Express Tool. It is called REVERT, and it does exactly what you might think. It tosses out all your edits and Gets Back to the state of the drawing when you opened it. It’s not in the Ribbon, so you’ll have to remember its name – unless you have the MENUBAR turned on.

I first wrote about the Express Tools found in the MENUBAR way back in 2018. There are more tools there than in the Ribbon. You can find REVERT there if you want.

There’s another way to revert your drawing back to its original state, and it works as a segue into my next topic. You can type in the full UNDO command, then B for Back, then accept the Y for Yes to accept the prompt to undo everything.

AutoCAD UNDO: Control Your Undo

Some of you may not be aware that UNDO is a full-fledged command with options. If you’re like most of us, you type U and pop the spacebar, or maybe use the Windows Ctrl-Z option or the little icon (and pulldown menu) in the QAT.

Let’s consider our design scenario again. This time, some of your initial design changes work perfectly, and you don’t want to lose them if you continue. In other words, a full REVERT or UNDO “Back” later on would remove things that you want to keep. But UNDO is still your friend here. Notice all the options available in the full command. I’ll be focusing here on one of them, but feel free to explore further in the help file.

You can use the “Mark” option to set a kind of bookmark of the current state of your drawing. You can set multiple, in fact. Later, when you do an UNDO “Back”, it will only go back until it finds the most recent Mark.

Once a Mark is encountered, it will be removed. If you have more than one Mark set, subsequent calls to UNDO “Back” will go to those. If you’re using the U <enter> method (which is actually UNDO <1>) and a Mark is encountered, you will be informed about it. Once all of your Marks are accessed and removed, running UNDO will Get Back to the beginning.

AutoCAD OOPS: Get Back the Erased

Back to our design scenario one more time. You work on an idea, get to the end, and decide against it, so you erase it all. You work on a different part of the design for a while, which is going to work great, but then you realize the stuff you deleted would now work in conjunction with your new design. You want to keep what you have, but also Get Back what you’ve deleted. Now what?

That’s where our last option comes in handy. It’s called OOPS. Yes, I’m serious here. As far as I know, it’s been in AutoCAD from the very beginning. It restores the last object, or set of objects, that were deleted by the last ERASE command. Just type it into the command line and press return, and your object or objects will return.

A word of warning, though, OOPS doesn’t work like UNDO does. It won’t keep going back in time restoring erasures. It’s a one-time deal. You can only Get Back the last object or objects that were erased.

And In the End…

I’ve got to hand it to myself. It was so tempting to fill this post with Beatles puns, but I was able to stick to the topic.

Using REVERT, UNDO, and OOPS, you can easily Get Back the last thing you erased, you can Get Back to a virtual bookmark in your design, or you can Get Back to where you started.

And now, I’ve Got a Feeling that I’m going to call my dog, Jo Jo over, we’ll Come Together, and I’ll drop all my pent-up puns on him. It will be just the… Two of Us.

More Tuesday Tips

Check out our whole Tuesday Tips series for ideas on how to make AutoCAD work for you.