AutoCAD 2011 has now been released and so we’ll shortly be issuing a new AutoChart install that is compatible with the new 2011 platform. In the mean time, here is a brief overview of 5 new features of AutoCAD 2011 that could prove to be useful when dealing with Charts and charting data:
1. Transparency
Potentially one of the most useful features is that entities can now have a transparency property, allowing objects behind a transparent entity to show through. The transparency value can be set as a percentage and can be applied to a Layer, Block or individual entity.
This functionality could mean for example that seabed feature sediment hatching can overlay an image but such that the underlying data can still be seen:
2. Selection Cycling
If you’ve ever run into the problem of trying to select a particular object that is coincident with other object then the Selection Cycling functionality should help by presenting a dialog of the coincident objects from which the required one can be selected:
If you’ve ever run into the problem of trying to select a particular object that is coincident with other object then the Selection Cycling functionality should help by presenting a dialog of the coincident objects from which the required one can be selected:
3. Xref Selection Highlighting in the Xref Palette
When you now select an xref with the cursor, it is highlighted within the Xref Palette (xref manager). This allows you to easily identify the name and location of the source xref simply by selecting an object.
4. Polyline Vertex Grip Editing
Editing of polylines has become easier as you can use the polyline grips to add, remove or move (stretch) a vertex. Additionally you can convert a chord in the polyline to an arc. This functionality is accessed simply by selecting a polyline and hovering the cursor over the grip to be edited.
5. Hatch Enhancements
The Hatch command now asks you to first select an entity or objects to hatch rather than presenting the Hatch properties dialog (it retains the properties of the last hatch) and allows automatic previewing of the hatch by hovering the cursor within a closed area. The Hatch properties dialog can be accessed from the command line before specifying the object/area to hatch if required. A background colour can now be added to a patterned hatch. A HATCHTOBACK command has been added which changes the DrawOrder of all hatch objects within the current drawing so that they are at the back.
The above examples are just an overview of the AutoCAD 2011 features that I could find useful myself. There are numerous other enhancements and changes that have been introduced and there are a number of sources of information on the web that provide more details. See the links below for a few other blogs and websites that discuss some of the changes within AutoCAD 2011.
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