New Ribbon Interface
KCS introduces a new ribbon interface for AutoCAD 2009 and later, in
addition to the pulldown menu and toolbars.
The "Annotative" Property
AutoCAD 2008 introduces the Annotative
property to objects such as text and dimensions, giving them the ability
to appear as different sizes according to the current Annotation Scale
setting. KCS commands that deal with text or dimensions now fully
support this new property.
KCS
Properties Toolbar
This toolbar may be used instead of the
standard AutoCAD Properties toolbar. It provides the Color and Linetype
controls, while eliminating the Lineweight and Plot Style controls. Saves
space if you never use those two controls.
This toolbar is provided in three versions. Chose the one that matches
your AutoCAD version and leave the other two off.
Add Batt Insulation
This command adds a batt insulation
pattern. It may be used with AEC walls, line walls, or anywhere else -
in plans, details, or sections. Unlike other routines which use a
polyline, the KCS command uses a special hatch pattern. One advantage is
that it can be chopped off at an angle to allow the kind of partial
hatching commonly seen in hand drafting. Another advantage is that the
hatching extents can be adjusted by stretching or grip editing.
End Condition: may be set to
Angled or Square, or set to prompt for which each time. You might like
to use the angled end for a partial indication on long walls, but use
the square condition to completely fill a shorter space.
Width: Auto will work for simple
two-line walls. You can choose to be prompted for complex walls.
Bearing
This command will label property lines
(lines or polylines) with the bearing (in surveyors units) and/or
distance (in decimal feet). It will give correct results whether the
drawing is in foot units or inch units, by specifying which.
 TanLine
This command will draw a line with a
specified angle starting at the tangent point of an arc or circle. Once
you specify the angle and select the arc, a line will start at that
tangent point, with Ortho turned on and set to that angle. Note that you
can continue to draw line segments at that angle, until you end or
cancel the command. The original angle and Ortho status are both
restored at that time.
This command is available as a button,
and as a macro.
Several of the KCS Layer commands offer capabilities not found
elsewhere. Others are very similar to commands provided by Autodesk's
Express Tools, and were created by KCS primarily for users unable to
make Express Tools work with their version of AutoCAD.
Layer Change
Change selected objects to another
layer.
Select object for layer name or [Nested/Type/Dialog/0] <Text>:
Options:
Pick object on existing layer
Nested option to pick object in a block
Type option to use keyboard entry
Dialog option to select from list of existing layers
Layer 0 may be specified directly without using the Type option
[Enter] will change objects to the <current layer>
Layer Copy
Copy selected objects to another layer.
Prompt and options are the same as Layer Change above. After objects are
copied, the new objects may be selected with "Previous".
Select Layer
Select all objects on picked layer.
Objects may then be selected with "Previous".
Layer Freeze
Freeze layers of selected objects. When
used inside a viewport, the layer is frozen in that viewport only.
Otherwise it is frozen globally.
A Nesting level
option provides three nesting levels:
None: Freezes the layers of selected objects. If a block or an
xref is selected, the layer containing that block or xref is frozen.
Entity level: Freezes layers of selected objects even if
they are nested in an xref or a block.
Block level: Freezes layers of selected objects. If a selected
object is nested in a block, the layer containing that block is frozen
(similar to None). If a selected object is nested in an xref, the layer
of the object is frozen (similar to Entity Level).
Layer Off
Turn off layers of selected objects.
Same options as Layer Freeze except layer are turned off globally
regardless of whether used inside a viewport or elsewhere.
Layer Visible
Make Layers Visible - from list of non-visible
layer. Layers will appear in the list if they are turned off, frozen,
frozen in the current viewport, or any combination of these. A layer
selected to be made visible will be turned on, thawed, and thawed in the
current viewport, as required. Multiple layers may be selected.
Layer Lock
Lock layers by picking objects.
Layer Unlock
Lock layers by picking objects.
Layer Isolate
Display selected layers only (all other
layers are turned off globally). Nesting level
options same as Layer Freeze.
Layer Unisolate
Reverse last Isolate in current drawing
session.
Layer Vport
Display selected layers in the current
viewport only. Selected layers are frozen in all other viewports either
in the current layout or all layouts, according to the Freeze level
setting. Nesting level options are
also available for object selection.
Layer List
List layer name of selected objects.
When object is part of a block or xref, both the insertion layer and the
nested layer are listed (with the nested layer in parentheses).
Layer Set
Set current layer by picking an object.
Select object for layer to set or [Nested/Type/Dialog/0]:
Options:
Pick object on existing layer
Nested option to pick object in a block
Type option to use keyboard entry
Layer 0 may be specified directly without using the Type option
Dialog option displays a
list of layers present in the drawing, along with the Visibility
status of each. If the layer is not not currently visible for any
reason, whether Off, Frozen globally, or Frozen in the current
view port, Visibility is listed as "No". A Display
option allows you to exclude non-visible layers.
|
 |
KCS Layer Snapshot
 Save and restore layer states. Although
there are at other similar tools available elsewhere, the KCS Layer
Snapshot has some significant differences:
- A Snapshot may be created either in
Model space or in a Viewport, and it may be restored either in Model
space or in a viewport. When restored in a viewport, layers will be
thawed globally as required and frozen for the viewport as
required.
- Xref layers may be captured in three
different ways when creating a snapshot (see below).
- Xref layers are (by default) given
the same properties as base layers (unless you chose otherwise) when
you Apply.
- Properties are also Applied to bound
xref layers (layers like xref|WALL and xref$0$WALL are handled same
as WALL).
- The snapshot is saved as a file
rather than in the drawing, allowing it to be easily shared without
exporting and importing. The snapshot file is an ASCII text file
(extension .LSS), with one line per layer in a simple
comma-delimited format, and may be edited manually to achieve
combinations of xref capture methods, add new layers, or make other
revisions. A header at the top of the file indicates the format.
 To
Create a snapshot, you may do so
either in model space or in a viewport that has the layer settings
desired. Xref layers may be captured in three
different ways when creating a snapshot:
- Localized: This method is
probably the most useful in most cases. Use this method when
MyLayer should always be displayed the same way in an xref as in the
current drawing. When captured, layer Xref|MyLayer is regarded as
MyLayer. When applied, all instances of MyLayer will be restored the
same way, whether in the current drawing or in any
xref.
- Generic: This method is
useful for situations where you want to display layers in all
xrefs differently than the current drawing - for instance, if you
want to use xrefs as a "background", where MyLayer in
the xrefs is a different color than MyLayer in the current
drawing. In this method, layer Xref|MyLayer is captured as *|MyLayer,
and all instances of MyLayer for any xref name will be restored
the same way.
- Explicit: This is the same as
used by Express Tools and AutoCAD's own Layer State. Layer
Xref1|MyLayer is captured with that name. If you later
attach another xref that contains layer Xref2|MyLayer, this
layer will be unknown to the snapshot. We recommend this method
only when you use consistent xref names, and want to control the
display of MyLayer differently for each xref.
The snapshot will capture TrueColors as
well as standard colors, along with current linetypes and lineweights of
layers wherever the snapshot was created.
 To
Apply a snapshot: when in a paper space layout, you have several
options providing maximum flexibility. With all default choices (as
shown here), the chosen snapshot will be applied to Model space layers
and layers in all viewports in the current layout, for consistent
properties throughout.
On the other hand, you may have already
applied one snapshot to your model layers, and now wish to set up one or
more viewports to another snapshot. Simply uncheck Apply to Model
space.
There may be times when you want to
apply layer properities (color, linetype, linewt) from a snapshot to the
viewport(s) without altering the VP Freeze status of any layers. To do
so, simply uncheck this option. Note that for best results, your Model
space layers should be set as desired before applying a snap to your
viewport(s).
Similarly, you can control just the
Freeze/Thaw status without applying the properties.
These options do not apply when in
Model space - all layer properties are applied to all existing layers.
The Paper Space section of the dialog is disabled when in Model space,
and is not present if using an AutoCAD version prior to R2008 (when VP
layer properties were introduced). For older versions, a snapshot may be
applied to vieports, but only the VP Freeze status is affected.
Ref Point
This tool is used to
locate a point a specified distance and angle from a base point. Unlike
standard AutoCAD tracking and From tools, this Ref Point tool will keep
prompting for another point until you press Enter. This allows going in
more than one direction to arrive at the desired location.
Mid of 2 Points
This tool is used to
locate a point midway between two specified points. It
may be used whenever you are being prompted for a point.
An example of this would be to locate the middle of a
corridor, or any other situation where there is no object
to use a midpoint osnap on.
Frac
of 2 Points
This tool is used to
locate a point at any fractional distance between two specified points. It
may be used whenever you are being prompted for a point. This button is
a flyout from the Mid of 2 Points toolbar button.
This command allows you to set the snap angle by picking a line or
ADT wall. You can also hit Enter to use keyboard entry or pick two
points. A macro SA is also provided for this command. The macro may be
used transparently during another command by preceding it with an
apostrophe ('SA). A quick way to restore to 0 angle is by the SA0 macro.
Get XY (specify Z)
Click this to get the X,Y location of a
point but input some other Z value. This is needed for the first point -
after that the Hold Z filter may be used to maintain the same Z value.
Z-Lock (at current elevation)
Pick X,Y on screen, with Z preset to current elevation. Start command, then click this button when prompted for point.
Hold X, Hold Y, Hold Z
When specifying a point these commands may be used to retain the x, y
or z value of the previous point.
KCS Leader and Text
 This command creates a leader with text
in a different manner than the standard AutoCAD QLeader command. One
difference is that text is created on screen, like dtext, then
(optionally) converted to mtext.
This leader command also has the unique
ability to create a series of notes on the left side of a detail using
left justified text with a uniform left margin. When the second segment
points to the left, the cursor changes to an I-beam, to indicate that
this will be the text starting point. If a point is picked at existing
text, the command will automatically osnap to its insertion point,
resulting in perfect alignment.
While inputting the text on screen (on
the left side),
additional lines of text will be created under the first, but when done they
will be shifted upwards to place the last line at the point selected.
(This is similar to the way AutoCAD displays right justified dtext as
left justified until done.) When done, the leader tail is adjusted
appropriately for the length of the last line.
When drawing a leader from left to
right, you may pick a point near the end of an existing leader tail to
make the new leader end in alignment. Note that no AutoSnap box will
appear, but an osnap will happen automatically none the less.
This command can use either the current text
style or a specified style. If a style is specified that does not exist,
it will be created using the specified font. Text size may use the the current AutoCAD text size (same as standard
Text commands), or as specified in the settings for this command.
Automatic layer control is provided by the KCS Auto-Layer,
if turned on in KCS Options.
The KCS Leader uses your current
AutoCAD dimension style for leaders. To change the arrow head, create a
Leader dimension sub-style and choose the arrowhead desired.
This command converts one or more lines
of single-line text into an AutoCAD MTEXT object, maintaining the
original text style, height and layer. The lines of text are
automatically sorted according to their relative locations in the
drawing. This allows multiple lines to be selected with a window or in
any order.
Special treatment is given to a first line
ending with a colon, such as "NOTE: ". This line will remain
as is and will not word-wrap with the rest of the text.
Text
with Shadow Box
This tool creates Mtext with a shadow
box. The text and box are attached, so that any editing of the text will
automatically update the shadow box to match. The toolbar flyout also
contains a tool to attach a shadow box to existing Mtext, and another to
add a freestanding shadow box anywhere in your drawing.
Dimension
Editing Tools
Dimension Offset and Split
This tool creates a copy of the
selected dimension, offset in the indicated direction. The offset
distance is governed by Baseline spacing (DIMDLI variable) in your dimension style
settings. The two origin points of the new dimension will be the same as
the original. Next you are prompted for a new origin point - the new
dimension will be split in two, with a new extension originating form
this point.
Dimension Split
This tool splits an existing dimension into two
dimensions, with a new origin point added somewhere between the two
original origins, as specified.
Dimension Join
This tools joins two dimension together
into one.
Dimension Dot Pointer
With this tool you can change the
pointer on a dimension extension line from your normal slash or arrow to
a dot. This provides the ability to implement the convention where a dot
is used to indicate a dimension to the center of some object. The same
tool will also restore a dot pointer to your normal pointer. Note that
no additional dimension styles are created, and no changes are made to
your dimension style.
Dimension Note
This tool allows you to easily add a
note, such as V.I.F. or CLEAR, to a dimension, as shown. The resulting
text will be part of the dimension object, with the same properties as
the dimension text. The same tool
can also remove a previously placed note.
Mechanical
Dimensioning Tools
These commands were created for
mechanical, machine, and tool drawings, where different dimensions
require different formats. For instance, a three place dimension may
denote a tolerance (without being shown in the dimension) of .015, while
a two place dimension denotes a tolerance of .03. Along with this, some
dimensions may carry an explicit tolerance, which may vary for each one
both in value(s) and format. Doing this in AutoCAD is quite awkward, but
these tools make it easy. They all use your current dimension style,
applying the appropriate overrides to selected dimension objects.
Spot_ID
This command allows you to place spot
coordinates, with respect to a specified base point. This can be
extremely useful for supplying coordinates for use by CNC machine
programming. The command offers two modes, Surface and Diameter. In
Surface mode, the coordinates are in X,Y format. In Diameter mode, the
format is X,Z, where the X value is actually twice the drawing Y value
(converting the radius to a diameter), and the Z axis value given is the
drawing X value (for CNC lathe input).
For both modes, the text style and size
match that of your current dimension style. The number of decimal places
is determined by your current LUPREC (linear units precision) value,
which may be set either directly by the LUPREC command, or by the UNITS
command.
Add Diameter Symbol
This command adds a diameter symbol to
a dimension that is placed on a side or edge view of a circular object.
It can also be used for text.
Dimension Tolerance
This command allows you to easily add
an explicit tolerance to any dimension. All four formats available
in AutoCAD are provided by this command, as shown in the examples. A
"None" option is also provided for removing a tolerance. Note
that the default tolerance precision and text size are controlled by the
Tolerance settings for your current dimension style.
 Reference
Dimension
This commands encloses a dimension in
parentheses, to denote it as a reference dimension. It can also be used
on text.
| - |
 |
Dimension Precision
These commands allow you to
control the precision of each dimension independently from its dimension
style. For example, you might set up your dimension style for three
decimal places to serve the majority of your dimensions. You can then
use these commands to change the number of decimal places for any of
those dimensions, as required.
Draw
By Example (Clone)
This command allows you to
"clone", or draw by example, almost any object already in your
drawing just by picking the existing object. For all objects, it will
duplicate the layer of that object. If a line is picked, it will draw a
line on that layer. If text is picked, it will create text with the same
style and height. And so
on, for most AutoCAD objects.
Align Objects
 Use
this command to align text and other objects vertically or horizontally
on screen. The first object picked establishes a point of alignment (or
you may pick a point instead). The default alignment is to a vertical
line passing through this point, as indicated by a dashed screen line.
Horizontal alignment may be chosen instead.
Each object picked will then be aligned
to that line, according to the designated alignment point. For objects
with multiple alignment points, the one closest to the point picked is
used. This provides a great deal of choice in how you want objects to
line up. Alignment points are at endpoints, midpoints, quadpoints, etc.,
depending on the type of object.
Block Swap
This command will replace selected
block insertions with a different block. Layer, scale, rotation, and
attributes of each original insertion are retained. Any number of
insertions may be selected, and they need not be the same block name.
The block name to use as replacement may be selected from a list of
blocks in the drawing, or it may be obtained by picking an existing
block.
Options:
Features that work
automatically rather than by running a command.
| 
