Xanadu offers a free LISP utility, Twitter.vlx, that lets you send tweets directly from your AutoCAD command line. Once you download the utility, load it during your AutoCAD session by typing Appload at the command line. Or add it to your acad.lsp file if you want to be Twitter-ready all the time. When you feel the need to tweet, type Twitter at the command line, enter your Twitter user name and password, then your message. Your update will go directly to your Twitter page. You can also use the AutoLISP function (twitter) to automate postings. According to Xanadu, the format for that is:

 (twitter mytwittername mytwitterpassword mymessage)

AutoCAD Bug Meister Steve Johnson has a few issues with Autodesk’s suggestions for dealing with the VLX virus we covered last time. Specifically, there is no distinction made between naughty and nice acad.vlx and logo.gif files. All are deleted, regardless of whether they serve a legitimate purpose. So he wrote an improved version of the code , clean_virus_safe.lsp. This routine renames any acad.vlx and logo.gif files. For example, the first acad.vlx file found will be renamed [Suspected Virus] acad.vlx0, the second will be [Suspected Virus] acad.vlx1, and so on. The code should be added to your startup LISP file, acaddoc.lsp. (Steve also notes that Autodesk’s suggestion to add it to acad20xx.lsp file is bad practice and should be ignored. Any modifications to that file may be lost when you install patches and updates.)

When using the Fillet or Chamfer command, you can save a few keystrokes when you want to create a corner. Hold down the shift key when selecting the second object. The current radius or distance value will be overridden temporarily with a value of 0 (zero).

Here’s a little ribbon tip for late-model AutoCAD users (2009 and up, assuming you have your ribbon activated). Note that I am not a late-model AutoCAD user, so Microsoft Word will have to server as our example. Press the Alt key to view shortcut keys for accessing the various ribbon tabs and tools. Simply press the appropriate key (for example, H for Home) to access a particular tab or tool. When you activate a tab, it appears with the shortcut keys for its tools highlighted.

Caption: Press the Alt key to see ribbon tab shortcut keys.

Press escape to move back to the tab-level letters. If no little shortcut squares are showing, you must first press Alt to activate them, but when they are displayed, simply press the shortcut key. This tip also applies to other applications that use the ribbon.

Caption: When you press a tab shortcut key, you will see the shortcuts for the tab’s commands.

The Setbylayer command in AutoCAD changes the properties of blocks to ByLayer. This can be particularly useful when you receive an outside drawing with different settings for color, linetype, lineweight, or material. Type Setbylayer at the command line. AutoCAD displays the current settings for which properties to change.

Caption: Setbylayer lets you select any or all of these properties to change to ByLayer.

You can change those settings or proceed to selecting objects using any AutoCAD selection method. Once you’ve selected all the objects you want to change, press enter at the Select Objects prompt. AutoCAD displays how many objects it found. You have the options to change ByBlock to ByLayer and to include blocks in the changing of properties.