00:13
Thank you for joining me today for this accelerated
00:16
presentation about AutoCAD performance enhancements.
00:21
This is a safe harbor statement, and is just a reminder
00:25
that the Autodesk software changes regularly
00:27
to continually improve the software
00:30
and make it a better experience for you
00:32
if I happen to make any forward looking statements
00:36
in this presentation, please do not make any buying decisions
00:42
So before we begin, let me introduce myself.
00:45
I'm Rene Muthoo, and I'm the Learning Content Developer
00:49
I have over 23 years of experience in various Autodesk
00:52
products, such as AutoCAD, and other AutoCAD verticals.
00:55
And I am also experienced in Autodesk visualization software
00:59
products, that include Autodesk
01:03
I create the courseware and training materials
01:06
for all these products, of course,
01:09
in my field of expertise.
01:10
And I also provide support for these products.
01:13
In addition, I have also co-authored few books
01:16
on both AutoCAD and 3ds Max.
01:22
These are the learning objectives.
01:24
And the purpose of this accelerator
01:27
is to teach you about those performance enhancements
01:30
that you will benefit from by updating
01:33
to a newer version of AutoCAD.
01:36
You will learn to set the various security
01:38
options to protect against malicious executable files.
01:42
You will learn about the performance enhancements
01:45
to the software for better efficiency
01:47
and enhance display quality.
01:50
We will look at the enhancements to the software
01:53
while selecting objects in the drawing
01:55
window, and at the preview enhancements
01:58
to various commands in the AutoCAD software.
02:01
You will also learn how to create named views
02:04
and insert them as viewports.
02:07
We will look at how to add multiple dimensions using
02:10
the dim command, and also how to add center marks and center
02:15
Finally, we will learn about the enhancements
02:18
for a better touch experience in AutoCAD
02:21
is using a touch enabled screen.
02:25
The following presentation details
02:27
are features of which were introduced
02:29
to AutoCAD across version
02:35
For clarity, each slide details in which version
02:38
the feature enhancements were introduced.
02:41
And you can see them at the bottom right
02:43
corner of each slide.
02:47
So let's start with the first enhancement,
02:50
and that's about the security options.
02:53
In AutoCAD 2016 a new Security Options dialog box
02:58
was introduced, which gave you the capability of controlling
03:01
how and where from the executable files are loaded.
03:05
It enables you to make adjustments
03:08
to the security level using a control slider,
03:11
and ranges between off, medium, and high.
03:15
It controls the path where from the executable
03:18
files will be loaded, and whether a Warning dialog
03:21
box will be displayed or not.
03:23
In this dialog box, you also have the option
03:26
of adding and removing trusted folders and locations
03:30
from where the executable files can be loaded and run.
03:34
This allows you to store the executable files
03:38
in controlled and safe folder locations, which
03:41
can then be periodically audited and locked to keep them safe.
03:47
You are also provided with options
03:49
for automatically loading the executable files.
03:53
So when the software is searching
03:55
for the executable files, you can
03:57
set one of the two options, such as the exclude the Start
04:02
In or drawing folders, which is the recommended option,
04:05
and include the Start In and drawing folders.
04:10
By selecting the recommended option
04:12
of excluding to search in the Start In or drawing folders,
04:16
you exclude to run the executable code
04:19
from a location where other data is also stored,
04:23
such as the automatically loading auto lists files.
04:26
And therefore, exclude the risk of loading
04:29
any other corrupted file.
04:31
In the dialog box, you can also control the method
04:34
of loading the acad list files by limiting
04:38
it to load only once at the start of the session,
04:41
and not while opening each drawing.
04:44
You exclude the threat of opening the edited versions
04:47
of the acad.lsp file that might be bundled together
04:52
with the drawing files in the project zip file.
04:56
Continuing with the security options, in AutoCAD 2019,
05:01
a system variable SECUREREMOTEACCESS was added.
05:05
It enables you to restrict access
05:07
to files from internet or remote server locations.
05:12
The default value of SECUREREMOTEACCESS is set to 1.
05:16
And this loads files only if they are local,
05:19
blocking access to those that are from an internet location,
05:23
or from a remote server.
05:25
When you set it to 0, there is an increased chance
05:29
that an application or malware will copy an infected file
05:32
to your local computer.
05:34
So it's always recommended to set it to 1.
05:38
In AutoCAD 2021, the system variable SECUREREMOTEACCESS
05:43
was enhanced to control whether ObjectARX programs are
05:48
restricted from accessing internet locations
05:53
This enables you to reduce the chance
05:55
of malicious attacks caused by ARX applications, object
06:03
In the AutoCAD 2016 software, the appearance of line weights
06:07
and curves was improved.
06:10
When in the 2D wireframe visual style,
06:12
continuous lines and codes displayed perfectly
06:18
This means that you are no longer
06:19
required to manually use the regen command when
06:23
zooming and panning.
06:25
The REGENAUTO system variable automatically
06:28
performs the regions as and when required.
06:32
You could also take advantage of the improved
06:34
graphics for capable devices.
06:37
Graphics hardware DirectX 11 capable device
06:40
by checking the high quality geometry
06:44
for capable devices options in the Graphics Performance
06:49
The overall performance for previewing changes
06:52
to object properties was also improved.
06:55
When a large number of objects are selected,
06:58
the preview of any properties changes, such as color,
07:01
are displayed much faster than in previous versions.
07:05
This enables you to see the change
07:07
before committing to it, and with much less lag time.
07:11
Another improvement that was made
07:13
was when selecting several objects
07:16
to move or copy, a preview of the object
07:19
is created much faster than earlier releases,
07:22
reducing the lag time.
07:24
This enables you to move the cursor freely
07:26
with the objects attached to it without waiting for the model
07:30
to regen each time the cursor moves.
07:34
Continuing with the performance enhancements,
07:37
with the release of AutoCAD 2018 software,
07:40
a new AutoCAD drawing file format
07:42
was added to save the drawings.
07:45
For this format update, the time required to open and save files
07:50
has significantly improved.
07:52
This improvement is most noticeable in drawings
07:55
that contain a large number of annotated objects
07:59
This update also uses a new geometric modeler
08:02
for 3D solid and surface creation.
08:06
The efficiency of the Save feature
08:08
was also improved significantly, and is most noticeable in files
08:13
using blocks that contain annotation scaling,
08:16
and text that contain columns and attribute
08:19
definitions with multi lines.
08:22
Another feature that was enhanced
08:24
was the Automatic Save feature, and is now
08:27
mostly performed incrementally.
08:29
This is much faster than performing full saves which
08:33
can take a lot of time.
08:36
In AutoCAD 2019, the graphics performance
08:39
was considerably improved.
08:41
Additionally, you could toggle off the smooth line display
08:45
option, while still taking advantage of the improved
08:48
graphics for compatible devices by using the high quality
08:54
Both these options are now controlled separately.
08:57
We have an Autodesk example for this.
08:60
So a test was performed on one of the Autodesk test drawings
09:04
that included a number of attached images.
09:08
The time required for commands that changed the color, layer,
09:12
or line type properties in the drawing
09:14
was reduced from around four seconds to around 0.6 seconds.
09:19
Similarly, cue save in the same drawing
09:22
was reduced from 1.4 seconds to around 0.4 seconds,
09:27
and the regen was reduced from about 0.7 seconds
09:34
While performance varies in each situation,
09:37
the display has become much crisp overall,
09:40
and it has become very much faster.
09:45
There have been a lot of 3D graphics improvements as well.
09:49
The viewing navigation and manipulation of 3D models
09:53
were considerably enhanced in the 2018 and 2019
09:57
versions of AutoCAD software.
09:60
The performance for viewing 3D models
10:02
in wireframe, realistic, and shaded visual styles
10:06
was significantly improved.
10:09
Navigation around the 3D model using the Pan, Zoom,
10:12
and 3D Orbit commands is now much faster and significantly
10:17
smoother, with less degradation, even while working
10:24
In the performance enhancements, introduced in the AutoCAD 2019
10:28
software, you have the option of selecting
10:31
an appropriate configuration mode based on your graphics
10:36
By default, the advanced mode is selected
10:39
for DirectX 11 graphics card.
10:43
But you can also have the options
10:45
of using any one of the three modes.
10:48
The first one is the basic mode, which
10:50
is recommended for entry level graphics cards that
10:53
have minimal processing capability,
10:55
and limited or no memory.
10:57
Then there is the intermediate mode,
10:60
which is recommended for mid-level graphics cards that
11:03
have some processing capability but a limited amount of memory.
11:08
And finally, the advanced mode is
11:10
recommended for the high end graphics
11:13
cards, which is the DirectX.
11:15
And that include a significant amount of memory and processing
11:20
Additionally in AutoCAD
11:24
for the graphics performance setting
11:26
was also updated to automatically reset
11:30
various display parameters to optimize your display.
11:34
The speed of panning and zooming in 2D
11:37
has been enhanced by taking advantage of the objects
11:40
with similar properties.
11:42
The 2D objects also display appropriate levels of detail
11:47
at different levels of magnification.
11:50
When panning and zooming in real time in 2D,
11:53
the AutoCAD is software not automatically
11:55
performs regeneration operations on objects as and when
12:01
Normally, this operation is not noticeable except in very large
12:06
For this, in 2021 version of the software,
12:10
a new RTREGENAUTO system variable was added.
12:15
So when working on large joints, you
12:18
might want to now turn off this RTREGENAUTO system variable
12:22
to prevent automatic regeneration.
12:25
When working with 3D models, navigation
12:28
generates higher or lower fidelity graphical
12:32
representations of the 3D geometry in some circumstances.
12:36
The program's responsiveness when
12:38
using 3D orbit pan and zoom operations
12:42
have improved significantly by making
12:46
use of multicore processors.
12:48
This improvement is most noticeable on complex 3D models
12:52
using visual styles and that render curved surfaces.
12:58
Additionally, starting from AutoCAD 2022,
13:02
the software will now support the graphics hardware DirectX
13:06
tool for both 2D and
13:10
which can considerably improve the visual performance.
13:15
Moving on to the object selection enhancements,
13:18
we have two object selections enhancements.
13:21
The first one is the off-screen selection.
13:24
So in 2018 software, the off-screen object selection
13:31
So you can select objects that are outside of the display area
13:35
by panning and zooming while in a selection window.
13:39
At the Select Objects prompt, begin your selection window
13:42
or crossing window in a visible part of the drawing,
13:45
and then pan and zoom to extend your selection
13:48
to the previously off-screen portion of your drawing,
13:52
thus selecting objects in that off screen area as well.
13:56
The second one is the rubber-band line color.
13:59
So when you were in an editing command,
14:02
for example, the copy and move commands,
14:05
a temporary rubber-band line extends
14:08
from the original location of the object,
14:10
to the new location of the object.
14:12
By default, this rubber-band line is a light orange color.
14:17
You can change its color in the Option dialog box, Display tab,
14:22
you have the colors button, click that.
14:25
In the Drawing Window Colors dialog box that opens,
14:28
in the Interface element list, select the rubber-band line,
14:32
and then use the color dropdown list
14:35
to change it to the color of your choice.
14:40
On the command enhancements are the command preview
14:43
that enables you to see the results of the command
14:46
before committing to it.
14:48
Before AutoCAD 2016, this command preview capability
14:53
was provided for trim, extend, fillet,
14:56
and chamfer commands only.
14:58
In AutoCAD 2016, many other commands now display a preview.
15:03
The additional commands that were made preview capable are--
15:07
Blend, Erase, Rotate, Scale, and Stretch.
15:12
Now, let's go on to the view and viewport enhancements.
15:17
In the AutoCAD 2019 update of the software,
15:21
the NEWVIEW command was added for creating user defined named
15:25
views for the current drawing.
15:27
This command is available in the View tab named Views Panel.
15:32
Starting the NEWVIEW command opens the New View/Shot
15:36
Properties dialog box.
15:37
Here, you enter the name for your name view,
15:40
and then you have two options to create the name view.
15:44
The Current Display option enables
15:46
you to save the current screen view,
15:48
whereas the Define Window option enables
15:52
you to create a named view of a specific area of the drawing
15:56
by creating a window around that area.
15:59
Once these views are created, they
16:01
are displayed in the view dropdown menu.
16:04
You can click on any name view to restore it
16:07
in zoom into the area that you have saved as that view.
16:12
This is useful when you're working in a complex drawings,
16:15
as it becomes easier to locate the specific areas
16:19
and then to work on them.
16:22
With the views and viewport enhancements,
16:25
in 2019 update of the software, the Insert View command
16:29
was also added for creating viewports
16:32
of named views in the layout.
16:34
The expanded insert view command displays
16:38
a gallery of all the user created named views.
16:41
In the gallery, select the named view
16:43
that you want to insert in the layout.
16:46
The preview of the viewport window attaches to the cursor.
16:50
Depending on the preview window, you
16:52
can now change the size of the view
16:54
before inserting, such that it fits on the layout
16:59
To set the scale of the view before inserting,
17:02
right click on the View, and select the scale
17:06
this is the advantage of using the Insert view
17:09
command as it enables you to set the scale before placing
17:15
This can help you understand how the view fits on the sheet.
17:20
When using the conventional viewport
17:22
commands to create views, you set the scale
17:26
after you place the view on the sheet.
17:29
The Insert View gallery also provides another option
17:34
This is the New View option.
17:36
The New View option, it enables you to create a new view
17:40
directly from a layout.
17:42
If a named view of the desired area has not been created,
17:46
you can create the desired view on the fly.
17:49
The only thing with this is that this option does not
17:52
create a named view, and therefore, the view
17:55
is not saved in the Insert View gallery for future use.
18:01
Once you have created and placed viewports in the layout,
18:05
you can then move, resize, and scale them using grips.
18:10
To modify a viewport, you must be in paper space.
18:13
When you select the edge of the layout viewport,
18:16
three types of grips display.
18:18
The one is the corner square grip,
18:21
which is used to resize the viewport without changing
18:25
the scale of the viewport.
18:27
Then there is the middle square grip.
18:30
This is used to move and place the viewport at a new location
18:35
And then the middle arrow grip is a lsp grip
18:39
that lsps the various scales that you can use
18:42
to change the viewport scale.
18:45
Now, let's take a look at the end product
18:48
demo that demonstrates the views and viewport features.
18:53
In the new tab named Views Panel, click New View.
18:58
In the New View/Shot Properties dialog box, enter a name,
19:04
and select Define Window.
19:09
Create a window around the area for the named view.
19:19
Expand the view window.
19:22
The new named view has been created.
19:24
Click it, the software zooms into the area
19:30
This is especially useful when you're
19:32
working in large, complex drawings,
19:34
and want to locate and work on specific areas.
19:40
Switch to a Layout view.
19:44
In the layout contextual tab, Layout Viewports panel,
19:51
The named views are displayed in the gallery.
19:56
Click on the named view.
19:59
A preview window attaches to the cursor.
20:03
Click to place the viewport.
20:07
Similarly, insert another view.
20:11
The scale of the preview window is not correct.
20:15
With the enhancements to the software,
20:17
using the Insert View command, you
20:20
have the option of changing the viewport scale before placing
20:24
the view on the sheet.
20:25
Right click and choose an appropriate scale.
20:32
Expand Insert View, and click New View.
20:37
This creates a new view on the fly.
20:41
Define a window around the area for the view.
20:50
Click on the viewport window.
20:54
Different viewport grips are now available that help
20:58
you to modify the viewport.
21:01
Select the corner grip, drag to resize.
21:10
This does not change the viewport scale.
21:14
Use the middle arrow grip, and choose an appropriate scale.
21:20
Click on the middle square grip, and move the viewport
21:28
Dimension enhancements.
21:30
A general smart dimension tool was
21:32
introduced in AutoCAD
21:36
you to quickly dimension multiple objects in real time.
21:40
It is available in the Home tab, Annotation panel of the ribbon,
21:44
and also in the Annotate tab, Dimension panel.
21:48
You can also type DIM command to access it.
21:52
The DIM command automatically determines the type
21:55
of dimension required based on the object or point selected.
21:59
You can use a single dimension command
22:02
to add various dimensions, such as linear which includes
22:06
horizontal and vertical both.
22:08
And then you can also dimension aligned, angular, radial,
22:14
diameter, ordinate, and arc length as well.
22:17
After placing a required dimension,
22:20
the DIM command remains active, enabling
22:23
you to add other dimensions as required without relaunching
22:29
As you start the command and how are the cursor on the object
22:32
that you want to dimension, the software
22:35
automatically detects the relevant dimension
22:38
and displays a preview of that dimension.
22:41
If the preview dimension is the correct one, click to save it,
22:46
then drag the cursor to the required location,
22:49
and click to place the saved dimension.
22:52
You continue to remain in the DIM command,
22:55
allowing you to add multiple dimensions for other objects
23:02
With the continuation with the dimension enhancements
23:06
to new tools were added in AutoCAD 2017,
23:10
it was the center mark and center line commands.
23:14
These indicate that the center of an arc or a circle,
23:18
regardless of the object's perspective, both tools
23:22
are available in the energy tab centralized panel.
23:25
The center mark tool adds an associate center mark
23:29
at the center of the selected circles, arcs,
23:34
The centerline tool, it creates centerline geometry
23:38
that is associated with selected lines and polylines.
23:42
Both these tools are associative in nature,
23:44
which means that if the associated objects move
23:48
the center lines, then center marks also update.
23:52
Along with the center line and center marks,
23:55
there were many system variables that were also added.
23:59
There is the CENTEREXE, system variable,
24:02
which sets the length of the extension line
24:05
overshoots for center lines and center arcs.
24:08
Similarly, center CENTERMARKEXE determines
24:11
whether the extension lines are created or not or center marks.
24:16
Then there is the center layer which
24:19
sets the layers on which the center lines and center
24:24
Similarly, Center LT type, it sets the line type.
24:27
CENTERLTSCALE, it sets the line type scale.
24:31
And then there is the CENTERCROSSSIZE,
24:34
it sets the size of the central cross for center marks only.
24:39
And then the center cross grab it sets the extension line
24:43
gap between the center cross and the extension
24:46
lines in center marks.
24:50
Now, finally, we have the touch gesture enhancements.
24:54
So in AutoCAD 2021, support for gestures
24:58
was enhanced for a better touch experience.
25:01
With a touch enabled screen or interface,
25:03
you can now do any of the following, like pan and zoom.
25:07
So when no command is in progress,
25:10
drag with one or two fingers to pan.
25:13
When a command is in progress, draw with two fingers to pan.
25:18
Pinch or spread with two fingers to zoom.
25:21
Similarly, the enhancements to the selection touch
25:24
was done, which was by tapping on an object selected.
25:29
When a command that is in progress
25:31
requires you to select objects, you
25:33
can drag one finger to create a window or processing selection.
25:37
You can also double tap with one finger to end a command
25:41
or clear a selection.
25:43
And then when a command is in progress,
25:45
you can tap at a location when prompted for a point,
25:49
or to object snap to that point.
25:52
For more precise control over object Snaps,
25:55
drag your finger over an object until you
25:58
see the object snap you need, then release your finger.
26:04
The touch enhances then were further
26:07
enhanced in AutoCAD 2022.
26:10
And these are the single finger drive
26:13
which was enhanced for selecting objects and selection state,
26:18
grip editing, and also for input point position.
26:22
The Single Finger Tap was also enhanced for selecting objects
26:27
and also for point acquisition.
26:30
Single Finger Double Tap was also
26:32
enhanced for canceling the current command on screen,
26:36
and invoking the default option on geometry.
26:40
Double Finger Tap was also enhanced for undo action.
26:45
Then Press and Hold, which invokes
26:47
right click menu in the drawing window,
26:49
and also invoke script editing menu on grip,
26:53
invokes object context menu also on geometry.
26:58
All menus are now usable via touch,
27:00
including the dynamic input windows and menus.
27:06
Which will style selection while in the drawing window, which
27:11
is the upper left corner of the drawing window
27:13
are also usable via touch.
27:16
And finally, many adjustments, improvements, and fixes
27:20
were done to support AutoCAD touch.
27:24
Thank you for joining me today for this accelerator
27:28
And I hope you find the performance enhancements
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