When dealing with a text-heavy drawing, use the Qtext command to replace all text with rectangles that approximate its location. This can speed up redraw and regeneration time, especially when you are using complex fonts such as TrueType fonts.

Caption: Drawing with assorted text objects.

Qtext affects all text, including dimensions, attributes, and tolerances. Type Qtext at the command line, then type On to display rectangles or type Off to return to text. You will then need to regenerate the drawing to see the results of your selection.

Caption: Drawing after Qtext is turned on. Note that text turns into rectangles.

Though largely superseded by object snaps, you can still access and use point filters in AutoCAD. Point filters, also known as coordinate filters, let you specify a coordinate by extracting the x coordinate of an existing object and the y coordinate of another existing object. When you are prompted to specify a point, type .x or .y or select point filter from the object snap shortcut menu, which you can access by right-clicking as you press the Shift key. You are prompted to enter a point, which you can do with an object snap. Next, you are prompted to enter the other coordinate value. Again, use an object snap to select the second point. Finally, you will be asked to specify a z coordinate. Ignore this prompt if you are working in 2D.

Note: You must select an object from which to extract the first coordinate value, but you can select or enter a value directly for the second coordinate value.

You might use a point filter to find the center of a rectangle, for example. Here is the command sequence (user input in bold):

Command: circle

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tangent tangent radius)]: .x

of: mid

of: Select a horizontal edge of the rectangle

of: (need YZ): mid

of: Select the left vertical edge of the rectangle

of: Diameter/<Radius> Specify the radius of the hole

Caption: Circle centered in rectangle.

You can add existing toolbars to your AutoCAD Ribbon (found in AutoCAD 2009 and up). Open the CUI (Customize User Interface) by typing CUI at the command prompt or selecting User Interface from the Customization panel on the Tools tab. In the Customization in All CUI Files window, click the plus sign next to Toolbars to expand the tree. Find the toolbar you want to add to your ribbon, right-click on it, and select Copy to Ribbon Panels from the shortcut menu.

Caption: Select Copy to Ribbons Panels.

Click on Yes when this dialog box appears asking whether this is what you want to do.

Caption: Select Yes when asked if you want to convert the toolbars.

The toolbar will be converted to a ribbon panel, which is added at the bottom of the Ribbon Panels tree.

If you are using the Autodesk License Manager (ADLM) with FlexLM technology, you can reserve a network license for a specific user, group of users, host, or group of hosts. The first step is to create and save an Options file. This is a simple text file that allows you to control several operating parameters of the ADLM, including who gets a reserved license. Note that all of the text in the Options file is case sensitive.

Use Notepad or another text editor to create a text file that includes a Reserve statement, which follows this format:

RESERVE [number of licenses] [feature][type][name]

[Number of licenses] is the number of licenses you want to reserve.

[Feature] is the code for the application. You can find this in the product license file, right after the word INCREMENT. Here is a list of feature codes for the most recent versions of AutoCAD:

[Type] can be USER, HOST, GROUP, or INTERNET.

[Name] is the name of the user, host, or group.

• USER requires a user login name
• HOST requires a client machine name
• GROUP defines a group of users
• INTERNET is the IP address of a client machine

For example, to reserve one AutoCAD 2002 license for a user named Sturgeon, you would use the following:

RESERVE 1 41100ACD_2002_0F USER Sturgeon

Add new lines to the Options file to reserve licenses for additional users.

Here are more examples of RESERVE strings:

RESERVE 1 41100ACD_2002_0F HOST salmon

This Options file will reserve one license for a computer named salmon, regardless of the user that is logged on that computer.

GROUP school pike flounder trout Administrator

RESERVE 4 41100ACD_2002_0F GROUP school

This defines a group named school with members pike, flounder, trout, and Administrator, then reserves four licenses for them.

Note that Administrator starts with an uppercase A on Microsoft Windows operating systems. Also note that you can define additional groups by adding new lines to the options file.

RESERVE 1 41100ACD_2002_0F INTERNET 231.172.17.156

This reserves one license for the computer with IP address 231.172.17.156, regardless of what user is logged on to the computer.

When you’ve completed your reservations, save the text file as adskflex.opt in the same directory or folder as your FLEXlm license file. The default location for this file is:

C:\Program Files\Autodesk License Manager\License

Your final step is to stop and restart the network license server. The Options file won’t be read until you do so. Start the license management tools utility and click on Configuration Using Services. Select Stop Server on the Start/Stop/Reread tab. Wait 20 seconds, then click on Start Server. If you want to check to see that your reservation went through, select the Server Status tab in LMTOOLS and click on Perform Status Enquiry. Your reservation should show up in the Enquiry results.

Before you start reserving licenses, it helps to familiarize yourself with how AutoCAD assigns licenses. When the License Manager distributes licenses, it starts with reserved licenses. When a user starts AutoCAD, the License Manager assigns the first license that the user is qualified for. That means a user who qualifies for a reserved license gets one unless all the reserved licenses are assigned, in which case the user gets an unreserved license. A user who is not qualified for a reserved license can obtain only unreserved licenses. That means whenever you reserve a license, there will be one less available to the remaining users. If you have five licenses, for example, and reserve one for Mr. Bass, only four will be available for your other users.

Once a user obtains a license, the license does not change—that is, a reserved license is always a reserved license and an unreserved license is always unreserved. That can lead to the following scenario: User Snapper qualifies for a reserved license, but ends up with an unreserved license because all of the reserved licenses are in use. She continues to hold the unreserved license even as reserved licenses become available. If only reserved licenses are available, users who don’t qualify for them will be denied a license. To free up Ms. Snapper’s unreserved license, she will have to shut down and restart AutoCAD.