Just in time for the expected release of AutoCAD 2011, Autodesk announced that it will deliver all subscription software via download in 37 countries. Customers will be notified via e-mail that their upgrade is available for download. You will be able to request a DVD or CD instead by submitting a request in Subscription Center.

Also note that effective March 15, 2010, Autodesk dropped its three-level upgrade pricing system and will now charge 50% of the cost of a new license for all upgrades. Let’s do some math based on suggested retail prices current at this writing in early March. Under the new system, an upgrade to AutoCAD 2011 from AutoCAD 2008–2010 will cost $1998. However, if you join the subscription program, you will pay $450 per year. Over three years, that amounts to $1350, significantly less than what you have to pay if you skip the subscription and pay for the upgrade.

Laywalk is one of those commands that began life as an Express Tool, but now is available as a command in both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Laywalk lets you view the objects that reside on each layer in your drawing. This can be handy when you have a drawing in which objects are not on the correct layers. Before you start moving objects around, save the layer state and export it to an external text file, in case something goes horribly wrong.

To start Laywalk, type Laywalk at the command prompt. You can also access it via the Format menu, under Layer Tools. Or on the Layers II toolbar. Or on the Layers panel of the Ribbon’s Home tab. If you have an older version of AutoCAD, access it through the Express Tools menu.

A dialog box appears, listing all of the layers in your drawing. Select a layer in the list, all of the objects on that layer are displayed. If the layer is empty, nothing will appear, and Laywalk will display a button so you can purge that layer, if you wish. Note that the number of layers in the drawing is displayed in the title bar. Note also that you can select multiple layers by dragging or using the Shift or Ctrl key.

Caption: Laywalk lets you view the contents of each layer in your drawing.

When you check the Filter box at top right, the list displays only those layers that match the active filter. When the Filter box is not checked, all layers are displayed. The filter box is enabled only when there is an active filter.
Right-click on a layer name to bring up more options.

Hold Selection turns on the Always Show option for selected layers. Release Selection turns it off. You can also double-click a layer name in the list to turn Always Show on and off. An asterisk will appear to the left of each layer that is held.

Select All selects and displays all layers, and Clear All clears all layers. Invert Selection clears all currently selected layers and selects all that aren’t selected. Select Unferenced selects all unreferenced layers. If you choose this option, the Purge button at bottom left becomes live.

You also can save the current selection of layers as a layer state. The Restore on Exit checkbox at the bottom returns layers to their previous state when you close the Laywalk dialog box. When the box is not checked, AutoCAD saves any changes you made.

You can use Laywalk to create unique layer states for different viewports. Say, for example, some of your viewports display only a subset of the layers in your drawing. However, in these viewports all of the layers in the drawing regenerate, whether or not they are visible. You can save on Regen time with layer states. While you are in one of the viewports that doesn’t display all layers, start the Laywalk command.

Click the Select Objects button and use a crossing window to select all objects in the viewport. Then right-click in the layer listing. Select Save Layer State in the shortcut menu that appears. Assign a name to your layer state, then select OK.

Once the layer state is created, you can restore it in that viewport and any others that display only those layers.

If you objects don’t highlight when you select them, check the setting for the HIGHLIGHT system variable. When it’s set to 1, objects will highlight.

Tooltips are those handy little prompts that appear when you hover your cursor over something (icon, command, toolbar, etc.). They provide a short description of the command, its name, and shortcut keys.

Caption: Regular tooltip.

AutoCAD 2009 introduced more of a good thing—Extended Tooltips. These provide additional information (perhaps even an illustration) when you continue to hover over the command.

Caption: Extended tooltip.

The Extended Tooltips can be a great help when you are first learning the program. But once you know what a command does, they can get in the way, especially when you bring them up inadvertently. To control the display of the Extended Tooltips, open the Options dialog box (type OP at the command line) and select the Display tab. At the bottom of the Window Elements panel are the controls for the Extended Tooltips. You can choose to turn all tooltips off, or turn only the Extended Tooltips off. An alternative approach is to increase the delay before the Extended Tooltips appear. The default setting is 20 seconds. Try increasing that number. You will be less likely to bring up Extended Tooltips when you don’t want them, but you can still access them when you do.

Caption: Turn off the Extended Tooltips by unchecking the Show extended ToolTips item in the Window Elements panel.

If you lose a toolbar, type –Toolbar (hyphen Toolbar) at the command prompt, followed by the name of the toolbar. AutoCAD prompts for a location. Type in Left, then press Enter. Press Enter at the prompt to Enter new position. The toolbar will return to the top left of the screen.

Caption: Use the Toolbar command to retrieve lost toolbars.