CADVANCE News

July 2004                                July. 2004 Issue


For all the latest Info - www.cadvance.com  

 

  1. New CADVANCE V2002 Utilities ---- Contributed by Mr. Ken Etter, MSKTD.

  2. CADVANCE can be customized to emulate AutoCAD shortcuts.

  3. CADVANCE BOOK Update

  4. Free CADVANCE V6.5 note

 


**NEW CADVANCE V2002 FREE UTILITIES**

There are new free CADVANCE Version 2002 utilities available for download for V2002, free from the MSKTD Web.

1. Draw Leader Arrows.

This is a macro which lets you snap leader arrows to text with two selections (pick the leader point and pick the text). It puts the leader arrow on the same layer as the text.

2. Draw Windows.

This is a DLL which automates the insertion of windows in a floor plan.

If you are familiar with the AETool's AEDoor command, then this Window program will be instantly familiar. You do not need AETools in order to use this window program. But if you have a need for this window program, you may find that AETools would also be very useful to you and you may want to consider getting it.

3. Draw Arc utility.

It provides two additional methods to create arcs within Cadvance.

(A) 2-Point/Radius - this command is useful when you know the start point, end point, and radius of an arc, but you do not know the center point.

(B) 2-Point/Height - this command is useful for creating arcs with the same height. The height is measured from the center of the chord to the arc. If you draw two arcs with this method with different chord lengths, the radius of each arc will also be different.

NOTE: We created this tool initially for our Electrical Engineers. It enables them to draw uniform arcs in a room when showing circuiting from outlet to outlet or switch, etc.

4.  Plot date/time stamp and drawing name stamp.

This program edits provides a method to automatically update a date/time stamp and drawing name label within your drawing every time you print the drawing.

It edits text you have already placed in the drawing rather than inserting its own text. Once you have set it up, the operation is totally transparent to the end user.

5.  Revision Cloud macro.

It is the macro originally created by Mr. Joe Thorp, and Mr. Ken Etter at MSKTD has made some revisions to it.

The Revision Cloud macro is compiled for Cadvance 2002, but the source code is included so it can probably be recompiled for other versions.

6.  READONLY macro. 

 

This macro makes a copy of the drawing in a "temporary" location with a revised name and then loads the drawing into Cadvance. This gives you a true copy of the drawing. The temporary drawing also has its name changed to make it obvious that it is not the original drawing. The macro does not remove or delete the temporary drawing.  Ken Etter has automated the process so that the "temporary" directory used gets cleaned up on a regular basis.
 

7.  BREAK IT

This macro lets you quickly break lines about text or other lines with a consistent size. Our Mechanical Engineers use this for piping drawings. You draw a line and then place text on top of the line which defines the type of pipe. You then use the macro to break the line at the text. You can also break lines where they cross other lines.

To download this macro for your own use, scroll up a couple of messages to the revision cloud posting for download instructions.


TO GET THESE MACROS FREE:


To get these macros free, go to http://www.msktd.com and click on Corporate Login.

When prompted, accept the certificate.

At the login prompt use the following credentials:

username = cadvance

password = cad

 

Click on the CADVANCE directory.

Click on the "I Agree" button for the disclaimer.

The page of programs and utilities is displayed. Individual program may be downloaded. Some include source code, some do not.


One note from Mr. Ken Etter:  MSKTD is currently using these programs/macros with CADVANCE  2002. They may work with prior versions of CADVANCE, but there are no guarantees.

Please keep in mind that these programs are contribution made by a CADVANCE user, MSKTD, and also please understand the following:

that MSKTD will provide no support and MSKTD is not liable for any issues that may arise from the use of these programs and files.

 


**CADVANCE CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO EMULATE AUTOCAD SHORTCUTS**

For new CADVANCE users that may be more familiar with AutoCAD keyboard shortcut commands, CADVANCE Versions 99 and above can be customized to emulate AutoCAD keyboard shortcut commands. 

This way, the new CADVANCE user does not have to learn the whole set of CADVANCE commands.   Users can customize the keyboard setup and still use the mouse click for all commands if you wish.  Read the instructions in the 'Keycmds' sub-folder in the CADVANCE 2002 program folder, to get this started.

Note: A sample keycmds file, acad.cmd, and a customized file, acad2cv.doc, are included in keycmds sub folder for your reference.

 


**CADVANCE BOOK UPDATE**

CADVANCE BOOK Tutorial has been UPDATED to include all chapters in a single convenient PDF file!  This will save you even more time with your tutorial procedures. 

CADVANCE THE BOOK has been very popular, many users are very excited about it! 

CADVANCE BOOK works best with Version 2002 because the symbols on CD are V2002 Symbols.  For best use, you should upgrade to V2002.

 


**Free CADVANCE V6.5 Note**

A free CADVANCE V6.5 programs is still going strong.

Some of you may be interested to know how many people are downloading this free CADVANCE V6.5.

Here are the numbers of last 3 months download:

April - 647,  May - 752, June - 705 

Currently this Free CADVANCE V6.5 is a featured software by AECCafe, www.aeccafe.com

Also it is very interesting to tell you that several people in Iraq have downloaded despite the news about Iraq. We hope those people who have downloaded CADVANCE V6.5 can have enough time to learn it and utilize it.