I had no idea that 14 years ago I would be given the opportunity to make an impact on the professional lives of so many. Only God knew what was ahead, and hopefully, the contributions I have made through Michael's Corner have equipped many of you to be more productive and a bit more savvy using AutoCAD. And apart from all the AutoCAD bashing that is going on, I'm sure it has a long life ahead.

So, in an effort to keep the AutoCAD fires burning, here's what I have for my final installment…

…A reminder on how to customize your hot keys
…Three Power Tools — one for Zoom, one for editing, and one for Layers
…Two Odd Spots — one for Layers and one for Hatching
…Buried text treasure
…And how to Search 14 years of the Archives

As for what's ahead for me, I will continue to present a variety of AutoCAD sessions — Fundamentals, Intermediate, Customizing, Updates, and 2D & 3D. I will also keep training CAP Designer, 20-20 Worksheet, Visual Impression (those three from 20-20 Technologies, Inc.), and some Revit Fundamentals. Next year I'm looking forward to being very involved in training CET (from Configura, Inc.) when Herman Miller joins the growing number of manufacturers embracing this software that is being touted as the ‘Future of Space Planning’. Personally, I'm looking forward to spending a bit more time with Donna, my lovely bride of 30 years. When this posts, we'll probably be within days of going on our 30th Anniversary vacation to the Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson; Ee-Hah! We had such a good time when we went for our 20th, we figured we'd do it again!

Ah, and I'm hoping to have The AutoCAD Workbench, Final Edition out before snow flies.

And with that, Mike drop! …so to speak.

The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

I'm having waaaaay too much fun traveling around the planet, meeting new Designers, seeing friends, eating at recommended restaurants. And the most satisfying part is knowing that I'm enabling my customers to be quicker, better, smarter, and faster.

The fate of Michael's Corner has yet to be determined, but I'm still going to be available for training on AutoCAD, CAP Designer, 20-20 Worksheet, Visual Impression, Z-Axis, Revit fundamentals, and next year, CET from Configura.

I will definitely miss this venue for posting AutoCAD tips & insights, but as many of you know, the CADTutor Forum, is ripe with answers to questions you didn't even know you had!

In this next-to-last Michael's Corner, we lift the hood to discover more about…

…Visual Style properties
…Practical applications for a named view
…How to flip back to Model Space with a macro
…Forcing layer colors to Black & White in a viewport
…Creating a dual-display Dimension style with Ft-In, as well as Inches

And for those of you who would like the last 14 years in book form (or PDF), YES, I am currently updating The AutoCAD® Workbench to include 'em all. The AutoCAD Workbench, Final Edition will be updated to A2017 and, “Lord-willing and the creek don't rise”, will be out in time for Christmas or sooner.

Keep up the good work!

And while I'm thinking about it, a hearty ‘Thank You!’ to my customers, without whom I would be spending much more time finding tidbits for this tiny slice of the internet.

This time we'll do a quick review on…

…Steps to hyperlink an audio file to an object in the drawing using Hyperlink (which has been around since A2002)
…The variable FILETABPREVIEW which you can toggle off if you find the layout preview is bothersome on File tabs
…Why your Dynamic Input feature may be toggling on for no ‘apparent’ reason
…A few things to consider regarding the UCS icon in the lower left corner

And for those of you who would like the last 14 years in book form (or PDF), YES, I am currently updating The AutoCAD® Workbench to include 'em all. The AutoCAD Workbench, Final Edition will be updated to A2017 and, “Lord-willing and the creek don't rise”, will be out in time for Christmas or sooner.

Hope you have a delightful start to your summer!

And now that Autodesk® AutoCAD® 2017 is now out on the streets, you're going to want to run down to your local reseller and get your own personal copy! Oh, if it were only that simple. (Ch-ching!)

So, as you scroll through this post, you will find insights on…

…The AutoCAD 2017 PDF Import command
…Copying nested objects within a block
…“Best of”: The Wipeout object and Irregular Viewport Frames

And for those of you who would like the last 14 years in book form (or PDF), YES, I am currently updating The AutoCAD® Workbench to include 'em all. The AutoCAD Workbench, Final Edition will be updated to A2017 and will, “Lord-willing and the creek don't rise”, be out by early Fall as the last Michael's Corner is posted.

[Ah, and even though my contribution of Michael's Corner is coming to an elegant end, I'll not be retiring anytime soon. My training around the planet will continue. I'm having waaaaay too much fun seeing my friends and customers and meeting new ones.]

Happy Spring!

That said, it's time to direct my efforts elsewhere, so this will be my last year and there will be four more issues after this one. I'm leaning toward a ‘Final Edition’ of The AutoCAD Workbench, but I have yet to decide if and when that may be available.

In the meantime, here are a few things I thought would amuse, educate, and entertain…

…Introduced in A2016, the DIM command can be quite the time-saver.
…When making extensive edits, this Move Previous LISP routine may come in handy.
…Now that you're used to the ‘new’ File tabs at the top, here's how you can suppress that perpetual Start tab.
…Another quick tip on copying items on your Tool Palette.

Now, repeat after me: “We're just another day closer to Spring!!”

And although I'm not presenting at Autodesk University this year, I hope those of you who are able to attend are having (or had) a wonderful and educational experience, as it always is.

So here are a few things you may be interested in as the year winds down or as you're looking forward to the surprises in store this new year!

…Automating the Settings feature for Select Similar
…Restoring a Layer State from the Quick Access Toolbar
…Accessing commands from another Workspace
…Restoring the original value of a Dimension

Wishing one and all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Make a snow man — or a sand castle if that's more in keeping with your part of the world — and smile often… it'll make people wonder what you're up to!

…A2016's update to the Revision Cloud
…Refine the display of non-continuous linetypes
…Adjust the location of the Layout tabs in A2015 & A2016
…Some techniques to ferret out why a drawing may ‘disappear’

The colors are really starting to come out in the Midwest US and the weather's starting to gently turn cooler. Time to enjoy bonfires and S'mores, fireplaces and chili!

Keep up the good work, y'all and I'll chat with you again in a couple months!

On deck this time you'll learn…

…What the AutoCAD 2016 Variable Monitor can do for you
…How to switch the case in text objects
…The trick to suppressing that logo (Heart valve? Hotel in Dubai?) when you launch AutoCAD
…Why you should avoid using the Standard text and dimension styles

Hope you've had a delightful summer!

While Autodesk keeps putting new stuff in, I just want to make sure you know how to use the old stuff as efficiently as possible before moving on. To that end, I have a rather eclectic collection of customization bits that can be applied to all currently supported versions of AutoCAD. (How was that for being vaguely specific on where this tricks will work!?)

…Tweaking the Double Click Action to launch the earlier Edit Attributes dialog box.
…Putting the dynamite .BMP back on the Explode button.
…Viewing the Properties of the current Workspace.
…Modifying the plot scale list displayed when choosing a plot scale for a viewport.

When it's all said & done, however, it's all about economy of movement, productivity… and going home a wee bit sooner.

Hope you enjoy these!

So this time we're considering…

…How to transfer your Quick Access Toolbar content from your current AutoCAD version to another version
…The technique to toggle to other multifunction grip options
…Where to find the tool that allows you to divide a split viewport in Model space
…What to do if the block changes in your block source drawing (for your tool palette)

AutoCAD 2016's looking pretty good to me and I'm really excited about writing more about it in the months ahead!

…and I am SO glad Spring is here!

Carry on, friends!