3D AutoCAD 2004/2005: One Step at a Time

Overview

Following this lesson, you will:

• Know how to create and manipulate Block Attributes

  • The Attdef command

• Know how to insert blocks with attributes

• Know how to control the display of attributes

  • The Attdisp, Attreq, and Attdia system variables

• Know how to edit attribute information

  • The -Attedit, DDAtte, and Eattedit commands

• Know how to redefine a block with attributes

  • The Block Attribute Manager

• Know how to extract attribute data to another program or for a bill of materials

  • The Attext and Eattext commands

One of the most important jobs a CAD operator may have involves the politics of convincing his or her supervisor (and often the supervisor's supervisor) of the importance of using AutoCAD as its creators intended. This will inevitably mean that the initial job setup will take more time than a non-CAD-oriented person might consider necessary. But the delay will be repaid "seven-fold" at the end of the project.

The operator might explain that AutoCAD isn't, as is commonly believed, simply a very expensive drafting tool. Rather, AutoCAD should be considered the backbone of the overall project. Indeed, a design properly created in AutoCAD serves not only as an outline for construction but also reduces material take-off and purchasing chores from weeks to minutes.

To cut large pieces of time from the end of the project, smaller pieces of time must be spent at the setup phase. Part of this time is required to create your libraries or to adjust purchased libraries to project standards. This adjustment should involve the addition of project-specific attributes to your blocks. You'll use these attributes to generate bills of materials and to share material information with material take-off (MTO) and purchasing programs.

This lesson will cover how to create and edit attributes and how to share attribute data with other programs.

Let's begin.