Moving from Intelli to AutoCAD - please help

Hi group

I'm IntelliCAD user - moving to AutoCAD 2002. It now starts to look
like downgrade.
I have several problems and hope You can help me at least with some. I
will try to explain by comparing IntelliCAD and ACAD, 3D is no
comparison of course.

1. Deleting Layers/DimStyles
I know how, but ACAD won't delete if there are object on them.
IntelliCAD asks what to do with those objects, delete or move them to
different layer/dimstyle, and deletes layer/dimstyle with no problem.
Can this be done in ACAD?

2. Use of DesignCenter
IntelliCAD has something very similar, but in it's "Explorer" all
layer properties (colour, linetype, on/off etc.) are visible and can
be changed. Design Center only lists layers, "details" does nothing.
Am i doing something wrong?

3. ACCELERATORS
a) Once more, am i reading help the wrong way It looks like only
"Ctrl" and "Ctrl+Shift" are valid accelerators! What happened to
"Alt"?!! This really sucks if true, is it; please say NO i will
break my fingers with ctrl.

b) In IntelliCAD whole numeric part of keyboard can be used for
accelerators. No ctrl, alt, shift, nothing, one key only. Something
like keyboard reassignment. I have "@" on "/" key, and "." on "*" key,
and use them in commands. I know these keys can't be used in ACAD so i
tried this:
[CONTROL+"numpad1"] @
[CONTROL+"numpad2"] .
and this
[CONTROL+"numpad1"] @\
[CONTROL+"numpad2"] .\

none worked. Second pauses for user input but leaves "\", disrupting
the command. How to solve this? AltGr+V and regular "." now fell like
torture.

c) What is wrong with this:
[CONTROL+"W"]'pan
[CONTROL+"E"]'zoom ;
It is exact copy from toolbars, but doesn't work like toolbars. When i
use pan and want to use dynamic zoom i have to end pan (esc,
space...). Not like on toolbar where click on zoom starts it, while in
pan, and vice versa.

4. Draworder
I want to select everything on Layer1 and bring it in front of
everything else (on screen and plot). Really easy in IntelliCAD:
draworder->select by layer->bring to front. In ACAD Display Order
works but for one object only. I tried to make selection set with
everything on Layer1 using Quick Select and than Display
Order->previous, but nothing. Same goes for sending Layer1 back.

5. Lack of JOIN command
Here is what JOIN does: Line1 start point=0,0 end point=1,0; Line2
start point=2,0 end point=3,0. After using join on them one line is
left, 3 units long from 0,0 to 3,0 matching properties from first one
selected.
I tried some join lisps but none of them worked. They only join lines
and arcs that are continuous.
Is there some lisp that can do what IntelliCADs JOIN command does?

6. Selecting by properties
Is there a way to get quick select to work in command line only?
-QSELECT didn't help. Also qselect can't be used transparently.
IntelliCAD has selection by properties which is much better for fast
typers.


7. Naming/selecting Layers
Naming layer "&Layer" in IntelliCAD will produce Layer with "L"
underlined like on menus. Selecting such layers is supereasy. Any sign
with "&" in front of it becomes underlined. This half works in ACAD.
Such names are properly displayed in qselect but can't be selected
like that.
But most importantly i couldn't get it to work in layer drop down
list. Can anyone, and how?

That is it, for now (it's more than i thought it will be). I hope You
can help me and lessen my initial disappointment in AutoCAD.

Thanks in advance!

 

Thanks McSwain,
here are a few more questions

Sorry, i wasn't precise enough. I want to do all that in one "window"
for all open drawings. Layer Manager works only for the drawing where
it was started.

It really does, i don't know what i was doing the first time

I know how to use it, i was just hoping there is something
simpler-faster, for one condition only. I hate pointing and clicking
in various dialog boxes, and use keyboard whenever possible.

Damn AutoDesk Are they reading this?

Here is one more question

8. COPY and MOVE between drawings
In IntelliCAD move and copy between two open drawings is the same as
if only one is open, no complication whatsoever, just change window
and select where you want it. In ACAD i have to mess with clipboard.
COPYBASE works well for copy, unfortunately there is no MOVEBASE.
Ctrl+X works but no base point, and what is worse once pasted in the
second drawing you have no way of selecting only those objects again,
Select->previous does not work!
Any solution for this (except copy from dwg1 to dwg2 and than delete
from dwg1)?


Any ideas on Accelerators and Layer/dimstyle names, anyone?

 

Again Thanks McSwain,
This time with original nick

 

im thinking of switching from autocad to intellicad....do you think it pays
of?

how good is intellicad? is it better than acad?

 

Try it, but when you first do you will probably hate it (like i did
the first time). Menus are weird, "objects" are "entities" etc...
Osnap sometime has a mind of his own and little things like that.

But if you spend some time tweaking it, it becomes perfect 2D drawing
tool. For now the only two things i have found useful and better in
AutoCAD is hatch editing (my old IntelliCAD doesn't support it, don't
know for newer) and layer dropdown list (in IntelliCAD you have to
open layer manager to change objects layer). It doesn't have object
tracking.
Everything else is the same or (for me) worse in AutoCAD.

This is very important. IntelliCAD supports AutoCAD *.mnu and *.pgp
files so you can import them and have your AutoCAD look in one move on
IntelliCAD. Removing some things that IntelliCAD doesn't have and
adding some that AutoCAD doesn't have is necessary. You can also
change toolbar icons. Much better and easier customizing in
IntelliCAD.
It supports lisp.

You can try 3D, but it supports only surfaces (again, my old version).

I wanted something that will do both 2D and 3D, and am now stuck doing
2D in IntelliCAD and 3D in AutoCAD, instead of just buying SolidWorks
(or something like that) >:-|

Price = IntelliCAD ten times better

Pogotovo za nase prilike

 

Out of curiosity (and sorry for the off topic of Acad)... but does Intellicad
happen to have something like DRCAuto's Xref Clip command? Rather handy to be
able to clip Xrefs..

TIA

Bruce F

 

Thanks!

DRCauto is a 3rd party add on for LT. We've been using it at work for several
years now (LT2002) and it gives us 100% Lisp compatibility which we really
need. So for about 1/4 the cost of a full Acad license, we get all we need.

But again, thanks for your info... I'll soon be striking out on my own and am
looking at Icad for my use. So just checking out certain features that I
really want/need.

Oh,,, and I'll start to watch the Icad NG too from now on.

Regards,

Bruce F