Michael’s Corner

Michael's Corner is a monthly publication written by Michael E. Beall, Autodesk Authorized Author and peripatetic AutoCAD trainer. Michael travels all over the USA, bringing his fantastic experience and great understanding of AutoCAD to his clients. Michael's Corner brings together many of the tips, tricks and methods developed during these training sessions for the benefit of all users.

Michael's Corner provides something for every AutoCAD user. Every month, a number of articles cover a wide range of topics, suitable for users at all levels, including "The Basics" for those just starting out. Essentially, the aim of Michael's Corner is to help all AutoCAD users work smarter and faster.

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This month…

From the Vault

Originally published August 2003

Insta-Block!

With no command current, select several objects you want to "block out". Right click anywhere (or where you want the base point to be, though Osnap is not available) and hold down your right mouse button until your cursor turns into a pointer, then drag the objects to where you want them placed.

When you release the right mouse button, a shortcut menu will appear from which you can choose several options. Unfortunately, implementation of an object snap cannot be done when using the Move Here or Copy Here features. The Paste as Block feature, however, can be a real time saver. Insta-block!

Tip: Use the Rename dialog to rename the now randomly named block.

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