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AutoCAD Productivity

Rotate with the Copy Option

by Michael Beall

From: AutoCAD Productivity Articles #135
Originally published: August 2014

Grips don't get a lot of respect, but they are really quite powerful [See ‘The Lost Art of Grips’ in Michael's Corner March 2005], and the introduction of multifunction grips a few versions ago [Covered in Michael's Corner in July 2011 & April 2012], really kicked 'em up a notch.

However, what I want to mention here, is the Copy option of the Rotate command (…which is a similar feature when using grips, if you were wondering about the relevance).

Chairs to copy and rotate

In the following exercise, the chair arrangement must be completed on all four sides.

How to Copy with Rotate

  1. Launch the Rotate command, select the objects to rotate, then press [Enter].

  2. To pick the middle of the conference table, Shift + Right-click and click Mid Between 2 Points, then click two diagonally opposed corners to specify the rotation basepoint between them.

  3. Click the Copy option (or enter C if you have a version prior to AutoCAD 2013).

  4. Turn on Ortho if necessary, then click to rotate—and copy—the selected objects!

Chairs copied and rotated

See all the articles published in August 2014

Michael's Corner

Between 2003 and 2016, Michael Beall (and one or two guests) wrote almost 600 articles for CADTutor. The focus of these articles is AutoCAD productivity, and although some of them are now more than a few years old, most remain relevant to current versions of AutoCAD. The article above is just one example. Check out Michael's Corner for a full listing.

Tip of the Day

Mid Between 2 Points (m2p)

m2pSometimes you might want to find a point midway between two other points. In the past, you might have drawn a line between these two points and then used "Snap to Midpoint" but this requires the drawing of a construction line and isn't very efficient.

Enter the m2p object snap. This will find the midpoint between any two picked points without the need for a construction line.

How it works: Say you want to draw a circle midway between two squares, start the circle command and then enter "m2p" when prompted to specify the center point. Now just follow the prompts.

Command: circle
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: m2p
First point of mid: (pick first point)
Second point of mid: (pick second point)
Specify radius of circle or [Diameter] <20.000>: (pick to complete circle)

Today's tip is by yedan

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