LEGAL NOTICE. MycadHELPER, MycadKEYS, MycadFUNS, MycadLAYERS and MycadZONES have no relationship business or otherwise with Autocad, Autodesk, MyCAD or CADKEY. MyCAD seems to have little to do with conventional CAD programs. CADKEY has since been renamed to “KEY CREATOR“
MYCADHELPER is an AutoLISP productivity system for AutoCAD-compatible CAD programs. It reduces command input, automates layer management, improves drawing organisation and can dramatically increase drafting speed.
‘HELPER is a distilation of the work and thinking of this author over 40 years of CAD practice; now retired. Before it is too late, Colin wishes to offer whatever is useful from that experience to others. He has used and taught AutoCAD since AutoCAD Release One, has saved his thoughts on a personal website mycadhelper.com. It is there for anyone who wishes to borrow some pretty productive ideas.
`HELPER is an add-on for Autocad-like drafting programs. It offers a very extensive and efficient combination of Command Aliases driving both standard AutoCAD commands, an extensive and simply CLEVER collection of Smart Command Functions and an Automated Layer Creation and Managment system that facilitates Coincident Overlay Modelling (COM) to create WORKZONES (production drawings). Every CAD operator will be interested in MycadHELPER Aliases, Autolisp short-cuts and Layers and CAD managers will be especially interested in the ultimate power of MycadHELPER, WorkZONES and Coincident Overlay Modelling.
If you would like to give it a try drop a line to calfredwright@gmail.com or leave a comment under MycadHELPER at https://www.cadtutor.net/forum/
MycadHELPER is Best for:
- Beginners wishing to understand how AutoCAD really works
- Experienced CAD drafters looking for improved production
- Small drafting businesses searching for a business edge
- Architects wanting to produce more efficient and accurate drawings
- CAD managers seaking to improve understanding of CAD and production output
:Not For
- Casual users
- Ribbon-menu only users
- CAD is just a job drafters
Questions:
1. What does `HELPER cost?
2. Will `HELPER improve my CAD skills?
3.How long will it take me to learn `HELPER?
4.Is learning `HELPER worth the effort?
5.Will I become locked into `HELPER.
Short answers:
1.`HELPER will cost you nothing.
2.Yes you will become a faster smarter drafter.
3.You will be effective within one week and professional within one month.
4.`HELPER will be the most valuable step you have taken in becoming a CAD professional.
5. `HELPER is easily transported wherever you go and if necessary it can be run from your personal external HD Drive or USB stick.
MycadKEYS – the original driving force of `HELPER
MycadHELPER started as MycadKEYS. In its original format MycadKEYS was a tool to provide an efficient and easily understandable and learnable system of very short command aliases that cover almost every common AutoCAD command (900 of them) and a collection of Autolisp functions expanding AutoCAD command functions and options. It has since been updated and expanded into MycadHELPER to include other tools such as MycadLAYERS, (an automated layer standard) and MycadZONES (a powerful coincident-overlay-drafting tool).
‘KEYS eliminates menus, long command names and excessive <enter> keystrokes from command execution and adds many drafting assist tools such as OSNAPS and SELECT object options. Importantly ‘KEYS now includes advanced Layer and Workzone commands.
If reqired ‘KEYS Aliases can be used not only to initiate `HELPER commands. There is no need to retain AutoCAD’s own Aliases but ‘KEYS can be used to initiate generic AutoCAD commands if that is your preference.
MycadHELPER – A change of thinking
MycadHELPER is so divergent from conventional CAD menu-based techniques to issue and run commands that it requires a change of mindset and some initial effort to get started. BUT I believe that `HELPER DOUBLED my personal output. What is more is that it is professionally enjoyable to use. I believe that it can do the same for you.
MycadLAYERS
Underpinning MycadHELPER is MycadLAYERS. Without LAYERS, CAD is no more than a simple sketch pad. Use of LAYERS is the fundamental data management tool that provides of all CAD modelling. MycadLAYERS provides the automated Layer Naming Standard and functions to create and manage professional production drawings.
MycadZONES
MycadZONES is an advanced optional outcome of MycadLAYERS. It provides the strategy and functions to manage the WORKZONES (Production Drawings) into which your drawing objects are organized (plans, sections, elevations, levels, trade-zones etc.) `ZONES differs from standard layer manager tools in that it provides a way to automatically manage MULTIPLE WORKZONES in the same single model single file. (Do not confuse WorkZones with WorkSpaces. Workspaces is an AutoCAD concept to save drafting environments, Workzones is about setting up production drawings).
Advantages of MycadHELPER
MycadHELPER not just another collection of command aliases nor is it a program replacement for Autocad or a particular profession. ‘HELPER is an enhancement for all CAD programs that offer LISP user customization. MycadHELPER does not attempt to compete with or change the special functions of your CAD program but instead provides significant enhancements to the user interface of generic commands plus its own special command enhancements. And it does this for most programs offering AutoLISP.
The bottomline is that MycadHELPER will be most appreciated by experienced drafters looking for a professional advantage but will also help newer users to learn to use Autocad and its commands more quickly and effectively.
Sumary of MycadHELPER
- Supports a CLEAN SCREEN – no Ribbon menus needed.
- Eliminates hunting for menu icons – commands and responses are entered directly to the command line.
- Solves the problem of inconsistent, confusing and incomplete command ALIAS names. MycadHELPER’s proficiently designed command alias method provides for every command in a systematic, understandable and easily remembered way.
- Many command aliases are single character, most are two a few are three. Only composite commands or complex named commnds exceed two.
- Speeds learning of AutoCAD and encourages learning of commands and their responses and is a proactive rather than reactive approach to Autocad..
- AutoCAD’s Commandline was the first and always has been the best way to control CAD.
- At the professional end MycadHELPER offers optional COINCIDENT-OVERLAY-DRAFTING to produce WORKZONES (production drawings) that reduce drawing effort, speed up and simplify editing, increase accuracy and alignment of multi-level multi-function data-models ready for plotting.
Example of ‘HELPER WorkZONES
Here is a project with all of its plan information for 5 floor levels overlaid.
Here is the same project with layers filtered for editing and plotting.
WorkZones vs BIM?
AutoCAD has significant underused capabilities of Overlay modeling that can avoid the common errors of alignment and clashes inherent in traditional methods of side-by-side drawing. The advanced automated layer management that comes with MycadLAYERS and MycadZONES not only facilitates but encourages and automates Coincident Overlay Modeling to produce multi-discipline, multi-level, single integrated models saving time and enhancing data integrity. With both Building Information Modeling (BIM) and 2D drafting the data extracted is only as good as the data put in. In less complimentary colloquial terms “garbage in garbage out”. Overlay modeling provides an excellent opportunity to ensure good data in, but only if the designer and the program ensures accuracy and completeness.
MycadHELPER’s Overlay-Modelling and WorkZONES may not be a solution for complete construction information extraction but they are powerfull aids to the accuracy and completeness of a building or other product model.