AutoCAD 2020: Top 5 New Features
Each new version of Auto CAD comes with upgrades. Some of these
features are entirely new, while others build on existing tools. Below is
an insider’s look at what is in store for us in Auto CAD 2020.
1. Quick
Measurement Tool
For years, the Measure drop down in the Utilities
panel has been a handy way to find distances, angles, diameters, and
areas. Historically, the user chooses the measurement option they want,
selects the relevant objects (or snaps to points) in the drawing, and notes the
measurement. A faster version of this tool is now available, called
“Quick Measure.”
When this tool is active, the program finds
measurements close to the cross hairs and automatically displays them. This
tool tracks distances along line segments, distances between parallel lines,
and angles (showing the customary symbol for right angles). Quick Measure
is now the default measure tool, which can be accessed with the MEAsure command. The previously existing sub-commands are still available.
2. Improved DWG Compare
The Compare Tool was introduced in 2019 in order to
see the differences between two drawings. For instance, if two people at
the office opened a version of a drawing, saved local copies, and made changes,
this tool could create color-coded revision clouds encircling the differences
to help users see who had drafted what since the drawing contents diverged.
In 2019, the compare tool forced users to browse to
the two versions of the drawings. Then it made a third drawing with the
color-coded revision clouds around the differences. Users would inspect
the differences, make desired changes, and typically, save the third drawing
over one of the original files. In AutoCAD 2020, the COMPARE-EXPORT command exports a similar “snapshot” drawing, replicating the 2019 method.
The new, easier to follow workflow available in
AutoCAD 2020 has the user open one of the two drawings, run the compare tool,
and point to the comparison drawing. AutoCAD 2020 embeds the differences
directly into the current drawing with the same color-coded revision clouds,
while displaying a handy DWG Compare Toolbar:
The program enters an editing state, encouraging the
user to accept or reject changes seen in the comparison drawing. Arrow
buttons automate the process of looking through the changes one by one.
The COMPARE-IMPORT command (or button ) will bring selected, unique objects from
the comparison drawing into the current drawing. The checkmark dismisses
the editing state in order to return to business as usual.
While AutoCAD 2019 created an extra drawing file you
had to juggle (and likely erase in the end) as a stepping stone to get the
desired version of the drawing, AutoCAD 2020 cuts out this extra drawing in
favor of this more streamlined workflow.
3.
Blocks Palette
Review of Previous Versions:
To understand the value of the update to the block
workflow in 2020, it is helpful to review the pre-existing ways to work with
blocks. AutoCAD 2020 has three common workflow mechanisms for blocks: the
insert dialogue, the tool palette, and the design center.
- The insert dialogue allows users to find blocks in the
current drawing and insert more of them. It also has a browse button
that allows users to choose a .dwg file and insert it as a block.
Since a .dwg is a drawing file, that means that users can browse for a
previous drawing (or a block that had been saved as a drawing, perhaps in
a block library folder), and then insert it as a block. The command
is I.
- The tool palette is populated with pre-existing blocks that
come with the program. Click the desired block in the palette, then
click to place an instance of it in the model. Many users and firms
have custom tool palettes with company-specific blocks. Also,
special versions of CAD, such as Civil 3D or MEP, have specialized
built-in palettes related to their disciplines. The command is TP.
- The design center allows users to peek through open drawings, recent drawings, or browse for other drawings in order to borrow their block definitions and bring them into the current drawing. Once the user browses to the correct location and clicks the icon to load the blocks, they can drag and drop them from the design center dialogue box into the current drawing. The command is DC.
These commands are still accessible. To access
an older version of a command in the newest software, add – before it.
(For instance, -Insert).
Changes in the Current Version
The new version combines aspects of the design
center with the insert dialogue box.
- Now, when running the Insert command, the new blocks palette
appears. The advantages of this new palette are the tabs for
“Current Drawing,” “Recent,” and “Other Drawing.” These tabs work
similarly to the design center, in the sense that the user gets easy
access to visual previews of the block they are looking for, regardless of
the source drawing. Note that there is still an ellipsis button (it
looks like three periods) towards the top right if the user would like to
browse the file structure of the computer for the source drawing with the
perfect block. Insertion options are presented simply at the bottom
of the dialogue box.
- Meanwhile, the tool palette is left intact as a separate entity. The workflow for the tool palette is outlined in the section above. The design center can still be used, and has its uses (sharing layouts, linetypes, etc. between drawings), but the improvements to the insert command has made the design center somewhat superfluous for working with blocks.
Summary
of Commands
BLOCKSPALETTE – This command opens the blocks
palette in order to bring in blocks.
-INSERT or CLASSICINSERT – Still starts the command
line version of the classic INSERT command.
INSERT – Same as the BLOCKSPALETTE command except in
scripts, which run the legacy INSERT command in order to maintain compatibility
inside lisp routines and other scripts.
Other common commands to remember are B (to define a
block), WB, (to write a block to a .dwg file, commonly used in setting up block
libraries), BE (for block edit), X (to Xplode a block).
4. Improved Cloud Workflow
In 2019, Autodesk launched a built-in button to save
drawings to the cloud. AutoCAD 2020 offers a few improvements:
- In the save and open dialogue box, the “Places” list (the
greyish bar on the left of the dialogue box) can now support cloud
services. After browsing to a commonly-used folder, simply drag that
folder to the “Places” List for easy access for the next open/save.
- When saving to the cloud, XREFs are automatically
included. This means you won’t lose valuable information embedded
into your drawing as an XREF.
- Extra permissions settings are available if you prefer to disable cloud-storage capabilities for security reasons.
Above, the “Save to Cloud” option is captured in
red.
5. User Interface
AutoCAD 2020 introduces a midnight blue theme,
making the contrasting white icons crisper. Ribbon Tabs are now shown in
bold when they become active.
You can change the color theme of the outer elements
by running the OPtions command,
going to the Display tab, and toggling the “Windows Elements” from dark to
light. In the same tab of Options, you can click the “Colors” button to
change the color scheme of the model space or other Interface elements.
Each version of AutoCAD represents another step in the
cycle to make the software closer to ideal. This time around, there was
more focus on improving past tools than on brainstorming new ones. Often
these strides are the greatest, since Autodesk can use feedback on initial tools
to make them work the way that users want to use them. As they say,
hindsight is 20-20.
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