No, we’re not looking for Extra-Terrestrials but instead, we’re going to explore AutoCAD's Express Tools. These ETs have always been a nice little bonus to the regular toolset, in fact, they were originally called Bonus Tools. Today, they're often an indispensable part of our workflows. Just click on the Express Tools tab of the Ribbon, and there they are; 49 of the coolest commands AutoCAD has to offer.
Who could ask for more? Well, you could, and you should, because there are more! Let's continue to explore AutoCAD's Express Tools and see if we can find a few more rare gems.
Digging Deeper
Our journey starts with the old-style Menu Bar. Turn it on with either the drop-down widget on the right side of the QAT or by typing in MENUBAR and setting it to 1. Click Express on the far right side, and it will expand to show 10 categories of tools. We're on to something here, as there are only 8 panels in the Ribbon. I'll save you the effort of expanding each and counting them, but there are 65 Express Tools here. Below is an example. The Ribbon has 6 Modify tools, but the pulldown has 8. (Have you ever wanted to set the DrawOrder of your objects based on their color? It’s found in this menu but not the Ribbon).
So far, with just a few clicks, we've found 16 extra Express Tools! Not bad you say, but I say we should dig even deeper. From the menu bar pulldown, click on About Express Tools at the bottom. The Help window will appear, along with some points of interest, which is nice, but we're on the hunt for productivity. Click on the link that reads Express Tools Reference. And finally, there it is. The Holy Grail of Express Tools. The whole list. The mother lode. Feel free to count them, or take my word for it, there are 85.
Summing Up
I’ll leave it to you to click through them. Some may be branded obsolete (usually subsumed into a modern command) but they all still work. Perhaps you can find one that addresses a specific need you’ve had.
And almost every ET is written in AutoLISP, so if you're just beginning to program in AutoCAD, you might be struck with a great new idea. If you’re curious and a Windows® user, you can find the code for them here: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 202x\Express (replace the x with your version number). Just don’t edit the original code, please!
However you decide to use your newly found Express Tools, don’t be afraid to dig around in AutoCAD… you just might find a diamond in the rough.
You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.