How to rotate or twist the view in AutoCAD

Here are some AutoLISP commands that can be useful if you want to rotate or twist the view. Change 90 to any other angle if you like. For counterclockwise change to –90. If you have a recent version of AutoCAD and just want 90 degrees relative rotation use the built in ViewCube functionality and the two arrows at the top right.

The DVIEW command can be used to also manually to twist the view using the twist option that twists or tilts the view around the line of sight. The twist angle is measured counterclockwise, with 0 degrees to the right.

The AutoCAD system variable VIEWTWIST stores the view rotation angle for the current viewport measured relative to the WCS and is also named as “Roll angle” (Displays the rotation angle of the view within your viewing plane, which is a plane parallel to your monitor's screen.) in the View Manager. This is being used for rotating the view relative the current rotation.

; By Jimmy Bergmark, www.jtbworld.com
; Rotate 90 degrees relative the current twist rotation
(defun c:r90 ()
  (command "._dview" "" "_twist" (+ (* 180.0 (/ (getvar "viewtwist") pi)) 90 ) "")
  (princ)
)

; Rotate -90 degrees relative the current twist rotation
(defun c:r-90 ()
  (command "._dview" "" "_twist" (+ (* 180.0 (/ (getvar "viewtwist") pi)) -90 ) "")
  (princ)
)

; Rotate to 90 degrees fixed twist rotation
(defun c:r90f ()
  (command "._dview" "" "_twist" 90 "")
  (princ)
)

; Rotate to 0 degrees fixed twist rotation
(defun c:r0f ()
  (command "._dview" "" "_twist" 0 "")
  (princ)
)

Before

and after rotating the view 90 degrees.

AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 Service Pack 1 Hotfix 1

AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 Service Pack 1 Hotfix 1 addresses issues reported by customers who use the Customer Error Reporting (CER) utility.

Updates have been made in the following commands and features:

· A fatal error can occur when opening the Properties panel after selecting features in offline mode (MAPWORKOFFLINE).

· AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 becomes unstable after deleting AdeTopView objects.

· AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 becomes unstable when a value in registry exceeds 1024 characters.

· AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 cannot be launched once AutoCAD Map 3D 2010 has been uninstalled.

· AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 becomes unstable when moving the cursor over a polygon feature if other Autodesk products are installed in the same machine.

The following issues have been fixed:

· Some commands like MAPPOLYLINETOPOLYGON and MAPTOPOLOGYTOPOLYGONS can only be invoked once. Any further attempt to use the commands will not work.

If you have not got SP1 yet here it is.

Primary AutoCAD Map 3D Issues Resolved by Service Pack 1

API - DRAWING CLEANUP

· Usage limitation to TopologyClean has been extended.

DATA EXCHANGE

· Crash when change to offline mode for the electric industry model from SQL Server with an invalid template.

· Crash when try to convert data from different feature class sources to the same feature class as a target.

FDO WFS

· DigitalGlobe server can now be connected through the FDO WFS provider.

FDO SQL SERVER

· SQL Server Spatial Connection works when get functions with geometry parameter from server side.

FORMS

· The last used setting of label creation is remembered on the Choose label definition dialog.

INDUSTRY MODEL

· Industry Model Structure Update with Genx file which GeomSelectStatement is NULL will not result in invalid geometry select statement

USER & WORKSPACE

· Oracle user permission for workflows is now working for Map Client and application extension.

VECTOR SYMBOLIZATION

· Special characters (especially German characters) are now converted correctly by the “Convert Blocks” tool.

See also AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1.

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 Service Pack 1

Here’s what Autodesk says about SP1 for Civil 3D 2013:

In a continuing effort to provide high quality products, Autodesk has released AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 Service Pack 1, which fixes or addresses a variety of issues discovered by customers and by Autodesk's internal testing team.

This Service Pack includes all previous hotfixes for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013. It also includes the fixes included in AutoCAD 2013 Service Pack 1.1 and AutoCAD Map 3D 2013 Service Pack 1.

Note: This update applies to all language versions and to versions of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 with previous hotfixes applied. Before applying this update, make sure that any customizations made to the user profile (such as, customizations made to the support file search paths, print file customizations, printer support file paths, redirections, custom template settings, and so on) are exported to a secure location, then imported and reapplied after the update has been successfully installed. You cannot run an automatic uninstall to remove this update. To restore your version of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 to its pre-update state, uninstall AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 and reinstall it.

The following issues have been resolved in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 Service Pack 1:

.NET API

• The IsUsed property in StyleBase now reports whether a style is in use by an AutoCAD Civil 3D object.

Cogo

• The COGO Editor now accepts Degrees/Minutes/Seconds in a spaced format.
• The COGO Editor now retains the saved value in the description field.

Corridor Design

• An issue with the Offset End Station value that prevented a drawing from opening has been resolved.
• Switching between drawings while Station Tracker is enabled no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.
• An issue that caused errant feature lines to be generated between stations has been resolved.

Corridor Volumes

• An issue where cut/fill volume shading was displaying incorrectly in some cross sections has been resolved.

Cross Section Views

• The Update Section View Layout command no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.
• Opening a AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 drawing containing the OverlayAndMill subassembly no longer results in a display issue with the section views.

Cross Sections

• Selecting multiple existing polylines when creating sample lines no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.

Data Exchange

• An imported structure will now use the expected dimension rather than the dimension of the first structure of the imported group.

Feature Lines

• Creating feature lines from objects when the objects are overlapping closed polylines no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.

General/Other

• An issue that caused an error when closing a drawing has been resolved.
• An issue that caused an error when starting AutoCAD Civil 3D after migrating settings from a previous release has been resolved.
• The stability of the Audit command has been improved.
• Using the Move/Copy/Rotate Express Tool after grip editing an object no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.
• In drawings with a custom UCS, switching from the model tab to the layout tab will no longer reset model tab to isometric.
• Using your mouse wheel to pan while in a command no longer causes an unexpected error.
• Deleting the last remaining layout while set to model viewin that layout no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.
• File sync of custom Tool Palettes has been disabled.
• Opening a drawing by double-clicking on the file no longer causes an unexpected error.
• The performance of tooltips has been improved.
• North rotation is now calculated as expected between Coordinate Settings and Geolocation.
• An issue that caused an error when saving a drawing has been resolved.

Grading

• An error while using the Grade to Surface command has been resolved.
• Deleting a PI from a feature line no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.

Hydraflow Storm Sewers

• Storm Sewer calculations have been clarified to follow methodologies according to HEC-22.
• Storm Sewers using HDS-5 inlet control option now report expected results.
• The following issues related to inlet calculations and reporting have been resolved:
  • Inlet section view displays spread correctly in 2D when depression is ignored.
  • Slotted drains in sag condition now calculate expected depth and spread values while transitioning between weir and orifice flow.
  • Open Area Design calculations are now less than or equal to the product of grate length and width.
  • A column in theInteractive Designer is now labeled "Local Depression" to be consistent with the data-entry field.

Hydraflow Express

• The following issues related to Inlet calculations and reporting have been resolved:
  • Inlet Section View display shows spread correctly in 2D when depression is ignored.
  • Slotted drains in sag condition now calculate expected depth and spread values while transitioning between weir and orifice flow.
  • Open Area Design calculations are now less than or equal to the product of grate length and width.
• The following issues related to culvert calculations and reporting have been resolved:
  • Circular culverts now report consistent tailwater results as expected across a flow range.
  • Elliptical culvert calculations now report expected headwater values above the crown of the pipe.

Hydraflow Hydrographs

• Hydrograph plots are now displayed correctly on computers running Windows XP 32-bit.

Inquiry

• Switching between drawings while the Profile View Elevation and Grade Between Points inquiry command is active no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.

Labels

• An issue where referenced pipe spanning labels list the incorrect distance after reopening a drawing has been resolved.
• An issue where referenced pipe network labels in section view disappear after reopening a drawing has been resolved.
• Wipeout frames used in styles now display as expected.

LandXML

• When importing LandXML data, alignments are now imported to the specified drawing layer.

Object Enabler

• Importing a drawing using Navisworks Manage 2013 no longer results in the application becoming unresponsive or closing unexpectedly.

Parcels

• Deleting a PI of a perimeter parcel no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.

Pipe Networks

• Solid hatching now displays as expected in profile views.
• Issues recognizing the correct Manning roughness n-value for parts has been resolved.
• Pipe length data is now available in structure tables displaying connected pipes.
• Synchronizing a pipe network with a part swapped in the source drawing now updates the style as expected.

Points

• Creating a point no longer fails if a survey point with the same number already exists in the drawing.
• Assigning user-defined properties to a point group from the Summary tab no longer results in the application closing unexpectedly.
• The next point number is now assigned correctly when creating points from objects.

Pressure Networks

• Deleting pressure networks while the Pressure Network panorama is open no longer causes the program to close unexpectedly.
• Minimum radius values for curved pipes are now updated when changing pipe sizes during layout.
• Quantity takeoff reports now list lengths of pressure pipe when linear pay items are assigned.

Profiles

• Grip editing a PVI marker with OSNAP enabled no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.
• Linetypes used for profiles that are referenced now appear as expected.

Project Management

• Drawings with circular dependencies now generate a prompt when being checked in.
• An error is no longer generated when checking in a drawing with a reference, when the reference drawing is checked out by another user.

Quantity Takeoff

• The Pay Item and Pay Item Categorization files now default to the previously browsed path.

Reports

• The PVI Station and Curve report is now generated correctly when the ambient setting for Grade/Slope format is set to Per Mille.

Shortcuts

• An issue that allows the same profile object to be mapped to two different parent alignments has been resolved.
• Performance when opening a drawing containing references has been improved.

Superelevation

• The diagram in the Create Superelevation View dialog box is now displayed as expected when the alignment is referenced.

Surface

• Watershed analysis performance on DEM surfaces has been improved.
• The Drape Image command no longer results in a reversed image when hardware acceleration is enabled.
• The stability of the Level of Detail command has been improved.
• The stability of the Resolve Crossing Breaklines command has been improved.

Survey

• The lower pane of Figure Properties dialog box now displays the Import Events as expected.
• Modifying figure data in Figure Properties dialog box no longer causes the application to close unexpectedly.
• Editing Chain Type Figure Properties no longer causes the layer to reset to 0.

Get SP1 here.