Make sure you have snaps enabled. you can type OSNAP to select the setting and hit F3 to toggle them osnap on and off. Often if the snap i want is not showing up i will hit CTRL + RIGHT CLICK to bring up a snap override menu and select the snap i need. Im guessing you may need endpoint snap enabled.

This has some good stuff in it. Some of these were work flow changers for me.

http://cadintentions.com/10-secret-autocad-commands/

I’ve encountered this problem before but i do not believe it has been solved yet. I think it may be a hardware specific issue but i’m really not sure.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-forum/autocomplete-displays-on-wrong-side-of-screen/m-p/6462141#M134851

What process are you using to create the PDF?

Best way to find jobs is by word of mouth so id talk to any contact you have persoanly and i would go check out any and all professional forums. cadtutor.net, Augi.org, forums.autodesk.com etc etc

Running the gauntlet of online applications is TOUGH. So id get on the forums and find their “classifieds” section and dig around for anything.

If you end up plowing into the online application thing check out Rickgillis.com. I did a short article on him a while back. I attended his class after i had a job but the info was excellent he give you a strategy to get through the wall of application filters which you will definitely encounter.

My day to day is less about dream machines and more about what i can convince the IT department that i need. So far they dont seem to think we need a dependable system so i gotta take the baby steps i can get…

If you do take the plunge into a new system be sure to check the specs first: https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/System-requirements-for-AutoCAD-2017.html

As my hand are tied on most hardware i do have a little wiggle room with peripherals. My dream is to once again have my precious… my,,, Microsoft Trackball Explorer..

To change a single dimension you can slect the dimension and right click and select properties. In the properties tab you can change the text height.

Its better to set your dimension style so that its the size you want every time you dimension. this is controlled by DIMSTYLE.

Ascent has some pretty good material on prep for certification. I would suggest checking them out and using it as a goal.

http://www.ascented.com/courseware-solutions/autodesk/autodesk-certification/review-for-certification

Sams got a pretty cool pod cast as well here:

http://www.civilfx.com/category/podcast/

There are web based systems out there like https://www.tinkercad.com/ and i have used Autodesks Autocad WS when it was available. Generally i think there is nothing stopping it other than some design hurdles and user demand. If some one packages a product as being equivalent to a terminal install i don’t think a web version is quite powerful enough yet. so users looking for the full Monty arent going to be happy with it so thats one issue.

Another issue is that there several workflows based off of older systems so the new tools have to be out there and fully functional in order for them to be reliably adopted. Its a chicken and egg kind of thing.

Also when it comes to the cloud you have the ever present issue of connectivity. I’m frequently in an area with a compromised connectivity. So adoption of cloud system will only be in place where there are no concerns with connectivity.

I think the cloud is a viable option but adoption will take a while and there are some legit concerns about a couple aspects that make investing in the technology a little bit of a gamble for some firms.