We all are creatures of habit and most likely use some of the same commands over and over. Maybe you use some of my top five favorites described in this article. Hopefully, you'll learn at least one new command here.   

1.  Construction line (specifically the offset option)

Whether you use the ribbon or a toolbar, you'll find the construction line command with the draw tools.  You can also type XLINE. This command has been around for many years now. 

Note:  If you use AutoCAD® Architecture or AutoCAD® MEP this command will react slightly differently.  There is no difference with AutoCAD® Civil 3D®. 

The construction line command differs from a line or polyline in that a construction line is infinite in both directions.  So no matter how large or small the drawing is, you can have a reference line that you won't see the end of in the drawing. 

When you need a line to use for construction and later erase, it's often difficult to see the line under your other geometry.  That is exactly why the construction line works so well. 

My personal favorite option in the construction line command is the Offset option. 

From the command line you can type "O" for Offset or choose it from the drop-down menu of your dynamic input.  It works just like the Offset command in your modify tools.  Let's say you have a rectangle.  If you use the Modify version of the Offset command it will offset the entire rectangle.  But if you use a construction line offset you can offset only one side. 

2.  Convert text to multiline text (Express Tools)

Before we had the Mtext or multiline text tool, we had Dtext or single line text.  The difference in the two is that single line text has to be edited one line at a time.  Mtext wraps and works very similar to Microsoft Word. 

If you open a drawing where there is more than one line of single line text, you don't have to suffer with editing or moving one line at a time. 

The tool has been part of Express Tools for several years.  Because it's one of the Express Tools, you must have Express Tools installed with your version of AutoCAD®.  If you don't have Express Tools, you can certainly load them and take advantage of this and other Express Tools.  Be sure and look up references about Express Tools on AUGI.com. 

Choose Express Tools from the ribbon or pull-down menu.  The tool is Convert to Mtext.   TXT2MTXT is the actual command. 

You select any lines of single line text.  Beware that in some cases the results could be slightly different depending on the way the text was created. 

In this example, the pieces of text except for the "a" were selected and converted.  The grips show that it is now a single piece of Mtext.  Now it can more edited easily. 

3.  Multileader

This tool is one of my favorites, yet few people seem to have tried it on their own from what I've found.  A multileader has several benefits.  First, several leaders can be associated with one piece of text.  Second, the multileader can be text or a block.  Let's take a look. 

An annotation panel on the Home tab of the ribbon contains Multileader tools as does the Annotation tab.

You format your Multileader Style.  We will not go into depth on that in this article.  You can choose straight or spline and mtext or block.  Several blocks are available for you to try. 

Creating a multileader is similar to creating the old quick leader that we used for so many years.  You select where the arrow should point, drag and then one click and you are prompted for your mtext or block attribute. 

By right-clicking on the leader or selecting the leader tool with the + on the icon, you can add more leader lines.  This is very useful because if you move the text or a leader, the entire leader and all associated text and leaders move together.  No more loose pieces!

4.  Measure

The measure command is often overlooked, while the dimension command is used and erased.  Why erase when you have the handy Measure command?  Measure allows you to gain the same information as the linear dimension.  The difference is that when you're done with the measure command you can move on with your next command.  Measure puts itself neatly away until you need to use it again. 

From the Home tab of the ribbon you'll find Measure under Utilities.  From the pull-down menu or using toolbars it's found under Tools>Inquiry.  Simply select your two points and you'll see the measurement either on the command line or through your dynamic input. 

MEASUREGEOM

Enter an option [Distance/Radius/Angle/ARea/Volume] <Distance>: D

Specify first point:

Specify second point or [Multiple points]:

Distance = 50'-0",  Angle in XY Plane = 90,  Angle from XY Plane = 0

Delta X = 0'-0",  Delta Y = 50'-0",   Delta Z = 0'-0"

A handy little tool, indeed. 

5.  Midway between two points (OSNAP)

This tool is actually an OSNAP.  I will confess that I learned this one from Autodesk’s Lynn Allen when it first came out in AutoCAD.  I use this OSNAP daily, even though it has never had its rightful place on the running OSNAP list.  You can access it by typing M2P on the command line or by using your Shift+right mouse click to choose it from the ONSAP pop-up list. 

Midway Between Two Points is a great tool that allows you to pick a point that you might otherwise need to draw a construction line to accomplish.  It requires you to choose two OSNAPS. 

Let's say you need to make a dimension from the midpoint of a door opening.  Well, we choose the linear dimension tool.  Then when we're prompted for our first point we select M2P.  We want to select both endpoints of the door where we want that dimension to begin.  We want the dimension midway between those two points.  Then we continue on and select the second point of our dimension as normal and choose the endpoint of the wall. 

Try one or all five of these tips and see if they save you time and effort.