AutoCAD Named Views Explained: HUGE Productivity Boost
A simple trick to speed up layouts and navigate big drawings.
Hey All,
TGIF!
We’re officially sliding into that busy end-of-year stretch holidays are coming up, project deadlines are stacking, and everyone is trying to wrap things up before the break.
Every year around this time, I start noticing how little inefficiencies matter.
Even saving 10–15 minutes a day or project adds up when things get chaotic.
So today’s tip + new video is all about one of the easiest ways to save yourself real time inside AutoCAD… especially when you’re juggling multiple drawings covering large projects, or sheet setups.
Let’s jump in 👇
Quick Tip of the Week: Viewports & Views Work Better Together
Here’s a simple trick that many people overlook:
When setting up viewports, use fields to automate the Scale text for each viewport.
Fields help prevent any accidental scale and text mismatches and always ensure the right scale is shown on your drawings, even when you change up your viewports!
This video here walks through the whole process: Learn AutoCAD Field Now
Feature Video: The Most Underrated AutoCAD Tool — Named Views
This week’s video digs into one of AutoCAD’s best but least-used features: Named Views.
If you’ve ever spent way too long zooming around your drawing trying to find the same detail, corridor, building floor, or plan area… this tool will change your life.
In the video, I cover:
What Named Views actually are
Why they make navigating big drawings so much faster
How to create your own in seconds
How to use them to build sheet layouts/viewports way, way more efficiently
Pro tricks using Named Views + Layer States + Viewports
Seriously, once you start using them, you’ll wonder how you ever worked without them.
Watch the video here:
AutoCAD Viewports + Navigation Made EASY: Never Lose Your Place Again
Tool of the Week: AutoCAD View Manager
To go along with today’s topic, this week’s featured tool is something already built into AutoCAD but rarely explored:
The View Manager
This is where all your Named Views live — and where you can:
Create new views
Update existing ones
Organize your drawing navigation
Instantly jump between key areas
If you want a cleaner, more organized workflow, take a few minutes this week to set up a handful of views for your current project.
It’s one of those small habits that pays off every single day.
Want to Learn how to Master AutoCAD Fast!?
If you want my full workflow, setup, templates, title blocks, and training, done for you, don’t forget:
The Complete CAD Toolbox is on SALE Right Now → cadintentions.com/hurry
Have a great weekend and good luck with the holiday push as we get closer to wrapping up another successful year!
Cheers and happy drafting,
Brandon
P.S. If you’ve got a colleague who needs a win and way to save some time fast, forward them this email or send them a link!
They’ll thank you later.
Solid walkthrough on Named Views! The combo of views with layer states is underrated cause it basically turns navigation into a pre-programmed workflow. I worked on a multi-building campus project where we set up views for every building level and it cut our sheet setup time by like half. One thing I'd add is naming conventions matter alot for teams, otherwise everyone creates their own chaos.