AxoTools adds Action support
Now you can record and play back actions that include many AxoTools functions, with the free update to AxoTools available online for Adobe Illustrator CC 2019 through 2023. Actions currently supported include:
- Project art to or from an axonometric plane
- Extrude, either from the tool or the panel
- Axo Scale
- Axo Rotate
- Axo Shear
- Axo Move
- Axo Rectangle
- Axo Ellipse
Actions will play back using the current document projection settings. That is, if you recorded moving or extruding an object along an axis of an isometric view, then changed your document’s projection, it would adjust to operate using the current projection. Action playback also honors your current draw settings and Projection panel options so old actions adapt to your current environment.
One example of using actions with AxoTools is a technique to do a block shadow effect (even though AxoTools was never made for that).
- Select path art to which you want to add a shadow
- Start recording the action
- Select Edit > Copy
- Extrude the art without projecting it, using either the Extrude panel or Extrude tool
- Set the fill and stroke of the extruded and selected art to your shadow color
- Select Edit > Paste in Front
- Stop recording
Now any time you want to add a similar block shadow, just select your art and run this action!
I’m curious what ingenious actions other AxoTools users will come up with. Maybe one to construct a detailed hex nut? Please let us know in the comments below.
Using a single line weight (or “stroke width” as it applies to Illustrator’s path art property) is a simple and efficient way to work. 
Here’s an example of an illustration I did using the “Kalmbach” method, drawn in ink at 1.5 times reproduction size. Detail lines were drawn with a 4×0 Rapidograph pen, and the heavy lines were probably a no. 0 or 1 pen. In those days, we typically cut an Amberlith overlay to add a flat tint to the background, which helped separate the subject from the background.
A more common method called “line contrast shading” used in exploded-view parts drawings uses heavier lines on all outside edges of objects. In this example, the bottom of the cube and cylinder are thin lines because they represent the joint between two surfaces. A heavy line would suggest the objects float above the other art. In the case of the round hole, a varied line width makes a smooth transition between the front- and rear-facing edges. Complex illustrations can use three or four line weights. Standards are more like guidelines, actually, that vary between people and between businesses, often based largely on the personal preference of someone with experience and/or influence.
Greg used a three weight treatment on this Raptor suspension illustrations for Car and Driver magazine.
One more piece by Greg Maxson shows his skill at technical illustration using a variety of software, often including SketchUp, Illustrator, and others. Here he adds clarity to the subject with varied line weights, line colors, sometimes sketchy line treatments, and meaningful shading and textures in filled areas.
The Locked or Hidden Detector (LorH) is now available in the 
The second Worker72a plugin is now available here. When Text Overflow Alert is installed, it automatically scans all documents when opened for text frames or text paths with overflowed text, and selects it for you to inspect and edit as needed. You can read more about it on its