Mechanical engineer Perry Pattiz shares a revision cloud tip for AutoCAD.

"I used to draw revision clouds freehand, and frequently they didn't end up exactly where I wanted them. Modifying the clouds afterward by moving the points or stretching the clouds is time-consuming, and doesn't produce natural-looking revision clouds. Instead, first draw an ellipse, a closed polyline shape, or spline, and outline the cloud that you want. Then click on the Revision Cloud icon, select the Object parameter, and then click on the object that you drew.

"If the size of the arcs is not what you want, select Revision Cloud again, type A for arc length, give it a new size, and press Enter; then select Object and press Enter, and select the object you drew. You can reverse the cloud or keep it as shown by pressing Enter. You can also use Properties afterward to modify the color and width of the cloud. With a little practice, you'll never draw a freehand revision cloud again."

Notes from Cadalyst Tip Reviewer Brian Benton: That's AutoCAD for you: Why make one way to do something when you can have two ways — or more! Making revision clouds is easy. Start the command and draw the cloud; just circle your revised object/text. Sometimes space is limited, or you are creating an object from a revision cloud, such as a bush, a bunch of trees, or a preserve area that you want to look fancy (and not like a bunch of boring straight lines). Draw a closed polygon, polyline, spline, ellipse, etc., and convert it into a revision cloud. This allows more precise creation of your cloud.