Eric Lawson wrote to remind us about the Trace command, which he currently uses with AutoCAD 2008, and which has been in his arsenal since v9. "Trace is an old, but still useful, AutoCAD command. When you need to show a solid sectioned hole (side on), draw in your center line, then type Trace. You are asked for the required trace width (this will be your hole diameter). Enter the width and then pick your start point. Next, pick your end point, and select Return. That's it. The beauty of this one (compared with the Solid command) is you don't have to construct your corner points first."

NOTES FROM CADALYST TIP PATROL:
We love tips that remind users about features in software they already own. There's always more than one way to accomplish a particular task. The only caveat is that the Trace command is modified by the FILLMODE setting variable. If the FILLMODE is set to 1, the Trace command will fill (like a solid hatch). If it's set to 0, it won't. The user must be careful, especially in a multiuser, multidiscipline shop — and even more so if files are frequently exchanged with other offices. Thanks, Eric!