Autodesk AutoCAD AutoCAD - 2004 Instruction Manual

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AutoCAD

User’s Guide

2004

00118-010000-5020A February 2003

This publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose.

AUTODESK, INC., MAKES NO WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING THESE MATERIALS, AND MAKES SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE SOLELY ON AN "AS-IS" BASIS.

IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK, INC., BE LIABLE TO ANYONE FOR SPECIAL, COLLATERAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF PURCHASE OR USE OF THESE MATERIALS. THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE LIABILITY TO AUTODESK, INC., REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE MATERIALS DESCRIBED HEREIN.

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Third Party Software Program Credits

ACIS Copyright © 1989-2001 Spatial Corp. Portions Copyright © 2002 Autodesk, Inc. Copyright © 1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. International CorrectSpell™ Spelling Correction System © 1995 by Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products, N.V. All rights reserved. InstallShield™ 3.0. Copyright © 1997 InstallShield Software Corporation. All rights reserved. PANTONE ® Colors displayed in the software application or in the user documentation may not match PANTONE-identified standards.

Consult current PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color. PANTONE ® and other Pantone, Inc. trademarks are the property of Pantone, Inc. © Pantone, Inc., 2002 Pantone, Inc. is the copyright owner of color data and/or software which are licensed to Autodesk, Inc., to distribute for use only in

combination with certain Autodesk software products. PANTONE Color Data and/or Software shall not be copied onto another disk or into memory unless as part of the execution of this Autodesk software product.

Portions Copyright © 1991-1996 Arthur D. Applegate. All rights reserved. Portions of this software are based on the work of the Independent JPEG Group. RAL DESIGN © RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2002 RAL CLASSIC © RAL, Sankt Augustin, 2002 Representation of the RAL Colors is done with the approval of RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung e.V. (RAL

German Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification, re. Assoc.), D-53757 Sankt Augustin." Copyright © Stade de France - Macary, Zublena et Regembal, Costantini - Architectes, ADAGP - Paris - 2003 Typefaces from the Bitstream ® typeface library copyright 1992. Typefaces from Payne Loving Trust © 1996. All rights reserved.

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Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Install the Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Use the Help System Efficiently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Find Information in Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Use Searches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Use Ask Me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Understand How Help Topics Are Organized . . . . . . . . 7

Use the Up Arrow to Navigate Help Topics. . . . . . . . . 8

Print Help Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Show and Hide the Contents Pane . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Get Additional Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Use Active Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Learn the Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Obtain Documentation Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Receive Product Updates and Announcements . . . . . . . . 13

Overview of Communication Center . . . . . . . . . 13

Customize Program Update and Announcement Options . . . 14

Receive New Information Notifications . . . . . . . . . 15

View the Product Readme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

iii

Part I The User Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes . . . . . . . . . . 19

Tool Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Insert Blocks and Hatches Using Tool Palettes. . . . . . . 20

Change Tool Palette Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Control Tool Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Customize Tool Palettes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Save and Share Tool Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

The Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Shortcut Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Object Snap Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 3 The Command Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Enter Commands on the Command Line . . . . . . . . . . 36

Enter System Variables on the Command Line . . . . . . . . 38

Navigate and Edit Within the Command Window . . . . . . . 39

Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line . . . . . . 41

Dock and Resize the Command Window . . . . . . . . . . 42

Chapter 4 DesignCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Overview of DesignCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Understand the DesignCenter Window. . . . . . . . . . . 46

Access Content with DesignCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Add Content with DesignCenter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Retrieve Content from the Web with DesignCenter Online . . . . 55

Overview of DesignCenter Online . . . . . . . . . . 55

Understand DesignCenter Online Content Types . . . . . 57

Retrieve Content on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Chapter 5 Customize the Drawing Environment . . . . . . . . . 61

Set Interface Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Customize Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Save and Restore Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Chapter 6 Pointing Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Pointing Device Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Digitizing Tablets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

iv | Contents

Part II Start, Organize, and Save a Drawing. . . . . . 75

Chapter 7 Start and Save a Drawing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Start a Drawing from Scratch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Use a Setup Wizard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Use a Template File to Start a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Save a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Chapter 8 Open an Existing Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Overview of Opening Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Find a Drawing File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Specify Search Paths, File Names, and File Locations . . . . . . . 90

Work with Multiple Open Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Open Part of a Large Drawing (Partial Load) . . . . . . . . . . 92

Add Identifying Information to Drawings . . . . . . . . . . 95

Recover a Damaged File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Chapter 9 Specify Units, Angles, and Scale. . . . . . . . . . . 101

Set Units of Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Set Angle Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Draw to Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Chapter 10 Organize Drawings and Apply Standards. . . . . . . . 109

Overview of CAD Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Define Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Check Drawings for Standards Violations . . . . . . . . . 114

Translate Layer Names and Properties . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Convert Layers to Established Drawing Standards . . . . . 121

View Selected Drawing Layers . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Purge Unreferenced Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Part III Control the Drawing Views . . . . . . . . 125

Chapter 11 Change a View in Two Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . 127

Pan a View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Magnify a View (Zoom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View Window . . . . . . . . 133

Save and Restore Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Contents | v

Chapter 12 Specify a 3D View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

View a Parallel Projection in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Overview of Viewing Parallel Projections in 3D . . . . . . 140

Choose Preset 3D Views. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Define a 3D View with Coordinate Values or Angles. . . . . 141

Change to a View of the XY Plane . . . . . . . . . . 143

Change a 3D View Dynamically . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Display a Perspective View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Specify 3D Views Interactively (3D Orbit) . . . . . . . . . . 147

Overview of 3D Orbit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Set 3D Graphics Display Options (3D Orbit) . . . . . . . 148

Set Lights and Materials (3D Orbit) . . . . . . . . . . 148

Locate the Camera Position (3D Orbit) . . . . . . . . . 149

Use 3D Orbit Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Adjust Clipping Planes (3D Orbit) . . . . . . . . . . 159

Chapter 13 Display Multiple Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Set Model Tab Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Select the Current Viewport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Save and Restore Model Tab Viewport Arrangements . . . . . . 165

Part IV Create and Modify Objects . . . . . . . . 167

Chapter 14 Control the Properties of Objects . . . . . . . . . 169

Overview of Object Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Display and Change the Properties of Objects . . . . . . . . 170

Copy Properties Between Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Work with Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Overview of Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Use Layers to Manage Complexity . . . . . . . . . . 175

Create and Name Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Change Layer Settings and Layer Properties . . . . . . . 180

Filter and Sort the List of Layers . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Save and Restore Layer Settings . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Work with Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Set the Current Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Change the Color of an Object . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Use Color Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

vi | Contents

Work with Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Overview of Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Load Linetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Set the Current Linetype . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Change the Linetype of an Object . . . . . . . . . . 197

Control Linetype Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Display Linetypes on Short Segments and Polylines . . . . 200

Control Lineweights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Overview of Lineweights . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Display Lineweights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Set the Current Lineweight . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Change the Lineweight of an Object . . . . . . . . . 205

Control the Display Properties of Certain Objects . . . . . . . 206

Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills,

Lineweights, and Text. . . . . . . . . . 206

Control the Display Order of Overlapping Objects . . . . . 208

Chapter 15 Use Precision Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Use Coordinates and Coordinate Systems . . . . . . . . . 210

Overview of Coordinate Entry . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Enter 2D Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Enter 3D Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Control the User Coordinate System (UCS) in 2D . . . . . 222

Specify Drawing Planes in 3D (UCS) . . . . . . . . . 225

Assign User Coordinate System Orientations to Viewports . . 230 Control the Display of the User Coordinate System Icon . . . 232

Snap to Locations on Objects (Object Snaps) . . . . . . . . 234

Use Object Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Set Visual Aids for Object Snaps (AutoSnap) . . . . . . . 236

Restrict Cursor Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Adjust Grid and Grid Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Use Orthogonal Locking (Ortho Mode) . . . . . . . . 240

Use Polar Tracking and PolarSnap . . . . . . . . . . 241

Lock an Angle for One Point (Angle Override) . . . . . . 244

Combine or Offset Points and Coordinates . . . . . . . . . 244

Combine Coordinate Values (Coordinate Filters) . . . . . 244

Track to Points on Objects (Object Snap Tracking) . . . . . 246

Specify Distances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Enter Direct Distances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Offset from Temporary Reference Points . . . . . . . . 249

Specify Intervals on Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Contents | vii

Extract or Calculate Geometric Information from Objects . . . . . 254

Obtain Distances, Angles, and Point Locations . . . . . . 254

Obtain Area Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Use the Geometry Calculator . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Chapter 16 Draw Geometric Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Draw Linear Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Draw Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Draw Polylines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Draw Polygons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Draw Multiple-Line Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Draw Freehand Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Draw Curved Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Draw Arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Draw Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Draw Polyline Arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Draw Donuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Draw Ellipses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Draw Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Draw Construction and Reference Geometry . . . . . . . . . 289

Draw Reference Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Draw Construction Lines (and Rays) . . . . . . . . . . 290

Create and Combine Areas (Regions) . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Create 3D Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Overview of 3D Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Add Extruded Thickness to Objects . . . . . . . . . . 297

Create Wireframe Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Create Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Create 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Create and Insert Symbols (Blocks) . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Overview of Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Create Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Insert Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Modify Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Attach Data to Blocks (Block Attributes) . . . . . . . . 339

Remove Block Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

Create Revision Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

viii | Contents

Chapter 17 Change Existing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Select Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356

Select Objects Individually . . . . . . . . . . . . 356

Select Multiple Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

Prevent Objects from Being Selected . . . . . . . . . 360

Filter Selection Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Customize Object Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Group Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Correct Mistakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

Modify Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Overview of Modifying Objects . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Remove Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Move Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

Rotate Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

Align Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

Copy, Offset, or Mirror Objects . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Change the Size and Shape of Objects . . . . . . . . . 390

Create Fillets, Chamfers, or Breaks in Objects . . . . . . 398

Use Grips to Edit Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Modify Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418

Modify Compound Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420

Disassociate Compound Objects (Explode) . . . . . . . 420

Modify Hatches and Solid-Filled Areas . . . . . . . . . 421

Modify or Join Polylines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Modify Multilines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426

Modify 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429

Overview of Modifying 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . 429

Fillet and Chamfer 3D Solids. . . . . . . . . . . . 429

Section and Slice 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . 431

Modify Faces of 3D Solids. . . . . . . . . . . . . 432

Modify Edges of 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . 439

Imprint 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440

Separate 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

Shell 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

Clean and Check 3D Solids . . . . . . . . . . . . 442

Use Windows Cut, Copy, and Paste . . . . . . . . . . . 443

Contents | ix

Part V Hatches, Notes, and Dimensions . . . . . . 447

Chapter 18 Hatches, Fills, and Wipeouts . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills . . . . . . . . . . . 450

Define Hatch Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454

Overview of Hatch Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . 454

Control the Hatching in Islands . . . . . . . . . . . 455

Define Hatch Boundaries in Large Drawings . . . . . . . 456

Create Unbounded Hatches . . . . . . . . . . . . 458

Choose Hatch Patterns and Solid Fills . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Create Solid-Filled Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Create Gradient-Filled Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . 461

Use Predefined Hatch Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Create User-Defined Hatch Patterns . . . . . . . . . . 464

Create a Blank Area to Cover Objects . . . . . . . . . . . 464

Chapter 19 Notes and Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

Overview of Notes and Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468

Create Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468

Overview of Creating Text and Leaders . . . . . . . . . 468

Create Single-Line Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

Create Multiline Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471

Create Text with Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482

Import Text from External Files . . . . . . . . . . . 485

Work with Text Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487

Overview of Text Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487

Assign Text Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

Set Text Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494

Set Text Obliquing Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

Set Horizontal or Vertical Text Orientation . . . . . . . 496

Change Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Overview of Changing Text . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Change Single-Line Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497

Change Multiline Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498

Change Text with a Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500

Change Text Scale and Justification . . . . . . . . . . 501

Check Spelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502

Use an Alternate Text Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504

Overview of Using an Alternate Text Editor . . . . . . . 504

Format Multiline Text in an Alternate Text Editor . . . . . 505

x | Contents

Chapter 20 Dimensions and Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . 509

Understand Basic Concepts of Dimensioning . . . . . . . . 510

Overview of Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . 510

Parts of a Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511

Associative Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512

Use Dimension Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514

Overview of Dimension Styles . . . . . . . . . . . 514

Compare Dimension Styles and Variables. . . . . . . . 514

Control Dimension Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . 516

Control Dimension Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519

Control Dimension Values . . . . . . . . . . . . 527

Set the Scale for Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534

Create Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536

Create Linear Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 536

Create Radial Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 542

Create Angular Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . 544

Create Ordinate Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . 545

Modify Existing Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547

Apply a New Dimension Style to Existing Dimensions . . . 547

Override a Dimension Style . . . . . . . . . . . . 548

Modify Dimension Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550

Modify Dimension Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . 553

Change Dimension Associativity . . . . . . . . . . 555

Add Geometric Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 557

Overview of Geometric Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . 557

Material Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

Datum Reference Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559

Projected Tolerance Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . 560

Composite Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 560

Part VI Create Layouts and Plot Drawings . . . . . 563

Chapter 21 Create Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

Overview of Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566

Work in Paper Space and Model Space . . . . . . . . . . 569

Set Up a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

Overview of Layout Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . 571

Select a Paper Size for a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . 572

Determine the Drawing Orientation of a Layout . . . . . 576

Adjust the Plot Origin in a Layout . . . . . . . . . . 577

Set the Plot Area of a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . 578

Set the Plot Scale for a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . 579

Set the Lineweight Scale for a Layout . . . . . . . . . 580

Contents | xi

Use the Layout Wizard to Specify Layout Settings . . . . . 581

Reuse Layouts and Layout Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

Duplicate a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581

Create a Layout Using a Template . . . . . . . . . . 582

Save a Layout Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 583

Insert a Layout Using DesignCenter . . . . . . . . . . 584

Import PCP or PC2 Settings into a Layout . . . . . . . . 584

Create and Use Named Page Setups . . . . . . . . . . 585

Create Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 588

Work with Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . 588

Place Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589

Change the Properties of Layout Viewports . . . . . . . 590

Lock the Scale of Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . 591

Control Visibility in Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . 592

Manage Layer Visibility in a Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . 594

Edit in Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598

Scale Views Relative to Paper Space . . . . . . . . . . 598

Scale Linetypes in Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . 599

Align Views in Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . 600

Rotate Views in Layout Viewports . . . . . . . . . . 602

Create a Nonrectangular Viewport . . . . . . . . . . . . 603

Redefine the Boundary of an Existing Viewport . . . . . . 604

Use Grips to Edit Nonrectangular Viewports . . . . . . . 604

Zoom and Pan in Nonrectangular Viewports . . . . . . . 605

Chapter 22 Plot Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607

Overview of Plotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608

How Plotting Has Changed from Previous Versions . . . . . . . 611

Overview of How Plotting Has Changed from Previous Versions . 611

Plot Drawings from Previous Versions . . . . . . . . . 612

Migrate Pen Settings from Previous Versions . . . . . . . 612

Use Plotter Configuration Files from Previous Versions . . . . 613

Set Up a Page for Plotting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615

Set Paper Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615

Position the Drawing on the Paper . . . . . . . . . . 618

Control How Objects Are Plotted. . . . . . . . . . . . . 620

Set Plot Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 620

Set Options for Plotted Objects . . . . . . . . . . . 622

Set Shaded Viewport Options . . . . . . . . . . . . 625

Use Plot Styles to Control Plotted Objects . . . . . . . . 628

Use Color-Dependent Plot Style Tables . . . . . . . . . 634

Use Named Plot Style Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . 635

Change Plot Style Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 640

xii | Contents

Specify the Area to Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650

Preview a Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651

Plot Files to Other Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652

Plot to DXB File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652

Plot to Raster File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . 653

Create Adobe PostScript Files. . . . . . . . . . . . 654

Create Plot Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 656

Plot Batches of Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657

Part VII Share Data Between Drawings and Applications . 663

Chapter 23 Reference Other Drawing Files (Xrefs) . . . . . . . . 665

Overview of External References . . . . . . . . . . . . 666

Attach, Update, and Bind External References . . . . . . . . 666

Attach External References . . . . . . . . . . . . 666

Nest and Overlay External References . . . . . . . . . 669

Update Attached External References . . . . . . . . . 670

Clip External References and Blocks . . . . . . . . . 673

Resolve Name Conflicts in External References . . . . . . 675

Archive Drawings That Contain External References (Bind) . . 676

Detach External References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678

Edit External References and Blocks in Place. . . . . . . . . 678

Edit an Xref in a Separate Window . . . . . . . . . . 678

Edit Xrefs and Blocks Within Context . . . . . . . . . 679

Set Paths to Externally Referenced Drawings. . . . . . . . . 685

Resolve External Reference Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . 690

Resolve Missing External Reference Files . . . . . . . . 690

Resolve External References That Are Circular . . . . . . 691

Track External Reference Operations (Log File) . . . . . . 692

Increase Performance with Large Xrefs . . . . . . . . . . 694

Overview of Demand Loading . . . . . . . . . . . 694

Unload Xrefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 694

Work with Demand Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . 695

Work with Layer and Spatial Indexes . . . . . . . . . 696

Set Paths for Temporary Xref File Copies . . . . . . . . 698

Contents | xiii

Chapter 24 Link and Embed Data (OLE) . . . . . . . . . . . 699

Overview of Object Linking and Embedding . . . . . . . . . 700

Import OLE Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 702

Overview of Importing OLE Objects into Drawings . . . . . 702

Link OLE Objects in Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . 702

Embed OLE Objects in Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . 705

Limitations of OLE Objects in Drawings . . . . . . . . 708

Export OLE Objects from Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . 708

Edit OLE Objects in Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 709

Chapter 25 Work with Data in Other Formats . . . . . . . . . 713

Import Files Created in Other Formats . . . . . . . . . . . 714

Export Drawings to Other File Formats . . . . . . . . . . . 716

DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716

WMF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 717

Raster Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 718

PostScript Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 719

ACIS Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 720

3D Studio Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721

Stereolithograph Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 721

DWF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 722

Use Drawings from Different Versions and Applications . . . . . 722

Save Drawings to Previous Drawing File Formats . . . . . . 722

Work with AutoCAD Drawings in AutoCAD LT . . . . . . 723

Work with Custom and Proxy Objects . . . . . . . . . 724

Chapter 26 Access External Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . 727

Overview of Using AutoCAD with External Databases . . . . . . 728

Access a Database from Within AutoCAD . . . . . . . . . . 729

Configure a Database for Use with AutoCAD Drawings . . . . 729

View Data in a Database Table. . . . . . . . . . . . 731

Edit Data in a Database Table . . . . . . . . . . . . 736

Link Database Records to Graphical Objects . . . . . . . . . 738

Create and Edit Links and Link Templates . . . . . . . . 738

Identify and Select Existing Links. . . . . . . . . . . 743

Find and Correct Link Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . 746

Export Link Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 746

Use Labels to Display Database Information in the Drawing . . . . 747

Create and Edit Labels and Label Templates . . . . . . . 747

Update Labels with New Values from the Database . . . . . 752

xiv | Contents

Use Queries to Filter Database Information . . . . . . . . . 753

Overview of Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753

Construct Simple Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754

Use the Query Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 758

Use SQL Queries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760

Combine Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 762

Save and Reuse Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764

Share Link and Label Templates and Queries with Other Users . . . 765

Work with Links in Files from Earlier Releases . . . . . . . . 767

Part VIII Work with Other People and Organizations . . 771

Chapter 27 Protect and Sign Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . 773

Drawing Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774

Overview of Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774

Protect Drawings with Encryption . . . . . . . . . . 775

View Password-Protected Drawings . . . . . . . . . . 777

Sign Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 779

Overview of Digital Signatures . . . . . . . . . . . 779

Personally Sign Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 780

View Drawings with Digital Signatures . . . . . . . . 784

Chapter 28 Use the Internet to Share Drawings . . . . . . . . . 791

Get Started with Internet Access . . . . . . . . . . . . 792

Add Hyperlinks to a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 792

Overview of Using Hyperlinks in a Drawing . . . . . . . 792

Use a Hyperlink to Access a File or a Web Page . . . . . . 793

Use a Hyperlink to Create an Email Message . . . . . . . 797

Use Hyperlinks in Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 798

Use a Hyperlink to Start a New Drawing . . . . . . . . 799

Convert Previously Attached URLs to Hyperlinks . . . . . 799

Work with Drawing Files over the Internet . . . . . . . . . 800

Open and Save Drawing Files from the Internet. . . . . . 800

Work with Xrefs over the Internet . . . . . . . . . . 805

Insert Content from a Website . . . . . . . . . . . 806

Package a Drawing File Set for Internet Transmission . . . . 808

Use the Publish to Web Wizard to Create Web Pages . . . . . . 810

Contents | xv

Chapter 29 Insert and View Markups . . . . . . . . . . . . 813

Overview of the Electronic Markup Feature . . . . . . . . . 814

Insert Markup Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 814

Review Electronic Markups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 816

Chapter 30 Publish Drawing Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 819

Overview of Design Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 820

Create an Electronic Drawing Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . 821

Create a Paper Drawing Set (and Plot to File) . . . . . . . . . 825

Modify a Drawing Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829

Republish a Drawing Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 831

View a Published Drawing Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 833

Configure a DWF6 Driver (Advanced) . . . . . . . . . . . 833

Overview of Creating or Modifying a DWF6 Configuration File . 833

Set the DWF File Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . 836

Set the DWF File Compression . . . . . . . . . . . 837

Set Font-Handling for the DWF File . . . . . . . . . . 838

Edit Pen Patterns for the DWF File . . . . . . . . . . 840

Part IX Create Realistic Images and Graphics . . . . 843

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 845

xvi | Contents

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 859

Find the Information You Need

AutoCAD

you work with a high level of efficiency and

productivity. You install AutoCAD with the Installation

wizard that starts automatically when you insert the

product CD.

AutoCAD is often intuitive, but when you do need to

look something up, you can save time and avoid frustra-

tion if you use the Help system to find information. The

Help system is organized in a structured design that

makes information easy to locate.

is a powerful application with tools that help

In this chapter

■ Install the Product

■ Use the Help System Efficiently

■ Use Active Assistance

■ Learn the Product

■ Obtain Documentation

Updates

■ Receive Product Updates and

Announcements

■ View the Product Readme

Install the Product

You can easily install and configure AutoCAD on a stand-alone computer. Insert the product CD in the CD-ROM drive. Then in the AutoCAD CD Browser, on the Install tab, click Install. The Installation wizard leads you through the installation process. The AutoCAD CD Browser also provides instructions for network installations and access to information about technical support and licensing.

If you want more extensive information about installing a stand-alone version of AutoCAD, you can consult the Stand-Alone Installation Guide. To access this guide, in the AutoCAD CD Browser, after you click Install on the Install tab, click Stand-Alone Installation Guide (.pdf).

If you want more extensive information about deploying AutoCAD on a network, you can consult the Network Administrator's Guide. To access this guide, in the AutoCAD CD Browser, click the Network Deployment tab, and then click Network Administrator's Guide (.pdf).

Once the product is installed, you can access either the Stand-Alone Installa- tion Guide or the Network Administrator's Guide in the Help system.

Migration Tools

AutoCAD Migration Tools help you when upgrading to a new release of AutoCAD. You can download the Migration Tools from the Autodesk website in several languages. Available tools include

■ Layer State Converter

■ Batch Drawing Converter

■ AutoLISP Compatibility Analyzer

■ Menu and Toolbar Porter

■ Command Alias Porter

■ ScriptPro

After going to the Autodesk website, http://www.autodesk.com/migrationtools, perform a search on Migration Tools.

Note Because these are public tools, product support for them is limited to the

Autodesk discussion groups.

2 | Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need

Use the Help System Efficiently

AutoCAD Help contains complete information about using AutoCAD. In the Help window, you use the left pane to locate information. The tabs above the left pane give you several ways for finding the topics you want to view. The right pane displays the topics you select.

Find Information in Help

The tabs on the left side of the Help window provide different methods for finding information. To locate a specific word or phrase in the current topic, use the CTRL+F keys.

Contents Tab

■ Presents an overview of the available documentation in a list of topics and

subtopics.

■ Allows you to browse by selecting and expanding topics.

■ Provides a structure so you can always see where you are in Help and

quickly jump to other topics.

Index Tab

■ Displays an alphabetical list of keywords related to the topics listed on the

Contents tab.

■ Accesses information quickly when you already know the name of a fea-

ture, command, or operation, or when you know what action you want AutoCAD to perform.

Search Tab

■ Provides full-text search of all the topics listed on the Contents tab.

■ Allows you to perform an exhaustive search for a specific word or phrase.

■ Displays a ranked list of topics that contain the word or words entered in

the keyword field.

Favorites Tab

■ Provides an area where you can save "bookmarks" to important topics.

■ Displays your list of favorite or often-used topics.

■ Lists any topic that is displayed in the right pane of the Help window,

even topics that are on the Web.

Use the Help System Efficiently | 3

Ask Me Tab

■ Allows you to find information using a question phrased in everyday

language.

■ Displays a ranked list of topics that correspond to the word or phrase

entered in the question field.

■ Provides a "Search the Web" link that sends a query to a search engine on

the Web.

To start Help

■ On the Help menu, click Help or Developer Help.

Note You can press F1 at the Command prompt, in a dialog box, or at a

prompt within a command to display Help information.

To use the Help Contents

1 If necessary, choose the Show button to display the left pane of the Help

window. Then choose the Contents tab to display Help Contents.

2 To expand the Help Contents list, use one of these methods:

■ Double-click a closed-book icon or click the + icon next to it.

■ Right-click in Help Contents and choose Open All.

3 To close the Help Contents list, use one of these methods:

■ Double-click an open-book icon or click the - icon next to it.

■ Right-click in Help Contents and choose Close All.

4 To view a topic, use one of these methods:

■ In Help Contents, click the topic.

■ Click any blue underlined text in a topic.

To use Favorites for storage and retrieval of Help topics

1 In the right pane of the Help window, display the topic that you want to

store.

2 Click the Favorites tab, and then click Add. 3 Do one of the following:

■ To redisplay the topic, select it in the Topics list and click Display.

■ To remove the topic from Favorites, select it in the Topics list and click

Remove.

4 | Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need

Use Searches

A basic search using the Search tab consists of the word or phrase you want to find. The basic search rules are as follows:

■ Type your search in uppercase or lowercase characters; searches are not

case-sensitive.

■ Search for any combination of letters (a-z) and numbers (0-9).

■ Do not use punctuation marks such as the period, colon, semicolon,

comma, hyphen, and single quotation marks; they are ignored during a search.

■ Group the elements of your search using double quotation marks or

parentheses to set each element apart.

Note When you use the Search tab, all topics that contain the word or phrase

that you specify are listed. This includes the text in topic titles and labels, not just the topic text.

Use Advanced Search

Advanced full-text search on the Search tab allows you to search using Boolean operators and wild cards. You can limit the search to previous results, match similar words, or search topic titles only. When searching for multiword topics, use double quotation marks (" ") to enclose words that must appear next to each other in the specified sequence. For example, enter "specifying units of measurement" to find only topics with all those words in that order. If you don’t use the quotation marks around that text, Help finds all topics containing any one of the listed words, that is, all topics containing "specifying", all topics containing "units", all topics containing "of", and all topics containing "measurement".

With the AND, OR, NOT, and NEAR operators, you can precisely define your search by creating a relationship between search terms. The following table shows how you can use each of these operators. If no operator is specified, AND is used. For example, the query "spacing border printing" is equivalent to "spacing AND border AND printing".

Search for Example Results

Both terms in the same topic

Either term in a topic "raster" OR "vector" Topics containing either the word

"tree view" AND "palette"

Topics containing both the words "tree view" and "palette"

"raster" or the word "vector" or both

Use the Help System Efficiently | 5

Search for Example Results

The first term without the second term

Both terms in the same topic, close together

"ole" NOT "dde" Topics containing the word "OLE," but

not the word "DDE"

"user" NEAR "kernel" Topics containing the word "user"

within eight words of the word "kernel"

Note The |, &, and ! characters do not work as Boolean operators. You must

use AND, OR, and NOT.

To search for information in Help

1 Choose the Search tab and then enter the word or phrase you want to

find. To use Boolean operators to refine your search:

■ Click to add Boolean operators to your search.

■ Enter the word or phrase you want to appear after the Boolean

operator.

You can also use the check boxes at the bottom of the Search tab to further refine your search:

■ Search previous results. Refines a search by applying new search

criteria to the results of a previous search.

■ Match similar words. Expands the search to include words similar to

your search criteria, rather than limiting the search to exact matches.

■ Search titles only. Limits the search to topic titles, rather than search-

ing titles and topic contents.

2 Choose List Topics, select the topic you want, and then choose Display. 3 To sort the topic list, click the Title, Location, or Rank column heading.

To view only procedures, click the Title column heading and scroll down to the items that begin with the word “To.”

Use Ask Me

You can find information by typing a question phrased in everyday language. You can perform this natural language query in Help by choosing the Ask Me tab and entering a question, a word, or a phrase. For example, you could enter: How do I create a layout?

6 | Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need

The results of natural language queries are often more accurate than the results of searches. Matching topics are ranked by percentages that reflect how likely they are to answer your questions.

You can also expand your natural language query to the Web.

To use natural language queries in Help

1 Choose the Ask Me tab, and then enter the question you want answered.

Alternatively, you can enter a phrase or a single word.

2 To narrow query results, select a particular item or set from the List of

Components to Search.

3 Click the link for the topic you want to display.

Note For hints on obtaining good query results, click the Query Tips link on

the Ask Me tab.

To expand your queries to the Web

Use this procedure if the results of a natural language query did not provide the information you needed.

1 Scroll to the bottom of the list of matching topics that resulted from your

query.

2 Click the Search the Web link at the bottom of the list.

A web search engine displays the results of your search.

Note For hints on obtaining good query results, click the Query Tips link on

the Ask Me tab.

Understand How Help Topics Are Organized

Most topics in the Help system have three tabs above the right pane of the Help window. The tabs display different types of information.

■ Concepts. Describes an AutoCAD feature or function. When you click a

concept tab, notice that the Help Contents list in the left pane of the Help window expands and highlights the current topic. The Contents tab displays the structure of the Help on that topic. You can easily display nearby topics by clicking them in the list.

Use the Help System Efficiently | 7

■ Procedures. Provides step-by-step instructions for common procedures

related to the current topic. After displaying a procedure, you can click the Procedures tab to redisplay the current list of procedures.

■ Reference. Lists commands and system variables related to the current

topic, with links to detailed descriptions of related commands. If you click an entry on the Reference tab, the Command Reference opens to the command or system variable that you selected.

When you click a different tab, the topic remains the same. Only the type of information displayed--concepts, procedures, or reference links--is different.

Concepts Tab Organization

In the Concepts tab, there are two types of information displayed: navigation text and destination text. Navigation text displays links with short descrip-

tions. The purpose of navigation text is to guide you step-by-step to the information that you need. The links on navigation pages lead to additional navigation pages deeper in the Help structure until you come to a destination page. Each link is designed to provide you with more detailed information.

Procedures Tab and Reference Tab Organization

As you navigate deeper into the Help structure, the corresponding information on the Procedures tab and on the Reference tab becomes more specific, and the number of entries displayed on each tab decreases.

To change the type of Help information displayed

■ Choose the Concepts, Procedures, or Reference tab to change the type of

information displayed in the right pane of the Help window.

Use the Up Arrow to Navigate Help Topics

An up arrow may be displayed in the upper right corner of a topic.

Click this arrow to move up a level from the current topic to a topic that contains a broader scope of information.

Print Help Topics

The quickest way to print the current topic is to right-click within the topic and choose Print.

The Print button on the Help toolbar provides these print options:

■ Print the selected topic (recommended)

■ Print the selected heading and all subtopics

8 | Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need

Note When you select the second option, you may get numerous printed

pages, depending on how many subtopics the currently selected topic contains.

To print a Help topic

1 Display the topic you want to print. 2 Right-click in the topic pane and select Print. 3 In the Print dialog box, choose OK.

To print a selected heading and all subtopics

1 Display the topic you want to print and make sure that the Contents tab

is showing.

2 On the Help toolbar, choose the Print button. 3 In the Print Topics window, select Print a Selected Heading and All

Subtopics.

4 Choose OK.

Show and Hide the Contents Pane

You can shrink the Help window to a compact size by hiding the pane that contains Help Contents, Index, Search, Favorites, and Ask Me tabs. The compact window size is best for displaying procedures while you work.

You can expand the Help window to display the pane that contains Help Contents, Index, Search, Favorites, and Ask Me tabs. The expanded window size is best for locating and displaying conceptual and reference information.

Use the Help System Efficiently | 9

Get Additional Help

You can access several additional sources of help:

■ Press F1 from within a command, system variable, or dialog box. Dis-

plays complete information from the Command Reference.

■ Choose the question mark button in many dialog boxes. Displays a

description of the dialog box option you select.

■ View the product Readme topic in Help. Displays late-breaking informa-

tion about this product.

Other resources help you get information about Autodesk products and assistance with your AutoCAD questions.

■ Autodesk website. Access http://www.autodesk.com.

■ Local support. Check with your AutoCAD dealer or Autodesk country

office.

Use Active Assistance

The Active Assistance window provides a convenient portal to the Help system. During any command, Active Assistance displays links to the Command Reference and to procedures that are relevent to the current command.

You can type a question in the box at the top of the Active Assistance window and then click Ask. The Help system then displays a list of topics that are related to your question.

Often, the guidance you get from Active Assistance is just enough to get you started performing unfamiliar or rarely used tasks.

To display Active Assistance

■ From the Help menu, choose Active Assistance.

To navigate in Active Assistance

1 Right-click in the Active Assistance window to display the shortcut menu. 2 Choose Home, Back, or Forward to navigate in Active Assistance topics, as

you would in a web browser.

10 | Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need

To control Active Assistance settings

1 Right-click in the Active Assistance window. 2 Choose Settings from the shortcut menu. 3 In the Active Assistance Settings dialog box, use the Show on Start check

box to determine whether you want Active Assistance to start automatically when you start AutoCAD.

■ Selecting Show on Start causes Active Assistance to start automatically.

■ Clearing Show on Start causes Active Assistance to start in an alterna-

tive manner. Select an alternative in the next step.

4 In the Active Assistance Settings dialog box, under Activation, select one

of these options to determine when you get Help from Active Assistance:

■ All commands. Active Assistance starts when you begin a command.

■ New and enhanced commands. Active Assistance starts when you

begin a command that is new or changed in this version of AutoCAD.

■ Dialogs only. Active Assistance starts when a dialog box is displayed.

■ On demand. Active Assistance starts when you choose Active Assis-

tance from the Help menu or enter

ASSIST on the command line.

5 Choose OK to close the Active Assistance Settings dialog box.

Note If you close Active Assistance, double-clicking the Active Assistance icon,

which is usually located in the system tray in the lower-right corner of your screen, reopens the window.

To print Active Assistance information

1 Display the information you want to print in the Active Assistance

window.

2 Right-click in the Active Assistance window. 3 Choose Print from the shortcut menu. 4 In the Print dialog box, choose OK.

To disable Active Assistance

1 Right-click the Assist icon located in your system tray in the bottom right-

hand corner of your display.

2 Choose Exit.

Use Active Assistance | 11

Learn the Product

Through Autodesk’s training programs, products, and services, you can learn about fundamental or advanced features, and about products.

For the latest information about Autodesk training, visit http:// www.autodesk.com or contact your local Autodesk office.

Autodesk Authorized Training Centers

The Autodesk Autodesk-authorized, instructor-led training to design professionals who use Autodesk software. More than 1,100 ATC sites are available worldwide to meet your needs for discipline-specific, locally based training.

Autodesk Official Training Courseware

Autodesk Official Training Courseware (AOTC) supports training organizations and customers. AOTC is authorized technical training material developed by Autodesk for traditional 2- to 5-day, instructor-led classroom training. You can purchase AOTC from your local reseller or distributor, or you can order it online from the Autodesk Store at autodesk.com.

Partner Products and Services

Autodesk works together with thousands of software partners around the world. These partners provide products and services that enhance Autodesk’s products for design professionals. Visit the “Partner Products & Services” page at autodesk.com for a list of resources available for your Autodesk product and your industry.

Authorized Training Center (ATC® ) network delivers

Obtain Documentation Updates

You can obtain product documentation updates from the Web. To check whether documentation updates are available, click on the link below.

Between releases of documentation updates, check here for interim documentation of known issues. You may find it helpful to add some of the interim updates to your Favorites tab for easy reference as you work.

■ Check for updates

12 | Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need

Receive Product Updates and Announcements

Overview of Communication Center

Communication Center provides the following kinds of announcements:

■ General Product Information. Stay informed about Autodesk company

news and product announcements; provide your feedback directly to Autodesk.

■ Product Support Information. Get breaking news from the Product Sup-

port team at Autodesk.

■ Subscription Information and Extension Announcements. Receive

announcements and subscription program news if you are an Autodesk subscription member (available in countries where Autodesk subscriptions are offered).

■ Articles and Tips. Be notified when new articles and tips are available on

Autodesk websites.

When you begin using your product, you use the Welcome wizard to set Communication Center for your country, and for the frequency you prefer for updates and the information channels you want displayed.

To open Communication Center, click the Communication Center icon in the tray on the right side of the status bar.

Receive Product Updates and Announcements | 13

Communication Center Online Privacy

Communication Center is an interactive feature that must be connected to the Internet to deliver content and information. Each time Communication Center is connected, it sends information to Autodesk so that the correct information can be returned. All information is sent anonymously to maintain your privacy.

The following information is sent to Autodesk:

■ Product Name. The name of the product in which you are using Commu-

nication Center

■ Product Release Number. The version of the product

■ Product Language. The language version of your product

■ Country. The country that was specified in the Communication Center

settings

Autodesk compiles statistics using the information sent from Communications Center to monitor how it is being used and how it can be improved. Autodesk will maintain information provided by or collected from you in accordance with Autodesk’s published privacy policy, which is available on http://www.autodesk.com/privacy.

Turn Communication Center On or Off

The CAD Manager Control utility turns Communication Center on and off. For example, if you want to prevent Communication Center from sending information to Autodesk, you can turn it off. Information about how to use the utility is available by installing and running the utility, and then clicking Help in the CAD Manager Control Utility window.

To install the utility, double-click setup.exe on the product CD. In the CD Browser, click the Network Deployment tab, and under Install Supplemental Tools, click Autodesk CAD Manager Tools 2.0. Under Autodesk CAD Manager Tools 2.0, click Install. After you install the CAD Manager Control utility, you access it from the Start menu (Windows).

Customize Program Update and Announcement Options

After installing your Autodesk product, you configure Communication Center with the Welcome wizard to specify the information you want sent to you.

■ Country. Specifies your country so that Communication Center can

provide information that is designed specifically for your location.

14 | Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need

■ Update Frequency. Specifies how often you want Communication

Center to synchronize with Autodesk servers.

■ Balloon Notification. Turns on ballon notification so that Communica-

tion Center balloon messages are displayed above the status bar when a new announcement is received. If the balloon notifications have been disabled in the tray settings, the Balloon Notification setting in the Communication Center is ignored.

■ Channels. Specifies the information that you want displayed in

Communication Center.

To customize Communication Center options

1 Click the Communication Center icon located in the tray on the right side

of the status bar.

2 In the Communication Center window, click Settings. 3 In the Configuration Settings dialog box, choose the settings and options

that you want to use and then click Apply.

4 Click OK to close the Configuration Settings dialog box and then close the

Communication Center window.

Receive New Information Notifications

Whenever new information is available, Communication Center notifies you by displaying a balloon message above the status bar.

Click the balloon message to open the Communication Center window. If you prefer to be notified by the Communication Center icon, you can turn off Balloon Notification in the Configuration Settings dialog box of Communication Center.

Receive Product Updates and Announcements | 15

If no Communication Center icon is shown on the status bar, see your network administrator.

To open the Communication Center window

■ Click the Communication Center icon located in the tray on the right side

of the status bar.

View the Product Readme

You can find late-breaking information about this software in the Readme. It is suggested that you read through the Readme for information about recommended hardware, updated installation instructions, and known software problems. The Readme also contains details about Autodesk trademarks.

■ View the Readme

16 | Chapter 1 Find the Information You Need

Part 1

The User Interface

Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes 19 Chapter 3 The Command Window 35 Chapter 4 DesignCenter 45 Chapter 5 Customize the Drawing Environment 61 Chapter 6 Pointing Devices 69

Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes

AutoCAD® provides menus, shortcut menus, toolbars,

and tool palettes for access to frequently used

commands, settings, and modes. The Standard, Object

Properties, Draw, and Modify toolbars are displayed by

default. Shortcut menus display commands that are

relevant to your current activity. Tool palettes provide

an efficient method for organizing and placing blocks

and hatches.

In this chapter

■ To o l P a le t te s

■ To o l b a r s

■ The Menu Bar

■ Shortcut Menus

■ The Object Snap Menu

Tool Palettes

Tool palettes are tabbed areas within the Tool Palettes window that provide an efficient method for organizing, sharing, and placing blocks and hatches. Tool palettes can also contain custom tools provided by third-party developers.

Insert Blocks and Hatches Using Tool Palettes

Tool palettes are tabbed areas within the Tool Palettes window. You can place blocks and hatches that you use often on a tool palette. When you need to add a block or a hatch to a drawing, drag it from the tool palette onto your drawing.

Blocks and hatches that reside on a tool palette are called tools, and several tool properties including scale, rotation, and layer can be set for each tool individually.

Blocks that are placed with this method often must be rotated or scaled after they are placed. You can use object snaps when dragging blocks from a tool palette, however grid snap is suppressed during dragging.

Scale Blocks Automatically

When a block is dragged from a tool palette into a drawing, it is scaled automatically according to the ratio of units defined in the block and defined in the current drawing. For example, if the current drawing uses meters as its units and a block is defined using centimeters as its units, the ratio of the units is 1 m/100 cm. When the block is dragged into the drawing, it is inserted at 1/100 scale.

Note In the Options dialog box, User Preferences tab, the Source Content

Units and Target Drawing Units settings are used when, either in the source block or the target drawing, the Drag-and-Drop Scale is set to Unitless.

See Also

“Control Tool Properties” on page 23 “Customize Tool Palettes” on page 25 “Add Content with DesignCenter” on page 51

20 | Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes

To display the Tool Palettes window

■ On the Tools menu, click Tool Palettes Window. Alternatively, you can

CTRL+3.

press

Standard toolbar

Command line

TOOLPALETTES

Change Tool Palette Settings

The options and settings for tool palettes are accessible from shortcut menus in different areas on the Tool Palettes window. These settings include

■ Auto-hide. The Tool Palettes window can automatically roll open or roll

away when your cursor moves over the title bar on the Tool Palettes window.

■ Transparency. The Tool Palettes window can be made transparent so it

does not obscure objects under it. (Transparency is not available to Microsoft

Windows NT users.)

Tool Palettes | 21

■ Views. The display style and size of the icons in a tool palette can be

changed.

You can dock the Tool Palettes window on the right or left edge of the application window. Press the

CTRL key to prevent docking as you move the Tool

Palettes window.

Tool palette settings are saved with your AutoCAD profile.

To change the roll-over behavior of the Tool Palettes window

■ Click the Auto-Hide button at the bottom of the title bar of the Tool Pal-

ettes window. Roll-over behavior is on. Roll-over behavior is off.

Note Roll-over behavior is available only when the Tool Palettes window is

undocked.

To change the transparency of the Tool Palettes window

1 Right-click the title bar of the Tool Palettes window, and then click Trans-

parency on the displayed menu.

2 In the Transparency dialog box, adjust the level of transparency for the

Tool Palettes window. Click OK.

Note Transparency is available only when the Tool Palettes window is

undocked. Transparency is not available to Microsoft Windows NT users.

22 | Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes

To change the icon display style in the Tool Palettes window

1 Right-click the blank area of the Tool Palettes window, and then click View

Options on the displayed menu.

2 In the View Options dialog box, click the icon display option that you

want to set. You can also change the size of the icons.

3 Click the list box under Apply To, and then click either Current Tool

Palette or All Tool Palettes. Click OK.

Control Tool Properties

You can change the insertion properties or pattern properties of any tool on a tool palette. For example, you can change the insertion scale of a block or the angle of a hatch pattern.

To change these tool properties, right-click a tool and click Properties on the shortcut menu. Then you change the tool’s properties in the Tool Properties dialog box. The Tool Properties dialog box has two categories of properties— the Insert or Pattern properties category, and the General properties category.

■ Insert or Pattern properties. Control object-specific properties such as

scale, rotation, and angle.

■ General properties. Override the current drawing property settings such

as layer, color, and linetype.

Tool Palettes | 23

Update the Icon for a Tool

Icons in tool palettes are not automatically updated if the block or hatch changes. If you change a block or hatch definition you can update its icon in a tool palette. In the Tool Properties dialog box, change the entry in the Source File field for blocks or the Pattern name field for hatches, and then change the entry back again. This forces an update of the icon for that tool.

Alternatively, you can delete the tool and then replace it using DesignCenter.

Specify Overrides for Tool Properties

In some cases, you may want to assign specific property overrides to a tool. For example, you may want a hatch to be placed automatically on a pre-specified layer, regardless of the current layer setting. This feature can save you time and reduce errors by setting properties automatically when creating certain objects.

The Tool Properties dialog box provides fields for each potential property override.

Layer property overrides affect color, linetype, lineweight, plot style, and plot. Layer property overrides are resolved as follows:

■ If a layer is missing from the drawing, that layer is created automatically.

■ If a layer to which you are dragging a block or hatch is currently turned

off or frozen, the layer is temporarily turned on or thawed.

To display the properties of a tool on a tool palette

1 On a tool palette, right-click a tool and then click Properties on the short-

cut menu.

2 In the Tool Properties dialog box, use the scroll bar to view all tool

properties. You can also resize the Tool Properties dialog box or expand and collapse

the property categories by clicking the double arrow buttons.

3 Click OK.

To change a property of a tool on a tool palette

1 On a tool palette , right-click a tool and then click Properties on the short-

cut menu.

2 In the Tool Properties dialog box, use the scroll bar to view all tool prop-

erties. Click any property field and specify the new value or setting.

■ Properties listed under the Insert or Pattern category control object-spe-

cific properties such as scale, rotation, and angle.

24 | Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes

■ Properties listed under the General category override the current draw-

ing property settings such as layer, color, and linetype.

You can also resize the Tool Properties dialog box or expand and collapse the property categories by clicking the arrow buttons.

3 Click OK.

Customize Tool Palettes

You can create new tool palettes using the Properties button on the title bar of the Tool Palettes window. Add tools to a tool palette with the following methods:

■ Drag drawings, blocks, and hatches from DesignCenter to the tool palette.

Drawings that are added to a tool palette are inserted as blocks when dragged into the drawing.

■ Use Cut, Copy, and Paste to move or copy tools from one tool palette to

another.

■ Create a pre-populated tool palette tab by right-clicking a folder, a draw-

ing file, or a block in the DesignCenter tree view, and then clicking Create Tool Palette on the shortcut menu.

Tool Palettes | 25

Note For block tools on tool palettes, the source drawing files must always be

accessible. If a source drawing file is moved to a different folder, you must modify the block tool that references it by right-clicking the block tool and, in the Tool Properties dialog box, specifying the new source file folder.

Once tools are placed in a tool palette, you can rearrange them by dragging them within the tool palette.

A tool palette tab can be moved up and down the list of tabs from the tool palette shortcut menu, or from the Tool Palettes tab of the Customize dialog box. Similarly, you can delete tool palettes that you no longer need. Tool palettes that are deleted are lost unless they are first saved by exporting them to a file. You can control the path to your tool palettes on the Files tab in the Options dialog box. This path can be to a shared network location.

Note If a tool palette file is set with a read-only attribute, a lock icon displays

in a lower corner of the tool palette. This indicates that the tool palette cannot be modified beyond changing its display settings and rearranging the icons.

To create a tool palette from a folder or a drawing

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 In the DesignCenter tree view or the content area, right-click a folder,

drawing file, or block.

3 On the shortcut menu, click Create Tool Palette.

A new tool palette is created that contains all the blocks and hatches in the selected folder or drawing.

Standard toolbar

Command line

ADCENTER

Save and Share Tool Palettes

You can save and share a tool palette by exporting it or importing it as a tool palette file. You import and export a tool palette from the Tool palettes tab on the Customize dialog box. Tool palette files have an .xtp file extension.

26 | Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes

The default path for tool palette files is set on the Files tab of the Options dialog box under Tool Palettes File Locations.

Note If a tool palette file is set with a read-only attribute, a lock icon displays

in a lower corner of the tool palette. This indicates that the tool palette cannot be modified beyond changing its display settings and rearranging the icons.

Toolbars

Toolbars contain buttons that start commands. When you move the pointing device over a toolbar button, the tooltip displays the name of the button. Buttons with a small black triangle in the lower-right corner have flyouts that contain related commands. With the cursor over the icon, hold down the pick button until the flyout appears.

The Standard toolbar at the top of the drawing area is displayed by default. This toolbar is similar to those found in Microsoft Office programs. It contains frequently used AutoCAD commands such as well as Microsoft Office standard commands such as New, Open, and Save.

Display, Dock, and Resize Toolbars

AutoCAD initially displays several toolbars:

■ Standard toolbar

■ Styles toolbar

■ Layers toolbar

■ Properties toolbar

■ Draw toolbar

■ Modify toolbar

DIST, PAN, and ZOOM, as

You can display or hide these four and additional toolbars, and you can create your own toolbars. A toolbar can be floating or docked. A floating toolbar is located anywhere in the drawing area of the AutoCAD window, and you can drag it to a new location, resize it, or dock it. A docked toolbar is attached to any edge of the drawing area. While a toolbar is docked, it cannot be resized. You can move a docked toolbar by dragging it to a new docking location.

See Also

“Create Custom Toolbars” in the Customization Guide

To o l b a r s | 27

To display a toolbar

1 From the View menu, choose Toolbars. 2 In the Customize dialog box, Toolbars tab, select the name of the toolbar

you want to show.

3 Choose Close.

Shortcut menu You can also display a toolbar by right-clicking any toolbar

button and choosing a toolbar from the shortcut menu.

Command line

CUSTOMIZE

To dock a toolbar

1 Position the cursor on the name of the toolbar or in any blank area, and

hold down the button on your pointing device.

2 Drag the toolbar to a docking location at the top, bottom, or either side of

the drawing area.

3 When the outline of the toolbar appears in the docking area, release the

button. To place a toolbar in a docking region without docking it, hold down

CTRL

as you drag.

To undock a toolbar

1 Position the cursor on the double bars at the end of the toolbar, and hold

down the button on your pointing device.

2 Drag the toolbar away from its docked location and release the button.

To resize a toolbar

1 Position the cursor on the edge of a floating toolbar until the cursor

changes to a horizontal or vertical double arrow.

2 Hold down the button and move the cursor until the toolbar is in the

shape you want.

To close a toolbar

1 If the toolbar is docked, undock it. 2 Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the toolbar.

28 | Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes

The Menu Bar

Menus are available from the menu bar at the top of the AutoCAD drawing area. You can choose menu options in the following ways:

■ Click the menu name to display a list of options. Click the option to

choose it, or press

ENTER.

■ Press ALT and then enter the underlined letter in the menu name. For

example, to open a new drawing, press menu. Then press

The default menu file is acad.mnu. You can specify a different menu (for example, a menu you have customized) in the Options dialog box, Files tab.

See Also

“Create Pull-Down and Shortcut Menus” in the Customization Guide

To use a menu

Choose one of the following methods:

■ On the menu bar, click a menu name to display a list of options. On the

menu, either click an option or use the list, and then press

■ Press ALT and press the underlined letter in the menu name. Then press

the underlined letter in the option name. For example, to open a new drawing, press New.

DOWN ARROW to move down the list and then press

ALT and press F to open the File

ENTER to choose the highlighted option New.

DOWN ARROW to move down the

ENTER.

ALT and press F to open the File menu. Then press N for

Shortcut Menus

Shortcut menus give you quick access to commands relevant to your current activity. You can display different shortcut menus when you right-click different areas of the screen, including

■ Within the drawing area with one or more objects selected

■ Within the drawing area without any objects selected

■ Within the drawing area during a command

■ Within the text and command windows

■ Within areas and on icons in DesignCenter

■ Within areas and on text in the Multiline Text Editor

The Menu Bar | 29

■ On a toolbar or palette

■ On the Model or layout tabs

■ On the status bar or the status bar buttons

Shortcut menus typically include options to

■ Repeat the last command entered

■ Cancel the current command

■ Cut and copy to the Clipboard and paste from the Clipboard

■ Select a different command option

■ Display a dialog box, such as Options or Customize

■ Undo the last command entered

If text has been entered on the command line, right-clicking automatically executes the text as a command without displaying the shortcut menu.

You can customize right-click behavior to be time-sensitive, so that a quick right-click acts the same as pressing

ENTER, and a longer right-click displays

a shortcut menu.

Shortcut menus can be customized by changing the acad.mnu file.

See Also

“Create Shortcut Menus” in the Customization Guide

To display a shortcut menu

1 At the Command prompt, move the cursor over an area, feature, or icon. 2 Right-click your mouse, or press the equivalent button on your pointing

device. A shortcut menu relevant to the cursor location is displayed. If one or

more objects are selected when you right-click in the drawing area, an editing-oriented shortcut menu is displayed. You can also display a shortcut menu during

PAN or ZOOM.

To turn off shortcut menus in the drawing area

1 From the Tools menu, choose Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, choose the User Preferences tab. 3 Under Windows Standard Behavior, clear Shortcut Menus in Drawing

Area.

4 To control Default, Edit, and Command shortcut menus individually,

select Shortcut Menus in Drawing Area, and then choose Right-Click Customization.

30 | Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes

5 In the Right-Click Customization dialog box under Default Mode or Edit

Mode, select one of the following options to control what happens when you right-click in the drawing area and no command is in progress:

■ Repeat Last Command. Repeats the last command. Selecting this

option turns off the Default and Edit shortcut menus. Right-clicking is the same as pressing

■ Shortcut Menu. Displays the Default or Edit shortcut menu.

ENTER.

6 Under Command Mode, select one of the following options to determine

what happens when you right-click in the drawing area while a command is in progress:

■ Enter. Turns off the Command shortcut menu. Right-clicking is the

same as pressing

■ Shortcut Menu: Always Enabled. Displays the Command shortcut

ENTER.

menu.

■ Shortcut Menu: Enabled When Command Options Are Present.

Displays the Command shortcut menu only when options are currently available in the command line prompt. In a command prompt, options are enclosed in square brackets. If no options are available, right-clicking is the same as pressing

ENTER.

In addition to turning the Default, Edit, and Command shortcut menus on and off, you can customize the options that are displayed on them. For example, you can add options to the Edit shortcut menu that are displayed only when circles are selected.

To turn on time-sensitive right-click behavior

1 On the Tools menu, click Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, select the User Preferences tab. 3 Under Windows Standard Behavior, click Right-Click Customization. 4 Select Turn on Time-Sensitive Right-Click.

You can specify the duration of the longer click. The default is 250 milliseconds

5 Click Apply & Close. 6 In the Options dialog box, click OK.

Command line

OPTIONS

Shortcut Menus | 31

To control the display of icons and notifications in the status bar tray

1 Click the arrow at the right end of the status bar and then click Tray

Settings.

2 In the Tray Settings dialog box, select or clear the following display

options:

■ Display Icons from Services. Displays the tray at the right end of the sta-

tus bar and displays icons from services. When this option is cleared, the tray is not displayed.

■ Display Notifications from Services. Displays notifications from ser-

vices. When the Display Icons from Services option is cleared, this option is unavailable.

3 If Display Notifications from Services is selected, set a time for a notifica-

tion to be displayed or select Display Until Closed.

Shortcut menu Right-click an empty area on the status bar and click Tray Settings.

Command line

TRAYSETTINGS

To control the display of buttons on the status bar

■ Click the arrow at the right end of the status bar and click any button

name to change the display. Items with a check mark next to them are displayed on the status bar.

Shortcut menu Right-click an empty area on the status bar and click a button name.

To control the display of coordinates on the status bar

■ Click the arrow at the right end of the status bar and click Cursor Coordi-

nate Values. Items with a check mark next to them are displayed on the status bar.

Shortcut menu Right-click an empty area on the status bar and click Cursor Coordinate Values.

32 | Chapter 2 Menus, Toolbars and Tool Palettes

The Object Snap Menu

The object snap menu is displayed at your cursor location when you hold

SHIFT and click the right mouse button or the equivalent button on

down another pointing device.

The default object snap menu lists object snaps and tracking options. If you want to change the options, you can customize the acad.mnu file.

See Also

“Create Pull-Down and Shortcut Menus” in the Customization Guide

To display the object snap menu

1 Enter any command that prompts you to specify a point. For example,

enter line.

2 At the From Point prompt, hold down

The object snap menu is displayed, and you can choose an object snap option.

SHIFT and right-click.

The Object Snap Menu | 33

The Command Window

Commands, system variables, options, messages, and

prompts are displayed in a dockable and resizable

window called the command window. The bottom line

of the command window is called the command line. The

command line displays the operation in progress and

provides an inside view of exactly what the program is

doing.

In this chapter

■ Enter Commands on the

Command Line

■ Enter System Variables on the

Command Line

■ Navigate and Edit Within the

Command Window

■ Switch Between Dialog Boxes

and the Command Line

■ Dock and Resize the Command

Window

Enter Commands on the Command Line

To enter a command by using the keyboard, type the full command name on the command line and press device.

Some commands also have abbreviated names. For example, instead of entering circle to start the command names are called command aliases and are defined in the acad.pgp file. To define your own command aliases, see “Create Command Aliases” in the Customization Guide.

Specify Command Options

When you enter commands on the command line, AutoCAD displays either a set of options or a dialog box. For example, when you enter circle at the Command prompt, the following prompt is displayed:

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan, tan, radius)]:

You can specify the center point either by entering X,Y coordinate values or by using the pointing device to click a point on the screen.

To choose a different option, enter the letters capitalized in one of the options in the brackets. You can enter uppercase or lowercase letters. For example, to choose the three-point option (3P), enter 3p.

Execute Commands

To execute commands, press device after entering command names or responses to prompts. The instructions in Help assume this step and do not specifically instruct you to press

ENTER after each entry.

ENTER or SPACEBAR, or right-click your pointing

CIRCLE command, you can enter c. Abbreviated

SPACEBAR or ENTER, or right-click your pointing

Repeat and Cancel Commands

If you want to repeat a command that you have just used, press

SPACEBAR, or right-click your pointing device at the Command prompt.

You also can repeat a command by entering multiple, a space, and the command name, as shown in the following example:

Command: multiple circle

To cancel a command in progress, press

36 | Chapter 3 The Command Window

ENTER or

ESC.

Interrupt a Command with Another Command or System Variable

Many commands can be used transparently: that is, they can be entered on the command line while you use another command. Transparent commands frequently change drawing settings or display options, for example,

ZOOM. In the Command Reference, transparent commands are designated by

GRID or

an apostrophe in front of the command name.

To use a command transparently, choose its toolbar button or enter an apostrophe (') before entering the command at any prompt. On the command line, double angle brackets (>>) precede prompts that AutoCAD displays for transparent commands. After you complete the transparent command, the original command resumes. In the following example, you turn on the dot grid and set it to one-unit intervals while you draw a line, and then you continue drawing the line.

Command: line Specify first point: 'grid >>Specify grid spacing (X) or [ON/OFF/Snap/Aspect] <0.000>: 1 Resuming

LINE command

Specify first point:

Commands that do not select objects, create new objects, or end the drawing session usually can be used transparently. Changes made in dialog boxes that you have opened transparently cannot take effect until the interrupted command has been executed. Similarly, if you reset a system variable transparently, the new value cannot take effect until you start the next command.

See Also

“Create Shortcut Keys” in the Customization Guide

To copy a command you have already used

1 Highlight the text to be copied. 2 Position the cursor over the command or text window and right-click. 3 Choose Copy from the shortcut menu. 4 Position the cursor over the command or text window and right-click. 5 Choose Paste from the shortcut menu. 6 Press

Command line

ENTER or SPACEBAR.

COPYCLIP, PASTECLIP

Enter Commands on the Command Line | 37

Enter System Variables on the Command Line

System variables are settings that control how certain commands work. They can turn on or turn off modes such as Snap, Grid, or Ortho. They can set default scales for hatch patterns. They can store information about the current drawing and about AutoCAD configuration. Sometimes you use a system variable in order to change a setting. At other times you use a system variable to display the current status.

For example, the and off when you change the value. In this case, the variable is functionally equivalent to the system variable that stores the current date. You can display this value, but you cannot change it.

You can examine or change a system variable's setting transparently, that is, while using another command; however, new values may not take effect until the interrupted command ends.

To change the setting of a system variable

1 At the Command prompt, enter the system variable name. For example,

enter gridmode to change the grid setting.

2 To change the status of

current value of the system variable, press

To see a complete list of system variables

1 At the Command prompt, enter setvar. 2 At the Variable Name prompt, enter ?. 3 At the Enter Variable(s) to List prompt, press

Command line

GRIDMODE system variable turns the dot grid display on

GRIDMODE system

GRID command. DATE is a read-only

GRIDMODE, enter 1 for on or 0 for off. To retain the

ENTER.

SETVAR

38 | Chapter 3 The Command Window

Navigate and Edit Within the Command Window

You can navigate and edit text in the command window to correct or repeat commands. Use the standard keys:

■ UP, DOWN, LEFT ARROW, and RIGHT ARROW

■ INS, DEL

■ PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN

■ HOME, END

■ BACKSPACE

You can repeat any command used in the current session by cycling through the commands in the command window with and pressing the Clipboard. Pressing command window.

If you right-click in the command window or text window, AutoCAD displays a shortcut menu from which you can access the six most recently used commands, copy selected text or the entire command history, paste text, and access the Options dialog box.

For most commands, a command line with two or three lines of previous prompts, called the command history, is sufficient for viewing and editing. To see more than one line of command history, you can scroll through the history or resize the command window by dragging its border. For commands with text output, such as window, or you can press

ENTER. By default, pressing CTRL+C copies highlighted text to

CTRL+V pastes text from the Clipboard to the text or

LIST, you might need a larger command

F2 to use the text window.

UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW

Use the Text Window

The text window is a window similar to the command window in which you can enter commands and view prompts and messages. The text window displays a complete command history for the current AutoCAD session. Use the text window to view lengthy output of commands such as LIST, which dis- plays detailed information about objects you select. To move forward and backward in the command history, you can click the scroll arrows along the right edge of the window.

Navigate and Edit Within the Command Window | 39

Press SHIFT with a key to highlight text. For example, press SHIFT+HOME in the text window to highlight all text from the cursor location to the beginning of the line.

To copy all the text in the text window to the Clipboard, use the

COPYHIST

command.

See Also

“Dock and Resize the Command Window” on page 42

To display the text window

■ From within the drawing area, press F2.

The text window is displayed in front of the AutoCAD drawing area.

Command line

TEXTSCR

To close the text window

■ From within the text window, press F2.

The text window is closed. You can also close the text window using the standard Windows controls.

Command line

GRAPHSCR

To copy text from the text window to the command line

1 If the text window is not displayed, press

F2 to display it.

2 Select the text you want to copy. 3 Right-click in the command window or text window and choose Paste to

Command Line. AutoCAD copies the text to the Clipboard and pastes it on the command

line. After you press ENTER, AutoCAD executes the commands in sequence, like a script. You can also use

CTRL+C and CTRL+V to copy and

paste text.

40 | Chapter 3 The Command Window

Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line

Some functions are available both on the command line and in a dialog box. In many cases, you can enter a hyphen before the command to suppress the dialog box and display prompts on the command line instead. For example, entering layer on the command line displays the Layer Properties Manager. Entering -layer on the command line displays the equivalent command line options. Suppressing the dialog box is useful for compatibility with earlier versions of AutoCAD and for using script files. There may be slight differences between the options in the dialog box and those available on the command line.

These system variables also affect the display of dialog boxes:

■ ATTDIA controls whether INSERT uses a dialog box for attribute value entry.

■ CMDNAMES displays the name (in English) of the currently active com-

mand and transparent command.

■ EXPERT controls whether certain warning dialog boxes are displayed.

■ FILEDIA controls the display of dialog boxes used with commands that

read and write files. For example, if Save Drawing As dialog box. If on the command line. The procedures in this documentation assume that

FILEDIA is set to 1. Even when FILEDIA is set to 0, you can display a file

dialog box by entering a tilde (~) at the first prompt.

FILEDIA is set to 1, SAVEAS displays the

FILEDIA is set to 0, SAVEAS displays prompts

FILEDIA and EXPERT are useful when you use scripts to run commands.

To use the command line version of a command

■ For most commands, enter minus (-) in front of the command.

■ For dialog boxes that open and save files, set the FILEDIA system variable

to 0.

Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line | 41

Dock and Resize the Command Window

By default, the command window is docked. The docked command window is the same width as the AutoCAD window. If text that is entered becomes longer than the width of the command line, the window pops up in front of the command line to show the full text of the line.

You can resize the window vertically by dragging the splitter bar, which is located on the top edge of the window when it is docked on the bottom and at the bottom edge of the window when it is docked at the top.

Undock the command window by dragging it away from the docking region. When you undock the window, the floating window is the size it was before you undocked it. You can move the floating command window anywhere on the screen and resize its width and height with the pointing device.

Dock the command window by dragging it until it is over the top or bottom docking regions of the AutoCAD window.

To float the command window

■ Click the move handle on the left edge of the docked command window

and drag the command window away from the docking region until it has a thick outline. Then drop it in the drawing area of the AutoCAD window.

To make the floating command window transparent

1 Right-click in the floating command window, and click Transparency. 2 In the Transparency dialog box, move the slider to the left to make the

command window less transparent and to the right to make it more transparent.

The range is from opaque to transparent. When the Turn Off Transparency for All Palettes option is selected, the command window cannot be made transparent.

Note Transparency is not available to Microsoft

42 | Chapter 3 The Command Window

Windows NT users.

To dock the command window

■ Click the title bar and drag the command window until it is over the top

or bottom docking regions of the AutoCAD window.

To resize the command window when it is docked

1 Position the cursor over the horizontal splitter bar so that the cursor

appears as a double line and arrows.

2 Drag the splitter bar vertically until the command window is the size you

want it to be.

Dock and Resize the Command Window | 43

DesignCenter

With DesignCenter,™ you can organize access to blocks,

hatches, xrefs, and other drawing content. You can drag con-

tent from any source drawing to your current drawing. You

can drag drawings, blocks, and hatches to a tool palette.

Source drawings can be on your computer, on a network loca-

tion, or on a website. In addition, if you have multiple draw-

ings open, you can use DesignCenter to streamline your draw-

ing process by copying and pasting other content, such as

layer definitions, layouts, and text styles between drawings.

In this chapter

■ Overview of DesignCenter

■ Understand the DesignCenter

Window

■ Access Content with

DesignCenter

■ Add Content with

DesignCenter

■ Retrieve Content from the

Web with DesignCenter Online

Overview of DesignCenter

With DesignCenter, you can

■ Browse for drawing content such as drawings or symbol libraries on your

computer, on a networked drive, and on a web page

■ View definition tables for named objects such as blocks and layers in any

drawing file and then insert, attach, or copy and paste the definitions into the current drawing

■ Update (redefine) a block definition

■ Create shortcuts to drawings, folders, and Internet locations that you

access frequently

■ Add content such as xrefs, blocks, and hatches to a drawing

■ Open drawing files in a new window

■ Drag drawings, blocks, and hatches to a tool palette for convenient access

Understand the DesignCenter Window

You can control the size, location, and appearance of DesignCenter.

The Organization of the DesignCenter Window

The DesignCenter window is divided into the tree view on the left side and the content area on the right side. Use the tree view to browse sources of content and to display content in the content area. Use the content area to add items to a drawing or to a tool palette.

Undocked, the DesignCenter window is displayed as shown.

Below the content area, you can also display a preview or a description of a selected drawing, block, hatch pattern, or xref. A toolbar at the top of the window provides several options and operations.

46 | Chapter 4 DesignCenter

Control the Size, Location, and Appearance of DesignCenter

You can control the size, location and appearance of DesignCenter.

■ Resize DesignCenter by dragging the bar between the content area and the

tree view or by dragging an edge as you would any other window.

■ Dock DesignCenter by dragging it over the right or left docking regions of

the AutoCAD window until it snaps into the docked position. You can also dock the DesignCenter window by double-clicking its title bar.

■ Undock DesignCenter by dragging the area above the toolbar away from

the docking region. Pressing

■ Change the automatic roll-over behavior of DesignCenter by clicking the

CTRL while dragging prevents docking.

Auto-hide button on the DesignCenter title bar.

When the DesignCenter roll-over option is turned on, the DesignCenter tree view and content area disappear when you move your cursor off the DesignCenter window, leaving only the title bar. When you move your cursor over the title bar, the DesignCenter window is restored.

Several options are available on the shortcut menu that is displayed when you right-click on the DesignCenter title bar.

The DesignCenter Toolbar

The DesignCenter toolbar controls navigation and display of information in the tree view and the content area. For information about these buttons, see

ADCENTER command. The same navigation and display options are avail-

the able on a shortcut menu. Right-click in the DesignCenter content area.

To change the DesignCenter roll-over behavior

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 Right-click the DesignCenter title bar and click Auto-hide on the shortcut

menu. When the DesignCenter roll-over option is turned on, the DesignCenter

tree view and content area disappear when you move your cursor off the DesignCenter window, leaving only the title bar. When you move your cursor over the title bar, the DesignCenter window is restored.

Standard toolbar

Command line

ADCENTER

Understand the DesignCenter Window | 47

To prevent DesignCenter from docking

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 Click and hold on the DesignCenter title bar. Press CTRL as you move your

mouse.

Standard toolbar

Command line

To display and hide the DesignCenter tree view

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 On the DesignCenter toolbar, click Tree View Toggle.

Standard toolbar

Command line

Shortcut menu Right-click the content area background and click Tree.

ADCENTER

Access Content with DesignCenter

The tree view in the left portion of the DesignCenter window together with the four DesignCenter tabs help you find and load content into the content area.

Folders Tab

The Folders tab displays a hierarchy of navigational icons, including

■ Networks and computers

■ Web addresses (URLs)

■ Computer drives

48 | Chapter 4 DesignCenter

■ Folders

■ Drawings and related support files

■ Xrefs, layouts, hatch styles, and named objects, including blocks, layers,

linetypes, text styles, dimension styles, and plot styles within a drawing

Click an item in the tree view to display its contents in the content area. Click the plus (+) or minus (-) signs to display and hide additional levels in the hierarchy. You can also double-click an item to display deeper levels. Right-clicking in the tree view displays a shortcut menu with several related options.

History, Open Drawings, and DC Online Tabs

The History, Open Drawings, and DC Online tabs provide alternate methods of locating content.

■ Open Drawings displays a list of the drawings that are currently open.

Click a drawing file and then click one of the definition tables from the list to load the content into the content area.

■ History displays a list of files opened previously with DesignCenter. Dou-

ble-click a drawing file from the list to navigate to the drawing file in the tree view of the Folders tab and to load the content into the content area.

■ DC Online provides content from the DesignCenter Online web page

including blocks, symbol libraries, manufacturer's content, and online catalogs.

Bookmark Frequently-Used Content

DesignCenter provides a solution to finding content that you need to access quickly on a regular basis. Both the tree view and the content area include options that activate a folder called Favorites. The Favorites folder can contain shortcuts to content on local or network drives as well as in Internet locations.

When you select a drawing, folder, or another type of content and choose Add to Favorites, a shortcut to that item is added to the Favorites folder. The original file or folder doesn't actually move; in fact, all the shortcuts you create are stored in the Favorites folder. The shortcuts saved in the Favorites folder can be moved, copied, or deleted using Windows Explorer.

To change the source of the content displayed in DesignCenter

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 On the DesignCenter toolbar, click one of the following tabs:

■ Folders. Lists your local and network drives.

■ Open Drawings. Lists the drawings that are currently open.

Access Content with DesignCenter | 49

■ History. Lists the last 20 locations accessed through DesignCenter.

■ DC Online. Displays online content from the Web.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

To change the folder of the Home button in DesignCenter

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 In the DesignCenter tree view, navigate to the folder that you want to set

as home.

3 Right-click on the folder and, from the shortcut menu, click Set as Home.

When you click the Home button, DesignCenter will automatically load this folder.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

To add items to Autodesk Favorites in DesignCenter

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 Right-click the item in the DesignCenter tree view or content area, and

choose Add to Favorites from the shortcut menu.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

To display the contents of the DesignCenter Favorites folder

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 In DesignCenter, click the Favorites button.

When you are working in the tree view, you can use the Folders tab to navigate to the Favorites folder.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

50 | Chapter 4 DesignCenter

To organize your DesignCenter Favorites folder

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 In DesignCenter, click the Favorites button. 3 Right-click the background in the content area and choose Organize

Favorites from the shortcut menu.

Your Autodesk Favorites folder is opened in a window.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

Add Content with DesignCenter

The right portion of the DesignCenter window operates on the content displayed. Double-clicking an item in the content area displays successive levels of detail. For example, double-clicking a drawing image displays several icons, including an icon for blocks. Double-clicking the Blocks icon displays images of each block in the drawing.

Add Content to a Drawing

You can add content from the content area into your current drawing using several methods:

■ Drag an item to the graphics area of a drawing to add it using default set-

tings, if any.

■ Right-click an item in the content area to display a shortcut menu with

several options.

■ Double-click a block to display the Insert dialog box; double-click a hatch

to display the Boundary Hatch and Fill dialog box.

You can preview graphical content such as a drawing, xref, or block in the content area, and you can display a text description if available.

Update Block Definitions with DesignCenter

Unlike xrefs, when the source file of a block definition is changed, block definitions in the drawings that contain that block are not automatically updated. With DesignCenter, you decide whether a block definition should be updated in the current drawing. The source file of a block definition can be a drawing file or a nested block in a symbol library drawing.

Add Content with DesignCenter | 51

From the shortcut menu displayed when you right-click a block or drawing file in the content area, click Redefine Only or Insert and Redefine to update the selected block.

Open Drawings with DesignCenter

With DesignCenter, you can open a drawing from the content area using the shortcut menu, pressing

CTRL while dragging a drawing, or dragging a draw-

ing icon to any location outside the graphics area of a drawing area. The drawing name is added to the DesignCenter history list for quick access in future sessions.

Add Items from DesignCenter to a Tool Palette

You can add drawings, blocks, and hatches from DesignCenter to the current tool palette.

■ From the DesignCenter content area, you can drag one or more items to

the current tool palette.

■ From the DesignCenter tree view, you can right-click and, from the short-

cut menu, create a new tool palette from the current folder, drawing file, or block icon.

When you add drawings to a tool palette, they are inserted as blocks when you drag them into the current drawing.

Note You can select multiple blocks or hatches from the content area to add

them to a tool palette.

See Also

“Insert Blocks and Hatches Using Tool Palettes” on page 20

To create a tool palette containing DesignCenter content

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 Do one of the following:

■ Right-click an item in the DesignCenter tree view and click Create Tool

Palette on the shortcut menu. The new tool palette contains the drawings, blocks, or hatches from the item you selected.

■ Right-click the background in the DesignCenter content area, and click

Create Tool Palette on the shortcut menu. The new tool palette contains the drawings, blocks, or hatches from the DesignCenter content area.

52 | Chapter 4 DesignCenter

■ Right-click a drawing in the DesignCenter tree view or content area,

and click Create Tool Palette of Blocks on the shortcut menu. The new tool palette contains the blocks from the drawing you selected.

You can drag additional drawings, blocks or hatches from the DesignCenter content area to the tool palette.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

To load the content area from the DesignCenter Search dialog box

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click Design-

Center.

2 In DesignCenter, use one of the following methods:

■ Drag the item from the search results list into the content area.

■ Double-click the item in the search results list.

■ Right-click the item in the search results list and choose Load into

Content Area.

3 In the DesignCenter content area, double-click the Blocks icon.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

To load the content area of DesignCenter with a symbol library

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 On the DesignCenter toolbar, click Home. 3 In the content area, double-click the symbol library drawing that you

want to load into the DesignCenter and then double-click the Blocks icon. The symbol library you selected is loaded into the DesignCenter content

area.

Note You can set your home folder to any folder that contains symbol library

drawings. If your home folder is set to a different path, navigate to a folder that contains symbol library drawings and right-click on the folder. From the shortcut menu, click Set as Home.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

Add Content with DesignCenter | 53

To load the content area of DesignCenter with hatch patterns

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 On the DesignCenter toolbar, click Search. 3 In the Search dialog box, click the Look For box and then click Hatch

Pattern Files.

4 On the Hatch Pattern Files tab, in the Search for the Name box, enter *. 5 Click Search Now. 6 Double-click one of the hatch pattern files that was found.

The hatch pattern file you selected is loaded into DesignCenter.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

To open a drawing from DesignCenter

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 In DesignCenter, do one of the following:

■ Right-click the drawing icon in the DesignCenter content area. On the

shortcut menu, click Open in Application Window.

■ Press CTRL and drag the drawing icon from the DesignCenter content

area to the drawing area.

■ Drag the drawing icon from the DesignCenter content area to a loca-

tion anywhere outside the drawing area of the application window. (If you drag the drawing icon into the drawing area, a block is created in the current drawing.)

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

To update a block definition with DesignCenter

1 If DesignCenter is not already open, on the Tools menu, click

DesignCenter.

2 Right-click a block in the DesignCenter content area. On the shortcut

menu, click Redefine Only or Insert and Redefine.

54 | Chapter 4 DesignCenter

Note If the source of the block that you want to update is an entire drawing

file rather than a block definition within a drawing file, right-click the drawing’s icon in the DesignCenter content area. Then, on the shortcut menu, click Insert as Block.

Standard toolbar Command line

ADCENTER

Retrieve Content from the Web with DesignCenter Online

Overview of DesignCenter Online

DesignCenter Online provides access to pre-drawn content such as blocks, symbol libraries, manufacturers' content, and online catalogs. This content can be used in common design applications to assist you in creating your drawings.

To access DesignCenter Online, click the DC Online tab in DesignCenter. Once the DesignCenter Online window is open, you can browse, search, and download content to use in your drawing.

Retrieve Content from the Web with DesignCenter Online | 55

In the DesignCenter Online window, two panes are displayed—a right pane and a left pane. The right pane is called the content area. The content area dis- plays the items or folders that you selected in the left pane. The left pane can display one of the following four views:

■ Category Listing. Displays folders containing libraries of standard parts,

manufacturer-specific content, and content aggregator websites.

■ Search. Searches for online content. You can query items with Boolean

and multiple-word search strings.

■ Settings. Controls how many categories and items are displayed on each

page in the content area as a result of a search or folder navigation.

■ Collections. Specifies the discipline-specific content types that are dis-

played in DesignCenter Online.

You choose the view by clicking the heading at the top of the left pane.

Once you select a folder in the left pane, all of its content is loaded into the content area. You can select an item in the content area to load it into the preview area. Items can be downloaded by dragging them from the preview area into your drawing or tool palette, or by saving the items to your computer.

Note If the DC Online tab is not available in DesignCenter and you want to

access DesignCenter Online, see your network or CAD administrator.

DesignCenter Online Privacy

DesignCenter Online is an interactive feature that must be connected to the Internet to deliver content and information. Each time DesignCenter Online is connected, it sends information to Autodesk so that the correct information can be returned. All information is sent anonymously to maintain your privacy.

The following information is sent to Autodesk:

■ Product Name. The name of the product in which you are using Design-

Center Online

■ Product Release Number. The version of the product

56 | Chapter 4 DesignCenter

■ Product Language. The language version of your product

■ Random Number Identifier. DesignCenter Online assigns a random num-

ber identifier to each person who uses the feature. This identifier is used to retain your Collections and your Settings views each time DesignCenter Online is used.

Autodesk compiles statistics using the information sent from DesignCenter Online to monitor how it is being used and how it can be improved. Autodesk will maintain information provided by or collected from you in accordance with Autodesk’s published privacy policy, which is available on http://www.autodesk.com/privacy.

Turn the DC Online Tab in DesignCenter On or Off

The CAD Manager Control utility turns the DC Online tab in DesignCenter on and off. For example, if you want to prevent DesignCenter Online from sending information to Autodesk, you can turn it off. Information about how to use the utility is available by installing and running the utility, and then clicking Help in the CAD Manager Control Utility window.

Understand DesignCenter Online Content Types

With DesignCenter Online, content is categorized in folders.

In the DesignCenter Online folders, you can retrieve discipline-specific content. The content that you can retrieve includes the following:

■ Standard Parts. Generic standard parts that are commonly used in

design. These parts include blocks for architectural, mechanical, and GIS applications.

■ Manufacturers. Blocks and 3D models that can be located and down-

loaded by clicking a link to a manufacturer's website.

■ Aggregators. Lists of libraries from commercial catalog providers can be

searched for parts and blocks.

Retrieve Content from the Web with DesignCenter Online | 57

You use the Collections view to select the categories of online content that you want to display in the Catagory Listing view.

To view online content folders in the Catagory Listing view

■ In DesignCenter Online, at the top of the left pane, click the heading and

then click Category Listing. The category folders are displayed in the left pane of the window.

Retrieve Content on the Web

You can download content from the Web and use it in your drawings.

Browse for Content

When you use the Category Listing view, you can click the folders in the left pane to view their contents. These folders may contain other folders.

When you click a folder or an item inside a folder, the contents are displayed in the Content area. When you click a block, graphical and descriptive information about the block is displayed in the preview area.

Search for Content

When you search for online content with DesignCenter Online, you can query items with Boolean and multiple-word search strings in the Search view. You can access Search by clicking the magnifying glass or by choosing Search from the drop-down heading at the top of the left pane.

58 | Chapter 4 DesignCenter

Control the Number of Categories and Items in a Page

By using the Settings view, you can control how many categories or items are displayed on each page in the content area as a result of a search or folder navigation.

Collections

You can choose the type of content to navigate and search. In the Collections pane, you can specify the content types that are displayed each time you open DesignCenter Online. For example, if you use architectural blocks in your drawings, you select collections that contain architectural items. Once you make your selection, categories that you specified are displayed.

Download Content

To download content from the Web, locate the folder containing the content that you want to use. Then, click a thumbnail image of the content in the content area. The content is displayed in the preview area along with information about the content. You can drag the block directly from the preview area into a drawing or tool palette, or you can save it to your computer to be used later.

To browse for content in DesignCenter Online

1 In DesignCenter Online, at the top of the left pane, click the heading and

then click Category Listing.

2 Click a folder to list its contents. If the folder contains other folders, click

one of them to list its contents.

3 Click an item in the content area to display the item in the Preview area.

To search for content in DesignCenter Online

1 In DesignCenter Online, at the top of the left pane, click the heading and

then click Search.

2 In the Search view, enter a single word or multiple-word strings.

Note The Need Help link provides more information about searches, including

examples of Boolean searches.

Retrieve Content from the Web with DesignCenter Online | 59

To specify content collections

1 In DesignCenter Online, at the top of the left pane, click the heading and

then click Collections.

2 In the Collections view, click the check boxes of the collections that you

want to use.

3 Click Update Collections.

The categories that you have selected are displayed in the left pane.

To download content to your computer

1 In DesignCenter Online, at the top of the left pane, click the heading and

then click Category Listing.

2 In the Category folders, click a content item. 3 In the Preview area, under the image of the content item, click Save This

Symbol As.

4 In the Save As dialog box, specify the location on your computer and the

file name.

5 Click Save.

The content is downloaded to your computer.

To download content to your drawing

1 In DesignCenter Online, at the top of the left pane, click the heading and

then click Category Listing.

2 In the Category folders, click a content item to display it in the Preview

area.

3 Drag the image from the Preview area into your drawing or tool palette.

60 | Chapter 4 DesignCenter

Customize the Drawing Environment

You can change many AutoCAD

environment settings in the Options dialog box or

when starting AutoCAD. For example, you can change

how often AutoCAD automatically saves a drawing to a

temporary file, and you can link AutoCAD to folders

containing files you use frequently. Experiment with

different settings until you create the drawing environ-

ment that best fits your needs.

window and drawing

In this chapter

■ Set Interface Options

■ Customize Startup

■ Save and Restore Profiles

Set Interface Options

You can change many of the settings that affect the AutoCAD interface and drawing environment in the Options dialog box. For example, you can establish how often AutoCAD automatically saves the drawing to a temporary file, and you can specify the search path for files that you use most often. Experiment with the settings in the Options dialog box until you find the best environment for your needs.

Settings in the Options dialog box include the following:

■ Automatic Save (Open and Save tab). Saves your drawing at specified

time intervals. To use this option, in the Options dialog box, Open and Save tab, select Automatic Save and enter the interval in minutes.

■ Color (Display tab). Specifies the background colors used in the layout

and Model tabs and the color used for prompts and crosshairs.

■ Font (Display tab). Changes the fonts used in the AutoCAD window and

in the text window. This setting does not affect the text in your drawings.

■ Search Path (Files tab). Sets the search path AutoCAD uses to find

support files such as text fonts, drawings, linetypes, and hatch patterns.

To set options

1 From the Tools menu, choose Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, choose the tab you want. 3 Set options as desired. 4 Do either or both of the following:

■ Choose Apply to record the current options settings in the system

registry.

■ Choose OK to record the current options settings in the system registry

and close the Options dialog box.

Command line

OPTIONS

62 | Chapter 5 Customize the Drawing Environment

To customize the colors of the application window elements

1 From the Tools menu, choose Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, choose the Display tab ➤ Colors. 3 In the Color Options dialog box, select the element you want to change

by clicking the Model tab or layout tabs images. As you click areas of the images, the selection is displayed in the Window

Element list. You also can change an attribute by selecting it from the Window Element list.

4 Select the color you want to use from the Color list.

To specify a custom color, choose Select Color from the Color list.

5 If you want to revert to the colors specified by the Windows Control

Panel, choose Default All.

6 Choose Apply and Close to record the current option settings in the

system registry and close the Color Options dialog box.

7 Choose OK to close the Options dialog box.

Command line

OPTIONS

To change the font displayed in the command line window

1 From the Tools menu, choose Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, choose the Display tab. 3 Under Window Elements, choose Fonts to display the Command Line

Window Font dialog box.

4 Select the appropriate Font, Font Style, and Size.

An example of the current choices appears under Sample Command Line Font.

5 Choose Apply & Close to record the current option settings and close the

dialog box.

6 Choose OK to close the Options dialog box.

Command line

OPTIONS

Set Interface Options | 63

Customize Startup

You can use command line switches to specify several options when AutoCAD starts. For example, AutoCAD can run a script, start with a specified template drawing, and display a specified view when a drawing is opened. With command line switches, you can also set up several AutoCAD icons, each with different start-up options.

Command line switches are parameters you can add to the acad.exe command line associated with a Windows shortcut icon or the Windows Run dialog box. You can include several switches within a single command line. Valid switches are listed in the following table.

/s Support folders Designates support folders other than the

/r Default system pointing

Script name Designates a script to run after AutoCAD starts

Template file name Creates a new drawing based on a template or

Configuration folder Specifies the path for the hardware

View name Designates a particular view of the drawing for

device

(b stands for batch process). Scripts can be used to set up drawing parameters in a new drawing file. An SCR file type is assumed.

prototype drawing. A DWT file type is assumed.

configuration file that you want to use. You can specify a directory or a particular file. A CFG file type is assumed. If you don't set the / c switch, AutoCAD searches the executable directory and uses the ACADCFGW or ACADCFG environment variable as a way to define the configuration file and directory location.

display at startup of AutoCAD.

current folder. Support files include text fonts, menus, AutoLISP files, linetypes, and hatch patterns. The maximum number of folders you can specify in the path is 15. Each folder name is delimited by semicolons.

Restores the default system pointing device. It creates a new configuration file (acad2002.cfg) and renames the previous acad2002.cfg file to acad2002.bak.

64 | Chapter 5 Customize the Drawing Environment

/nologo No AutoCAD logo screen Starts AutoCAD without first displaying the

logo screen.

/p User-defined registry

profile for starting AutoCAD

Specifies a user-defined registry profile for starting AutoCAD. The selected profile is in effect only for the current session of AutoCAD, unless you make another profile current in the Options dialog box during that session. You create or import Profiles on the Profiles tab in the Options dialog box. With the /p switch, you can only specify those profiles that are listed in the Options dialog box. If the profile does not exist, AutoCAD uses the current profile.

The syntax for using command line switches is

"drive:pathname\acad.exe" ["drawing name"] [/switch "name"]

When using a switch option, you must follow the switch with a space and then the name of a file, path, or view within quotation marks. For example the following entry starts AutoCAD from a folder named AutoCAD 2002 with the template drawing arch1.dwt, restores a named view

PLAN1, and executes

a script file startup.scr.

"d:\AutoCAD 2002\acad.exe”/t "d:\AutoCAD 2002\template\arch1" /v "plan1" /b "startup"

AutoCAD resolves the environment settings in the following way:

■ If you use a command line switch to specify an environment setting, the

command line switch overrides the settings specified in either the Options dialog box or the environment variable.

■ If a command line switch is not set, the corresponding value set in the

Options dialog box is used.

■ If neither a command line switch nor an Options value is set, the environ-

ment variable value is used.

Note Command line switches and environment variables override Options

values for the current session only. They do not alter the system registry.

Customize Startup | 65

To start AutoCAD with a command line switch

1 Right-click the AutoCAD icon on the Windows Desktop. Then choose

Properties.

2 In the AutoCAD Properties dialog box, choose the Shortcut tab. 3 In the Target box, edit the parameters for the switch using the following

syntax:

"drive:pathname\acad.exe" ["drawing name"] [/switch "name"]

Valid switches: /b Script name (b stands for batch process) /t Template file name /c Configuration folder /v View name /s Support folders /r Default system pointing device /nologo No AutoCAD logo screen /p User-defined registry profile For example, enter "d:\AutoCAD 2002\acad.exe" /t "d:\AutoCAD

2002\template\arch1" /v "plan1" /b "startup"

4 Choose OK.

Save and Restore Profiles

You can use the Profiles tab in the Options dialog box to create and save your drawing environment settings as a profile. If you share your workstation with other users who use the same login name, you can restore your options by making the profile current. You can also create and save profiles to use with different projects. By default, AutoCAD stores your current options in a profile named name, as well as the current drawing name, in the Options dialog box.

The profile information is stored in the system registry and can be saved to a text file (an ARG file). AutoCAD organizes essential data and maintains changes in the registry as necessary.

66 | Chapter 5 Customize the Drawing Environment

UNNAMED PROFILE. AutoCAD displays the current profile

Once you save a profile, you can export or import the ARG file to and from different computers. If you make changes to your current profile during an AutoCAD session and you want to save those changes in the ARG file, you must export the profile. When you export the profile with the current profile name, AutoCAD updates the ARG file with the new settings. You can import the profile again into AutoCAD to update your profile settings.

For more information about profiles, see

OPTIONS in the Command Reference.

To make a profile current

1 From the Tools menu, choose Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, choose the Profiles tab. 3 On the Profiles tab, select the profile you want to make current. 4 Choose Set Current. Then choose OK.

Command line

OPTIONS

To save a profile

1 From the Tools menu, choose Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, choose the Profiles tab. 3 On the Profiles tab, choose Add to List. 4 In the Add Profiles dialog box, Enter a Profile name and Description. 5 Choose Apply & Close to return to the Options dialog box. Then Choose

OK.

Command line

OPTIONS

To make a profile current before starting AutoCAD

1 On the Windows desktop, right-click the AutoCAD icon to display the

shortcut menu.

2 Choose Properties from the shortcut menu. 3 In the AutoCAD Properties dialog box, choose the Shortcut tab. 4 Under Target, enter /p currentprofile after the current target directory. For

example, to make the profile

User12 current, enter the following in Target:

"c:\AutoCAD 2002\acad.exe"/p user12

5 Choose OK to exit the dialog box.

The profile name you enter is the current profile each time you start AutoCAD.

Save and Restore Profiles | 67

Pointing Devices

You can control AutoCAD

as a mouse, digitizing puck, or stylus. A pointing device

may have a number of buttons. The first 10 buttons are

automatically assigned by AutoCAD, but you can reas-

sign all but button 1, the pick button, by modifying the

AutoCAD menu file. You can change how mouse

buttons function by choosing the Mouse icon in the

Windows Control Panel.

with a pointing device such

In this chapter

■ Pointing Device Buttons

■ Digitizing Tablets

Pointing Device Buttons

The first 10 buttons are automatically assigned, but you can reassign all but button 1, the pick button.

On a two-button mouse, the left button is the pick button used to

■ Specify locations

■ Select objects for editing

■ Choose menu options and dialog box buttons and fields

The operation of the right button depends on context; it can be used to

■ End a command in progress

■ Display a shortcut menu

■ Display the Object Snap menu

■ Display the Toolbars dialog box

Right-click operation can be modified in the Options dialog box (

OPTIONS).

The operation of additional buttons on a pointing device is defined in the AutoCAD menu file.

The Wheel Mouse

The wheel mouse has a small wheel between the buttons. The left and right buttons behave the same as they do on a standard mouse. You can rotate the wheel by discrete values. You can use the wheel to zoom and pan in your drawing without using any AutoCAD commands.

By default, the zoom factor is set to 10 percent; each increment in the wheel rotation changes the zoom level by 10 percent. The

ZOOMFACTOR system

variable controls the incremental change, whether forward or backward. The higher the number, the larger the change.

The following table lists the wheel mouse actions supported in AutoCAD.

To... Do this...

Zoom in or out Rotate the wheel forward to zoom in,

Zoom to drawing extents Double-click the wheel button

Pan Hold down the wheel button and drag the

backward to zoom out

mouse

70 | Chapter 6 Pointing Devices

To... Do this...

Pan (joystick) Hold down CTRL and the wheel button, and

Display the Object Snap menu With the MBUTTONPAN system variable set

drag the mouse

to 0, click the wheel button

See Also

“Customize Buttons on a Pointing Device” in the Customization Guide

To practice using several features of the mouse

1 Move your mouse and notice that the pointer on the screen changes from

crosshairs while the pointer is in the drawing area, to an arrow when it's not over the graphics area, and to an I-beam when it's in the text window.

2 As you continue to move the mouse, notice that the numbers in the

coordinate display on the status bar change. These numbers indicate the exact location, or coordinate, of the crosshairs on the screen. Click in the coordinate display to turn it off. Notice that the coordinates are updated only when you click in the graphics area.

3 Find the Snap button on the status bar and click it with the pick button

on your mouse (usually the left button). Notice that the button darkens to indicate that Snap mode has been turned on.

4 Move the pointer around the screen and observe that it seems to adhere,

or "snap," to points at predetermined and equivalent intervals on the screen. You can change the size of these intervals.

5 Click the Snap button again to turn Snap mode off. 6 Move the pointer over the Standard toolbar at the top of the graphics area.

As you leave the pointer over a button for a few moments, notice a popup label, called a tooltip, that identifies the button.

7 Move the pointer over double bars at the end of a toolbar. Then, as you

hold down the pick button, drag the toolbar around the screen to reposition it.

8 Dock the toolbar by dragging it to a docking location at the top, bottom,

or either side of the drawing area. When the outline of the toolbar appears in the docking area, release the pick button.

Pointing Device Buttons | 71

To turn off all shortcut menus in the drawing area

1 From the Tools menu, click Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, click the User Preferences tab. 3 Under Windows Standard Behavior, clear Shortcut Menus in Drawing

Area.

4 Click OK to record the current options settings in the system registry and

close the Options dialog box.

Command line

OPTIONS

To turn off shortcut menus individually

1 From the Tools menu, choose Options. 2 In the Options dialog box, choose the User Preferences tab. 3 Select Shortcut Menus in Drawing Area, and then choose Right-Click

Customization.

4 In the Right-Click Customization dialog box, under Default Mode, Edit

Mode, or Command Mode, select the options to control what happens when you right-click in the graphics area.

5 Click Apply & Close to close the Right-Click Customization dialog box.

Click OK to record the current options settings in the system registry and close the Options dialog box.

Command line

OPTIONS

72 | Chapter 6 Pointing Devices

Digitizing Tablets

A digitizing tablet, or digitizer, is a peripheral device that can be used to trace paper drawings into an AutoCAD drawing file or to choose commands from the digitizing tablet overlay supplied with AutoCAD. With the Wintab driver, the tablet pointer can also be used instead of a mouse as a system pointer to choose menu items and drawing objects in AutoCAD or to interact with the operating system. The tablet pointer can be a puck or a stylus.

The digitizing tablet must first be configured and then can optionally be calibrated.

■ When the tablet is configured, portions of the tablet surface are designated

as menu areas and a screen-pointing area.

■ When the tablet is calibrated, it can be used to trace geometry from an

existing paper drawing or photograph into an AutoCAD drawing.

You can easily switch between using the tablet uncalibrated as a system pointer (Tablet mode off) or calibrated for digitizing a drawing (Tablet mode on). Click the Tablet button on the status bar. If a screen-pointing area has been designated, a Float button is displayed on the status bar and toggles the screen-pointing area on and off.

See Also

“Create Tablet Menus” in the Customization Guide “Set Up a Digitizing Tablet” in the Driver and Peripheral Guide

Digitizing Tablets | 73

Part 2

Start, Organize, and Save a Drawing

Chapter 7 Start and Save a Drawing 77 Chapter 8 Open an Existing Drawing 87 Chapter 9 Specify Units, Angles, and Scale 101 Chapter 10 Organize Drawings and Apply

Standards 109

Start and Save a Drawing

You can start a new drawing several ways. You can use a

wizard to step you through the process, you can start

from scratch using default settings, or you can start

from a template file with a preset environment. In each

case, you can choose the conventions and defaults you

want to use.

In this chapter

■ Start a Drawing from Scratch

■ Use a Setup Wizard

■ Use a Template File to Start a

Drawing

■ Save a Drawing

Start a Drawing from Scratch

A quick way to begin a new drawing is to start from scratch, which starts a drawing that uses settings from a default drawing template file.

You can start from scratch from the Create New Drawing dialog box, from the Select Template dialog box, or without using a dialog box at all. In each case, you use either the

Use the Create New Drawing Dialog Box

The Create New Drawing dialog box is displayed under the following conditions:

■ You set the STARTUP system variable to 1 (on).

■ You set the FILEDIA system variable to 1 (on).

■ You click New on the File menu or Qnew on the Standard toolbar when

no drawing template file is specified in the Options dialog box.

The Create New Drawing dialog box provides several methods for starting a new drawing.

When you use Start from Scratch, you can specify either imperial or metric units for the new drawing. The setting you select determines default values used for many system variables controlling text, dimensions, grid, snap, and the default linetype and hatch pattern file.

■ Imperial. Creates a new drawing based on the imperial measurement

system. The drawing uses internal default values, and the default drawing boundary, called the drawing limits, is 12 × 9 inches.

■ Metric. Creates a new drawing based on the metric measurement system.

The drawing uses internal default values, and the default drawing boundary is 429 × 297 millimeters.

NEW command or the QNEW command.

Use the Select Template Dialog Box

The Select Template dialog box is displayed under the following conditions:

■ You set the STARTUP system variable to 0 (off).

■ You set the FILEDIA system variable to 1 (on).

■ You click New on the File menu or, by default, Qnew on the Standard

toobar.

At the bottom-right corner of the Select Template dialog box, there is an Open button with an arrow button next to it. If you click the arrow button, you can choose between two internal default drawing templates, metric or imperial.

78 | Chapter 7 Start and Save a Drawing

Use a Default Drawing Template File

The fastest way to begin working on a new drawing is to start automatically with a default drawing template file. No dialog box is displayed with this method:

■ You set the STARTUP system variable to 0 (off).

■ You set the FILEDIA system variable to 1 (on).

■ You specify a default drawing template file in the Options dialog box on

the Files tab. Click the node labeled “Drawing Template Settings” and specify a path and drawing template file.

■ You click Qnew on the Standard toolbar.

From now on, a new drawing is immediately created that is based on the specified default drawing template file.

If no template file is specified in the Options dialog box, QNEW displays the Select Template dialog box.

To start a drawing from scratch with the Create Drawing dialog box

1 If necessary, set the

STARTUP system variable to 1 and the FILEDIA system

variable to 1. On the command line, enter startup and 1; then enter filedia and 1.

2 On the File menu, click New. 3 In the Create New Drawing dialog box, click Start from Scratch. 4 Under Default Settings, click either Imperial or Metric.

The new drawing starts as drawing1.dwg. The default drawing name changes to reflect the number of new drawings that have been started. For example, if you start another drawing, the default drawing name is drawing2.dwg.

Command line

NEW

To start a drawing from scratch from a default drawing template file

1 If necessary, set the

STARTUP system variable to 0 and the FILEDIA system

variable to 1. On the command line, enter startup and 0; then enter filedia and 1.

2 On the Tools menu, click Options. In the Options dialog box, click the

Files tab.

Start a Drawing from Scratch | 79

3 In the list of nodes, click the plus next to Drawing Template Settings. Click

the plus next to Drawing Template File Location, and specify a folder path. Click the plus next to Default Template File Name for a drawing template file name. Click OK.

4 On the Standard toolbar, click Qnew.

Standard toolbar Command line

QNEW

Use a Setup Wizard

A setup wizard establishes basic drawing settings step by step. You have two wizard options to help you set up a drawing:

■ Quick Setup Wizard. Sets units of measurement, precision of displayed

units, and grid limits.

■ Advanced Setup Wizard. Sets units of measurement, precision of

displayed units, and grid limits. Also establishes angle settings such as units of measurement style, precision, direction, and orientation.

QNEW, and specify

These wizards are available in the Create New Drawing dialog box.

To begin a new drawing using a wizard

1 If necessary, set the STARTUP system variable to 1 and the FILEDIA system

variable to 1.

2 On the File menu, choose New. 3 In the Create New Drawing dialog box, click Use a Wizard. 4 Click Quick Setup or Advanced Setup. 5 Complete the wizard pages using the Next and Back buttons to move

forward and backward.

6 On the last page, click Finish.

Command line

NEW

80 | Chapter 7 Start and Save a Drawing

Use a Template File to Start a Drawing

A drawing template file contains standard settings. Select one of the template files supplied, or create your own template files. Drawing template files have a .dwt file extension.

When you create a new drawing based on an existing template file and make changes, the changes in the new drawing do not affect the template file. You can use one of the template files supplied with AutoCAD, or you can create your own template files.

Create a Drawing Template File

When you need to create several drawings that use the same conventions and default settings, you can save time by creating or customizing a template file instead of specifying the conventions and default settings each time you start. Conventions and settings commonly stored in template files include

■ Unit type and precision

■ Title blocks, borders, and logos

■ Layer names

■ Snap, Grid, and Ortho settings

■ Drawing (grid) limits

■ Dimension styles

■ Text styles

■ Linetypes

By default, drawing template files are stored in the template folder, where they are easily accessible.

Recover the Default Drawing Template File

If the settings in the AutoCAD

drawing template files acad.dwt or acad-

iso.dwt have been changed from the original defaults, you can reset them by starting a new drawing with no template and then saving the drawing as a drawing template file, replacing acad.dwt or acadiso.dwt.

You can start a new drawing with the original defaults by using

NEW to dis-

play the Select Template dialog box. To do this, click the arrow next to the Open button and then click one of the “no template” options from the list.

Use a Template File to Start a Drawing | 81

To start a drawing by selecting a template file

1 On the File menu, click New. 2 In the Select Template dialog box, scroll through the list of templates and

select a template from the list and click Open. AutoCAD opens the drawing as drawing1.dwg. The default drawing name

changes to reflect the number of new drawings that have been opened. For example, if you open another drawing from a template, the default drawing name is drawing2.dwg.

If you want to start a new drawing with no template file, click the arrow next to the Open button and then click one of the “no template” options from the list.

Command line

NEW

To create a drawing template file from an existing drawing

1 On the File menu, click Open. 2 In the Select File dialog box, select the file you want to use as a template

and click OK.

3 If you want to delete the existing file contents, from the Modify menu,

choose Erase.

4 At the Select Objects prompt, enter all, and then select the border and title

block (if you want to remove them) and enter r (Remove).

5 On the File menu, click Save As. 6 In the Save Drawing As dialog box under Files of Type, select the Drawing

Template file type.

DWT files must be saved in AutoCAD LT

2004 format. To create a DWT

file in AutoCAD 2000 format, save the file in the AutoCAD 2000 DWG format and then rename the DWG file using a DWT extension.

7 In the File Name box, enter a name for the template. Click Save. 8 Enter a description of the template and click OK.

The new template is saved in the template folder.

Standard toolbar

Command line

OPEN

To recover the default drawing template files

1 On the File menu, click New.

82 | Chapter 7 Start and Save a Drawing

2 In the Select Template dialog box, click the arrow next to the Open button

and then click one of the options from the list:

■ Open with no Template - Imperial to restore acad.dwt

■ Open with no Template - Metric to restore acadiso.dwt

The drawing opens with the default settings.

3 On the File menu, click Save As. 4 In the Save Drawing As dialog box, select the Drawing Template file type.

Save the drawing with its original name, either acad.dwt for imperial or acadiso.dwt for metric.

5 Click Save.

Command line

Save a Drawing

You save drawing files for later use just as you do with other Windows applications. AutoCAD also provides automatic saving, backup files, and other options for saving.

When you are working on a drawing, you should save it frequently. Saving protects you from losing work in the event of a power failure or other unexpected event. If you want to create a new version of a drawing without affecting the original drawing, you can save it under another name.

The file extension for AutoCAD drawing files is .dwg, and unless you change the default file format in which drawings are saved, drawings are saved in the AutoCAD LT 2004 drawing-file format. This format is optimized for file compression and for use on a network.

Save Your Drawing Automatically

If you turn on the automatic saving option, AutoCAD saves your drawing at specified time intervals. By default, files saved automatically are temporarily assigned the name filename_a_b_nnnn.sv$. The file name is the current drawing name, a is the number of open instances of the same drawing file in the same AutoCAD session, b is the number of open instances of the same drawing in different sessions of AutoCAD, and nnnn is a random number generated by AutoCAD.

NEW

Files that are automatically saved are deleted when AutoCAD closes a drawing in the normal way. Saved files remain in the event of a crash or power failure. To recover a previous version of your drawing from the automatically saved file, rename the file using a .dwg extension.

Save a Drawing | 83

Use Backup Files

If you turn on automatic backups, AutoCAD saves the previous version of your drawing files to a file with the same name and a .bak file extension. To recover the previous version of your drawing from a backup file, rename the file using a .dwg extension.

Save Part of a Drawing File

If you want to create a new drawing file from part of an existing drawing, you can use

BLOCK or WBLOCK. With either command, you can select objects or

specify a block definition in your current drawing and save them in a new drawing file. You can also save a description along with the new drawing.

Save to a Different Type of Drawing File

You can save a drawing to an earlier version of the DWG or DXF format or save a drawing as a template file. Choose the format from Files of Type in the Save Drawing As dialog box.

Reduce the Time Required to Save a Drawing File

You can reduce the time required to save a drawing file if you specify incremental saves rather than full saves. An incremental save updates only those portions of the saved drawing file that you changed.

When you use incremental saves, drawing files will contain a percentage of potentially wasted space. This percentage increases after each incremental save until it reaches a specified maximum, at which time a full save is performed instead. You can set the incremental save percentage in the Open and Save tab of the Options dialog box or by setting the value of the system vari-

ISAVEPERCENT. If you set the value of ISAVEPERCENT to 0, all saves are full

able saves.

To reduce the size of drawing files, it is recommended that you perform a full save (with

IPERCENTSAVE set to 0) before transmitting or archiving a drawing.

See Also

“Save Drawings to Previous Drawing File Formats” on page 722 “Export Drawings to Other File Formats” on page 716 “Create Drawing Files for Use as Blocks” on page 321 “Add Identifying Information to Drawings” on page 95

To save a drawing

1 On the File menu, click Save.

If you previously saved and named the drawing, AutoCAD saves any subsequent changes and redisplays the Command prompt. If you have never saved the drawing, the Save Drawing As dialog box is displayed.

84 | Chapter 7 Start and Save a Drawing

Autodesk AutoCAD AutoCAD - 2004 Instruction Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Install the Product

Use the Help System Efficiently

Find Information in Help

Use Searches

Use Ask Me

Understand How Help Topics Are Organized

Use the Up Arrow to Navigate Help Topics

Print Help Topics

Show and Hide the Contents Pane

Get Additional Help

Use Active Assistance

Learn the Product

Obtain Documentation Updates

Receive Product Updates and Announcements

Overview of Communication Center

Customize Program Update and Announcement Options

Receive New Information Notifications

View the Product Readme

Tool Palettes

Insert Blocks and Hatches Using Tool Palettes

Change Tool Palette Settings

Control Tool Properties

Customize Tool Palettes

Save and Share Tool Palettes

Toolbars

The Menu Bar

Shortcut Menus

The Object Snap Menu

Enter Commands on the Command Line

Enter System Variables on the Command Line

Navigate and Edit Within the Command Window

Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line

Dock and Resize the Command Window

Overview of DesignCenter

Understand the DesignCenter Window

Access Content with DesignCenter

Add Content with DesignCenter

Retrieve Content from the Web with DesignCenter Online

Overview of DesignCenter Online

Understand DesignCenter Online Content Types

Retrieve Content on the Web

Set Interface Options

Customize Startup

Save and Restore Profiles

Pointing Device Buttons

Digitizing Tablets

Start a Drawing from Scratch

Use a Setup Wizard

Use a Template File to Start a Drawing

Save a Drawing