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FelixCAD 4.01 User Manual - Spring conference on Computer

1. The default value is 360 degrees Either confirm or choose the value 201 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects OFFSET THROUGH POINT The Offset command Modify gt Offset Through Point creates parallel copies of lines circles arcs and 2D polylines The command copies the selected entity and places it a specific distance from the original The original entity stays in place Note The Offset command can create unexpected results depending on the entity selection e Line and straight 2D polyline an identical copy is created to make parallel lines e Circle and arcs an copy is created but is scaled by a factor to make concentric curves The center of the original circle or arc is used as a basepoint for scaling e 3D polyline made of line and arc segments due to the arc portions being scaled the offset polyline may look very different from the original Lines amp 2D Polylines Start the Offset command and select the line s or polyline s to be offset There are two ways to specify the offset distance One method is to pick a point using object snaps if necessary FelixCAD offsets the copy at the pick location gt OFFSET Select objects line circle arc 2D polyline P1 Offset by point P2 Select objects line circle arc 2D polyline Enter The second method is to select the Distance option Enter the offset distance You are then prompt Offset to Sid
2. Hatch pattern drawn at a 0 angle left and one at a 45 angle right 314 Chapter 10 Hatching HATCH COMMAND ADDING HATCH MARKS TO AN OBJECT Wa 1 Select Hatch from the Detail menu or type the Hatch command at the prompt The command prompts you to select an object The Option Bar contains a list of object selection functions Select the object s then terminate object selection process by pressing Enter The Hatch command opens the Cross Hatching dialog box which allows you to select a pre defined hatch pattern change its parameters or to create your own pattern In the center of the dialog box the preview function lets you see the effect of your choices i uas H aching Select the pattern and confirm your selection with OK If you do not see the hatch pattern you need to use click the Find button to select another hatch pat file To change the parameters of an existing hatch pattern alter the Angle and scale Factor values as required Factor affects the spacing of the hatch lines measured in drawing units 315 Chapter 10 Hatching To create a simple user defined hatch pattern click the Standard or Cross buttons This option displays a preview of a standard pattern consisting of continuous horizontal lines spaced at a distance of one drawing unit You can change this pattern via the Angle and Factor parameters The Cross button adds lines at right angles to the existing lin
3. Vertex 0 0 110 170 4 Vertex 0 1 130 190 4 Vertex 0 2 160 190 6 Vertex 1 0 150 130 0 Vertex 1 1 170 140 0 Vertex 1 2 190 170 2 Vertex 2 0 200 120 0 Vertex 2 1 220 140 2 Vertex 2 2 240 170 0 Vertex 3 0 260 110 0 Vertex 3 1 270 130 0 Vertex 3 2 290 150 0 NN N 175 Chapter 5 Draw Meshes can be open or closed depending on whether the mesh joins in either the M or N direction or both A donut shaped mesh is an example of a mesh closed in both directions The 3DMesh command is rarely used as an explicit command in drawing practice However the command provides an easy way to generate meshes by FLISP routines based on 3D point lists like surveyor s measurement points The command is primarily designed for usage within applications either based on FLISP or on other programming languages to construct general polygon meshes Do not confuse polygon meshes created by 3DMesh with polygon faces created by the PFace command 176 Chapter 5 Draw SURFACE OF REVOLUTION The RevSurf command Draw gt 3D gt Surface of Revolution creates a 3D surface by revolving a path curve the profile around an axis of revolution The curve sweeps around the axis to define the surface in the N direction of the mesh The M direction of the mesh is determined by the axis of revolution The density of the mesh is based on the value of the SurfTab1 and SurfTab2 system variables
4. available Ba Fie Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim Parts Options View Window 2 la x D amp amp fe pos Ja rorcegen Sre MA B amp By setect opjects SERIE cs oh SV SS amp E TE Bote l X ann WPolygon CPolygon Fence Last Previous Remove Window Crossing Single All Group xyz BA xy For most commands you may select more than one object for editing However some commands such as Trim and Expand expect a single object for some of their prompts When multiple objects are selected they are transformed together in the same relationship as they are currently placed For more information on objet selection see Chapter 2 Drawing with Precision MODIFY PARAMETERS The EditPar command Modify gt Modify Parameters allows you to define the default values for some modifying and editing commands The command displays the Edit Parameters dialog box Mirror Flip The Mirror Flip area determines what happens to the orientation of text and hatch patterns after the commands that mirror or flip objets 184 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Mirror Text When the Mirror Text option is on a check mark is shown text objects are mirrored When turned off the default text is copied and not mirrored about the specified axis The following figure shows the influence of this option on text objects textobject textobject ISXjOpIS6c textobject Mirroring of a text object option Mirror Text activa
5. Typical FelixCAD Screen shown with 4 views open 28 Chapter 1 The Basics STARTING FELIXCAD During the installation of FelixCAD the Windows Setup program places a FelixCAD icon on the desktop A detailed description of the installation is contained in the Introduction of this manual Start FelixCAD by double clicking the icon As an alternative click the Start button on the taskbar then select Programs gt FelixCAD gt FelixCAD To Change the FelixCAD icon properties right mouse click on the icon and scroll down to properties Under the Shortcut tab of the icon properties dialog box the following options can be changed 1 Start in where FelixCAD first looks for and saves files 2 Shortcut key allows assigning a Shortcut Key or Keys to launch the program 3 Run setting the Window size for the program to Run minimized normal or Lm im men maximized Look in your Windows documentation for details on changing an icon s properties 29 Chapter 1 The Basics OPENING AND SAVING DRAWINGS In this section you learn about the commands for opening a drawing for saving your work and for exiting FelixCAD a The File Pull down menu File Operations Printing and Plotting setup and Delete Lock Files execution Batch Processing Allows hie a printing plotting or conversion of DE multiple files at one time
6. 89 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision TANgent Al The Tan mode snaps to the tangent point of a curve This mode requires that a starting point has already been selected For example when a tangent to a circle is desired the ending point for the tangent line is picked The result is a tangent line from the ending point to the chosen entity N starting point and tangent NeXT NI The Nxt mode snaps to the next situated point of an object when at least one point of this object lies within the borders of the selecting cursor box This ensures that entities that are designed or modified by use of the object snap mode share a point with the selected object If you select a point in 3D space without using this object snap mode it is possible that the selected point is not on the desired object The two objects would not have a common point or a closure 90 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision INSertion T The Ins mode snaps to the insertion point of a part an attribute or a text object PoiNT x The Pnt mode snaps to a point entity which was created by the Point command 91 92 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Viewing Drawings Unlike a paper drawing using a CAD program involves a trade off between seeing all of the drawing with little detail or seeing a detail portion of a small part of the drawing Also unl
7. QUAdrant O The Qua mode snaps to the nearest quadrant of a circle or an arc Quadrant refers to the points situated on the circumference at 0 90 180 and 270 degrees Only the next visible quadrant of an arc can be snapped f K ed quadrants of NL E cursor position an circle and snaped point 88 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision INTersection x The Int mode snaps to the intersections of a pair of lines arcs and other entities or any other combination of them This includes dashed and centerlines where the intersection point may not have line segments actually touching cursor position cursor position and snaped point and snaped point IMPlied The Int object snap mode only returns an intersection point of entities that have a real intersection In contrast the Imp mode snaps in addition to an implied intersection point This is the point where the extension of two entities would intersect PERpendicular 4 The Per mode snaps to the perpendicular to an entity This mode requires that a starting point already been selected For example when a perpendicular is desired the ending point for the perpendicular is picked The result is a perpendicular line from the ending point to the chosen entity starting point and perpendicular starting point and perpendicular
8. FelixCAD automatically creates this layer the first time you use a dimension command Associative Dimension aX ies a KY Measurement Points When you change an object such as stretch it make sure you include the ends of the dimension DIMENSION ELEMENTS A dimension commonly consists of the following elements 3 500 Measurement Point 1 Dimensioning Text The dimension text is usually but not always the distance being measured 2 Dimension Line with Arrowheads Dimension lines connect the points of measurement or the extension lines to those points of measurement Typically the dimension text is placed in or near the dimension line Dimension lines usually end with arrowheads These arrowheads can be replaced with an oblique or any other symbol acceptable to the drawing 3 Extension Lines Extension lines extend the point of measurement to the dimensioning lines 285 Chapter 9 Dimensioning For diameter or circumference dimensioning extension lines start at the dimension value and point to the outer edge of the object Alternative Measurement Units Alternative units of measurement can be displayed with the dimensioning text This allows the dimension to show two different units of measurement A common example is to show both metric and imperial values Tolerances and Fit Tolerances and fit entries can be represented a requirement in mechanical drafting Appropriate values c
9. Select a standard view from the View from buttons or specify a custom view with the Theta and Phi sliders The view you select can be changed at any time Click on OK The new window is created in standard size and arranged in the manner proscribed with the existing windows tiled cascaded etc Theta Phi The preview window showing a house lets you interactively change the 3D view direction Move the Theta and Phi sliders and watch the house rotate in three dimensions When satisfied with the viewpoint click OK View From Select a standard view from the View From buttons 95 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Plan View To switch quickly to a plan view use the PlanView command View gt Plan View to Construction Plan Changing the View The 3d View command View gt 3D View displays the View Direction dialog box which is the same as the New Window dialog box discussed above It allows you to look at a drawing from any point in space that you wish to define You must define the view direction as described above To change the 3D viewpoint at the command line such as in macros or FLISP routines use the Set ViewDir command gt SETVIEWDIR Viewpoint X Y Z Rotate The Rotate option allows you to specify a new view direction based on two angles entered as real numbers as shown by the following prompts Angle theta rotation angle in x y plane lt 0 0 gt Angle phi rotation angle to x y plane lt 0 0 g
10. General Remarks FelixCAD runs on a computer with Microsoft Windows 95 98 and NT All aspects of the program function according to Windows standards This is true for pull down menus toolboxes dialog boxes edit boxes scroll bars etc There are buttons for opening new and existing drawing files to save and print drawings as well as for changing window arrangements It is recommended that you load FelixCAD on a PC with the most recent operating system and patches available It is also good practice to have the latest device driver files such as for Video Cards and Printers on your system 27 Chapter 1 The Basics To work with FelixCAD we assume that you already know how to use the Windows operating system For this reason we do not explain how to use the user interface elements If you are not sure please consult your Windows User s Guide manual the on line help system and other source of information on the subject of Windows In this manual the term drawing is used as a synonym for file When we talk about opening or closing a drawing it s the same thing as opening or closing the file f FelixCAD 4 0 980929 Beta jor x File Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim Parts Options View Window Beene Jelenaa TS 8 SSS HG fo g BB ever solic Line gt xyz FA XY SARS de sre MA AT Sons CSNY Bee ef mee e Use A BEALA
11. The Exploded button causes the part to be exploded into its component entities upon insertion When exploded the part no longer exists instead you get the individual entities that made up the part which allows you to edit them 250 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Quick Insert The QInsert command Parts gt Quick Insert is the command line version of the Insert command The command prompts you for the part name insertion point rotation angle and scale factor in the text window It does not have the explode and interactive options found in the Insert command s dialog box The QInsert command can be faster since it offers a reduced number of options Also the command is the best suited for macros and FLISP routines There are in fact two versions of the QInsert command 1 Select Parts gt Quick Insert from the menu The Part Selection dialog box is automatically displayed All remaining prompts are displayed in the text window 2 Type QInsert at the command prompt All prompts are displayed in the text window You can display the Part Selection dialog box by typing at the Partname prompt gt QINSERT Partname lt part01 gt type part name or press Insertion point 3 3 X factor lt 1 gt Corner XYZ Enter Rotation angle lt 0 gt Enter Partname Type the name of the part For external parts include the drive and path name as in drive folder1 folder2 part
12. e None Clicking this button will deselect all selected items of the list In result no item in the list will be selected 379 Chapter 16 The BATPROC Batch Process Command e Invert Clicking this button will invert the selection this means all selected items will be de selected while all others will be selected e Mark By Pattern Matching Clicking this button will open a new dialog box there you can select or deselect items by applying one or more patterns to the list of drawing files The following picture shows the dialog box The meaning of the pattern matching is not the same as DOS WIN file names but the same as the wcmatch function See the Customization Manual for more information Select Meme by plisin mabehing Paia cies dnd Here is a short summary of special selection characters Note The matching condition refers to any sequence of characters any single character the LSP auton WCMATCH Era AT any single letter any single number CE Mak abeha salicion orik any non alphabetical character separates patterns Hak mabching selecton additonal not the following match works only at the first position C Umak matching selection any character inside character in the range Ul en m any character which is not inside of the brackets Cancel O w suppresses the special meaning of the following character Patterns Matching Dialog
13. of the SETTINGS dialog or by switching the marker and or the tool tip button on Different colors of the marker can be also selected The displayed markers or symbols are the same as shown in the following dialog to the left of each respective object snap mode 21 Introduction and Installation Object Snap Modes Turns on running object snap Mode Supported Entities Intersection Snaps to the intersection of an arc line or polyline segment End Point Snaps to the closest endpoint of an arc line or polyline segment solid or 3dface Mid Point Snaps to the midpoint of an arc line or polyline segment solid or 3dface Point Snaps to a point object Next on Entity Snaps to the nearest point on an arc circle line point or polyline segment Center Point Snaps to the center of an arc circle or polyline arc segment Quadrant Snaps to the quadrant point of an arc circle or polyline arc segment Insertion Point Snaps to the insertion point of an attribute definitions part block or text Fld dodo os e o xs Tangent Snaps to the tangent of an arc circle or polyline arc segment Perpendicular Snaps to a point perpendicular to an arc circle polyline segment line solid or 3dface 22 Introduction and Installation New Temporary Object Snap Mode NONE In FelixCAD 5 all current selected object snap modes can be switched off for a single selec
14. 3 Cl Printer Informatio Open Typewriter me p Scale Factor Rotation Anale E Ip if I Explode I Explode Le fi j a _Extended x Quick Mode Platter The Part Library dialog box in Quick Mode left and Extended mode right The dialog box has two display modes e Quick Mode nine parts at a time are displayed by preview images with the selected part s name at the bottom e Extended three parts are displayed at a time together with the parts information Set Up and Management The PLbSetup command Parts gt Part Library Setup allows you to set up a new part library specify the user interface of the part library dialog box and modify the content of existing part libraries The command displays the Part Library Setup dialog box that e Selects the drawing files to be included in a library e Sets the preferences for part insertions e Sets the parameters for the layout and options of the part library dialog box 257 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups The plb files store the parameters for each part library Note that the plb file stores only the parameters that define the library it does not store the part or drawing files The Part Library Setup dialog box does all the work creating the plb file you don t need to know the structure or syntax of the part library file Part Library Setup x Pile les m Library Office plb Optio
15. FelixCAD 5LT User Guide Dec 2001 Manufactured by FELIX Computer Aided Technologies GmbH Nestorstrasse 36a 10709 Berlin Germany TEL 030 89 69 03 0 FAX 030 89 69 03 12 E mail info fcad de www fcad de OF www fcad com Please note that this free version of FelixCAD 5 hasa reduced command set FelixCAD 5 LTdoesNOTcontain DWG export functionality 3D functions except Poly3D command and programming interfaces for C C and USP which are available in the full version of FelixCAD 5 All functions unavailable in FelixCAD 5 LTare marked with a red astenx Disclaimer and Limited Warranty This document and the software contained herein may not be reproduced in any fashion or on any media without the explicit written permission of FelixCAD Computer Aided Technologies GmbH Felix CAT GmbH EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED IN THIS AGREEMENT FELIX COMPUTER AIDED TECHNOLOGIES GmbH SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MECHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE TO DEFECTS IN THE DISKETTE OR OTHER PHYSICAL MEDIA AND DOCUMENTATION OR TO OPERATION OF THE PROGRAMS AND ANY PARTICULAR APPLICATION OR USE OF THE PROGRAMS IN NO EVENT SHALL FELIX COMPUTER AIDED TECHNOLOGIES GmbH BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGE INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL INCIDENTAL CONSEQUENTIAL PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES ALL LIABILITY
16. Light rays extend infinitely on either side of the insertion point of this type of light source 362 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering Point Light A point light radiates light rays in all directions from a single point its insertion point in the model This is similar to an incandescent light bulb It has a position intensity and a color The intensity of a point light diminishes with distance You set the manner by which the light attenuates with distance none linear or square and the factor for distance falloff in the Light Attenuation section of the dialog box in Spot Light Spotlights have light rays emanating in a specific direction This type of light source in a model is similar to a stage spotlight It has a position intensity and a color In addition the spotlight has a direction and a cone angle You determine the light attenuation falloff with distance for spotlights To determine the direction of a spotlight you are requested to specify the location point of the light source and the target point of the spotlight when inserting it into the drawing Common Light Settings Light source insertions have some settings in common and some setting specific to specific light types This section describes the in common settings Light Name LD1 M Light On Color In the Light Name text edit box you specify a name of a new light source or alter the name of an existing named light inser
17. Paper Layout Mode Paper Configuee P y p Palette Manager ae space Model Space Eg Herd Sps Tree ii System configuration desktop I CAFELESADT HOUSE Ii management and resource manager Last opened files By the end of this section you should understand these commands Command Name Meaning New Starts a new drawing Open Opens an existing Close Closes the current Save Saves the current drawing Save As only FLX Saves the current drawing 30 Chapter 1 The Basics Save All Saves all open drawings File Manager Visual File Management Delete Locked Files Erases locked files Exit Exits the FelixCAD These commands are located in the pull down menu labeled File There are also icons in the toolbar for the most used commands The g T i f 5 commands for printing and plotting your drawing which are also found in the File menu are explained in the Printing and Plotting chapter of this manual FelixCAD 4 01 introduces batch processing of multiple files Files can be printed plotted or converted from one format into another using batch processing which is described in a separate chapter of this manual see BATPROC command By default FelixCAD saves drawing files with the file extension flx Each file contains the drawing and if necessary up to four independent views of the drawing Files can optionally be opened or saved in DWG or DXF
18. There is a difference between object selection and object snap modes Object selection treats a group of entities such as a rectangle chain and polyline as a single object In contrast object snap modes treat these as individual entities For example you can snap to each segment and vertex of a polyline This is also true for polygons and 2D and 3D faces the edges are interpreted as by object snap as individual lines In this way the object snap modes can be used for the edges of planes as well as for segments of chains and polylines For simplicity when this text refers for example to the end point of a line the term also refers to polyline segments and the edge of a plane 86 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision ENDpoint VA The End object snap snaps to the endpoint of a line or of an arc The endpoints of planes and faces can be accessed cursor position cursor position and snaped point and snaped point MiDpoint 2 The Mid mode snaps to the center of a line or an arc Te edges of faces may also be snapped cursor position cursor position and snaped point and snaped point 87 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision CENterpoint o The Cen mode snaps to the center point of a circle arc and polyarc a cursor position cursor position C and snaped point c and snaped point
19. To generate a surface of revolution 1 Pick an entity such as a line arc circle or polyline This entity determines the profile Pick an entity to be the axis such as a line or open polyline The profile revolves around the axis Specify the start angle and the included angle through which to revolve the profile The default is a full circle gt REVSURF Select path curve to revolve pick Select axis of revolution pick Start angle lt 0 gt Enter Included angle to revolv ntity ccw cw lt 360 gt Enter Note To close the mesh in the N direction select a circle or closed polyline as the curve Revsurf Path Curve amp Axis P1 amp P2 and Completed Revsurf Surface RULED SURFACE The RuleSurf command Draw gt 3D gt Ruled Surface creates a ruled surface between two boundary curves two profiles Valid entities that define the 177 Chapter 5 Draw edges of the surface can be points lines arcs circles 2D polylines and 3D polylines You can use a mixture of these entities such as a point and a line The SurfTab1 system variable determines the number of equal intervals between the resulting vertices on the defining profile entities The number of intervals is the same for each curve The resulting surface is a polygon mesh To create a tabulated surface 1 Pick an entity that defines the first profile 2 Select another entity for the other boundary outline gt RULESU
20. gt ATTVALUE Select attribute of part Pl New value for attribute lt 47 gt 48 Move Attribute Text The AttMove command Parts gt Modify Attribute Text gt Move Attribute Text allows you to change the position of the text gt ATTMOVE Select attribute of part Pl Target point P2 Rotate Attribute Text The AtTRot command Parts gt Modify Attribute Text gt Rotate Attribute Text allows you to select a single attribute and change the rotation angle of the text gt ATTROT Select attribute of part Pl New angle lt 0 gt 90 270 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Attributes Display Modes The DrawMode command Draw gt Drawing Modes changes the display of attributes to make them all visible even if defined invisible or make them all invisible Notice the Attribute Display Mode section of the dialog box Visibility and Display Modes for Drawing Entities r Point Representation r Linetype Scale Factor fas C E I Fill Solid Entities O O 4 Attribute Display Mode io aaea All invisible ise Lad Display all Point Size 3D Face Edges _ Absolute Size eroe Relative to Screen Display all Arc Segments Size in E Segments 81024 48 cac The following settings are available Display as defined All attributes are displayed according to their
21. imi The Rotate Raster button lets you rotate RLC and TIF raster images does not support BMP images to match your vector drawing The prompt is as follows select raster lt point gt Last n 0 This allows you to select the correct raster image to rotate using the same options as for the Move Raster command Next you are prompted Rotation angle This is the amount of rotation clockwise is a negative rotation and clockwise is a positive rotation MIRROR RASTER The Mirror Raster button RLC only allows you to mirror image RLC files only You first select the image on screen select raster lt point gt Last n 0 After selecting the image you are asked mirror axis Two options appear on the options bar Horizontal and Vertical Pick the one you wish to use After a few seconds the raster image is rotated and FelixCAD displays the Properties dialog box This lets you specify the properties of the mirrored copy The original image is not removed The mirrored image is displayed according to the image properties 372 RMONT RCUT Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing a The RMont command RLC only lets you copy a portion of or the whole raster image You are prompted to place a window around the portion to be copied This is similar to the Zoom Window command You are prompted for the First Corner and then the Second Corner After picking the area to copy you are asked to confirm the prope
22. 1 Point P1 2 Point P2 Dimension line positioning P3 Dimension text lt 2 50 gt Enter si Once you have picked the two points of measurement FelixCAD asks you to pick a position for the dimensioning line The distance between the two points is measured along the Y axis and displayed Press the Enter key to verify the calculated value and insert the dimension into the drawing As an alternative you may dimension a selected object by choosing the Select option You may dimension lines polylines circles and arcs with the Select option Pick the object with the cursor The start and end points or the diameter of the object are dimensioned automatically gt DIMVER lst Point SELECT select line polyline circle arc P1 Dimension line positioning P2 Dimension text lt 2 50 gt Enter 296 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Linear Dimensioning The DIMLIN command creates horizontal or vertical dimensioning based on the position of the dimension line This command is a combination of both the horizontal and vertical orthogonal modes gt DIMLIN First Point Pl Second Point P2 Dimension line positioning P3 Dimension text lt 2 50 gt Enter Sample Pick two points of measurement FelixCAD asks you to pick a position for the dimensioning line FelixCAD displays a preview of the dimension based on the location of the dimensioning line The distance between the two points is mea
23. Activating this radio button process a file to the current view at the time the drawing was last saved e Limits Activating this radio button means file s will be processed at each drawing limit s or extents e _JTo printer Activating this check box will send selected files to the printer or plotter Note Before you start the batch printing it s necessary to select the printer and the options for printing It s highly recommended to open one of the drawing files which are be plotted and print this using the set options These options are defaulted for each drawing of the list e _ Into BMP file Activating this check box will plot the selected files to a BMP file Bitmap e _ Into WMF file Activating this check box will plot the selected files to a WMF file Windows Metafile e _ Overwrite Existing files Activating this check box will determine if existing BMP and WMF files of the same name will be overwritten or not Converting Files to Other Vector Formats In addition to batch plotting amp raster conversion features the Convert to section of the BATPROC dialog box allows you to convert selected files to one or more other vector formats FLX DXF or DWG The AutoCAD DWG formats will be written for Release 12 Note For multiple file type conversions it s highly recommended to switch off the Overwrite Option because enabling it can destroy the original drawings Conversion Overwrite Options It s possible t
24. Center Angular 3 Points Angular 4 Points Ordinate Update Dimension Modify Dimension Text gt Modify Orientation Dimension Type Palette Dimension Chapter 9 Dimensioning Horizontal Dimensioning Horizontal dimensioning is a form of linear dimensioning that measures the distance between two points parallel to the X axis gt DIMHOR First Point Pl Second Point P2 Dimension line positioning P3 Dimension text lt 2 50 gt Enter 7 0000 e s 28 0000 Once you have picked the two points of measurement FelixCAD asks you to pick a position for the dimensioning line The distance between the two points is measured along the X axis and displayed Press the Enter key to verify the calculated value and insert the dimension into the drawing As an alternative you may dimension a selected object by choosing the Select option You may dimension lines polylines circles and arcs with the Select option Pick the object with the cursor The start and end points or the diameter of the object are dimensioned automatically gt DIMHOR First Point SELECT Select line polyline circle arc P1 Dimension line positioning P2 Dimension text lt 2 5000 gt Enter 295 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Vertical Dimensioning Vertical dimensioning is a form of linear dimensioning that measures the distance between two points parallel to the Y axis gt DIMVER
25. Clicking the off button deactivates all running snap modes When several object snap modes are on you differentiate between them by the way you select an entity For example End Point and Intersection are on pick a point nearest an end point then the end is selected If you pick a point near the intersection of two entities then the intersection is selected Properly configured this feature can speed the drawing of entities significantly Temporary Object Snap You can choose between several options for a one time activation of an object snap mode You can use the Snap Palette to activate an object snap mode just one time during a command An effective method of calling an object snap mode is to bring up the cursor menu Press the middle mouse button or hold down the Ctrl key and press the left mouse button on a two button mouse The following menu is displayed from which you select an object snap mode End Point Mid Point Center Point Quadrant Intersection Insertion Point Perpendicular Tangent Next Point Size Snap Box Use the keyboard to type a command abbreviation The object snap modes and their abbreviations are shown in this table 85 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision End point end Mid point mid Center point cen Quadrant qua Intersection int Implied Intersection Imp Perpendicular to Per Tangent to Tan Next point on entity Nxt Insertion point Ins Point entity Pnt Object Snap Modes in Detail
26. Cpolygon object selection modes are stretched The prompt to Select cutting edges or Boundary edges includes all entities of a group unless you use the SIngle object selection mode These commands always prompt you to select a single entity to be modified The group is ignored Single entities altered by these commands remain in the group If new entities originate from these commands they are not included in the group When an entity line circle arc or 2D polyline is broken into two or more entities by partial deletion only one of the entities remains in the group When an entity is rejoined the newly created entity is no longer member of a group even if one or more of the pieces were part of a group Selecting a single entity selects all entities of the group unless you use the Single object selection mode This also applies to the HatchEdit command when the user is prompted to Select additional objects to be included to the set of entities for associative hatch editing The text entity retains its association with its group after the TextEdit command modifies the text 282 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups 283 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Dimensioning This chapter describes how to create dimensions with FelixCAD Dimensioning is a crucial element of most technical drawings so much so that without an exact and standardized method of dimensioning a drawing
27. Enter 171 Chapter 5 Draw Segments Option To draw a single 3D face use the Segment option The method is nearly identical to that just described gt 3DFACE First point Segments First point Pl Second point P2 Third point P3 Fourth point P4 In contrast to the Continuous option the command ends with the fourth point The Segment option permits the Close option allowing you to create a single triangular 3D face To add more 3D surfaces to an existing one use the Append option Append Option The Append option allows you to connect new 3D faces to existing 3D faces First select the edge that should act as the base for the connection then define the vertices for the new 3D surface The option automatically changes to Continuous mode This means that after having connected one 3D face you can specify additional points to create more surfaces P2 Lak Pl surface to connect gt 3DFACE First point Append Select line or edge of 3DFace pick Third point Pl Fourth point P2 Third point Enter 172 Chapter 5 Draw Invisible Option The Invisible option draws the 3D face with invisible edges This feature is useful when dealing with complex drawings containing a large number of 3D faces The invisible lines makes the drawing more understandable This function is available for all modes used in 3D face drawing The function must be activated prior to the defin
28. and Groups Define Attribute The AttDef command Parts gt Define Attribute creates a new attribute definition The command displays the dialog box Attribute Definition ANSI Standard Attribute Name Provide a name for the attribute Use as descriptive a name as possible The name can be as long as 31 characters and may include special characters _ underline and dollar In the dialog box above the name of the attribute is STANDARD Request Type the text of a prompt which is displayed when the part is inserted The request reminds the user of the type of data that should be entered The request is not displayed when the attribute is defined as a constant attribute In the dialog box above the request is ANSI Standard 263 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Value Enter the default value of the attribute The value can be up to 256 character long including blanks and special characters The user can accept the value or type in another value except when the attribute has been defined as constant The value is not displayed when the attribute is defined as an invisible attribute Insertion Point The insertion point may be defined in either of two ways One method is to type the coordinate values in the X Y and Z boxes The attribute will be inserted at that X Y Z coordinate The second method is to click the Interactive checkbox to turn it on This l
29. as described earlier in this chapter 3 Select the linetype to be used and click OK Notice that the selected layer s have the new linetype assigned to them This makes the selected linetype the standard linetype of this layer All entities on this layer take on that linetype Elements of the layer drawn with a linetype different than the BYLAYER linetype are not affected by the change Further instruction on drawing elements with a linetype different than the standard linetype can be found in the Object Properties section in this chapter 119 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties Changing the Layer s Color When a new layer is created it is automatically assigned the color 7 black A new color can be assigned to the new layer via the Color button You change the color of a layer in three steps 1 Select the layer s Hold down the Shift key to select a range of layers or hold down the Ctrl key to select a dispersed range of layers 2 Click the Color button The Colors dialog box appears 3 Select another color from the colors displayed or type a color number in the range of 1 to 255 The chosen color appears at the upper left corner Click OK to dismiss the dialog box Notice that the layers have the new color assigned to them Jeviaver v BYLAYER _ByBLOCK Cancel This makes the chosen color the standard color for this layer All entities on this layer now appear in this color Entities drawn
30. e Insertion point determines the position of the text in the drawing The insertion point is defined by coordinate input or by selecting the point with the cursor e Alignment or justification determines the horizontal and vertical position of the text relative to its insertion point The character string can run right or left from the insertion point or the insertion point may be centered on the text The vertical alignment of the text objects may be above center baseline or below Any text object can be rotated during insertion All of the parameters discussed above are set in the New Text Font dialog box Fonts Fonts define the shapes of the text characters that make up each character set In FelixCAD you can use FelixCAD s own compiled shape FSH fonts AutoCAD s own compiled shape SHX fonts True Type TTF fonts The procedures for managing and defining the properties of fonts are described in this section Procedures are described for new fonts in the font selection list editing and saving as font styles including the height width factor and inclination angle as well as alignment of individual text fonts The Fonts command Detail gt Fonts allows you to load fonts from font files and customize the fonts to the requirements of the drawing Customizing a font is called a text style The Fonts command displays the Text Styles dialog box which lets you select an existing style or create a new style 230 Cha
31. intensity and a color It is used to simulate sunlight in the model A point light radiates light in all directions This is similar to a light bulb or an incandescent lamp It has a position intensity and a color A spotlight radiates in a specific direction It is similar to a stage spotlight It has a position an intensity a color a direction and a cone angle 359 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering Inserting Light Sources Ambient light is available in all renderings but the other sources must be placed explicitly in the 3D model The Light command insert light sources into the drawing Although you can insert as many light sources as you want you can have only eight light sources turned on The Light command displays the Light Sources dialog box which allows you to you to define parameters for the light among them the color and the intensity of the light source Lights sources are represented in the drawing as block objects A light insertion is always placed on a layer with the name RENDER_LIGHTS Editing Light Parameters You modify the settings of an inserted light source later with the LightEdit command View gt Render gt Edit Light Parameters This command requests you to select a light represented by a block insertion Then the Light Sources dialog box opens in which you can alter the current preferences for the chosen light Relocating and Removing Light Sources To change the
32. or the user defined info tags are used when drawing information is displayed see the next item 260 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Modify The Modify button displays the Part Library Drawing Info Tags dialog box It allows you specify custom tags for the information fields used by the part Here you can enter information like the manufacturer name price and so on Part Library Drawing Info Tags Eg Tag 1 Compas ss Tag 2 Prats SS Tag 3 DrewingNo tt s S Tag 4 Drawing Name Tag 5 Project Tte Tag 6 Project Name Tag Revisio Cancel You can change the rotation angle and scale factor of more than one part at a time as follows Select one more than one or all files in the Library list Click the Modify button Click Insert parameters activated to turn it on check mark shows Change the value of the rotation angle and or scale factor Click the Apply button Yb ee a a The select parts now have the same rotation angle and scale factor 261 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups ATTRIBUTES You can attach attributes to parts Attributes help create more meaningful drawings They aid in materials calculations creating bills of material and other database like functions Attributes are text objects that are joined to parts The attribute text may be constant or variable visible or hidden a single or mult
33. s Toolkit FDT an advanced C C language programming interface available with FelixCAD All on line manuals for FelixCAD are saved in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format files end with the extension pdf To view or print the on line manuals you must first install the Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or higher which is contained on the installation CD or available for download off the Internet at www fcad com or www adobe com User Manual This User Manual contains instruction on the layout and general functions contained in FelixCAD It is included in Acrobat PDF form and can be viewed and printed have 300 pages ready using the Adobe Acrobat Reader which must be installed separately from FelixCAD Note If you purchased FelixCAD on line you should place all program documentation pdf files into the manuals sub folder of the FelixCAD installation folder Chapter 1 covers basics on working with the program Introduction and Installation Chapter 2 offers a detailed description of drawing aids There are functions for precision drawing the object snap functions and other precision drawing aids The use of different coordinate systems is explained in this chapter as well Chapter 3 explains the techniques used to view drawings with a detailed explanation on the use of viewports how to achieve good results from FelixCAD s ability to see many views at the same time and the use of the multiple drawing viewi
34. when a drawing already contains an existing linear dimension A continuing dimension always inherits the same properties as the existing dimensioning For this reason you can only connect dimensioning of the same type For example a new horizontal dimension can only be added to an existing horizontal dimension s 15 0000 15 0000 15 0000 gt DIMCON Select a dimension P1 2nd Point P2 Dimension text lt 2 5000 gt Enter 301 Chapter 9 Dimensioning The command prompts you to select an existing dimension When selecting the dimension remember to make your selection as close as possible to the point at which the dimension is to be continued The continued dimensioning is based on just one point of measurement The starting point for the continued dimension is the end of the dimension closest to your pick point Choose the second point by entering coordinates or by selecting with the cursor We recommend you use object snaps The command displays the calculated dimension This value can either be altered or confirmed with Enter You are not asked to position the dimensioning line since this is done automatically by FelixCAD Serial Dimensioning Serial dimensioning is similar to continued dimensioning Whereas only one continued dimension can be added to an existing dimension serial dimensioning lets you link as many dimensions as required One
35. 156 ELLIPSOID SEE 3D ELLIPSOID ENTITY INFORMATION EINFO 326 EXPANDING 211 EXPLODE groups 284 on insert 264 parts 53 246 255 260 EXPORT Attributes 336 BMP 332 DWG and DXF files 329 parts 247 250 251 336 WMF 331 EXTEND SEE EXPAND AND LENGTHEN COMMANDS EXTERNALLY REFERENCED DRAWINGS 276 82 SEE XLINK FCAD GRAPHIC DEVELOPER S ENGINE 1 FELIXCAD DEVELOPERS TOOLKIT 4 FILE LOCKING 59 FILLED FACES 2D 165 FILLET 212 FIT attributes 270 Index b spline 230 curve 231 dimensions 290 polygon 154 text 240 to drawing scale 344 to paper size 349 to viewport 355 zoom window 101 103 FLIP 196 horizontal 197 settings 188 through free axis 196 vertical 197 viewports 352 FLOATING TOOL BOXES SEE PALETTES FONT CONVERSION TABLE 237 FONTS 61 115 134 233 234 236 239 327 FREEZE group 354 layer 120 125 128 277 viewports 354 FUNCTION KEYS SEE HOT KEYS GRID 80 82 Isometric 85 spacing 82 GROUP 282 86 HATCH 45 angle 318 basics 316 command 319 edit text file 395 explode from part 260 mirror hatching 189 modification settings 188 modify 320 open areas 320 pattern 317 pattern elements 317 patterns 82 stretching 199 HEIGHT SEE THICKNESS HIDDEN LINES 360 361 HOT KEYS 61 398 IMPORT DWG or DXF 330 multiple drawings 383 part 253 336 INFO Angle 323 Area 324 Circumference 324 coordinate 322 323 Distance 323 see EI
36. 242 Creating Parts S EE E EE EE ET 244 Inserting Partsi seei eseteire egne eie ea eneee e r ep eoep u ae arise 248 Paste Internal Pari V Teinonen E e EE EEEE E EE e E E S 253 Merge External Part Ti bennegree nnan E A E A ini R EE VE rT Eats 253 DInsert Command istemese arna a renner EEEE EEEO Er r ER TEE ENEE E E E ranas 254 EX plOde Parts EEE E E E E a S E a SN 255 The Part LIbIATY mohi oieee eis er E o aeaa E OEE cee ee O 256 A NU ES Rh Lea ti Sha ett Bhan epee Say eet ae ae ag A A a oe age ee 262 Externally Referenced Drawn ES eeii aaea aaa AEE vodensvasoveesvaitaas odvosd asodesaia sven dense 272 GLOUPING EDU Se sep au yevocd Dees casa diac sonasacyany evens A E E a RE ARE E STES EE ia E aeos 278 Group Command iere osien EE EEEE EEEE EE E AEO oa tose EE E E EEEE a Ei 279 DIMENSIONING inssscssccssssendssensssendsssuniedessoctussosensconascoessonesasudeosusseseesoonndecsesccusassebsdensessuossonnssdeesocutessseasensudetestee 284 Dimension Elements isseire terssi se e aea ree r E Eae S E oT ETE EErEE E EE s 285 D finins Dimensions Senrenisen na n a E E E E 287 Dimension Text eie asc isha Gl heal oie E e E E Sh aaa oh 292 Creating Dimensions nayari as e aA ee a Re ees Re A 294 Modifying Dimensions ys s 3s lt sscescetssseabcodapescgs ropes tapeter Ee ora EE EEEE tosascoeascessseeabeobaseseges senna codes topaacen see 309 Update Dimension Senere ia peepee eepe n aipee e e e a e io arire devs dheeeentenedysayeeetsiets 309 Creating a Dimensi
37. 3 First point AddArea ADD First point P1 Next point P2 Next point P3 Next point P4 Next point Enter Area 0 75 Length 3 66 Total area 1 62 ADD First point SubArea SUB First point P1 Next point P2 Next point P3 Next point P4 Next point Enter Area 0 75 Length 3 66 Total area 0 87 SUB First point Enter The values circumference or length and area for the total area are displayed in the text window The options bar displays only the options that are not active at the moment For example when the AddArea option is active the options bar displays SubArea Object The value calculated for the area is stored in the Area system variable and can be retrieved via the FLISP expression getvar AREA at the command line 320 ENTITY INFO Chapter 11 Inquiry and Information Programs vi The EInfo command Edit gt Entity Info lists information about the data stored for the selected objects The Clipboard button copies the data to the Clipboard Next page Definition point Start width O default End width O default Bulge O default ENTITY INFORMATION 321 Copy to Clipboard POLYLINE CONTINUOUS Layer s color 2700 1 0 0 0000 NORMAL CONTINUOUS Layer s color 2701 331 0000 267 0000 0 0000 0 000000 0 000000 0 000000 0 Chapter 11 Inquiry and Information Programs DRAWING DATABASE TABLES The Tables comm
38. BY FELIX COMPUTER AIDED TECHNOLOGIES GmbH HEREUNDER IS EXPRESSLY LIMITED TO ANY AMOUNTS PAID TO FELIX COMPUTER AIDED TECHNOLOGIES GmbH PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement Felix CAT GmbH owns and retains all title and ownership of all intellectual property including but not limited to all software and any and all derivative software all documentation manuals and related materials all master diskettes or CD ROMs on which such software may be transferred and all copies of any such diskettes or CD ROMs and any and all derivative works of FCAD Product Felix CAT GmbH does not transfer any portion of such title and ownership or any goodwill associated therewith and this Agreement shall not be construed to grant any right or license whether by implication or otherwise except as expressly provided herein FELIX Computer Aided Technologies GmbH Nestorstrasse 36a 10709 Berlin Germany Program copyright 1995 99 Felix CAT GmbH Portions of this manual are copyright 1996 99 by Felix CAT GmbH FCAD Inc All Rights Reserved FCAD GDE FelixCAD are trademarks of Felix CAT GmbH AutoCAD DWG DXF are trademarks of Autodesk Inc MS MSDOS and Windows as well as WMF are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation and are registered in the United States of America and or in other countries All other product names or trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of the respective owners ma
39. Box b gt Delete selected from the list Use this button to remove the selected items from the list e gt gt Clear list Use this button to fully clear the list Note This function does not delete any file from your file system List Files List Files are stored lists of files that can be recalled for later use There are four buttons options for this function e Save gt Once a list of files is composed from the previous steps this list can be saved for future using the button e lt Load After pressing the button you retrieve a previously saved List File which contains a list of drawing files Repeating the command will exchange the current file list with the new one selected e lt lt Append from Activating the button will add the contents of a List File to the current list 380 Chapter 16 The BATPROC Batch Process Command e Append to gt gt Activating the button will add the contents of the current list of files to a selected List File Note You can generate a drawing file list using the old DOS Command dir gt dir flx S B gt C TEMP draw Ist List Order There are five buttons to help you define the order of processing e Sort The Sort button will sort the list in alphabetical order If you apply this function duplicate items will be removed too e Reverse The Reverse button turns around the order of th
40. Click the New button Notice that the layer appears in the list Every new layer has color 7 black and the linetype Continuous You may assign other linetypes and colors as described later in this chapter Renaming a Layer A layer is given a different name in three steps 1 Select the layer from the list of layer names 2 Notice that the name appears now in the text entry box Type the new name over the old name 3 Finish renaming by clicking the Rename button Notice that the renamed layer appears in the list Selecting the Current Layer You select the current working or active layer in two ways 118 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties 1 Click on the Layer Manager Icon and from the dialog box select the layer you want to become current Finally click the Current button 2 Click the Layer Drop Down List Once it opens scroll down and click on the layer you want to become current Alternatively you can type in SETLAYER See SETLAYER command later in this chapter Changing the Layer s Linetype A newly created layer has the linetype Continuous automatically assigned to it You change the linetype in three steps 1 Select the layer s Hold down the Shift key to select a range of layers or hold down the Ctrl key to select a dispersed range of layers 2 Click the Linetype button Notice that the available linetypes are shown in the Linetype dialog box Note you must first load linetypes into the drawing
41. Curved Polyline The PCurve command Modify gt Edit Polyline gt 2D Polyline to Curved Polyline fits a curve to the chosen polyline The curve is forced to pass exactly through the polyline vertexes The degree of fit can be made smoother with the number of steps and tension options The tension is similar to pulling on the ends of a string constrained to pass through the polyline vertices gt PCURVE Select 2D polyline to alter to curved polyline Pl Number of steps for interpolation points 0 6 lt 3 gt Tension 0 0 1 0 lt 0 5000 gt You turn the curved polyline back to its original form using the Spline command with the Decurve option Modify gt Edit Polyline gt Decurve Curved Polyline becuve J o Too ee eee 227 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects 228 Chapter 7 Text Text Objects The commands described in this chapter are used for inserting text into drawings as well as for changing Reference Text text entities Text provides labeling creates legends Modify Text places descriptive notes and other written elements in Correct Text a drawing The commands relating to text are found Fonts in the Detail menu Compile Font Hatch Properties of a Text Entity Boundary Hatch A text entity is defined by properties assigned during Modify Hatching the creation of the text Any of them may be changed after the creation of the original entity The properties are Dimensio
42. Light LightEdit SetViewDir WOpen and QWOpen As described in the following sections paper space allows you to arrange individual 3D views of the model by creating and modifying viewports 345 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Viewport The Viewport command creates rectangular areas called viewports which dis play the model in print space The command controls the view direction and display portion of the model in those viewports The options of this command are New ON OFF Layer View New After switching to layout mode for the first time the first step is to create one or more viewports to display one or more views of your model The New option creates these viewports After specifying two corners of the viewport the entire model is displayed in its current extents and in plan view gt VIEWPORT First corner 10 10 Opposite corner 45 25 The second step is to determine the correct zoom ratio to allow the contents of this viewport to be displayed at the correct scale when printed on paper This scale is directly related to the size of the title block and the plot scale used to plot this drawing This topic is discussed in greater detail later in this chapter P FelixCAD C FELIX40 test flx 0 OF x Vy File Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim Parts Options View Window l x i g g h me F gt NEW veal SRE X ca ed PreSelect Delete Undelete Undo Re
43. P10 Size 0 18 m Dimension lines Increment Extension fo 38 fi Same blocks C Seperate blacks Book heme T Interior lines I Always interior lines Center mark and lines fo os T Lines Lines The Lines area determines the characteristics of the extension and dimension lines Extension Lines The Extension Lines section defines the nature of extension lines 289 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Distance determines space between the object and the point at which the extension lines begin A value of 0 means the lines start directly on the object itself Extension dictates how far the extension lines should extend past the dimensioning line The Invisible check boxes are used to suppress either the first and or the second extension line Dimension Lines The Dimension Lines area defines the spacing and character of the dimension lines Increment sets the spacing between successive dimensioning lines that use the same extension lines Extension allows you to enter the distance that the extension lines should run past the dimensioning lines This value is meant for use with the Slash option of the arrow type The Interior Lines and Always Interior Lines check boxes specify whether the dimensioning line is allowed to extend past the extension lines Center Mark and Lines The Center Mark and Lines area determines the size of the cross mark which indicates the cent
44. PAN Two commands allow you to zoom and pan directly compared to the commands described above DZoom Dpan The DZoom command lets you zoom in and out in real time nearly seamlessly in one operation in the current drawing window Dynamic zoom can be used transparently in the middle of another command Select View gt Dynamic Zoom Notice that the cursor changes to a magnifying glass with a plus and minus sign To start the dynamic zoom process drag click and hold the left mouse button up and down To zoom in drag up in the direction of the plus sign To zoom out drag down in the direction of the minus sign When you reach the edge of the drawing window release the mouse button move the cursor away from the edge and drag again To exit dynamic zoom mode press ESC or ENTER You can also right click to open the option menu which contains the Exit option Notice that the cursor menu also contains options for Dynamic Pan and Zoom Extents The DPan command lets you pan around in real time nearly seamlessly in one operation in the current drawing window Dynamic pan can be used transparently in the middle of another command Select View gt Dynamic Pan Notice that the cursor changes to a hand To start the dynamic pan process drag click and hold the left mouse button around in any direction When you reach the edge of the drawing window release the mouse button move the cursor away from the edge a
45. Se Factor short for scale factor option is the default option 190 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Enter a scale factor e A scale factor larger than 1 enlarges the selected objects e A scale factor between 0 and 1 reduces the objects by that factor e Negative scale factors are not permitted For example a scale factor of 3 0 enlarges the selected objects by three times while a scale factor of 0 25 reduces the objects to one quarter of their original size The scale factor can be specified by indicating a second point To do this move the cursor after the fixing the basepoint The distance measured in drawing units is interpreted as the scaling factor The advantage is that you see the effect of the scaling while moving the cursor the disadvantage is that the scale factor is less precise Reference Scale The Reference option allows you to change of the size of an entity without need to first calculate the scale factor For example if you need to enlarge an object with a length of 3 45 drawing units up to 6 9 drawing units you would first calculate the scaling factor 6 9 3 45 2 The Reference option makes this calculation for you Select the Reference option from the option bar Enter the reference length and then enter the new length gt SCALE Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Basepoint P2 Scale factor Reference Reference length lt 1 gt 3 45 New leng
46. Select the command for drawing a polygon and indicate the number of sides You may specify a width if desired The resulting polygon is treated as a single object win CUT e d Next choose one of the options from the options bar see ose re OO Side Option The Side option is the default option for drawing regular polygons It is used if no other option is chosen The polygon is defined by the length and placement of one side To draw a regular polygon first enter the number of sides enter a value between 3 and 1024 The default is four sides if you previously drew a polygon that number appears in the prompt To reuse the same number of side press Enter After specifying the number of sides determine the starting point and the end point of the first side You may either type the coordinates or pick points with the cursor 148 Chapter 5 Draw Remember that the polygon will be drawn counterclockwise starting from the first side Pl P2 Number of sides lt 4 gt 6 First corner point of the side P1 Distance or second point of the side P2 Outside Option Circumscribing the Polygon The Outside option defines a polygon by determining a center point and the distance to its corner points This distance is the radius of a circle that contains the polygon a point on whose circumference all corner points of the polygon lie After entering the number of sides choose Outside from the option bar De
47. The Buttons area lets you decide which buttons you want displayed by the Part Library dialog box Open displays the Open button which allows you to open the drawing for editing Insert displays the Insert button which allows you to insert the drawing as a part Explode displays the Explode checkbox which allows you to explode the block upon insertion 259 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Info displays the Information button which allows you to view information attached to the part Sort By The Sort by area determines whether the Part Library dialog box sorts part files alphabetically by name used for part libraries or by date used for project libraries Preview List Style The Preview List Style area determines whether the Part Library dialog box should starts up with the single column Extended or multi column Quick Mode format of displaying the part previews Other Options The Set Explode mode as default checkbox determines whether the Explode checkbox is turned on as the default The Allow Drawing Info Editing check box determines whether you are allowed to edit the drawing file information The Enable preview list style switch check box determines whether the Part Library dialog box displays the Quick Mode and Extended buttons The Use default info tags check box determines whether the default information tags Project Name Drawing No Draftsman and Notes
48. a given pull down menu are contained in a single palette FelixCAD however includes some palettes in which the commands from several pull down menus are combined for practical reasons Use the Dialog and Menu Editor to create your own palettes or to customize existing palettes for particular tasks Detailed instruction on this customization is contained in the Programmer s Guide manual 385 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing PALETTE MANAGER You control the display of palettes with the elect Palette Desktop Manger Type the PalMan command or select Palette Manager from the File menu The following dialog box opens Palette 7 Desktop Manager Object Snap Precision Modes Settings Edit Commands Drawing Commands Modify Commands Dimensioning Edit Details Zoom Pan View Window Commands 3D View and User Coordinate System Digitize Paper Drawing Edit Commands horizontal xi Palette 1 Object Snap Precision Modes Settings Palette 2 Zoom Pan View Window Commands Palette 3 Drawing Commands Palette 4 Dimensioning H Palette 6 Modify Commands Palette 7 ez Palette 8 The upper half of the dialog box lists all palettes currently at your disposal This list displays the names of all palette files with the extension mnp in the directory defined during program configuration the menu folder or sub directory By default this is the applic folder Instructions for
49. a multiple of the snap distance For example the snap distance is 1 inch while the grid distance is 1 foot The grid is meant to be a guide when the grid is dense the drawing is difficult to see When the grid is too dense FelixCAD does not display it Factor The Factor field defines the ration of the grid spacing to the snap spacing You can select a pre defined value by clicking one of the buttons Note The grid and snap settings become effective after the dialog box is closed The grid only appears in the area specified by the LimMin and LimMax system variables These two variables control the area of the drawing covered by the grid when turned on 80 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Orthogonal Mode Orthogonal mode is useful while drawing or modifying entities it forces the cursor to move in horizontal along the X axis and vertical Y axis directions You can rotate ortho mode by specifying an angle via the Snap Angle field of the Snap Grid area in this dialog box Note Ortho mode is effective only when picking points using the pointing device You override ortho mode when you type coordinates at the keyboard P2 P2 P1 P1 Ortho mode aids in designing by allowing e Lines chains and polylines to be designed along lines parallel to the axes of the coordinate system e Changes of direction when drawing lines chains or polylines to be perpendicular to t
50. a number that increments from 0 For example the layer name HOUSEIBASEMENT changes to HOUSE O BASEMENT The n can range from 0 to 9 as required To bind one or more external references to the current drawing select an xref drawing in the list box click the Bind button 276 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Detach Open Insert When you no longer need an xref drawing click the Detach button This also removes all dependent layer linetype and block references as well Fi AUS pow at ofn h Shep gair eee dora _ Note Although you can erase an externally referenced drawing with the Delete command we recommended you use the Detach since this also removes the block definition from the drawing database FelixCAD s Multiple Document Interface allows you to display up to four drawings at a time The XLink s command s Open button allows you to simultaneously open an externally referenced drawing for editing This allows you to modify the xref for example if you have detected discrepancies that need to be fixed To open a referenced drawing in another drawing window viewport select the external reference you want to open from the list box and click to the Open button Once you have modified an xref save the drawing and close it To display the revised external reference in the master drawing use the XLink command with the Reload option The Insert button allows you to in
51. activated ON this tool will automatically show any modifications available to any object via an option dialog box by simply left mouse clicking on it It allows changes to objects without searching for the applicable commands The Move command Modify gt Move move drawing objects within the coordinate system gt move Select objects pick Select objects Enter Basepoint pick Second point of displacement pick Select the objects to be moved You may select more than one object they will be moved together in the same relationship as they are currently placed End object selection by pressing Enter Position of an object before left and after right the moving 186 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects The next prompt asks for the location of the Basepoint This is the point that you choose as the base from which to begin the move If however you need to move the objects a specific distance from their current location select the Rel Point option from the option bar The prompt asks for distances in the X Y and Z directions Basepoint Rel Point Relative point dx dY dZ pick The third method is to select the objects with the cursor and drag them to the new location Remember to use object snap modes to make the move more accurate 187 COPY Chapter 6 Modifying Objects C O I The Copy command Modify gt Copy duplicates objects within the coordinate system The co
52. all directions so it appears equally bright no matter where the eye is located Any light coming from a particular position or direction probably has a diffuse component Specular Light comes from a particular direction It tends to bounce off the surface in a preferred direction You can think of specularity as shininess Light Attenuation The Light Attenuation section lets you specify distance falloff for point lights and spotlights Light Attenuation None C Linear C Quadratic Attenuatiion Factor fi 000000 First you determine the manner the light attenuates with distance None no attenuation is applied for the point light or spot light Linear linear falloff is applied which is commonly used for rendering The brightness of the light decreases in inverse proportion to the distance from the source 364 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering Quadratic square falloff is more realistic but takes more rendering time The brightness caused by the light source decreases in inverse proportion to the square of the distance Second if you have chosen linear or square falloff you can specify an Attenuation Factor in the edit box The default value is 1 Light attenuation at a certain location in the model will be e Linear falloff the inverse of the product of distance and attenuation factor e Square falloff the inverse of the product of square of the distance and attenuation factor Speci
53. allows creation of a 3D ellipsoid object Smoothing or roundness is entered as a unit number A lower number will create less 3D object faces resulting in less smoothing and a quickly generated result A higher number e g 200 will create more 3D faces and better smoothing Using a higher number takes longer to compute Torus The command 3DTORUS Draw gt 3D gt Torus allows creation of a 3D torus Smoothing or roundness is entered as a unit number A lower number will create less 3D object faces resulting in less smoothing and a quickly generated result A higher number e g 200 will create more 3D faces and better smoothing Using a higher number takes longer to compute 182 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Modifying Drawing Objects In this chapter you learn about the modification and editing commands found in the Modify menu These commands let you modify entities by moving rotation scaling mirroring and copying them They also provide a way easily perform time consuming editing such as fillet chamfer trim and stretch Some commands are specific to some entities such as editing polyline vertices Before you can use any of these commands a drawing must be open and at least one entity must be in the drawing 183 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Object Selection All modify commands request that you select one or more objects for modification The option bar displays all the methods of object selection
54. and Menu Editor When the file dialog box appears use the Files of type drop list to specify the type of the resource file to be edited dig Dialog file mnp Palette file mnu Menu file Detailed information on customizing these items and using the DME is provided in the Customization and Programming manual 388 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing MACROS Using macros automates the execution of a sequence of command A macro minimizes repetitive keystrokes You create a macro by saving the command sequence in a mcr file which can be executed as many times as you require The procedure for this is as follows 1 To execute a macro select File gt Resource Manager gt Run Macro from the menu or type Macro at the command prompt 2 Select a macro file extension mcr from the file dialog box 3 Confirm the selection by clicking OK Notice that the macro immediately begins to run There are further instructions for creating macros in the Programmer s Guide manual Load LISP File The LoadLisp command File gt Resource Manager gt Load LISP File allows you to load an FLISP file via a file dialog box Detailed information on the built in FLISP interpreter is found in the Programmer s Guide Editor The Editor command File gt Resource Manager gt Editor calls the Windows Notepad editor which allows you to edit FLISP files or other resource files such as linetype and
55. any single character For example entering Floor finds Floor Flooring and Floors On the other hand Floor finds only Floor and Floors 33 Chapter 1 The Basics Click Find and FelixCAD searches for the corresponding file names in the indicated drives Searchpath oh g cS E apabib apastart E apstud cd_felix dev Sd Drive amp c disk2_vol1 c SapastarttAPASAPAO01 FLX c apastart 4PA AP4002 FLX c apastart 4PA 4PA4003 FLX c apastart 4PA APABIB BUE2_003 FLX c apastart 4PA APABIB BUE2_004 FLX The Find File dialog box Open an Existing Drawing The Open command File gt Open is used to open an existing drawing file After entering the command you see the Open File dialog box etn cod P Opn a parieri Halo The Open dialog box a You may select a drive folder or sub directory aboCAD Dirar deep DF Fie def file name and file type By clicking on Files of 34 Chapter 1 The Basics Type FelixCAD can open flx files dwg files saved by AutoCAD version 2 5 through Release 14 or dxf files created by other CAD programs Click Open to load the drawing Open Drawing WCS The open drawing progress bar While opening a drawing a blue progress bar appears at the bottom of the program window the status line It shows the progress of loading the file The bar moves from left to right and disappears when the file is completely loaded Open as Read only
56. assumes that the scale factor is 1 and the rotation angle is 0 gt MERGE Displays Part Selection dialog box Insertion point P1 The Part Selection dialog box lets you select an internal or external part At the Insertion point enter the X Y coordinates or pick a point in the drawing If you want to change the scale factor or rotation angle select from the option bar recor Rowton i sid See the Quick Insert command for a description of these options 253 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups DINSERT COMMAND The DInsert command short for discreet insertion incorporates an external block into the drawing without creating an instance of the block in the drawing The main of this command is to e Preload parts for later use e Load table definitions defined in a template drawing layers linetypes text styles dimension styles etc This command is provided for use in macros FLISP functions and other programming interfaces gt dinsert Part name type external part name The command only requests the filename of the external part The option is not available 254 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups EXPLODE PARTS S The Xplode command Edit gt Explode Complex Objects allows you to explode complex objects such as parts into their constituent parts Parts inserted in the drawing constitute a single object It is
57. be appended Then determine the end point of the arc to be drawn connection point connected arc a t end point Choose the line or arc P1 End point P2 146 Chapter 5 Draw RECTANGLE ol The Rectangle command Draw gt Rectangle allows you to construct rectangles of any size and aspect ratio as well as squares When the command is active the option bar has a single option with oo o o S Rectangles are drawn by one of two methods The first is by entering via keyboard input i e X Y or X Y for relative or absolute co ordinates The second is by picking two opposite corners The resulting rectangle is a single object First corner of rectangle P1 Opposite corner P2 The Width option allows you to enter or pick a numeric value for the thickness of the lines making up the rectangle To use the last entered value as offered by the prompt just press Enter Width lt 0 00 gt 0 2 First corner of rectangle P1 Opposite corner P2 147 NGON Chapter 5 Draw Q The Ngon command Draw gt N gon is used to draw a regular polygon of three to 1 024 sides more than enough for any practical need This command provides options for three different principles of construction e Side specify the length of the sides of the polygon e Outside specify the center point and a radius of an external circle e Inside specify the center point and a radius of an internal circle
58. be wise to use the object snap options to increase the precision of the input You achieve the same result when you type at the Second point prompt The symbol signifies the last point entered 214 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects gt DELPARTIAL Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline pick First point int of object Pl Second point In both cases the entity will look the same as before until you select one part of the divided entity Notes You cannot break a circle with the 1Point option since that would create an arc of 360 degrees You can use the DelPartial command to shorten an entity Here s how specify the first point on the entity where you want the new endpoint to be Then pick the other point pass its endpoint The entity is cut off at the point you picked on the object 215 BREAK Chapter 6 Modifying Objects The Break command Modify gt Break breaks objects at a point or at points you select just like the DelPartial command gt BREAK Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline pick Second point or F for first point pick The Break command has been added for convenience of those familiar with other CAD programs It is similar but not identical to the DelPartial command The primary difference is that the Break command assumes that you might want to use the pick point when selecting the entity as the first point of the break You can however respond to the Se
59. can be used in place of the default FelixCAD KEY file Refer to the FelixCAD for AutoCAD guide for further details HotKeys Tab FelixCAD allows user defined setting of hotkeys to further improve your productivity You may reassign the default values to suit your own preferences Colors Tab This is where you can reassign the default screen colors for the coordinate icon all 3 axis the background screen for the drawing window the drag cursor for drawing and the selection color for editing You can also assign alternate fonts for the system and tooltip text 60 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Drawing with Precision During the CAD drawing process it is often necessary to specify precise coordinates and other values used in drafting When FelixCAD needs input from you a prompt will appear in the text window The prompt asks you to enter a value examples of which include e Coordinates for defining points of the drawing such as the start and end points center points insertion points base points or target points Distance Angle Widths for example the width of a line Numbers In this chapter you learn how to provide data input to FelixCAD Also this chapter describes commands that serve as drawing aids such as e Precision aids grid snap grid and orthogonal mode e Object snap functions e Deleting and undeleting drawing objects Most of the commands described in this chapter do not create or modify
60. can occur many times within the drawing there is just one occurrence of the group If a block is redefined all of its instances are updated groups cannot be treated like that Like parts groups can be copied although you should use the Insert command with parts A group copied from another group is a separate collection of entities Parts and groups each have a unique name 278 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Note If an entity which is member of a group is included in a part the entity is deleted from the drawing and removed from the group at the time that the part is defined GROUP COMMAND To group entities or to manage and manipulate groups use the Group command The command has the following options Create To create a group first determine a unique name The name is required for identifying the group later To define a new group follow these steps Ah ose verte aes Start the Group and select the Create option Specify a unique group name to a maximum of 31 characters If you want type a description of the group to a maximum of 64 characters Decide whether the group should be selectable or not the default is Yes Select the drawing objects that should belong to the group To create a group at the command prompt gt group Select option Create Explode Rename Add Remove Selectable List Create Group name windows Description All windows in the house floo
61. corner of the text object the text will run to the right In total there are twelve reference points available for your choice They are represented by the initials of the locating corner or center of the text block Vertical Alignment T top the insertion point is located at the top of the text C center the insertion point is located at the center of the text B baseline the insertion point is located at the baseline of the text U underneath the insertion point is located at the bottom of the text Horizontal Alignment L left the insertion point is located at the left of the text C center the insertion point is located at the center of the text R right the insertion point is located at the right of the text UL for example represents the upper left corner of the text Select the position for the reference point by clicking a radio button 236 Chapter 7 Text Special Text Characters Special characters are available for use with text entities They are written in the text dialog box one way yet appear on the screen and printed versions in the desired format See table below 0 APAC Used in place of DIAMETER or DIA C d C Used to indicate temperature oF d F Overlined Text OOverlined Text o Underlined Text UUnderlined Text u 237 Chapter 7 Text REFERENCE TEXT The RText command Detail gt Reference Text allows you to enter new text that mat
62. defined option the default If all intersections are to be displayed then select the Display all option 132 Chapter 5 Draw Arc Segments All CAD programs display arcs and circles on the screen as a series of very short straight line segments This option specifies the number of segments that FelixCAD uses to draw all arcs and circles You can type any value between 8 and 1024 A smaller value makes the arcs or circles appear jagged but regenerates the drawing more quickly A larger number tends to smooth them out The default is 48 Note that this number affects the output quality of some printers and plotters Display of a circle with 48 left and 18 right straight line segments Point Representation This area of the dialog box allows you to choose from 20 types of point displays You don t see the new point mode until you regenerate the drawing all points take on the new display mode Note AutoCAD users will know this point display option as the PDMODE command Point Size Although mathematically points have no size you can specify the display size in two different ways Absolute Size The size of points is determined in the absolute scale of 3 drawing units the default Relative to The display of points is determined by a Screen percentage relative to the size of the visible drawing plane 133 Chapter 5 Draw LINE Z The Line command Draw gt Line draws lines and line segments You
63. definition attributes defined as invisible are not displayed All invisible all attributes are made invisible Display all all attributes are made visible even if defined as invisible Select the display option by clicking the radio button 271 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups EXTERNALLY REFERENCED DRAWINGS FelixCAD s externally referenced drawing or xref for short feature lets you see other drawings in the current drawing The xref drawing can be viewed but cannot be edited Xrefs are useful for Creating an assembly drawing from different files Inserting detail drawings Display a standard title block drawing Temporarily reference another drawing in the current drawing Often the biggest benefit of using externally referenced drawings is within a project A workgroup creates several drawings and shares details over a network For example others can reference the electrical drafter s drawings Another advantage of xrefs is that the external drawing is linked to the current drawing which is more efficient than inserting an entire drawing In several situations the use of externally referenced drawings is more convenient than inserting external parts into the drawing Understanding Dependent Symbols When an xref is attached to the current drawing its symbol tables are loaded into the current drawing layers linetypes text styles dimension styles and block def
64. determine the size and position of the area of the drawing to be printed View The View option prints the currently visible view in the current window of the drawing Before using this option you should 1 select the window you want plotted and 2 use the Zoom and Pan commands to position the view Extent The Extent option prints all objects in the drawing are covered Before using this option you should regenerate the drawing with the Regen command Window The Window option enables you to determine the print area by selecting a window in the drawing Pick or enter the coordinates of two diagonal opposite corner points inside the drawing Named View The NView option allows you select a previously saved view from the Named View dialog box Before using this option you must create named views with the View command Named views are useful since they are saved with the drawing for subsequent print output Named Views x Print Dialog Box After defining the size of the print the Print dialog box appears This dialog box allows you to specify parameters specific to FelixCAD such as 337 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode configuration units orientation margins scale and color It also contains a preview window The preview window assists you in seeing the effect of changing settings in layout and scaling Printer Me UTOPACKMI LERHARK VEE Sep Sine 28 Bom SO dom Si Godps Un
65. dimension must already exist to be used as a basis for the rest Only dimensioning of the same type can be added since the additional dimensioning will inherit the properties of the dimensioning used as the base 15 0000 f 15 0000 j s 15 0000 15 0000 302 Chapter 9 Dimensioning You must select the dimensioning that is to act as the basis for the series taking care to place the selection cursor as close as possible to the point at which the continuing dimension is to be linked gt DIMSER Select a dimension Pl Series lt continuous gt Enter 2nd Point P2 Dimension text lt 2 5000 gt Enter Series lt continuous gt Enter 2nd Point P2 Dimension text lt 2 5000 gt Enter Series lt continuous gt Esc The dimensioning is based on two points of measurement The starting point for the series dimensioning will be the end point which lies closest to the selection point of the base dimension In addition to the Select and End options which are the same as for continued dimension two other options may be made from the Series Dimensioning option bar Continue and Baseline Continue allows you to link one additional dimension and should be selected when creating serial dimensioning This is the default option Baseline allows you to create baseline dimensioning parallel to the existing linear dimensioning This is described in the
66. drawing windows W Cascade WTile Setting the precision Grid Snap Ortho an object snap functions Switching between command line area and text window TScreen Loading and closing palettes 7PalMan Calling the Help command After the execution of the transparent command the program continues with the original command Note Transparent commands cannot be executed if the program is requesting input of text or if a command s dialog box is active Repeating a Command Often you find you need to repeat a command For example you might be using the Line command over and over again To repeat the same command by pull down menu or keyboard entry gets annoying and inefficient You repeat the last command by one of three methods 1 pressing the Enter key or 2 clicking the right mouse button or 3 Pressing the Spacebar key For example the first Enter ends the Line command the second Enter repeats the command gt line From point P1 To point P2 To point P3 To point Enter gt Enter LINE From point P4 To point P5 51 Chapter 1 The Basics To point P6 To point Close Note Some commands like Point and Trim automatically repeat themselves Canceling a Command Sometimes you want to cancel a command before it has been completed This can happen if you start a command was activated by accident or if the command automatically repeats itself To cancel th
67. exists the program warns you and requires a confirmation to replace the existing file Click OK Notice that FelixCAD creates a new blank drawing window 32 Chapter 1 The Basics Load Template A template drawing called a prototype drawing in AutoCAD may be used when starting a new drawing A template drawing is a model which can be used as basis for a new drawing Templates are typically use to the establishment of a standardized drawing environment such as e Drawing border and title block e Dimension settings e Pre defined layers e Preset views e Standardized linetypes e Settings of system variables To start a new drawing based on a template file click the Load Template check box then click Template Drawing button FelixCAD displays the Template Drawing dialog box Select the drawing to be to used as a template drawing and click OK wan e ola ee Ja ich aj Potparoulle a drah bs aj Tabir aa tabi fhe aa Pisis Me om Eh boo Pla mT abd he maf vist Fa oad Pridat ba conia w T wpa aa Fongo fle SECTAS mj Tee fle aa Sereany fhe el 4 ma SS e OOOO Fika od ippa Dimana Trl The Template Drawing dialog box Find If you do not know the exact storage location of a drawing file click the Find button In the Find File dialog box select the drive to search Enter as much of the file name you know You may use the wildcard characters for any group of characters and for
68. format Each drawing as well as each view of a drawing is displayed in a separate window FelixCAD can open up to four drawings each with four independent views for a maximum of 16 windows open at a time All windows carry the filename on the title bar In addition a number between 0 and 3 indicates the view See figure below a C CADSFELIX40 House flx 0 el To avoid accidental loss of data we strongly recommend that you periodically save your drawings as you work on them For this purpose use the AutoSave function Here s how Select File gt Configure then click the Common tab In 31 Chapter 1 The Basics the Safety section click the Automatic Save check box then choose the interval in minutes Do not use a value shorter than 10 minutes unless you have a very fast computer or a very small drawing New Drawing Before you can start drawing for the first time a new file must be opened The New command select File from the menu bar then select the New item displays the following dialog box enpiale pe Idak A DEI CO C Sraka bear o Hah The New File dialog box By default FelixCAD names the new drawing Noname_0 FIx As an alternative you can type any filename up to 255 characters long in the File name field of the New File dialog box In addition you can choose the drive and folder via the Save in list box to store the file in If a drawing file of the same name already
69. hatch pattern files A file dialog box to specify the file type and file name is displayed when invoking the command Display Text File The ListFile command File gt Resource Manager gt List File displays a specified file in a list box This allows you to read the resource file without editing it 389 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing DIGITIZING TABLET FelixCAD supports the use of a digitizing tablet as an input device and for cursor control The tablet lets you enter coordinates for drawing points as well as select commands via icons Before you can use the tablet you must load an mnt tablet menu file This is performed automatically when FelixCAD starts if the tablet configuration had been selected during program configuration The Menu command enables you to change the tablet menu file in the same way as described previously for the pull down menu file To load a tablet menu follow this procedure 1 Select File gt Resource Manager gt Menu from the menu You can also type the Tablet command 2 Select a tablet menu file from the dialog box If necessary change the file type to mnt 3 Confirm the selection by clicking OK A tablet can also be loaded by selecting the symbol for program customization In this case you must select a mnt file The remainder of the selection is made according to the previously described procedure Replace Tablet Menu Section The Replace Table
70. in your drawing tasks FelixCAD s drawing commands make short work of drawing tasks You create drawings with lines and polylines circles and arcs rectangles regular polygons solid entities 3D surface entities and other elements FelixCAD allows you to identify and define parts blocks and helps you build libraries of parts for use in repetitive drawing tasks Drawing entities may be altered using the modify commands Size position shape and other graphic qualities may be changed Advanced editing functions such as trimming filleting and chamfering are available to build sophisticated designs Attributes of any part may be defined or edited insuring that all pieces making up a drawing contain intelligence for later use For additional detailing you may call on dimensioning hatching and the insertion of text FelixCAD makes all of these functions available by keyboard command entry and easy to use palettes floating toolboxes for true point and click drawing Introduction and Installation Layers help you organize your work This improves drawing management and makes it easy to create effective clear and well detailed drawings FelixCAD conforms to the layer conventions used by AutoCAD from Autodesk Inc Instead of fumbling with a complex system of dividing the drawing into different viewports to see different views and perspectives FelixCAD allows you to open up to four drawings each with up to four viewpo
71. in the font height might be required keep the height parameter set at 0 the default you may change the font height later in the Text dialog box Width factor controls the width of the characters in relation to the height The default of 1 0 is normal width a smaller value makes the text thinner a larger value spreads out the text This ratio is sometimes called the aspect ratio Obliquing angle defines the inclination of the characters in relation to the horizontal X axis The default 0 produces upright characters Values up to 180 degrees result in an inclination to the right forward values above 180 to an inclination to the left backward Practically values between 0 and 30 or between 180 and 210 are meaningful Backward produces a mirror image display of the text Vertical produces characters aligned vertically Bottom Up produces characters displayed upside down Note Some fonts do not support all of these options For instance some fonts can be aligned vertically but others cannot Other fonts do not permit a change to the width factor It is possible to all combine these settings although in some cases the combination of properties may interfere with each other Fonts added or changed in this manner can now be used for creating or editing text objects Defined fonts are saved with the drawing file and are available any time that the drawing is opened 232 Chapter 7 Text FONT CONVERSION TABLE A Fon
72. location of a light or the lights direction use the standard modify commands Move and Rotate To remove a light source from the drawing use the Delete command 360 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering Light Sources in Detail The Light Preferences dialog box is used for all four types of light sources Depending on the light type some areas of the dialog box may be grayed out because those parameters do not apply to the specified light type The following figure shows the properties and intensity values of a point light r Light Type Global Ambient C Distant Point CSpot Cancel Light Name JPOINTLIGHT 1 Light On O Color m Intensitiy of Emmitted Light Components Ambient Light o oaj gt 100 Diffuse Light js o j gt 100 Specular Light Bs 0 Ki H gt 100 Spot Settings Cutoff Angle 45 00 Sharpness 10 00 m Light Attenuation None C Linear C Quadratic Attenuatiion Factor fi 000000 Ambient Light Ambient light is not really a light but defines an overall value of lightness for the total 3D model Ambient light surrounds the entire model to be rendered It increases or decreases the lightness of a rendering With ambient light you can avoid the problem of having the entire model rendered too darkly Ambient light has no direction which means that all surface polygons in the drawing are illuminated uniformly by this type of li
73. lock files Lock files are security files created by the program when a drawing file is opened They carry the same name as the original file and can be identified by the extension flk The lock files prevent two or more users working on the same drawing at the same time in a networked environment Normally lock files are deleted automatically if the drawing files are closed in the normal manner If the program is unexpectedly interrupted and the files have not been closed before the interruption the flk do not get erased When you try to reopen the drawing after the interruption you get the message File locked To gain access to the drawing the corresponding lock file must be deleted Delete the offending lock file and the drawing file can again be opened Exiting the Program It is important that you end every working session correctly This is done by using the Exit command File gt Exit or pressing the ALT F4 shortcut keys If there are drawings still open that have not been saved the program prompts you to save the files first If you confirm the Save File As dialog appears After saving the drawings the working session with FelixCAD is finished 37 Chapter 1 The Basics THE PROGRAM S USER INTERFACE fj FelixCAD 4 0 980929 Beta C FELIX40 NONAME_0O flx 0 Ri File Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim Parts Options View Window Upon starting FelixCAD you see the desktop It contains a series of standard element
74. lt new 661 560 288 566 lt select new delete delete all 3 transformationvector s on layer RASTER Old Old is the current starting location of the currently selected transformation vector You can type a new location if you wish or use the lt button to visually pick a location on the screen New New is the current ending location of the currently selected transformation vector You can type in a new location if you wish or use the lt button to visually pick a location on the screen Select The Select button will let you select which vector you are currently editing You pick the vector on screen New The New button create a new vector from the coordinates displayed in the Old and New fields It duplicates a vector if you pick this button while old values are in the fields above but you can still manipulate those vectors by using the two lt buttons to the right of the New and Old coordinates 374 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing Delete The Delete button deletes the currently selected vector both from the routine and the screen Delete All The Delete All button deletes all vectors on the layer RASTER Raster Layer Display This location displays the number of vectors detected on the layer RASTER Do NOT use this layer for anything else or you will confuse the program 4 POINT TRANSFORMATION RTRANS This command performs a simple transformation that stretches t
75. may lose its practical value For this reason FelixCAD s dimensioning commands enable fast easy precise and standardized method of dimensioning 2576 24 24 8 36 2 875 362 205 645P 240 37 a t So y 178 A 574 125 101 89 20 ab 148 H fot 101 250 240 24 a HD wa af Associative Dimensioning Associative dimensioning means that when you change the size of any object the associated dimension automatically updates itself Associative dimensioning causes any dimensioning to be recalculated and the new dimension displayed as soon as an object has been modified For associative dimensioning to work it relies on the position and placement of measurement points Measurement Points The basis of associative dimensioning in FelixCAD is the definition and insertion of measurement points known as defpoints in other CAD software To draw a dimension FelixCAD registers the coordinates of these measurement points and calculates the corresponding distance or angle between the points Using conversion variables the measurement is scaled to represent a dimensional value which is then inserted in to the drawing FelixCAD automatically places measurement points when you place a dimension into the drawing The small dots are placed at the end of the dimension s extension line see figure below Measurement points are placed 284 Chapter 9 Dimensioning on layer DEFPOINTS
76. next section Select the second point by typing in the coordinates or selecting with the cursor Use object snap whenever possible The program displays the calculated dimension You may change this value or confirm it by pressing Enter You are not asked to position the dimensioning line since it is placed automatically in line with the existing dimensioning The command repeats itself Terminate the command by pressing the Esc key 303 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Baseline Dimensioning Baseline dimensioning adds a second dimension parallel to an existing dimensioning line This allows you to read the cumulative dimension between two end points covered by a number of individual dimensions within a chain Baseline Dimensioning assumes that another linear dimension already exists The baseline dimension assumes the same properties as the existing dimension Ieee 15 0000 15 0000 15 0000 15 0000 j s 15 0000 15 0000 i 45 0000 _ DIMBAS Select a dimensioning line P1 2nd Point P2 Dimensioning text lt 20 50 gt Enter Select the starting point of the dimensioning chain taking care to use the same direction as placed during the creation of the original dimension Select the second point to be used for the baseline dimension Enter the coordinates at the keyboard or pick a point with the cursor Whenever possible use
77. of the circular array e Number of entities the number of times the Array is to reproduce the selected entities e Angle to fulfill the distance the array should go around the circle 360 if the array is to be a full circle When creating a circular array the command uses a reference point on which to position the entities on the circumference of the circle as shown in the following table Part Insertion point Point Insertion point Rectang Start point Text Insertion point For example when you array a circle entity to represent bolt holes around a pipe flange for example the Array command arrays the circle at its center point If you wish to change this reference point the Basepoint option lets you define an alternate reference point on the entity to be array Remember to use an object snap mode with this option 199 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Array Without Rotation mga 208 The Circ NRot option short for circular no rotation arranges the entities around a circle or arc path without changing the alignment of the entity gt Array Individual gt Circ NRot Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Center P2 Number of entities 4 Angle to fulfill lt 360 gt Enter Angle between entities 60 Select the objects for the array choose the Circ NRot option and define the center of the circular path Then determine either e The number of the entities to be arrayed including
78. of the object The preferred method is to use object snap options to select objects and their boundaries but you can also input the coordinates of the points 2 Press Enter at the Next Point prompt to finish specifying the area FelixCAD reports the area and the length 3 You can compute another area by selecting more points at the next First point prompt or you can finish the command by pressing Enter Object AddArea SubArea Object Option Regular geometric areas such as circles arcs polylines and rectangles may be selected via the Object option Select the object and confirm the selection by picking OK The values for the circumference and the area appear in the text window gt AREA First point Object Selection of an entity circle arc polyline Pl Area 0 87 Circumference 3 3 First point Enter 319 Chapter 11 Inquiry and Information Programs You may continue computing the circumference and area of objects or terminate the command by pressing Enter Add and Subtract Areas The Area command allows you to add or subtract areas from the total area Select the first area or pick the points that describe the area geometry The calculated values will be displayed in the text window Select the AddArea option to add an area or SubArea to subtract an area from the total area gt AREA First point Object Selection of an entity circle arc polyline Pl Area 0 87 Circumference 3
79. of the option bar contains three permanent symbols From left to right they are e Cancel command same as pressing the Esc key e Redo last undone command same selecting Edit Redo e Undo the last command same as selecting Edit Undo The two arrowheads scroll the list of options if the screen is not wide enough to list all options To use a command option you can either 1 select the option name from the options menu or 2 type the capitalized letters at the command line In the example above to draw a continuous set of line segments you can click the Continuous work on the option bar or you can type the letter C at the command line gt line From point C From point As an alternative to the options bar you can have the options appear in a floating menu Select File gt Desktop Manager gt Options gt Menu from the menu bar Contis Segments Append The options menu displays the command s current options and floats on the screen Note The wording of the option menu and bar change with each step of a command 43 Chapter 1 The Basics The Property Bar The property bar gives you a quick and comfortable way of setting some main properties for further construction and drawing To turn on the property bar select File gt Desktop Manager gt Property from the menu bar g 48 6 fo B EYLER solid Line The property bar gives you fast access to the most important properties The first
80. part If the part does not contain attributes you are prompted to select another part After the correct part is selected the dialog box appears Edit Attributes Single Ea AttributO1 Value 1 27 0014 m Insertion point x 5 8809 ME 3 3141 z 40 0000 ol terective Text Options Height 10 2000 Font STANDARD 7 Angle fo Layer Color gt Cancel The editing process is identical to the procedure for creating an attribute with the AttDef command except that the attribute name is displayed at the top of the dialog box and cannot be changed The following buttons are new to this dialog box When a part contains more than one attribute the dialog box displays only one at a time The lt lt and gt gt display the previous and next attributes The Layer and Color buttons allow you to change the layer that the attribute resides on and the color of the attribute text 269 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Attribute Utilities FelixCAD offers several commands for modifying the text of attributes These utilities are found in the Modify Attribute Text submenu on the Parts menu Edit Attribute Text Value The AttValue command Parts gt Modify Attribute Text gt Edit Attribute Text Value allows you to select a single attribute of a part and change its value at the command line This command is useful for macros and FLISP routines
81. polyline Width defines the entire width of a polyline segment whereas Halfwidth defines the width from the centerline to one side of the polyline segment Accept the default last entered value by pressing Enter or enter a new width manually or by picking it The following rules affect both width options e Uniform Width When you choose the Width or Halfwidth option before picking the start point of the first polyline segment then the width is in effect for the entire length of the polyline gt Width for the entire polyline lt 0 500 gt Enter First point P1 Next point P2 Next point P3 155 Chapter 5 Draw e Tapered Width When you choose the Width or Halfwidth option after picking the start point for the first polyline segment you may enter different values for the width at the starting point and end point a width at starting point b width at end point First point P1 ext point Width Starting width lt 0 500 gt Enter Ending width lt 0 250 gt 0 750 ext point P3 ext point P4 alf width at starting point alf width at end point asa a b First point P1 Command Halfwidth Starting width half lt 0 50 gt lt hit Enter key gt Ending width half lt 0 25 gt 0 75 ext point P3 ext point P4 e Changing Widths The most recent width is used for all following polyline segments until you change the width by selecting the Width or Halfwidth ag
82. polyline 2D face If any of these entities are drawn with a non continuous linetype pattern such as dash dot or if they are a wide polylines then the pattern and width is extruded Thickness can be assigned to other drawing objects such as 3D polylines 3D faces text attributes attribute definitions block insertions dimensions and hatches but FelixCAD does not display the extrusion To set a preference for subsequent drawing set the Thickness system variable Type the system variable name and enter a numeric value To turn off thickness for further drawing set the value to zero To alter the thickness of drawing object use the PropEdit command see earlier in this chapter Applying Object Selection and Object Snap to Extruded Entities When selecting or snapping to entities with an extrusion thickness keep these two rules in mind e Object Selection When requested to select objects FelixCAD recognizes extrusion lines e Object Snap When you snap to extrusion line of entities with thickness FelixCAD finds the appropriate point of the entity s base Treatment of Extruded Objects in Rendering and Hidden Line Removal Objects with thickness are recognized by the rendering and hidden line removal commands ARender Render Hide and FHide 128 Chapter 5 Draw Draw Drawing Basic Entities and Objects In this chapter you learn about the commands that draw basic geometric entities FelixCAD draw lets you drawing
83. previous in order of drawing segment is lengthened to the next vertex After deleting a vertex the VtxEdit command stays active You may select another option or terminate the command by pressing Esc 225 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Width The Width option changes the width of a single segment of a polyline Move the marker to the vertex to be modified then select the Width option from the options bar Type a width or select the desired width of the polyline segment The width of the selected segment will be changed according to the input gt VTXEDIT Select a 2D Polyline Pl ext Enter ext Width Starting width lt 0 50 gt 1 Ending width lt 1 00 gt 2 ext Esc After changing the width of a segment the VtxEdit command stays active You may select another option or terminate the command by pressing Esc Polyline to B Spline The Spline command Modify gt Edit Polyline gt Polyline to B Spline fits a B spline curve to a polyline The curve is not forced to pass exactly through the polyline s vertices as does the PCurve command described below but produces a smoother curve fit gt SPLINE Select polyline to alter to B spline Pl Number of segments for approximation 2 to 1024 lt 8 gt You turn the splined polyline back to its original form using the Spline command with the Decurve option Modify gt Edit Polyline gt Decurve B Spline 226 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects 2 D Polyline to
84. rendering of the current drawing in a separate pop up window 358 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering You can rotate the rendering by situating your pointer inside the Arender window and holding down the left mouse button While the mouse button is depressed the icon will change to a small hand allowing you to rotate the image about the screen Zooming and panning for Arender is accomplished by holding down the right mouse button While depressed you can slide the pointer up or down to zoom and pan the image To auto rotate spin the rendering image right lise click on the blue command line area and toggle the auto rotate setting LIGHTS The Light command View gt Render gt Insert Light allows you to insert lights in the drawing The lighting environment in a 3D model is set up with one of more light sources When no lights are explicitly present FelixCAD assume ambient light for the light source Light Types The render program recognizes four types of light sources Ambient light Linear light Point light Spot light An ambient light is not really a light source It is an overall light source that occurs everywhere equally in the scene The intensity value of ambient light defines an overall value of lightness for the total 3D model The value increases or decreases the lightness of a rendering A linear light radiates light along a line similar to a fluorescent lamp It has a position
85. the chain are in one row the first dimension in the row dictating the direction in which the chain will be organized horizontal vertical aligned or rotated DEFINING DIMENSIONS You can start dimensioning with FelixCAD in your very first drawing If your drafting discipline however has specific dimension standards you set them with the Dimension Type dialog box This dialog box lets you create a named dimension style which stores all of your dimensioning preferences The DimType command Dim gt DimensionType displays the Dimension Type dialog box To create a new dimension style simply type the name such as ArchProj in the Type Name text entry box Then make changes to the dimension parameters by click the buttons such and Arrows Dimension UNNAMED x oe Name r Static General Settings ___Geveralsetings Cc Linear Cc Lines and Arrows Dimension Text ia ew as General Settings and Line OK Cancel Radial C Angle 7 The buttons open additional dialog boxes in which dimensioning parameters are defined 287 Chapter 9 Dimensioning General Settings The General Settings button displays the General Settings dialog box Scale The Scale enlarges or reduces the size of all dimensioning elements apart from the dimension value itself It allows the dimensions to be scaled to suit the scale of the drawing General Settings x Scale r Dim layer
86. the message in the command line area that no entity was selected All The All option selects all entities in the current drawing with the exception of those located on frozen layers Select objects a Select objects Remove amp Add The last field of the option bar contains a toggle button to switch between adding and removing entities to the current selection set Select objects r Remove objects pick Remove objects add Select objects Click the Remove button on the option bar or type r to change the selection mode to remove entities You can only remove entities that are already in the selection set entities already selected and marked are removed from the selection set The Add mode allows you to select additional entities This option only makes sense after you use the Remove option Single The Single option deactivates all object selection modes for the next and subsequent operations with the exception of the standard modes Window and Crossing Select objects si Select objects Note This option is not offered in the option bar but may be selected by keyboard input 71 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision DYNAMIC PREVIEW Dynamic preview mode is a visual aid that allows you to see the result of a pending operation before it is executed If necessary you can make corrections Dynamic preview also aids you in understanding the effect of a command on your drawing Rubbe
87. the Circle item on the pull down menu To use the keyboard hold down the Alt key then press the underlined letter of the menu item For example for the Circle command hold down Alt and press D Let go of the Alt key and press the C key Symbol Buttons Frequently used commands are grouped together in palettes The palettes contain rows of button containing symbols There are two kinds of symbol buttons on the desktop e Permanently displayed symbols in the toolbar or the control panel side bar These buttons represent mainly commands from the pull down menus File and View e Symbols in palettes arranged in any way which can contain any command for which the palette is designed The Draw symbol palette Commands and functions are called from a palette by clicking on the symbol Transparent Commands Most commands are executed at the gt command prompt In fact you usually cancel one command by pressing the Esc key Sometimes however you need to use one command during another command For example you may need to pan the drawing over during the Line command 50 Chapter 1 The Basics There is a special group of commands that you can use in the middle of another command These commands are called transparent commands You use a transparent command by prefixing the name with an apostrophe such as Zoom Examples of transparent commands include Changing the view of a drawing Zoom Pan Arranging the
88. this configuration are found in the Programmer s Guide manual To open one or more palettes 1 From the list select the palette you want displayed 2 Notice the ten buttons designated Palette 1 through Palette 8 Click one of the ten buttons This assign an identification number for example Palette 1 to the palette If there is another palette with the same ID number already open that palette is closed and is replaced by the newly selected palette 3 Click Close FelixCAD opens the palette To add customized palettes to the Palette Manager edit the Fcad Pal file which is located in the applic folder The structure of the file is 386 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing Palette description 1 palettel mnp Palette description 2 palette2 mnp Palette description 3 palette3 mnp and so forth The palette description is found in the list shown in the Palette Manager dialog box The line following always names the palette file You can change or delete the entries as you wish COMMANDS FOR PALETTE CONTROL Palette The Palette command File gt Resource Manager gt Palette opens and places a palette on the FelixCAD desktop The Palette command differs from the Palette Manager in that Palette lets you chose the palette from any folder sub directory It is not necessary that the palette files be situated in a particular directory Palette can only be executed when less th
89. were off the viewing surface In contrast to the Zoom command the view scale does not change The Pan command like most other view commands is a transparent command that can be used at the same time another command is being executed For example you can use the PanDown command during the Line command Remember that transparent commands need an apostrophe before the command name such as pandown 101 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings gt LINE From point P1 To point P2 To point PANDOWN To point P3 o point Enter You can think of the Pan command like holding a camera Think of being the photographer looking through the camera s viewfinder and moving the camera left and right up and down The Pan Palette You can select the pan commands from the palette The symbols used to activate the pan options are pan upwards pan to right pan to left pan downwards To activate a panning command simply click its symbol If you prefer to type commands at the keyboard the pan variations are found in the following table Move view to the left PanLeft Move view to the right PanRight Move the view down PanDown Move the view up PanUp After selecting one of these commands the visible drawing portion is immediately moved in that direction The amount of movement is determined by a factor defined by the View gt View Parameters command By default this is 0 5 102 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings DYNAMIC ZOOM AND
90. with the Insert command Creating an External Part Eml The PartExp command Parts gt Write Part File creates a part and saves it to a drawing file on disk Defining an external part is very similar to defining an internal part The command displays the Export Part dialog box which allows you to specify the drive folder filename and file format You can save the part in five formats all of which can be read back into a FelixCAD drawing e FelixCAD drawing flx e AutoCAD R12 drawing dwg e AutoCAD R13 drawing dwg e AutoCAD R14 drawing dwg e DXF drawing dxf 246 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups You would only use the AutoCAD formats if the part is to be used with compatible software such as AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT The DXF format is meant for use by other CAD packages Click Save and FelixCAD displays the Export Parts dialog box An external part can consist of Select a single entity or a selection set of entities select the entities using the usual object selection methods You are prompted for the insertion point Part an existing internal part select the part name from the Existing Parts list You are not prompted for an insertion point since the part already has its insertion point defined All the entire current drawing You are not prompted for an insertion point since it is assumed to be at 0 0 The entities are not erased from the drawing Export Parts Eg C FCAD
91. 0 The status line displaying help text left and X Y Z coordinates at right The first field at left displays the current drawing coordinates in relative mode For example 1 00 lt 90 00 means the entity being drawn is currently 1 0 units long at 90 00 degrees from the last point 1 00 lt 90 00 The status line displays relative coordinate during drawing When the cursor is over the button of a symbol bar menu item palette toolbar a concise description of the command s functions is displayed here In the center the current coordinate system mode is displayed e WCS world coordinate system the default e UCS user defined coordinate system The last three information fields specify the X Y and Z coordinates of the current cursor position The Drawing Area The drawing area is the part of the desktop where you draw and edit drawing entities You can open up to four drawings each with up to four viewports simultaneously in the drawing area As mentioned earlier in this chapter each drawing and each view is represented by their own window The windows can be tiled cascaded or enlarged to fill the drawing area When more than one window is open only one is the active window The active window is recognized by its dark title bar You can only work on the drawing in the active window To make a window active simply click on it 46 Chapter 1 The Basics Within the drawing area the cursor appears as a tr
92. 11944008 249 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Options Insertion At Define the Insertion Point by typing the X Y and Z coordinate values If Interactive is turned on the default you will be prompted for the insertion point after you click OK Scale Factor The Scale Factor allows you to specify the scale factor before the part is inserted Remember that a scale factor greater than 1 0 increases the size of the part and a factor less than 1 0 reduces the size of the part If you type a negative number the part is mirrored upon insertion If Interactive is turned on the default is off you will be prompted for the scale factor after you click OK Dragmode is active during this operation so you will have the benefit of seeing the scale factor result before confirming the size Rotation The Rotation allows you to specify the rotation angle before the part is inserted For counter clockwise rotation enter a positive value for clockwise rotations enter a negative value between 0 and 360 degrees If Interactive is turned on the default is off you will be prompted for the rotation after you click OK Dragmode is active during this operation so you will have the benefit of seeing the rotation result before confirming the angle Default The Default button reset all parameters back to the original values e Insertion point Interactive e Scale Factor 1 1 1 e Rotation 0 Exploded
93. 32 NONAME_1 FLX Existing Parts ARROW All Select Cancel Difference From Save As The PartExp command can also be used to save the entire drawing This is similar to the SaveAs command but with one primary difference PartExp purges all unused block references and unused symbol table entries layer linetypes text styles etc from the drawing This is an excellent way of ridding the drawing of unreferenced entries and frees it from unnecessary ballast 247 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups INSERTING PARTS Once a part has been defined you can is insert in the drawing as many times You can think the Insert command as a more efficient form of the Copy command Both commands make copies but the Copy command makes copies of the entities whereas Insert makes a reference to the block resulting in a smaller drawing file FelixCAD has four commands for inserting parts e Insert command Parts gt Insert Part displays dialog box e QInsert command Parts gt Insert Quick operates at the command prompt e InsertQ command Parts gt Paste Internal Part 1 1 quickly inserts a part by assuming scale 1 and rotation 0 e Merge command Parts gt Merge External Part 1 1 Insert Part Beal The Insert command Parts gt Insert Part uses the Insert Part dialog box to allow you to specify how the part is inserted Insert Part Part Name I Externa
94. 4 QUAdrant 91 TANgent 93 SPHERE SEE 3D SPHERE STATUS BAR 58 STATUS LINE 46 STRETCH MOVEMENT 199 402 SURVEYORS UNITS SEE UNITS SYMBOL LIBRARY SEE PARTS LIBRARY TABLET MENU 398 TECHNICAL SUPPORT 8 TEXT add new style 235 alignment and fit 240 angle 239 correct 244 edit properties 236 entering 238 fonts 233 234 height 239 insertion point 239 modify 243 objects 233 options 239 properties 233 reference text 242 special characters 241 THAW 120 127 128 277 354 THICKNESS OF ENTITIES 129 132 151 346 TORUS SEE 3D TORUS TRANSFORMATION VECTORS 380 TRANSPARENT commands 51 86 322 357 dpan 106 dzoom 106 pan 104 zoom 101 TRAPEZOID 155 TRIM 52 64 187 210 213 214 218 285 on off 213 UNDELETE 54 249 UNDO LIST 53 UN INSTALL 8 UNITS Angular 76 Linear 75 Orientation 76 Surveyors 77 USER COORDINATE SYSTEMS 108 14 USER INTERFACE SEE DESKTOP CONFIGURATION Index VIEW 96 356 3D view 99 manager 107 parameters 97 plan view 99 save named view NVIEW 107 viewports 97 VIEW ALSO SEE ZOOM AND PAN COMMANDS VIEW SLIDE VSLIDE 333 VIEW WINDOWS VIEWPORTS 97 WBLOCK SEE PARTS WEDGE SEE 3D WEDGE WIDTH VALUES 62 64 82 132 136 151 157 160 173 218 225 227 228 230 233 236 332 346 347 WINDOW POLYGON SELECTION 70 WINDOW SELECTION MODE 69 WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 1 7 27 WINTAB 397 WMF FORMAT 331 332 W
95. Be sure to make the pick on the segment of each line that is to remain n P1 P3 P2 211 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects LENGTHEN VA The Lengthen command Modify gt Lengthen changes the length of open entities such as lines and arcs Unlike the Expand command Lengthen works without a boundary edge it extends an entity by a specific value or ratio percentage value of the original size Although the command is called Lengthen is may be used to lengthen or shorten entities Entities are changed in length not scaled Entities are always lengthened at the end laying closest to the cursor pick point gt lengthen Select entity line arc pick Current Length lt 7 11 gt Dynamic After selecting the line or arc to lengthen the command reports the entity s current length The Dynamic option is the default the option bar displays other options Toa Foron reave moe Dynamic The Dynamic option is the default option of the Lengthen command You drag the line or arc to its new length When you click with the cursor the new length is fixed gt LENGTHEN Select entity line arc P1 Current length lt 100 00 gt Dynamic P2 Select entity Line Arc Enter The Lengthen command continues until you press Enter or Esc Total The Total option changes the length to an absolute distance The change is applied to the length of a line or to the circumference of an arc To assis
96. COMMAND MOVE 190 COMMAND NGON 152 COMMAND OFFSET 206 COMMAND OSNAP 86 COMMAND PALETTE 393 COMMAND PALMAN 58 COMMAND PAN 104 COMMAND PARTDEF 248 COMMAND PARTEXP 247 250 COMMAND PARTLIB 261 COMMAND PASTE 335 COMMAND PCONTOUR 163 COMMAND PLANVIEW 99 COMMAND POINT 169 COMMAND POLY3D 173 COMMAND PRECPAR 81 COMMAND PRINT 341 COMMAND PROPEDIT 129 396 COMMAND PROPLAYER 131 COMMAND PSETUP 340 COMMAND PURGE 54 COMMAND QWOPEN 100 COMMAND RECTANGLE 151 COMMAND REDO 53 COMMAND REJOIN 221 COMMAND RENAME 54 COMMAND RENDER 362 COMMAND RING 168 COMMAND ROTATE 193 COMMAND RTEXT 242 COMMAND SAVE 36 COMMAND SAVEALL 36 COMMAND SETLAYER 126 COMMAND SETLIB 261 COMMAND SETTINGS 79 COMMAND SETTINGS 78 COMMAND SETUP 75 COMMAND SETVIEWDIR 99 COMMAND SLDOUT MSLIDE 333 COMMAND STRETCH 199 COMMAND TABLET 396 COMMAND TEXT 238 COMMAND TEXTEDIT 243 COMMAND THICKNESS 132 COMMAND TICON 47 COMMAND TRAPEZOID 155 COMMAND UNDELETE 54 COMMAND UNDO 53 COMMAND VIEW 107 COMMAND VTXEDIT 228 COMMAND WCLOSE 100 COMMAND WMFOUT 331 332 COMMAND WOPEN 98 COMMAND XLINK 277 COMMAND XPLODE 260 COMMAND XPLORER 55 COMMAND ZOOM 101 COMMAND ZOOMBACK 102 COMMAND ZOOMFAC 104 COMMAND ZOOMFIT 103 COMMAND ZOOMIN 103 COMMAND ZOOMOUT SEE COMMAND ZOOMPAGE 104 COMMAND ZOOMWIN 102 COMMANDS REPEATING 51 CONE SEE 3D CONE CONFIGURE 59 CONSTRUCTION POINTS SEE COMMAND POINT CONTOUR 163
97. ELIX40 NONAME_O flx 0 Ea File Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim Parts Options View Window Drawing a line using object snap modes 83 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Some object snap modes make no sense For example you can not define the end point of a circle use the qua mode instead nor can you pick the center of a line segment use the mid mode instead On the other hand you can use several osnap modes on entities For example a line can use the end mode twice one for each end mid mode and per perpendicular mode An arc can use end mode again twice mid cen per qua quadrant points and tan tangent modes The end object snap mode does not differentiate between starting or ending point of an entity you must be careful with your pick point The object snap selects the nearest of the two possible points The illustration below shows the connection between the point selected and the point snapped ze cursor position a and snaped point fo Ien Ne cursor position and snaped point 84 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Running Object Snap Using the Precision Aids dialog box object snap modes are turned on This is called running mode Object Snap Vv I Center Point Vv T Quadrant E P Insertion Point I Point T Tangent F Nest on Entity J Perpendicular Click the checkboxes for the desired mode s A check mark indicates the mode is active
98. FY array 201 attribute text 274 attributes 273 batch processing list 384 break 220 chamfer 214 change 221 copy 192 delete partial 218 399 desktop 3 57 dimensions 313 drawing objects 187 expand 211 fillet 212 flip 196 hatching 320 intersect 215 lengthen 216 light settings 362 mirror 197 move 190 object layer PROPLAYER 131 object properties PROPEDIT 129 object slection 188 offset 206 parameters 188 part library 262 part properties 337 pcurve 231 polylines 225 read only files 35 rejoin 221 rotate 193 scale 194 spline 230 stretch 199 tablet menu 398 text 243 text style 236 trim 210 vertex 228 viewport 358 viewports 352 Xref 281 MOUSE BUTTONS 48 MOUSE CONTEXT ON OFF 190 MOVE attribute text ATTMOVE 274 command line 42 light 366 objects 190 plot origin 348 raster image 377 UCS origin 108 vertex 228 viewport 352 MSLIDE SEE SLDOUT COMMAND NEW DRAWING 32 Index NEW LAYER 122 NGON 152 OBJECT SELECTION 68 74 OBJECT SELECTION MODE Add 68 Add and Remove 73 All 68 73 Crossing 69 crossing polygon 70 Fence 71 Last 71 Previous 73 Single 73 Window 69 Window Polygon 70 OBJECT SNAP 80 86 center point 91 end point 90 Insertion point of text or a complex object 94 intersection point 92 mid point 90 Next point on entity 93 perpendicular 92 Point 94 quadrant 91 tangent 93 OBJECT SNAP ALSO SEE SNAP OBJECT SNAP C
99. HIDE The FHide command View gt Hidden Lines gt Fast Hide creates a hidden line view in the current drawing This is in contrast to the Hide command which outputs the hidden lines to a new drawing This FHide command provides you a visual impression of the 3D model from the current viewpoint You can continue to draw in hidden line display mode even using object snap functions The hidden line representation is maintained until a Redraw Regen Zoom or Pan command refreshes the drawing window The FHide command is based on the OpenGL system from Microsoft which allows high performance hidden line removal 355 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering RENDER The Render command View gt Render gt Render creates an image of your 3D drawing called a rendering The rendering is a realistic illustration of the model To increase the realism the rendering can be made to perform smooth shading and evaluate the lights set into the drawing You use rendering to visualize and present your 3D geometry as it would appear as if it has been constructed or built Note that FelixCAD also includes an animated rendering function as detailed below this render description To render the current viewport of a drawing start the Render command The command prompts you to select where the rendered view should be output to secon Fie om OO e Screen the rendering is output to the current viewport e File th
100. Index CONTROL PANEL 45 57 COORDINATE FILTERS 66 COORDINATE SYMBOL 47 COORDINATE TYPES 62 COPY 192 COPY MULTIPLE 201 COPY OBJECT PROPERTIES 131 COPY PORTION OF IMAGE 379 CREATING GROUPS 283 CROSS HATCHING SEE HATCH CROSSING POLYGON SELECTION 70 CROSSING SELECTION 69 CURSOR 66 CURSOR MENU 48 88 CUSTOMIZING PALETTES 58 CUSTOMIZING TOOLBARS SEE CUSTOMIZING PALETTES CYLINDER SEE 3D CONE DATA INPUT 62 DELETE attributes 337 entities 53 files 37 groups 284 icons 59 light 366 palette entries 393 parts from a drawing 249 parts of an entity 218 polyline vertex 228 raster images 373 table entries 56 UCS 111 views 108 Xrefs 281 DESKTOP CONFIGURATION 57 DETACH 281 DIALOG AND MENU EDITOR 3 40 394 DIGITIZE 397 DIGITIZING 399 DIMENSIONING Alternative dimensioning 295 angle 311 baseline 308 diameter 310 dimensioning style 314 dimensioning text 296 general settings 292 horizontal 299 397 linear 301 lines and arrows 293 modify 313 Modify 313 radius 311 rotated 303 Serial 306 vertical 300 DIMENSIONING 288 315 DIRECTORIES WORKING 59 DISTANCE 323 DONUT SEE RING COMMAND DOTS PER INCH 376 DRAWING AREA 38 46 59 80 97 DRAWING EXPLORER 55 116 247 DRAWING MODES 135 DRAWING OUTPUT 339 DRAWING SETTINGS 78 DYNAMIC LINK LIBRARIES DLL 4 DYNAMIC PREVIEW MODE 74 DYNAMIC ZOOM AND PAN 106 EDIT PART ATTRIBUTES 272 ELLIPSE 2D
101. Length lt 9 32 gt Dynamic Angle Included angle of arc lt 205 90 gt Dynamic pick Select entity line arc Enter 213 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects DELETE PARTIAL e The DelPartial command Modify gt Delete partial erases a portion of a line 2D polyline circle or arc This command is useful for dividing an entity the result is two independent entities which can be edited or operated on separately Whereas the Trim command cuts off the end of open entities the DelPartial command cuts out their middles arene ipo d T 2Point The 2Point option is the default It requires that you pick two points gt DELPARTIAL Select object line circle arc 2D polyline Pl First point P2 Second point P3 The part is erased between points P1 and P2 The line is divided at this point the portion of the line between the two points is deleted When the entity is a circle it becomes and arc When a 2D polyline has a width greater than zero it is cut at right angle to the polyline 1Point To separate or break an entity choose the 1Point option gt DELPARTIAL Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline P1 First point 1P Break point int of object P2 This option is useful for breaking an entity into two pieces for example at its intersection with another object To do this 1 Select the 1Point option or type 1P for short at the First point prompt 2 Select the break point It may
102. M fom x r Zero suppression Vv oo To V Foot Ce M Inch m Linear factor r Precision 0 0000 M Drag mode IV Associative Cancel Linear factor The Linear factor converts the measured drawing units into a dimension figure The default value is 1 Use this to convert metric to imperial Precision The Precision defines the number of decimal places to displayed See Precision and Units Settings Dim Layer Dim Layer specifies the layer on which the dimensioning values are stored Select the default layer DIM or enter a new layer name A check mark indicates the layer name will be used automatically for dimensions 288 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Zero Suppression The Zero Suppression area specifies whether or not zeroes are displayed before or after decimal points and whether zero feet and zero inches are displayed Drag Mode The Drag Mode check box determines whether the dimension is ghosted when you drag it into place Associative The Associative checkbox determines whether dimensions are placed as associative or non associative dimensions Lines and Arrows The Lines and Arrows button displays the Lines and Arrows dialog box which controls lines and the nature of the arrowheads Lines and Arrows m Lines Arrows m Extension lines 3 C Arrow C Circle Distance Extension 0 0625 fo 18 C Slash C User F 1 invisible I 2 invisible
103. ND 3DBOxX 185 COMMAND 3DCONE 186 COMMAND 3DELLIPS 186 COMMAND 3DFACE 174 COMMAND 3DSPHER 186 COMMAND 3DTORUS 186 COMMAND 3DWEDGE 185 COMMAND ALIAS 49 61 COMMAND ARC 146 COMMAND ARENDER 364 COMMAND ARRAY 201 COMMAND ATTEDIT 272 273 COMMAND ATTXEDIT 272 COMMAND BATPROC 383 COMMAND CHAIN 157 COMMAND CHANGE 221 attributes 273 COMMAND CIRCLE 142 COMMAND CLOSE 35 COMMAND CONFIG 59 COMMAND COPY 192 COMMAND COPYPROP 131 COMMAND DELETE 53 COMMAND DELPARTIAL 218 COMMAND DESKCONF 57 COMMAND DIGICONFIG 397 COMMAND DIGIOFF 397 COMMAND DIMASP 312 COMMAND DIMAA4P 312 COMMAND DIMBAS 308 COMMAND DIMCEN 311 COMMAND DIMCON 305 COMMAND DIMHOR 299 COMMAND DIMLIN 301 Index COMMAND DIMOBL 313 COMMAND DIMORD 309 COMMAND DIMSAVE 314 COMMAND DIMSER 306 COMMAND DIMTMOVE 313 COMMAND DIMTNEW 313 COMMAND DIMTPOS 313 COMMAND DIMTROT 313 COMMAND DIMTYPE 291 COMMAND DIMUPD 314 COMMAND DIST 323 COMMAND DPAN 106 COMMAND DRAWMODE 135 COMMAND DZOOM 106 COMMAND EINFO 326 COMMAND EXPAND 211 COMMAND FHIDE 361 COMMAND FILLET 212 COMMAND GROUP 283 COMMAND HIDE 360 COMMAND HPEDIT 320 COMMAND ID 322 323 COMMAND INSERT 246 252 COMMAND INSERTQ 257 258 COMMAND INTERSECT 215 COMMAND LAYER 121 COMMAND LAYREF 128 COMMAND LENGTHEN 216 COMMAND LIBRARY 261 COMMAND LIGHT 365 COMMAND LINE 138 COMMAND LINE THE 41 57 COMMAND LINETYPE 119 134 COMMAND MACRO 395
104. NFO command 326 Tables 327 INQUIRY COMMANDS 322 INSERT drawing as a part 264 externally referenced file 281 parts with attributes 271 raster and scanned files 374 INSTALLATION 7 INTERSECTING 66 92 136 143 170 183 201 210 212 214 215 220 285 312 LAYER basics 2 115 button 44 BYLAYER 44 changing linetype 123 color 117 creating new 122 current layer 116 123 define layer color 124 drawing explorer 116 Drawing Explorer 55 drop down list 44 freeze and thaw 120 naming 117 pre defined layers in templates 33 properties 117 purging 54 quick access 126 rename 54 122 renaming 122 set by reference 128 set current 126 visibility 120 LAYER MANAGER 121 LAYOUT MODE 349 LEFT TOOLBAR SEE CONTROL PANEL LENGTHEN 216 LIMMAX 80 Index LIMMIN 80 LINE Append 140 Close 139 Command 138 Continuous 138 Segments 139 Tangent to Tangent 141 LINE 138 LINETYPE and Xrefs 276 assigning 122 127 basics 118 BYLAYER 44 115 changing 123 command line 42 Drawing Explorer 55 drop down list 44 edit text file 395 from parts 246 hidden lines 360 in templates 33 load 118 134 PROPEDIT 129 221 purge 54 Scale Factor LTScale 135 thickness 132 LISP PROGRAMMING 3 LIST EINFO 326 LOCK FILES 37 LTSCALE 135 MEASURE 170 MENU BAR 40 MENU FILES 40 MIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON 48 88 MIRROR IMAGE 378 MIRRORING TEXT 199 MODEL SPACE 349 MODEL SPACE SEE LAYOUT MODE MODI
105. ORLD COORDINATE SYSTEM 110 XINSERT 282 XLINK 276 277 281 XPLORER 55 ZOOM 96 101 107 115 333 341 361 alias 61 ARENDER 365 back 102 dynamic 106 factor 104 fit 103 in 103 out 104 page 104 palette 101 parameters 97 raster 375 ratio 351 scale factor 355 transparent 101 window 102 403 Index 404
106. P routine or another application Detailed information on how to use icon menus and display images in dialog boxes is found in the Programmer s Guide Creating a Slide To create a slide file follow these steps 1 Display the view of the drawing that you want to save as a slide file You may need to use the Zoom and Pan commands to precisely position the view 2 Type the SldOut command 3 Inthe Create File dialog box specify the location and the name for the slide file and click OK Viewing a Slide To view a slide file follow these steps 1 Type the VSlide command 2 Inthe View Slide dialog box choose the slide you want to view 3 Click Open The slide is then displayed on the screen 4 Type Redraw to return to your drawing Note You cannot draw or edit a slide 329 Chapter 12 Export and Import COPY TO CLIPBOARD The CopySelect command Edit gt Copy Selection to Clipboard copies selected objects from the drawing and places them on the Windows Clipboard in FelixCAD formats Note Do not confuse this command with the Copy command found on the Modify menu which make copies of objects in the current drawing The objects selected with CopySelect remain in the Clipboard ready to be placed in this and other FelixCAD drawings Once in the Clipboard you use the Paste command to paste the objects from the Clipboard into another FelixCAD drawing You cannot paste the contents into another Windows application T
107. PROPERTIES 1 The PropEdit command Edit gt Modify Object Properties changes the properties of objects The characteristics of objects are said to be the properties Objects may have a different e Layer default 0 e Color default 7 black e Linetype default Continuous e Thickness extrusion in the Z direction default 0 0 units All of these characteristics are automatically associated with an entity when it is created You may want to in some cases to change or override these parameters You do this with the command The PropEdit command allows you to make these changes Objects may be placed on a different layer Objects may be given a different color Objects may be given a different linetype The thickness of objects may be modified You may change any or all of these properties at a time The changes apply to one several or all objects in the drawing Select the entities whose properties you want to change Remember that all selected objects are changed If three objects are selected all three receive the same changes 125 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties Press Enter to end object selection FelixCAD displays the Edit Properties of Entities dialog box Choose the object properties that are to be changed by clicking the proper button Edit Properties of Entities Ss tee coo E The color layer and linetype properties each have a separate dialog box
108. PalMan command and select palettes from the Palette Manager 2 Hold down the left mouse button on the icon you want and drag the icon to the desired location within a toolbar 3 Release the left mouse button to drop the icon at that position Adding an Icon to a Toolbar Follow these steps to add an icon to a toolbar 1 Right click the button you want to place a new icon on The following dialog box opens Tomma ETON Invsngpor dafa ie bn Tast Ee Specifying the properties of a toolbar button 2 Specify the command name the bitmap file and the messages for the tooltip of the button and the help string displayed in the status bar 3 Click OK If you want to protect the button from being overwritten enable the Protected check box 58 Chapter 1 The Basics Deleting an Icon from a Toolbar You can delete an icon from the toolbar only when the button is not protected You unprotect a button by right clicking the button and then disable the Protect option in the Toolbar Configuration dialog box Follow these steps to delete an icon from a toolbar 1 Hold down the left mouse button over the icon you want to delete 2 Drag the icon onto the drawing window or to the background area of the drawing area of the desktop 3 Release left mouse button The icon is removed from the toolbar You may then place another icon onto that button Configuring FelixCAD n The Config command File gt Configure ini
109. RCLE Chapter 5 Draw O The Circle command Draw gt Circle draws circles There are several ways to geometrically describe a circle FelixCAD allows you to choose from among several methods to draw the circle in the most convenient manner A circle can be drawn by any of the following options e Specify the center point of the circle and the radius or diameter e Specify three points on the circumference of the circle e Specify two points on the circumference and hence the diameter of the circle e Specify two points tangent to other lines arc or circles The following options appears on the option bar when calling the command CIRCLE Center Option Since the Center option is chosen most often in drafting it is the default it is activated automatically when no other option is selected You are first prompted for the location of the center point the second prompt asks for the radius gt circle Center point pick Radius lt 1 00 gt pick The radius prompt displays the radius such as lt 1 00 gt above you entered earlier To accept the default radius press Enter to change the radius type or pick a new value O7 To enter a diameter value select the Diameter option from the option bar 138 Chapter 5 Draw 3Points The 3Points option draws a circle that passes through three points on its circumference This option is convenient when the circle must intersect three tangent lines or when draw
110. RF Select first defining curve of ruled surface pick Select second defining curve of ruled surface pick 178 Chapter 5 Draw Tips If the first entity is an open entity such as an arc or line the second entity must also be an open entity If the first entity is a closed entity such as a circle or a closed polyline the second entity must also be a closed entity If one entity defining an edge is a point the other entity cannot be a point entity To create a mesh select each entity at the same end If you select each outline entity at opposite ends FelixCAD generates a self intersecting polygon mesh Re RY Correct Method for Rulesurf command and result Pa Ry Incorrect Method for Rulesurf command and result 179 Chapter 5 Draw TABULATED SURFACE The TabSurf command Draw gt 3D gt Tabulated Surface creates a tabular or extruded surface using a path curve and a direction vector You can extrude lines arcs circles 2D or 3D polylines The entity provided as path curve defines the surface of the mesh The direction vector extrusion path is determined by picking a line or an open polyline The SurfTab1 system variable defines the number of M direction surfaces on the extruded entity When extruding a line arc or circle the number of M direction surfaces is evenly divided determined by the value of the SurfTab1 system variable When extruding a polyline extrusion lines are drawn at the ends o
111. Redo from the Edit menu e Enter the Redo command at the command line Deleting amp Undeleting Entities While creating a drawing you may need to erase certain parts of the it The Delete command erases entities from the drawing as follows e Click the symbol e Select the Delete command from the Edit menu e Type the Delete command in the command line area You can use the Delete command these entities e Individual drawing entities like lines circles rectangles or for groups of these entities e Parts and attributes e Text objects e Dimensioning and hatching To delete an entity that is in a part block you must first explode the part with the Explode command Delete the entity then regroup the remaining entities into a part again with the PartDef command Entities that have been deleted by mistake can be restored by the Undelete command e Click the symbol S e Select the Undelete command from the Edit menu e Type the Undelete command at the command line This causes all previously deleted entities to be restored Renaming Names The Rename command allows you to alter the names associated with blocks layers linetypes text styles dimension styles user coordinate systems and views Take these steps 53 Chapter 1 The Basics e Start the Rename command e Select database table to be renamed from the option bar e Enter the name of the object to rename e Type in the new name of the item
112. These dialog boxes are identical to those opened for layer linetype and color control Choose the new characteristic in each case Thickness is applied directly and does not require a dialog box 126 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties MODIFY OBJECT LAYER The PropLayer command Edit gt Modify Object Layer transfers selected objects from their current layer to another layer Select the entities to be transferred The following dialog box appears Choose a target layer and confirm the selection by OK Modify Layar Property of Selechid Emities CEFPUINTS TUNES CENTERLINE COPY OBJECT PROPERTIES el The CopyProp command Edit gt Copy Object Properties allows you to change the properties of entities to match those of another entity This makes it easy to make a group of entities take on the same look as a red dotted entity Only properties that are common to all objects layer linetype and color are transferred to the selected objects To change the properties of the selected objects takes two steps 1 Select a reference entity 2 Select one or more objects to be changed 127 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties THICKNESS By applying the thickness property to entities you create a three dimensional effect called 22D The extrusion of entities creates the illusion of depth Thickness is measured in the Z direction You can give thickness to the following entities Arc Circle Line 2D
113. UR POLYLINE EDITING 225 Index break 220 delete partial 218 fillet 212 join 227 POLYEDIT 225 setting width 227 transform to polyline 225 vertex chamfer 214 vertex editing 228 PRECISION AND UNITS SETTING 75 PRECISION PARAMETERS 81 PRINTER INSTALLATION 340 PRINTING basics 339 batch plotting 383 centered 345 colors and line widths 346 define area 341 fill polygons 347 filled areas 347 hidden line drawings 360 margins 344 paper size 340 Paper Space Model Space 349 preview 342 print zone 344 raster images 381 rotation and offset 348 saved view 341 Scaling 344 scaling and fit 344 setup 340 sheet layout mode 349 tile across pages 345 to file 341 PRISM SEE 3D CONE PROGRAMMER S GUIDE 5 PROPERTY BAR 57 PURGE 54 parts 251 PYRAMID SEE 3D CONE RASTER 401 4 point transformation 381 copy portions of image 379 cut portions of image 379 edit transformation 380 loading function 373 loading RLC files 374 loading TIF and BMP files 374 mirror 378 move 377 palette 373 print plot order 381 property settings 376 remove image 375 rotate 378 save 377 toggle frame 377 unloading function 373 zoom extents 375 377 Index spotlights 369 371 REPEATING COMMANDS 48 51 68 71 139 144 166 168 169 173 201 210 271 307 385 RINGS 168 ROTATE 193 attribute text 274 dimensions 290 303 part 257 print plot 348 r
114. URSOR MENU 48 OFFSET by distance 209 through point 206 OPEN 281 DWG and DXF files 330 existing drawing 34 existing drawing as read only 35 externally referenced file 276 palettes 391 slides VSLIDE 333 OPTION MENU OPTION BAR 57 ORTHO MODE 80 81 84 PALETTE MANGER 392 PALETTES 50 58 391 392 PANNING 105 PAPER SPACE 349 PAPER SPACE SEE LAYOUT MODE PART LIBRARY selecting 261 400 setup and creation 262 PARTS advantages 246 attribute definitions 247 attribute display mode 275 attributes 267 creating external 250 creating internal 248 discreet insertion 259 edit attribute text 274 edit attributes 272 explode 260 exploded 255 export 247 external 247 insert external 257 insert with attributes 271 inserting 252 inserting external 253 inserting internal 253 insertion point 249 250 internal 247 naming conventions 248 paste internal 257 properties 246 quick insert 255 rotation angle 254 257 X factor 256 PARTS 245 66 PASTE from clipboard 335 PASTE INTERNAL PART 257 258 PCONTOUR 163 PLAN VIEW 98 99 108 351 356 PLOTTING SEE PRINTING POINT REPRESENTATION 137 POINTS 169 POLAR COORDINATES SEE ANGLE INPUT POLYGON NGON 152 circumscribing 153 inscribing 154 POLYLINE 2D 158 append option 162 arc option 161 divide 172 measure 171 tangent option 162 width and halfwidth options 159 POLYLINE 3D 3DPOLY 173 POLYLINE CONTOUR BOUNDARY SEE PCONTO
115. You can offset an entity to both sides by selecting the BothSides option when you are asked to specify the side to offset gt DOFFSET Distance or select option ThruPoint lt 0 50 gt Enter Next point pick Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline pick Side to offset BothSides Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline Enter Side to offset 205 TRIM Chapter 6 Modifying Objects THT The Trim command Modify gt Trim cuts off entities that cross a cutting edge The cutting edge is the intersection with another entity The entities are trimmed on the side that you pick The command keeps repeating until you end it with the Esc key gt TRIM Select entities for intersecting edges Line circle arc 2D Polyline P1 P2 Select entities for intersecting edges Line circle arc 2D Polyline Enter Select entity for trimming S Line circle arc 2D Polyline P3 P4 elect entity for trimming Line circle arc 2D Polyline Esc Start the Trim command and select one or more entities that will become the intersection edge The next prompt asks you to select the entity that you want to trim The selection is sensitive to location the point you pick is the portion that will be trimmed away As entities are selected they are trimmed the trimmed portion disappears from the drawing Note Some objects will not trim other entities most notably Pa
116. You can specify that the file be opened as read only Click the Open as read only check box in the Open File dialog box The read only mode opens the file but does not allow you to save it except by a different filename This is a protective mechanism against inadvertently modifying or changing the file After opening in read only mode you can modify the drawing in any way but the modifications are not saved When you try to save a read only file FelixCAD displays a warning and asks if the file should be saved under different name If you want the changes saved then select the Yes button and type a filename in the Save As dialog box Closing a Drawing When you have finished working on a drawing you close the drawing Closing the drawing saves it and removes the drawing from the program FelixCAD itself remains open until you exit the program more later To close the drawing type the Close command or select File gt Close from the menu bar or press the shortcut keys Ctrl F4 As an alternative you can close the drawing as in all Windows programs by clicking the small x at the far right end of the title bar E The Close window button If a drawing has been changed before closing a prompt asks you if you want the file saved this prevents the unintended loss of work Drawings may be saved in flx dwg R12 R13 or R14 and dxf formats 35 Chapter 1 The Basics Save the Drawing The Save command File gt S
117. ady been allocated by typing a question mark 7 in the input field and pressing Enter Dimensioning style names may be up to 31 characters long and may consist of any alphanumeric input except special symbols No differentiation is made between upper and lower case characters 310 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Confirm the selected name to store the dimensioning style You can list all of the names of all dimension styles as follows gt DIMSAVE Name of the dimensioning style List List of dimensioning styles lt gt ar ARCHITECTO1 ARCHITECTO2 Listing the existing dimensioning styles completes the save dimensioning style command Press Enter to restart the command and save the current dimensioning settings gt DIMSAVE Name of the dimensioning style ARCHITECTURE03 Restoring a Dimstyle The DimRest command allows you to restore a dimstyle The command displays the names of the current dimensioning style You are prompted to choose a dimensioning in the drawing whose style will be set as the current dimstyle gt dimrest Set dimension type by reference dimension Select object pick Any dimensions were created prior to the definition of the new style can be updated with the DimUpd command so that they adhere to the new style settings 311 Chapter 10 Hatching Hatching This chapter discusses the process of hatching an area a section of a drawing and the cross sectioning of a part Ap
118. ain 156 Chapter 5 Draw Arc Option The Arc option lets you include one or more arcs in the polyline you may give the arc s a width The methods for drawing a polyarc are identical to drawing arc with the Are command To draw polyline arcs with a line width follow these steps 1 Pick the first point of the arc This can be the end point of the previous polyline segment 2 Select the Width or Halfwidth option then specify the starting width and ending width 3 Determine the other parameters for drawing arcs using the same procedure as drawing regular arcs 157 Chapter 5 Draw Append Option The Append option starts the polyline at the end of another line polyline or arc Choose the element line or arc to which the polyline still to be drawn is to be appended Select the Width or Halfwidth options if required and determine the starting and the ending width Polyline to Line Option To choose an object select an existing line or polyline Remember that the polyline is connected to the end point of the line closest to the point selected Polyline to Arc Option To append a polyline to an existing arc enter the polyline length after selecting the existing arc A polyline with the specified length is drawn tangent to the end of the arc connecting point end point of line NN arc Select line or arc Pl Length of line P2 To end the Polyline command press Enter TT Option The TT opt
119. also includes tools to convert menus and dialogs 25 26 Introduction and Installation Chapter 1 The Basics Getting Started The Basics of Drawing with FelixCAD This chapter provides you with an introduction to FelixCAD You learn about some of the most frequently used commands and tools This chapter begins with a description of how to start the program This is followed by how to create a new drawing and open existing drawing files You also learn how to save the result of your work and how to exit the program correctly Later sections of this chapter describe the user interface its elements and components You ll find instructions to control the interface and the customized arrangement of its elements To control FelixCAD you may use the mouse or other pointing device such as a digitizing tablet to select commands the menu bar tool areas or palettes Commands can also be executed using the keyboard For defining points distances and angles the keyboard provides you with the advantage of greater precision Ideally using a combination of the mouse and keyboard optimizes your productivity We recommend that the novice CAD user read the parts of this chapter containing explanations of command selection coordinate input and command options whether by keyboard mouse or digitizer FelixCAD provides many alternatives for data and command input and selection The variant that you choose depends on your personal style
120. ample moves the drawing by about half of the visible drawing area Drawing Viewports FelixCAD is capable of opening as many as four drawings at the one time Each drawing is viewed in its own window Further you can open as many as four viewing windows viewports of each drawing Viewports allow you to see the drawing from different angles or see different details at the same time A number ranging from 0 to 3 identifies the windows This number appears immediately behind the filename on the title bar separated by a vertical line as in Filename 2 The windows can be arranged in tiles cascades or enlarged to fill the entire drawing area When more than one window exists only one window is the active window The active window is identified by the color of the title bar You pick another window to make it the active window click on any part of the window with the 94 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings cursor FelixCAD s standard viewing angle is the top view also called the plan view At this angle the X Y plane is viewed straight down the Z axis The drawing or construction plane is parallel to the screen Creating a New Viewport Once a drawing is open you create additional viewports with the WOpen command Window gt Open New Viewport Before the program opens a new window the New Window dialog box asks for the view direction The AutoCAD equivalent to this command is the MVIEW command Hew wiral x l a a
121. an be shown in the drawing alongside the dimensioning text Types of Dimensioning There are several types of dimension that you can use Typically the type of dimensioning is dictated by its position in the drawing FelixCAD has accommodated nearly all positions imaginable Linear Dimensions Linear dimensioning shows horizontal vertical and rotated distances Horizontal and vertical dimensions are the most common in drawings rotated dimensions are used to measure the true length of a sloped or angled object Coordinate Dimensions Coordinate dimensions represents a distance between a specific point and its origin in the coordinate system The measurement can be made on either the X or Y axis It is often used in surveying and machining drawings Diameter and Radius Dimensions and Center Mark Diameter dimensions are used to measure the diameter of circular objects such as holes and arcs Radius or radial dimensions measure the radius of circular objects The center dimension places several different types of center mark at the center of a circular object Angle Angle dimensions measure the angle between two objects or the angle inside a single object Baseline and Continuous Dimensions Baseline dimensions continues a line are dimension additional dimensions use the same starting point as the first dimension 286 Continuous dimensions create a chain of dimens Chapter 9 Dimensioning ions All dimensions in
122. and With Snap activated your cursor picks are made to the nearest snap points For example if snap is set to 0 1mm you make picks to the nearest 0 1mm You can set the snap spacing to any value For example if you want your drawing accurate to the nearest 1 4 you would set the snap spacing to 0 25 The Grid display covers the drawing area with a visible array of dots This helps you in several ways 1 you see the limits of the drawing 2 you get a sense of the drawing scale and 3 you see the snap distance a multiple thereof As with the snap distance you can set the grid spacing to any value For example if you want a 1 foot grid you set the grid spacing to 12 inches The grid does not cover the entire drawing Instead its extent is limited by the LimMin and LimMax system variables e LimMin sets the lower left corner limits for the grid display area LimMax sets the upper right corner limits for the grid display area Ortho short for orthogonal mode constrains the movement of the cursor to the horizontal and vertical direction This makes it easier to design and place parallel and orthogonal lines and other entities OSnap short for object snap modes allow you to work with geometrically significant points of entities These geometric features include end points intersections center points and so forth You use osnap modes in two ways turn them on permanently until turned off again or tempor
123. and Edit gt Drawing Database Tables displays information about the tables in the flx file Tables store information about e Draw and display parameters e Layer e Line types e Fonts text styles e Part block definitions e Referenced parts blocks e Dimensioning types e Hatching parameters e Named views e User coordinate systems Choose table 5 lection M Copy to Clipboard Draw and Display Parameters Line Types Fonts Part Definitions Referenced Parts Dimension Types Hatch Parameters Named Views User Coordinate Systems 322 Chapter 11 Inquiry and Information Programs Select a table name then click the Selection Menu button This displays a second dialog box which lists details about the table you selected Layer Selection Menu Copy to Clipboard SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN RICHPUNKT SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN SGEZOGEN AUSGEZOGEN ors a The figure above shows sample output from the Layer table The Selection Menu button takes you back to the first dialog box JW ON N G N N N I N I N I i i i The Copy to Clipboard button copies the displayed information to the Windows clipboard 323 Chapter 12 Export and Import Export and Import One of the principle features of FelixCAD is its ability to interchange information with other CAD and Windows p
124. and press Enter gt 2DFACE First point Pl Second point P2 Third point P3 Fourth point P4 Third point P5 Fourth point P6 Third point Enter To draw a triangular plane specify three end points for two of the edges then choose the Close option gt 2DFACE First point P1 Second point P2 Third point P3 Fourth point Close 162 Chapter 5 Draw Segments Option The Segments option draws a single rectangular or triangular filled plane This option ends after the entry of the points required for one plane in contrast to the Continuous option For triangular planes there is no difference from the Continuous option Pl P3 P2 P gt 2DFACE First point P1 Second point P2 Third point P3 Fourth point P4 Append Option The Append option allows you to append a 2D plane to existing planes You can only append a plane to the edge of the last drawn plane After choosing the option select an edge of an existing plane then determine the corner points of appending plane Pl P3 Pl P3 PS a choosen 2D face P gue weed ia P2 P4 P2 P4 P6 gt 2DFACE Choose a side Identify edge Third point P5 Fourth point P6 163 Chapter 5 Draw RINGS DONUT o The Ring or Donut command Draw gt Rings draw solid rings solid filled or thick walled circles The ring is a special case of a closed polyline it is essentially two polyarcs with width The filled circle is a spe
125. and accurate angular dimensioning They are called DimA3P short for angular 3 point and DimA4P angular 4 point 307 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Angular 3P The DimA3P command uses three pick points one at the apex and one each on the legs of the angle This command finds both the interior angle and the exterior angle gt DIMA3P Apex end of Pl lst Point P2 2nd Point P3 Position measurement curve P4 Dimensioning text lt 60 gt Enter When prompted Apex pick the vertex position We recommend that you use INTersection object snap whenever possible Pick a point on each leg of the angle Specify the location of the dimension arc The dynamic preview assists you in locating the best position Note The position you select determines whether the interior or exterior angle is dimensioned After confirmation the program will display the measured value Confirm with the Enter key or change as required Angular 4P The DimA4P command is very similar to the DimA3P command except that the Angular 4P dimension is based on four points of measurement These points could be the end points of two lines or the tangent of the end points of an arc Either the interior or the exterior angle can be dimensioned The first two prompts ask for the objects lines polylines arcs or circles DIMA4P Select line polyline or arc Pl Select line polyline or arc P2 Dimensioning text lt 60 gt En
126. are not prompted for an attribute value like with the Constant option but you can still edit the value later with the AttValue command Note To create more than one attribute for a part simply repeat these steps until all attributes are inserted in the drawing near each other Working with Attributes Once the attribute is defined you include it with a part Then when the part is inserted in the drawing you need to provide values for the attributes Including Attributes with Parts To save a part with attributes follow the instructions earlier in this chapter for creating parts Here are the steps you need to go through 1 Draw the entities that will go to make the part 2 Define the attribute s with the AttDef command Insert the attribute s near the entities 3 Start the PartDef command and define the part 4 When prompted select the attributes and the entities making up the part The part including the selected attributes is now saved in the drawing A part with attributes can also be saved externally Follow the same procedure with the PartExp command Inserting Parts with Attributes When you insert a part that includes attributes the procedure is the same as for parts without attributes The Insert command has just one added step type the value of the attribute This step only occurs when the attribute does not have the constant definition I 266 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawin
127. arily active for a single pick You can display the object snap modes by clicking the middle mouse button or via the Precision Aids dialog box 77 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision CONTROLLING PRECISION PARAMETERS ae The PrecPar command short for precision parameters Options gt Draw with Precision displays a dialog box that contains settings for drawing with precision You can also access the precision drawing aids by clicking the symbol shown above in the control panel To toggle turn on and off Ortho Snap and Grid mode during a command click on one of these buttons These control panel buttons toggle Ortho Snap and Grid mode 78 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Snap Grid The Snap Grid area controls the spacing of the snap With Active turned on the cursor can only select points that are positioned directly on the grid Width and Height lets you specify the snap distance Origin lets you change the origin of the snap The Snap Angle field lets you rotate the snap which also rotates the Grid and Ortho mode The snap grid always follows the axes of the current coordinate system Note The snap distance does not influence points defined by keyboard coordinate input Even with snap activated you can define points not on the grid by keyboard entry Width amp Height The Width and Height fields let you enter values for the horizontal and vertical distance between the snap points Units of measurement
128. ased or downloaded the Internet version of FelixCAD visit www fcad com or www adobe com to download a free copy of the reader You will need the reader to view or print the supplied documentation Technical Support Please contact your selling dealer or send an email to support fcad com North America or support fcad de outside North America From our Web site s choose the Support page for hints and tips and bonus files You can also access the FelixCAD home page for technical requests or reports Introduction and Installation WHAT S NEW IN FELIXCAD 5 New Entities Lightweight Polyline Now FelixCAD supports the memory optimized LWPOLYLINE Entity The creation of lightweight or previous style polylines can be controlled with the global system variable PLINETYPE This variable specifies whether FelixCAD uses optimized 2D polylines PLINETYPE controls both the creation of new polylines with the PLINE command and the conversion of existing polylines in drawings from previous releases 0 Polylines in older drawings are not converted when opened PLINE creates old format polylines 1 Polylines in older drawings are not converted when opened PLINE creates optimized polylines 2 Polylines in older drawings are converted when opened PLINE creates optimized polylines New Commands Command MTEXT FelixCAD 5 now fully supports MTEXT After issuing the command and specifying the location of the new text you ar
129. aster image 378 RASTER LAYER 381 READ ONLY FILE 35 RECTANGLE 151 REDO 53 REDRAW 333 rendering 365 RZOOM 375 REGENERATE DRAWING REGEN 120 135 137 341 361 REJOIN SEPARATED ENTITIES 221 RELOAD 279 281 REMOVE ALSO SEE DELETE attributes from a list 337 blocks 54 desktop components 57 entities from a group 284 feils from batch process list 386 FelixCAD 8 files from part library 263 hidden lines 359 icons 59 light 366 named views 108 object from selection 68 objects 73 palette from desktop 393 raster image 375 RENAME 54 RENDER ambient light 367 animated rendering 364 anti aliasing 364 copy to clipboard 362 distant light 368 insert lights 366 Intensity components of emitted light 370 light attenuation 370 light types 365 lights 365 move lights 366 overview 362 point light 369 set parameters 363 SAVE RETRIEVE VIEWS 107 SCANNED IMAGE 373 SCREEN COLORS 61 SEGMENTS 170 ALSO SEE LINE AND ARC COMMANDS SELECTING OBJECTS SEE OBJECT SELECTION SET CURRENT LAYER SETLAYER 126 SET LAYER BY REFERENCE 128 SINGLE 73 3D face 176 character 33 object picking 80 objects 157 158 173 178 SLIDES making 333 viewing 333 SNAP 80 133 ALSO SEE OBJECT SNAP Angle 82 CENterpoint 91 ENDpoint 90 IMPlied intersection 92 INSertion point 94 INTersection 92 Isometric 85 MIDpoint 90 NeXT point 93 palette 88 PERpendiculer 92 PoiNT 9
130. ates for each vertex Unlike 2D polylines you cannot include arc segments in a 3D polyline nor can you give the 3D polyline a width The entire 3D polyline has a width of zero As opposed to a line created with the Line command a 3D polylines is treated as a single object Terminate the command by pressing the Enter key gt POLY3D First point P1 Next point P2 Next point P3 Next point Enter Undo and Close Options During the command the option bar displays the following options une Gee 1 Undo The Undo option allows you to undo the last step taken In other words the last drawn segment is erased The end point of the last polyline segment may then used as a starting point of another segment if required Undo can be repeated as long as a segment of the polyline exists The last segment is erased with each successive Undo The end point of the previous segment can then used as a starting point of the next segment 169 Chapter 5 Draw Close This option allows you to draw a closed polyline Choose the Close option from the option bar or type C at the keyboard FelixCAD draws a polyline segment that connects the end point of the last line to the start point of the first line 3D FACES O The 3DFace command Draw gt 3D gt 3D Faces creates a three or four sided surface in 3D space you may specify XYZ coordinates for its vertices The difference between 2D and 3D surfaces is that the 3D
131. ave saves the drawing in the active window to be saved The active window is the one with the dark title bar inactive windows have a light or gray title bar color The file is saved by its name in FelixCAD s own flx format The file is saved in the same drive and folder as at the time of opening the file Actually before saving the drawing FelixCAD renames the file with the extension of bak as a backup file Save All Drawings The SaveAll command File gt Save All saves all open drawings This is quicker than using the Save command four times once for each open drawing Save As only FLX The SaveAs command File gt Save As also saves the current drawing like the Save command but it allows you to change the name of the drawing The Save As dialog box allows you make these changes e Save by a different file name e Save in another file format e Save on another drive e Save in another folder sub directory Drawings may be saved in flx dwg R12 R13 or R14 and dxf formats Note to convert multiple drawings from one format to another e g convert five DXF files to BMP or eighty DWG blocks to FLX refer to the Batch Processing BATPROC section of this manual File Manager The Fileman command File gt File Manager visually displays all FLX drawings in the current directory 36 Chapter 1 The Basics Deleting Files The DelFIk command File gt Delete File deletes files specifically
132. ave four properties name color linetype and visibility setting Layer Name To identify layers and differentiate between them each layer has a distinctive name You can assign any name you want up to 31 characters long The name can consist of letters numbers and two special characters _ underline and dollar All characters in the name are automatically capitalized If you are not sure what layer names to use you can check with the regulating body for your discipline Some organizations have Standing Committees on the subject and have layer guidelines One of these is the International Standards Organization Standards ISO 13567 1 amp 2 1998 ISO DTR 13567 3 1998 http www iso ch isob switch engine cate pl searchtype general amp KEYWORDS CAD Another is the American Institute of Architects for the AEC industry Their WEB site for purchasing the AIA standard is http www aiabooks com detail asp productid R809 97 amp search layer amp position 1 In some cases your client or your office may have a layer naming specification For informal drafting you can create a few layers with self explanatory names like Existing for the pre construction floorplan Constr for the planned construction Text for text Dim for dimensions Color Every layer has a color the default color is black You can choose one of 255 color shades Every color has its own number The standard color of the layer can be marked in th
133. ble are shown in the Name list CONTINU COM TILE COM TIMUC CONTIG CONTINUE 0_FOOFEDGE r OM TINUE 30_POOFFACE CONTE D CELZ CONTIG 30_OPEMING_1 COMTIMUC Teori COM TINO 30_0PEMING_2 COMTINUG 30_DOOR_2 COMTINUC TWHE CONTHUD TAA n COM TINUE 2O_WIHDoTW_1 CONTIG I Gas 2 COMTINUG 47 ei i Ps re Ti i D gm D o G D D O DO D ODO G ee P 2E P E E E EHE E E E A CE The Drawing Xplorer permits the following e Delete unused unreferenced table entries allowed only for the active drawing e Rename table entries allowed only for the active drawing e Set the layer linetype text style user coordinate system or named view allowed only for the active drawing by double clicking to one of the table entries e Insert a block by double clicking to its name Click the Tool button to display the corresponding dialog box associated with the table name For example if Layer is the table selected in the Drawing Navigator the Tool button displays the Layer Manager dialog box This lets you create new layers 56 Chapter 1 The Basics Customizing the User Interface You can customize FelixCAD s user interface so that the program better matches your needs and habits You may remove and reinstate components customize all the buttons in the tool areas and change the menu system Modifying the Desktop Layout The DeskConf command File gt Desktop Layout displays a pop up menu that lets you rear
134. bsequent definitions of similar parts with the same attribute definitions select the Maintain Objects radio button If you wish to leave a copy of the block at the current location in the drawing select the Replace by Instance radio button Insertion Point Click the OK button to dismiss the dialog box and the PartDef command continues in the text window gt partdef Displays dialog box Insertion base point P1 Select objects pick 1 selected Select objects pick 1 selected Select objects Enter KES 2 selected The part must have an insertion point The insertion point is a reference that enables you to position the part properly during insertion The insertion point 245 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups also serves as the basepoint for changing the scale and the rotation angle You can pick anywhere for the insertion point on or off the part although users typically select the left lower corner the center of the block or some other discreet point of the geometry It is a good idea to use object snap options functions to ensure precision o insertion point insertion point Select Objects Finally you select the entities that will make up this part The option bar furnishes the object selection options An internal part has now been created You may wish to experiment a bit by now attempting to place the part on a drawing
135. cation needs To view the programmer s guide use the Adobe Acrobat reader to open the appropriate pdf file contained in the manuals folder Introduction and Installation Initial chapters contain a number of suggestions for possible arrangement of the user interface working with alias commands macros and function key assignments as well as a guide to the directory structure of the program Chapters are included to describe the meaning and use of template drawings as well as the definition of linetypes and hatch patterns Middle chapters describe in detail working with the Dialog and Menu Editor DMB and describe the techniques used in setting up new or editing the standard menus palettes and dialog boxes Detailed information is provided about the integrated FLISP interpreter allowing you to extend the program or comply it with special working requirements And finally a detailed overview of the global and local variables in the system is outlined ADVANCED PROGRAMMING USING C C OR DELPHI The FelixCAD Developer s Toolkit Application Programming Interface FDT API Manual contains instructions of how to extend FelixCAD through use of its advanced programming interface The FDT API manual is supplied in pdf format If you plan to create integrated Lisp C C or Delphi solutions using FelixCAD contact us at www fcad com North America or www fcad de outside North America to obtain details on our Graphic Devel
136. ce command Instead the command is meant for generating meshes by FLISP routines based on 3D point lists such as surveyor s measurement points Do not confuse polyface meshes created by PFace with polygon meshes created by the 3DMesh command 174 Chapter 5 Draw 3D MESH The 3DMesh command Draw gt 3D gt 3D Mesh draws polygon meshes Usually it is used for generating irregular surfaces vertex by vertex For example it is used in surveying and GIS applications to create topological surfaces A 3D mesh is a wireframe rectilinear blanket composed of M column lines by N row lines passing through a matrix of M x N three dimensional points in space M and N are indices specifying the number of rows and columns that make up the mesh and determine the number of vertices required in the mesh To create a polygon mesh 1 Specify the mesh M and N size 2 The command prompts for vertex coordinates until you have defined all vertices in the M direction then in the N direction You are prompted for each vertex in order starting with vertex 0 0 continuing with the second vertex in the first column 0 1 and so on 3 Once all vertices of a column are specified the first vertex of the next column is requested For example vertex 1 0 is the first vertex in the second column In the figure below the last vertex is 3 2 gt 3DMESH M value of the mesh between 2 and 256 4 N value of the mesh between 2 and 256 3
137. ches the style of existing text Simply pick a text entity then overwrite the string in the dialog box gt RTEXT Select reference text P1 Reference Text STANDARD Text Height 0 2000 Width Factor 1 0000 Angle Insertion point P2 Finally specify the location of the new text entity in the drawing The new text will have the same font height width factor rotation angle and layer as displayed in the dialog 238 Chapter 7 Text MODIFY TEXT Al The TextEdit command Detail gt Modify Text allows you to modify existing text in the drawing Select a text entity in the drawing and FelixCAD displays the Text Edit dialog box The dialog box is filled out with the parameters of the text Text Edit Text m Insertion Point X 4 00 Me fp 00 Z fo 00 I Interactive Options p Insertion Reference Height 0 20 PL PS wii OC Oe we so BL CBC BR Font STANDARD 7 S wie gii C Align C Fit C Center Lok ca When the Interactive check box is on you will be prompted to relocate the text when exiting the dialog Otherwise you may change the insertion point coordinates in the dialog box if desired 239 Chapter 7 Text CORRECT TEXT The TCorrect command Detail gt Correct Text allows you to edit text and attribute definitions You may change the text as well as the font size etc The command first prompts you to select the text or attribute defin
138. cial case of a ring it is a ring with the interior diameter equal to zero Rings can be edited with any of the polyline editing commands They behave just like a polyline object The last entered diameter values are used as an option for the next entry If you want to keep using the same values just pick a new center point The Ring command repeats itself always creating identical rings until you press Enter gt RING Center point P1 Center point P2 Center point Enter Diameter Option The Diameter option determines new values for the inside and outside diameters ww O O O T gt ring Center point Diameter Inside diameter lt 0 50 gt 0 75 Outside diameter lt 1 00 gt 1 25 Center point P1 Center point Enter 164 POINTS Chapter 5 Draw x x The Point command Draw gt Construction Points draws a point The points can be displayed in a variety of styles and sizes With the Point command you can e Point insert individual points e Measure insert points at a specified distance from each other along a line arc polyline etc e Segments insert a number of points along a line Pont vene sore OO d The shape and size of the points is determined by the DrawMode command s Drawing Parameters dialog box see the beginning of this chapter for more details The points are always be inserted on the current layer Point The Point option is the default option You determine the positio
139. command r Zoom Back The ZoomBack command is like using the Undo command it backs up to the previous view Using this command allows you to switch quickly back and forth between two view to seen the drawing as a whole or to see its details more clearly 99 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Zoom to Fit The ZoomFit command allows you to see the entire drawing as large as possible in the window O r y Zoom In The ZoomIn command enlarges the view with each successive use by a factor defined by the View gt View Parameters command By default this is 0 5 e No k P 100 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Zoom Out The ZoomOut command is the opposite of the ZoomIn command It reduces the view with each successive use by a factor defined by the View gt View Parameter command The default is 2 0 a a Zoom Factor The ZoomFac command prompts you to enter the zoom factor Numbers less than 1 0 reduce the size equivalent to ZoomOut and greater than 1 0 enlarge the size like ZoomIn gt zoomfac Zoom factor 1 2 Zoom Page The ZoomPage command zooms out to the page size defined for your printer or plotter PAN The Pan command moves the visible portion of the drawing The drawing can be moved to the right to the left upward or downward You now see objects that were previously not visible because they
140. cond point prompt with the First option or type F for short This explicitly specifies both break points independent of the entity selection gt BREAK Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline pick Second point or F for first point F First point pick Second point pick You have the choice to break the entity into two pieces without erasing any part of it To do this specify the same point for both the first and the second points Type at the request for the second point which signifies the previous point entered This is useful when you want to break an entity at the intersection with another entity gt BREAK Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline pick Second point or F for first point F First point int of object pick Second point 216 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects REJOIN 4 The Rejoin command Modify gt Rejoin unites separate line segments which are aligned in the same direction It also joins arc segments that share the same center and the radius This function is useful for reuniting line and arc segments that have been divided by the DelPartial command Select the command then pick the entities to be rejoined gt REJOIN Select first entity line arc Pl Select second entity line arc P2 CHANGE The Change command Modify gt Change edits the geometric character and the properties of many entities including lines circles arcs text attributes a
141. ct entity Line circle arc text attribute definition part Enter Modification point P2 Rotation angle lt 0 gt 90 220 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects POLYLINE EDITING FelixCAD allows you to edit polylines by the Edi Ertie Popins following methods Fillet Podplne Chamba Polpina e Chamfer chamfers the polyline vertices 1o BSpine e Fillet fillets the polyline vertices aen crane e PolyEdit edits the geometric properties of a 20 Polvine lo Cunmed Polpina polyline such as its width Decunve Curved Polpine e VtxKdit edits the vertices of the polyline Warte Editing Modify Polyline J The PolyEdit command Modify gt Edit Polyline gt Edit Entire Polyline allows you to e Open and close the polyline e Convert lines and arcs into a polylines e Join the polyline with other drawing entities such as lines arcs and other polylines e Change the width of the whole polyline e Undo these changes Transform to Polyline When you select a line or arc with the PolyEdit command you are asked if you wish to transform it into a polyline gt polyedit Select a 2D polyline pick Transform arc to polyline ves Nm Select Yes or No from the option bar If you answer No the PolyEdit command prompts you to select another 2D polyline 221 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Open or Close After selecting the polyline one of two option bars are displayed This Open option is displayed if the pol
142. ctor the view arrangement and fonts are valid for all layers Other aspects may differ for each layer such as the color and linetype of entities drawn on a particular layer In addition layers can be turned off which means that all entities on that layer become invisible 111 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties In CAD software a new object is always drawn on the current layer When the object is drawn the layer s properties specifically linetype visibility and color apply to the object FelixCAD has commands that let you change the properties of all objects on a layer or of each object independent of the layer s global setting Layers are identified by name All drawings contain at least one layer given the name 0 pronounced layer zero All other layers can have their own number or name Layer names help describe the purpose of the layer and can be up to 31 characters long You can create up to 4 095 layers in a FelixCAD drawing a number that should be more than enough for any practical drawing Layers do not necessarily follow one another in some sequential order It is not necessarily true that layer 2 lies on top of layer 1 or underneath of layer 3 All layers are arranged in one single plane which is not possible when drawing manually on different Mylar When one entity hides other entities on different layers the rule is that the object last drawn lies over already existing objects a
143. d in the lower right corner It has two variables which activate the logfile option and create a name for that logfile _ Create Logfile Activating this check box allows you to define a logfile which will be written during the batch processing Select button You can select a Logfile filename by using this button If a chosen filename already exists it will be overwritten It s useful to leave this option activated 383 Chapter 16 The BATPROC Batch Process Command 384 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing Customization Palette and Resource Manager This chapter discusses FelixCAD functions that allow you to customize the user interface The following table contains a summary of the available commands found in the File menu Command Function PalMan Palette Manager Palette Palette Tablet Load tablet menu TabSection Load tablet section Macro Execute macro This chapter gives you an overview of some of the customization possibilities with FelixCAD For complete details refer to the Customization and Programming manual Palette A palette or toolbox is a collection of buttons that represent a common group of commands You can open up to ten palettes simultaneously and place them anywhere on the screen Palettes allow you to quickly access commands to execute these commands you need only select the button with the cursor In general all of the commands found in
144. d point P2 Radius Value Instead of the radius you can enter an angle or a direction from the starting point by selecting Angle or Direction from the option bar 143 Chapter 5 Draw Angle Option The Angle option defines the arc by the included angle The included angle is the angle between the starting point and its end point the vertex of the angle is at the arc s center point gt arc Start point SEnd Start point pick Endpoint pick Radius Angle Included angle 45 Enter the value through the keyboard or by picking points on the screen When picking a value remember that the X axis is the point of reference not the last point entered Direction Option The Direction option defines the arc by a tangent that touches the arc at its starting point Since the starting point of the arc is already defined you need only define a tangent by keyboarding or picking another point on the entity to be tangent gt arc start point SEnd Start point pick Endpoint pick Radius Direction Direction from start point pick 144 Chapter 5 Draw SCenter Option Start Point End Point Center Point The SCenter option draws the arc based the starting point the end point and a center point y starting point P1 s center point P2 end point P3 Select SCenter from the option bar when prompted for the start point as follows gt arc Start point SCenter Start point P1 Center
145. d produce the following dimension text Approx 12 ft Colors The Colors button displays the Colors dialog box It allows you to assign colors to e Dimensioning lines e Extension lines e Dimension text including the value alternative dimensions tolerances limit values and unit of measurement Clicking the Color button displays the standard Colors dialog box You may choose any of the 255 colors as well as BYLAYER and BYBLOCK Dimension Lines BYBLOCK Color Extension Lines BYBLOCK Color r Dimension Text BYBLOCK Coor 293 CREATING DIMENSIONS Chapter 9 Dimensioning To create dimensions in your drawing you can select dimension commands from e The Dim menu e The Dimensioning palette toolbox e Detail gt Dimensions and the Create Dimensions palette e Typing Dim related commands as listed below Dim Command Meaning DimA3p Angle 3 point DimA4p Angle 4 point DimAli Aligned dimension DimBas Baseline dimensioning DimCent Center mark DimCon Continuous dimensioning DimDia Diameter dimension DimHor Horizontal dimension DimLin Linear dimension Combination between DimHor and DimVer DimOrd X or Y coordinate dimension DimRad Radius dimension DimRot Rotated dimension DimSer Serial dimensioning DimVer Vertical dimension 294 Linear Horizontal Vertical Aligned Rotated Continuing Baseline Serial Diameter Radius
146. degrees as up on the page North or 12 o clock The display of the status bar is updated depending upon the settings of the angle zero direction and the orientation Surveyor Units Entry Drawing Setup x Angle 0 Direction East 3 o clock direction C North 12 o clock direction West 9 o clock direction South 6 o clock direction Current E Cancel Because the surveyor units are so different form the other forms of angle entry we have included a few examples 74 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Absolute Coordinates Polar distance lt angle 7 5 lt N34D30 45 W Relative Coordinates Polar relative distance lt angle 7 5 lt N34D30 45 W In surveyor s notation the N stands for North The 34D is 34 degrees from North The 30 is an additional 30 minutes and the 45 is an additional 45 seconds from North The W indicates that the angle is towards the West There are 60 seconds in a minute 60 minutes in a degree and 360 degrees in a circle Surveyors divide the circle into four parts each with 90 degrees measured from the North or South poles in the direction of East or West In the figure above we see the four points of a compass North South East and West As examples of how the Surveyor s Units work several lines have been drawn in various directions We labeled these lines with the correct bearings Note that all the letters used in the bearings are in capital letters as requir
147. do 08 6 ef gt BB fevever solid Line wes 8 34 4 45 346 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Modifying the Viewports A viewport is more than just another window It is a drawing entity in its own right It is represented by a rectangle and acts as a container of a certain view of the construction Theoretically any number of viewports may be created in model space You can use editing commands on viewport entities because they are treated as drawing objects You can move a viewport to another position with the Move command You can change the size of a viewport with the Stretch command the view in the viewport is not scaled with the viewport When you change the size of a viewport with the Scale command the view inside the viewport is scaled by the same factor You can erase viewports from the drawing with the Delete command Viewports may be copied with the Copy command The Rotate Array Flip and Mirror commands also modify the viewport with the limitation that the edges of the viewport s rectangle remain parallel to the X and Y axis of the paper space Also these commands do not rotate or mirror the view in the viewport You can use object snap modes and coordinate filters for editing viewports and when drawing in paper space You can only manipulate viewports while in paper space Turn Viewports Off and On The Viewport command s On and Off options control the visibilit
148. dth of the entire chain The width must be specified before entering the first point Picking or entering the first point is understood as a verification of the default width value TT Option The TT option draws the chain tangent to an arc or circle to the tangent of a second arc or circle For more details see the Line command s TT option 153 Chapter 5 Draw POLYLINE The Polyline command Draw gt Polyline draws 2D entities that consist of connected line and or arc segments Each segment can have a different width in addition the width of each segment can be tapered Polylines are always drawn with solid fill A polyline is defined as a single object and is treated as such for editing operations in contrast with entities drawn with the Line and Arc commands After you select the Polyline command the option bar has these options CO ne wan rawan ea n O Polyline segments are always drawn by defining their start and end points and their width regardless if they are arcs or lines After drawing the first segment you are prompted for the endpoint of the next polyline segment The start point becomes the end point of the segment last drawn To terminate drawing the polyline press the Enter key or the Esc key First point P1 Next point P2 Next point P3 Next point P4 Next point Enter 154 Chapter 5 Draw Width and Halfwidth Options The Width and Halfwidth options assist in defining the width of a
149. e Pick a point on either side of the original entity gt OFFSET Selection of an entity Line circle arc 2D Polyline P1 Offset by point Distance Distance lt 5 gt 10 Offset to side P2 Selection of an entity Line circle arc 2D Polyline Enter 202 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects In both cases the Offset command continues until you press Enter or Esc Circles amp Arcs The Offset command creates concentric circles and arcs with a small or larger diameter than the original entity After selecting the objects to be offset the position of the offset is determined by e Picking a point e Typing the coordinates of a point on the circle or arc e Using the Distance option mH gt eT Select objects line circle arc 2D polyline P1 Offset by point P2 Select objects line circle arc 2D polyline Enter ae gt 203 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Distance The Distance option allows the offset to be created a specific distance from the original entity Select this option from the option bar w O O O T Determine the distance between the original entity and the offset by either a numeric value input in drawing units or by cursor selection Then point and click with the cursor to the side of the original entity on which the offset is to occur gt OFFSET Selection of an entity Line circle arc 2D Polyline P1 Offset by point Dis
150. e Existing Parts list box Do not use the name of an existing part unless you want to redefine a part If one of the parts is to be redefined select the part name from the list An alert box appear warning that you are about to redefine that part The message gives you the option of choosing a new name or redefining the part Note When you redefine a part all insertions of that part are also redefined 244 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups The radio buttons allows you to specify how to treat the selected entities after the part definition is completed The three choices are e Delete Defining Objects When the PartDef command completes the entities you selected are erased from the drawing default e Maintain Objects The entities you selected are not erased from the drawing e Replace by Instance The entities you selected are replaced by the newly defined part Usually after you create a part the defining entities are not used anymore in the drawing That s because the purpose of the part is to be inserted in the drawing If you want the defining objects to be removed from the drawing select the Delete Defining Objects radio button this is the default setting in the dialog box Note You can restore the defining objects after they are erased with the Undelete command To leave the defining objects in the current drawing as they are for example for further modification and su
151. e and command Divide cccccccsssscscceceesensscecececeescnsececeeecsesenseaeceeeceesenssaeeeeees 167 BD tolha i eE E E E EEEE 169 SIDA TE EEEE ET EE E E S E E E E E E E 170 Polygon Meshes thii enea code nts a ea e a aa E a whe coansecsus a ae ina E E AoE 174 BD AE EE E E E E EE EE E EEA E EEE E E E E E 175 SIETE eeM aI PAENAOI LELETO a PERPER E ERR E EE E A E E Ae as 177 Ruled ESI ie e Ya AAE EER EAEE EE AE EE EN EA ENE TEE AET EEES DEE EAE ENE TEE 177 ablated Surtace a a a a E EO 180 Recommended Mesh Construction cccccsesseccceceesensececececsesesececceceesssuececececsessaeceeececeessseeseeeees 181 New D I ATIOTA BT 0 D AET EEE E E ETS 181 MODIFYING DRAWING OBJECTS e seseosseseosoesesoessescosoesessossesoessesoesoeseesossesoossesoesoeseesossessossessesoeseesossessossessessese 183 Modity Parameters oari ce tah Rae alse a RA RG E ee SE a A E 184 MOVE sss decectes Sesessenecced a dacaee gh Saw ak Se cov Ge aust wai Catav te lated Gea vasa vn te heed sap Salah Lave esac an Sede Rouges teee aes 186 COPY A E eased ads sk dada sg costs sh cothce svete sos aohss Sada rgcoet E beets gh TE 188 ROA E EE ETTE PE E TEETE OTE PE ENET E PT ETE TAEAE E T OTE E EETA 189 SLOE I I AEAEE EIE A AEEA SE AEA EASE E ETE E A AREA 190 Bl o E E EAA ETE A E E EEEE A 192 MO a ae a REL 193 SAIRILA D AEE E E AE E E E EE E E A E E E S EE E 195 AIT AY AE E E EE EE 197 Offset Throuphs Pointsin a r eR LR RS et ee ad 202 OT SEt TIS CANCE sons E EE E A oes
152. e color box as BYLAYER 113 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties Since it is possible to draw on the current layer only objects still to be drawn are in the standard color of the current layer unless a new color is chosen with the Object Color option If the standard color of the layer is changed using the dialog box for layer control then all drawing elements of this layer that are marked with the color BYLAYER assumes the new color Linetype Similarly every layer has a linetype the default is Continuous solid The chosen linetype is marked in the dialog box BYLAYER All elements are drawn in the linetype of the layer unless another linetype is chosen for the element If the linetype of a layer is changed using the dialog box layer control all of the drawing elements of that layer which are marked with BYLAYER assumes the new linetype While every drawing contains all 255 colors a new drawing contains only the Continuous linetype Before you can assign other linetypes to a layer you must load the linetype definitions into the drawing How to Load Linetypes Linetypes vary by discipline The linetypes used for an electrical drawing differ from a civil engineering drawing For this reason FelixCAD does not store with a fixed set of linetypes but allows you to load linetype files specific to a particular discipline Linetype files have the extension lin and can be found in the applic folder FelixCAD ships with two linety
153. e execution a running command e Click the symbol 2s e Press the Esc key This interrupts the execution of the current command At the command line you see the message xxx Cancel Reversing a Command Undo If you recognize that you made a mistake you can reverse the effect of the command FelixCAD archives all steps you ve taken during the current drawing session This archive is called the undo list The Undo command reverses the each step sequentially You can keep using the Undo command until you get back to the beginning of the drawing session At that point FelixCAD declares Undo list is empty e Click the Undo button Fay e Select Undo from the Edit menu e Type U at the keyboard and press Enter Some commands are not stored in the undo list These include commands that control the viewport Zoom Pan and Window set parameters and other transparent functions These steps cannot be reversed by the Undo command The undo list is kept only with the current session of the program It is not saved with the drawing Restoring the Reversal Redo If you undo too far you can use the Redo command It cancels the last Undo operation The drawing is restored to the last state prior to the Undo command and this is only possible if there has been no other command executed between the Redo and Undo commands 52 Chapter 1 The Basics e Call the Redo command by clicking the symbol E e Select
154. e is from 10 to 2 000 pixels Finally you may choose whether the bitmap should be written into a file or copied to clipboard of Windows Note The objects remain in the clipboard until you copy something else to the Clipboard In FelixCAD this is done with the CopySelect BmpOut WmfOut and other commands as well as the Cut and Copy commands in other Windows applications Exporting a drawing or a part of it as bmp or wmf lets you use the drawing in presentation programs that create slide shows such as Microsoft PowerPoint Corel Presentations or Lotus Freelance Graphics Such software packages allow you to add logos textual descriptions special effects or other artwork to create professional slide shows 328 Chapter 12 Export and Import CREATING AND VIEWING SLIDES The SldOut or MSlide command Edit gt Make Snapshot lets you save a view of the current drawing as a slide Creating a slide file is like capturing the screen of a drawing You can view the slide later with the VSlide command The extension of slide files is s d Slide files can be used as an alternative to WMF and BMP files see the WmfOut and BmpOut commands earlier in this chapter You use slide files in icon menus which are called by the IconMenu command You can collect slide files in image libraries Image libraries have an extension ilb Images from image libraries WMF BMP or slides can be utilized in dialog boxes which are called by an FLIS
155. e items inside of the list box e Move up The Move Up button will move all selected items by one item e Move down The Move Down button moves all selected items down by one step e Move to top The Move to Top button moves all selected items up to the top of the list e Move to end The Move to End button moves all selected items to the end of the list Note that all of these functions for changing the list order leave the selection unchanged INFO STATE This area of the BATPROC dialog box located in the lower left corner informs you about the process and the results of all list actions On the first line you can see the current state i e how many files are in the list and how many are selected The second line shows you the progress of the current action and if ready the result of this action DEFINING THE ACTIONS FOR BATCH PROCESSING After composing the list the actions for all items of the list have to be specified The related fields are placed on the right side of the dialog box 381 Chapter 16 The BATPROC Batch Process Command Printing Plotting The area of the BATPROC dialog box labeled Print Plot is to output the selected files This output is transferred to either a device such as a plotter or printer or a raster file BMP or WMF format There are six options for this function which include the following radio buttons and check boxes e View
156. e layers not to be displayed in the currently selected viewport You change the layer visibility by selecting one or more layer names in one list then click the gt or lt button To freeze or thaw an entire group of layers you can specify strings with wild cards such as 2D_ and then click the Filter button This highlights all layers that start with 2D_ as shown in the figure above 348 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode View Control in Viewports The Viewport command s View option enlarges a viewport to fit the entire window It also allows you to change the zoom level 3D viewpoint and so on gt VIEWPORT First corner View Select viewport pick Switch to viewport view Viewport control When calling the option View the prompt Viewport control is displayed The following options are at your disposal C zom Pn Reto Nviow s0View vievpon Zoom The Zoom option displays the prompt Zoom Scale factor Once a scaled relationship between model and paper space has been established you should manipulate the view within the viewport only via scaled zooming usually by specifying whole numbers to maintain the scale During the Zoom option the option bar contains other zoom options Window Extents 0 9 0 1 and Previous Pan The Pan option moves the visible portion within a viewport Two points specify the pan direction The scale of the model is not changed You can a
157. e menu bar Each pull down menu contains groups of thematically related commands File Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim dimensions Parts blocks Options View Window and help R FelixCAD C CAD FELIX40 NONAME_O flx 0 bo p gt Startup ae 0K gt NEW CERIZI Xan A xy Lem Settings So m Layer Manager Set Layer Layer by Reference Load Linetypes Set Linetype gt Set Color v Set Layer s Color Entity Extrusion Set Explicit Color Set Drawing Modes Drawing with Precision Drawing Setup Parameters World Coordinate System User Coordinate System Palette Tools Mouse Context on Mouse Context off Menu items can have these states e Grayed out commands are not available and cannot be selected The command Save for example can not be executed if no drawing has been created or opened e Three dots behind the command such as Settings in the figure above means that a dialog box will be displayed e An arrow gt behind a menu item such as Set Color gt in the figure above indicates that a submenu will be opened Note the contents of the menu bar can vary depending on the menu loaded 39 Chapter 1 The Basics Different menu files may be loaded which allows you to adapt the menu bar to your specific needs Menu files are identified by the extension mnu The program contains a standard menu file located in the s
158. e negative Y axis and the first dimension line as seen in a clockwise direction The apex of this angle is determined by the position of the first point of measurement j 7000 60 Grad If you define the angle at which the dimensioning is to take place by selecting two separate points then a perpendicular line will be drawn at 90 to the extension lines After having determined the dimensioning angle you are prompted to define two points of measurement 300 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Once the points of measurement are chosen you are prompted to define the position for the dimensioning line The distance between the two points is displayed at the designated angle orientation Press the Enter key to accept the calculated value You may also select a specific dimensioning object function from the option bar by choosing the Select option The start and end points of a line polyline or arc will be interpreted automatically and used for the measurement calculation gt DIMROT Angle of rotation lt 0 gt 60 lst Point SELECT Select line polyline circle or arc P1 Dimension line positioning P2 Dimension text lt 2 5000 gt Enter Continued Dimensioning Continued dimensioning is a variation of linear dimensioning that continues an existing dimensioning a second dimension is linked to an existing dimension creating a dimensioning chain Continuing dimensions can only be created
159. e presented with a dialog in which you enter your text Three tabs allow you to exercise control over all text parameters and an Import function enables you to import an external text file into the window Introduction and Installation Therin Eer Lre tpa 4 mt fas Jfr OS s A oem a imaa Fisi chamis pooper in 1 Cal MTEXT Dialog showing Character options Chatecter Properties Lire Spacing Bee steven dur cation Top th as foan j MTEXT Dialog showing Property options Chachar Fiopaties Lie Spacing Linsenacing fi oo MTEXT Dialog showing Line Spacing options Pre Selection of Objects The global PICKFIRST system variable controls whether you select objects before noun verb selection or after you issue a command 0 Turns off PICKFIRST you select objects after you issue a command 1 Turns on PICKFIRST you select objects before you issue a command 10 Introduction and Installation Object Snap Snap points of hatch pattern lines will be ignored during the point selection Command FLXRECOVER This new feature enables the user to recover damaged flx drawing files of the FelixCAD 5 or 4 02 file format Command DVIEW DY IEW Helatrve cameia position angles distance Cispky node i a lt r Target Peint fee fretaive camera position gt X 32 300 Theta Dist E El Ne 24 500 Z a Fiok Came a Fosilion Die
160. e rendering is saved to a bmp Windows bitmap file on disk e Clipboard the rendering is copied to the Windows Clipboard in bitmap format it can be pasted into another Windows application with the Ctrl V Edit gt Paste command The rendering is based on the preferences set with the RConfig command The Light command allows you to place lights in the drawing and define their type and settings The LightEdit command is used to modify the settings of light sources 356 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering RENDER PARAMETERS The RConfig command View gt Render gt Render Parameters displays the Render Settings dialog box which lets you control the quality of rendering Rands 5 Hlin j i Dupi te Senie F Use defined Lights E Pokgen Obertaior CCW F packisos Culling FF Srrooth Caon n Poppo I inismng 337 9 The Defaults button resets the preferences to default values as shown in the illustration above This is convenient because a number of settings can influence the performance of render computations dramatically The Output to Screen option controls whether the rendered polygons are output on the screen to the front buffer during computations or are written into a display buffer before presenting the rendered image If this option is not checked the rendered image is not displayed before the entire rendered image is computed The Use defined Lights option allows you to activate or d
161. eactivate the use of light sources When disabled the program generates a simple shading of the 3D model otherwise the inserted lights are used for the rendering The three other options allow expert users who are familiar with advanced rendering techniques to save time when careful drawing methods have been used during the creation of a 3D model e Polygon Orientation CCW e Two sided Lightning e Backface Culling 357 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering It is recommended to use the default values if you are not familiar with these terms The Smooth Colors in Polygons option specifies whether smoothing colors are computed upon individual polygon surfaces Applying an adequate light environment allows smooth coloring on individual surfaces The Anti Aliasing option allows you to control the process of smoothing jagged edges caused by aliasing Aliasing describes certain display effects like the staircase effect seen on diagonal lines displayed in a drawing Anti aliasing reduces those artifacts Turn on anti aliasing for high quality rendered images To improve the rendering significantly you can choose between 2 3 4 or 8 passes with the anti aliasing algorithm Because multiple passes dramatically increase the rendering time anti aliasing should be applied only for high quality image output usually when rendering to a file ANIMATED RENDERING The Arender command View gt Animated Rendering displays a
162. ed by FelixCAD Note When entering the N S E W and D be sure to enter them as capital letters lower case does not work DRAWINGS SETTINGS The Settings command Options gt Settings is the primary command for setting up the drawing environment The command displays the Settings dialog 75 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision box which has six tabs that group together related settings AutoCAD users will see this commands similarity with the Preferences option previously the CONFIG command for system parameters Satlingz FI a F F E Tab Command Reference Object Snap PrecPar Chapter 2 Drawing with Precision Snap Grid PrecPar Chapter 2 Drawing with Precision Draw Modes DrawMode Chapter 5 Basic Drawing Elements Construction Points DrawMode Chapter 5 Basic Drawing Elements View Parameters ViewPar Chapter 3 Viewing the Drawings Edit Parameters EditPar Chapter 6 Modifying Drawing Objects 76 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision PRECISION DRAWING AIDS Working with CAD involves drawing new entities modifying existing objects and doing detailing operations dimensioning for example To assist you FelixCAD provides you with precision drawing aids that help you precisely define specific points in the drawing The precision aids include snapping to a grid drawing orthogonally and object snap modes These aids can be turned on off or changed even in the middle of a comm
163. eet When all sheets are imposed on top of one another they form the entire drawing Layers are useful in separating objects such as parts sub assemblies and structural components like pipes and building materials In CAD drawings layers separate drawing elements such as construction lines center lines outlines and dimension lines The advantages of creating a drawing in this manner whether manually or digitally lie in a clearer drawing and improved control over drawing on a single sheet This chapter describes how to create and use layers as well as ways of controlling layers Control refers to the visibility of the layers their color and the type of lines used Management of layers is accomplished through the Layer Manager In the second half of this chapter you find explanations on object properties and the advantages of working with them An object may be a part a sub assembly a group of similar entities such as parking spaces in an architectural drawing or any other entity that you wish to separate from other entities in the drawing LAYER BASICS Instead of working with sheets of Mylar as you might when drafting by hand CAD software works with layers which have the characteristics similar to Mylar Layers make it possible to structure a drawing through logical or content characteristics Drawing layers always lie exactly on top of each other All aspects of a drawing such as the coordinate system the zoom fa
164. en ten palettes are open When the maximum of ten palettes is open the message A maximum of ten palettes is available is displayed and the command stops Every palette opens in its own window In the title bar of the palette window you will find the name of the palette as well as an ID number Palettes can be moved rotated and placed anywhere on the screen PalClose The PalClose command removes a palette from the desktop Specify the Palette ID number such as P1 P2 etc you find the number displayed on the title bar of the palette or type the name of the palette such as Dimension The corresponding palette is closed 387 MENU Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing FelixCAD is designed to work with a variety of pull down menus The definitions of the pull down menus are located in files with the extension of mnu You can create your own pull down menus using the Dialog and Menu Editor program You will find detailed instructions on this procedure in the Programmer s Guide manual To load a pull down menu follow this procedure 1 Select File gt Resource Manager gt Pulldown Menu or type the Menu or Pulldown commands 2 Select a menu mnu file from the dialog box 3 Click OK DIALOG AND MENU EDITOR With the Dialog and Menu Editor DME FelixCAD provides a powerful tool for customization You open the DME with the DlgEdit command File gt Resource Manager gt Run Dialog
165. entities The settings grid snap and methods of selecting and snapping objects make the drawing much more precise DATA INPUT FelixCAD lets you input data such as coordinates and distances via the keyboard or the cursor Coordinate Input When you provide a FelixCAD command with coordinate data they can be entered as absolute or as relative coordinate values Absolute Coordinates Absolute coordinates use the origin of the current coordinate system as their reference starting point In the case of angles the reference is the angle to the X axis of the coordinate system 61 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision An example of absolute X Y coordinates 2D is 34 4 An example of absolute X Y Z coordinates 3D is 0 12 5 7 1 0 Relative Coordinates Relative coordinates use the last defined point as their starting point Relative coordinates are specified by adding the sign before the value An example of relative coordinates is 10 12 this defines a point which has a distance of 10 drawing units in the positive X axis and 12 in the Y axes from the last entered point Moving an entity can use relative coordinates and looks like this Select objects pick Basis point 5 2 Target point 3 0 Cartesian Coordinates Cartesian coordinates define a 2D or 3D point by its X Y and Z values These values are entered separated by a comma A dot is used as a decimal point Numbers may be positive or negative I
166. entity from then on Editing changing and erasing a part always affects the part as a whole The Explode command Edit gt Explode Complex Objects dismantles explodes the part into its original components A part is inserted in the drawing with the Insert command During the command you can specify the scale and rotation angle to fit the part to the current drawing When the part is inserted into the drawing all of its properties layer color and linetype are inserted with it The part is inserted on the layer it was defined on If the drawing does not contain that layer name FelixCAD automatically creates the missing layer The exception to this rule occurs when the part was created on layer 0 in this case the part is placed on the current layer 242 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Internal and External Parts Internal and external parts are treated differently with regard to storage location and their relationship to the drawing Internal parts have been created and stored in the current drawing They are internal to the drawing These parts may be used in the current drawing and are available for use in other drawings via the Drawing Explorer s Xplorer command Block option The PartExp command Parts gt Write Part File exports the part to its own file on disk in flx dwg or dxf format On their own these parts are called external parts Stored in separate d
167. er Tiled The number of pages that will be printed is shown immediately below the drawing preview window Multiple pages will result when you have selected a drawing scale that results in a printout larger than the selected page size minus the defined margins 340 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Color Width The Color Width area is for defining the colors and line widths output to the printer By assigning line widths you improve the legibility of the drawing To set up colors and line widths click the Configure button which displays the Configuration Colors Line Widths dialog box Configuration Colors Line Widths x r Color Assignment r Configuration i fi 28 Circle Segments fu titled T Use Line Width Settings Mls Cancel gt Raises M Save Configuration Color r Linewidth mm B Fico width Jo o00 Change Yellow Yellow 0 000 f ee Green Green 0 000 PUSS Cyan Cyan 0 000 Blue Blue 0 000 Printed Color Magenta Magenta 0 000 Black Black 0 000 JFR d Select 8 8 0 000 gt ea 9 9 0 000 10 10 0 000 zj Reset Print Colors To set up line widths you associate the line widths with color numbers When you created the drawing every object was assigned a color or more accurately a color number also called the color index For detailed instructions on the definition of colors for layers or for objects see Layer and Object Properties For exa
168. er Coordinate System dialog box to select an existing UCS The dialog box also lets you create a new UCS rename it or even delete it User Coordinate System x r Current UCS x Previous Cancel UCS Name WORLD Current Delete Rename World The World option changes the UCS back to the world coordinate system Z Direction The Z Direction option changes the parameters of the coordinate system in two steps 1 You determine the origin by entering the new coordinates in X Y Z format or by picking a point 2 The direction of the axes of the user coordinate system is determined by fixing the z axis To do that choose a point through which the positive Z axis should go The X and Y axis remain the same The XY plane is orthogonal to the Z axis gt ucs UCS origin lt 0 0 0 gt Z axis UCS origin lt 0 0 0 gt Enter Point on the positive z axis P1 3Point The 3Point option is meant for drawing planes that are neither parallel to the viewing plane nor to the axis of active coordinate system We recommend you use the cursor to pick the coordinates 107 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings 1 You determine the origin by entering the new coordinates in X Y Z format or by picking a point 2 Pick a point or type coordinates through which the positive X axis should run This determines the axis unambiguously 3 The direction of the other axes is determined by fixing a point in the positi
169. er is turned off you no longer see the entities drawn on that layer New layers are created with the status on Locked Unlocked Status It is possible to lock layers so that entities on the layer are visible but may not be edited New layers are created with the status unlocked When a layer s status is locked it is not possible to change add or delete entities assigned to this layer This function makes it difficult to make an accidental change to the drawing The status must be changed to unlocked if you want to work with the entities of this layer You can draw new entities on a locked layer The standard color of the layer may be changed A locked layer may be designated active visible or invisible frozen or thawed Thaw Freeze Status The Thaw and Freeze status controls visibility in a manner somewhat differently from On and Off A frozen layer is both invisible and locked and thus impossible to change Entities on a frozen layer are regenerated When working with complex drawings freezing unneeded layers helps increase the speed of drawing considerably Thaw undoes the freezing of a layer The layer becomes visible and changes may be made once more Note The current layer cannot be frozen 116 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties LAYER MANAGER Creating new layers choosing a current layer and controlling layer properties is accomplished through a dialog box called the Layer Manager You access the dialo
170. er of construction points to be inserted In contrast to the Measure option there is no remainder when using the Segments option the object being segmented is not cut into different pieces but remains one complete object Select the Segments option from the options bar then select an object Specify the number of segments the number of segments should be a whole integer bet ween 2 and 4 096 The insertion of segmentation points on a line polyline or an arc is done starting from the beginning of the segment and progressing to its end point without inserting a point at the beginning or at the end When inserting points into a circle the starting point lies at the intersection of a radius which begins at the center of the circle and continues along the positive X axis 166 Chapter 5 Draw COMMAND MEASURE AND COMMAND DIVIDE Introduction The command measure and the command divide orders points or a block multiple along a 2D Object This object can be an arc a line a circle or a 2D Polyline If a block is selected it can be inserted aligned or non aligned to the object Both commands work very similar While the command MEASURE asks for a distance DIVIDE requests for the number of points and calculates the distances itself Command sequence for MEASURE and DIVIDE Measure After commencing the Measure command or selecting it from the menu DRAW the following prompt appears gt measure Select a line circle 2d polyli
171. er point of a curve When zero no center mark is drawn The Lines check box determines whether extension strokes are added to the center mark Arrows The Arrows area specifies the type of arrowhead to be used Blocks The Size item determines the length of the arrow The default length is 0 18 inches Block Name is active when the arrow style selected is User Separate Blocks allows the use of different arrow blocks for each end of the dimension line 290 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Tolerance and Alternative The Tolerance and Alternative button displays the Tolerance and Alternative dialog box Tolerance und Alternative x Tolerance r Alternative mode I Variance D Limits M on off m Positive tolerance tenaire umts Value String po Factor Zz le S Decimals m Negative tolerance Value i Atenetve sting ai Cancel Tolerance The Tolerance section specifies the tolerance maximum and minimum values to be displayed with the dimension text Values for the positive or negative tolerance are entered in Values The String fields allow you to type in a line of text that is displayed with the tolerance Alternative Mode The Alternative Mode section control second alternative dimensioning When on this mode allows dual dimensioning of metric and imperial values The Factor field contains the conversion factor between the two units of measurement such as 25 4 for m
172. erminate the command by pressing Esc or Enter Rectangular saaal The Rectangular option arranges the array in rows and or columns called a rectangular array gt array Individual gt Rectang Select objects pick Select objects Enter _RECTANG No of columns 2 No of rows 3 Distance between columns 4 Distance between rows 5 Start the Array command then select Rectang from the option bar After selecting the entities to array specify the number of the columns and rows Finally define the distance between the columns and the rows Note The rows and columns are normally array up and to the left To array the entities down and to the right use a negative number for the distance Circ NRot amp Ci Rot mpa 208 The Circ NRot and Ci Rot options copy the selected entities in a circular path called a circular array The copying can be around a full 360 degree circle or a partial circle an arc The Circe NRot option creates a circular arc without rotating the selected entity The Ci Rot option rotates the selected entities so that they always face the center 198 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Both options prompt you for the following parameters gt ARRAY Individual gt Cire NRot or Ci Rot Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Center P2 Number of entities 4 Angle to fulfill lt 360 gt Enter e Center the center point
173. es The Associative button allows the hatch pattern to update automatically when the boundary of the hatch is changed To apply the designed hatch pattern to your drawing exit the dialog box with OK Note Hatching Open Areas You can hatch open areas not fully closed The hatch pattern is only applied to the extent of the selected contour line area The following diagram illustrates this procedure MODIFY HATCHING You can change associative hatch patterns with the HpEdit command Detail gt Modify Hatching gt HPEDIT Select an associative hatch pick Select additional elements lt N gt Enter The command then displays the Cross Hatching dialog box You can make changes to the hatching parameters 316 Chapter 11 Inquiry and Information Programs Inquiry and Information Programs The chapter describes commands that provide you with information about the properties of drawing objects and about the current drawing parameters FelixCAD provides commands for finding the area circumference coordinate identification distance and angles These information commands are found in the Edit menu The commands covered by this chapter are Command Meaning Id Identify X Y Z coordinates Dist Determine the distance and angle between two points Area Report the area and circumference Einfo Display entity information Tables Summarize database table data Indica
174. es polylines circles and arcs with the Select option Pick the object with the cursor The start and end points or the diameter of the object are dimensioned automatically gt DIMALI lst Point SELECT select line polyline circle arc Pl Dimension line positioning P2 Dimension text lt 2 5000 gt Enter 298 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Rotated Dimensioning Rotated dimensioning is another type of linear dimensioning that measures the distance between two points at a user defined angle This procedure is equivalent to looking at an object from a specific angle and establishing the visible length from a different viewpoint When dimensioning the distance between two points at an angle the distance calculated for the rotated dimension will always be smaller than the absolute dimension measurement There is one exception this method always measures the exact diameter of a circle Only the position of the extension lines is affected when using rotated dimensioning gt DIMROT Angle of rotation lt 0 gt 60 First point P1 Second point P2 Dimension line positioning P3 Dimension text lt 2 5000 gt Enter O 8 7000 You are asked to define the angle at which the dimensioning is to appear This angle is related to the axial alignment of the coordinate system You can type a value or use the cursor to point 299 Chapter 9 Dimensioning The figure below shows the angle between the direction of th
175. esh reset the SurfTab1 and SurfTab2 variables and then recreate the new mesh NEW 3D FUNCTIONS Starting with FelixCAD version 4 01 a series of new 3D functions are available to the CAD user Object creation is based on intuitive input options available to the user and or programmer The new objects are under the 3D option in the DRAW menu are Box The command 3DBOX Draw gt 3D gt Box allows simple creation of a 3 dimensional box Wedge The command 3DWEDGE Draw gt 3D gt Wedge allows creation of a 3 dimensional wedge 181 Chapter 5 Draw Cylinder Cone The command 3DCONE Draw gt 3D gt Cylinder Cone allows creation of a 3D cone cylinder prism or pyramid Object creation is determined by user input Smoothing or roundness is entered as a unit number A lower number will create less 3D object faces resulting in less smoothing and a quickly generated result A higher number e g 200 will create more 3D faces and better smoothing Using a higher number takes longer to compute Sphere The command 3DSPHER Draw gt 3D gt Sphere allows creation of a 3D sphere Smoothing or roundness is entered as a unit number A lower number will create less 3D object faces resulting in less smoothing and a quickly generated result A higher number e g 200 will create more 3D faces and better smoothing Using a higher number takes longer to compute Ellipsoid The command 3DELLIPS Draw gt 3D gt Ellipsoid
176. etric conversion The Decimals field specifies the number of decimal places to be displayed by the alternative dimensions Alternative string should contain a description or title of the second unit of measurement 291 Chapter 9 Dimensioning DIMENSION TEXT The Dimension Text button displays the Dimension Text dialog box This dialog box determine the position and look size style spacing of the dimension text Dimension Text Text Position The Text Position area is used when you want to force dimension text to a specific location Text Always Horizontal The Text Always Horizontal options forces dimension text to always be horizontal no matter the angle of the dimension line Vertical Text Position The Vertical Text Position options determine the vertical location of the dimension text with respect to the dimension line Dim Text Style The Dim Text Style option select a text style for the dimension text The text style must be already defined by the Font command 292 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Dim Text These fields define the size of the dimension text and the distance separating text lines The Prefix lt gt Suffix field enables you to type in a character string that appears before or after the dimensioning text Note The lt gt metacharacter is a placeholder for the dimension text calculated by FelixCAD For example assuming the dimension is 12 Approx lt gt ft entered in this fiel
177. ets you define the insertion point via the cursor after you click the OK button The advantage to the interactive definition is that Dragmode is active offering you a preview of the insertion Options The text options define the height rotation angle and the font text style of the attribute text Height The height of the text is specified by the Height field Type the text height in drawing units not in text points or type 0 zero to specify the text height later after you click the OK button Angle The Angle field specifies the angle of the attribute text For an counter clockwise rotation enter a positive value for a clockwise rotation enter a negative value between 0 and 360 degrees Font The Font list box lets you select a text style for the attribute text The style must be previously defined by the Font command 264 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Reference Point The Reference Point area determines the position and alignment of the attribute text in relation to the insertion point For example if the reference point is TL top left corner of the text then the attribute text will run from the insertion point to the right and hanging down from the insertion point There are twelve reference points available The characters represent the initials of the position on the text object BL for example represents Baseline Left UR represents Upper Right Centered positio
178. ew menu Visualization Command Meaning Hide Create a new hidden line drawing in a separate window Fhide Perform a fast hidden line removal Render Render the 3D drawing The FHide and Render commands are based on the OpenGL graphics system from Microsoft which provides high performance hidden line removal and rendering 353 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering HIDDEN LINE DRAWING The Hide command View gt Hidden Lines gt Hidden Line Drawing creates a separate flx drawing file containing the current view with the hidden lines removed As an option lines and edges that are computed as hidden are placed on a system generated layer named HideLayer see figure below You can turn on or off this layer assign them a dashed linetype or another color In addition you can remove lines from that special layer and retain those you want to keep for demonstration purposes Note that the 3D hidden line view is actually a flattened 2D drawing 3D drawing showing all lines Hidden lines on layer HideLayer Hidden lines removed by Hide Hidden Lines Ea C FELIXCADSHIDE_1 FLX Find po amt Cancel r Display Hidden Lines in Target File Suppress create hidden line representation in target file Color of original of Layer Hide m Linetype of original of Layer Hide 354 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering FAST
179. f The tablet uses a menu file with the extension mnt A sample has been included with FelixCAD called Template Mnt This tablet menu is currently empty The tablet can contain up to eight menu areas Tablet configuration is done using the TabConfig command This command loads a dialog box that is used to define the screen area location on the tablet and the menu locations on the tablet The number of rows and columns for each screen area is defined in the tablet menu file Setting up the tablet areas can be done interactively byt picking the bottom left and top right corners of each area or manually by directly entering the digitizer coordinates in the dialog Most users will prefer to do this interactively Digitizing Existing Drawings To digitize existing drawings you need to have two defined coordinate locations on your drawing Place your drawing on the tablet and tape it down so it cannot move Enter the DigiConfig command The program asks for the value of two coordinates and then asks you to pick the corresponding location on the plan You turn on and off the digitizing function with the DigiOn and DigiOff commands The program has a digitizer palette called the Digitize Paper Drawings that can make the process easier 391 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing Editing Tablet Menus The tablet menu commands are stored in an ASCII file that can be edited using any standard text edito
180. f entities may be stretched at the same time A typical use of this feature would be stretching a hatched object with a dimension The object associated hatch and dimension lines would stretch in the desired direction Additionally the dimension text is updated automatically to the correct value During the command the method of selection has an influence on which entities are moved and which are stretched according to these rules Grossing Cpoiygon Remove J e Entities totally enclosed by the crossing window or polygon are moved e Entities crossing the crossing window or polygon are stretched lengthened e All other entities retain their position and shape 195 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects D basis point end point After selecting entities according to the rules listed above the command displays these options Ce a A A Basepoint The default Basepoint option is useful for moving selected entities to a particular position and for stretching entities on the selection border Select the basepoint for the stretch by typing the coordinates or pick the basepoint gt STRETCH Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Basepoint P2 Second point of displacement P3 Finally determine the end point of the stretch The basepoint is moved to the end point Displacement The Displacement option stretches selected entities by a vector a strai
181. f no Z value is entered it is interpreted as Z 0 A sequence at the keyboard might look like this gt line From point 2 5 0 To point 5 75 0 To point 0 3 25 2 5 To point Enter Polar Coordinates Polar coordinates define a 2D point by its distance from the origin and the angle in the X Y plane from the X axis The lt sign separates the two values For example 1 41 lt 45 defines a point at a distance of 1 41 drawing units from the origin of the coordinate system and an angle of 45 degrees from the X axis Spherical Coordinates Spherical coordinates define a 3D point by its distance from the coordinate origin the angle in the X Y plane and the angle to the X Y plane 62 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision For example 10 lt 60 lt 45 describes a 3D point with the distance of 10 drawing units from the origin of the coordinate system an angle of 60 degree from the X axis in the XY plane and an angle of 45 degrees from the XY plane in direction to the Z axis Cylindrical Coordinates Cylindrical coordinates define a 3D point by its distance from the coordinate origin the angle in the X Y plane and its Z value Distance and angle are separated by lt angle and Z value by comma For example 10 lt 60 5 defines a point with the distance of 10 drawing units from the origin of the coordinate system an angle of 60 degree from the X axis in the X Y plane and a Zvalue of 5 drawing units Distance Some com
182. f the line segments and the arc segments are divided evenly into the number of surfaces determined by the value of the SurfTab1 system variable If the polyline has been curved fitted or splined the number of M direction surfaces is evenly divided using the SurfTab1 variable The resulting surface is a polygon mesh stored in the drawing database as a complex polyline entity To create a tabulated surface 1 Select the entity for the path curve 2 Specify the direction vector gt TABSURF Select path curve pick Select direction vector line or open polyline pick The direction and length of the line determine the direction and length of the extrusion Only the first and last points of a polyline are used when determining the extrusion path The point at which you specify the entity determines the extrusion direction ge Ke gt Tabsurf command Two mouse click points P1 P2 and resulting surface 180 Chapter 5 Draw RECOMMENDED MESH CONSTRUCTION The system variables that control the M and N indices of meshes are SurfTab1 and SurfTab2 SurfTab1 sets the M index and SurfTab2 sets the N index Although you can specify values up to 256 for either index it is not recommended to use high values in mesh construction The reason is that a dense mesh increases the processing time of your drawing You cannot change the M and N values an existing mesh If you are not satisfied with the mesh you must erase the m
183. fic Spotlight Settings The Spot Settings parameters are set only for spotlights Spot Settings Cutoff Angle 45 00 Sharpness 10 00 The Cutoff Angle value specifies the angle for the light cone That is the angle between the line from the location point to the target point determined during insertion and the cone edge Valid values lie in the range of 0 through 90 The Sharpness value or spot exponent determines the attenuation of light sharpness from the spotlight s target line to the edge of the spotlight cone Valid values lie between 0 and 128 e Minimum value 0 a sharp accentuated light cone e Any other value the brightness is highest at the target line of the spotlight and decreases to the edge of the cone by the exponent specified Maximum value 128 the smoothest integration of a spotlight into the environment 365 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering 366 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing Raster Images Using and Editing RASTER PALETTE RLC BMP F BMP RLC ABR The View gt Raster menu item opens the Raster palette toolbox with most of the commands available on it All raster editing and manipulation commands are available for RLC large scanner format Only some of the editing commands are available for TIF and BMP files as noted in the following pages There are conversion programs on the market that may assist you in changing from another for
184. file types Adding Files from a Directory The next step is to select a directory and add all files inside that directory to the list The button to do this is labeled lt lt Select Directory to Add Files from Once you click on this button browse through your computer directories networked or local and choose the directory containing the files you want to process To add files from a different directory simply repeat the command or use the lt lt Append from button see List Files below Note If you have previously selected a directory and saved that list of files you can load a list file instead see List Files below List Box Once the previous two steps have been completed you will see a list of files from which to select individual ones for processing Select some or all of the files by marking them inside of the box To do this use the mouse left click in combination with the lt SHIFT gt or lt CONTROL gt Key to get a multiple selection The selected file s will be highlighted This in fact operates in the same fashion as all Windows programs for file selection Note that if you start the processing all files inside of the list not only the highlighted files will be used Selection Options After selecting or deselecting items of the list box you can change the selections using any of six buttons e All Clicking this button will select all items from the list
185. fined views and user coordinate systems The command line is not fixed in its location Use the File gt Desktop Manager gt Command Line command to move the command line to the bottom of the screen or to turn it off which provides more screen real estate The text screen is a larger version of the command line To see the text screen click the button in the toolbar or type the TScreen command The text window can be arranged anywhere on your computer screen the size of the screen can be adapted to your needs As an alternative the TScreenFull command shows the text window covering the entire display In both the command line and the text window with the help of the scroll bar or with the PgUp or PgDn keys the text can be scrolled up and down Note In the following chapters the terms command line command line area and text window are synonyms If there is any difference in the function of these terms the correct term is used and the difference is spelled out 42 Chapter 1 The Basics The Options Bar amp Menu Most commands in FelixCAD have two or more options These options determine how the command progresses For example after you start the Line command for drawing line segments the following option menu appears below the command line X c 4 amp Continuous Segments Append TT The options bar displays the command s current options and sits in a fixed location The left end
186. for these values are drawing units The value 1 0000 represents the distance of one drawing unit The button sets the height value equal to the width value Origin The Origin fields allow you to define the origin of the snap on the X and the Y axes Note This setting also affects the origin of the grid and hatch patterns Snap Angle The Snap Angle field allows you to change the angle of the snap To rotate the snap grid counterclockwise enter a positive number usually between 0 and 90 degrees in the edit box To rotate the snap grid clockwise enter a negative value usually between 0 and 90 degrees Note This setting also affect the angle of the grid hatch patterns and ortho mode The snap can also be rotated with the Z Direction option when setting a User Coordinate System see UCS command You can also set the snap origin and angle with the SnapBase and SnapAng system variables 79 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Grid Spacing Turning on the Active checkbox displays an array of dots on the drawing called the grid The grid offers you a visual impression of the distances proportions and other relations of the drawing R FelixCAD C CAD FELIX40 NONAME_0 flx 0 Ea File Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim Parts Options View Window Dec ESea Bs OBreeen vl xyz BAY xy FP oR OG T OLN ra 5 it A The small dots in the drawing area make up the grid display Often the grid spacing is
187. g box with the Layer command View gt Layer Manager Laver Haneger The top section of the Layer Manager dialog box contains a field for the name of the current active layer and a report of the number of layers already defined in this drawing In a new drawing this reads Current Layer Used Layers 0 1 of 4096 Buttons allow you to create new layers rename layers and select the current layer Other buttons change the state of the layer and select linetype and color The Alphabetically Sorted checkbox lists layers in alphabetical order when on or in the order they were created when off no check mark 117 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties The lower section of the dialog box lists the names of all the existing layers in the drawing The status color and linetype are also shown for each layer Select a layer with your cursor The meanings of the abbreviations used are Lock Locked entities cannot be edited Thw Thawed entities are visible and can be edited Frz Frozen entities are invisible cannot be edited and are not regenerated Creating a New Layer You can create a new layer at any time You do not have to draw entities right away on a newly created layer Remember that you can only draw on the current layer A new layer is created in two steps 1 Type the name for the new layer in text entry box at the top of the dialog box Remember the limits of naming see earlier in this chapter 2
188. g of files FLX DXF and DWG These functions can be used alone or in combination example batch plotting and file conversion All Batch Processing functions are started by adding files for processing to a List located on the left side of the Batch Plotting and Converting Dialog box The Actions to apply to the List are located at the right side of the Dialog box 377 Chapter 16 The BATPROC Batch Process Command START BATCH PROCESSING You can start the command by simply typing BATPROC or by selecting the menu item Batch Processing from of FILE menu Once this is done the following dialog box appears at the screen CREATING AND MODIFYING FILE LIST The first step in Batch Processing is creating a List of drawing files to process Located on the left side of the BATPROC dialog box there are several file selection tools that enable you to e Add files from any directory e Save a List of files e Append a file list to the current list or load a saved file list e Remove files from the current list 378 Chapter 16 The BATPROC Batch Process Command Options for Adding Files from a Directory The first step is setting the selection options The two options for file selection are displayed as check boxes L Include Subdirectories click on box to include all subdirectories of the chosen directory L Filter FLX DXF DWG edit filter list amp click on box to select only these
189. ght independent of the view direction In other words you can understand it as background lightness Ambient light is not represented by an light block insertion in the drawing like the other light types For that reason it is not covered by the LIGHT command To modify the value for the intensity of ambient light use the LightEdit command with the Ambient option View gt Render gt Ambient Light to increase or decrease the lightness of a rendering 361 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering The default value for the intensity of ambient light in a new drawing is 20 percent Increasing the intensity of ambient light tends to saturate the image and give it a washed out appearance The default color of ambient light is white Ambient light may also be turned off to simulate absolute darkness This corresponds to an intensity of 0 Only other light sources in the drawing will then make drawing objects visible Turning ambient light off can be utilized to generate special effects when rendering the model Ambient light turned off Distant Light Distant light also called linear or parallel light radiates light along a line similar to a fluorescent light bulb In other words parallel light emits uniform parallel light rays in one direction only Commonly a distant light is used to model sunlight It has a position intensity and a color The intensity of the light however does not diminish with distance
190. ght line defining length and distance Enter the value for the move in the form of X Y and optionally Z coordinates gt STRETCH Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Basepoint Displace Displacement dX dY dZ 2 3 196 ARRAY Chapter 6 Modifying Objects The Array command Modify gt Array creates multiple copies of selected entities at random or in a pattern The pattern may be in horizontal rows and vertical columns in a circle or in an arc In addition the entities can be rotated when arrayed in the circular or arc patterns After entering the command and selecting the entities select an option Individual I The Individual option copies the selected entities repeatedly just as if you were to use the Copy command over and over This option is the default for the Array command gt ARRAY Individual gt Enter Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Basepoint P2 Target point P3 Target point P4 Target point Enter Select the basepoint A discreet point on the geometry such as an edge corner or intersecting points is often more useful j Type the coordinates of the target point or pick the points for placement of the copies The command creates a copy of the selected entities at each target point 197 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Until you terminate the command you keep placing a copy as required T
191. gs and Groups Press Enter to accept the default values or type another value If the part contains several variable attributes you are prompted to keep providing values for all attributes Finally the part is inserted in the specified position Editing Attributes There are two ways to edit attributes inserted in the drawing You may edit e The values of the attributes to change the text use the AttXEdit command e The properties of the attributes such as their visibility or their name use the AttEdit command Edit Part Attributes X If only the value s of the attribute are to be changed whether constant or variable use the AttXEdit command Part gt Edit Part Attributes gt attxedit Select part pick The following dialog box appears Modily Aliate Values The top line displays the name of the attribute The Name Value list displays the request wording under Name and the current value under Value 267 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Select the attribute value to change Edit the value in the text entry box at the bottom of the dialog box Make your changes and click OK 268 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Modify Attributes IS To edit all properties of an attribute with the exception of constant values use the AttEdit command Parts gt Modify Attributes gt attedit Select part pick Select only one
192. gt RENAME Rename symbol BLock Dimstyle LAyer LType Style Ucs or View LA Current name dimensions New name dim Note You can rename these named symbols with the Drawing Xplorer Purging the Drawing The Purge command cleans the drawing file of unused named objects You can remove blocks layers linetypes text styles or dimension styles that you have defined or loaded before but are not used in the drawing gt PURGE Purge unreferenced symbols Blocks Dimstyles LAyer LTypes Textstyles or All The Purge command can selectively purge the drawing as follows e You can use the command for deletion of unused named objects within only one of the drawing database tables To do so first select the type of table to be purged You are prompted for the names one after the other of unused named objects of the specified table e If you want to purge all drawing database tables reply All to clean up the entire drawing in one operation You may respond with a name pattern to limit the selection to certain names by using wildcard specifications for example TEMP To purge a drawing file To purge all unreferenced symbols in any drawing database table respond as follows gt PURGE Purge unreferenced symbols Blocks Dimstyles LAyer LTypes Textstyles or All ALL Names to delete lt All gt Confirm each name lt Y gt N 54 Chapter 1 The Basics Notes Purging a drawing can significantly reduce it
193. guration area then ensuring the Save Configuration check box is on Fill Polygons The Fill Polygons check box forces FelixCAD to plot filled polygonal areas If the box is not checked the default only the outlines of filled areas are output which can lead to a faster plot 342 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Print Rotation and Offset Click the Rotation and Offset button to display the Print Rotation and Offset dialog box The Rotation area allows you to select a plot rotation in increments of 90 degrees The drawing is rotated on the sheet by 0 90 180 or 270 degrees Rotation is applied clockwise The Offset option moves the plot origin from the lower left corner 0 0 of the paper the normal position to another location on the paper This lets you plot the drawing in a specific location on the page Specify the x and y values in paper units either mm or inch as determined in the prior dialog box Print Rotation and Offset x r Rotation Rotate 0 C Rotate 90 Cancel C Rotate 180 C Rotate 270 Offset gt Wo ee The settings are reflected in the preview of the dialog box in the full page preview 343 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode LAYOUT MODE One of the primary advantages of working with CAD software is that any drawing plan can be created in real world units Most drawings however eventually need to be printed on paper Usually this mea
194. h the version number R12 R13 or R14 with the version of AutoCAD receiving the file For AutoCAD LT use R12 for LT R1 and R2 use R13 for LT 95 use R14 for LT 97 and 98 For other CAD programs it is best to experiment First try the R14 option If there are too many errors in the translated drawing try R13 or R12 options If the software program does not read dwg files then use the DXF option OPEN DXF amp DWG If a drawing is to be imported in DWG or DXF format use the Open command File gt Open Then follow these steps 1 Select the import format from the Files of type list 2 Type the name of the file to be imported or select the file from the list in the File name field If necessary enter the exact path of the import file in Look In Remember if no path is entered the current folder is used 3 Confirm the selection clicking Open FelixCAD may prompt you for the location of font files it cannot find on its own 326 Chapter 12 Export and Import WMF EXPORT A drawing can be exported in the WMF Windows metafile format which is a vector format used mainly to exchange graphics among Windows applications WMF is preferable to BMP format The WmfOut command Edit gt Copy Region to Windows Metafile exports the drawing to a file or to the Windows Clipboard The command presents the following options Window Define a window by picking two points in the drawing View The entire current view is e
195. hat means that while being edited in FelixCAD unsupported AutoCAD 2000 entities remain unchanged and invisible the background If the drawing is saved in AutoCAD 2000 drawing format again all entities including these unsupported AutoCAD 2000 entities will be written back to the file Roundtripped AutoCAD Entities ARCALIGNEDTEXT BODY IMAGE LEADER MLINE OLE2FRAME PROXY RAY REGION RTEXT SOLID3D TOLERANCE WIPEOUT XLINE XRECORD OBJECTS Roundtripped AutoCAD Table Information DICTIONARY WDFLTOBJTYPE DICTVAR IMAGEDEF MLINESTYLE OBJECTPOINTER PLACEHOLDEROBJECT VBAPROJECTOBJECT WIPEOUTVAROBJECT 19 Introduction and Installation Default File Format The default file format for the open and save dialog can be predefined in the CONFIG command register Common If you select the button Fileformat you will get the dialog displayed below In this dialog you can select your default file format to work within FelixCAD Filetormat Preselect 20 Introduction and Installation DynaSnap DynaSnap stands for dynamic snap functionality Now FelixCAD has the possibility to identify the currently active snap point dynamically by using distinctive symbols markers You can choose the desired snap point or switch between different modes by the tab key DynaSnap mode can be turned on in the register Object Snap
196. he FONT command can also be started by clicking on the font button beneath the current font list box 16 Introduction and Installation Command Font During font creation a default text style name is displayed that is dependent upon the selected font name If you make changes to the default name in the text style edit box a new default name will no longer be suggested and your changes will remain in effect 17 Introduction and Installation Command Open The file type box has been extended by the option Al files Open 21x bkn acan JAA e peen Peere usap oted Files of type faxi Drawing a TET MEAD entities AutoCAD Dravng l dwg dxi Open Command And The Import of MTEXT Entities On opening an AutoCAD format DWG or DXF file MTEXT entities are converted directly to text entities Command Save The save command creates a preview bitmap for AutoCAD R14 and 2000 DWG files Command Hatch A new solid hatch pattern is integrated into FelixCAD 5 Commands 3DVIEW and SETVIEWDIR VIEW TWIST Now the commands 3DVIEW and SETVIEWDIR support the rotation of the view in the XY Plane This is especially useful for quickly re orienting the drawing within the drawing surround prior to plotting 18 Introduction and Installation Roundtrip DWG DXF 2000 If you open an AutoCAD drawing you now you have the possibility to Roundtrip all unsupported AutoCAD 2000 entities T
197. he current axes e Construction points for geometrical objects such as radius diameter arcs ellipses ending points for polylines chains and so forth to always be parallel to the axes of the coordinate system When you are modifying objects ortho mode means that points for scrolling scaling rotating and so forth are exactly parallel or perpendicular to the axes of the defined base point The orthogonal mode is effective to use in drawing and modifying rectangular aligned geometry 81 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Isometric Snap Grid FelixCAD allows you to draw in isometric mode which produces the illusion of 3D The isometric snap style assists you in isometric drawing In addition isometric mode skews the shape of the cursor see figure The lines aligned to the angled isometric axes give the impression that you are looking at front top and side views of an object Rectangular objects for example are usually drawn as parallelograms with 30 90 or 150 degree angles R FelixCAD C CAD FELIX40 NONAME_O flx 0 Dec OSe Bs Bro aen Sg ois cep O JSE WEAN IT O AOS OO T bn The isometric grid The Left Top and Right radio buttons determines the current isometric plane Isometric Snap Grid T Active Left Top C Right e Left isometric crosshairs at 90 and 150 e Top isometric crosshairs at 30 and 150 e Right isometric crosshairs at 90 and 30 Note You must
198. he group Merge External Part 1 1 e When a part is redefined all of its Edit Part Attributes insertions are updated groups are not Modify Part Attributes fone by one redefined Modify Attribute Text e It is difficult to edit the entities Export Attribute Information making up a part entities making up a Define Patt group are easily edited Write Part File Define Attribute Modify Attribute Definition Group External References Palette Parts 241 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups THE ADVANTAGE OF PARTS Parts allow you to create a drawing using repetitive entities These entities may contain a single entity a group of entities a partial drawing or a complete drawing These are inserted into a drawing as a single entity Many times you will find that existing parts construction groups or aggregates have only to be designed once Repetitive use of these parts or entities allows you to create a drawing quickly To define or insert parts use the Parts menu Properties of Parts A part is a complex object that consists of several drawing entities Basic entities such as line circle and arc Drawing objects such as hatch patterns and dimensions Complete drawings whether in flx dwg or dxf format Drawings already defined as parts After a selection of entities is selected and defined as a part it is saved by a name and treated as a single
199. he raster image to match your vector line work You are required to enter four vector translations in the edit define transformation vectors menu Then when you select this option the stretching of the raster will be done Make sure you enter exactly four transformation vectors since this routine will not run with more or less than four Once the transformation is completed you will be prompted for the properties to confirm the insertion point color etc PRINT PLOT SORTING For printers and plotters that can output raster images such as inkjet laser electrostatic and dot matrix you can control whether you want the vectors printed on top of the raster image or the other way round This way you can see the vectors on top of the image if desired The prompt of the PrintOpt command is as follows print raster before vector or after vector Before Valid replies are B for before or A for after Now you can go ahead and plot your diagram as you normally would The raster will now print plot as you have indicated 375 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing 376 Chapter 16 The BATPROC Batch Process Command The BATPROC Command Batch Processing The BATPROC command is a tool for Batch Processing of FelixCAD FLX DXF and DWG files It has three main functions e Converting files FLX DXF and DWG to Raster Format WMF or BMP e Converting files FLX DXF and DWG to Vector Format FLX DXF and DWG e Batch plottin
200. het seach cca SRR aoa sesh se set AEE AE aT TE 205 A D a i p ES NE EEE E tose EA EET E SEET TNO EEEE E SAAE ET E EA E AE O E TERS 206 Expander e e E E E E AE EEO E EE AEO EEA EOE E seh cs OEE S 207 ai TEESE EE EEEO E se cae AES EESE E EESE EEEE E EESE E EE 208 CE a a a a 210 WG es t O Bae O ce E E E E ee 211 Dem Sten en Ne Siieen ecb sobs Search conch tek a E Uvis tenet eekde tube edtaaeerva ch bnie O ea aE aS 212 Delete Partial s s ccstecccccacl se AE Gasca kee ae sek ees ales esa eked E ean bce al aude Lage be ea ea vee 214 BRC Ah es cee coet E A ib tase EE E A EEE che ase ease sGe E EAEE AN ates nee ES ET 216 RE JOM erene ena eu decgthostsetdetierdodbesvactde ce e i i ds tcedece ue odvetbestcotincer tives 217 Chan Bes tc sethantes eae eh edad aioe wltel gen tho ive ainda lisa dae hiiiini tials 217 TEXT OBJECTS soesdivesisesoncassecsseadesieessscoceieadensesssssbessesieacessshesssduedessasnsaeses sedeeasauasecodusecdeesaveas sbecteadoussedssesheededeoiees 229 Font Conversion Tableros oeroet iee soc eE e E E EEE EEEE OS EEES EEE EEEE EE ESS 233 Placing K AEE EETA ESE SE EASE E EAE SA EE AEAEE SE S EEE 234 Reference Textes ra iiss dere E aeons des E ER eases 238 Modify Tektansraie n ae E het eg A E A E A E ene 239 Correct Texten e oa ihe ieee Sieh aa E a iba eA Ge E e ae Mae E A 240 PARTS AND ATTRIBUTES EXTERNALLY REFERENCED DRAWINGS amp GROUPS ssseessooeesseceecseossooeessoceesse 241 The Advantage of Partsi rena ae e n E E E E R R O E RE
201. i A 328 Creating and Viewing Slideset Esere En EN Eeo K Seara tepit Si Erste 329 Copy to Clipboard isis tec sscssssesces less cesebsneseetsnsbesdsdsvcssct says sb sedasasvctestssssebosbavecbetssvessseSasesughesedeses E Seiso 330 P ste from Chipboard csper eoe oeiee eeose du sees regea i eoira ad esposet eea ahes 331 Part m I EE E E AEE A E A EN AAEE 332 PRINTING AND PLOTTING DRAWINGS amp USING LAYOUT MODE cccssssscssssscccssssccscssccccessscccessssccessssceeess 335 Pinter SetuP sos c5se seach eea e EE E Sol E heb eaten chad ete sa coke habla EEA sed E page eum EEEE E EEEE S 336 Print or Plot a Drawing geene oinera eee eE aE I voces a REE eA EaR AE OT reS na ia 337 Layout Mode in ennea ee ee eee 344 VISUALIZATION HIDDEN LINES AND RENDERING sesessesorsesesecceeosoesesececeesosoeseseeceeesoroeseeecoeeororsesecesossororseseeeee 353 Hidden Lime Dra win 3 a a T O S 354 l ETA o KO A E E E E E Nees S E A A ees 355 Render eee des Sih E a E Rah eed ste A Re AE E ER EEN a E ER e 356 eaa iE E E E E E E Ged 357 A m ted RemGer me seereis ee ean neen ae deus oee e Ep Nese Eo E ENE SES Sraa 358 J Eed D Eaa AEE EE E sn eh oud cbdltes ceduied sObenened Gusteneeh ote wanes eto aeeS 359 RASTER IMAGES USING AND EDITING sscsscsssssssccsscssscsssesscsssenessnsesncesessssescnssscssonsscnsesnsesssssesesenesesesosees 367 Raster Palett 2s E E ine ted ce ners ete ee a eee ee eid 367 Load Raster File RLOAD jron he Aoiinchcgsdehieeeedin cde
202. i color crosshair e Red x axis e Green y axis e Blue z axis The tri color cursor makes it easier to know where you are when working with three dimension drawings Outside of the drawing area the cursor assumes the typical Windows pointing shapes You can change the colors of the cursor with dialog box displayed by the File gt Configure gt Colors command R C CAD FELIX40 3d trafo flx 10 of x The tri color cursor center and coordinate symbol left corner in a 3D view FelixCAD places a coordinate symbol in the lower left corner of each drawing window This symbol indicates the position of the axes of the coordinate system It uses the same color coding system as the tri color cursor You can turn off the coordinate symbol with the TIcon command ENTERING COMMANDS To draw and edit with FelixCAD you enter commands and their options define points distances angles and select entities FelixCAD offers several options for doing this all command input can be performed by the keyboard or by the mouse controlling the cursor Or you can combine the two For example when drawing a line you can define the first point by typing the X Y coordinates of the start point on the keyboard and then define the second point by pointing the second point with the cursor control The selection of input device is your decision 47 Chapter 1 The Basics Mouse Buttons The buttons on your mouse perform specific func
203. ies are entered or selected Import Part To import a part select one of these options from the Part menu Insert Quick Merge External Part Insert Part You find detailed information about the inserting of internal and external parts in Chapter 8 Parts and Attributes Groups Export Attributes al The AttExp command Parts gt Export Attributes Information allows you to extract attributes for parts and entities and save these in a text file The file is formatted with the comma delimited format CDF which is easily read by spreadsheet and database programs for further processing 332 Chapter 12 Export and Import To export attributes follow these steps 1 Start the AttExp command Select the objects whose attributes are to be exported The usual object select functions in the Options Bar are available 3 Complete the object selection by pressing Enter or the right mouse button Notice the Attribute Export dialog box 1 part s with attributes found Find all parts Attributes Part Properties SNAME GNAME LAX Lay INTENSITY COLOR CONEA CONED BEAMD C C N N N N N N N nonnnonnnnonon a Separator Field Text 1 Remove Export File Save Settings Vv ACAD FE LIX40 CFGSATTEXP TXT y Display OK Cancel 4 Those parts that contain attribute values are filtered from the entities selected by you The number of the parts is displayed in the u
204. ike a paper drawing a CAD program allows you to view the drawing in three dimensions and from an infinite variety of 3D viewpoints In this chapter you learn how to e Work with windows such as creating new views and switching windows e View the drawing from different 3D directions e Enlarging and reducing the view as well as moving the visible drawing portion e Create and use a coordinate system FelixCAD has commands such as Zoom that change the viewing size of the drawing which enlarge and or reduces the visible portion of the drawing Another command Pan keeps the size of the drawing constant but moves the drawing around in the window Other commands change the viewpoint so that you can see the left side or top view of a 3D drawing 93 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings SETTING VIEW PARAMETERS You can preset parameters for the Zoom and Pan commands The ViewPar command View gt View Parameters displays the View Parameters dialog box Siew Parnes hers iat Toon ane Pan Zoom In Factor fo 50 Cancel Zoom Cad Factor 700 Pas Factor hpa F Apply pian iaeio LICS sating E Displery Coordinate Enk Zoom and Pan The Zoom In Factor and Zoom Out Factor fields lets you specify how far FelixCAD zooms with the ZoomIn and ZoomOut commands The Pan Factor field lets you specify how far the drawing moves called panning with the PanUp PanDown PanLeft and PanRight commands A pan factor of 0 5 for ex
205. ill be the starting width of the parent segment If the polyline to be joined is a polyline with a uniform width the ending width of the first selected polyline will be the new width of the segment being joined Width The Width option changes the width of the entire polyline Polylines with have different starting and ending width are made to a single uniform width for all segments gt POLYEDIT Select a 2D polyline P1 Select option Width New width of the polyline lt 1 5000 gt 2 Select option Enter Undo The Undo option undoes the last operation in this command The PolyEdit command continues and you see the Select option prompt again gt polyedit Select a 2D polyline pick Select option Close Select option u Select option 223 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Vertex Editing J The VtxEdit command Modify gt Edit Polyline gt Vertex Editing edits individual segments of a polyline This command allows you to change the vertices of the polyline e Insert a vertex e Delete a vertex e Move a vertex Change the width of a polyline segment gt vtxedit Select a 2D polyline pick Next Next and Previous Select the polyline containing the vertex to be edited When you select the polyline the first vertex is highlighted with a large cyan light blue X marker You select another vertex with the Next and Previous options After selecting the vertex select an editing option from the opti
206. ine circle arc text attribute definition block insertion Enter Modification point P2 Arc The Change command alters the diameter or radius of an arc Select the arc then determine the new diameter by picking a point or typing an X Y coordinate gt CHANGE Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion pick an arc Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion Enter Modification point P2 218 Text Chapter 6 Modifying Objects The Change command changes the following properties of a text entity These text attributes or parameters may be changed Existing values are displayed as parameters and can be taken over by pressing Enter e Modification point pick or enter the coordinates a new insertion point for the text Text style enter the name of the new text style Text height define the new height by typing a numeric value or by picking a new height Dragmode is automatically activated during this option Rotation angle change the rotation angle by picking a point or type a number Dragmode is automatically activated during the change of this attribute Text type different text which replaced the entire selected text gt CHANGE Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion pick text Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion Enter Modification p
207. ing a circle within a polygon The prompt asks for three points gt circle Center point 3P First point pick Second point pick Third point pick You may pick the points on the screen we recommend you use object snaps or enter the coordinates through the keyboard 139 Chapter5 Draw 2Points The 2Points option draws a circle whose diameter passes through two points gt circle Center point 2p First point pick Second point pick The points may be picked using the object snap functions or may be entered from the keyboard Radius Option The Radius option is useful when the radius of the circle is a known but the center point is undefined or when the radius follows from geometry already established To define the radius e Verify the last radius by pressing Enter e Enter a new value for the radius manually e Pick two points for the radius in the drawing This is especially useful when the radius follows from existing geometry gt circle Center point Radius Radius lt 1 00 gt 1 24 Center point pick Center point pick Center point Enter This option repeatedly draws circles based on the center points that you pick Press Enter or Esc to end the Circle command 140 Chapter 5 Draw Diameter Option The use and the implementation of the Diameter option follows exactly the Radius option except that you specify the diameter Tangent Option The Tange
208. ing a taper ratio To do so press Enter at the Diameter of second side prompt Type a ratio which must be a real number greater than 1 gt trapezoid Insertion point P1 Insertion angle lt 0 gt Enter Diameter of first side 5 Length 6 Diameter of second side 2 5 Taper Ration Option gt trapezoid Insertion point P1 Insertion angle lt 0 gt Enter Diameter of first side 5 Length 6 Diameter of second side Enter Ratio 1 5 151 Chapter5 Draw ELLIPSE The Ellipse command Draw gt Ellipse draws a full ellipse FelixCAD provides two methods for drawing ellipse shaped polygons e Center specify the center point then the radii the default e Endpoint specify the endpoints of the axes Center Endpoint Center Option The Center option is the default You first identify centerpoint of the ellipse then specify the primary radius endpoints of the longer axis and finally the secondary radius endpoints of the smaller axis Note that specifying the primary radius locks down the orientation of ellipse gt ellipse Center point Primary radius 3 lt 45 Secondary radius 2 Endpoint Option The Endpoint option is the alternative method of constructing an ellipse You first specify the start and the end point of the major axis then specify the secondary radius by entering a numerical value or by rubberbanding and picking the radius from the midpoint of the major axis g
209. ing or pointing an angle does this You specify the angle of the rotation by typing the angle or by picking two points in the drawing The orientation point for the angle of the rotation is always the positive x axis of the active coordinate system Entering a positive value for the angle of rotation results in a rotation to the left a negative value for example 30 results in a rotation to the right Controlling the UCS Of course it would not be very effective if you had to make the above adjustments every time you needed to change the coordinate system Therefore FelixCAD allows you to save pre defined user coordinate systems by name which are saved with the drawing Once a UCS is saved you can always reuse it the UCS names can also be renamed or deleted All this is possible via the UCS command s Control option Or from the menu bar select Options gt User Coordinate System gt UCS Manager Creating a New UCS You create a new user coordinate system in these steps 1 Create the UCS with an option as described above Z Direction 3Point View or Rotate 2 Open the dialog box and type a name in the UCS Name field The name can be up to 31 characters long as well as dash and underscore _ but no spaces 3 Click New 4 Click OK 109 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Renaming a UCS If you need to rename a UCS 1 Select a UCS name from UCS Name list 2 Click the name and type a the new name 3 C
210. initions However the xref symbols are kept separate via the following naming scheme Logical_Xref_Name Dependent_Symbol_Name Notice the vertical bar separating the xref drawing name and the symbol name Here are some examples of layer names assuming the xref drawing s name is Shaft Flx SHAFT CONSTRUCTION SHAFT DETAILS SHAFT DIMENSION The name prefix makes it easy to distinguish the dependent layers from the layers originally defined in the current drawing When the symbol tables derive from an xref drawing they are called dependent because they depend on the existence of drawing other than the current 272 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups drawing Other dependent symbol table entries like linetypes and blocks carry the same naming convention You cannot redefine nor rename dependent symbols Dependent blocks cannot be inserted a dependent layer cannot be made the current layer But the dependent symbol conventions allow you to control the visibility the colors and the linetypes of externally referenced drawings The Layer dialog box displays the names of the dependent layers and you can apply the On Off Thaw Freeze Linetype and Color options to them Note To keep the visibility and displayed settings over subsequent sessions make sure to set the system variable VisRetain to 1 short for retain visibility By default VisRetain i
211. inuously or using segments It is also possible to connect 2D planes to existing 2D faces Two D faces are always drawn by determining the corner points there are either three or four corners The Close option is for drawing triangular planes the third entered point is connected with the starting point of the plane The 2DFace command is sensitive to the order in which corners are picked You should always specify the end points of the edges in the same direction If the end points of the edges of a plane are determined clockwise or counterclockwise a butterfly effect results The figure below shows the consequences of picking corners in two different ways P4 P2 P3 Enter the command 2DFace for drawing filled faces and select an option from the option menu Coninoos Seamer Ampere OO 161 Chapter 5 Draw Continuous Option The Continuous option is the default for drawing filled planes it is used automatically when no other option is chosen When drawing rectangular planes determine the end points of the edges Remember that the first and third points are connected on a single edge as are the second and fourth points The four edges will make up the plane After determining the end points of the first two edges you may enter additional points These are used as the third and fourth edge The command repeats itself allowing you to add more planes connected to the preceding plane To terminate the comm
212. ion allows you to draw from a tangent of one arc or circle to a second tangent of an arc or circle See the Line command s TT option for more information 158 Chapter 5 Draw PCONTOUR The Pcontour command Draw gt Polyline Contour creates a boundary polyline from existing objects that form an enclosed area You may recognize this command by the name Boundary or BPoly The original entities can be made from a combination of lines arcs circles polylines chains and ellipses They can be in any arrangement as long as the boundary can create an enclosed area without looping back upon itself The result is a closed polyline created on the current layer This command can be used in conjunction with the Area command to make the job of area calculations easier When you start the Pcontour command the following prompts are displayed Select boundary edges any valid selection method is allowed Select boundary edges Enter Ray cast to find start entity lt xX gt described below we x x ype yy Select point inside boundary contour Pick inside the enclosed area When you pick a location that does not work or one of the boundary entities is not a valid entity then you see the following error message Point located outside of a boundary contour or given geometry too complex 159 Chapter 5 Draw Next Option The Next option runs a line from the point you specify to the nearest object and then traces the bou
213. ions as a switch it decides whether or not the lines beyond the fillet are erased When the options bar displays Trim you switch off the trimming by clicking the word it then changes to No_Trim The following figure shows the effect of the No_Trim switch Trim option switched on left and switched off right 209 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects CHAMFER The Chamfer command Modify gt Chamfer creates a beveled corner between two intersecting lines gt CHAMFER Select first line P1 Second line P2 Select the two entities to be chamfered by picking them with the cursor Distance The Distance option allows you to specify the two chamfering distances gt CHAMFER Select first line Distance First chamfering distance lt 1 0000 gt Enter Second chamfering distance lt 0 5000 gt 1 000 Select first line P1 Second line P2 No_Trim The No_Trim option functions in exactly the same manner as described with the Fillet command Polyline The Polyline option functions in exactly the same manner as described with the Fillet command 210 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects INTERSECT z The Intersect command Modify gt Intersect is a special case of the Fillet command with the fillet radius always set to 0 This makes the command useful for trimming intersecting lines to be trimmed gt INTERSECT Select first line P1 Second line P2 Select the two lines to be trimmed
214. iple attributes An attribute consists three components Name identifies the attribute When a part contains more then one attribute the name helps you identify a specific attribute Request the prompt text which is displayed when the part is inserted The request reminds the user of the type of data that should be entered Value the default value of the attribute The user can accept the value or type in another value except when the attribute has been defined as constant The value can be visible in the drawing or invisible When an attribute is created you must specify the following parameters which can be edited later Insertion point Font options such as font name height angle and reference point Visible or hidden Constant or variable You may create an attribute and place it in the drawing all by itself In that case the attribute definition represents an isolated text object More commonly attributes are linked to parts In this case you define the attribute before defining the part In most cases you place the attribute near or on the entities When you select the entities that make up the part you also select the attribute s Note that the order in which the attributes are picked will determine the order in which they appear when inserting or modifying a part This is useful in creating drawing borders and other families of parts 262 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings
215. istances are measured from the point to the X and Y axis in a 3 D system measurements are also taken along the Z axis FelixCAD differentiates between a world coordinate system WCS and the user coordinate system UCS amp World Coordinate System The world coordinate system is the permanent Cartesian coordinate system used as a standard for all drawings The X axis measures the horizontal distance the Y axis the vertical distance from the origin The Z axis is orthogonal to the X and Y plane and measures the distance of a point to this plane You cannot change the world coordinate system Instead it is possible to create many user defined coordinate systems for a drawing The user coordinate system is saved along with the drawing and can be used again later Creating a New UCS A UCS is created in two steps First you specify the origin and direction of the axes for the new UCS Second you have the UCS by name so that you can reuse the UCS without having to reenter its parameters The UCS command creates a new user coordinate system At the UCS origin lt 0 0 0 gt prompt enter the coordinates for the origin of the new user coordinate system Or press Enter to use 0 0 0 gt ucs UCS origin lt 0 0 0 gt Or use the following options to interactively determine the origin of the user coordinate system and the direction of its axis Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Control The Control option displays the Us
216. ition of the starting coordinate of the invisible line gt 3DFACE First point P1 Second point Invisible Second point P2 Third point P3 Fourth point P4 and results in the following P4 P3 PI P2 173 Chapter 5 Draw POLYGON MESH The PFace command Draw gt 3D gt Polygon Mesh creates three dimensional polygon meshes of arbitrary topology and surface properties To create a polyface mesh first specify the control points vertices Then specify which vertex is on which face of the polyface mesh gt PFACE Control point 1 Specify a point Control point 2 Specify a point Control point 3 Specify a point 4 Control point Enter Face 1 Control point 1 1 Face 1 Control point 2 2 Face 1 Control point 3 3 Face 1 Control point 4 Enter Face 2 Control point 1 1 Face 2 Control point 2 3 Face 2 Control point 3 4 Face 2 Control point 4 Enter Face 3 Control point 1 2 Face 3 Control point 2 3 Face 3 Control point 3 4 Face 3 Control point 4 Enter Face 6 Control point 1 Enter Pressing Enter twice in a row exits the command Polyface properties You edit a polyface mesh as a single entity by applying editing commands such as Delete Move Copy Rotate Scale Stretch PropEdit and ChProp You cannot use the PolyEdit command to edit polyface meshes nor can you use the Explode command on polyface meshes Note that users rarely employ the PFa
217. itions Use the usual object select functions Finish the object selection by Enter Remain The upper half of the dialog box lists all text properties that can be modified The check boxes next to Remain indicate whether the property is to be changed globally off or remain unchanged on For example if you click the check box below the Height to turn it off you may enter a new value for the text height All selected text lines are changed to this text height Search String The lower half of the dialog box is a search function Enter a string in the Search String edit box FelixCAD will search for this text Type the replacement string in Replace by If this is left blank FelixCAD erases the search string text 240 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Parts and Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings amp Groups This chapter describes how to work with parts attributes and groups Parts are known as blocks or cells in other CAD programs Attributes are database like text attached to parts Groups are similar to named selection sets While parts and groups sound similar Part Symbol Library there are significant differences Set Current Library e A part has an insertion point a group Part Library Setup does not Insert Part e A part can be inserted one or more Quick Insert times in the drawing there is only one Paste Internal Part 1 1 occurrence of t
218. l Internal m Options x i ral Interactive Insettionat fo fo fo M Scale Factor fi fi fi E Rotation fo m T Exploded Cancel _ 248 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Part Name Type the name of the part in the text entry box If you don t know the name or can t be bothered typing click either the External or Internal buttons External The External button displays the Open file dialog box This lets you select an external part The preview window lets you see what the part looks like before you import it Select any flx dwg or dxf file and click Open Open 21x Lookin ea Pans 3 wa Name TSize Type Modified Office03 flx 7KB FCAD Zeichnung 9 27 96 2 10 PM B OfficeD4 le 10KB FCAD Zeichnung 9 27 96 2 10 PM B Office05 flx SKB FCAD Zeichnung 9 27 96 2 10 PM Office06 flx 12KB FCAD Zeichnung 9 27 96 2 10 PM B Office07 flx 8KB FCAD Zeichnung 9 27 96 2 10 PM B Dffice08 flx 14KB FCAD Zeichnung 9 27 96 2 10 PM of File name OfficeD6 flx Files of type FLX Drawing flx x Cancel VV Preview Internal The Internal button displays the Part Selection dialog box This lets you select any block stored in the drawing The preview window lets you see what the part looks like before you insert it Select a block name and click OK Part Selection xi Fan Name E552_005 Cancel Existing Parts Preview 44433
219. layer DEFPOINTS as Ch line t Solid Line ange Ine type Activate Layer Manager Change object color SETLAYER Command Set Current Layer This function allows you to set a new current layer either from the palette toolbar or typing SETVAR and pressing the lt Return gt key Note It is not possible to create a new layer or to change any characteristics of the existing layer with this button These changes must be made in the fashion described above in the Layer Control section Selecting this button opens the Layer dialog box where you can select another current layer Cancel 122 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties The letters in front of the layer names show the status of the characteristics visibility access and thawing freezing They have the following meaning Abbreviation Meaning On On visible Off Off invisible Unl Unlocked full access Loc Locked no editing access Tha Thawed not frozen A frozen layer cannot become the current layer so that choice does not appear for the current layer Select a layer name in the list box and click OK Set Current Linetype You may want to override the linetype assigned to the layer known as the BYLAYER linetype To change the linetype of an entity after it has been drawn use the PropEdit command described later on in this chapter To change the current linetype click the Linetype button in the control panel The Layer Manager dialog b
220. le e Append continue an arc from an existing arc or line TIP Arcs are measured counterclockwise to the left starting from the positive X axis To pick points for the construction of arcs we recommend that you use object snaps to ensure accuracy The Arc command displays these options on the option bar 142 Chapter 5 Draw 3Point Option Start Point Second Point End Point The most common method for drawing arcs is to select three points on the arc The arc is defined by three points the starting point a second point on the arc s circumference and the end point of the arc This is the default in FelixCAD it is used if you chose no other option Remember the direction convention the arc is drawn counterclockwise starting at the positive X axis start T 2 point e end E Start point P1 Second point P2 End point P3 SEnd Option Start Point End Point Radius Angle Tangent The SEnd option creates arcs with the starting and end point defined After that you can specify a radius an angle or a tangent The defaults of this option simply follow the prompts entering the starting point end point and the radius of the arc by picking or by entering coordinates at the keyboard starting point starting point T OE 1 I Dri A i l i n f l i end point ie see i l 1 closed in angle end point Starting point Pl En
221. le C Mscad21g Ilmage rlc insertionpoint 425450 536 434127 899 lt Scale 1 n fiooo DPI 400 Rotation 0 00000 Color A Cancel Help 368 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing Once you have entered the information the raster image appears on the screen You may need to zoom to the extents of the image using the zoom tools on the control panel to see the complete image Dh pe pe oem Da Om Det pere Se ra 1 O a e aS E wn AE ir Sein G he I ero STe jr psim REMOVE RASTER RUNLOAD ly This Remove Raster button removes the selected image from the drawing If 2 images are currently loaded the system will prompt for which image to delete 369 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing PROPERTY SETTINGS OF RASTER FILE RPROP The Property Settings of Raster File button brings the following dialog box and allows you to change any of the fields The changes are only done to the current image and do not affect the original stored on your computer Prgms Edl Fie eimhe mg insarica palne izai ET xj Beale Mank ine OM fan Resin imo Cale fi Caneel Hicip Insertion point location of the image s lower left corner Scale 1 n Sets the scale factor to make the raster image larger or smaller DPI dots per inch affects the size of the image Rotation orients the image in reference to the drawing Positive rotation is counterclockwise negative rotation is clock
222. le fo cL cc CR CBL CBC CBR Font 1150 ie r Seer Se Align C Fit Center Carcel _ Text Input Text is entered into the edit box in the upper half of the dialog box The cursor is positioned here upon the opening of the dialog box so you may start immediately typing text This dialog box offers the basic functions for editing text the cursor keys Page Up and Down Home and End and so on work as you expect them to Incorrectly entered text can be selected and deleted just as with a word processor 234 Chapter 7 Text Insertion point There are two methods of defining the insertion point The insertion point may be entered using absolute coordinates via edit boxes for X Y and Z The second option is to define the insertion point interactively on the screen Click the Interactive button to define the insertion point after you click OK FelixCAD will prompt you Insertion point Options The Options section aids you in determining the height the rotation and the font type style of the text object Height Entering a numeric value for Height gives the font a fixed height which can no longer be changed when creating the text using this style If you think that a change in the font height might be required keep the height parameter set at 0 the default you may change the font height later in the Text dialog box Angle Specify the insertion angle of the text The default value i
223. lick Rename This verifies the renaming the new name of the UCS appears in the field 4 Click OK Note the world coordinate system cannot be renamed Deleting a UCS Erasing a UCS is similar to renaming a user coordinate system 1 Select a UCS name from the UCS Name list 2 Click Delete The UCS is then deleted its name no longer appears in the list 3 Click OK Note the world coordinate system cannot be deleted Changing the Active UCS You can create as many user coordinate systems as you need in a drawing but only one user coordinate system can be the active coordinate system To change the active UCS 1 Select a UCS name from the UCS Name list 2 Click Active The user coordinate system becomes the active coordinate system The field shows the name of the active coordinate system 3 Click OK Reverting to the Previous Coordinate System To change to a previous coordinate system click the Previous button It enables you to quickly change between two coordinate systems When you click this button FelixCAD changes to the previous coordinate system without verification 110 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties Layers and Object Properties The concept of working with ayers in FelixCAD is analogous to manual drafting using layers of transparent Mylar Parts of the drawing are drawn on different sheets of Mylar such as the base plan the electrical the plumbing the roadwork each on its own Mylar sh
224. lso use the pan functions from the control panel Pan Left Pan Right Pan Up Pan Down Viewport control PANLEFT 349 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Ratio The Ratio option is related to the Zoom command It allows you to specify the scale ration between paper and model space much like during the Print command Viewport control Ratio Info Height of Viewport 4 28 Height of model representation 484 95 Paper Space Units lt 1 gt 1 Model Space Units lt 113 33 gt 2 NView The NView option display a view that had been saved earlier as a named view with the View command in model space The View option opens a dialog box similar to the one displayed by the View command in model space see Chapter 3 The Show button is useful for save and retrieving named views This option previews the selected view in the drawing before confirmation You can improve your effectiveness of working in layout mode by establishing named views in model mode then use them in the viewports of the paper space This is especially useful when a scaled relationship must be maintained between model and print space See the Techniques and Tips for Layout Mode section later in this chapter for more hints and recommendations Note When you use the View command in layout mode not the View option of the Viewport command you can create named views within paper space 3DView Naturally you can display the model from differen
225. lt angle2 7 5 lt 45 lt 33 Relative Coordinates Cartesian 2D or 3D deltaX deltaY 3 8 3 8 6 deltaX deltaY deltaZ Polar 2D distance lt angle 7 5 lt 45 Cylindrical 3D distance lt angle Z 7 5 lt 45 12 2 Spherical 3D distance lt angle1 lt angle2 7 5 lt 45 lt 33 64 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Pointing with the Cursor Pointing is using the cursor to specify data on the screen You can use the cursor to specify points straight lines angles and other quantities FelixCAD always interprets the cursor position as a coordinate either X Y Z or distance lt angle Pointing has one clear advantage over keyboard entry dynamic preview or dragging provides a kind of preview image of the result of your action We recommend that you use pointing you must relate to entities that already exist in the drawing For example the center of a circle could be defined by the intersection of two lines In this case it is easier to indicate the center point by pointing at the intersection Using object snap ensures that the accuracy of the coordinate input by pointing is improved Object snap modes recognize geometric features such as start and end points intersection center point and perpendiculars Using object snap modes results in greater precision and faster drafting than entering coordinates at the keyboard Object snap modes are summarized later in this chapter Coordinate Filters Coordinate filters lets y
226. m Back Zoom Fit Zoom In Zoom Out Zoom Scale Transparent Zoom The Zoom command like most other view commands is transparent commands that can be used at the same time another command is being executed For example you can use the ZoomOut command during the Line command Remember that transparent commands need an apostrophe before the command name such as zoomwin gt LINE From point P1 To point P2 To point ZOOMOUT To point P3 o point Enter The Zoom Palette You can select the zoom commands from the palette The symbols used to activate the zoom options are Zoom Fit Zoom Window Zoom Back Zoom In Zoom Out To activate a zoom command click on its symbol If you prefer to type commands at the keyboard the zoom variations are found in the following table 98 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Zoom window ZoomWin Zoom to previous view ZoomBack Zoom to fit ZoomFit Zoom in Zoomin Zoom out ZoomOut Zoom factor ZoomFac Zoom Window The ZoomWin command allows you to zoom into a rectangular area that you specify by opposite corner points with the cursor As an alternative you can type coordinates gt ZOOMWIN First corner P1 Second corner P2 There may be a difference between the window you chose and the view you see on the screen This is due to different ratios of height and width of your chosen window and the screen The following figure shows the usage and result of the Zoom Window
227. mands such as the Trim command require that you input a distance You do this in two ways e Enter a numeric value either a whole number an integer or a real number You can use decimal numbers 12 34 scientific notation 1 234E 10 or as a fraction 12 3 4 e Point the distance by picking two points with the cursor Widths Some commands such as the Polyline command may require that you input a width You do this in the same way as defining a distance Angles When a command such as the Arc command asks for an angle you can provide the angle in the same way as distances Angles are normally specified in degrees counterclockwise from the starting point The starting point 0 degrees is located at East the positive X axis Entering a distance with an angle requires the use of the lt sign before the angle such as 10 lt 45 Relative angles also go in the counterclockwise direction 63 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Numbers Some commands require a discreet number For example the Polygon command asks for the number of sides The value you provide must be a whole number The following table gives an overview of the input formats of the different coordinate types both for absolute as for relative coordinates Absolute Coordinates Cartesian 2D or 3D X Y 3 8 X Y Z 3 8 6 Polar 2D distance lt angle 7 5 lt 45 Spherical 3D distance lt angle Z 7 5 lt 45 12 2 Cylindrical 3D distance lt angle1
228. mat to one of these supported formats FelixCAD 4 01 includes a converter for RLC lt gt BMP monochrome only Note it is necessary to ensure your windows system is setup to view ALL file types otherwise you will not be able to view locate it Note Because inserted raster images do not become integrated in the drawing file it is important to not delete or move the original raster image file so the link between the two remains intact 367 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing LOAD RASTER FILE RLOAD This palette button inserts a scanned or raster image from a file into the current drawing New for FelixCAD 4 01 and higher is the addition of color tif and bmp file formats These two formats have been added to the existing rlc format from previous releases The Load Raster File button displays the Select File dialog box to allow you to select the raster image you wish to insert into the drawing Pick the raster file type RLC TIF or BMP from the Files of Type pick list FelixCAD is currently limited to two raster images at one time Look in a Mscad21g gt El c j el partlib Cfg Programs Common gO qs Design E sencam Fonts Tools Manuals Trees Mscad ga Tutor Files of type RLC z Cancel Find Once you select an image the following dialog box ask you where to insert the image the scale factor the color of the image the DPI dots per inch and the rotation factor Properties x Fi
229. matically upon insertion into your CD drive 4 Follow the on screen prompts to complete the installation FelixCAD offers three types of installation e INSTALL FULLY LICENSED VERSION Select this option if you have purchased a fully licensed software version including a valid CD Key Number e INSTALL EVALUATION VERSION Choose this option if you wish to evaluate the program for a 30 day period with full functionality The program will cease operation after 30 days e CONVERT EVALUATION TO FULL VERSION If you purchased a CD Key Number this option allows you to convert an already installed evaluation copy to a regular fully licensed version of the software Uninstall FelixCAD can be uninstalled from your computer When using the Windows 95 98 NT4 desktop the program can be removed using the Add Remove function in the Control Panel The Uninstall program removes the program groups and ini files from the Windows directory An Uninstall icon is also available under the FelixCAD program group Introduction and Installation Be careful not to delete any drawing flx dwg dxf files you may have saved in these directories after installation Adobe Acrobat Installation The FelixCAD CD includes Adobe s on line document reader for Windows To install Acrobat from the FelixCAD CD ROM run the AcroInst Exe program situated in the acrobat directory of the CD Follow the on screen prompts to compete the installation If you purch
230. mension style The command displays the x dimensions found notice telling you how many dimensions have been updated CREATING A DIMENSIONING STYLE At the beginning of this chapter we described how to create customized dimensions with the DimType command The Dimension dialog box lets you define the size text font and height alignment and positioning of the dimension text the look of the arrows and extension lines as well as other parameters These parameters are called a dimension style or dimstyle for short The DimSave command saves the current dimension settings as a named dimensioning style This lets you to store and recall a number of different styles Architectural dimensioning tolerance dimensioning or country and language specific styles are reasons for being able to create save and load dimstyles Note dimensioning styles are only stored with the current drawing To share dimstyles with other drawings you should create the dimstyle in a template drawing Templates are described in Chapter 1 Getting Started The Basics of Drawing Saving a DimStyle Select Detail gt Modify Dimension from the menu From the palette select the icon representing the Dimension dialog box Enter the proper settings and values from this dialog box In the first field in this box give the dimensioning template a descriptive name Before entering the name of a dimensioning style you may list the file names which have alre
231. mirror axis Horizontal Horizontal reflection point P2 Vertical To mirror the marked object about the vertical axis choose the Vertical option The mirror axis runs parallel to the Y axis of the coordinate system A single point is only required to define this axis gt MIRROR Select objects P1 Select objects Enter First point of mirror axis Vertical Vertical reflection point P2 194 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Mirroring Text If there is text among the selected objects it is likely that you do not want that text mirrored For this reason FelixCAD does not by default mirror text entities If you need the text mirrored use the EditPar command Modify gt Modify Parameters to display the Edit Parameters dialog box Click the check box next to Mirror Text and click OK STRETCH The Stretch command Modify gt Stretch stretches entities that lie on the border of the selection rectangle but moves entities that lie within the selection rectangle This command performs like a combination of the Move and Lengthen commands Stretching is useful for enlarging or reducing entities in one direction This is in contrast to the Scale command which scales in both the X and Y directions Like other editing commands you must select objects for stretching The Stretch command however is more sensitive in the selection of entities You must carefully plan which entities will be stretched and which not Different types o
232. mple red is color 1 Any color can be given a line width in mm or inches For example you can assign a line width of 0 36mm to color red This means that all objects colored red in the drawing will be plotted 0 36mm wide The setting of line widths can be saved under a configuration name and then reused by future printing operations Use Line Width Settings The Use Thickness Settings check box determines whether line widths will be used during plotting The Print Colors check box switches the color printing on or off Of course the output device must have the capability to print in color Another consideration is how the printer plotter draws colors Some devices have palettes that override the program settings In these cases see if there is an option for control by Software which will allow FelixCAD to assign the correct colors to each pen 341 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode The Color Print Color Width list box allows you to coordinate colors with width as follows 1 To assign a print color to a drawing color click the Select button in the Printed Color area In the Colors dialog box select color sample or type its color index number Click OK 2 To assign a line width to a drawing color type a linewidth in the text entry box in the Linewidth area Click the Change button and the width is updated Configuration You can save the line widths and color configuration by entering a name in the Confi
233. mpted enter the rotation angle Rotation takes place to the specified angle As an alternative you may select a reference angle gt ROTATE Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Basepoint P2 Rotation angle Ref Angle Reference angle lt 0 gt 44 New angle 45 The Reference option asks for a starting angle then prompts for a new angle to which the object will be rotated Rotation occurs counterclockwise As before rotation occurs about the basepoint i N he K n 189 SCALE Chapter 6 Modifying Objects The Scale command Modify gt Scale changes the size of selected objects The objects are scaled uniformly in the X and Y directions gt SCALE Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Basepoint P2 Scale factor 1 5 Select the objects to be scaled The command prompts for a basepoint which is the point from which the entities are scaled We recommend that you pick a corner or the center of an entity but you may pick any point whether on or off of the geometry Note If the basepoint is part of the selected object it keeps its original position during the scaling while all the other points are scaled by the same relative values in the X and Y directions When the basepoint is not on the object the distance from the basepoint to all other points on object are changed by the same scale factor The command then displays the options bar seracor Rowen T The
234. n of the point by typing coordinates at the keyboard or by picking points on the screen The command automatically repeats itself until you press the Esc or Enter key gt point Point pick Point 1 2 Point Enter 165 Chapter 5 Draw Measure aay tl The Measure option allows you to insert points along lines polylines circles and arcs at a defined spacing This dissects the entity into sections of constant size the drawing object is not cut into pieces but remains a complete object Remember that all entities are not an exact multiple of the length of the segment so there may be a remainder After starting the Point command select the Measure option from the option bar gt point Point Measure Select line arc circle or polyline pick Length of segments 0 1 Choose an entity and specify the spacing between segments in drawing units either by typing a numerical value or by picking points on the screen The measurement of the distance between points begins from the start point of the segment and progresses to the end point When inserting points on a circle the starting point lies at the intersection of the radius with the positive X axis Segments Option ch tl The Segments option allows you to separate lines polylines circles and arcs into segments of equal length by inserting points of construction The size of the segment is determined by the length of the distance to be dissected and the numb
235. nage parts and drawing files such as project drawings template drawings and symbol files A library is defined by a plb file The drawing files are assembled in the same folder sub directory as the part library file is located By default this is in the partlib folder but you can use any folder for storing the part library Selecting a Part Library The Library command displays the Set Current Part Library Symbol Library file dialog box Select a part library plb file Or enter the PartLib command which prompts you for the name of a part library at the command prompt This command is meant for use with macros and FLISP functions Enter the name of a plb file such as gt partlib File name c felixcad partlib partlibdrawing plb Once a part library has been chosen the Library command continues to use that same library Use the SetLib Part gt Set Current Library to change the part library 256 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups The command displays the dialog box with a preview image of each part in the library This lets you visually select the part ix Parts Library
236. name ext If you don t know the name of the part press to display the Part Selection dialog box Insertion point Enter X Y coordinates for the insertion point or pick the point with the cursor The part will be placed using the part s previously defined insertion point during the PartDef or PartExp commands X Factor The X Factor prompt is asking you for the scale factor which you can specify in several ways X factor asks for the scale factor in the X direction After entering the scale factor the command prompts you Y Factor Enter the value In both cases you can press Enter to keep the X factor the same as before and make the Y factor the same as the X factor 251 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Remember that a scale factor greater than 1 will enlarge less than 1 will reduce A negative scale factor mirrors the part upon insertion FelixCAD provides several alternatives to specifying the scale factor as seen on the option bar X Y Z 1 Th X Y Z 1 option sets the scaling factor to 1 0 for all three coordinates The X Y and Z scale factors equal 1 This inserts the part at its original size Corner The Corner option lets you pick two points in the drawing to defines the scale Indicate the opposite corners of the rectangular window within which the part is to be scaled Dragmode shows both the window and a preview of the part as you specify the two co
237. name for the group such as HouseWindows Add and Remove Entities Two options of the Group command allow you to add and remove entities from a group After a group name is specified entities belonging to the group are highlighted e To add entities to an existing group pick the entities that are to be added they are not highlighted e To remove entities from an existing group pick the highlighted entities that are to be removed Note If all entities are deleted from a group the group continues to exist as long as it has a name Selectable When a group is set as selectable that means the group is active and will be treated as a group by editing commands 280 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Setting a group as unselectable means you are turning off the group definition temporarily so you can apply editing commands to individual entities You switch between selectable and unselectable at any time This option is useful when an entity is in multiple groups and selecting the entity would make it difficult to pick the correct group to work with Working with Groups Editing commands treat all entities in a group as a single object Commands like Move Rotate and Copy act on the entire group When you select a single object at the Select objects prompt you select all group entities When you are prompted to select multiple objects you may choose the Group object selection opti
238. nd hides them As mentioned earlier every drawing contains one default layer name layer 0 This layer has several special properties that distinguish it from all other layers It is generated automatically by FelixCAD when a new drawing is created The color 7 black and the linetype Continuous are automatically established for this layer although you may change the color and linetype This layer cannot be erased or renamed Layer 0 has a special property when defining and inserting parts You can find more on that subject in the Parts and Attributes chapter One layer in the drawing is always the current layer All new entities are automatically drawn on this layer Naturally you change the current layer whenever you need to As long as layer 0 is the only one existing it is also the current layer If there is more than one layer in a drawing as there should be you switch between layers using the Layer Manager or the Properties toolbar Although you can only draw entities on a single layer i e the current layer you edit entities residing on any layer at any time with on exception you cannot edit entities on layers that have been frozen turned off or locked more later 112 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties The layer names their status and their properties are part of the drawing They are saved with the drawing and can be shared with other drawings via the Drawing Xplorer LAYER PROPERTIES Layers h
239. nd you can create nam ed views within paper space for example to zoom fast to portions of the drawing sheet Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Restore a Named View A previously saved view is retrieved with the View command Follow these steps 1 In the Save Retrieve View dialog box choose one of the saved views from the list box 2 Click the Show button The saved view then becomes the present view Delete a Named View When you no longer need a named view you can delete as follows 1 Select one of the names of defined views in the list box of the Save Retrieve View dialog box 2 Click onto the Delete button The named view is removed from the list immediately USER COORDINATE SYSTEMS A user coordinate system is a coordinate system that you define It is primarily used for 3D drafting Creating your own UCS allows you to drawn in plan view at any angle in space Until you create a UCS you are drafting in the world coordinate system Via a UCS you can e Move the origin 0 0 0 to any point in the world coordinate system e Turn one or more axes relative to the world coordinate system e Move and angle the user coordinate system The user coordinate system for example makes it possible to change the location of the drawing plane so that it always lies parallel to the objects to be drawn This makes it easier to construct 3D objects 105 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings To determine the coordinates of a point d
240. nd drag again To exit dynamic pan mode press ESC or ENTER You can also right click to open the option menu which contains the Exit option Notice that the cursor menu also contains options for Dynamic Zoom and Zoom Extents 103 SAVING VIEWS Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings When working with many drawing portions and view directions it can be convenient to save and later to retrieve the viewpoint You do this with the View command View gt View Manager View Store Retrieve x A4LANDSCAPE A4PORTRAIT BOTTOMLEFT BOTTOMRIGHT CENTER PAGE TOPLEFT TOPRIGHT Saving the Current View m Description Width 420 00 Height 297 00 Angle 0 Origin 0 00 0 00 First use the zoom and pan commands described previously to set up a view direction To save the view start the View command Then 1 In the Save Retrieve View dialog box select the New option 2 The View option save the current view the Window option prompts you to select a rectangular window as the view 3 Enter a name for the view Later you use the name to retrieve the view 4 Click OK During the drafting process named views can be applied in two situations e Printing the Print command has an option for printing a named view Hint this is useful in printing different sheets i e sheet1 sheet2 that may exist in one drawing e Paperspace when calling the command View in layout mode outside the Viewport comma
241. nd part The properties or geometry that can be changed depend on the entity Note To change the layer color or linetype properties you may find it more useful to use the PropEdit Command Edit gt Modify Properties gt CHANGE Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion Pl Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion Enter Modification point P2 Select the entity to be changed You may preview the change by selecting the Dragmode option from the options bar wa O O O T Since the properties changed depend on the entity selected the following sections describe the changed by entity 217 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Line The Change command changes one end point of the line You can move to a new position while the length of the line remains the same If the end point of a line is moved without using Dragmode the point to be moved will be the point nearer the selection point If Dragmode is activated the point that lies nearer to the cursor position will be moved By changing the cursor position the end point of the line to be moved can be changed Circle The Change command alters the diameter or radius of a circle Select the circle then determine the new diameter by picking a point or typing an X Y coordinate gt CHANGE Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion pick a circle Select entity l
242. ndary in a counter clockwise direction Usually the Next option produces a desirable result It may not however be satisfactory when the space between two possible boundaries is very narrow By selecting one of the other options listed below FelixCAD looks for the boundary in a specific direction from the point you select X Option The X option projects an imaginary line in the positive X direction The line run from the point you specify to the first object encountered After that FelixCAD traces the boundary in the counterclockwise direction X Option The X option projects an imaginary line in the negative X direction The line run from the point you specify to the first object encountered After that FelixCAD traces the boundary in the counterclockwise direction Y Option The Y option projects an imaginary line in the positive Y direction The line run from the point you specify to the first object encountered After that FelixCAD traces the boundary in the counterclockwise direction Y Option The Y option projects an imaginary line in the negative Y direction The line run from the point you specify to the first object encountered After that FelixCAD traces the boundary in the counterclockwise direction 160 Chapter 5 Draw FILLED FACES a The 2DFace command Draw gt Filled Faces draws a solid filled plane with straight line borders The planes can have three or four sides The command may be done cont
243. nder a specified reference object e Front Moves the selected object to the top of the drawing order The selected object becomes the last drawn entity in the drawing database e Back Moves the selected object to the bottom of the drawing order The selected object becomes the first entity in the drawing database Differences between FelixCAD and AutoCAD Different object sort methods are not supported in FelixCAD The object order is changed in the database directly instead using DRAWORDER A SORTENTS system variable for controlling the object sort mode is therefore not required Recording of the User Input For support purposes we have integrated in FelixCAD a new user input recording function FelixCAD writes all text window contents into a specified file The command can be activated with the command LOGFILEON The LOGFILEOFF command stops the prompt echoing to a file An output file name and path can be set via the global system variable LOGFILENAME The global system variable LOGFILEMODE controls whether or not a logfile can 12 Introduction and Installation be written Please see also the system variable chapter in the developer section Command and Function Enhancements Purge Command Enhanced performance of the purge command An internal reference counter makes the purging of unreferenced FelixCAD table entries faster Transparent Alias Commands Alias commands can be used while a command is active See the e
244. ne or an arc to measure After selecting the entity it is highlighted and the following question appears Blocker sDAisit ance Here you can input either a distance directly by putting in a real value or selecting two points or you can type Block or B BI etc to use a block If inputting a distance the points at each distance from the beginning to the end of the object are inserted and the command is now completed If you type in Block you are then asked for the block name Neme Oc Block tO inserts Now type in the name of an existing block You will be asked for the offset angle for the alignment of the block along the object Offset angle for alignment the block along the object or ENTER for none alignment Here you can press return to avoid the alignment or put in any offset angle which is added to the tangential angle of the object at the point of insertion Finally you are asked for the distance again Distance for dividing the Object 167 Chapter 5 Draw Here you have to input a distance either by giving a real value or by selecting two points Now the Block at each position is inserted and the command is complete Divide The sequence for the Divide command is the same The only difference is that you are asked for a number of points or blocks to insert instead of a distance In this case the command will compute the length between the insertion points itself Example The following picture
245. neeeeeeeeeerenseeaees 381 CUSTOMIZATION PALETTE AND RESOURCE MANAGER csscssssscsssssssscsssssssssnssscsscscesesssnsssssnessessessessessosees 385 Palette Mana serio 2 4306 sce t5 ek eS pec eR Oe ie a Oe et 386 Commands for Palette Controls lt ii2 si tei eat Loe itil dui oie 387 MGI icc sos odes eg EEEE ceca dagen dee E AO E E abe diss ded deny E EET ETEA 388 Dialog and Menu Editor ic s sciscsessesenecdeesdcscecvsneestoeitedencusecgibovasuscnsvee cncbondenscdecteupsbenhleecbannedsUbosbeenbes 388 Macro wee etc n tes cect E EE e eda EE E en eek hoch eR NEEE ER ERER EERE RE tina Etk anaes 389 Digi zmg Tableti eanna a aa E E E Ae E E EE rT 390 Introduction and Installation Introduction FelixCAD is an advanced CAD system designed specifically for 32 bit Microsoft Windows 95 98 and NT computers Designed for fast and effective solutions of design projects FelixCAD offers all the power precision and ease of use that today s CAD user demands For commercial corporate and government application developers FelixCAD is available as the low cost Graphic Developer s Engine GDE For information on how you can utilize GDE in business or graphics applications of your own design visit www fcad com North America or www fcad de outside North America Range of Capabilities FelixCAD includes all the commands necessary for constructing and detailing drawings with many unique features aimed at saving you time and effort
246. ng capability The world and user coordinate systems are also discussed The remaining chapters explain working with layers the functions involving drawing working on and detailing dimensioning crosshatching objects the definition and insertion of parts and attributes working with text objects and all other topics that pertain to helping you do a fast and easy job of drawing and designing with FelixCAD Finally importing and exporting functions rendering and outputting the drawings on a plotter or a printer are explained FELIXCAD FOR AUTOCAD USERS GUIDE To assist AutoCAD familiar operators and programmers with their use of FelixCAD a separate pdf document is included The FelixCAD for AutoCAD Users and Programmers guide explains how the FelixCAD interface and command operations can be easily adapted to work more like AutoCAD The guide also contains details on the main differences between FelixCAD and AutoCAD with regards to use customization and programming techniques You should place all documentation into the manuals folder To view print have 70 pages ready the FelixCAD for AutoCAD Users guide use the Adobe Acrobat reader to open the appropriate pdf contained in the manuals folder CUSTOMIZATION AND LISP PROGRAMMER S GUIDE The Customization and Programmer s Guide manual appeals to users interested in further adjusting individualizing customizing and programming FelixCAD and its functions to specific appli
247. ngle line segments as opposed to a multi segment continuous line As with continuous lines the Line command prompts for the start and end points of the first segment The program then repeatedly asks for start and end points Note the difference the lines drawn have start points independent of the previous end point segments are usually not appended to previous line segments To end the drawing of line segments press Enter or Esc P1 P2 P3 P4 From Point P1 To Point P2 From Point P3 To Point P4 From Point lt hit Enter key gt 135 Chapter 5 Draw Append Option The Append option allows you to connect a new line to the end of an existing line or arc Users familiar with AutoCAD will find this similar but exactly the same as joining a line segment to another with the PEDIT command and join option When prompted select the line or arc to connect From Point append Select line or arc pick To Point pick The new line is connected to the end of the line or arc nearest to the pick point When appending the line to an arc you are prompted the length of the line The appended line is drawn tangent to the end point of the arc You can either type the length or pick the length with the cursor for precision it is better to type the length connecting point end point of line e ao S ar Select line or arc Pl To point P2 To point lt hit Enter key gt Cl
248. ning Modify Dimensions Palette Detail Note that some type fonts do not support all of these options For instance some fonts can be aligned vertically On others there is no change in aspect ratio permitted True Type fonts always appear filled in your drawing and in your plot To increase the speed and performance of True Type fonts the Windows operating system draws some True Type text directly Due to limitations in Windows however FelixCAD must draw True Type text that is transformed in certain ways for instance text that is inclined upside down backward or has a width factor not equal to 1 0 Text that has been transformed might appear slightly more bold at the screen especially at lower resolutions but this appearance does not affect the plotted output 229 Chapter 7 Text If a drawing has been opened that contains True Type fonts that are not recognized by Windows system FelixCAD substitutes these fonts by the first found True Type font that is assigned to a font file e Character string represents the content of a text object All characters numbers and special characters may be used for this string e Font or typeface FelixCAD includes a set of fonts that can be used in creating text objects Font files are marked by the extension shx concerning AutoCAD s own compiled shape fonts fsh concerning FelixCAD s own compiled shape fonts ttf True Type fonts e Text size height of characters
249. not possible to edit any of the entities that make up the part If you need to edit one of the entities comprising the part then the part must be exploded In addition to exploding parts this command is used to explode polylines hatching and dimensions There are in fact two versions of the Explode command 1 Select Edit gt Explode Complex Objects from the menu The Explode Complex Objects dialog box is displayed gt xplode The Explode Complex Objects dialog box appears Select objects P1 1 selected Select objects Enter x x 1 selected Explode Complex Objects Filter I Polylines Cancel T Hatches T Dimensions All Types This dialog box allows you to select all objects in the drawing then have only all parts and or polylines etc exploded 2 Type Xplode at the command prompt No dialog box is displayed gt xplode Select objects P1 1 selected Select objects Enter kxk 1 selected After selecting the object s to explode press Enter and the parts or polylines or hatches or dimensions are exploded You may now choose any of the entities for editing Warning If attributes are attached to the part they are lost with the explosion The attribute data is converted to the attribute name as a text entity 255 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups THE PART LIBRARY ps El The Library command Part gt Part Symbol Library lets you to ma
250. ns Files Files Parameter RotAngel ScaleFac OFFICE13 FLX OFFICEO1 FLX OFFICE 14 FLX OFFICEO2 FLX er zZz Specifying the Drawing Files The Part Library Setup dialog box allows you to select the flx drawing files for the library You are limited to selecting drawing files from a single folder sub directory On the other hand you can have more than one library file in a folder Note the part library setup only allows addition or removal of FLX file formats If you wish to create a part library from existing DWG or DXF files covert the files to FLX format using the batch processing function of FelixCAD see BATPROC command To add drawings to the library highlight the filenames in Files list then click to the gt button to add them to the Library list The gt gt buttons adds all files to the library The lt button removes selected files from Library list while the lt lt button removes all part files When a single file is selected in either list box the preview window displays an image of the drawing 258 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Options The Options button displays the Part Library Dialog Layout Options dialog box which lets you select the user interface options displayed by the Part Library dialog box Options Library Title The Title edit box requires you to provide a name for the part library dialog box Buttons
251. ns are available as well Alignment Align When the Align option is active the Insertion Point Height Angle and Reference Point options are grayed out That s because the Align option will prompt you to pick two points on the drawing the attribute text is placed between the two points The first point is interpreted as the insertion point the second point sets the angle and the scale factor which determines the text height Fit The Fit option also places the attribute test between two points like the Align option The sole difference is that the Height field remains available Upon insertion the text height remains fixed but the text string is expanded or compressed as required to fit Center The Center option centers the attribute text vertically and horizontally Text height and rotation angle may be specified as usual Flags Invisible When Invisible is on the attribute text is not displayed in the drawing This is useful since attribute text tends to clutter the drawing You can change the visibility later with the DrawMode command 265 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Constant When Constant is on the attribute s value cannot be changed When off the user is prompted by the Request You can change the value later with the AttXEdit command Preselect The Preselect option causes the attribute to accept its default value automatically When Preselect is active you
252. ns that the drawing needs to be plotted in a usually smaller scale For some drawings you may need to print a drawing that incorporates different scales for different parts of the drawing Examples include Drawing title blocks Display different views and regions Create details of the model Lay out part lists legends annotations and instructions on the drawing sheet To serve to solve these tasks in a flexible manner FelixCAD provides two modes to handle a drawing model mode and layout mode These modes are sometimes known as model space and paper space or print space The objects are drawn in model space In paper space you reproduce the model in different views and scales and annotate the drawing with text How you use layout mode is determined by user and company CAD standards Generally there are two methods applied to their use 1 Keep the drawing boarders at 1 1 scale and scale down the views to fit or 2 Make all views in layout mode at 1 1 scale and scale up the drawing boarder text and dimensions to suit It is recommended you choose one method only Note Layout mode is not always the easiest way of finishing a drawing If you create a pure 2D drawing often it is easier to insert on separate layers title blocks part lists and details in model space which are scaled to a larger factor to fit to a certain paper size Some drawings are created easier at true scale When using layout mode remember that
253. nt option is used to draw a circle of given radius or diameter tangent to two lines The first prompt asks for the tangent elements First select these entities After choosing the second object enter the radius of the circle to be drawn The radius of the last circle drawn is displayed as the default value by the program Verify this choice with Enter or choose a new value manually or by pointing it on the screen The circle is placed so that it touches tangentially the two chosen entities If the chosen radius is smaller than the distance of the two objects to each other the circle is moved in the direction of the imaginary point of intersection so that the defined radius touches the extension of the elements If the specified radius for a tangential construction is not valid the program gives the message Circle does not exist 141 ARC Chapter 5 Draw S The Arc command Draw gt Arc draws arc objects There are many ways to geometrically describe an arc FelixCAD provides you with these options e 3Point specify three points the starting point a second point and the end point e SEnd specify two points and the radius or the angle of the arc or a tangent through the starting point e SCenter specify two points and the center point e CStart specify the center point the starting point and the angle e CRadius specify the center point radius the starting angle and the ending ang
254. ntly in each drawing The Setup command displays the Drawing Setup dialog box Linear Units Linear units can be given a display accuracy ranging from zero to eight decimal places In the case of fractional units the display accuracy ranges from 0 no fractions to 1 256 You can select five kinds of units Decimal units metric 12 3456 Fractional units unitless fractions 12 3 4 Architectural units feet and fractional inches 12 3 4 Engineering units feet and decimal inches 12 3 456 Scientific units exponential notation 1 234E 02 73 Angular Units Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision The Angular Units can be given a display accuracy ranging from zero to eight decimal places FelixCAD recognized these angular measurement systems Orientation Decimal degrees 12 3456 Degrees minutes seconds 12d34 56 Grads 400 grads in a circle 12 34 Radians 12 34r Surveyors units N12d34 56 E In most drawings angles are measured in the counterclockwise direction This is the default in FelixCAD and is called Standard Angles You can however change the orientation so that positive angles are measured in the clockwise direction called Compass Angles Angle Zero Direction In most forms of drafting zero degrees is located at the positive X axis East or 3 o clock FelixCAD allows you to change the location of zero degrees For example surveyors normally set zero
255. o copy objects from one FelixCAD drawing to another 1 Start the CopySelect command 2 You are prompted for an insertion base point Select a point or type X Y coordinates This point is used later during the paste process We recommend that you use 0 0 as the insertion base point The same coordinates should also be entered when you paste the information into the destination drawing gt COPYSELECT Insertion base point P1 3 Select the objects to be copied to the clipboard Finish the object selection by pressing Enter Select objects pick Select objects Enter 4 Switch to the other FelixCAD drawing 5 Use the Paste command to paste the object s into the drawing The prompts are the same as for the Insert command 330 Chapter 12 Export and Import PASTE FROM CLIPBOARD The Paste command Edit gt Paste Selection from Clipboard copies objects from the Clipboard and inserts them in the current drawing This command only pastes objects in FelixCAD format it does not work when the Clipboard contains other data such as text or a raster image You copy objects from a drawing to the Clipboard with the CopySelect command as described earlier in this chapter then paste copies into other open drawings To copy objects within the current drawing use the Copy command found in the Modify menu To paste objects from the clipboard into the drawing 1 Start the Paste command 2 Specify the insertion point The objec
256. o overwrite existing files in converting files To do this activate the _ Overwrite existing drawings check box Once this option is activated 382 Chapter 16 The BATPROC Batch Process Command there are three possible modes of operation which are chosen by means of radio buttons e Not multiple This radio button prevents overwriting the file if it has already written or if it is inside of the drawing file list which will follow As an example assume you have the composed a list which contains both a file conv flx and a file conv dwg These files would be converted into both the DXF and the DWG format If the unlimited overwriting was set the first file conv flx would be open and saved as conv dxf and as conv dwg It would overwrite the existing file conv dwg too Because this file is also in the list it would be opened again To prevent such occurrences it s highly recommended that you use the Not Multiple option to prevent overwriting of drawing files The technical background of this option is that for each file that is to be overwritten another one is checked If this file has already been written by the Batch Process or if it is part of the remaining list the file won t be overwritten e Not refresh itself This radio button prevents the file from overwriting itself e Always This radio button allows overwrite each selected file including itself LogFile Options The Logfile section of the BATPROC dialog box is locate
257. o that you can specify the circle several different ways such as by centerpoint or circumference radius or diameter or tangent points Keyboard Unlike most Windows applications FelixCAD allows you to type commands via keyboard input The advantages are that you work faster and can enter precise parameters In fact combinations of both keyboard and mouse input are still more efficient An example would be starting a Line command by simply hitting the L key and a right mouse click to start the command etc Note for AutoCAD Users Refer to the FelixCAD for AutoCAD companion guide for instructions on how to convert the default FelixCAD command alias to an AutoCAD emulated command alias Most of the commands that create modify and detail drawings are keyboard based as are FLISP expressions Some specific Window operations are accessed via accelerator keys such as Ctrl F4 to close a window To type a command at keyboard enter the command name behind the command prompt in the Command Line area The command prompt looks like this gt Chapter 1 The Basics You are then asked to enter additional input which you can do with the keyboard or the mouse gt circle Center point pick Radius 2 35 gt Pull Down Menus Commands and their options can be selected using the pull down menus You can click on the menu items or use the keyboard To access the Circle command from the menus click on the Draw menu then click
258. object snap for accuracy The command displays the calculated dimension This value can either be altered or confirmed with Enter You are not asked to position the dimensioning line since the second dimension is drawn at a preset distance from existing dimensioning lines 304 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Ordinate Dimensioning Ordinate dimensioning is used to determine the X and Y coordinates of a point in the drawing gt DIMORD Coordinate point X Coordinate point Pl Extension length P2 Dimensioning text lt 20 00 gt Enter The X and Y options are displayed on the option bar Selecting one option to specify whether you want the X or Y coordinate value placed The X value is the default and will be used if the Y option is not selected You are prompted to select the point to be measured Type in the coordinate values or select with the cursor If the point is a geometric point on an entity use object snap When the command prompts for Extension length indicate the extension line position This can be positioned at any alignment and distance from the dimensioning line To help the command draws a line from the selected coordinates to the current cursor position This illustrates the distance and alignment between the two positions Select the position with the cursor 20 0000 i 10 0000 Example of coordinate dimensioning X axis top and Y axis bottom If the dimension is not placed hori
259. ode defines a polygon by two or more vertex points All entities within and crossing the polygon are selected Select objects cp First point pick Next point pick Next point pick Next point Enter Select objects Cpolygon 69 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Fence The Fence selection mode defines a polyline by two or more vertex points All entities crossing the polylinare selected Select objects f First point pick Next point pick Next point pick Next point Enter Select objects Continue object selection or terminate it by pressing Enter Last The Last object selection mode selects the last drawn entity and adds it to the selecting set Select objects 1 Select objects It is not possible to repeatedly use the Last mode to add to the selection set since it only works for the one last drawn entity Note If the last drawn entity lies on a frozen layer you receive the message in the command line area that no entity was selected 70 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Previous The Previous option restores the previous selecting set All entities are marked and highlighted from the previous selection operation This option makes it fast to select the same selection set over and over Select objects p Select objects Note If the previous selection set lies on a frozen layer you receive
260. oint P2 Text style lt STANDARD gt Normal Height lt 2 gt 1 Rotation angle lt 0 gt 45 Text lt first floor gt lst floor Attribute Definition The Change command changes the following properties of attributes as for text Inserting point Text style Text height Rotation angle As well as the these specific properties of attributes Name determines the name of the attribute enter a new name Request enter a new line of text for the attribute prompt Parameter value the constant or variable value of the attribute enter a new value a sequence of characters or numbers 219 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects You find more information about attributes in Parts and Attributes XRefs amp Groups gt CHANGE Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion Pl Select entity line circle arc text attribute definition block insertion Enter Modification point P2 Text style lt STANDARD gt Normal Height lt 2 gt 1 Rotation angle lt 0 gt 45 Text lt first floor gt lst floor Name lt Att003 gt Enter Request lt Index No gt current number Parameter value lt 1 01 gt 2 01 Part e The Change command allows you to change the insertion point and the rotation angle of a part Dragmode is automatically activated during the change of this attribute gt CHANGE Select entity Line circle arc text attribute definition part P1 Sele
261. ol first icon in the second row is the Insert Block command Command Line and Text Window The command line and the text window are the primary communications link between you and the program In its default condition FelixCAD places the command line directly below the menu bar In the figure above the command line is the rectangular box containing the words Loading C CAD The command line is the place where 41 Chapter 1 The Basics e You type commands and option names if you prefer typing to mouse clicking e You specify coordinates and values select objects and confirm inputs e FelixCAD displays the selection or input steps for the user for example 4 selected e FelixCAD displays messages indications and warnings for example Command not found All commands you select whether by menu palette or at the command line are displayed at the command line This lets you verify commands and options before they are confirmed At the same time the command line and the text window provides a history of your design session You can read back and reconstruct program steps of the working session The command line is not used for everything When a command has many choices FelixCAD displays a dialog box instead Dialog boxes are used for e Displaying and setting system variables e Listing geometric information of selected entities e Displaying information regarding layers loaded linetypes text styles de
262. olute distance Distance along the X Y and Z axis Angle in the XY plane Angle from the XY plane The Distance is the absolute distance shortest line distance between the two points The Angle in the XY plane measures the angle to the second point starting from the X axis It always displays the lesser valued angle no matter what the rotation direction The Angle from the XY plane measures the angle between the first and the second point from the XY plane to the Z axis It is assumed that the first point lies on the XY plane The Delta X Delta Y and Delta Z report the distance between the two points in the direction of the respective axis of the coordinate system All length values are given in drawing units 318 Chapter 11 Inquiry and Information Programs AREA CIRCUMFERENCE Ld The Area command Edit gt Area Circumference finds the area and the circumference of one or more drawing objects For objects that do not have an area the length is displayed instead of the circumference The command also allows you to add and subtract areas from the total area To determine the circumference and the area of one or more objects proceed as follows gt AREA First point P1 Next point P2 Next point P3 Next point P4 Next point Enter Area 0 75 Length 3 66 First point Enter 1 Determining the circumference or length and the area of an object is done by defining points that describe the geometry
263. omment Paper Orientation Size Letter 8 1 2 x 11 in I Portrait Source Upper tray I Landscape You find detailed instructions regarding the options specific to the printer plotter as well as installing and connecting the printer or plotter in the Windows User Manual or in the output device s manual Only the steps related to FelixCAD s use of the printer plotter are in this manual Printer The Printer area of the Print Setup dialog box specifies the printer or plotter to be used Output devices which are available on your computer system are displayed in the Name list To see the complete list click the arrow at the right edge To change the printer select a different printer name Properties The Properties button opens another dialog box which contain settings specific to the selected printer You will find more information regarding options and installation possibilities in the device s user manual Paper Size The size of the paper as well as the source of the paper is controlled from the Paper area Select the proper size and feed Orientation Select either Portrait or Landscape for the desired paper orientation 336 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode PRINT OR PLOT A DRAWING The Print command File gt Print sends the drawing to the printer or plotter First though select the extent of the drawing to be printed view vet wraow we These options allow you to
264. on from the option bar and enter a group name This selects all of the entities belonging to the group Groups therefore can be treated as named selection sets Other modify commands such as Offset Lengthen Intersect and Trim request a single entity Anytime you are prompted to select a single entity the group does not matter These commands modify the geometry of single entity even though the entity belongs to a group The modified entity remains a member of the group 281 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups The following table summarizes the editing commands and describes how entities that are members of a group will be processed when using each command Command DELETE MIRROR COPY ARRAY STRETCH TRIM EXPAND OFFSET FILLET CHAMFER LENGTHEN INTERSECT DELPARTIAL REJOIN PARTDEF HATCH HATCHEDIT TEXTEDIT Comments Selecting a single entity selects all entities of the group unless you use the Single object selection mode When a single entity of a group is deleted the entity is removed from the group definition Selecting a single entity selects all entities of the group unless you use the Single object selection mode Selecting a single entity selects all entities of the group unless you use the Single object selection mode FelixCAD gives anonymous names to copied groups such as A1 and A2 Entities belonging to a group selected with the Crossing or
265. oning Style eee ee cece esse eu eono e E EEEE EESE ESEE ea KESE E e EE R ESS 310 HATCHING sss ssseccsasssveasssasecesencssensessecsuss Sodvaseenssesusasuassbcbseseshsescav sues Soe ors SEE Coop Sedi SoTa Sots S E SE E ASS iot 312 HATCH Command Adding Hatch Marks to an Object eesssesesseessseeesssesrrssrsreerrsrerrssrerresesrreresreee 315 Modify Patching oisinn aa aani e a EE EEE E r EEEE RESETE SEES 316 INQUIRY AND INFORMATION PROGRAMS esseesseeseosseosseossessoecsoeccoescoeseosseosseossessceeesoesooesooesooeseossesseesseeesoeesoseoe 317 Ide tify Coordipate iss rarena e aiioe O EEDE th cde SAES ESE EEE RENE SS 317 IDIR EON t AE ESE Sas EEE EE SEE E EEE a ee EEE ete S EE 318 Areas Circ feren Ce ira ess sscessek sou sesp dese aT desis Ea Ena ea ja Saba soe SEEE EREE ER ESEESE EEEa ESTERASE Tot 319 EEN y Dai KO prae ETETE EE O EE E T E E EEEE 321 Drawing Database Tables sisser eiere eese niin enas eene E ERO EEEE eoe SRO Eo EEEE ET 322 EXPORT AND IMPORT ics sssuccscseseonsiscesstesscsvesdassscstessnasscoossevesssecsvonsesdesaseenssvebsasaee GecsseuessescassussscouadousSscobasssbececens 325 Save As DXB amp DWGe wes28 cenciets eevee a neha eee in eects aod ates aaa 326 Open DXF amp DW Geiss cscessebiata shes cacessateatisces dieessateela hes cas eesebensueoes bead sedebea shen sscoe ruses deeeaneeicese ss 326 WME EX POPE nrinn nn cushoene se E sdap ebcubeees ov Ssa N N sah adeby cuneate 327 Bitmap Export no er sdk shhh uaa ao en o E aat
266. ons bar Insert The Insert option allows you to add a vertex which also add another segment to the polyline Select the option then move the market to the position of the additional vertex gt VIXEDIT Select a 2D Polyline Pl Next Enter Next Insert New control point P2 Next Esc The width of this new segment corresponds to the value of the width of the polyline at the bordering control points before the addition of the new segment After inserting a segment the VtxEdit command stays active You may select another option or terminate the command by pressing Esc 224 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Move The Move option relocates a vertex of the polyline to a new position gt VTXEDIT Select a 2D Polyline P1 Next Enter Next Move New Position P2 Next Esc First determine the vertex to be relocated then define the new position of the chosen vertex The vertex is moved to this position Other segments of the polyline will remain unchanged After moving a vertex the VtxEdit command stays active You may select another option or terminate the command by pressing Esc Delete The Delete option erases a vertex from the polyline gt VTXEDIT Selection of a 2D Polyline Pl Next Enter Next Delete Next Esc Move the marker to the vertex to be deleted then select the Delete option from the options bar The segment that has its starting point at the selected vertex will be deleted The
267. oper s Engine GDE licensing allows low cost distribution of vertical market applications with flexible low cost licensing designed to suit the needs of any size developer Contact Us We look forward to your successes with FelixCAD Please don t hesitate to contact us for assistance at info fcad com North America or info fcad de outside North America Tell us your thoughts on the product and your experiences with its use whether you are a user or a developer Your input is welcome and we look forward to hearing from you Introduction and Installation PROGRAM INSTALLATION AND SETUP FelixCAD is available for purchase on CD or via download off the Internet FelixCAD includes an automated installation routine which is run by using the appropriate Windows run function under the Windows Start menu to execute the program Setup Exe For information on where to purchase FelixCAD please visit www fcad com or www fcad de Installation on Windows 95 98 NT 2000 XP and Me 1 If you purchased a CD version of FelixCAD go to step 2 If you downloaded FelixCAD off the Internet save the file s from your download into a temporary directory on your computer and proceed to step 3 2 Insert the FelixCAD CD ROM into the CD drive of your computer 3 From the Start button browse the CD ROM or download folder to select the Setup program file CD versions are set to autorun so the installation may start up auto
268. ose and Undo Options After you select one of the Line command s option listed above FelixCAD displays the following options on the option bar tess toe i a The Undo and Close options are available on the option bar when drawing a line chain 2D polyline or 3D polyline 136 Chapter 5 Draw Undo The Undo option allows you to undo the last step taken In other words the last drawn segment is erased The end point of the last line segment may then used as a starting point of another segment if required Undo can be repeated as long as a segment of the line exists The last segment is erased with each successive Undo The end point of the previous segment can then used as a starting point of the next segment Close This option allows you to draw a closed polygon Choose the Close option from the option bar or type C at the keyboard FelixCAD draws a line segment that connects the end point of the last line to the start point of the first line The Close option also allows you to create closed 3D polylines TT Option The TT option is short for Tangent Tangent It allows you to draw a line tangent to two arcs or circles The TT option is useful in creating compound or reverse curves with a line segment in between the arcs You are presented with two prompts as follows Tangent from Tangent to After picking the two arcs or circles the Line command continues with the To point prompt 137 CI
269. ou mix keyboard entry with cursor picks You can for example point the X coordinate on the screen and type the Y coordinate value Here is an example with the Line command gt line From point P1 To point x 10 X coordinate end of P2 To point 15 y Y coordinate cen of P3 The x 10 is an example of using coordinate filters You provided the Y coordinate via the keyboard 10 then picked the X coordinate on the screen In addition this example shows the use of object snap modes The words end and cen are endpoint and center point respectively So when you picked the X coordinate you used the ENDpoint object snap to pick at the end of an open object such as a line or arc 65 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision The coordinate filters are X Provide Y and Z ask for X Y Provide X and Z ask for Y Z Provide X and Y ask for Z XY Ask for X and Y optionally provide Z y Z Ask for Y and Z provide X X Z Ask for Z and Z provide Y X y Z Ask for X Y and Z From When you are prompted to enter a point the From option allows you to identify a point relative to a base point For example in a running line command you see these prompts and responses gt line From point from Base point pick Offset point 3 3 To point The From option is different from object snap modes in that it does not expect you to pick a geometric features Instead it serves to retrieve a relative point from a tempora
270. ox You must type a logical name in the Xref Name field This can be the same as the filename if it is eight or fewer characters The logical name must be short since it is used at the prefix for the names of dependant symbol names layer names linetypes etc Options The other options of the dialog box let you specify preferences for the insertion and are identical to those found in the dialog box of the Insert command insertion point scale factor and rotation angle as described earlier in this chapter Click OK and the drawing attached If any of the Interactive check boxes are on you will be prompted for the insertion point scale factor and or rotation angle Reload The Reload button updates an externally referenced drawing during a current drawing session The reload reflects any modifications made to the external file Note When you attach an xref it is displayed in its current state When working on a project in a workgroup over a network it may be necessary to update one or more external references from time to time That s because another person may be editing the drawing at the same time you are using it as an xref After this person saves their work you need to reload the xref to ensure that you are seeing the latest version just saved To reload an xref select the drawing from the list box and click the Reload button 275 Path Bind Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and G
271. ox appears which is the same dialog box as described earlier Choose a linetype from the list and click OK Set Current Color You may want to override the color assigned to the layer known as the BYLAYER color To change the color of an entity after it has been drawn use the PropEdit command described later on in this chapter To change the current color click the Color button in the control panel The Layer Manager dialog box appears which is the same dialog box as described earlier Choose a color from the list and click OK 123 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties Set Layer by Reference The LayRef command Options gt Set Layer provides an alternative form of layer control which you may find more appropriate and direct You can set turn off freeze lock or unlock a layer by picking a reference entity Choose one of the options from the options bar The Set option is the default option for LayRef it is used if you select no other option When you choose Set the routine prompts Select referenc ntity to set layer The layer on which the picked entity is located is now the current one The command also provides options to turn disabled layers on or to thaw frozen layers in a dialog box All layers with the corresponding mode are highlighted in a list box When you choose the OK button all marked layers in the list box is turned on or frozen 124 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties MODIFYING OBJECT
272. pe files Mm Lin for metric drawings and Inch Lin for imperial drawings Your office or your client may provide you with project specific linetype files In addition you may use most existing AutoCAD lin files or create customized linetypes by following the syntax of the lin files 114 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties To load a linetype file 1 Select Linetypes from the Options menu or type the Linetype command FelixCAD opens the Open Linetype File dialog box 2 Type the name of the linetype file in the Filename input field or choose a lin file from the file list 3 Next choose one or more or all linetypes from the list in the Linetype dialog box The preview area at the top of the dialog box assists you to find the appropriate linetype 4 After you choose and load the linetype s you assign them to a layer by using the Layer Manager Or they may be associated with an existing drawing objects with the PropEdit command 115 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties Layer Visibility One of the primary advantages of working with layers is that they aid you in visualizing the part or drawing The visual clarity of a drawing can be improved by turning off the visibility of some layers this hides the entities residing on those layers Every layer can be turned on or off independent of all other layers Changing the visibility is done through the Layer Manager Layer command On Off Status When a lay
273. pies created by this command are exact copies of the selected entities All entity attributes such as layers line type color etc are copied as well as the outline of the objects gt copy Select objects pick Select objects Enter Specify base point or select option Relative Point Multiple pick Target point pick Select the objects to be copied and end object selection with Enter The option bar displays the Basepoint and Rel Point option The Basepoint option prompts you for base point and the target point the position to which the copy is to move The Rel Point option asks for the relative points by specifying the move in the X Y and Z directions You don t to specify a Z delta gt COPY Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Basepoint Rel Point Relative point dX dY dZ 2 3 Position of objects before left and after right the copying 188 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects ROTATE ii The Rotate command Modify gt Rotate rotates entities through an angle about an axis gt ROTATE Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Basepoint P2 Rotation angle 60 Select the objects to be rotated roe e sd O The command prompts for a basepoint which is the point about which the entities are rotated We recommend that you pick a corner or the center of an entity but you may pick any point whether on or off of the geometry When pro
274. plying hatching or area fills using distinctive patterns increases the clarity and legibility of a drawing Hatching or cross hatching an object adds meaning to the drawing and helps differentiate between materials areas or other unique attributes Many disciplines specify norms and specifications that demand the correct use of specific hatch markings within a drawing The Hatch and BHatch commands Detail gt Hatch and Detail gt Boundary Hatch enable you to use pre defined hatch patterns to fill selected areas of the drawing With the aid of the Cross Hatching dialog box you select the hatch pattern from a list and view a sample in the preview window The preview function simplifies the creation of new patterns and makes it easy to alter existing ones Experienced users can choose to bypass this option completely and use the keyboard to input the hatch pattern procedures directly 312 Chapter 10 Hatching Associative Character of Hatch Patterns A hatch pattern is described as having an associative character when it is positioned so that it adjusts to changes in location size and design of the hatched area To use the associa
275. point P2 Endpoint P3 You may enter the coordinates of the center point manually or pick them with the cursor The arc is defined when the end point is entered It is possible to end the arc by entering an angle manually or picking it instead of the end point The program expects a closed angle and defines it as the angle between the starting point the center point and the end point of the arc 145 Chapter 5 Draw CStart Option Center Point Start Point End Point The CStart option draws the arc beginning with the center point followed by the start and end point After choosing CStart from the option bar define the center point Then enter the starting point and the end point of the arc It is possible to enter a closed angle instead of the end point Center point Pl Start point P2 End point P3 or angle specification CRadius Option Center Point Radius Angle The CRadius option starts an arc by defining its center point After that you specify the radius and the starting and ending angle of the arc A rubberband line helps you to determine the angle Center point Pl Radius radius specification Starting angle P2 Ending angle P3 Append Option The Append option appends an arc to lines and other arcs The arc is determined by two points the starting point is the connection with the existing line or arc the end point belongs to the new arc First choose a line or an arc to which the new arc should
276. pper area You can search the whole drawing for part by clicking the Find all parts button 5 Add the attributes to be exported by clicking the Add button The Attributes list shows the attributes which have been selected for export e N numeric value e C character string e 16 or other number length of the field input for the attribute For numeric values the number of the decimal digits is also displayed Add To remove attributes from the list select one or more lines in the list and click Delete 6 Next determine the field type in the Part Properties list Click the Add Modify button to specify the field length in characters and define the 333 10 11 Chapter 12 Export and Import number of the decimal digits for numeric fields Note that the definition of the field type is valid for all selected attributes In the Part Properties Definitions dialog box you can change the field and text delimiter In a CDF file commas usually separate the fields and text is usually surrounded by quote marks Determine the name of the output file Click the button to display the file dialog box The Display button lets you preview the output Here you can export the attribute data the Windows Clipboard The Save Settings check box saves these settings for the next time you export attributes The OK button exports the attributes to the CDF file In some cases you may get an error message The
277. pter 7 Text Text Styles OUTLINE MONO Adding and Changing Text Styles Selecting an existing text style making changes to it or adding a new style are all done in the same way and are therefore discussed in this one section Add a New Text Style To add a new type style to the drawing 1 Use the Fonts command to open the Text Style dialog box 2 Click New Notice the New Text Style dialog box 3 Define the parameters of the new text style and click OK New Text Style S 2 De wards F Venica oT om Up SHX fonts and FSH fonts are listed by the name of the file in which the fonts are stored All installed True Type fonts provided with your Windows system 231 Chapter 7 Text are listed by font family name So you can assign a font to a text style by selecting either a True Type typeface name and its font style Standard Bold or Cursive for instance or a SHX respective FSH file If the font file is located in another folder click the find button The Open Font File dialog box opens Select the font file from the other drive or folder Changing Font Properties After the new font has been selected its properties can be edited Click the Modify button to display the New Text Style dialog box Height text size expressed in drawing units Entering a numeric value for Height gives the font a fixed height which can no longer be changed when creating the text using this style If you think that a change
278. pts input and output media and hotkey assignment of function keys just to name a few examples FelixCAD is very flexible with regard to configuration of its user interface You can choose between a standard pull down menu an AutoCAD work a like menu or create one of your own Menu Palette and Dialog Box Customization FelixCAD contains an integrated Dialog and Menu Editor DME This editor adapts menus to specific tasks and creates brand new menu structures Most importantly these changes do not require any programming knowledge Palettes are toolboxes that allow for direct point and click access to commands and functions There are a number of palettes included with FelixCAD that are designed to make drawing tasks easier Should you require additional functionality the Dialog and Menu Editor lets you create as many new palettes as you wish The new palettes may contain discipline related commands and functions or be application related Palettes may be called upon through point and click techniques or by hotkeys To insure optimum productivity they can be freely placed anywhere on the program desktop If you prefer to modify the standard FelixCAD desktop you may simply choose to edit the included palettes using the included DME FLISP Programming The integrated FelixCAD LISP interpreter FLISP facilitates the adaptation and extension of FelixCAD It also opens up the possibility of working with other programs u
279. r 130 Chapter 5 Draw DRAWING MODES Draw gt Drawing Modes DrawMode command lets you specify the proper visibility and display control of drawing entities The command displays the Visibility and Display Modes for Drawing Entities dialog box Visibility and Display Modes for Drawing Entities r Point Representation m Linetype Scale Factor o C L LY IV Fill Solid Entities lololeietlol Attribute Display Mode Boe eo Display as defined All invisible Display all Point Size 3D Face Edges 9 Absolute Size Display as defined Relative to Screen Display all Ac Segments sal z Segments 8 1024 fas erceni i Cancel When you change a setting in this dialog box the setting applies to all objects drawn from then on The changes do not affect all drawn objects until the active view has been regenerated using the Regenerate command found in the Window menu Linetype Scale Factor The Linetype Scale Factor LtScale command determines the scale factor for lines drawn with a linetype The default is 1 0 A larger number results in extended line patterns dash lines are longer a smaller number contracts the line patter dash lines are shorter To change the scale factor enter a new number in the text edit box Note If the linetype scale factor is set to a very low number dashed or center ines may appear to be continuous t
280. r such as the Windows Notepad If you edit the file with a word processor such as WordPerfect make sure that the file is save as pure text only Word processors normally store files in a proprietary binary format To modify a tablet menu file you need to edit two primary areas of the file 1 the SETTINGS area which defines the row and column layout of the menu areas and 2 the FIELD area which defines the commands that are executed when you pick with your tablet cursor pick button The SETTINGS Section The header looks like this SECTION SETTINGS BEGIN SECTIONIDENT Columns Lines Section_1 10 10 END The SECTIONIDENT defines the name of this menu section The Lines and Columns define how many rows and columns will be immediately below this section You can have up to eight sections in the menu file The FIELDS Section Here is an example of a field line TABLETITEM A_01 Help Status Bar Help Item FCMD COMMAND The A_01 defines the row and column item The Help Status Bar defines the information that will be displayed when the cursor selects the item The Help Item defines the help item in the help file The FCMD identifies that a command is coming and should not be modified 392 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing The COMMAND defines the command that will be executed Normally you prefix all commands with the symbol
281. r plan Should the group be selectable Yes No y Select objects c First corner P1 Other corner P2 18 selected Select objects Enter x 18 selected Exploding Groups Group definitions are removed by the Explode option of the Group command When a group is dissolved the entry in the group table is deleted in the drawing database The original drawing entities will return to their previous state within the drawing 279 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups To explode a group start the Group command with the Explode option At the Group name prompt type the name of the group to be exploded Note A single entity may belong to multiple groups and groups may be parts of other groups In these two cases the Explode option does not allow you to pick an entity within those groups This Explode option is not the same as the Explode command used with parts and hatching Renaming Groups The name of a group may be changed by the Group command s Rename option This is often used when anonymous groups which have names like A1 and A2 are created by the Copy commands exist FelixCAD automatically gives anonymous names to groups created by commands such as Copy Mirror and Array To rename a group start the Group command with the Rename option At the Current group name prompt type the name of the group such as A0O At the New group name prompt enter a new
282. r point 149 ARC SEGMENTS 137 158 173 184 206 221 ARRAY 201 284 352 in rows and columns 202 ATTACH 278 SEE XINSERT SEE XLINK ATTRIBUTES creating 267 insertion point 269 Part definitions with attributes 271 text options 269 ATTRIBUTES 1 53 132 192 223 245 247 260 267 SEE COMMAND ATTEDIT SEE COMMAND ATTDEF display mode 136 Display mode 275 AUTOCAD drawings See DWG and DXF AUTOMATIC BACKUP SETTING 59 BASEPOINT 200 BATCH PROCESSING 339 383 89 BEARINGS 78 BHATCH SEE HATCH BIND 280 BLOCKS SEE PARTS BOUNDARY SEE PCONTOUR edge 211 216 316 379 BOX SEE 3D BOX BPOLY SEE PCONTOUR B SPLINED CURVE 230 BYLAYER 44 117 123 126 127 297 C C LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING INTERFACE 4 CENTER 46 62 66 80 86 87 90 133 142 143 144 146 148 149 150 152 153 156 168 170 193 203 206 221 234 240 250 270 290 294 310 322 345 CHAIN 74 84 140 157 163 291 305 308 CHANGE attributes 272 dimension 313 object properties 129 395 polyline 225 text 243 CHANGE 221 24 ALSO SEE ATTEDIT POLYEDIT PROPEDIT TEXTEDIT CIRCLE 49 50 74 87 91 93 132 137 152 202 207 218 222 246 299 310 311 323 339 CIRCLE SEE COMMAND CIRCLE Diameter 145 Radius 144 Tangent 145 Three points on circumference 143 CLIPBOARD 326 328 331 332 334 335 338 362 CLIPPING RASTER IMAGE 379 CLOSING A DRAWING 35 COLOR OF LAYER 117 COMMAND 2DFACE 165 COMMA
283. range the desktop The menu allows you to determine the layout of the command line option menu or bar property bar left toolbar control panel and status line ee V Top Options gt Bottom v Properties Off Left Toolbar gt v Status Bar The Desktop Layout pop up menu Command Line The command line can be placed at the top of the screen below the menu bar or at the bottom of the screen above the status line If you are an advanced user familiar with the program s command set you might even turn off the command line Options The options menu can be displayed as a bar under the command line or as a floating menu Once again if you are an advanced user familiar with the command options you can turn off the option menu and bar Properties The property bar can be turned on or off We recommend you turn it on Left Toolbar The control panel also known as the left toolbar can be turned on or off Status Bar The status bar can be turned on or off We recommend you leave it on 57 Chapter 1 The Basics Customizing Toolbars The toolbars we call them palettes assemble buttons that represent a common set of commands or sequence of commands Dragging an Icon to a Toolbar You add command icons or symbols to a toolbar by simply dragging a button from a palette into a toolbar Follow these steps 1 Open a palette containing the icon of a command which you want to place into a toolbar Type the
284. rawing files they are independent of the current drawing and can be used by other drawings and CAD programs We recommend that your store external part in a library so that they can be easily accessed by all users at your firm Note AutoCAD users know these External Blocks as Wblocks Attribute Definitions A part can be given attributes which are used to store non graphical data such as part number price or manufacturer name Attributes can be displayed or be hidden from view Attributes can be exported to a text file then read by a database or spreadsheet for further processing such as counting all the parts in the drawing 243 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups CREATING PARTS A part is created in three steps 1 select a group of entities 2 name the part and 3 select an insertion point for the part Creating an Internal Part The PartDef command Parts gt Define Part creates an internal part The command displays the Part Selection dialog box Pail Selection Ei Post Nore TUEN E Cancel Existing Fuis Punters pranw DETAL Die baining DO beeots Harden Obpecks C Fepasa by Inetence Part Name The name of the part can have up to 31 characters long In addition to letters and numbers you may use the and _ characters do not use any spaces in the name Existing Parts If the drawing already contains parts their names are listed in th
285. rband Any command that requires selection of two or more points a marking line rubberband line follows the cursor movement This line connects the last selected point with the current cursor position This gives you a visual impression of the operation and allows a better estimate of distances and angles between the last fixed point and the following point The rubberband line is useful both in drawing and in modifying objects Used during the drawing process it illustrates the e Ending point of the next segment of a line chain or polyline e Radius or diameter of a circle e Distance between starting and ending point of an arc e Next corner point of a 2D or 3D plane When used during modification of objects the rubberband shows the distance and angle from one base point to a second point as well as the target point for moving copying scaling or other modifying steps Object Preview The object preview shows in advance the contours of an object to be designed or modified It is possible to recognize the consequences of changing of parameters like the radius of a circle or like removing or changing the angle of a copy of the original object This option allows you to interactively influence these changes 72 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision PRECISION AND UNITS SETTINGS FelixCAD allows you to set the format and display accuracy of numbers and angles The settings are saved with each drawing so they can be set differe
286. ren re r a EEEE EE E EEES E S ESES 113 Layer Manager iesin n a E R T E N a N 117 Q ick Access to Layers rmen e E E E hasta Ea bbe EEEE E EE A eva 122 Modifying Object Properties eee cee csecseeeeeeeecessceeecesecesecsecsaecsaecsaecseseaecsaecseseaeseneeeeeenreesaeenaes 125 Modify Object Layer sis r eara rar sedschesthbnseph tosses subsea sactesvess ists sasvshsveessce sees soedosenadcobasesegbasessscosssssesvess 127 Copy Object Properties secesii eese eenn see ines i esee e oes eae a or E SeS rao NES Kee EEEE pSr 127 AR antel aA E E E E ntosedeabevess 128 DRAW DRAWING BASIC ENTITIES AND OBJECTS sesesesesseseoseseseseoscscoccseseseoscecoseeeseseoscscoceseseseoseseoseseseseoscseosee 129 Drawing Modes seneese reier oeira rE o eaa Toar EE rE EES E EEEE TETEE EEES Ees ES 131 LMG aise E E EEEE E E scents als ne eeu veg eden E E E E E ees 134 irel Ae E E AMA AS colnet ee NA E MS 138 IN GOD a so Suh sche Sess Es sa cee ch tek St need Pgh E E E EE E op ue Deeds ou ecdneen buenas 148 Trapezoid litecod tel eeu ve eet ete each aoa eats eects fol neues pis eet hted A R ae oe 151 VIPS ire rr dees acheg E T ETT E EE ee obey eerie eae 152 CAIN gece ssh E E A wee Ae E bade we RASC Ree E EA aoe eae eR 153 Polylin 6 2s stil a eine Sah Raa eS ae AN SRR nae Aa ate 154 Pontot miinan Beste A GSR A Re ed eta i IEE OAS 159 BIN EG N RE Ye IAEE E E EEE EE EEEE A E PEE EEN Maat ete E EA 161 Rings DONUT Jaiei essri onee a e a e 164 POS a N a E E 165 Command Measur
287. rketers Table of Contents INTRODUCTION naseiani sones asceccassosecsesesssbestavnavensdsuvesoetececunss S Raeren e ASSES EErEE nTa aa Sase eisa 1 Documentation senis n teehee he Rete eins E ets Ral E E A Sees ote eat 4 FelixCAD For AutoCAD Users Guide 2 cisseccsccsscsscissessoscssbescssecosbcveseossssnasostesbesbisascesssenssevsgeusestasusceovce 5 Customization and Lisp Programmer s Guide 0 e ee ceeeesecee cece cneeeneeeeeeeeeeeeeeecesecsecssecsaecsaesaaeeaeeens 5 Advanced programming using C C or Delphi esesseseesssesesreereseeesrsrrreesresresreeresrerrssesrreresresresee 6 Program Installation and Setup ssssseeeseeeseseeessseeesssesesestsstrtesrestesteseerssertrnsestestesreetesrerrssenrrsrestreseset 7 Whats New in FelixCAD Sonerii E r E EEEE E r EE EE EEE E OE Er EES 9 Whats New n Fe xCA D4 Oi n a oae r A E AAN E S E E E SDS 24 GETTING STARTED THE BASICS OF DRAWING WITH FELIXCAD ccccsssssssssssessssssssesssseesecssesesceeeesacesecsers 27 Starting FeLXCAD oss ths eek ie ee RE eta Hits HE ie e eed RT 29 Opening and Saving Drawings ws sci s5sssse coe5 irais Enies eere DESSE E Sovbavdetasesveuescesscebsbesces SSOP E KESSE Esine 30 he Program s User Interface ehon enr ean aa a ea E T Ea E E ea e a N agen 38 Entering Commands oeenn ee e reee e bus inde E E EE A E EA E ue EE RE SE 47 Drawing Xplorer eea e E hee eA A ee ee eh See 55 DRAWING WITH PRECISION scccscssssccscscosccccscccesccccscscescsesscssesc
288. rners XYZ The XYZ option lets you specify a different scale factor for each of the three coordinates This enables you to input different scaling factors for parts The scaling factor for the X Y and Z axis are each requested Rotation Angle The Rotation angle prompt asks for the angle to rotate the part The default is 0 0 Remember that a counter clockwise rotation requires a positive value a clockwise rotation requires a negative value between 0 and 360 degrees This angle can also be specified using the cursor to pick the value Dragmode shows a preview of the angle as the cursor moves 252 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups PASTE INTERNAL PART 1 1 The InsertQ command Parts gt Paste Internal Part 1 1 is useful for quickly inserting an internal part The command assumes that the scale factor is 1 and the rotation angle is 0 gt INSERTQ Displays Part Selection dialog box Insertion point P1 The Part Selection dialog box lets you select an internal or external part At the Insertion point enter the X Y coordinates or pick a point in the drawing If you want to change the scale factor or rotation angle select from the option bar Facer fowion id See the Quick Insert command for a description of these options MERGE EXTERNAL PART 1 1 The Merge command Parts gt Merge External Part 1 1 is useful for quickly inserting an external part The command
289. rograms FelixCAD allows you to export files in a variety of formats This allows you to edit the drawings using other programs Similarly FelixCAD can import other drawing and graphical formats This allows you to edit drawings created by other software packages It is of prime importance that data be imported and exported without losing any attributes text information or any other part of the data whether graphic or non graphic Import and export command are provided for e Internal and external parts e Attributes e Text entities Each of these is explained in this chapter Note Importing and Exporting a large number of drawings at one time is covered under the BATPROC command 325 Chapter 12 Export and Import SAVE AS DXF amp DWG There are several official and de facto standards for exchange drawings between CAD packages Two of these file formats are known as DXF drawing interchange format and DWG the AutoCAD native file format If a FelixCAD drawing needs to be exported as a file with the dwg or dxf extension it should saved using the SaveAs command File gt Save As After entering the command the common Windows file dialog box opens and allows you to specify the drive path sub directory or folder and filename Select the file format from the Save as type list e AutoCAD R12 File dwg e AutoCAD R13 File dwg e AutoCAD R14 supports 14 01 File dwg e DXF File dxf Matc
290. roups Sometimes an externally referenced drawing is moved to another folder sub directory or is renamed The Path button allows you to re establish the link to the referenced drawing to reload a renamed referenced file or to replace an referenced drawing by another file To edit or relocate the path to a previously linked reference drawing select the external reference to be relocated from the list box and click the Path button From now on the link to the referenced file will be maintained as specified and the data of the referenced file will be updated from that source In some situations it may be useful to make the externally referenced drawing a permanent part of your drawing For example you need to send the drawing to the client or the drawing has been finalized and is going to be archived Binding the referenced drawing to the current drawing has the advantage that there is no need to gather an assembly of drawings within an archive or mail The Bind button inserts an externally referenced drawing into the current drawing Once you bind an xref the link is broken you no longer see any modifications made in the original referenced file Bind also incorporates the layers linetype definitions text styles and dimension styles into the current drawing Recall that an xref used the vertical bar to separate the logical name from the symbol name With binding the vertical bar is replaced by three characters n where n is
291. rties of the new image The changes are only for this drawing session unless you save the property changes d The RCut command RLC only lets you remove a portion of the raster image You must first draw a closed polyline around the area to be clipped The polyline must be a series of straight line segments arcs will be treated as if the chord of the arc was the boundary You must close the polyline You will be prompted to pick the raster image to clip just as in the move image and rotate image commands select raster lt point gt Last n 0 Then you are asked to pick the polyline to use for the clipping Finally the command asks save properties for C Image rlc If you answer no then the image is simply clipped and that portion falling within the polyline boundary is removed from the screen and the properties remain unchanged If you answer yes the following is displayed properties saved for C Image rlc and then the image is cut or clipped inside of the polyline and the properties are saved for the original raster image 373 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing RVECTORS ay P The RVectors command RLC only edits the transformation vectors required to adjust the raster image to match the vector drawing The vectors you define will be drawn on the layer RASTER You can actually draw the vectors before starting this command and it will detect them for you old 444 821 235 641
292. rts All views are displayed simultaneously on the screen while you work on the active view You may have as many as sixteen viewports open on the screen during the drawing process FelixCAD incorporates simple to use static and animated rendering of 3D objects along with light source definition and placement At every step on line help supports you In addition a useful and detailed on line tutor graphically illustrates basic geometry behind various commands The tutorials allow you to call up an illustrated description of the command see how it works and work through an exercise The tutorials includes a discussion of setting up the drawing the user coordinate system the layer concept the object snap and a few basic drawing exercises FelixCAD has been designed as a truly open architecture system This facilitates industry compatibility and allows you to freely exchange information with other CAD applications evaluation software and analysis programs FelixCAD allows the opening and saving of drawings in industry standard DXF format or DWG format transferring graphic and non graphic information without destruction or loss of data This ensures transparent file exchange with a variety of CAD programs and applications including AutoCAD Introduction and Installation Flexible and Adaptable The configuration and customization commands allow many other possibilities for the program You manage the use of colors scri
293. rts or Blocks 206 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects i The Expand command Modify gt Expand lengthens entities to a boundary edge The boundary edge is another entity such as a line arc circle or 3D polyline Use this command to close polygons and to extend entities to the proper boundary edge Note AutoCAD users know this command as EXTEND Note the Expand command does not work with closed objects such as circles Entities to be expanded are lengthened They do not change direction A line remains a line an arc remains an arc Start the Expand command then select the entities that will act as the boundary edge You may select one or more lines circles arcs and 2D polylines Press Enter to end the boundary edge selection gt EXPAND Select entities with boundary edges line circle arc 2D polyline P1 P2 Select entities with boundary edges line circle arc 2D polyline Enter Select entity for expanding line circle arc 2D polyline P3 Select entity for expanding line circle arc 2D polyline Enter Then select the entities to be expanded This is sensitive to your pick location For example an arc is expanded in the direction of your pick location The ex pansion of selected entities is always executed from the endpoint that lies nearest to the cursor when it selected the entity When more then one boundary edge has been selected the entity is expanded to the first boundary edge fir
294. ry base point After this control returns to the command in progress When prompted for the Base point you can use absolute and relative coordinates as well as object snap modes But when you are prompted for the Offset point you should only use relative coordinates use the prefix You can specify an absolute coordinate however this cancels the specification of a relative point As an alternative you can invoke an object snap option at this prompt 66 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision OBJECT SELECTION Most editing commands require that you select one or more entities in the drawing This happens any time you see the following prompt Select objects FelixCAD provides a rich variety of methods for selecting multiple objects The option bar displays these options R FelixCAD C CAD FELIX40 NONAME_O flx 0 _ Of x Ba File Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim Parts Options View Window 2 laj xj D amp fe poime JpeyM ooegen Sry MA nove O E H 5 A ereet onsecee JBASHY0Sh ara Sme Xoan ss WPolygon CPolygon Fence Last Previous Remove Window Crossing Single All Group xyz BA xy You can pick one or more entities at the Select objects prompt The prompt keeps repeating until you press Enter All entities you select are added to the selection set The Remove and Add options allow you to remove and add enti ties from the selection set Selected entities are shown in color magenta by default Objec
295. s The control panel is located on the left side of the screen This panel contains a permanent series of command or function buttons You can turn the control panel on and off by selecting File gt Desktop Manager gt Left Toolbar gt On or Off XYZ P AFS GOT OLN CNY AtA P mee D gt a Ose ESL aa ali WAZ fir PA nya The control panel Ae The symbols are arranged in the control panel in five groups Precision Drawing Assistants Explanation of these commands is found in Drawing with Precision Controlling Drawing Views Explanation of these commands is found in Viewing Drawings User Coordinate Systems and Layout Mode Explanation of user coordinate systems are in Viewing Drawings the layout mode is explained in Printing and Plotting amp Using the Layout Mode Dimensioning Hatching and Text Dimensioning is discussed in Dimensioning hatching is explained in Hatching and text editing is covered in Text Objects Inquiry Commands Explanation of these commands is found in Inquiry and Information Functions 45 Chapter 1 The Basics The Status Line The status line is located at the bottom of the program s desktop It contains a series of information fields that report on the status of FelixCAD You can turn off and on the status bar with the File gt Desktop Manager gt Status Bar Draw linets WCS 228 00 67 00 0 0
296. s including the menu bar the function bar the vertical symbol bar and the status bar In addition the desktop contains several palettes toolbars and a cursor menu when applicable The following picture shows the standard look of the desktop Des a6 CLOSE NEW 20 68 3G xyz FA xy View OOT OLN LENI atA eP mee bta Ose 3854 i P On pe Ie f ef Mi BYLAYER Solid Line Wes 4 22 The standard FelixCAD desktop Usually the desktop layout appears as shown in the figure above However you can customize the menus toolbars and other components of the program s desktop to suit your needs In particular you may wish to experiment turning various desktop components ON or OFF to achieve the best balance of quick function access and maximum drawing area Note for AutoCAD Users Refer to the FelixCAD for AutoCAD companion guide for instructions on how to convert the default FelixCAD desktop to an AutoCAD emulated desktop 38 Chapter 1 The Basics Alteration of the arrangement of the desktop layout can be achieved easily In addition you can replace the buttons of the toolbars of the program s desktop on the fly Below in this chapter you find the corresponding information on both topics Advanced methods of desktop layout modifications are covered in the Programming and Customization Guide Menu Bar and Pull Down Menus The pull down menus are arranged on th
297. s you will find the need to print out the drawing to present it to your client or to forward it to the manufacturer In this situation layout mode can help in many cases 1 Switch from model space to paper space with the TIMode command Notice that the title bar now reads Layout followed by the drawing name 2 Set the limits to equal to the paper size used for printing such A size or ISO AO 351 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Create a layer for the title block unless you won t be needing a title block Make the layer current and insert the title block in paper space at the origin 0 0 As an alternative you can draw a rectangle with the paper size your printer uses when printing Create a layer for the viewports Make this layer current before you create new viewports with the Viewport command Make sure to use this layer for viewports only We recommended you activate the snap mode with applicable units inch millimeter and centimeter when creating viewports Once the viewport has been established set up the scale between model and its representation on the drawing sheet This step sometimes causes headaches Set up the scale for displaying the model by a Position a rectangle on a temporary layer in model space that matches the viewport window in paper space at a specific scale b Create named views in model space with the View command which can be retrieved within the paper space viewport
298. s a rotation angle of 0 degrees the text object is inserted horizontally Any positive or negative value between 0 and 360 is possible Use this option to create text at right angles Angle 90 or to align the text to vertical and sloping objects Font A drop down list allows you to select a font text style for the text The list of available fonts is displayed in this drop down list 235 Chapter 7 Text Alignment The alignment of the text object is specified by using the options Align Fit and Center e Align Text is aligned between two points with proportionate text height The Angle and Height options are ignored After you click OK to exit the Text dialog box FelixCAD prompts you for the First point and Second point The two points define the rotation angle and the text height e Fit Text is fit between two points at the specified height The Angle option is ignored After you click OK to exit the Text dialog box FelixCAD prompts you for the First point and Second point The two points define the rotation angle e Center Text is centered on the insertion point Insertion Reference The Insertion Reference section specifies the position and the alignment of the text object in relation to the insertion point of the text object During insertion of the text object this reference point is coordinated with the insertion point If the reference point is for example situated at the lower left
299. s file size This operation is a good habit before archiving or backing up a drawing file Some standard objects cannot be purged These include the layer named 0 the linetype CONTINUOUS and the text style STANDARD The Purge command does not handle named views and user coordinate systems because these named objects are never referenced by another component of the drawing Instead you delete unused views and UCSs via the View and Ucs commands Only one level of nested blocks is purged at a time You may need to repeat the Purge command DRAWING XPLORER The Drawing Xplorer allows you fast and uncomplicated access to important information about the currently open drawing s The Xplorer can be used to alter properties of the current drawings More precisely the Drawing Navigator is a tool to manage the named objects of the drawing database tables You can handle the tables and table entries of layers linetypes text styles views user coordinate systems and blocks To activate this tool type the command Xplorer or select Drawing gt Explorer from the Edit menu The Xplorer window displays a preview bitmap of the currently open drawings in the area under the menu bar To switch to another drawing click the appropriate bitmap A tooltip over the bitmap displays the drawing name including drive and path 55 Chapter 1 The Basics The Table list box allows you to select a specific table The named objects for the selected ta
300. s in with the Viewport command s View option With the scale set up be sure to avoid uncontrolled zooms in the viewport Confine yourself to the Pan commands and to the ZoomFac command specifying whole numbers To modify the height or length of a viewport we recommend that you use the Stretch command The model displayed in the viewport is not scaled with this command It maintains the scaled relation between model space and paper space Keep in mind the Golden Rule e Drawing entities you create in model space can only be edited in model space e Drawing objects you create or insert in paper space can only be modified in paper space 352 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering Three dimensional models are created in FelixCAD as a wireframe drawing With the 3DView command you can view the 3D geometry in predefined isometric views as well as from any 3D view direction When opening additional windows of the current drawing you can specify independent 3D view directions for the new viewport With most view commands FelixCAD displays all lines that make up the wireframe model To display a more realistic image of your 3D model you can have FelixCAD remove the lines that are hidden from your view called hidden line removal and to creating full color renderings the 3D model This chapter describes the visualization commands which are found in the Vi
301. s set to a value of 0 which means that visibility and display changes made to the dependent layers are not maintained when you leave the current drawing XLink Command The XLink command allows you to link one or more external drawings to the current drawing A linked or xref drawing is treated very similar to a part block but there is a fundamental difference an xref does not become a permanent part of the current drawing The XLink command Parts gt External References displays the dialog box Initially the list box is empty Click the Attach button to select another drawing file to attach You may select flx dwg and dxf files Once one or more drawings are attached the dialog box displays the following information e The logical name assigned to the xref The logical name is a way of identifying drawings that have a filename longer than 31 characters Windows allows filenames up to 255 characters long e The drive path filename and extension of the referenced drawing 273 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Attach The Attach option allows you to insert an external drawing as an xref to the current drawing It displays this dialog box 274 Chapter 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups Reference File and Logical Name Type the name of the drawing in the File Name field or click the button to select the drawing from a file dialog b
302. s show a sample polyline and how the commands MEASURE and DIVIDE work with it The initial state The entity to After measuring the polyline using the measure is a polyline Moreover the distance points at each distance along block SOLARR is defined the polyline are sampled started at the start point of the polyline Block SOLARR After dividing the polyline in ten In this case the polyline is divided into pieces the block SOLARR is inserted 12 pieces with the option block and ten times along the polyline but it is aligned with an angle of 0 degrees this not aligned means the block is inserted tangential at the object at each point 168 Chapter 5 Draw Technical Notes for Divide Command The command Divide inserts number 1 entities along the object unless a circle is selected So it might be necessary to delete the first or last inserted entity if a closed polyline is selected However this is much easier then creating an additional entity manually The command is not an internal command and so it available for usage inside the command function To use it inside of a LISP application use the related LISP Function MesDiv EntName Dist Nr BlName OffsAngle instead which is defined in MesDiv LSP in the FCAD Applic directory 3D POLYLINE The Poly3D command Draw gt 3D gt 3D Polyline draws an entity made of connected straight line segments You can specify X Y Z coordin
303. se errors are usually due to incorrect formatting 334 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Printing and Plotting Drawings amp Using Layout Mode This chapter describes how to output a drawing to a printer or plotter FelixCAD uses the Windows drivers to print or plot Before FelixCAD can print or plot you must ensure the correct printer or plotter drivers are installed Under Windows this is usually done automatically when you attach a new piece of hardware to the computer The commands described in this chapter are Command Meaning Psetup Printer plotter setup Print Print plot the drawing TLMode Toggle between model and paper space Viewport Create and control viewports So that circles and other curves are plotted at the highest quality FelixCAD temporarily sets the circle resolution to 256 when the current value is lower When higher than 256 FelixCAD uses the value as set in the CircleRes system variable Note For batch file printing and plotting see the BATPROC command 335 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode PRINTER Setup The PSetup command File gt Printer Setup allows you to select the printer or plotter in the same that output devices are selected in other Windows applications The PSetup command displays the Print Setup dialog box Print Setup 21x Printer Name HP LaserJet Ill Properties Status Default printer Ready Type HP LaserJet Ill Where LPT2 C
304. sert a copy of the xref into the current drawing like a part block You define the insertion point the scale factor and the rotation angle The Insert option can serve to reinsert an external reference that has been deleted accidentally 277 Chapier 8 Parts Attributes Externally Referenced Drawings and Groups XInsert Command The XInsert command combines the XLink command with the Attach option in a single step The command is provided for convenience of allowing you to attach an external drawing directly to the current drawing PORSCHE BECAR OR PORSCHE Chae PORSCHE CAR OR PORSCHE daha PORSCHE CAROR PORSCHE TLRE T PORSCHE OCAR AR PORSCHE 2CAROB PORSCHE metak ae GROUPING ENTITIES Drawing entities can be combined into groups Groups allows you to manipulate all entities within the group in a single operation such as with the Move Rotate Mirror and Scale command You can think of groups as being a named selection set Single entities of a group may still be edited individually for example to stretch one entity Entities may be removed or added to a group at any time An object may be a member of more than one group Groups may be contained in other groups Group definitions are stored in a distinct table of the drawing database Groups are maintained in this fashion from one drawing session to the next Parts and Groups A part block has its own insertion point a group has none A part
305. specify the line by two points the starting point and the ending point of the line The Line command displays four choices on the option bar coninois Seonens wra TT d Continuous Option Continuous is the default option when drawing lines this option is used when no other option is chosen The Continuous option allows you to draw line segments in sequence until the Line command is terminated by pressing the right mouse button or the Esc key The Line command requests a From point start point for the first line segment and continues to request To point until the command is terminated Each subsequent point is connected to the previous point by a line P1 P2 Pa P4 From Point P1 Points are defined by the coordinate system chosen with the first coordinate the X coordinate then the Y coordinate The coordinates are separated by a commas To Point 2 5 2 5 2 5 units in the X direction and 2 5 units in the Y direction To Point P2 To Point P3 To Point P4 When continuous line mode is chosen the Undo and Close options are added to the option bar 134 Chapter 5 Draw The Undo option can be used repeatedly to erase the previous line segment until the line is completely gone The Close option connects the last drawn point with the start point to create a closed shape To terminate the Line command press Enter or Esc Segments Option The Segments option creates si
306. ssencccescsesscsescssssecsescsecscssescsssscssoscsessessoscsecesee 61 Data MPUTA E ebsanehsa shes nee has TE EE se Abe ET Ea 61 Object Selectionner E A E E adeeb E dade reed et 67 Dye Preve Wesnes a A a e e a a E a E A EE 72 Precision and Units Settings nrenre neen vaseseehcadestes E EA E Er a E A EA E 73 Drawings Settings ssissssscssscsscsseesvetsssesssedsvesossest causes sess e O oO EREE Ea SKEPE SEE s ORE SOE EE SEET cos deanedeved sass 75 PLECISION Diawine AldS resus irin a e eiee i ea n NE n e 11 Controlling Precision ParameterS assiinrissnireeiiseres oeiee si eerie n Eese nean SEEE i oe ii osai 78 Object Snap Modes de ee a a E RE AE E T ag EEE S ERE AEE E Sates tts 83 VIEWING DRAWINGS sscisessssscessconessesaasovesscasascnssssaanssnssescensenssooccesosnesbavasenssssesagscesdbenssenessgudasouaesesenicnsdsscuassesedssnss 93 Setting VIEW Parameters ieni nnna e aa o Steet RE us Se E Ueaetepestes eeu reucessor S TEAN 94 ZOOM E E E E E E EE 98 PAD ses A EE oh oh EEE A S E E E E A a es ae ad 101 Dynamic Zoom and Pan eas ses errer ereis esris esans aaa a E Eao e S rake SEESE penp Ea SOE EST S Eea ERES Ees pe 103 DAVINE VICWS ee N E E E OOE RE 104 User Coordinate Systemen ionene oeiee eeen onde ad e EE EE AE ER E E a e oie 105 LAYERS AND OBJECT PROPERTIES esseseseseseosesceseseseoeoscoceseseseoeoscoceseeeseoeoscoceseseseoeoseosoresesessoseocoseseseseoseeeosesesee 111 Layer Basie Sirri T R E E E E E EE E E E A E EES 111 Layer Properties nsise rre
307. sstaus aE ncuron e een aa eds 368 Remoye Raster R N OA D eistciae ii feces BRA Ae eo An hot Ate i aes 369 Property Settings of Raster File RPROP 0 e eee eee cee cseecneeceeecseeeeeeseeeaeseneseeeeeeeseesseeeseenseenaees 370 save Raster RSAV EB 2 cii0 btsia cs Janne ie a buco ee oe ee 371 Toggle Raster Frame On Off RBORDER eee eceecesceseceseceseceeecaeecaeeeaeseaeeeeeeeeeeeeenseenseenseenaees 371 Move Raster RMO VE cc c0 chon ditch etait SA Mines nate Mal akan tials 371 Rotate Raster RROTATE sesei teenie EEEE E beset EErEE EEk Ee Ear sane 372 Miror RaSten c e n ee eee 372 RMON e a a eee eee 373 IES CE AE E E E E E AAR eR A GA E E ees 373 RVeCTORS l ins She ee Arie R eR eR 374 4 Point Transformation RTrans ccccsseceessceceessececseceeceesseeeseaececseseeceeeeeecsesaecesseeeeceeseeeeseaaees 375 Print PlOt SOL 8 e eresie o pee stueostesdy sv vtestbesyeest eave choceentdead ptuetbsontetanes ues O eSEE ES SSS 375 THE BATPROC COMMAND BATCH PROCESSING cccssssscssssccccsssecccsssccccessccccssccccecssccccessaccccssssccecsceesess 377 Start Batch processing recni csciceecdes Secchi sescudonstes evdispbogocsaces E E EE EEEE cbassvseuscndsee aS 378 creating and modifying file list 00 eee eee eecesecesecesecaecssecaeecaecaaecaaecaeeeneseaeseeeeeeeseeeseeeseeeseenaees 378 Inito S tates E od ees eG tis Ree ee es A ee eS 381 Defining the Actions for Batch Processing eee eceessescesscssecesecesecaecacecaeecaeeesese
308. st Picking a second time results in the expansion continuing to the second boundary edge Note Some objects cannot be used to expand to other entities most notably Parts or Blocks 207 FILLET Chapter 6 Modifying Objects r The Fillet command Modify gt Fillet rounds the intersection of two lines These can also be lines of an object such as a rectangle The Fillet command treats 2D polylines differently from lines every vertex of the polyline is filleted The command cannot fillet curved objects such as arcs When the fillet radius is 0 9 the default this command precisely cleans up the intersection of two lines The Fillet command prompts you to select the two lines to be filleted gt FILLET Select first line P1 Second line P2 Then these options are shown in the options bar ravine reas orm OO O Polyline The Polyline option fillets a single polyline Every vertex of the polyline is given the fillet radius gt FILLET Select first entity Polyline Select 2D polyline P1 208 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Radius The Radius option allows you to define the radius for the fillet By default the radius is 0 0 When you change the radius FelixCAD remembers it for the next command operation gt Fillet Select first line Radius Filleting radius lt 0 0000 gt 75 Select first line P1 Second line P2 No_Trim The Trim option funct
309. sured along the X axis for horizontal and Y axis for vertical dimensioning and displayed Press the Enter key to verify the calculated value and insert the dimension into the drawing As an alternative you may dimension a selected object by choosing the Select option You may dimension lines polylines circles and arcs with the Select option Pick the object with the cursor The start and end points or the diameter of the object are dimensioned automatically gt DIMLIN First Point SELECT Select line polyline circle arc P1 Dimension line positioning P2 Dimension text lt 2 5000 gt Enter 297 Chapter 9 Dimensioning Aligned Dimensioning Aligned dimensioning measures the absolute distance between two points regardless of the relative position of the axes This makes it possible to determine the true length of lines and edges that are not precisely horizontal or vertical gt DIMALI lst Point Pl 2nd Point P2 Dimension line positioning P3 Dimension text lt 2 50 gt Enter 21 6000 C Once you have picked the two points of measurement FelixCAD asks you to pick a position for the dimensioning line The distance between the two points is measured along the two points and displayed Press the Enter key to verify the calculated value and insert the dimension into the drawing As an alternative you may dimension a selected object by choosing the Select option You may dimension lin
310. surfaces are not shown as solid areas but as a wireframe The points defining the 3D face are in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction so that one edge of a 3D surface is used as the base for the next 3D face You may specify invisible edges which is useful for improving the clarity of complex 3D models These options to draw 3D faces may be selected from the options bar Continuous Option The Continuous option is the default when drawing 3D surfaces To draw a 3D face define the corner points in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction Triangular 3D Faces For a triangular 3D face define three corners then select the Close option The last defined point is then joined to the first point forming a triangle gt 3DFACE First point P1 Next point P2 Next point P3 Next point Close Rectangular 3D Faces For a rectangular 3D face define four points After having completing the fourth vertex FelixCAD creates the four sided object 170 Chapter 5 Draw The command then continues You are prompted for further points the next 3D face uses the last drawn edge as the base for the next 3D face P3 Pal P4 PS P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 End the 3DFace command by pressing the Enter key gt 3DFACE First point Second point Third point Third point Third point Fourth point Fourth point Fourth point P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P8
311. system A single point is only required to define this axis gt FLIP Select objects P1 Select objects Enter First point of mirror axis Vertical Vertical reflection point P2 MIRROR db The Mirror command Modify gt Mirror makes a mirrored copy of selected entities and keeps the original entities in place This is different from the Flip command which erases the original entities gt MIRROR Select objects P1 Select objects Enter First point of mirror axis P2 Second point P3 Select the object s Press Enter to end object selection The next prompt asks for the definition of the mirror axis displaying the options on the options bar is roina vows lt i 193 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Axis The Axis option allows you to specify the mirror axis and is the default option Indicate two points or type the coordinates The axis may have any alignment aligned with the objects or any of the axes If the axis is supposed to run through any points of existing geometry we recommend that you use object snap options to define the points precisely Mirror axis Horizontal To mirror the marked object about the horizontal axis choose the Horizontal option The mirror axis runs parallel to the X axis of the coordinate system A single point is only required to define this axis gt MIRROR Select objects P1 Select objects Enter First point of
312. t The Angle theta is measured from the X axis in the XY plane The Angle phi is specified up and down from the XY plane Note The Set ViewDir command cannot be used in paper space 96 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings Changing the Active Window Once you have more than one window open there are two ways you can change the active window 1 Click any part of a window to make it the active window 2 Click the Window menu which lists the names of all open windows The active window is marked by a checkmark in front of its name You may choose one of the listed windows as the active window by clicking on that view or by entering the number assigned the view Copying a Window The QWOpen command Window gt Copy Viewport opens a new window and allows you to make a quick copy of the active window Copy option or of the plan view Plan option gt qwopen New Window Copy Closing a Window The WClose command Copy gt Close Current Viewport closes the current viewport Or you may use the standard Windows methods of closing a window type Ctrl F4 or click the x in the upper right corner of the window 97 ZOOM Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings The zoom commands change the viewing scale of the drawing or of the portion of the drawing chosen by the user The absolute ratios of scale of the entire drawing to the included objects chosen remains unchanged These variations on the zoom command are available Zoom Window Zoo
313. t 79358 Ph for J Thzta fio FICK Camera Anges Twist fo Aperture fio Outpt Format In Pixels 800 x 1600 Save i ig E M or 2 Apply Cancel The DVIEW command creates a perspective view in different display modes Supported display modes are rendered hidden line and wire frame Different input modes make it easy to adjust the viewpoint of the drawing The target point and the camera point can be selected in the drawing The result can be saved in a bitmap file with a predefined resolution The center view button brings the drawing into a base position at the center of the DVIEW output window If the dialog is closed by the apply button the current view direction of DVIEW will be set to the drawing 11 Introduction and Installation Command SAVEAS401 and SAVEAS402 The command SAVEAS401 saves a drawing in the previous FelixCAD 4 01 file format SAVEAS402 saves in the new recoverable FelixCAD 4 02 file format Command DRAWORDER DRAWORDER changes the drawing and plotting order of any object in the FelixCAD drawing database In addition to moving objects to the front or back of the sort order you can order objects relative to another object that is above or below a selected object DRAWORDER provides the following options Above Under Front Back e Above Moves the selected object above a specified reference object e Under Moves the selected object u
314. t endpoint Center point Endpoint First axis endpoint pick end point of major axis Second axis endpoint pick end point of minor axis Secondary radius Note The ellipse will be created as closed polyline of many straight line segments The CAD user therefore cannot later pick center points of the two radii 152 Chapter 5 Draw CHAIN A The Chain command Draw gt Chain is a combination of the Line and Polyline commands The differences between drawing a line a polyline or a chains are e Continuous line draws each segment as a separate entity which is useful when you want to later select each segment separately e Chain draws continuous lines similar to the Line command with the Continuous option The chain however is treated as a single object which is selected as a whole for editing purposes e Like a polyline you can specify a width for the entire chain object The width last entered for a polyline is used as the default for the next chain and vice versa However a single width must be specified for the entire chain A chain is drawn by specifying the points that are the starting and end point of each chain segment The end point for each segment serves as the starting point for the next segment Terminate the command by pressing Enter or Esc First point P1 Next point P2 Next point P3 Next point lt hit Enter key gt with om CT e Width Option The Width option allows you to specify the wi
315. t Menu Section option enables you to load an individual section of the tablet menu changing the commands and functions of the complete menu To do so enter the TabSection command There is also a small palette made for the tablet configuration Using the palette manager load the Tablet Menu palette Determine which tablet menu section should be loaded Identify the desired section by its section number Enter the name of the tablet menu file that contains the defined area Replace Tablet Menu Section ID S1 S8 or section name S1 File name of the new tablet menu description tabmenul The identified area with the commands and functions from the entered file will be restored 390 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing Configuring a Tablet FelixCAD uses the Windows WinTab standard to interface with digitizing tablets Contact the tablet manufacturer for the necessary Windows device driver When the tablet is working as a standard Windows pointing device then it can be configured for FelixCAD FelixCAD supports the tablet in two modes digitizing and command entry When set to digitizing mode you can trace over paper drawings into FelixCAD with as much accuracy as your tablet can provide When used in command entry mode the tablet is used to position the cursor on the drawing window select commands from menus and tool palettes and optionally select commands from menus on the tablet itsel
316. t Selection Modes To select options you can simply pick them one at a time It is more efficient to use an object selection mode to pick multiple entities The options are Add Ad All A Cpolygon crossing polygon Cp Crossing Fence Last Previous P Remove Re Single Si Window W Wpolygon window polygon Wp 67 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision Window The Window selection mode defines a rectangle by two diagonal corner points All entities completely within the window are selected Select objects w First corner pick Other corner pick Select objects window frame re Continue object selection or terminate it by pressing Enter Crossing The Crossing selection mode defines a rectangle by two diagonal corner points All entities within and crossing the window are selected Select objects c First corner pick Other corner pick Select objects Continue object selection or terminate it by pressing Enter 68 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision WPolygon The WPolygon short for window polygon selection mode defines a polygon by two or ore vertex points All entities within the polygon are selected Select objects wp First point pick Next point pick Next point pick Enter Next point Select objects Wpolygon CPolygon The CPolygon short for crossing polygon selection m
317. t the 90 degree points on the circle or arc The CENter object snap selects the precise center of the curve The command display the diameter is measured Confirm by pressing the Enter key or edit the text as required The final prompt asks you to position of the extension line Select a point at a reasonable distance from the object The alignment of the extension line is fixed by the two earlier pick points and cannot be altered The extension line is 306 Chapter 9 Dimensioning drawn straight along an imaginary line that extends from the center of the object to the pick point A cross mark is placed at the center of the circle of arc unless you turn off that feature with the DimType command Radius Dimensioning Radius dimensioning is the same as diameter dimensioning except that the radius is calculated gt DIMRAD Select circle or arc Pl Dimensioning text lt 24 00 gt Enter Extension length P2 Center Mark The center mark is used with curves It places a mark at the center of a diameter or radius gt DIMCENT Select circle or arc Pl The command prompts you to select the circle or arc You may also select a polyline arc If a circle or arc is correctly selected the center mark appears If not correctly selected you are asked to select the object again The DimCen system variable allows you to change the size of the center mark Angle Dimensioning FelixCAD contains commands for fast
318. t viewpoints in space The 3DView option allows you to set individual 3D views for each viewport You can also select a predefined view such as plan view front view or an isometric view 350 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode The 3DView option displays the same dialog box as invoked by the 3D View command in model space see Chapter 3 Note Using the 3D View option zooms the content of the viewport to the model space drawing extents To achieve a scaled relation between paper space and model space for isometric or other individual 3D views of the model we recommended that you use named views prepared in model space Transparent Commands As mentioned earlier you can use the transparent commands PanLeft PanRight PanUp and PanDown from the control panel In fact you can use all transparent commands in layout mode A useful example is the transparent command SetViewDir to set a standard isometric 3D view within a viewport The transparent command Dist allows you to measure the distance between two points Tips and Techniques for Layout Mode Create your construction in model space in real world units at scale 1 1 Use separate layers for dimensions hatching text etc When managing layers keep in mind that you might want to have different logical views of your model for use later when presenting or plotting your drawing with the aid of layout mode At a certain stage of the drawing proces
319. t you the current length of the selected entity is displayed in parentheses gt LENGTHEN Select entity line arc P1 Current length lt 100 00 gt Total Total 200 00 Select entity Line Arc Enter 212 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Percent The Percent option allows you to specify the new length by a percentage value This percentage value relates to either line length or the circumference of an arc For example specifying 200 doubles the length of the line or the arc while the value of 50 shortens the entity to half its original length gt LENGTHEN Select entity line arc Pl Current length lt 100 00 gt Percent Percent 60 Select entity Line Arc Enter Relative The Relative option lengthens a line or arc by a value defined by the distance between two points This option is useful when the entity must be lengthened by reference to another object If the Angle option has been selected you determine the angle by which the arc is lengthened by indicating two points in the XY plane gt LENGTHEN Select entity Line Arc P1 Current length lt 10 00 gt Relative Relative P2 Second point P3 Select entity Line Arc Enter Angle To lengthen arcs use the option Angle This option functions like a switch Selecting it from the option bar causes all of the following options to display a prompt for the included angle of the arc gt lengthen Select entity line arc pick Current
320. tance Distance lt 5 gt 10 Second point P3 Offset to side P4 Selection of an entity Line circle arc 2D Polyline Enter Both Sides You can offset an entity to both sides by selecting the BothSides option when you are asked to specify the side to offset gt OFFSET Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline pick Offset through point Distance Distance lt 0 98 gt pick Second point pick Side to offset BothSides Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline Enter 204 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects OFFSET DISTANCE The DOffset command Modify gt Offset Distance creates lines and curves parallel to an existing entity The DOffset command is similar to the Offset command but prompts you for the offset distance before you select entities This command has been added for convenience of users familiar with other CAD programs gt DOFFSET Distance or select option ThruPoint lt 1 00 gt 0 30 Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline pick Side to offset pick Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline Enter Through To indicate a through point such as an significant point in the geometry select the ThruPoint option or type T for short gt DOFFSET Distance or select option ThruPoint lt 0 30 gt T Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline pick Offset through point pick Select entity line circle arc 2D polyline Enter BothSides
321. te Detention a Sis inch Landscape ome Right iem Toe Toc 2 Bottom froce Peod Em Futons CH fi f j a Sealed Tan on papar Drsna Unite Conine Goede Ged F Cemar Fiehators araj Olsi I FA Pobgons Printer Configuration The Printer Configuration areas lists the name of the printer the paper size and print resolution in dpi Click the Setup button to display the Print Setup dialog box as seen earlier with the PSetup command which lets you control the paper source paper size orientation resolution and the number of the copies The Print Setup dialog box contains only the settings that your output device supports 338 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Margins The Margins area specifies the edges of the paper that cannot be printed Enter the values for the Left Right Top and Bottom margins Note All plotters printers have what are termed as hard limits or margins These limits will not allow printing within certain distances of the paper edges regardless of where the software margins are set Refer to your printing device user guide for details Scale Fit The Fit option fits the drawing to the margins This results in a full picture of the object in the print area but is usually not to any standard scale When the Fit option is active it is not possible to set the options for scaling Scaled The Scaled option allows you to define the exact scale of the dra
322. ted left or not activated right Mirror Hatching When the Mirror Hatching option is on a check mark is shown hatch objects are mirrored When turned off the default hatching is copied and not mirrored about the specified axis Offset amp Fillet Chamfer The Offset and Fillet Chamfer areas are discussed later in this chapter The values set for in this dialog box are only default values which can be changed by the Offset Fillet and Chamfer commands themselves Common The Highlight objects when selected option determines whether objects you select are highlighted by a different color When on the default selected objects are displayed in the magenta pink color When off selected objects do not have the dashed line which is useful for slower computers The Display highlighted objects as a dashed line option determines the look of highlighted objects When on selected objects are displayed by dashed lines which is useful for monochrome displays When off the default selected objects do not have the dashed line 185 MOVE Chapter 6 Modifying Objects The Let Groups be selected option determines what happens when you pick an entity that is part of a group When this option is on the default picking the entity picks the entire group when off only the entity is picked Groups are discussed in detail in Parts and Attributes XRefs amp Groups Mouse Context ON OFF Found under the TOOLS menu When
323. ter 308 Chapter 9 Dimensioning MODIFYING DIMENSIONS FelixCAD contains commands that allow you to edit dimensions The commands are found in the Modify section of the Dim menu as well as under Detail gt Modify Dimensions Modify Dimensions The Modify Dimension palette allows you to move the text on the dimension line in a number of ways each illustrated by an icon Another icon allows you to reach the Dimension detail dialog box while another icon displays a detail editing palette from the main palette Dim Command FUNCTION DimUpd Update dimension DimTRot Rotate dimensioning text UPDATE DIMENSION After changing the dimensioning style all new dimensions are created with the new criteria The Update Dimension command updates all of the existing dimensions so that they comply with the new dimensioning style settings gt DIMUPD Select Dimension s Fence First Fence point Pl Endpoint of the line P2 Endpoint of the line P3 Enter Select Dimension s All 2 Dimensions found or DIMUPD Select Dimensions s All Select Dimensions s Enter 3 Dimensions found 309 Chapter 9 Dimensioning You may update individual a selection set or all dimensions contained in the drawing at a time Select the dimensions to be updated using one of the object selection functions found in the option bar Confirm the selection process by pressing Enter The selected dimensions are updated to conform to the new di
324. termine the center point of the polygon by entering its coordinates or picking it Next determine the distance to its corner points The polygon is drawn counterclockwise starting from the first corner point distance s to corner Number of sides lt 4 gt 6 Center point of the polygon P1 Distance to its corners P2 149 Chapter 5 Draw Inside Option Inscribing the Polygon The Inside option defines the polygon by a circle whose circumference touches each side of the polygon at its midpoint fits inside the polygon Select Inside from the option bar then enter the number of sides Next determine the center point of the polygon by entering its coordinates or picking them then determine the radius of the circle The polygon is drawn counterclockwise starting from the defined side distance onto side Number of sides lt 4 gt 6 Center point of the polygon P1 Distance to its corner points P2 150 Chapter 5 Draw TRAPEZOID B The Trapezoid command Draw gt Trapezoid draws a quadrilateral with two parallel sides trapezoid on the current layer You create the trapezoid by specifying an insertion point and angle of inclusion followed by the length of the cone and the diameters of its top and bottom edges The insertion point is the midpoint of the first base You determine the points through pointing or entering the values or coordinates at the keyboard The cone can also be drawn us
325. tes a transparent command IDENTIFY COORDINATE The Id command Edit gt Identify Coordinate determines the X Y and Z coordinates of a point identified on the screen Id is short for Identify Since it is a transparent command Id can be used in the middle of another command gt ID Point P1 X 1 27 Y 4 45 As 0 0 When prompted by the Point prompt pick the point with the cursor We recommend you use an object snap if the point is geometrically significant such as a corner point the center of a circle or the intersection of two lines The X Y Z coordinates are displayed in the command line area as shown in the example above 317 Chapter 11 Inquiry and Information Programs DISTANCE ANGLE if 4 The Dist command Edit gt Distance Angle calculates the distance and angle between two points Dist is short for Distance Since it is a transparent command Dist can be used in the middle of another command The two points you pick may be arbitrary points or they can be part of a drawing object We recommend you use an object snap if the point is geometrically significant such as a corner point the center of a circle or the intersection of two lines gt DIST First point P1 Second point P2 Distance 57 45 Angle in the XY plane 45 Angle from the XY plane 10 Delta X 40 00 Delta Y 40 00 Delta Z 10 00 The command displays the following information Abs
326. th 6 9 191 FLIP Chapter 6 Modifying Objects The Flip command Modify gt Flip flips selected entities about a specified axis This is unlike the Mirror command where the original entities remain in place The flip axis can be at an arbitrary angle or be parallel to the X or Y axis gt FLIP Select objects P1 Select objects Enter First point of mirror axis P2 Second point P3 Select the object then select an axis option from the option bar Axis Horizontal vertical Axis The Axis option allows you to specify the flip axis and is the default option Indicate two points or type the coordinates The axis may have any alignment aligned with the objects or any of the axes mirror axis If the axis is supposed to run through any points of existing geometry we recommend that you use object snap options to define the points precisely 192 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Horizontal To flip the marked object about the horizontal axis choose the Horizontal option The flip axis runs parallel to the X axis of the coordinate system A single point is only required to define this axis gt FLIP Select objects P1 Select objects Enter First point of mirror axis Horizontal Horizontal reflection point P2 Vertical To flip the marked object about the vertical axis choose the Vertical option The flip axis runs parallel to the Y axis of the coordinate
327. th this option does not become the active linetype It is only added to the list of linetypes that are available To add a linetype to the linetype table of the current drawing proceed in this manner 1 2 ED From the Options menu select Line Types or type the Linetype command Notice the Open Linetype File dialog box Select a file with the extension of lin Usually linetype files are found in the applic folder FelixCAD ships with two linetype files Mm Lin contains metric linetypes while Inch Lin contains imperial linetypes Click Open Notice the Linetype dialog box Select one or more linetypes that you want to load into the drawing Click OK FelixCAD adds the linetype definitions to the drawing These are saved with the drawing and are available the next time you open the drawing To set a linetype use the Layer command and assign linetypes to layers Or use the SetLinetype command to preset the linetype for all entities drawn after this point Applying Text Styles The Fonts option from the Detail menu allows you to load text styles from font files A text style lets you adapt a font file for special drawing needs such as presetting its size You find a more detailed explanation in the Text Objects chapter Specifying the Dimension Type The Dimension Type option allows you to choose the type of dimensioning to be used More detailed explanations of this function are found in the Dimensioning chapte
328. than selecting the File menu and then the menu item The symbols are arranged by subject in groups You find detailed explanations of each command its icon and their use in this and the following chapters of the manual 40 Status Chapter 1 The Basics The button shown in the figure below are called the System buttons They perform system commands From left to right these are New Open Close Save Print and Settings Just as all FelixCAD menus the Toolbar conforms to Windows guidelines Des ie System icons for file operations The other group of symbols also arranged in two lines contains additional commands that are commonly used in FelixCAD ateoa gSa IVE Pe a ASSA Ata FOS Additional buttons for commonly used operations To find the meaning of a symbol pause the cursor over a button FelixCAD displays a brief helpful explanation of the symbol in two places 1 ina yellow ToolTip that floats over the button and 2 on the status line at the bottom of the screen ma FelixcAD C CAD FELIX40 NONAME_0 flx 0 Ba File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Help k mo ee Loading C CAD FELIX40 APPLIC flx_pal lsp OK l MB ca a BSaoa gt BRAS 83 Ej xX mo nsert block Tool tio Block insertion Wes 17 45 4 26 The status line bottom left and ToolTip upper right display the meaning of symbols For example the puzzle piece symb
329. the original e And the included angle of the circle arc or e The included angle of the circle arc e And the included angle between the arrayed object to be reproduced measured between the reference points of the objects Note Circular arrays are constructed counterclockwise from the starting point For a clockwise rotation enter negative values for the angle 200 Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Array With Rotation paa 1 The Ci Rot option short for circular rotated rotates the arrayed entities when placing them along the circular path The entities are rotated in the same direction as the circle describing the path The rotation angle corresponds to the angle between the copies measured between the reference points of the arrayed entities gt ARRAY Individual gt Ci NRot Select objects P1 Select objects Enter Center P2 Number of entities 4 Angle to fulfill lt 360 gt Enter After starting the Array command select the entities and choose the Ci Rot option from the option bar Define the center of the circular path and then determine either e The number of the entities to be arrayed including the original e And the included angle of the circular arc or e The included angle of the circular arc e And the included angle between the entities to be arrayed measured between the reference points of the objects
330. this feature is provided to arrange and lay out a job for presentation and paper output 344 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Toggle between Model Mode and Layout Mode To switch from model mode to layout mode and vice versa type the TIMode command File gt Layout Mode Model Space When you switch from model to paper mode the first time the layout window is empty which represents a blank drawing sheet A single window replaces the tiled viewports of the current drawing displaying the model in different views The title bar of this window shows the caption Layout and the drawing name Rj FelixCAD Layout C CAD FELIX40 Mech_1 flx Ea File Edit Draw Modify Detail Dim Parts Options View Window O oe me Specify region to print Extents al gt TLMODE p APRE al bret amp ME This print space is not blank if your template drawing already contains paper space objects in this case paper space usually contains a company title block The layout mode performs two operations 1 Determines the sheet size for printing particularly by insertion of a title block 2 Allows the creation of viewports that display individual views of the model You can draw in paper space just as you do in model space All the drawing and editing commands are available Since paper space is designated to lay out drawing output a number of 3D commands are disabled including 3D View PlanView Render Hide FHide
331. three buttons control e O Orthogonal mode e S Snap mode e G Grid display Click the appropriate button to toggle the mode Toggle means to turn off and on like a light switch Explanation of these drawing tools is found in Chapter 2 Drawing with Precision The remainder of the property bar set entity properties of layer color and linetype e Layer button opens the Layer Manager dialog box which is where you create new layers specify their properties rename them and so on e Layer drop down list contains all layer names of the current drawing which is where you choose the layer you want to set as current e Color button displays the current color Click the button open the Color dialog box for selecting another color which is applied when creating new entities e Linetype drop down list contains the linetypes defined in the current drawing which is where you select another linetype Note We recommend that you set both the current color and the current linetype to the logical BYLAYER This means that the entities take on the color and linetype of the current layer It also means that entities moved to another layer will automatically change to the color and linetype of that other layer In the long run this makes drafting with FelixCAD much easier You find detailed references about layer concepts linetype and color properties in Layer and Object Properties 44 The Control Panel Chapter 1 The Basic
332. tiates a ata Tim dialog allowing you to set up a variety of system parameters A series of 5 tabs along the top of the dialog allows you to set Common Tab File locking If checked other users trying to access the current drawing across a network will be denied permission Safety Allows you to select auto saving of drawings along with the file extension and interval for automatic backup Note that each time a file is auto saved the system will experience a slight delay depending on the power of your computer and the size of the drawing and the contents of the undo list are cleared For this reason it is advised you set the interval to 20 30 minutes Directories Tab This is where all working directories of the system are set Unless you are an advanced user it is advised you do not alter the default settings 59 Chapter 1 The Basics Alias Commands Tab The alias command tab allows you to quickly and easily assign keyboard command shortcuts for any FelixCAD command The standard command alias includes a variety of one or two character command shortcuts designed to speed up your work And example would be typing ZW at the FelixCAD command line will execute the recursive command Zoom then Window You may add new command aliases or edit existing aliases as needed Note Command aliases are saved in files with the extension KEY FelixCAD 4 01 or higher ships with an AutoCAD command alias Facad14e key which
333. tilities routines and libraries The function library of the FLISP interpreter includes functions to display dialog boxes and evaluate user input You can create your own dialog boxes with Dialog and Menu Editor FelixCAD includes utilities to assist in converting existing AutoLisp programs written for use with AutoCAD Utilities exist to convert dialog boxes menus and programming code Introduction and Installation Developer s Toolkit Manual FelixCAD includes an API application programming interface which allows professional developers and advanced users to access nearly all FelixCAD functions through the use of dynamic link libraries DLL The FelixCAD Developers Toolkit FDT manual is included in electronic format for the convenience of advanced developers wishing to extend the program s capabilities using C C or Delphi programming languages The API manual can be opened and or printed using Adobe s Acrobat reader included with CD versions of FelixCAD downloadable from www fcad com or www adobe com for on line Internet purchases Search the manuals folder for any file starting with FDT and having the extension pdf DOCUMENTATION FelixCAD includes this comprehensive User Guide In addition on line documentation is included for all FelixCAD customization and programming and for existing AutoCAD users Of note are the manuals detailing program customization FLISP programming and the FelixCAD Developer
334. tion A new Mouse Context toggle has been added Tools gt Mouse Context On Off When switched on simply left mouse click on any drawing entity for a complete listing of available options New Dynamic zooming and panning functions see DZOOM and DPAN Improvements to the FCAD Drawing Explorer see XPLORER command A new graphic Image library has been added Image Library icon in the FelixCAD program group for simple management of bitmaps and slides The ability to create slide SLD files has been added 24 Introduction and Installation Dimensioning has been improved and a new DIMLIN command is available New MEASURE and DIVIDE commands have been added allowing 2D objects to be divided into a set number of segments or new points created at user defined distances New 3D commands have been added Draw gt 3D allowing for quick and easy creation of 3D boxes wedges cylinders cones spheres ellipsoids and toruses See the corresponding command Memory management for polylines has been completely overhauled making polyline processing more efficient The FelixCAD Lisp C C and Delphi programming API has been extended with new functions and calls See the appropriate readme file and or programming manual for details A new AutoPort tools library Click on Tools icon in the FelixCAD program group has been added to automate porting of existing AutoLisp and ADS programs written for use with AutoCAD The library
335. tion Give each light a unique name You refer to the light name with the LightEdit command The setting of Light On determines if the light is evaluated during rendering Turning off a light means that the render program does not use the light to illuminate the model The light settings are retained when turning the light status back on Clicking the Color button display the standard Windows Color dialog box allowing you to define a color for the current light source The default color for a new light source is white Note that dark colors affect the light s brightness 363 Chapter 14 Visualization Hidden Lines and Rendering Intensity Components of Emitted Light This section of the Light Preferences dialog box allows you to set the intensity of the emitted light Three components of emitted light are specified in this section ambient light factor diffuse light factor and specular light factor m Intensitiy of Emmitted Light Components Ambient Light jo O _ 100 Diffuse Light j5 0 gt 100 Specular Light pa O gt 100 The Ambient Light component is the light that has been scattered so much by the environment that its direction is impossible to determine The light seems to come from all directions Diffuse Light comes from one direction It is brighter if it comes squarely down on a surface than if it barely glances off the surface Once it hits a surface however it is scattered equally in
336. tion by selecting the NONE option Menu Echo Toggle P With the option P the user can toggle the menu echo on and off in one pull down menu command line For example MENUITEM ACTDBI lt 0 amp Line Draw line s ILINE FCMD 4P LINE 23 Introduction and Installation WHAT S NEW IN FELIXCAD 4 01 A number of substantial program enhancements have been made to FelixCAD since version 4 0 was released in Spring of 1999 Please search the FelixCAD installation folder for What s new files containing information on updates and changes For the latest information on FelixCAD product improvements and changes please visit our web sites at www fcad com and www fcad de FelixCAD 4 01 highlighted additions and enhancements include Support for True Type fonts and AutoCAD SHX fonts see FONTS with font mapping Improved DWG DXF file exchange capabilities Raster image import and handling has been improved and extended to support color BMP and TIF images in addition to the existing monochrome RLC file formats see RASTER Improvements have been made in display and object selection speed The UNDO command has been sped up and improved Dramatic enhancements have been made to the printing plotting function with file sizes and printing times reduced by up to 90 A new batch processing see BATPROC command function has been added allowing unattended printing or conversion of multiple files in a single opera
337. tions We recommend that you memorize the meaning of these buttons Left Mouse Button The left mouse button indicates points select entities and selects commands from pull down menus and palettes toolbars Right mouse button The right mouse button is the same as the Enter key It is used to e Confirm input and output operations e Accept default values e Repeat a command Middle Mouse Button The middle mouse button displays a floating menu If your mouse has just two buttons hold down the Ctrl key and press the left mouse button During a command when is command is active pressing the middle mouse button displays an object snap menu with available options When no command is active the middle mouse button displays a menu of the most commonly used commands The commands are explained later in this manual with more detail in the appropriate sections 48 Intersection Implied Intersection End Point Mid Point Center Point Quadrant Perpendicular Tangent Insertion Point Paint Entity Next Point on Entity Size Snap Box Chapter 1 The Basics Select Line Circle Are Polyline Text Insert Part Move Previous Copy Previous Rotate Previous Scale Previous Mirror Previous Flip Previous Edit Units Settings Preferences The floating menus displayed by the middle mouse button Command Options Almost all commands include options For example the Circle command has several options s
338. tive character the hatch pattern must be attached to objects in the drawing Hatch Pattern Definitions A hatch pattern is comprised of a pattern of line segments FelixCAD includes a number of typical hatch patterns used by various disciplines You may choose to use other hatch patterns for specialized circumstances Hatch patterns are stored in files with the pat file extension in the applic folder Hatch Pattern Elements Hatch lines A hatch pattern can contain a number of diverse line types such as solid dashed and dotted A variety of lines are used to in a hatch pattern 313 Chapter 10 Hatching Line Spacing The spacing between the lines of a hatch pattern is measured in drawing units The default line spacing is set to one 1 0 drawing unit Changing the line spacing is possible to adjust a pre defined hatch pattern to suit the proportions of any given drawing element Hatch patterns with different line spacing Hatching Angle The lines of a hatch pattern can be drawn at any angle Standard hatch patterns are often drawn horizontal vertical or at 45 degrees but may be drawn at any angle The hatch angle of 0 defines a horizontal line A positive angle value will cause the lines to slant in a counter clockwise direction A negative value will cause a slant in a clockwise direction
339. ts Tab file in the cfg directory allows you to create a font association table During the Open command FelixCAD reads this file When FelixCAD cannot find a font file it uses this list to substitute other fonts The following is an example of the content of the Fonts Tab file FONTTAB complex apcomp1x romanc apcomp1x iso apnorm helvetica c felixcad fonts apswiss Currently FONTTAB is the only recognized section in the Fonts Tab file Each line in the FONTTAB section has the following syntax source_font_filename fcad_font_filename The source_font_filename must always be specified without filename extension neither fsh nor shx The fcad_font_filename must always be specified without filename extension but can have a path specification The program will search for an SHX or FSH file specified by apply_fcad_font_filename in the application directories If that font file is found it will be applied automatically otherwise the program takes the alternative font file registered in the felix4xx ini file 233 Chapter 7 Text PLACING TEXT A The Text command Detail gt Text allows you to add text to the drawing via the Text dialog box Note that executing the command Qtext emulates the command line versus dialog box variant of text entry as described in the FelixCAD for AutoCAD guide r Insertion Point x jp Te fo z p IV Interactive Options Insertion Reference Height fo 02 CuL C uc UR Ang
340. ts appear in the drawing highlighted and attached to the cursor Drag the highlighted objects to position them in the drawing or type X Y coordinates We recommend 0 0 gt PASTE Insertion point P1 3 Specify the scale factor for insertion or press Enter to accept the default Scale factor lt 1 gt Enter 4 Specify the rotation angle for insertion or press Enter to accept the default Rotation angle lt 0 gt Enter When inserting the objects from the Clipboard you can also specify the scale factor and rotation angle before specifying the insertion point Choose the corresponding option from the option bar when prompted for the insertion point gt PASTE Insertion point Factor Scale factor lt 1 gt 5 Insertion point Rotation Rotation angle lt 0 gt 90 Insertion point Enter 331 Chapter 12 Export and Import PART FILES Parts or blocks are usually created and stored in a drawing You can however export the parts to flx files on disk This lets you create a parts library that others in your firm can use Commands related to parts are found on the Parts menu Write Part File The PartExp command Parts gt Write Part File works identically to the PartDef command discussed in Parts and Attributes Groups but is used to export parts Both commands define entities of a drawing or to define the whole drawing as a part The part names the insertion point of the part and the drawing entit
341. turn on the grid to see isometric grid The isometric snap grid has three major axes By default as long as no rotation of the snap grid is applied the axes of the isometric style are 90 the vertical axis 30 and 150 The cursor moves in only two of the three axes at a time Each of the three iso planes has an associated pair of axes 82 Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision OBJECT SNAP MODES For precise drafting many commands require that you select an exact position in the drawing You can pick the precise location by typing the coordinates or by picking a point in conjunction with an object snap Object snap allows you to pick geometrically significant points on existing entities Object snap mode can be activated permanently or called for a single pick The OSnap command lets you turn on object snap modes transparent commands such as mid and qua temporarily activate an object snap mode The procedure for using the object snaps is always the same 1 Start a command that requires a point such as From point 2 When the point is requested reply with an object snap mode the command prompts for the point with of 3 Select the object with the cursor Here is an example of using object snap A line is drawn from the center cen of the circle to the corner int of the rectangle gt line From point cen of pick To point int of pick To point Enter R FelixCAD C CAD F
342. ub directory applic To load another menu file such as Fead14e Mnu which provides a menu that looks similar to AutoCAD Rel ease 14 s menu select File gt Resource Manager gt Pulldown Menu or type the Menu command Refer to the FelixCAD for AutoCAD guide for further details FelixCAD C CADS FELIX40 NONAME_ O_flx 0 ha File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Help The standard FelixCAD pull down menu For further information on menu and palette management refer to the Customization Palette and Resource Manager chapter of this manual FelixCAD offers you the opportunity to graphically create or edit custom menus dialogs and palettes These files can be created and edited with the help of the Dialog and Menu Editor see complete explanation in the Programming and Customization Guide The Toolbar File Icons i When you install FelixCAD below the menu bar are two rows of buttons on the left and on the right with the command line area between them This component of the desktop layout is called the toolbar NEW a gt OPEN Command line a amp ee ad ea z RJE The File icons and command line DES ade The group of six buttons located on the left side of the toolbar executes commands from the File menu Each button consists of a symbol or icon that represents a command Simply click on a button to execute the command This is faster
343. ve area of the XY plane This point does not necessarily have to lie on the Y axis For practical reasons you should locate the axes of the UCS so they are oriented with the plane of the drawing object For example choose the corner points of this plane with object snap The selected plane becomes the drawing plane All entities are drawn on this plane gt ucs UCS Origin lt 0 0 0 gt 3Point UCS Origin lt 0 0 0 gt P1 Point on the positive x axis P2 Point on the positive xy plane P3 View The View option orients the user coordinate system parallel to the active view The UCS command does not ask you for any coordinates The X axis of the coordinate system lies parallel to the horizontal axis of the viewing plane the Y axis is oriented vertically and the z axis is orthogonal to it gt ucs UCS origin lt 0 0 0 gt View Rotation The Rotation option rotates the active coordinate system around one axis You may choose the angle of rotation and the direction of the rotation gt ucs UCS origin lt 0 0 0 gt Rotate Rotate around x y or z axis Z Rotation around Z Axis lt 0 gt 30 To rotate the coordinate system around two or three axes repeat these steps for each axis 1 Determine the axis around which to rotate the coordinate system Either type its character or click its option X Y or Z from the option bar 108 Chapter 3 Viewing Drawings 2 Determine the direction and angle of the rotation Enter
344. which represents the Esc key twice in a row to cancel any current commands Here is an example of what you might enter if you wa nt to execute the Line command TABLETITEM A_01 Draw Line s LINE FCMD LINE Note that this structure is very similar to the menu files mnu structure If you need more examples of how commands are executed you can edit the Fead Mnu file Be very careful not to modify the Fead Mnu You should copy this file to another location and edit from it there 393 Chapter 17 Customization Palette and Resource Manager Digitizing 394 Index INDEX BAK 36 BMP 374 DWG 2 8 31 35 246 247 250 253 263 277 383 DXF 2 8 31 35 246 247 250 251 263 277 330 383 FLK 37 FLX 8 31 35 36 37 246 250 253 263 277 327 336 360 383 FSH 234 37 LIN 118 129 MCR 395 MNT 396 MNU 40 394 399 PAT 317 319 PDF 4 5 PLB 261 263 RLC 374 TIF 374 3D BOX 185 3D CONE 186 3D ELLIPSOID 186 3D FACE 89 136 174 177 3D POLYLINE 132 141 173 182 184 206 211 3D SPHERE 186 3D TORUS 186 3D WEDGE 185 4 POINT TRANSFORMATION 381 ADOBE ACROBAT INSTALLATION 8 ALIAS SEE COMMAND ALIAS ALL 73 ANGLE INPUT POLAR COORDINATES 64 ANIMATED RENDERING 364 ARC 3Point 147 Angle 148 Append 150 Center point 150 Direction 148 Radius 150 Start point end point 147 Start end point cente
345. wing Note that scaling is only available when the Fit option is off The setup of the plot scale is done in two steps 1 Define the size of a drawing unit Select either mm or inch in the Units area 2 In the scale fields enter the scale for mm on paper and Drawing Units For example you are preparing a surveying drawing where e The plan units are mm e The drawing units are meters e The plot scale is 1 250 You enter 1 0 25 or 1 mm 0 25 m Another example you are working with an architectural drawing where e The units are imperial e The plan scale is 1 inch 20 feet You enter 1 20 The print dialog box shown on a previous page shows this example You see the effect of setting the scale in the preview window after you select the check mark button to the right of the drawing units 339 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Centered The Centered option is related to the Fit option Because the Fit option does not change the aspect ratio of the drawing to the paper a full picture may only be output either to the length or width of the picture but not both Position of the printed area before left and after right turning on Center option Centered results in a centered placement of the print area on the paper in relation to the side that could not be fitted to the margins of the page Note The Centered option is only available when using the Fit to Margins option Post
346. wise Color Sets the color the entire image takes on Dark red Turquoise Light gray Light green Light blue Light yellow On BR Oo PO 6 7 8 9 a4 oO 370 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing SAVE RASTER RSAVE The Save Raster button allows you to save all of the changes to the image done by the Property Settings Raster File button back to your hard drive These changes are permanent so be careful and make sure you have a back up of the original raster image before saving the changes TOGGLE RASTER FRAME ON OFF RBORDER The Toggle Raster Frame On Off button toggles the rectangular frame border around the image The frame is turned off or on The frames of all raster images are affected at the same time When on the frame shows the outer edge of the image and is in the same color as the image MOVE RASTER RMOVE suggests If you have more than one raster image in the drawing you are asked to select the one to be moved select raster lt point gt Last n 0 The options have the following meaning e lt point gt you select the raster image with the cursor e Last select the last image selected e 0 Type the id number of the image the first image is 0 e displays all numbers to choose from You are then asked for a Base point and a Destination point just like the standard Move command 371 Chapter 15 Raster Images Using and Editing ROTATE RASTER RROTATE a
347. with a different color are not affected by the change 120 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties Controlling the Layer Status The layer properties that determine the status of the layer were discussed earlier in this chapter Changing the status of a layer is as simple as clicking the proper button The status of each layer is displayed next to the layer s name e The On and Off buttons control the display visibility of the layer e The Unlk and Lock buttons control access to the layer Unlk allows editing Lock prohibits editing e The Thw and Frz buttons control the ability to see edit and regenerate the layer Thw unlocks and makes visible Frz locks and makes invisible The layer status is changed in two steps 1 Select the layer s Hold down the Shift key to select a range of layers or hold down the Ctrl key to select a dispersed range of layers 2 Click the button appropriate to the change in status For example to freeze a layer click the Frz button Remember that the current layer cannot be frozen 121 Chapter 4 Layers and Object Properties QUICK ACCESS TO LAYERS In addition to the Layer Manager FelixCAD provides a palette toolbar with the three most important layer functions e Change the current layer e Draw with a linetype other than BYLAYER e Draw with a color other than BYLAYER To access these functions select the buttons found on the palette on the left hand of the desktop Change
348. with simple entities like lines and circles as well as advanced 3D entities such as surfaces of revolution and three dimensional polylines The entities you draw may be changed later using the editing commands see Chapter 6 Circle Are N gon Rectangle Trapezoid Ellipse Chain Polyline Polyline Contour Filled Faces Rings Construction Points Measure Divide 3D Drawing Modes Palette Draw 3D Polpline 3D Faces 3D Mesh Polygon Mesh Surface of Revolution Tabulated Surface Ruled Surface Box Wedge Cylinder Cone Sphere Ellipsoid Torus All of the following commands are available from the Draw menu Drawing commands prompt you for input such as the starting point of a line the length of the line the center point of a circle or the points to define an arc You enter the points and distances by pointing with the cursor or by typing discreet coordinates or values on the keyboard Options for each command are shown in the option bar The default is the first option which is selected by the left mouse button Using Object Snaps When defining points by pointing with the cursor you should use object snap options in ensure precise drawings For more information about object snap refer to Chapter 2 Drawing With Precision 129 Chapter 5 Draw Loading Linetypes The Linetype command allows you to choose linetype definitions for later use The linetype chosen wi
349. xample of the transparent alias command Z below Definition in the FCADS key file Z ZOOM gt LINE From point To point To point z Zoom scale factor Window First corner Second corner To point 13 Introduction and Installation CONFIG Command Configuration D FCAD 2000 SUPPORT D FCAD 2000 COMMON D AFCAD2000 D FCAD2000 CFG C AWINDOWSS TEMP D FCAD2000 CFG FCADS KEY In the register Directories of the CONFIG command browse buttons now extend the ability to adjust FelixCAD path settings The font path now supports multiple path selection which can be useful if you have multiple text font directories If two font directories contain the same font definition the first found font will be used Autosave Autosave in FelixCAD essentially now operates in the same manner as in AutoCAD 14 Introduction and Installation Command Extensions Layer Command New line type definitions can be loaded without leaving the layer command In the sub dialog box you can select the Load button to accomplish this fi inetype In the layer manager the default button has been changed to the New button If you type in a layer name and press the return key a new layer will be created while you remain in the layer manager 15 Introduction and Installation Text and ATTDEF Command New text styles can be directly created while executing the text and ATTDEF command T
350. xported as WMF Extents The extents entire drawing is exported Finally you may choose whether the picture should be written into a file or copied to the Windows clipboard Note The objects remain in the clipboard until you copy something else to the Clipboard In FelixCAD this is done with the CopySelect BmpOut WmfOut and other commands as well as the Cut and Copy commands in other Windows applications Exporting a drawing or a part of it as bmp or wmf lets you use the drawing in presentation programs that create slide shows such as Microsoft PowerPoint Corel Presentations or Lotus Freelance Graphics Such software packages allow you to add logos textual descriptions special effects or other artwork to create professional slide shows 327 Chapter 12 Export and Import BITMAP EXPORT A drawing can be exported in the BMP Windows bitmap format which is a raster format used mainly to exchange images among Windows applications The BmpOut command Edit gt Copy Region to Bitmap exports the drawing to a file or to the Windows Clipboard The command presents the following options Window Define a window by picking two points in the drawing View The entire current view is exported as BMP Extents The extents entire drawing is exported Size You are asked to specify the width and height of the bitmap in pixels Unless you have a good reason for changing this value always accept the default The rang
351. y of the contents displayed in the viewport The Off option turns off the visibility of the viewport objects select the viewport frame or pick to an object inside the frame To redisplay the model within a deactivated viewport choose the On option and pick to an edge of the viewport s rectangle The visibility of the viewport frames themselves is controlled through layers Like any other entity viewports are located on a layer We recommended that you place viewports on one or two specific layers such as LM_VIEWPORT_ON and LM_VIEWPORT_OFF Now you can control the visibility of the frames of viewports by turning off or freezing a corresponding layer containing viewports 347 Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting Layout Mode Layer Control of Viewport Contents The Viewport command s Layer option freezes and thaws the layers of the contents of viewports For example you could use this option to display 3D views in certain viewports Only those objects are visible that are on layers with the prefix 3D_ Other viewports only display layers containing detailed 2D objects which have been placed on layers with the prefix 2D_ DETAIL_ and DIM_ After selecting the Layer option the Viewport Layer dialog box is displayed Drawing Layer Frozen Viewport Layer The Drawing Layer list box contains the names of all layers defined in the current drawing The Frozen Viewport Layer list box contains thos
352. yline is closed oven von wan TTC The Open option removes the polyline segment between the start and end points of the polyline Then since the polyline is now open the Close option is displayed on the option bar ese som wean eee Td The Close option joins the start and end points of the polyline with a straight polyline segment The width of this segment is equal to the ending width of the end point of the last drawn polyline The Back option shown above is displayed after one operation has been executed during this command Open left and closed polyline gt POLYEDIT Selection of a 2D Polyline P1 Select option Close Select option Enter Chapter 6 Modifying Objects Join The Join option joins a line arc or another polyline to the selected polyline The prerequisite is that the polyline and entity to be joined must meet at the same end point there cannot be a gap between the two gt POLYEDIT Select 2D Polyline Pl Select option Join Selection of an entity line arc 2D polyline P2 Selection of an entity line arc 2D polyline Enter The width of the new polyline segment depends on the nature of the entity joined to the polyline If a line or arc is joined to the polyline the new polyline segment has the same width as the polyline segment s end at which the line or the arc has been joined If it is a polyline that was joined the ending width of the polyline segment added w
353. ype In such cases re set the Itscale to a lar er value and perform a regen afterwards to see the gaps in these types of lines After a regeneration of the drawing the scale of line patterns already drawn is adjusted to the new value 131 Chapter 5 Draw Fill Solid Entities The Fill Solid Entities option specifies whether or not polygons are filled polygons are polylines with a width greater than zero or are 2D faces A check mark in the box indicates the fill function is on The default is on This option must be turned on to draw filled planes If the Fill Solid Entities option is off then the Fill Polygons option is not available in the Print Plot dialog box more details in Chapter 13 Printing and Plotting The figure below shows the effect of filling and not filling a polygon Sl Option Fill Solid Entities activated left and deactivated right Attribute Display Modes This option allows you to choose how attribute text should be displayed The options are Display as defined Attributes are displayed according to their definition the default All invisible All attributes are made invisible e g their status is defined as invisible Display all All attributes are displayed regardless of how they were defined Choose a display option by clicking its radio button 3D Face Edges In 3D views if you want to hide intersections or lines that are behind other objects select the Displayed as
354. zontally or vertically in relation to the measurement point then the extension line is drawn in orthographic mode and not as an angled line An example of this is shown in the above figure The program displays the calculated coordinate The value can be confirmed by pressing the Enter key or amended as required You may type in any alpha numeric sequence thus enabling the point to be labeled as required 305 Chapter 9 Dimensioning If a 0 0 point is referenced on different views of the same part care should be taken to ensure the same 0 0 point is referenced This is not so much for the software FelixCAD will allow ordinate dimensioning from different reference points as it is for producing accurate part drawings for manufacture Diameter Dimensioning Diameter dimensioning is used to indicate the diameter of circles arcs and other curves Unlike the horizontal or vertical dimensioning there is no dimension line Instead a single extension line shows the diameter of the curved object The diameter symbol is gt DIMDIA Select circle or arc Pl Dimensioning text lt 24 00 gt Enter Extension length P2 The first prompt asks you to select a circle or an arc You may also select a polyline that contains arcs Select carefully with the cursor the point you pick is where the extension line connects to the object 24 0000 24 0000 We recommend that you use the QUAdrant object snap to precisely selec

FelixCAD 4.01 User Manual - Spring conference on Computer

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