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Welcome to AutoCAD 2000, AutoCAD 2000 User's Guide

1. Key Action LEFT ARROW Moves cursor back to the left RIGHT ARROW Moves cursor forward to the right UP ARROW Displays the previous line in the command history DOWN ARROW Displays the next line in the command history PAGE UP Moves to the previous window PAGE DOWN Moves to the next window HOME Places cursor at the beginning of the line END Places cursor at the end of the line Chapter 4 Using Commands and System Variables Command window navigation continued Key Action INS Turns the Insert mode on and off DEL Deletes the character to the right of the cursor BACKSPACE Deletes the character to the left of the cursor Repeating Commands You can repeat AutoCAD commands using one of several methods To repeat the last command m Press ENTER or SPACEBAR or right click in the drawing area and choose Repeat To repeat one of the last six commands 1 Right click in the command window or text window 2 From the shortcut menu choose Recent Commands then choose one of the six most recently used commands To repeat the same command multiple times 1 At the Command prompt enter multiple 2 At the next prompt enter the command you want to repeat AutoCAD repeats this command until you press ESC Canceling Commands You can cancel any command by pressing ESC the standard key to cancel actions in Windows programs You can change the cancel key to CTRL C which was used to cancel commands in prev
2. __ Enter mode ON OFF lt ON gt a E To display or hide the text window m Press F2 You can click the window icon in the title bar to display the Win dow menu which you can use to move size minimize maximize or hide the text window You can view the entire command history for the current drawing in the text window To navigate to command text use the window s scroll bar or use the command window navigation keys such as HOME PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN Copying Text to the Command Line Although command window text is read only you can copy command win dow text or text from other sources and paste it on the command line to repeat previous actions or re enter previously entered values 100 Chapter 4 Using Commands and System Variables Highlight the text to be copied with your pointing device or with the keys shown in the following table Text selection Keys Select text from SHIFT RIGHT ARROW Cursor position to the right SHIFT LEFT ARROW Cursor position to the left SHIFT END Cursor to the end of the line SHIFT HOME Cursor to the beginning of the line CTRL SHIFT END Cursor to the end of the window CTRL SHIFT HOME Cursor to the beginning of the window CTRL SHIFT PAGE UP Cursor through the preceding screen of text CTRL SHIFT PAGE DOWN Cursor through the next screen of text To copy text from the text window to the command line 1 If the text window is not displayed press
3. GRIDMODE entering 0 off or false turns the grid off entering 1 on or true turns the grid on Other system variables store numbers or text LIMMAX stores the upper right drawing limits for example 12 0000 9 000 DWGNAME is a read only variable that stores the current drawing file name You generally change system variables through dialog box entries However you can change system variables directly on the command line which is quicker in certain situations Using Scripts to Run Commands 103 To change system variables on the command line At the Command prompt enter the system variable name and press ENTER 2 Enter the new system variable value and press ENTER The following example shows GRIDMODE changed on the command line Command gridmode Enter new value for GRIDMODE lt 0 gt 1 You can examine or change the setting of a system variable while using an other command However if you change the value the new value may not take effect until the interrupted command ends You can also use the SETVAR command to list or change system variable val ues This command is particularly useful for listing the values of some or all system variables at any time Entering then at the SETVAR prompt displays all system variables and their values For a complete list of all the system variables in AutoCAD see appendix B System Variables in the Command Reference Correcting Mistakes You can use several methods to u
4. Plot Style Table wizard The Plot Style Table wizard steps you See Creating a Plot Style Table through plot style creation on page 557 AutoCAD Release 14 Automatically create a plot style table See Migrating Your Pen Settings Pen Settings wizard from an AutoCAD Release 14 CFG PCP from Previous Versions of or PC2 file AutoCAD on page 576 Plot Style Table Editor Use the Plot Style Table Editor to edit See Editing Plot Styles on page plot style tables 562 True color raster output You can plot raster images in 24 bit See Assigning Plot Style Color color on page 566 Customizing and Extending AutoCAD ActiveX has several new objects including MenuBar MenuGroups PopupMenus and Toolbars Application document and object level events are now available See the ActiveX and VBA Developer s Guide for introductory material concerning these objects and events In Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA you can now reference a project from another project You can also create libraries of common func tions and macros See Getting Started with AutoCAD VBA in the ActiveX and VBA Developer s Guide Learning AutoCAD Many resources are available to help you learn to use AutoCAD The AutoCAD documentation suite includes printed and online manuals cover ing a wide range of topics AutoCAD 2000 Learning Assistance provides multimedia training on AutoCAD You can also attend AutoCAD training c
5. To edit or create a flyout icon From the View menu choose Toolbars 2 Right click a flyout on an existing toolbar to display the Flyout Properties dialog box 3 In the Flyout Properties dialog box under Button Icon select an icon and then choose Edit Creating and Editing Toolbar Buttons 93 Pencil Line Circle and Erase tools button at actual size colors Clear Open Undo ETA Save As Save Less Help The Button Editor dialog box provides a close up view of the button icon If you select Grid AutoCAD divides the view into a grid Each grid box repre sents one pixel The Button Editor dialog box displays the button icon at its actual size in the upper left corner You can open an existing button using Open 4 Use the Pencil Line Circle and Erase tools to create or edit the button icon To add color select a color from the color palette Pencil button Edits one pixel at a time in the selected color You can drag the pointing device to edit several pixels at once m Line button Creates lines in the selected color Circle button Creates circles in the selected color a Erase button Sets pixels to the background color when you drag the point ing device Double click the Erase button to set all pixels to the back ground color 5 To save the customized button choose Save As specify a file name and choose Save To overwrite the original b
6. tem settings For example by default you can work with multiple documents in one session but you can change AutoCAD to Single Document mode by selecting Single Drawing Compatibility Mode under General Options After you install AutoCAD you usually do not need to perform additional configuration tasks for the mouse or digitizer because AutoCAD uses the current system pointing device However you can change the current point ing device and control whether AutoCAD accepts input from a digitizer only or from both a digitizer and a mouse fi 21x Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawing dwa Files Display Open and Save Plotting User Preferences Dratting Selection Profiles m Current 3D Graphics Display _ r General Options eseon Properties I Single drawing compatibility mode M Show Startup dialog Display OLE properties dialog m Current Pointing Device I Show all waming messages Current System Pointing Device z I Beep on error in user input T Load acad lsp with every drawing Accept input from I Allow long symbol names Gp l 1d mouse m dbConnect Options I Store Links index in drawing file I Open tables in read only mode Cancel Apply Help Other settings that you can change on the System tab include Use of long symbol names Startup dialog box display Behavior during user input errors LISP file l
7. Dialog Box or Window Right click items in most dialog boxes or windows In gen eral the shortcut menus for list boxes offer file management commands such as Rename and Delete and the shortcut menus for edit boxes offer Copy and Paste Other shortcut menus in dialog boxes may provide context specific options Status Bar Right click the coordinate display or any of the buttons on the status bar to quickly toggle drawing aids and lineweight display on and off and modify their settings Model Layout Right click the Model tab or any of the layout tabs in the lower left corner of the drawing area to display plotting page setup and various layout options Using Pointing Devices 62 You control AutoCAD with a pointing device such as a standard mouse an IntelliMouse or a digitizing tablet You can specify points either by click ing the pointing device or by entering coordinates on the command line A pointing device such as a mouse or a digitizing puck may have a number of buttons AutoCAD assigns the first 10 buttons automatically but you can reassign all but the pick button by modifying the menu file acad mnu But ton behavior described in the following sections assumes that the acad mnu file contains the default settings supplied with AutoCAD Chapter 2 Getting Started Mouse You can choose options from menus and toolbars by clicking them with your mouse You also can use the mouse to draw or to select objects on th
8. Pattern dwg File Types Exit Drawing dwg i r Date Filter After this date Time f12 00 00 PM Date 1 1 80 Search Location Dive Sera C All Drives Local Fixed Drives 7 ce OO Search On the Search tab enter a search pattern or select a file type to search for You can use wild cards in search patterns Under Date Filter select a reference for example Before This Date or After This Date and enter the time and date to refer to Under Search Location specify a drive and directory path Choose Edit to change the search path in the Edit Path dialog box Choose Search The button name changes to Stop Search Press it to stop the search at any time When the search is completed double click the file you want to open in the Files list or select the file name and choose Open Choose Fxit Chapter 2 Getting Started Working with Multiple Drawings You can open more than one drawing in a single AutoCAD session When multiple drawings are open simply click anywhere in the drawing to make it active You can also use CTRL F6 or CTRL TAB to switch between open drawings However you cannot switch between drawings during certain long operations such as regenerating the drawing See Refreshing the Screen Dis play on page 64 You can quickly reference other drawings copy and paste between draw ings or drag objects from one drawing to another You can also use th
9. all your drawing files then search for all drawing files with that key word For a hyperlink base you can specify an Internet address or a path to a folder on a network drive A 21 General Summary Statistics Custom Title Summa Ino Subject Summar Info Spee Author Ed Sherbos Keywords Summa Ino Comments fPreliminary Spec a Hyperlink base Cancel Help Custom tab You can enter up to ten custom properties Specify the names of the custom fields in the column on the left and the value for each cus tom field in the column on the right 86 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment A 21x General Summary Statistics Custom Custom properties Name Value p ob No 4000 D 01 Lats 16 23 47 50 54 Cancel Help 3 Choose OK to exit the dialog boxes Command line DWGPROPS You can use the Drawing Properties dialog box to view drawing information maintained by AutoCAD General tab Displays the drawing type location size and other informa tion The information is derived from the operating system All fields are read only However if you access file properties through Windows Explorer the attributes options are made available by the operating system Statistics tab Displays data such as file size and the dates files were created and last modified You can search for all files created at a certain time for example after March 3 1998 or files la
10. choose Options You can also initiate a specific profile before starting AutoCAD by using a command line switch To make a profile current before starting AutoCAD 1 On the Windows desktop right click the AutoCAD icon to display the short cut menu 2 Choose Properties from the shortcut menu 3 In the AutoCAD Properties dialog box choose the Shortcut tab Modifying the AutoCAD Environment 83 4 Under Target enter p currentprofile after the current target directory For example to make the profile User12 current enter the following in Target c acad2000 acad exe p user12 5 Choose OK to exit the dialog box The profile name you enter is the current profile each time you start AutoCAD For more information about profiles see OPTIONS in the Command Reference For more information about command line switches see chapter 4 Config uring and Optimizing AutoCAD in the Installation Guide Optimizing Performance To optimize AutoCAD performance while working in a drawing you can change certain settings in the Options dialog box Keep in mind however that your drawing file size and system hardware play significant roles in AutoCAD performance The following settings on the Display tab in the Options dialog box affect performance m Arc and Circle Smoothness Set to a low value such as 100 for drawing and increase the value for rendering to optimize performance The valid range is 1 through 20 000 When you increase the
11. focuses on working in AutoCAD understanding dif ficult concepts and underutilized AutoCAD features and collaborating with other AutoCAD professionals AutoCAD Training Autodesk Official Training Courseware AOTC is the Autodesk endorsed courseware for instructor led training To register for a training course using this courseware contact an Authorized Autodesk Training Center Autho rized Autodesk Reseller or Autodesk System Center You can find a list of these organizations on the Autodesk Technical Assistance Web site http www autodesk com support Migrating to AutoCAD 2000 AutoCAD 2000 Migration Assistance provides information and tools to help you migrate from previous versions of AutoCAD You can use AutoCAD 2000 Migration Assistance to migrate your custom applications menus toolbars and drawings to AutoCAD 2000 For example the AutoLISP Code Analyzer reviews your AutoLISP applications and the Batch Drawing Converter helps you migrate drawing files created in earlier releases to AutoCAD 2000 You can start AutoCAD 2000 Migration Assistance from the Start menu Windows If you have not already installed AutoCAD 2000 Migration Assistance see chap ter 2 Installing AutoCAD for an Individual User in the Installation Guide 40 Chapter Welcome to AutoCAD 2000 Getting Technical Support To complement the technical support provided by your AutoCAD dealer or reseller you can find technical support information f
12. new drawing using Start from Scratch In the Startup dialog box choose Start from Scratch If AutoCAD is already started from the File menu choose New and then choose Start from Scratch in the Create New Drawing dialog box awl N Start from Scratch r Default Settings English feet and inches C Metric Tip Uses the default English feet and inches settings IV Show Startup dialog Cancel 2 Select English or Metric and then choose OK The drawing opens based on the English acad dwt or metric acadiso dwt template and with the name drawing1 dwg 3 From the File menu choose Save As 4 In the Save Drawing As dialog box under File Name enter a name for the drawing and choose Save AutoCAD automatically appends the drawing extension dwg to the new file name Command line NEW System variables MEASUREINIT sets initial drawing units as English or met ric for any new drawings MEASUREMENT sets drawing units as English or metric for the current drawing See Using System Variables on page 103 Starting Drawings with Setup Wizards AutoCAD setup wizards start with the same settings used when you start a drawing from scratch that is English or metric then customize other set tings depending on the wizard you choose The Quick Setup wizard sets the drawing units and drawing area Choices for drawing units include Decimal Engineering Architectural Fractional and Scienti
13. new layouts T Pan and zoom with raster image Highlight raster image frame only T True color raster images and rendering Apply solid fill I Show text boundary frame only I Show silhouettes in wireframe r Crosshair size m Reference Edit fading intensity Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Other settings that you can change on the Display tab include Display properties of AutoCAD window elements Resolution settings that affect rendering quality Size of AutoCAD crosshairs Display settings that affect performance Fading intensity control for references being edited in place See OPTIONS in the Command Reference Also see Working with Layouts on page 517 Opening and Saving Your Drawings The Open and Save tab in the Options dialog box controls settings that relate to opening and saving drawing files If you turn on the Automatic Save op tion AutoCAD saves your drawing at specified time intervals Drawings are saved to the temporary directory specified as the Automatic Save File Loca tion on the Files tab NOTE AutoCAD saves files in AutoCAD 2000 format automatically even if you saved the drawing in the format of an earlier AutoCAD release This prevents you from losing any AutoCAD 2000 data during your editing session Es 21 x Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawing dwg Files Display lotting System User Preferences Draftin
14. pieces but make sure to align each piece AutoCAD has a special Tablet input mode Tablet mode differs from Digitizer mode in that the active area of the tablet coincides with the current display window In Digitizer mode an area of the tablet coincides with specific coordinates in your drawing the portion of your drawing that you are currently viewing is irrelevant For more information about calibrating tablets see chapter 5 Configuring a Digitizer in the Installation Guide Any command requiring you to select objects with the pointing device works in Tablet mode For example to erase an object start the ERASE command and move the tablet pointing device until the pick box is over the object For more information about the tablet see TABLET in the Command Reference Refreshing the Screen Display 64 You refresh the display to remove blips or temporary markers that indicate points you have specified To refresh the drawing display you can either redraw or regenerate Because regeneration can take a long time in complex drawings you will usually redraw Redrawing cleans up only the display Regenerating not only cleans up the display but also updates the drawing database with the screen coordinates for all objects in the drawing The database stores information about a drawing s objects as floating point values A floating point format ensures a high level of precision but it may Chapter 2 Getting Started make calculatio
15. set the unit values for your drawing As you change unit settings AutoCAD shows examples under Sample Output m Under Length select a unit type and level of precision m Under Drawing units for AutoCAD DesignCenter blocks select the unit that you want AutoCAD to use to scale blocks images or other content inserted into the drawing If you do not want AutoCAD to scale inserted content select Unitless 68 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment m Under Angle select an angle type and precision To specify an angle direction choose Direction and then select the base angle in the Direction Control dialog box hA 21 x 90 00 180 00 270 00 Pick Type f Angle fo Cancel The angle direction controls the point from which AutoCAD measures angles and the direction in which they are measured The default is 0 degrees on the right side of the figure measured counterclockwise If you select Other you can enter an angle or choose Angle to specify an angle using your pointing device Choose OK to exit each dialog box Command line UNITS System variables AutoCAD stores entries from the Drawing Units dialog box in ANGBASE ANGDIR AUNITS AUPREC INSUNITS LUNITS and LUPREC AutoCAD stores entries from User Preferences in the Options dialog box in INSUNITSDEFSOURCE to assume source content units setting and INSUNITSDEFTARGET to assume the target drawing units setting when Insert Units are n
16. the Categories selection to display the buttons you want to add Drag buttons from one toolbar to another or press CTRL while you drag to copy the toolbar button to another toolbar 5 Choose Close to exit the dialog boxes Command line TOOLBAR Shortcut menu Right click a toolbar and choose Customize To rename a toolbar 1 From the View menu choose Toolbars 2 In the Toolbars dialog box select the toolbar name and then choose Properties 3 In the Toolbar Properties dialog box enter a new name 4 To change the text displayed on the status line enter new text at Help and then choose Apply 5 In the Toolbars dialog box choose Close To display tooltips 1 From the View menu choose Toolbars 2 In the Toolbars dialog box select Show ToolTips and choose Close System variables TOOLTIPS turns tooltips on and off To change the size of buttons 1 From the View menu choose Toolbars 2 In the Toolbars dialog box select Large Buttons and choose Close Creating and Deleting Toolbars To create a new toolbar you first create an empty toolbar and then drag buttons onto the new toolbar from the Customize Toolbars dialog box or from other toolbars Modifying Toolbars 89 To create a toolbar From the View menu choose Toolbars 2 In the Toolbars dialog box choose New Toolbar Name 3D ORBIT ae ncel Menu Group ACAD x Help 3 In the New Toolbar dialog box specify a name for the tool
17. the command line The FILEDIA system variable controls the display of dialog boxes that read and write files If you prefer to enter file names on the command line set FILEDIA to off If FILEDIA is set to off and you want to use the dialog box enter a tilde at the file name prompt Using Scripts to Run Commands A script is a series of AutoCAD commands in a text file that can be used to carry out a task With scripts you can run several commands in succession For example you can script a series of AutoCAD commands for overnight batch processing You also can create a group of drawing display files known as slides and then write a script that displays them in a slide show To create a script make a text file with commands and command options entered exactly as you would enter them on the command line For information about creating scripts see Command Scripts in chapter 6 Programming Interfaces in the Customization Guide Using System Variables System variables control many AutoCAD functions and many aspects of the design environment System variables control how many commands work System variables also turn drawing modes such as Snap and Grid on or off set default scales for hatch patterns and store information about the current drawing and AutoCAD configuration System variables have abbreviated names that are usually 6 10 characters long Many system variables have simple on or off settings For example for
18. time during an AutoCAD session you can access online information from the Help menu Use the Help topics for assistance as you work See Using AutoCAD Help in the Help topics for information about using the AutoCAD Help system efficiently Getting Technical Support 41 To access Help topics From the Help menu choose AutoCAD Help Topics The Contents tab displays the online versions of the AutoCAD documentation suite as well as other information Use the Index tab to search for terms and top ics in the online index use the Find tab to conduct full text searches Command line HELP Related Press F1 or enter on the command line Typographical Conventions 42 To orient you to AutoCAD features as they appear on the screen specific terms are set in typefaces that distinguish them from the body text Throughout AutoCAD documentation the following conventions are used Typographical conventions Text element Example AutoCAD commands AutoCAD system variables AutoCAD named objects such as linetypes and styles ADCENTER DBCONNECT SAVE DIMBLK DWGNAME LTSCALE DASHDOT STANDARD Prompts Select object to trim or Project Edge Undo Instructions after prompt sequences File names and file name extensions Folder or directory names Select objects Use an object selection method acad exe Readme file dwg file extension Sample folder c ACAD2000 support Text you enter At the Command
19. value rendered objects are smoother however AutoCAD requires more time to regenerate pan and zoom m Segments in a Polyline Curve Set to a low value such as 4 to optimize per formance The higher the number of line segments the more time is re quired to regenerate the drawing m Rendered Object Smoothness Set to 1 or less to optimize performance The valid range is 0 01 through 10 When you increase the value display per formance decreases and rendering time increases Contour Lines per Surface Set to a low value such as 4 to optimize perfor mance The valid range is O through 2047 When you increase the value display performance decreases and rendering time increases m Pan and Zoom with Raster Image Clear to optimize performance During panning and zooming AutoCAD displays only the frame of the raster image instead of the entire raster image Highlight Raster Image Frame Only Select to optimize performance Only the frame of the raster image as opposed to the entire raster image is highlighted when it is selected True Color Raster Images and Rendering Clear to optimize performance When AutoCAD displays images at optimum quality regeneration time increases significantly To improve performance while working in a 84 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment drawing change the system display setting to decrease the number of colors Apply Solid Fill Clear to optimize performance Drawing regeneration
20. wheel button and drag the mouse Pan joystick Press CTRL hold down the wheel button and drag the mouse Display the Object Snap shortcut menu Change the MBUTTONPAN system variable setting to 0 and click the wheel button Using Pointing Devices 63 Tablet You can use a digitizing tablet to select frequently used commands to select an object on the screen or to simply draw objects The tablet s pointing de vice which you use to select an object can be a puck or a stylus The crosshairs on the screen follow the movement of the pointing device in the drawing area of the tablet Button 1 is the pick button which is used to specify points on the screen Button 2 either displays a shortcut menu or issues ENTER de pending on the pointer location and the right click settings See Control ling Default Edit and Command Shortcut Menus on page 60 Pressing SHIFT button 2 displays the Object Snap shortcut menu from which you can select object snaps You can also use a tablet to digitize drawings by tracing objects into the AutoCAD drawing database with coordinates that relate to the original draw ing For example if you are working with a printed circuit design that was pre pared originally by hand you can store and edit that drawing in AutoCAD To digitize a drawing calibrate or align the tablet with the paper drawing s coordinate system If the paper drawing is too large to fit on the tablet enter the drawing in
21. After you install AutoCAD you usually do not need to perform any addi tional configuration tasks on the display because AutoCAD uses a default display You can however customize the AutoCAD display by using the op tions on the Display tab in the Options dialog box You can change the color and font AutoCAD uses and specify a number of other settings You can also use the Display tab in the Options dialog box to set layout op tions Layouts create paper space views for your drawing You can create mul tiple layouts and design different floating viewport configurations for each layout On the Display tab you can specify layout properties for example you can display margins or a paper background in a layout These options help you to see what your drawing looks like when plotted fi 21x Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawingl dwg Open and Save Plotting System User Preferences Dratting Selection Profiles r Window Elements r Display resolution Display scroll bars in drawing window 100 T Display screen menu Arc and circle smoothness 8 Segments in a polyline curve 2 A i Text lines in command line window ps FEE E Colors Eonts 4 Contour lines per surface r Layout elements r Display performance I Display Layout and Model tabs lM Display margins IV Display paper background I Display paper shadow IV Show Page Setup dialog for new layouts I Create viewport in
22. AutoCAD drawing aids Working with Toolbars 58 AutoCAD provides 24 toolbars for access to frequently used commands settings and modes The Standard Object Properties Draw and Modify toolbars are displayed by default To display or close toolbars 1 Right click the background or title bar of any displayed toolbar such as the Standard or Draw toolbar 2 From the shortcut menu select the toolbar you want to display or close Command line TOOLBAR displays the Toolbars dialog box in which you can turn toolbars on and off and customize toolbars See Modifying Toolbars on page 88 You can display multiple toolbars at once and you can dock or float tool bars Docked toolbars lock into place along the top bottom or sides of the AutoCAD window Floating toolbars move freely move them using your pointing device Floating toolbars can overlap other floating and docked toolbars You can also hide toolbars until you need them To dock or undock a toolbar 1 To dock a toolbar place your pointer on the background or title bar of the toolbar then use your pointing device to drag the toolbar to a dock location at the top bottom or either side of the drawing window 2 When the outline of the toolbar appears in the docking area you want release the pointing device button 3 To undock a toolbar drag it outside the docking region 4 To place a toolbar in a docking region without docking it hold down CTRL as you drag C
23. BIT command to See Interactive Viewing in 3D on rotation easily manipulate views of 3D objects page 601 34 Chapter Welcome to AutoCAD 2000 Heads up design environment continued Feature What s new For more information Multiple active work planes Viewports and views can have different user coordinate system UCS and elevation settings which makes working in 3D easier See Working with UCSs in Viewports on page 117 and Working with Views in 3D on page 596 UCS Manager Manage your UCSs using the new UCS Manager dialog box See Saving and Restoring a Named UCS on page 118 and Working with Views in 3D on page 596 View Manage views using the new View dialog box See Working with Views in 3D on page 596 Reference editing Edit external references and block references from within your current drawing See Editing References in Place on page 484 Toolbars Use AutoCAD toolbars that are enhanced to conform to Microsoft Office 98 standards See Working with Toolbars on page 58 Improved Access and Usability The AutoCAD 2000 interface is more design centric and less command centric making the software more transparent in the design process Improved access and usability Feature What s new For more information Properties Modify the properties of an object in See Using the Properties window a drawing
24. CAD Environment 73 74 Specifying Search Paths File Names and File Locations The Files tab of the Options dialog box is where you set the search path AutoCAD uses to find support files such as text fonts drawings linetypes and hatch patterns The working support file search path lists paths from the support file search path that are valid and exist in the current system direc tory structure including system network mapping Using these options helps improve performance when AutoCAD loads these files You also can specify the location of temporary files on the Files tab AutoCAD creates temporary files on disk and then deletes them when you exit AutoCAD AutoCAD sets the temporary directory to the location that Microsoft Windows uses If you plan to run AutoCAD from a write protected directory for example if you work on a network or open files on a CD specify a different location for your temporary files The directory you specify must not be write protected and the drive containing the di rectory should have sufficient disk space for the temporary files If you want to use a custom menu specify it in the Menu Help and Miscellaneous File Names box The default menu is acad mnu Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawing dwa Files Display Open and Save Plotting System User Preferences Drafting Selection Profiles Search paths file names and file locations
25. F2 to display it 2 Select the text you want to copy 3 Right click in the command window or text window and choose Paste to Command Line AutoCAD copies the text to the Clipboard and pastes it on the command line After you press ENTER AutoCAD executes the commands in sequence like a script You can also use CTRL C and CTRL V to copy and paste text Related The COPYHIST command copies all the text in the command history to the Clipboard The command history displays user input lines that contain spaces such as AutoLISP expressions and command options that accept text strings such as GROUP descriptions or ATTDEF attribute values AutoCAD inter prets any space on the command line as a line terminator unless it is part of an AutoLISP command enclosed in parentheses part of a text string or part of a name such as a block or layer name Working with AutoCAD Commands 101 Using Commands Transparently You can use many commands transparently that is you can enter them on the command line while another command is active Most commands that you use transparently change drawing settings or turn on drawing aids such as SNAP GRID or ZOOM To use a command transparently enter an apostrophe before entering the command at any prompt On the command line double angle brackets gt gt precede prompts for transparent commands After you complete the trans parent command the original command resumes The following example tu
26. H B Working Support File Search Path B Device Driver File Search Path B Project Files Search Path H D Menu Help and Miscellaneous File Names H D Text Editor Dictionary and Font File Names D Print File Spooler and Prolog Section Names T Printer Support File Path B Search Path for ObjectARX Applications H B Automatic Save File Location B Data Sources Location H B Drawing Template File Location 4 B Log File Location Temporary Drawing File Location Temporary Extemal Reference File Location xl Specify the folders in which AutoCAD should look for text fonts menus plug ins drawings to insert linetypes and hatch patterns that are not in the current folder Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Other search paths file names and file locations on the Files tab include Device driver file search path Project files search path Text editor dictionary and font file names Print file spooler and prolog section names the prolog section of the acad psf file can be customized to override AutoCAD PostScript code when using PSOUT Printer support file path Search path for ObjectARX applications Automatic save file location Data sources location Drawing template file location Log file location Temporary drawing file location Temporary external reference file location Texture maps search path To change a search path From the Tools menu choose Options 2 In t
27. However you can control the display of the Default Edit and Command shortcut menus When you turn off these menus right clicking in the draw ing area is the same as pressing ENTER By default all three menu types are turned on To turn off shortcut menus in the drawing area From the Tools menu choose Options 2 In the Options dialog box choose the User Preferences tab 3 Under Windows Standard Behavior clear Shortcut Menus in Drawing Area Chapter 2 Getting Started 4 To control Default Edit and Command shortcut menus individually select Shortcut Menus in Drawing Area and then choose Right Click Customization 5 In the Right Click Customization dialog box under Default Mode or Edit Mode select one of the following options to control what happens when you right click in the drawing area and no command is in progress m Repeat Last Command Repeats the last command Selecting this option turns off the Default and Edit shortcut menus Right clicking is the same as pressing ENTER Shortcut Menu Displays the Default or Edit shortcut menu 6 Under Command Mode select one of the following options to determine what happens when you right click in the drawing area while a command is in progress m Enter Turns off the Command shortcut menu Right clicking is the same as pressing ENTER Shortcut Menu Always Enabled Displays the Command shortcut menu m Shortcut Menu Enabled When Command Options Are Present Displays th
28. Welcome to AutoCAD 2000 Welcome to AutoCAD 2000 a product with a rich and unique history First released in 1982 under the name MicroCAD the first AutoCAD ran under the CP M operating system on Intel 8080 computers That first AutoCAD release started a revolution in drafting and design Today AutoCAD is translated into 18 languages and used by millions of users worldwide on computers a thousand times more powerful than those early 8080 microprocessors AutoCAD 2000 continues the AutoCAD heritage and this User s Guide is the key to its power In this chapter you will find descriptions of new features and resources available to help you learn to use AutoCAD 2000 _ UN Poo E hh papan ava gs i In This Chapter _ Understanding what s new in AutoCAD 2000 Learning AutoCAD Migrating to AutoCAD 2000 Using Help Using Technical support and Web resources 33 What s New in AutoCAD 2000 AutoCAD 2000 provides many new features that improve and enhance AutoCAD This section gives a quick summary of new features and lists references to topics where you can learn more Heads Up Design Environment Heads up Design means you focus on the design not on the keyboard AutoCAD 2000 provides new
29. a If you select Use Shift to Add to Selection you can expand an object selection set by holding down SHIFT while you select the new objects 2 x Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawing dwg Files Display Open and Save Plotting System User Preferences Drafting Profiles Selection Modes r Grips I Noun verb selection M Enable grips I Use Shift to add to selection I Enable grips within blocks x Press and drag Unselected grip color I Implied windowing 5 Fe Blue X IV Object grouping T Associative Hatch Selected grip color E Red bd Pickbox Size Grip Size o H L _ _ _ Cancel Apply Help Modifying the AutoCAD Environment 8l Other settings that you can change on the Selection tab include Grip behavior and properties Press and drag selection Noun verb selection Object grouping selection Associative hatch selection See OPTIONS in the Command Reference Creating Profiles You can use the Profiles tab in the Options dialog box to create and save your drawing environment settings as a profile If you share your workstation with other users who use the same login name you can restore your options by making the profile current You can also create and save profiles to use with different projects By default AutoCAD stores your current options in a pro file named UNNAMED PROFILE AutoCAD displays the c
30. and Shortcut Menus on page 60 For information about additional shortcut menus see Using Shortcut Menus Outside the Drawing Area on page 62 Using Shortcut Menus 59 60 The following table describes how to access the shortcut menus that are dis played when you right click in the drawing area Shortcut menus in the drawing area Shortcut menu Access and contents Default Deselect all objects end any active command and right click for a shortcut menu with common options such as Copy Paste Pan and Zoom Edit Select one or more objects end any active command and right click for a shortcut menu with options for editing ob jects The shortcut menu may contain options specific to the kind of object selected Command Start a command and while the command is active right click for a shortcut menu with options that are useful when a command is in progress The shortcut menu also includes any options currently displayed in a prompt on the command line Object Snap Press SHIFT while you right click for a shortcut menu that provides access to the object snaps object snap settings and point filters Hot Grips Select a grip on an object and then right click for grip editing options OLE Right click an OLE object for options that are useful for editing OLE objects Controlling Default Edit and Command Shortcut Menus The Object Snap Hot Grips and OLE shortcut menus are always turned on
31. aved with the drawing Saving Drawings 65 Closing Drawings The CLOSE command closes the active drawing You can also click the Close button in the upper right corner of the drawing To close a drawing 1 Click the drawing you want to close to make it the active drawing 2 From the File menu choose Close NOTE The CLOSE command is not available when AutoCAD is in Single Document mode Exiting AutoCAD If you saved your most recent changes to all open drawings you can exit AutoCAD without saving the drawings again If you have not saved your changes AutoCAD prompts you to save or discard the changes To exit AutoCAD From the File menu choose Exit Command line QUIT 66 Chapter 2 Getting Started Setting Up Your Drawing Environment After you start a drawing you can change its settings including drawing units and limits snap and grid settings and layer linetype and lettering standards You can also modify the AutoCAD environment to fit your personal preferences or the needs of a particular project This chapter describes the drawing settings and AutoCAD options that you can modify In This Chapter _ Formatting drawing units Changing grid and snap settings Setting AutoCAD options _ Defining drawing properties Changing toolbars and toolbar buttons 67 Setting Drawing Units Every object you draw is measured in units You determine the value of the units within AutoCAD before yo
32. aving Files across the Web AutoCAD data with faster more intuitive from the Internet on page Internet access 813 Hyperlinks Attach hyperlink attachments to See Working with AutoCAD objects or graphic locations Hyperlinks on page 817 then follow them using the Attach Hyperlinks dialog box ePlot Create an electronic plot of a drawing or See Using ePlot to Publish layout in a secure Internet ready DWF Files on page 822 neutral file format Streamlined Output AutoCAD 2000 has many new features and improvements to give you greater flexibility and control of your output You can create nonrectangular view ports and assign lineweights to objects for your output Streamlined output Feature What s new For more information Layouts Compose a drawing and See chapter 15 Creating a quickly prepare it for plotting Layout to Plot Nonrectangular Create irregular shaped viewports See Creating Nonrectangular viewports by selecting objects or points in the Viewports on page 542 drawing area Lineweight Use the new lineweight property See Working with Lineweights to add width to your objects in the on page 339 drawing area and in printed drawings Plotting Use new wizards and editors that See chapter 16 Plotting Your make plotting easier Drawings What s New in AutoCAD 2000 37 Streamlined output continued Feature What s new For more information
33. bar 4 Under Menu Group specify the menu group to associate with the toolbar The Toolbars dialog box lists all available toolbars The menu group deter mines the file to which your toolbar configuration is saved 5 Choose OK 6 In the Toolbars dialog box choose Close The new empty toolbar is displayed You can now add tools to the toolbar see Modifying Toolbars on page 88 You can also create new toolbars by dragging a toolbar button from the Customize Toolbars dialog box to the AutoCAD window A new toolbar is displayed with the button For more in formation see chapter 4 Custom Menus in the Customization Guide Command line TOOLBAR Shortcut menu Right click a toolbar and choose Customize To delete a toolbar From the View menu choose Toolbars 2 In the Toolbars dialog box select the toolbar and then choose Delete 3 Choose OK WARNING You cannot undo this action AutoCAD prompts you to confirm Creating and Editing Toolbar Buttons After you create a toolbar you can add buttons supplied with AutoCAD or you can create your own by modifying existing buttons Under one button icon you can create or modify a set of buttons called a flyout You can cus tomize the appearance of buttons to suit your needs 90 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Creating a Toolbar Button AutoCAD commands are organized into categories in the Customize Toolbars dialog box You can select a category t
34. d Aliases in the Command Reference Regardless of how you start a command the command prompts flow in the same way AutoCAD either displays prompts on the command line or dis plays a dialog box The prompt format is current instruction or options lt current value gt The current instruction begins with one of four verbs The verb communi cates the action you can perform as shown in the following table Command line verbs Verb Meaning Example Select Use the pointing device to select objects or use Select objects another object selection method See Selecting Objects on page 234 Enter Enter a value on the command line Enter an option to change Invisible Constant Verify Preset lt done gt Specify Select a point on the screen or enter a value Specify center point for circle or such as a coordinate on the command line 3Point 2Point Tangent tangent radius Digitize Select a point on a digitizing tablet TABLET Digitize point 1 command only 96 Chapter 4 Using Commands and System Variables Commands often have options which are displayed within brackets To choose an option enter the option s capitalized letter uppercase or lower case on the command line If an option is preceded by a number such as the CIRCLE command 3Point option enter the number and capitalized letter 3P To execute commands or enter command options you can Press ENTER m Press SPACEBAR Right click
35. e Command shortcut menu only when options are currently available in the command line prompt In a command prompt options are enclosed in square brackets If no options are available right clicking is the same as pressing ENTER System variables AutoCAD stores right click customization settings in SHORTCUTMENU In addition to turning the Default Edit and Command shortcut menus on and off you can customize the options that are displayed on them For exam ple you can add options to the Edit shortcut menu that are displayed only when circles are selected For information about customizing shortcut menus see Pull Down and Shortcut Menus in chapter 4 Custom Menus in the Customization Guide Using Shortcut Menus 61 Using Shortcut Menus Outside the Drawing Area In addition to the drawing area you can right click other AutoCAD window areas to display shortcut menus The following table describes these shortcut menus Shortcut menus outside the drawing area Shortcut menu Access and contents Toolbar Right click any toolbar to quickly hide display or customize toolbars Right click the empty area to the right of the Standard toolbar to display a list of toolbar menu groups see Creating and Deleting Toolbars on page 89 Command Line Right click the command line or the text window for access to the six most recently issued commands and other options that are useful when working on the command line
36. e Prop erty Painter to transfer properties from objects in one drawing to objects in another drawing You can use AutoCAD object snaps the Copy with Base point command and the Paste to Original Coordinates command to ensure accurate placement especially when copying objects from one drawing to another For more information about copying objects between drawings sessions and other applications see Copying Objects on page 266 See MATCHPROP Use the Window menu to control the display of multiple drawings in an AutoCAD session You can cascade open drawings or tile them vertically or horizontally When you have a number of drawings minimized you can use Arrange Icons to clean up the display of the minimized drawing icons in the AutoCAD window You can also select a drawing from the list of open draw ings at the bottom of this menu To turn off Multiple Document mode From the Tools menu select Options 2 On the System tab under General Options select Single Drawing Compati bility mode Choose OK System variables SDI sets Multiple Document mode Understanding the AutoCAD Window When you start AutoCAD the AutoCAD window opens The window is your design work space It contains elements that you use to create your designs and to receive information about them The following illustration shows the main parts of the AutoCAD window Working with Multiple Drawings 55 menu bar e Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw D
37. e or on multiple drives Browsing Through Files The Browse Search dialog box displays small images of drawings in the direc tory you specify You can sort the images by file type and then click an image to select it You can change the image size by selecting an option in the Size list on the Browse tab in the Browse Search dialog box To open drawings using the drawing browser 1 From the File menu choose Open r 2 In the Select File dialog box choose Find File 3 On the Browse tab in the Browse Search dialog box select the drive and directory containing the files you want to view File Name Fidwa Directories c program files acad2000 Bes E Program Files E gt ACAD2000 Data Links G pry EXPRESS FONTS Drives c PC51681 d List Files of Type Drawing dwg het Size Smal d Network 4 Under List Files of Type select a file type to list 5 To open a file either double click its image or select its image and choose Open Command line OPEN Opening Existing Drawings 53 54 Searching for Files You can search for files by specifying a file type and referencing the date of creation For example you could search for linetype LIN files created after 3 00 p m on a certain day To search for files 1 From the File menu choose Open 2 In the Select File dialog box choose Find File 3 In the Browse Search dialog box choose the Search tab Search Search
38. e screen With a two button mouse the left button is the pick button used to specify points on the screen The right button either displays a shortcut menu or is equivalent to pressing ENTER depending on your pointer location and the right click settings See Controlling Default Edit and Command Shortcut Menus on page 60 Pressing SHIFT and right clicking displays the Object Snap shortcut menu With a three button mouse the middle button either activates real time panning or displays the Object Snap shortcut menu de pending on the current value of the MBUTTONPAN system variable IntelliMouse The IntelliMouse is a two button mouse with a small wheel between the but tons The left and right buttons behave the same as they do on a standard mouse You can rotate the wheel by discrete values You can use the wheel to zoom and pan in your drawing without using any AutoCAD commands By default the zoom factor is set to 10 percent each increment in the wheel rotation changes the zoom level by 10 percent The ZOOMFACTOR system variable controls the incremental change whether forward or backward The higher the number the smaller the change The following table lists the IntelliMouse mouse actions supported in AutoCAD Using the IntelliMouse with AutoCAD To Do this Zoom in or out Rotate the wheel forward to zoom in backward to zoom out Zoom to drawing extents Double click the wheel button Pan Press the
39. esk software offered by independent Autodesk Registered Developers http vww argonline com m Autodesk User Group International Displays the AUGI home page http www augi com Receiving Information by Fax You can receive technical and product support documents using the Autodesk FAX Information System The phone number is 1 415 446 1919 Contacting AutoCAD Technical Publications AutoCAD Technical Publications welcomes your comments and sugges tions about AutoCAD documentation To contact AutoCAD Technical Publications complete the form on the Technical Publications Web site http www autodesk com techpubs autocad or send an email to acad_docs autodesk com Additional Resources 43 Getting Started In This Chapter This chapter introduces concepts and procedures that Starting and exiting AutoCAD _ Opening saving and closing help you get started with AutoCAD You learn how to drawings open close and manage your drawings You also learn Using templates Working with multiple drawings Understanding the AutoCAD use them to design quickly and efficiently window about the AutoCAD window elements and how you can Using toolbars and shortcut menus Using pointing devices 45 Starting AutoCAD 46 When you start AutoCAD the Startup dialog box is displayed The dialog box provides you with four ways to start a drawing You can m Open an existing drawing m Start a drawing from
40. fic You also specify the width and length of the drawing area to 48 Chapter 2 Getting Started establish the drawing boundary or limits The area within the limits is the final plotted sheet size With the Advanced Setup wizard you can specify the same settings as the Quick Setup wizard drawing units and drawing area and you can specify several angle settings including the angle of measurement the direction of the zero angle and the direction in which AutoCAD measures angles from the zero angle To start a drawing using a wizard In the Startup dialog box choose Use a Wizard If AutoCAD is already started from the File menu choose New and then choose Use a Wizard in the Create New Drawing dialog box lela Use a Wizard Select a Wizard Advanced Setu a E E E Wizard Description Sets the units and area for your new drawing Based on the template acad dwt M Show Startup dialog Cancel Under Select a Wizard select Quick Setup or Advanced Setup and choose OK Complete the wizard pages using the Next and Back buttons to move forward and backward On the last page choose Finish The wizard starts your drawing session Command line NEW Using Templates When you start a new drawing you can use a template DWT file containing settings for specific drawing purposes You can use one of the templates sup plied with AutoCAD or create your own templates Any existing drawi
41. g Selection Profiles r File Save r Extemal References refs Save as Demand load Xrefs AutoCAD 2000 Drawing dwa x Enabled wy IV Save a thumbnail preview image greer ta iet tere 50 Incremental save percentage IV Allow other users to Refedit current drawing File Safety Precautions _ Object4RX Applications M Automatic save Demand load Object4RX apps 120 Minutes between saves Object detect and command invoke bd M Create backup copy with each save Proxy images for custom objects T Fulltime CRC validation Show proxy graphics X T Maintain a log file IV Show Proxy Information dialog box facs File extension for temporary files Cancel Apply Help Modifying the AutoCAD Environment 77 Other settings that you can change on the Open and Save tab include Maintaining of log files Saving of drawing preview image Cyclic Redundancy Checking CRC error checking behavior Creating of backup drawings Behavior of external references Behaviors of ObjectARX applications and custom objects See OPTIONS in the Command Reference Controlling Plotting Properties Use the Plotting tab in the Options dialog box to set plotting options You can specify general plotting controls such as the default plotting device plot styles and plot style behavior A plot style is a collection of property settings that can be applied to different objects in the drawing f 2x Current profile lt lt Unnamed Prof
42. g box Then choose Close to close the Toolbars dialog box To add the newly created button to a toolbar see Modifying Toolbars on page 88 Creating and Editing Toolbar Buttons 91 Changing the Command Assigned to a Button In addition to changing a button associated with a command you can change a command associated with a button To change a command From the View menu choose Toolbars 2 Right click the button you want to change 3 In the Button Properties dialog box edit the command information under Macro to specify a new command for the button 4 Choose Apply 5 In the Toolbars dialog box choose Close Command line TOOLBAR Shortcut menu Right click a toolbar and choose Customize Creating a Flyout A flyout is a set of buttons nested under a single flyout button on a toolbar Flyout buttons are defined by a black triangle in the lower right corner To create a flyout you create the flyout button and associate an existing toolbar with it To create a flyout From the View menu choose Toolbars In the Toolbars dialog box choose Customize In the Customize Toolbars dialog box under Categories select Custom hWN Drag the flyout icon a small black triangle from the Customize Toolbars dialog box to the destination toolbar If you don t have a destination toolbar AutoCAD creates one when you drop the button anywhere except on another toolbar 5 Right click the newly created flyout button 6 I
43. grams Also describes how to use the AutoLISP extensions provided with Visual LISP to create ActiveX automations Visual LISP Tutorial Provides step by step lessons that teach you how to use Visual LISP to develop an AutoLISP application ActiveX and VBA Developer s Guide Explains how to use ActiveX and VBA to develop an application to customize AutoCAD Includes sample code and step by step procedures ActiveX and VBA Reference Provides a reference to the ActiveX object model and its associated interface components DXF Reference Provides a comprehensive reference to the DXF file format Printed Manuals AutoCAD includes two printed manuals and a reference card Installation Guide The same content as the online Installation Guide except in printed format User s Guide The same content as the online User s Guide except in printed format Quick Reference Card An at a glance reference to AutoCAD toolbars and accelerator keys The card is located at the back of the printed User s Guide but is not available online Learning AutoCAD 39 You can order printed copies of the following AutoCAD manuals from Autodesk or your authorized Autodesk dealer or reseller Command Reference Customization Guide Visual LISP Developer s Guide Visual LISP Tutorial ActiveX and VBA Developer s Guide AutoCAD 2000 Learning Assistance AutoCAD 2000 Learning Assistance provided on a separate CD is a multi media learning tool that
44. hapter 2 Getting Started To change the shape of a floating toolbar Drag the bottom border of a floating toolbar to create a vertical toolbar or m Drag the side border of a floating toolbar to create a horizontal toolbar or m Drag the border of a floating toolbar to reshape it NOTE You cannot change the shape of docked toolbars Using Shortcut Menus You can right click your pointing device to display shortcut menus from which you can quickly choose options See Using Pointing Devices on page 62 for information about how to right click each pointing device On some keyboards you can display shortcut menus by pressing the Shortcut Menu key Shortcut menus are context sensitive The shortcut menu that is displayed and the options it provides depend on the pointer location and other con ditions such as whether an object is selected or a command is in progress You can display shortcut menus from most of the following AutoCAD win dow areas Drawing area Command line Dialog boxes and windows for example AutoCAD DesignCenter Toolbars Status bar Model tab and layout tabs Using Shortcut Menus in the Drawing Area Right clicking in the drawing area displays one of six shortcut menus Default Edit Command Object Snap Hot Grips or OLE You can control the display of Default Edit and Command menus from the User Preferences tab in the Options dialog box See Controlling Default Edit and Comm
45. he Options dialog box choose the Files tab 3 On the Files tab click the plus sign to the left of the kind of path you want to change click to display subdirectories Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawing dwg Files Display Open and Save Plotting System User Preferences Drafting Selection Profiles Search paths file names and file locations B Device Driver File Search Path B Project Files Search Path D Menu Help and Miscellaneous File Names 8 Text Editor Dictionary and Font File Names D Print File Spooler and Prolog Section Names D Printer Support File Path B Search Path for Object RX Applications HARRA CATEMPS B Data Sources Location B Drawing Template File Location B Log File Location B Temporary Drawing File Location Set Current H A Q Temporary Extemal Reference File Location FFG Texture Maps Search Path zl Contains the drive and path for automatic save files Modifying the AutoCAD Environment 75 76 4 5 6 Select the path you want to change Choose Browse and then search drives and directories until you find the one you want Select the drive and directory you want to use and then choose OK Command line OPTIONS Shortcut menu With no commands active and no objects selected right click in the drawing area and choose Options Configuring the AutoCAD Display
46. ht corner have flyouts con taining tools that invoke commands related to the first tool shown Click and hold down the first button to dis play the flyout Represents a drawing file in AutoCAD The drawing file icon is also displayed next to options in dialog boxes that are saved in the drawing instead of in each session as in AutoCAD Chapter 2 Getting Started Object Properties Toolbar Draw and Modify Toolbars Drawing Area Crosshairs User Coordinate System UCS Icon Model Tab Layout Tabs Command Window Sets object properties such as color linetype and line weight and manages layers See Using the Object Proper ties Toolbar on page 250 Provide access to common draw and modify commands The Draw and Modify toolbars are displayed when you start AutoCAD These toolbars are docked on the left side of the window You can easily move toolbars and turn them on and off See Working with Toolbars on page 58 Displays drawings The drawing area size varies depend ing on the size of the AutoCAD window and on the num ber of other elements such as toolbars and dialog boxes that are displayed Identifies pick and drawing points within the drawing area Use the crosshairs which are controlled by your pointing device to locate points and select and draw objects Shows the orientation of the drawing AutoCAD drawings are superimposed on an invisible grid or coordinate sys tem Coordinate sy
47. ile gt gt Current drawing Campus dwg Files Display Open and Save Plotting System User Preferences Drafting Selection Profiles m Default plot settings for new drawings _ p Default plot style behavior for new drawings Use as default output device Use color dependent plot styles Epson Stylus COLOR ESC P 2 x C Use named plot styles Use last successful plot settings Default plot style table Add or Configure Plotters None z Default plot style for layer 0 m General plot options When changing the plot device Default plot style for objects Keep the layout paper size if possible Use the plot device paper size System printer spool alert Add or Edit Plot Style Tables Always alert and log errors z 7 Use Page Gelli le change the pot une ass NOY for the current layout in the current drawing OLE plot quality Text e g text document 7 I Use OLE application when plotting OLE objects Other settings that you can change on the Plotting tab include Plotters and plotter configurations System warnings related to plotting Plotting behavior of OLE objects Plot style tables See OPTIONS in the Command Reference Also see Working with Layouts on page 517 and chapter 16 Plotting Your Drawings Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Configuring System Options Use the System tab in the Options dialog box to set the general AutoCAD sys
48. imension Modify Express Window Help r a SQ8 BOs ool E Vi BDeteQQinral Ba o EF D z E EyLayer bd f ByLayer Fall ByLayer X I ByLayer z x Object Properties toolbar crosshairs cursor H drawing area user coordinate system UCS icon command window Model tab and F layout tabs Model layou 7 AutoCAD Express Tools Libraries loaded Copyright 1998 by Auto AutoCAD menu utilities loaded AutoCAD Express Tools Menu loaded SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR OSNAP OTRACK LWTI MODEL Standard toolbar Draw 7 toolbar Z Yds Modify a toolbar ir oO Cjo OE LN ojo a 7 B 7 1c siig ala Ale command jconnand line 13 1690 5 7738 0 0000 Menu Bar Standard Toolbar Drawing File Icon 56 status bar Contains the default AutoCAD menus Menus are defined by menu files that you can modify or design on your own See chapter 4 Custom Menus in the Customization Guide Additionally installing third party applications may add menus or menu commands The default menu file is acad mnu To learn how to specify a different one see Specifying Search Paths File Names and File Loca tions on page 74 Contains frequently used buttons such as Redraw Undo and Zoom as well as Microsoft Office standard buttons such as Open Save Print and Spell Buttons with small black triangles in the lower rig
49. in the drawing area and choose Enter from the shortcut menu NOTE You can set options for the pointing device so that right clicking has the same effect as pressing ENTER See Setting User Preferences on page 80 Working with the Command Window The command window is a dockable window in which you enter commands and AutoCAD displays prompts and messages For most commands a com mand window showing two or three lines of previous prompts called the command history is sufficient For commands with text output such as LIST you may need to make the command window larger or press F2 to display the text window By default the command window is docked at the bottom of the AutoCAD window and displays three lines of text If text that is entered becomes longer than the width of the command line the command window is displayed in front of the command line to show the full text of the line The command window displays the command state and history for the cur rent drawing If you have multiple drawings open and switch from one to another the command state and history changes to show the state and his tory of the current drawing You can resize the window vertically by selecting the splitter bar with your pointing device and dragging it up or down The splitter bar is located on the top edge of the command window when the window is docked at the bottom of the AutoCAD window and on the bottom edge when it s docked at the top m s
50. ious AutoCAD releases To change the cancel key From the Tools menu choose Options 2 In the Options dialog box choose the User Preferences tab 3 Under Windows Standard Behavior clear Windows Standard Accelerator Keys For information about undoing previous actions see Correcting Mistakes on page 104 Working with AutoCAD Commands 99 Working with the Text Window The text window is a floating window in which you enter commands and view command prompts and messages The command window is convenient for viewing the command history for the current AutoCAD session The con tents of the text window are read only and cannot be modified However you can copy the command history and paste it on the command line or to other applications such as word processors Use the text window to view lengthy output from information commands such as LIST which displays detailed information about objects window icon scroll arrows 0 x Edit Current settings Mode TRIM Radius 0 5000 Select first object or Polyline Radius Trin Select first object or Polyline Radius Trin Select first object or Polyline Radius Trim Cancel Command _arc Specify start point of arc or CEnter Specify second point of arc or CEnter ENd Specify end point of arc Command _rectang Specify first corner point or Chamfer Elevation Fillet Thickness Width Specify other corner point Command fill
51. king with Layers on page 316 Long named object names The 31 character limit has been removed Named object names can have up to 255 characters and include more special characters including spaces See Working with Named Objects on page 157 Dimension The new Dimension Styles Manager See Managing Dimension Styles styles replaces the DDIM dialog box so you can on page 432 create and manage dimension styles quickly and effectively Quick leader Use the new QLEADER command to easily See Creating Leaders and create and modify leaders Annotation on page 412 Load Unload The new Load Unload Applications dialog See APPLOAD in the Command applications box makes loading and unloading Reference applications easier and more intuitive Boundary The revised Boundary Hatch dialog box See BHATCH in the Command hatches makes boundary hatch management Reference easier Saving Use the new Save Drawing As dialog box See SAVEAS in the Command drawings to specify the default file format in which Reference you want to save your drawings 36 Chapter Welcome to AutoCAD 2000 Expanded Reach Design is collaborative Using the new AutoCAD Internet tools you can dynamically create intelligent drawings linked to databases and resources around the world Expanded reach Feature What s new For more information Access files Use the Web to access and store See Opening and S
52. lasses through the Autodesk Training Centers Online Documentation You can view the online documentation for AutoCAD by selecting AutoCAD Help from the Help menu Online documentation is divided into two groups User documentation which is displayed first includes the following m AutoCAD 2000 Readme Provides last minute changes or additions to AutoCAD 2000 m Using AutoCAD Help Provides tips and techniques for using the online AutoCAD Help 38 Chapter Welcome to AutoCAD 2000 Command Reference Provides a comprehensive reference to all AutoCAD commands and system variables User s Guide Explains AutoCAD concepts and provides step by step proce dures Includes a glossary with definitions of AutoCAD terms Installation Guide Tells you how to install and configure AutoCAD 2000 Customization Guide Tells experienced users how to customize AutoCAD Plotting With AutoCAD Provides a list of topics specific to plotting and plotting drivers Selecting either the Visual LISP or the VBA and ActiveX book icon displays a shortcut that takes you to the AutoCAD developer documentation AutoLISP Reference Provides a comprehensive reference for AutoLISP a full featured interpretive programming language which you can use to call AutoCAD commands system variables and dialog boxes Visual LISP Developer s Guide Provides information for using the Visual LISP interactive development environment to develop and test AutoLISP pro
53. n the Flyout Properties dialog box under Associated Toolbar select the tool bar to associate with the flyout 92 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment a Help Help r Button Icon Associated Toolbar ACAD Render FS ACAD Solids ACAD Solids Editing r n Standard Toolbar I Show This Button s Icon NOTE Always create a toolbar before you create a flyout If you don t asso ciate a toolbar with the flyout button AutoCAD issues a warning beep when you select the flyout button 7 Under Button Icon select an icon for the flyout You can modify the icon by choosing Edit to display the Button Editor See the following section Editing Button Icons 8 To display the icon you specified do one of the following m Select Show This Button s Icon Displays the icon you specified for the flyout When you click the flyout AutoCAD starts the command represented by the first button on the toolbar you associated with this flyout Clear Show This Button s Icon Displays the first button on the toolbar you associated with this flyout until you use a different button from the flyout when that button is displayed 9 Choose Apply and then close the dialog boxes Editing Button Icons AutoCAD provides standard button icons to start commands You can create custom icons to run custom macros You can modify an existing icon or cre ate your own AutoCAD saves buttons as BMP bitmap files
54. ndo your most recent action or actions The simplest is to use the UNDO command to undo a single action The UNDO and REDO commands maintain a separate list of actions for each open drawing For example you can create a line in drawing A switch to drawing B and draw a circle and then switch back to drawing A and undo the line To undo the most recent action From the Edit menu choose Undo Command line UNDO Shortcut menu With no commands active and no objects selected right click in the drawing area and choose Undo Related REDO restores what you have just undone 104 Chapter 4 Using Commands and System Variables To undo a specific number of actions At the Command prompt enter undo 2 On the command line enter the number of actions to undo For example to undo the last ten actions enter 10 AutoCAD displays the commands or system variable settings that were undone Use the Mark option of UNDO to mark an action as you work You can then use the Back option of UNDO to undo all activities that occurred after the marked action You also can use the Begin and End options of UNDO to undo actions you ve defined as a group To redo the last UNDO action you can use the REDO command To redo an action From the Edit menu choose Redo Command line REDO Shortcut menu With no commands active and no objects selected right click in the drawing area and choose Redo Learning Commands and System Variables This U
55. ng can serve as a template When you use an existing drawing as a template all draw ing settings are made in the new drawing Starting AutoCAD 49 template with border and title block 50 Although you can save any drawing as a template you should prepare tem plates to include settings and drawing elements consistent with your office or project standards such as Unit type and precision Drawing limits Snap Grid and Ortho settings Layer organization Title blocks borders and logos Dimension and text styles Linetypes and lineweights If you start a drawing from scratch AutoCAD uses either the acad dwt tem plate inches or acadiso dwt template millimeters When you create a new drawing based on an existing template and make changes the changes in the new drawing do not affect the template To start a drawing using a template 1 o In the Startup dialog box choose Use a Template If AutoCAD is already started from the File menu choose New and then choose Use a Template in the Create New Drawing dialog box Under Select a Template select a template from the list or choose Browse to select another file A preview image of the template appears at the right and a description appears near the bottom of the dialog box Choose OK AutoCAD opens the drawing as drawing dwg Command line NEW Creating a Template If you need to create several drawings with similar requirements yo
56. nother command The grid is not displayed in the plotted drawing If you zoom in or out of your drawing you might need to adjust grid spacing to be more appropriate for the new magnification To turn on the grid and set grid spacing From the Tools menu choose Drafting Settings amp 21x Snap and Grid Polar Tracking Object Snap I Grid On F7 m Snap m Grid Snap X spacing osoo Grid X spacing osoo Snap Y spacing osoo Grid Y spacing osoo Angle fo X base ooo Y base ooo Polar spacing Snap type amp style Grid snap Rectangular snap C Isometric snap Polar distance 0 0000 C Polar snap Options OK Cancel Help Oers 0 Cene e 2 On the Snap and Grid tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box select Grid On 3 Enter the value for Grid X Spacing in units 4 To use the same value for vertical grid spacing press ENTER Otherwise enter a new value for Grid Y Spacing 5 Choose OK To turn the grid on or off click Grid on the status bar use the GRID com mand press CTRL G or press F7 Command line DSETTINGS Shortcut menu Right click Grid on the status bar and choose Settings Setting Drawing Units 71 72 Setting Snap Spacing Snap mode restricts the movement of the crosshairs to intervals that you have defined When Snap is on the cursor seems to adhere or snap to an invisible grid Snap is useful for specifying precise
57. ns time consuming When AutoCAD regenerates an object it converts the floating point database values to the appropriate screen coordinates Some commands automatically regenerate the entire drawing and recom pute the screen coordinates for all objects When this happens AutoCAD displays a message To redraw the screen From the View menu choose Redraw Command line REDRAW To regenerate a drawing From the View menu choose Regen Command line REGEN Saving Drawings When you are working on a drawing you should save it frequently If you want to create a new version of a drawing without affecting the original drawing you can save it under another name To save a drawing 1 From the File menu choose Save If you previously saved and named the drawing AutoCAD saves any subse quent changes and redisplays the Command prompt If you have never saved the drawing the Save Drawing As dialog box is displayed 2 In the Save Drawing As dialog box under File Name enter the new drawing name the file extension is not required 3 Choose Save You can change the way AutoCAD saves drawing files including the interval at which AutoCAD automatically saves a drawing Command line SAVE saves the drawing SAVEAS saves a copy of the current drawing under the name you specify System variables SAVETIME sets the time interval at which AutoCAD auto matically saves your work RASTERPREVIEW controls whether BMP preview images are s
58. o display a set of icons that represent a group of commands AutoCAD also provides blank icons that you can assign to any command or macro Most commands begin with C C to cancel a command that may be running and display the Command prompt An underscore _ enables commands to work on international versions of AutoCAD An apostrophe enables the command to work in conjunction with another command If you associate a series of commands with a button separate them with semicolons or spaces You create button macros the same way you create menu macros For more information about entering commands in macros see chapter 4 Custom Menus in the Customization Guide To create a button ON Nn BW From the View menu choose Toolbars Right click any button on an existing toolbar to display the Button Properties dialog box Name 13D Orbit Apply Help Orbits in realtime 3D 3dorbit Help Button Icon Macro C C_3dorbit Enter a new name for the button In Help enter the explanatory text you want displayed on the status line To associate a command with the button enter the command under Macro Under Button Icon select an icon for the button To modify the button icon choose Edit After making any changes to the icon choose Save or Save As or choose Close to close the Button Editor dialog box To apply the new button and properties to the toolbar choose Apply in the Button Properties dialo
59. oading behavior OLE scale dialog box behavior Warning message display Database connectivity behavior 3D graphics display properties See OPTIONS in the Command Reference Modifying the AutoCAD Environment 79 Setting User Preferences By using the User Preferences tab in the Options dialog box you can set up your drawing environment according to the way you work best You can cus tomize settings for shortcut menus and set display properties for hyperlinks in your drawing Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawing dwg Files Display Open and Save Plotting System Drafting Selection Profiles r Priority for Coordinate Data Entry Windows Standard Behavior IV Windows standard accelerator keys Shortcut menus in drawing area Bunning object snap C Keyboard entry When Insert Units are not defined assume Right click Customization Keyboard entry except scripts AutoCAD DesignCenter r Object Sorting Methods I Object selection I Object snap I Redraws I Regens M Plotting PostScript output Lineweight Settings Source content units Inches bd Target drawing units Inches r Hyperlink I Display hyperlink cursor and shortcut menu I Display hyperlink tooltip Other settings that you can change on the User Preferences tab include Windows standard behavior AutoCAD DesignCenter preferences Object sorting me
60. on the System tab in the Options dialog box affects performance Store Links Index in Drawing File Select to optimize performance during Link Select operations Clear this option if you want to reduce the drawing file size or if you want to optimize opening drawings containing database tables The following setting on the Selection tab in the Options dialog box affects performance Enable Grips Clear to optimize performance A grip is a small square displayed on an object after you select it When you select this option drawing file size increases and regeneration time increases See OPTIONS in the Command Reference Modifying the AutoCAD Environment 85 Viewing and Updating Drawing Properties You can track your drawings more easily by assigning properties to them Drawing properties are details that help you identify the drawing including title author subject and keywords to identify the model or other impor tant information You can also store hyperlink addresses or directory paths and ten custom properties with your drawings To define drawing properties From the File menu choose Drawing Properties 2 In the Drawing Properties dialog box enter property information on the following tabs Summary tab You can enter the drawing title subject author keywords comments and a hyperlink base Keywords help you search for drawings sharing a common property For example you can add the keyword Autodesk to
61. ot defined Setting Grid Limits You can set the rectangular boundary or limits of the drawing area that is covered by grid dots when the grid is turned on The grid provides a visual representation of the limits Setting the limits controls the extent of the display of the grid and serves as m A reference tool that marks the area in your drawing on which you re cur rently working m A drawing tool that optionally prevents drawing outside the grid limits A plot option that defines an area to be printed Setting Drawing Units 69 grid limits shown by range of grid In model space the limits should encompass the full scale size of the model For example if the object is 100 x 200 mm you might want to set your limits to represent a slightly larger area If you define limits in paper space the limits boundary usually represents the final sheet size of the paper Therefore in paper space the grid limits should be set to the proper size to contain the entire sheet of paper including the drawing dimensions title blocks and other information For example if you have a sheet of paper that is 210 x 297 mm you could set decimal units and then specify 0 0 as the lower left corner and 210 297 as the upper right corner of the limits When paper space is active and either the paper margins or the paper back ground is displayed you cannot set the drawing limits with LIMITS In this case limits are calculated and set by the layo
62. ou can use the follow ing procedure to reset them To use the procedure the Startup dialog box dis play must be turned on See Starting AutoCAD on page 46 To recover the default template 1 From the File menu choose New 2 In the Create New Drawing dialog box select Start from Scratch and then select one of the following m English to restore acad dwt m Metric to restore acadiso dwt 3 Choose OK The drawing opens with the default AutoCAD settings 4 From the File menu choose Save As 5 In the Save Drawing As dialog box select the Drawing Template file type Save the drawing with its original name either acad dwt or acadiso dwt Command line NEW Starting AutoCAD 51 Opening Existing Drawings 52 To open an existing AutoCAD drawing you can select Open a Drawing in the Startup dialog box or if AutoCAD is already started choose Open from the File menu You can also open drawings by dragging them from Windows Explorer into AutoCAD If you drop one or more drawings anywhere outside the drawing area for example the command line or the blank space next to the toolbars AutoCAD opens the drawings However if you drag a single drawing into the drawing area of an open drawing the new drawing is not opened but inserted as an external reference See chapter 13 Using Blocks and External References You can double click a drawing in Windows Explorer to launch AutoCAD and open the drawing If AutoCAD is al
63. plitter bar Command new Command linetype Command cn E 2 4406 6 1822 0 0000 SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR OSNAP OTRACK LWTI MODEL Working with AutoCAD Commands 97 98 To undock the command window m Select any part of the command window border and drag it away from the docking region Drop the window to make it a floating window You can move the floating command window anywhere on the screen and change its width and height with the pointing device Command _ toolbar Command Specify opposite corner Command Specify opposite corner Floating command window To dock the command window Drag the command window to the top or bottom docking regions of the AutoCAD window To dock the command window at the bottom of the AutoCAD window release the pointing device while the cursor is directly over the status bar If you right click in the command window or text window AutoCAD dis plays a shortcut menu from which you can access the six most recently used commands copy selected text or the entire command history paste text and access the Options dialog box You can use BACKSPACE or DEL to delete command line text and you can copy text from the text window and paste it on the command line see Copying Text to the Command Line on page 100 The following table lists keys you can use to navigate or change text in the command window Command window navigation
64. points with the keyboard or pointing device You control snap precision by setting the X and Y spac ing Snap has a toggle control and can be turned on or off during another command Snap spacing does not have to match grid spacing For example you might set a wide grid spacing to be used as a reference but maintain a closer snap spacing for accuracy in specifying points You also can set the grid spacing to be smaller than the snap spacing Bon snap is twice snap matches the grid grid To turn on Snap mode and set snap spacing 1 2 3 4 From the Tools menu choose Drafting Settings On the Snap and Grid tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box select Snap On Enter the value for Snap X Spacing in units To specify the same vertical snap spacing press ENTER Otherwise enter the value for Snap Y Spacing Under Snap Style amp Type select Rectangular Snap and Grid Snap For infor mation about isometric and polar snap options see Using Snap Mode with Polar Tracking on page 166 and Setting Snap and Grid to Isometric Mode on page 166 Choose OK To turn Snap mode on and off click Snap on the status bar use the SNAP com mand press CTRL B or press F9 Command line DSETTINGS Shortcut menu Right click Snap on the status bar and choose Settings Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Modifying the AutoCAD Environment You can change many AutoCAD window and drawing environment settings in the O
65. prompt enter shape Keys you press on the keyboard CTRL F10 ESC ENTER Keys you press simultaneously on the keyboard CTRL C AutoLISP variable names sample code and text in ASCII files The variable pi is preset to a value of pi POP1 AutoLISP and DIESEL function names command ads_command Formal arguments specified in function definitions The string and mode arguments Chapter Welcome to AutoCAD 2000 Additional Resources The following resources provide additional information and assistance with your questions about AutoCAD 2000 and other Autodesk products Autodesk on the Web From the AutoCAD 2000 Help menu select Autodesk on the Web to access information and resources on the Web m AutoCAD Home Page Displays the main AutoCAD 2000 product page http www autodesk com autocad m AutoCAD Plug in Store Displays information about AutoCAD 2000 plug in applications created by third party developers http www cadplugins com m AutoCAD Technical Publications Provides procedures for updating your online documentation http www autodesk com techpubs autocad m Autodesk Home Page Displays the main Autodesk home page http www autodesk com m Autodesk Product Support Services Displays Web based support information organized by product http www autodesk com support m Autodesk Developer s Resource Guide Provides information on products and services that complement Autod
66. ptions dialog box For example you can change how often AutoCAD automatically saves a drawing to a temporary file and you can link AutoCAD to directories containing files you use frequently Experiment with different AutoCAD environment settings until you create the drawing environment that best fits your needs See OPTIONS in the Command Reference for more information about modifying the AutoCAD environment To change AutoCAD options From the Tools menu choose Options 2 Inthe Options dialog box choose a tab and select the settings that you want to change The following sections provide information about tabs in the Op tions dialog box m Files See Specifying Search Paths File Names and File Locations on page 74 Display See Configuring the AutoCAD Display on page 76 Open and Save See Opening and Saving Your Drawings on page 77 Plotting See Controlling Plotting Properties on page 78 System See Configuring System Options on page 79 User Preferences See Setting User Preferences on page 80 Drafting See Setting Drafting Properties on page 80 Selection See Changing Selection Options on page 81 Profiles See Creating Profiles on page 82 3 When you ve finished setting options choose Apply 4 Choose OK Command line OPTIONS Shortcut menu With no commands active and no objects selected right click in the drawing area and choose Options Modifying the Auto
67. quickly and easily Window on page 260 Object Properties toolbar Use convenient new methods for editing common object properties such as lineweight and plot style See Using the Object Properties Toolbar on page 250 IntelliMouse Use the Microsoft IntelliMouse See IntelliMouse on page 63 including IntelliMouse panning and zooming Quick Select Use Quick Select to select objects based See Filtering Selection Sets on on object type or object properties page 238 What s New in AutoCAD 2000 35 Improved access and usability continued Feature What s new For more information Shortcut menus Right click your pointing device to display new shortcut menus to access AutoCAD commands See Using Shortcut Menus on page 59 Solids editing You can manipulate your 3D solid models See Editing Faces of 3D Solids without creating new geometry or on page 648 performing Boolean operations Summary Store drawing information such as title See Viewing and Updating information subject author keywords and ten Drawing Properties on page 86 custom fields Text editing Use the new text control capabilities of See Using Multiline Text on the Multiline Text Editor to edit text more quickly page 353 and Formatting Line Text on page 349 Layer Properties Manager Quickly set layer properties such as color and linetype See Wor
68. ready running the drawing opens in the current session rather than in a second session While opening an AutoCAD 2000 drawing you can use the Partial Open option to work with only part of the drawing file If you are working with a large drawing you can partially open the drawing and select a specific view and layers to work with instead of loading the entire drawing See Using Par tial Open and Partial Load on page 311 To open a drawing 1 In the Startup dialog box choose Open a Drawing and then choose Browse If AutoCAD is already started from the File menu choose Open Look in 2 Sample amp l c z alaw Activex EH pipes dwg p wilhome di DesignCenter colorwh dwg 1300 20 dwg zkl47_2 dv Vba db_samp dwg tabletT dwg J VisuallISP downtown dwg EB tower dwa BA azimuth dwa framing dwg EB truetype dwg Preview opera dwg FEB watch dwg gt File name foampusdwg Find File Files of type Dirawin taa O Cancel Locate 2 In the Select File dialog box select one or more files and choose Open You can also enter the drawing name under File Name and choose Open or double click a file name in the list of files Command line OPEN Chapter 2 Getting Started Using the Drawing Browser Use the drawing browser to view small images of drawings to open drawings and to search for files You can use the browser to search for files across mul tiple directories on a single driv
69. rns on the grid and sets it to one unit intervals while you are drawing a line Command line From point grid gt gt Grid spacing X or ON OFF Snap Aspect lt 0 000 gt 1 Resuming LINE command From point Continue drawing the line You can use almost any command transparently if it does not select objects create new objects cause regenerations or end the drawing session There are a few other commands such as 3DORBIT that you cannot use transpar ently Changes made in dialog boxes opened transparently do not take effect until you execute the interrupted command Similarly if you reset a system variable transparently the new value may not take effect until you start the next command NOTE UNDO will undo the command and any transparent commands com pleted while the command was active Switching from Dialog Box to Command Line 102 You can use some commands both on the command line and in a dialog box In many cases you can enter a hyphen before the command to suppress the dialog box and display prompts on the command line instead For example entering layer on the command line displays the Layer Properties Manager in which you can define layer properties Entering layer on the command line displays the equivalent command line options for defining layer properties Chapter 4 Using Commands and System Variables NOTE Slight differences may exist between the options in the dialog box and those available on
70. rom the following sources m AutoCAD Support Assistance Provides technical support information about AutoCAD Accessed from the Help menu you can look up technical solu tions by title or by category or use the search tool to look for solutions by keyword The AutoCAD Support Assistance knowledge base also contains information about other support resources and self help tools to help you get the most out of AutoCAD m Autodesk Product Support Services Provides Web based technical support for Autodesk products See Autodesk on the Web on page 43 Where to Start The User s Guide explains concepts and provides step by step procedures for completing common drafting tasks The glossary will help familiarize you with AutoCAD terminology The Quick Reference card can serve as a handy reminder of common selection and input methods As you gain experience you can learn more about specific commands and options by referring to the Command Reference Once you gain some proficiency with AutoCAD you can use the Customization Guide to learn how to customize AutoCAD and develop specialized capabilities To increase your knowledge and productivity choose Learning Assistance on the AutoCAD Help menu These tutorials will help you work more efficiently with AutoCAD 2000 teach you about difficult and less well known AutoCAD features and show you how to collaborate with others by sharing designs across the Internet Getting Help At any
71. scratch Start a drawing based on a template m Use wizards to help you set up your drawing To start AutoCAD 1 From the Start menu Microsoft Windows choose Programs Then choose AutoCAD 2000 from the menu is OG N Open a Drawing Select a File Path 4 gt Browse Size Last Modified Show Startup dialog ae Cancel 2 In the Startup dialog box choose one of the following a m Open a Drawing Opens a drawing you select from a list of the four most E recently opened drawings Also displays the Browse button that you choose to look for another file See Opening Existing Drawings on page 52 E m Start from Scratch Opens a new drawing based on the measurement system you choose English inches or metric millimeters See Starting Draw ings from Scratch on page 47 Chapter 2 Getting Started m Use a Template Opens a new drawing based on a template you select from a list The list displays template files dwt extension that exist in the drawing template file location as specified in the Options dialog box see OPTIONS Template files store all the settings for a drawing and can also include predefined layers dimension styles and views See Using Tem plates on page 49 m Use a Wizard Opens a new drawing that you set up using either the Quick Setup wizard or the Advanced Setup wizard See Starting Drawings with Setup Wizards on page 48 The Startup dialog bo
72. ser s Guide covers many AutoCAD commands and command options but it does not cover all of them Use the Command Reference to find com mands alphabetically and to learn about each command option in detail The Command Reference provides additional information about using com mands and also provides a complete listing of AutoCAD system variables in appendix B System Variables To access the Command Reference From the Help menu choose AutoCAD Help Topics 2 In Help topics click the Command Reference book icon NOTE You can order printed versions of the Command Reference from your Autodesk dealer or reseller Learning Commands and System Variables 105
73. st modified yesterday NOTE Properties entered in the Drawing Properties dialog box are not associ ated with the drawing until you save the drawing The Created Modified and Total Editing Time values are stored in the TDCREATE TDINDWG and TDUPDATE system variables Viewing and Updating Drawing Properties 87 Modifying Toolbars You can change the size of toolbar buttons and reposition add or delete tool bar buttons You can also change the toolbar name and turn tooltips on and off To modify a toolbar From the View menu choose Toolbars 2 Ifthe toolbar you want to modify is not displayed select it in the Toolbars dialog box Toolbars C Dimension D Draw New CO Inquiry C Insert Delete C Layouts K Modify zi Customize Menu Group Properties ACAD fal Help T Large Buttons IM Show ToolTips 3 Choose Customize Categories SS Help ako EO r a Description 4 While the Customize Toolbars dialog box is displayed you can modify any displayed toolbar as follows Drag toolbar buttons right or left to reposition them m Create spaces by dragging a button to the right or left edge of the button beside it but not past the middle 88 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Remove toolbar buttons by dragging them off the toolbar Add buttons to toolbars by dragging them from the Customize Toolbars dialog box to the toolbar Change
74. stems are based on X Y and for 3D Z coordinates AutoCAD has a fixed world coordinate sys tem WCS and a movable user coordinate system UCS To help you visualize the UCS location and orien tation a UCS icon is displayed in the lower left corner of the draw ing area See chapter 5 Using Coordinate Systems Switch your drawing between model drawing space and paper layout space You generally create your designs in model space and then create layouts to plot and print your drawing in paper space See chapter 15 Creating a Layout to Plot Displays prompts and messages In AutoCAD you start commands in one of three ways Choose an item from a menu or a shortcut menu Click a button on a toolbar Enter the command on the command line However even if you choose commands from menus and toolbars AutoCAD may display command prompts and the command history in a command window See chapter 4 Using Commands and System Variables Understanding the AutoCAD Window 57 Status Bar Displays the cursor coordinates in the lower left corner The status bar also contains buttons that you can use to turn on common drawing aids These include Snap Snap mode Grid drawing grid Ortho Ortho mode Polar polar tracking Osnap object snaps Otrack object snap tracking Lwt lineweight display and Model model and paper space toggle See chapter 7 Drawing with Precision for more information about
75. thods Priority for coordinate data entry Lineweight settings Hyperlink preferences See OPTIONS in the Command Reference Setting Drafting Properties The Drafting tab in the Options dialog box contains options that control settings of several AutoCAD drawing aids For example AutoSnap helps you locate exact points on an object AutoTrack helps you draw objects at specific angles or with specific relationships to other objects in the drawing Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment 2 x Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing zkl56_4 dwg Files Display Open and Save Plotting System User Preferences Drafting Selection Profiles r utoSnap Settings V Marker V Magnet I Display AutoSnap tooltip T Display AutoSnap aperture box AutoTrack Settings I Display polar tracking vector Display full screen tracking vector M Display AutoTrack tooltip r Alignment Point Acquisition AutoSnap marker color i co fovelow z Yellow wutomatic C Shift to acquire r AutoSnap Marker Size r Aperture Size o The Selection tab in the Options dialog box controls the AutoCAD selection tools and object selection methods You can control the size of the AutoCAD pickbox and specify selection modes that you want turned on while you draw For exam ple the Implied Windowing option creates a selection window when you click in the drawing are
76. time decreases because multilines traces solids all hatches including solid fill and wide polylines are displayed as outlines with no solid fill Show Text Boundary Frame Only Select to optimize performance Drawing regeneration time decreases because a boundary box is displayed instead of the actual text Show Silhouettes in Wireframe Clear to optimize performance When silhouette curves of body objects are not displayed drawing regeneration time decreases The following settings on the Open and Save tab in the Options dialog box affect performance m Save As Set to an AutoCAD Drawing format to optimize performance When you save an AutoCAD file to any DXF file format performance decreases when the drawing is saved m Incremental Save Percentage Set to 50 to optimize performance AutoCAD saves only the changed drawing information until the amount of changed space is equal to the value set in this option When AutoCAD performs a full save the entire drawing is saved When this option is set to 0 AutoCAD performs a full save every time If you set this option to a low value such as 20 or less performance significantly decreases during a save Demand Load Xrefs Set to Enabled to optimize performance This option loads only the parts of the referenced drawing that are needed to regener ate the current drawing Use this option when working with clipped xrefs that contain a layer or spatial index The following setting
77. tools to help you make the most of your legacy design data reducing the time you spend accessing and reworking similar designs Other features simplify how you work making AutoCAD more transparent and easier to use Heads up design environment Feature What s new For more information Multiple Work with multiple drawings in a single See Working with Multiple document AutoCAD session and copy move and Drawings on page 55 environment paint objects plus associated data between them AutoCAD DesignCenter Use the new AutoCAD DesignCenter to locate and load content such as blocks layers and named objects into your drawings See chapter 14 Managing Content with AutoCAD DesignCenter Quick dimensions Use the new QDIM command to automatically create any number of dimensions with a simple selection of geometry See Dimensioning Multiple Objects on page 405 New object snaps Use the new Parallel and Extension object snaps to draw more precisely See Parallel on page 176 and Extension on page 177 AutoTrack Use polar and object snap tracking to create objects at specific polar angles or at angles relative to object snap points See Using AutoTrack on page 178 Partial open and Open and edit only needed portions of See Using Partial Open and Partial partial load drawings and Xrefs Load on page 311 Real time 3D Use the new 3DOR
78. u can save time by saving one of the drawings as a template You open the drawing change any drawing settings to match what you want to use as defaults in your template add a border and title block if needed and then erase all existing objects To create a template 1 a From the File menu choose Open In the Open dialog box select the file you want to use as a template and choose OK Chapter 2 Getting Started If necessary change settings in the drawing and add or replace the existing border and title block See Using the Layout Wizard to Specify Layout Set tings on page 515 3 If you want to delete the existing file contents from the Modify menu choose Erase 4 At the Select Objects prompt enter all and then select the border and title block if you want to remove them and enter r Remove 5 From the File menu choose Save As 6 In the Save Drawing As dialog box under Save Files as Type select the Drawing Template file type 7 Under File Name enter a name for the template Choose OK 8 Inthe Template Description dialog box enter a brief description of the template This description is displayed whenever you select this template in the Create New Drawing dialog box 9 Choose OK The new template is saved in the template folder Recovering the Default Template If settings in the AutoCAD default English and metric unit templates acad dwt or acadiso dwt are changed from the original defaults y
79. u draw For example in one drawing a unit might equal one millimeter of the real world object In another drawing a unit might equal an inch You can set the unit type and number of decimal places for object lengths and angles You can also specify the units for blocks and other content you insert from AutoCAD DesignCenter see chapter 14 Managing Content with AutoCAD DesignCenter Drawing unit settings control how AutoCAD interprets your coordinate and angle entries and how it displays coordinates and units in the drawing and in dialog boxes see Set ting User Preferences on page 80 Setting drawing units does not automatically set units for dimensions see Formatting Primary Dimension Units on page 422 You generally set drawing units and dimension units to the same type and precision but you can set different values for dimension units To format drawing units 1 From the Format menu choose Units A 21 x m Length Angle Type Type length Architectural 7 Decimal Degrees angle unit type unit type Precision Precision length unit fo e 14 7 0 00 a angle precision precision T Clockwise Drawing units for DesignCenter blocks When inserting blocks into this drawing scale them to insert scaling furitless z units r Sample Output Miaa position of 0 and 3 lt 45 00 0 5 angle direction OK Cancel i 2 Inthe Drawing Units dialog box
80. urrent profile name as well as the current drawing name in the Options dialog box The profile information is stored in the system registry and can be saved to a text file an ARG file AutoCAD organizes essential data and maintains changes in the registry as necessary Once you save a profile you can export or import the ARG file to and from different computers If you make changes to your current profile during an AutoCAD session and you want to save those changes in the ARG file you must export the profile When you export the profile with the current profile name AutoCAD updates the ARG file with the new settings You can import the profile again into AutoCAD to update your profile settings To make a profile current From the Tools menu choose Options 2 In the Options dialog box choose the Profiles tab 82 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawing dwg Set Current Add to List Rename Delete Export Import Reset Files Display Open and Save Plotting System User Preferences Drafting Selection rp Available profiles The default profile name cma 3 On the Profiles tab select the profile you want to make current 4 Choose Set Current Then choose OK Command line OPTIONS Shortcut menu With no commands active and no objects selected right click in the drawing area and
81. ut according to the selected paper size You can control the display of the paper background and paper margins from the Display tab of the Options dialog box see OPTIONS When you open a new drawing and use either the Quick Setup or Advanced Setup wizard you set grid limits in model space The following procedure describes how to set limits once the drawing is open To set grid limits From the Format menu choose Drawing Limits Specify the lower left corner of the limits which corresponds to the lower left corner of your drawing area Press ENTER to use the default 0 0 Specify the upper right corner of the limits which corresponds to the upper right corner of your drawing area For example if the lower left corner is at 0 0 you can specify a limits area that is 30 units wide and 10 high by entering 30 10 On the status bar click Grid From the View menu choose Zoom All The grid shows the area defined by the limits Command line LIMITS System variables LIMMAX stores the upper right drawing limit for the cur rent space LIMMIN stores the lower left drawing limit 70 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Setting the Grid The grid is a pattern of dots that extends over the area specified by the limits Using the grid is similar to placing a sheet of grid paper under a drawing The grid helps you align objects and visualize the distances between them You can turn the grid on and off in the middle of a
82. utton choose Save 6 Choose Close 7 In the Flyout Properties dialog box choose Apply 8 In the Toolbars dialog box choose Close 94 Chapter 3 Setting Up Your Drawing Environment Using Commands and System Variables In This Chapter AutoCAD commands give you enormous power Working with AutoCAD commands Spending time ing how AutoCAD d E AE A ETN calaad ee Working with system variables and system variables work and how to use them will Correcting mistakes make you more efficient and productive This chapter describes the methods for starting commands working with command prompts modifying the command window and changing system variable settings 95 Working with AutoCAD Commands Nearly every action you perform in AutoCAD is based on a command You use commands to tell AutoCAD the actions you want it to perform and AutoCAD responds with command prompts Command prompts tell you the status of an action or they give you options from which you must choose to complete a command You can use any of the following to start commands AutoCAD menus Toolbars Shortcut menus Command line Accelerator keys You can start any command by entering its full name at the Command prompt Some commands also have abbreviated names For example instead of entering circle to start the CIRCLE command you can enter c Abbreviated command names are called aliases For a list of command aliases see appen dix A Comman
83. x is displayed when you first start AutoCAD Whenever you start a new drawing during your AutoCAD session the Create New Draw ing dialog box is displayed After you use AutoCAD for a while you may want to turn off display of these dialog boxes If you turn them off choosing File gt New automatically creates a new drawing based on your last Start from Scratch selection English or metric Choosing File gt Open displays the Se lect File dialog box where you can select AutoCAD drawings and templates To turn off display of the Startup dialog box m In the Startup dialog box clear Show Startup Dialog To display the Startup dialog box From the Tools menu choose Options 2 In the Options dialog box choose the System tab 3 Under General Options select Show Startup Dialog 4 Choose OK Starting Drawings from Scratch Starting a drawing from scratch is a quick way to begin a new drawing When you select this drawing startup method you can select one of two measure ment systems on which to base the new drawing English Creates a new drawing based on the Imperial measurement sys tem The drawing is based on the acad dwt template and the default draw ing boundary called the drawing limits is 12 x 9 inches Metric Creates a new drawing based on the metric measurement system The drawing is based on the acadiso dwt template and the default drawing boundary is 429 x 297 millimeters Starting AutoCAD 47 To create a

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