'; window.popUpWin.document.write(zhtm); window.popUpWin.document.close(); // Johnny Jackson 4/28/98 } //--> Inside AutoCAD 14 -- Ch 1 -- Exploring The New R14 Interface


Inside AutoCAD 14

Previous chapterNext chapterContents

- 1 -

Exploring The New R14 Interface

by David M. Pitzer

With the introduction of AutoCAD Release 14, Autodesk has made a significant move toward bringing AutoCAD's Graphical User Interface (GUI) even further in line with the standards found in Windows 95/NT 4.0 applications. Although AutoCAD Release 13 adopted some of the standards established by Microsoft Corporation, Release 13's early development took place simultaneously with the introduction of the Windows 95 operating system, so R13 was unable to adopt many of the new Windows 95 GUI innovations. Not so with Release 14; with both Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 as well-established operating systems, AutoCAD Release 14 is able to take full advantage of the now-familiar GUI features.

In adopting these standards and conventions, Release 14 not only has a new look to most of its dialog boxes and many of its toolbars, but it also has a more efficient "feel." Most of the efficiency increase can be

objectively measured. It is largely the result of architectural changes to AutoCAD's core program, significant changes in the graphics system, and the more efficient use of memory. This chapter discusses many of the new elements and features and a few of the new Release 14 commands, particularly as they relate to the user interface. This chapter covers the following topics:

Standard Toolbar and Menus

Release 14's Standard toolbar and pull-down menus conform closely with those of other modern Windows applications, especially those in the Microsoft Office Suite. Figure 1.1 shows Release 14's Standard toolbar and menus juxtaposed with those for Microsoft Word 7.0. The first six pull-down menu titles and the first 11 icons in the Standard toolbars are identical.

Figure 1.1 Comparison of Release 14 and MS Word menus and Standard toolbars.

Having this degree of standardization among applications has an obvious advantage of making new applications much easier to learn; the skills gained in one application can be easily transferred to another. In addition, "usability" is enhanced because many of the basic functions common to both applications are found in the same familiar locations or are identified with standard icons.

Pull-Down Menus

Some of the labels of the Release 14 pull-down menus have been changed from previous releases, and the placement of unchanged labels has been modified. In Release 14, however, these changes point to an overall scheme intended to provide better functionality and easier to use pull-downs. Changes within the menus exist as well. For example, although the number of three-level cascades has increased, two-level cascades with repeating terms or words have been eliminated. In figure 1.2, for example, compare the difference between the cascading menu structure for controlling the UCS icon in Release 13 and 14.

Figure 1.2b Comparison of Release 13 (left) and Release 14 cascade menus.
Figure 1.2b

In addition, some pull-down menu consolidation can be seen in Release 14. Items found in the Construct pull-down of Release 13's Acadfull menu, for example, have been integrated into Release 14's Modify pull-down menu and rearranged so that often-used commands appear toward the top of the menu. At first, these pull-down menu modifications may seem awkward for both Release 13 and Release 12 users. With continued usage, however, most users will find them to represent an overall better arrangement.

NOTE: Resist the temptation to use menus from previous releases in Release 14 because new commands have been added and some old commands have been deleted. Although you may feel more comfortable with older, more familiar menus, the Release 14 pull-down menu structure is well thought-out. After a short acclimation period, you will find it easier to work with.

Screen Menu

AutoCAD's Release 14 Screen menu remains essentially unchanged, except for the order of command appearance on individual pages, which closely tracks the order found on the Standard toolbar. Some further minor modifications have been incorporated, but those who use the Screen menu will notice little significant change in this menu's layout and functionality.

TIP: The close correlation between Release 14's pull-down menus and the Screen menu enables those who want to make the transition away from the use of a Screen menu to do so in an efficient, fairly "painless" manner. Although I was a staunch advocate of the Screen menu over many releases, I now find it cumbersome and distracting and I dislike the amount of screen "real estate" it consumes.

Tablet Menu

For users of tablets and Tablet menus, Release 14 offers good and bad news. The bad news is that layout of the Release 14 Tablet menu has been extensively modified, especially in Tablet menu areas 2 and 4. The good news is that the Release 13 menu design has been included as an alternate Tablet drawing in the shipping Release 14 files. To take advantage of the many new Release 14 commands and options, however, the newest arrangement should be used. The large Tablet area 1 is retained for those who want to use this area for menu customization. The modified tablet overlay presents the new Release 14 commands and functions in a manner more consistent with the pull-down menus.

TIP: Tablet menu overlay users should seriously consider switching from this method of command entry to Release 14's extensive toolbar to avoid unnecessary, repetitive eye, arm, and shoulder movements you encounter when using the tablet menu overlay method. The toolbars customization capabilities provide an excellent means of retaining or incorporating customization into a far more ergonomically efficient presentation. For those who prefer the absolute mode of screen cursor movement, Release 14 supports standard WinTab drivers that allow a tablet puck to be used as a mouse but in an absolute movement mode.

Toolbars

The toolbars in Release 14 have been extensively re-designed and reduced in number from 50 in Release 13 to 16 in Release 14. The number of flyout tools has also been drastically reduced. Flyouts have been retained on such command groups as the ZOOM command options and the Inquiry tools group (DISTANCE, AREA, LIST, ID, and Mass Properties) found on the Standard toolbar, but they appear nowhere else. This reduction in the number of flyouts, as well as the consolidation of other toolbars, greatly reduces the complexity of the overall toolbar layout and organization scheme.

NOTE: If you are a fan of flyout tools, don't despair; you can still add flyouts to any of the out-of-the-box toolbars or construct your own toolbars with flyouts using the toolbar customization facility in R14. See Chapter 22, "Customizing without Programming," for more information on customizing toolbars.

To facilitate the handling of toolbars, Release 14 introduces a new command, TOOLBAR. This command displays a dialog box that makes it much easier to display and hide toolbars. This new command is demonstrated in the following exercise.

DISPLAYING AND HIDING TOOLBARS WITH THE TOOLBAR COMMAND

1. Start AutoCAD. Double-click on the Release 14 AutoCAD icon to display the Start Up dialog box (the multiple start-up methods, including wizards, will be discussed in a later chapter). For now, simply click on the Cancel button located on the right-hand side of the dialog box. This starts a blank session of AutoCAD.

2. To activate the TOOLBAR command in any active drawing, choose View, Toolbars.

3. The Toolbars dialog box lists all the toolbars available in any menu group (see fig. 1.3). Placing or removing an X in the check box associated with any toolbar causes that toolbar to be displayed or hidden.

4. Scroll down the list and place an X in the Inquiry Toolbar check box. The Inquiry toolbar appears.

5. Now remove the X from the Inquiry Toolbar check box and notice that the Inquiry toolbar disappears or is "hidden."

Figure 1.3 Release 14's new Toolbars dialog box.

From the Toolbars dialog box, you can click on the Customize button to activate additional dialog boxes that enable you to customize toolbars. Additional buttons enable you to control the size of tool icons and display or hide tooltips. See Chapter 22, "Customizing without Programming," for more information on customizing toolbars.

NOTE: The TOOLBAR command is new in Release 14, replacing the TBCONFIG command in Release 13. The overall functionality of the Toolbars dialog box, however, remains unchanged.

A New Style of Dialog Box

Release 14's close adherence to Windows GUI standards is obviously apparent in the many new Windows "Explorer-type" dialog boxes that appear throughout Release 14. These dialog boxes closely follow the appearance and functionality of the Explorer applet in Windows 95 and NT 4.0, and they impart much of the same functionality to many essential AutoCAD operations. Beyond increased functionality, however, these new dialog boxes have the advantage of being familiar to veteran Windows 95/NT users and are easy to learn for those who are new to Windows.

This chapter introduces you to the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box. After you learn the new functionality and features of this dialog box, many of the other new Release 14 dialog boxes will be easy to learn and use. These other dialog boxes and their operation within AutoCAD Release 14 are examined in the remainder of this book.

Layer and Linetype Management

Perhaps the most significant example of Release 14's new dialog boxes is the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box shown in figure 1.4. This dialog box's resemblance to the Windows Explorer dialog box is immediately apparent. With this redesigned dialog box, all the attributes of layers and linetypes are displayed in a logical, accessible, and usable manner.

Figure 1.4 Release 14's new Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box with the Layer tab selected.

The dialog box consists of two tabs, one for Layer properties and one for Linetype properties. The Layer tab, which is examined in this chapter, presents all the functions needed to create, rename, delete, and assign properties to your drawing's layers. You can carry out the majority of these functions from the central "window" listing the drawing's layers as shown in the following exercise.

CONTROLLING LAYER PROPERTIES FROM THE LAYER & LINETYPE PROPERTIES DIALOG BOX

1. Open the drawing file Chap01.dwg from the accompanying CD-ROM.

2. Click on the Layers tool of the Object Properties toolbar to display the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box. (It's the second tool from the left.)

3. Notice that the current layer, Ardoor, is identified next to the Current button located above the layer list.

Highlight the Argrid layer, and click on the Current button to make it current. Notice that the Argrid layer name remains highlighted.

4. Under the C column of the layer list, select the color box associated with the Argrid layer. The Select Color dialog box appears.

5. Select a new color from the Select Color dialog box, and click on OK. Notice that the color box for the Argrid layer changes to the new color.

6. Next, highlight the name of the linetype associated with the Argrid layer. The Select Linetype dialog box appears.

7. Click on the Load button. The Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box appears. Scroll down the list box and highlight the Dashdotx2 linetype. Notice that both a Linetype and a Description column are visible. Click on OK to close the dialog box.

8. You return to the Select Linetype dialog box. Notice Dashdotx2 is now available for assignment. Highlight the Dashdotx2 linetype and click on OK. Notice that layer Argrid has linetype Dashdotx2 now assigned. Leave the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box open.

9. If you want to close the drawing at this point, click on Cancel in the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box. Now, exit AutoCAD, and click on the No button when asked if you want to save changes.

In this exercise you should have noticed several new features, such as the method of setting the current layer, the presence of layer state icons, and the redesigned Select Linetype dialog box. Release 14 has many other features that are not as immediately apparent--some of which fall within the functionality of Windows 95/NT Explorer dialog boxes in general--and are not necessarily documented in Release 14's online help. Some of these features are demonstrated in the following exercises.

CREATING, DELETING, AND RENAMING LAYERS

1. Return to the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box from the previous exercise, or open it by typing Layer at the command prompt.

2. Click on the New button. Notice that a new layer named Layer1 is added to the bottom of the list of layers and that the name is highlighted and boxed, indicating that the name can be changed from the keyboard.

3. Type the name previous-non-compliant-heating-ducts and press Enter. An error message stating that the maximum layer name length has been exceeded appears. Close the error message by clicking on its OK button.

4. Notice that the new layer name is still highlighted. Position your cursor at the end of the highlighted name and click the left mouse button to unhighlight the name. Now backspace until heating-ducts is removed. Add heatduct to the remaining name and press Enter. The new layer is added.

Notice that the new layer has the default settings of color White, linetype Continuous, and Thawed, Unlocked, and On states.

5. Select the layer named Stmetal by clicking on the name. Notice that the Stmetal layer is highlighted.

6. Now click on the New button again. Notice that a new Layer1 appears directly beneath the previously highlighted layer. Also note that the default settings of the new Layer1 are the same as the previously highlighted layer.

7. Type the name bmetal for the new layer name and press Enter. A new layer, Bmetal, is created with the same settings as the Stmetal layer.

8. Notice that the layer Bmetal is hightlighed. Now click again to the right of the layer name. Notice that the layer name is boxed and highlighted.

9. Type a new layer name of cmetal and notice that the layer is renamed to Cmetal.

10. With the layer Cmetal still highlighted, click on the Delete button. Notice that the layer is deleted.

11. Click on the New button. Type hv-aux1,hv-aux2,hv-aux3 and press Enter. Notice that as you type the comma, AutoCAD adds the previous layer name and creates a new layer named Layer1, which you immediately begin renaming as you continue typing the next layer's name. Three new layers have now been created.

12. Click on the layer Text to highlight it. Click on the Delete button. A message box appears informing you You cannot delete this layer because it contains objects. Close the message dialog box by clicking on OK.

As you can see, the methods of creating, renaming, and deleting layers are fast, simple, and straightforward. For users already familiar with Windows 95/NT, this dialog box has most of the familiar Explorer-type functionality. For Release 14 users who are new to Windows 95/NT, it is easy to learn and use.

NOTE:: Notice that in this dialog box when a layer name is both highlighted and boxed, you can edit the highlighted text by typing. Standard Windows keyboard functionality--such as the ability to use the arrow, Home, and End keys, deleting, backspacing, and retyping--is available. To terminate your editing, press the Enter key.

Performing operations on a group of layers is also easy in this new dialog box. You can easily select a group of layers that shares an attribute and then operate on this group globally. In addition, an easy means of ordering or filtering the display of layers based on layer names or other attributes exists. These are demonstrated in the following exercises.

PERFORMING OPERATIONS ON GROUPS OF LAYERS

1. Continue from the previous exercise. In the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box, scroll to the top of the layer list.

2. Now single-click the Name column heading (see fig. 1.5). Notice that the list of layers is displayed in a reverse alphabetical order.

Figure 1.5 Changing the display order in the layer list.

3. Move the screen pointer to the C column heading and single-click. Notice that the layer list is now ordered by layer color.

4. Scroll to the bottom of the list. Now place the screen pointer on the line separating the C and Linetype column divisions as shown in figure 1.6. Notice that the pointer changes to a "resize" format.

Figure 1.6 Expanding and contracting layer display columns.

5. Now expand the width of the C column by clicking and dragging the pointer to the right. Notice that the C column expands to show the color name or number. Notice that layer Arhandrail is assigned a color of yellow. Drag the column back to its original, minimized width.

6. Click on the down arrow to display the Show drop-down list. From the displayed list, select All unused. Notice than only the new, unused layers containing no objects are displayed.

7. With only All unused layers still displayed, right-click anywhere in the layer list area. A Select All/Clear All pop-up menu appears. Choose Select All and notice that all displayed layers become highlighted.

8. Now rest the screen pointer over any of the "light bulb" icons in the O column. After a moment, notice the tooltip indicating that these icons control the On/Off state of a layer.

9. Click on any On/Off icon and notice that all highlighted layers change to an Off state (the icons change color). Right-click again and choose Clear All. Previously selected layers become unhighlighted.

TIP: As an alternative to the Select All/Clear All pop-up menu demonstrated in the previous exercise, I often find the keyboard short-cut equivalents to be more handy; while the screen pointer is inside the layer list, press Ctrl+A to select all displayed layers and F2 to clear all but the last layer picked, which remains highlighted and boxed.
You can also use the standard Windows Explorer dialog box selection aids of Shift+click and Ctrl+click to select two or more layers. Shift+click will select layers in a noninterrupted series while Ctrl+click enables you to select a series of layers at random.

The preceding exercise showed you several ways to filter and display only certain layers based on standard predefined layer characteristics--such as alphabetically by the first character in the name, color, or On/Off state, and so on. You can work with yet another powerful means of filtering the layers. Using the Set Layer Filters dialog box, you can use the preceding criteria in combination with the wild-card character (*) to build very specific filters based on layer name prefix or suffix characteristics. This is shown in the following exercise.

BUILDING MORE SOPHISTICATED LAYER FILTERS

1. Continue from the preceding exercise. From the Show drop-down list, select All. Note that all layers are displayed.

2. Again in the Show drop-down list, select Set Filter Dialog. The Set Layer Filters dialog box is displayed as shown in figure 1.7.

Figure 1.7 The Set Layer Filters dialog box.

3. In the Layer Names edit box, type ar* and then click on OK. The Set Layer Filters dialog box closes, and only layers matching the filter are displayed. Note that both layers Arnorth and Arnote are currently locked.

4. Return to the Set Layer Filters dialog box and display the choices in the Lock/Unlock drop-down list by clicking on the arrow. Click on Locked, and then click on OK. Note that only locked layers beginning with the characters ar are now displayed.

5. Display all layers by selecting All in the Show drop-down list. All layers are displayed.

Using the Set Filter dialog box enables you to build very specific layer filters and can speed up your work with layers significantly. This filtering capability also emphasizes the importance of developing or adopting an intelligent layer naming scheme. With the proper, consistent application of meaningful layer name prefixes, for example, it is easy to display only the layers meeting a set of criteria that you define.

Referring to figure 1.4, the Details button at the bottom of the dialog box is a toggle that causes the dialog box to "unfold" and show an additional dialog section, as shown in figure 1.8. The expanded dialog box provides a more apparent or entry-level method of changing layer settings intended primarily for the new or casual user. Experienced users will more likely use the direct toggling of layer properties and the "in-place" editing offered in the layer list. The expanded dialog box also provides a means to have any changes to Xref-dependent layers retained in the referenced drawing by selecting a check box.

Figure 1.8 Unfolding the Layer tab.

You have closely examined the Layer tab of the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box early on in the book for two reasons. First of all, it is representative of all the new Explorer-type dialog boxes found throughout Release 14. Understanding the features of this dialog box will enable you to approach other important dialog boxes with a knowledge of their basic functionality. After all, one of the major advantages of these new dialog boxes is that in knowing the features and operation of one, you can transfer this knowledge to others. Secondly, this particular dialog box deals with one of the most important elements in any AutoCAD drawing: handling layers. Knowing how to easily and efficiently work with layers--even a large number of layers--should increase the productivity of anyone working in AutoCAD.

You will encounter the Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box again when you learn more about using layers in Chapter 4, "Organizing Drawings with Layers," and linetypes will be covered in Chapter 5, "Using Linetypes Effectively." The next section looks at some of the other new features found in Release 14.

Object Properties Toolbar

Although at first glance the Object Properties toolbar in Release 14 may look very much like that in Release 13, a closer examination shows several significant changes. Three command icons have either been removed or relocated, one icon representing a new command has been added, and another icon has been changed into a drop-down list. Release 14's new Object Properties toolbar is shown in figure 1.9. Enhancements include the following:

Figure 1.9 Release 14's new Object Properties toolbar.

Make Object's Layer Current Command

The new icon at the far left of the Object Property toolbar calls a new command. This new command is actually an AutoLISP function--(ai_molc)--defined in Release 14's menu Lisp file. (Ai_molc) makes the layer of a selected object current. This rather straightforward function has long been on many AutoCAD users' "wish lists," and it is frequently one of the first AutoLISP functions added by those customizing their AutoCAD installation. It is demonstrated in the following exercise.

USING THE MAKE OBJECT'S LAYER CURRENT COMMAND

1. Continue in or open this chapter's Chap01.dwg file found on the accompanying CD-ROM. Perform a Zoom, Extents by typing Zoom and pressing Enter, then E and Enter. Referring to figure 1.9, notice at 1 that the current layer is Ardoor.

2. Rest the screen pointer on top of the first icon of the Object Properties toolbar 2. Notice that the tooltip reads Make Object's Layer Current.

3. Click on the Make Object's Layer Current icon 2. You see the following prompt:

Select object whose layer will become current:

4. Select anywhere on the text "HVAC PLAN" at the bottom of the drawing.

5. Notice at 1 that the current layer has changed to the Text layer.

6. Undo the layer change by typing U at the Command: prompt and then press Enter. Notice that the current layer reverts back to Ardoor.

7. If you want to close this drawing at this point, click on the No button when asked if you want to save changes.

Object Properties Toolbar Editing

In AutoCAD Release 13, the Object Properties toolbar contained three custom controls to set the layer, color, and linetype defaults for newly created objects. In Release 14, these controls add the capability to list and edit Layer, Color, and Linetype properties for objects selected while AutoCAD is at the Command: prompt. This significant change enables the toolbar controls in Release 14 to behave in a manner similar to the equivalent property toolbars in such Windows 95/NT applications as Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications. AutoCAD's Object Properties toolbar can now provide immediate feedback of such vital information as the layer, color, and linetype of selected objects. This immediate, visual feedback is faster and more direct than that provided by the LIST and DDMODIFY commands available in previous editions of AutoCAD, and represents a major Release 14 enhancement. This more efficient method of editing objects could be termed "toolbar editing." Toolbar editing is much more efficient because you are not required to access a dialog box that obscures the drawing window in order to edit common object properties. The speed and efficiency of toolbar editing is shown in the following exercise.

NOTE: As efficient as toolbar editing is, it has one potential drawback: an object, or objects, must first be selected, and there must be no command in progress for this method to work. This means that the AutoCAD system variable PICKFIRST must be enabled, or set to a value of 1. This setting yields the so-called noun/verb mode of editing and is not the traditional method employed by most AutoCAD users. Keep in mind that having AutoCAD's Grips feature enabled is not the same as having noun/verb selection mode enabled, although they are often both enabled by those who use Grips editing. Because having noun/verb editing enabled does not preclude using the more traditional verb/noun methodology (the two are not mutually exclusive), however, many Release 14 users will, no doubt, find themselves wanting to now enable the PICKFIRST feature by default in order to take advantage of the efficiency of toolbar editing. The speed and efficiency of this form of object property editing is shown in the following exercise.

THE ADVANTAGES OF "TOOLBAR EDITING"

1. Continue in or open this chapter's Chap01.dwg file on the accompanying CD-ROM. Perform a Zoom, Extents by typing Zoom and pressing Enter, then E and pressing Enter.

2. Ensure that the noun/verb edit mode is active by opening the Tools menu and choosing Selection. In the Object Selection Settings dialog box, ensure that a check mark appears in the Noun/Verb Selection check box. Click on the box if necessary to place a check mark in the check box. Click on OK to close the dialog box.

3. Referring again to 1 in figure 1.9, check that the current layer is Ardoor.

4. Now perform a Zoom, Center by typing Z and pressing Enter and then C and pressing Enter. At the prompt for Center point, type 40,45 and then press Enter. At the Magnification or Height prompt, type 3x and press Enter. Your view should resemble that shown in figure 1.10.

5. Pick the grid centerline shown at 1 of figure 1.10. Note that the line is highlighted, showing that it has been picked. Notice that the line's layer, Argridline, appears in the layer list box at 2 of figure 1.10. Also notice at 3 that the state of the layer, On, Thawed, Unlocked, cyan color, is displayed in the list box. The list boxes at 4 and 5 show that, for the selected object, color (cyan) assignment is ByLayer and linetype (center) is also ByLayer.

Figure 1.10 Using the Object Properties toolbar for "toolbar editing."

6. To change the line's layer assignment, click on the down arrow in the layer drop-down list 2 and select layer Argridtext. Notice that the layer assignment of the selected line changes to Argridtext and that the line remains highlighted.

7. Next, click on the down arrow for the color assignment drop-down list 4. Select the color Red. Notice that the line is now explicitly assigned a color of red. The line remains highlighted.

8. Now click on the down arrow in the linetype assignment drop-down list 5. Select linetype Dashdot2. Notice that the line is now explicitly assigned a linetype of Dashdot2. The line remains highlighted.

9. End toolbar editing by pressing Esc. This unhighlights the line showing it is no longer selected. Notice that the Object Properties toolbar now reverts to a display of the current layer, color, and linetype, the default settings for any newly created objects.

10. Now select the same line again. Notice that the layer, layer states, color, and linetype of the line are displayed. Repeat steps 6 through 9 and return the line to layer Argridline, color ByLayer, and linetype ByLayer.

11. If you want to close the drawing at this point, click on the No button when asked if you want to save changes.

The preceding exercise shows the speed, power, and utility of toolbar editing. As you can see, AutoCAD's Grips feature need not be enabled to allow this more efficient way of editing. Using the Object Property toolbar enables you to perform real-time object editing that in previous releases could have required the following commands:

In fact, the DDEMODES command in the preceding list has been discontinued because its functionality is now largely supplanted and is more easily accomplished by toolbar editing.

NOTE: You can "toolbar edit" two or more objects at a time. If the selected objects do not share all properties in common, the appropriate Object Properties toolbar display appears to be blank. But you can still use the drop-down lists to select color, layer, and linetype attributes. All the selected objects will, of course, end up with the same attributes.

TIP: Many AutoCAD users, including myself, have not used the Noun/Verb selection method previously, mainly because of the way we learned AutoCAD. With the power of toolbar editing in Release 14, however, having Noun/Verb as your default selection method has a definite advantage. Even if you prefer to use Verb/Noun for editing operations such as Move, Copy, and so on, set or leave the Noun/Verb selection enabled from now on.

Release 14's New Tools

Other than the usability of the Explorer-type dialog boxes and the efficiency of toolbar editing, Release 14 contains a number of new tools to speed your work. Some of these, such as the Make Object's Layer Current (ai_molc) command discussed previously, are actual commands that can be used at the Command: prompt. Others fall into the category of new features or enhancements to commands found in previous AutoCAD releases. Used together, these tools increase the efficiency of working in Release 14. Many of these new commands and tools appear on the Standard Toolbar as new icons. Figure 1.11 shows the Release 14 Standard Toolbar with these new tools identified.

Figure 1.11 New tools are available on Release 14's Standard Toolbar.

Print Preview

Release 14 adds an updated plot (or print) preview facility (see fig. 1.12). It is directly accessible from an icon on the Standard Toolbar without going through the Print dialog box. You can also access it from the Command: prompt with Release 14's new PREVIEW command. The Preview option of the Print/Plot Configuration dialog box also uses this new preview mode. The previewed output is displayed as a white sheet on a gray background, which is a similar layout to preview features in applications such as Microsoft Word. The ability to see the overall presentation aids in visualizing the finished plot or print and represents a further step toward attaining a true What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) on-screen preview.

The new preview facility supports dynamic, Real-Time Pan & Zoom with both Zoom Window and Zoom Previous options that enable you to quickly check layout and output accuracy. Overall, this preview feature is not only faster than its counterpart in AutoCAD 13, but more representative of the finished print. Its features are also more standard and therefore easier to use.

Figure 1.12 Release 14 has an enhanced plot/print preview.

Match Properties

Release 14's Match Properties command is a new AutoCAD Runtime Extension (ARX) command (match.arx) that provides a one-step, easy-to-use command and dialog box interface for copying properties, such as color and linetype, from one AutoCAD object to another. It emulates the "Format Painter" feature found in most Microsoft Office applications. Match Properties (the actual command name is MATCHPROP) performs the equivalent function in a CAD context. Unlike most format painter features, however, Release 14's Match Properties has the additional functionality of enabling the user to specify which properties to copy. The Match Properties feature is demonstrated in the following exercise.

CHANGING PROPERTIES WITH MATCH PROPERTIES COMMAND

1. Continue in or open Chap01.dwg found on the accompanying CD-ROM. Perform a ZOOM, Extents by typing Z and pressing Enter, and then E and pressing Enter at the Command: prompt. Check that the noun/verb selection mode is enabled by choosing Tools, Selection from the pull-down menu and ensuring that a check mark appears in the Noun/Verb check box; then close the Object Selection Settings dialog box by clicking on OK.

2. Next perform a ZOOM, Center by typing Z and pressing Enter, followed by C and pressing Enter. At the Center prompt, type 61,45 and press Enter. At the Magnification or height prompt, type 6x and press Enter. Your screen should resemble figure 1.13.

Figure 1.13 Matching Properties with the MATCHPROP command.

3. Several objects in this portion of the drawing have properties improperly assigned. Select one of the lines at 1 and notice in the Object Properties toolbar that these lines are incorrectly assigned to the Arwall layer with color and linetype ByLayer. They need to match the properties of the other stair lines 2.

Referring to figure 1.11, click on the Match Properties icon. The following prompt appears:

Select Source Object:

4. Select one of the lines at 2 in figure 1.13. These are the lines whose properties you want to match. The following prompt appears:

Settings/<Select Destination Object(s)>:

5. Select all the lines at 1 and press Enter. The destination objects change appearance. Verify the new properties by selecting one of the lines at 1. Notice in the Object Properties toolbar that the layer is now Arstair.

6. Next notice that the line at 3 needs to match the line at 4. Select the line at 3. Notice that its layer assignment is correct (Argridline, ByLayer) but that its linetype is Continuous.

7. Click on the Match Properties icon again and select the line at 4 as the source object. The following prompt appears:

Settings/<Select Destination Object(s)>:

8. Type S and press Enter to display the Property Settings dialog box shown in figure 1.14. Remove the check marks from all the check boxes except Linetype, which is the property you want to match, and close the dialog box by clicking on OK.

Figure 1.14 Selecting the properties to match.

9. Now select the line at 3 and press Enter. Verify the property change by selecting the line. Notice in the Object Property toolbar that the linetype is now ByLayer.

10. If you want to close the drawing at this point, click on the No button when asked if you want to save changes.

TIP: Although the Settings option of the MATCHPROP command offers a great deal of flexibility in filtering exactly which properties you want to transfer to the target objects, it is often more efficient to transfer all properties of the source object, even though most of the target object properties may already match.

As you can see from the preceding exercise, the Match Properties feature is very flexible. In combination with the new "listing" ability of the Object Properties toolbar, Match Properties is frequently more convenient and efficient than using several other commands such as CHANGE, CHPROP, DDCHPROP, LIST, and DDMODIFY.

Shortcut Menus

In Release 14, right-clicking grip-selected objects displays a standard Windows-type shortcut menu that enables you to directly edit and modify the selected objects and their properties. This feature is demonstrated in the following exercise.

EDITING GRIP-SELECTED OBJECTS WITH A SHORTCUT MENU

1. Continue in or open this chapter's Chap01.dwg available on the accompanying CD-ROM. Restore the "shortcut" view by selecting View, Named Views. In the View Control dialog box, select SHORTCUT, click on Restore, and then click on OK. Your screen should resemble figure 1.15.

Figure 1.15 Using the shortcut menu on grip-selected objects.

2. Turn on Ortho mode by pressing F8. Next check that the Grips feature is enabled by choosing Grips from the Tools pull-down menu and ensuring that a check mark appears in the Enable Grips check box; then click on OK.

3. Now select the lavatory block at 1, and click on the grip to turn it solid. The lavatory block is now "grip-selected."

4. Right-click to display the shortcut menu shown in figure 1.16 and choose Copy. Drag the highlighted copy of the lavatory block anywhere directly above the grip-selected block.

Figure 1.16 The grip-selected object shortcut menu.

5. Using direct distance entry, type .68 and press Enter twice. Notice that the block is copied .68 units at 90 degrees to the original. Press Esc twice to exit the grip-selected mode.

6. If you want to close the drawing at this point, click on the No button when asked if you want to save changes.

Using the shortcut menu on grip-selected objects increases productivity by offering a standard Windows method of direct object manipulation without the intervention of additional dialog boxes or the need to choose options via keyboard entry. Figure 1.16 shows several editing choices available on the shortcut menu. The Properties option offers additional modification possibilities by displaying the Modify Properties dialog box appropriate for the selected object.

Real-Time Pan & Zoom

Real-time pan & zoom features were quietly introduced into AutoCAD mid-way through the Release 13 cycle as separate commands. Their implementation was somewhat awkward and their existence was never well-documented. Many Release 13 users didn't know of their existence. In Release 14, real-time pan and zoom features have been combined into a single command and tightly integrated into the overriding ZOOM command structure. Real-time pan & zoom is demonstrated in the following exercise.

USING REAL-TIME PAN & ZOOM

1. Open or continue in this chapter's Chap01.dwg. Perform a ZOOM, Extents by typing Z and pressing Enter followed by E and Enter.

2. Re-enter the ZOOM command by pressing Enter. The following prompt appears:

All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale(X/XP)/ Window/<Realtime>:

3. Notice that the default option in R14 is Realtime, not Scale, as it was in previous releases.

Accept the default by pressing Enter. Note that the screen cursor changes to the real-time zoom symbol shown in figure 1.17.

Figure 1.17 The real-time pan & zoom symbol.

4. Position the symbol at the top of the screen, and then click and drag the symbol toward the bottom of the screen. Notice the zoom magnification decreases. Repeat the click and drag, moving the symbol toward the top of the screen. Notice that the magnification increases.

5. Perform a series of bottom-to-top click and drag zoom-in motions until your screen resembles figure 1.18. This represents an approximate 400* zoom factor above the Zoom Extents level.

Figure 1.18 Zooming to a 400* zoom factor.

6. Now right-click. The real-time pan & zoom pop-up menu appears as shown in figure 1.19. From this menu, choose Zoom Previous. Notice that the display reverts to the Zoom Extents view.

Figure 1.19 The real-time pan & zoom pop-up menu.

7. Right-click again and choose Pan from the pop-up menu. The real-time pan symbol appears. Use a click-and-drag motion to pan around the drawing.

8. Display the pop-up menu with a right-click, and choose Zoom Extents.

9. Display the pop-up menu and choose Exit. Real-time pan & zoom ends.

10. If you want to close the drawing at this point, click on the No button when asked if you want to save changes.

Notice that the Zoom, Extents in these exercises did not trigger a regen and that the image was centered after the Zoom, Extents operation. In Release 14, zooming to the extents of a drawing no longer causes a regen in most cases, and the resulting image is centered instead of being shifted to the lower-left corner of the display. These changes eliminated the two major complaints against this otherwise useful ZOOM option.

NOTE: Although not shown in the previous exercise, real-time pan & zoom can be accessed from the Standard Toolbar as shown in figure 1.11. If another command is in progress, real-time pan & zoom will automatically be entered transparently.

In Release 14, real-time panning and zooming operations are quick, smooth, and easy to carry out. The real-time mode is now the default mode for both the PAN and ZOOM commands, which makes viewing and navigating around even large drawings much more intuitive and faster.

Running Osnap Toggle and Snap Override

Release 14 introduces several enhancements to the operation of object snaps. The running object snap toggle, for example, is an enhancement that enables you to toggle off any running object snaps prior to selecting a point without losing the running osnap settings. Although running osnaps are a powerful and useful drawing aid, their use in previous releases has been hampered by the inability to quickly disable them on a temporary basis. Release 14 corrects this limitation.

To access the running osnap toggle feature, double-click the OSNAP tile on the Release 14 status bar (see fig. 1.20). To provide additional functionality, if no running osnaps are set, double-clicking the OSNAP tile will display the Osnap Settings dialog box in which you can specify running osnaps.

Figure 1.20 The OSNAP tile used to access, specify, and override OSNAP.

TIP: When either setting or disabling running osnaps, it is frequently more desirable to use keyboard entry instead of double-clicking a tile outside the drawing area. In Release 14, the F3 key or Ctrl+F enables you to do this.

Prior to Release 14, it was often difficult to explicitly enter coordinate data while a running osnap was set; the osnap took precedence. In Release 14, an option is provided to enable explicit coordinate entry to take precedence over any running osnap. With this option (enabled by default), direct coordinate entry is enhanced, and you can be confident that such entries are given priority over any running osnap in effect. This option is controlled by the new system variable OSNAPCOORD.

AutoSnap

The use of object snaps is one of the most common operations in AutoCAD; without the capability to snap to specific points on drawing object geometry, it would be virtually impossible to make precise drawings. The basic operation of AutoCAD's osnap feature has not essentially changed since the feature was first introduced in Release 2. Release 14, however, supports a new enhancement to the basic osnap feature. AutoSnap enables you to preview and confirm snap point candidates before picking a point during drawing and editing operations. Even though it is a powerful tool, Osnap selection is often pick-intensive, time-consuming, and occasionally ambiguous. AutoSnap rectifies these drawbacks by providing visual and tactual confirmation of snap points, which enables you to know beforehand if you have locked onto the desired point, even when multiple snap modes are set or when the underlying drawing geometry is visually dense. The AutoSnap feature is demonstrated in the following exercise.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AUTOSNAP FEATURE

1. Continue in or open this chapter's Chap01.dwg, which can be found on the accompanying CD-ROM. Restore the "autosnap" view by choosing View, Named Views from the pull-down menu. In the View Control dialog box, choose AUTOSNAP, click on Restore, and then click on OK. Your screen should resemble figure 1.21.

Figure 1.21 A demonstration of the AutoSnap feature.

2. Next, ensure that the AutoSnap feature is turned on. Choose Tools, Object Snap Settings. Select the AutoSnap(TM) tab of the Object Settings dialog box. Ensure that a check mark appears in all the AutoSnap feature check boxes as shown in figure 1.22.

Figure 1.22 Setting the features of AutoSnap.

3. While still in the Object Settings dialog box, select the Running Osnap tab and place a check mark in the check box next to the Endpoint setting. Close the dialog box by clicking on OK.

4. Begin the LINE command by typing L and pressing Enter. Now move and rest the aperture located at the center of the screen cursor over the line shown at 1 in figure 1.21. Notice the distinctive Marker that appears at 2 and the Snap Tip at 3.

5. Move the aperture to the Marker at 2. Notice that the aperture "snaps" into place when in close proximity to the marker.

6. With the LINE command still in progress, continue to move the aperture around the drawing. Notice the behavior of the Marker as the aperture contacts a line object.

7. Now set a MIDpoint snap in effect by either typing mid and pressing Enter or using Shift+right-click and selecting Midpoint from the cursor pop-up menu.

8. Move the aperture across several line objects and note the position of the Midpoint AutoSnap Marker and the Snap Tip.

9. End the LINE command by pressing the Esc key. Then restart the LINE command by pressing the spacebar.

10. Move the aperture to the position shown at 4. Depending on the size and exact position of your aperture box, as many as six line endpoints fall within the aperture. The Endpoint Marker will snap to one of these endpoints.

11. With the aperture still at 4, repeatedly press the keyboard's Tab key and notice how the Endpoint Marker switches among the possible endpoint choices. Also note that the line to whose endpoint the marker snaps becomes highlighted, giving an unambiguous means of identification.

12. With any one of the line objects highlighted, press the Pick button and move the cursor toward the lower-left corner of your display. Note the endpoint to which you snapped. Cancel the LINE command by pressing Esc.

13. If you want to close the drawing at this point, click on the No button when asked if you want to save changes.

Object snapping is an important capability. The AutoSnap feature provides the first significant enhancement to this frequently used drawing aid. It removes much of the guesswork from entering object snaps. For veteran AutoCAD users, it makes object snapping that much more efficient. For new users, the basic concept of object snapping is easier to comprehend and learn. You will use AutoSnap in several exercises in this book.

Launch Browser

A new BROWSER command in Release 14 enables you to easily launch your Internet web browser from within AutoCAD. The BROWSER command launches whatever browser application is associated with .HTM in your system registry. This command is available from the Standard Toolbar (see fig. 1.23) as well as from the Command: line. The following exercise shows how easy this command is to use.

TIP: If you do not have a connection to the Internet configured, you can skip this exercise.

USING THE BROWSER COMMAND

1. Open any drawing.

2. From the Standard Toolbar, click on the Launch Browser icon shown in figure 1.23. The following prompt appears:

Location <www.autodesk.com>:

3. Press Enter. Note that your configured Internet browser starts and goes to the default location (URL).

4. You also can type another address at the prompt shown in step 2.

Figure 1.23 Release 14's new Launch Browser icon.

TIP: The default location for the BROWSER command is determined by the system variable INETLOCATION. It is useful to set this to your Internet Service Provider's home page. This enables you to access any of a number of your favorite CAD web sites quickly without first going to the Autodesk home page. If you want to go directly to Autodesk's home page, choose Connect with Autodesk from the Help pull-down menu.

TIP: When typing an address at the command line for the BROWSER command, it is permissible, but unnecessary, to type the http:// prefix. This shortcut is useful when pasting an abbreviated URL address for this command to the command line. If the prefix is absent, it is automatically added before being sent to your browser application.

Being able to quickly access the Internet from within AutoCAD is a great time-saver. Its importance will become more and more apparent as the capability to share drawing file information on the Internet develops. The importance of the link between AutoCAD and the Internet is the subject of Part VI, "CAD on the Internet."

Updated Help

The entire Help facility in Release 14 is updated to conform more closely to Windows standards and conventions. The Help Topics: AutoCAD Help dialog box shown in figure 1.24 contains a Contents tab in addition to the Index and Find tabs introduced in Release 13. The topics, or books, listed on the Contents tab are intended primarily to offer help with more general topics, such as a listing of all Release 14 command and system variables along with definitions and usage information. Other general topics include subjects such as an Installation Guide and a Customization Guide.

Figure 1.24 Release 14's Help topics can be found on the Contents tab.

The Find and Index tabs enable you to search for or go directly to a large number of topics. They operate much like a search of a book's index pages. As you type in a subject, the number of topics is automatically limited and narrowed down. Clicking on the Display button displays the expanded help topic page or pages.

TIP: In both the Index and Find tabs, typing the name of an AutoCAD command in UPPERCASE letters narrows your search to the topic page covering the basic command. Topics relating to that command's usage under specific circumstances are listed under or near the basic command topic. This is helpful when you are uncertain of the sub-topics any given command may offer.

Figure 1.25 shows a typical help topic page, the sub-page from the ALIGN command topic. Any given topic page may be copied to the Windows Clipboard or printed. In addition, you can add your own annotations to a topic and place bookmarks on pages you want to be able to return to quickly.

Figure 1.25 A typical page from the enhanced Help facility.

TIP: If you've never or rarely used AutoCAD's Help, I urge you to start taking advantage of this vastly improved facility. Release 14's Help is both extensive and easy to use.

Release 14's Learning Assistance

Within the overall Help facility, but new to Release 14, is AutoCAD Learning Assistance. You can access this facility by choosing Learning Assistance from the Help pull-down menu. This new addition to Help is actually a stand-alone application that ships with Release 14 as a separate CD. It represents a very sophisticated use of multimedia learning/teaching technology. It is, in effect, an extensive online multimedia tutorial. With the aid of both animation and voice tracks, basic and advanced AutoCAD topics are fully explained and demonstrated. Users can interrupt and replay an animation and even exit Learning Assistance to practice or apply a concept in an actual AutoCAD session using the lesson's drawing from the tutorial's CD. Figure 1.26 shows a page from a typical Learning Assistance tutorial. To utilize Learning Assistance, you must have a compatible sound card and a configured animation application.

Figure 1.26 A page from Release 14's Learning Assistance CD.

Learning Assistance is intended for use by both veteran and new AutoCAD users as well as for those moving to a Windows environment. It is an effective learning tool that enables you to set your own pace and concentrate on topics or concepts that are of interest to you.

Summary

Many of the new features in AutoCAD Release 14 are visual in nature and are related directly or indirectly to the user interface. Because AutoCAD is, primarily, a visual design application heavily dependent on a useful interface, these new features serve to increase your efficiency while using AutoCAD. Several of Release 14's enhancements are not mentioned in this chapter but are covered in later chapters. Other features, such as the new Layer & Linetype Properties dialog box discussed in this chapter, represent improvements in usability and functionality that are seen in many other dialog boxes within Release 14. The move toward full Windows integration that started in Release 13 is completed in Release 14. This more efficient "look" helps bring about more efficient operation.

Previous chapterNext chapterContents

© Copyright, Macmillan Computer Publishing. All rights reserved.