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Inside AutoCAD 14

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Setting up the Autocad 14 Drawing Environment

by Michael E. Beall

Release 14 borrows an effective feature from the current release of AutoCAD LT for Windows 95: the Start Up dialog box. By responding to a series of questions, you can automate the configuration of your AutoCAD drawing session. This chapter presents the matrix of options available from this opening dialog box, as well as several other dialog boxes and tabs designed to make your drawing session more efficient. The exercises in this chapter will not only offer efficient solutions to the options presented, but will also help you to understand the alternatives that exist as you begin working with Release 14.

In Release 14, it is the intent of Autodesk to enable you to spend less time with settings, variables, and picking tools by providing you with a more efficient design and drafting tool. Chapter 1, "Exploring the New R14 Interface," reviewed the various tools, menus, and peripheral elements of the application window. This chapter picks up from there by covering the following topics:

Starting from Scratch: The Default Values

After you have launched AutoCAD 14, you are presented with the Start Up dialog box shown in figure 3.1, which will assist you in beginning your drawing session.

Figure 3.1 The Start Up dialog box when launching Release 14.

The following is the content of the instructions for the Start Up dialog box as it explains the purpose of the first four buttons:

Instructions
The buttons on the left determine how you 
begin a drawing.
Choose "Use a Wizard" to be led through
setting up a drawing.
Choose "Use a Template" to start a drawing
based on a template.
Choose "Start from Scratch" to begin 
drawing quickly using default English or Metric settings.
Choose "Open a Drawing" to open an
existing drawing.

In an effort to see if the default starting environment of Release 14 is what you need (units setting, drawing area, tools, and so on), the following exercise takes you into the AutoCAD drawing environment by starting from scratch.

BEGINNING AUTOCAD WITH THE DEFAULTS

1. Launch AutoCAD Release 14 from Windows 95/NT. The Start Up dialog box shown in figure 3.1 appears.

2. Click on the Start from Scratch button. You are given the option of using an English or metric default setting.

3. Use the English setting and click on OK to enter the AutoCAD drawing window.

4. Move the cursor in the drawing area. Notice on the status bar that the default value for the units is to 4 decimal point accuracy.

5. Choose Format, Units from the pull-down menus to display the Units Control dialog box shown in figure 3.2.

6. From the Precision drop-down list, select 0.000. Click on the Direction button to display the Direction Control dialog box shown in figure 3.3.

Figure 3.2 The Units Control dialog box.

Figure 3.3 The Direction Control dialog box.

7. Click on OK to accept the default direction angle of East for 0.0 and default positive rotation of Counter-Clockwise. You return to the Units Control dialog box. Click on OK to close the Units Control dialog box.

8. Place the cursor in the lower-left corner of the drawing area and notice that the coordinates read very close to 0,0. Position the cursor in the upper-left corner of the drawing area to discover that the area currently displayed is roughly 15 inches * 9 inches.

9. Choose Format, Drawing Limits from the pull-down menus. The following prompt appears:

ON/OFF/<Lower left corner> <0.000,0.000>:

10. Press Enter to accept the default position. The second prompt for the LIMITS command appears:

upper right corner <12.000,9.000>:

11. Press Enter to accept the upper-right corner for the drawing limits and end the command. Although AutoCAD's currently displayed drawing area is wider than the 12 inches specified in the LIMITS command, the vertical dimension is used to quantify the area displayed in the drawing window.

12. Click on the Save tool from the Standard toolbar to open the Save Drawing As dialog box, then enter 03-START as the drawing name.

NOTE: When considering the area for the drawing, keep in mind that objects in AutoCAD are always drawn full scale. It's not until you are ready to output the drawing to a printer or plotter that a plot scale is assigned.

The coordinate display on the status bar indicated the X,Y,Z position of the cursor from Absolute 0,0 (the location in the drawing where the X, Y, and Z axes cross). By moving the cursor in the previous exercise, you were able to determine that AutoCAD's default drawing area is essentially no bigger than a piece of paper. Specifying an area to start with by no means restricts you from drawing beyond that area. It is simply a point of departure that represents the general area in which you will be creating most of the geometry for your drawing. For projects and geometry smaller than a bread box, the default drawing area is perfect.

The Drawing Aids Dialog Box

Several other settings exist to help you in the creation of your drawing, many of which are found in the Drawing Aids dialog box shown in figure 3.4.

Figure 3.4 The Drawing Aids dialog box.

The Drawing Aids dialog box is divided into four areas: Modes, Snap, Grid, and Isometric Snap/Grid. Use the options in these areas to configure the current drawing session to your liking.

TIP: Choosing Help in the Drawing Aids dialog box invokes the context-sensitive Help window for the DDRMODES command (the command that opens the Drawing Aids dialog box). All selections for this dialog box are presented and cross-referenced to other Help files.

In the following exercise, you change some values in the Drawing Aids dialog box, and then use the Rectangle tool to understand how these features affect the process of creating objects.

DRAWING WITH THE GRID AND THE SNAP

1. Continuing from the previous exercise, choose Tools, Drawing Aids from the pull-down menus to open the Drawing Aids dialog box.

2. Change the X Spacing for the Snap to .250. Press Enter to automatically update the Y Spacing with the value of the X Spacing.

3. Click on OK to close the Drawing Aids dialog box. Press F9 to turn on the increment snap. Move your cursor to notice the updating of the coordinates in a .250 increment.

4. Press F7 to turn on the grid dot pattern. Notice that the pattern does not go all the way to the right side of the drawing screen but stops at 12.000 in the X axis. The grid pattern is displayed only within the bounding area of the drawing limits, although the increment snap is applied throughout the drawing.

5. With the grid and snap on, click on the Rectangle tool on the Draw toolbar. The following prompt appears:

First corner:

6. Pick 1 at the coordinate point 2.000,2.000 for the first corner as shown in figure 3.5. Then pick 2 at the coordinate point 10.250,6.750 in response to the Other corner prompt.

7. The marker blips you see at each of the corners were created by AutoCAD because the current setting for the BLIPMODE variable is On. Click on the Redraw All tool from the Standard toolbar to refresh your screen, which will remove the display of the blips.

8. Choose Tools, Drawing Aids. In the Drawing Aids dialog box, toggle off the Blips setting in the Modes area. Click on OK to close the dialog box. Click on the Rectangle tool on the Draw toolbar.

Figure 3.5 Pick points for the rectangle.

9. Pick 3 at the point 2.500,6.000 for the first corner and 4 at the point 9.750,2.750 for the other corner to create a rectangle. Notice that you do not see the marker blips at the corners this time.

10. Click on the Save tool on the Standard toolbar to save the 03-START drawing.

In the first exercise of this chapter you encountered the default settings by choosing the Start from Scratch button. Use this feature if you find that your project or geometry can be drawn with minimal changes to the defaults. If your drawing will require significant changes to the defaults, the sections in this chapter on templates and wizards will direct you in automating a start-up drawing more effectively.

NOTE: When using the Start from Scratch feature with metric default settings, the units are the same (0.0000) but the limits are set to 297.0000 * 210.0000, essentially the same size area (12 inches * 9 inches) where the millimeter is used as the base unit.

Using Wizards to Automate Settings

The wizard concept was developed by Microsoft. As you work with other Windows 95/NT software, you will find that many of the more powerful or complex programs provide "wizards" for everything from loading the software to automating your document or drawing. When you installed Release 14, a wizard guided you through the installation and consisted of a series of questions and options that enabled the software to be loaded to suit your operating environment.

When you select Use a Wizard from the Start Up dialog box or Create New Drawing dialog box, you can choose the Quick Setup or the Advanced Setup. The following are the Wizard Descriptions for each button:

(Quick Setup) Wizard Description
Sets unit of measurement style and drawing
area. Automatically adjusts settings such as 
text height and grid. Based on the template
acad.dwt.
(Advanced Setup) Wizard Description
Expanded version of Quick Setup wizard.
Adds settings such as Layout and Title Block.
Based on the template acad.dwt.

Paper Space Defined

In the course of using the Advanced Setup wizard, you will encounter the concept of paper space. Paper space is a two-dimensional compositional tool. It provides you with a 2D environment (hence the word "paper") in which you can create viewports through which to see your objects in model space. Model space, conversely, is the three-dimensional environment in which you create the 2D or 3D objects, or "models," that comprise your drawing.

Imagine looking down at your desk in the morning, and then placing the desired title block (from your letterhead to an E-size pre-printed sheet) right in front of your face. It would appear as though your desk had disappeared. Blessing that it may be, if you cut a rectangular hole in the paper in front of your face, you would see your desk or a portion thereof. Your desk exists in model space; the paper is paper space. The rectangular hole in the paper represents a floating viewport in AutoCAD. Floating viewports can be created anywhere in paper space. After a floating viewport is created, it can be moved to another location, so essentially, the viewport just floats in paper space. You can "cut" several viewports in paper space to compose views of the object(s) in model space. Mystery solved.

Chapters 15, "Paper Space," and 20, "Productive Plotting," cover this powerful feature in detail. To help you understand the concepts until you get to those chapters, the following are a few handy facts that may help. The command alias appears in parentheses ( ), for example, TILEMODE (TM).

Understanding the Wizard Selections

The template file acad.dwt contains the default values for units and the drawing limits encountered when starting from scratch. The wizards enable you to build upon and refine the default values loaded with the acad.dwt. The Quick Setup wizard only has two steps, Units and Area. The seven Advanced Setup steps and their uses are as follows:

NOTE: The values entered for Width and Length are also used to define the area displayed in the floating viewport if you elect to use paper space in Step 7: Layout. If you will be using a title block without paper space, the values entered for Width and Length will be ignored.

In the following series of exercises, you use the Advanced Setup wizard to automate the configuration of a drawing for a small engineering project displaying two climate control units next to each other in a top view. You will use the Ansi_c title block with paper space. Although using a wizard may seem to be time-consuming initially, it is more efficient than going through the numerous dialog boxes to individually configure the drawing.

CONFIGURING AUTOCAD WITH THE ADVANCED SETUP WIZARD

1. Choose New from the Standard toolbar and save any changes to your current drawing. The Create New Drawing dialog box appears.

2. Click on Use a Wizard. You are presented with the options of Quick Setup or Advanced Setup.

3. Select Advanced Setup from the list. Click on OK to display the seven tabbed Advanced Setup dialog box shown in figure 3.6.

4. Change the Precision in the Step 1: Units tab from 0.0000 to 0.00. Click on Next to view the Step 2: Angle tab shown in figure 3.7.

Figure 3.6 The Step 1: Units tab of the Advanced Setup dialog box.

Figure 3.7 The Step 2: Angle tab of the Advanced Setup dialog box.

5. Change the Precision setting for the angle of measurement to 0.00. Click on More Info at the bottom of the Step 2: Angle tab to display the menu equivalent for changing the angle setting without using the wizard, then click on Next.

6. In the Step 3: Angle Measure tab shown in figure 3.8, click on Next to accept the default of East as the Angle Zero Direction.

7. The Step 4: Angle Direction tab shown in figure 3.9 displays the default of Counter-Clockwise. Click on the right arrow next to the tabs to scroll through tabs 5-7, and then click on Next.

Figure 3.8 The Step 3: Angle Measure tab of the Advanced Setup dialog box.

Figure 3.9 The Step 4: Angle Direction tab of the Advanced Setup dialog box.

8. The Step 5: Area tab enables you to set the Drawing Limits by entering the desired Width and Length of your starting drawing area in model space. Enter 120 in the Width field and 72 in the Length field as shown in figure 3.10, and click on Next.

Figure 3.10 The Step 5: Area tab of the Advanced Setup dialog box.

The last two tabs of the Advanced Setup wizard address the use of a predefined title block for the drawing and the use of paper space when laying out your drawing. Later in this chapter, you will use the Template wizard, at which time you will learn more about title blocks. For this exercise, however, you will elect to have a copy of the ansi_c.dwg inserted into paper space as the title block.

9. From the Title Block Description drop-down list of the Step 6: Title Block tab, scroll to the top of the list and choose ANSI C (in) as shown in figure 3.11. Click on Next to display the Step 7: Layout tab shown in figure 3.12.

Figure 3.11 The Step 6: Title Block tab of the Advanced Setup dialog box.

Figure 3.12 The Step 7: Layout tab of the Advanced Setup dialog box.

10. In the Layout tab, don't change the default settings. Click on Done to close the Advanced Setup dialog box and AutoCAD will configure your new drawing based on your responses to the wizard. Your drawing should look similar to that shown in figure 3.13.

11. Choose Save from the Standard toolbar and enter 03-Hpump as the File name, then click on Save.

Figure 3.13 The new drawing configuration with a floating viewport in the title block.

As you move your cursor within the floating viewport, notice that the coordinates are displayed at two decimal point accuracy. You will also see that TILEMODE is off, confirming the fact that paper space is displayed with a floating viewport (where your cursor is active in model space).

In the next exercise, after you become comfortable working with paper space and the toggles on the status bar, you create two 36 * 36 concrete pads for the heat pumps.

ADDING GEOMETRY TO MODEL SPACE

1. Place your cursor in the upper-right corner of the floating viewport. Notice that the area displayed is in the neighborhood of 120 * 72, which are the Width and Length values entered for Step 5: Area in the Setup wizard.

As you move out of the floating viewport, your cursor changes to a pointer, which means that you are no longer in a drawing environment within AutoCAD.

2. Switch to paper space by double-clicking the MODEL tile on the status bar, after which the tile will read PAPER and a crosshair will display across the entire application window. Another indication that paper space is current is the display of the paper space UCS icon in the lower-left corner of the drawing window.

3. Enter MS at the command line to issue the MSPACE command, which switches to model space in the floating viewport.

4. Choose Tools, Drawing Aids from the pull-down menus. In the Drawing Aids dialog box, set the X and Y Spacing for the Snap and Grid to 2.00 and turn them both on (by selecting the On check boxes in the dialog box, by using the status bar toggles, or by pressing F7 and F9).

5. To draw the first concrete pad for the heat pumps, choose the Rectangle tool from the Draw toolbar. Pick 1 at the point 14.00,10.00 and pick 2 at the point 50.00,46.00 (see fig. 3.14).

Figure 3.14 A rectangular pad drawn in the floating viewport.

6. Revoke paper space by toggling on TILE on the status bar, effectively removing the paper space environment and leaving only the model space environment.

7. From the Zoom flyout on the Standard toolbar, choose Zoom All to display the drawing limits within the drawing area.

8. Turn on SNAP and GRID on the status bar. Choose the Rectangle tool again and place the first corner at 1 at the point 62.00,10.00, and then pick 98.00,46.00 at 2 as the other corner to draw the rectangle shown in figure 3.15.

Figure 3.15 Both concrete pads drawn in model space.

9. To confirm that the viewport in Paper space is still there, toggle off TILE on the status bar to see the two rectangles in model space through the floating viewport.

10. Choose Save to save the 03-Hpump drawing.

WARNING: If you elect to use the Advanced Setup wizard, make sure you confirm that the settings of all seven steps are the defaults; previous settings may not be what you want to use.

Using the Available Templates to Start a Drawing

Release 14 comes with 26 predefined template files. A template file is one that contains settings and/or geometry such as a title block that is used to begin your drawing. When you click on Start from Scratch in the Start Up dialog box, a copy of acad.dwt is loaded into the drawing editor under the temporary name Drawing.dwg. Click on the Save tool on the Standard toolbar to save any modifications to your drawing under a new name.

When using the Advanced Setup wizard and selecting a title block, the template files are inserted into the drawing as a block. When selecting the Use a Template button from the Create a New Drawing or Start Up dialog box, a copy of the template file (.dwt) is used to begin the drawing. In both cases, it is then up to you to save your drawing with a new name. When a template is selected from the list, a preview of the template is displayed in the Preview image area. For files containing a border and title block--whether inserted as a block in the Advanced Setup process or used as a template--a floating viewport is enabled when the drawing begins. All title blocks are attributed so you can easily modify the default text values.

Table 3.1 lists the name of the template file with the units used, the width and length of the drawing limits or the border, and whether a floating viewport is initialized when selected as the template for a new drawing.

Table 3.1 The Available Template Files

File Name Units W * L Tblock Viewport Notes
acad.dwt 0.0000 12*9 No No R14 default
acadiso.dwt 0.0000 420*297 No No Metric
ansi_a.dwt 0.0000 10.5*8 Yes Yes Landscape A
ansi_b.dwt 0.0000 16*10 Yes Yes
ansi_c.dwt 0.0000 21*16 Yes Yes
ansi_d.dwt 0.0000 32.5*21 Yes Yes
ansi_e.dwt 0.0000 42.5*33 Yes Yes
ansi_v.dwt 0.0000 8*10.5 Yes Yes Portrait A
archeng.dwt 0.0000 34.5*23 Yes Yes
din_a0.dwt 0.0000 1189*841 Yes Yes German metric
din_a1.dwt 0.0000 841*594 Yes Yes German metric
din_a2.dwt 0.0000 594*420 Yes Yes German metric
din_a3.dwt 0.0000 420*297 Yes Yes German metric
din_a4.dwt 0.0000 210*297 Yes Yes Portrait A4 DIN
gs24x36.dwt 0.0000 34.5*23 Yes Yes Generic 24 * 36
iso_a0.dwt 0.0000 1189*840 Yes Yes English metric
iso_a1.dwt 0.0000 840*594 Yes Yes English metric
iso_a2.dwt 0.0000 594*420 Yes Yes English metric
iso_a3.dwt 0.0000 420*297 Yes Yes English metric
iso_a4.dwt 0.0000 210*297 Yes Yes Portrait A4 ISO
jis_a0.dwt 0.0000 1189*841 Yes Yes Japanese metric
jis_a1.dwt 0.0000 841*594 Yes Yes Japanese metric
jis_a2.dwt 0.0000 594*420 Yes Yes Japanese metric
jis_a3.dwt 0.0000 420*297 Yes Yes Japanese metric
jis_a4l.dwt 0.0000 210*297 Yes Yes Landscape A4 JIS
jis_a4r.dwt 0.0000 210*297 Yes Yes Portrait A4 JIS

In the following exercise, you start a new drawing and use iso_a4.dwt as the template. As a metric drawing, the units displayed in the status bar are millimeters. The default area of model space displayed in the floating viewport is the size equal to the dimensions within the border and title block. In this way you can begin with a 1:1 area for the drawing of a hollow metal door jamb.

BEGINNING A DRAWING WITH A METRIC TEMPLATE

1. Choose New from the Standard toolbar to display the Create New Drawing dialog box, and click on the Use a Template button.

2. Scroll down the list and choose iso_a4.dwt. A preview of the template will be displayed. Click on OK to display the drawing shown in figure 3.16.

3. Confirm that the SNAP is toggled on in the status bar (set to 5.0000 for this template). Choose the Polyline tool from the Draw toolbar. The following prompt appears:

From point:

4. Pick 1 at the point 70.0000, 200.0000 as shown in figure 3.17. The next prompt for the PLINE command appears:

Current line-width is 0.0000

Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width/<Endpoint of line>:

Figure 3.16 The new drawing using the iso_4.dwt template.

Figure 3.17 The polyline door frame in the floating viewport.

5. Enter W to change the width setting for the polyline. The following prompt appears:

Starting width <0.0000>:

6. Enter 2 for the starting width value and press Enter to accept the default 2.0000 as the ending width value. The next prompt is as follows:

Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width/<Endpoint of line>:

7. Toggle on ORTHO in the status bar (or press F8). Move the cursor north from the starting point and enter 13 to draw the polyline vertically 13mm.

8. Move the cursor to the right of the last point and enter 54 to draw the next segment 54mm.

9. Move the cursor down from there and enter 51.

10. Move the cursor to the left and enter 16.

11. Move the cursor down from the last point and enter 49.

12. Move the cursor to the left and enter 38.

13. The last segment goes up 13. Press Enter after the last segment has been drawn to end the command.

14. Choose the Save tool and enter 03-DRfrm as the File name, then click on Save.

15. To confirm the door frame geometry was drawn in model space, toggle on TILE in the status bar. Paper space will be revoked, leaving you in the model space environment. Invoke paper space by toggling off TILE.

Release 14 automates the use of the provided templates very nicely by way of the Create New Drawing dialog box. Before plotting your drawing, refer to Chapter 20, "Productive Plotting," for specifics about plotting a drawing with a border and title block in paper space and a floating viewport.

TIP: Many third-party software products load a modified version of the acad.dwt file during the installation of the product. When using any other product with AutoCAD, it's a good idea to have a backup copy of the acad.dwt. Also, some products may use the existing acad.dwt in its original configuration. For this reason, you should create your own template rather than modify the existing acad.dwt if you want to have a customized start-up template.

Customizing and Saving a Template File

Although Autodesk has made a considerable effort to provide a broad array of templates, many of you will probably want to customize your own by using one of the sample files or a previously created border and title block. Release 14 enables you to open any file and save it as a .dwt file similar to the creation of a template file in Word for Windows or other word processors you might have used.

In the following exercise, you will create a new drawing using the Advanced wizard to set the units, selecting Arch/Eng (in) as the title block in Step 6. The archeng.dwg inserted into the new drawing is the drawing file equivalent to the archeng.dwt template. Using the wizard enables you to easily set the units to Architectural at the outset.

CREATING AN ARCHITECTURAL TEMPLATE DRAWING

1. Choose New from the Standard toolbar and save any changes you may have made to the current drawing.

2. From the Create New Drawing dialog box, select Use a Wizard and Advanced Setup, and click on OK.

3. In Step 1: Units tab, select Architectural. Then scroll over and select Step 6: Title Block.

4. From the Title Block Description drop-down list, select Arch/Eng (in) and click on Done. AutoCAD will insert a copy of the archeng.dwg into the new drawing.

5. Choose File, Save As from the pull-down menus. Then double-click on the Template folder under Acadr14.

6. From the Save as type drop-down list, select Drawing Template File (*.dwt).

7. Change the name in the File name field to ARCH-IN and click on Save. The Template Description dialog box appears (see fig. 3.18).

Figure 3.18 The Template Description dialog box.

8. Change the Description field to read:

Architectural template with units in ft-in.

9. Click on OK. AutoCAD will set the current drawing to be arch-in.dwt.

10. To test this as a template file, choose New from the Standard toolbar. In the Create New Drawing dialog box, and click on Use a Template.

11. Scroll down the Select a Template list and select arch-in.dwt. Notice that the Template Description displays below the drop-down list. Click on OK.

12. Move the cursor around in model space in the floating viewport to confirm the architectural units setting.

TIP: In the next series of steps, you open the archeng.dwg drawing file, change the units to architectural, and save it as arch-in.dwg. This will make the file available both in the Advanced wizard as a title block drawing and as a template.

13. Choose Open from the Standard toolbar, and select archeng.dwg from the list of drawings in the Acadr14 folder, then click on Open.

14. Choose Format, Units from the pull-down menus and select Architectural from the Units Control dialog box, then click on OK.

15. Choose File, Save As and save the drawing as arch-in.dwg in the Acadr14 folder.

16. Choose the New tool. Select Use a Wizard with the Advanced Setup.

17. Scroll to Step 6: Title Block and click on the Add button to open the Select Title Block File dialog box.

18. Choose arch-in.dwg from the drawing list under Acadr14. Choose Open to return to the Title Block tab.

19. In the Title Block Description field, enter Architectural Title Block in ft-in, and click on Done.

You now have access to the customized drawing as a template file and as a drawing if you are using the Advanced Setup wizard. Note that it was not necessary to change the units in Step 1: Units of the wizard when creating a new drawing with the title block of arch-in.dwg because architectural units are part of the drawing file being inserted.

Any and all of the sample drawings can be further modified to suit your needs, but the general process of customizing your own template is very powerful. You could have templates for different drawing content such as a site plan sheet template using engineering units, a detail sheet with several floating viewports, a shop drawing sheet, and so on.

TIP: The model space area displayed in the floating viewport is typically no larger than the actual area of the drawing title block in paper space. If you are going to customize your title blocks using the existing drawing or template files, you may want to read more about paper space in Chapter 15, "Paper Space," before refining your drawing.

Configuring the Drawing Environment with Preferences

Combine AutoCAD's increase in performance by virtue of new features and capabilities with the most current technology relating to interfaces with the Internet, networks, and third-party software and you have a pretty powerful mix. To help you configure AutoCAD to suit the way you use it, the Preferences dialog box (Tools, Preferences) presents you with an easy to understand group of eight categories: Files, Performance, Compatibility, General, Display, Pointer, Printer, and Profiles.

Specifying Search Paths and File Names

Networks are being used more and more where they were once only used for order entry, sales reporting, vendor communication, and customer tracking. The Files tab of the Preference dialog box, shown in figure 3.19, very effectively provides file- and folder-related tracking for nearly every application.

Figure 3.19 The Files tab of the Preferences dialog box.

The important thing to remember is that AutoCAD has default locations for all the search paths. As you select each item in the list, a description of the purpose is displayed in the description field under the list. The yellow items in the list specify folder or network drive locations for the item selected; the white items are the default files used for the items selected.

Table 3.2 lists the primary items listed in the Files tab and the default location for the folder or file.

Table 3.2 The Default Paths and Files from the Files Tab of Preferences

Item Search paths, file names, and file locations
Support File Search Path C:\ACADR14\support, C:\ACADR14\fonts,
C:\ACADR14\help
Device Driver File C:\ACADR14\drv
Search Path
Project Files Search Path Empty; no default
Menu, Help, Log, C:\ACADR14\support\acad
and Miscellaneous
File Names Menu File
Alternate Table Menu File Unspecified; no default
Help File C:\ACADR14\help\acad.hlp
Automatic Save File C:\WIN95\TEMP\auto.sv$
Log File C:\ACADR14\acad.log
Default Internet Location www.autodesk.com
Configuration File C:\ACADR14\acad14.cfg
License Server Licensed network server per Autodesk

Text Editor, Dictionary, and Font File Names

Text Editor Application Internal
Main Dictionary American English, British English (ise),
(Set Current) British English (ize)
Custom Dictionary File C:\ACADR14\support\sample.cus
Alternate Font File arial.ttf
Font Mapping File C:\ACADR14\support\acad.fmp

Print File, Spooler, and Prolog Section Names

Print File Name Current drawing name
Print Spool Executable No default
PostScript Prolog Section Name No default
Print Spooler File Location C:\WIN95\temp
Template Drawing File Location C:\ACADR14\template
Temporary Drawing File C:\WIN95\temp
Location
Temporary External Ref. Blank = Temp. Drawing File Loc.
File Location
Texture Maps Search Path C:\ACADR14\maps

In the following exercise, you replace the current alternate font file setting, arial.ttf, with simplex.shx.

REPLACING THE DEFAULT ALTERNATE FONT FILE

1. Open the Preferences dialog box by choosing Tools, Preferences from the pull-down menus and select the Files tab.

2. Click on the plus sign (+) for Text Editor, Dictionary, and Font File Names to expand the listing.

3. Click on the plus sign (+) for Alternate Font File to display the current setting of arial.ttf.

4. Click on the Browse button to open the Alternate Font dialog box shown in figure 3.20.

Figure 3.20 The Alternate Font dialog box.

5. Select simplex.shx from the Font Name list, and click on OK to return to the Files tab.

6. Click on Apply to set simplex.shx as the alternative font file. Click on OK to close the Preferences dialog box and return to the drawing.

NOTE: Third-party products will frequently place their own menus and LISP routines in separate directories created during installation. Make sure the Support File Search Path and Device Driver File Search Path in the Files tab contain the proper path references for your third-party software if you find it is not performing properly.

Optimizing Release 14's Performance

As a graphics tool, AutoCAD implements many features that draw on the memory of your system such as circle smoothness, text display, and object dragging. The Performance tab shown in figure 3.21 enables you to fine-tune the optimization process AutoCAD uses to suit your application. If the visibility of every line of text in the drawing is not important to you, you may want to turn on Show text boundary frame only, which sets the QTEXT variable to Off.

Figure 3.21 The Performance tab of the Preferences dialog box.

In the following content overview of the Performance tab, you may find some items that will provide improved performance for your system.

NOTE: The From object snap cannot be used if the display of the object is on when it is being dragged. Select Display when requested to enable the From object snap when moving or copying selected objects.

Through the Performance settings in the Preferences dialog box you can more efficiently configure the operation of AutoCAD for your particular application.

Setting Internal and External Compatibility

With the number of people using AutoCAD these days, it has become increasingly important to maintain compatibility with earlier versions, not only in file types, but also in menu structure, keyboard entry, and especially the use of third-party products. The Compatibility tab shown in figure 3.22 contains four distinct groups addressing AutoCAD's compatibility with internal and external issues.

Figure 3.22 The Compatibility tab of the Preferences dialog box.

Efficient operation of the programming and objects available through third-party programs is the primary theme of the Compatibility tab. You are also given choices regarding your keyboard entry and AutoCAD's performance when specifying points.

General Operating Preferences

Drawing session features such as the creation of a log file, backup file, and the saving of the preview image seen for R13 and R14 drawings make up the content of the General tab of the Preferences dialog box shown in figure 3.23.

Figure 3.23 The General tab of the Preferences dialog box.

The following overview and short descriptions should help you to more clearly understand the choices available in the General tab:

[ AutoCAD - Wed Feb 19 12:41:02 1997 ]-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- [ AutoCAD - Wed Feb 19 12:41:04 1997 ]-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Command: 
AutoCAD menu utilities loaded.
Command: `_ddunits 
Initializing... DDUNITS loaded.
Command: `_limits 
Reset Model space limits:
ON/OFF/<Lower left corner> <0.000,0.000>: 
Upper right corner <12.000,9.000>: 





Preferences for the AutoCAD Display


The Display tab shown in figure 3.24 is one of the more gratifying tabs in that
most of the changes made can be seen as soon as you return to the drawing window.
The only feature in this tab that may adversely affect the performance of AutoCAD
may be the elaborate nature of a font chosen for the graphics or Text windows.


Figure 3.24 The Display
tab of the Preferences dialog box.


The following is an overview with short descriptions of the Display tab:








	



TIP: Lines from the AutoCAD Text window can be highlighted and copied
	to the Windows clipboard buffer and pasted into Notepad, Word, or other word processors.
	











The Colors button of the Display tab opens the AutoCAD Window Colors dialog box
shown in figure 3.25, which contains a list for the following window elements:





In addition to the Basic Colors displayed, you can create a custom color using
the slide bars for red, green, and blue, based on your graphics card's capability
and color palette. To return to the default color assignment, click on the Default
Colors button.


Figure 3.25 The AutoCAD
Window Colors dialog box.


The Fonts button initially displays the Graphics Window Font dialog box shown
in figure 3.26. The font selected in this dialog box specifies the look of the text
in the screen menu. A scroll bar is provided for the extensive list of fonts. The
default is MS Sans Serif, Regular, 8 point.


The Graphics and Text buttons provide the method by which you can toggle between
the Graphics Window Font dialog box and the Text Window Font dialog box shown in
figure 3.27. The list of fonts for use in the command line/Text Window is less extensive
than that for the Graphics Window. The default setting is Courier, Regular, 10 point.


Figure 3.26 The Graphics
Window Font dialog box.


Figure 3.27 The Text Window
Font dialog box.


In the following exercise, you change several of the features presented in the
Display tab.




CHANGING THE DISPLAY OF THE DRAWING AND TEXT WINDOWS


1. Begin a new drawing from scratch. Open the Preferences dialog box and
select the Display tab.


2. Turn on the feature to display the screen menu, and change the number
of docked lines in the command-line window to 2.


3. Click on the Colors button and select a color from the bottom row of
the Basic Colors as the Graphics window background.


4. From the Window Element drop-down list, scroll down and select Crosshair
(XOR). Then choose a color from the top row of Basic Colors, and click on OK to return
to the Display tab.


5. Click on Apply to update the AutoCAD window under the Preferences dialog
box with the side screen menu, two lines in the command window, and your background
color.


6. Click on the Fonts button to display the Graphics Window Font dialog
box. Select a unique font and the Italic Font Style.


7. Click on the Text button in the Graphics Window Font dialog box to switch
to the Text Window dialog box. Select the Fixedsys font for the text to be displayed
on the command line and in the AutoCAD Text window.


8. Click on Apply to apply the settings to the AutoCAD system registry.
Click on OK to return to your AutoCAD application window.





	



TIP: If you want a font size smaller than those listed in the Font
	dialog boxes (primarily for laptop applications), you can manually change the value
	in the Size box to a smaller point size such as 4 or 6.


	
In the next series of steps, you relocate the command-line window to the top of
	the drawing window and return the number of lines to three by dragging down the window
	size. 








9. To relocate the command-line window, place your cursor anywhere along
the top horizontal band of the command-line window frame. Pick and drag the bounding
box image into the drawing window and release the cursor to see something similar
to figure 3.28.


Figure 3.28 The floating
Command Line window.


10. To dock the window at the top of the drawing window, pick anywhere
in the AutoCAD - Command Line title bar. Then drag the bounding box image up to the
bottom of the Object Properties toolbar and release the cursor when the image of
the bounding box widens to the width of the drawing window.


11. To dynamically modify the Command Line window to display three lines,
position your cursor on the thin window frame at the bottom of the Command Line window
to display a vertical window sizing indicator for adjacent windows.


12. Drag the sizing indicator down just a bit to increase the depth of
the docked Command Line window, and release the cursor. You may have to adjust it
more than once to get the desired number of lines.


The settings selected from the Display tab, as well as all other settings in the
Preferences dialog box are referred to as system settings and are saved to
the AutoCAD registry and implemented with every session of AutoCAD. Some settings
you have encountered in this chapter, such as drawing units, drawing limits, blips,
and so on, are drawing settings and are only retained in the individual drawing in
which they have been set.




The New Cursor Configuration Feature


Since day one, AutoCAD has had a full-screen cursor. While other competitive products
came and went with their small or adjustable cursor size, Autodesk stayed with the
full screen. Third-party programs for implementing a small cursor not withstanding,
out-of-the-box AutoCAD was full screen. A new day is here and the faithful users
are now given the opportunity to size the screen cursor from the Pointer tab shown
in figure 3.29. The default of 5 percent of the screen size can be reset from 1 to
100. For three-view drawings and other projects requiring a full-screen cursor, at
least it's nice to know you can modify the setting to suit the current drawing.


Figure 3.29 The Pointer
tab of the Preferences dialog box.


For digitizer users, install the input device driver per the vendor's installation
guide, covering use with AutoCAD as well as Windows 95/NT. With proper installation,
your driver will appear in the pointing device list. Select your digitizer driver
from the list, and click on Set Current. You may then elect to use only the digitizer
for input or both mouse and digitizer if this option is available for your device.




Adding and Configuring Plotters


Although the packaging has improved, the process by which a plotter or printer
is added to the available output device list is relatively unchanged from earlier
versions of AutoCAD. The Printer tab shown in figure 3.30 provides several features
to make the addition of an output device as easy as possible.


Figure 3.30 The Printer
tab of the Preferences dialog box.





Figure 3.31 The Reconfigure
a Printer dialog box.


Figure 3.32 The Add a
Printer dialog box.





Devices marked "NR" in the list below cannot print raster images with this driver. Instead, if available, use a Windows System Printer driver for your device (note that pen plotters cannot print raster images).
Supported models:
1. HP DesignJet 755CM
2. HP DesignJet 750C Plus
3. HP DesignJet 750C
4. HP DesignJet 650C
5. HP DesignJet 350C
6. HP DesignJet 250C
7. HP DesignJet 700
8. HP DesignJet 600-NR
9. HP DesignJet 330
10. HP DesignJet 230
11. HP DesignJet 220
12. HP DesignJet 200
13. HP DraftMaster with Roll Feed-NR
14. HP DraftMaster Plus Sheet Feed-NR
15. HP DraftMaster Sheet Feed-NR
16. HP PaintJet XL300-NR
17. HP DraftPro Plus-NR
18. HP 7600 Color (obsolete)-NR
19. HP 7600 Monochrome (obsolete)-NR
20. HP LaserJet III-NR
21. HP LaserJet 4-NR 
Enter selection, 1 to 21 <1>: 4
*****************************************************************
IMPORTANT: To change default values for settings like
==========
         - Print Quality
         - Media Orientation
         - Plotter memory
         - Annotations
       in your HP device, you should type HPCONFIG at
       the AutoCAD "Command:" prompt.
*****************************************************************
Specify port:
  <S>erial port (Local).
  <P>arallel port (Local).
  <N>etwork port.
What is your plotter connected to? <P>
Enter parallel port name for plotter or . for none <LPT1>:
Plot will NOT be written to a selected file
Sizes are in Inches and the style is landscape
Plot origin is at (0.00,0.00)
Plotting area is 43.00 wide by 33.00 high (E size)
Plot is NOT rotated
Hidden lines will NOT be removed
Plot will be scaled to fit available area
Do you want to change anything? (No/Yes/File) <N>:



If the port specified for the plotter connection is currently used, you see the
following message:




	
AutoCAD Message


	
A Windows system printer is already configured for this port. Your ADI driver's output will be rerouted to use the Windows spooler to avoid conflict with this driver.











Many of the features of the Printer tab are cross-referenced to the Print/Plot
Configuration dialog box with regard to the device selected and the configuration
settings set to current. With the use of the Profiles feature presented in the next
section, Release 14 provides the method by which a user in a network environment
can customize the system to meet his project needs.




Saving the Preferences to a Profile


Through the seven tabs of the Preferences dialog box, you have probably encountered
numerous system settings you would no doubt like to adopt as your own. Using the
Profiles tab shown in figure 3.33 you can save the current settings by name for retrieval
later. The following list presents the features of this tab.


Figure 3.33 The
Profiles tab of the Preferences dialog box.





Profiles enable AutoCAD users traveling between corporate offices to have the
benefit of customized settings on any Release 14 station. Through the use of profiles,
today's network AutoCAD user can experience a level of familiarity when working on
Release 14 with little anxiety over the current system settings.




Summary


Release 14 now provides effective methods by which users can, with little time
and effort, customize their starting environment and working environment, and ensure
the integrity of AutoCAD in a networking configuration. Combined with the stability
of the Windows 95/NT operating systems, this release can be easily adapted to meet
the needs of the users. In essence, portability, functionality, and compatibility
are three very real possibilities with AutoCAD Release 14.













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