AutoCAD® 2008 User’s Guide pps

Obtain General Drawing InformationYou can retrieve general information about the drawing file and its settings.This information includes the following: ■ Custom descriptive information a

AutoCAD ® 2008

User’s Guide

January 2007

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Get Information 1

Chapter 1 Get Information from Drawings 3

Obtain General Drawing Information 4

Count Objects Within a Drawing 5

The User Interface 7

Chapter 2 Toolbars, Menus, and The Dashboard 9

Toolbars 10

Status Bars 12

The Application Status Bar 12

The Drawing Status Bar 14

The Menu Bar 17

Shortcut Menus 18

The Dashboard 23

Chapter 3 The Command Window 29

Enter Commands on the Command Line 30

Enter System Variables on the Command Line 32

Navigate and Edit Within the Command Window 34

v

Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line 37

Dock, Resize, and Hide the Command Window 39

Chapter 4 DesignCenter 43

Overview of DesignCenter 44

Understand the DesignCenter Window 45

Access Content with DesignCenter 47

Add Content with DesignCenter 51

Retrieve Content from the Web with DesignCenter Online 56

Overview of DesignCenter Online 56

Understand DesignCenter Online Content Types 59

Retrieve Content from the Web 60

Chapter 5 Customize the Drawing Environment 65

Set Interface Options 66

Create Task-Based Workspaces 79

Save and Restore Interface Settings (Profiles) 83

Customize Startup 85

Chapter 6 Tool Palettes 91

Create and Use Tools from Objects and Images 92

Create and Use Command Tools 99

Change Tool Palette Settings 102

Control Tool Properties 105

Customize Tool Palettes 110

Organize Tool Palettes 115

Save and Share Tool Palettes 120

Start, Organize, and Save a Drawing 123

Chapter 7 Start a Drawing 125

Start a Drawing from Scratch 126

Use a Wizard to Start a Drawing 129

Use a Template File to Start a Drawing 131

Specify Units and Unit Formats 134

Determine the Units of Measurement 135

Set Linear Unit Conventions 137

Set Angular Unit Conventions 140

Add Identifying Information to Drawings 142

Chapter 8 Open or Save a Drawing 145

Open a Drawing 146

Open Part of a Large Drawing (Partial Load) 148

Work with Multiple Open Drawings 152

Save a Drawing 153

Find a Drawing File 160

Specify Search Paths and File Locations 162

Chapter 9 Repair, Restore, or Recover Drawing Files 165

Repair a Damaged Drawing File 166

Create and Restore Backup Files 169

Recover from a System Failure 171

Chapter 10 Maintain Standards in Drawings 175

Overview of CAD Standards 176

Define Standards 178

Check Drawings for Standards Violations 181

Translate Layer Names and Properties 189

Control the Drawing Views 193

Chapter 11 Change Views 195

Pan or Zoom a View 196

Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View Window 201

Save and Restore Views 205

Control the 3D Projection Style 209

Overview of Parallel and Perspective Views 209

Define a Perspective Projection (DVIEW) 211

Define a Parallel Projection 214

Choose Preset 3D Views 216

Define a 3D View with Coordinate Values or Angles 217

Change to a View of the XY Plane 219

Shade a Model and Use Edge Effects 221

Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model 221

Customize a Visual Style 225

Control Performance 240

Chapter 12 Use 3D Viewing Tools 249

Specify 3D Views 250

Overview of 3D Views 250

Use 3D Navigation Tools 252

Walk and Fly Through a Drawing 256

Create a 3D Dynamic View (DVIEW) 260

Define a 3D View with a Camera 262

Overview of Cameras 262

Contents | vii

Create a Camera 264

Change Camera Properties 266

Create Preview Animations 271

Create Motion Path Animations 274

Control a Camera Motion Path 274

Specify Motion Path Settings 276

Record a Motion Path Animation 278

Chapter 13 Display Multiple Views in Model Space 281

Set Model Space Viewports 282

Select and Use the Current Viewport 285

Save and Restore Model Tab Viewport Arrangements 287

Choose a Work Process Before You Begin 291

Chapter 14 Create Single-View Drawings (Model Space) 293

Quick Start for Model Space Drafting 294

Draw, Scale, and Annotate in Model Space 295

Chapter 15 Create Multiple-View Drawing Layouts (Paper Space) 301

Quick Start for Layouts 302

Understand the Layout Process 304

Work with Model Space and Paper Space 307

Work on the Model Tab 307

Work on a Layout Tab 309

Access Model Space from a Layout Viewport 316

Create and Modify Layout Viewports 319

Control Views in Layout Viewports 323

Scale Views in Layout Viewports 323

Control Visibility in Layout Viewports 326

Scale Linetypes in Layout Viewports 334

Align Views in Layout Viewports 335

Rotate Views in Layout Viewports 338

Reuse Layouts and Layout Settings 341

Chapter 16 Work with Sheets in a Sheet Set 345

Quick Start for Sheet Sets 346

Understand the Sheet Set Manager Interface 347

Create and Manage a Sheet Set 350

Create a Sheet Set 351

Organize a Sheet Set 355

Create and Modify Sheets 359

Include Information with Sheets and Sheet Sets 370

Publish, Transmit, and Archive Sheet Sets 373

Use Sheet Sets in a Team 379

Create and Modify Objects 383

Chapter 17 Control the Properties of Objects 385

Overview of Object Properties 387

Display and Change the Properties of Objects 388

Copy Properties Between Objects 393

Work with Layers 394

Overview of Layers 394

Use Layers to Manage Complexity 396

Create and Name Layers 409

Change Layer Settings and Layer Properties 412

Override Layer Properties in Viewports 417

Filter and Sort the List of Layers 425

Use New Layer Notification 432

Work with Layer States 437

Work with Colors 448

Set the Current Color 448

Change the Color of an Object 451

Use Color Books 454

Work with Linetypes 457

Overview of Linetypes 457

Load Linetypes 458

Set the Current Linetype 462

Change the Linetype of an Object 464

Control Linetype Scale 466

Display Linetypes on Short Segments and Polylines 468

Control Lineweights 470

Overview of Lineweights 470

Display Lineweights 473

Set the Current Lineweight 475

Change the Lineweight of an Object 477

Control the Display Properties of Certain Objects 479

Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills, Lineweights, and Text 479

Control How Overlapping Objects Are Displayed 482

Chapter 18 Use Precision Tools 485

Use Coordinates and Coordinate Systems (UCS) 486

Overview of Coordinate Entry 486

Enter 2D Coordinates 489

Enter 3D Coordinates 494

Contents | ix

Understand the User Coordinate System (UCS) 501

Specify Workplanes in 3D (UCS) 506

Assign User Coordinate System Orientations to Viewports 519

Control the Display of the User Coordinate System Icon 521

Use Dynamic Input 524

Snap to Locations on Objects (Object Snaps) 531

Use Object Snaps 532

The Object Snap Menu 535

Set Visual Aids for Object Snaps (AutoSnap) 536

Override Object Snap Settings 538

Restrict Cursor Movement 542

Adjust Grid and Grid Snap 542

Use Orthogonal Locking (Ortho Mode) 549

Use Polar Tracking and PolarSnap 551

Lock an Angle for One Point (Angle) 556

Combine or Offset Points and Coordinates 557

Combine Coordinate Values (Coordinate Filters) 557

Track to Points on Objects (Object Snap Tracking) 560

Track to Offset Point Locations (Tracking) 564

Specify Distances 565

Enter Direct Distances 566

Offset from Temporary Reference Points 567

Specify Intervals on Objects 568

Extract Geometric Information from Objects 574

Obtain Distances, Angles, and Point Locations 574

Obtain Area and Mass Properties Information 576

Use a Calculator 582

Use the QuickCalc Calculator 582

Use the Command Line Calculator 602

Chapter 19 Draw Geometric Objects 607

Draw Linear Objects 608

Draw Lines 608

Draw Polylines 610

Draw Rectangles and Polygons 615

Draw Multiline Objects 618

Draw Freehand Sketches 622

Draw Curved Objects 625

Draw Arcs 625

Draw Circles 630

Draw Polyline Arcs 632

Draw Donuts 638

Draw Ellipses 640

Draw Splines 643

Draw Helixes 646

Draw Construction and Reference Geometry 648

Draw Reference Points 648

Draw Construction Lines (and Rays) 650

Create and Combine Areas (Regions) 652

Create Revision Clouds 657

Chapter 20 Create and Use Blocks (Symbols) 661

Overview of Blocks 662

Create and Store Blocks 663

How Blocks Are Stored and Referenced 663

Create Blocks Within a Drawing 665

Create Drawing Files for Use as Blocks 667

Control the Color and Linetype Properties in Blocks 670

Nest Blocks 674

Create Block Libraries 675

Use Tool Palettes to Organize Blocks 677

Remove Block Definitions 678

Add Dynamic Behavior to Blocks 679

Quick Start to Creating Dynamic Blocks 680

Overview of Dynamic Blocks 681

Use the Block Editor 685

Add Dynamic Elements to Blocks 699

Save a Block in the Block Editor 786

Insert Blocks 788

Work with Dynamic Blocks in Drawings 793

Attach Data to Blocks (Block Attributes) 797

Overview of Block Attributes 797

Define Block Attributes 800

Extract Data from Block Attributes 805

Extract Block Attribute Data (Advanced) 807

Modify Blocks 814

Modify a Block Definition 814

Change the Color and Linetype in a Block 817

Modify the Data in Block Attributes 820

Modify a Block Attribute Definition 822

Disassemble a Block Reference (Explode) 827

Chapter 21 Change Existing Objects 831

Select Objects 832

Select Objects Individually 832

Select Multiple Objects 835

Prevent Objects from Being Selected 839

Filter Selection Sets 841

Customize Object Selection 845

Group Objects 852

Correct Mistakes 858

Contents | xi

Erase Objects 861

Use Windows Cut, Copy, and Paste 865

Modify Objects 868

Choose a Method to Modify Objects 869

Move or Rotate Objects 870

Copy, Offset, or Mirror Objects 880

Change the Size and Shape of Objects 894

Fillet, Chamfer, Break, or Join Objects 905

Use Grips to Edit Objects 919

Modify Complex Objects 932

Disassociate Compound Objects (Explode) 933

Modify or Join Polylines 934

Modify Splines 940

Modify Helixes 943

Modify Multilines 945

Work with 3D Models 949

Chapter 22 Create 3D Models 951

Overview of 3D Modeling 952

Create 3D Solids and Surfaces 954

Overview of Creating 3D Solids and Surfaces 954

Create 3D Solid Primitives 957

Create a Polysolid 972

Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves 975

Create Solids and Surfaces from Objects 990

Create Solids from Surfaces 993

Create Composite Solids 995

Create Solids by Slicing 998

Check for Interferences within a Solid Model 1001

Create Meshes 1003

Create Wireframe Models 1014

Add 3D Thickness to Objects 1017

Chapter 23 Modify 3D Solids and Surfaces 1021

Manipulate 3D Solids and Surfaces 1022

Manipulate Individual Solids and Surfaces 1022

Work with Composite Solids 1026

Select and Modify 3D Subobjects 1031

Select 3D Subobjects 1031

Move, Rotate, and Scale Subobjects 1034

Modify Faces on 3D Solids 1037

Modify Edges on 3D Solids 1042

Modify Vertices on 3D Solids 1048

Press or Pull Bounded Areas 1051

Use Grip Tools to Modify Objects 1053

Understand Grip Tools 1053

Use the Move Grip Tool to Modify Objects 1056

Use the Rotate Grip Tool to Modify Objects 1060

Add Edges and Faces to Solids 1063

Separate 3D Solids 1064

Shell 3D Solids 1065

Clean and Check 3D Solids 1067

Chapter 24 Create Sections and 2D Drawings from 3D Models 1069

Section 3D Solids 1070

Work with Section Objects 1071

Overview of Section Objects 1071

Create Section Objects 1074

Set Section Object States 1077

Use Section Object Grips 1079

Access Section Object Shortcut Menu 1080

Change Section Object Properties 1082

Associate Section Objects with Views and Cameras 1084

Publish Section Objects 1085

Save Section Object as Tool Palette Tool 1087

Add Jogs to a Section 1088

Live Sectioning 1090

Understand Live Sectioning Behavior 1091

Generate 2D and 3D Sections 1093

Create a Flattened View 1095

Annotate Drawings 1099

Chapter 25 Work with Annotations 1101

Overview of Annotations 1102

Scale Annotations 1102

Overview of Scaling Annotations 1103

Set Annotation Scale 1104

Create Annotative Objects 1106

Display Annotative Objects 1129

Add and Modify Scale Representations 1131

Set Orientation for Annotations 1134

Chapter 26 Hatches, Fills, and Wipeouts 1137

Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills 1138

Define Hatch Boundaries 1146

Overview of Hatch Boundaries 1146

Contents | xiii

Control the Hatching in Islands 1148

Define Hatch Boundaries in Large Drawings 1150

Create Unbounded Hatches 1152

Choose Hatch Patterns and Solid Fills 1154

Create Solid-Filled Areas 1154

Create Gradient-Filled Areas 1158

Use Predefined Hatch Patterns 1161

Create User-Defined Hatch Patterns 1163

Modify Hatches and Solid-Filled Areas 1164

Create a Blank Area to Cover Objects 1169

Chapter 27 Notes and Labels 1171

Overview of Notes and Labels 1172

Create Text 1173

Overview of Creating Text 1173

Create Single-Line Text 1175

Create Multiline Text 1179

Create and Edit Columns in Multiline Text 1203

Import Text from External Files 1208

Create Leaders 1210

Overview of Leader Objects 1210

Create and Modify Leaders 1212

Work with Leader Styles 1218

Add Content to a Leader 1221

Use Fields in Text 1225

Insert Fields 1225

Update Fields 1231

Use Hyperlinks in Fields 1235

Work with Text Styles 1237

Overview of Text Styles 1238

Assign Text Fonts 1240

Set Text Height 1249

Set Text Obliquing Angle 1251

Set Horizontal or Vertical Text Orientation 1252

Change Text 1254

Overview of Changing Text 1254

Change Single-Line Text 1255

Change Multiline Text 1257

Change Text Scale and Justification 1262

Check Spelling 1264

Use an Alternate Text Editor 1268

Overview of Using an Alternate Text Editor 1268

Format Multiline Text in an Alternate Text Editor 1269

Chapter 28 Tables 1275

Create and Modify Tables 1276

Link a Table to External Data 1286

Work with Table Styles 1291

Add Text and Blocks to Tables 1298

Use Formulas in Table Cells 1305

Chapter 29 Dimensions and Tolerances 1315

Understand Basic Concepts of Dimensioning 1316

Overview of Dimensioning 1316

Parts of a Dimension 1318

Associative Dimensions 1320

Use Dimension Styles 1323

Overview of Dimension Styles 1323

Compare Dimension Styles and Variables 1325

Control Dimension Geometry 1327

Control Dimension Text 1338

Control Dimension Values 1350

Set the Scale for Dimensions 1362

Create Dimensions 1365

Create Linear Dimensions 1366

Create Radial Dimensions 1376

Create Angular Dimensions 1382

Create Ordinate Dimensions 1385

Create Arc Length Dimensions 1387

Modify Existing Dimensions 1389

Apply a New Dimension Style to Existing Dimensions 1389

Override a Dimension Style 1391

Modify A Dimension 1394

Modify Dimension Text 1409

Modify Dimension Geometry 1414

Change Dimension Associativity 1418

Add Geometric Tolerances 1421

Overview of Geometric Tolerances 1421

Material Conditions 1424

Datum Reference Frames 1425

Projected Tolerance Zones 1426

Composite Tolerances 1427

Plot and Publish Drawings 1431

Chapter 30 Prepare Drawings for Plotting and Publishing 1433

Quick Start to Preparing Drawings for Plotting and Publishing 1434

Specify Page Setup Settings 1435

Overview of Page Setup Settings 1435

Contents | xv

Select a Printer or Plotter for a Layout 1437

Select a Paper Size for a Layout 1439

Set the Plot Area of a Layout 1444

Adjust the Plot Offset of a Layout 1446

Set the Plot Scale for a Layout 1448

Set the Lineweight Scale for a Layout 1450

Select a Plot Style Table for a Layout 1451

Set Shaded Viewport and Plot Options for a Layout 1454

Determine the Drawing Orientation of a Layout 1457

Use the Layout Wizard to Specify Layout Settings 1458

Import PCP or PC2 Settings into a Layout 1460

Create and Use Named Page Setups 1461

Use Named Page Setups with Sheet Sets 1466

Chapter 31 Plot Drawings 1469

Quick Start to Plotting 1470

Overview of Plotting 1471

Use a Page Setup to Specify Plot Settings 1476

Select a Printer or Plotter 1478

Specify the Area to Plot 1480

Set Paper Size 1481

Position the Drawing on the Paper 1485

Specify the Printable Area 1485

Set the Position of the Plot 1486

Set Drawing Orientation 1487

Control How Objects Are Plotted 1488

Set Plot Scale 1488

Set Shaded Viewport Options 1492

Set Options for Plotted Objects 1496

Use Plot Styles to Control Plotted Objects 1501

Use Color-Dependent Plot Style Tables 1511

Use Named Plot Style Tables 1513

Change Plot Style Settings 1522

Preview a Plot 1536

Plot Files to Other Formats 1538

Plot DWF Files 1539

Plot to DXB File Formats 1540

Plot to Raster File Formats 1542

Plot Adobe PDF Files 1544

Plot Adobe PostScript Files 1546

Create Plot Files 1548

Chapter 32 Publish Drawings 1551

Quick Start to Publishing 1552

Overview of Publishing 1553

Create and Modify a Drawing Set for Publishing 1556

Create a Paper or Plot File Drawing Set 1563

Publish an Electronic Drawing Set 1566

Publish a Sheet Set 1570

Republish a Drawing Set 1577

View a Published Electronic Drawing Set 1578

Set Publish Options 1580

3D DWF Publishing 1588

Configure a DWF6 Driver (Advanced) 1595

Overview of Creating or Modifying a DWF6 Configuration File 1596

Set the DWF File Resolution 1599

Set the DWF File Compression 1602

Set Font Handling for the DWF File 1603

Edit Pen Patterns for the DWF File 1606

Index 1609

Contents | xvii

Get Information from

Drawings

In this chapter

You can retrieve general information from a drawing including

identifying information and the number of objects that it

There are types of information stored in a drawing that are

not specific to objects within the drawing, but provide useful

information to help you understand the behavior of the

drawing, the settings of system variables, the the number of

objects, descriptive information, and so on

1

3

Obtain General Drawing Information

You can retrieve general information about the drawing file and its settings.This information includes the following:

■ Custom descriptive information about the drawing (DWGPROPS)

■ General drawing settings (STATUS)

■ Amount of time spent in the drawing (TIME)

This information can help you document a drawing, displays a variety ofdrawing settings such as the total number of objects in the drawing and theamount of free space on your disk drive, and the total amount of time spent

in the drawing file

See also:

■ Enter System Variables on the Command Line (page 32)

■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings (page 142)

■ Extract Geometric Information from Objects (page 574)

■ Compare Dimension Styles and Variables (page 1325)

Count Objects Within a Drawing

You can count objects within a drawing using the QSELECT command.The QSELECT command displays the Quick Select dialog box, which allowsyou to create a selection set based on the filtering criteria You can filterselection sets by property such as color or linetype, and by object type.Creating a selection set based on the filtering criteria in the Quick Select dialogbox, allows you to count specified types of objects within a drawing

To count specified types of objects in a drawing

1 Click Tools menu ➤ Quick Select.

2 In the Quick Select dialog box, do one of the following:

■ In the Apply To List, select Entire Drawing

■ Click the Select Objects button to select a group of objects PressENTER In the Apply To list, select Current selection

3 In the Object Type list, select the type of object you want to count.

4 In the Properties list, select a property that belongs to the type of objects

you want to count

Count Objects Within a Drawing | 5

5 In the Operator list, select = Equals.

6 In the Value list, select the property value of the type of objects you want

The User Interface

Toolbars, Menus, and

The Dashboard

In this chapter

You can use several menus, shortcut menus, toolbars, and the

dashboard to access frequently used commands, settings, and

Use buttons on toolbars to start commands, display flyout toolbars, and displaytooltips You can display or hide, dock, and resize toolbars

Toolbars contain buttons that start commands When you move your mouse

or pointing device over a toolbar button, the tooltip displays the name of thebutton Buttons with a small black triangle in the lower-right corner are flyouttoolbars that contain related commands With the cursor over the icon, holddown the left button on your mouse until the flyout toolbar is displayed.The Standard toolbar at the top of the drawing area is displayed by default.This toolbar is similar to those found in Microsoft® Office programs It containsfrequently used AutoCAD® commands such as PROPERTIES, PAN, and ZOOM,

as well as Microsoft Office standard commands such as New, Open, and Save

Display or Hide, Dock, and Resize Toolbars

AutoCAD initially displays several toolbars such as

A toolbar can be floating or docked A floating toolbar is located anywhere in

the drawing area, and you can drag a floating toolbar to a new location, resize

it, or dock it A docked toolbar is attached to any edge of the drawing area.You can move a docked toolbar by dragging it to a new docking location

See also:

■ Create Task-Based Workspaces (page 79)

■ “Customize Toolbars” in the Customization Guide

To display a toolbar

■ Right-click any toolbar and click a toolbar on the shortcut menu

To dock a toolbar

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

hold down the button on your pointing device

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

of the drawing area

3 When the outline of the toolbar is displayed in the docking area, release

the button

To place a toolbar in a docking region without docking it, hold downCTRL as you drag

To undock a toolbar

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

down the button on your pointing device

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

To resize a toolbar

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

changes to a horizontal or vertical double arrow

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

shape you want

To close a toolbar

1 If the toolbar is docked, undock it.

2 Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the toolbar.

The Application Status Bar

The application status bar displays the coordinate values of your cursor alongwith several buttons for turning on and off drawing tools and may displaytools for scaling annotations You can choose which buttons you want todisplay in the status bar

See also:

■ The Drawing Status Bar (page 14)

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

1 Click the Status Bar Menu arrow at the right end of the status bar, and

then click Tray Settings

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

options:

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

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

■ Display Notifications from Services Displays notifications from services

such as Communications Center When the Display Icons fromServices option is cleared, this option is unavailable

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

notification to be displayed, or select Display Until Closed

4 Click OK.

Right-click an empty area on the status bar Click Tray Settings

TRAYSETTINGS

To control the display of buttons on the status bar

■ Click the Status Bar Menu arrow at the right end of the status bar and clickany button name to change the display

Items with a check mark next to them are displayed on the status bar.Right-click an empty area on the status bar Click a button name

To control the display of coordinates on the status bar

■ Click the Status Bar Menu arrow at the right end of the status bar and clickCursor Coordinate Values

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

The Application Status Bar | 13

Right-click an empty area on the status bar Click Cursor Coordinate Values.

The Drawing Status Bar

The drawing status bar displays several tools for scaling annotations

Different tools display for model space and paper space.

When the drawing status bar is turned on it displays at the bottom of thedrawing area When the drawing status bar is turned off, the tools found onthe drawing status bar are moved to the application status bar

When the drawing status bar is turned on, you can use the Infobar menu tochoose which tools display in status bar

See also:

■ Scale Annotations (page 1102)

■ The Application Status Bar (page 12)

To turn the drawing status bar on or off

1 Do one of the following:

The Drawing Status Bar | 15

2 Click Tools menu ➤ Options.Then in the Options dialog box, Displaytab, select or clear Display Drawing Status Bar.

To control the display of buttons on the drawing status bar

■ Click the Infobar Menu arrow at the right end of the drawing status barand select any option name to change the display

Items with a check mark next to them are displayed on the drawing statusbar

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Command Modifiers

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The Menu Bar

Display pull-down menus from the menu bar using one of several methods.You can also specify alternate menus

Menus are available from the menu bar at the top of the AutoCAD drawingarea

You can specify menus to display in the program by customizing a CUI fileand loading it into the program

See also:

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

To use a menu

Choose one of the following methods:

■ On the menu bar, click a menu name to display a list of options On themenu, either click an option or use the DOWN ARROW to move downthe list, and then press ENTER

■ Press ALT and press the key for the underlined letter in the menu name;then, press the underlined letter in the option name For example, to open

a new drawing, press ALT and press F to open the File menu; then, press

You can display different shortcut menus when you right-click different areas

of the screen, including

■ Within the drawing area with or without any objects selected

■ Within the drawing area during a command

■ Within the text and command windows

■ Within areas and on icons in DesignCenter

■ Within areas and on text in the In-Place Text Editor

■ On a toolbar or tool palette

■ On the Model or layout tabs

■ On the status bar or the status bar buttons

■ In certain dialog boxes

Shortcut menus typically include options to

■ Repeat the last command entered

■ Cancel the current command

■ Display a list of recent user input

■ Cut, copy, and paste from the Clipboard

■ Select a different command option

■ Display a dialog box, such as Options or Customize

■ Undo the last command entered

You can customize right-click behavior to be time-sensitive, so that a quickright-click acts the same as pressing ENTER, and a longer right-click displays

a shortcut menu

Shortcut menus can be customized using a customization (CUI) file The main

CUI file is called acad.cui by default.

See also:

■ “Create Submenus” in the Customization Guide

To display a shortcut menu

1 At the Command prompt, move the cursor over an area, feature, or icon.

2 Right-click your mouse, or press the equivalent button on your pointing

device

A shortcut menu relevant to the cursor location is displayed If one ormore objects are selected when you right-click in the drawing area, anediting-oriented shortcut menu is displayed You can also display ashortcut menu during PAN or ZOOM

To turn off shortcut menus in the drawing area

1 Click Tools menu ➤ Options.

2 In the Options dialog box, User Preferences tab, under Windows Standard

Behavior, clear Shortcut Menus in Drawing Area

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

select Shortcut Menus in Drawing Area Right-Click Customization

Shortcut Menus | 19

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

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

■ Repeat Last Command Repeats the last command Selecting this

option turns off the Default and Edit shortcut menus Right-clicking

is the same as pressing ENTER

■ Shortcut Menu Displays the Default or Edit shortcut menu.

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

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

is in progress:

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

same as pressing ENTER

■ Shortcut Menu: Always Enabled Displays the Command shortcut

menu

■ Shortcut Menu: Enabled When Command Options Are Present.

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

In addition to turning the Default, Edit, and Command shortcut menus

on and off, you can customize the options that are displayed on them.For example, you can add options to the Edit shortcut menu that aredisplayed only when circles are selected

To turn on time-sensitive right-click behavior

1 Click Tools menu ➤ Options.

2 In the Options dialog box, User Preferences tab, under Windows Standard

Behavior, click Right-Click Customization

3 In the Right-Click Customization dialog box, select Turn on Time-Sensitive

Right-Click

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

4 Click Apply & Close.

5 In the Options dialog box, click OK.

To control the display of recent input

1 At the Command prompt, enter inputhistorymode.

2 Enter a sum of one or more of the following values:

■ 0 No history of recent input is displayed.

■ 1 History of recent input is displayed at the command line with access

through Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys

■ 2 History of recent input for the current command is displayed in

the shortcut menu

■ 4 History of recent input for all commands in the current session is

displayed in the shortcut menu

■ 8 Markers for recent input of point locations are displayed in the

drawing

The default value is 15

3 (Optional) At the Command prompt, enter cmdinputhistorymax.

4 Enter a value to control how many unique values entered at a prompt

are remembered and available to be displayed as recent input