Mastering autocad 2000

Part IV: Modeling and Imaging in 3DPart V: Customization: Taking AutoCad to the Limit Chapter 20: Integrating AutoCAD into Your Projects Chapter 22: Integrating AutoCAD into Your Work En

Mastering™ AutoCAD® 2000

George Omura

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To my family and my teachers

There are many hard-working people giving their best effort to produce tering AutoCAD 2000 I’d like to offer my sincerest gratitude to those people who

Mas-helped bring this book to you

Heartfelt thanks go to the editorial and production teams at Sybex for theirefforts in getting this book to press on an incredible schedule Developmental Edi-tor Melanie Spiller got things going and offered many great suggestions ProjectEditor Rebecca Rider did a great job managing the project Sam Sol Matzkin, tech-nical editor, provided helpful suggestions and made sure I was on the right track.Sarah Lemaire edited this edition with precision and care Franz Baumhackl, elec-tronic publishing specialist, created the pages you see before you, and ShannonMurphy, production coordinator, steadfastly proofread every one of those pages.Finally, Ginger Warner and Heather O’Connor compiled the CD and made it easyand fun to use

Thanks also go to the people at Autodesk for their support Cynde Hargravehelped coordinate our efforts with Autodesk Kathy Fanning was always veryhelpful in answering my many questions, and Denis Cadu provided the materials

I needed and was also always quick to respond to my questions I’d also like tothank Jeff Allen and Dan Morrison on the AutoCAD 2000 Beta Team for provid-ing software on a timely basis

I also wish to thank the many contributors to this book First, a big thanks to MikeGunderloy for his great work on ActiveX Automation Many thanks to my friend

and colleague R Bob Callori for his work on the AutoCAD Instant Reference on the

CD-ROM David Fry and Bill Hill helped sort out the features of this new version ofAutoCAD 2000

The handiwork of Paul Richardson and Christine Merredith of Technical cations can be seen in the sidebars that discuss the San Francisco Main Library.Thanks for the use of your wonderful drawings And while we are on the subject,

Publi-thanks also go to the architectural firms of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and SimonMartin-Vegue Winkelstein Moris Associated Architects for generously grantingpermission to reproduce drawings from their design of the San Francisco MainLibrary

And finally, a great big thanks to my wife and sons who are always behind mywork 100 percent

CONTENTS AT A GLANCE

Part I: The Basics

Part II: Building on the Basics

Part III: Becoming an Expert

Chapter 10: Storing and Linking Data with Graphics 539Chapter 11: Working with Pre-existing Drawings and Raster Images 599

Chapter 14: Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 767

Part IV: Modeling and Imaging in 3D

Part V: Customization: Taking AutoCad to the Limit

Chapter 20: Integrating AutoCAD into Your Projects

Chapter 22: Integrating AutoCAD into Your Work Environment 1185

Part VI: Appendices

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction xxxiii

PART I The Basics

2 Creating Your First Drawing 41

Interpreting the Cursor Modes and Understanding Prompts 60

Selecting Objects before the Command: Noun/Verb 76

Editing with Grips 80

3 Learning the Tools of the Trade 95

Using Polar Tracking and Snap as Your Scale, T-Square,

Understanding the Block Definition Dialog Box 162

Modifying a Block 171

PART II Building on the Basics

Creating a New Drawing Using Parts from Another Drawing 276

Eliminating Blocks, Layers, Line Types, Shapes, and Styles 285

6 Enhancing Your Drawing Skills 291

Exploring Other Ways to Control AutoCAD’s Display 297

Attaching a Drawing as an External Reference 334Editing Xrefs and the Files That Contain Them at the Same Time 337Other Differences between External References and Blocks 337

Clipping Xref Views and Improving Performance 342

Adding and Removing Objects from Blocks and Xrefs 349

Plot Scale 365

Setting Color, Line Corner Styles, and Shading Patterns

Choosing between Color and Named Plot Style Tables 378

Other Options in the Plot Style Table Editor 393Assigning Plot Styles Directly to Layers and Objects 398

Adding Color, Stacked Fractions, and Special Symbols 436Adjusting the Width of the Text Boundary Window 438

Setting the Current Default Style 451Understanding the Text Style Dialog Box Options 452

Using Special Characters with Single-Line Text Objects 465

Setting the Location and Orientation of Dimension Text 485Choosing an Arrow Style and Setting the Dimension Scale 486

Drawing Dimensions from a Common Base Extension Line 497

Making Minor Adjustments to Dimensions Using Grips 503Changing Style Settings of Individual Dimensions 505Editing Dimensions and Other Objects Together 510Adding a String of Dimensions with a Single Operation 514

Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Objects 517

PART III Becoming an Expert

10 Storing and Linking Data with Graphics 539

Making Minor Changes to an Attribute’s Appearance 555

Extracting and Exporting Attribute Information 562

Extracting Block Information Using Attributes 565

Using Extracted Attribute Data with Other Programs 570

Locating Database Records through Drawing Objects 588Finding and Selecting Graphics through the Database 590

Hiding Labels 594

11 Working with Pre-existing Drawings

Controlling Object Visibility and Overlap with Raster Images 624

Adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and Strength 628Turning Off the Frame, Adjusting Overall Quality, and

Preparing Existing Drawings for Cross-Referencing 662Assembling External References to Build a Drawing 664Importing Named Elements from External References 672

Creating and Using Multiple Paper Space Layouts 694

Understanding Line Weights, Line Types, and Dimensions

Controlling and Viewing Line Weights in Paper Space 698

Advanced Tools: Quick Select, Selection Filters, and the Calculator 704

13 Drawing Curves and Solid Fills 719

Dividing Objects into Segments of Equal Length 754

14 Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 767

Getting General Information 776

Capturing and Saving Text Data from the AutoCAD Text Window 783Storing Searchable Information in AutoCAD Files 784

Using the Clipboard to Export AutoCAD Drawings 807

PART IV Modeling and Imaging in 3D

Adding a 3D Face 837

16 Using Advanced 3D Features 851

Using Clipping Planes to Hide Parts of Your View 915

17 3D Rendering in AutoCAD 923

Simulating the Interior Lighting of an Office Building 944

Adding Reflections and Detail with Ray Tracing 954

Getting a Sharp, Accurate Shadow with Ray Tracing 957

Chamfering Corners with the Chamfer Tool 1004

Drawing a Standard Top, Front, and Right-Side View 1021

PART V Customization: Taking AutoCad to the Limit

19 Introduction to Customization 1043

Third-Party Product Information on the World Wide Web 1096

Getting the Latest Information from Online Services 1097

20 Integrating AutoCAD into Your Projects

Taking a Closer Look at the Toolbars Dialog Box 1102

21 Introduction to VBA in AutoCAD 1147

22 Integrating AutoCAD into Your Work Environment 1185

Opening and Inserting Files with the DesignCenter 1193Finding and Extracting the Contents of a Drawing 1194

Adding Hyperlinks to Connect to Other Drawings or Web Pages 1211

Opening and Inserting dwg Files from the Web 1216

Establishing Office Standards 1223

PART VI Appendices

A Hardware and Software Tips 1235

Making Detailed Adjustments with the Plotter Configuration

What to Do for “Out of RAM” and “Out of Page Space” Errors 1257

Using Partial Open to Conserve Memory and Improve Speed 1258Using Spatial and Layer Indexes to Conserve Memory 1259Using the Incremental Save Percentage to Conserve Disk Space 1260

B Installing and Setting Up AutoCAD 1269

The AutoCAD 2000 Migration Assistance 1273Installing the AutoCAD Migration Assistance 1274

C What’s on the Companion CD-ROM 1309

Installing and Using the Sample Drawing Files 1311

Using AEC to Add Walls, Doors, Symbols, and Stairs 1316

PaintShop Pro, TutoHelp, QuickView, and Visual Stitcher 1340

D System and Dimension Variables 1343

Storing Dimension Styles through the Command Line 1376Restoring a Dimension Style from the Command Line 1377

A Closer Look at the Dimension Style Dialog Boxes 1379

The New/Modify/Override Dimension Style Dialog Box 1383Importing Dimension Styles from Other Drawings 1397Drawing Blocks for Your Own Dimension Arrows

Welcome to Mastering AutoCAD 2000 As many readers have already ered, Mastering AutoCAD offers a unique blend of tutorial and reference book that

discov-offers everything you need to get started and stay ahead with AutoCAD

How to Use This Book

Rather than just showing you how each command works, Mastering AutoCAD 2000

shows you AutoCAD 2000 in the context of a meaningful activity You will learnhow to use commands while working on an actual project and progressing toward agoal It also provides a foundation on which you can build your own methods forusing AutoCAD and become an AutoCAD expert yourself For this reason, I haven’tcovered every single command or every permutation of a command response The

AutoCAD 2000 Instant Reference, which is included on the companion CD-ROM, will

fill that purpose nicely This online resource will help you quickly locate the

com-mands you need You should think of Mastering AutoCAD 2000 as a way to get a

detailed look at AutoCAD as it is used on a real project As you follow the exercises,

I encourage you to also explore AutoCAD on your own, applying the techniquesyou learn to your own work

Both experienced and beginning AutoCAD users will find this book useful If youare not an experienced user, the way to get the most out of this book is to approach

it as a tutorial—chapter by chapter You’ll find that each chapter builds on the skillsand information you learned in the previous one To help you navigate, the exer-cises are shown in numbered steps To address the needs of all readers worldwide,the exercises are given in both English feet and inch measurements and metricmeasurements

This book can also be used as a ready reference for your day-to-day problemsand questions about commands Optional exercises at the end of each chapter willhelp you review what you have learned and look at different ways to apply theinformation you’ve learned Experienced users will also find this book to be a handyreference tool

Finally, if you run into problems using AutoCAD, check out the Troubleshooting

section in Appendix A You’ll find a listing of the more common issues readersface when first learning AutoCAD

Getting Information Fast

I’ve included plenty of Notes, Tips, and Warnings Notes supplement the main text,

Tips are designed to make practice easier, and Warnings steer you away from falls Also, in each chapter you will find more extensive tips and discussions in the

pit-form of specially screened sidebars To encourage you along the way, some of the

sidebars show you how topics in each chapter were applied to a real-world project,the San Francisco Main Library Together the Notes, Tips, Warnings, and sidebarsprovide a wealth of information I have gathered over years of using AutoCAD on avariety of projects in different office environments You may want to browse throughthe book, just reading the margin notes and sidebars, to get an idea of how theymight be useful to you

Another quick reference you’ll find yourself turning to often is Appendix D Thisappendix contains tables of all the system variables and dimension variables with

comments on their use If you experience any problems, you can consult the shooting section in Appendix A.

Trouble-What to Expect

Mastering AutoCAD 2000 is divided into six parts, each representing a milestone in

your progress toward becoming an expert AutoCAD user Here is a description ofthose parts and what they will show you

Part I: The Basics

As with any major endeavor, you must begin by tackling small, manageable tasks

In this first part, you will get familiar with the way AutoCAD looks and feels

Chap-ter 1, This Is AutoCAD, shows you how to get around in AutoCAD In ChapChap-ter 2, Creating Your First Drawing, you will learn how to start and exit the program and how to respond to AutoCAD commands Chapter 3, Learning the Tools of the Trade,

tells you how to set up a work area, edit objects, and lay out a drawing In Chapter 4,

Organizing Your Work, you will explore some tools unique to CAD: symbols, blocks,

and layers As you are introduced to AutoCAD, you will also get a chance to makesome drawings that you can use later in the book and perhaps even in future pro-jects of your own.

Part II: Building on the Basics

Once you have the basics down, you will begin to explore some of AutoCAD’s

more subtle qualities Chapter 5, Editing for Productivity, tells you how to reuse drawing setup information and parts of an existing drawing In Chapter 6, Enhanc- ing Your Drawing Skills, you will learn how to assemble and edit a large drawing file Chapter 7, Printing and Plotting, shows you how to get your drawing onto hard copy Chapter 8, Adding Text to Drawings, tells you how to annotate your drawing and edit your notes Chapter 9, Using Dimensions, gives you practice in using auto-

matic dimensioning, another unique CAD capability Along the way, I will be ing you tips on editing and problems you may encounter as you begin to useAutoCAD for more complex tasks

giv-Part III: Becoming an Expert

At this point, you will be on the verge of becoming a real AutoCAD expert Part III isdesigned to help you polish your existing skills and give you a few new ones Chap-

ter 10, Storing and Linking Data with Graphics, tells you how to attach information to drawing objects and how to link your drawing to database files In Chapter 11, Work- ing with Pre-existing Drawings and Raster Images, you will learn techniques for transfer- ring paper drawings to AutoCAD In Chapter 12, Advanced Editing Methods, you will

complete the apartment building tutorial During this process you will learn how tointegrate what you’ve learned so far and gain some tips on working in groups Chap-

ter 13, Drawing Curves and Solid Fills, gives you an in-depth look at some special drawing objects, such as spline and fitted curves In Chapter 14, Getting and Exchang- ing Data from Drawings, you will practice getting information about a drawing and

learn how AutoCAD can interact with other applications, such as spreadsheets anddesktop-publishing programs You’ll also learn how to copy and paste data

Part IV: Modeling and Imaging in 3D

While 2D drafting is AutoCAD’s workhorse application, AutoCAD’s 3D capabilitiesgive you a chance to expand your ideas and look at them in a new light Chapter 15,

Introducing 3D, covers AutoCAD’s basic features for creating three-dimensional drawings Chapter 16, Using Advanced 3D Features, introduces you to some of the program’s more powerful 3D capabilities Chapter 17, 3D Rendering in AutoCAD,

shows how you can use AutoCAD to produce lifelike views of your 3D drawings.

Chapter 18, Mastering 3D Solids, is a guided tour of AutoCAD Release 14's

solid-modeling feature

Part V: Taking AutoCAD to the Limit

In the last part of the book, you will learn how you can take full control of AutoCAD

Chapter 19, Introduction to Customization, gives you a gentle introduction to the world

of AutoCAD customization You’ll learn how to load and use existing utilities thatcome with AutoCAD and find out how you can publish high-resolution drawings

on the Web Chapter 20, Integrating AutoCAD into Your Projects, shows you how you

can adapt AutoCAD to your own work style Customizing menus, line types, and

screens are only three of the many topics Chapter 21, Introduction to VBA in AutoCAD, shows you how you can tap the power of VBA Chapter 22, Integrating AutoCAD into Your Work Environment, explores the methods and tools offered by AutoCAD

to help you manage your design projects Two additional chapters about VBAand ActiveX are on the CD that accompanies this book

Part VI: Appendices

Finally, this book has four appendices Appendix A, Hardware and Software Tips,

offers information on hardware related to AutoCAD It also provides tips on

improving AutoCAD’s performance and troubleshooting Appendix B, Installing and Setting Up AutoCAD, contains an installation and configuration tutorial If

AutoCAD is not already installed on your system, you should follow this tutorial

before starting Chapter 1 Appendix C, What’s on the Companion CD-ROM, describes the utilities available on the companion CD-ROM Appendix D, System and Dimen- sion Variables, will illuminate the references to the system variables scattered through-

out the book Appendix D also discusses the many dimension settings and systemfeatures AutoCAD has to offer

The Minimum System Requirements

This book assumes you have an IBM-compatible Pentium computer that will runAutoCAD and support a mouse Your computer should have at least one CD-ROMdrive and a hard disk with 100MB or more free space after AutoCAD is installed(about 70MB for AutoCAD to work with and another 50MB available for drawingfiles) In addition to these requirements, you should also have enough free disk

space to allow for a Windows virtual memory page file of at least 60MB Consultyour Windows manual or Appendix A of this book for more on virtual memory.AutoCAD 2000 runs best on systems with at least 64MB or more of RAM, thoughyou can get by with 32MB Your computer should also have a high-resolution moni-tor and a color display card The current standard is the Super Video Graphics Array(SVGA) display with a resolution of 1024 ×768 or greater This is quite adequate formost AutoCAD work The computer should also have at least one serial port If youhave only one, you may want to consider having another installed I also assumeyou are using a mouse and have the use of a printer or a plotter Most computerscome equipped with a sound card You’ll need a sound card to take advantage ofsome of the multimedia tutorials that come with AutoCAD A CD-ROM or DVD-ROM is needed to install AutoCAD and the software from this book Finally, you’llwant to have an Internet connection to take full advantage of the support offeringsfrom Autodesk.

If you want a more detailed explanation of hardware options with AutoCAD, seeAppendix A You will find a general description of the available hardware optionsand their significance to AutoCAD

Doing Things in Style

Much care has been taken to see that the stylistic conventions in this book—the use

of uppercase or lowercase letters, italic or boldface type, and so on—will be the onesmost likely to help you learn AutoCAD On the whole, their effect should be sublim-inal However, you may find it useful to be conscious of the following rules that wehave followed:

1. Pull-down selections are shown by a series of menu options separated bythe ➣ symbol (e.g., Choose File ➣ New)

2 Keyboard entries are shown in boldface (e.g., enter Rotate).

3. Command-line prompts are also shown in a different font (e.g., Selectobjects:)

For most functions, this book describes how to select options from toolbars andthe menu bar In addition, where applicable, I include related keyboard shortcutsand command names in parentheses By providing command names, I have pro-vided continuity for those readers already familiar with earlier releases of AutoCAD

What’s on the CD-ROM

Finally, a CD-ROM is included with this book that contains a wealth of utilities,symbols libraries, and sample programs that can greatly enhance your use of Auto-CAD Two chapters that cover ActiveX and additional information on VBA are also

included Two online books—the AutoCAD 2000 Instant Reference and the ABCs of AutoLISP—function as easy-to-use, online references that compliment Mastering AutoCAD 2000 and will prove invaluable for quick command searches and cus-

tomization tips Appendix C gives you detailed information about the CD-ROM,but here’s a brief rundown of what’s available Check it out!

mat-I’ve also included trial versions of Tutohelp, an interactive software program tohelp you learn and review AutoCAD; Visual Stitcher, a powerful but easy-to-useimage stitching application; Whip! 4, the Netscape Communicator plug-in thatallows you to view AutoCAD drawings over the Internet; PaintShop Pro, a toolthat will round out your graphic editing needs; and QuickView, a utility that helpsyou manage your files

Electronic Resources

If you just need to find information about a command quickly, the electronic

ver-sion of the AutoCAD 2000 Instant Reference is here to help you It is a comprehensive

guidebook that walks you through every feature and command of AutoCAD 2000

Mastering AutoCAD and the AutoCAD Instant Reference have always been a great

combination

And if you want in-depth coverage of AutoLISP, AutoCAD’s macro

program-ming language, you can delve into the ABCs of AutoLISP This book is an AutoLISP

electronic reference and tutorial AutoCAD users and developers alike have found

the original ABCs of AutoLISP book an indispensable resource in their

customiza-tion efforts Now in its new HTML format, it’s even easier to use

Drawing Files for the Exercises

I have also included drawing files from all the exercises throughout this book Theseare provided so that you can pick up an exercise anywhere in the book, without hav-ing to work through the book from front to back You can also use these sample files

to repeat exercises or to just explore how files are organized and put together

New Features of AutoCAD 2000

AutoCAD 2000 offers a higher level of speed, accuracy, and ease of use It has alwaysprovided drawing accuracy to 16 decimal places With this kind of accuracy, you cancreate a computer model of the earth and include details down to submicron levels Italso means that no matter how often you edit an AutoCAD drawing, its dimensionswill remain true The interface is more consistent than in prior releases, so learningand using AutoCAD is easier than ever

Other new features include:

• The Multiple Document Environment (MDE) allows you to open multiplefiles at once

• WYSIWYG plotting lets you see your drawing as it will look when you plot

• Objects now have line-width control

• Polar Tracking and Object Snap Tracking allow you to align points in space

• The AutoCAD DesignCenter gives you control over your library of drawings

• The 3DOrbit and Camera tools greatly improve your ability to view 3Dmodels

• IntelliMouse support makes viewing a drawing effortless

• Context-sensitive popup menus make AutoCAD easier to use

• Viewports can now be of any shape, including closed spline curves

• Multiple Layout tabs allow you to create multiple Paper Space layouts

• Express tools that let you create custom hatch patterns and custom shape files

• Expanded Internet support makes it easier to share data with others

• Partial opening of files lets you conserve memory for large drawings

Finally, AutoCAD offers one of the most easily customizable versions yet, withcustomization options through VBA and AutoLISP, as well as with easily customiz-able menus and toolbars

The AutoCAD Package

This book assumes you are using AutoCAD 2000 If you are using an earlier

ver-sion of AutoCAD, you will want to refer to Mastering AutoCAD 14 or Mastering AutoCAD 14 Premium Edition

When you purchase AutoCAD 2000, you will receive the following manuals:

• The AutoCAD Command Reference

• The AutoCAD User’s Guide

• The Installation Guide

• The Customization Guide

• The AutoCAD Migration Assistance

NOTE The AutoCAD User’s Guide and The Installation Guide are included in both hard

copy and electronic formats All the other manuals are in electronic format only.

Hard copy versions of The AutoCAD Command Reference and The Customization Guide are available for purchase from Autodesk You can also purchase hard copy editions of the ActiveX/VBA Developer’s Guide, Visual LISP Tutorial, and The Visual LISP Developer’s Guide from Autodesk.

In addition, the AutoCAD package contains the AutoCAD Learning Assistant.This is a CD-ROM–based multimedia training and reference tool designed forthose users who are upgrading from earlier versions of AutoCAD It offers ani-mated video clips, tips, and tutorials on a variety of topics You’ll need a soundcard to take full advantage of the Learning Assistant

You’ll probably want to read the installation guide for Windows first and then

browse through The AutoCAD Command Reference and The AutoCAD User’s Guide

to get a feel for the kind of information available there You may want to save The Customization Guide for when you’ve become more familiar with AutoCAD If you’re upgrading, The Migration Assistance offers a full range of tools to help you

upgrade your work environment to AutoCAD 2000 including a few tools that canhelp you with your day-to-day work

AutoCAD comes on a CD-ROM and offers several levels of installation Thisbook assumes that you will install the Full installation, which includes the Internetand Express Tools You’ll also want to install the ActiveX Automation software,also included on the AutoCAD CD-ROM, if you plan to explore this new feature

The Digitizer Template

If you intend to use a digitizer tablet in place of a mouse, Autodesk also providesyou with a digitizer template Commands can be selected directly from the template

by pointing at the command on the template and pressing the pick button Eachcommand is shown clearly by name and a simple icon Commands are grouped

on the template by the type of operation the command performs Before you can use

the digitizer template, you must configure the digitizer See Appendix A, Hardware and Software Tips, for a more detailed description of digitizing tablets; and see Appen-

dix B for instructions on configuring the digitizer

NOTE This book doesn’t specifically discuss the use of the digitizer for selecting

com-mands because the process is straightforward If you are using a digitizer, you can use its puck like a mouse for the all of exercises in this book.

I hope that Mastering AutoCAD 2000 will be of benefit to you and that, once you

have completed the tutorials, you will continue to use the book as a reference Ifyou have comments, criticisms, or ideas about how the book can be improved, youcan write to me or send e-mail to me at the address below And thanks for choosing

Mastering AutoCAD 2000.

George Omura P.O Box 6357 Albany, CA 94706-0357 gomura@sirius.com

P A R T I

■ CHAPTER 1: This Is AutoCAD

■ CHAPTER 2: Creating Your First Drawing

■ CHAPTER 3: Learning the Tools of the Trade

■ CHAPTER 4: Organizing Your Work

The Basics

C H A P T E R

O N E

This Is AutoCAD

■ Taking a Guided Tour

■ Working with AutoCAD

■ If You Want to Experiment…

1

Over the years, AutoCAD has evolved from a DOS-based, driven program to a full-fledged Windows application AutoCAD 2000 continuesthis trend with a new look and a wealth of new features that allow you to workmore efficiently and with less effort Like Release 14, AutoCAD 2000 is strictly aWindows 95/98/NT program; there are no UNIX or DOS versions.

command-line-By concentrating on a single operating system, Autodesk is able to create a moreefficient, faster AutoCAD AutoCAD 2000 offers the speed you demand with theconvenience of a Windows multitasking environment You’ll also find that Auto-CAD makes great use of the Windows environment For example, you can use Win-dows’s OLE features to paste documents directly into AutoCAD from MicrosoftExcel, Windows Paint, or any other programs that support OLE as a server applica-tion And, as in Releases 13 and 14, you can export AutoCAD drawings directly toother OLE clients This means no more messy conversions and reworking to getspreadsheet, database, text, or other data into AutoCAD It also means that if youwant to include a photograph in your AutoCAD drawing, all you have to do is cutand paste Text-based data can also be cut and pasted, saving you time in transfer-ring data, such as layer or block names

NOTE OLE stands for Object Linking and Embedding—a Windows feature that lets

dif-ferent applications share documents See Chapter 14 for a more detailed sion of OLE.

discus-With Windows, you have the freedom to arrange AutoCAD’s screen by clickingand dragging its components AutoCAD 2000 now sports a look that is more inline with the Microsoft Office suite of applications, with Excel-like sheet tabs andborderless toolbar buttons The changes in AutoCAD 2000 are not only skin deepeither Among the many new features of AutoCAD 2000, you can now openmultiple documents during a single session of AutoCAD This means an easierexchange of data between different files, and the ability to compare files moreeasily AutoCAD 2000 also introduces a wealth of new tools to help you manageyour drawing projects If you are new to AutoCAD, this is the version you mayhave been waiting for Even with its many new features, the programmers atAutodesk have managed to make AutoCAD easier to use than previous releases.AutoCAD’s interface has been trimmed down and is more consistent than priorversions They have even improved the messages you receive from AutoCAD tomake them more understandable