AutoCAD 2012 for Mac User's Guide July 2011
© 2011 Autodesk, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder. Trademarks The following are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and other countries: 3DEC (design/logo), 3December, 3December.
Contents Chapter 1 Get Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Find the Information You Need . . . . . . . . . . . . Access and Search the Product Help . . . . . . . Learn the Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . View the Product Readme . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the Customer Involvement Program . . . . Join the Customer Involvement Program . Get Information from Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . Obtain General Drawing Information . . . . . . Chapter 2 . . . . . . . .
About Keyboard Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . Control the Drawing Area Interface . . . . . . . . . Interface Themes and Background Color . . . . Interface Themes and Background Color . Cursors in the Drawing Area . . . . . . . . . . Selection Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The UCS Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viewport Label Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . The ViewCube Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Coordinates Display . . . . . . . . . . . . Model Space and Layouts . . . . .
Chapter 4 Control the Drawing Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Change Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pan or Zoom a View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Save and Restore Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Control the 3D Projection Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Parallel and Perspective Views . . . . . Define a Perspective Projection (DVIEW) . . . . . . . Define a Parallel Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scale Linetypes in Layout Viewports Align Views in Layout Viewports . . Rotate Views in Layout Viewports . . Reuse Layouts and Layout Settings . . . . Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create and Modify Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Control the Properties of Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Work with Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Object Properties . . . . . . .
Work with Named UCS Definitions and Preset Orientations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Assign UCS Definitions to Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Use the Dynamic UCS with Solid Models . . . . . . . . . . 149 Control the Display of the User Coordinate System Icon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 Enter Coordinates to Specify Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Overview of Coordinate Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Enter 2D Coordinates . . .
Draw Ellipses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draw Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draw Helixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draw Construction and Reference Geometry . . . . . . . . Draw Reference Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draw Construction Lines (and Rays) . . . . . . . . . Create and Combine Areas (Regions) . . . . . . . . . . . . Create Revision Clouds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select and Modify Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview of Formulas and Equations . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 Control Geometry with Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Chapter 7 Define and Reference Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321 Work with Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Insert Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Work with Dynamic Blocks in Drawings . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Dynamic Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Check 3D Models for Interferences . . . . . . . . . . Create Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Creating Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create Procedural Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create NURBS Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create Associative Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create Meshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Creating Meshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create 3D Mesh Primitives . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview of Modifying Meshes . . . Change Mesh Smoothness Levels . . Refine Mesh Objects or Subobjects . Add Creases to Mesh . . . . . . . . . Modify Mesh Faces . . . . . . . . . . Create and Close Mesh Gaps . . . . Tips for Working with Mesh . . . . . Create Sections and Drawings from 3D Models . Work with Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Section Objects . . . . . Create Section Objects . . . . . . . . Modify a Section View . . . . . . . . Save and Publish Section Objects . .
Create Single-Line Text . . . . . . . . . . . Create Multiline Text . . . . . . . . . . . . Create and Edit Columns in Multiline Text . Import Text from External Files . . . . . . . Create Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Leader Objects . . . . . . . . . Create and Modify Leaders . . . . . . . . . Modify Leaders Using Grips . . . . . . . . . Work with Leader Styles . . . . . . . . . . . Add Content to a Leader . . . . . . . . . . . Use Fields in Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Angular Dimensions . . . . . . . . Create Ordinate Dimensions . . . . . . . Create Arc Length Dimensions . . . . . . Modify Existing Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . Modify A Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . Apply a New Dimension Style to Existing Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Override a Dimension Style . . . . . . . . Add Geometric Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Geometric Tolerances . . . . Material Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . Datum Reference Frames . . . . . . . . .
Change Plot Style Settings . . . Preview a Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . Plot Files to Other Formats . . . . . Plot Adobe PDF Files . . . . . . Publish Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Publishing . . . . . . . Create a Drawing Set for Publishing . Chapter 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706 . 710 . 711 . 711 . 711 . 711 .
Overview of Raster Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attach, Scale, and Detach Raster Images . . . . . . Modify Raster Images and Image Boundaries . . . . Manage Raster Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tune Raster Image Performance . . . . . . . . . . . Export Drawings to Other File Formats . . . . . . . . . . Export PDF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Export DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Export Raster Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Export PostScript Files . .
Sun and Sky Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Incorporate Luminaire Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . Materials and Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Browse Material Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Render 3D Objects for Realism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview of Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prepare a Model for Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . .
aspect ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828 associative dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828 associative hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829 associative surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829 attenuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 829 attribute definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . command line . . . . . . . . . . . compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . composite solid . . . . . . . . . . . constraint bar . . . . . . . . . . . . constraint point . . . . . . . . . . . constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . construction plane . . . . . . . . . continued dimension . . . . . . . . continuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . control frame . . . . . . . . . . . . control point . . . . . . . . . . . . control vertices (CVs) . . . . . . . . Coons patch . . . . .
dimension variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838 direct distance entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838 dithering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838 drawing area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838 drawing extents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 839 drawing limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
G2 continuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843 general property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843 generic surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 843 geometric constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844 geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844 gizmo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
leader tail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848 lens length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848 level of smoothness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848 light glyph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848 limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 849 line font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853 paper space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853 parametric design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853 parametric drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853 path curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853 PC3 file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858 refine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858 reflectance scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858 reflection color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858 reflection line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 858 reflection mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
subobject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863 sub-prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863 surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863 surface associativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863 surface normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 863 swept solid/surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
visual style . . . . . . . . . . . volumetric shadows . . . . . . . watertight . . . . . . . . . . . . WCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . window selection . . . . . . . . wipeout object . . . . . . . . . wireframe model . . . . . . . . working drawing . . . . . . . . working set . . . . . . . . . . . work plane . . . . . . . . . . . world coordinates . . . . . . . . world coordinate system (WCS) X,Y,Z point filters . . . . . . . . xref . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . zoom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Get Information 1 Find the Information You Need There are various ways to find information about how to use this program, and multiple resources are available. Access and Search the Product Help The Help system uses a Web browser and is available online and offline. You can access the Help system by doing one of the following: ■ Press Fn-F1 or Cmd-/. If you press Fn-F1 or Cmd-/ when a command is active, the appropriate help topic is opened in the Web browser.
■ Left Side - Along the left side of a page is the table of contents that allow you to navigate in the current guide. You can also find links sections on the current page as well as related topics in the documentation set. When on the Home page, the left side contains a listing of the guides in the current documentation set. ■ Middle - The middle of the page contains the content for the current topic.
e-Learning Autodesk e-Learning for Autodesk Subscription customers features interactive lessons organized into product catalogs. Autodesk Developer Network The Autodesk Developer (ADN) program provides support for full-time, professional developers who want to build software based on Autodesk products. Consulting Autodesk Consulting provides services that help set up processes and provide critical training that will help increase productivity so you can capitalize on the power of your products.
encounter, and other information helpful to the future direction of the product. See the following links for more information. ■ Learn more about the Autodesk Customer Involvement Program: http://www.autodesk.com/cip ■ Read the Autodesk Privacy Statement: http://www.autodesk.com/cipprivacy When you join, you will be able to view reports that can help you optimize your use of AutoCAD for Mac.
This information can help you document a drawing, displays a variety of drawing settings such as the total number of objects in the drawing, and total amount of time spent in the drawing file.
6
The User Interface 2 Start a Command Use the menu bar, Tool Sets palette, and Command Line to access many frequently used commands. Parts of the User Interface The user interface consists of palettes and bars around the drawing area. Also, several controls are displayed within the drawing area.
■ Cmd-1 turns the Tool Sets palette on and off ■ Cmd-2 turns the Content Libraries palette on and off ■ Cmd-3 turns the Command Line on and off ■ Cmd-4 turns the Layers palette on and off ■ Cmd-5 turns the Properties Inspector on and off ■ Cmd-6 turns the Status bar on and off ■ Cmd-7 turns the Reference Manager palette on and off ■ Cmd-8 turns the Materials Browser palette on and off ■ Cmd-0 turns all palettes and bars on and off 8 | Chapter 2 The User Interface
You can dock palettes by dragging them to the edge of your screen until a blue line appears, and then dropping them into place. You can also undock them by dragging and dropping. The Menu Bar The menu bar contains common commands organized into logical categories. Use the menu bar when learning the product, or browsing for a command. Many, but not all commands are accessible from the menu bar. Less commonly used commands can be entered at the Command prompt.
The Tool Sets Palette The Tool Sets palette provides efficient access to AutoCAD commands. ■ Tool flyouts ■ Tool groups ■ Tool sets The size of the icons on the Tool Sets palette can be adjusted by using the Tool Set & Status Bar Icons slider on the Look & Feel tab of the Application Preferences dialog box (OPTIONS command). Tool Flyouts Some of the tools on the Tool Sets palette have a flyout indicator.
Click and hold the flyout to display several options for that command. Tool Groups The tools on the Tool Sets palette are organized into tool groups. Click the arrow to display the entire tool group, which includes additional commands. To make the tool group stay visible, click the lock icon at the bottom of the tool group. If you right-click the Tool Sets palette, a menu displays that you can use to turn off any tool groups that you don’t need.
Cmd-1 turns the Tool Sets palette on and off. TIP Use the Customize dialog box to customize any tool set, or create your own tool sets. The Command Line The Command Line provides a fast way to enter commands and system variables directly using the keyboard. Overview of Using the Command Line By default, the Command Line is displayed in the lower-left corner of screen.
Using the keyboard, you can enter the following in the Command Line: ■ A command or command abbreviation called a command alias ■ The capitalized letters of an option for a command ■ A setting called a system variable that controls how the program operates by default Many advanced users prefer this method for speed. Also, the Command Line displays prompts and error messages. Cmd-3 turns the Command Line on and off. Enter Commands on the Command Line You can enter a command by using the keyboard.
To enter a command by using the keyboard, type the full command name or its command alias in the input area of the Command Line, and then press Enter or Spacebar. The Command Line includes several controls. NOTE When Dynamic Input is turned on and is set to display dynamic prompts, you can enter commands and options in tooltips near the cursor. Dynamic Input can be turned on an off from the status bar.
Specify Command Options When you enter a command in the Command Line, you see either a set of options, a dialog box, or a palette. To specify an option displayed in the Command line, enter the capitalized letters for the option.
■ Control the operation of a command. For example, the HPASSOC syatem variable controls whether hatch patterns are associative by default. ■ Retrieve stored information about the current drawing and about the program configuration. For example, CDATE is a read-only system variable that stores the current date in decimal format. You can display the values of read-only system variables, but you cannot change them. Usually system variables are accessible from dialog boxes.
between the options in the dialog box and those available in the Command Line. These system variables also affect the display of dialog boxes: ■ ATTDIA controls whether the INSERT command uses a dialog box for entering block attribute values. ■ EXPERT controls whether certain warning dialog boxes are displayed. ■ FILEDIA controls the display of dialog boxes used with commands that read and write files. For example, if FILEDIA is set to 1, SAVEAS displays the Save Drawing As dialog box.
To copy all the text in the Command History to the Clipboard, right-click and select Copy History from the shortcut menu, or enter the COPYHIST command. To save commands automatically to a log file starting with the next command, enter the LOGFILEON command. Work with Shortcut Menus Display a shortcut menu for quick access to commands that are relevant to your current activity.
Keyboard Shortcut Description Fn-F2 Expands or collapses the display of the Command Window. Fn-F3 Toggles object snap mode on and off. Fn-F4 Toggles 3D object snap mode on and off. Fn-F5 Toggles isoplane mode between top, right, and left isometric planes. Fn-F6 or Cmd-D Toggles Dynamic UCS mode on and off. Fn-F7 or Control-E Toggles grid display on and off. Fn-F8 or Cmd-L or Shift-Cmd-O Toggles ortho mode on and off. Cmd-1 Opens or closes the Tool Sets palette.
Keyboard Shortcut Description Cmd-0 or Shift-Cmd-F Toggles CleanScreen on and off. Cmd-A or Control-A Selects all objects in the current layout. Cmd-B or Control-B Toggles grid snap mode on and off. Cmd-C or Control-C Copies the selected objects to the Clipboard. Cmd-D or Control-D Toggles Dynamic UCS mode on and off. Cmd-E Displays the Export Data dialog box. Cmd-F Displays the Find and Replace dialog box. Cmd-G Groups the selected objects.
Keyboard Shortcut Description Cmd-S or Control-S Saves the current drawing. If the drawing has not been saved yet, the Save Drawing As dialog box is displayed. Cmd-U or Control-U Toggles polar tracking on and off. Cmd-V or Control-V Pastes the contents of the Clipboard to the current layout. Cmd-W Closes the current drawing. Cmd-X or Control-X Removes the selected from the drawing and adds them to the Clipboard. Cmd-Y or Control-Y Reverses the most recent undo.
Keyboard Shortcut Description Shift-Cmd-C Displays the Color Palette. Select a new color to make it the current color for new objects. Shift-Cmd-D Toggles Dynamic Input mode on and off. Shift-Cmd-F Toggles CleanScreen mode on and off. Shift-Cmd-G Ungroups the selected group. Shift-Cmd-H Toggles the display of all palettes on or off. Shift-Cmd-I Toggles Infer Constraints mode on and off. Shift-Cmd-O or Control-L Toggles ortho mode on and off. Shift-Cmd-P Displays the Page Setup Manager.
Keyboard Shortcut Description Control-D Toggles Dynamic UCS mode on and off. Control-E Toggles grid display on and off. Control-F Toggles object snap mode on and off. Control-G Toggles grid display on and off. Control-H Toggles PICKSTYLE on and off. Control-I Toggles the coordinates display mode. Control-J Repeats the previous command. Control-L Toggles ortho mode on and off. Control-M Repeats the previous command. Control-N Displays the Select Template dialog box.
Keyboard Shortcut Description Control-V Pastes the contents of the Clipboard to the current layout. Control-X Removes the selected from the drawing and adds them to the Clipboard. Control-Y Reverses the most recent undo. Control-Z Undoes the most recent action. Control-Arrow Left Nudges the selected objects to the left in the drawing area. Control-Arrow Right Nudges the selected objects to the right in the drawing area. Control-Arrow Up Nudges the selected objects up in the drawing area.
Keyboard Shortcut Description Shift-Control-J Repeats the previous command. Shift-Control-M Repeats the previous command. Shift-Control-O Toggles ortho mode on and off. Shift-Control-S Displays the Save Drawing As dialog box. Shift-Control-U Toggles polar tracking on and off. Delete Removes the selected objects from the drawing. Control the Drawing Area Interface The drawing area includes several tools and controls for viewing and drawing operations.
Interface Themes and Background Color To change the color of the user interface between dark and light 1 On the menu bar, click AutoCAD 2012, and then Preferences. 2 In the Application Preferences dialog box, left column, click Look & Feel. 3 Under Interface Theme, click in the Themes box, and click either Dark or Light. 4 Click OK. To change the background color of the drawing area in Model space 1 On the menu bar, click AutoCAD 2012, and then Preferences.
You can change the size of the crosshairs and pickbox cursors in the Application Preferences dialog box by clicking Cursor & Selection (the OPTIONS command). Selection Style Selecting objects conforms to a selection style that is common to most Mac applications. Use click and drag to specify a rectangular selection area. Drag to the left for a crossing selection, or drag to the right for a window selection. Each time you select one or more objects, it automatically clears the previous selection.
You can move or rotate the UCS icon with the UCS command, or by clicking and dragging the icon using the grips that are displayed.
Viewport Label Menus Viewport label menus are located at the top-left corner of each viewport, and provide a convenient way of changing views and visual styles. By default, text is displayed that shows the current viewport settings. For example, the text might be [+][Top][2D Wireframe] You can click within each of the three bracketed areas. ■ Click + to display more options ■ Click Top to choose between several standard and custom views ■ Click 2D Wireframe to choose one of several visual styles.
The ViewCube Tool The ViewCube tool is a handy tool to control the orientation of 3D views. This tool is available in most Autodesk products, and provides a common experience when you switch between products. Alternatively, you can use the 3DORBITcommand to drag 3D views, and right-click for additional 3D viewing options.
The display of the coordinates in the active viewport can be toggled in the Units & Guides tab (Application Preferences dialog box). Along with the coordinates displayed in the active viewport, you can also get the current location of the crosshair cursor in a tooltip near the cursor when dynamic input is turned on. For more information about dynamic input, see Use Dynamic Input (page 163).
To switch between model space and a layout, click the drop-down near the left side of the status bar. See also: Quick Start for Layouts (page 99) Control Status, Layers, Properties, and Content Use the Status bar, Layers palette, Properties Inspector, and Content palette to change which drafting aids are enabled, modify the layers in the current drawing, the properties of the current drawing or selected objects, and insert blocks or hatch patterns from custom content libraries.
One of the most important controls on the status bar, highlighted in the illustration, changes the drawing area between model space and paper space layouts. Click the disclosure triangle at the far right end of the status bar to display the second row of controls, which include settings and operations for 3D. The size of the icons and controls on the status bar can be adjusted by using the Tool Set & Status Bar Icons slider on the Look & Feel tab of the Application Preferences dialog box (OPTIONS command).
2 In the status bar menu, click Display, and then any flyout. 3 Click any button name in the flyout to change whether it is displayed or hidden. The Layers Palette The Layers palette is used to display and manage layers and layer groups. The disclosure triangle in the Layers palette expands and compresses the Layers palette to display either ■ All layers and layer groups in a matrix of information, or ■ The current layer only Cmd-4 turns the Layers palette on and off.
Display All Layers and Layer Properties The layers and layer properties in a drawing can be displayed as a matrix, similar to a spreadsheet. Each row contains a layer and each column represents a layer property. Right-click the column header in the Layers list to control which layer properties are displayed. When undocked in this format, the Layers palette can display all layer information simultaneously at the cost of taking up space on the screen.
Use Display Settings in the lower-right corner of the Layers palette to control the display of layer groups in the Layer list. You can also determine which automatic dynamic layer groups should be displayed and where in the Layer list that layer groups should be listed. See also: Work with Layers (page 115) The Layers Palette To create a new layer 1 If necessary, click the Show Layer List disclosure triangle to expand the Layers palette.
The Properties Inspector With the Properties Inspector, you can display and change the settings and properties for objects and for layers.
Object/Current Properties Tab The Properties Inspector with the Object/Current button clicked can complete one of three actions depending on what is selected. ■ With no objects selected, it displays the default properties to be used for all new objects. You can change these defaults by clicking a property in the palette, and specifying a different value. ■ With one object selected, it displays the properties for that object only, and you can change any of its properties.
After content has been added to a library, you can ■ Insert a block into a drawing (see -INSERT) ■ Add a block to or remove it from the Favorites library ■ Search for a block in a library WARNING If a drawing being referenced by Favorites or a custom library is moved, the reference is maintained but the associated block cannot be inserted into a drawing. See also: Insert Blocks (page 323) Customize the Drawing Environment Many elements of the working environment can be customized to fit your needs.
Some settings affect how you work in the drawing area: ■ Color Scheme (Application Preferences dialog box, Look & Feel tab). You specify a dark or light color theme for the overall user interface. The settings affect the window frame background, status bar, title bar, and palettes. ■ Background Colors (Application Preferences dialog box, Look & Feel tab). You specify the background colors used in the Model and named layouts. ■ UCS Icon and ViewCube (Application Preferences dialog box, Look & Feel tab).
left or right side of the screen. Click an icon to temporarily display the associated palette. (PALETTEICONON command) ■ Show as Palettes. Expands all palettes that are currently collapsed as icons. The palettes are returned to their previous size and location. (PALETTEICONOFF command) You can hide all the palettes at once with HIDEPALETTES and turn on all hidden palettes with SHOWPALETTES. NOTE If a palette has been turned back on manually and moved, it is not affected by SHOWPALETTES.
-nologo No AutoCAD for Mac logo screen Starts the program without first displaying the logo screen. The syntax for using command line switches is pathname/AutoCAD [drawingname] [-switchname] When using a switch option, you must follow the switch with a space and then the name of a file. For example, the following entry starts the program from a folder named AutoCAD 2012with the drawing template arch1.dwt and executes a script file startup.scr. /Applications/Autodesk/AutoCAD 2012/AutoCAD.
Start and Save Drawings 3 Start a Drawing All drawings start from either a default drawing template file or a custom drawing template file that you create. Drawing template files store default settings, styles, and additional data. Overview of Starting a New Drawing Before you start to draw, you need to decide what system of drawing units that you will use in the drawing, and then choose a drawing template file appropriate for those drawing units.
Customize a Drawing Template File By customizing your own drawing template file, you save yourself a lot of work changing settings, and you also ensure that the settings are standardized. You can create several drawing template files for different projects, and you can choose one when you click New.
Convert Drawing Units If you start a drawing in one system of measurement (imperial or metric) and then want to switch to the other system, use SCALE to scale the model geometry by the appropriate conversion factor to obtain correct distances and dimensions. For example, to convert a drawing created in inches to centimeters, you scale the model geometry by a factor of 2.54. To convert from centimeters to inches, the scale factor is 1/2.54 or about 0.3937.
Set Angular Units You can specify that positive values of angles are measured either clockwise or counterclockwise, and the direction of angle 0 (usually East or North). You can enter angles using grads, radians, or surveyor's units or using degrees, minutes, and seconds. If you use surveyor's angles when specifying polar coordinates, indicate whether the surveyor's angles are in the north, south, east, or west direction.
Use a Drawing Template File A drawing template file provides consistency in the drawings that you create by maintaining your standard styles and settings. Select a Drawing Template File A set of drawing template files is installed with AutoCAD for Mac. Many of them are provided either for imperial or for metric units, and some are optimized for 3D modeling. All drawing template files have a .dwt file extension.
See also: Use a Hyperlink to Start a New Drawing Add Identifying Information to Drawings You can keep track of your drawings more easily if you add keywords or other information to them. Use Finder Finder can be used to location drawing files. For example, you can search for all files created on a certain date, or for files you modified yesterday. Display Properties in Fields You can assign any of the drawing properties to a field in a text object.
is opened. However, if you drag a single drawing into the drawing area of an open drawing, the new drawing is not opened but inserted as a block reference. Work on Drawings During Loading You can work on drawings before they are fully open. This is useful when you work on large drawings and you want to begin working immediately. To take advantage of this capability, three conditions are required. ■ The drawing must have been saved in paper space.
Missing Reference Types Description Shapes Missing shape files are often the result of custom shapes being used in a linetype. Browse to the missing linetype file, or place the shape file in the folder with the drawing or one of the support paths defined in the Application Preferences dialog box. Work with Large Objects AutoCAD 2010 supports object size limits greater than those available in previous releases. With increased object size limits you can create larger and more complex models.
Work with Multiple Open Drawings You can preview and switch between open drawings and layouts in a drawing and transfer information between open drawings. Preview Open Drawings and Layouts With QuickView, you can easily preview and switch between open drawings and layouts in an open drawing. The Show Drawings & Layouts button on the status bar allows you to do the following: ■ Open drawings. All open drawings are displayed along the left side of the QuickView dialog box.
■ On the status bar, click the Drawings & Layouts pop-up menu and choose a drawing from the top of the menu. Switch Between Layouts in the Current Drawing Switch between the model space and layouts in the current drawing. You can use one of the following methods to switch between layouts in the current drawing: ■ On the status bar, click the Show Drawings & Layouts button. In the QuickView dialog box, click the layout thumbnail on the right side.
event. If you want to create a new version of a drawing without affecting the original drawing, you can save it under another name. The file extension for drawing files is .dwg, and unless you change the default file format in which drawings are saved, drawings are saved in the latest drawing file format. This format is optimized for file compression and for use on a network. The character limit for a DWG file name (including its path) is 256 characters.
are saved (in an anonymous block) to separate layers, which are named based on their original layer and appended with a number. If you explode the block in AutoCAD 2007 or earlier releases, and then open the drawing in AutoCAD 2008 or later releases, each scale representation becomes a separate annotative object, each with one annotation scale.
In either case, you will be able to open the drawing file beginning with AutoCAD 2007 because the product is Unicode-compliant. NOTE If you share drawing files with companies using earlier releases of the product, you can avoid file name issues for Asian languages and languages that use accented characters. In those circumstances, do not use high ASCII values, or values of 80 hexadecimal and above, when creating a file name.
Create and Restore Backup Files (page 58) Share Drawing Files Internationally (page 768) Open and Save Drawing Files from the Internet (page 768) Find a Drawing File You can search for a drawing using name, location, and date filters. ■ Use Searchlight in Finder to search for drawings using name, location, and date filters. ■ Use the Select File dialog box for the OPEN command to display drawing file previews.
from a write-protected folder (for example, if you work on a network or open files on a CD), specify a different location for your temporary files. The temporary folder that you specify must not be write-protected, and the drive containing the folder should have sufficient disk space for the temporary files. It is recommended that you manually delete the files from this folder on a regular basis to ensure sufficient space is provided for temporary files.
Example:Auditing Files Auditing a file generates a description of problems with a drawing file and recommendations for correcting them. As you start the audit, you specify whether you want the program to try to fix the problems it encounters.
you save a drawing, the previous version of your drawing is saved to a file with the same name and a .bak file extension. The backup file is located in the same folder as the drawing file. You can revert to your backup version by renaming the .bak file in Finder to a file with a .dwg extension. You may want to copy it to a different folder to avoid overwriting your original file.
a list of all drawing files that were open, including the following drawing file types: ■ Drawing files (DWG) ■ Drawing template files (DWT) NOTE Unsaved drawings that are open at the time of an unexpected failure are not tracked by the Files Recovered dialog box. Be sure to save your work after you begin, and regularly thereafter. For each drawing, you can open and choose from the following files if they exist: ■ DrawingFileName.dwg ■ DrawingFileName.bak ■ DrawingFileName_a_b_nnnn.
Control the Drawing Views 4 Change Views You can magnify the details in your drawing for a closer view or shift the view to a different part of the drawing. If you save views by name, you can restore them later. See also: Pan or Zoom a View You can pan to reposition the view in the drawing area or zoom to change magnification. With the Realtime option of PAN, you pan dynamically by moving your pointing device.
Zoom to Magnify a Specified Rectangular Area You can quickly zoom on a rectangular area of your drawing by specifying two diagonal corners of the area you are interested in. The lower-left corner of the area you specify becomes the lower-left corner of the new display. The shape of the zoom area you specify does not correspond exactly to the new view, which must fit the shape of the viewport. Zoom in Real Time With the Realtime option, you zoom dynamically by moving your pointing device up or down.
Zoom to View All Objects in the Drawing ZOOM Extents displays a view with the largest possible magnification that includes all of the objects in the drawing. This view includes objects on layers that are turned off but does not include objects on frozen layers. ZOOM All displays either the user-defined grid limits or the drawing extents, whichever view is larger.
Named views are saved with a drawing and can be used any time. When you are composing a layout, you can restore a named view to a viewport on the layout.
point. Small distances produce severe perspective effects; large distances produce mild effects. The following illustration shows the same model in both a parallel projection and perspective projection. Both are based on the same viewing direction. Define a Perspective Projection (DVIEW) Perspective projections require a distance between a theoretical camera and a target point. Small distances produce severe perspective effects; large distances produce milder effects.
■ Set front and back clipping planes to limit the objects being displayed. Viewing in 3D is available only in model space. If you are working in paper space, you cannot use 3D viewing commands such as VPOINT, DVIEW, or PLAN to define paper space views. The view in paper space is always a plan view. Choose Preset 3D Views You can select predefined standard orthographic and isometric views by name or description. A quick way to set a view is to choose one of the predefined 3D views.
variable. The conventions for defining standard views differ between architectural (AEC) and mechanical design. In AEC design, the perpendicular view of the XY plane is the top or plan view; in mechanical design, the perpendicular view of the XY plane is the front view. You can rotate a view using DDVPOINT. The following illustration shows a view defined by two angles relative to the X axis and the XY plane of the WCS.
Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Visual styles control the display of edges and shading a viewport. Control the effect of a visual style by changing its properties. When you apply a visual style or change its settings, the associated viewport is automatically updated to reflect those changes. The Properties Inspector displays all visual styles available in the drawing under the Visual Styles section. The following predefined visual styles are supplied with the product: ■ 2D Wireframe.
In shaded visual styles, faces are lit by two distant light sources that follow the viewpoint as you move around the model. This default lighting is designed to illuminate all faces in the model so that they are visually discernable. Default lighting is available only when other lights, including the sun, are off. Select a visual style and change its settings at any time. The changes are reflected in the viewports to which the visual style is applied.
Shade and Color Faces Shading and color effects control the display of faces in a model. Face Styles The face style defines the shading on a face. Realistic (below left) is meant to produce the effect of realism. Gooch (below right) can show details better by softening the contrast between lit areas and shadowed areas. Lit areas use warm tones and shadowed areas use cool tones.
The None face style produces no shading, and displays only edges. Customize edge settings to control whether facet edges or isolines are displayed.
Lighting Quality Lighting quality determines the smoothness of shaded objects. Faceted lighting computes a single color for each face. Individual faces appear flat. Smooth lighting smoothes the edges between polygon faces by computing the colors as a gradient between the faces’ vertices. This gives objects a smooth appearance. For the Smoothest option, the Per-Pixel Lighting setting must be enabled under the Hardware acceleration option of -3DCONFIG.
Opacity The opacity property controls the transparency of objects.
Face Color Modes Display face colors in the normal way, or specify a face color mode. Monochrome displays faces in the varying shades of a specified color. Tint shades faces by changing the hue and saturation values based on a specified color. Desaturate softens colors.
Display Backgrounds and Shadows The visual style also controls the display of backgrounds and shadows in the viewport. Backgrounds You can use a color, a gradient fill, an image, or the sun & sky as a background in the viewport in any 3D visual style, even one that does not shade objects. When Background is set to On in the current visual style, the background is displayed.
See also: Overview of Lighting (page 775) 76 | Chapter 4 Control the Drawing Views
Control the Display of Edges Different edge types can be displayed using different colors and linetypes. You can also add special effects, such as jitter and line extensions. In a shaded or wireframe model, the visual style sets the visibility and appearance of isolines, facet edges, silhouette edges, occluded edges, and intersection edges.
OBSCUREDLTYPE system variable and occluded color with OBSCUREDCOLOR system variable. To control the display of occluded lines in 2D View, you can: ■ Hide them or make them partially visible with dashes and dots. ■ Make them completely visible. ■ Make them distinctive or indistinctive by changing its color. NOTE You can only change occluded color when the occluded lines are partially or completely visible.
Performance Tuning Performance tuning examines your graphics card and display driver and determines whether to use software or hardware implementation for features that support both. Features that cannot work properly on your system are turned off. Some features may work but not be recommended for use with your graphics card or 3D graphics display driver. Enable these features at your own risk. For information on the options available, see -3DCONFIG.
Overview of 3D Views You can create an interactive view of your drawing in the current viewport. Using the 3D viewing and navigation tools, you can navigate through a drawing. You can orbit, zoom, and swivel around a 3D model. Use 3D Navigation Tools 3D navigation tools allow you to view objects in a drawing from different angles, heights, and distances. Use the following 3D tools to orbit, swivel, adjust distance, zoom, and pan in a 3D view. ■ 3D Orbit. Moves around a target.
With dynamic viewing, you can display the effects of changing your viewpoint as you make the changes. Using this method, you can also simplify your view temporarily by choosing only the objects that you need to determine the view. Alternatively, if you press Enter without selecting any objects, 3D Dynamic View displays a model of a small house instead of your actual drawing. You can use this house to define the viewing angle and distance.
Overview of ViewCube Tool ViewCube tool is a navigation tool that is displayed when you are working in 2D model space or 3D visual style. With ViewCube tool, you can switch between standard and isometric views. The ViewCube tool is a persistent, clickable and draggable interface that you use to switch between standard and isometric views of your model. When you display the ViewCube tool, it is shown in one of the corners of the window over the model in an inactive state.
Using the Compass The compass is displayed below the ViewCube tool and indicates which direction North is defined for the model. You can click a cardinal direction letter on the compass to rotate the model, or you can click and drag one of the cardinal direction letters or the compass ring to interactively rotate the model around the pivot point.
■ Help. Launches the online Help system and displays the topic for the ViewCube tool. ViewCube Menu To display the ViewCube menu To display the ViewCube menu, do one of the following: ■ Right-click on the compass, Home icon, or the main area of the ViewCube tool. ■ Click the context menu button located below the ViewCube tool. Reorient the View of a Model with ViewCube The ViewCube tool offers many intuitive ways to reorient the view of a model.
as dashed. The ViewCube tool is outlined in a solid continuous line when it is constrained to one of the predefined views. Edge Corner Face Drag or Click the ViewCube Tool You can also click and drag the ViewCube tool to reorient the view of a model to a custom view other than one of the twenty-six predefined parts. If you drag the ViewCube tool close to one of the preset orientations and it is set to snap to the closest view, the ViewCube tool rotates to the closest preset orientation.
Roll a Face View When you view a model from one of the face views, two roll arrow buttons are displayed near the ViewCube tool. Use the roll arrows to rotate the current view 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise around the center of the view.
Switch to an Adjacent Face When the ViewCube tool is active while viewing a model from one of the face views, four orthogonal triangles are displayed near the ViewCube tool. You use these triangles to switch to one of the adjacent face views. Set the View Projection Mode View projection produces realistic visual effects of a model. The ViewCube tool supports two view projection modes (Perspective and Orthographic) and a combination of both these modes (Perspective with Ortho faces).
The following illustration shows the same model viewed from the same viewing direction, but with different view projections. Parallel Perspective When you change the view for a model, the view is updated using the previous projection mode unless the current projection mode for the ViewCube tool is Perspective with Ortho Faces.
With the ViewCube tool, you can define the center of a view based on one or more selected objects. Select an object or objects and use the ViewCube tool to reorient the model. The model rotates around the center of the view. Calculate the center of the view by the extents of the selected objects. Change the UCS with the ViewCube Tool With the ViewCube tool you can change the current UCS for the model to one of the named UCSs saved with the model or you can define a new UCS.
Display Multiple Views in Model Space To see several views at the same time, you can split the drawing area of the Model layout into separate viewing areas called model space viewports. You can save arrangements of model space viewports for reuse at any time.
Viewports are areas that display different views of your model. As you work on the Model layout, you can split the drawing area into one or more adjacent rectangular views known as model space viewports. In large or complex drawings, displaying different views reduces the time needed to zoom or pan in a single view. Also, errors you might miss in one view may be apparent in the others. Viewports created on the Model layout completely fill the drawing area and do not overlap.
■ Name a viewport arrangement so that you can reuse it on the Model layout or insert it on a named layout. Setting up different coordinate systems in individual viewports is useful if you typically work on 3D models. See Assign UCS Definitions to Viewports (page 147). Split and Join Model Space Viewports The illustrations below show several default model space viewport configurations. You can easily modify model space viewports by splitting and joining them.
To draw a line using two model space viewports, you start the line in the current viewport, make another viewport current by clicking within it, and then specify the endpoint of the line in the second viewport. In a large drawing, you can use this method to draw a line from a detail in one corner to a detail in a distant corner. Save and Restore Model Layout Viewport Arrangements Arrangements of model viewports can be saved and restored by name.
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Organize Drawings and Layouts 5 Create Single-View Drawings (Model Space) To create a two dimensional drawing that has one view, you can create the drawing and its annotation entirely in model space. This is the traditional method for creating drawings with AutoCAD for Mac.
With this method, you always draw geometric objects at full scale (1:1) and text, dimensions, and other annotation at a scale that will appear at the correct size when you output the drawing. For information about using annotative objects and scaling annotations automatically, see Scale Annotations (page 548).
Specify the Display Style of Drawing Units Once you have determined a drawing unit for the drawing, you need to specify the style for displaying the drawing unit, which includes the unit type and precision. For example, a value of 14.5 can be displayed as 14.500, 14-1/2, or 1'2-1/2". Specify the display style of drawing units with the UNITS command. The default drawing unit type is decimal.
For example, if you plan to plot at a scale of 1/4 inch = 1 foot, you would calculate the scale factor 48 as follows: 1/4" = 12" 1 = 12 x 4 1 (plotted unit) = 48 (drawing units) Using the same calculation, the scale factor for 1 centimeter = 1 meter is 100, and the scale factor for 1 inch = 20 feet is 240. Sample Scale Ratios The sample architectural scale ratios in the table can be used to calculate text sizes in model space.
297 x 20 = 5900 mm See also: Specify Units and Unit Formats (page 44) Create Multiple-View Drawing Layouts (Paper Space) Paper space is a sheet layout environment where you can specify the size of your sheet, add a title block, display multiple views of your model, and create dimensions and notes for your drawing. Quick Start for Layouts There are two distinct working environments, or “spaces,” in which you can create objects in a drawing.
You design the subject of your drawing in model space and prepare it for output on a named layout in paper space. A drawing always has at least one named layout. Before you can use a layout, it must be initialized. A layout does not contain any page setup information before it is initialized. Once initialized, layouts can be drawn upon and output. Process Summary When you prepare a layout, you typically step through the following process: ■ Create a model of your subject in model space.
Work in Model Space By default, you start working in a limitless drawing area called model space. In model space, you draw, view, and edit your model. You first decide whether one unit represents one millimeter, one centimeter, one inch, one foot, or whatever unit is most convenient or customary in your business. You then create your model at 1:1 scale. In model space, you can view and edit model space objects. The crosshairs cursor is active over the entire drawing area.
Access Model Space from a Layout Viewport You can access model space from a layout viewport to edit objects, to freeze and thaw layers, and to adjust the view. After creating viewport objects, you can access model space from a layout viewport to perform the following tasks: ■ Create and modify objects in model space inside the layout viewport. ■ Pan the view inside the layout viewport and change layer visibility. The method you use to access model space depends on what you plan to do.
If you set the scale in the layout viewport before you access model space, you can lock the scale to prevent changes. When the scale is locked, you cannot use ZOOM while you work in model space. Create and Modify Layout Viewports You can create a single layout viewport that fits the entire layout or create multiple layout viewports in the layout. Once you create the viewports, you can change their size, their properties, and also scale and move them as needed.
You can use the MVIEW command to create nonrectangular viewports. ■ With the Object option, you can select a closed object, such as a circle or closed polyline created in paper space, to convert into a layout viewport. The object that defines the viewport boundary is associated with the viewport after the viewport is created ■ With the Polygonal option, you can create a nonrectangular layout viewport by specifying points.
Scale Views in Layout Viewports To scale each displayed view in output accurately, set the scale of each view relative to paper space. You can change the view scale of the viewport using ■ The Properties Inspector ■ The XP option of the ZOOM command ■ The Viewports Scale on the status bar NOTE You can modify the list of scales that are displayed in all view and print scale lists with SCALELISTEDIT.
NOTE Viewport scale locking is also available for nonrectangular viewports. To lock a nonrectangular viewport, you must perform an extra step in the Properties Inspector to select the viewport object rather than the viewport clipping boundary. Annotative Objects and Scaling Annotative objects are defined at a paper height instead of a model size and assigned one or more scales.
Thawing the layer restores visibility. The easiest way to freeze or thaw layers in the current viewport is to use the Layers palette. In the Layers palette, on the right side, use the column labeled VP Freeze to freeze one or more layers in the current layout viewport. To display the VP Freeze column, you must be on a layout. Specify the current layout viewport by double-clicking anywhere within its borders.
Screen Objects in Layout Viewports Screening refers to applying less ink to an object when it is plotted. The object appears dimmer on the screen and output to paper. Screening can be used to help differentiate objects in a drawing without changing the objects' color properties. To assign a screening value to an object, you must assign a plot style to the object, and then define the screening value in that plot style. You can assign a screening value from 0 to 100.
If you don't want to plot a layout viewport, you can turn the layout viewport off. Scale Linetypes in Layout Viewports You can scale linetypes in paper space either based on the drawing units of the space in which the object was created or based on the paper space units. You can set the PSLTSCALE system variable to maintain the same linetype scaling for objects displayed at different zoom factors in a layout and in a layout viewport.
Align Views in Layout Viewports You can arrange the elements of your drawing by aligning the view in one layout viewport with the view in another viewport. For angled, horizontal, and vertical alignments, you can move each layout viewport relative to distances defined by the model-space geometry displayed.
Rotate Views in Layout Viewports You can rotate an entire view within a layout viewport with the VPROTATEASSOC system variable. When VPROTATEASSOC is set to 1, the view within a viewport is rotated with the viewport. When VPROTATEASSOC is set to 0, the view remains when the viewport is rotated. You can also rotate an entire view within a layout viewport by changing the UCS and using the PLAN command. With the UCS command, you can rotate the XY plane at any angle around the Z axis.
any of the existing objects from the template you import, or you can delete the objects. No model space objects are imported. The layout templates are identified with a .dwt file extension. However, a layout template or layout from any drawing or drawing template can be imported into the current drawing. Save a Layout Template Any drawing can be saved as a drawing template (DWT file), including all of the objects and layout settings.
Create and Modify Objects 6 Control the Properties of Objects You can organize objects in your drawing and control how they are displayed and plotted by changing their properties, which include layer, linetype, color, lineweight, transparency, and plot style. Work with Object Properties You can change the object properties in your drawing by using the Properties Inspector palette. Overview of Object Properties Every object you draw has properties.
■ When a property is set to a specific value, that value overrides the value set for the layer. For example, if a line drawn on layer 0 is assigned the color Blue, and layer 0 is assigned the color Red, the line is blue. See also: Control the Color and Linetype Properties in Blocks (page 336) Display and Change the Properties of Objects You can display and change the current properties for any object in your drawing.
Copy Properties Between Objects You can copy some or all properties of one object to other objects using Match Properties. The types of properties that can be copied include, but are not limited to, color, layer, linetype, linetype scale, lineweight, plot style, transparency, viewport property overrides, and 3D thickness. By default, all applicable properties are automatically copied from the first object you selected to the other objects.
By creating layers, you can associate similar types of objects by assigning them to the same layer. For example, you can put construction lines, text, dimensions, and title blocks on separate layers.
you can use layers to control the properties and visibility of similar objects, such as electrical parts or dimensions. Also, you can lock a layer to prevent objects on that layer from being accidentally selected and modified. Control the Visibility of Objects on a Layer You can make drawing layers invisible either by turning them off or by freezing them.
For example, if the Properties Inspector palette set to BYLAYER when no object is selected, the color of new objects is determined by the color setting for the layer in the Layers palette. If you set a specific color to the Properties Inspector palette when no objects are selected, that color is used for all new objects, overriding the default color for the current layer. The same is true for Linetype, Lineweight, Transparency, and Plot Style properties on the Properties Inspector palette.
NOTE Grips are not displayed on objects that are on locked layers. Create and Name Layers You can create and name a new layer for each conceptual grouping (such as walls or dimensions) and assign common properties to each layer. By organizing objects into layers, you can control the visibility and object properties of a large number of objects separately for each layer and make changes quickly.
use its color, linetype, and other properties. You cannot make a layer the current layer if it is frozen or if it is an xref-dependent layer. Remove Layers You can remove unused layers from your drawing with PURGE or by deleting the layer from the Layers palette. You can delete only unreferenced layers. Referenced layers include layers 0 and DEFPOINTS, layers containing objects (including objects in block definitions), the current layer, and xref-dependent layers.
if you changed the color and linetype of several layers but later decide you prefer the old properties, you can use Layer Previous to undo the changes and restore the original layer settings. When you use Layer Previous, it undoes the most recent layer change or set of changes made. Every change you make to layer settings is tracked and can be undone with Layer Previous. You can use LAYERPMODE to suspend layer property tracking when you don't need it, such as when you run large scripts.
Property override settings for color and lineweight were set on the Wiring layer for the viewport on the left. Notice the wiring is a different color and lineweight than in the right viewport.
When a property override is set for a layer, a Viewport Overrides layer group is automatically created in the Layers palette. If you do not want to display or plot property overrides, set the VPLAYEROVERRIDESMODE system variable to 0. Objects will display and plot with their global layer properties. NOTE Property overrides can still be set even when VPLAYEROVERRIDESMODE is set to 0. Property overrides that are on xref layers are not retained when the VISRETAIN system variable is set to 0.
Remove Layer Property Overrides When you right-click a layer in the Layers palette, a shortcut menu is displayed that lists options for removing property overrides.
■ Unreconciled Layers. If new layers were added since the drawing was last opened, saved, reloaded, or plotted, displays a list of new unreconciled layers. See Reconcile New Layers (page 127) for more information. NOTE The default layer groups cannot be renamed, edited, or deleted. Once you have named and defined a layer group, you can expand it in the Layers list to see the layers it contains.
part of the layer group. Static layer groups can only be nested under other static layer groups. TIP Layers from the Layer list can be included added to a layer group by clicking and dragging the selected layers to the layer group. Invert a Layer Group You can invert the layers displayed by a dynamic layer group.
Character Definition ~ (tilde) Matches anything but the pattern; for example; ~*AB*matches all strings that don't contain AB [] Matches any one of the characters enclosed; for example, [AB]C matches AC and BC [~] Matches any character not enclosed; for example, [~AB]C matches XC but not AC [-] Specifies a range for a single character; for example, [A-G]C matches AC, BC, and so on to GC, but not HC ` (reverse quote) Reads the next character literally; for example, `~AB matches ~AB NOTE To filter
present in the saved drawing are considered reconciled (not new). Layers that are added after a drawing is first saved are considered new unreconciled layers. NOTE The layer baseline is created when the LAYEREVAL system variable is set to 1 or 2. When a command that is set in the LAYERNOTIFY system variable is used, the layer list is checked at that time and compared to the baseline. If there are new layers, the Unreconciled Layers layer group is automatically created and activated in the Layers palette.
Save Layer Property Override Settings When layers contain viewport property overrides, those settings are saved to a layer state when the viewport that contains overrides is active. If the layer state is saved from model space, any layer property override settings are not included. This is because only one value can be saved for each layer property in a layer state. If layer property overrides need to be saved in the layer state, make the viewport active on the layout tab and then save the layer state.
Import and Export Layer States You can import layer settings from other drawings (DWG and DWT) and export layer states (LAS). If the layer state is imported from a drawing and it contains a layer property, such as a linetype or plot style that is not loaded or available in the current drawing, that property is automatically imported from the source drawing.
■ True Color ■ PANTONE Colors ■ RAL™ Classic and RAL Design color books ■ DIC Color Guide ■ Colors from imported color books. ® ® ACI Colors ACI colors are the standard colors used in AutoCAD for Mac. Each color is identified by an ACI number, an integer from 1 through 255. Standard color names are available only for colors 1 through 7. The colors are assigned as follows: 1 Red, 2 Yellow, 3 Green, 4 Cyan, 5 Blue, 6 Magenta, 7 White/Black.
PANTONE® Color Books Pantone has updated the PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM® with the PANTONE® PLUS SERIES of Publications that provides a chromatic arrangement of colors. In AutoCAD-based products, the RGB values of the PANTONE Colors that are assigned to objects are preserved in all current and legacy drawing files. Color book (.acb) files provide access through the Color Palette dialog box to the names of all PANTONE Colors and color books. These .
Use Color Books When assigning colors to objects, you can choose colors from color books that are loaded on your system. You can choose from a wide range of custom colors when using color books. Color books include third-party or user-defined files that contain named color swatches. These colors can be used to enhance presentation drawings as well as to optimize the variety of color used in your drawings.
Overview of Linetypes A linetype is a repeating pattern of dashes, dots, and blank spaces displayed in a line or a curve. You assign linetypes to objects either by layer or by specifying the linetype explicitly, independent of layers. In addition to choosing a linetype, you can set its scale to control the size of the dashes and spaces, and you can create your own custom linetypes. NOTE These linetypes should not be confused with the hardware linetypes provided by some plotters.
See also: Custom Linetypes in the Customization Guide Load Linetypes At the start of a project, you load the linetypes that are required for the project so that they are available when you need them. If you want to know what linetypes are already available, you can display a list of linetypes that are loaded in the drawing or stored in an LIN (linetype definition) file. This program includes the linetype definition files acad.lin and acadiso.lin.
If you do not want the current linetype to be the linetype assigned to the current layer, you can specify a different linetype explicitly. The program does not display the linetype of certain objects: text, points, viewports, hatches, and blocks. Change the Linetype of an Object You can change the linetype of an object by reassigning it to another layer, by changing the linetype of the layer the object is on, or by specifying a linetype for the object explicitly.
Control Linetype Scale You can use the same linetype at different scales by changing the linetype scale factor either globally or individually for each object. By default, both global and individual linetype scales are set to 1.0. The smaller the scale, the more repetitions of the pattern are generated per drawing unit. For example, with a setting of 0.5, two repetitions of the pattern in the linetype definition are displayed for each drawing unit.
You can accommodate short segments by using a smaller value for their individual linetype scales. For more information, see Control Linetype Scale (page 137). For polylines, you can specify whether a linetype pattern is centered on each segment or is continuous across vertices throughout the entire length of the polyline. You do this by setting the PLINEGEN system variable. Control Lineweights You can control the thickness of an object’s lines in both the drawing display and plotting.
width of an object in model space. For example, if you want to draw an object with a real-world width of 0.5 inches, do not use a lineweight; instead, use a polyline with a width of 0.5 inches to represent the object. You can also plot objects in your drawing with custom lineweight values. Use the Plot Style Table Editor to adjust the fixed lineweight values to plot at a new value. Lineweight Scale in Drawings Objects with a lineweight are plotted with the exact width of the assigned lineweight value.
You can turn the display of lineweights on or off by clicking Show/Hide Lineweight button on the status bar. This setting does not affect the plotting of lineweights. Display Lineweights in Model Space Lineweight display in model space does not change with the zoom factor. For example, a lineweight value that is represented by a width of four pixels is always displayed using four pixels regardless of how far you zoom in.
If the current lineweight is set to BYBLOCK, objects are created using the default lineweight setting until the objects are grouped into a block. When the block is inserted into the drawing, it acquires the current lineweight setting. If you do not want the current lineweight to be the lineweight assigned to the current layer, you can specify a different lineweight explicitly.
Control the Display Properties of Certain Objects You can control how overlapping objects and certain other objects are displayed and plotted. Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills, Lineweights, and Text You can simplify the display of certain kinds of objects in order to speed performance. Display performance is improved when wide polylines and donuts, solid-filled polygons (two-dimensional solids), hatches, gradient fills, and text are displayed in simplified form.
Turn Off Lineweights Any lineweight width that is represented by more than one pixel may slow down performance. If you want to improve display performance, turn lineweights off. You can turn lineweights on and off by choosing the Show/Hide Lineweight button on the status bar. Lineweights are always plotted at their real-world value whether their display is turned on or off. Update the Display New objects automatically use the current settings for displays of solid fill and text.
IMPORTANT For performance reasons, plotting transparency is disabled by default. To plot transparent objects, check the Plot Transparency option in either the Print dialog box or Page Setup dialog box. Control How Overlapping Objects Are Displayed You can control which overlapping objects appear to be on top. Generally, overlapping objects such as text, wide polylines, and solid-filled polygons are displayed in the order they are created: newly created objects in front of existing objects.
Use the OBJECTISOLATIONMODE system variable to control whether objects remain hidden between drawing sessions. Use Precision Tools You can use a variety of precision drawing tools to help you produce accurate drawings quickly and without performing tedious calculations. Work with the User Coordinate System (UCS) The UCS is the active coordinate system that establishes the XY plane (work plane) and Z-axis direction for drawing and modeling.
Understand the UCS Icon The UCS icon indicates the location and orientation of the current UCS. You can manipulate the UCS icon using grips. For more information, see The UCS Icon and the UCSICON command. NOTE If the location of the UCS origin is not visible in a viewport, the UCS icon is displayed in the lower-left corner of the viewport instead. Understand the UCS in 3D When you create or modify objects in a 3D environment, you can move and reorient the UCS anywhere in 3D space to simplify your work.
Control the User Coordinate System (UCS) Customize the UCS origin and orientation using the UCS origin and axes grips, the UCS icon shortcut menu, or the UCS command. You can align the UCS icon with existing objects, including 3D faces or edges. Work with Named UCS Definitions and Preset Orientations Create and save as many UCS definitions as you need. Each UCS definition can have its own origin and X, Y, and Z axes. You can also choose from several preset orientations.
UCS reflects the UCS top viewport. Likewise, making the front viewport current switches the isometric viewport's UCS to match that of the front viewport. The example is illustrated in the following figures. The first figure shows the isometric viewport reflecting the UCS of the upper-left, or top, viewport, which is current. The second figure shows the change that occurs when the lower-left, or front, viewport is made current.
In previous releases, the UCS was a global setting for all viewports in either model or paper space. If you want to restore the behavior of earlier releases, you can set the value of the UCSVP system variable to 0 in all active viewports. Use the Dynamic UCS with Solid Models With the dynamic UCS feature, you can temporarily and automatically align the XY plane of the UCS with a plane on a solid model while creating objects.
The X axis of the dynamic UCS is located along an edge of the face and the positive direction of the X axis always points toward the right half of the screen. Only the front faces of a solid are detected by the dynamic UCS. The types of commands that can use a dynamic UCS include the following: ■ Simple geometry. Line, polyline, rectangle, arc, circle ■ Text. Text, Multiline text, table ■ References. Insert, xref ■ Solids. Primitives and POLYSOLID ■ Editing. Rotate, mirror, align ■ Other.
Use the UCSICON command to choose between displaying the 2D or the 3D UCS icon. The shaded UCS icon is displayed for a shaded 3D view. To indicate the origin and orientation of the UCS, you can display the UCS icon at the UCS origin point using the UCSICON command. The UCS Icon and Multiple Viewports If you have multiple viewports, each viewport displays its own UCS icon. Display and Hide the UCS Icon In some circumstances, you might need to hide the UCS icon.
Variations in UCS Icon Types The UCS icon is displayed in various ways to help you visualize the orientation of the work plane. The following figure shows some of the possible icon displays. You can use the UCSICON command to switch between the 2D UCS icon and the 3D UCS icon. You can also use the command to change the size, color, and icon line width of the 3D UCS icon. The UCS broken pencil icon replaces the 2D UCS icon when the viewing direction is in a plane parallel to the UCS XY plane.
When you use the pointing device to locate a point, it's normally placed on the XY plane. If the UCS is rotated so that the Z axis lies in a plane parallel to the viewing plane—that is, if the XY plane is edge-on to the viewer—it may be difficult to visualize where the point will be located. In this case, the point will be located on a plane parallel to your viewing plane that also contains the UCS origin point.
You can enter coordinates in scientific, decimal, engineering, architectural, or fractional notation. You can enter angles in grads, radians, surveyor's units, or degrees, minutes, and seconds. The UNITS command controls unit format. See also: Enter Cartesian Coordinates (page 154) Enter Polar Coordinates (page 156) Enter 3D Coordinates (page 159) Use Dynamic Input (page 163) Enter 2D Coordinates Absolute and relative 2D Cartesian and polar coordinates determine precise locations of objects in a drawing.
The line is located as follows: Relative coordinates are based on the last point entered. Use relative coordinates when you know the location of a point in relation to the previous point. To specify relative coordinates, precede the coordinate values with an @ sign. For example, entering @3,4 specifies a point 3 units along the X axis and 4 units along the Y axis from the last point specified. The following example draws the sides of a triangle.
Enter Cartesian Coordinates To enter absolute Cartesian coordinates (2D) ■ At a prompt for a point, enter coordinates in the tooltip using the following format: #x,y If dynamic input is turned off, enter coordinates on the command line using the following format: x,y To enter relative Cartesian coordinates (2D) ■ At a prompt for a point, enter coordinates using the following format: @x,y Enter Polar Coordinates You can use absolute or relative polar coordinates (distance and angle) to locate points when
1<-45. You can change the angle conventions for the current drawing with UNITS. Absolute polar coordinates are measured from the UCS origin (0,0), which is the intersection of the X and Y axes. Use absolute polar coordinates when you know the precise distance and angle coordinates of the point. With dynamic input, you can specify absolute coordinates with the # prefix. If you enter coordinates on the command line instead of in the tooltip, the # prefix is not used.
To specify relative coordinates, precede the coordinate values with an @ sign. For example, entering @1<45 specifies a point at a distance of 1 unit from the last point specified at an angle of 45 degrees from the X axis. The following example shows two lines drawn with relative polar coordinates. In each illustration, the line begins at the location labeled as the previous point.
Enter 3D Coordinates Cartesian, cylindrical, or spherical coordinates locate points when you are creating objects in 3D. Enter 3D Cartesian Coordinates 3D Cartesian coordinates specify a precise location by using three coordinate values: X, Y, and Z. Entering 3D Cartesian coordinate values (X,Y,Z) is similar to entering 2D coordinate values (X,Y).
Use Default Z Values When you enter coordinates in the format X,Y, the Z value is copied from the last point you entered. As a result, you can enter one location in the X,Y,Z format and then enter subsequent locations using the X,Y format with the Z value remaining constant. For example, if you enter the following coordinates for a line From point: 0,0,5 To point: 3,4 both endpoints of the line will have a Z value of 5. When you begin or open any drawing, the initial default value of Z is greater than 0.
Enter Cylindrical Coordinates 3D cylindrical coordinates describe a precise location by a distance from the UCS origin in the XY plane, an angle from the X axis in the XY plane, and a Z value. Cylindrical coordinate entry is the 3D equivalent of 2D polar coordinate entry. It specifies an additional coordinate on an axis that is perpendicular to the XY plane. Cylindrical coordinates define points by a distance in the XY plane from the UCS origin, an angle from the X axis in the XY plane, and a Z value.
Enter Cylindrical Coordinates To enter relative cylindrical coordinates ■ At a prompt for a point, enter the coordinate values using the following format: @x
When you need to define a point based on a previous point, enter the relative spherical coordinate values by preceding them with the @ sign.
After you type a value in an input field and press Tab, the field then displays a lock icon, and the cursor is constrained by the value that you entered. You can then enter a value for the second input field. Alternately, if you type a value and press Enter, the second input field is ignored and the value is interpreted as direct distance entry. The actions required to complete a command or to use grips are similar to those for the Command prompt.
Use the pointer input settings to change the default format for coordinates and to control when pointer input tooltips are displayed. Dimensional Input When dimensional input is on, the tooltips display distance and angle values when a Command prompts for a second point. The values in the dimensional tooltips change as you move the cursor. Press Tab to move to the value you want to change. Dimensional input is available for ARC, CIRCLE, ELLIPSE, LINE, and PLINE.
■ The radius of an arc Use the dimensional input settings to display only the information you want to see. When you use grips to stretch objects or when you create new objects, dimensional input displays only acute angles, that is, all angles are displayed as 180 degrees or less. Thus, an angle of 270 degrees is displayed as 90 degrees regardless of the ANGDIR system variable setting (set in the Drawing Units dialog box).
NOTE To use paste text into a dynamic prompt tooltip, type a letter and then backspace to delete it before you paste the entry. Otherwise, the entry is pasted into the drawing as text. Snap to Locations on Objects (Object Snaps) Instead of entering coordinates, you can specify points relative to existing objects such as endpoints of lines or center points of circles. Use Object Snaps Use object snaps to specify precise locations on objects.
Specify an Object Snap To specify an object snap at a prompt for a point, you can ■ When prompted for a point, right-click and choose an object snap from the Snap Overrides sub-menu ■ Enter the name of an object snap at the Command prompt ■ On the status bar, right-click the object snap button When you specify an object snap at a prompt for a point, the object snap stays in effect only for the next point that you specify. NOTE Object snaps work only when you are prompted for a point.
NOTE When you draw or modify objects, make sure that you know whether OSNAPZ is on or off. There is no visual reminder, and you can get unexpected results. The Object Snap Menu Specify an object snap quickly and conveniently from a shortcut menu. The object snap menu is displayed at your cursor location when you hold down Shift and click the right mouse button or the equivalent button on another pointing device. You can also right-click while being prompted for a point and click Snap Overrides.
Use AutoSnap to Confirm or Change an Object Snap If you have set more than one running object snap, you can press Tab to cycle through all the object snap points available for a particular object. Override Object Snap Settings While you work, you can turn running object snaps on and off temporarily by using an override key. Temporary override keys can also be used for other drawing aids; for example, Ortho mode and Polar mode.
Temporary override keys are also available for the other drawing aids that you set in the Drafting Settings dialog box.
Restrict Cursor Movement Several tools are available that you can use to restrict or lock the movement of your cursor. Adjust Grid and Grid Snap To enhance drawing speed and efficiency, you can display and snap to a rectangular grid. You can also control its spacing, angle, and alignment. The grid is a rectangular pattern of dots or lines that extends over the area you specify as the grid limits. Using the grid is similar to placing a sheet of grid paper under a drawing.
The LIMITS command controls the drawing area covered by the grid. As an option, you can override the limits to make the grid cover the entire XY plane of the user coordinate system (UCS). You can access this option in the Drafting Settings dialog box or use the GRIDDISPLAY system variable. NOTE When you use dynamic UCS, the grid limits are set automatically relative to the size of the selected face of the solid and the drawing area available.
To turn off the display of major grid lines, set the frequency of major grid lines to 1. NOTE If the grid is displayed as lines, the grid limits are displayed also as darker lines. Do not confuse these boundaries with major grid lines. NOTE When the grid is displayed as lines and SNAPANG is set to a value other than 0, the grid will not display. SNAPANG does not affect the display of the dotted grid.
Change Grid and Snap Spacing As you work, you can turn Grid and Snap mode on and off, and you can change the grid and snap spacing. You can turn Snap mode on and off temporarily by using an override key. Snap spacing does not have to match grid spacing. For example, you might set a wide grid spacing to be used as a reference but maintain a closer snap spacing for accuracy in specifying points.
As you create or move objects, you can use Ortho mode to restrict the cursor to the horizontal or vertical axis. As you move the cursor, the rubber-band line follows the horizontal or vertical axis, whichever is nearest the cursor. The orientation of the current user coordinate system (UCS) determines the horizontal and vertical directions. In 3D views, Ortho mode additionally restricts the cursor to the up and down directions. In that case, the tooltip displays a +Z or -Z for the angle.
Polar angles are relative to the orientation of the current user coordinate system (UCS) and the setting for the base angle convention in a drawing. The angle base direction is set in the Drawing Units dialog box (UNITS). Use PolarSnap™ to snap to specified distances along the alignment path. For example, in the following illustration you draw a two-unit line from point 1 to point 2, and then draw a two-unit line to point 3 at a 45-degree angle to the line.
The orientation of 0 depends on the angle you set in the Drawing Units dialog box. The direction of snap (clockwise or counterclockwise) depends on the units direction you specify when setting units of measurement. You can turn polar tracking on and off temporarily by using an override key. The direct distance entry method is not available while you are using the temporary override key for polar tracking.
Angle Override: 30 Specify next point or [Undo]: Specify a point The angle you specify will lock the cursor, overriding Grid Snap, Ortho mode, and PolarSnap. Coordinate entry and object snaps have precedence over an angle override. Combine or Offset Points and Coordinates To specify a new point location, you can combine coordinate values from several points or you can specify offsets from existing objects.
Here is the Command prompt sequence: Command: circle Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tangent tangent radius)]: .x of: mid of: Select the horizontal line on the lower edge of the holding plate of: (need YZ): mid of: Select the vertical line on the left side of the holding plate of: Diameter/ Specify the radius of the hole Coordinate filters work only when the program prompts you for a point. If you try to use a coordinate filter at the Command prompt, you see an error message.
Combine Coordinate Values (Coordinate Filters) To use coordinate filters to specify a point in 2D 1 At the prompt for a point, enter a coordinate filter (.x or .y). For example, enter .x to specify the X value first. 2 To extract the first coordinate value, specify a point. For example, if you entered .x in step 1, the X value is extracted from this point. 3 To extract the next coordinate value, specify a different point.
Track to Points on Objects (Object Snap Tracking) You can draw objects at specific angles or in specific relationship to other objects along specified directions called alignment paths. ™ AutoTrack helps you draw objects at specific angles or in specific relationships to other objects. When you turn on AutoTrack, temporary alignment paths help you create objects at precise positions and angles. AutoTrack includes two tracking options: polar tracking and object snap tracking.
Change Object Snap Tracking Settings By default, object snap tracking is set to orthogonal. Alignment paths are displayed at 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees from acquired object points. However, you can use polar tracking angles instead. For object snap tracking, object points are automatically acquired. Change Alignment Path Display You can change how AutoTrack displays alignment paths, and you can change how object points are acquired for object snap tracking.
Track to Offset Point Locations (Tracking) You can use tracking to specify a point by offsetting vertically and horizontally from a series of temporary points. You can use the tracking method whenever you are prompted for a point. Tracking uses the pointing device to specify a point by offsetting vertically and horizontally from a series of temporary points.
the distance from the first point. You can enter calculated distances and points using the AutoCAD for Mac calculator (CAL). You can use direct distance entry to specify points for all commands requiring more than one point. When Ortho mode or polar tracking is on, this method is an efficient way to draw lines of specified length and direction, and to move or copy objects.
You can ■ Specify the length of the segments (MEASURE) ■ Specify the number of equal segments (DIVIDE) You can measure or divide lines, arcs, splines, circles, ellipses, and polylines. With both methods, you can identify the intervals by inserting either a point or a block. By specifying points, you can use the Node object snap to align other objects at intervals on the measured or divided object. By specifying blocks, you can create precise geometric constructions or insert custom markers.
you can change the value to make points appear as crosses. PDSIZE controls the size of point objects. Divide an Object into Equal Segments You can divide a selected object into a specified number of equal lengths. You can create points or insert blocks on an object at a specific number of equal intervals. This operation does not actually break an object into individual objects; it only identifies the location of the divisions so that you can use them as geometric reference points.
Obtain Distances,Angles, and Point Locations You can obtain information about the relation between two specified points or multiple points; for example, the distance between points or their angle in the XY plane.
TIP A fast way to calculate an area bounded by several objects in 2D is to use the BOUNDARY command. With BOUNDARY, you can pick a point within the area to create a closed polyline or region. You can then use the Properties Inspector palette or the LIST command to find the area and perimeter of the polyline or region. Use Commands to Calculate Area With the MEASUREGEOM and AREA commands, you can specify a series of points or select an object to calculate area.
■ Open objects such as open spline curves and open polylines. Area and length display. Area is calculated as though a straight line connects the start point and endpoint. ■ AutoCAD 3D solids. Total 3D area for the object displays.
Combined Areas Calculate Combined Areas You can calculate the total area of multiple areas by specifying points or by selecting objects. For example, you can measure the total area of selected rooms in a floor plan. Subtract Areas from Combined Areas You can subtract more than one area from a combined area as you calculate. For example, if you have calculated the area of a floor plan, you can subtract the area of a room.
You can also use REGION to convert the plate and the holes to regions, subtract the holes, and then use the Properties Inspector palette or the LIST command to find the area of the plate. TIP Use the CAL command to convert from one system of area units to another. Calculate Mass Properties With the MASSPROP command, you can analyze 3D solids and 2D regions for their mass properties including volume, area, moments of inertia, center of gravity, and so on.
set of specialized functions for calculations involving points, vectors, and AutoCAD for Mac geometry.
Here is the command prompt sequence: Command: circle Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: 'cal >> Expression: (mid+cen)/2 >> Select entity for MID snap: Select the notch line (1) >> Select entity for CEN snap: Select the large circle (2) Diameter/: 'cal >> Expression: 1/5*rad >> Select circle, arc or polyline segment for RAD function: Select the large circle (3) Use the Command Prompt Calculator To start the Command prompt calculator Do one of the following: ■ At the Com
Draw Linear Objects A line, the most basic object, can be one segment or a series of connected segments. Draw Lines You can close a sequence of line segments so that the first and last segments are joined. You can assign properties to lines including color, linetype, and lineweight. For more information about properties, see Work with Object Properties (page 113). You specify the locations that define the endpoints of each line with precision.
Draw Polylines A polyline is a connected sequence of segments created as a single object. You can create straight line segments, arc segments, or a combination of the two.
The Width and Halfwidth options set the width of the next polyline segments you draw. Widths greater than zero produce wide lines, which are filled if Fill mode is on and outlined if Fill mode is off. Intersections of adjacent wide segments are usually beveled. However, nontangent arc segments, acute angles, or segments that use a dash-dot linetype are not beveled. Create Polylines from the Boundaries of Objects You can create a polyline from the boundaries of objects that form a closed area with BOUNDARY.
Draw Rectangles and Polygons You can create rectangles and regular polygons quickly. Creating polygons is a simple way to draw equilateral triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, and so on. If necessary, you can use EXPLODE to convert the resulting polyline object into lines. Draw Rectangles Use RECTANG to create closed polylines in a rectangular shape. Draw Regular Polygons Use POLYGON to create closed polylines with between 3 and 1,024 equal-length sides.
Multiline justification determines which side of the cursor that the multiline is drawn, or whether it is centered on the cursor. Multiline scale controls the overall width of the multiline using the current units. Multiline scale does not affect linetype scale. If you change the multiline scale, you might need to make equivalent changes to the linetype scale to prevent dots or dashes from being disproportionately sized.
Draw freehand sketches with the SKETCH command. Freehand sketches comprise many line segments that are converted into a line, polyline, or spline. For Splines, you can determine how closely the spline’s curve fits to the freehand sketch. For any sketch type, set the minimum length (increment) of the line segments. Small line segments allow greater accuracy, but they can greatly increase the drawing file size. Before sketching, check the CELTYPE system variable to make sure the current linetype is BYLAYER.
Draw Arcs by Specifying Start, Center, End You can create an arc using a start point, center, and a third point that determines the endpoint. The distance between the start point and the center determines the radius. The endpoint is determined by a line from the center that passes through the third point. The resulting arc is always created counterclockwise from the start point. Using different options, you can specify either the start point first or the center point first.
The included angle determines the endpoint of the arc. Use the Start, End, Angle method when you know both endpoints but cannot snap to a center point. Draw Arcs by Specifying Start, Center, Length You can create an arc using a start point, center, and the length of a chord. The distance between the start point and the center determines the radius. The other end of the arc is determined by specifying the length of a chord between the start point and the endpoint of the arc.
The length of the chord of the arc determines the included angle. Draw Arcs by Specifying Start, End,Angle You can create an arc using a start point, endpoint, and an included angle. The included angle between the endpoints of the arc determines the center and the radius of the arc. Draw Arcs by Specifying Start, End, Direction You can create an arc using a start point, endpoint, and a tangent direction at the start point.
Immediately after you create a line or an arc, you can start an arc that is tangent at an endpoint by starting the ARC command and pressing Enter at the Specify Start Point prompt. You need to specify only the endpoint of the new arc. See also: Draw Polylines (page 196) Break and Join Objects (page 277) Draw Circles To create circles, you can specify various combinations of center, radius, diameter, points on the circumference, and points on other objects. You can create circles in several ways.
Draw a Circle Tangent to Other Objects The tangent point is a point where an object touches another object without intersecting it. To create a circle that is tangent to other objects, select the objects and then specify the radius of the circle. In the illustrations below, the bold circle is the one being drawn, and points 1 and 2 select the objects to which it is tangent.
Multisegmented lines provide editing capabilities unavailable for single lines. For example, you can adjust their width and curvature. After you've created a polyline, you can edit it with PEDIT or use EXPLODE to convert it to individual line and arc segments.
starting and ending points of wide polyline segments are in the center of the line. Intersections of adjacent wide segments are usually beveled. However, nontangent arc segments, acute angles, or segments that use a dash-dot linetype are not beveled. Create Polylines from the Boundaries of Objects You can create a polyline from the boundaries of overlapping objects that form a closed area. A polyline created using the boundary method is a separate object, distinct from the objects used to create it.
Draw Ellipses The shape of an ellipse is determined by two axes that define its length and width. The longer axis is called the major axis, and the shorter one is the minor axis. The illustrations below show two different ellipses created by specifying axis and distance. The third point specifies only a distance and does not necessarily designate the axis endpoint.
If you are drawing on isometric planes to simulate 3D, you can use ellipses to represent isometric circles viewed from an oblique angle. First you need to turn on Isometric Snap in the Drafting Settings dialog box (DSETTINGS command). See also: Draw Isometric Circles (page 774) Break and Join Objects (page 277) Draw Splines A spline is a smooth curve that passes through or near a set of points that influence the shape of the curve.
BLEND was used to create splines between lines and arcs for a golf course design. The resulting splines are tangent to the selected lines and curves without changing the lengths of the selected objects. Splines are also used for creating solids and surfaces for 3D modeling. For more information, see Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves (page 361). Understand Control Vertices and Fit Points You can create or edit splines using either control vertices, or fit points.
The options available in SPLINE depend on which method is used to create the spline. CVSHOW and CVHIDE determine whether the control vertices are displayed on a spline even when the spline is not selected. Use the triangular grip on a selected spline to switch between displaying control vertices and displaying fit points. You can use the round and square grips to modify a selected spline. For more information, see Modify Splines (page 281).
Create Splines Using Control Vertices When you create splines using control vertices, the points you specify display temporary lines between them, forming a control polygon that determines the shape of the spline. The advantage of changing the shape of a spline using control vertices is the fine control this method provides. With this method, you can also specify lower or higher degree polynomials, including degree 1 (linear), degree 2 (quadratic), degree 3 (cubic), and so on up to degree 10.
You can choose the spacing of these knots with the knot parameterization option, which will result in different curves as shown in the example.
NOTE There is no best choice for knot parameterization for all cases. The chord length parameterization is commonly used, and the square root (centripetal) parameterization often produces better curves depending on the data set. When the Tolerance value is set to 0, the spline passes directly through the fit points. With larger tolerance values, the spline passes near the fit points. Optionally, you can specify the tangent direction for the spline at each end.
NOTE The legacy method for creating B-splines by creating a polyline, and then using the Spline option of the PEDIT command generates only an approximate “spline-fit” polyline. See also: Modify Splines (page 281) Break and Join Objects (page 277) Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves (page 361) Draw Helixes A helix is an open 2D or 3D spiral. You can use a helix as a path with the SWEEP command. For example, you might sweep a circle along a helix path to create a solid model of a spring.
If you specify the same value for both the base radius and the top radius, then a cylindrical helix is created. By default, the top radius is set to the same value as the base radius. You cannot specify 0 for both the base radius and top radius. If you specify different values for the top radius and the base radius, then a conical helix is created. If you specify a height value of 0, then a flat, 2D spiral is created. NOTE A helix is a spline approximation of a real helix.
Draw Construction Lines (and Rays) Lines that extend to infinity in one or both directions, known as rays and construction lines, respectively, can be used as references for creating other objects. For example, you can use construction lines to find the center of a triangle, prepare multiple views of the same item, or create temporary intersections to use for object snaps. Infinite lines do not change the total area of the drawing.
Rays A ray is a line in three-dimensional space that starts at a point you specify and extends to infinity. Unlike construction lines, which extend in two directions, rays extend in only one direction. Using rays instead of construction lines can help reduce visual clutter. Like construction lines, rays are ignored by commands that display the drawing extents. Create and Combine Areas (Regions) Regions are 2D enclosed areas that have physical properties such as centroids or centers of mass.
You can create regions from objects that form closed loops. Loops can be combinations of lines, polylines, circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs, and splines that enclose an area. You create regions using the REGION command to convert a closed object into a region, and the BOUNDARY command to create a region from an area enclosed by objects. You can combine regions by unifying, subtracting, or intersecting them.
Invalid Boundaries When a boundary cannot be determined, it might be because the specified internal point is not within a fully enclosed area. With the BOUNDARY command, red circles are displayed around unconnected endpoints of the boundary to identify gaps in the boundary. The red circles remain displayed even after you exit the command. They are removed when you specify a closed boundary, or by using REDRAW, REGEN, or REGENALL.
If you review or redline drawings, you can increase your productivity by using the Revision Cloud feature to highlight your markups. REVCLOUD creates a polyline of sequential arcs to form a cloud-shaped object. You can select a style for a revision cloud: Normal or Calligraphy. If you select Calligraphy, the revision cloud looks as if it was drawn with a calligraphy pen.
Select Objects You have a wide range of options when you need to select objects for editing operations. Select Objects Individually At the Select Objects prompt, you can select one or more objects individually. Use the Pickbox Cursor When the square pickbox cursor is in position to select an object, the object is highlighted. Click to select the object. You can control the size of the pickbox in the Application Preferences dialog box, Cursor & Selection tab.
Remove Selection from Objects Remove objects from the current selection set by holding down Shift and selecting them again. See also: Select and Modify Subobjects on 3D Objects (page 462) Manipulate Composite Solids (page 478) Select Multiple Objects At the Select Objects prompt, you can select many objects at the same time. Specify a Rectangular Selection Area Specify opposite corners to define a rectangular area. The background inside the area changes color and becomes transparent.
With a window selection, usually the entire object must be contained in the rectangular selection area. However, if an object with a noncontinuous (dashed) linetype is only partially visible in the viewport and all the visible vectors of the linetype can be enclosed within the selection window, the entire object is selected. Specify an Irregularly Shaped Selection Area Specify points to define an irregularly shaped area.
Specify a Selection Fence In a complex drawing, use a selection fence. A selection fence looks like a polyline and selects only the objects it passes through. The circuit board illustration shows a fence selecting several components. Use Other Selection Options You can see all selection options by entering ? at the Select Objects prompt. For a description of each of the selection options, see SELECT.
To help you differentiate between locked and unlocked layers, you can do the following: ■ Hover over an object to see whether a lock icon is displayed ■ Dim the objects on locked layers NOTE Grips are not displayed on objects that are on locked layers. Select Objects by Properties Use object properties or object types to include objects in a selection set, or to exclude them.
■ Select the objects first, and then enter a command You can also choose ■ Whether objects to be selected are previewed during selection ■ Whether selected objects are highlighted ■ How you define selection areas and how you create selection sets Select the Command First When you use an editing command, a Select Objects prompt is displayed and the crosshairs is replaced with a pickbox. You can respond to the Select Objects prompt in various ways: ■ Select objects one at a time. ■ Click an empty area.
These selection previewing effects are turned on by default. You can turn them off with the SELECTIONPREVIEW system variable. When the PICKBOX system variable is set to 0, selection previewing of objects is not available. Control the Appearance of Selected Objects By default, selected objects are displayed with dashed lines. You can increase program performance by setting the HIGHLIGHT system variable to 0. Turning off selection highlighting does not affect grips on selected objects.
Overview of Groups A group is a saved set of objects that you can select and edit together or separately as needed. Groups provide an easy way to combine drawing elements that you need to manipulate as a unit. You can create them quickly and with a default name. TIP Groups are useful in associating 3D solids when you do not want to combine them with a Boolean operation. You can change the components of groups as you work by adding or removing objects.
Select Objects in Groups There are several methods for choosing a group, including selecting the group by name or selecting one of the members of the group. By default, groups are selectable; that is, selecting any member of a group selects all the objects in that group. You can then edit the group as a unit. Selecting an object that belongs to multiple groups selects all groups to which that object belongs. Turn off group selection to select grouped objects individually.
Change Group Components, Name, or Description You can specify objects to be added to or removed from a group at any time. You can also rename a group or change it’s description. If deleting an object or removing it from a group leaves the group empty, the group remains defined but without any members. NOTE Exploding an object such as a block or hatch that belongs to a group does not automatically add the resulting components to any group.
Reverse the Effect of Undo You can reverse the effect of a single U or UNDO command by using REDO immediately after using U or UNDO. You can also redo several actions at once with the Redo list on the Standard toolbar. Erase Objects You can erase any object that you draw. If you accidentally erase the wrong object, you can use the UNDO command or the OOPS command to restore it. For more information, see Erase Objects (page 232).
Clean Up the Display You can remove stray pixels that are left over from some editing operations from the display area with the REGEN or REGENALL commands. See also: Correct Mistakes (page 231) Cut, Copy, and Paste with the Clipboard When you want to use objects from a drawing file in another application, you can cut or copy these objects to the Clipboard and then paste them from the Clipboard into the other application.
Modify Existing Dimensions (page 664) Choose a Method to Modify Objects Access object editing options using the following methods: Methods Descriptions Command line Enter a command and then select the objects to modify. Alternatively, select the objects first and then enter a command. Shortcut menu Select and right-click an object to display a shortcut menu with relevant editing options.
Modify Existing Dimensions (page 664) Display and Change the Properties of Objects (page 114) Work with Custom and Proxy Objects (page 765) Modify Objects Using Grips Grips are displayed at strategic points on selected objects. Use Object Grips You can reshape, move, or manipulate objects in other ways using different types of grips and grip modes. Overview You can use grips in different ways: ■ Use grip modes.
Important Notes ■ Grips are not displayed on objects that are on locked layers. ■ When you select multiple objects that share coincident grips, you can edit these objects using grip modes; however, any object- or grip-specific options are not available. Tips for Stretching with Grips ■ When you select more than one grip on an object to stretch it, the shape of the object is kept intact between the selected grips.
one grip, press and hold the Shift key, and then select the appropriate grips. ■ Grips on text, block references, midpoints of lines, centers of circles, and point objects move the object rather than stretching it. ■ When a 2D object lies on a plane other than the current UCS, the object is stretched on the plane on which it was created, not on the plane of the current UCS.
You can also make multiple copies by holding down Ctrl as you select the first point. For example, with the Stretch grip mode, you can stretch an object, such as a line, and then copy it to any point in the drawing area. Multiple copies continue being made until you turn off grips. NOTE When you use grips to make multiple copies of an annotative object that contains multiple scale representations, only the current scale representation is copied.
Similarly, you can place multiple copies at angular intervals around a base grip with a rotation snap. The rotation snap is defined as the angle between an object and the next copy when you are using Rotate grip mode. Hold down Ctrl to use the rotation snap. Control Grips in Blocks You can specify whether a block displays a single grip or multiple grips.
See also: Use Grip Modes (page 235) Move or Rotate Objects You can move objects to a different location, or change the orientation of objects by rotating them by an angle or to other objects. Move Objects You can move objects at a specified distance and direction from the originals. Use coordinates, grid snap, object snaps, and other tools to move objects with precision. Specify Distance with Two Points Move an object using the distance and direction specified by a base point followed by a second point.
Use a Stretch-Move You can also use STRETCH to move objects if all their endpoints lie entirely within the selection window. Turn on Ortho mode or polar tracking to move the objects at a specific angle. A practical example is moving a door in a wall. The door in the illustration is entirely within a crossing selection, while the wall lines are only partly within the crossing selection area. The result is that only the endpoints that lie within the crossing selection move.
See also: Use Grips to Edit Objects (page 235) Rotate Objects You can rotate objects in your drawing around a specified base point. To determine the angle of rotation, you can enter an angle value, drag using the cursor, or specify a reference angle to align to an absolute angle. Rotate an Object by a Specified Angle Enter a rotation angle value from 0 to 360 degrees. You can also enter values in radians, grads, or surveyor bearings.
For example, to rotate the part in the illustration so the diagonal edge rotates to 90 degrees, you select the objects to be rotated (1, 2), specify the base point (3), and enter the Reference option. For the reference angle, specify the two endpoints of the diagonal line (4, 5). For the new angle, enter 90. Rotate an Object in 3D To rotate 3D objects, you can use either ROTATE or ROTATE3D. ■ With ROTATE, you can rotate objects around a specified base point.
In 3D, use the 3DALIGN command to specify up to three points to define the source plane followed by up to three points to define the destination plane. ■ The first source point on an object, called the base point, is always moved to the first destination point. ■ Specifying a second point for either the source or the destination results in the selected objects being rotated. ■ A third point for either the source or the destination results in further rotation of the selected objects.
Specify Distance with Two Points Copy an object using the distance and direction specified by a base point followed by a second point. In this example, you copy the block representing an electronic component. Select the original object to be copied. Specify the base point for the move (1) followed by a second point (2). The object is copied the distance and direction of point 1 to point 2.
See also: Use Grips to Edit Objects (page 235) Enter Direct Distances (page 184) Work with Arrays (page 246) Array Objects Create multiple copies of objects that are evenly distributed in a rectangular or circular pattern, or along a specified path. Overview of Arrays Create copies of objects arranged in a pattern called an array.
Control Array Associativity Associativity allows you to quickly propagate changes throughout an array by maintaining relationships between items. Arrays can be associative or non-associative. ■ Associative. Items are contained in a single array object, similar to a block. Edit the array object properties, such as the spacing or number of items. Override item properties or replace an item’s source objects. Edit an item’s source objects to change all items that reference those source objects.
■ Non-associative.Items in the array are created as independent objects. Changes to one item do not affect the other items. Create Rectangular Arrays In rectangular arrays, items are distributed into any combination of rows, columns, and levels. A dynamic preview allows you to quickly derive the number and spacing of rows and columns. Add levels to make a 3D array.
The number of rows and columns and the spacing between the rows and columns in the array increase or decrease as you move your cursor. By default, the array has a level of 1. You can rotate the array around the base point in the XY plane. At creation, the row and column axes are orthogonal to each other; for associative arrays, you can later edit the axis angles. Create Path Arrays In path arrays, items are evenly distributed along a path or a portion of a path.
You can also create path arrays along a circle or ellipse. Control Item Distribution The distribution of items along the path can be measured or divided. ■ Measure. The array follows the path when it is edited but the number of objects and spacing do not change. If the path is edited and becomes too short to display all objects, the count is automatically adjusted.
■ Divide. The number of objects and the length of the path determine the spacing of the objects in the array. The objects are always spaced evenly along the entire length of the path. When the array is associative, the spacing between the objects automatically adjusts as the length of the path changes after it is created. Create Polar Arrays In polar arrays, items are evenly distributed in a circular motion around a specified center point or axis of rotation.
The direction in which the array is drawn depends on whether you enter a positive or negative value for the fill angle. For associative arrays, you can change the direction in the Properties Inspector palette.
Edit Associative Arrays Modify associative arrays by editing the array properties, applying item overrides, replacing selected items, or editing source objects. Edit Array Properties To edit the array properties, use ARRAYEDIT, the Properties Inspector palette, or grips. The type of grips and dynamic menu options displayed depend on the type of array.
Apply Item Overrides Ctrl+click items in the array to erase, move, rotate, or scale the selected items without affecting the rest of the array. Reset the array to remove all item overrides.
Replace Items Replace selected items with other objects. Any item overrides are maintained. You can also replace all items that reference the original source objects, rather than selecting individual items. Edit Source Objects To edit an item’s source objects, activate an editing state for a selected item. All changes (including the creation of new objects) are instantly applied to all items referencing the same set of source objects. Save or discard your changes to exit the editing state.
Limit the Size of Arrays The number of array elements that can be generated by one ARRAY command is limited to approximately 100,000. This limit is controlled by the MaxArray setting in the registry. If you specify a large number of rows and columns for an array, it may take a long time to create the copies. You can change the limit by setting the MaxArray system registry variable using (setenv “MaxArray” “n”) where n is a number from 100 through 10000000 (ten million).
NOTE When changing the value of MaxArray, you must enter MaxArray with the capitalization shown. Offset an Object Offset an object to create a new object whose shape is parallel to the original object. For example, if you offset a circle or an arc, a larger or smaller circle or arc is created, depending on which side you specify for the offset. If you offset a polyline, the result is a polyline that parallels the original.
■ Circles ■ Ellipses and elliptical arcs (resulting in an oval-shaped spline) ■ 2D polylines ■ Construction lines (xlines) and rays ■ Splines Special Cases for Offset Polylines and Splines 2D polylines are offset as individual line segments, resulting in either intersections or gaps between segments. To complete the offset, intersecting lines are trimmed and gaps are filled.
Splines are trimmed automatically when the offset distance is larger than can otherwise be accommodated.
Offset the Edges of Faces on Solids and Surfaces The OFFSETEDGE command creates a closed polyline or a spline from the edges of a planar face on a 3D solid or surface. Splines result when one or more edge segments cannot be represented as lines, arcs, or a circle. For example ■ In the left illustration, the edge of the top surface of the solid was offset, resulting in the closed, yellow polyline shown. ■ In the middle illustration, the polyline was extruded.
Mirror Objects You can flip objects about a specified axis to create a symmetrical mirror image. Mirroring is useful for creating symmetrical objects because you can quickly draw half the object and then mirror it instead of drawing the entire object. You flip objects about an axis called a mirror line to create a mirror image. To specify this temporary mirror line, you enter two points. You can choose whether to erase or retain the original objects.
By default, when you mirror text, hatches, attributes, and attribute definitions, they are not reversed or turned upside down in the mirror image. The text has the same alignment and justification as before the object was mirrored. If you do want text to be reversed, set the MIRRTEXT system variable to 1. MIRRTEXT affects text that is created with the TEXT, ATTDEF, or MTEXT commands; attribute definitions; and variable attributes.
Change the Size and Shape of Objects There are several methods for adjusting the lengths of existing objects relative to other objects, both symmetrically and asymmetrically. Trim or Extend Objects You can shorten or lengthen objects to meet the edges of other objects. This means you can first create an object such as a line and then later adjust it to fit exactly between other objects. Objects you select as cutting edges or boundary edges are not required to intersect the object being trimmed.
An object can be one of the cutting edges and one of the objects being trimmed. For example, in the illustrated light fixture, the circle is a cutting edge for the construction lines and is also being trimmed. When you trim several objects, the different selection methods can help you choose the current cutting edges and objects to trim. In the following example, the cutting edges are selected using crossing selection.
You can trim objects to their nearest intersection with other objects. Instead of selecting cutting edges, you press Enter. Then, when you select the objects to trim, the nearest displayed objects act as cutting edges. In this example, the walls are trimmed so that they intersect smoothly. NOTE You can extend objects without exiting the TRIM command. Press and hold Shift while selecting the objects to be extended. Extend Objects Extending operates the same way as trimming.
Extending a spline preserves the shape of the original portion of the spline, but the extended portion is linear and tangent to the end of the original spline. NOTE You can trim objects without exiting the EXTEND command. Press and hold Shift while selecting the objects to be trimmed. Trim and Extend Wide Polylines 2D wide polylines trim and extend at their centerlines. The ends of wide polylines are always square.
Trim and Extend Spline-Fit Polylines Trimming a spline-fit polyline removes the curve-fit information and changes the spline-fit segments into ordinary polyline segments. Extending a spline-fit polyline adds a new vertex to the control frame for the polyline. Trim or Extend in 3D You can trim or extend an object to any other object in 3D space, regardless of whether the objects are on the same plane or parallel to the cutting or boundary edges.
Lengthen Objects With LENGTHEN, you can change the included angle of arcs and the length of the following objects: ■ Lines ■ Arcs ■ Open polylines ■ Elliptical arcs ■ Open splines. The results are similar to extending and trimming.
Scale Objects Using a Scale Factor With SCALE, you can make an object uniformly larger or smaller. To scale an object, you specify a base point and a scale factor. Alternatively, you can specify a length to be used as a scale factor based on the current drawing units. A scale factor greater than 1 enlarges the object. A scale factor between 0 and 1 shrinks the object. Scaling changes the size of all dimensions of the selected object. A scale factor greater than 1 enlarges the object.
Create Fillets A fillet connects two objects with an arc that is tangent to the objects and has a specified radius. An inside corner is called a fillet and an outside corner is called a round; you can create both using the FILLET command. You can fillet ■ Arcs ■ Circles ■ Ellipses and elliptical arcs ■ Lines ■ Polylines ■ Rays ■ Splines ■ Xlines ■ 3D solids FILLET can be used to round all corners on a polyline using a single command.
Set the Fillet Radius The fillet radius is the radius of the arc that connects filleted objects. Changing the fillet radius affects subsequent fillets. If you set the fillet radius to 0, filleted objects are trimmed or extended until they intersect, but no arc is created. You can press and hold Shift while selecting the objects to override the current fillet radius with a value of 0.
Fillet Line and Polyline Combinations To fillet lines with polylines, each line or its extension must intersect one of the polyline line segments. If the Trim option is on, the filleted objects and the fillet arc join to form a single new polyline. Fillet an Entire Polyline You can fillet an entire polyline or remove fillets from an entire polyline. If you set a nonzero fillet radius, FILLET inserts fillet arcs at the vertex of each polyline segment that is long enough to accommodate the fillet radius.
If two linear segments in a polyline are separated by an arc segment between them, FILLET removes the arc segment and replaces it with a new arc segment of the current fillet radius. If you set the fillet radius to 0, no fillet arcs are inserted. If two linear polyline segments are separated by one arc segment, FILLET removes that arc and extends the linear segments until they intersect. Fillet Parallel Lines You can fillet parallel lines, xlines, and rays.
You can chamfer ■ Lines ■ Polylines ■ Rays ■ Xlines CHAMFER can be used to bevel all corners of a polyline using a single command. NOTE Chamfering a hatch boundary that was defined from line segments removes hatch associativity. If the hatch boundary was defined from a polyline, associativity is maintained. If both objects being chamfered are on the same layer, the chamfer line is created on that layer. Otherwise, the chamfer line is created on the current layer.
In the following example, you set the chamfer distance to 0.5 for the first line and 0.25 for the second line. After you specify the chamfer distance, you select the two lines as shown. Trim and Extend Chamfered Objects By default, objects are trimmed when chamfered, but you can use the Trim option to specify that they remain untrimmed.
separated by an arc segment, as shown in the illustration, chamfering deletes the arc and replaces it with a chamfer line. Chamfer an Entire Polyline When you chamfer an entire polyline, each intersection is chamfered. For best results, keep the first and second chamfer distances equal. In this example, the chamfer distances are set to equal values. When you chamfer an entire polyline, only the segments that are long enough to accommodate the chamfer distance are chamfered.
Break and Join Objects You can break an object into two objects with or without a gap between them. You can also join objects to create single object or multiple objects. Break Objects Use BREAK to create a gap in an object, resulting in two objects with a gap between them. BREAK is often used to create space for block or text. To break an object without creating a gap, specify both break points at the same location.
NOTE You can also use the Join option of the PEDIT command to combine a series of lines, arcs, and polylines into a single polyline See also: Modify Polylines (page 279) Modify Splines (page 281) Modify Multilines (page 289) Disassociate Compound Objects (Explode) You can convert a compound object, such as a polyline, dimension, hatch, or block reference, into individual elements.
Explode External References An external reference (xref) is a drawing file linked (or attached) to another drawing. You cannot explode xrefs and their dependent blocks. Modify Polylines Change the shape and display of polyline objects with polyline editing options. You can also join separate polylines. You can modify polylines using PEDIT, the Properties Inspector palette, or grips.
Option Animation Add Vertex. Specify a point for the new vertex. Remove Vertex. Delete the selected vertex. Convert to Arc. Specify the midpoint of a straight segment to convert it to an arc segment. Convert to Line. Specify the midpoint of an arc segment to convert into a straight segment. Tangent Direction. Manipulate the tangent directions to redefine the shape of a curve-fit polyline.
Join Polyline Segments You can join a line, an arc, or another polyline to an open polyline if their ends connect or are close to each other. If the ends are not coincident but are within a distance that you can set, called the fuzz distance, the ends are joined by either trimming them, extending them, or connecting them with a new segment. Spline-fit polylines return to their original shape when joined. Polylines cannot be joined into a Y shape.
You can edit splines using multi-functional grips, SPLINEDIT, 3DEDITBAR, and the Properties Inspector palette. In addition to these operations, splines can be trimmed, extended, and filleted. Edit Splines with Multi-Functional Grips Multi-functional grips provide options that include adding control vertices and changing the tangent direction of the spline at its endpoints. Display a menu of options by hovering over a grip.
To switch between displaying control vertices and displaying fit points, click the triangular grip. IMPORTANT Switching from displaying control vertices to fit points automatically changes the selected spline to degree 3. Splines originally created using higher-degree equations will likely change shape as a result. In general, editing a spline with control vertices provides finer control over reshaping a small section of the curve than editing a spline with fit points.
You can insert additional control vertices to a section of a spline to obtain greater control in that section at the expense of making the shape of the spline more complicated. The Refine option adds a knot to the spline resulting in replacing the selected control vertex with two control vertices.
Edit Splines with SPLINEDIT SPLINEDIT provides additional editing options, such as adding a kink to the spline, and joining a spline to another contiguous object, such as a line, arc, or other spline. As shown, objects are joined to splines with C0 continuity. Edit Splines with 3DEDITBAR 3DEDITBAR displays a gizmo that can move a portion of a spline proportionately, or change the direction and magnitude of the tangent at a specified base point on the spline.
The red and green axis arrow grips constrain the movement of the square grip in their respective directions. TIP Not visible in the illustration is a blue axis arrow grip that points toward you. This axis is visible in other views such as a 3D isometric view, and can be used to modify the shape of a spline in 3D. Click the downward-pointing triangular grip to switch to the Move Tangent Direction option as illustrated below.
and whether the spline is closed. For more information, see Draw Splines (page 209). Trim, Extend, and Fillet Splines Trimming a spline shortens it without changing the shape of the portion that remains. Extending a spline lengthens it by adding a linear portion that is tangent to the end of the spline (C1 continuity). If the shape of the spline is later changed, the tangency of the linear portion is not maintained. Trimming a spline shortens it without changing the shape of the portion that remains.
For more information, see Modify Objects Using Grips (page 235). NOTE Because and are not currently supported, the objects may kink if they are reshaped. See also: Draw Splines (page 209) Break and Join Objects (page 277) Use Object Grips (page 235) Edit NURBS Surfaces (page 493) Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves (page 494) Modify Helixes You can use grips or the Properties Inspector palette to modify the shape and size of a helix.
The table below shows the behavior of the helix depending on which property is constrained.
■ Control the visibility of corner joints ■ Control the style of intersection with other multilines ■ Open or close gaps in a multiline object Add and Delete Multiline Vertices You can add or delete any vertex in a multiline. Edit Multiline Intersections If you have two multilines in a drawing, you can control the way they intersect. Multilines can intersect in a cross or a T shape, and the crosses or T shapes can be closed, open, or merged.
NOTE If you trim or extend a multiline object, only the first boundary object encountered determines the shape of the end of the multiline. A multiline cannot have a complex boundary at its endpoint. See also: Draw Multiple-Line Objects (page 198) Add Constraints to Geometry With parametric drawing, you can add constraints to geometry to ensure that the design conforms to specified requirements. Overview of Constraints Parametric drawing is a technology that is used for designing with constraints.
A blue cursor icon always displays when you move the cursor over an object that has constraints applied to it. In the design phase of a project, constraints provide a way to enforce requirements when experimenting with different designs or when making changes. Changes made to objects can adjust other objects automatically, and restrict changes to distance and angle values.
■ Fully constrained. All relevant geometric and dimensional constraints are applied to the geometry. A fully constrained set of objects also needs to include at least one Fix constraint to lock the location of the geometry. Thus, there are two general methods for designing with constraints: ■ You can work in an underconstrained drawing and make changes as you go, using a combination of editing commands, grips, and adding or changing constraints.
Constrain Objects Geometrically Geometric constraints determine the relationships between 2D geometric objects or points on objects relative to each other. Overview of Geometric Constraints You can specify geometric constraints between 2D objects or points on objects. When you later edit the constrained geometry, the constraints are maintained. Thus, using geometric constraints, you have a method of including design requirements in your drawing.
The geometry is not fully constrained, however. Using grips, you can still change the radius of the arc, the diameter of the circle, the length of the horizontal line, and the length of the vertical lines. To specify these distances, you need to apply dimensional constraints. NOTE Constraints can be added to segments within a polyline as if they were separate objects.
When you apply a constraint, two things occur: ■ The object that you select adjusts automatically to conform to the specified constraint ■ By default, a gray constraint icon displays near the constrained object as shown in the previous illustration, and a small blue glyph displays with your cursor when you move it over a constrained object 296 | Chapter 6 Create and Modify Objects
Once applied, constraints permit only those changes to the geometry that do not violate the constraints. This provides a method for exploring design options or making design changes while maintaining the requirements and specifications of the design. NOTE The order in which you select two objects when you apply a constraint is important in some cases. Normally, the second object you select adjusts to the first object.
You use this glyph to confirm whether you are specifying the intended point to constrain. The fix, horizontal, and vertical constraint icons indicate whether the constraints are applied to an object or a point. Constraint Point Object Fix Horizontal Vertical The symmetric constraint icons indicate whether it identifying a symmetrical point or object, or the symmetrical line.
A different set of constraint bar icons are displayed when a horizontal or vertical constraint is not parallel or perpendicular with the current UCS. Use Fix Constraints A fix constraint associates a constraint point on an object, or the object itself with a fixed location with respect to the World Coordinate System. It is often advisable to specify a fix constraint at an important geometric feature.
AUTOCONSTRAIN also provides settings in which you can specify the following options: ■ What geometric constraints to apply ■ What order to apply geometric constraints ■ What tolerances are used to determine whether objects are horizontal, vertical, or touching NOTE Fix constraint is not applied with AUTOCONSTRAIN. You must apply the constraint individually. Equal constraint applied with AUTOCONSTRAIN resizes the selected arcs to the same radius only. It is not applied to the arc length.
Verify the Geometric Constraints on Objects You can confirm the association of geometric constraints with objects in two ways. ■ When you roll over a constraint icon on a constraint bar, the objects associated with that geometric constraint are highlighted. ■ When you roll over an object that has geometric constraints applied to it, all constraint bars that are associated with the object are highlighted.
These highlighting features simplify working with constraints especially when you have many constraints applied throughout a drawing. Control the Display of Constraint Bars Geometric constraints and constraint bars can be displayed or hidden, either individually or globally.
NOTE To reduce clutter, Coincident constraints display by default as small, light-blue squares. You can use an option in the Constraint Settings dialog box to turn them off if necessary. Modify Objects with Geometric Constraints Applied You can edit constrained geometric objects with grips, editing commands, or by relaxing or applying geometric constraints. By definition, geometric constraints that are applied to geometric objects limit the editing actions that you perform on the objects.
The results of modifying underconstrained objects are based on what constraints have already been applied and the object types involved. For example, if the Radius constraint had not been applied, the radius of the circle would have been modified instead of the tangent point of the line. The CONSTRAINTSOLVEMODE system variable determines the way an object behaves when constraints are applied or when grips are used to edit it.
the copying technique, you can save work by taking advantage of multiple instances of objects, bilateral symmetry, or radial symmetry. For information about temporarily relaxing constraints, see Overview of Constraints (page 291). Infer Geometric Constraints You can automatically apply geometric constraints while creating and editing geometric objects.
Infer Constraints with Rectangle, Fillet, and Chamfer The RECTANG, FILLET, and CHAMFER commands infer constraints as follows: ■ RECTANG applies a pair of parallel constraints and a perpendicular constraint to the closed polyline. ■ FILLET applies tangent and coincident constraints between the newly created arc and the existing trimmed or extended pair of lines. ■ CHAMFER applies coincident contraints between the newly created line and the existing trimmed or extended pair of lines.
Constrain Distances and Angles between Objects You can control distances or angles between 2D geometric objects or points on objects applying dimensional constraints and specifying values. You can also constrain geometry with variables and equations. Overview of Dimensional Constraints Dimensional constraints control the size and proportions of a design.
If you change the value of a dimensional constraint, all the constraints on the object are evaluated, and the objects that are affected are updated automatically. Also, constraints can be added directly to segments within a polyline as if they were separate objects. NOTE The number of decimal places displayed in dimensional constraints is controlled by the LUPREC and AUPREC system variables.
■ By default, dimensional constraints are not objects, display with only a single dimension style, maintain the same size during zoom operations, and are not outputted to a device If you need to output a drawing with dimensional constraints or use dimension styles, you can change the form of a dimensional constraint from dynamic to annotational. See Apply Dimensional Constraints (page 309) for more detail.
When you apply a dimensional constraint to an object, a constraint variable is automatically created for maintaining the constraint value. By default, these are assigned names such as d1 or dia1, but you can rename them with the -PARAMTERS. Dimensional constraints can be created in one of the following forms: ■ Dynamic constraints ■ Annotational constraints The forms have different purposes. In addition, any dynamic or annotational constraint can be converted to a reference parameter.
If you need to control the dimension style of dynamic constraints, or if you need to plot dimensional constraints, use the Properties Inspector to change dynamic constraints to annotational constraints.
You can set the Reference property in the Properties Inspector to convert a dynamic or annotational constraint to a reference parameter. NOTE You cannot change a reference parameter back to a dimensional constraint if doing so would overconstrain the geometry. Control the Display of Dimensional Constraints You can display or hide dynamic and annotational constraints within a drawing.
in the drawing. You can turn on their display when needed from the ribbon or with the DCDISPLAY command. By default, if you select an object associated with a hidden dynamic constraint, all dynamic constraints associated with that object are temporarily displayed. You can display or hide the dynamic constraints for all objects or for a selection set.
The triangular grips on dimensional constraints provide a way of changing the constraint value while maintaining the constraint. For example, you can change the length of the diagonal line by using the triangular grips on the Aligned dimensional constraint. The diagonal line maintains its angle and the location of one of its endpoints. The square grip on dimensional constraints provides a way of changing the location of the text and other elements.
Dynamic dimensional constraints are more limited than annotational dimensional constraints in where the text can be located. NOTE Triangular grips are not available for dimensional constraints that reference other constraint variables in expressions. For information about temporarily relaxing constraints, see Overview of Constraints (page 291).
Overview of Formulas and Equations Formulas and equations can be represented either as expressions within dimensional constraint parameters or by defining user variables. For example, the following illustration represents a design that constrains a circle to the center of the rectangle with an area equal to that of the rectangle. The Length and Width dimensional constraint parameters are set to constants. The d1 and d2 constraints are simple expressions that reference the Length and Width.
Protect Expressions in Dynamic Constraints When a dynamic dimensional constraint references one or more parameters, the prefix fx: is added to the name of the constraint. This prefix is displayed only in the drawing. Its purpose is to help you avoid accidentally overwriting parameters and formulas when the dimension name format is set to Value or Name, which suppresses the display of the parameters and formulas.
Operator Description () Parenthesis, expression delimiter . Decimal separator NOTE With imperial units, the a minus or dash (-) symbol is treated as a unit separator rather than a subtraction operation. To specify subtraction, include at least one space before or after the minus sign. For example, to subtract 9" from 5', enter 5' -9" rather than 5'-9".
Function Syntax Hyperbolic cosine cosh(expression) Hyperbolic sine sinh(expression) Hyperbolic tangent tanh(expression) Arc hyperbolic cosine acosh(expression) Arc hyperbolic sine asinh(expression) Arc hyperbolic tangent atanh(expression) Square root sqrt(expression) Signum function (-1,0,1) sign(expression) Round to nearest integer round(expression) Truncate decimal trunc(expression) Round down floor(expression) Round up ceil(expression) Absolute value abs(expression) Largest el
Function Syntax Logarithm, base e ln(expression) Logarithm, base 10 log(expression) Exponent, base e exp(expression) Exponent, base 10 exp10(expression) Power function pow(expression1;expression2) Random decimal, 0-1 Random In addition to these functions, the constants Pi and e are also available for use in expressions.
Define and Reference Blocks 7 Work with Blocks A block is one or more objects combined to create a single object. Blocks help you reuse objects in the same drawing or in other drawings. Overview of Blocks A block can be composed of objects drawn on several layers with various properties. You can use several methods to create blocks.
When you insert a block you are inserting a block reference. The information is not copied from the block definition to the drawing area. Instead, a link is established between the block reference and the block definition. Therefore, if the block definition is changed, all references are updated automatically. Use PURGE to remove unused block definitions from a drawing. Blocks and Layers A block can be composed of objects drawn on several layers with various colors, linetypes, and lineweight properties.
Insert Blocks When you insert a block, you create a block reference and specify its location, scale, and rotation. Scale Block References You can specify the scale of a block reference using different X, Y, and Z values. A block that uses different drawing units than the units specified for the drawing is automatically scaled by a factor equivalent to the ratio between the two units.
Xrefs contained in a drawing you insert may not be displayed properly unless the xref was previously inserted or attached to the destination drawing. Insert Blocks from Block Libraries You can insert one or more block definitions from an existing drawing file into your current drawing file. Choose this method when retrieving blocks from block library drawings. A block library drawing contains block definitions of symbols with similar functions.
Overview of Blocks (page 321) Add Text and Blocks to Tables (page 624) Work with Dynamic Blocks in Drawings A dynamic block reference can be changed in a drawing while you work. Overview of Dynamic Blocks Dynamic block references contain grips or custom properties that change the way the reference is displayed in the drawing after it is inserted. For example, a dynamic block reference of a door can change size after you insert the block reference into your drawing.
Work with Action Parameters Dynamic blocks that contain action parameters display grips that are associated with a point, object, or region in the block definition.
an associated action is triggered that changes the way the block reference is displayed. You can hover over a grip to display a tooltip or prompt that explains the parameter related to the grip. The display of the tooltip is controlled by the GRIPTIPS system variable. Some dynamic blocks are defined so that geometry within the block can only be edited to certain sizes specified in the block definition.
The following table shows the different types of custom grips that can be included in a dynamic block.
Grip Type How the Grip Can Be Manipulated in a Drawing Lookup Clicked to display a list of items Work with Custom Properties When you select a dynamic block reference, custom properties are listed in the Properties palette under Custom. When you change the value of the custom property, the block reference is updated accordingly. Work With Lookup Grips A block reference that contains a lookup grip allows you to specify a preset value that changes the way the block reference is displayed.
Control Visibility of Block References A block definition can contain a visibility state grip, which determines several graphical representations of the same block reference.
Reset a Block to Display Default Geometry When you reset a block reference, the block changes back to the default specified in the block definition. For example, you can make a block dynamic again if you non-uniformly scale or explode a dynamic block reference. Work With Constraint Parameters in Blocks Parameters in a block reference can be manipulated in the Block Editor. Constraint parameters are authored with mathematical expressions that affect the geometry of the block reference.
block reference with constraint (gray) and constraint parameter (blue, with grip) You can select a block reference and list its editable parameters with -PARAMETERS. When you change the value of the parameter, the block reference is updated accordingly. Remove Block Definitions To reduce the size of a drawing, you can remove unused block definitions. You can remove a block reference from your drawing by erasing it; however, the block definition remains in the drawing's block definition table.
Define Blocks You create blocks by associating objects and giving them a name. Create Blocks Within a Drawing After you define a block in a drawing, you can insert a block reference in the drawing as many times as necessary. Use this method to create blocks quickly. Each block definition includes a block name, one or more objects, the coordinate values of the base point to be used for inserting the block, and any associated attribute data.
You can also use the Block Editor to create blocks that are saved within a drawing. See also: Overview of Blocks (page 321) Overview of the Block Editor Create Drawing Files for Use as Blocks You can create individual drawing files for use as blocks. You can create drawing files for the purpose of inserting them into other drawings as blocks. Individual drawing files are easy to create and manage as the source of block definitions.
Create a New Drawing File You have two methods for creating drawing files: ■ Create and save a complete drawing file using SAVE or SAVEAS. ■ Create and save only selected objects from your current drawing to a new drawing using EXPORT or WBLOCK. With either method, you create an ordinary drawing file that can be inserted as a block into any other drawing file.
Control the Color and Linetype Properties in Blocks The objects in an inserted block can retain their original properties, can inherit properties from the layer on which they are inserted, or can inherit the properties set as current in the drawing. Assign Color and Linetype Properties Generally when you insert a block, the color, linetype, and lineweight of objects in the block retain their original settings regardless of the current settings in the drawing.
For this choice, before you create objects to be included in the block definition, set the current color or linetype to BYBLOCK.
The only restriction on nested blocks is that you cannot insert blocks that reference themselves. You can apply geometric constraints and constraint parameters to nested objects in blocks. AutoCAD for Mac detects the nested entity or valid constraint point for the nested entity regardless of the nesting level of the object. NOTE Constraints can only be applied between nested objects in the block and objects in the drawing file, not between pairs of nested objects in the block reference.
Create Block Libraries A block library is a collection of block definitions stored in a single drawing file. You can use block libraries supplied by Autodesk or other vendors or create your own. You can organize a set of related block definitions by creating the blocks in the same drawing file. Drawing files used this way are called block, or symbol, libraries. These block definitions can be inserted individually into any drawing that you are working on.
Overview of Block Attributes An attribute is a label or tag that attaches data to a block. Examples of data that might be contained in an attribute are part numbers, prices, comments, and owners' names. The tag is equivalent to a column name in a database table. The following illustration shows a block with four attributes: type, manufacturer, model, and cost. The attributes in the illustration are single-line attributes.
See also: Modify a Block Attribute Definition (page 351) Modify the Data in Block Attributes (page 351) Scale Annotations (page 548) Define Block Attributes To create an attribute, you first create an attribute definition, which stores the characteristics of the attribute.
■ Multiple line attributes display four grips similar to MTEXT objects, while single-line attributes display only one grip. ■ When a drawing is saved to AutoCAD 2007 or earlier, a multiple-line attribute is converted to several single-line attributes, one for every line of text in the original multiple-line attribute. If the drawing file is opened in the current release, these single line attributes are automatically merged back into a multiple-line attribute.
Usually, the order of the attribute prompts is the same as the order in which you selected the attributes when you created the block. However, if you used crossing or window selection to select the attributes, the order of the prompts is the reverse of the order in which you created attributes. You can use the Block Attribute Manager to change the order in which you are prompted for attribute information when you insert the block reference.
Extract Block Attribute Data (Advanced) Using an attribute extraction template file, you can extract attribute information from a drawing and create a separate text file for use with database software. You can extract attribute information from a drawing and create a separate text file for use with database software. This feature is useful for creating parts lists with information already entered in the drawing database. Extracting attribute information does not affect the drawing.
field, and ddd means a 3 digit number representing how many numeric decimal places are to be displayed to the right of the decimal point.
Field (C)haracter or (N)umeric data Maximum field length Decimal places Block name C 040 000 Manufacturer C 006 000 Model C 015 000 Cost N 006 002 You can create any number of template files, depending on how you'll use the data. Each line of a template file specifies one field to be written in the attribute extraction file. Follow these additional guidelines: ■ Be sure to place a space between the attribute tag and the character or numeric data.
NOTE The format code for a numeric field includes the decimal point in the total field width. For example, the minimum field width to accommodate the number 249.95 would be 6 and would be represented as N006002. Character fields do not use the last three digits of the format code.
C:QUOTE c (Character string delimiter) C:DELIM c (Field delimiter) The first nonblank character following the C:QUOTE or C:DELIM field name becomes the respective delimiter character. For example, if you want to enclose character strings with double quotes, include the following line in your attribute extraction template file: C:QUOTE " The quote delimiter must not be set to a character that can appear in a character field.
In some complex cases, nested block references cannot be correctly represented with only two scale factors and a rotation angle, for example, if a nested block reference is rotated in 3D. When this happens, the scale factors and rotation angle in the extracted file record are set to zero.
the existing block definition, and all the references to that block in the drawing are immediately updated to reflect the new definition. To save time, you can insert and explode an instance of the original block and then use the resulting objects in creating the new block definition. Update a Block Definition That Originated from a Drawing File Block definitions created in your current drawing by inserting a drawing file are not updated automatically when the original drawing is modified.
Modify the Data in Block Attributes You can edit the values of attributes that are attached to a block and inserted in a drawing. You can use any of the following methods to edit the values of attributes attached to a block: ■ Double-click the block to display the Enhanced Attributes Editor ■ Press Ctrl and double-click the attribute to display the in-place editor ■ Open the Properties Inspector palette and select the block You can also change the location of attributes in a block using grips.
If constant attributes or nested attributed blocks are affected by your changes, use REGEN to update the display of those blocks in the drawing area. Change the Prompt Order for Attribute Values When you define a block, the order in which you select the attributes determines the order in which you are prompted for attribute information when you insert the block. You can use the Block Attribute Manager to change the order of prompts that request attribute values.
Modify a Block Definition (page 349) Disassemble a Block Reference (Explode) If you need to modify one or more objects within a block separately, you can disassemble, or explode, the block reference into its component objects.
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Work with 3D Models 8 Create 3D Models Use 3D models to help you visualize and test your designs. Overview of 3D Modeling AutoCAD 3D modeling allows you to create drawings using solid, surface, and mesh objects. Solid, surface, and mesh objects offer different functionality, that, when used together, offer a powerful suite of 3D modeling tools. For example, you can convert a primitive solid to a mesh to take advantage of mesh creasing and smoothing.
Start with primitive solids such as cones, boxes, cylinders, and pyramids and modify and recombine them to create new shapes. Or draw a custom extrusion and use various sweeping operations to create solids from 2D curves and lines.
Surface Modeling A surface model is a thin shell that does not have mass or volume. AutoCAD offers two types of surfaces: procedural and NURBS. Use prodecural surfaces to take advantage of associative modling, and use NURBS surfaces to take advantage of sculpting with control vertices. A typical modeling workflow is to create a basic model using mesh, solids, and procedural surfaces, and then convert them to NURBS surfaces.
You create surface models using some of the same tools that you use for solid models: sweeping, lofting, extruding, and revolving. You can also create surfaces by blending, patching, offsetting, filleting, and extending other surfaces. Mesh Modeling A mesh model consists of vertices, edges, and faces that use polygonal representation (including triangles and quads) to define a 3D shape.
Unlike solid models, mesh has no mass properties. However, as with 3D solids, you can create primitive mesh forms such as boxes, cones, and pyramids, starting in AutoCAD 2010. You can modify mesh models in ways that are not available for 3D solids or surfaces. For example you can apply creases, splits, and increasing levels of smoothness. You can drag mesh subobjects (faces, edges, and vertices) to deform the object.
Use mesh models to provide the hiding, shading, and rendering capabilities of a solid model without the physical properties such as mass, moments of inertia, and so on. Advantages of 3D Modeling Modeling in 3D has several advantages.
Specify Work Planes in 3D (UCS) Use the Dynamic UCS with Solid Models Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves Use lines and curves to extrude, sweep, loft, and revolve 3D solids, surfaces, and NURBS surfaces. Overview of Creating Solids and Surfaces Understand the differences between creating solids and surfaces with the EXTRUDE, SWEEP, LOFT, and REVOLVE commands.
If you select a closed curve and click EXTRUDE, SWEEP, LOFT, and REVOLVE on the ribbon, you create: ■ A solid if the Mode option is set to Solid. ■ A surface if the Mode option is set to Surface. A procedural surface if the SURFACEMODELINGMODE system variable is set to 0. ■ ■ A NURBS surface if the SURFACEMODELINGMODE system variable is set to 1. ■ An associative surface if the SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY system variable is on.
■ A single region (to extrude multiple regions, convert them to a single object with the REGION command) Example: Use Splines to Create 3D NURBS Surfaces Splines are one of the many 2D object types that can be lofted, extruded, swept, and revolved to create NURBS surfaces. Other 2D objects that can be used include lines, polylines, arcs, and circles. Splines, however, are the only 2D object customized to create NURBS surfaces.
■ CVSHOW ■ CVHIDE For more information, see Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves (page 361). Create Associative Surfaces Surfaces can be associative while solids cannot. If surface associativity is on when a surface is created, it maintains a relationship with the curve from which it is was generated (even if the curve is the subobject of another solid or surface). If the curve is reshaped, the surface profile automatically updates. See Create Associative Surfaces (page 405).
Options for Extrusion When you extrude objects, you can specify any of the following options: ■ Mode. Sets whether the extrude creates a surface or a solid. ■ Specify a path for extrusion. With the Path option, create a solid or surface by specifying an object to be the path for the profile, or shape, of the extrusion. The extruded object starts from the plane of the profile and ends on a plane perpendicular to the path at the endpoint of the path.
Extruding is different from sweeping. When you extrude a profile along a path, the profile follows the shape of the path, even if the path does not intersect the profile. Sweeping usually provides greater control and better results. ■ Taper angle. Tapering the extrusion is useful for defining part that require a specific taper angle, such as a mold used to create metal products in a foundry.
■ Direction. With the Direction option, you can specify two points to set the length and direction of the extrusion. ■ Expression. Enter a mathematical expression to constrain the height of the extrusion. See Constrain Surfaces with Geometric and Dimensional Constraints (page 406). Create a Solid or Surface by Sweeping Create a 3D solid or surface by sweeping a profile along a path.
■ Base Point. Specify a base point on the profile to sweep along the profile. ■ Scale. Specify a value that will change the size of the object from the beginning of the sweep to the end. Enter a mathematical expression to constrain the object scaling. See Constrain Surfaces with Geometric and Dimensional Constraints (page 406). ■ Twist. By entering a twist angle, the object rotates along the length of the profile.
angle. See Constrain Surfaces with Geometric and Dimensional Constraints (page 406). See also: Create Associative Surfaces (page 405) Constrain Surfaces with Expressions and Geometry (page 406) Draw Splines (page 209) Modify Splines (page 281) Create a Solid or Surface by Lofting Create a 3D solid or surface by lofting a profile through a set of two or more cross-section profiles. The cross-section profiles define the shape of the resulting solid object.
Options for Lofting ■ Mode. Sets whether the loft creates a surface or a solid. ■ Cross-section profiles. Select a series of cross-section profiles to define the shape of the new 3D object. lofted objects with different cross-section settings As you create a lofted object, you can adjust its shape by specifying how the profile passes through the cross sections (for example, a sharp or smooth curve). You can also modify the settings later in the Properties Inspector.
■ Guide curves. Specify guide curves to match points on corresponding cross sections. This method prevents undesired results, such as wrinkles in the resulting 3D object.
Each guide curve must meet the following criteria: ■ Intersects each cross section ■ Starts on the first cross section ■ Ends on the last cross section See also: Create Associative Surfaces (page 405) Constrain Surfaces with Expressions and Geometry (page 406) Draw Splines (page 209) Modify Splines (page 281) Create a Solid or Surface by Revolving Create a 3D object by revolving curves about an axis.
Create Solids Create 3D solids from primitives or by combining or extending existing objects. Overview of Creating 3D Solids 3D solid objects often start as one of several basic shapes, or primitives, that you can then modify and recombine. A 3D solid can also be the result of extruding a 2D shape to follow a specified path in 3D space. About Solid Primitives You can create several basic 3D shapes, known as solid primitives: boxes, cones, cylinders, spheres, wedges, pyramids, and tori.
By combining primitive shapes, you can create more complex solids. For example, you can join two solids, subtract one from the other, or create a shape based on the intersection of their volumes. About Solids Based on Other Objects You can also create 3D solids from 2D geometry or other 3D objects. The following methods are available: ■ Sweep. Extends a 2D object along a path. ■ Extrusion. Extends the shape of a 2D object in a perpendicular direction into 3D space. ■ Revolve.
■ Sculpting Surfaces. Converts and trims a group of surfaces that enclose a watertight area into a solid. ■ Conversion. Converts mesh objects and planar objects with thickness into solids and surfaces. Create 3D Solid Primitives Start with standard shapes known as solid primitives to create boxes, cones, cylinders, spheres, tori, wedges, and pyramids. Create a Solid Box Create a rectangular or cubical solid box.
Box Creation Options Use the following options to control the size and rotation of the boxes you create: ■ Create a cube. Use the Cube option of the BOX command to create a box with sides of equal length. ■ Specify rotation. Use the Cube or Length option if you want to set the rotation of the box in the XY plane. ■ Start from the center point. Use the Center Point option to create a box using a specified center point. Create a Solid Wedge Create a solid wedge with rectangular or cubical faces.
Wedge Creation Options Use the following options to control the size and rotation of the wedges you create: ■ Create a wedge with sides of equal length. Use the Cube option of the WEDGE command. ■ Specify rotation. Use the Cube or Length option if you want to set the rotation of the wedge in the XY plane. ■ Start from the center point. Use the Center Point option to create a wedge using a specified center point.
Cone Creation Options Use the following options to control the size and rotation of the cones you create: ■ Set the height and orientation. Use the Axis Endpoint option of the CONE command. Use the Top Radius option to specify the axis endpoint as the point of the cone or the center of the top face. The axis endpoint can be located anywhere in 3D space. ■ Create a frustum of a cone. Use the Top Radius option of the CONE command to create a frustum, which tapers to an elliptical or planar face.
Create a Solid Cylinder Create a solid cylinder with a circular or elliptical base. By default, the base of the cylinder lies on the XY plane of the current UCS. The height of the cylinder is parallel to the Z axis. Cylinder Creation Options Use the following options to control the size and rotation of the cylinders you create: ■ Set rotation. Use the Axis Endpoint option of the CYLINDER command to set the height and rotation of the cylinder.
Create a Solid Sphere Create a solid sphere using one of several methods. When you start with the center point, the central axis of the sphere parallels the Z axis of the current user coordinate system (UCS). Sphere Creation Options Use the following options to draw a sphere with the SPHERE command: ■ Specify three points to set the size and plane of the circumference or radius. Use the 3P (Three Points) option to define the size of the sphere anywhere in 3D space.
You can create a pyramid that tapers to a point, or create a frustum of a pyramid, which tapers to a planar face. Pyramid Creation Options Use the following options to control the size, shape, and rotation of the pyramids you create: ■ Set the number of sides. Use the Sides option of the PYRAMID command to set the number of sides for the pyramid. ■ Set the length of the edges. Use the Edges option to specify the dimension of the sides at the base. ■ Create a frustum of a pyramid.
■ Set the height and rotation of the pyramid. Use the Axis Endpoint option of the PYRAMID command to specify the height and rotation of the pyramid. This endpoint, or top of the pyramid, can be located anywhere in 3D space. Create a Solid Torus Create a ring-shaped solid that resembles the inner tube of a tire. A torus has two radius values. One value defines the tube. The other value defines the distance from the center of the torus to the center of the tube.
Torus Creation Options Use the following options to control the size and rotation of the tori you create. ■ Set the size and plane of the circumference or radius. Use the 3P (Three Points) option to define the size of the torus anywhere in 3D space. The three points also define the plane of the circumference. Use this option to rotate the torus as you create it. ■ Set the circumference or radius. Use the 2P (Two Points) option to define the size of the torus anywhere in 3D space.
The POLYSOLID command provides a quick way to draw 3D walls. A polysolid is like an extruded, wide polyline. In fact, you can draw polysolids the same way that you draw a polyline, using both straight and curved segments. Unlike extruded polylines, which lose any width properties upon extrusion, polysolids retain the width of their line segments. You can also convert objects such as a line, 2D polyline, arc, or circle to a polysolid. Polysolids are displayed as swept solids in the Properties Inspector.
■ Create a polysolid from a 2D object. Use the Object option to convert an object such as a polyline, circle, line, or arc to a polysolid. The DELOBJ system variable controls whether the path (a 2D object) is automatically deleted when you create a polysolid. ■ Close the gap between the first and last points. Use the Close option to create a connecting segment. ■ Set the height and width. Use the Height and Width options for the POLYSOLID command.
mesh and polyline with thickness converted to optimized 3D solids The DELOBJ system variable controls whether the objects you select are automatically deleted when the 3D object is created. Convert Surfaces and Objects with Thickness to 3D Solids You can convert different types of objects into extruded 3D solids with the CONVTOSOLID command. These objects include closed polylines and circles with thickness, as well as watertight meshes and surfaces.
For example, if you convert a mesh box to a solid object, following options are available: ■ Smoothed and optimized. Coplanar faces are merged into a single face. The overall shape of some faces can change. Edges of faces that are not coplanar are rounded. (SMOOTHMESHCONVERT = 0) ■ Smoothed and not optimized. Each original mesh face is retained in the converted object. Edges of faces that are not coplanar are rounded.
■ Faceted and optimized. Coplanar faces are merged into a single, flat face. The overall shape of some faces can change. Edges of faces that are not coplanar are creased, or angular. (SMOOTHMESHCONVERT = 2) ■ Faceted and not optimized. Each original mesh face is converted to a flat face. Edges of faces that are not coplanar are creased, or angular.
You cannot convert the following types of mesh objects to a 3D solid: ■ Mesh with gaps between faces. Gizmo editing can sometimes result in gaps, or holes between the faces. In some cases, you can close the gaps by smoothing the mesh object. ■ Mesh that has self-intersecting boundaries. If you have modified a mesh object so that one or more faces intersect faces in the same object, you cannot convert it to a 3D solid.
Create Composite Objects Create composite 3D objects by combining, subtracting, or finding the intersecting mass of two or more 3D solids, surfaces, or regions. Composite solids are created from two or more solids, surfaces, or regions through any of the following commands: UNION, SUBTRACT, and INTERSECT. 3D solids record a history of how they were created. This history allows you to see the original forms that make up composite solids.
■ Find the common volume. With INTERSECT, you can create a composite solid from the common volume of two or more overlapping solids. INTERSECT removes the portions that do not overlap and creates a composite solid from the common volume. Create Composites from Mixed Object Types In addition to creating composite objects from the same object types, you can also create composites from mixed surfaces and solids. ■ Mixed intersections. Combining a solid and a surface through intersection results in a surface.
Sliced 3D solids do not retain a history of the original forms that created them. However, they do retain the layer and color properties of the original objects. For a complete list of objects that can be used for a slice operation, see SLICE. See also: Create Sections and 2D Drawings from 3D Models (page 527) Check 3D Models for Interferences Find areas where 3D solids or surfaces intersect or overlap. Use the INTERFERE command to check for areas of interference within a set of 3D solid or surface models.
You cannot check interference for mesh objects. However, if you select mesh objects, you can choose to convert them to a solid or surface object and continue the operation. During the checking operation, you can use the Interference Checking dialog box to cycle through and zoom to interference objects. You can also specify whether to delete the temporary objects that are created during interference checking.
illustration below shows a procedural surface on the left, and a NURBS surface on the right. Choose a Surface Creation Method Create procedural and NURBS surfaces using the following methods: ■ Create surfaces from profiles (page 361). Create surfaces from profile shapes composed of lines and curves with EXTRUDE, LOFT, PLANESURF, REVOLVE, SURFNETWORK, and SWEEP. ■ Create surfaces from other surfaces (page 398).
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Understand Surface Continuity and Bulge Magnitude Surface continuity and bulge magnitude are properties that are frequently used when creating surfaces. When you create a new surface, you can specify the continuity and bulge magnitude with special grips. Continuity is a measure of how smoothly two curves or surfaces flow into each other. The type of continuity can be important if you need to export your surfaces to other applications. Continuity types include the following: ■ G0 (Position).
■ G2 (Curvature).Includes positional, tangential, and curvature continuity (G0 + G1+G2). The two surfaces share the same curvature. Bulge magnitude is a measure of how much surface curves or “bulges” as it flows into another surface. Magnitude can be between 0 and 1 where 0 is flat and 1 curves the most.
Set Surface Properties Before and After Creation Set defaults that control a variety of surface properties before and after you create the surface objects. ■ Surface Modeling System Variables. There are a number of system variables that are frequently used and changed during surface creation: SURFACEMODELINGMODE, SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY, SURFACEASSOCIATIVITYDRAG, SURFACEAUTOTRIM, and SUBOBJSELECTIONMODE. ■ Properties Inspector.
See also: Overview of Creating Surfaces (page 393) Create Network Surfaces Create non-planar surfaces in the space between edge subobjects, splines and other 2D and 3D curves. Create non-planar, network surfaces with the SURFNETWORK command. Network surfaces are similar to lofted surfaces in that they are created in the space between several curves in the U and V directions. The curves can be surface or solid edge subobjects.
See also: Specify Surface and Curve Continuity (page 393) Offset a Surface Create a parallel surface a specified distance from the original surface. With SURFOFFSET specify the offset distance and whether or not the offset surface maintains associativity with the original surface. You can also specify the offset distance with a mathematical expression. See Constrain a Design with Formulas and Equations (page 315).
■ Create a solid between the offset surfaces ■ If you are offsetting more than one surface, you can specify whether the offset surfaces remain connected.
■ Enter an expression that will constrain the distance of the offset surface to the original surface. This option only appears if associativity is on. See Constrain a Design with Formulas and Equations (page 315). See also: Specify Surface and Curve Continuity (page 393) Convert Objects to Procedural Surfaces Convert 3D solids, meshes, and 2D geometry to procedural surfaces.
Create NURBS Surfaces Create NURBS surfaces by enabling NURBS creation and using many of the same commands used to create procedural surfaces. You can also convert existing procedural surfaces into NURBS surfaces. NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines) surfaces are part of the suite of 3D modeling objects that AutoCAD for Mac offers (in addition to 3D solids, procedural surfaces, and meshes). NURBS surfaces are based on Bezier curves or splines.
Two Methods for Creating NURBS Surfaces There are two ways to create NURBS surfaces: ■ SURFACEMODELINGMODE system variable - Use any of the surface creation commands while this system variable is set to 1. ■ CONVTONURBS command - Convert any existing surfaces with this command. It is important to plan ahead with NURBS modeling, since NURBS surfaces cannot be converted back into procedural surfaces.
Clamp Surfaces and Curves with Open and Closed Geometry NURBS surfaces and curves can have a clamp, closed, or open form. The form affects how the object deforms. ■ Open Curves and surfaces - have their start and end CVs in different positions - it doesn’t form a loop. If you snap the start and end CVs of an open curve to the same position, it’s still an open curve, because you can still drag these points away from one another. ■ Closed Curves and Surfaces - a loop with coinciding start and end CVs.
It is important to understand the chain of associativity because moving or deleting one of the links in the chain can break the relationship between all the objects. NOTE To modify the shape of a surface that is generated from a curve or spline, you must select and modify the generating curve or spline, not the surface itself. If you modify the surface itself, you will lose associativity. When associativity is on, the DELOBJ system variable is ignored.
Constraints are applied to the 2D profile object used to create the surface, not the surface itself. Use selection cycling to be sure that you are selecting the profile curve and not the surface or the edge subobject. See Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints (page 295). Use Mathematical Expressions to Derive Surface Properties Dimensional constraints are user-defined expressions that are applied in the Properties Inspector for that surface.
Create Meshes Create meshes from primitive forms or by filling between points on other objects. Overview of Creating Meshes Mesh tessellation provides enhanced capabilities for modeling object shapes in a more detailed way. Starting with AutoCAD 2010, the default mesh object type can be smoothed, creased, split, and refined. Although you can continue to create the legacy polyface and polygon mesh types, you can obtain more predictable results by converting to the newer mesh object type.
Methods for Creating Mesh You can create mesh objects using the following methods: ■ Create mesh primitives. Create standard shapes, such as boxes, cones, cylinders, pyramids, spheres, wedges, and tori (MESH). ■ Create mesh from other objects. Create ruled, tabulated, revolved, or edge-defined mesh objects, whose boundaries are interpolated from other objects or points (RULESURF, TABSURF, REVSURF, EDGESURF). ■ Convert from other object types.
■ Refinement.Quadruples the number of subdivisions in a selected mesh object or in a selected subobject, such as a face. Refinement also resets the current smoothness level to 0, so that the object can no longer be sharpened beyond that level. Because refinement greatly increases the density of a mesh, you might want to restrict this option to areas that require finely detailed modification. Refinement also helps you mold smaller sections with less effect on the overall shape of the model.
While highly refined mesh gives you the ability to make detailed modifications, it also comes at a cost: it can decrease program performance. By maintaining maximum smoothness, face, and grid levels, you can help ensure that you do not create meshes that are too dense to modify effectively. (Use SMOOTHMESHMAXLEV, SMOOTHMESHMAXFACE, and SMOOTHMESHGRID.) Set Mesh Properties Before and After Creation You can set defaults that control a variety of mesh properties before and after you create the mesh objects.
■ Level of smoothness. By default, the mesh primitive objects that you create have no smoothness. You can change this default with the Settings option of the MESH command. The modified smoothness value is maintained only during the current drawing session. See also: Modify Mesh Objects (page 499) Create 3D Mesh Primitives Create mesh boxes, cones, cylinders, pyramids, spheres, wedges, and tori. Create a Mesh Box Create a rectangular or cubical mesh box.
■ DIVMESHBOXWIDTH After a mesh primitive is created, the current level of smoothness for the object can be modified. Mesh Box Creation Options The Box option of the MESH command provides several methods for determining the size and rotation of the mesh boxes you create. ■ Create a cube. Use the Cube option to create a mesh box with sides of equal length. ■ Specify rotation. Use the Cube or Length option if you want to set the rotation of the box in the XY plane. ■ Start from the center point.
The following system variables are used to control the number of divisions for each dimension of a new mesh cone: ■ DIVMESHCONEAXIS ■ DIVMESHCONEBASE ■ DIVMESHCONEHEIGHT After a mesh primitive is created, the current level of smoothness for the object can be modified. Mesh Cone Creation Options The Cone option of the MESH command provides several methods for determining the size and rotation of the mesh cones you create. ■ Set the height and orientation.
By default, the base of the mesh cylinder lies on the XY plane of the current UCS. The height of the cylinder is parallel to the Z axis. The following system variables are used to control the number of divisions for each dimension of a new mesh cylinder: ■ DIVMESHCYLAXIS ■ DIVMESHCYLBASE ■ DIVMESHCYLHEIGHT After a mesh primitive is created, the current level of smoothness for the object can be modified.
■ Create an elliptical base. Use the Elliptical option to create a cylinder base whose axes are different lengths. ■ Set the location to be tangent to two objects. Use the Ttr (Tangent, Tangent, Radius) option to define points on two objects. Depending on the radius distance, the new cylinder is located as near as possible to the tangent points you specify. You can set up tangency with circles, arcs, lines, and some 3D objects. The tangency points are projected onto the current UCS.
Mesh Pyramid Creation Options The Pyramid option of the MESH command provides several methods for determining the size and rotation of the mesh pyramids you create. ■ Set the number of sides. Use the Sides option to set the number of sides for the mesh pyramid. ■ Set the length of the edges. Use the Edges option to specify the dimension of the sides at the base. ■ Create a frustum of a pyramid. Use the Top Radius option to create a frustum, which tapers to a planar face.
Create a Mesh Sphere Create a mesh sphere using one of several methods.
When you start with the center point, the central axis of the mesh sphere parallels the Z axis of the current user coordinate system (UCS). The following system variables are used to control the number of divisions for each dimension of a new mesh sphere: ■ DIVMESHSPHEREAXIS ■ DIVMESHSPHEREHEIGHT After a mesh primitive is created, the current level of smoothness for the object can be modified.
The base of the wedge is drawn parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS with the sloped face opposite the first corner. The height of the wedge is parallel to the Z axis. The following system variables are used to control the number of divisions for each dimension of a new mesh wedge: ■ DIVMESHWEDGEBASE ■ DIVMESHWEDGEHEIGHT ■ DIVMESHWEDGELENGTH ■ DIVMESHWEDGESLOPE ■ DIVMESHWEDGEWIDTH After a mesh primitive is created, the current level of smoothness for the object can be modified.
Create a Mesh Torus Create a ring-shaped solid that resembles the inner tube of a tire. A mesh torus has two radius values. One value defines the tube. The other value defines the path, which is equivalent to the distance from the center of the torus to the center of the tube. By default, a torus is drawn parallel to and is bisected by the XY plane of the current UCS. A mesh torus can be self-intersecting.
space. The three points also define the plane of the circumference. Use this option to rotate the mesh torus as you create it. ■ Set the circumference or radius. Use the 2P (Two Points) option to define the size of the mesh torus anywhere in 3D space. The plane of the circumference matches the Z value of the first point. ■ Set the location to be tangent to two objects. Use the Ttr (Tangent, Tangent, Radius) option to define points on two objects.
■ Tabulated mesh.TABSURF creates a mesh that represents a general tabulated surface. The surface is defined by the extrusion of a line or curve (called a path curve) in a specified direction and distance (called a direction vector or path).
■ Revolved mesh.REVSURF creates a mesh that approximates a surface of revolution by rotating a profile about a specified axis. A profile can consist of lines, circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs, polylines, splines, closed polylines, polygons, closed splines, and donuts.
■ Edge-defined mesh.EDGESURF creates a mesh approximating a Coons surface patch mesh from four adjoining edges. A Coons surface patch mesh is a bicubic surface that is interpolated between four adjoining edges (which can be general space curves).
Create a Ruled Mesh There are several methods for creating meshes. With RULESURF, you create a mesh between two lines or curves. Use two different objects to define the edges of the ruled mesh: lines, points, arcs, circles, ellipses, elliptical arcs, 2D polylines, 3D polylines, or splines. Both objects that are used as the “rails” of a ruled mesh must be either open or closed. You can pair a point object with either an open or a closed object.
Create a Tabulated Mesh With the TABSURF command, you can create a mesh that represents a general tabulated surface defined by a path curve and a direction vector. The path curve can be a line, arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, 2D polyline, 3D polyline, or spline. The direction vector can be a line or an open 2D or 3D polyline. TABSURF creates the mesh as a series of parallel polygons running along a specified path.
Create a Revolved Mesh Use the REVSURF command to create a revolved mesh by rotating a profile of the object about an axis. REVSURF is useful for mesh forms with rotational symmetry. The profile is called a path curve. It can consist of any combination of lines, circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs, polylines, splines, closed polylines, polygons, closed splines, or donuts.
object in order to take advantage of capabilities such as smoothing, refinement, creasing, and splitting. Object Types That Can Be Converted You obtain the most predictable results when you convert primitive solid objects to mesh. That is, the resulting mesh adheres closely to the shape of the original solid model. You can also convert other types of objects, although the conversion results may differ from what you expect.
■ FACETERDEVSURFACE ■ FACETERGRIDRATIO ■ FACETERMAXEDGELENGTH ■ FACETERMAXGRID ■ FACETERMESHTYPE ■ FACETERMINUGRID ■ FACETERMINVGRID ■ FACETERSMOOTHLEV For example, if the smooth mesh optimized mesh type (FACETERMESHTYPE system variable) results in incorrect conversions, you can set the tessellation shape to be Triangle or Mostly Quads. You also can control the adherence to the original shape by setting the maximum distance offset, angles, aspect ratios, and edge lengths for new faces.
Similarly, if you notice that a converted mesh object has a number of long, slivered faces (which can sometimes cause gaps), try decreasing the maximum edge length for new faces value (FACETERMAXEDGELENGTH system variable). If you are converting primitive solid objects, this dialog box also offers the option of using the same default settings used to create primitive mesh objects.
When you select conversion candidates directly from this dialog box, you can preview the results before you accept them. See also: Objects That Can Be Converted to Mesh Create Custom Mesh (Legacy) Create custom polygon or polyface mesh by specifying vertices. Specify individual vertices when you create mesh using the 3DMESH, PFACE, and 3DFACE commands. Understand Legacy Mesh Construction The mesh density controls the number of facets in legacy polygonal and polyface meshes.
Create a Rectangular Mesh With the 3DMESH command, you can create polygon meshes that are open in both the M and N directions (like the X and Y axes of an XY plane). In most cases, you can use 3DMESH in conjunction with scripts or AutoLISP routines when you know the mesh points. As you create the mesh, you specify the size of the mesh in the M and N directions. The total number of vertices you specify for the mesh is equal to the M value times the N value. You can close the meshes with PEDIT.
Vertex Vertex Vertex Vertex Vertex Vertex Vertex Vertex Vertex Vertex Vertex (0, (0, (1, (1, (1, (2, (2, (2, (3, (3, (3, 1): 2): 0): 1): 2): 0): 1): 2): 0): 1): 2): 10, 5, 5 10,10, 3 15,1, 0 15, 5, 0 15,10, 0 20,1, 0 20, 5, -1 20,10 ,0 25,1, 0 25, 5, 0 25,10, 0 Create a Polyface Mesh The PFACE command produces a polyface (polygon) mesh, with each face capable of having numerous vertices. PFACE is typically used by applications rather than by direct user input.
In the illustration, face 1 is defined by vertices 1, 5, 6, and 2. Face 2 is defined by vertices 1, 4, 3, and 2. Face 3 is defined by vertices 1, 4, 7, and 5, and face 4 is defined by vertices 3, 4, 7, and 8. Create Polyface Mesh Vertex by Vertex With the 3DFACE command, you can create three-dimensional polyface mesh by specifying each vertex. You can control visibility of each mesh edge segment.
To view the objects you are creating with the 3D command more clearly, set a viewing direction with 3DORBIT, DVIEW, or VPOINT. Create Wireframe Models A wireframe model is an edge or skeletal representation of a real-world 3D object using lines and curves. You can specify a wireframe visual style to help you see the overall structure of 3D objects such as solids, surfaces, and meshes. In older drawings, you might also encounter wireframe models that were created using legacy methods.
Wireframe models consist only of points, lines, and curves that describe the edges of the object. Because each object that makes up a wireframe model must be independently drawn and positioned, this type of modeling can be the most time-consuming.
Methods for Creating Wireframe Models You can create wireframe models by positioning any 2D planar object anywhere in 3D space, using the following methods: ■ Use the XEDGES command to create wireframe geometry from regions, 3D solids, surfaces, and meshes. XEDGES extracts all the edges on the selected objects or subobjects. The extracted edges form a duplicate wireframe composed of 2D objects such as lines, circles, and 3D polylines.
Add 3D Thickness to Objects Use the thickness property to give objects a 3D appearance. The 3D thickness of an object is the distance that object is extended, or thickened, above or below its location in space. Positive thickness extrudes upward in the positive Z direction; negative thickness extrudes downward (negative Z). Zero (0) thickness means that there is no 3D thickening of the object. The orientation of the UCS when the object was created determines the Z direction.
The 3D thickness is applied uniformly to an object; a single object cannot have different thicknesses. You might need to change the 3D viewpoint to see the effect of thickness on an object. NOTE Although the THICKNESS variable sets an extruded thickness for new 2D objects, those objects continue to be 2D objects. The THICKEN command adds volume to a surface object, converting it to a 3D solid.
Similarly, you can convert mesh to 3D solids and surfaces to accomplish some composite object modeling tasks that are available only for those objects. Conversion is often offered as a choice when you start activities that are available only for solids and surfaces.
View Your Model from All Angles When you work with any 3D object, you can easily make changes that are not accurately reflected in the current view. To ensure that your modifications conform to your expectations, make sure you understand and use the following: ■ Manipulate the 3D workplane (UCS). To understand how your model is projected in 3D space, learn how to use the X, Y, and Z axes. For more information, see Specify Workplanes in 3D (UCS).
■ Display multiple viewports. Set up two or more viewports with different viewing angles and visual styles. When you make a change in one viewport, you can see its impact from several viewpoints at the same time. For more information, see Display Multiple Views in Model Space (page 90). See also: Specify Workplanes in 3D (UCS) Use Viewing Tools (page 79) Display Multiple Views in Model Space (page 90) Use Gizmos to Modify Objects Use gizmos to move, rotate, or scale objects and subobjects in a 3D view.
By default, gizmos are displayed automatically when you select an object or subobject in a view that has a 3D visual style. Because they constrain modifications along specific planes or axes, gizmos help ensure more predictable results. You can specify which gizmos are displayed when an object is selected, or you can suppress their display. Use the Gizmos Gizmos help move, rotate, and scale 3D objects and subobjects.
For best results, use object snaps to locate the grip center box. Switch Between the Gizmos Whenever you select an object in a 3D view, the default gizmo is displayed. You can select a different default on the status bar, or change the value of the DEFAULTGIZMO system variable. You can also suppress the display of gizmos when objects are selected. After the gizmo is active, you can also switch to a different type of gizmo.
Change the Gizmo Settings The following settings affect the display of gizmos: ■ Default gizmo. The DEFAULTGIZMO system variable specifies which gizmo is displayed by default when an object is selected in a view with a 3D visual style. You can turn off display of the gizmo. This setting is also available on the status bar. ■ Default location. The GTLOCATION system variable sets the default location of the gizmo.
To move the objects freely, drag outside the gizmo or specify the axis or plane to which you will constrain the movement. Constrain the Movement to an Axis You can use the Move gizmo to constrain the movement to an axis. As the cursor hovers over an axis handle on the gizmo, a vector aligned with the axis is displayed, and the specified axis turns yellow. Click the axis handle. As you drag the cursor, movement of the selected objects and subobjects is constrained to the highlighted axis.
the distance of the move from the base point. If you enter a value, the movement direction of the object follows the initial direction of the cursor movement. Constrain the Movement to a Plane You can use the Move gizmo to constrain the movement to a plane. Each plane is identified by a rectangle that extends from the respective axis handles. You can specify the plane of movement by moving the cursor over the rectangle. When the rectangle turns yellow, click it.
As you drag the cursor, the selected objects and subobjects move only along the highlighted plane. Click or enter a value to specify the distance of the move from the base point.
Rotate 3D Objects Constrain the rotation of 3D objects and subobjects to an axis. After you select the objects and subobjects that you want to rotate, the gizmo is located at the center of the selection set. This location is indicated by the center box (or base grip) of the gizmo. It sets the base point for the movement and temporarily changes the position of the UCS while you rotate the selected objects. You then rotate the objects freely by dragging outside the gizmo.
When you drag the cursor, the selected objects and subobjects rotate about the base point along the specified axis. The gizmo displays the degree of rotation from the original position of the object as the object moves. You can click or enter a value to specify the angle of the rotation. Scale 3D Objects Change the size of 3D objects uniformly or along a specified axis or plane.
After you select the objects and subobjects to scale, constrain the object scaling by clicking the gizmo axis, plane, or the portion of the gizmo between all three axes. NOTE Non-uniform scaling (along an axis or a plane) is only available for meshes, it is not available for solids and surfaces. Scale a 3D Object Along an Axis Constrain mesh object scaling to a specified axis. As you move the cursor over the axes on the 3D Scale gizmo, a vector line representing the axis of scale is displayed.
When you drag the cursor, the selected objects and subobjects are resized along the specified axis. Click or enter a value to specify the scale from the selected base point. Scale a 3D Object Along a Plane Constrain the mesh object scaling to a specified plane. Each plane is identified by a bar that extends from the outer ends of the respective axis handles. Specify the plane of scale by moving the cursor over one of the bars. When the bar turns yellow, click it.
As you drag the cursor, the selected objects and subobjects are scaled only along the highlighted plane. Click or enter a value to specify the scale from the selected base point. Scale a 3D Object Uniformly Scale solid, surface, and mesh objects uniformly along all axes. As you move the cursor toward the center point of the gizmo, a highlighted triangular area indicates that you can click to scale the selected objects and subobjects along all three axes.
As you drag the cursor, the selected objects and subobjects are scaled uniformly. Click or enter a value to specify the scale from the selected base point. Use Grips to Modify Solids and Surfaces Use grips to change the shape and size of solids and surfaces. Use 3D Subobject Grips Select faces, edges, and vertices on 3D objects. A subobject is a face, edge or vertex of a solid, surface, or mesh object.
You can select one or more subobjects on any number of 3D objects. The selection set can include more than one type of subobject. Press and hold Ctrl to select subobjects at the selection prompts of the MOVE, ROTATE, SCALE, and ERASE commands. You can remove an item from the selection set by pressing and holding Shift and selecting it again. Select Subobjects on Composite 3D Solids Press and hold Ctrl to select faces, edges, and vertices on composite solids.
If you set a subobject selection filter (page 457), you can select the face, edge, or vertex by clicking it once. Cycle Through and Filter Subobjects Filter and select faces, edges, and vertices on 3D objects. A subobject is a face, edge or vertex of a solid, surface, or mesh object. Cycle Through Multiple Subobjects In 3D views, some objects or subobjects might be hidden behind others. You can press Ctrl+Spacebar to cycle through the hidden subobjects until the object you want to select is highlighted.
Turn on the Subobject Selection Filter Selecting a specific type of subobject can be difficult on complex objects, such as meshes. You can limit the selection to a face, edge, vertex, or history subobject by setting a subobject selection filter. When a subobject selection filter is on, you do not need to press and hold Ctrl to select the face, edge, or vertex of a 3D model. However, you need to turn off the filter to select the entire object.
NOTE For mesh objects, only the center grip is displayed. However you can edit mesh objects with the 3D Move, Rotate, or Scale gizmos. Primitive Solid Forms and Polysolids You can drag grips to change the shape and size of primitive solids and polysolids. For example, you can change the height and base radius of a cone without losing the overall cone shape. Drag the top radius grips to transform the cone to a flat-topped, frustum cone.
Swept Solids and Surfaces Swept solids and surfaces display grips on the swept profile as well as on the sweep path. You can drag these grips to modify the solid or surface. When you click and drag a grip on the profile, the changes are constrained to the plane of the profile curve.
You cannot use grips to modify lofted solids or surfaces that are created with guide curves. Revolved Solids and Surfaces Revolved solids and surfaces display grips on the revolved profile at the start of the revolved solid or surface. You can use these grips to modify the profile of the solid of surface. A grip is also displayed at the axis of revolution endpoint. You can relocate the axis of revolution by dragging the grip to another location.
See also: Create 3D Solids and Surfaces (page 373) Create a Solid Cone (page 377) Modify 3D Subobjects Modify the shape of a 3D solid or surface by editing its subobjects (faces, edges, and vertices). Move, Rotate, and Scale 3D Subobjects Move, rotate, and scale individual subobjects on 3D solids and surfaces.
■ Use gizmos (3DMOVE, 3DROTATE, and 3DSCALE) ■ Enter object editing commands (MOVE, ROTATE, and SCALE) About Modifying Subobjects When you move, rotate, or scale a subobject, the subobject is modified in a way that maintains the integrity of the 3D solid or surface. For example, when you drag an edge to move it, the adjacent faces are adjusted so that they remain adjacent to the edge. Several results are possible when you modify a solid or surface.
Move, Rotate, and Scale Subobjects on Composite Solids When you modify composite solids, the effect of the edits depends on the current setting of the History property. ■ To modify subobjects of each history component separately, the History property must be set to Record (On). ■ To modify subobjects of the combined composite solid as a whole, the History property must be set to None (Off).
■ You can only modify an edge that is a straight line and that has at least one planar adjacent face. The planes of the adjacent planar faces are adjusted to contain the modified edge. ■ You cannot move, rotate, or scale edges (or their vertices) that are imprinted inside faces. ■ You can only modify a vertex if it has at least one planar adjacent face. The planes of the adjacent planar faces are adjusted to contain the modified vertex.
Modify the location, rotation, and size of faces on a 3D solids and surfaces. cube with top face moved, rotated, and scaled Use the MOVE, ROTATE, and SCALE commands to modify faces just as you would with any other object. Press and hold Ctrl while you select a face on a solid. If you move, rotate, or scale a face on a 3D solid primitive, the solid primitive’s history is removed. The solid is no longer a true primitive and cannot be manipulated using grips or the Properties Inspector.
■ Extend Adjacent Faces. When you move or rotate a face without pressing Ctrl, the shape and size of the face is maintained. However, the planes of adjacent faces might change.
■ Move Face. When you move a face and press and release Ctrl once while dragging, the position of the face is modified within the boundary, or footprint, of the adjacent faces. ■ Allow Triangulation. When you move or rotate a face and press and release Ctrl twice while dragging, the size and shape of the face is maintained. (This behavior is the same as if you had not pressed Ctrl). However, the adjacent planar faces are triangulated (divided into two or more planar triangular faces), if necessary.
Enter, the original selection point is used as a base point. The next point is the point of displacement. If a face is surrounded by coplanar faces, you can delete it using the following methods: ■ Select the face and press Delete. ■ Select the face and enter erase. ■ Use the Delete option of the SOLIDEDIT command. Color a Faces You can modify the color of a face on a 3D solid by selecting the face and then changing the Color property in the Properties Inspector.
cubes with edges moved, rotated, and scaled You can use MOVE, ROTATE, and SCALE to modify edges on 3D solids and surfaces just as you can for any other object. Press and hold Ctrl to select the edge. If you move, rotate, or scale an edge on a 3D solid primitive, the history of the solid primitive is removed. The solid is no longer a true primitive and cannot be manipulated using grips and the Properties Inspector. Edges on regions can be selected, but do not display grips.
■ Extend Adjacent Faces. When you move, rotate, or scale an edge without pressing Ctrl, the shared length of the edge and its vertices is maintained. However, the planes of the adjacent faces adjacent might be changed. ■ Move Edge. When you move, rotate, or scale an edge and press and release Ctrl once while dragging, the edge is modified without its vertices. The surfaces of the adjacent faces are maintained, but the length of the modified edge might change. ■ Allow Triangulation.
TIP Rather than pressing Ctrl to cycle through edge modification options, hover over an edge grip to display the grip multi-functional menu. Delete Edges You can also delete edges that completely divide two coplanar faces using one of the following methods: ■ Select the edge and press Delete. ■ Select the edge and enter the ERASE command. Fillet and Chamfer 3D Solids Round, fillet, or bevel the edges of 3D solids using FILLETEDGE and CHAMFEREDGE.
If you specify two points, the first point is used as a base point and a single copy is placed relative to the base point. If you specify a single point, and then press Enter, the original selection point is used as a base point. The next point is used as a point of displacement.
Move, rotate, scale, or drag the vertices of 3D solids and surfaces. wedge with two vertices moved You can modify the form of a 3D solid or surface by modifying one or more vertices. Use grips and gizmos, or run the MOVE, ROTATE, or SCALE command. When you scale or rotate vertices, you must select two or more vertices to see a change in the object. Clicking and dragging a vertex “stretches” the 3D object.
■ Move Vertex. When you move a vertex and press and release Ctrl once, adjacent planar faces might be adjusted. ■ Allow Triangulation. When you move a vertex without pressing Ctrl, some adjacent planar faces may be triangulated (divided into two or more planar triangular faces). If you press and release Ctrl a second time, the modification returns to the first option, as if you had not pressed Ctrl.
Use Grip Tools to Modify 3D Solids (page 443) Modify Objects (page 233) Overview of Modifying Meshes (page 499) Work with Complex 3D Solids and Surfaces Modify composite solids that are created by a union, subtract, intersect, fillet, or chamfer process. Display Original Forms of Composite Solids By default, 3D composite objects retain a history that displays an editable image of their original component forms.
To retain a history of the original parts of composite solids, the History property must be set to Record (On) in the Properties Inspector when the composite operation occurs. You can also use the SOLIDHIST system variable to set this property. Display and Remove the History to Modify the Composite When you modify the composite object, you can display the history. Then use the grips on the history subobject to modify the object.
Removing a composite history is useful when you work with complex composite solids. After you create the initial complex form, set History to None (Off) to remove the history. Then reset the value to Record (On). With this process, you can create a complex composite object, and then reset it to serve as a base form for additional composite operations.
Modify Original Components of Composites When the History property is set to Record (On), press the Ctrl key to display any original forms that were removed during a union, subtract, or intersect operation. If the original, removed form was a solid primitive, you can drag the displayed grips to change its shape and size. As a result, the composite object is modified. If the selected individual form does not contain its history, you can move, rotate, scale, or delete the form.
You can also change the size and shape of composite objects by clicking and dragging grips on individual faces, edges, and vertices. For more information, see Modify 3D Subobjects (page 462). Separate Discrete Objects Combined with a Union If you have combined discrete 3D solids or surfaces using a union operation, you can separate them into their original components. (Use the Separate option of the SOLIDEDIT command.) Composite objects cannot overlap or share a common area or volume to be separated.
Shell 3D Solids Convert a 3D solid to a hollow wall, or shell. When you can convert a solid object to a shell, new faces are created by offsetting existing faces inside or outside their original positions. Continuously tangent faces are treated as a single face when they are offset. Clean and Check 3D Solids Remove redundant faces, edges, and vertices from a 3D solid, and verify whether the 3D solid is valid. You can remove redundant edges or vertices that share the same surface or vertex definition.
Press or Pull Bounded Areas Create a positive or negative extrusion in the shape of a bounded area. Press in or pull out bounded, or closed, areas to create 3D holes and positive extrusions. Object formed using press and pull operations on an imprinted pyramid. In combination with imprinted faces, you can form complex shapes using press or pull operations to create extrusions and notches.
Methods for Press and Pull Modifications With the PRESSPULL command, you specify the area to be extruded, and then move the cursor or enter a value to specify the length of the extrusion. The result is a single 3D solid object, often with a composite shape. NOTE If you alternatively use EXTRUDE to extend an existing face on a 3D solid, a separate extruded object is created.
Objects that can be imprinted on 3D solids include arcs, circles, lines, 2D and 3D polylines, ellipses, splines, regions, bodies, and other 3D solids. Edit Imprinted Objects You can edit imprinted objects and subobjects in many of the same ways that you can edit other faces. For example, you can Ctrl+click to select a new edge and drag it to a new location, or you can use PRESSPULL on the facet.
Set Whether to Retain Compound Object History With 3D solids that have been recombined to form compound objects, you can choose to retain the history subobject, which represents components that have been removed. The Properties Inspector controls the availability and display of these histories. For more information, see Work with Complex 3D Solids and Surfaces (page 476). Modify Surface Objects by Changing Properties Surface objects have additional properties that are not found in 3D solid or mesh objects.
Surfaces include the following information in the Properties inspector: ■ Basic geometric information - Contains information such as radius for fillet surfaces, offset distance for offset surfaces, and taper angle for extruded surfaces. You can also enter mathematical expressions to control some of these properties. ■ Maintain Associativity - Displays whether surface is associative or not. Use this property to turn associativity off.
■ Crease Type. Specifies the presence of a crease (or sharpened edge) and the effect of smoothing. Smoothing does not affect a crease with a value of Always. A crease set to By Level retains its sharpness until the mesh object is smoothed to the specified crease level. ■ Crease Level. When a crease is set to By Level, indicates the smoothing level at which the crease starts to lose its sharpness.
In some cases, the application of properties can differ depending on the object type. For example, you can modify the properties of mesh faces, including their color. However, the color appearance of a mesh face might differ from the equivalent color on a 3D solid face. This difference occurs because changing the color of a face modifies the diffuse color of the face, but not the ambient color (which is derived from the mesh material property).
■ Extend Surfaces ■ Fillet Surfaces Modify 3D Models | 489
■ Edit NURBS Surfaces 490 | Chapter 8 Work with 3D Models
Trim and Untrim Surfaces Trim and untrim surfaces to meet the edges of other objects. An important step in the surface modeling workflow is trimming surfaces. You can trim a surface where it meets an intersecting object or you can project geometry onto a surface as a trimming edge. When a surface is trimmed, the removed surface areas can be replaced with SURFUNTRIM. NOTE SURFUNTRIM does not restore areas removed by the SURFAUTOTRIM system variable and PROJECTGEOMETRY.
The Properties Inspector indicates if the surface contains any trimmed edges. Projecting Geometry onto Surfaces, Solids, and Regions Similar to projecting a movie onto a screen, you can project geometry onto 3D solids, surfaces, and regions from different directions to create trimming edges. The PROJECTGEOMETRY command creates a duplicate curve on the object that you can move and edit.
Fillet a Surface Create a new transition surface that fillets an area between two existing surfaces or regions. Create a tangent surface between two surfaces or regions with a constant radius profile. The original surfaces will trim to meet the fillet surface. By default, the fillet surface uses the radius value set in the FILLETRAD3D system variable. Change the radius while you are creating the surface with the radius option or by dragging the fillet grip.
Use CVSHOW to display the control vertices for both NURBS surfaces and curves. Drag the control vertices to reshape the curve or surface; you can also add or delete control vertices in both the U and V directions. The typical surface modeling workflow is to: ■ Create a model that combines 3D solids, surfaces, and mesh objects. ■ Convert the model to procedural surfaces to take advantage of associative modeling.
Editing a NURBS surface or curve can create discontinuity and wrinkles. Reconstruct the surface or curve by changing the degree and the number of control vertices. Rebuilding also allows you to delete the original geometry, and, for surfaces only, to replace trimmed areas. Analyze Surfaces Surface analysis tools check the continuity, curvature and draft angles of surfaces. Use the surface analysis tools to validate surfaces and curves before manufacturing.
■ Draft Analysis (page 499) - Evaluates whether a model has adequate draft between a part and its mold. NOTE Analysis tools only work in the 3D visual styles; they will not work in 2D.
Analyze Surface Continuity with Zebra Analysis The zebra analysis tool projects stripes onto a surface so that you can inspect the continuity between surfaces. Surface continuity is a measure of how smoothly two surfaces flow into each other. A car hood, for example, can be composed of multiple small surfaces that appear to be one because of the smoothness of the surface continuity. NOTE Analysis tools only work in the 3D visual styles; they will not work in 2D.
■ G2 Curvature. The position, tangency, and curvature of the surface edges is the same. This indicates G2 (G0 + G1 + G2 or position + tangency + curvature). The stripes line up, but they do not veer away from each other at sharp curves (because they share the same curvature). This distinction is subtle and a little harder to discern from G1 continuity. Analyze the Curvature of a NURBS Surface Displays a color gradient onto surfaces to evaluate areas of high, low and Gaussian curvature.
The color gradient allows you to visualize Gaussian, minimum, maximum, and mean U and V surface curvature. Maximum curvature and a positive Gaussian value display as red, and minimum curvature and a negative Gaussian value display as blue. Positive Gaussian curvature means the surface is shaped like a bowl. Negative Gaussian curvature means the surface is shaped like a saddle as shown in this illustration.
NOTE The capabilities described in this section apply only to mesh objects created in AutoCAD 2010 and later. They cannot be used with legacy polyface or polygon mesh.
About Mesh Faces Mesh objects are composed of faces and facets. Faces are non-overlapping units that—along with their edges and vertices—form the basic editable units of a mesh object. When you move, rotate, and scale individual mesh faces, surrounding faces are stretched and deformed in order to avoid introducing gaps. When gaps occur, you can often close them by smoothing the object or refining individual faces.
About Mesh Facets Mesh faces have underlying structures, known as facets. The density of the facet grid corresponds to the smoothness of the mesh. As the smoothness level is increased, the density of the underlying facet grid also increases. When you want to confine detailed mesh editing to a smaller area, you can convert facets to editable faces by using refinement. Unlike faces, facets cannot be individually modified.
Use Grip Editing with Mesh Grips, as described in Use Grips to Edit 3D Solids and Surfaces (page 458), are not available with meshes. However, you can manipulate the entire mesh model or individual subobjects using the following methods: ■ Subobject selection and editing. Select faces, edges, and vertices the same way you select 3D solid subobjects. Press and hold Ctrl while selecting a subobject. The subobject highlighting indicates what is selected.
Increase or Decrease Smoothness As you work, you can increase and decrease the level of smoothness. The differences are apparent both in the wireframe and conceptual visual styles and in the rendered output.
The lowest level of smoothness, or baseline, is 0. By default, Level 0 has no smoothness.
current limits. However, you cannot decrease the smoothness of a mesh object whose level of smoothness is zero. If you have added creases to a mesh object, the effect of smoothing differs, depending on the crease setting. The effect of creases added to mesh that has no smoothness (Level 0) is not apparent until the mesh is smoothed. As you edit an object using gizmos or grips, you might create gaps in the mesh object. One way to close the gap is to smooth the object or refine individual subobjects.
Refine a Mesh Object and Reset the Baseline Refining an object increases the number of editable faces by converting the underlying facets to faces. The number of resulting faces depends on the current level of smoothness. Higher smoothness levels result in a higher number of faces after refinement. In addition to increasing the number of faces, refining a mesh object resets its level of smoothness back to the baseline.
Refine a Mesh Face You can refine an entire mesh object as shown in the previous illustration, or select a specific face to refine. A refined face is subdivided into four faces and the surrounding faces are deformed slightly to accommodate the change. Refining a mesh face does not affect the overall smoothing level of the mesh object. Unlike a refined mesh object, refined faces can be refined again immediately. With mesh face refinement, you can target smaller areas for detailed modeling.
How Refinement Affects Creases A crease that is set to Always retains its sharpness no matter how much you smooth or refine the object. However, the behavior is different when you assign a crease value. If you refine an object or edge that has a crease value, the assigned crease value is lowered by the value of the original level of smoothing. Suppose that you add a crease with a crease value of 4 and then refine a mesh whose level of smoothness is 2. The new crease value is 2.
Add Creases to Different Subobjects The result of creasing differs, depending on what type of subobject you select. ■ Edge. The selected edge is sharpened. The adjacent faces are deformed to accommodate the new crease angle. ■ Face. The selected face is flattened and all edges that bound that face are sharpened. Adjacent faces are deformed to accommodate the new shape of the face. ■ Vertex. The point of the vertex and all intersecting edges are sharpened.
Assign a Crease Value to the Edge As you apply a crease, you set a crease value that determines how the crease is affected by smoothing. A value of Always ensures that the crease is always retained, even when the mesh is repeatedly smoothed. Higher crease values ensure that the crease is retained through several smoothing processes. (During smoothing, the assigned crease value is decreased by the value of the original level of smoothing.) You can add a crease to mesh that has not been smoothed.
Because you specify the start point and end point of the split, this method also gives you control over the shape of the two new faces. Use the Vertex option to snap automatically to the vertices of the face. If you plan to split a face to create—and then spin the edge of—two triangular faces (MESHSPIN), use the Vertex option to ensure precision. Extrude Mesh Faces You can add definition to a 3D object by extruding a mesh face. Extruding other types of objects creates a separate 3D solid object.
You can use the same methods for extrusion of the faces of 3D solids and meshes as you use for other types of objects. For example, you can specify an extrusion direction, a path, or a taper angle. However, when you extrude mesh faces, the MESHEXTRUDE command provides an option that sets whether adjacent faces are extruded individually or whether their shared edges remained joined. You cannot create joined extrusions for mesh faces in which only the vertices are shared.
For more information about extrusion, see Extrude Objects (page 364). Reconfigure Adjacent Mesh Faces You can extend your editing options by reconfiguring adjacent faces. Several options are available: ■ Merge adjacent faces. Combine adjacent faces to form a single face. Merging works best with faces that are on the same plane. Although you can merge faces that wrap a corner, additional modifications to the resulting mesh object can have unexpected results. ■ Collapse the mesh vertices.
■ Spin edges of triangular faces. Rotate an edge that is shared by two triangular faces. The shared edge spins to extend from the opposite vertices. This activity works best when the adjoined triangles form a rectangular, not a triangular, shape.
Create and Close Mesh Gaps Delete mesh faces or close gaps in mesh objects. Remove Mesh Faces You can press Delete or use the ERASE command to remove mesh faces. The removal leaves a gap in the mesh. ■ Deleting a face removes only the face. ■ Deleting an edge removes each adjacent face.
■ Deleting a vertex removes all faces that are shared by the vertex. If removal of a mesh face creates a gap, the mesh object is not “watertight.” It can be converted to a surface object, but not to a 3D solid object.
Close Gaps in Mesh Objects If a mesh object is not watertight due to gaps, or holes, in the mesh, you can make it watertight by closing the holes. The cap, or new face, spans the boundary formed by the mesh edges that you specify (MESHCAP). This process works best when all edges are on the same plane. The edges you select as boundaries cannot be shared by two faces. For example, you cannot close the center hole in a mesh torus.
Mesh smoothing Mesh modeling is a powerful way to design, but higher levels of smoothness increase complexity and can affect performance. You can work more efficiently if you complete editing operations such as gizmo editing, extrusion, and face splitting, on mesh objects that have not been smoothed. (That is, their level of smoothness is 0.) Mesh sphere modeled by grip editing and extrusion, then smoothed.
results, avoid refining the object, and refine or split only the individual faces that require more detailed modeling. mesh box, refined mesh box, and mesh box with one face refined Refining individual faces does not reset the level of smoothness for the object. Crease edges to help limit distortion when the object is smoothed Creased edges can be set to maintain their sharpness, no matter how much the object is smoothed.
Creasing set to Always retains its sharpness after smoothing. If you set a crease value, the creased edge becomes smoother at the equivalent level of smoothness. Use gizmos to model faces, edges, and vertices 3D Move, 3D Rotate, and 3D Scale gizmos can be used to modify entire mesh objects, or specific subobjects. For example, you can rotate and scale an individual face using the 3D Move, Rotate, and Scale gizmos.
Mesh faces selected when the face subobject selection filter is on. A filter is especially valuable for selecting mesh vertices, which are not highlighted as you move the mouse over them. In order to select the entire mesh object, you need to turn off the subselection filters. Model by extruding faces A key difference between gizmo editing and extrusion occurs in the way each face is modified.
Mesh faces extended using 3D Move gizmo. Mesh extrusion, however, inserts additional faces to close the gap between the extruded face and its original surface. With mesh extrusion, you can set whether adjacent faces are extruded as a unit (joined) or separately (unjoined).
Mesh faces extruded, then smoothed. If you are working on an object that has not been smoothed, try smoothing it periodically to see how the extrusion is affected by smoothing. Convert between mesh and 3D solids or surfaces Mesh modeling is powerful, but it cannot do everything that solid modeling can do. If you need to edit mesh objects through intersection, subtraction, or union, you can convert mesh to 3D solid or surface objects.
The SMOOTHMESHCONVERT system variable sets whether the mesh objects that you convert to 3D solids or surfaces are smoothed or faceted, and whether their co-planar faces are optimized (merged). You might have trouble converting some non-primitive mesh to solid objects due to the following problems: ■ Gaps in the mesh. If you notice gaps, you can sometimes close them by smoothing the object or by refining the faces that are adjacent to the gap.
mesh wedge with front faces dragged past the back faces Mesh objects that cannot be converted to solids can often be converted to surfaces instead. Avoid merging faces that wrap a corner When you merge faces, you can create a mesh configuration in which the merged face wraps a corner. If a resulting face has a vertex that has two edges and two faces, you cannot convert the mesh to a smooth 3D solid object.
One way to resolve this problem is to convert the mesh to a faceted solid instead of a smooth solid. You might also be able to repair the problem by splitting the adjacent faces, starting at the shared vertex (MESHSPLIT). Create Sections and Drawings from 3D Models Create cross sections, cutting planes, flattened views, and 2D drawings of 3D objects. Work with Sections Create cross sections of 3D models.
Overview of Section Objects Create a section plane that can be modified and moved to achieve the cross section view that you need. With the SECTIONPLANE command, you can create one or more section objects and place them throughout a 3D model (3D solids, surfaces, or mesh). By activating live sectioning, you can then view transient cuts in the 3D model as you move the section object through it. The 3D objects themselves do not change.
Store Properties in Section Lines The section plane contains a section line that stores section object properties. You can create multiple section objects to store different properties. For example, one section object can display a hatch pattern at the section plane intersection. Another section object can display a specific linetype for the boundary of the intersected area.
to hide, or cut away, the portion of the model that is on the viewing side of the section plane indicator. Save and Share Section Images After you create a sectional view, you can generate an accurate 2D or 3D block from the 3D model. These blocks can be analyzed or checked for clearances and interference conditions. They can also be dimensioned, or used as wireframe or rendered illustrations in documentation and presentation drawings.
Align the Section Plane to a 3D Face One way to set the section plane is to click the face of an existing 3D object. (As you move the cursor, a dotted outline indicates the side of the plane to be selected.) The section plane is automatically aligned to the plane of the face you select. Section object aligned to face Create a Straight Cutting Plane Pick two points to create a straight cutting plane.
Add a Jogged Segment The section plane can be a straight line or it can have multiple or jogged sections. For example, a section containing a jog is one that cuts away a pie slice-shaped wedge from a cylinder. Create a section line that has jogged segments by using the Draw Section option of SECTIONPLANE to pick multiple points throughout the 3D model.
Section object with jogged segment Create Orthographic Sections You can align section objects to a specified orthographic orientation of the current UCS, such as front, back, bottom, top, left, or right.
Orthographic section planes are placed so that they pass through the center of the 3D extents of all 3D objects in the drawing. Create a Region to Represent the Cross Section With the SECTION command, you can create a 2D region object that represents a planar cross section through a 3D solid object. You do not have live sectioning capabilities when you use this legacy method to create cross sections.
The new region that represents the cross-sectional plane is placed on the current layer. NOTE Before you apply hatching to the cross-sectional cutting plane, align the UCS with the cutting plane. Modify a Section View After you create a section, adjust its display or modify its shape and location to change the represented section view. Add Jogs to a Section Add jogs, or angular segments, to existing section lines.
set by the Direction grip. The Nearest object snap is temporarily turned on to help you place the jogs on a section. You cannot add jogs to the side or back lines of the section object. After adding jogs, you can reposition and resize the jogged sections by dragging the section object grips. Use Live Section to Adjust the Cross Section Use live sectioning to move a section object through the 3D model or region dynamically.
assembly helps you visualize its internal components. You can use this method to create a cross section view that you can save or reuse. Turn on and Use Live Sectioning Live sectioning works with 3D objects and regions in model space. When live sectioning is activated, you can change the viewing planes by using grips to adjust the location of the section object or its segments. By turning on cutaway geometry, you can display the entire object that contains the section plane.
Turning off a section object layer does not turn off live sectioning. However, freezing the layer turns off live sectioning. Use Grips to Modify Section Objects Section object grips help you move and resize the section object.
Grips allow you to adjust the location, length, width, and height of the cutting area. ■ Base grip.Acts as the base point for moving, scaling, and rotating the section object. It is always adjacent to the Menu grip. ■ Second grip.Rotates the section object around the base grip. ■ Menu grip. Displays a menu of section object states, which control the display of visual information about the cutting plane. ■ Direction grip.Controls the viewing direction of the 2D section.
Set Section Object States Section objects have the following display states: ■ Section Plane. The section line and transparent section plane indicator are displayed. The cutting plane extends infinitely in all directions. ■ Section Boundary. A 2D box shows the XY extents of the cutting plane. The cutting plane along the Z axis extends infinitely. ■ Section Volume. A 3D box shows the extents of the cutting plane in all directions.
Associate Section Objects with Named Views Associate section objects with named views. When you activate a named view that has an associated section object, live sectioning is turned on for that section object. For a 3D model with multiple section objects, you might want to associate a particular section object to a view. Later, you can restore a saved sectional view and activate live sectioning for the associated section object.
For example, suppose your project requires 2D elevation drawings or 2D cross sections. The 2D Section / Elevation option creates an accurate block representation that is ready for dimensioning.
To publish or render a cutaway of the 3D model, select the 3D Section option. 3D section geometry consists of mostly 3D solids and surfaces. However, profile outlines and hatch patterns consist of 2D lines. The display properties of 2D section/elevation blocks and 3D section blocks are controlled in the Section Settings dialog box. When you create section blocks, you have the following choices for how they are handled: ■ Insert the section blocks.
Render Section Objects With live sectioning turned on, all lines on a section object are rendered as 2D lines. The section plane indicator is rendered as a transparent material. Its degree of transparency is controlled in the Properties Inspector. If you want to render a 3D cutaway, save the cutaway section as a 3D block and render the block reference. Print Section Objects When a section object is in a Section Boundary or Section Volume state, displayed lines cannot be printed.
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The flatshot process works only in model space. Start by setting up the view you want, including orthographic or parallel views. All 3D objects in the model space viewport are captured. Therefore, be sure to place the objects you do not want captured on layers that are turned off or frozen. As you create the block, you can control how hidden lines are displayed by adjusting the Foreground and Obscured Lines settings in the Flatshot dialog box.
Annotate Drawings 9 Work with Annotations When you annotate your drawings, you can use certain tools and properties to make working with annotations easier. Overview of Annotations Annotations are notes or other types of explanatory symbols or objects that are commonly used to add information to your drawing.
■ Blocks ■ Attributes Scale Annotations You can automate the process of scaling annotations in various layout viewports and in model space. Overview of Scaling Annotations Objects that are commonly used to annotate drawings have a property called Annotative. This property allows you to automate the process of scaling annotations so that they plot or display at the correct size on the paper.
Save to Legacy Drawing File Format Set the system variable SAVEFIDELITY to 1 when you save a drawing that contains annotative objects to a legacy drawing file format (AutoCAD 2007 or earlier). This preserves the visual fidelity of the drawing when it is opened in a release earlier than AutoCAD 2008 by saving individual representations of each scale of each annotative object. The individual objects are saved to layers that are used to organize objects of the same scale.
Use the CANNOSCALE system variable to set a default annotation scale setting. You can reset the list of annotative scales in a drawing to the default list of either metric or imperial scales defined in the registry with the Default Scale dialog box.
Many of the dialog boxes used to create these objects contain an Annotative check box where you can make the object annotative. You can also change existing objects to be annotative by changing the annotative property in the Properties Inspector palette. When you hover the cursor over an annotative object that supports one annotation scale, the cursor displays a more than one annotation scale, it displays a icon. When the object supports icon.
objects may be displayed in paper space viewports at different sizes than in AutoCAD 2008 and later releases. See also: Work with Annotative Styles (page 552) Work with Annotative Styles You can minimize the steps to annotate a drawing by using annotative styles. Work with Annotative Styles Annotative text, dimension, and multileader styles create annotative objects. The dialog boxes used to define these objects contain an Annotative check box where you can make the styles annotative.
Create Annotative Text (page 553) Use Dimension Styles (page 630) Create Annotative Dimensions and Tolerances (page 554) Work with Leader Styles (page 599) Create Annotative Leaders and Multileaders (page 555) Create Annotative Text Use annotative text for notes and labels in your drawing. You create annotative text by using an annotative text style, which sets the height of the text on the paper.
Create Annotative Dimensions and Tolerances You can create annotative dimensions for measurements in your drawing through annotative dimension styles. Create Annotative Dimensions and Tolerances Annotative dimension styles create dimensions in which all the elements of the dimension, such as text, spacing, and arrows, scale uniformly by the annotation scale. If you associate a dimension to an annotative object, the associativity of the dimension is lost.
You can also create annotative tolerances. Geometric tolerances show acceptable deviations of form, profile, orientation, location, and runout of a feature. See also: Dimensions and Tolerances (page 626) Use Dimension Styles (page 630) Work with Annotative Styles (page 552) Create Annotative Leaders and Multileaders Leaders and multileaders are used to add call outs to your drawings.
Create Annotative Blocks and Attributes If you want to use geometric objects to annotate your drawing, combine the objects into an annotative block definition. Create Annotative Blocks and Attributes Annotative block definitions create annotative block references. Annotative block references and attributes initially support the current annotation scale at the time they are inserted. You should insert annotative block references with a unit factor of 1.
You cannot change the Annotative property of individual block references. To set an annotative block’s paper size, you should define the block in paper space or on the Model layout with the annotation scale set to 1:1. When creating and working with annotative blocks and annotative objects within blocks, the following points should be noted: ■ Non-annotative blocks can contain annotative objects, which are scaled by the block’s scale factor in addition to the annotation scale.
■ Annotative blocks cannot reside in annotative blocks. ■ Annotative block references are scaled uniformly by the current annotation scale as well as any user scale applied to the block reference. ■ Blocks that contain annotative objects should not be manually scaled. You can define annotative attributes for annotative and non-annotative blocks.
You can use the HPANNOTATIVE system variable or the user interface to specify whether or not new hatches are annotative. By default, new hatch objects are non-annotative. The orientation of annotative hatches always matches the orientation of the layout.
See also: Overview of Hatch Pattern Definitions in the Customization Guide Display Annotative Objects For model space or a layout viewport, you can display all the annotative objects or only those that support the current annotation scale. Display Annotative Objects This reduces the need to use multiple layers to manage the visibility of your annotations.
Add and Modify Scale Representations When you create an annotative object in your drawing, it supports one annotation scale, the annotation scale that was current when you created the object. You can update annotative objects to support additional annotation scales. Add and Modify Scale Representations When you update an annotative object to support additional scales, you add additional scale representations to the object.
Use the ANNORESET command to reset the location of all scale representations for an annotative object to that of the current scale representation.
Set Orientation for Annotations Annotative blocks and text can be set so that their orientation matches the orientation of the layout. The orientation of annotative hatches always matches the orientation of the layout. Set Orientation for Annotations Even if the view in the layout viewport is twisted or if the viewpoint is non-planar, the orientation of these objects in layout viewports will match the orientation of the layout.
Annotative attributes in blocks match the paper orientation of the block.
Hatches, Fills, and Wipeouts Use hatch patterns, a solid fills, or gradient fills to cover an area. Use wipeout objects to blank out areas. See also: Modify Objects (page 233) Overview of Hatch Pattern Definitions in the Customization Guide Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills A hatch object displays a standard pattern of lines and dots used to highlight an area, or to identify a material, such as steel or concrete. It can also display a solid fill or a gradient fill.
By default, bounded hatches are associative, which means that the hatch object is associated with the hatch boundary objects, and changes to the boundary objects are automatically applied to the hatch. To maintain associativity, the boundary objects must continue to completely enclose the hatch. The alignment and orientation of a hatch pattern is determined by the current location and orientation of the user coordinate system, in addition to controls in the user interface.
Moving or rotating the UCS is an alternate method for controlling hatch patterns. NOTE By default, a preview of the hatch displays as you move the cursor over enclosed areas. To improve the response time in large drawings, turn off the hatch preview feature with the HPQUICKPREVIEW system variable, or decrease the time before the preview is temporarily canceled with the HPQUICKPREVTIMEOUT system variable.
NOTE Enclosed areas can be hatched only if they are in a plane parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS. Create Associative Hatches Associative hatches are automatically updated when their boundary objects are modified. Minor changes in the boundary of an associative hatch do not require erasing and re-creating the hatch. Hatch associativity is turned on by default and is controlled by the HPASSOC system variable.
Using Normal island detection, if you specify the internal pick point shown, islands remain unhatched and islands within islands are hatched. Using the same pick point, the results of the options are compared below. NOTE Text objects are treated as islands. If island detection is turned on, the result always leaves a rectangular space around the text.
Identify Gaps in Hatch Boundaries If the specified internal point is not within a fully enclosed area, red circles are displayed at the unconnected endpoints of the boundary to identify the gaps. The red circles remain displayed after you exit HATCH. They are removed when you specify another internal point for the hatch, or when you use REDRAW, REGEN, or REGENALL.
See also: Modify the Extents of a Hatch or Fill (page 576) Control the Appearance of Hatches Specify a hatch pattern or fill, and control its alignment and scale. Choose a Hatch Pattern or Fill Choose from three types of hatch patterns, and two types of fills. ■ Predefined hatch patterns. Choose from over 70 ANSI, ISO, and other industry-standard hatch patterns that are available. You can also use hatch patterns from hatch pattern libraries supplied by other companies.
Assign a Background Color to Hatch Patterns Predefined, user defined, and custom hatch patterns, can be assigned a background fill color. The background fill color shares the same level of transparency as the pattern itself. See also: Modify Hatch Properties (page 575) Overview of Hatch Pattern Definitions in the Customization Guide Control the Hatch Origin Point Each hatch pattern is aligned with an origin point. Changing the origin point shifts the pattern.
Control the Scale of Hatch Patterns The scale of hatch patterns can be set individually, or it can be set automatically based on the scale of each layout viewport. ■ If you create hatch patterns exclusively for a single view or at a constant scale, you can set the current hatch scale manually in the interface or with the HPSCALE system variable. ■ If you work with layout viewports in different scales, you can apply scale factors automatically by making them annotative.
See also: Modify Hatch Properties (page 575) Control How Overlapping Objects Are Displayed (page 144) Control the Display of Hatch Boundaries Hide or remove boundary objects to create hatches without borders. To create hatches that have no boundary objects, do one of the following: ■ Erase the boundary objects of an existing hatch. ■ Trim an existing hatch to objects that cross the edges of the hatch. After trimming, erase the objects.
This behavior is controlled by the HPDRAWORDER system variable. In drawings that contain many hatch objects, use the HATCHTOBACK command to display all hatch objects behind all other objects. Modify Hatches and Fills Modify hatch properties and boundaries, or re-create the boundaries hatch objects. Modify Hatch Properties Modify the properties of hatch objects directly or copy them from another hatch object.
Modify Hatch Alignment, Scale, and Rotation Shift, scale, or rotate hatch patterns to align them with existing objects. To shift a hatch pattern, relocate the origin point of the hatch object. The same tools in the user interface as listed in Modify Hatch Properties (page 575) include options for specifying a new origin point, specifying a different rotation angle, and changing the scale of the hatch pattern.
You can also change the hatch object by editing the grips of the associated boundary objects. To easily select all of the objects in a complex boundary, use the Display Boundary Objects option. If the boundary object is a polyline or spline, multi-functional grips are displayed. For more information, see Use Object Grips (page 235). Modify the Extents of Non-associative Hatches and Fills When you select a non-associative hatch, multi-functional grips are displayed on the hatch.
When you hover over a grip on a nonassociative hatch object, a grip menu displays several edit options based on the type of grip. For example, a linear segment grip has an option to convert the segment to an arc, or to add a vertex. NOTE For drastic changes, you can use TRIM to reduce the area covered by a hatch object, or EXPLODE to disassemble a hatch into its component objects.
Re-create the Boundary of a Hatch or Fill Create a new boundary object for a non-associative or an unbounded hatch or fill. Use the Recreate Boundary option to generate a closed polyline or a region object around a selected hatch or fill. You can also specify that the new boundary object is associated with the hatch. Create a Blank Area to Cover Objects Create a polygonal area, called a wipeout to mask underlying objects with the current background color.
Use the WIPEOUT command both for creating a wipeout object, and for controlling whether wipeout frames are displayed or hidden in the drawing. If a polyline is used to create a wipeout object, the polyline must be closed, contain line segments only, and have zero width. Use Wipeout Objects on a Layout You can create wipeout objects on a layout in paper space to mask objects in model space.
Create Text You can create text using several methods, depending on your needs. See also: Use Fields in Text (page 603) Overview of Creating Text The text you add to your drawings conveys a variety of information. It may be a complex specification, title block information, a label, or even part of the drawing. Single-Line Text For short entries that do not require multiple fonts or lines, create single-line text. Single-line text is most convenient for labels.
See also: Scale Annotations (page 548) Create Annotative Text (page 553) Create Single-Line Text You can use single-line text to create one or more lines of text, where each text line is an independent object that you can relocate, reformat, or otherwise modify. Use single-line text (TEXT) to create one or more lines of text, ending each line when you press Enter. Each text line is an independent object that you can relocate, reformat, or otherwise modify.
See also: Use Fields in Text (page 603) Notes and Labels | 583
Create Multiline Text A multiline text (mtext) object includes one or more paragraphs of text that can be manipulated as a single object. Overview of Multiline Text You can create a multiline text (mtext) object by entering or importing text. You can create one or more paragraphs of multiline text (mtext) in the In-Place Text Editor. You can also type text at the Command prompt if you use -MTEXT. You can insert text from a file saved in ASCII or RTF format.
individual characters. You can also create stacked text, such as fractions or geometric tolerances and insert special characters, including Unicode characters, for TrueType fonts. NOTE Not all SHX and TrueType text fonts support Unicode characters. Text Properties In the Properties Inspector palette, you can view and change the object properties of a multiline text object, including properties that apply specifically to text.
Format Characters Within Multiline Text You can override the text style and apply different formatting to individual words and characters within multiline text. The format changes affect only the text you select; the current text style is not changed. You can specify a different font and text height and apply boldface, italics, underlining, overlining, and color. You can also set an obliquing angle, change the space between characters, and make characters wider or narrower.
The text height setting specifies the height of capitalized text. For more information about how height is calculated, see MTEXT. See also: Work with Text Styles (page 605) Create Lists in Multiline Text You can create bulleted lists, lettered or numbered lists, or simple outlines in multiline text. Lines of multiline text can be formatted as a list. When you add or delete an item, or move an item up or down a level, the list numbering automatically adjusts.
Apply List Formatting When you apply list formatting, you can specify bullets, uppercase or lowercase letters, or numbers. Default settings are used for the type of list you choose. Letters or numbers are followed by a period. Nested lists use a double bullet, letter, or number. Items are indented based on the tab stops on the ruler in the In-Place Text Editor. Use Auto-list to Type a List When Auto-list is on, you can create a list as you type. You can use letters, numbers, or symbols.
Paste a List from Another Document If you copy a nested bulleted list (a list within a list) from a word processor and paste the list into a multiline text, the bullets that are displayed as empty circles might not be formatted like other bullets in multiline text. This is because the bullet might be a letter, such as o, instead of a bullet for nested bulleted lists. You can remove formatting from the nested list and reapply to change the bullets to double bullets.
Specify the Line Spacing Within Multiline Text Line spacing for multiline text is the distance between the baseline (bottom) of one line of text and the baseline of the next line of text. The line space factor applies to the entire multiline text object, not to selected lines. You can set the spacing increment to a multiple of single line spacing, or as an absolute distance. Single spacing is 1.66 times the height of the text characters.
NOTE Using Exactly can cause text in lines located above or below lines with large font characters to overlap the larger characters. Create Stacked Characters Within Multiline Text Characters representing fractions and tolerances can be formatted to conform to several standards. Stacked text refers to the fraction and tolerance formats applied to characters within multiline text object and multileaders. You use special characters to indicate how selected text should be stacked.
■ Pound sign (#) stacks text diagonally, separated by a diagonal line. ■ Carat (^) creates a tolerance stack, which is stacked vertically and not separated by a line. To stack characters manually within the In-Place Text Editor, select the text to be formatted, including the special stacking character, and right-click. From the shortcut menu, click Stack.
Adding text to a column with an arbitrary height will not increase the column height even if text is already filling the column. Text will flow into another column. You can also insert a column break to force text to start flowing into the next column. Anytime a column break is inserted, it is assumed that the current height of the column is fixed. To delete the break, highlight and delete it or use the Backspace key right after the break.
Importing TXT or RTF files from other sources gives you the most flexibility. For example, you can create a text file of standard notes that you include in drawings. The imported text becomes a multiline text object, which you can edit and reformat. Text imported from a TXT file inherits the current text style. Text imported from an RTF file inherits the current text style name, but retains its original fonts and format. Imported text files are limited to 256 KB and must have a file extension of .txt or .
When associative dimensioning is turned on and object snaps are used to locate the leader arrowhead, the leader is associated with the object to which the arrowhead is attached. If the object is relocated, the arrowhead is relocated, and the landing stretches accordingly. NOTE The leader object should not be confused with the leader line that is automatically generated as part of a dimension line.
A multileader object, or mleader, comprises a leader and a note. It can be created arrowhead first, tail first, or content first. If a multileader style has been used, then the multileader can be created from that style Multileader objects can contain multiple leader lines, each of which can have one or more segments, so that one note can point to multiple objects in your drawing. You can modify the properties of leader segment in the Properties Inspector palette.
horizontally, vertically, or within a specified area depending on your drawing needs. Multileader objects can be sorted evenly along a specified line. Using MLEADERALIGN, selected multileaders can be aligned and evenly spaced as specified. Associate Leaders with Objects When associative dimensioning is turned on (DIMASSOC system variable), the leader arrowhead can be associated with a location on an object using an object snap.
■ ■ ■ From the Landing grip, you can choose: ■ Stretch to move the leader landing. ■ Lengthen Landing to extend the Landing line. ■ Add Leader to add one or more leader lines. From a leader endpoint grip, you can choose: ■ Stretch to move the leader endpoint. ■ Add Vertex to add a vertex to the leader line. ■ Remove Leader to delete the selected leader line. From a leader vertex grip, you can choose: ■ Stretch to move the vertex. ■ Add Vertex to add a vertex on the leader line.
See also: Create and Modify Leaders (page 597) Work with Leader Styles The appearance of a leader is controlled by its multileader style. You can use the default multileader style, STANDARD, or create your own multileader styles. The multileader style can specify formatting for landing lines, leader lines, arrowheads, and content. For example, the STANDARD multileader style uses a straight leader line with a closed filled arrowhead and multiline text content.
There are several options for placing multiline text as content in a leader object.
Middle of text Middle of bottom line Bottom of bottom line Notes and Labels | 601
Underline bottom line Underline all text Leaders Containing Blocks Multileaders can contain blocks as content by applying a multileader style that references a block in your drawing. NOTE Annotative blocks cannot be used as either content or arrowheads in multileader objects. Blocks can be connected to a multileader by attaching the landing to a selected insertion point on the block. You can also connect a multileader to a center point on the selected block.
Use Fields in Text A field is updatable text that is set up to display data that may change during the life cycle of the drawing. When the field is updated, the latest value of the field is displayed. Insert Fields A field is text that contains instructions to display data that you expect to change during the life cycle of the drawing. When a field is updated, the latest data is displayed. For example, the value of the FileName field is the name of the file.
If you no longer want to update a field, you can preserve the value that is currently displayed by converting the field to text. The field expression, consisting of escape characters and a field code, is shown in the Insert Field dialog box but cannot be edited. Update Fields When a field is updated, it displays the latest value. You can update fields individually or update all fields in one or more selected text objects.
List of contextual fields PlotStyleTable For compatibility with previous releases, contextual fields in blocks and xrefs are not updated when you insert them in a drawing; instead, the field displays the last cached value. Therefore, if you want to use a contextual field within a block, for example, a title block, you must insert the field as an attribute. NOTE The Block Placeholder, Hyperlink, and SheetSet Manager fields are not available in AutoCAD 2012 for Mac.
Overview of Text Styles All text in a drawing has a text style associated with it. When you enter text, the program uses the current text style. The current text style sets the font, size, obliquing angle, orientation, and other text characteristics. If you want to create text using a different text style, you can make another text style current. The table shows the settings for the STANDARD text style.
Create and Modify Text Styles Except for the default STANDARD text style, you must create any text style that you want to use. Text style names can be up to 255 characters long. They can contain letters, numbers, and the special characters dollar sign ($), underscore (_), and hyphen (-). If you don't enter a text style name, the text styles are automatically named Stylen, where n is a number that starts at 1. You can modify an existing text style in the Text Style dialog box by changing the settings.
Formatting Retained? Stacking Yes Underlining Yes Annotative Text Styles Use annotative text for notes and labels in your drawing. You create annotative text by using an annotative text style, which sets the height of the text on the paper. For more information about creating and working with an annotative text, see Create Annotative Text (page 553).
Use TrueType Fonts Several factors affect the display of TrueType fonts in a drawing. TrueType fonts always appear filled in your drawing; however, when you plot, the TEXTFILL system variable controls whether the fonts are filled. By default TEXTFILL is set to 1 to plot the filled-in fonts. The In-Place Text Editor can display only fonts that are recognized by the operating system.
Asian Big Font SHX Files Asian alphabets contain thousands of non-ASCII characters. To support such text, the program provides a special type of shape definition known as a Big Font file. You can set a style to use both regular and Big Font files. Asian Language Big Fonts Included in the Product Font File Name Description @extfont2.shx Japanese vertical font (a few characters are rotated to work correctly in vertical text) bigfont.shx Japanese font, subset of characters chineset.
specifying the font file names, you can change one font without affecting the other, as shown in the following table. Specifying fonts and Big Fonts at the Command prompt Enter this ... To specify this ...
file pair: txt.shx and bigfont.shx. For more information, see Use Unicode and Big Fonts (page 609). ® In previous releases, you could display PostScript fonts in the drawing. Because later releases cannot display PostScript fonts, Autodesk has supplied TrueType font equivalents. These PostScript fonts are mapped to the equivalent TrueType fonts in a font mapping file.
Font substitution File extension First mapping order Second mapping order Third mapping order Fourth mapping order .shx Use font mapping table Use font defined in text style Use FONTALT Prompt for new font .pfb Use font mapping table Use FONTALT Prompt for new font Display Proxy Fonts For third-party or custom SHX fonts that have no TrueType equivalent, one of several different TrueType fonts called proxy fonts is substituted.
TrueType Fonts For TrueType fonts, the value specified for text height represents the height of a capital letter plus an ascent area reserved for accent marks and other marks used in non-English languages. The relative portion of text height that is assigned to capital letters and ascent characters is determined by the font designer at the time the font is designed; consequently, it varies from font to font.
Set Horizontal or Vertical Text Orientation Text can be vertical or horizontal. Text can have a vertical orientation only if the associated font supports dual orientation. Lines of text are oriented to be vertical or horizontal. Text can have a vertical orientation only if the associated font supports dual orientation. You can create more than one line of vertical text. Each successive text line is drawn to the right of the preceding line. The normal rotation angle for vertical text is 270 degrees.
Overview of Changing Text Text, whether created with TEXT, MTEXT, or MLEADER can be modified like any other object. You can move, rotate, erase, and copy it. You can change text properties in the Properties Inspector palette. You can also edit the contents of existing text and create a mirror image of it. The MIRRTEXT system variable controls whether text is also reversed when you mirror objects in your drawing.
Change Multiline Text You can change the location and content of multiline text objects with the Properties Inspector palette, the In-Place Text Editor, and grips.
Find and Replace Text You can easily find and replace text with the FIND command To search for and replace text, use FIND. Replacement is based on text content only; character formatting and text properties are not changed. When searching for text in a 3D view, the viewport will temporarily change to a 2D viewport so that text is not blocked by 3D objects in your drawing. With FIND, you can use wild-card characters in your search.
Check Spelling You can check the spelling of all text as it is entered in your drawing. You can also specify the specific language dictionary that is used and customize and manage multiple custom spelling dictionaries.
Any word not found in the current dictionary is underlined as misspelled. Spelling suggestions are displayed when you right-click the underlined word. Tables A table is a rectangular array of cells that contain annotation, primarily text but also multiple blocks. Tables appear in many different forms on many of the sheets that make up drawing sets.
When you change the height or width of the table, only the row or column adjacent to the grip you have selected will change. The table will maintain its height or width. To change the size of the table proportionally to the size of the row or column you are editing, press Ctrl while using a column grip.
Break Tables into Multiple Parts A table with a large amount of data can be broken into primary and secondary table fragments. Use the table breaking grips found at the bottom of your table to make a table span multiple columns in your drawing or to manipulate the different table parts you have already created. Modify a Table Cell You can click inside a cell to select it. Grips are displayed in the middle of the cell borders. Click inside another cell to move selection to that cell.
NOTE When a cell is selected, double-click to edit the cell text. You can also start entering text when a cell is highlighted to replace its current content. To select more than one cell, click and drag over several cells. You can also hold down Shift and click inside another cell to select those two cells and all the cells between them. When you click inside a table cell, the Table Cell visor is displayed.
See also: Add Content to Tables (page 624) Work with Table Styles The appearance of the table is controlled by its table style. You can use the default table style, STANDARD, or a custom table style saved in the drawing. NOTE AutoCAD 2012 for Mac does not support the ability to create or modify table and cell styles. You can edit the properties of a table and individual cells using the Properties Inspector.
When a table is created, the first cell is highlighted, and you can begin entering text. The row height of the cell increases to accommodate the number of lines of text. To move to the next cell, press Tab, or use the arrow keys to move left, right, up, and down. You can quickly edit cell text by double-clicking in a selected cell or start entering text to replace the current content of a cell.
Copy a Formula When you copy a formula to another cell in the table, the range changes to reflect the new location. For example, if the formula in A10 sums A1 through A9, when you copy it to B10, the range of cells changes so that it sums B1 through B9. If you don't want a cell address to change when you copy and paste the formula, add a dollar sign ($) to the column or row part of the address. For example, if you enter $A10, the column stays the same and the row changes.
Overview of Dimensioning Dimensioning is the process of adding measurement annotation to a drawing. You can create dimensions for a variety of object types in many orientations. The basic types of dimensioning are ■ Linear ■ Radial (radius, diameter and jogged) ■ Angular ■ Ordinate ■ Arc Length Linear dimensions can be horizontal, vertical, aligned, rotated, baseline, or continued (chained). Some examples are shown in the illustration.
Dimension text is a text string that usually indicates the measurement value. The text can also include prefixes, suffixes, and tolerances. A dimension line indicates the direction and extent of a dimension. For angular dimensions, the dimension line is an arc. Arrowheads, also called symbols of termination, are displayed at each end of the dimension line. You can specify different sizes and shapes for arrowheads or tick marks.
Dimension associativity defines the relationship between geometric objects and the dimensions that give their distance and angles. There are three types of associativity between geometric objects and dimensions. ■ Associative dimensions. Automatically adjust their locations, orientations, and measurement values when the geometric objects associated with them are modified. Dimensions in a layout may be associated to objects in model space. The DIMASSOC system variable is set to 2.
When selecting objects to dimension, make sure that the objects that you select do not include a directly overlapping object that does not support associative dimensioning such as a 2D solid. Associativity is not maintained between a dimension and a block reference if the block is redefined. Associativity is not maintained between a dimension and a 3D solid if the shape of the 3D solid is modified. Dimensions created with QDIM are not associative but may be associated individually with DIMREASSOCIATE.
■ If necessary, you can override a dimension style temporarily Compare Dimension Styles and Variables You can view all the settings in a dimension style. Dimension styles used in externally referenced drawings are differentiated from those defined in your current drawing. You can list the dimension styles in the current drawing. You can also list all dimensioning system variables and their current status or only the variables affected by a dimension style.
Control Dimension Lines You can control dimension line properties including color, lineweight, and spacing. You can control several aspects of a dimension line.
Control Extension Lines You can control extension line properties including color, lineweight, overshoot, and offset length.
■ Modify the angle of the extension lines of a selected dimension to make them oblique Fixed-Length Extension Lines You can specify a dimension style that sets the total length for extension lines starting from the dimension line toward the dimension origin point. The extension line offset distance from the origin will never be less than the value specified by the DIMEXO system variable.
See also: Create Dimensions with Oblique Extension Lines (page 654) Control Dimension Arrowheads You can control the arrowhead symbols in dimensions and leaders including their type, size, and visibility. You can choose from many standard types of arrowheads, or you can create your own arrowheads.
dimension line is trimmed by text gap x overall scale units at each end. To trim the dimension line, the rightmost block is inserted with a zero rotation angle for horizontal dimensioning. The leftmost block is rotated 180 degrees about its insertion point. NOTE The insertion point a block is defined with affects its placement as a custom arrowhead on a dimension or leader. For information on changing the insertion point of a block, see Create Drawing Files for Use as Blocks (page 334).
both placed outside. You can specify that if there is room for only text or arrowheads, then either text only or arrowheads only are placed between the extension lines. The following illustrations show how the program applies a "best fit" for arrowheads and text. If there is no room for text between the extension lines, you can have a leader line created automatically. This is useful in cases where text outside the extension lines would interfere with other geometry, for example, in continued dimensions.
Fit Diameter Dimension Text You can draw several different diameter dimensions depending on text placement, horizontal settings on the Modify/New Dimension Style dialog box, Text tab, and whether you select the Draw Dim Line Between Ext Lines option on the Modify/New Dimension Style dialog box, Fit tab. Control the Location of Dimension Text You can locate dimension text manually and specify its alignment and orientation.
The program comes with several justification settings that facilitate compliance with international standards, or you can choose your own location for the text. Many of the settings are interdependent. Example images in the Dimension Style Manager are updated dynamically to illustrate how text appears as you change the settings. Align Dimension Text Whether text is inside or outside the extension lines, you can choose whether it is aligned with the dimension line or remains horizontal.
Position Dimension Text Horizontally The position of the text along the dimension line in relation to the extension lines is referred to as text placement. To place text yourself when you create a dimension, use the Place Text Manually option on the Modify/New Dimension Style dialog box, Fit tab. Use the text placement options to automatically place text at the center of the dimension line, at either extension line, or over either extension line.
If you place text manually, you can place the dimension text anywhere along the dimension line, inside or outside the extension lines, as you create the dimension. This option provides flexibility and is especially useful when space is limited. However, the horizontal alignment options provide better accuracy and consistency between dimensions. Position Dimension Text Vertically The position of the text relative to the dimension line is referred to as vertical text placement.
you could add a diameter symbol as a prefix to a measurement or add the abbreviation for a unit, such as mm, as a suffix. Text in this context refers to all dimension text, prefixes and suffixes, primary and alternate units, and lateral tolerances. Geometric tolerances are controlled independently. Dimension text is treated as a single string of text, which you create and format using your text editor.
The angle brackets represent the primary units, and the square brackets represent the alternate units. The \X separates text above the dimension line from text below the dimension line. The \P is a paragraph break. The resulting text appears as follows: Control Dimension Values The numeric values displayed in dimensions can appear in several formats. You can also control how numeric distances are represented.
These settings are available on the Modify/New Dimension Style dialog box, Primary Units tab. Control the Display of Alternate Units You can create dimensions in two systems of measurement simultaneously. A common use of this feature is to add feet and inches dimensions to drawings created using metric units. The alternate units appear in square brackets ([ ]) in the dimension text. Alternate units cannot be applied to angular dimensions.
Round Off Dimension Values You can round off the numeric values in dimensions and lateral tolerances. You can round off all dimension values except those for angular dimensions. For example, if you specify a round-off value of 0.25, all distances are rounded to the nearest 0.25 unit. The number of digits displayed after the decimal point depends on the precision set for primary and alternate units and lateral tolerance values.
For dimension distances less than one unit, you can set the dimension distance to display in sub units. If the distance is shown in m, you can set to display distances less than one m in cm or mm. The table shows the effect of selecting each option and provides examples of the architectural units style. If feet are included with a fractional inch, the number of inches is indicated as zero, no matter which option you select. Thus, the dimension 4'-3/4" becomes 4'-0 3/4".
Lateral tolerances can be specified from theoretically exact measurements. These are called basic dimensions and have a box drawn around them. If the dimension value can vary in both directions, the plus and minus values you supply are appended to the dimension value as deviation tolerances. If the deviation tolerance values are equal, they are displayed with a sign and they are known as symmetrical. Otherwise, the plus value goes above the minus value.
Along with vertical placement of tolerance values, you can also control the horizontal alignment of the upper and lower tolerance values. The upper and lower tolerance values can be aligned using either the operational symbols or decimal separators. You can also control zero suppression as you can with the primary and alternate units. Suppressing zeros in lateral tolerances has the same effect as suppressing them in the primary and alternate units. If you suppress leading zeros, 0.5 becomes .
You can set the fraction format in dimensions using the DIMFRAC system variable when the DIMLUNIT system variable is set to 4 (architecture) or 5 (fractional). The following illustration shows the different fraction formats available. These settings are available on the Modify/New Dimension Style dialog box, Primary Units tab. Set the Scale for Dimensions You can specify the size of dimensions in your drawing. How you set dimension size depends on the method you use to lay out and print drawings.
Setting dimension scale depends on how you lay out your drawing. There are three methods used to create dimensions in a drawing layout: ■ Dimension in model space for printing in model space. This is the traditional method used with single-view drawings. To create dimensions that are scaled correctly for printing, set the DIMSCALE system variable to the inverse of the intended print scale. For example, if the print scale is 1/4, set DIMSCALE to 4. ■ .
Create Linear Dimensions You can create linear dimensions with horizontal, vertical, and aligned dimension lines. These linear dimensions can also be stacked, or they can be created end to end. Overview of Creating Linear Dimensions Linear dimensions can be horizontal, vertical, or aligned. With aligned dimensions, the dimension line is parallel to the line (imaginary or real) between the extension line origins.
Create Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions You can create dimensions using only the horizontal or vertical components of the locations or objects that you specify. The program automatically applies a horizontal or vertical dimension according to the extension line origins that you specify or the location where you select an object; however, you can override this as you create the dimension by specifying that a dimension be horizontal or vertical.
Create Baseline and Continued Dimensions Baseline dimensions are multiple dimensions measured from the same baseline. Continued dimensions are multiple dimensions placed end to end. You must create a linear, aligned, or angular dimension before you create baseline or continued dimensions. You create baseline dimensions incrementally from the most recently created dimension in the current session.
Create Rotated Dimensions In rotated dimensions, the dimension line is placed at an angle to the extension line origins. The illustration shows an example of a rotated dimension. In the example, the angle specified for dimension rotation is equal to the angle of the slot. Create Dimensions with Oblique Extension Lines You can create dimensions with extension lines that are not perpendicular to their dimension lines. Extension lines are created perpendicular to the dimension line.
Create Radial Dimensions Radial dimensions measure the radii and diameters of arcs and circles with optional centerlines or a center mark. There are two types of radial dimensions: ■ DIMRADIUS measures the radius of an arc or circle, and displays the dimension text with the letter R in front of it. ■ DIMDIAMETER measures the diameter of an arc or circle, and displays the dimension text with the diameter symbol in front of it.
For horizontal dimension text, if the angle of the radial dimension line is greater than 15 degrees from horizontal, a hook line, also called a dogleg or landing, one arrowhead long, is created next to the dimension text. Control Extension Lines When an arc is dimensioned, the radial or diametric dimension does not have to be positioned along the arc directly.
Control Centerlines and Center Marks Depending on your dimension style settings, center marks and lines generate automatically for diameter and radius dimensions. They are created only if the dimension line is placed outside the circle or arc. You can create centerlines and center marks directly with the DIMCENTER command. You can control the size and visibility of centerlines and center marks on the New/Modify Dimension Style dialog box, Symbols and Arrows tab, under Center Marks.
The size of the centerline is the length of the centerline segment that extends outside the circle or arc. It is also the size of the gap between the center mark and the start of the centerline. The size of the center mark is the distance from the center of the circle or arc to the end of the center mark.
Create Jogged Radius Dimensions With the DIMJOGGED command, you can create jogged radius dimensions, also called “foreshortened radius dimensions,” when the center of an arc or circle is located off the layout and cannot be displayed in its true location. The origin point of the dimension can be specified at a more convenient location called the center location override.
See also: Fit Dimension Text Within Extension Lines (page 636) Create Angular Dimensions Angular dimensions measure the angle between two lines or three points. To measure the angle between two radii of a circle, you select the circle and specify the angle endpoints. With other objects, you select the objects and then specify the dimension location. You can also dimension an angle by specifying the angle vertex and endpoints.
The location that you specify for the dimension line arc determines the quadrant of the dimensioned angle. Dimension to a Quadrant Angular dimensions can measure a specific quadrant that is formed when dimensioning the angle between of the endpoints of a line or arc, center point of a circle, or two vertices. As an angular dimension is being created, there are four possible angles that can be measured. By specifying a quadrant it allows you to ensure that the correct angle is dimensioned.
Ordinate dimensions consist of an X or Y value with a leader line. X-datum ordinate dimensions measure the distance of a feature from the datum along the X axis. Y-datum ordinate dimensions measure the distance along the Y axis. Locate the Datum The location and orientation of the current UCS determines the ordinate values. Before creating ordinate dimensions, you typically set the UCS origin to coincide with the datum.
Locate the Leader After you specify the feature location, you are prompted for the leader endpoint. By default, the leader endpoint that you specify automatically determines whether an X- or a Y-datum ordinate dimension is created. For example, you can create an X-datum ordinate dimension by specifying a location for the leader endpoint that is closer to vertical than horizontal. After creating an ordinate dimension, you can easily relocate the dimension leader and text using grip editing.
Typical uses of arc length dimensions include measuring the travel distance around a cam or indicating the length of a cable. To differentiate them from linear or angular dimensions, arc length dimensions display an arc symbol by default. The arc symbol, also called a hat or cap, is displayed either above the dimension text or preceding the dimension text. The placement style can be changed on the New/Modify Dimension Style dialog box, Symbols and Arrows tab.
Overview of Modifying Dimensions After you place a dimension, there are times when you need to modify the information that the dimension represents. You can add a jog line to a linear dimension to indicate that the dimension value does not represent the actual dimensioned value or add an inspection dimension to represent how often a dimension value of a manufactured part should be checked. At times you might want to modify a dimension to simply improve readability.
In other circumstances, a dimension may become partially associated. For example, if a linear dimension is associated with the endpoints of two geometric objects and one of the objects is erased, the remaining association is preserved. The disassociated end of the linear dimension may then be associated with another geometric object using DIMREASSOCIATE. NOTE The Command prompt displays a warning message if a dimension is disassociated.
If no angle vertex is shown, definition points are placed at the ends of the lines that form the angle. In the two-line angular example, a definition point is placed at the center point of the dimensioned arc. NOTE Definition points are drawn on a special layer named DEFPOINTS, which is not printed.
Use Dimension Line Grips Hover over the grip on the endpoint of a dimension line to quickly access the following functionality: ■ Stretch. Stretches the extension lines to move the dimension line farther away or closer to the object being dimensioned. Use command line prompts to specify a different base point or copy the dimension line. This is the default grip behavior. ■ Continue dimension. Invokes the DIMCONTINUE command. ■ Baseline dimension. Invokes the DIMBASELINE command. ■ Flip arrow.
■ Remove associativity from dimensions in drawings that will be used by people working in releases prior to AutoCAD 2002, but who do not want any proxy objects in the drawings. Reassociate Dimensions to Different Objects With DIMREASSOCIATE, you can select one or more dimensions and step through the extension-line origin points of each dimension. For each extension-line origin point, you can specify a new association point on a geometric object.
Modify Dimension Text Once you've created a dimension, you can change the location and orientation of the existing dimension text or replace it with new text. Once you've created a dimension, you can rotate the existing text or replace it with new text. You can move the text to a new location or back to its home position, which is the position defined by the current dimension style. In the following illustration, the home position is above and centered on the dimension line.
Use Dimension Text Grips Hover over a dimension text grip to quickly access the following functionality: ■ Stretch. This is the default grip behavior: ■ If the text is positioned on the dimension line, Stretch moves the dimension line farther away or closer to the object being dimensioned. Use command line prompts to specify a different base point or copy the dimension line.
Overview of Modifying Dimensions (page 665) Dimension Jog Jog lines are used to represent a dimension value that does not display the actual measurement in a linear dimension. Typically, the actual measurement value of the dimension is smaller than the displayed value. The jog is made up of two parallel lines and a cross line that forms two 40-degree angles. The height of the jog is determined by the linear jog size value of the dimension style.
When working with parts that need to met a specific tolerance or dimension value before installing them into the final assembled product, you can use an inspection dimension to specify how often the part should be tested. You can add an inspection dimension to any type of dimension object; it is composed of a frame and text values. The frame for an inspection dimension is made up of two parallel lines and the end is round or square. The text values are separated by vertical lines.
under Misc. The values include the properties that are used to control the look of the frame, and the text for both the label and rate values. Break a Dimension Line With dimension breaks, you can keep the dimension, extension, or leader lines from appearing as if they are a part of the design. Dimension breaks can be added to a dimension or a multileader automatically or manually.
■ Ordinate dimensions ■ Multileaders that use straight-line leaders The following dimension and leader objects do not support dimension breaks: ■ Multileaders that use spline leaders ■ Leaders created with the LEADER command The following table explains the conditions where dimension breaks do not work or are not supported. Dimension Break Exceptions Condition Description No break in xrefs or blocks Dimension breaks on dimensions or multileaders in xrefs and blocks are not supported.
■ Leader ■ Line ■ Circle ■ Arc ■ Spline ■ Ellipse ■ Polyline ■ Text ■ Multiline text ■ Blocks but limited to the previously mentioned objects in this list ■ Xrefs but limited to the previously mentioned objects in this list Automatic Dimension Breaks To create dimension breaks automatically, you select a dimension or multileader, and then use the Auto option of the DIMBREAK command.
Dimension breaks that are added manually by picking two points are not automatically updated if the dimension or multileader, or intersecting object is modified. So if a dimension or multileader with a manually added dimension break is moved or the intersecting object is modified, you might have to restore the dimension or multileader, and then add the dimension break again.
Apply a New Dimension Style to Existing Dimensions You can modify existing dimensions by applying a different dimension style. If you make changes to a dimension style, you can choose whether to update the dimensions associated with that dimension style. When you create a dimension, the current dimension style is associated with that dimension. The dimension retains this dimension style unless you apply a new dimension style to it or set up dimension style overrides.
A dimension style override is a change made to specific settings in the current dimension style. It is equivalent to changing a dimensioning system variable without changing the current dimension style. You can define dimension style overrides for individual dimensions, or for the current dimension style.
Enter dimension variable name to override or [Clear overrides]: dimclrd Enter new value for dimension variable : 5 Enter dimension variable name to override: Enter another dimension variable name or press Enter Select objects: Use an object selection method and press Enter when you finish Add Geometric Tolerances You can add geometric tolerances that show acceptable deviations of form, profile, orientation, location, and runout of a feature.
You can use most editing commands to change feature control frames, and you can snap to them using the object snap modes. You can also edit them with grips. NOTE Unlike dimensions and leaders, geometric tolerances cannot be associated with geometric objects. You can also create annotative tolerances. For more information about creating and working with an annotative tolerances, see Create Annotative Dimensions and Tolerances (page 554).
Material conditions apply to features that can vary in size: ■ At maximum material condition (symbol M, also known as MMC), a feature contains the maximum amount of material stated in the limits. ■ At MMC, a hole has minimum diameter, whereas a shaft has maximum diameter. ■ At least material condition (symbol L, also known as LMC), a feature contains the minimum amount of material stated in the limits. ■ At LMC, a hole has maximum diameter, whereas a shaft has minimum diameter.
Projected Tolerance Zones Projected tolerances are used to make the tolerance more specific. Projected tolerances are specified in addition to positional tolerances to make the tolerance more specific. For example, projected tolerances control the perpendicularity tolerance zone of an embedded part. The symbol for projected tolerance ( ) is preceded by a height value, which specifies the minimum projected tolerance zone.
When you add composite tolerances to a drawing, you specify the first line of a feature control frame and then choose the same geometric characteristic symbol for the second line of the feature control frame. The geometric symbol compartment is extended over both lines. You can then create a second line of tolerance symbols.
Plot and Publish Drawings 10 Specify Settings for Plotting Before you plot a drawing, you must specify the settings that determine the output. To save time, you can store these settings with the drawing as a named page setup. Save Plot Settings as Named Page Setups If you want to plot the same layout more than one way, or if you want to specify the same output options for several layouts, use named page setups.
In addition, the page setup also includes many other settings and options such as ■ The orientation of the plot, portrait or landscape ■ The plot scale ■ Whether lineweights should be plotted ■ The shading style By default, the first time you access a layout, it becomes initialized, and a default page setup is assigned to it. Default page setups are assigned names such as *model*, *layout1*, *layout2*, and so on.
You can apply a named page setup to model space or to a layout using the Page Setup Manager. Other options available in the Page Setup Manager include ■ Apply a named page setup saved with one layout to another layout in the same drawing ■ Modify the settings of a page setup at any time ■ Import a named page setup from another drawing, and apply it to layouts in the current drawing You can also apply different named page setups to the same layout to achieve specific results when plotting.
The printer or plotter you select in the Page Setup dialog box determines the printable area of the layout. This printable area is indicated by the dashed line in the layout. If you change the paper size or the printing or plotting device, it may change the printable area of your drawing page.
If you change the drawing orientation, the layout origin remains in the lower-left corner of the rotated page. Set the Plot Area of a Layout You can specify the plot area to determine what will be included in the plot. When you prepare to plot from model space or a layout, you can specify the plot area to determine what will be included in the plot. When you create a new layout, the default Plot Area option is Layout. Layout plots all objects within the printable area of the specified paper size.
Set the Plot Scale for a Layout When you plot a drawing layout, you can either specify a precise scale for the layout or fit the image to the paper. Normally, you plot a layout at a 1:1 scale. To specify a different scale for the layout, set the plot scale for the layout in the Page Setup or the Print dialog box. In those dialog boxes, you can select a scale from a list or enter a scale. NOTE You can modify the list of scales with SCALELISTEDIT.
default plot scale of 1:1 when plotting a layout. However, if you want to plot an E-size layout that is scaled to fit on an A-size sheet of paper, for example, you can specify lineweights to be scaled in proportion to the new plot scale. See also: Control Lineweights (page 138) Select a Plot Style Table for a Layout A plot style table is a collection of plot styles assigned to a layout or model space. A plot style is an object property, similar to linetype and color.
in the page setup do not affect plots. If you use the Render option, two-dimensional wireframe objects, such as lines, arcs, and text, are not plotted. NOTE Shaded viewport plotting requires a raster-capable device. Most modern plotters and printers are raster-capable devices. See also: Set Shaded Viewport Options (page 699) Set Options for Plotted Objects (page 701) Print or Plot Drawings Once you have completed a drawing, you can use a number of methods to output the drawing.
Usually a drawing file contains only one layout, but you can create as many layouts as you need. The first time you display a layout, it is initialized and a default page setup is assigned to it. Once initialized, layouts can be modified and published. Page Setups When you create a layout, you specify a plotter, and settings such as paper size and orientation. These settings are saved in the drawing as a page setup. Each layout can be associated with a different page setup.
Plot Stamps A plot stamp is a line of text that is added to your plot. You can specify where this text is located on the plot in the Plot Stamp dialog box. Turn this option on to add specified plot stamp information—including drawing name, layout name, date and time, and so on—to a drawing that is plotted to any device. You can choose to record the plot stamp information to a log file instead of plotting it, or in addition to plotting it.
See also: Specify Settings for Plotting (page 687) Specify the Area to Plot When plotting a drawing, you must specify the area of the drawing to plot. The Print dialog box provides the following options under What to Print. ■ Layout or Limits. When plotting a layout, plots everything within the printable area of the specified paper size, with the origin calculated from 0,0 in the layout. When plotting the Model layout, plots the entire drawing area defined by the grid limits.
NOTE If the PAPERUPDATE system variable is set to 0, you are prompted if the layout's existing paper size is not supported by the plotter you have selected. If the PAPERUPDATE system variable is set to 1, the paper size is automatically updated to reflect the default paper size of the selected plotter. Position the Drawing on the Paper There are several ways to position a drawing on the paper. You can specify the printable area, set the position of the plot, and set the orientation.
Set the Position of the Plot The printable area of a drawing sheet is defined by the selected printer or plotter, but you can change the position of plot relative to the printable area or to the edge of the paper. You can specify an offset of the plot area relative to the lower-left corner (the origin) of the printable area. NOTE If you are plotting from the Model layout or named layout, the settings for this option are located in the Page Setup dialog box under Offset for Printable Area.
scale. For example, if your unit of measurement is millimeters, then every unit in your drawing represents a millimeter. When you plot the drawing, you either specify a precise scale or fit the image to the paper. Most final drawings are plotted at a precise scale. The method used to set the plot scale depends on whether you plot model space or a layout: ■ From model space, you can establish the scale in the Print dialog box.
paper. The height or width of the drawing is fit to the corresponding height or width of the paper. When you plot a perspective view from model space, the view is scaled to fit the paper even when you enter a scale. When you select the Fit to Paper option, the text boxes change to reflect the ratio of plotted units to drawing units. This scale is updated whenever you change the paper size, plotter, plot origin, orientation, or size of the plotted area in the Print dialog box.
Specifically, you can choose from the following options: ■ As Displayed. Plots the design as it is displayed; all the shading is preserved. ■ Wireframe. Displays lines and curves to represent object boundaries. ■ Hidden. Suppresses the plotting of objects that are located behind other objects. ■ Visual Styles. Plots the design as it appears in the visual style you select. ■ Rendered.
Set Options for Plotted Objects In the Print and the Page Setup dialog boxes, you can choose from options that affect how objects are plotted. ■ Shaded Viewport Plotting. Specifies shaded plotting options: As Displayed, Wireframe, or Hidden. The effect of this setting is reflected in the plot preview, but not in the layout. ■ Plot Object Lineweights. Specifies that lineweights assigned to objects and layers are plotted. ■ Plot Transparency.
Overview of Plot Styles A plot style is an object property, similar to linetype and color. A plot style can be assigned to an object or assigned to a layer.
you cannot add or delete plot styles. There are 256 plot styles in a color-dependent plot style table, one for each color. Named plot style tables (STB) contain user-defined plot styles. When you use a named plot style table, objects that have the same color may be plotted differently, based on the plot style assigned to the object. A named plot style table can contain as many or as few plot styles as required. Named plot styles can be assigned to objects or layers, just like any other property.
Use Color-Dependent Plot Style Tables By using color-dependent plot styles to control how objects are plotted, you ensure that all objects that share the same color are plotted the same way. When a drawing uses color-dependent plot style tables, you cannot assign a plot style to individual objects or layers. Instead, to assign plot style properties to an object, you change the color of the object or layer. You can assign color-dependent plot style tables to layouts.
NOTE You can assign a color-dependent plot style table to a layout only if the drawing has been set to use color-dependent plot style tables. See also: Assign Plot Style Tables to Layouts (page 703) Use Named Plot Style Tables You can only create, delete, and apply plot styles in a named plot style table. You can define as many or as few plot styles as you need in a drawing.
NOTE You cannot delete or edit the NORMAL plot style. Also, you cannot add, delete, copy, or rename plot styles in a named plot style table if a color mapping table has been attached to the plot style table. A color mapping table associates every plot style with an ACI color. See also: Change Plot Style Settings (page 706) Use Predefined Named Plot Style Tables One additional named plot style table is installed for you to use beyond the default plot style table. All named plot style tables have an .
In a named plot style table, the NORMAL plot style represents an object's default properties (no plot style applied). You cannot modify or delete the NORMAL style. Set Color, Screening, Grayscale, and Dither in Plot Style Tables You can use a plot style to assign color, screening, grayscale, and dither properties. Assign Plot Style Colors The default setting for plot style color is Use Object Color. With this setting, the object retains its layer or individually set color.
NOTE Dithering disables merge control. Convert to Grayscale When you select Grayscale, the object's colors are converted to grayscale if the plotter supports grayscale. Light colors, such as yellow, are plotted with light gray values. Dark colors are plotted with dark gray values. If you clear Grayscale, the RGB values are used for the object's colors. Conversion to grayscale is available whether you use the object's color or assign a plot style color.
See also: Work with Linetypes (page 133) Control Lineweights (page 138) Assign Plotted Line End and Join Styles You can set the line end and join styles for objects that have lineweight assigned, either as an object property or as a plot style override. Assign Line End Style The program includes the following line end style options: ■ Butt ■ Square ■ Round ■ Diamond The default setting for Line End Style is Use Object End Style, which is rounded.
Assign Plotted Fill Styles You can assign a variety of fill style options when plotting wide polylines, donuts, objects hatched with a solid fill, and solids. The program includes the following fill style options: ■ Solid ■ Checkerboard ■ Crosshatch ■ Diamonds ■ Horizontal Bars ■ Slant Left ■ Slant Right ■ Square ■ Dots ■ Vertical Bar The default setting for Fill Style is Use Object Fill Style. Assign a fill style in a plot style to override the object's fill style at plot time.
Plot Files to Other Formats You can export or plot your drawings to other formats, including PDF and PostScript. Plot Adobe PDF Files You can create Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) files from drawings. The Adobe® Portable Document Format (PDF) is a standard for electronic information exchange. PDF files can be easily distributed for viewing and printing in the Adobe Reader available from the Adobe web site without cost. Using PDF files, you can share drawings with virtually anyone.
Using the Publish dialog box, you can assemble a collection of drawings to publish.
Share Data Between Files 11 Reference Other Drawing Files Attached xrefs are linked to, but not actually inserted in, another drawing. Therefore, with xrefs you can build drawings without significantly increasing the drawing file size. See also: Reference Manager Palette Overview of Referenced Drawings (Xrefs) You can attach an entire drawing file to the current drawing as a referenced drawing (xref). With xrefs, changes made in the referenced drawing are reflected in the current drawing.
■ Keep the names of layers, dimensioning styles, text styles, and other named elements in your drawing separate from those in referenced drawings. ■ Merge (bind) attached referenced drawings permanently with your current drawing when the project is complete and ready to be archived. NOTE Like a block reference, an xref appears in the current drawing as a single object. However, you cannot explode an xref without binding it first.
Receive Notification of Attached Xrefs When one or more xrefs are not found or if any of the xrefs need reloading, a balloon message is displayed near the lower-left corner of the drawing area. Click the link in the balloon message to display the External References palette. Highlight External References in a Drawing To find an external reference in a complex drawing, select an item in the Reference Manager palette to highlight all visible instances in the drawing.
Attach Drawing References (Xrefs) To attach an xref 1 On the Mac OS menu bar, click Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Reference Manager . 2 In the Reference Manager, click the Attach Reference button. 3 In the Select Reference File dialog box, locate and click the file to be referenced. Click Open. 4 In the Attach External Reference dialog box, select any desired options and then click OK. 5 If necessary, specify the location in the drawing and any other options.
You can also overlay an xref on your drawing. Unlike an attached xref, an overlaid xref is not included when the drawing is itself attached or overlaid as an xref to another drawing. Overlaid xrefs are designed for data sharing in a network environment. By overlaying an xref, you can see how your drawing relates to the drawings of other groups without changing your drawing by attaching an xref. In the following illustration, several people are working on drawings referenced by master.dwg.
Set Paths to Referenced Drawings You can view and edit the file name and path used when locating a particular drawing reference (xref). Use this option if the referenced file has been moved to a different folder or renamed since it was first attached. You can choose from three types of folder path information to save with an attached reference: a full path, a relative path, and no path. Specify a Full (Absolute) Path A full path is a fully specified hierarchy of folders that locates the file reference.
NOTE If a drawing that contains referenced files is moved or saved to a different path, or to a different network server, you must edit any relative paths to accommodate the host drawing's new location or you must relocate the referenced files.
Detach Referenced Drawings To detach an xref 1 On the Mac OS menu bar, click Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Reference Manager . 2 In the Reference Manager, click a DWG reference. 3 Right-click the selected DWG reference and select Detach from the shortcut menu. Alternatively, you can click the Detach button in the top row of buttons in the Reference Manager.
Whenever you modify and save an externally referenced drawing in a network environment, other people can access your changes immediately by reloading the xrefs in their open drawings. Receive Notification of Changed Xrefs When you attach xrefs to a drawing, the program periodically checks whether the referenced files have changed since the last time the xrefs were loaded or reloaded. The XREFNOTIFY system variable controls xref notification.
3 Right-click the selected DWG reference and select Reload from the shortcut menu. Alternatively, you can click the Refresh Content button in the top row of buttons in the Reference Manager. NOTE If the drawing you selected has been changed since you opened your drawing, the xref is reloaded. Archive Drawings That Contain Referenced Drawings (Bind) When you archive final drawings that contain xrefs, you can choose how you store the xrefs in the drawings.
Archive Drawings That Contain Referenced Drawings (Bind) To bind an xref to the current drawing 1 On the Mac OS menu bar, click Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Reference Manager . 2 In the Reference Manager, click a DWG reference. 3 Right-click the selected DWG reference and select Bind from the shortcut menu. The objects in the xref are converted into a block reference. Named object definitions are added to the current drawing with a prefix of blockname $n$, where n is a number starting at 0.
The clipping boundary can be a polyline, rectangle, or a polygon with vertices within the boundaries of the image. You can change the boundary of a clipped image. When you clip a boundary, the objects in the external reference or block are not altered; only their display is changed. With the XCLIP and IMAGECLIP commands, you can control the following viewing options: Control the visibility of the clipped area of the external reference or block reference.
the entire external reference or block is visible, provided that the objects are on layers that are turned on and thawed. Clipping results can be turned on or off using the clipping commands. This controls whether the clipped area is hidden or displayed. Control the visibility of clipping boundaries. You can control the display of the clipping boundary with a clipping frame. The clipping system variable for XREF and IMAGE underlays are XCLIPFRAME and IMAGEFRAME respectively.
The grips are visible and can be used when the clipping system variable is turned on, the reference is selected, and clipped. Editing Options After an external reference or block reference has been clipped, it can be moved, copied, or rotated just like an unclipped external reference or block reference. The clipping boundary moves with the reference.
nested clipped xrefs, they appear clipped in the drawing. If the parent xref is clipped, the nested xrefs are also clipped. Resize Clipping Boundaries If you want to change the shape or size of a clipping boundary for external references and block references, you can use grips to edit the vertices just as you edit any object with grips.
Edit a Referenced Drawing in a Separate Window While the simplest and most direct method for editing xrefs is to open the source file for the referenced drawing, there is an alternative that can be more convenient. If you need to edit the model space objects in an xref, you can access the xref or a nested xref directly from the Reference Manager or with the XOPEN command. Select the xref, and then using the shortcut menu in the Reference Manager, open the xref’s source file.
Understand the Working Set The objects that you select from the selected xref or block are temporarily extracted and made available for editing in the current drawing. The set of extracted objects is called the working set, which can be modified and then saved back to update the xref or block definition. Objects that make up the working set are visually distinct from other objects in the drawing. All objects in the current drawing, except objects in the working set, are faded.
Reference Editor Visor The Reference Editor visor is displayed and activated after you select which nested objects to edit. Using the buttons on the Reference Editor visor, you can add objects to or remove objects from the working set, and you can discard or save back changes to the reference. The Reference Editor visor is automatically dismissed after you save back or discard changes made to the working set.
An object that is removed from the working set is added to the host drawing and removed from the reference when changes are saved back. An object that is added to the working set is removed from the host drawing, and is restored to the reference when the changes are saved back. Reference Editor Visor If you select a reference to edit in-place, the Reference Editor visor is displayed.
WARNING While editing a reference in place, if you delete an object that is not in the working set, the object is not restored if you discard changes at the closing of the reference editing session. Objects in the current drawing that inherit properties defined by the xref retain those new properties. Properties taken from the xref drawing are bound to the current drawing. The xref layer named SITE, for example, appears in the current drawing as $#$SITE when assigned to an object not in the working set.
Resolve Referenced Drawing Errors If a referenced drawing cannot be loaded when you open a drawing, an error message is displayed. Resolve Missing External References If a referenced drawing cannot be located when you open a drawing, several options available to you. The program stores the folder path of the referenced drawing.
This search order helps ensure that revisions made to the xref are reflected in the current drawing, and also makes it possible for the xref to be found if its folder path has changed. See also: Update Referenced Drawing Attachments (page 720) Resolve Circular External References If a referenced drawing contains a sequence of nested references that refers back to itself, an error message is displayed.
layer named STEEL in a referenced drawing called stair.dwg is listed as STAIR|STEEL. When you attach an xref, the definitions of its dependent named objects are not added to your drawing permanently. Instead, these definitions are loaded from the referenced drawing file each time you reload it. Bind Xref-Dependent Definitions An xref-dependent named object's definition can change if the referenced drawing file is modified.
sample.dwg, for example, the program searches for a log file named sample.xlg in the current folder. If the file does not exist, a new file is created with that name. Once a log file has been created for a drawing, the program continues to append information to it. The program writes a title section to the log file each time the file is opened. If the log file becomes too large, you can delete it.
--UPPER --LOWER Xref Xref The program writes an entry in the log file for each xref-dependent named object temporarily added to the current drawing and for any errors that occur. Most error messages are written both to the screen and to the log file. Example:A Sample Log File That Shows the Results of Attaching an Xref The following example shows a partial listing of the log file entries generated when the external reference STAIR is attached to the working drawing test.dwg.
Track External Reference Operations (Log File) To use the xref log file 1 At the Command prompt, enter xrefctl. 2 Enter 1 to turn logging on or 0 to turn logging off. 3 Press Enter. Logging is off by default. Increase Performance with Large Referenced Drawings There are several features that can improve performance when dealing with large referenced drawings.
You should unload a reference file if it is not needed in the current drawing session but may be used later for plotting. You can maintain a working list of unloaded xrefs in the drawing file that you can load as needed. Work with Demand Loading in Large Drawings With demand loading, only the data from the referenced drawing that is necessary to regenerate the current drawing is loaded into memory.
indexes. For maximum performance, use demand loading with referenced drawings saved with layer and spatial indexes turned on in AutoCAD Release 14, AutoCAD LT 97, or more recent versions. Work with Layer and Spatial Indexes To receive the maximum benefit of demand loading, it is recommended that you save any drawings that are used as xrefs with layer and spatial indexes. A layer index is a list showing which objects are on which layers.
machine. Conversely, to minimize the number of temporary files created by multiple users referencing the same drawing, those users can set XLOADPATH to point to a common folder. In this manner, multiple sessions of the program can share the same temporary copies of reference drawings. You can set XLOADPATH in the Application Preferences dialog box, Application tab, Temporary External Reference File Location, and indicate the folder path where copies of externally referenced files are to be placed.
A DXB (drawing interchange binary) file is a specially coded binary version of a DXF file used for plotting, and can be used to “flatten” 3D wireframe drawings into 2D vectors. You can convert a DXF or DXB file to DWG format by opening the file and saving it in DWG format. You can then work with the resulting drawing file as you would with any other drawing file. Attach Raster Image Files You can view and manipulate raster images and associated file paths in drawings.
The image file formats supported by the program include the most common formats used in major technical imaging application areas: computer graphics, document management, engineering, mapping, and geographic information systems (GIS). Images can be bitonal, 8-bit gray, 8-bit color, or 24-bit color. Images with 16-bit color depth are not supported. Several image file formats support images with transparent pixels.
Supported image file formats Type Description and versions File extension JPEG2000 Wavelet-based compression standard created by the Joint Photographics Expert Group .jp2, .j2k JFIF or JPEG Joint Photographics Expert Group .jpg, .jpeg MrSID Multiresolution Seamless Image Database .sid NITF National Imagery Transmission Format .nitf NOTE NITF files containing elevation data require AutoCAD Raster Design OpenEXR Industrial Light & Magic High-Dynamic Range image .
Attach, Scale, and Detach Raster Images You can add or remove references to raster images within drawing files, or you can change their relative size. Attach Raster Images You can attach a reference to a raster image file to a drawing file using a linked image path. The image file can be accessed from the Internet. Images can be referenced and placed in drawing files, but like external references (xrefs), they are not actually part of the drawing file.
Scale Raster Images You can control the size of a raster image in a drawing to match the scale of the drawing. You can specify the raster image scale factor when you attach the image so that the scale of the geometry in the image matches the scale of the geometry in the drawing. The default image scale factor is 1, and the default unit for all images is “Unitless.” The image file can contain resolution information defining the dots per inch (DPI), relating to how the image was scanned.
Show and Hide Raster Image Boundaries You can control whether the clipping boundaries of a raster image are displayed or hidden in a drawing. You can hide image boundaries. Hiding the image boundary prevents the boundary from being plotted or displayed. Also, hiding the image boundary prevents you from selecting the image with the pointing device, ensuring that the image cannot accidentally be moved or modified.
delete the clipped boundary of an image. When you delete a clipping boundary, the original image is displayed. You can invert the area to be hidden, inside or outside the clipping boundary. With grips located at the midpoint on the first edge of the clipping boundary, you can invert the display of the clipped reference inside or outside the boundary. With IMAGEFRAME system variable, you can control the visibility of the clipping boundary.
See also: Clip External References and Blocks (page 723) Change Raster Image Brightness, Contrast, and Fade You can change several display properties of raster images in a drawing for easier viewing or special effects. You can adjust brightness, contrast, and fade for the display of an image as well as for plotted output without affecting the original raster image file and without affecting other instances of the image in the drawing. Adjust brightness to darken or lighten an image.
Manage Raster Images You can view and manipulate raster images and change paths to image files using the Reference Manager palette. View Raster Image Information You can view file-specific information about the raster images that are attached to a drawing. You can also load and unload the images and perform other operations using the Reference Manager palette. In the Reference Manager palette, you can also view information about each of the attached images.
View Image File Details In the lower area of the Reference Manager palette, you can preview a selected image or view image file details, including ■ Image name ■ Saved path ■ Active path (where the image is found) ■ File creation date ■ File size ■ File type ■ Color ■ Color depth ■ Image size (pixel width and height, resolution and default size) Assign Descriptive Names to Raster Images When the name of a raster image file is not sufficient to identify an image, you can add a descriptive nam
found. The path where the image file was originally attached is displayed under Saved Path.
In the Reference Manager palette, you can use Reload to reload an unloaded image or to update a loaded image by reloading the image from the specified directory path. If a drawing is closed after an image is unloaded, the image file is not loaded when the drawing is next opened; you must reload it.
Suppress Highlighting When Selecting Images You can turn on or off the highlighting that identifies the selection of a raster image or the image frame by toggling the value of IMAGEHLT system variable. By default, IMAGEHLT is set to 0, to highlight only the raster image frame. Turning off highlighting of the entire image improves performance.
If you do not want to save the entire drawing, you can choose to export selected objects only. You can use this option to remove extraneous material from drawing files. Export Raster Files You can create a device-independent raster image of the objects in your drawing. Several commands can be used to export objects into device-independent raster images in the bitmap, JPEG, TIFF, and PNG formats.
■ Circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs. Except when they have thickness, arcs and circles are translated into the equivalent PostScript path objects. ■ Filled solids. A solid fill is plotted as a PostScript filled path. ■ Two-dimensional polylines. A 2D (planar) polyline with uniform width is output as a PostScript stroked path. The PostScript end cap and miter limit variables are set to approximate the segment joining.
■ Create Marketing tools Use Drawings from Different Versions and Applications You can share drawing files from AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, drawing files from previous versions, and drawing files that contain custom objects. In some cases there are limitations. Work with Drawings in Earlier Releases When you work with drawings created in AutoCAD 2008 (and later releases) in AutoCAD 2007 (and earlier releases), you should be aware of the following visual fidelity issues.
Annotative Object Properties in Previous Releases In an AutoCAD 2008 drawing, when an annotative block does not have its paper orientation set to match the layout, and the block contains multiline attributes that are based on a text style that is not set to match the orientation of the layout, the attributes may shift positions if you open this drawing in AutoCAD 2007 (and earlier releases).
Multileader Objects in Previous Releases Multileaders display as proxy objects in releases prior to AutoCAD 2008. The PROXYSHOW system variable controls the display of proxy objects in a drawing. MTEXT Paragraph and Paragraph Line Spacing in Previous Releases Some of the new paragraph spacing and paragraph line spacing options are not supported when an AutoCAD 2008 mtext object is opened in AutoCAD 2007 (and earlier releases).
Multiple-Language Support in Previous Releases Drawing properties in AutoCAD 2008 are saved with Unicode characters. For instance, if you save the latest format drawing containing multiple language drawing properties to a 2004-format drawing, the drawing properties are converted to the native characters of the current Windows language. If text cannot be converted to the native characters, it is saved to CIF codes (\U+nnnn) or MIF codes (\M+nxxxx).
information specific to the current release stripped out or converted to another object type. If you use the current release to open a drawing created with a previous release, and you do not add any information specific to the current release, you can then save the drawing in the format of the previous release without loss of data. NOTE To use files with AutoCAD Release 12 or AutoCAD LT Release 2, save the drawing using the AutoCAD R12/LT2 DXF option.
Limitations of Saving to Earlier Versions Saving a drawing in Release 2000/LT 2000 format is subject to the following limitations: ■ File size can increase. Saving a drawing in Release 12/LT 2 DXF format is subject to the following limitations: ■ Lightweight polylines and hatch patterns are converted to Release 12 polylines and hatch patterns. ■ All solids, bodies, regions, ellipses, leaders, multilines, rays, tolerances, and xlines are converted to lines, arcs, and circles as appropriate.
one UCS in each drawing file. The AutoCAD LT behavior is the same as it was in previous releases. When you open an AutoCAD drawing file in AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD LT uses only the UCS from the current viewport. If you edit the drawing in AutoCAD LT, and then save it and reopen it in AutoCAD, you may notice some discrepancies in UCS usage. User coordinate systems that were set individually in AutoCAD will probably change if the viewports that use them were activated in the AutoCAD LT session.
Work with Constraints Some of the drawings that you work with will contain design requirements enforced within the drawing itself through the use of constraints. Using constraints, you can enforce requirements while experimenting with different designs. A constrained object will move in a predictable manner when edited or moved. A single variable change can cause all related objects to change automatically, enabling you to run through design iterations simply and effectively.
■ Dimensional constraints control distances or angles between 2D geometric objects in a drawing. The main dimensional constraints are: dynamic, annotational, and reference constraints. ■ Dynamic constraints (default) - Used to constrain objects and are displayed on demand. ■ Annotational constraints - Used to create associative variables, offset distances, and so on. ■ Reference constraints (read-only) - Read-only dimensional constraints (either dynamic or annotational).
Proxy Objects A proxy object is a substitute for a custom object when the ObjectARX application that created the custom object is not available to AutoCAD for Mac or other host applications. Later, when the application is available, the proxy object is replaced by the custom object. Proxy objects have significantly reduced capabilities compared to their corresponding custom objects. The extent to which proxy objects can be edited is determined by the parent ObjectARX application.
Collaborate with Others 12 Use the Internet for Collaboration You can access and store drawings and related files on the Internet. Get Started with Internet Access Before you can transfer or save files to an Internet or an intranet location, you have to get access permissions and take security precautions. In this topic and others, the term Internet is used to refer to both the Internet and an intranet. An intranet is a private network that uses the same standards as the Internet.
Work with Drawing Files over the Internet You can open and save drawings to an Internet location, attach externally referenced drawings stored on the Internet, and review files online using AutoCAD WS. Open and Save Drawing Files from the Internet The file input and output commands recognize any valid Uniform Resource Locator (URL) path to a DWG file. You can use AutoCAD for Mac to open and save files from the Internet.
As a result, operating systems and applications relied on code pages with specific character sets and numbering assigned to countries or regions. To facilitate international compatibility, the Unicode standard was adopted by major industry leaders and is being maintained by the Unicode Consortium. Drawing File Impact Language-specific characters can be used in file names and text within drawing files, or files associated with drawing files.
AutoCAD WS is an application that interfaces directly with AutoCAD. Changes to your local AutoCAD drawings are synchronized with the online copies that you have stored on the AutoCAD WS server. The AutoCAD WS Editor allows you to access and edit the online copies from any computer with a web browser. Multiple users can work on the same drawing file online and in real time.
computer, and attach the Internet drawings to the master drawing as external references (xrefs). When any of the Internet drawings are modified, the changes are included in your master drawing the next time you open it. This is a powerful mechanism for developing accurate, up-to-date composite drawings that can be shared by a design team.
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Render Drawings 13 Draw 2D Isometric Views The Isometric Snap/Grid mode helps you create 2D isometric images that represent 3D objects. The Isometric Snap/Grid mode helps you create 2D images that represent 3D objects. By setting the Isometric Snap/Grid, you can easily align objects along one of three isometric planes; however, although the isometric drawing appears to be 3D, it is actually a 2D representation.
■ Top. Aligns snap and grid along 30- and 150-degree axes. ■ Right. Aligns snap and grid along 30- and 90-degree axes. Choosing one of the three isometric planes causes Ortho and the crosshairs to be aligned along the corresponding isometric axes. For example, when Ortho is on, the points you specify align along the simulated plane you are drawing on. Therefore, you can draw the top plane, switch to the left plane to draw another side, and switch to the right plane to complete the drawing.
available only when the Style option of Snap mode is set to Isometric (see DSETTINGS). NOTE To represent concentric circles, draw another ellipse with the same center rather than offsetting the original ellipse. Offsetting produces an oval-shaped spline that does not represent foreshortened distances as you would expect. Add Lighting to Your Model Lighting can be added to a scene to create a more realistic rendering. Overview of Lighting Lighting adds the finishing touch to the scene.
of light glyphs on or off while you work. By default, light glyphs are not plotted. Photometric Lighting Workflow For more precise control over lighting, you can use photometric lights to illuminate your model. Photometric lights use photometric (light energy) values that enable you to define lights more accurately as they would be in the real world. You can create lights with various distribution and color characteristics, or import specific photometric files available from lighting manufacturers.
Sun and Sky The sun is a special light similar to a distant light. The angle of the sun is defined by the geographic location that you specify for the model and by the date and time of day that you specify. You can change the intensity of the sun and the color of its light. The sun and sky are the primary sources of natural illumination. With the sun and sky simulation (page 803), you can adjust their properties.
background feature), which adds soft, subtle lighting effects caused by the lighting interactions between the sun and the atmosphere. Luminaire Objects Light fixtures can be represented by embedding photometric lights in blocks that also contain geometry. A luminary assembles a set of light objects into a light fixture.
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Standard and Photometric Lighting Workflow Types of lighting selected globally affect a drawing. Set the Type of Lighting AutoCAD for Mac offers three choices for lighting units: standard (generic), International (SI), and American. The standard (generic) lighting workflow is equivalent to the lighting workflow in AutoCAD for Mac prior to AutoCAD 2008. The default lighting workflow for drawings created in AutoCAD 2008 and later is a photometric workflow based on International (SI) lighting units.
You can use a command to create a light, or you can use a button on the Lights toolbar or the Lights panel on the ribbon. You can use the Properties Inspector palette to change the color of a selected light or other properties. You can also store a light and its properties on a tool palette and use it again in the same drawing or another drawing. Guidelines for Lighting The guidelines for lighting used by photographers, filmmakers, and stage designers can help you set up the lighting for scenes.
Other factors, such as a light’s color, intensity, attenuation, and angle of incidence also play a role in how objects in a scene appear. Use Point Lights A point light radiates light in all directions from its location. Point Lights A point light radiates light in all directions from its location. A point light does not target an object. Use point lights for general lighting effects.
Point Lights in Photometric Workflow A free point light can have photometric distribution properties. The attenuation for a photometric point light is always set to inverse square.
available for a point light. On the Properties Inspector palette, photometric properties are ■ Lamp Intensity. Specifies the inherent brightness of the light. Specifies the intensity, flux or illuminance of the lamp. ■ Resulting Intensity. Gives the final brightness of the light. (Product of lamp intensity and intensity factor. Read-only.) ■ Lamp Color. Specifies the inherent color of the light in Kelvin temperature or standard. ■ Resulting Color. Gives the final color of the light.
Spotlights in Photometric Workflow In photometric workflow, the hotspot intensity falls to 50 percent. The hotspot for standard lighting is at 100 percent. At its falloff angle, intensity of the spotlight falls to zero.
when LIGHTINGUNITS is set to 1 (American units) or 2 (International SI units) for photometric lighting: ■ Lamp Intensity. Specifies the inherent brightness of the light. Specifies the intensity, flux, or illuminance of the lamp. ■ Resulting Intensity. Gives the final brightness of the light. (Product of lamp intensity and intensity factor. Read-only.) ■ Lamp Color. Specifies the inherent color of the light in Kelvin temperature or standard. ■ Resulting Color. Gives the final color of the light.
A light that uses a photometric web can be added to a drawing by entering the commands WEBLIGHT and FREEWEB at the command prompt. The WEBLIGHT command creates a targeted weblight, whereas the FREEWEB command creates a weblight without an explicit target. To describe the directional distribution of the light emitted by a source, AutoCAD for Mac approximates the source by a point light placed at its photometric center.
Goniometric diagram of a web distribution This type of diagram visually represents how the luminous intensity of a source varies with the vertical angle. However, the horizontal angle is fixed and, unless the distribution is axially symmetric, more than one goniometric diagram may be needed to describe the complete distribution. Photometric Webs The photometric web is a three dimensional representation of the light distribution.
angles can be examined simultaneously. The center of the photometric web represents the center of the light object. The luminous intensity in any given direction is proportional to the distance between this web and the photometric center, measured along a line leaving the center in the specified direction.
Example of Isotropic distribution A sphere centered around the origin is a representation of an isotropic distribution. All the points in the diagram are equidistant from the center and therefore light is emitted equally in all directions.
Example of Ellipsoidal distribution In this example, the points in the negative Z direction are the same distance from the origin as the corresponding points in the positive Z direction, so the Add Lighting to Your Model | 791
same amount of light shines upward and downward. No point has a very large X or Y component, either positive or negative, so less light is cast laterally from the light source. IES Standard File Format IES standard file formats can be created and modified. You can create a photometric data file in the IES format using the IES LM-63-1991 standard file format for photometric data. (IES stands for Illuminating Engineering Society.) However, only the information relevant to AutoCAD for Mac is described here.
7 A multiplying factor for all the candela values in the file. This makes it possible to easily scale all the candela values in the file when the measuring device operates in unusual units—for example, when you obtain the photometric values from a catalog using a ruler on a goniometric diagram. Normally the multiplying factor is 1. 8 The number of vertical angles in the photometric web. 9 The number of horizontal angles in the photometric web.
Use Distant Lights Distant lights are useful for lighting objects or as a backdrop. Distant Lights in Standard Lighting Workflow A distant light emits uniform parallel light rays in one direction only. You specify a FROM point and a TO point anywhere in the viewport to define the direction of the light. Spotlights and point lights are each represented by a different light glyph.
Distant Lights in Photometric Workflow Distant lights are not physically accurate. It is recommended that you do not use them in a photometric workflow. Assigning a Shape to a Light Assigning a shape to a light modifies the illumination of a scene. Area and Linear Lights The Area parameter on the light is a property of a light. Just as a light can have a color, it can also be assigned a shape. For example, you can shape it like a rectangle so that it acts like panel lighting in a ceiling.
Adjust and Manipulate Lights You can add point lights, spotlights, and distant lights and set the location and properties of each. Control the Display of Lights The display of lights can be turned on and off in the drawing. A light glyph is a graphic representation of a light. Point lights and spotlights can be placed in a drawing with a light glyph. Distant lights, such as sunlight, are not represented with a light glyph. The display of lights can be controlled several ways.
Adjust Light Placement After a light has been placed in a scene the position and target can be modified. The light, which is represented by a light glyph, can be repositioned after it is placed in the drawing. The light can be moved and rotated; the target can be modified. When the light glyph is selected, several grips are displayed. NOTE Rotating a targeted light is useful for aligning the area shadow region appropriately.
Control Light Properties Every light in the drawing has general and specific lighting properties that can be changed after the light is placed. When a light is selected, its properties can be changed in the Properties Inspector.
You can use grip tools to move or rotate a selected light and change other properties such as the hotspot and falloff cone in spotlights. You can see the effect on the model as you change the properties of a light. General Properties The following properties are common to all lights. Full descriptions of the controls are located under the Properties command in Lighting Properties: ■ Name. Specifies the name assigned to the light. ■ Type.
■ Hotspot cone angle. Defines the brightest part of a light beam. Also known as the beam angle. ■ Falloff cone angle. Defines the full cone of light. Also known as the field angle. ■ Rapid decay area. Consists of the region between the hotspot and falloff angles.
The greater the difference between the hotspot and falloff angles, the softer the edge of the light beam. If the hotspot and falloff angles are near equal, the edge of the light beam is sharp. Both values can range from 0 to 160 degrees. You can adjust these values directly with the Hotspot and Falloff grips. Photometric Properties Photometric lighting offers additional properties that make the lighting different than standard lighting.
Attenuation Properties (Point Lights and Spotlights) Attenuation controls how light diminishes over distance. The farther away an object is from a light, the darker the object appears. You can specify no attenuation, inverse linear, or inverse squared (POINTLIGHT, SPOTLIGHT). Attenuation is not active for photometric lights. ■ None. Sets no attenuation. Objects far from the point light are as bright as objects close to the light. ■ Inverse Linear.
Sun and Sky Simulation The sun is a light that simulates the effect of sunlight and can be used to show how the shadows cast by a structure affect the surrounding area. Sun and sky are the primary sources of natural illumination in AutoCAD for Mac.
cast from the atmosphere comes from all directions and is distinctly bluish in color. When the LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to photometric, more sun properties are available. When the workflow is photometric (the LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to 1 or 2) the sun properties have more properties available and are rendered using a more physically accurate sunlight model.
An example of a luminaire object. Materials and Textures Materials define the shininess, bumpiness, and transparency of object’s surfaces to give them a realistic appearance. Overview of Materials Add materials to objects in your drawings to provide a realistic effect in any rendered view. Autodesk provides a large library of predefined materials for you to use. Use the Materials Browser to browse materials and apply them to objects in your drawing.
Textures add complexity and realism to a material. For example, to replicate the bumps in a paved road, you could apply a Noise texture to an object representing a road in a drawing. To replicate a brick and mortar pattern, you could use a Tile texture. Browse Material Library You can browse and attach materials from the Materials Browser. Materials Browser Use the Materials Browser to navigate, sort, search, select materials for use in your drawing, and attach a material to an object.
The Materials Browser contains the following main components: ■ Search. Allows you to locate a material in the library without navigating through the library's organized structure. ■ Document materials.Displays a set of display options for the materials saved in the current drawing. You can sort the document materials by name, type, and color. ■ Autodesk library. Displays the Autodesk library, which contains the predefined materials that come with the product.
808 | Chapter 13 Render Drawings
The renderer is a general-purpose renderer that generates physically correct simulations of lighting effects, including ray-traced reflections and refractions, and global illumination. A range of standard rendering presets, reusable rendering parameters, are available. Some of the presets are tailored for relatively quick preview renderings while others are for higher quality renderings.
When normals are unified and point in the same outward direction, the renderer processes each face and renders the model. If any normals are flipped, facing inward, the renderer skips them and leaves triangular or quadrilateral “holes” in the rendered image. If a face is missing, you’ll need to manually reconstruct it.
After the back faces have been removed, the renderer uses a Z buffer to compare relative distances along the Z axis. If the Z buffer indicates that one face overlaps another, the renderer removes the face that would be hidden. The time saved is in proportion to the number of faces discarded out of the total number of faces. Every object in a scene is processed by the renderer, even objects that are off camera and are not going to be present in the rendered view.
Minimize Intersecting and Coplanar Faces Certain kinds of geometry create special rendering problems. The complexity of an object relates to the number of its vertices and faces. The more faces a model has, the longer it takes to render. Keep the geometry of your drawing simple to keep rendering time to a minimum. Use the fewest faces possible to describe a surface. Intersecting Faces Intersecting faces in a model occur when two objects pass through one other.
When edges do not appear to be as precise as you want, use Boolean operations like union, intersect, and subtract. A much cleaner and precise edge is created to better reflect the object’s appearance. Coplanar Faces Faces that overlap and lie in the same plane, coplanar faces, can produce ambiguous results, especially if the materials applied to the two faces differ. In the following example, artifacts appear when faces occupy the same location.
Moving an object so its faces no longer occupy the same plane as another object will fix this situation. Twisted Faces Faces that self-overlap due to a 180-degree twist can also produce ambiguous results, because the normal for the face is not well defined. In the following example, artifacts appear where the face is twisted due to crossing the second and third corner points.
This situation is often encountered when trying to fix a model that has a hole in its surface. For example, when corner points are selected for the new face, the points are crossed instead of being placed around the hole in a counter-clockwise direction. Avoid this problem by choosing corner points in the proper order. Balance Mesh Density for Smooth Geometry When you render a model, the density of the mesh affects the smoothness of surfaces.
■ A polygon is a quadrilateral portion of a surface object. ■ An edge is the boundary of a face or polygon. In a drawing, all faces have three vertices, except faces in polyface meshes, which are treated as adjoining triangles. For rendering purposes, each quadrilateral face is a pair of triangular faces that share one edge. Smoothing of an object is handled automatically by the renderer. Two types of smoothing occur during the rendering process.
These objects are drawn on the screen using many short straight line segments. Smoother arcs and circles display with higher VIEWRES settings, but they take longer to regenerate. To increase performance while you're drawing, set a low VIEWRES value. Control Display of Curved Solids FACETRES controls the mesh density and smoothness of shaded and rendered curved solids. In the following example, facets display on curved geometry when FACETRES is low. FACETRES = .25.
When FACETRES is set to 1, there is a one-to-one correlation between the viewing resolution of circles and arcs and the tessellation, a means of subdividing the faces of solid objects. For example, when FACETRES is set to 2, the tessellation will be twice the tessellation set by VIEWRES. The default value of FACETRES is 0.5. The range of possible values is 0.01 to 10. When you raise and lower the value of VIEWRES, objects controlled by both VIEWRES and FACETRES are affected.
See also: Create Meshes (page 408) Balance Mesh Density for Smooth Geometry To alter the render resolution of solid geometry 1 At the Command prompt, enter facetres. 2 Do one of the following: ■ Enter a value greater than .5 to increase the smoothness of curved surfaces. ■ Enter a value lower than .5 to decrease the smoothness of curved surfaces. To alter the display resolution of arcs and circles 1 At the Command prompt, enter viewres.
3 At the Circle Zoom Percent prompt, do one of the following: ■ Enter a value greater than 1000 to increase the smoothness of arcs and circles. ■ Enter a value lower than 1000 to decrease the smoothness of arcs and circles. Set Up the Renderer You can control many of the settings that affect how the renderer processes a rendering task, especially when rendering higher quality images. Control the Rendering Environment You can use environmental features to set up atmospheric effects or background images.
The RENDERENVIRONMENT command is used to set up fog or depth cue parameters. The key parameters you’ll set are the color of the fog or depth cueing, the near and far distances, and the near and far fog percentages. Fog and depth cueing are based on the front or back clipping planes of your camera coupled with the near and far distance settings on the Render Environment dialog box. For example, the back clipping plane of a camera is active and located 30 feet from the camera location.
TIP For smaller scale models, the Near and Far Fog Percentage setting may need to be set below 1.0 to see the desired effect. Basics of Rendering While the final goal is to create a photorealistic, presentation-quality image that illustrates your vision, you create many renderings before you reach that goal. At a basic level, you can use the RENDER command to render your model without applying any materials, adding any lights, or setting up a scene.
For a complete description of the Render Window, see RENDER in the Command Reference. Save and Redisplay Rendered Images You can save a rendering and then redisplay it later. Redisplaying is much faster than rendering again. Save a Rendered Image You can save an image of a model rendered to a viewport or a render window, or you can render the image directly to a file.
Depending on the render settings you have chosen, rendering can be a time-consuming process. However, redisplaying a previously rendered image is instantaneous. Once rendering is complete, you can save the image or save a copy of the image to one of the following file formats: BMP, TGA, TIF, PCX, JPG, or PNG. Redisplay a Rendered Image Having saved your rendered image, you can view that rendering at any time.
Glossary Commands associated with definitions are shown in parentheses at the end of the definition. 3D mesh primitive Basic mesh forms such as boxes, cones, cylinders, pyramids, wedges, spheres, and tori. 3D view Any view where the UCS icon appears in rendered colored form; current visual style is not 2D Wireframe, and the model is being viewed from an isometric view. absolute coordinates Coordinate values measured from a coordinate system's origin point.
adaptive sampling A method to accelerate the anti-aliasing process within the bounds of the sample matrix size. See also anti-aliasing. adjacent cell selection A selection of table cells that share at least one boundary with another cell in the same selection. alias A shortcut for a command. For example, CP is an alias for COPY, and Z is an alias for ZOOM. You define aliases in the acad.pgp file.
ambient color A color produced only by ambient light. Ambient color is the color of an object where it is in shadow. This color is what the object reflects when illuminated by ambient light rather than direct light. ambient light Light that illuminates all surfaces of a model with equal intensity. Ambient light has no single source or direction and does not diminish in intensity over distance.
anonymous block An unnamed block created by a number of features, including associative and nonassociative dimensions. anti-aliasing A method that reduces aliasing by shading the pixels adjacent to the main pixels that define a line or boundary. See also aliasing. approximation points Point locations that a B-spline must pass near, within a fit tolerance. See also fit points and interpolation points. array 1. Multiple copies of selected objects in a rectangular or polar (radial) pattern. (ARRAY) 2.
associative hatch Hatching that conforms to its bounding objects such that modifying the bounding objects automatically adjusts the hatch. (BHATCH) associative surfaces Associative surfaces automatically adjust their location and shape when the geometric objects associated with them are modified. Controlled by the SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY system variable. attenuation The diminishing of light intensity over distance.
axis tripod Icon with X, Y, and Z coordinates that is used to visualize the viewpoint (view direction) of a drawing without displaying the drawing. (VPOINT) back face The opposite side of a front face. Back faces are not visible in a rendered image. See also front faces. baseline An imaginary line on which text characters appear to rest. Individual characters can have descenders that drop below the baseline. See also baseline dimension. baseline dimension Multiple dimensions measured from the same baseline.
block A generic term for one or more objects that are combined to create a single object. Commonly used for either block definition or block reference. See also block definition and block reference. (BLOCK) block definition The name, base point, and set of objects that are combined and stored in the symbol table of a drawing. See also block and block reference. block definition table The nongraphical data area of a drawing file that stores block definitions. See also named object.
BYBLOCK A special object property used to specify that the object inherits the color or linetype of any block containing it. See also BYLAYER. BYLAYER A special object property used to specify that the object inherits the color or linetype associated with its layer. See also BYBLOCK. camera target Defines the point you are viewing by specifying the coordinate at the center of the view.
clamp surface A smooth, closed surface such as a cylinder. Because as a vertex that is tangent to the object, if the surface is reshaped, it may create kinks. See also periodic surface. clipping planes The boundaries that define or clip the field of view. CMYK For cyan, magenta, yellow, and key color. A system of defining colors by specifying the percentages of cyan, magenta, yellow, and the key color, which is typically black. coincident grip Grip shared by multiple objects.
constraint point Point on an object that can be geometrically and/or dimensionally constrained (for example, an endpoint or an insertion point). constraints Form of parametric design. Rules that govern the position, slope, tangency, dimensions, and relationships among objects in a geometry. construction plane See work plane.
control vertices (CVs) The most basic way to shape a NURBS surface or spline. These points act as grips that can be dragged to reshape the object. Coons patch coordinate filters Functions that extract individual X, Y, and Z coordinate values from different points to create a new, composite point. Also called X,Y,Z point filters. crease A sharpened ridge that defines one or more edges of a mesh face subobject. (MESHCREASE) crosshairs A type of cursor consisting of two lines that intersect.
cursor See pointer and crosshairs. cursor menu See shortcut menu. curve-fit A smooth curve consisting of arcs joining each pair of vertices. The curve passes through all vertices of the polyline and uses any tangent direction you specify. custom grips In a dynamic block reference, used to manipulate the geometry and custom properties. customization (CUIx) file An XML-based file that stores customization data for the user interface. You modify a customization file through the Customize dialog box.
default A predefined value for a program input or parameter. Default values and options for commands are denoted by angle brackets (<>). See also default value. default drawing See initial environment. default lighting The lighting in a shaded viewport when the sun and user lights are turned off. Faces are lighted by two distant light sources that follow the viewpoint as you move around the model. default value The value that is accepted when you press Enter at a sub-prompt.
dependent symbols See dependent named objects (in xrefs). DIESEL For Direct Interpretively Evaluated String Expression Language. diffuse color An object's predominant color. dimensional constraint Parametric dimensions that control the size, angle, or position of geometry relative to the drawing or other objects. When dimensions are changed, the object resizes. dimension line arc An arc (usually with arrows at each end) spanning the angle formed by the extension lines of an angle being measured.
and on how many toolbars and other elements are displayed. See also AutoCAD for Mac window. drawing extents The smallest rectangle that contains all objects in a drawing, positioned on the screen to display the largest possible view of all objects. (ZOOM) drawing limits See grid limits. drawing template A drawing file with preestablished settings for new drawings such as acad.dwtand acadiso.dwt however, any drawing can be used as a template. See also initial environment.
DXF For drawing interchange format. An ASCII or binary file format of a drawing file for exporting drawings to other applications or for importing drawings from other applications. dynamic constraint Dimensional constraint (Constraint Form property = "dynamic") that displays the constraints only when you select the constrained object.
will show the appropriate portion of the map in the reflective parts of its material. environment variable A setting stored in the operating system that controls the operation of a program. explode To disassemble a complex object, such as a block, dimension, solid, or polyline, into simpler objects. In the case of a block, the block definition is unchanged. The block reference is replaced by the components of the block. See also block, block definition, and block reference.
feature control frame The tolerance that applies to specific features or patterns of features. Feature control frames always contain at least a geometric characteristic symbol to indicate the type of control and a tolerance value to indicate the amount of acceptable variation. fence A multi-segmented line specified to select objects it passes through. field A specialized text object set up to display data that may change during the life cycle of the drawing.
floating viewports See layout viewports. font A character set, made up of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols of a distinctive proportion and design. footcandle The American unit of illuminance (symbol: fc). Lm/ft^2. footcandle The American unit of illuminance (symbol: fc). Lm/ft^2 frame An individual, static image in an animated sequence. See also motion path. freeze A setting that suppresses the display of objects on selected layers.
analytic surfaces are separated or by using the BREP command. See also procedural surface and NURBS surface. geometric constraint Rules that define the geometric relationships of objects (or points of objects) elements and control how an object can change shape or size. Geometric constraints are coincident, collinear, concentric, equal, fix, horizontal, parallel, perpendicular, tangent, and vertical. geometry All graphical objects such as lines, circles, arcs, polylines, and dimensions.
grip menu options See multi-functional grip menu options. grip modes The editing options you can access from selected grips on selected objects: stretching, moving, rotating, scaling, and mirroring. grips Small squares and triangles that appear on objects you select. After selecting the grip, you edit the object by dragging it with the pointing device instead of entering commands.
heads-up display (HUD) The process of transparently displaying user interface elements on top of or over the drawing area without obscuring the view of the objects drawn on the drawing area. helix An open 2D or 3D spiral. (HELIX) Help menu In AutoCAD for Mac, you can find Help on the Mac OS menu bar or by pressing Fn-F1. HLS For hue, lightness, and saturation. A system of defining color by specifying the amount of hue, lightness, and saturation.
initial environment The variables and settings for new drawings as defined by the default drawing template, such as acad.dwt or acadiso.dwt. See also template drawing. interface element A user interface object that can be customized, such as a pull-down menu or tool set. interpolation points Defining points that a B-spline passes through. See also approximation points and fit points. island An enclosed area within another enclosed area.
label block landing The portion of a leader object that acts as a pointer to the object being called out. A landing can either be a straight line or a spline curve. landing gap An optional space between a leader tail and the leader content. layer A logical grouping of data that are like transparent acetate overlays on a drawing. You can view layers individually or in combination. (LAYER) layer index A list showing the objects on each layer.
limits See drawing limits. line font See linetype. linetype How a line or type of curve is displayed. For example, a continuous line has a different linetype than a dashed line. Also called line font. (LINETYPE) lineweight A width value that can be assigned to all graphical objects except TrueType fonts and raster images. ® LL84 coordinate system Common latitude longitudinal-based coordinate system where latitude and longitude are both measured from -90 to 90 degrees.
lux The SI unit of illuminance (symbol: lx). Lm/m^2 magnitude See bulge magnitude. main customization file A writable CUIx file that defines most of the user interface elements (including the pull-down menus and tool sets). merge In tables, an adjacent cell selection that has been combined into a single cell. mesh A tessellated, or subdivided object type that is defined by faces, edges, and vertices. Mesh can be smoothed to achieve a more rounded appearance and creased to introduce ridges.
multi-functional grip menu options Editing options you can access from the grip menu that appears when you hover over an object grip (not available for all object types). multileader A leader object that creates annotations with multiple leader lines. named object Describes the various types of nongraphical information, such as styles and definitions, stored with a drawing. Named objects include linetypes, layers, dimension styles, text styles, block definitions, layouts, views, and viewport configurations.
NURBS surface Surfaces that are have control vertices in the U and V directions. NURBS surfaces cannot be associative. See also procedural surface and generic surface. object One or more graphical elements, such as text, dimensions, lines, circles, or polylines, treated as a single element for creation, manipulation, and modification. Formerly called entity. ObjectARX (AutoCAD Runtime Extension) A compiled-language programming environment for developing custom applications.
page setup A collection of plot device and other settings that affect the appearance and format of the final output. These settings can be modified and applied to other layouts. palette A user interface element that can be either docked, anchored, or floating in the drawing area. Dockable windows include the command line, status bar, Properties Inspector, and so on. pan To shift the view of a drawing without changing magnification. See also zoom.
periodic curve A smooth, closed curve such as a circle. Because its control vertices are not tangent to the object, if the curve is reshaped, it stays smooth and does not create kinks. See also clamp curve. periodic surface A smooth, closed surface such as a cylinder. Because its control vertices are not tangent to the object, if the surface is reshaped, it stays smooth and does not create kinks. See also clamp surface.
pick-first pick-first set pick points Clicking and acquiring a point on an object in the drawing. planar face A flat face that can be located anywhere in 3D space. planar projection Mapping of objects or images onto a plane. planar surface A flat surface that can be located anywhere in 3D space. (PLANESURF) plan view A view orientation from a point on the positive Z axis toward the origin (0,0,0). (PLAN) pline See polyline.
PMP file Plot Model Parameter. File containing custom plotter calibration and custom paper size information associated with plotter configuration file. point 1. A location in three-dimensional space specified by X, Y, and Z coordinate values. 2. An object consisting of a single coordinate location. (POINT) pointer A cursor on a video display screen that can be moved around to place textual or graphical information. See also crosshairs. point filters See coordinate filters.
polysolid A swept solid that is drawn the same way you draw a polyline or that is based on an existing line. By default, a polysolid always has a rectangular profile. You can specify the height and width of the profile. (POLYSOLID) primary table fragment The fragment of a broken table that contains the beginning set of rows up to the first table break. primitive Basic 3D forms such as boxes, cones, cylinders, pyramids, wedges, spheres, and tori.
ray tracing The renderer can generate reflections and refractions. Ray tracing traces the path of rays sampled from the light source. Reflections and refractions generated this way are physically accurate. rectangular break To break a table into multiple parts that are evenly spaced and set at a user-specified height using the table breaking grips. redraw To quickly refresh or clean up blip marks in the current viewport without updating the drawing's database. See also regenerate.
regenerate To update a drawing's screen display by recomputing the screen coordinates from the database. See also redraw. (REGEN) region Two-dimensional enclosed areas that have physical properties such as centroids or centers of mass. You can create regions from objects that form closed loops. They area commonly created in order to apply hatching and shading. (REGION) relative coordinates Coordinates specified in relation to previous coordinates.
sampling save back To update the objects in the original reference (external or block reference) with changes made to objects in a working set during in-place reference editing. scale representation The display of an annotative object based on the annotation scales that the object supports. For example, if an annotative object supports two annotations scales, it has two scale representations script file A set of commands executed sequentially with a single SCRIPT command.
ShapeManager shortcut keys Keys and key combinations that start commands; for example, Cmd-S saves a file. The function keys (Fn-F1, Fn-F2, and so on) are also shortcut keys. Also known as accelerator keys. shortcut menu The menu displayed at your cursor location when you right-click your pointing device. The shortcut menu and the options it provides depend on the pointer location and other conditions, such as whether an object is selected or a command is in progress.
solid history A property of a solid that allows you to see and modify the original forms of the solid. solid object An object that represents the entire volume of an object, for example a box. solid primitive A basic solid form. Solid primitives include: box, wedge, cone, cylinder, sphere, torus, and pyramid. spatial index A list that organizes objects based on their location in space. A spatial index is used to locate what portion of the drawing is read when you partially open a drawing.
subobject A part of a composite object. sub-prompt A command prompt that instructs for a form of input to complete a command or alter a property. surface A surface is a 3D object that is an infinitely thin shell. There are 3 types of surfaces: analytic, generic, and NURBS. surface associativity See associative surfaces surface normal Positive direction perpendicular to the surface of an object.
table break The point at the bottom of a table row where the table will be split into a supplementary table fragment. table style A style that contains a specific table format and structure. A table style contains at least 3 cell styles. temporary files Data files created during an program session. The files are deleted by the time you end the session. If the session ends abnormally, such as during a power outage, temporary files might be left on the disk.
tiled viewports See model viewports. TILEMODE A system variable that controls whether viewports can be created as movable, resizable objects (layout viewports), or as nonoverlapping display elements that appear side-by-side (model viewports). See also viewport. tooltip A small box of text that identifies or explains an object or interface element when the cursor hovers near or over it. tracking A way to locate a point relative to other points on the drawing.
UCS icon An icon that indicates the orientation of the UCS axes. (UCSICON) underconstrained geometry Objects with unsolved degrees of freedom are underconstrained. underground The XY plane of the user coordinate system when perspective projection is turned on and when viewed from below ground. The underground plane displays with a color gradient between the earth horizon (nearest to the horizon) and the earth azimuth (opposite the horizon). See also ground plane and sky.
equivalent of Z and represents a direction perpendicular to the UV plane of the map. vector A mathematical object with precise direction and length but without specific location. vertex A location where edges or polyline segments meet. view A graphical representation of a model from a specific location (viewpoint) in space. See also viewpoint and viewport. (3DORBIT, VPOINT, DVIEW, VIEW) view category A named collection of views in a sheet set that is often organized by function. See also subset.
visual style A collection of settings that control the display of edges and shading in a viewport. volumetric shadows A photorealistically rendered volume of space cast by the shadow of an object. watertight A closed 3D solid or mesh that has no gaps. WCS See world coordinate system (WCS). window selection A rectangular area specified in the drawing area to select multiple objects at the same time. See also crossing selection, polygon window selection.
world coordinate system (WCS) The fixed coordinate system used as the basis for defining all objects and other coordinate systems. See also user coordinate system (UCS). X,Y,Z point filters See coordinate filters. xref See external reference (xref). zoom To reduce or increase the apparent magnification of the drawing area.
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Index 2D Cartesian coordinates coordinate filters 179 entering 154 x and y values 153 2D coordinates Cartesian 153 entering 154 polar 153 2D isometric views 773 2D objects flattened views of 3D objects 544 multi-functional grips 235 sectioning 541 simplified display 142 simulating 3D 773 2D polar coordinates 153, 156 2D UCS icon 150 2D wireframe visual style 68 3D Cartesian coordinates coordinate filters 179 defining 3D views 66 entering 159 3D coordinates Cartesian coordinates 159 cylindrical coordinates 1
shadows 75 subobjects 462 sun and sky 804 thickness 439 types of 355 viewing 442 visual styles 68 weblights 786 wireframes 436 3D Move gizmo 443, 446 3D objects aligning 244 AutoCAD LT functionality 763 coordinates 159 edge display 77 exporting 756 extending 267 flattened views of 544 live sectioning 536 lofting 460 modifying 440 rendering 807 rotating 243 shadows 75 simulating in 2D 773 smoothness 817 subobjects 462 surfaces 393 sweeping 460 thickness 439 trimming 267 visual styles 68 wireframes 436 3D Orb
validating 481 vertices 462 wireframes 436 3D space 3D models 355 coordinates 159 object snaps 168 UCSs 146 workplanes 145 3D surfaces 393, 440 composite solids 476 composite surfaces 478 edges 469, 483 editing 488 extending 492 faces and 466 filletting 493 modifying 462 NURBS surfaces 493 properties 485 reconstructing 495 separating into original shapes 480 surface analysis 495 trimming 491 vertices 474 3D UCS icon 150 3D views architectural design conventions 66 changing viewpoints 67 defining 66 dynamic
angles angle overrides 178 calculating 188 constraints 307 defining 3D views with 66 polar angles 177 polar coordinates 156 rotating objects by 242 snap angle 175 spotlights 799 sunlight 804 unit types 154 angular constraints 307 angular dimensions breaks in 674 creating 660 definition points 666 spacing between 677 angular units 46 anisotropic light distributions 786 annotation objects annotative styles 552 blocks as 556 creating 550 defined 548 dimensions as 554, 649 hatches as 558 leaders as 555 model sp
Asian set 609 association points of dimensions 669 associative arrays 247, 253 associative dimensions about 629 annotation objects and 554 association points 669 changing associativity 669 leader objects and 597 limitations 629 modifying 665, 668 previous release formats and 761 updating 629 associative hatches creating 568 defined 566 exploding 278 extents 576 associative surfaces about 393 creating 364, 405 associative text 595 atmospheric rendering effects 820 attached xrefs demand loading and 721 Intern
beam angle (spotlights) 799 beveled corners 273 Big Fonts properties 610 bills of materials (BOM) 620 binding dependent named objects to drawings 735 object definitions 735 xrefs to drawings 722 bisecting objects with construction lines 217 bitmaps (BMP images) exporting 755 importing 742 bitonal raster images 749 blank text objects 232 blending surfaces 399 Block Attribute Manager duplicate tags 351 reordering prompts 343 block attributes about 340 annotative 550 attaching 342 attribute definitions 341 att
updating 352 visibility 330 xrefs vs.
drawing 204 grips on 237 isometric circles 209, 774 modifying 221 PostScript rendering 756 rendering 816 circular references between xrefs 734 circumferences 189 clamp curves 405 cleaning 3D solids 481 clearing screen 40 screen display 233 clearing screen 40 Clipboard (Windows) 233 clipping blocks 723 layout viewport boundaries 104 xrefs 723, 739 clipping boundaries blocks 723 layout viewports 104 raster images 747 xrefs 715, 723 clipping planes 3D views and 81 closed areas 482 closed curves 405 closed mesh
syntax 42 command line switches customizing program startup 41 command prompt calculator 192 commands canceling 232 command prompt calculator 192 Dynamic Input and 163 compass (ViewCube) 83 composite regions 219 composite solids 3D solids 390, 476 history 476 modifying 478 modifying original components 479 selecting subobjects 456 separating into original shapes 480 composite surfaces 478 composite tolerances 683 compound objects 278 compression JPEG files 755 Conceptual visual style 68 cones 3D solids 377
nonassociative dimensions to associative 669 objects to 3D solids 386 objects to meshes 428 objects to surfaces 402 surfaces to 3D solids 389 text to annotations 553 Coons surface patch meshes 428 coordinate filters 179 coordinate systems origin 153 types of 145 WCS (world coordinate system) 145 coordinates 2D coordinates 154 3D coordinates 159 absolute values 153 calculating 188 coordinate filters 179 Dynamic Input and 164 entering 153 relative values 153 types of 145 unit types 154 coplanar faces 813 copy
objects 233 slicing 391 cutting edges 263 cutting planes live sectioning 536 section objects 527 slicing solids 391 cylinders 3D solids 379 mesh cylinders 415 modifying 484 cylindrical coordinates 161 cylindrical helixes 216 D damaged drawing files 57 data extraction block attributes and 343 data types in tables 624 databases block attribute data in 344 dates angle of sun and 804 datum composite tolerances 683 geometric tolerances 682 ordinate dimensions 661 deleting 3D solid history 477 back faces 809 blo
dimensional constraints about 307 annotational constraints 311 applying 309 displaying 312 dynamic constraints 310 editing 313 editing constrained objects 313 illustrated 291 parameters 317 reference parameters 311 surfaces 407 dimensional input 165 dimensions about 626, 627 alignment 639, 677 angular 660 annotations 547, 554, 649 arc length 664 arrowheads 627 associative 629, 665, 668 basic 647 breaks in 674 creating 627, 650 customizing contents 642 dimension lines 627, 632 dimensional constraints 307 ele
distant lights 781, 794, 822 distributing dimensions 677 items in arrays 250 leader lines 597 dithering 707 dividing objects into equal segments 186, 187 objects into original shapes 480 docked palettes 40 document materials 807 doglegs 594, 655 donuts drawing 207 exploding 278 simplified display 142 double click actions editing 234 downloading AutoCAD WS files 770 draft analysis 496, 499 draft quality display of raster images 753 draw order changing 144 hatches 575 drawing 3D solids 375 arcs 200 boxes 376
starting drawings with 47 startup routines and 41 drawing units about 44 angular units 46 converting 45 linear units 45 model space settings 96 precision 46 rounding off 46 drawings 2D sections of 3D models 527 3D views 80 annotations in 547 archiving 722 background colors 40 colors 130 converting to AutoCAD LT 762 copying between 52 cross sectioning 527 exporting 754 extents 63 file formats 53 file locations 50, 56 finding 48, 56 fitting on paper 696, 698 fully constrained drawings 293 importing files into
restoring 331 dynamic blocks action parameters 327 dynamic constraints 310, 312 Dynamic Input feature 163 dynamic panning 61 dynamic prompts 166 dynamic UCSs 149 dynamic viewing 81 E e-learning program (Autodesk) 3 earlier versions of AutoCAD 760 edge-defined meshes 428 edges 3D solid edges 462 boundary edges 263 colors 472 copying 472 creases 509 customizing 77 cutting edges 263 deleting 472 imprinting objects on 483 mesh edges 428 modifying 469 redundant edges 481 rendering 815 surfaces 483 trimming to 4
EPS files exporting 755 equations parametric constraints 315 erasing objects 233 errors block attribute extraction files 349 correcting 231 reporting 60 xref error messages 733 evaluating new layers in drawings 127 Excel spreadsheets opening attribute extraction files 348 exploded dimensions 629, 668 exploding block references 278 blocks 353 compound objects 278 objects 278 xrefs 279 exporting 3D solids 756 ACIS SAT files 756 block attribute data 343, 344 drawings 754 DXF files 754 export file formats 754 l
External References palette displaying 715 raster image information 750 externally referenced dimension styles 631 extracting block attribute data 343, 344 geometric data 188 extruding faces 522 mesh faces 511 objects 459, 482 extruding objects 364 F face counts 816 face edges offsetting 260 face normals 809 face views 86 faces of 3D solids colors 469 coplanar faces 813 copying 468 creases 509 edge display 77 extruding 511, 522 face styles 70 imprinting objects on 483 intersecting faces 812 mesh faces 508,
plot styles 710 PostScript rendering 756 properties 573 solid fills 567, 571 turning off display 142 wipeout objects 579 filter colors of lighting 799 filtering layers 119 object selection 226 subobject selection filters 458, 521 finding drawing files 48, 56 Help topics 2 raster images 751 text 618 fit points in splines 282 fit points on splines 212, 404 fitting dimension text 636 Fix constraints 299 fixed-length extension lines 634 fixtures (lighting) 776, 778, 804 flat lighting 72 flatshot objects 544 fla
Geo SPOT files 742 geographic locations angle of sun 804 geometric constraints about 294 applying 295 applying automatically 305 constraint points 297 displaying 300 editing 300 editing constrained objects 303 fix constraints 299 illustrated 291 inferring 305 multiple constraints 299 relaxing 293 removing 293, 295 surfaces 406 geometric tolerances about 680 composite tolerances 683 datum reference frames 682 lateral tolerances 646 material conditions 681 projected tolerances 683 geometry object geometric da
grouping layers 124 grouping layers viewport overrides and 123 groups about 229 adding objects to 231 creating 228, 229 deleting 231 editing groups 230 editing objects 230 layer 124 names 229 removing group definition 231 removing objects from 231 reordering objects in 230 selecting 230 selecting objects in 230 ungrouping 231 guide curves 362, 460 gutters between text columns 593 H handdrawn effects 77 hanging indents 589 hardware acceleration 79 linetypes and 134 hatches about 565 alignment 576 annotation
histories of 3D solids 476, 485 history of online files 770 holes in 3D solids 482 holes in meshes 502 hollow objects 481 Home view 88 hook lines 594, 655 horizontal dimension text 640 horizontal dimensions 652 horizontal text 615 hotspot angle of spotlights 799 hyperlinks fields and 605 I IES photometric data files 786, 792 IG4 files 742 imperial units converting to metric 44 linetype definition file for 135 importing ACIS SAT files 741 files into drawings 741 layer states 130 named page setups 686 text 5
ISO hatch patterns 571 ISO pen widths 135 isolating objects 144 isoline edges 77 isometric circles 209, 774 isometric drawings 773 isometric planes 773 Isometric Snap/Grid mode 773 isometric views 2D views 773 3D views 66 Isotropic distribution of lights 788 J JFIF files 742 jitter edge effect 77 jog lines in dimensions 672 jogged radius dimensions 659 jogged segments in section objects joining line join styles 709 objects 277 polylines 281 JPEG files attaching 742 exporting 755 justified text defined 585
layer 0 116 layer states 128 layout viewports and 106 linetypes 117, 120, 136, 715 lineweights 117, 120, 138, 141 live sectioning and 538 locking 116 modifying 120 modifying objects on 118 moving objects to another 120, 132, 136, 141 naming 119, 120 overriding properties 118, 122 plot styles 117, 705 preventing selection 225 previous release formats and 758 properties 120 reconciled 127 referenced 120 restoring layer states 129 saving 128 selecting 119 settings 120 sorting 124 thawing 117 transparency 117,
multileaders 595, 597 multiline text in 599 ordinate dimensions and 663 styles 599 leading (line spacing) 590 least material condition values 682 legacy mesh types 428, 432 lengthening objects 268 lettered lists 587 LID (luminous intensity distribution) 792 light glyphs displaying 775 plotting 799 settings 796 lighting about 775 assigning shapes to 795 colors 781, 783, 785, 799, 801 default 775 display options 796 distant lights 794, 802 distribution 791, 801 face styles and 72 fixtures 776 guidelines 781 h
defaults 117 deleting 135 displaying on short segments 137 file locations 56 filtering selection sets by 226 freehand sketches 200 hardware linetypes 134 layers and 115, 120, 136 layout viewports and 109 loading 135 model space settings 97 plot style linetypes 708 polylines 137 reapplying 136 scaling 109, 137, 708 lineweights about 138 applying 138 block properties 336 current 140 defaults 117 dimension elements 631 displaying 139 filtering selection sets by 226 layers and 115, 120, 141 model space and 138
material condition symbols 681 materials about 805 Materials Browser 806 materials libraries 807 Materials Browser browsing materials 806 materials libraries 807 MaxArray system registry variable 256 maximum material condition values 682 measurement units about 44 coordinates 154 dimension text 641 dimensions 643 model space 96 plot scale 698 measurements dimensions 626 equal intervals 186, 187 tolerances 680 memory (RAM) allocating 78 memory tuning 79 menu grips 539 merge extend surfaces 492 merging cells
lineweight display in 138, 139 live sectioning and 537 moving objects to paper space 101 plot scale 697 plotting from 97, 695, 701 switching to layouts 52 viewports 90 model space viewports assigning UCSs to 147 creating 90 modifying 3D models 440 3D solids 440, 466, 474 AutoCAD WS files 770 block attribute definitions 342 block attributes 351 block definitions 349, 728 block references 349, 728 colors 132 columns of text 592 composite solids 478 constrained objects 303, 313 constraints 313 dimension styles
text in 599 multiline text about 584 aligning 585 annotations 547 columns 592 creating 584 editing 617 finding 618 formatting 586 grips 592 height 587, 613 indenting 589 justification 585 leader objects and 594 line spacing 590 lists in 587 obliquing angle 614 orientation 615 previous release file formats and 759 properties 585 replacing 618 stacked 591 styles 586, 606 tabs 589 text wrap 585 multilines drawing 198 editing commands 290 intersections 290 modifying 289 styles 199 vertices 290 multiple drawings
nonassociative dimensions 629, 666, 669 nonassociative hatches 568, 577 nonrectangular layout viewports 103 nonsystem plotter drivers PDF output 711 nonuniform rational B-spline curves 209 normals of 3D faces about 809 Not Found raster images 750 notes about 580 annotations 547, 553 creating text 581 notification attached xrefs 715 changed xrefs 721 relocated xrefs 719 nudging objects 241 numbered lists 587 numeric values block attribute data 347 dimensions 643 rounding 645 suppressing zeros 645 NURBS curve
filleting 270 filtering 226 geometric data 188 grouping 228 highlighting 227 isolating 144 joining 277 large objects 50, 55 layers 115 layout viewports and 102 linetypes 133 lineweights 138 magnifying 62 masking 579 mass properties 192 materials 805 mirroring 261 moving 240 offsetting 238, 257 overlapping 144 paper space and 101 pasting 233 plotting 701 proxy objects 766 reshaping 267 resizing 267 rotating 242 saving 53 scaling 269 section objects 527 selecting 222 separating into original shapes simplified
array properties 254 center locations of dimensions 659 dimension styles 631, 679 grid spacing 175 identifying 123 layer property overrides 118, 122, 129 linetypes 136 lineweights 141 object snaps 170 previous release formats and 758 removing 124 snap spacing 175 overshoot of extension lines 633 P Page Setup Manager creating page setups 685 page setups named page setups 685, 686 Page Setup Manager 685 plot settings 694 settings 685 pages page setups 685 palettes displaying 40 docking 40 floating 40 icons 4
parts inspection dimensions 673 parts lists 344 pasting lists 589 objects 233 objects from other drawings 52 text 594 patching surfaces 399 path arrays 249 paths default file locations 50 extruding 459 lofting 460 path arrays 249 raster image files 751 support files 56 sweeping 367 patterns hatches 565, 571, 573 libraries 571 PCX files attaching 742 PDF files exporting 754 plotting 711 performance improvement 3D display and 78 arrays and 256 demand loading xrefs 739, 740 fills display 142 groups and 229 har
plot style tables assigning to layouts 691, 703 creating 703 editing 706 modifying 703 Plot Style Manager 703 Plot Style Table Editor 705 predefined 704, 706 shaded viewport plotting options and 699 types 693, 702, 704, 705 plot styles about 701 layers and 117, 120 modifying 706 NORMAL style 706 object plot styles 705 plot style tables 691, 702 selecting 701 settings 706 types 693, 702 Plotter Configuration Editor paper size 688 plotters offsetting plots 697 paper size 695 paper-saving features 696 selectin
polyface meshes about 432 creating 434 rendering 816 polygon meshes 432, 434 polygons calculating geometric data for drawing 198, 206 polyface meshes 434 rendering 816 polyline arcs 206 polylines calculating geometric data for chamfering 275 closed 206 drawing 196 exploding 278 filleting 272 grips 235, 279 joining 281 linetypes 137 modifying 221, 279 offsetting 258 polyline arcs 206 PostScript rendering 756 revision clouds 221 simplifying display 142 subobjects 280 wide polylines 196, 206 polysolids drawing
properties 3D solids 484 arrays 253 blocks 336 colors 130 copying 115 dimension lines 632 fills 573 floating properties 336 hatches 573, 575 layer groups 124 layers 115, 120 lighting 798 linetypes 133 lineweights 138 mass properties 192 meshes 411, 486 multiline properties 199 objects 113 overriding 122 plot styles 702 section objects 540 selecting objects by filtering simplifying display 142 surfaces 398, 485 tables 620 text 585, 617 views 64 Properties Inspector palette object properties 114 Properties pa
tiled images 753 transparency 743 unloading 752 rays drawing 217 filleting 273 modifying 221 Readme help topic 3 Real face style 70 realistic rendering 807 Realistic visual style 68 realtime panning 61 realtime zooming 62 rearranging objects in groups 230 reassociating dimensions 669 rebuilding surfaces 495 reconciled layers about 127 reconstructing surfaces 495 recording history of composite solids 477 recovering after system failures 59 damaged drawings 57 recovery audits 58 rectangles drawing 198 modifyi
objects from selections 225 stray pixels 233 text styles 607 unreferenced linetypes 135 unused named objects 232 vertices 475 renaming groups 231 layers 120 Render (renderer) 820 rendering about 807 atmospheric effects 820 background effects 820 basic techniques 822 configuring Renderer 820 plotting rendered objects 700 preparing models for 809 saving images 824 section objects 544 shaded viewport objects 691, 699 simplifying geometry for 812 repairing damaged drawing files 57 replacing dimension text 670 t
rotation grips 327 rotation snaps 238 rounding corners 270 edges 472 rounding off dimension values 645 drawing units 46 rows (tables) formatting 624 modifying 620 RTF files 594 rubber-band lines locking 176 tracking 184 ruled meshes 426 running object snaps 168, 170 S S (regardless of feature size symbol) 682 SAT format files 741, 756 saving automatic saves 52, 59 backup files 52, 58 cross sections 541 drawings 52, 768 files in older formats 757, 760 incremental saves 54 layer indexes 739 layer property ov
screen display cleaning up 233 clearing 40 performance 142 quality 753 updating 143 screening layout viewports 108 plot settings 707 scripts customizing program startup 41 SDF files (space-delimited format) 347 search paths default file locations 50 referenced drawings 718 specifying 56 searching finding drawing files 48, 56 finding raster images 751 Help topics 2 text search and replace 618 second grips 539 section lines 529 section objects about 527 cameras and 541 creating 530 grips 539 jogged segments 5
shaded viewports plotting options 691, 699, 700, 701 resolution settings 700 Shaded visual style 68 Shaded with Edges visual style 68 shades (colors) 571 Shades of Gray visual style 68 shadows hardware acceleration and 75 lighting and 781, 799 visual styles 75 sharing drawings 770 shelling solids 481 SHX fonts 609, 610, 611, 615 SI lighting units 780 silhouette edges 77 single-line text creating 582 editing 616 height 613 obliquing angle 614 orientation 615 styles 606 sketching freehand lines 200 Sketchy vi
spheres 3D solids 380 mesh spheres 419 modifying 484 spherical coordinates 162 spinning mesh edges 502 spirals drawing 215 modifying 288 spline-fit polylines extending 267 trimming 267 splines B-splines 403 base points 285 calculating geometric data for 190 control points 282 drawing 209 editing 282 extending 287 filleting 287 grips 235, 282 knots 284 modifying 221 NURBS splines 404 offsetting 258 trimming 287 splitting faces 519 mesh faces 511 spotlights artifical lighting 781 attenuation rates 802 beam an
composite solids 476 composite surfaces 478 constraints 406 continuity 396 converting meshes to 524 converting objects to 361, 402 converting to 3D solids 386, 389 converting to meshes 428 creating 394 edges 469, 483 editing 488 extending 492 extruding 361, 364, 459 faces and 466 filleting 472, 493 grips 458 hidden 809 interferences 392 lighting and 781 lofting 369, 460 meshes 422 modifying 440, 462 network surfaces 398, 399 NURBS surfaces 357, 393, 403, 493 offsetting 400 patching 399 planar surfaces 398 p
grips 622 inserting blocks in 625 merging cells 623 previous release formats and 759 row height 621 selecting elements 623 table styles 624 text in 625 title rows 624 tabs in text 589 tabulated meshes 427 tangential objects arcs and lines 203 circles 205 tapering polylines 206 TARGA files 742 target point lights 782, 801 targeted weblights 787 teams master drawings 713 templates attribute extraction templates 344 drawing templates 47 layout templates 111 saving 53 startup routines and 41 temporary files 56
thawing layers layout viewports 106 regenerating drawings 117 thickness of objects 389, 439 tick marks for dynamic blocks 327 TIFF files attaching 742 exporting 755 tiling 753 tiling images 753 time angle of sun and 804 timelines (AutoCAD WS files) 770 tints 571 titles tables 624 tolerances alignment 647 annotations 547, 554 composite tolerances 683 datum reference frames 682 deviation tolerances 647 geometric tolerances 680 inspection dimensions 673 lateral tolerances 646 limits 647 material conditions 681
UCS icon coloring 40 display options 150 UCSs (user coordinate systems ViewCube and 89 UCSs (user coordinate systems) 3D space and 146 assigning to viewports 147 AutoCAD LT functionality 762 defining 145 dynamic UCSs 149 named definitions 147 paper space and 146 preset orientations 147 restoring 147 UCS icon 150 workplanes 145 unbounded hatches 565, 574 unconstrained drawings 292 underconstrained drawings 292 undoing actions correcting mistakes 231 layer changes 120 ungrouping groups 231 Unicode fonts 609 U
video cards 79 ViewCube 82 viewpoints in 3D space 66, 81 Viewport Overrides filter 123 viewports aligning views in 110 annotations in 548, 549 arranging 92, 93 backgrounds in 75 creating 90 current 92 drawing in 93 layer property overrides and 122 layers and 122 layout viewports 103 lighting modes 775 plot options 691, 699 plotting 701 rendering 822 restoring layer states and 129 shadows in 75 UCSs and 147 visual styles in 69, 123 views 2D isometric 773 3D projection styles 64 3D views 79 aligning in viewpo
weblights about 786 distribution in photometric webs 788 free weblights 787 goniometric diagrams 787 luminous intensity distribution (LID) 792 properties 801 websites opening and saving files to 768 wedges 3D solids 376 mesh wedges 420 modifying 484 wide polylines drawing 196, 206 extending 266 simplified display 142 tapering segments 206 trimming 266 width table columns 620 wildcard characters filtering layers by 125 window polygon selection 224 windows interface options 40 selection windows 223 zooming to
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