2000

AutoCAD 2000 Preview Guide Page 5 00000-005000-5513
Heads-Up Design Environment
Connecting you to a world of intelligent, automated design
In a very real sense, AutoCAD 2000 represents a movement away from keyboard dependence into a
world of efficient “heads-up” design. Features such as the Multiple Design Environment, AutoCAD
DesignCenter (ADC), and Enhanced AutoSnap enable you to direct your attention to the drawing and the
task at hand, thereby working smarter and more efficiently than ever before.
Multiple Design Environment (MDE)
You may be familiar with the term Multiple Document Interface (MDI)--the ability to open multiple
documents within a single session. AutoCAD 2000 takes this concept a step further and introduces MDE,
Multiple Design Environment. MDE adheres to Windows
®
standards and provides an intelligent
environment that increases performance, productivity, and ease of use. With MDE, you can multitask
between drawings with no interruption in workflow and “connect” to both your own data and the data of
others by reusing previously defined content. MDE offers a multitude of capabilities, including such high-
level functionality as:
Opening Multiple Drawings. AutoCAD 2000 provides you with ability to open multiple drawing
files in one session of AutoCAD. From the File > Open dialog, you can select several files to open
with the Shift or Control keys and selecting the Open button. Alternatively, you can open multiple
drawings by dropping them from Windows Explorer into an AutoCAD session.
Object Drag & Drop. This feature gives you the option to copy or move objects within or between
drawings with a simple drag and drop operation. Right dragging a drawing or document from
Windows Explorer provides you with the option to Open, Insert, XREF, Copy as an OLE Object, or
Create a Hyperlink to the document you are dragging. This significantly reduces the number of steps
required to perform many common tasks and immediately increases efficiency.
Property Painter Support. With a simple mouse-click, you can now paint object properties such as
color, layer, linetype, linetype scale, and more, from one drawing to another. This feature improves
consistency between drawings and speeds up drawing completion.
Cut/Copy/Paste. This feature enables you to accurately copy drawing objects from one drawing to
another within a single session of AutoCAD software, reducing the time spent reworking similar
design ideas. Additionally, you have the ability to either specify a basepoint or reuse original
coordinates not only increases efficiency but also maintains drawing placement precision.
Concurrent Command Execution. By enabling you to switch between drawings without canceling
the current command, Concurrent Command Execution significantly reduces workflow interruptions.