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444 | Chapter 17 Change Existing Objects
Copy Objects
You can use the Clipboard to copy part or all of a drawing into a document
created by another application. The AutoCAD objects are copied in vector
format, which retains the high resolution in other applications. These
objects are stored in WMF (Windows metafile) format in the Clipboard. The
information stored in the Clipboard can then be embedded in the other doc-
ument. Updating the original drawing does not update the copy embedded
in the other application.
Paste Objects
Applications use different internal formats to store Clipboard information.
When you copy objects to the Clipboard, AutoCAD stores information in all
available formats. When you paste the Clipboard contents into an AutoCAD
drawing, AutoCAD uses the format that retains the most information. How-
ever, you can override this setting and convert pasted information to
AutoCAD format.
Because it is the easiest format to edit, the AutoCAD format is the preferred
format for copying objects to and from AutoCAD. It retains all relevant
object information, including block references and 3D aspects.
The Windows metafile (picture) format contains screen vector information,
and files can be scaled and printed without losing resolution. Use this format
to paste objects into Windows applications that support WMF files. Metafiles
pasted into AutoCAD are of higher resolution than bitmapped images (BMP
files) but are not as easily manipulated as AutoCAD objects.
The color of the object doesn't change when copied to the Clipboard. For
example, white objects pasted onto a white background won't be visible. Use
the
WMFBKGND and WMFFOREGND system variables to control whether the
background or foreground is transparent for metafile objects pasted into
other applications.
Bitmapped images are raster images consisting of a pattern of pixels and are
commonly used by paint applications.