2004

Glossary | 849
Coons patch In 3D surface meshes, the bicubic surface (one curved in the M
direction and another in the N direction) interpolated between four edges.
crosshairs A type of cursor consisting of two lines that intersect.
crossing selection A rectangular area drawn to select objects fully or partly within its
borders.
cursor See pointer and crosshairs.
cursor menu See shortcut menu.
custom object A type of object that is created by an ObjectARX application and that
typically has more specialized capabilities than standard AutoCAD objects. Custom
objects include parametric solids (Autodesk Mechanical Desktop), intelligently inter-
active door symbols (Autodesk Architectural Desktop), polygon objects (Autodesk
Map), and associative dimension objects (AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT). See also proxy
object and object enabler.
CTB file SA color-dependent plot style table.
default A predefined value for a program input or parameter. Default values and
options for AutoCAD commands are denoted by angle brackets (<>).
default drawing See initial environment.
definition points Points for creating a dimension. AutoCAD refers to the points to
modify the appearance and value of a nonassociative dimension when the dimen-
sioned object is modified. Also called defpoints and stored on the special layer
DEFPOINTS.
definition table The nongraphical data area of a drawing file that stores block
definitions.
dependent named objects (in xrefs) Named objects brought into a drawing by an
external reference. See also named object and symbol table.
dependent symbols See dependent named objects (in xrefs).
DIESEL For Direct Interpretively Evaluated String Expression Language. A macro lan-
guage for altering the status line with the MODEMACRO system variable and for
customizing menu items.
diffuse color An object’s predominant color (in AutoCAD).
dimension line arc An arc (usually with arrows at each end) spanning the angle
formed by the extension lines of an angle being measured. The dimension text near
this arc sometimes divides it into two arcs. See also angular dimension.
dimension style A named group of dimension settings that determines the appear-
ance of the dimension and simplifies the setting of dimension system variables.
(DIMSTYLE)
dimension text The measurement value of dimensioned objects.
dimension variables A set of numeric values, text strings, and settings that control
dimensioning features. (DIMSTYLE)
direct distance entry A method to specify a second point by first moving the cursor
to indicate direction and then entering a distance.
crosshairs