AutoCAD 2012 Command Reference February 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 Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 1 3D Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3DALIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 3DARRAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 3DCLIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Adjust Clipping Planes Window . . . . . . . . .
3DMESH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3DMOVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3D Move Gizmo Shortcut Menu . . . . . . . 3DORBIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3D Orbit Shortcut Menu . . . . . . . . . . . 3DORBITCTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3DOSNAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -3DOSNAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3DPAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3DPOLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3DPRINT .
ADCNAVIGATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ADDSELECTED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ADJUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AMECONVERT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANALYSISCURVATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANALYSISDRAFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANALYSISOPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Analysis Options Dialog Box . . . . . . ANALYSISZEBRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANIPATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ATTEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attribute Extraction Dialog Box . . -ATTEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ATTIPEDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ATTREDEF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ATTSYNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AUDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AUTOCOMPLETE . . . . . . . . . . . . AUTOCONSTRAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . AUTOPUBLISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Auto Publish Options Dialog Box . Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Property Lookup Table Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Add Parameter Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 BLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Block Definition Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 -BLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 BMPOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 BOUNDARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rotate a Point About an Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Obtain an Intersection Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Calculate a Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Obtain a Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 Obtain an Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 Calculate a Normal Vector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Use Shortcut Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 CAMERA . .
CONVTOMESH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONVTONURBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONVTOSOLID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONVTOSURFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COPYBASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COPYCLIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COPYHIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COPYLINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COPYTOLAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Copy To Layer Dialog Box . . . . .
Data Extraction - Outdated Table Dialog Box . -DATAEXTRACTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DATALINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data Link Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . New Excel Data Link Dialog Box . . . . . . . DATALINKUPDATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DBCONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dbConnect Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data View Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Query Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Column Values Dialog Box . . . . . .
DDEDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Text Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Attribute Definition Dialog Box . . . DDPTYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Point Style Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . DDVPOINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viewpoint Presets Dialog Box . . . . . . . DELAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DELCONSTRAINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DETACHURL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DGNADJUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-DIMINSPECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598 DIMJOGGED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598 DIMJOGLINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 600 DIMLINEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601 DIMORDINATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605 DIMOVERRIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607 DIMRADIUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New Conversion Setup Dialog Box . . Modify Conversion Setup Dialog Box . DWGPROPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drawing Properties Dialog Box . . . . Add Custom Property Dialog Box . . . DXBIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 716 . 716 . 720 . 721 . 727 . 728 E Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXTERNALREFERENCESCLOSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793 EXTRUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 793 Chapter 7 F Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 799 FBXEXPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FBX Export Options Dialog Box . . . . -FBXEXPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FBXIMPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FBX Import Options . . . . . . . . . . -FBXIMPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FIELD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Get Link Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . GOTOURL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GRADIENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GRAPHICSCONFIG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manual Performance Tuning Dialog Box . -GRAPHICSCONFIG . . . . . . . . . . . . GRAPHSCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GRID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GROUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -GROUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GROUPEDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IMAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -IMAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IMAGEADJUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Image Adjust Dialog Box . . . . . . . . -IMAGEADJUST . . . . . . . . . . . . IMAGEATTACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attach Image Dialog Box . . . . . . . Image Ribbon Contextual tab . . . . . IMAGECLIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IMAGEQUALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IMPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CATIA V4 Model Selection dialog box . IMPRINT . . . .
LAYERCLOSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004 LAYERP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1004 LAYERPALETTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005 LAYERPMODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006 LAYERSTATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1006 Layer States Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1007 New Layer State to Save Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Load or Reload Linetypes Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1055 -LINETYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1056 LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1058 LIVESECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1059 LOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1060 LOFT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1061 Loft Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MESHCOLLAPSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MESHCREASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MESHEXTRUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MESHMERGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MESHOPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mesh Tessellation Options Dialog Box . . . MESHPRIMITIVEOPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . Mesh Primitive Options Dialog Box . . . . MESHREFINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MESHSMOOTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MESHSMOOTHLESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Text Editor Ribbon Contextual Tab . . Paragraph Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . Columns Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . Column Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . Background Mask Dialog Box . . . . . Find and Replace Dialog Box - MTEXT . Stack Properties Dialog Box . . . . . . AutoStack Properties Dialog Box . . . . -MTEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Symbols and Special Characters . . . . MULTIPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MVSETUP . . . . . . . . . .
Convert Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1305 Change Icon Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1306 OLESCALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1307 OLE Text Size Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1307 ONLINEDRAWINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1308 OOPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1309 OPEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page Setup Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1400 New Page Setup Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1402 Page Setup Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1403 Changes to a Printer Configuration File Dialog Box (Page Setup) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1411 Import Page Setups Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1412 PAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1413 Panning in Real Time .
Plot Job Progress Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1485 Update PC3 File with New Printer Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . 1486 -PLOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1488 PLOTSTAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1492 Plot Stamp Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1492 User Defined Fields Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1494 Advanced Options Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DWF Password Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1570 Confirm DWF Password Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1570 Publish Job Progress Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1571 -PUBLISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1571 PUBLISHTOWEB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1572 Publish to Web Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1573 PURGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reference Edit Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1615 -REFEDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1617 REFSET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1618 REGEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1620 REGENALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1620 REGENAUTO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1621 REGION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Template Options Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1686 Saveas Options Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1688 SAVEAS Command Prompts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1690 SAVEIMG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1690 SCALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1691 SCALELISTEDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1693 Edit Drawing Scales Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select Layout as Sheet Template Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . 1747 New Sheet Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1748 Rename & Renumber Sheet Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1750 Rename & Renumber View Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1751 Import Layouts as Sheets Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1752 Insert Sheet List Table Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1754 Edit Sheet List Table Settings Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create STL File Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1842 STRETCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1843 STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1845 Text Style Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1846 -STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1849 STYLESMANAGER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1851 Add-a-Plot-Style-Table Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Text Shortcut Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1926 Special Unicode Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1927 Control Codes and Special Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1928 TEXT and the TEXTEVAL System Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . 1929 TEXTEDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1930 TEXTSCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1930 TEXTTOFRONT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
UNDO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1984 UNGROUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1987 UNION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1988 UNISOLATEOBJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1990 UNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1990 Drawing Units Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1991 Direction Control Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VIEWPROJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2055 VIEWRES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2056 VIEWSETPROJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2057 VIEWSTD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2058 Drafting Standards Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2058 VIEWUPDATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2060 VISUALSTYLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 24 X Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2115 XATTACH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2115 Attach External Reference Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2116 External Reference Ribbon Contextual Tab . . . . . . . . . . . 2118 XBIND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2119 Xbind Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2120 -XBIND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ACISOUTVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2154 ACTPATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2155 ACTRECORDERSTATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2155 ACTRECPATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2156 ACTUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2156 ADCSTATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2157 AFLAGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BLOCKEDITOR . . . . . BLOCKTESTWINDOW . BPARAMETERCOLOR . . BPARAMETERFONT . . . BPARAMETERSIZE . . . BPTEXTHORIZONTAL . BTMARKDISPLAY . . . . BVMODE . . . . . . . . Chapter 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONSTRAINTBARDISPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2204 CONSTRAINTBARMODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2205 CONSTRAINTINFER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2206 CONSTRAINTNAMEFORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2206 CONSTRAINTRELAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2207 CONSTRAINTSOLVEMODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2208 CONTENTEXPLORERSTATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2208 COORDS . . . . .
DIMALTRND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2235 DIMALTTD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2235 DIMALTTZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2236 DIMALTU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2237 DIMALTZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2237 DIMANNO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2238 DIMAPOST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DIMSD1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2261 DIMSD2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2262 DIMSE1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2262 DIMSE2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2263 DIMSOXD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2263 DIMSTYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2264 DIMTAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DIVMESHWEDGEBASE . . . DIVMESHWEDGEHEIGHT . DIVMESHWEDGELENGTH . DIVMESHWEDGESLOPE . . DIVMESHWEDGEWIDTH . DONUTID . . . . . . . . . . DONUTOD . . . . . . . . . DRAGMODE . . . . . . . . DRAGP1 . . . . . . . . . . . DRAGP2 . . . . . . . . . . . DRAGVS . . . . . . . . . . . DRAWORDERCTL . . . . . DRSTATE . . . . . . . . . . DTEXTED . . . . . . . . . . DWFFRAME . . . . . . . . . DWFOSNAP . . . . . . . . . DWGCHECK . . . . . . . . DWGCODEPAGE . . . . . . DWGNAME . . . . . . . . . DWGPREFIX . . . . . . . .
EXTMAX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2322 EXTMIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2322 EXTNAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2323 Chapter 33 F System Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2325 FACETERDEVNORMAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2325 FACETERDEVSURFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2326 FACETERGRIDRATIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GRIDSTYLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2348 GRIDUNIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2349 GRIPBLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2349 GRIPCOLOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2350 GRIPCONTOUR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2350 GRIPDYNCOLOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2351 GRIPHOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
HPORIGINMODE . . . . . . HPQUICKPREVIEW . . . . . HPQUICKPREVTIMEOUT . HPSCALE . . . . . . . . . . HPSEPARATE . . . . . . . . HPSPACE . . . . . . . . . . HPTRANSPARENCY . . . . . HYPERLINKBASE . . . . . . Chapter 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LAYOUTREGENCTL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2399 LEGACYCTRLPICK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2400 LENSLENGTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2401 LIGHTGLYPHDISPLAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2402 LIGHTINGUNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2402 LIGHTLISTSTATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2403 LIGHTSINBLOCKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MBUTTONPAN . . . . . . MEASUREINIT . . . . . . MEASUREMENT . . . . . MENUBAR . . . . . . . . MENUCTL . . . . . . . . MENUECHO . . . . . . . MENUNAME . . . . . . . MESHTYPE . . . . . . . . MIRRHATCH . . . . . . . MIRRTEXT . . . . . . . . MLEADERSCALE . . . . . MODEMACRO . . . . . . MSLTSCALE . . . . . . . . MSMSTATE . . . . . . . . MSOLESCALE . . . . . . . MTEXTCOLUMN . . . . . MTEXTED . . . . . . . . . MTEXTFIXED . . . . . . . MTEXTTOOLBAR . . . . . MTJIGSTRING . . . . . . MYDOCUMENTSPREFIX . Chapter 39 .
OLEQUALITY . . . . . . OLESTARTUP . . . . . . OPENPARTIAL . . . . . OPMSTATE . . . . . . . ORTHOMODE . . . . . OSMODE . . . . . . . . OSNAPCOORD . . . . . OSNAPNODELEGACY . OSNAPZ . . . . . . . . . OSOPTIONS . . . . . . . Chapter 41 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
POLARANG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POLARDIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POLARMODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POLYSIDES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POPUPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PREVIEWCREATIONTRANSPARENCY . PREVIEWEFFECT . . . . . . . . . . . . PREVIEWFACEEFFECT . . . . . . . . . PREVIEWFILTER . . . . . . . . . . . . PREVIEWTYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . PRODUCT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PROJECTNAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . PROJMODE . . . . .
REBUILD2DOPTION . . . . REBUILDDEGREEU . . . . . REBUILDDEGREEV . . . . . REBUILDOPTIONS . . . . . REBUILDU . . . . . . . . . REBUILDV . . . . . . . . . RECOVERAUTO . . . . . . RECOVERYMODE . . . . . REFEDITNAME . . . . . . . REGENMODE . . . . . . . . RE-INIT . . . . . . . . . . . REMEMBERFOLDERS . . . . RENDERPREFSSTATE . . . . RENDERUSERLIGHTS . . . . REPORTERROR . . . . . . . RIBBONBGLOAD . . . . . . RIBBONCONTEXTSELECT . RIBBONCONTEXTSELLIM . RIBBONDOCKEDHEIGHT . RIBBONICONRESIZE . . . .
SHADOWPLANELOCATION . . . . . . SHORTCUTMENU . . . . . . . . . . . SHORTCUTMENUDURATION . . . . . SHOWHIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SHOWLAYERUSAGE . . . . . . . . . . SHOWMOTIONPIN . . . . . . . . . . . SHOWPAGESETUPFORNEWLAYOUTS . SHOWPALETTESTATE . . . . . . . . . SHPNAME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SIGWARN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SKETCHINC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SKPOLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SKTOLERANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . SKYSTATUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SUBOBJSELECTIONMODE . . . . SUNPROPERTIESSTATE . . . . . . SUNSTATUS . . . . . . . . . . . . SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY . . . . SURFACEASSOCIATIVITYDRAG . SURFACEAUTOTRIM . . . . . . . SURFACEMODELINGMODE . . . SURFTAB1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . SURFTAB2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . SURFTYPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . SURFU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SURFV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SYSCODEPAGE . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TRACKPATH . . . . . . . TRANSPARENCYDISPLAY . TRAYICONS . . . . . . . . TRAYNOTIFY . . . . . . . TRAYTIMEOUT . . . . . . TREEDEPTH . . . . . . . . TREEMAX . . . . . . . . . TRIMMODE . . . . . . . . TSPACEFAC . . . . . . . . TSPACETYPE . . . . . . . TSTACKALIGN . . . . . . TSTACKSIZE . . . . . . . . Chapter 46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VISRETAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2607 VPCONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2608 VPLAYEROVERRIDES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2609 VPLAYEROVERRIDESMODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2609 VPMAXIMIZEDSTATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2610 VPROTATEASSOC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2610 VSACURVATUREHIGH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VSSILHWIDTH . VSSTATE . . . . . VTDURATION . VTENABLE . . . VTFPS . . . . . . Chapter 48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2641 . 2641 . 2642 . 2642 . 2643 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Commands You can start a command by using one of the following methods: ■ Click the command name on a ribbon, menu, toolbar, status bar, tool palette, or shortcut menu. ■ Enter the command name or command alias at the Command prompt and press Enter or Spacebar. The acad.pgp file lists the command aliases. To access the acad.pgp, on the Tools menu, click Customize ➤ Edit Program Parameters (acad.pgp).
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3D Commands 1 3D Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Custom Mesh (Legacy) Creates 3D polyface mesh objects in common geometric shapes that can be hidden, shaded, or rendered. Obsolete This command has been removed from the product. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [Box on page 3/Cone on page 6/DIsh on page 8/DOme on page 8/Mesh on page 9/Pyramid on page 10/Sphere on page 11/Torus on page 12/Wedge on page 14]: Box Creates a 3D box polyface mesh.
Width Specifies the width of the box. Enter a distance or specify a point relative to the corner point of the box. Height of Box Specifies the height of the box. Enter a distance or specify a point relative to the corner point of the box. Rotation Angle Rotates the box about the first corner specified. If you enter 0, the box remains orthogonal to the current X and Y axes. Copy Creates a rotated copy of the box.
Reference Aligns the box with other objects in the drawing or relative to an angle you specify. The base point for the rotation is the first corner of the box. ■ Reference Angle:Defines a reference angle by specifying two points or an angle from the X axis on the XY plane. For example, you can rotate the box to align two specified points on the box with a point on another object. After defining a reference angle, specify a point for the reference angle to align with.
Specify the reference angle <0>: Specify a point, enter an angle, or press Enter You can define a reference angle by specifying two points or an angle from the X axis on the XY plane. For example, you can rotate the box to align two specified points on the box with a point on another object. After defining a reference angle, specify a point for the reference angle to align with. The box then rotates around the first corner relative to the angle of rotation specified for the reference angle.
Radius for Top Defines the top of the cone by its radius. A value of 0 produces a cone. A value greater than 0 produces a truncated cone. Specify height of cone: Specify a distance Enter number of segments for surface of cone <16>: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Diameter for Top Defines the top of the cone by its diameter. A value of 0 produces a cone. A value greater than 0 produces a truncated cone.
Enter number of segments for surface of cone <16>: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Diameter for Top Defines the top of the cone by its diameter. A value of 0 produces a cone. A value greater than 0 produces a truncated cone. Specify diameter for top of cone <0>: Specify a distance Specify height of cone: Specify a distance Enter number of segments for surface of cone <16>: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Dish Creates the lower half of a spherical polygon mesh.
Enter number of longitudinal segments for surface of dome: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Enter number of latitudinal segments for surface of dome <8>: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Diameter Defines the dome by its diameter.
Pyramid Creates a pyramid or a tetrahedron. Specify first corner point for base of pyramid: Specify a point (1) Specify second corner point for base of pyramid: Specify a point (2) Specify third corner point for base of pyramid: Specify a point (3) Specify fourth corner point for base of pyramid or [Tetrahedron]: Specify a point (4) or enter t Fourth Corner Point Defines the fourth corner point of the base of a pyramid.
Top Defines the top of the pyramid as a rectangle. If the top points cross, they create a self-intersecting polygon mesh. Specify first corner point for top of pyramid: Specify a point Specify second corner point for top of pyramid: Specify a point Specify third corner point for top of pyramid: Specify a point Specify fourth corner point for top of pyramid: Specify a point Tetrahedron Creates a tetrahedral polygon mesh.
Radius Defines the sphere by its radius. Enter number of longitudinal segments for surface of sphere <16>: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Enter number of latitudinal segments for surface of sphere <16>: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Diameter Defines the sphere by its diameter.
Specify radius of torus or [Diameter]: Specify a distance or enter d The radius of the torus is measured from its center point to its outside edge, not to the center of the tube. Radius of Torus Radius Defines the torus by its radius. Specify radius of tube or [Diameter]: Specify a distance or enter d Diameter of Torus Defines the torus by its diameter.
Diameter of Tube Defines the tube by its diameter. Specify diameter of tube: Specify a distance Enter number of segments around tube circumference <16>: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Enter number of segments around torus circumference <16>: Enter a value greater than 1 or press Enter Wedge Creates a right-angle, wedge-shaped polygon mesh with a sloped face tapering along the X axis.
Aligns objects with other objects in 2D and 3D. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ 3D Align Menu: Modify ➤ 3D Operations ➤ 3D Align Toolbar: Modeling Summary You can specify one, two, or three points for the source object. Then, you can specify one, two, or three points for the destination. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects: Select the objects to align and press Enter Specify source plane and orientation . . .
The selected object is moved and rotated so that the base points, and the X and Y axes of the source and destination align in 3D space. 3DALIGN works with dynamic UCS (DUCS), so you can dynamically drag the selected objects and align them with the face of a solid object. Specify base point or [Copy]: Specify a point or enter c to create a copy The base point of the source object will be moved to the base point of the destination.
3DARRAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Array Objects Maintains legacy behavior for creating nonassociative, 3D rectangular or polar arrays. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ 3D Array. Menu: Modify ➤ 3D Operations ➤ 3D Array Toolbar: Modeling Summary 3DARRAY functionality has been replaced with the enhanced ARRAY on page 145 command, which allows you to create associative or nonassociative, 2D or 3D, rectangular, path, or polar arrays. 3DARRAY maintains legacy behavior.
The entire selection set is treated as a single element in the array. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter type of array [Rectangular/Polar] : Enter an option or press Enter Rectangular Array Copies objects in a matrix of rows (X axis), columns (Y axis), and levels (Z axis). An array must have at least two rows or two columns or two levels. Specifying one row requires that more than one column be specified, and vice versa. Specifying one level creates a two-dimensional array.
Positive values generate the array along the positive X, Y, and Z axes. Negative values generate the array along the negative X, Y, and Z axes. Polar Array Copies objects about an axis of rotation. The specified angle determines how far the objects are arrayed about the axis of rotation. A positive number produces a counterclockwise array rotation. A negative number produces a clockwise array rotation. Entering y or pressing Enter rotates each array element.
Sets clipping planes for the display in 3D Orbit view. Summary Use the Adjust Clipping Planes toolbar, or right-click in the Adjust Clipping Planes window and select an option from the shortcut menu. Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the window to see the effect of the clipping planes. As you rotate the view, different portions of the objects are clipped as they pass in and out of the clipping planes.
Create Slice Causes the back and front clipping planes to move together, which shows you a “slice” of the objects in the 3D Orbit view. Adjust the front and back clipping planes, and then choose Create Slice. You can then move the front and back clipping planes as one unit. Pan Displays the pan cursor, a hand cursor that you can use to pan the clipping plane. Hold down the pick button and drag the cursor in any direction. The pan cursor stays active until you click another button.
Adaptive Degradation and Performance Tuning Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Performance Controls 3D display performance. Summary This dialog box can also be accessed from the Performance Settings button on the System tab of the Options dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Controls whether adaptive degradation is on or off.
Degradation Order Specifies the order in which effects are degraded. Items at the top are degraded first. Items that are not checked are not degraded. Click Move Up or Move Down to move a selected item up or down in the chain. Move Up Moves the selected item up in the chain. Move Down Moves the selected item down in the chain. Hardware and Performance Tuning Specifies hardware settings and performance tuning.
Specifies that a notification bubble is displayed when a new driver is available. Performance Tuner Log Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Performance Lists the features that have been disabled, if any. Summary Information includes the system configuration, 3D graphics device, driver, and if any features have been disabled. If your 3D device shows as certified, Autodesk tested AutoCAD with this specific hardware.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Save Log As Displays a standard file selection dialog box. -3DCONFIG Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Performance Controls 3D display performance in the command line. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
and out. Setting this option to 2 or more is useful when you have more than one viewport with different views. Increasing the number requires more memory. General Options Sets performance-related options that are not hardware dependent. Discard Back Faces Discards back faces when drawing objects. You cannot see the effect of discarding back faces on some objects, such as spheres, because you cannot see the back face even when it is present.
■ Enhanced 2D Performance on page 864 Software Specifies software acceleration. The software graphics system performs all of the drawing tasks in 3D. Texture Compression Enables the use of texture compression to reduce the amount of video memory required to open and display a drawing that contains materials with images or has attached images.
Summary You can view your entire drawing or select one or more objects before starting the command. Selecting one of more objects before starting this command limits the display to those objects only. While the command is active, right-click to display additional options from a shortcut menu. Click in a drawing area and drag the pointing device in any direction to start the objects moving in the direction that you're dragging.
Summary 3DDISTANCE changes the cursor to a line with one arrow pointing up and one pointing down. Click and drag the cursor vertically toward the top of the screen to move the camera closer to the objects, making them appear larger. Click and drag the cursor vertically toward the bottom of the screen to move the camera away from the objects, making them appear smaller.
3D DWF Publish Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Publish 3D DWF Files Summary Allows you to publish a three-dimensional model as a DWF or DWFx file. List of Options The following options are displayed. Objects to Publish Specifies whether all model space objects or selected model space objects are published to the DWF file. All Model Space Objects All model space objects are published to the 3D DWF or 3D DWFx file.
procedural maps and some material properties will not export to the 3D DWF or 3D DWFx file. If your material contains texture mapping, only the Diffuse Map gets published along with its scale and orientation data. Including materials will not significantly affect the size of your 3D DWF or 3D DWFx files. Default=active.
The Grips on the Gizmo The 3D Edit Bar gizmo includes three grips: ■ Triangle grip. Specifies the method for reshaping the selected object.
■ Square grip. Reshapes the selected object by moving the base point or changing the tangent direction at the base point. Use the three axes to restrict the movement option to a specified axis. Similarly, the three squares that touch the square grip restrict the movement option to the specified planes. ■ Tangent arrow grip. Changes the magnitude of the tangent at the base point. For example, lengthening the tangent arrow grip flattens the curvature of the surface at the point of tangency.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select a NURBS surface or curve to edit Specifies the object to be modified. Valid objects include lines, arcs, circles, ellipses and elliptical arcs, polylines, helixes, splines, and NURBS surfaces. Objects other than surfaces can be converted to splines. Select point on curve or Select point on NURBS surface Specifies a base point on the selected curve or NURBS surface. Changes to the selected object are relative to this point.
3D Edit Bar Shortcut Menu Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Splines ■ Edit NURBS Surfaces Displays options to set the location of the base point, constraints, and tangency. Access Methods Shortcut menu: Right-click on the 3D Edit Bar gizmo. Summary The 3D Edit Bar shortcut menu displays several options depending on whether a spline or a NURBS surface is selected, where you click, and which editing method, move or tangent, is current.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Move Point Location Reshapes the selected object by moving the base point. Move Tangent Direction Reshapes the selected object by changing the slope of the tangent at the base point. U Tangent Direction Locates the tangent arrow grip on the U axis. Changes to the tangency are constrained to the UW plane. V Tangent Direction Locates the tangent arrow grip on the V axis. Changes to the tangency are constrained to the VW plane.
Access Methods Button Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Meshes ➤ 3D Face Summary List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify first point or [Invisible]: Specify a point (1) or enter i First Point Defines the start point for the 3D surface. After entering the first point, enter the remaining points in a natural clockwise or counterclockwise order to create a normal 3D face. If you locate all four points on the same plane, a planar face is created that is similar to a region object.
Specify fourth point or [Invisible] : Specify a point (4), enter i, or press Enter The Third Point and Fourth Point prompts are repeated until you press Enter. Specify points 5 and 6 at these repeating prompts. When you finish entering points, press Enter. 3DFLY Quick Reference See also: ■ Walk and Fly Through a Drawing Changes the 3D view in a drawing interactively to create the appearance of flying through the model.
NOTE By default, the Animations panel is not displayed. With the Render tab active, right click the ribbon and select which panels are displayed. Summary 3DFLY activates a fly mode in the current viewport. You can leave the XY plane as though you're flying through or around the model. On the keyboard, use the four arrow keys, the W (forward), A (left), S (back), and D (right) keys, and the mouse to determine the direction of your fly.
Summary Selecting one of more objects before starting this command limits the display to those objects only. While the command is active, right-click to display additional options from a shortcut menu. 3DFORBIT activates a 3D Free Orbit view in the current viewport. If the user coordinate system (UCS) icon is on, a shaded 3D UCS icon representing the current UCS appears in the 3D Orbit view. You can view your entire drawing or select one or more objects before starting the command.
While using 3D Free Orbit, the cursor changes as it is moved to indicate how the model will be orbited when clicking and dragging. View rotation is determined by the placement and appearance of the cursor as follows: Sphere Encircled by Two Lines When you move the cursor inside the arcball, it changes to a small sphere encircled by two lines. If you click and drag in the drawing area you can move freely around the objects.
3DMESH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Custom Mesh (Legacy) Creates a free-form polygon mesh. Summary The mesh density controls the number of facets, and is defined in terms of a matrix of M and N vertices, similar to a grid consisting of columns and rows. 3DMESH is a legacy method for creating mesh, designed primarily for operation under program control rather than by manual entry. To take advantage of smoothing, creasing, and refinement capabilities, use the MESH command.
Location for vertex (0, 0) Sets the coordinate location of the vertex. Enter a 2D or 3D coordinate. The location of each vertex in the mesh is defined by m and n, the row and column indices of the vertex. Defining vertices begins with vertex (0,0). You must supply the coordinate locations for each vertex in row m before specifying vertices in row m + 1. Vertices may be any distance from each other. The M and N orientation of a mesh depends on the position of its vertices.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ 3D Move Menu: Modify ➤ 3D Operations ➤ 3D Move Toolbar: Modeling Summary With the 3D Move gizmo, you can move selected objects and subobjects freely or constrain the movement to an axis or plane. If the default gizmo (DEFAULTGIZMO) is 3D Move, the 3D Move gizmo is displayed whenever you select an object in a view with a 3D visual style.
You can also align the 3D Move gizmo with the plane of a face or object by using the Align Gizmo With ➤ Face option on the shortcut menu. The direction of the move operation is then constrained relative to this work plane. When the 3D Move gizmo is displayed, the 3D Move Gizmo shortcut menu offers options for aligning, moving, or changing to another gizmo. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects Selects the 3D objects you want to move.
Stretch point When you are specifying the move using the gizmo, sets the new location of the selected objects. Drag and click to move the objects dynamically. Copy When you are specifying the move using the gizmo, creates a copy of the selected objects instead of moving them. You can make multiple copies by continuing to specify locations. Base point Specifies the base point of the 3D objects you want to move. ■ Second point. Specifies where the 3D object or objects will be dragged.
Access Methods Shortcut menu: Right-click the 3D Move gizmo List of Options The following options are displayed. Move Activates the 3D Move gizmo. Rotate Activates the 3D Rotate gizmo. Scale Activates the 3D Scale gizmo. Set Constraint Sets whether the change is constrained to a specific axis. ■ X, Y or Z. Restricts the change to the designated axis. ■ XY, YX, or ZX. Restricts the change to a plane that is defined by the selected axes. Relocate Gizmo Moves the gizmo to the point you specify.
3DORBIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use 3D Navigation Tools Rotates the view in 3D space, but constrained to horizontal and vertical orbit only. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Navigate panel ➤ Orbit drop-down ➤ Orbit. Menu: View ➤ Orbit ➤ Constrained Orbit Toolbar: 3D Navigation Pointing device: Press Shift and click the mouse wheel to temporarily enter 3D Orbit mode.
The 3D Orbit cursor icon appears. If you drag the cursor horizontally, the camera moves parallel to the XY plane of the world coordinate system (WCS). If you drag the cursor vertically, the camera moves along the Z axis. NOTE You cannot edit objects while the 3DORBIT command is active. While the command is active, you can access additional 3DORBIT options and modes from a shortcut menu by right-clicking in the drawing area, or choosing buttons on the 3D Navigation toolbar.
■ Swivel (5). Changes the cursor to an arched arrow and simulates the effect of swiveling the camera. See 3DSWIVEL. ■ Walk (6). Changes the cursor to a plus sign and enables you to "walk through" a model at a fixed height above the XY plane, by dynamically controlling the location and target of the camera. See 3DWALK. ■ Fly (7). Changes the cursor to a plus sign and enables you to "fly through" a model without being restricted to a fixed height above the XY plane. See 3DFLY. ■ Zoom (8).
Parallel Displays objects so that two parallel lines in a drawing never converge. The shapes in your drawing always remain the same and do not appear distorted when they are closer. Perspective Displays objects in perspective so that all parallel lines converge at one point. Objects appear to recede into the distance, and parts of the objects appear larger and closer to you. The shapes are somewhat distorted when the object is very close. This view correlates more closely to what your eyes see.
NOTE Before starting 3DORBIT, you can use the GRID command to set system variables that control the grid display. The number of major grid lines corresponds to the value you set using the Grid Spacing option of the GRID command, which is stored in the GRIDUNIT system variable. Ten horizontal lines and ten vertical lines are drawn between the major lines. ■ UCS Icon. Displays a shaded 3D UCS icon. Each axis is labeled X, Y, or Z. The X axis is red, the Y axis is green, and the Z axis is blue.
■ Use Grips to Modify Solids and Surfaces ■ Snap to Locations on Objects (Object Snaps) Sets the object snap modes for 3D objects. Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Drafting Settings Shortcut menu: Press Shift while right-clicking in the drawing area and click 3D Osnap ➤ Osnap Settings. Toolbar: Status bar ➤ 3D Object Snap Summary Displays the 3D Object Snap tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box on page 669. You can also set the 3D object snap settings with the 3DOSMODE on page 2150 system variable.
■ ZKNOt. Snaps to a spline knot. ■ ZPERpendicular. Snaps to a perpendicular face (planar faces only). ■ ZNEAr. Snaps to an object nearest to face. ■ ZNONe. Turns off all 3D object snaps. See the 3D Object Snaps tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box for more information. 3DPAN Quick Reference See also: ■ Use 3D Navigation Tools When a drawing is in a Perspective view, starts the interactive 3D view and enables you to drag the view horizontally and vertically.
3DPOLY Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Polylines Creates a 3D polyline. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ 3D Polyline. Menu: Draw ➤ 3D Polyline Summary A 3D polyline is a connected sequence of straight line segments created as a single object. 3D polylines can be non-coplanar; however, they cannot include arc segments. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Endpoint of Line Draws a straight line from the previous point to the specified new point. The prompt is repeated until you press Enter to end the command. Undo Deletes the last line created. You can continue drawing from the previous point. Close Draws a closing line from the endpoint back to the first point, and then ends the command. To be closed, a 3D polyline must contain at least two lines. 3DPRINT Quick Reference See also: ■ Print 3D Models Sends a 3D model to a 3D printing service.
Ribbon: Output tab ➤ 3D Print panel ➤ Send to 3D Print Service Menu: Application menu ➤ Publish ➤ Send to 3D Print Service Summary The 3DPRINT command opens the 3D Printing - Prepare Model for Printing dialog box. You can ■ Learn about preparing 3D models for printing ■ Continue List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select solids or watertight meshes: Select 3D solids or watertight meshes. Press Enter.
Send to 3D Print Service Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Print 3D Models List of Options The following options are displayed. Objects The following buttons allow you to change the selection set: Select Objects Displays the canvas where you can add or remove objects from the selection set. Objects that you have already selected are removed from the selection set and replaced by newly selected objects. To add objects to the selection set, select the objects.
Scale Specifies the scale of selected 3D objects within the bounding box. Length (X) Specifies the X dimension of the model bounding box. Width (Y) Specifies the Y dimension of the model bounding box. Height (Z) Specifies the Z dimension of the model bounding box. Output Preview Provides a dynamic preview of selected 3D solids and watertight meshes. If you modify output dimensions, the output preview remains unaffected. Zoom Extents Sets the display so that the image fits within the preview window.
Create STL File Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Export Stereolithography STL Files Saves a drawing as an STL file. Summary The Create STL File dialog box is a standard file selection dialog box. The STL file format is preferred by 3D printing service providers. If you have prepared your drawing for 3D printing, you save it with the STLOUT command. The FACETRES system variable determines how the solid is triangulated. A higher value creates a finer mesh that more accurately represents the model.
Toolbar: Modeling Summary With the 3D Rotate gizmo, you can rotate selected objects and subobjects freely or constrain the rotation to an axis. If you are working in a viewport with 2D Wireframe set as the visual style, 3DROTATE temporarily changes the visual style to 3D Wireframe for the duration of the command. The 3D Rotate gizmo is displayed at the center of the selected object or objects by default. You can adjust the axis of rotation by using the shortcut menu to change the location of the gizmo.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects Specifies the objects that you want to rotate. Base point Sets the center point of the rotation. Pick a rotation axis On the 3D Scale gizmo, specifies the axis of rotation. Move the mouse until the axis path you want to select turns yellow, then click to select it. Specify angle start point or type an angle Sets the relative start point of the rotation. You can also enter an angle value.
Access Methods Shortcut menu: Right-click the 3D Rotate gizmo List of Options The following options are displayed. Move Activates the 3D Move gizmo. Rotate Activates the 3D Rotate gizmo. Scale Activates the 3D Scale gizmo. Set Constraint Sets whether the change is constrained to a specific axis. ■ X, Y or Z. Restricts the change to the designated axis. Relocate Gizmo Moves the gizmo to the point you specify. Align Gizmo With Sets the alignment for the change.
3DSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale 3D Objects In a 3D view, displays the 3D Scale gizmo to aid in resizing 3D objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ 3D Scale Summary With the 3D Scale gizmo, you can resize selected objects and subobjects along an axis or plane, or resize the objects uniformly. When the 3D Scale gizmo is displayed, the 3D Scale Gizmo shortcut menu offers options for aligning, moving, or changing to another gizmo.
■ Constrain the scale to a plane. Click between the parallel lines between the axes that define the plane. This option is only available for meshes, not solids or surfaces. ■ Constrain the scale to an axis. Click the axis. This option is only available for meshes, not solids or surfaces. Specify scale factor Specifies the amount of change. Drag to dynamically modify the size of the selected objects or enter a scale value. For example, enter 2 to double the size of the selection.
■ New Length. Sets the relative value used to calculate the new size. For example, if the reference length is 1 and the new length is 3, the size of the selected objects is tripled. ■ Points. Specifies the relative value used to calculate the new size based on two points that you specify. 3D Scale Gizmo Shortcut Menu Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Gizmos to Modify Objects Displays options to set the constraint of a 3D object, switch gizmos, and move or align the gizmo.
■ XY, YX, or ZX. Restricts the change to a plane that is defined by the selected axes. ■ XYZ. Applies the scaling uniformly to all axes. NOTE Unlike most other objects, mesh objects support non-uniform scale. Relocate Gizmo Moves the gizmo to the point you specify. Align Gizmo With Sets the alignment for the change. Options include: ■ World UCS ■ Current UCS ■ Face Custom Gizmo Allows you to define the current gizmo by specifying one, two, or three points, or an object.
Summary Data that can be imported from a 3ds Max file includes meshes, materials, mappings, lights, and cameras. Procedural materials, smoothing groups, and keyframe data cannot be imported. For lights and materials, use CONVERTOLDLIGHTS and CONVERTOLDMATERIALS. The 3D Studio File Import dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. After you choose a file to import, the 3D Studio File Import Options dialog box is displayed.
Available Objects Displays the names of all objects in the specified 3D Studio (3DS) file. You can select up to 70 objects. Object Name and Type Displays the type and assigned name of each object. Add All Adds all of the objects in the Available Objects list to the Selected Objects list. Add Adds the objects currently selected in the Available Objects list to the Selected Objects list. Selected Objects Displays the selected 3D objects to import.
Always Prompt Displays the Material Assignment Alert dialog box for each object with multiple materials. The dialog box displays the name of the object. The options you select determine how 3DSIN handles the assignment. The options are as follows: Split Object by Material Splits the object into multiple objects, one for each material. This preserves the material assignments that were made in the 3D Studio file. It also increases the complexity of the drawing geometry.
Access Methods Button Menu: View ➤ Camera ➤ Swivel Toolbar: 3D Navigation Pointing device: Press Ctrl and click the mouse wheel to temporarily enter 3DSWIVEL mode. Shortcut menu: Start any 3D navigation command, right-click in the drawing area, and click Other Navigations Modes ➤ Swivel (5). Summary Simulates panning with a camera in the direction that you drag. The target of the view changes. You can swivel the view along the XY plane or along the Z axis.
Shortcut menu: Start any 3D navigation command, right-click in the drawing area, and click Other Navigation Modes ➤ Walk (6). NOTE By default, the Animations panel is not displayed. With the Render tab active, right click the ribbon and select which panels are displayed. Summary 3DWALK activates a walk mode in the current viewport. On the keyboard, use the four arrow keys or the W (forward), A (left), S (back), and D (right) keys to determine the direction of your walk.
Animation Record Starts the recording for a walk-through animation that does not follow a specific path. Animation Pause Pauses the recording of a walk-through animation that does not follow a specific path. Animation Save Stops and saves the recording of a walk-through animation that does not follow a specific path. Animation Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Walk and Fly Through a Drawing Specifies settings for recording an animation of 3D navigation.
Displays a list of visual styles and render presets that you can apply to an animation file. Resolution Displays a list of resolutions. The default value is 320 x 240. Frame Rate (FPS) Specifies a frame rate (in seconds). Values are between 1 and 60. The default value is 30. Format Specifies a list of animation output formats. Available formats are AVI, MPG, WMV, and MOV.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Zoom In Zooms in to the display in the Position Locator window. Zoom Out Zooms out from the display in the Position Locator window. Zoom Extents Zooms to the extents of the display in the Position Locator window. Preview Displays your current location in the model. You can drag the position indicator to change your position. You can also drag the target indicator to change the direction of the view.
Target Indicator Color Sets the color of the target indicator. Target Z Specifies the Z coordinate for the target position indicator. You can modify the setting by specifying a point in the drawing area or entering a new value. Preview Transparency Sets the transparency of the preview window. You can choose a value from 0 to 95. Preview Visual Style Sets the visual style of the preview.
Summary Press TAB to turn the display of the balloon on and off. You can specify whether to display the instructions, and how often, in the Walk and Fly Settings dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Up arrow/W key Moves the camera backward. Down arrow/S key Moves the camera forward so that you appear to be walking (or flying) forward. Left arrow/A key Moves the camera to the left, so that you appear to be moving to the left. Right arrow/D key Moves the camera to the right.
Shortcut menu: Start any 3D navigation command, right-click in the drawing area, and click Other Navigation Modes ➤ Zoom (8). Summary Zooming in a perspective view simulates moving the camera closer to the target or farther away. Objects appear closer or farther away, but the position of the camera does not change. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed in a perspective view. Press Esc or Enter to exit, or right-click to display shortcut-menu.
A Commands 2 ABOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Start a Drawing Displays information about AutoCAD. Access Methods Menu: Help ➤ About Command entry: 'about for transparent use Summary Copyright information and product information is displayed. Product information includes the version number and service pack, serial number, license type and expiration date, and the text of the license agreement. You can save the product information as a text file.
ACISIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Import ACIS SAT Files Imports an ACIS (SAT) file and creates 3D solid, body, or region objects. Access Methods Button Menu: Insert ➤ ACIS File Summary The Select ACIS File box is displayed. Select the file to import in the File Name list. The SAT (ASCII) ACIS file is imported into the drawing. NOTE ACISIN imports SAT files up to ACIS version 7.0. ACISOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export ACIS SAT Files Exports a body object, solid, or region to an ACIS file.
NOTE When exchanging SAT files to earlier versions of AutoCAD, you need to set the ACISOUTVER on page 2154 system variable to the ACIS version used for that release. For example, to export SAT files to AutoCAD Release 14, set ACISOUTVER to 16. ACTBASEPOINT Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Base Points Inserts a base point in an action macro.
NOTE When you play back the action macro (with a base point inserted) in a version older than AutoCAD 2010, an error message is displayed and the action macro is removed from the location of available action macros. ACTMANAGER Quick Reference See also: ■ Manage Action Macros Manages action macro files. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Manage tab ➤ Action Recorder panel ➤ Manage Action Macros Command entry: 'actmanager for transparent use Summary The Action Macro Manager on page 82is displayed.
Summary Your recorded action macro (ACTM) files are listed in the Action Macro Manager. List of Options The following options are displayed. Copy Creates a duplicate copy of an action macro. Rename Renames an action macro. Modify Displays the selected action macro in the Action Macro dialog box on page 86. Delete Moves the selected action macro (ACTM) file to the Windows Recycle Bin. You can select and delete one or more action macros. Options Displays the Options dialog box on page 1328 (Files tab).
Close Closes the Action Macro Manager dialog box. NOTE When a single action macro is selected, you can use Copy, Rename, Modify, and Delete. But, when multiple action macros are selected, you can only use Delete. ACTRECORD Quick Reference See also: ■ Record an Action Macro with the Action Recorder Starts the Action Recorder.
Action Recorder Preferences Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Record an Action Macro with the Action Recorder Controls the behavior of the Action Recorder panel when playing back or recording an action macro. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Manage tab ➤ Action Recorder panel ➤ Preference Summary Customizes the settings used for the Action Recorder.
Stops the Action Recorder and provides the option of saving the recorded actions to an action macro file. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Manage tab ➤ Action Recorder panel ➤ Stop Menu: Tools ➤ Action Recorder ➤ Stop Shortcut menu: Right-click in the drawing area and click Action Recorder ➤ Stop. Command entry: 'actstop for transparent use Summary The Action Macro dialog box on page 86 is displayed. If you enter -actstop at the Command prompt, options are displayed on page 88.
Summary Saves or renames the current action macro and defines the playback behavior for the action macro. List of Options The following options are displayed. Action Macro Command Name Specifies the command name for the current action macro. File Name Displays the file name for the current action macro. Folder Path Displays the location where the current action macro file is stored or will be saved to. Description Specifies a description for the current action macro.
Restore Pre-Playback View Defines how the view, prior to the playback of an action macro, is restored. ■ When Pausing for User Input. Restores the view prior to the playback of an action macro when a request for user input occurs. ■ Once Playback Finishes. Restores the view prior to the playback of an action macro when playback is complete.
Description Specifies a description for the current action macro. Settings Defines the behavior of the action macro during playback. Restores the original view before a request for input. Restores the view prior to the playback of an action macro when a request for user input occurs. Restores the original view after playback is complete. Restores the view prior to the playback of an action macro when playback is complete Prompts during playback if inconsistencies are found.
in the lower-right corner and the text assigned to the action node is displayed in italic font. You can insert a pause for user input by selecting the value node in the Action tree that you want to pause and provide input for during playback. ACTUSERMESSAGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert User Messages Inserts a user message into an action macro.
-ACTUSERMESSAGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert User Messages Inserts a user message into an action macro Access Methods Command entry: '-actusermessage for transparent use Summary Inserts a user message that is displayed when the action macro is played back. Click Close to continue playback. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
ADCENTER Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of DesignCenter Manages and inserts content such as blocks, xrefs, and hatch patterns. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Content panel ➤ DesignCenter Toolbar: Standard Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ DesignCenter Summary The DesignCenter is displayed.
Summary Use the buttons in the toolbar at the top of DesignCenter for display and access options. When you click the Folders tab or the Open Drawings tab, the following two panes are displayed from which you can manage drawing content: ■ Content area (right pane) on page 93 ■ Tree view (left pane) on page 96 NOTE The DesignCenter Online (DC Online tab) is disabled by default. You can enable it from the CAD Manager Control utility. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Depending on the container selected in tree view, the content area typically displays the following: ■ Folders containing drawings or other files ■ Drawings ■ Named objects contained in drawings (named objects include blocks, xrefs, layouts, layers, dimension styles, table styles, multileader styles, and text styles) ■ Images or icons representing blocks or hatch patterns ■ Web-based content ■ Custom content developed by third-party applications From the content area, you can insert blocks or ha
to Favorites either by right-clicking the content area or right-clicking an item in the tree view, and then clicking Add to Favorites. To delete an item from Favorites, use the Organize Favorites option on the shortcut menu and then use the Refresh option on the shortcut menu. NOTE The DesignCenter folder is automatically added to Favorites. This folder contains drawings with discipline-specific blocks that you can insert in drawings. Home Returns DesignCenter to your home folder.
Autodesk Seek Design Content Opens a web browser and displays the Autodesk Seek (SEEK on page 1720) home page. Product design information available on Autodesk Seek depends on what content providers, both corporate partners and individual contributors, publish to Autodesk Seek (SHAREWITHSEEK on page 1735). Such content could include 3D models, 2D drawings, specifications, brochures, or descriptions of products or components.
Search Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of DesignCenter Searches for content such as drawings, hatch patterns, and blocks. List of Options The following options are displayed. Look For Specifies the type of content to search for. The content type you specify determines which tabs are displayed in the Search dialog box and the search fields it provides. The Date Modified and Advanced tabs are displayed only when the Drawings option is selected in Look For. In Specifies a search path name.
Displays a tree view in the Browse for Folder dialog box, in which you can specify the drives and folders to search. Search Subfolders Includes subfolders in the search path. Search Now Starts the search based on criteria you specify. Stop Stops the search and displays the accumulated results in the Search Results panel. New Search Clears the Search For the Word(s) box and places the cursor in the box. Search Results Panel Displays the results of the search in resizable columns at the bottom of the window.
This option is available on the Drawings tab and the Custom Content tab. NOTE Custom content developed by third-party applications may not provide fields for searches using the Search dialog box. Search for the Name Specifies the name of the drawing, block, layer, xref, or other content type that you want to find. This option is available on all tabs except Drawings and Custom Content. Date Modified Tab (Search Dialog Box) Finds content that was created or modified during a certain time period.
ADCNAVIGATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Access Content with DesignCenter Loads a specified DesignCenter drawing file, folder, or network path. Summary The path or drawing file name you specify is loaded in the tree view of the DesignCenter Folders tab. ADCNAVIGATE supports remote domains or workgroups if you have the target domain or workgroup mapped to a drive letter. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Creates a new object based on the object type and general properties of a selected object. Access Methods Button Toolbar: Draw Shortcut menu: Select a single object, right-click, and click Add Selected. Summary Differs from COPY by duplicating only the general properties on page 1548 of an object. For example, creating an object based on a selected circle adopts the general properties of the circle, such as its color and layer, but prompts you for the new circle’s center point and radius.
Object type Special properties supported by ADDSELECTED Hatch Pattern, Scale, Rotation Block Reference, External Reference Name Underlays (DWF, DGN, Image, and PDF) Name List of Prompts The following prompt is displayed. Select object: Use an object selection method The prompts vary by object type.
Summary With the ADJUST command, you can control several display settings for selected images and underlays (DWF, DWFx, PDF, and DGN underlays). To confirm the settings, use the Properties palette. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. The list of prompts depends on whether you select one or more images, or one or more underlays. Images Fade Controls the fade effect in the image. Values range from 0 through 100. The greater the value, the lighter that the image appears.
ALIGN Quick Reference See also: ■ Align Objects Aligns objects with other objects in 2D and 3D. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Align. Menu: Modify ➤ 3D Operations ➤ Align Summary Either one, two, or three pairs of source points and definition points can be specified to move, rotate, or tilt the selected objects, aligning them with points on another object. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
ALIGN Using Two Pairs of Points When you select two point pairs, you can move, rotate, and scale the selected objects in 2D or 3D to align with other objects. The first set of source and destination points defines the base point for the alignment (1, 2). The second set of points defines the angle of rotation (3, 4). After you enter the second set of points, you are prompted to scale the object.
The selected objects move from the source point (1) to the destination point (2). The selected object is rotated (1 and 3) so that it aligns with the destination object (2 and 4). The selected object is then rotated again (3 and 5) so that it aligns with the destination object (4 and 6). AMECONVERT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Models with Other Applications Converts AME solid models to AutoCAD solid objects. Summary The objects you select must be Advanced Modeling Extension (AME) Release 2 or 2.
Because of increased accuracy in the new solid modeler, AME models may look slightly different after conversion. This difference is noticeable where the previous version of the solid modeler identified the surfaces of two different shapes as so close as to be considered in the same plane. The new solid modeler's finer tolerance may interpret these surfaces as being slightly offset. This phenomenon is most apparent with aligned features such as fillets, chamfers, and through-holes.
Summary Allows you to visualize Gaussian, minimum, maximum, and mean U and V surface curvature. Maximum curvature and a positive Gaussian value display as green; minimum curvature and a negative Gaussian value display as blue. Positive Gaussian curvature means that the surface is shaped like a bowl. Negative Gaussian curvature means the surface is shaped like a saddle (as shown below).
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Analysis panel ➤ Draft Summary The color spectrum shows draft angle changes within a specified range. The maximum draft angle displays as red, and the minimum draft angle displays as blue. If the surface is parallel to the construction plane with surface normals facing in the same direction as the current UCS, the draft angle is 90.0. When perpendicular, it is 0.
ANALYSISOPTIONS Quick Reference See also: ■ Analyze Surfaces Sets the display options for zebra, curvature, and draft analysis. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Analysis panel ➤ Analysis Options Summary The Analysis Options dialog box on page 110i is displayed. Analysis Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Analyze Surfaces Sets the display options for zebra, curvature, and draft analysis.
■ Draft Angle on page 113 Zebra Tab (Analysis Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Analyze Surfaces Changes the display settings for the ANALYSISZEBRA command. List of Options The following options are displayed. Select Objects to Analyze Prompts you to select the surface objects to analyze. When you are done selecting objects, press Enter to return to the dialog box. Stripe Display Stripe Direction Specifies the display angle.
Clear Zebra Analysis Removes the zebra display from all objects in the current drawing. Curvature Tab (Analysis Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Analyze Surfaces Changes the display settings for the ANALYSISCURVATURE command. List of Options The following options are displayed. Select objects to analyze Prompts you to select the surface objects to analyze. When you are done selecting objects, press Enter to return to the dialog box.
Clear Curvature Analysis Removes the curvature analysis display from all objects in the current drawing. Draft Angle Tab (Analysis Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Analyze Surfaces Changes the display settings for the ANALYSISDRAFT command. List of Options The following options are available. Select objects to analyze Prompts you to select the surface objects to analyze. When you are done selecting objects, press Enter to return to the dialog box.
ANALYSISZEBRA Quick Reference See also: ■ Analyze Surface Continuity with Zebra Analysis Projects stripes onto a 3D model to analyze surface continuity. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Analysis panel ➤ Draft Summary The way the stripes line up where two surfaces meet, helps analyze the tangency and curvature of the intersection.
In this example, the surface continuity is G0 because the surface edges are coincident, but they are not tangent and they have different curvatures. The fact that the stripes are not aligned shows that the surfaces are not tangent. To change the zebra analysis display settings, use the Zebra Analysis tab on page 111 of the Analysis Options dialog box on page 110. ANIPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Motion Path Settings Saves an animation file of a camera moving or panning in a 3D model.
Motion Path Animation Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Motion Path Settings Specifies settings for a motion path animation and creates an animation file. Summary A path object must be created first and then selected as the camera path or the target path. A path object can be a line, arc, elliptical arc, circle, polyline, 3D polyline, or spline. List of Options The following options are displayed. Camera Link Camera To Links a camera to a static point or a motion path in a drawing.
Path Links a camera to a motion path in the drawing. Pick Point/Select Path Selects either the point where a camera is located or the path along which a camera travels, depending on whether Point or Path was selected. Point/Path List Displays a list of named points or paths to which you can link a camera. To create a path, you can link a camera to a line, arc, elliptical arc, circle, polyline, 3D polyline, or spline. NOTE When you create a motion path, a camera is automatically created.
Number of Frames Specifies the total number of frames in the animation. With the frame rate, this value determines the length of the animation. When you change this number, the Duration value is automatically recalculated. Duration (seconds) Specifies the duration (in sections) of the animation. When you change this number, the Number of Frames value is automatically recalculated. Visual Style Displays a list of visual styles and render presets that you can apply to an animation file.
Displays the movement of the camera for the animation in the viewport. If “When Previewing Show Camera Preview” is checked, the Animation Preview dialog box on page 119 also displays a preview of the animation. Animation Preview Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Motion Path Settings Summary Previews a motion path animation that you created with a motion path or 3D navigation. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Play Plays the animation preview. The Play button is disabled when an animation is already playing. Record Records the animation, starting from the current frame displayed in the Preview region. All frames following the current frame are overwritten. The Overwrite Confirmation warning is displayed to confirm that you intend to overwrite the existing frames. The Record button is disabled when an animation is playing. Pause Pauses the animation at the current frame displayed in the Preview region.
Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Annotation Scaling panel ➤ Sync Scale Positions Menu: Modify ➤ Annotative Object Scale ➤ Synchronize Multiple-Scale Positions Shortcut menu: Select an annotative object. Right-click and choose Annotative Object Scale ➤ Synchronize Multiple-Scale Positions. Summary The location of each scale representation of an annotative object can be adjusted using grips.
APERTURE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Object Snaps Controls the size of the object snap target box. Access Methods Command entry: aperture (or 'aperture for transparent use) Summary Object snap applies only to objects inside or crossing the object snap target box. The APBOX on page 2161 system variable controls whether the object snap target box is displayed. The number of pixels you enter using APERTURE controls the size of the object snap box. The higher the number, the larger the target box.
List of Options The following options are displayed. List Lists all currently installed plug-in applications. Reload Reloads all plug-ins located in the application plug-in folder, using the verbose setting of the APPAUTOLOAD on page 2162 system variable. APPLOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of AutoLISP Automatic Loading Loads and unloads applications and defines which applications to load at startup.
Load/Unload Applications Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of AutoLISP Automatic Loading Loads and unloads applications and defines which applications to load at startup. Summary Loads and unloads applications and specifies applications to be loaded at startup. List of Options The following options are displayed.
The options at the top of this dialog box are derived from the standard file selection dialog box. Following are descriptions of the additional options provided by the Load/Unload Applications dialog box: Load Loads or reloads the applications that are currently selected either in the files list or on the History List tab. Load is unavailable until you select a file that you can load.
You may prefer to clear this option when loading applications with the AutoCAD web browser, because these applications are unavailable once the cache for the application's temporary location is emptied. Unload/Remove Unloads the selected applications or removes them from the History List. Unload is available only when a file is selected on the Loaded Applications tab. Remove is available only when you select a file on the History List tab.
Adds and removes application files from the Startup Suite. These are the applications that are loaded each time you start AutoCAD. List of Options The following options are displayed. List of Applications Displays an alphabetical list (by file name) of the application files to load at startup. Add Displays the Add File to Startup Suite dialog box. You can use this dialog box to select files to add to the startup suite. Remove Removes selected files from the Startup Suite.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Arc drop-down ➤ 3-Point Menu: Draw ➤ Arc Toolbar: Draw Summary To create an arc, you can specify combinations of center, endpoint, start point, radius, angle, chord length, and direction values. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify start pointof arc or [Center]: Specify a point, enter c, or press ENTER to start tangent to last line, arc, or polyline Start Point Specifies the starting point of the arc.
Specify center point of arc: Specify end point of arc or [Angle/chord Length]: End Point Using the center point (2), draws an arc counterclockwise from the start point (1) to an endpoint that falls on an imaginary ray drawn from the center point through the third point (3). The arc does not necessarily pass through this third point, as shown in the illustration. Angle Draws an arc counterclockwise from the start point (1) using a center point (2) with a specified included angle.
Center Point Draws an arc counterclockwise from the start point (1) to an endpoint that falls on an imaginary ray drawn from the center point (3) through the second point specified (2). Angle Draws an arc counterclockwise from the start point (1) to an endpoint (2), with a specified included angle. If the angle is negative, a clockwise arc is drawn.
End Point Draws an arc counterclockwise from the start point (2) to an endpoint that falls on an imaginary ray drawn from the center point (1) through a specified point (3). Angle Draws an arc counterclockwise from the start point (2) using a center point (1) with a specified included angle. If the angle is negative, a clockwise arc is drawn. Specify included angle: Chord Length Draws either a minor or a major arc based on the distance of a straight line between the start point and endpoint.
ARCHIVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Publish, Transmit, and Archive Sheet Sets Packages the current sheet set files for archive. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu ➤ Publish ➤ Archive Summary The Archive a Sheet Set dialog box is displayed. If you enter -archive at the Command prompt, options are displayed. Archive a Sheet Set Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Publish, Transmit, and Archive Sheet Sets Packages the current sheet set files for archive.
be included in the package in a hierarchical tree format. The Files Table tab displays the files to be included in the package in a table format. All files to be included in the archive package are indicated by a check mark next to the file name. To remove a file from the archive package, select the check box. Right-click in the file display area to display a shortcut menu, from which you can clear all check marks or apply check marks to all files.
or remove existing files. Related files that are referenced by URLs are not included in the archive package. Included Reports the number of files included in the package and the size of the package. Files Table Tab Displays the files to be included in the archive package in a table format. By default, all files associated with the current drawing (such as related xrefs, plot styles, and fonts) are listed. You can add files to the archive package or remove existing files.
Add a File Opens a standard file selection dialog box, in which you can select an additional file to include in the archive package. This button is available on both the Files Tree tab and the Files Table tab. Enter Notes to Be Included with This Archive Provides a space where you can enter notes related to the archive package. The notes are included in the archive report.
Modify Archive Setup Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Publish, Transmit, and Archive Sheet Sets List of Options The following options are displayed. Archive Type and Location Specifies the type and location of archive package created.
Specifies the type of archive package created. Archive Package Type Description Folder Creates an archive package of uncompressed files in a new or existing folder. Self-Extracting Executable Creates an archive package of files as a compressed, self-extracting executable file. Double-clicking the resulting EXE file decompresses the archive package and restores the files. Zip Creates an archive package of files as a compressed ZIP file.
Archive File Name Type Description Overwrite if Necessary Uses a logical default file name. If the file name already exists, the existing file is automatically overwritten. Increment File Name if Ne- Uses a logical default file name. If the file cessary name already exists, a number is added to the end. This number is incremented each time a new archive package is saved. Path Options Provides options for the archive.
Defines the source root folder for relative paths of drawing-dependent files, such as xrefs. This option determines the source root folder for the Use Organized Folder Structure option. The source root folder also contains the sheet set data (DST) file when a sheet set is archived. Place All Files in One Folder All files are installed to a single, specified target folder when the archive package is created. Keep Files and Folders As Is Preserves the folder structure of all files in the archive package.
Includes photometric web files that are associated with web lights in the drawing. Include Unloaded File References Includes all unloaded external file references. The unloaded file references are listed in the Files Tree and Files Table and report under their appropriate category. Include Sheet Set Data and Files Includes the sheet set data (DST) file, label block drawing files, callout block drawing files, and drawing template (DWT) files with the archive package.
Password Confirmation Provides a space to confirm the password that you entered in the Password field. If the two passwords do not match, you are prompted to reenter them. -ARCHIVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Publish, Transmit, and Archive Sheet Sets List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Sheet Set name or [?] : Enter a predefined sheet set name, enter ? to display a list of sheet sets, or press ENTER Sheet Set Name Specifies a sheet set to use for the archive package.
Calculates the area and perimeter of objects or of defined areas. Summary Several commands are available to provide area information including AREA, MEASUREGEOM on page 1122, and MASSPROP on page 1083. Alternatively, use BOUNDARY on page 264 to create a closed polyline or region. Then use LIST on page 1058 or the Properties palette on page 1545 to find the area. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Object Calculates the area and perimeter of a selected object. You can calculate the area of circles, ellipses, splines, polylines, polygons, regions, and 3D solids. NOTE 2D solids (created with the SOLID on page 1786 command) do not have an area reported. Select object: If you select an open polyline, the area is calculated as if a line were drawn from the last point entered to the first. When the perimeter is calculated that line length is ignored.
Specify points to define a polygon (3). The area to be added is highlighted in green. Press ENTER. AREA calculates the area and perimeter and returns the total area of all the areas defined by selecting points or objects since Add mode was turned on. If you do not close the polygon, the area is calculated as if a line were drawn from the last point entered to the first. When the perimeter is calculated, that line length is added.
ARRAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Array Objects Creates copies of objects arranged in a 2D or 3D pattern. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Array. Toolbar: Modify Menu: Modify ➤ Array. Summary You can create copies of objects in a regularly spaced rectangular, polar, or path array. The DELOBJ on page 2227 system variable controls whether the source objects of the array are deleted or retained after the array is created.
Rectangular (ARRAYRECT on page 162) Distributes object copies into any combination of rows, columns, and levels. Path (ARRAYPATH on page 155) Evenly distributes object copies along a path or a portion of a path. Polar (ARRAYPOLAR on page 159) Evenly distributes object copies in a circular pattern around a center point or axis of rotation. -ARRAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Array Objects Maintains legacy command line behavior for creating nonassociative, 2D rectangular or polar arrays.
The selected object, or cornerstone element, is assumed to be in the lower-left corner, and generates the array up and to the right. The specified distance between the rows and columns includes the corresponding lengths of the object to be arrayed. Enter the distance between rows or specify unit cell (---): To add rows downward, specify a negative value for the distance between rows. ARRAY skips the next prompt if you specify two points for the opposite corners of a rectangle.
Base Specifies a new reference (base) point relative to the selected objects that will remain at a constant distance from the center point of the array as the objects are arrayed. Enter the number of items in the array: Enter a positive integer or press ENTER If you enter a value for the number of items, you must specify either the angle to fill or the angle between items. If you press ENTER (and do not provide the number of items), you must specify both.
ARRAYCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Array Objects Saves or discards changes made to an array’s source objects and exits the array editing state. Access Methods Panel Ribbon: ➤ Edit Array contextual panel Summary The Soure option of ARRAYEDIT on page 150 activates an editing state in which you can edit the source objects of a selected array item. While the editing state is active, an Edit Array contextual tab is displayed on the ribbon.
Discard Changes Button ➤ Edit Array contextual panel ➤ Discard Changes Discards any changes made; the source object or replacement item in the array is returned to its original state. ARRAYEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit Associative Arrays Edits associative array objects and their source objects.
List of Prompts The following prompt is displayed. Select array: Use an object selection method The array type determines the remainig prompts.
Item in Array Selects the item whose source objects are to be replaced, and continues to prompt for additional items. ■ Source objects. Replaces the original set of source objects in the array, which updates all items that have not been previously replaced. Base Point Redefines the base point of the array. Path arrays are repositioned relative to the new base point. Rows Specifies the number and spacing of rows, and the incremental elevation between them.
Align Items (Path Arrays) Specifies whether to align each item to be tangent to the path direction. Alignment is relative to the orientation of the first item (ARRAYPATH, Orientation option). Z Direction (Path Arrays) Controls whether to maintain the original Z direction of the items or to naturally bank the items along a 3D path. Angle Between (Polar Arrays) Specifies the angle between items.
Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Edit Array Toolbar: Modify II List of Options The following options are displayed. Columns Panel (Rectangular Arrays) Column Count Specifies the number of columns. Column Spacing Specifies the spacing of columns. Total Column Distance Specifies the total distance between the first and last columns. Items Panel (Path and Polar Arrays) Item Count Specifies the number of items. Item Spacing Specifies the spacing of items.
Divide (Path Arrays) Redistributes items to divide evenly along the length of the path. Align Items (Path Arrays) Controls the whether to maintain the starting orientation or continue reorienting items along the path, relative to the starting orientation. Z Direction (Path Arrays) Controls whether to maintain the original Z direction of the items or to naturally bank the items along a 3D path. Rotate Items (Polar Arrays) Controls whether items are rotated as they are arrayed.
Summary This command is equivalent to the Path option in ARRAY on page 145. The path can be a line, polyline, 3D polyline, spline, helix, arc, circle, or ellipse. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Orientation Controls whether the selected objects are reoriented (rotated) relative to the starting direction of the path before being moved to the start point of the path. ■ 2 Points. Specifies two points to define the direction to be aligned with the starting direction of the path. ■ Normal. Objects are aligned to be normal to the starting direction of the path.
Key Point For associative arrays, specifies a valid constraint point (or key point) on the source objects to use as the base point. If you edit the source objects of the resulting array, the base point of the array remains coincident with the key point of the source objects. Distance Between Items Specifies the distance between items. Divide Divides items evenly along the entire length of the path. Total Specifies the total distance between the first and last items.
Align Items Specifies whether to align each item to be tangent to the path direction. Alignment is relative to the first item’s orientation (Orientation on page 157 option). Z Direction Controls whether to maintain the items’ original Z direction or to naturally bank the items along a 3D path. Exit Exits the command. ARRAYPOLAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Polar Arrays Evenly distributes object copies in a circular pattern around a center point or axis of rotation.
Toolbar: Modify Summary This command is equivalent to the Polar option in ARRAY on page 145. Creates an array by copying the selected objects around a specified center point or axis of rotation. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Items Specifies the number of items in the array. Expression Derives a value using a mathematical formula or equation. NOTE When defining the fill angle in an expression, the (+ or -) mathematical symbol in the resultant value does not affect the direction of the array. Angle Between Specifies the angle between items. Expression on page 161 Fill Angle Specifies the angle between the first and last item in the array.
ARRAYRECT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Rectangular Arrays Distributes object copies into any combination of rows, columns, and levels. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Array dropdown ➤ Rectangular Array Menu: Modify ➤ Array ➤ Rectangular Array Toolbar: Modify Summary This command is equivalent to the Rectangular option in ARRAY on page 145. Creates an array of rows and columns of copies of the selected object. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Press Enter to accept or [ASsociative on page 163/Base point/Rows on page 164/Columns on page 164/Levels on page 164/eXit on page 164] : Press Enter or select an option Items Specifies the number of items in the array. Use the preview grid to specify a point that reflects the desired configuration. Count Specifies the row and column values individually. ■ Expression on page 164 Space Items Specifies the row and column spacing.
Rows Edits the number and spacing of rows in the array, and the incremental elevation between them. Expression Derives a value using a mathematical formula or equation. Total Sets the total distance between the first and last rows. Columns Edits the number and spacing of columns. Expression on page 164 Total Specifies the total distance between the first and last columns. Levels Specifies the number and spacing of levels.
Groups Causes the specified group of commands to be the first group searched when resolving the names of AutoCAD commands. Commands Lists the AcEd-registered commands (AcEd-registered commands are described in the ObjectARX Developer's Guide). Classes Displays a class hierarchy of C++ classes derived from objects registered in the system. Services Lists the names of all registered services. Load Displays the ObjectARX/DBX File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box).
Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Reference panel ➤ Attach Summary The Select Reference File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. To select multiple DWG files for attach, set the Files of Type to Drawing. You can select one file only for all other file formats. -ATTACH Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Files as Underlays Inserts an external reference, raster image, or underlay (DWF, DWFx, PDF, or DGN files) in the current drawing.
Scale Factor Resizes the underlay. For example, if the base image size is 36 x 24 and you enter a scale factor of 2, the underlay will display at 72 x 48. Rotation Sets an angle of rotation for the underlay. PDF Underlay Prompts Path to File Enters the location of the PDF file including the file name. Page Number Enters a page number. ? Enters multiple pages. * Lists pages available in the PDF file.
Scale Factor Resizes the image. For example, if the base image size is 36 x 24 and you enter a scale factor of 2, the underlay will display at 72 x 48. Rotation Sets an angle of rotation for the underlay. External Reference Prompts Path to File Enters the location of the external reference file including the file name. Reference Type Selects whether to attach this file as an underlay or an overlay. Press Enter to attach the file as an underlay (attachment).
Scale Factor Resizes the external reference. For example, if the base image size is 36 x 24 and you enter a scale factor of 2, the external reference will display at 72 x 48. Unit Changes the type of units to scale the external reference. ATTACHURL Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Using Hyperlinks in a Drawing Attaches hyperlinks to objects or areas in a drawing. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
ATTDEF Quick Reference See also: ■ Define Block Attributes Creates an attribute definition for storing data in a block. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Attributes panel ➤ Define Attributes. Menu: Draw ➤ Block ➤ Define Attributes Summary The Attribute Definition dialog box is displayed. If you enter -attdef at the Command prompt, options are displayed. An attribute is an object that is created and included with a block definition.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Mode Sets options for attribute values associated with a block when you insert the block in a drawing. The default values are stored in the AFLAGS on page 2157 system variable. Changing the AFLAGS setting affects the default mode for new attribute definitions and does not affect existing attribute definitions. Invisible Specifies that attribute values are not displayed or printed when you insert the block. ATTDISP on page 177 overrides Invisible mode.
Lock Position Locks the location of the attribute within the block reference. When unlocked, the attribute can be moved relative to the rest of the block using grip editing, and multiline attributes can be resized. Multiple Lines Specifies that the attribute value can contain multiple lines of text. When this option is selected, you can specify a boundary width for the attribute. NOTE In a dynamic block, an attribute's position must be locked for it to be included in an action's selection set.
Insertion Point Specifies the location for the attribute. Enter coordinate values or select Specify On-screen and use the pointing device to specify the placement of the attribute in relation to the objects that it will be associated with. Specify On-Screen Displays a Start Point prompt when the dialog box closes. Use the pointing device to specify the placement of the attribute in relation to the objects that it will be associated with. X Specifies the X coordinate of the attribute's insertion point.
Specifies the rotation angle of the attribute text. Enter a value, or choose Rotation to specify a rotation angle with your pointing device. The rotation angle is measured from the origin to the location you specify. If you select Align or Fit in the Justification list, the Rotation option is not available. Boundary Width Specifies the maximum length of the lines of text in a multiple-line attribute before wrapping to the next line. A value of 0.
Specify opposite corner: Specify a point or enter an option (this prompt is displayed only if you turned on Multiple line mode) Attribute Modes The current value line indicates the current settings for each attribute mode (either Y for on or N for off). Entering i, c, v, p, l, a, or m toggles the modes on or off. Press ENTER when you have finished adjusting the mode settings. The AFLAGS on page 2157 system variable stores the current mode settings and can be used to set the default modes.
Default Attribute Value Specifies the default attribute value. The default attribute value appears when a block is inserted into your drawing. A default value is not required. If you turn on Constant mode, the Attribute Value prompt is displayed instead. When Multiple Line mode is off, -ATTDEF then displays the same prompts as the TEXT command, using the attribute tag instead of requesting a text string. Current text style: "Standard" Text height: 0.
ATTDISP Quick Reference See also: ■ Define Block Attributes Controls the visibility overrides for all block attributes in a drawing.
The drawing is regenerated after you change the visibility settings unless REGENAUTO on page 1621, which controls automatic regeneration, is off. The current visibility of attributes is stored in the ATTMODE on page 2166 system variable. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter attribute visibility setting [Normal/ON/OFF] : Normal Restores the visibility settings of each attribute. Visible attributes are displayed. Invisible attributes are not displayed.
Edit Attributes Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Data to Blocks (Block Attributes) Changes attribute information in a block. Summary To change attribute properties such as position, height, and style, use -ATTEDIT. List of Options The following options are displayed. Block Name Indicates the name of the selected block. The value of each attribute contained in the block is displayed in this dialog box. List of Attributes Displays the first eight attributes contained in the block.
on page 2166 system variable, the Text Formatting toolbar displayed is either the abbreviated version, or the full version. To use a field as the value, right-click and click Insert Field on the shortcut menu to display the Field dialog box. Previous Displays the previous eight attribute values. Previous is available only if the selected block contains more than eight attributes and you used Next to display the additional attributes. Next Displays the next eight attribute values.
The first attribute in the selection set is marked with an X. You can change any properties of the attribute you select. Enter an option [Value/Position/Height/Angle/Style/Layer/Color/Next] : Enter the property to change, or press Enter for the next attribute If the original attribute was defined with aligned or fit text, the prompt does not include Angle. The Height option is omitted for aligned text. For each of the options except Next, ATTEDIT prompts for a new value.
If the attribute is aligned, ATTEDIT prompts for both ends of a new text baseline. Height Changes the text height. When you specify a point, the height becomes the distance between the specified point and the start point of the text. Angle Changes the rotation angle. If you specify a point, the text is rotated along an imaginary line between the specified point and the start point of the text. Style Changes the style setting.
Layer Changes the layer. Color Changes the color. You can enter a color from the AutoCAD Color Index (a color name or number), a true color, or a color from a color book. You can enter a color name, a color number between 1 and 255, or bylayer or byblock. True Color Specifies a true color to be used for the selected object. Color Book Specifies a color from a loaded color book to be used for the selected object.
Either string can be empty (null). The ? and * characters are interpreted literally, not as wild-card characters. ATTEXT Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Data to Blocks (Block Attributes) Extracts attribute data, informational text associated with a block, into a file. Summary The Attribute Extraction dialog box is displayed. If you enter -attext at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
Summary Specifies the file format for the attribute information, the objects from which you want to extract information, and the template and output file names for the information. List of Options The following options are displayed. File Format Sets the format for the file into which you are extracting the attribute data. Comma Delimited File (CDF) Generates a file containing one record for each block reference in the drawing that has at least one matching attribute tag in the template file.
Output File Specifies the file name and location for the extracted attribute data. Enter the path and file name for the extracted attribute data, or choose Output File to search for existing template files using a standard file selection dialog box. The .txt file name extension is appended for CDF or SDF files and the .dxx file name extension for DXF files.
Objects Selects objects whose attributes you want to extract. ATTIPEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify a Block Attribute Definition Changes the textual content of an attribute within a block. Summary If you select a single-line attribute, displays the In-Place Text Editor on page 1229 without the Text Formatting toolbar and the ruler. Right-click to display options.
ATTREDEF Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify a Block Attribute Definition Redefines a block and updates associated attributes. Summary New attributes assigned to existing block references use their default values. Old attributes in the new block definition retain their old values. Any old attributes that are not included in the new block definition are deleted. WARNING ATTREDEF removes any format or property changes made with the ATTEDIT or EATTEDIT commands.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Block panel ➤ Synchronize Attributes Toolbar: Modify II Summary You are prompted for the names of blocks you want to update with the current attributes defined for the blocks. Use this command to update all instances of a block containing attributes that was redefined using the BLOCK or BEDIT commands. ATTSYNC does not change any values assigned to attributes in existing blocks. NOTE Use the ATTREDEF command to redefine and update blocks in one command.
Evaluates the integrity of a drawing and corrects some errors. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu ➤ Drawing Utilities ➤ Audit Summary For easy access, AUDIT places all objects for which it reports errors in the Previous selection set. However, editing commands affect only the objects that belong to the current paper space or model space.
Summary Entering a command or system variable at the Command prompt is assisted with several features that list or complete the commands and system variables as they are being typed. The AUTOCOMPLETE command controls which of the features are turned on. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Append Controls whether commands and system variables are automatically completed as you type. List Controls whether a list of valid commands and system variables is displayed as you type.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Geometric panel ➤ Auto Constrain Menu: Parametric ➤ AutoConstrain Toolbar: Parametric Summary You can apply geometric constraints to a selection set of geometry within the specified tolerance set using the AutoConstrain tab in the Constraint Settings dialog box on page 360. Specify the Settings option to change the types of constraints applied, the order in which they are applied, and the applicable tolerances.
Summary Publishes a drawing to a DWF, DWFx, or PDF file. The file format (DWF, DWFx, or PDF) is specified in the Auto Publish dialog box on page 193. To view information about the published drawings, click the Plotting Details Report Available icon in the tray on the right side of the status bar. Clicking this icon opens the Plot and Publish Details dialog box, which provides information about your completed plot and publish jobs. This information is also saved to the Plot and Publish log file.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Auto-Publish Options Specifies where DWF or PDF files are saved when you publish drawing sheets. Publish on Specifies when the publishing takes place.
DWF Data Options Lists and allows you to specify the data that you can optionally include in the published file. Password Protection Specifies options for protecting DWF, DWFx, or PDF files with passwords. Block Information Specifies whether block property and attribute information is included in the published DWF, DWFx, or PDF files. NOTE You must set block information to Include in order for block template file information to be available.
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B Commands 3 BACTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Actions Adds an action to a dynamic block definition. Summary This command is available only in the Block Editor on page 237. Actions define how the geometry of a dynamic block reference moves or changes when the custom properties of a block reference are manipulated in a drawing. You associate actions with parameters. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Select Objects Defines the objects that will be included in the action when modified. Enter Distance Between Columns When a linear or polar parameter is selected, specifies the distance between the selected objects when the array action is modified. To specify the distance, use the mouse pointer. ■ Specify opposite corner. Enter Distance Between Rows or Specify Unit Cell When an XY parameter is selected, specifies the distance between the selected objects when the array action is modified.
Offset When BACTIONBARMODE on page 2176 is set to 0 and the action is triggered, increases or decreases the angle of the selected parameter by the specified value. XY When an XY parameter is selected, specifies whether the distance applied to the action is the parameter's X distance, Y distance, or XY distance from the parameter's base point. Rotate Specifies that the selection set of objects rotates when the action is triggered in a dynamic block reference.
XY When an XY parameter is selected, sets the Scale Type custom property. ■ X. Scales the selected object only along the X-axis of the XY parameter. ■ Y. Scales the selected object only along the Y-axis of the XY parameter. ■ XY. Scales the selected object along both the X- and Y-axes of the XY parameter. Stretch Specifies that the selection set of objects will stretch or move when the action is triggered in a dynamic block reference.
Specify Action Location Specify Action Location on page 198 ■ Multiplier on page 198 ■ Offset on page 199 ■ XY on page 199 Select Objects Select Objects on page 198 Polar Stretch Specifies that the selection set of objects stretches or moves when the action is triggered in a dynamic block reference. A polar stretch action can only be associated with a polar parameter. Specify Parameter Point Determines whether the start or end point of the parameter is used to determine the base point of the action.
Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel ➤ Show All Actions Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel ➤ Hide All Actions Command entry: bedit ➤ bactionbar Summary You can only use the BACTIONBAR command in the Block Editor on page 237 and when in Action Bar mode (BACTIONBARMODE on page 2176 system variable is set to 1). The BACTIONBAR command controls the display of action bars for parameter objects in the Block Editor.
Access Methods Command entry: bedit ➤ bactionset Shortcut menu: Select an action in the block definition. Right-click in the Block Editor drawing area. Click Action Selection Set, and then click an option. Summary Re-specifies the selection set of objects associated with an action by creating a new selection set or by adding to or removing objects from the existing selection set. You can only use the BACTIONSET command in the Block Editor on page 237.
BACTIONTOOL Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Actions Adds an action to a dynamic block definition. Access Methods Panel Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel Command entry: bedit ➤ bactiontool Summary Actions define how the geometry of a dynamic block reference moves or changes when the custom properties of a block reference are manipulated in a drawing. You associate actions with parameters.
Specifies that the selection set of objects arrays when the action is triggered in a dynamic block reference. An array action can be associated with a linear, polar, or XY parameter. Select Parameter Select a parameter to associate with the action. Select Objects Defines the objects that will be included in the action when modified. Enter Distance Between Columns When a linear or polar parameter is selected, specifies the distance between the selected objects when the array action is modified.
Specify Selection Set Determines the objects that will be mirrored about the flip parameter reflection line. Move Button Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel ➤ Actions drop-down ➤ Move Specifies that the selection set of objects moves when the action is triggered in a dynamic block reference. A move action can be associated with a point, linear, polar, or XY parameter.
Specifies that the selection set of objects rotates when the action is triggered in a dynamic block reference. A rotate action can only be associated with a rotation parameter. Select Parameter Select Parameter on page 205 Select Objects Select Objects on page 205 Specify Action Location Specify Action Location on page 205 Base Type Specifies whether the base point for the action is dependent or independent of the associated parameter’s base point.
Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel ➤ Actions drop-down ➤ Scale Specifies that the selection set of objects scales relative to the defined base point when the action is triggered in a dynamic block reference. A scale action can only be associated with a linear, polar, or XY parameter.
Specify Stretch Frame Creates a box that represents the boundary area for the action when modified. ■ Specify opposite corner. ■ Specify objects. CPolygon Creates a polygon that represents the boundary area for the action when modified. ■ First polygon point. ■ Specify endpoint.
Specify Action Location Specify Action Location on page 205 ■ Multiplier on page 206 ■ Offset on page 206 BASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Sets the insertion base point for the current drawing. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Block panel ➤ Set Base Point Menu: Draw ➤ Block ➤ Base Command entry: base (or 'base for transparent use) Summary The base point is expressed as coordinates in the current UCS.
Associates an action with a parameter in a dynamic block definition. Summary Associates an orphaned action with a parameter. You can only use the BASSOCIATE command in the Block Editor on page 237. An action becomes orphaned when the parameter with which it is associated is removed from the block definition. NOTE The BASSOCIATE command is disabled when the BACTIONBARMODE on page 2176 system variable is set to 1. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Block Definition panel ➤ Manage Attributes Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ Attribute ➤ Block Attribute Manager Toolbar: Modify II Summary The Block Attribute Manager is displayed. If the current drawing does not contain any blocks with attributes, a message is displayed. This command controls all attribute properties and settings of a selected block definition. Any changes to the attributes in a block definition are reflected in the block references.
Attributes of the selected block are displayed in the attribute list. By default, Tag, Prompt, Default, Mode, and Annotative attribute properties are displayed in the attribute list. For each selected block, a description below the attribute list identifies the number of its instances in the current drawing and in the current layout. You can specify which attribute properties you want displayed in the list by choosing Settings.
Move Up Moves the selected attribute tag earlier in the prompt sequence. The Move Up button is not available when a constant attribute is selected. Move Down Moves the selected attribute tag later in the prompt sequence. The Move Down button is not available when a constant attribute is selected. Edit Opens the Edit Attribute dialog box, where you can modify attribute properties. Remove Removes the selected attribute from the block definition.
■ Properties on page 218 List of Options The following options are displayed. Block Name Displays the name of the block whose attributes are to be edited. Auto Preview Changes Controls whether or not the drawing area is immediately updated to display any visible attribute changes you make. If Auto Preview Changes is selected, changes are immediately visible. If Auto Preview Changes is cleared, changes are not immediately visible. Clearing Auto Preview Changes results in a small improvement in performance.
Identifies whether the attribute is set to its default value. You cannot change this property. If a check mark is shown in the check box, the attribute is set to its default value and cannot be changed. If the check box is empty, you can assign a value to the attribute. Verify Turns value verification on and off. If selected, prompts you to verify the values you assign to the attribute when inserting a new instance of the block. If this option is cleared, verification is not performed.
Text Style Specifies the text style for attribute text. Default values for this text style are assigned to the text properties displayed in this dialog box. Justification Specifies how attribute text is justified. Height Specifies the height of the attribute text. Rotation Specifies the rotation angle of the attribute text. Annotative Specifies that the attribute is . Backwards Specifies whether or not the text is displayed backwards. Upside Down Specifies whether or not the text is displayed upside down.
Properties Tab (Edit Attribute Dialog Box) Defines the layer that the attribute is on and the color, lineweight, and linetype for the attribute's line. If the drawing uses plot styles, you can assign a plot style to the attribute using the Properties tab. Layer Specifies the layer that the attribute is on. Linetype Specifies the linetype of attribute text. Color Specifies the attribute's text color. Lineweight Specifies the lineweight of attribute text.
Block Attribute Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify a Block Attribute Definition Controls the appearance of the attribute list in the Block Attribute Manager. List of Options The following options are displayed. Display in List Specifies the properties to be displayed in the attribute list. Only the selected properties are displayed in the list. The Tag property is always selected. Select All Selects all properties. Clear All Clears all properties.
Apply Changes to Existing References Specifies whether or not to update all existing instances of the block whose attributes you are modifying. If selected, updates all instances of the block with the new attribute definitions. If cleared, updates only new instances of the block with the new attribute definitions. You can choose Sync in the Block Attribute Manager to apply changes immediately to existing block instances. This temporarily overrides the Apply Changes to Existing References option.
Attribute Definitions Lists the attribute definitions in the current block. Move Up Moves the selected attribute definition up in the list. Move Down Moves the selected attribute definition down in the list. BAUTHORPALETTE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Custom Block Authoring Tools Opens the Block Authoring Palettes window in the Block Editor.
BAUTHORPALETTECLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Custom Block Authoring Tools Closes the Block Authoring Palettes window in the Block Editor. Summary You can close the Block Authoring Palettes window only from the Block Editor. BCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the Block Editor ■ Define Blocks ■ Modify Blocks Closes the Block Editor.
Summary Closes the Block Editor. If you have modified the block definition since it was last saved, you are prompted to save or discard the changes. BCONSTRUCTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Construction Geometry Within a Block Converts geometry into construction geometry. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Manage panel ➤ Construction Summary The BCONSTRUCTION command is used in the Block Editor on page 237 to convert geometry into construction geometry.
Convert Converts the valid selected objects into construction geometry and displays the number of objects converted. Authoring objects are not converted. Revert Changes the selected objects back to regular geometry. The geometry is set to the current layer. Show All Displays all construction geometry. Hide All Hides all construction geometry.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [Linear/Horizontal/Vertical/Aligned/ANgular/Radial/Diameter/Convert] : Specify an option Linear Button Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Dimensional panel ➤ Dimensional Constraints drop-down ➤ Linear Creates a horizontal or vertical constraint parameter based on the locations of the extension line origins and the location of the dimension line similar to the DIMLINEAR on page 601 command.
Object Object on page 225 Aligned Button Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Dimensional panel ➤ Aligned Constrains the length of a line or the distance between two lines, a point on an object and a line, or two points on different objects. Object Object on page 225 Point & Line Selects a point and a line object. The aligned constraint controls the distance between a point and the closest point on a line. 2Lines Selects two line objects.
Valid Objects or Points Characteristics ■ When you select an arc, a three-point angular constraint is created. The angle vertex is at the center of the arc and the angle endpoints of the arc are at the endpoints of the arc. When you enter or edit an angle value that is either negative or is greater than 360 degrees, the number entered is stored for the expression (for example, 390), but the value displayed is based on the formatting of the units (for example, 30 if decimal degrees).
Creates a diameter constraint parameter for a circle, arc, or polyline arc segment. Valid Objects or Points Characteristics Circle Arc ■ Constrains the diameter of the circle or arc. Convert Button Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Dimensional panel ➤ Convert Converts the dimensional constraints to constraint parameters. Objects other than dimensional constraints are ignored and filtered from the selection set.
BCYCLEORDER Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Changes the cycling order of grips for a dynamic block reference. Summary Displays the Insertion Cycling Order dialog box. The BCYCLEORDER command is available only in the Block Editor on page 237. Insertion Cycling Order Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Specifies the grip-cycling order for the insertion point of a dynamic block reference.
Summary When you insert a dynamic block reference in a drawing, you can use the Ctrl key to cycle through the grips that have cycling turned on in the block definition. The grip you select as you cycle is used as the insertion point for the block reference. List of Options The following options are displayed. Grip Cycling List Lists the grips in the dynamic block definition. A check mark in the cycling column indicates that cycling is turned on for that grip.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Block panel ➤ Block Editor Menu: Tools ➤ Block Editor Toolbar: Standard Shortcut menu: Select a block reference. Right-click in the drawing area. Click Block Editor. Summary The Edit Block Definition dialog box on page 231 is displayed. Select a block definition to edit or enter a name for a new block definition to create, then click OK to open the Block Editor. If the ribbon is active, the Block Editor ribbon contextual tab on page 233 is displayed.
Summary When you click OK, the Edit Block Definition dialog box closes, and the Block Editor is displayed. ■ If you selected a block definition from the list, that block definition is displayed and is available for editing in the Block Editor. ■ If you entered a name for a new block definition, the Block Editor is displayed, and you can start adding objects to the block definition. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Displays a preview of the selected block definition. A lightning bolt icon indicates that the block is a dynamic block. Description Displays the description of the selected block definition. Block Editor Ribbon Contextual Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Dynamic Block Definitions List of Options The following options are displayed. Open/Save Panel Edit Block Opens the block definition in the Block Editor. Save Block Saves the current block definition.
Perpendicular (GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856) Causes selected lines to lie 90 degrees to one another. Horizontal (GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856) Causes lines or pairs of points to lie parallel to the X axis of the current coordinate system. Vertical (GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856) Causes lines or pairs of points to lie parallel to the Y axis of the current coordinate system. Tangent (GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856) Constrains two curves to maintain a point of tangency to each other or their extensions.
Aligned (BCPARAMETER on page 224) Creates an aligned constraint parameter using one of the following ways. ■ Selects a point and a line object. The aligned constraint controls the distance between a point and the closest point on a line. ■ Selects two line objects. The lines are made parallel and the aligned constraint controls the distance between the two lines. Radius (BCPARAMETER on page 224) Creates a radial constraint parameter for a circle, arc, or polyline arc segment.
Linear (BPARAMETER on page 270) Defines the distance between two key points in the block definition. Polar (BPARAMETER on page 270) Defines a distance and angle for two key points in the block definition. XY (BPARAMETER on page 270) Defines an X and Y distance from the base point of a block definition. Rotation (BPARAMETER on page 270) Defines an angle for the block reference. Flip (BPARAMETER on page 270) Mirrors objects or the entire block reference about a reflection line.
Flip (BACTIONTOOL on page 204) A set of objects is flipped around the reflection line of the flip parameter when the action is triggered in the block reference. A flip action can only be associated with a flip parameter. Array (BACTIONTOOL on page 204) Specifies that the selection set of objects arrays when the action is triggered in a dynamic block reference. An array action can be associated with a linear, polar, or XY parameter.
■ Modify Blocks ■ Modify Dynamic Block Definitions The Block Editor contains a special authoring area in which you can draw and edit geometry as you would in the drawing area. Summary You use the Block Editor to define the objects and behavior for a block definition. In the Block Editor, you add parameters and actions, which define custom properties and dynamic behavior.
■ BTABLE on page 283 ■ BTESTBLOCK on page 288 ■ BVHIDE ■ BVSHOW ■ BVSTATE When the BLOCKEDITLOCK system variable is set to 1, the Block Editor cannot be opened. The Block Editor also provides a Block Editor toolbar and Block Authoring palettes that contain tools for creating dynamic blocks.
Apply Geometric Constraint (GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856) Applies or persists geometric relationships between objects or points on objects. Display / Hide Constraints Bar (CONSTRAINTBAR on page 358) Displays or hides the geometric constraints on an object. Parameter Constraint (BCPARAMETER on page 224) Applies constraint parameters to selected objects, or converts dimensional constraints to parameter constraints. Block Table (BTABLE on page 283) Displays a dialog box to define variations of a block.
in the block reference. When you add a parameter to a dynamic block definition, it defines one or more custom properties for the block. Point Parameter (BPARAMETER) Adds a point parameter to the dynamic block definition and defines custom X and Y properties for the block reference. A point parameter defines an X and Y location in the drawing. In the Block Editor, a point parameter looks similar to an ordinate dimension.
reflection line. Objects can be flipped about this reflection line. A flip parameter displays a value that shows if the block reference has been flipped or not. Visibility Parameter (BPARAMETER) Adds a visibility parameter to the dynamic block definition and defines a custom visibility property for the block reference. With visibility parameter, you can create visibility states and control the visibility of objects in the block.
Stretch Action (BACTIONTOOL) Adds a stretch action to the dynamic block definition when you associate the action with a point, linear, polar, or XY parameter. A stretch action causes objects to move and stretch a specified distance in a specified location. Polar Stretch Action (BACTIONTOOL) Adds a polar stretch action to the dynamic block definition when you associate the action with a polar parameter.
Linear Stretch Automatically adds a stretch action associated with the linear parameter. Linear Array Automatically adds an array action associated with the linear parameter. Linear Move Pair Automatically adds a two move action, one associated with the base point and one associated with the endpoint of the linear parameter. Linear Stretch Pair Automatically adds two stretch actions, one associated with the base point and one associated with the endpoint of the linear parameter.
Visibility Set Adds a visibility parameter to the dynamic block definition and allows visibility states to be defined. No action is necessary with the visibility parameter. Lookup Set Automatically adds a lookup action associated with the lookup parameter. Constraints Tab (Block Authoring Palettes Window) Provides tools for applying geometric constraints and constraint parameters to objects.
Fix Constraint (GCFIX on page 840) Locks points and curves in position. Constraint Parameters Aligned Constraint (BCPARAMETER on page 224) Constrains the length of a line or the distance between two lines, a point on an object and a line, or two points on different objects. Horizontal Constraint (BCPARAMETER on page 224) Constrains the X distance of a line or between two points on different objects. Valid objects include lines and polyline segments.
Enter block name on page 247 or [? on page 247]: Enter a name or ? Block Name Specifies the name of a block saved in the current drawing to open in the Block Editor or specifies the name of a new block to create. ?—List Previously Defined Blocks Lists the block names in the text window. Enter block(s) to list <*>: Enter a name list or press Enter BESETTINGS Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Edit Dynamic Blocks Displays the Block Editor Settings dialog box.
Summary Controls the environment settings of the Block Editor. List of Options The following options are displayed. Authoring Objects Controls the color of parameter and grip objects and specifies the orientation of the parameter text. Parameter Color Sets the color of parameters in the Block Editor. (BPARAMETERCOLOR on page 2182 system variable) Grip Color Sets the color of grips in the Block Editor.
Parameter Font Sets the font for the authoring objects. Font Name Sets the font used for parameters and actions in the Block Editor. (BPARAMETERFONT on page 2183 system variable) Font Style Specifies font character formatting for the authoring objects, such as italic, bold, or regular. Parameter and Grip Size Controls the size of the parameter and grip objects. Parameter Size Sets the size of parameter text and features in the Block Editor relative to the screen display.
Display Tickmarks for Parameters With Value Sets Controls whether or not value set markers are displayed for dynamic block references. (BTMARKDISPLAY on page 2184 system variable) Display Action Bars Indicates whether the action bars or the legacy action objects are displayed in the Block Editor. (BACTIONBARMODE on page 2176 system variable) Reset Values Resets the Block Editor settings to default values.
or enter reposition to reposition the existing grips in the block definition to their default locations BHATCH Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills Fills an enclosed area or selected objects with a hatch pattern or gradient fill. Summary The BHATCH command has been renamed to HATCH. If you enter bhatch, the Hatch and Gradient dialog box on page 876is displayed. If you enter -bhatch or -hatch, Command prompts are displayed.
Summary Select each object near an endpoint. The shape of the resulting spline depends on the specified continuity. The lengths of the selected objects remain unchanged. Valid objects include lines, arcs, elliptical arcs, helixes, open polylines, and open splines. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
BLIPMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Object Selection Controls the display of marker blips. Obsolete Marker blips have been removed from the product. Access Methods Command entry: 'blipmode for transparent use Summary When Blip mode is on, a temporary mark in the shape of a plus sign (+) appears where you specify a point. BLIPMODE is off by default. To remove marker blips, use REDRAW, REGEN, ZOOM, PAN, or other commands that redraw or regenerate the drawing.
BLOCKICON Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Blocks Generates preview images for blocks displayed in DesignCenter. Access Methods Menu: File ➤ Drawing Utilities ➤ Update Block Icons Summary Use this command to generate icons for blocks created with an earlier release. You can enter a series of comma-delimited block names or wild-card characters. For example, enter b1,?2, to specify that block B1 and all two-character blocks ending with 2 should be updated.
If a table is already defined for the lookup action, then that table is displayed in the dialog box. NOTE The BLOOKUPTABLE command is disabled when the BACTIONBARMODE on page 2176 system variable is set to 1. Property Lookup Table Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Lookup Actions Creates and modifies a lookup table for custom properties within the dynamic block definition. Summary The lookup table assigns custom property values to the dynamic block reference.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Action Name Displays the associated lookup action name, which you can edit in the Properties palette. Add Properties Displays the Add Parameter Properties dialog box on page 256. Audit Checks the data to ensure that each row is unique. Input Properties Displays the parameters you select in the Add Parameter Properties dialog box on page 256 as columns.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Parameter Properties Displays a list of parameters not yet added to the lookup table. Select a parameter and click OK to add it to the lookup table. Property Type Specifies the type of property to add to the lookup table. Add Input Properties Displays the available custom properties in parameters you’ve already added to the block definition. Add Lookup Properties Displays the available lookup property parameters that can be added to the lookup table.
BLOCK Quick Reference See also: ■ Define Blocks Creates a block definition from selected objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Block Definition panel ➤ Create Block Menu: Draw ➤ Block ➤ Make Toolbar: Draw Summary The Block Definition dialog box is displayed. If you enter -block at the Command prompt, options are displayed. You create a block definition by selecting objects, specifying an insertion point, and giving it a name.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Names the block. The name can have up to 255 characters and can include letters, numbers, blank spaces, and any special character not used by the operating system or the program for other purposes. The block name and definition are saved in the current drawing. Preview If an existing block is selected under Name, displays a preview of the block. Base Point Specifies an insertion base point for the block. The default value is 0,0,0.
Z Specifies the Z coordinate value. Objects Specifies the objects to include in the new block and whether to retain or delete the selected objects or convert them to a block instance after you create the block. Specify On-Screen Prompts you to specify the objects when the dialog box is closed. Select Objects Closes the Block Definition dialog box temporarily while you select the objects for the block. When you finish selecting objects, press Enter to return to the dialog box.
Specifies that the orientation of the block references in paper space viewports matches the orientation of the layout. This option is unavailable if the Annotative option is cleared. Scale Uniformly Specifies whether or not the block reference is prevented from being non-uniformly scaled. Allow Exploding Specifies whether or not the block reference can be exploded. Settings Specifies settings for the block. Block Unit Specifies the insertion units for the block reference.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter block name or [?]: Enter a name or ? Block Name Names the block. The name can have up to 255 characters and can include letters, numbers, blank spaces, and any special character not used by the operating system and the program for other purposes if the system variable EXTNAMES is set to 1.
drawing. You can restore the deleted objects by entering the OOPS command immediately after BLOCK. The insertion base point becomes the origin of the block's coordinate system, which is parallel to the UCS in effect at the time that you define the block. When you insert the block into a drawing, its coordinate system is aligned parallel to the current UCS. Thus, you can insert a block at any orientation in space by setting the UCS first.
Summary The Create Raster File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. Enter the file name in the dialog box. A bitmap file that contains the objects you select is created. The file reflects what is displayed on the screen. Light glyphs that are displayed in the drawing appear in the new file, even if the Plot Glyph property of the lights is set to No. NOTE When the FILEDIA system variable is set to 0 (Off), Command prompts are displayed.
Boundary Creation Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Combine Areas (Regions) Defines the object type, boundary set, and island detection method for creating a region or polyline using a specified point within an area enclosed by objects. List of Options The following options are displayed. Pick Points Determines a boundary from existing objects that form an enclosed area around the specified point.
Object Type Controls the type of the new boundary object. boundary creates the boundary as a region or a polyline object. Boundary Set Defines the set of objects boundary analyzes when defining a boundary from a specified point. Current Viewport Defines the boundary set from everything in the current viewport extents. Selecting this option discards any current boundary set. New Prompts you to select the objects that define the boundary set.
Island Detection Specifies whether boundary uses objects within the outermost boundary as boundary objects. For information about specifying island detection at the Command prompt, see the HATCH Command prompt option. Object Type Specifies the type of object that boundary creates. ■ Region ■ Polyline BOX Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid Box Creates a 3D solid box.
Entering a positive value draws the height along the positive Z axis of the current UCS. Entering a negative value draws the height along the negative Z axis. The base of the box is always drawn parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS (work plane). The height of the box is specified in the Z-axis direction. You can enter both positive and negative values for the height. Center Creates the box by using a specified center point. Cube Creates a box with sides of equal length.
Cube Creates a box with sides of equal length. Length Creates a box with length, width, and height values you specify. If you enter values, the length corresponds to the X axis, the width to the Y axis, and the height to the Z axis. If you pick a point to specify the length, you also specify the rotation in the XY plane. 2Point Specifies that the height of the box is the distance between the two specified points.
BPARAMETER Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Parameters to Dynamic Blocks Adds a parameter with grips to a dynamic block definition. Access Methods Panel Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel Summary You can use the bparameter command only in the Block Editor on page 237. A parameter defines custom properties for the block reference. After you add a parameter, you must associate an action with the parameter to make the block dynamic.
Rotates the block reference about a point to align with other objects in the drawing. Specify Base Point of Alignment Specifies the grip about which the block reference will rotate to align with another object in the drawing. Name Sets the Name custom property for this parameter. Specify Alignment Direction Determines the angle of alignment for the block reference. Type Determines whether the block reference will align tangent or perpendicular to objects in the drawing.
Chain Determines whether the parameter is included in the selection set of an action that is associated with a different parameter. ■ Yes. A change to an action associated with this parameter will also trigger other actions associated with this parameter, just as if you had edited the parameter through a grip or custom property. ■ No. Associated actions are not triggered. Description Defines an extended description of the Label on page 271 custom property.
Value Set Limits the available values for the parameter to the values specified in the set. ■ List. Specifies a list of available values for the parameter in a block reference. ■ Increment. Specifies a value increment and minimum and maximum values for the parameter in the block reference. Specify Label Location Specifies the location of the parameter label on page 271 in the block definition. Enter Number of Grips Determines the number of grips that will display in the block reference. ■ 0.
Specify Endpoint Determines the distance and angle from the base point. The distance and angle are custom properties in the Properties palette. Specify Label Location Specify Label Location on page 273 Enter Number of Grips Enter Number of Grips on page 273 XY Button Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel ➤ Action Parameters drop-down ➤ XY Defines an X and Y distance from the base point of a block definition. Specify Base Point Determines the maximum X distance for the parameter.
Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel ➤ Action Parameters drop-down ➤ Rotation Defines an angle for the block reference. Specify Base Point Determines the point about which the selected block geometry will be rotated. Name Name on page 271 Label Label on page 271 Chain Chain on page 272 Description Description on page 272 Palette Palette on page 272 Value Set Value Set on page 273 Specify Radius of Parameter Determines the distance between the base point of the parameter and the grip.
Specify Endpoint of Reflection Line Determines the endpoint of the reflection line. Specify Label Location Specify Label Location on page 273 Visibility Button Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Action Parameters panel ➤ Action Parameters drop-down ➤ Visibility Defines objects that will either display or not display within the block definition. Specify Parameter Location Determines a location for the parameter grip. The parameter can be placed anywhere within the block definition.
BREAK Quick Reference See also: ■ Break and Join Objects Breaks the selected object between two points. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Break Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Break at Point Menu: Modify ➤ Break Toolbar: Modify Summary You can create a gap between two specified points on an object, breaking it into two objects. If the points are off of an object, they are automatically projected on to the object. break is often used to create space for a block or text.
Select object: Use an object selection method, or specify the first break point (1) on an object The prompts that are displayed next depend on how you select the object. If you select the object by using your pointing device, the program both selects the object and treats the selection point as the first break point. At the next prompt, you can continue by specifying the second point or overriding the first point.
You can also break selected objects at a single point with the Break at Point tool. Valid objects include lines, open polylines, and arcs. Closed objects such as circles cannot be broken at a single point. BREP Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Original Forms of Composite Solids Removes the history from 3D solids and composite solids, and associativity from surfaces.
BROWSER Quick Reference See also: ■ Get Started with Internet Access Launches the default web browser defined in your system's registry. Access Methods Button Toolbar: Web Summary Pressing Enter displays your web browser, which automatically connects to the location you specify. Because browser does not append “http://” to web locations, you can specify an FTP or file location to your default web browser.
BSAVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Blocks Within a Drawing Saves the current block definition. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Open/Save panel ➤ Save Block Summary Saves changes to the current block definition. You can only use the BSAVE command in the Block Editor on page 237. BSAVEAS Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Blocks Within a Drawing Saves a copy of the current block definition under a new name.
Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Open/Save panel ➤ Save Block As Summary Displays the Save Block As dialog box on page 282. You can only use the BSAVEAS command in the Block Editor on page 237. Save Block As Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Blocks Within a Drawing Saves a copy of the current block definition under a new name. List of Options The following options are displayed. Block Name Specifies a new name under which to save a copy of the current block definition.
Displays a preview of the selected block definition. Description Displays the description saved with the block definition. Save Block Definition to Drawing File Saves the block definition as a drawing file. Selecting a pre-existing drawing file overwrites the saved file. By default, the block name specified is taken as the drawing file name. BTABLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Define User Parameters in Dynamic Blocks Displays a dialog box to define variations of a block.
Each row in the table defines a different variation of the block reference, and can be accessed by the lookup grip. If a block table is already created in the block editor, entering the btable command directly displays the Block Properties Table dialog box (see BLOOKUPTABLE on page 254 command). List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Summary You can press Shift+Enter to add a new line for a multiline attribute value in the grid in the Block Properties Table dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Add Properties Displays the Add Parameter Properties dialog box on page 286 where you can add parameters already defined in the Block Properties Table. New Properties Displays the New Parameter dialog box on page 287 where you can create and add new user parameters to the Block Properties Table.
Default Value When Properties Do Not Match Table Displays the default values when other properties are changed without matching a row. Add Parameter Properties Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Define User Parameters in Dynamic Blocks Adds parameter properties to the block properties table. List of Options The following options are displayed. Parameter Properties Displays a list of dimensional constraint parameters, user parameters, legacy parameters, and attribute definitions.
Displays the names of parameters available to add to the block properties table. Type Identifies the type of the parameter. New Parameter Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Define User Parameters in Dynamic Blocks Creates and defines a new user parameter to be added to the block properties table. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Displays the name of the new user parameter. Value Displays the value of the user parameter. Type Determines the type of the new parameter.
Specifies whether to display the user parameter as a property in the Properties palette for the block reference. BTESTBLOCK Quick Reference See also: ■ Test Blocks Within the Block Editor Displays a window within the Block Editor to test a dynamic block. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Open/Save panel ➤ Test Block Summary You can only use the btestblock command in the Block Editor on page 237.
discard the temporary file. The btestblock command closes the current Test Block window and opens a new window with the current definition. NOTE Please ensure that there are entities present in the block being tested before running the btestblock command. BVHIDE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Visibility of Objects in a Block Makes objects invisible in the current visibility state or all visibility states in a dynamic block definition.
BVSHOW Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Visibility of Objects in a Block Makes objects visible in the current visibility state or all visibility states in a dynamic block definition. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Visibility panel ➤ Make Visible Shortcut menu: Select objects to make visible for visibility states. Right-click in the Block Editor drawing area.
BVSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Visibility of Objects in a Block Creates, sets, or deletes a visibility state in a dynamic block. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Block Editor contextual tab ➤ Visibility panel ➤ Visibility States Summary Displays the Visibility States dialog box on page 291. You can only use the BVSTATE command in the Block Editor on page 237 after a visibility parameter has been added to the block definition.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Visibility States Lists the available visibility states for the current dynamic block definition. The order of this list is reflected in the dynamic block reference when the grip is clicked to display the list of visibility states. The state at the top of the list is the default state for the block reference. Set Current Sets the selected visibility state as the current state to display in the Block Editor.
New Visibility State Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Visibility of Objects in a Block Creates a new visibility state. List of Options The following options are displayed. Visibility State Name Specifies the name for the new visibility state. Visibility Options for New States Displays options for the new visibility state. Hide All Existing Objects in New State Specifies that all objects in the block definition will be hidden in the new visibility state.
-BVSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Visibility of Objects in a Block Access Methods Command entry: bedit ➤ -bvstate List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current visibility state: Enter an option [New on page 294/Set on page 294/Delete on page 294] : Enter an option or press Enter New Creates a new visibility state. Hide All Specifies that all objects in the block definition will be hidden in the new visibility state.
4 C Commands CAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator Evaluates mathematical and geometric expressions. Access Methods Command entry: 'cal for transparent use Summary CAL is an online geometry calculator that evaluates point (vector), real, or integer expressions. The expressions can access existing geometry using the object snap functions such as CEN, END, and INS.
Understand Syntax of Expressions Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator CAL evaluates expressions according to standard mathematical rules of precedence: ■ Expressions in parentheses first, starting with the innermost set ■ Operators in standard order: exponents first, multiplication and division second, and addition and subtraction last ■ Operators of equal precedence from left to right Numeric Expressions Numeric expressions are real integer numbers and functions combined wi
Vector Expressions A vector expression is a collection of points, vectors, numbers, and functions combined with the operators in the following table.
You can separate feet, inches, and fractional inches with a dash, a space, or nothing. You can use any of the following syntax cases to enter valid feet-inch formatted values: ■ 5' or 60” ■ 5'-9” or 5' 9” or 5'9” ■ 5'-1/2” or 5' 1/2” or 5'1/2” ■ 5'-9-1/2” or 5' 9-1/2” or 5'9-1/2” ■ 5'-9 1/2” or 5' 9 1/2” or 5'9 1/2” To designate inches for linear calculations, entering double quotes (“) is optional. For example, instead of entering 5'9-1/2”, you could enter 5'9-1/2.
124.6r 14g Angles entered in any format are converted to decimal degrees. Pi radians is equal to 180 degrees, and 100 grads is equal to 90 degrees. Use Points and Vectors Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator Both points and vectors are pairs or triples of real numbers. A point defines a location in space, but a vector defines a direction (or translation) in space. Some CAL functions, such as pld and plt, return a point. Other functions, such as nor and vec, return a vector.
Point formats Coordinate system Point format WCS (instead of UCS) Uses the * prefix [*x,y,z] You can omit the following components of a point or vector: coordinate values of zero and a comma immediately preceding the right bracket (]). The following are valid points: [1,2] is the same as [1,2,0] [,,3] is the same as [0,0,3] [ ] is the same as [0,0,0] In the following example, the point is entered in the relative spherical coordinate system with respect to the (WCS).
This example defines a point located 5 units in the X direction and 1 unit in the Y direction from the point stored in AutoLISP variable A. A+[5,1] If you enter an AutoLISP variable with a name containing a character with special meaning in CAL, such as +, -, *, or /, enclose the variable name in apostrophes ('), for example: 'number-of-holes' Assigning Values to AutoLISP Variables To assign a value to an AutoLISP variable, precede the arithmetic expression with the variable name and the equal sign (=).
The syntax is getvar(variable_name) The following example uses getvar to obtain the point that is the center of the view in the current viewport. getvar(viewctr) With this method, you can also access the user system variables, USERI1-5 and USERR1-5.
CAL supports the standard numeric functions in the following table.
Calculate a Vector from Two Points Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator The functions vec and vec1 calculate a vector from two points. vec(p1,p2) Provides the vector from point p1 to point p2. vec1(p1,p2) Provides the unit vector from point p1 to point p2.
Calculate the Length of a Vector Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator The abs function calculates the length of a vector. abs(v) Calculates the length of vector v, a nonnegative real number. In spherical coordinates (dist
Obtain the Last-Specified Point Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator Use the character in the expression to obtain the coordinate of the last point, as shown in the following example: Command: line Specify first point: 'cal >> Expression: cen+[0,1] >> Select entity for CEN snap: Select a circle or an arc Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: 'cal >> Expression: +3*vec1(cen,cen) The first point of the line is 1 unit in the Y direction from the center of the first selected circle.
When you use these Snap modes, enter only the three-character name. For example, when you use the Center Snap mode, enter cen. CAL Snap modes set the value of the LASTPOINT system variable.
Convert Points Between UCS and WCS Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator Normally, the program assumes all coordinates to be relative to the current UCS. The following functions convert points between UCS and WCS. w2u(p1) Converts point p1 expressed in the WCS to the current UCS. u2w(p1) Converts point p1 expressed in the current UCS to the WCS.
The following example provides the Z component of a point expressed in spherical coordinates: zof([2<45<45]) The following example provides a point whose X and Y coordinate values are taken from point a and the Z coordinate value from point b: xyof(a)+zof(b) Calculate a Point on a Line Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator The plt and pld functions return a point on a given line.
The rot function rotates a point about an axis and returns the resulting point. rot(p,origin,ang) Rotates point p through angle ang about the Z axis passing through the point origin, as shown in the following example: rot(p,AxP1,AxP2,ang) Rotates point p through an angle ang about the axis passing through points AxP1 and AxP2, as shown in the following example. The axis is oriented from the first point to the second point.
ilp(p1,p2,p3,p4,p5) Determines the intersection point between a line (p1,p2) and a plane passing through three points (p3,p4,p5). Calculate a Distance Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator dist(p1,p2) Determines the distance between two points, p1 and p2. This is the same as the vector expression abs(p1-p2). dpl(p,p1,p2) Determines the shortest distance between point p and the line passing through points p1 and p2.
The following example returns half the distance between the centers of two selected objects: dist(cen,cen)/2 The following example finds the distance between the point 3,2,4 and a plane you define by selecting three endpoints: dpp([3,2,4],end, end, end) Obtain a Radius Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator The rad function determines the radius of a selected object. rad Determines the radius of a selected object. The object can be a circle, an arc, or a 2D polyline arc segment.
>> Expression: 2/3*rad >> Select circle, arc or polyline segment for RAD function: Select the circle Obtain an Angle Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Command Prompt Calculator The ang function determines the angle between two lines. Angles are measured counterclockwise with respect to either the X axis, in the two-dimensional case, or to a user-specified axis, in the three-dimensional case. ang(v) Determines the angle between the X axis and vector v.
You can determine the angle between the two sides of a triangle using the ang function, as shown in the following example: Command: cal >> Expression: ang(end,end,end) Select the apex of the angle, and then select the two opposite vertices.
The nor function calculates the unit normal vector (a vector perpendicular to a line or plane), not a point. The vector defines the direction of the normal, not a location in space. You can add this normal vector to a point to obtain another point. nor Determines the three-dimensional unit normal vector of a selected circle, arc, or polyline arc segment. This normal vector is the Z coordinate of the object coordinate system (OCS) of the selected object.
The following example sets the view direction perpendicular to a selected object. The program displays the object in plan view and does not distort the object by the parallel projection.
Shortcut functions Function Shortcut for Description vee1 vec1(end,end) Unit vector from two endpoints CAMERA Quick Reference See also: ■ Define a 3D View with a Camera Sets a camera and target location to create and save a 3D perspective view of objects.
Enter camera name(s) to list <*>: Enter a name list or press Enter to list all cameras. Name Names a camera. Enter name for new camera : Location Specifies the location of the camera. Specify camera location : Height Changes the camera height. Specify camera height : Target Specifies the target of the camera. Specify camera target : Lens Changes the lens length of the camera.
Preview Displays a preview of a camera view defined with the CAMERA command. Visual Style Specifies the visual style applied to the preview. Display This Window When Editing a Camera Specifies that the Camera Preview dialog box is displayed when you edit a camera. CHAMFER Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Chamfers Bevels the edges of objects.
You can also chamfer 3D solids and surfaces. If you select a mesh to chamfer, you can choose to convert it to a solid or surface before completing the operation. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Loop Switches to Edge Loop mode. Edge Loop Selects all edges on the base surface. Undo Reverses the previous action in the command. Polyline Chamfers an entire 2D polyline. The intersecting polyline segments are chamfered at each vertex of the polyline. Chamfers become new segments of the polyline. If the polyline includes segments that are too short to accommodate the chamfer distance, those segments are not chamfered. Distance Sets the distance of the chamfer from the endpoint of the selected edge.
If you set both distances to zero, CHAMFER extends or trims the two lines so they end at the same point. Angle Sets the chamfer distances using a chamfer distance for the first line and an angle for the second line. Trim Controls whether CHAMFER trims the selected edges to the chamfer line endpoints. NOTE Trim sets the TRIMMODE system variable to 1; No Trim sets TRIMMODE to 0. If the TRIMMODE system variable is set to 1, CHAMFER trims the intersecting lines to the endpoints of the chamfer line.
CHAMFEREDGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Edges on 3D Objects ■ Create Chamfers Bevels the edges of 3D solids and surfaces. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Solid tab ➤ Solid Editing panel ➤ Chamfer Edge Menu: Modify ➤ Solid Editing ➤ Chamfer Edges Toolbar: Solid Editing Summary You can select more than one edge at a time, as long as they belong to the same face. Enter a value for the chamfer distance or click and drag the chamfer grips.
Distance 1 Sets the distance of the first chamfer edge from the selected edge. The default value is 1. Distance 2 Sets the distance of the second chamfer edge from the selected edge. The default value is 1. Loop Chamfers all edges on a single face. For any edge, there are two possible loops. After selecting a loop edge you are prompted to Accept the current selection or choose the Next loop. Expression Controls the chamfer distance with a mathematical expression.
Lines Moves the endpoints of the selected lines that are closest to the change point to the new point, unless Ortho mode is on. If Ortho mode is on, the selected lines are modified so that they become parallel to either the X or the Y axis; their endpoints are not moved to the specified coordinate. Circles Changes the circle radius. If you selected more than one circle, the prompt is repeated for the next circle. Text Changes text location and other properties.
Color Changes the color of the selected objects. For example, to change a color to red, enter red or 1. If you enter bylayer, the object assumes the color of the layer on which it is located. If you enter byblock, the object inherits the color of the block of which it is a component. ■ True Color. Specifies a true color to be used for the selected object. The integer values range from 0 to 255 seperated by commas. ■ Color Book.
Set the transparency to ByLayer or ByBlock, or enter a value from 0 to 90. Material Changes the material of the selected objects if a material is attached. Annotative Changes the property of the selected objects. CHECKSTANDARDS Quick Reference See also: ■ Check Drawings for Standards Violations Checks the current drawing for standards violations.
Check Standards Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Check Drawings for Standards Violations Analyzes the current drawing for standards violations. List of Options The following options are displayed. Problem Provides a description of a nonstandard object in the current drawing. To fix a problem, select a replacement from the Replace With list, and then click Fix. Replace With Lists possible replacements for the current standards violation.
Settings Displays the CAD Standards Settings dialog box, which specifies additional settings for the Check Standards dialog box and the Configure Standards dialog box. Close Closes the Check Standards dialog box without applying a fix to the standards violation currently displayed in Problem. CHPROP Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Changes the properties of an object. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Color Book Specifies a color from a loaded color book to be used for the selected object. Layer Changes the layer of the selected objects. Ltype Changes the linetype of the selected objects. If the new linetype is not loaded, the program tries to load it from the standard linetype library file, acad.lin. If this procedure fails, use LINETYPE to load the linetype. Ltscale Changes the linetype scale factor of the selected objects. Lweight Changes the lineweight of the selected objects.
CHSPACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Move Objects Moves objects between model space and paper space. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Change Space Menu: Modify ➤ Change Space Summary The moved object is scaled appropriately in the new space. When transferring objects to paper space, the SOURCE viewport that you click determines the paper space location of the transferred objects.
CIRCLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Circles Creates a circle. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Circle drop-down ➤ Center, Radius Menu: Draw ➤ Circle ➤ Center, Radius Toolbar: Draw List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify center point on page 332 for circle or [3P on page 333/2P on page 333/Ttr (tan tan radius) on page 334]: Specify a point or enter an option Center Point Draws a circle based on a center point and a diameter or a radius.
Diameter Defines the diameter of the circle. Enter a value, or specify a second point. For example: 3P (Three Points) Draws a circle based on three points on the circumference. For example: Tan, Tan, Tan Creates a circle tangent to three objects. For example: 2P (Two Points) Draws a circle based on two endpoints of the diameter.
TTR (Tangent, Tangent, Radius) Draws a circle with a specified radius tangent to two objects. Sometimes more than one circle matches the specified criteria. The program draws the circle of the specified radius whose tangent points are closest to the selected points. For example: CLASSICGROUP Quick Reference See also: ■ Group Objects Opens the legacy Object Grouping dialog box.
Object Grouping Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Group Objects Displays, identifies, names, and changes object groups. List of Options The following options are displayed. Group Name Displays the names of existing groups. Selectable Specifies whether a group is selectable. When a group is selectable, selecting one object in the group selects the whole group. Objects on locked or frozen layers are not selected. When the PICKSTYLE system variable is set to 0, no groups are selectable.
Group Name Specifies the group name. Group names can be up to 31 characters long and can include letters, numbers, and the special characters dollar sign ($), hyphen (-), and underscore (_) but not spaces. The name is converted to uppercase characters. Description Displays the description of the selected group, if there is one. Find Name Lists the groups to which an object belongs. The Group Member List dialog box is displayed, showing the groups to which the object belongs.
If you remove all the group's objects, the group remains defined. You can remove the group definition from the drawing by using the Explode option. NOTE When you remove objects from a group and then later add them back during the same drawing session, they are returned to their previous position in the numerical order of the group. Add Adds objects to the selected group. NOTE Group names are displayed in alphabetical order.
Selectable Specifies whether the group is selectable. Order Group Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Group Objects Reorders objects in groups. List of Options The following options are displayed. Group Name Displays the names of all groups. Description Displays the description of the selected group. Remove from Position (0-n) Specifies the current position of the object to reorder. Enter New Position Number for the Object (0-n) Specifies the position to which the object moves.
Highlight Displays the members of the selected group in the drawing area, one by one, in the current group order. Reverse Order Reverses the order of all group members. CLASSICIMAGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Manage Raster Images Manages referenced image files in the current drawing. Summary The legacy Image Manager is displayed. The IMAGE command now displays the External References palette. NOTE This command will be removed in future releases.
CLASSICXREF Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach and Detach Referenced Drawings Manages referenced drawing files in the current drawing. Summary The legacy Xref Manager is displayed. The EXTERNALREFERENCES on page 784 command displays the current External References palette. NOTE This command will be removed in future releases. CLEANSCREENON Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Toolbars Clears the screen of toolbars and dockable windows, excluding the command window.
CLEANSCREENOFF Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Toolbars Restores the state of the display before CLEANSCREENON was used. Access Methods Menu: View ➤ Clean Screen Command entry: Ctrl+0 Toolbar: Status bar ➤ Clean Screen Summary Restores the state of the display before CLEANSCREENON was used. Use CLEANSCREENON to clear the screen of most AutoCAD user interface elements.
Summary The clipping boundary determines a portion of an image, underlay, viewport, or external reference to hide. The visibility of the clipping boundary is controlled by the FRAME on page 2337 system variable. List of Prompts The list of prompts varies depending on whether you are clipping an underlay, image, external reference, or viewport. Underlay and Image Prompts The following prompts are displayed. On Turns on clipping and displays the underlay clipped to the previously defined boundary.
Enter clipping option [ON on page 2123/OFF on page 2123/Clipdepth on page 2123/Delete on page 2123/generate Polyline on page 2123/New boundary on page 2123] : Select an option or press Enter On Displays the clipped portion of the external reference or block in the current drawing. Off Displays all of the geometry of the external reference or block in the current drawing, ignoring the clipping boundary. Clipdepth Sets the front and back clipping planes on an xref or block.
■ Rectangular. Defines a rectangular boundary with the points that you specify for opposite corners. ■ Invert Clip. Inverts the mode of the clipping boundary: objects are clipped either outside the boundary or inside the boundary. Viewport Prompts NOTE You cannot clip a viewport in model space. You must be in paper space. Clipping Object Select the viewport to clip. Polygonal Draws a clipping boundary. You can draw line segments or arc segments by specifying points.
You can close a file that has been opened in read-only mode if you have made no changes or if you are willing to discard changes. To save changes to a read-only file, you must use the SAVEAS command. CLOSEALL Quick Reference See also: ■ Open a Drawing Closes all currently open drawings. Access Methods Menu: Application menu Menu: Window ➤ Close All ➤ Close ➤ All Drawings Summary All open drawings are closed.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Properties panel ➤ Object Color Menu: Format ➤ Color Command entry: 'color for transparent use Summary The Select Color dialog box is displayed. If you enter -color at the Command prompt, options are displayed. Select Color Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Current Color Defines the color of objects. Summary You can select from the 255 AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) colors, true colors, and Color Book colors.
Index Color Tab (Select Color Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Current Color Specifies color settings using the 255 AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) colors. List of Options The following options are displayed. AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) Palettes Specifies a color from the AutoCAD Color Index. If you hover over a color, the number of the color and its red, green, blue value are displayed below the palette. Click a color to select it, or enter the color number or name in the Color box.
Bylayer Specifies that new objects assume the color assigned to the layer on which you create them. When BYLAYER is selected, the color of the current layer is displayed in the Old and New color swatches. Byblock Specifies that new objects use the default color (white or black, depending on your background color) until you group the objects into a block and insert the block. When you insert the block into a drawing, the objects in the block inherit the current Color setting.
Summary Specifies color settings using true colors (24-bit color) with either the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance (HSL) color model or the Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) color model. Over sixteen million colors are available when using true color functionality. The options available on the True Color tab are dependent on whether the HSL or RGB color model is specified. List of Options The following options are displayed. HSL Color Model Specifies the HSL color model for selecting colors.
Adjusting this value affects the RGB value. Valid saturation values are from 0 to 100%. Luminance (L) Specifies the brightness of a color. To specify color luminance, use the color slider or specify a value in the Luminance box. Valid luminance values are from 0 to 100%. A value of 0% represents the color black, 100% represents white, and 50% represents the optimal brightness for the color. Adjusting this value also affects the RGB value. Color Spectrum Specifies the hue and purity of a color.
Color Specifies the RGB color value. This option is updated when changes are made to HSL or RGB options. You can also edit the RGB value directly using the following format: 000,000,000. True Color Stored as RGB Indicates the value for each RGB color component. Old Color Swatch Displays the previously selected color. New Color Swatch Displays the currently selected color.
Summary Once a color book is selected, the Color Books tab displays the name of the selected color book. List of Options The following options are displayed. Color Book Specifies the color book to be used when selecting colors. The list consists of all the color books that are found in the Color Book Locations specified in the Options dialog box, Files tab. Displays the pages of the selected color book and the colors and color names on each page.
If you enter -color at the Command prompt, the following prompts are displayed. Enter default object color [Truecolor on page 353/COlorbook on page 353] : Enter a color, enter t, enter co, or press Enter You can enter a color from the AutoCAD Color Index (a color name or number), a true color, or a color from a color book. You can enter the color number (1 through 255) or the color name (the names for the first seven colors).
Displays the Command Line window. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Command Line Menu: Tools ➤ Command Line Summary Displays the command line when it has been hidden. You can display commands, system variables, options, messages, and prompts in a dockable and resizable window called the Command Line. COMMANDLINEHIDE Quick Reference See also: ■ Dock, Resize, and Hide the Command Window Hides the Command Line window.
COMPILE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Shape Files Compiles shape files and PostScript font files into SHX files. Summary The Select Shape or Font File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. Enter the SHP or PFB file name in the dialog box. The compiled file is assigned this name with the file extension .shx. CONE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid Cone Creates a 3D solid cone.
smoothness of 3D curved solids, such as a cone, in a shaded or hidden visual style with the FACETRES system variable. Use the Top Radius option to create a cone frustum. Initially, the default base radius is not set to any value. During a drawing session, the default value for the base radius is always the previously entered base radius value for any solid primitive. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Axis Endpoint Specifies the endpoint location for the cone axis. The axis endpoint is the top point of the cone or the center point of the top face of the cone frustum (Top Radius option). The axis endpoint can be located anywhere in 3D space. The axis endpoint defines the length and orientation of the cone. Top Radius Specifies the top radius of the cone, creating a cone frustum. Initially, the default top radius is not set to any value.
TTR (Tangent, Tangent, Radius) Defines the base of the cone with a specified radius tangent to two objects. Sometimes, more than one base matches the specified criteria. The program draws the base of the specified radius whose tangent points are closest to the selected points. ■ 2Point on page 356 ■ Axis Endpoint on page 357 ■ Top Radius on page 357 Elliptical Specifies an elliptical base for the cone. Center Creates the base of the cone by using a specified center point.
Summary The selection preview behavior for constraint bars is as follows: ■ Placing the cursor over an icon on a constraint bar highlights related geometry. ■ Placing the cursor over a constrained object (while constraint bars are displayed) highlights the constraint icons associated with the selected object. The CONSTRAINTBARMODE system variable or the CONSTRAINTSETTINGS command controls the display of geometric constraints on constraint bars, when constraint bar are displayed.
Controls the display of geometric constraints on constraint bars. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Geometric panel ➤ Dialog Box Launcher Menu: Parametric ➤ Constraint Settings Toolbar: Parametric Summary The Constraint Settings dialog box is displayed. Constraint Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Constraints Allows you to control the geometric constraints, dimensional constraints, and autoconstrain settings.
List of Options The following options are displayed. The Constraint Settings dialog box includes the following: ■ Geometric Tab ■ Dimensional Tab ■ Autoconstrain Tab Geometric Tab Controls the display of constraint types on constraint bars. Infer Geometric Constraints Infers geometric constraints when creating and editing geometry. Constraint Bar Display Settings Controls the display of constraint bars or constraint point markers for objects in the drawing editor.
Only Display Constraint Bars for Object in the Current Plane Displays constraint bars for geometrically constrained objects only on the current plane. Sets the transparency level of constraint bars in a drawing. Show Constraint Bars After Applying Constraints to Selected Objects Displays relevant constraint bars after you apply a constraint manually or when you use the AUTOCONSTRAIN command.
nearest distance between them is within the distance tolerance specified, then the constraint will be applied even if the check boxed are selected. Autoconstrain Headings ■ Priority — Controls the order in which constraints are applied. ■ Constraint Type — Controls the type of constraint applied to objects. ■ Apply — Controls the constraints that are applied when applying constraints to multiple objects. Move Up Changes the order of the selected item by moving it up in the list.
Controls the tab that is displayed by default when the Constraint Settings dialog box is invoked. Tab Index Tab Displayed 0 Geometric tab 1 Dimensional tab 2 AutoConstrain tab CONTENTEXPLORER Quick Reference See also: ■ Understand the Content Explorer Window ■ DesignCenter ■ Use Autodesk Seek to Add and Share Drawings Finds and inserts content such as drawing files, blocks, and styles.
Summary With Content Explorer you can index design content for quick access, catalog the objects in each file, and search for content in local folders, network folders, and the Autodesk Seek Library. CONTENTEXPLORERCLOSE Quick Reference See also: Understand the Content Explorer Window ■ Closes the Content Explorer window.
Optimizes 2D polylines and associative hatches created in AutoCAD Release 13 or earlier. Sumary Hatches are not updated automatically when a drawing from a previous release is opened in Release 14 or later. Information about the rotation of a hatch pattern may not be updated properly if you have changed the UCS since creating the hatch. When updating hatches with CONVERT, it is recommended that you use the Select option so that you can check your results.
Summary Displays the Select File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box), where you can select the color-dependent plot style table file you want to convert. The Save As dialog box is then displayed. If necessary, specify a new location or name for the converted plot style table file. CONVERTCTB saves a copy of a color-dependent plot style table as a named plot style table, which you can then attach to drawings that use named plot styles.
Converts lights created in previous drawing file formats to the current format. Summary The lights in the drawing that were originally created in a previous drawing file format are updated to the current drawing file format. Drawing file format changes occur infrequently in AutoCAD-based products. For example, format changes occurred in AutoCAD 2000, AutoCAD 2004, and AutoCAD 2007. WARNING The conversion may not be correct in all cases. You may need to adjust intensity, for example.
CONVERTPSTYLES Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch the Type of Plot Style Table Converts the current drawing to either named or color-dependent plot styles. Summary A drawing can use either named or color-dependent plot styles, but not both. CONVERTPSTYLES converts a currently open drawing from color-dependent plot styles to named plot styles, or from named plot styles to color-dependent plot styles, depending on which plot style method the drawing is currently using.
the converted plot style table) that has the same plot properties that their color-dependent plot style had. ■ Drawing objects that had the same color-dependent plot style as their layer are assigned the named plot style BYLAYER. ■ Drawing objects that had a color-dependent plot style that was different from their layer are assigned a named plot style that has the same properties that their color-dependent plot style had.
Summary Take advantage of the detailed modeling capabilities of 3D mesh by converting objects such as 3D solids and surfaces to mesh. Use this method to convert 3D faces (3DFACE) and legacy polygonal and polyface meshes (from AutoCAD 2009 and earlier). You can also convert 2D objects such as regions and closed polylines. The default mesh settings are defined in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box. The level of smoothness upon conversion depends on the mesh type setting in this dialog box.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Control Vertices panel ➤ Convert to NURBS Menu: Modify ➤ Surface Editing ➤ Convert to NURBS Toolbar: Surface Editing Summary Converts solids and procedural surfaces to NURBS surfaces. To convert meshes to NURBS surfaces, convert them to a solid or surface first with CONVTOSOLID on page 373 or CONVTOSURFACE on page 375 and then convert them to NURBS surfaces.
CONVTOSOLID Quick Reference See also: ■ Create 3D Solids from Objects Converts 3D meshes and polylines and circles with thickness to 3D solids. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Solid Editing panel ➤ Convert to Solid Menu: Modify ➤ 3D Operations ➤ Convert to Solid Summary Take advantage of the solid modeling capabilities available for 3D solids. When you convert mesh, you can specify whether the converted objects are smoothed or faceted, and whether the faces are merged.
The following tables list the objects that can be converted to solid objects and some limitations on their conversion.
Object Description Separate objects that simulate a closed surface Cannot be a planar surface with contiguous edges or an exploded 3D solid box into six regions. However, you cannot convert those separate objects back to a solid with CONVTOSOLID. Planar surfaces with contiguous edges Cannot convert separate objects unless they enclose a volume without gaps. If the surfaces enclose a watertight area, you can convert to a solid with the SURFSCULPT on page 1877 command.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Solid Editing panel ➤ Convert to Surface Menu: Modify ➤ 3D Operations ➤ Convert to Surface Summary As you convert objects to surfaces, you can specify whether the resulting object is smooth or faceted. When you convert a mesh, the smoothness and number of faces of the resulting surface are controlled by the SMOOTHMESHCONVERT system variable.
With the CONVTOSURFACE command, you can convert the following objects into surfaces: Objects That Can Be Converted to 3D Surfaces Objects 2D solids 3D solids Regions Open, zero-width polylines with thickness Lines with thickness Arcs with thickness Mesh objects Planar 3D faces CONVTOSURFACE | 377
objects converted to surfaces You can select the objects to convert before you start the command. NOTE You can create surfaces from 3D solids with curved faces, such as a cylinder, with the EXPLODE command. The DELOBJ system variable controls whether the geometry used to create 3D objects is automatically deleted when the new object is created or whether you are prompted to delete the objects. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
COPY Quick Reference See also: ■ Copy Objects Copies objects a specified distance in a specified direction. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Copy Menu: Modify ➤ Copy Toolbar: Modify Shortcut menu: Select the objects to copy, and right-click in the drawing area. Click Copy Selection.
With the COPYMODE on page 2209 system variable, you can control whether multiple copies are created automatically. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Second Point Determines a distance and direction for the array relative to the base point. By default, the first copy in the array is positioned at the specified displacement. The remaining copies are positioned in a linear array beyond that point using the same incremental displacement. Fit Positions the final copy in the array at the specified displacement. The other copies are fit in a linear array between the original selection set and the final copy.
■ When you paste an object copied with COPYBASE, it is placed relative to the specified base point. COPYCLIP Quick Reference See also: ■ Cut, Copy, and Paste with the Clipboard Copies selected objects to the Clipboard. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Clipboard panel ➤ Copy Clip Menu: Edit ➤ Copy Toolbar: Standard Shortcut menu: End any active commands, right-click in the drawing area, and choose Clipboard ➤ Copy.
COPYHIST Quick Reference See also: ■ Navigate and Edit Within the Command Window Copies the text in the command line history to the Clipboard. Summary The text is copied to the Clipboard. COPYLINK Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit OLE Objects in Drawings Copies the current view to the Clipboard for linking to other OLE applications.
COPYTOLAYER Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Copies one or more objects to another layer. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Copy Objects to New Layer Menu: Format ➤ Layers ➤ Copy Objects to New Layer Toolbar: Layers II Summary Creates duplicates of selected objects on a layer that you specify. You can also specify a different location for the duplicated objects. If you enter -copytolayer at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
Name Enter or select Name to display the Copy to Layer dialog box on page 385. ■ Specify Base Point on page 384 ■ Displacement on page 384 Copy To Layer Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Specifies the layer on which the selected objects are placed. List of Options The following options are displayed. Destination Layer Displays a list of layers that you can select as the destination layer. You can also enter a name to create a new layer.
Specify the Destination Layer Name Displays a list of layers that you can select as the destination layer. You can also enter a name to create a new layer. The new layer inherits the properties (on/off, freeze/thaw, locked/unlocked, etc.) of the current layer ? (List Layers) Enter layer name(s) to list <*>: * = (Select Object) Selects a destination layer by selecting an object on that layer.
For information about customizing the different user interface elements found in the Customize User Interface dialog box, see User Interface Customization in the Customization Guide. Customize User Interface Editor Quick Reference See also: ■ Understand User Interface Customization Manages customized user interface elements such as workspaces, toolbars, menus, shortcut menus, and keyboard shortcuts.
Summary Provides an interface for customizing workspaces, toolbars, menus, ribbon panels, shortcut menus, and other user interface elements. NOTE When the Customize User Interface Editor is displayed using the Customize Commands option from the Tool Palettes window or the Customize option from the Quick Access toolbar or a toolbar, the Customizations In pane is collapsed and the Command List pane is expanded. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Customizations In Pane Displays a tree structure of user interface elements that can be customized, such as workspaces, toolbars, menus, ribbon panels, partial CUIx files, and so on. List box Displays a list of CUIx files that are loaded and an Open option. Available Customizations In toolbar Contains Load Partial Customization File and Save All Current Customization Files buttons. Load Partial Customization File Loads a CUIx file that you can add to the acad.cuix file.
Categories Displays filters for the command list, including All Commands, Commands, User Defined, Toolbar Control Elements, or Ribbon Control Elements. You can also filter the list to display commands within a specific CUIx file. Find Command or Text Searches the current CUIx for a selected command or matching text string. Displays the Find and Replace dialog box. Create a New Command Creates a new command. You can add or change properties and create or edit a button.
■ Scroll Bars - Specifies the display of the scroll bars in the drawing window. (Off, On, or Do Not Change) Partial File Behavior Controls how ribbon tabs are displayed when in a CUIx file that is being loaded as a partial customization file. ■ Default Display - Specifies whether the ribbon tab is displayed on the ribbon when in a CUIx file that is loaded as a partial customization file.
Properties for Drop-downs on Quick Access Toolbars and Ribbon Panels: ■ Behavior - Specifies if the button executes a command or displays a list of commands. (Drop Down Menu with Recent, Drop Down Menu, Split with Recent, Split, or Split with Recent (Static)) ■ SplitButtonListStyle - Specifies how the commands on the drop-down will be displayed. (Icon, IconText, or Descriptive) ■ Button Style - Specifies the orientation, size, and label display of the button for the drop-down.
Resize Style ■ Hide Text - Specifies that the text is never removed. ■ Wrap - Specifies that the content does not wrap inside the panel. ■ Shrink - Specifies the width of Row Panel never decreases below the default size. Properties for Ribbon Fold Panels: ■ Default Size - Specifies the size of the panel contents in a floating panel. ■ Minimum Size - Specifies the smallest size each control in the panel collapses. ■ Maximum Size - Specifies the largest size each control in the panel expands.
Command Displays the properties assigned to a command. ■ Name - Displays the name of the command. The name you enter is the label or tooltip name displayed in the program. ■ Description - Displays the description for the command. The description you enter is displayed in the status bar or in a tooltip.
Images Determines which images are assigned to a command when displayed on a user interface element. ■ Small Image - Specifies the small image file to use when a command is added to a toolbar, menu, or ribbon panel. ■ Large Image - Specifies the large image file to use when a command is added to a toolbar or ribbon panel. Quick Properties Pane Displays a list of object types and the properties associated to the selected object type.
Summary You open a CUIx, CUI, MNS, or MNU file to import or export user interface data. When you open CUI, MNU, or MNS files, they are not converted automatically to a CUIx file format until you save the new file that is created. The original CUI, MNU, or MNS file is not modified. List of Options Customizations In panes When you enter cuiimport at the Command prompt, the main CUIx file is displayed (acad.cuix by default) in the right pane.
Button Editor Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Custom Images for Commands Modifies or creates custom images used for commands. List of Options The following options are displayed. Color Palette Sets the current color used by the editing tools. Standard Color Swatches Color swatches used to set of the standard 16 colors current. More Opens the Select Color dialog box. Editing Tools Provides tools for editing a custom image. Pencil Edits one pixel at a time using the current color.
Erase Sets pixels to white. Click and drag over colored pixels to change them to white. Editing Area Provides a close-up view of the image for editing. Preview Displays a preview of the image currently being edited. The preview displayed shows the actual size of the image. Clear Clears the editing area. Undo Undoes the last editing action. Grid Displays a grid in the editing area. Each grid square represents a single pixel.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Loaded Customization Files List Lists the customization files that are currently loaded. Custom Images List Lists the images that are stored in the customization file selected from the Loaded Customization Files list. Import Imports an externally stored image into the selected customization file from the Loaded Customization Files list. Export Exports the selected custom images from the Custom Images list to an external local or network storage location.
Find and Replace Dialog Box - CUI Quick Reference See also: ■ Find and Replace Commands and Text in a CUIx File Finds a search string in a command or command property in either the Command List pane or the Available Customizations in pane, or replaces a search string with a new search string Summary Locates and replaces commands or command properties (command names, descriptions, or macros).
Find Next Locates the next instance of the search string in the Name, Description, or Macros box in the Properties pane. If you search in the Command List pane, only commands in the list are located. If you search in the tree view in the Customizations In pane, the search starts in the tree view and continues to the commands in the Command List pane.
Summary Customization information can be transferred between the main and partial CUIx files. Opens with the Transfer Tab (Customize User Interface Editor) opened by default. The main CUIx file (acad.cuix) is open in the left pane. You can drag items from one CUIx file to the other. Click Apply to save the changes and view the updated CUIx file.
CUILOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Manage Customization Files Loads a CUIx file. Summary Opens the Load/Unload Customizations dialog box, where you can locate and load a CUIx file to customize or transfer user interface settings. When FILEDIA is set to 0 (off), CUILOAD displays the following Command prompt.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Loaded Customization Groups Lists the currently loaded customization files. File Name Specifies the file to load when you choose Load. You can either enter the file name or choose Browse to display the Select Customization File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box). Unload Unloads the customization group selected in the Customization Groups list. Load Loads the file specified under File Name.
CUIUNLOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Manage Customization Files Unloads a CUIx file. Summary Opens the Load/Unload Customizations dialog box, which has the same options as CUILOAD. The only difference between the two commands is in the Command prompts. When FILEDIA is set to 0 (off), CUIUNLOAD displays the following Command prompt.
Menu: Tools ➤ Customize ➤ Tool Palettes Shortcut menu: Right-click any tool palette and click Customize Palettes. Summary The Customize dialog box is displayed. Customize Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Organize Tool Palettes Creates, modifies, and organizes tool palettes and tool palette groups. Imports and exports tool palette files. Summary The Tool Palettes window displays only the tool palettes for the current group or displays all tool palettes if no group is current.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Palettes Lists all available tool palettes. Right-click a tool palette to display a shortcut menu with the following options: ■ Rename. Changes the name of an existing tool palette. ■ New Palette. Creates a new empty tool palette. ■ Delete. Removes the tool palette from AutoCAD and the associated file on disk. NOTE A tool palette cannot be recovered after it is deleted.
NOTE Import all tool palettes (XTP files) before importing tool palette groups (XPG files). Right-click a tool palette to display a shortcut menu with the following options: ■ New Group. Creates a new tool palette group. ■ Remove. Deletes the reference to the tool palette from the tool palette group only; the tool palette is not removed from AutoCAD and the tool palette file on disk is not deleted.
Summary CUTCLIP copies selected objects to the Clipboard, removing them from the drawing. You can paste the contents of the Clipboard into a document or drawing as an embedded OLE object (see PASTECLIP and PASTESPEC). CUTCLIP does not create OLE link information. When you want to use objects from a drawing file in another application, you can cut these objects to the Clipboard and then paste them into another application. You can also use Cut and Paste to transfer objects between drawings.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select a NURBS surface or curve to add control vertices. Select a valid NURBS surface or curve and press Enter. Point Select a valid NURBS surface or curve and press Enter. Insert Knots Turns off the display of control vertices and allows you to place a point directly on a surface. This option only displays if you select a surface; it does not display for splines.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Control Vertices panel ➤ Hide CV Menu: Modify ➤ Surface Editing ➤ NURBS Surface Editing ➤ Hide CV Toolbar: Surface Editing Summary Turns off the CV display for all NURBS objects. CVREBUILD Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit NURBS Surfaces Rebuilds the shape of NURBS surfaces and curves.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Control Vertices panel ➤ Rebuild Surface Menu: Modify ➤ Surface Editing ➤ NURBS Surface Editing ➤ Rebuild Toolbar: Surface Editing Summary If you have difficulties editing the control vertices or there are too many control vertices, you can rebuild a surface or curve with less control vertices in the U or V direction. CVREBUILD also allows you to change the degree of the surface or curve.
Rebuild Surface Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves Rebuilds the CV hull of a NURBS surface. Summary Reshapes a NURBS surface by rebuilding the CV hull. List of Options The following options are displayed. Control Vertices Count Specifies the number of control vertices in the U and V directions. In U Direction Specifies the number of control vertices in the U direction.
Delete Input Geometry Specifies whether the original surface is retained along with the rebuilt surface. (REBUILDOPTIONS on page 2504 system variable) Retrim Previously Trimmed Surface Specifies whether trimmed areas from the original surface are applied to the rebuilt surface. (REBUILDOPTIONS on page 2504 system variable) Maximum Deviation Displays the maximum deviation between the original surface and the new one.
Delete input geometry Specifies whether the original curve is retained along with the rebuilt curve. (REBUILD2DOPTION on page 2502 system variable) Maximum Deviation Displays the maximum deviation between the original curve and the new one. CVREMOVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit NURBS Surfaces Removes control vertices from NURBS surfaces and curves.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select a NURBS surface or curve to remove control vertices Select a valid NURBS surface or curve and press Enter. Point Specifies a valid NURBS surface or curve and press Enter. Remove Knots Turns off the display of control vertices and allows you to remove a point directly from the surface. This option only displays if you select a surface; it does not display for splines.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Control Vertices panel ➤ Show CV Menu: Modify ➤ Surface Editing ➤ NURBS Surface Editing ➤ Show CV Toolbar: Surface Editing Summary Prompts you to select the NURBS surfaces and curves whose control vertices you want to display. Non-NURBS surfaces do not have control vertices. You can convert objects to NURBS surfaces with the CONVTONURBS command. CYLINDER Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid Cylinder Creates a 3D solid cylinder.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modeling panel ➤ Solid Primitives drop-down ➤ Cylinder Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Cylinder Toolbar: Modeling Summary In the illustration, the cylinder was created using a center point (1), a point on the radius (2), and a point for the height (3). The base of the cylinder is always on a plane parallel with the workplane. You can control the smoothness of curved 3D solids, such as a cylinder, in a shaded or hidden visual style with the FACETRES system variable.
Axis Endpoint Specifies the endpoint location for the cylinder axis. This endpoint is the center point of the top face of the cylinder. The axis endpoint can be located anywhere in 3D space. The axis endpoint defines the length and orientation of the cylinder. 2P (Two Points) Defines the base diameter of the cylinder by specifying two points. ■ 2Point ■ Axis endpoint TTR (Tangent, Tangent, Radius) Defines the base of the cylinder with a specified radius tangent to two objects.
■ 2Point ■ Axis endpoint 420 | Chapter 4 C Commands
D Commands 5 DATAEXTRACTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Extract Data Using the Data Extraction Wizard Extracts drawing data and merges data from an external source to a data extraction table or external file.
The Data Extraction wizard on page 422 is displayed. If you enter -dataextraction at the Command prompt, options are displayed. on page 448 Data Extraction Wizard Quick Reference See also: ■ Extract Data Using the Data Extraction Wizard Provides step-by-step instructions for extracting information from objects, blocks, and attributes, including drawing information in the current drawing or a set of drawings.
Create a New Data Extraction Creates a new data extraction and save it to a DXE file. Also makes the Use a Previous Extraction as a Template button available so you can select a data extraction template (DXE) file or attribute extraction (BLK) file. Use a Previous Extraction as a Template Uses settings previously saved in a data extraction (DXE) file or an attribute extraction template (BLK) file. As you move through the wizard, each page is already filled in with the settings in the template file.
Data Source Drawings/Sheet Set Makes the Add Folder and Add Drawings buttons available for specifying drawings and folders for the extraction. The drawings and folders for the extraction are listed in the Drawing Files view. Include Current Drawing Includes the current drawing in the data extraction. The current drawing can be empty (not contain objects) if additional drawings are selected for extraction.
Settings Displays the Data Extraction - Additional Settings dialog box on page 434, where you can specify data extraction settings. Folders Shortcut Menu You can see the shortcut menu for Folders (and the drawings listed within the selected folder) only after you explicitly add a folder using the Add Folder button. Edit Folder Settings Displays the Add Folder Options dialog box where you can specify the folders to be used for data extraction. Drawings in the selected folders are monitored for data changes.
Objects Object Displays each object by its name. Blocks are listed by block name. Non-blocks are listed by their object name. Display Name Provides a place to enter an optional alternative name for an object as it will appear in the extracted information. Select a display name, right-click in the list, and click Edit Display Name. Type Displays whether the object is a block or non-block. Preview Displays a preview image of the checked block in the Object list view.
Properties Property Displays object properties from objects selected on the page. The property list is filtered according to the filter categories that are selected. Properties are the same as those listed in the Properties palette. Display Name Provides a place to enter an optional alternative name for a property as it will appear in the extracted information. Select the property display name, right-click in the list, and click Edit Display Name. Category Displays a category for each property.
Edit Display Name Allows in-place editing of the property display name for the selected row. Refine Data Modifies the structure of the data extraction table. You can reorder and sort columns, filter results, add formula columns and footer rows, and create a link to data in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Data Grid View Columns Displays properties in a columnar format as they were specified in the Select Properties page. Right-click any column header to display a shortcut menu of options.
Sort Columns Options Displays the Sort Columns dialog box on page 439, where you can sort data across multiple columns. Full Preview Displays a full preview of the final output, including linked external data, in the text window. The preview is for viewing only. Column Shortcut Menu Sort Descending Sorts column data in a descending order. Sort Ascending Sorts column data in an ascending order.
Insert Totals Footer Displays a flyout menu with options for Sum, Max, Min, and Average. Creates a footer row for the selected column that is placed below all the data rows and displays values based on the selected arithmetic function. This option is available only for columns that have a numeric data type. Sum Displays a sum of all the values in the selected column in a footer row. Max Displays the maximum value in the selected column in a footer row.
Output Options Insert Data Extraction Table into Drawing Creates a table that is populated with extracted data. You are prompted to insert the table into the current drawing when you click Finish on the Finish on page 432 page. Output Data to External File Creates a data extraction file. Click the [...] button to select the file format in a standard file selection dialog box.
top and bottom label rows. This option is only available when the selected table style contains a template table. Manually Setup Table Provides for manually entering a title and specification of the title, header, and data cells style. Enter a Title for Your Table Specifies a title for the table. This row is not overwritten when the table is updated. The default table style, STANDARD, includes a title row. If the selected table style does not include a title row, this option is not available.
Add Folder Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Extract Data Using the Data Extraction Wizard Specifies the folders to be used for data extraction.
Summary Drawings in the selected folders are monitored for data changes. List of Options The following options are displayed. Folder Displays the path to the specified folder. Folder Button Click the [...] button to select the folder in a standard file selection dialog box. Options Automatically Include New Drawings Added in this Folder to the Data Extraction Includes new drawings to the data extraction when they are added to the folder.
Provides options for extracting objects in nested and xref blocks, options for counting blocks, and whether all objects are extracted or only those in model space. List of Options The following options are displayed. Extraction Settings Extract Objects from Blocks Includes objects nested in blocks. Extract Objects from Xrefs Includes objects and blocks in externally referenced (xref) files. Include Xrefs in Block Counts Includes xrefs when counting blocks.
New Drawings Found Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Extract Data Using the Data Extraction Wizard Displays a list of new drawings added to the folder selected for the data extraction after the extraction was performed. List of Options The following options are displayed. Drawing Name Displays the name of the drawing that was added to the data extraction folder. Folder Displays the path and folder name for each new drawing.
Link External Data Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Link an Excel Spreadsheet to Access Data Matches the extracted drawing data to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet through a data link and data matching. List of Options The following options are displayed. Data Link Choose the Source of the External Data Displays a list of established links to an Excel spreadsheet.
Displays the Data Link Manager on page 449, where you can specify a link to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Data Matching Drawing Data Column Displays a list of extracted property columns. External Data Column Displays a list of column names from the linked data in the Excel spreadsheet. Check Match Compares the data in the specified drawing data key column and the external data key column.
Sort Columns Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Organize and Refine the Extracted Data Specifies a sort order for columns. List of Options The following options are displayed. Define Sort Order Specifies the sort order of columns. The Column section contains column names from the Refine Data page. Add Adds a new item of sorting criteria to the Column list. Remove Removes the currently selected sort criteria. Move Up Moves the selected item up in the list view.
Insert Formula Column Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Organize and Refine the Extracted Data Specifies the formula for the column that is inserted into the extracted data. List of Options The following options are displayed. Column Name Specifies a name for the column that can be edited. Duplicate column names cannot be used. Formula Displays the selected formula or functions that are available for QUICKCALC on page 1594 and CAL on page 295.
Division (/) Button Divides the numerical data from one column to another. Validate Checks the validity of the specified equation. A formula column can only be inserted when the formula is validated. Columns Displays the column names from the extracted drawing data and external data (if data linking was established). Column names can be double-clicked to be added to the Formula field or dragged from the Column list to the Formula field.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Data Type Displays a list of data types (Angle, Date, Decimal Number, and so on) that you can format for table rows. Preview Displays a preview of the option you selected in the Format list. Format Depending on the data type you select, displays a list of relevant format types. For example, if you select Angle as the data type, Format includes options such as Decimal Degrees, Grads, Radians, and so on.
Additional Format Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Organize and Refine the Extracted Data Provides additional formatting options for fields and table cells. List of Options The following options are displayed. Current Value Displays the value in base drawing units. Preview Displays updates to the format as you change the conversion factor and other settings. Conversion Factor Specifies the conversion factor to use on the current value. The default is 1 for no conversion.
Number Separators Specifies a decimal separator and the formatting for numbers over 1000. ■ Decimal Specifies the separator for decimal values. Select a period, a comma, or a space. ■ Thousands Inserts a comma to group thousands in a field value. Zero Suppression Controls the suppression of leading and trailing zeros, and of feet and inches that have a value of zero. ■ Leading Suppresses leading zeros in all decimal values. For example, 0.5000 becomes .5000.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Column Name Specifies a name for the column that can be edited. Formula Displays the existing formula or function. Plus (+) Adds the numerical data from one column to another. Minus (-) Subtracts the numerical data from one column to another. Multiply (*) Multiplies the numerical data from one column to another. Division (/) Divides the numerical data from one column to another. Validate Checks the validity of the specified equation.
Formula field. Existing formula columns are not listed and cannot be used as values for creating additional formula columns. Filter Column Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Organize and Refine the Extracted Data Filters column data by specifying filters. List of Options The following options are displayed. Filter Based on the Following Conditions Displays conditions based on the type of data in the selected column. First Column Specifies the first condition.
Available when the specified filter uses two conditions. Filter Across These Values Displays a list of values depending on the type of data being filtered. Filters for numeric data include Greater than >, Equal To, Between, and so on. Filters for textual data include Equal To, Not Equal To, Contains, and Begins With.
-DATAEXTRACTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Extract Data Using the Data Extraction Wizard Extracts data as specified in an existing attribute extraction template (BLK) file created with the Attribute Extraction wizard in AutoCAD 2006 or data extraction (DXE) file created in AutoCAD 2007. Summary If you enter -dataextraction at the Command prompt, prompts are displayed. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
DATALINK Quick Reference See also: ■ Link a Table to External Data Displays the Data Link dialog box. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Linking & Extraction panel ➤ Data Link Menu: Tools ➤ Data Links ➤ Data Link Manager Summary A table can be linked to data in a Microsoft Excel (XLS, XLSX, or CSV) file. You can link to an entire spreadsheet, individual row, column, cell, or cell range in Excel. The Data Link Manager on page 449 is displayed.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Data Link Tree View Displays links contained within the drawing. Also gives options for creating new data links. Excel Links Lists the Microsoft Excel data links within the drawing. If the icon displays a linked chain, then the data link is valid. If the icon displays a broken chain, then the data link is broken. Create a New Excel Data Link Launches a dialog box where you enter the name for a new data link.
New Excel Data Link Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Link a Table to External Data Links data from a spreadsheet created in Microsoft Excel to a table within your drawing. List of Options The following options are displayed. File Specifies the file and file path from which to create a data link. Choose an Excel File Allows you to choose an established Microsoft XLS, XLSX, or CSV file to link to your drawing.
Path Type Determines the path that will be used to find the file specified above. There are three path options: full path, relative path, and no path. ■ Full Path. Uses the full path of the file specified above, including the root directory and all subdirectories that contain the linked Microsoft Excel file. ■ Relative Path. Uses the file path relative to the current drawing file to reference the linked Microsoft Excel file. To use a relative path, the linked file must be saved. ■ No Path.
Preview Window Displays a preview of your table using the options you have applied. More Options Displays more options. This button becomes available when you use an existing Excel file or browse for a new one. Cell Contents Options in this box will determine how data is imported into your drawing from your external source. Keep Data Formats and Formulas Imports data with formulas and supported data formats attached. Keep Data Formats, Solve Formulas in Excel Imports data formats.
DATALINKUPDATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Link a Table to External Data Updates data to or from an established external data link. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Tables panel ➤ Download from Source Menu: Tools ➤ Data Links ➤ Update Data Links Summary Updates changes to linked data between a table in a drawing and an external data file. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Write Data Link Updates the linked data in an external file with data that has been changed in a table in your drawing. A table that contains data links displays indicators around linked cells. If you hover your cursor over the data link, information about the data link is displayed. Select Objects Uploads data that has been changed from the original linked content to the source file.
■ Link Select dialog box on page 497 ■ Configure a Data Source dialog box on page 477 ■ Data View and Query Options dialog box on page 478 ■ Export Links dialog box on page 481 ■ Export Query Set dialog box on page 482 ■ Export Template Set dialog box on page 482 ■ Find dialog box on page 483 ■ Format dialog box on page 484 ■ Import Query Set dialog box on page 485 ■ Import Template Set dialog box on page 486 ■ Label Template dialog box on page 487 ■ Label Template Properties dialog b
dbConnect Manager Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Provides the primary interface for the connectivity feature. Summary You can view and edit database tables, execute structured query language (SQL) queries, and link table records to graphical objects. By default, the dbConnect Manager opens as a docked window on the left side of the drawing area.
View Table Opens an external database table in Read-only mode. This button is not available unless a single table, link template, or label template is selected in the tree view. Edit Table Opens an external database table in Edit mode. This button is not available unless a single table, link template, or label template is selected in the tree view. Execute Query Executes a query. This button is not available unless a query is selected in the tree view. New Query Displays the New Query dialog box.
Export Query Set Opens the Export Query Set dialog box, in which you can save all queries stored in the drawing to an external file. The exported query set is saved with the file extension .dbq. Import Query Set Opens the Import Query Set dialog box, in which you can import a set of queries stored in an external file with the file extension .dbq. Show Labels Turns on visibility of all labels in the selected drawing. Hide Labels Turns off visibility of all labels in the selected drawing.
Show Labels Displays all labels that are associated with the selected database object. Available for link templates and label templates. Hide Labels Hides all labels that are associated with the selected database object. Available for link templates and label templates. Delete Links Deletes all links in the current drawing that use the selected link template. Available only for link templates. Delete Labels Deletes all labels in the current drawing that use the selected label template.
Configure Opens the Configure a Data Source dialog box where you can configure a new data source or edit an existing one. Available only for disconnected data sources. View Table Opens the selected database table in Read-only mode. Available only for tables. Edit Table Opens the selected database table in Edit mode. Available only for tables. New Link Template Opens the New Link Template dialog box. Available only for database tables. New Label Template Opens the New Label Template dialog box.
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ View Data ➤ View External Table, Edit External Table, View Linked Table, or Edit Linked Table (Displays a dialog box in which you can select a database table to open.
link creation setting, choose the Link and Label Settings button. Three distinct link methods are available: Link Creates a link to one or more graphical objects without creating a corresponding label. If the current drawing has a selection set already established, a link is created for each object in the selection set. If the current drawing does not have a current selection set, you are prompted to select objects to link to.
button's tooltip is Query, and choosing it opens the New Query dialog box. If the Data View window was opened to return the results of a query, this button's tooltip is Return to Query, and choosing it returns you to the Query Editor. If the Data View window was opened to return the results of a Link Select operation, this button's tooltip is Return to Link Select, and choosing it returns you to the Link Select dialog box.
Column Shortcut Menu Displays the following options when you right-click one or more selected column headers. Sort Opens the Sort dialog box, in which you can select a combination of up to five columns to use in specifying a sort order for the Data View. A small triangle in the column header indicates that the data is sorted by that column. Hide Removes all selected columns from the Data View display. Unhide All Restores all hidden columns to the Data View display.
Link Links the current row to a graphical object. The link and, if desired, the label from the currently selected link and label templates are created in the Data View. You can specify whether a link, a freestanding label, or an attached label is created by changing the settings from the Link and Label Settings cell shortcut menu option. Link and Label Settings Lists the currently selected link creation mode.
Link and Label Settings Lists the currently selected link creation mode. You can specify whether a link, a freestanding label, or an attached label is created when the Link shortcut menu option is chosen. Copy Copies the selected records to the Clipboard. Delete Record Deletes the selected records. Available only for database tables that are opened in Edit mode. Add New Record Adds a new record with blank field values to the end of the record set.
Next Button Selects the next record. Last Button Selects the last record. Data View Print Preview Window Loads into the Data View window a preview image of how the current table appears when you print it. When the Data View window is in Preview mode, none of the primary Data View buttons is available and the navigation buttons are removed from the bottom of the window.
Zoom Out Shrinks the preview page to display a larger region of the database table. Close Closes the Data View Print Preview window and restores the default Data View window display. Query Editor Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Consists of a series of tabs that you can use to build and execute queries.
Quick Query Tab (Query Editor) Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Develops simple queries based on a single database field, single operator, and single value. List of Options The following options are displayed. Field Lists the fields from the current database table, from which you can select one to apply to the query. Operator Displays a list of available operators that can be applied to the query.
Returns a list of all values for the specified field from the database table in the Column Values dialog box, from which you can select the value you want. Indicate Records in Data View Indicates records that match your search criterion in the Data View window. Indicate Objects in Drawing Indicates linked objects that match your search criterion in the current drawing. Execute Issues the finished query and closes the dialog box. Close Closes the dialog box without issuing the query.
Look Up Values (From, Through) Returns a list of all values for the specified field from the database table in the Column Values dialog box, from which you can select the value you want. Through Specifies the second value of the range. The query returns all records or graphical objects that are less than or equal to this value. Indicate Records in Data View Indicates records that match your search criterion in the Data View window.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Query Builder Grid Provides a space for you to construct queries based on multiple search parameters. Parenthetical Grouping Groups a series of search criteria by bracketing them within parentheses. You can nest up to four sets of parentheses within a single statement. To insert a beginning parenthesis, click in the cell to the left of the first Field cell that you want to group.
Fields in Table Displays a list of available fields from the current database table, from which you can specify the fields to display in the Data View window when the query is executed. If you don't specify any fields to display, the query displays all fields from the database table. Double-clicking in a field in this list or selecting a field and choosing Add (Show Fields) adds the field to the list of those that are displayed in the Data View window by the returned query.
Close Closes the dialog box without issuing the query. Store Saves the query with the current drawing. Options Opens the Data View and Query Options dialog box. SQL Query Tab (Query Editor) Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Constructs any query statement that conforms with the SQL 92 protocol. The SQL Query tab provides both a query editor text box where you can type a free-form SQL statement and a set of tools to assist you in constructing your query.
Provides a space for you to type a free-form SQL query or add elements that you select using the various SQL Query tools. Table Lists all database tables that are available in the current data source. You can add database tables to the SQL text editor by double-clicking them, by selecting them and choosing Add in the Table area, by dragging them from the Table list to the SQL text editor, or by entering their names directly in the SQL text editor.
Check Checks your SQL query for proper syntax without actually executing it. This function helps you isolate syntax errors before you issue your query. Options Opens the Data View and Query Options dialog box. Column Values Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Lists values for the selected database column; you can select a value to apply to the current operation. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Shortcut menu: Right-click the Data Sources node and choose Configure Data Source. Summary For detailed information about configuring a particular database system, refer to “Configure External Databases” in the Driver and Peripheral Guide. List of Options The following options are displayed. Data Source Name Specifies a name for the OLE DB data source that you are configuring. Data Sources Lists all OLE DB data sources configured for use with the program that are present on your system.
Access Methods Menu: Data View ➤ Options (The Data View menu is available only if you currently have a database table open in the Data View window.) Toolbar: Data View buttons List of Options The following options are displayed. AutoPan and Zoom Control how linked objects are displayed in the current drawing when you select their corresponding records in the Data View window.
Record Indication Settings Control the appearance of linked records in the Data View window when their corresponding objects are selected in the current drawing. Show Only Indicated Records Displays in the Data View window only the record set that is associated with the current selection set. Any records not linked to the current drawing selection set are not displayed. Show All Records, Select Indicated Records Displays all records in the current database table.
Adds additional records to the record set as you select additional graphical objects. If this option is cleared, the Data View window indicates a new set of records each time you select a new set of graphical objects. Export Links Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Exports a set of links that are associated with a selection set of graphical objects.
File Name Specifies a name for the exported link file. Save as Type Specifies the file format for the exported links. You can save the file in the native database format of the current database table or as a comma-delimited or space-delimited text file. Link Template Name Displays the name of the link template whose links you're exporting.
Exports a set of link templates and label templates that are associated with the current drawing. Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Templates ➤ Export Template Set Shortcut menu: In the dbConnect Manager, right-click the drawing node of a drawing that has one or more templates defined and choose Export Template Set. List of Options The following options are displayed. File Name Specifies a name for the template set. Save as Type Specifies the file format for the template set.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Find What Specifies the value to search for. Match Case Searches for the exact value, including case, of what you enter in Find What. If this option is cleared, the program searches for the value regardless of case. Find Next Finds the next occurrence of the value that you're searching for. Direction Toggles the direction that the program searches for the specified value in the Data View window.
Specifies the size in points that is applied to the current font. Effects Applies additional formatting to the Data View window on page 461 display. Strikeout draws a line through the center of all column data. Underline applies an underline to all column data. Color applies a color to all column data. Sample Displays how the current Format option values look when applied to the Data View window. Script Specifies the script that is applied to the current font.
Files of Type Specifies the file extension of the query set that you're importing. Query sets always have the .dbq extension. Import Template Set Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Imports a set of link templates and label templates into the current drawing. Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Templates ➤ Import Template Set Shortcut menu: Right-click a drawing node in the dbConnect Manager and choose Import Template Set.
Label Template Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Applies formatting to labels. Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Templates ➤ New Label Template (Select a link template in the Select a Database Object dialog box and choose Continue.) Toolbar: dbConnect Manager buttons ➤ Select a database table, link template, or label template and choose the New Label Template button.
Font Specifies a font for new text or changes the font of selected text. Height Sets the character height in drawing units for new text or changes the height of selected text. The default value is based on the current text style. If the current text style has no fixed height, the text height is the value stored in the TEXTSIZE on page 2575 system variable. Bold Turns bold formatting on and off for new or selected text. This option is available only for characters using TrueType fonts.
colors in the color list or click Other to open the Select Color dialog box. on page 346 Symbol Inserts a symbol or a nonbreaking space at the cursor position. Symbols can also be inserted manually. See Symbols and Special Characters on page 1257. Commonly used symbols are listed on the submenu. Click Other to display the Character Map dialog box, which contains the entire character set for each font available on your system. Select a character and click Select to place it in the Characters to Copy box.
text and affect the justification of the line. Text is center-, left-, or right-justified with respect to the left and right text boundaries. Text is middle-, top-, or bottom-aligned with respect to the top and bottom text boundaries. See -MTEXT on page 1253 for an illustration of the nine justification options. Width Sets a paragraph width for new or selected text. The No Wrap option produces a single line. The width of individual characters is not affected by this option.
Field Displays a list of available fields from the current database table that you can include in your label. You may include any number of fields from the source table. Add Adds the selected field in the Field list to the label. Table Displays the name of the current database table. Label Offset Tab Defines X and Y coordinate offsets for the insertion point of both your label and, if it is an attached label, its associated leader object. Start Specifies the start point for the leader object.
the tip of the leader object. The Leader Offset settings apply only to attached labels. Tip Offset Specifies the leader tip or label text offset values for attached and freestanding labels. For attached labels, the Tip Offset specifies the X and Y offset from the value specified in Start for the tip of the leader object. For freestanding labels, the Tip Offset specifies the X and Y offset from the insertion point you specified for the label.
Catalog Displays the name of the catalog specified for the selected label template. You can select a new catalog from this list to apply to the label template. Schema Displays the name of the schema specified for the selected label template. You can select a new schema from this list to apply to the label template. Table Displays the name of the database table specified for the selected label template. You can select a new database table from this list to apply to the label template.
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Link Conversion Because legacy links are stored in formats that differ significantly from AutoCAD 2000 and later, the link conversion process requires that you specify ™ a mapping of the old AutoCAD SQL Extension (ASE) link values to the new ones used by AutoCAD 2000 and later.
Old Link Format (R12) Specifies the path to the database table used by the link that you're converting. DBMS Specifies the database management system used by the link that you're converting. Database Specifies the database used by the link that you're converting. Table Specifies the database table used by the link that you're converting. Old Link Format (R13/R14) Specifies the path to the database table used by the link that you're converting.
Table Lists available database tables that you can select for the converted link. Link Template Lists available link templates that you can select for the converted link. OK Writes conversion mapping information to the asi.ini file and closes the dialog box. Apply Writes conversion mapping information to the asi.ini file but keeps the dialog box open so that you can specify conversions for additional links. Cancel Closes the dialog box without converting any links.
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Links ➤ Link Manager (Select a linked graphical object) Shortcut menu: Select and then right-click a linked graphical object, and then choose Link ➤ Link Manager List of Options The following options are displayed. Link Templates Lists all link templates that are associated with the selected graphical object. Select the link template whose link values you want to view or edit. Key Displays the key fields of the currently selected link template.
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Links ➤ Link Select Shortcut menu: Right-click a link template in the dbConnect Manager and choose Link Select. Summary The Link Select dialog box, known as ASE Select in previous releases, is an advanced implementation of the Query Editor. You begin a Link Select operation by creating an initial query or selection set of graphical objects (set A), which can be operated on by an additional query or selection set (set B).
List of Options The following options are displayed. Do Applies a Link Select operator to the current query or selection set. The following operators are available: Select, Union, Intersect, Subtract A-B, Subtract A-B. Select Creates an initial query or selection set. This selection set can be refined through subsequent Link Select operations. Union Adds the results of the new query or selection set to the running selection set.
Use Query Uses any of the available Query Editor tabs to construct a query that returns a selection set to the Link Select operation. Select in Drawing Closes the Link Select dialog box when you choose the Select button so that you can construct a selection set of graphical objects to return to the Link Select operation. Execute/Select Executes the current Link Select query or temporarily dismisses the Link Select dialog box so you can select graphical objects from the drawing.
Link Template Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files Specifies the key fields that are used by a link template. Summary Before the Link Template dialog box opens, the New Link Template dialog box is displayed, in which you can name the link template.
Shortcut menu: Right-click a database table in the dbConnect Manager and choose New Link Template Pointing device: Double-click a link template in the dbConnect Manager. This method opens the Link Template dialog box directly, without first displaying the New Link Template dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Template Name Displays the name of the link template. Table Displays the current database table.
Summary Before the Link Template Properties dialog box opens, the Select a Database Object dialog box is displayed, from which you can select a link template. List of Options The following options are displayed. Template Name Displays the name of the selected link template. Data Source Displays the name of the data source specified for the selected link template. You can select a new data source from this list to apply to the link template.
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Templates ➤ New Label Template (Select a link template from the Select a Database Object dialog box and choose Continue) Toolbar: dbConnect Manager buttons ➤ Select a database table and choose the New Label Template button Toolbar: Data View buttons ➤ Choose New Label Template from the Label Template list, and then choose either the Create Freestanding Label or the Create Attached Label button flyout.
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Templates ➤ New Link Template (Navigate to and then select a database table in the Select a Data Object dialog box and choose Continue) Toolbar: dbConnect Manager buttons ➤ Select a database table and choose the New Link Template button Toolbar: Data View buttons ➤ Choose New Link Template from the Link Template list, and then choose the Link button flyout Shortcut menu: Right-click a table in the dbConnect Manager and choose New Link Template Summary After you enter a name
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Queries ➤ New Query on an External Table or New Query on a Link Template (A dialog box is displayed in which you can select a database object to query.
Shortcut menu: Right-click a single cell or column header in the Data View window and choose Replace Summary You can specify a replacement value that overwrites the value that you're searching for. The search is limited to a single database table column. It is not possible to conduct a global search that scans all columns in the database table. You can open this dialog box using the following methods: List of Options The following options are displayed. Find What Specifies the value to search for.
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Templates ➤ New Label Template, Edit Link Template, Edit Label Template, Delete Link Template, or Delete Label Template; Queries ➤ Execute Query, New Query on a Link Template, Edit Query, or Delete Query; Links ➤ Delete Links; Labels ➤ Reload Labels, Show Labels, Hide Labels, or Delete Labels; View Data ➤ View Linked Table, Edit Linked Table Summary You can select a database object from this list to apply to the current operation.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Tree View Window Lists the available data sources, from which you can select a database table to apply to the current operation. OK/Continue Either completes the current operation or opens a secondary dialog box or window, in which you can continue the current operation. If, for example, you are creating a new link template, the New Link Template dialog box is displayed.
Ascending Applies an ascending sort order to the selected column. The column data is ordered with the smallest value at the beginning of the Data View record set and the largest value at the end of the record set. Descending Applies a descending sort order to the selected column. The column data is ordered with the largest value at the beginning of the Data View record set and the smallest value at the end of the record set. Then By Specifies an additional column to apply to the sort operation.
Access Methods Menu: dbConnect ➤ Synchronize Shortcut menu: Right-click a link template in the dbConnect Manager and choose Synchronize. Summary Links can become invalid if you change the underlying structure of their source database table, or if you move the source table to a new location. In these cases, the structure specified by the link template used to create the links is no longer valid, and link templates and any associated links must be updated.
DBLIST Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Lists database information for each object in the drawing. Summary The text window displays information about each object in the current drawing. The program pauses when the window fills with information. Press Enter to resume output, or press Esc to cancel. DCALIGNED Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Constrains the distance between two points on different objects.
The following table outlines the valid constraint objects and points: Valid Objects or Points Characteristics Line Polyline segment Arc Two constraint points on objects Line and constraint point Two lines ■ When a line or an arc is selected, the distance between the endpoints of the object is constrained. ■ When a line and a constraint point are selected, the distance between the point and the closest point on the line is constrained.
2Lines Selects two line objects. The lines are made parallel and the aligned constraint controls the distance between the two lines. First Line Select the first line to be constrained. Second Line to Make Parallel Select the second line to constrain the distance between the two selected lines.
When an expression with variables evaluates to greater than 360 or less than -360, the constraint value is displayed in the Parameters Manager based on the units of the drawing. The following table outlines the valid constraint objects and points: Valid Objects or Points Characteristics Pair of lines Pair of polyline segment Three constraint points Arc ■ When two lines are selected, the angle between the lines is constrained. The initial value always defaults to a value less than 180 degrees.
3Point Selects three valid constraint points on the object. Angle Vertex Specifies the angle vertex, which is at the centerpoint of the constraint. First Angle Constraint Point Specifies the first angle endpoint of the arc. Second Angle Constraint Point Specifies the second angle endpoint of the arc. Dimension Line Location Dimension Line Location on page 515 DCCONVERT Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Converts associative dimensions to dimensional constraints.
Select associative dimensions to convert: Select the associative dimensions to be converted to dimensional constraints DCDIAMETER Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Constrains the diameter of a circle or an arc. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Dimensional panel ➤ Diameter Menu: Parametric ➤ Dimensional Constraints ➤ Diameter Toolbar: Parametric ➤ DIMCONSTRAINT dropdown Summary This command is equivalent to the Diameter option in DIMCONSTRAINT on page 587.
DCDISPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimensional Constraints Displays or hides the dynamic constraints associated with a selection set of objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Dimensional panel ➤ Show/Hide Menu: Parametric ➤ Dynamic Dimensions ➤ Select Objects Toolbar: Parametric List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
DCFORM Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Specifies whether the dimensional constraint being created is dynamic or annotational. Summary This command is equivalent to the Form option in DIMCONSTRAINT on page 587. Setting the value for this command defines the Constraint Form property of the object. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Dimensional panel ➤ Horizontal Menu: Parametric ➤ Dimensional Constraints ➤ Horizontal Toolbar: Parametric ➤ DIMCONSTRAINT dropdown Summary This command is equivalent to the Horizontal option in DIMCONSTRAINT on page 587.
DCLINEAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Creates a horizontal, vertical, or rotated constraint based on the locations of the extension line origins and the dimension line. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Dimensional panel ➤ Linear Summary This command is equivalent to the Linear option in DIMCONSTRAINT on page 587.
Second Constraint Point Specifies the second point of the object to be constrained. Dimension Line Location Determines where the dimension line is located on the constrained object. Object Selects an object instead of a constraint point. DCRADIUS Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Constrains the radius of a circle or an arc.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select arc or circle: Select an arc or a circle to be constrained Dimension Line Location Determines where the dimension line is located on the constrained object. DCVERTICAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Constrains the Y distance between points on an object, or between two points on different objects.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify first constraint point on page 524 or [Object on page 524]
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select an annotation object or [Undo]: Object Selection Displays the appropriate editing method for the type of text you select: ■ When the TEXTED system variable is set to 0 or 2, text created using TEXT on page 1922 displays the In-Place Text Editor without the Text Formatting toolbar and the ruler. Right-click to display options on page 1926. ■ Text created using MTEXT on page 1228 displays the In-Place Text Editor.
Edit Attribute Definition Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Text Edits an attribute text object. List of Options The following options are displayed. Tag Specifies the attribute tag, which identifies the attribute in the drawing. The tag can contain exclamation marks (!). The case change is not immediately displayed in the tag field. Prompt Specifies the attribute prompt that is displayed when you insert a block containing this attribute definition.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Utilities panel dropdown ➤ Point Style Menu: Format ➤ Point Style Command entry: 'ddptype for transparent use Summary The Point Style dialog box is displayed. Point Style Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Reference Points Shows the current point style and size. Change the point style by selecting an icon. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Point Display Images Specifies the image used to display point objects. The point style is stored in the PDMODE on page 2462 system variable. Point Size Sets the point display size. The value you enter can be relative to the screen or in absolute units. The point display size is stored in the PDSIZE system variable. Subsequent point objects that you draw use the new value. Set Size Relative to Screen Sets the point display size as a percentage of the screen size.
Defines 3D view settings. List of Options The following options are displayed. Set Viewing Angles Sets the direction of the view relative to either the world coordinate system (WCS) or a user coordinate system (UCS). Absolute to WCS Sets the view direction relative to the WCS. Relative to UCS Sets the view direction relative to the current UCS. From Specifies viewing angles. X Axis Specifies the angle from the X axis. XY Plane Specifies the angle from the XY plane.
bounded outer regions rounds off the angle to the value displayed in that region. If you select the inner arc or an area inside it, the angle is not rounded off, and the result may be a fractional number. Set to Plan View Sets the viewing angles to display the plan view (XY plane) relative to the selected coordinate system. DELAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Run Slide Shows from Scripts Provides a timed pause within a script.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Manage panel ➤ Delete Constraints Menu: Parametric ➤ Delete Constraints Toolbar: Parametric Summary The number of constraints removed are displayed on the command line. Removes all geometric and dimensional constraints from the selected objects. DETACHURL Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Hyperlinks to a Drawing Removes hyperlinks in a drawing. Summary Hyperlinks are removed from the selected objects. If an area is selected, the polyline is deleted.
Adjust the fade, contrast, and monochrome settings of a DGN underlay. Access Methods Ribbon: DGN Underlay contextual tab ➤ Adjust panel Summary You can change the default values for Fade, Contrast, and Monochrome for a single or multiple DGN underlays. To confirm the settings on a selected DGN underlay, use the Properties palette.
DGNATTACH Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Files as Underlays Insert a DGN file as an underlay into the current drawing. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Reference panel ➤ Attach Menu: Insert ➤ DGN Underlay Toolbar: Insert Summary When you attach a DGN file as an underlay, you link that referenced file to the current drawing. Any changes to the referenced file are displayed in the current drawing when it is opened or reloaded.
Attach DGN Underlay Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Files as Underlays Names, locates, and defines the insertion point, scale, and rotation when attaching DGN underlays. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Identifies the DGN file you have selected to attach. Browse Opens the Select Reference File dialog (a standard file selection dialog box on page 1311). Select a design model from the DGN file Displays all of the design models that are found in the DGN file.
NOTE The Path Type group is disabled when you’re attaching a DGN file that is stored on the Vault client server. This information is automatically entered by the Vault. Insertion Point Specifies the insertion point for the selected DGN file. Specify On-Screen is the default. The default insertion point is 0,0,0. Specify On-Screen Directs input at the Command prompt or the pointing device. If Specify On-Screen is cleared, enter the insertion point in X, Y, and Z. X Sets the X coordinate value.
Saved Path Displays the path that is saved with the drawing when the DGN file is attached. The path is dependent upon the Path Type setting. DGN Underlay Ribbon Contextual tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Underlays Change DGN underlay display, clip, layer, and osnap options. Summary When you select a DGN underlay in a drawing, the DGN Underlay Contextual tab is displayed on the ribbon. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Enable Snap Determines whether object snapping is active for geometry in the DGN underlay. External References (EXTERNALREFERENCES on page 784) Opens the External References palette. DGN Layers Panel Edit Layers (ULAYERS on page 1982) Controls the display of layers in a DWF, DWFx, PDF, or DGN underlay. -DGNATTACH Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Files as Underlays Attach a DGN underlay from the command line.
To avoid errors when entering a file name, it is recommended that you specify both the DGN file and path as follows: path name\filename.dgn or “path name\filename.dgn” If you enter a valid DGN file name without a file extension, the program adds the extension and searches for the file. Enter Name of Model or ? Enter a model name. For a list of models, enter?. Enter Model(s) to list <*> Lists the design models available in the DGN file in a separate text window.
DGNBIND (-DGNBIND) Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Files as Underlays Binds DGN underlays to the current drawing. Summary Converts a specified DGN reference into a block, making it a permanent part of the drawing. The DGN-dependent named objects (such as layer names) of the former DGN reference are added to your drawing. In each DGN-dependent named object, the vertical bar (|) is replaced with three new characters: a number (usually 0) between two dollar signs ($).
Ribbon: DGN Underlay contextual tab ➤ Clipping panel ➤ Create Clipping Boundary Shortcut menu: Select a DGN underlay to clip, right-click in the drawing area, and click DGN Clip Summary The clipping boundary determines the portion of a DGN underlay outside the boundary that is hidden. The visibility of the clipping boundary is controlled by the DGNFRAME on page 2229 system variable. The boundary you specify must be in a plane parallel to the DGN underlay.
Rectangular Defines a rectangular boundary with the points that you specify for opposite corners. Invert Clip Inverts the mode of the clipping boundary: objects are clipped either outside the boundary or inside the boundary. NOTE You can only create a new clipping boundary for a selected DGN underlay when the old boundary is deleted. DGNEXPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export MicroStation DGN Files Creates one or more DGN files from the current drawing.
WARNING Some programs that work with DGN files do not support extended characters that the Windows operating system considers valid for file names. Thus, it is recommended that you do not use accented or Asian characters in file names when using DGNEXPORT. Export DGN Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Export MicroStation DGN Files Controls how objects are processed when exporting them to a DGN file. List of Options The following options are displayed.
All referenced DWG files, including nested DWG references, are converted into DGN files. The resulting DGN files use the same file name as the DWG files, but use a .dgn file extension. With the following set of options, you can choose whether or not to overwrite DGN reference files ■ Prompt to Overwrite ■ Overwrite without Prompting ■ Do Not Overwrite Bind All DWG References into One DGN file The parent DWG file and all referenced DWG files are combined into a single DGN file.
Conversion Units Select the appropriate conversion units for the translation. The DGN seed file contains working units (imperial or metric) called master units and sub-units. One DWG unit is converted to either one master unit or one sub-unit. Master Units Specifies that one DWG drawing unit will convert to one master unit of the specified DGN seed file. Sub Units Specifies that one DWG drawing unit will convert to one sub-unit of the specified DGN seed file.
DGN Seed File Name Master Unit (label) Sub Unit (label) Resolution V7-Imperial-Arch02Seed3D.dgn Feet (‘) Inches (“) 12”/1’ and 1000 POS V7-Imperial-Civil01Seed2D.dgn Feet (‘) Tenths (tn) 10tn/1’ and 100 POS V7-Imperial-Civil01Seed3D.dgn Feet (‘) Tenths (tn) 10tn/1’ and 100 POS V7-Imperial-Civil02Seed2D.dgn Feet (‘) Tenths (tn) 10tn/1’ and 1000 POS V7-Imperial-Civil02Seed3D.dgn Feet (‘) Tenths (tn) 10tn/1’ and 1000 POS V7-Metric-Seed2D.
Setup Description Displays the description of the selected mapping setup. Mapping Setups Opens the DGN Mapping Setups dialog box on page 563 where new mapping setups can be created and existing mapping setups can be renamed, modified, or deleted (see DGNMAPPING on page 562). Mapping Preview for Setup Lists all properties of both the exported DWG file in the DWG column and the selected mapping setup in the DGN column.
DWG to DGN Conversion Table AutoCAD MicroStation Notes Colors Colors Colors are matched as closely as possible. Colors set with the ACI (AutoCAD Color Index) are translated directly to the DGN color index. If TrueColor is used and a direct match of RGB values is available in the DGN color index, the colors are also mapped directly. If a TrueColor match is not available, an RGB value is added to the DGN color index.
DWG to DGN Conversion Table AutoCAD MicroStation Notes Dimensions, Dimension Styles Dimensions, Dimension Styles The size, spacing, style, and shape of dimensions may vary slightly. Dimension associativity is maintained whenever possible, and the correct dimension values are always maintained. Raster Images Raster Images These image file types are supported: .bmp, .cal, .tif, .png, .tga, .jpg, .gif, .rlc, .bil, and .pcx. All other image file types are discarded.
-DGNEXPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export MicroStation DGN Files If you enter -dgnexport at the Command prompt, the following prompts are displayed. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter DGN file format on page 549 [V7/V8] : Specify whether the file is DGN V7 or V8 Enter filename on page 549 for DGN export : Specify path and filename of DGN file Specify conversion units on page 549 [Master/Sub] : Specify m or s, or press Enter Specify mapping se
Mapping Setups Specifies the mapping setup of the selected design model. ? After specifying a filter, a list of available export mapping setups that match the filter is displayed and will re-prompt. Seed File Specify a seed file that matches the existing behavior of other commands with filters. ? Enter * to display a list of available seed files in the AutoCAD Text Window.
NOTE The type of plot style drawing (Color-dependent or Named) is based on the value of PSTYLEPOLICY on page 2490. Import DGN Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Import MicroStation DGN Files Specifies the import settings for a DGN file. List of Options The following options are displayed. Import into Current Drawing Inserts the contents of the DGN file into the current DWG file. Prefix Dependent Definitions Adds the DGN file and model name as a prefix to the incoming object’s name.
Ignore Duplicate Names Ignores any duplicate named objects, such as layer names or dimension styles, in the DGN file and gives precedence to the existing definition for duplicates. You can also control the default settings using the DGNIMPORTMODE system variable. NOTE For the correct display of linetypes, the MicroStation RSC (resource file) that is referenced by the DGN file must be available on your computer in a valid AutoCAD Support File Search Path when you import or attach the DGN file.
references. AutoCAD resolves these circular references by creating a block and insering it into the original primary DGN file. Design model references to sheet models, and sheet model references to other sheet models are not supported and are ignored. Unique names for references are generated by appending the model name to the design file name separated with a dash (-).
Master Units Specifies that one master unit of the imported DGN file converts to one DWG drawing unit. Sub Units Specifies that one sub-unit of the imported DGN file converts to one DWG drawing unit. NOTE The master units and the sub-units of the selected DGN file are displayed next to the buttons for reference. Explode Text Node to Text Elements Text node elements in a DGN file are multiple lines of text stored as one element, and are similar to MTEXT objects.
Lists all properties of both the imported DGN file in the DGN column and the selected mapping setup in the DWG column. NOTE External reference files properties are not listed in a mapping preview. See the DGNIMPORT Conversion Table on page 555 for specific details about the scope of importing MicroStation objects and other data. See the DGNIMPORT Unit Mapping Table on page 557 for specific details about unit conversions when importing MicroStation objects.
DGN to DWG Conversion Table MicroStation AutoCAD Notes Line Styles Linetypes For the correct display of linetypes, the MicroStation .rsc (resource file) that is referenced by the DGN file must be available on your computer in a valid AutoCAD Support File search path when you import or attach the DGN file. Dynamically scaled line styles (Standard DGN Line Styles 1-7) are converted into fixed-scale linetypes.
DGN to DWG Conversion Table MicroStation AutoCAD Notes identically in both products. This includes the Date fields CreateDate, SaveDate, and PlotDate, and the Document property fields Author, Filename, and Filesize. Fields are converted to text when “Explode Text Nodes to Text Elements” is checked in the Import DGN Settings dialog box. Raster Images Raster Images These image file types: .bmp, .cal, .tif, .png, .tga, .jpg, .pcx, .gif, .rlc, .bil, and .pct are supported.
The following table lists the linear units used in the resulting DWG file as determined by the master units, sub-units, and unit precision of the DGN file being imported.
DGN to DWG Unit Mapping Table DGN Master Units DGN Sub Units DGN Precision DWG Units Notes Inches Any Other Unit Decimal Decimal Any Other Unit Any Other Unit Fractional Fractional For import of a V7 file, Master unit label will be read and will use the following table to set the Master units based on the unit translation table. The Resolution value will be used to set the Sub units. NOTE Unknown labels will be treated as “meters” and “decimeters.
-DGNIMPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Import MicroStation DGN Files If you enter -dgnimport at the Command prompt, the following prompts are displayed. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Units Specifies a drawing-units value for scaling the DGN file. Mapping Setups Specifies the mapping setup of the selected design model. ? After specifying a filter, a list of available import mapping setups that match the filter is displayed and will re-prompt. DGNLAYERS Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Layers in an Underlay Controls the display of layers in a DGN underlay.
DGNMAPPING Quick Reference See also: ■ Import MicroStation DGN Files Allows users to create and edit user-defined DGN mapping setups. Summary The DGN Mapping Setups dialog box on page 563 is displayed. It can also be accessed from the Import DGN Settings and Export DGN Settings dialog boxes. The import/export process translates basic DGN/DWG data into the corresponding DWG/DGN data.
DGN Mapping Setups Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Import MicroStation DGN Files Creates new mapping setups, renames mapping setups, modifies mapping setups, and deletes mapping setups. List of Options The following options are displayed. Current User Displays the user’s login name. Name Lists all mapping setups. If the setup name is too long to be completely displayed, an ellipsis (...) is shown at the end. Type Specifies the mapping setup type: import or export.
Rename Starts in-place editing of the currently selected mapping setup (direct editing in the list). NOTE The Rename button is disabled when the Standard mapping setup is selected. Modify Displays the Modify DGN Mapping Setup dialog box on page 566, in which you can modify the currently selected mapping setup. NOTE The Modify button is disabled when the Standard mapping setup is selected. Delete Deletes the currently selected mapping setup.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Current User Displays the user’s login name. New DGN Mapping Setup Name Specifies the new mapping setup name. Based On Sets a mapping setup to use as a basis for the new one. For the new mapping setup, you change only the properties that differ from the properties you start with. Mapping Type Specifies what type of mapping setup to create. Import Specifies an import mapping type. Export Specifies an export mapping type.
Modify DGN Mapping Setup Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Export MicroStation DGN Files ■ Import MicroStation DGN Files Sets the properties for the selected mapping setup. Summary When you choose Continue in the New Mapping Setup dialog box, the Modify DGN Mapping Setup dialog box is displayed. You define the properties for the new mapping setup in this dialog box. The dialog box initially displays the properties of the mapping setup that you selected.
List of Options The Modify DGN Mapping Setup dialog box includes the following tabs: ■ Layer on page 567 ■ Linetype on page 567 ■ Lineweight on page 568 ■ Color on page 569 Layer The corresponding cells are automatically filled with the default mapping. The properties are added depending on which of the following mapping setups you are currently working on. Whenever the target cell is blank (right-hand column), the default system mapping is used.
You can directly type DGN linestyle names in the cells in the right column. If unknown linestyle names are added to the right column of the mapping table, they are ignored and default to Continuous. Import mapping setup: If you are in the Modify DGN Mapping Setup dialog box by creating a new setup from the Import DGN Settings dialog box, the DGN column includes all defined DGN linestyles in the imported DGN file, as well as the DGN seed file used when the DGN file was created.
Color You can map color values between DGN to DWG files. By default the Color tab is blank and the default color mapping is used. Color translations between DGN color values is done to the closest AutoCAD color values and AutoCAD color values are mapped to the closest DGN color values. The Color tab is the only tab that allows editing in both columns. Values in the left-hand column must be unique. To remap colors, right-click either column and select Add Color from the right-click menu.
DGN column: Selecting Add Color… from the right-click menu allows you to add a valid DGN color value to the cell. Valid colors include 0-255, ByLevel and ByCell. The DWG column is automatically populated with the equivalent RGB value. You can modify a DGN color by double-clicking the cell and typing a different value. DWG column: Selecting Add Color… from the right-click menu brings up the Select Color dialog box on page 571. You can add ACI colors, true colors or color from a Color Book.
added to the DGN columns in the Modify DGN Mapping Setups dialog box table. In Files of Type, the drop-down list includes MicroStation DGN (*.dgn) and All DGN Files (*.*) to recognize DGN files that have other extensions. NOTE Only unique properties are added to the list in the Layer and Linetype tabs when adding properties from files. Add Properties from Drawing File Opens the Add Properties from Drawing File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box).
Summary ■ Index Color on page 347 ■ True Color on page 348 ■ Color Books on page 351 DIM and DIM1 Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Dimensioning Accesses Dimensioning mode commands. Summary The Dim prompt indicates that you're in Dimensioning mode, in which you can use a special set of dimensioning commands on page 572. (DIM and DIM1 are provided only for compatibility with previous releases.) Use DIM to remain in Dimensioning mode after you have used a dimensioning command.
Dimensioning mode commands Command Description STYLE Changes the current text style. UNDO or U Erases the most recently created dimension objects and cancels any new dimension system variable setting. When you exit Dimensioning mode, UNDO reverses the effects of the entire dimensioning session. The following table shows which AutoCAD commands are equivalent to the rest of the Dimensioning mode commands. For information about these Dimensioning mode commands, see the equivalent AutoCAD command.
Dimensioning mode command equivalents Dimensioning mode command Equivalent command OVERRIDE DIMOVERRIDE RADIUS DIMRADIUS RESTORE -DIMSTYLE Restore ROTATED DIMLINEAR Rotated SAVE -DIMSTYLE Save STATUS -DIMSTYLE Status TEDIT DIMTEDIT TROTATE DIMEDIT Rotate UPDATE -DIMSTYLE Apply VARIABLES -DIMSTYLE Variables VERTICAL DIMLINEAR Vertical DIMALIGNED Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Aligned Dimensions Creates an aligned linear dimension.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Aligned Menu: Dimension ➤ Aligned Toolbar: Dimension Summary Creates a linear dimension that is aligned with the origin points of the extension lines. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
New, Modify, and Override Dimension Style dialog boxes (see DIMSTYLE). This value is stored in the DIMEXO system variable. If you select a circle, the endpoints of its diameter are used as the origins of the extension line. The point used to select the circle defines the origin of the first extension line. Dimension Line Location Specifies the placement of the dimension line and determines the direction to draw the extension lines. After you specify the location, the DIMALIGNED command ends.
Dimension text properties are set on the Text tab of the New, Modify, and Override Dimension Style dialog boxes. Angle Changes the angle of the dimension text. DIMANGULAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Angular Dimensions Creates an angular dimension.
Summary Measures the angle between selected objects or 3 points. Objects that can be selected include arcs, circles, and lines, among others. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Line Selection Defines the angle using two lines. The program determines the angle by using each line as a vector for the angle and the intersection of the lines for the angle vertex. The dimension line spans the angle between the two lines. If the dimension line does not intersect the lines being dimensioned, extension lines are added as needed to extend one or both lines. The arc is always less than 180 degrees. Three-Point Specification Creates a dimension based on three points you specify.
Dimension text properties are set on the Text tab of the New, Modify, and Override Dimension Style dialog boxes. Angle Changes the angle of the dimension text. Quadrant Specifies the quadrant that the dimension should be locked to. When quadrant behavior is on, the dimension line is extended past the extension line when the dimension text is positioned outside of the angular dimension. DIMARC Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Arc Length Dimensions Creates an arc length dimension.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Arc Length Menu: Dimension ➤ Arc Length Toolbar: Dimension List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select arc or polyline arc segment: Use an object selection method Specify arc length dimension location or [Mtext/Text/Angle/Partial/Leader]: Specify a point or enter an option Arc length dimensions measure the distance along an arc or polyline arc segment.
Mtext Displays the In-Place Text Editor, which you can use to edit the dimension text. Use control codes and Unicode character strings to enter special characters or symbols. See Control Codes and Special Characters on page 1928. If alternate units are not turned on in the dimension style, you can display them by entering square brackets ([]). For more information, see “Select and Modify Objects”. The current dimension style determines the appearance of the generated measurements.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Baseline Menu: Dimension ➤ Baseline Toolbar: Dimension Summary The default spacing between baseline dimensions can be set from the Dimension Style Manager, Lines tab, Baseline Spacing (DIMDLI on page 2249 system variable). If no dimension was created in the current session, you are prompted to select a linear, ordinate, or angular dimension to use as the base for the baseline dimension. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
override this default behavior, explicitly select the base dimension; the extension line origin becomes the extension line of the base dimension closest to the pick point of the selection. When you select a second point, the baseline dimension is drawn and the Specify a Second Extension Line Origin prompt is redisplayed. To end the command, press Esc. To select another linear, ordinate, or angular dimension to use as the basis for the baseline dimension, press Enter.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Break. Menu: Dimension ➤ Dimension Break Toolbar: Dimension Summary Dimension breaks can be added to linear, angular, and ordinate dimensions, among others. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
intersecting points along the dimension object. To add the new dimension breaks, must be run the command again. Remove Removes all dimension breaks from the selected dimensions. Manual Places a dimension break manually. You specify two points on the dimension or extension lines for the location of the break. Any dimension break that is created using this option is not updated if the dimension or intersecting objects are modified. You can only place a single manual dimension break at a time with this option.
DIMCONSTRAINT Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Applies dimensional constraints to selected objects or points on objects, or converts associative dimensions to dimensional constraints. Access Methods Panel Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Dimensional panel Menu: Parametric ➤ Dimensional Constraints ➤ Aligned Toolbar: Dimensional Constraints Summary Applies a dimensional constraint to a selected object or converts an associative dimension to a dimensional constraint.
Objects Valid Constraint Points Arc Center, Endpoints, Midpoint Spline Endpoints Ellipse, Circle Center Polyline Endpoints, midpoints of line and arc subobjects, center of arc subobjects Block, Xref, Text, Mtext, Attribute, Table Insertion point After you specify the dimensional constraint type, you can either enter an expression value or accept the default (constraintname=value).
DIMCONTINUE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Baseline and Continued Dimensions Creates a dimension that starts from an extension line of a previously created dimension. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Continue Menu: Dimension ➤ Continue Toolbar: Dimension Summary Automatically continues creating additional dimensions from the last linear, angular, or ordinate dimension created, or from a selected extension line. The dimension lines are lined up automatically.
Specify a second extension line origin or [Undo/Select]
Select Prompts you to select a linear, ordinate, or angular dimension to use as the continued dimension. After you select a continued dimension, the Specify a Second Extension Line Origin prompt or the Specify Feature Location prompt is redisplayed. To end the command, press Esc. DIMDIAMETER Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Radial Dimensions Creates a diameter dimension for a circle or an arc.
Specify dimension line location on page 592 or [Mtext/Text/Angle]: Specify a point or enter an option Dimension Line Location Determines the angle of the dimension line and the location of the dimension text. If the dimension is placed off of an arc resulting in the dimension pointing outside the arc, AutoCAD automatically draws an arc extension line. Mtext Displays the In-Place Text Editor, which you can use to edit the dimension text.
dimensions in paper space are excluded). DIMDISASSOCIATE then disassociates these dimensions and reports the number of dimensions that are filtered out and the number that are disassociated. DIMEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Dimension Text Edits dimension text and extension lines. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Oblique Menu: Dimension ➤ Oblique Toolbar: Dimension, Oblique Summary Rotates, modifies, or restores dimension text.
The selected dimension text is returned to its default position and rotation as specified in its dimension style. New Changes dimension text using the In-Place Text Editor. The generated measurement is represented with angle brackets (< >). Use control codes and Unicode character strings to enter special characters or symbols. See Control Codes and Special Characters on page 1928. To edit or replace the generated measurement, delete the angle brackets, enter the new dimension text, and then choose OK.
DIMINSPECT Quick Reference See also: ■ Convert Dimensions into Inspection Dimensions Adds or removes inspection information for a selected dimension. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Inspect Menu: Dimension ➤ Inspection Toolbar: Dimension Summary Inspection dimensions specify how frequently manufactured parts should be checked to ensure that the dimension value and tolerances of the parts are within the specified range.
The Inspection Dimension Dialog Box is displayed and allows you to add or remove inspection dimensions from an existing dimension. Inspection dimensions allow you to effectively communicate how frequently manufactured parts should be checked to ensure that the dimension value and tolerances of the parts are within the specified range. If you enter -diminspect at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
Select Dimensions Specifies the dimensions that an inspection dimension should be added to or removed from. Remove Inspection Removes the inspection dimension from the selected dimension. Shape Controls the shape of the frame that is drawn around the label, dimension value, and inspection rate of the inspection dimension. Round Creates a frame with semi-circles on the two ends; the fields within the frame are separated by vertical lines.
The value is expressed as a percentage, and the valid range is 0 to 100. The inspection rate is displayed in the rightmost section of the inspection dimension when the Inspection Rate check box is selected. -DIMINSPECT Quick Reference See also: ■ Convert Dimensions into Inspection Dimensions List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Add inspection data on page 598 or [Remove on page 598] : Enter an option or press Enter Add Adds an inspection dimension to the selected dimensions.
Creates jogged dimensions for circles and arcs. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Jogged Menu: Dimension ➤ Jogged Toolbar: Dimension Summary DIMJOGGED measures the radius of the selected object and displays the dimension text with a radius symbol in front of it. The origin point of the dimension line can be specified at any convenient location. NOTE Jogged radius dimensions are also called foreshortened radius dimensions.
special characters or symbols. See Control Codes and Special Characters on page 1928. If alternate units are not turned on in the dimension style, you can display them by entering square brackets ([ ]). For more information, see “Select and Modify Objects”. The current dimension style determines the appearance of the generated measurements. Text Customizes the dimension text at the Command prompt. The generated dimension measurement is displayed within angle brackets.
Menu: Dimension ➤ Jogged Linear Toolbar: Dimension Summary Jog lines in a dimension indicate a break in the objects being dimensioned. The dimension value represents the actual distance, rather than the measured distance in the drawing. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select dimension to add jog on page 601 or [Remove on page 601]: Select a linear or aligned dimension Add Jog Specifies the linear or aligned dimension to which to add a jog. You are prompted for the location of the jog.
Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Linear Menu: Dimension ➤ Linear Toolbar: Dimension Summary Creates a linear dimension with a horizontal, vertical, or rotated dimension line. This command replaces the DIMHORIZONTAL and DIMVERTICAL commands. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Mtext Displays the In-Place Text Editor, which you can use to edit the dimension text. Use control codes and Unicode character strings to enter special characters or symbols. See Control Codes and Special Characters on page 1928. If alternate units are not turned on in the dimension style, you can display them by entering square brackets ([ ]). For more information about formatting dimension text, see “Select and Modify Objects”.
Horizontal Creates horizontal linear dimensions. Dimension Line Location Uses the point you specify to locate the dimension line. ■ Mtext on page 603 ■ Text on page 603 ■ Angle on page 603 Vertical Creates vertical linear dimensions. Dimension Line Location Dimension Line Location on page 602 ■ Mtext on page 603 ■ Text on page 603 ■ Angle on page 603 Rotated Creates rotated linear dimensions.
Object Selection Automatically determines the origin points of the first and second extension lines after you select an object. For polylines and other explodable objects, only the individual line and arc segments are dimensioned. You cannot select objects in a non-uniformly scaled block reference. If you select a line or an arc, the line or arc endpoints are used as the origins of the extension lines.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Ordinate Menu: Dimension ➤ Ordinate Toolbar: Dimension Summary Ordinate dimensions measure the horizontal or vertical distance from an origin point called the datum to a feature, such as a hole in a part. These dimensions prevent escalating errors by maintaining accurate offsets of the features from the datum. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Mtext Displays the In-Place Text Editor, which you can use to edit the dimension text. Use control codes and Unicode character strings to enter special characters or symbols. See Control Codes and Special Characters on page 1928. If alternate units are not turned on in the dimension style, you can display them by entering square brackets ([ ]). For more information about formatting dimension text, see “Select and Modify Objects”.
Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Override Menu: Dimension ➤ Override Summary Overrides a specified dimensioning system variable for selected dimensions, or clears the overrides of selected dimension objects, returning them to the settings defined by their dimension style. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Summary Measures the radius of a selected circle or arc and displays the dimension text with a radius symbol in front of it. You can use grips to reposition the resulting radius dimension easily. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select arc or circle: Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle]: Specify a point or enter an option Dimension Line Location Determines the angle of the dimension line and the location of the dimension text.
DIMREASSOCIATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Dimension Associativity Associates or reassociates selected dimensions to objects or points on objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Reassociate Menu: Dimension ➤ Reassociate Dimensions Summary Each selected dimension is highlighted in turn, and prompts for association points appropriate for the selected dimension are displayed. A marker is displayed for each association point prompt.
Press Esc to terminate the command without losing the changes that were already specified. Use UNDO to restore the previous state of the changed dimensions.
DIMREGEN Quick Reference See also: ■ Associative Dimensions Updates the locations of all associative dimensions. Summary The locations of all associative dimensions in the current drawing are updated. Associative dimensions need to be updated manually with DIMREGEN in the following cases: ■ After panning or zooming with a wheel mouse in a layout with model space active; update associative dimensions created in paper space.
Summary Creates a linear dimension with a rotated dimension line. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Dimension text properties are set on the Text tab of the New, Modify, and Override Dimension Style dialog boxes. Angle Changes the angle of the dimension text. Object Selection Automatically determines the origin points of the first and second extension lines after you select an object. For polylines and other explodable objects, only the individual line and arc segments are dimensioned. You cannot select objects in a non-uniformly scaled block reference.
Summary The spacing between parallel dimension lines is made equal. You can also make the dimension lines of a series of linear or angular dimensions line up by using a spacing value of 0. Spacing is applied only to parallel linear dimensions or to angular dimensions that share a common vertex. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Menu: Format ➤ Dimension Style Toolbar: Styles ➤ Dimension Style Summary The Dimension Style Manager is displayed. A dimension style is a named collection of dimension settings that control the appearance of dimensions. You create dimension styles to specify the format of dimensions quickly, and to ensure that dimensions conform to standards. If you enter -dimstyle at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Current Dimension Style Displays the name of the dimension style that is current. The default dimension style is STANDARD. The current style is applied to dimensions you create. Styles Lists dimension styles in the drawing. The current style is highlighted. Right-click in the list to display a shortcut menu with options to set the current style, rename styles, and delete styles.
Don’t List Styles in Xrefs When selected, suppresses display of dimension styles in externally referenced drawings in the Styles list. Preview Shows a graphic representation of the style selected in the Styles list. Description Describes the style selected in the Styles list relative to the current style. If the description is longer than the space provided, you can click in the pane and use arrow keys to scroll down. Set Current Sets the style selected under Styles to current.
Create New Dimension Style Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Names the new dimension style, sets the style on which to start the new one, and indicates the dimension types to which you want the new style to apply. List of Options The following options are displayed. New Style Name Specifies the new dimension style name. Start With Sets a style to use as a basis for the new one. For the new style, you change only the properties that differ from the properties you start with.
Displays the New Dimension Style dialog box, in which you define the new dimension style properties. New, Modify, and Override Dimension Style Dialog Boxes Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Set properties for dimension styles. Summary When you choose Continue in the Create New Dimension Style dialog box, the New Dimension Style dialog box is displayed. You define the properties for the new style in this dialog box.
Lines Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Sets the format and properties for dimension lines, extension lines, arrowheads, and center marks. Summary Sets the dimension line properties. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Displays and sets the color for the dimension line. If you click Select Color (at the bottom of the Color list), the Select Color dialog box is displayed. You can also enter a color name or number. (DIMCLRD system variable) You can select colors from the 255 AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) colors, true colors, and Color Book colors. Linetype Sets the linetype of the dimension line. (DIMLTYPE system variable) Lineweight Sets the lineweight of the dimension line.
Extension Lines Controls the appearance of the extension lines. Color Sets the color for the extension line. If you click Select Color (at the bottom of the Color list), the Select Color dialog box is displayed. You can also enter a color name or number. (DIMCLRE system variable.) You can select colors from the 255 AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) colors, true colors, and Color Book colors. Linetype Ext Line 1 Sets the linetype of the first extension line.
Specifies a distance to extend the extension lines above the dimension line. (DIMEXE system variable) Offset From Origin Sets the distance to offset the extension lines from the points on the drawing that define the dimension. (DIMEXO system variable) Fixed Length Extension Lines Enables fixed length extension lines. (DIMFXLON system variable) Length Sets the total length of the extension lines starting from the dimension line toward the dimension origin.
Symbols and Arrows Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Sets the format and placement for arrowheads, center marks, arc length symbols, and jogged radius dimensions. Summary Controls the appearance of the dimension arrowheads. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Sets the arrowhead for the first dimension line. When you change the first arrowhead type, the second arrowhead automatically changes to match it. (DIMBLK1 system variable) To specify a user-defined arrowhead block, select User Arrow. The Select Custom Arrow Block dialog box is displayed. Select the name of a user-defined arrowhead block. (The block must be in the drawing.) Second Sets the arrowhead for the second dimension line.
Line Creates a centerline. The size of the centerline is stored as a negative value in the DIMCEN system variable. Size Displays and sets the size of the center mark or centerline. (DIMCEN system variable) Dimension Break Controls the gap width of dimension breaks. Break Size Displays and sets the size of the gap used for dimension breaks. Arc Length Symbol Controls the display of the arc symbol in an arc length dimension.
Jog Angle Determines the angle of the transverse segment of the dimension line in a jogged radius dimension. (DIMJOGANG system variable) Linear Jog Dimension Controls the display of the jog for linear dimensions. Jog lines are often added to linear dimensions when the actual measurement is not accurately represent by the dimension. Typically the actual measurement is smaller than the desired value.
Text Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Sets the format, placement, and alignment of dimension text. List of Options The following options are displayed. Text Appearance Controls the dimension text format and size. Text Style Lists the available text styles.
Text Style Button Displays the Text Style Dialog Box on page 1846 where you can create or modify text styles. (DIMTXSTY system variable) Text Color Sets the color for the dimension text. If you click Select Color (at the bottom of the Color list), the Select Color dialog box is displayed. You can also enter color name or number. (DIMCLRT system variable) You can select colors from the 255 AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) colors, true colors, and Color Book colors.
Controls the vertical placement of dimension text in relation to the dimension line. (DIMTAD system variable) Vertical position options include the following: ■ Centered: Centers the dimension text between the two parts of the dimension line. ■ Above: Places the dimension text above the dimension line. The distance from the dimension line to the baseline of the lowest line of text is the current text gap. See the Offset from Dim Line option.
■ Over Ext Line 1: Positions the text over or along the first extension line. ■ Over Ext Line 2: Positions the text over or along the second extension line. View Direction Controls the dimension text viewing direction. (DIMTXTDIRECTION system variable) View Direction includes the following options: ■ Left-to-Right: Places the text to enable reading from left to right. ■ Right-to-Left: Places the text to enable reading from right to left.
Text Alignment Controls the orientation (horizontal or aligned) of dimension text whether it is inside or outside the extension lines. (DIMTIH and DIMTOH system variables) Horizontal Places text in a horizontal position. Aligned with Dimension Line Aligns text with the dimension line. ISO Standard Aligns text with the dimension line when text is inside the extension lines, but aligns it horizontally when text is outside the extension lines.
Fit Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Controls the placement of dimension text, arrowheads, leader lines, and the dimension line. List of Options The following options are displayed. Fit Options Controls the placement of text and arrowheads based on the space available between the extension lines.
When space is available, text and arrowheads are placed between the extension lines. Otherwise, text and arrowheads are placed according to the Fit options. (DIMATFIT, DIMTIX, and DIMSOXD system variables) Either Text or Arrows (Best Fit) Moves either the text or the arrowheads outside the extension lines based on the best fit (DIMATFIT system variable). ■ When enough space is available for text and arrowheads, places both between the extension lines.
■ When space is available for text only, places the text between the extension lines and places arrowheads outside them. ■ When not enough space is available for text, places both text and arrowheads outside the extension lines. Both Text and Arrows When not enough space is available for text and arrowheads, moves both outside the extension lines (DIMATFIT system variable). Always Keep Text Between Ext Lines Always places text between extension lines.
the dimension line. The leader line is omitted when text is too close to the dimension line. (DIMTMOVE system variable) Over the Dimension Line, Without Leader If selected, dimension lines are not moved when text is moved. Text that is moved away from the dimension line is not connected to the dimension line with a leader. (DIMTMOVE system variable) Scale for Dimension Features Sets the overall dimension scale value or the paper space scaling. Annotative Specifies that the dimension is .
Draws dimension lines between the measured points even when the arrowheads are placed outside the measured points. (DIMTOFL system variable) Preview Displays sample dimension images that show the effects of changes you make to dimension style settings. Primary Units Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Sets the format and precision of primary dimension units and sets prefixes and suffixes for dimension text.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Linear Dimensions Sets the format and precision for linear dimensions. Unit Format Sets the current units format for all dimension types except Angular. (DIMLUNIT system variable) The relative sizes of numbers in stacked fractions are based on the DIMTFAC system variable (in the same way that tolerance values use this system variable). Precision Displays and sets the number of decimal places in the dimension text.
For more information, see Control Codes and Special Characters on page 1928. Suffix Includes a suffix in the dimension text. You can enter text or use control codes to display special symbols. For example, entering the text mm results in dimension text similar to that shown in the illustration. When you enter a suffix, it overrides any default suffixes. (DIMPOST system variable) If you specify tolerances, the suffix is added to the tolerances as well as to the main dimension.
Sets the number of sub units to a unit. It is used to calculate the dimension distance in a sub unit when the distance is less than one unit. For example, enter 100 if the suffix is m and the sub-unit suffix is to display in cm. Sub-unit suffix Includes a suffix to the dimension value sub unit. You can enter text or use control codes to display special symbols. For example, enter cm for .96m to display as 96cm. Trailing Suppresses trailing zeros in all decimal dimensions. For example, 12.5000 becomes 12.
Suppresses trailing zeros in angular decimal dimensions. For example, 12.5000 becomes 12.5, and 30.0000 becomes 30. Preview Displays sample dimension images that show the effects of changes you make to dimension style settings. Alternate Units Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Specifies display of alternate units in dimension measurements and sets their format and precision.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Display Alternate Units Adds alternate measurement units to dimension text. Sets the DIMALT system variable to 1. Alternate Units Displays and sets the current alternate units format for all dimension types except Angular. Unit Format Sets the unit format for alternate units. (DIMALTU system variable) The relative sizes of numbers in stacked fractions are based on DIMTFAC (in the same way that tolerance values use this system variable).
Suffix Includes a suffix in the alternate dimension text. You can enter text or use control codes to display special symbols. For example, entering the text cm results in dimension text similar to that shown in the illustration. When you enter a suffix, it overrides any default suffixes. (DIMAPOST system variable) For more information, see Control Codes and Special Characters on page 1928.
Placement Controls the placement of alternate units in dimension text. After Primary Value Places alternate units after the primary units in dimension text. Below Primary Value Places alternate units below the primary units in dimension text. Preview Displays sample dimension images that show the effects of changes you make to dimension style settings. Tolerances Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dimension Styles Specifies the display and format of dimension text tolerances.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Tolerance Format Controls the tolerance format. Method Sets the method for calculating the tolerance. (DIMTOL system variable) ■ None: Does not add a tolerance. The DIMTOL system variable is set to 0. ■ Symmetrical: Adds a plus/minus expression of tolerance in which a single value of variation is applied to the dimension measurement. A plus-or-minus sign appears after the dimension. Enter the tolerance value in Upper Value.
■ Deviation: Adds a plus/minus tolerance expression. Different plus and minus values of variation are applied to the dimension measurement. A plus sign (+) precedes the tolerance value entered in Upper Value, and a minus sign (-) precedes the tolerance value entered in Lower Value. The DIMTOL system variable is set to 1. The DIMLIM system variable is set to 0. ■ Limits: Creates a limit dimension. A maximum and a minimum value are displayed, one over the other.
Sets the maximum or upper tolerance value. When you select Symmetrical in Method, this value is used for the tolerance. (DIMTP system variable) Lower Value Sets the minimum or lower tolerance value. (DIMTM system variable) Scaling for Height Sets the current height for the tolerance text. The ratio of the tolerance height to the main dimension text height is calculated and stored in the DIMTFAC system variable. Vertical Position Controls text justification for symmetrical and deviation tolerances.
Values are stacked by their operational symbols. Zero Suppression Controls the suppression of leading and trailing zeros and of feet and inches that have a value of zero. (DIMTZIN system variable) Zero suppression settings also affect real-to-string conversions performed by ® the AutoLISP rtos and angtos functions. Leading Suppresses leading zeros in all decimal dimensions. For example, 0.5000 becomes .5000. Trailing Suppresses trailing zeros in all decimal dimensions. For example, 12.5000 becomes 12.
0 Feet Suppresses the feet portion of a feet-and-inches dimension when the distance is less than 1 foot. For example, 0'-6 1/2" becomes 6 1/2". 0 Inches Suppresses the inches portion of a feet-and-inches dimension when the distance is an integral number of feet. For example, 1'-0" becomes 1'. Preview Displays sample dimension images that show the effects of changes you make to dimension style settings.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Compare Specifies the first dimension style for the comparison. With Specifies the second dimension style for the comparison. If you set the second style to or to the same style as the first, all the properties of the dimension style are displayed.
Summary You can save or restore dimensioning system variables to a selected dimension style. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current dimension style: Annotative: Enter a dimension style option [ANnotative on page 652/Save on page 652/Restore on page 652/STatus on page 653/Variables on page 653/Apply on page 653/? on page 653] : Enter an option or press Enter Annotative Creates an dimension style.
displayed, with the current setting in the first column, and the setting of the compared style in the second column. After the differences are displayed, the previous prompt returns. ?—List Dimension Styles Lists the named dimension styles in the current drawing. Select Dimension Makes the dimension style of the selected object the current dimension style. Status Displays the current values of all dimension system variables.
DIMTEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Dimension Text Moves and rotates dimension text and relocates the dimension line. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Text Angle Menu: Dimension ➤ Align Text ➤ Angle Toolbar: Dimension Summary The companion command that edits the dimension text and changes the extension line angle is DIMEDIT. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Right Right-justifies the dimension text along the dimension line. This option works only with linear, radius, and diameter dimensions. Center Centers the dimension text on the dimension line. This option works only with linear, radius, and diameter dimensions. Home Moves the dimension text back to its default position.
Angle Changes the angle of the dimension text. The center point of the text does not change. If the text moves or the dimension is regenerated, the orientation set by the text angle is retained. Entering an angle of 0 degrees puts the text in its default orientation. The text angle is measured from the X axis of the UCS. DIST Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain Distances, Angles, and Point Locations Measures the distance and angle between two points.
Summary In general, the DIST command reports 3D distances in model space and 2D distances on a layout in paper space. In model space, changes in X, Y, and Z component distances and angles are measured in 3D relative to the current UCS. In paper space, distances are normally reported in 2D paper space units. However, when using object snaps on model space objects that are displayed in a single viewport, distances are reported as 2D model space distances projected onto a plane parallel to your screen.
DISTANTLIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Distant Lights Creates a distant light. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Lights panel ➤ Distant Menu: View ➤ Render ➤ Light ➤ New Distant Light Toolbar: Lights List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify light direction FROM <0,0,0> or [Vector]: Specify a point or enter v Specify light direction TO <1,1,1>: Specify a point If you enter the Vector option, the following prompt is displayed: Specify vector direction <0.0000,-0.
Name Specifies the name of the light. You can use uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens (-), and underscores (_) in the name. The maximum length is 256 characters. Intensity/Intensity Factor Sets the intensity or brightness of the light. The range is 0.00 to the maximum value that is supported by your system. Status Turns the light on and off. If lighting is not enabled in the drawing, this setting has no effect.
If you enter k, you can specify the color of the light based on a Kelvin temperature value. Shadow Makes the light cast shadows. Off Turns off display and calculation of shadows for the light. Turning shadows off increases performance. Sharp Displays shadows with sharp edges. Use this option to increase performance. Soft Mapped Displays realistic shadows with soft edges. Specifies the amount of memory that should be used to calculate the shadow map.
Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Divide Menu: Draw ➤ Point ➤ Divide List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select object to divide: Use an object selection method Enter number of segments on page 661 or [Block]: Enter a value from 2 through 32,767, or enter b Number of Segments Places point objects at equal intervals along the selected objects. Use DDPTYPE on page 526 to set the style and size of all point objects in a drawing.
DONUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Donuts Creates a filled circle or a wide ring. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Donut Menu: Draw ➤ Donut Summary A donut consists of two arc polylines that are joined end-to-end to create a circular shape. The width of the polylines is determined by the specified inside and outside diameters. To create solid-filled circles, specify an inside diameter of zero. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Specify outside diameter of donut : Specify a distance or press Enter Specify center of donut or : Specify a point (1) or press Enter to end the command The location of the donut is set based on the center point. After you specify the diameters, you are prompted for the locations at which to draw donuts. A donut is drawn at each point specified (2). How the interior of a donut is filled depends on the current setting of the FILL command.
DRAGMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Controls the way dragged objects are displayed. Access Method Command entry: 'dragmode for transparent use List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter new value [ON/OFF/Auto] : Enter an option or press Enter On Permits dragging, but you must enter drag where appropriate in a drawing or editing command to initiate dragging. Off Ignores all dragging requests, including those embedded in menu items.
DRAWINGRECOVERY Quick Reference See also: ■ Recover from a System Failure Displays a list of drawing files that can be recovered after a program or system failure. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu ➤ Drawing Utilities ➤ Open the Drawing Recovery Manager Menu: File ➤ Drawing Utilities ➤ Drawing Recovery Summary Opens the Drawing Recovery Manager.
Summary You can preview and open each drawing or backup file to choose which one should be saved as the primary DWG file. List of Options The following options are displayed. Backup Files Displays the drawings that may need to be recovered after a program or system failure. A top-level drawing node contains a set of files associated with each drawing.
Open Opens the selected drawing or backup file for drawing recovery. You can select multiple files using Shift and Ctrl. Properties Displays the File Properties dialog box from Windows Explorer for the selected drawing or backup file. Expand All Expands all top-level drawing nodes. Access this option by right-clicking a blank area in the Backup Files area. Collapse All Collapses all top-level drawing nodes. Access this option by right-clicking a blank area in the Backup Files area.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Bring to Front Menu: Tools ➤ Draw Order ➤ Bring to Front Toolbar: Draw Order Shortcut menu: Select an object, right-click, and then click Draw Order. Summary Use the DRAWORDERCTL system variable to control the default display behavior of overlapping objects. In addition, the TEXTTOFRONT command brings all text and dimensions in a drawing in front of other objects, and the HATCHTOBACK command sends all hatch objects behind other objects.
some edit operations taking slightly longer. You can use DRAWORDERCTL to change the default draw order settings. DSETTINGS Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Precision Tools Sets grid and snap, polar and object snap tracking, object snap modes, Dynamic Input, and Quick Properties. Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Drafting Settings Shortcut menu: Right-click Snap, Grid, Polar, Osnap, Otrack, Dyn or Quick Properties on the status bar. Click Settings. Summary The Drafting Settings dialog box is displayed.
■ Object Snap on page 675 ■ 3D Object Snap on page 679 ■ Dynamic Input on page 684 ■ Quick Properties on page 686 ■ Selection Cycling on page 688 List of Options The following options are displayed. Snap and Grid Tab (Drafting Settings Dialog Box) Specifies Snap and Grid settings. Snap On Turns Snap mode on or off. You can also turn Snap mode on or off by clicking Snap on the status bar, by pressing F9, or by using the SNAPMODE system variable.
Specifies the snap spacing in the X direction. The value must be a positive real number. (SNAPUNIT system variable) Snap Y Spacing Specifies the snap spacing in the Y direction. The value must be a positive real number. (SNAPUNIT system variable) Equal X and Y Spacing Forces the X and Y spacing to the same values for snap spacing and for grid spacing. The snap spacing intervals can be different from the grid spacing intervals. Polar Spacing Controls the PolarSnap™ increment distance.
set on the Polar Tracking tab relative to the starting polar tracking point. (SNAPTYPE system variable) Grid On Turns the grid on or off. You can also turn grid mode on or off by clicking Grid on the status bar, by pressing F7, or by using the GRIDMODE on page 2348 system variable. Grid Style Sets the grid style in 2D contexts. You can also set grid style by using the GRIDSTYLE on page 2348 system variable. 2D Model Space Sets the grid style to dotted grid for 2D model space.
Grid Behavior Controls the appearance of the grid lines that are displayed when GRIDSTYLE on page 2348 is set to 0. Adaptive Grid Limits the density of the grid when zoomed out. (GRIDDISPLAY system variable) Allow Subdivision Below Grid Spacing: Generates additional, more closely spaced grid lines when zoomed in. The frequency of these grid lines is determined by the frequency of the major grid lines.
Polar Angle Settings Sets the alignment angles for polar tracking. (POLARANG system variable) Increment Angle Sets the polar increment angle used to display polar tracking alignment paths. You can enter any angle, or select a common angle of 90, 45, 30, 22.5, 18, 15, 10, or 5 degrees from the list. (POLARANG system variable) Additional Angles Makes any additional angles in the list available for polar tracking.
Applies polar tracking settings to object snap tracking. When you use object snap tracking, the cursor tracks along polar alignment angles from acquired object snap points. (POLARMODE system variable) NOTE Clicking Polar and Otrack on the status bar also turns polar tracking and object snap tracking on and off. Polar Angle Measurement Sets the basis by which polar tracking alignment angles are measured. Absolute Bases polar tracking angles on the current user coordinate system (UCS).
Object Snap Tracking On Turns object snap tracking on and off. With object snap tracking, the cursor can track along alignment paths based on other object snap points when specifying points in a command. To use object snap tracking, you must turn on one or more object snaps. (AUTOSNAP system variable) Object Snap Modes Lists object snaps that you can turn on as running object snaps.
Snaps to a point object, dimension definition point, or dimension text origin. Quadrant Snaps to a quadrant point of an arc, circle, ellipse, or elliptical arc. Intersection Snaps to the intersection of an arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, line, multiline, polyline, ray, region, spline, or xline. Extended Intersection is not available as a running object snap.
NOTE When working in perspective view, you cannot track along the extension line of an arc or elliptical arc. Insertion Snaps to the insertion point of an attribute, a block, a shape, or text. Perpendicular Snaps to a point perpendicular to an arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, line, multiline, polyline, ray, region, solid, spline, or xline. Deferred Perpendicular snap mode is automatically turned on when the object you are drawing requires that you complete more than one perpendicular snap.
Snaps to the nearest point on an arc, circle, ellipse, elliptical arc, line, multiline, point, polyline, ray, spline, or xline. Apparent Intersection Snaps to the visual intersection of two objects that are not in the same plane but may appear to intersect in the current view. Extended Apparent Intersection is not available as a running object snap. Apparent and Extended Apparent Intersection do not work with edges or corners of 3D solids.
3D Object Snap On Turns 3D object snaps on and off. The 3D object snaps selected under 3D Object Snap Modes are active while object snap is on. (3DOSMODE on page 2150 system variable) 3D Object Snap Modes Lists the 3D object snaps modes. Vertex Snaps to the closest vertex of a 3D object.
Midpoint on Edge Snaps to the midpoint of a face edge.
Snaps to the center of a face. Knot Snaps to a knot on a spline.
Perpendicular Snaps to a point perpendicular to a face. Nearest to Face Snaps to a point that is nearest to a 3D object face.
Select All Turns on all 3D object snap modes. Clear All Turns off all 3D object snap modes. Dynamic Input Tab (Drafting Settings Dialog Box) Controls pointer input, dimension input, dynamic prompting, and the appearance of drafting tooltips.
Enable Pointer Input Turns on pointer input. When pointer input and dimensional input are both turned on, dimensional input supersedes pointer input when it is available. (DYNMODE system variable) Pointer Input Displays the location of the crosshairs as coordinate values in a tooltip near the cursor. When a command prompts you for a point, you can enter coordinate values in the tooltip instead of in the Command window. Preview Area Shows an example of pointer input.
dimension tooltips change as you move the cursor. You can enter values in the tooltip instead of on the command line. Preview Area Shows an example of dimensional input. Settings Displays the Dimension Input Settings dialog box. Dynamic Prompts Displays prompts in a tooltip near the cursor when necessary in order to complete the command. You can enter values in the tooltip instead of on the command line. Preview Area Shows an example of dynamic prompts.
Enable Quick Properties Palette Displays the Quick Properties palette when you select objects, depending on the object type. (QPMODE on page 2496 system variable) The PICKFIRST on page 2468 system variable must be turned on to display the Quick Properties palette. Alternatively, you can enter the QUICKPROPERTIES on page 1600 command to select objects. Palette Display Sets the display settings of the Quick Properties palette. See Quick Properties for more information.
The Quick Properties palette displays in a location relative to the cursor. (QPLOCATION on page 2495 system variable) Quadrant: Specifies which of four quadrants relative to the cursor to display the Quick Properties palette relative to the cursor location. The default location is above and to the right of the cursor. Distance in Pixels: Specifies the distance in pixels from the cursor to display the Quick Properties palette. You can specify integer values from 0 to 400.
Allow Selection Cycling You can also set this option with the SELECTIONCYCLING on page 2525 system variable. Display Selection Cycling List Box Displays the Selection Cycling List box. Cursor Dependent Moves the list box relative to the cursor. Quadrant Specifies in which quadrant of the cursor to position the list box. Distance in Pixels Specifies the distance between the cursor and the list box. Static The list box does not move with the cursor and remains in the same position.
Pointer Input Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dynamic Input Controls the settings of pointer input tooltips. List of Options The following options are displayed. Format Controls coordinate format in the tooltips that are displayed when pointer input is turned on. Polar Format Displays the tooltip for the second or next point in polar coordinate format. Enter a comma (,) to change to Cartesian format.
When pointer input is turned on, displays tooltips only when you start to enter coordinate data. (DYNPIVIS system variable) When a Command Asks for a Point When pointer input is turned on, displays tooltips whenever a command prompts you for a point. (DYNPIVIS system variable) Always—Even When Not in a Command Always displays tooltips when pointer input is turned on.
Resulting Dimension Displays a length dimensional tooltip that is updated as you move the grip. Length Change Displays the change in length as you move the grip. Absolute Angle Displays an angle dimensional tooltip that is updated as you move the grip. Angle Change Displays the change in the angle as you move the grip. Arc Radius Displays the radius of an arc, which is updated as you move the grip.
Displays the Drawing Window Colors dialog box, where you can specify a color for drafting tooltips and their backgrounds in a specified context. Size Specifies a size for tooltips. The default size is 0. Use the slider to make tooltips larger or smaller. Transparency Controls the transparency of tooltips. The lower the setting, the less transparent the tooltip. A value of 0 sets the tooltip to opaque.
Select objects on page 694 or
Point Specification Rolls the view under the camera. The point you select with your pointing device is a start point for the dragging operation. Your viewing direction changes about the target point as you move the pointing device. The angles must be positive. The direction angle indicates the front of the view, and the magnitude angle determines how far the view rolls. Camera Specifies a new camera position by rotating the camera about the target point. Two angles determine the amount of rotation.
The illustration shows the camera rotating to the left from its initial position, leaving its angle from the XY plane unchanged. Toggle (Angle From) Switches between two angle input modes. Entering an angle at the Command prompt locks the cursor movement so you see only the positions available for that angle. Toggle unlocks the cursor movement for the angle, and you can use the cursor to rotate the camera. Target Specifies a new position for the target by rotating it around the camera.
Toggle (Angle From) Toggle (Angle From) on page 696 Distance Moves the camera in or out along the line of sight relative to the target. This option turns on perspective viewing, which causes objects farther from the camera to appear smaller than those closer to the camera. A special perspective icon replaces the coordinate system icon. You are prompted for the new camera-to-target distance. A slider bar along the top of the drawing area is labeled from 0x to 16x, with 1x representing the current distance.
The illustration shows the effect of moving the camera along the line of sight relative to the target, where the field of view remains constant. Points Locates the camera and target points using X,Y,Z coordinates. You can use XYZ point filters. To help you define a new line of sight, a rubber-band line is drawn from the current camera position to the crosshairs. You are prompted for a new camera location.
For information about entering direction and magnitude angles, see Point Specification. Pan Shifts the image without changing the level of magnification. Zoom If perspective viewing is off, dynamically increases or decreases the apparent size of objects in the current viewport. A slider bar along the top of the drawing area is labeled from 0x to 16x, with 1x representing the current scale. Moving the slider bar to the right increases the scale. Moving it to the left decreases the scale.
Twist Twists or tilts the view around the line of sight. The twist angle is measured counterclockwise, with 0 degrees to the right. Clip Clips the view, obscuring portions of the drawing that are behind or in front of the front clipping plane. The front and back clipping planes are invisible walls that you can position perpendicular to the line of sight between the camera and target. Back Obscures objects located behind the back clipping plane. ■ Distance from Target.
Front Obscures objects located between the camera and the front clipping plane. ■ Distance from Target.Positions the front clipping plane and turns on front clipping. A positive distance places the clipping plane between the target and the camera. A negative distance places it beyond the target. You can use the slider bar to drag the clipping plane. ■ Eye. Positions the front clipping plane at the camera. ■ On. Turns on front clipping. This option is available only when perspective viewing is off.
DWFADJUST Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Underlay Contrast, Fade, Monochrome, and Colors for the Background Adjust the fade, contrast, and monochrome settings of a DWF or DWFx underlay. Access Methods Button Ribbon: DWF Underlay contextual tab ➤ Adjust panel Summary You can change the default values for Fade, Contrast, and Monochrome for a single or multiple DWF and DWFx underlays. To confirm the settings on a selected DWF or DWFx underlay, use the Properties palette.
Contrast Controls the contrast, and indirectly, the fading effect, of the underlay. Values range from 0 through 100. The greater the value, the more each pixel is forced to its primary or secondary color. Monochrome Controls the color saturation of all linework while maintaining the luminance. When turned on, the linework appears in varying shades of gray starting at black if the background color luminance is 50 percent or more.
When you attach a DWF or DWFx file as an underlay, you link that referenced file to the current drawing. Any changes to the referenced file are displayed in the current drawing when it is opened or reloaded. NOTE If you plan to access DWF or DWFx files from the Vault client server, the Vault file open dialog box supersedes the Select DWF File dialog box. Access to the Vault client server is only available to Autodesk Subscription customers.
NOTE The Path Type group is disabled when you’re attaching a DWF or DWFx file that is stored on the Vault client server. This information is automatically entered by the Vault. Insertion Point Specifies the insertion point for the selected DWF file. Specify On-Screen is the default. The default insertion point is 0,0,0. Specify On-Screen Directs input at the Command prompt or the pointing device. If Specify On-Screen is cleared, enter the insertion point in X, Y, and Z.
Substitute DWF Name Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Files as Underlays Allows you to rename a DWF underlay if the name is not unique. Summary The names of DWF or DWFx references you attach must be unique. Attempts to attach two DWF or DWFx references that have the same name displays the Substitute DWF Name dialog box. New DWF Name Enter a unique name for the DWF or DWFx underlay you are attempting to attach. Once a new name is supplied, you can continue with the attachment process.
DWF Underlay Ribbon Contextual Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Underlays Change DWF underlay display, clip, layer, and osnap options. Summary When you select a DWF underlay in a drawing, the DWF Underlay Contextual tab is displayed on the ribbon. List of Panels Adjust Panel Contrast Controls the contrast and the fading effect of the underlay. The greater the value, the more each pixel is forced to its primary or secondary color. Fade Controls the appearance of linework.
External References Displays the External References palette. DWF Layers Panel Edit Layers Controls the display of layers in a DWF Underlay. -DWFATTACH Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Files as Underlays Attach a DWF underlay from the command line. Summary When you attach a DWF or DWFx file as an underlay, you link that referenced file to the current drawing. Any changes to the referenced file are displayed in the current drawing when it is opened or reloaded.
or “path name\filename.dgn” If you enter a valid DWF file name without a file extension, the program adds the extension and searches for the file. Enter Name of Sheet or ? Enter a sheet name. For a list of sheets, enter ?. Enter Sheet(s) to list <*> Lists the sheets available in the DWF file in a separate text window. Insertion Point Specifies the insertion point for the selected DWF file. Scale Factor Specifies the scale factor of the selected DWF underlay and the scale factor units.
Summary The clipping boundary determines the portion of an image outside the boundary that is hidden. The visibility of the clipping boundary is controlled by the DWFFRAME on page 2302 system variable. The boundary you specify must be in a plane parallel to the DWF or DWFx underlay. TIP Use the generic CLIP on page 341 command to clip images, external references, viewports, and underlays. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
NOTE You can only create a new clipping boundary for a selected DWF underlay when the old boundary is deleted. DWFFORMAT Quick Reference See also: ■ Publish Drawings Sets the default format to DWF or DWFx for output in specific commands. Summary The latest version of Autodesk’s Design Web Format (DWF) is DWFx. DWFx uses Microsoft’s XML Paper Specification (XPS) to provide viewing and publishing capabilities that are independent from Autodesk software.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Reference panel ➤ Underlay Layers Shortcut menu: Select a DWF or DWFx underlay, right-click in the drawing area, and choose DWF Layers Summary After selecting the DWF underlay, the Underlay Layers dialog box on page 1983 is displayed. The ULAYERS on page 1982 command allows you to manage the layers of all underlays in the current document: DWF, DWFx, PDF, and DGN.
Summary Opens the DWG Convert dialog box on page 713. All files to be converted are indicated by a check mark next to the file name. Right-click in the file display area to display a shortcut menu with several options. DWG Convert Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Convert Drawing File Formats Change drawings from one AutoCAD drawing type to another. Displays a list of drawing files that you want to convert. All files to be converted are indicated by a checkmark next to the file name.
List of Options The dialog box contains the following options Files Tree Tab Displays a list of drawing files selected for conversion. Includes the drawing name and path, current format, and conversion status. You can add drawing files by clicking the Add button or by dragging a file. You can sort the order of the drawings by clicking a column heading. Files Table Tab Displays the list of drawing files to be converted in a table format.
Conversion Setups Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Convert Drawing File Formats Creates, renames, modifies, and deletes conversion setups. List of Options Conversion Setups Displays a list of previously saved conversion setups as well as the default setup; Standard. New Opens the New Conversion Setup dialog box on page 716, where you can add a new conversion setup based on an existing conversion setup. Rename Renames a conversion setup that appears in the list.
New Conversion Setup Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Convert Drawing File Formats Creates a new conversion setup List of Options New Conversion Setup Name Enter the name of the new conversion setup. Based On Select an existing conversion setup that the new one will use as its basis.
List of Options Conversion Package Type Specifies the type and location of the selected conversion setup. In-place (Overwrite Files) Creates a conversion package of uncompressed files that overwrite the existing files in the original folder. Folder (Set of Files) Creates a conversion package of uncompressed files in a new or existing folder. Self-extracting Executable (*.exe) Creates a conversion package of files as a compressed, self-extracting executable file.
objects may have multiple scale representations. Annotative objects are decomposed and scale representations are saved to separate layers, which are named based on their original layer and appended with a number. Conversion File Folder Specifies the location in which the conversion package is created. Lists the last nine locations in which conversion packages were created. To specify a new location, click Browse and navigate to the location you want.
■ A Fonts folder is created, if necessary. ■ A PlotCfgs folder is created, if necessary. ■ A SheetSets folder is created to hold all support files for sheet sets, if necessary. The sheet set data (DST) file, however, is placed in the root folder. NOTE This option is not available if you're saving a conversion package to an Internet location. Source Root Folder Defines the source root folder for relative paths of drawing-dependent files, such as external references.
Replace Page Setups Page setups specified in drawings you want to convert can be replaced with a page setup from another drawing. When active, the Page Setups button is made available. Page Setups Opens the Page Setups dialog box where you can select a drawing that contains a page setup to apply to the converted drawings. Conversion Setup Description Enter a description for the conversion setup.
Drawing Properties Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings Displays read-only statistics or general information about your drawing, assigns summary properties, and assigns names and values to custom properties. These custom properties can help you identify your drawing. Summary Document properties are displayed in the list of field names in the Field dialog box on page 807.
List of Options The following options are displayed. File Name Shows the file icon and the file name. File Type, Location, Size Shows the file type, the file location, and the size of the file. MS-DOS Name, Created, Modified, Accessed Shows MS-DOS name, when the file was created, and the date and time it was last modified and last accessed. Attributes Shows system-level file attributes. These values can be modified in Windows Explorer.
Indicates that the file is hidden; you cannot see or use it unless you know its name. System Indicates that the file is a system file. A drawing cannot have the System attribute set. Summary Tab (Drawing Properties Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings Displays properties such as author, title, and subject that are predefined.
Specifies the title you want to use when searching for this drawing. The title can be different from the drawing file name. Subject Specifies the subject of the drawing. You can use the subject name to group drawings that have the same subject. Author Specifies the author of the drawing. The author name can only be entered or changed by the user. To change the author, delete the existing name and enter a new one. Keywords Specifies the keywords you want to use to locate the drawing.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Created Displays the date and time the drawing was created. This value is stored in the TDCREATE system variable. Modified Displays the date and time the drawing was last modified. This value is stored in the TDUPDATE system variable. Last Saved By Displays the name of the last person who modified the file. The Last Saved By name is stored in the LOGINNAME system variable. Revision Number Displays the revision number. This value is not accessible.
Custom Tab (Drawing Properties Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings Assigns custom properties to the drawing. Summary For example, you could create a custom property called Project and assign the actual project name as the value. To assign the same custom properties to a group of drawings, create the custom properties in a drawing template file. Custom properties are displayed in the list of field names in the Field dialog box.
Add Displays the Add Custom Property dialog box, where you can enter a name and a value for the new custom property. The name must be unique. The value can be left blank. Delete Deletes the custom property that is selected in the list. NOTE If you delete a custom property that is used in a field, the field displays #### the next time it is updated. Add Custom Property Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings Adds a custom property to the drawing file.
DXBIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Convert DXF and DXB Files to DWG Format Imports an AutoCAD DXB (drawing interchange binary) file. Access Methods Button Menu: Insert ➤ Drawing Exchange Binary Summary AutoCAD DXB files contain only 2D vectors in binary format with 16-bit integer precision. These vectors are imported as line objects, and they assume the current layer and object properties. The Select DXB File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed.
E Commands 6 EATTEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify a Block Attribute Definition Edits attributes in a block reference. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Block panel ➤ Edit Single Attribute Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ Attribute ➤ Single Toolbar: Modify II Summary Edits the values, text options, and properties of each attribute in a block. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
After you select a block with attributes, the Enhanced Attribute Editor is displayed. Enhanced Attribute Editor Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify a Block Attribute Definition Lists the attributes in a selected block instance and displays the properties of each attribute. Summary The Enhanced Attribute Editor contains the following tabs: ■ Attribute ■ Text Options ■ Properties List of Options The following options are displayed. Block Name of the block whose attributes you are editing.
Attribute Tab (Enhanced Attribute Editor) Displays the tag, prompt, and value assigned to each attribute. You can change only the attribute value. List Lists the attributes in the selected block instance and displays the tag, prompt, and value for each attribute. Value Assigns a new value to the selected attribute. Multiple-line attributes include a button with an ellipsis. Click to open the In-Place Text Editor with the Text Formatting toolbar and the ruler.
Text Style Specifies the text style for the attribute text. Default values for this text style are assigned to the text properties displayed in this dialog box. Justification Specifies how the attribute text is justified (left-, center-, or right-justified). Height Specifies the height of the attribute text. Rotation Specifies the rotation angle of the attribute text. Annotative Specifies that the attribute is . Click the information icon to learn more about annotative objects.
Specifies the angle that the attribute text is slanted away from its vertical axis. Not available for multiple-line attributes. Boundary Width Specifies the maximum length of the lines of text in a multiple-line attribute before wrapping to the next line. A value of 0.000 means that there is no restriction on the length of a line of text. Not available for single-line attributes.
If the current drawing uses color-dependent plot styles, the Plot Style list is not available. EATTEXT Quick Reference See also: ■ Extract Data Using the Data Extraction Wizard Exports block attribute information to a table or to an external file. Access Methods Button Menu: Tools ➤ Data Extraction Toolbar: Modify II Summary This command no longer displays the Attribute Extraction wizard and has been replaced by the Data Extraction wizard.
Extracts data as specified in an existing attribute extraction template (BLK) file created with the Attribute Extraction wizard in AutoCAD 2006 or data extraction (DXE) file created in AutoCAD 2007. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify edge of 3D face to toggle visibility or [Display]: Edge of 3D face to toggle visibility Controls the visibility of the edges you select. If the edges of one or more 3D faces are collinear, the program alters the visibility of each collinear edge. Display Selects invisible edges of 3D faces so that you can redisplay them. All Selects the hidden edges of all 3D faces in the drawing and displays them.
EDGESURF Quick Reference See also: ■ Construct Meshes from Other Objects Creates a mesh between four contiguous edges or curves. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Mesh Modeling tab ➤ Primitives panel ➤ Modeling, Meshes, Edge Surface Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Meshes ➤ Edge Mesh Summary Select four adjoining edges that define the mesh. The edges can be lines, arcs, splines, or open polylines. The edges must touch at their endpoints to form a single, closed loop. You can select the four edges in any order.
The MESHTYPE system variable sets which type of mesh is created. Mesh objects are created by default. Set the variable to 0 to create legacy polyface or polygon mesh. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Object 1 for surface edge Specifies the first edge to be used as a boundary. Object 2 for surface edge Specifies the second edge to be used as a boundary. Object 3 for surface edge Specifies the third edge to be used as a boundary.
Summary Commands can have abbreviated names called command aliases that you can enter at the Command prompt. Command aliases are defined in the PGP file. If you edit the PGP file while the program is running, enter REINIT to use the revised file. You can also restart program to reload the file automatically. EDITINFUSION Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify 3D Solids and Surfaces Using Inventor Fusion Edits solids and surfaces in Inventor Fusion.
Summary Displays the New View / Shot Properties Dialog Box on page 2018 with the Shot Properties tab on page 2023 active. ELEV Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the User Coordinate System (UCS) ■ Add 3D Thickness to Objects Sets elevation and extrusion thickness of new objects. Access Methods Command entry: 'elev for transparent use Summary The ELEV command sets the default Z value for new objects above or below the XY plane of the current UCS. This value is stored in the ELEVATION system variable.
Specify New Default Thickness The thickness sets the distance to which a 2D object is extruded above or below its elevation. A positive value is extruded along the positive Z axis; a negative value is extruded along the negative Z axis. ELLIPSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Ellipses Creates an ellipse or an elliptical arc.
Summary The first two points of the ellipse determine the location and length of the first axis. The third point determines the distance between the center of the ellipse and the end point of the second axis. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify axis endpoint on page 742 of ellipse or [Arc on page 743/Center on page 744/Isocircle on page 744]: Specify a point or enter an option Axis Endpoint Defines the first axis by its two endpoints.
Arc Creates an elliptical arc. The angle of the first axis determines the angle of the elliptical arc. The first axis can define either the major or the minor axis depending on its size. The first two points of the elliptical arc determine the location and length of the first axis. The third point determines the distance between the center of the elliptical arc and the endpoint of the second axis. The fourth and fifth points are the start and end angles.
■ Angle: Defines the end angle of the elliptical arc. The Angle option toggles from Parameter mode to Angle mode. The mode controls how the ellipse is calculated. ■ Included Angle: Defines an included angle beginning at the start angle. Center Creates an ellipse using a center point, the endpoint of the first axis, and the length of the second axis. You can specify the distances by clicking a location at the desired distance or by entering a value for the length.
Specify diameter of isocircle: Specify a distance ERASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Removes objects from a drawing. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Erase Menu: Modify ➤ Erase Toolbar: Modify Shortcut menu: Select the objects to erase, right-click in the drawing area, and click Erase. Summary You can erase selected objects from the drawing. This method does not move objects to the Clipboard, where they can then be pasted to another location.
ETRANSMIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Package a Set of Files for Internet Transmission Packages a set of files for Internet transmission. Access Methods Button Menu: Application Menu Menu: File ➤ eTransmit ➤ Publish ➤ eTransmit Summary The Create Transmittal dialog box is displayed. If you enter -etransmit at the Command prompt, options are displayed. When you select a set of drawing files in a transmittal package, it automatically includes all related dependent files such as xrefs and font files.
Summary All files to be included in the transmittal package are indicated by a check mark next to the file name. Right-click in the file display area to display a shortcut menu with several options. List of Options The following options are displayed. Sheets Tab Lists the sheets to be included in the transmittal package in a hierarchy based on sheet subsets. On this tab, you can create a transmittal package from a sheet set, sheet subset, or sheet.
The drawings to be transmitted are listed under the following categories: ■ Sheet Drawings. Lists the drawing files associated with the sheet set. ■ Sheet Set Files. Lists the support files associated with the sheet set. ■ Current Drawing. Lists the files associated with the current drawing. ■ User Added Files. Lists the files that have been added manually with the Add File option. Files Table Tab Displays the files to be included in the transmittal package in a table format.
Add File Opens a standard file selection dialog box, in which you can select an additional file to include in the transmittal package. This button is available on both the Files Tree tab and the Files Table tab. Enter Notes to Be Included with This Transmittal Package Provides a space where you can enter notes related to a transmittal package. The notes are included in the transmittal report.
the transmittal drawings, you are instructed where to copy these files so that they can be detected on the system where the transmittal package is being installed. If you have created a text file of default notes, the notes are also included in the report. Save As Opens a File Save dialog box, in which you can specify a location in which to save a report file.
New Transmittal Setup Name Enter the name of the new transmittal setup. Based On Select an existing transmittal setup from which the new one will be created. Rename Renames the currently highlighted transmittal setup. Modify Displays the Modify Transmittal Setup dialog box, in which you can specify options for the transmittal package. Delete Removes the currently highlighted transmittal setup.
List of Options The following options are displayed. List of Transmittal Setups Displays a list of transmittal setups. Check the ones that you want to import into the current sheet set. Description Displays the optional description that is stored with the selected transmittal setup. Current Sheet Set Storage Location Displays the storage location for the current sheet set.
Modify Transmittal Setup Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Package a Set of Files for Internet Transmission List of Options The following options are displayed. Transmittal Type and Location Specifies the type and path to the transmittal package created.
Specifies the type of transmittal package created. Transmittal Package Type Description Folder Creates a transmittal package of uncompressed files in a new or existing folder. Self-Extracting Executable Creates a transmittal package of files as a compressed, self-extracting executable file. Double-clicking the resulting EXE file decompresses the transmittal package and restores the files to the folder location that you specify. Zip Creates a transmittal package of files as a compressed ZIP file.
Transmittal File Name Specifies the method for naming the transmittal package. Displays the default file name for the transmittal package. This option is not available if the transmittal package type is set to Folder. Transmittal File Type Property Description Prompt for a File Name Displays a standard file selection dialog box where you can enter the name of the transmittal package. Uses a logical default file name.
■ A SheetSets folder is created to hold all support files for sheet sets, if necessary. The sheet set data (DST) file, however, is placed in the root folder. This option is not available if you're saving a transmittal package to an Internet location. Source Root Folder Defines the source root folder for relative paths of drawing-dependent files, such as xrefs. The source root folder also contains the sheet set data (DST) file when a sheet set is transmitted.
Insert Binds the DWG external reference to the current drawing in a way similar to detaching and inserting the reference drawing. Prompt for Password Opens the Transmittal - Set Password dialog box, where you can specify a password for your transmittal package. Purge Drawings Does a complete purge of all the drawings in the transmittal package. NOTE As the purge is done in silent mode, you will not receive any notifications when purged items in the drawings have been removed.
Transmittal Setup Description Enter a description for the transmittal setup. This description is displayed in the Create Transmittal dialog box below the list of transmittal file setups. You can select any transmittal setup in the list to display its description. Transmittal - Set Password Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Package a Set of Files for Internet Transmission List of Options The following options are displayed.
-ETRANSMIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Package a Set of Files for Internet Transmission List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [Create transmittal package/Report only/CUrrent setup/CHoose setup/Sheet set> : Enter an option Create Transmittal Package Packages a set of files according to the transmittal setups on page 749 for Internet transmission.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Explode Menu: Modify ➤ Explode Toolbar: Modify Summary Explodes a compound object when you want to modify its components separately. Objects that can be exploded include blocks, polylines, and regions, among others. The color, linetype, and lineweight of any exploded object might change. Other results differ depending on the type of compound object you're exploding. See the following list of objects that can be exploded and the results for each.
Block Removes one grouping level at a time. If a block contains a polyline or a nested block, exploding the block exposes the polyline or nested block object, which must then be exploded to expose its individual objects. Blocks with equal X, Y, and Z scales explode into their component objects. Blocks with unequal X, Y, and Z scales (nonuniformly scaled blocks) might explode into unexpected objects.
EXPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export Drawings to Other File Formats Saves the objects in a drawing to a different file format. Access Methods Button Menu: File ➤ Export Summary The Export Data dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. If you do not see the file format that you need in the Files of Type drop-down list, also check the PLOT command for other file types, including PDF.
■ FBX files (*.fbx): Autodesk® FBX files (see FBXEXPORT on page 799) ■ Lithography (*.stl): Solid object stereolithography file (see STLOUT) ■ Metafile (*.wmf): Microsoft Windows Metafile (see WMFOUT) ■ V7 DGN (*.dgn): MicroStation DGN file (see DGNEXPORT) ■ V8 DGN (*.dgn): MicroStation DGN file (see DGNEXPORT) ® -EXPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files ■ Export FBX Files Creates a DWF, DWFx, or PDF file from the command line.
Window Exports any portion of the drawing you specify in Model space. Click the Window button to use the mouse to specify opposite corners of the area to be exported, or enter coordinate values. Current Layout/All Layouts If you are exporting from paper space, specify to export the current layout or all layouts. Detailed Plot Configuration? Specifies detailed page settings for the Model tab or layout tab you are plotting. NOTE If you enter No, the Save As dialog appears if FILEDIA is set to 1.
EXPORTDWF Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Creates a DWF file and allows you to set individual page setup overrides on a sheet by sheet basis. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Output tab ➤ Export to DWF/PDF panel ➤ Export drop-down ➤ DWF Menu: Application Menu ➤ Export ➤ DWF Summary When you create DWF files with the EXPORTDWF command, you can quickly override the device driver’s page setup options, add a plot stamp, and change file options.
Sets file options such as file name and location when you create a DWFx file. Summary When you export your drawing to a DWF file, the Save As DWF dialog box appears. This dialog box allows you to specify the file name and location, but also allows you to change export, page setup, and plot stamp settings. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Export to DWF/PDF Options Palette Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Specifies the general export options for the DWF, DWFx, or PDF file, such as file location, password protection, and whether or not to include layer information. List of Options The following options are displayed. General DWF/PDF options Changes general settings for DWF, DWFx, and PDF files. Location Specifies where the DWF, DWFx, or PDF files are saved when you export drawings.
Password Enters the password for the DWF, DWFx, or PDF file. Block Information Specifies block property and attribute information in the DWF, DWFx, or PDF file Block Template File Provides options for creating a new block template (DXE) file, editing an existing block template file, or using the settings of a previously created block template file. Page Setup Override Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Allows you to override individual settings when you export a file.
Plot Style Table (Pen Assignments) Plot Style Name Select a plot style table from the drop-down list to apply to all layouts. Plot Style Table Editor Click to open the Plot Style Table Editor. Drawing Orientation Specify if the output displays in portrait or landscape. Plot Scale Fit to Paper Select to automatically scale the selection to fit the area on the paper size specified earlier. Scale Specify a scaling ratio for the drawing.
Summary With the Precision Presets Manage you can override the PC3 file’s dpi setting and automatically adjusts the dpi on a sheet-by-sheet basis during export and publish. The override calculation uses both the desired precision and the sheet scale to optimize the DWF, DWFx, and PDF file resolution. There are predefined settings for Manufacturing, Architecture, and Civil Engineering, or you can create your own. List of Options The following options are displayed.
New Precision Preset Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Allows you to name and describe a custom precision preset. Access Methods From the Export to DWF/PDF Options Palette, select Manage Precision Presets in Override Precision and click New. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Assign a name for the custom precision preset. Description (Optional) Enter a description for what this preset applies to.
Export to DWF/PDF Ribbon Panel Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Creates a DWFx file where you can set individual page setup overrides on a sheet-by-sheet basis. Summary With the Export DWF/PDF panel, you can quickly create DWF, DWFx, and PDF files and override page setup options without changing the default PC3 driver or resetting page setup options. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Preview Displays the objects in a Preview window before you export. Options Opens the Export to DWF/PDF Options palette where you can change DWF, DWFx, and PDF file settings such as file location, password-protection, and layer information. EXPORTDWFX Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Creates a DWFx file where you can set individual page setup overrides on a sheet-by-sheet basis.
Save as DWFx Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Sets file options such as file name and location when you create a DWFx file. Summary When you export your drawing to a DWFx file, the Save As DWFx dialog box appears. This dialog box allows you to specify the file name and location, but also allows you to change export, page setup, and plot stamp settings. List of Options The following options are displayed.
EXPORTLAYOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export a Layout to Model Space Creates a visual representation of the current layout in the model space of a new drawing. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu ➤ Save As ➤ Save Layout as a Drawing Shortcut menu: Right-click the layout tab and click Export Layout to Model. Summary Exported objects are duplicated visually in the new drawing and, as a result, they might be trimmed, scaled, copied, or exploded.
Export Layout to Model Space Drawing Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Export a Layout to Model Space Saves all visible objects from the current layout to the model space of a new drawing. Also exports objects that are outside the boundaries of the “paper” in the layout. Summary The Export Layout to Model Space Drawing dialog box is displayed. You can specify a file name and location. The default location is the location of the current drawing.
Ribbon: Output tab ➤ Export to DWF/PDF panel ➤ Export drop-down ➤ PDF Menu: Application Menu ➤ Export ➤ PDF Summary When you create PDF files with the EXPORTPDF command, you can quickly override the device driver’s page setup options, add a plot stamp, and change file options. You can change these settings in the Save as PDF dialog box. To include layer information, change file location, add password-protection, and other file options, use the Export to DWF/PDF Options palette.
Include Plot Stamp Select to include user-defined information such as drawing name, date and time, or plot scale in the PDF file. To edit the plot stamp, click the Plot Stamp button to open the Plot Stamp dialog box. Export Selects which part of the drawing to export. If you are in paper space, you can select the current layout or all layouts. If you are in model space, you can select the objects currently displayed, the drawing extents, or a selected area.
You can change export options such as file location and export options in the Save As dialog box. The default file format (DWF, DWFx, or PDF) set in EXPORTEPLOTFORMAT on page 2320, determines which dialog box appears: the Save as DWF dialog, the Save as DWFx dialog box, or the Save as PDF dialog box. EXPORTTOAUTOCAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Custom and Proxy Objects Creates a new DWG file with all AEC objects exploded.
Format Determines the drawing file format for the resulting drawing file. Bind Determines how xrefs are treated when creating the new drawing. Yes Binds all xrefs to the drawing. Layers and other xref-dependent named objects are merged into the new drawing. No Maintains the xrefs as links to other drawings. Bind Type Determines how xref-dependent objects are treated when the Bind option is turned on. Bind Maintains the names of layers and other xref-dependent objects when binding xrefs.
EXTEND Quick Reference See also: ■ Trim or Extend Objects Extends objects to meet the edges of other objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Extend Menu: Modify ➤ Extend Toolbar: Modify Summary To extend objects, first select the boundaries. Then press Enter and select the objects that you want to extend. To use all objects as boundaries, press Enter at the first Select Objects prompt. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Object to Extend Specifies the objects to extend. Press Enter to end the command. Shift-Select to Trim Trims the selected objects to the nearest boundary rather than extending them. This is an easy method to switch between trimming and extending. Fence Selects all objects that cross the selection fence. The selection fence is a series of temporary line segments that you specify with two or more fence points. The selection fence does not form a closed loop.
UCS Specifies projection onto the XY plane of the current user coordinate system (UCS). Objects that do not intersect with the boundary objects in 3D space are extended. View Specifies projection along the current view direction. Edge Extends the object to another object's implied edge, or only to an object that actually intersects it in 3D space. Extend Extends the boundary object along its natural path to intersect another object or its implied edge in 3D space.
No Extend Specifies that the object is to extend only to a boundary object that actually intersects it in 3D space. Undo Reverses the most recent changes made by EXTEND. EXTERNALREFERENCES Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach and Detach Referenced Drawings Opens the External References palette.
outside of the External References palette, the palette returns to its auto-hidden state. NOTE The FILEDIA system variable is ignored when attaching files from the External References palette. External References Palette Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach and Detach Referenced Drawings Manage external references attached to the current drawing.
External References Palette Buttons Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach and Detach Referenced Drawings Use the buttons at the top of the External References palette to choose the types of files to attach to the drawing and to refresh the status of file references that you already have attached. List of Options The following options are displayed. Attach (file type) Button The Attach button displays a list of file types that you can attach. The following options are displayed: ■ Attach DWG.
File References List View / Tree View Pane Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach and Detach Referenced Drawings The upper File References pane displays a list of all file references in the current drawing. You can display these file references in a list or in a tree structure. List of Options The following options are displayed. List View The listed information includes the reference name, status, file size, file type, creation date and saved path.
Size The size of the attached file reference. Type The file type of the referenced file. Drawing (Xref) files display as attachments or overlays, raster images show their file format; and DWF, DWFx, DGN, and PDF underlays are listed as their respective file types. Date The date when the referenced file was created or last saved. Saved Path Displays the path that is saved with the drawing when the referenced file is attached. Tree View The top level of the tree view always shows the current drawing.
No Reference Selected When no file references are selected, the shortcut menu presents the following functions: Menu Item Description Reload All References Reloads all referenced files. (Unavailable if no file references are attached) Select All Selects all file references, excluding the current drawing. This item is not displayed in tree view. Attach DWG Starts the XATTACH command. Attach Image Starts the IMAGEATTACH command. Attach DWF Starts the DWFATTACH command.
Menu Item Description Reference Status Attach Allows you to change settings such as scale, insertion point, and path type. You can also attach a different page from the attached PDF file, a different sheet from an attached DWF file, or a different model name from an attached DGN file. Always available - status has no affect on this function. Unload Unloads the selected file references. Always available - status has no affect on this function. Reload Reloads the selected file references.
The lower data pane of the External References palette can be set to display file reference properties or a preview image of the selected file reference. List of Options The following options are displayed. Details Pane When displaying the Details mode, properties for the selected file reference are reported. Each file reference has a core set of properties and some file references, like referenced images, display properties specific to the file type.
Found At Displays the full path of the currently selected file reference. This is where the referenced file is actually found and is not necessarily the same as the saved path. Clicking the […] button displays the Select Image File dialog box where you can select a different path or file name. You can also type directly into the path field. These changes are stored to the Saved Path property if the new path is valid. File Version File Version property defined by the Vault client.
Messaging Field Below the Details / Preview pane is a messaging field that supplies information about certain selected file references. When you select one or more nested references, information is displayed regarding the file references. Messages also appear if you decide the change the name of a file reference. EXTERNALREFERENCESCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach and Detach Referenced Drawings Closes the External References palette.
Toolbar: Modeling Summary You can extrude either an open or closed object to create a 3D surface or solid. If you extrude a surface, you will create a regular surface or a NURBS surface depending on how the SURFACEMODELINGMODE on page 2560 system variable is set. To extrude meshes, use the MESHEXTRUDE on page 1150 command.
Object type Can be extruded? Can be extrusion path? Elliptical arcs X X Helixes Comments X Lines X X Meshes: faces X Meshes: edges X X 2D Polylines X X 3D Polylines X X Regions X 2D Solids X 3D Solids: edges X 3D Solids: faces X Splines: 2D and 3D X X Surfaces: edges X X Surfaces: planar and non-planar X X Traces X 2D polylines with crossing segments cannot be extruded. Thickness and width are ignored. The extrusion extends from the center line.
Objects to Extrude Specifies the objects to extrude. NOTE Select face and edge subobjects by pressing Ctrl while you select them. Mode Controls whether the extruded object is a solid or a surface. Surfaces are extruded as either NURBS surfaces or procedural surfaces, depending on the SURFACEMODELINGMODE on page 2560 system variable. Height of extrusion Extrudes objects along the positive Z axis of the object's coordinate system if you enter a positive value.
NOTE Select face and edge subobjects by pressing Ctrl while you select them. The path should not lie on the same plane as the object, nor should the path have areas of high curvature. The extrusion starts from the plane of the object and maintains its orientation relative to the path. If the path contains segments that are not tangent, the program extrudes the object along each segment and then miters the joint along the plane bisecting the angle formed by the segments.
When an arc is part of a tapered extrusion, the angle of the arc remains constant, and the radius of the arc changes. ■ Angle of taper. Specifies the taper between -90 and +90 degrees. ■ Specify two points. Specifies the taper angle based on two specified points. The taper angle is the distance between the two specified points. Drag the cursor horizontally to specify and preview the taper angle. You can also drag the cursor to adjust and preview the height of the extrusion.
7 F Commands FBXEXPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export FBX Files Creates an Autodesk® FBX file containing selected objects in the current drawing. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu ➤ Export ➤ FBX Summary The FBX Export dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box on page 1311) is displayed. Once you select an FBX file, the FBX Export Options on page 800 dialog box is displayed. If you enter -fbxexport at the command prompt, options are displayed.
FBX Export Options Dialog Box Quick Reference Specifies the export settings for the FBX file. Summary Specifies what to export to the FBX file and how to export textures. List of Options The following options are displayed. Export Specifies whether to export the entities that are selected in the drawing or the entities that are visible in the current viewport. Only the entities that are specified under Export by Type are eligible to be exported.
Cameras Exports selected or visible cameras and camera views, depending on whether the Export option is set to Selected Entities or Visible Entities. The current camera is exported as Camera0. Materials Exports materials that are applied to the selected or visible objects, depending on whether the Export option is set to Selected Entities or Visible Entities. Textures Specifies how to export a material’s texture. Embed Embeds textures in the exported FBX file.
Select the objects in the drawing to export to FBX and press Enter. You can select 3D objects, lights, cameras, and materials to export. As you select, the list of selected items displays. A list of all exportable items in the drawing is displayed. Specify types to export [Settings, All types] : Settings Prompts you to individually confirm or deny exporting the selected items. You can remove any of the selected items from being exported using this option.
FBXIMPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Import FBX Files Imports an Autodesk® FBX file, which can contain objects, lights, cameras and materials. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Import panel ➤ Import Summary The FBX Import Options dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box on page 1311) is displayed. Once you select an FBX file, the FBX Import Options on page 803 dialog box is displayed. If you enter at -fbximport the command prompt, options are displayed on page 805.
Summary Specifies what to import, how to assign layers for the imported objects, the conversion units, and whether to import the FBX file as a block. List of Options The following options are displayed. Import Specifies what to import. Objects Imports all objects. The number of objects in the FBX file is indicated in parentheses. Lights Imports all Point, Spot, Distant, Photometric, Sun, and Sky lights. The number of lights in the FBX file is indicated in parentheses.
Current Layer Assigns the imported objects to the current layer. By Material New layers are created based on the number of materials imported and objects are placed on the new layers. The layer names correspond to the material names. Unit Conversion Displays the units of measurement for the current drawing and imported file and sets the conversion. FBX File Units Displays the unit of measurement for the imported FBX file. Current Drawing Units Displays the unit of measurement for the current drawing.
Select your choice in the following prompts to import objects, lights, cameras, and materials from the FBX file. Import objects? [Yes/No] : All objects are imported. Import lights? [Yes/No] : Point, Spot, Distant, Photometric, Sun, and Sky lights are imported. AutoCAD settings are applied for Plot Glyph, Glyph Display, Targeted (Geometry), and Render Shadow Details properties of the imported lights.
FIELD Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Fields in Text Creates a multiline text object with a field that can be updated automatically as the field value changes. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Data panel ➤ Field Menu: Insert ➤ Field Shortcut menu: Right-click while editing text in an in-place text editor, and click Insert Field. Summary Fields can be inserted in any kind of text except tolerances. The FIELDEVAL system variable and the UPDATEFIELD command determine how fields are updated.
Summary The options available change based on the selected field category and field name. List of Options The following options are displayed. Field Category Sets the types of fields to be listed under Field Names (for example, Date & Time, Document, and Objects). Field Names Lists the fields that are available in a category. Select a field name to display the options available for that field.
Field Expression Displays the expression that underlies the field. The field expression cannot be edited, but you can learn how fields are constructed by reading this area. Options for Sheet Set and Sheet View Fields Sheet Set Specifies the name of the sheet set. Sheet Navigation Tree Displays a tree view of sheets or sheet views from the Sheet Set Manager, from which you can select an item for the field. Property Displays the properties available as fields for the item selected in the tree.
For example, with SheetSet Placeholder selected in the Field Names list, SheetTitle selected in the Placeholder Type list, and Uppercase selected in the Format list, Temporary Value displays SHEETTITLE. When the drawing is placed in a sheet set, this field displays the title of the sheet. Options for Fields in the Objects Field Category Named Object Type/Object Type When NamedObject is selected in Field Names, lists the types of named objects in the drawing.
FILL Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills, Lineweights, and Text Controls the filling of objects such as hatches, 2D solids, and wide polylines. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter mode [ON/OFF] : Enter on or off, or press Enter On Turns on Fill mode. For the filling of a 3D object to be visible, its extrusion direction must be parallel to the current viewing direction, and hidden lines must not be suppressed.
FILLET Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Fillets Rounds and fillets the edges of objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Fillet. Menu: Modify ➤ Fillet Toolbar: Modify Summary In the example, an arc is created that is tangent to both of the selected lines. The lines are trimmed to the ends of the arc. To create a sharp corner instead, enter a radius of zero. You can fillet arcs, circles, ellipses, elliptical arcs, lines, polylines, rays, splines, and xlines.
First Object Selects the first of two objects required to define a 2D fillet or selects the edge of a 3D solid to round or fillet the edge. Select second object or shift-select to apply corner: Use an object selection method or hold down Shift and select an object to create a sharp corner If you select lines, arcs, or polylines, their lengths adjust to accommodate the fillet arc. You can hold down Shift while selecting the objects to override the current fillet radius with a value of 0.
If you select a 3D solid, you can select multiple edges, but you must select the edges individually. Enter fillet radius : Specify a distance or press Enter Select an edge or [Chain/Loop/Radius]: Select edge(s), enter c, l, or r Edge Selects a single edge. You can continue to select single edges until you press Enter.
Edge Switches to a single-edge selection mode. Loop Specifies a loop of edges on the face of a solid. For any edge, there are two possible loops. After selecting a loop edge, you are prompted to Accept the current selection, or choose the Next loop. Radius Defines the radius of the rounded edge. Undo Reverses the previous action in the command. Polyline Inserts fillet arcs at each vertex of a 2D polyline where two line segments meet.
FILLETEDGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Fillets ■ Modify Edges on 3D Objects Rounds and fillets the edges of solid objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Solid tab ➤ Solid Editing panel ➤ Fillet Edge Menu: Modify ➤ Solid Editing ➤ Fillet Edges Toolbar: Solid Editing Summary You can select more than one edge. Enter a value for the fillet radius or click and drag the fillet grip.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select an Edge Specifies one or more edges on the same solid body to fillet. After pressing Enter, you can drag the fillet grip to specify a radius, or use the Radius option. Chain Specifies more than one edge when the edges are tangent to one another. Loop Specifies a loop of edges on the face of a solid. For any edge, there are two possible loops. After selecting a loop edge you are prompted to Accept the current selection or choose the Next loop.
Creates a list of requirements that an object must meet to be included in a selection set. Access Methods Command entry: 'filter for transparent use Summary The Object Selection Filters dialog box is displayed. Object Selection Filters Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Objects by Properties Selects, edits, and names filters for object selection. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Select Filter Adds filter properties to the current filter. Object Types and Logical Operators Lists object types that you can filter and logical operators (AND, OR, XOR, and NOT) for grouping the filter expressions. If you use logical operators, make sure that you pair and balance them correctly in the filter list. The number of operands you can enclose depends on the operation.
Add to List Adds the current Select Filter property to the filter list. Filter properties that you add to the unnamed filter remain available during the current work session unless you manually delete them. Substitute Replaces the filter property selected in the filter property list with the one displayed in Select Filter. Add Selected Object Adds one selected object in the drawing to the filter list. Edit Item Moves the selected filter property into the Select Filter area for editing.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Text panel ➤ Find Text Menu: Edit ➤ Find Toolbar: Text Formatting Shortcut menu: With no commands active, right-click in the drawing area and click Find. Summary The Find and Replace dialog box is displayed. Find and Replace Dialog Box - FIND Quick Reference See also: ■ Find and Replace Text Specifies the text you want to find, replace, or select and controls the scope and results of the search.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Find What Specifies the text string you want to find. Enter a text string, including any wild-card characters, or choose one of the six most recently used strings from the list. For more information on wild-card searches, see Find and Replace Text in the User’s Guide. Replace With Specifies the text string you want to use to replace the found text. Enter a string, or choose one of the most recently used strings from the list.
Closes the dialog box temporarily so that you can select objects in your drawing. Press Enter to return to the dialog box. When you select objects, Find Where displays Selected Objects by default. List Results Lists results in a table displaying the location (model or paper space), object type, and text. The resulting table can be sorted by column. Advanced Find Options Displays options to define the type of objects and words that you want to find.
Search Options Defines the type of objects and words to be found. Match Case Includes the case of the text in Find What as part of the search criteria. Find Whole Words Only Finds only whole words that match the text in Find What. For example, if you select Find Whole Words Only and search for “Front Door,” FIND does not locate the text string “Front Doormat.” Use Wildcards Allows the use of wild-card characters in searches.
Single-Line or Multiline Text Includes text objects such as single-line and multiline text in search results. Table Text Includes text found in AutoCAD table cells in search results. Hyperlink Description Includes text found in hyperlink descriptions in search results. Hyperlink Includes hyperlink URLs in search results. FLATSHOT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Flattened View Creates a 2D representation of all 3D objects based on the current view.
Flatshot Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Flattened View Creates a 2D representation of all 3D objects based on the current view.
Summary The edges of all 3D solids and surfaces are projected line-of-sight onto a plane parallel to the viewing plane. The 2D representations of these edges are inserted as a block on the XY plane of the UCS. This block can be exploded for additional changes. The result can also be saved as a separate drawing file. List of Options The following options are displayed. Destination Controls where the flattened representation is created.
Closes the dialog box temporarily while you select the block you are replacing in the drawing. When you finish selecting the block, press Enter to re-display the Flatshot dialog box. Block Selected / No Block Selected Indicates whether a block has been selected. Export to a File Saves the block to an external file. Foreground Lines Contains controls for setting the color and linetype of lines that are not obscured in the flattened view.
FREESPOT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Spotlights Creates free spotlight which is similar to a spotlight without a specified target. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Falloff Specifies the angle that defines the full cone of light, which is also known as the field angle. This value can range from 0 to 160 degrees. The default is 50 degrees or the equivalent values based on AUNITS. The falloff angle must be greater than or equal to the hotspot angle. Status Turns the light on and off. If lighting is not enabled in the drawing, this setting has no effect. Photometry Photometry is available when the LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to 1 or 2.
Shadow Makes the light cast shadows. Off Turns off display and calculation of shadows for the light. Turning shadows off increases performance. Sharp Displays shadows with sharp edges. Use this option to increase performance. Soft Mapped Displays realistic shadows with soft edges. Map Size Specifies the amount of memory that should be used to calculate the shadow map. Softness Specifies the softness that should be used to calculate the shadow map.
Attenuation Start Limit Specifies the point where light starts as an offset from the center of the light. The default is 0. Attenuation End Limit Specifies the point where light ends as an offset from the center of the light. No light is cast beyond this point. Setting an end limit increases performance where the effect of lighting is so minimal that the calculations are wasted processing time. Color/Filter Color Controls the color of the light. True Color Specifies a True Color.
Intensity Factor Sets the intensity or brightness of the light. The range is 0.00 to the maximum value that is supported by your system. Status Turns the light on and off. If lighting is not enabled in the drawing, this setting has no effect. Photometry Photometry is available when the LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to 1 or 2. Photometry is the measurement of the luminous intensities of visible light sources.
File Specifies which web file to use to define the properties of the web. Web files have the file extension .ies. X Specifies the X rotation for the web. Y Specifies the Y rotation for the web. Z Specifies the Z rotation for the web. Shadow Makes the light cast shadows. Off Turns off display and calculation of shadows for the light. Turning shadows off increases performance. Sharp Displays shadows with sharp edges. Use this option to increase performance.
G Commands 8 GCCOINCIDENT Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Constrains two points together or a point to a curve (or an extension of a curve). Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Geometric panel ➤ Coincident Menu: Parametric ➤ Geometric Constraints ➤ Coincident Toolbar: Geometric Constraint Summary This command is equivalent to the Coincident option in GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856.
Following are the valid constraint objects and points: ■ Line ■ Polyline segment ■ Circle ■ Arc ■ Polyline arc ■ Ellipse ■ Spline ■ Two valid constraint points List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select first point on page 836 or [Object on page 836/Autoconstrain on page 836]
GCCOLLINEAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Causes two or more line segments to lie along the same line. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Geometric panel ➤ Collinear Menu: Parametric ➤ Geometric Constraints ➤ Collinear Toolbar: Geometric Constraint Summary This command is equivalent to the Collinear option in GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856.
Second object Selects the second object to be constrained. Multiple Picks successive points or objects to be made collinear with the first object. GCCONCENTRIC Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Constrains two arcs, circles, or ellipses to the same center point.
Select first object on page 839: Select a circle, arc, or ellipse Object Selects an object to be constrained. First object Selects the first circle, arc, or ellipse to be constrained. Second object Selects the second circle, arc, or ellipse to be constrained. GCEQUAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Resizes selected arcs and circles to the same radius, or selected lines to the same length.
■ Polyline arc List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select first object on page 840 or [Multiple on page 840]: Select an object or enter m to select multiple objects Object Selects an object to be constrained. First object Selects the first object to be constrained. Second object Selects the second object to be made equal with the first object. Multiple Picks successive objects to be made equal with the first object.
When you apply the Fix constraint to a point on an object, you lock the node in place. You can move the object around the locked node. When you apply the Fix constraint to an object, the object is locked and cannot be moved.
Summary This command is equivalent to the Horizontal option in GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856. You can select different constraint points on the same object or different objects. The following are the valid constraint objects and points: ■ Line ■ Polyline segment ■ Ellipse ■ Multiline text ■ Two valid constraint points List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
GCPARALLEL Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Causes selected lines to lie parallel to each other.
Summary This command is equivalent to the Parallel option in GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856. Following are the valid constraint objects and points: ■ Line ■ Polyline segment ■ Ellipse ■ Multiline text GCPERPENDICULAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Causes selected lines to lie 90 degrees to one another.
■ Polyline segment ■ Ellipse ■ Multiline text GCSMOOTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Constrains a spline to be contiguous and maintain G2 continuity with another spline, line, arc, or polyline. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Geometric panel ➤ Smooth Menu: Parametric ➤ Geometric Constraints ➤ Smooth Toolbar: Geometric Constraint Summary This command is equivalent to the Smooth option in GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856.
NOTE Endpoints of the curves to which you apply the smooth constraints are made coincident. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select first spline curve on page 846: Select a spline object Curve Selects an endpoint of a curve. First Spline Curve Selects the first spline curve to be constrained. Second Curve Selects the second curve to be made continuous with the first spline curve.
For lines, the line’s angle is made symmetric (and not the endpoints). For arcs and circles, the center and radius are made symmetric (not the endpoints of the arc). Following are the valid constraint objects and points: ■ Line ■ Polyline segment ■ Circle ■ Arc ■ Polyline arc ■ Ellipse NOTE You must have an axis around which you will constrain the objects or points to be symmetrical. This is referred to as the symmetry line. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
GCTANGENT Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Constrains two curves to maintain a point of tangency to each other or their extensions. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Geometric panel ➤ Tangent Menu: Parametric ➤ Geometric Constraints ➤ Tangent Toolbar: Geometric Constraint Summary This command is equivalent to the Tangent option in GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856.
GCVERTICAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Causes lines or pairs of points to lie parallel to the Y axis of the current coordinate system. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Parametric tab ➤ Geometric panel ➤ Vertical Menu: Parametric ➤ Geometric Constraints ➤ Vertical Toolbar: Geometric Constraint Summary This command is equivalent to the Vertical option in GEOMCONSTRAINT on page 856.
Select an object or [2Points on page 850] <2Points>: Select an object or two constraint points 2Points Selects two constraint points instead of an object. GEOGRAPHICLOCATION Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Geographic Location of a Drawing Specifies the geographic location information for a drawing file.
Define Geographic Location Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Geographic Location of a Drawing Defines a geographic location. List of Options The following options are displayed. Import a .kml or a .kmz File Displays the Import a .kml or .kmz file dialog box. Import the Current Location from Google Earth Retrieves location information from a specific location in Google Earth. NOTE Google Earth should be installed and open with the location selected.
Edit Current Geographic Location Displays the Geographic Location Dialog Box on page 852, where you can edit the existing location information. Redefine Geographic Location Displays the Define Geographic Location Dialog Box on page 851, where you can redefine the geographic location. Remove Geographic Location Displays a confirmation dialog box before removing the geographic location.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Latitude and Longitude Displays or sets latitude, longitude, and direction in decimal values. Decimal Lat / Long Sets the format of the latitude and longitude representation in the drawing. Use Map Displays the Location Picker Dialog Box on page 855. Specifies a location by using the pointing device. The latitude and longitude values are updated when you select a location.
The valid range is -90 and +90 as a floating point number. (LATITUDE on page 2393 system variable). North/South Controls whether a positive value is north of the equator or a positive value is south of the equator. Longitude Displays the longitude of the current location. You can enter a value or select a location on the map. The valid range is -180 to +180 as a floating point number. (LONGITUDE on page 2416 system variable).
Elevation Sets the relative height along the specified up-direction defined for a geographic location. North Direction By default, north is the positive Y direction in the World Coordinate System (WCS). Angle Specifies the angle from 0 for the north direction Pick Point Specifies the north angle based on the direction vector specified. A rubber band line appears denoting the north direction. Interactive North Direction Preview Specifies the north angle. The range is 0-359.9.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Map Specifies a location on the map. Region Specifies a region of the world. Nearest City Specifies a city in the selected region. Time Zone Time zones are estimated by reference to the location. You can set the time zone directly (TIMEZONE on page 2577 system variable). Nearest Big City Uses the latitude and longitude values for the nearest big city that you select.
Summary When you apply a geometric constraint to a pair of objects, the order in which the objects are selected and the point on which each object is selected can affect how the objects are positioned relative to each other. The following table outlines the valid constraint points for an object.
Smooth (GCSMOOTH on page 845) Constrains a spline to be contiguous and maintain G2 continuity with another spline, line, arc, or polyline. Coincident (GCCOINCIDENT on page 835) Constrains two points together or a point to a curve (or an extension of a curve). Concentric (GCCONCENTRIC on page 838) Constrains two arcs, circles, or ellipses to the same center point. Collinear (GCCOLLINEAR on page 837) Causes two or more line segments to lie along the same line.
NOTE You may first be prompted to log in to AutoCAD WS. If you do not have an account, click Create an Account and follow the on-screen instructions. Get Link Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use AutoCAD WS for Drawing File Collaboration Generates a URL to the AutoCAD WS online copy of the current drawing. Summary A public URL is provided to the online copy of the current drawing. Clicking the generated link opens the drawing in a new AutoCAD WS Editor in a browser.
Permissions Defines the access permissions for each recipient. ■ Edit. Allows recipients to edit any object in the shared drawing. When this option is cleared, recipients can mark up and add to the drawing, but they cannot change existing objects. ■ Download. Allows recipients to download a copy of the drawing. GOTOURL Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Hyperlink to Access a File or a Web Page Opens the file or web page associated with the hyperlink attached to an object.
Menu: Draw ➤ Gradient Toolbar: Draw Summary When the ribbon is active, the Hatch Creation contextual tab on page 888 is displayed. When the ribbon is off, the Hatch and Gradient dialog box on page 876 is displayed. A gradient fill creates a smooth transition between one or two colors. GRAPHICSCONFIG Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Sets options for 3D display performance. Summary Displays the Manual Performance Tuning dialog box.
Summary These options are set automatically by the performance tuner. You can set them manually in this dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Sets a driver for the graphics card and sets options for hardware acceleration.
Uses hardware acceleration. For information on why hardware acceleration might not be available, see Hardware Acceleration Troubleshooting in the Driver and Peripheral Guide. ■ Green check mark indicates a graphics card that is certified and can run all features. ■ Yellow warning indicates a graphics card that is certified and cannot run all features. If the graphics card is unknown, the performance tuner displays the yellow warning, and you can use hardware acceleration at your own risk.
NOTE Enhanced 3D performance effect must be turned on. ■ Texture compression. Enables the use of texture compression to reduce the amount of video memory required to open and display a drawing that contains materials with images or has attached images. NOTE With this option turned on, the time it takes to load the images might increase the first time that they are accessed, and there is a reduction in the quality of the images when they are displayed in the viewport or plotted. ■ Enhanced 2D precision.
This is useful when using objects that were imported through 3DSIN, or when using PFACE objects. When you select this option, all objects in the drawing are made smooth. If you don’t want all objects to be smooth, recreate the model using a different object type. Transparency Quality Adjusts the transparency quality used when viewing or rendering a model. The transparency quality used is dependent on if software or hardware acceleration are used, or if a model is being rendered.
■ High quality enables transparency and the opacity assigned to a material is mapped directly to Mental Ray rendering engine. Drawing Settings Sets performance values on a drawing level. Dynamic Tessellation Sets the options that determine the smoothness of the objects in a drawing. Objects are drawn using many short lines (or triangles when drawing spheres) called tessellation lines. Objects in your drawing appear smoother when you use more tessellation lines.
-GRAPHICSCONFIG Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Sets options for 3D display performance on the command line. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter option [General Options on page 867/acceLeration on page 867] : General Options Sets performance-related options that are not hardware dependent. Discard Backfaces Discards back faces when drawing objects.
Hardware Specifies hardware acceleration. The hardware graphics card performs most of the drawing tasks in 3D to increase performance. ■ Enhanced 3D Performance. ■ Gooch Hardware Shader. ■ Global Smooth Display. ■ Advanced Material Effects. ■ Per-pixel Lighting. Enables the computation of colors for individual pixels. With this option on the 3D objects and lighting effects appear smoother in the viewport. ■ Full Shadow Display. Enables the display of full shadows. ■ Texture Compression.
Summary GRAPHSCR closes the text window. You can also press F2 to open or close the text window. This command is ignored on dual-screen systems. GRID Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Displays a grid pattern in the current viewport. Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Drafting Settings Toolbar: Status bar ➤ Grid List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
■ Allow Subdivision Below Grid Spacing. If turned on, generates additional, more closely spaced grid lines or dots when zoomed in. The frequency of these grid lines is determined by the frequency of the major grid lines. Limits Displays the grid beyond the area specified by the LIMITS command. Follow Changes the grid plane to follow the XY plane of the dynamic UCS. This setting is also controlled by the GRIDDISPLAY system variable.
-GROUP Related procedures: ■ Group Objects Creates and manages saved sets of objects called groups. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter a group option [?—List Groups on page 871/Order on page 871/Add on page 871/Remove on page 871/Explode on page 871/REName on page 871/Selectable on page 871/Create on page 872] : Enter an option or press Enter ?—List Groups Lists names and descriptions of groups defined in the drawing.
Create Creates a group. Group names can be up to 31 characters long and can include letters, numbers, and special characters dollar sign ($), hyphen (-), and underscore (_) but not spaces. The name is converted to uppercase characters. GROUPEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Group Objects Adds and removes objects from the selected group, or renames a selected group.
Add Objects Select objects to add to the current group. Remove Objects Select grouped objects to remove from the current group. Rename Name or rename the current group.
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H Commands 9 HATCH Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills Fills an enclosed area or selected objects with a hatch pattern, solid fill, or gradient fill. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Hatch Menu: Draw ➤ Hatch Toolbar: Draw Summary When the ribbon is active, the Hatch Creation contextual tab on page 888 is displayed. When the ribbon is off, the Hatch and Gradient dialog box on page 876 is displayed.
NOTE To prevent the creation of an enormous number of hatch lines, the maximum number of hatch lines created in a single hatch operation is limited. This limit prevents memory and performance problems. However, you can change the maximum number of hatch lines with the HPMAXLINES on page 2371 system variable. Choose from several methods to specify the boundaries of a hatch. ■ Specify a point in an area that is enclosed by objects. ■ Select objects that enclose an area.
■ Add: Select Objects on page 877 ■ Remove Boundaries on page 878 ■ Recreate Boundary on page 879 ■ View Selections on page 879 ■ Select Boundary Objects on page 879 ■ Options on page 879 ■ Inherit Properties on page 880 ■ Preview on page 880 Add: Pick Points Determines a boundary from existing objects that form an enclosed area around the specified point.
Select Objects Interior objects are not automatically detected. You must select the objects within the selected boundary to hatch or fill those objects according to the current island detection style. Each time you click Select Objects, HATCH clears the previous selection set. While selecting objects, you can right-click at any time in the drawing area to display a shortcut menu.
Add Boundaries Adds objects to the boundary definition. Recreate Boundary Creates a polyline or region around the selected hatch or fill, and optionally associates the hatch object with it. View Selections Displays the currently defined boundaries with the current hatch or fill settings. This option is available only when a boundary has been defined. Select Boundary Objects Selects the objects that form the boundaries of the selected associative hatch object.
Associative Specifies that the hatch or fill is associative. A hatch or fill that is associative is updated when you modify its boundary objects. (HPASSOC system variable) Create Separate Hatches Controls whether a single hatch object or multiple hatch objects are created when several separate closed boundaries are specified. (HPSEPARATE system variable) Draw Order Assigns a draw order to a hatch or fill.
Hatch Tab (Hatch and Gradient Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills Defines the appearance of the hatch pattern to be applied. List of Options The following options are displayed. Type and Pattern Specifies the hatch’s type, pattern, color, and background color. Type Specifies whether to create a predefined, user-defined, or custom hatch pattern. Predefined patterns are stored in the acad.pat or acadiso.pat files supplied with the program.
Specifies the background color for new hatch objects. Choose None to turn off the background color. (HPBACKGROUNDCOLOR on page 2363 system variable) Swatch Displays a preview of the selected pattern. Click the swatch to display the Hatch Pattern Palette dialog box on page 893. Custom Pattern Lists the available custom patterns. The most recently used custom patterns appear at the top of the list. The Custom Pattern option is available only when Type is set to Custom.
Scales an ISO predefined pattern based on the selected pen width. This option is available only when Type is set to Predefined and Pattern is set to one of the available ISO patterns. Hatch Origin Controls the starting location of hatch pattern generation. Some hatches, such as brick patterns, are meant to be aligned with a point on the hatch boundary. By default, all hatch origins correspond to the current UCS origin.
Color Specifies whether to fill the hatch boundary with a monochormatic or two-color blend. One Color Specifies a fill that uses a smooth transition between a color and a specified tint (the color mixed with white) or between a color and a specified shade (the color mixed with black). (GFCLRSTATE on page 2344 system variable) Two Color Specifies a fill that uses a smooth transition between two colors.
More Options (Hatch and Gradient Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills Controls the operation of islands and boundaries. List of Options The following options are displayed. Islands Specifies the method used to hatch or fill boundaries within the outermost boundary. Island Detection Controls whether internal closed boundaries, called islands, are detected. (HPISLANDDETECTIONMODE on page 2369 system variable) Normal Hatches or fills inward from the outer boundary.
Ignore Ignores all internal objects and hatches or fills through them. (HPISLANDDETECTION on page 2369 system variable) The Normal, Outer, and Ignore options are also available from a shortcut menu by right-clicking in the drawing area while you specify points or select objects to define your boundaries. Boundary Retention Specifies whether to create an object that encloses the hatch. Retain Boundaries Creates an object that encloses each hatch object.
Boundary Set Defines the set of objects analyzed when defining a boundary from a specified point. The selected boundary set has no effect when you use Select Objects to define a boundary. By default, when you use the Add: Pick Point option to define a boundary, HATCH analyzes all objects in the current viewport extents. By redefining the boundary set, you can disregard certain objects when defining boundaries without having to hide or remove those objects.
Hatch Creation Ribbon Contextual Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills Defines the boundaries, pattern or fill properties, and other parameters for hatch and fills. List of Options The following options are displayed. Boundaries Panel Pick Points Determines a boundary from existing objects that form an enclosed area around the specified point.
Each time you click Select Objects, HATCH clears the previous selection set. While selecting objects, you can right-click at any time in the drawing area to display a shortcut menu. You can undo the last selection or all selections, change the selection method, change the island detection style, or preview the hatch or fill. Remove Removes from the boundary definition any of the objects that were previously added .
To modify the boundaries of a nonassociative hach, you modify the boundaries of the hatch object itself. Thus, when you select a nonassociative hatch, both the control grip and the boundary grips are displayed. Retain Boundary Objects Specifies whether to create an object that encloses the hatch. Don’t Retain Boundaries Does not create a separate object that encloses the hatch object.
Gradient Color 2 is not available. (HPBACKGROUNDCOLOR on page 2363 or GFCLR2 on page 2343 system variables) Transparency Sets the transparency level for new hatches or fills, overriding the current object transparency. Select Use Current to use the current object transparency setting. (HPTRANSPARENCY on page 2376 system variable) Angle Specifies an angle for the hatch or fill relative to the X axis of the current UCS. Valid values are from 0 to 359.
Top Left Sets the hatch origin at the top-left corner of the rectangular extents of the hatch boundary. Top Right Sets the hatch origin at the top-right corner of the rectangular extents of the hatch boundary. Center Sets the hatch origin at the center of the rectangular extents of the hatch boundary. Use Current Origin Sets the hatch origin to the defaoult location stored in the HPORIGIN on page 2372 system variable.
Outer Island Detection Hatches or fills inward from the outer boundary. This option hatches or fills only the specified area and leaves the internal islands unaffected. (HPISLANDDETECTION on page 2369 system variable) Ignore Island Detection Ignores all internal objects and hatches or fills through them. (HPISLANDDETECTION on page 2369 system variable) No Island Detection Turns off island detection. Draw Order Assigns a draw order to a hatch or fill.
Summary Organizes patterns on four tabs, with images arranged alphabetically on each tab. Click an image to select a pattern and click OK. List of Options The following options are displayed. ANSI Displays all ANSI patterns shipped with the program. ISO Displays all ISO patterns shipped with the program. Other Predefined Displays all patterns other than ANSI and ISO shipped with the program. Custom Displays a list of custom PAT files that you have added to the Support File Search Path of the program.
-HATCH Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills Uses command prompts to fill an enclosed area or selected objects with a hatch pattern, solid fill, or gradient fill. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Properties Specifies new hatch pattern properties to apply. Pattern Name—Predefined or Custom Specifies a predefined pattern in the acad.pat or acadiso.pat file or a custom pattern in its own PAT file. Enter the pattern name followed by an optional hatch style code. Precede the pattern name with an asterisk (*) to fill the area with individual lines instead of a hatch object. ?—List Pattern Names Lists and describes the hatch patterns defined in the acad.pat file.
While selecting objects, you can right-click at any time in the drawing area to display a shortcut menu. You can undo the last selection or all selections, change the selection method, change the island detection style, or preview the hatch or fill. Draw Boundary Uses specified points to define the boundary of a hatch or fill. The options that are available as you specify points are also available in PLINE. When you complete the polyline boundary, press Enter.
Island Detection Specifies whether to use objects within the outermost boundary as boundary objects. Specifying no island detection prompts for the ray casting method. Nearest Runs a line from the point you specify to the nearest object and then traces the boundary in a counterclockwise direction. +X Runs a line in the positive X direction from the point you specify to the first object encountered and then traces the boundary in a counterclockwise direction.
-Y Runs a line in the negative Y direction from the point you specify to the first object encountered and then traces the boundary in a counterclockwise direction. Angle Runs a line at the specified angle from the point you specify to the first object encountered and then traces the boundary in a counterclockwise direction. Style Specifies the method used to hatch or fill objects within the outermost hatch boundary. If you have selected no internal objects, a hatching style has no effect.
option hatches or fills only the outermost level of the structure and leaves the internal structure blank. Normal Hatches or fills inward from the outer boundary. If HATCH encounters an internal island, it turns off hatching or filling until it encounters another island within the island. Associativity Specifies that the new hatch pattern is updated when its boundaries are modified. A new hatch pattern's associativity is set by the HPASSOC system variable.
Origin Controls the starting location of hatch pattern generation. Some hatches, such as brick patterns, are meant to be aligned with a point on the hatch boundary. By default, all hatch origins correspond to the current UCS origin. Use Current Origin Sets the value of the HPORIGINMODE on page 2372 system variable. The last 5 options listed below correspond to the values 1-5. Set New Origin Specifies the new hatch origin point directly.
HATCHEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Hatches and Fills Modifies an existing hatch or fill. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Edit Hatch Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ Hatch Toolbar: Modify II Shortcut menu: Select a hatch object to edit. Right-click in the drawing area and click Hatch Edit. Summary Modifies hatch-specific properties, such as pattern, scale, and angle for an existing hatch or fill. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Hatch Edit Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Hatches and Fills Modifies hatch-specific properties, such as pattern, scale and angle for an existing hatch or fill. Summary The options in the Hatch Edit dialog box are the same as the options for the Hatch and Gradient dialog box on page 876. Certain options are available only when creating hatches.
Select Determines a boundary from selected objects that form an enclosed area. When you use the Select Objects option, interior objects are not detected automatically. You must select the objects within the selected boundary to hatch or fill those objects according to the current island detection style. Each time you click Select Objects, HATCH clears the previous selection set. While selecting objects, you can right-click at any time in the drawing area to display a shortcut menu.
Remove Removes from the boundary definition any of the objects that were added previously. Recreate Creates a polyline or region around the selected hatch or fill, and optionally associates the hatch object with it. Display Boundary Objects Displays the boundary grip controls for the selected hatch that you can use to grip-edit both the boundary and the hatch object. When you select or use the Display Boundary Objects option to select a non-associative hatch, the hatch boundary grips are displayed.
User-defined patterns are based on the current linetype in your drawing. A custom pattern is a pattern that is defined in any custom PAT files that you have added to the search path. Hatch Color or Gradient Color 1 Specifies the color for solid fills, hatch patterns, or as the first of two gradient colors. Background Color or Gradient Color 2 Specifies the color for hatch pattern backgrounds or as a second gradient color. When Hatch Type is set to Solid, Gradient Color 2 is not available.
Bottom Right Sets the hatch origin at the bottom-right corner of the rectangular extents of the hatch boundary. Top Left Sets the hatch origin at the top-left corner of the rectangular extents of the hatch boundary. Top Right Sets the hatch origin at the top-right corner of the rectangular extents of the hatch boundary. Center Sets the hatch origin at the center of the rectangular extents of the hatch boundary.
Islands Normal Island Detection Hatches or fills inward from the outer boundary. If an internal island is encountered, hatching or filling is turned off until another island within the island is encountered. (HPISLANDDETECTION system variable) Outer Island Detection Hatches or fills inward from the outer boundary. This option hatches or fills only the specified area and leaves the internal islands unaffected.
Disassociate Removes the associative quality from an associative hatch or fill. Style Specifies the method used to hatch or fill boundaries within the outermost boundary. Ignore Ignores all internal objects and hatches or fills through them. Outer (Recommended) Hatches or fills inward from the outer boundary. HATCH turns hatching or filling off if it encounters an internal island. This option hatches or fills only the outermost level of the structure and leaves the internal structure blank.
Specify Internal Point Determines a boundary from existing objects that form an enclosed area around the specified point, and associates the selected hatch with the boundary objects. Select Objects Determines a boundary from selected objects that form an enclosed area, and associates the selected hatch with the boundary objects. Separate Hatches Controls whether a single hatch object or multiple hatch objects are created when several separate closed boundaries are specified.
Colorbook Specify a custom color from a color book installed on your system. Layer Assigns new hatch objects to the specified layer, overriding the current layer. Enter Use Current or “.” to use the current layer. Transparency Sets the transparency level for new hatches or fills, overriding the current object transparency. Enter Use Current or “.” to use the current object transparency setting.
HATCHSETBOUNDARY Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Property Overrides for Hatches and Fills ■ Control How Overlapping Objects Are Displayed Redefines a selected hatch or fill to conform to a different closed boundary. Access Methods Shortcut menu: Select a hatch object. Right-click and choose Set Boundary. Summary Trims a selected hatch to within a selected boundary or geometry. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select hatch object: Select hatch object to be trimmed.
Summary Controls the hatch origin location point for solid and gradient hatches. You can select and change multiple hatch objects and change their hatch origin for multiple hatches at the same time. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select hatch object: Select the hatch object. Select new hatch origin: Click inside the hatch to change the origin point.
HELIX Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Helixes Creates a 2D spiral or 3D spring. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Helix Menu: Draw ➤ Helix Toolbar: Modeling Summary Use a helix as a sweep path for the SWEEP on page 1882 command to create springs, threads, and circular stairways. Initially, the default base radius is set to 1. During a drawing session, the default value for the base radius is always the previously entered base radius value for any solid primitive or helix.
Specify top radius or [Diameter] <1.0000>: Specify a top radius, enter d to specify the diameter, or press ENTER to specify the default top radius value Specify helix height or [Axis endpoint/Turns/turn Height/tWist] <1.0000>: Specify a helix height, or enter an option Diameter (Base) Specifies the diameter of the base of the helix. Specify diameter <2.0000>: Specify a diameter or press Enter to specify the default value Initially, the default base diameter is set to 2.
Twist Specifies whether the helix is drawn in the clockwise (CW) or the counterclockwise (CCW) direction. The default value for the helix twist is CCW. Enter twist direction of helix [CW/CCW] : Specify a twist direction for the helix HELP Quick Reference See also: ■ Find the Information You Need Displays Help.
HIDE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Regenerates a 3D wireframe model with hidden lines suppressed. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Visual Styles panel ➤ Hide Menu: View ➤ Hide Toolbar: Render Summary When you use VPOINT, DVIEW, or VIEW to create a 3D view of your 2D drawing, a wireframe is displayed in the current viewport. All lines are present, including those hidden by other objects. HIDE eliminates the hidden lines from the screen.
When using the HIDE command, if the INTERSECTIONDISPLAY system variable is on, face-to-face intersections of 3D surfaces are displayed as polylines. The 3D Hidden visual style does not honor the setting of INTERSECTIONDISPLAY. If the DISPSILH system variable is on, HIDE displays 3D solid objects with silhouette edges only. It won't show the internal edges produced by objects that have facets. If the HIDETEXT system variable is off, HIDE ignores text objects when producing the hidden view.
Shortcut menu: Right-click in the drawing area and click Isolate ➤ Hide Objects. Summary Temporarily hides selected objects in the current view. All other objects are visible. List of Prompts The following prompt is displayed. Select objects: Use an object selection method HIDEPALETTES Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Behavior of Dockable Windows Hides all currently displayed palettes, including the command window.
Controls the display properties of 3D models. Summary The Visual Styles Manager on page 2062 is displayed. HYPERLINK Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Hyperlinks to a Drawing Attaches a hyperlink to an object or modifies an existing hyperlink. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Data panel ➤ Hyperlink Menu: Insert ➤ Hyperlink Shortcut menu: To edit a hyperlink, select an object that contains a hyperlink, right-click in the drawing area, and choose Hyperlink ➤ Edit Hyperlink.
One of the following dialog boxes is displayed: ■ Insert Hyperlink dialog box (for graphical objects that do not already contain hyperlinks) on page 921 ■ Edit Hyperlink dialog box (for graphical objects that already contain hyperlinks) on page 924 After you insert a hyperlink, the hyperlink icon is displayed when you move the cursor over the attached object. To open the hyperlink, right-click the selected object and choose Hyperlink.
Type the File or Web Page Name Specifies the file or web page to associate with the hyperlink. The file can be stored locally, on a network drive, or on an Internet or intranet location. Recent Files Displays a list of recently linked files, from which you can select one to link to. Browsed Pages Displays a list of recently browsed web pages, from which you can select one to link to. Inserted Links Displays a list of recently inserted hyperlinks, from which you can select one to link to.
Displays the path to the file associated with the hyperlink. If Use Relative Path for Hyperlink is selected, only the file name is listed. If Use Relative Path for Hyperlink is cleared, the full path and the file name are listed. Use Relative Path for Hyperlink Sets a relative path for hyperlinks. If you select this option, the full path to the linked file is not stored with the hyperlink.
E-mail Address Specifies an email address. Subject Specifies a subject for the email. Recently Used E-mail Addresses Lists recently used email addresses, from which you can select one to use for the hyperlink. Edit Hyperlink Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Hyperlinks to a Drawing Edits hyperlinks. Summary The Edit Hyperlink dialog box is a modified version of the Insert Hyperlink dialog box, with one additional option.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Remove Link Deletes the hyperlink from the selected objects. Select Place in Document Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Hyperlinks to a Drawing Navigates to a view or layout within a drawing. Summmary The named location that you select is the initial view that is restored when the hyperlink is executed. List of Options The following options are displayed.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [Remove/Insert] : Enter an option or pressENTER Remove Removes the hyperlink from the selected objects. If a selection set does not exist, you are prompted to create one. Select objects: Select graphical objects in the drawing If the selection set contains more than one hyperlink, the hyperlinks that were found are listed at the Command prompt.
Enter the path to the file you want associated with the hyperlink. Enter hyperlink : Enter the full path to a local file or the complete URL to an Internet file, or press ENTER to create a hyperlink to a named view in the current drawing Enter a named location for the hyperlink, such as a view in a drawing or a bookmark in a word processing file.
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I Commands 10 ID Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain Distances, Angles, and Point Locations Displays the UCS coordinate values of a specified location. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Utilities panel ➤ ID Point. Menu: Tools ➤ Inquiry ➤ ID Point Toolbar: Inquiry Command entry: 'id for transparent use Summary ID lists the X, Y, and Z values of the specified point and stores the coordinate of the specified point as the last point.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify Point: Use the pointing device to specify a point The UCS coordinate values of the location are displayed at the Command prompt. If you snap to an object in 3D space, the Z coordinate value is the same as that of the selected feature of the object. IGESEXPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export IGES files Saves selected objects in the current drawing to a new IGES (*.igs, *.iges) file.
The following table lists the AutoCAD entities tabulated against the corresponding IGES entities they are translated to.
DWG to IGES Conversion Table AutoCAD Entity IGES Entity Type Form Mtext Hatch Nothing 110 Block Reference Surface Name 0 Line Treats the block reference as though it was exploded and translates each object within the block separately. 128/144 3D Solid Rational B-spline surface, trimmed surface Treats the 3D solid as though it were exploded to surfaces and translates each surface separately.
IGESIMPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Import IGES Files Imports data from an IGES (*.igs or *.iges) file into the current drawing. Summary Displays the Select IGES File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) to enable you to locate and select the IGES file to import. If import takes longer than 5 seconds, the IGES file is processed in the background and the Import icon is displayed in the status bar. Hence, you can continue to work on the drawing while the IGES file is processed.
IGES to DWG Conversion Table IGES Entity AutoCAD Entity Type Form Name 102 0 composite curve Spline 104 0-3 conic arc, ellipse, parabola, hyperbola Spline 106 1 copious data Spline 106 2 copious data Spline 106 11 copious data Spline 106 12 copious data Spline 106 63 closed area Spline 108 0 plane Surface 108 +/- 1 bounded plane Surface 110 0 line Spline 112 0 parametric curve Spline 114 0 parametric surface Surface 116 0 point Nothing 118 0-1 ruled
IGES to DWG Conversion Table IGES Entity AutoCAD Entity Type Form Name 128 0-9 rational B-spline surface Surface 130 0 offset curve Spline 140 0 offset surface Surface 141 0 boundary entity Nothing 143 0 boundary suface Surface (with trimming applied, not associative) 144 0 trimmed surface Surface (with trimming applied, not associative) Manifold Solid BRep Object (MSBO) Surface (can be converted to solid with CONVTOSOLID) plane surface Applied when processing entity type 186
IGES to DWG Conversion Table IGES Entity Type Form AutoCAD Entity Name 502 vertex list Applied when processing entity type 186. 504 edge list Applied when processing entity type 186. 508 loop Applied when processing entity type 186. 510 face Applied when processing entity type 186. 514 shell Applied when processing entity type 186. IMAGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Raster Images Displays the External References palette.
Shortcut menu: Select an image. Right-click in the drawing area and choose Image ➤ External References. Summary The External References palette is displayed. If you enter -image at the Command prompt, options are displayed. -IMAGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Raster Images Attaches a raster image to the drawing. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Enter New path: Enter the new path name for the specified image Reload Reloads the selected images, making that information available for display and plotting. Unload Removes image data from working memory so that the images are not displayed, thus improving performance. All information associated with the image remains stored with the drawing. The image frame of each attached image remains visible. Attach Attaches a new image or a copy of an attached image to the current drawing.
imagename="path name\long file name.bmp" If you enter a valid image name without a file extension, the program searches for the file in this order: first, an existing image definition in the drawing, and second, an image file in the folders in order of the search path. The program searches for all the image files with the specified name, regardless of extension, and uses the first name found. If no image name or image file is found, the message “Image Not Found” is displayed and the prompt is repeated.
Summary You can change the default values for Brightness, Contrast, and Fade for attached images. To confirm the settings of a selected image, open the Properties palette. NOTE You can also use the ADJUST command to change an image’s brightness, contrast, and fade settings. The Image Adjust dialog box is displayed when you enter the IMAGEADJUST command. If you enter -imageadjust at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
Brightness Controls the brightness, and indirectly the contrast, of the image. The greater the value, the brighter the image and the more pixels that become white when you increase contrast. Contrast Controls the contrast, and indirectlyd the fading effect of the image. The greater the value, the more each pixel is forced to its primary or secondary color. Fade Controls the fading effect of the image. The greater the value, the more the image blends with the current background color.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. If you select a single image, the default values for Brightness, Contrast, and Fade are the current property settings of the image. If you select multiple images, the default values for Brightness, Contrast, and Fade are 50, 50, and 0, respectively. Contrast Controls the contrast, and indirectly, the fading effect of the image. The greater the value, the more each pixel is forced to its primary or secondary color.
Summary When you attach an image file, you link that referenced file to the current drawing. Any changes to the referenced file are displayed in the current drawing when it is opened or reloaded. The Select Reference File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. Once you select an image file, the Attach Image Dialog Box on page 943 is displayed. After the file is attached, you can adjust and clip the underlay through the Image Ribbon Contextual tab.
Browse Opens the Select Reference File dialog (a standard file selection dialog box on page 1311). Preview Displays the image that you have selected to attach. Path Type Select the full (absolute) path, the relative path to the image file, or No Path, the name of the image file (the image file must be located in the same folder as the current drawing file). Insertion Point Specifies the insertion point for the selected image file. Specify On-Screen is the default. The default insertion point is 0,0,0.
Enter a value for the scale factor. The default scale factor is 1. Rotation Specifies the rotation angle of the selected image. Specify On-Screen If Specify On-Screen is selected, you may wait until you exit the dialog box to rotate the object with your pointing device or enter a rotation angle value at the Command prompt. Angle If Specify On-Screen is cleared, enter the rotation angle value in the dialog box. The default rotation angle is 0. Show Details Displays details about the selected image file.
Summary When you select a raster image that is attached to a drawing, the Image Contextual tab appears on the ribbon. List of Options The following options are diaplayed. Adjust Panel Brightness Controls the brightness and the contrast of the image. The greater the value, the brighter the image. Contrast Controls the contrast and the fading effect of the image. The greater the value, the more the image fades. Fade Controls the fading of an image.
Crops the display of a selected image to a specified boundary. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Image contextual tab ➤ Clipping panel ➤ Create Clipping Boundary. Menu: Modify ➤ Clip ➤ Image Toolbar: Reference Shortcut menu: Select an image to clip. Right-click in the drawing area and choose Image ➤ Clip. Summary The clipping boundary determines the portion of a raster image that is hidden, either outside or inside the boundary.
New Boundary Defines a rectangular or polygonal clipping boundary, or generates a polygonal clipping boundary from a polyline. NOTE You can only create a new clipping boundary for a selected IMAGE underlay after the old boundary is deleted. Select Polyline Defines the boundary with the selected polyline. The polyline can be open but must consist of straight line segments and cannot intersect itself.
Summary The quality setting affects display performance; high-quality images take longer to display. Changing the setting updates the display immediately without causing a regeneration of the drawing. NOTE Images are always plotted using a high-quality setting. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. High Produces a high-quality display of the image. Draft Produces a lower-quality display of the image.
In Files of type, select the file format to import. In File Name, select the file name to import. The file is imported into the drawing. The following formats are available for import: ■ 3D Studio (*.3ds): 3D Studio files (see 3DSIN on page 67) ■ ACIS (*.sat): ACIS solid object files (see ACISIN on page 80) ■ CATIA V4 (*.model; *.session; *.exp; *.dlv3): CATIA® V4 model, session and export files ■ CATIA V5 (*.CATPart; *.CATProduct): CATIA® V5 part and assembly files ■ FBX files (*.
Enter import file name: Enter path and file name CATIA V4 Model Selection dialog box Quick Reference See also: ■ Import CATIA Files Specifies what model to import from a CATIA V4 *.exp file. Summary This dialog box displays only when you import *.exp files that contain more than one 3D model. Select one model Displays a list of models found in the *.exp file. Select one to import.
Summary 2D geometry located on a face or the intersection of a 3D solid with a face can be combined with that face to create additional edges. These edges can provide a visual effect, and can be pressed and pulled to create indentations and extrusions. The object to be imprinted must intersect one or more faces on the selected solid in order for imprinting to be successful.
INSERT Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Inserts a block or drawing into the current drawing. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Block panel ➤ Insert Menu: Insert ➤ Block Toolbar: Insert Summary The Insert dialog box is displayed. If you enter -insert at the Command prompt, options are displayed. A good practice is to insert a block from a block library.
Insert Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Specifies the name and position of the block or drawing to insert. Summary The position of the inserted block depends on the orientation of the UCS. Name Specifies the name of a block to insert, or the name of a file to insert as a block. Browse Opens the Select Drawing File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) where you can select a block or drawing file to insert. Path Specifies the path to the block.
Description Displays the description that was saved with the block. Preview Displays a preview of the specified block to insert. A lightning bolt icon in the lower-right corner of the preview indicates that the block is dynamic. A icon indicates that the block is . Insertion Point Specifies the insertion point for the block. Specify On-Screen Specifies the insertion point of the block using the pointing device.
Sets the Z scale factor. Uniform Scale Specifies a single scale value for X, Y, and Z coordinates. Rotation Specifies the rotation angle for the inserted block in the current UCS. Specify On-Screen Specifies the rotation of the block using the pointing device. Input Angle Allows you to manually enter an angle of rotation for the block. Angle Sets a rotation angle for the inserted block. Block Unit Displays information about the block units. Unit Specifies the INSUNITS value for the inserted block.
-INSERT Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Inserts a block or drawing into the current drawing. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter block name or [?] : Enter a name, enter ?, enter ~, or press Enter Units: Conversion: Specify insertion point or [Basepoint/Scale/X/Y/Z/Rotate/Geographic]: Specify a point or enter an option Block Name Grouped objects in an inserted drawing are inserted as unnamed groups.
If you enter = after the block name, the following prompt is displayed: Block "current" already exists. Redefine it? [Yes/No] : Enter y, enter n, or press Enter If you choose to redefine the block, the existing block definition is replaced with the new block definition. The drawing is regenerated, and the new definition is applied to all existing insertions of the block definition. Press Esc when prompted for the insertion point if you do not want to insert a new block into the drawing.
Z Sets the Z scale factor. Rotate Sets the angle of insertion for the block. Geographic Sets the geographic location of the attached file as reference. INSERTOBJ Quick Reference See also: ■ Import OLE Objects Inserts a linked or embedded object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Data panel ➤ OLE Object Menu: Insert ➤ OLE Object Toolbar: Insert Summary The Insert Object dialog box is displayed.
Insert Object Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Import OLE Objects Inserts a linked or embedded object. List of Options The following options are displayed. Create New Opens the application that's highlighted in the Object Type list so that you can create a new object to insert. Object Type Lists available applications that support linking and embedding. To create an object to embed, double-click an application to open it.
INTERFERE Quick Reference See also: ■ Check 3D Models for Interferences Creates a temporary 3D solid from the interferences between two sets of selected 3D solids. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Solid Editing panel ➤ Interfere Menu: Modify ➤ 3D Operations ➤ Interference Checking Summary Interferences are highlighted with a temporary 3D solid that represents the intersecting volume. You can also choose to retain the overlapping volumes.
If you define a single selection set, INTERFERE checks all the solids in the set against one another. If you define two selection sets, INTERFERE checks the solids in the first selection set against those in the second selection set. If you include the same 3D solid in both selection sets, INTERFERE considers the 3D solid part of the first selection set and ignores it in the second selection set.
■ Check. Initiates interference checking for both sets of objects and displays the Interference Checking dialog box. Nested selection Provides access to individual solid objects that are nested in blocks and xrefs. ■ Select nested objects. Specifies which nested objects to include in the selection set. ■ Exit. Restores normal object selection (not nested). Settings Displays the Interference Settings dialog box.
Viewport Specifies the viewport display while checking for interferences. Visual Style Specifies the visual style for the viewport while checking for interferences (INTERFEREVPVS). Interference Checking Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Check 3D Models for Interferences Cycles through, zooms, and deletes or retains interference objects. List of Options The following options are displayed. Interfering Objects Displays the number of interferences found between each set during the INTERFERE command.
Interfering Pairs Found Displays the number of interferences found among the selected objects. Highlight Highlights interference objects while using Previous and Next to cycle through the objects. Previous Highlights the previous interference object. Next Highlights the next interference object. Zoom to Pair Zooms to interference objects while using Previous and Next. Zoom Closes the dialog box and starts the ZOOM command. Pan Closes the dialog box and starts the PAN command.
Summary INTERFERE highlights all interfering 3D solids and displays the number of objects selected and the number of interfering pairs. If you define a single selection set, INTERFERE checks all the solids in the set against one another. If you define two selection sets, INTERFERE checks the solids in the first selection set against those in the second selection set.
Creates a 3D solid, surface, or 2D region from overlapping solids, surfaces, or regions. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Solid Editing panel ➤ Intersect Menu: Modify ➤ Solid Editing ➤ Intersect Toolbar: Modeling Summary With INTERSECT, you can create a 3D solid from the common volume of two or more existing 3D solids, surfaces, or regions. If you select a mesh, you can convert it to a solid or surface before completing the operation.
ISOLATEOBJECTS Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Objects Displays selected objects across layers; unselected objects are hidden. Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Isolate ➤ Isolate Objects Shortcut menu: Right-click in the drawing area and click Isolate ➤ Isolate Objects. Summary Displays selected objects in the current view. All other objects are temporarily hidden. List of Prompts The following prompt is displayed.
Access Methods Command entry: 'isoplane for transparent use Summary The isometric plane affects the cursor movement keys only when Snap mode is on and the snap style is Isometric. If the snap style is Isometric, Ortho mode uses the appropriate axis pair even if Snap mode is off. The current isometric plane also determines the orientation of isometric circles drawn by ELLIPSE. You can cycle through the isometric planes by pressing Ctrl+E or F5. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Right Selects the right-hand plane, defined by the 90-degree and 30-degree axis pair.
J Commands 11 JOIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Break and Join Objects Joins the endpoints of linear and curved objects to create a single object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface Modeling tab ➤ Curves panel ➤ Join Menu: Modify ➤ Join Toolbar: Modify Summary Combines a series of finite linear and open curved objects at their common endpoints to create a single 2D or 3D object.
NOTE Construction lines, rays, and closed objects cannot be joined. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select source object or multiple objects to join at once: Select lines, polylines, 3D polylines, arcs, elliptical arcs, helixes, or splines. Source Object Specifies a single source object to which you can join other objects. Press Enter after selecting the source object to begin selecting the objects to join.
Helix Any linear or curved object can be joined to the source helix. All objects must be contiguous, but can be noncoplanar. The resulting object is a single spline. Spline Any linear or curved object can be joined to the source spline. All objects must be contiguous, but can be noncoplanar. The resulting object is a single spline. Multiple Objects to Join at Once Joins multiple objects without specifying a source object.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects or : Press Enter to select all objects and viewports or use an object selection method and press Enter A JPEG file is created that contains the objects you select. Shade Plot options are preserved in the file when you use this command. Light glyphs that are displayed in the drawing appear in the new file, even if the Plot Glyph property of the lights is set to No.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects: Use an object selection method and press ENTER when you finish You can choose single line text objects, multiline text objects, leader text objects, and attribute objects.
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L Commands 12 LAYCUR Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Changes the layer property of selected objects to the current layer. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Change to Current Layer Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Change to Current Layer Toolbar: Layers II Summary If you find objects that were created on the wrong layer, you can quickly change them to be on the current layer. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Select objects to be changed to the current layer: Use an object selection method and press Enter when you are finished N object(s) changed to layer X (the current layer). LAYDEL Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Deletes all objects on a layer and purges the layer. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Delete Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Layer Delete Summary This command also changes block definitions that use the layer to be deleted.
Delete Layers Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Displays layers available for deletion. List of Options The following options are displayed. Layers to Delete Displays a list of layers that you can delete. Press Shift or Ctrl to select more than one layer. Layers that cannot be deleted include the current layer, layer 0, locked layers, and xref-dependent layers.
LAYER Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity ■ CLASSICLAYER on page 339 ■ LAYERPALETTE on page 1005 Manages layers and layer properties. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Layer Properties Manager Menu: Format ➤ Layer Toolbar: Layer Command entry: 'layer for transparent use Summary The Layer Properties Manager is displayed. If you enter -layer at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
Use layers to control the visibility of objects and to assign properties such as color and linetype. Objects on a layer normally assume the properties of that layer. However, you can override any layer property of an object. For example, if an object’s color property is set to BYLAYER, the object displays the color of that layer. If the object’s color is set to Red, the object displays as red, regardless of the color assigned to that layer.
When switching space (model space to layout space or layout to viewport), the Layer Properties Manager is updated and displays the current state of the layer properties and filter selection in the current space. List of Options The following options are displayed. New Property Filter Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can create a layer filter based on one or more properties of the layers.
Sets the selected layer as the current layer. Objects that you create are drawn on the current layer. (CLAYER system variable) Current Layer Displays the name of the current layer. Search for Layer Filters the layer list by name quickly as you enter characters. This filter is not saved when you close the Layer Properties Manager. Status Line Shows the name of the current filter, the number of layers displayed in the list view, and the number of layers in the drawing.
Tree View Displays a hierarchical list of layers and filters in the drawing. The top node, All, displays all layers in the drawing. Filters are displayed in alphabetical order. The All Used Layers filter is read-only. Expand a node to see nested filters. Double-click a property filter to open the Layer Filter Properties dialog box and view the definition of the filter. The Hide/Show Layer Filters button controls the display of the Layer Filters pane of the Layer Properties Manager.
Lock Controls whether the objects on the layers in the selected filter can be modified. ■ Lock: None of the objects on the layer can be modified. You can still apply object snaps to objects on a locked layer and perform other operations that do not modify those objects. ■ Unlock: Objects on the layer can be modified. Viewport In the current layout viewport, controls the VP Freeze setting of the layers in the selected layer filter. This option is not available for model space viewports.
Delete Deletes the selected layer filter. You cannot delete the All, All Used Layers, or Xref filters. This option deletes the layer filter but not the layers in the filter. Properties Displays the Layer Filter Properties dialog box, where you can modify the definition of the selected layer property filter. This option is available only when a layer property filter is selected. Select Layers Temporarily closes the Layer Filter Properties dialog box so that you can select objects in the drawing.
drawing. You can freeze a layer in all viewports, in the current layout viewport, or in new layout viewports as they are created. Lock Locks and unlocks the selected layers. Objects on a locked layer cannot be modified. Color Changes the color associated with the selected layers. Clicking the color name displays the Select Color dialog box. Linetype Changes the linetype associated with the selected layers. Clicking the linetype name displays the Select Linetype dialog box.
VP Linetype (available only from a layout tab) Sets an override for the linetype associated with the selected layer for the active layout viewport. VP Lineweight (available only from a layout tab) Sets an override for the lineweight associated with the selected layer for the active layout viewport. VP Transparency (available only from a layout tab) Sets an override for transparency associated with the selected layer for the active layout viewport.
Freeze column (or Unfreeze column) Freezes (or unfreezes) the column and any columns to the left. This option is available on the shortcut menu when you right-click a column heading. Restore All Columns to Defaults Restores all columns to their default display and width settings. This option is available on the shortcut menu when you right-click a column heading. Layer Shortcut Menu Show Filter Tree Displays the tree view. Clear this option to hide the tree view.
property override, right-click the property override. This option is only available on the layout tab. New Layer Frozen in All Viewports Creates a new layer and freezes it in all existing layout viewports and new viewports. VP Freeze Layer in All Viewports Freezes the selected layer in all existing layout viewports and new viewports. VP Thaw Layer in All Viewports Thaws the selected layer in all existing layout viewports and new viewports. Select All Selects everything displayed in the list view.
Summary When a layer filter is selected in the tree view of the Layer Properties Manager, layers that match the filter criteria are displayed in the list view. List of Options The following options are displayed. Filter Name Provides a space to enter a name for the layer properties filter. Show Example Displays the examples of layer property filter definitions in “Layer Filter Examples”. Filter Definition Displays the properties of layers. You can use one or more properties to define the filter.
New VP Freeze Click the Freeze icon or the Thaw icon. VP Color Click the [...] button to display the Select Color dialog box. VP Linetype Click the [...] button to display the Select Linetype dialog box. VP Lineweight Click the [...] button to display the Lineweight dialog box. VP Transparency Click the field to display the Layer Transparency dialog box. VP Plot Style Click the [...] button to display the Select Plot Style dialog box. Filter Preview Displays the results of the filter as you define it.
Example 2 The filter named “RYW” displays layers that meet all of the following criteria: ■ Are on ■ Are frozen ■ Are red or yellow or white Layer Filter Properties Dialog Box | 993
Select Linetype Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Layers Displays linetypes available in the current drawing. List of Options The following options are displayed. Loaded Linetypes Displays the list of linetypes loaded in the current drawing. Load Displays the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, in which you can load selected linetypes into the drawing and add them to the list of linetypes.
Displays the lineweight values available. Summary You can customize your lineweights to plot at other values by using the Plot Style Table Editor. See “Control Plotted Lineweight and Linetype” in the User's Guide. List of Options The following options are displayed. Lineweights Displays the available lineweights to be applied. Available lineweights consist of fixed values that are most commonly used in drawings. Select a lineweight to apply it. Original Displays the previous lineweight.
Layer Transparency Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Layers Sets the transparency level for the selected layer(s) in the current drawing. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Layer Properties Manager Menu: Format ➤ Layer Toolbar: Layer Command entry: layer (or 'layer for transparent use) Summary Select or enter a transparency level to apply to selected layers in the current drawing.
Summary Click on the Layer Properties Manager on page 981. Controls when notification occurs for new layers and if layer filters are applied to the Layers toolbar; also controls the background color of viewport overrides in the Layer Properties Manager. List of Options The following options are displayed. New Layer Notification Controls the evaluation and notification of new layers based on the LAYEREVAL settings in the DWG file.
NOTE There should be no filter (Unreconciled Layer filter) displayed when LAYEREVALCTL = 0. If one is currently displayed, it will be turned off. You can set the unreconciled new layers filter active and select the layers in that filter. With the unreconciled layer selected, you can right-click and click Reconcile Layer. Evaluate New Layers Added to Drawing Checks for new layers that have been added to the drawing.
Displays new layer notification when new layers are present when you use the PLOT command. (LAYERNOTIFY = 1) Isolate Layer Settings Setting for layers not isolated: Lock and Fade Selects Lock and Fade as isolation method. Off Sets non-selected layers to Off. Off Sets non-selected layers to Off (in paper space). VP Freeze Sets non-selected layers to Viewport Freeze (in paper space).
List of Options The following options are displayed. Check the Columns you want to Display Lists all columns that display depending on whether the Layer Properties Manager was accessed from Model space or a layout tab. Checked columns are displayed in the Layer Properties Manager. Move Up Moves the checked layer to the left in the Layer Properties Manager. Move Down Moves the checked layer to the right in the Layer Properties Manager. Select All Checks all columns in the list.
-LAYER Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Manages layers and layer properties. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current layer: <"current"> Enter an option [?/Make/Set/New/Rename/ON/OFF/Color/Ltype/LWeight/TRansparency on page 1002/MATerial/Plot/PStyle/Freeze/Thaw/LOck/Unlock/stAte/Description/rEconcile]: NOTE The Pstyle option is available only when you are using named plot styles.
Rename Renames an existing layer. On Makes selected layers visible and available for plotting. Off Makes selected layers invisible and excludes them from plotting. Color Changes the color associated with a layer. Enter a color name or a number from 1 through 255. True Color Specifies a true color to be used for the selected object. Enter three integer values from 0 to 255 separated by commas to specify a true color.
Plot Controls whether visible layers are plotted. If a layer is set to plot but is currently frozen or turned off, the layer is not plotted. Pstyle Sets the plot style assigned to a layer. This option is not available if you are using color-dependent plot styles in the current drawing (the PSTYLEPOLICY system variable is set to 1). See “Use Plot Styles to Control Plotted Objects” in the User's Guide.
Import Loads a previously exported layer state (LAS) file, or layers states from a file (DWG, DWS, DWT) into the current drawing. Additional layers may be created as a result of importing a layer state file. Export Saves a selected named layer state to a layer state (LAS) file. Description Sets the description property value of the existing layer. A warning prompt is displayed when you enter a description to a layer with an existing description.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Previous Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Layer Previous Toolbar: Layers Summary Undoes changes you have made to layer settings such as color or linetype. If settings are restored, a message is displayed: “Restored previous layer states.” When you use Layer Previous, it undoes the most recent change using either the Layer control, Layer Properties Manager, or -LAYER command.
Summary The modeless Layer Properties Manager palette is displayed. LAYERPMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Layer Settings and Layer Properties Turns on and off the tracking of changes made to layer settings. Summary When Layer Previous mode is on, changes made to layers are tracked. When Layer Previous mode is off, changes made to layers are no longer tracked. LAYERSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Layer States Saves, restores, and manages named layer states.
Summary The Layer States Manager on page 1007 is displayed. Saves the layer settings in a drawing as a named layer state. Named layer states can then be restored, edited, imported, and exported for use in other drawings. Layer States Manager Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Layer States Create or edit layer states. Summary Displays a list of saved layer states in the drawing. You can create, rename, edit, and delete layer states.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Layer States Lists the named layer states that have been saved in the drawing, the space in which they were saved (model space, layout, or xref), whether the layer list is the same as in the drawing, and an optional description. Don’t List Layer States in Xrefs Controls whether layer states in xrefs are displayed. New Displays the New Layer State to Save dialog box on page 1010, where you can provide a name and a description for the new named layer state.
Restores state and property settings of all layers in a drawing to their previously saved settings. Restores only those layer state and property settings that you specify with the check boxes. Close Closes the Layer States Manager and saves changes. Restore Options Turn Off Layers Not Found in Layer State When a layer state is restored, turns off new layers for which settings were not saved so that the drawing looks the same way it did when the named layer state was saved.
New Layer State to Save Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Layer States Specifies a name and a description for the layer state defined in the Layer States Manager. List of Options The following options are displayed. New Layer State Name Specifies a name for the new layer state to be saved. Description (Optional) Provides a description of the layer state that is displayed in the Layer States Manager.
Summary Modifies the selected layer state. Displays all the layers and their properties that are saved in the selected layer state except for viewport override properties. List of Options The following options are displayed. Layer List Displays a list of layers in the selected layer state and their properties. Delete Removes the selected layers from the layer state.
Select Layers to Add to Layer State Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Save, Restore, and Edit Layer States Summary Displays layers by name and includes descriptions that are not defined in the selected named layer state. Multiple layers can be selected. Clicking OK displays the selected layers in the Edit Layer State dialog box on page 1010. List of Option The following option is available in this dialog box. Layer List Displays layers by name and description.
Select Layer States Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Import and Export Layer States Displays a list of layer states to be imported from a drawing file into the current drawing. List of Option The following option is available in this dialog box. Check Layer States to Import Displays a list of layer states, the space (model tab or layout tab) in which the layer state was saved, and a description.
NOTE If the layer state to be imported contains linetypes or plot styles that do not exist in the current drawing, they are imported from the DWG, DWS or DWT file. LAYFRZ Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Freezes the layer of selected objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Freeze Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Layer Freeze Toolbar: Layers II Summary Objects on frozen layers are invisible.
Settings Displays settings for viewports and block definitions. The setting you choose persists from session to session. Enter setting type for [Viewports/Block selection]: Viewports Displays settings for viewports. In paper space viewport use [Freeze/Vpfreeze] : Enter f to freeze objects in all viewports or v to freeze an object in the current viewport only Block Selection Displays settings for block definitions. ■ Block.
Summary All layers except the layers of the selected objects are either turned off, frozen in the current layout viewport, or locked, depending on the current setting. The layers that remain visible and unlocked are called isolated. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
LAYLCK Quick Reference See also: ■ Prevent Objects from Being Selected Locks the layer of a selected object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Lock Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Layer Lock Toolbar: Layers II Summary Using this command, you can prevent objects on a layer from being accidentally modified. You can also fade the objects on a locked layer using the LAYLOCKFADECTL system variable.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Match Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Layer Match Toolbar: Layers II Summary If you enter -laymch at the Command prompt, options are displayed on page 1019. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Current Layer Displays the currently selected layer. Create a new layer name by entering a name. Destination Layer list Displays a list of layers in the drawing. -LAYMCH Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Changes the layer of a selected object to match the destination layer. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Make Object’s Layer Current Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Make Object’s Layer Current Toolbar: Layers Summary You can change the current layer by selecting an object on that layer. This is a convenient alternative to specifying the layer name in the Layer Properties Manager. LAYMRG Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Merges selected layers into a target layer, removing the previous layers from the drawing.
Summary You can reduce the number of layers in a drawing by merging them. Objects on merged layers are moved to the target layer, and the original layers are purged from the drawing. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Merge to Layer Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Displays a list of layers onto which the selected layers or objects can be merged. List of Options The following options are displayed. Target Layer Displays the first layer in an alphabetical list of the layers in the current drawing. Target Layer list Displays an alphabetical list of the layers onto which you can merge the selected layers or objects.
Select Object on Layer to Merge Select an object on the destination layer. Name Displays a list of layers, where you can select layers to merge. Select Object on Target Layer Select an object on the target layer. Name Displays a list of layers onto which you can merge the selected object or layer. LAYOFF Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Turns off the layer of a selected object.
Select an object on the layer to be turned off or [Settings/Undo]: Select an object, enter s, or enter u Select an Object on the Layer to be Turned Off Selects one or more objects whose layers you want to turn off. Settings Displays the Viewports and Block Definition setting types. The setting you choose persists from session to session. Viewports Displays the Viewports setting types. Returns the following prompt: ■ Vpfreeze: In paper space, freezes the layer selected in the current viewport.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ On Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Turn All Layers On Toolbar: Layers II Summary All layers that were previously turned off are turned back on. Objects created on those layers become visible, unless the layers are also frozen. LAYOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Multiple-View Drawing Layouts (Paper Space) Creates and modifies drawing layouts.
NOTE Many of these options are available by right-clicking a layout tab name. Copy Copies a layout. If you do not provide a name, the new layout assumes the name of the copied layout with an incremental number in parentheses. The new tab is inserted before the copied layout tab. Delete Deletes a layout. The most current layout is the default. The Model tab cannot be deleted. To remove all the geometry from the Model tab, you must select all geometry and use the ERASE command. New Creates a new layout tab.
?—List Layouts Lists all the layouts defined in the drawing. LAYOUTWIZARD Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Layout Wizard to Specify Page Setups Creates a new layout tab and specifies page and plot settings. Access Methods Menu: Insert ➤ Layout ➤ Create Layout Wizard Summary The Layout wizard is displayed.
When you've finished using the wizard to specify your layout settings, you can modify any of the settings using the PAGESETUP command from within the new layout. LAYTHW Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Thaws all layers in the drawing. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Thaw Menu: Format ➤ Layer tools ➤ Thaw All Layers Summary All layers that were previously frozen are unfrozen.
LAYTRANS Quick Reference See also: ■ Translate Layer Names and Properties Translates the layers in the current drawing to specified layer standards. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Manage tab ➤ CAD Standards panel ➤ Layer Translator Menu: Tools ➤ CAD Standards ➤ Layer Translator Toolbar: CAD Standards Summary Maps the layers in the current drawing to different layer names and layer properties in a specified drawing or standards file, and then converts them using those mappings.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Manage tab ➤ CAD Standards panel ➤ Layer Translator Menu: Tools ➤ CAD Standards ➤ Layer Translator Toolbar: CAD Standards Summary In the Layer Translator, you specify the layers in the current drawing that you want to translate, and the layers to translate them to. List of Options The following options are displayed. Translate From Specifies the layers to be translated in the current drawing.
Map Maps the layers selected in Translate From to the layer selected in Translate To. Map Same Maps all layers that have the same name in both lists. Translate To Lists the layers you can translate the current drawing's layers to. Load Loads layers in the Translate To list using a drawing, drawing template, or standards file that you specify.
Saves the current layer translation mappings to a file for later use. Layer mappings are saved in the DWG or DWS file format. You can replace an existing file or create a new file. The Layer Translator creates the referenced layers in the file and stores the layer mappings in each layer. All linetypes used by those layers are also copied into the file. Settings Opens the Settings dialog box, where you can customize the process of layer translation.
Specifies whether or not every object translated takes on the color assigned to its layer. Force Object Linetype to BYLAYER Specifies whether or not every object translated takes on the linetype assigned to its layer. Force Object Transparency to BYLAYER Specifies whether or not every object translated takes on the transparency assigned to its layer. Translate Objects in Blocks Specifies whether or not objects nested within blocks are translated.
Menu: Tools ➤ CAD Standards ➤ Layer Translator Toolbar: CAD Standards List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Specifies the layer name. Linetype Specifies the layer linetype. Color Specifies the layer color. Lineweight Specifies the layer lineweight. Transparency Specifies the layer transparency. Plot Style Specifies the layer plot style. You can modify the plot style only if all drawings referenced by the Layer Translator use named plot styles.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Unlock Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Layer Unlock Toolbar: Layers II Summary When you move the cursor over objects on locked layers, the locked icon is displayed. You can select an object on a locked layer and unlock that layer without specifying the name of the layer. Objects on unlocked layers can be selected and modified.
Summary Reverses the effects of the previous LAYISO command. Any additional changes made to layer settings after you use the LAYISO command will be retained. LAYUNISO restores layers to the state they were in just before you entered the LAYISO command. Changes to layer settings after LAYISO is used are retained when you enter the LAYUNISO command. If LAYISO was not used, LAYUNISO does not restore any layers.
This command automates the process of using VP Freeze in the Layer Properties Manager. You select an object on each layer to be frozen in other layout viewports. NOTE LAYVPI works only when TILEMODE is set to 0 and when two or more paper space viewports are defined. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
LAYWALK Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Displays objects on selected layers and hides objects on all other layers. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Layers panel ➤ Walk Menu: Format ➤ Layer Tools ➤ Layer Walk Toolbar: Layers II Summary The LayerWalk dialog box is displayed. Displays a dialog box with a list of all layers in the drawing. For drawings with a large number of layers, you can filter the list of layers that are displayed in the dialog box.
Dynamically displays objects on layers that you select in the Layer list. Summary The number of layers in the drawing are displayed in the dialog box title. You can change the current layer state when you exit, save layer states, and purge layers that are not referenced. You can use the Layer Walk dialog box in a paper space viewport to select layers to turn on and thaw in the layer table and the current viewport. Any layer that is not selected in the Layer list is frozen in the current viewport.
Layer List Shortcut Menu Options Displays a list of options for the layers selected in the Layer list. Hold Selection Turns on the Always Show option for selected layers. An asterisk (*) is displayed to the left of each layer held. Release Selection Turns off the Always Show option for selected layers. Release All Turns off the Always Show option for all layers. Select All Selects and displays all layers. Clear All Clears all layers.
click Select Unreferenced. In the Layer list, the unreferenced layers are highlighted. You can purge those layers. Restore on Exit Returns layers to their previous state when you exit the dialog box. If the check box is cleared, any changes you made are saved. LEADER Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Leaders ■ Modify Leaders Using Grips Creates a line that connects annotation to a feature.
If you press Enter at the Annotation prompt without entering text first, the following options are displayed: Tolerance Creates a feature control frame containing geometric tolerances using the Geometric Tolerance dialog box (see TOLERANCE). You can create datum indicators and basic dimension notation in these dialog boxes. After you specify the geometric tolerance, LEADER ends.
The units settings and the current text style determine how the text is displayed. The multiline text is vertically centered and horizontally aligned according to the X axis direction of the last two vertices of the leader line. The text is offset from the hook line by the distance specified under Offset from Dim Line on the Text tab of the New, Modify, or Override Dimension Style dialog box. If the offset specified is negative, the multiline text is enclosed in a box as a basic dimension.
Changes the length of objects and the included angle of arcs. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Lengthen Menu: Modify ➤ Lengthen Summary You can specify changes as a percentage, an increment, or as a final length or angle. LENGTHEN is an alternative to using TRIM or EXTEND. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Delta Length Changes the length of the object by the specified increment. Angle Changes the included angle of the selected arc by the specified angle. Percent Sets the length of an object by a specified percentage of its total length. Total Sets the length of a selected object by specifying the total absolute length from the fixed endpoint. Total also sets the included angle of a selected arc by a specified total angle.
Dynamic Turns on Dynamic Dragging mode. You change the length of a selected object by dragging one of its endpoints. The other end remains fixed. LIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Guidelines for Lighting Creates a light. List of Prompts Depending on the type of light you specify, the prompts that are displayed are identical to the prompts in the POINTLIGHT, SPOTLIGHT, WEBLIGHT, TARGETPOINT, FREESPOT, FREEWEB or DISTANTLIGHT command.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: 3D Modeling Workspace Render tab ➤ Lights panel ➤ Lights in Model Menu: View ➤ Render ➤ Light ➤ Light List Toolbar: Render ➤ Summary Opens the Lights in Model palette on page 1047, which lists the lights in the drawing. With one or more lights selected, right-click and use the shortcut menu to delete or change the properties of the selected lights. Lights in Model Palette Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Light Properties Lists the lights in the drawing.
Summary An icon in the Type column indicates the type of light: point light, spotlight, or distant light, and whether it is on or off. Select a light in the list to select it in the drawing. To sort the list, click the Type or Name column head. List of Options The following options are displayed on the shortcut menu. Lights in Model Displays a list of different types of lights with their names used in the drawing.
LIGHTLISTCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Light Properties Closes the Lights in Model window. Summary The Lights in Model window on page 1047 closes. LIMITS Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Sets and controls the limits of the grid display in the current Model or named layout. Access Methods Menu: Format ➤ Drawing Limits Command entry: 'limits for transparent use List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
On Turns on limits checking. When limits checking is on, you cannot enter points outside the grid limits. Because limits checking tests only points that you enter, portions of objects such as circles can extend outside the grid limits. Off Turns off limits checking but maintains the current values for the next time you turn on limits checking. LINE Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Lines Creates straight line segments.
Summary With LINE, you can create a series of contiguous line segments. Each segment is a line object that can be edited separately. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify first point: Specify a point or press Enter to continue from the last drawn line or arc Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: Continue Continues a line from the endpoint of the most recently drawn line.
Undo Erases the most recent segment of a line sequence. Entering u more than once backtracks through line segments in the order you created them. LINETYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Linetypes Loads, sets, and modifies linetypes.
Command entry: 'linetype for transparent use Summary The Linetype Manager is displayed. If you enter -linetype at the Command prompt, options are displayed. Linetype Manager Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Linetypes Loads linetypes and sets the current linetype. List of Options The following options are displayed. Linetype Filters Determines which linetypes to display in the linetype list.
Invert Filter Displays linetypes based on the opposites of the criteria you select. Linetypes that fit the inverse filter criteria are displayed in the linetype list. Load Displays the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, in which you can load into the drawing selected linetypes from the acad.lin file and add them to the linetype list. Current Sets the selected linetype to be the current linetype.
Description Displays descriptions of the linetypes, which can be edited in the Details area. Details Provides alternative access to properties and additional settings. Name Displays the selected linetype name, which can be edited. Description Displays the description of the selected linetype, which can be edited. Use Paper Space Units for Scaling Scales linetypes in paper space and model space identically. Useful when working with multiple viewports.
Summary The acad.lin file contains the standard linetypes. List of Options The following options are displayed. File Button Displays the Select Linetype File dialog box, in which you can select a different linetype (LIN) file. File Name Displays the name of the current LIN file. You can enter the name of another LIN file or click the File button to select a file from the Select Linetype File dialog box. Available Linetypes Displays the linetypes available to load.
Loads, sets, and modifies linetypes. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [?/Create/Load/Set]: ?—List Linetypes Displays the Select Linetype File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box). After you select an LIN file, the linetypes available in the file are listed. Create Creates a new linetype and stores it in an LIN file. The Create or Append Linetype File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed.
The linetype you enter becomes the current linetype. All new objects are drawn with this linetype, regardless of the current layer. If the linetype you request is not loaded, the program searches for its definition in the acad.lin file. If the linetype is neither loaded nor in acad.lin, the program displays a message and returns you to the Command prompt. Enter ? to list all loaded linetype names. If you enter bylayer, new objects inherit the linetype associated with the layer on which the object is drawn.
LIST also reports the following information: ■ Color, linetype, lineweight, and transparency information, if these properties are not set to BYLAYER. ■ The thickness of an object, if it is nonzero. ■ Elevation (Z coordinate information). ■ Extrusion direction (UCS coordinates), if the extrusion direction differs from the Z axis (0,0,1) of the current UCS. ■ Additional information related to the specific object type.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select section object Turns on live sectioning for the section object you select. LOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Shape Files Makes shapes available for use by the SHAPE command. Summary The Select Shape File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. Enter the shape file name, or select a file name from the list. You must load a shape (SHP) file the first time you need it; it is loaded automatically thereafter.
LOFT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid or Surface by Lofting Creates a 3D solid or surface in the space between several cross sections. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modeling panel ➤ Loft Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Loft Toolbar: Modeling Summary Creates a 3D solid or surface by specifying a series of cross sections. The cross sections define the shape of the resulting solid or surface. You must specify at least two cross sections.
When creating surfaces, use SURFACEMODELINGMODE on page 2560 to control whether the surface is a NURBS surface or a procedural surface. Use SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY on page 2558 to control whether procedural surfaces are associative.
Objects That Can Be Objects That Can Be Objects That Can Be Used as Cross Sec- Used as a Loft Path Used as Guides tions Region Trace To automatically delete the cross sections, guides, and paths, use DELOBJ. If surface associativity on page 2558 is on, DELOBJ is ignored and the originating geometry is not deleted. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Cross Sections in Lofting Order Specifies open or closed curves in the order in which the surface or solid will pass through them.
Bulge Magnitude This option only displays if the LOFTNORMALS on page 2410 system variable is set to 1 (smooth fit). Specifies a bulge magnitude value for objects that have a continuity of G1 or G2. Guides Specifies guide curves that control the shape of the lofted solid or surface. You can use guide curves to control how points are matched up on corresponding cross sections to prevent undesired results, such as wrinkles in the resulting solid or surface.
The path curve must intersect all planes of the cross sections. Cross Sections Only Creates lofted objects without using guides or paths. Settings Displays the Loft Settings dialog box. Loft Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid or Surface by Lofting Controls the contour of a lofted surface at its cross sections. Also allows you to close the surface or solid.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Ruled Specifies that the solid or surface is ruled (straight) between the cross sections and has sharp edges at the cross sections. (LOFTNORMALS system variable) Smooth Fit Specifies that a smooth solid or surface is drawn between the cross sections and has sharp edges at the start and end cross sections.
Start Continuity Sets the tangency and curvature of the first cross section. Start Bulge Magnitude Sets the size of the curve of the first cross section. End Continuity Sets the tangency and curvature of the last cross section. End Bulge Magnitude Sets the size of the curve of the last cross section. Normal To Controls the surface normal of the solid or surface where it passes through the cross sections.
The following illustration shows the affect of using a different draft angle for the first and last cross sections of a lofted solid. The first cross section is assigned a draft angle of 45 degrees, while the last cross section is assigned a draft angle of 135 degrees. You can also use the draft angle handle to adjust the draft angle (triangular grip) and magnitude (circular grip). Start Angle Specifies the draft angle for the start cross section.
Start Magnitude Controls the relative distance of the surface from the start cross section in the direction of the draft angle before the surface starts to bend toward the next cross section. (LOFTMAG1 system variable) End Angle Specifies the draft angle for the end cross section. (LOFTANG2 system variable) End Magnitude Controls the relative distance of the surface from the end cross section in the direction of the draft angle before the surface starts to bend toward the previous cross section.
Summary The program stops recording the text window contents and closes the log file. Each drawing saves a log file (with the extension .log) that may need periodic deletion as the number of log files continues to grow. You can also control the log file with the OPTIONS on page 1328 command. Use the Maintain a Log File option on the Open and Save tab on page 1340 in the Options dialog box to turn the log file off and on. Use the Files tab on page 1330 to change the location of the log file.
Sets the global linetype scale factor. Access Methods Command entry: 'ltscale for transparent use Summary Use LTSCALE to change the scale factor of linetypes for all objects in a drawing. Changing the linetype scale factor causes the drawing to be regenerated. LWEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Lineweights Sets the current lineweight, lineweight display options, and lineweight units.
Summary The Lineweight Settings dialog box is displayed. If you enter -lweight at the Command prompt, options are displayed. Lineweight Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Lineweights Sets the current lineweight, sets the lineweight units, controls the display and display scale of lineweights, and sets the DEFAULT lineweight value for layers. Summary For a table of valid lineweights, see “Overview of Lineweights” in the User's Guide.
Current Lineweight Displays the current lineweight. To set the current lineweight, select a lineweight from the lineweight list and choose OK. Units for Listing Specifies whether lineweights are displayed in millimeters or inches. You can also set Units for Listing by using the LWUNITS system variable. Millimeters (mm) Specifies lineweight values in millimeters. Inches (in.) Specifies lineweight values in inches. Display Lineweight Controls whether lineweights are displayed in the current drawing.
-LWEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Lineweights Sets the current lineweight, lineweight display options, and lineweight units. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current lineweight: current Enter default lineweight for new objects or [?]: Enter a valid lineweight or enter ? The current lineweight value is displayed; if the value is not BYLAYER, BYBLOCK or DEFAULT, the value is displayed in millimeters or inches. Default Lineweight Sets the current default lineweight.
M Commands 13 MANAGEUPLOADS Quick Reference See also: ■ Use AutoCAD WS for Drawing File Collaboration Manages the uploading of files stored on the AutoCAD WS server. Access Methods Ribbon: Online tab ➤ Upload panel ➤ Manage Uploads Menu: File ➤ AutoCAD WS ➤ Manage Uploads Summary The Manage Uploads dialog box on page 1076 is displayed. NOTE You may first be prompted to log in to AutoCAD WS. If you do not have an account, click Create an Account and follow the on-screen instructions.
Manage Uploads Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use AutoCAD WS for Drawing File Collaboration Manages the uploading of files stored on the AutoCAD WS server. Summary View the status of your current file uploads and control whether drawings are automatically uploaded each time the local drawing is saved. Use the check boxes to resume or stop the uploading process for a specific drawing. To remove a file from the list, right-click the file and click Remove from This List.
MARKUP Quick Reference See also: ■ View Markups Opens the Markup Set Manager. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Markup Set Manager Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Markup Set Manager Toolbar: Standard Summary When submitting designs for review, you can publish a drawing as a DWF or DWFx file. The reviewer can open the file in Autodesk Design Review, mark it up, and then send the file back to you. Opens the Markup Set Manager.
Summary You can show or hide markups and their originating drawing files in your drawing area. You can change the status of individual markups and add notes and comments to them. List of Options The following options are displayed. Markup Set List Control The Markup Set List control displays the name of the markup set, or, if no markup sets are open, the Open option. Names of Open Markup Sets Lists all open markup sets, if any. A check is displayed next to the current markup set.
created that contains any changes you made to the drawing file geometry and the status of the markups. View Redline Geometry Displays or hides redline markup geometry in the drawing area. View DWG Geometry Displays or hides the originating drawing file in the drawing area. View DWF Geometry Displays or hides the DWF or DWFx file geometry in the drawing area. Markups Displays loaded markup sets. Any sheets that were added to the DWF or DWFx file in Autodesk Design Review are listed in italics.
NOTE When opening a digitally signed DWFx file, a message box is displayed that warns you about saving a new version of the file will invalidate the attached digital signature. Close Markup DWF Closes the selected marked-up DWF or DWFx and removes it from the Markup Set Manager. Save Markup History Changes Saves changes to the status of markups and added comments to the marked-up DWF or DWFx file. NOTE Saving a DWFx file that contains a digital signature will invalidate the attached digital signature.
■ For Review: After you have implemented a markup, you can change the status to For Review to indicate that the markup creator should review the changes to the drawing sheet and the status of the markup. ■ Done: After a markup has been implemented and reviewed, you can change its status to Done. Restore Initial Markup View If you panned or zoomed the selected markup, or rotated the view in model space, restores the original view of the selected markup.
Markup Preview Displays a thumbnail preview of the currently selected drawing sheet or markup. Details Changes the Markup Preview area to the Markup Details area, which provides information about the selected node in the Markups area. You can click the Preview button to change the area back to the Markup Preview area. Preview Changes the Markup Details area to the Markup Preview area and displays a thumbnail image of the selected drawing sheet or markup.
MARKUPCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Respond to Markups Closes the Markup Set Manager. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Markup Set Manager Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Markup Set Manager Toolbar: Standard Summary The Markup Set Manager window closes. MASSPROP Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain Area and Mass Properties Information Calculates the mass properties of regions or 3D solids.
Menu: Tools ➤ Inquiry ➤ Region/Mass Properties Toolbar: Inquiry Summary Refer to the Help system for a complete list of definitions for each of the region or mass properties computed. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects: Use an object selection method If you select multiple regions, only those that are coplanar with the first selected region are accepted.
Mass properties for all regions Mass property Description Centroid A 2D or 3D coordinate that is the center of area for regions. For regions that are coplanar with the XY plane of the current UCS, this coordinate is a 2D point. For regions that are not coplanar with the XY plane of the current UCS, this coordinate is a 3D point. If the regions are coplanar with the XY plane of the current UCS, the additional properties shown in the following table are displayed.
3D Solids The following table shows the mass properties that are displayed for solids. Mass properties for solids Mass property Description Mass The measure of inertia of a body. Because a density of one is used, mass and volume have the same value. Volume The amount of 3D space that a solid encloses. Bounding box The diagonally opposite corners of a 3D box that encloses the solid. Centroid A 3D point that is the center of mass for solids. A solid of uniform density is assumed.
Calculations Based on the Current UCS The following table shows the parameters that control the units in which mass properties are calculated.
MATBROWSEROPEN Quick Reference See also: ■ Browse Material Libraries Opens the Materials Browser. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Materials panel ➤ Materials Browser Menu: View ➤ Render ➤ Materials Browser Toolbar: Render Summary The Materials Browser on page 1088 is displayed. Materials Browser Quick Reference See also: ■ Browse Material Libraries The Materials Browser allows you to navigate and manage your materials.
Summary You can also manage your material libraries in the Materials Browser. It also allows you search and sort materials in all open libraries and in the drawing. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Create Material Creates or duplicates the material. Search Searches for material appearances in multiple libraries. Document Materials Displays the materials saved with the open drawing. Use the drop-down list on the left to filter which materials are displayed in the list.
■ Purge All Unused. Removes all unused materials from current drawing. The Sort drop-down controls the order in which document materials are displayed. The following sort options are available: ■ By Name. Lists materials alphabetically by name. (Default option) ■ By Type. Lists materials according to the type of material that it was created from. ■ By Material Color. Lists materials by their assigned color. The color might not be the same that is displayed in the material swatch preview.
■ By Category. Lists materials by their assigned category. ■ By Type. Lists materials by the type of material that it was created from. ■ By Material Color. Lists materials by their assigned color. The color might not be the same that is displayed in the material swatch preview. Manage Allow you to create, open, or edit libraries and library categories. View Controls the details view display of the library content. The following view options are available: ■ Grid View.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select source cell: Click inside a cell in a table whose properties you want to copy Select destination cell: Click inside table cells to copy properties from the source cell, and right-click or press Enter or Esc to exit MATCHPROP Quick Reference See also: ■ Copy Properties Between Objects Applies the properties of a selected object to other objects.
Destination Object(s) Specifies the objects to which you want to copy the properties of the source object. Settings Displays the Property Settings dialog box, in which you can control which object properties to copy to the destination objects. By default, all object properties are selected for copying. Property Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Copy Properties Between Objects Specifies the properties that are copied from the select source object to the destination objects.
Basic Properties Color Changes the color of the destination object to that of the source object. Available for all objects. Layer Changes the layer of the destination object to that of the source object. Available for all objects. Linetype Changes the linetype of the destination object to that of the source object. Available for all objects except attributes, hatches, multiline text, points, and viewports.
In addition to basic object properties, changes the dimension style and properties of the destination object to that of the source object. Available only for dimension, leader, and tolerance objects. Polyline In addition to basic object properties, changes the width and linetype generation properties of the destination polyline to those of the source polyline. The fit/smooth property and the elevation of the source polyline are not transferred to the destination polyline.
Multileader In addition to basic object properties, changes the multileader style and properties of the destination object to that of the source object. Available only for multileader objects. MATEDITORCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Materials Closes the Materials Editor. Summary This command closes the Materials Editor on page 1097. MATEDITOROPEN Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Materials Opens the Materials Editor.
Summary The Materials Editor on page 1097 is displayed. Materials Editor Quick Reference See also: ■ Create New Materials Edits the material selected in the Document Materials panel. Summary The configuration of the Materials Editor changes depending on the type of material and template that is selected. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Appearance Tab Contains the controls for editing the material properties. Create Material Creates or duplicates the material. Options Provides swatch shape and render quality options. Swatch Preview Previews the selected material. Name Specifies the name of the material. Show Materials Browser Displays the Materials Browser on page 1088. Information Tab Contrains all controls for editing and viewing the keyword information of a material. Information Specifies the general description of the material.
Summary The Texture Editor allows you to modify texture properties. In the Materials Editor on page 1097, click the image or procedural-based texture to display the Texture Editor. List of Options The following options are displayed. Preview Any changes in a texture are reflected in the interactive swatch preview right away. You can enlarge or reduce the size of the preview area. Apprearance The Appearance settings are only available for procedural-based textures.
Position Controls the coordinates and rotation of the material on a swatch. ■ Offset. Moves the starting point of the map along the X or Y axis. ■ Rotation. Rotates the map from 180 degrees to (-180) degrees. Rotation is not available for spherical and cylindrical mapping. Use MATERIALMAP on page 1114 to display the mapping gizmo that can rotate box, planar, spherical and cylindrical maps. Scale Controls the scaling of the procedural maps on materials. ■ Sample Size.
■ Noise ■ Speckle ■ Tiles ■ Waves ■ Wood Checker Property Settings Quick Reference See also: ■ Checker Controls the property settings for the Checker procedural map. List of Options The following options are displayed. Appearance Color 1 Provides the option of selecting a color for one of the checkers. Click the color box to display the Select Color dialog box. Color 2 Provides the option of selecting a color for the other checker. Click the color box to display the Select Color dialog box.
Gradient Property Settings Quick Reference See also: ■ Gradient Controls the property settings for the Gradient procedural map. List of Options The following options are displayed. Appearance Gradient Type Specifies the type of shade from one color to another. These affect the entire gradient. ■ Linear Asymmetrical. An asymmetrical linear transition of colors. ■ Box. A box. ■ Diagonal. A linear diagonal transition of colors. ■ Light Normal. Based on the light intensity value.
Interpolation Specifies the type of calculation for the intermediate values. These affect the entire gradient. ■ Ease In. Weighted more toward the next node than the current node. ■ Ease In Out. Weighted more toward the current node than the next node. ■ Ease Out. Weighted more toward the previous node than the next node. ■ Linear. Constant from one node to the next. (Default.) ■ Solid. No interpolation. Transitions are a sharp line.
Scale on page 1100 Repeat on page 1100 Marble Property Settings Quick Reference See also: ■ Marble Controls the property settings for the Marble procedural map. List of Options The following options are displayed. Appearance Stone Color Specifies the color of the stone. Click the color box to display the Select Color dialog box. Vein Color Specifies the vein color of the marble. Click the color box to display the Select Color dialog box. Vein Spacing Sets the space between veins.
Noise Property Settings Quick Reference See also: ■ Noise Controls the property settings for the Noise procedural map. List of Options The following options are displayed. Appearance Noise Type Creates random perturbation of a surface based on the interaction of two colors. ■ Regular. Generates plain noise. Basically the same as fractal noise with levels setting at 1. When the noise type is set to Regular, the Levels spinner is inactive (because Regular is not a fractal function). ■ Fractal.
Phase Controls the appearance of the noise. Use this option to vary the appearances of different objects that use the noise map. Transform Link Texture Transforms on page 1099 Position on page 1104 Speckle Property Settings Quick Reference See also: ■ Speckle Controls the property settings for the Speckle procedural map. List of Options The following options are displayed. Appearance Color 1 Provides the option of selecting a color for the speckle.
Tiles Property Settings Quick Reference See also: ■ Tiles Controls the property settings for the Tiles procedural map. List of Options The following options are displayed. Pattern Types Determines either a preset or custom tile pattern. Preset patterns typically disable most or all of the stacking layout and row/column edit controls. Tile Count Controls the number of tiles in a row and column. Tile Appearance Tile Color Provides the option of selecting a color for the tile.
Amount Changes the width of tiles in the affected rows. Column Modify Every Specifies the columns to change. Amount Changes the height of tiles in the affected columns. Transform Link Texture Transforms on page 1099 Position on page 1100 Scale on page 1100 Repeat on page 1100 Waves Property Settings Quick Reference See also: ■ Waves Controls the property settings for the Waves procedural map. List of Options The following options are displayed.
points along the surface of an imaginary sphere inside the object (a circle, in the case of 2D wave distribution). For calm water, set this to a low number. Use a high number for choppy water. Range = 1 to 50; Default = 3. Radius Specifies the radius of the imaginary sphere (3D distribution) or circle (2D distribution) whose surface is the origin of each wave set. A large radius produces large circular wave patterns, while a small radius produces dense, smaller waves. Default = 39.37.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Appearance Color 1 Provides the option of selecting a color for the wood. Click the color box to display the Select Color dialog box. Color 2 Provides the option of selecting a second color for the wood. Click the color box to display the Select Color dialog box. Radial noise Sets the relative randomness of the radial noise pattern on a plane perpendicular to the grain on the wood. Range = 0 to 100; Default 1.00.
Summary Nested maps within a parent map or material can be selected. The Nested Map Navigation provides lists and buttons to control the current level of the nested maps. List of Options The following options are displayed. Home to Material Settings Returns the display of nested map property settings back to the current basic material settings. Map name string Displays in bold only the current map channel level and texture map or procedural map that is being edited.
MATERIALASSIGN Quick Reference See also: ■ Create New Materials Uses the current material defined in the CMATERIAL system variable. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects: Pick one or more objects Select objects or [Undo]: Press Enter to exit the command MATERIALATTACH Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Materials to Objects and Faces Associates materials with layers.
Material Attachment Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Materials to Objects and Faces Associates materials with layers. Summary All objects on the layer that have their Material property set to BYLAYER have the specified material applied. List of Options The following options are displayed. Materials List Lists all the materials in the drawing, both in use and not in use. Drag a material onto a layer in the Layers List to apply the material to that layer.
MATERIALMAP Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Mapping On Objects and Faces Displays a material mapping gizmo to adjust the mapping on a face or an object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Materials panel ➤ Planar Mapping Toolbar: Mapping, Render Summary Use this option to reverse the effects of all previous adjustments made with the mapping gizmo to the position and orientation of the map. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Move Displays the Move grip tool to move the map. Rotate Displays the Rotate grip tool to rotate the map. Reset Resets the UV coordinates to the default for the map. Switch Mapping Mode Re-displays the main command prompt of options.
■ Move on page 1115 ■ Rotate on page 1115 ■ Reset on page 1115 ■ Switch Mapping Mode on page 1115 Cylindrical For example: 1116 | Chapter 13 M Commands
■ Move on page 1115 ■ Rotate on page 1115 ■ Reset on page 1115 ■ Switch Mapping Mode on page 1115 Spherical For example: MATERIALMAP | 1117
■ Move on page 1115 ■ Rotate on page 1115 ■ Reset on page 1115 ■ Switch Mapping Mode on page 1115 Copy Mapping To Applies mapping from the original object or face to the selected objects. This easily duplicates a texture map along with any adjustments to other objects. Reset Mapping Resets the UV coordinates to the default for the map.
Opens the Materials Browser. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Materials panel ➤ Materials Browser Menu: View ➤ Render ➤ Materials Browser Toolbar: Render Summary The Materials Browser is displayed. The Materials Browser allows you navigate and manage your materials. You can organize, sort, search, and select materials for use in your drawing. MATERIALSCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Browse Material Libraries Closes the Materials Browser. Summary Closes the Materials Browser on page 1088.
Creates point objects or blocks at measured intervals along the length or perimeter of an object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Measure Menu: Draw ➤ Point ➤ Measure Summary The resulting points or blocks are always located on the selected object and their orientation is parallel to the XY plane of the UCS. Use DDPTYPE to set the style and size of all point objects in a drawing.
Measurement of circles starts at the angle from the center set as the current snap rotation angle. If the snap rotation angle is 0, then the measurement of the circle starts to the right of center, on its circumference. The illustration shows how MEASURE marks 0.5-unit distances along a polyline, with the PDMODE on page 2462 system variable set to 35. Block Places blocks at a specified interval along the selected object. Align Block With Object ■ Yes.
MEASUREGEOM Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain Area and Mass Properties Information Measures the distance, radius, angle, area, and volume of selected objects or sequence of points.
Distance Measures the distance between specified points. The following display at the Command prompt and in the tooltip: ■ The current UCS X axis ■ Distance in X direction (Delta X) ■ Distance in Y direction (Delta Y) Multiple Points A running total of distance based on existing line segments and the current rubber-band line is calculated. The total updates as you move the cursor and displays in the tooltip. If you enter Arc, Length, or Undo Options for Selecting Polylines display.
Subtract Area Subtracts a specified area from the total area. The total area and perimeter displays at the Command prompt and in the tooltip. Volume Measures the volume of an object or a defined area. Object Measures the volume of an object or defined area. You can select a 3D solids or 2D objects. If you select a 2D object you must specify a height for that object. If you define an object by specifying points, you must specify at least three points to define a polygon.
Close Draws an arc segment from the last point specified to the starting point, creating a closed polyline. At least two points must be specified to use this option. Direction Specifies a starting direction for the arc segment. ■ Endpoint of Arc on page 1467 Half width Specifies the width from the center of a wide polyline segment to one of its edges. The starting half-width becomes the default ending half-width.
MENU Quick Reference See also: ■ Understand User Interface Customization Loads a customization file. Summary The Select Customization File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. Enter or select a customization file name. A customization file is an XML-based file containing the menus, toolbars, workspaces, and other interface elements that you can customize. You can create a customized menu file and use MENU or CUI to load the file.
Ribbon: Mesh tab ➤ Primitives panel ➤ Box Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Meshes ➤ Primitives ➤ Box Toolbar: Smooth Mesh Primitives, Smooth Mesh Summary The basic mesh forms, known as mesh primitives, are the equivalent of the primitive forms for 3D solids. You can reshape mesh objects by smoothing, creasing, refining, and splitting faces. You can also drag edges, faces, and vertices to mold the overall form. NOTE By default, new mesh primitives are created with no smoothness.
First corner / Corner Sets the first corner of the mesh box. ■ Other corner. Sets the opposite corner of the mesh box. ■ Cube ■ Length Center Sets the center of the mesh box. ■ Corner. Sets the opposite corner of the mesh box. ■ Cube ■ Length Cube Sets all edges of the box to be of equal length. ■ Length Length Sets the length of the mesh box along the X axis. ■ Width (not available for cubes) Width Sets the width of the mesh box along the Y axis.
Specify the diameter and height. Center point of base Sets the center point of the base of the mesh cone. ■ Base radius ■ Diameter 3P (three points) Sets the location, size, and plane of the mesh cone by specifying three points: ■ First point. Sets the first point on the circumference of the mesh cone base. ■ Second point. Sets a second point on the circumference of the mesh cone base. ■ Third point. Sets the size and planar rotation of the mesh cone base.
2P (diameter) Defines the base diameter of the mesh cone based on two points: ■ First endpoint of diameter. Sets the first location on the circumference of the mesh cone base. ■ Second endpoint of diameter. Determines the general location and size of the mesh cone base by setting the endpoint of the diameter.
■ Center. Specifies the method for creating an elliptical mesh cone base that starts with the center point of the base: ■ Center point. Sets the center of the mesh cone base. ■ Distance to first axis. Sets the radius of the first axis. ■ Endpoint of second axis. Sets the endpoint of the second axis. Base radius Sets the radius of the mesh cone base. ■ Height ■ 2Point (height) ■ Axis endpoint ■ Top radius Diameter Sets the diameter for the base of the cone.
Cylinder Creates a 3D mesh cylinder. Specify the size of the base and height. Center point of base Sets the center point of the mesh cylinder base. ■ Base Radius ■ Diameter 3P (three points) Sets the location, size, and plane of the mesh cylinder by specifying three points: ■ First point. Sets the first point on the circumference of the mesh cylinder base. ■ Second point. Sets a second point on the circumference of the mesh cylinder base. ■ Third point.
2P (diameter) Sets the diameter of the mesh cylinder base by specifying two points: ■ First endpoint of diameter. Sets the first point on the diameter of the mesh cylinder base. ■ Second endpoint of diameter. Sets the second point on the diameter of the mesh cylinder base. ■ Height ■ 2Point (height) ■ Axis endpoint 2Point (height) Defines the height of the mesh cylinder by specifying the distance between two points: ■ First point. Sets the first point of a two-point distance. ■ Second point.
Diameter Sets the diameter for the base of the cylinder. ■ Height ■ 2Point (height) ■ Axis endpoint Height Sets the height of the mesh cylinder along an axis that is perpendicular to the plane of the base. Axis endpoint Sets the location of the top face of the cylinder. The orientation of the axis endpoint can be anywhere in 3D space. Elliptical Specifies an elliptical base for the mesh cylinder. ■ ■ Endpoint of first axis. Sets the start point for the first axis of the mesh cone base.
Specify the diameter and height. Center point of base Sets the center point of the mesh pyramid base. ■ Base radius ■ Inscribed Edge Sets the length of the one edge of the mesh pyramid base, as indicated by two points that you specify: ■ First endpoint of edge. Sets the first location of the edge of the mesh pyramid. ■ Second endpoint of edge. Sets the second location of the edge of the mesh pyramid.
■ Edge ■ Sides. Resets the number of sides for the mesh pyramid. Base radius Sets the radius of the mesh pyramid base. ■ Height ■ 2Point (height) ■ Axis endpoint ■ Top radius Inscribed Specifies that the base of the mesh pyramid is inscribed, or drawn within, the base radius. ■ Base radius ■ Circumscribed Height Sets the height of the mesh pyramid along an axis that is perpendicular to the plane of the base.
Sphere Creates a 3D mesh sphere. Specify the size of the sphere (diameter or radius). Center point Sets the center point of the sphere. ■ Radius. Creates a mesh sphere based on a specified radius. ■ Diameter. Creates a mesh sphere based on a specified diameter. 3P (three points) Sets the location, size, and plane of the mesh sphere by specifying three points: ■ First point. Sets the first point on the circumference of the mesh sphere. ■ Second point.
Ttr (tangent, tangent, radius) Defines a mesh sphere with a specified radius that is tangent to two objects: ■ Point on object for first tangent. Sets a point on an object to serve as the first tangent point. ■ Point on object for second tangent. Sets a point on an object to serve as the second tangent point. ■ Radius of circle. Sets the radius of the mesh sphere. If the specified criteria can produce multiple results, the closest tangent points are used. Wedge Creates a 3D mesh wedge.
■ Length Center Sets the center point of the mesh wedge base. ■ Corner. Sets one corner of the mesh wedge base. ■ Height ■ 2Point (height) ■ Cube ■ Length Cube Sets all edges of the mesh wedge base to be of equal length. ■ Length Length Sets the length of the mesh wedge base along the X axis. ■ Width (not available for Cube) Width Sets the width of the mesh box along the Y axis. ■ Height ■ 2Point (height) Height Sets the height of the mesh wedge.
Specify two values: the size of the tube and the distance from the center of the torus to the center of the tube. Center point Sets the center point of the mesh torus. ■ Radius (torus) ■ Diameter (torus) 3P (three points) Sets the location, size, and rotation of the mesh torus by specifying three points. The path of the tube passes through the specified points: ■ First point. Sets the first point on the path of the tube. ■ Second point. Sets the second point on the path of the tube. ■ Third point.
2P (torus diameter) Sets the diameter of the mesh torus by specifying two points. The diameter is calculated from the center point of the torus to the center point of the tube. ■ First endpoint of diameter. Sets the first point used to specify the torus diameter distance. ■ Second endpoint of diameter. Sets the second point used to specify the torus diameter distance.
Tube radius Sets the radius of the profile that is swept around the mesh torus path. 2Point (tube radius) Sets the radius of the profile of the tube based on the distance between two points that you specify: ■ First point. Sets the first point of a two-point distance. ■ Second point. Sets the second point of a two-point distance. Tube diameter Sets the diameter of the profile of the mesh torus tube. Settings Modifies the smoothness and tessellation values for the new mesh object.
Smooth Panel Smooth More (MESHSMOOTHMORE) Increases the level of smoothness for mesh objects by one level. Smooth Less (MESHSMOOTHLESS) Decreases the level of smoothness for mesh objects by one level. Refine Mesh (MESHREFINE) Multiplies the number of faces in selected mesh objects or faces. Convert Mesh Panel Convert to Solid (CONVTOSOLID) Converts 3D meshes and polylines and circles with thickness to 3D solids. Convert to Surface (CONVTOSURFACE) Converts objects to 3D surfaces.
Mesh Subobject Ribbon Contextual Panels Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Mesh Objects Provides ribbon access to commonly used tools when a mesh subobject is selected. Access Methods Pointing device: Select a mesh face, edge, or vertex. Crease Panel Add Crease (MESHCREASE) Sharpens the edges of selected mesh subobjects. Remove Crease (MESHUNCREASE) Removes the crease from selected mesh faces, edges, or vertices. Edit Face Panel Split Face (MESHSPLIT) Splits a mesh face into two faces.
Refine Mesh (MESHREFINE) Multiplies the number of faces in selected mesh objects or faces. MESHCAP Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Close Mesh Gaps Creates a mesh face that connects open edges. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Mesh tab ➤ Mesh Edit panel ➤ Close Hole Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Close Hole Summary You can close gaps in mesh objects by selecting the edges of the surrounding mesh faces. For best results, the faces should be on the same plane.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select connecting mesh edges to create a new mesh face Specifies which mesh edges form the boundary for the closure. Click the edges to select them. Select edges or [CHain] Edges Selects individual edges and adds them to the selection set. Chain Selects contiguous edges of mesh objects connected end-to-end. MESHCOLLAPSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Mesh Faces Merges the vertices of selected mesh faces or edges.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Mesh tab ➤ Mesh Edit panel ➤ Collapse Face or Edge Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Collapse Face or Edge Summary You can cause the vertices of surrounding mesh faces to converge at the center of a selected edge or face. The shapes of surrounding faces change to accommodate the loss of one or more vertices. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
MESHCREASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Creases to Mesh Sharpens the edges of selected mesh subobjects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Mesh tab ➤ Mesh panel ➤ Add Crease Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Crease Toolbar: Smooth Mesh Summary You can sharpen, or crease, the edges of mesh objects. Creasing deforms mesh faces and edges that are adjacent to the selected subobject. Creases added to mesh that has no smoothness are not apparent until the mesh is smoothed.
You can also apply creases to mesh subobjects by changing the crease type and crease level in the Properties palette on page 1545. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select mesh subobjects to crease Specifies the mesh subobjects to crease. Click mesh faces, edges, and vertices to crease their associated edges. Press Shift+click to remove a subobject from the selection set. ■ Crease value ■ Always Crease value Sets highest smoothing level at which the crease is retained.
MESHEXTRUDE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Mesh Faces Extends a mesh face into 3D space. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Mesh tab ➤ Mesh Edit panel ➤ Extrude Face Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Extrude Face Summary When you extrude, or extend, a mesh face, you can specify several options to determine the shape of the extrusion. You can also determine whether extruding multiple mesh faces results in joined or separate extrusions.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Mesh face(s) to extrude Specifies the mesh faces to extrude. Click one or more faces to select them. ■ Height of extrusion ■ Direction ■ Path ■ Taper angle Setting (Available only when you start the command before selecting faces) Sets the style for extruding multiple adjacent mesh faces. ■ Join adjacent mesh faces when extruding Specifies whether adjacent mesh faces are extruded singly or as a unit.
Direction Specifies the length and direction of the extrusion. (The direction cannot be parallel to the plane of the sweep curve created by the extrusion.) ■ Start point of direction. Specifies the first point in the direction vector. ■ End point of direction. Specifies the second point in the direction vector. Path Specifies an object, such as a line or spline, that determines the path and length of the extrusion. The outline of the mesh face is swept along the path.
Specifying a large taper angle or a long extrusion height can cause the object or portions of the object to taper to a point before reaching the extrusion height. ■ Angle of taper. Sets an angle between -90 and +90 degrees. ■ Specify two points. Sets the taper angle to be the distance between two specified points. MESHMERGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Mesh Faces Merges adjacent faces into a single face.
The merge operation is performed only on mesh faces that are adjacent. Other types of subobjects are removed from the selection set. Merging mesh faces that wrap a corner can have unintended results when you try to edit the mesh or convert it to other types of solid objects. For example, the mesh might no longer be watertight. For best results, restrict mesh merging to faces that are on the same plane. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Access Methods Bu o tn Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Mesh panel ➤ Mesh Tessellation Options Summary The Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box is displayed. Mesh Tessellation Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Meshes by Conversion Controls default settings for converting objects to mesh objects.
Summary The defaults that you set in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box control the appearance of objects that you convert to 3D mesh objects. For a complete list of objects that can be converted to mesh, see the MESHSMOOTH command. This dialog box is also available from the Options dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Select Objects to Tessellate Temporarily closes the dialog box so that you can select an object to convert to a mesh object.
the maximum angle value. This setting is useful if you want to refine the appearance of small details such as holes or fillets. Maximum Aspect Ratio for New Faces Sets the maximum aspect ratio (height/width) of new mesh faces. (FACETERGRIDRATIO system variable) Use this value to prevent long, slivered faces. You can specify the following values: ■ 0 (zero). Ignores the aspect ratio limitation. ■ 1. Specifies that the height and width must be the same. ■ Greater than 1.
Smooth Mesh After Tessellation Specifies what level of smoothness is applied to objects after they are converted to mesh. When the Mesh Type option is set to Mostly Quads or Triangle, the converted mesh objects have no smoothness. The following settings are not available for those conversions. Apply Smoothness After Tessellation Sets whether the new mesh objects are smoothed after they are converted. Select the check box to apply smoothing.
Summary The Mesh Primitive Options dialog box is displayed. Mesh Primitive Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Creating Meshes Sets the tessellation defaults for primitive mesh objects. Summary The defaults you set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box control the appearance of new mesh primitive objects. Mesh primitives include boxes, cones, pyramids, cylinders, spheres, wedges, and tori.
Mesh Specifies the initial mesh density for each type of mesh primitive by specifying the number of divisions per side. Mesh Primitive Specifies a mesh primitive to modify. Select a primitive type (such as Box or Cone) to display its settings under Tessellation Divisions. Tessellation Divisions For each selected mesh primitive type, sets the default number of divisions for each side. Enter a new value to reset the number of divisions for new mesh primitives. ■ Box Length.
■ Cone Axis. Sets the number of divisions around the perimeter of the mesh cone base. (DIVMESHCONEAXIS system variable) Height. Sets the number of divisions between the base and the point or top of the mesh cone.
Base. Sets the number of divisions between the perimeter and the center point of the mesh cone base. (DIVMESHCONEBASE system variable) ■ Cylinder Axis. Sets the number of divisions around the perimeter of the mesh cylinder base. (DIVMESHCYLAXIS system variable) Height. Sets the number of divisions between the base and the top of the mesh cylinder.
Base. Sets the number of divisions between the perimeter and the center point of the mesh cylinder base. (DIVMESHCYLBASE system variable) ■ Pyramid Length. Sets the number of divisions for the sides of the mesh pyramid base. (DIVMESHPYRLENGTH system variable) Height. Sets the number of divisions between the base and the top of the mesh pyramid.
Base. Sets the number of divisions between the perimeter and the center point of the mesh pyramid base. (DIVMESHPYRBASE system variable) ■ Sphere Axis. Sets the number of radial divisions around the axis endpoint of the mesh sphere. (DIVMESHSPHEREAXIS system variable) Height. Sets the number of divisions between the two axis endpoints of the mesh sphere.
■ Wedge Length. Sets the number of divisions for the length of a mesh wedge along the X axis. (DIVMESHWEDGELENGTH system variable) Width. Sets the number of divisions for the width of the mesh wedge along the Y axis. (DIVMESHWEDGEWIDTH system variable) Height. Sets the number of divisions for the height of the mesh wedge along the Z axis.
Slope. Sets the number of divisions in the slope that extends from the apex of the wedge to the edge of the base. (DIVMESHWEDGESLOPE system variable) Base. Sets the number of divisions between the midpoint of the perimeter of the triangular side of the mesh wedge.
Radius. Sets the number of divisions around the circumference of the profile that forms the tube of the torus. (DIVMESHTORUSSECTION system variable) Sweep Path. Sets the number of divisions around the circumference of the path that is swept by the profile. (DIVMESHTORUSPATH system variable) Preview Displays different views of the changes you make. Zoom Extents button Sets the preview display so that the image fits entirely within the Preview window.
Orbit button Rotates the preview image within the Preview window as you drag the image with the mouse. Preview window Displays a wireframe example of the Tessellation Divisions settings. You can change the visual style of the preview by using the shortcut menu to select such options as Hidden, Wireframe, Conceptual, Realistic, Shades of Gray, Sketchy, X-ray, Shaded with Edges, and Shaded. Preview’s Smoothness Level Changes the preview image to reflect a specific level of smoothness you specify.
MESHREFINE Quick Reference See also: ■ Refine Mesh Objects or Subobjects Multiplies the number of faces in selected mesh objects or faces. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Mesh panel ➤ Refine Mesh Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Refine Mesh Toolbar: Smooth Mesh Summary Refining a mesh object increases the number of editable faces, providing additional control over fine modeling details. To preserve program memory, you can refine specific faces instead of the entire object.
MESHSMOOTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Meshes by Conversion Converts 3D objects such as polygon meshes, surfaces, and solids to mesh objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Mesh panel ➤ Smooth Objects Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Meshes ➤ Smooth Mesh Toolbar: Smooth Mesh Summary Take advantage of the detailed modeling capabilities of 3D mesh by converting objects such as 3D solids and surfaces to mesh.
Use this method to convert 3D faces (3DFACE) and legacy polygonal and polyface meshes (from AutoCAD 2009 and earlier). You can also convert 2D objects such as regions and closed polylines. The default mesh settings are defined in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box. The level of smoothness upon conversion depends on the mesh type setting in this dialog box. If the mesh type is not set to be optimized, the converted object is not smoothed.
Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Mesh panel ➤ Smooth Less Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Smooth Less Toolbar: Smooth Mesh Summary Decrease the smoothness of selected mesh objects by one level. You can only decrease the smoothness of objects whose level of smoothness is 1 or higher. You cannot decrease the smoothness level of objects that have been refined. You can decrease the smoothness of multiple objects. If the selected objects have different levels of smoothness, their respective levels are decreased by one.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Mesh panel ➤ Smooth More Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Smooth More Toolbar: Smooth Mesh Summary Smoothing increases the number of facets in the mesh, resulting in a rounder object. Facets are the underlying components of each mesh face. You can increase the smoothness level up to the value of SMOOTHMESHMAXLEV as long as the number of faces does not exceed the value in the SMOOTHMESHMAXFACE system variable.
MESHSPIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Mesh Faces Spins the adjoining edge of two triangular mesh faces. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Mesh tab ➤ Mesh Edit panel ➤ Spin Triangle Face Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Spin Triangle Face Summary You can rotate the edge that joins two triangular mesh faces to modify the shapes of the faces. The edge shared by the selected faces spins to intersect the apex of each face.
NOTE You can use MESHSPLIT to divide a rectangular face into two triangular faces. If you plan to spin the edge between the triangular faces, use the Vertex option to ensure that the split extends precisely from one vertex to the other. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. First triangular mesh face to spin Specifies one of two faces to be modified. Click a triangular mesh face. Second adjacent triangular mesh face to spin Specifies the second of two faces to be modified.
For more precision in the placement of the split, you can specify that the split starts or ends at a vertex. The Vertex option is useful for creating two triangular faces from a rectangular face. It provides the precision you need if you later want to spin the new edge using MESHSPIN. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed: Face to split In the drawing area, specifies which mesh face to split. ■ First split point on face edge. Sets the location on an edge of the mesh face to start the split.
■ Vertex. Limits the second endpoint so that it can only intersect with a vertex. ■ Second vertex for the split. Specifies a second vertex on the same mesh face. MESHUNCREASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Creases to Mesh Removes the crease from selected mesh faces, edges, or vertices. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Mesh tab ➤ Mesh panel ➤ Remove Crease Menu: Modify ➤ Mesh Editing ➤ Uncrease Toolbar: Smooth Mesh Summary Restore smoothness to an edge that has been creased.
You can also remove a selected crease in the Crease area of Properties palette by changing the Type value to None when a face on a mesh is selected. List of Prompts The following prompt is displayed: Select crease to remove Specifies which creased edges to smooth. You do not need to press Ctrl to select a creased subobject. MESSAGES Quick Reference See also: ■ Use AutoCAD WS for Drawing File Collaboration Displays messages from your AutoCAD WS account.
Ribbon: Online tab ➤ Share panel ➤ Messages Menu: File ➤ AutoCAD WS ➤ Messages Summary The AutoCAD WS Messages section is displayed, where you can view recent activities, such as new file uploads, meeting transcripts, and product news and announcements. You can also view the recent activities of other users with whom you have shared files. NOTE You may first be prompted to log in to AutoCAD WS. If you do not have an account, click Create an Account and follow the on-screen instructions.
Inserts multiple instances of a block in a rectangular array. Summary Options at the insertion point preset the scale and rotation of a block before you specify its position. Presetting is useful for dragging a block using a scale factor and a rotation other than 1 or 0. If you enter one of the options, respond to the prompts by specifying a distance for the scale options or an angle for rotation. Blocks inserted using MINSERT cannot be exploded. You cannot use MINSERT with blocks.
Corner Sets the scale factor by using the block insertion point and the opposite corner. ■ Specify Rotation Angle on page 1180 ■ Number of Rows/Columns on page 1180 ■ Distance Between Rows on page 1180 ■ Distance Between Columns on page 1180 XYZ Sets X, Y, and Z scale factors.
■ Number of Rows/Columns on page 1180 ■ Distance Between Rows on page 1180 ■ Distance Between Columns on page 1180 Y Sets the Y scale factor. ■ Specify Rotation Angle on page 1180 ■ Number of Rows/Columns on page 1180 ■ Distance Between Rows on page 1180 ■ Distance Between Columns on page 1180 Z Sets the Z scale factor.
Preview Scale Sets the scale factor for the X, Y, and Z axes to control the display of the block as it is dragged into position. ■ X Scale Factor on page 1180 ■ Corner on page 1181 ■ XYZ on page 1181 Preview X Sets the scale factor for the X axis to control the display of the block as it is dragged into position. ■ X Scale Factor on page 1180 ■ Corner on page 1181 ■ XYZ on page 1181 Preview Y Sets the scale factor for the Y axis to control the display of the block as it is dragged into position.
MIRROR Quick Reference See also: ■ Mirror Objects Creates a mirrored copy of selected objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Mirror Menu: Modify ➤ Mirror Toolbar: Modify Summary You can create objects that represent half of a drawing, select them, and mirror them across a specified line to create the other half. NOTE By default, when you mirror a text object, the direction of the text is not changed.
Specify first point of mirror line: Specify a point Specify second point of mirror line: Specify a point The two specified points become the endpoints of a line about which the selected objects are mirrored. For mirroring in 3D, this line defines a mirroring plane perpendicular to the XY plane of the user coordinate system (UCS) containing the mirror line. Erase source objects? [Yes/No] : Enter y or n, or press Enter Yes Places the mirrored image into the drawing and erases the original objects.
Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ 3D Mirror Menu: Modify ➤ 3D Operations ➤ 3D Mirror Summary It is recommended that you use the gizmos available through the 3DMOVE, 3DROTATE, and 3DSCALE commands to manipulate 3D objects. For more information about using gizmos, see Use Gizmos to Modify Objects. For example: List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Delete Source Objects If you enter y, the reflected object is placed into the drawing and the original objects are deleted. If you enter n or press Enter, the reflected object is placed into the drawing and the original objects are retained. Last Mirrors the selected objects about the last defined mirroring plane. Z Axis Defines the mirroring plane by a point on the plane and a point normal to the plane. View Aligns the mirroring plane with the viewing plane of the current viewport through a point.
3 Points Defines the mirroring plane by three points. If you select this option by specifying a point, the First Point on Mirror Plane prompt is not displayed. MLEADER Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Leaders Using Grips Creates a multileader object.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Annotation panel ➤ Multileader Menu: Dimension ➤ Multileader Toolbar: Multileader Summary A multileader object typically consists of an arrowhead, a horizontal landing, a leader line or curve, and either a multiline text object or a block. Multileaders can be created arrowhead first, leader landing first, or content first. If a multileader style has been used, then the multileader can be created from that specified style.
Point Selection Sets placement for the text box for the text label associated with the multileader object. When you finish entering your text, click OK or click outside the text box. If you choose End at this point, then no landing line is associated with the multileader object. Options Specifies options for placing the multileader object. Leader Type Specifies a straight, spline, or no leader line. ■ Straight. ■ Spline. ■ None.
■ None. First Angle Constrains the angle of the first point in the new leader line. ■ Enter first angle constraint. ■ None. Second Angle Constrains the second angle in the new leader line. ■ Enter second angle constraint. ■ None. MLEADERALIGN Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Leaders Using Grips Aligns and spaces selected multileader objects.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select multileader to align to or [Options on page 1192]: Options Specifies options for aligning and spacing the selected multileaders. Distribute Spaces content evenly between two selected points. Make Leader Segments Parallel Places content so that each of the last leader segments in the selected multileaders are parallel. Specify Spacing Specifies spacing between the extents of the content of selected multileaders.
Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Multileaders panel ➤ Collect Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ Multileader ➤ Collect Toolbar: Multileader Summary After you select multileaders, you can specify their placement. For example: List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
MLEADEREDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Leaders Using Grips Adds leader lines to, or removes leader lines from, a multileader object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Multileaders panel ➤ Add Leader Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ Multileader ➤ Add Leader Toolbar: Multileader Pointing device: Hover over Landing grip and choose Add Leader; hover over leader endpoint grip and choose Remove Leader List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Remove Leader Removes a leader line from a selected multileader object. For example: MLEADERSTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Leader Styles Creates and modifies multileader styles. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Leaders panel ➤ Menu: Format ➤ Multileader Style Toolbar: Multileader, Styles ➤ Multileader Style Summary The Multileader Style Manager is displayed.
Multileader Style Manager Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Leader Styles Creates and modifies styles that you can use to create multileader objects Summary Sets the current multileader style and creates, modifies, and deletes multileader styles. The appearance of multileaders is controlled by multileader styles. These styles specify formatting for landing lines, leader lines, arrowheads, and content. List of Options The following options are displayed.
List Controls the contents of the Styles list. Click All Styles to display all multileader styles available in the drawing. Click Styles In Use to display only the multileader styles that are referenced by multileaders in the current drawing. Preview Of Displays a preview image of the style that is selected in the Styles list. Set Current Sets the multileader style selected in the Styles list as the current style. All new multileaders are created using this multileader style.
Summary Controls the general appearance of the multileader. List of Options The following options are displayed. Preview Displays a preview image of the style being modified. List of Tabs The following tabs are displayed.
Leader Format Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Leader Styles Controls the formatting of the leader lines and arrowheads for the multileader. General Controls the general settings of the arrowheads. Type Determines the type of leader line. You can choose a straight leader, a spline, or no leader line. Color Determines the color of the leader line. Linetype Determines the linetype of the leader line. Lineweight Determines the lineweight of the leader line.
Leader Structure Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Leader Styles Controls the number of leader points, landing size, and scale for the multilieader. Constraints Controls the constraints of the multileader. Maximum Leader Points Specifies a maximum number of points for the leader line. First Segment Angle Specifies the angle of the first point in the leader line. Second Segment Angle Specifies the angle of the second point in the multileader landing line.
This option is available when the multileader is not annotative. Specify Scale Specifies the scale for the multileader. This option is available when the multileader is not annotative. Content Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Leader Styles Controls the type of content attached to the multileader. Multileader Type Determines whether the multileader contains text or a block. MText: Text Options Controls the appearance of the text for the multileader.
Always Left Justify Specifies that the multileader text is always left justified. Frame Text Frames the multileader text content with a text box. Control the separation between the text and frame by modifying the Landing Gap setting. Mtext: Leader Connection Controls the leader connection settings of the multileader. Leaders can be connected horizontally or vertically. Horizontal Attachment Horizontal attachment inserts the leader to the left or right of the text content.
Attaches the leader to the top center of the text content. Click the drop-down to insert an overline between the leader attachment and the text content. Bottom Attachment Attaches the leader to the bottom of the text content. Click the drop-down to insert an underline between the leader attachment and the text content. Landing Gap Specifies the distance between the landing line and the multileader text. Block: Block Options Controls the properties of block content in a multileader object.
Specifies a name for the new multileader style and specifies the existing multileader style on which the new multileader style will be based. List of Options The following options are displayed. New Style Name Names the new multileader style. Start With Specifies an existing multileader style whose settings are the default for the new multileader style. Annotative Specifies that the multileader object is . Continue Displays the Multileader Style Manager, in which you define the new multileader style.
Multiline Edit Tools Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Multilines Modifies multiline objects. Summary The dialog box displays tools with sample images in four columns. The first column controls multilines that cross, the second controls multilines that form a tee, the third controls corner joints and vertices, and the fourth controls breaks in multilines. List of Options The following options are displayed. Closed Cross Creates a closed-cross intersection between two multilines.
Select First Mline Select the foreground multiline Select Second Mline Select the intersecting multiline First Mline Edits another multiline. Undo Undoes the closed-cross intersection. Open Cross Creates an open-cross intersection between two multilines. Breaks are inserted in all elements of the first multiline and only the outside elements of the second multiline. Select First Mline Select a multiline.
Merged Cross Creates a merged-cross intersection between two multilines. The order in which you select the multilines is not important. ■ Select First Mline on page 1206 ■ Select Second Mline on page 1206 ■ First Mline on page 1206 ■ Undo on page 1206 Closed Tee Creates a closed-tee intersection between two multilines. The first multiline is trimmed or extended to its intersection with the second multiline.
Open Tee Creates an open-tee intersection between two multilines. The first multiline is trimmed or extended to its intersection with the second multiline. ■ Select First Mline on page 1206 ■ Select Second Mline on page 1206 ■ First Mline on page 1206 ■ Undo on page 1206 Merged Tee Creates a merged-tee intersection between two multilines.The multiline is trimmed or extended to its intersection with the other multiline.
■ Select Second Mline on page 1206 ■ First Mline on page 1206 ■ Undo on page 1206 Corner Joint Creates a corner joint between multilines. The multilines are trimmed or extended to their intersection. ■ Select First Mline on page 1206 ■ Select Second Mline on page 1206 ■ First Mline on page 1206 ■ Undo on page 1206 Add Vertex Adds a vertex to a multiline.
Select Mline Select a multiline Mline Edits another multiline. The Select Mline prompt is displayed again. ■ Undo on page 1206 Delete Vertex Deletes a vertex from a multiline. Select Mline The vertex nearest to the selected point is deleted. ■ Mline on page 1210 ■ Undo on page 1206 Cut Single Creates a visual break in a selected element of a multiline.
Select Mline The selection point on the multiline is used as the first cut point. Select Second Point Specify the second cut point on the multiline. ■ Mline on page 1210 ■ Undo on page 1206 Cut All Creates a visual break through the entire multiline. ■ Select Mline on page 1211 ■ Select Second Point on page 1211 ■ Mline on page 1210 ■ Undo on page 1206 Weld All Rejoins multiline segments that have been cut.
Select Mline The selection point on the multiline is used as the start of the weld. Select Second Point. Specify the end of the weld on the multiline. ■ Mline on page 1210 ■ Undo on page 1206 -MLEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Multilines Edits multiline intersections, breaks, and vertices. Summary For more information about the Command prompt options, see the Multiline Edit Tools dialog box. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
OT Creates an open-tee intersection between two multilines. The first multiline is trimmed or extended to its intersection with the second multiline. MT Creates a merged-tee intersection between two multilines.The multiline is trimmed or extended to its intersection with the other multiline. CJ Creates a corner joint between multilines. The multilines are trimmed or extended to their intersection. AV Adds a vertex to a multiline. DV Deletes a vertex from a multiline.
If you create a multiline with two or more segments, the prompt includes the Close option. Next Point Draws a multiline segment to the specified point using the current multiline style and continues to prompt for points. Undo Undoes the last vertex point on the multiline. Close Closes the multiline by joining the last segments with the first segments. Justification Determines how the multiline is drawn between the points you specify.
Zero Draws the multiline with its origin centered at the cursor, so that the MLSTYLE Element Properties offset of 0.0 is at the specified points. Bottom Draws the multiline above the cursor, so that the line with the most negative offset is at the specified points. Scale Controls the overall width of the multiline. This scale does not affect linetype scale. The scale factor is based on the width established in the multiline style definition.
Style Name Specifies the name of a style that has already been loaded or that's defined in a multiline library (MLN) file you've created. ?—List Styles Lists the loaded multiline styles. MLSTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Multilines Creates, modifies, and manages multiline styles. Access Methods Button Menu: Format ➤ Multiline Style Summary Displays the Multiline Style dialog box.
Summary The multiline style controls the number of elements and the properties of each element. MLSTYLE also controls the background color and the end caps of each multiline. List of Options The following options are displayed. Current Multiline Style Displays the name of the current multiline style to be used for subsequently created multilines. Styles Displays a list of multiline styles that are loaded in the drawing.
New Displays the Create New Multiline Style dialog box, in which you can create a new multiline style. Modify Displays the Modify Multiline Style dialog box, in which you can modify a selected multiline style. NOTE You cannot edit the element and multiline properties of any multiline style that is being used in the drawing. To edit an existing multiline style, you must do so before you draw any multilines that use the style. Rename Renames the currently selected multiline style.
List of Options The following options are displayed. New Style Name Names a new multiline style. The element and multiline properties are unavailable until you enter a new name and click Continue. Start With Determines the multiline style from which to start the new one. To save time, choose a multiline style that is similar to the one that you want to create. Continue Displays the New Multiline Style dialog box.
Description Adds a description to a multiline style. Caps Controls the start and end caps of the multiline. Line Displays a line segment across each end of the multiline. Outer Arc Displays an arc between the outermost elements of the multiline. Inner Arcs Displays an arc between pairs of inner elements. If there's an odd number of elements, the center line is unconnected. For example, if there are six elements, inner arcs connect elements 2 and 5 and elements 3 and 4.
Angle Specifies the angle of the end caps. Fill Controls the background fill of the multiline. Fill Color Sets the background fill color of the multiline. When you choose Select Color, the Select Color dialog box is displayed. Display Joints Controls the display of the joints at the vertices of each multiline segment. A joint is also known as a miter. Elements Sets element properties, such as the offset, color, and linetype, of new and existing multiline elements.
Color Displays and sets the color for elements in the multiline style. When you choose Select Color, the Select Color dialog box is displayed. Linetype Displays and sets the linetype for elements in the multiline style. When you choose Linetype, the Select Linetype Properties dialog box is displayed, which lists loaded linetypes. To load a new linetype, click Load. The Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box is displayed.
List of Options The following options are displayed. File Displays a standard file selection dialog box in which you can locate and select another multiline library file. List Lists the multiline styles available in the current multiline library file. MODEL Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Model Space and Paper Space Switches from a named (paper space) layout to the Model layout.
MOVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Move Objects Moves objects a specified distance in a specified direction. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Move Menu: Modify ➤ Move Toolbar: Modify Shortcut menu: Select the objects to move. Right-click in the drawing area and click Move. Summary Use coordinates, grid snaps, object snaps, and other tools to move objects with precision. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
units in the X direction and 3 units in the Y direction from their current position. Displacement Enter coordinates to represent a vector The coordinate values that you enter specify a relative distance and direction. MREDO Quick Reference See also: ■ Correct Mistakes Reverses the effects of several previous UNDO or U commands. Access Methods Button Toolbar: Standard List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
MSLIDE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Slides Creates a slide file of the current model viewport or the current layout. Summary The Create Slide File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. Enter a file name or select a slide (SLD) file from the list. A slide file is a raster image of a viewport. In model space, MSLIDE makes a slide file of the current viewport only.
Access Methods Pointing device: Double-click over a viewport on a named layout. Double-click outside of a viewport on a named layout to return to paper space. Summary Commands operate in either model space or paper space. You use model space (the Model layout) to do drafting and design work and to create two-dimensional drawings or three-dimensional models. You use paper space (a named layout) to create a finished layout of a drawing for plotting.
MTEXT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Multiline Text Creates a multiline text object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Annotation panel ➤ Multiline Text Menu: Draw ➤ Text ➤ Multiline Text Toolbar: Draw Summary You can create several paragraphs of text as a single multiline text (mtext) object. With the built-in editor, you can format the text appearance, columns, and boundaries.
In-Place Text Editor Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Multiline Text Creates or modifies single or multiline text objects. Summary You can import or paste text from other files to use in multiline text, set tabs, adjust paragraph and line spacing and alignment, and create and modify columns.
■ Columns menu on page 1245 ■ Options menu When a table cell is selected for editing, the In-Place Text Editor displays column letters and row numbers. NOTE Not all options available when creating single-line text. List of Options The following options are displayed. Text Editor Shortcut Menu Select All Selects all the text in the text editor. Cut Copies the selected text and removes it from the text editor to the clipboard. Copy Copies the selected text from the text editor to the clipboard.
OLE object is opened on a system with an earlier version of Microsoft Office installed; the spreadsheet is truncated. Paragraph Alignment Sets alignment for the multiline text object. You can choose to align your text to the left, center, or right. You can justify your text, or align the first and last characters of your text with the margins of your mtext box, or center each line of text within the margins of your mtext box.
■ Allow Bullets and Lists: When this option is selected, list formatting is applied to all plain text in the multiline text object that looks like a list. Text that meets the following criteria is considered to be a list. The line begins with (1) one or more letters or numbers or a symbol, followed by (2) punctuation after a letter or number, (3) a space created by pressing Tab, and (4) some text before the line is ended by Enter or Shift+Enter.
diagonal fraction bar are bottom-right aligned; the characters beneath the diagonal bar are top-left aligned. Editor Settings Displays a list of options for the text editor. See Editor Settings on page 1233 for more information. Editor Settings Provides options for changing the behavior of the text editor and provides additional editing options. Options are specific to the Editor Settings menu and are not available elsewhere in the text editor.
Text Formatting Toolbar Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Multiline Text Formats the text of the current multiline text object. Summary Controls the text style for a multiline text object and character and paragraph formatting for selected text. NOTE Text that you paste from other word processing applications such as Microsoft Word will retain most of its formatting.
Text Height Sets the character height in drawing units for new text or changes the height of selected text. If the current text style has no fixed height, the text height is the value stored in theTEXTSIZE system variable. A multiline text object can contain characters of various heights. Bold Turns bold formatting on and off for new or selected text. This option is available only for characters using TrueType fonts. Italic Turns italic formatting on and off for new or selected text.
OK Closes the editor and saves any changes that you made. Options Displays a list of additional text options. See Text Editor Shortcut Menu on page 1230. Columns Displays the column flyout menu, which provides three column options: No Columns, Static Columns, and Dynamic columns. See Columns menu on page 1245. MText Justification Displays the MText Justification menu with nine alignment options available. Paragraph Displays the Paragraph dialog box.
line space is determined by the user specified value. If the text height is larger, the line spacing is equal to the text height value. NOTE Not all of the new options for paragraph and paragraph line spacing are supported in releases before AutoCAD 2008. See MTEXT Paragraph and Paragraph Line Spacing in Previous Releases. Numbering Displays the bullet and numbering menu. Displays options for creating lists. (Not available for table cells.) The list is indented to align with the first selected paragraph.
When you clear the check mark, any list formatting in the multiline text object is removed and the items are converted to plain text. Allow Auto-list is turned off, and all the Bullets and Lists options are unavailable except Allow Bullets and Lists. Insert Field Displays the Field dialog box, where you can select a field to insert in the text. Uppercase Changes the selected text to uppercase. Lowercase Changes the selected text to lowercase.
Text Editor Ribbon Contextual Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Multiline Text Creates or modifies multiline text objects. List of Options The following options are displayed. Style Panel Style Applies a text style to the multiline text object. The Standard text style is active by default Annotative Turns Annotative on or off for the current mtext object. Text Height Sets the character height in drawing units for new text or changes the height of selected text.
Font Specifies a font for new text or changes the font of selected text. TrueType fonts are listed by font family name. AutoCAD compiled shape (SHX) fonts are listed by the name of the file in which the fonts are stored. Custom fonts and third-party fonts are displayed in the editor with Autodesk-supplied proxy fonts. Color Specifies a color for new text or changes the color of selected text. Background Mask Displays the Background Mask dialog box. (Not available for table cells.
■ Clear Paragraph Spacing: Removes line spacing settings from the selected or current paragraph. The paragraph defaults to the mtext space setting. Additional options in the Paragraph dialog box: ■ Exact: Defines the space with an arbitrary unit value the user specifies. Changing text height will not affect line spacing. ■ Multiple: Instead of assigning a value to line spacing, you specify spacing according to text height.
■ Continue: Adds the selected paragraphs to the last list above and continues the sequence. If list items rather than paragraphs are selected, unselected items below the selected items continue the sequence. ■ Allow Auto-list: Applies list formatting as you type. The following characters can be used as punctuation after letters and numbers and cannot be used as bullets: period (.), comma (,), close parenthesis ()), close angle bracket (>), close square bracket (]), and close curly bracket (}).
that you want to use, click Copy to close the dialog box. In the editor, right-click and click Paste. Symbols are not supported in vertical text. Insert Field Displays the Field dialog box, where you can select a field to insert in the text. When the dialog box closes, the current value of the field is displayed in the text. Columns Displays the column flyout menu, which provides three column options: No Columns, Static Columns, and Dynamic columns. See Columns menu on page 1245.
Options Panel Undo Undoes actions in the Text Editor ribbon contextual tab, including changes to either text content or text formatting. Redo Redoes actions in the Text Editor ribbon contextual tab, including changes to either text content or text formatting. Ruler Displays a ruler at the top of the editor. Drag the arrows at the end of the ruler to change the width of the mtext object. Also displays height and column grips when column mode is active. You can also select tabs from the ruler.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Tab Displays tab setting options, including adding and removing tabs. Options include setting left, center, right, and decimal tabs. You can also set tabs from the Tab selection button on the In-Place Editor’s ruler. Decimal style Sets the decimal style based on current user locale. Options include setting the decimal style as period, comma, and space. This setting is preserved with the drawing even if the locale setting is changed.
Allows you to format an mtext object into multiple columns. Summary You can specify column and gutter width, height, and number of columns. You can edit column width and height with grip-editing. To create multiple columns you always start with a single column. Depending on the column mode you choose, you have two different methods for creating and manipulating columns – static mode or dynamic mode. List of Options The following options are displayed.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Column Type Displays choices for the type of columns you want to create. Column Number Sets the number of columns. This is only active when you select Static Columns. Height Displays mtext height when Auto Height with Dynamic or Static Columns is selected. Width Displays and specifies control column and gutter width values. The gutter value is five times the default mtext text height. Also displays the total width value of the mtext object.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Use Background Mask Puts an opaque background behind the text. NOTE When you apply a background mask to mtext multiple columns only the column areas will be masked. The space between the columns commonly referred to as gutters will be unmasked. Border Offset Factor Specifies the margin around the text for the opaque background. The value is based on the text height. A factor of 1.0 exactly fits the multiline text object. A factor of 1.
Access Methods Shortcut menu: Select the Find and Replace icon in the text editor or from the MTEXT shortcut menu List of Options The following options are displayed. Find What Provides a space for you to type the text you want to find. Replace With Provides a space for you to type the text you want to replace the text you typed in Find What. Find Next Finds the next instance of the text specified in Find What.
Match Diacritics Matches diacritical marks, or accents, in search results. Match Half/Full Width Forms (East Asian Languages) Matches half- and full-width characters in search results. Stack Properties Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Multiline Text Edits the text, stack type, alignment, and size of stacked text. Summary To open the Stack Properties dialog box, select the stacked text, right-click, and click Stack Properties on the shortcut menu.
Edits the number in the lower part or second half of a stacked fraction. Appearance Edits the style, position, or text size of a stacked fraction. Style Specifies a style format for stacked text: horizontal fraction, diagonal fraction, tolerance, and decimal. Fraction (Horizontal) Stacks the selected text with the first number on top of the second number separated by a horizontal line.
AutoStack Button Displays the AutoStack Properties dialog box. AutoStack only stacks numeric characters immediately before and after the carat, slash, and pound characters. To stack nonnumeric characters, or text that includes spaces, select the text and choose Stack from the text editor shortcut menu. AutoStack Properties Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Multiline Text Sets the defaults for automatically stacking characters.
Remove Leading Blank Removes blanks between a whole number and a fraction. Convert It to a Diagonal Fraction Converts the slash character to a diagonal fraction when AutoStack is on. Convert It to a Horizontal Fraction Converts the slash character to a horizontal fraction when AutoStack is on. NOTE Whether AutoStack is on or off, the pound character is always converted to a diagonal fraction, and the carat character is always converted to a tolerance format.
Height Specifies the text height to use for multiline text characters. ■ Specify Height. The Specify Height prompt is displayed only if the current text style is not . ■ Specify Paper Text Height. The Specify Paper Text Height prompt is displayed only if the current text style is annotative. The default height, if nonzero, is the height of the current style; otherwise, it is the height stored in the TEXTSIZE on page 2575 system variable. Character height is calculated in drawing units.
Justify Options Option Meaning BL Bottom Left BC Bottom Center BR Bottom Right The following illustrations show each justification option. Line Spacing Specifies line spacing for the multiline text object. Line spacing is the vertical distance between the bottom (or baseline) of one line of text and the bottom of the next line of text.
NOTE Exact spacing is recommended when you use MTEXT to create a table. Use a smaller text height than the specified line spacing to ensure that text does not overlap. At Least Adjusts lines of text automatically based on the height of the largest character in the line. When At Least is selected, lines of text with taller characters have added space between lines. Distance Sets the line spacing to an absolute value measured in drawing units. Valid values must be between 0.0833 (0.25x) and 1.3333 (4x).
If you use the pointing device to specify a point, the width is calculated as the distance between the start point and the specified point. Words within each line of the multiline text object wrap to fit the width of the text boundary. If you specify a width of 0, word wrap is turned off and the width of the multiline text object is as wide as the longest line of text. You can end a line of text at a specific point by typing the text and pressing Enter. To end the command, press Enter at the MTEXT prompt.
Unicode strings and control codes Control Codes Unicode Strings Result %%p \U+00B1 %%c \U+2205 Tolerance symbol ( ) Diameter symbol ( ) To insert the following text symbols, click Symbol on the expanded Text Formatting toolbar or enter the appropriate Unicode string: Text symbols and Unicode strings Name Symbol Unicode String Almost equal \U+2248 Angle \U+2220 Boundary line \U+E100 Centerline \U+2104 Delta \U+0394 Electrical phase \U+0278 Flow line \U+E101 Identity \U+2261 Initia
Text symbols and Unicode strings Name Symbol Unicode String Not equal \U+2260 Ohm \U+2126 Omega \U+03A9 Plate/property line \U+214A Subscript 2 \U+2082 Squared \U+00B2 Cubed \U+00B3 These text symbols are available in the following True Type (TTF) and SHX fonts: ■ Simplex* ■ Romans* ■ gdt* ■ amgdt* ■ Isocp ■ Isocp2 ■ Isocp3 ■ Isoct ■ Isoct2 ■ Isoct3 Symbols and Special Characters | 1259
■ Isocpeur (TTF only)* ■ Isocpeur italic (TTF only) ■ Isocteur (TTF only) ■ Isocteur italic (TTF only) * These fonts also include the Initial Length symbol used for arc length dimensions. MULTIPLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Enter Commands on the Command Line Repeats the next command until canceled. Summary The command that you enter is repeated until you press Esc. Because MULTIPLE repeats only the command name, any parameters must be specified each time.
Creates and controls layout viewports. Summary In a layout, you can create as many viewports as you want, but only up to 64 viewports can be active at one time (see MAXACTVP). Objects in model space are visible only in active viewports. Viewports that are not active are blank. Use the On and Off options to control whether viewports are active. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify corner of viewportor [ON/OFF/Fit/Shadeplot/Lock/Object/Polygonal/Restore/LAyer/2/3/4].
Wireframe Specifies that a viewport is plotted wireframe regardless of the current display. Hidden Specifies that a viewport is plotted with hidden lines removed regardless of the current display. All Visual Styles Specifies that a viewport is plotted using the specified visual style. All Render Presets Specifies that a viewport is plotted using the specified render preset. Lock Prevents the zoom scale factor in the selected viewport from being changed when working in model space.
Fit Sizes the viewports to fill the drawing area. Layer Resets layer property overrides for the selected viewport to their global layer properties. ■ Reset Viewport Layer Property Overrides Back To Global Properties. Enter Y to remove all layer property overrides. ■ Select Viewports. 2 Divides the specified area horizontally or vertically into two viewports of equal size. ■ Enter Viewport Arrangement.
■ First Corner on page 1263 ■ Fit on page 1263 4 Divides the specified area horizontally and vertically into four viewports of equal size. ■ First Corner on page 1263 ■ Fit on page 1263 MVSETUP Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Layout Viewports Sets up the specifications of a drawing. Summary When you enter mvsetup, the prompts displayed depend on whether you are on the Model layout (model space) or on a named layout (paper space).
MVSETUP on the Model Layout Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Layout Viewports The Model layout is most useful for plotting multiple views of a drawing within a single border. On the Model layout, you set the units type, drawing scale factor, and paper size at the Command prompt using MVSETUP. Using the settings you provide, a rectangular border is drawn at the grid limits.
MVSETUP on a Named Layout Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Layout Viewports On a named layout, you can insert one of several predefined title blocks into the drawing and create a set of layout viewports within the title block. You can specify a global scale as the ratio between the scale of the title block in the layout and the drawing on the Model layout. To easily specify all layout page settings and prepare your drawing for plotting, you can also use the Page Setup Manager.
Create Creates viewports. Delete Objects Deletes existing viewports. Create Viewports Displays options for creating viewports. Layout Number to Load Controls creation of viewports. Entering 0 or pressing Enter creates no viewports. Entering 1 creates a single viewport whose size is determined by the following prompts. Entering 2 creates four viewports by dividing a specified area into quadrants. You are prompted for the area to be divided and the distance between the viewports.
Undo Reverses operations performed in the current MVSETUP session. Scale Viewports Adjusts the zoom scale factor of the objects displayed in the viewports. The zoom scale factor is a ratio between the scale of the border in paper space and the scale of the drawing objects displayed in the viewports.
Add Adds title block options to the list. Selecting this option prompts you to enter the title block description to be displayed in the list and the name of a drawing to insert. A line similar to the following example is added after the last entry in the mvsetup.dfs default file: A/E (24 x 18in),arch-b.dwg,(1.12 0.99 0.00),(18.63 17.02 0.00),in The last field of the line specifies whether the title block has been created in inches or in millimeters.
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N Commands 14 NAVBAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Navigation Bar Provides access to navigation and orientation tools from a single interface. Access Methods Ribbon: View Tab ➤ Windows Panel ➤ User Interface drop-down ➤ Navigation Bar Menu: View ➤ Display ➤ Navigation Bar Summary Provides access to the ViewCube tool, SteeringWheels, 3Dconnexion, and product-specific navigation tools. Use these tools to navigate or reorient your model.
Off Hides the navigation bar. 3Dconnexion Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use 3Dconnexion 3D mouse to Navigate Views Controls the settings of 3Dconnexion navigation tools. Summary Controls the settings for 3Dconnexion navigation tools which are available from the navigation bar. Customize the speed and movements of the 3Dconnexion 3D mouse to manipulate the current view.
NAVSMOTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Define and Change Views with ShowMotion Provides an on-screen display for creating and playing back cinematic camera animations for design review, presentation, and bookmark-style navigation. Access Methods Button Menu: View ➤ ShowMotion Toolbar: Navigation Bar ➤ ShowMotion Summary ShowMotion is divided into three main parts: control bar, shot sequence thumbnails, and shot thumbnails. Shots are named locations that show specific features or parts of the model.
Access Methods Button Menu: View ➤ ShowMotion Toolbar: Navigation Bar ➤ ShowMotion Summary Closes the ShowMotion interface where you can navigate a drawing by selecting a named view. NAVSWHEEL Quick Reference See also: ■ Navigate with SteeringWheels Provides access to enhanced navigation tools that are quickly accessible from the cursor.
The NAVSWHEEL command displays the wheel as defined by the NAVSWHEELMODE system variable. Right-click over a wheel and click SteeringWheels Settings to access the SteeringWheels Settings dialog box on page 1275 where you control the display of the SteeringWheels. SteeringWheels Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Navigate with SteeringWheels Controls the settings of SteeringWheels. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Wheel Size Specifies the size of the big SteeringWheels. (NAVSWHEELSIZEBIG system variable) Wheel Opacity Controls the opacity of the big SteeringWheels. (NAVSWHEELOPACITYBIG system variable) Mini Wheels Preview Thumbnail Displays a real-time preview of the mini wheels based on the current settings. Wheel Size Specifies the size of the mini SteeringWheels. (NAVSWHEELSIZEMINI system variable) Wheel Opacity Controls the opacity of the mini SteeringWheels.
Keep Scene Upright Specifies whether the viewpoint of the model can be turned upside-down or not when using the Orbit tool. Rewind Thumbnail Controls when thumbnails are generated for view changes that are made without using a wheel. The generated thumbnails are used for the Rewind tool. (CAPTURETHUMBNAILS system variable) Never Specifies that no preview thumbnails are generated when a view change occurs outside the SteeringWheels.
Ribbon: View tab ➤ Windows panel ➤ User Interface drop-down ➤ ViewCube Menu: View ➤ Display ➤ ViewCube ➤ On Toolbar: Navigation Bar ➤ ViewCube Summary Click the ViewCube tool to rotate and fill the window with the entire model or an object selected in the view. The Home button displayed near the ViewCube tool rotates the model to a three-fourths view or a user-defined view while performing a fit-to-view. Use the ViewCube menu to define the Home view for the model.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Display On-screen Position Identifies the corner in a viewport where the ViewCube tool is displayed. (NAVVCUBELOCATION system variable) ViewCube Size Specifies the size of the ViewCube tool. (NAVVCUBESIZE system variable) Select Automatic to have the size of the ViewCube tool adjust based on the current size of the active viewport, zoom factor of the active layout, or drawing window.
Controls the opacity of the ViewCube tool when inactive. (NAVVCUBEOPACITY system variable) Preview Thumbnail Displays a real-time preview of the ViewCube based on the current settings. Show UCS Menu Controls the display of the UCS drop-down menu below the ViewCube tool. When Dragging on the ViewCube Snap to Closest View Specifies if the current view is adjusted to the closest preset view when changing the view by dragging the ViewCube tool.
NCOPY Quick Reference See also: ■ Copy Objects Copies objects that are contained in an xref, block, or DGN underlay. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Copy Nested Objects Summary Instead of exploding or binding an xref, block, or DGN underlay to be able to copy objects nested within them, you can copy the selected objects directly into the current drawing. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Bind Includes named objects such as blocks, dimension styles, layers, linetypes, and text styles associated with the copied objects into the drawing. Displacement Specifies a relative distance and direction using coordinates. The two points you specify define a vector that indicates how far from the original the copied objects are to be placed and in what direction. If you press Enter at the Specify Second Point prompt, the first point is interpreted as a relative X,Y,Z displacement.
NETLOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Loading Managed Applications in AutoCAD Loads a .NET application. Summary The Choose .NET Assembly dialog box, a standard file selection dialog box, is displayed. When FILEDIA is set to 0 (zero), NETLOAD displays the following command prompt: Assembly file name: Enter a file name and press ENTER. NEW Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Starting a New Drawing Creates a new drawing.
Summary The behavior of the NEW command is determined by the STARTUP system variable. ■ 1: NEW displays the Create New Drawing dialog box. ■ 0: NEW displays the Select Template dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box). If the FILEDIA system variable is set to 0 instead of 1, a Command prompt is displayed. If you set FILEDIA to 0, this prompt is displayed regardless of the Startup setting.
Imperial Starts a new drawing based on the imperial measurement system. The default drawing boundary (the grid limits) is 12 by 9 inches. Metric Starts a new drawing based on the metric measurement system. The default drawing boundary (the grid limits) is 429 by 297 millimeters. Tip Displays a description of the selected measurement setting. Use a Template Starts a drawing based on a drawing template file.
Select a Template Lists all DWT files that currently exist in the drawing template file location, which is specified in the Options dialog box. Select a file to use as a starting point for your new drawing. Preview Displays a preview image of the selected file. Browse Displays the Select a Template File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box), where you can access template files that are not available in the Select a Template list.
Quick Setup Displays the Quick Setup wizard, in which you can specify the units and area for your new drawing. The Quick Setup wizard also changes settings, such as text height and snap spacing, to an appropriate scale. Advanced Setup Displays the Advanced Setup wizard, in which you can specify the units, angle, angle measure, angle direction, and area for your new drawing. The Advanced Setup wizard also changes settings, such as text height and snap spacing, to an appropriate scale.
List of Options The following options are displayed. The Quick Setup wizard has two pages: Units and Area. As you work in this wizard, choose Back and Next to switch between pages; choose Finish on the last page to close the wizard and create the new drawing with the settings you specified. Units Indicates the format in which you enter and in which the program displays coordinates and measurements. Several formats are available.
Scientific Displays measurements in scientific notation (numbers expressed in the form of the product of a decimal number between 0 and 10 and a power of 10). Area Indicates the width and length in full-scale units of what you plan to draw. This setting limits the area of the drawing covered by grid dots when the grid is turned on. When limits checking is turned on with the LIMITS command, this setting also restricts the coordinates you can enter to within the rectangular area.
Summary List of Options The following options are displayed. The Advanced Setup wizard contains five pages: Units, Angle, Angle Measure, Angle Direction, and Area. As you work in this wizard, choose Back and Next to navigate between pages; choose Finish on the last page to close the wizard and create the new drawing with the settings you specified. You can later change units, angle, angle measure, and angle direction using the UNITS command, and you can change area using the LIMITS command.
Other Specifies a direction other than east, north, west, or south. Enter a specific compass angle to treat as the 0 angle. Angle Direction Indicates the direction from the 0 angle in which you enter and in which the program displays positive angle values: counterclockwise or clockwise. Area Indicates the width and length in full-scale units of what you plan to draw. This setting limits the area of the drawing covered by grid dots when the grid is turned on.
NEWSHEETSET Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Sheet Set Creates a new sheet set data file that manages drawing layouts, file paths, and project data. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu Menu: File ➤ New Sheet Set ➤ New ➤ Sheet Set Summary The Create Sheet Set wizard contains a series of pages that step you through the process of creating a new sheet set.
Access Methods Buton Menu: View ➤ Named Views Summary Displays the New view / Shot Properties dialog box on page 2018 with the Shot Properties tab on page 2023 active. NEWVIEW Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views Creates a named view with no motion. Access Methods Button Menu: View ➤ Named Views Summary Displays the New view / Shot Properties dialog box on page 2018 with the View Properties tab on page 2020 active.
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O Commands 15 OBJECTSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Annotation Scale Adds or deletes supported scales for annotative objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Annotation Scaling panel ➤ Add/Delete Scales Menu: Modify ➤ Annotative Object Scale ➤ Add/Delete Scales Shortcut menu: Select an annotative object. Right-click in the drawing area and click Annotative Object Scale ➤ Add/Delete Scales.
If you enter objectscale, you are prompted to select annotative objects. The Annotative Object Scale dialog box on page 1296 is displayed. If you enter -objectscale at the Command prompt, options are displayed on page 1298. Annotative Object Scale Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale Views in Layout Viewports Adds or deletes supported scales for the selected object. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Specifies that only the supported scales that are common to all selected objects are displayed in the Object Scale List. Add Displays the Add Scales to Object Dialog Box on page 1297. Delete Removes the selected scale from the scale list. NOTE The current scale or scales referenced by objects or views cannot be deleted. Add Scales to Object Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale Views in Layout Viewports Adds a new scale to the selected object. List of Options The following option is displayed.
Use the SCALELISTEDIT on page 1693 command to add custom scales to this list. -OBJECTSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale Views in Layout Viewports List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select annotative objects: Use an object selection method Enter an option [Add on page 1298/Delete on page 1298/? on page 1298] : Enter a or d or press Enter Add Adds an annotation scale to the selected objects.
OFFSET Quick Reference See also: ■ Offset an Object Creates concentric circles, parallel lines, and parallel curves. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Offset Menu: Modify ➤ Offset Toolbar: Modify Summary You can offset an object at a specified distance or through a point. After you offset objects, you can trim and extend them as an efficient method to create drawings containing many parallel lines and curves. The OFFSET command repeats for convenience.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current settings: Erase source = current Layer = current OFFSETGAPTYPE = current Specify Offset Distance on page 1300 or [Through on page 1300/Erase on page 1300/Layer on page 1301] : Specify a distance, enter an option, or press Enter Offset Distance Creates an object at a specified distance from an existing object. Exit Exits the OFFSET command.
Layer Determines whether offset objects are created on the current layer or on the layer of the source object. OFFSETEDGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Offset an Object ■ Add Facets to Faces on Solids and Surfaces Creates a closed polyline or spline object that is offset at a specified distance from the edges of a selected planar face on a 3D solid or surface.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Corner = current Select face: Select a planar face on a 3D solid or surface Specify through point or [Distance/Corner] : Specify a point, or enter an option Through Point Creates an offset object that passes through the specified point. This point is always projected line-of-sight onto the plane of the selected face. Distance Creates an offset object at a specified distance from the edges of the selected face.
OLELINKS Quick Reference See also: ■ Link OLE Objects in Drawings Updates, changes, and cancels existing OLE links. Access Methods Menu: Edit ➤ OLE Links Summary The Links dialog box is displayed. If there is no existing OLE link in the drawing, OLE Links is not available on the Edit menu and the Links dialog box is not displayed. To specify a different source application for an embedded object, right-click the embedded object and click Convert on the shortcut menu to display the Convert dialog box.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Links Lists information about linked objects. The information listed depends on the type of link. To change information for a linked object, select the object. Source Displays the path name of the source file and the type of object. Type Displays the format type. Update: Automatic Updates the link automatically whenever the source changes. Update: Manual Prompts you to update a link when you open the document. Update Now Updates the selected links.
Convert Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Link OLE Objects in Drawings Specifies a different source application for an embedded object. Access Methods Shortcut menu: Right-click an embedded object and click OLE ➤ Convert. List of Options The following options are displayed, Current Type Displays the type of object you are converting or activating. Object Type Displays a list of available object types.
Change Icon Displays the Change Icon dialog box. This option is available only if you select Display as Icon. Result Describes the result of the selected options. Change Icon Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Link OLE Objects in Drawings Changes the icon that represents an embedded or linked object in a drawing. List of Options The following options are displayed. Icon Specifies an icon to represent an embedded or linked object. Current Specifies the currently selected icon.
Browse Displays the Browse dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box), in which you can select an icon from a file. OLESCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit OLE Objects in Drawings Controls the size, scale, and other properties of a selected OLE object. Access Methods Shortcut menu: With an OLE object selected, right-click and click Text Size. Summary The OLE Text Size dialog box is displayed. NOTE You must select an OLE object before entering the OLESCALE command.
Summary The OLE object is scaled automatically to accommodate the size of the text. List of Options The following options are displayed. OLE Font Displays a list of the fonts used in the OLE object. OLE Point Size Displays a list of the point sizes available for the selected font. Text Height Sets a text height for the font at the selected point size. Reset Restores the OLE object to its size when it was inserted in the drawing.
Menu: File ➤ AutoCAD WS ➤ Online Drawings Summary The Drawings section in AutoCAD WS displays your uploaded files and any files that have been shared with you. Use the Drawings section to manage your files and folders, and to edit, share, and download files. NOTE You may first be prompted to log in to AutoCAD WS. If you do not have an account, click Create an Account and follow the on-screen instructions. OOPS Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Restores erased objects.
OPEN Quick Reference See also: ■ Open a Drawing Opens an existing drawing file. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu Menu: File ➤ Open Toolbar: Standard ➤ Open ➤ Drawing Summary The Select File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. You can open and load a portion of a drawing, including geometry on a specific view or layer.
Standard File Selection Dialog Boxes Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing Several commands display standard file selection dialog boxes, in which you can navigate through local and network drives and through FTP sites and Web folders to select files. While each dialog box may vary slightly, following is a list of the possible options. List of Options The following options are displayed. Places List Provides quick access to predefined locations.
History Displays shortcuts to the files most recently accessed from the dialog box. It is recommended that you periodically remove unwanted shortcuts from the History list. Select History, then select the unwanted shortcuts in the Files list and click Delete. To sort the shortcuts by date, click Views ➤ Details, and then click the Modified column in the Files list. Personal/My Documents Displays the contents of the Personal or My Documents folder for the current user profile.
Up One Level Navigates one level up in the current path tree. Search the Web Displays the Browse the Web dialog box, from which you can access and store files on the Internet. Delete Deletes the selected file or folder. Create New Folder Creates a new folder in the current path using a name that you specify. Views Controls the appearance of the Files list or Folders list and, for a Files list, specifies whether to show a preview image when a file is selected. List Displays a multi-column list.
Add to Favorites Creates a shortcut to the current Look In location, or to the selected file or folder. The shortcut is placed in the Favorites folder for the current user profile, which you can access by choosing Favorites in the Places list. Look in Favorites Sets the Look In path to your system’s Favorites folder. Options Provides additional options for certain standard file selection dialog boxes.
Open/Save Depending on the purpose of the specific file selection dialog box, opens or saves the selected file or enters the path of the selected folder in the previous dialog box. Certain file selection dialog boxes may include additional options, accessed by clicking the arrow next to the Open button. Open Read-Only Opens a file in read-only mode. You cannot save changes to the file using the original file name. Partial Open Displays the Partial Open dialog box.
Log In to Buzzsaw Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Open a Drawing Logs in to the Buzzsaw site in order to browse to a specific location List of Options The following options are displayed. Buzzsaw Site Specifies the location of the most recently used Buzzsaw site. Enter any existing address or site name. Buzzsaw User Name Specifies the user name you use for the Buzzsaw site you want to access. Password Specifies your password for the Buzzsaw site.
Create or Edit a Buzzsaw Location Shortcut Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Open a Drawing Sets a shortcut to a Buzzsaw location. Summary Provides access to a new Autodesk Buzzsaw location that you specify. You can open drawings or save drawings at this location. If a sheet set is open, the Autodesk Buzzsaw location is associated with your current sheet set. The only Buzzsaw locations displayed are those associated with the current sheet set. List of Options The following options are displayed.
List of Options The following option is displayed. List of Buzzsaw Projects and Folders Specifies Buzzsaw projects or folders that can be linked to the shortcut. Find Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Search Paths and File Locations Searches for files using name, location, and date modified filters. Summary To access the Find dialog box, in a standard file selection dialog box, click Tools menu ➤ Find. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Named Specifies the full or partial file names to include in the search. When entering multiple file names, enclose each name in quotation marks. Use the following wild-card characters to broaden your search: ■ * (Asterisk): Matches any string and can be used anywhere in the search string. ■ ? (Question mark): Matches any single character; for example, ?BC matches ABC, 3BC, and so on. The type of files to include in the search is determined by Type, so you don't need to enter a file extension in Named.
■ During the Previous N Months: Searches for files created or modified within a specified number of months. ■ During the Previous N Days: Searches for files created or modified within a specified number of days. Find Now Searches for files using the criteria specified in both tabs. Stop Ends the search. New Search Clears the search results and resets the default values for all search options.
Summary To browse the sites that you add, select FTP from the Places list in the standard file selection dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name of FTP Site Specifies the site name for the FTP location (for example, ftp.autodesk.com). Log On As Specifies whether to log on to the FTP site anonymously or with a specific user name. Anonymous Logs you on to the FTP site as an anonymous user.
Add Adds a new FTP site to the list of FTP locations available from the standard file selection dialog box. Modify Modifies the selected FTP site to use the specified site name, logon name, and password. Remove Removes the selected FTP site from the list of FTP locations available from the standard file selection dialog box. FTP Sites Lists the FTP sites that are available from the Places list in all standard file selection dialog boxes. URL Displays the URL for the selected FTP site.
Summary When working with large drawing files, you can select the minimal amount of geometry you need to load when opening a drawing. When a drawing is partially open, all named objects, as well as the specified geometry, are loaded into the file. Named objects include blocks, dimension styles, layers, layouts, linetypes, text styles, UCSs, views, and viewport configurations. List of Options The following options are displayed.
The default view is Extents. Geometry that is common to both the selected view and the layers is loaded into the drawing. You can load geometry from only one view. You can use the PARTIALOAD command to load additional geometry into a partially open drawing. NOTE When a drawing is partially open, named objects are still loaded into the file along with the specified geometry from the selected view.
Index Status Displays whether the selected drawing file contains a spatial or layer index. INDEXCTL controls whether layer and spatial indexes are saved with the drawing file. Use Spatial Index Controls whether a spatial index is used when partially opening a drawing. A spatial index can be used to locate what portion of the drawing is read; this minimizes the time required to open the drawing.
Enter name of drawing to open: Enter ~ (tilde) at the prompt to ignore FILEDIA and display the Select File dialog box, a standard file selection dialog box. OPENDWFMARKUP Quick Reference See also: ■ Respond to Markups Opens a DWF or DWFx file that contains markups. Access Methods Menu: File ➤ Load Markup Set Summary Displays the Open Markup DWF dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box), in which you can select a DWF or DWFx file that contains markups to load into the Markup Set Manager.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Online tab ➤ Content panel ➤ Open Online Menu: File ➤ AutoCAD WS ➤ Open Online Toolbar: Online Summary If the drawing has never been uploaded to AutoCAD WS, or if the latest version is not available in your online storage, the drawing and any supporting files are automatically uploaded. You must save the drawing before you can continue with this command. NOTE You may first be prompted to log in to AutoCAD WS.
Summary The Open Sheet Set dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. In this dialog box, you can select a sheet set data (DST) file to load sheet set information into the Sheet Set Manager. OPTIONS Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Customizes the program settings. Access Methods Menu: Application menu ➤ Options Menu: Tools ➤ Options Shortcut menu: With no commands active and no objects selected, right-click in the drawing area. Click Options.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Current Profile Displays the name of the current profile above the tabs. To set the current profile, create a new profile, or edit an existing profile, use the Profiles tab. (CPROFILE system variable) Drawing Icon Signifies that an option is saved with the drawing, and affects only the current drawing. An option saved in the registry is not displayed with a drawing file icon, and affects all drawings in a work session.
Files Tab (Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Lists the folders in which the program searches for support, driver, menu, and other files. Also lists optional, user-defined settings such as which dictionary to use for checking spelling. Paths are searched in the order that they are listed in the Options dialog box. If the same file exists in different folders, then the first instance found is used. List of Options The following options are displayed.
can create any number of project names with associated folders, but each drawing can have only one project name. (PROJECTNAME system variable) Customization Files Specifies the names and locations of various types of files. Main Customization File Specifies the default location of the main customization file (acad.cuix). Enterprise Customization File Specifies the location of an enterprise customization file. Custom Icon Location Specifies the location for custom icons used in customization files.
If you click Browse, the Alternate Font dialog box is displayed, from which you can choose an available font. Font Mapping File Specifies the font mapping file to be used. (FONTMAP system variable) Print File, Spooler, and Prolog Section Names Specifies settings related to plotting. Plot File Name for Legacy Plotting Scripts Specifies a default name for the temporary plot files used with plotting scripts created with AutoCAD Release 14 or earlier. The default name is the drawing name plus the .
Color Book Locations Specifies the path for color book files that can be used when specifying colors in the Select Color dialog box. You can define multiple folders for each path specified. This option is saved with the user profile. Data Sources Location Specifies the path for database source files. Changes to this setting do not take effect until you close and restart the program. Template Settings Specifies the drawing template settings.
(ACTPATH system variable) Plot and Publish Log File Location Specifies the path for the log file that is created if you select the Automatically Save Plot and Publish Log option on the Plot and Publish tab. Temporary Drawing File Location Specifies the location to store temporary files. This program creates temporary files and then deletes them when you exit the program.
Move Up Moves the selected search path above the preceding search path. Move Down Moves the selected search path below the following search path. Set Current Makes the selected project or spelling dictionary current. Display Tab (Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Customizes the display.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Window Elements Controls display settings specific to the drawing environment. Color scheme Controls color settings in a dark or light color for elements such as the status bar, title bar, ribbon bar, and the application menu frame. Display Scroll Bars in Drawing Window Displays scroll bars at the bottom and right sides of the drawing area. Display Drawing Status Bar Displays the drawing status bar, which displays several tools for scaling annotations.
Use Large Buttons for Toolbars Displays buttons in a larger format at 32 by 32 pixels. Resize Ribbon Icons to Standard Sizes Scales the small ribbon icons to 16 x 16 pixels and the large ribbon icons to 32 x 32 pixels when they do not match the standard icon sizes. (RIBBONICONRESIZE on page 2513 system variable) Show Tooltips Controls the display of tooltips on the ribbon, toolbars, and other user interface elements.
Display Printable Area Displays the printable area in a layout. The printable area is represented by the area within the dashed line and is determined by the selected output device. Display Paper Background Displays a representation of the specified paper size in a layout. The paper size and plot scale determine the size of the paper background. Display Paper Shadow Displays a shadow around the paper background in layout. This option is not available if the Display Paper Background option is cleared.
Specifies the number of contour lines displayed on the curved surfaces of 3D solids. (ISOLINES system variable) Display Performance Controls display settings that affect performance. Pan and Zoom with Raster and OLE (RTDISPLAY system variable) If dragging display is turned on and you select Pan and Zoom with Raster and OLE, a copy of the object moves with the cursor as you reposition the original.
Specifies the fading intensity value for objects during in-place reference editing. Objects that are not being edited are displayed at a lesser intensity. (XFADECTL on page 2655 system variable) With in-place reference editing, you can edit a block reference or external reference from within the current drawing. The valid range is 0 through 90 percent. Open and Save Tab (Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Controls options that relate to opening and saving files.
List of Options The following options are displayed. File Save Controls settings related to saving a file. Save As Displays the valid file formats used when saving a file with SAVE, SAVEAS, QSAVE, SHAREWITHSEEK on page 1735 and WBLOCK. The file format selected for this option becomes the default format for saving drawings. NOTE AutoCAD 2004 is the drawing file format used by the AutoCAD 2004, AutoCAD 2005, and AutoCAD 2006 releases.
File Safety Precautions Assists in avoiding data loss and in detecting errors. Automatic Save Saves your drawing automatically at the intervals you specify. You can specify the location of all Autosave files by using the SAVEFILEPATH system variable.SAVEFILE (read-only) stores the name of the Autosave file. NOTE Automatic save is disabled when the Block Editor on page 237 is open. Minutes Between Saves: When Automatic Save is on, specifies how often the drawing is saved.
File Open Controls settings that relate to recently used files and open files. Number of Recently Used Files Controls the number of recently used files that are listed in the File menu for quick access. Valid values are 0 to 9. Display Full Path In Title Displays the full path of the active drawing in the drawing's title bar, or in the application window title bar if the drawing is maximized.
ObjectARX Applications Controls settings that relate to AutoCAD Runtime Extension applications and proxy graphics. Demand Load ObjectARX Apps Specifies if and when to demand-load certain applications. (DEMANDLOAD system variable) ■ Disable Load on Demand: Turns off demand-loading. ■ Custom Object Detect: Demand-loads the source application when you open a drawing that contains custom objects. This setting does not demand-load the application when you invoke one of the application's commands.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Default Plot Settings For New Drawings Controls default plotting settings for new drawings or drawings created in AutoCAD Release 14 or earlier that have never been saved in AutoCAD 2000 or later format. Use As Default Output Device Sets the default output device for new drawings and for drawings created in AutoCAD Release 14 or earlier that have never been saved in AutoCAD 2000 or later format.
Add or Configure Plotters Displays the Plotter Manager (a Windows system window). You can add or configure a plotter with the Plotter Manager. Plot To File Specifies the default location for plot to file operations. Background Processing Options Controls whether background plotting is turned on or off for plotting and publishing. You can use background plotting to start a job you are plotting or publishing and immediately return to work on your drawing while your job is plotted or published as you work.
■ Date and time started and completed ■ Sheet name ■ Full file path ■ Selected layout name ■ Page setup name ■ Named page setup path ■ Device name ■ Paper size name ■ Final status Automatically Save Plot and Publish Log Specifies that a log file that contains information about all plot and publish jobs is automatically saved. Save One Continuous Plot Log Specifies that a single log file that contains information about all plot and publish jobs is automatically saved.
Uses the paper size specified in the Page Setup dialog box as long as the selected output device can plot to this paper size. (PAPERUPDATE system variable = 0) If the selected output device cannot plot to this paper size, the program displays a warning message and uses the paper size specified either in the plotter configuration file (PC3) or in the default system settings if the output device is a system printer.
You can control the size of the list of devices in the Plot and Page Setup dialog boxes by moving a device's PC3 file out of the Plotters folder and its subfolders. Specify Plot Offset Relative To Controls whether the plot offset is relative to the printable area or to the edge of the paper. (PLOTOFFSET system variable). Printable Area Specifies that the plot offset is relative to the printable area. Edge of Paper Specifies that the plot offset is relative to the edge of the paper.
List of Options The following options are displayed. 3D Performance Controls settings that relate to configuration of the 3D graphics display system. 3D Performance Settings Displays the Adaptive Degradation and Performance Tuning dialog box on page 22. Current Pointing Device Controls options that relate to the pointing device. Current Pointing Device Displays a list of the available pointing device drivers. ■ Current System Pointing Device: Sets the system pointing device as current.
Accept Input From Specifies whether the program accepts input from both a mouse and a digitizer or ignores mouse input when a digitizer is set. This name is inserted when you use the time and date stamp (REVDATE) and is useful if different people work on the same drawing. Layout Regen Options Specifies how the display list is updated in the Model tab and layout tabs.
Controls the display of previously hidden messages. Displays the Hidden Message Settings dialog box on page 1387. Display OLE Text Size Dialog Displays the OLE Text Size dialog box when OLE objects are inserted into drawings. Beep on Error in User Input Sounds an alarm beep when an invalid entry is detected. Load acad.lsp with Every Drawing Controls whether the acad.lsp file is loaded into every drawing or just the first drawing opened in a session.
User Preferences Tab (Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Controls options that optimize the way you work. List of Options The following options are displayed. Windows Standard Behavior Controls keystroke and right-click behavior. Double-click Editing Controls the double click editing behavior in the drawing area.
(DBLCLKEDIT system variable) Shortcut Menus in Drawing Area Controls whether Default, Edit, and Command mode shortcut menus are available in the drawing area. (SHORTCUTMENU system variable) If this option is cleared, right-click is interpreted as Enter. Right-Click Customization Displays the Right-Click Customization dialog box. This dialog box provides further definition for the Shortcut Menus in Drawing Area option.
Running Object Snap Specifies that running object snaps override coordinate entry at all times. (OSNAPCOORD system variable = 0) Keyboard Entry Specifies that coordinate entry overrides running object snaps at all times. (OSNAPCOORD system variable = 1) Keyboard Entry Except Scripts Specifies that coordinate entry overrides running object snaps, except in scripts.
Groups layer property changes made from the Layer Properties Manager. Block Editor Settings Displays the Block Editor Settings dialog box on page 247. Use this dialog box to control the environment settings of the Block Editor. Lineweight Settings Displays the Lineweight Settings dialog box. Use this dialog box to set lineweight options, such as display properties and defaults, and also to set the current lineweight.
List of Options The following options are displayed. AutoSnap Settings Controls the display of the AutoSnap marker, tooltip, and magnet. When the cursor, or aperture box, is on an object, you can press Tab to cycle through all the snap points available for that object. Marker Controls the display of the AutoSnap marker. The marker is a geometric symbol that is displayed when the crosshairs move over a snap point. (AUTOSNAP system variable) Magnet Turns the AutoSnap magnet on or off.
Controls the display of the AutoSnap tooltip. The tooltip is a label that describes which part of the object you are snapping to. (AUTOSNAP system variable) Display AutoSnap Aperture Box Turns the display of the AutoSnap aperture box on or off. (APBOX system variable) The aperture box is a box that appears inside the crosshairs when you snap to an object. Colors Displays the Drawing Window Colors dialog box. AutoSnap Marker Size Sets the display size for the AutoSnap marker.
In a 3D view, a polar tracking vector parallel to the Z axis of the UCS is also displayed, and the tooltip displays +Z or -Z for the angle depending on the direction along the Z axis. Display Full-Screen Tracking Vector Tracking vectors are lines from which you can draw objects at specific angles or in specific relationships to other objects. If this option is selected, alignment vectors are displayed as infinite lines.
3D Modeling Tab (Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Sets options for working with solids and surfaces in 3D. List of Options The following options are displayed. 3D Crosshairs Controls settings for the display style of the crosshairs pointer in 3D operations. Show Z Axis in Crosshairs Controls whether the Z axis is displayed by the crosshairs pointer. Label Axes in Standard Crosshairs Controls whether axis labels are displayed with the crosshairs pointer.
Display the ViewCube Controls the display of the ViewCube. Display the UCS icon Controls the display of the UCS Icon. Display the Viewport Controls Controls the display of the viewport control menus for viewport tools, views, and visual styles that are located in the upper-left corner of every viewport. 3D Objects Controls the settings for the display of 3D solids, surfaces, and meshes.
Opens the Analysis Options dialog box on page 110, where you can set options for zebra, curvature, and draft analysis. 3D Navigation Sets walk, fly, and animation options for displaying 3D models. Reverse Mouse Wheel Zoom Toggles the direction of transparent zoom operations when you scroll the middle mouse wheel. (ZOOMWHEEL system variable) Walk and Fly Displays the Walk and Fly Settings dialog box. Animation Displays the Animation Settings dialog box. ViewCube Displays the ViewCube Settings dialog box.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Pickbox Size Sets the object selection target height, in pixels. (PICKBOX system variable) The pickbox is the object selection tool that appears in editing commands. Selection Modes Controls settings that relate to object selection methods. Noun/Verb Selection Controls whether you select objects before (noun-verb selection) or after you issue a command.
To clear a selection set quickly, draw a selection window in a blank area of the drawing. Object Grouping Selects all objects in a group when you select one object in that group. With GROUP on page 870 you can create and name a set of objects for selection. (PICKSTYLE system variable) Associative Hatch Determines which objects are selected when you select an associative hatch. If this option is selected, boundary objects are also selected when you select an associative hatch.
Displays selection previewing only when a command is active and the Select Objects prompt is displayed. (SELECTIONPREVIEW system variable) When No Command Is Active Displays selection previewing when no commands are active. (SELECTIONPREVIEW system variable) Visual Effect Settings Displays the Visual Effect Settings dialog box. Grip Size (GRIPSIZE system variable) Grips Grips are small squares displayed on an object after it has been selected.
Show Grip Tips Displays grip-specific tips when the cursor hovers over a grip on a custom object that supports grip tips. This option has no effect on standard objects. (GRIPTIPS system variable) Show Dynamic Grip Menu Controls the display of dynamic menu when pausing over a multi-functional grip. (GRIPMULTIFUNCTIONAL on page 2352 system variable) Allow Ctrl-cycling Behavior Allows the Ctrl-cycling behavior for multi-functional grips.
Sets the color properties of the grip. List of Options The following options are displayed. Settings Controls the color settings of the grip. Unselected Grip Color Controls the color of unselected grips. (GRIPCOLOR on page 2350 system variable) Selected Grip Color Controls the color of selected grips. (GRIPHOT on page 2351 system variable) Hover Grip Color Controls the fill color of an unselected grip when the cursor pauses over it.
Profiles Tab (Options Dialog Box) Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Controls the use of profiles. A profile is a configuration you define. List of Options The following options are displayed. Available Profiles Displays a list of the available profiles. Set Current Makes the selected profile the current profile.
Add to List Displays the Add Profile dialog box to save the selected profile under a different name. Rename Displays the Change Profile dialog box for changing the name and description of the selected profile. Use Rename when you want to rename a profile but keep its current settings. Delete Deletes the selected profile (unless it is the current profile). Export Exports a profile as a file with an .arg extension so the file can be shared with other users. Import Imports a profile (a file with an .
Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, Files tab Summary You can also set the location of Alternate Font File by using the FONTALT system variable. If you do not specify an alternate font, when you open a drawing containing fonts that cannot be located, a dialog box is displayed in which you specify a font to use for each missing font. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Sets the display colors of the interface elements for each context in the application. Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, Display tab Summary A context is an operating environment such as model space. An interface element is an item that is visible in that context such as the crosshairs pointer or the background color. List of Options The following options are displayed. Context A context is an environment such as model space.
Interface Element Lists the interface elements in a selected context. An interface element is an item that is visible in a context such as the background color. Select an interface element, and then a color. Color Lists the available color settings to apply to the selected interface element. You can choose one of the colors in the color list or choose Select Color to open the Select Color dialog box.
Command Line Window Font Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Application Fonts Sets the font displayed in the Command window. Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, Display tab Summary The text font used in the Command window can be changed to suit your preferences. List of Options The following options are displayed. Font Lists the system fonts available for selection. Font Style Lists the styles available to apply to the current font.
Light Glyph Appearance Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Specifies the appearance of the light glyphs. Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, Drafting tab List of Options The following options are displayed. Glyph Preview Shows the current appearance of the light glyph and updates as you make changes. Point Displays a point light glyph in the preview. Spot Displays a spotlight glyph in the preview. Web Displays a weblight glyph in the preview.
Camera Glyph Appearance Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Specifies the appearance of the camera glyphs. Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, Drafting tab List of Options The following options are displayed. Glyph Preview Shows the current appearance of the glyph and updates as you make changes. Edit Glyph Colors Displays the Drawing Window Colors dialog box on page 1370. Glyph Size Changes the size of the glyph in the drawing area.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Drawing Save a Thumbnail Preview Image Controls whether BMP preview images are saved with the drawing. (RASTERPREVIEW system variable) Use the View when Drawing Last Saved Uses the last saved view to generate the thumbnail preview for the drawing. Use the Home View Uses the Home view saved with the drawing to generate the thumbnail preview for the drawing. Home View Set current View as Home Defines the current view of the drawing as the Home view.
Plot Style Table Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Specifies settings for plot style tables. Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, Plot and Publish tab List of Options The following options are displayed.
Use Named Plot Styles Uses named plot styles in both new drawings and drawings created in earlier versions of AutoCAD. The plot style is defined in the plot style table attached to the layout. Named plot style tables are files with the file extension .stb. ( PSTYLEPOLICY system variable = 0) Once a drawing is saved with Use Named Plot Styles as the default, you can convert it to Use Color Dependent Plot Styles using the CONVERTCTB and CONVERTPSTYLES commands.
Right-Click Customization Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Controls whether right-clicking in the drawing area displays a shortcut menu or has the same effect as pressing Enter. Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, User Preferences tab Summary If you are accustomed to using the right-click method for Enter while a command is active, you might prefer to disable Command shortcut menus from this dialog box.
Edit Mode Determines what happens when you right-click in the drawing area when one or more objects are selected and no commands are in progress. Repeat Last Command Disables the Edit shortcut menu. As a result, right-clicking in the drawing area when one or more objects are selected and no commands are in progress is the same as pressing Enter, which repeats the last issued command. Shortcut Menu Enables the Edit shortcut menu.
Summary Controls how fields are updated. (FIELDEVAL system variable) List of Options The following options are displayed Open Automatically updates fields when the file is opened. Save Automatically updates fields when the file is saved. Plot Automatically updates fields when the file is plotted. eTransmit Automatically updates fields when the file is sent using ETRANSMIT. Regen Automatically updates fields when the file is regenerated.
Selection Preview Effect Specifies the visual effect used for previewing selection of objects. (PREVIEWEFFECT system variable) Preview Area Displays the effect of the current settings. Face Highlighting Controls the face highlighting setting. ■ Texture Fill. Highlights the face with texture fill effect. Line Highlighting Controls the line highlighting settings. ■ Dash. Displays dashed lines when the pickbox cursor rolls over an object.
(CROSSINGAREACOLOR system variable) Selection Area Opacity Controls the transparency of the selection area during window and crossing selection. (SELECTIONAREAOPACITY system variable) Ribbon Contextual Tab State Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Sets object selection settings for the display of ribbon contextual tabs Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, Selection tab List of Options The following options are available in this dialog box.
When an object or selection set is double-clicked, focus is switched to the first ribbon contextual tab. ( RIBBONSELECTMODE on page 2514 system variable = 2) Object Selection Options Retain Pickfirst Selections When Commands Are Invoked From a Contextual Tab When checked, the pickfirst selection set remains selected after a command is started from a ribbon contextual tab.
Exclude Objects on Locked Layers Excludes specified object types from selection previewing. ( PREVIEWFILTER system variable) Exclude Turns off selection previewing for the selected object types. ( PREVIEWFILTER system variable) Xrefs Excludes objects in xrefs from selection previewing. This option is on by default. ( PREVIEWFILTER system variable) Tables Excludes tables from selection previewing. This option is on by default.
Summary The new profile is displayed in the Profile list box on the Profiles tab in the Options dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Profile Name Assigns a new profile name to the selected profile. Description Assigns a new or updated description for the selected profile. Transparency Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Controls transparency for dockable windows.
(ROLLOVEROPACITY on page 2515 system variable) NOTE The degree of transparency on mouse-over cannot be more than the degree of transparency of the palette. Click to Preview Preview the palette mouse-over transparency value when the button is held down. The palette returns to the default transparency set when the button is released. Apply these settings to all palettes Sets the degree of transparency for the palette and mouse-over for all palettes.
The tree view displays the dialog information in the form below. ■ Application Name ■ Category ■ Dialog title InfoCenter Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of InfoCenter and Autodesk Exchange Provides options for controlling the content and duration of balloon notifications that display in the upper-right corner of the application window. Access Methods Pointing device: Options dialog box, System tab List of Options The following options are displayed.
Enable Balloon Notification for These Sources Controls whether the balloon notification feature is turned on or off. Live Update Channel (New Software Updates) Controls whether notices regarding product software updates are displayed. Did You Know Messages Controls whether helpful messages and tips are displayed. Did You Know messages provide Knowledge Base information and general instructional messages. Click the text or the Expand icon to view the detailed information.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Scale List Metric Displays the default list of metric scales. Imperial Displays the default list of imperial scales. If a scale name is duplicated, but has a different value, a number is appended to the name. Add Displays the Add Scale dialog box. Edit Displays the Edit Scale dialog box. NOTE You cannot edit temporary scales. Move Up Moves the currently selected scale in the scale list up one position.
Constrains cursor movement to the horizontal or vertical direction. Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Drafting Settings Toolbar: Status bar ➤ Ortho Command entry: F8 Command entry: 'ortho for transparent use Summary In the illustration, a line is drawn using Ortho mode. Point 1 is the first point specified, and point 2 is the position of the cursor when the second point is specified. Ortho mode is used when you specify an angle or distance by means of two points using a pointing device.
Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Drafting Settings Toolbar: Status bar ➤ Osnap Shortcut menu: Press Shift while right-clicking in the drawing area and choose Osnap Settings. Command entry: F3 Command entry: 'osnap for transparent use Summary The Object Snap tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box is displayed. If you enter -osnap at the Command prompt, the following prompts are displayed. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
OVERKILL Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Removes duplicate or overlapping lines, arcs, and polylines. Also, combines partially overlapping or contiguous ones. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Delete Duplicate Objects Menu: Modify ➤ Delete Duplicate Objects Toolbar: Modify II ➤ Delete Duplicate Objects Summary Displays the Delete Duplicate Objects dialog box on page 1394. Removes redundant geometry.
Delete Duplicate Objects Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Removes duplicate geometry as well as overlapping lines, arcs, and polylines. Also, combines partially overlapping or contiguous ones. List of Prompts Object Comparison Settings Tolerance Controls the precision with which OVERKILL makes numeric comparisons. If this value is 0, the two objects being compared must match before OVERKILL modifies or deletes one of them.
Linetype Object linetypes are ignored. Linetype Scale Object linetype scale is ignored. Lineweight Object lineweight is ignored. Thickness Object thickness is ignored. Transparency Object transparency is ignored. Plot style Object plot style is ignored. Material Object material is ignored. Options Use these settings to control how OVERKILL deals with lines, arcs, and polylines. Optimize segments within polylines When selected, individual line and arc segments within selected polylines are examined.
-OVERKILL Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Removes duplicate or overlapping lines, arcs, and polylines. Also, combines partially overlapping or contiguous ones. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Tolerance Defines the value within which OVERKILL makes numeric comparisons for determining object duplication. Optimize Polylines Optimize segments within plines [segment wiDth/Break polyline/Yes/No] : ■ Segment Width: ignore polyline segment width ■ Break Polyline: maintains polylines when optimizing polyline segments ■ Yes: Enabled by default. Honors polylines as discreet objects and deletes non-polyline objects that overlap polylines.
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P Commands 16 PAGESETUP Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Page Setup Settings Controls the page layout, plotting device, paper size, and other settings for each new layout. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Output tab ➤ Plot panel ➤ Page Setup Menu: Application menu ➤ Print ➤ Page Setup Menu: File ➤ Page Setup Manager Shortcut menu: Right-click the Model layout or a named (paper space) layout and click Page Setup Manager. Summary The Page Setup Manager is displayed.
A page setup is a collection of plot device and other settings that determine the appearance and format of your final output. These settings are stored in the drawing file and can be modified and applied to other layouts. Page Setup Manager Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Page Setup Settings Specifies the page setup for the current layout or drawing sheet. Summary You can also create named page setups, modify existing ones, or import page setups from other drawings.
Layout icon Displayed when the Page Setup Manager is opened from a layout. Sheet set icon Displayed when the Page Setup Manager is opened from the Sheet Set Manager. Page Setups Displays the current page setup, sets a different page setup as current, creates a new page setup, modifies an existing page setup, and imports page setups from other drawings. Current Page Setup Displays the page setup that is applied to the current layout.
Device Name Displays the name of the output device specified in the currently selected page setup. Plotter Displays the type of output device specified in the currently selected page setup. Plot Size Displays the paper size and orientation specified in the currently selected page setup. Where Displays the physical location of the output device specified in the currently selected page setup. Description Displays descriptive text about the output device specified in the currently selected page setup.
List of Options The following options are displayed. New Page Setup Name Specifies the name for the new page setup. Start With Specifies a page setup to use as a starting point for the new page setup. When you click OK, the Page Setup dialog box is displayed with the settings of the selected page setup, which you can modify as necessary. If you open the New Page Setup dialog box from the Sheet Set Manager, only the named page setups in the page setup overrides file are listed.
Specifies page layout and plotting device settings. Summary The Page Setup dialog box is displayed in the following cases: ■ When you create a new page setup through the Page Setup Manager ■ When you modify an existing page setup through the Page Setup Manager The page setup settings that you specify are stored with the layout and can be applied to other layouts or imported into other drawings. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Lists the available PC3 files or system printers from which you can select to plot or publish the current layout or sheet. An icon in front of the device name identifies it as a PC3 file or a system printer. Properties Displays the Plotter Configuration Editor (PC3 editor), in which you can view or modify the current plotter configuration, ports, device, and media settings.
The actual printable area of the page, which is determined by the selected plotting device and paper size, is indicated in the layout by a dashed line. If you are plotting a raster image, such as a BMP or TIFF file, the size of the plot is specified in pixels, not in inches or millimeters. Plot Area Specifies the area of the drawing to be plotted. Layout/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.
Automatically calculates the X and Y offset values to center the plot on the paper. X Specifies the plot origin in the X direction relative to the setting of the Plot Offset Definition option. Y Specifies the plot origin in the Y direction relative to the setting of the Plot Offset Definition option. Plot ScaleScale Controls the relative size of drawing units to plotted units. NOTE If the Layout option is specified in Plot Area, the layout is plotted at 1:1 regardless of the setting specified in Scale.
Scales lineweights in proportion to the plot scale. Lineweights normally specify the linewidth of output objects and are output with the linewidth size regardless of the scale. Plot Style Table (Pen Assignments) Sets the plot style table, edits the plot style table, or creates a new plot style table. Name (Unlabeled) Displays the plot style table that is assigned to the current Model tab or layout tab and provides a list of the currently available plot style tables.
■ Conceptual: Plots objects with the Conceptual visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen. ■ Realistic: Plots objects with the Realistic visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen. ■ Rendered: Plots objects as rendered regardless of the way they are displayed on the screen. Quality Specifies the resolution at which shaded and rendered viewports are plotted.
Specifies whether object transparency is plotted. This option should only be used when plotting drawings with transparent objects. IMPORTANT For perfomance reasons, plotting transparency is disabled by default. To plot transparent objects, check the Plot Transparency option. This setting can be overridden by the PLOTTRANSPARENCYOVERRIDE on page 2473 system variable. By default, the system variable honors the setting in the Page Setup and the Plot dialog boxes.
Preview Displays the drawing as it will appear when plotted on paper by executing the PREVIEW command. Changes to a Printer Configuration File Dialog Box (Page Setup) Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Page Setup Settings Notifies you that you have made changes to an existing plotter configuration (PC3) file.
Import Page Setups Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Page Setup Settings Displays the page setups in the selected drawing that are available to import. Summary List of Options The following options are displayed. Source Drawing Displays the source drawing that contains the listed page setups that are available to import. Page Setups Lists the page setups that are available to import and their location in the source drawing.
Displays the paper size and orientation specified in the currently selected page setup. Where Displays the physical location of the output device specified in the currently selected page setup. Description Displays descriptive text about the output device specified in the currently selected page setup. PAN Quick Reference See also: ■ Pan or Zoom a View Moves the view planar to the screen.
Press Esc or Enter to exit, or right-click to display a shortcut menu. If you enter -pan at the Command prompt, PAN displays command prompts, and you can specify a displacement to pan the drawing display. Position the cursor at the start location and press the mouse button down. Drag the cursor to the new location. You can also press the mouse scroll wheel or middle button down and drag the cursor to pan.
-PAN Quick Reference See also: ■ Pan or Zoom a View Moves the view planar to the screen by specifying a distance and direction the view should be moveed in. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Pan and Zoom shortcut menu allows for switching between navigation tools and cancelling the current navigation tool. To access the Pan shortcut menu, right-click in the drawing area while PAN is active. List of Options The following options are displayed. Exit Cancels PAN or ZOOM. Pan Switches to PAN. Zoom Switches to ZOOM in real time. 3D Orbit Switches to 3DORBIT. Zoom Window Zooms to display an area specified by a rectangular window. Zoom Original Restores the original view.
Menu: Parametric ➤ Parameters Manager Toolbar: Parametric Summary The Parameters Manager palette displays relevant parametric information based on whether you access it from within the drawing or from within the Block Editor. If you enter -parameters at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
Column Description Expression Displays the real number or the equation for the expression, for example, d1+d2 Value Displays the value of the expression Additional Columns Type Displays the dimensional constraint type or variable value Description Displays the comments or notes associated with the user variable Create a Dimensional Variable To create a dimensional variable, you apply a dimensional constraint to an object in the drawing.
When you rename a dimensional variable, all instances of the variable are updated in the drawing and in the Parameters Manager palette. TIP Use the shortcut menu for the Name and Expression cells when copying and pasting values. The Expressions shortcut menu contains commonly used mathematical functions. Invalid expressions are displayed in red text. Delete a Dimensional Variable When you delete a dimension variable: ■ The associated dimensional constraint in the drawing is removed.
■ Custom group filter - Displays all parameters added in the defined parameter group. Searching a Parameter An edit box allows you to search for parameters by name. Highlighting Dimensional Constraints When you select a dimensional constraint in the Parameters Manager palette, the associated object is highlighted in the drawing. If the parameter is a dynamic constraint that is hidden, the dynamic constraint will be temporarily displayed and highlighted when you select the cell.
Cut Removes the value from the cell and pastes it to the clipboard. Copy Copies the value in the cell and pastes it to the clipboard. Paste Pastes the immediately transferred value from the clipboard. Delete Deletes the value from the cell based on the selection. Expressions Displays a list of functions for use in the expression column (available only within the Expression cell) Group Filter Shortcut Menu New Group Filter Creates a new parameter group filter. Rename Edits the group filter name.
Summary In the Block Editor, the Parameters Manager displays a consolidated view of all parameters and user-defined properties for the block definition. The Parameters Manager palette includes a grid control with three columns (Name, Expression, Value) by default. You can add one or more additional columns (Type, Order, Show, or Description) using the shortcut menu.
Type Units Precision Block Scale Factor Area Decimal LUPREC Multiplied by square of scale Volume Decimal LUPREC Multiplied by cube of scale String Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable The Type cell for User parameters displays a drop-down list of the value types. The parameter can be sorted and can be set to Show or Hide in the Properties palette. The value of the parameter resets to 1 when you change the type from String to another type.
User variables have the following characteristics: ■ Default values are: Name = user1, Expression = 1, and value = 1.00. ■ Name should be alphanumeric. ■ Expression values should be within the range of -1e100 and 1e100. Edit a Dimensional Variable You can edit the dimensional variable name and expression. To do so: ■ Double-click the name or expression box. ■ Select the row and press F2. Press the Tab key to edit the contiguous columns. You cannot edit the Value column.
Searching a Parameter An edit box in the upper-right corner of the Parameters Manager allows you to search for parameters by name. Shortcut Menu Options The following options are displayed on the shortcut menus in the Parameters Manager palette. Column Header Shortcut Menu Expression Displays or hides the Expression column. Value Displays or hides the Value column. Type Displays or hides the Type column. Show Displays or hides the Show column.
Cut Removes the value from the cell and pastes it to the clipboard. Copy Copies the value in the cell and pastes it to the clipboard. Paste Pastes the immediately transferred value from the clipboard. Delete Deletes the value from the cell based on the selection.
Rename Renames the user variable. Delete Removes the user variable from the list. ? — List Parameters Lists available user variables in the drawing. PARAMETERSCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Constraints to Geometry ■ Work With Constraint Parameters in Blocks Closes the Parameters Manager palette. PARTIALOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Open Part of a Large Drawing (Partial Load) Loads additional geometry into a partially opened drawing.
Partial Load Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Open Part of a Large Drawing (Partial Load) Displays the views and layers available for specifying additional geometry to load into a partially open drawing. Summary You can select and load geometry from a view or a selected area and from layers. You cannot unload any information that is currently loaded in the drawing.
You can load paper space geometry by loading the layer on which the paper space geometry is drawn. View Name Displays the currently selected view. Geometry that is common to both the selected view and the layers is loaded into the drawing. View List Displays all the model space views available in the selected drawing file. When a view is selected, only the geometry in the selected view is loaded. You can select to load geometry from only one view.
Index Status Indicates whether the selected drawing file contains a spatial or layer index. INDEXCTL controls whether layer and spatial indexes are saved with the drawing file. A spatial index organizes objects based on their location in space. A layer index organizes objects based on their layers. -PARTIALOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Open Part of a Large Drawing (Partial Load) List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Layers to Load Loads geometry from the layer or layers into the current drawing. To load geometry from multiple layers into the drawing, use a comma between layer names. If no layer geometry is specified, no layer geometry is loaded into the drawing, including geometry specified to load from a view. ?—List Layers Displays a list of layer names available in the current drawing. Enter one or more layer names.
When you are running a script and using PARTIALOPEN, FILEDIA can be set to 0 or 1. When FILEDIA is set to 0 and you enter partialopen or -partialopen at the Command prompt, the following prompts are displayed. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter name of drawing to open: Enter a drawing name and press Enter Enter ~ (tilde) at the prompt to ignore FILEDIA and display the Select File dialog box.
geometry is specified, no layer geometry is loaded into the drawing, including geometry specified to load from a view. ■ Yes on page 1432 ■ No on page 1432 ?—List Layers Displays a list of layers available in the selected drawing. Enter one or more layer names. To enter multiple layers, separate the layer names with a comma.
PASTEBLOCK Quick Reference See also: ■ Cut, Copy, and Paste with the Clipboard Pastes objects from the Clipboard into the current drawing as a block. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Clipboard panel ➤ Paste as Block Menu: Edit ➤ Paste as Block Shortcut menu: With no command active, right-click in the drawing area and click Clipboard ➤ Paste as Block Summary The objects copied to the Clipboard are pasted into the drawing as a block at the specified insertion point.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Clipboard panel ➤ Paste Menu: Edit ➤ Paste Toolbar: Standard Shortcut menu: With no command active, right-click in the drawing area, and click Clipboard ➤ Paste Command entry: Ctrl+V Summary If the Clipboard contains ASCII text, the text is inserted as a multiline text (mtext) object using the MTEXT defaults. A spreadsheet is inserted as a table object. All other objects, except AutoCAD objects, are inserted as embedded or linked (OLE) objects.
Pastes objects from the Clipboard into the current drawing using the original coordinates. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Clipboard panel ➤ Paste to Original Coordinates Menu: Edit ➤ Paste to Original Coordinates Shortcut menu: With no command active, right-click in the drawing area, and click Clipboard ➤ Paste to Original Coordinates Summary The objects copied to the Clipboard are pasted into the current drawing at the same coordinates used in the original drawing.
Summary The Paste Special dialog box is displayed. Paste Special Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Cut, Copy, and Paste with the Clipboard Sets file formats and linking options for data pasted from the Clipboard. Summary You can either embed file data or link file data. Linked data is updated when you open the drawing. When you copy objects to the Clipboard, information is stored in all available formats.
Paste Link Pastes the contents of the Clipboard into the current drawing. If the source application supports an OLE or data link, a link is created to the original file. As Displays applicable formats in which you can paste the contents of the Clipboard into the current drawing. If you select the AutoCAD Entities option, the metafile graphics in the Clipboard are converted to AutoCAD objects. If the metafile graphics are not converted, the metafile is displayed as an OLE object.
PDFADJUST Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Underlay Contrast, Fade, Monochrome, and Colors for the Background Adjust the fade, contrast, and monochrome settings of a PDF underlay. Access Methods Button Ribbon: PDF Underlay contextual tab ➤ Adjust panel Summary If you select a single PDF underlay, the default values for Fade, Contrast, and Monochrome are the current property settings of the selected underlay.
Monochrome Controls the color saturation of all linework while maintaining the luminance. When turned on, the linework appears in varying shades of gray starting at black if the background color luminance is 50 percent or more. If the background color luminance is less than 50 percent, then the colors are inverted, with the darkest linework displaying in white, and the lightest linework displaying in black.
-PDFATTACH Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Files as Underlays Attach a PDF underlay from the command line. Summary When you attach a PDF file as an underlay, you link that referenced file to the current drawing. Any changes to the referenced file are displayed in the current drawing when it is opened or reloaded. TIP You can drag a PDF file onto the drawing window to start the PDFATTACH command. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Scale Factor Specifies the scale factor of the selected PDF underlay and the scale factor units. If INSUNITS is set to “unitless” or if the underlay does not contain resolution information, the scale factor becomes the underlay width in AutoCAD units. If INSUNITS has a value such as millimeters, centimeters, inches, or feet, and the underlay has resolution information, the scale factor is applied after the true width of the underlay in AutoCAD units is determined.
Insertion Point Specifies the insertion point for the selected PDF file. Specify On-Screen Directs input at the Command prompt or the pointing device. X Sets the X coordinate value. Y Sets the Y coordinate value. Z Sets the Z coordinate value. Scale Specifies the scale factor of the selected PDF underlay. If INSUNITS is set to “unitless” or if the underlay does not contain resolution information, the scale factor becomes the underlay width in AutoCAD units.
Show Details Found In Displays the path to the PDF file. Saved Path Displays the path that is saved with the drawing when the PDF file is attached. The path is dependent upon the Path Type setting. PDF Underlay Ribbon Contextual tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Underlays Displays options for editing PDF underlays. List of Options The following options are displayed. Summary When you select a PDF underlay, the PDF Contextual tab is displayed on the ribbon.
Options Panel Show Underlay Hides or displays the underlay. Enable Snap Determines whether object snapping is active for geometry in the underlay. External References (EXTERNALREFERENCES on page 784) Opens the External References palette. PDF Layers Panel Edit Layers (ULAYERS on page 1982) Controls the display of layers in a DWF, DWFx, PDF, or DGN underlay. PDFCLIP Quick Reference See also: ■ Clip Underlays Crops the display of a selected PDF underlay to a specified boundary.
TIP Use the generic CLIP on page 341 command to clip images, external references, viewports, and underlays. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. On Turns on clipping and displays the PDF underlay clipped to the previously defined boundary. Off Turns off clipping and displays the entire PDF underlay and frame. If you re-clip the PDF underlay while clipping is turned off, clipping is automatically turned back on.
PDFLAYERS Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Layers in an Underlay Controls the display of layers in a PDF underlay. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Reference panel ➤ Underlay Layers Shortcut menu: Select a PDF underlay. Right-click in the drawing area and click PDF Layers. Summary When you select a PDF underlay, the PDF Underlay ribbon contextual tab on page 1444 displays. From the contextual tab, you can click Edit Layers or enter PDFLAYERS.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Edit Polyline Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ Polyline Toolbar: Modify II Shortcut menu: Select a polyline to edit. Right-click in the drawing area and click Polyline Edit. Summary Common uses for PEDIT include joining 2D polylines, converting lines and arcs into 2D polylines, and converting polylines into curves that approximate B-splines (spline-fit polylines). List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
The PLINECONVERTMODE on page 2470 system variable determines whether the polylines are created with linear or arc segments. When the PEDITACCEPT on page 2463system variable is set to 1, this prompt is suppressed, and the selected object is automatically converted to a polyline. The conversion in both PEDIT and SPLINEDIT will obey the DELOBJ on page 2227 system variable. Multiple Selection (PEDIT) Quick Reference Enables selection for more than one object.
NOTE You can select a single arc or line segment, also called a subobject, within a polyline by pressing the Ctrl key when you click over it. If the polyline you select is a closed polyline, Open replaces the Close option in the prompt. You can edit a 2D polyline if its normal is parallel to and in the same direction as the Z axis of the current UCS. Close Creates the closing segment of the polyline, connecting the last segment with the first.
You can use the Width option of the Edit Vertex option to change the starting and ending widths of a segment. Edit Vertex Marks the first vertex of the polyline by drawing an X on the screen. If you have specified a tangent direction for this vertex, an arrow is also drawn in that direction. Next Moves the X marker to the next vertex. The marker does not wrap around from the end to the start of the polyline even if the polyline is closed. Previous Moves the X marker to the previous vertex.
Exit Exits Break and returns to Edit Vertex mode. Insert Adds a new vertex to the polyline after the marked vertex. Move Moves the marked vertex. Regen Regenerates the polyline. Straighten Saves the location of the marked vertex while you move the X marker to any other vertex. If you want to remove an arc segment that connects two straight segments of a polyline and then extend the straight segments until they intersect, use the FILLET command with a fillet radius of 0.
Next Moves the X marker to the next vertex. Previous Moves the X marker to the previous vertex. Go Deletes any segments and vertices between the two vertices you select, replaces them with single straight line segments, and returns to Edit Vertex mode. If you specify only one vertex by entering go without moving the X marker, the segment following that vertex is straightened if it is an arc. Exit Exits Straighten and returns to Edit Vertex mode.
Spline Uses the vertices of the selected polyline as the control points, or frame, of a curve approximating a B-spline. This curve, called a spline-fit polyline, passes through the first and last control points unless the original polyline was closed. The curve is pulled toward the other points but does not necessarily pass through them. The more control points you specify in a particular part of the frame, the more pull they exert on the curve. Quadratic and cubic spline-fit polylines can be generated.
■ EXPLODE deletes the frame and generates lines and arcs to approximate the spline-fit polyline. ■ OFFSET generates a polyline with only the fit spline, which is consistent with its behavior with fit curves. ■ DIVIDE, MEASURE, and the Object option of AREA and HATCH see only the fit spline, not the frame. ■ STRETCH refits the spline to the stretched frame after a spline is stretched.
If you set SPLINESEGS to a negative value, the program generates segments using the absolute value of the setting and then applies a fit-type curve to those segments. Fit-type curves use arcs as the approximating segments. Using arcs yields a smoother generated curve when few segments are specified, but the curve can take longer to generate. To change the number of segments used to fit an existing spline, change SPLINESEGS and respline the curve. You do not have to decurve it first.
3D Polyline Selection (PEDIT) Quick Reference If you select a 3D polyline, the following prompt is displayed: List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [Close/Join/Edit vertex/Spline curve/Decurve/Reverse/Undo]: Enter an option or press Enter If the polyline you select is closed, Open replaces the Close option in the prompt. Close Creates the closing segment of the polyline, connecting the last segment with the first.
Go Deletes any segments and vertices between the two vertices you specify and returns to Edit Vertex mode. Exit Exits Break and returns to Edit Vertex mode. If one of the specified vertices is at an end of the polyline, the polyline is truncated. If both specified vertices are at endpoints of the polyline, or if just one vertex is specified and it is at an endpoint, you cannot use Break mode. Insert Adds a new vertex to the polyline after the marked vertex. Move Moves the marked vertex.
Decurve Removes extra vertices inserted by a fit or spline curve and straightens all segments of the polyline. Retains tangent information assigned to the polyline vertices for use in subsequent fit curve requests. If you edit a spline-fit polyline with a command such as BREAK or TRIM, you cannot use the Decurve option. Reverse Reverses the order of vertices of the polyline. Use this option to reverse the direction of objects that use linetypes with included text.
SURFTAB1 and SURFTAB2 system variables store M and N values for RULESURF, TABSURF, REVSURF, and EDGESURF. Pressing Enter accepts the current default, which is either Next or Previous. Next Moves the X marker to the next vertex. The marker does not wrap around from the end to the start of the mesh, even if the mesh is closed. Previous Moves the X marker to the previous vertex. The marker does not wrap around from the start to the end of the mesh, even if the mesh is closed.
Desmooth Restores the original control-point polygon mesh. Mclose Closes the M-direction polylines if the polygon mesh is open in the M direction. Mopen Opens the M-direction polylines if the polygon mesh is closed in the M direction. Nclose Closes the N-direction polylines if the polygon mesh is open in the N direction. Nopen Opens the N-direction polylines if the polygon mesh is closed in the N direction. Undo Reverses operations as far back as the beginning of the PEDIT session.
PFACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Custom Mesh (Legacy) Creates a 3D polyface mesh vertex by vertex. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify location for vertex on page 1462 1: Specify a point Specify location for vertex 2 or : Specify a point or press Enter Specify location for vertex n or : Specify a point or press Enter Vertex Location You specify all vertices used in the mesh.
You can enter a color from the AutoCAD Color Index (a color name or number), a true color, or a color from a color book. Layer Faces created with PFACE adopt the current layer and color. Unlike polyline vertices, polyface mesh faces can be created with layer and color properties different from their parent object. Layer visibility behaves normally on faces of a polyface mesh.
UCS Changes to a plan view of a previously saved UCS and regenerates the display. Enter name of UCS or [?]: Enter a name or enter ? to list all UCSs in the drawing If you enter ? at the prompt, the following prompt is displayed: Enter UCS name(s) to list <*>: Enter a name or enter * to list all UCSs in the drawing World Regenerates a plan view of the display so that the drawing extents fit on the screen of the world coordinate system.
PLANESURF Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Creating Surfaces ■ Convert Objects to Procedural Surfaces Creates a planar surface. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Create panel ➤ Planar Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Planar Surface Toolbar: Modeling Summary You can create a planar surface by selecting closed objects or by specifying the opposite corners of a rectangular surface. Supports pick-first selection and generates a planar surface out of a closed profile.
Object Creates a planar or trimmed surface by object selection. You can select one closed object or multiple objects that form a closed area. Similar to the REGION command, valid objects include: line, circle, arc, ellipse, elliptical arc, 2D polyline, planar 3D polyline, and planar spline. The DELOBJ system variable controls whether the object(s) you select are automatically deleted when the surface is created or whether you are prompted to delete the object(s).
The PLINEGEN system variable controls the linetype pattern display around and the smoothness of the vertices of a 2D polyline. Setting PLINEGEN to 1 generates new polylines in a continuous pattern around the vertices of the completed polyline. Setting PLINEGEN to 0 starts and ends the polyline with a dash at each vertex. PLINEGEN does not apply to polylines with tapered segments. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Angle Specifies the included angle of the arc segment from the start point. Specify included angle: Entering a positive number creates counterclockwise arc segments. Entering a negative number creates clockwise arc segments. Specify endpoint of arc or [Center/Radius]: Specify a point or enter an option Endpoint of Arc Specifies the endpoint and draws the arc segment. Center Specifies the center of the arc segment. Specify center point of arc: Radius Specifies the radius of the arc segment.
Length Specifies the chord length of the arc segment. If the previous segment is an arc, the new arc segment is drawn tangent to the previous arc segment. Specify length of chord: Close Draws an arc segment from the last point specified to the starting point, creating a closed polyline. At least two points must be specified to use this option. Direction Specifies a starting direction for the arc segment.
Typically, the intersections of adjacent wide polyline segments are beveled. No beveling is performed for nontangent arc segments or very acute angles or when a dot-dash linetype is used. Line Exits the Arc option and returns to the initial PLINE command prompts. Radius Specifies the radius of the arc segment. Specify radius of arc: Specify a distance Specify endpoint of arc or [Angle]: Specify a point or enter a Endpoint of Arc Specifies the endpoint and draws the arc segment.
Undo Removes the most recent arc segment added to the polyline. Width Specifies the width of the next arc segment. Specify starting width : Enter a value or press ENTER Specify ending width : Enter a value or press ENTER The starting width becomes the default ending width. The ending width becomes the uniform width for all subsequent segments until you change the width again. The starting and ending points of wide line segments are at the center of the line.
you change the half-width again. The starting and ending points of wide line segments are at the center of the line. Typically, the intersections of adjacent wide polyline segments are beveled. No beveling is performed for nontangent arc segments or very acute angles or when a dot-dash linetype is used. Length Draws a line segment of a specified length at the same angle as the previous segment. If the previous segment is an arc, the new line segment is drawn tangent to that arc segment.
width again. The starting and ending points of wide line segments are at the center of the line. Typically, the intersections of adjacent wide polyline segments are beveled. No beveling is performed for nontangent arc segments or very acute angles or when a dot-dash linetype is used. PLOT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Plots a drawing to a plotter, printer, or file.
Plot Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Specifies device and media settings, and plots your drawing. Summary You can display more options by clicking the More Options button. List of Options The following options are displayed. Page Setup Displays a list of any named and saved page setups in the drawing.
Name Displays the name of the current page setup. Add Displays the Add Page Setup dialog box, in which you can save the current settings in the Plot dialog box to a named page setup. You can modify this page setup through the Page Setup Manager. Printer/Plotter Specifies a configured plotting device to use when plotting layouts. If the selected plotter doesn't support the layout's selected paper size, a warning is displayed and you can select the plotter's default paper size or a custom paper size.
Displays descriptive text about the output device specified in the currently selected page setup. You can edit this text in the Plotter Configuration Editor. Plot to File Plots output to a file rather than to a plotter or printer. The default location for plot files is specified in the Options dialog box, Plot and Publish tab, under Default Location for Plot-to-File Operations.
Number of Copies Specifies the number of copies to plot. This option is not available when you plot to file. Plot Area Specifies the portion of the drawing to be plotted. Under What to Plot, you can select an area of the drawing to be plotted. Layout/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 from the Model tab, plots the entire drawing area that is defined by the grid limits.
The printable area of a drawing sheet is defined by the selected output device and is represented by a dashed line in a layout. When you change to another output device, the printable area may change. You can offset the geometry on the paper by entering a positive or negative value in the X and Y offset boxes. The plotter unit values are in inches or millimeters on the paper. Center the Plot Automatically calculates the X and Y offset values to center the plot on the paper.
Units Specifies the number of units equal to the specified number of inches, millimeters, or pixels. Scale Lineweights Scales lineweights in proportion to the plot scale. Lineweights normally specify the linewidth of plotted objects and are plotted with the linewidth size regardless of the plot scale. Preview Displays the drawing as it will appear when plotted by starting the PREVIEW command.
Displays the Plot Style Table Editor, in which you can view or modify plot styles for the currently assigned plot style table. Shaded Viewport Options Specifies how shaded and rendered viewports are plotted and determines their resolution level and dots per inch (dpi). NOTE When hardware acceleration is disabled or is enabled, but does not support Shadows, it is possible to plot a drawing that contains shaded viewports with unsupported hardware effects by the graphics card through software emulation.
■ Realistic. Plots objects with the Realistic visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen. ■ Shades of Gray. Plots objects with Shades of Gray visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen. ■ Sketchy. Plots objects with Sketchy visual style applied regardless of the way the objects are displayed on the screen. ■ X-ray.
■ Presentation: Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted at the current device resolution, to a maximum of 600 dpi. ■ Maximum: Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted at the current device resolution with no maximum. ■ Custom: Sets rendered and shaded model space views to be plotted at the resolution setting that you specify in the DPI box, up to the current device resolution.
Plots model space geometry first. Paper space geometry is usually plotted before model space geometry. Hide Paperspace Objects Specifies whether the HIDE operation applies to objects in the paper space viewport. This option is available only from a layout tab. The effect of this setting is reflected in the plot preview, but not in the layout. Plot Stamp On Turns on plot stamping. Places a plot stamp on a specified corner of each drawing and/or logs it to a file.
Plot Upside-Down Orients and plots the drawing upside down. Icon Indicates the media orientation of the selected paper and represents the orientation of the drawing on the page as a letter on the paper. NOTE Drawing orientation is also affected by the PLOTROTMODE system variable.
Specifies a name for the new page setup. You can modify the new named page setup later through the Page Setup Manager. Changes to a Printer Configuration File Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Notifies you that you have made changes to an existing plotter configuration (PC3) file. List of Options The following options are displayed. Apply Changes for the Current Plot Only Uses the changes you've made to the PC3 file in the current plot but does not save them in the PC3 file.
Cancel Sheet Cancels the plot of the sheet currently being processed. Cancel Job Cancels the plot job. Update PC3 File with New Printer Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Displays the device driver name that is stored in the PC3 file. Summary A device can be a plotter or printer. With this dialog box, you can select a valid plotter or printer and update the existing PC3 file; you can also save a modified copy as a new PC3 file.
■ Color depth ■ Resolution ■ Media source ■ Media destination ■ Media finishing options (such as folding or binding) ■ Any custom settings of the previous device or driver If the plotter or printer you select can't support the paper size specified in the layout, the default paper size is used. A warning is displayed that allows you to cancel this operation and return to the Plot or Page Setup dialog box with the None device selected.
-PLOT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Plots a drawing to a plotter, printer, or file in the command line. If you enter -plot at the Command prompt, the following prompts are displayed. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Detailed plot configuration [Yes on page 1488/No on page 1488] : Enter y or n or press ENTER No Indicates that you do not want a detailed plot configuration for this plot.
PC3 file is found, the program searches for a Windows system printer with that device name. Enter paper size or [?] : Specify the paper size to use for the plot or enter ? to view the actual list of paper sizes defined for the plotter driver You must specify a paper size exactly as it is defined by the plotter driver.
Window Plots any portion of the drawing you specify. This option prompts you to specify the corners of the window. Enter lower left corner of window: Specify a point Enter upper right corner of window: Specify a point Enter plot scale (Plotted Inches = Drawing Units) or [Fit] : Specify the scale of the plot Plotted Inches = Drawing Units Calculates the plot scale based on the inches or millimeters to drawing units that you specify.
Wireframe Specifies that a model space view is plotted in wireframe regardless of display. Hidden Specifies that a model space view is plotted with hidden lines removed regardless of display. Visual Styles Plots a model space view with the specified visual style applied regardless of the current display in the viewport.
Proceed with plot [Yes/No] : PLOTSTAMP Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Options for Plotted Objects Places a plot stamp on a specified corner of each drawing and logs it to a file. Summary The Plot Stamp dialog box is displayed. NOTE Plot stamp will always be drawn with pen number 7, or the highest numbered available pen if the plotter does not hold seven pens. You must install a suitable pen in that position. If you are using a non-pen (raster) device, color 7 is always used for plot stamping.
Drawing Name Includes the drawing name and path in the plot stamp information. Layout Name Includes the name of the layout in the plot stamp information. Date and Time Includes the date and time in the plot stamp information. NOTE A plot stamp uses the current date and time format setting of the operating system. Plot stamp specifically uses the short date style for dates. Login Name Includes the user login name in the plot stamp information.
Displays the User Defined Fields dialog box, where you can add, edit, or delete user-defined fields. Plot Stamp Parameter File Stores plot stamp information in a file with a .pss extension. Multiple users can access the same file and stamp their plots based on company standard settings. Two PSS files are provided, Mm.pss and Inches.pss, which are located in the Support folder.
Summary User-defined fields are created and edited using the User Defined Fields dialog box, which is displayed when you choose the Add/Edit button in the Plot Stamp dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Lists the available user-defined fields. Add Adds an editable user-defined field. Edit Allows editing of the selected user-defined field. Delete Deletes the selected user-defined field.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Location and Offset Determines the plot stamp location, the orientation of the plot stamp, and the offset you want to apply relative to either the printable area or the paper border. Location Indicates the area where you want to place the plot stamp. Selections include Top Left, Bottom Left (default), Bottom Right, and Top Right. The location is relative to the image orientation of the drawing on the page.
Text Properties Determines the font, height, and number of lines you want to apply to the plot stamp text. Font Specifies the TrueType font you want to apply to the text used for the plot stamp information. Height Specifies the text height you want to apply to the plot stamp information. Single Line Plot Stamp Places the plot stamp information in a single line of text.
multiple users. Plot stamp information from each user is appended to the plot.log file. Log File Name Specifies the file name for the log file you are creating. Enter a new file name if you do not want to use the default file name, plot.log. Browse Lists the currently saved plot stamp log files. You can choose to overwrite an existing plot stamp log file with the currently specified plot stamp information, and then to save this file.
Stamp login name? [Yes/No] : Stamp plot device name? [Yes/No] : Stamp paper size? [Yes/No] : Stamp plot scale? [Yes/No] : User Fields Specifies the user-defined fields you want to apply to the current plot stamp. Enter User field 1 <>: Enter any user-defined field Enter User field 2 <>: Enter any user-defined field Log File Specifies writing the current plot stamp information to a log file rather than applying this information to the current plotted drawing. The default log file is plot.
the printable area calculates the offset values that you specify from the corner of the printable area. Specify offset relative to [paper Border/printable Area] : Text Properties Determines the font name and text height for the current plot stamp text. You can also specify to place the text on one line or to wrap the text to two lines. The placement and offset values you specify for this plot stamp must accommodate the text wrapping and the text height.
Summary To use the PLOTSTYLE command, the drawing must be configured to use named plot styles. ■ If a drawing is in Color-Dependent mode, you can convert it to use named plot styles using the CONVERTPSTYLES command. ■ To configure a new drawing to use named plot styles, set PSTYLEPOLICY to 0 before creating the new drawing. If no selection set exists, the Current Plot Style dialog box is displayed. If a selection set exists, the Select Plot Style dialog box is displayed.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Current Plot Style Displays the current plot style. Plot Style List Displays the available plot styles that can be assigned to an object, including the default plot style, NORMAL. A plot style is a collection of overrides for color, dithering, gray scale, pen assignments, screening, linetype, lineweight, end styles, join styles, and fill styles. Active Plot Style Table Sets the plot style table attached to the current layout.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Plot Styles Displays the available plot styles, including the default plot style, NORMAL. A plot style is a collection of property settings used in plotting. Original Displays the originally assigned plot style. New Displays the new plot style to be assigned. Active Plot Style Table Sets the plot style table attached to the current drawing. A plot style table defines plot styles. Editor Displays the Plot Style Table Editor.
-PLOTSTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Plot Styles to Control Plotted Objects Lists all available plotstyles in the current drawing and to set a plotstyle current. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current plot style is "current" Enter an option [?/Current]: ?—List Plot Styles Lists the plot styles in the attached plot style table. Current Specifies the plot style to use for new objects.
Summary In the folder, you can start the Add-a-Plotter wizard, or double-click a PC3 file to open the Plotter Configuration Editor. ■ Double-click the Add-a-Plotter wizard to add and configure plotters and printers. ■ Double-click a plotter configuration (PC3 file) to start the Plotter Configuration Editor. Add-a-Plotter Wizard Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Adds new plotters and printers. The wizard produces a PC3 file that you can edit in the Plotter Configuration Editor.
Plotter Configuration Editor Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Modifies a PC3 file's plotter port connections and output settings, including media, graphics, physical pen configuration, custom properties, initialization strings, calibration, and user-defined paper sizes. You can drag these configuration options from one PC3 file to another.
General Tab (Plotter Configuration Editor) Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Contains basic information about the plotter configuration (PC3) file. You can add or modify the information in the Description area. The remainder of the tab is read-only. List of Options The following options are displayed. Plotter Configuration File Name Displays the file name you assigned in the Add-a-Plotter wizard. Description Displays information you want to include about the plotter.
Driver Information Displays the following information: ■ Plotter driver type (system or nonsystem), name, model, and location ■ HDI driver file version number (AutoCAD specialized driver files) ■ UNC name of the network server (if the plotter is connected to a network server) ■ I/O port (if the plotter is connected locally) ■ Name of the system printer (if the configured plotter is the system printer) ■ PMP (Plot Model Parameters) file name and location (if a PMP file is attached to the PC3 file)
List of Options The following options are displayed. Plot to the Following Port Sends the drawing to the plotter through the selected port. Plot to File Sends the drawing to the file specified in the Plot dialog box. AutoSpool Uses the AutoSpool utility to plot the drawing. AutoSpool is specified on the Files tab in the Options dialog box. Port List Displays a list and description of available ports, both local and network. If the port is a network port, the name of the network printer is also displayed.
Displays the network choices so you can connect to another instance of a nonsystem plotter. Configure Port Displays either the Configure LPT Port dialog box or the Settings for COM Port dialog box. Device and Document Settings Tab (Plotter Configuration Editor) Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Controls many of the settings in the PC3 file. Click the icon for any of the nodes to view and change the specific settings.
NOTE Only the settings available for the configured device are displayed in the tree view. In addition, you might not be able to edit some settings if the device handles the setting through Custom Properties or doesn't support the capability. List of Options The following options are displayed. Media Node Specifies a paper source, size, type, and destination. Available settings depend on the supported features of your configured plotter.
Displays a list of available media destinations for the configured plotter, such as collating, cutting, and stapling. These options are available only for plotters that support this function. Physical Pen Configuration Node (for Pen Plotters Only) Controls the specific pens in the pen plotter. The lower pane of the Device and Document Settings tab displays a table used to describe the color, width, and speed of each pen in the plotter.
Black, or Other. If you choose Other, the Select Color dialog box is displayed, providing access to the full color palette. Use No Pen to indicate that there is no pen in a particular position. ■ Speed: Adjusts pen speed on a pen-by-pen basis. This feature is useful, for example, for slowing down pens that are skipping. Each pen manufacturer recommends a pen speed for each type of media. For best results, use those values. You can specify a pen speed in millimeters or inches per second.
Provides options for specifying the color depth, resolution, and dithering of vector output. Some of the Vector Graphics options are closely interrelated; changing an option can affect other available options. ■ Color Depth: Displays a list for choosing color depth for the configured plotter. The color depth options change as you change the resolution and dithering values. More color depth uses more memory and takes longer to plot. You can specify either color or monochrome output.
Plotting as a graphic guarantees that the text is printed as displayed, at the expense of slowing down the plotter and using more memory. Plotting as TrueType text prints faster and uses less memory; the plotter may use a different font for printing. ■ TrueType as Text: Plots TrueType text as text. ■ TrueType as Graphics: Plots TrueType text as graphics. Merge Control On raster plotters, controls the appearance of lines that cross.
The text string is sent literally, except for a back slash (\). Use a back slash followed by a three-digit number (taken from the ASCII table), for example, \027, to specify binary (unprintable) characters such as the escape character. \027 is interpreted and sent as a single character whose value is 27. The number 27 is the escape character. For example, \27%-12345X PJL ENTER LANGUAGE = PostScript\10 sends an HP PJL command to a dual-language laser printer before it's initialized and switches the printer i
use the PMP file. If the plotter was calibrated from within the Add-a-Plotter wizard while creating the current PC3 file, the PMP file is already attached. Use the PMP File Name option under User-defined Paper Sizes & Calibration to attach a PMP file to, or detach the PMP file from, the PC3 file you are editing. Custom Paper Sizes (Nonsystem Printers Only) Creates a customized paper size or changes the printable area of a standard or nonstandard paper size.
Filters the list of paper sizes displayed for the plotting device selected in the Plot and Page Setup dialog boxes. The list of paper sizes is displayed on the Plot Settings tab in the Plot dialog box and on the Layout Settings tab in the Page Setup dialog box. Select the paper sizes you want to display for this device. ■ Check All: Hides all the paper sizes for the device. ■ Uncheck All: Displays all the paper sizes for the device. Plotter Calibration Starts the Plotter Calibration wizard.
Defaults Restores the settings on the Device and Document Settings tab back to the default settings. Configure LPT Port Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Specifies the time that the program waits for the plotter buffer to empty before sending more data. Summary You specify how much time you want to elapse before you are prompted to cancel the plot. If your drawings are complex or your pen speed is very slow, set the timeout value higher than the default (30 seconds).
Specifies the baud rate, protocol, flow control, and hardware handshaking for serial ports on plotters that support these settings. NOTE The settings on your plotter must match the settings in the program or you cannot plot. List of Options The following options are displayed. Baud Rate Specifies the baud rate. Use the fastest available baud rate. Protocol Displays the protocol settings available for your plotter. Use the protocol recommended by your device manufacturer.
CTS Enables Clear To Send handshaking. This monitors pin 5 of a 25-pin serial port or pin 8 of a 9-pin serial port. CTS is an input bit, monitored for an output from the plotter or printer. DSR Enables Data Set Ready handshaking. This monitors pin 6 of a 25-pin serial port, or pin 6 of a 9-pin serial port. DSR is an input bit, monitored for an output from the printer or plotter. RLSD Enables Received Line Signal Detector handshaking. This is sometimes called DCD or Data Carrier Detect.
Enabled Enables the DTR line when the device is opened. Handshake Enables DTR handshaking. PNGOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export Raster Files Saves selected objects to a file in a Portable Network Graphics format. Summary The Create Raster File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed. Enter the file name in the dialog box. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
POINT Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Reference Points Creates a point object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Multiple Points Menu: Draw ➤ Point ➤ Single Toolbar: Draw Summary Points can act as nodes to which you can snap objects. You can specify a full three-dimensional location for a point. The current elevation is assumed if you omit the Z coordinate value. The PDMODE and PDSIZE system variables control the appearance of point objects.
PDSIZE controls the size of the point figures, except for PDMODE values 0 and 1. A setting of 0 generates the point at 5 percent of the drawing area height. A positive PDSIZE value specifies an absolute size for the point figures. A negative value is interpreted as a percentage of the viewport size. After you change PDMODE and PDSIZE, the appearance of existing points changes the next time the drawing is regenerated. You can use MEASURE and DIVIDE to create points along an object.
Provides options to create and attach an indexed point cloud file. Summary The options in this command are the same options provided by the following commands and system variables: ■ POINTCLOUDATTACH on page 1525 ■ POINTCLOUDINDEX on page 1528 ■ POINTCLOUDDENSITY on page 2475 ■ POINTCLOUDLOCK on page 2475 List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Point Cloud panel ➤ Attach Point Cloud Menu: Insert ➤ Point Cloud ➤ Attach Toolbar: Insert Summary Opens the Select Point Cloud File dialog box, a standard file selection dialog box on page 1311. After you select a file and click OK, the Attach Point Cloud dialog box on page 1526 is displayed.
Opens the Select Point Cloud dialog box, a standard file selection dialog box on page 1311. Path Type Full Path Uses the full path of the specified file, including the root folder and all subfolders that contain the point cloud file. Relative Path Uses the file path relative to the current drawing file to reference the point cloud file. To use the relative path, the point cloud file must first be saved. No Path Uses only the file name of the point cloud file for referencing.
-POINTCLOUDATTACH Quick Reference See also: ■ Import 3D Point Cloud Files Inserts an indexed point cloud (PCG or ISD) file into the current drawing from the Command prompt. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter File Name of Point Cloud Specifies the full or relative path to the PCG or ISD file, or the file name only. If you specify the file only, it must be located in the same folder as the current drawing file.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Point Cloud panel ➤ Index Point Cloud Menu: Insert ➤ Point Cloud ➤ Index Toolbar: Insert Summary Displays the Select Data File and Create Indexed Point Cloud File dialog boxes, which are standard file selection dialog boxes on page 1311. Create an indexed point cloud file from scan files created by a LiDAR scanner (LAS file) or smaller 3D scanner (XYB, LAS, FLS, or FWS file).
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
power per unit of solid angle. The total luminous flux for a is the perceived power emitted in all directions. Luminance is the total luminous flux incident on a surface, per unit area. Enter a photometric option to change [Intensity/Color/eXit] : Intensity Enter intensity (Cd) or enter an option [Flux/Illuminance] <1500.0000>: Enter an intensity value in candelas, the perceived power in a luminous flux value, or illuminance value for the total luminous flux incident on a surface.
Off Turns off display and calculation of shadows for the light. Turning shadows off increases performance. Sharp Displays shadows with sharp edges. Use this option to increase performance. Soft Mapped Displays realistic shadows with soft edges. Enter map size [64/128/256/512/1024/2048/4096] <256>: Specifies the amount of memory to use to calculate the shadow map. Enter softness (1-10) <1>: Specifies the softness to use to calculate the shadow map.
quarter as strong as at the point light; at a distance of 4 units, light is one sixteenth as strong. Use Limits Specifies whether to use limits or not. Limits [oN/oFf] : Attenuation Start Limit Specifies the point where light starts as an offset from the center of the light. The default is 0. Specify start limit offset <1.0000>: Attenuation End Limit Specifies the point where light ends as an offset from the center of the light. No light is cast beyond this point.
Creates an equilateral closed polyline. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Polygon Menu: Draw ➤ Polygon Toolbar: Draw List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter number of sides : Enter a value between 3 and 1024 or press Enter Specify center of polygon on page 1534 or [Edge on page 1535]: Specify a point (1) or enter e Center of Polygon Defines the center of the polygon.
Specifying the radius with your pointing device determines the rotation and size of the polygon. Specifying the radius with a value draws the bottom edge of the polygon at the current snap rotation angle. Circumscribed about Circle Specifies the distance from the center of the polygon to the midpoints of the edges of the polygon. Specify radius of circle: Specify a distance Specifying the radius with your pointing device determines the rotation and size of the polygon.
You can specify the different parameters of the polygon including the number of sides. The difference between the inscribed and circumscribed options is shown. POLYSOLID Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Polysolid Creates a 3D wall-like polysolid. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modeling panel ➤ Polysolid Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Polysolid Toolbar: Modeling Summary You can create walls with straight and curved segments of constant height and width.
With the POLYSOLID command, you can convert an existing line, 2D polyline, arc, or circle to a solid with a rectangular profile. A polysolid can have curved segments, but the profile is always rectangular by default. You can draw a solid with POLYSOLID just as you would a polyline. The PSOLWIDTH system variable sets the default width for the solid. The PSOLHEIGHT system variable sets the default height for the solid. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
The specified height value will update the PSOLHEIGHT setting. Width Specifies the width of the solid. The default width is set to the current PSOLWIDTH setting. Specify width : Specify a value for the width by entering a value or specifying two points, or press Enter to specify the current width value The specified width value will update the PSOLWIDTH setting. Justify Sets the width and height as the solid to be left, right, or center justified when defining the profile with the command.
Close Closes the solid by creating a line or arc segment from the last point specified to the starting point of the solid. At least three points must be specified to use this option. Undo Removes the most recent arc segment added to the solid. Arc Adds an arc segment to the solid. The default starting direction of the arc is tangent to the last drawn segment. You can specify a different starting direction with the Direction option.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modeling panel ➤ Press/Pull Toolbar: Modeling Command entry: Press and hold Ctrl+Shift+E Summary Press or pull a bounded area by clicking inside the area, and then moving the cursor or entering a value to specify the extrusion distance. The command repeats automatically until you press Esc, Enter, or the spacebar. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
PREVIEW Quick Reference See also: ■ Preview a Plot Displays the drawing as it will be plotted. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Output tab ➤ Plot panel ➤ Preview Menu: Application menu Menu: File ➤ Plot Preview Toolbar: Standard ➤ Print ➤ Plot Preview Summary The preview is based on the current plot configuration, as defined by the settings in the Page Setup or Plot dialog box. It shows exactly how the drawing will look when plotted, including lineweights, fill patterns, and other plot style options.
Manual Performance Tuning dialog box. For more information, see Performance Tuning. ■ Texture Compression. When Texture Compression is turned on, there is a reduction in the quality of the images in the drawing when they are previewed. Texture Compression does not affect viewports that are rendered. To identify whether Texture Compression is turned on, look at the Hardware Effects List in the Manual Performance Tuning dialog box. ■ Hardware Acceleration.
Zoom Window Zooms to display a specified window. Zoom Window works with both the zoom cursor and the pan cursor. Zoom Original Restores the initial full-sheet preview. Zoom Original works with both the zoom cursor and the pan cursor. Close Preview Window Closes the Preview window. PROJECTGEOMETRY Quick Reference See also: ■ Trim and Untrim Surfaces Projects points, lines, or curves onto a 3D solid or surface from different directions.
■ Project and trim a selected 3D solid or surface. To trim the surface, set the SURFACEAUTOTRIM on page 2559 system variable to 1. You can project any curve (line, arc, circle, ellipse, 2D polyline, 2D spline-fit polyline, 2D curve-fit polyline, 3D polyline, 3D spline-fit polyline, spline, or helix) onto any type of surface or solid. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Properties Menu: Modify ➤ Properties Toolbar: Standard Shortcut menu: Select the objects whose properties you want to view or modify, right-click in the drawing area, and click Properties. Summary The Properties palette is displayed and lists the properties of the selected objects. When more than one object is selected, only those properties common to all selected objects are displayed.
Summary When more than one object is selected, only those properties common to all selected objects are displayed. When no objects are selected, only the current settings of general properties are displayed. You can specify a new value to modify any property that can be changed. Click the value and use one of the following methods: ■ Enter a new value. ■ Click the down arrow a the right and select a value from the list.
Toggle Value of PICKADD Sysvar Turns the PICKADD system variable on (1) and off (0). When PICKADD is on, each object selected, either individually or by windowing, is added to the current selection set. When PICKADD is off, selected objects replace the current selection set. Select Objects Selects desired objects using any selection method. The properties common to the selected objects are displayed in the Properties palette.
General Properties of Objects Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Each graphical object in a drawing shares a common set of properties known as the general properties. Summary The following general properties are common to most objects and custom objects (third-party application objects based on AutoCAD API standards). NOTE Layers or objects that are assigned property overrides in viewports display a ByLayer (VP) value and a background color for applicable properties.
Lineweight Specifies the lineweight of the object. The list shows all available lineweights in the current drawing (see LWEIGHT). Hyperlink Attaches a hyperlink to a graphical object. If a description has been assigned to the hyperlink, the description is displayed. If no description has been assigned, the URL is displayed (see HYPERLINK). Transparency Specifies the transparency of the object (see TRANSPARENCY). Thickness Sets the current 3D thickness.
Sets the linetype to be used for borders that are displayed. Color Sets the color to be used for borders that are displayed. Double Line When checked, a double line border will be added to the selected cells. Spacing Determines the spacing of double-line borders. The default value is .1800. Preview Displays a preview of how the borders of the selected table will look. NOTE Linetypes will not display in the preview.
Right Border Applies the border properties setting to the right border of the selected table cells. Add Distance or Angle Value Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Adds distance or angle values to a parameter's value set in a dynamic block definition. List of Options The following options are displayed. Distances or Angle to Add Specifies values (separated by commas) to add to the value set.
Summary Different properties area available depending on the lighting units (standard or photometric) and lighting type (Spotlight on page 1831, Pointlight on page 1529, or Weblight on page 2099). Other lighting types such as Freespot on page 829, Targetpoint on page 1918, and Freeweb on page 832 display similar properties. By right-clicking on a light and clicking Properties, the Lighting category of the Properties palette is displayed. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Photometric The following property settings are available: Lamp Intensity Specifies the inherent brightness of the light. Specifies the intensity, flux, or illuminance of the lamp. Default units are candela. Displays the Lamp Intensity dialog box, on page 1555 where units can be modified. Resulting Intensity Reports the final brightness of the light. This is determined by the product of the Lamp Intensity and the Intensity factor. This value is calculated in the Lamp Intensity Dialog box on page 1555.
Target Z Specifies the Z coordinate target position of the light. (Spotlight, Targetpoint, and Weblight only) Targeted Specifies if the light displays a target grip for orienting the light. Disabled is the default for Freespot, Pointlight, and Freeweb. Enabled is the default for Spotlight, Targetpoint, and Weblight. Attenuation In the real world, the intensity of light diminishes over distance. Objects far from the light source appear darker than objects near the source.
Type Specifies the type of shadow cast by the light. ■ Soft (shadow map). Sets the type to Soft. This selection activates additional options for Map size and Softness. ■ Sharp (default). Sets the rendered shadow to sharp. ■ Soft (sampled). Sets attenuation to be the inverse of the square of the distance from the light. For example, at a distance of 2 units, light is one quarter as strong as at the spotlight; at a distance of 4 units, light is one sixteenth as strong.
Modifies the brightness of a lamp. Summary Dialog box for setting the Lamp Intensity for a photometric light. List of Options The following options are displayed. Lamp Intensity Represents the brightness of a lamp. More specifically, it represents the luminous intensity, or power in a particular direction. It is specified in candela by default (in both the SI and American units systems). Must select from one of the following radial buttons: ■ Intensity (Candela).
in the current length unit corresponding to the current insertion units controlled by the INSUNITS systems variable. Resulting Intensity Specifies the type of light. Determines the distribution of light from the lamp. The type of lighting can be changed after the light has been added to the drawings. ■ Intensity Factor. Specifies the intensity factor. ■ Resulting Intensity. Displays the resulting intensity of a light as the product of the Lamp Intensity value and the Intensity Factor.
■ Resulting Color. Shows the resulting color of a light that is the product of the lamp color and the filter color. PROPERTIESCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Closes the Properties palette. Summary The Properties palette closes. PSETUPIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Page Setup Settings Imports a user-defined page setup into a new drawing layout.
-PSETUPIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Page Setup Settings If you enter -psetupin at the Command prompt, the following prompts are displayed. Enter file name: Enter the name of the drawing file that contains the pagesetup to import Enter user defined page setup to import or [?]: Enter the name of the page setup to import PSPACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work in Model Space In a layout, switches from model space in a viewport to paper space.
which are windows containing different views of the model. By switching from paper space to model space (see MSPACE), you can edit the model and views within the current layout viewport. You can make a viewport current by double-clicking inside it. You can switch to paper space by double-clicking an area of the paper space layout that is not within a viewport. When in paper space, you can also switch to model space by clicking Model on the status bar.
Summary You can assemble a collection of drawings and create a paper or an electronic drawing set. Electronic drawing sets are saved as DWF, DWFx, and PDF files. DWF and DWFx files can be viewed or plotted using Autodesk Design Review. PDF files can be viewed with a PDF viewer.
Sheet List Displays the current drawing set (DSD) or batch plot (BP3) file. Load Sheet List Button Displays the Load Sheet List dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box on page 1311), in which you can select a DSD file or a BP3 (Batch Plot) file to load. Displays the Replace or Append dialog box if a list of drawing sheets is present in the Publish Drawing Sheets dialog box. You can either replace the existing list of drawing sheets with the new sheets or append the new sheets to the current list.
Remove Sheets Button Deletes the selected drawing sheets from the list of sheets. Move Sheet Up Button Moves the selected drawing sheets up one position in the list. Move Sheet Down Button Moves the selected drawing sheets down one position in the list. Preview Button Displays the drawing as it will appear when plotted on paper by executing the PREVIEW command. To exit the print preview and return to the Publish dialog box, press ESC, press ENTER, or right-click and then click Exit on the shortcut menu.
Status Displays the status of the sheet when it is loaded to the list of sheets. Show Details Displays and hides the Selected Sheet Information and Selected Page Setup Information areas. Selected Sheet Details Displays the following information about the selected page setup: plot device, plot size, plot scale, and details. Publish Options Information Publish Options Opens the Publish Options dialog box, in which you can specify options for publishing.
Publish in Background Toggles background publishing for the selected sheet/s. You can also set the background publishing in the Plot and Publish tab (Tools menu ➤ Options). Select the Publishing checkbox in the Background processing options group. Send the Sheets to the Plotter in Reverse Order When selected, sends sheets to the plotter in reverse of default order. This option is available only if the Plotter Named in Page Setup option is selected.
List of Options Default Output Location (Plot to File) Specifies the output folder location where DWF, DWFx, PDF, and plot files are saved when you publish drawing sheets. General DFW/PDF Options Specifies options for creating a single-sheet DWF or DWFx file. Type Specifies that a single-sheet DWF, DWFx, or PDF file or a single multi-sheet DWF, DWFx, or PDF file is generated for all the sheets listed in the Publish Dialog Box on page 1561.
NOTE If you lose or forget the password, it cannot be recovered. Keep a list of passwords and their corresponding DWF or DWFx file names in a safe place. Password Specifies that published DWF or DWFx files have a password applied to them. A recipient of a DWF or DWFx file that has a password applied to it must have the password to open the DWF or DWFx file. Block Information Specifies whether block property and attribute information is included in the published DWF or DWFx files.
Publish Block Template Dialog Box (Publish) Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Publishing Summary Specifies which blocks and their properties and attributes to include in the published DWF or DWFx file. List of Options The following options are displayed. Current Template Displays the name of the current block template. Block Source Drawings Displays all block source drawings that have been loaded into the Publish Block Template dialog box. Add Adds drawings to the list of block source drawings.
Exclude Blocks Without Attributes Excludes blocks without attributes defined. Properties of Selected Blocks Displays properties of selected blocks found in block source drawings. Check Properties to Publish Displays the union of properties of the current selection of blocks. Exclude General Block Properties Excludes all general block properties from the list display. Options Opens the Block Template Options dialog box where you can specify additional settings. Save Saves the block template file.
DWF Password Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Publishing Summary Specifies the password to apply to the DWF or DWFx file. DWF or DWFx passwords are case sensitive. The password or phrase can be made up of letters, numbers, punctuation, or non-ASCII characters. WARNING If you lose or forget the password, it cannot be recovered. Keep a list of passwords and their corresponding DWF or DWFx file names in a safe place.
Publish Job Progress Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Publishing Summary Displays information about the status and progress of your publish job if background publishing is turned off in the Options dialog box, Plot and Publish tab. List of Options The following options are displayed. Cancel Sheet Cancels publishing of the sheet currently being processed. Cancel Job Cancels the publish job.
With the FILEDIA system variable set to 0 (or if you are running a script or other automation), enter -publish or +publish at the Command prompt. The following prompt is displayed: List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter name of sheet list : Press ENTER for the current drawing or enter the sheet list name NOTE The bracketed text contains the name of the DSD file used when this command was last run.
Creates HTML pages that include images of selected drawings. Access Methods Button Menu: File ➤ Publish to Web Summary The Publish to Web wizard is displayed. This wizard provides a simplified interface for creating formatted web pages that include DWF, DWFx, JPEG, or PNG images of drawings. After creating a web page, you can post it to an Internet or intranet location. Publish to Web Wizard Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Publish to Web Wizard to Create Web Pages Creates a formatted HTML page.
PURGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Removes unused items, such as block definitions and layers, from the drawing. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu ➤ Drawing Utilites ➤ Purge Menu: File ➤ Drawing Utilities ➤ Purge Summary The Purge dialog box is displayed. If you enter -purge at the Command prompt, options are displayed. Unused named objects can be removed from the current drawing.
Removes unused items, such as block definitions and layers, from the drawing. Summary Displays items that can be purged. List of Options The following options are displayed. Named Objects View Items You Can Purge Switches the tree view to display a summary of named objects in the current drawing that you can purge. Items Not Used in Drawing Lists the named objects that are not used in the current drawing and that can be purged.
Purge Nested Items removes items only when you select one of the following options: ■ All Items or Blocks in the tree view ■ The Purge All button View Items You Cannot Purge Switches the tree view to display a summary of named objects in the current drawing that you can't purge. Items Currently Used in Drawing Lists named objects that cannot be removed from the drawing. Most of these objects are currently used in the drawing or are default items that cannot be removed.
Purge All Purges all unused items. -PURGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Removes unused named objects, such as block definitions and layers, from the drawing at the Command prompt. Summary Allows you to remove unused named objects from a drawing at the Command prompt. You can only remove one level of reference at a time. Repeat the command until there are no unreferenced, named objects.
PYRAMID Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid Pyramid Creates a 3D solid pyramid. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modeling panel ➤ Pyramid Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Pyramid Toolbar: Modeling Summary By default, a pyramid is defined by the center of the base point, a point on the middle of the edge, and another point that determines the height.
Initially, the default base radius is not set to any value. During a drawing session, the default value for the base radius is always the previously entered base radius value for any solid primitive. Use the Top Radius option to create a pyramid frustum. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Edge Specifies the length of one edge of the base of the pyramid; you pick two points.
Initially, the default top radius is not set to any value. During a drawing session, the default value for the top radius is always the previously entered top radius value for any solid primitive. Specify height or [2Point (Two Points)/Axis Endpoint] : Specify a height, enter an option, or press Enter to specify the default height value ■ 2Point. Specifies that the height of the pyramid is the distance between two specified points.
Q Commands 17 QCCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of QuickCalc Closes the QuickCalc calculator. Summary Closes the QuickCalc calculator. QDIM Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Dimensioning Creates a series of dimensions quickly from selected objects.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Quick Dimension Menu: Dimension ➤ Quick Dimension Toolbar: Dimension Summary This command is particularly useful for creating a series of baseline or continued dimensions, or for dimensioning a series of circles and arcs. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
QLEADER Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Leaders ■ Modify Leaders Using Grips Creates a leader and leader annotation. Summary It is recommended that you use the workflow available through the MLEADER on page 1188 command to create leader objects.
Width If you set the text width value to 0.00, the width of the multiline text is unlimited. Tolerance If Tolerance is selected on the Annotation tab, the Geometric Tolerance dialog box is displayed. Use the dialog box to create the tolerance feature control frame. Enter block name or [?]: Enter the name, or enter ? to display a list of blocks defined in the drawing Insertion Point For a description of the insertion options, see -INSERT on page 957. Settings Displays the Leader Settings dialog box.
Annotation Tab (Leader Settings Dialog Box) Annotation Type Sets the leader annotation type. The type you select changes the QLEADER leader annotation prompt. MText Prompts you to create multiline text (mtext) annotation. Copy an Object Prompts you to copy a multiline text, single-line text, tolerance, or block reference object and connects the copy to the end of the leader line. The copy is associated with the leader line, meaning that if the copied object moves, the end of the leader line moves with it.
MText Options The options are available only when the multiline text annotation type is selected. Prompt for Width Prompts you to specify the width of the multiline text annotation. Always Left Justify Left-justifies the multiline text annotation, regardless of leader location. Frame Text Places a frame around multiline text annotation. Annotation Reuse Sets options for reusing leader annotation. None Does not reuse leader annotation.
Straight Creates straight-line segments between the points you specify. Spline Creates a spline object using the leader points you specify as control points. Arrowhead Defines the leader arrowhead. The arrowheads are also available for dimension lines (DIMSTYLE command). If you select User Arrow, a list of blocks in the drawing is displayed. Number of Points Sets the number of leader points that QLEADER prompts you to specify before prompting for the leader annotation.
Top of Top Line Attaches the leader line at the top of the top multiline text line. Middle of Top Line Attaches the leader line at the middle of the top multiline text line. Middle of Multiline Text Attaches the leader line at the middle of the multiline text. Middle of Bottom Line Attaches the leader line at the middle of the bottom multiline text line. Bottom of Bottom Line Attaches the leader line at the bottom of the bottom multiline text line.
Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu Toolbar: Standard ➤ New ➤ Drawing Summary QNEW creates a new drawing from the default drawing template file and folder path specified in Default Template File Name for QNEW on the File tab of the Options dialog box. When a default drawing template file is set to None or is not specified, QNEW displays the Select Template File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box). The behavior of the QNEW command is determined by the STARTUP system variable.
Access Methods Button Menu: File ➤ Save Toolbar: Standard Summary If the drawing is named, the program saves the drawing and does not request a new file name. Use the SAVEAS command if you need to save a drawing with a different name. If the drawing is read-only, use the SAVEAS command to save the changed file under a different name. If the drawing is unnamed, the Save Drawing As dialog box (see SAVEAS) is displayed and the drawing is saved with the file name and format you specify.
Shortcut menu: End any active commands, right-click in the drawing area, and choose Quick Select. Summary The Quick Select dialog box is displayed. QSELECT filters selection sets by object type and property. For example, you can select all of the multiline text objects in a drawing that use a specified text style. Quick Select Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Objects by Properties Specifies the filtering criteria and how you want to create the selection set from that criteria.
Apply To Applies the filtering criteria to the entire drawing or to the current selection set (if one exists). If Append to Current Selection Set is selected, the filtering criteria is applied to the entire drawing. Select Objects Temporarily closes the Quick Select dialog box so that you can select the objects to which you want to apply the filter criteria. Object Type Specifies the type of objects to include in the filtering criteria.
criteria. Select Exclude from New Selection Set to create a new selection set composed only of objects that do not match the filtering criteria. Append to Current Selection Set Specifies whether the selection set created by QSELECT replaces or is appended to the current selection set. NOTE QSELECT supports custom objects (objects created by another application) and their properties.
QUICKCALC Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of QuickCalc Opens the QuickCalc calculator. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ QuickCalc Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ QuickCalc Toolbar: Standard Shortcut menu: Right-click and click QuickCalc. Summary The QuickCalc calculator performs a full range of mathematical, scientific, and geometric calculations, creates and uses variables, and converts units of measurement. Displays the QuickCalc calculator on page 1594.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Toolbar Performs quick calculations of common functions. Clear Clears the Input box. Clear History Clears the history area. Paste Value to Command Line Pastes the value in the Input box at the Command prompt. When QuickCalc is used transparently during a command, this button is replaced by the Apply button at the bottom of the calculator. Get Coordinates Calculates the coordinates of a point.
Units Type Select length, area, volume, and angular values from a list. Convert From Lists the units of measurement from which to convert. Convert To Lists the units of measurement to which to convert. Value to Convert Provides a box to enter a value to convert. Converted Value Converts the units entered and displays the converted value. Calculator Icon Returns the converted value to the Input box. Variables Area Provides access to predefined constants and functions.
Edit Variable Button Opens the Variable Definition dialog box on page 1597 so you can make changes to the selected variable. Delete Variable Button Deletes the selected variable. Calculator Button Returns the selected variable to the Input box. Variable Definition Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of QuickCalc Defines a variable to store in the variables tree. List of Options The following options are displayed. Variable Type Specifies the type of variable.
Stores the value or expression for the variable. Description Stores a description for the variable. OK Closes the dialog box and applies the current settings to the variable. Cancel Closes the dialog box without applying the current settings. Help Displays Help. Settings The following shortcut menu options are available when you right-click the title bar. Move Displays a four-headed arrow cursor that you can use to move the dialog box. The dialog box does not dock.
Defines a category to organize the variables in the variables tree. List of Options The following options are displayed. Category Properties Defines the properties of the new category. Name Stores the name of the category. Description Stores a description for the category. OK Closes the dialog box and applies the current settings to the variable. Cancel Closes the dialog box without applying the current settings. Help Displays Help.
QUICKPROPERTIES Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Displays quick property data for selected objects. Summary Displays the Quick Properties palette that displays a customizable list of object properties for one or more selected objects. The behavior of the Quick Propetries palette is controlled by settings on the Quick Properties tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box (DSETTINGS on page 669).
to a read-only drawing, use the SAVEAS command to save the drawing under another name. QVDRAWING Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Open Drawings Displays open drawings and layouts in a drawing in preview images. Access Methods Buton Shortcut menu: Click on the status bar. Summary Displays a two-level structure of preview images at the bottom of the application.
Access Methods Button Shortcut menu: Click on the Quick View drawings toolbar. Summary Closes preview images of open drawings and layouts in a drawing. QVLAYOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Layouts in the Current Drawing Displays preview images of model space and layouts in a drawing. Access Methods Buton Shortcut menu: Click on the status bar. Summary Displays preview images of model space and layouts in a drawing in a row at the bottom of the application.
QVLAYOUTCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Layouts in the Current Drawing Closes preview images of model space and layouts in a drawing Access Methods Button Shortcut menu: Click on the Quick View drawings toolbar. Summary Closes preview images of model space and layouts in a drawings.
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R Commands 18 RAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Construction Lines (and Rays) Creates a line that starts at a point and continues to infinity. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Ray Menu: Draw ➤ Ray Summary The ray is extended to the edge of the display in the direction defined by the starting point and the through point. The prompt for a through point is redisplayed so you can create multiple rays. Press Enter to end the command.
Lines that extend to infinity in one direction, known as rays, can be used as references for creating other objects. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify start point: Specify a point (1) Specify through point: Specify a point for the ray to pass through (2) RECOVER Quick Reference See also: ■ Repair a Damaged Drawing File Repairs and then opens a damaged drawing file.
Menu: Application menu ➤ Drawing Utilities ➤ Recover ➤ Recover Menu: File ➤ Drawing Utilities ➤ Recover Summary The program extracts as much material as it can from the damaged file. Files that can be recovered include DWG, DWT, and DWS files. Performing a recover on a DXF file will only open the file. In the Select File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box), enter the drawing file name or select the damaged drawing file. Results are displayed in the text window.
■ Copies of the original drawing files are saved as BAK files. ■ If the object enabler is present, custom objects are updated. Results are displayed in the Drawing Recovery Log window. Each drawing file checked includes a Drawing Recovery Log that can be expanded or collapsed. The entire log can be copied to the Windows clipboard with the Copy to Clipboard button. When FILEDIA is set to 0 (zero), RECOVERALL displays the following command prompt.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current settings: Rotation = 0 Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]: Specify a point or enter an option First Corner Point Specifies a corner point of the rectangle. Other Corner Point Creates a rectangle using the specified points as diagonally opposite corners. Area Creates a rectangle using the area and either a length or a width.
REDEFINE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Built-in Commands in Macros Restores AutoCAD internal commands overridden by UNDEFINE. Summary If a command has been undefined, you can still use it if you precede the command name with a period. Enter the name of an AutoCAD command turned off by the UNDEFINE command. REDO Quick Reference See also: ■ Correct Mistakes Reverses the effects of previous UNDO or U command.
Summary REDO reverses the effects of a single UNDO or U command. REDO must immediately follow the U or UNDO command. REDRAW Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Refreshes the display in the current viewport. Access Methods Menu: View ➤ Redraw Command entry: 'redraw for transparent use Summary Removes temporary graphics left by VSLIDE and some operations from the current viewport. To remove stray pixels, use the REGEN command.
Summary Removes temporary graphics left by VSLIDE and some operations from all viewports. To remove stray pixels, use the REGENALL command. REFCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Save Back Edited Referenced Drawings and Blocks Saves back or discards changes made during in-place editing of a reference, either an xref or a block definition.
Save Saves back to the xref source drawing or to the block definition in the current drawing all changes made to objects in the working set. If you remove an object from the working set and save changes, the object is deleted from the reference and added to the current drawing. The Save Back Changes to Reference button on the Refedit toolbar automatically saves reference editing changes.
Toolbar: Refedit Summary 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. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Reference Edit Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit Selected Objects in Referenced Drawings and Blocks Specifies the reference to edit. Summary To select a reference to edit, select an object in the reference. If you select an object that is part of one or more nested references, the nested references are displayed in the dialog box.
Displays the reference selected for in-place editing and any references nested within the selected reference. Nested references are displayed only if the selected object is part of a nested reference. If multiple references are displayed, choose a specific xref or block to modify. Only one reference can be edited in place at a time. Preview Displays a preview image of the currently selected reference. The preview image displays the reference as it was last saved in the drawing.
Named objects that are not altered to make them unique assume the properties of those in the current host drawing that share the same name. Display Attribute Definitions for Editing Controls whether all variable attribute definitions in block references are extracted and displayed during reference editing.
If you are editing a block reference with attributes, you can enter y to display the attribute definitions and make them available for editing. The attributes are made invisible, and the attribute definitions are available for editing along with the selected reference geometry. When changes are saved back to the block reference, the attributes of the original reference remain unchanged.
Adds or removes objects from a working set during in-place editing of a reference, either an xref or a block definition. Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Xref and Block In-place Editing ➤ Add to Working Set Menu: Tools ➤ Xref and Block In-Place Editing ➤ Remove from Working Set Summary Objects that are part of the working set are visually distinct from other objects in the current drawing. All objects in the current drawing, except objects in the working set, appear faded.
REGEN Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills, Lineweights, and Text Regenerates the entire drawing from the current viewport. Access Methods Menu: View ➤ Regen Summary REGEN regenerates the entire drawing and recomputes the screen coordinates for all objects in the current viewport. It also reindexes the drawing database for optimum display and object selection performance.
REGENAUTO Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills, Lineweights, and Text Controls automatic regeneration of a drawing. Access Methods Command entry: 'regenauto for transparent use List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
REGION Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Combine Areas (Regions) Converts an object that encloses an area into a region object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Region Menu: Draw ➤ Region Toolbar: Draw Summary Regions are two-dimensional areas you create from closed shapes or loops. Closed polylines, lines, and curves are valid selections. Curves include circular arcs, circles, elliptical arcs, ellipses, and splines.
The boundary of the region consists of end-connected curves where each point shares only two edges. All intersections and self-intersecting curves are rejected. If a selected polyline has been smoothed by either the Spline or Fit option of PEDIT, the resulting region contains the line or arc geometry of the smoothed polyline. The polyline is not converted to a spline object. REGION deletes the original objects after converting them to regions unless the system variable DELOBJ is set to 0.
List of Options The following options are displayed. I/O Port Initialization Reinitializes the I/O port for the digitizer. Device File Initialization Reinitializes the digitizer and the acad.pgp file. RENAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Resolve Name Conflicts in External References Changes the names assigned to items such as layers and dimension styles.
Rename Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Resolve Name Conflicts in External References Changes the names assigned to named objects such as layers and dimension styles. List of Options The following options are displayed. Named Objects Lists named objects in a drawing by category. Items Displays items of the type specified in Named Objects. Old Name Specifies the item to be renamed. You can use the wild-card characters * and ? to rename groups of items.
-RENAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Resolve Name Conflicts in External References Changes the names assigned to named objects from the Command prompt. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Menu: View ➤ Render ➤ Render Toolbar: Render Summary The RENDER command begins the rendering process and displays the rendered image in the Render Window on page 1627 or the viewport. By default, all objects in the current view in the drawing are rendered. If a named view or a camera view is not specified, the current view is rendered. If you enter -render at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
Summary The Render Window is divided into the following three panes: ■ Image pane. Displays the rendered image. ■ Statistics pane. On the right side; shows the current settings used for the rendering. ■ History pane. At the bottom; provides a recent history of images rendered from the current model and a progress meter to display rendering progress. Separate render windows open for each drawing from which you are creating renderings.
■ Review the settings used for the current rendering. ■ Track the rendering history of the model. ■ Purge, delete, or purge and delete an image from the rendering history. ■ Zoom into a section of the rendered image, pan around the image, and then zoom back out. List of Options The following options are displayed. File Menu Saves rendered images. Save Saves an image to a bitmap file. For more information, see “Save and Redisplay Rendered Images”.
Progress Meter / Status Bar There are four phases that occur before an image is complete; translation, photon emission, final gather, and render. The progress meter is split to report two pieces of information. ■ The top bar reports the progress within the current phase. ■ The bottom bar shows the progress made toward completion of the entire rendering. The translation and render phases always occur. Photon emission and final gather phases only occur if those options have been enabled.
Make Render Settings Current Loads the render settings associated with the selected history entry if multiple history entries are present that use different render presets. Remove From The List Removes the entry from the history while leaving any associated image files in place. Delete Output File Removes the rendered image from the Image pane.
List of Options The following options are displayed. List of texture maps Lists the texture maps that cannot be located, along with their path names. Don’t show me this again Check this option to not display this message the next time texture maps cannot be found. Continue Renders the model anyway, without loading the missing texture maps. Render Output File Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Rendered Image Saves a rendering to a raster image file.
TGA (*.tga) The Targa (TGA) format supports up to 32-bit true color. This format is typically used as a true color format to render still images. Clicking Save after choosing this format displays the Targa Image Options dialog box. TIF (*.tif) TIF (Tagged Image File) format is a multiplatform bitmap format. TIF is a common choice if you plan to send your output to a print service bureau or import the image into a page-layout program.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Color Monochrome Creates a 2-bit black and white image. 8 Bits (256 Grayscale) Creates an 8-bit grayscale image using 256 shades of gray. 8 Bits (256 Colors) Renders a smaller, 8-bit color image from a palette of 256 colors. 24 Bits (16.7 Million Colors) Renders a larger, true color (24-bit) file. PCX Image Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Rendered Image Options used when saving a rendering to a PCX image file.
Targa Image Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Rendered Image Options used when saving a rendering to a TGA image file. Summary When TGA is chosen as the output format, the Targa Image Options dialog box is displayed. List of Options The following options are displayed. Color 8 Bits (256 Grayscale) Creates an 8-bit grayscale image using 256 shades of gray. 8 Bits (256 Colors) Renders a smaller, 8-bit color image from a palette of 256 colors. 24 Bits (16.
Options used when saving a rendering to a TIFF image file. Summary When TIF is chosen as the output format, the TIFF Image Options dialog box is displayed. List of Options The following options are displayed. Color Monochrome Creates a 2-bit black and white image. 8 Bits (256 Grayscale) Creates an 8-bit grayscale image using 256 shades of gray. 8 Bits (256 Colors) Renders a smaller, 8-bit color image from a palette of 256 colors. 24 Bits (16.7 Million Colors) Creates a 24 bit color image that uses a 16.
Summary When JPG is chosen as the output format, the JPEG Image Options dialog box is displayed. List of Options The following options are displayed. Image Control Quality Sets the level of quality: the higher the quality, the larger the file size. In general, files compressed with the slider set to Best have compression ratios between 5:1 and 15:1. File Size Sets the size of file you want: the larger the file, the higher the quality.
16 Bits (65,536 Grayscale) Creates a grayscale 16-bit image that uses 65,536 shades of gray. 24 Bits (16.7 Million Colors) Creates a larger, true color (24-bit) file. 32 Bits (24 Bits + Alpha) Creates a 24 bit color image that includes an 8 bit alpha channel. Alpha is a type of data, found in 32-bit image files, that assigns transparency to the pixels in the image. Progressive Provides faster display in Web browsers. Dots Per Inch Sets the dots per inch (dpi) for the saved image.
This render preset produces very low quality rendering, but results in the fastest rendering speed. Low The Low render preset provides better quality than the Draft preset. Anti-aliasing is bypassed but sample filtering is improved. Raytracing is also active, by default, so better quality shading occurs. This preset is best used for test rendering that requires better quality than Draft. Medium You can expect much better sample filtering and anti-aliasing is active when you use the Medium render preset.
Presentation The Presentation render preset is used for high quality, photo-realistic rendered images and takes the longest to process. Sample filtering and raytracing is further improved. Since this preset is used for final renderings, global illumination settings are commonly used in conjunction. Other The Other option allows you to specify a custom render preset if one or more are present. ?—List Custom Render Presets Lists all the custom render presets that are stored with the model.
Renders a specified rectangular area, called a crop window, within a viewport. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Render panel ➤ Render Region Summary Renders what is inside a specified rectangular region within the viewport, and leaves the remainder of the render window intact. Use this command when you need to render a part of the model for testing settings and effects. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
RENDERENVIRONMENT Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Rendering Environment Controls visual cues for the apparent distance of objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Render panel ➤ Environment Menu: View ➤ Render ➤ Render Environment Toolbar: Render Summary The Render Environment dialog box is displayed. Render Environment Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Rendering Environment Defines the cues for distance between objects and the current viewing direction.
Summary Fog and depth cueing are atmospheric effects that cause objects to appear to fade as they increase in distance from the camera. Fog uses a white color while depth cueing uses black. List of Options The following options are displayed. Fog and Depth Cue Enable Fog Turns fog on and off without affecting the other settings in the dialog box. Color Specifies the color of the fog. Fog Background Applies fog to the background as well as to the geometry.
RENDEREXPOSURE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Rendering Environment Provides settings to adjust the global lighting for the most recently rendered output. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Render panel ➤ Adjust Exposure Summary The Adjust Rendered Exposure dialog box is displayed. When the LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to 0, the Adjust Render Exposure dialog box is not available because the exposure control is not turned on.
Summary Adjusts the render exposure settings for the current viewport using the most recent rendered output as a reference, without the need to wait for a new rendering. List of Options The following options are displayed. Adjust Render Exposure Brightness Controls the brightness level of the viewport when using photometric lighting. (LOGEXPBRIGHTNESS on page 2411 system variable) Contrast Controls the contrast level of the viewport when using photometric lighting.
(LOGEXPDAYLIGHT on page 2412 system variable) Process Background Specifies if the background should be processed by exposure control at render time. RENDERPRESETS Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Custom Render Presets Specifies render presets, reusable rendering parameters, for rendering an image. Access Methods Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Render panel ➤ Manage Render Presets (from dropdown) Summary The Render Presets Manager is displayed.
Summary Reusable rendering parameters are stored as render presets. You can choose from among a set of installed render presets or you can create your own custom render presets. Render presets are normally tailored for relatively quick, preview renderings. Others might be created for slower but higher quality renderings. List of Options The following options are displayed. Render Presets List Displays a tree view listing of all the presets stored with the current drawing.
Thumbnail Image Lists the name of a still image that is associated with the select preset. This gives you a visual idea of how the render settings will affect the rendered image. Click [...] to open the Specify An Image dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) where you can browse to and select a thumbnail image for presets you create. Materials Apply Materials Applies the surface materials that you define and apply to an object.
■ Mitchell. Weights the samples using a curve (steeper than Gauss) centered on the pixel. ■ Lanczos. Weights the samples using a curve (steeper than Gauss) centered on the pixel, diminishing the effect of samples at the edge of the filter area. Filter Width and Height Specifies the size of the filtered area. Increasing the value of Filter Width and Filter Height can soften the image; however, it will increase rendering time. Contrast Color Clicking [...
frequency specified for each light. The default value=1 for new presets. Values are 0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2. Draft: 0; Low:1/4; Med:1/2; High:1; Presentation:1. Ray Tracing Enable Specifies if ray tracing should be performed when shading. Max Depth Limits the combination of reflection and refraction. Tracing of a ray stops when the total number of reflections and refractions reaches the maximum depth.
Max Refractions Sets the number of times a photon can be refracted. At 0, no refraction occurs. At 1, the photon can be refracted once only. At 2, the photon can be refracted twice, and so on. Final Gather Calculates global illumination further. Mode Controls the final gathering dynamic settings. ■ On.Turns on the global illumination in final gather. ■ Off.Turns off the calculation of global illumination in final gather. ■ Auto.
Light Properties Affects how lights behave when calculating indirect illumination. By default, the energy and photon settings apply to all lights in a scene. Photons/Light Sets the number of photons emitted by each light for use in global illumination. Increasing this value increases the accuracy of global illumination, but also increases the amount of memory used and the length of render time.
large depth or size values, or if rendering seems unusually slow, this can help you locate the problem. ■ Depth. Shows the depth of the tree, with top faces in bright red, and increasingly deep faces in increasingly cool colors. ■ Size. Shows the size of leaves in the tree, with differently sized leaves indicated by different colors. Processing Tile Size Determines the tile size for rendering. To render the scene, the image is subdivided into tiles.
Create Copy Copies a preset. The Copy Render Preset dialog box is displayed. Delete Deletes the selected custom render preset. Standard presets cannot be deleted. Thumbnail Viewer Displays a thumbnail image that is associated with the selected render preset. If the thumbnail image is not shown, you can select one from the Thumbnail Image setting under Preset Info.
Add a description of the custom preset. Describe the rendering effect that will be produced when the custom preset is used. This description can be more detailed than the name of the preset. After you define your new render preset, you can select it in the Render Presets list and alter the rendering settings you want stored with that preset. RENDERWIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Render Destination Displays the Render window without starting a rendering operation.
RESETBLOCK Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Dynamic Blocks in Drawings Resets one or more dynamic block references to the default values of the block definition. Access Methods Shortcut menu: Select a dynamic block reference in a drawing. Right-click in the drawing area and click Reset Block. RESUME Quick Reference See also: ■ Run Slide Shows from Scripts ■ Create Command Scripts Continues an interrupted script.
REVCLOUD Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Revision Clouds Creates a revision cloud using a polyline. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Revision Cloud Menu: Draw ➤ Revision Cloud Toolbar: Draw Summary NOTE REVCLOUD stores the last used arc length in the system registry. This value is multiplied by DIMSCALE to provide consistency when the program is used with drawings that have different scale factors.
The resulting object is a polyline. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Minimum arc length: 0.5000 Maximum arc length: 0.5000 Specify start point or [Arc length/Object/Style]
The REVERSE command does not change the orientation of text where rotation is specified as upright. For more information, see Text in Custom Linetypes. REVOLVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid or Surface by Revolving Creates a 3D solid or surface by sweeping an object around an axis.
Revolve path and profile curves can be: ■ Open or closed ■ Planar or non-planar ■ Solid and surface edges ■ A single object (to extrude multiple lines, convert them to a single object with the JOIN on page 971 command) ■ A single region (to extrude multiple regions, convert them to a single object with the REGION command) To automatically delete the profile, use the DELOBJ system variable.
NOTE Select face and edge subobjects by pressing Ctrl while you select them. You cannot revolve objects contained within a block or objects that will self-intersect. REVOLVE ignores the width of a polyline and revolves from the center of the path of the polyline. The right-hand rule determines the positive direction of rotation. For more information, see Understand the UCS in 3D. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Objects to Revolve Specifies the objects to be revolved about an axis.
You can use lines, linear polyline segments, and linear edges of solids or surfaces as an axis. NOTE Select an edge subobject by pressing Ctrl while you select an edge. X (Axis) Sets the positive X axis of the current UCS as the positive axis direction. Y (Axis) Sets the positive Y axis of the current UCS as the positive axis direction. Z (Axis) Sets the positive Z axis of the current UCS as the positive axis direction.
Expression Enter a formula or equation to specify the revolve angle. See Constrain a Design with Formulas and Equations. REVSURF Quick Reference See also: ■ Construct Meshes from Other Objects Creates a mesh by revolving a profile about an axis.
The MESHTYPE system variable sets which type of mesh is created. Mesh objects are created by default. Set the variable to 0 to create legacy polyface or polygon mesh. The density of the generated mesh is controlled by the SURFTAB1 and SURFTAB2 system variables. SURFTAB1 specifies the number of tabulation lines that are drawn in the direction of revolution.
The path curve is swept about the selected axis to define the mesh. The path curve defines the N direction of the mesh. Selecting a circle or a closed polyline as the path curve closes the mesh in the N direction. The vector from the first to the last vertex of the polyline determines the rotation axis. Any intermediate vertices are ignored. The axis of revolution determines the M direction of the mesh.
The point you use to select the axis of revolution affects the direction of revolution. The mesh in the following example was created by specifying a start angle of 0 degrees and an included angle of 90 degrees. RIBBON Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Organize the Ribbon Opens the ribbon window. RIBBONCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Organize the Ribbon Closes the ribbon window.
ROTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Rotate Objects Rotates objects around a base point. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Rotate Menu: Modify ➤ Rotate Toolbar: Modify Shortcut menu: Select the objects to rotate. Right-click in the drawing area and click Rotate. Summary You can rotate selected objects around a base point to an absolute angle. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
The axis of rotation passes through the specified base point and is parallel to the Z axis of the current UCS. Copy Creates a copy of the selected objects for rotation. Reference Rotates objects from a specified angle to a new, absolute angle. When you rotate a viewport object, the borders of the viewport remain parallel to the edges of the drawing area. ROTATE3D Quick Reference See also: ■ Rotate Objects Moves objects about a 3D axis.
Line Aligns the axis of rotation with the line selected. Rotation Angle Rotates the object about the selected axis the specified amount from the current orientation. Reference Specifies the reference angle and the new angle. The difference between the starting angle and the ending angle is the computed rotation angle. Circle Aligns the axis of rotation with the 3D axis of the circle (perpendicular to the plane of the circle and passing through the center of the circle).
Last Uses the last axis of rotation. ■ Rotation Angle on page 1669 ■ Reference on page 1669 View Aligns the axis of rotation with the viewing direction of the current viewport that passes through the selected point. ■ Rotation Angle on page 1669 ■ Reference on page 1669 X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis Aligns the axis of rotation with one of the axes (X, Y, or Z) that pass through the selected point.
RPREF Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Render Settings Palette Displays or hides the Advanced Render Settings palette for access to advanced rendering settings. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render tab ➤ Render panel ➤ ➤ Advanced Render Settings Menu: View ➤ Render ➤ Advanced Render Settings Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Advanced Render Settings Toolbar: Render Summary The Advanced Render Settings palette contains all of the primary controls for the renderer.
Summary You use the Advanced Render Settings palette to make rendering settings. You can also access the Render Presets Manager from the Render Settings palette. List of Options The following options are displayed. Render Preset List / Select Render Preset Lists standard render presets ranging from lowest to highest quality, up to four custom render presets and allows access to the Render Presets Manager.
Render Context Contains settings that affect how your model gets rendered. Save File Determines if the rendered image is written to a file. Rendering Procedure Controls the model content that gets processed during rendering. ■ View. Renders the current view without displaying the Render dialog box. ■ Crop. Creates a render area at render time. When you click the Render button with Crop Window selected, you are prompted to specify an area in the drawing before rendering proceeds.
■ Four of the most commonly used output resolutions. ■ Access to the Output Size dialog box. Exposure Type Controls the tone operator setting. This does not need to be stored in the named render preset. Rather it can be stored per drawing in the render context. ■ Automatic. Indicates that the tone operator used should be chosen to match the current viewport tone operator strategy. ■ Logarithmic. Indicates that the log exposure control should be used. Physical Scale Specifies the physical scale.
Filter Type Determines how multiple samples are combined into a single pixel value. ■ Box. Sums all samples in the filter area with equal weight. This is the quickest sampling method. ■ Gauss. Weights the samples using a Gauss (bell) curve centered on the pixel. ■ Triangle. Weights the samples using a pyramid centered on the pixel. ■ Mitchell. Weights the samples using a curve (steeper than Gauss) centered on the pixel. ■ Lanczos.
Shadow Map Controls if shadow mapping is used to render shadows. When on, the renderer renders shadow-mapped shadows. When off, all shadows are ray-traced. Sampling Multiplier Globally limits shadow sampling for area lights. This is part of the rendering preset data. This allows draft and low quality presets to reduce area light sampling. It’s effect is to modulate the inherent sampling frequency specified for each light. The default value=1 for new presets. Values are 0, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2.
Max Depth Limits the combination of reflection and refraction. Reflection and refraction of a photon stop when the total number of both equals the Max Depth setting. For example, if Max Depth equals 3 and the trace depths each equal 2, a photon can be reflected twice and refracted once, or vice versa, but it can’t be reflected and refracted four times. Max Reflections Sets the number of times a photon can be reflected. At 0, no reflection occurs. At 1, the photon can be reflected once only.
Use Min Controls whether the Min Radius setting is used during final gather processing. When on, the minimum radius setting is used for final gather processing. When off, the minimum radius is not used. Min Radius Sets the minimum radius within which final gathering is processed. Increasing this value can improve quality but increase rendering time. Light Properties Affects how lights behave when calculating indirect illumination. By default, the energy and photon settings apply to all lights in a scene.
■ Irradiance. Similar to the Density rendering, but shades the photons based on their irradiance. The maximum irradiance is rendered in red, and lower values render in increasingly cooler colors. BSP Renders a visualization of the parameters used by the tree in the BSP ray-trace acceleration method. If a message from the renderer reports excessively large depth or size values, or if rendering seems unusually slow, this can help you locate the problem. ■ Depth.
reached, the geometry for some objects is discarded in order to allocate memory for other objects. Output Size Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Render Settings Palette Summary The Output Size dialog box is displayed when you choose Specify Output Size from the Output Size list. From the dialog box, you set the output resolution of the rendered image. When you set a unique output size, it gets added to the Output Size list of the Render Settings palette.
Sets the height resolution of the output image, in pixels. You can set the height anywhere from 8 to 4096. Image Aspect Sets the aspect ratio, the ratio of width to height, of the rendered image. Changing this value changes the Height value to maintain the correct dimensions for the active resolution. The image aspect value is always expressed as a multiplier value. Lock/Unlock Image Aspect Locks the aspect ratio when using a custom output resolution.
RSCRIPT Quick Reference See also: ■ Run Slide Shows from Scripts ■ Create Command Scripts Repeats a script file. Summary RSCRIPT is useful for demonstrations that repeat a script; for example, a script that must run over and over during a trade show or in a showroom. If RSCRIPT is the last line in a script file, the file runs continuously until interrupted by Esc.
Ribbon: Mesh Modeling tab ➤ Primitives panel ➤ Modeling, Meshes, Ruled Surface Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Meshes ➤ Ruled Mesh Summary Select two edges that define the mesh. The edges can be lines, arcs, splines, circles, or polylines. If one of the edges is closed, then the other edge must also be closed. You can also use a point as one edge for either an open or a closed curve. The MESHTYPE system variable sets which type of mesh is created. Mesh objects are created by default.
The N direction of the mesh is along the boundary curves. If both boundaries are closed, or if one is closed and the other is a point, the resulting polygon mesh is closed in the N direction and N equals SURFTAB1. If both boundaries are open, N equals SURFTAB1 + 1, because division of a curve into n parts requires n + 1 tabulations. The 0,0 vertex of the mesh is the endpoint of the first selected curve nearest the point you used to select that curve.
S Commands 19 SAVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing Saves the drawing under the current file name or a specified name. Obsolete. The SAVE command is functionally identical to the QSAVE on page 1589 command. The Save option on the File menu, Standard toolbar, or Quick Access toolbar is QSAVE. Summary The Save Drawing As dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box) is displayed.
SAVEAS Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing Saves a copy of the current drawing under a new file name. Access Methods Menu: File ➤ Save As Summary The Save Drawing As standard file selection dialog box is displayed. Enter a ™ file name and type. Saving a drawing to any DXF format affects performance. See Save Drawings to Previous Drawing File Formats for a description of the limitations that result from saving to an earlier version.
Summary The Template Options dialog box displays automatically after you specify the files of type as *.dwt, enter the template file name, and click Save. List of Options The following options are displayed. Description Specifies a description for the drawing template. This description is displayed when you choose the template in the Startup dialog box or in the Create New Drawing dialog box. Measurement Specifies whether the drawing template uses English (imperial) or metric units.
Saveas Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing Sets options for DWG files and for drawing interchange file output. List of Options The following options are displayed. ■ DWG Options ■ DXF Options DWG Options Tab (Saveas Options Dialog Box) Controls the drawing index and display of custom objects and specifies the default file format for saving drawings.
Index Type Determines whether layer or spatial indexes are created when you save a drawing. The indexes are used to improve performance during demand loading. Using indexes may slightly increase the time required to save a drawing. None Creates neither layer nor spatial indexes when you save a drawing. Layer Loads only layers that are on and thawed. Spatial Loads only the portion of the drawing within a clipped boundary.
Save Thumbnail Preview Image Specifies whether an image of the drawing is displayed in the Preview area of the Select File dialog box (RASTERPREVIEW system variable). Decimal Places of Accuracy Saves the file using the specified precision. The default precision is usually adequate; however, you might need to increase this value for certain drawings or applications. The advantage of lower precision is decreased file size, and, in some cases, protecting intellectual property.
Saves a rendered image to a file. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Output tab ➤ Render panel ➤ Save. Menu: Tools ➤ Display Image ➤ Save Summary The Save Rendered Image dialog box is displayed. NOTE SAVEIMG is not available if the current rendering device does not support scan-line images. SCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Resize or Reshape Objects Enlarges or reduces selected objects, keeping the proportions of the object the same after scaling.
Summary To scale an object, specify a base point and a scale factor. The base point acts as the center of the scaling operation and remains stationary. A scale factor greater than 1 enlarges the object. A scale factor between 0 and 1 shrinks the object. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
SCALELISTEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale Views in Layout Viewports Controls the list of scales available for layout viewports, page layouts, and plotting. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Annotation Scaling panel ➤ Scale List Menu: Format ➤ Scale List Command entry: 'scalelistedit for transparent use Summary Displays a list of predefined scales used throughout the program. This list can be easily modified to display only the scales you need.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Scale List Displays the list of currently defined scales. Also displays temporary scales that are imported when xrefs are attached. If a scale name is duplicated, but has a different value, a number is appended to the name. Add Displays the Add Scale dialog box. Press Tab to move between the fields of the scale being edited. Edit Displays the Edit Scale dialog box. NOTE You cannot edit temporary scales.
Add Scale Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale Views in Layout Viewports Adds a new scale to the scale list. List of Options The following options are displayed. Scale Name Name Appearing in Scale List Specifies the scale name to add to the scale list. Scale Properties Sets the ratio of paper units to drawing units. Paper Units When combined with the value of the drawing units, determines the ratio that defines the scale for viewing or plotting.
Edit Scale Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale Views in Layout Viewports Changes the existing scales listed in the Scale List area. List of Options The following options are displayed. Scale Name Lists the name of the currently selected scale in the Scale List area. NOTE You cannot change the name of a scale that is referenced by an xref. Name Appearing in Scale List Enter a descriptive or numeric name.
-SCALELISTEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale Views in Layout Viewports Controls the list of scales available for layout viewports, page layouts, and plotting. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter option [?/Add/Delete/Reset/Exit] : Enter an option or press Enter ? Displays a list of defined scales. Add Adds a new scale to the scale list.
Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Text panel ➤ Scale Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ Text ➤ Scale Toolbar: Text List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
The selected text is scaled by a ratio of the values that you entered for the new length and the reference length. If the new length is less than the reference length, the selected text objects are reduced in size. SCRIPT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Command Scripts Executes a sequence of commands from a script file.
SECTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Section Objects Uses the intersection of a plane and solids, surfaces, or mesh to create a region. Summary The SECTION command creates a region object that represents a 2D cross section of 3D objects, including 3D solids, surfaces, and meshes. This method does not have the live sectioning capabilities that are available for section plane objects that are created using the SECTIONPLANE command. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Object Aligns the sectioning plane with a circle, ellipse, circular or elliptical arc, 2D spline, or 2D polyline segment. Z Axis Defines the sectioning plane by specifying a point on the sectioning plane and another point on the Z axis, or normal, of the plane. ■ Point on the section plane. Sets the first point on the plane. ■ Point on the Z-axis (normal) of the plane. Specifies a point that defines the axis that is perpendicular to the plane.
YZ Aligns the sectioning plane with the YZ plane of the current UCS. ZX Aligns the sectioning plane with the ZX plane of the current UCS. 3points Uses three points to define the sectioning plane: SECTIONPLANE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Section Objects Creates a section object that acts as a cutting plane through 3D objects.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Section panel ➤ Section Plane Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Section Plane Summary Section plane objects create sections of 3D solids, surfaces, and meshes. Use live sectioning with section plane objects to analyze a model, and save sections as blocks for use in layouts. List of Options The following options are displayed. Face or Any Point to Locate Section Line Specifies a face to establish the plane of the section object.
Alternatively, you can select any point on the screen that is not on a face to create a section object independent of the solid or surface. The first point establishes a point around which the section object rotates. ■ Through point. Sets a second point that defines the plane of the section object. Draw section Defines the section object with multiple points to create a section line with jogs. This option creates a section object in the Section Boundary state with live sectioning turned off.
A section object that contains all 3D objects is created with the specified orientation relative to the UCS (not the current view). This option creates a section object in the Section Plane state with live sectioning turned on. ■ Align section to.
Live Section (LIVESECTION command) Turns on live sectioning for a selected section object. Add Jog (SECTIONPLANEJOG command) Adds a jogged segment to a section object. Generate Section (SECTIONPLANETOBLOCK command) Saves selected section planes as 2D or 3D blocks. Section Plane Settings (SECTIONPLANESETTINGS) Sets display options for the selected section plane. SECTIONPLANEJOG Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Jogs to a Section Adds a jogged segment to a section object.
NOTE The SECTIONPLANEJOG command was previously called JOGSECTION. Entering jogsection at the Command prompt runs SECTIONPLANE JOG. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select section object Specifies which section line to modify. Point on the section line to add jog Specifies the location of the jog. SECTIONPLANESETTINGS Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Section Object States and Properties Sets display options for the selected section plane.
Shortcut menu: Select a live section object. Right-click in the drawing area and click Live Section Settings. Summary The Section Settings dialog box is displayed. Section Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Section Object States and Properties Sets display options for section planes.
Summary Contains display settings for creating 2D and 3D sections from the Generate Section / Elevation dialog box and for live sectioning. All settings are stored with the section object. List of Options The following options are displayed. Section Plane If a section plane has not been selected, specifies a selection plane to be modified. Select Section Plane Temporarily closes the Section Settings dialog box so that you can select a section object in the drawing area.
■ Linetype. Sets the linetype to be ByLayer, ByBlock, or a type that you specify. ■ Linetype Scale. Sets the scale of the linetype. ■ Plot Style. Displays the current plot style. (2D and 3D section blocks only) ■ Lineweight. Sets whether the lineweight is ByLayer, ByBlock, matches the default, or has a unique value. ■ Division Lines. Sets whether division lines are displayed. (2D section blocks only) ■ Show. Sets whether the intersection boundary is displayed.
■ Surface Transparency. Sets the percentage of transparency for the intersection fill. (Live Section only) Background Lines Controls the display of background lines. (2D and 3D section blocks only) ■ Show. Sets whether the component is displayed. (2D section blocks only) ■ Hidden Line. Sets whether hidden lines (lines that are behind other lines in the 3D view) are displayed. (2D section blocks only) ■ Color. Sets the color of the component. ■ Layer. Sets the layer of the component.
■ Face Transparency. Sets the percentage of transparency of the face created where the live section object interfaces with the 3D objects. (Live Section only) ■ Edge Transparency. Sets the percentage of transparency of the edges of the foreground lines. (Live Section only) Curve Tangency Lines Controls the inclusion of curved lines that are tangent to the section plane. (2D section blocks only) ■ Show. Sets whether the curve tangency lines are displayed. ■ Color.
Adds a custom prefix or suffix to layer names to help organize components of a section block Access Methods Pointing device: In the Section Settings dialog box, Layer list, click New Layer Name Settings. Summary By default, all section block geometry is placed on Layer 0 (zero). However, you can specify suffix or prefix labels to help organize section block components, such as intersection boundaries and fill.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Added Text Type Specifies whether or how identifying text is added to the layer name for the section block component. ■ None. No additional text is added to the layer name. The section block geometry is placed on the same layer as the original geometry. ■ Prefix. If the Layer property is specified as *ObjectByLayer* in the Section Settings dialog box, the label is added in front of the layer name. ■ Suffix.
Summary The Generate Section /Elevation dialog box is displayed. Generate Section /Elevation Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Section Objects Saves 2D and 3D sections as blocks. Summary Specifies the display settings for the cross sections that you save and reuse.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Section Plane Select Section Plane Closes the dialog box so that you can select a section plane to modify or save as a block. 2D/3D 2D Section/Elevation Creates and saves or inserts a block that represents a 2D cross section. 3D Section Creates and saves or inserts a cutaway 3D block. Hide/Show Advanced Settings Controls the display of the Source Geometry, Destination, and Section Settings options.
Closes the dialog box temporarily while you select the block to be replaced in the drawing. When you finish selecting the block, press Enter to redisplay the Generate Section/Elevation dialog box. Export to a File Saves the section to an external file. Filename and Path Specifies a file name and path where the section will be saved. Section Settings Opens the Section Settings dialog box. Create Creates the section.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Password Tab (Security Options Dialog Box) Adds a password to a drawing when the drawing is saved. Password or Phrase to Open This Drawing Adds, changes, or removes a password the next time the drawing is saved. If you add or change the password, the Confirm Password dialog box on page 1719 is displayed. If you lose the password, it is not recoverable. Before you add a password, you should create a backup copy that is not protected with a password.
NOTE The timesrvr.txt file contains the time servers that you can choose from. Time Service Status Displays the connection status (Successfully Contacted Time Server or Could Not Contact Time Server) of the time service. Comment Provides a place for comments about the digital signature or the files you are signing.
Sets a level of encryption for a drawing. You can choose from encryption providers supplied by your operating system. Choose a Key Length Sets a key length. The higher the key length, the higher the level of protection for your drawing. SEEK Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Autodesk Seek to Add and Share Drawings Opens a web browser and displays the Autodesk Seek home page.
SELECT Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Objects Individually Places selected objects in the Previous selection set. Summary A small box, called the object selection target or pickbox, replaces the crosshairs on the graphics cursor. At the Select Objects prompt in a subsequent command, use the Previous option to retrieve the previous selection set. You can also press and hold the Ctrl key to select original individual forms that are part of composite solids or vertices, edges, and faces on 3D solids.
Window Selects all objects completely inside a rectangle defined by two points. Specifying the corners from left to right creates a window selection. (Specifying the corners from right to left creates a crossing selection.) Last Selects the most recently created visible object. The object must be in the current space, that is, model space or paper space, and its layer must not be set to frozen or off. Crossing Selects objects within and crossing an area defined by two points.
Fence Selects all objects crossing a selection fence. The Fence method is similar to CPolygon except that that the fence is not closed, and a fence can cross itself. Fence is not affected by the PICKADD system variable. WPolygon Selects objects completely inside a polygon defined by points. The polygon can be any shape but cannot cross or touch itself. The last segment of the polygon is drawn so that it is closed at all times. WPolygon is not affected by the PICKADD system variable.
Add Switches to the Add method: selected objects can be added to the selection set by using any of the object selection methods. Auto and Add are the default methods. Remove Switches to the Remove method: objects can be removed from the current selection set using any object selection method. An alternative to Remove mode is to hold down Shift while selecting single objects or use the Automatic option. Multiple Selects objects individually without highlighting them during object selection.
Object Ends the ability to select subobjects. Allows you to use object selection methods. SELECTSIMILAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Objects by Properties Adds similar objects to the selection set based on selected objects. Access Methods Shortcut menu: Select the object that you want to use as the template object to select similar objects. Right-click in the drawing area and click Select Similar.
Select Similar Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Objects by Properties Controls which properties must match for an object of the same type to be selected. List of Options The following options are displayed. Color Considers objects with matching colors to be similar. Layer Considers objects on matching layers to be similar. Linetype Considers objects with matching linetypes to be similar. Linetype scale Considers objects with matching linetype scales to be similar.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Set to ByLayer Menu: Modify ➤ Change to ByLayer List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current active settings: Color Linetype Lineweight Transparency Material Plot Style Select objects or [Settings]: Use an object selection method and press Enter when you finish If Settings is selected, the SetByLayer Settings dialog box is displayed, in which you can specify which object properties are set to ByLayer.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Color Changes the color of selected objects to ByLayer. (SETBYLAYERMODE=1) Linetype Changes the linetype of selected objects to ByLayer. (SETBYLAYERMODE=2) Lineweight Changes the lineweight of selected objects to ByLayer. (SETBYLAYERMODE=4) Material Changes the material of selected objects to ByLayer. (SETBYLAYERMODE=8) Plot Style Changes the plot style of selected objects to ByLayer. This option is available in named plot style drawings.
SETIDROPHANDLER Quick Reference See also: ■ Use i-drop Specifies the default type of i-drop content for the current Autodesk application. Summary The SETIDROPHANDLER command displays the Set Default i-drop Content Type dialog box, where you set the default type of i-drop content for the Autodesk application you are currently working in. This setting determines the type of content that is inserted into your drawing when you drag a representative i-drop content image from the Web into your drawing.
i-drop Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use i-drop Access Methods Shortcut menu: Right-click a representative i-drop content image and drag it from a web page into your current drawing, and then click Block. Summary Displays the source URL, the log file name, and the file name for the i-drop content that is currently being inserted in the drawing, and allows you to specify the associated data files to be transferred and the location for the files.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter variable name or [?] : Enter a variable name, enter ?, or press Enter Variable Name Specifies the name of the system variable you want to set. You can also change the value of system variables at the Command prompt by entering the name of the variable and its new value. ?—List Variables Lists all system variables in the drawing and their current settings.
Hidden Displays the objects using 3D wireframe representation and hides lines representing back faces. Flat Shaded Shades the objects between the polygon faces. The objects appear flatter and less smooth than Gouraud-shaded objects. Materials that you have applied to the objects show when the objects are flat shaded. Gouraud Shaded Shades the objects and smooths the edges between polygon faces. This gives the objects a smooth, realistic appearance.
SHARE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use AutoCAD WS for Drawing File Collaboration Shares the AutoCAD WS online copy of the current drawing with other users. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Online tab ➤ Share panel ➤ Share Drawing Menu: File ➤ AutoCAD WS ➤ Share Drawing Toolbar: Online Summary The Share Drawing dialog box on page 1733 is displayed. You must save the drawing before you can continue with this command. NOTE You may first be prompted to log in to AutoCAD WS.
Summary Sharing online drawings allows other users to view, edit, and download the drawings. Invite other users to simultaneously view and edit a shared drawing, allowing participants to collaborate in real time. The permissions can be changed at any time in the Share Drawing dialog box; new permissions take effect immediately. List of Options The following options are displayed. Invite People Specifies recipients from your AutoCAD WS contacts.
SHAREWITHSEEK Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Autodesk Seek to Add and Share Drawings Uploads a selected block or the current drawing to the Autodesk Seek website. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Output tab ➤ Autodesk Seek panel ➤ Share with Autodesk Seek Menu: Application menu ➤ Publish ➤ Share with Autodesk Seek Menu: File ➤ Share with Autodesk Seek Shortcut menu: Right-click on a block and click Share with Autodesk Seek Summary Publishes single blocks or entire drawings to the Autodesk Seek website.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Share the Selected Block Select a block to upload to the Autodesk Seek website. A DWG file is created using the default Save as file format specified in the Options dialog. List Lists the blocks in the current drawing available for upload to the Autodesk Seek website. Share the Current Drawing Selects the current drawing (not including external references) for upload to the Autodesk Seek website.
SHEETSET Quick Reference See also: ■ Quick Start for Sheet Sets Opens the Sheet Set Manager. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Sheet Set Manager Toolbar: Standard Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Sheet Set Manager Summary Displays the Sheet Set Manager. The Sheet Set Manager organizes, displays, and manages sheet sets, a named collection of drawing sheets. Each sheet in a sheet set is a layout in a drawing (DWG) file.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Sheet Set Manager Toolbar: Standard Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Sheet Set Manager Summary The Sheet Set Manager is not fully functional if ■ The command is active; ■ No drawing is open; ■ The sheet set is locked by another user; or ■ A lock icon displayed in front of the sheet set name in the Sheet Set Manager indicates that the sheet set is locked. Hold your cursor over the lock icon to view a tooltip that shows who has the sheet set locked.
Sheet List Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Sheet Set Manager Toolbar: Standard Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Sheet Set Manager Summary The Sheet List tab displays an ordered list of sheets. You can organize these sheets under headings, called subsets, that you create. List of Options This tab has the following buttons: Publish to DWF Publishes selected sheets or a sheet set to a specified DWF file.
Publish Displays a list of Publish options. The description for each option is listed in alphabetical order under Shortcut Menu Options below. Sheet Selections Displays a menu where you can save, manage, and restore sheet selections by name. This makes it easy to specify a group of sheets for a publish, transmit, or archive operation. The description for each option is listed in alphabetical order under Shortcut Menu Options below.
Open Read-Only Opens the drawing file of the selected sheet in read-only mode and displays the layout. You cannot save changes to the file using the original file name. Plot Stamp Settings Displays the Plot Stamp dialog box, in which you can specify the information, such as drawing name and plot scale, that you want applied to the plot stamp. Properties (Sheet Set) When the sheet set node is selected, displays the Sheet Set Properties dialog box.
and resaved. Any changes that were made are updated in the sheet set data (DST) file. Drawing files saved in a previous DWG file format are resaved without changing format. NOTE In a network environment, make sure that all drawing files in the current sheet set that are opened by other users are closed before performing this operation. Remove Sheet Removes the currently selected sheet from the sheet set. Save Sheet Selection Displays the New Sheet Selection dialog box.
NOTE Only sheet views created in AutoCAD 2005 or later are listed on the Sheet Views tab. List of Options This tab has the following buttons: New View Category Button Displays the View Category dialog box. View by Category Displays the views in the current sheet set organized by their categories. View by Sheet Displays a list of views in the current sheet set organized by the sheet on which they are located.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Sheet Set Manager Toolbar: Standard Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Sheet Set Manager Summary The Model Views tab displays a list of folders, drawing files, and model space views available for the current sheet set. You can add and remove folder locations to control which drawing files are associated with the current sheet set. NOTE After creating a named model space view, you must save the drawing to add the view to the Model Views tab.
■ The selected model is attached as an xref in the current drawing ■ A layout viewport is created on the current layout ■ A sheet view is created that corresponds with the newly created layout viewport Remove Location Removes the currently selected folder location from the sheet set. See Model Space Views Expands a list of named model space views. Subset Properties Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Organize a Sheet Set Creates a new sheet subset in a sheet set.
Summary You can organize sheets by dragging them to different subsets. List of Options The following options are displayed. Subset Name Specifies the name of this subset and the name of the sheet storage folder for this subset if Create Folders Relative to Parent Subset Storage Location is selected. Publish Sheets in Subset Conforms to the current settings for sheet set publishing.
Summary When a sheet is selected, it is included for publishing. Select Layout as Sheet Template Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Specifies the folder path, drawing template (DWT) file, and layout name to be used for creating new sheets.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Drawing Template File Name Specifies the drawing template file path and name to be used for creating new sheets. Select a Layout to Create New Sheets Lists and specifies the name of the layout in the drawing template file to be used for new sheets.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Number Specifies the sheet number. It is recommended that you do not fill in the sheet number when you first create a sheet. By default the drawing name and layout name of the new sheet will be the sheet number together with sheet title. You can remove the sheet number from the file name when you create the new sheet, but the sheet number will still be in the layout name.
Open in Drawing Editor When checked, allows you to open the drawing after creation and edit directly within the file. Rename & Renumber Sheet Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Specifies a sheet number, sheet title, and other properties for a sheet in a sheet set. List of Options The following options are displayed. Number Specifies the sheet number of the selected sheet. Sheet Title Specifies the sheet title of the selected sheet.
File Name Specifies the name of the drawing file associated with the selected sheet. Folder Path Displays the folder path for the drawing file. Rename Layout to match Sheet Title When checked, changes the layout name to match the sheet title. Prefix with Sheet Number When checked, changes the layout name to a new name formed by adding the sheet number to the beginning of the sheet title. Rename Drawing File to match Sheet Title When checked, changes the drawing file name to match the sheet title.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Number Specifies the sheet number of the selected view. View Title Specifies the view title of the selected view. Previous Loads the previous view into this dialog box. Next Loads the next view into this dialog box. Import Layouts as Sheets Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Provides a method for quickly importing layouts into a sheet set, and specifying which layout tab is to be used as the sheet.
Summary If a layout already belongs to a sheet set, you must create a copy of the drawing containing the layout to import it. List of Options The following options are displayed. Browse for Drawings Displays the Select Drawing standard file selection dialog box. List of Layouts in Selected Drawing Lists all available layouts in the specified drawing file. Click a check box to select a layout.
Insert Sheet List Table Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Creates a table listing the sheets in the sheet set. Summary This table can be added to any sheet in the current sheet set, but it is typically added to the title sheet. NOTE Insert Sheet List Table on the sheet set shortcut menu is not available if the Model tab is active, or if the current layout is not a sheet in the current sheet set. List of Tabs This dialog box contains the following tabs.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Table Style Name Specifies the table style to be used for the table. Table Style Preview Displays a preview of the currently selected table style. Include Subsets as Headers in Output When checked, displays the names of the subsets, dividing the sheet list table into sections. Table Style Settings Displays options for the table style. Table Data Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Displays options for the table data.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Title Text Specifies the name of the title of the sheet list table. Column Settings Area Displays a list of the column definitions in the sheet list table. Each line in the list represents a column. The top-to-bottom order of the list represents how the columns will be displayed in the table (left to right). Data Type Column Selecting a column definition and then clicking on an entry in the Data Type column displays a list.
Subsets and Sheets Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Displays options to control the sheet selection represented by the current sheet list table List of Options The following options are displayed. Populate From Sheet Selection Drop-Down Menu Sets the check state of the items in the view based on a previous saved sheet selection. Sheet Set Tree View Displays the sheet set subsets that are to be updated automatically.
Edit Sheet List Table Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Allows you to edit a sheet list table that exists in the current drawing. Access Methods Shortcut menu: Select any cell in Sheet List Table ➤ Right-click to open the shortcut menu ➤ Edit Sheet List Table Settings Summary The Edit Sheet List Table Settings dialog box gives you access to all the settings found on the Insert Sheet List Table dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Specifies the table style to be used for the table. The Browse button displays the Table Style dialog box. Table Style Sample Area Displays a sample of the currently selected table style. Show Subheader When checked, displays the names of the subsets, dividing the sheet list table into sections. Table Data Settings Displays options for the table data. Title Text Specifies the name of the title of the sheet list table. Column Settings Area Displays a list of the column definitions in the sheet list table.
Sheet Set Properties Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Displays information that is specific to the selected sheet set. Summary You can click on each field to display a description at the bottom of the dialog box.
Sheet Set Data File Displays the path and file name of the sheet set data (DST) file. Description Displays a description of the sheet set. Model View Displays the paths and names of folders that contain drawings used by the sheet set. Label Block for Views Displays the path and file name of the DWT or DWG file that contains the label blocks for the sheet set. Callout Blocks Displays the path and file name of the DWT or DWG file that contains the callout blocks for the sheet set.
Lists the custom properties associated with the current sheet set. List of Options The following options are displayed. Add Displays the Add Custom Property dialog box. Delete Removes the selected custom property from the sheet set. Add Custom Property Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Include Information with Sheets and Sheet Sets Creates a custom property to be associated with the current sheet set or with each sheet.
Summary Custom properties can be used to store information such as a contract number, the name of the designer, and the release date. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Specifies the name of a new custom property. Default Value Specifies a value for the custom property. Owner Specifies whether the custom property belongs to the sheet set or to a sheet.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Add Displays the Browse for Folder standard file selection dialog box, in which you can add a folder location to the list. Delete Removes the selected folder from the list. Sheet Properties Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Displays information that is specific to the selected sheet, such as the sheet title, sheet number, and whether it will be included in publishing operations. Also displays custom properties, if any.
Summary You can enter a new value to modify any available sheet property. List of Options The following options are displayed. Sheet and Sheet Custom Properties Displays the properties of the selected sheet. Also displays custom properties, if any. You can enter a new value to modify any sheet property. The Expected Layout is the path and file name of the drawing where the sheet was saved. The Found Layout is the path and file name of the drawing where the sheet was found.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Enter the Sheet Selection Name Specifies a name for the sheet selection. Sheet Selections Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Publish, Transmit, and Archive Sheet Sets Renames or deletes saved sheet selections. List of Options The following options are displayed. Sheet Selections Specifies the sheet selection that you want to rename or delete. Rename Renames the selected sheet selection. Delete Deletes the selected sheet selection.
View Category Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Organize a Sheet Set Creates a new view category in a sheet set. Summary You can organize views by dragging them under different view categories. List of Options The following options are displayed. Category Name Specifies the name of a new view category. Select the Callout Blocks to be Used in this Category Provides a method for listing the callout blocks appropriate to the current view category. Add Blocks Displays the List of Blocks dialog box.
List of Blocks Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Lists, adds, or deletes callout blocks for use in the current sheet set. Summary This dialog box is displayed by clicking the Add Blocks button in the View Category dialog box, or by clicking the [...] button next to Callout blocks in the Sheet Set Properties dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. List of Blocks Displays the list of blocks available for use with the current sheet set.
Select Block Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Adds a new label block or callout blocks for use in the current sheet set. List of Options The following options are displayed. Enter the Drawing File Name Specifies the path and name of a drawing (DWG) file or the name and path of a drawing template (DWT) file to be used as the source of a block definition.
SHEETSETHIDE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Sheet Set Closes the Sheet Set Manager. SHELL Quick Reference See also: ■ Define External Commands Accesses operating system commands. Summary When SHELL prompts you for an OS command, you can enter most valid commands for your OS. When the command has been executed, SHELL returns you to the Command prompt. Pressing Enter at the OS Command prompt displays the system prompt with an extra close angle bracket (>).
SHOWPALETTES Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Behavior of Dockable Windows Restores the display of hidden palettes. Access Methods Command entry: Ctrl+Shift+H Summary Restores the state of the display and position of palettes hidden by HIDEPALETTES. Press Ctrl+Shift+H to switch between HIDEPALETTES and SHOWPALETTES.
Validate Digital Signatures Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ View Digital Signature Details Displays information about a digital signature. Summary You can determine if a digital signature is valid and if the signed file has been modified since it was signed. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Displays the location and name of the file whose digital signature is being viewed.
View Base Signature Displays the Digital Signature Contents dialog box. This option is available only if the digital signature is valid and the file has not been modified since it was signed. Xref Drawings Contains detailed information about any xrefs in the signed file. View Xref Drawings Displays the xref drawings contained in a file's base drawing. View Xref List Contains a list of the xref drawings in a signed file.
Digital Signature Status Displays the status of the digital signature. File Status Displays the status of the signed file. Signed By Displays the name of the organization or individual who attached a digital signature to the current file. Other Fields Displays the subject, issuer, valid from date, valid to date, or serial number in the Values box. Subject Displays information about the organization or individual who owns the digital ID and attached the digital signature.
Skip Xref Warnings Determines if the Digital Signature Contents dialog box is displayed for signed xrefs. This check box is displayed only in the Digital Signature Contents dialog box when a signed drawing is opened. SKETCH Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Freehand Sketches Creates a series of freehand line segments. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface Modeling tab ➤ Curves panel ➤ Spline Freehand Summary Sketching is useful for creating irregular boundaries or for tracing with a digitizer.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Sketch on page 1776 or [Type on page 1776/Increment on page 1776/toLerance on page 1776]: Sketch Creates a sketch. Type Specifies the object type for the sketch line. (SKPOLY on page 2535 system variable) ■ Line on page 1050 ■ Polyline on page 1466 ■ Spline on page 1821 Increment Defines the length of each freehand line segment. You must move the pointing device a distance greater than the increment value to generate a line.
Summary The cutting plane is defined with 2 or 3 points, by specifying a major plane of the UCS, or by selecting a surface object (but not a mesh). Either one or both sides of the sliced 3D solids can be retained. The sliced objects retain the layer and color properties of the original solids. However, the resulting solid or surface objects do not retain a history of the original objects.
Objects to slice Specifies the 3D solid or surface object that you want to slice. If you select a mesh object, you can choose to convert it to a 3D solid or surface before completing the slice operation. ■ Start point of slicing plane ■ Planar object ■ Surface ■ Z axis ■ View ■ XY ■ YZ ■ ZX ■ 3points Start point of slicing plane Sets the first of two points that define the angle of the slicing plane. The slicing plane is perpendicular to the XY plane of the current UCS.
■ Select a surface. Specifies a surface to be used for alignment. NOTE You cannot select meshes created with the EDGESURF, REVSURF, RULESURF, and TABSURF commands. ■ Point on desired side ■ Keep both sides Z axis Defines the cutting plane by specifying a point on the plane and another point on the Z axis (normal) of the plane. ■ Specify a point on the section plane. Sets a point on the slicing plane. ■ Specify a point on the Z-axis (normal) of the plane.
■ Specify a point on the current view plane. Sets a point on the object to start the slice. ■ Point on desired side ■ Keep both sides XY Aligns the cutting plane with the XY plane of the current user coordinate system (UCS). Specifying a point defines the location of the cutting plane. ■ Point on the XY-plane. Sets the location of the slice. ■ Point on desired side ■ Keep both sides YZ Aligns the cutting plane with the YZ plane of the current UCS.
■ Point on the YZ-plane. Sets the location of the slice. ZX Aligns the cutting plane with the ZX plane of the current UCS. Specifying a point defines the location of the cutting plane. ■ Point on the ZX-plane. Sets the location of the slice. If a single object is sliced into more than two objects, one solid or surface is created from the objects on one side of the plane and another solid or surface is created from the objects on the other side. 3points Defines the cutting plane using three points.
Point on desired side Uses a point to determine which side of the sliced solids your drawing retains. The point cannot lie on the cutting plane. Keep both sides Retains both sides of the sliced solids. Slicing a single solid into two pieces creates two solids from the pieces on either side of the plane. SLICE never creates more than two new composite solids for each selected solid. SNAP Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Restricts cursor movement to specified intervals.
Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Drafting Settings Toolbar: Status bar ➤ Snap Command entry: snap or ‘snap for transparent use List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify snap spacing on page 1783 or [ON on page 1783/OFF on page 1783/Aspect on page 1783/Style on page 1783/Type on page 1784] : Specify a distance, enter an option, or press Enter Snap Spacing Activates Snap mode with the value you specify. On Activates Snap mode using the current settings of the snap grid.
Aspect Specifies the horizontal and vertical spacing of the snap grid separately. Isometric Sets an isometric snap grid, in which the snap locations are initially at 30-degree and 150-degree angles. Isometric snap cannot have different Aspect values. The lined grid does not follow the isometric snap grid. ISOPLANE determines whether the crosshairs lie in the top isometric plane (30- and 150-degree angles), the left isoplane (90- and 150-degree angles), or the right isoplane (30- and 90-degree angles).
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modeling panel ➤ Solid Drawing Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Setup ➤ Drawing Summary After using SOLVIEW, visible and hidden lines representing the silhouette and edges of solids in the viewport are created and then projected to a plane perpendicular to the viewing direction. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select viewports to draw ...
SOLID Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Hatch Properties Creates solid-filled triangles and quadrilaterals. Summary 2D solids are filled only when the FILLMODE system variable is on (1) and the viewing direction is orthogonal to the 2D solid. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. First point Sets the first point in the 2D solid. Second point Sets the first edge of the 2D solid. Third point Sets the corner that is opposite the second point.
SOLIDEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Clean and Check 3D Solids Edits faces and edges of 3D solid objects. Access Methods Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Solid Editing panel Menu: Modify ➤ Solid Editing Summary You can extrude, move, rotate, offset, taper, copy, delete, and assign colors and materials to faces. You can also copy and assign colors to edges. You can imprint, separate, shell, clean, and check the validity of the entire 3D solid object (body). You cannot use SOLIDEDIT with mesh objects.
■ Select faces. Specifies which faces to modify. ■ Undo ■ Remove Remove Removes previously selected faces from the selection set. ■ Remove faces. Removes the selected face from the solid object. ■ Undo ■ Add ■ All Undo Cancels the selection of the faces you added most recently to the selection set and redisplays the prompt. Add Adds faces you select to the selection set.
■ Undo ■ Remove ■ All All Selects all faces and adds them to the selection set. ■ Select faces. Selects specific faces (instead of all of them). ■ Undo ■ Remove Height of extrusion Sets the direction and distance of the extrusion. Entering a positive value extrudes the face in the direction of its normal. Entering a negative value extrudes the face in the direction opposite to its normal. ■ Angle of taper for extrusion. Specify an angle between -90 and +90 degrees.
Tapering the selected face with a positive angle tapers the face in, and a negative angle tapers the face out. The default angle, 0, extrudes the face perpendicular to its plane. All selected faces in the selection set are tapered to the same value. If you specify a large taper angle or height, you can cause the face to taper to a point before it reaches the extrusion height. Path Sets a path for the extrusion path based on a specified line or curve.
the path should be on the plane of the profile; if not, the path is moved to the center of the profile. If the path is a spline, the path should be perpendicular to the plane of the profile and at one of the endpoints of the path. If not, the profile is rotated to be perpendicular to the spline path.
Select faces Specifies the face to be moved. ■ Base point of displacement. Sets the base point for the move. If you specify a single point, usually entered as a coordinate, and then press Enter, the coordinate is used as the new location. ■ Second point of displacement. Sets a displacement vector that indicates how far the selected face is moved and in what direction. Face: Rotate Rotate Rotates one or more faces or a collection of features on a solid about a specified axis.
■ Axis by object ■ View ■ Xaxis, Yaxis, Zaxis ■ 2Point Axis point, 2Point Sets two points to define the axis of rotation. Pressing Enter at the main Rotate prompt displays the following prompts. Specifying a point at the main prompt skips the prompt for the first point: ■ First point on the rotation axis. Sets the first point on the axis of revolution. ■ Second point on the rotation axis. Sets the second point on the axis.
■ 3D polyline: Aligns with the 3D axis formed by the polyline start points and endpoints. ■ Spline: Aligns with the 3D axis formed by the spline's start points and endpoints. View Aligns the axis of rotation with the viewing direction of the current viewport that passes through the selected point. ■ Origin of rotation ■ Rotation angle ■ Reference Xaxis, Yaxis, Zaxis Aligns the axis of rotation with the axis (X, Y, or Z) that passes through the selected point.
■ Remove ■ All Select faces (offset) Specifies the faces you want to offset. NOTE The size of holes inside a solid object that is offset decreases as the volume of the solid increases. ■ Specify the offset distance. Sets a positive value to increase the size of the solid or a negative value to decrease the size of the solid. Face: Taper Taper Tapers faces on a 3D solid at a specified angle.
■ Select faces (taper) ■ Undo ■ Remove ■ All Select faces (taper) Specifies the faces to be tapered and then sets the slope of the taper. ■ Base point. Sets the first point for determining the plane. ■ Another point along the axis of tapering. Sets the orientation of the axis that determines the direction of the taper. ■ Taper angle. Specify an angle between -90 and +90 degrees to set the slope of the taper from the axis.
■ Select faces (copy) ■ Undo. Cancels the selection of the faces that you selected most recently. ■ Remove ■ All Select faces (delete) Specifies the face to be removed. The face must be in a location that can be filled by surrounding faces after it is removed. Face: Copy Copy Copies faces as a region or a body. If you specify two points, SOLIDEDIT uses the first point as a base point and places a single copy relative to the base point.
■ Remove ■ All Select faces (copy) Specifies the face to be copied. ■ Base point or displacement. Sets the first point to determine the distance and direction for the placement of the copied face (displacement). ■ Second point of displacement. Sets the second displacement point. Face: Color Color Changes the color of faces. Colored faces can be used to highlight details within a complex 3D solid model. ■ Select faces (color) ■ Undo.
Face: Undo Reverses actions as far back as the beginning of the SOLIDEDIT session. Face: Exit Exits the face-editing options and displays the Enter a Solids Editing Option prompt. Edge Edge Edits 3D solid objects by changing the color of or copying individual edges. Enter an edge editing option [Copy/coLor/Undo/eXit] : Edge: Copy Copies selected edges on a 3D solid as 2D arcs, circles, ellipses, lines, or splines.
Undo Cancels selection of the edges you added most recently to the selection set. The previous prompt is displayed. If all edges have been removed, the following prompt is displayed: Remove Removes previously selected edges from the selection set. The prompt is redisplayed. ■ Remove edges. Removes the edges you select from the current selection set. ■ Undo ■ Add Add Adds edges to the selection set.
Body Body Edits the entire solid object by imprinting other geometry on the solid, separating the solid into individual solid objects, shelling, cleaning, or checking the selected solid. Enter a body editing option [Imprint/seParate solids/Shell/cLean/Check/Undo/eXit] : Body: Imprint Imprints an object on the selected solid. The object to be imprinted must intersect one or more faces on the selected solid in order for imprinting to be successful.
NOTE Separating solids does not separate Boolean objects that form a single volume. Select a 3D solid Specifies the 3D solid object to separate. Press Ctrl+click to select the edge. Body: Shell Shelling creates a hollow, thin wall with a specified thickness. You can specify a constant wall thickness for all the faces. You can also exclude faces from the shell by selecting them. A 3D solid can have only one shell. New faces are created by offsetting existing ones outside their original positions.
Enter the shell offset distance Sets the size of the offset. Specify a positive value to create a shell to the inside perimeter of the solid. Specify a negative value to create a shell on the outside perimeter of the solid. Body: Clean Removes shared edges or vertices having the same surface or curve definition on either side of the edge or vertex. Removes all redundant edges, vertices, and unused geometry. Does not remove imprinted edges.
Exit Exit Exits the SOLIDEDIT command. SOLPROF Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Flattened View Creates 2D profile images of 3D solids for display in a layout viewport. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modeling panel ➤ Solid Profile Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Setup ➤ Profile Summary The selected 3D solids are projected onto a 2D plane parallel with the current layout viewport.
linetype (if loaded). The visible and hidden profile blocks are placed on uniquely named layers using the following naming conventions: PV-viewport handle for the visible profile layer PH-viewport handle for the hidden profile layer For example, if you create a profile in a viewport whose handle is 4B, the blocks containing the visible lines are inserted on layer PV-4B, and the block containing the hidden lines (if requested) is inserted on layer PH-4B.
The 3D profile is projected onto a plane normal to the viewing direction and passing through the origin of the UCS. SOLPROF cleans up the 2D profile by eliminating lines that are parallel to the viewing direction and by converting arcs and circles that are viewed on edge into lines. No Creates the profile lines with 3D objects. The next prompt determines whether tangential edges are displayed. A tangential edge is the transition line between two tangent faces.
Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Setup ➤ View Summary This command automates the manual process of creating views, layers, and layout viewports for 3D models. For ongoing work, it is recommended that you create drawing template (DWT) files customized for 3D. NOTE SOLVIEW must be run on a layout tab. If the Model tab is current, the last active layout tab is made current. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Named Uses the XY plane of a named UCS to create a profile view. Enter the name of the UCS you want to use and the scale of your view. Entering a scale is equivalent to zooming your viewport by a factor relative to paper space. The center is based on the current model space extents. World Uses the XY plane of the WCS to create a profile view. Enter the name of the UCS you want to use and the scale of your view. Entering a scale is equivalent to zooming your viewport by a factor relative to paper space.
Once you select the side of the viewport you want to use for projecting the new view, a rubber-band line perpendicular to the side of the viewport helps you locate the center of the new view. Auxiliary Creates an auxiliary view from an existing view. An auxiliary view is one that is projected onto a plane perpendicular to one of the orthographic views and inclined in the adjacent view.
Two points define the inclined plane used for the auxiliary projection. Both points must be located in the same viewport. A rubber-band line perpendicular to the inclined plane helps you select the center of the new viewport. Section Creates a drafting sectional view of solids, complete with cross-hatching. When you use SOLDRAW on a sectional view created with this option, it creates a temporary copy of the solids and uses SLICE to perform the operation at the cutting plane that you define.
In the original viewport, specify two points to define the sectioning plane. Define the viewing side by specifying a point on one side of the cutting plane. Enter the scale of the new view. Entering a scale is equivalent to zooming your viewport by a factor relative to paper space. The default value is a 1:1 scale, which is equivalent to zoom 1.0xp. At the next prompt, specify the center of the new viewport.
Access Methods Button Toolbar: Text List of Prompts In a layout, when in model space, the prompt is displayed as follows: Specify paper space distance <1.000>: Enter a length in paper space to convert to the equivalent length in model space In a layout, when in paper space, the prompt is displayed as follows: Select a viewport: Pick a layout viewport object (this prompt is displayed when more than one viewport object is available in the layout) Specify model space distance <1.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Text panel ➤ Check Spelling Menu: Tools ➤ Spelling Toolbar: Text Command entry: 'spell for transparent use Summary When you enter spell at the Command prompt, the Check Spelling dialog box is displayed. Select the Start button to begin the spelling check. If Check Spelling is set to Entire Drawing, spelling is checked on the Model layout, then on named (paper space) layouts. If a flagged word is identified, the drawing area highlights and zooms to that word.
Summary Checks the spelling in single-line text, multiline text, multileader text, text within block attributes, text within xrefs, and text added to dimensions. In block attributes, only the attribute values are checked. The spelling in text objects within block references and nested block references is checked, but spell checking in block definitions is performed only if the associated block reference has been selected. List of Options The following options are displayed.
You can select another replacement word from the list, or edit or enter a replacement word in the top Suggestions text area. Main Dictionary Lists the main dictionary options. The default dictionary will depend on the language setting. Start Starts checking text for spelling errors. Ignore Skips the current word. Ignore All Skips all remaining words that match the current word. Add to Dictionary Adds the current word to the current custom dictionary. The maximum word length is 63 characters.
Check Spelling Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Check Spelling Provides options to change the way the default behavior of the spelling checker dialog box. Summary Specifies specific text options that will be checked in your drawing. List of Options The following options are displayed. Include Dimension Text Searches dimension text. Block Attributes Searches block attributes text for spelling errors. External References Specifies to search external references for spelling errors.
Options Ignore Capitalized Words Specifies to ignore capitalized words. Ignore Words with Mix Cases Specifies to ignore words that contain uppercase and lowercase letters. Ignore Words in Uppercase Specifies to ignore words that are in all uppercase. Ignore Words with Numbers Specifies to ignore words that include numbers. Ignore Words Containing Punctuation Specifies to ignore words that contain punctuation.
Summary Manages dictionaries. During a spelling check, the words in the drawing are matched to the words in the current main and current custom dictionaries. Any spelling exceptions that you identify with the Add option are stored in the custom dictionary you are currently using. If you want to check spelling in another language, you can change to a different main dictionary. You can also create any number of custom dictionaries and switch between them as needed.
Imports words from another dictionary or word list into your current custom dictionary. Manage Custom Dictionaries Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Check Spelling Manages your custom dictionaries allowing you to add or remove a dictionary. List of Options The following options are displayed. Custom Dictionaries List Displays the custom dictionaries list. Only one dictionary can be selected at a time. New Allows you to create a custom dictionary.
Allows you to add an existing custom dictionary from your file lists. Remove Allows you to delete a custom dictionary file from your list. SPHERE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid Sphere Creates a 3D solid sphere. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ 3D Modeling panel ➤ Sphere Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Sphere Toolbar: Modeling Summary You can create a sphere by specifying a center point and a point on the radius.
Specify center point on page 1821 or [3P on page 1821/2P on page 1821/Ttr on page 1821]: Specify a point or enter an option Center Point Specifies the center point of the sphere. When you specify the center point, the sphere is positioned so that its central axis is parallel to the Z axis of the current user coordinate system (UCS). Latitudinal lines are parallel to the XY plane. Radius Defines the radius of the sphere. Diameter Defines the diameter of the sphere.
Creates a smooth curve that passes through or near a set of fit points, or that is defined by the vertices in a control frame. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Draw panel ➤ Spline Menu: Draw ➤ Spline ➤ Fit Points Menu: Draw ➤ Spline ➤ Control Vertices Toolbar: Draw Summary SPLINE creates curves called nonuniform rational B-splines (NURBS), referred to as splines for simplicity. Splines are defined either with fit points, or with control vertices.
For splines created with the control vertices method: Specify first point or [Method on page 1823/Knots on page 1824/Object on page 1824]: First Point Specifies the first point of the spline, either the first fit point or the first control vertex, depending on the current method. Method Controls whether the spline is created with fit points or with control vertices. (SPLMETHOD on page 2546 system variable) Fit Creates a degree 3 (cubic) B-spline by specifying fit points that the spline must pass through.
Object Converts 2D or 3D quadratic or cubic spline-fit polylines to equivalent splines. The original polyline is retained or discarded depending on the setting of the DELOBJ system variable. Next Point Creates additional spline segments until you press Enter. Undo Removes the last specified point. Close Closes the spline by defining the last point to be coincident with the first. By default, closed splines are periodic, maintaining curvature continuity (C2) along the entire loop.
■ Chord (or Chord-Length method). Spaces the knots connecting each component curve to be proportional to the distances between each associated pair of fit points. An example is the green curve in the illustration. ■ Square Root (or Centripetal method). Spaces the knots connecting each component curve to be proportional to the square root of the distance between each associated pair of fit points. This method usually produces “gentler” curves. An example is the blue curve in the illustration.
Tolerance Specifies the distance by which the spline is allowed to deviate from the specified fit points. A tolerance value of 0 requires the resulting spline to pass directly through the fit points. The tolerance value applies to all fit points except the starting and ending fit points, which always have a tolerance of 0. Options for Splines with Control Vertices The following option is specific to the control vertices (CV) method.
Summary Modifies the data that defines a spline, such as the number and weight of control vertices, the fit tolerance, and the starting and ending tangents. NOTE SPLINEDIT automatically converts spline-fit polylines to splines even if you immediately exit SPLINEDIT after selecting the spline-fit polyline. The data that defines a spline is represented in one of two formats: as a control frame or as fit points.
Join Combines a selected spline with other splines, lines, polylines, and arcs at coincident endpoints to form a larger spline. Objects are joined with kinks at the points where they are joined (C0 continuity).
Kink Adds a knot and fit point at the specified location on the spline, which does not maintain tangent or curvature continuity at that point. Move Moves fit points to new locations. New Location Moves the selected fit point to the specified location. Next Selects the next fit point. Previous Selects the previous fit point. Select Point Select any fit point on the spline. Purge Replaces the fit data from the spline with control vertices. Tangents Changes the starting and ending tangents of a spline.
Enter a vertex editing option [Add on page 1830/Delete on page 1830/Elevate order on page 1830/Move on page 1830/Weight on page 1830/eXit on page 1830] : Add Adds a new control vertex at the point you specify that is located between two existing control vertices. Delete Removes a selected control vertex. Elevate Order Increases the polynomial order (degree plus one) of the spline. This results in increasing the number of control vertices across the spline. The maximum value is 26.
NOTE A high precision value will decrease performance. The PLINECONVERTMODE system variable determines whether the polylines are created with linear or arc segments. The DELOBJ system variable determines whether the original spline is retained. Reverse Reverses the direction of the spline. This option is intended primarily for third-party applications. Undo Cancels the last action. Exit Returns to the Command prompt.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Photometry Photometry is the measurement of the luminous intensities of visible light sources. Photometry is available when the LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to 1 or 2. In photometry, luminous intensity is a measure of the perceived power emitted by a light source in a particular direction. Luminous flux is the perceived power per unit of solid angle. The total luminous flux for a lamp is the perceived power emitted in all directions.
Soft Mapped Displays realistic shadows with soft edges. ■ Map Size. Specifies the amount of memory to use to calculate the shadow map. ■ Softness. Specifies the softness to use to calculate the shadow map. Soft Sampled Displays realistic shadows with softer shadows (penumbra) based on extended light sources. Specify the shape of the shadow by entering s and then the dimensions of the shape. (For example, the radius of the sphere or the length and width of a rectangle.
Index Specifies an ACI (AutoCAD Color Index) color. HSL Specifies an HSL (hue, saturation, luminance) color. Color Book Specifies a color from a color book. Exit Exits the command. STANDARDS Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of CAD Standards Manages the association of standards files with drawings.
Configure Standards Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Define Standards Associates the current drawing with one or more standards (DWS) files and lists plug-ins used to check standards. List of Options The following options are displayed. Check Standards Opens the Check Standards dialog box. Settings Displays the CAD Standards Settings dialog box, which specifies additional settings for the Configure Standards and Check Standards dialog boxes.
Remove Standards File Removes a standards file from the list. (Removing a standards file does not delete it but simply dissociates it from the current drawing.) Move Up Moves a standards file up one position in the list. Move Down Moves a standards file down one position in the list. Description Provides summary information about the standards file currently selected in the list. You can add comments and a title to the description by opening the DWS file and using the DWGPROPS command.
Summary Specifies additional settings for the Configure Standards dialog box and the Check Standards dialog box. List of Options The following options are displayed. Notification Settings Sets an option for notification about standards violations. Disable Standards Notifications Turns off notifications for standards violations and for missing standards files. Display Alert upon Standards Violation Turns on notification for standards violations in the current drawing.
This option is set for each system and applies to all drawings checked on a system. Show Ignored Problems Switches between displaying or not displaying problems that have been flagged as ignored. If this option is checked, standards violations that have been flagged as ignored are displayed when an audit is performed on the current drawing.
Summary All coordinates and distances are displayed by STATUS in the format specified by UNITS. STATUS reports the number of objects in the current drawing. This includes graphical objects such as arcs and polylines, and nongraphical objects such as layers and linetypes, and block definitions. In addition to overall drawing statistics and settings, the amount of installed memory free on your system, the amount of disk space available, and the amount of free space in the swap file are also listed.
(GRIDUNIT system variable) Current Space Shows whether model space or paper space is active. Current Layout Displays “Model” or the name of the current layout. Current Layer Sets the current layer. (CLAYER system variable) Current Color Sets the color of new objects. (CECOLOR system variable) Current Linetype Sets the linetype of new objects. (CELTYPE system variable) Current Material Sets the material of new objects. (CMATERIAL system variable) Current Lineweight Sets the lineweight of new objects.
STLOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export Stereolithography STL Files Stores solids in an ASCII or binary file. Summary The FACETRES system variable determines how the solid is triangulated. A higher value creates a finer mesh that more accurately represents the model. This also results in a much larger file. Select solids or watertight meshes You can select blocks or external references (xrefs) that contain solids or watertight meshes.
Summary The Create STL File dialog box is a standard file selection dialog box. The STL file format is preferred by 3D printing service providers. If you have prepared your drawing for 3D printing, you save it with the STLOUT command. The FACETRES system variable determines how the solid is triangulated. A higher value creates a finer mesh that more accurately represents the model. This also results in a much larger file.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects to stretch by crossing-window or crossing-polygon... Select objects: Use the cpolygon option or the crossing object selection method, and press Enter. Individually selected objects and objects that are completely enclosed by the crossing selection are moved rather than stretched. STRETCH moves only the vertices and endpoints that lie inside the crossing selection, leaving those outside unchanged.
If you enter a second point, the objects are stretched the vector distance from the base point to the second point. If you press Enter at the Specify Second Point of Displacement prompt, the first point is treated as an X,Y,Z displacement. STYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Text Styles Creates, modifies, or specifies text styles.
You can specify the current text style to determine the appearance of all new text. A text style includes the font, size, obliquing angle, orientation, and other text characteristics. Text Style Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Text Styles Creates, modifies, or specifies text styles. Summary Creates, modifies, or sets named text styles. List of Options The following options are displayed. Current Text Style Lists the current text style.
Styles Displays the list of styles in the drawing. A indicates that the style is . icon before the style name Style names can be up to 255 characters long. They can contain letters, numbers, and the special characters dollar sign ($), underscore (_), and hyphen (-). Style List Filter The drop-down list specifies whether all styles or only the styles in use are displayed in the styles list. Preview Displays sample text that changes dynamically as you change fonts and modify the effects.
Size Changes the size of the text. Annotative Specifies that the text is . Click the information icon to learn more about the annotative objects. Match Text Orientation to Layout Specifies that the orientation of the text in paper space viewports matches the orientation of the layout. This option is unavailable if the option is cleared. Height or Paper Text Height Sets the text height based on the value you enter. Entering a height greater than 0.0 sets the text height for this style automatically.
Oblique Angle Sets the obliquing angle of the text. Entering a value between -85 and 85 italicizes the text. NOTE TrueType fonts using the effects described in this section might appear bold on the screen. Onscreen appearance has no effect on plotted output. Fonts are plotted as specified by applied character formatting. Set Current Sets the style selected under Styles to current.
Text Style Name Specifies the text style name. To define a style that uses Big Fonts, you can use long file names that do not contain commas. Commas are used to separate SHX files and Big Font files for defining a Big Font file. Enter a TrueType font family name or an SHX font file name. If you do not enter a file name extension, this program searches for an SHX file. If the file is not located, Windows substitutes the first located registered TrueType font.
STYLESMANAGER Quick Reference See also: ■ Manage Plot Style Tables Displays the Plot Style Manager, where you can revise plot style tables. Access Methods Button Menu: Application menu ➤ Print ➤ Manage Plot Styles Menu: File ➤ Plot Style Manager Summary In the folder, you can start the Add-a-Plot-Style-Table wizard, or double-click an STB or CTB file to open the Plot Style Table Editor. ■ Double-click the Add-a-Plot-Style-Table wizard to add plot style tables.
Summary Plot style tables contain and define plot styles, which can be assigned to objects. When complete, the wizard produces an STB or CTB file depending on the type of table you are creating. You can edit these files in the Plot Style Table Editor. To use your new plot style table, the selected options on the Plot and Publish tab of the Options dialog box must be appropriate for the type of plot style table (named or color-dependent) you created.
■ Choose Plot Style Table Editor from the Finish screen in the Add Plot Style Table wizard. ■ In the Page Setup dialog box under Plot Style Table (Pen Assignments), select a plot style and click the Edit button. ■ In the Current Plot Style and Select Plot Style dialog boxes, choose Editor.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Plot Style Table File Name Displays the name of the plot style table file you are editing. Description Provides a description area for a plot style table. File Information Displays information about the plot style table you are editing: number of plot styles, path, and version number of the Plot Style Table Editor.
Table View and Form View Tabs (Plot Style Table Editor) Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Plot Styles to Control Plotted Objects Summary Lists all of the plot styles in the plot style table and their settings. Plot styles are displayed in columns from left to right. In general, the Table View tab is convenient if you have a small number of plot styles.
Name Displays the names of plot styles in named plot style tables. Plot styles in named plot style tables can be changed. Plot style names in color-dependent plot style tables are tied to object color and cannot be changed. The program accepts up to 255 characters for style names. Description Provides a description for each plot style. Properties Specifies the settings for the new plot style you are adding to the current plot style table. Color Specifies the plotted color for an object.
are editing a plot style in a color-dependent plot style table, the value is set to Automatic. If you specify 0, the field updates to read Automatic. The program determines the pen of the closest color to the object you are plotting using the information you provided under Physical Pen Characteristics in the Plotter Configuration Editor. Virtual Pen Number Specifies a virtual pen number between 1 and 255. Many non-pen plotters can simulate pen plotters using virtual pens.
Displays a sample of the lineweight as well as its numeric value. You can specify the numeric value of each lineweight in millimeters. If you assign a plot style lineweight, the lineweight overrides the object's lineweight when it is plotted. Line End Style If you assign a line end style, the line end style overrides the object's line end style at plot time. Line Join Style If you assign a line join style, the line join style overrides the object's line join style at plot time.
Save As Displays the Save As dialog box and saves the plot style table to a new name. Edit Lineweights Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Plot Styles to Control Plotted Objects Modifies the width values of existing lineweights. List of Options The following options are displayed. Lineweights Lists the lineweights in the plot style table. You can modify existing lineweights, but you can't add or delete them. If you change a lineweight value, other plot styles that use the lineweight also change.
Sort Lineweights Sorts the list of lineweights by value. If you change lineweight values, choose Sort Lineweights to resort the list. SUBTRACT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Composite Objects Combines selected 3D solids or 2D regions by subtraction.
Objects in the second selection set are subtracted from objects in the first selection set. A single new 3D solid, surface, or region is created. You can only subtract regions from other regions that are on the same plane. However, you can perform simultaneous SUBTRACT actions by selecting sets of regions on different planes.
regions on each plane. Regions for which there are no other selected coplanar regions are rejected. You cannot use SUBTRACT with mesh objects. However, if you select a mesh object, you will be prompted to convert it to a 3D solid or surface. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select objects (to subtract from) Specifies the 3D solids, surfaces, or regions to be modified by subtraction. Select objects (to subtract) Specifies the 3D solids, surfaces, or regions to subtract.
Sun Properties Window Quick Reference See also: ■ Sun and Sky Simulation Sets and modifies the properties of the sun. List of Options The following options are displayed. General Sets the general properties of the sun. Status Turns the sun on and off. If lighting is not enabled in the drawing, this setting has no effect. Intensity Factor Sets the intensity or brightness of the sun. The range is from 0 (no light) to maximum. The higher the number, the brighter the light.
Color (Standard lighting workflow only) Controls the color of the light. Shadows Turns display and calculation of shadows for the sun on and off. Turning shadows off increases performance. Sky Properties The sky general properties are as follows: Status Determines if the sky illumination is computed at render time. This has no impact on the viewport illumination or the background. It simply makes the sky available as a gathered light source for rendering. Note this does not control the background.
Disk Scale Specifies the scale of the sun disk (1.0 = correct size). Glow Intensity Specifies the intensity of the sun glow. Values are 0.0-25.0. Disk Intensity Specifies the intensity of the sun disk. Values are 0.0-25.0. Sun Angle Calculator Sets the angle of the sun. Date Displays the current date setting. Time Displays the current time setting. Daylight Saving Displays the current setting for daylight saving time. Azimuth Displays the angle of the sun along the horizon clockwise from due north.
See also: ■ Standard and Photometric Lighting Workflow SUNPROPERTIESCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Sun and Sky Simulation Closes the Sun Properties window. Summary The Sun Properties window is closed. SURFBLEND Quick Reference See also: ■ Blend a Surface Creates a continuous blend surface between two existing surfaces.
Summary When you blend two surfaces together, you specify surface continuity and bulge magnitude. Set SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY on page 2558 to 1 to create a relationship between the blend surface and the originating curves. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select Surface Edge Selects an edge subobject or a surface or region (not the surface itself) as the first and second edges. Chain Selects contiguous, connected, edges. Continuity Measures how smoothly surfaces flow into each other.
SURFEXTEND Quick Reference See also: ■ Extend a Surface Lengthens a surface by a specified distance. Access Methods Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Edit panel ➤ Extend Menu: Modify ➤ Surface Editing ➤ Extend Toolbar: Surface Creation Summary List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify Extension Distance Specifies the extension length. Expression Enter a formula or equation to specify the length of the surface extension. See Constrain a Design with Formulas and Equations.
SURFFILLET Quick Reference See also: ■ Fillet a Surface Creates a filleted surface between two other surfaces. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Edit panel ➤ Fillet Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Surfaces ➤ Fillet Toolbar: Surface Creation Summary The fillet surface has a constant radius profile and is tangent to the original surfaces. The original surfaces are automatically trimmed to connect the edges of the fillet surface.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. First and Second Surface or Region Specifies the first and second surfaces or regions. Radius Specifies fillet radius. Use the Fillet grip or enter a value to change the radius. You cannot enter a value that is smaller than the gap between the surfaces. If no radius value is entered, the FILLETRAD3D on page 2335 system variable value is used. Trim Surface Trims the original surfaces or regions to the edges of the fillet surface.
Creates a surface in the space between several curves in the U and V directions (including surface and solid edge subobjects). Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Create panel ➤ Network Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Surfaces ➤ Network Toolbar: Surface Creation Summary A network surface can be created between a network of curves or between the edges of other 3D surfaces or solids.
Select Curves or Surface Edges in the First Direction Select a network of open curves, open surface edges, or region edges (not the surfaces or regions) for the U or V direction. Select Curves or Surface Edges in the Second Direction Select a network of open curves, open surface edges, or region edges (not the surfaces or regions) for the U or V direction. Bulge Magnitude Sets the roundness of the network surface edge where it meets the originating surface. Valid values are between 0 and 1.
List of Prompts The following prompts display. Specify Offset Distance Specifies the distance between the offset surface and the original surface. Flip Direction Reverses the offset direction shown by the arrows. Both Sides Offsets the surface in both directions (creates two new surfaces in instead of one).
Solid Creates a solid from the offset. This is similar to the THICKEN on page 1932 command. Connect Connects multiple offset surfaces, if the original surfaces are connected. Expression Enter a formula or equation to specify the distance of the surface offset. See Constrain a Design with Formulas and Equations.
SURFPATCH Quick Reference See also: ■ Patch a Surface Creates a new surface by fitting a cap over a surface edge that forms a closed loop. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Create panel ➤ Patch Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Surfaces ➤ Patch Toolbar: Surface Creation Summary You can also add an additional curve over the closed loop to constrain and guide the patch surface.
When you create a patch surface, you can specify surface continuity and bulge magnitude. If the SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY on page 2558 system variable is set to 1, associativity is maintained between the patch surface and the originating edges or curves. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select Surface Edges on page 1876 to patch or [Chain on page 1876/Curves on page 1876] : Surface Edges Selects individual surface edges and adds them to the selection set.
Continuity Measures how smoothly surfaces flow into each other. The default is G0. See Understand Surface Continuity and Bulge Magnitude. Select a value or use the grip to change the continuity. Bulge Magnitude For best results, enter a value between 0 and 1 to set the roundness of the patch surface edge where it meets the originating surface. The default is 0.5. Guides Uses additional guide curves to shape the patch surface. Guide curves can be curves or points.
NOTE The area enclosed by the surfaces must be watertight and the surfaces must have a continuity of G0 or the SURFSCULPT command cannot complete. The SURFSCULPT command also works with solid and mesh objects. If you are working with meshes, the operation uses the SMOOTHMESHCONVERT on page 2536 setting. SURFTRIM Quick Reference See also: ■ Trim and Untrim Surfaces Trims portions of a surface where it meets another surface or type of geometry.
Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Edit panel ➤ Trim Menu: Modify ➤ Surface Editing ➤ Trim Toolbar: Surface Editing Summary Trims portions of a surface where it meets or bisects a curve, region, or another surface. If the SURFACEASSOCIATIVITY on page 2558 system variable is set to 1, the trimmed surface updates whenever the trimming edges are modified. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select Surfaces or Regions to Trim Select one or more surfaces or regions to trim.
Extend Controls whether the cutting surface is trimmed to meet the edge of the trimmed surface. Projection Direction The cutting geometry is projected onto the surface. Controls the projection angle as follows: Automatic ■ When trimming a surface or region in plan, parallel view (for example, the default Top, Front, and Right view), the cutting geometry is projected onto the surface in the view direction.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Edit panel ➤ Untrim Menu: Modify ➤ Surface Editing ➤ Untrim Toolbar: Surface Editing Summary If the trimmed edge is dependent on another surface edge that has also been trimmed, you may not be able to fully restore the trimmed area. NOTE SURFUNTRIM does not restore areas removed by the SURFAUTOTRIM system variable and PROJECTGEOMETRY. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
SWEEP Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid or Surface by Sweeping Creates a 3D solid or surface by sweeping a 2D or 3D object or subobject along a path. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Solid tab ➤ Solid panel ➤ Sweep Ribbon: Surface tab ➤ Create panel ➤ Sweep Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Sweep Toolbar: Modeling Summary Creates a solid or surface by sweeping an open or closed, planar or non-planar curve (profile) along an open or closed path.
Objects that Can Be Swept Objects that Can Be Used as a Sweep Path 2D polylines 2D and 3D polylines 2D solids Solid, surface and mesh edge subobjects 3D solid face subobjects Helices Arcs Arcs Circles Circles Ellipses Ellipses Elliptical arcs Elliptical arcs Lines Lines Regions Solid, surface and mesh edge subobjects Trace NOTE Select face and edge subobjects by pressing Ctrl while you select them.
Alignment Specifies whether the profile is aligned to be normal to the tangent direction of the sweep path. NOTE If the profile is not perpendicular (normal) to the tangent of the start point of the path, then the profile automatically aligns. Enter No at the alignment prompt to prevent this. Base Point Specifies a base point for the objects to be swept. Scale Specifies a scale factor for a sweep operation.
Menu: Window ➤ Tile Vertically Menu: Window ➤ Arrange Icons List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [Cascade on page 1885/tile Horizontal on page 1885/tile Vertical on page 1885/Arrange icons on page 1885]: Enter an option Cascade Organizes a large number of windows by overlapping them for easier access. Tile Horizontal Arranges open drawings in horizontal, nonoverlapping windows. When several drawings are open, you can view them in rows.
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T Commands 20 TABLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Tables Creates an empty table object. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Annotation panel ➤ Insert Table Menu: Draw ➤ Table Toolbar: Draw Summary A table is a compound object that contains data in rows and columns. It can be created from an empty table or a table style. A table can also be linked to data in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
The Insert Table dialog box is displayed. If you select a table cell when the ribbon is active, the Table ribbon contextual tab displays. If you enter -table at the Command prompt, options are displayed. Insert Table Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Tables Creates an empty table object.
Summary Inserts an empty table in the drawing. List of Options The following options are displayed. Table Style Choose a table style from within the current drawing from which to create a table. You can create a new table style by clicking the button next to the drop-down list. Insert Options Specifies the method for inserting your table. Start from Empty Table Creates an empty table that can be filled in with data manually. Start from Data Link Creates a table from data in an external spreadsheet.
Preview Controls whether a preview displays. If you start from an empty table, the preview displays an example of the table style. If you create a table link, the preview displays the resulting table. Clear this option to improve performance when working with large tables. Insertion Behavior Specifies the location of the table. Specify Insertion Point Specifies the location of the upper-left corner of the table. You can use the pointing device or enter coordinate values at the Command prompt.
Data Rows Specifies the number of rows. When the Specify Window option is selected and you specify a row height, the Auto option is selected, and the number of rows is controlled by the height of the table. A table style with a title row and a header row has a minimum of three rows. The minimum row height is one line. If a table style containing a starting table has been specified, then you can choose the number of additional data rows you would like added to that starting table.
Blocks Retains blocks from the starting table in the newly-inserted table. Retain Cell Style Overrides Retains cell style overrides from the starting table in the newly-inserted table. Data Links Retains data links from the starting table in the newly-inserted table. Fields Retains fields from the starting table in the newly-inserted table. Formulas Retains formulas from the starting table in the newly-inserted table.
Merge Panel Merge Cells Merges the selected cells into one large cell. Unmerge Cells Unmerges cells that were previously merged. Cell Styles Panel Match Cell Applies the properties of a selected cell to other cells. Cell Styles Lists all cell styles contained within the current table style. The cell styles Title, Header, and Data are always contained within any table style, and cannot be deleted or renamed. Cell Borders Sets the properties of the borders of the selected table cells.
Negative Numbers For Currency data types only, lists options for displaying negative numbers. X, Y, and Z For a Point data type only, filters X, Y, or Z coordinates. Additional Format For Angle, Decimal Number, Point and Whole Number data types only, opens the Additional Format dialog box, where you set additional formatting options for table cells. Examples For the Date data type only, displays a list of date display options for the date option you selected in the Format field.
Displays the content of the selected cell. Access Methods Toolbar: Table Shortcut menu: Right-click while editing any single cell, and click Manage Cell Content. List of Options The following options are displayed. Cell Content List Box Lists all text and/or blocks in the selected cell in order of appearance. Text is indicated with the label Table Cell Text. Blocks are indicated with Block preceding the name of the block.
Layout Mode Options Changes the direction in which cell content will appear. Flow Places cell content based on the width of the cell. Stacked Horizontal Places cell content horizontally, regardless of cell width. Stacked Vertical Places cell content vertically, regardless of cell height. Content Spacing Determines the spacing between text and/or blocks within the cell. -TABLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Tables Creates an empty table object.
Height Specifies a height for the table rows. Style Specifies a table style for the table. The specified table style must contain a starting table. For more information, see Work with Table Styles. Auto Specifies a size and a location for the table. When this option is selected, you can set the number of columns or the column width, but not both. The number of rows and the row height depend on the size of the window you specify. First Corner Specifies the location of the upper-left corner of the table.
The cell type is set in the Properties palette. The Header and Title cell styles use the Label cell type by default. Data Text Retains rows with a cell type of Data found in the table style’s starting table. The cell type is set in the Properties palette. The Data cell style uses the Data cell type property by default. Formulas Retains formulas found in the specified table style’s starting table. Fields Retains fields found in the specified table style’s starting table.
TABLEEXPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Tables Exports data from a table object in CSV file format. Access Methods Shortcut menu: With a table selected, right-click and click Export. Summary A standard file selection dialog box is displayed. Table data is exported in the comma-separated (CSV) file format. All formatting of the table and its text is lost. TABLESTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Table Styles Creates, modifies, or specifies table styles.
Summary The Table Style dialog box is displayed. You can specify the current table style to determine the appearance of all new tables. A table style includes settings for background colors, margins, borders, text, and other table characteristics. Table Style Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Table Styles Sets the current table style and creates, modifies, and deletes table styles. List of Options The following options are displayed.
List Controls the contents of the Styles list. Preview Of Displays a preview image of the style that is selected in the Styles list. Set Current Sets the table style selected in the Styles list as the current style. All new tables are created using this table style. New Displays the Create New Table Style dialog box, in which you can define new table styles. Modify Displays the Modify Table Style dialog box, in which you can modify table styles. Delete Deletes the table style selected in the Styles list.
List of Options The following options are displayed. New Style Name Names the new table style. Start With Specifies an existing table style whose settings are the default for the new table style. Continue Displays the New Table Style dialog box, in which you define the new table style. New and Modify Table Style Dialog Boxes Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Table Styles Defines a new table style or modifies an existing table style.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Starting Table Allows you to specify a table in your drawing to use as an example for formatting this table style. Once you select a table, you can specify the structure and contents you want copied from that table to the table style. With the Remove Table icon, you can remove a table from the current specified table style. General Table Direction Sets the direction of a table. Down creates a table that reads from top to bottom.
General Tab Properties Fill Color Specifies the background color of the cell. The default is None. You can choose Select Color to display the Select Color dialog box. Alignment Sets justification and alignment for the text in the table cell. Text is middle-, top-, or bottom-aligned with respect to the top and bottom borders of the cell. Text is center-justified, left-justified, or right-justified with respect to the left and right borders of the cell.
Vertical Sets the distance between the text or block in the cell and the top and bottom cell borders. Merge cells on row/column creation Merges any new row or column created with the current cell style into one cell. You can use this option to create a title row at the top of your table. Text Tab Text Style Lists the available text styles. Text Style Button Displays the Text Style Dialog Box where you can create or modify text styles. (DIMTXSTY system variable) Text Height Sets the text height.
Borders Tab Lineweight Sets the lineweight to be applied to the borders you specify by clicking a border button. If you use a heavy lineweight, you may have to increase the cell margins. Linetype Sets the linetype to be applied to the borders you specify. Choose Other to load a custom linetype. Color Sets the color to be applied to the borders you specify by clicking a border button. Choose Select Color to display the Select Color dialog box. Double Line Displays table borders as double lines.
Applies the border properties settings to the inside border. Bottom Border Applies the border properties settings to the bottom borders. Left Border Applies the border properties settings to the left borders. Top Border Applies the border properties settings to the top borders. Right Border Applies the border properties settings to the right borders. No Border Hides borders. Cell Style Preview Displays an example of the effect of the current table style settings.
New Style Name Names the new cell style. Start With Specifies an existing cell style whose settings are the default for the new cell style. Continue Returns you to the New Table Style dialog box, in which you define the new cell style. Manage Cell Styles Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Table Styles Displays all cell styles within the current table style and allows you to create or delete a cell style. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Lists all cell styles contained within the current table style. The cell styles Title, Header, and Data are always contained within any table style. New Displays the Create New Cell Style dialog box. From here, you can create a new cell style to be contained within the current table style. Rename Allows you to give a new name to the selected cell style. The Title, Header, and Data cell styles cannot be renamed. Delete Allows you to delete the selected cell style.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Data Type Displays a list of data types (Angle, Date, Decimal Number, and so on) that you can format for table rows. Preview Displays a preview of the option you selected in the Format list. Format Depending on the data type you select, displays a list of relevant format types. For example, if you selected Angle as the data type, options such as Decimal Degrees, Grads, Radians, and so on are displayed.
X, Y, and Z Coordinates For a Point data type only, filters X, Y, or Z coordinates. Additional Format For Angle, Decimal Number, Point, and Whole Number data types only, opens the Additional Format dialog box, where you set additional formatting options for table cells. Examples For the Date data type only, displays a list of date display options for the date option you selected in the Format field. Click a date in the Format field to see an example.
Zero Suppression Controls the suppression of leading and trailing zeros, and of feet and inches that have a value of zero. Leading Suppresses leading zeros in all decimal values. For example, 0.5000 becomes .5000. Trailing Suppresses trailing zeros in all decimal values. For example, 12.5000 becomes 12.5, and 30.0000 becomes 30. 0 Feet Suppresses the feet portion of a feet-and-inches value when the distance is less than one foot. For example, 0'-6 1/2" becomes 6 1/2".
Cal Calibrates the digitizer with a paper drawing or photograph, creating the tablet transformation, which is the mapping of points from the tablet to the coordinate drawing system. Calibration is digitizing points on the drawing and mapping them to their real coordinates. Calibration can be performed in model space or paper space. The Cal option turns on Tablet mode in the space in which the tablet is calibrated. When the space is changed, the Cal option turns off Tablet mode.
Affine Specifies arbitrary linear transformation in two dimensions consisting of translation, independent X- and Y-scaling, rotation, and skewing with three calibration points. Use Affine when horizontal dimensions in a paper drawing are stretched with respect to vertical dimensions, and lines that are supposed to be parallel actually are parallel. The RMS (root mean square) error reported after calibration measures how close the program has come to making a perfect fit.
RMS Error Reports the RMS (root mean square) error, which measures how close the program has come to finding a perfect fit. The goal is the smallest RMS error. Standard Deviation Reports the standard deviation of the residuals. If it is near zero, the residual at each calibration point is about the same. Largest Residual/At Point Reports the point at which the mapping is least accurate.
After all interaction concerning tablet menus is complete, the following prompt is displayed: Do you want to respecify the screen pointing area? [Yes/No] : Enter y or n or press Enter If you enter y, the following prompts are displayed: Digitize lower-left corner of the pointing area: Digitize a point Digitize upper-right corner of the pointing area: Digitize a point A small portion of the tablet's surface is designated as the fixed screen pointing area.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ 3D Modeling panel ➤ Tabulated Surface Menu: Draw ➤ Modeling ➤ Meshes ➤ Tabulated Mesh Summary Select a line, arc, circle, ellipse, or polyline to sweep in a straight path. Then select a line or polyline to determine the first and last points of a vector that indicates the direction and length of the polygon mesh. The MESHTYPE system variable sets which type of mesh is created. Mesh objects are created by default.
Object for direction vector. Specifies a line or open polyline that defines the direction of the sweep. Only the first and last points on a polyline are considered, and intermediate vertices are ignored. The direction vector indicates the direction and length of the shape to be extruded. The end selected on the polyline or line determines the direction of the extrusion.
If the LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to 0, the following prompt is displayed: Enter an option to change [Name on page 1919/Intensity on page 1919/Status on page 1919/shadoW on page 1920/Attenuation on page 1920/Color on page 1921/eXit on page 1921] : If the LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to 1 or 2, the following prompt is displayed: Enter an option to change [Name on page 1919/Intensity factor on page 1919/Status on page 1919/Photometry on page 1919/shadoW on page 1920/Attenuation on page
Enter f to specify the perceived power in a luminous flux value. If you enter i, you can specify the intensity of the light based on an illuminance value. The illuminance value can be specified in either lux or foot-candles. Enter d to specify a distance to use to calculate illuminance. Color Specify the color of the light based on a color name or a Kelvin temperature. Enter ? to display a list of color names.
■ Inverse Linear. Sets attenuation to be the inverse of the linear distance from the light. For example, at a distance of 2 units, light is half as strong as at the point light; at a distance of 4 units, light is one quarter as strong. The default value for inverse linear is half the maximum intensity. ■ Inverse Squared. Sets attenuation to be the inverse of the square of the distance from the light.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter new value for Taskbar : ■ On Windows 7 systems, the default value is 1. ■ For all other Windows operating systems, the default value is 0. When TASKBAR is set to 1, drawings are displayed separately on the Windows taskbar. With Windows 7, preview images of each open drawing are displayed when the cursor is over the AutoCAD taskbar button.
If TEXT was the last command entered, pressing Enter at the Specify Start Point of Text prompt skips the prompts for paper height and rotation angle. The text that you enter in the text box is placed directly beneath the previous line of text. The point that you specified at the prompt is also stored as the insertion point of the text. If the TEXTED system variable is set to 1, text created using TEXT displays the Edit Text dialog box. If TEXTED is set to 2, the In-Place Text Editor is displayed.
Justify Controls justification of the text. You can also enter any of these options at the Specify Start Point of Text prompt. Align Specifies both text height and text orientation by designating the endpoints of the baseline. The size of the characters adjusts in proportion to their height. The longer the text string, the shorter the characters. Fit Specifies that text fits within an area and at an orientation defined with two points and a height. Available for horizontally oriented text only.
Right Right-justifies the text at the baseline, which you specify with a point. TL (Top Left) Left-justifies text at a point specified for the top of the text. Available for horizontally oriented text only. TC (Top Center) Centers text at a point specified for the top of the text. Available for horizontally oriented text only. TR (Top Right) Right-justifies text at a point specified for the top of the text. Available for horizontally oriented text only.
BL (Bottom Left) Left-justifies text at a point specified for the baseline. Available for horizontally oriented text only. BC (Bottom Center) Centers text at a point specified for the baseline. Available for horizontally oriented text only. BR (Bottom Right) Right-justifies text at a point specified for the baseline. Available for horizontally oriented text only. Style Specifies the text style, which determines the appearance of the text characters. Text you create uses the current text style.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Opaque Background When checked, makes the background of the editor opaque. Insert Field Displays the Field dialog box, where you can select a field to insert in the text. Find and Replace Displays the Replace dialog box. Select All Selects all the text in the single-line text object. Change Case Changes the case of selected text.
Control Codes and Special Characters Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Single-Line Text Summary In addition to using Unicode characters for entering special characters, you can also overscore text, underscore text, or insert a special character by including control information in the text string. Use a pair of percent signs to introduce each control sequence. You can use this control code with standard AutoCAD text fonts and Adobe PostScript fonts. List of Options The following options are displayed.
%%% Draws a single percent sign (%). This is valid for the TEXT command only. Overscoring and underscoring can be in effect at the same time. Both turn off automatically at the end of the text string. You can use the %%nnn control sequence to display special characters using the PostScript fonts. A sample drawing (truetype.dwg) showing the character map for each font is provided in the sample folder.
The TEXT command checks the setting of the TEXTEVAL system variable setting only if it is used in a script or AutoLISP expression and all the TEXT command prompts are included within the script or AutoLISP expression. TEXTEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Text Edits a selected multiline or single-line text object, or the text in a dimension object. Summary Displays the in-place text editor, and accepts your changes to the selected multiline text, single-line text, or dimension object.
Access Methods Button Ribbon: Views tab ➤ Windows panel ➤ User Interface drop-down ➤ Text Window Menu: View ➤ Display ➤ Text Window Command entry: 'textscr for transparent use Summary The Command prompt is displayed in a separate window. You can press F2 to switch between the drawing area and the text window. When the Command prompt is hidden, you can turn it back on by entering commandline in the text window. This command is ignored on dual-screen systems.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Bring to front: [Text/Dimensions/Both] : Enter an option or press Enter Text Brings all text in front of all other objects in the drawing. Dimensions Brings all dimensions in front of all other objects in the drawing. Both Brings all text and dimensions in front of all other objects in the drawing. NOTE Text and dimensions that are contained within blocks and xrefs cannot be brought to the front apart from the containing object.
The DELOBJ system variable controls whether the object(s) you select are automatically deleted when the surface is created or whether you are prompted to delete the object(s). If you select a mesh face to thicken, you can choose to convert the mesh object to a solid or surface before completing the operation. List of Options The following prompts are displayed. Surfaces to thicken Specifies one or more surfaces to thicken into solids. Thickness Sets the height of the thickened object.
TIME Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain General Drawing Information Displays the date and time statistics of a drawing. Access Methods Button Menu: Tools ➤ Inquiry ➤ Time Command entry: 'time for transparent use Summary List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Current time: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 9:54:51:406 AM Times for this drawing: Created: Friday, December 12, 2003 1:21:36:203 AM Last Updated: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 9:49:19:208 AM Total Editing Time: 0 days 06:44:10.
Total Editing Time Displays the time spent editing the current drawing. This timer is updated by the program and cannot be reset or stopped. Plotting time is not included in the total editing time. If you quit the editing session without saving the drawing, the time you spent in the editing session is not added to the accumulated editing time. Elapsed Timer Runs as another timer while the program is running. You can turn it on and off or reset it whenever you like.
Summary The Timeline dialog box on page 1936 is displayed. You must save the drawing before you can continue with this command. NOTE You may first be prompted to log in to AutoCAD WS. If you do not have an account, click Create an Account and follow the on-screen instructions. Timeline Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use AutoCAD WS for Drawing File Collaboration Provides access to previous versions of the AutoCAD WS online copy of the current drawing.
Summary The timeline presents a visual representation of the history of any drawing uploaded to AutoCAD WS. A unique version is added to the timeline whenever the drawing is uploaded from AutoCAD or online edits are saved in AutoCAD WS, including changes resulting from collaboration sessions. Use the timeline to refer to previous versions of the drawing and track all changes. Users with whom you have shared the drawing can view the timeline. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Insert a Block in a Table Cell Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Text and Blocks to Tables Specifies options for inserting a block in a table cell. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Specifies the block reference to insert. Browse Displays the Select Drawing File dialog box. Select the drawing file to insert as a block reference. Path Displays the location of the drawing file selected in the Select Drawing File dialog box. Scale Specifies the scale for the block reference.
TOLERANCE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Geometric Tolerances Creates geometric tolerances contained in a feature control frame. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Dimensions panel ➤ Tolerance Menu: Dimension ➤ Tolerance Toolbar: Dimension Summary The Geometric Tolerance dialog box is displayed. Geometric tolerances show acceptable deviations of form, profile, orientation, location, and runout.
Specifies the symbols and values for a feature control frame. Summary After you select geometric characteristic symbols, the Geometric Tolerance dialog box closes and the following prompt is displayed: Enter tolerance location: Specify a location The feature control frame is placed at the specified location. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Sym Displays the geometric characteristic symbol, which you select from the Symbol dialog box.
Creates the tolerance value. Enter a value in the box. Third Box Displays the Material Condition dialog box, in which you select a modifying symbol. These symbols act as modifiers to the geometric characteristic and the tolerance value of features that can vary in size. The symbol is inserted into the MC box for the first tolerance value in the Geometric Tolerance dialog box. Tolerance 2 Creates the second tolerance value in the feature control frame.
Datum 3 Creates the tertiary datum reference in the feature control frame in the same way as the primary datum reference. Height Creates a projected tolerance zone value in the feature control frame. A projected tolerance zone controls the variation in height of the extended portion of a fixed perpendicular part and refines the tolerance to that specified by positional tolerances. Projected Tolerance Zone Inserts a projected tolerance zone symbol after the projected tolerance zone value.
Displays the geometric characteristic symbols for location, orientation, form, profile, and runout. Summary The symbol is inserted into the Sym text box in the Geometric Tolerance dialog box. The following table describes the symbols.
Geometric characteristic symbols Symbol Characteristic Type Flatness Form Circularity or roundness Form Straightness Form Profile of a surface Profile Profile of a line Profile Circular runout Runout Total runout Runout Material Condition Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Geometric Tolerances Specifies a modifying symbol. These symbols act as modifiers to the geometric characteristic and the tolerance value of features that can vary in size.
Summary The symbol is inserted into the MC box for the first or second tolerance value in the Geometric Tolerance dialog box. TOOLBAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Toolbars Displays, hides, and customizes toolbars. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Windows panel ➤ Toolbars Menu: View ➤ Toolbars Shortcut menu: Right-click any toolbar and choose Customize. Summary The Customize User Interface dialog box (see CUI) is displayed. If you enter -toolbar at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter toolbar name on page 1946 or [ALL on page 1947]: Enter a name or enter all Toolbar Name Specifies a toolbar to display, close, or position. Enter a valid toolbar name.
Left Docks the specified toolbar at the left side of the screen. Right Docks the specified toolbar at the right side of the screen. Top Docks the specified toolbar at the top of the screen. Bottom Docks the specified toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Enter New Position Sets the position of the toolbar in columns and rows relative to a toolbar dock. The first value is horizontal. The second value is vertical. Float Changes the toolbar from docked to floating.
Summary Use tool palettes to organize blocks, hatches, and custom tools in a tabbed window. Various options and settings are accessible from shortcut menus that display when you right-click different areas of the Tool Palettes window. NOTE Tool palettes can be used only in the version of the product in which they were created. For example, you cannot use a tool palette that was created in AutoCAD 2012 in AutoCAD 2007. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Dynamic Blocks Displays the palette tabs containing dynamic blocks. Move Changes the cursor to a four-direction arrow. Move Up Moves the selected tool palette up one position. Move Down Moves the selected tool palette down one position. New Palette Creates a new palette. Enter a name or press Enter to use the default name. Paste Pastes a tool from the Clipboard to the current tab. Properties Displays the Tool Properties dialog box, where you can change the properties of the selected tool.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Image Size Controls the display size of the selected tool palette icon. View Style Controls the text displayed with a tool palette icon. Icon Only Displays the tool icon only. Icon with Text Displays the tool icon with the tool name below. List View Displays the tool icon with the tool name to the right. Apply To Controls whether the view options are applied to the current tool palette or to all tool palettes in the Tool Palettes window.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Image Displays the icon of the selected tool. Name Displays the name of the selected tool. This can be edited. Description Displays a description of the selected tool. Tool Palettes - Materials When the Tool Palettes - Materials is displayed and a material tool is selected with the right-click Properties is one of the options. By selecting properties the Tool Properties dialog box displays the settings from the Materials Browser.
Delete Deletes the selected action from the parameter or parameter set. TOOLPALETTESCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Use Tools from Objects and Images Closes the Tool Palettes window. Access Methods Ribbon: View tab ➤ Palettes panel ➤ Tool Palettes Menu: Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Tool Palettes Toolbar: Standard TORUS Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid Torus Creates a donut-shaped 3D solid.
Summary You can create a torus by specifying the center, then the radius or diameter of the torus, and then the radius or diameter of the tube that surrounds the torus. You can control the smoothness of curved 3D solids, such as a torus, in a shaded or hidden visual style with the FACETRES system variable. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Radius Defines the radius of the tube. Diameter Defines the diameter of the tube. Diameter Defines the diameter of the torus. ■ Radius on page 1954 ■ Diameter on page 1954 TPNAVIGATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Organize Tool Palettes Displays a specified tool palette or palette group. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify tool palette to display or [palette Group]: Enter a tool palette name, or enter g Tool Palette Name Displays the specified tool palette.
TRACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Linear Objects Creates solid lines. Obsolete The TRACE command and TRACEWID system variable have been removed from the product. Summary The endpoints of a trace are on the center line and are always cut square. TRACE automatically calculates the correct bevels for connection to adjacent segments. Each segment is drawn after you either specify the next segment or press Enter. Because of the way bevels are handled, TRACE has no undo option.
Controls whether background pixels in an image are transparent or opaque. Access Methods Button Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ Image ➤ Transparency Toolbar: Reference Shortcut menu: Select an image, right-click in the drawing area, and click Image ➤ Transparency. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select image(s): Enter transparency mode [ON/OFF] : Enter an option or press Enter On Turns transparency on so that objects beneath the image are visible.
Shortcut menu: Right-click the status bar and click Tray Settings. Summary The Tray Settings dialog box is displayed. Tray Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Application Status Bar Controls the display of icons and notifications in the tray at the right end of the status bar. List of Options The following options are displayed. Display Icons from Services Displays the tray at the right end of the status bar and displays icons from services.
TREESTAT Quick Reference See also: ■ Increase Performance with Large Referenced Drawings ■ Work with Layer and Spatial Indexes Displays information about the drawing's current spatial index. Access Methods Command entry: 'treestat for transparent use Summary The program indexes objects in a region by recording their positions in space. The result is called a spatial index. The spatial index is tree structured and has branching nodes to which objects are attached. The index has two major branches.
TRIM Quick Reference See also: ■ Trim or Extend Objects Trims objects to meet the edges of other objects. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Home tab ➤ Modify panel ➤ Trim Menu: Modify ➤ Trim Toolbar: Modify Summary To trim objects, select the boundaries. Then press Enter and select the objects that you want to trim. To use all objects as boundaries, press Enter at the first Select Objects prompt. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Select objects or
Fence Selects all objects that cross the selection fence. The selection fence is a series of temporary line segments that you specify with two or more fence points. The selection fence does not form a closed loop. Crossing Selects objects within and crossing a rectangular area defined by two points. NOTE Some crossing selections of objects to be trimmed are ambiguous.
Edge Determines whether an object is trimmed at another object's extrapolated edge or only to an object that intersects it in 3D space. Extend Extends the cutting edge along its natural path to intersect an object in 3D space. No Extend Specifies that the object is trimmed only at a cutting edge that intersects it in 3D space. NOTE When trimming hatches, do not set Edge to Extend.
Undo Reverses the most recent change made by TRIM.
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U Commands 21 U Quick Reference See also: ■ Correct Mistakes Reverses the most recent operation. Access Methods Button Menu: Edit ➤ Undo Toolbar: Standard Shortcut menu: With no command active and no objects selected, right-click in the drawing area and click Undo. Command entry: Ctrl+Z Summary You can enter u as many times as you wish, backing up one step at a time, until the drawing is as it was when you began the current editing session.
When an operation cannot be undone, the command name is displayed but no action is performed. Operations external to the current drawing, such as plotting or writing to a file, cannot be undone. If you changed modes or used transparent commands during a command, their effects are undone, along with the effects of the main command. The U command is equivalent to entering undo 1.
and orientation to make drawing more convenient as you specify points, enter coordinates, and work with drawing aids, such as Ortho mode and the grid. A UCS can be stored with a viewport if the UCSVP system variable is set to 1 for that viewport. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Face TIP You can also select and drag the UCS icon (or choose Move And Align from the origin grip menu) to dynamically align the UCS with faces. Dynamically aligns the UCS to a face on a 3D object. Move the cursor over a face to see a preview of how the UCS will be aligned. Next Locates the UCS on either the adjacent face or the back face of the selected edge. Xflip Rotates the UCS 180 degrees around the X axis. Yflip Rotates the UCS 180 degrees around the Y axis.
?—List UCS Definitions Lists saved UCS definitions showing the origin and X, Y, and Z axes for each saved UCS definition relative to the current UCS. Enter an asterisk to list all UCS definitions. If the current UCS is the same as the WCS (World Coordinate System), it is listed as WORLD. If it is custom, but unnamed, it is listed as NO NAME. Object Aligns the UCS to a selected 2D or 3D object. The UCS can be aligned with any object type except xlines and 3D polylines.
World Aligns the UCS with the world coordinate system (WCS). TIP You can also click the UCS icon and choose World from the origin grip menu. X, Y, Z Rotates the current UCS about a specified axis. Point your right thumb in the positive direction of the X axis and curl your fingers. Your fingers indicate the positive rotation direction about the axis. Point your right thumb in the positive direction of the Y axis and curl your fingers. Your fingers indicate the positive rotation direction about the axis.
You can define any UCS by specifying an origin and one or more rotations around the X, Y, or Z axis. Z Axis Aligns the UCS to a specified positive Z axis. The UCS origin is moved to the first point and its positive Z axis passes through the second point. Object Aligns the Z axis tangent to the endpoint that is nearest to the specified point. The positive Z axis points away from the object.
All Applies the current UCS to all active viewports. UCSICON Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of the User Coordinate System Icon Controls the visibility, placement, appearance, and selectability of the UCS icon. Access Methods Button NOTE By default, the Coordinates panel is hidden in the Drafting & Annotation workspace. To display the Coordinates panel, click the View tab, then right-click and choose Show Panels, and then click Coordinates.
Different coordinate system icons are displayed in paper space and model space. In model space, you can choose between 2D and 3D icon display styles (see the Properties on page 1974 option): ■ 2D. The letter W appears in the Y portion of the icon if the UCS is the same as the WCS (world coordinate system). 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—the 2D UCS icon is replaced by a broken pencil icon. ■ 3D.
No Origin Displays the icon at the lower-left corner of the viewport regardless of the location of the UCS origin. Origin Displays the icon at the origin (0,0,0) of the current UCS. If the origin is out of view, it is displayed at the lower-left corner of the viewport. Selectable Controls whether the UCS icon is selectable and can be manipulated with grips. Properties Displays the UCS Icon dialog box, in which you can control the style, visibility, and location of the UCS icon.
2D Displays a 2D icon without a representation of the Z axis. 3D Displays a 3D icon. Line Width Controls the line width of the UCS icon if the 3D UCS icon is selected. Preview Displays a preview of the UCS icon in model space. UCS Icon Size Controls the size of the UCS icon as a percentage of viewport size. The default value is 50, and the valid range is from 5 to 95. Note that the size of the UCS icon is proportional to the size of the viewport in which it is displayed.
Access Methods Button NOTE By default, the Coordinates panel is hidden in the Drafting & Annotation workspace. To display the Coordinates panel, click the View tab, then right-click and choose Show Panels, and then click Coordinates. In 3D workspaces, the Coordinates panel is on the Home tab. Ribbon: View tab ➤ Coordinates panel ➤ Named Menu: Tools ➤ Named UCS Toolbar: UCS Summary The UCS dialog box is displayed.
Named UCSs Tab (UCS Dialog Box) Lists UCS definitions and sets the current UCS. Current UCS Displays the name of the current UCS. If the UCS has not been saved and named, it is listed as UNNAMED. UCS Names List Lists the coordinate systems defined in the current drawing. If there are multiple viewports and multiple unnamed UCS settings, the list includes only the unnamed UCS of the current viewport.
Rename (Shortcut Menu Only) Renames a customized UCS. You cannot rename the World UCS. Delete (Shortcut Menu Only) Deletes a customized UCS. You cannot delete the World UCS. Orthographic UCSs Tab (UCS Dialog Box) Changes the UCS to one of the orthographic UCS settings. Current UCS Displays the name of the current UCS. If the UCS has not been saved and named, it is listed as UNNAMED. Orthographic UCS Names Lists the six orthographic coordinate systems defined in the current drawing.
Details Displays the UCS Details dialog box, which displays UCS coordinate data. You can also view the details about a selected coordinate system by right-clicking the name and choosing Details. Relative To Specifies the base coordinate system for defining the orthographic UCSs. By default, WCS is the base coordinate system. Whenever you change the Relative To setting, the origin of the selected orthographic UCS is restored to its default position.
UCS Icon Settings Specifies the UCS icon display settings for the current viewport. On Displays the UCS icon in the current viewport. Display at UCS Origin Point Displays the UCS icon at the origin of the current coordinate system in the current viewport. If this option is cleared, or if the origin of the coordinate system is not visible in the viewport, the UCS icon is displayed at the lower-left corner of the viewport.
Access Methods Shortcut menu: Right-click in the Orthographic UCSs list. Click Depth. List of Options The following options are displayed. Depth Specifies the distance between the XY plane of the orthographic UCS and a parallel plane that passes through the origin of the coordinate system. Select New Origin Temporarily closes the dialog box so that you can use the pointing device to specify a new depth location in the drawing.
X Axis Displays the values for the X axis relative to the UCS selected in Relative To. Y Axis Displays the values for the Y axis relative to the UCS selected in Relative To. Z Axis Displays the values for the Z axis relative to the UCS selected in Relative To. Relative To Sets a base coordinate system for calculating the values for Origin, X Axis, Y Axis, and Z Axis.
Underlay Layers Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Layers in an Underlay Controls the display of layers in a DWF, DWFx, PDF, or DGN underlay. Summary You can turn layers on and off to filter which layers display in an underlay. List of Options The following options are available in this dialog box. Reference Name Select the reference whose layers you want to manage. Search for layer Filters the layer list by name quickly as you enter characters.
Allows an application-defined command to override an internal command. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter command name: Enter a command name to suppress that command. The suppressed command name can then be redefined to perform some other function. You can undefine only built-in AutoCAD commands. You cannot undefine ® commands defined by AutoLISP . This includes ObjectARX™ application commands registered by acedDefun().
Access Methods Button Toolbar: Standard Summary UNDO displays the command or system variable name at the Command prompt to indicate that you have stepped past the point where the command was used. NOTE UNDO has no effect on some commands and system variables, including those that open, close, or save a window or a drawing, display information, change the graphics display, regenerate the drawing, or export the drawing in a different format. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
The Auto, Begin, and Mark options are not available when None or One is in effect. If you attempt to use UNDO while it is turned off, the following prompt is displayed: Enter an UNDO control option [All/None/One/Combine/Layer] : One Limits UNDO to a single operation. The Auto, Begin, and Mark options are not available when None or One is in effect.
Undocumented Command or System Variable Quick Reference This command or system variable is not documented in the Help system for one of several reasons, including ■ It is obsolete, but included in the product to maintain legacy script compatibility ■ It was included for testing purposes and has limited or no functionality ■ It is a special case of a similar, documented command and is used in the menu or the ribbon only Use Search to find additional information about the feature in which you are intere
Summary UNGROUP removes all objects from the current group. The following prompts are displayed. Select group or [Name]: If a group contains sub-groups, you are promted to Accept to ungroup the current selection or choose Next to cycle through the groups in the selection set. UNION Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Composite Objects Combines selected 3D solids, surfaces, or 2D regions by addition.
Using the Union Command with Surfaces Although you can use the UNION command with surfaces, it will cause the surface to lose associativity. Instead, it is recommended that you use the surface editing commands: ■ SURFBLEND on page 1866 ■ SURFFILLET on page 1869 ■ SURFPATCH on page 1875 Using the Union Command with Solids and Regions The selection set can contain objects that lie in any number of arbitrary planes.
UNISOLATEOBJECTS Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Objects Displays previously hidden objects. Access Methods Menu: Tools ➤ Isolate ➤ End Object Isolation Shortcut menu: Right-click in the drawing area and click Isolate ➤ End Object Isolation. Summary Displays objects previously hidden with the ISOLATEOBJECTS on page 968 or HIDEOBJECTS on page 918 command. UNITS Quick Reference See also: ■ Determine the Units of Measurement Controls coordinate and angle display formats and precision.
Summary The format, precision, and other conventions to be used in displaying coordinates, distances, and angles are set and saved in drawing template files. These settings can also be changed in the current drawing file. The Drawing Units dialog box is displayed. If you enter -units at the Command prompt, options are displayed. Drawing Units Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Determine the Units of Measurement Controls the displayed precision and format for coordinates and angles.
Length Specifies the current unit of measurement and the precision for the current units. Type Sets the current format for units of measure. The values include Architectural, Decimal, Engineering, Fractional, and Scientific. The Engineering and Architectural formats produce feet-and-inches displays and assume that each drawing unit represents one inch. The other formats can represent any real-world unit. Precision Sets the number of decimal places or fractional size displayed for linear measurements.
When prompted for an angle, you can point in the desired direction or enter an angle regardless of the setting specified for Clockwise. Insertion Scale Controls the unit of measurement for blocks and drawings that are inserted into the current drawing. A block or a drawing that is created with units that are different from the units specified with this option is scaled when inserted. The insertion scale is the ratio of the units used in the source block or drawing and the units used in the target drawing.
Summary When prompted for an angle, you can locate a point in the desired direction or enter an angle. Base Angle Sets the direction of the zero angle. The following options affect the entry of angles, the display format, and the entry of polar, cylindrical, and spherical coordinates. East Specifies the compass direction east (the default). North Specifies the compass direction north. West Specifies the compass direction west. South Specifies the compass direction south.
-UNITS Quick Reference See also: ■ Determine the Units of Measurement Controls coordinate and angle display formats and precision. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Report formats: (Examples) 1. Scientific 1.55E+01 2. Decimal 15.50 3. Engineering 1'-3.50" 4. Architectural 1'-3 1/2" 5.
The next prompt is for the direction for angle 0: Direction for angle 0: East 3 o'clock = 0 North 12 o'clock = 90 West 9 o'clock = 180 South 6 o'clock = 270 Enter direction for angle 0 : Enter a value or press Enter The default direction for 0 degrees is to the east quadrant, or 3 o'clock. The default direction for positive angular measurement is counterclockwise.
UPDATETHUMBSNOW Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Open Drawings Manually updates thumbnail previews for named views, drawings, and layouts. Summary The UPDATETHUMBNAIL system variable controls how the thumbnail previews are updated.
Toolbar: Online Summary The Upload Drawing dialog box on page 1998 is displayed. You must save the drawing before you can continue with this command. NOTE You may first be prompted to log in to AutoCAD WS. If you do not have an account, click Create an Account and follow the on-screen instructions. Upload Drawing Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use AutoCAD WS for Drawing File Collaboration Uploads the current drawing to AutoCAD WS and controls whether to automatically upload changes.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Auto-Upload Changes Controls whether to automatically upload the current drawing every time it is saved. Upload Now Uploads the current drawing. If the drawing has been previously uploaded, the current drawing replaces the latest version of the online copy. Hide Hides the dialog box. Use UPLOAD on page 1997 to redisplay the dialog box. Retry Reattempts to upload the drawing if previous attempt failed.
Choose Files to Upload Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Use AutoCAD WS for Drawing File Collaboration Uploads selected files to AutoCAD WS. Summary The Choose Files to Upload dialog box is a standard file selection dialog box on page 1311. Select up to 10 files from your local hard drive and network drives to upload to AutoCAD WS without opening them in AutoCAD. You can upload all types of files.
V Commands 22 VBAIDE Quick Reference See also: ■ AutoCAD VBA Displays the Visual Basic Editor. NOTE Microsoft® Visual Basic® for Applications software (VBA) is no longer installed with AutoCAD. For more information, visit http://www.autodesk.com/vba-download.
You can also debug and run projects from the Visual Basic Editor. VBALOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ AutoCAD VBA Loads a global VBA project into the current work session. NOTE Microsoft® Visual Basic® for Applications software (VBA) is no longer installed with AutoCAD. For more information, visit http://www.autodesk.com/vba-download.
If you select Open Visual Basic Editor, the Visual Basic Editor is opened after the selected project is loaded. For information about the Visual Basic Editor, see the ActiveX and VBA Developer's Guide. If FILEDIA is set to 0 (zero), or if you enter -vbaload at the Command prompt, VBALOAD displays command prompts. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
When cleared, prevents the AutoCAD Macro Virus Protection dialog box from being displayed again. You can later enable macro virus protection using the VBA Options dialog box. Disable Macros Loads the drawing or project file with the macros disabled. Use Disable Macros if you do not expect the drawing or project file to contain useful macros, or if you aren't certain about the reliability of their source. Once you disable the macros, you can't run any macros.
Ribbon: Manage tab ➤ Applications panel ➤ VBA Manager Menu: Tools ➤ Macro ➤ VBA Manager Summary Loads, unloads, saves, creates, embeds, and extracts VBA projects. The VBA Manager is displayed. VBA Manager Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of AutoCAD VBA Loads, unloads, saves, creates, embeds, and extracts Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) projects. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Drawing Specifies the active drawing. Embedded Project Specifies the name of the embedded project for the drawing. If the drawing does not contain an embedded project, “(none)” is displayed. Extract Moves the embedded project out of the drawing and into a global project file. If you have never saved the project, you are prompted to save it. If you choose No, the project is extracted and assigned a temporary project name.
Displays the Visual Basic Editor in which you can edit code, forms, and references for any loaded global VBA project or any embedded VBA project in an open drawing. You can also debug and run projects from the Visual Basic Editor. VBARUN Quick Reference See also: ■ AutoCAD VBA Runs a VBA macro. NOTE Microsoft® Visual Basic® for Applications software (VBA) is no longer installed with AutoCAD. For more information, visit http://www.autodesk.com/vba-download.
Macros Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of AutoCAD VBA Runs, edits, or deletes a VBA macro. Summary You can also create new macros, set the VBA options, and display the VBA Manager. List of Options The following options are displayed. Macro Name Specifies the name of the macro you want to run, edit, delete, or create. Macro List Lists all macros found in the drawing or project selected in Macros In.
Macros In Specifies the project or drawing whose macros are available from the macro list. If your project or drawing is not listed, click VBA Manager to load it. Description Describes the selected macro. Run Runs the selected macro. Step Into Displays the Visual Basic Editor and begins execution of the macro. Execution is paused at the first executable line of code. Edit Displays the Visual Basic Editor and the selected macro.
Select Project Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of AutoCAD VBA Prompts you to select a project or drawing in which to create the new macro. Summary The macro is created in the selected project or drawing, and the Visual Basic Editor is opened. VBA Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of AutoCAD VBA Sets VBA-specific options for the current work session.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Enable Auto Embedding Automatically creates an embedded VBA project for all drawings when you open the drawing. Allow Break on Errors Break mode is a temporary suspension of program execution in the development environment. In Break mode, you can examine, debug, reset, step through, or continue program execution.
Summary For embedded or loaded global projects, enter the name of the macro to run. If the macro name is not unique among all the currently loaded projects, you must also include the name of the project and module in which the macro is found. For example, to run a macro named Test in a project named Project1, and a module named Module1, enter the following information at the Macro name prompt: Project1.Module1.
VBAUNLOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ AutoCAD VBA Unloads a global VBA project. NOTE Microsoft® Visual Basic® for Applications software (VBA) is no longer installed with AutoCAD. For more information, visit http://www.autodesk.com/vba-download. Summary If you do not enter a project name, the active global project is unloaded. VIEW Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views Saves and restores named model space views, layout views, and preset views.
Summary The View Manager on page 2014 is displayed. If you enter -view at the Command prompt, options are displayed. NOTE The VIEW command cannot be used transparently. View Manager Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views Creates, sets, renames, modifies, and deletes named views, including model named views and camera views, layout views, and preset views. Summary Click a view to display the properties for that view. List of Options The following options are displayed.
Views Displays a list of the available views. You can expand each node (except for the Current node) to display its views. ■ Current. Displays the current view and its View and Clipping properties ■ Model Views. Displays a list of named views and cameras, and lists General, View, and Clipping properties for a selected view. ■ Layout Views. Displays a list of viewports on a layout that define a view, and lists General and View properties for a selected view. ■ Preset Views.
Background For model views whose visual style is not set to 2D Wireframe, specifies the background override (Solid, Gradient, Image, or Sun & Sky) applied to the selected view. Opens the Background dialog box on page 2026. Live Section For model views only, displays the live section applied when the view is restored. For more information, see SECTIONPLANE. Animation View Type For model and layout views, displays the view type assigned to the named view.
Distance (Pan) Up / Down For layout views only, displays the distance the camera can pan up and down. Applies to Pan + Zoom movement type. Percentage In / Out For layout views only, displays the percentage the camera can zoom in and out. Applies to Pan + Zoom movement type. Current Position For model and layout views, displays the current position of the camera. Always Look at Pivot Point For model views only, displays if the view is locked to the center-of-interest.
Clipping Front Plane Specifies the offset value for the front clipping plane if front clipping is enabled for the view. Back Plane Specifies the offset value for the back clipping plane if back clipping is enabled for the view. Clipping Sets clipping options. Set Current Restores the selected view. New Displays the New View / Shot Properties dialog box on page 2018.
List of Options The following options are displayed. View Name Specifies the view’s name. View Category Specifies a category for the named view. View Type Specifies the type of view for the named view. Recorded Walk is available for model space views only. Boundary Defines the area of the drawing that is assigned to the named view.
Current Display Uses the current display as the new view. Define Window Uses a window as the new view, which you define in the drawing area by specifying two opposite corners. Define View Window Button Temporarily closes the New View and View Manager dialog boxes so that you can use the pointing device to define the opposite corners of the New View window. Settings Provides options for saving settings with the named view.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Boundary Defines the area of the drawing that is assigned to the named view. Current Display Uses the current display as the new view. Define Window Uses a window as the new view, which you define in the drawing area by specifying two opposite corners.
Temporarily closes the New View and View Manager dialog boxes so that you can use the pointing device to define the opposite corners of the New View window. Settings Provides options for saving settings with the named view. Save Layer Snapshot with View Saves the current layer visibility settings with the new named view. UCS For model and layout views, specifies a UCS to save with the new view. Live Section For model views only, specifies the live section applied when the view is restored.
[...] Button If the Override Default Background option is selected, displays the Background dialog box so you can change the current background selection. Shot Properties Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views Defines the transition and motion used for a view when played back with ShowMotion.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Transition Defines the transition to use when playing back a view. Transition Type Defines the transition type to use when playing back a view. Transition Duration Sets the length of time for the transition. Motion Defines the behavior of the motion to use when playing back a view.
Movement Sets the type of movement to use for a named view when the named view is assigned the Cinematic view type. Playback Duration Sets the length of time that the animation takes to play back. Distance Sets the distance that the motion takes to complete when the named view is assigned the Cinematic view type. Distance Up Sets the distance the camera can be moved upward. Applies to the Crane Up movement types. Distance Down Sets the distance the camera can be moved downward.
Sets the current position of the camera. Always Look at Pivot Point Locks the camera to the center-of-interest. Applies to the Track and Crane movement types. Preview Previews the transition and motion assigned to the named view. Loop Continuously plays back the transition and motion assigned to the named view. Background Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views Defines the type, color, effects, and position of the background for a named view.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Type Lists background overrides (None, Solid, Gradient, Image, or Sun & Sky) that you can apply to a named view. Solid Selects a single-color, solid background. Gradient Specifies a two- or three-color gradient background. Image Uses an image file for the background. Sun & Sky Displays the Adjust Sun & Sky Background dialog box on page 2028 to specify the position, color and properties of the sun and sky for the background.
Filename Displays the image file's name and path. Browse Select an image file and click Open. Adjust Image Displays the Adjust Background Image dialog box. on page 2031 Adjust Sun & Sky Background Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views Defines the position, color, and effects of the sun and sky for a view.
Summary Only available in photometric lighting workflow (LIGHTINGUNITS = 1 or 2). List of Options The following options are displayed. Preview Displays the results of the current sun and sky settings for the current view. General Sets the general properties of the sun. Status Turns the sun on and off. Intensity Factor Sets the intensity or brightness of the sun. The higher the number, the brighter the light. Color Controls the color of the light.
Aerial Perspective Specifies if aerial perspective is applied. Visibility Distance Specifies the distance at which 10% haze occlusion results. Sun Disk Appearance This category of properties pertains to the background only. Disk Scale Specifies the scale of the sun disk (1.0 = correct size). Glow Intensity Specifies the intensity of the sun glow. Disk Intensity Specifies the intensity of the sun disk. Sun Angle Calculator Date Displays the current date setting. Time Displays the current time setting.
Adjust Background Image Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views Controls options for the background image applied to a model space named view. List of Options The following options are displayed. Image Position Determines the image position in the named view. ■ Center. Centers the image without changing its aspect ratio or scale.
■ Stretch. Centers the image and stretches (scales) it along both the X and Y axes so that the image takes up the entire view. If you plan to plot the background image, set the image position to Stretch. ■ Tile. Positions the image at the top left corner of the view and repeats the image as needed to fill up the space in the associated viewport. The image's aspect ratio and scale are maintained. Offset Specifies the image offset control (not available if Stretch is selected as the image position).
-VIEW Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [?/Delete/Orthographic/Restore/Save/sEttings/Window]: ?—List Views Lists the named views and cameras in the drawing. The list includes the name of each specified view and the space in which it was defined. M designates model space, and P designates paper space. Delete Deletes one or more named views.
Select the viewport by clicking its border. The viewport you select must be on and active. The program switches to model space and restores the view in the selected viewport. If you restore a paper space view while working in model space in a layout tab, the program switches to paper space and restores the view. You can't restore a paper space view if you are working in the Model tab. Save Saves the display in the current viewport using the name you supply.
■ Create Base Views from Inventor Models Creates a base view from model space or Autodesk Inventor models. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Annotate tab ➤ Drawing Views panel ➤ Base View Summary The base view includes all visible solids and surfaces within model space. If model space does not contain any visible solids or surfaces, the Select File dialog box on page 2043 is displayed to enable you to select an Inventor Model.
NOTE ■ Representations are supported only by Inventor models. ■ Representation types are model specific. Some of the displayed representation types may not be available in the selected model. Design View Selects a design view representation to show in the base view. Enter ? to display a list of available design views. This option is available only if you are creating a base view from an Inventor assembly (*.iam) that contains design view representations.
This option is available only when the selected model is an Inventor presentation document (*.ipn). Orientation Specifies the orientation to use for the base view. Style Specifies the display style to use for the base view.
Scale Specifies the absolute scale to use for the base view. Projected views derived from this view automatically inherit the scale you specify. Visibility Displays the visibility options to set for the base view. Object visibility options are model specific and some options may not be available in the selected model. Interference edges Turns visibility of interference edges on or off.
Tangent edges Turns visibility of tangent edges on or off. When turned on, the selected view displays a line to show the intersection of surfaces meeting tangentially. ■ Tangent edges foreshortened. Shortens the length of tangential edges to differentiate them from visible edges. This is available only if Tangent Edges is selected. Bend extents Turns visibility of sheet metal bend extent lines on or off.
Representation Panel This panel is visible only when you are creating a base view from an Inventor model. Representation types are model specific. Some of the options may not be available in the selected model. Design View Specifies the assembly design view representation to show in the base view being created. This option is available only if the selected model is an Inventor assembly (*.iam) that contains design view representations. It is also not available during the creation of projected views.
This option is available only if the selected model is an Inventor sheet metal file (*.ipt). Presentation Specifies the presentation view to show in the base view. This option is available only if the selected model is an Inventor Presentation document (*.ipn). Orientation Panel Orientation Specifies the orientation to use for the base view being created. This option is available only during the creation of base views.
Scale Specifies the absolute scale to use for the base view being created. You can select a standard scale from the drop-down list, or directly enter a non-standard scale. Object Visibility Displays a list of objects to show in the base view being created. Object visibility options are model specific and some options may not be available in the selected model. ■ Interference edges. Displays both hidden and visible edges that are otherwise excluded due to an interference condition. ■ Tangent edges.
■ Presentation trails. Displays the lines (in drawing views from exploded views) that show the direction along which a components are moved into assembled position. View Options Displays the View Options dialog box. This dialog box specifies how to anchor the base view being created, and how to display Inventor Reference Parts. Modify Panel Move Moves the base view being created, after it is placed in a layout.
This option is available only if the selected view is created from an Inventor assembly (*.iam) that contains design view representations. Positional Representation Specifies the positional representation to show in the selected view. This option is available only if the selected view is created from an Inventor assembly (*.iam) that contains positional representations. Level of Detail Specifies the level of detail representation to show in the selected view.
Summary When the ribbon is active, this command displays the Drawing View Editor ribbon contextual tab on page 2048. When the ribbon is not active, use the command line to change the properties of the view to edit. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select view: Click the view to edit.
The Assembly state shows the weldment prior to any operation are performed on it. The Welds state shows the assembly after welding is performed. The Machining state shows the weldment after post welding machining is performed. The Preparation state is not explicitly listed. However, the ? option lists the names of the components in the pre-welding preparatory state. The weldment representation is available only if the selected view is created from an Inventor weldment assembly (*.iam).
Scale Specifies the absolute scale to use for the base view. Projected views automatically inherit this scale. Visibility Displays the visibility options to set for the base view. Interference edges Turns visibility of interference edges on or off. When turned on, the selected view displays both hidden and visible edges that are otherwise excluded due to an interference condition. Tangent edges Turns visibility of tangent edges on or off.
Drawing View Editor Ribbon Contextual Tab Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit Existing Drawing Views Changes the properties of the selected drawing view object. List of Options The following options are displayed. Representation Panel This panel is visible only when you are editing a view created from an Inventor model. Design View Specifies the assembly design view representation to show in the selected view. This option is available only if the selected view is created from an Inventor assembly (*.
Weldment Specifies the weldment state to show in the selected view. The list does not explicitly show the preparatory state. Instead, it displays the names of the components in the pre-welding preparatory state. This option is available only if the selected view is created from an Inventor weldment assembly (*.iam). Member Specifies which member from an iAssembly factory or iPart factory to show in the base view.
View Options Displays the View Options dialog box on page 2050. This dialog box specifies how to anchor the selected view, and how to display Inventor Reference Parts. Modify Panel Move Moves the selected view to another place in a layout. Create Panel Defer Updates Prevents the selected drawing view from reacting to a property change until you click OK or turn off Defer Updates.
"shifting" occurs. However, this could result in the view overlapping the drawing border and title block. NOTE Orthogonal projected views inherit the parent view justification setting by default. This is because an alignment constraint exists between parent views and projected views. In such a case, View Justification is not available for projected views. However, if the alignment constraint is broken, View Justification becomes available.
VIEWPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Define and Change Views with ShowMotion Plays the animation associated to a named view. Summary Plays the animation associated to the named view entered. The command ends if the name entered does not match a view in the drawing or the view does not have any animation properties assigned to it. VIEWPLOTDETAILS Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Displays information about completed plot and publish jobs.
You can view detailed information about all completed plot and publish jobs, or just the errors that have occurred. You can also copy the information displayed in the dialog box to the Clipboard. Plot and Publish Details Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Displays information about plotting and publishing jobs that have been completed in the current session. Summary Plot and publish details are also available through the Plot and Publish status bar icon shortcut menu.
View Specifies what is displayed. You can also right-click in the details area and click View Errors Only or View All to change this setting. All Displays information about all completed plot and publish jobs and sheets within those jobs. Errors Lists errors that have occurred as jobs were plotted or published. Copy to Clipboard Copies all highlighted text to the Clipboard. Details Area Lists details of completed plot and publish jobs.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Cancel Sheet Cancels the sheet that is currently being plotted. Cancel Entire Job Cancels the entire plot or publish job. View Plot and Publish Details Displays Plot and Publish Details dialog box. View .dwf Opens the most recently created DWF file. Enable Balloon Notification Turns on balloon notification of the status of jobs you have plotted and published.
NOTE The VIEWPROJ command is only available in a layout. The command is not available from the Model tab, while in the block editor, during reference editing, or while using a viewport. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Select parent view: Click the view to use as the parent view. Specify location of projected view:The projection type depends on the position you place the projected view. Drag the preview in the desired direction.
Summary The model is regenerated. VIEWRES controls the appearance of circles, arcs, splines, and arced polylines using short vectors. The greater the number of vectors, the smoother the appearance of the circle or arc. For example, if you create a very small circle and then zoom in, it might appear to be a polygon. Using VIEWRES to increase the zoom percentage and regenerate the drawing updates and smooths the circle's appearance.
A project file specifies the locations of files referenced by Inventor models and by drawings containing drawing views from Inventor models. At the time this command is invoked, if any open drawings contain drawing views from Inventor models, you must restart AutoCAD for the setting to take effect. VIEWSTD Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Defaults for Drawing Views from 3D Models Defines the default settings for drawing views.
List of Options Projection Type Sets the projection angle for drawing views. The projection angle defines where projected views are placed. For example, if the active projection type is first angle, top views are placed below the parent view. In the third angle, top views are placed above the parent view. Shading/Preview Shaded view quality Sets the default resolution for shaded previews. NOTE Resolutions above 150 DPI may not be achievable for large models.
Thread Style Sets the appearance of thread edges in the drawing for circular view projections of threads. NOTE This setting only applies to drawing views from Inventor models. VIEWUPDATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Update Drawing Views when Source 3D Models Change Updates drawing views that have become out-of-date because the source model has changed.
Select view to update: Click the view to update. This prompt is repeated until you press the Enter key. Although an "All" option is not included within the prompt, you can enter “all" to select all views within the current layout. VISUALSTYLES Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Creates and modifies visual styles and applies a visual style to a viewport.
Visual Styles Manager Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Creates and modifies visual styles. Summary Creates and modifies visual styles.
The Visual Styles Manager has a panel of sample images of the visual styles available in the drawing, and the following properties panels: ■ Face settings on page 2064 ■ Environment settings on page 2069 ■ Edge settings on page 2069 ■ Lighting settings on page 2070 NOTE Changes that you make in the Visual Style panel on the ribbon create a temporary visual style, *Current,* that is applied to the current viewport. The settings are not saved as a named visual style.
Delete the Selected Visual Style Removes the visual style from the drawing. A default visual style or one that is in use cannot be removed. Shortcut Menu Provides menu access to options that are available from the buttons in the tool strip as well as the following additional options available only on the shortcut menu. Right-click a sample image in the panel to access the shortcut menu. Apply to All Viewports Applies the selected visual style to all viewports in the drawing.
Shows details of 3D surface or solid by using warm colors for lighted areas and cool colors for darker areas. Only objects without applied materials show this face style. Lighting Quality Sets the method for interpolating colors for faces on 3D solids and surfaces in the current viewport (VSLIGHTINGQUALITY system variable) ■ Faceted. ■ Smooth.
To display at this setting, the Per-Pixel Lighting setting needs to be turned on in the Manual Performance Tuning dialog box from the 3DCONFIG command. Color Controls the display of colors on faces. (VSFACECOLORMODE system variable) ■ Normal. Does not apply a face color modifier.
■ Monochrome. Displays the model in shades of the color you specify (VSMONOCOLOR on page 2632 system variable). ■ Tint. Changes the hue and saturation value of face colors. ■ Desaturate. Softens the color by reducing its saturation component by 30 percent. The monochrome color used is the color value stored in the VSMONOCOLOR system variable. The tint color is determined by the hue and saturation settings of the color value stored in the VSMONOCOLOR system variable.
The color saturation of 3D solids and surfaces is reduced by 30 percent. Opacity Controls the opacity or transparency of faces in a viewport. (VSFACEOPACITY system variable) Materials and Color Controls the display of materials and color on faces.
Materials Controls whether materials and textures are displayed. (VSMATERIALMODE system variable) Monochrome Color/Tint Color Displays the Select Color dialog box on page 346, where you select the monochrome or tint color, depending on the face color mode. This setting is not available when face color mode is set to Normal or Desaturate. (VSMONOCOLOR system variable) Environment Settings Control shadows and background. Shadows Controls the display of shadows.
Silhouette Edges Controls settings that apply to silhouette edges. Silhouette edges are not displayed on wireframe or transparent objects. (VSSILHEDGES system variable) Show Controls the display of silhouette edges. (VSSILHEDGES system variable) Width Specifies the width at which silhouette edges are displayed. (VSSILHWIDTH system variable) Occluded Edges Controls settings that apply to all edge modes except None. Show Controls whether occluded edges are displayed.
Create New Visual Style and Edit Name and Description Dialog Boxes Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Names the visual style and provides space for a description. List of Options The following options are displayed. Name Names the visual style. Description Provides an optional description for the visual style. The description is displayed in a tooltip when the cursor hovers over the sample image.
NOTE You must be in model space to save a visual style. If you enter a name that is already in use for a visual style, you can either replace the existing visual style or enter a different name. Rename Name Renames the visual style. Delete Name Deletes the visual style. ?—List Visual Styles Lists the visual styles in the drawing. VISUALSTYLESCLOSE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Closes the Visual Styles Manager.
Ribbon: Manage tab ➤ Applications panel ➤ Visual LISP Editor Menu: Tools ➤ AutoLISP ➤ Visual LISP Editor Summary Use Visual LISP to develop, test, and debug AutoLISP programs. The Visual LISP IDE (interactive development environment) is displayed. NOTE VLIDE is used to transfer control to Visual LISP. It performs the same function as the VLISP command. VPCLIP Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Layout Viewports Clips layout viewport objects and reshapes the viewport border.
TIP Use the generic CLIP on page 341 command to clip images, external references, viewports, and underlays. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Clipping Object Specifies an object to act as a clipping boundary. Objects that are valid as clipping boundaries include closed poly-lines, circles, ellipses, closed splines, and regions. Polygonal Draws a clipping boundary. You can draw line segments or arc segments by specifying points.
Color Changes the color associated with a layer. True Color Specifies a true color to use for the selected object. Color Book Specifies a color from a loaded color book to use for the selected object. All Applies the changes in all viewports. Select Applies the changes in selected viewports. Current Applies the changes in the current viewport only. Ltype Changes the linetype associated with a layer.
■ Current on page 2075 Transparency Changes the transparency level associated with a layer. ■ All on page 2075 ■ Select on page 2075 ■ Current on page 2075 Freeze Freezes a layer or set of layers in one or more viewports. Objects on frozen layers are not displayed, regenerated, or plotted. ■ All on page 2075 ■ Select on page 2075 ■ Current on page 2075 ■ Except Current. Freezes specified layers in all viewports across all layouts, except in the current viewport.
VPMAX Quick Reference See also: ■ Access Model Space from a Layout Viewport Expands the current layout viewport for editing. Access Methods Toolbar: Status bar ➤ Maximize Viewport Pointing device: Viewport Control menu (+) ➤ Maximize Viewport Shortcut menu: Select a named layout viewport to mazimize. Right-click and click Maximize Viewport. Pointing device: Double-click a named layout viewport. Summary The viewport is expanded to fill the screen and switched to model space for editing.
Shortcut menu: Select a named layout viewport to mazimize. Right-click and click Minimize Viewport. Pointing device: Double-click outside of the maximized viewport. Summary The center point and magnification are returned to the settings that were in effect before the viewport was maximized. VPOINT Quick Reference See also: ■ Define a 3D View with Coordinate Values or Angles Sets the viewing direction for a 3D visualization of the drawing.
The first angle is specified with respect to the X axis, in the XY plane. ■ Enter angle from XY plane. The second angle is specified up or down from the XY plane. Compass and Axis Tripod Displays a compass and axis tripod, which you use to define a viewing direction in the viewport. The compass is a two-dimensional representation of a globe. The center point is the north pole (0,0,n), the inner ring is the equator (n,n,0), and the entire outer ring is the south pole (0,0,-n).
Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Viewports panel ➤ Named Viewports Menu: View ➤ Viewports ➤ New Viewports, Named Viewports Toolbar: Layouts Summary The Viewports dialog box is displayed. If you enter -vports at the Command prompt, options are displayed. Viewports Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Model Space Viewports Creates new viewport configurations, or names and saves a model space viewport configuration.
New Viewports Tab—Model Space (Viewports Dialog Box) New Name Specifies a name for the new model space viewport configuration. If you do not enter a name, the viewport configuration is applied but not saved. If a viewport configuration is not saved, it cannot be used in a layout. Standard Viewports Lists and sets the standard viewport configurations, including CURRENT, which is the current configuration.
Setup Specifies either a 2D or a 3D setup. When you select 2D, the new viewport configuration is initially created with the current view in all of the viewports. When you select 3D, a set of standard orthogonal 3D views is applied to the viewports in the configuration. Change View To Replaces the view in the selected viewport with the view you select from the list. You can choose a named view, or if you have selected 3D setup, you can select from the list of standard views.
Preview Displays a preview of the viewport configuration you select and the default views assigned to each individual viewport in the configuration. Viewport Spacing Specifies the spacing you want to apply between the layout viewports you are configuring. Setup Specifies either a 2D or a 3D setup. When you select 2D, the new viewport configuration is initially created with the current view in all of the viewports.
-VPORTS - Model Space Viewports Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Model Space Viewports Creates multiple viewports in model space. Summary The number and layout of active viewports and their associated settings are called viewport configurations. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [Save/Restore/Delete/Join/Single/?/2/3/4] <3>: Enter an option Save Saves the current viewport configuration using a specified name. Restore Restores a previously saved viewport configuration.
?—List Viewport Configurations Displays the identification numbers and screen positions of the active viewports. The lower-left and upper-right corners of the viewport define its location. For these corners, values between 0.0,0.0 (for the lower-left corner of the drawing area) and 1.0,1.0 (for the upper-right corner) are used. The current viewport is listed first. 2 Divides the current viewport in half. 3 Divides the current viewport into three viewports.
Specify corner of viewport or [ON/OFF/Fit/Shadeplot/Lock/Object/Polygonal/Restore/LAyer/2/3/4] : Specify a point or enter an option On Turns on a viewport, making it active and making its objects visible. Off Turns off a viewport. When a viewport is off, its objects are not displayed, and you cannot make that viewport current. Fit Creates one viewport that fills the available display area. The actual size of the viewport depends on the dimensions of the paper space view.
3 Divides the current viewport into three viewports. Horizontal and Vertical split the area into thirds. The other options create one large viewport in half the available area and two smaller ones in the other half. Above, Below, Left, and Right specify where the larger viewport is placed. 4 Divides the current viewport into four viewports of equal size.
VSCURRENT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Sets the visual style in the current viewport. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
Shades of Gray Produces a gray color effect by using the monocolor face color mode. Sketchy Produces a hand-sketched effect by using the overhang and jitter. X-ray Changes the opacity of faces to make the whole scene partially transparent.
VSSAVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Saves a visual style. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Save current visual style as or [?] Enter a name or enter ? to list all the visual styles in the drawing. NOTE You must be in model space to save a visual style. If you enter a name that is already in use for a visual style, you can either replace the existing visual style or enter a different name.
View Transitions Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Pan or Zoom a View Controls when smooth view transitions are used. Summary Sets the options for smooth view transitions. List of Options The following options are displayed. Enable Animation for Pan and Zoom Makes a smooth view transition during panning and zooming. (VTENABLE system variable) Enable Animation When View Rotates Makes a smooth view transition when the view angle is changed.
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W Commands 23 WALKFLYSETTINGS Quick Reference See also: ■ Walk and Fly Through a Drawing Controls the walk and fly navigation settings. Access Methods Button Ribbon: Render ➤ Animations panel ➤ Walk and Fly drop-down ➤ Walk and Fly Settings. Menu: View ➤ Walk and Fly ➤ Walk and Fly Settings Toolbar: 3D Navigation NOTE By default, the Animations panel is not displayed. With the Render tab active, right click the ribbon and select which panels are displayed.
Walk and Fly Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Walk and Fly Through a Drawing Controls the walk and fly navigation settings List of Options The following options are displayed. Settings Specifies settings related to the Walk and Fly Navigation Mappings balloon on page 76 and the Position Locator window on page 74. When Entering Walk and Fly Modes Specifies that the Walk and Fly Navigation Mappings balloon is displayed each time you enter walk or fly mode.
Specifies that the Walk and Fly Navigation Mappings balloon is never displayed. Display Position Locator Window Specifies whether the Position Locator window opens when you enter walk mode. Current Drawing Settings Specifies walk and fly mode settings specific to the current drawing. Walk/Fly Step Size Sets the size of each step in drawing units (STEPSIZE system variable). Steps Per Second Specifies how many steps occur per second (STEPSPERSEC system variable).
Write Block Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Drawing Files for Use as Blocks Saves selected objects or converts a block to a specified drawing file. Summary The Write Block dialog box provides a convenient method for saving part of the current drawing to a different drawing file, or saving a specified block definition as a separate drawing file. List of Options The following options are displayed. Source Specifies blocks and objects, saves them as a file, and specifies insertion points.
Selects current drawing to save as another file. Objects Selects objects to save as a file. Specify a base point and select objects below. Base Point Specifies a base point for the block. The default value is 0,0,0. Pick Point Temporarily closes the dialog box so that you can specify an insertion base point in the current drawing. X Specifies the X coordinate value for the base point. Y Specifies the Y coordinate value for the base point. Z Specifies the Z coordinate value for the base point.
Objects Selected Indicates the number of objects selected. Destination Specifies the new name and location of the file and the units of measurement to be used when the block is inserted. File Name and Path Specifies a file name and path where the block or objects will be saved. [...] Displays a standard file selection dialog box.
In the new drawing, the world coordinate system (WCS) is set parallel to the user coordinate system (UCS). List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter name of output file: Enter name of existing block or [= (block=output file)/* (whole drawing)] : Existing Block Writes that block to a file. You cannot enter the name of an external reference (xref) or one of its dependent blocks. = Specifies that the existing block and the output file have the same name.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
The illuminance value can be specified in either lux or foot-candles. Enter d to specify a distance to use to calculate illuminance. Color Specify the color of the light based on a color name or a Kelvin temperature. Enter ? to display a list of color names. Enter a text string using wild card characters to display a partial listing of color names, or an asterisk (*) to display all the possible choices. If you enter k, you can specify the color of the light based on a Kelvin temperature value.
Filter Color Controls the color of the light. True Color Specifies a True Color. Enter in the format R,G,B (red, green, blue). Index Specifies an ACI (AutoCAD Color Index) color. HSL Specifies an HSL (hue, saturation, luminance) color. Color Book Specifies a color from a color book. Exit Exits the command. WEDGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid Wedge Creates a 3D solid wedge.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify first corner or [Center on page 2103]: Specify a point or enter c for center Specify other corner or [Cube on page 2104/Length on page 2104]: Specify the other corner of the wedge or enteran option If the other corner of the wedge is specified with a Z value that differs from the first corner, then no height prompt is displayed.
Cube Creates a wedge with sides of equal length. Length Creates a wedge with length, width, and height values you specify. The length corresponds to the X axis, the width to the Y axis, and the height to the Z axis. 2Point Specifies that the height of the wedge is the distance between the two specified points. WHOHAS Quick Reference See also: ■ Open a Drawing Displays ownership information for opened drawing files. Summary You can use WHOHAS to track which users have certain drawing files open.
NOTE Similar information is displayed automatically when you try to open a drawing file that another user has already opened. The information displayed by WHOHAS is stored in a temporary DWL (drawing lock) file. A DWL file is deleted when the file is closed. WIPEOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Blank Area to Cover Objects Creates a wipeout object, and controls whether wipeout frames are displayed in the drawing.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify first point on page 2106 or [Frames on page 2106/Polyline on page 2106] . First Point Determines the polygonal boundary of the wipeout object from a series of points. Frames Determines whether the edges of all wipeout objects are displayed or hidden. Polyline Determines the polygonal boundary of the wipeout objects from a selected polyline. Erase Polyline Enter y to erase the polyline that was used to create the wipeout object.
In the Import WMF dialog box, if you click Tools ➤ Options, the WMF In Options dialog box is displayed. You can also open this dialog box directly by using WMFOPTS. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed.
■ Corner on page 2107 ■ XYZ on page 2107 PScale Sets the temporary scale factor for the X, Y, and Z axes to control the display of the WMF file as it is dragged into position. ■ X Scale Factor on page 2107 ■ Corner on page 2107 ■ XYZ on page 2107 PX Sets the temporary scale factor for the X axis to control the display of the WMF file as it is dragged into position.
PRotate Sets the temporary rotation angle of the WMF file as it is dragged into position. ■ X Scale Factor on page 2107 ■ Corner on page 2107 ■ XYZ on page 2107 WMFOPTS Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert WMF Files Sets options for WMFIN. Summary The WMF In Options dialog box is displayed. WMF In Options Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert WMF Files Controls whether metafiles maintain relative line widths and whether they are imported as wireframes or solid objects.
List of Options The following options are displayed. Wire Frame (No Fills) Imports objects as wireframes. If you clear this option, objects are imported as filled objects. Wide Lines Maintains the relative line width of lines and borders. If you clear this option, lines are imported with zero width. WMFOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export WMF Files Saves objects to a Windows metafile. Summary The Create WMF standard file selection dialog box is displayed.
Enter Workspace option [setCurrent on page 2111/SAveas on page 2111/Edit on page 2111/Rename on page 1954/Delete on page 2111/SEttings on page 2111/? on page 2111]. Set Current Sets a current workspace. Save As Saves a current interface configuration as a workspace. Edit Opens the Customize User Interface dialog box, Customize tab on page 387, where you can make modifications to a workspace. Rename Renames a workspace. Delete Deletes a workspace.
Save Workspace Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Task-Based Workspaces Saves the current workspace scheme and settings of a workspace. List of Options The following option are displayed. Name Displays a text box where you can specify a name for a newly saved workspace and view a list of existing workspaces. These workspaces can be overwritten if the CUIx file in which they are included is writable.
Workspace Settings Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Task-Based Workspaces Controls the display, menu order, and Save settings of a workspace. List of Options The following options are displayed. My Workspace Displays a list of workspaces from which you can choose a workspace to assign to the My Workspace toolbar button.
Saves changes you've made to a workspace when you switch to another workspace.
X Commands 24 XATTACH Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Drawing References (Xrefs) Inserts DWG files as an external reference (xref). Access Methods Button Ribbon: Insert tab ➤ Reference panel ➤ Attach Menu: Insert ➤ DWG Reference Toolbar: Reference Summary When you attach a drawing file as an xref, you link that referenced drawing to the current drawing. Any changes to the referenced drawing are displayed in the current drawing when it is opened or reloaded.
After the files are attached, you can adjust and clip the xref through the External Reference ribbon contextual tab. Attach External Reference Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Drawing References (Xrefs) Attaches drawings as an external reference (xref). Summary If you attach a drawing that contains an attached xref, the attached xref appears in the current drawing. You can select multiple DWG files to attach. Like blocks, attached xrefs can be nested.
Browse Displays the Select Reference File dialog box (a standard file selection dialog box), in which you can select a new external reference for the current drawing. Preview Displays the DWG you have selected to attach. Reference Type Specifies whether the external reference is an attachment or an overlay. Unlike an xref that is an attachment, an overlay is ignored when the drawing to which it is attached is then attached as an xref to another drawing.
Z Sets the Z coordinate value. Path Type Select the full (absolute) path, the relative path to the external reference file, or No Path, the name of the external reference (the file must be located in the same folder as the current drawing file). Rotation Specify on-screen If Specify On-Screen is selected, you may wait until you exit the dialog box to rotate the object with your pointing device or at the Command prompt.
Displays options for attaching external references. Summary The External Reference tab is displayed when you select an external reference. List of Options The following options are displayed. Edit Panel Edit Reference In-Place (REFEDIT on page 1613) Edits an xref or a block definition directly within the current drawing. Open Reference (XOPEN on page 2127) Opens a selected drawing reference (xref) in a new window.
Access Methods Button Menu: Modify ➤ Object ➤ External Reference ➤ Bind Toolbar: Reference Summary The Xbind dialog box is displayed. If you enter -xbind at the Command prompt, options are displayed. NOTE The Bind option of XREF binds the xref file. Use XBIND for individual dependent definitions.
Xrefs Lists the xrefs currently attached to the drawing. Selecting an xref (double-clicking) displays the named object definitions in the attached xref. Definitions to Bind Lists the xref-dependent named object definitions to bind to the host drawing. Add Moves the named object definitions selected in the Xrefs list into the Definitions to Bind list. Remove Moves the xref-dependent named object definition selected in the Definitions to Bind list back to its xref-dependent definition table.
bar character ( | ) from each xref-dependent named object is replaced with a number (usually 0) between two dollar signs ($). If you specify a layer whose associated linetype is not CONTINUOUS, XBIND also binds the referenced linetype. If you apply XBIND to a block, any block, dimension style, layer, linetype, or text style that's referenced by objects in the block is also bound. If the block contains an xref, XBIND binds that xref and all its dependent named objects.
TIP Use the generic CLIP command to clip images, external references, viewports, and underlays. List of Options The following options are displayed. On Displays the clipped portion of the external reference or block in the current drawing. Off Displays all of the geometry of the external reference or block in the current drawing, ignoring the clipping boundary. Clipdepth Sets the front and back clipping planes on an xref or block.
Select Polyline Defines the boundary with the selected polyline. The polyline can be open but must consist of straight line segments and cannot intersect itself. Polygonal Defines a polygonal clipping boundary with three or more points that you specify for the vertices of a polygon. Rectangular Defines a rectangular boundary with the points that you specify for opposite corners. Invert Clip Inverts the mode of the clipping boundary: objects are clipped either outside the boundary or inside the boundary.
■ 3D solid history subobjects ■ Meshes ■ Regions ■ Surfaces ■ Subobjects (edges and faces) Press and hold Ctrl to select faces, edges and component objects, repeating if necessary. Objects such as lines, arcs, splines, or 3D polylines are created along the edges of the selected objects or subobjects. XLINE Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Construction Lines (and Rays) Creates a line of infinite length.
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify a point on page 2126 or [Hor on page 2126/Ver on page 2126/Ang on page 2127/Bisect on page 2127/Offset on page 2127. Point Specifies the location of the infinite line using two points through which it passes. The xline is created through the specified point. Hor Creates a horizontal xline passing through a specified point. The xline is created parallel to the X axis. Ver Creates a vertical xline passing through a specified point.
Ang Creates an xline at a specified angle. Angle of Xline Specifies the angle at which to place the line. Reference Specifies the angle from a selected reference line. The angle is measured counterclockwise from the reference line. Bisect Creates an xline that passes through the selected angle vertex and bisects the angle between the first and second line. The xline lies in the plane determined by the three points. Offset Creates an xline parallel to another object.
Opens a selected drawing reference (xref) in a new window. Summary Opens a selected drawing reference in a separate window for editing. If the selected reference contains nested xrefs, Open Reference Files dialog box on page 2128 is displayed where you can specify which xref to open. Open Reference Files Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit a Referenced Drawing in a Separate Window Opens a selected drawing reference (xref) in a new window.
Summary The Open Reference Files dialog box, displays a reference tree showing all nested xrefs. The source file for the selected xref opens in a separate drawing window, where you can edit, save, and then close the drawing. List of Options The following options are displayed. Reference Name Displays a reference tree of all nested xrefs for a specified reference. Highlight Selected Reference Highlights the selected xrefs in the drawing area. Preview Displays a preview of the selected reference. Zoom To...
List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an option [Individually on page 2130/Globally on page 2131]. Individually Applies changes to the selected objects one at a time. The following prompt is displayed for each object. All Sets the color, linetype, lineweight, and layer of the component objects after you explode them. The prompts associated with the Color, Linetype, Lineweight, and Layer options are displayed. Color Sets the color of the objects after you explode them.
Explode Breaks a compound object into its component objects exactly as the EXPLODE command does. Globally Applies changes to all the selected objects. XREF Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach and Detach Referenced Drawings ■ ERHIGHLIGHT Starts the EXTERNALREFERENCES command. Summary The External References palette is displayed. If you enter -xref at the Command prompt, options are displayed.
Summary If you bind an xref into the current drawing, the xref and all its dependent named objects become a part of the current drawing. Use XBIND to add individual xref-dependent named objects, such as blocks, text styles, dimension styles, layers, and linetypes, to the local definition table. The two methods of binding xrefs to the current drawing are Bind and Insert. Bind alters the definition table names of an xref when it is inserted.
-XREF Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach and Detach Referenced Drawings List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Enter an Option ?—List Xrefs Lists the DWG reference name, path, and type and the number of DWG references currently attached to your drawing. Bind Converts a specified DWG reference into a block, making it a permanent part of the drawing. The xref-dependent named objects, such as layer names, of the former xref are added to your drawing.
Unlike blocks and attached xrefs, overlaid xrefs cannot be nested. If another person is currently editing the xref file, the program overlays the most recently saved version. If the xref you specify is not already overlaid, a new xref is crated, using the name of the referenced file. If FILEDIA is set to 0, the following prompt is displayed: Enter Name of File to Overlay. You can enter a tilde (~) to display a dialog box.
Z Commands 25 ZOOM Quick Reference See also: ■ Pan or Zoom a View Increases or decreases the magnification of the view in the current viewport. Access Methods Button Ribbon: View tab ➤ Navigate panel ➤ Realtime Menu: View ➤ Zoom ➤ Realtime Toolbar: Standard Shortcut menu: With no objects selected, right-click in the drawing area and choose Zoom to zoom in real time. Summary You can change the magnification of a view by zooming in and out, which is similar to zooming in and out with a camera.
In a perspective view, ZOOM displays the 3DZOOM prompts. NOTE You cannot use ZOOM transparently during VPOINT or DVIEW or while ZOOM, PAN, or VIEW is in progress. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Specify corner of window, enter a scale factor (nX or nXP), or [All on page 2136/Center/Dynamic/Extents on page 2137/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] All Zooms to display all visible objects and visual aids.
Dynamic Pans and zooms using a rectangular view box. The view box represents your view, which you can shrink or enlarge and move around the drawing. Positioning and sizing the view box pans or zooms to fill the viewport with the view inside the view box. Not available in perspective projection. ■ To change the size of the view box, click, resize it, and click again to accept the new size of the view box. ■ To pan with the view box, drag it to the location you want and press Enter.
NOTE If you change the visual style, the view is changed. If you enter ZOOM Previous, it restores the previous view, which is shaded differently but not zoomed differently. Scale Zooms to change the magnification of a view using a scale factor. ■ Enter a value followed by x to specify the scale relative to the current view. ■ Enter a value followed by xp to specify the scale relative to paper space units. For example, entering .
Object Zooms to display one or more selected objects as large as possible and in the center of the view. You can select objects before or after you start the ZOOM command. Real Time Zooms interactively to change the magnification of the view. The cursor changes to a magnifying glass with plus (+) and minus (-) signs. See Zoom Shortcut Menu on page 2139 for a description of the options that are available while zooming in real time.
Summary When the ZOOM command is active, you can exit ZOOM or switch to PAN or 3DORBIT using the options on the Zoom shortcut menu. To access the Zoom shortcut menu, right-click in the drawing area while ZOOM is active. List of Options The following options are displayed. Exit Cancels ZOOM or PAN. Pan Switches to PAN. Zoom Switches to ZOOM in real time. 3D Orbit Switches to 3DORBIT. Zoom Window Zooms to display an area specified by a rectangular window.
Command Modifiers 26 You can use command modifiers to help you locate points or select objects while a command is in progress. Use the Coordinate Filter, Direct Distance Entry, From, MTP, and Tracking command modifiers at any prompt that requires point specification. Use the Selection Mode command modifiers at any prompt that requires object selection.
Direct Distance Entry (Command Modifier) Quick Reference See also: ■ Enter Direct Distances Locates the next point at a specified distance in the direction of your cursor Command entry: At a prompt to locate a point, enter a numeric value With direct distance entry, you can quickly specify a point relative to the last point you entered. At any prompt for a point location, you move the cursor first to specify the direction, and then enter a numeric distance.
At a prompt for locating a point, enter from, and then enter a temporary reference or base point from which you can specify an offset to locate the next point. Enter the offset location from this base point as a relative coordinate, or use direct distance entry. NOTE You cannot use this method during dragging in commands such as MOVE and COPY. Specifying an absolute coordinate, either by keyboard entry or with a pointing device, cancels the FROM command.
At any prompt to locate a point, enter tracking, track, or tk. First tracking point: Specify a location or distance Next point (Press ENTER to end tracking): Specify a second location or distance Tracking specifies a series of temporary points, each offset from the previous one. Thus, you specify a new point location from a series of directions and distances. To determine the location of each temporary point, you can use direct distance entry.
You can specify an object snap with any of the following methods: ■ Enter a object snap by typing its name. To see a list of valid object snaps, refer to the OSNAP on page 1391 command or the Drafting Settings Dialog Box on page 669. ■ Click an object snap from the Object Snap toolbar. ■ Click an object snap from the Object Snap shortcut menu. You can diisplay this shortcut menu by pressing SHIFT while you right-click.
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System Variables AutoCAD® stores the values for its operating environment and some of its commands in system variables. You can examine any system variable and change any writable system variable directly at the command prompt by entering the system variable name or by using the SETVAR command or the AutoLISP® getvar and setvar functions.
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3D System Variables 27 3DCONVERSIONMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Lights in Drawings from Previous Versions of AutoCAD Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Used to convert material and light definitions to the current product release.
3DDWFPREC Quick Reference See also: ■ Publish 3D DWF Files Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Controls the precision of 3D DWF or 3D DWFx publishing. This system variable has a range from 1 to 6. Higher settings result in finer precision. 3DDWFPREC Value Deviation Value 1 1 2 0.5 3 0.2 4 0.1 5 0.01 6 0.001 NOTE Setting a 3DDWFPREC value of 5 or 6 will create very large files or sheets in a multi-sheet DWF or DWFx.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 11 Controls the settings for the 3D object snaps. Controls which 3D object snaps are enabled.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the selection precedence of both visually and physically overlapping objects when using 3D visual styles. 0 Use legacy 3D selection precedence. 1 Use line-of-sight 3D selection precedence for selecting 3D solids and surfaces. Also, a defining object associated with a surface is given selection precedence with this setting. 3DSELECTIONMODE has no effect when selecting 3D solids if they are displayed as 2D or 3D wireframes.
A System Variables 28 ACADLSPASDOC Quick Reference See also: ■ AutoLISP and Visual LISPAutoLISP Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the acad.lsp file is loaded into every drawing or just the first drawing opened in a session. 0 Loads acad.lsp into just the first drawing opened in a session 1 Loads acad.
(Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Stores the directory path, if any, specified by the ACAD environment variable, with path separators appended if necessary. ACADVER Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize the Drawing Environment (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Stores the AutoCAD version number. This variable differs from the DXF file $ACADVER header variable, which contains the drawing database level number.
ACTPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Play Back an Action Macro Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: "" Specifies the additional paths to use when locating available action macros for playback. NOTE To specify more than one path, but you need to enter a semi-colon between each path. ACTRECORDERSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Action Macros (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Specifies the current state of the Action Recorder.
ACTRECPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Action Macros Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Specifies the path used to store new action macros. ACTUI Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Action Macros Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 6 Controls the behavior of the Action Recorder panel when recording and playing back macros.
ADCSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Access Content with DesignCenter (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Indicates whether the DesignCenter window is open or closed. For developers who need to determine status through AutoLISP. 0 Closed 1 Open AFLAGS Quick Reference See also: ■ Define Block Attributes Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 16 Sets options for attributes.
4 Verify 8 Preset 16 Lock position in block 32 Multiple lines ANGBASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Angular Dimensions Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the base angle to 0 with respect to the current UCS. ANGDIR Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Angular Dimensions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets the direction of positive angles. Angle values are measured from angle 0 relative to the orientation of the current UCS.
1 Clockwise ANNOALLVISIBLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Annotative Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Hides or displays annotative objects that do not support the current annotation scale. 0 Only annotative objects that support the current are displayed 1 All annotative objects are displayed The ANNOALLVISIBLE setting is saved individually for model space and each layout.
Updates annotative objects to support the annotation scale when the annotation scale is changed. When the value is negative, the autoscale functionality is turned off, but the settings are maintained: 0 Newly set annotation scale is not added to annotative objects. 1 Adds the newly set annotation scale to annotative objects that support the current scale except for those on layers that are turned off, frozen, locked or that are set to Viewport > Freeze.
1 Annotative NOTE The ANNOTATIVEDWG system variable becomes read-only if the drawing contains annotative objects. APBOX Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Visual Aids for Object Snaps (AutoSnap) Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Turns the display of the AutoSnap aperture box on or off. The aperture box is displayed in the center of the crosshairs when you snap to an object.
This system variable has the same name as a command. Use the SETVAR command to access this system variable. Enter a value (1-50). The higher the number, the larger the target box. You can also change this setting in the Options dialog box, Drafting tab. APERTURE controls the object snap target box, not the pickbox displayed at the Select Objects prompt. The object selection pickbox is controlled by the PICKBOX system variable.
APPLYGLOBALOPACITIES Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area ■ Transparency Dialog Box on page 1386 Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Applies transparency settings to all palettes. 0 Transparency settings off 1 Transparency settings on This system variable determines the default setting for the Transparency dialog box > Apply these settings to all palettes option on page 1387.
ARRAYEDITSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit Associative Arrays (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates whether the drawing is in the array editing state, which is activated while editing an associative array’s source objects. 0 Off 1 On AREA Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain Area and Mass Properties Information (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the last area computed by the AREA command.
ARRAYTYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Array Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Specifies the default array type. 0 Rectangular array 1 Path array 2 Polar array ATTDIA Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the INSERT command uses a dialog box for attribute value entry.
ATTIPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Define Block Attributes Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls the which Text Formatting toolbar is used with the in-place editor for modifying multiline attributes.
1 Normal: Retains current visibility of each attribute; visible attributes are displayed; invisible attributes are not 2 On: Makes all attributes visible ATTMULTI Quick Reference See also: ■ Define Block Attributes Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether multiline attributes can be created. 0 Turns off all access methods for creating multiline attributes. They can still be viewed and edited. 1 Turns on all access methods for creating multiline attributes.
Controls whether INSERT uses default attribute settings during insertion of blocks. 0 Assumes the defaults for the values of all attributes 1 Turns on prompts or a dialog box for attribute values, as specified by ATTDIA AUDITCTL Quick Reference See also: ■ Repair a Damaged Drawing File Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether AUDIT creates an audit report (ADT) file.
Sets units for angles. 0 Decimal degrees 1 Degrees/minutes/seconds 2 Gradians 3 Radians 4 Surveyor's units AUPREC Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Unit Format Conventions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets the display precision for angular units and coordinates. However, the internal precision of angular values and and coordinates is always maintained, regardless of the display precision.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.3 Controls the amount of time that elapses before automated keyboard features display at the Command prompt. The time delay setting in the AUTOCOMPLETEMODE on page 2170 system variable must be turned on for AUTOCOMPLETEDELAY to have an effect. Valid values are real numbers from 0 to 10, which represent seconds.
AUTODWFPUBLISH Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Publish Options Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether DWF (Design Web Format) files are created automatically when you save or close drawing (DWG) files. 0 Turns off automatic publishing to DWF files when a drawing is saved or closed 1 Turns on automatic publishing to DWF files when a drawing is saved or closed The AUTOPUBLISH command controls additional options. NOTE This command will be removed in a future release.
Controls whether electronic files (DWF/PDF) are created automatically when you save or close drawing (DWG) files. 0 Turns off automatic publishing to DWF/PDF files when a drawing is saved or closed 1 Turns on automatic publishing to DWF/PDF files when a drawing is saved or closed The AUTOPUBLISH command controls additional options.
32 Turns on tooltips for polar tracking, object snap tracking, and Ortho mode AUTOSNAP | 2173
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B System Variables 29 BACKGROUNDPLOT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plotting Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls whether background plotting is turned on or off for plotting and publishing. By default, background plotting is turned off for plotting and on for publishing.
BACKZ Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a 3D Dynamic View (DVIEW) (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the back clipping plane offset from the target plane for the current viewport, in drawing units. Meaningful only if clipping is specified in CAMERA, DVIEW, or 3DCLIP. If there are several cameras, the value is the last back clipping plane that you set current.
NOTE The BACTIONSET,BASSOCIATE, and BLOOKUPTABLE on page 254 commands are disabled when the BACTIONBARMODE system variable is set to 1. BACTIONCOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Actions and Parameters Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: 7 Sets the text color of actions in the Block Editor. Valid values include BYLAYER, BYBLOCK, and an integer from 1 to 255. Valid values for True Colors are a string of integers each from 1 to 255 separated by commas and preceded by RGB.
When the display status is on, objects are shaded based on whether they are partially constrained, fully constrained, over constrained, or not constrained. 0 Turns off the constraint display status 1 Turns on the constraint display status You can turn the display status on or off using an icon in the drawing status bar. The colors corresponding to the constraint status can also be modified in the Block Editor Settings dialog box. When you enter the Block Editor, the value is always set to 0.
Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: 141 Sets the color of grips in the Block Editor. Valid values include BYLAYER, BYBLOCK, and an integer from 1 to 255. Valid values for True Colors are a string of integers each from 1 to 255 separated by commas and preceded by RGB.
Controls how xref names are handled when binding xrefs or editing xrefs in place. 0 Traditional binding behavior ("xref1|one" becomes "xref$0$one") 1 Insert-like behavior ("xref1|one" becomes "one") BLIPMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Erase Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether marker blips are visible. Obsolete Marker blips have been removed from the product. This system variable has the same name as the BLIPMODE command.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Disallows opening of the Block Editor and editing of dynamic block definitions. When BLOCKEDITLOCK is set to 1, double-clicking a dynamic block in a drawing opens the Properties palette. If the dynamic block contains attributes, double-clicking the block reference opens the Enhanced Attribute Editor. Double click actions can be customized using the Double Click Actions.
BLOCKTESTWINDOW Quick Reference See also: ■ Test Blocks Within the Block Editor (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates whether or not a test block window is current. The BLOCKTESTWINDOW system variable controls the display of the contextual panel that is displayed when a test block window is current. When the test block window is current, this system variable is set to 1, otherwise it is set to 0.
BPARAMETERFONT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Actions and Parameters Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Simplex.shx Sets the font used for parameters and actions in the Block Editor. You can specify either a True Type font or a SHX font (for example, Verdana or Verdana.ttf). You must add the .shx extension to specify an AutoCAD SHX font.
BPTEXTHORIZONTAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Actions and Parameters Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Forces the text displayed for action parametes and constraint parameters in the Block Editor to be horizontal. 0 Aligns text with the dimension line of the parameter 1 Displays the text for action parameters and constraint parameters in the Block Editor horizontally The BPTEXTHORIZONTAL system variable is applicable to the action parameters and block constraint parameters.
1 Specifies that value set markers are displayed BVMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work With Action Parameters in Blocks Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Controls how objects that are made invisible for the current visibility state are displayed in the Block Editor.
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C System Variables 30 CALCINPUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether mathematical expressions and global constants are evaluated in text and numeric entry boxes of windows and dialog boxes.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Turns the display of camera objects on or off. The value changes to 1 (to display cameras) when you use the CAMERA command. 0 Camera glyphs are not displayed 1 Camera glyphs are displayed CAMERAHEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Camera Properties Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Specifies the default height for new camera objects. The height is expressed in current drawing units.
You can only enter a named scale that exists in the drawing’s named scale list. CANNOSCALEVALUE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Annotation Scale (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Returns the value of the current annotation scale. CAPTURETHUMBNAILS Quick Reference See also: ■ Content reference to: Rewind Tool Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Specifies if and when thumbnails are captured for the Rewind tool.
CBARTRANSPARENCY Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Verify Geometric Constraints Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 50 Controls the transparency of the constraint bars. The valid CBARTRANSPARENCY system variable is between 10 and 90. The higher value makes the constraint bars more opaque.
CDATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain General Drawing Information (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Stores the current date and time in decimal format. The date and time displays in a decimal format starting with the year. After the decimal point, CDATE displays the time using a 24-hour clock. For example, the ninth day of February in the year 2006 at 3:05 pm displays as 20060209.150500.
■ Color Books: Text from standard PANTONE or custom color books, the DIC color guide, or RAL color sets, for example "DIC COLOR GUIDE(R)$DIC 43" CELTSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Linetype Scale Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Sets the current object linetype scaling factor. Sets the linetype scaling for new objects relative to the LTSCALE on page 1070 command setting. A line created with CELTSCALE = 2 in a drawing with LTSCALE set to 0.
CELWEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Current Lineweight Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: -1 Sets the lineweight of new objects. -1 Sets the lineweight to "BYLAYER." -2 Sets the lineweight to "BYBLOCK." -3 Sets the lineweight to "DEFAULT." "DEFAULT" is controlled by the LWDEFAULT system variable. Other valid values entered in hundredths of millimeters include 0, 5, 9, 13, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 53, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 106, 120, 140, 158, 200, and 211.
CENTERMT does not apply to stretching multiline text by using the ruler in the In-Place Text Editor.
CHAMFERA Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Chamfers Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the first chamfer distance when CHAMMODE is set to 0. CHAMFERB Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Chamfers Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the second chamfer distance when CHAMMODE is set to 0. CHAMFERC Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Chamfers Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the chamfer length when CHAMMODE is set to 1.
CHAMFERD Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Chamfers Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the chamfer angle when CHAMMODE is set to 1.
Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the default circle radius. A zero indicates no default. CLASSICKEYS Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Sets the behavior of the AutoCAD shortcut keys. 0 To copy, press Ctrl+C 1 To cancel, press Ctrl+C CLAYER Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Layer Settings and Layer Properties Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets the current layer.
CLEANSCREENSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Toolbars (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates whether the clean screen state is on or off. 0 Off 1 On CLISTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Dock, Resize, and Hide the Command Window (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1 Indicates whether the Command Line is open or closed.
CMATERIAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Manage Materials Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: BYLAYER Sets the material of new objects. Valid values are BYLAYER, BYBLOCK, and the name of a material in the drawing. CMDACTIVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Enter Commands on the Command Line (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Indicates whether an ordinary command, transparent command, script, or dialog box is active.
8 Dialog box is active 16 DDE is active 32 AutoLISP is active (only visible to an ObjectARX-defined command) 64 ObjectARX command is active CMDDIA Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Leaders Using Grips Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the display of the In-Place Text Editor for the LEADER and QLEADER commands.
Initial value: 1 Controls whether prompts and input are echoed during the AutoLISP command function. 0 Turns off echoing 1 Turns on echoing CMDINPUTHISTORYMAX Quick Reference See also: ■ Enter Commands on the Command Line Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 20 Sets the maximum number of previous input values that are stored for a prompt in a command. Display of the history of user input is controlled by the INPUTHISTORYMODE system variable.
For example, LINE'ZOOM indicates that the ZOOM command is being used transparently during the LINE command. This variable is designed for use with programming interfaces such as AutoLISP, DIESEL, and ActiveX Automation. The following is a simple example that demonstrates how to use DIESEL to display the current command at the status line. Command: modemacro New value for MODEMACRO, or .
Specifies multiline justification. 0 Top 1 Zero (Middle) 2 Bottom CMLSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Multilines Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 (imperial) or 20.0000 (metric) Controls the overall width of a multiline. A scale factor of 2.0 produces a multiline twice as wide as the style definition. A zero scale factor collapses the multiline into a single line.
COMPASS Quick Reference See also: ■ Use 3D Navigation Tools Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Controls whether the 3D compass is on or off in the current viewport. 0 Turns off the 3D compass 1 Turns on the 3D compass CONSTRAINTBARDISPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Controls the display of constraint bars after you apply constraints and when you select geometrically constrained drawings.
1 Displays constraint bars for selected objects after applying constraints 2 Temporarily displays constraint bars for the selected geometrically constrained objects 3 Bits 1 and 2 are both turned on CONSTRAINTBARMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply or Remove Geometric Constraints Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 4095 Controls the display of geometrical constraints on constraint bars.
1024 Equal 2048 Fix For example, set CONSTRAINTBARMODE to 12 (8+4) to display parallel and perpendicular constraints on the constraint bars. Set CONSTRAINTBARMODE to 4095 to display constraint bars for all constraint types. CONSTRAINTINFER Quick Reference See also: ■ Infer Geometric Constraints Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the geometric constraints are inferred while drawing and editing geometry.
Initial value: 2 Controls the text format for dimensional constraints. 0 Name (for example, Width) 1 Value (for example, 4.0000) 2 Expression (for example, width = 4.0000) NOTE The CONSTRAINTNAMEFORMAT system variable is also applicable to the block constraint parameters (BCPARAMETER command) in the Block Editor.
CONSTRAINTSOLVEMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Objects with Geometric Constraints Applied Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls constraint behavior when applying or editing constraints. 0 Does not retain the size of the geometry when a constraint is applied or modified 1 Retains the size of the geometry when a constraint is applied or modified When the CONSTRAINTSOLVEMODE is set to 0, resizing a constrained line may result in unpredictable behavior.
1 Open COORDS Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Coordinate Entry Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the format and update frequency of coordinates on the status line. 0 The absolute coordinates of your pointing device is updated only when you specify points 1 The absolute coordinates of your pointing device is updated continuously 2 The absolute coordinates of your pointing device is updated continuously except when a point, distance, or angle is requested.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the COPY command repeats automatically. 0 Sets the COPY command to repeat automatically 1 Sets the COPY command to create a single copy CPLOTSTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plot Styles Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: ByColor Controls the current plot style for new objects. If the current drawing you are working in is in color-dependent mode, CPLOTSTYLE is read-only and has a value of BYCOLOR.
CPROFILE Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Interface Settings (Profiles) (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: <> Displays the name of the current profile. CROSSINGAREACOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Object Selection Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 100 Controls the color of the selection area during crossing selection. The valid range is 1 to 255. The SELECTIONAREA on page 2524 system variable must be on.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets the shadow display property for a 3D object. To be visible, shadows must be turned on in the visual style that is applied to the viewport. 0 Casts and receives shadows 1 Casts shadows 2 Receives shadows 3 Ignores shadows NOTE To display full shadows, hardware acceleration is required. When Geometry Acceleration is off, full shadows cannot be displayed. (To access these settings, enter 3dconfig at the Command prompt.
CTABLESTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Table Styles Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Standard Sets the name of the current table style. CULLINGOBJ Quick Reference See also: ■ Cycle Through and Filter Subobjects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether 3D subobjects that are hidden from view can be highlighted or selected. 0 1 No subobject culling ■ Rolling over 3D objects highlights all 3D subobjects, including hidden subobjects.
CULLINGOBJSELECTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Cycle Through and Filter Subobjects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether 3D objects that are hidden from view can be highlighted or selected. 0 1 No object culling ■ Rolling over 3D objects highlights all 3D objects, including hidden objects. ■ Selecting 3D objects by dragging selects all 3D objects, including hidden objects.
Valid settings range from 1 to 100 percent. When set to 100, the crosshairs are full-screen and the ends of the crosshairs are never visible. When less than 100, the ends of the crosshairs may be visible when the cursor is moved to one edge of the screen. CVPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Select and Use the Current Viewport Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Displays the identification number of the current viewport.
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D System Variables 31 DATALINKNOTIFY Quick Reference See also: ■ Link a Table to External Data Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls the notification for updated or missing data links. 0 Disables data link update notification. 1 Enables data link notification. Notifies you that external data is linked to the current drawing by displaying the data link icon in the lower-right corner of the application window (the notification area of the status bar tray).
DATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain General Drawing Information (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Stores the current date and time in Modified Julian Date format. This value is represented as a Modified Julian Date (MJD), which is the Julian day number and decimal fraction of a day in the format: .
DBCSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Configure a Database for Use with Drawing Files (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates whether the dbConnect Manager is open or closed. 0 Closed 1 Open DBLCLKEDIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Double Click Actions ■ Modify Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the double click editing behavior in the drawing area.
1 Enabled DBMOD Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates the drawing modification status. The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 1 Object database modified 4 Database variable modified 8 Window modified 16 View modified 32 Field modified The DBMOD value is reset to 0 when you save the drawing.
Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Displays the path and file name of the current custom spelling dictionary. DCTMAIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Check Spelling Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies by country/region Displays the three letter keyword for the current main spelling dictionary. You can specify a default main spelling dictionary using the SETVAR command. When prompted for a new value for DCTMAIN, you can enter one of the keywords below.
fra French (accented capitals) frc French (unaccented capitals) deu German (post-reform) deo German (pre-reform) ita Italian nor Norwegian (Bokmal) ptb Portuguese (Brazilian) ptg Portuguese (Iberian) rus Russian esp Spanish sve Swedish DEFAULTGIZMO Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Gizmos Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Sets the 3D Move, 3D Rotate, or 3D Scale gizmo as the default during subobject selection.
1 The 3D Rotate gizmo is displayed by default when an object is selected in a 3D visual style. 2 The 3D Scale gizmo is displayed by default when an object is selected in a 3D visual style. 3 No gizmo is displayed by default when an object is selected in a 3D visual style. Set this variable to display the gizmo you use most often by default. With the 3D Move gizmo, you can restrict the movement of selected objects along an X, Y, or Z axis, or within a specified plane.
between the axes for uniform resizing. Highlight the double lines between the axes to specify resizing along a plane. Highlight an axis to specify resizing along an axis. No gizmo is displayed by default when an object is selected in a 3D visual style. You can also change the gizmo defaults on the Subobject panel of the Home and Mesh Modeling tabs.
Default lighting is provided by a set of distant lights that follow the view direction. When default lighting is on, the sun and other lights do not cast light, even if they are turned on. The setting of this system variable is viewport-specific.
DEFLPLSTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Plot Styles Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: ByColor Specifies the default plot style for all layers in a drawing when opening a drawing that was created in a release prior to AutoCAD 2000, or for Layer 0 when creating a new drawing from scratch without using a drawing template. When the drawing is opened and PSTYLEPOLICY is set to 1 (color-dependent plot style mode), DEFLPLSTYLE is read-only and has a value of “BYCOLOR.
PSTYLEPOLICY is set to 0 (named plot style mode), DEFPLSTYLE is writable and has a default value of “BYLAYER.” To convert the current drawing to use named or color-dependent plot styles, use CONVERTPSTYLES. DELOBJ Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Combine Areas (Regions) ■ Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Controls whether geometry used to create other objects is retained or deleted.
-1 Displays prompts to delete profile curves, including those used with the EXTRUDE, SWEEP, REVOLVE, and LOFT commands. Prompts to remove cross sections used with the LOFT command. The original geometry for CONVTOSOLID, CONVTOSURFACE, and CONVTOMESH commands is removed without prompting. -2 Displays prompts to delete all defining geometry, including paths and guide curves used with the SWEEP and LOFT commands.
1 Demand-loads the source application when you open a drawing that contains custom objects. This setting does not demand-load the application when you invoke one of the application's commands. 2 Demand-loads the source application when you invoke one of the application's commands. This setting does not demand-load the application when you open a drawing that contains custom objects.
DGNIMPORTMAX Quick Reference See also: ■ Import MicroStation DGN Files Type: Real Saved in: Registry Initial value: 10000000 Sets the maximum number of elements that are translated when importing a DGN file. This limit prevents the program from running out of memory and suspending when importing large DGN files. 0 Turns off the limit. >0 Sets the limit for the number of elements.
2 Imports the DGN file into the currently open drawing and adds a prefix to all named objects with the DGN filename. DGNMAPPINGPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Import MicroStation DGN Files (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Specifies the location of the dgnsetups.ini file where DGN mapping setups are stored. NOTE You can set the location of the dgnsetups.ini file in Files tab (Options dialog box).
The UOSNAP system variable overrides the DGNOSNAP setting. 0 Turns off object snapping for geometry in all DGN underlay attachments in the drawing 1 Turns on object snapping for geometry in all DGN underlay attachments in the drawing DIASTAT Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Stores the exit method of the most recently used dialog box.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Identifies digitizers connected to the system. 1 Integrated touch 2 External touch 4 Integrated pen 8 External pen 16 Multiple input 128 Input devices are ready DIMADEC Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Angular Dimensions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls the number of precision places displayed in angular dimensions. -1 Angular dimensions display the number of decimal places specified by DIMDEC.
DIMALT Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimension Units Type: Switch Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Controls the display of alternate units in dimensions. See also DIMALTD, DIMALTF, DIMALTTD, DIMALTTZ, DIMALTZ, and DIMAPOST.
DIMALTF Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimension Units Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 25.4000 (imperial) or 0.0394 (metric) Controls the multiplier for alternate units. If DIMALT is turned on, DIMALTF multiplies linear dimensions by a factor to produce a value in an alternate system of measurement. The initial value represents the number of millimeters in an inch.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 (imperial) or 3 (metric) Sets the number of decimal places for the tolerance values in the alternate units of a dimension. DIMALTTZ Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimension Units Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls suppression of zeros in tolerance values.
DIMALTU Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimension Units Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Sets the units format for alternate units of all dimension substyles except Angular.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls the suppression of zeros for alternate unit dimension values. DIMALTZ values 0-3 affect feet-and-inch dimensions only. 0 Suppresses zero feet and precisely zero inches 1 Includes zero feet and precisely zero inches 2 Includes zero feet and suppresses zero inches 3 Includes zero inches and suppresses zero feet 4 Suppresses leading zeros in decimal dimensions (for example, 0.5000 becomes .
DIMAPOST Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimension Units Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: "" Specifies a text prefix or suffix (or both) to the alternate dimension measurement for all types of dimensions except angular. For instance, if the current units are Architectural, DIMALT is on, DIMALTF is 25.4 (the number of millimeters per inch), DIMALTD is 2, and DIMAPOST is set to "mm", a distance of 10 units would be displayed as 10"[254.00mm].
DIMASSOC Quick Reference See also: ■ Associative Dimensions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Controls the associativity of dimension objects and whether dimensions are exploded. 0 Creates exploded dimensions. There is no association between the various elements of the dimension. The lines, arcs, arrowheads, and text of a dimension are drawn as separate objects. 1 Creates non-associative dimension objects. The elements of the dimension are formed into a single object.
DIMASZ Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Arrowheads Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.1800 (imperial) or 2.5000 (metric) Controls the size of dimension line and leader line arrowheads. Also controls the size of hook lines. Multiples of the arrowhead size determine whether dimension lines and text should fit between the extension lines. DIMASZ is also used to scale arrowhead blocks if set by DIMBLK. DIMASZ has no effect when DIMTSZ is other than zero.
A leader is added to moved dimension text when DIMTMOVE is set to 1. DIMAUNIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Angular Dimensions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets the units format for angular dimensions. 0 Decimal degrees 1 Degrees/minutes/seconds 2 Gradians 3 Radians DIMAZIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Suppress Zeros in Dimensions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Suppresses zeros for angular dimensions.
1 Suppresses leading zeros in decimal dimensions (for example, 0.5000 becomes .5000) 2 Suppresses trailing zeros in decimal dimensions (for example, 12.5000 becomes 12.5) 3 Suppresses leading and trailing zeros (for example, 0.5000 becomes .5) DIMBLK Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Arrowheads Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: "" Sets the arrowhead block displayed at the ends of dimension lines. To return to the default, closed-filled arrowhead display, enter a single period (.).
"_ORIGIN" origin indicator "_ORIGIN2" origin indicator 2 "_OPEN" open "_OPEN90" right angle "_OPEN30" open 30 "_CLOSED" closed "_SMALL" dot small blank "_NONE" none "_OBLIQUE" oblique "_BOXFILLED" box filled "_BOXBLANK" box "_CLOSEDBLANK" closed blank "_DATUMFILLED" datum triangle filled "_DATUMBLANK" datum triangle "_INTEGRAL" integral "_ARCHTICK" architectural tick 2244 | Chapter 31 D System Variables
DIMBLK1 Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Arrowheads Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: "" Sets the arrowhead for the first end of the dimension line when DIMSAH is on. To return to the default, closed-filled arrowhead display, enter a single period (.). For a list of arrowheads, see DIMBLK. NOTE Annotative blocks cannot be used as custom arrowheads for dimensions or leaders.
DIMCEN Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Radial Dimensions Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0900 (imperial) or 2.5000 (metric) Controls drawing of circle or arc center marks and centerlines by the DIMCENTER, DIMDIAMETER, and DIMRADIUS commands. For DIMDIAMETER and DIMRADIUS, the center mark is drawn only if you place the dimension line outside the circle or arc.
Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Assigns colors to dimension lines, arrowheads, and dimension leader lines. Also controls the color of leader lines created with the LEADER command. Color numbers are displayed in the Select Color dialog box. For BYBLOCK, enter 0. For BYLAYER, enter 256. DIMCLRE Quick Reference See also: ■ Override a Dimension Style Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Assigns colors to extension lines, center marks, and centerlines.
DIMCONSTRAINTICON Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Displays the lock icon next to the text for dimensional constraints.
The precision is based on the units or angle format you have selected. Specified value is applied to angular dimensions when DIMADEC on page 2233 is set to -1. DIMDLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Dimension Lines Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the distance the dimension line extends beyond the extension line when oblique strokes are drawn instead of arrowheads. DIMDLI Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Dimension Lines Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.
DIMDSEP Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimension Units Type: Single-character Saved in: Drawing Initial value: . (imperial) or , (metric) Specifies a single-character decimal separator to use when creating dimensions whose unit format is decimal. When prompted, enter a single character at the Command prompt. If dimension units is set to Decimal, the DIMDSEP character is used instead of the default decimal point.
DIMEXO Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Extension Lines Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0625 (imperial) or 0.6250 (metric) Specifies how far extension lines are offset from origin points. With fixed-length extension lines, this value determines the minimum offset. DIMFRAC Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Fractions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets the fraction format when DIMLUNIT is set to 4 (Architectural) or 5 (Fractional).
DIMFXL Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Extension Lines Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Sets the total length of the extension lines starting from the dimension line toward the dimension origin. DIMFXLON Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Extension Lines Type: Switch Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Controls whether extension lines are set to a fixed length. When DIMFXLON is on, extension lines are set to the length specified by DIMFXL.
Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0900 (imperial) or 0.6250 (metric) Sets the distance around the dimension text when the dimension line breaks to accommodate dimension text. Also sets the gap between annotation and a hook line created with the LEADER command. If you enter a negative value, DIMGAP places a box around the dimension text. DIMGAP is also used as the minimum length for pieces of the dimension line.
DIMJUST Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Location of Dimension Text Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls the horizontal positioning of dimension text.
To return to the default, closed-filled arrowhead display, enter a single period (.). For a list of arrowhead entries, see DIMBLK on page 2243. NOTE Annotative blocks cannot be used as custom arrowheads for dimensions or leaders. DIMLFAC Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Scale for Dimensions Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Sets a scale factor for linear dimension measurements.
Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Generates dimension limits as the default text. Setting DIMLIM to On turns DIMTOL off. Off Dimension limits are not generated as default text On Dimension limits are generated as default text DIMLTEX1 Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Extension Lines Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: "" Sets the linetype of the first extension line. The value is BYLAYER, BYBLOCK, or the name of a linetype.
DIMLTYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Dimension Lines Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: "" Sets the linetype of the dimension line. The value is BYLAYER, BYBLOCK, or the name of a linetype. DIMLUNIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimension Units Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Sets units for all dimension types except Angular.
6 Microsoft Windows Desktop (decimal format using Control Panel settings for decimal separator and number grouping symbols) DIMLWD Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Dimension Lines Type: Enum Saved in: Drawing Initial value: -2 Assigns lineweight to dimension lines. -3 Default (the LWDEFAULT value) -2 BYBLOCK -1 BYLAYER The integer represents 1/100th of a mm.
Assigns lineweight to extension lines. -3 Default (the LWDEFAULT value) -2 BYBLOCK -1 BYLAYER The integer represents 1/100th of a mm. DIMPOST Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimension Units Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: None Specifies a text prefix or suffix (or both) to the dimension measurement. For example, to establish a suffix for millimeters, set DIMPOST to mm; a distance of 19.2 units would be displayed as 19.2 mm.
DIMRND Quick Reference See also: ■ Round Off Dimension Values Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Rounds all dimensioning distances to the specified value. For instance, if DIMRND is set to 0.25, all distances round to the nearest 0.25 unit. If you set DIMRND to 1.0, all distances round to the nearest integer. Note that the number of digits edited after the decimal point depends on the precision set by DIMDEC. DIMRND does not apply to angular dimensions.
DIMSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Scale for Dimensions Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Sets the overall scale factor applied to dimensioning variables that specify sizes, distances, or offsets. Also affects the leader objects with the LEADER command. Use MLEADERSCALE to scale multileader objects created with the MLEADER command. 0.0 A reasonable default value is computed based on the scaling between the current model space viewport and paper space.
Type: Switch Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Controls suppression of the first dimension line and arrowhead. When turned on, suppresses the display of the dimension line and arrowhead between the first extension line and the text. Off First dimension line is not suppressed On First dimension line is suppressed DIMSD2 Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Dimension Lines Type: Switch Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Controls suppression of the second dimension line and arrowhead.
Type: Switch Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Suppresses display of the first extension line. Off Extension line is not suppressed On Extension line is suppressed DIMSE2 Quick Reference See also: ■ Control Extension Lines Type: Switch Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Suppresses display of the second extension line.
Suppresses arrowheads if not enough space is available inside the extension lines. Off Arrowheads are not suppressed On Arrowheads are suppressed If not enough space is available inside the extension lines and DIMTIX is on, setting DIMSOXD to On suppresses the arrowheads. If DIMTIX is off, DIMSOXD has no effect.
Initial value: 0 (imperial) or 1 (metric) Controls the vertical position of text in relation to the dimension line. 0 Centers the dimension text between the extension lines. 1 Places the dimension text above the dimension line except when the dimension line is not horizontal and text inside the extension lines is forced horizontal (DIMTIH = 1). The distance from the dimension line to the baseline of the lowest line of text is the current DIMGAP value.
DIMTFAC Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Scale for Dimensions Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Specifies a scale factor for the text height of fractions and tolerance values relative to the dimension text height, as set by DIMTXT. For example, if DIMTFAC is set to 1.0, the text height of fractions and tolerances is the same height as the dimension text. If DIMTFAC is set to 0.7500, the text height of fractions and tolerances is three-quarters the size of dimension text.
DIMTFILLCLR Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Appearance of Dimension Text Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets the color for the text background in dimensions. Color numbers are displayed in the Select Color dialog box. For BYBLOCK, enter 0. For BYLAYER, enter 256.
DIMTIX Quick Reference See also: ■ Fit Dimension Text Within Extension Lines Type: Switch Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Draws text between extension lines. Off For linear and angular dimensions, dimension text is placed inside the extension lines if there is sufficient room. On Draws dimension text between the extension lines even if it would ordinarily be placed outside those lines. For radius and diameter dimensions, DIMTIX on always forces the dimension text outside the circle or arc.
For DIMTM, the program uses the negative of the value you enter (adding a minus sign if you specify a positive number and a plus sign if you specify a negative number). DIMTMOVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Dimension Text Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets dimension text movement rules.
For radius and diameter dimensions, a dimension line is drawn inside the circle or arc when the text, arrowheads, and leader are placed outside.
Appends tolerances to dimension text. Setting DIMTOL to on turns DIMLIM off. DIMTOLJ Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Lateral Tolerances Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 (imperial) or 0 (metric) Sets the vertical justification for tolerance values relative to the nominal dimension text. This system variable has no effect unless DIMTOL is set to On. The default for DIMTOL is Off.
Sets the maximum (or upper) tolerance limit for dimension text when DIMTOL or DIMLIM is on. DIMTP accepts signed values. If DIMTOL is on and DIMTP and DIMTM are set to the same value, a tolerance value is drawn. If DIMTM and DIMTP values differ, the upper tolerance is drawn above the lower and a plus sign is added to the DIMTP value if it is positive. DIMTSZ Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Arrowheads Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.
Initial value: 0.0000 Controls the vertical position of dimension text above or below the dimension line. The DIMTVP value is used when DIMTAD is off. The magnitude of the vertical offset of text is the product of the text height and DIMTVP. Setting DIMTVP to 1.0 is equivalent to setting DIMTAD to on. The dimension line splits to accommodate the text only if the absolute value of DIMTVP is less than 0.7.
DIMTXTDIRECTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Appearance of Dimension Text Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Specifies the reading direction of the dimension text. 0 Displays dimension text in a Left-to-Right reading style 1 Displays dimension text in a Right-to-Left reading style DIMTZIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Lateral Tolerances Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 (imperial) or 8 (metric) Controls the suppression of zeros in tolerance values.
4 Suppresses leading zeros in decimal dimensions (for example, 0.5000 becomes .5000) 8 Suppresses trailing zeros in decimal dimensions (for example, 12.5000 becomes 12.5) 12 Suppresses both leading and trailing zeros (for example, 0.5000 becomes .5) DIMUPT Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Location of Dimension Text Type: Switch Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Off Controls options for user-positioned text.
Initial value: 0 (imperial) or 8 (metric) Controls the suppression of zeros in the primary unit value. Values 0-3 affect feet-and-inch dimensions only: 0 Suppresses zero feet and precisely zero inches 1 Includes zero feet and precisely zero inches 2 Includes zero feet and suppresses zero inches 3 Includes zero inches and suppresses zero feet 4 Suppresses leading zeros in decimal dimensions (for example, 0.5000 becomes .5000) 8 Suppresses trailing zeros in decimal dimensions (for example, 12.
1 On. Display silhouette edges When turned on, DISPSILH also suppresses the mesh displayed when using the HIDE command in the 2D wireframe visual style. Use the REGEN command to display the results. DISTANCE Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain Distances, Angles, and Point Locations (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the distance computed by the DIST command.
This setting affects new mesh boxes that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHBOXLENGTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Box Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions for the length of a mesh box along the X axis.
This setting affects new mesh boxes that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHBOXWIDTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Box Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions for the width of a mesh box along the Y axis. This setting affects new mesh boxes that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box.
Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 8 Sets the number of subdivisions around the perimeter of the mesh cone base. This setting affects new mesh cones that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHCONEBASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Cone Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions between the perimeter and the center point of the mesh cone base.
This setting affects new mesh cones that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHCONEHEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Cone Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions between the base and the point or top of the mesh cone.
This setting affects new mesh cones that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHCYLAXIS Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Cylinder Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 8 Sets the number of subdivisions around the perimeter of the mesh cylinder base.
This setting affects new mesh cylinders that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHCYLBASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Cylinder Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of radial subdivisions from the center of the mesh cylinder base to its perimeter.
This setting affects new mesh cylinders that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHCYLHEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Cylinder Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions between the base and the top of the mesh cylinder.
This setting affects new mesh cylinders that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHPYRBASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Pyramid Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of radial subdivisions between the center of the mesh pyramid base and its perimeter.
This setting affects new mesh pyramids that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHPYRHEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Pyramid Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions between the base and the top of the mesh pyramid.
This setting affects new mesh pyramids that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHPYRLENGTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Pyramid Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions along each dimension of a mesh pyramid base.
This setting affects new mesh pyramids that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHSPHEREAXIS Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Sphere Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 12 Sets the number of radial subdivisions around the axis endpoint of the mesh sphere.
This setting affects new mesh spheres that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHSPHEREHEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Sphere Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 6 Sets the number of subdivisions between the two axis endpoints of the mesh sphere.
This setting affects new mesh spheres that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHTORUSPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Torus Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 8 Sets the number of subdivisions in the path that is swept by the profile of a mesh torus.
This setting affects new mesh tori that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHTORUSSECTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Torus Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 8 Sets the number of subdivisions in the profile that sweeps the path of a mesh torus.
This setting affects new mesh tori that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHWEDGEBASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Wedge Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions between the midpoint of the perimeter of triangular dimension of the mesh wedge.
This setting affects new mesh wedges that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHWEDGEHEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Wedge Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions for the height of the mesh wedge along the Z axis.
This setting affects new mesh wedges that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHWEDGELENGTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Wedge Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 4 Sets the number of subdivisions for the length of a mesh wedge along the X axis.
This setting affects new mesh wedges that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHWEDGESLOPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Wedge Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions in the slope that extends from the apex of the wedge to the edge of the base.
This setting affects new mesh wedges that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DIVMESHWEDGEWIDTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Mesh Wedge Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 3 Sets the number of subdivisions for the width of the mesh wedge along the Y axis.
This setting affects new mesh wedges that are created with the MESH command. This value can also be set in the Mesh Primitive Options dialog box. DONUTID Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Donuts Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0.5000 Sets the default for the inside diameter of a donut.
Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1.0000 Sets the default for the outside diameter of a donut. The value must be nonzero. If DONUTID is larger than DONUTOD, the two values are swapped by the next command. DRAGMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls the display of objects being dragged. This system variable has the same name as a command. Use the SETVAR command to access this system variable.
DRAGP1 Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 5000 When hardware acceleration is used, controls how many vectors the system draws when you drag objects within a 2D viewport before it checks for a new input sample from the mouse. A larger number results in more graphical vectors being displayed as objects are dragged. For best performance, it is recommended that you use hardware acceleration rather than software acceleration.
DRAGVS Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid Box Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: "" Sets the visual style that is displayed while creating 3D solid and mesh primitives and extruded solids, surfaces, and meshes. You can enter a period (.) to specify the current visual style. DRAGVS can only be set to a visual style that is saved in the drawing. DRAGVS has no effect when the current viewport's visual style is set to 2D Wireframe.
draw order inheritance: new objects that are created from another object using the commands listed below are not assigned the draw order of the original object. Use this setting to improve the speed of editing operations in large drawings. The commands that are affected by inheritance are BREAK, FILLET, HATCH, HATCHEDIT, EXPLODE, TRIM, JOIN, PEDIT, and OFFSET. 1 Turns on the default draw order of objects: after objects are edited, they are automatically displayed according to the correct draw order.
DTEXTED Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Single-Line Text Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Specifies the user interface displayed for editing single-line text. Obsolete command. Replaced by the TEXTED on page 2572 system variable. DWFFRAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Hide and Show Underlay Frames Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Determines whether DWF or DWFx underlay frames are visible or plotted in the current drawing.
2 Displays but does not plot the DWF or DWFx underlay frame. DWFOSNAP Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Object Snaps with Underlays Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Determines whether object snapping is active for geometry in DWF or DWFx underlays that are attached to the drawing. The UOSNAP system variable overrides the DWFOSNAP setting.
Checks drawings for potential problems when opening them. 0 If a drawing that you try to open has a potential problem, you are warned before the drawing is opened. 1 If a drawing that you try to open has a potential problem, or if it was saved by an application other than one released by Autodesk or based on RealDWG, you are warned before the drawing is opened. 2 If a drawing that you try to open has a potential problem, you are notified at the Command prompt.
DWGNAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Drawing1.dwg Stores the name of the current drawing. If a new drawing has not been saved yet, DWGNAME defaults to Drawing1.dwg. Additional new drawings are named Drawing2.dwg, Drawing3.dwg, and so on. The location of the saved drawing file is stored in DWGPREFIX on page 2305.
DWGTITLED Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates whether the current drawing has been named. 0 Drawing has not been named 1 Drawing has been named DXEVAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Update Extracted Data Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 12 Controls when data extraction tables are compared against the data source, and if the data is not current, displays an update notification.
4 Plot 8 Publish 16 eTransmit/Archive 32 Save with Automatic Update 64 Plot with Automatic Update 128 Publish with Automatic Update 256 eTransmit/Archive with Automatic Update DYNCONSTRAINTMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Dimensional Constraints Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Displays hidden dimensional constraints when constrained objects are selected.
DYNDIGRIP Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dynamic Input Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 31 Controls which dynamic dimensions are displayed during grip stretch editing. The DYNDIVIS system variable must be set to 2, which displays all dynamic dimensions.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls how many dynamic dimensions are displayed during grip stretch editing. DYNDIGRIP controls which dynamic dimensions are displayed during grip stretch editing. 0 Only the first dynamic dimension in the cycle order 1 Only the first two dynamic dimensions in the cycle order 2 All dynamic dimensions, as controlled by the DYNDIGRIP system variable The DYNMODE system variable turns Dynamic Input features on and off.
DYNMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dynamic Input Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Turns Dynamic Input features on and off. When all features are on, the context governs what is displayed. When DYNMODE is set to a negative value, the Dynamic Input features are not turned on, but the setting is stored. Press the Dynamic Input button in the status bar to set DYNMODE to the corresponding positive value.
DYNPICOORDS Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dynamic Input Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether pointer input uses relative or absolute format for coordinates. 0 Relative 1 Absolute The DYNMODE system variable turns Dynamic Input features on and off. DYNPIFORMAT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dynamic Input Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether pointer input uses polar or Cartesian format for coordinates.
DYNPIVIS Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dynamic Input Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls when pointer input is displayed. 0 Only when you type at a prompt for a point 1 Automatically at a prompt for a point 2 Always The DYNMODE system variable turns Dynamic Input features on and off. DYNPROMPT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dynamic Input Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls display of prompts in Dynamic Input tooltips.
The DYNMODE system variable turns Dynamic Input features on and off. When DYNMODE is set to 0 (off), prompts are not displayed regardless of the DYNPROMPT setting. DYNTOOLTIPS Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Dynamic Input Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls which tooltips are affected by tooltip appearance settings.
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E System Variables 32 EDGEMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Trim or Extend Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls how the TRIM and EXTEND commands determine cutting and boundary edges. 0 Uses the selected edge without any extensions 1 Extends or trims the selected object to an imaginary extension of the cutting or boundary edge Lines, arcs, elliptical arcs, rays, and polylines are objects eligible for natural extension.
ELEVATION Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the User Coordinate System (UCS) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the current elevation of new objects relative to the current UCS. ENTERPRISEMENU Quick Reference See also: ■ Create an Enterprise CUIx File (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: "." Stores the enterprise customization file name (if defined), including the path for the file name.
Initial value: 1 Controls whether reference names or reference objects are highlighted when their counterparts are selected in the External References palette or in the drawing window. 0 Referenced objects are not highlighted. 1 Referenced objects are highlighted.
ERSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Drawing References (Xrefs) (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Indicates whether the External References palette is open or closed. 0 Closed 1 Open EXPERT Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Controls whether certain prompts are issued. 0 Issues all prompts normally.
3 Suppresses the preceding prompts and those issued by the LINETYPE Command prompt (-LINETYPE) if you try to load a linetype that's already loaded or create a new linetype in a file that already defines that linetype. 4 Suppresses the preceding prompts and those issued by UCS Save and VPORTS Save if the name you supply already exists. 5 Suppresses the prompt, “That name is already in Use, redefine it?” issued by the -DIMSTYLE Save option when you supply the name of an existing dimension style.
EXPORTEPLOTFORMAT Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 2 Sets the default electronic file output type: PDF, DWF, or DWFx.
EXPORTPAPERSPACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Specifies what part of the drawing to export to a DWF, DWFx, or PDF file from paper space. 0 Current Layout 1 All Layouts EXPORTPAGESETUP Quick Reference See also: ■ Export DWF and DWFx Files Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Specifies whether to export to a DWF, DWFx, or PDF file with the current page setup.
Setup combo box in the Export to DWF/PDF panel of the Ribbon’s Output tab displays Override. You can override plot options such as page size and orientation in the Page Setup Override dialog box. EXTMAX Quick Reference See also: ■ Pan or Zoom a View (Read-only) Type: 3D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the upper-right point of the drawing extents. Expands outward as new objects are drawn; shrinks only with ZOOM All or ZOOM Extents. Reported in world coordinates for the current space.
EXTNAMES Quick Reference See also: ■ Resolve Name Conflicts in External References Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Sets the parameters for named object names (such as linetypes and layers) stored in definition tables. 0 Uses AutoCAD Release 14 parameters, which limit names to 31 characters in length. Names can include the letters A to Z, the numerals 0 to 9, and the special characters dollar sign ($), underscore (_), and hyphen (-). 1 Uses AutoCAD 2000 (and later releases) parameters.
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F System Variables 33 FACETERDEVNORMAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Meshes by Conversion Type: Real Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 40 Sets the maximum angle between the surface normal and contiguous mesh faces. This setting affects mesh that is converted from another object using the MESHSMOOTH command. (For a complete list of objects that can be converted to mesh, see Objects That Can Be Converted to Mesh.) This value can also be set in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box.
FACETERDEVSURFACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Meshes by Conversion Type: Real Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 0.001 Sets how closely the converted mesh object adheres to the original shape of the solid or surface. This setting affects mesh that is converted from another object using the MESHSMOOTH command. (For a complete list of objects that can be converted to mesh, see Objects That Can Be Converted to Mesh.) This value can also be set in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box.
This setting affects mesh that is converted from another object using the MESHSMOOTH command. (For a complete list of objects that can be converted to mesh, see Objects That Can Be Converted to Mesh.) This value can also be set in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box. Permissible values range from 0 to 100, and set the height/width ratio of the face. Use this variable to prevent long, thin faces that can result from cylindrical object conversions.
FACETERMAXGRID Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Meshes by Conversion Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 4096 Sets the maximum number of U and V grid lines for solids and surfaces converted to mesh. This setting affects mesh that is converted from another object using the MESHSMOOTH command. (For a complete list of objects that can be converted to mesh, see Objects That Can Be Converted to Mesh.) Permissible values range from 0 to 4096.
2 Faces are mostly triangular This setting affects mesh that is converted from another object using the MESHSMOOTH command. (For a complete list of objects that can be converted to mesh, see Objects That Can Be Converted to Mesh.) This value can also be set in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box.
Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 0 Sets the minimum number of V grid lines for solids and surfaces that are converted to mesh. This setting affects mesh that is converted from a 3D solid or surface object using the MESHSMOOTH command. (For a complete list of objects that can be converted to mesh, see Objects That Can Be Converted to Mesh.) Permissible values range from 0 to 1023. Setting 0 (zero) turns off the setting.
Converted to Mesh.) It can also be set in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box. FACETERSMOOTHLEV Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Meshes by Conversion Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 1 Sets the default level of smoothness for objects that are converted to mesh.
For a complete list of objects that can be converted to mesh, see Objects That Can Be Converted to Mesh. This variable can also be set in the Mesh Tessellation Options dialog box. FACETRATIO Quick Reference See also: ■ Create 3D Solid Primitives Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Controls the aspect ratio of faceting for cylindrical and conic solids.
Valid values are from 0.01 to 10.0. When you use the 3DPRINT command, the FACTRES system variable is set to 10. NOTE 3DDWFPREC replaces FACETRES in controlling the precision of published 3D DWF files. FIELDDISPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Update Fields Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether fields are displayed with a gray background. The background is not plotted.
The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 0 Not updated 1 Updated on open 2 Updated on save 4 Updated on plot 8 Updated on use of ETRANSMIT 16 Updated on regeneration NOTE The Date field is updated by UPDATEFIELD, but it is not updated automatically based on the setting of the FIELDEVAL system variable.
FILLETRAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Fillets Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the current fillet radius for 2D objects. If you use the FILLET on page 812 command to change the radius of a 2D fillet, the value of this system variable changes to match. FILLETRAD3D Quick Reference See also: ■ Fillet a Surface ■ Modify Edges on 3D Objects Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Stores the current fillet radius for 3D objects.
FILLMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills, Lineweights, and Text Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Specifies whether hatches and fills, 2D solids, and wide polylines are filled in. 0 Objects are not filled 1 Objects are filled FONTALT Quick Reference See also: ■ Substitute Fonts Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: simplex.shx Specifies the alternate font to be used when the specified font file cannot be located.
FONTMAP Quick Reference See also: ■ Substitute Fonts Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: acad.fmp Specifies the font mapping file to be used. A font mapping file contains one font mapping per line; the original font used in the drawing and the font to be substituted for it are separated by a semicolon (;). For example, to substitute the Times TrueType font for the Roman font, the line in the mapping file would read as follows: romanc.shx;times.
Controls the display of frames for all images, underlays, and clipped xrefs. The FRAME setting overrides the individual IMAGEFRAME, DWFFRAME, PDFFRAME, DGNFRAME, and XCLIPFRAME settings. 0 The frame is not visible and it is not plotted. The frame temporarily reappears during selection preview or object selection. 1 Displays and plots the frame. 2 Displays but does not plot the frame.
FRONTZ Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a 3D Dynamic View (DVIEW) (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the front clipping plane offset from the target plane for the current viewport, in drawing units. The front clipping and front clip not at eye bitcodes in VIEWMODE are on. The FRONTZ value is the last front clipping plane value set current with the CAMERA, DVIEW, or 3DCLIP command.
FULLPLOTPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Print or Plot Drawings Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether the full path of the drawing file is sent to the plot spooler.
34 G System Variables GEOLATLONGFORMAT Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Geographic Location of a Drawing Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls the format of the latitude or longitude values in the Geographic Location dialog box, and the coordinate status bar in Geographic mode.
GEOMARKERVISIBILITY Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Geographic Location of a Drawing Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls the visibility of geographic markers. 0 Geographic marker is not visible 1 Geographic marker is visible GFANG Quick Reference See also: ■ Choose a Hatch Pattern or Fill Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Specifies the angle of a gradient fill. Valid values range from 0 to less than 360 (degrees).
GFCLR1 Quick Reference See also: ■ Choose a Hatch Pattern or Fill Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "Blue" Specifies the color for a one-color gradient fill or the first color for a two-color gradient fill.
■ True Colors: RGB or HSL values from 000 to 255 in the form "RGB:130,200,240" ■ Color Books: Text from standard color books, guides, or sets, for example "DIC COLOR GUIDE(R)$DIC 43" GFCLRLUM Quick Reference See also: ■ Choose a Hatch Pattern or Fill Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1.0000 Controls the tint or shade level in a one-color gradient fill. A tint gradient transitions toward white and a shade gradient transitions toward black. Valid values range from 0.0 (darkest) to 1.
GFNAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Choose a Hatch Pattern or Fill Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1 Specifies the pattern of a gradient fill.
Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Specifies whether the pattern in a gradient fill is centered or is shifted up and to the left. 0 Centered 1 Shifted up and to the left GLOBALOPACITY Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area ■ Transparency Dialog Box on page 1386 Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 100 Controls transparency level for all palettes. 0 Fully transparent 100 Fully opaque Enter a value from 0-100 to set the transparency level.
GRIDDISPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Type: Bitcode Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Controls the display behavior and display limits of the grid.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 5 Controls the frequency of major grid lines compared to minor grid lines. Valid values range from 1 to 100. Grid lines are displayed in any visual style. GRIDMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Specifies whether the grid is turned on or off.
The setting is stored as an integer using the sum of the following values: 0 Displays lined grid for 2D model space, Block Editor, 3D parallel projection, 3D perspective projection, and Sheet and Layout. 1 Displays dotted grid for 2D model space. 2 Displays dotted grid for Block Editor. 4 Displays dotted grid for Sheet and Layout. GRIDUNIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Type: 2D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.5000,0.
Controls the display of grips in blocks. 0 Assigns a grip only to the insertion point of the block 1 Assigns grips to objects within the block GRIPCOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Object Grips ■ Selection Tab (Options Dialog Box) on page 1362 Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 150 Controls the color of unselected grips. The valid range is 1 to 255.
GRIPDYNCOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Dynamic Blocks in Drawings Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 140 Controls the color of custom grips for dynamic blocks. The valid range is 1 to 255. GRIPHOT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Object Grips ■ Selection Tab (Options Dialog Box) on page 1362 Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 12 Controls the color of selected grips. The valid range is 1 to 255.
■ Selection Tab (Options Dialog Box) on page 1362 Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 11 Controls the fill color of an unselected grip when the cursor pauses over it. The valid range is 1 to 255. GRIPMULTIFUNCTIONAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Choose a Method to Modify Objects ■ Modify Objects Using Grips Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Specifies the access methods for multi-functional grip options.
GRIPOBJLIMIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Object Grips ■ Selection Tab (Options Dialog Box) on page 1362 Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 100 Suppresses the display of grips when the selection set includes more than the specified number of objects. The valid range is 0 to 32,767. For example, when set to 1, grips are suppressed when more than one object is selected. When set to 0, grips are always displayed.
To adjust the size of the grips and the effective selection area used by the cursor when you snap to a grip, use GRIPSIZE. GRIPSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Object Grips ■ Selection Tab (Options Dialog Box) on page 1362 Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 5 Sets the size of the grip box in pixels. The valid range is 1 to 255.
2 Turns the grips hot when subobjects of 2D polyline objects (line or arc segments) are selected. 3 Turns the grips hot when subobjects of ■ 3D objects (faces, edges, or vertices) are selected ■ 2D polyline objects (line or arc segments) are selected Setting this system variable to 1 is especially helpful for quickly modifying groups of faces, edges, and vertices on mesh objects.
GROUPDISPLAYMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Objects in Groups Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls the display and grips on groups, when group selection is on. 0 Displays grips on all objects in the selected group 1 Displays a single grip at the center of the grouped objects 2 Displays the group bounding box with a single grip at the center Group selection is enabled by setting the PICKSTYLE on page 2469 system variable to 1 or 3.
1 Gizmos are displayed automatically after you create a selection set. This system variable affects the display of the 3D Move, 3D Rotate, and 3D Scale gizmos. Gizmos were previously known as “grip tools.” GTDEFAULT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Gizmos Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the 3D Move, 3D Rotate, or 3D Scale operation starts automatically when you start the MOVE, ROTATE, or SCALE command in a viewport with a 3D visual style.
Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the initial location of the 3D Move, 3D Rotate, or 3D Scale gizmo when you select objects before you start a command in a viewport with a 3D visual style. 0 Places the 3D Move, 3D Rotate, or 3D Scale gizmo at the same location as the UCS icon. The gizmo orientation is aligned with the current UCS. 1 Places the 3D Move, 3D Rotate, or 3D Scale gizmo at the geometric center of the selection set.
H System Variables 35 HALOGAP Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Specifies a gap to be displayed where an object is hidden by another object. The value is specified as a percent of one unit and is independent of the zoom level. HALOGAP is available only in 2D views. In 3D views, the VSHALOGAP system variable is used.
(Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: On Reports whether object handles can be accessed by applications. Because handles can no longer be turned off, has no effect except to preserve the integrity of scripts. HELPPREFIX Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area ■ Files Tab (Options Dialog Box) on page 1330 Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Sets the file path for the Help system.
Hides can be calculated in double precision or single precision. Setting HIDEPRECISION to 1 produces more accurate hides by using double precision, but this setting also uses more memory and can affect performance, especially when hiding solids.
Controls object highlighting; does not affect objects selected with grips. 0 Turns off object selection highlighting 1 Turns on object selection highlighting HPANG Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the angle for new hatch patterns. HPANNOTATIVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Scaling Annotations Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls whether a new hatch pattern is annotative.
HPASSOC Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Hatch and Fill Areas Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether hatches and fills are associative.
■ True Colors: RGB or HSL values from 000 to 255 in the form "RGB:130,200,240" ■ Color Books: Text from standard color books, guides, or sets, for example "DIC COLOR GUIDE(R)$DIC 43" HPBOUND Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Hatch and Fill Areas Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1 Controls the object type created by HATCH and BOUNDARY. 0 Creates a region 1 Creates a polyline A polyline or region object is created only if the HPBOUNDRETAIN system variable is turned on.
Controls whether boundary objects are created for new hatches and fills. 0 Does not create boundary objects 1 Creates boundary objects according to the HPBOUND system variable HPCOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Property Overrides for Hatches and Fills Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: use current Sets a default color for new hatches. Valid values include the following: ■ “.
HPDLGMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Hatch Patterns and Fills Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 2 Controls the display of the Hatch and Gradient dialog box and the Hatch Edit dialog box.
Doubling specifies a second set of lines drawn at 90 degrees to the original lines. 0 Turns off hatch pattern doubling 1 Turns on hatch pattern doubling HPDRAWORDER Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Property Overrides for Hatches and Fills Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 3 Controls the draw order of hatches and fills. Controls whether hatch and fill objects are displayed in front or behind all other objects, or in front or behind their associated boundaries. 0 None.
HPGAPTOL Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Hatch and Fill Areas Type: Real Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0.0000 Treats a set of objects that almost enclose an area as a closed hatch boundary. The default value, 0, specifies that the objects enclose the area, with no gaps. Enter a value, in drawing units, from 0 to 5000 to set the maximum size of gaps that can be ignored when the objects serve as a hatch boundary.
HPISLANDDETECTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Hatch and Fill Areas Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls how islands within the hatch boundary are treated. 0 Normal. Hatches islands within islands. 1 Outer. Hatches only areas outside of islands. 2 Ignore. Hatches everything within the boundaries. An island is an enclosed area within the area to be hatched.
HPLAYER Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Property Overrides for Hatches and Fills Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: use current Specifies a default layer for new hatches and fills. Values other than the “.” (use current) value override the current layer (CELAYER).
HPMAXLINES Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Scale of Hatch Patterns Type: Real Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1000000 Sets the maximum number of hatch lines that are generated in a hatch operation. Valid values are from 100 to10,000,000. HPNAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Choose a Hatch Pattern or Fill Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: ANSI31 (imperial) or ANGLE (metric) Sets the default hatch pattern name. Valid names can contain up to 34 characters without spaces.
HPOBJWARNING Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Scale of Hatch Patterns Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 10000 Sets the number of hatch boundary objects that can be selected before displaying a warning message. The maximum value can vary, but is significantly larger than 100000000 (one hundred million). HPORIGIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Hatch Origin Point Type: 2D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000,0.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls how the default hatch origin point is determined.
HPQUICKPREVTIMEOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Hatch and Fill Areas Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Sets the maximum time for a hatch preview to generate before the preview is automatically cancelled. If the specified duration is reached, and the preview is not complete, the preview is cancelled, but the command remains active. The duration is measured in seconds. Valid values range from 1 to 300.
HPSEPARATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Hatch and Fill Areas Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether a single hatch object or separate hatch objects are created when operating on several closed boundaries. 0 A single hatch object is created 1 Separate hatch objects are created HPSPACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Scale of Hatch Patterns Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1.0000 Sets the hatch pattern line spacing for user-defined patterns.
HPTRANSPARENCY Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Property Overrides for Hatches and Fills Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: use current Sets the default transparency for new hatches and fills. Valid values include “use current” (or “.”), ByLayer, ByBlock, and integer values from 0 to 90. The higher the value, the more transparent the hatch. Values other than “use current” or “.” override the current transparency (CETRANSPARENCY on page 2194).
I System Variables 36 IMAGEFRAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Show and Hide Raster Image Boundaries Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls whether image frames are displayed and plotted. The FRAME system variable overrides the IMAGEFRAME setting. Use the IMAGEFRAME system variable after the FRAME system variable to reset the image frame settings. 0 The image frame is not diplayed or plotted. The frame temporarily reappears during selection preview or object selection.
IMAGEHLT Quick Reference See also: ■ Improve the Display Speed of Raster Images Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the entire raster image or only the raster image frame is highlighted. 0 Highlights only the raster image frame 1 Highlights the entire raster image IMPLIEDFACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Press or Pull Bounded Areas Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the detection of implied faces. 0 Implied faces cannot be detected.
This variable affects the ability to use implied faces when you press Ctrl+Shift+E and drag the area inside the boundary to create an extrusion dynamically. This variable must be set to 1 if you want to select and modify implied faces. INDEXCTL Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Layer and Spatial Indexes Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls whether layer and spatial indexes are created and saved in drawing files.
Saved in: Registry Initial value: http://www.autodesk.com Stores the Internet location used by the BROWSER command and the Browse the Web dialog box. INPUTHISTORYMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Shortcut Menus ■ The Command Line Window Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 15 Controls the content and location of the user input history. The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 0 No history of recent input is displayed.
INSBASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Type: 3D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000,0.0000,0.0000 Stores the insertion base point set by BASE, which gets expressed as a UCS coordinate for the current space. INSNAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "" Sets a default block name for the INSERT command. The name must conform to symbol naming conventions. Returns "" if no default is set. Enter a period (.) to set no default.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 (imperial) or 4 (metric) Specifies a drawing-units value for automatic scaling of blocks, images, or xrefs when inserted or attached to a drawing. NOTE The INSUNITS setting is ignored when inserting blocks into a drawing.
18 Astronomical Units 19 Light Years 20 Parsecs INSUNITSDEFSOURCE Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Sets source content units value when INSUNITS is set to 0. Valid range is 0 to 20.
10 Yards 11 Angstroms 12 Nanometers 13 Microns 14 Decimeters 15 Dekameters 16 Hectometers 17 Gigameters 18 Astronomical Units 19 Light Years 20 Parsecs INSUNITSDEFTARGET Quick Reference See also: ■ Insert Blocks Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Sets target drawing units value when INSUNITS is set to 0. Valid range is 0 to 20.
2 Feet 3 Miles 4 Millimeters 5 Centimeters 6 Meters 7 Kilometers 8 Microinches 9 Mils 10 Yards 11 Angstroms 12 Nanometers 13 Microns 14 Decimeters 15 Dekameters 16 Hectometers 17 Gigameters 18 Astronomical Units 19 Light Years 20 Parsecs INSUNITSDEFTARGET | 2385
INTELLIGENTUPDATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 20 Controls the graphics refresh rate. The default value is 20 frames per second. If you encounter problems related to graphics generation or timing, turn off the variable by setting it to 0. INTELLIGENTUPDATE works by suppressing the graphics update until the timer expires. Subsequent updates reset the timer.
If you have a color book installed, you can specify any colors that are defined in the book. INTERFEREOBJVS Quick Reference See also: ■ Check 3D Models for Interferences Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Realistic Sets the visual style for interference objects. INTERFEREOBJVS can only be set to a visual style that is saved in the drawing. The visual style specified for INTERFEREOBJVS cannot be removed with the PURGE command.
INTERSECTIONCOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Controls the color of polylines at the intersection of 3D surfaces when the visual style is set to 2D Wireframe. Value 0 designates ByBlock, value 256 designates ByLayer, and value 257 designates ByEntity. Values 1-255 designate an AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) color. True Colors and Color Book colors are also available.
ISAVEBAK Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Improves the speed of incremental saves, especially for large drawings. ISAVEBAK controls the creation of a backup file (BAK). In the operating system, copying the file data to create a BAK file for large drawings takes a major portion of the incremental save time.
full saves. When the estimate exceeds 50 percent, the next save will be a full save. This resets the wasted space estimate to 0. If ISAVEPERCENT is set to 0, every save is a full save. ISOLINES Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Solids Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 4 Specifies the number of contour lines displayed on the curved surfaces of 3D solids. Valid settings range from 0 to 2047.
L System Variables 37 LARGEOBJECTSUPPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls large object size limit support when you open and save drawings.
(Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the end angle of the last arc entered relative to the XY plane of the current UCS for the current space. LASTPOINT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Coordinate Entry Type: 3D-point Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0.0000,0.0000,0.0000 Stores the last point specified, expressed as UCS coordinates for the current space. You can reference the last point specified by entering the @ symbol at a point prompt.
LATITUDE Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Geographic Location of a Drawing Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 37.7950 Specifies the latitude of the drawing model in decimal format. The default is the latitude of San Francisco, California. The valid range is -90 to +90. Positive values represent north latitudes. This value is affected by the settings of the LUPREC system variable. This value is not affected by the settings of the AUNITS and AUPREC system variables.
1 Maps LAYER command to use the modeless Layer Properties Manager LAYEREVAL Quick Reference See also: ■ Use New Layer Notification ■ LAYEREVALCTL on page 2395 ■ LAYERNOTIFY on page 2397 Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Specifies whether the layer list is evaluated for new layers when added to the drawing or to attached xrefs.
LAYEREVALCTL Quick Reference See also: ■ Use New Layer Notification ■ LAYEREVAL on page 2394 ■ LAYERNOTIFY on page 2397 Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 1 Controls the overall Unreconciled New Layer filter list in Layer Properties Manager which is evaluated for new layers. This system variable also affects whether the new layer notification is displayed or not.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Deletes excessive layer filters to improve performance. When a drawing has 100 or more layer filters, and the number of layer filters exceeds the number of layers, LAYERFILTERALERT provides a method for deleting layer filters to improve performance.
LAYERNOTIFY Quick Reference See also: ■ Use New Layer Notification ■ LAYEREVAL on page 2394 ■ LAYERNOTIFY on page 2397 Type: Bitcode Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Specifies when an alert displays when unreconciled new layers are found. 0 Off 1 Plot 2 Open 4 Load/Reload/Attach for xrefs 8 Restore layer state 16 Save 32 Insert NOTE LAYEREVALCTL overrides the LAYEREVAL and LAYERNOTIFY setvars when LAYEREVALCTL = 0. It acts like a global off (but not a global on).
LAYLOCKFADECTL Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Layers to Manage Complexity Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 50 Controls the amount of fading for objects on locked layers. Fades the objects on locked layers to contrast them with objects on unlocked layers and reduces the visual complexity of a drawing. Objects on locked layers are still visible for reference and for object snapping. The range for controlling the fading for objects on locked layers is from -90 to 90.
LAYOUTCREATEVIEWPORT Quick Reference See also: ■ Work on a Named Layout Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether a viewport is created automatically on each new layout added to a drawing. 0 Newly created layouts do not include any viewports. 1 A single layout viewport is created with each new layout.
1 For the Model tab and the last layout made current, the display list is saved to memory and regenerations are suppressed when you switch between the two tabs. For all other layouts, regenerations still occur when you switch to those tabs. 2 The drawing is regenerated the first time you switch to each tab. For the remainder of the drawing session, the display list is saved to memory and regenerations are suppressed when you switch to those tabs.
Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Specifies the keys for selection cycling and the behavior for Ctrl+click. 0 Ctrl+click is used to select subobjects (faces, edges, and vertices) on 3D solids, surfaces, and meshes. 1 Ctrl+click is used to cycle through overlapping objects. Disallows using Ctrl+click to select subobjects on 3D solids, surfaces, and meshes.
LIGHTGLYPHDISPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Lights Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Turns on and off the display of light glyphs. When this system variable is set to Off, the glyphs that represent lights in the drawing are not displayed. A light glyph is a symbolic representation of a point lights and spotlights.
When this system variable is set to 1 or 2, photometric lighting is enabled; otherwise standard (generic) lighting is used. 0 No lighting units are used and standard (generic) lighting is enabled. 1 American lighting units (foot-candles) are used and photometric lighting is enabled. 2 International lighting units (lux) are used and photometric lighting is enabled.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls whether lights contained in blocks are used when rendering. By default, this system variable is turned on in AutoCAD drawings. When this system variable is off, lights in blocks do not affect 3D objects in the current viewport when rendering. Previous versions of AutoCAD did not support rendering lights in blocks.
Type: 2D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 12.0000,9.0000 (imperial) or 420.0000,297.0000 (metric) Stores the upper-right grid limits for the current space, expressed as world coordinates. LIMMAX is read-only when paper space is active and the paper background or printable area is displayed. LIMMIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Type: 2D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000,0.
Controls the brightness level of the viewport when standard lighting is enabled (LIGHTINGUNITS system variable is set to 0). Valid settings are integers from -10 to 10. The brightness level in photometric lighting can be controlled by the LOGEXPBRIGHTNESS systems variable. LINEARCONTRAST Quick Reference See also: ■ Standard and Photometric Lighting Workflow Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls the contrast level of the viewport when using default lighting or generic lights.
This code appears as a three-letter abbreviation returned by the Windows GetLocaleInfo function using the LOCALE_SABBREVLANGNAME constant. LOCALROOTPREFIX Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of File Organization (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Stores the full path to the root folder where local customizable files were installed. The Template and Textures folders are in this location, and you can add any customizable files that you do not want to roam on the network.
The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 0 Toolbars and windows not locked 1 Docked toolbars locked 2 Docked or anchored windows locked 4 Floating toolbars locked 8 Floating windows locked LOFTANG1 Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid or Surface by Lofting. Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 90 Sets the draft angle through the first cross section in a loft operation. The 0 direction is measured outward from the curve on the plane of the curve.
Initial value: 90 Sets the draft angle through the last cross section in a loft operation. The 0 direction is measured outward from the curve on the plane of the curve. The positive direction is measured toward the previous cross section. Valid values include 0 to less than 360. LOFTMAG1 Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid or Surface by Lofting. Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the magnitude of the draft angle through the first cross section in a loft operation.
LOFTNORMALS Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Solid or Surface by Lofting. Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls the normals of a lofted object where it passes through cross sections. This setting is ignored when specifying a path or guide curves.
Controls the shape of lofted solids and surfaces.
Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 50.0 Controls the contrast level of the viewport when using photometric lighting. Controls the contrast level of the viewport when photometric lighting is enabled (LIGHTINGUNITS on page 2402 system variable is set to 1 or 2). Valid range is from 0.0 to 100.0. The contrast level in standard lighting can be controlled by the LINEARCONTRAST on page 2406 systems variable.
LOGEXPMIDTONES Quick Reference See also: ■ Standard and Photometric Lighting Workflow Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0 Controls the mid tones level of the viewport when using photometric lighting. Controls the mid tones level of the viewport when photometric lighting is enabled (LIGHTINGUNITS on page 2402 system variable is set to 1 or 2). Valid range from 0.01 to 20.0.
LOGFILEMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Specifies whether the contents of the command history are written to a log file. 0 Log file is not maintained 1 Log file is maintained LOGFILENAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Specifies the path and name of the command history log file for the current drawing.
LOGFILEPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Specifies the path for the command history log files for all drawings in a session. You can also specify the path by using the OPTIONS command. The initial value is based on the installation folder.
LONGITUDE Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Geographic Location of a Drawing Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: -122.3940 Specifies the longitude of the drawing model in decimal format. The default is the longitude of San Francisco, California. The valid range is -180 to +180. Positive values represent east longitudes. This value is affected by the settings of the LUPREC system variable. This value is not affected by the settings of the AUNITS and AUPREC system variables.
LUNITS Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Unit Format Conventions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Sets linear units. 1 Scientific 2 Decimal 3 Engineering 4 Architectural 5 Fractional LUPREC Quick Reference See also: ■ Set the Unit Format Conventions Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 4 Sets the display precision for linear units and coordinates.
Valid values are integers from 0 to 8. LWDEFAULT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Lineweights Type: Enum Saved in: Registry Initial value: 25 Sets the value for the default lineweight. The default lineweight can be set to any valid lineweight value in hundredths of millimeters, including: 0, 5, 9, 13, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 53, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 106, 120, 140, 158, 200, and 211. All values must be entered in hundredths of millimeters.
ON Lineweights are displayed LWUNITS Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Lineweights Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether lineweight units are displayed in inches or millimeters.
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38 M System Variables MATBROWSERSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Browse Material Libraries Type: Switch Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 0 Indicates whether the Materials Browser is open or closed. 0 Materials Browser is closed. 1 Materials Browser is open.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Indicates whether the Materials Editor is open or closed. 0 Closed 1 Open MATERIALSPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Browse Material Libraries (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: User-settings Initial value: Varies Specifies the path of the materials libraries. Obsolete.
Indicates whether the Materials Editor is open or closed. Obsolete. Replaced by the MATBROWSERSTATE on page 2421 and MATEDITORSTATE on page 2421 system variables. 0 Closed 1 Open MAXACTVP Quick Reference See also: ■ Turn Layout Viewports On or Off Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 64 Sets the maximum number of viewports that can be active at one time in a layout. MAXACTVP has no effect on the number of viewports that are plotted.
The value of MAXSORT is an integer between 0 and 32767. MAXTOUCHES Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Freehand Sketches (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Identifies the number of touch points supported by connected digitizers. MBUTTONPAN Quick Reference See also: ■ Pointing Device Buttons Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the behavior of the third button or wheel on the pointing device.
MEASUREINIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Starting a New Drawing Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies by country/region Controls whether a drawing you start from scratch uses imperial or metric default settings. Specifically, MEASUREINIT controls which hatch pattern and linetype files are used. The Drawing1.dwg that opens when you start the program is a drawing that is started from scratch.
Controls whether the current drawing uses imperial or metric hatch pattern and linetype files. 0 Imperial; uses the hatch pattern file and linetype file designated by the ANSIHatch and ANSILinetype registry settings 1 Metric; uses the hatch pattern file and linetype file designated by the ISOHatch and ISOLinetype registry settings MENUBAR Quick Reference See also: ■ Access the Classic Menu Bar Controls the display of the menu bar.
1 Screen menu does switch pages in response to keyboard command entry MENUECHO Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Macros Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Sets menu echo and prompt control bits.
Saved in: Registry Initial value: customization_file_name Stores the customization file name, including the path for the file name. MESHTYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Construct Meshes from Other Objects Type: Bitcode Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls the type of mesh that is created by REVSURF, TABSURF, RULESURF and EDGESURF.
Controls how MIRROR reflects hatch patterns. 0 Retains hatch pattern direction 1 Mirrors the hatch pattern direction MIRRTEXT Quick Reference See also: ■ Mirror Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls how MIRROR reflects text. 0 Retains text direction 1 Mirrors the text MLEADERSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Leaders Using Grips Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Sets the overall scale factor applied to multileader objects.
Use DIMSCALE to scale leader objects created with the LEADER command. 0.0 A reasonable default value is computed based on the scaling between the current model space viewport and paper space. If you are in paper space or model space and not using the paper space feature, the scale factor is 1.0. >0 A scale factor is computed that leads text sizes, arrowhead sizes, and other scaled distances to plot at their face values. MLEADERSCALE does not affect measured lengths, coordinates, or angles.
MSLTSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Annotative Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Scales linetypes displayed on the model tab by the 0 Linetypes displayed on the Model tab are not scaled by the annotation scale 1 Linetypes displayed on the Model tab are scaled by the annotation scale NOTE MSLTSCALE is set to 0 when you open drawings created in AutoCAD 2007 and earlier.
MSOLESCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Importing OLE Objects into Drawings Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000 Controls the size of an OLE object with text that is pasted into model space. MSOLESCALE controls only the initial size. If the scale factor value is changed, existing OLE objects in the drawing are not affected. A positive number scales by value. Zero (0) scales by the DIMSCALE value.
MTEXTED Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Using an Alternate Text Editor Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: "Internal" Sets the application for editing multiline text objects. You can specify a different text editor for the MTEXT command. If you set MTEXTED to internal or to null (.), the In-Place Text Editor is displayed. If you set MTEXTED to “OldEditor”, the Multiline Text Editor is displayed.
If MTEXTED is set to “Internal”, multiline text is displayed in the In-Place Text Editor, and the setting of MTEXTFIXED has the following results: 0 or 1 Displays the In-Place Text Editor and the text within it at the size, position, and rotation of the multiline text object in the drawing. 2 Displays the In-Place Text Editor and the text within it at the size, position, and rotation of the multiline text object in the drawing.
MTJIGSTRING Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Multiline Text Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: "abc" Sets the content of the sample text displayed at the cursor location when the MTEXT command is started. The text string is displayed in the current text size and font. You can enter any string of up to ten letters or numbers or enter a period (.) to display no sample text.
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N System Variables 39 NAVBARDISPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Navigation Bar Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the display of the navigation bar in all viewports.
Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Specifies the current mode of the SteeringWheel. 0 Big View Object wheel 1 Big Tour Building wheel 2 Big Full Navigation wheel 3 2D Navigation wheel 4 Mini View Object wheel 5 Mini Tour Building wheel 6 Mini Full Navigation wheel NAVSWHEELOPACITYBIG Quick Reference See also: ■ Navigate with SteeringWheels Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 50 Controls the opacity of the big SteeringWheels. Valid values are from 25 to 90 percent.
NAVSWHEELOPACITYMINI Quick Reference See also: ■ Navigate with SteeringWheels Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 50 Controls the opacity of the mini SteeringWheels. Valid values are from 25 to 90 percent. When set to 90, the mini wheels appear almost fully opaque against the drawing window and obscure the view of the objects under the wheel. When set to less than 90, the mini wheels appear to fade into the drawing window, which results in the objects under the wheel to appear less obscured.
NAVSWHEELSIZEMINI Quick Reference See also: ■ Navigate with SteeringWheels Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Specifies the size of the mini SteeringWheels. 0 Small 1 Normal 2 Large 3 Extra NAVVCUBEDISPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Use ViewCube Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 3 Controls the display of the ViewCube tool in the current visual style and the current viewport.
2 ViewCube is displayed in 2D visual styles, but not in 3D visual styles 3 ViewCube is displayed in both 2D and 3D visual styles NAVVCUBELOCATION Quick Reference See also: ■ Use ViewCube Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Identifies the corner in a viewport where the ViewCube tool is displayed.
Controls the opacity of the ViewCube tool when inactive. Valid values are from 0 to 100 percent. When set to 100, the ViewCube appears fully opaque against the drawing window and obscures all objects under it in the viewport. When set to less than 100, the ViewCube fades into the drawing window, which results in the objects under it to appear less obscured. If set to 0, the ViewCube is not displayed in the viewport unless the cursor is positioned over top of the ViewCube’s location.
Specifies the size of the ViewCube tool. 0 Small 1 Normal 2 Large 3 Tiny 4 Automatic; the size of the ViewCube tool is scaled up or down based on the size of the active viewport, zoom factor of the active layout, or drawing window NOMUTT Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Short Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Suppresses the message display (muttering) when it wouldn't normally be suppressed.
NORTHDIRECTION Quick Reference See also: ■ Sun and Sky Simulation ■ Guidelines for Lighting Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Specifies the angle of the sun from north. This value is affected by the settings of the AUNITS and AUPREC system variables. NOTE The angle is interpreted in the context of the world coordinate system (WCS). This value is completely separate from surveyor angular units, which are always set relative to the current UCS.
O System Variables 40 OBJECTISOLATIONMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Objects Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 0 Controls whether hidden objects remain hidden between drawing sessions. OJBECTISOLATIONMODE controls whether objects that are hidden using the ISOLATEOBJECTS on page 968 or HIDEOBJECTS on page 918 command remain hidden after saving and reopening the drawing.
OBSCUREDCOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 257 Specifies the color of obscured lines. Value 0 designates ByBlock, value 256 designates ByLayer, and value 257 designates ByEntity. Values 1-255 designate an AutoCAD Color Index (ACI). An obscured line is a hidden line made visible by changing its color and linetype. OBSCUREDCOLOR is available only in 2D views. In 3D views, the VSOBSCUREDCOLOR system variable is used.
Obscured linetypes are independent of zoom level, unlike regular linetypes.
OFFSETDIST Quick Reference See also: ■ Offset an Object Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: -1.0000 Sets the default offset distance. <0 Offsets an object through a specified point 0 Sets the default offset distance OFFSETGAPTYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Offset an Object Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls how potential gaps between segments are treated when polylines are offset. 0 Extends line segments to their projected intersections.
responding vertex on the original object is equal to the offset distance. OLEFRAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit OLE Objects in Drawings Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Controls whether a frame is displayed and plotted on all OLE objects in the drawing. The frame on an OLE object must be displayed in order for grips to be visible.
Controls the display and plotting of OLE objects. 0 All OLE objects are visible and plot 1 OLE objects are visible and plot in paper space only 2 OLE objects are visible and plot in model space only 3 No OLE objects are visible or plot OLEQUALITY Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Importing OLE Objects into Drawings Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Sets the default plot quality for OLE objects.
OLESTARTUP Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Importing OLE Objects into Drawings Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls whether the source application of an embedded OLE object loads when plotting. Loading the OLE source application may improve the plot quality.
1 Work can begin on the visible portions of a drawing before it is fully open OPMSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates whether the Properties palette is open, closed, or hidden.
When ORTHOMODE is turned on, the cursor can move only horizontally or vertically relative to the UCS and the current grid rotation angle 0 Turns off Ortho mode 1 Turns on Ortho mode OSMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Object Snaps Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 4133 Sets running object snaps The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 0 NONe 1 ENDpoint 2 MIDpoint 4 CENter 8 NODe 16 QUAdrant 32 INTersection 64 INSertion 128 PERpendicula
512 NEArest 1024 Clears all object snaps 2048 APParent Intersection 4096 EXTension 8192 PARallel To specify more than one object snap, enter the sum of their values. For example, entering 3 specifies the Endpoint (bitcode 1) and Midpoint (bitcode 2) object snaps. Entering 16383 specifies all object snaps. When object snaps are switched off using the Osnap button on the status bar, a bitcode of 16384 (0x4000) is returned, in addition to the normal value of OSMODE.
2 Keyboard entry overrides object snap settings except in scripts OSNAPNODELEGACY Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Multiline Text Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the Node object snap can be used to snap to multiline text objects. The number and location of nodes on a multiline text object snap depends on the vertical and horizontal justification of the multiline text object.
Controls whether object snaps are automatically projected onto a plane parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS at the current elevation.
P System Variables 41 PALETTEOPAQUE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area ■ Transparency Dialog Box on page 1386 Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether palettes can be made transparent. When transparency is available and turned on, you can use the Transparency option on the shortcut menu to set a different degree of transparency for the current palette or for all palettes. When transparency is unavailable or turned off, all palettes are opaque.
2 Transparency is turned off and is not supported by the hardware and/or operating system 3 Transparency is turned on, but is not supported by the hardware and/or operating system Available settings depend whether hardware acceleration is enabled. When hardware acceleration is enabled, setting 2 and 3 are available; when disabled, setting 0 and 1 are available.
PARAMETERCOPYMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Apply Dimensional Constraints Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls how constraints and referenced user parameters are handled when constrained objects are copied between drawings, Model space and layouts, and block definitions. Parameters and their values apply to the current space only. Model space, individual paper space layouts, and various block definitions in the block editor cannot access each other's parameters.
ence existing user parameters when available, otherwise create any missing user parameters. Change missing referenced dimensional constraints into user parameters. 4 Copy all dimensional constraints, constraint parameters, and expressions. Rename the parameters of copied objects if conflicts in value occurs for copied parameters.
Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Determines whether the PDF underlay frame is visible. The FRAME system variable overrides the PDFFRAME setting. Use the PDFFRAME system variable after the FRAME system variable to reset the PDF frame settings. 0 The PDF underlay frame is not displayed or plotted. The frame temporarily reappears during selection preview or object selection. 1 Displays and plots the PDF underlay frame. 2 Displays but does not plot the PDF underlay frame.
PDMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Divide an Object into Equal Segments Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls how point objects are displayed. For information about values to enter, see the POINT on page 1523 command. PDSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Divide an Object into Equal Segments Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the display size for point objects.
PEDITACCEPT Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Polylines Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Suppresses display of the Object Selected Is Not a Polyline prompt in PEDIT. The prompt is followed by “Do you want it to turn into one?” Entering y converts the selected object to a polyline. When the prompt is suppressed, the selected object is automatically converted to a polyline.
PERIMETER Quick Reference See also: ■ Obtain Area and Mass Properties Information (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the last perimeter value computed by the AREA or LIST command. Also stores perimeter values computed by DBLIST PERSPECTIVE Quick Reference See also: ■ Define a Perspective Projection (DVIEW) Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Specifies whether the current viewport displays a perspective view.
PERSPECTIVECLIP Quick Reference See also: ■ Define a Perspective Projection (DVIEW) Type: Real Saved in: Registry Initial value: 5.0000 Determines the location of eyepoint clipping. The value determines where the eye point clipping occurs as a percentage. Values can range between 0.01 and 10.0. If you select a small value, the z-values of objects will be compressed at the target view and beyond. If you select a value such as 0.5%, the clipping will appear very close to the eyepoint of the view.
PICKADD Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Multiple Objects Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 2 Controls whether subsequent selections replace the current selection set or add to it. 0 Turns off PICKADD. The objects and subobjects most recently selected become the selection set. Previously selected objects and subobjects are removed from the selection set. Add more objects or subobjects to the selection set by pressing SHIFT while selecting. 1 Turns on PICKADD.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls automatic windowing for object selection. 0 Window selection is disabled. 1 Selects a clicked object or begins a selection window (for either a window or crossing selection) when the cursor is not on an object. 2 Selects a clicked object or begins a selection window whether the cursor is on an object or not. For PICKAUTO settings 0 and 1, object selection occurs when the mouse button is pressed.
PICKDRAG Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Multiple Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls the method of drawing a selection window. 0 Create a selection window using two points. Click once to begin a selecton window, click again to complete the selection. 1 Create a selection window clicking and dragging. Release the mouse button to complete the selection. 2 Create a selection window using either of the methods above.
1 Turns on PICKFIRST; you select objects before you issue a command PICKSTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Objects in Groups Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the use of group selection and associative hatch selection.
PLINECONVERTMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Splines Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Specifies the fit method used in converting splines to polylines. 0 Polylines are created with linear segments 1 Polylines are created with arc segments PLINEGEN Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Linetypes on Short Segments and Polylines Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Sets how linetype patterns generate around the vertices of a 2D polyline.
PLINETYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Polylines Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Specifies whether optimized 2D polylines are used. PLINETYPE controls both the creation of new polylines with the PLINE command and the conversion of existing polylines in drawings from previous releases.
Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the default polyline width. PLOTOFFSET Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust the Plot Offset of a Layout Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the plot offset is relative to the printable area or to the edge of the paper. 0 Sets the plot offset relative to the printable area.
top left for 90, top right for 180, and lower right for 270. X and Y origin offsets are calculated relative to the lowerleft corner. 1 Aligns the lower-left corner of the effective plotting area with the lower-left corner of the paper. 2 Works the same as 0 value except that the X and Y origin offsets are calculated relative to the rotated origin position.
PLQUIET Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Dialog Boxes and the Command Line Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls the display of optional plot-related dialog boxes and nonfatal errors for scripts.
the number of points displayed while zooming, panning, or orbiting in real time. 1 The image is automatically regenerated. POINTCLOUDDENSITY Quick Reference See also: ■ Import 3D Point Cloud Files ■ Work with AutoCAD Drawings in AutoCAD LT Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 15 Controls the number of points displayed at once for all point clouds in the drawing view.
Initial value: 0 Controls whether an attached point cloud can be manipulated, moved, or rotated. Sets the default Lock property for new point cloud objects. NOTE This setting does not affect the Lock property for existing point cloud objects. 0 New point cloud objects are not locked and can be manipulated. The Lock property is set to No. 1 New point cloud objects are locked for editing and cannot be manipulated. The Lock property is set to Yes.
NOTE If the value of POINTCLOUDAUTOUPDATE on page 2474 is 0, then the value for POINTCLOUDRTDENSITY has no impact on the number of points displayed while zooming, panning, or orbiting in real time. POLARADDANG Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Polar Tracking and PolarSnap Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: "" Stores additional angles for polar tracking and polar snap. You can add up to 10 angles. Each angle can be separated with semicolons (;).
Values are 90, 45, 30, 22.5, 18, 15,10, and 5. POLARDIST Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Polar Tracking and PolarSnap Type: Real Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the snap increment when the SNAPTYPE is set to 1 (PolarSnap). POLARMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Polar Tracking and PolarSnap Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls settings for polar and object snap tracking.
2 Use polar tracking settings in object snap tracking Use additional polar tracking angles 0 No 4 Yes Acquire object snap tracking points 0 Acquire automatically 8 Press SHIFT to acquire NOTE In a 3D view, a tracking vector parallel to the Z axis of the UCS is also displayed, and the tooltip displays +Z and -Z for the angle depending on the direction along the Z axis.
POPUPS Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1 Displays the status of the currently configured display driver.
PREVIEWEFFECT Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Object Selection Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Specifies the visual effect used for previewing selection of objects. 0 Dashed lines (the default display for selected objects) 1 Thickened lines 2 Dashed and thickened lines PREVIEWFACEEFFECT Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Object Selection Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Specifies the visual effect used for previewing selection of face subobjects.
PREVIEWFILTER Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Object Selection Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 7 Excludes specified object types from selection previewing.
Controls the view to use for the drawing thumbnail. 0 Use last saved view 1 Use Home view PRODUCT Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "AutoCAD" Returns the product name. PROGRAM Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "acad" Returns the program name.
PROJECTNAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Paths to Referenced Drawings Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: "" Assigns a project name to the current drawing. Used when an xref, image, or DWF, PDF, or DGN underlay file is not found in its original path. The project name points to a section in the registry that can contain one or more search paths for each project name defined. Project names and their search directories are created from the Files tab of the Options dialog box.
1 Project to the XY plane of the current UCS 2 Project to the current view plane PROPOBJLIMIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 25000 Limits the number of objects that can be changed at one time with the Properties and Quick Properties palettes. The valid range is 0 - 32767. If the limit is exceeded, the property fields in the palettes will be grayed out.
Specifies whether images of proxy objects are saved in the drawing. 0 Does not save image with the drawing; a bounding box is displayed instead 1 Saves image with the drawing PROXYNOTICE Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Custom and Proxy Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Displays a notice when a proxy is created. A proxy is created when you open a drawing containing custom objects created by an application that is not present.
Initial value: 1 Controls the display of proxy objects in a drawing. 0 Proxy objects are not displayed 1 Graphic images are displayed for all proxy objects 2 Only the bounding box is displayed for all proxy objects PROXYWEBSEARCH Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Custom and Proxy Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Specifies how the program checks for object enablers.
PSLTSCALE Quick Reference See also: ■ Scale Linetypes in Layout Viewports Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls the linetype scaling of objects displayed in paper space viewports. 0 No special linetype scaling. Linetype dash lengths are based on the drawing units of the space (model or paper) in which the objects were created. Scaled by the global LTSCALE factor. 1 Viewport scaling governs linetype scaling.
Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 4.0000 (imperial) or 80.0000 (metric) Controls the default height for a swept solid object created with the POLYSOLID command. The value reflects the last entered height value when using the POLYSOLID on page 1536 command. You cannot enter 0 as the value. PSOLWIDTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Create a Polysolid Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.2500 (imperial) or 5.
Indicates whether the current drawing is in a Color-Dependent or Named Plot Style mode.
Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the view scale factor for all newly created viewports. The view scale factor is defined by comparing the ratio of units in paper space to the units in newly created model space viewports. The view scale factor you set is used with the VPORTS command. A value of 0 means the scale factor is Scaled to Fit. A scale must be a positive real value.
Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 1 Controls whether plotting a sheet set, multi-sheet plot file, or plot spool file can be interrupted by other plot jobs. Publishing sheets as a single job requires a plot driver that supports the multi-sheet plotting or printing option. 0 A published sheet set is processed one sheet at a time. Separate PLT files are created for each sheet. If the sheet set is published, the sheets might be interleaved with other plot jobs.
NOTE Autodesk Impression uses this information to improve performance when handling DWF or DWFx files that contain hatches. This variable only affects drawings published to the DWF or DWFx format. It does not affect drawings plotted to the DWF or DWFx format. PUCSBASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the User Coordinate System (UCS) Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: "" Stores the name of the UCS that defines the origin and orientation of orthographic UCS settings in paper space only.
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Q System Variables 42 QCSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of QuickCalc Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Indicates whether the QuickCalc calculator is open or closed.
Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Sets the location for the Quick Properties palette. 0 The Quick Properties palette is displayed relative to the location of the cursor 1 The Quick Properties palette is displayed in a fixed location that is independent of the cursor QPMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: -1 Controls whether the Quick Properties palette is displayed when objects are selected.
QTEXTMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Polylines, Hatches, Gradient Fills, Lineweights, and Text Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls how text is displayed. 0 Turns off Quick Text mode; displays characters 1 Turns on Quick Text mode; displays a box in place of text QVDRAWINGPIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Open Drawings Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls the default display state of preview images of drawings.
QVLAYOUTPIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Layouts in the Current Drawing Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls the default display state of preview images of model space and layouts in a drawing.
R System Variables 43 RASTERDPI Quick Reference See also: ■ Plot to Raster File Formats Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 300 Controls paper size and plot scaling when changing from dimensional to dimensionless output devices, or vice versa. Converts millimeters or inches to pixels, or vice versa. Accepts an integer between 100 and 32,767 as a valid value.
Initial value: 20 Sets the maximum percentage of available virtual memory that is allowed for plotting a raster image. RASTERPREVIEW Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether BMP preview images are saved with the drawing.
REBUILD2DCV Quick Reference See also: ■ CVREBUILD on page 411 ■ Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 6 Sets the number of control vertices when rebuilding a spline. Valid values are from 2 to 32767. REBUILD2DDEGREE Quick Reference See also: ■ CVREBUILD on page 411 ■ Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Sets the global degree when rebuilding a spline. Valid values are 1 to 11.
A curve with a degree of 1 is a straight line and a curve with a degree of 2 has one bend. A Bezier curve has a degree of 3. Higher degrees create more complex curves, but require computations. REBUILD2DOPTION Quick Reference See also: ■ CVREBUILD on page 411 ■ Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether to delete the original curve when rebuilding a spline.
REBUILDDEGREEU Quick Reference See also: ■ CVREBUILD on page 411 ■ Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Sets the degree in the U direction when rebuilding a NURBS surface. Valid values are 2to 11. REBUILDDEGREEV Quick Reference See also: ■ CVREBUILD on page 411 ■ Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Sets the degree in the V direction when rebuilding a NURBS surface. Valid values are 2 to 11.
REBUILDOPTIONS Quick Reference See also: ■ CVREBUILD on page 411 ■ Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls deletion and trimming options when rebuilding a NURBS surface. Value When you use CVREBUILD: 0 The original surface is not deleted and trimmed areas are not applied to the rebuilt object. 1 The original surface is deleted and trimmed areas are not applied to the rebuilt object.
Saved in: Registry Initial value: 6 Sets the number of grid lines in the U direction when rebuilding a NURBS surface. Valid values are 2 to 32767 to increase or decrease the number of grid lines in the U dierection used to rebuild the NURBS surface. REBUILDV Quick Reference See also: ■ CVREBUILD on page 411 ■ Rebuild NURBS Surfaces and Curves Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 6 Sets the number of grid lines in the V direction when rebuilding a NURBS surface.
Controls the display of recovery notifications before or after opening a damaged drawing file. 0 Displays a task dialog to recover damaged files while opening a drawing that needs recovery. The task dialog interrupts any running scripts. 1 Automatically recovers the damaged files, opens the drawing, and displays a task dialog with the information of the recovered files. If a script is running, the task dialog is suppressed.
2 Recovery information is recorded, and the Drawing Recovery window displays automatically in the next session after a system failure REFEDITNAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit Selected Objects in Referenced Drawings and Blocks (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "" Displays the name of the reference being edited.
RE-INIT Quick Reference See also: ■ Digitizing Tablets Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Reinitializes the digitizer, digitizer port, and acad.pgp file. The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 1 Digitizer input/output port reinitialization 4 Digitizer reinitialization 16 PGP file reinitialization (reload) To specify more than one reinitialization, enter the sum of the bitcode values.
shortcut icon, if a Start In path is specified in the icon properties, that path is used as the default for all standard file selection dialog boxes. 1 The default path in each standard file selection dialog box is the last path used in that dialog box. The Start In folder specified for the AutoCAD shortcut icon is not used.
Provides a way of overriding the DEFAULTLIGHTING system variable for rendering while retaining the setting for working in a viewport. 0 The current lights in the viewport are used in the rendered scene, either default lights or user lights, as specified by the DEFAULTLIGHTING system variable. 1 Overrides the setting for the DEFAULTLIGHTING system variable. Only user lights are rendered.
RIBBONBGLOAD Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Organize the Ribbon Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether ribbon tabs are loaded into memory by a background process during idle processor time. Loading the contents of all ribbon tabs in a workspace into memory significantly improves the speed in which ribbon tabs display when you click on them. The memory used is no more than if you opened each tab in the workspace individually.
Controls how ribbon contextual tabs are displayed when you single- or double-click an object. 0 When an object or selection set is single- or double-clicked, focus is not automatically switched to ribbon contextual tabs defined in contextual tab states. 1 When an object or selection set is single-clicked, focus is switched to the first ribbon contextual tab defined in contextual tab states.
RIBBONDOCKEDHEIGHT Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Organize the Ribbon Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 100 Determines whether the horizontally docked ribbon is set to the height of the current tab or a predetermined height. The valid range is from 0 to 500. When set to 0, the ribbon will always size itself to the height of the selected tab. When set to any value between 1 to 500, the ribbon will always be that number of pixels high.
RIBBONSELECTMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Organize the Ribbon Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 1 Determines whether a pickfirst selection set remains selected after a ribbon contextual tab is invoked and the command is completed. 0 The pickfirst selection set does not remain selected after a command is executed from a ribbon contextual tab. NOTE There may be exceptions for some commands.
1 Open ROAMABLEROOTPREFIX Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of File Organization (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Stores the full path to the root folder where roamable customizable files were installed. If you are working on a network that supports roaming, when you customize files that are in your roaming profile they are available to you regardless of which machine you are currently using.
Controls the transparency of a palette while the cursor moves over the palette. 0 Fully transparent 100 Fully opaque Enter a value from 0-100 to set the transparency level. This system variable determines the default setting in the Transparency dialog box > Rollover section > How transparent should the palette be on mouse-over? option on page 1386.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the display of raster images and OLE objects during Realtime ZOOM or PAN.
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S System Variables 44 SAVEFIDELITY Quick Reference See also: ■ Save a Drawing ■ Save with Visual Fidelity for Annotative Objects Type: Bitcode Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether the drawing is saved with visual fidelity. The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 0 Saved without visual fidelity. 1 Annotation objects assigned annotative scales are saved to separate layers for each scale used.
SAVEFILE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Stores the current automatic save file name. SAVEFILEPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: Varies Specifies the path to the directory for all automatic save files for the current session. You can also change the path in the Options dialog box.
(Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "" Displays the file name and directory path of the most recently saved drawing. SAVETIME Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 10 Sets the automatic save interval, in minutes. 0 Turns off automatic saving. >0 Saves the drawing at intervals specified by the nonzero integer automatically The value of SAVETIME is an integer between 0 and 600.
Stores the number of boxes in the screen menu area of the drawing area. Obsolete. Screen menus have been replaced with tool palettes and the ribbon. SCREENMENU Quick Reference See also: ■ The Ribbon ■ Tool Palettes Controls whether screen menus display. Obsolete. Screen menus have been replaced with tool palettes and the ribbon. SCREENMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Up the Drawing Area (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 3 Indicates the state of the display.
SCREENSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Switch Between Model and Named Layouts (Read-only) Type: 2D-point Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Stores current viewport size in pixels (X and Y). SELECTIONANNODISPLAY Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Annotative Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether alternate scale representations are temporarily displayed in a dimmed state when an annotative object is selected.
SELECTIONAREA Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Object Selection Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the display of effects for selection areas. Selection areas are created by the Window, Crossing, WPolygon, and CPolygon options of SELECT on page 1721. 0 Off 1 On SELECTIONAREAOPACITY Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Object Selection Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 25 Controls the transparency of the selection area during window and crossing selection.
SELECTIONCYCLING Quick Reference See also: ■ Select Objects Individually ■ Use 3D Subobject Grips ■ Modify 3D Subobjects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Turns selection cycling on and off.
Objects are highlighted when the pickbox cursor rolls over them. This selection previewing indicates that the object would be selected if you clicked.
32 Plot style 64 Object style (such as text styles, dimension styles, and table styles) 128 Name (for referenced objects, such as blocks, xrefs, and images) SETBYLAYERMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Display and Change the Properties of Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 255 Controls which properties are selected for the SETBYLAYER command.
SHADEDGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use a Visual Style to Display Your Model Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 3 Controls the shading of edges.
SHADOWPLANELOCATION Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Backgrounds and Shadows Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Controls the location of an invisible ground plane used to display shadows. The value is a location on the current Z axis. The ground plane is invisible, but it casts and receives shadows. Objects that are located below the ground plane are shadowed by it.
2 Enables Edit mode shortcut menus. 4 Enables Command mode shortcut menus whenever a command is active. 8 Enables Command mode shortcut menus only when command options are currently available at the Command prompt.
SHOWHIST Quick Reference See also: ■ Display Original Forms of Composite Solids Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls the Show History property for solids in a drawing. 0 Sets the Show History property to No (read-only) for all solids. Overrides the individual Show History property settings for solids. You cannot view the original objects that were used to create the solid. 1 Does not override the individual Show History property settings for solids.
Setting this system variable to Off improves performance in the Layer Properties Manager. 0 Off 1 On SHOWMOTIONPIN Quick Reference See also: ■ Define and Change Views with ShowMotion Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the default state of the thumbnail shots.
Specifies whether the Page Setup Manager is displayed when a new layout is created. 0 Do not display the Page Setup Manager when a new layout is created 1 Display the Page setup Manager when a new layout is created SHOWPALETTESTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Indicates whether palettes were hidden by the HIDEPALETTES command or restored by the SHOWPALETTES command.
Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "" Sets a default shape name that must conform to symbol- naming conventions. If no default is set, it returns "". Enter a period (.) to set no default. SIGWARN Quick Reference See also: ■ View Digital Signature Details Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether a warning is presented when a file with an attached digital signature is opened.
Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.1000 (imperial) or 1.0000 (metric) Sets the record increment for the SKETCH command. SKPOLY Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Freehand Sketches Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Determines whether the SKETCH command generates lines, polylines, or splines. 0 Generates lines 1 Generates polylines 2 Generates splines SKTOLERANCE Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Freehand Sketches Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.
SKYSTATUS Quick Reference See also: ■ Sun and Sky Simulation Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Determines if the sky illumination is computed at render time. This has no impact on the viewport illumination or the background. It only makes the sky available as a gathered light source for rendering.
1 Creates a smooth model. Original mesh faces are retained in the converted object. 2 Creates a model with flattened faces. Coplanar faces are optimized, or merged. 3 Creates a model with flattened faces. Original mesh faces are retained in the converted object. This system variable sets the default value for operations that use CONVTOSOLID and CONVTOSURFACE commands.
If the VSLIGHTINGQUALITY system variable is 0, this system variable is ignored and all smoothness levels are displayed as faceted. SMOOTHMESHMAXFACE Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Mesh Smoothness Levels Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 1000000 Sets the maximum number of faces permitted for mesh objects. The initial value of this system variable is adjusted for best performance based on your system configuration. Permissible values are from 1 to 16,000,000.
SNAPANG Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the snap and grid rotation angle for the current viewport relative to the current UCS. When SNAPANG is set to a value other than 0, the lined grid will not display. SNAPBASE Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Type: 2D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000,0.0000 Sets the snap and grid origin point for the current viewport relative to the current UCS.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls the isometric plane for the current viewport. 0 Left 1 Top 2 Right SNAPMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Turns the Snap mode on and off.
Initial value: 0 Sets the snap style for the current viewport. 0 Standard (rectangular snap) 1 Isometric snap SNAPTYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Adjust Grid and Grid Snap Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Sets the type of snap for the current viewport. 0 Grid, or standard snap. 1 PolarSnap. Snaps along polar angle increments. Use PolarSnap with polar and object snap tracking.
If SNAPSTYL is set to 1, the X value of SNAPUNIT is adjusted automatically to accommodate the isometric snap. Changes to this system variable are not reflected in the grid until the display is refreshed. SOLIDCHECK Quick Reference See also: ■ Clean and Check 3D Solids Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1 Turns 3D solid validation on and off for the current session.
When set to 1, all subsequently created composite solids retain a history of the original component objects. These component objects can be accessed to modify the solids 0 Sets the History property to None for new solids. No history is retained. 1 Sets the History property to Record for new solids. Solids retain a history of their original objects.
SPLDEGREE Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Polylines (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 3 Stores the last-used degree setting for splines and sets the default degree setting for the SPLINE command when specifying control vertices. Enter a value from 1 to 5. NOTE SPLDEGREE defaults to 3 when AutoCAD starts.
■ Displays unsmoothed mesh objects, even if they have been smoothed. ■ Displays the edges of 3D faces and polyface meshes. NOTE To control the display for splines, use the CVSHOW on page 416 and the CVHIDE on page 410 commands. SPLINESEGS Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Polylines Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 8 Sets the number of line segments to be generated for each spline-fit polyline generated by the Spline option of the PEDIT command.
Sets the type of curve generated by the Spline option of the PEDIT command. 5 Quadratic B-spline 6 Cubic B-spline SPLKNOTS Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Splines Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Stores the default knot option for the SPLINE command when specifying fit points. 0 Chord distance 1 Square root of chord distance 2 Uniform distance NOTE SPLKNOTS always defaults to 0 when AutoCAD starts.
Initial value: 0 Stores whether the default method used for the SPLINE command is fit points or control vertices. 0 Create splines using fit points 1 Create splines using control vertices NOTE SPLMETHOD always defaults to 0 when AutoCAD starts.
(Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "" Displays the sheet set path and file name if a search for a sheet set is successful. SSLOCATE must be set to 1 and the drawing file must be open for a successful search. SSLOCATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Sheets Type: Integer Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 1 Controls whether the sheet set associated with a drawing is located and opened when the drawing is opened.
Saved in: User-settings Initial value: 1 Controls the display behavior of the Sheet Set Manager when a drawing associated with a sheet is opened. 0 Does not open the Sheet Set Manager automatically 1 Opens the Sheet Set Manager automatically SSMAUTOOPEN and SSLOCATE must both be set to 1 to open a sheet set automatically in the Sheet Set Manager.
Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls how the status data in a sheet set is refreshed. The status data for sheets in the current sheet set includes whether a sheet is locked and whether a sheet is missing (or found in an unexpected location). This status data can be updated automatically for all sheets. To refresh the sheet set manually, use the Refresh Sheet Status button on the Sheet List tab of the Sheet Set Manager.
STANDARDSVIOLATION Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of CAD Standards Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Specifies whether a user is notified of standards violations in the current drawing when a nonstandard object is created or modified. Changes to the value of this system variable take effect only when Display Icons from Services is checked in the Tray Settings dialog box.
Controls what displays when the application is started, or when a new drawing is opened. Controls whether the Create New Drawing dialog box is displayed when a new drawing is started with NEW or QNEW. Also controls whether the Startup dialog box is displayed when the application is started. If the FILEDIA system variable is set to 0, file dialog boxes are not displayed. 0 Displays the Select Template dialog box, or uses a default drawing template file set in the Options dialog box, on the Files tab.
STEPSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Walk and Fly Through a Drawing Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 6.0000 Specifies the size of each step when in walk or fly mode, in drawing units. You can enter any real number from 1E-6 to 1E+6. STEPSPERSEC Quick Reference See also: ■ Walk and Fly Through a Drawing Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2.0000 Specifies the number of steps taken per second when you are in walk or fly mode. You can enter any real number from 1 to 30.
■ LEGACYCTRLPICK on page 2400 Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Filters whether faces, edges, vertices or solid history subobjects are highlighted when you roll over them. In busy 3D environments with many objects, it can be helpful to filter certain subobjects out of the selection highlighting. 0 When subobject filtering is off, press Ctrl+click to select a face, edge, vertex or a history subobject.
When filtering is set for vertices, you cannot select faces, edges, or history subobjects. When filtering is set for edges, you cannot select faces, vertices, or history subobjects. When filtering is set for faces, you cannot select edges, vertices, or history subobjects.
When filtering is set for history subobjects, you can only select the wireframe representations of portions of objects removed during a union, subtract, or intersect operation.
Subobject Selection Filter Cursors When a subobject selection filter is set, the following images are displayed next to the cursor: Vertex filtering is on Edge filtering is on Face filtering is on History subobject filtering is on Subobject not eligible for selection SUNPROPERTIESSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Sun and Sky Simulation (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates whether the Sun Properties window is open or closed.
SUNSTATUS Quick Reference See also: ■ Sun and Sky Simulation Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Turns on and off the lighting effects of the sun in the current viewport. Only the lights from sources other than the sun affect the view in the current viewport.
When set to 1, the DELOBJ on page 2227 system variable is ignored. Defining geometry are not deleted when an associative surface is created. SURFACEASSOCIATIVITYDRAG Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Associative Surfaces Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Sets the dragging preview behavior of associative surfaces. Controls the preview behavior of surfaces and any associated surfaces when a selected surface is dragged. Disabling the preview can increase performance. 0 Displays no preview.
Controls whether surfaces are automatically trimmed when you project geometry onto them. 0 Surfaces are not trimmed when you project geometry onto them. 1 Surfaces are automatically trimmed to geometry that is projected using PROJECTGEOMETRY on page 1543. SURFACEMODELINGMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Solids and Surfaces from Lines and Curves ■ Create Surfaces Type: Switch Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Controls whether surfaces are created as procedural surfaces or NURBS surfaces.
Initial value: 6 Sets the number of tabulations to be generated for the RULESURF and TABSURF commands. Also sets the mesh density in the M direction for the REVSURF and EDGESURF commands. SURFTAB2 Quick Reference See also: ■ Construct Meshes from Other Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 6 Sets the mesh density in the N direction for the REVSURF and EDGESURF commands.
8 Bezier surface SURFU Quick Reference See also: ■ Modify Polylines Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 6 Sets the surface density for PEDIT Smooth in the M direction and the U isolines density on surface objects. Valid values are 0 through 200. Meshes are always created with a minimum surface density of 2.
SYSCODEPAGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Text Fonts for International Work (Read-only) Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Indicates the system code page, which is determined by the operating system. To change the code page, see Help for your operating system.
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T System Variables 45 TABLEINDICATOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Create and Modify Tables Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the display of row numbers and column letters when the In-Place Text Editor is open for editing a table cell.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls the display of the Table toolbar. 0 The Table toolbar is never displayed. 1 The Table toolbar is displayed upon selection of a table cell. 2 The Table toolbar is not displayed when the ribbon is turned on. TABMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Digitizing Tablets Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Controls the use of the tablet. For more information on using and configuring a tablet, see the TABLET command.
TARGET Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Parallel and Perspective Views (Read-only) Type: 3D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000,0.0000,0.0000 Stores the location (as a UCS coordinate) of the target point for the current viewport. TBCUSTOMIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Tool Palettes Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether tool palette groups can be customized.
TBSHOWSHORTCUTS Quick Reference See also: ■ Toolbars Type: String Saved in: Registry Initial value: yes Specifies whether shortcuts that use the Ctrl and Alt keys are displayed in the tooltips on toolbars. no Display shortcut keys yes Do not display shortcut keys TDCREATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the local time and date the drawing was created.
TDINDWG Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the total editing time, which is the total elapsed time between saves of the current drawing. The format is: . To compute the number of seconds, multiply the decimal fraction in TDINDWG by 86400 seconds.
TDUPDATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the local time and date of the last update/save. TDUSRTIMER Quick Reference See also: ■ Add Identifying Information to Drawings (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the user-elapsed timer.
Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the universal time and date of the last update or save. TEMPOVERRIDES Quick Reference See also: ■ Override Object Snap Settings Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Turns temporary override keys on and off. A temporary override key is a key that you can hold down to temporarily turn on or turn off one of the drawing aids that are set in the Drafting Settings dialog box; for example, Ortho mode, object snaps, or Polar mode.
Windows has a character limit of 255 for the combined file name and path length of temporary files. You can modify this limit from the Options dialog box, Files tab, under Temporary Drawing File Location. TEXTED Quick Reference See also: ■ Change Single-Line Text Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Specifies the user interface displayed for editing single-line text. 0 Displays the In-Place Text Editor when creating or editing single-line text.
Controls how text strings entered with TEXT (using AutoLISP) or with -TEXT are evaluated. 0 All responses to prompts for text strings and attribute values are taken literally. 1 All text starting from an opening parenthesis [(] or an exclamation mark [!] is evaluated as an AutoLISP expression, as for nontextual input. The TEXT command takes all input literally regardless of the setting of TEXTEVAL unless it is executed completely with a script or AutoLISP expression.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Provides Unicode options for log files. 0 ANSI format 1 UTF-8 (Unicode) 2 UTF-16LE (Unicode) 3 UTF-16BE (Unicode) TEXTQLTY Quick Reference See also: ■ Use TrueType Fonts Sets the resolution tessellation fineness of text outlines. Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 50 Sets the resolution tessellation fineness of text outlines for TrueType fonts while plotting and rendering.
TEXTSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Text Height Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.2000 (imperial) or 2.5000 (metric) Sets the default height for new text objects drawn with the current text style. TEXTSIZE has no effect if the current text style has a fixed height. TEXTSTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Text Styles Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Standard Sets the name of the current text style.
Initial value: 0.0000 Sets the current 3D thickness. THUMBSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Define and Change Views with ShowMotion Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Specifies the maximum generated size for thumbnail previews in pixels. 0 64x64 1 128x128 2 256x256 TILEMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Model Space Viewports Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Makes the Model tab or the last layout tab current.
TIMEZONE Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Geographic Location Type: Enum Saved in: Drawing Initial value: -8000 Sets the time zone for the sun in the drawing. The values in the table are expressed as hours and minutes away from Greenwich Mean Time. The geographic location you set also sets the time zone. If the time zone is not accurate, you can correct it in the Geographic Location dialog box or set the TIMEZONE system variable.
-6002 Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey -6003 Saskatchewan -5000 Eastern Time (US & Canada) -5001 Indiana (East) -5002 Bogota, Lima, Quito -4000 Atlantic Time (Canada) -4001 Caracas, La Paz -4002 Santiago -3300 Newfoundland -3000 Brasilia -3001 Buenos Aires, Georgetown -3002 Greenland -2000 Mid-Atlantic -1000 Azores -1001 Cape Verde Is.
+1004 West Central Africa +2000 Athens, Beirut, Istanbul, Minsk +2001 Bucharest +2002 Cairo +2003 Harare, Pretoria +2004 Helsinki, Kyiv, Sofia, Talinn, Vilnius +2005 Jerusalem +3000 Moscow, St.
+6300 Rangoon +7000 Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta +7001 Krasnoyarsk +8000 Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi +8001 Kuala Lumpur, Singapore +8002 Taipei +8003 Irkutsk, Ulaan Bataar +8004 Perth +9000 Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo +9001 Seoul +9002 Yakutsk +9300 Adelaide +9301 Darwin +10000 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney +10001 Guam, Port Moresby +10002 Brisbane +10003 Hobart +10004 Vladivostok +11000 Magadan, Solomon Is.
TOOLTIPMERGE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Switch Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Combines drafting tooltips into a single tooltip. The appearance of the merged tooltip is controlled by the settings in the Tooltip Appearance dialog box. 0 Off 1 On TOOLTIPS Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the display of tooltips on the ribbon, toolbars, and other user interface elements.
TOOLTIPSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Other Tool Locations Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Sets the display size for drafting tooltips, and for automatic completion text at the Command prompt. Valid range is -3 to 6. Greater values result in larger drafting tooltips, and larger automatic completion text at the Command prompt. Negative values represent smaller sizes than the default.
TPSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Customize Tool Palettes (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Indicates whether the Tool Palettes window is open or closed. 0 Closed 1 Open TRACEWID Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Lines Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0500 (imperial) or 1.0000 (metric) Sets the default trace width. Obsolete The TRACE command and TRACEWID system variable have been removed from the product.
TRACKPATH Quick Reference See also: ■ Use Polar Tracking and PolarSnap Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls the display of polar and object snap tracking alignment paths.
Controls whether the object transparency is displayed. 0 Object transparency is not displayed 1 Object transparency is displayed TRAYICONS Quick Reference See also: ■ Update Referenced Drawing Attachments Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether a tray is displayed on the status bar.
1 Displays notifications TRAYTIMEOUT Quick Reference See also: ■ Update Referenced Drawing Attachments Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls the length of time (in seconds) that service notifications are displayed. Valid values are 0 to 10. TREEDEPTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Work with Layer and Spatial Indexes Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 3020 Specifies the maximum depth, that is, the number of times the tree-structured spatial index can divide into branches.
>0 Turns on spatial indexing. An integer of up to five digits is valid. The first three digits refer to model space, and the remaining two digits refer to paper space. <0 Treats model space objects as 2D (Z coordinates are ignored), as is always the case with paper space objects. Such a setting is appropriate for 2D drawings and makes more efficient use of memory without loss of performance NOTE You cannot use TREEDEPTH transparently.
The program might occasionally run into the limit you set with TREEMAX. Follow the resulting prompt instructions. Your ability to increase TREEMAX depends on your computer's available memory. TRIMMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Chamfers Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether selected edges for chamfers and fillets are trimmed.
TSPACETYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify the Line Spacing Within Multiline Text Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls the type of line spacing used in multiline text. At Least adjusts line spacing based on the tallest characters in a line. Exactly uses the specified line spacing, regardless of individual character sizes.
TSTACKSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Stacked Characters Within Multiline Text Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 70 Controls the percentage of stacked text fraction height relative to selected text's current height. Valid values are from 25 to 125.
U System Variables 46 UCS2DDISPLAYSETTING Quick Reference See also: ■ The UCS Icon ■ Use Coordinates and Coordinate Systems (UCS) Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Displays the UCS icon when the 2D Wireframe visual style is current. 0 Off. The UCS icon is not displayed when the 2D Wireframe visual style is current. 1 On. The UCS icon is displayed when the 2D Wireframe visual style is current. NOTE The UCSICON on page 1972 command must also be set to ON to display the UCS icon.
UCS3DPARADISPLAYSETTING Quick Reference See also: ■ The UCS Icon ■ Use Coordinates and Coordinate Systems (UCS) Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Displays the UCS icon when perspective view is off and a 3D visual style is current. 0 Off. The UCS icon is not displayed when perspective is turned off and a 3D visual style is current. 1 On. The UCS icon is displayed when perspective is turned off and a 3D visual style is current.
Displays the UCS icon when perspective view is on and a 3D visual style is current. 0 Off. The UCS icon is not displayed when perspective is turned on and a 3D visual style is current. 1 On. The UCS icon is displayed when perspective is turned on and a 3D visual style is current. NOTE The UCSICON on page 1972 command must also be set to ON to display the UCS icon.
Initial value: "" Stores the name of the UCS that defines the origin and orientation of orthographic UCS settings. Valid values include any named UCS. UCSDETECT Quick Reference See also: ■ Use the Dynamic UCS with Solid Models Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether dynamic UCS acquisition is active or not.
Once the new UCS has been established, you can use DVIEW, PLAN, VIEW, or VPOINT to change the view of the drawing. It will change to a plan view again the next time you change coordinate systems.
UCSNAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the User Coordinate System (UCS) (Read-only) Type: String Saved in:Drawing Stores the name of the current coordinate system for the current viewport in the current space. Returns a null string if the current UCS is unnamed. UCSORG Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the User Coordinate System (UCS) ■ Assign UCS Definitions to Viewports (Read-only) Type: 3D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000,0.0000,0.
UCSORTHO Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the User Coordinate System (UCS) Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Determines whether the related orthographic UCS setting is restored automatically when an orthographic view is restored.
UCSVIEW Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Determines whether the current UCS is saved with a named view. 0 Does not save current UCS with a named view 1 Saves current UCS whenever a named view is created UCSVP Quick Reference See also: ■ Assign UCS Definitions to Viewports Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Determines whether the UCS in viewports remains fixed or changes to reflect the UCS of the current viewport.
UCSXDIR Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the User Coordinate System (UCS) (Read-only) Type: 3D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1.0000,0.0000,0.0000 Stores the X direction of the current UCS for the current viewport in the current space. The setting of this system variable is viewport specific. UCSYDIR Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the User Coordinate System (UCS) (Read-only) Type: 3D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000,1.0000,0.
UNDOCTL Quick Reference See also: ■ Correct Mistakes (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 53 Indicates the state of the Auto, Control, and Group options of the UNDO command.
Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Stores the number of marks placed in the UNDO control stream by the Mark option. The Mark and Back options are not available if a group is currently active. UNITMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Specify Units and Unit Formats Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls the display format for units. By default, the format for displaying measured values differs slightly from the format used for entering them.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Determines whether object snapping is active for geometry in DWF, DWFx, PDF, and DGN underlays that are attached to the drawing. UOSNAP overrides the DWFOSNAP, PDFOSNAP, and DGNOSNAP settings. Conversely, you can override the UOSNAP setting for DWF, DWFx, PDF, and DGN underlays by issuing the necessary DWFOSNAP, PDFOSNAP, or DGNOSNAP system variables.
4 Updates previews for layouts 8 Updates previews when layouts or views are created, modified, or restored 16 Updates previews when the drawing is saved These previews are displayed in the Sheet Set Manager. Sheet previews are displayed on the Sheet List tab, sheet view previews on the View List tab, and model space view previews on the Resource Drawings tab.
There are five system variables: USERR1, USERR2, USERR3, USERR4, and USERR5. USERS1-5 Quick Reference See also: ■ DIESEL Expressions in Macros Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: "" Provides storage and retrieval of text string data. There are five system variables: USERS1, USERS2, USERS3, USERS4, and USERS5.
V System Variables 47 VIEWCTR Quick Reference See also: ■ Pan or Zoom a View (Read-only) Type: 3D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the center of view in the current viewport. Expressed as a UCS coordinate.
Initial value: 0.0000,0.0000,1.0000 Stores the viewing direction in the current viewport, expressed in UCS coordinates. This describes the camera point as a 3D offset from the target point. VIEWMODE Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Stores the View mode for the current viewport. The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 0 Turned off. 1 Perspective view active.
VIEWSIZE Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Views (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the height of the view displayed in the current viewport, measured in drawing units. VIEWTWIST Quick Reference See also: ■ Rotate Views in Layout Viewports (Read-only) Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0.0000 Stores the view rotation angle for the current viewport measured relative to the WCS.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls the properties of xref-dependent layers. Controls visibility, color, linetype, lineweight, and plot styles. 0 The layer table, as stored in the reference drawing (xref), takes precedence. Changes made to xref-dependent layers in the current drawing are valid in the current session only and are not saved with the drawing.
VPLAYEROVERRIDES Quick Reference See also: ■ Override Layer Properties in Viewports (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Indicates if there are any layers with viewport (VP) property overrides for the current layout viewport.
VPMAXIMIZEDSTATE Quick Reference See also: ■ Access Model Space from a Layout Viewport (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Indicates whether the viewport is maximized or not. The maximized viewport state is canceled if you start the PLOT command.
NOTE After rotating a viewport, VPROTATEASSOC is set to 0 for a new viewport created in the same layout. VSACURVATUREHIGH Quick Reference See also: ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS on page 110 ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS - Curvature Tab on page 112 Type: Real Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Sets the value at which a surface displays as green during curvature analysis (ANALYSISCURVATURE on page 107). The default value for this system variable is 1.
VSACURVATURETYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS on page 110 ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS - Curvature Tab on page 112 Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls which type of curvature analysis is used with the (ANALYSISCURVATURE on page 107).
Sets the value at which a model displays as green during draft analysis (ANALYSISDRAFT on page 108). Draft angle is the angle in degrees between the surface normal and the UCS plane. High value is set by this system variable.
VSAZEBRACOLOR1 Quick Reference See also: ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS on page 110 ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS - Zebra Analysis Tab on page 111 Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: RGB: 255, 255, 255 Sets the first color of the zebra stripes displayed during zebra analysis (ANALYSISZEBRA). Values 1-255 designate an AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) color. Values for RGB True Color are represented as a comma-separated string of integers 000 to 255. The default value is RGB:255,255,255.
Values for RGB True Color are represented as a comma-separated string of integers 000 to 255. The default value is RGB:0,0,0. NOTE When a color book is installed, any colors defined in the book can be used. VSAZEBRADIRECTION Quick Reference See also: ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS on page 110 ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS - Zebra Analysis Tab on page 111 Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 90 Controls whether zebra stripes display horizontally, vertically, or at an angle during zebra analysis (ANALYSISBRA).
Initial value: 45 Controls the width of the zebra stripes displayed during zebra analysis (ANALYSISZEBRA). Valid values are from 1 to 100. VSAZEBRATYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS on page 110 ■ ANALYSISOPTIONS - Zebra Analysis Tab on page 111 Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Sets the type of zebra display when using zebra analysis (ANALYSISZEBRA).
Controls whether backgrounds are displayed in the visual style applied to the current viewport. 0 Off 1 On NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style. VSEDGECOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: BYENTITY Sets the color of edges in the visual style in the current viewport.
VSEDGEJITTER Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: -2 Makes edges on 3D objects appear wavy, as though they were sketched with a pencil. The amount of jitter can be set to low, medium, or high. Negative numbers store the value but turn off the effect. Plot styles are not available for objects with the Jitter edge modifier applied.
NOTE Plot styles are not available for objects with the Jitter edge modifier applied. NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style. VSEDGELEX Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: -6 Makes edges on 3D objects extend beyond their intersection for a hand-drawn effect. The range is 1 to 100 pixels.
Makes edges on 3D objects extend beyond their intersection for a hand-drawn effect. The amount of overhang can be set between 1 and 100 pixels. Negative numbers store the value but turn off the effect. NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style.
isolines displayed facet edges displayed 0 No edges are displayed 1 Isolines are displayed VSEDGES | 2621
2 Facet edges are displayed NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style. VSEDGESMOOTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Specifies the angle at which crease edges are displayed. The range is 0 to 180.
Controls how the color of faces is calculated. 0 Normal: Does not apply a face color modifier 1 Monochrome: Displays all faces in the color that is specified in the VSMONOCOLOR system variable. 2 Tint: Uses the color that is specified in the VSMONOCOLOR system variable to shade all faces by changing the hue and saturation values of the color.
VSFACEOPACITY Quick Reference See also: ■ Shade and Color Faces Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: -60 Turns on and off a preset level of transparency for 3D objects. The level of transparency for 3D solids and surfaces can be set between 100 percent opaque and 0 percent opaque. Negative numbers store the value but turn off the effect. NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable.
VSFACESTYLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Shade and Color Faces Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Controls how faces are displayed in the current viewport.
NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style. VSHIDEPRECISION Quick Reference See also: ■ Shade and Color Faces Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 0 Controls the accuracy of hides and shades in the visual style applied to the current viewport.
Specifies the color of intersection polylines in the visual style applied to the current viewport. The initial value is 7, which is a special value that inverts the color (black or white) based on the background color. Value 0 designates ByBlock, value 256 designates ByLayer, and value 257 designates ByEntity. Values 1-255 designate an AutoCAD Color Index (ACI) color. True Colors and Color Book colors are also available.
VSINTERSECTIONLTYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Sets the linetype for intersection lines in the visual style applied to the current viewport. The range is 1 to 11.
VSISOONTOP Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 0 Displays isolines on top of shaded objects in the visual style applied to the current viewport. 0 Off 1 On NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style.
1 Smooth. The colors are computed as a gradient between the vertices of the faces. 2 Smoothest. If the Per-Pixel Lighting setting is turned on in the Manual Performance Tuning dialog box, then the colors are computed for individual pixels. If not, the Smooth setting is used instead. NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style.
NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style. VSMAX Quick Reference See also: ■ Save and Restore Model Layout Viewport Arrangements (Read-only) Type: 3D-point Saved in: Drawing Initial value: Varies Stores the upper-right corner of the current viewport's virtual screen. Expressed as a UCS coordinate.
VSMONOCOLOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Shade and Color Faces Type: String Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 255,255,255 Sets the color for monochrome and tint display of faces in the visual style applied to the current viewport. The initial value is white. NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style.
NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style. VSOBSCUREDEDGES Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Controls whether obscured (hidden) edges are displayed. 0 Off 1 On NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable.
The range is 1 to 11. 1 Solid 2 Dashed 3 Dotted 4 Short Dash 5 Medium Dash 6 Long Dash 7 Double Short Dash 8 Double Medium Dash 9 Double Long Dash 10 Medium Long Dash 11 Sparse Dot The initial value of VSOBSCUREDLTYPE varies on the current visual style.
Visual Style (VSCURRENT) Initial Value Conceptual 1 Hidden 2 Shaded 1 Shaded with Edges 2 Shades of Gray 1 Sketchy 1 Wireframe 1 X-ray 1 Realistic 1 NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style.
You can also specify a true color or a color book color. Valid values for true colors are a string of integers each from 1 to 255 separated by commas and preceded by RGB. The True Color setting is entered as follows: RGB:000,000,000 NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style.
Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Specifies the linetype of occluded (hidden) lines in the visual style applied to the current viewport. The range is 1 to 11.
The initial value of VSOCCLUDEDLTYPE varies on the current visual style. Visual Style (VSCURRENT) Initial Value 2D Wireframe 1 Conceptual 1 Hidden 2 Shaded 1 Shaded with Edges 2 Shades of Gray 1 Sketchy 1 Wireframe 1 X-ray 1 Realistic 1 NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style.
Controls whether a visual style displays shadows. 0 No shadows are displayed 1 Ground shadows only are displayed 2 Full shadows are displayed NOTE To display full shadows, hardware acceleration is required. When Geometry Acceleration is off, full shadows cannot be displayed. (To access these settings, enter 3dconfig at the Command prompt. In the Adaptive Degradation and Performance Tuning dialog box, click Manual Tune.
The initial value of VSSILHEDGES depends on the current visual style.
NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable. Any new value entered for this system variable temporarily creates an unsaved new visual style. VSSILHWIDTH Quick Reference See also: ■ Control the Display of Edges Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 5 Specifies the width in pixels of silhouette edges in the current viewport. The range is 1 to 25. NOTE Existing visual styles are not changed when you enter a new value for this system variable.
VTDURATION Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 750 Sets the duration of a smooth view transition, in milliseconds. The valid range is 0 to 5000. VTENABLE Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 3 Controls when smooth view transitions are used. Smooth view transitions can be on or off for panning and zooming, for changes of view angle, or for scripts. The valid range is 0 to 7.
Setting For pan/zoom For rotation For scripts 4 Off Off On 5 On Off On 6 Off On On 7 On On On VTFPS Quick Reference See also: ■ Set Interface Options Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 7 Sets the minimum speed of a smooth view transition, in frames per second. When a smooth view transition cannot maintain this speed, an instant transition is used. The valid range is 1 to 30.
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W System Variables 48 WHIPARC Quick Reference See also: ■ Draw Curved Objects Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether the display of circles and arcs is smooth.
Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 1 Controls whether to use an additional processor to improve the speed of operations such as ZOOM that redraw or regenerate the drawing. WHIPTHREAD has no effect on single processor machines. 0 No multithreaded processing; restricts regeneration and redraw processing to a single processor. This setting restores the behavior of AutoCAD 2000 and previous releases.
The valid range is 1 to 255. SELECTIONAREA on page 2524 must be on. WMFBKGND Quick Reference See also: ■ Edit Referenced Drawings Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Off Controls the background display when objects are inserted in Windows metafile (WMF) format.
Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Off Controls the assignment of the foreground color when objects are inserted in Windows metafile (WMF) format. The objects may be inserted using any of the following methods: ■ Output to a Windows metafile using WMFOUT ■ Copied to the Clipboard and pasted as a Windows metafile ■ Dragged as a Windows metafile WMFFOREGND applies only when WMFBKGND is set to Off.
WORLDUCS Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of the User Coordinate System (UCS) (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1 Indicates whether the UCS is the same as the WCS. 0 UCS differs from the WCS 1 UCS matches the WCS WORLDVIEW Quick Reference See also: ■ Define a 3D View with Coordinate Values or Angles Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 1 Determines whether input to the DVIEW and VPOINT commands is relative to the WCS (default) or the current UCS.
WRITESTAT Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of AutoLISP and Visual LISP (Read-only) Type: Integer Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: 1 Indicates whether a drawing file is read-only or can be revised. For developers who need to determine write status through AutoLISP.
This system variable determines the default setting in the Workspace Settings dialog box > When Switching Workspaces section on page 2113. WSCURRENT Quick Reference See also: ■ Create Task-Based Workspaces Type: String Saved in: Not-saved Initial value: Varies Returns the current workspace name at the Command prompt and sets a workspace to current.
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X System Variables 49 XCLIPFRAME Quick Reference See also: ■ Update Referenced Drawing Attachments Type: Integer Saved in: Drawing Initial value: 2 Determines whether xref clipping boundaries are visible or plotted in the current drawing. The FRAME system variable overrides the XCLIPFRAME setting.Use the XCLIPFRAME system variable after the FRAME system variable to reset the clipped xref frame settings 0 The frame is not visible and it is not plotted.
XDWGFADECTL Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Drawing References (Xrefs) Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 70 Controls the dimming for all DWG xref objects. The valid XDWGFADECTL system variable value is between -90 and 90. When XDWGFADECTL is set to a negative value, the Xref Fading feature is not turned on, but the setting is stored. 0 DWG xref objects are not faded. >0 When the value is positive, controls the percent of fading up to 90 percent.
Controls whether the current drawing can be edited in-place when being referenced by another drawing. 0 Can't use in-place reference editing 1 Can use in-place reference editing XFADECTL Quick Reference See also: ■ Attach Drawing References (Xrefs) Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 50 Controls the amount of fading within a reference being edited in place. This setting affects only the objects that are not being edited in the reference. Valid values are from 0 to 90.
Initial value: 2 Turns xref demand-loading on and off, and controls whether it opens the referenced drawing or a copy. 0 Turns off demand-loading; the entire drawing is loaded. 1 Turns on demand-loading. Referenced drawings are kept open and locked. 2 Turns on demand-loading.
XREFCTL Quick Reference See also: ■ Track External Reference Operations (Log File) Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls whether external reference log (XLG) files are created. 0 Does not write log files 1 Writes log files XREFNOTIFY Quick Reference See also: ■ Update Referenced Drawing Attachments Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 2 Controls the notification for updated or missing xrefs. 0 Disables xref notification 1 Enables xref notification.
2 Enables xref notification and balloon messages. Displays the xref icon as in 1 above. Also displays balloon messages in the same area when xrefs are modified. The number of minutes between checking for modified xrefs is controlled by the environment variable XNOTIFYTIME. XREFTYPE Quick Reference See also: ■ Nest and Overlay Referenced Drawings Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 0 Controls the default reference type when attaching or overlaying an external reference.
Z System Variables 50 ZOOMFACTOR Quick Reference See also: ■ Pointing Device Buttons Type: Integer Saved in: Registry Initial value: 60 Controls how much the magnification changes when the mouse wheel moves forward or backward. Accepts an integer between 3 and 100 as a valid value. The higher the number, the more the change.
Initial value: 0 Toggles the direction of transparent zoom operations when you scroll the middle mouse wheel. 0 Moves wheel forward zooms in; moving wheel backwards zooms out. 1 Move wheel forward zooms out; moving wheel backwards zooms in.
Utilities 51 This section describes the AutoCAD® utilities. You run these utilities separately from AutoCAD. Attach Digital Signatures Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Digital Signatures Attaches a digital signature to files. Menu: Start menu (Windows) ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD ➤ Attach Digital Signatures The Attach Digital Signatures dialog box is displayed.
Files to Be Signed Lists the names of the files to be signed, the folder in which each file resides, and the current status of the file. Add Files Opens the Select File dialog box, where you select the files for digital signature. Search Folders Opens the Search Folders dialog box, where you can search for files in the folder you specify. Remove Removes selected files from the Files to Be Signed list. Clear List Removes all files from the Files to Be Signed list.
Time Service Status Displays the connection status (Successfully Contacted Time Server or Could Not Contact Time Server) of the time service. Comment Provides a place to include information relevant to the digital signature or to the files you are signing. Sign Files Attaches a digital signature to every file listed in this dialog box. Search Folders Dialog Box Quick Reference See also: ■ Overview of Digital Signatures Searches for folders that contain files you want to digitally sign.
Batch Standards Checker Quick Reference See also: ■ Check Drawings for Standards Violations Audits a set of drawings for standards violations. Menu: Start menu (Windows) ➤ Programs ➤ Autodesk ➤ AutoCAD ➤ Batch Standards Checker The Batch Standards Checker Window is displayed.
Drawings Tab (Batch Standards Checker) Allows you to create a list of drawings to audit for standards violations. Drawings to Check Lists the drawings to audit for standards violations. To add a drawing, click Add Drawing. To remove a drawing, click Remove Drawing. An exclamation mark precedes any drawings that the Batch Standards Checker can't locate. Drawings are audited in the order in which they are listed. To reorder drawings in the list, click Move Up or Move Down.
in the list takes precedence. To change the position of a standards file in the list, select it and click Move Up or Move Down. Add Standards File Adds a standards file to the list displayed in Standards Used for Checking All Drawings. Remove Standards File Removes a standards file from the list displayed in Standards Used for Checking All Drawings. Move Up Moves a standards file up one position in the list displayed in Standards Used for Checking All Drawings.
Batch Standards Checker Toolbar New Creates a new standards check file with a .chx file name extension. Standards check files specify what drawings and standards files are used by the batch audit. Open Opens a standard file selection dialog box, where you can select a standards check file. Save Saves the current standards check file. Save As Opens a standard file save dialog box, where you can specify a name and location to save a standards check file.
ton is available when a batch audit report is available for viewing. The contents of the report are included with the standards check file. Export Report Exports an HTML report that can be distributed to other users. This button is available only when a batch audit has been completed and a report is available to export. This button also allows you to optimize existing XML reports that were created with a previous version of the CAD Standards feature, in order to improve report printing quality.
library specifies the slide library file (extension .slb) into which the slide files (extension .sld) are added. slidelist specifies a list of slide files. If you want to specify a file extension, it must be .sld. SLIDELIB reads a list of slide file names. This list is normally supplied by redirecting a list of files (one per line in another file created using a text editor or a user-supplied utility program) to standard input.
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Index 3D command 3 3D DWF Publish dialog box 30 3D Edit Bar shortcut menu 36 3D Free Orbit cursor icons 41 3D Modeling tab (Options dialog box) 1360 3D Move Gizmo shortcut menu 47 3D Object Snap tab (Drafting Settings dialog box) 679 3D Rotate Gizmo shortcut menu 63 3D Scale Gizmo shortcut menu 66 3D Studio File Import Options dialog box 68 3DALIGN command 15 3DARRAY command 17 3DCLIP command 19 3DCONFIG command about 21 Adaptive Degradation and Performace Tuning dialog box 22 Performance Tuner Log 24 3Dcon
ACTUI system variable 2157 ACTUSERINPUT command 89 ACTUSERMESSAGE command 90 Adaptive Degradation and Performance Tuning dialog box 22 ADCCLOSE command 91 ADCENTER command about DesignCenter window 93 Search dialog box 97 ADCNAVIGATE command 100 ADCSTATE system variable 2157 Add Actions dialog box 1951 Add Angle Value dialog box 1551 Add Custom Property dialog box 727, 1763 Add Distance Value dialog box 1551 Add Folder Options dialog box 434 Add Page Setup dialog box 1484 Add Parameter Properties dialog box
APPLYGLOBALOPACITIES system variable 2163 APSTATE system variable 2164 ARC command 128 Archive - Set Password dialog box 140 Archive a Sheet Set dialog box 132 ARCHIVE command about 132 Archive - Set Password dialog box 140 Archive a Sheet Set dialog box 132 Modify Archive Setup dialog box 136 AREA command 142 AREA system variable 2165 ARRAY command 145 Array Editor ribbon contextual tab 154 ARRAYCLOSE command 149 ARRAYEDIT command 150 ARRAYEDITSTATE system variable 2164 ARRAYPATH command 156 ARRAYPOLAR com
BACTIONSET command 203 BACTIONTOOL command 204 Balloon Notification dialog box 1388 BASE command 210 BASSOCIATE command 211 Batch Standards Checker 2664 Batch Standards Checker toolbar 2667 Batch Standards Checker window 2664 BATTMAN command about 212 Block Attribute Manager 212 Block Attribute Settings dialog box 219 Edit Attribute dialog box 214 BATTORDER command 220 BAUTHORPALETTE command 221 BAUTHORPALETTECLOSE command 222 BCLOSE command 223 BCONSTATUSMODE system variable 2178 BCONSTRUCTION command 223
Block Properties Table dialog box 285 New Parameter dialog box 287 BTESTBLOCK command 288 BTMARKDISPLAY system variable 2185 Button Editor dialog box 397 Buzzsaw Location Shortcuts dialog box 1315 BVHIDE command 289 BVMODE system variable 2185 BVSHOW command 290 BVSTATE command about 291 New Visibility State dialog box 293 Visibility States dialog box 292 C CAD Standards Settings dialog box 1838 CAL command 295 CALCINPUT system variable 2187 CAMERA command 317 Camera Glyph Appearance dialog box 1375 Camera
CMDDIA system variable 2200 CMDECHO system variable 2201 CMDINPUTHISTORYMAX system variable 2201 CMDNAMES system variable 2202 CMLEADERSTYLE system variable 2202 CMLJUST system variable 2203 CMLSCALE system variable 2203 CMLSTYLE system variable 2204 Color Books tab (Select Color dialog box) 352 COLOR command 346 Color tab (Modify DGN Mapping Setup dialog box) 569 Column Label shortcut menu 988 Column Settings dialog box 1247 Column shortcut menu 465 Column Values dialog box 477 Columns menu 1246 Command Li
Create New Cell Style dialog box 1907 Create New Dimension Style dialog box 619 Create New Drawing dialog box 1284 Create New Multileader Style dialog box 1204 Create New Multiline Style dialog box 1219 Create New Table Style dialog box 1902 Create New Visual Style dialog box 2071 Create STL File dialog box 60, 1843 Create Transmittal dialog box about 747 Files Table tab 748 Files Tree tab 747 Sheets tab 747 CROSSINGAREACOLOR system variable 2211 CSHADOW system variable 2212 CTAB system variable 2213 CTABLE
New Drawings Found dialog box 436 Set Cell Format dialog box 442 Sort Columns dialog box 439 DATALINK command about 449 Data Link Manager 450 New Excel Data Link dialog box 451 DATALINKNOTIFY system variable 2218 DATALINKUPDATE command 454 Date Modified tab (Find dialog box) 1319 Date Modified tab (Search dialog box) 99 DATE system variable 2219 DBCONNECT command about 455 Column Values dialog box 477 Configure a Data Source dialog box 478 Data View and Query Options dialog box 479 Data View window 462 dbCo
DETACHURL command 531 Device and Document Settings tab (Plotter Configuration Editor) 1510 DGN Mapping Setups dialog box 563 DGN Underlay ribbon contextual tab 536 DGNADJUST command 532 DGNATTACH command about 533 Attach DGN Underlay dialog box 534 DGN Underlay Ribbon contextual tab 536 DGNCLIP command 540 DGNEXPORT command 541 DGNFRAME system variable 2230 DGNIMPORT command 550 DGNIMPORTMAX system variable 2230 DGNIMPORTMODE system variable 2231 DGNLAYERS command 561 DGNMAPPING command about 562 DGN Mappin
DIMINSPECT command 595 DIMJOGANG system variable 2254 DIMJOGGED command 599 DIMJOGLINE command 601 DIMJUST system variable 2254 DIMLDRBLK system variable 2255 DIMLFAC system variable 2255 DIMLIM system variable 2256 DIMLINEAR command 602 DIMLTEX1 system variable 2256 DIMLTEX2 system variable 2257 DIMLTYPE system variable 2257 DIMLUNIT system variable 2258 DIMLWD system variable 2258 DIMLWE system variable 2259 DIMORDINATE command 606 DIMOVERRIDE command 608 DIMPOST system variable 2260 DIMRADIUS command 609
DIVMESHCYLHEIGHT system variable 2285 DIVMESHPYRBASE system variable 2286 DIVMESHPYRHEIGHT system variable 2287 DIVMESHPYRLENGTH system variable 2288 DIVMESHSPHEREAXIS system variable 2289 DIVMESHSPHEREHEIGHT system variable 2290 DIVMESHTORUSPATH system variable 2291 DIVMESHTORUSSECTION system variable 2292 DIVMESHWEDGEBASE system variable 2293 DIVMESHWEDGEHEIGHT system variable 2294 DIVMESHWEDGELENGTH system variable 2295 DIVMESHWEDGESLOPE system variable 2296 DIVMESHWEDGEWIDTH system variable 2297 DONUT c
Conversion Setups dialog box 715 DWG Convert dialog box 713 Modify Conversion Setup dialog box 717 New Conversion Setup dialog box 716 DWGNAME system variable 2305 DWGPREFIX system variable 2306 DWGPROPS command about 720 Add Custom Property dialog box 727 Drawing Properties dialog box 721 DWGTITLED system variable 2306 DXBIN command 728 DXEVAL system variable 2307 DXF Options tab (Saveas Options dialog box) 1689 Dynamic Input tab (Drafting Settings dialog box) 684 DYNCONSTRAINMODE system variable 2308 DYND
Export Layout to Model Space Drawing dialog box 776 Export Links dialog box 481 Export Query Set dialog box 482 Export Template Set dialog box 483 Export to DWF/PDF Options palette 767 Export to DWF/PDF ribbon panel 772 EXPORTDWF command about 765 Export to DWF/PDF Options palette 767 Export to DWF/PDF ribbon panel 772 Import Precision Preset dialog box 771 New Precision Preset dialog box 771 Page Setup Override dialog box 768 Precision Presets Manager 770 Save as DWF dialog box 766 EXPORTDWFX command about
FILL command 811 FILLET command 812 FILLETEDGE command 816 FILLETRAD system variable 2335 FILLETRAD3D system variable 2336 FILLMODE system variable 2336 Filter Column dialog box 446 FILTER command 818 Find and Replace dialog box (commands) 400 Find and Replace dialog box (mtext) 1249 Find and Replace dialog box (text) 822 FIND command 821 Find dialog box (DBCONNECT) 483 Find dialog box (OPEN) 1318 Find/Replace tab (Label Template dialog box) 490 Fit tab (New Dimension Style dialog box) 634 FLATSHOT command
Gradient tab (Hatch and Gradient dialog box) 883 GRAPHICSCONFIG command 861 GRAPHSCR command 869 GRID command 869 Grid Header shortcut menu 467 GRIDDISPLAY system variable 2347 GRIDMAJOR system variable 2348 GRIDMODE system variable 2348 GRIDSTYLE system variable 2349 GRIDUNIT system variable 2349 Grip Colors dialog box 1367 GRIPBLOCK system variable 2350 GRIPCOLOR system variable 2350 GRIPCONTOUR system variable 2351 GRIPDYNCOLOR system variable 2351 GRIPHOT system variable 2351 GRIPHOVER system variable 2
HPOBJWARNING system variable 2372 HPORIGIN system variable 2372 HPORIGINMODE system variable 2373 HPQUICKPREVIEW system variable 2374 HPQUICKPREVTIMEOUT system variable 2374 HPSCALE system variable 2375 HPSEPARATE system variable 2375 HPSPACE system variable 2376 HPTRANSPARENCY system variable 2376 HYPERLINK command about 920 Edit Hyperlink dialog box 924 Insert Hyperlink dialog box 921 Select Place in Document dialog box 925 HYPERLINKBASE system variable 2376 HYPERLINKOPTIONS command 927 I i-drop Options
Interference Checking dialog box 964 Interference Settings dialog box 963 INTERFEREOBJVS system variable 2387 INTERFEREVPVS system variable 2388 INTERSECT command 967 INTERSECTIONCOLOR system variable 2388 INTERSECTIONDISPLAY system variable 2389 ISAVEBAK system variable 2389 ISAVEPERCENT system variable 2390 ISOLATEOBJECTS command 968 ISOLINES system variable 2390 ISOPLANE command 969 J JOGSECTION command (SECTIONPLANEJOG) 1706 JOIN command 971 JPEG Image Options dialog box 1637 JPGOUT command 973 JUSTIFY
LAYLOCKFADECTL system variable 2399 LAYMCH command 1018 LAYMCUR command 1020 LAYMRG command about 1021 Merge Layers dialog box 1021 Merge to Layer dialog box 1022 LAYOFF command 1023 LAYON command 1025 LAYOUT command 1025 Layout Wizard about 1027 LAYOUTCREATEVIEWPORT system variable 2399 LAYOUTREGENCTL system variable 2400 LAYOUTWIZARD command 1027 LAYTHW command 1028 LAYTRANS command about 1029 Edit/New Layer dialog box 1034 Layer Translator 1030 Settings dialog box 1032 LAYULK command 1035 LAYUNISO comman
Load/Unload Customizations dialog box 404 LOCALE system variable 2407 LOCALROOTPREFIX system variable 2407 Location Already Exists dialog box 851 Location Picker dialog box 856 LOCKUI system variable 2408 LOFT command 1061 Loft Handle 1068 Loft Settings dialog box 1066 LOFTANG1 system variable 2408 LOFTANG2 system variable 2409 LOFTMAG1 system variable 2409 LOFTMAG2 system variable 2410 LOFTNORMALS system variable 2410 LOFTPARAM system variable 2411 Log In to Buzzsaw dialog box 1316 LOGEXPBRIGHTNESS system
Material Attachment Options dialog box 1113 MATERIALMAP command 1114 Materials Browser about 1089 MATERIALS command about 1119 Materials Editor about 1097 Material Tool Property Editor 1111 Nested Map Navigation 1111 Texture Editor 1099 MATERIALSCLOSE command 1119 MATSTATE system variable 2423 MAXACTVP system variable 2423 MAXSORT system variable 2424 MAXTOUCHES system variable 2424 MBUTTONPAN system variable 2425 MEASURE command 1120 MEASUREGEOM command 1122 MEASUREINIT system variable 2425 MEASUREMENT sys
MODEMACRO system variable 2431 Modify Archive Setup dialog box 136 Modify Conversion Setup dialog box 717 Modify DGN Mapping Setup dialog box 566 Modify Dimension Style dialog box 620 Modify FTP Locations dialog box 1321 Modify Multileader Style dialog box 1198 Modify Multiline Style dialog box 1219 Modify Table Style dialog box 1903 Modify Transmittal dialog box 753 More Options tab (Hatch and Gradient dialog box) 885 Motion Path Animation dialog box 116 MOVE command 1224 MREDO command 1225 MSLIDE command
Quick Setup wizard 1288 New Conversion Setup dialog box 716 New Dimension Style dialog box 620 New Drawings Found dialog box 436 New Excel Data Link dialog box 451 New Label Template dialog box 504 New Layer dialog box 1034 New Layer Name dialog box 1713 New Layer State to Save dialog box 1010 New Link Template dialog box 505 New Mapping Setup dialog box 565 New Multiline Style dialog box 1219 New Page Setup dialog box 1403 New Parameter dialog box 287 New Precision Preset dialog box 771 New Query dialog bo
OPENONLINE command 1327 OPENPARTIAL system variable 2452 OPENSHEETSET command 1328 OPMSTATE system variable 2452 OPTIONS command about 1328 Add Profile dialog box 1386 Advanced Preview Options dialog box 1384 Alternate Font dialog box 1370 Camera Glyph Appearance dialog box 1375 Change Profile dialog box 1386 Command Line Window Font dialog box 1373 Default Scale List dialog box 1389 Drawing Window Colors dialog box 1371 Field Update Settings dialog box 1381 Grip Colors dialog box 1367 Hidden Message Settin
Parameters tab (Block Authoring Palette window) 240 PARAMETERSCLOSE command 1427 PARAMETERSSTATUS system variable 2460 Partial Load dialog box 1428 Partial Open dialog box 1323 PARTIALOAD command 1427 PARTIALOPEN command 1432 Password tab (Security Options dialog box) 1718 Paste Special dialog box 1437 PASTEASHYPERLINK command 1433 PASTEBLOCK command 1434 PASTECLIP command 1435 PASTEORIG command 1436 PASTESPEC command 1437 PCINWIZARD command 1438 PCX Image Options dialog box 1634 PDF Underlay ribbon context
Plotter Configuration Editor 1506 PLOTTERMANAGER command about 1505 Add-a-Plotter wizard 1506 Advanced Settings for COM dialog box 1520 Configure LPT Port dialog box 1519 Plotter Configuration Editor 1506 Settings for COM Port dialog box 1520 PLOTTRANSPARENCYOVERRIDE system variable 2474 PLQUIET system variable 2474 Plug-ins tab (Batch Standards Checker) 2666 Plug-ins tab (Configure Standards dialog box) 1837 PNG Image Options dialog box 1637 PNGOUT command 1522 POINT command 1523 Point Style dialog box 527
PROXYWEBSEARCH system variable 2488 PSETUPIN command 1558 PSLTSCALE system variable 2488 PSOLHEIGHTsystem variable 2489 PSOLWIDTH system variable 2489 PSPACE command 1559 PSTYLEMODE system variable 2490 PSTYLEPOLICY system variable 2490 PSVPSCALE system variable 2491 Publish Block Template dialog box 1568 PUBLISH command about 1561 Block Template Options dialog box 1569 Confirm DWF Password dialog box 1570 DWF Password dialog box 1570 Publish Block Template dialog box 1568 Publish dialog box 1561 Publish Jo
Re-initialization dialog box 1624 Rebuild Curve dialog box 414 Rebuild Surface dialog box 413 REBUILD2DCV system variable 2501 REBUILD2DDEGREE system variable 2502 REBUILD2DOPTION system variable 2503 REBUILDDEGREEU system variable 2503 REBUILDDEGREEV system variable 2504 REBUILDOPTIONS system variable 2504 REBUILDU system variable 2505 REBUILDV system variable 2505 Record shortcut menu 466 RECOVER command 1607 RECOVERALL command RECOVERAUTO system variable 2506 RECOVERYMODE system variable 2507 RECTANG com
RIBBON command 1666 Ribbon Contextual Tab State Options dialog box 1383 RIBBONBGLOAD system variable 2511 RIBBONCLOSE command 1667 RIBBONCONTEXTSELECT system variable 2512 RIBBONCONTEXTSELLIM system variable 2513 RIBBONDOCKEDHEIGHT system variable 2513 RIBBONICONRESIZE system variable 2514 RIBBONSELECTMODE system variable 2514 RIBBONSTATE system variable 2515 Right-Click Customization dialog box 1379 ROAMABLEROOTPREFIX system variable 2515 ROLLOVEROPACITY system variable 2516 ROLLOVERTIPS system variable 25
Select a Database Object dialog box 508 Select Block dialog box 1769 Select Color dialog box about 346 Color Books tab 352 Index Color tab 347 True Color tab 349 SELECT command 1721 Select Data Object dialog box 509 Select File dialog box 2043 Select Layer States dialog box 1013 Select Layers to Add to Layer State dialog box 1012 Select Layout as Sheet Template dialog box 1748 Select Linetype dialog box 994 Select Place in Document dialog box 925 Select Plot Style dialog box 1503 Select Project dialog box 2
Import Layouts as Sheets dialog box 1753 Insert Sheet List Table dialog box 1754 List of Blocks dialog box 1768 New Sheet dialog box 1749 New Sheet Selection dialog box 1765 Publish Sheets dialog box 1747 Rename & Renumber Sheet dialog box 1750 Rename & Renumber View dialog box 1752 Resource Drawing Locations dialog box 1763 Select Block dialog box 1769 Select Layout as Sheet Template dialog box 1748 Sheet Properties dialog box 1765 Sheet Selections dialog box 1766 Sheet Set Custom Properties dialog box 176
SPELL command about 1813 Check Spelling dialog box 1814 Check Spelling Settings dialog box 1816 Dictionaries dialog box 1818 Manage Custom Dictionaries dialog box 1819 SPHERE command 1820 SPLDEGREE system variable 2544 SPLFRAME system variable 2545 SPLINE command 1822 SPLINEDIT command 1827 SPLINESEGS system variable 2545 SPLINETYPE system variable 2546 SPLKNOTS system variable 2546 SPLMETHOD system variable 2547 SPLPERIODIC system variable 2547 SPOTLIGHT command 1831 SQL Query tab (Query Editor) 475 SSFOUN
SURFU system variable 2562 SURFUNTRIM command 1881 SURFV system variable 2563 SWEEP command 1882 Symbol dialog box 1943 Symbols and Arrows tab (New Dimension Style dialog box) 625 Synchronize dialog box 511 SYSCODEPAGE system variable 2563 System tab (Options dialog box) 1350 SYSWINDOWS command 1885 T Table Cell Format dialog box 1910 TABLE command about 1888 Insert Table dialog box 1889 Manage Cell Content dialog box 1895 Table ribbon contextual tab 1892 Table Data tab (Insert Sheet List Table Dialog Box)
Thumbnail Preview Settings dialog box 1376 THUMBSIZE system variable 2576 TIFF Image Options dialog box 1636 TIFOUT command 1933 TILEMODE system variable 2577 Tiles Property Settings dialog box 1107 TIME command 1936 Timeline dialog box 1937 TIMEZONE system variable 2581 TINSERT command 1937 TOLERANCE command about 1939 Geometric Tolerance dialog box 1940 Material Condition dialog box 1945 Symbol dialog box 1943 Tolerances tab (New Dimension Style dialog box) 646 Tool Properties dialog box 1950 TOOLBAR comm
UCSORG system variable 2597 UCSORTHO system variable 2597 UCSSELECTMODE system variable 2598 UCSVIEW system variable 2598 UCSVP system variable 2599 UCSXDIR system variable 2599 UCSYDIR system variable 2600 ULAYERS command 1982 UNDEFINE command 1984 Underlay Layers dialog box 1983 UNDO command 1985 UNDOCTL system variable 2600 UNDOMARKS system variable 2601 UNGROUP command 1988 UNION command 1988 UNISOLATEOBJECTS command 1990 UNITMODE system variable 2601 UNITS command about 1991 Direction Control dialog bo
Plot and Publish Details dialog box 2053 Plot and Publish Status Bar Icon shortcut menu 2054 Viewpoint Presets dialog box 529 Viewports dialog box 2080 VIEWPROJ command 2055 VIEWRES command 2057 VIEWSETPROJ command 2057 VIEWSIZE system variable 2607 VIEWSTD command 2058 VIEWTWIST system variable 2607 VIEWUPDATE command 2060 Visibility States dialog box 292 VISRETAIN system variable 2608 Visual Effect Settings dialog box 1381 Visual Styles Manager 2063 VISUALSTYLES command about 2061 Create New Visual Style
VSOBSCUREDEDGES system variable 2633 VSOBSCUREDLTYPE system variable 2635 VSOCCLUDEDCOLOR system variable 2636 VSOCCLUDEDEDGES system variable 2636 VSOCCLUDEDLTYPE system variable 2638 VSSAVE command 2090 VSSHADOWS system variable 2639 VSSILHEDGES system variable 2641 VSSILHWIDTH system variable 2641 VSSTATE system variable 2642 VTDURATION system variable 2642 VTENABLE system variable 2643 VTFPS system variable 2643 VTOPTIONS command 2090 W Walk and Fly Navigation Mappings balloon 77 Walk and Fly Settings
