Datasheet
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CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE
Take a moment to examine the top portion of the Dashboard where the 2D Draw control panel
resides. You’ll be instructed to use the tools in this control panel frequently throughout the early
part of this book, so it will be helpful for you to get a feel for their arrangement and what they con-
tain. You’ll get a closer look at the Dashboard and control panels in Chapter 2.
In addition to the visible tools, a few tools are hidden from view. You can expand the list of tools to
select more tools. Click and hold the downward-pointing arrow to the far right of the row of tools (see
Figure 1.8). The set of tools expands into a fly-out toolbar. While continuing to hold down the mouse
button, you can point to the tool you want in the fly-out toolbar and then release the mouse.
Figure 1.8
Click and hold the
downward-pointing
arrow to open the
fly-out toolbar.
In most cases, you’ll be able to guess what each tool does by looking at its icon. The icon with an
arc in the 2D Draw control panel, for instance, indicates that the tool draws arcs; the one with the
circle shows that the tool draws circles; and so on. For further clarification, the ToolTip gives you
the name of the tool.
The Toolbars
The menu bar and Dashboard offer the most frequently used tools, but you’ll eventually find that
you need to use a set of tools geared toward a specific task. AutoCAD offers a number of toolbars
that contain tools for specific types of drawing functions. For example, the View toolbar offers a set
of tools that quickly give you a 3D view. The Inquiry toolbar contains tools that display information
about your drawing.
AutoCAD displays the Workspaces and Standard Annotation toolbars in its default 2D Drafting
& Annotation workspace. As you work though this book, occasionally you’ll be asked to open other
toolbars. To get familiar with the process, try opening a one now.
1. Right-click the Workspaces or Standard Annotation toolbar. A shortcut menu of toolbars
appears, displaying a long list of toolbars, as shown in Figure 1.9.
2. Locate and select View in the shortcut menu (see Figure 1.9). The View toolbar appears.
Click and hold here.
The toolbar expands to show
more options.
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