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CHAPTER 1 Exploring thE AutoCAD AnD AutoCAD lt intErfACE
The messages in the Command window, or in the Dynamic input display, often tell you what to do next,
or they may display a list of options. A single command often presents a series of messages, which you
answer to complete the command. These messages serve as an aid to new users who need a little help.
If you ever get lost while using a command or forget what you’re supposed to do, look at the Command
window for clues. As you become more comfortable with AutoCAD, you’ll find that you won’t need to
refer to these messages as frequently.
As an additional aid, you can right-click to display a context-sensitive shortcut menu. That is, if you’re
in the middle of a command, this menu displays a list of options specifically related to that command.
For example, if you right-click your mouse before picking the first point for the rectangle command,
a menu opens, displaying the same options that are listed in the Command prompt plus some ad-
ditional options.
Finally, the Dynamic input display allows you to enter dimensional data of objects as you draw them.
Besides echoing the command-line messages, the Dynamic input display shows temporary dimensions,
coordinates, and angles of objects you’re drawing and editing. As you enter coordinate or angle values
through the keyboard, they appear in the Dynamic Input display. You can easily turn the Dynamic In-
put display on or off by clicking on the Dynamic Input tool in the status bar. When the Dynamic Input
display is turned off, your keyboard input appears in the Command window.
The Ribbon
The most prominent feature in the AutoCAD window, besides the drawing area, is the Ribbon
(see Figure 1.7). This is where you’ll be selecting tools to draw, edit, or perform other functions.
The Ribbon contains a set of panels representing groups of tools and features. The name of
each Ribbon panel is found in its title bar at the bottom of the panel. Ribbon panels are further
organized by the tabs that appear above them. All of the tools in the Ribbon offer tool tips that
provide a short description to help you understand what each tool icon represents.
Figure 1.7
A typical tool tip
from a Ribbon
panel tool.
Description/tutorial
Keyboard command equivalent
Context-sensitive help
Ribbon tabs
Ribbon panels
Ribbon panel
title bars
Tool name
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