Datasheet

CHAPTER 1 Exploring thE AutoCAD AnD AutoCAD lt intErfACE

Note

If you don’t see the Dynamic Input display, click the Dynamic Input tool in the status bar to turn

it on.

3. Move the cursor a bit in any direction; then, click the left mouse button again. Notice that

the window selection disappears, as does the Dynamic Input display.

4. Try picking several more points in the drawing area. Notice that as you click the mouse,

you alternately start and end a window selection.

If you happen to click the right mouse button, a shortcut menu appears. A right-click fre-

quently opens a menu containing options that are context sensitive. This means the contents of

the shortcut menu depend on the location where you right-click as well as the command that

is active at the time. If there are no appropriate options at the time of the right-click, AutoCAD

treats the right-click as an ↵. You’ll learn more about these options as you progress through the

book. For now, if you happen to open this menu by accident, press the Esc key to close it.

th e Ucs ic o n

In the lower-left corner of the drawing area, you see an L-shaped arrow. This is the User Coordinate

System (UCS) icon, which tells you your orientation in the drawing. This icon becomes helpful

as you start to work with complex 2D drawings and 3D models. The X and Y arrows indicate the

X and Y axes of your drawing. The little square at the base of the arrows tells you that you’re in

what is called the World Coordinate System (WCS). Chapter 21 discusses this icon in detail. For

now, you can use it as a reference to tell you the direction of the axes.

If You Can’t Find the UCS Icon

The UCS icon can be turned on and off, so if you’re on someone else’s system and you don’t see the

icon, don’t panic. If you don’t see the icon or it doesn’t look as it does in this chapter, see Chapter 21

for more information.

th e co m m a n D wi n D o w

At the bottom of the screen, just above the status bar, is a small horizontal window called the

Command window. Here, AutoCAD displays responses to your input. By default, it shows two

lines of text. The bottom line shows the current messages and the top line shows messages that

have scrolled by or, in some cases, components of the current message that don’t ﬁt in a single

line. Right now, the bottom line displays the message Command (see Figure 1.4, earlier in this

chapter). This prompt tells you that AutoCAD is waiting for your instructions. When you click a

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