Datasheet

TIP If you choose a color other than black as the drawing area back-
ground color, the color of the crosshair cursor remains the same as it was. To
change the crosshair color, go to the Interface Element list box in the Drawing
Window Colors dialog box and select Crosshairs. Then select a color from the
Color drop-down list.
Working in the Command Window
Just below the drawing area is the Command window. This window is separate
from the drawing area and behaves like a Windows window—that is, you can drag
it to a different place on the screen and resize it, although I don’t recommend you
do this at first. If you currently have fewer than four lines of text in the window,
you should increase the window’s vertical size. To do so, move the cursor to the
horizontal boundary between the drawing area and the Command window until it
changes to an up-and-down arrow broken by two parallel horizontal lines.
Hold down the left mouse button, drag the cursor up by approximately the
same amount that one or two lines of text would take up, and then release the
mouse button (see Figure 1.20). You should see more lines of text, but you
might have to try this a few times to display exactly four lines. A horizontal line
will separate the top two lines of text from the bottom line of text. When you
close the program, AutoCAD will save the new settings. The next time you start
AutoCAD, the Command window will display four lines of text.
FIGURE 1.20: Resizing the Command window
The Command window is where you give information to AutoCAD and where
AutoCAD prompts you for the next step in executing a command. It’s a good
practice to keep an eye on the Command window as you work on your drawing.
Many errors can occur when you don’t check it frequently. If the Dynamic Input
button on the status bar is in the On position, some of the information in the
Command window will appear in the drawing area next to the cursor. I’ll cover
this feature when you start drawing.
Before you begin to draw in the next chapter, take a close look at the Ribbon,
Application menu, toolbars, and keyboard controls.
Working in the Command Window 17
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