Datasheet

Chapter 1 • Getting Started
8
over the panel buttons. The buttons expand to reveal all the tools
shown on the full ribbon.
Panel buttons
Panel titles
Tabs
FIGURE 1.10 Ribbon modes
3. Click the Minimize Ribbon button again. The panel buttons change
into titles. Again hover the cursor over the titles to reveal each
panel’s tools.
4. Click the Minimize Ribbon button once again. Hovering the cursor
over the tabs doesn’t have any effect. Click the Home tab to reveal the
full panel temporarily. It disappears after you move the cursor away.
5. Click the Minimize Ribbon button one last time. The full ribbon
interface is restored.
6. Click the Create button at the bottom of the Create panel to reveal
additional tools. Hover the mouse over one of the tools to display a
tooltip that identifies the tool and describes its function. Holding the
cursor still a while longer reveals either a drawing or a video (without
audio) that visually demonstrates what the tool does (see Figure 1.11).
7. Observe that the bottom of the tooltip shown in Figure 1.11 reveals
the command name (SURFSCULPT in this case). The ribbon,
menus, toolbars, and palettes are all graphical alternatives to
typing commands.
8. Press and release the Alt key. Keytips appear on the ribbon (see
Figure 1.12). Pressing any of the letter combinations activates that
part of the GUI. Type
IN and observe that the Insert tab is selected
without moving the cursor.
9. Press the F2 key to open the AutoCAD Text window. The bottom line,
Command:, is called the command line. It is the active line where com-
mands appear regardless of whether they are typed or triggered from
Certification
Objective

I recommend using
the full ribbon inter-
face until you learn
where all the tools
are. Using one of the
minimized modes
saves space on
screen.

AutoCAD is based
on commands. If you
know the name of a
command, you can
type it instead of
nding it in the GUI.