System requirements

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Ethernet network interface card (NIC) or modem with a speed of at least 28,800 bps

A CD-ROM drive

For system requirements for AutoCAD 2006 and AutoCAD LT 2006, see Appendix A.

Using the CD-ROM with Microsoft Windows

You can copy certain items from the CD-ROM to your hard drive. Follow these steps:

1.Insert the CD-ROM into your computer’s CD-ROM drive.

2.The CD interface will appear. The interface provides a simple point-and-click way to explore the contents of the CD-ROM. Click one of the buttons to continue.

If the CD interface does not appear, follow these steps to access the CD-ROM:

1.Click the Start button on the left end of the taskbar, and then choose Run from the menu that pops up.

2.In the dialog box that appears, type d:\start.exe. (If your CD-ROM drive is not drive d, fill in the appropriate letter in place of d.) This brings up the CD interface described in the preceding set of steps.

What’s on the CD-ROM

The following sections provide a summary of the software and other materials that you’ll find on the CD-ROM.

Using the Drawings folder

I’ve placed all of the files that you need for the exercises in the Drawings folder of the CD-ROM. Almost all of these files are named as in the following examples: ab15-a.dwg, ab15-b.dwg, ab15-c.dwg, and so on. In these examples, the number 15 corresponds to the chapter number, and the letters correspond to the first, second, and third drawings that you need to open.

Changing the Windows Read-Only Attribute

You can use the exercise drawings directly from the CD-ROM, but you might get better results by copying them to your hard drive. In most cases, the exercises instruct you to do this.

To use the software from the CD-ROM, copy the files to a folder in AutoCAD’s support-file search path.

Initially, you might run into the problem of not being able to access files on the CD-ROM after you copy the files to your computer. After you copy or move a file from the CD-ROM to your hard disk or another storage medium (such as a Zip drive), you may see the following error message when you attempt to open or save a file with its associated application:

[Application] is unable to open the [file]. Please make sure the drive and file are writable.

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Windows recognizes all files on a CD-ROM drive as read-only. Normally, this makes sense, because a CD-ROM is a read-only medium — that is, you can’t write data back to the disc. However, when you copy a file from a CD-ROM to your hard disk or to a Zip drive, Windows may not automatically change the file attribute from read-only to writable. Installation software normally takes care of this chore for you, but when the files are to be manually copied to your disk, you may have to change the file attribute yourself. Luckily, this is easy:

1.Choose Start (All) Programs Accessories Windows Explorer.

2.Highlight the file name(s).

3.Right-click the highlighted file name(s) to display a pop-up menu.

4.Choose Properties to display the Properties dialog box.

5.Click the Read-Only check box so that it’s no longer checked.

6.Click OK.

You should now be able to use the file(s) with the specific application without seeing the annoying error message.

A few files have other names, such as sky.gif and others. In each case, I provide you with the name of the file to open. You can easily find these files with Windows Explorer, because Explorer automatically alphabetizes the files. (If they aren’t alphabetized, click the Name column of the right-hand window. If Explorer alphabetizes them in reverse order, click Name one more time.)

Using the Results folder

The Results folder offers you the results of all of the exercises. You may want to check your work in the exercise against these results. You may also sometimes use the result of one exercise as the basis for a second exercise (although I try not to require this very often). In this situation, if you haven’t done the previous exercise, you can access the resulting file from the Results folder and use it for the next exercise. If you have any difficulty opening a drawing from the Results folder, copy it to your hard drive and remove its read-only attribute, as described in the “Changing the Windows Read-Only Attribute” sidebar.

Using the Links folder

Appendix B contains numerous links to AutoCAD resources. The Links folder contains these resources as live links to make it easy for you to navigate to them with a single click.

Using the Software folder

I have assembled what I think is an excellent collection of useful software that works with AutoCAD 2006, and a couple applications that work with AutoCAD LT 2006. The Software folder is divided into subfolders by chapter. Not all chapters have software, and so subfolders appear only for the chapters that have software. This makes it easy for you to find software by function. For example, you can find software for text objects by looking in the Chapter 13 subfolder because Chapter 13 covers text. Table C-1 at the end of this appendix lists the software alphabetically so that you can review it at a glance. Within each chapter’s subfolder, you’ll find subfolders for each program or AutoLISP routine.

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I’m very pleased to include a 30-day trial version of AutoCAD 2006 with this book. This trial version is in the Software\AutoCAD 2006 folder. Run Setup.exe to install it. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room on the CD-ROM for an AutoCAD LT trial as well, but you can download a trial version if you are in the U.S. or Canada at usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ index?siteID=123112&id=2768181&linkID=2475712.

To find out in detail what each software program or AutoLISP routine does, read the text (TXT) file if there is one. It provides details about what the software does and how to install it. Sometimes details are at the beginning of the LSP file. You can open and read it.

Most of the software on the CD-ROM is freeware — you can use it at no cost. Most of the software consists of AutoLISP routines. However, some of it is shareware. Here’s the scoop on shareware: You try it out and if you like it, you buy it. It works on the honor system, so please be honorable and pay for the shareware that you use. All shareware comes with a text file that explains how much to pay for it, what you get when you register, and where to send your payment. Often, you can access additional features when you register.

The CD-ROM also has one or two demo programs. Demos are not fully functional — usually they either shut down after a short time, or they don’t work to their fullest extent. Demos are not shareware — they demonstrate regular software programs that you must buy.

Using Adobe Reader

Adobe Reader is included on the CD-ROM to enable you to read this book in its electronic form. You can find it in the \Software\ Adobe Reader folder. Follow these steps to install the software:

1.Start Windows Explorer and open the Software\ Adobe Reader folder on the CD-ROM.

2.In the Software\ Adobe Reader folder, locate the EXE file and double-click it.

3.Follow the instructions on-screen to install the software.

4.To view this book in its electronic form, start Windows Explorer and open the eBook folder from the CD-ROM.

5.Double-click the book’s PDF file in the eBook folder.

Using AutoLISP routines

AutoLISP routines are easy to install. (AutoCAD LT does not support AutoLISP.) Follow these steps:

1.Copy the LSP file to AutoCAD’s Support folder or to a folder that you’ve placed in AutoCAD’s support file search path.

2.In AutoCAD, type (load “file name”) where file name is the name of the LSP file. You don’t need the .lsp, but don’t forget the parentheses or the quotation marks. Alternatively, choose Tools Load Application to use a dialog box. AutoCAD responds with the name of the last function that was defined in the routine.

3.Type the name of the function to use the AutoLISP routine.

Most of the AutoLISP routines were written before AutoCAD 2006 came out. Sometimes the installation instructions are out of date and don’t include the capability of adding the folder to the support file search path.

Appendix C What’s on the CD-ROM 1163

If no text file explains how to use the program, brief instructions may be displayed on the command line. If not, type the name of the file, such as atc, and press Enter.

Using VBA programs

To load a VBA program, copy it to a folder in AutoCAD’s support file search path. (AutoCAD LT does not support VBA.) Choose Tools Macro Load Project. Locate the VBA program (a DVB file), select it, and click Open. AutoCAD displays a message telling you that the VBA program contains macros, and allowing you to disable them. Of course, the VBA program doesn’t work if you disable the macros. If you want, you can check the file with a virus-checker first. To enable the macros, choose Enable Macros. AutoCAD loads the VBA program.

To use a VBA program, choose Tools Macro Macros. Select the VBA program and click Run. For more information on VBA programs, see Chapter 37.

Using a setup or install file

If you see a setup or install file (such as setup.exe), use it to install the software. You might need to remove the read-only attribute first, as explained in the “Changing the Windows ReadOnly Attribute” sidebar earlier in this appendix. Copy all of the files to a folder in the support file search path. In Windows Explorer, double-click the setup or install file, and the process should start automatically. The user can also install everything from within the CD-ROM interface.

Applications

The following applications in Table C-1 are in the \Software folder on the AutoCAD 2006 and AutoCAD LT 2006 Bible CD-ROM. The Subfolder column lets you know which subfolder to look in. These subfolders correspond to the chapters of the book. Where possible, I also give you a Web site where you can find more information.

Table C-1: The CD-ROM Software

Continued

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Table C-1: The CD-ROM Software

Appendix C What’s on the CD-ROM 1165