Index

SYMBOLS AND NUMERICS

< (angle symbol)

for polar coordinates, 65

for polar override angle, 69–70 ’ (apostrophe or single prime)

for feet, 114

preceding transparent commands, 49 * (asterisk)

for entering WCS coordinates, 62 multiplication function (AutoLISP), 1045 relational operator for selection filters, 244 starting linetype definitions, 975

\ (backslash) in AutoLISP, 1038

^ (caret) for creating exponents or superscripts, 331 " (double prime) for inches, 114

. . . (ellipsis) after menu commands, 35 = (equals sign)

in AutoLISP functions, 1047 in query operators, 634

in relational operators for selection filters, 244 ! (exclamation point)

next to block parameters, 548

relational operator for selection filters (!=), 244 > (greater than sign)

in AutoLISP functions, 1047 in query operators, 634

relational operators for selection filters, 244 - (hyphen)

-ATTEDIT command, 573

for command-line form of commands, 947 < (less than sign)

in AutoLISP functions, 1047 in query operators, 634

in relational operators for selection filters, 244 - (minus sign) for subtraction function

(AutoLISP), 1045

+ (plus sign) for addition function (AutoLISP), 1045

# (pound symbol) for absolute Cartesian coordinates, 62

? (question mark) in dialog box top-right corner, 38 ; (semicolon)

for comments in customizable files, 949 for comments in Visual LISP, 1072–1073

' (single prime or apostrophe) for feet, 114

preceding transparent commands, 49

/ (slash)

division function (AutoLISP), 1045

not equal function (AutoLISP) (/=), 1047 3D coordinates. See also UCS (User Coordinate

System); viewing 3D drawings absolute, 647–648

creating 3D polylines, 654–655 cylindrical, 648–649

grips with, 653–654

object snaps (OSNAPS) with, 652, 653–654 point filters with, 652, 653–654

relative, 647–648 selecting objects and, 650 spherical, 649

2D commands and, 646–647

2D counterparts for, 646

2D editing commands with 3D wireframes, 649–650 UCS and, 661–668

using, 650–652

3D editing. See editing in 3D

3D orbit

adjusting camera distance, 695–696 changing camera and target locations, 696 clipping planes, 697–699

compass in, 693 continuous orbit, 694

controlling view height and width, 696

creating parallel and perspective views, 696–697 grid in, 693

keeping Z axis orientation steady, 695 lights in, 686

panning in, 695 preset views, 697

refining the view, 695–699 resetting the view after, 694 rolling, 689–690

rotating around horizontal axis, 692–693 rotating around vertical axis, 691–692 rotating freely, 690–691

shading options, 699 shortcut menu, 688 starting, 689

steps for working in, 699–700 3D UCS icon, 693

visual aids in, 693–694 zooming in, 695

3D shapes. See polygon meshes; solids

3D surfaces. See surfaces (AutoCAD) 3DARRAY command

for polar arrays, 775–777

for rectangular arrays, 773–775 3DFACE command, 714–719

3DMESH command, 724–725. See also polygon meshes 3DPOLY command, 654–655

3dspiral routine, 660 2D commands

editing commands with 3D wireframes, 649–650 3D coordinates and, 646–647

2D profiles of 3D objects

SOLDRAW command for, 709–710 SOLPROF command for, 710–711

A

ABS function (AutoLISP), 1046

absolute Cartesian coordinates. See also Cartesian coordinates

dynamic versus static display for, 71, 72 entering, 62–64

overriding Dynamic Input settings to use, 62 relative coordinates versus, 67

running object snaps and, 85 3D coordinates, 647–648

absolute cylindrical coordinates, 648–649 absolute spherical coordinates, 649

acad.cui customization file, 944. See also menu customization

acad.dcl Dialog Control Language file, 944 acad.fmp font mapping file, 945

acad.lin and acadiso.lin linetype definition files, 945

acad.lsp and acaddoc.lsp AutoLISP files, 945, 1048 acad.mln multiline library file, 945

acad.mnl and acad.mnr customizable files, 944, 1000. See also menu customization

acad.pat and acadiso.pat hatch pattern files, 460, 945. See also hatches

acad.pgp program parameters file, 944. See also keyboard shortcuts

acad.psf PostScript support file, 945 acad.rx ARX list file, 945

acad.slb slide library file, 945 acad2006.cfg configuration file, 944 acad.unt unit definition file, 945 Access (Microsoft), configuring, 614 ACI (AutoCAD Color Index), 807

aclt.cui customization file, 944. See also menu customization

aclt.fmp font mapping file, 945

aclt.lin and acltiso.lin linetype definition files, 945

aclt.mnr customizable file, 1000. See also menu customization

aclt.pat and acltiso.pat hatch pattern files, 460, 945. See also hatches

aclt.pgp program parameters file, 944. See also keyboard shortcuts

aclt.psf PostScript support file, 945 aclt.slb slide library file, 945 aclt.unt unit definition file, 945 actions for dynamic blocks

action prompt options, 549–550 adding, 548–550

lookup actions, 552–553 table summarizing, 546–547

ActiveX

Autodesk DWF Viewer as component, 933 AutoLISP routine mimicking, 1079–1083 defined, 1079

inserting AutoCAD in PowerPoint as component, 910–911

Visual LISP with, 1079–1083 Add Plot Style Table wizard, 508

Add Procedure dialog box (VBA), 1102 adding solids, 761–762

Adobe Reader (on the CD), 1162 Aerial View window, 143–144

AIA (American Institute of Architects), 851 Alias Editor (Express Tools), 950

aliases for commands, 40

ALIGN command (AutoCAD), 205–207, 779 aligned dimensions. See also dimension styles;

dimensions options, 371

specifying the dimensioned object, 371 steps for drawing, 371–372

uses for, 370–371 aligning objects

in 3D, 779–781 in 2D, 205–207

ALIGNSPACE command (Express Tools), 502 Alt key shortcuts. See keyboard shortcuts Altris eB drawing-management program, 863 ambient light

materials and, 822 setting, 807

American Institute of Architects (AIA), 851 AND logical operator for selection filters, 244 angle symbol (<)

for polar coordinates, 65

for polar override angle, 69–70

attributes (continued) modes, 565

order of prompts, 567 redefining, 573–574

system variables and insertion of, 569 uses for, 564

AUGs (Autodesk User Groups), 1155–1156 authorizing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, 1131–1132 AutoCAD. See also AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT; specific

AutoCAD-only features

ALIGN command, 205–207, 779 AutoCAD LT compared to, 14 broken-pencil icon, 662–663 clipping xrefs, 595–597 command-line switches, 1146–1147 configuration files, 1147–1148 editing attribute properties, 570–573 EDITTIME command, 294

Express Tools toolbar, 38

extracting attribute data, 577–579, 581–583 fields, 349–353

files for storing hatches, 460 Fixblock program, 536 groups in, 247–249

multiple configurations, 1149 MVSETUP command, 107 object snap tracking, 85–89

Quick Dimension, 391–394, 399–400 SAVEALL command, 23

shading drawings in, 685, 686 starting, 15

system requirements, 1127 trial version on the CD, 15

working with drawings from earlier releases, 890–891

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. See also AutoCAD; AutoCAD LT; installing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT

advantages of, 13–14 authorizing, 1131–1132 CAD defined, 13

comparing the two versions, 14

converting customizable files from previous releases, 1003

importing layout settings from earlier releases, 497 interface overview, 16–19

introduction of, 13 resources, 1153–1158

running script file when loading, 967–969 starting, 14–15

switching between workspaces, 1133 technical support, 1154–1155

uses for, 13–14

as vector programs, 135

AutoCAD Bible folder creating, 4, 19

numbering system for drawings in, 24 AutoCAD Color Index (ACI), 807

AutoCAD LT. See also AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT AutoCAD compared to, 14

editing attribute properties, 572–573 extracting attribute data, 583

files for storing hatches, 460 groups in, 249–250

shading drawings in, 685, 686 starting, 15

system requirements, 1127 tracking coordinates in, 89 trial version, obtaining, 15

working with drawings from earlier releases, 890–891

AutoCAD 2006 Properties dialog box, 967–968 Autodesk DWF Viewer

downloading, 933

plotting and printing from, 936–937 view options, 934–935

viewing DWF drawings, 937–939 ways of using, 933

Autodesk User Groups (AUGs), 1155–1156 AutoEDMS drawing-management program, 863 AutoLISP (AutoCAD). See also functions (AutoLISP);

Visual LISP accessing commands, 1052

characteristics of routines, 1040 circle3 routine, 1040–1042 command line use, 1047–1048 comments, 1042, 1072–1073

conditional structures, 1060–1062, 1064 creating selection sets, 1067–1070 creating variables, 1051–1052

dotted pairs, 1060

files automatically loaded with, 1053–1054 finishing touches for routines, 1072–1075 getting information about drawing objects,

1065–1067

getting user input, 1070–1072

global and local variables, 1077–1078

loading file when starting Visual LISP, 1036–1037 loading files into AutoCAD, 1037–1039

loop structures, 1062–1064 matching properties, 1074 meaning of LISP, 1035 modifying drawing objects, 1067

numbers and text with, 1045–1048

object group codes, 1065–1066 routine mimicking ActiveX, 1079–1083 routines on the CD, 1162

saving routines in files, 1048–1050 syntax for expressions, 1044–1045

using functions and commands, 1056–1057 using lists for coordinates, 1059–1060 using routines in AutoCAD, 1039

VBA versus, 1096

working with system variables, 1057–1059 AutoSnap feature, 79, 1143

azimuth, 812

B

back view, 676

Background Mask dialog box, 333, 334 backgrounds, rendering (AutoCAD), 826–827 backing up. See also archiving

creating backup with each save, 1136 customizable files, 946–947, 999 drives for backups, 863

to floppy, savea.lsp program for, 23, 862 backslash (\) in AutoLISP, 1038

backup drawings, using, 889 backward text, 327

base point of blocks, 522–523

baseline dimensions, 373–376. See also dimension styles; dimensions

Batch Plotting Utility, 518 BATTMAN command, 570

BEDIT command, 545. See also Block Editor beveling corners

of shapes, 223–225 of solids, 786–788 BHATCH command, 460

bitmap images. See raster images Block Attribute Manager, 570–571

Block Authoring palette. See also Block Editor Actions tab, 548–550, 553

Parameter Sets tab, 553

Parameters tab, 547–548, 551–552, 553 BLOCK command, 523, 560

Block Definition dialog box, 523–524 Block Editor. See also dynamic blocks

adding actions to blocks, 548–550 adding parameters to blocks, 547–548 background color for, 544

lookup parameters and actions, 552–553 opening, 545

visibility parameters, 550–552 BLOCKREPLACE command (Express Tools), 542

blocks. See also attributes; dynamic blocks; groups base point, 522–523

creating, 523–524, 525–526 defined, 521

deleting, 525 dimensions as, 364 editing, 540–543 exploding, 521, 538–540 grips and, 238

hatches as, 459

inserting blocks with attributes, 569

inserting, component object properties and, 536 inserting from DesignCenter, 526, 531–532,

534–535, 839

inserting in rectangular array, 535

inserting with INSERT command, 529–531, 532–534 insertion point, 522

layers and, 535–538

listing, programs on the CD for, 543 overview, 521

paper space objects and, 531 parts libraries and, 521

presetting scale and rotation while inserting, 532 redefining, 525

saving as files, 526–528

selecting all instances from drop-down list, 535 shape files versus, 987

substituting, 542–543 updating, 541–542

xref advantages over, 585

BLOCKTOXREF command (Express Tools), 602 bottom view, 674

BOUNDARY command

for complex hatches, 460

for creating polylines or regions, 298–299, 456, 457–459

Boundary Creation dialog box, 457–459 box polygon meshes, 726–727

box solids, 750–751 BREAK command, 219–223

break points (Visual LISP), 1088–1091 broken-pencil icon (AutoCAD), 662–663 Browse the Web – Open dialog box, 918 bulleted text, 333

Button Editor, 957–958

C

CAD Standards Settings dialog box, 855 CAD Standards tools

associating standards file with drawings, 852–853 checking a drawing against standards, 853–854

Continued

CAD Standards tools (continued) creating a standards file, 852 overview, 851–852

specifying CAD standards settings, 855–856 translating layers, 858–859

CADDR list-extraction function (AutoLISP), 1059 CADR list-extraction function (AutoLISP), 1059 calculating. See also QuickCalc calculator

area, 298–300 distances, 296, 307 perimeter, 298–300

sun angle for distant lights, 812–813 callout blocks for sheet sets, 873–874, 880 camera

adjusting distance in 3D orbit, 695–696 changing location in 3D orbit, 696 DVIEW options, 702

canceling commands, 44–45

CAR list-extraction function (AutoLISP), 1059

caret (^) for creating exponents or superscripts, 331 Cartesian coordinates. See also polar coordinates; 3D

coordinates; UCS (User Coordinate System) absolute versus relative coordinates, 67

AutoLISP lists for, 1059–1060 in calculator expressions, 307 convention for specifying, 17

default for subsequent points, 60 defined, 57

display modes, 71–72

entering absolute coordinates, 62–64 entering in Dynamic Input tooltip, 58–62 entering relative coordinates, 64–65 finding, 296

locating points, 85–93 measurement notation, 58

object snap tracking (AutoCAD), 85–89 object snaps (OSNAPS), 77–82 ordinate dimensions, 383–385 orthogonal (ortho) mode, 67, 70–71 overriding Dynamic Input settings, 62 overriding settings, 62, 82–85 overview, 57–58

picking on the screen, 72–82 point filters, 89–91

snap settings, 72–77 toggling settings, 82–83 tracking in AutoCAD LT, 89 UCS icon and, 17, 57, 158 units and, 58

CDR list-extraction function (AutoLISP), 1059 CD-ROM drives for backups, 863

CD-ROM, files for exercises on aligning in 3D, 779 aligning objects, 206

arc, 124

arraying objects, 200

attribute data, extracting, 581, 583 attributes, creating, 567

attributes, inserting blocks with, 569 AutoLISP, loading and using routines, 1039

AutoLISP, using WHILE, IF, PROGN, and counter, 1063 backgrounds, 827

blocks, creating, 525 blocks, dynamic, 554 blocks, exploding, 539 blocks, layers and, 536 blocks, saving as files, 527 boundaries, 458

breaking and joining objects, 220 CAD standards, 859

chamfering lines, 224 chamfering solids, 787

changing colors, linetypes, and lineweights, 280 circle, 120

complex solids, 764 construction lines and rays, 117 coordinates, 66

copying objects between drawings, 177 copying objects within drawings, 175 DesignCenter, using, 841

dimension fit, 421

dimension styles, changing, 433 dimension styles for lines and arrows, 412 dimension styles for text, 416

dimension styles, primary units, 425 dimensions, aligned, 371

dimensions, baseline and continued, 374 dimensions, editing, 402–403 dimensions, linear, 367

dimensions, ordinate, 384

dimensions, radial, diameter, and angular, 380 direct distance entry, 70

drawing aids and template, 105 drawing limits, 99 drawing-level information, 295 Drawings folder for, 1160

DWF drawings, viewing, 937 edge surfaces, 747

editing solid bodies, 799 editing solid faces, 795 ellipses and elliptical arcs, 127 erasing objects, 170 extending objects in 3D, 781

extending objects in 2D, 213 external database structure, 610 external databases, Microsoft Access

configuration, 614 extruded solids, 758 fields, 352

filleting objects, 227 filleting solids, 785 From feature, 92

geometric tolerances, 439 grips, 235

hatches, 471 hyperlinks, 921

keyboard shortcuts, 1029 layers, creating, 262 layers, working with, 269 layout in paper space, 503 Layout Wizard, 492 leaders, 389

lengthening and shortening objects, 215 lights and shadows, 815

linetype scales, 285

linetypes, creating complex, 979 managing text, 354

matching properties, 288 materials, attaching, 825 materials, creating, 824 materials, importing, 820 mirroring in 3D, 772 mirroring objects, 196 moving objects, 173 multiline styles, 476 object snap tracking, 87 offsetting objects, 203 panning and scrolling, 137

paragraph text, creating, 338

pasting, linking, and embedding objects, 912 perspective views, 706

plot styles, 512

polar arrays in 3D, 776 polyface meshes, 721 polylines, drawing, 445 polylines, editing, 449 Quick Dimension, 392 raster images, 903

rectangles and polygons, 114 rectangular arrays in 3D, 774 regions, 456

rendering, default, 805 rendering, final, 829 Results folder for, 1161 revolved surfaces, 739

rotating in 3D, 778 rotating objects, 179 ruled surfaces, 745 scaling objects, 181 scenes, 818

script files, 969 selection filters, 246 shading drawings, 687 shape files, 995

sheet sets, creating and configuring, 875 sheet sets, using, 882

single-line text, creating with DTEXT, 320 sketching, 483

slicing solids, 769 slide shows, 971

snap points and grid dots, 75 splines, drawing, 451

standard viewpoints and DDVPOINT, 680 stretching objects, 218

tables, creating, 347

tabulated or extruded surfaces, 741 3D coordinates, 650

3D faces, 716

3D wireframe objects, 653

tiled viewport configurations, 154 tool palettes, 848

trimming objects, 210 2D DWF file, 926

2D point filters, 90 UCS creation, 666 views, 148

Visual LISP, break points, 1089, 1091 Visual LISP, using the interface, 1042 Visual LISP, Watch window, 1091 window, 11

Windows Clipboard and drag-and-drop, 561 xrefs, attaching, 588

xrefs, controlling display of, 599 xrefs, editing in place, 592 xrefs, managing, 605

ZOOM command, 140

CD-ROM with this book. See also CD-ROM, files for exercises on

Adobe Reader on, 1163 applications included, 1163–1166 AutoCAD 2006 trial version on, 15 AutoLISP routines on, 1163

block insertion and rotation program on, 571 block-listing programs on, 543

changing the read-only attribute for files, 1160–1161

Continued

CD-ROM with this book (continued) Drawings folder, 1160

eBook version of this book on, 1166 Fixblock program on (AutoCAD), 536 geometrical curves routine on, 452 Links folder, 1161

Quickkey replacement for acad.pgp on, 950 Results folder, 1161

savea.lsp floppy backup program on, 23, 862 setup or install files on, 1163

Software folder, 1161–1163 Stmplot stamping utility, 518 system requirements, 1159 template for Quick Start on, 3, 11 text-entry programs on, 316 3dspiral routine on, 660 troubleshooting, 1166

using with Windows, 1160 VBA programs on, 1163

CELTSCALE system variable, 284, 292 CHAMFER command, 223–225 chamfering solids, 786–788

CHANGE command, 183–184 Change Dictionaries dialog box, 360 Check Spelling dialog box, 358–359

Check Standards dialog box, 853–854 checking solids, 799 CHECKSTANDARDS command, 853 CHR function (AutoLISP), 1046

CHSPACE command (Express Tools), 502 CIRCLE command, 119–122

circles. See also ellipses

CHANGE command for radius, 184 dimensioning, 377–379

donuts, 129–130, 132–133

drawing with CIRCLE command, 120–122 marking centers, 377

uses for, 119

ways of drawing, 119–120 circle3 AutoLISP routine, 1040–1042 circular arrays. See polar arrays circular references, 595

cleaning solids, 798 CLEANSCREENOFF command, 19 CLEANSCREENON command, 19 Clipboard (Windows)

copying objects between drawings, 177 copying text from file, 338

moving objects between drawings, 177 moving objects within drawings, 172 using, 560–561, 562

clipping planes

in DVIEW, 704–705

setting in 3D orbit, 697–699 clipping raster images, 901–902 clipping xrefs (AutoCAD), 595–597 closing or exiting

all toolbars and palettes, 38 AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, 24 drawings, 24

files in Visual LISP, 949 In-Place Text Editor, 334 Render window, 832 toolbars individually, 38

COE (Army Corps of Engineers) site, 122, 171 Color Control drop-down list, 276–277 colors

assigning to layers, 257–259 assigning to lights, 807 attaching materials by, 825 background, 257

for Block Editor background, 544 changing current color, 277 changing for layer, 273

changing for object, 276–277 color books, 259

color-dependent plot styles, 506–507, 509 coloring solid edges, 797

coloring solid faces, 794 defaults, 257

defining, 258

for dimension lines, 408 for extension lines, 409 for materials, 822 primary colors, 807

steps for changing, 280–282 uses for, 253

in Visual Basic Editor (VBA), 1105 in Visual LISP Editor, 1049

Columbus drawing-management program, 863 COMMAND functions (AutoLISP), 1053, 1054 command line. See also commands

AutoCAD switches, 1146–1147 AutoLISP on, 1047–1048 Dynamic Input feature and, 40 editing keys, 41

entering system variables on, 105 forms of commands for, 947–948 overview, 18

scrolling through previous commands, 18, 41 showing or hiding, 40, 61

typing AutoLISP expressions on, 1035, 1037

copying objects (continued)

within drawings, 174–176, 195–205 embedding objects by, 906 MIRROR command for, 195–197

multiple copies along straight path, 199 OFFSET command for, 202–205

solid edges, 796 solid faces, 794 text from file, 338 tools, 845

transferring customization between files, 1002 COPYTOLAYER command (Express Tools), 268 corners

chamfering, 223–225 rounding, 225–228

Corps of Engineers (COE) site, 122, 171 Create New Dimension Style dialog box, 406 Create New Multiline Style dialog box, 473–475 Create Sheet Set Wizard, 867–869

Create Transmittal dialog box, 915–916 crosshairs, 17

CSI (Construction Standards Institute), 851 Ctrl key shortcuts. See keyboard shortcuts CUILOAD command, 1000

curves. See arcs custom.cui file, 953 customizable files

backing up, 946–947, 999

command-line form of commands for, 947–949 converting files from previous releases, 1003 documenting with comments, 949

editing, 945–946

importing existing files into new installation, 947 for keyboard shortcuts, 943–944, 949

loading and unloading, 1000–1002 location for originals, 946, 999 for menus, 999–1002

overview, 943–944

Quickkey replacement for acad.pgp, 950 reloading, 952

table summarizing, 944–945

for toolbars, partial, 953, 954, 961 transferring customization between, 1002

Customize dialog box, 962–963 Customize User Interface dialog box

creating custom drop-down menu, 1004–1005, 1011–1017

creating custom toolbars, 954–956

loading and unloading partial customization files, 1001–1002

overview, 952–953

undoing toolbar changes, 961

customizing. See also menu customization; Options dialog box

arrowheads, 411 AutoSnap feature, 79, 1143 customizable files, 943–949 default template, 29

DWF settings, 927–928 fonts, creating, 997 grips, 237–238

hatch patterns, creating, 980–985 keyboard shortcuts, 949–952 linetypes, creating complex, 977–980 linetypes, creating simple, 975–977 object snap tracking (AutoCAD), 87 polar tracking, 69

right-clicking, 36

scale list, 102–103, 1142

selection process for objects, 190–194 shape files, creating, 987, 988–996 spelling dictionary, 359–360

status bar, 1133

tool palettes, 962–963 toolbars, 952–962 UCS, 159–160

CUT command, 176 CUTCLIP command, 176, 560

cutting and pasting. See also Paste Special moving objects between drawings, 176, 177 moving objects within drawings, 172

cycling through objects when selecting, 188 Cyco AutoManager Workflow EDM drawing-

management program, 863 cylinder solids, 752–753

cylindrical coordinates, 648–649

D

dashed lines for selected objects, 170

data for attributes, extracting, 577–579, 581–583 Data Link Properties dialog box, 613

data source configuration, 611–614 Data View window

docking, 618

editing data in, 621–622 opening, 617

restoring original view, 633 viewing data tables in, 617–621

databases. See external databases (AutoCAD) DBLCLKEDIT command, 230

DDEDIT command, 322, 324, 402–403, 574 DDVPOINT command, 679–682 debugging (VBA), 1122

dimension styles (continued)

for dimension lines, 408–409, 413–414 for extension lines, 409–410

Fit options, 417–422 formatting tolerances, 427–429 importing, 433

inserting from DesignCenter, 840

modifying dimensions to use new style, 430–431 modifying styles, 432

overriding, 431–432 overview, 405–406

primary units, 422–424, 426 scale factor for features, 421 Standard preset, 406

steps for changing, 434–435 for symbols, 412

system variables, 436 text alignment, 416

text appearance, 414–415, 416 text placement, 415–416, 417–420 updating dimensions, 432

dimension tooltip, enabling or disabling, 61 dimension variables, 948

dimensions. See also dimension styles; specific kinds aligned dimensions, 370–372

angular dimensions, 379–383, 424 for arcs and circles, 377–379 arrowheads, 364, 410–412, 413–414 as associative, 364

associativity, editing, 394–396 baseline dimensions, 373–376 as blocks, 364

continued dimensions, 373, 374–376 diameter dimensions, 379, 380–383 DIMEDIT for editing, 396–398 dimension lines, 364, 408–409, 413–414 DIMTEDIT for editing, 397–398

editing dimensions, 394–401

editing objects and dimensions together, 401–403 elements of, 363–364

extension lines, 364, 409–410 flipping arrows, 398

grips for editing, 400–401, 402–403 hatches compared to, 459 leaders, 385–391

linear dimensions, 365–370, 423–424 modifying to use a new style, 430–431 ordinate dimensions, 383–385

paper space, dimensioning in, 502–503 preparing to dimension, 365 Properties palette for editing, 399

Quick Dimension for, 391–394, 399–400 radial dimensions, 378, 380–383

text for, 364, 399, 414–416, 417–420 timing for dimensioning drawings, 363 tooltip, enabling or disabling, 61 updating, 432

DIMLINEAR command, 369 DIMORDINATE command, 385 DIMOVERRIDE command, 436 DIMREASSOCIATE command, 395–396 DIMREGEN command, 396 DIMSTYLE command, 436

DIMTEDIT command, 397–398 direct distance entry, 67

Direction Control dialog box, 97–98 directories. See folders

disabling. See turning on and off dish polygon meshes, 731–732

disk cartridge drives for backups, 863

displaying or viewing. See also opening or running; showing or hiding; viewing 3D drawings; views

Aerial View, 143–144

coordinates (display modes), 71–72 database tables, 617–621

DesignCenter, controlling display of, 840–841 DWF drawings, 933–935

exported WMF files, controlling display of, 896 Express Tools toolbar (AutoCAD), 38

grid for SNAP command, 73, 74 isometric drawings, 163–166

linked database objects and rows, 624–625 named views, 145–150

opening drawing with view displayed, 149 panning, 136–138

plot style effects, 511

raster images, controlling display of, 902–903 redrawing the display, 135

regenerating the display, 135 screen menu, 36

separate buttons for drawings in taskbar, 30 slide shows, 971, 972

snap rotation, 156–158

solids, controlling display of, 570–571 speeding display of large xrefs, 597–599 Startup dialog box, 27

thumbnails in Select File dialog box, 30–31 tiled viewports, 150–156

toolbars, 38

UCS icon, controlling display of, 160–161 view descriptions, 147

xref relationships, 588

xrefs, controlling display of, 594–601 zooming, 138–143

DISPSILH system variable, 750–751 DIST command, 296

distances

calculating, 295, 306, 307 direct distance entry, 67, 70–71

DIVIDE command, 131, 301–302, 304

dividing objects into equal sections, 301–302, 303 dlines (AutoCAD LT), 480–481. See also multilines

(AutoCAD)

docking

Data View window, 618 Properties palette, 239 toolbars, 38

documenting customizable files, 949 dome polygon meshes, 731

donuts defined, 129

drawing, 130, 131–132 filling, 129–130 options, 130

as polylines, 129

3D (torus), 732–733, 754–755 dotted pairs (AutoLISP), 1060 double prime (") for inches, 114 double-clicking

to edit blocks, 541 to edit objects, 230

draft plot, 487

Drafting Settings dialog box Dynamic Input tab, 59–61

Enable Pointer Input check box, 59–60 Object Snap tab, 81–82

Polar Tracking tab, 68–69

Snap and Grid tab, 73, 74, 75, 157, 164 dragging and dropping

content to create tools by example, 843–844 copying objects between drawings, 177 copying objects within drawings, 175 between drawings, 561

embedding objects by, 906–907 files, 561

hatch patterns from DesignCenter, 467–468 hatches to tool palettes, 461, 468

i-drop objects from the Web, 918–919 moving objects, 172

overview, 561–562 text, 338

toolbar buttons to tool palettes, 844–845

drawing area, 17

drawing information, obtaining. See obtaining information from drawings

drawing interchange file (DXF) format exporting to, 894–895

importing files, 897 Drawing Units dialog box, 96

Drawing1.dwg (name for new drawings), 15 DRAWORDER command, 903

DTEXT command

codes for special characters and formatting, 319–320

creating single-line text, 315–316, 320–321 setting rotation angle, 319

DTEXTED system variable, 322 DVD-ROM drives for backups, 863 DVIEW command

creating parallel views, 700–701 creating perspective views, 700–701 options, 702–705

DWF Composer, 937

DWF (Design Web Format) files advantages of, 923

creating from other applications, 926 creating 3D files, 928–929

creating 2D files, 923–926 customizing DWF settings, 927–928 DWF Composer for, 937

Markup Manager for, 937 overview, 922–923

PC3 file for, 927–928

plotting and printing, 936–937 posting directly on Web sites, 932 Publish to Web wizard for, 929–932

viewing DWF drawings, 933–935, 937–939 DWF6 ePlot Properties dialog box, 927–928 DXF (drawing interchange file) format

exporting to, 894–895 importing files, 897

dynamic blocks

action prompt options, 549–550 adding actions, 548–550 adding parameters, 547–548 defined, 543

defining, 545–554

earlier program versions and, 544 inserting, 554

lookup parameters and actions, 552–553 modifying, 554

options for parameters, 547 overview, 543–544

mirroring objects, 771–773 rotating, 777–779 trimming objects, 781

editing solids. See also editing in 3D bodies (solids as a whole), 797–800 chamfering, 786–788

checking, 799 cleaning, 798 coloring edges, 797 coloring faces, 794 copying edges, 796 copying faces, 794 deleting faces, 792

extruding faces, 790–791 faces overview, 789–790 filleting, 784–786 imprinting, 797–798 moving faces, 791 offsetting faces, 791–792 rotating faces, 792 separating, 798 shelling, 798–799

SOLIDEDIT command overview, 790 steps for editing bodies, 799–800 steps for editing faces, 795–796 tapering faces, 793–794

EDITTIME command (Express Tools), 294 elevation, adding to objects, 659–661 elevation views, 675–676

ellipses. See also circles defined, 126 drawing, 127–129 options, 126–127

ellipsis (. . .) after menu commands, 35 elliptical arcs

defined, 126 drawing, 127–129 options, 127

embedding objects, 905–907, 912–913 enabling. See turning on and off engineering units, 95, 96

Enhanced Attribute Editor, 572 Enter key

cycling through grip commands with, 232 repeating commands with, 44

ENTGET function (AutoLISP), 1080 equals sign (=)

in AutoLISP functions, 1047 in query operators, 634

in relational operators for selection filters, 244 erasing. See deleting or erasing

Error Trace window (Visual LISP), 1088

error trapping (VBA), 1122–1123

errors and crashes. See also troubleshooting recovering from crashes, 889–890 repairing corrupted drawing files, 888–889 taking care of temporary files, 887–888 using backup drawings, 889

eTransmitting drawings, 915–918

sheet sets (AutoCAD), 880–881 specifying transmittal settings, 916–918

evaluation versions of programs, 1166

Excel (Microsoft), spreadsheet connection, 614–615 exclamation point (!)

next to block parameters, 548

relational operator for selection filters (!=), 244 exiting. See closing or exiting

EXPLAN command (Express Tools), 685 EXPLODE command, 538–539, 789 exploding

blocks, 521

3D objects, 789 exploding blocks, 538–540

Explorer (Windows), opening drawings from, 31 exponents, creating, 331

Export Links dialog box, 626–627 Export Report dialog box, 887 exporting

drawings to other file formats, 895–896 to DXF format, 894–895

file formats for, 894 layer states, 267

link information, 626–627 queries, 641

tables to comma-delimited format, 347 tool palettes, 846

tool palettes or groups, 963 WMF files, 896–897

EXPRESS command (Express Tools), 38

Express Tools (AutoCAD). See also specific commands

Alias Editor, 950 for blocks, 542

displaying the toolbar, 38

for filtered selection sets, 242 layer commands, 268

for layouts, 502 for plan view, 685 for text, 356–357

tracking active editing time, 294

for updating drawing properties, 865 xref-related commands, 602

EXTEND command, 211–214, 781

external databases (AutoCAD) catalogs, 609

connecting to a drawing, 615–617 creating labels, 629–632

creating selection sets with Link Select, 639–640 data source configuration, 611–614

database defined, 608 editing data, 621–622 environment, 608

Excel spreadsheets, 614–615

external database access overview, 607–609 finding records, 619

installing AutoCAD database feature, 609–610 linking data to drawing objects, 622–629 opening and viewing tables, 617–621 organizing the database structure, 610–611 preparing for database connectivity, 609–615 querying with Query Editor, 632–640 relational database defined, 608

saving changes to, 621 schemas, 609

sorting records, 618, 619 working with query files, 640–641

External Reference File dialog box, 586–587 external references. See xrefs

EXTRUDE command, 757–758

extruded or tabulated surfaces, 740–743 extruded solids, 757–760

extruding solid faces, 790–791 EXWALL layer, 7

F

FACETRES system variable, 750 falloff of spotlights, 809, 810–811

FASTSELECT command (Express Tools), 242 Favorites folder, 838

Field dialog box, 350–351 fields (AutoCAD)

creating, 350–351

editing and updating, 351–352 overview, 349

user preferences, 1142 using, 352–353

file extensions

for AutoLISP, 1038

for backup drawings, 889 for color books, 259

for color-dependent plot-style tables, 506 for custom dictionary, 361

for exported queries, 641 for extracting attributes, 579 for font files, 326

for hatch pattern files, 460, 981

for linetype files, 260, 975

for manually-created templates, 581 for multiline style files, 475

for named plot-style tables, 506 for plotter configuration files, 1150 for raster formats, 899

for script files, 965

for shape files, 326, 977, 987 for sheet set files, 867

for slide libraries, 973 for slides, 971

for standards files, 852 for templates, 579

for temporary files, setting, 1136 for type library files, 1121

for VBA projects, 1096, 1103, 1104 for xref log, 604

FILEDIA system variable, 949, 966, 1023 files. See also CD-ROM, files for exercises on;

customizable files; DWF (Design Web Format) files; script files

AutoCAD configuration files, 1147–1148 for AutoLISP routines, 1048–1050

changing read-only attribute for, 1160–1161 dragging and dropping, 561

font files, 996–997 inserting, 529–531

Options dialog box settings for, 1134 PC3 file, 927–928

repairing corrupted drawing files, 888–889 saving blocks as, 526–528

shape files, 987–996 standards file, 852–853 for storing hatches, 460

temporary files, 887–888, 1136 for VBA routines, 1104–1105 working with query files, 640–641 xref log file, 604–605

Zip files for sheet sets, 880 FILL command, 129–130, 472 FILLET command

for rounding corners, 225–228 selecting objects before executing, 192 for solids, 784–785

fills

for donuts, 129–130 gradient fills, 468–470

hatch patterns, 459–468, 470–471 solid fills, 472

FILTER command

adding a second filter, 244–245 creating a single filter, 243–244 editing filters, 245

operators, 244 overview, 242

Quick Select versus, 241, 242 saving and naming filters, 245 using filters, 245–247

filtering. See also point filters; selection filters layer list, 271–273

linetype list, 279

Find and Replace dialog box, 357–358 FIND command, 357–358

finding. See also Query Editor coordinates, 296

customizable file originals, 946, 999 database records, 619

drawings, 863–864

named components and drawings, 837–838 templates, 104

text in drawings, 357–358 Fixblock program (AutoCAD), 536 flipping dimension arrows, 398 floating viewports

creating, 497–499

maximizing and minimizing, 499

for paper space layout, 488, 497–502 scale for layouts, 499–500

setting hidden and shaded views, 501 setting layer visibility, 500–501

setting size, placement, and display, 500 SOLVIEW command for 3D drawings, 708–709 tiled viewports versus, 155

views as, 145

floppy drive, savea.lsp program for saving to, 23, 862 flyouts for tools

creating, 958 defined, 38, 39

foggy landscapes, 828 folders

AutoCAD Bible, 4, 19

on the CD-ROM with this book, 1160–1163 creating folders and subfolders, 19

Favorites, 838

viewing thumbnails in Select File dialog box, 30–31 font styles, 326

fonts

big fonts, 998 creating, 997 text styles, 326

TrueType support, 997 Unicode fonts, 998

using AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT fonts, 354 Format Options dialog box, 1073

Format Painter (matching properties), 287–289

formulas for table cells, 344–345 fractional units, 95

fractions, creating stacked, 335–336 freestanding labels, 629, 631. See also labels freeware, 1166

From feature, 91–93 front view, 676

frozen layer state, 254, 265–266, 354 ftrailer hatch pattern, 983–984 functions (AutoLISP)

arithmetic functions, 1045 attribute-manipulation functions, 1067 COMMAND functions, 1053, 1054

creating functions with arguments, 1056 DEFUN functions, 1053, 1054

ENTGET, 1080

list-extraction functions, 1059 PROGN, 1063–1064

redline routine using, 1053–1055 selection set functions, 1067–1068 S:STARTUP functions, 1053, 1055–1056 string functions, 1046–1047

types of, 1053

user-input functions, 1070 WHILE, 1062–1064

functions (VBA), 1109, 1120, 1122

G

Geographic Location dialog box, 812–813

GeomCurves.lsp routine, 452 Geometric Tolerance dialog box, 437–439

geometric tolerances for dimensions, 427–429, 436–440 geometrical curves routine, 452

GETDIST user-input function (AutoLISP), 1070 GetEntity user-input method (VBA), 1111 GETINT user-input function (AutoLISP), 1070 GetInteger user-input method (VBA), 1111 GetPoint user-input method (VBA), 1111 GETREAL user-input function (AutoLISP), 1070 GetReal user-input method (VBA), 1111 GETSEL command (Express Tools), 242 GETSTRING user-input function (AutoLISP), 1070 GetString user-input method (VBA), 1111 global variables (AutoLISP), 1077–1078

GNU software, 1166 gradient fills, 468–470 graphics window, 17 greater than sign (>)

in AutoLISP functions, 1047 in query operators, 634

relational operators for selection filters, 244

IMAGEFRAME command, 903 IMAGEQUALITY command, 902 image-tile menus, customizing, 1023–1025 importing. See also inserting

customizable files into new installation, 947 dimension styles, 433

DXF files, 897 layer states, 267 layers, 286–287

layout settings from earlier releases, 497 linetypes, 286–287

materials, 819–820 queries, 641

text styles, 329

tool palettes or groups, 963 WMF files, 897–898

imprinting solids, 797–798 In query operator, 634 increment angle, 68

Indents and Tabs dialog box, 332–333 Info palette, 53–54

information about drawings. See obtaining information from drawings

In-Place Text Editor bounding box, 330

changing text style for object, 329 closing, 334

creating exponents or superscripts, 331 creating paragraph text, 330

creating stacked fractions, 335–336 editing fields, 351

Options toolbar, 331–332

shortcut menu commands, 332–334 specifying line spacing, 336 specifying width and rotation, 337

toolbar buttons for formatting, 330–331 INSERT command, 529–531, 532–534, 560 Insert dialog box, 529–530

Insert Hyperlink dialog box, 919–920 Insert Object dialog box, 906

Insert Sheet List Table dialog box, 881–882 Insert Table dialog box, 340–341 inserting. See also importing

AutoCAD as ActiveX component in PowerPoint, 910–911

blocks, and rotating with Insrot, 571

blocks, component object properties and, 536 blocks from DesignCenter, 526, 531–532,

534–535, 839

blocks in rectangular array, 535 blocks with attributes, 569

blocks with INSERT command, 529–531, 532–534

data from other applications, methods for, 905 DC Online content, 840

default units for, 1141

drawings from DesignCenter, 531, 839 dynamic blocks, 554

embedding objects, 905–907, 912–913 existing title block, 104

fields, 350

linking data, 911–912, 914 paper space objects, 531 Paste Special for, 907–910, 913 procedures (VBA), 1102 raster images, 899–900

raster images from DesignCenter, 839 tables, 340–341

title block in layout, 497

tolerance feature-control frames, 439 insertion point

for blocks, 522

specifying in attributes, 566–567 for text, 316

Insrot block insertion and rotation program, 571 installing

color books, 259

database feature (AutoCAD), 609–610

installing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. See also Options dialog box

authorizing, 1131–1132 changing an installation, 1131 configuring AutoCAD, 1133–1146

creating and modifying a workspace, 1132–1133 customizing status bar, 1133

preparing to install, 1127–1128 starting installation, 1128–1130 switching between workspaces, 1133 system requirements, 1127

IntelliMouse (Microsoft) panning with wheel, 136 zooming with wheel, 139

intensity of lights distant lights, 811 point lights, 808–809

interface. See also customizing; specific components command line, 18

crosshairs, 17 dialog boxes, 37–38

displaying screen menu, 36 drawing area, 17

menus, 17–18, 35–36 overview, 16–19 pickbox, 17 shortcut menus, 36

interface (continued) status bar, 18–19 toolbars, 17–18 UCS icon, 17

INTERFERE command, 763–764 International Standards Organization (ISO)

hatch patterns, 463

linetype pattern definitions, 282–283 Internet integration

creating object hyperlinks, 919–922 eTransmitting drawings, 915–918 eTransmitting sheet sets (AutoCAD), 880–881 opening drawings from the Web, 918–919 publishing drawings, 922–939

specifying transmittal settings, 916–918 Internet resources

Additional Resources option (Help menu), 54 Army Corps of Engineers site, 122, 171 AutoCAD LT trial version, 15

AutoCAD sites, 1157–1158 Autodesk DWF Viewer, 933 CAD-related sites, 1156–1157 Digital Signature Verifier, 886

drawing management programs, 863

Support for Subscribers option (Help menu), 54 INTERSECT command

for regions, 456 for solids, 762–763

Intersect logical operator for selection sets, 639 intersection of solids, 762–763 INTERSECTIONCOLOR system variable, 657 INTERSECTIONDISPLAY system variable, 657

Is not null query operator, 634 Is null query operator, 634 islands in hatches, 466–467

ISO (International Standards Organization) hatch patterns, 463

linetype pattern definitions, 282–283 ISOLINES system variable, 750 isometric drawings

defined, 163

drawing in isometric mode, 164–166 isometric planes overview, 163–164

isometric views, 677–679 ISOPLANE command, 163 ITOA function (AutoLISP), 1046

J

JOIN command, 220–223 justifying text

justification options, 317–318 single-line text, 316–318, 323

JUSTIFYTEXT command, 323

K

keyboard shortcuts

allowable key combinations, 1028

to commands, creating, 950–952, 1026–1030 customizable files for, 943–944, 949 Quickkey replacement for acad.pgp file, 950 reloading customizable files for, 952 temporary override keys, 1028–1029

to Windows programs, creating, 949–950 keywords (VBA), 1109

L

label blocks for sheet sets, 873–874 Label Template dialog box, 629 labels

attached versus freestanding, 629 creating attached labels, 631 creating freestanding labels, 631 creating label templates, 629–630 defined, 629

steps for creating, 631–632 landscape orientation, 99 landscapes, rendering (AutoCAD), 828 launching. See opening or running

LAYCUR command (Express Tools), 268 LAYDEL command (Express Tools), 268 Layer Control drop-down list, 263–264 layer indexes for xrefs, 598–599

Layer Properties Manager dialog box adjusting display of, 256

changing layer color, linetype, and lineweight, 273 columns, 255–256

deleting layers, 274

filtering the layer list, 271–273 opening, 254

renaming layers, 273 setting current layer, 263 sorting columns, 271

Layer States Manager dialog box, 266–267 Layer Translator, 858–859

layers

assigning colors, 257–259 assigning linetype, 260–261 assigning lineweight, 261–262 attaching materials by, 825–826 attributes and, 567

blocks and, 535–538

changing color, linetype, and lineweight, 273 changing for object, 269

changing state of, 147, 264–266 creating new layers, 254–263 deleting, 274

deleting layer states, 266–267

Express Tools layer commands (AutoCAD), 268 filtering list of, 271–273

freezing text layers, 354

importing and exporting layer states, 266–267 importing from other drawings, 286–287 inserting from DesignCenter, 840

Layer Control drop-down list, 263–264 layer state icons, 266

making an object’s layer current, 269 mapping, 858–859

naming, 256

preparing for layout, 497

purging layers and linetypes, 274–275 renaming, 273

saving and restoring layer states, 266–267 setting current layer, 263

setting plot-style property for, 512 setting visibility in viewports, 500–501 sorting columns in list, 271

states, 254

steps for modifying, 275–276 steps for working with, 269–271 switching the current layer, 264 translating, 858–859

uses for, 253–254 xrefs and, 594

Layers toolbar

Layer Control drop-down list, 263–264 status information on, 292

LAYFRZ command (Express Tools), 268 LAYISO command (Express Tools), 268 LAYLCK command (Express Tools), 268 LAYMCH command (Express Tools), 268 LAYMRG command (Express Tools), 268 LAYOFF command (Express Tools), 268 LAYON command (Express Tools), 268

layout in paper space. See paper space layout Layout Wizard

Begin screen, 490

Define Viewports screen, 491, 492 Paper Size screen, 490

Pick Location screen, 492 starting, 489

steps for using, 493

Title Block screen, 490–491 LAYOUTMERGE command (Express Tools), 502 LAYTHW command (Express Tools), 268 LAYULK command (Express Tools), 268 LAYVPI command (Express Tools), 268 LAYWALK command (Express Tools), 268 Leader Settings dialog box

Annotation tab, 386–387 Attachment tab, 388–389

Leader Line & Arrow tab, 387–388 overview, 386

leaders

creating, 385, 389–391 defined, 385

Leader Settings dialog box, 386–389 QLEADER command, 385

left view, 675

LENGTHEN command, 214–216

lengthening objects. See also resizing drawing objects EXTEND command for, 211–214

LENGTHEN command for, 214–216 STRETCH command for, 216–219

less than sign (<)

in AutoLISP functions, 1047 in query operators, 634

in relational operators for selection filters, 244 lights. See also shadows

ambient light, 807 assigning colors to, 807 attenuation, 808–809 distant lights, 811–813

hotspot and falloff, 809, 810–811 intensity, 808–809

overview, 806

point lights, 808–809 positioning, 809, 811–813 primary colors for, 807 reflection and materials, 822, 823 setting display to show, 687 setting north location, 807 SHADEMODE command and, 686 spotlights, 809–811

steps for creating, 815–817 in 3D orbit, 686

types of, 804 Lights dialog box

creating distant lights, 811 creating point lights, 808 creating spotlights, 810 opening, 806

setting north location, 807 Like query operator, 634

limits, setting for a drawing, 98–99 LINE command, 111–112

line spacing for text, 316, 336

linear dimensions. See also dimension styles; dimensions

Angle option, 369 Horizontal/vertical option, 369, 370 MText option, 368–369

Continued

linear dimensions (continued) primary units, 423–424 Rotated option, 369–370

specifying the dimensioned object, 366–367 steps for drawing, 367–368

Text option, 369 uses for, 365

lines. See also arcs; shapes

CHANGE command for endpoints, 183 construction lines, 5, 6, 116–117 converting to polylines, 447–448 dashed, for selected objects, 170

for dimensions, 364, 408–410, 413–414 dlines (AutoCAD LT), 480–481

four ways of drawing, 20–21 hiding with HIDE command, 656 LINE command for, 111–112 multilines (AutoCAD), 472–480 polylines, 113, 114, 443–450 rays, 117–118

LINETYPE command, 976

Linetype Control drop-down list, 278, 279 Linetype Manager dialog box

changing global linetype scale, 284 changing object linetype scale, 284 filtering the linetype list, 279

linetypes

assigning to layers, 260–261 changing current linetype, 279 changing for layer, 273 changing for object, 278–279

changing spacing by changing global scale, 283–284

changing spacing by changing linetype, 282–283 changing spacing by changing object scale,

284–285

creating complex linetypes, 977–980 creating on the fly, 976

creating simple linetypes, 975–977 for dimension lines, 408

for extension lines, 409

factors affecting pattern scale, 282 filtering list of, 279

hatch patterns versus, 980

importing from other drawings, 286–287 ISO linetype pattern definitions, 282–283 loading, 260–261, 279

polylines and, 445 purging, 274–275

simple versus complex, 975

steps for changing linetypes, 280–282

steps for changing scales, 285–286 uses for, 253

Lineweight Control drop-down list, 279–280 Lineweight dialog box, 261

Lineweight Settings dialog box, 262 lineweights

assigning to layers, 261–262 changing current lineweight, 280 changing for layer, 273 changing for object, 279–280 defined, 253

for dimension lines, 408 features of, 261–262 formatting, 262

steps for changing, 280–282 user preferences, 1142 uses for, 253

Link Manager, 625–626

Link Select dialog box, 639–640 link templates, 622–624 linking data, 911–912, 914 links to database records

creating, 624 editing, 625–626

exporting link information, 626–627 link templates for, 622–624

viewing linked objects and rows, 624–625 LIST command, 295–296, 297

listing

block-listing programs on the CD, 543 drawing status, 287–289

objects in drawings, 295–296 referenced files, 887

render statistics, 831

sheet sets (AutoCAD), 881–882 solid properties, 800–801 system variables, 292–293, 295

Load Multiline Styles dialog box, 476

Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, 260–261 loading

AutoLISP file when starting Visual LISP, 1036–1037 AutoLISP files into AutoCAD, 1037–1039 customizable files, 1000–1002

demand loading for xrefs, 597, 1137 multiline styles, 476

reloading customizable files, 952 reloading raster images, 901

running script file when loading AutoCAD, 967–969 VBA routines, 1105

Load/Unload Applications dialog box, 1038 Load/Unload Customizations dialog box, 1000–1001

local variables (AutoLISP), 1077–1078 locked layer state, 254, 265, 266

locking position of toolbars or palettes, 18 log files

for text window contents, 1136 for xrefs, 604–605

logical operators

for selection filters, 244

for selection sets from queries, 639 LOGINNAME system variable, 292 LTSCALE system variable, 284, 292, 293

M

macros

creating with script files, 965–970 for mouse button 2, 1008

special characters for menu macros, 1006 writing for custom menus, 1006–1007

major angles, dimensioning, 381 major arcs, 123. See also arcs mapping

layers, 858–859 materials, 823 Markup Manager, 937

matching properties, 287–289 materials

adding to drawings, 819–825 attaching to objects, 825–826 creating, 820–825

importing and previewing, 819–820 mapping, 823

overview, 804, 818–819 setting display to show, 687 types of, 821

Materials dialog box, 820–821

Materials Library dialog box, 819–820, 823 MAXSORT system variable, 271 MEASURE command, 131, 303–304 measurement commands

DIVIDE, 131, 301–302, 304

MEASURE, 131, 303–304 measurement notation, 58 mee function (QuickCalc), 310 menu customization

abbreviations for menu sections, 1008 command menus, 1020

converting files from previous releases, 1003 creating custom commands, 1013–1014 creating sub-menus, 1012–1013 customizable file for, 999–1002

drop-down menus, 1004–1005, 1011–1017, 1022–1023

image-tile menus, 1023–1025 keyboard shortcuts, 1026–1030 menu swapping, 1007–1008

for mouse and tablet buttons, 1008–1010 object menus, 1018–1020, 1021–1022 Screen menu, 1026

shortcut menus, 1017–1022 tablet menus, 1025–1026

toggles on drop-down menus, 1022–1023 transferring customization between files, 1002 types of customizable content, 1003

writing menu macros, 1006–1007 menus. See also menu customization

overview, 17–18 Screen menu, 36, 1026 shortcut menus, 36 status bar menu, 18–19 using, 35

meshes. See polygon meshes; surfaces (AutoCAD) methods (VBA)

defined, 1098

user-input methods, 1111 Microsoft Access, configuring, 614

Microsoft Excel, spreadsheet connection, 614–615 Microsoft IntelliMouse

panning with wheel, 136 zooming with wheel, 139

Microsoft PowerPoint, inserting AutoCAD as ActiveX component in, 910–911

Microsoft Windows. See Windows (Microsoft) Microsoft Word, using dictionary from, 361 mining your design, 835

minor angles, dimensioning, 381 minor arcs, 123. See also arcs MINSERT command, 535

minus sign (-) for subtraction function (AutoLISP), 1045

MIRROR command, 7, 195–196 mirroring objects

grips for, 235

MIRROR command for, 7, 195–197 text and, 354

in 3D, 771–773 MIRROR3D command, 771

MIRRTEXT system variable, 354 MLEDIT command, 479–480 MLINE command, 477–478 model space

plotting from, 488

switching from paper space, 489, 499 Modify Transmittal Setup dialog box, 916–918

mouse. See also dragging and dropping cursors in 3D orbit, 689–693 customizing buttons, 1008–1010 double-clicking to edit blocks, 541 double-clicking to edit objects, 230 Microsoft IntelliMouse, 136, 139 panning with wheel, 136

puck versus, 49

shortcuts in dialog boxes that open or save files, 31–32

zooming with wheel, 139 MOVE command, 171–174, 560 moving objects

ALIGN command for (AutoCAD), 205–207 Clipboard for, 172, 177, 560–561

cutting and pasting, 172, 176, 177 dragging and dropping, 172 between drawings, 176–177 within drawings, 171–174, 205–207 grips for, 233

MOVE command for, 171–172, 173–174 positioning lights, 809, 811–813

solid faces, 791 toolbars, 38

tools and tool palettes, 846 xrefs between drawings, 603–604

MREDO command, 47 MTEDXTED system variable, 330

MTEXT command, 329, 330, 350. See also In-Place Text Editor

mtextmap.ini font mapping file, 945 MTJIGSTRING system variable, 330 Multiline Style dialog box, 473 multiline text. See paragraph text

multilines (AutoCAD). See also dlines (AutoCAD LT) creating a multiline style, 473–477

defined, 472 drawing, 477–478 editing, 479–480 elements of, 473–475

multiline text versus, 330 overview, 472

Multilines Edit Tools dialog box, 479–480 multiple configurations (AutoCAD), 1149 MVSETUP command (AutoCAD), 107

N

named views. See views names. See also renaming

of colors, 257

for commands, 40 for custom UCS, 159

for drawings based on templates, 28 for layers, 256

for lights, 808, 810, 811 named plot styles, 506, 508 named views, 145–150

numbering system for drawings, 24 saving drawing under new name, 32–33 for selection filters, 245

for tiled viewport configurations, 155 NCOPY command (Express Tools), 542 NE isometric view, 678

nee function (QuickCalc), 310 New Dimension Style dialog box

Alternate Units tab, 424–425 Fit tab, 417–422

Lines tab, 407–410

Primary Units tab, 422–424, 426 Symbols and Arrows tab, 410–414 tabs overview, 407

Text tab, 414–416 Tolerances tab, 427–429

New Distant Light dialog box, 811–812 New Label Template dialog box, 629 New Link Template dialog box, 622–623 New Point Light dialog box, 808–809 New Query dialog box, 632–633

New Spotlight dialog box, 810–811

New Standard Material dialog box, 821–824 New Table Style dialog box, 342–343

New Text Style dialog box, 325–326 New View dialog box, 146, 147

New Visibility State dialog box, 551–552

nonuniform rational B-splines (NURBS), 450. See also splines

North Location dialog box, 807

NOT logical operator for selection filters, 244 not plottable layer state, 254, 265, 266 Notepad, opening within AutoCAD, 966 notifications

AutoSnap feature, 79

External Reference Notification, 602–603 for standards violations, 855–856

numbered lists, 333

NURBS (nonuniform rational B-splines), 450. See also splines

NW isometric view, 678–679

O

Object Browser (VBA), 1097–1098 object cycling for selecting objects, 188

Object Grouping dialog box (AutoCAD), 247–249

object information, obtaining. See obtaining information from drawings

object menus, creating, 1018–1020, 1021–1022 object properties, 253

Object Selection Filters dialog box, 242–245. See also selection filters

object snap tracking (AutoCAD) customizing, 87

locating points with, 87–89 starting, 86

steps for using, 86–87 uses for, 85

object snaps (OSNAPS) AutoSnap feature, 79

in calculator expressions, 308 defined, 77

Options dialog box settings for, 1143 for ordinate dimensions, 384 overview, 77–79

prompt for, 77

running object snaps, setting, 81–82 running object snaps, using, 83–85 starting, 77

in 3D, 652, 653–654 tracking (AutoCAD), 85–89

types, abbreviations, and uses (table), 78 using, 79–81

ObjectARX applications, 1137 oblique angle of text, 327

obtaining information from drawings calculating area and perimeter, 298–300 calculating distances, 296

finding coordinates, 296 listing drawing status, 287–289 listing objects, 295–296

listing system variables, 292–293

Properties palette information for objects, 301 steps for drawing-level information, 295

steps for object-level information, 297–298 tracking drawing time, 293–294

ODBC Data Source Administrator dialog box, 611–613 ODBC data sources, configuring, 611–614

off layer state, 254, 264, 265 OFFSET command, 202–205 offsetting

objects in drawings, 202–205

shapes or text in complex linetypes, 979 solid faces, 791–792

OLE objects, embedding, 905–907, 912–913 on layer state, 254, 264, 265

OOPS command, 48, 171

opening or running. See also displaying or viewing; showing or hiding; turning on and off

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, 14–15

AutoCAD with command-line switches, 1146–1147 calculator, 304

data tables, 617–621 DesignCenter, 31, 286, 836

drawings from DesignCenter, 31, 839 drawings from earlier releases, 890–891 drawings from the Web, 918–919 drawings with view displayed, 149 existing drawings, 30–31, 32

Group Manager window (AutoCAD LT), 249 Help system, 52

Info palette, 53 Isometric mode, 164

Layer Properties Manager dialog box, 254 new blank drawing, 15

new drawing based on default template, 28 new drawing based on selected template, 27 new drawing with minimum presets, 30 Notepad within AutoCAD, 966

Object Grouping dialog box (AutoCAD), 247 Options dialog box settings for, 1137 partially opening a drawing, 149

Properties palette, 238 Query Editor, 632 Quick Select, 241

running script file when loading AutoCAD, 967–969 Save Drawing As dialog box, 22

script files, 967–969, 970 Startup dialog box, 27 3D orbit, 689

using shortcuts in dialog boxes, 31–32 VBA routines, 1105

Visual LISP, 1036 xrefs, 587

operators

for queries, 634

for selection filters, 244

for selection sets from queries, 639 VBA, 1110

optical drives for backups, 863 Options dialog box

Apply button, 1133 customizing grips, 237–238

customizing selection process, 191–194 Display tab, 1134–1135

Drafting tab, 1143–1144 Field Update Settings, 351

Continued

Options dialog box (continued) Files tab, 1134

OK button, 1133

Open and Save tab, 597, 1135–1137 Plot and Publish tab, 506, 1137–1138 Profiles tab, 1145–1146

Selection tab, 191–194, 237–238, 1144–1145 setting plot-style mode, 506

System tab, 1138–1140

User Preferences tab, 351, 1140–1143 Options toolbar, 331–332

OR logical operator for selection filters, 244 ordinate dimensions, 383–385. See also dimension

styles; dimensions

organizing drawings. See also sheet sets (AutoCAD) archiving drawings, 862–863

drawing management programs, 863 finding drawings, 863–864

keeping track of referenced files, 886–887 specifying drawing properties, 864–865

orientation

for plotting and printing, 99–100 for text, 327

ORTHO command, 6, 67 orthogonal lines

defined, 65, 67

MIRROR command and, 196 ortho mode for, 67

Quick Start example, 6

relative Cartesian coordinates for, 65 STRETCH command and, 218 turning ortho mode on and off, 67

OSNAPS. See object snaps ovals. See ellipses overlaying xrefs, 587 overriding

dimension styles, 431–432

Dynamic Input settings for coordinates, 62 polar coordinate settings, 82–85

P

Page Setup dialog box, 495–496 Page Setup Manager, 494–495

palettes. See tool palettes; Tool Palettes window; specific palettes

PAN command, 136 panning

with Aerial View, 144 defined, 136

in DVIEW, 704 mouse wheel for, 136

PAN command for, 136

real-time panning, 136, 137–138 scroll bars for, 136–138

switching between zooming and, 140–141 in 3D orbit, 695

paper

determining scale and sheet size, 103–104 scales and, 100

standard sheet sizes, metric, 101 standard sheet sizes, U.S., 101

paper space layout adding text, 502

attaching plot-style table to layout, 511 creating a new layout, 494 dimensioning, 502–503

entering paper space, 488–489 Express Tools for (AutoCAD), 502 floating viewports for, 488, 497–499

importing settings from earlier releases, 497 inserting paper space objects, 531 inserting title block, 497

Layout Wizard for, 489–493 Page Setup Manager, 494–497 preparing layers, 497

saving layout template, 503

setting hidden and shaded views, 501 setting layer visibility in viewport, 500–501

setting viewport size, placement, and display, 500 shortcut menu commands, 494

steps for, 503–505

switching to model space, 489, 499 for 3D drawings, 708–711 viewport scale for, 499–500 working with layout tabs, 494

paragraph (multiline) text. See also In-Place Text Editor

Background Mask dialog box, 333, 334 bullets and numbered lists, 333 editing, 337–338

Indents and Tabs dialog box, 332–333 In-Place Text Editor for, 330–337 labels as, 629

line spacing, 316, 336

multilines versus multiline text, 330 width of, 326

parallel views

creating with DVIEW, 700–701 in 3D orbit, 696–697

parameters for dynamic blocks action prompt options, 549–550 adding, 547–548

defined, 543

exclamation point next to, 548

points

breaking lines at, 220 creating, 131–132

DIVIDE and MEASURE commands and, 131 finding coordinates for, 296

setting style for, 131 uses for, 131

polar arrays

in 3D, 775–777 in 2D, 199–200

polar coordinates. See also Cartesian coordinates as default for subsequent points, 60

defined, 65

direct distance entry, 67, 70–71 display modes, 71–72

From feature, 91–93 locating points, 85–93

object snap tracking (AutoCAD), 85–89 object snaps (OSNAPS), 77–82 orthogonal (ortho) mode, 67, 70–71 overriding settings, 82–85

overview, 65–67

picking on the screen, 72–82 polar tracking, 68–71

relative, dynamic display for, 71, 72 relative, running object snaps and, 85 relative, using, 66–67

snap settings, 72–77 toggling settings, 82–83 tracking in AutoCAD LT, 89

polar override angle, 69–70 polar tooltips, 68

polar tracking customizing, 69 increment angle, 68 overview, 68

polar override angle, 69–70 setting angles, 68–69 turning on and off, 69 using, 69–71

PolarSnap, 73, 172

polyface meshes, drawing, 719–723 POLYGON command

OFFSET command with, 202, 203 overview, 113–115

polygon meshes box, 726–727 cone, 729–730 dish, 731–732 dome, 731

PEDIT options for, 725 pyramid, 728–729

sphere, 730–731

standard 3D shapes, 726–736 steps for drawing, 734–736 3D Mesh, 733–734

3DMESH command for, 724–725 torus, 732–733

wedge, 727–728 polylines

BOUNDARY command for creating, 298–299, 457–459

converting arcs and lines to, 447–448 creating in 3D, 654–655

defined, 113, 114, 202, 443 donuts as, 129

drawing with PLINE command, 444–447 editing with PEDIT command, 447–450 editing with Properties palette, 448 linetypes and, 445

OFFSET command and, 202 polygons as, 114, 202, 443 rectangles as, 113, 202, 443 regions versus, 455

steps for drawing, 445–447

pound symbol (#) for absolute Cartesian coordinates, 62

PowerPoint (Microsoft), inserting AutoCAD as ActiveX component in, 910–911

previewing materials, 820 plots, 516–517

Quick Start example, 10 selections, options for, 191 tiled viewports, 151

primary colors, 807 Print dialog box, 936–937 printer or plotter

choosing, 514

configuring, 515–516, 1149–1151 printing. See plotting and printing PROGN function (AutoLISP), 1063–1064 prompts for commands

LINE command, 111 object snaps (OSNAPS), 77

Pointer Input Settings for, 61 responding to, 41–43

Select objects: options, 184–188 transparent commands, 49

Properties dialog box (for drawings), 864 properties, matching, 287–289 Properties palette

auto-hide feature, 238 changing values in, 239

color of objects, changing, 277 dimensions, editing, 399 docking, 239

double-clicking objects to open, 230 linetype of objects, changing, 278 linetype scale of objects, changing, 285 lineweight of objects, changing, 279 object information from, 301

objects selected and information in, 239 opening, 238

PICKADD Sysvar button, 240 polylines, editing, 448

properties of objects, changing, 311 Quick Select button, 240

QuickCalc calculator in, 311 resizing the window, 239 Select Objects button, 240 splines, editing, 455

text, changing, 323

3D-face edge visibility, editing, 716 using, 239–240

Properties toolbar

Color Control drop-down list, 276–277 Linetype Control drop-down list, 278, 279 Lineweight Control drop-down list, 279–280 status information on, 292

Property Lookup Table dialog box, 553 Property Settings dialog box, 287–288 PROPULATE command (Express Tools), 865 prototypes, saving drawings as, 32 PUBLISH command, 923–924

Publish dialog box

adding drawings to drawing list, 924 defining the output, 925

editing the drawing list, 925 opening, 923

publishing drawings, 926

removing model space or layout tabs, 925 setting publish options, 926

Publish Options dialog box, 926 Publish to Web wizard, 929–932 publishing

drawings on the Web, 922–939 editing Web pages, 932

Publish to Web wizard for, 929–932 sheet sets (AutoCAD), 880

puck, using, 49–50 PURGE command, 525 Purge dialog box, 274–275

purging. See also deleting or erasing blocks, 525

layers and linetypes, 274–275 pyramid polygon meshes, 728–729

Q

QDIM. See Quick Dimension (AutoCAD) QLEADER command, 385, 389

QNEW command, 27–28 QSELECT command, 535 QTEXT command, 353 Query Editor

creating selection sets, 639–640 importing and exporting queries, 641 opening, 632

Query Builder tab, 635–636 query operators, 634 Quick Query tab, 633–634 Range Query tab, 635

SQL Query tab, 637–638

steps for creating queries, 638–639 storing queries, 640–641

uses for, 632

question mark (?) in dialog box top-right corner, 38 Quick Dimension (AutoCAD)

creating dimensions, 391–394 editing dimensions, 399–400

Quick Select dialog box, 241–242 Quick Start (window drawing example)

about, 3 bottom pane, 6

DIMENSION layer for, 7–9 EXWALL layer for, 7 inside rectangle, 4 middle line, 5

outside rectangle, 4, 5 preparing for printing, 8–10 printing, 10

saving and naming the drawing, 3 selecting the template, 3 shutters, 7

temporary construction line, 5, 6 title block and border, 8–9

top pane, 5–6 troubleshooting, 11 WINDOW layer for, 4–6

QuickCalc calculator

buttons for often-used tasks, 306–307 calculating numbers, 306–307 converting units, 309

coordinates in expressions, 307

entering numbers from numerical pad, 306 feet and inches in, 307

History area, 306

object snaps in expressions, 308 overview, 304–306

Continued

QuickCalc calculator (continued) in Properties palette, 311 scientific calculator, 308–309 starting, 304

steps for using, 311–313 variables in expressions, 310 window versus palette, 304

QUICKCALC command, 304, 311–313 Quickkey replacement for acad.pgp file, 950 Quickstart links, 51–52

Quicktext, 353

quitting. See closing or exiting

R

rad function (QuickCalc), 310

radial dimensions, 378, 380–383. See also dimension styles; dimensions

raster images clipping, 901–902

controlling display of, 902–903 formats supported, 899 inserting, 899–900

inserting from DesignCenter, 839 managing, 900–901

steps for working with, 903–905 uses for, 898

rays, drawing, 117, 118

raytraced shadows, 814. See also shadows read-only files, changing attribute for, 1160–1161 read-only system variables, 292

real-time panning, 136, 137–138 RECTANG command, 112–113, 114–115 rectangles, drawing, 112–113, 114–115 rectangular arrays

inserting blocks in, 535 in 3D, 773–775

in 2D, 197–199 REDO command, 47 redoing commands

overview, 46–47

user preferences for, 1143 REDRAW command, 135 redrawing, 135

Refedit toolbar, 591–592 Reference Edit dialog box, 591 Reference Manager, 886–887

referencing other drawings. See xrefs (external references)

reflection, materials and, 822, 823 REGEN command, 135 regenerating

defined, 135

layer states and, 254

Quicktext and, 353 redrawing versus, 135

REGION command, 455–457 regions

BOUNDARY command for creating, 298–299, 456, 457–459

combining, subtracting, and intersecting, 456 defined, 455

polylines versus, 455

REGION command for creating, 455–457 REINIT command, 952

relational operators for selection filters, 244 relative Cartesian coordinates. See also Cartesian

coordinates

absolute coordinates versus, 67 defined, 64

entering, 64–65

for orthogonal lines, 65

overriding Dynamic Input settings to use, 62 running object snaps and, 85

3D coordinates, 647–648

relative cylindrical coordinates, 648–649 relative polar coordinates. See polar coordinates relative spherical coordinates, 649

removing. See deleting or erasing renaming. See also names

dimension styles, 406 drawings in dialog boxes, 31 groups, 249, 250

layers, 273

named objects to maintain standards, 861–862 text styles, 327

tool palettes, 846, 962 views, 147

Render dialog box

creating default rendering, 804–806 final rendering, 828–831

Render tool, 803 rendering (AutoCAD)

backgrounds, 826–827 basic steps for, 804

closing the Render window, 832 creating default rendering, 804–806 final render, 828–830

landscapes, 828

lights, 806–813, 815–817 listing render statistics, 831 materials, 819–826

saving rendered images, 831–832 scenes, 804, 817–819

shadows, 809, 813–817 speeding rendering time, 813 types of, 803

repeating commands, 44, 45 resizing drawing objects

EXTEND command for, 211–214 LENGTHEN command for, 214–216 SCALE command for, 181–182 scaling with grips, 234–235 STRETCH command for, 216–219 TRIM command for, 208–211

resizing interface objects

Layer Properties Manager dialog box, 256 maximizing and minimizing viewports, 499 Properties palette, 239

resources for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. See also Internet resources

Autodesk User Groups (AUGs), 1155–1156 learning and education, 1153–1154

Links folder for (on the CD), 1161 technical support, 1154–1155 Web sites, 1156–1158

restoring

erased objects, 48, 171 layer states, 267 saved UCS, 160

viewport configurations, 154, 155–156 revision cloud, creating, 228–229 REVOLVE command, 760

revolved solids, 760–761 revolved surfaces

determining angle of rotation, 737–738 path curve for, 736–737

REVSURF command for, 736, 739 setting number of segments, 738 steps for drawing, 739–740

REVSURF command, 736, 739 RGB color model, 258, 807

right arrow after menu commands, 35 right view, 675

right-clicking, customizing, 36. See also shortcut menus

rollover highlighting, 169, 191 ROTATE command, 178–181, 777 ROTATE3D command, 777 rotating. See also 3D orbit

blocks, and inserting with Insrot, 571 drawings with custom UCS, 157 drawings with snap rotation, 156–158 grips for, 234

linear dimensions, 369–370 objects around base point, 178–181

presetting rotation while inserting blocks, 532 shapes or text in complex linetypes, 978 solid faces, 792

text, 319, 337

3D objects, 777–779 twisting in DVIEW, 704

viewpoints with VPOINT command, 673 rounding corners

selecting objects before, 192 of shapes, 225–228

of solids, 784–785

RTEXT command (Express Tools), 356 RTOS function (AutoLISP), 1046

ruled surfaces, 743–746 RULESURF command, 743–744 running. See opening or running running object snaps

setting, 81–82

using with OSNAP mode, 83–85

S

sample.cus custom dictionary file, 944 Save Drawing As dialog box

opening, 22 Places list, 22–23

saving drawing under new name, 32–33 Tools drop-down list, 23

Save Multiline Style dialog box, 475–476 SAVEALL command (AutoCAD), 23 savea.lsp floppy backup program, 23, 862 saving

all open drawings, 23

AutoLISP routines in files, 1048–1050 blocks as files, 526–528

creating backup with each save, 1136 custom UCS, 159

database changes (committing), 621 drawing for first time, 22–24 drawing under new name, 32–33 drawings in earlier formats, 891 dynamic blocks, 554

to floppy with savea.lsp, 23, 862 layer states, 266–267

layout template, 503 multiline styles, 475–476

Options dialog box settings for, 1136 prototypes, 32

rendered images, 831–832 selection filters, 245 storing queries, 640–641 templates, 106

using shortcuts in dialog boxes, 31–32 VBA routines in files, 1104–1105 viewport configurations, 153–154 views, 145–147

SCALE command, 181–182

scale factor for dimension features, 421 scale list

customizing, 102–103, 1142 places it appears, 102

scales for drawings

customizing the scale list, 102–103, 1142 determining scale and sheet size, 103–104 factor, 101

formats for, 101–102 overview, 100

paper sheet sizes and, 100–101 viewport scale for layout, 499–500

scales for linetypes factors affecting, 282 global scale, 283–284

linetypes and pattern spacing, 282–283 object scale, 284–285

steps for changing, 285–286 SCALETEXT command, 323

scaling objects. See also resizing drawing objects adjusting scale of inserted content, 846 creating copy of original, 181

grips for, 234–235 hatches, 462

picking points for, 181

presetting scale while inserting blocks, 532 SCALE command for, 181–182

shapes or text in complex linetypes, 978 text, 323

scanned images. See raster images scenes, 804, 817–818

schedules. See tables

scientific calculator, 308–309. See also QuickCalc calculator

scientific units, 95

.scr script files, 945 Screen menu, 36, 1026 script files

characteristics, 965

creating macros with, 965–970 creating script files, 965–966, 969 creating slide shows with, 970, 972–973 executing on multiple drawings, 970 running, 967–969

scroll bars, panning with, 136–138

SDI (single-document interface) system variable, 968 SE isometric view, 677–678

Search window, 837–838 SECTION command, 767–768 sectioning solids, 767–768 security

digital signatures, 885–886 password protection, 884

Select Color dialog box

assigning colors to layers, 257 Color Books tab, 257, 259 defining colors, 258

Index Color tab, 257 installing color books, 259 True Color tab, 257, 258

using colors from color books, 259 SELECT command, 188

Select External Reference File dialog box, 586 Select File dialog box, 30–31, 32

Select Linetype dialog box, 260 selecting objects

Add option, 188

all block instances from drop-down list, 535 ALL option, 186

Associative Hatch option, 193 AUto option, 188

BOX option, 186

after choosing a command, 184–188

before choosing a command, 169–170, 188, 192 CLass option, 188

commands and order of selection, 192 CPolygon (Crossing Polygon) option, 187 Crossing option, 185–186

customizing the process, 190–194 cycling through objects, 188

dashed lines for selected objects, 170 Fence option, 186–187

Group option, 187

implied windowing, 189–190, 193 Last option, 184

Multiple option, 188

Noun/Verb Selection option, 191–192, 194 object grouping and, 193

Options dialog box settings for, 1144–1145 pickbox for, 169–170

pickbox size for, 193

Press and Drag option, 193 previewing, options for, 191 Previous option, 188 Remove option, 187–188

rollover highlighting for, 169, 191 selection rectangle for, 191

Shift to Add to Selection option, 192–193 SIngle option, 188

3D coordinates and, 650 Undo option, 188 Window option, 184, 185

WPolygon (Window Polygon) option, 187 xrefs to edit, 590–592

selection filters

FASTSELECT command, 242 FILTER command, 242–247

showing or hiding (continued)

hiding objects with wipeout, 229–230 Properties palette auto-hide feature, 238 SOLDRAW command for hidden lines, 709–710 title bar, toolbars, and status bar, 19

.shp shape files, 945

simple linetypes, 975–977. See also linetypes single prime or apostrophe (')

for feet, 114

preceding transparent commands, 49 single-document interface (SDI) system variable, 968 SKETCH command, 481–483

slash (/)

division function (AutoLISP), 1045

not equal function (AutoLISP) (/=), 1047 SLICE command, 768–769

slicing solids, 768–771 slide libraries, 973–974 slide shows

creating slides, 971

creating with other applications, 971 script files for, 970, 972–973

viewing slides, 971, 972 SLIDELIB utility, 974

SNAP command, 72–73 snap to grid feature

displaying grid for, 73, 74–75 Isometric mode, 164–166 limitations of, 73

PolarSnap for, 73

setting up a drawing with, 106 settings for, 73, 74

snap rotation, 156–158 turning on and off, 72, 73 using, 75–77

SOLDRAW command, 709–710 SOLID command, 472 SOLIDEDIT command

coloring solid edges, 797 coloring solid faces, 794 copying solid edges, 796 copying solid faces, 793–794 extruding solid faces, 791 imprinting solids, 798 moving solid faces, 791 offsetting solid faces, 792 overview, 790

rotating solid faces, 792 shelling solids, 798–799

steps for editing solid bodies, 799

steps for editing solid faces, 795–796 tapering solid faces, 793–794

solidly filled areas, creating, 472

solids. See also editing in 3D; editing solids adding together, 761–762

box, 750–751

complex solids, 761–766 cone, 753

controlling display of, 570–571 cylinder, 752–753

extruded solids, 757–760 INTERFERE command for, 763–764 intersection of, 762–763

listing properties, 800–801 revolved solids, 760–761 sectioning, 767–768 slicing, 768–771

sphere, 751–752 standard shapes, 749–756

steps for drawing, 755–756 subtracting, 762

taurus, 754–755 uses for, 749 wedge, 754

SOLPROF command, 710–711 SOLVIEW command, 708–709 Sort dialog box, 618, 619 sorting

database records, 618, 619 layer columns, 271

Spacebar

cycling through grip commands with, 232 repeating commands with, 44

spatial indexes for xrefs, 598 special characters

codes for, 319–320

for menu macros, 1006 speeding

large xref display, 597–599 rendering time, 813

SPELL command, 358, 359 spelling checker

customizing dictionary for, 359–360 using, 358–359

using other dictionaries, 361 sphere polygon meshes, 730–731 sphere solids, 751–752

spherical coordinates, 649 spirals, creating, 660 SPLFRAME system variable, 716 SPLINE command, 450–452 SPLINEDIT command, 452–454

splines

creating with SPLINE command, 450–452 editing with Properties palette, 455 editing with SPLINEDIT command, 452–454 as NURBS, 450

spotlights, 809–811

Sqrt square root function (AutoLISP), 1045

SSGET selection-set function (AutoLISP), 1067, 1068 SSLENGTH selection-set function (AutoLISP), 1068 SSNAME selection-set function (AutoLISP), 1068 S:STARTUP functions (AutoLISP), 1053, 1055–1056 stacked fractions, creating, 335–336

STANDARDS command, 852 standards for drawings

associating standards file with drawings, 852–853 CAD Standards tools, 851–856, 859–860

checking a drawing against standards, 853–854 checking multiple drawings, 856–857 Communication Center feature, 861

creating a standards file, 852 notifications for violations, 855–856 outside conventions for, 851 overview, 851

renaming named objects, 861–862 specifying CAD standards settings, 855–856 translating layers, 858–859

Standards Violation Alert message, 855 starting. See opening or running Startup dialog box, 27

Statistics dialog box, 831 status bar

customizing, 1133 overview, 18–19

STATUS command, 291–292, 295 Stmplot stamping utility, 518 storing. See also saving

hatches, files for, 460 queries, 640–641

STRCAT string function (AutoLISP), 1046 STRETCH command, 216–219, 401–403 strings (AutoLISP)

defined, 1045 functions, 1046–1047

working with, 1045–1048

STRLEN string function (AutoLISP), 1046 Subset Properties dialog box, 875 SUBST function (AutoLISP), 1067 substituting blocks, 542–543

SUBSTR string function (AutoLISP), 1046

Subtract A-B logical operator for selection sets, 639 Subtract B-A logical operator for selection sets, 639

SUBTRACT command for regions, 456 for solids, 762

subtracting solids, 762

Sun Angle Calculator dialog box, 812–813 superscripts, creating, 331 supplemental angles, dimensioning, 381

surfaces (AutoCAD). See also editing in 3D edge surfaces, 746–748

extruded or tabulated surfaces, 740–743 overview, 713–714

PEDIT options for 3D polygon meshes, 725 PFACE command for, 719–723

polyface meshes, 719–723 polygon meshes, 724–725 revolved surfaces, 736–740 ruled surfaces, 743–746 standard 3D shapes, 726–736

thickness for 2D objects, 655–656, 657 3DFACE command for, 714–719 3DMESH command, 724–725 wireframes versus, 713

Surfaces toolbar, 714

SURFTAB1 system variable, 741, 743, 746 SURFTAB2 system variable, 746

SW isometric view, 677–679

switches, command-line (AutoCAD), 1146–1147 symbols

in dimension styles, 412 geometric tolerance, 438–439

xrefs and dependent symbols, 594–595 system requirements

for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, 1127 for the CD-ROM with this book, 1159

system variables. See also specific variables for associativity of dimensions, 394 attribute insertion and, 569

AutoLISP for working with, 1057–1059 AutoLISP variables versus, 1057

controlling dialog box opening for commands, 949, 966, 1023

controlling display of curved surfaces, 750 controlling display of silhouettes, 750–751 controlling display of solids, 750–751 controlling display of spline-fit polylines, 716 controlling display of wireframes, 750 controlling display of WMF files, 896 controlling 3D display of polylines at

intersections, 657

controlling zooming with the wheel, 139 for dimension styles, 436

for dimensioning drawings from earlier versions, 365

system variables (continued) for Edit Text dialog box, 322

entering on command line, 105 help information for, 105

for hidden text, 658 for linetype scale, 284 listing, 292–293, 295

for matching UCS to orthographic viewpoint, 673 for mirroring text, 354

for number of lines in surfaces, 741, 743, 746 for old multiline text editor, 330

for overriding dimension styles, 436 overview, 105

read-only, 292

for retaining or deleting objects used for extruding, 757, 760

for returning to plan view when changing UCS, 685 for sample text, 330

setting, 293

single-document interface (SDI), 968 sorting by layer name and, 271

for 3D-face edge visibility, 716

toggles on drop-down menus and, 1022–1023 for xref activity logging, 604

for xref type, 587

T

TABLE command, 340

Table Style dialog box, 341–342

tables. See also external databases (AutoCAD) border properties, 343

cell margins, 343 cell properties, 343

changing table properties, 345–347 changing text in, 345

entering data into, 344–345

exporting to comma-delimited format, 347 formulas for cells, 344–345

grips for editing, 347 inserting, 340–341

inserting styles from DesignCenter, 840 specifying style for, 341–343

steps for creating, 347–349 TABLET command, 483–485 tablets. See digitizing tablets TABSURF command, 740–741

tabulated or extruded surfaces, 740–743 tape drives for backups, 863

tapering solid faces, 793–794 target

changing location in 3D orbit, 696 DVIEW options, 703

taskbar (Windows), separate buttons for drawings on, 30

taurus solids, 754–755

TCASE command (Express Tools), 357 TCIRCLE command (Express Tools), 357 TCOUNT command (Express Tools), 357 technical support, 1154–1155

templates

creating, 29–30, 106–107

creating with Attribute Extraction Wizard, 579–581 customizing the default, 29

defined, 27

finding location of, 104 label templates, 629–630 link templates, 622–624

opening drawing based on default, 28 saving layout template, 503

selecting for new drawing, 27

setting default for QNEW command, 27–28 in Startup dialog box, 27

title block in, 29, 104 units saved in, 95

temporary files, 887–888, 1136

tetrahedron (pyramid) polygon meshes, 728–729 text. See also strings (AutoLISP); tables; text styles;

title block

AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT fonts for, 354 Background Mask dialog box, 333, 334 bullets and numbered lists, 333

codes for special characters and formatting, 319–320

complex linetypes using, 977–980

creating multiple lines as separate objects, 316 creating paragraph (multiline) text, 330–337,

338–340

creating single-line text with DTEXT, 315, 320–321 DDEDIT command for, 322, 324

for dimensions, 364, 399, 414–416, 417–420 DTEXTED system variable, 322

editing dimension text, 399 editing paragraph text, 337–338 editing single-line text, 322–324 Express Tools (AutoCAD), 356–357 fields (AutoCAD), 349–353

finding in drawings, 357–358 freezing layers, 354

height setting, 318–319

Indents and Tabs dialog box, 332–333 insertion point, 316

justifying single-line text, 316–318, 323, 324 JUSTIFYTEXT command for, 323, 324

line spacing, 316, 336 managing, 353–357 mirroring objects and, 354

moving to front of drawing, 334 on paper space layout, 502

Properties palette for changing, 323 Quicktext, 353

rotation angle, 319, 337 scaling, 323

specifying spacing between lines, 316 spelling checker, 358–361

TEXT command for, 322, 324 text-entry programs on the CD, 316 width of, 326, 337

TEXT command, 322, 324 Text Style dialog box, 325–327 text styles

changing for object, 329 creating, 325–327, 328 deleting, 327

effects (orientation, width factor, oblique angle), 326–327

fonts, font styles, and text height, 326 importing, 329

inserting from DesignCenter, 840 making a style current, 329 modifying, 328, 329

overview, 325 renaming, 327

TEXTFIT command (Express Tools), 356 TEXTMASK command (Express Tools), 356 TEXTTOFRONT command, 334 TEXTUNMASK command (Express Tools), 356 textures, setting display to show, 687

thawed layer state, 254, 265–266 thickness

creating 2D surfaces with, 655–656

Hidden Line Settings dialog box and, 657–658 HIDE command and, 656

steps for working with, 660–661 top and bottom surfaces and, 657

3D coordinates. See also UCS (User Coordinate System); viewing 3D drawings

absolute, 647–648

creating 3D polylines, 654–655 cylindrical, 648–649

grips with, 653–654

object snaps (OSNAPS) with, 652, 653–654 point filters with, 652, 653–654

relative, 647–648 selecting objects and, 650 spherical, 649

2D commands and, 646–647

2D counterparts for, 646

2D editing commands with 3D wireframes, 649–650 UCS and, 661–668

using, 650–652

3D editing. See editing in 3D

3D orbit

adjusting camera distance, 695–696 changing camera and target locations, 696 clipping planes, 697–699

compass in, 693 continuous orbit, 694

controlling view height and width, 696

creating parallel and perspective views, 696–697 grid in, 693

keeping Z axis orientation steady, 695 lights in, 686

panning in, 695 preset views, 697

refining the view, 695–699 resetting the view after, 694 rolling, 689–690

rotating around horizontal axis, 692–693 rotating around vertical axis, 691–692 rotating freely, 690–691

shading options, 699 shortcut menu, 688 starting, 689

steps for working in, 699–700 3D UCS icon, 693

visual aids in, 693–694 zooming in, 695

3D shapes. See polygon meshes; solids

3D surfaces. See surfaces (AutoCAD) 3DARRAY command

for polar arrays, 775–777

for rectangular arrays, 773–775 3DFACE command, 714–719

3DMESH command, 724–725. See also polygon meshes 3DPOLY command, 654–655

3dspiral routine, 660

thumbnails, viewing in Select File dialog box, 30–31 tiled viewports

characteristics, 150

creating configurations, 151–152, 155 creating viewport views, 153

drawing from viewport to viewport, 153 floating viewports versus, 155

joining, 152

naming configurations, 155 removing, 152

Continued

tiled viewports (continued)

restoring configurations, 154, 155–156 saving configurations, 153–154

single viewport configuration, 150, 152 uses for, 150

for viewing 3D drawings, 700 TIME command, 294

time, tracking for drawings, 292–294, 295 title bar, showing or hiding, 19

title block

configuring sheet sets, 872–873 defined, 104

inserting an existing title block, 104 inserting in layout, 497

Quick Start example, 8–9 in templates, 29, 104

toggling. See turning on and off TOLERANCE command, 436 tolerance feature-control frames

editing, 439

example drawing using, 436–437 inserting, 439

starting, 437–439

steps for creating, 439–440

tolerances for dimensions, 427–429, 436–440

tool palettes. See also Tool Palettes window; specific palettes and tools

adding command tools, 844–845 adding content tools, 843–844 closing all palettes, 38

creating, 843, 848–850, 962 customizing, 962–963 deleting palettes, 846, 963 deleting tools from, 846 dragging hatches to, 461, 468 exporting, 846

flyouts for tools on, 39 importing and exporting, 963 locking position of, 18 options, 847–848

organizing, 848

organizing into groups, 963 renaming, 846, 962

reordering in Tool Palettes window, 846, 962 setting tool properties, 845–848

updating tools, 847 using, 39, 848–850

Tool Palettes window. See also tool palettes copying tools, 845

creating a new tool palette, 843 drawing lines using, 21 options, 847–848

overview, 842

reordering tool palettes, 846, 962 Tool Properties dialog box, 845–847

toolbars. See also specific toolbars and tools adding buttons, 954–955

closing, 38

creating button icons, 957–958 creating new toolbars, 953–958 customizing, 952–962

defining your own buttons, 955–957 docking and undocking, 38

dragging buttons to tool palettes, 844–845 flyouts for tools on, 38

locking position of, 18 moving, 38

overview, 17–18, 38

partial customizable file for, 953, 954, 961 removing buttons from, 953

showing or hiding, 19 undoing changes, 961

Toolbox toolbar (VBA), 1113–1114

tools. See also tool palettes; Tool Palettes window; specific tools

copying, 845

creating by example, 843–844 defined, 39

deleting from palettes, 846 flyouts for, 38, 39

moving in or between palettes, 846 setting properties for, 845–848 updating, 847

top view, 673–674

TORIENT command (Express Tools), 357 torus polygon meshes, 732–733

tracking

in AutoCAD LT, horizontal and vertical, 89 AutoTrack settings, 1143

drawing time, 292–294, 295

object snap tracking (AutoCAD), 85–89 polar tracking, 68–71

translating layers, 858–859 TRANSPARENCY command, 902–903 transparent commands, 48–49

trial versions of programs about, 1166

AutoCAD LT, obtaining, 15 AutoCAD (on the CD), 15

TRIM command, 192, 208–211, 781 tripod, 682–684

troubleshooting

CD-ROM with this book, 1166

complex drawings, INTERFERE command for, 764

debugging and trapping errors (VBA), 1122 debugging (Visual LISP), 1086–1092

Quick Start example, 11 recovering from crashes, 889–890

repairing corrupted drawing files, 888–889 taking care of temporary files, 887–888 using backup drawings, 889

working with drawings from earlier releases, 890–891

True Color lights, 807 TrueType fonts, 997 turning on and off

attribute visibility, 571 AutoTrack tooltip (AutoCAD), 69

coordinate settings, toggling, 82–83 demand loading for xrefs, 1137 DesignCenter tree view, 837 dimension tooltip, 61

Display Tracking tooltip (AutoCAD LT), 69 double-clicking to edit objects, 230 Dynamic Input feature, 40, 58

FILL, 129–130

grid display, 73, 74 grips, 238

ortho mode, 67 polar tracking, 69 Quicktext, 353

real-time panning, 136 settings for, 814–815 shadows, 813, 814

snap to grid feature, 72, 73 steps for creating, 815–817 UCS icon display, 160

2D commands

editing commands with 3D wireframes, 649–650 3D coordinates and, 646–647

2D profiles of 3D objects

SOLDRAW command for, 709–710 SOLPROF command for, 710–711 TXTEXP command (Express Tools), 356

TXT2MTXT command (Express Tools), 356

U

UCS dialog box, 159–160 UCS icon

broken-pencil icon (AutoCAD), 662–663 Cartesian coordinates and, 57 controlling display of, 160–161

default display, 158 overview, 17

in 3D, 661–663, 693 viewpoints and, 662

UCS (User Coordinate System). See also Cartesian coordinates; polar coordinates; 3D coordinates; viewing 3D drawings

changing to match orthographic views, 673 controlling the UCS icon, 160–161

creating UCSs, 666–668 options, 158–159, 664–665

overriding to use World Coordinate System, 62 restoring a saved UCS, 160

returning to plan view when changing, 685 rotating drawings with custom UCS, 157 saving a custom UCS, 159

snap rotation, 156–158

3D coordinates and, 661–668 using a custom UCS, 161–163 UCSFOLLOW system variable, 685

UCSICON system variable, 1022–1023 UCSORTHO system variable, 673 UNDO command, 46–47, 525 undocking toolbars, 38

undoing

commands, 45–46, 47 toolbar changes, 961 user preferences for, 1143

Unicode fonts, 998 UNION command

for regions, 456 for solids, 761–762

Union logical operator for selection sets, 639 units

alternate, for dimensions, 424–425 angle measure and direction, 97–98 angle types, 96–97

in calculator expressions, 306, 307 converting with calculator, 309 coordinates and, 58, 96

default for inserted objects, 1141 measurement notation and, 58 primary, for dimensions, 422–424, 426 setting for a drawing, 96, 98

types of, 95 unloading

customizable files, 1000–1002

partial customizable file for toolbars, 961 raster images, 901

unlocked layer state, 254, 265, 266 updating

blocks, 541–542

Communication Center feature for, 861 dimensions, 432

drawing properties, 865 fields, 351–352

tools, 847

upside down text, 327

User Coordinate System. See UCS user forms (VBA)

adding button labels, 1116–1117

adding command buttons, 1115–1116, 1117 adding other controls, 1117

changing properties, 1114–1115 coding command buttons, 1116, 1118 ease of creating, 1112–1113

Toolbox toolbar for, 1113–1114 user input

for AutoLISP, 1070–1072 for VBA, 1110–1112, 1119

user interface. See interface user preferences

for fields, 1142

for hidden lines and lineweights, 1142 for insertion scale, 1141

for shortcut menus, 1140–1141 user profiles, 1145

V

variables (AutoLISP) creating, 1051–1052 defined, 1051

global and local variables, 1077–1078 system variables versus, 1057

using in commands, 1051 variables, dimension, 948 variables (QuickCalc), 310

variables, system. See system variables variables (VBA)

levels of, 1108 overview, 1107–1109 variable types, 1108

VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) accessing other applications, 1121 adding a module, 1096

advanced programming, 1123 advantages of, 1096 AutoLISP versus, 1096 circle-drawing routine, 1119

components of VBA code, 1101–1102 constants, 1109, 1120

creating dialog boxes (user forms), 1112–1118 creating, saving, and running a program, 1106–1107 creating statements, 1109–1110

debugging and trapping errors, 1122–1123 functions, 1109, 1120, 1122

getting user input, 1110–1112, 1119 help, 1100–1101

hierarchy model, 1098–1099

inserting procedures, 1102 keywords, 1109

loading routines, 1105 methods, 1098

modifying objects, 1120, 1122 modules, defined, 1096

opening the environment, 1096–1097 operators, 1110

overview, 1095–1096, 1097–1100 programs on the CD, 1163 properties of objects, 1098 running routines, 1105

saving routines in files, 1104–1105 syntax for routines, 1103–1104 Toolbox toolbar, 1113–1114 user-input methods, 1111

using the Visual Basic Editor, 1105–1106 variables, 1107–1109

viewing objects, 1097–1098 vector programs, 135

vee function (QuickCalc), 310 vee1 function (QuickCalc), 310 vertical text, 327

View dialog box, 145–146 viewing. See displaying or viewing

viewing 3D drawings. See also 3D coordinates changing UCS to match orthographic views, 673 DDVPOINT command for, 679–682

defining perspective views, 700–708 EXPLAN command for, 685

layout in paper space, 708–711 PLAN command for, 684–685

plan view versus perspective view, 645–646, 671–672

returning to plan view when changing UCS, 685 setting viewpoints, 673

shading drawings, 685–688

standard viewpoints for, 673–679, 681–682 3D orbit for, 688–700

tiled viewports for, 700

tripod and compass for, 682–684 2D techniques for, 672

VPOINT command for, 673, 682–684 Viewpoint Presets dialog box, 679–680 viewports. See floating viewports; tiled viewports Viewports dialog box

creating viewport configurations, 151–152 Named Viewports tab, 154

New Viewports tab, 154

views. See also viewing 3D drawings changing layer states for, 147

changing UCS to match orthographic views, 673

creating for tiled viewports, 153 defined, 145

defining several at once, 147 deleting, 147

displaying, 147

displaying descriptions of, 147 editing boundaries, 147 elevation views, 675–676

as floating viewports, 145 hidden and shaded, 501 isometric views, 677–679 for large drawings, 146

managing drawings with, 148–150 named views, 145–150

opening drawing with view displayed, 149 for partially opening a drawing, 149

plan views, 673–674 preset, in 3D orbit, 697 renaming, 147

resetting after 3D orbit, 694 saving, 145–147

setting with VPOINT command, 673 sheet sets with, 150

standard viewpoints, 673–679, 681–682 working with, 147–148

visibility

of attributes, toggling, 571 layer states and, 254, 265

parameters for dynamic blocks, 550–552 of 3D face edges, 715–716

Visibility States dialog box, 551–552 Visual Basic Editor (VBA), 1105–1106 Visual Basic for Applications. See VBA Visual LISP. See also AutoLISP (AutoCAD)

ActiveX with, 1083–1086 comments, 1042, 1072–1073 debugging code, 1086–1092 features of, 1036

help, 1043–1044

opening and loading AutoLISP file, 1036–1037 saving routines in files, 1048–1050

starting, 1036 tools, 1041–1042

using the interface, 1041–1043 Visual LISP Editor

coloring system, 1049

creating Visual LISP files, 1048–1050 VLISP. See Visual LISP

volumetric shadows, 814. See also shadows VPOINT command, 673, 682–684

VPSCALE command (Express Tools), 502 VPSYNC command (Express Tools), 502

W

Watch window (Visual LISP), 1091–1092 Wb.exe programs (on the CD), 543 WBLOCK command, 542–543, 560

WCS (World Coordinate System)

overriding Dynamic Input settings to use, 62 overview, 158

plan view in, 671–672

Web integration. See Internet integration Web sites. See Internet resources

wedge polygon meshes, 727–728 wedge solids, 754

WHILE function (AutoLISP), 1062–1064 width factor of text, 326

width of text, 326, 337

window drawing example. See Quick Start WINDOW layer, 4–6

Windows Metafile Format (WMF) controlling display of exported files, 896 exporting to, 896–897

importing files, 897–898 Windows (Microsoft)

Clipboard, 172, 177, 560–561, 562

creating keyboard shortcuts to programs, 949–950 drag-and-drop feature, 561–562

opening drawings from Explorer, 31 separate buttons for drawings in taskbar, 30

WIPEOUT command, 229–230 wireframe display

elevation, 659–661

Hidden Line Settings dialog box and, 657–658 HIDE command and, 656, 657, 658

thickness, 655–658, 660–661 wireframes versus, 658

wireframes. See also 3D coordinates limitations of, 655

piano bench example, 650–652 selecting objects and, 650 surfaces versus, 713

2D editing commands with, 649–650 wireframe display versus, 658

wizards

Add Plot Style Table, 508

Attribute Extraction Wizard, 574–579, 581–583 Create Sheet Set Wizard, 867–869

Layout Wizard, 489–493 Publish to Web, 929–932 setting up a drawing with, 107

WMF (Windows Metafile Format) controlling display of exported files, 896 exporting to, 896–897

importing files, 897–898

WMFBKGND system variable, 896 WMFFOREGND system variable, 896

Word (Microsoft), using dictionary from, 361 workspaces, 1132–1133

World Coordinate System. See WCS Write Block dialog box, 526–527

X

X, Y coordinates. See Cartesian coordinates XBIND command, 594–595

XCLIP command, 595–596

XLINE command, 116–117. See also construction lines XLIST command (Express Tools), 542, 602

XOPEN command, 587

XOR logical operator for selection filters, 244 XPLODE command, 539–540

Xref Manager attaching xrefs, 586 features of, 601–602

order of searching for xrefs, 588 viewing xref relationships, 588

XREFCTL system variable, 604 xrefs (external references)

advantages over blocks, 585 attaching, 585–587, 588–590, 839 changing path for, 887

circular references, 595 clipping (AutoCAD), 595–597 controlling display of, 594–601 defined, 585

demand loading, 597, 1137 dependent symbols and, 594–595 editing in place, 590–594

keeping track of, 886–887 layer indexes for, 598–599 layers and, 594

log file, 604–605 managing, 601–605

moving between drawings, 603–604 notification, 602–603

opening, 587 overlaying, 587

selecting to edit, 590–592 spatial indexes for, 598

speeding display of large xrefs, 597–599 viewing relationships, 588

XREFTYPE system variable, 587

Z

Zip files for sheet sets, 880 ZOOM command

Dynamic option, 139, 140–141 mouse wheel and, 139 options, 139–140

overview, 138–139 real-time zoom, 136

switching between panning and zooming, 140–141 transparent use of, 48–49

using, 141–143

ZOOMFACTOR system variable, 139 zooming

with Aerial View, 144 in DVIEW, 704

in 3D orbit, 695

with ZOOM command, 138–143