Autodesk AUTOSKETCH 8 User Manual

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AutoSketch

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RELEASE 8

User's Guide

October, 2001

Table of Contents

Summary of Contents for Autodesk AUTOSKETCH 8

Page 1 AutoSketch ™ RELEASE 8 User’s Guide October, 2001...
Page 2 MATERIALS DESCRIBED HEREIN. Autodesk, Inc. reserves the right to revise and improve its products as it sees fit. This publication describes the state of this product at the time of its publication, and may not reflect the product at all times in the future.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Contents Part I First Things to Know ....... . 1 Chapter 1 Welcome .
Page 4 Accessing Autodesk Point A ........42...
Page 5 Chapter 6 Customizing the Grid ........59 Changing the Grid .
Page 6 Entering the Center of an Arc or Circle ......109 Entering a Point to Create a Tangent......110 Entering a Quadrant Point on an Arc or Circle .
Page 7 Managing Symbol Libraries ....... 177 Editing Symbol Definitions ....... 178 Using AutoExplode .
Page 8 Angular Dimensions......... .232 Changing Angular Dimensions With the Mouse .
Page 9 Scaling an Entity ..........281 Stretching an Entity .
Page 10 Chapter 26 Making Inquiries ........321 Displaying Information About a Specific Entity .
Page 11: First Things To Know
Part 1 First Things to Know Chapter 1 Welcome Chapter 2 Important Concepts Chapter 3 Screen Layout...
Page 13: Chapter 1 Welcome
Welcome AutoSketch is a precision drawing tool for the In this chapter ® Contents of package Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, System requirements Windows ME, Windows 2000, and Windows XP Device drivers environments. It is developed for use by anyone who Installing AutoSketch needs fast, accurate drawings and wants the power and Registering AutoSketch...
Page 14: Contents Of Package
The emphasis throughout AutoSketch is on speed, power, and ease of use. Features appear when you need them but are kept out of the way when you don’t. If you’re already a Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP user, you’ll find the menu system and much of the screen familiar.
Page 15: Device Drivers
Device Drivers As a Windows program, AutoSketch uses the device drivers provided by Microsoft and others specifically for use with Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. AutoSketch itself does not provide drivers for printers, plotters, display adapters, pointing devices, and so on.
Page 16: Registering Autosketch
To run AutoSketch after installation is complete, Programs, AutoSketch. Registering AutoSketch You can use Microsoft Internet Explorer to launch Autodesk Online Software Registration during installation. Registering makes you eligible for technical support and for early notification when new product releases become available. It also provides Autodesk with important information about how you use your software.
Page 17: Visual Cues
“How-to” information appears in numbered steps. This simplifies the learn- ing process for new users and helps experienced users find essential information quickly. Instructions for installing and using Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP do not appear in this guide. If you are uncomfortable with your knowledge of Windows, review Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP online Help before attempting any serious work with...
Page 18: Illustrations
Illustrations This guide uses two types of illustrations. One depicts the AutoSketch screen or some element onscreen. When this type of illustration is necessary, every effort is made to depict the element exactly as it appears on the actual display. The other type of illustration demonstrates an action or principle.
Page 19: Online Help
Online Help AutoSketch includes an extensive online Help system. This system includes all of the information found in the AutoSketch User’s Guide, plus information not found in the guide. Advanced topics, such as information on tracing, importing and exporting, and customizing AutoSketch, are found exclu- sively in online Help.
Page 20 Chapter 1 Welcome...
Page 21: Chapter 2 Important Concepts
Important Concepts AutoSketch allows you to create drawings that are In this chapter Entities attractive, precise, and information rich. The building Properties blocks of any AutoSketch drawing are its entities, whose Coordinates geometry and appearance are defined by properties. A Drawing origin hallmark of AutoSketch is its ability to store drawing Scale...
Page 22 You are probably familiar with “paint” and “draw” programs that are com- mon on personal computers. A paint program creates an image by assigning colors to each dot in a rectangular array of dots. A draw program creates an image by defining objects mathematically. A line, for example, is a specific pattern of dots in a paint program.
Page 23: Entities
Entities Each item you add to a drawing is called an entity. Entities are the building blocks of a drawing. Other programs may refer to entities as objects, items, or elements. AutoSketch creates the following entity types: Arc—An arc is a portion of a circle. You can use an arc to show the direc- tion a door swings, a rounded wall, and so on.
Page 24 Marker—A marker is a special entity that notes a specific point in a draw- ing. For more information, see the chapter titled “Markers,” which begins on page 241. OLE Object—An OLE object is a special entity created in one application and embedded into another.
Page 25: Properties
Properties Properties, the individual qualities that define an entity, are divided into three categories: Geometric properties—those that define an entity’s size, position, and so on. AutoSketch assigns geometric properties automatically as you draw and edit. Graphic properties—those that specify the appearance of an entity. Graphic properties include layer, color, width, style, and pattern.
Page 26: Drawing Origin
AutoSketch expresses location in three ways: xy (Cartesian), polar, and isometric coordinates. X-and y-coordinates express location in terms of hori- zontal and vertical distances from another point. Polar coordinates express location in terms of distance (radius) and angle. For example, the xy coordi- nates 7,5 are equivalent to the polar coordinates 8.6,35.5.
Page 27: Grid Origin
Grid Origin The grid origin is similar to the drawing origin in function and appearance. However, the grid origin serves as a reference point for grid coordinates only. By default the grid origin is located at the drawing coordinates 0,0, for example, at the drawing origin.
Page 28 Chapter 2 Important Concepts...
Page 29: Screen Layout
Screen Layout The AutoSketch screen provides an assortment of In this chapter Title bar features that make it easy to create precise technical Menu bar drawings. This chapter describes the components of the Drawing windows AutoSketch screen. Drawing and grid origin Toolbars In most cases, this chapter does not provide detailed Property bar...
Page 30: Title Bar
Title Bar The AutoSketch title bar extends across the top of the application window. It displays the name of the program and the name of the current drawing file if the window that contains the drawing is maximized. The buttons at the right end of the title bar allow you to minimize, maximize, close, or restore the AutoSketch window.
Page 31: Drawing Windows
To use the keyboard, press ALT and type the underlined letter in the menu name, then the underlined letter in the menu item’s name. If there is a cascading menu, you must type another letter. You can also use arrow keys to move through menu items, and press ENTER to select one.
Page 32 The active window contains the drawing on which you are currently working and is the only one in which you can make changes. Normally, the title bar of the active window is displayed in a color different from those of other windows.
Page 33: Scroll Bars
Scroll Bars Scroll bars allow you to move across the drawing—that is, to change the part of the drawing visible in the window without changing the level of magnification. To move the view in small increments, click the scroll arrow that points in the direction you want to move.
Page 34: Drawing And Grid Origin
Some tools, such as Redraw and Extent, affect only the “active” pane. When there is only one pane, it is always active. When the drawing window is split into multiple panes, the active pane is the one to which the active pane indi- cator points.
Page 35: Toolbars
Toolbars Clicking a button on a toolbar has the same effect as choosing the menu item or operating mode it represents. A toolbar often contains more buttons than are practical to display at once. Because of this, buttons are divided into toolsets. Each toolset contains a group of buttons that represent similar functions.
Page 36: Property Bar
In all, there are 31 predefined toolbars in AutoSketch. Most consist of tools that are also available as toolsets on the All-In-One toolbar. Others, such as the Grid toolbar, contain unique commands that are useful to specific situations. The visibility of all toolbars can be controlled from the Toolbars dialog box by checking or unchecking the toolbars.
Page 37: Edit Bar
You can change the location of the property bar by clicking and dragging it. The property bar can also be docked alongside another toolbar. To dock the property bar, simply click the left edge of the bar and drag it alongside another toolbar.
Page 38: Status Bar
Status Bar The status bar has two principal components: the message area and the dial. The message area occupies the left end of the status bar and displays prompts and other messages. The message area provides step-by-step instructions during most procedures. You can specify the information displayed in the message area by right- clicking the status bar then clicking Properties on the pop-up menu that appears.
Page 39 Update to Match Grid and Ruler check box. You can also select whether absolute or relative coordinates are displayed by checking their correspond- ing check boxes. You can specify whether the status bar is hidden or displayed by right- clicking any bar, and clicking Status on the pop-up menu. If Status is checked, it is displayed.
Page 40: Content Librarian
Content Librarian The Content Librarian is an easy-to-use bar for displaying and placing symbols, solid colors, hatch patterns, and bitmap fills. When you start AutoSketch, the Content Librarian is visible on the right side of the applica- tion window. It consists of three tabbed pages and a display window. Depending on which page is displayed, the Content Librarian may also have additional tools displayed along the bottom.
Page 41: Pop-Up Menus
Pop-up Menus Pop-up menus provide quick access to tools applicable to a specific situation or task. They appear beside the pointer when you right-click specific parts of the screen. These menus are context sensitive—that is, they contain choices that are applicable in the context of your current situation. A pop-up menu is available when the pointer is over: The property bar, edit bar, or status bar A toolbar...
Page 42 Chapter 3 Screen Layout...
Page 43: Managing Drawing Files
Part 2 Managing Drawing Files Chapter 4 Opening & Saving Drawings Chapter 5 Setting Up a New Drawing Chapter 6 Customizing the Grid Chapter 7 Printing & Plotting Chapter 8 Controlling Views Chapter 9 Entering & Modifying Points Chapter 10 Entering Lengths & Angles...
Page 45: Opening & Saving Drawings
Combining two drawings you must open it—that is, display it on your screen. Saving a drawing Once the drawing file is open, you can modify, print, Closing a drawing save, and view it. Finding a Drawing Accessing Autodesk Point A...
Page 46: Opening A Drawing File
You can have more than one drawing file open at a time. The exact number of files that can be open depends on the amount of memory in your system and the complexity of the drawing files. When you open a drawing file, AutoSketch displays the drawing in a new window on top of any open drawing windows.
Page 47 3 Click the name of the drawing you want to open in the Filename list box, or enter the name of the drawing in the Filename text box. 4 (optional) If you want to open a file of a different type, click a new file type from the Files of Type drop-down list box.
Page 48: Combining Two Drawings
Click the History icon in the Places List at the left of the dialog box to navigate to the Internet locations from which you’ve recently down- loaded or stored drawings. 3 If you selected Search the Web in step 2, enter the complete URL of the file in the File Name text box.
Page 49: Saving A Drawing
drawing you merge both have layers named “Walls,” but the settings for that layer are not the same, AutoSketch uses the settings for the current drawing. To merge another drawing with the current drawing 1 On the File menu, click Merge. The Merge Drawing File dialog box appears.
Page 50 The File page of the Drawing Options dialog box lets you specify whether AutoSketch should create backup files when you save a file, whether it should automatically save the current file at a time interval set by you, and whether you want the File New dialog box or the Start Up dialog box to appear when you click New on the File menu, or start AutoSketch.
Page 51: Closing A Drawing
Closing a Drawing When you finish working with a drawing file, close it to remove the window from the screen and to free up your computer’s memory. When you are done working in AutoSketch, close all your drawing files and exit the program. To close a file On the File menu, click Close.
Page 52: Accessing Autodesk Point A
Autodesk customers. Clicking the Point A button launches the Point A site in your Internet browser. To access Autodesk Point A Click the Point A button on the standard toolbar to launch Autodesk Point A in your Internet browser. Chapter 4 Opening & Saving Drawings...
Page 53: Setting Up A New Drawing
Setting Up a New Drawing Starting a new drawing is as easy as clicking a button. In this chapter The WIzards AutoSketch offers many options that allow you to tailor Creating a new drawing a drawing file to your needs. This chapter discusses most Selecting a template of the options available when starting a new drawing.
Page 54: The Wizards
The Wizards Since Wizards are, in general, self-explanatory, this book does not cover them in detail. For a more complete discussion of Wizards, see online Help. When you first begin AutoSketch, the Start Up dialog box appears. The Wizard page lists several Wizards that direct you through various drawing processes.
Page 55 To create a new drawing from start up using default settings In the Start Up dialog box, click Create New Drawing From Scratch, then click OK. The AutoSketch application window appears using the default template and settings. To create a new drawing from start up using custom settings 1 On the Start Up dialog box, click Create Precision Drawing, then click OK.
Page 56: Selecting A Template
To disable the New dialog box 1 On the Tools menu, click Drawing Options. The Drawing Options dialog box appears. 2 Click the File page tab, then uncheck the Show File New Dialog check box. When this box is checked, the New dialog box appears when you click New on the File menu.
Page 57: Setting The Drawing Scale
3 Click the template you want to delete in the Templates list box, then click Delete. 4 AutoSketch prompts you for a confirmation. Click Yes, then click Close. To add a template 1 Click the Template page tab in the Start Up or New dialog boxes. 2 Click the Organize Templates button.
Page 58 AutoSketch features two automatic scaling functions on the Scale page of the Drawing Options dialog box that make setting your drawing scale easier. AutoScale selects the closest scale from the current scale list. AutoFit calculates a non-standard scaling factor that scales your drawing to the largest size that will fit on the printed page.
Page 59: Moving The Drawing Origin
To create a custom scale 1 On the Tools menu, click Drawing Options. The Drawing Options dialog box appears. 2 Click the Scale page tab, then click the Custom page tab. 3 Enter a value in the Page text box. This is the measurement used to repre- sent real-world objects in your drawing.
Page 60 To place the drawing origin at the lower-left hand corner or center of the page 1 On the Tools menu, click Drawing Options. The Drawing Options dialog box appears. 2 Click the Scale page tab. 3 Click Lower Left Corner or Center from the Drawing Origin drop-down list box.
Page 61: Setting The Page Size
1 On the View menu, click Options. The View Options dialog box appears. 2 Click the Appearance page tab. 3 Uncheck the Drawing Origin check box. When checked, the drawing origin is displayed, when unchecked, the drawing origin is hidden from view.
Page 62 To change the default printer page options 1 On the File menu, click Page Setup. The Page Setup dialog box appears. 2 Click the Printer Page page tab. 3 Click an item from the Paper Size drop-down list box. Notice that the paper dimensions appear in the grayed boxes below the Paper Size drop- down list box.
Page 63: Using Rulers
Using Rulers Rulers appear along the top and left sides of the drawing window. They rep- resent units of measurement either in actual size, or the page size, depending on which ruler is active. Actual (world) rulers are based upon scale settings you choose and indicate the actual size your drawing represents.
Page 64: Setting The Margins
Setting the Margins Most printers cannot print on the margin. AutoSketch indicates the margins onscreen with a shaded band around the page. When you create a new draw- ing, AutoSketch reads the hard margin from the current Windows printer driver. You can specify a larger margin using the Page Setup dialog box, but the hard margin is the minimum margin that your printer driver supports.
Page 65: Setting The International Units Of Measurement
Each type of measurement (e.g., linear, angular, etc.) has its own precision settings. These settings control how AutoSketch formats numbers for output. Regardless of these precision settings, AutoSketch always performs all calculations at the maximum possible precision. Setting the International Units of Measurement AutoSketch lets you set the default measurement system for Windows from within the program.
Page 66: Setting The Angular Units Of Measurement
Setting the Angular Units of Measurement AutoSketch allows you to choose from six standard units of measurement for angles: degrees, degrees-minutes-seconds, minutes, radians, bearing, and grads. You can specify the precision AutoSketch uses to display angular values from 1.0 to 0.0000001. You can specify whether AutoSketch measures angles using the standard format or using compass orientation.
Page 67: Setting Decimal Precision For Scalar Values
Setting Decimal Precision for Scalar Values AutoSketch allows you to set the decimal precision for scalar values. Scalar values are unitless numbers, such as symbol scale or a bulge factor for a polyline segment. The choices for decimal precision range from 1 to 0.0000001.
Page 68 Chapter 5 Setting Up a New Drawing...
Page 69: Chapter 6 Customizing The Grid
Customizing the Grid Grids help you create precise drawings. The pattern of In this chapter Changing the grid lines, crosses, or dots which represent the grid visually is Using guidelines an invaluable tool. Use the reference grid as a visual aid Using the Grid edit bar for drawing, or increase the precision and uniformity of Using the Grid toolbar...
Page 70 AutoSketch’s reference grid is an onscreen drawing aid consisting of a snap grid and a pattern of lines, crosses, or dots which represent the grid visually. You can use the reference grid as a visual aid for drawing, or you can increase the precision and uniformity of the points you enter by using Gridpoint snap to automatically snaps points you enter to the grid.
Page 71: Changing The Grid
from the Grid edit bar. If your drawing requires you to switch grid types often, you can also use the Grid toolbar to change the grid type or to double or halve the size of the grid. Another way to use onscreen drawing aids is to place guidelines in the draw- ing.
Page 72 specific alignment or angle, you can rotate the grid. This realigns the pattern of lines and dots in the reference grid, affecting both the snap points avail- able in Gridpoint snap and the X-axis, Y-axis, and Orthogonal lock modifiers. To set up the rectangular reference grid 1 On the Tools menu, click Drawing Options.
Page 73 The circular grid is a useful tool for drawings that require points to align along an arc or circle. However, when setting up the circular grid, it is almost always necessary to reposition the Grid Origin so the radial lines of the grid are aligned correctly with the drawing.
Page 74 There are three isometric grid types to choose from—each offering a different drawing plane for the snap grid. Isometric Top aligns the snap and line grids along 30- and 150- degree axes. Isometric Left aligns the grids along 90- and 150- degree axes.
Page 75: Changing The Appearance Of The Grid And The Drawing Origin
9 (optional) Click a number of subdivisions between major lines in the Minor Subdivisions drop-down list box. 10 (optional) Enter an offset distance between the minor and major lines in the Minor Offset distance text box. 11 (optional) In the Grid Position section, enter new coordinates in the Origin text boxes.
Page 76 4 (optional) Click a line style from the Major Style and Minor Style drop- down list boxes. 5 (optional) Click a size from the Cross Size drop-down list box. 6 Click OK. Changing the size of the crosses that make up the reference grid also NOTE affects the size of the drawing origin.
Page 77: Using Guidelines
Using Guidelines While the regularity of the reference grid allows you to place points with great precision, some points require more flexibility. Guidelines are lines or circles that you place using techniques similar to those used to draw regular lines or circles. However, guidelines behave like the reference grid—while they are saved as part of the drawing, they are not actual drawing entities and only provide a drawing reference.
Page 78 To place a rotated guideline 1 On the Draw menu, click Guidelines, or click the Edit Guidelines button on the Standard toolbar. The edit bar displays tools for drawing guidelines. 2 Enter an angle in the Angle text box on the edit bar. 3 Click the Rotated Guideline button on the edit bar.
Page 79 To place a circular guideline by entering its centerpoint and radius 1 On the Draw menu, click Guidelines, or click the Edit Guidelines button on the Standard toolbar. The edit bar displays tools for drawing guidelines. 2 Enter a distance in the Radius text box on the edit bar. 3 Click the Center-Radius Circle Guideline button on the edit bar.
Page 80: Using The Grid Edit Bar
Using the Grid Edit Bar AutoSketch’s Grid edit bar, allows you to alter the current grid, or select a new grid type. The Grid edit bar has many controls similar to those found on the Grid page of the Drawing Options dialog box, including those that control: Grid type Grid snap interval Major line interval...
Page 81: Changing Other Grid Settings On The Grid Edit Bar
To change grid types 1 Click the Edit Grid button on the Standard toolbar. The Grid edit bar appears. 2 Select a grid type from the Grid Type drop-down list box. 3 (optional) Enter new coordinates for the grid origin in the Grid Origin text box and press ENTER.
Page 82: Using The Grid Toolbar
To change grid appearance from the Grid edit bar Click the View Options button at the left end of the Grid edit bar. The View Options dialog box appears with the Appearance page displayed. Follow the instructions in “Setting Up the Grid” on page 61. To change grid settings from the Grid edit bar Click the Grid Options button near the left end of the Grid edit bar.
Page 83 To change the grid type and size using the Grid toolbar 1 Click one of the Grid Type buttons (Rectangular, Circular, Isometric Top, Isometric Left, or Isometric Right) on the Grid toolbar. 2 Click one of the Grid Size buttons on the Grid toolbar. Using the Grid Toolbar...
Page 84 Chapter 6 Customizing the Grid...
Page 85: Chapter 7 Printing, Plotting, And Publishing
Printing, Plotting, and Publishing After you have created your drawing with AutoSketch, In this chapter Understanding page tiling you can create hardcopy output using the printing and Selecting an output device plotting functions. When you are ready to share your Printing a drawing to scale drawings with others, AutoSketch eTransmit provides Printing a drawing to fit on...
Page 86 Most of the time, printing in AutoSketch is a simple, single command proce- dure. However, AutoSketch provides many advanced printing features. You can print your drawing to scale or force it to fit on a single printer page. If you want to create output that is larger than your printer supports, AutoSketch can automatically tile your output onto several pages.
Page 87: Understanding Page Tiling
To print a drawing using the current settings 1 On the File menu, click Print. The Print dialog box appears. 2 Click OK. Click the Print button on the Standard toolbar. To cancel printing Press ESC. Understanding Page Tiling If you create a drawing that is larger than a single printer page, AutoSketch automatically tiles it across multiple pages.
Page 88: Selecting An Output Device
Selecting an Output Device AutoSketch normally prints your drawings using the current Windows printer. However, you can print using any installed printer. The Print dialog box allows you to specify a printer or plotter from among those that are currently installed. To set hardware parameters for an active printer 1 On the File menu, click Print.
Page 89: Printing A Drawing To Fit On A Page
4 To print the grid, check the Print Grid check box. For more information, see “Setting Up the Grid” on page 61. Note that you must have the Show Grid option selected in the View Options dialog box to print the grid. 5 Click OK.
Page 90: Setting The Drawing Scale Automatically
To print all or part of the drawing as large as possible on multiple pages 1 On the File menu, click Page Setup. The Page Setup dialog box appears. 2 Click the Size page tab. 3 To specify the size to print in terms of printer pages, click the Tiling Pattern option button.
Page 91: Publishing A Drawing File Set Using Etransmit
To customize your web page, you can edit the template file that creates the web page. The template, eTransmit.htt, is located in: Install Drive\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoSketch\Properties. If you do not want to create a web page, uncheck the Make web page files check box.
Page 92 To customize your web page, you can edit the template file that creates the web page. The template, eTransmit.htt, is located in: Install Drive\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoSketch\Properties If you do not want to create a web page, uncheck the Make web page files check box.
Page 93: Publishing A Drawing To The Web
NOTE To view DWF format drawing files, you will need to download a free copy of Volo View Express from the Autodesk.com website. Using Publish to Web, you can quickly and easily create an attractively formatted Web page, even if you are not familiar with HTML coding. After creating a Web page, you can post it to an Internet or intranet location.
Page 94: Customizing A Publish To Web Template
Following are some examples of ways in which you can use the Publish to Web wizard to create a Web page: Templates—You can choose one of four templates for the layout of your Web page or customize your own template. Theme—You can apply a theme to the template you’ve chosen.
Page 95 AutoSketch. To change the color scheme of existing themes, edit the appropri- ate .css file and corresponding .bmp file located in the Install Drive\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoSketch\Templates\PTWTemplates\Support folder. To add new themes, add the .css and .bmp files to the same folder. The name of the themes that appear in the Publish to Web - Apply Theme dialog box are specified in the .css file.
Page 96 Template3—Contains the List of Drawings template, a preview image, and HTML frames Template4—Contains the List Plus Summary template, a preview image, and HTML frames 2 Select the template folder containing the template you want to modify 3 Copy the template folder and all of its contents, paste it into the PTWTemplates folder, and rename the new folder.
Page 97: Chapter 8 Controlling Views
Controlling Views AutoSketch provides many options for looking at your In this chapter Viewing several areas at drawing onscreen. You can display several windows or once panes, each containing different drawings or different Using preset views views of the same drawing. Additionally, AutoSketch Zooming in and out Panning across the features many tools for modifying your view directly—...
Page 98: Viewing Several Areas At Once
AutoSketch provides many options for looking at your drawing onscreen. You can display several windows, each containing the same or different drawings. Each window can display one, two, or four panes at a time. Each pane can contain a different view of the drawing. This gives you the flexibil- ity to see all of the areas of a drawing that you need at any given time, from highly magnified detail views to broad overviews of the entire drawing.
Page 99 To split the drawing window into multiple panes Click the Split command on the drawing window Control menu, or drag either the horizontal split bar down from the top of the window or the vertical split bar to the right from the left side of the window, or double- click either split bar.
Page 100: Using Preset Views
Using Preset Views AutoSketch provides several common views. These preset views can be a use- ful starting point before zooming in on a specific region. The page view shows your drawing as it appears when printed, in most cases. The extent view displays all entities in the drawing.
Page 101 To zoom in 1 On the View menu, click Zoom In, or click the Zoom In button on the All- In-One toolbar. 2 Click and drag from one corner of the region you want to enlarge, to the opposite corner. To zoom in by a preset factor Instead of drawing a region after clicking Zoom In, simply click in the drawing window.
Page 102: Panning Across The Drawing
Another method, Realtime Zoom, allows you to zoom interactively instead of by increments. Just click and drag to move the zoom in and out. To zoom using Realtime Zoom 1 On the View menu, click Zoom Realtime, or click the Zoom Realtime button on the Standard or All-In-One toolbars.
Page 103: Using The Intellimouse
2 Click and drag in the direction you want to move the view. The view pans, following the pointer. 3 (optional) Press and hold SHIFT while dragging to perform a Realtime Zoom. 4 (optional) If you are using an IntelliMouse, click and drag the wheel button to perform an automatic scroll.
Page 104: Returning To A Previous View
2 Release the wheel button. The drawing window moves the distance and direction you specified. To set the IntelliMouse zoom factor 1 On the View menu, click Options. The View Options dialog box appears. 2 Click the Current page tab, and enter a new zoom factor in the IntelliMouse Percentage text box in the View Changes section.
Page 105: Viewing Drawing Details
To save the view displayed in a pane 1 On the View menu, click Save, or click the View Save button on the All- In-One toolbar. The View Save dialog box appears. 2 Enter a name for the view in the As Custom View text box. 3 Click OK.
Page 106 To view details in a drawing that are automatically scaled 1 Save the view of a drawing you want to include as a detail view. For more information, see “Saving and Recalling Views” on page 94. 2 On the Draw menu, click Detail View, or click the Detail View button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 107: Redrawing A Pane Or Window
9 (optional) To view the details with a transparent background, click the Transparent check box on the edit bar. The detail view will assume the background color of whatever is behind it. 10 (optional) To change the scale of the detail view to a fixed scale, click the Fixed Scale check box on the edit bar.
Page 108 To arrange minimized drawing windows On the Window menu, click Arrange Icons. To show all drawing windows without overlapping On the Window menu, click Tile Horizontally or Tile Vertically. To overlap all drawing windows so each title bar is visible On the Window menu, click Cascade.
Page 109: Chapter 9 Entering & Modifying Points
Entering & Modifying Points A point is a specific location in space specified by a set In this chapter Using snaps of coordinates. Entering a point is a matter of entering Entering a point from the those coordinates. If you know the coordinates, you can keyboard enter the point from the keyboard.
Page 110 As in any CAD program, almost every activity in AutoSketch requires you to enter points. To draw a line, you enter a startpoint and an endpoint. To move an entity, you enter a “from” and a “to” point. To stretch or resize the selection set, you must click a handle and drag it to a new point.
Page 111 There are also four automatic modifications you can have AutoSketch make to the point you enter. These “lock modifiers” force the point you enter into horizontal, vertical, orthogonal, or “normal” alignment with the last point. You can choose a lock modifier at any time in the drawing or editing process by clicking its button on the All-In-One toolbar or by typing the letter shown on the button.
Page 112 Keys used to specify snaps and lock modifiers (continued) AutoPoint Snap Indicator Lock Modifier Intersection snap Jump snap Normal Midpoint snap Nearest Point snap Orthogonal Perpendicular snap Quadrant snap Relative Snap off Tangent snap Unlocked (disables lock modifiers) Set Last (Working) point X-axis (Horizontal) Y-axis (Vertical) Chapter 9 Entering &...
Page 113: Entering A Point Based On Pointer Position
Entering a Point Based on Pointer Position Some points do not require precise placement. Basepoints for tree symbols, for example, are often positioned by sight—as are those for text entities. The best snap for such points may be no snap at all. In MultiSnap mode, you can always enter an unsnapped point when there are no other snap points nearby.
Page 114: Entering A Point Exactly On An Entity
To enter a point on the reference grid 1 While in a drawing mode, activate Gridpoint snap on the Snaps toolbar. 2 Click near where you want to enter the point. Entering a Point Exactly on an Entity The Nearest Point snap allows you to enter a point on a specific entity. It is especially useful in combination with lock modifiers.
Page 115: Entering A Point At A Specific Distance From An Endpoint
Entering a Point at a Specific Distance from an Endpoint Jump snap allows you to enter a point on a line, arc, polyline segment, or polygon segment at a specific distance from an endpoint. This is especially AutoPoint useful for inserting symbols at a specific point along an entity. For instance, indicator you could set the jump distance to make sure a door symbol will clear the wall.
Page 116: Entering A Point At A Symbol Basepoint
NOTE Midpoint snap cannot be used to enter a point at the center of an arc or circle. You must use Centerpoint snap to accomplish this. For more informa- tion, see page 109. To enter a point at the midpoint of an entity 1 While in a drawing mode, activate Midpoint snap on the Snaps toolbar.
Page 117: Entering The Endpoint Of An Entity
Entering the Endpoint of an Entity Endpoint snap allows you to enter a point at the nearest endpoint on an existing line, arc, polyline segment, or polygon segment. As you move the AutoPoint pointer over the drawing, a square AutoPoint Indicator identifies the nearest indicator endpoint of any entity you pass over.
Page 118: Entering A Point That Creates A Perpendicular
AutoSketch enters the intersection point nearest where you clicked. 2-Point Intersection snap cannot interact with other snaps. When 2-Point Intersection snap is active during MultiSnap mode, other snaps are not available. As you move the pointer over the drawing, an X-shaped AutoPoint Indicator identifies the nearest intersection point.
Page 119: Entering The Center Of An Arc Or Circle
To enter a point that creates a line perpendicular to an existing entity 1 Enter the startpoint of a line or poly-entity. 2 Activate Perpendicular snap on the Snaps toolbar. 3 Click the entity. Entering the Center of an Arc or Circle Centerpoint snap allows you to enter a point at the center of an arc, circle, or regular polygon.
Page 120: Entering A Point To Create A Tangent
Entering a Point to Create a Tangent Tangent snap makes it easy to enter a point that creates a line tangent to an existing arc or circle. As you move the pointer over the drawing, the AutoPoint AutoPoint Indicator identifies the nearest point tangent to the original point. indicator To enter a point that creates a line tangent to an arc or circle 1 While in a drawing mode, activate Tangent snap on the Snaps toolbar.
Page 121: Entering A Point From The Keyboard
To enter a point at a quadrant point on an arc or circle 1 While in a drawing mode, activate Quadrant snap on the Snaps toolbar. 2 Click the entity. Entering a Point from the Keyboard There are two snaps that allow you to enter points from the keyboard. These correspond with the two types of coordinates you can use—absolute and relative.
Page 122 The Last Coordinate area of the dialog box displays the location of the last point you entered. The Enter 2D Coordinates dialog box also features buttons that allow you to specify absolute or relative coordinates by clicking the corresponding button. There is also a row of buttons which allow you to choose from Actual (World) XY, Actual (World) Polar, Grid XY, Grid Polar, Isometric Top (XY), Isometric Left (XZ), Isometric Right (YZ), and Paper Space (Output) XY coordinate systems (for more information, see “Coordinates”...
Page 123 4 (optional) Repeat steps 2 and 3 to enter another point. 5 Click Close. To enter a point from the keyboard using absolute isometric coordinates 1 While in a drawing mode, type A to switch to absolute snap. The Enter 2D Coordinates dialog box appears.
Page 124: Using Lock Modifiers
4 (optional) Repeat steps 2 and 3 to enter another point. 5 Click Close. To enter a point using relative isometric coordinates 1 While in a drawing mode, type R to switch to relative snap. The Enter 2D Coordinates dialog box appears. 2 Click one of the Isometric coordinate buttons (top, left, or right).
Page 125 the letter that appears on the button. The X-axis and Y-axis lock modifiers must be activated before each point. However, the Orthogonal and Normal lock modifiers remain active until you type U on the keyboard. A list of the letters used to apply lock modifiers appears on page 101. NOTE X-axis, Y-axis, and Orthogonal lock modifiers reference grid lines—as the grid is rotated so too are the reference lines for the lock modifiers.
Page 126 To enter a point aligned either horizontally or vertically with the last point 1 While in a drawing mode, type O to apply the “Orthogonal” lock modifier, or click the Orthogonal lock modifier button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Enter the point using any snap. To enter a point aligned “normally”...
Page 127: Using Set Last Point
Using Set Last Point Set Last Point allows you to use any combination of snaps and lock modifiers to place a working point—a point used as a reference for placing other points. For instance, if you want to place a bolt hole 7 mm from middle of a metal plate’s edge, type W to set this point as a working point, then you can use Midpoint snap to position the point exactly on the edge of the plate.
Page 128 3 Click Change X, Change Y, or Change XY. 4 Click a new point. To change the coordinates of an existing point using the keyboard 1 Select an entity such as a line in the drawing. 2 Place the insertion point in the appropriate Coordinate text box on the edit bar, then right-click.
Page 129: Chapter 10 Entering Lengths & Angles
Entering Lengths & Angles One of the advantages of drawing with AutoSketch is In this chapter Entering lengths that it allows you to work with the drawing in its actual Entering angles size. You can, for example, specify that a line is eight Entering a scalar value meters or eight millimeters long.
Page 130: Entering Lengths
Entering Lengths Values that represent length include distances, coordinates, text heights and so on. To enter a length on the keyboard, simply enter the length value followed by any of these units of measurement: Notation for entering lengths Linear Unit Notation feet #’...
Page 131: Entering Angles
To enter a length on the edit bar by clicking on an entity 1 Select an entity, such as a line, in your drawing. 2 Place the insertion point in the length text box and press CTRL+ENTER. 3 Press and hold SHIFT. 4 Click an entity in the drawing.
Page 132 Bearings are used by surveyors, geologists, and mapmakers. For a detailed discussion of bearings, see online Help. Standard and compass angles use the same system of notation. To enter an angle using the keyboard, simply enter the angular value followed by any of the following angle notations: Angular Unit Notation...
Page 133 To enter an angle on the edit bar based on two points 1 Select an entity in the drawing. 2 Place the insertion point in the Angle text box and press CTRL+ENTER. 3 Press and hold CTRL. 4 Enter the vertex of the angle. A rubber-band arc appears. 5 Enter a point to establish the angle.
Page 134 To enter an angle on the edit bar based on a marker or text entity 1 Select an entity in the drawing. 2 Place the insertion point in the Angle text box and press CTRL+ENTER. 3 Press and hold SHIFT. 4 Click a marker or text entity in the drawing that establishes the angle.
Page 135: Entering A Scalar Value
Entering a Scalar Value Values that represent scalars, such as scaling factors, bulges, and so on, are numbers entered with no units. AutoSketch displays scalar values on the edit bar and in dialog boxes. When entering a scalar value, in addition to entering a value or expression, you can enter a scalar as a ratio of two lengths (the second length over the first).
Page 136 Chapter 10 Entering Lengths & Angles...
Page 137: Part Iii Basic Drawing
Part 3 Basic Drawing Chapter 11 Lines Chapter 12 Polylines, Polygons, & Curves Chapter 13 Arcs & Circles Chapter 14 Symbols Chapter 15 3D Effects Chapter 16 Pen & Pattern Properties...
Page 139: Lines
Lines Lines are one of the most basic types of entities you can In this chapter Drawing single lines draw with AutoSketch. Whether you’re drawing a single Drawing connected lines line, a series of connected lines, or a double line, each Drawing a line in relation one begins at a startpoint and ends at an endpoint.
Page 140: Drawing Single Lines
Lines and polylines are different in several ways, even though they look sim- ilar. A polyline is a single entity regardless of the number of segments. A series of lines with common endpoints may look like a polyline, but they are actu- ally multiple line entities.
Page 141: Drawing Connected Lines
To draw separate, unconnected lines 1 On the Draw menu, click Line, Single, or click the Single Line button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click a point to start the line. A rubber-band line appears from that point. 3 Click a point to end the line. To draw a line segment 1 On the Draw menu, click Line, Segment, or click the Line Segment button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 142 To draw a series of connected lines 1 On the Draw menu, click Line, Multiple, or click the Multiple Line button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Enter a point to start the first line. A rubber-band line appears from that point.
Page 143 To draw two parallel series of connected lines 1 On the Draw menu, click Line, Double, or click the Double Line button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Enter the distance between the double lines in the Width text box on the edit bar, then press ENTER.
Page 144: Drawing A Line In Relation To An Entity
Drawing a Line in Relation to an Entity There are three ways to draw lines in relation to another entity: tangent to existing arcs or circles perpendicular to an existing line, polyline segment, polygon segment, arc or circle. at a specific angle to the end of an existing line The Draw menu’s tangent line command allows you to draw a tangent line to the side of the arc or circle that is closest to where you select the entity.
Page 145 To draw a line perpendicular to an existing entity 1 On the Draw menu, click Line, Perpendicular, or click the Perpendicular Line button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click a line, arc, circle, polyline segment, or polygon segment in the drawing.
Page 146 3 Click near the end of the line where you want the new line to start. A rubber-band line appears from the endpoint of the line, locked to the specified angle. 4 Click the point that defines the length of the new line. Chapter 11 Lines...
Page 147: Chapter 12 Polylines, Polygons, & Curves
Polylines, Polygons, & Curves Polylines, polygons, and curves share a common In this chapter Drawing polylines characteristic—they are single entities that contain Sketching multiple segments. A polyline can contain a single Drawing irregular segment, but usually contains more. Polygons have polygons Drawing regular polygons three or more segments.
Page 148 A polyline is different from a line in several ways: A polyline is a single entity regardless of the number of segments. A series of connected lines with common endpoints may look like a polyline, but they are actually multiple entities. AutoSketch can calculate the total length of a series of polyline segments, since they are a single entity.
Page 149: Drawing Polylines
Drawing Polylines A polyline is useful for drawing entities that have a fixed width, such as a wall in a floor plan. As you create each polyline segment, text boxes for the segment width and bulge appear on the edit bar. Polyline width is a real- world measurement, like the thickness of a wall.
Page 150 Tools for drawing polylines can be accessed from the Draw menu or the Polyline toolset on the All-In-One toolbar. You can also activate the Polyline toolbar (which contains the same commands but can be docked anywhere on screen) by right-clicking a bar, then clicking Toolbars on the pop-up menu that appears.
Page 151: Sketching
To draw a polyline segment 1 On the Draw menu, click Polyline, Segment, or click the Polyline Segment button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 (optional) Change the settings on the edit bar for Width, Segment Length, and Segment Angle. 3 (optional) Use the plus (+) and minus (-) keys on the numeric keypad (or press F5) to rotate the segment.
Page 152 Controls on the edit bar allow you to specify the real world width of a sketch polyline prior to creating it. Selecting an existing sketch polyline displays similar controls that allow you to change its type or width. The Polyline Sketch Units value on the Drawing page of the Drawing Options dialog box determines how closely sketch polylines follow your mouse movement.
Page 153: Drawing Irregular Polygons
Drawing Irregular Polygons An irregular polygon might be a simple triangle or it could contain hundreds of segments. AutoSketch creates an irregular polygon by connecting the vertices that define the individual segments. The Draw menu’s irregular poly- gon command allows you to draw an irregular polygon by entering its vertices.
Page 154 3 Click two or more points to define the sides of the polygon. Each one ends the previous segment and begins a new one. If you make a mistake, press DELETE to remove vertices one at a time in reverse order. 4 Right-click to complete the polygon.
Page 155: Drawing Clouds
To draw a rotated rectangle 1 On the Draw menu, click Polygon, Rotated Rectangle or click the Rotated Rectangle button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click a point to define the first corner of the rectangle. A rubber-band line follows the pointer. 3 Click a second point to define the angle and width of the rectangle.
Page 156 To draw a cloud 1 On the Draw menu, click Polygon, Cloud, or click the Cloud button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Set the segment width and bulge factor in the text boxes on the edit bar. The value of the bulge is equal to two times the measured height of the bulge, divided by the distance between its startpoint and endpoint.
Page 157: Drawing Regular Polygons
Drawing Regular Polygons A regular polygon has segments of equal length. A regular polygon can be an equilateral triangle, or have many segments. You might use a regular polygon to draw the head of a hex bolt, or to draw the outline of a stop sign. AutoSketch draws a regular polygon in relation to an invisible reference circle.
Page 158 Vertex editing allows you to change the shape of an existing regular polygon, and to add or delete vertices. After performing vertex editing, the resulting entity will no longer be a regular polygon. For information on vertex editing, see the chapter titled “Reshaping Entities,” which begins on page 299. To draw a regular polygon by entering its center and edge points 1 On the Draw menu, click Polygon, Center, Edge, or click the Center-Edge Polygon button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 159 3 (optional) Click Inscribe or Circumscribe from the drop-down list box on the edit bar to determine if the polygon is inscribed in the reference circle or circumscribed around it. This setting determines the meaning of the points you enter in the following steps. 4 Click the corner point for the polygon if Inscribe appears on the edit bar, or enter the midpoint for a side of the polygon if Circumscribe appears.
Page 160 5 (optional) Press and hold CTRL while you click the point in the next step to flip the polygon. 6 Click the adjacent corner or midpoint. To draw a regular polygon by specifying its center and radius 1 On the Draw menu, click Polygon, Regular: Center, Radius, or click the Center-Radius Polygon button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 161: Drawing Curves
Drawing Curves A curve is a finely-segmented polyline whose shape is determined by three or more control points. Instead of connecting a series of straight segments, the vertices in a curve guide the path of the polyline that approximates a smooth curve.
Page 162 Tools for drawing curves can be accessed from the Draw menu or the Curve toolset on the All-In-One toolbar. You can also activate the Curve toolbar (which contains the same commands but can be docked anywhere onscreen) by right-clicking a bar, then clicking Toolbars on the pop-up menu that appears.
Page 163 To draw a spline curve 1 On the Draw menu, click Curve, Spline, or click the Spline Curve button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Check the Open/Close Curve check box on the edit bar, leaving it checked if you want a closed curve, or unchecked if you want an open curve. 3 Click the startpoint.
Page 164 Chapter 12 Polylines, Polygons, & Curves...
Page 165: Arcs & Circles
Arcs & Circles AutoSketch provides many tools for drawing arcs and In this chapter Drawing arcs based circles, including elliptical arcs and ellipses. With a full on points range of drawing methods at your disposal, you are Drawing circles based on points almost certain to find a tool at hand that allows you to Drawing tangent circles...
Page 166 An arc is a segment of a circle defined by a centerpoint, radius, starting angle, and included angle. Two geometric properties define a circle: the center- point and radius. You can change these properties by selecting an arc or circle and changing the corresponding settings on the edit bar.
Page 167: Drawing Arcs Based On Points
An ellipse is a closed curve that resembles a flattened circle. Mathematically, the path of a point that moves so the sum of the distances from it to a pair of fixed points remains constant. You can draw an ellipse by specifying any of the following: A rectangle using two points (in which an ellipse is tangent to all four sides)
Page 168 To draw an arc by specifying its endpoints and the centerpoint 1 On the Draw menu, click Arc, 2 Points & Center, or click the 2 Points & Center Arc button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click the startpoint. A small diamond marks the point. 3 Click a second point.
Page 169: Drawing Circles Based On Points
Drawing Circles Based on Points You can add circles to a drawing by using any of six commands on the Draw menu. The first four commands allow you to add circles based on points you know. To draw a circle by entering the centerpoint and a point on the circle 1 On the Draw menu, click Circle, Center, Side, or click the Center-Side Circle button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 170 To draw a circle through three points 1 On the Draw menu, click Circle, 3 Points, or click the 3 Point Circle button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click a point on the circle. A small diamond marks the point. 3 Click a second point on the circle.
Page 171: Drawing Tangent Circles
Drawing Tangent Circles In some cases, you must draw a circle that is tangent to existing entities but whose centerpoint is unknown. AutoSketch can calculate the centerpoint and, in some cases, the radius, of such a circle for you. You need only specify two or three entities to which the circle is tangent.
Page 172 To draw a circle that is tangent to two entities 1 On the Draw menu, click Circle, Tangent 2 Entities, or click the Tangent 2 Entities Circle button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Enter the radius in the Radius text box on the edit bar and press ENTER. 3 Click the first entity.
Page 173: Drawing Ellipses
Drawing Ellipses An ellipse is a closed symmetrical curve that resembles a flattened circle. Mathematically, the path of a point that moves so the sum of the distances from it to a pair of fixed points remains constant. You might use an ellipse to illustrate the path of a planet in a drawing of the solar system, or to accu- rately convey the appearance of a bolt hole in an isometric drawing.
Page 174 To draw an ellipse by entering three points 1 On the Draw menu, click Circle, Ellipse Axes, or click the Ellipse Axes button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click a point. A rubber-band line appears beginning at the entered point. 3 Click another point to determine the length of the major axis.
Page 175 To draw an elliptical arc by entering three points 1 On the Draw menu, click Arc, Elliptical Axes, or click the Elliptical Arc Axes button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click a point. A rubber-band line appears beginning at the entered point. 3 Click another point to determine the length of the major axis.
Page 176 Chapter 13 Arcs & Circles...
Page 177: Symbols
Symbols Symbols are a way for you to standardize the look and In this chapter Placing a symbol feel of particular drawing elements within and across Inserting symbols in lines, drawings. A symbol is a group of entities that polylines, and polygons AutoSketch treats as a single entity.
Page 178: Placing A Symbol
A symbol is a group of entities that AutoSketch treats as a single entity. You can save drawing time and establish a uniform look using symbols. AutoSketch responds faster and uses less storage space if you use symbols rather than repeatedly copying entities. AutoSketch stores the information it needs to draw a symbol once, regardless of how many times you use the symbol in the drawing.
Page 179 A symbol library is a file that contains symbol definitions. Symbol libraries provide an external copy of your symbols in case they are deleted from a drawing and they allow you to use your symbols in multiple drawings. Another way to choose symbols, change libraries, and perform other symbol- related tasks is to use the Content Explorer.
Page 180: Inserting Symbols In Lines, Polylines, And Polygons
To place a symbol while scaling it and aligning it to points 1 Click the Symbol page tab on the Content Librarian. 2 Click and drag the symbol into the drawing. 3 Press SHIFT+CTRL and click a point in the drawing for the basepoint of the symbol.
Page 181 From the Content Librarian, you can insert symbols automatically, instead of choosing Symbol, Insert on the Draw menu. This feature is available through the Symbol page tab of the Content Explorer. If you delete an inserted symbol, the insertion gap remains. To restore a line, either draw a connecting line between the two endpoints of the remaining line, or click Undo on the Edit menu immediately after inserting the symbol.
Page 182 4 (optional) Enter a custom opening width in the Opening Width text box on the edit bar and press ENTER. The default setting uses the width of the symbol extent. 5 Click the startpoint of the offset. 6 Click the second point to establish the direction AutoSketch draws the symbol in relation to the first point entered.
Page 183: Creating Symbol Definitions
To change symbol libraries 1 Near the top of the Content Librarian, click the Open Library button. The Open Symbol Library dialog box appears. 2 Select a symbol library, then click Open. You can also open the Open Symbol Library dialog box by clicking Symbol, Change Library, Open on the Draw menu.
Page 184 current drawing. To learn how to create new fields, see “Creating Fields” on page 334. Groups are also collections of entities which AutoSketch treats as a single entity, but symbols and groups are very different. Groups have no associated AutoFields and cannot have database values assigned to them. Because they are not assigned a symbol name, groups cannot be saved and recalled from symbol libraries.
Page 185 To replace an existing symbol with a new definition 1 Select the entities from which you want to create a symbol. 2 In the Content Librarian, click the Symbol page tab, then click the Create Symbol button at the bottom of the page. The Create Symbol Definition dialog box appears.
Page 186: Managing Symbols In The Content Explorer
To define database fields when creating a symbol definition 1 Select the entities from which you want to create a symbol. 2 In the Content Librarian, click the Symbol page tab, then click the Symbol Create button at the bottom of the page. The Create Symbol Definition dialog box appears.
Page 187: Managing Symbol Libraries
Symbols in the current library also appear in the drop-down list box on the edit bar, along with additional symbol definitions in the current drawing. When you start a Draw Symbol command, you make a symbol current. If the symbol appears in the current symbol library, it will be highlighted in the Content Librarian.
Page 188: Editing Symbol Definitions
6 Right-click a symbol definition, then click Send To, Current Library on the pop-up menu. 7 Click Close. To copy symbol definitions from one open drawing to another 1 In the Content Librarian, click the Symbol page tab. 2 Click the Explorer button, or click Symbol, Explore on the Draw menu. The Content Explorer appears.
Page 189 drawing. This allows you to enter the field information, for already defined fields only, for those symbols you use from the symbol library. You can move, rotate, scale, and delete symbols like other entities. To edit components of a symbol, first convert the symbol to its component entities, then edit the entities and recombine the symbol.
Page 190 To enter field information for a symbol after it is placed in a drawing 1 In the Content Librarian, click the Symbol page tab. 2 Click the Explorer button, or click Symbol, Explore on the Draw menu. The Content Explorer appears. 3 Select one or more symbol definitions and right-click.
Page 191: Using Autoexplode
Using AutoExplode AutoExploding converts nested symbols into their individual component symbols. For instance, in a dining room group symbol, exploding would allow you to select individual chairs within that dining room set. To explode a nested symbol 1 In the Content Librarian, click the Symbol page tab. 2 Click the Explorer button, or click Symbol, Explore on the Draw menu.
Page 192: Setting A Current Library
3 On the Symbols page tab, select the symbol library file you want to use. 4 Select a symbol name, then click Set Current. 5 Click Close. The symbol and the library from which it came both become current. To set the current symbol from an open drawing Select a symbol in the current drawing.
Page 193 To select the current library automatically when selecting the current symbol 1 In the Content Librarian, click the Symbol page tab. 2 Click the Explorer button, or click Symbol, Explore on the Draw menu. The Content Explorer appears. 3 On the Symbols page tab, select a symbol library file. 4 Select a symbol name.
Page 194 Chapter 14 Symbols...
Page 195: 3D Effects
3D Effects AutoSketch allows you to simulate three-dimensional In this chapter Using extrusion tools drawings using a few simple tools. You can give Using isometric 2D entities the illusion of depth by extruding them. transformation tools Extrusion creates a copy of the entity and draws lines to Customizing 3D effects connect the corresponding vertices.
Page 196: Using Extrusion Tools
While two-dimensional drawings are the basic building blocks of most projects, it is often helpful to have a three-dimensional view of the project. AutoSketch features two ways to simulate three-dimensional drawings: Parallel and perspective extrusion tools allow you to perform 3D effects on entities by connecting the original selection set with lines or polygons to a transformed copy, creating the illusion of depth.
Page 197 Since objects appear to get smaller as they move further away, 3D Perspective Extrusion creates a scaled copy of the selection set. Like 3D Parallel Extrusion, you place the copy anywhere in the drawing and AutoSketch connects the corresponding edges using lines or polygons. Parallel extrusion Perspective extrusion Both commands require you to enter points that define the distance and...
Page 198 To apply parallel extrusion to a selection set 1 Click the 3D Effects button on the Standard toolbar. The 3D Effects toolbar appears. 2 Select an entity (or entities) to extrude. 3 Click the 3D Parallel Extrusion button on the 3D Effects toolbar. 4 Click a “from”...
Page 199 4 Enter a value in the Depth text box on the edit bar. This is a percentage of the distance between the entity and the vanishing point (represented by the pointer) at which AutoSketch will draw the transformed copy. A rubber-band copy of the selection set (scaled to the same percentage you specified) appears and moves with the pointer.
Page 200: Using Isometric Transformation Tools
Using Isometric Transformation Tools Many drawings contain separate components that comprise the top and sides of an object. A drawing of a boat, for instance, might include a top view and a side view. Using AutoSketch’s Isometric transformation tools, you can automatically skew these components to create isometric views, then com- bine the separate components to form an isometric model of the boat.
Page 201: Customizing 3D Effects
To skew an entity along an isometric plane 1 Click the 3D Effects button on the Standard toolbar. The 3D Effects toolbar appears. 2 Select an entity (or entities) to transform. 3 Click one of the Transform Isometric buttons on the 3D Effects toolbar: Transform Top Isometric skews the entity along 30- and 150- degree axes.
Page 202 Selecting As Lines causes AutoSketch to draw the extrusion as a group of individual lines, creating a more open appearance than As Polygons. This option can be useful if you plan to further edit the extrusion entity. Selecting As Polygons causes AutoSketch to draw the extrusion as a group of polygons.
Page 203: Changing Geometry Settings
Changing Geometry Settings The 3D Effects Options dialog box allows you to control the geometric properties of entities during an extrusion, including how closed entities are displayed, and whether text, symbols and groups are exploded or ignored during an extrusion. Another control allows you to determine how finely arcs, circles, or curves are drawn when converted for extrusion.
Page 204: Changing Extrusion Property Settings
Changing Extrusion Property Settings The 3D Effects Options dialog box allows you to control extrusion properties, including pen and fill colors. By default, you can use the properties of the original entity by checking the Use Entity Properties check box. However, if you would rather assign new pen and fill color properties to the extrusion entity, uncheck the check box and select a color, or assign colors by-symbol or by-layer.
Page 205: Changing Isometric Origin Settings
Changing Isometric Origin Settings The 3D Effects Options dialog box allows you to control the way the isomet- ric origin is selected when using Transform Isometric tools. When Use Default Isometric Origin check box is unchecked, AutoSketch requires you to click a point of origin from which the skew is applied.
Page 206 Chapter 15 3D Effects...
Page 207: Chapter 16 Pen & Pattern Properties
Pen & Pattern Properties Properties determine the appearance of an entity— In this chapter Setting pen properties onscreen and in print. Pen properties, such as color, Using color palettes style, and width, define the outline of an entity. Pattern Setting the pattern properties, such as solid fill color, hatches, and bitmap property for an entity Creating a boundary fill...
Page 208: Setting Pen Properties
AutoSketch allows you to determine how entities are displayed according to their pen and pattern properties. Pen properties (color, style, and width) define the outline of the entity as it is displayed or printed. Pattern properties define if and how an entity is filled. You can fill entities with solid colors, with repeating line patterns known as hatches, or bitmap images.
Page 209 When you set pen properties, you set the properties for new entities as well as any selected entities. You can apply pen properties using the property bar or the Drawing Options dialog box. Pen width is independent of the width settings for polyline and polygon entities.
Page 210: Using Color Palettes
Using Color Palettes With AutoSketch you can define your own custom colors using the Palette page of the Graphic Options dialog box. You can customize individual palettes, load and save entire palettes, and control the presentation in which colors are displayed in each palette—including the palette displayed on the Color page of the Content Librarian.
Page 211 4 Enter new Red, Green, Blue values in the R, G, and B text boxes. The color you selected adjusts as you change the RGB values. 5 Enter a name for your new custom color in the Name text box and press ENTER.
Page 212: Setting The Pattern Properties Of An Entity
To load a color palette 1 On the Tools menu, click Graphic Options. The Graphic Options dialog box appears. Right-click a pen or pattern box on the property bar, then click Graphic Options on the pop-up menu. 2 Click the Palette page tab. 3 Click Load Palette.
Page 213: Creating A Boundary Fill
To select a bitmap fill for a polygon or closed curve 1 Select the polygons and/or closed curves you want to bitmap fill. 2 On the Pattern drop-down list box on the property bar, click Hatch. 3 On the Hatch drop-down list box, click a bitmap. Note that bitmap images and hatch patterns are displayed in alphabetical order.
Page 214 NOTE The Hatch command does not account for hidden segments or entities that are on hidden layers during a hatch operation. To fill an area with a hatch 1 On the Draw menu, click Fill, Hatch, or click the Fill Hatch button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 215 To remove a boundary hatch or bitmap fill 1 Click the hatch pattern or bitmap fill. The hatch pattern or bitmap fill is selected. 2 On the Edit menu, click Delete, or press DELETE. To fill a closed area with a hatch pattern using the Content Librarian 1 In the Content Librarian, click the Hatch page tab.
Page 216: Matching Entity Properties
Matching Entity Properties AutoSketch allows you to match the properties of an entity to a selection set or to the property bar. Properties that can be matched include: Layer Pen color Pen style Pen width Pattern style The Property Painter tool is used to match the properties of one entity to another: for instance, to make sure a polygon has the same appearance as another polygon or is on the same layer.
Page 217: Changing The Hatch Spacing And Angle
Changing the Hatch Spacing and Angle A hatch is made up of a line pattern, the space between the hatch lines, and the line angle. You can customize the hatching for your drawing by changing the space between hatch lines and the angle at which the hatch lines are drawn.
Page 218 4 Using Windows Explorer, copy the bitmap image file to the Property folder. 5 The bitmap image will appear in the hatch drop-down list after you restart AutoSketch. NOTE Only images with the .bmp extension are displayed in the hatch drop- down list.
Page 219: Part Iv Annotating A Drawing
Part 4 Annotating a Drawing Chapter 17 Working With Text Chapter 18 Creating Dimensions Chapter 19 Markers...
Page 221: Chapter 17 Working With Text
Working With Text Many drawings use text as a means of providing labels, In this chapter Placing text explanations, or specifications for portions of the Modifying text drawing. AutoSketch makes placing text in your Checking spelling drawing—whether it is a word, phrase, or several paragraphs—easy, accurate, and powerful.
Page 222 AutoSketch’s rich text capabilities allow you to apply formatting, such as bold or italics, to any or all characters within a text string. That means you can use the Text Editor to select specific words (instead of entire text entities) for formatting, font changes, or resizing.
Page 223: Placing Text
Placing Text AutoSketch gives you the flexibility to place rich text anywhere in your drawing. You can place single lines (such as a label) or several paragraphs of text. You can even align the text to two points. There are two primary methods of placing text: Text Point allows you to place single lines of text by placing the text’s base- point then entering the text.
Page 224 6 Enter the text. 7 Click OK. For inplace editing, move the pointer away from the text box and right- click or use CTRL+ENTER to complete the command. To add a text rectangle 1 On the Draw menu, click Text, Rectangle, or click the Text Rectangle button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 225 and the second specifies the angle. In the case of the Text Rectangle com- mand, a third point specifies the extent of the text box. You do not have to use the same snap or lock modifier for these points. For instance, you could use Gridpoint snap for one point and Endpoint snap for the other.
Page 226 To add a text rectangle aligned to two points 1 On the Draw menu, click Text, Rectangle, or click the Text Rectangle button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 (optional) On the edit bar, change the font, height, and/or justification. 3 (optional) From the Justification drop-down list box on the edit bar, click a justification.
Page 227: Modifying Text
Modifying Text You can edit the content, as well as the geometric and graphic properties, of any text entity in the drawing. There is a built-in editor included with AutoSketch for updating the content of existing text entities. In addition, you can modify many text properties including font, height, angle, and justification directly from the edit bar.
Page 228: Choosing A Font
Choosing a Font To change the current font Select a text entity and click a new font from the drop-down list box on the edit bar. Some TrueType fonts support different styles, such as bold or italic. These provide added versatility in how text appears in your drawing. You can specify styles and effects for TrueType fonts using controls in the Text Editor or the Font dialog box, accessible by right-clicking the font drop-down list box on the edit bar.
Page 229 The Text Editor supports a number of character editing keys that speed up text editing. These keys control the position of the pointer, help you add and delete text, and control the text selection. With the exception of the Character Map and text import, all of these features are available during inplace editing using commands on the standard toolbar, property bar, and edit bar.
Page 230 Character editing keys supported by the text editor (continued) Function CTRL+C copy selected text to clipboard CTRL+V paste text from clipboard cancel edit To edit text using the Text Editor 1 Select a text entity, then click the Edit Text button on the edit bar. If inplace edit mode is your default, you can switch from inplace editing to text editor mode, by clicking the Text Editor Dialog button on the edit bar or use CTRL+E.
Page 231 To paste text from the Clipboard 1 Place text on the Clipboard from the source application using the Clipboard commands for that application. 2 In AutoSketch, click the Text Point button on the All-In-One toolbar, then click the Edit Text button on the edit bar. 3 Position the insertion point at the location you want to place the new text.
Page 232: Editing Text With The Inplace Editor
To insert Windows characters 1 Select a text entity, then click the Edit Text button on the edit bar. Note that Character Map is only available during text editor mode. If you are using inplace editing, click the Edit Text button on the edit bar and then click the Text Editor Dialog button on the edit bar to switch to text editor mode or use CTRL+E.
Page 233: Checking Spelling
To edit text using inplace editing 1 Select a text entity, then click the Edit Text button on the edit bar. If text editor mode is your default, you can switch from text editor mode to inplace editing by clicking the Inplace Edit button in the Text Editor Dialog box.
Page 234 Click one of the words in the Suggestion list, then click Change to replace the misspelled word with this word. Click one of the words in the Suggestion list, then click Change All to replace all instances of the misspelled word with this word. Click Add to add the word to the current custom dictionary.
Page 235: Chapter 18 Creating Dimensions
Creating Dimensions Often, drawing entities to scale is not enough to convey In this chapter Linear dimensions precise measurements. In such cases you must note the Angular dimensions measurements explicitly using dimension entities. Most Radius dimensions dimension types also have variations that allow you to Diameter dimensions create almost any type of standard dimension notation Centerline dimensions...
Page 236: Linear Dimensions
AutoSketch supports the following basic dimension types: Linear Dimensions Use linear dimensions to note any distance that is “straight.” There are four linear dimension types: Horizontal Vertical Aligned Rotated The difference lies in the angle of the dimension line—the line that shows the measured value.
Page 237: Single Dimensions
The label on a linear dimension always shows the correct measurement. AutoSketch calculates it automatically based on settings in the Dimension Format dialog box, that can be opened by clicking on the Format button on the edit bar. For information on formatting a linear dimension, see online Help.
Page 238: Chained Dimensions
To draw a single dimension 1 On the Draw menu, click Dimension, Horizontal, Vertical, Rotated, or Aligned, or click the appropriate dimension button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 From the Dimension Method drop-down list box on the edit bar, click Single. 3 Enter the initial offset on the edit bar and press ENTER.
Page 239 Unlike single dimensioning, chained dimensioning does not allow you to customize each dimension individually, as you draw. Instead, it uses the current settings in the Dimension Format dialog box and lines up all of the dimensions in the series with the first one. To draw a series of chained dimensions 1 On the Draw menu, click Dimension, Horizontal, Vertical, Rotated, or Aligned, or click the appropriate dimension button on the All-In-One...
Page 240: Baseline Dimensions
Baseline Dimensions In baseline dimensioning, each dimension in the series seems to extend from the same extension line. Use baseline dimensioning when you need to show several dimensions measured from the same point. Unlike single dimensioning, baseline dimensioning does not allow you to customize each dimension individually, as you draw.
Page 241: Changing Linear Dimensions With The Mouse
7 Enter the third dimension point, the fourth dimension point, and so on. Each dimension point after the first adds a dimension to the series. Changing Linear Dimensions With the Mouse You can reshape a linear dimension after it is drawn by double-clicking on it and dragging the appropriate vertex to new locations.
Page 242: Angular Dimensions
To move the dimension label of a linear dimension 1 Double-click the dimension or right-click it and click Edit Vertices on the pop-up menu. Vertices appear over the dimension points. 2 Click the vertex beside the dimension terminator and drag it to a new location.
Page 243: Changing Angular Dimensions With The Mouse
outside of the arc. AutoSketch automatically calculates the value displayed in the dimension label based on settings in the Dimension Format dialog box. For information on formatting an angular dimension, see online Help. To draw an angular dimension 1 On the Draw menu, click Dimension, Angular, or click the Angular Dimension button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 244: Radius Dimensions
To move the dimension line on an angular dimension 1 Double-click the dimension or right-click it and click Edit Vertices on the pop-up menu. 2 Click the arrow-shaped vertex and drag it to the new location. A rubber- band line shows the new position as you drag. To move the dimension label on an angular dimension 1 Double-click the dimension or right-click it and click Edit Vertices on the pop-up menu.
Page 245: Changing Radius Dimensions With The Mouse
To dimension the radius of an arc or circle 1 On the Draw menu, click Dimension, Radius, or click Radius Dimension on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click anywhere along the arc or circle. Clicking just inside the arc or circle places the dimension inside.
Page 246: Diameter Dimensions
2 Click the handle and drag it to the new location. The dimension label moves to the new location and the dimension is aligned to match. To move the label of a circumscribed radius dimension 1 Double-click the dimension or right-click it and click Edit Vertices on the pop-up menu.
Page 247: Changing Diameter Dimensions With The Mouse
Changing Diameter Dimensions With the Mouse You can reshape a diameter dimension after it is drawn by double-clicking on it and dragging the appropriate vertex to new locations. You can use this technique to change the angle of the dimension line or to move the dimension label.
Page 248: Centerline Dimensions
Centerline Dimensions Often you must mark the center of an arc or circle. A centerline dimension allows you to do this. It consists of a cross marker at the centerpoint and four lines extending through the quadrant points. In the case of an arc, these lines are drawn regardless of the arc’s included angle.
Page 249: Leaders
3 Enter the ordinate point (the point you want to dimension). A small diamond marks the point. 4 Enter the text point (the point where you want the coordinate displayed). Leaders Leaders are notes that reference specific points in a drawing. Unlike other dimensions, leaders do not display a measurement.
Page 250 3 Enter one or more vertices. Each vertex ends the previous segment and begins a new one. If you make a mistake, press DELETE to remove vertices one at a time in reverse order. 4 Right-click to complete the polyline. The Leader Dimension Text dialog box appears.
Page 251: Markers
Markers A marker is an entity that displays one of several pre- In this chapter Placing a marker defined shapes. You can use a marker to note the Selecting a marker type location of a specific coordinate, the endpoint of a line, directional flow, and so on.
Page 252: Placing A Marker
Four geometric properties define a marker in AutoSketch: Basepoint Angle Height Width You can edit these properties by selecting the marker and changing the settings on the edit bar. Like a symbol, you can resize, move, rotate, or convert a marker to its com- ponent entities.
Page 253 If you need to rotate or align a marker at a specific angle, you can place the marker using two points. The first point is the basepoint of the marker. The second point determines the angle of rotation for the marker. To add a marker at a specific point 1 On the Draw menu, click Marker, Point, or click the Marker Point button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 254 To add a marker at a specific point and angle 1 On the Draw menu, click Marker, Align On-Entity, or click the Marker Align Entity button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 (optional) Select the marker type from the drop-down list box on the edit bar.
Page 255: Selecting A Marker Type
Selecting a Marker Type AutoSketch provides 24 different marker types for highlighting parts of your drawings. You can select a marker after you click Marker, Point on the Draw menu. When Autoselect is active and you place the marker, the marker is highlighted.
Page 256 Chapter 19 Markers...
Page 257: Part V Editing Entities
Part 5 Editing Entities Chapter 20 Selecting & Deleting Entities Chapter 21 Undoing, Redoing, & Repeating Actions Chapter 22 Moving, Rotating, & Resizing Entities Chapter 23 Trimming Entities Chapter 24 Reshaping Entities Chapter 25 Converting & Exploding Entity Types Chapter 26 Making Inquiries...
Page 259: Chapter 20 Selecting & Deleting Entities
Selecting & Deleting Entities In general, only entities that are selected can be acted In this chapter Selecting entities with upon. To delete an entity, for example, you must select the mouse it, then click Delete on the Edit menu. This chapter Selecting all entities in a drawing describes all of the techniques for selecting entities in...
Page 260: Selecting Entities With The Mouse
You can select entities using a variety of techniques. You can select them directly, using the mouse, you can select all of the entities in the drawing using a command, or you can use the Selection Modifier. The Selection Modifier allows you to select entities based on their properties. This is a very powerful capability.
Page 261 To select an entity with the mouse 1 Click the selection button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click the entity. NOTE You can cycle through multiple overlapping entities by using GetNext selection. Simply press ALT as you click. When you release the ALT key the highlighted entity is selected.
Page 262: Selecting All Entities In A Drawing
Selecting All Entities in a Drawing With a single command you can select every entity in the drawing except those on background layers and masked layers. Selecting everything is useful when you want to reposition the drawing on the page, align the entire draw- ing to the grid, change specific properties for the entire drawing, and so on.
Page 263 There are four logical operators: Logical operators used in selection statements Operator Description Connects two qualifiers. Entities that meet the criteria of both qualifiers are selected. Connects two qualifiers. Entities that meet the criteria of either qualifier are selected. Precedes a qualifier and reverses its meaning. Only entities that do not meet the criteria are selected.
Page 264 To add a qualifier that selects entities based on a graphic property 1 On the Edit menu, click Select, Modify Selection, or click the Modify Selection button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 On the Selection Modifier menu bar, click Qualifier, Type, Layer, Color, Width, or Style.
Page 265: Aligning The Selection Handles
Qualifiers for selecting entities based on a database field (continued) Qualifier Result > Includes entities if field value is greater than Value. >= Includes entities if field value is greater than or equal to Value. 5 Enter the value you want to use to compare with the entity’s field value in the Value text box.
Page 266: Clearing A Selection Set
To align the selection handles to the entity 1 Create a selection set. 2 Right-click the selection set, then click Align Selection Set, Entity. To align the selection handles to World Coordinates 1 Create a selection set. 2 Right-click the selection set, then click Align Selection Set, World. Clearing a Selection Set Clearing the selection set is a good idea when you are done with an editing operation.
Page 267: Marquee Selection
These controls allow you to edit any portion of the properties for the selected entities. AutoSketch applies any changes you make to all the entities of that type in the current selection set. To modify the properties of a selection set 1 Create a selection set.
Page 268 To create a rectangular marquee 1 On the Edit menu, click Select, Marquee, or click the Marquee Selection button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Enter a point to begin the marquee. A rubber-band rectangle follows the pointer. 3 Enter a second point for the opposite corner of the marquee rectangle. A dotted line defines the marquee boundaries.
Page 269: Deleting Entities
Deleting Entities You remove an entity from your drawing by deleting the entity. The ability to quickly delete entities makes cleaning up a drawing fast. You should delete any unneeded entities from your drawings to cut down on the size of the file and to make redrawing the screen faster.
Page 270 Chapter 20 Selecting & Deleting Entities...
Page 271: Chapter 21 Undoing, Redoing, & Repeating Actions
Undoing, Redoing, & Repeating Actions AutoSketch allows you the flexibility to return to earlier In this chapter Undoing actions stages of the drawing process by undoing the last action, Redoing actions or series of actions, performed. This makes the drawing Repeating commands process more efficient by making it easier to correct mistakes.
Page 272: Undoing Actions
Undoing Actions If you make a mistake while performing an editing operation or other action, you can use AutoSketch’s undo command to reverse the action, even undo- ing an entire sequence of actions at once. Clicking the arrow of the Undo button displays a drop-down list of previously performed actions.
Page 273: Repeating Commands
Repeating Commands Sometimes you may need to perform the same edit or draw operation several times throughout the drawing. Instead of selecting the same commands each time, you can use AutoSketch’s Repeat Edit to access the command again. When there is no action to repeat, Repeat Edit is grayed out. To repeat an editing command On the Edit menu, click Repeat Edit, or press F3.
Page 274 Chapter 21 Undoing, Redoing, & Repeating Actions...
Page 275: Chapter 22 Moving, Rotating, & Resizing Entities
Moving, Rotating, & Resizing Entities Moving, rotating, and resizing are examples of transfor- In this chapter Working with the mations. You can transform an entity by selecting it and About Point clicking a transformation tool, or (in some cases) by Moving or copying an entity dragging the selection handles.
Page 276: Working With The About Point
Working With the About Point When you select an entity or group of entities, a diamond appears with the selection handles. This is the about point—that is the point about which AutoSketch rotates the selection set. The default location of the about point varies with the entity you select.
Page 277: Moving Or Copying An Entity
3 Click the new about point location. In a selection set, the about point is located at the entity’s basepoint. In some instances, it might be easier to perform transformations on these entity types if their about point were in the center of the selection set. Center About Point allows you to move the about point to the exact center of the selection set.
Page 278 Cutting or copying the selection set to the Clipboard, and then pasting it back in the drawing at a point you enter. Using the arrow keys to move the selection set one unit of the grid snap or line interval for each keystroke. Sometimes, it is necessary to move entities to another location in your drawing.
Page 279 4 Enter the “from” point. This is the starting point used to calculate the translation. 5 Enter the “to” point that defines the relative distance and direction to move the entities. You can move entities in your drawing or transfer them to another drawing by cutting, copying, and pasting them using the Clipboard.
Page 280: Rotating An Entity
3 (optional) Open another drawing and click inside its window to make that drawing window active if you want to copy the entities to another drawing. 4 On the Edit menu, click Paste, or click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar.
Page 281 To rotate the selection set by dragging the rotation handle 1 Select the entity or entities to rotate. 2 (optional) Place the pointer on the about point. Right-click, then click Move About Point from the pop-up menu, then specify a different about point for the rotation.
Page 282 To rotate a selection set about a point you enter 1 Select the entity or entities to rotate. 2 On the Edit menu, click Transform, Rotate, or click the Rotate button on the All-In-One toolbar. 3 Enter a value in the Selection Set Angle text box on the edit bar and press ENTER.
Page 283: Rubber Stamping An Entity
4 Enter the startpoint of the axis to define the current location and orienta- tion of the selection. 5 Enter the endpoint of the axis. 6 Enter the startpoint of the new axis to define the new location. 7 Enter a point that defines the orientation of the new axis. Rubber Stamping an Entity Rubber Stamping allows you to place multiple copies of an entity, or entities, in a drawing.
Page 284: Creating Patterns Of Duplicate Entities
3 (optional) Rotate the rubber stamped entity by pressing plus (+) or minus (-) on the numeric keypad, or F5 or SHIFT+F5. 4 Click to place copies of the entity. To rubber stamp an entity while aligning it with two points 1 Select an entity or entities to copy.
Page 285 Precision is not substituted for simplicity. When using Symbol Array, controls on the edit bar allow you to: Specify the array pattern. You can arrange symbols along any of the following entities—a line defined by two points, an arc defined by an angle and two points, a circle defined by two points, or a rectangle defined by two corners.
Page 286 4 (optional) If you selected Rectangle in step 3, you can check the Align with Grid check box on the edit bar to align the symbol array to a rectangular grid. 5 On the Gap drop-down list located on the edit bar, click either No Gaps, Middle Gaps, or All Gaps.
Page 287: Parallel Placement Of Duplicate Entities
6 Enter a value in the Minimum Spacing X and Minimum Spacing Y text boxes on the edit bar. These are the increments of length that must be drawn before AutoSketch inserts each instance of the symbol. 7 (optional) Enter a value in the Scaling Factor text box then check the Scaling Factor check box on the edit bar.
Page 288 Once you create a duplicate parallel or offset entity, it becomes a separate independent entity. You can edit, move, or delete either the original or the duplicate without affecting the other. Creating an offset or parallel duplicate of a polyline or polygon differs slightly from doing the same thing with lines, arcs, and circles.
Page 289: Mirroring An Entity
To create a duplicate polyline or polygon that is offset a specific distance 1 On the Draw menu, click Duplicate, Offset, or click the Offset button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 (optional) Enter a new value in the Offset Distance text box on the edit bar and press ENTER.
Page 290 3 Drag one of the side selection handles across the entity until the edit bar displays the x- and y- scale factors and release the mouse button. To mirror entities across an axis you specify 1 Select the entity or entities to mirror. 2 On the Edit menu, click Transform, Mirror, or click the Mirror button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 291: Scaling An Entity
5 Enter the endpoint of the mirror axis. Use Lock Modifiers to help define correct points. For more information on using Lock Modifiers, refer to “Using Lock Modifiers” on page 114. Scaling an Entity Scaling resizes an entity by a scaling factor. Usually, you scale by resizing both the width and height proportionally.
Page 292: Stretching An Entity
4 Enter values in the Scale text box and press ENTER. 5 (optional) Check the Move or Copy check box on the edit bar to scale a copy of the selection set and leave the originals. 6 Enter the scaling basepoint. To scale entities about their basepoints 1 Select the entity or entities to scale.
Page 293 You can stretch entities with the Stretch button on the toolbar. It stretches entities by moving the entity endpoints that fall inside a marquee. For exam- ple, if a line has one endpoint in the marquee and one out, the point outside the marquee stays in place while AutoSketch moves the point in the marquee.
Page 294: Arranging Entities
Arranging Entities The order that entities stack becomes more apparent when your drawing contains overlapping entities that are different colors or use fills. When two or more entities overlap, AutoSketch displays one of them on top of the other. AutoSketch determines the display order of entities according to their position in the stacking order.
Page 295: Chapter 23 Trimming Entities
Trimming Entities Trimming is one way of refining and finishing a draw- In this chapter Creating a corner ing. Trimming allows you to shorten and lengthen between two entities entities to meet at a specific point, create rounded and Rounding an intersection beveled corners, or break apart and divide entities.
Page 296: Creating A Corner Between Two Entities
Creating a Corner Between Two Entities AutoSketch can create a corner at the intersection of a line, arc, or polyline with another. If the two entities you specify do not intersect, AutoSketch automatically extends one or both of them until they meet. If part of either entity extends beyond the intersection, it automatically trims off that part on the opposite side of the intersection from where you click.
Page 297: Rounding An Intersection
Rounding an Intersection On the Edit menu, click Trim, Round to create an arc with a predefined radius to connect two existing entities smoothly. Lines, arcs, circles, and polylines can be rounded with this command. AutoSketch trims off or extends the two entities to meet the endpoints of the new arc.
Page 298: Beveling An Intersection
Beveling an Intersection AutoSketch allows you to create a beveled (or chamfered) corner between two lines (including straight segments of a polyline) if the two lines intersect. The beveled edge is a new line entity that is controlled by setting the two bevel lengths on the edit bar.
Page 299: Trimming To An Edge
4 Click the first line to bevel. Click the portion of the entity you want to keep, near the point where it intersects the second entity. 5 Click the second entity to bevel. Click the portion of the entity you want to keep, near to the point of intersection with the first entity.
Page 300: Removing Sections Of Entities
3 Click the entity you want to trim to the edge entity. Click the portion of the entity you want to keep, near the point where it intersects the edge entity. Press ESC or right-click once to select another edge by repeating step 2. Removing Sections of Entities AutoSketch provides two methods to remove a section from a line, arc, circle, or polyline.
Page 301: Dividing An Entity
To cut a channel through one or more entities 1 On the Edit menu, click Trim, Channel, or click the Channel button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Enter two points that define the width and angle of the channel. Dashed lines illustrate the channel path.
Page 302: Dividing An Entity Into Equal Segments
This command also allows you to divide the first entity you select and leave the second unchanged by pressing CTRL while selecting the first entity. The Divide command will not effect polygons with holes (produced NOTE using the Union, Intersection, or Difference commands). To divide one or both of two intersecting entities 1 On the Edit menu, click Trim, Divide, or click the Divide button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 303: Creating An "Alcove" In A Line Or Polyline
To divide a line, polyline segment, arc or circle into equal segments 1 On the Edit menu, click Trim, Subdivide, or click the Subdivide button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Enter the number of segments you want AutoSketch to divide the entity by in the text box on the edit bar and press ENTER.
Page 304: Joining Entities
5 Enter a point to specify the depth of the alcove. Joining Entities You can join several entities into a single poly-entity. For example, if your drawing contains two polylines that share a common endpoint, you can join them to form a single polyline. Once you have joined them, you can select, move, or edit the entity as a single entity rather than having to perform the same tasks on multiple entities.
Page 305: Combining Two Polygons
To join two entities that share a common endpoint 1 On the Edit menu, click Trim, Join, or click the Join button on the All-In- One toolbar. 2 Click the first entity. 3 Click the second entity. AutoSketch joins the two entities together to form a polyline.
Page 306: Creating A Polygon From The Intersection Of Two Polygons
Creating a Polygon from the Intersection of Two Polygons On the Edit menu, click Trim, Intersection to create a new polygon from the intersection of two polygons in your drawing. The new polygon assumes the shape of the parts of the original polygons that overlap. The new entity has the graphic properties of the second polygon you click on.
Page 307 To subtract one polygon from another 1 On the Edit menu, click Trim, Difference, or click the Difference button on the All-In-One toolbar. 2 Click the first polygon. 3 Click the second polygon. AutoSketch removes the shape of the first poly- gon from the second.
Page 308 Chapter 23 Trimming Entities...
Page 309: Chapter 24 Reshaping Entities
Reshaping Entities You can reshape polylines, polygons, curves, and lines In this chapter Selecting vertices in AutoSketch by editing their vertices. Vertices are the Moving and aligning control points for poly entities. For example, a polyline vertices with a single segment has two vertices: a startpoint and Moving a segment Adding a vertex, segment, an endpoint.
Page 310 There are two different pointers in vertex editing mode. The type of pointer AutoSketch displays while you are editing vertices depends on where you position it: When you position the pointer on one of the boxes that mark a vertex, the vertex editing pointer appears When the pointer is over a segment, the segment editing pointer appears.
Page 311: Selecting Vertices
Selecting Vertices AutoSketch allows you to perform editing functions on single or multiple vertices. To select a single vertex for editing, simply position the pointer over the vertex and click. To select several vertices, you can region select by click- ing and dragging—all of the vertices within the region you define will be selected.
Page 312 To move a vertex or endpoint with the mouse 1 Enter vertex editing mode. 2 Click and drag a vertex or vertices (for more information on selecting single or multiple vertices, see “Selecting Vertices” on page 301). A rubber- band line follows the pointer. Releasing the mouse button moves the vertices to the new location.
Page 313: Moving A Segment
Moving a Segment AutoSketch also allows you to move the individual segments of an entity. When a segment is moved, connecting segments are automatically length- ened or shortened as the segment is placed in another location. You can use any combination of snaps and lock modifiers to enter points. For informa- tion on entering points, see the chapter titled “Entering &...
Page 314 To add a vertex to a poly entity 1 Enter vertex editing mode. 2 Position the pointer on a segment where you want to add a new vertex and click and hold the left mouse button. When you begin to drag, a new vertex is created.
Page 315: Editing The Properties Of A Polyline Or Polygon Segment
Editing the Properties of a Polyline or Polygon Segment You can change the appearance of a polyline or polygon segment using vertex editing and the edit bar. The edit bar’s width text boxes control the thickness of the polyline segment at its beginning and end. Typically, these values are the same, for example on a polyline representing a wall that is 4"...
Page 316: Deleting A Vertex Or Segment
To make a polyline segment hidden 1 Enter vertex editing mode. 2 Position the pointer on the polyline segment you want to hide, then click. The segment is highlighted. 3 Check the Hide check box on the edit bar. To make a hidden polyline segment visible 1 Enter vertex editing mode.
Page 317: Opening And Closing Poly Entities
To delete unnecessary vertices without changing the shape of the selected entity 1 Select the entity you want to clean, then right-click. 2 On the pop-up menu, click Clean. Opening and Closing Poly Entities A polyline or curve is either open or closed (a closed polyline is a polygon). You can open a polygon in vertex editing mode by clicking the Open button on the edit bar.
Page 318: Dividing A Polyline At A Vertex
To open a polygon 1 Enter vertex editing mode. 2 Position the pointer on the segment you want to open and click. The segment is highlighted. 3 Click the Open button on the edit bar. To close a polyline 1 Enter vertex editing mode. 2 Position the pointer over any segment and click.
Page 319: Reshaping Arcs And Circles
Reshaping Arcs and Circles Although arcs and circles, including ellipses, cannot truly be said to have vertices, AutoSketch allows you to reshape these entities using similar tools. For example, in vertex editing mode you can change: The radius, start angle, end angle, and included angle of a circular arc The length of the X and Y axes, the start angle, end angle, and included angle of an elliptical arc The diameter of a circle...
Page 320 To change the start and included angle of a circular arc 1 Enter vertex editing mode. 2 Click either the startpoint or the included angle vertex to the new location and release the left mouse button. 3 Drag the vertex to the new location and release the left mouse button To change the length of the axes of an elliptical arc 1 Enter vertex editing mode.
Page 321 To change the start and included angle of an elliptical arc 1 Enter vertex editing mode. 2 Click either the startpoint or the included angle vertex. 3 Drag the vertex to the new location and release the left mouse button To change the diameter of a circle 1 Enter vertex editing mode.
Page 322 To change the length of the axes of an ellipse 1 Enter vertex editing mode. 2 Click either the X axis segment or the Y axis segment. 3 Drag the vertex to the new location and release the left mouse button. NOTE It is possible for you to reshape an ellipse in such a way that the X and Y axes are interchanged.
Page 323: Chapter 25 Converting & Exploding Entity Types
Converting & Exploding Entity Types Each entity type in AutoSketch has unique properties In this chapter Converting polylines and and editing procedures. Because of this, it is often polygons advantageous to use one type of entity rather than Converting TrueType fonts another for a particular purpose.
Page 324 Assume you want to fill a circle with a solid color. While you cannot fill a circle, you can convert the circle to a polygon. The new entity still looks like a circle, but because it has the properties of a polygon, you can now fill it with a solid color.
Page 325: Converting Entities To Polylines And Polygons
Entity conversion: Explode (continued) Entity Explode to nested symbols symbols groups base entities nested groups groups Converting Entities to Polylines and Polygons Converting a group of entities to a single polyline or polygon is useful when you need to calculate the length of the group as a whole or when you need to create a polygon so you can apply pattern fill.
Page 326: Converting Arcs And Circles
Converting Arcs and Circles You can convert arcs to curves or to polylines. You can convert circles to closed curves or to polygons. For information on how to create arcs and circles, see the chapter titled “Arcs & Circles,” which begins on page 155. To convert arcs and circles to curves or polylines/polygons 1 Select the arcs and circles you want to convert.
Page 327: Closing And Opening Curves
To convert curves to polylines, or polygons 1 Select the curve you want to convert. 2 Place the pointer over the curve, but not on its about point, then right- click. A pop-up menu appears. 3 Click Curves to Polylines/Polygons to convert open curves to polylines and closed curves to polygons.
Page 328: Converting Truetype Fonts
To convert a polyline to an irregular polygon 1 Select the polyline you want to convert. It must have at least three points. 2 Click Irregular Polygon in the drop-down list box on the left side of the edit bar. To convert a polygon to a polyline 1 Select the polygon you want to convert.
Page 329: Creating Groups
Creating Groups A group is a collection of entities that AutoSketch treats as a single entity. Groups are useful for organizing the entities in your drawing into collections, or groups, that can be selected at once. For instance, in an office layout draw- ing, you could group all of the symbols and entities in each office into a single group then select, move, rotate, or copy them as one entity.
Page 330: Exploding Entities
Exploding Entities AutoSketch can explode dimensions, symbols, groups, and markers to their component entities. This allows you to edit the individual components of an entity. On the Draw menu, click Symbol, Create if you want to update a symbol definition after editing its components. For more information on creating symbols, see “Creating Symbol Definitions”...
Page 331: Chapter 26 Making Inquiries
Making Inquiries An inquiry can provide detailed information on a single In this chapter Displaying information entity, generalized information about all the entities in about a specific entity the current selection set, or information about the Displaying information on the selection set entire drawing.
Page 332: Displaying Information About A Specific Entity
Each time you create a new entity or change field values, AutoSketch keeps track of useful information that you can retrieve later by making an inquiry. The dialog boxes that display the results of inquiries include buttons that let you copy the data to the Clipboard, print it, or export it as a .CSV file. Depending on what types of values are displayed, certain buttons are grayed in some cases.
Page 333: Displaying Information On The Selection Set
Displaying Information on the Selection Set Often, it is useful to display information about the selection set or the current drawing as a whole. On the Inquire menu, click Selection Properties or Drawing Properties to display the extent and count of each entity type in the selection set and the drawing, respectively.
Page 334: Displaying The Coordinates Of A Point
Displaying the Coordinates of a Point AutoSketch allows you to determine the coordinates of a point you enter. On the Inquire menu, click Coordinate to display both the world and page coordinates of the point. World coordinates (based on the actual size of the objects in your drawing) are measured from the drawing origin.
Page 335 To display the distance between two points 1 On the Inquire menu, click Distance, or click the Inquire Distance button on the All-In-One toolbar. If a selection set exists, it is temporarily suspended it and the selection handles are grayed. 2 Enter the point that defines the startpoint of the measurement.
Page 336: Measuring Angles
To display a length based on a numeric expression 1 On the Inquire menu, click Distance, or click the Inquire Distance button on the All-In-One toolbar. If a selection set exists, AutoSketch temporarily suspends it and grays the selection handles. 2 Type = (equal sign).
Page 337 4 Click Close or click Inquire Again to display another angle, or click the Copy button to copy the currently displayed angle to the Clipboard. You can measure the angle associated with a specific entity in the drawing. All entities except dimensions have at least one associated angle. Lines, polyline segments, and polygon sides have two associated angles—one for each endpoint.
Page 338: Measuring Areas
Markers and text have one associated angle. The angle is a property of the entity and AutoSketch measures this angle about the entity’s basepoint. To display the angle associated with an entity 1 On the Inquire menu, click Angle, or click the Inquire Angle button on the All-In-One toolbar.
Page 339 To display the area and perimeter of a region 1 On the Inquire menu, click Area/Perimeter, or click the Inquire Area button on the All-In-One toolbar. If a selection set exists, it is temporarily suspended. 2 Enter a point to begin the irregular polygon. A rubber-band line follows the pointer.
Page 340 Chapter 26 Making Inquiries...
Page 341: Using A Drawing As A Database
Part 6 Using a Drawing As a Database Chapter 27 Storing Data in a Drawing Chapter 28 Retrieving Data from a Drawing Chapter 29 Using Web Tools...
Page 343: Chapter 27 Storing Data In A Drawing
Storing Data in a Drawing In most CAD applications the information you can store In this chapter Creating fields is limited to entities or annotations you place in your Assigning fields and values drawing. However, in AutoSketch, your drawing can to entities double as a database.
Page 344: Creating Fields
Creating Fields You can create fields to hold data you want to store in the drawing. A field is a user-defined property. On the Database menu, click Options to create a new field. Before adding new fields, you should ask yourself what type of data you want to store.
Page 345: Assigning Fields And Values To Entities
To create new fields 1 On the Database menu, click Options. The Database Options dialog box appears. 2 Click the Fields page tab. 3 (optional) To limit field names, check the Validate Name check box. This option can make it easier to export the database to older database applications.
Page 346: Calculated Values
3 Select a Field Name from the list. 4 Enter a value for the selected field that is applicable to the selected entities. 5 Click OK. To assign one or more fields to a single entity 1 Select an entity to which you want to assign a field. 2 On the Database menu, click Edit Entity Fields.
Page 347 String. The following calculated values return a text string: Value For entity type Returns %Layer layer name %Color color name %Style style name %Width width name Number. The following calculated values return a number formatted as a scalar value: Value For entity type Returns %Color...
Page 348 Value For entity type Returns arc or circle y-coordinate of centerpoint %Radius arc or circle radius %xRadius ellipse major radius %yRadius ellipse minor radius %xStart line x-coordinate of startpoint %yStart line y-coordinate of startpoint %xEnd line x-coordinate of endpoint %yEnd line y-coordinate of endpoint Angle.
Page 349: Removing Fields
Removing Fields AutoSketch allows you to remove fields from specific entities or from the entire drawing. On the Database menu, click Options to remove a field. When you remove a field in this manner, the value stored in the field is lost, because there is no longer a container to store the value.
Page 350 Chapter 27 Storing Data in a Drawing...
Page 351: Chapter 28 Retrieving Data From A Drawing
Retrieving Data From a Drawing Once you’ve created and assigned fields to entities in In this chapter Creating reports your drawing, you need to be able to access and Organizing reports organize that information in a useful way. You can Sending information to retrieve information from your drawings using three other applications...
Page 352: Creating Reports
Report generation is one of the primary features that sets AutoSketch apart from a traditional drawing program. Before you can generate a report, you must enter data. AutoSketch stores a great deal of data in the drawing as you create entities. Graphic properties such as color, style, and width are stored along with the geometric informa- tion for each entity.
Page 353 To edit or create a report 1 On the Database menu, click Report. The Database Report dialog box appears. 2 Click the Reports page tab. 3 Click Create to create a new report, or select a report and click Edit to edit an existing report.
Page 354: Organizing Reports
6 (optional) Click the Copy button to copy the report data to the Clipboard. 7 (optional) Click the Export button save the report data in a .CSV file. 8 (optional) Click the Sort button to change the order for the report fields. The Sort Entries dialog box appears (see the following procedure).
Page 355: Sending Information To Other Applications
To organize global and local reports 1 On the Database menu, click Report. The Database Report dialog box appears. 2 Click the Organize page tab. 3 From the drop-down list, select the drawing in which you want to organize the reports. 4 (optional) To copy a local report to a global report, click a report name, then click the >>...
Page 356 5 Click Close. 6 Switch to the Windows application where you want to paste the report. 7 On the Edit menu, click Paste, or click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar. If your application does not support pasting Clipboard data in this manner, consult your application’s documentation for the exact procedure.
Page 357: Displaying Values In A Drawing
Displaying Values in a Drawing AutoSketch can display entity information directly in the drawing. Display- ing data directly in the drawing is especially useful for schematics, maps, and floor plans where the physical location of an entity is a significant part of the drawing.
Page 358: Including Autofields
Including AutoFields Each time you place a new symbol, AutoSketch appends AutoFields to the symbol instance. You can control whether these fields appear when you generate a visual report. These fields contain the following data: Symbol Name. A text string that identifies the symbol. A symbol definition must have a value assigned to the Symbol Name field.
Page 359 To specify which AutoFields to display when fields are visible 1 On the Database menu, click Options. The Database Options dialog box appears. 2 Click the Format page tab. 3 Check the check boxes next to any of the fields that you want to include with visible fields.
Page 360 Chapter 28 Retrieving Data From a Drawing...
Page 361: Using Web Tools
Using Web Tools The Web Edit tools in AutoSketch allow you to assign In this chapter Assigning URLs hyperlinks to objects in your drawings that point to Browsing hyperlinks Web pages, other files stored on local servers, or on the Using hyperlink jumps Internet.
Page 362 Using the Web Edit tools, you can, for instance, create a hyperlink between an electrical outlet symbol in your drawing and a document detailing code specifications. You can also save your drawings as .DWF files and place them on Web pages. These compressed, vector based files are completely accurate representations of drawing data.
Page 363: Assigning Urls
Assigning URLs To assign URLs to an entity, or group of entities, in a drawing, simply select them and enter a URL in the Edit Hyperlink dialog box. A URL doesn’t always have to include the complete path for the file you want to open.
Page 364: Browsing Hyperlinks
Browsing Hyperlinks AutoSketch provides an easy method to view the hyperlinks already con- tained in a drawing. Using the Browse Hyperlinks button on the Standard toolbar, you can easily determine which entities are hyperlinked, by passing over them with the pointer. The URL address is displayed on the edit bar. To browse the hyperlinks in a drawing 1 On the Database menu, click Browse, or click the Browse Hyperlinks but- ton on the Standard toolbar.
Page 365: Using Hyperlink Jumps
Using Hyperlink Jumps Once you have assigned one or more hyperlinks, you can easily make the jump from AutoSketch to your target document. Data, such as text, dimen- sions, even bitmapped images can then be copied to the Windows Clipboard and pasted into the drawing.
Page 366 Chapter 29 Using Web Tools...
Page 367: Appendix A Appendix
Appendix In addition to individual advanced topics noted at the In this appendix Advanced topics found in beginning of each chapter, online Help features several online Help chapters that do not appear in the User’s Guide. A short description of each chapter appears on the following page.
Page 368: Advanced Topics Found In Online Help
Advanced Topics found in online Help Organizing With Layers Layers allow you to organize the entities in your drawing into groups in order to limit printing, display, or accidental modifi- cation. Layers give you additional flexibility and control, especially if your drawing is complex.
Page 369: Glossary
Glossary 2-Point Intersection snap A snap that allows you to specify intersection points by clicking anywhere along a pair of lines, polylines, polygons, arcs, or circles. See also Intersection snap. about point The point about which AutoSketch rotates the selection set. absolute coordinates Coordinates that specify location in relation to the current coordinate system origin (0,0).
Page 370 aligned symbol A symbol instance whose angle you determine by entering two points. The first point determines the symbol’s location and the second its angle of rotation. All-In-One toolbar A bar with buttons that perform drawing tasks in AutoSketch, as well as buttons for snaps, controlling views, editing entities, and so on.
Page 371 and the Vertical lock modifier, the square AutoPoint Indicator identifies the endpoint nearest the pointer, but a dotted line extends to the potential snap point based on the current snap and lock modifier. AutoSelect A feature that automatically selects the last entity drawn when you can- cel most Draw and Edit commands.
Page 372 break length In dimensioning, the length of the gap that separates an extension line from its dimension point. by-layer Term used to indicate that the layer an entity is on determines its color, style, or width. by-symbol Term used to indicate that the symbol instance properties are used for color, style, or width.
Page 373 compass angle An angle measured assuming positive angles rotate clockwise and zero degrees is in the “twelve o’clock” direction. See also standard angle. Content Explorer A tool for managing symbols. The Content Explorer allows you to create, rename and copy symbol libraries, as well as deleting and importing symbols, and setting a current library.
Page 374 .DWG file format The binary drawing file format used by AutoCAD. .DXF (drawing interchange) file format An ASCII- or binary-based drawing file format developed by Autodesk, Inc. and widely supported by CAD programs. AutoSketch both imports and exports .DXF files.
Page 375 edge To extend or truncate one entity so it ends at another entity. edit bar A bar displayed above or below the AutoSketch workspace. The edit bar allows direct editing of geometry and certain other properties for the current entity. See also property bar and status bar.
Page 376 extrude To create a 3D effect by copying an entity or group of entities while adding polygons that connect the entities’ vertices to their original location. field A property assigned to an entity for use in reports. A field consists of a field name, such as “Price,”...
Page 377 grid coordinates Coordinates, or pairs of numbers that, together, specify the loca- tion of a point, measured from the grid origin. grid origin The point from which the axes of the reference grid extend outward. See also drawing origin. grid snap interval The distance between possible snap points on the reference grid. This determines the accuracy of Gridpoint snap (if the snap interval is too low, Gridpoint snap may not be as useful, if it’s too high, Gridpoint snap may not allow you to enter the point you want).
Page 378 inscribed polygon A regular polygon whose vertices fall on a defining circle. See also circumscribed polygon and regular polygon. intersection Creating a polygon from the shared area of two overlapping polygons. Intersection snap A snap that allows you to specify intersection points by clicking near the intersection of two entities.
Page 379 optionally, a pair of extension lines. Linear dimensions include horizontal, vertical, aligned, and rotated dimensions. link To use Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) to reference data in another file. When data is linked, any changes to it in the source document are automatically updated in the destination document.
Page 380 numeric list A list of numbers. In AutoSketch, the syntax for numeric lists allows loops and repetitions of both relative and absolute expressions. For example, you could express the numeric list “1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10” as the loop “1 TO 10 BY 1” or as the repetition “1++9@1.”...
Page 381 pen A property assigned to a entity that defines its color, style, and width. pen color A color assigned to an entity. There is a 256 color custom palette in AutoSketch. pen style A line pattern assigned to an entity. There are a number of pen styles in AutoSketch, including: solid, short dash, long dash, center line, phantom, dotted, dash dot, divided, and border.
Page 382 proportional scaling To constrain scaling so as not to distort an entity while resizing. That is, to keep both the horizontal and vertical scaling factors equal. Publish to Web The web tool that simplifies the process of creating web-compatible DWF files and formatting them for display in HTML pages. Quadrant snap A snap that allows you to specify a point at 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees on an arc or circle by clicking near the point.
Page 383 render depth A value that specifies the smoothness of fitted curves. Higher values make curves smoother. Lower values make them faster to display and print. resizing handle A scaling handle that appears when an entity is selected, or handles that appear around a selection set. rich text A unique text format which allows bold, italics, underline, and strikethrough formatting to be applied to characters within a text string.
Page 384 selection statement A description of entities to include in a selection set. The Selection Modifier uses selection statements to select entities. See also Selection Modifier, and selection set. shortcut key A key or key combination that carries out an action in Windows. In AutoSketch, for example, CTRL+A selects all entities in a drawing.
Page 385 drawing. A symbol instance records the location of a symbol in the drawing. While you can create many instances of a symbol in a single drawing, AutoSketch only needs to store its definition once, saving memory. See also symbol library. symbol array A series of symbols arranged in a linear, circular, or rectangular pattern.
Page 386 the upper end. AutoSketch calculates these values automatically by subtracting the minus tolerance from the calculated value and adding the plus tolerance. toolbar A bar containing buttons which you can click to carry out an operation. Clicking some buttons reveals a group of related buttons. ToolTip A screen component that provides brief information about buttons in a tool- bar.
Page 387 value The specific numeric or textual information assigned to a Database Field. In the field “Price=$1,000”, “$1,000” is the value. In the field “Name=Mr. Jones”, “Mr. Jones” is the value. vertical dimension A linear dimension whose length is determined by points you select, but whose angle is restricted to vertical.
Page 388 Glossary...
Page 389: Index
Index 3D Effects aligned (continued) – as lines option markers as polygons option selection handles – autoexplode symbols/groups symbols autoexplode text All-In-One toolbar – cap closed entities option Angle command (Inquire menu) changing isometric origins angles conversion quality bearings – customizing calculated values for extrusion properties...
Page 390 (wildcard character) grids and grid settings selecting fields using linear dimensions AutoArray origin color and location – gaps between symbols radius dimensions Autodesk Point A selection set properties AutoExplode selection set, based on entity – 3D effects options properties – –...
Page 391 commands database (continued) – repeating exporting selecting removing fields from compass angles reports compass angles, type supported by AutoSketch selecting entities using notation for entering decimal separator construction lines. See guidelines degrees, notation for entering – Content Librarian Delete command (Edit menu) Content Librarian, selecting symbols from deleting entities converting entities...
Page 392 drawing origin editing entities (continued) aligning selection handles to combining two intersecting – changing appearance of converting – displaying and changing the copying – color of creating a corner between two hiding deleting – moving dividing – placing duplicating Drawing Properties (Inquire menu) joining several to create a single drawing scale poly-entity...
Page 393 entities (continued) file formats (continued) hatch patterns Fixed ASCII lengths associated with Microsoft Excel – lines files – markers closing mirroring opening moving, rotating, read-only – and resizing saving opening and closing Fitted command (Curve menu) – – polylines, polygons, and curves fitted output removing sections from fonts...
Page 394 – – handles, selection last point, changing hardware requirements layers – hatch patterns calculated values for dragging from the Content Librarian changing current settings of help duplicate names in merged drawings ToolTips and popup windows moving entities between using the message area to obtain setting pen properties by hidden line stacking order of entities...
Page 395 markers (continued) New command (File menu) scaling about basepoint new drawing files types of using custom settings marquee using default settings clearing New Window command (Window menu) creating custom views using normal lock modifier printing current region selecting entities using selection objects stretching entities inside of...
Page 396 Point Symbol command printing – points drawings – definition of fitted output – entering and modifying previewing – entering in the dial scaled output – from the keyboard, entering setting parameters for a printer – using lock modifiers, entering or plotter –...
Page 397 – registering AutoSketch screen, major components of regular polygons scroll bars circumscribed compared to inscribed seconds, notation for entering – drawing segments – – relative coordinates, entering adding to poly-entities – relative snap bulge editing removing symbol definitions deleting from poly-entities repeating commands editing properties of –...
Page 398 spelling changing main or custom dictionaries tangent checking – circles options snap Spline command (Curve menu) Tangent 2 Entities command (Circle menu) split boxes Tangent 3 Entities command (Circle menu) Split command (drawing window Control Tangent command (Line menu) menu) templates split screen adding...
Page 399 trimming entities (continued) views (continued) – creating an alcove displaying multiple creating one polygon from intersection of panning across two polygons redrawing to clean up display of drawing – dividing – joining returning to previous – removing sections from returning to subsequent –...
Page 400 Index...

Autodesk AUTOSKETCH 8 User Manual

First Things to Know

Chapter 1 Welcome

Chapter 2 Important Concepts

Chapter 3 Screen Layout

Managing Drawing Files

Chapter 4 Opening & Saving Drawings

Chapter 5 Setting up a New Drawing

Chapter 6 Customizing the Grid

Chapter 7 Printing, Plotting, and Publishing

Chapter 8 Controlling Views

Chapter 9 Entering & Modifying Points

Chapter 10 Entering Lengths & Angles

Part III Basic Drawing

Chapter 11 Lines

Chapter 12 Polylines, Polygons, & Curves

Chapter 13 Arcs & Circles

Chapter 14 Symbols

Chapter 15 3D Effects

Chapter 16 Pen & Pattern Properties

Part IV Annotating a Drawing

Chapter 17 Working with Text

Chapter 18 Creating Dimensions

Chapter 19 Markers

Part V Editing Entities

Chapter 20 Selecting & Deleting Entities

Chapter 21 Undoing, Redoing, & Repeating Actions

Chapter 22 Moving, Rotating, & Resizing Entities

Chapter 23 Trimming Entities

Chapter 24 Reshaping Entities

Chapter 25 Converting & Exploding Entity Types

Chapter 26 Making Inquiries

Chapter 27 Storing Data in a Drawing

Chapter 28 Retrieving Data from a Drawing

Chapter 29 Using Web Tools

Appendix A Appendix

Quick Links

Related Manuals for Autodesk AUTOSKETCH 8

Summary of Contents for Autodesk AUTOSKETCH 8