Status Bar

The application status bar (see Figure below) appears at the bottom of the
AutoCAD screen. The status bar displays and allows you to change several
important drawing modes, aids, and settings that affect how you draw and
edit in the current drawing. I introduce them in this section.
You can set status bar buttons to display icons or the traditional text labels
that will be familiar to users of previous versions. To switch from one style to
the other, right-click any of the drawing mode buttons at the left side of the
status bar and select or deselect Use Icons.

Some of these status bar settings wonft make complete sense until youfve
used the AutoCAD commands that they influence, but herefs a brief description,
with references to detailed descriptions of how to use each setting,
starting at the left end of the status bar (and note that not all buttons are displayed
at all times, so Figure above doesnft show all the buttons listed):
Coordinates of the crosshairs: The coordinates readout displays the
current X,Y,Z location of the crosshairs in the drawing area, with respect
to the origin point (whose coordinates are 0,0,0).
If the coordinates in the lower-left corner of the screen are grayed out,
coordinate tracking is turned off. Click the coordinates so that they
appear in dark numbers that change when you move the crosshairs in
the drawing area.
Infer Constraints (INFER): Parametric constraints were new in AutoCAD
2010, and inferred constraints are the first major enhancement to this
relatively new feature. When INFER is enabled, you automatically set
geometry-based constraints as you draw.
 SNAP, GRID, and ORTHO modes: These three buttons control three of
AutoCADfs tools that help with precision drawing and editing.

• SNAP: Constrains the crosshairs to regularly spaced intervals,

enabling you to draw objects a fixed distance apart more easily

•  GRID: Displays a series of graph paper.style lines or regularly

spaced dots, which serve as a distance reference

• .ORTHO: Constrains the crosshairs to horizontal and vertical movement,

which makes drawing orthogonal (straight horizontal and
vertical) lines easy

POLAR Tracking mode: Polar tracking causes the crosshairs to jump to
certain angles when you draw and edit objects. The default angle settings
are multiples of 90 degrees, but you can specify other angle increments,
such as 45 or 30 degrees.  Clicking the Polar
button toggles polar tracking on and off. Ortho and polar tracking are
mutually exclusive . turning on one mode disables the other.
Object Snap (OSNAP): Object snap is another AutoCAD tool for ensuring
precision drawing and editing. You use object snaps to grab points on
existing objects . for example, the endpoint of a line or the center of a
circle.
3D Object Snap (3DOSNAP): With AutoCADfs enhanced 3D capabilities,
an extension of object snaps into the third dimension was a given.
Enabling this mode lets you snap to the precise center of a face, a
vertex, the midpoint of an edge, or a number of similar 3D points you
canft get to with regular object snaps.
Object Snap Tracking (OTRACK): When you turn on object snap tracking,
AutoCAD hunts in a more sophisticated way for points that are
derived from object snap points.
Dynamic User Coordinate System (DUCS): This onefs for 3D object creation
(and so is not included in AutoCAD LT). Most AutoCAD primitive
objects, such as lines, arcs, and circles, are planar, and you have to set
an appropriate plane in three dimensions if you want to work in 3D. You
can set planes with the UCS command .
Dynamic Input (DYN): Dynamic input displays commands, options,
prompts, and user input in a tooltip adjacent to the crosshairs and
enables you to keep focused on what youfre drawing. In addition, the
dynamic input tooltip displays what you type in response to prompts.

Lineweight (LWT) display mode: One of the properties that you can
assign to objects in AutoCAD is lineweight — the thickness that lines
appear when you plot the drawing. This button controls whether you
see the lineweights on the screen. (This button doesn’t control whether
lineweights appear on plots; that’s a separate setting in the Plot dialog
box.)
Transparency (TPY): A new object property in AutoCAD 2011 lets you
create see-through objects for the first time. Similar to the Lineweight
button, this button controls whether objects assigned the transparency
property appear transparent or opaque.
Quick Properties (QP): When Quick Properties is enabled, selecting an
object in the drawing displays a pop-up window that lists the main properties
of that object. You can choose which properties you want displayed
by right-clicking the QP button and choosing Settings.
Selection Cycling (SC): It’s remarkably easy in AutoCAD to draw objects
on top of other objects and not be able to tell you’ve done so. When the
new Selection Cycling is enabled, an icon showing two overlapping rectangles
appears beside the crosshairs if AutoCAD finds more than one
object under them. If you then click to select, a Selection window pops
up showing you how many objects, and of what type, are under the
point that you picked (see Figure below).

MODEL/PAPER: Clicking this button toggles between model space and
paper space.
As I describe in the section “Down the main stretch: The drawing area,”
later in this chapter, AutoCAD’s drawing area is composed of two overlapping
environments: Model space is where you create your model
geometry, and paper space is where you compose your drawing sheet
to document that geometry. Clicking this button when the Model tab
is active (that is, you’re in full-screen model space) switches you to a paper space layout. A completed layout includes viewports, which
reveal the objects in model space at a particular scale. After you switch to a paper
space layout, clicking this button toggles between paper space and
model space within the layout. The button label switches from MODEL to
PAPER to show you which space you’re in.
Model and Layout: (These two buttons disappear if Model and Layout
tabs are displayed.) Clicking the Model button switches you out of the
layout and back to full-screen model space. (If Model and Layout tabs
are displayed, you click the Model tab to switch to full-screen model
space.) Clicking Layout switches you to whichever paper space layout
was active when you switched to model space. (Note that the tooltip for
the Layout button displays the name of the layout, which might be
changed from the default Layout1 or Layout2.)
 Quick View Layouts: Clicking this button displays a horizontal row of
graphic images of all layouts in the current drawing. Click a layout image
to make that layout current. The Quick View toolbar below the layout
images contains buttons for pinning the Quick View Layouts bar so it
stays open, creating a new layout, publishing the selected layout, and
closing Quick View Layouts.
 Quick View Drawings: Clicking this button displays a row of graphic
images of all currently open drawings. Click a drawing image to make it
current. (Why, yes, it is the same as Ctrl+Tabbing!) Quick View Drawings
includes the same Quick View toolbar as Quick View Layouts.
Maximize/Minimize Viewport (appears on paper space layouts only):
When you’re looking at one of the Layout tabs instead of the Model tab,
the status bar displays an additional Maximize Viewport button. Click
this button to expand the current paper space viewport so that it fills
the entire drawing area. Click the button — now called Minimize
Viewport — again to restore the viewport to its normal size.

The next six buttons control the size and appearance of AutoCAD’s annotative
objects — things like text, dimensions, hatching, and so forth. Annotative
objects are complex, so don’t worry if you don’t understand at this point.

Lock/Unlock Viewport: Once you’re satisfied with the display inside
your viewport, and you’ve assigned a viewport scale, use this button to
lock the viewport display so you don’t accidentally pan or zoom inside
it.

Annotation Scale (appears in full-screen model space only): Clicking
Annotation Scale displays a list of preset annotation scales; if the
Automatically Add Scales button is toggled on, changing a scale here
causes all annotative objects to update to the new scale.
 Viewport Scale: This button appears only in a layout, when a model
space viewport is activated. If the viewport is locked, this button is inactive.
If the viewport is unlocked, clicking the button displays a list of
scales; choose the desired scale from the list.
Annotation Scale Is Not Equal To Viewport Scale: If the scale assigned
to annotative objects within the viewport differs from the scale assigned
to the viewport itself, clicking this button will synchronize the annotation
scale to the viewport scale.
 Annotation Visibility: This button toggles the visibility of annotative
objects. When the light bulb is off (gray), only annotative objects of the
current annotative scale are visible; when the light bulb is on (yellow),
all annotative objects in the drawing, regardless of scale, are visible.
Automatically Add Scales: When this button is toggled on, additional
annotative scales are automatically added to objects inside the viewport
when you change the viewport scale.
Workspace Switching: Clicking this button displays a list of saved workspaces,
including the four default workspaces (two in AutoCAD LT):
AutoCAD Classic, 2D Drafting & Annotation, 3D Basics, and 3D Modeling
(the latter two are not included in AutoCAD LT), plus any user-defined
and saved workspaces.
Lock/Unlock Toolbar/Window Positions: “Now, where did I leave that
Properties palette?” You’ll never have to ask yourself again — AutoCAD
2011 lets you lock the Ribbon, toolbars, or palettes (which for some
reason it’s started calling windows) in position, so you’ll always know
where they are.
Hardware Acceleration: You can quickly toggle hardware acceleration
on and off from the status bar. Prior to AutoCAD 2011, you had to run
the 3DCONFIG command and proceed through a couple of dialog boxes.
Visit the online help to find out more about improved graphics performance
and better rendering options using hardware acceleration; hardware
acceleration is not available in AutoCAD LT.

The remaining status bar icons, with the exception of Clean Screen at the
very end, live in a special area of the status bar called the tray. The tray displays
icons that represent drawing services, and most do not appear at all
times. These tray icons include :


Trusted Autodesk DWG: A trusted drawing is one created by AutoCAD,
AutoCAD LT, or any program developed by Autodesk. In recent years,
more and more programs have been able to save in DWG format, but in
Autodeskfs eyes, these files are not to be trusted. If you open such a
drawing file, youfll get a warning dialog box and a little yellow danger
sign over the trusted DWG icon (make sure you know where your wallet
is when you work on one of these files).
Object Isolation: In AutoCAD 2011, you donft need to turn a layer . and
everything on it . off if you want a clearer view of something in a
crowded drawing. Now you can select an object and either hide it (so it
disappears) or isolate it (so everything else disappears). If the light bulb
on this button is dim, it means one or more objects are either hidden or
isolated; click the button and choose Unisolate Objects to turn everything
else . including the light bulb icon . back on.
Associated Standards File: You see this button if youfve enabled CAD
standards checking and configured a drawing standards (DWS) file.
Clicking this button displays the Check Standards dialog box. AutoCADfs
CAD Standards functions are not included in AutoCAD LT. I donft cover
standards checking in this book.
 Manage Xrefs: You wonft see this combination button and notification
symbol until you open a drawing that contains xrefs (external DWG files
that are incorporated into the current drawing).
Status Bar Menu: When you click the easy-to-miss, downward-pointing
arrow near the right end of the status bar, you open a menu with options
for toggling off or on each status bar button. Now you can decorate your
status bar to your taste. You can also turn on the drawing status bar.
Doing so moves the three annotation scaling buttons described above
to a separate drawing-specific status bar. (My personal preference is to
leave it turned off.)
Clean Screen: No, this button doesnft squeegee your monitor. Clicking
this button frees up a bit more screen space by first maximizing the
AutoCAD window and then turning off the title bar, toolbars, palettes,
and the Windows taskbar. Click the button again to restore those
elements.

Several status bar buttons, including Snap, Polar Tracking, Object Snap, and
Object Snap Tracking, sport right-click menus that offer a speedier way of
setting options. With some of the other buttons, such as Grid and Dynamic
Input, you right-click the button and choose Settings to open the Drafting
Settings dialog box to specify options.

But wait! There’s more under the Big Red A

In addition to the Application Menu’s actual file menu items, a few other features
are worth a mention:
 Recent Documents: If you choose this option, the right pane displays
a list of drawings you’ve recently edited but that aren’t currently open.
You can show them in a simple list or as thumbnail images, as shown in
Figure below. You can also pin them to stop them from scrolling off the list.
Naturally enough, clicking one of the icons opens the drawing.

Open Documents: Choose this option to see whatfs already open, and
click an item to switch to it. This is equivalent to pressing Ctrl+Tab to
switch between open documents in any Windows program and works
the same basic way as the Quick View Drawings feature, described in the
gLooking for Mr. Status Barh section, later in the chapter.
Options: Click this button to open the Options dialog box, where you
can make hundreds of system settings. You can also open Options by
typing OP (the alias for the OPTIONS command).
Search: If youfre not sure of a command name or you want help on a
topic, just start typing in the Application Menufs search bar. AutoCAD
2011 very quickly displays a categorized list, complete with links to start
commands or to access the online help (see Figure below).

• Unraveling the Ribbon

It’s a whole new racetrack in AutoCAD 2011. In AutoCAD 2008 and prior
releases, you bounced around a bunch of palettes, toolbars, and dashboard
panels to find the commands you wanted. Now everything (well . . . almost
everything) lives in one place: the Ribbon.

The primary interface element in the 2D Drafting & Annotation, 3D Basics,
and 3D Modeling workspaces is the Ribbon, an adjustable area that contains
different collections of tabbed, task-oriented collections of panels. Some
panels — those marked with a little black triangle on the panel label — have
more tools concealed on a slideout (see Figure below). Click the panel label to
open the slideout. You can click the pushpin icon to pin the slideout open —
otherwise, it will slide away home after you click a button.
In AutoCAD 2011, you can click-and-drag a Ribbon panel and pull it into the
drawing area. So if, for example, you find yourself doing a whack of dimensioning,
but you also want to move away from the Annotate tab to other Ribbon
tabs, you can drag the Dimensions panel into the drawing, and it will stay put,
even as you switch to other panels or tabs. Just be sure to put it back where it
came from when you’re finished with it (as your mom used to say).
Autodesk’s programmers see the Ribbon as an alternative way of interacting
with the program. Theoretically, the Ribbon eliminates the need for menus
and separate toolbars, although the change-averse may think otherwise. The
Ribbon is fully customizable, but I don’t get into customizing AutoCAD in
this book — if you want to find out more, click Customization Guide in the
AutoCAD 2011 online help’s Home page.

By default, the Ribbon is docked at the top of the screen, but it can be
docked against any edge, anchored to the left or right side of the AutoCAD
window, or floated. To gain some screen space, you can click the little white
button to the right of the last tab on the Ribbonfs tab bar to minimize the
Ribbon, first to tabs and panel labels, and then to tabs only. Click one more
time to revert to the full Ribbon.
Instead of menus of grouped commands like Draw, Modify, Insert, and so
forth, the tabs are organized by task as follows:
Home: The Home tab contains Draw, Modify, Layers, Annotation, Block,
Properties, Utilities, and Clipboard panels. Some panels may be displayed
as collapsed depending on your screen resolution (the Tables,
Markup, and Annotation Scaling panels at the right end of the Annotate
tab in Figure above is in a collapsed state).
 Insert: This tab groups Block and Reference panels, as well as Import
commands and a series of commands for working with nongraphical
information, including attributes, fields, and data links.
Annotate: The Annotate tab expands on the minimalist Annotation panel
on the Home tab, with many more options for creating text, dimensions,
leaders, and tables, as well as markup functions and a few annotation
scaling tools.
Parametric: This tab is home for one of AutoCAD 2011fs most powerful
features . parametric drawing. You can apply geometric or dimensional
parameters or constraints to drawing objects so that, say, two
circles are always concentric or the length of a rectangle is always twice
its width. (AutoCAD LT is limited in this department: You can modify
or delete existing constraints, but you need the full version to create
them.)
View: The View tab contains tools and panels for controlling drawing
display, working with user coordinate systems and viewports, loading
various palettes, and organizing Windows functions such as cascading
open files or displaying different parts of the application window. I
explain most of the features on this tab later in the book.
 Manage: This tab contains panels that access the Action Recorder,
CAD Standards (neither of which is in AutoCAD LT), and a set of drawing
management and customization tools. I donft cover anything on the
Manage tab in this book.
 Output: Panels on this tab let you get those drawings off your hands by
printing, publishing, or simply sending them electronically to others.
Express Tools: The Express Tools are an invaluable set of custom commands
that will streamline your work procedures in pretty well every
aspect of AutoCAD. Theyfre officially unsupported, but theyfve been
an install option for many releases now, and mostly, they work very
well. You get this tab only if you have the full version of AutoCAD . the
Express Tools are not available in AutoCAD LT.

Running with Ribbons

Whether you’re running AutoCAD 2011 in Windows 7, Vista, or XP, most of
AutoCAD’s default screen (refer to Figure 2-1) is pretty different from traditional
Windows fare. Yes, you have title bars and a status bar, but the rest of
the interface might look foreign. A hierarchy of title bars
Like most Windows programs, AutoCAD has a title bar at the top of its application
window that reminds you which program you’re in (not that you’d
ever mistake the AutoCAD 2011 window for, say, FreeCell — or even AutoCAD
2008!).
At the right side of the program title bar is the standard set of three
Windows control buttons: Minimize, Maximize/Restore, and Close.
 Each non-maximized drawing window within the AutoCAD program
window has its own title bar, as shown in Figure 2-2. You can use the
control buttons on a drawing window’s title bar to minimize, maximize/
restore, or close that drawing instead of the entire AutoCAD program.

As in other Windows programs, if you maximize a drawing’s window, it expands
to fill the entire drawing area. In AutoCAD 2011’s 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace,
a maximized drawing window’s control buttons have migrated south,
from the menu bar (which isn’t there anymore) to the upper-right corner of the
drawing area itself. To un-maximize (restore) the drawing so that you can see
any other drawings that you have open, click the lower Restore button.
The program title and drawing name are centered in the title bar instead of
being off to the left, beside a program icon. The AutoCAD title bar also has a
couple of devices added to it:
InfoCenter: Forced out of its old home in the menu bar to a new location
at the right side of the program title bar, this is Information Central for
AutoCAD. Type a keyword and click the binoculars for more information,
or click the satellite dish to connect to the Communication Center
and check for updates.
You can save InfoCenter topics to a Favorites list (click the star), and
you can access or sign up for the AutoCAD Subscription Center (alas,
not included in the price of admission). Access to the online help is via
the question-mark button at the end of the InfoCenter panel.


Quick Access toolbar: This permanent toolbar (the only one common to
all workspaces) contains frequently used commands in an easily accessible
location. You can add and remove tool buttons by clicking the
down arrow at the right end of the Quick Access toolbar and selecting or
deselecting the ones you want to add or remove, respectively.
If you’re floundering around looking for the commands you used to be
able to find, a life preserver is hiding in the drop-down menu at the right
end of the Quick Access toolbar. Click Show Menu Bar, and the old familiar
classic menu appears above the Ribbon.

• Making choices from the Application Menu

The Application Menu is accessible from all workspaces. AutoCAD 2011’s
Application Menu follows Microsoft’s Fluent User Interface (or FUI — honest!)
guidelines in placing file management commands here, and all drawing and
editing commands on the Ribbon. The Application Menu is divided into ten
categories, as follows:
 New: Create a new drawing from a list of templates or create a new sheet
set (not in AutoCAD LT, and in any case, I don’t cover sheet sets in this
book).
Open: Open an existing drawing or sheet set for editing, or import data
from a MicroStation DGN file into a new AutoCAD drawing.
Save: Save the current drawing in the current location; if the current
drawing hasn’t been saved, you’re prompted for a filename and a location.
Save As: Save the current drawing to a new filename and/or location and
make the newly named or located file the current drawing. Also save the
drawing as a template (DWT) or standards (DWS) file, or export a paper
space layout to a new drawing.
Export: Save the current drawing to a variety of Design Web Format
(DWF) files, a PDF, a DGN, or other file format. I discuss most of these
formats in Chapters 18 and 20.
AutoCAD 2011 exports to FBX format (that’s one I don’t discuss in this
book). FBX is specifically designed to export lights and materials — even
animation data (and haven’t we come a long way from lines and circles!)
from AutoCAD drawings to more specialized 3D programs like Autodesk
Maya or Max. In short . . . if you need this format, you already know about it.
 Print: Print a single drawing or batch plot multiple drawings, create or
modify named page setups, and manage plotters and plot styles (I cover
most of these operations in Chapter 16).
Publish: Send a 3D model to an outside 3D printing service or create an
archived sheet set. (AutoCAD LT doesn’t support 3D or sheet sets.)

Send: E-mail the current drawing file or create a Zip file containing the
current drawing and any associated files needed to display the drawing
completely (most often, those associated files are external references,
which I introduce in Chapter 18).
Drawing Utilities: Set file properties or drawing units; purge unused
blocks, layers, and styles from the current drawing; and audit or recover
damaged drawings.
Close: Close the current drawing or close all drawings. If any drawings have
been changed, you’re prompted to save before AutoCAD closes the file.

AutoCAD Does Windows (and Office)

If you’re already familiar with the Microsoft Office 2007 suite, you may recognize
some program features, such as the Ribbon and the Application Menu,
which you use for choosing commands or changing system settings. But even
if AutoCAD’s new look does seem a little familiar in places, many aspects of
the program’s appearance — and some of the ways in which you work with
it — are quite different from other Windows programs. Depending on the
workspace you’ve chosen to use, you can, in many cases, tell the program
what to do in at least five ways — pick a toolbar button, pick from a pulldown
menu, pick a tool button from a Ribbon panel, type on the keyboard, or
pick from a right-click menu — none of which is necessarily the best method
to use for every task.
Slick as they are, Ribbon panels and browsing through the Application Menu
aren’t always the most efficient way of doing things. When you want to get real
work done, you need to combine the Ribbon panels with other methods —
especially entering options with the keyboard or choosing them from the rightclick
menus.

• And They’re Off: AutoCAD’s Opening Screens

In addition to the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace, there are a few additional
preconfigured workspaces available from the Workspace Switching
button. You can also create an “initial setup” based on the industry you work
in, and the content you want to see on the Ribbon. You can create an Initial
Setup Workspace by clicking Initial Setup on the User Preferences tab of the
Options dialog box.

However, because there are so many possible permutations of the Initial
Setup Workspace, let alone the 3D Modeling and AutoCAD Classic flavors,
for most of this book (the exception is Part V on 3D modeling) I’m going to
be sticking with the out-of-the-box 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace (the
exception is Part V, which deals with 3D modeling), and I recommend you do
the same as you read along.
A workspace is a collection of menus, palettes, toolbars, and/or Ribbon panels
tailored for specific tasks, such as 3D modeling or 2D drafting.
After you switch, AutoCAD remembers which workspace you last used and
opens in that one. Four standard workspaces are created when you install
AutoCAD 2011 (only two come with AutoCAD LT 2011):

2D Drafting & Annotation: This workspace (as shown in Figure 2-1) is
configured for a 2D drafting environment, with Ribbon tabs and panels
optimized for technical drawing in two dimensions.
3D Basics: This workspace is designed to help you get your feet wet with
3D modeling in AutoCAD 2011. It leaves out the Solid, Surface, and Mesh
object creation tabs, and provides simplified panels in the other tabs. I
cover modeling in 3D in Part V of this book, and there I use (and recommend
that you do the same) the full 3D Modeling workspace Ribbon.
This workspace isn’t included in AutoCAD LT because LT doesn’t do 3D.
3D Modeling: This Ribbon-based workspace is configured for a 3D modeling
environment, with navigation, visualization, and modeling tools
suitable for working in 3D. This workspace isn’t included in AutoCAD LT,
either.
AutoCAD Classic: This workspace is configured for a 2D drafting environment,
with toolbars and tool palette arrangements similar to those
in AutoCAD 2008 and earlier. In AutoCAD LT this workspace is called
AutoCAD LT Classic.

Suddenly, It’s 2011!

There’s been a new release of AutoCAD every spring since AutoCAD 2004 was
launched in 2003. That’s not much time for even an army of programmers to
deliver a compelling new feature set that’s going to convince all users that
they just have to upgrade. What seems to have been happening is a concentration
on particular areas in recent releases. For example, AutoCAD 2007
was a 3D release; the 3D modeling engine was made much easier to use, but
there was relatively little to please the 2D crowd. By contrast, AutoCAD 2008
was deemed to be “the drafter’s release” because of the number of enhancements
to 2D drawing capabilities — above all, the introduction of annotative
documentation objects. In AutoCAD 2009, the new interface got the lion’s
share of development (suddenly, it’s Office 2007!); major new features were
limited to some 3D navigation tools, the very useful Quick Properties tool,
and a palettized Layer Properties Manager. AutoCAD 2010 offered significant
enhancements to both 2D and 3D users, in parametric drafting tools, and
free-form mesh modeling.

AutoCAD 2011 again has presents for both the 2D and the 3D crowds, in the
new transparency object property, object visibility controls, and a new suite
of surface modeling tools. I introduce transparency in Chapter 6 and object
isolation in Chapter 10; you find out about network surfaces, blends, and G2
continuity in Chapter 22, and rendering with materials in Chapter 23. In the
meantime, here’s a short list of some of the other new features, along with
where you can go to find out more:

AutoCAD’s drawing screen: After a quarter-century of out-of-the-box
black backgrounds, Autodesk’s programmers decided to kick the program
into the 21st century by lightening up the drawing area, making
it more like Inventor and Revit, Autodesk’s newer 3D design programs.
AutoCAD 2010 appeared with an off-white drawing background, but the
program has now returned to the dark side — not black, but very dark
gray. And the old dot grid has been sidelined by a new graph paper-style
linear grid.

Navigation bar: Pan, Zoom, SteeringWheel, Orbit, and ShowMotion (the
last two not in AutoCAD LT) are removed from the status bar and relocated
to the new, floating Navigation bar. The ViewCube, near neighbor
to the Navigation bar, is now on screen even in the 2D Wireframe visual
style (it was formerly visible only in 3D visual styles). Since AutoCAD LT
has virtually no 3D capabilities, it doesn’t get the ViewCube. I introduce
the Navigation bar in Chapter 2, and cover its 2D tools in Chapter 12.
New Visual Styles: Visual styles let you quickly view 3D models with surfaces
and a minimal degree of rendering. AutoCAD 2011 comes with ten
visual styles; the four new ones include “Shades of Gray” and “X-Ray.”
Visual styles (which are not included in AutoCAD LT) are described in
Chapter 21.
Object visibility: This one is probably my favorite new feature. You no
longer have to turn an entire layer off in order to hide the display of one
particular object — you can now select the object you don’t want to see,
right-click, and choose Hide Objects. You can also isolate objects so
what you select is the only thing you see. I cover hiding, isolating, and
unisolating objects in Chapter 10.
New selection tools: Two new commands on the right-click menu offer
their assistance in selecting objects and drawing new ones. Select
Similar prompts you to select an object, and then displays all objects
with the same properties. Add Selected prompts you to pick an object;
AutoCAD then starts whatever command was used to create that object
and draws a new object using the source object’s properties. I describe
these new tools in Chapter 10.
Inferred constraints: A new status bar button toggles this feature off
and on. When enabled, parametric constraints are added to points you
pick using object snaps — or points to which object snaps are automatically
applied. For example, if you draw a series of lines using the LINE
command, and inferred constraints is enabled, the lines get coincident
constraints at their adjoining endpoints and behave exactly like a polyline.
I introduce you to parametrics in Chapter 19.
Hatches and gradients: The old Hatch and Gradient and Hatch Edit
dialog boxes are still there, but the new way of adding hatching to drawings
is by using the new Hatch Creation and Hatch Editing contextual
Ribbon tabs. Start the HATCH command, and as you pass your crosshairs
over drawing geometry, different enclosed areas will highlight and
a preview hatch pattern will appear. You just click to confirm the area
you want. I cover hatching in Chapter 15.
Polyline and spline editing: This might be my second favorite new
feature. Polylines and splines have become much easier to edit with the
addition of secondary grips at the midpoints of segments. Ctrl+Click
actions on the secondary grips let you add or remove vertices or change
line segments to arc segments.

3D Features: AutoCAD 2011 gains a new 3D Basics workspace that presents
a not-quite-so overwhelming panoply of buttons and lists as the
regular 3D Modeling workspace. New features include NURBS surfaces
and a vast material library. Perhaps best of all for the 3D crowd is the
addition of a set of 3D object snaps. (AutoCAD LT users . . . you know
the scoop by now.) In this edition of AutoCAD For Dummies, an entire
new section presents an introduction to viewing, creating, and editing
3D models in AutoCAD.

Checkin System Requirements

If you’re upgrading from AutoCAD 2010 or another recent release, and you
work mostly or entirely in 2D, you’re probably already current with system
requirements. In fact, if your work is mostly or entirely 2D — and therefore,
this applies especially for LT users — AutoCAD 2011 will run fine on pretty
well any computer that will run Windows 7, Vista, or XP.

AutoCAD’s requirements for running in Windows 7 or Vista are substantially
higher than for running in XP. This section covers the details.
You should know the following before you upgrade from any older AutoCAD
release:
✓ Wash those old Windows: AutoCAD 2011 does not support older versions
of Windows, such as Windows 2000, NT, 98, or Me. For AutoCAD
2011, you have three choices of operating system:
• Windows XP (Home or Professional, SP2 or later)
• Windows Vista (Enterprise, Business, Ultimate, or Home Premium,
SP1 or later)
• Windows 7 (Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium)
If you like to be cutting edge, there are 64-bit versions of AutoCAD 2011
and AutoCAD LT 2011 that run in the 64-bit versions of XP, Vista, and
Windows 7.
 DWG file compatibility: AutoCAD’s DWG file format changed with
AutoCAD 2010. Users of that version can open drawings created
in AutoCAD 2011, but you have to use the Save As option on the
Application Menu, or the SAVEAS command, to create DWG files for
users of AutoCAD 2009 and earlier versions. You can save as far back as
Release 14, and if you need to go even further back, you can save to the
Release 12 DXF format. Visit the online help index for instructions.
Application compatibility: If you use third-party applications with a previous
AutoCAD release, they may not work with AutoCAD 2011. AutoCAD
applications developed with the .NET or the ObjectARX (AutoCAD
Runtime eXtension) interfaces will probably need to be recompiled.
Many LSP (AutoLISP) programs written for the last several versions of
AutoCAD should work without change.
Built-in support for VBA applications is not included in AutoCAD 2011.
For this release only, you can continue to run VBA applications, but you
first have to download and install the VBA installer from Autodesk’s
Web site. At the time this book went to press, the URL has not been
finalized; just go to www.autodesk.com and enter VBA installer in the
Search box. There are 32- and 64-bit versions, so make sure you download
the right one for your system.
Computer system requirements: For AutoCAD 2011, Autodesk recommends
a 1.6 GHz or better Intel or AMD processor with at least 2 GB of
RAM if running in Windows XP, and a 3.0 GHz or better chip and 2 GB of
RAM if running in Windows Vista or Windows 7. Multiple processors and
dual core are supported. You also need a 1024 x 768 or higher display
resolution with True Color graphics, 1 GB to 1.6GB of available hard disk
space, an Internet connection, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or later.

Additional requirements for working in 3D: AutoCAD recommends a
3 GHz or better processor; 2 GB or more of RAM; a workstation-class,
Direct3D-capable graphics card with at least 128 MB of memory; and an
additional 2 GB of hard disk space beyond the 1 GB required for installation.

Seeing the LT

AutoCAD LT is one of the best deals around, a shining example of the old 80/20
rule: roughly 80 percent of the capabilities of AutoCAD for roughly 20 percent
of the money. (Actually, with recent price creep, it’s now more like a 70/30
rule!) Like AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT runs on mainstream Windows computers and doesn’t require any additional hardware devices. With AutoCAD LT, you
can be a player in the world of AutoCAD, the world’s leading CAD program, for
a comparatively low starting cost.
AutoCAD LT is a very close cousin to AutoCAD. Autodesk creates AutoCAD
LT by starting with the AutoCAD program, taking out a few features to justify
charging a lower price, and adding a couple of features to enhance ease
of use versus full AutoCAD. As a result, AutoCAD LT looks and works much
like AutoCAD. The drawing areas, Ribbons, and Application Menu of the two
programs are nearly identical. (LT is missing a few Ribbon tabs, panels, and
commands.)
In fact, the major difference between the programs has nothing to do with the
programs themselves. The major difference is that AutoCAD LT lacks support
for several customization and programming languages that are used to
develop AutoCAD add-ons. So almost none of the add-on programs or utilities
offered by Autodesk and others are available to LT users.
AutoCAD LT also has only limited 3D support. You can view and edit 3D
objects in AutoCAD LT, so you can work with drawings created in AutoCAD
that contain 3D objects. However, you can’t create true 3D objects in LT.
Although you may hear claims that AutoCAD LT is easier to master and
use than AutoCAD, the truth is that they’re about equally difficult (or easy,
depending on your NQ [nerd quotient]). The LT learning curve doesn’t differ
significantly from that of AutoCAD. AutoCAD was originally designed for maximum
power and then modified somewhat to improve ease of use. AutoCAD
LT shares this same heritage.
Fortunately, the minimal differences between LT and AutoCAD mean that
after you climb that learning curve, you have the same great view. You have
almost the full range of the AutoCAD 2D drafting tools, and you can exchange
DWG files with AutoCAD users without data loss.

The Importance of Being DWG

To take full advantage of AutoCAD in your work environment, you need to be
aware of the DWG file format, the format in which AutoCAD saves drawings.
Here are some DWG facts to keep in mind:
✓ In some cases, an older release of AutoCAD can’t open a DWG file that’s
been saved by a newer AutoCAD release.
✓ A newer release of AutoCAD can always open files saved by older
versions.
✓ Some previous AutoCAD releases can open files saved by the subsequent
one or two versions. For example, AutoCAD 2007 and AutoCAD
2008 can open DWG files saved by AutoCAD 2009. That’s because
Autodesk didn’t change the DWG file format between those releases.
However, the drawing file format did change with AutoCAD 2010, so
drawings created in the current release must be saved in an older
format to be openable in AutoCAD 2009 and earlier.
✓ You can use the Save As option in newer releases to save the file to
some older DWG formats. In fact, AutoCAD 2011 can save as far back as
AutoCAD Release 14, which dates all the way back to 1997!
The new file format in AutoCAD 2010 was necessary to handle new features —
especially parametric drafting. The new format is also more efficient at saving
files and can handle much larger objects. Best of all from the user’s perspective,
it’s noticeably faster to work with than AutoCAD 2009.
Working with AutoCAD is easier when your coworkers and colleagues in
other companies all use the same release of AutoCAD and AutoCAD-related
tools. That way, your DWG files, add-on tools, and even the details of your
CAD knowledge can be mixed and matched among your workgroup and partners.
In the real world, you may work with people, probably from other companies,
who use AutoCAD releases as old as AutoCAD 2006 — or even older.
Many programs claim to be DWG compatible — that is, capable of converting
data to and from AutoCAD’s DWG format. But achieving this compatibility is a
difficult thing to do well. Even a small error in file conversion can have results
ranging in severity from annoying to appalling. Every time you open a drawing
file, AutoCAD checks its parentage and warns you if the drawing was created
by a non-Autodesk program. If you exchange DWG files with people who use
other CAD programs, you may have to spend time finding and fixing translation
problems.

Why AutoCAD

AutoCAD ushered in the transition from
really expensive mainframe and minicomputer CAD systems costing tens of
thousands of dollars to merely somewhat expensive microcomputer CAD programs
costing a few thousand dollars.
AutoCAD’s 3D abilities have grown by leaps and bounds over the last several
releases, and 3D modeling is becoming a common way of checking designs
before they’re drafted. Nevertheless, AutoCAD is, first and foremost, a program
for creating two-dimensional technical drawings: drawings in which
measurements and precision are important because these kinds of drawings often get used to build something. The drawings you create with AutoCAD
must adhere to standards established long ago for hand-drafted drawings.
The up-front investment to use AutoCAD is certainly more expensive than the
investment needed to use pencil and paper, and the learning curve is much
steeper, too. So why bother? The key reasons for using AutoCAD rather than
pencil and paper are
✓ Precision: Creating lines, circles, and other shapes of the exact dimensions
is easier with AutoCAD than with pencils.
✓ Modifiability: Drawings are much easier to modify on the computer
screen than on paper. CAD modifications are a lot cleaner, too.
✓ Efficiency: Creating many kinds of drawings is faster with a CAD program
— especially drawings that involve repetition, such as floor plans
in a multistory building. But that efficiency takes skill and practice. If
you’re an accomplished pencil-and-paper drafter, don’t expect CAD to
be faster at first!
Figure 1-1 shows several kinds of drawings in AutoCAD 2011

Why choose AutoCAD? AutoCAD is just the starting point of a whole industry
of software products designed to work with AutoCAD. Autodesk has helped
this process along immensely by designing a series of programming interfaces
to AutoCAD (but not, alas, to AutoCAD LT — see the “Seeing the LT” section
later in the posts) that other companies — and Autodesk itself — have used
to extend the application. Some of the add-on products have become such
winners that Autodesk acquired them and incorporated them into its own
products. When you compare all the resources — including the add-ons, extensions,
training courses, books, and so on — AutoCAD doesn’t have much PC
CAD competition.

Introducing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT

Maybe you’re one of the few remaining holdouts who continue to practice
the ancient art of manual drafting with pencil and vellum. If so,
I must tell you, you’re a dwindling breed. Or maybe you’re completely new
to drafting and yearn for the wealth and fame (would I lead you on?) of the
drafter’s life. Maybe you’re an engineer or architect who needs to catch up
with the young CAD hotshots in your office. Maybe you tried to use AutoCAD
a long time ago, but gave up in frustration or just got rusty. Or maybe you
currently use an older release, such as AutoCAD 2006 or even (if you’re into
antiques) AutoCAD 2000.
Whatever your current situation or motivation, I hope that you enjoy the
process of becoming proficient with AutoCAD. Drawing with AutoCAD is challenging
at first, but it’s a challenge worth meeting. AutoCAD rewards those
who think creatively about their work and look for ways to do it better. You
can always find out more, discover a new trick, or improve the efficiency and
quality of your drawing production.
AutoCAD first hit the bricks in the early 1980s, around the same time as the
first IBM PCs. It was offered for a bewildering variety of operating systems,
including CP/M (ask your granddad about that one!), various flavors of UNIX,
and even Apple’s Macintosh. By far the most popular of those early versions
was for MS-DOS (your dad can tell you about that one). Eventually, Autodesk
settled on Microsoft Windows as the sole operating system for AutoCAD.

AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011 are supported in the following Windows
flavors, including both 32- and 64-bit versions:
✓ Windows 7 and Windows Vista Home Premium
✓ Windows 7 Professional
✓ Windows 7 and Windows Vista Enterprise
✓ Windows 7 and Windows Vista Ultimate
✓ Windows Vista Business
✓ Windows XP Professional
✓ Windows XP Home (32-bit only)
Although it’s not officially supported, it can also run in Windows XP Tablet
2005 Edition and make use of the tablet functionality included in Windows
Vista and Windows 7. Trying to do production drafting on a tablet isn’t a
great idea due to limitations in the graphics system, but I know it works,
because I’m running it that way myself!
Because of AutoCAD’s MS-DOS heritage and its emphasis on efficiency for
production drafters, it’s not the easiest program to master, but it has gotten
easier and more consistent over the past decade or so. AutoCAD is pretty
well integrated into the Windows environment now, but you still bump into
some vestiges of its MS-DOS legacy — especially the command line (that
text area lurking at the bottom of the AutoCAD screen. But even the command line — oops! command window — is kinder
and gentler in AutoCAD 2011.