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4.01 User Interface

The Application Menu

The application menu contains commands for the following file operations:

  • Create new drawings 

  • Open drawing files

  • Save drawings to the current file format

  • Export files toDWF, PDFand previous versions 

  • Plot drawings

  • Publish drawings to Map Guide, DWF, PDF, 

  • Access drawing setup and drawing utilities

  • Access the program options

  • Close drawings and projects

  • Exit AutoCAD Architecture

 

Description

Submenu Option Area- Displays secondary options related to the main menu choice

AutoCAD Search Box- The Command Search field is displayed at the top of the Application menu. Search results can include menu commands, basic tooltips, and Command prompt text strings. You can enter a search term in any language. The results apply to the current workspace.

Recent Documents - View the most recently used files with the Recent Documents list. 

Preview Documents- Hover over the drawing name and view a thumbnail of files in the Recent Documents and Open Documents lists. 

Currently Open Documents- View only files that are currently open with the Open Documents list. 

Pinned Recent Documents- You can keep a file listed regardless of files that you save later by clicking the push pin button to the right of the file name. The file is displayed at the bottom of the list until you turn off the push pin button.

Sort Documents (By Ordered List)- Use the drop-down list at the top of the Recent Documents list to sort or group files by, File name, File size, File type and Date the files were last modified

ICON or Image Size Menu- Displays options for small or large file types or document image previews 

AutoCAD Interface Options- Opens AutoCAD Document option that controls the mechanics of the drawing interface.

 

Additional Infomation Click here

 

The Ribbon

On the top of the AutoCAD window, just below the title bar, is a wide area called the Ribbon. It provides easy access to many AutoCAD tools with tabs, panels, and buttons. In AutoCAD, a panel is a grouping of buttons for similar commands. In the Home tab of the Ribbon, the Draw, Modify, Layers,Annotation, Block, Properties, Groups, Utilities, and Clipboard panels are displayed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Information Click here

Context Menu

Display a shortcut menu for quick access to commands that are relevant to your current activity.

 

You can display shortcut menus when you right-click different areas of the screen. Shortcut menus typically include options to

  • Repeat the last command entered

  • Cancel the current command

  • Display a list of recent user input

  • Cut, copy, and paste from the Clipboard

  • Select a different command option

  • Display a dialog box, such as Options or Customize

  • Undo the last command entered

You can customize right-click behavior to be time-sensitive, so that a quick right-click acts the same as pressing Enter, and a longer right-click displays a shortcut menu.

 

PDF Version Click here

AutoCAD Interface Locations

Ribbon, Panels and Work Tabs

Context Menu

Ribbon, Panels and Work Tabs

Workspaces

Workspaces are sets of user interface components, such as ribbon tabs and panels, toolbars, palettes, and menu bars, that are grouped and organized so that you can work in a custom, task-oriented drawing environment. When you select a workspace, only the user interface components specified in that workspace are displayed. You can still access other commands by entering their command names at the command line.

 

 

 

 

To change the current workspace

You can switch to another workspace by using the Workspace drop-down menu in the Quick Access Toolbar or by using the Workspace Switching button , which is located in the application status bar.

Quick Access Tool Bar

Quick Access Tool Bar

Display frequently used tools with the Quick Access toolbar. Commands buttons such as New, Open, Save, Save As, Print, Undo, Redo and Customization are located there.  The tool bar is located next to the application menu.

 

Additional Infomation Click here 

Status Bar

Status Bar

The status bar displays the cursor location, drawing tools, and tools that affect your drawing environment.

 

The status bar provides quick access to some of the most commonly used drawing tools. You can toggle settings such as grid, snap, polar tracking, and object snap. You can also access additional settings for some of these tools by clicking their drop down arrows.

Not all tools are displayed by default; you can choose what tools to display from the Customization menu, the right-most button on the status bar. The tools displayed on the status bar might change depending on the current workspace and whether the Model tab or a layout tab is currently displayed.

You can also toggle some of these settings with the function keys on your keyboard (F1 - F12).

 

Additional Infomation Click here 

Model and Layout Tabs

Model and Layout Tabs

A layout is a 2D environment where you can specify the size of your drawing sheet, add a title block, display multiple views of your model, and create dimensions and notes for your drawing.

There are two distinct working environments in which you can create objects in a drawing - Model space and layout space.

Typically, a model composed of geometric objects is created in a three-dimensional space called model space. A layout of specific views and annotations of this model is created in a two-dimensional space called paper space.

Paper space is a sheet layout environment where you can specify the size of your sheet, add a title block, display multiple views of your model, and create dimensions and notes for your drawing. You can use multiple layouts to show and provide details on the various components of your model. You can vary the scale of the model view to show small details which are part of a bigger three-dimensional model, on standard-sized drawing sheets.

The two spaces are accessible near the left bottom corner of the drawing area: the Model tab and Layout1 and Layout2 tabs.

You can add new layouts or copy existing layouts. You can create layouts using the Create Layout wizard or DesignCenter. Each layout can contain different page setup settings.

Detail of Model and Layout Tabs

Layout View

Working Enviroments

There are two distinct working environments, called "model space" and "paper space," in which you can work with objects in a drawing.

 

Model Space

By default, you start working in a limitless 3D drawing area called model space. You begin by deciding whether one unit represents one millimeter, one centimeter, one inch, one foot, or whatever unit is most convenient. You then draw at 1:1 scale.

 

Paper Space

To prepare your drawing for printing, switch to paper space. Here you can set up different layouts with title blocks and notes; and on each layout, you create layout viewports that display different views of model space. In the layout viewports, you scale the model space views relative to paper space. One unit in paper space represents the actual distance on a sheet of paper, either in millimeters or inches, depending on how you configure your page setup.

Model space is accessible from the Model tab and paper space is accessible from the layout tabs.

Model Space View 

Paper Space View 

Zoom and Pan Commands

Zoom and Pan Command

Pan and Zoom are two of the most commonly used tools in AutoCAD-based products. It's how you manipulate the view and navigate your drawing to examine, modify, or delete geometry.

In general, panning and zooming the view are accomplished by using a wheel mouse. Rolling the wheel zooms the view, while pressing the wheel and dragging pans the view.

 

 

Pan Command

Using the Pan command you will be able to change the way your drawing screen look side to side, up and down and in any diagonal direction.  Whe you pan you will not change the magnification of the drawing or move the drawing to a different direction.  

 

 

 

Zoom

Increases or decreases the magnification of the view in the current viewport.

  • Zoom Extents: Displays a view with the largest possible magnification that includes all of the objects in the drawing 

  • Zoom Window: Lets the user define a rectangular area to zoom into

  • Zoom Previous: Restores the last view of the drawing by stepping back one level

  • Zoom Realtime: Zoom dynamically by moving your pointing device up or down

  • Zoom All: Displays either the user-defined grid limits or the drawing extents

  • Zoom Object: Displays a view with the largest possible magnification that includes only selected objects

  • Zoom Scale: Scales the view of an object by entering a scale factor

  • Zoom In: Changes tthe view of an object by moving in from the current view

  • Zoom Out: Changes the view of an object by moving away from the current view

 

Certification Check

Certification Check Points

AutoCAD Interface Quiz 

Quick Access Toolbar Quiz 

Application Menu Quiz

Ribbons/Panels/Tabs Quiz

Work Space/Layout Quiz

View/Zoom/Pan Quiz 

15 questions

10 questions

20 questions

10 questions

 

Directions for Certification Quizzes

Go to the the Student Socrative website click here

Enter Room number:  148597

 

Make Sure you name in the correct format

Students must score a 90% or more on each quiz

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