autocad hammer preview guide beta4

8/3/2019 AutoCAD Hammer Preview Guide Beta4

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1 ConfidentialSubject to Nondisclosure Agreement

AutoCAD 2011 Preview Guide

Power your design projects from concept through completion with AutoCAD 2011 software. Your ideas can

take shape with greater clarity and accuracy than ever before, thanks to new surface modeling tools and point

cloud support. New inferred constraints capabilities make working with parametrics easier, and updated

productivity tools help you deliver final design documentation faster than ever. And major updates to

materials and surfaces help you communicate design intent with the impact you demand. With these and

many other new capabilities youve been asking for, AutoCAD 2011 helps you take design and documentation

further.


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TableofContentsUserInterface............................................................................................................................................... 4

DrawingWindow.................................................................................................................................... 4

QuickAccessToolbar.............................................................................................................................. 4

Navigation.............................................................................................................................................. 5

UCSIconand3DGizmos........................................................................................................................ 6

TheRibbon.............................................................................................................................................. 7

VisualStyles............................................................................................................................................ 9

ObjectVisibility....................................................................................................................................... 9

ObjectSelection................................................................................................................................... 10

ObjectCreation.................................................................................................................................... 13

ActionRecorder

....................................................................................................................................

13

Document................................................................................................................................................... 14

ParametricConstraints......................................................................................................................... 14

GeometricConstraints................................................................................................................... 14

DimensionalConstraints................................................................................................................ 18

Transparency........................................................................................................................................ 19

HatchesandGradients......................................................................................................................... 22

Polylines................................................................................................................................................ 25

Splines................................................................................................................................................... 26

ExternalReferences.............................................................................................................................. 27

ScaleLists.............................................................................................................................................. 28

MissingSHXandFontFiles................................................................................................................... 30

TextAlignmentinLinetypes................................................................................................................. 31

Figure62.ExamleLinetypeDefinition.................................................................................................. 31

Explore........................................................................................................................................................ 31

3DModeling

Workspaces

.....................................................................................................................

31

3DObjectSnaps................................................................................................................................... 32

SolidModeling...................................................................................................................................... 32

SurfaceModeling.................................................................................................................................. 33

SurfaceCreationTools................................................................................................................... 33


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SurfaceEditingTools...................................................................................................................... 35

AnalysisTools................................................................................................................................. 37

ConsistentMaterials............................................................................................................................. 38

MeshModeling..................................................................................................................................... 40

PointClouds.......................................................................................................................................... 41

LearningResources..................................................................................................................................... 43

NewFeaturesWorkshop...................................................................................................................... 43

OnlineHelpSystem.............................................................................................................................. 43


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UserInterfaceAutoCAD2011offersavarietyofuserinterfaceenhancementsthatallowyoutodesignwithgreater

easeandefficiency.

Drawing WindowThedrawingwindowhasbeenupdatedinAutoCAD2011todisplayadarkgraybackgroundinmodelspace.

YoucaneasilymodifythedrawingwindowcolorfromtheDisplaytaboftheOptionsdialogbox.

Thetraditionaldotgridhasbeenreplacedwithhorizontalandverticalgridlinestomoreclosely

representengineeringgraphpaper.Whenthegridisenabled,redandgreenlinesextendfromtheUCS

icontorepresenttheXandYaxesoftheorigin.

Figure1.AutoCAD2011drawingwindow

Quick Access ToolbarTheQuickAccesstoolbardisplaysthenameofthecurrentworkspace.Youcaneasilyselectadifferent

workspaceandaccessotherworkspacetools.Inaddition,thedefaultQuickAccesstoolbarnowincludes

boththeSaveandtheSaveAstools.


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Figure2.Workspacemenu

NavigationAutoCAD2011includesanewNavigationbarwithfrequentlyusednavigationtools,includingAutodesk

SteeringWheels,ViewCube,andShowMotion,aswellasPan,Zoom,andOrbit.Itreplacesthe

navigationtoolsthatwerepreviouslyaccessibleontheStatusbar.Youcancontrolthedisplayofthe

NavigationbarforindividualworkspacesviaapropertyintheCUIdialogbox.

Figure3.CUINavigationbarproperty

TheNavigationbarprovidesintegratedsupportfor3DConnexiondeviceswhenthe3DConnexion

systemdriverispresent.


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Figure4.3DConnexionsettings

TheViewCubehasbeenenhancedtosupportthe2Dwireframevisualstyle,enablingyoutoeasily

changeyourviewpoint.Theclockwiseandcounterclockwisecontrolsareparticularlyusefulforrotating

theviewpointonthe2Dplane.

Figure5.ViewCubenavigation

TheSteeringWheelsSettingsdialogboxhasbeenupdatedforclarityandconsistency.

UCS Icon and 3D GizmosTheUCSiconhasbeenupdatedtodisplayadifferentcolorforeachaxis:Xforred,Yforgreen,andZfor

blue.Inaddition,theappearanceof3Dgizmoshasbeenupdatedforclarityandconsistency.


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Figure6.

UCS

icon

and

3D

gizmos

The RibbonAnewpulldownmenuhasbeenaddedtotheribboncyclebuttonattheendofthelistoftabs.Youcan

minimizetheribbontopanelbuttons,tabs,orpaneltitles.

Figure7.Ribboncycleoptions

Whenyouminimizetheribbontopanelbuttons,largeiconsappearforeachpanel.Hoveringoverthe

buttoncausesthepaneltoexpand,similartothebehavioryouseewhentheribbonisminimizedto

paneltitles.

Figure8.Ribbonpanelbuttons

TheInserttabincludesaPointCloudpaneltosupportthenewPointCloudfunctionality.Inaddition,a

newContentpanelprovideseasyaccesstoDesignCenterandAutodeskSeekwebservice.Autodesk

SeekhasbeenremovedfromtheOutputtab.

Figure9.Inserttab


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TheViewtabhasbeenupdatedtoincludetheVisualStylespanel,providingyouwitheasyaccessto

predefinedvisualstyles,theVisualStylesManager,andothervisualstylescontrols.TheWindowspanel

includesnewUserInterfaceandToolbarcontrolsthatenableyoutoeasilytogglethedisplayofvarious

userinterfaceelements,includingAutodeskViewCubeandShowMotionnavigationwidgets,the

Navigationbar,andtheTextwindow.TheStatusbarcontrols,whichhavebeenremovedfromthe

Windowspanel,

are

still

easily

accessible

from

the

Status

bar.

Figure10.Viewtab

CustomizableribbonfunctionalityintheCustomizeUserInterfacedialogboxhasbeenenhancedto

includenewFoldpanels.AsyouchangethesizeofyourAutoCADwindoworaddandremovepanels

fromatab,Foldpanelsresizehorizontallytofilltheavailablespace.Foldpanelpropertiesenableyouto

specify

default,

maximium,

and

minimum

button

sizes.

Figure11.CUIRibbonFoldPanel.

Forexample,theFoldpaneldefinedabovecouldhavethefollowingdefault,maximum,andminimum

appearances.


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Figure12.

Example

Fold

panel

Visual StylesAutoCAD2011providesfivenewpredefinedvisualstylesincluding:Shaded,ShadedwithEdges,Shades

ofGray,Sketchy,andXRay.Withthemostcommoncombinationsofvisualstylepropertiesrightatyour

fingertips,visualstylesareeasiertousethanever.

Figure13.

Visual

styles

Object VisibilityAutoCAD2011includesnewtoolsthatenableyoutocontrolobjectvisibilityindependentfromlayer

visibility.TheObjectVisibilitytoolsareaccessiblefromtherightclickmenuwhenobjectsareselectedas

wellaswhennoobjectsareselected.WhenyouusetheIsolateObjectstool,onlytheselectedobjects

remainvisibleinthedrawing.Allotherobjectsarehidden.

Figure14.Isolatedobjects


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Alternatively,whenyouusetheHideObjectstool,theselectedobjectsarehidden.

Figure15.Hiddenobjects

YoucanuseacombinationoftheIsolateObjectsandHideObjectstoolstoefficientlydisplayonlythe

objectsthatarerelevanttoyourcurrenttask.Forexample,youmightusetheIsolateObjectstoolto

select

an

area

of

the

drawing

you

want

to

edit

and

then

use

the

Hide

Objects

tool

to

hide

additional

objectswithinthatarea.Aftercompletingyourtask,youcanquicklyrestorethehiddenobjectsusing

theEndObjectIsolationtool.

Figure16.EndObjectIsolationtool

TheOBJECTISOLATIONMODEsystemvariablecontrolswhetherisolated/hiddenobjectspersistbetween

drawingsessions.Alightbulbicononthestatusbarindicateswhetherobjectisolationisactiveinthe

drawing.

Figure17.

Object

Isolation

status

icon

Inadditiontotheobviousbenefitsobjectvisibilitycontrolsofferfor2Ddesign,theyrejustasvaluable

for3Dmodeling.

Object Selection


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ThenewSelectSimilartoolenablesyoutoselectanobjectandautomaticallyincludeallotherobjectsof

thesametypeandwiththesameproperties,inanewselectionset.Youcanaccessitfromtherightclick

menuwhenobjectsareselected.

Figure18.

Select

Similar

tool

ASettingsoption(accessiblewhenyouenterSELECTSIMILARatthecommandline)enablesyouto

specifywhichpropertiestofilter. IfonlytheLayerpropertyisenabledwhenyouselectacircle,for

example,AutoCADautomaticallyselectsallcirclesonthesamelayerastheoneyouselected.Ifboththe

LayerandLinetypepropertiesareenabled,however,AutoCADselectsonlythecirclesonthesamelayer

andwiththesamelinetypeastheselectedone.


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Figure19.SelectSimilarSettingsdialogbox

TheSelectSimilartoolalsoenablesyoutoselectmorethanoneobjectandcreatethematching

selectionsetaccordingly.Forexample,iftheLayerfilterisenabledandyouselecttwocircles,eachon

differentlayers,AutoCADselectsallthecirclesonbothlayers.If,instead,youselectacircleandaline,

AutoCADselectsallthecirclesonthesamelayerastheselectedcircleandallthelinesonthesamelayer

astheselectedline.Inadditiontogeneralobjectproperties,youcanfilterselectionsbasedonobject

specificproperties,includingobjectstyleandreferencename.ObjectStylepropertiesapplytotextand

mtext,leadersandmleaders,dimensionsandtolerances,andtablesandmultilines.Referencenames

applytoblocksandexternallyreferencedfiles,includingxrefsandimagesaswellasPDF,DWG,or

DGNfiles.

Inaddition

to

the

new

Select

Similar

tool,

anew

option

has

been

added

to

the

PICKADD

system

variable.

WhenPICKADDissettoavalueof2(asitisnowbydefault),objectsthatyouselectusingtheSELECT

commandremainselectedinapickfirststateevenafteryouendtheSELECTcommand.

Easilyselectoverlappingobjectsusingthenewselectioncyclingfunctionality.Youcanenableselection

cyclingfromacontrolontheStatusbar.Whenyoutrytoselectanobjectthatoverlapsotherobjects,

AutoCADdisplaysalistofalltheoverlappingobjects.Asyoupassthecursoroveranobjectinthelist,

therelevantobjectinthedrawinghighlights.


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Figure20.Selectioncyclingtool

Object CreationThenewAddSelectedtoolenablesyoutoquicklycreateanewobjectinyourdrawingbasedonthe

propertiesofanexistingobject.Forexample,ifyouusetheAddSelectedtoolandselectapolyline,AutoCAD

automaticallylaunches

the

PLINE

command

with

basic

object

properties

including

color,

layer,

linetype,

linetypescale,plotstyle,lineweight,transparency,andmaterialpresettomatchtheselectedobject.

Figure21.AddSelectedtoolAction RecorderTheActionMacroenablesyoutodeleteorinsertusermessagesforViewChangeoperations.

Figure22.ViewChangeeditingtools

Themacrolistdisplaysthemostrecentlyusedmacrosabovetheseparationbarandallavailablemacros

belowit.


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Figure23.ActionmacrolistDocumentAutoCADissynonymouswithdocumentationforgoodreason.Powerfuldocumentationtoolsin

AutoCAD2011helpyouworkevenfasterwithautomation,management,andeditingtoolsthat

minimizerepetitivetasksandspeedyourtimetocompletion.Nomatteryourprojectssizeorscope,

youcan

meet

the

challenge

with

AutoCADcontinuously

leading

and

innovating

documentation

for

over25years.

Parametric ConstraintsThe2DparametricfunctionalityhasbeenenhancedinAutoCAD2011,andincludespredefined

commandmacrostoaccessoptionswithinintheGEOMCONSTRAINTandDIMCONSTRAINTcommands.

Forexample,insteadoflaunchingtheGEOMCONSTRAINTcommandandthenselectingthe

Perpendicularoption,youcanlaunchtheGCPERPENDICULARcommanddirectly.Repeatingthelast

commandautomaticallyrepeatsthelastcommandaswellasthespecificoption.

Object

highlighting

when

you

roll

over

an

icon

on

a

constraint

bar

or

when

you

select

a

parameter

in

the

ParametersmanagersupportstheVisualEffectssettingsyouspecifyontheSelectiontaboftheOptions

dialogbox(dashedandthickenedbydefault).Additionalimprovementstogeometricanddimensional

constraintfunctionalityenableyoutocreateandeditparametricallyconstrainedgeometryfasterthan

everbefore.

GeometricConstraintsAutoCAD2011significantlysimplifiestheprocessofaddinggeometricconstraintsto2DAutoCAD

geometry.AutoCADcaninfergeometricconstraintsasyoucreateandmodifygeometry.AnewInfer

Constraintbuttononthestatusbarenablesyoutotoggleinferredconstraintsonandoffsimilarto

togglingobjectsnapsonandoff.ThistoggleisalsoavailableontheGeometrictaboftheConstraint

Settingsdialogbox.


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Figure24.InferConstraintstool

UsinginferredconstraintsautomaticallyappliescoincidentconstraintsforEndpoint,Midpoint,Center,

Node,andInsertionobjectssnaps.Forexample,ifyoudrawacirclebysnappingitscentertothe

midpointofaline,AutoCADautomaticallyappliesacoincidentconstraintbetweenthecenterofthe

circleandthemidpointoftheline.Ifyoumovethecircle,thelinegoeswithit.Thesamepowerful

functionalityappliestoeditingcommands.If,forexample,youcopytheinsertionofablocktothe

endpointofaline,AutoCADautomaticallyappliesacoincidentconstraintbetweenthosetwopoints.

Whenyoumovetheline,theblockmaintainsitspositionattheendpointoftheline.

Figure25.Editingwithinferredconstraints

Inadditiontocreatingpointtopointcoincidentconstraintswiththepreviouslymentionedobjectsnaps,

youcanusetheNearestobjectsnaptoapplyacoincidentconstraintbetweenapointandanobject.For

example,ifyoudrawthecenterofacircleonalineusingtheNearestobjectsnap,thecenterofthe

circlehastheflexibilityofmovinganywherealongthelineincludingthevirtualextensionoftheline.

Figure26.Nearestobjectsnapwithinferredconstraints

ThePerpendicularandTangentobjectsnapsautomaticallyapplyperpendicularortangentconstraints

betweentheobjectbeingcreatedoreditedandtheobjectbeingsnappedto.Theyalsoapplyapointto

pointorpointtoobjectcoincidentconstraintifappropriate.UsingtheParallelobjectsnapautomatically

appliesaparallelconstraintbutnocoincidentconstraintsareappliedsince,bydefinition,thetwo

objectsneverintersect.Whenyoudrawhorizontalorverticallinesandpolylinesegments,inferred

horizontalandverticalconstraintsautomaticallyapplytothosesegments.

Inferredconstraintsenhancethebehaviorofrectangles,fillets,andchamfersbyautomaticallyapplying

appropriategeometricconstraints.Forexample,ifyoudrawarectangle(usingtheRECTANGcommand),

AutoCADautomaticallyappliesapairofparallelconstraintsandaperpendicularconstrainttotheclosed

polyline.Whenyoumodifythesizeandshapeoftherectangle,youcanrestassuredthatitwillremaina

rectanglewithparallelsidesandperpendicularcorners.Creatingafilletautomaticallyappliescoincident


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andtangentconstraintsbetweenthenewlycreatedarcandtheexistingpairoflineshelpingmaintain

thefilletevenwhenthearcorlinesaremodified.Similarly,creatingachamferappliescoincident

constraintsbetweenthenewlycreatedlineandtheexistingpairoflines.

Figure27.Filletsandchamferswithinferredconstraints

Evenafteryouveappliedconstraints,youcantemporarilyrelaxthembypressingtheCTRLkeywhile

editingconstrainedobjects.

AutoCAD2011improvesthesupportofgeometricconstraintsforellipsesandtext.Youcannowapply

Parallel,Perpendicular,Collinear,Horizontal,andVerticalconstraintsbetweenthemajororminoraxes

ofanellipseandotherobjects.

Figure28.Constraininganellipse

Similarly,youcanapplyParallel,Perpendicular,Collinear,Horizontal,andVerticalconstraintstothe

rotationangleoftextobjects.Inaddition,textandmtextobjectsbehaveconsistentlyandpredictably,

withtheidentifiedinsertionpointoftheobjectbeingtheconstrainablepoint.

Figure29.Constrainingtext


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TheAutoConstrainfunctionalityinAutoCAD2011hasbeenupdatedtoincludetheEqualconstraint.

WhenyouuseAutoConstrainwiththeEqualoptionenabled,theEqualconstraintisautomatically

appliedtolinesandpolylinesegmentsofequallengthandarcsand/orcirclesofequalradius.

Constraintbarsareenhancedtoprovidemorecontrolandflexibility.Youcanselectmultipleobjectsfor

showingor

hiding

constraint

bars

using

standard

selection

methods,

including

Window,

Crossing,

Fence,

andImpliedWindow/Crossing.Quicklydisplayallconstraintbarsintheiroriginalpositionusingthenew

Resetoption. And,anewsettingintheGeometrictaboftheConstraintSettingsdialogsenablesyouto

showconstraintbarswhenobjectsareselectedevenifthoseconstraintbarsarecurrentlyhidden.When

thegeometryisnolongerselected,thetemporarilydisplayedconstraintbarsare,onceagain,hidden.

Whenyoumoveaconstraintbarandthenedittherelatedgeometry,theconstraintbarmaintainsits

positionrelativetothegeometry.

Figure30.GeometricConstraintsettings

ThenewconstrainticonsforFix,Horizontal,andVerticalconstraintsvisuallyindicatewhethertheyapply

toanobjectortoapoint.Thesymmetricconstrainticonisalsoupdatedtoindicatewhetheritis

identifyingasymmetricalpointorobject,orthesymmetricline.

Constraint Icons Description

Fix Differenticonsforfixpointandfixobjectconstraints

Horizontal Differenticonsforfixpointandfixobjectconstraints

Vertical Differenticonsforfixpointandfixobjectconstraints


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Symmetric Differenticonsforsymmetricalpoint,object,andsymmetryline

DimensionalConstraintsTheDIMCONSTRAINTcommandincludesanewConvertoptiontoconvertassociativedimensionsto

dimensionalconstraints

rather

than

it

being

the

default

behavior.

Figure31.DIMCONSTRAINToptions

Whenenteringdimensionalconstraintvaluesinplace,youcanclickonanexistingdimensional

constrainttoinserttheconstraintname.Whendynamicdimensionalconstraintsreferenceanother

parameter,theparametertextisprependedwithfx:tohelppreventyoufromaccidentallyassigninga

constantvaluetoaparameterthatreferencesothervariables.

Figure32.Dimensionalconstraints

NewtoolsontheDimensionalPaneloftheParametrictabprovideyouwithmorecontroloverthe

displayofdimensionalconstraints.UsingtheShow/Hidetoolyoucanselectthespecificdimensional

constraintsyouwanttoshoworhide.

Figure

33.

Dimensional

constraint

visibility

tools

TheParametersManagerofferssignificantimprovementsinAutoCAD2011.ItincludesanewFilters

panewhereyoucandefineparametergroupsthatdisplayasubsetoftheparameters.Createnewfilter

groupsusingthebuttonatthetopoftheParametersManagerorbyselectingtheoptionfromtheright

clickmenu.Withyourfiltergroupscreated,youcanthendragparametersintothem.Therightclick

menuforparametersintheParametersManagerisupdatedwithadditionaloptionsincludingtheability

todisplaytheFiltertreeandtoremoveparametersfromagroup.


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Figure

34.

Parameter

group

filters

Anewsearchboxfilterstheparametersdisplayedinthegridcontrolbasedontheparametername.

Columntooltipsdisplaythefullnameofthecolumnaswellasadescription.

AdditionalenhancementstotheParametersManagersimplifytheterminologyfordimensional

constraintsanduservariablescreatedinthedrawingeditorversustheblockeditor.TheShowcolumnin

theBlockEditorincludesanewoptiontoconvertbetweendimensionalconstraintparametersoruser

parametersdefinedinthedrawingeditorversustheblockeditor.IntheBlockEditor,iconsaredisplayed

foractionparameters,attributes,anduserparameters.

TransparencyAutoCAD2011includesanewtransparencypropertythatenablesyoutoapplytransparencytoobjects

andlayersinthesamewayyouapplycolors,linetypes,andlineweights.


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Figure35.

Transparent

objects

Youcansettransparencybylayer,byblock,orindividuallyforanobject.Thedefaulttransparencyvalue

forlayersandobjectsis0,andyoucansetitashighas90.

TheLayerPropertiesManager(paletteanddialog),theLayerStatesManager,theLayerFilterdialog,

andtheLayerTranslatorhaveallbeenupdatedtoreflectthenewtransparencyproperty.IntheLayer

PropertiesManager,anewcolumnforTransparencyisavailableinmodelspaceandlayouts,anda

columnforViewport(VP)Transparencyisavailableinlayoutsandfloatingmodelspaceviewports.

Figure36.

Layer

Transparancy

options

Youcansettransparencyforindividualobjectsjustlikecolorandlinetype.Settingatransparencyvalue

foranindividualobjectoverridesthelayertransparencysettingforthatobject.Youcanaccessobject

transparencyfromanumberofplaces:thePropertiespalette,QuickProperties,ortheribbon.Thenew

CETRANSPARENCYsystemvariablesetsthetransparencypropertyfornewobjects.


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Figure37.ObjectTransparancyoptions

TheSetByLayerSettingsdialoghasbeenupdatedtoincludeTransparencyasoneoftheavailable

properties.

Figure38.SetByLayersettings

TransparencyhasalsobeenaddedtotheQuickSelect,Filter,andMatchPropertySettingsdialogsas

wellastheCHPROP,CHANGE, LAYER,VPLAYER,andLISTcommands.

Figure39.Propertysettings

Abuttonhasbeenaddedtothestatusbartoenableyoutotemporarilyturnofftransparencydisplay

(TRANSPARENCYDISPLAYsystemvariable),similartothebehaviorofthelineweightdisplaybutton.This

doesnotaffectplotting.However,youhavetheoptiontoturnofftransparencywhenplotting.ThePlot


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andPageSetupdialogsbothincludeacheckboxfortransparency(PLOTTRANSPARENCY),similartothe

behaviorforplotstyles.Whenthisoptionisenabled,AutoCADrasterizestheentiredrawingforplotting,

slowingdowntheplottingprocess.

Figure40.Plottransparency

Priorto

AutoCAD

2011,

images

had

asetting,

also

called

transparency,

that

controlled

whether

the

backgroundofabitonalimagewasclearoropaque.Thispropertyhasbeenrenamedtobackground

transparencytodistinguishitfromthenewtransparencyproperty.Youcanapplybothbackground

andobjecttransparenciestoimagesinAutoCAD2011.

Hatches and GradientsTheHatchtoolisstreamlinedinAutoCAD2011forfastercreationandeditingofhatchobjects.Itnow

immediatelypromptsyoutoselectaninternalpointwithoutdisplayingtheHatchdialogbox.Instead,

thenewHatchCreationcontextualtabprovideseasyaccesstoallhatchandgradientoptions.

Figure41.HatchCreationtab

AHatchEditorcontextualribbondisplayssimilarhatchtoolswhenyouselectanexistinghatch.

Figure42.HatchEditingribbontab

TheHatchPreviewfunctionforthepickpointsmethodhasbeenimproved.Now,passingyourcursor

overaneligibleareashowsyouwhatthehatchwouldlooklikeifyouclickedthere.


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Figure43.Hatchpreview

Youcanalsoseetheresultofeachclickasyoupickpointsorobjectsinthedrawing.Keepinmindthat

eventhoughitlooksasthoughahatchwascreatedasyouclicked,itwillnotactuallybeaseparate

objectunlessyouhavetheCreateSeparateHatchesoptionon.

Figure44.CreateSeparateHatchesoption

AutoCAD2011continuestoexpandobjectgripfunctionalitywithanewcentergripfordirect

manipulationofhatchobjects.Youcanusedirectmanipulationtostretchormovethehatchorchange

theorigin,

angle,

or

scale.

These

options

are

available

when

you

hover

over

the

grip.

You

can

either

chooseanoptionfromthelist,oractivatethegripanduseCTRLtocyclethroughthedifferent

behaviors.


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Figure45.Directmanipulation hatchtools

Otherhatchgripbehaviorhasnotchanged,exceptthatstretchisnowthedefaultactionforthe

secondaryormiddlegripsonanonassociativehatch.

Figure46.Stretchhatchaction

Hatchesnowsupportbackgroundcolorinadditiontolinecolor.Thisenablesyoutohavetheeffectof

layeringhatchesinoneobject.

Figure47.Hatchbackgroundcolor

Younowalsohavetheoptiontosetahatchslayerbeforeyoucreateit.Youcanchooseeithertouse

the

current

layer

or

to

pick

one

from

your

drawing.

Like

color,

pattern,

and

other

hatch

properties,

layer

isapersistentsettingduringyourdrawingsession.

ThecommandHATCHTOBACKhasbeenintroducedinresponsetoanitemontheAUGIwishlist.Similar

toTEXTTOFRONT,HATCHTOBACKsendshatchesunderneathallotherobjectsinthedrawing.Send

HatchestoBackisavailableontheModifypaneloftheHometabundertheDrawOrderflyout,along

withBringTexttoFrontandBringDimensionstoFront.


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Figure48.SendHatchestoBacktool

ThenewsystemvariableMIRRHATCHenablesyoutomirrorhatcheswhileretainingtheirorientation.

(Thisis

similar

to

the

MIRRTEXT

variable.)

Set

to

0,

mirroring

hatches

maintains

their

original

angle.

WhenMIRRHATCHissetto1,thehatchanglemirrorsalongwiththerestoftheobjects.

Figure49.Hatchmirrorbehavior

TheHatchObjectLimitsystemvariable(HPOBJWARNING)hasbeenincreasedto10,000from1,000to

reflectthecapabilitiesofcurrentcomputers.Whenalargenumberofobjectsareselectedforhatch

boundarycalculations,itcanresultinslowerperformance.Thankstoincreasedhardwarecapabilities,

though,itnowtakesamuchlargernumberofboundaryobjectstoaffectcalculationspeed.Youmay

nowalsosetthevalueoftheHatchObjectLimityourself.

PolylinesPolylineobjectsinAutoCAD2011nowhaveextragripstomakeeditingthemeasierthanever.In

additiontothefamiliarprimarygripslocatedattheendofeachpolylinesegment,therearenow

additionalsecondarygripslocatedatthemidpointofeachsegment.Thesegrips,likethenewhatch

grips,aremultifunctional.Theavailablefunctionscanbeseenbyhoveringoveragrip,andyoucan

chooseanoptiondirectlyfromthemenuthatappears.


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Figure50.Directmanipulation polylinetools

Youcanalsoactivatethegripbyclickingonit.Thenyoucancyclethroughtheavailablefunctionsby

pressingCTRL,orchoosingoneoftheoptionsfromtherightclickmenu.Iconsnexttothecursor

indicatetheactivefunction.

SubselectionforpolylineshasbeenrefinedinAutoCAD2011.Tosubselectoneormoresegmentsofa

polyline,holddownCTRLwhileleftclickingonthepolyline.

Figure51.Polylinesubobjectselection

Gripbehaviorforsubselectedsegmentsisidenticaltothebehaviorwhentheentirepolylineisselected.

You

can

now

use

the

JOIN

command

to

connect

lines,

arcs,

and

polylines

to

3D

polylines,

as

long

as

they

areallcontiguous(inotherwords,theyshareacommonendpoint).Youmustselectthemostcomplex

objectfirst(inthiscase,the3Dpolyline),andtheobjectstobejoineddonotneedtobecoplanar.

SplinesSplineshavebeenupdatedinAutoCAD2011toprovidemoreflexibilityandcontrol.Youcandefinea

splineusingfitpointsorcontrolvertices(CV).CVsplinesaremoreappropriateifyouwillbeusingthem

with3DNURBSsurfaces.

Figure52.FitsplineandControlVerticesspline


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Whendrawingafitspline,youcanspecifyadditionalsettingsforitsstartandendtangencies,tolerance

(howclosethesplinemustcometothefitpoint),andknotparameterization(controllingtheshapeof

thecurveasitpassesthroughthefitpoint).

TheonlyoptionforCVsplinesisDegree,whichcontrolshowmanybendsthesplinecantakeinagiven

span.

Figure53.

CV

spline

Degree

C

Easilyswitchmethods,addandremovepoints,oreditendpointtangenciesusingintuitivegripmenus.

Figure54.Splinetangentdirection

TheSPLINEDITcommandalsohasseveralnewoptions,includingimprovedEditVertexoptions.Youcan

noweasilyaddkinksorsharpcornerstoaspline.

Figure55.Splinekink

Youcan

use

the

JOIN

command

to

connect

lines,

arcs,

polylines,

3D

polylines,

and

helixes

to

splines,

as

longastheyareallcontiguous(inotherwords,theyshareacommonendpoint).Youmustselectthe

mostcomplexobjectfirst(inthiscase,thespline),andtheobjectstobejoineddonotneedtobe

coplanar.

External References


28/45


TheselectionofexternallyreferencedfileshasbeenenhancedinAutoCAD2011.Whenyouselecta

referenceobjectinthedrawing(xrefs,images,DWFTM,DGN,PDF,dataextractiontables),the

correspondingreferenceisselectedintheExternalReferencespalette.Similarly,ifyouselectfile

referencesfromtheExternalReferencespalette,thereferencesarehighlighted(butnotselected)inthe

drawing,assumingtheyarevisibleinthecurrentview.Youcancontrolthisbehaviorwiththenew

ERHIGHLIGHTsystem

variable.

Figure56.ExternalReferencehighlighting

TheExternalReferencespaletteincludesaoptiontoeasilydetachdataextractiontablesfromadrawing.

Figure57.

Data

Extraction

Table

Detach

option

Scale ListsScalelistfunctionalityhasbeenenhancedinAutoCAD2011tostoreacustomizabledefaultlistof

annotationscalesinthefixedprofileoftheregistry.Youcanusethedefaultscalelisttodefinea

customizedlistofscalesthatautomaticallydisplaysinallyourdrawings.Ascalelistisstillmaintainedin

thedrawing,butyoucaneasilyresetthescalelistinthedrawingtothedefaultlistofscales(metricor


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imperial)definedintheregistry.Whenthescalelistinadrawingisreset,AutoCADpurgestheunused

scalesinthedrawingandthenmergesinthecustomizedlistofscalesfromtheregistryintothedrawing.

YoucancustomizetheDefaultScaleListfromtheUserPreferencesTaboftheOptionsdialogbox.You

canstilleditthescaleliststoredinthedrawingbyaccessingthescalecontrolontheStatusbarorwith

theSCALELISTEDITcommand.

Figure58.

User

Preferences

tab

of

the

Options

dialog

box

TheDefaultScaleListdialogboxissimilartotheexistingEditScaleListdialog,whicheditsthescalesin

thedrawing.However,theDefaultScaleListdialogboxincludesadditionalcontrolsforyoutospecify

whetherthedefaultscalesaremetricorimperial.


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Figure59.

Default

Scale

list

Whenyouresetthescaleslistinadrawing,youarepromptedtoselectMetricscales,Imperialscales,or

both.ThedefaultchoiceisgovernedbytheMEASUREMENTvariableinthedrawing.Whenyoucreatea

newdrawingwithoutspecifyingatemplate,AutoCADaddsmetricorimperialscalesbasedonthe

MEASUREMENTvariable.Whenyoucreateanewdrawingbasedonatemplate,thescalesinthe

templateappearinthenewdrawing.Thescalesintheregistryarenotimported.

Missing SHX and Font FilesYounowhavetheoptiontoignoremissingSHXfiles(shapeorfontfiles)whenopeningadrawing.You

arenolongerrequiredtospecifyareplacement.ThisdialogmaybesuppressedifFONTALTissetto

somethingother

than

none.

Figure60.MissingSHXfiles


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TextstyleswithmissingfontsarenowidentifiedbyaniconintheTextStyleManager.

Text Alignment in Linetypes

AutoCAD2011

now

makes

it

possible

to

maintain

linetype

readability

in

any

orientation.

Figure61.Textalignment

ThelinetypesincludedwithAutoCAD2011behavethiswaybydefault.Toupdateyourowncustom

linetypes,youneedtochangetherotationoptiontoU,forupright.(Otherpossiblevaluesforthe

rotationoptionareR,forrelative,andA,forabsolute.)

Anexamplelinetypedefinitionlookslikethis:

Old:

*GAS_LINE,Gas line ----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS--

A,.5,-.2,["GAS",STANDARD,S=.1,R=0.0,X=-0.1,Y=-.05],-.25

New:

*GAS_LINE,Gas line ----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS--

A,.5,-.2,["GAS",STANDARD,S=.1,U=0.0,X=-0.1,Y=-.05],-.25

Figure 62. Examle Linetype Definition.

ExploreAutoCAD2011givesyou3Dpowertoexploreyourideasinalmostanyshapeimaginable.AutoCADand

ablankcanvashavealotincommon.Bothgiveyoutheabilitytocreatethepreviouslyunimaginable.

ButAutoCADprovidestheflexibilitytoexploredesignideasinboth2Dand3D,withintuitivetoolsthat

helpyourconceptsbecomereal.Theworldisyourcanvaswhatwillyoucreatenext?

3D Modeling Workspaces


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AutoCAD2011includestwo3Drelatedworkspaces,whichyoucanaccessfromtheWorkspacemenuin

theQuickAccessToolbar.The3DBasicsworkspaceprovidesasimpleworkspacewiththemostbasic

toolsforcreatingandvisualizing3Dsolidmodels.The3DModelingworkspaceprovidesaccesstothe

completearrayof3DtoolsinAutoCAD.

Figure63.Workspaceslist

3D Object SnapsNewtoolsandvariablesinAutoCAD2011separate3Dobjectsnapsfrom2Dobjectsnaps.Anew3D

ObjectSnaptoggleisavailableonthestatusbar,enablingyoutotoggle3Dobjectsnapsonandoff.

Rightclickingonthestatusbariconprovidesaccesstoamenuofthe3DobjectsnapsandtheSettings

option,whichlinkstothenew3DObjectSnaptabintheDraftingSettingsdialogbox.Youcanalso

accessthesecontrolsviatheshiftrightclickmenu,oratthecommandlineusingthenew3DOSNAP

commandand3DOSMODEsystemvariable.

Figure64.3DObjectsnaps

Solid Modeling3DmodelingtoolsinAutoCAD2011havebeenupdatedtoprovidemoreflexibilityandincreasedeaseof

use.TheEXTRUDE,LOFT,REVOLVE,andSWEEPcommandsnowallowyoutoselectanedgeorsub

objectforusingasaprofileorcurvetocreateanewsurface.Youarenolongerlimitedtousingplanar

curves.

TheSolidribbontabprovidesaccesstonewFilletEdgeandChamferEdgesolideditingtools.Bothof

thesetoolsprovideapreviewpriortocompletingtheoperationandtheysupportdirectmanipulation.


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Surface ModelingInadditionto3Dsolidandmeshobjects,AutoCAD2011offerstwodifferenttypesofsurfaces:

proceduralandNURBS(nonuniformrationalbspline).Proceduralsurfacesareassociativeandhave

history.NURBSsurfacesarenotassociativeanddonothavehistory.Instead,theyhavecontrolvertices

thatallowyoutosculptshapesinawaythatisclosertohowyouwouldoperateintherealworld.You

canuse

procedural

surfaces

to

take

advantage

of

associative

modeling

and

use

NURBS

surfaces

to

take

advantageofsculptingwithcontrolvertices.Atypicalsurfacemodelingworkflowmightbe:

Createamodelthatcombines3Dsolids,surfaces,andmeshobjects.

Convertthemodeltoproceduralsurfacestotakeadvantageofassociativemodeling.

ConverttheproceduralsurfacestoaNURBSmodelwiththeCONVTONURBScommandtotake

advantageofNURBSediting.

Checkforimperfectionsandwrinkleswiththesurfaceanalysistools.

Ifnecessary,rebuildthesurfacestorestoresmoothnesswiththeCVREBUILDcommand.

ThenewSurfacetabontheribbonprovideseasyaccesstosurfacemodelingtools.

Figure65.Surfaceribbontab

SurfaceCreationToolsAutoCAD2011enablesyoutocreatethreenewanalyticsurfacetypes:Blend,Patch,andNetwork.

AblendsurfacecreatesasmoothtransitionbetweenexistingsurfacesusingthenewSURFBLEND

command.You

can

specify

how

the

blend

surface

flows

at

the

edge

that

meets

and

touches

the

other

surfacesusingthegripmenuoptions.

Figure66.

Blended

surface

ThenewPatchsurfacetoolenablesyoutocloseorpatchanopen,closededgeobject.Itgeneratesa

newpatchsurfaceforanyboundingedgethatisaclosedloop.


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Figure67.Patchsurface

ThenewNetworktoolenablesyoutocreateasurfacethroughasetofcurvesintheUandVdirections.

ItissimilartotheLOFTcommandbutmorestreamlinedandflexible.Youcanevenchooseaselectionof

curvesthatarenotconnectedtooneanother.

Figure68.Networksurface

Ifyoudefinetheedgesofanetworkedsurfaceusingedgesfromexistingsurfaces,thenewlycreated

surfacewillhaveadditionalgripsenablingyoutocontrolthecontinuityconditionbetweenthenewly

createdsurfaceanditsadjacentsurfaces.

Theoffsettool(SURFOFFSETcommand)isaccessiblefromtheCreatepaneloftheSurfaceribbontab.It

enablesyoutoeasilycreateanewsurfacebyoffsettinganexistingsurface.

Figure69.Offsetsurface

YoucanturnonSurfaceAssociativitypriortoperformingaBlend,Patch,orOffsetoperation,accessible

fromtheCreatepaneloftheSurfacesribbontab,toconstrainthenewsurfacesbasedontheoriginating

surfaces.Forexample,ifsurfaceassociativityisenabledwhenyoucreateanoffsetsurfaceandablend

betweenthetwosurfaces,allthreesurfacesareassociative.Ifyouedittheoffsetdistance,usingthe

Propertiespaletteorgrips,theblendsurfacewillupdateaccordingly.


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Figure70.Surfaceassociativity

SurfaceEditingToolsAutoCAD2011offersasetofrobustnewsurfaceeditingtoolstofillet,extend,trim,anduntrimsurfaces.

YoucancreateafilletwithaspecifiedradiusbetweentwosurfaceedgesusingthenewFillettool

(SURFFILLETcommand),availableontheEditpanel.

Figure71.Surfacefillet

ThenewTrimtool,accessiblefromtheEditpanel,enablesyoutocreatecomplexedgesandholesin

surfaces.YoucanusetheUntrimtool(UNTRIMcommand)tountrimatrimmedsurface.

Figure72.Surfacetrim

ThenewExtendtool(SURFEXTENDcommand),ontheEditpanel,enablesyoutoextendasurfaceby

selectinganedge.


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Figure73.Surfaceextend

ThenewSculpttool(SURFSCULPTcommand),accessiblefromtheEditpanel,enablesyoutocreatea

newsolidobjectbasedontheenclosedvolumeofmultipleintersectingsurfaces.

Figure74.Surfacesculpt

ThenewProjectGeometrytools(PROJECTGEOMETRYcommand)enableyoutoprojectgeometryontoa

surfacecreatinganewlineorsplineontopofthesurface.UnliketheexistingImprinttool,theprojected

geometryis

not

consumed

by

the

surface.

You

can

use

the

AutoTrim

tool

to

specify

whether

surfaces

areautomaticallytrimmedwhenyouprojectgeometry.AllofthesetoolsareavailableintheProject

GeometrypaneloftheSurfaceribbontab.

Figure75.ProjectGeometrytools

YoucanconvertfromanalyticsurfacestoNURBSsurfacesusingthenewConverttoNURBStool

(CONVTONURBScommand)whichisaccessiblefromtheControlVerticespanelontheSurfaceribbon

tab.OnceananalyticsurfaceisconvertedtoaNURBSsurfaceyoucanshow/hidethecontrolverticesvia

theShowCVandHideCVtools(CVSHOWandCVHIDEcommands)andusethegizmotomovethe

controlvertices,reshapingthesurface.AdditionaltoolsintheControlVerticespanelenableyouto


37/45


rebuildthecontrolvertices(CVREBUILD)oradd(CVADD)andremove(CVREMOVE)vertices.TheCVEdit

Bar,locatedontheribbon,isaconvenienttoolthatcombinestheCVADD,CVHIDE,andCVREMOVE

functions.

Figure76.NURBSsurface

AnalysisToolsAutoCAD2011providesasetofanalysistoolstohelpyouunderstandthecontinuitybetweendifferent

surfacesthatmakeupaglobalshape.ThesetoolsareavailableintheAnalysispaneloftheSurface

ribbontab.TheZebratoolenablesyoutoanalyzesurfacecontinuitybyprojectingparallellinesontothe

surface.TheCurvaturetooldisplaysacolorgradientonthesurface,enablingyoutoidentifyhighand

lowareasofcurvature.TheDrafttooldisplaysacolorgradientonthesurface,enablingyouto

determineifamodel

has

adequate

draft

between

apart

and

its

mold.

You

can

control

the

display

and

behaviorforeachoftheanalysistoolsusingtheAnalysisOptionsdialogbox.TheAnalysisOptionsdialog

boxisaccessiblefromtheAnalysispanelaswellasfromthe3DModelingtaboftheOptionsdialogbox.


38/45


Figure77.Analysisoptions

Theanalysesarevisualrepresentationssimilartothevisualstyles,exceptthattheycanbeappliedper

object.

Figure78.Exampleofanalysisrepresentations

Consistent MaterialsAutoCAD2011providespowerfulandintuitivetoolsforviewing,selecting,andeditingmaterials.Access

thesetools

from

the

Materials

panel

of

the

Render

ribbon

tab

when

the

3D

Modeling

workspace

is

active.

Figure79.Renderribbontab

TheMaterialsBrowserenablesyoutobrowseandsearchformaterialsfromtheAutodeskMaterials

Libraryofthousandsofmaterialsanduserlibraries,aswellasfromthecurrentdrawing.Alistofthe

availablelibrariesandtheircategoriesisavailableinthetreeatthebottomleftoftheMaterials

Browser.


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Figure80.MaterialsBrowser

InadditiontotheAutodeskMaterialslibrary,youcancreateandopenyourownmaterialslibraries

directlyintheMaterialsBrowser.Createcategorieswithinthematerialslibrarytoorganizeandmanage

specifictypesofmaterials.Tofindspecificmaterials,youcansearchonmaterialcharacteristics,suchas

blueorceramic.Afterlocatingadesiredmaterialinalibrary,addittothecurrentdrawingviatheright

clickmenuordraganddrop.Materialsinthecurrentdrawingaredisplayedintheupperpaneofthe

MaterialsBrowser.

Figure81.AutodeskMaterialslibrary

TheMaterialsEditoroffersmanysettingstomodifypropertiesofamaterial.Youcanaccessitfromthe

dialogboxlauncherinthelowerrightcorneroftheMaterialspanelorfromaniconinthelowerright

corneroftheMaterialsBrowser.


40/45


Figure82.MaterialsEditor

Mesh ModelingMeshmodelingfunctionalityhasbeenupdatedinAutoCAD2011toprovideyouwithmoreflexibility

and

control.

You

can

access

the

Mesh

modeling

tools

from

the

Mesh

tab

when

the

3D

Modeling

workspaceisactive.

ThenewMergeMeshtoolenablesyoutomergetwoormoreadjacentfacesintoasingleface.


41/45


Figure83.MeshMergeexample

YoucanusetheCloseHoletooltoclosegapsinmeshobjectsbyselectingtheedgesofthesurrounding

meshedges.

Figure84.CloseHoleexample

TheCollapseFaceorEdgetoolenablesyoutoforceverticesofsurroundingmeshfacestoconvergeat

thecenterofaselectededgeorface.

Figure85.CollapseFaceorEdgeExample.

TheSpinTriangleFacetoolmodifiestheshapesoffacesbyrotatingtheedgethatjoinstwotriangular

meshfaces.

Figure86.SpinTriangleFaceexample

Point CloudsAutoCAD2011enablesyoutoattachanddisplaypointcloudscreatedfrom3Dscanningdevices.You

canaccessthenewPointCloudtoolsfromtheInsertribbontab.

Figure87.PointCloudtools


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TheIndextoolenablesyoutoindexscandatafilesfromtwodifferentpointcloudenginesandsave

themaspointcloudfiles.

Engine Inputfiles Outputfiles

Ambercore .LAS .ISD

LightweightEngine .XYB,.LAS,.FLS,.FWS .PCG

Youcanattachapointcloudfile(ISDorPCG)toanAutoCADdrawinginasimilarmannertoattaching

otherreferencefiles.

Figure88.AttachPointClouddialogbox

Withapointcloudfileattached,youcancreateandeditdrawinggeometrybysnappingtopoints.Adjust

thepointdensityusingtheDensitysliderbarintheflyoutofthePointCloudribbonpanel.

Figure89.PointClouddensity

Tosupportpointcloudfunctionality,AutoCAD2011includesfournewsystemvariables:

POINTCLOUDDENSITYcontrolsthepercentageofpointsdisplayedatonceforallpointcloudsin

thedrawing.


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POINTCLOUDRTDENSITYcontrolsthepercentageofpointsdisplayedduringrealtimezoom,pan,

andorbit.

POINTCLOUDLOCKcontrolswhetherthelockpropertyofthepointcloudissettoYesorNo

whenapointcloudisattached.

POINTCLOUDAUTOUPDATEcontrolswhetherpointcloudsaredynamicallyupdatedwhen

transforming

the

point

cloud

or

after

zooming,

panning,

or

orbiting.

LearningResourcesWhenyoustartAutoCAD2011,aWelcomeScreenisautomaticallydisplayed.FromtheWelcomeScreen

youcanlinktoshortvideostolearnaboutkeytopicsinAutoCAD.Additionallinksatthebottomofthe

WelcomeScreenprovideeasyaccesstomorelearningresources,includingWhatsNew,LearningPath,

andAutoCADOnlineHelp.

New Features Workshop

TheNew

Features

Workshop

has

been

updated

to

include

AutoCAD

2011

functionality.

This

interactive

learningtoolhelpsyoudiscoverthenewestfunctionalitywithminimaleffort.YoucanaccesstheNew

FeaturesWorkshopfromthedropdownmenuontheInfoCentertoolbar,totherightoftheHelp

button.

Figure90.Learningtools

Online Help SystemAutoCAD2011includesawebbasedhelpsystem,whichyoucanlaunchfromtheHelpicononthe

InfoCenter.


44/45


Figure91.AutoCADhelp

AcontrolontheSystemtaboftheOptionsdialogboxallowsyoutodisabletheonlinehelp.Doingso

displaysalocalversionoftheAutoCADhelpsystem.

Figure92.SystemtaboftheOptionsdialogbox


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Autodesk,

AutoCAD,

DWF,

Showmotion,

SteeringWheels,

and

ViewCube

are

registered

trademarks

or

trademarks

of

Autodesk,

Inc.,and/oritssubsidiariesand/oraffiliatesintheUSAand/orothercountries.Allotherbrandnames,productnames,or

trademarksbelongtotheirrespectiveholders.

2010Autodesk,Inc. Allrightsreserved.

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