Cadalyst - September 2008 - (Page 27)

cadalystlabsreview Faster! Faster! Look at figure 1 again and notice the big red A button, which is the Menu Browser, in the upper-left corner. Clicking it produces a Swiss Army knife dialog box (figure 2) that provides quick access to: u traditional menu bar items u a list of recent documents, currently open documents, or recent command actions u AutoCAD’s Options Figure 2. The Menu Browser button offers a quick link to a command multifunction dialog box. u a Search window u an Exit AutoCAD button the usual Properties command. You can The Recent Documents list can edit features such as circle diameter, be set to display a generic icon or a linetype, layer, color, and the justificathumbnail view of each drawing. In tion, style, and content of text. either case, hovering the cursor over The good news is that the editan entry produces a larger preview able properties are customizable on an image, as shown in figure 2. object-by-object basis. As a manager, The new Quick Access bar is well you probably don’t want your staff named, and is probably my favorite to be able to change the linetype and of the new menu tools. It is always color quickly, easily, and independently available in the upper-left corner of of the layer. That road leads to chaos. the screen, beside the big red A. As installed, it contains just a few comDo You See What I See? mands, but simple drag-and-drop How often do you have several drawoperation lets you add commands you ings open at the same time and need use all the time. to switch back and forth between For the Layer Manager option, the them? How often do you work on a most significant change appears not single drawing that has multiple layso much in what has been added but outs? If you answered with anything in what has been removed. It no lonmore frequent than “Never,” then ger has an OK button, because it no you’ll like AutoCAD 2009’s new Quick longer is a dialog box, but rather a pal- View functionality (figure 3, p. 28). ette. Now it can always be resident When activated, Quick View shows on screen, it can auto-hide, and it can a row of preview slides across the bothave transparency. tom of the screen. One slide displays Any changes to layer specifications for each drawing currently open. As such as color and linetype take place you move the cursor over one, a new immediately within a drawing. Better set of thumbnails pops up that shows yet, such changes occur transparently each layout in the drawing. Moving within other commands, but again you the mouse over one of the thumbnails will need a fairly brisk computer with a enlarges all of them to a larger preview good graphics card if you are working slide. A single mouse click now takes on large, complex drawings. you directly to the selected layout or to Another interesting addition to model space of the selected drawing. AutoCAD 2009 is its Quick Properties The preview slides also include butfunctionality. If you select an object or tons that let you save, close, print, or objects when no command is active, publish a file without actually switcha mini Properties dialog box pops up. ing to it. As soon as you select the With it, you can edit certain properties print or publish option, AutoCAD of the objects without having to start automatically makes that layout active. September 2008 cadalyst www.cadalyst.com Not all PDF and DWF Files are Created Equal higher q AutoCAD 2000 - 2008 Compatible Batch Creation of PDF, DWF, or Images Automatic Bookmark Creation Custom File Naming Options Create a PDF from any Windows Application Try it free for 30 days. http://www.cadzation.com http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - September 2008

Cadalyst - September 2008 Contents Editor's Window Cad Central Tech Trends: Genie Out of the Bottle Cadalyst Labs Reviews: Big Tools for Big Jobs — Wide-Format Scanners and Printers Make Small Work of Large Projects Cadalyst Labs Reviews: AutoCAD 2009 — General-Purpose CAD Software Cadalyst Labs Reviews: AecBatchStylesEditor 2009 — CAD Standards Management Software for AEC Cad manager: Synchronize CAD Files over a Wide Area MCAD Modeling: Is 2D Drawing Doomed? Plm Strategies: More Bang for Your Truck Aec Insight: Works and Plays Well with Others Cad Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: VBA Hints for Customizing AutoCAD

Cadalyst - September 2008

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