CAD options window

This windowlets you manage the CAD settings of the program.

The window consists of several sheets that correspond each to one type of program components that can be set:

General page: General settings of the program.
View page: View mode of the drawing area.
Grid page: Some grid settings. Further settings are available using the grid commands of the View menu.
Snap points page: Automatic snap and Ortho mode
Units of measure page: Format of the numbers displayed in the Information window.
Dwg - Dxf page: Writing version of DWG and DXF formats.

General page

This page lets you perform the general settings.

Copy onto active layer

If the check box is checked, in moving and copying operations the moved entities are copied onto the work layer, i.e. they change layer attribute; otherwise layer attributes are left intact.

ISO text orientation for text

If the check box is checked, texts, dimension texts included, are displayed according to the ISO norms, i.e. the orientation of texts eventually turned upside down is automatically corrected in order to ensure an easy reading.

Optimum dimensioning

If the check box is checked, the program activates the optimum positioning of the dimension text, i.e. the text is above the dimension line centered at its middle point.

Layer color

If the check box is checked, when the respective layer becomes work layer, the color assigned to the layer becomes the current color.

Lock color by layer

If the check box is checked, when an entity has color By layer, if the layer is changed the color does not remain By layer (visually could change if the two layers do not have the same color), but is replaced with the actual color of the starting level.

View page

This page lets you set the view mode of the drawing area.

Colors

In this field you set the color attribute for:

Desktop

The background of the drawing area.

Selection

The selection echo of the entities.

Feedback

In this field you can set the echo of the operations on the screen.

Entity selection

If the check box is checked, the entity the cursor is approaching to changes its color when the program requires the selection of an entity. The selection color can be set under Selection in the Colors field.

Creating entities

If the check box is checked, the program - during the interactive creation of an entity when the input of operands such as points or the selection of an entity is required - displays a dynamic preview of the entity in creation that changes with the movements of the cursor in the drawing area. Otherwise the only thing to be displayed is the cursor itself.

Complete echo

If the check box is checked, the echo of complex entities such as blocks or texts is a complete reproduction of the entity itself; otherwise the only thing to be displayed in the echo is the entity box. You are recommended to disable this option in case you want to insert a complex block in your drawing because the calculating of the echo can slow down the actual operation.

Tooltip

If the check box is checked, if you move the mouse close to an entity while a selection is required, after a few seconds displays a box with some information on the entity.

View

In this field you can set the width and bitmap view. Their display can be disabled in order to increase the drawing speed or for view necessities.

Width

If the check box is checked, entities are displayed in their width, otherwise they are always displayed in width 1. This setting doesn’t act on printing: entities are always printed in their specific width.

Images

If the check box is checked, background pictures are displayed. This setting acts on printing, too.

A planimetry inserted as an image is a background image.

Quick width

This option can be activated only if the Width option is active. In that case, if this check box is checked, all line widths that exceed width 1 are displayed as width 2.

Undefined blocks

If the check box is checked, undefined blocks are displayed, otherwise they are invisible.

Grid page

This page lets you define the view mode of the grid.

Show grid

If the check box is checked, the grid is visible in the drawing area .

The visibility of the grid and snapping the cursor to the grid are independent and can be controlled separately.

Spacing

Lets you set the spacing of the grid.

X=

Grid spacing along the X axis.

Y=

Grid spacing along the Y axis.

Same spacing for x and y directions

If the check box is checked, the Y= input field is disabled; the value of the X= input field is assigned to both directions.

View type

Lets you choose the view mode of the grid.

Points

Grid made of points.

Lines

Grid made of lines like a squared sheet.

Grid color

From the pull-down menu you can select the display color of the grid.

Snap points page

This page lets you set the automatic snap points and the permanent automatic snap as well as the ortho mode.

Automatic snap field

Defines the point types that are enabled for the automatic snap . If the check box is checked, the correspondent point type becomes a snap point for the automatic snap mode, i.e. it will be among the points the cursor will snap to.

Ortho mode

Enables the permanent ortho mode. If the check box is checked, you don’t need to press the Ctrl key to insert a point perpendicularly with regard to the previously inserted point.

Permanent automatic snap

Enables the permanent automatic snap. If the check box is checked, you don’t need to press the Shift key to use the automatic snap.

Units of measure page

This page lets you set the format of the numbers showed in the Information on graphical entities window.

Space units and Angular units can be set separately.

The number of decimal places can be set under Decimal numbers.

Space units field

Here you can set the format of the numbers that express the linear dimensions. Two units of measure formats, Engineering and Architectural, use the English system (inch), the others use the metric system. The formats are:

Decimal decimal notation (e.g. 15.50)

Engineering measures in feet and decimal inches (e.g. 1’-3.5”)

Architectural measures in feet, inches and fractional inches (e.g. 1’-3 ½”)

Fractional integers and fractionals (e.g. 15 ½)

Scientific scientific notation: numbers with mobile point and powers of ten (e.g. 1.55 E+01)

Angular units field

Here you can set the format of the numbers that express the angular dimensions:

Decimal degrees the circle describes an angle of 360°, degree fractions are expressed in decimals (e.g. 30.500°)

Degrees/min/sec the circle describes an angle of 360°, degree fractions are expressed in minutes and seconds (e.g. 30°30’0”)

Centesimal degrees the circle describes an angle of 400°, degree fractions are expressed in decimals (e.g. 30.889g)

Radians the circle describes an angle of 2p, degree fractions are expressed in decimals (e.g. 0.532r)

Decimal numbers field

Here you can set the number of decimal places, i.e. the precision the measuring values shall be displayed in.

Input field number of decimal places to which the number is displayed.

Cancel redundant zeros If the check box is checked the last digit after the decimal point that doesn’t equal zero will be rounded.

The units of measure settings you perform in this sheet are the same as in the Units of measure page of the Attributes window. But instead of setting the display of the numbers in the drawing area as the Attributes settings do, in this page you set the units of measure for the display of the numbers in the Information window.

The display of the dimension of a dimension entity within the Information window is an exception: here unit of measure and decimal precision are the same as are defined for the dimension entity; so that in this case the screen attribute settings and the settings for the Information window are identical.

Dwg - Dxf page

In this page you can set the saving mode for DWG and DXF formats.

You can read and write drawings in DWG and DXF formats, both in various versions. Whereas in reading the version of the file is automatically recognized for saving you have to set the version by use of this sheet.

Save as version field

DWG Choose from the pull-down menu the version you want to write the DXF formatted drawing in. All formats are available, i.e. 2.5, 2.6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 2000.

DXF Choose from the pull-down menu the version you want to write the DWG formatted drawing in. All formats are available, see DWG.

Binary DXF

If the check box is checked, drawings saved in DXF format are saved in binary DXF format.