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PD CADD DEMO VERSION:
PD CADD retails for $99.95 complete with user manual.
To place orders call Sundtec Software Systems at
1-404-335-7009 or
1-404-335-9084 Fax
or write to:
Sundtec Software Systems
Rt 3 Box 389A
Commerce Ga 30529
PD CADD requires a minimum of 640K RAM, a VGA graphics display, mouse
and MS DOS 3.0 or later.
A hard disk is recommended but not required.
REQUIRED:
640K RAM
VGA graphics display
1 Floppy disk drive
Microsoft compatible Mouse or Track Ball
OPTIONAL:
Epson compatible dot matrix printer
Hewlett Packard Series II compatible printer
Hewlett Packard Series III compatible printer
Hewlett Packard 7470A compatible plotter or Laser printer
See the end of this file for compatible printers and plotters
Math Coprocessor
Expanded Memory
Hard disk
RECOMMENDED:
Math Coprocessor
Hewlett Packard 7470A compatible plotting device
Hard disk
Expanded Memory
Extended Memory disk cache
The use of a Math Coprocessor is not required, but will improve the
speed performance.
For optimum performance use expanded memory of at least 560K and an
extended memory disk cache of at least 256K.
PD CADD requires a minimum of 480K free DOS Ram.
Type PDC21 to begin using the program.
The rest of the manual describes the use of all drawing commands available
with examples.
We at SUNDTEC SOFTWARE SYSTEMS are committed to providing quality software
and pride ourselves on expert technical support.
If you have any questions, problems or comments, call 404-335-7009, 8:00 AM
to 5:00 PM EST Monday thru Friday or Fax to 404-335-9084. Have your product
serial number ready and ask for PD CADD Tech Support.
Two or three button Microsoft compatible mice can be used with PD CADD.
The left Mouse button is used to lay down points to draw objects or used to
point to objects such as telling the computer which line to erase.
The right mouse button is used to Snap (move) the mouse cursor to the
nearest point from the cursor.
On three button models, the center button is the same as pressing
Esc on your keyboard for many of the commands.
Selecting commands can be accomplished several different ways.
1) From the top pull down menus.
2) From the Side bar menu.
3) By typing its two letter command.
Pressing the space bar on the keyboard repeats the last command issued.
Orthogonal (Ortho) lines, (lines that are either vertical or horizontal),
can be drawn by holding down the Control key on your keyboard while moving
the mouse cursor. Releasing the Control key returns you to normal line
drawing mode.
Leaving your monitor on for an extended period of time with a displayed
image can cause Screen Burn. PD CADD has a built in screen blanker to help
prevent this. PD CADD will activate a utility which will blank the screen
display after approximately 15 minutes of inactivity.
PD CADD does not check for inactivity when the mouse cursor is in any of the
menu areas or waiting for you to complete a selected command.
When you draw, you will probably want to draw to scale so it will
look proportional. Drawing lines or other objects to a specified
length can be accomplished by first setting your starting point for
a line, as you normally would with the left mouse button, and typing the
distance to move. All dimensions typed are considered to be referenced from
your last point, this is called moving relative.
For example (assuming your working in Feet and Inches (FI) units):
Suppose you want to draw a horizontal line exactly 40 feet long.
Type 40',0 and press enter. This distance command tells the computer to
move 40 Feet in the X-Direction and 0 Feet in the Y-Direction.
If you type dimensions without the Foot (') mark, the computer assumes that
you are entering dimensions in inches, (FI units mode).
To draw a line from the start point, 24 inches to the right and 24
inches down, type 24,-24 or 2',-2'. Note here that - (minus) was
used to move down in the Y-Direction. A negative X-Direction dimension will
cause the line to be drawn to the left of your reference point.
Y-Direction dimensions can also be input as Degrees or Slope.
Suppose you want to draw a line with a 144 unit horizontal projection on a
4/12 slope. Type 144,4/12 and press enter. This distance command tells
the computer to move horizontally 144 units and to rise 4 units for every
12 units of projection. To draw a line with a 144 unit horizontal
projection at a 30 degree angle can be accomplished by typing 144,30d.
This tells the computer to move 144 units to the right and up at a 30
degree angle.
The file menu is used for all input and output functions.
Input meaning, retrieving drawings, blocks, etc.
Output meaning, saving drawings, blocks, etc. as well as printing drawings
to a compatible printer or plotter and entering the calculator box.
To retrieve drawings that were created with PD CADD and are saved on disk.
FILE MENU COMMANDS: =====================================================
DRAWING LOAD-DL
PURPOSE
Type DL or select DRAWING LOAD from the menu.
A "pop down" window will appear listing all the drawings catalogued
on your disk. The highlighted bar moves up and down by moving your
mouse. When the desired drawing is highlighted, press your left
mouse button. This will automatically load the selected drawing.
Pressing Esc or selecting Exit from the menu will terminate the
Drawing Load command.
HOW TO USE
You can also type in a drawing name to retrieve, complete with
drive and path specification.
REMARKS
See DRAWING SAVE, for related command
DRAWING SAVE-DS
PURPOSE
To save drawings on your disk.
HOW TO USE
Type DS or select DRAWING SAVE from the menu.
Type a name for your drawing (without an extension) and press enter
or press enter if the correct drawing name appears in the
command box.
Drawing files are saved with the extension .DWG
Drawing name is limited to 8 characters, A - Z, 0-9 , -- OR _.
Do not use any special characters, like comma, period, space, etc.
in the drawing name.
REMARKS
When you are creating a drawing, it's a good idea to save your work
frequently because if power is lost, your drawing is also lost.
If the drawing name already exists on disk, the command box notifies
you of this and asks if you want to overwrite it.
If you do, type Y for Yes or O for Overwrite.
See DRAWING LOAD for related command.
PLOT-PL
PURPOSE
To Plot your drawing to a compatible Plotter, Printer or disk file.
HOW TO USE
Type PL or select PLOT from the menu.
Then select the options you desire from the menu.
REMARKS
It's a good idea to save your drawing before you do a plot because
if something goes wrong, you will still be able to reload the
drawing and try again.
Make sure your plotter or printer is "on" and loaded with paper.
DXF OUT-DF
PURPOSE
To export a DXF file which is compatible with many other CAD programs.
HOW TO USE
Type DF or select DXF-OUT from the menu.
Type a name for your DXF file (without an extension) and press enter
or press enter if the correct name appears in the command box.
DXF files are saved with the extension .DXF
The file name is limited to 8 characters, A-Z, 0-9, - or _.
Do not use any special characters, like comma, period, space, etc.
in the file name.
REMARKS
If the file name already exists on your disk, the command box
notifies you of this and asks if you want to overwrite it.
If so, type Y for Yes or O for over write.
See SAVE TXT for related command.
SAVE TEXT-ST
PURPOSE
A .TXT file can be exported to other compatible software.
HOW TO USE
Type ST or select SAVE TXT from the menu.
Type a name for your TXT file (without an extension) and press enter
or press enter if the correct TXT name appears in the command box.
TXT files are saved with the extension .TXT
The file name is limited to 8 characters, A-Z, 0-9, - or _.
Do not use any special characters, like comma, period, space, etc.
in the file name.
REMARKS
If the file on your disk already exists, the command box notifies
you and asks if you want to overwrite it. If so, type Y for Yes or
O for Overwrite.
See DXF-OUT for related command.
LOAD PLOT-LP
PURPOSE
To load an HPGL compatible file in as a drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type LP or select LOAD PLOT from the menu.
Type the name of the plot you want to retrieve (without an extension)
and press enter.
REMARKS
Many software packages allow you to output HPGL files to disk.
This option allows you to import these files as a drawing file into
PD CADD.
The plot file must have the extension .PLT.
DRAWING RESIZE can be used to convert the drawing to any scale.
You can also type in a plot name to retrieve complete with drive
and path specification.
See DRAWING RESIZE for related command.
DATA IN-DI
PURPOSE
Data in is used to read an ASCII file containing drawing commands.
HOW TO USE
The drawing commands and syntax are listed below.
OR = Origin Set
Syntax: OR; pointx1!, pointy1!
Function:
All subsequent drawing commands will reference this point
as the origin.
If OR is not used, PD CADD will prompt you to locate an
origin.
LI = Draw Line
Syntax: LI; pointx1!, pointy1!, pointx2!, pointy2!
Function:
Draws a line from pointx1, pointy1 to pointx1, pointy1.
Point coordinates are referenced from the specified
Origin location.
LC = Line Color
Syntax: LC; linecolor%
Function:
Specifies the line color for all subsequent line (LI)
commands.
Allowed range for linecolor is 1-15 inclusive.
LT = Line Type
Syntax: LT; linetype%
Function:
Specifies the line type for all subsequent line (LI)
commands.
linetype 0= Solid Line
linetype 1= Dashed line
TA = Text Angle
Syntax: TA;angle!
Function:
Specifies the Text Angle in degrees for all subsequent
Text Place commands.
TZ = Text Size
Syntax: TZ;size!
Function:
Sets the text size for all subsequent Text Place
commands.
TP = Text Place
Syntax: TP;pointx1!,pointy1!,number lines of text
text string data (line 1)
text string data (line 2)
and so on....
Function:
To place text in your drawing at pointx1,pointy1.
Pointx1 and pointy1 are referenced from the
defined origin.
Number lines of text, tells PD CADD how many lines
of text to read.
DU = Drawing Units
Syntax: DU;unit$
Function:
To specify the drawing units.
i.e.: unit$ = mm for millimeters etc.
RE = Rectangle
Syntax: RE;pointx1,pointy1,pointx2,pointy2
Function:
Used to draw a rectangle starting at pointx1,pointy1,
referenced from the origin.
pointx2, pointy2 define the opposite corner of the
rectangle, referenced from pointx1,pointy1.
CI = Circle
Syntax: CI;pointx1!,pointy1!,radius!
Function:
Used to draw circles whose center is at pointx1,pointy1
referenced from the origin.
Radius is the radius of the circle referenced from the
center, (pointx1,pointy1).
PO = Polygon
Syntax: PO;pointx1!,pointy1!,radius!,number of sides%
Function:
Used to draw polygons whose center is at pointx1,pointy1
referenced from the origin.
Radius is the radius of the polygon referenced from the
center, (pointx1,pointy1)
Number of sides specifies the number of sides to draw.
ZA = Zoom All
Syntax: ZA;
Function:
Performs the Zoom All function.
RD = ReDraw and RG = ReGen
Syntax: RD; or RG;
Function:
Performs the Redraw or Regen function.
DATA OUT-DO
PURPOSE
To export point coordinates to a file.
HOW TO USE
Type DO or select DATA OUT from the menu.
Type the name of the file (without an extension) and press enter.
Select the origin point with the right mouse button.
Select point locations that you want to output with the right
mouse button.
REMARKS
Coordinates output are referenced from the selected origin point.
RUN SCRIPT-RS
PURPOSE
A script file is an ASCII file that you can create, to ask
questions while in PD CADD, and are a method used to customize
PD CADD to do certain functions that are not built in.
1) Answers to your script questions are saved in a file so
they can be manipulated externally by another program.
2) Your external program, (must be an .EXE, .COM or .BAT
file) can be automatically run from within PD CADD.
3) Your external program needs to output data into a file,
following the syntax described for DI (Data In).
4) Script questions can be smart, that is they can make
decisions depending on the answer to a question and
branch or goto another statement in your script file.
ie IF YES THEN GOTO :ENTER DATA
This script statement determines if the previous question
was answered with YES, and if so the script branches to
a label named, :ENTER DATA, and continues execution.
If the answer was not YES then the next statement in your
script file is executed.
SCRIPT FILE SYNTAX:
The first line in a Script File must be, SCRIPT QUESTIONS?
A script file command must start with a star (*).
A label must start with a colon (:)
SCRIPT FILE COMMANDS:
*GOTO branches to a label.
*EXIT exits or aborts the script file.
*IF tests the last answer or a *VAR for a match.
*RP runs the specified external program, must be an .EXE,
.COM or .BAT file.
*DI reads a Data In file .
*OPEN open a data file for output (data file must be preceded
with a colon)
*POINT allows you to select points in your drawing. Selected
x,y point locations are output to the specified data
file. The first point located is also considered as
the origin point for all subsequent POINT and LINE
commands.
*LINE Allows you to select lines in you drawing. The selected
line end points, (pointx1,pointy1,pointx2,pointy2)
are output to the specified data file. If no origin has
been set, pointx1,pointy1 becomes the origin for all
subsequent POINT and LINE commands.
Below is a sample Script file:
line 1 script questions?
line 2 :start
line 3 *open :roof.out
line 4 Common Roof pitch (4/12)
line 5 *IF 0 GOTO :LOCATE POINTS
line 6 Hip end pitch (4/12)
line 7 Overhang or Cantilever (24")
line 8 Spacing (24")
line 9 Max setback (96")
line 10 :LOCATE POINTS
line 11 *point 3
line 12 Locate first corner of hip
line 13 Locate 2nd corner of hip
line 14 Direction of hip peak
line 15 *rp pdc\script\hip.exe
line 16 *di roof.di
line 17 *goto :start
Line by line description for above Script file
line 1 1st line of script file
line 2 Label :start
line 3 Opens the data file roof.out for output
line 4 Script question, result is output to file roof.out
line 5 If 0 was input then branch to label :LOCATE POINTS
line 6 Script question, result is output to file roof.out
line 7 Script question, result is output to file roof.out
line 8 Script question, result is output to file roof.out
line 9 Script question, result is output to file roof.out
line 10 Label :LOCATE POINTS
line 11 Asks operator to locate 3 points and to use the next
three questions to prompt the operator.
line 12 first point (user selects with mouse). The x and y location
of the point is output to file roof.out
line 13 second point (user selects with mouse). The x and y
location of the point is output to file roof.out
line 14 third point (user selects with mouse). The x and y location
of the point is output to file roof.out
line 15 Runs external program named hip.exe in directory
\pdc\script
line 16 Reads data in from file roof.di, (that was created by
the program run in the previous line).
line 17 Branch to Label :START (this starts the process over again)
Pressing ESC at any time will exit the script at the current
location in the Script file.
As you can see, Script questions and programs can be created to
do practically any kind of external computation on data output
by the operator. The data created by your external program can
then be read back in with the DI function.
RUN PROGRAM-RP
PURPOSE
To run an external program and return back to PD CADD
automatically.
HOW TO USE
Type RP or select RUN PROGRAM from the menu.
Select the desired program from the pull down menu or
type the program name including path and extension.
REMARKS
When RP is selected, a pull down menu appears listing all
.EXE programs contained in your PDC\SCRIPT directory.
To run a program not in that directory, type in the drive,
path and program name to run.
ie: to run a program named WP.EXE on your D: drive in
directory WP50, type D:\WP50\WP.EXE. When the selected
program finishes, you will automatically be returned to
PD CADD.
BLOCK SAVE-BS
PURPOSE
To save created blocks to disk.
HOW TO USE
Type BS or select BLOCK SAVE from the menu.
Type the name of the Block you wish to save and press enter.
The Block must be in memory before you can save it to disk.
Block files are saved with the extension .BLK
REMARKS
If the block name already exists on disk, the command box will
notify you and requests if you want to overwrite it.
If so, type Y for Yes or O for Overwrite.
See BLOCK LOAD and the DRAW section for other block related commands.
BLOCK LOAD-BL
PURPOSE
To retrieve blocks from disk into memory in order to select
frequently used symbols without re-drawing them each time.
HOW TO USE
Type BL or select BLOCK LOAD from the menu.
A "pop down" window will appear listing all the blocks catalogued
on disk. The highlighted bar moves up and down by moving your mouse.
When the desired block is highlighted press your left mouse button
which will automatically load the block into memory.
REMARKS
You can also type in a block name to retrieve complete with drive
and path specification, do not include a file extension.
A maximum of 20 Blocks can be in memory at one time.
Blocks take up precious memory, so its a good idea to unload any
blocks your finished using.
See BLOCK SAVE, BLOCK UNLOAD and the DRAW section for related
commands
SHELL-SH
PURPOSE
To shell out of PD CADD to your DOS prompt.
HOW TO USE
Type SH or select SHELL from the menu.
Type EXIT to return to PD CADD.
REMARKS
Before the Shell takes place PD CADD frees all unused
memory to make as much memory available as possible.
That is to say the amount of available memory depends on
how many lines are drawn in your current drawing.
If you are using Expanded Memory, all variable memory
will be freed up, so you get the maximum amount of memory
not dependent on how many lines you have drawn.
Shell allows you to run a DOS command or to run a specified
program. When you are ready to return to PD CADD make sure
you are in the PDC directory and type EXIT.
CALCULATOR-CA
PURPOSE
On screen Calculator.
HOW TO USE
Type CA or select CALCULATOR from the menu.
Press ESC to exit.
REMARKS
Numbers and simple math calculations can be entered from the
keyboard, allowed keys are, 0 thru 9, /, *, -, + and =.
The Enter key performs the same function as =.
The Delete key performs the clear function.
RX-READ DXF
PURPOSE
To load drawings, created with other software, into PD CADD.
HOW TO USE
TYPE RX or select READ DXF from the menu.
Then select the DXF file listed in the pull down menu, or
type the name complete with drive and path.
REMARKS
PD CADD does not support all DXF commands. Commands recognized
are as follows,
LINE
POLYLINE
CIRCLE
TEXT
BLOCKS (limited)
If you have trouble reading a DXF file, try converting it to
a HPGL file then loading it in with the LOAD PLOT (LP) option.
CONFIG SAVE-CS
PURPOSE
To save the current settings as defaults in the config.fil
file.
HOW TO USE
Type CS or select CONFIG SAVE from the menu.
REMARKS
Configuration items saved are listed below,
Current Memory Method
Current Line Color
Current Cursor Color
Current Cursor Size
Current Text Size
Current Text Width Factor
Current Text Line Spacing Factor
Current Drawing Unit of Measure
Current Decimal Places to display
Current Dimension Extend, Above
Current Dimension Extend, Below
Current Dimension Extend, Stretch
Current Y-Dimension Rotate 0=NO, -1= YES
Current Drawing file path
Current Load Plot file path
Current Read DXF file path
All of these settings are saved each time you select this command.
Configuration items relating to plotting can be changed in the
Plotting menu, select (Plot-PL) for these options.
CONFIG LOAD-CL
PURPOSE
To load the default configuration from the config.fil
file stored on disk.
HOW TO USE
Type CL or select CONFIG LOAD from the menu.
REMARKS
Configuration items loaded are listed below,
Default Memory Method
Default Line Color
Default Cursor Color
Default Cursor Size
Default Text Size
Default Text Width Factor
Default Text Line Spacing Factor
Default Drawing Unit of Measure
Default Decimal Places to display
Default Dimension Extend, Above
Default Dimension Extend, Below
Default Dimension Extend, Stretch
Default Y-Dimension rotate
Default Drawing file path
Default Load Plot file path
Default Read DXF file path
All of these settings are loaded each time you select this
command.
CZ=Cursor Size
Purpose
To change the size of the mouse cursor.
How to use
Type CZ or select CURSOR SIZE from the config menu.
Remarks
This command is a flip switch. Selecting this command
either makes the cursor small or full screen depending
on the current state. This command is found on the
config menu or by pressing F10.
QUIT-QU
PURPOSE
To exit the PD CADD system and return to DOS.
HOW TO USE
Type QU or select QUIT from the menu.
You will be asked if you want to save the drawing.
If you do ,type Y for Yes. Any other letter will not save the
drawing.
You are prompted one more time if you desire to Quit or Continue.
Type Q to quit or C to continue and stay in the CADD system.
REMARKS
If you will be using your current drawing again,
MAKE SURE YOU SAVE IT. If you don't, it will be lost forever
in never, never land!
SNAPS MENU COMMANDS: =====================================================
SNAP PARALLEL-S=
PURPOSE
To snap the second end point of the line currently being drawn,
parallel with another existing line.
HOW TO USE
Start a line by laying down the first point.
Type S= or select SNAP PARALLEL from the menu.
Point to the line which you want to draw parallel to with the mouse
cursor and press the left mouse button.
Locate the end point of your line by moving the cursor to the
desired location and press the left mouse button.
REMARKS
After your new line is drawn, you can trim it off with the EXTEND,
FILLET or TRIM command.
See SNAP PERPENDICULAR, SNAP MIDPOINT, SNAP INTERSECTION and
SNAP CENTER.
SNAP PERPENDICULAR-S+
PURPOSE
To snap the second end point of the line currently being drawn,
perpendicular with another existing line.
HOW TO USE
Start a line by laying down the first point.
Type S+ or select SNAP PERPENDICULAR from the menu.
Point to the line which you want to draw perpendicular to with the
mouse cursor and press the left mouse button.
Locate the end point of your line by moving the cursor to the
desired location and press the left mouse button.
REMARKS
After your new line is drawn, you can trim it off with the EXTEND,
FILLET or TRIM command.
See SNAP PARALLEL, SNAP MIDPOINT, SNAP INTERSECTION and SNAP CENTER.
SNAP MIDPOINT
PURPOSE
To locate the midpoint (center) of an existing line.
HOW TO USE
Type SM or select SNAP MIDPOINT from the menu.
Move the mouse cursor to the desired line and press the left mouse
button.
This command can be used to set the second point of a line being
drawn or to set the first point of a line to start.
REMARKS
See SNAP PERPENDICULAR, SNAP PARALLEL, SNAP INTERSECTION and
SNAP CENTER.
SNAP INTERSECTION-SI
PURPOSE
To locate the intersection point of any two lines and attaches the
rubber band line to that point.
HOW TO USE
Type SI or select SNAP INTERSECTION from the menu.
Move the mouse cursor close to the desired intersection point and
press the left mouse button.
This command can be used to set the second point of a line being
drawn or to set the first point of a line to start.
REMARKS
See SNAP PERPENDICULAR, SNAP MIDPOINT, SNAP PARALLEL and SNAP CENTER.
SNAP CENTER-SC
PURPOSE
To locate the center point of a circle nearest to the mouse cursor.
HOW TO USE
Type SC or select SNAP CENTER from the menu.
Move the mouse cursor close to the center of the target circle and
press the left mouse button.
The cursor will jump to the nearest Circle center and attach a
rubber band line.
This command can be used to set the second point of a line being
drawn or to set the first point of a line to start.
REMARKS
See NEAREST POINT for a related command.
NEAREST POINT-NP
PURPOSE
To move the mouse cursor to the closest point from the mouse cursor.
HOW TO USE
Type NP or select NEAREST POINT from the menu.
Move the mouse cursor to the desired point and press the left
mouse button.
This command can be used to set the second point of a line being
drawn or to set the first point of a line to start.
Using this command from the keyboard or menu is not really necessary
because pressing the right mouse button duplicates the command
automatically.
REMARKS
See SNAP CENTER for related command.
FILLET-FL
PURPOSE
To extend or trim two non parallel lines to the intersection point
of the two selected lines.
HOW TO USE
Type FL or select FILLET from the menu.
Point to the first line and press the left mouse button.
Point to the second line and press the left mouse button.
The selected lines will be trimmed or extended to meet at a common
point.
REMARKS
See EXTEND and TRIM for related commands.
EXTEND-XT
PURPOSE
To extend one line to meet another.
Think of this as trimming a line off to meet another.
HOW TO USE
Type XT or select EXTEND from the menu.
Point to the line you want to extend and press the left mouse button.
Point to the line you want to extend to and press the left mouse
button.
The first line will be trimmed or extended to meet the second line.
REMARKS
Only one line at time can be extended or trimmed.
For multiple trims see TRIM.
See FILLET and TRIM for related commands..
TRIM-TR
PURPOSE
To extend or trim multiple lines simultaneously.
Think of this as trimming lines off to meet another line
HOW TO USE
Type TR or select TRIM from the menu.
Point to the line you want to trim to and press the left mouse button.
Point to the lines desired to trim and press the left mouse button.
After all lines have been selected, press Esc to terminate this
command.
See EXTEND and FILLET for related commands..
TEXT MENU COMMANDS: =======================================================
TEXT PLACE-TP
PURPOSE
To place text on your drawing.
Text can be placed anywhere on the drawing at any size and rotated
to any angle.
HOW TO USE
Type TP or select TEXT PLACE from the menu.
Place your mouse cursor at the desired location and press the left
mouse button.
Type the text you want, from the keyboard.
Press Esc to terminate this command.
REMARKS
See TEXT ANGLE, TEXT ERASE and TEXT SIZE for related commands.
TEXT SIZE-TZ
PURPOSE
To change text size.
HOW TO USE
Type TZ or select TEXT SIZE from the menu.
Type the desired size.
REMARKS
The Text Size is a function of the size of your drawing.
For Architectural size drawings normally size 9 (default), is
standard.
Smaller scale drawings may require a size of .25 to look proportional.
The Specified size of your text is also used for dimensioning.
See TEXT ANGLE, TEXT ERASE and TEXT PLACE for related commands.
TEXT WIDTH-TW
PURPOSE
To change the text width factor.
HOW TO USE
Type TW or select TEXT WIDTH from the menu.
Type the desired factor.
REMARKS
Example settings;
TW = .5, will give you letters half width.
TW = 2, Will give you letters 2 times as wide.
See TEXT LINE for a related command.
TEXT LINE SPACING-TL
PURPOSE
To change the text line spacing factor.
HOW TO USE
Type TL or select TEXT LINE from the menu.
Type the desired factor.
REMARKS
Example settings;
TL = .5, will give you half line spacings.
TL = 2, Will give you double line spacings.
See TEXT WIDTH for a related command.
TEXT ANGLE-TA
PURPOSE
To rotate text at a specified angle.
Any angle may be specified, positive or negative.
HOW TO USE
Type TA or select TEXT ANGLE from the menu.
Type the desired angle of rotation.
REMARKS
Text angles can be positive (rotated counter-clockwise) or negative
(rotated clockwise).
An angle of 90 degrees will rotate text vertically.
An angle of 180 degrees will rotate text up-side down.
An angle of -45 degrees will rotate text clockwise.
The default angle is 0 degrees. To rotate text, select this first
before placing your text.
See TEXT PLACE, TEXT ERASE and TEXT SIZE for related commands.
TEXT ERASE-TE
PURPOSE
To erase unwanted text from your drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type TE or select TEXT ERASE from the menu.
Draw a window around the text to be deleted.
When you lay down the second point of your window, the text will be
erased from the drawing.
REMARKS
TEXT ERASE removes text. Other objects in the window will not be
affected. Make sure your window completely encloses the entire
character(s), otherwise, parts of your text will be erased.
See TEXT ANGLE, TEXT PLACE, TEXT SIZE and ERASE WINDOW for related
commands.
READ TEXT-RT
PURPOSE
To place text in your drawing by reading standard ASCII files.
HOW TO USE
Type RT or select READ TEXT from the menu.
Type the name of the text file with extension, if applicable.
Point to the location of placement and press the left mouse button.
The program will read all the lines in the file and place them at the
specified location. The text will be placed with the selected size
and angle.
REMARKS
Sometimes you may have standard notes that you use frequently.
Placing them in an ASCII file eliminates the need to retype them
each time.
ASCII files can be created with many Word Processors or the DOS
Edlin program, refer to your DOS manual for instructions.
See TEXT ANGLE and TEST SIZE for additional text options.
TEXT DATE-TD
PURPOSE
To place the current date, maintained by your computer, on your
drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type TD or select TEXT DATE from the menu.
Point to the desired placement location and press your left
mouse button.
REMARKS
The date is written as follows,
DATE 06-22-91
The date will be placed with the selected text size and angle.
See TEXT PLACE, TEXT ERASE, TEXT TIME and TEXT SIZE for additional
text options.
TEXT TIME-TT
PURPOSE
To place the current time, maintained by your computer, on your
drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type TT or select TEXT TIME from the menu.
Point to the desired placement location and press your left mouse
button.
REMARKS
The time is written as follows,
TIME 10:54
Most DOS versions maintain time in military time and that is the way
it will be placed on your drawing.
The time will be placed with the selected text size and angle.
See TEXT PLACE, TEXT ERASE, TEXT DATE and TEXT SIZE for additional
text options.
DIMENSION MENU COMMANDS: ===================================================
DIMENSION X-DX
PURPOSE
To place Dimensions on your drawing. This command calculates the
horizontal distance between any two specified points and then places
the dimension with the dimension line, reference line, arrowheads,
and dimension calculation at the specified location in your drawing.
All dimensions will be placed as a horizontal dimension regardless
of the point locations.
HOW TO USE
Type DX or select DIMENSION-X from the menu.
Select the first reference point with the right mouse button.
Select the second reference point with the right mouse button.
Select the desired location for the dimension line and press the
left or right mouse button.
REMARKS
See DIMENSION-Y, DIMENSION ALIGNED, ANGLE DIMENSION,
DIMENSION TEXT and TEXT SIZE for related commands.
DIMENSION Y-DY
PURPOSE
To place dimensions on your drawing. This calculates the vertical
distance between any two specified points and places the dimension
with dimension line, reference line, arrowheads, and dimension
calculation at the specified location in your drawing.
All dimensions will be placed as a vertical dimension regardless of
the point locations.
HOW TO USE
Type DY or select DIMENSION-Y from the menu.
Select the first reference point with the right mouse button.
Select the second reference point with the right mouse button.
Select the desired location for the dimension line and press the
left or right mouse button.
REMARKS
See DIMENSION-X, DIMENSION ALIGNED, ANGLE DIMENSION,
DIMENSION TEXT and TEXT SIZE for related commands.
DIMENSION ALIGNED-DA
PURPOSE
To place Dimensions on your drawing. This command calculates the
distance between any two specified points and then places the
dimension complete with dimension line, reference line, arrowheads,
and dimension calculation at the specified location in your drawing.
All dimensions will be placed and aligned with the two points
selected.
You might think of DA as an angled dimension.
HOW TO USE
Type DA or select DIMENSION-ALIGNED from the menu.
Select the first reference point, with the right mouse button.
Select the second reference point with the right mouse button.
Select the desired location for the dimension line and press the
left or right mouse button.
REMARKS
See DIMENSION-Y, DIMENSION X, ANGLE DIMENSION, DIMENSION TEXT and
TEXT SIZE for related commands.
ANGLE DIMENSION-AD
PURPOSE
To dimension angles in degrees.
HOW TO USE
Type AD or select ANGLE DIMENSION from the menu.
Refer to MEASURE ANGLE in this section, after locating the three
points that define the angle, point to the location where you want
the Dimension arc to be placed, press the left or right mouse button.
Now point to the location you want the text to be placed, press the
left mouse button.
REMARKS
Angle dimensions will be drawn complete with the arc, arrowheads and
degrees.
Angle text is always placed horizontal.
See DIMENSION-Y, DIMENSION ALIGNED, DIMENSION-X, DIMENSION TEXT,
TEXT SIZE, DIMENSION-X and MEASURE ANGLE for related commands.
ARROW POINTER-AP
PURPOSE
To place an arrow head pointer at the starting point of a line.
HOW TO USE
Type AP or select ARROW POINTER from the menu.
Draw a line.
The arrow head will be placed at the first point laid down.
REMARKS
This function can be used to point to an object in your drawing.
Usually TEXT PLACE is used first to define the label, then draw
the pointer.
DIMENSION TEXT-DT
PURPOSE
To override the dimension text that would normally be placed in a
dimension line by allowing you to type from the keyboard whatever
you want to print in the dimension space.
HOW TO USE
Type DT or select DIMENSION TEXT from the menu.
This command is a flip switch. The status box lets you know what
mode is selected.
REMARKS
If the DIMENSION TEXT is labeled as being ON in the status box,
the dimension text will placed normally. If it is labeled OFF,
you can type the Dimension Text.
See DIMENSION-X, DIMENSION-Y, DIMENSION ALIGNED, ANGLE DIMENSION,
DIMENSION TEXT and TEXT SIZE for related commands.
TEXT SIZE-TZ
PURPOSE
To change the size of text.
HOW TO USE
Type TZ or select TEXT SIZE from the menu.
REMARKS
See the TEXT section for further details.
PLACE TEXT=PT
PURPOSE
To place Dimension Text at the left end, center or right
end of the dimension line.
HOW TO USE
Type PT or select PLACE TEXT from the menu.
Type the desired location, L=Left, C=Center, R=Right.
REMARKS
DIMENSION EXTEND-DE
PURPOSE
To set the Dimension Extend, (also referred to as Witness
Line), offset measurements and stretch options.
HOW TO USE
Type DW or select Dimension Extend from the menu.
The command box then displays the current settings
for A-Away, T-Toward and S-Stretch.
The Away setting is the Extension line distance
from the actual dimension line, the part of the Extend
line that extends away from the points being dimensioned.
The Toward setting is the Extension line distance
from the actual dimension line, the part of the Extend
line that extends toward the points being dimensioned.
The Stretch setting, if on, stretches the Extension line
the specified distance, (Toward), away from the points
being dimensioned. If Stretch is off, the specified Toward
distance is measured from the dimension line.
REMARKS
This command can be issued after the dimension command, which
allows you to see the result while the dimension is being
rubber banded around.
Y ROTATE-YR
PURPOSE
To rotate vertical dimension text.
HOW TO USE
Type YR or select Y Rotate from the menu.
Select either Y for YES or N for NO.
REMARKS
Y= Rotate vertical dimension text 90 degrees.
N= Do not rotate vertical dimension text.
ARROW TYPE-AT
PURPOSE
To select arrow type for dimensioning.
HOW TO USE
Type AT or select ARROW TYPE from the menu.
0= None
1= Arrow
2= Slash
3= Circle
REMARKS
Arrow types are supported for DX, DY and DA.
MEASURE DISTANCE-MD
PURPOSE
To check the distance between any two points.
HOW TO USE
Type MD or select MEASURE DISTANCE from the menu.
Select the two points with the right mouse button.
REMARKS
See MEASURE ANGLE for related command
MEASURE X-MX
PURPOSE
To measure the X distance between any two points,
similar to Dimension-X (DX).
HOW TO USE
Type MX or select MEASURE X from the menu.
Select the two points with the right mouse button.
REMARKS
The displayed distance in the lower right command
box, is the horizontal distance between the two
selected points.
See MEASURE DISTANCE, MEASURE Y and MEASURE ANGLE for related
commands.
MEASURE Y-MY
PURPOSE
To measure the Y distance between any two points,
similar to Dimension-Y (DY).
HOW TO USE
Type MY or select MEASURE Y from the menu.
Select the two points with the right mouse button.
REMARKS
The displayed distance in the lower right command
box, is the vertical distance between the two
selected points.
See MEASURE DISTANCE, MEASURE X and MEASURE ANGLE for related
commands.
MEASURE ANGLE-MA
PURPOSE
To check the angle between any two lines.
HOW TO USE
Type MA or select MEASURE ANGLE from the menu.
This command requires three points, the center and two other points.
Select the center point of the desired angle with the right mouse
button.
Select one of the other points of the desired angle with the right
mouse button, and the third point with the right mouse button.
REMARKS
Angles are always measured in a counter clockwise direction.
See MEASURE ANGLE for related command
WINDOW MENU COMMANDS: =====================================================
ZOOM WINDOW-ZW
PURPOSE
o view an area of a drawing at maximum size.
HOW TO USE
Type ZW or select ZOOM WINDOW from the menu.
Draw a window around the desired area.
REMARKS
See ZOOM ALL, ZOOM BACK, ZOOM UP, ZOOM LAST and PAN for
related commands.
WINDOW ERASE-WE
PURPOSE
To erase all objects completely contained in the window except for
text.
HOW TO USE
Type WE or select WINDOW ERASE from the menu.
Draw a window around the objects you wish to erase.
When placing down the second point of your window, all the objects
whose both end points are contained in the window will be erased.
REMARKS
Circles where the center point is within the window will also be
erased.
Text is not erased with this command.
If you make a mistake on the placement of your window and erase
lines that you wanted to keep, use UN-ERASE to bring then back.
See TEXT ERASE, ERASE WINDOW, UNERASE, OBJECT ERASE, ERASE LAST
and ERASE DRAWING for related commands.
WINDOW COPY-WC
PURPOSE
To copy sections of your drawings to another location a specified
number of times.
HOW TO USE
Type WC or select WINDOW COPY from the menu.
Draw a window around all the objects you want to copy or duplicate.
Select a copy from reference point with the left or right mouse
button then select the copy to point with either of the same buttons.
Type the number of copies you want to make.
REMARKS
Lines whose both end points do not lie in the window box will not be
copied, so make sure to enclose both ends of all lines that you want
to copy.
See WINDOW MIRROR and RADIAL COPY for related commands.
WINDOW MIRROR-WR
PURPOSE
To make a mirrored copy of a specified area of your drawing one at
a time.
HOW TO USE
Type WR or select WINDOW MIRROR from the menu.
Draw a window around the area to be mirrored.
Select 'Mirror From' reference point.
Select 'Mirrored To' reference point.
The axis point of the mirror will be calculated as the half-way
point of the two reference points.
See WINDOW COPY, WINDOW RESIZE, WINDOW MOVE and WINDOW ROTATE
for related commands.
WINDOW RESIZE-WZ
PURPOSE
To RESIZE (rescale) a specified area of your drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type WZ or select WINDOW RESIZE from the menu.
Draw a window around the objects you wish to resize.
Type the X-direction scale factor and press enter.
Type the Y-direction scale factor and press enter.
If you want the Y-direction factor to be the same as the X-direction
factor, press enter for the Y scale factor.
The specified area will be redrawn at the new scale factors.
REMARKS
Circles will be resized by the X-direction factor.
For an interesting effect, try using this command on text using
different X and Y factors.
See WINDOW MIRROR, WINDOW COPY, WINDOW MOVE and WINDOW ROTATE for
related command.
WINDOW MOVE-WM
PURPOSE
To move (relocate) multiple objects.
HOW TO USE
Type WM or select WINDOW MOVE from the menu.
Draw a window around the objects to be moved.
Select 'Move From' reference point. With the left or right mouse
button, select 'Move to' reference point in the same manner.
REMARKS
All lines with both end points enclosed in the window will be moved
to the desired location.
See WINDOW MIRROR, WINDOW RESIZE, WINDOW COPY, OBJECT MOVE and
WINDOW ROTATE for related commands.
WINDOW ROTATE-WO
PURPOSE
To rotate any number of objects to a specified angle about a
specified point.
HOW TO USE
Type WO or select WINDOW ROTATE from the window.
Draw a window around the objects to rotate.
Select the rotate point using the left or right mouse button,
then type the angle of rotation.
REMARKS
Positive angles rotate counter-clockwise and Negative angles rotate
clockwise.
See WINDOW MIRROR, WINDOW RESIZE, WINDOW MOVE and WINDOW COPY for
related command.
WINDOW STRETCH-WS
PURPOSE
To stretch lines similar to WINDOW MOVE, except both end points of
a line do not have to be within the window.
HOW TO USE
Type WS or select WINDOW STRETCH from the menu.
Place the window around the desired points to stretch.
Locate the reference point (stretch from location).
Locate the destination point (stretch to point).
REMARKS
All line end points contained in the window will be moved to the
specified location. If you enclose only one end point of a line
with the window, that point will be moved thus redefining or
stretching the line whose other end point lies outside the window.
See WINDOW MOVE for related command.
WINDOW EXTEND-WX
PURPOSE
To extend (similar to extrude) objects.
HOW TO USE
Type WX or select WINDOW EXTEND from the menu.
REMARKS
Works exactly like WINDOW COPY except line end points
are connected, simulates extrusions.
Try this command on a curve, for some interesting
results.
See WINDOW COPY for related command.
WINDOW CHANGE-WG
PURPOSE
To change the line color or line type of selected existing lines.
HOW TO USE
Type WG or select WINDOW CHANGE from the menu.
Draw your window around the desired lines.
Select 1 to change line color or 2 to change line type or, press
your left mouse button for 1 or, the right button for 2.
Select either the new color or type for the lines contained in the
window.
REMARKS
Circles and Text are not affected by this command.
Only lines whose both end points lie within the window are affected.
See OBJECT CHANGE for related command.
ZOOM MENU COMMANDS: =====================================================
ZOOM ALL-ZA
PURPOSE
To view the entire drawing at maximum size.
HOW TO USE
Type ZA or select ZOOM ALL from the menu.
REMARKS
See ZOOM WINDOW, ZOOM OUT, ZOOM IN, ZOOM LAST and PAN for related
commands.
ZOOM WINDOW-ZW
PURPOSE
To view a specific area at maximum size.
HOW TO USE
Type ZW or select ZOOM WINDOW from the menu.
Draw a window around the desired area.
REMARKS
See ZOOM ALL, ZOOM OUT, ZOOM IN, ZOOM LAST and PAN for
related commands.
ZOOM OUT-ZO
PURPOSE
To reduce, (make smaller) the viewed drawing by 20% each time this
command is selected.
HOW TO USE
Select the center point for the new Zoom. Select this point by
placing the mouse cursor at the desired location and press the left
mouse button.
The selected location will now be in the center of your screen.
REMARKS
See ZOOM WINDOW, ZOOM ALL, ZOOM IN, ZOOM LAST and PAN for related
commands.
ZOOM IN-ZI
PURPOSE
To increase (make larger) the viewed drawing by 20% each time
this command is selected.
HOW TO USE
Type ZI or select ZOOM IN from the menu.
Select the center point for the new Zoom. Select this point by
placing the mouse cursor at the desired location and press the left
mouse button.
The selected location will now be in the center of your screen.
REMARKS
See ZOOM WINDOW, ZOOM OUT, ZOOM ALL, ZOOM LAST and PAN for related
command.
PAN-PA
PURPOSE
To pan around the drawing to view different locations in your
drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type PA or select PAN from the menu.
Then select the center point of the pan with the left mouse button.
The selected location will now be in the center of your screen.
REMARKS
See ZOOM WINDOW, ZOOM OUT, ZOOM IN, ZOOM LAST and ZOOM ALL for
related commands.
ZOOM LAST-ZL
PURPOSE
To flip the views between the last specified view and the current
view.
HOW TO USE
Type ZL or select ZOOM LAST from the menu.
REMARKS
See ZOOM WINDOW, ZOOM OUT, ZOOM IN, ZOOM ALL and PAN for related
commands.
EDITS MENU COMMANDS: =====================================================
REDRAW-RD
PURPOSE
To redraw the current view.
HOW TO USE
Type RD or select REDRAW from the menu.
REMARKS
Sometimes the screen gets cluttered with line fragments from
erasing, moving windows, etc. This option redraws the screen at the
current view settings thus erasing any left over fragments.
See REGEN for related command.
REGEN-RG
PURPOSE
To redraw the entire screen.
HOW TO USE
Type RG or select REGEN from the menu.
REMARKS
Sometimes the screen gets cluttered with line fragments from
erasing, moving windows, etc. This option redraws the entire
screen, (including command areas), at the current view settings
thus erasing any left over fragments.
See REDRAW for related command.
OBJECT ERASE-OE
PURPOSE
To erase a single line, one at a time.
HOW TO USE
Type OE or select OBJECT ERASE from the menu.
Place the mouse cursor on or close to the line you wish to erase,
then press the left mouse button.
REMARKS
Sometimes you might accidently erase the wrong line, if this happens
type UE to un-erase it. See UN-ERASE for details.
It may be necessary to zoom in on the line you want to erase so you
can safely place the mouse cursor on the intended line.
See UNERASE and WINDOW ERASE for related command.
OBJECT COPY-OC
PURPOSE
To copy a single line a specified distance from the original line.
The number of copies must be specified.
HOW TO USE
Type OC or select OBJECT COPY from the menu.
Select the line to copy by placing the mouse cursor on or close to
the intended copy line, then press the left mouse button.
You will then be asked for the desired offset from this line.
Type the desired offset both X and Y direction.
Type the number of copies.
REMARKS
If too many copies are made, you can use the ERASE LAST command to
erase as many of the lines as desired.
Another way of specifying the number of copies is to move your mouse
cursor to the desired stop location and press the left mouse button.
See WINDOW COPY for related commands.
OBJECT MOVE-OM
PURPOSE
To move a single object from one location to another.
HOW TO USE
Type OM or select OBJECT MOVE from the menu.
Select the object to move by placing the mouse cursor on or close to
the desired object and press the left mouse button.
Locate the reference point to move from with the left or right mouse
button and move to location by moving the mouse cursor to the
desired location. Press the left or right mouse button.
REMARKS
The move to location may also be specified by typing in both X and Y
dimensions.
Entering 24,24 will move the object to the right 24 units and up
24 units.
See WINDOW MOVE for related command.
OBJECT CHANGE-OG
PURPOSE
To change either the line color or line type of one line at a time.
HOW TO USE
Type OG or select OBJECT CHANGE from the menu.
Point to the desired line and press your left mouse button.
Select either 1 to change line color or, 2 to change line type.
Select either the new color or type for the selected line.
REMARKS
Circles and Text are not affected by this command.
See WINDOW CHANGE for related command.
SEGMENT LINE-SL
PURPOSE
To divide an existing line into any number of equal parts.
HOW TO USE
Type SL or select SEGMENT LINE from the menu.
Point to the line you want to segment (divide into any number of
equal parts).
Type the number of segments desired.
REMARKS
Your existing line will be broken into the number of segments
specified.
ERASE LAST-ER
PURPOSE
To erase the last line drawn.
HOW TO USE
Type ER or select ERASE LAST from the menu.
The last line drawn will be erased each time you select this option.
You can use it as many times in succession as desired to remove
several lines.
REMARKS
Has no affect on Text or Circles.
If you erase too many lines, select UN-ERASE to return them to your
drawing.
See WINDOW ERASE, OBJECT ERASE, ERASE DRAWING and UNERASE for
related commands.
TEXT ERASE-TE
PURPOSE
To erase unwanted text.
HOW TO USE
Type TE or select TEXT ERASE from the menu.
Draw a window around the text you want to erase.
When you lay down the second point of your window, the text will be
erased from the drawing.
REMARKS
Text erase only removes text. Other objects in the window will not
be affected. Make sure your window completely encloses the entire
charatcter(s), otherwise just parts of your text will be erased.
REMARKS
UN-ERASE has no effect on text, so once you erase it there is no way
to re-insert it unless you use TEXT PLACE to recreate it.
See WINDOW ERASE, ERASE WINDOW and ERASE DRAWING for related commands.
WINDOW ERASE-WE
PURPOSE
To erase all objects completely contained in the window except for
text.
HOW TO USE
Type WE or select WINDOW ERASE from the menu.
Draw a window around the objects you wish to erase.
When you lay down the second point of your window, all the objects
whose both end points are contained in the window will be erased.
REMARKS
Circles whose center point is within the window will also be erased.
Text is not erased with this command.
If you make a mistake on the placement of your window and erase
lines that you wanted to retain, you can use UN-ERASE to retrieve
them.
See TEXT ERASE, UNERASE, OBJECT ERASE, ERASE LAST, ERASE WINDOW and
ERASE DRAWING for related commands.
ERASE DRAWING-ED
PURPOSE
To erase every item from a drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type ED or select ERASE DRAWING from the menu.
As a safe guard, you are prompted, ARE YOU SURE!!!. If so, type Y
for yes or any other key to abort this command.
REMARKS
CAUTION! This is a very powerful command because your entire drawing
will be erased and there will be no way to retrieve it unless you
save it to disk first.
See OBJECT ERASE, ERASE LAST, TEXT ERASE, WINDOW ERASE, ERASE WINDOW
and UN-ERASE for related commands.
UNERASE-UE
PURPOSE
To un-erase or retrieve the last erased line.
HOW TO USE
Type UE or select UN-ERASE from the menu.
The last erased line will be returned.
REMARKS
This command is used mostly to re-insert lines that were
inadvertently erased with another command.
This command has no effect on Text or Circles.
See OBJECT ERASE, ERASE LAST and WINDOW ERASE for related commands.
DRAWING RESIZE-DZ
PURPOSE
To rescale an entire drawing to a specified number of units.
HOW TO USE
Type DZ or select DRAWING RESIZE from the menu.
You are prompted to select two points that are a known distance
apart. Select each point by placing the mouse cursor on or close to
the point and press the right mouse button.
Type the distance from the keyboard.
The entire drawing will be rescaled to the appropriate factor.
REMARKS
This option is used mostly with the LOAD PLOT command.
Plots loaded as drawings are never to scale so this command can be
used to reset the desired scale.
This command can also be used to convert a drawing from one unit of
measure to another.
See WINDOW RESIZE and DRAWING UNITS for related command.
DRAWING UNITS-DU
PURPOSE
To specify the data base unit of measure
HOW TO USE
Type DU or select DRAWING UNITS from the menu.
Type the unit of measure label and press enter.
Anytime you enter coordinates, measure lengths, place dimensions etc.
on your drawing, it will be done in the units label which you
specify.
REMARKS
The default unit is "FIF" for Feet, Inches and fraction.
Built in options are
FIF= feet-inches-fraction
FID= feet-inches-decimal
IF = inches decimal
FIS= feet-inches-sixteenths
Use the inch mark (") for inches decimal.
If you want to work in Millimeters, type mm and press enter.
Any label identification can be used.
A unit could be an Inch, Yard, Meter, Mile, Kilometer, etc.
If you want to convert an existing drawing to another unit of
measure, select DRAWING UNITS first, to set the units, then perform
a DRAWING RESIZE. Remember to reset the TEXT SIZE, THICKNESS, etc.
MENU FLIP=MF
PURPOSE
To turn the right Side Bar Menu on or off.
HOW TO USE
Type MF or select MENU FLIP from the menu.
REMARKS
Sometimes it's convenient to have a larger drawing area with which
to work.
Turning the menu off provides you with additional screen length.
New users may want to keep the menu on while learning the system
because all of the two letter commands are highlighted in the
command name.
ERASE WINDOW-EW
PURPOSE
To erase all objects in the window.
HOW TO USE
Type EW or select ERASE WINDOW from the menu.
Draw a window around the objects you wish to erase.
When you lay down the second point of your window, all the objects
whose both end points are contained in the window will be erased.
REMARKS
Circles whose center point is within the window will also be erased.
Text will also be erased with this command.
See TEXT ERASE and WINDOW ERASE for related commands
DECIMAL PLACES-DP
PURPOSE
To set the number of decimal places to display when measuring angles
or working in units other than Feet and Inches (FI).
HOW TO USE
Type DP or select DECIMAL PLACES from the menu.
Then type the desired number of decimal places to display.
REMARKS
The default is 3 decimal places.
The allowed range is 0 to 6 decimal places.
COORDINATE DISPLAY-CD
PURPOSE
To display the mouse cursor position.
HOW TO USE
This command is a flip switch which either turns the
coordinate display on or off depending on the current
state.
REMARKS
DRAW MENU COMMANDS: =====================================================
RECTANGLE-RE
PURPOSE
To draw rectangles or squares.
HOW TO USE
Type RE or select RECTANGLE from the menu.
Select the starting corner of the rectangle by moving the mouse
cursor to the desired location and press the left mouse button to
lay down the starting point or the right mouse button to snap to an
existing point. As you move your mouse, you will see a rubber
rectangle sometimes referred to as a window. Move the cursor to the
desired location and press the left or right mouse button to set the
opposite corner of the rectangle
REMARKS
After the first corner is laid down, dimensions can be typed to
locate the opposite corner a known distance from the starting point.
For example: suppose you want to draw a rectangle which measures
24 units by 24 units. After setting the first corner, type 24,24
and press enter. The rectangle will be drawn at the specified size.
See CIRCLE, ARC and POLYGON for related commands.
CIRCLE-CI
PURPOSE
To draw Circles.
HOW TO USE
Type CI or select CIRCLE from the menu.
Move your mouse to the desired center point and press the left
button to set the center point or press the right button to snap to
the nearest point.
Move the mouse cursor to the desired radius position and press the
left or right mouse button.
Radius can also be specified by typing the number of units.
For example: for a radius of 24 units from the center point,
type 24, enter.
REMARKS
Circles are always drawn in color 7.
A maximum of 300 circles may be drawn.
See RECTANGLE, ARC and POLYGON for related commands.
POLYGON-PG
To draw standard Polygons.
Type PO or select POLYGON from the menu.
Move the mouse cursor to the desired location and press the left or
right mouse button to select the center point of the polygon.
Type the number of sides desired.
Move the mouse cursor to the desired radius point and press either
the left or right mouse button to set the radius point.
REMARKS
A radius can be specified by typing the dimension.
The minimum number of sides allowed is 3.
The maximum number of sides allowed is limited by the amount of RAM
Memory in your computer.
Specifying a high number of sides will make the Polygon resemble a
Circle. Using WINDOW RESIZE with different X and Y values will
change the Circle to resemble an Ellipse.
See CIRCLE, ARC and RECTANGLE for related command.
ARC-AR
PURPOSE
To draw 4 point arcs.
HOW TO USE
Type AR or select ARC from the menu.
Locate the center point of the Arc.
Locate the second point which is the starting angle of the Arc.
Locate the third point which is the ending angle of the Arc.
Locate the radius point.
REMARKS
Arcs are always drawn counter-clockwise so the order of selection of
the second and third points will give you the desired Arc.
See RECTANGLE, CIRCLE and POLYGON for related commands.
C3=3 Point Curve
C4=4 Point Curve
Purpose
To draw a 3 or 4 point curve using the cubic parametric
calculation method.
How to use
THREE POINT CURVE
Type C3 or select CURVE 3 from the menu.
Select the starting point for the curve using the left
or right mouse button.
Select the ending point for the curve using the left
or right mouse button.
Select the third point by moving the mouse to the
desired shape and press the left or right mouse button.
FOUR POINT CURVE
Type C4 or select CURVE 4 from the menu.
Select the starting point for the curve using the left
or right mouse button.
Select the remaining 3 points in the same manner.
The defined curve will be drawn after the fourth
point is selected.
Remarks
FOUR POINT CURVE
The defined curve will start at point1 and end at point4.
The location of point2 and point3 define the shape of
the curve.
The curve will not pass thru point2 and point3, but will
be drawn toward those points.
DRAW DOUBLE-DD
PURPOSE
To draw two lines at a time a specified distance apart.
The distance apart is set with the THICKNESS command.
HOW TO USE
Type DD or select DOUBLE DRAW from the menu.
Start drawing lines as usual.
Press Esc or type DD again to terminate this command
REMARKS
See THICKNESS for related command.
THICKNESS-TH
PURPOSE
To specify the Double Draw line spacings.
HOW TO USE
Type TH or select THICKNESS from the menu.
Type the #1 thickness offset, press enter, then type the #2
thickness offset, press enter.
REMARKS
Example settings;
#1=0, #2=3.5. If you now Draw Double and move clockwise, the second
line will be drawn 3.5 units inside the first line.
#1=2, #2=2. Double lines will be drawn 2 units each side of your
reference line.
Does not work with Circles or Text.
See DOUBLE DRAW for related command.
LINE TYPE-LT
PURPOSE
Two line types are available for drawing lines.
0 = Solid line.
1 = Dashed line.
This option lets you select either one.
HOW TO USE
Type LT or select LINE TYPE from the menu.
Type either a 0 or 1 to select the desired line type.
REMARKS
Line Types do not affect Circles or Text.
LINE COLOR-LC
PURPOSE
To select a color to draw lines.
HOW TO USE
Type LC or select LINE COLOR from the menu.
A "pop down" menu will appear showing all the available line colors.
Select the desired color by moving the highlighted bar up or down by
moving the mouse and stopping on the desired color.
Press the left mouse button to initiate the selection.
REMARKS
Line colors can not be selected for Circles, Text or Dimension lines.
These objects will always be drawn in color #7.
CURSOR COLOR-CC
PURPOSE
To select a color for the mouse cursor.
HOW TO USE
Type CC or select CURSOR COLOR from the menu.
A "pop down" menu will appear showing all the available cursor
colors.
Select the desired color by moving the highlighted bar up or down by
moving the mouse and stopping on the desired color.
Press the left mouse button to initiate the selection.
REMARKS
RADIAL COPY-RC
PURPOSE
To copy objects in a circular direction about a center point.
HOW TO USE
Type RC or select RADIAL COPY from the menu.
Draw a window around the objects to copy.
Locate the center radius point (rotate about point) with the left or
right mouse button.
Type number of copies.
Type number of degrees to copy the objects. The default is 360
degrees by pressing enter.
REMARKS
Both negative and positive degrees can be specified.
Positive angles copy objects counter-clockwise.
Negative angles copy objects clockwise.
See WINDOW COPY for related command.
BLOCK CREATE-BC
PURPOSE
To create symbols or blocks which can be saved to disk or placed
elsewhere in the drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type BC or select BLOCK CREATE from the menu.
Draw a window around all the objects which are to be part of
the block.
Type an identification name for your block.
REMARKS
Identification name is limited to 8 characters, A-Z, 0-9, - or _
Do not use any special characters, like comma, period, space, etc.
in the block name.
A maximum of 20 Blocks can be in memory at one time.
See BLOCK PLACE, BLOCK ANGLE, BLOCK SAVE , BLOCK LOAD and
BLOCK UN-LOAD for related commands.
BLOCK PLACE-BP
PURPOSE
To place previously defined blocks in your drawing.
HOW TO USE
Type BP or select BLOCK PLACE from the menu.
A "pop down" window will appear listing all the blocks in memory.
Select the block from the window.
Move the mouse cursor to the desired location and press the left or
right mouse button.
REMARKS
Only blocks in memory can be accessed by this command. If you have
a block on disk that you wish to use, load it into memory with
BLOCK LOAD, then select BLOCK PLACE.
See BLOCK CREATE, BLOCK ANGLE, BLOCK SAVE , BLOCK LOAD and
BLOCK UN-LOAD for related commands.
BLOCK ANGLE-BA
PURPOSE
To rotate blocks in memory to any angle.
To place a block at an angle different from the default, use this
option.
HOW TO USE
Type BA or select BLOCK ANGLE from the menu.
Type the angle in degrees, + to rotate counter-clockwise or
negative(-) to rotate clockwise. Any block placed will be at the
specified angle of rotation.
REMARKS
The default Block angle is 0 degrees.
See BLOCK PLACE, BLOCK CREATE, BLOCK SAVE , BLOCK LOAD and
BLOCK UN-LOAD for related commands.
BLOCK UNLOAD-BU
PURPOSE
All blocks in memory take up valuable memory. Any block in memory
can be un-loaded to gain additional drawing memory.
HOW TO USE
Type BU or select BLOCK UN-LOAD from the menu.
A "pop down" menu will appear. Select the name of the block to
clear from memory and press the left mouse button.
REMARKS
Once a block is removed from memory, there is no way to recall it,
therefore, you might want to save it to disk with BLOCK SAVE before
deleting it.
Blocks are also removed from memory when plotting is done,
so if you need the blocks, save them first before plotting.
See BLOCK PLACE, BLOCK ANGLE, BLOCK SAVE , BLOCK LOAD and
BLOCK CREATE for related commands.
LAYER SELECT-LS
PURPOSE
To select the current layer to draw on.
HOW TO USE
Type LS or select LAYER SELECT from the menu.
Then type the current layer number you want to draw on.
REMARKS
Layer range is 1 thru 499.
You cannot select a layer that is hidden as your current layer.
See LAYER HIDE for related command.
LAYER HIDE-LH
PURPOSE
To hide or un-hide specified layers.
HOW TO USE
Type "LH" or select LAYER HIDE from the menu.
Then type the layer number to hide.
REMARKS
Layer range is 1 to 499.
Selecting layer 500 will un-hide all hidden layers.
You cannot hide the layer you have selected as the current layer.
Once a layer is hidden, it can be unhidden (viewed) by selecting
that layer number again.
See LAYER SELECT for related command.
FILLET RADIUS-FR
PURPOSE
To specify a radius for Filleted corners. This command
works only on lines where one line is vertical and one
line is horizontal.
HOW TO USE
Type FR or select FILLET RADIUS from the menu.
Type the radius, press enter.
REMARKS
See CHAMFER for a related command
CHAMFER-CH
PURPOSE
To specify a Chamfer distance for corners. This command
works only on lines where one line is vertical and one
line is horizontal.
HOW TO USE
Type CH or select CHAMFER from the menu.
Type the chamfer distance, press enter.
REMARKS
See FILLET RADIUS for a related command
APPENDIX:
Configuration file (CONFIG.FIL)
This file contains default configuration settings on the way your
PD CADD works.
This is the default settings for PD CADD as it is shipped.
Line 1.. 0 Decimal number for Super VGA mode.
Line 2.. 0 1 if Vega VGA, for Super VGA only.
Line 3.. 640 Horizontal screen resolution, pixels.
Line 4.. 480 Vertical screen resolution, pixels.
Line 5.. 0 Memory Method 0=RAM, 1=EMS, 2=DISK
Line 6.. 5 Line Color
Line 7.. 15 Cursor Color
Line 8.. 0 Cursor Size 0=small -1=large
Line 9.. 9 Text Size
Line 10. 1 Text Width Factor
Line 11. 1 Text Line Spacing
Line 12. FIF Drawing unit of measure
Line 13. 3 Number of decimal places to display
Line 14. 26 Output device number (1-27)
Line 15. 7.8 Plotting Paper Width (inches)
Line 16. 10 Plotting Paper Length (inches)
Line 17. 6 Number of plotter pens to use (1 thru 15 inclusive)
Line 18. 12 Dimension Extend, above Dim.. line
Line 19. 3 Dimension Extend, below Dim.. line
Line 20. -1 Dimension Extend, stretch, (-1=YES), (0=NO)
Line 21 -1 Y-Dimension text rotate 0=no -1=yes
Line 22. NO Rotate plot 90 degrees
Line 23. \PDC\DWG Drawing file path
Line 24. \pdc Default Load Plot path
Line 25. \pdc Default Read DXF path
Line 26. linearay.tmp Disk overflow drive and directory
Line 27. textaray.tmp Disk overflow drive and directory
Line 28. lpt1: Device output port
Line 29. dd Function key 1
Line 30. th Function key 2
Line 31. rd Function key 3
Line 32. rg Function key 4
Line 33. tz Function key 5
Line 34. tp Function key 6
Line 35. oe Function key 7
Line 36. ZW Function key 8
Line 37. ZL Function key 9
Line 38. CZ Function key 10
If you are outputting to a COM port, use MODE.COM, (supplied with your DOS),
to set the required communication parameters before running PD CADD.
A typical setting for HP Plotters is:
MODE COM1: 96,E,7,1,B
Several load commands, DL-Drawing Load, RX-Read DXF and LP-Load Plot,
allow you to specify a path to find the file. This path can also be
saved in the configuration file as the default path for these
options, see the CS, Config Save, command for details.
If you would like to specify the path for the selected
command, type the path ending with a back slash, \,. The program
then reads this as a path specification and brings up a new file
selection in the drop down menu showing all files that meet the
extension specification.
Default extensions are as follows:
Drawing files = .DWG
Plot files = .PLT
DXF files = .DXF
The OC-Object copy command has been changed, works similar to Window
Copy now. In the 2.0 manual the only way to specify the offset copy
distance, was to manually type the offset. You can now specify
the reference point and offset location with the mouse.
The DU-Drawing Units command has been changed to support more
standard drawing units, they are a follows;
FIF=Feet Inches Fractions (DEFAULT)
FID=Feet Inches Decimal
IF =Inches Fraction
FIS=Feet Inches Sixteenths
The Memory Method used, accessed thru the FILE pull down menu,
varies from one system to another depending on the type computer,
amount of memory, DOS version and etc.
0=RAM Small data base, but faster than the other methods.
1=EMS Large data base, but may slow computer down, depending
on the Expanded Memory Emulator.
2=DISK Large data base, may slow computer down if Hard drive
used as data base.
RAM METHOD
Ram Method should be used on 286 machines or for systems
having 1 MEG of memory or less.
EMS METHOD
This method gives you the same size data base as the Disk
Method. This method may or may not be faster than the
Disk Method depending on the amount of memory available,
the speed of your Hard Drive, etc. This Method requires
a minimum of 560K LIM 4.0 Expanded Memory, which is
compatible with the DOS 5.0 EMM386.SYS driver, refer to
your DOS 5.0 manual for details.
DISK METHOD
This method is best for systems having 4 MEGS of memory and
using a RAM Drive for the data base. Any drive can be specified
for the data base, which is specified on lines 24 and 25 in
the CONFIG.FIL file.
The use of a software DISK CACHE is highly recommended, and will
increase the speed on any Memory Method used.
Typical settings for a 386 or above with 3 MEGS of memory,
Software Disk Cache 1 MEG
Ram Drive 1 MEG
Use Memory Method 2, (DISK), on a RAM drive for added speed.
If you have more than 3 MEGS of memory, increase the size of the
disk cache.
If you change the Memory Method, make sure you CONFIG SAVE (CS), and
then exit PD CADD and restart.
Using either the DISK or EMS storage method provides about twice
the number of lines and text allowed in a drawing.
The configuration file can be changed using any text editor such
as EDLIN, supplied with your DOS, or using the Config Save, (CS)
command.
Line colors can be selected from the top right menu bar as well
as from the Draw Menu (Line Color, LC command).
Selecting line colors and line types can now be done by selecting
the "L" option, short for like, then pointing to the object. This
option will then set either the Line Type or Color to the selected
line.
A new option was added to the calculator, CNV-Convert, which
converts the calculated answer to the specified drawing units.
For example;
If you did a calculation which displayed the answer 145.5, and then
selected CNV, the calculator will convert this to 12'-1 1/2",
assuming your DU-Drawing Units are set to FIF, Feet Inches and Fraction.
Dimensions can also be input by pressing the equal, "=", sign, which
will input the dimension displayed on the calculator.
The bottom right status box displays the amount of memory used for
both lines and text by displaying the percent of memory used for each.
As pointed out by one of our users, when you run out of memory for
text, the text can be saved as a block, BC, then erase the text and
reinsert the text as a block. This converts the text to lines, thus
freeing up text space. If you use this method the program sees the
text as lines and you can use any of the editing commands used on lines
such as LT-Line Type, LC-Line color and etc. to change the appearance
of the text.
The number of allowed layers has been changed from 99 to 499.
Plotted drawings can be output to any of the following or compatible
devices;
EPSON (FX-MX-LX) 9-PIN NARROW LOW RES
EPSON (FX-MX-LX) 9-PIN NARROW HIGH RES
EPSON (FX-MX-LX) 9-PIN WIDE LOW RES
EPSON (FX-MX-LX) 9-PIN WIDE HIGH RES
EPSON (LQ) 24-PIN NARROW LOW RES
EPSON (LQ) 24-PIN NARROW HIGH RES
EPSON (LQ) 24-PIN WIDE LOW RES
EPSON (LQ) 24-PIN WIDE HIGH RES
NEC PINWRITER 24-PIN NARROW LOW RES
NEC PINWRITER 24-PIN NARROW HIGH RES
NEC PINWRITER 24-PIN WIDE RES
NEC PINWRITER 24-PIN WIDE HIGH RES
OKIDATA MICROLINE 9-PIN NARROW LOW RES
OKIDATA MICROLINE 9-PIN NARROW HIGH RES
HP LASERJET OR DESKJET 75 DPI
HP LASERJET OR DESKJET 100 DPI
HP LASERJET OR DESKJET 150 DPI
HP LASERJET OR DESKJET 300 DPI
HP LASERJET III (HPGL/2)
HP PAINTJET 2 COLOR 75 DPI
HP PAINTJET 4 COLOR 100 DPI
HP PAINTJET 8 COLOR 150 DPI
HP PAINTJET 2 COLOR 300 DPI
HP PAINTJET 16 COLOR 300 DPI
POSTSCRIPT 300 DPI
HP PLOTTER HPGL
HOUSTON INST. PLOTTER DM/PL