RiscCAD
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Hints and Tips
This section contains general hints concerning many aspects of RiscCAD. It should answer many questions and reduce the need for technical assistance. Of course, if you cannot find the answer you require, you can request technical support, based on the conditions set out in the technical support details included with the program.
- The ESCAPE key can be used to cancel a hatch that may be going wrong, or where you have hatched with the wrong size pattern.
- CTRL-F8 can be used to switch between anti-clockwise and clockwise arc constructions.
- F2 repeats the last text if no other text has yet been typed.
- Providing all the layers are active, CTRL-A selects all the objects on a drawing, even those which lie outside the drawing window.
- When deleting objects, use the Cut command to remove them to the clipboard, just in case you decide you want them back.
- There is no Undo command. Always save the drawing before trying 'What if' scenarios, or if you are unsure of a command.
Questions and Answers
Q. The print is not centred on the paper when the Centre switch is on in the Print dialogue box.
A. Objects may have been pasted outside the drawing area, making the drawing larger than it appears. Try enlarging the paper size to find the objects. If objects have been pasted below or to the left of the origin, select all the objects and move them away from the origin to try and bring the offending objects into view.
Q. Changing line thickness or style has no effect.
A. The Line weights and Line style switches is the Display control dialogue box are off. Turn these on to view objects in the correct style and weight.
Q. I cannot see symbols I have merged from disk.
A. This may be because the reference point was not set correctly when the symbol was created. This can be checked by looking at the symbol display in the Library browser. The red cross shows the position of the reference point.
Q. I cannot see the symbols in the Library browser.
A. The layers which the symbol was created on are turned off in the current drawing. Turn the layers back on to display the symbol.
Q. The objects I draw disappear.
A. The object type you are drawing has been turned off. Open the Display control dialogue box and turn the object type back on.
Q. I get an error when I try to load a symbol or template.
A. RiscCAD has not seen the !Library or !Templates applications. Locate the applications in a directory viewer and try again.
Q. I cannot select a group of objects.
A. When creating groups, the group header is placed on the current layer. If this layer is turned off, the group cannot be selected, although objects inside may be visible. Turn on the relevant layer to select the group.
Q. I cannot edit one end of an object.
A. When editing objects, RiscCAD will always pick up the last point placed, with the exception of lines, where the point nearest the cursor is picked up. Use the F10 key to swap points over whilst editing.
Q. A menu option is greyed out.
A. Menus are context sensitive. For example, all of the Transform menu is greyed out until Select mode is entered.
Q. I cannot see the cursor.
A. When using RiscCAD in screen modes using more than 16 colours, the cursor may not be visible due to the way the desktop deals with colour numbers. One solution is to select a colour that can be seen from the Colour dialogue box on the Cursor submenu. Another method is to switch to a screen mode with 16 colours.
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