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ProtoCAD 3D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Version 1.1
USER'S MANUAL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TRIUS, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
N. Andover, MA 01845-0249
Tel. (508) 794-9377
Fax. (508) 688-6312
BBS: (508) 794-0762
CIS: 71333,103 [PCVENF, Sec 16]
Copyright 1992, TRIUS, Inc.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| This document is made available to the new user, for the |
| purpose of evaluating the Shareware copy of ProtoCAD 3D |
| ------------------------------------------------------- |
|Use of the software package and this document beyond a 30-day|
| evaluation period REQUIRES registration! |
| ---------------------------------------- |
|Distribution of printed copies of this manual is Prohibited! |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ProtoCAD is a copyrighted software product developed and owned
by TRIUS, Inc. located in North Andover, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
You may make and keep back-up copies of the software for your
personal use, provided that you copy all the copyright,
trademark, and other information indicated on the initial screen
display, on each backup copy label.
The rights to receive any financial or other benefit, and to
modify the product or employ its components in any kind of
derivative work, are reserved exclusively by TRIUS, Inc.
You may not reverse-engineer, disassemble, modify, decompile or
create derivative works of the product. You acknowledge that
the product includes certain trade secrets and confidential
information, all of which is the copyrighted intellectual
property of TRIUS, Inc.
ProtoCAD is a trademark of TRIUS Inc. and the TRIUS Logo is a
trademark of TRIUS, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide.
The ProtoCAD User's Manual is copyrighted and all rights are
reserved. The reproduction of this document, in whole or part,
its conversion to electronic medium or its distribution in
printed form (hard copy) are prohibited unless prior consent, in
writing, has been given by TRIUS, Inc.
EPSON is a trademark of Epson America Inc.
IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines, Inc.
LOTUS 1-2-3 is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation
HERCULES is a trademark of Hercules Corporation
MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 2
LIMITED WARRANTY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This program is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of
any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to the
implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a
particular purpose. The entire risk as to quality and
performance of these programs is with you. Should the program
prove defective, you (not TRIUS, Inc.) assume the entire cost of
all necessary repair, servicing, or correction. In no event
will TRIUS, Inc. be liable to you for any damages, including
any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or
consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use
these programs, even if TRIUS, Inc. has been advised of the
possibility of such damages. This warranty gives you specific
legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from
state to state. Some states do not allow the exclusion of
implied warranties or exclusion of liability for incidental or
consequential damages so the above may not apply to you. You
acknowledge that you have read this agreement, understand it,
and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions. You further
agree that it is the complete and exclusive statement of the
agreement between us, which supersedes any proposal or prior
agreement, oral or written, and any other communications between
us.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Page
~~~~
COPYRIGHT NOTICE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
LIMITED WARRANTY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
WELCOME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.0 WHAT'S ON THE DISKETTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.1 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
GRAPHICS BOARDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
MOUSE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
MATH CO-PROCESSOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.0 STARTING THE PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.1 COMMAND LINE SWITCH OPTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.2 CURSOR MOVEMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
KEYBOARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.3 PROGRAM INTERFACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
MAIN MENU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DROP DOWN MENUS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
INPUT WINDOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
DIALOG BOX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
VERTEX MARKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
ENTERING COORDINATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
OBJECT SELECTION METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.4 BUTTONS AND ICONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.5 LEAVING THE PROGRAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.0 COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.1 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4.2 DRAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.3 3D-COMMANDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.4 EDIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
OBJECT SELECTION METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
WINDOW SELECTION MODE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
PICK SELECTION MODE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.5 SURFACE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.6 IMAGE COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.7 OPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4.8 PLOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
4.9 RENDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4.10 LAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
ALPHABETICAL INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
ORDER FORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 4
WELCOME
~~~~~~~
Welcome to ProtoCAD 3d. We know that you are probably eager to
start using this powerful program and have organized this on-
disk user's manual to help you do this as quickly and
efficiently as possible.. Before you start, you should spend a
few minutes and review Section-1 which describes:
-- The contents of the program diskette(s)
-- The equipment necessary to run ProtoCAD 3D
-- How to install the program on your system
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 5
1.0 WHAT'S ON THE DISKETTE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The READ.ME file, provided on the ProtoCAD 3D program diskette,
contains last minute news about the program, important
information and a brief description of the files on the ProtoCAD
3D diskettes.
To view the READ.ME file on your screen, use your favorite file
lister program, or use the DOS 'TYPE' command at the DOS prompt:
TYPE READ.ME [ENTER]
To print the contents of the READ.ME file, use the command:
COPY READ.ME PRN [ENTER]
Alternatively, you may view the READ.ME file using your favorite
text editor, or word-processor capable of accessing pure ASCII
files.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 6
2.1 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRAPHICS BOARDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ProtoCAD 3D works extremely well with basic PC systems. All you
need is an IBM PC or compatible computer with a graphics board
from the following list (and the corresponding monitor).
MNEMONIC PIXEL RESOLUTION
~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EGA 640x350--16 colors
HGA 720x348--mono
ATT 640x400--mono
VGA 640x480--16 colors
MEMORY
~~~~~~
ProtoCAD 3D requires a minimum of 480K free to operate. On a
640K machine operating under DOS 3.0, you should have
approximately 100K of memory to use for your drawings. This
corresponds approximately to a drawing composed of over 2,000
points.
ProtoCAD 3D will automatically use any expanded memory (EMS)
that it finds. PC systems with extended memory (XMS) can use an
expanded memory emulator which assigns extended memory as
expanded memory. For example on a 386 the following statement
could be placed in the DOS config.sys file DEVICE=EMM386.SYS 500
which assigns 500K of EMS memory.
If you are not using a 386/486 system, or if your operating
system is not MS-DOS, consult your system's manual on how to
configure some of your system's memory as Expanded memory.
MOUSE (Recommended)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you want, you may select to use a mouse or digitizing tablets
with ProtoCAD 3D. Most such devices connect to a serial I/O
(Input/Output) port (usually COM1, i.e., the first
communications port).
In the current version of the program, a digitizing tablet
operates in the same mode as a mouse, therefore only the
description of the mouse operation is treated in this section.
Consult your digitizing tablet user's manual on how to set it up
to work in a mouse mode.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 7
Before you can use your mouse, you need to install the mouse
driver. A mouse driver is a small memory-resident program
included with your mouse when it was purchased. There are
normally two types of mouse drivers. One is loaded as a device
through the CONFIG.SYS file, while the other can be installed at
any time from the DOS prompt. ProtoCAD 3D works with both types
of mouse drivers. (Refer to your mouse's operating manual for
details on how to install each type of driver).
MATH CO-PROCESSOR (Not Required)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You don't need a math coprocessor (8087, 80287, 80387) to run
ProtoCAD 3D. ProtoCAD 3D has been optimized and avoids floating
point calculations wherever possible. However use of a math
coprocessor will result in approximately a 10-50% speedup of a
drawing update.
2.2 INSTALLATION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before using ProtoCAD 3D, you need to install the program either
on your hard or on floppy diskettes. An installation program
provided on the diskette makes the process simple. It will
transfer the necessary files from the original diskette to your
working disk/directory. There are no copy protection schemes or
hidden files to wrestle with.
If you are installing on 360K diskettes, first format two blank
diskettes and label them ProtoCAD 3D 1 & 2.
To make a working copy of the program:
1. Place the ProtoCAD 3D program disk in drive A:
2 At the DOS prompt, type A: and press [ENTER]
3. Type INSTALL and press [ENTER].
Next, follow the simple on-screen instructions to specify where
to install the program.
When the operation is complete, the DOS prompt will reappear on
your screen. Place the original diskette in a safe place. If
your working diskette later becomes damaged, repeat the above
process to make a new working disk.
The following files are absolutely required to run ProtoCAD 3D:
PC3D.EXE PC3D.FNT
The rest of the files do not need to be present in your working
disk/directory, though PC3D.HLP is required if you want to access
the program's help facilities.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 8
3.0 STARTING THE PROGRAM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Go to the drive and/or subdirectory where ProtoCAD 3D is stored.
At the DOS prompt type DC followed by any command line switches
(see next section), and press [ENTER]. This starts the program.
3.1 COMMAND LINE SWITCH OPTIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ProtoCAD 3D attempts to identify your hardware and choose an
appropriate video mode. However, to take advantage of the
higher resolutions and alternate startup options the program may
be started with one or more command line switches.
ProtoCAD 3D /Switch1/Switch2.../Switchn [ENTER]
The following command line option Switches are available in
ProtoCAD 3D:
/ATT - Using an AT&T Monitor/Card (640x400, Monochrome)
/BM - Overrides the equipment autodetection and is used in
combination with /EM or /EMV. (Bypass Mono Detection).
/DEL=NNN - Plotter Buffer Delay
Specify the delay, in milliseconds, after each block of data
sent to a serial plotter/printer and avoid losing some of the
information. The default is set to 200 milliseconds. Three
digit number is required
/E - Using an EGA Monitor/Card combination (640x350)
/EM - Enable the EGA MONO mode (640x350)
/EMV - Enable VGA MONO mode (640x480)
/EV - Enable the VGA Card mode (640x480)
/H - Specify the use of a Hercules Card (720x348) (Page 1)
/H2 - Specify the use of Hercules Card, Page #2 [@B000] (720x348)
/MONO - Use only two color B&W mode.
/NE - Don't use Expanded Memory even if it is detected!
/NT - Disable the Turbo Cursor Feature
Cursor movement using the keyboard cursor keys defaults to a
"turbo" mode. While this feature speeds up cursor movement
(in lieu of a mouse), it may not be compatible with some
types of computers. The turbo feature may be disabled by use
of the "non-turbo" /NT switch.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 9
3.2 CURSOR MOVEMENT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KEYBOARD
~~~~~~~~
The keyboard cursor keys can be used to easily move the pointing
cursor around the screen. Choose a menu or command by pressing
the first letter of the command or by moving the pointer on top
of the command and pressing the [ENTER] key. The following keys
may be used to manipulate the cursor.
UP Move the cursor one step upwards
DOWN Move the cursor one step downwards
LEFT Move the cursor one step to the left
RIGHT Move the cursor one step to the right
PGUP Increase the step size by 10 pixels
PGDN Restore the step size to 1 pixel of movement
ENTER Select a command, or indicate a reference point
ESC Cancel a command, or exit the selection mode
Keeping the [UP], [DOWN], [LEFT], or [RIGHT] cursor keys
depressed will cause the cursor to accelerate in the desired
direction (Turbo mode only). Tapping the keys will move the
cursor one step at a time.
MOUSE
~~~~~
Some mice have three buttons. ProtoCAD 3D, however, only uses
two buttons on the mouse. They are the LEFT button which is
functionally equivalent to the [ENTER] key on the keyboard (see
above key explanation) and the MIDDLE or RIGHT mouse buttons
which both represent the [ESC] key (see above). You can use
either the keyboard or the mouse equivalents interchangeably.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 10
3.3 PROGRAM INTERFACES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAIN MENU
~~~~~~~~~
The ProtoCAD 3D interface consists of a line of main menu
selections across the top line of the screen. A menu item may
be selected by either typing the first letter of the menu item
or by moving the pointer up to the top line, highlighting the
item, and then pressing ENTER.
The main menu items have the following names:
FILE File handling (Load, Save, Import, Xport...)
DRAW Draw 2D objects (Line, Circle, Box...)
3D Draw 3D objects (Mesh, Sphere, Block...)
EDIT Editing features (Copy, Move ...)
SURFACE Modify objects (Revolve, Xtrude, Sweep...)
IMAGE Image zooming features (Update, Window, Half...)
OPTION Global defaults (Grid, Toggles, Axis...)
PLOT Print drawing/picture (Go, Image...)
RENDER Shade objects (Frame, Lighting, Tune...)
LAYER Layer options (Select active layer, set Colors...)
DROP DOWN MENUS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When a menu item has been selected, a drop-down menu appears.
You will notice that the first option in the drop-down menu is
highlighted. Any option in the menu can be selected by typing
the highlight letter of that option, or by selecting it using
the mouse or cursor keys and pressing [ENTER].
For example, to begin drawing a BOX which is one option in the
DRAW menu, press "D" to select the DRAW menu, and then press "B"
to select BOX.
NOTE: Menu items which display a right pointing triangle indicate
the presence of a sub-menu.
It is possible to return back through any menu or option by
pressing the [ESC] key.
INPUT WINDOW
~~~~~~~~~~~~
An input window presents a prompt for a single piece of
information, i.e. a name, dimension or typed coordinate. Note
that the current contents of an input window can be erased by
pressing either the [ESC] key or the right button on your mouse.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 11
DIALOG BOX
~~~~~~~~~~
A dialog box is a window which presents multiple choices which
can be selected or modified. For example, let's look at the
dialog box found under the OPTION GRID command selection. To
select a choice with the keyboard, just type the highlighted
letter of the choice, i.e. to turn on the GRID press the letter
G. The highlight will move to the choice with matching letter
and execute the choice. Alternatively, you may use the cursor
keys to highlight the choice, and press [ENTER] to execute the
choice.
To select a choice with the mouse, move the mouse pointer. As
the pointer passes over a choice the choice will be highlighted.
To select that choice press the left mouse button or [ENTER]
key.
VERTEX MARKS
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The VERTEX, or end points or points of intersection of drawn
objects are represented by a small box on the screen. This
feature is used by editing commands to aid in selection of an
object for copying, moving or other manipulations. The
reference mark will not be plotted or printed on your hard copy.
The display of Vertices on the screen can be toggled on or off
by selecting the command OPTION, TOGGLE, VERTEX. A check mark
next to the word VERTEX in the dialog box indicates the vertex
marks will be displayed the next time the screen is updated.
When disabled, vertex marks will not be removed until after the
next screen update.
ENTERING COORDINATES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drawings produced on ProtoCAD 3D use a floating point cartesian
coordinate system with the following limits of accuracy (X is
measured horizontal distance, Y measures vertical distance, and
Z measures depth). DRAW with coordinates to create objects with
exact dimensions.
1.0 E-37 <= | X, Y, or Z | <= 1.0 E+37
NOTE: Although the magnitude of representable
numbers is very large, only 11 significant digits
of precision are provided. Realistically, if you
try to draw a map of a city, and you want accuracy
down to 1/1000 inch, the maximum range would be:
+/- 99,999,999.999 inches (or 1,578 miles)
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 12
IMPORTANT! In addition to using the crosshair cursor
when drawing, coordinates can be entered accurately from
the keyboard using the Absolute or Relative methods. The
first letter of each method identifies the type of
coordinate.
ABSOLUTE Coordinate with respect to origin at a coordinate
of 0,0,0. The first value represents X units, the
second Y units, and the third Z units. The
coordinate A50,50,50 represents the point X=50,
Y=50, and Z=50.
NOTE: This is the default coordinate type if a letter is
not specified, i.e., 50,50,50 is the same as
typing A50,50,50.
For example, if your last point was at 100,50,25,
typing A250,200,100 (or 250,200,100) would result
in the new coordinate being located at 250 units
X, 200 Units Y, and 100 units Z.
RELATIVE Similar to ABSOLUTE, but measured with respect to
the last X, Y, and Z coordinate entered. R60,70,-
20 will result in the new coordinate being located
60 units in the positive X direction, 70 units in
the positive Y direction, and 20 units in the
negative Z direction from the current coordinate
location.
Continuing with the ABSOLUTE example, if your last
point was at 100,50,25, typing R250,200,100 would
result in the new coordinate being located at 350
units X, 250 Units Y, and 125 units Z.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 13
OBJECT SELECTION METHODS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two methods are available for selecting an object(s). They are
the Window method and the Pick method. A status button on the
right side of the screen indicates which mode is active, and may
be used to change modes.
WINDOW Select objects by enclosing the Vertex mark
associated with the object in a window. You will be
prompted to establish one corner of the window. Move
the cursor near the Vertex mark(s) of the object(s)
you wish to edit and hit [ENTER]. Move the cursor
diagonally creating a window which captures the
Vertex mark(s) and hit [ENTER] again.
To continue with the editing command, you must press
[ESC] to halt the WINDOW selection mode. All objects
selected by the window will be modified by the
selected EDIT command.
PICK The PICK mode is preferred if Vertex marks are
clustered and you wish to edit only one object. To
select the PICK mode, press the [F4] function key. A
small box will appear on the screen in place of the
cursor.
Position the box over a line associated with the
object to be edited and hit [ENTER]. If found, the
object is added to the list of object(s) selected.
To halt the selection mode, press [ESC], otherwise
continue selecting objects.
NOTE: Switch between WIND and PICK modes by pressing [F4] at
any time or by clicking on the PICK status button with
the mouse.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 14
3.4 BUTTONS AND ICONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The right side of the ProtoCAD 3D screen displays a number of
icons which represent some very powerful options available in
ProtoCAD 3D. A highlighted icon indicates the option is active.
To toggle an option, simply highlight the icon with the mouse
cursor and press the left button or [ENTER] key.
The icons with a number in the top right corner correspond to
options that may also be selected by depressing the equivalent
function key. For example, "1" displayed in the top right
corner of the icon indicates this option may be invoked by
pressing F1, while "S4" means the option may be invoked by
pressing Shift-F4.
The various options available through these icons are described
below:
F1-[HELP] Pressing F1 while in the ready mode of the
program (not when a secondary menu or command
is displayed), invokes the help mode. The
help screen contains a column of topics on the
left hand side and a description of the
highlighted topic on the right portion of the
screen.
To choose among the help topics, press the
up/down cursor keys to move the highlight to
the desired topic. Pressing [HOME] highlights
the first topic in the list and [END]
highlights the last topic. [PGUP] and [PGDN]
allow you to move to the first and last
displayed topics in the current screen. To
search quickly for a topic, press the
corresponding first letter. (i.e. press "D"
for draw).
Pressing [ENTER] selects the topic and the
cursor moves to the description on the right
side of the screen. Pressing [ENTER] again,
moves the cursor back to the index list
portion of the screen.
To exit the help menu, press the [ESC] key.
F2 [COORD] Press this function key to enable or disable
on-screen echo of drawing cursor position.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 15
F3 [CALC] Invoke the formula calculator. The operators
and functions available in the calculator are
defined below:
OPERATORS
~~~~~~~~~
+ - Addition
- - Subtraction
* - Multiplication
/ - Division
^ - Raise to Power
FUNCTIONS
~~~~~~~~~
EXP(X) Exponential (ex)
SIN(X) Sine of X (X in degrees)
COS(X) Cosine of X (X in degrees)
ABS(X) Absolute value of X
TAN(X) Tangent of X (X in degrees)
ACOS(X) Arc Cosine of X (Result in degrees)
ASIN(X) Arc Sine of X (Result in degrees)
ATAN(X) Arc Tangent of X (Result in degrees)
INT(X) Integer Portion of X
LOG(X) Logarithm (base 10) of X
LN(X) Natural logarithm of X
MOD(X,Y)Modulo division; return remainder of
X divided by Y.
PI Return constant value 3.14159265
SQRT(X) Square root of X
IF(X,A,B)Returns A if x>1, B if X=0
NOTE: You may enter a formula when a numeric
value is requested by any dialog window or
input box.
The above operators and functions may be
combined for complex calculations, e.g.:
SQRT(36) * LOG(100) + 10 will result in the
value of 22
F4 [WIND/PICK] Toggle between the WINDOW and PICK selection
methods, (see OBJECT SELECTION METHODS).
F5 [ISO Z-Y] Toggles the isometric (Z-Y plane) perspective
ON.
F6 [GRID] On-screen grid is immediately drawn or erased
depending on previous status.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 16
F7 [ISO X-Y] Toggles the isometric (X-Y plane) perspective
ON.
F8 [ORTH] Toggles the ORTHO option on and off. When
turned on, all line segments are drawn either
horizontal or vertical (four directions).
This mode can be adjusted while drawing an
object.
F9 [SNAP] Toggle the SNAP option ON and OFF. The snap
spacing is set using the OPTION, SNAP command.
When SNAP is active the draw cursor is forced
to the nearest snap point. This mode can be
adjusted while drawing an object.
F10 [ATTACH] Toggles ATTACH option ON and OFF. When active
and a point is indicated, ProtoCAD 3D will
search for the nearest object within the pick
window distance (default is 8 pixels, see
FILE, CONFIG, DEFAULT, PICK). If an object is
found, ProtoCAD 3D will determine the closest
reference point on the object (Endpoints or
Middle) and the cursor will be repositioned at
that point. This mode can be adjusted at any
time while drawing an object.
Shift-F1 [FRONT X-Y] Selects the Front (X-Y) 2-Dimensional
Plane view.
Shift-F2 [SIDE Z-Y] Selects the Side (Z-Y) 2-Dimensional Plane
view.
Shift-F3 [TOP X-Z] Selects the Top (X-Z) 2-Dimensional Plane
view.
Shift-F4 [X-Y-Z] Selects the Isometric (X-Y-Z) 3-Dimensional
Plane view.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 17
3.5 LEAVING THE PROGRAM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You just completed your first masterpiece and are ready to quit
for the day. MAKE SURE THAT YOU SAVE THE LATEST VERSION OF YOUR
DRAWING.
Select the FILE option from the main menu, then the SAVE option.
When SAVE is selected, the file will be saved into the current
data drive and subdirectory.
Access the QUIT command by again selecting the FILE option, then
press Q on the keyboard or highlight the QUIT command with your
cursor keys or mouse.
Once QUIT is selected, you will be given a second chance to
change your mind when ProtoCAD 3D asks you to confirm your
selection.
If you performed the above by accident, or changed your mind
about quitting the program, select the CANCEL response and press
[ENTER]. You will be returned to the ProtoCAD 3D work screen
with your drawing intact. To exit completely, select the YES
response and press [ENTER]. The program will now return you to
DOS.
Once the QUIT command is confirmed, all drawing information not
saved will be lost. Remember to save your drawing before you
QUIT!
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 18
4.0 COMMANDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This section describes the powerful commands that are available
within ProtoCAD 3D through the drop-down menus.
4.1 FILE
~~~~~~~~~
This menu allows you to access your drawings, perform file
interchange between ProtoCAD 3D and other file formats and set
the system defaults.
NEW This command clears the memory of the previous
drawing and prepares ProtoCAD 3D for a new drawing.
You may also specify the units of measurement and set
the number of decimal places to be used.
Unit types available are millimeter (mm), meter (m),
inch (in), and feet (ft).
NOTE:
ProtoCAD 3D uses a fixed point coordinate system
based on long integers (maximum long integer ≈ ±
2.147x109). Resolution is therefore limited to
approximately 10 digits. For example, if the size of
your drawing is a cube of dimension 3 ft. on each
side, the resulting internal accuracy is 3.0000.
Therefore, the smallest permissible entry would be
0.0001 ft., and the largest would be 99999.9999 ft.
(note 9 digits).
The default UNIT type when FILE, NEW is selected is
set by the UNIT type which was active when the
configuration file was saved, (see FILE, CONFIG
command) and becomes the default for the current
ProtoCAD 3D session.
When FILE, NEW, ACCEPT is executed, ProtoCAD 3D will
automatically clear the screen. If the XYZ axis
option has been toggled ON (see OPTION TOGGLE), an
XYZ Axis Icon will be displayed in the lower left
corner of the screen.
LOAD This command prompts for a file name by presenting a
dialog window which lists drawing files,
subdirectories, and drive names in the current
directory.
To select a name from the name list, move the cursor
to highlight that name and press [ENTER]. The name
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 19
will be transferred into the FILE box at the top of
the dialog window. Pressing [ENTER] a second time
will automatically load the selected file. If a
mouse is used, double clicking on a file name will
automatically load the highlighted file.
The UP and DN indicators may be used to scroll the
list of file names up or down. You could also
directly type a different filename into the FILE box.
To load the file, select LOAD or to return to the
file menu without loading, select CANCEL.
The current path is displayed in the PATH box. To
change the subdirectory (used to indicate where your
drawing files are located), select PATH and then type
in the new path. When [ENTER] is pressed, the
subdirectory will be read and a new list of names
will be displayed. Subdirectory names and
destination drives will also appear in the file list
box and when selected, just like a file, will be
transferred to the PATH input box.
Once LOAD has been selected, the drawing currently in
RAM is cleared and the specified file is retrieved
and placed in memory. The current file name will be
displayed in the top of the window frame.
NOTE: If you want to retrieve a drawing file without
erasing the current drawing from memory, use the
FILE, IMPORT command.
SAVE This command prompts for a file name to be assigned
to the current drawing in memory. A dialog window is
displayed and the same general options are available.
If you loaded a file from disk, that file name and
subdirectory will appear as the default FILE and
PATH.
You may select PATH and change the subdirectory,
highlight one of the displayed files and press
[ENTER]. Pressing [ENTER] a second time, or double
clicking on the file name will store the highlighted
file. You may also select FILE and manually enter
the name. Then, select SAVE to store the data onto
your disk.
If the file already exists, you will be given a
chance to overwrite it, or CANCEL the SAVE operation.
Note that once you select to overwrite the file, any
data stored on your disk will be replaced with the
data currently in RAM.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 20
IMPORT This command allows you to import text, portions of
drawings, or interchange data with other drawing file
formats. The following options are supported:
* PCF - Import a ProtoCAD 3D, PCF file into the
current drawing.
* HPGL - Import a text file containing the HP
Graphics Language format.
The following commands are supported in the HPGL
files imported in ProtoCAD 3D.
Command Action
~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
PU Raise Pen
PD Lower Pen
PA x,y Move Pen Absolute
SP # Select Pen
LB text #3 Place Text At Last
Coordinate
IP xmin,ymin,xmax,ymax; Set Scaling Points
SC xmin,xmax,ymin,ymax; Sets Scale Window
SI width,height; Set Text Width & Height
SR width,height; Set Relative Width And
Height As Function Of
Scaling Points (see IP)
* VALUE - This is an ASCII file which has XYZ
absolute coordinate sets separated by commas, one
set per line. A continuous set of coordinate
pairs would create a continuous complex line.
Blank lines terminate the sequence and await the
start of a new line. For example, the following
would define two separate straight lines in the
Z=100 plane:
line 1: 100,0,100
line 2: 100,100,100
line 3:
line 4: 200,200,100
line 5: 300,200,100
The units of the value file are assumed to conform
to the UNITS setting of ProtoCAD 3D at the time of
importing.
For example, if your ProtoCAD 3D UNITS setting is
feet and you import a value file containing the
two points:
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 21
1,1,3
2,1,4
A line will be drawn from the point x = 1 ft., y =
1 ft. and z = 3 ft. to the point x = 2 ft., y = 1
ft., and z = 4 ft.
* DXF - The file must conform to DXF standard file
format.
XPORT This command allows you to extract a portion of your
current drawing and save it in one of several
formats:
* PCF - The drawing is saved in native ProtoCAD 3D
format (*.PCF).
* HPGL - Exports wire frame information (no hidden
surfaces) to HPGL files.
These files can be imported by most graphics and
desktop publishing programs.
* PCX - The entire screen is saved in PCX file
format used by many paint graphic programs.
(*.PCX).
* CLIP_PCX- If CLIP_PCX is selected, you are prompted
to place a window around the objects to be extracted.
ProtoCAD 3D will display the number of objects
found in the top right corner of the screen.
Press [ESC] when all objects have been selected.
You will now be prompted for the reference point.
This point will establish the origin (x=0, y=0,
z=0) of the new drawing. Select the reference
point and press [ENTER]. If a file with the
requested name exists, you will be asked if you
wish to replace it with the new file.
NOTE: Extracting your drawing to an HP Graphics
Language (HPGL) file is not achieved through the
XPORT command. It is done by following these steps:
1. Set FILE, CONFIG, PRINTER to HP7470
2. Set FILE, CONFIG, OUTPUT to FILE and enter a
filename. e.g. TEST.PLT
3. Use PLOT, GO to create the file.
ERASE This command erases a specified file from your disk.
A dialog window will appear and you may select the
file to be erased.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 22
NOTE: Wild card characters CANNOT be used with
ERASE command.
CONFIG ProtoCAD 3D contains internal default settings for
user-selectable parameters. The user is able to
tailor these settings to suit equipment configuration
and personal taste. The new settings may be
optionally saved for future sessions. The following
settings may be saved:
- Status of Toggle switches; Vertex, Edge Clip
- GRID/SNAP status, GRID and SNAP spacing
- Text Options; height, width, and angle
- UNIT of measurement
- POLYGON sides, Sphere, Hemisphere
- ARRAY; type, copies, scale, angle, counter rotate
angle, revolve, Xtrude
- PLOT; device, output, plotter aspect ratios,
orientation
- Drawing size, Scale Factors
- Colors; Menus, Highlights, Letters, Screen, etc.
- Mouse and keyboard sensitivity, video aspect ratio
- Default shade half-tones and color mix
SAVE CONFIG This command saves ProtoCAD 3D default settings
into a file called PC3D.CFG. When ProtoCAD 3D
is executed from DOS, the new settings contained in
the CONFIG file will be automatically set.
PRINTER This is command will display a pick list which allows
you to select the print device. The list may vary,
but listed below are some common drivers.
HP7470 Produces a plot using the Hewlett Packard
Graphics Language (HPGL) which is sent to
the selected port or file. This option
can be used with any plotter device that
supports HPGL or sent to a plot file.
NOTE: WordPerfect 5.0 and 5.1 can import HPGL
files directly into documents. If you want
to create a file that you can later import
to WordPerfect, select HP7470 in this menu
and set Output (below) to FILE.
EPSON-FX Use Epson FX-series compatible graphics
commands to produce an image on a 9-pin
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 23
Epson or 100% compatible dot matrix
printer.
LASERJET Use HP LaserJet PCL graphics commands.
This driver should also be selected for HP
Deskjet printers.
P-LQ2500 Use Epson 24-pin graphics commands.
CITOH Use C.Itoh, 8-pin printer commands.
OKIDATA Use Okidata, 9-pin printer commands
including the 182+ series of 9-pin dot
matrix printers.
COLORS Customize the screen colors. Note that the actual
color mapping depends strongly on your
monitor/adapter combination.
MENU Color of pull-down menu.
LETTER Color of first letter in each menu option.
HILITE Color of menu highlight bar.
PROMPT Color of the input prompt line.
SCREEN Color of all objects, text, etc., drawn on
the screen.
ACTIVE Color of button or choice highlighted in
dialog window.
INACTIVE Buttons and Toggles not highlighted in
dialog windows.
BUTTON Highlighted button color
OUTPUT Select either the parallel port, serial port, or a
file name to send the output to when GO is selected:
LPT1 Parallel Printer Port #1
LPT2 Parallel Printer Port #2
COM1 Serial Communications Port #1
COM2 Serial Communications Port #2
FILE Specify a file or device name used to
store printer/plotter output.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 24
CODES Customize the graphic control codes used to print on
a dot matrix or laser printer. The default control
codes correspond to generic 9-pin and 24-pin Epson,
and Raster printers (includes HP LaserJet)
If your printer cannot emulate a default printer, you
need to edit the setup codes (refer to your printer
manual for the correct codes). This command modifies
the control codes only. It has nothing to do with
selecting the printer driver, which is done with the
FILE, CONFIG, PRINTER command.
Control codes may be specified either by the ASCII
code or by the ASCII character equivalent (only for
ASCII codes greater than 32). When ASCII codes are
used, each code must be three digits long and
preceded with a backslash "\". For example, the code
sequence ESC "E" may be specified as \027E or
\027\045.
The following commands select the type of printer
driver to modify.
9-Pin Modify codes corresponding to generic 9-
pin printer.
RASTER Modify codes corresponding to the HP
LaserJet (or deskjet)
24-Pin Modify codes corresponding to generic 24-
pin printer.
CITOH Modify C.Itoh (non-IBM compatible) printer
codes.
OKI182 Modify Okidata (non-IBM compatible)
printer codes.
Select control sequence currently active in EDIT box:
HIGH Set printer to high resolution graphics
mode.
MED Set printer to medium resolutions graphics
mode.
LOW Set printer to low resolution graphics
mode.
BGFD Line feed printer the distance equivalent
to the dots contained in a complete pass
of the print head. Normally this is equal
to 23/216".
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 25
SMFD Line feed printer a single dot.
RES Reset the printer to text mode.
The following command permits changes to the
currently selected code sequence.
EDIT Change the contents of the currently
selected control (Remember to ACCEPT
before exiting this menu).
BAUD This command allows you to define serial port
communication parameters used by the COM ports. Make
sure that parameters selected in this menu correspond
to the configuration of your printer/plotter.
110 to 9600 Select baud rate transmission speed
through your selected serial port.
ODD, EVEN, Select type of Parity.
NONE
1-BIT, 2-BIT Number of Stop Bits
7-BIT, 8-BIT Number of Data Bits
DELAY An integer representing milliseconds
of delay (default = 200 ms). The
DELAY variable is used to make sure
information sent to your serial
plotter/printer does not overflow
the data buffer. The DELAY value
should be increased if you notice
objects in your drawing do not
appear correctly in your output
(e.g. partial drawings).
DEFAULT The following parameters control the response of the
screen to keyboard or mouse input and the screen
updating process. The DEFAULT dialog window appears.
Use the FILE, CONFIG, SAVE_CONFIG command to make
these settings permanent.
ASPECT - Set the video aspect ratio, so a circle
looks correct and does not appear oval. The
aspect ratios differ for EGA, VGA and HGA
cards and may vary depending on your
graphics monitor.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 26
MOUSE - Set the mouse sensitivity to movement. The
smaller the number, the more sensitive the
mouse (default is 12).
SPDUP - Set the sensitivity of the keyboard cursor
keys when used to navigate the cursor
around the screen. Keeping a keyboard
cursor key depressed will cause the
pointing cursor to accelerate in the
desired direction.
The default value of SPDUP is 2. A value
of 0 results in no acceleration and moves
the cursor one pixel at a time no matter
how long the cursor key is kept depressed.
Large values result in greater cursor
acceleration. Experiment until you find an
acceptable value.
NOTE: No matter what the value of SPDUP,
tapping the keyboard cursor keys once will
result in cursor movement of one pixel at a
time.
PICK - Modify the size (in pixels) of the pick
window used to select objects when editing
(default is an 8 pixel square).
LEVEL - Sets the degree of curve smoothness for
SPLINE, CIRCLE, and ARC objects. See DRAW
SPLINE for the effects of various values of
LEVEL.
GET INFO Displays general settings. This includes the
ProtoCAD 3D version, printer type, detected video
mode, objects, points, DOS and EMS memory, last
screen update time (seconds).
OSHELL Temporarily shell to the operating system, (DOS). To
return to ProtoCAD 3D, type EXIT and press [ENTER] at
the DOS prompt. Shelling to DOS is achieved by
executing another copy of COMMAND.COM.
The user may change the command processor by simply
editing the shell prompt when prompted to do so.
This ability to edit the shell prompt allows the user
to directly execute another DOS application by simply
entering its name in place of COMMAND.COM.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 27
Please note that once a shell is executed, no error
checking is possible by ProtoCAD 3D until the
secondary process is completed and control is
returned to ProtoCAD 3D.
QUIT Exits ProtoCAD 3D and return to DOS. Remember to
save any changes to your drawing prior to exiting as
they will otherwise be lost.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 28
4.2 DRAW
!~~~~~~~~
This menu contains the primitive drawing types available in
ProtoCAD 3D. One or more object types can be associated to form
complex shapes through the use of the GROUP command.
When drawing, the X, Y, and Z cursor coordinates are displayed
on the right side of the screen. Delta X (dX), delta Y (dY),
and delta Z (dZ) distances are displayed on the bottom of the
screen after a reference point has been entered.
LINE Draws a continuous sequence of end point connected
straight lines until the mode is exited. Each time
the [ENTER] key is pressed (or the left mouse
button), a new LINE will be drawn from the last
entered point to the current cursor location. The
sequence continues until [ESC] key or the right mouse
button has been pressed.
NOTES: 1. You can have SNAP mode active or enter
coordinates at any time in order to
precisely locate reference points for any
object. (See section on Entering
Coordinates)
2. Each segment is a single object.
BOX A COMPLEX line arranged with four sides to form a
rectangular shape. First locate the first point by
positioning the cursor and pressing [ENTER]. Next
move the cursor to the point defining the opposite
corner of the box and press [ENTER].
NOTE: Have SNAP mode active or type coordinates to
precisely locate opposite corners of the box.
CIRCLE A form of COMPLEX line arranged to form a continuous
circular sequence. To draw a circle, specify the
center point, press [ENTER], and specify a point on
the circumference, and press [ENTER].
TEXT-PLACE TEXT can be placed anywhere on the screen. TEXT is
sized and oriented with respect to SETUP parameters.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 29
TEXT-SETUP Specify the height, width, and angle of TEXT. The
unit of measurement is the same as the REAL scale
settings (see FILE, NEW).
HEIGHT Height of TEXT in current units. (Default
= 20)
WIDTH Width of TEXT in current units. (Default =
15.0)
ANGLE Specify the orientation angle of the TEXT.
The angle is specified in degrees,
counterclockwise from the horizontal axis.
(Default = 0.0)
ARC Draw an ARC by indicating the center of the ARC, the
starting point on the circumference, and then the
ending point on the circumference, clockwise from the
first point.
POLYGON A POLYGON is a regular-sided closed shape; i.e., all
sides and all angles are equal. Regular POLYGONS are
centered on the first reference point specified and
the location of the first vertex is set by the second
point.
The number of POLYGON sides may be specified by using
one of the predefined settings, THREE through NINE,
or by selecting SIDES, and manually entering the
number of SIDES.
BEZIER Draw a BEZIER curve (a special quadratic curve) using
3 control points.
Locate end points 1 and 2 of the curve by pressing
the [ENTER] key. Point 3 is dynamically used to flex
the shape of the quadratic curve. To fix the BEZIER
curve to its final position press the [ENTER] key.
Pressing [ESC] cancels the object.
The BEZIER curve, has the characteristic that the
slope of the curve at the end points (1 and 2) is
tangent to imaginary lines drawn to point 3 and that
the shape of the curve is always concave to the
controlling reference points.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 30
COMPLEX A COMPLEX object is a multi-sided shape composed of
straight lines. Control points defining the shape are
specified in a manner similar to the LINE command.
SPLINE Use control points to create smooth curve tangent
with mid-points and tangent to end points. Curve
smoothness is controlled by the value specified by
LEVEL under the FILE, CONFIG, DEFAULT menus. A LEVEL
value of 1 results in the same shape as a COMPLEX
line. A LEVEL value of 3 results in a smooth shape.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 31
4.3 3D-COMMANDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following commands create surface primitives which can be
connected to form complex composite objects. (see SURFACE
OBJECTS GROUP)
MESH Surface mesh generated by linearly interpolating
between 4 points defined by the user. Once
specified, the control points are discarded. You can
specify the number of subdivisions in a dialog menu.
N-Div Number of subdivisions of mesh normal to
control curves
P-Div Number of subdivisions of mesh in parallel to
control curves
Individual vertices can be modified after the mesh
has been created by using the EDIT VERTEX command.
NOTES: 1. If you are using a mouse to define the
MESH, you are really drawing on a single
plane, regardless of the selected view.
2. If you want to draw a true 3-D MESH, use
the keyboard to type the offset value for
at least one axis.
SPHERE Surface object representing a SPHERE. User controls
number of longitudinal and latitudinal divisions.
X-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in X direction (1 = no
scaling)
Y-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in Y direction
Z-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in Z direction
LONG Set the number of horizontal slices through
the SPHERE
LAT Set the number of vertical slices through the
SPHERE
After exiting the dialog, a prompt for two points
defining the SPHERE center and radius will be made.
HEMISPHERE Half of a SPHERE. User controls number of
longitudinal and latitudinal divisions.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 32
X-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in X direction (1 = no
scaling)
Y-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in Y direction
Z-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in Z direction
LONG Set the number of horizontal slices through
the HEMISPHERE
LAT Set the number of vertical slices through the
HEMISPHERE
The following toggles control the end treatment of
the HEMISPHERE.
CAP Close in the bottom of the HEMISPHERE
OPEN Leave the bottom open
After exiting the dialog, a prompt for two points
defining the HEMISPHERE center and radius will be
made.
CONE Solid with a taper. User may specify number of
sides.
X-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in X direction (1 =
no scaling)
Y-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in Y direction
TAPER Set the end diameter reduction as a
fraction of the base diameter. A value of
1 creates a cylinder with parallel sides.
A value of 0 creates a CONE which meets at
a point. A value of 0.5 should create a
tapered cylinder with a top radius 50% of
the base.
SIDES Set the number of polygonal facets
defining the CONE.
The following toggles control the end treatment of
the CONE.
CAP Close in the ends of the CONE
OPEN Leave the end open
To create a CONE, you must first specify a point at
the center of the base. Next, specify as point 2,
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 33
the radius and finally specify point 3 to indicate
the length of the CONE.
PRISM Solid with parallel sides. User may specify number
of faces.
X-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in X direction ( 1 = no
scaling)
Y-AXIS Set the aspect ratio in Y direction
THICK Set the wall thickness of the PRISM. If the
WALL option is on, a value greater than 0
creates an inner prism with a radius
equal to the outer radius minus the THICK
value.
SIDES Set the number of facets defining the sides
of the PRISM
NOTE: XYZ mode only permits the dynamic definition
of the PRISM length. For the XY, XZ, and ZY drawing
planes, the length must be specified as a Z, Y, or X
coordinate respectively, using the keyboard.
The following toggles control the end treatment of the PRISM.
CAP Close in the ends of the PRISM
OPEN Leave the ends open
WALL Creates a PRISM with a wall thickness
based on the THICK parameter.
BLOCK Solid contained by 6 rectangular faces. User must
define starting location of BLOCK and then a diagonal
representing the height, width and depth of the
BLOCK.
If a BLOCK is created without a depth, the object
defaults to a BOX object.
PLATONIC This type of surface object belongs to a special
class of shapes with all facets being equal in size
and having a closed interior.
TETRA Creates a solid with four triangular faces.
OCTA Creates a solid with eight triangular faces.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 34
DODECA Creates a solid with twelve pentagonal faces.
ICOSA Creates a solid with eighteen triangular faces.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 35
4.4 EDIT
~~~~~~~~~
EDIT commands act upon objects, allowing them to be erased,
duplicated, translated, rotated, mirrored, or combinations
thereof.
NOTE: EDIT commands operate on all unprotected layers. To
protect objects from editing operations see LAYER
PROTECT.
OBJECT SELECTION METHODS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two methods are available for selecting an object(s). They are
the WINDOW method and the PICK method. A status button on the
right side of the screen indicates which mode is active, and may
be used to change modes.
Window Selection Mode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select objects by enclosing the vertex mark associated with the
object in a window. You will be prompted to establish one
corner of the window. Move the cursor near the vertex mark(s)
of the object(s) you wish to edit and hit [ENTER]. Move the
cursor diagonally creating a window which captures the vertex
mark(s) and hit [ENTER] again.
To continue with the editing command, you must press [ESC] to
halt the window selection mode. All objects selected by the
window will be modified by the selected EDIT command.
Pick Selection Mode
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Pick mode is preferred if vertex marks are clustered and you
wish to edit only one object. To select the Pick mode, press
the [F4] function key. A small box will appear on the screen in
place of the cursor.
Position the box over a line associated with the object to be
edited and hit [ENTER]. If found, the object is added to the
list of object(s) selected. To halt the selection mode, press
[ESC], otherwise continue selecting objects.
NOTE: Switch between WIND and PICK modes by pressing [F4] at
any time or by clicking on the Pick status button with
the mouse.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 36
COPY Selected object(s) will be copied based on two or
more points. The first point, or FROM position, is
any point at or near the selected object which is
used as a reference point. Subsequent TO points
indicated are used to determine the translation
distance and subsequent direction of the copy.
Object copies occur dynamically, i.e., the block of
objects moves as the cursor is moved. Pressing
[ENTER] places a duplicate of the block onto the
drawing at the cursor position. You can continue to
move and place a number of duplicates anywhere on the
screen. To terminate this mode, press the [ESC] key.
MOVE Translate the selected object(s) with reference to a
FROM point a distance equal to, and in the same
direction as, the TO point.
NOTE: Position can be specified by typing
coordinates. (See Entering Coordinates in Section 3).
ERASE Erase the selected object(s) from the drawing.
SCALE Scale the selected object(s) with reference to an
indicated point, according to parameters specified in
the dialog window. The current dimensions of the
object(s) will be multiplied by the X, Y, and Z scale
factors parallel to each principal axis.
When Scale is selected a dialog window will appear
which allows the following parameters to be modified.
X - Set X axis scaling factor
Y - Set Y axis scaling factor
Z - Set Z axis scaling factor
HALF - Reduce current scale factors by 1/2.
DBLE - Increase current scale factors by 2.
UNITY - Resets all scaling factors to 1.
ACCEPT - Confirm selections and proceed to next step
of scaling.
CANCEL - Abort scaling operation.
ROTATE Rotates the selected elements by a specified angle
about an indicated point of rotation. The user
supplies individual angle of rotation about each
principal axis.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 37
X AXIS Set the X axis angle of rotation in degrees.
Y AXIS Set the Y axis angle of rotation in degrees.
Z AXIS Set the Z axis angle of rotation in degrees.
ACCEPT - Confirm settings and rotate object(s).
CANCEL - Exit without rotating object(s).
ARRAY This command combines a multiple COPY operation with
ROTATION, TRANSLATION, and SCALING. The following
action modifiers may be selected from the dialog
window.
LINEAR Copies will be positioned in a line. You
will be prompted to position the first
copy. Subsequent copies will be
positioned the same distance away from the
line established between the original and
first copy. Each element can still be
rotated on its own axis.
CIRCULAR Copies will be rotated about a center
point in a circular rotation. You will be
prompted to specify the center of
rotation.
The following value parameters may be modified.
TOTAL Specify the number of times the object is
copied. Changes to this value will
automatically recalculate the ANGLE value
based on a 360 degree sweep of the objects
(ANGLE = 360/(n+1)).
ANGLE Copies can be rotated or revolved about a
reference point in a circular fashion.
The effective radius of the circle is
equal to the distance between each object
and the reference point. This modifier is
used only with Circular Arrays.
ANGLE defaults to 360/(number of copies
plus 1).
SCALE The scale defaults to 1. A scale of less
than 1 will result in subsequent copies
getting smaller. A scale of greater than
1 will result in subsequent copies getting
larger. Scaling factor is calculated as
Sn = SCALEN.
ROTATE This value may be used to additionally
rotate each object. The ROTATE value is
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 38
added to the ANGLE value to determine the
total angle of rotation.
If set equal to, but with the opposite
sign of the ANGLE value, the object will
maintain its original orientation and will
only be translated to a new position.
Negative ROTATE values are subtracted from
the ANGLE value.
OK Confirm your selections and perform the
ARRAY COPY.
ESC Cancel ARRAY COPY.
For example, to perform a CIRCULAR ARRAY on a
triangle (a 3 sided POLYGON) with 3 copies, the angle
of rotation estimated by ProtoCAD 3D will be 360
degrees divided by (3+1) = 90 degrees.
TRIM Trim line objects that extend beyond a specified
boundary (permitted only in XY construction). First,
select the trim boundary. Next position the cursor
on a line on the side of the boundary which is to be
trimmed.
NOTE: Complex objects must be exploded first before
they can be trimmed.
FLIP Selected objects will be flipped or mirrored about a
vertical reflection axis (permitted only in XY
construction plane).
Note that MIRROR creates a new copy of the selected
entities, whereas FLIP literally "flips" the original
entities.
HINT: To flip an object vertically (across the
horizontal axis), use the ROTATE command first,
perform the FLIP command, and then ROTATE back to the
original angle.
VERTEX Modify individual vertex points defining object.
Each point is selected by positioning the mouse on
top of the vertex, and pressing the left button. An
audible click reports a successful find of the point
and the point is also highlighted with a mark. To
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 39
terminate the selection mode press [ESC]. Next
indicate the new points location by specifying a
translation vector. This is done by locating the from
position, press [ENTER] and the moving to the TO
position and press [ENTER].
All points in the selection list will be relatively
translated depending on their original distance and
location from the point to the new location.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 40
4.5 SURFACE
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This powerful menu contains commands that create or act upon
surfaces.
REVOLVE Creates a mesh object by revolving a profile curve
about a vertical axis of revolution. If the selected
profile curve is composed of discrete segments an
attempt is made to create a connected profile prior
to rotating. This permits the creation of end cap
surfaces for revolutions of not equal to 360 degrees
which of course would normally be end connected.
The following control the divisions of the revolved
copies:
DIVIDE Total divisions of swept arc.
ANGLE Subangle calculated by TOTAL/DIVIDE.
TOTAL Total swept angle.
The following modify the scaling and rotation of the
revolved copies:
P-SCALE Modify size of swept profile by scaling
about central point of revolution.
Scaling is performed for each profile
before it is revolved into position.
ROTATE Rotate each profile in plane prior to
sector positioning.
The following control treatment of end facets. When
enabled, uses the selected profile to create a closed
facet to cap/close the revolved shape to create an
enclosed volume. Swept ANGLES of 360 degrees disable
this feature.
BEGIN Create a closed facet at begin profile
when active.
END Create a closed facet at end profile when
active.
SECTOR Create wire frame sector lines when
beginning/end profile is in horizontal
plane.
XTRUDE Creates a mesh object by extruding a profile curve
multiple times, in the direction specified by the
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 41
user. The profile curve is preprocessed similar to
REVOLVE in order to assemble a continuous curve.
Each subsequent extrusion can also be rotated about a
central point in the XY plane. This permits the
creation of spiral extrusions.
DIVIDE Total divisions of swept arc.
TOTAL Total swept angle.
N-SCALE Modify size of swept profile parallel
to the axis of extrusion.
P-SCALE Modify size of swept profile perpendicular
to the axis of extrusion, and on same plane
as extruded element(s).
ROTATE Rotate each profile in plane prior to
sector positioning.
BEGIN Create surface facet at Begin profile
position when active.
END Create surface facet at End profile
position when active.
SWEEP Creates a mesh object by sweeping a profile curve
multiple times, in a path defined by an object. The
profile curve is preprocessed similar to REVOLVE in
order to assemble a continuous curve.
DIVIDE Total divisions of swept arc.
TOTAL Total swept angle.
N-SCALE Modify size of swept profile parallel
to the sweep axis.
P-SCALE Modify size of swept profile perpendicular
to the sweep axis, and on same plane
as sweeping element(s).
ROTATE Rotate each profile in plane prior to sector
positioning.
BEGIN Create surface facet at Begin profile
position when active.
END Create surface facet at End profile position
when active.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 42
EXPLODE This command converts COMPLEX objects such as BEZIER,
CURVES and CIRCLES into equivalent objects composed
only of straight line segments.
SKIN Creates a static surface mesh connecting two or more
control profiles. The subdivisions parallel to and
orthogonal to the curves are individually controlled.
The following control the number of divisions of
mesh:
P-DIV Number of subdivisions of mesh in parallel
to control curves.
N-DIV Number of subdivisions of mesh normal to
control curves.
The following control the positioning constraints of
the vertex points:
NEAREST When active, forces calculated vertex
point of mesh to nearest vertex on control
profile.
ANYWHERE Use interpolated vertex point on profile
exactly as calculated.
TOLERANCE If within X% of a vertex, snap to that
vertex. Only active when NEAREST is
selected.
PATCH Create a dynamic surface mesh connecting four curve
profiles representing the edges of the patch. Each
profile must be end connected to its adjacent
profile. Profiles must be selected in a consistent
clockwise or counter-clockwise fashion which
traverses the perimeter. i.e., the profiles need to
be selected one at a time, using the pick (not the
window) mode.
NOTE: End points of constraining curves must match
so there is no ambiguity for the surface
interpolation process.
INTERSECT Cause a line object to be projected to the surface
selected. The closest end point to the plane is
modified so that the point of intersection with the
surface replaces the end point.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 43
NOTES: 1. The surface selected must be a complex
object.
2. Line to line intersections are not
supported. A line drawn in the same plane
as the surface is considered to be a
parallel non-intersecting line.
OBJECTS This menu allows you to group a number of drawn
objects as a single composite object, or to break a
composite object into its component objects.
BIND Acts upon a set of lines in the same plane
to create a composite shadeable object.
Care must be taken to ensure that a closed
curve defines the exterior and totally
encloses all other objects in the set.
GROUP Create a single composite object from a
group of selected objects.
JOIN Acts upon a set of primitive line or
complex object types to create a
continuous perimeter. If more than one
perimeter are contained within the set the
result is grouped together. This permits
the creation of holes within plane
objects.
FRAGMENT Cause the composite object to be broken up
into its constituent definition objects.
NOTE: Surface objects created by revolve
and extrude are collections of mesh
objects plus optional end surfaces used
for caps.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 44
4.6 IMAGE COMMANDS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imagine that you are looking through a magnifying window at a
very large and detailed picture. At high magnification, you can
only see that portion of the picture which is directly under the
viewing window. To see more of the picture (but less detail),
you must decrease the image scale factor. To zoom in on a
specific detail, you increase the image scale factor (but see
less of the picture).
When ProtoCAD 3D is started, the default image scale factor is
set to 1.00. The image scale factor (ISF) is displayed in the
lower left of the screen. You can modify the ISF by using the
IMAGE menu commands to adjust the position of the viewing window
with respect to the drawing and the overall size of the drawing
displayed on the screen.
UPDATE Redraw the entire screen at the current image scale
and option settings. UPDATE will remove remnants of
objects that have been ERASED or MOVED.
WINDOW Zoom in on a portion of the current display. You
select a portion of the drawing which will be
enlarged to fill the screen, by enclosing the area
with a flexible window. The size of the window will
be used to determine the new image scale factor.
PAN Reposition the viewing window on the current display.
First select the FROM Point and press [ENTER] (Hint:
use a "FROM" point near the center of the screen to
permit the greatest range of movement). Next, fix
the new location of the viewing window by pressing
[ENTER]. Once the new location is fixed, the drawing
is redrawn at the specified position.
ALL ProtoCAD 3D scans all objects in the drawing to
determine the maximum and minimum X-Y-Z coordinates
of the drawing. ProtoCAD 3D then determines an image
scale factor and a viewing window which will display
the entire drawing on the screen at the largest scale
possible while still fitting all objects on the screen.
HALF Halve the image scale factor and reposition the
viewing window about the center of the screen.
Objects displayed in the drawing appear smaller by a
factor of two.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 45
DOUBLE Double the image scale factor and reposition the
viewing window about the center of the screen.
Objects displayed in the drawing appear larger by a
factor of two.
LAST Swap between the last image/scale factor/position
displayed and the current image settings. This is
very useful when working on a very large drawing. It
allows you to zoom in on a small work area, make your
changes, and then returns you to the original scale
which shows the entire drawing.
VIEW Specify the XYZ view of the current drawing.
ISOMETRIC Present the user with an isometric view
point of the drawing. The Y-axis is
always represented vertically.
OBLIQUE Present the user with an oblique
projection of the drawing. The Y-axis
is always vertical and the X-axis is
horizontal and pointing to the right.
PERSPECTIVE Present the user with a
perspective/rotatable projection of the
drawing. The X, Y and Z axis can be
individually controlled so that the
drawing is rotated about that axis.
CENTER Place the 0,0,0 coordinate point in the
center of the screen.
ROTATE Permit the user to dynamically alter
the X,Y and Z viewing angles
(Isometric/Oblique and Perspective
views only).
SYNCH Synchronize the drawing plane with the selected
vertex. Continues until [ESC] is selected. This
command is very useful when creating objects in
isometric or oblique drawing modes.
To use the SYNCH command:
1. Select ISOMETRIC Mode
2. Click on Vertex you want to line up construction
planes with.
NOTE: FRONT, TOP, and SIDE views, if selected, will
correspond to Synched Vertex.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 46
4.7 OPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
The OPTION menu allows you to change parameters that effect the
entire drawing. The changes will remain in effect until the
next time a parameter is changed or ProtoCAD 3D is restarted
from DOS. To save any changed parameters as new defaults for
future sessions, see FILE, CONFIG, SAVE.
GRID The GRID dialog menu allows you to select from two
options, GRID and SNAP.
GRID Create a construction grid at the specified
X, Y, and Z grid spacing in the displayed
units. The grid is visibly represented by a
dot at each XYZ intersection coordinate. The
physical grid will not be displayed until the
GRID menu has been exited.
The grid can be toggled on and off by typing
"G" or selecting GRID. From the drawing
screen, the grid may be toggled on/off by
pressing the [F6] function key or by toggling
the GRID button on the right side of the
screen with the mouse.
X, Y, Z Sets the X, Y, and Z axis GRID spacing.
NOTE: Grids are not displayed in ISO or
Oblique views.
SNAP Constrain movement of the cursor to exactly
the spacing of the snap grid. The snap grid
is similar to the construction grid, but is
not visible. When drawing an object,
physical coordinates are forced to the
nearest snap point.
The snap grid can be toggled on and off by
selecting SNAP from the dialog window or
toggling the SNAP button on the right side of
the screen with the mouse. While drawing
press the [F9] Function Key. A change in
color of the SNAP button on the screen
indicates the snap option is active.
I, J, K Sets the X, Y, and Z axis SNAP spacing.
TOGGLE Toggle switches are features that can be enabled or
disabled. The dialog window appears. A check mark
next to each switch indicates the switch is active.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 47
The switches are listed below along with their
default settings in brackets:
VERTEX Display the object vertex mark (■). This
toggle switch is useful when fine editing
of entities is desired [OFF].
EDGE CLIP Enables an internal check which eliminates
the redraw of overlapping edges [ON].
ATTACH ProtoCAD 3D has the ability to "attach" an object
being drawn with an existing object. ATTACH allows
you to specify the attach point as the end point or
middle of the existing object when active.
ATTACH may be toggled on/off by pressing the [F10]
function key, or by clicking the mouse on the ATTACH
button on the right side of the screen.
END Attach to either end of the existing
object. The end point closest to the
cursor will be selected.
MIDDLE Attach a point to the middle of the
object.
ACCEPT Select [ENTER] to accept the point.
CANCEL Do not accept the point, cancel the
operation.
NOTE: The cursor must be positioned within a
specified number of pixels of the existing object for
ATTACH to function. This value is specified by FILE,
CONFIG, DEFAULT, PICK. For entities that have no
start or middle (e.g. circles), newly drawn objects
will attach to the nearest vertex point.
AXIS This command is used to specify the location and
type of the axis icon (normally displayed at the
lower, left corner of the screen).
SHOW Permit on-screen display of Axis Icon.
HIDE Disable display of Axis Icon.
The following commands affect the location of the
Axis Icon.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 48
ORIGIN Axis Icon is located on-screen at coordinate
0,0,0.
FIXED Axis Icon is placed in lower left corner of
screen and is not referenced to origin.
The following commands affect the type of Axis Icon
displayed.
VECTOR Type of Axis Icon is represented by straight
lines indicating the principal direction of
the X, Y, and Z axis.
PLANER Direction of drawing plane is indicated by a
flat Axis Icon.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 49
4.8 PLOT
~~~~~~~~~
This menu permits you to print, or plot, your drawing. The
default plot settings are for a Epson compatible 9-pin dot
matrix printer connected to LPT1. You can change the device and
output port to which data is sent (see FILE, CONFIG,
PRINTER/OUTPUT).
GO Before printing, make sure the printer paper is
adjusted to the top of form and then select the
command PLOT, GO.
The size of drawing sent to the printer is set by the
scale factor selected under FILE NEW in combination
with the PLOT IMAGE WIDTH setting. Only the visible
portion of the drawing displayed on the screen will
be printed at the specified width.
PRINT Commence printing. The drawing is created in
horizontal strips and then sent to the
printer. Creating each strip of the drawing
results in a short delay before the graphics
information is sent to the printer.
The higher the selected print density (see
PLOT IMAGE) the greater the amount of time
required to process and print the drawing
because of the increased quantity of graphic
data.
Plotting progress is displayed as a percent
status bar on the screen. When finished,
ProtoCAD 3D will give a short beep. See the
EJECT command below, if you are using a
laserjet printer.
CANCEL Do not proceed with printing process. Return
to menu.
If the selected output is a plotter, an additional
dialog window will appear displaying a plot scaling
factor and x and y offset values.
X,Y, OFFSET Horizontal and vertical offset at which
the origin of the drawing (0,0) is to
be located on the paper (default is
0,0). X and Y offset values may be
used to plot an image somewhere in the
middle of a large sheet of paper.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 50
FACTOR Plot scaling adjustment factor for use
with non-standard plotting devices.
The default value of 1.023 will result
in plots being scaled properly
according to the pre-selected drawing
on HP-7470 and compatible plotters.
EJECT The EJECT command issues a form feed to the printer
and causes the paper to advance to the top of the
next page. The EJECT command does not function when
the print device is a plotter.
Note that because of the way laserjet printers
operate (complete page information is required to
process a page), it may be necessary to use the EJECT
command to force your printer to print the drawing.
IMAGE The IMAGE command will display a dialog window which
allows you to modify the resolution and size of
of the drawing sent to the print device. An
IMAGE dialog window appears.
Three print density options are available: High,
Medium, and Low.
HI-Res Best possible quality drawing, but slowest
output speed.
MED-Res Mixture of moderate quality and moderate
output speed.
LOW-Res Fastest output speed, but lowest print
quality.
FRAME Enclose drawing in a rectangular border.
WIDE IN. Width of image (includes FRAME, if selected)
REDUCE % Reduces the size of the image so there is clearance
between the image and the FRAME.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 51
4.9 RENDER
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ProtoCAD 3D has the ability to shade your 3D drawing. The user
has control over the shading colors and intensities and the
illumination source.
SHADE DRAWING Specify shade rendering of the drawing. The
user can modify the following settings.
FACETS:
~~~~~~
SOLID Uses primary layer color only as a solid fill
BLACK Uses black fill
SHADE Uses dithered color mixes to simulate light
intensity
HTONE Uses a range of half tones to
simulate light intensity
EDGES
~~~~~
COLOR Edges are drawn in same color as assigned
layer
WHITE White color is used to define edges
BLACK Black color is used to define edges
NONE No edges are plotted
FRAME Control the display of the Icon buttons on the screen
during the rendering process.
FULL Eliminate the Icon buttons from the screen
during the rendering process. Useful when
performing screen captures.
PARTIAL Display the rendered image within the
drawing frame (i.e., the opposite of FULL).
LIGHT The following variables permit the user to control
the simulated illumination on the shaded object.
Illumination is treated as if the light source was an
infinite distance away.
X, Y, Z - Direction of light source as vector.
AMBIENT % - Specify background lighting level which
is superimposed on shade intensity
calculated at each facet.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 52
TUNE Allows the user to specify color mixes for dithered, half tone
color mixes for shading. The following parameters may be
specified.
PRIME 1 Primary color
2, 3, 4 Secondary mixture colors to be combined
individually with the primary color.
LOW Echo of lowest intensity resulting from
computer mixing of all color combinations.
HIGH Echo of highest intensity resulting from
computer mixing of all color combinations.
RATIO Logarithmic perception of next highest
intensity level is determined by finding
color intensity which is at least RATIO
times its predecessor.
COLOR Layer color to which dithered half-tone
color mixtures will be assigned.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 53
4.10 LAYER
~~~~~~~~~~~
ProtoCAD 3D permits you to work on multiple layers which can be
thought of as transparent overlays. Layers permit you to
organize objects in your drawing into logical groupings. The
maximum number of layers supported in ProtoCAD 3D is eight.
ACTIVE Specify the LAYER upon which new objects will be
placed. When selected, you are presented with a
dialog window.
Only one LAYER can be active at a time. The
currently selected LAYER and its color is indicated
by a checkmark.
DISPLAY Display is used to indicate those LAYERS which will
be visible when the screen is redrawn. The pick list
represents all visible LAYERS with a checkmark.
Highlight the LAYER name and press [ENTER] to change
the status from visible to invisible.
The SET and RESET options are provided as a shortcut
to make all LAYERS visible or invisible.
SET Select all LAYERS to be displayed.
RESET Clear all LAYERS (make invisible).
NOTE: Although a LAYER may not be visible, EDIT
commands will operate on all LAYERS. To
ensure objects are not mistakenly selected,
make sure all layers are DISPLAYED when
performing EDIT commands or turn on PROTECT
for those layers which are invisible.
PROTECT Prevent objects on specific LAYERS from being
modified during editing operations. Select protected
LAYERS from the pick list presented. A checkmark
indicates protection is active.
You may protect as many layers as you wish.
Protecting all layers would disable editing of the
whole drawing until protection was reset.
The SET and RESET options are provided as a shortcut
to make all layers protected or unprotected.
SET Select all LAYERS to be protected.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 54
RESET Select all LAYERS to be unprotected.
COLOR Colors may be individually assigned to each LAYER.
Select the LAYER from the LAYER pick list and
enter the new color.
MOVE This command permits you to move one or more objects
to another LAYER selected from a pick list.
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 55
ALPHABETICAL INDEX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3D-COMMANDS 32
ABSOLUTE COORDINATES 13
ALL 45
ARRAY 38
ASPECT RATIO (VIDEO) 26
ATT 7
ATTACH 17
ATTACH 48
AXIS 48
B&W MODE 9
BAUD RATE 26
BEZIER 30
BLOCK 34
CIRCLE 29
CITOH 23
COLOR MIXING 53
COLORS 24
COM1/COM2 24
COMMAND LINE SWITCH 9
COMPLEX 31
CONE 33
CONFIG.SYS 8
CONTROL CODES 25
COPY 37
DEFAULTS 26
DIALOG BOX 12
DIGITIZING TABLET 7
DITHERING 53
DOT MATRIX 23
DOUBLE 46
DRAW 29
DROP-DOWN MENU 11
EDIT 36
EGA 7,9
EGA MONO MODE 9
EMM386.SYS 7
EMS 7
ENTERING COORDINATES 12
EPSON 23
ERASE 37
ESC KEY 11
EXPANDED MEMORY 7
EXPLODE 43
F1-[HELP] KEY 15
F2 [COORD] KEY 15
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 56
F3 [CALC] KEY 16
F4 [WIND/PICK] KEY 16
F5 [ISO Z-Y] KEY 16
F6 [GRID] KEY 16
F7 [ISO X-Y] KEY 17
F8 [ORTH] KEY 17
F9 [SNAP] KEY 17
FILE OUTPUT 24
FILE, CONFIG 23
FILE, ERASE 22
FILE, IMPORT 21
FILE, LOAD 19
FILE, NEW 19
FILE, SAVE 20
FILE, XPORT 22
FLIP 39
FREE RAM 27
GRID 47
HALF 45
HEMISPHERE 32
HERCULES CARD 9
HGA 7
ICONS/OPTIONS 15
IMAGE COMMANDS 45
INSTALLATION 8
INTERSECT 43
LASERJET 23
LAST 46
LAYER PROTECTION 54
LAYERS 54
LEVEL (SPLINES) 27
LIGHT SOURCE 52
LPT1/LPT2 24
MAIN MENU 11
MATH COPROCESSOR 8
MESH 32
MONOCHROME DETECTION 9
MOUSE 7
MOUSE 10
MOUSE DRIVER 8
MOUSE SENSITIVITY 26
MOVE 37
OBJECT SELECTION METHODS 14,36
OBJECTS 44
OKIDATA 23
OUTPUT 24
PAN 45
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 57
PATCH 43
PICK SELECTION METHOD 14,36
PLATONIC 34
PLOTTER BUFFER DELAY 9
PLOTTING 50
POINTING 10
POLYGON 30
PRINT SCALING 51
PRINTER CODES 25
PRINTER OUTPUT 24
PRINTER SELECTION 23
PRINTERS 23
PRINTING 50
PRINTING FRAME 51
PRISM 34
PROTECTING ELEMENTS 54
RELATIVE COORDINATES 13
RENDERING 52
REQUIRED FILES 8
REVOLVE 41
ROTATE 37
SELECTING ELEMENTS 36
SERIAL PORT 26
SHADING 52
SHIFT-F1 [FRONT X-Y] KEY 17
SHIFT-F2 [SIDE Z-Y] KEY 17
SHIFT-F3 [TOP X-Z] KEY 17
SHIFT-F4 [X-Y-Z] KEY 17
SKIN 43
SNAP 47
SPHERE 32
SPLINE 31
SPLINE LEVEL 27
STARTING THE PROGRAM 9
SURFACE COMMANDS 41
SWEEP 42
SYNCH 46
SYSTEM INFO 27
TEXT 29
TEXT ANGLE 30
TEXT WIDTH 30
TOGGLE 47
TRIM 39
TURBO CURSOR FEATURE 9
UPDATE 45
VERTEX 12,39
VGA 7
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 58
VGA CARD MODE 9
VGA MONO MODE 9
VIEW 46
WINDOW 45
WINDOW SELECTION METHOD 14,36
XMS 7
XTRUDE 41
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 59
TRIUS PRODUCTS ORDER/REGISTRATION FORM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Address:____________________________ City:___________________
State:___________ Zip:_____________ Country:______________
Date:_____/_____/_____ (Fill out form completely)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Product # Price/ea S&H Total
---------------------------------------------------------------
AS-EASY-AS 5 (Spreadsheet) ___ _$69.00_ _$6.00_ _______
DRAFT CHOICE 2 (CAD) ___ _$69.00 _$6.00_ _______
PIVOT (Sideways Printing) ___ _$15.00_ _$6.00_ _______
ALITE (Spreadsheet) ___ _$20.00_ _$6.00_ _______
DCLIB1 (DC20 Symbols) ___ _$19.00_ _$6.00_ _______
XTRAN (File Transfer) ___ _$19.00_ _$6.00_ _______
PRINT-GL (Plotter Util.) ___ _$50.00_ _$6.00_ _______
ODYSSEY (COMMUNICATIONS) ___ _$89.00_ _$6.00_ _______
ProtoCAD 3D (Rendering) ___ _$59.00_ _$6.00_ _______
-------------
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Prices subject to change without notice [Not Valid After Jun 1993]
For latest prices and information you may call: (508) 794-9377
ProtoCAD 3D V1.1 (c) 1992, TRIUS, Inc. [Unregistered 10/92] Pg 60