The Bottom Line - Mastering AutoCAD for Mac - page 700

Understand the annotation scale. In some cases, you'll want to create a block that is depen-
dent on the drawing scale. You can create a block that adjusts itself to the scale of your draw-
ing through the annotation scale. When the annotation scale feature is turned on for a block,
the block can be set to appear at the correct size depending on the scale of your drawing.
Master It What setting in the Define Block dialog box turns on the annotation scale fea-
ture, and how do you set the annotation scale of a block?
Solution The Annotative option in the Define Block dialog box turns on the annotation
scale feature. You can set the scales for a block by selecting the block, right-clicking, and
selecting Object Scale  Add/Delete Scales.
Group objects. Blocks can be used as a tool to group objects together, but blocks can be
too rigid for some grouping applications. AutoCAD offers groups, which are collections of
objects that are similar to blocks but aren't as rigidly defined.
Master It How are groups different from blocks?
Solution Objects in a group can be easily edited by turning groups off with the ↵-C -A
keyboard shortcut. Also, unlike blocks, groups don't have a single definition that's stored
in the drawing and defines the group's appearance. You can copy a group, but each copy
is independent of the other groups.
Chapter 5: Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks
Organize information with layers. Layers are perhaps the most powerful feature in
AutoCAD. They help to keep drawings well organized, and they give you control over the
visibility of objects. They also let you control the appearance of your drawing by setting col-
ors, line weights, and linetypes.
Master It Describe the process of creating a layer.
Solution Click the Plus icon at the bottom left of the Layers palette. Type the name for
your new layer.
Control layer visibility. When a drawing becomes dense with information, it can be dif-
ficult to edit. If you've organized your drawing using layers, you can reduce its complexity by
turning off layers that aren't important to your current session.
Master It Describe two methods for hiding a layer.
Solution In the Layers palette, select a layer, and click the Freeze icon for the layer. You
can also select the layer from the Layers palette list and then click the Freeze option in the
Properties Inspector palette.
Keep track of blocks and layers. At times, you may want a record of the layers or blocks in
your drawing. You can create a list of layers using the log-file feature in AutoCAD.
Master It How do you turn on the log-file feature?
Solution Type LOGFILEMODE ↵ 1 ↵.