Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
lengths are 0.5 (or 15 in metric drawings). If you make the minimum and maximum
lengths equal (which is the default), the lobes will be approximately equal in size.
If you make them unequal, there will be more variation in lobe size — you'll get
fluffier clouds. Fortunately, all these options are more than most non-meteorolo-
gists will need.
Scoring Points
I thought about not covering points in this topic, but I didn't want you complaining that
AutoCAD 2012 For Dummies
is pointless.
The word
point
describes two different things in AutoCAD:
A
location
in the drawing that you specify (by typing coordinates or clicking with
the mouse)
An
object
that you draw with the POINT command
Throughout this chapter and most of the topic, I tell you to specify points — that's the
location meaning. This section tells you how to draw point objects.
A
point object
in AutoCAD can serve two purposes:
Points often identify specific locations in your drawing to other people who look
at the drawing.
A point can be something that displays on the screen, either as a
tiny dot or as another symbol, such as a cross with a circle around it.
You can use points as precise object snap locations.
Think of them as construc-
tion points. For example, when you're laying out a new building, you might draw
point objects at some of the engineering survey points and then snap to those
points as you sketch the building's shape with the PLINE command. You use the
Node
Object Snap mode to snap to AutoCAD point objects.
What makes AutoCAD point objects complicated is their almost limitless range of dis-
play options, provided to accommodate the two different kinds of purposes just de-
scribed (and possibly some others that I haven't figured out yet). You use the Point Style
dialog box, as shown in Figure 9-7, to specify how points should look in the current
drawing.
