Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
The Quick Properties palette is pretty useful for editing the properties of objects,
but more often than not, it gets in the way when you want to edit the objects them-
selves.
AutoCAD displays a blank command prompt — that is, no command is currently
active.
3. Click an object on-screen to select it and display its grips.
Grips
— solid blue squares on the selected object — appear at various points on
the object. Note that the AutoCAD command prompt remains blank; you haven't
started a command or grip-editing operation yet.
4. Click another object.
Both the newly selected object and the previously selected object display grips.
5. Click one of the grips on either object.
If a pop-up menu appears when you get close to a grip, ignore it for now and go
ahead and click the grip. The blue square turns to a dark red square. This grip is
now
hot,
or selected and ready for a grip-editing operation. Grip-editing options
now appear on the command line. The first option to appear is STRETCH.
6. Press the spacebar repeatedly to cycle through the five grip-editing options on
the command line.
** STRETCH **
Specify stretch point or [Base point/Copy/Undo/eXit]:
** MOVE **
Specify move point or [Base point/Copy/Undo/eXit]:
** ROTATE **
Specify rotation angle or [Base point/Copy/Undo/Reference/eXit]:
** SCALE **
Specify scale factor or [Base point/Copy/Undo/Reference/eXit]:
** MIRROR **
Specify second point or [Base point/Copy/Undo/eXit]:
The grip-editing option displayed on the command line and the dynamic-input tool-
tip (if Dynamic Input is enabled) changes as you press the spacebar. If you move
the crosshairs (without picking) in between each press of the spacebar, the appear-
ance of your selected object changes as you display each option. Choosing
STRETCH, for example, causes a stretched version of the object to appear on-
screen.
Pressing the spacebar a bunch of times is a good way to become familiar
with the grip-editing modes, but there's a more direct way to choose a particular
mode. After you click a grip to make it hot, right-click to display the grip-editing
menu. That menu contains all the grip-editing options plus some other choices, as
shown in Figure 10-8.
