Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
AutoCAD Classic:
This workspace is configured for a 2D drafting environment, with
toolbars and tool palette arrangements similar to those in AutoCAD 2008 and earli-
er. In AutoCAD LT, this workspace is called
AutoCAD LT Classic.
Running with Ribbons
Whether you're running AutoCAD 2012 in Windows 7, Vista, or XP, most of the AutoCAD
default screen (refer to Figure 2-1) is pretty different from traditional Windows fare. Yes,
you have title bars and a status bar, but the rest of the interface might look foreign. I
cover the familiar stuff first.
A hierarchy of title bars
Like most Windows programs, AutoCAD has a
title bar
at the top of its application win-
dow that reminds you which program you're in (not that you'd ever mistake the
AutoCAD 2012 window for, say, FreeCell — or even AutoCAD 2008!).
At the right side of the program title bar is the standard set of three Windows con-
trol buttons: Minimize, Maximize/Restore, and Close.
Each non-maximized drawing window within the AutoCAD program window has its
own title bar, as shown in Figure 2-2. You can use the control buttons on a drawing
window's title bar to minimize, maximize/restore, or close that drawing instead of
the entire AutoCAD program.
As in other Windows programs, if you maximize a drawing's window, it expands to fill
the entire drawing area. In the AutoCAD 2012 Drafting & Annotation workspace, a max-
imized drawing window's control buttons have migrated south, from the menu bar
(which isn't there anymore) to the upper-right corner of the drawing area itself. To un-
maximize (restore) the drawing so that you can see any other drawings that you have
open, click the lower Restore button.
The program title and drawing name are centered in the title bar instead of being off to
the left, beside a program icon. The AutoCAD title bar also has a couple of devices ad-
ded to it:
InfoCenter:
Located at the right side of the program title bar, this is Information
Central for AutoCAD. Type a keyword and then click the binoculars for more in-
formation, or sign in to your Autodesk account (if you have one). The remaining
two buttons both open the Autodesk Exchange for AutoCAD window. The button
that looks like a half-positive, half-negative X opens the Exchange window Home
page with links to “what's new” videos and the Autodesk Subscription Center
