Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
the AutoCAD WS service. With an AutoCAD WS account, you can upload drawings
to a secure Web site, and then access them on your iPad (you do have an iPad,
right?) or on any computer with a Web browser.
Express Tools: The Express Tools are an invaluable set of custom commands that
will streamline your work procedures in pretty well every aspect of AutoCAD.
They're officially unsupported, but they've been an install option for many re-
leases now, and mostly, they work very well. You get this tab only if you have the
full version of AutoCAD — Express Tools aren't available in AutoCAD LT.
Getting with the Program
In most of this topic, I focus on 2D drafting, which is by far the easiest way of getting
your feet wet with AutoCAD. (Just don't be dripping water on your computer.) And if
you're not already in the Drafting & Annotation workspace, I suggest that you use the
Workspace Switching button to return to it. After you make the switch to this work-
space, AutoCAD displays the interface shown earlier in Figure 2-1.
Like all good Windows programs, AutoCAD has tooltips, those short descriptions that ap-
pear in little text boxes when you hover the mouse pointer over a button. In AutoCAD
2012, tooltips display two levels of information. When you hover the mouse pointer over
a tool button, you first see a quick identification of the command. If you keep hovering, a
longer description of the icon's function, often with a graphic image, appears in an ex-
tended tooltip. Helpful as they are when you're starting with AutoCAD, you'll probably
want to remove these training wheels sooner or later. You can do so in the Options dia-
log box. (See the online help for more information.)
Looking for Mr. Status Bar
The application status bar (see Figure 2-6) appears at the bottom of the AutoCAD screen.
The status bar displays and allows you to change several important drawing modes,
aids, and settings that affect how you draw and edit in the current drawing. I introduce
them in this section.
You can set status bar buttons to display icons or the traditional text labels that will be
familiar to users of earlier releases. To switch from one style to the other, right-click any
of the drawing mode buttons at the left side of the status bar and select or deselect Use
Icons.
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