Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2-6:
Status (bars) check.
Some of these status bar settings won't make complete sense until you've used the
AutoCAD commands that they influence, but here's a brief description, with references
to detailed descriptions of how to use each setting, starting at the left end of the status
bar (and note that not all buttons are displayed at all times, so Figure 2-6 doesn't show
all the buttons listed):
Coordinates of the crosshairs:
The coordinates readout displays the current X,Y,Z
location of the crosshairs in the drawing area, with respect to the origin point
(whose coordinates are 0,0,0). (AutoCAD LT displays only the X,Y crosshairs loca-
tion.) Chapter 7 describes AutoCAD's coordinate conventions and how to use this
area of the status bar.
If the coordinates in the lower-left corner of the screen are grayed out,
coordinate tracking is turned off. Click the coordinates so that they appear in dark
numbers that change when you move the crosshairs in the drawing area.
Infer Constraints (INFER):
Parametric constraints were new in AutoCAD
2010, and inferred constraints are the first major enhancement to this relatively
new feature. (The inferred constraints feature is not available in AutoCAD LT.)
When Infer Constraints is enabled, you automatically set geometry-based con-
straints as you draw. I cover geometric and dimensional constraints in Chapter 19.
Snap Mode (SNAP):
Constrains the crosshairs to regularly spaced intervals,
enabling you to draw objects a fixed distance apart more easily
Grid Display (GRID):
Displays a series of graph paper-style lines or regu-
larly spaced dots, which serve as a distance reference
