Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
that's not on the plane of the top of the box, but starts at a top corner and ends at a bot-
tom corner. One way around this problem is set the OSNAPZ variable appropriately. By
default, OSNAPZ is set to 0, which means AutoCAD will find the X-, Y-, and Z-coordinate
of the snapped-to point. But often you don't want that to happen. Set OSNAPZ to 1, and
AutoCAD replaces the Z-value of the picked point with the
current
elevation — or the Z-
value of the first point picked.
Since OSNAPZ only affects drawing in three dimensions, it's not available in AutoCAD LT.
PICKBOX
The
pickbox
is the little square box that the crosshairs turn into when AutoCAD prompts
you to select something. You control pickbox size by setting a value in pixels for the
PICKBOX variable. The initial setting of PICKBOX is 3, which is fine for a lower screen
resolution like 1024 x 768. But when you start running at higher resolutions — or when
your hair is grayer, your face more wrinkled, and your vision not
quite
as acute as it once
was, a higher setting might be more useful. My office computer runs at 1600 x 1200 resol-
ution, and I have to set PICKBOX to 5 to be able to use it effectively. My laptop runs at
1400 x 1050, and PICKBOX=4 is fine for that. As they say, your mileage may vary.
REMEMBERFOLDERS
Sometimes you don't want AutoCAD to start in the same Documents folder where every
other program stores its files. Maybe you work on a number of projects and would like a
separate desktop icon for each to start in a particular folder. REMEMBERFOLDERS is
your ticket to nirvana. By default, it's set to 1, which means it defaults to storing files in
My Documents (just plain Documents in Windows Vista and Windows 7). Set it to 0, and
it will open from and save to the folder you specify in your desktop icon when you start,
and the last folder you visit as you work. REMEMBERFOLDERS is a permanent setting
that's stored in the Windows registry (permanent, that is, until you change it to
something else).
ROLLOVERTIPS
You were waiting for this one, weren't you? ROLLOVERTIPS controls the tooltip-like mes-
sage boxes you see when you hover the mouse pointer over objects in the drawing edit-
or. If ROLLOVERTIPS is 1, mousing over your drawing displays a temporary panel show-
