Whatsinside Autocad2007 v12

W h a t ' s I n s i d e ?
AutoCAD 2007
Ralph Grabowski March 23, 2006
a research paper from upFront.reSearch

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Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007
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Table of Contents
Executive Overview 7
ChSpace 28 Camera 29
Strangely Familiar 7 New AutoCAD 2007 Features 8

#1 Dashboard 8 #2 3D Construction and Editing 8 #3 Rendering and Animation 9
Visual Styles 30
VisualStyles and -VisualStyles VsCurrent 30 VsSave 30 VisualStylesClose 31 30
Most Intriguing Unannounced Features 9

#1 DGN Import and Export 10 #2 Vault 10 #3 Removed Commands and Tough Specs 10
Rendering 33
Materials 33 MaterialMap 34 MaterialAttach 34 ConvertOldMaterials 34 MaterialsClose 35 LightList 35 DistantLight 35 PointLight 35 Spotlight 36 ConvertOldLights 36 LightListClose 36 SunProperties 36 SunPropertiesClose 37 GeographicLocation 37 RenderPresets 38 RenderEnvironment 39 RenderCrop 39 RenderWin 40 RPrefClose 40
Most Useful Changed Commands 10

#1 CUI Corrections 11 #2 PDF Export 11 #3 DWF Underlays 11
Related Software 11
DWF Viewer 11 AutoCAD LT 2007 12
The Shipping Manifest 12 Product Leverage 13 Road Map of Future Releases 13

AUGI Wishlist 14
1: New Commands and Related System Variables 15

Dashboard 3D Modeling
Helix 16 Loft 16 PolySolid 18 Pyramid 19 Sweep 20 Thicken 20
Animation 41
WalkFlySettings 41 3dWalk 41 3dFly 41 AniPath 42
15 16
Dashboard 15 DashboardClose 15
DWF Underlays 43
DwfAttach and -DwfAttach 43 DwfAdjust 43 DwfClip 44 3dDwf 44
Surfaces 21
PlaneSurf 21 ConvToSurface 21
Layers 45 Miscellaneous
46
3D Editing 22
PressPull 22 Imprint 22 SectionPlane 23 LiveSection 24 JogSection 25 FlatShot 26 BRep 26 ConvToSolid 26 XEdges 26
ExternalReferences 46 ExternalReferencesClose 46 ClassicImage and ClassicXref 46 Dimensions 46
2: User Interface Changes

Changes to the User Interface 48
3D Cursor/Colors 48 3D Workspace 49 Layout Tabs 49 Scroll Bars 50 Clean Screen and DUCS
47
3D Viewing 27
3dFOrbit 27 3dMove 27 3dRotate 27
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Menus and Toolbars 50 Docked AutoHide 51 Grid Behavior 51 First Time Help Windows 52 Icons on Palette Titlebars 52 Options 53 User Preferences tab 63 Drafting tab 63 3D Modeling tab 63 Selection tab 63 Profiles tab 63
New Interactivity for 3D Objects 54

Triangle Grips 54 Dynamic Grips 54 Grip Tools 55
3: Changed and Removed Commands 56

Background 56 BEditor 56 Box, Cone, Cylinder, Sphere, Torus, and Wedge 56 Camera 56 Change and ChProp 57 ChSpace 57 CleanScreenOn and CleanScreenOff 57 CUI 57 Dimensions 57 DrawingRecovery 57 DSettings 58
Snap 58 Grid and Grid Behavior 58
DsViewer 58 Dynamic Input 58 eTransmit 59 Explode 59 Extrude 59 Export 59 Field 59 Fog 60 Grid 60 Hide 60 HlSettings 60 Image and ClassicImage 60 Insert and MInsert 60 Interfere 61 Layers 62 Light 62 LsEdit, LsLib, and LsNew 62 MatchProp 62 Move and Move3D 62 MText 62 New 62 Options 62
Files tab 62 Display tab 62 Open and Save tab 62 Plot and Publish tab 62 System tab 63
OSnap 63 Plot 63 Preview 63 Properties 64 Publish 64 Purge and -Purge 65 QNew 65 QSelect 65 Rename and -Rename 66 Render and RendScr 66 Replay 66 Revolve 66 RMat and MatLib 66 Rotate and 3dRotate 66 RPref 66 SaveAs 66 SaveImg 66 Scene 67 SetUV 67 ShadeMode 67 SheetSet 67 Slice 67 Stats 67 TableStyle 68 Text 68 ToolPalette 68 UCS 69 View and -View 69
-View Command 71
XRef and ClassicXref 72 3dAlign 72 3dConfig and -3dConfig 72 3dDwfPublish 73 3dOrbit 73 3dsOut 73
4: Changed System Variables

AcadVer 74 CalcInput 74 DelObj 74 DimABlk 74 DTextEd 74 DwgCheck 75 FaceTRatio 75 HaloGap 75 HidePrecision 75 IntersectionColor 75 IntersectionDisplay 75
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MTextFixed 76 ObscuredColor 76 ObscuredLType 76 OleQuality 76 SnapAngle 76 TextEval 76
Appendices A: Alphabetical Summary of New Commands 82 B: Alphabetical Summary of New System Variables 87
5: Alias, Keyboard, and System Changes 77

New Aliases 77 New and Changed Keyboard Shortcuts 78
Walk and Fly 78
C: Alphabetical Listing of Commands and System Variables Undocumented by Autodesk 91
New Terms 78 New Startup Switch 78 Minimum System Requirements 79

CPU 79 RAM 79 Drives 79 Graphics Board 79 Pointing Device, Other 79 Operating System 79
New File Types 79

New Templates 79 New Sample Drawings 80
AutoCAD 2007 Object Model 80

New Objects 80
Important Notice To the Reader

The content of this ebook is accurate to the best of the knowledge of those who prepared it. upFront.eZine Publishing does not, however, warrant the accuracy of the information contained in this ebook. This ebook was prepared using a beta of AutoCAD 2007. Autodesk is free to change the features of AutoCAD 2007 at any time, and may do so without warning. Do not rely on the contents of this ebook; rather, use it as a guide to many of the features that are new and changed from the previous release of AutoCAD. This ebook was prepared independent of Autodesk, Inc. AutoCAD, Autodesk, and other registered names are acknowledged as trademarks of their respective owners.
About upFront.reSearch
This research paper was prepared by upFront.reSearch, an imprint of upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. upFront.reSearch has prepared research papers on behalf of Autodesk, Graphisoft, IMAGINiT Technologies, IMSI, IntelliCAD, and SolidWorks. Its founder, Ralph Grabowski, has 20 years experience in the computer-aided design industry. He is the author of 80 books on CAD, the editor of two industry newsletters, publisher of upFront.eBooks, and manager of three WorldCAD Access weblogs. www.upfrontezine.com/reSearch
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Executive Overview
AutoCAD 2007 continues Autodesks promise of a new release every twelve month or so. Regular updates are important for Autodesk in keeping its promise to subscribers, who renew annually. With this twenty-first release, Autodesk appeared to have fallen behind in coding AutoCAD. Beta software was made available to us two months later than normal. An Autodesk executive admitted that the annual release cycle is becoming too much, and that we should expect fewer new features in next years release.
Strangely Familiar
With every release,Autodesks marketing department emphasizes certain features, and downplays others. The new 3D solid modeling and rendering features are being emphasized; the tweaks to existing commands are being downplayed. The key word in AutoCAD 2007 is familiarity perhaps because there are so many changes. (Recall that spin means opposite.) The new 3D interface is unfamiliar; many commands are changed, removed, or undocumented. Autodesk marketing hopes that AutoCAD users will become familiar with the 3D tools in AutoCAD 2007, which then makes it easier to leverage customers to the more expensive 3D Inventor or Revit software. AutoCAD 2007 is stricter in accepting .dwg files from non-Autodesk sources. Each time a drawing is opened, one of several messages greets users, such as this one:
Autodesk DWG. This file is a Trusted DWG last saved by an Autodesk application or Autodesk licensed application.
The View from Autodesk: Features New Features

Autodesk groups AutoCAD 2007s new features in five categories: Create Create 3D objects Modify 3D solids and surfaces Create sections from 3D Models 3D modeling aids External reference improvements User interface Lighting Materials Enhanced navigation Updated camera functionality DWF publishing improvements Animation and walkthrough Rendering Autodesk Vault (subscribers only). DWF underlays
Manage
Produce
And when DwgCheck is set to 2:

Non Autodesk DWG. This DWG file was saved by a software application not developed or licensed by Autodesk. Use of this file with AutoCAD software may result in stability issues.
Present
We note that none of these messages appear for drawings created by old releases of AutoCAD.
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8 New AutoCAD 2007 Features The Top 3

Here, in our opinion, are the three most important new features. By no coincidence, they match those considered most important by Autodesk marketing: #1 Dashboard Over the last several releases, Autodesk has keenly added palettes of all kinds; AutoCAD 2007 adds more. The most visible is the Dashboard, a one-stop palette that holds 140 commands and options for 2D/3D drawing, editing, and rendering. The dashboard consists of these control panels: 2D Draw 3D Make 3D Navigate Light Visual Style Materials Render > Our View The dashboard is useful in putting together all 3D-related activities in one area, further reducing the users dependence on the command line. The drawback, however, is its confusing profusion of icons, and the amount of significant space it takes from the drawing area.
#2 3D Construction and Editing Borrowing from Inventor, Autodesk has implemented much improved systems for drawing and editing 3D solids (and, in some cases, 3D surfaces). The drawing commands are interactive: as users draw 3D shapes, AutoCAD 2007 previews the placement and size. Several 3D drawing commands now mimic the 2D equivalents; for example, drawing 3D cylinders displays prompts similar to those of the 2D Circle command, including its 3P and TTR options.
Editing 3D models is now interactive through the use of grips and dynamic UCS. Triangular grips were first seen on 2D arcs and dynamic blocks in AutoCAD 2006; now they populate all 3D solids (but are extended to more 2D objects). Dynamic UCS makes it easy to (1) select the face or edge to edit; and (2) automatically draw or edit on the selected face without having to execute the UCS command.
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Commands are added for drawing pyramids and cones, and for editing 3D solids and surfaces. Some commands draw 3D solids or 3D surfaces, depending on the parameters. And new commands convert solids to surface, and vice versa. In addition, users can now draw and edit in the perspective viewing mode. > Our View Updating 3D was long overdue; the previous system had been in place for over a decade. Autodesk was reluctant to improve 3D in AutoCAD in order to avoid cannibalization of its more expensive 3D-specific software. It became apparent, however, that AutoCAD users are not keen to upgrade to 3D. (The Autodesk CEO speaks of it taking ten years.) Autodesk could not bring the user to 3D, so they brought 3D to the user.
#3 Rendering and Animation Borrowing from its Viz software, Autodesk improved the rendering facilities and added animation. Much of the rendering technology in AutoCAD 2007 is licensed from mental ray. Many rendering-related commands (scenes, lights, cameras, materials, and so on) are similar to former commands, but have new user interfaces and many more options. AutoCAD 2007 also adds visual styles, which collect rendering options into style names. Some of the visual styles are quite artistic, as illustrated by the chair, below. We especially liked the XRay mode, which renders 3D models transparently. (Also illustrated by the chair below.) Animations are walkthroughs: users draw a path, or specify points of interest and have AutoCAD 2007 run the camera along the path. The animations are rendered and can be played back or saved in one of several movie file formats. > Our View Updating rendering was also long overdue. AutoCAD badly lagged the competition and older releases of itself. For instance, easily placing cameras and lights was found in competitor MicroStation years ago, and animation existed in AutoCAD Release 12 (but was removed in Release 13).We had predicted that a form of Viz would make its way into AutoCAD eventually, and it finally happened with 2007.
Most Intriguing Unannounced Features The Top 3

We scan through each new release of AutoCAD and its support files to search out undocumented commands and hints of unannounced features. Typically, these features are turned off in anticipation of future releases, or are turned on as undocumented test features. Here, in our opinion, are the three most intriguing hidden features in AutoCAD 2007. See Appendix C for the complete list.
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#1 DGN Import and Export
The View from Autodesk: Product Differentiation

Autodesk needs to convince its customers that more expensive software is better. Here is how they differentiate them, from lowest to highest: 2D Drafting AutoCAD LT Horizontal CAD (with conceptual design, presentation, and API) AutoCAD Intelligent Objects Architectural Desktop Building Systems Mechanical Electrical Information Modeling Revit Inventor Civil 3D Map 3D Share Vault Streamline and PartStream Buzzsaw
Autodesk has indicated that AutoCAD 2007 will be able to read MicroStation V8 design files, and export drawings in .dgn format. The translator is currently in alpha, will go to beta in the Summer of 2006, and following that become a free add-on. Autodesk has indicated that only 2D drawings will be supported; no 3D and no AutoCAD proxy objects. The AutoCAD code already contains as-yet-unactivated commands and system variables for reading and writing .dgn files. From the name of the DgnAttach command, we surmise that .dgn files will be attached to drawings in a manner similar to DWF underlays.This means that the MicroStation design files are not translated, but displayed only much like images. It would appear that the DgnFrame system variable toggles the frame around the DGN image, while DgnOsnap toggles osnapping of the DGN frame. AutoCAD drawings will, however, be translated to DGN format from the name of the DgnExport command. This is possible because the internal structure of the V8 DGN format encompasses the DWG format. #2 Vault The Vault technology [autodesk.com/vault] was developed by Autodesks mechanical CAD division for centralized organization drawings and data. It is available for AutoCAD 2007, but to members of Autodesks annual subscription program only. #3 Removed Commands and Tough Specs
The number of commands that are changed and removed from AutoCAD 2007 is astounding as well as undocumented. In the online help files, Autodesk no longer marks new commands; there is no indication of changes to existing commands; and removed commands are not noted. To fully appreciate 3D, computers must have high speed and high-end graphics boards. For example, shadows casting is disabled for slower graphics boards. Autodesk recommends a minimum 3GHz CPU with 2GB RAM and 128MB OpenGL-compatible graphics board. At autodesk.com/hardcert/db.html, Autodesk has a list of recommended graphics cards, such as the nVidia Quadro 4 980GL or ATI FireGL V7350. One of our computers has the 128MB ATi Radeon 8500, but its not good enough for AutoCADs performance tuner:
Your machine contains a 3D Device that is not certified. Geometry acceleration: Not recommended and off Smooth line display: Gooch shader: Full-shadow display: Not available Software emulation in use Not available
Most Useful Changed Commands The Top 3

With each release of AutoCAD, a number of old commands are changed. Some changes are important; others merely provide compatibility with new aspects in AutoCAD. Here are, in our opinion, the three most important changes.
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#1 CUI Corrections The Customize User Interface (CUI) dialog box was changed wholesale in AutoCAD 2006, and its unfinished nature created headaches for users. Autodesk corrected a number of problems with a midrelease Service Pack, and makes additional changes with AutoCAD 2007. Commands can be dragged from the CUI to tool palettes. A new Double-click Action allows users to redefine the meaning of double-clicking objects. #2 PDF Export Several years ago, Autodesk unwisely waged a marketing war against Adobe and its overwhelmingly popular Acrobat PDF (portable document format). Autodesks attitude has changed to the point that AutoCAD 2007 includes PDF export, albeit implemented as a plotter driver. #3 DWF Underlays Autodesk keeps adding features to its DWF (design Web format) technology [autodesk.com/dwf]. In earlier releases, marked-up .dwf files could be viewed in the drawing. With AutoCAD 2007, Autodesk eases the restriction: .dwf files can be attached as underlays much like images and externally-referenced drawing files. Users have control over the fade and lineweight of DWF files, as well as whether to convert them to a single color (monochrome).
Related Software
AutoCAD works with other Autodesk software. DWF Viewer ships in the package, while many sites use AutoCAD LT as a lower-cost alternative. DWF Viewer DWF Viewer has been updated to slice 3D models. It also displays ads on the toolbar, as illustrated below. Clicking the ad takes users to related Autodesk Web pages.
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The extra-cost DWF Composer has been renamed DWF Design Review to better represent the capabilities of the redlining software. AutoCAD LT 2007 Autodesk defines AutoCAD LT as single-user, 2D design tool to create technical drawings and documentation. In discussions with us, Autodesk emphasized that LT is meant for 2D drafting, and any enhancements will reflect that. AutoCAD LT 2007 gets these features from AutoCAD 2006: Creation of dynamic blocks. Layer commands from Express Tools.
The Shipping Manifest

The following products are due to be available for licensing and upgrading the same day that AutoCAD 2007 ships (March 23) or by the end of April: AutoCAD LT 2007 DWF Viewer 6.5 VIZ 2007 Civil and Mapping Software Civil 3D 2007 Civil 3D 2007, Civil Design Companion Land Desktop 2007 Map 3D 2007 Raster Design 2007 Survey 2007
Architectural Software Architectural Desktop 2007 AutoCAD-Revit Series, Building 9 AutoCAD-Revit Series, Structure 3 AutoCAD-Revit Series, Systems Plus Building Systems 2007 Revit Building 9 Revit Structure 3
2D Mechanical Software AutoCAD Electrical 2007 AutoCAD Mechanical 2007 3D Mechanical Software
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Inventor Series 11 Inventor Professional 11 Inventor Professional 11 for Simulation Inventor Professional 11 for Routed Systems Productstream 5 Streamline 7 Vault 5
13 Other Software Releases

DWF Design Review DGN Translator Buzzsaw Vespa DWG TrueConvert DWG TrueView RealDWG
Product Leverage
AutoCAD is Autodesks cash cow. As an executive told us during prelaunch meetings,AutoCAD revenues are what make possible the development of the companys 3D software. But Autodesk would rather that AutoCAD users upgrade to 3D software, which carries higher ASPs (average selling price) and higher margins, as Autodesk told analysts during its FY2006 conference call. High ASPs means higher revenues for the company; higher margins mean higher profits Thus the company is working to leverage the multimillion AutoCAD user base by making it easier for it to switch to 3D software from Autodesk, and harder to switch to 3D software from competitors. Moves by Autodesk include: AutoCADs new 3D environment is more like Inventors, under the theory that users are more likely to switch if Inventor already seems familiar. AutoCADs new rendering environment is more similar to that of Architectural Desktop. Inventor 11 and AutoCAD 2007 exchange drawings more easily. Similarly, Revit 9 and AutoCAD 2007 are more easily able to exchange drawings. DWF is becoming the universal data exchange format between Autodesk software packages, although some still use XML. DWG source checking casts suspicion on non-Autodesk software. Centralized products, such as Vault and Buzzsaw, help lock users into the Autodesk universe. Daily or weekly communication between AutoCAD and Autodesks Communication Center. Challenging the competitions designs on AutoCAD users through counter-slogans, such as Inventors 2D or 3D? Yes.
Road Map of Future Releases

Autodesk executive are pleased to have mapped out the next four releases of AutoCAD following 2006. At time of printing, the road map looks like this: 1. Fall of 2006 MicroStation V8 DGN import and export (limited to 2D). 2. March 2007 AutoCAD 2008. 3. March 2008 AutoCAD 2009. 4. March 2009 AutoCAD 2010.
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Some features that Autodesk roadmapped internally did not make it into earlier releases of AutoCAD. We may see them either in future releases, or the features have been cancelled entirely. Some of these may include dependent drawing versions, balloon leaders, and extruded text. What We Guess From hints and guesses, we think the following features will appear in future releases of AutoCAD. Some guesses are left over from the previous edition of this ebook. Security is all-or-nothing right now; perhaps we can expect varying levels of permission applied to drawings, such as view-only and plot-only. Autodesks Generic CADD had curves and Beziers for its multilines; why not in AutoCAD? Also, multilines need the automatic cleanup long found in AutoCAD LTs DLine (double line) command. The #1 request we get from users is help with complex linetypes. The restrictions on the look of complex linetypes need to be dropped, and an integrated linetype development environment needs to be added. TabletPC support continues to be unofficial, and no further along than in AutoCAD 2006. (Check out commands like InkGesture and InkReco.) Perhaps this will change with AutoCAD 2008, which is sure to work with Windows Vista, which includes native support for TabletPCs. AUGI Wishlist The AutoCAD User Group International [augi.com] thrice-annually posts lists of the feature mostrequested by members. One such list reads as follows: 1. Multiple leader lines per leader. 2. Translucent layers. 3. Spell check zooms to misspelled words. 4. 3D dynamic blocks. 5. Linetypes with modifiable text. 6. Preset table styles. 7. Change layout order by dragging tabs, as in Excel. 8. Independent paragraph spacing in MText. 9. Right click a layout tab and add it to the current sheet set. 10. Better dual monitor support.
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Chapter 1
New Commands and Related System Variables
AutoCAD 2007 introduces 59 new commands, and converts another 18 from Express Tools to core code. (By comparison, AutoCAD 2006 had 38 new commands, plus 17 specific to the block editor.) In this section, weve grouped the new commands by function; see the appendices for alphabetical summaries. Dashboard 3D Modeling Surfaces 3D Editing 3D Viewing Visual Styles Rendering Animation DWF Underlays Layers Miscellaneous
Dashboard
The Dashboard appears to be an extension of the Tool Palettes. Rather than semi-random collections of hatch patterns, blocks, and commands, the Dashboard groups commands in a sequence: 2D drawing, 3D making, 3D navigating, adding lights, applying visual styles, attaching materials, and then rendering. The many icons may prove, however, to be confusing to users, especially the unfamiliar icons associated with new commands. The Dashboard palette cannot be customized. Dashboard The Dashboard command opens the Dashboard palette with its control panels.There is no keyboard shortcut, perhaps because Autodesk feels this palette should be open at all time. Right-click to access a shortcut menu that selects the control panels to display or hide. DashboardClose The DashboardClose command closes the Dashboard palette.
NEW SYSTEM VARIABLE
DashboardState reports whether the Dashboard is open: 0 - Closed. 1 - Open (displayed).

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16 3D Modeling
Helix The Helix command draws wireframe spirals in 2D and 3D. Helixes can be flat (2D spirals) or 3D (with height).
Left: 2D spiral. Right: 3D helix.

Command: helix Number of turns = 3.0000 Twist=CCW Specify center point of base: (Pick a point.) Specify base radius or [Diameter] <1.0000>: (Enter a value.) Specify top radius or [Diameter] <3.3429>: (Enter another value.) Specify helix height or [Axis endpoint/Turns/turn Height/tWist] <1.0000>: (Enter an option or pick a point.)
As with all 3D modeling commands, AutoCAD 2007 previews the shape in realtime.
Left: AutoCAD 2007 previews helixes and other 3D solids in realtime. Right: A coil spring made with the Helix and Sweep commands. Users can fatten up helixes by applying the Sweep command. Loft The Loft command creates 3D solids and surfaces through lofting two or more curves. If the crosssection curves are closed, AutoCAD 2007 creates a solid; if open, then a surface. This command can create 3D terrains from elevation data.
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Command: loft Select cross-sections in lofting order: (Pick an object.) Select cross-sections in lofting order: (Pick an object.) Enter an option [Guides/Path/Cross-sections only] <Cross-sections only>: (Enter an option.)
The Cross-sections only option displays the following dialog box:
NEW SYSTEM VARIABLES
LoftAng1 stores the default angle for the first lofting cross section; range is 0 to 359.9 degrees; default = 90. LoftAng2 stores the default angle for the second lofting cross section; range is 0 to 359.9 degrees; default = 90. LoftMag1 specifies the magnitude of the first loft angle; range is 1 to 10; default = 1. LoftMag2 specifies the magnitude of the second loft angle; range is 1 to 10; default = 1. LoftNormals specifies where loft normals are placed: 0 - Ruled. 1 - Smooth (default). 2 - First normal. 3 - Last normal. 4 - Ends normal. 5 - All normal. 6 - Use draft angle and magnitude.
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LoftParam specifies the shape of the loft: 1 - Minimize twist between cross sections. 2 - Align start to end direction of cross-section curves. 4 - Produce simple solids and surfaces rather than spline solids and surfaces. 8 - Close the solids and surfaces between first and last cross-sections.
PolySolid The PolySolid command converts lines, arcs, circles, and polylines in to 3D solids with thickness. And it can draw plain walls (rectangles with height).While corners are mitered, it does not allow intersecting walls.
Command: polysolid Specify start point or [Object/Height/Width/Justify] <Object>: (Pick a point, or enter an option.) Specify next point or [Arc/Undo]: (Pick another point, or enter an option.) Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Undo]: (Etc.)
Users can predefine the height and width; the Justify option aligns the walls relative to the path: to the left, right, or centered. The Object option creates the walls along a path; this makes it easier to convert a 2D architectural drawing into 3D; subtract boxes from the walls to make openings for doors and windows.
PSolHeight specifies the default height for PolySolid objects; default = 4 (80 for metric drawings). PSolWidth specifies the default width for PolySolid objects; default = 0.25 (5 for metric drawings).
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Pyramid The Pyramid command creates 3D solid pyramids and cones.
Command: pyramid 4 sides Circumscribed Specify center point of base or [Edge/Sides]: (Pick a point or enter an option.) Specify base radius or [Inscribed] <7.0116>: (Pick another point.) Specify height or [2Point/Axis endpoint/Top radius] <15.0375>: (Pick a point or enter an option.)
The following system variables apply to all 3D solid models in AutoCAD 2007.
ShowHist determines whether solids have history: 0 - Off; original objects used to create the solid cannot be viewed. 1 - Doesnt override individual Show History property settings for solids; default. 2 - Displays history of all solids; overrides individual Show History settings. SolidHist toggles history for solids: 0 - No history is retained for any solid. 1 - Records history of original objects for every solid; default.
When Record History and Show History are turned on (in the Properties palette), AutoCAD 2007 reveals the solid primitives that constitute the 3D model. There is no user-accessible history tree.
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Sweep The Sweep command creates 3D solids and surfaces by sweeping 2D and 3D objects along paths. Unlike the Extrude command, the object and the path must lay in the same plane, which, quite frankly, is the easier approach. This command creates solids or surfaces: solids are created when the source object is closed; when open, surfaces are created.
Left: Object (circle) and path (spline). Center: Solid swept from circle and spline. Right: Surface swept from arc and spline.
Command: sweep Current wire frame density: ISOLINES=4 Select objects to sweep: (Pick an open or closed object.) Select sweep path or [Alignment/Base point/Scale/Twist]: (Pick another object or enter an option.)
Valid sweep objects include lines, arcs, 2D polylines, 2D splines, circles, ellipses, planar 3D faces, 2D solids, traces, regions, and planar surfaces of solids. Permitted path objects include lines, arcs, 2D and 3D polylines, 2D and 3D splines, circles, ellipses, helixes, and edges of solids and surfaces. Thicken The Thicken command creates 3D solids by thickening surfaces. It is similar to the old Extrude command, except that Thicken works only with surfaces, and not any closed objects. (The easy way to create a surface is with the PlaneSurf command.)
Command: thicken Select surfaces to thicken: (Select one or more surfaces.) Specify thickness <1.0000>: (Enter a value.)
Unlike other 3D solids command, Thicken does not preview the height in realtime.
Left: Surface plane. Right: Box thickened from the plane.

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21 Surfaces
AutoCAD 2007 introduces a new object type called sweptsurface. This is the first change to surfaces in over a decade. The old surfaces are now called meshes. See also the Sweep and Loft commands, above. PlaneSurf The PlaneSurf command creates flat surface areas (short for PLANE SURFace). Users can create rectangles or convert objects.
Command: planesurf Specify first corner or [Object] <Object>: (Pick a point.) Specify other corner: (Pick another point.)
This command is good for creating floors or flat surfaces on which to cast shadows. The following objects can be converted to surfaces: lines, circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs, 2D and planar 3D polylines, and planar splines in other words, they have to be flat. ConvToSurface The ConvToSurface command converts 2D solids, regions, lines, polylines, arcs, and flat 3D faces to surfaces (short for CONVert TO SURFACE). Three-D objects can be converted, after they have been exploded with the Explode command.
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22 3D Editing
AutoCAD 2007 adds new ways to edit 3D solids, and makes solids editing more interactive, replacing some of the command-line oriented commands. PressPull The PressPull command presses and pulls bounded areas.
Command: presspull Click inside bounded areas to press or pull. (Pick inside an area, and then drag the mouse.)
Users can hold down the Ctrl+Alt keys as a keyboard shortcut for this command.
Left: Hole created by subtracting a cylinder. Center: Grasping the face of the cylinder hole. Right: Pulling the cylinder out of the hole. The command is tricky to figure out, until the user pick sa point inside the area to be changed. In the figure above, pick the inside of the hole (negative cylinder), and then drag the mouse. Imprint The Imprint command imprints objects on the faces of 3D solids. It appears to be updated from the Body | Imprint option of the old SolidEdit command. Once the solid is imprinted, users can manipulate it as if it were two parts. The following objects can be used for imprinting: arcs, circles, lines, 2D and 3D polylines, ellipses, splines, regions, and 3D solids. This means users can imprint the edges of one solid onto the face of another solid. In the figure below, the edge of a solid sphere was imprinted on the solid rectangle.
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Command: imprint Select a 3D solid: (Select a solid to be imprinted.) Select an object to imprint: (Select the imprinter object.) Delete the source object [Yes/No] <N>: y
The second prompt is a bit misleading: Select an object to imprint sounds like users are to select the object to be imprinted; rather, this is the object that will be doing the imprinting. SectionPlane The SectionPlane command creates section objects independent of the 3D model. It appears to be updated from the old Section command. This command is extremely flexible, creating several kinds of sections: slice, area (boundary), and volume. In addition, the section can be easily moved and have jogs.
Command: sectionplane Select face or any point to locate section line or [Draw section/Orthographic]: (Pick a point or enter an option.) Specify through point: (Pick another point.) Specify point in direction of section view: (Pick a point on either side of the section plane.)
After creating the section plane, select it and notice the dynamic grips. Drag one of the square grips (found at either end of the plane) to rotate the section plane:
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Drag the triangular grip to move the section plane:
Click the arrowhead grip to change the portion of the solid that will be removed when live sectioning is turned on. Click the down-arrow grip to change the type of section plane:
Section plane a transparent plane; in theory, the cutting plane extends in all four directions to infinity. Section boundary 2D box limited in the x,y extents, but infinite in the x axis. Section volume 3D box limited in the x,y,z directions. Double-click the unselected section plane to remove a portion of the solid at the section plane; doubleclicking a selected section plane displays its properties. To remove a section plane, select it, and then press Del. LiveSection The LiveSection command activates live sectioning for the selected section, displaying the interior of sliced objects 3D solids, surfaces, and regions in model space. This command can be activated by double-clicking an unselected section plane. (Live section is Autodesks term for turning on sectioning.)
Command: livesection
A single object can have more than one section plane, but only one can be live at a time. Also, only one object can have a live section at a time.
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Two section planes; the section plane in the foreground is live.
JogSection The JogSection command adds 90-degree jogs to sections.

Command: jogsection Select section object: (Pick one selection plane.) Specify a point on the section line to add jog: (Pick a point along the section.)
We find this command somewhat unpredictable in how it places the jog; users can, however, edit the jog afterwards if AutoCADs attempt is undesirable.
Applying a jog to a section plane.
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FlatShot The FlatShot command creates a 2D block of 3D objects at the current viewpoint. The dialog box provides options, following which Insert-like commands take over. Following insertion, the block can be moved and edited like any other AutoCAD block.
Left: The 2D block representation of... Right: ...the 3D model.
BRep The BRep command deletes construction history from 3D solid bodies so that its primitives can no longer be edited (short for Boundary REPresentation). This is an alternative to setting SolidHist off, but applies to individual models. ConvToSolid The ConvToSolid command converts polylines and circles with thickness to extruded 3D solids (short for CONVert TO SOLID).
Command: convtosolid Select objects: (Select polylines and circles with thickness.)
XEdges The XEdges command creates wireframe geometry from the edges of 3D solids and surfaces, and 2D regions (short for eXtract Edges).
Command: xedges Select objects: (Pick one or more solids.)
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27 3D Viewing
AutoCAD 2007 has new commands for viewing in 3D, adds functions to the 3dOrbit command, and semi-documents commands that had been left undocumented in AutoCAD 2006. 3dFOrbit The 3dFOrbit command displays an arcball for realtime view changes in 3D (short for 3D Free ORBIT; updated from the old 3dOrbit command). This command differs from 3dOrbit in that it doesnt constrain changes in view along the x,y-axis or the z direction. Objects cannot be edited when this command is active.
Perspective toggles perspective mode; default = off.
3dMove The 3dMove command displays the move tool on selected objects so that they can be moved in 3D space (updated from the old Align command). Notice the second UCS-looking icon in the center of the pyramid. Autodesk calls this the move grip tool. It has three axis handles (red = x, green = y, and blue = z); click a handle to constrain movement to that axis. (If users do not see the grip tool, they need to change GtAuto to 1.)
Command: 3dmove Select objects: (Select one or more objects.) Specify base point or [Displacement] <Displacement>: (Pick a point.) Specify displacement <0.0000, 0.0000, 0.0000>: (Pick a second point.)
3dRotate The 3dRotate command displays the rotate tool on selected objects so that they can be rotated in 3D space. (This is not the same as the old Rotate3D command.) Notice the rotary grip tool with its three axis handles even though they are round with the same color-coded meaning: red = x, green = y, and blue = z. Click a handle to constrain rotation to that plane; the handle turns yellow. The center of the grip tool is the base point about which rotation takes place.
Command: 3drotate Current positive angle in UCS: ANGDIR=counterclockwise Select objects: (Select one or more objects.) Specify base point: (Pick a point.) Pick a rotation axis: (Pick the x, y, or z handle.) Specify angle start point: (Pick a point.) Specify angle end point: (Pick another point.) ANGBASE=0
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GtDefault controls whether 3dMove (3dRotate) or 2D Move (Rotate) are the default commands: 0 - AutoCAD executes the command entered by the user. 1 - AutoCAD executes the 3dMove command when users enter Move; same for 3dRotate and Rotate.
ChSpace The ChSpace command moves objects between paper space and model space, scaling them appropriately; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD (short for Change SPACE). This command works only in layouts, and does not apply to viewports.
Command: chspace Select objects: (Select one or more objects.) 1 object(s) changed from PAPER space to MODEL space. Objects were scaled by a factor of 2.73513409192029 to maintain visual appearance.
The following commands were undocumented in AutoCAD 2006 by Autodesk, but were listed in our Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2006 PDF book: 3dOrbitTransparent changes the 3D view in realtime. 3dPanTransparent pans 3D views in realtime. 3dSwivelTransparent swivels the 3D viewpoint in realtime. 3dZoomTransparent zooms the 3D view in realtime.
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Camera The Camera command sets camera and target locations for 3D perspective views (updated from the Camera option of the old DView command).
Command: camera Current camera settings: Height=0.0000 Lens Length=50.0000 mm Specify camera location: (Pick a point.) Specify target location: (Pick a point.) Enter an option [?/Name/LOcation/Height/Target/LEns/Clipping/View/eXit]<eXit>: (Enter an option, or press Enter to exit.)
Multiple cameras can be placed in drawings by giving them unique names by which to identify them. To see what the camera sees, double-click the camera glyph (icon). Users can manipulate the camera and target while watching the Camera Preview window.
CameraDisplay toggles display of camera glyphs; default = 0 (off). CameraHeight specifies the default height of cameras; default z = 0.
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30 Visual Styles
The visual style is an improved version of the ShadeMode command. While the old command displayed 3D drawings in several modes, such as hidden-lines removed and flat shaded, users can now define visual styles and save them by name. While there are just a few VS commands, there many VS-related system variables that define visual styles. The extra-cost Vespa program extends visual styles external to AutoCAD. VisualStyles and -VisualStyles The VisualStyles command defines and edits visual styles used for renderings; displays the Visual Styles Manager palette. This command operates in a palette or at the command line.
Command: -visualstyles Enter an option [set Current/Saveas/Rename/Delete/?]: (Enter an option.)
As the user creates new visual styles, they are added to the preview pane at the top of the palette. Unused visual styles can be removed from drawings with the Purge command. The -VisualStyles, VsCurrent, and VsSave commands are meant for use by macros and scripts.
VsCurrent The VsCurrent command applies a named visual style to the current viewport (short for Visual Style CURRENT; updated from the old ShadeMode command).
Command: vscurrent Enter an option [2dwireframe/3dwireframe/3dHidden/Realistic/Conceptual/Other] <Conceptual>: (Enter an option.)
VsSave The VsSave command saves a visual style by name in model space only (short for Visual Style SAVE).
Command: vssave Save current visual style as or [?]: (Enter a name.)
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VisualStylesClose The VisualStylesClose command closes the Visual Styles Manager palette.
Negative values turn off the effect; similarly named sysvars, such as HaloGap from earlier releases now apply to 2D wireframe displays only.
DragVs specifies the default visual style while creating 3D objects; default = current visual style. InterfereObjVs specifies the visual style for interference objects by the Interference command; default = Realistic. InterfereVpVs specifies the visual style during interference checking; default = Wireframe. VsBackgrounds (1) determines whether backgrounds are displayed in visual styles: 0 - Off. 1 - On (default). VsEdgeColor specifies the edge color; can be any ACI color; default = 7 (black/white). VsEdgeJitter specifies the level of pencil effect; default = off. 1 - Low. 2 - Medium. 3 - High. VsEdgeOverhang extension of pencil lines beyond edges; range is 1 to 100 pixels; default = off. VsEdges specifies types of edges to display. 0 - No edges are displayed. 1 - Isolines are displayed (default). 2 - Facet edges are displayed. VsEdgeSmooth specifies crease angle; range is 0 to 180 degrees; default = 1. VsFaceColorMode (1) determines color of faces: 0 - Normal; face color is not modified. 1 - Monochrome; all faces displayed in color specified by the system variable (default). 2 - Tint; changes the hue and saturation of faces to the color specified by VsMonoColor. 3 - Desaturate; reduces saturation of face colors by 30%. VsFaceHighlight specifies the color of highlights; range is 0 to 100, which 100 has the largest highlight; this setting is ignored when VsMaterialMode is on; default is off. VsFaceOpacity controls the transparency/opacity of face; range is 0 to 100, where 0 is transparent and 100 is opaque; default is off. VsFaceStyle determines how faces are displayed: 0 - No styles applied. 1 - Realistic styles with dark and light colors (default). 2 - Gooch with uses cool and warm colors. VsHaloGap specifies the halo gap (gap between intersecting lines); range is 0 (default) to 100. VsHidePrecision specifies the accuracy of hides and shades; values are 0 (default) and 1. VsIntersectionColor specifies the color of intersecting polylines; default = 7; can be any color, plus these: 0 - BYBLOCK. 256 - BYLAYER. 257 - BYENTITY. VsIntersectionEdges toggles the display of intersecting edges: 0 - Off (default). 1 - On.
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VsIntersectionLtype (1) specifies the linetype for intersecting polylines: 0 - Off 1 - Solid (default) 2 - Dashed 3 - Dotted 4 - Short Dash 5 - Medium Dash 6 - Long Dash 7 - Double Short Dash 8 - Double Medium Dash 9 - Double Long Dash 10 - Medium Long Dash 11 - Sparse Dot VsIsoOntop toggles whether isolines are displayed: 0 - Off (default). 1 - On. VsLightingQuality toggles the quality of lighting: 0 - Show facets. 1 - Smooth (no facets; default). VsMaterialMode controls the display of material finishes: 0 - No materials are displayed (default). 1 - Materials are displayed, textures are not displayed. 2 - Materials and textures are displayed. VsMonoColor specifies the monochrome tint; default is 255,255,255 (white). VObscuredColor specifies the color of obscured lines; default = byentity. VsObscuredEdges toggles the display of obscured edges: 0 - Off. 1 - On (default) VsObscuredLtype specifies the linetype of obscured lines; default = 1 (continuous). VsShadows determines the quality of shadows: 0 - No shadows are displayed (default). 1 - Ground shadows only are displayed. 2 - Full shadows are displayed (available only with hardware accelerated graphics). VsSilhEdges toggles the display of silhouette edges: 0 - Off (default). 1 - On. VsSilhWidth specifies the width of silhouette edge lines; range is 1 - 25; default = 5. VsState reports whether the Visual Styles window is open: 0 - Closed. 1 - Open (displayed).
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33 Rendering
Since AutoCAD Release 13, 3D drawings could be rendered by simply entering the Render command. For a nicer job, though, users needed to attach materials, place lights, and fine-tune the rendering parameters. In AutoCAD 2007, the user interface and rendering engine are new, but the process is much the same. Materials The Materials command manages, applies, and edits materials; opens the Materials palette (updated from the old MatLib command). AutoCAD includes dozens of materials in tool palettes; we recommend using View Options to maximize the size of the icons.
The brush cursor appears when painting objects with materials. To apply a material, pick the sample in the tool palette, and then select objects in the drawing.The cursor changes to a paintbrush, and AutoCAD prompts:
Select objects: (Pick one or more objects.) Select objects or [Undo]: (Press ENTER to exit.)
Left:The Materials palette should be called Rendering Materials Manager. Right: A palette of predefined materials.
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MaterialMap The MaterialMap command maps materials to selected objects (updated from the old RMat command). This provides more control over how the mapping occurs, over the pick-and-click methods using the tool palettes. Materials can be applied to 3D solids and surfaces, faces, and 2D objects with thickness.
Command: materialmap Select an option [Box/Planar/Spherical/Cylindrical/copY mapping to/Reset mapping]<Box>: (Enter an option.) Select faces or objects: (Pick one or more faces or objects). Accept the mapping or [Move/Rotate/reseT/sWitch mapping mode]: (Enter an option.)
MaterialAttach The MaterialAttach command attaches materials to objects by layer name (updated from the old RMat command). Missing from AutoCAD 2007 is the ability to attach materials by color number, which is useful for drawings not created by layers.
ConvertOldMaterials The ConvertOldMaterials command converts material definitions from previous releases to AutoCAD 2007 materials.
Command: convertoldmaterials n object(s) updated.
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MaterialsClose The MaterialsClose command closes the Materials palette.
CMaterial specifies the default material; default = bylayer. MatState reports whether the Materials window is open.
LightList The LightList command lists and edits lights in the Lights in Model palette; it does not create lights. To edit lights, users need to right-click a light name, and then select Properties.
Left: The LightList palette. Right: Properties of the selected light.
DistantLight The DistantLight command places distant lights in drawings, and specifies their options (updated from the DistantLight option of the former Light command).
Command: distantlight Specify light direction FROM <0,0,0> or [Vector]: (Pick a point.) Specify light direction TO <1,1,1>: (Pick another point.) Enter an option to change [Name/Intensity/Status/shadoW/Color/eXit] <eXit>: (Enter an option.)
PointLight The PointLight command places point lights in drawings (updated from the Point option of the old Light command). Shown below is the glyph for pointlights, the new term for icon, symbol, block.
Command: pointlight Specify source location <0,0,0>: (Pick a point.) Enter an option to change [Name/Intensity/Status/shadoW/Attenuation/Color/eXit] <eXit>: (Enter an option.)
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Spotlight The Spotlight command places spotlights in drawings (updated from the Spotlight option of the old Lights command).
Command: spotlight Specify source location <0,0,0>: Pick a point.) Specify target location <0,0,-10>: (Pick another point.) Enter an option to change [Name/Intensity/Status/Hotspot/Falloff/shadoW/Attenuation/Color/eXit] <eXit>: (Enter an option.)
ConvertOldLights The ConvertOldLights command converts light blocks in drawings created by older versions of AutoCAD into 2007 lights objects.
Command: convertoldlights n light(s) converted.
LightListClose The LightListClose command closes the Lights in Model palette.

DefaultLighting specifies that distant lighting is on. DefaultLightingType toggles between old and new styles of default lighting. LightGlyphDisplay toggles the display of light glyphs. LightListState reports whether the Light List is displayed: 0 - Closed. 1 - Open (displayed).
SunProperties The SunProperties command sets the properties of the Sun light; opens the Sun Properties palette (updated from the Sun option of the old Lights command).
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SunPropertiesClose The SunPropertiesClose command closes the Sun Properties palette.

CShadow specifies the default shadow treatment for 3D objects: 0 - Objects cast and receive shadows from other objects; default. 1 - Casts shadows only. 2 - Receives shadows only. 3 - Shadows are not cast. NorthDirection specifies the angle of the sun relative to North; default = 0. ShadowPlaneLocation specifies the height of the shadow plane; default = 0. SunPropertiesState reports whether the Sun Properties window is open: 0 - Closed. 1 - Open (displayed). SunStatus determines whether the sun casts light; default = yes.
GeographicLocation The GeographicLocation command specifies locations by latitude and longitude, city name, region, and so on; displays the Geographic Location dialog box (updated from an option of the old Light command).
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Latitude stores the last used latitude. Longitude stores the last used longitude. TimeZone stores the time zone; default = -8000.
RenderPresets The RenderPresets command specifies the parameters for renderings; displays the Render Presets Manager dialog box (updated from the old Render command).
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RenderEnvironment The RenderEnvironment command sets the fog options; displays the Render Environment dialog box (updated from the old Fog command).
RenderCrop The RenderCrop command renders a rectangular area of the drawing (updated from the Window option of the old Render command).
Left: Cropped rendering. Right: Unrendered portion of model.

Command: rendercrop Pick crop window to render: (Pick a point.) please enter the second point: (Pick a point.)
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RenderWin The RenderWin command displays the Render window, which lists and illustrates the current and previous renderings and parameters. (This window harkens back to the render window around the time of AutoCAD Release 13.) The list of previous renderings allows users to easily review the effect of different settings.
RPrefClose The RPrefClose command closes the Render Settings palette (short for Render PREFerences CLOSE).
RenderPrefsState reports whether the Render Preferences window is open: 0 - Closed. 1 - Open (displayed).
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41 Animation
Animation was included a long time ago in AutoCAD Release 11. Back then, a series of AutoLISP routines repositioned the viewpoint along paths defined by polylines. At each viewpoint, the 3D drawing was rendered, a slow process. Each scene was collected into .fli file,Autodesks animation format. The movies were of crude resolution with dithered color. The routines were removed with Release 13. After a long wait for users, animation has returned with high quality. WalkFlySettings The WalkFlySettings command specifies the settings for walk and fly animations; displays the Walk and Fly Settings dialog box.
3dWalk The 3dWalk command enters Walk mode, which stays on the x,y-plane. 3dFly The 3dFly command navigates 3D drawings in fly-through mode, which escapes gravity and moves in 3D space. Both commands work only in perspective mode; both display the Position Locator palette.
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Use these keys control walk and fly modes: Arrow Drag mouse ... Up Left Right Down ... AniPath The AniPath command creates animations along paths; displays the Motion Path Animation dialog box and the Animation Preview window (short for ANImation PATH). Key ... F W A D S Tab Action Look around & turn. Toggle Fly mode. Move forward. Move left. Move right. Move backward. Display help window.
Top: Options for Motion Path Animation. Above: The path is shown in red; the camera position in blue.
StepSize specifies the length of steps in walk mode; default = 6 drawing units. StepsPerSec specifies the speed of steps in walk mode; default 2.
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43 DWF Underlays
DwfAttach and -DwfAttach The DwfAttach command attaches .dwf files to the current drawing. It displays the Select DWF File and Attach DWF Underlay dialog boxes. Users can attach multiple .dwf files and sheets, but the underlays are visible only in 2D wireframe mode.
Command: -dwfattach Path to DWF file to attach: (Enter a file name or type ~ .) Enter name of sheet or [?] <Blocks and Tables - Imperial>: (Enter a name.) Specify insertion point: (Pick a point.) Base image size: Width: 35.5438, Height: 23.1501, Inches Specify scale factor or [Unit] <1.0000>: (Press Enter or type a value.) Specify rotation <0>: (Press Enter or type a value.)
DwfAdjust The DwfAdjust command modifies the display of DWF underlays: Contrast ranges from 0 to 100 (most contrast); default = 15. We find there is little difference in contrast between the two extreme values. Fade ranges from 0 to 80 (most faded); default = 25. Monochrome is on or off; default = off.
Left: DWF underlay in color. Right: DWF underlay in faded monochrome.

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Command: dwfadjust Select DWF underlay: (Select one or more underlays.) Enter DWF Underlay option [Fade/Contrast/Monochrome] <Fade>: (Enter an option.)
DwfClip The DwfClip command defines clipping boundaries of DWF underlays.
Left: Clipped DWF underlay. Right: Normal (unclipped) DWF underlay.
Command: dwfclip Select DWF to clip: (Select one.) Enter DWF clipping option [ON/OFF/Delete/New boundary] <New boundary>: n Enter clipping type [Polygonal/Rectangular] <Rectangular>: p Specify first point: (Pick a point.) Specify next point or [Undo]: (Pick another point.) Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: c
3dDwf The 3dDwf command exports drawings as 3D DWF files; displays the Export 3D DWF dialog box. This is not a new command, but the old 3dDwfPublish command renamed.
DwfFrame determines the display of the DWF frame: 0 - DWF frame is off. 1 - Frame is displayed and plotted. 2 - Frame is displayed, but not plotted; default. DwfOsnap (1) determines whether osnaps apply to DWF underlays: 0 - No object snapping. 1 - Object snapping work with geometry in DWF attachments; default. 3dDwfPrec (2) specifies the precision of exported 3D DWF files: 1-1 2 - 0.5; default 3 - 0.2 4 - 0.1 5 - 0.01 6 - 0.001
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45 Layers
The following commands are all copied from Express Tools found in earlier releases of AutoCAD. Most prompt users to select an object. CopyToLayer and -CopyToLayer copy selected objects to another layer. LayCur changes the layer of selected objects to the current layer (short for "LAYer CURrent"). LayDel erases all objects from the specified layer; purges layer from drawing (short for "LAYer DELete"). LayFrz freezes the layers of the selected objects (short for "LAYer FReeZe"). LayIso turns off all layers except of the ones holding selected objects (short for "LAYer ISOlate"). LayLck locks the layer of the selected object (short for "LAYer LoCK"). LayMch changes the layers of selected objects to that of a selected object (short for "LAYer MatCH"). LayMCur makes the selected object's layer current (short for "LAYer Make CURrent"). LayMrg moves objects to another layer; purges the original layer from the drawing (short for "LAYer MeRGe"). LayOff turns off the layer of the selected object. LayOn turns on all layers. LayThw thaws all layers (short for "LAYer THaW"). LayULk unlocks the layer of a selected object (short for "LAYer UnLocK"). LayUnIso turns on layers that were turned off with the last LayIso command (short for "LAYer UNISOlate"). LayVpi isolates an the selected object's layer in the current viewport (short for "LAYer ViewPort Isolate"). LayWalk displays objects on selected layers.
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46 Miscellaneous
ExternalReferences The ExternalReferences command displays the External References palette. It lists the names and details of attached .dwg, .dwf, and image files. This command replaces the old Image and Xref commands.
ExternalReferencesClose The ExternalReferencesClose command may well be the longest command name in AutoCAD. It closes the External References palette.
ERState reports whether the External References palette is open: 0 - Closed. 1 - Open (displayed).
ClassicImage and ClassicXref The undocumented ClassicImage command displays the old Image Manager dialog box, and ClassicXref the old Xref Manager. Dimensions In AutoCAD 2006, Autodesk forgot to include the following system variables for new dimension commands, but now they appear in AutoCAD 2007. (Default values in brackets.)
DimArcSym specifies the location of the dimension arc symbol. DimFXL specifies the default length of fixed extension lines. DimFxlOn determines whether fixed extension lines are used. DimJogAngle specifies the default jog angle. DimLtype specifies the name of the dimension line linetype. DimLtEx1 specifies the name of the first extension line linetype. DimLtEx2 specifies the name of the second extension line linetype. DimTFill toggles background fill of dimension text. DimTFillClr specifies the background color for dimension text.
See appendix A for an alphabetical list of all new commands; appendix B for system variables; and appendix C for undocumented commands and system variables.
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Chapter 2
User Interface Changes
Starting up AutoCAD 2007 for the first time can be overwhelming. Users face numerous decisions: What customizations do you want to upgrade to AutoCAD 2007? There is no None option; instead users have to turn off all check marks. From which release of AutoCAD do you want to make the upgrades? Which workspace do you want to start in? 3D, Classic, or Dont Show Again. Do you want to run Performance Tuner to test your graphics board? Yes or No. Do you want to know more about AutoCAD 2007? Yes, Maybe later, or No.
First time questions. (Postrio was Autodesks code name for AutoCAD 2007, named after a San Francisco restaurant.) We understand Autodesks need to optimize the user experience from the start, but this introduction feels as if it were designed by committee. Related to this, users now face eight user interfaces in AutoCAD: Model space. Layouts in paperspace. Layouts in modelspace. Plot preview. Block editor (added in AutoCAD 2006). 3D modeling workspace (added in AutoCAD 2007). Render window (added in AutoCAD 2007). And, we suppose, it could be argued that the DWF Viewer provides yet another UI.
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AutoCADs new 3D Modeling workspace. Then add the variety of sub-UIs, each with their own distinct user interface: dialog boxes, palettes, and windows. There is even inconsistency between dialog boxes. For example, the Plot and Publish dialog boxes should be similar but are very different, with Publish using mostly icons for buttons. Its all pretty overwhelming.
Changes to the User Interface

Once users pass the gauntlet, the Dashboard is the most noticeable change to the UI (user interface).As noted in the previous chapter, it attempts to lead users along the design workflow: 2D, 3D, edit, visualize, and render. Except thats not the workflow, is it? Missing is plotting and sharing. In any case, we find the vast number of icons confusing. Nor can the Dashboard be customized.
A small portion of the icon-laden Dashboard.
3D Cursor/Colors More than 15 years have passed since Autodesk declared Release 10 the 3D AutoCAD. With AutoCAD 2007 (Release 21), it finally gets a 3D cursor that shows the z direction. Until now, users had to rely on the UCS icon for showing the direction of z, an icon that wasnt necessarily turned on.
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In 3D views, the cursor takes on colors: red = x, green = y, and blue = z. The cursor lines are shorter in the negative direction, longer in the positive. In plan view (x, y) , the cursor reverts to all-black.
At left:The new tri-color cursor. At right: The tri-color scheme used by tooltip coordinates. The color scheme is used elsewhere, as well. For instance, tooltips reporting coordinates show x in red, y in green, and z in blue. The colorization can be turned off through the Tint for X,Y, Z option of the Options dialog box. 3D Workspace Other changes are more subtle.The Workspace toolbar is now official, meaning it is on, by default, and docked at the top of the window. Its become official, because it provides the portal between AutoCADs classic user interface and its new 3D modeling interface.
Indeed, we dont know that there is any other easy way to get to the 3D workspace except through the Workspace command. Layout Tabs In AutoCAD 2006, users could make the layout tabs disappear from the bottom of the window. In 2007, they can be positioned as icons on the status bar. In the 3D Modeling workspace, the layout tabs are on the status bar. To hide the tabs, right-click one of them, as illustrated below:
Moving layout tabs to the status bar.

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A pair of icons and a pair triangles appear on the status bar,. The black icon represents model tab; the white represents layout tab; the pair of triangles provide access to additional layouts.
Right-click to return the classic tab layout. We chuckled at Autodesk marketing describing the removal of layout tabs thusly: You regain valuable screen space by moving layout and model tabs. Contrast the small amount of space taken up by the tabs with the enormous amount of space taken by the new Dashboard! Scroll Bars Curiously, the very useful scroll bars are turned off by default useful for quickly panning the drawing without interrupting the workflow. To turn on the scroll bars: Tools | Options | Display | Window Elements | Display Scroll Bars in Drawing. Clean Screen and DUCS Access to clean screen has been added through an icon in the tray (at the right end of the status bar.).
Cleanscreen minimizes the number of user interface elements, leaving just the menu bar, status bar, and command prompt area. Also new on the status bar is the DUCS button, which toggles dynamic UCS mode on and off. Menus and Toolbars Numerous changes have been made to the menu structure to accommodate the many new commands. For instance, access to palettes has been moved to a new Palettes submenu on the Tools menu. The Draw menu has a new Modeling item to handle 3D solid and surface drawing commands. New toolbars include:
Left:The new 3D Navigation toolbar. Right:The new Camera Adjustment toolbar.
Left:The new Layers II toolbar. Right: The new Mapping toolbar.
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Left:The new Visual Styles toolbar. Right: The new Walk and Fly toolbar. Other toolbars, such as Lights and Solid Editing, have been updated with the new commands and related icons. Docked AutoHide AutoCAD 2007 now has 14 palettes. (From the menu, select Tools | Palettes.) If all were open, even a dual-monitor set up would not be able to display them all. For this reason, palettes can now be autohidden in docked mode, as illustrated at right. When the cursor passes over the title bar, the palette expands out. Another option makes them even smaller: show just their icons.
Grid Behavior The grid now consists of lines; the traditional dots are only used when the visual style is set to 2D wireframe. The grid is more adaptable in AutoCAD 2007. It can display subgrids in a user-defined increment, although these minor grid lines look identical to standard grid lines. When zoomed out, the grid display adapts to show fewer grid lines, instead of complaining that the grid is too dense to display. The Limits command no longer limits the range of the grid.The line grid does not display when the snap angle is other from 0. A red grid line shows the x axis and a green one the y. And the grid plane can be made to follow the changes of the dynamic UCS.
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The grid is controlled by the Grid command (at the command line) and the DSettings command (in a dialog box).
GridDisplay determines how the grid is displayed; default =3: 0 Grid display restricted to the rea specified by the Limit command. 1 Unrestricted by the Limits command. 2 Adaptive grid reduces the density when zoomed out. 4 Adds more closely spaced grid lines when zoomed in. 8 Grid plane follows the x,y-plane of dynamic UCS. GridMajor specifies the number of minor grid line per major grid line; default = 5.
First Time Help Windows As user interfaces become more subtle, features become invisible. As programs gain features, documentation becomes overwhelming. To help solve the problem, Autodesk has firstime help windows that appear automatically when users use the cursor in a way that could be used differently, and perhaps more efficiently. For instance, the first time users pick a 3D solid, the following window appears:
This is not an ideal solution. Each time the user clicks the solid, the window appears. Checking the Dont show me this again button means the user never again encounters the helpful text. And the text is partially cut off in its window. Still, its better than never being told. Icons on Palette Titlebars Each palette now has an icon on its titlebar, as illustrated under the Xs below. The icons perform no useful function.
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Options To handle the many new user interface options, the Options dialog box has a new 3D Modeling tab, plus a vastly revamped Drawing Windows Colors dialog box, as illustrated below. While the Colors dialog box lists names and illustrates user interface elements, there is no connection between them. For instance, which element is the Autosnap marker? It would be a nice touch if Autodesk were to add linking: the user selects Autosnap Marker, and the related UI element is highlighted in the preview image.
Left: Drawing Windows and Colors dialog box. Right: 3D Modeling tab of the Options dialog box.
By one count, the Options dialog box provides access to over 300 options. Which makes us ask, will CAD become too complex even as its programmers work to make it easier to use?
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54 New Interactivity for 3D Objects

In AutoCAD 2007, 3D solids can be interactively created and edited.The example below shows a wedge being created. Notice that the shading adjusts as the wedge changes its height (available when Visual Style is set to Conceptual or Realistic.)
Left: Forming the base Center and right: Raising the height.
Triangle Grips AutoCAD 2006 introduced triangle grips to arcs, which let users change the radius and length of arcs. AutoCAD 2007 adds similar grips to 3D solids, but does not extend them to any other 2D object.
Left:Triangle grips modify the size of 3D solids. Right: Stretching the wedge with the red grip.
Dynamic Grips AutoCAD 2006 also introduced dynamic grips, which are found on dynamic blocks constructed with the Block Editor. AutoCAD 2007 extends dynamic grips to non-block objects, such as section planes.
Dynamic grips are shown in light blue on this section plane.
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Grip Tools It can be difficult to move and rotate objects in 3D space and so AutoCAD 2007 introduces grip tools: for 3D moving and 3D rotating.
Left: 3D move tool. Right: 3D rotate tool. The 3D move grip has three handles (called grip tools), one each for x, y, and z using the same color scheme as the tri-color cursor. Select one grip tool, and it turns yellow: this is the direction in which the object will move in 3D space. After selecting a grip tool, users can switch between 3dMove and 3dRotate by pressing the Spacebar just as if they were using grips:
** MOVE ** Specify move point or [Base point/Copy/Undo/eXit]: (Press Spacebar.) ** ROTATE ** Specify rotation angle or [Base point/Copy/Undo/Reference/eXit]: (Enter an option or press Spacebar.)
Notice the options available within the 3dMove and 3dRotate commands: copy, undo, and so on. The grip tools can be moved: grab the small square at the center, and then drag it to a new location.The square represents the basepoint for each command. The new GtDefault system variable determines whether the 3dMove and 3dRotate commands are activated automatically in 3D space when users enter the Move and Rotate command names. A similar interface is not available for the Mirror3D command.
GtAuto toggles display of grip tools: 0 - Off. 1 - On (default). GtLocation controls the location of grip tools: 0 - Grip tool placed at the UCS icon (default). 1 - Grip tool placed on the last selected object. ImpliedFace toggles the detection of implied faces: 0 - Not detected. 1 - Detected (default). LegacyCtrlPick determines the function of Ctrl+left pick: 0 - Select faces, edges, and vertices of 3D solids (default). 1 - Cycle through overlapping objects. UcsDetect toggles dynamic UCS acquisition: 0 - Off. 1 - On (default). ZoomWheel reverses the zoom direction relative to mouse wheel direction: 0 - Zooms in when the wheel rolls forward (default). 1 - Zooms out when wheel rolls forward.
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Chapter 3
Changed and Removed Commands
Commands removed from AutoCAD 2007 are highlighted by strikeout lines.
Background
The Background command has been removed from AutoCAD 2007. Its functions are now provided by changes to the View command.
BEditor
AutoCAD 2007 includes more tutorials for creating dynamic blocks. When creating multi-input lookup tables in the Block Editor, the Allow Reverse Lookup option is now turned on by default.
Box, Cone, Cylinder, Sphere,Torus, and Wedge

The 3D modeling commands are now interactive. As the user moves the cursor, AutoCAD 2007 previews the shape, as described in the previous chapter. (This new interactivity does not apply to the 3D mesh commands, such as 3D and Ai_Box.) The prompts of the 3D modeling commands have been rewritten to be more similar to those of their 2D counterparts.
As the user moves the cursor, the torus becomes fatter or thinner.
Camera
The Camera command now places camera glyphs, and has a new user interface. See Chapter 1.
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57 Change and ChProp

The Change and ChProp commands now allow users to change the material assigned to objects:
Command: chprop Select objects: (Select one or more objects.) Enter property to change [Color/LAyer/LType/ltScale/LWeight/Thickness/Material]: m Enter new material name <ByLayer>: (Enter material name.)
ChSpace
A former Express Tool, the ChSpace command is now part of AutoCAD 2007s core. It moves and scales objects between paper and model space of layout tabs. (The command does not work in model tab.)
CleanScreenOn and CleanScreenOff

A button has been added to the tray to toggle cleanscreen mode.
CUI
The CUI command has a new item: Double Click Actions. This customizes the behavior when an object is double-clicked, as in Visio. Double-click editing is toggled through the Options commands User Preferences tab. (See Options command below for other changes.) Also, users can now drag commands from CUI to tool palettes.
The double-click action is specified through macros.
Dimensions
AutoCAD 2007 includes the forgotten system variables for new commands in AutoCAD 2006. See Chapter 1.
DrawingRecovery
The DrawingRecovery command now removes old recovered files automatically.
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58 DSettings
The Snap and Grid tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box has new options. Snap Missing are options for setting the x,y base and angle for snap mode. Added is a new Equal X and Y Spacing option. Grid and Grid Behavior Major line every specifies the number of minor grid lines to display between regular lines. Adaptive grid displays fewer grid lines when zoomed out. Allow subdivision below grid spacing displays more grid lines when zoomed in. Display grid beyond Limits displays the grid beyond the limits set by the Limits command. Follow Dynamic UCS reorients the grid to match the current dynamic UCS.
But still no radial or polar grids, as in AutoSketch. See Chapter 2 for additional changes to the grid.
DsViewer
The Aerial View window does not operate in the new 3D Modeling workspace.
Dynamic Input
Dynamic input now highlights invalid entries with a red box.
The red box indicates invalid input.

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59 eTransmit
The eTransmit command now includes material texture files in the transmittal package.
Explode
The Explode command now explodes flat faces of solids into regions, and curved faces into surfaces.
Extrude
The Extrude command now creates surfaces when extruding open geometry; solids are produced from closed objects. Users can select numerous open and closed geometries, and the command produces the appropriate extrusion for each. The extrusion distance and direction can be previewed. This command now accepts solid and surface faces as objects to be extruded.
Export
The Export command now supports 3D DWF, but removes the 3DS format.
Field
The Field command now allows users to select objects from model and layout spaces. It also supports AutoLISP and VLISP variables, as illustrated below.
AutoLISP and Visual LISP variables displayed by the Field dialog box.
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60 Fog
The Fog command is now an alias for the new RenderEnvironment command, a very long name for the fog dialog box.
Grid
The Grid command has new options (see also DSettings command):
Command: grid Specify grid spacing(X) or [ON/OFF/Snap/Major/aDaptive/Limits/Follow/Aspect] <0.5000>: (Enter an option or a value.)
Major specifies the number of minor grid lines to display between regular lines. aDaptive displays more or fewer grid lines when zoomed out or in. Limits displays the grid beyond the limits set by the Limits command. Follow reorients the grid to match the current dynamic UCS. See Chapter 2 for visual changes to the grid.
Hide
The Hide command is now an alias for the VsCurrent commands 3dHidden option.
HlSettings
The HlSettings command is now an alias for displaying the palette of the VisualStyles command.
Image and ClassicImage

The Image command is now an alias for the ExternalReferences command. To access the old Image Manager dialog box, use the undocumented ClassicImage command.
Insert and MInsert

When users have the Properties palette open during the Insert (or MInsert) command, the palette now displays properties of the block being inserted, and allows a small number of properties to be edited before the block is inserted in the drawing. The properties are color, layer, linetype, and lineweight.
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Properties editable during block insertion.
Interfere
The Interfere command now can show a different color for the interference objects it creates.The color is specified by the InterfereColor system variable.
The Interfere command displays interference objects (at right) in a specified color. Users can now select solids nested in blocks and externally-referenced drawings. The command now also displays a dialog box to assist users in determining which pairs of objects to check for interference. This was formerly handled by command-line prompts.
NEW SYSTEM VARIABLE
InterfereColor specifies the color of interference objects produced by the Interfere command; default = 1 (red).
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62 Layers
Instead of black, the default BYLAYER color is now pale blue, HSL = 231,240,255. All of the layer-related commands formerly in Express Tools are now part of the AutoCAD 2007 core.
Light
The Light command now places light glyphs, instead of blocks, and has a new user interface. Vancouver BC has finally been added to the list of locations. See Chapter 1 for more details.
LsEdit, LsLib, and LsNew

The LsEdit, LsLib, and LsNew commands have been removed from AutoCAD 2007.
MatchProp
The Property Settings dialog box of the MatchProp command adds toggles for Material and Shadow Display.
Move and Move3D

The GtDefault system variable determines whether entering move executes the Move or 3dMove command in 3D views.
MText
The MText command now allows users to press Shift+Tab to outdent indented levels.
New
The New command has access to additional template files, such as acadiso3D.dwt and acad -Named Plot Styles3D.dwt.
Options
The Options dialog box now has a new 3D Modeling tab (as illustrated earlier), plus changes to the content of other tabs: Files tab New file paths added to list. Display tab Draw true silhouettes for solids and surfaces was previously for wireframe only. New dialog box for Colors button. Open and Save tab Save drawings in AutoCAD 2007 format (previously 2004). Plot and Publish tab No changes.
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System tab 3D Performance: new Performance Settings dialog box. User Preferences tab Double-click editing added. Hidden-line Settings button is removed. Drafting tab AutoSnap Settings: Color button replaces droplist. Ignore negative Z object snaps for Dynamic UCS option is new. Lights Glyph Settings button is new. Camera Glyph Settings button is new. Settings button is renamed Drafting Tooltip Settings.
3D Modeling tab Entirely new. Selection tab No changes, although we expected to see options for the new grip tools. Profiles tab No changes.
OSnap
Osnap optionally works with elements in DWF underlays, depending on the setting of the new DwfOsnap system variable. Object snaps and autotracking now work in the z-direction, including in perspective viewing mode.
NEW SYSTEM VARIABLE
OsOptions determines which objects are osnaped (default = 3): 0 - Hatches and objects with negative z values during dynamic UCS. 1 - Only objects with negative z values during dynamic UCS. 2 - Hatches only.
Plot
AutoCAD 2007 exports drawings in PDF format, but not conveniently. Instead of a simple PDFout command, the Plot command must be set up to employ the DWG to PDF.pc3 driver.We suspect this lessconvenient method was selected by Autodesk to placate third-party developers with PDF export software. There are no other changes to plotting. A good change would have been to automatically assign the system default printer, but None continues to be the default.
Preview
This may be a bug in the beta software we tested, but the menu is missing from the Preview window. Clicking the blank menu area displays AutoCADs status bar, complete with coordinates, toggle buttons, and tray.
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Properties
Properties for 3D solid models now include History and Show History. During block insertion, some properties can be adjusted. Other properties, such as the angle of a line, still cannot be changed. The palettes of the Properties command now lists 3D and visualization settings, as illustrated by the figure below.
Material, shadow display, and visual style are new.
Publish
The Publish commands dialog box has a new button for reversing the order in which sheets are published. The Publish Options dialog box has new 3D DWF options, as illustrated below.
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NEW SYSTEM VARIABLE
PublishAllSheets toggles whether all sheets are published by the Publish command; default = yes.
Purge and -Purge

The Purge and -Purge commands now handle materials and visual styles.The -Purge command displays at the command prompt:
Command: -purge Enter type of unused objects to purge [Blocks/Dimstyles/LAyers/LTypes/MAterials/Plotstyles/SHapes/textSTyles/Mlinestyles/ Tablestyles/Visualstyles/Regapps/All]: (Enter an option.)
QNew
The QNew command opens new drawings using the new template file, acad3D.dwt, which starts in perspective, realistic mode:
QSelect
The Quick Select dialog box adds new properties: material, shadow display, solid type, history, show history, surface type, U isolines, V isolines, and more. The properties vary, depending on the objects selected.
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66 Rename and -Rename

The Rename and -Rename commands now include Materials. The -Rename command displays at the command line:
Command: -rename Enter object type to rename [Block/Dimstyle/LAyer/LType/Material/Style/Tablestyle/Ucs/VIew/VPort]: m Enter old material name: (Enter current name.)
Render and RendScr

The Render command has been updated with rendering technology from Mental Ray, the same technology used in 3D max and VIZ. The RendScr command is now an alias for the RenderWin command. See Chapter 1 for details.
Replay
The Replay command has been removed from AutoCAD 2007.
Revolve
The Revolve command now produces solids or surfaces, in a manner similar to the Extrude command: revolve closed objects to produce solids, open objects for surfaces. This command now accepts solid and surface faces as objects to be revolved.
RMat and MatLib

The RMat and MatLib commands have been updated with Mental Ray technology, and have new user interfaces. See Chapter 1 for details. RMat is now an alias for the new Materials command; MatLib has been discontinued.
Rotate and 3dRotate

The GtDefault system variable determines whether entering Rotate executes the Rotate or 3dRotate command in 3D views. (The new 3dRotate command is different from the old Rotate3D command.)
RPref
The RPref command now displays a new palette-like dialog box for setting rendering preferences. See Chapter 1.
SaveAs
AutoCAD 2007 employs a new DWG format to accommodate the new 3D objects. The SaveAs command now exports drawings to AutoCAD 2004 format.
SaveImg
The SaveImg command now displays a simple Render Output File dialog box to save images in TIFF, BMP, PCX, Targa, JPEG, and PNG formats. (The old Save Image dialog box handled only BMP, Targa, and TIFF formats.) All formats have new Image Options dialog boxes, two of which are illustrated below:
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Left: Options for JPEG files. Right: Options for TIFF files.
Scene
The Scene command no longer operates in AutoCAD 2007.
SetUV
The SetUV command is now an alias for the new MaterialMap command.
ShadeMode
The ShadeMode command is now an alias for the new VisualStyles command. The functions of the old ShadeMode command are now carried out by the new -ShadeMode command.
SheetSet
The SheetSet command now allows users to select multiple sheets, and then drag them into new sets or subsets.
Slice
The Slice command now accepts surfaces as the slicing object:
Command: slice Select objects to slice: (Pick one or more objects.) Specify start point of slicing plane or [planar Object/Surface/Zaxis/View/XY/YZ/ ZX/3points] <3points>:
Stats
The Stats command has been removed from AutoCAD 2007. Its replacement is the rendering statistics displayed by the Render commands window.
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68 TableStyle
The Table command now allows formats for angles, dates, x,y,z points, whole and decimal numbers, and text. In the Data tab, click the ... button next to Format.
Autodesk documentation indicates that AutoCAD 2007 includes predefined table styles, but we saw no evidence of them.
Text
The DTextEd system variable has a new value:
2 - Displays the in-place text editor, and allows users to click anywhere to start new text blocks. While the Text command is active, users can press Tab and Shift+Tab to move between text blocks; alternatively, hold down Alt and select a text block to edit it. The selected text block turns orange.
Press Tab to move to the next text block; press Shift+Tab to move to the previous one.
ToolPalette
The TablePalette and other palettes can now automatically hide when docked. Tool palettes themselves have been greatly expanded with more commands and rendering materials, as illustrated below.
Commands can be dragged from CUI to tool palettes.
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69 UCS
The Ucs command has recombined sets of options. The suboptions found in the New option are now in with the main list of options. The new NAmed option reveals the Save, Restore, and other options. Clear? In short, the command has been reworked; it now looks like this:
Command: ucs Current ucs name: *WORLD* Specify origin of UCS or [Face/NAmed/OBject/Previous/View/World/X/Y/Z/ZAxis] <World>:
View and -View

The View commands dialog box has a new user interface, now incorporating a Properties-like section.
The New View dialog box adds new functions in its lower half, including Live Section, Visual Style, and Background.
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The View command takes over the functions of the old Background command, by allowing users to specify a background color, gradient, or image as illustrated below. (Missing is the Background commands Merge option, which displayed a wireframe image under the rendered one.)
Left: Solid color background. Right: Gradient background Below: Image background
For the colors, users can chose from any of AutoCADs colors in the Select Color dialog box. For the image, users can select from Targa, Bitmap, Portable Network Graphics, JPEG, and TIFF formats. The image can be further adjusted with the Adjust Image dialog box:
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-View Command The -View command has changes in its prompts at the command line, as well as the new sEttings option:
Command: Enter an Enter an style]]: -view option [?/Delete/Orthographic/Restore/Save/sEttings/Window]: e option [Background/Categorize/Layer snapshot/live Section/Ucs/Visual (Enter an option.)
Background options (new)

Enter view name to edit Background or [?]: (Enter a named view.) Specify background type [Color/Gradient/Image/None]<None>: (Enter option.)
live Section options (new and undocumented)

Enter view name to edit live section or [?]: Enter live section name or * for none, or [?]: <*>:
Visual style options (new)

Enter view name to edit Layer snapshot or [?]: (Enter a named view.) Enter an option [Save/Delete] <Cancel>: s
The new Layer snapshot option is renamed from the old lAyer state.
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72 XRef and ClassicXref

The Xref command is now an alias for the ExternalReferences command.To access the old Xref Manager dialog box, use the undocumented ClassicXref command.
3dAlign
The 3dAlign command now previews the destination alignment. (This effect does not work with the Align command.)
Command: 3dalign Select objects: (Pick one or more objects.) Specify Specify Specify Specify source plane and orientation ... base point or [Copy]: (Pick a point.) second point or [Continue] <C>: (Pick another point.) third point or [Continue] <C>:( Pick another point.)
AutoCAD 2007 now previews the object:

Specify destination plane and orientation ... Specify first destination point: (Pick a point.) Specify second destination point or [eXit] <X>: (Pick another point.) Specify third destination point or [eXit] <X>: (Pick another point.)
3dConfig and -3dConfig

At the time of writing this ebook, only graphics boards from nVidia were certified by Autodesk to fully work with AutoCAD 2006. Model numbers include Quadro FX540 through to Quadro4 980XGL. According to the online help, To display full shadows, hardware acceleration is required. When Geometry Acceleration is off, full shadows cannot be displayed. To determine whether your graphics board works, run the 3dConfig command. The 3dConfig command displays this dialog box:
The View Tune Log and Manual Tune buttons display the following dialog boxes:
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The new -3dConfig command lists prompts at the command line just like the old 3dConfig command, but with one option named differently, as highlighted below:
Configure: -3dconfig General options/ Enter option [Adaptive degradation/Dynamic tessellation/General options acceLeration/eXit] <Adaptive degradation>:
3dDwfPublish
The 3dDwfPublish command has been given the more sensible name of 3dDwf.
3dOrbit
The 3dOrbit command now has a constrained mode.
3dsOut
The 3dsOut command has been removed; the 3dsIn command remains.
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Chapter 4
Changed System Variables
Some of the changes noted below may have occurred in AutoCAD 2006 or earlier.
AcadVer
New value for the AutoCAD version is 17.0 (previous version number was 16.2).
CalcInput
When set to 1, formulas are now evaluated after pressing the more intuitive Alt+Enter key combination (previously the End key).
DelObj
This system variable now has three new values, and a modified meaning for 1: 1 Profile curves and cross sections are erased; affects the Extrude, Loft, Revolve, and Sweep commands. 2 All defining geometry is deleted. -1 Users are prompted whether they want profile curves and cross sections erased. -2 Users are prompted whether they want all defining geometry erased.
DimABlk
Two arrowhead types have been added:
Origin2 a second type of origin indicator (above, left). Small a small open dot (above, right).
DTextEd
This system variable has a new value: 2 Displays the in-place text editor, and users can click elsewhere in drawings to start new text blocks. Users can switch between text blocks by pressing the Tab and Shift+Tab key, or by holding down the Alt key and selecting a text block.
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75 DwgCheck
This system variable has two new values: 2 Warnings appear on the command line for non-Autodesk drawings:
Non Autodesk DWG. This DWG file was saved by a software application not developed or licensed by Autodesk. Use of this file with AutoCAD software may result in stability issues.
3 Warnings appear in a dialog box for drawings saved by applications other than from Autodesk.
Dialog box displayed when AutoCAD 2007 opens a non-Autodesk-generated .dwg file.
FaceTRatio
This system variable applies only to the display of 3D solids; the new 3dDwfPrec system variable affects the number of facets on exported 3D DWF files.
HaloGap
This system variable now applies only in 2D wireframe view; the new VsHaloGap system variable applies to all other visual styles.
HidePrecision
This system variable now applies only in 2D wireframe view; the new VsHidePrecision system variable applies to all other visual styles.
IntersectionColor
This system variable now applies only in 2D wireframe view; the new VsIntersectionColor system variable applies to all other visual styles.
IntersectionDisplay
This system variable now applies only in 2D wireframe view; the new VsIntersectionEdges system variable applies to all other visual styles.
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76 MTextFixed
Previously considered obsolete by Autodesk, this system variable seems to have been given new life. When MTextEd = internal: 0 and 1 In-place text editor is used, and its text matches the size, position, and rotation of the mtext in the drawing. 2 In-place text editor and difficult-to-read text is displayed horizontally at a legible size. When MTextEd = oldeditor: 0 Multiline text editor is used, and difficult-to-read text is displayed horizontally at a legible size. 1 and 2 Multiline text editor is opened at its last position and size.
ObscuredColor
This system variable now applies only in 2D wireframe view; the new VsObscuredColor system variable applies to all other visual styles.
ObscuredLType
This system variable now applies only in 2D wireframe view; the new VsObscuredLType system variable applies to all other visual styles.
OleQuality
The meaning of this system variables options have changed: 0 Monochrome mode. 1 Low graphics mode. 2 High graphics mode. 3 Automatically selected mode: Text, spreadsheets, and tables set to 0. Color text and charts set to 1. Photographs set to 2. (Previously, 0 = line art, 1 = text, 2 = graphics, 3 = photographs, and 4 = high quality mode.)
SnapAngle
When this system variable is set to a value other than 0, the grid lines disappear from view; in 2D Wireframe mode, the grid dots continue to be displayed, no matter the angle.
TextEval
This system variable now applies only to the -Text command, unless the Text command is used in scripts and LISP routines.
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Chapter 5
Alias, Keyboard, and System Changes
AutoCAD 2007 is the 21st release of the software; internally, the program refers itself as 17.2.
New Aliases
The following command aliases are added to the acad.pgp file: Command Camera CTableStyle -ExportToAutocad ExternalReferences Flatshot GeographicLocation List MaterialMap Materials PolySolid RenderCrop RenderEnvironment RenderPresets RenderWin SectionPlane VisualStyles -VisualStyles VsCurrent 3dMove 3dRotate 3dWalk Alias(es) cam ct aectoacad er fshot geo, north, northdir showmat setuv finish, mat, rmat psolid rc fog rfileopt, rp rendscr, rw splane vsm -vsm vs 3m 3r 3dnavigate, 3dw
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78 New and Changed Keyboard Shortcuts

AutoCAD 2006 does not introduce new keyboard shortcuts, such as Ctrl+A, but it does make numerous changes. These include: New Shortcuts Select faces, vertices, and edges Push and pull bounded areas Cycle through 3D subfeatures Toggle dynamic UCS Changed Shortcuts Cycle object selection Toggle coordinates Entering formulas Keystroke Ctrl Ctrl+Alt Ctrl+Spacebar Ctrl+D Keystroke Shift+Spacebar Ctrl+I Alt+Enter Function Key ... ... ... ... F6 Previous Key (previously Ctrl) (previously Ctrl+D) (previously End)
Deselect faces, vertices, and edges Ctrl+Shift
Note that none of the new palettes, such as the Dashboard and External References have shortcuts assigned to them. Walk and Fly The Walk and Fly window uses the following keyboard shortcuts to control movement through the model: Arrow Drag mouse ... Up Left Right Down ... Key ... F W A D S Tab Action Look around & turn. Toggle Fly mode. Move forward. Move left. Move right. Move backward. Display help window.
New Terms
AutoCAD introduces these new terms: Glyph block-like image used for cameras and lights. Gooch a visual style that uses cool and warm color tones to make rendered views easier to see. Named after its inventors, Bruce and Amy Gooch [www.cs.utah.edu/~gooch/SIG98/abstract.html]. Visual styles named styles for visual effects, such as hidden-line removal.
New Startup Switch

AutoCAD 2007 adds /w as a startup switch. It specifies the name of the workspace to displayed. Two workspaces are included: 3D Modeling (new in AutoCAD 2007). AutoCAD Classic
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79 Minimum System Requirements

With the radical change to AutoCADs 3D capabilities, Autodesk has two sets of hardware recommendations: minimum, and for 3D use. (The system requirements for the previous release are shown in brackets.) CPU Minimum: Recommended for 3D: RAM Minimum: Recommended for 3D: Drives Minimum: Recommended for 3D: Graphics Board Minimum: Recommended for 3D: Pointing Device, Other Mouse, trackball, or similar. Printer, plotter, digitizer, Internet access, network card. Operating System Windows XP Professional or XP Home edition, with Service Pack 1 or SP2. Windows XP for TabletPC with Service Pack 2. Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or SP4. Internet Explorer 6.0 with Service Pack 1. 1024x768 True Color (same as previous release). 128MB OpenGL, workstation-class. CD-ROM drive and hard drive with minimum 750MB free (up from 500MB free space). Additional 2GB free disk space. 512MB (same as previous release). 2GB 800MHz Pentium IV (up from 800MHz Intel Pentium III in AutoCAD 2006). 3.0GHz or greater.
New File Types

The DWG file format has changed in AutoCAD 2007. This means that drawings must be reversetranslated for AutoCAD 2004 - 2006. AutoCAD 2007 appears to not add any new file types. New Templates AutoCAD 2007 adds two new .dwt template files: acad3d.dwg imperial 3D settings and viewpoint. acadiso3d.dwg metric 3D settings and viewpoint.
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New Sample Drawings The help\buildyourworld folder contains 24 new sample drawings, such as a campus, kitchen (shown below), and trees.
There are fewer drawings in the \Sample folder, but this may change with the shipping version. There are many more texture files than before some 338 JPG files.These are stored in the user folder C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2007\R17.0\enu\Textures\. Samples are illustrated below:
Left: Exposed aggregate concrete Center: Carbon fibre Right: Herringbone cobblestone.
AutoCAD 2007 Object Model

Changes to the object model are shown in gray on the next page. New Objects AutoCAD 2007 adds these new object types: Camera Extruded Surface Helix Light Lofted Surface Planar Surface Revolved Surface Section Object Swept Surface
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Appendix A
Alphabetical Summary of New Commands

A
AniPath (short for ANImation PATH) creates animations along paths; displays the Motion Path Animation dialog box and the Animation Preview window.
B
BRrep (short for Boundary REPresentation) deletes construction history from 3D solid bodies so that its primitives can no longer be edited.
C
ChSpace (short for Change SPACE) moves objects between model space and paper space, scaling them appropriately; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. ConvertOldLights converts light blocks in drawings created by older versions of AutoCAD into 2007 lights objects. ConvertOldMaterials converts material definitions from previous releases to AutoCAD 2007 materials. ConvToSolid (short for CONVert TO SOLID) converts polylines and circles with thickness to extruded 3D solids. ConvToSurface (short for CONVert TO SURFACE) converts 2D solids, regions, lines, polylines, arcs, and flat 3D faces to surfaces. CopyToLayer and -CopyToLayer copies selected objects to another layer; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD.
D
Dashboard opens the Dashboard palette with these control panels: 2D Draw, 3D Make, 3D Navigate, Lights,Visual Styles, Materials, and Render. DashboardClose closes the Dashboard palette. DistantLight places distant lights in drawings, and specifies their options (updated from the DistantLight option of the former Light command). DwfAdjust modifies the display of DWF underlays: contrast, fade, and monochrome. DwfAttach and -DwfAttach Attaches .dwf files to the current drawing; displays the Select DWF File and Attach DWF Underlay dialog boxes. DwfClip defines clipping boundaries of DWF underlays.
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ExternalReferences displays the External References palette for xrefs, images, and DWF underlays. ExternalReferencesClose closes the External References palette.
F
FlatShot (short for FLATten snapSHOT) creates 2D views of 3D objects in the current viewpoint; displays the Flatshot dialog box; updated from the Flatten command in Express Tools.
G
GeographicLocation specifies locations by latitude and longitude, city name, region, and so on; displays the Geographic Location dialog box; updated from an option of the old Light command.
H
Helix draws wireframe spirals in 2D and 3D.
I
Imprint imprints 2D objects on the faces of 3D solids; updated from the Body | Imprint option of the old SolidEdit command.
J
JogSection adds 90-degree jogs to section lines.
L
LayCur (short for "LAYer CURrent") changes the layer of selected objects to the current layer; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayDel (short for "LAYer DELete") erases all objects from the specified layer; purges layer from drawing; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayFrz (short for "LAYer FReeZe") freezes the layers of the selected objects; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayIso (short for "LAYer ISOlate") turns off all layers except of the ones holding selected objects; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayLck (short for "LAYer LoCK") locks the layer of the selected object; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayMch (short for "LAYer MatCH") changes the layers of selected objects to that of a selected object; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayMCur (short for "LAYer Make CURrent") makes the selected object's layer current; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayMrg (short for "LAYer MeRGe") moves objects to another layer; purges the original layer from the drawing; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayOff turns off the layer of the selected object; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayOn turns on all layers; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD.
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LayThw (short for "LAYer THaW") thaws all layers; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayULk (short for "LAYer UnLocK") unlocks the layer of a selected object; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayUnIso (short for "LAYer UNISOlate") turns on layers that were turned off with the last LayIso command; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayVpI (short for "LAYer ViewPort Isolate") isolates an the selected object's layer in the current viewport; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LayWalk displays objects on selected layers; available as an Express Tool in earlier releases of AutoCAD. LightList places and edits lights; displays the Lights in Model palette. LightListClose closes the Lights in Model palette. LiveSection activates live sectioning for the selected section, displaying the interior of sliced objects. Loft creates 3D surfaces and solids through lofting two or more curves.
M
MaterialAttach attaches materials to objects by layer name; updated from the old RMat command. MaterialMap maps materials to selected objects; updated from the old RMat command. Materials manages, applies, and edits materials; opens the Materials palette; updated from the old MatLib command. MaterialsClose loses the Materials palette.
P
PlaneSurf (short for PLANE SURFace) creates flat surface areas. PointLight places point lights in drawing; updated from the Point option of the old Light command. PolySolid converts lines, arcs, circles, and polylines in to 3D solids with thickness. PressPull presses and pulls bounded areas. Pyramid creates 3D solid pyramids and cones.
R
RenderCrop renders a rectangular area of the drawing; updated from the Window option of the old Render command. RenderEnvironment sets the fog options; displays the Render Environment dialog box; updated from the old Fog command. RenderPresets specifies the parameters for renderings; displays the Render Presets Manager dialog box; updated from the old Render command. RenderWin displays the Render window, which lists and illustrates the current and previous renderings and parameters. RPrefClose (short for Render PREFerences CLOSE) closes the Render Settings palette.
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SectionPlane creates section objects independent of the 3D model; updated from the old Section command). -ShadeMode command-line version of the old ShadeMode command. Spotlight places spotlights in drawings; updated from the Spotlight option of the old Lights command). SunProperties sets the properties of the Sun light; opens the Sun Properties palette; updated from the Sun option of the old Lights command. SunPropertiesClose closes the Sun Properties palette. Sweep creates 3D solids and surfaces by sweeping 2D curves along paths.
T
Thicken creates 3D solids by thickening surfaces.
V
VisualStyles defines and edits visual styles used for renderings; displays the Visual Styles Manager palette. -VisualStyles displays prompts at the command line. VisualStylesClose closes the Visual Styles Manager palette. VsCurrent (short for Visual Style CURRENT) applies a named visual style to the current viewport; updated from the old ShadeMode command. VsSave (short for Visual Style SAVE) saves a visual style by name in model space only.
W
WalkFlySettings Specifies the settings for walk and fly animations; displays the Walk and Fly Settings dialog box.
X
XEdges (short for eXtract Edges) creates wireframe geometry from the edges of 3D solids and surfaces, as well as 2D regions.
3
3dDWF exports drawings as 3D DWF files; displays the Export 3D DWF dialog box; renamed from the old 3dDwfPublish command. 3dFly navigates 3D drawings in fly-through mode; displays the Position Locator window. 3dFOrbit (short for 3D Free ORBIT) displays an arcball for realtime view changes in 3D; updated from the old 3dOrbit command. 3dMove displays the move handle on selected objects so that they can be moved in 3D space. 3dOrbitTransparent changes the 3D view in realtime; an undocumented transparent command. 3dPanTransparent pans 3D views in realtime; an undocumented transparent command.
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3dRotate displays the rotate handle on selected objects so that they can be rotated in 3D space. 3dSwivelTransparent swivels the 3D viewpoint in realtime; an undocumented transparent command. 3dWalk enters Walk mode; provides access to the Walk Mode right-click menu. 3dZoomTransparent zooms the 3D view in realtime; an undocumented transparent command.
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Appendix B
Alphabetical Summary of New System Variables

The default value is shown in (brackets).
C
CameraDisplay (0) toggles display of camera objects. CameraHeight (0) specifies the default height of cameras. CMaterial (bylayer) specifies the default material. CShadow (0) specifies the default shadow treatment for 3D objects.
D
DashboardState (0) reports whether the Dashboard is open. DefaultLighting (1) specifies the distant lighting is on. DefaultLightingType (1) toggles between old and new styles of default lighting.
DIM
The following new system variables (dimvars) were forgotten in AutoCAD 2006: DimArcSym (0) specifies the location of the dimension arc symbol. DimFXL (1) specifies the default length of fixed extension lines. DimFxlOn (0) determines whether fixed extension lines are used. DimJogAngle (45) specifies the default jog angle. DimLtype ("") specifies the name of the dimension line linetype. DimLtEx1 ("") specifies the name of the first extension line linetype. DimLtEx2 ("") specifies the name of the second extension line linetype. DimTFill (0) toggles background fill of dimension text. DimTFillClr (0) specifies the background color for dimension text. DragVs specifies the default visual style while creating 3D objects. DwfFame (2) determines the display of the DWF frame. DwfOsnap (1) determines whether osnaps apply to DWF underlays.
E
ERState (0) reports whether the External References palette is open.
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GridDisplay (3) determines how the grid is displayed. GridMajor (5) specifies the major grid line multiple of minor grid lines. GtAuto (1) toggles display of grip tools. GtDefault (0) controls whether 3dMove/3dRotate or Move/Rotate are the default commands. GtLocation (0) controls the location of grip tools.
I
ImpliedFace (1) toggles the detection of implied faces. InterfereColor (1) specifies the color of interference objects. InterfereObjVs (Realistic) specifies the visual style for interference objects. InterfereVpVs (Wireframe) specifies the visual style during interference checking.
L
Latitude () stores the last used latitude. LegacyCtrlPick (0) determines the function of Ctrl+left pick. LightGlyphDisplay (1) toggles the display of light glyphs. LightListState (0) reports whether the Light List palette is displayed. LoftAng1 (90) stores the default angle for the first lofting cross section. LoftAng2 (90) stores the default angle for the second lofting cross section. LoftMag1 (1) specifies the magnitude of the first loft angle. LoftMag2 (1) specifies the magnitude of the second loft angle. LoftNormals (1) specifies where loft normals are placed. LoftParam (7) specifies the shape of the loft. Longitude () stores the last used longitude.
M
MatState (0) reports whether the Materials window is open.
N
NorthDirection (0) specifies the angle of the sun relative to North.
O
OsOptions (3) determines when objects with negative z-values are osnaped.
P
Perspective (0) toggles perspective mode. PSolHeight (4) specifies the default height for PolySolid objects. PSolWidth (0.25) specifies the default width for PolySolid objects. PublishAllSheets (1) toggles whether all sheets are published by the Publish command.
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RenderPrefsState (0) reports whether the Render Preferences window is open.
S
ShadowPlaneLocation (0) specifies the height of the shadow plane. ShowHist (1) determines whether solids have history. SolidHist (1) toggles history for solids. StepSize (6) specifies the length of steps in walk mode. StepsPerSec (2) specifies the speed of steps in walk mode. SunPropertiesState (0) reports whether the Sun Properties window is open. SunStatus (1) determines whether the sun casts light.
T
TimeZone (-8000) stores the time zone.
U
UcsDetect (1) toggles dynamic UCS acquisition.
V
(For the following variables, negative values turn off the effect. Similarly named sysvars, such as VsHaloGap from earlier releases now apply to 2D wireframe displays only.) VsBackgrounds (1) determines whether backgrounds are displayed in visual styles. VsEdgeColor (7) specifies the edge color. VsEdgeJitter (-2) specifies the level of pencil effect. VsEdgeOverhang (-6) extension of pencil lines beyond edges. VsEdges (1) specifies types of edges to display. VsEdgeSmooth (1) specifies crease angle. VsFaceColorMode (1) determines color of faces. VsFaceHighlight (-30) specifies the color of highlights. VsFaceOpacity (-60) controls the transparency/opacity of face. VsFaceStyle (1) determines how faces are displayed. VsHaloGap (0) specifies the "halo" gap (gap between intersecting lines). VsHidePrecision (0) specifies the accuracy of hides and shades. VsIntersectionColor (7) specifies the color of intersecting polylines. VsIntersectionEdges (0) toggles the display of intersecting edges. VsIntersectionLtype (1) specifies the linetype for intersecting polylines. VsIsoOntop (0) toggles whether isolines are displayed. VsLightingQuality (1) toggles the quality of lighting. VsMaterialMode (0) controls the display of material finishes. VsMonoColor (255,255,255) specifies the monochrome tint.
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VObscuredColor (byentity) specifies the color of obscured lines. VsObscuredEdges (1) toggles the display of obscured edges. VsObscuredLtype (1) specifies the linetype of obscured lines. VsShadows (0) determines the quality of shadows. VsSilhEdges (0) toggles the display of silhouette edges. VsSilhWidth (5) specifies the width of silhouette edge lines. VsState (0) reports whether the Visual Styles window is open.
Z
ZoomWheel (0) toggles the zoom direction relative to mouse wheel direction.
3
3dDwfPrec (2) specifies the precision of exported 3D DWF files.
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Appendix C
Alphabetical Listing of Commands and System Variables Undocumented by Autodesk

The following commands are undocumented by AutoCAD 2007s online help. Some of them are designed to work with other software, such as the aec commands for Architectural Desktop; others are for features that are not yet implemented, such as the dgn commands; still others are for features that are being tested, such as as ink, or are unsupported. Some commands were written for use in AutoCADs menus. System variables are indicated by their italicized names. Because they are not documented, we sometimes have to guess their purpose. From the commands name and its prompts, it is sometimes possible to discern the purpose of the command. Some of these commands do not operate until their .arx file has been loaded with the AppLoad command; a very few of these commands cause AutoCAD to crash.
A
AcEtUcs-Back, AcEtUcs-Bottom, AcEtUcs-Front, AcEtUcs-Left, AcEtUcs-Right, and AcEtUcs-Top This group of undocumented Express Tool commands reorients the UCS (and its UCS icon) to the indicated face: back, bottom, and so on. (AeEtUcs is short for AutoCad Express Tool User Defined Coordinate.)
Left: AeEtUcs-Right Right: AcEtUcs-Top
AdcCustomNavigate
Command: adccustomnavigate No custom applications registered
AutoCAD displays the DesignCenter palette. Ai_Box, Ai_Cone, Ai_Dish, Ai_Dome, Ai_Mesh, Ai_Pyramid, Ai_Sphere, Ai_Torus, and Ai_Wedge These commands have been in AutoCAD for many releases, and activated by the 3D command. They draw 3D mesh models indicated by their name: 3D box, cone, dish, and so on. (Ai is short for Autodesk, Inc.)
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Ai_CircTan Draws circles tangent to three points; this command is an alternative to the Circle commands 3P option with TANgent osnap.
Command: ai_circtan Enter Tangent spec: (Pick an object.) Enter second Tangent spec: (Pick aother object.) Enter third Tangent spec: (Pick another object.)
Ai_Custom_Safe, Ai_Product_Support, Ai_Product_Support_Safe, and Ai_Training_Safe This group of commands accesses related Web pages at the Autodesk Web site. Ai_Custom_Safe www.autodesk.com/developautocad Ai_Product_Support www.autodesk.com/autocad-support Ai_Product_Support_Safe www.autodesk.com/autocad-support Ai_Training_Safe www.autodesk.com/autocad-training
Web page displayed by Ai_Custom_Safe.
Ai_Fms, Ai_Pspace, and Ai_Tilemode1 This trio of commands allows macros to switch between model and paper space: Ai_Fms in model tab: switches to a layout tab, and activates a viewport; in layout tab: activates a viewport. Ai_PSpace switches to a layout tab. Ai_Tilemode1 switches to model tab. Ai_InvokeNfw Invokes the New Features Workshop. Displays the following dialog box:
After user selects an option, the New Features Workshop is displayed.
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Ai_Molc Invokes the make object layer current command. This command is associated with the Make Objects Layer Current button in the Layers toolbar.
Command: ai_molc Select object whose layer will become current: (Pick an object.) 10 WALLS is now the current layer
Ai_SelAll The select all command; it is activated by Ctrl+A.

Command: ai_selall Selecting objects...done.
_AuthorPalettePath System variable: sepcifies the path to the customized tool palette folder. It must be used with SetVar command:
Command: setvar Enter variable name or [?] <TILEMODE>: _authorpalettepath Enter new value for _AUTHORPALETTEPATH <"C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Aut...">: (Enter new path.)
AEC Object Enabler Commands

The following commands are used by AutoCAD Archiectural Desktop (ADT) Object Enabler. A related toolbar can be loaded with CUI from Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data \Autodesk \AutoCAD 2007\R17.0\enu\SupportAecArchXOE.cui. (AEC is short for architecture, engineering, construction.)
Left icon: AecDisplayManagerConfigsSelection command. Center icon: -AecExportToAutoCAD command. Right icon: AecSetXrefConfig command.
-AecDwgUnits (alias: -DwgUnits) This command sets the units for inserting ADT objects into AutoCAD drawings.
Command: -dwgunits Drawing units: 1. Inches 2. Feet 3. Millimeters 4. Centimeters 5. Decimeters 6. Meters Unit for length <1>: (Enter an option number.) Drawing unit display formats: 1. Scientific 2. Decimal 3. Engineering 4. Architectural 5. Fractional Linear display format <4>: (Enter an option number.) Architectural linear display precision formats: 0. 1" 1. 1/2" 2. 1/4"
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3. 1/8" 4. 1/16" 5. 1/32" 6. 1/64" 7. 1/128" 8. 1/256" Linear display precision <6>: (Enter an option number.) Scale objects from other drawings upon insert? [Yes/No] <Yes>: (Enter an option.)
-AecExportToAutoCAD This command converts ADT custom objects to AutoCAD objects:

Command: -aecexporttoautocad File format: 2007 Bind xrefs: Yes Bind type: Insert Filename prefix: Filename suffix: Export options [Format/Bind/bind Type/Maintain/Prefix/Suffix/?] <Enter for filename>: (Press Enter.) Export drawing name <filename.dwg>: (Press Enter.)
Format option
Enter file format [r14/2000/2004/2007] <2007>:
Bind option
Bind xrefs [Yes/No] <Yes>:
bind Type option

Bind type [Bind/Insert] <Insert>:
Maintain option
Maintain resolved properties [Yes/No] <Yes>:
Prefix option
Filename prefix <>:
Suffix option
Filename suffix <>:
? option
File format: 2007 Bind xrefs: Yes Bind type: Insert Filename prefix: Filename suffix:
AecDisplayManagerConfigsSelection (alias: DisplayManagerConfigsSelection) Changes the display configuration; displays a one-item cursor menu: Standard. AecFileOpenMessage Toggles the display of a dialog box that warns about opening drawings from older releases of ADT.
Command: aecfileopenmessage Display courtesy message when opening a file from a previous version of ADT [Yes/No] <Yes>: (Enter option.)
AecFileSaveMessage Toggles the display of a warning message when saving to a previous version file.
Command: aecfilesavemessage Display courtesy message when saving to a previous version file [Yes/No] <Yes>:(Enter option.)
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AecObjectCopyMessage Toggles the display of a warning mesage when saving to a newer version file.
Command: aecobjectcopymessage Display courtesy message when copying AEC objects into a newer version drawing [Yes/No] <Yes>: (Enter option.)
AecObjRelDump (alias: ObjRelDump) Sample output:

Command: aecobjreldump *************************************************************** ********************* DATABASE = 7EB3BFD0 ********************* *************************************************************** Class: AecDbDimensionGroup Class: AecDbDoor Class: AecDbOpening Class: AecDbWindow Class: AecDbWindowAssembly PAUSE: Press <RETURN> to continue >>> (Press Enter.)
AecObjRelDumpEnhancedReferences (alias: ObjRelDumpEnhancedReferences) Sample output:

Command: aecobjreldumpenhancedreferences *************************************************************** ********************* DATABASE = 75637338 ********************* *************************************************************** PAUSE: Press <RETURN> to continue >>> (Press Enter.)
AecObjRelShow (alias: ObjRelShow) Displays data about which ADT objects are related to each other, such as a door being part of a wall.
Command: aecobjrelshow Select an entity (or RETURN for Handle): Object <AcDbBlockReference 92 > Handle of database object:
AecObjRelShowEnhancedReferences (alais: ObjRelShoweEnhancedReferences) Displays data about ADT xref objects.

Command: aecobjrelshowenhancedreferences Select an entity (or RETURN for Handle): Object <AcDbBlockReference 92 > Handle of database object:
AecObjRelUpdate (alias: ObjRelUpdate) Updates ADT objects.

Command: aecobjrelupdate Select entities to update or RETURN for all. Select objects: (Press Enter.)
AecPostDxfinFix (alias: PostDxfinFix) Fixes problems with imported ADT drawings that cannot be repaired by the Audit command.
Command: aecpostdxfinfix
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AecSetXrefConfig (alias: SetXrefConfig) Allows the same xref to be displayed several times.
Command: aecsetxrefconfig Select an external reference: (Pick one.) Override display configuration of selected xref? [Yes/No] <Yes>: Enter index of display configuration for xref: (Enter 0 or 1.)
AecVersion Reports the version number of the ADT object enabler.

Command: aecversion CompanyName: Autodesk, Inc. FileDescription: AecBase DBX FileVersion: 5, 0, 241, 0 LegalCopyright: Autodesk, Inc. 1998-2006. All rights reserved.
Ai Dimensioning Commands
This set of commands are used by AutoCAD in shortcut menus. Select a dimension, and then right-click to see the following:
Ai_Dim_Textabove, Ai_Dim_Textcenter, and Ai_Dim_Texthome This trio of commands moves dimension text relative to the dimension line. (On the shortcut menu: Dim Text position.)
Command: ai_dim_texabove Select objects: (Select one or more dimensions.)
Ai_Dim_TextAbove moves text above the dimension line, in compliance with the JIS standard. Ai_Dim_TextCenter centers text vertically on the dimension line. Ai_Dim_TextHome centers text horizontally on the dimension line. AiDimFlipArrow Flips the direction of the selected dimension arrow. (On the shortcut menu: Flip Arrow.)
Command: aidimfliparrow Select objects: (Select a dimension arrowhead.)
AiDimPrec Changes the display precision of dimenion text. (On the shortcut menu: Precision.)
Command: aidimprec Enter option [0/1/2/3/4/5/6] <4>: Select objects: (Select a dimension.)
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AiDimStyle Stores and recalls dimension styles. (On the shortcut menu: Dim Style.)
Command: aidimstyle Enter option [1/2/3/4/5/6/Other/Save] <1>: (Enter an option.)
Other option Displays dialog box listing names of dimension styles in current drawing:
Save option
Select objects: (Select a dimension.)
Displays dialog box for specifying name of new dimension style:
AiDimTextMove Moves dimension text relative to the dimension line. (On the shortcut menu: Dim Text position.)
Command: aidimtextmove Enter option [0/1/2] <2>: (Enter an option) Select objects: (Select one or more dimensions.)
0 moves dimension text within dimension line (including outside extension lines) and changes length of extension lines. 1 moves dimension text anywhere, and adds a leader line, if necessary. 2 moves dimension text anywhere without the leader line.
B
BgPlotReceive Specifies the .dsd file to use for background plotting. (Short for background plot receive. ) The .dsd files are generated by the Publish command.
Command: bgplotreceive DSD: (Enter filename of drawing set description.)
BgrdPlotTimeout System variable: controls the timeout for failed background plots. Default = 20 seconds; range is from 0 to 300 seconds.
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CrashBeta Displays the following dialog box, and then closes AutoCAD as if it were crashing. CAUTION: Crashes AutoCAD! This command is in the beta version only, and was removed from the shipping version of AutoCAD.
D
DefaultViewCategory System variable: stores the default name for View Category in the View commands New View dialog box. DgnAttach Attaches .dgn files in a manner similar to DWF underlays; not yet operational.This and the following gdncommands and system variables are meant for the MicroStation V8 DGN translator, available later in 2006. DgnExport Exports the drawing as a .dgn file; not yet operational. DgnFrame System variable: toggles the frame around the DGN image; default = 1 (on). DgnOsnap System variable: toggles the osnapping of the frame around the DGN image; default = 1 (on). DimHorizontal, DimRotated, and DimVertical The angle of dimension drawn by the DimLinear command depends on cursor picks by the user. These commands draw their namesake linear dimensions without regard to cursor position: DimHorizontal places horizontal dimensions. DimRotated places rotated dimensions. DimVertical places vertical dimensions. +DSettings
Command: +dsettings Tab Index <0>: (Enter a tab number.)
AutoCAD displays the Drafting Settings dialog box opened to the appropriate tab (the first tab is #0).
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EPlotExt Demand loads ePlot extensions. EntExts System variable: controls how drawing extents are calculated (short for entity extents).
0 Extents calculated every time; slows down AutoCAD, but uses less memory. 1 Extents of every object are cached as a two-byte value (default). 2 Extents of every object are cached as a four-byte value (fastest but uses more memory).
G
GF... System variables: the following gf-related variables control gradient fills placed by the Gradient command, as illustrated by this dialog box:
GfAng controls the angle of gradient fill; 0 to 360 degrees; default = 0. GfClr1 specifies the first gradient color in RGB format; default = "RGB 000,000,255". GfClr2 specifies the second gradient color in RGB format; default = "RGB 255,255,153". GfClrLum controls the level of gray in one-color gradients; ranges from 0 = black to 1 = white (default). GfClrState specifies the type of gradient fill; either 0 = two-color or 1 = one-color; default. GfName specifies the style of gradient fill; 1 = linear (default), 2 = cylindrical; 3 = inverted cylindrical; 4 = spherical; 5 = inverted spherical; 6 = hemispherical; 7 = inverted hemispherical; 8 = crved; 9 = inverted curved. GfAShift controls the origin of the gradient fill; 0 = centered (default) or 1 = shifted up and left. GlobCheck System variable: global control of dialog boxes:
-1 turns off local language. 0 turn off global checking (default). 1 warns if larger than 640x400. 2 also reports size in pixels. 3 additional information.
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GlyphCmd Displays the Camera Glyphy Appearance dialog box:
Clicking Edit Glyph Colors button displays the Drawing Window Colors dialog box.
GS Graphic System Commands

The gs-commands appear to test the graphics board. The gstext.arx application must be loaded first. GsAutoOrbit and GsAutoZoomPan GsAutoOrbit rotates 3D models about the x and y axes. GsAutoZoomPan zooms 3D models in and out. GsB1, GsB2, GsB3, GsB4, and GsB5 These commands run AutoCAD through benchmarks at different speeds:
Command: gsb1 -------------------------------Wireframe : 1.982637 seconds, 363.657005 fps Gouraud Shaded : 2.259347 seconds, 319.118725 fps Command: gsb2 -------------------------------Wireframe : 0.410047 seconds, 353.618166 fps Gouraud Shaded : 0.452425 seconds, 320.494842 fps Command: gsb3 -------------------------------Wireframe : 0.210820 seconds, 346.266809 fps Gouraud Shaded : 0.227956 seconds, 320.237537 fps Command: gsb4 -------------------------------Wireframe : 0.137095 seconds, 357.416187 fps Gouraud Shaded : 0.152890 seconds, 320.492229 fps Command: gsb5 ------------------------------Wireframe : 0.821249 seconds, 362.862150 fps Hidden Line : 1.535549 seconds, 194.067425 fps Flat Shaded : 0.945890 seconds, 315.047187 fps
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Gouraud Shaded : 0.990761 seconds, 300.778861 fps -------------------------------
Gsbxy, Gsbxyautomated, Gsbxyflat, Gsbxyg3, Gsbxygouraud, Gsbxyhidden, and Gsbxywireframe Benchmark commands that rotate 3D models in a variety of rendered modes about the x and then the y axes.
Sample output:
Command: gsbxy -------------------------------Wireframe : 20.019244 seconds, 36.015347 Hidden Line : 13.142431 seconds, 54.860473 Flat Shaded : 4.902146 seconds, 147.078436 Gouraud Shaded : 4.964807 seconds, 145.222153
fps fps fps fps
GsBxy rotates 3D model in all four rendering modes, as listed above. GsBxyAutomated CAUTION: Crashes AutoCAD. GsBxyFlat flat shaded mode. GsBxyG3 faster gouraud-shaded mode. GsBxyGouraud gouraud-shaded mode. GsBxyhidden hidden-line removal mode. GsbYyWireframe wireframe mode.
GsDolly Moves the viewpoint along an axis.

Command: gsdolly Enter Camera Dolly Distance: (Enter distance.) Enter Active Axis: (Specify x, y, or z axis.)
Gsclipback, Glclipbackon, GsFrontClip and GsClipFrontOn Specifies back or front clipping plane; turns on the clipping.
Command: gsfrontclip Enter Front Clipping Plane Position: (Enter distance.) Command: gsclipfronton Front Clip On: (Enter on or off.)
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GsOrbit Rotates model by a given angle about a specified axis.
Command: gsorbit Enter Orbit Angle (degrees): (Enter orbit angle.) Enter Active Axis: (Specify x, y, or z axis.)
GsPan Pans model a given distance and along a specified axis.

Command: gspan Enter Camera Pan Distance: (Enter pan distance.) Enter Active Axis: (Specify x, y, or z axis.)
GsTestBenchmark Processes 3D model with a variety of movements and shade modes; reports results. Sample result:
Command: gstestbenchmark ------------------------------Wireframe : 4748.204590 ms Wireframe : 38.330278 fps Hidden Line : 5923.948994 ms Hidden Line : 30.722749 fps Flat Shaded : 5112.784167 ms Flat Shaded : 35.597043 fps Gouraud Shaded : 2944.482050 ms Gouraud Shaded : 61.810531 fps -------------------------------
GsTestRegress Rotates and zooms model in 3D space with different shade modes. GsZoom Prompts for a zoom factor:
Command: gszoom Enter Camera Zoom Factor: (Enter a value.)
INK TabletPC Commands

The ink-related commands are meant for use with a TabletPC and the Microsofts gesture toolkit. Use the AppLoad command to load asdkTPCtest.arx. The commands work only in 2D and in the world coordinate system. The loaded application displays the following toolbar:
InkBorderDisplay toggles a border around the inked area. InkColor specifies the color of ink. InkGesture activates gesture-based commands, such as Copy and Paste. InkHilite draws ink highlights. InkMake starts drawing with ink? InkOleCreate inserts an OLE object? InkPenWidth specifies the width of ink. InkReco recognizes the selected ink. InkRLine draws ink redlines. InkTransparency specifies level of ink transparency.
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103 M
-Mt...2_Unused This set of commands seems similar to the MText-related commands: MtEdit2_Unused prompts to edit mtext. MText2_Unused and -MText2_Unused prompts to create mtext:
Command: -mtext2_unused Current text style: "Standard" Text height: 9" Specify first corner: Specify opposite corner or [Height/Justify/Line spacing/Rotation/Style/Width]:
MtProp2_Unused prompts to select mtext.
N
NewView Displays the New View dialog box, normally accessed through the View command:
NodeName System variable (read-only): reports the name of the network node; range is one to three characters; default = "AC$". NwfState System variable: determines whether New Features Workshop displays when AutoCAD starts; 0 = no or 1 = yes (default).
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OSnapNodeLegacy System variable: toggles whether osnap snaps to Mtext insertion points; 0 = no or 1 = yes (default).
P
PlaceView Places views in sheets; operates only in paper space. PsProlog System variable: specifies the PostScript prologue file name; default = "". PsQuality System variable: controls resolution of PostScript objects; specified in pixels.
<0 display as outlines; no fill. 0 not displayed. >0 display filled. 75 default value.
+Publish First, this command displays the Select List of Sheets dialog box; select a .dsd file, and then click Select. Second, it displays the Publish dialog box with the drawings listed.
Q
QaFlags System variable: controls the quality assurance flags:
0 turned off (default). 1 the ^C metacharacters in a menu macro cancels grips, just as if user pressed Esc. 2 long text screen listings do not pause. 4 error and warning messages are displayed at the command line, instead of in dialog boxes. 128 screen picks are accepted via AutoLISPs (command) function.
QkSetupWiz Runs the Quick Setup wizard.
S
SelectLastMode System variable: accepts a value of 1 or 0.
Command: selectlastmode Enter new value for SELECTLASTMODE <1>: 0 Regenerating model.
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_ToolPalettePath System variable: sets the path to the tool palette folder; must be used with SetVar command:
Command: setvar Enter variable name or [?]: _toolpalettepath Enter new value for _TOOLPALETTEPATH <"C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\Aut...">:
V
VbaPref Sets preferences for Visual Basic for Applications. Display this Options dialog box:
3
3dOrbitTransparent, 3dPanTransparent, 3dSwivelTransparent, and 3dZoomTransparent This quartet of commands allows specific use of the 3dOrbit command from the command line.
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Whatsinside Autocad2007 v12

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Whatsinside Autocad2007 v12

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W h a t ' s I n s i d e ?

Ralph Grabowski March 23, 2006

a research paper from upFront.reSearch

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Copyright and Fee

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Strangely Familiar 7 New AutoCAD 2007 Features 8

Most Intriguing Unannounced Features 9

Most Useful Changed Commands 10

The Shipping Manifest 12 Product Leverage 13 Road Map of Future Releases 13

1: New Commands and Related System Variables 15

ExternalReferences 46 ExternalReferencesClose 46 ClassicImage and ClassicXref 46 Dimensions 46

2: User Interface Changes

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

New Interactivity for 3D Objects 54

3: Changed and Removed Commands 56

4: Changed System Variables

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

5: Alias, Keyboard, and System Changes 77

C: Alphabetical Listing of Commands and System Variables Undocumented by Autodesk 91

New Terms 78 New Startup Switch 78 Minimum System Requirements 79

New File Types 79

AutoCAD 2007 Object Model 80

Important Notice To the Reader

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

The View from Autodesk: Features New Features

And when DwgCheck is set to 2:

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

8 New AutoCAD 2007 Features The Top 3

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Most Intriguing Unannounced Features The Top 3

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

The View from Autodesk: Product Differentiation

Most Useful Changed Commands The Top 3

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

The Shipping Manifest

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

13 Other Software Releases

Road Map of Future Releases

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

New Commands and Related System Variables

DashboardState reports whether the Dashboard is open: 0 - Closed. 1 - Open (displayed).

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Left: 2D spiral. Right: 3D helix.

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

The Cross-sections only option displays the following dialog box:

NEW SYSTEM VARIABLES

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

NEW SYSTEM VARIABLES

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Left: Surface plane. Right: Box thickened from the plane.

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Whats Inside? AutoCAD 2007

Two section planes; the section plane in the foreground is live.

JogSection The JogSection command adds 90-degree jogs to sections.