AutoCAD2011PreviewGuide

PoweryourdesignprojectsfromconceptthroughcompletionwithAutoCAD2011software.Yourideascan takeshapewithgreaterclarityandaccuracythaneverbefore,thankstonewsurfacemodelingtoolsandpoint cloudsupport.Newinferredconstraintscapabilitiesmakeworkingwithparametricseasier,andupdated productivitytoolshelpyoudeliverfinaldesigndocumentationfasterthanever.Andmajorupdatesto materialsandsurfaceshelpyoucommunicatedesignintentwiththeimpactyoudemand.Withtheseand manyothernewcapabilitiesyouvebeenaskingfor,AutoCAD2011helpsyoutakedesignanddocumentation further.

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TableofContents
UserInterface...............................................................................................................................................4 DrawingWindow....................................................................................................................................4 QuickAccessToolbar..............................................................................................................................4 Navigation..............................................................................................................................................5 UCSIconand3DGizmos........................................................................................................................6 TheRibbon..............................................................................................................................................7 VisualStyles............................................................................................................................................9 ObjectVisibility.......................................................................................................................................9 ObjectSelection...................................................................................................................................10 ObjectCreation....................................................................................................................................13 ActionRecorder....................................................................................................................................13 Document...................................................................................................................................................14 ParametricConstraints.........................................................................................................................14 GeometricConstraints...................................................................................................................14 DimensionalConstraints................................................................................................................18 Transparency........................................................................................................................................19 HatchesandGradients.........................................................................................................................22 Polylines ...............................................................................................................................................25 . Splines...................................................................................................................................................26 ExternalReferences..............................................................................................................................27 ScaleLists..............................................................................................................................................28 MissingSHXandFontFiles...................................................................................................................30 TextAlignmentinLinetypes.................................................................................................................31 Figure62.ExamleLinetypeDefinition. ................................................................................................31 . Explore........................................................................................................................................................31 3DModelingWorkspaces.....................................................................................................................31 3DObjectSnaps...................................................................................................................................32 SolidModeling......................................................................................................................................32 SurfaceModeling..................................................................................................................................33 SurfaceCreationTools...................................................................................................................33

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 SurfaceEditingTools......................................................................................................................35 AnalysisTools.................................................................................................................................37 ConsistentMaterials ............................................................................................................................38 . MeshModeling ....................................................................................................................................40 . PointClouds..........................................................................................................................................41 LearningResources.....................................................................................................................................43 NewFeaturesWorkshop......................................................................................................................43 OnlineHelpSystem..............................................................................................................................43

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UserInterface
AutoCAD2011offersavarietyofuserinterfaceenhancementsthatallowyoutodesignwithgreater easeandefficiency.

Drawing Window
ThedrawingwindowhasbeenupdatedinAutoCAD2011todisplayadarkgraybackgroundinmodelspace. YoucaneasilymodifythedrawingwindowcolorfromtheDisplaytaboftheOptionsdialogbox. Thetraditionaldotgridhasbeenreplacedwithhorizontalandverticalgridlinestomoreclosely representengineeringgraphpaper.Whenthegridisenabled,redandgreenlinesextendfromtheUCS icontorepresenttheXandYaxesoftheorigin.

Figure1.AutoCAD2011drawingwindow

Quick Access Toolbar

TheQuickAccesstoolbardisplaysthenameofthecurrentworkspace.Youcaneasilyselectadifferent workspaceandaccessotherworkspacetools.Inaddition,thedefaultQuickAccesstoolbarnowincludes boththeSaveandtheSaveAstools.

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Figure2.Workspacemenu

Navigation
AutoCAD2011includesanewNavigationbarwithfrequentlyusednavigationtools,includingAutodesk SteeringWheels,ViewCube,andShowMotion,aswellasPan,Zoom,andOrbit.Itreplacesthe navigationtoolsthatwerepreviouslyaccessibleontheStatusbar.Youcancontrolthedisplayofthe NavigationbarforindividualworkspacesviaapropertyintheCUIdialogbox.

Figure3.CUINavigationbarproperty

TheNavigationbarprovidesintegratedsupportfor3DConnexiondeviceswhenthe3DConnexion systemdriverispresent.

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Figure4.3DConnexionsettings

TheViewCubehasbeenenhancedtosupportthe2Dwireframevisualstyle,enablingyoutoeasily changeyourviewpoint.Theclockwiseandcounterclockwisecontrolsareparticularlyusefulforrotating theviewpointonthe2Dplane.

Figure5.ViewCubenavigation

TheSteeringWheelsSettingsdialogboxhasbeenupdatedforclarityandconsistency.

UCS Icon and 3D Gizmos

TheUCSiconhasbeenupdatedtodisplayadifferentcolorforeachaxis:Xforred,Yforgreen,andZfor blue.Inaddition,theappearanceof3Dgizmoshasbeenupdatedforclarityandconsistency.

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Figure6.UCSiconand3Dgizmos

The Ribbon
Anewpulldownmenuhasbeenaddedtotheribboncyclebuttonattheendofthelistoftabs.Youcan minimizetheribbontopanelbuttons,tabs,orpaneltitles.

Figure7.Ribboncycleoptions

Whenyouminimizetheribbontopanelbuttons,largeiconsappearforeachpanel.Hoveringoverthe buttoncausesthepaneltoexpand,similartothebehavioryouseewhentheribbonisminimizedto paneltitles.

Figure8.Ribbonpanelbuttons

TheInserttabincludesaPointCloudpaneltosupportthenewPointCloudfunctionality.Inaddition,a newContentpanelprovideseasyaccesstoDesignCenterandAutodeskSeekwebservice.Autodesk SeekhasbeenremovedfromtheOutputtab.

Figure9.Inserttab

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 TheViewtabhasbeenupdatedtoincludetheVisualStylespanel,providingyouwitheasyaccessto predefinedvisualstyles,theVisualStylesManager,andothervisualstylescontrols.TheWindowspanel includesnewUserInterfaceandToolbarcontrolsthatenableyoutoeasilytogglethedisplayofvarious userinterfaceelements,includingAutodeskViewCubeandShowMotionnavigationwidgets,the Navigationbar,andtheTextwindow.TheStatusbarcontrols,whichhavebeenremovedfromthe Windowspanel,arestilleasilyaccessiblefromtheStatusbar.

Figure10.Viewtab

CustomizableribbonfunctionalityintheCustomizeUserInterfacedialogboxhasbeenenhancedto includenewFoldpanels.AsyouchangethesizeofyourAutoCADwindoworaddandremovepanels fromatab,Foldpanelsresizehorizontallytofilltheavailablespace.Foldpanelpropertiesenableyouto specifydefault,maximium,andminimumbuttonsizes.

Figure11.CUIRibbonFoldPanel.

Forexample,theFoldpaneldefinedabovecouldhavethefollowingdefault,maximum,andminimum appearances.

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Figure12.ExampleFoldpanel

Visual Styles
AutoCAD2011providesfivenewpredefinedvisualstylesincluding:Shaded,ShadedwithEdges,Shades ofGray,Sketchy,andXRay.Withthemostcommoncombinationsofvisualstylepropertiesrightatyour fingertips,visualstylesareeasiertousethanever.

Figure13.Visualstyles

Object Visibility
AutoCAD2011includesnewtoolsthatenableyoutocontrolobjectvisibilityindependentfromlayer visibility.TheObjectVisibilitytoolsareaccessiblefromtherightclickmenuwhenobjectsareselectedas wellaswhennoobjectsareselected.WhenyouusetheIsolateObjectstool,onlytheselectedobjects remainvisibleinthedrawing.Allotherobjectsarehidden.

Figure14.Isolatedobjects

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 Alternatively,whenyouusetheHideObjectstool,theselectedobjectsarehidden.

Figure15.Hiddenobjects

YoucanuseacombinationoftheIsolateObjectsandHideObjectstoolstoefficientlydisplayonlythe objectsthatarerelevanttoyourcurrenttask.Forexample,youmightusetheIsolateObjectstoolto selectanareaofthedrawingyouwanttoeditandthenusetheHideObjectstooltohideadditional objectswithinthatarea.Aftercompletingyourtask,youcanquicklyrestorethehiddenobjectsusing theEndObjectIsolationtool.

Figure16.EndObjectIsolationtool

TheOBJECTISOLATIONMODEsystemvariablecontrolswhetherisolated/hiddenobjectspersistbetween drawingsessions.Alightbulbicononthestatusbarindicateswhetherobjectisolationisactiveinthe drawing.

Figure17.ObjectIsolationstatusicon

Inadditiontotheobviousbenefitsobjectvisibilitycontrolsofferfor2Ddesign,theyrejustasvaluable for3Dmodeling.

Object Selection

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 ThenewSelectSimilartoolenablesyoutoselectanobjectandautomaticallyincludeallotherobjectsof thesametypeandwiththesameproperties,inanewselectionset.Youcanaccessitfromtherightclick menuwhenobjectsareselected.

Figure18.SelectSimilartool

ASettingsoption(accessiblewhenyouenterSELECTSIMILARatthecommandline)enablesyouto specifywhichpropertiestofilter.IfonlytheLayerpropertyisenabledwhenyouselectacircle,for example,AutoCADautomaticallyselectsallcirclesonthesamelayerastheoneyouselected.Ifboththe LayerandLinetypepropertiesareenabled,however,AutoCADselectsonlythecirclesonthesamelayer andwiththesamelinetypeastheselectedone.

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Figure19.SelectSimilarSettingsdialogbox

TheSelectSimilartoolalsoenablesyoutoselectmorethanoneobjectandcreatethematching selectionsetaccordingly.Forexample,iftheLayerfilterisenabledandyouselecttwocircles,eachon differentlayers,AutoCADselectsallthecirclesonbothlayers.If,instead,youselectacircleandaline, AutoCADselectsallthecirclesonthesamelayerastheselectedcircleandallthelinesonthesamelayer astheselectedline.Inadditiontogeneralobjectproperties,youcanfilterselectionsbasedonobject specificproperties,includingobjectstyleandreferencename.ObjectStylepropertiesapplytotextand mtext,leadersandmleaders,dimensionsandtolerances,andtablesandmultilines.Referencenames applytoblocksandexternallyreferencedfiles,includingxrefsandimagesaswellasPDF,DWG,or DGNfiles. InadditiontothenewSelectSimilartool,anewoptionhasbeenaddedtothePICKADDsystemvariable. WhenPICKADDissettoavalueof2(asitisnowbydefault),objectsthatyouselectusingtheSELECT commandremainselectedinapickfirststateevenafteryouendtheSELECTcommand. Easilyselectoverlappingobjectsusingthenewselectioncyclingfunctionality.Youcanenableselection cyclingfromacontrolontheStatusbar.Whenyoutrytoselectanobjectthatoverlapsotherobjects, AutoCADdisplaysalistofalltheoverlappingobjects.Asyoupassthecursoroveranobjectinthelist, therelevantobjectinthedrawinghighlights.

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Figure20.Selectioncyclingtool

Object Creation
ThenewAddSelectedtoolenablesyoutoquicklycreateanewobjectinyourdrawingbasedonthe propertiesofanexistingobject.Forexample,ifyouusetheAddSelectedtoolandselectapolyline,AutoCAD automaticallylaunchesthePLINEcommandwithbasicobjectpropertiesincludingcolor,layer,linetype, linetypescale,plotstyle,lineweight,transparency,andmaterialpresettomatchtheselectedobject.

Figure21.AddSelectedtool

Action Recorder
TheActionMacroenablesyoutodeleteorinsertusermessagesforViewChangeoperations.

Figure22.ViewChangeeditingtools

Themacrolistdisplaysthemostrecentlyusedmacrosabovetheseparationbarandallavailablemacros belowit. 13 ConfidentialSubject to Nondisclosure Agreement

Figure23.Actionmacrolist

Document
AutoCADissynonymouswithdocumentationforgoodreason.Powerfuldocumentationtoolsin AutoCAD2011helpyouworkevenfasterwithautomation,management,andeditingtoolsthat minimizerepetitivetasksandspeedyourtimetocompletion.Nomatteryourprojectssizeorscope, youcanmeetthechallengewithAutoCADcontinuouslyleadingandinnovatingdocumentationfor over25years.

Parametric Constraints
The2DparametricfunctionalityhasbeenenhancedinAutoCAD2011,andincludespredefined commandmacrostoaccessoptionswithinintheGEOMCONSTRAINTandDIMCONSTRAINTcommands. Forexample,insteadoflaunchingtheGEOMCONSTRAINTcommandandthenselectingthe Perpendicularoption,youcanlaunchtheGCPERPENDICULARcommanddirectly.Repeatingthelast commandautomaticallyrepeatsthelastcommandaswellasthespecificoption. Objecthighlightingwhenyourolloveranicononaconstraintbarorwhenyouselectaparameterinthe ParametersmanagersupportstheVisualEffectssettingsyouspecifyontheSelectiontaboftheOptions dialogbox(dashedandthickenedbydefault).Additionalimprovementstogeometricanddimensional constraintfunctionalityenableyoutocreateandeditparametricallyconstrainedgeometryfasterthan everbefore. GeometricConstraints AutoCAD2011significantlysimplifiestheprocessofaddinggeometricconstraintsto2DAutoCAD geometry.AutoCADcaninfergeometricconstraintsasyoucreateandmodifygeometry.AnewInfer Constraintbuttononthestatusbarenablesyoutotoggleinferredconstraintsonandoffsimilarto togglingobjectsnapsonandoff.ThistoggleisalsoavailableontheGeometrictaboftheConstraint Settingsdialogbox.

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Figure24.InferConstraintstool

UsinginferredconstraintsautomaticallyappliescoincidentconstraintsforEndpoint,Midpoint,Center, Node,andInsertionobjectssnaps.Forexample,ifyoudrawacirclebysnappingitscentertothe midpointofaline,AutoCADautomaticallyappliesacoincidentconstraintbetweenthecenterofthe circleandthemidpointoftheline.Ifyoumovethecircle,thelinegoeswithit.Thesamepowerful functionalityappliestoeditingcommands.If,forexample,youcopytheinsertionofablocktothe endpointofaline,AutoCADautomaticallyappliesacoincidentconstraintbetweenthosetwopoints. Whenyoumovetheline,theblockmaintainsitspositionattheendpointoftheline.

Figure25.Editingwithinferredconstraints

Inadditiontocreatingpointtopointcoincidentconstraintswiththepreviouslymentionedobjectsnaps, youcanusetheNearestobjectsnaptoapplyacoincidentconstraintbetweenapointandanobject.For example,ifyoudrawthecenterofacircleonalineusingtheNearestobjectsnap,thecenterofthe circlehastheflexibilityofmovinganywherealongthelineincludingthevirtualextensionoftheline.

Figure26.Nearestobjectsnapwithinferredconstraints

ThePerpendicularandTangentobjectsnapsautomaticallyapplyperpendicularortangentconstraints betweentheobjectbeingcreatedoreditedandtheobjectbeingsnappedto.Theyalsoapplyapointto pointorpointtoobjectcoincidentconstraintifappropriate.UsingtheParallelobjectsnapautomatically appliesaparallelconstraintbutnocoincidentconstraintsareappliedsince,bydefinition,thetwo objectsneverintersect.Whenyoudrawhorizontalorverticallinesandpolylinesegments,inferred horizontalandverticalconstraintsautomaticallyapplytothosesegments. Inferredconstraintsenhancethebehaviorofrectangles,fillets,andchamfersbyautomaticallyapplying appropriategeometricconstraints.Forexample,ifyoudrawarectangle(usingtheRECTANGcommand), AutoCADautomaticallyappliesapairofparallelconstraintsandaperpendicularconstrainttotheclosed polyline.Whenyoumodifythesizeandshapeoftherectangle,youcanrestassuredthatitwillremaina rectanglewithparallelsidesandperpendicularcorners.Creatingafilletautomaticallyappliescoincident

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 andtangentconstraintsbetweenthenewlycreatedarcandtheexistingpairoflineshelpingmaintain thefilletevenwhenthearcorlinesaremodified.Similarly,creatingachamferappliescoincident constraintsbetweenthenewlycreatedlineandtheexistingpairoflines.

Figure27.Filletsandchamferswithinferredconstraints

Evenafteryouveappliedconstraints,youcantemporarilyrelaxthembypressingtheCTRLkeywhile editingconstrainedobjects. AutoCAD2011improvesthesupportofgeometricconstraintsforellipsesandtext.Youcannowapply Parallel,Perpendicular,Collinear,Horizontal,andVerticalconstraintsbetweenthemajororminoraxes ofanellipseandotherobjects.

Figure28.Constraininganellipse

Similarly,youcanapplyParallel,Perpendicular,Collinear,Horizontal,andVerticalconstraintstothe rotationangleoftextobjects.Inaddition,textandmtextobjectsbehaveconsistentlyandpredictably, withtheidentifiedinsertionpointoftheobjectbeingtheconstrainablepoint.

Figure29.Constrainingtext

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 TheAutoConstrainfunctionalityinAutoCAD2011hasbeenupdatedtoincludetheEqualconstraint. WhenyouuseAutoConstrainwiththeEqualoptionenabled,theEqualconstraintisautomatically appliedtolinesandpolylinesegmentsofequallengthandarcsand/orcirclesofequalradius. Constraintbarsareenhancedtoprovidemorecontrolandflexibility.Youcanselectmultipleobjectsfor showingorhidingconstraintbarsusingstandardselectionmethods,includingWindow,Crossing,Fence, andImpliedWindow/Crossing.Quicklydisplayallconstraintbarsintheiroriginalpositionusingthenew Resetoption.And,anewsettingintheGeometrictaboftheConstraintSettingsdialogsenablesyouto showconstraintbarswhenobjectsareselectedevenifthoseconstraintbarsarecurrentlyhidden.When thegeometryisnolongerselected,thetemporarilydisplayedconstraintbarsare,onceagain,hidden. Whenyoumoveaconstraintbarandthenedittherelatedgeometry,theconstraintbarmaintainsits positionrelativetothegeometry.

Figure30.GeometricConstraintsettings

ThenewconstrainticonsforFix,Horizontal,andVerticalconstraintsvisuallyindicatewhethertheyapply toanobjectortoapoint.Thesymmetricconstrainticonisalsoupdatedtoindicatewhetheritis identifyingasymmetricalpointorobject,orthesymmetricline.

Constraint
Fix Horizontal Vertical

Icons

Description
Differenticonsforfixpointandfixobjectconstraints Differenticonsforfixpointandfixobjectconstraints Differenticonsforfixpointandfixobjectconstraints

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Symmetric Differenticonsforsymmetricalpoint,object,andsymmetryline

DimensionalConstraints TheDIMCONSTRAINTcommandincludesanewConvertoptiontoconvertassociativedimensionsto dimensionalconstraintsratherthanitbeingthedefaultbehavior.

Figure31.DIMCONSTRAINToptions

Whenenteringdimensionalconstraintvaluesinplace,youcanclickonanexistingdimensional constrainttoinserttheconstraintname.Whendynamicdimensionalconstraintsreferenceanother parameter,theparametertextisprependedwithfx:tohelppreventyoufromaccidentallyassigninga constantvaluetoaparameterthatreferencesothervariables.

Figure32.Dimensionalconstraints

NewtoolsontheDimensionalPaneloftheParametrictabprovideyouwithmorecontroloverthe displayofdimensionalconstraints.UsingtheShow/Hidetoolyoucanselectthespecificdimensional constraintsyouwanttoshoworhide.

Figure33.Dimensionalconstraintvisibilitytools

TheParametersManagerofferssignificantimprovementsinAutoCAD2011.ItincludesanewFilters panewhereyoucandefineparametergroupsthatdisplayasubsetoftheparameters.Createnewfilter groupsusingthebuttonatthetopoftheParametersManagerorbyselectingtheoptionfromtheright clickmenu.Withyourfiltergroupscreated,youcanthendragparametersintothem.Therightclick menuforparametersintheParametersManagerisupdatedwithadditionaloptionsincludingtheability todisplaytheFiltertreeandtoremoveparametersfromagroup.

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Figure34.Parametergroupfilters

Anewsearchboxfilterstheparametersdisplayedinthegridcontrolbasedontheparametername. Columntooltipsdisplaythefullnameofthecolumnaswellasadescription. AdditionalenhancementstotheParametersManagersimplifytheterminologyfordimensional constraintsanduservariablescreatedinthedrawingeditorversustheblockeditor.TheShowcolumnin theBlockEditorincludesanewoptiontoconvertbetweendimensionalconstraintparametersoruser parametersdefinedinthedrawingeditorversustheblockeditor.IntheBlockEditor,iconsaredisplayed foractionparameters,attributes,anduserparameters.

Transparency
AutoCAD2011includesanewtransparencypropertythatenablesyoutoapplytransparencytoobjects andlayersinthesamewayyouapplycolors,linetypes,andlineweights.

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Figure35.Transparentobjects

Youcansettransparencybylayer,byblock,orindividuallyforanobject.Thedefaulttransparencyvalue forlayersandobjectsis0,andyoucansetitashighas90. TheLayerPropertiesManager(paletteanddialog),theLayerStatesManager,theLayerFilterdialog, andtheLayerTranslatorhaveallbeenupdatedtoreflectthenewtransparencyproperty.IntheLayer PropertiesManager,anewcolumnforTransparencyisavailableinmodelspaceandlayouts,anda columnforViewport(VP)Transparencyisavailableinlayoutsandfloatingmodelspaceviewports.

Figure36.LayerTransparancyoptions

Youcansettransparencyforindividualobjectsjustlikecolorandlinetype.Settingatransparencyvalue foranindividualobjectoverridesthelayertransparencysettingforthatobject.Youcanaccessobject transparencyfromanumberofplaces:thePropertiespalette,QuickProperties,ortheribbon.Thenew CETRANSPARENCYsystemvariablesetsthetransparencypropertyfornewobjects.

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Figure37.ObjectTransparancyoptions

TheSetByLayerSettingsdialoghasbeenupdatedtoincludeTransparencyasoneoftheavailable properties.

Figure38.SetByLayersettings

TransparencyhasalsobeenaddedtotheQuickSelect,Filter,andMatchPropertySettingsdialogsas wellastheCHPROP,CHANGE,LAYER,VPLAYER,andLISTcommands.

Figure39.Propertysettings

Abuttonhasbeenaddedtothestatusbartoenableyoutotemporarilyturnofftransparencydisplay (TRANSPARENCYDISPLAYsystemvariable),similartothebehaviorofthelineweightdisplaybutton.This doesnotaffectplotting.However,youhavetheoptiontoturnofftransparencywhenplotting.ThePlot

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 andPageSetupdialogsbothincludeacheckboxfortransparency(PLOTTRANSPARENCY),similartothe behaviorforplotstyles.Whenthisoptionisenabled,AutoCADrasterizestheentiredrawingforplotting, slowingdowntheplottingprocess.

Figure40.Plottransparency

PriortoAutoCAD2011,imageshadasetting,alsocalledtransparency,thatcontrolledwhetherthe backgroundofabitonalimagewasclearoropaque.Thispropertyhasbeenrenamedtobackground transparencytodistinguishitfromthenewtransparencyproperty.Youcanapplybothbackground andobjecttransparenciestoimagesinAutoCAD2011.

Hatches and Gradients

TheHatchtoolisstreamlinedinAutoCAD2011forfastercreationandeditingofhatchobjects.Itnow immediatelypromptsyoutoselectaninternalpointwithoutdisplayingtheHatchdialogbox.Instead, thenewHatchCreationcontextualtabprovideseasyaccesstoallhatchandgradientoptions.

Figure41.HatchCreationtab

AHatchEditorcontextualribbondisplayssimilarhatchtoolswhenyouselectanexistinghatch.

Figure42.HatchEditingribbontab

TheHatchPreviewfunctionforthepickpointsmethodhasbeenimproved.Now,passingyourcursor overaneligibleareashowsyouwhatthehatchwouldlooklikeifyouclickedthere.

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Figure43.Hatchpreview

Youcanalsoseetheresultofeachclickasyoupickpointsorobjectsinthedrawing.Keepinmindthat eventhoughitlooksasthoughahatchwascreatedasyouclicked,itwillnotactuallybeaseparate objectunlessyouhavetheCreateSeparateHatchesoptionon.

Figure44.CreateSeparateHatchesoption

AutoCAD2011continuestoexpandobjectgripfunctionalitywithanewcentergripfordirect manipulationofhatchobjects.Youcanusedirectmanipulationtostretchormovethehatchorchange theorigin,angle,orscale.Theseoptionsareavailablewhenyouhoveroverthegrip.Youcaneither chooseanoptionfromthelist,oractivatethegripanduseCTRLtocyclethroughthedifferent behaviors.

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Figure45.Directmanipulationhatchtools

Otherhatchgripbehaviorhasnotchanged,exceptthatstretchisnowthedefaultactionforthe secondaryormiddlegripsonanonassociativehatch.

Figure46.Stretchhatchaction

Hatchesnowsupportbackgroundcolorinadditiontolinecolor.Thisenablesyoutohavetheeffectof layeringhatchesinoneobject.

Figure47.Hatchbackgroundcolor

Younowalsohavetheoptiontosetahatchslayerbeforeyoucreateit.Youcanchooseeithertouse thecurrentlayerortopickonefromyourdrawing.Likecolor,pattern,andotherhatchproperties,layer isapersistentsettingduringyourdrawingsession. ThecommandHATCHTOBACKhasbeenintroducedinresponsetoanitemontheAUGIwishlist.Similar toTEXTTOFRONT,HATCHTOBACKsendshatchesunderneathallotherobjectsinthedrawing.Send HatchestoBackisavailableontheModifypaneloftheHometabundertheDrawOrderflyout,along withBringTexttoFrontandBringDimensionstoFront.

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Figure48.SendHatchestoBacktool

ThenewsystemvariableMIRRHATCHenablesyoutomirrorhatcheswhileretainingtheirorientation. (ThisissimilartotheMIRRTEXTvariable.)Setto0,mirroringhatchesmaintainstheiroriginalangle. WhenMIRRHATCHissetto1,thehatchanglemirrorsalongwiththerestoftheobjects.

Figure49.Hatchmirrorbehavior

TheHatchObjectLimitsystemvariable(HPOBJWARNING)hasbeenincreasedto10,000from1,000to reflectthecapabilitiesofcurrentcomputers.Whenalargenumberofobjectsareselectedforhatch boundarycalculations,itcanresultinslowerperformance.Thankstoincreasedhardwarecapabilities, though,itnowtakesamuchlargernumberofboundaryobjectstoaffectcalculationspeed.Youmay nowalsosetthevalueoftheHatchObjectLimityourself.

Polylines
PolylineobjectsinAutoCAD2011nowhaveextragripstomakeeditingthemeasierthanever.In additiontothefamiliarprimarygripslocatedattheendofeachpolylinesegment,therearenow additionalsecondarygripslocatedatthemidpointofeachsegment.Thesegrips,likethenewhatch grips,aremultifunctional.Theavailablefunctionscanbeseenbyhoveringoveragrip,andyoucan chooseanoptiondirectlyfromthemenuthatappears.

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Figure50.Directmanipulationpolylinetools

Youcanalsoactivatethegripbyclickingonit.Thenyoucancyclethroughtheavailablefunctionsby pressingCTRL,orchoosingoneoftheoptionsfromtherightclickmenu.Iconsnexttothecursor indicatetheactivefunction. SubselectionforpolylineshasbeenrefinedinAutoCAD2011.Tosubselectoneormoresegmentsofa polyline,holddownCTRLwhileleftclickingonthepolyline.

Figure51.Polylinesubobjectselection

Gripbehaviorforsubselectedsegmentsisidenticaltothebehaviorwhentheentirepolylineisselected. YoucannowusetheJOINcommandtoconnectlines,arcs,andpolylinesto3Dpolylines,aslongasthey areallcontiguous(inotherwords,theyshareacommonendpoint).Youmustselectthemostcomplex objectfirst(inthiscase,the3Dpolyline),andtheobjectstobejoineddonotneedtobecoplanar.

Splines
SplineshavebeenupdatedinAutoCAD2011toprovidemoreflexibilityandcontrol.Youcandefinea splineusingfitpointsorcontrolvertices(CV).CVsplinesaremoreappropriateifyouwillbeusingthem with3DNURBSsurfaces.

Figure52.FitsplineandControlVerticesspline

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 Whendrawingafitspline,youcanspecifyadditionalsettingsforitsstartandendtangencies,tolerance (howclosethesplinemustcometothefitpoint),andknotparameterization(controllingtheshapeof thecurveasitpassesthroughthefitpoint). TheonlyoptionforCVsplinesisDegree,whichcontrolshowmanybendsthesplinecantakeinagiven span.

Figure53.CVsplineDegreeC

Easilyswitchmethods,addandremovepoints,oreditendpointtangenciesusingintuitivegripmenus.

Figure54.Splinetangentdirection

TheSPLINEDITcommandalsohasseveralnewoptions,includingimprovedEditVertexoptions.Youcan noweasilyaddkinksorsharpcornerstoaspline.

Figure55.Splinekink

YoucanusetheJOINcommandtoconnectlines,arcs,polylines,3Dpolylines,andhelixestosplines,as longastheyareallcontiguous(inotherwords,theyshareacommonendpoint).Youmustselectthe mostcomplexobjectfirst(inthiscase,thespline),andtheobjectstobejoineddonotneedtobe coplanar.

External References

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 TheselectionofexternallyreferencedfileshasbeenenhancedinAutoCAD2011.Whenyouselecta referenceobjectinthedrawing(xrefs,images,DWFTM,DGN,PDF,dataextractiontables),the correspondingreferenceisselectedintheExternalReferencespalette.Similarly,ifyouselectfile referencesfromtheExternalReferencespalette,thereferencesarehighlighted(butnotselected)inthe drawing,assumingtheyarevisibleinthecurrentview.Youcancontrolthisbehaviorwiththenew ERHIGHLIGHTsystemvariable.

Figure56.ExternalReferencehighlighting

TheExternalReferencespaletteincludesaoptiontoeasilydetachdataextractiontablesfromadrawing.

Figure57.DataExtractionTableDetachoption

Scale Lists
ScalelistfunctionalityhasbeenenhancedinAutoCAD2011tostoreacustomizabledefaultlistof annotationscalesinthefixedprofileoftheregistry.Youcanusethedefaultscalelisttodefinea customizedlistofscalesthatautomaticallydisplaysinallyourdrawings.Ascalelistisstillmaintainedin thedrawing,butyoucaneasilyresetthescalelistinthedrawingtothedefaultlistofscales(metricor

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 imperial)definedintheregistry.Whenthescalelistinadrawingisreset,AutoCADpurgestheunused scalesinthedrawingandthenmergesinthecustomizedlistofscalesfromtheregistryintothedrawing. YoucancustomizetheDefaultScaleListfromtheUserPreferencesTaboftheOptionsdialogbox.You canstilleditthescaleliststoredinthedrawingbyaccessingthescalecontrolontheStatusbarorwith theSCALELISTEDITcommand.

Figure58.UserPreferencestaboftheOptionsdialogbox

TheDefaultScaleListdialogboxissimilartotheexistingEditScaleListdialog,whicheditsthescalesin thedrawing.However,theDefaultScaleListdialogboxincludesadditionalcontrolsforyoutospecify whetherthedefaultscalesaremetricorimperial.

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Figure59.DefaultScalelist

Whenyouresetthescaleslistinadrawing,youarepromptedtoselectMetricscales,Imperialscales,or both.ThedefaultchoiceisgovernedbytheMEASUREMENTvariableinthedrawing.Whenyoucreatea newdrawingwithoutspecifyingatemplate,AutoCADaddsmetricorimperialscalesbasedonthe MEASUREMENTvariable.Whenyoucreateanewdrawingbasedonatemplate,thescalesinthe templateappearinthenewdrawing.Thescalesintheregistryarenotimported.

Missing SHX and Font Files

YounowhavetheoptiontoignoremissingSHXfiles(shapeorfontfiles)whenopeningadrawing.You arenolongerrequiredtospecifyareplacement.ThisdialogmaybesuppressedifFONTALTissetto somethingotherthannone.

Figure60.MissingSHXfiles

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 TextstyleswithmissingfontsarenowidentifiedbyaniconintheTextStyleManager.

Text Alignment in Linetypes

AutoCAD2011nowmakesitpossibletomaintainlinetypereadabilityinanyorientation.

Figure61.Textalignment

ThelinetypesincludedwithAutoCAD2011behavethiswaybydefault.Toupdateyourowncustom linetypes,youneedtochangetherotationoptiontoU,forupright.(Otherpossiblevaluesforthe rotationoptionareR,forrelative,andA,forabsolute.) Anexamplelinetypedefinitionlookslikethis: Old: *GAS_LINE,Gas line ----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS-A,.5,-.2,["GAS",STANDARD,S=.1,R=0.0,X=-0.1,Y=-.05],-.25 New: *GAS_LINE,Gas line ----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS-A,.5,-.2,["GAS",STANDARD,S=.1,U=0.0,X=-0.1,Y=-.05],-.25

Figure 62. Examle Linetype Definition.

Explore
AutoCAD2011givesyou3Dpowertoexploreyourideasinalmostanyshapeimaginable.AutoCADand ablankcanvashavealotincommon.Bothgiveyoutheabilitytocreatethepreviouslyunimaginable. ButAutoCADprovidestheflexibilitytoexploredesignideasinboth2Dand3D,withintuitivetoolsthat helpyourconceptsbecomereal.Theworldisyourcanvaswhatwillyoucreatenext?

3D Modeling Workspaces
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 AutoCAD2011includestwo3Drelatedworkspaces,whichyoucanaccessfromtheWorkspacemenuin theQuickAccessToolbar.The3DBasicsworkspaceprovidesasimpleworkspacewiththemostbasic toolsforcreatingandvisualizing3Dsolidmodels.The3DModelingworkspaceprovidesaccesstothe completearrayof3DtoolsinAutoCAD.

Figure63.Workspaceslist

3D Object Snaps
NewtoolsandvariablesinAutoCAD2011separate3Dobjectsnapsfrom2Dobjectsnaps.Anew3D ObjectSnaptoggleisavailableonthestatusbar,enablingyoutotoggle3Dobjectsnapsonandoff. Rightclickingonthestatusbariconprovidesaccesstoamenuofthe3DobjectsnapsandtheSettings option,whichlinkstothenew3DObjectSnaptabintheDraftingSettingsdialogbox.Youcanalso accessthesecontrolsviatheshiftrightclickmenu,oratthecommandlineusingthenew3DOSNAP commandand3DOSMODEsystemvariable.

Figure64.3DObjectsnaps

Solid Modeling
3DmodelingtoolsinAutoCAD2011havebeenupdatedtoprovidemoreflexibilityandincreasedeaseof use.TheEXTRUDE,LOFT,REVOLVE,andSWEEPcommandsnowallowyoutoselectanedgeorsub objectforusingasaprofileorcurvetocreateanewsurface.Youarenolongerlimitedtousingplanar curves. TheSolidribbontabprovidesaccesstonewFilletEdgeandChamferEdgesolideditingtools.Bothof thesetoolsprovideapreviewpriortocompletingtheoperationandtheysupportdirectmanipulation.

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Surface Modeling
Inadditionto3Dsolidandmeshobjects,AutoCAD2011offerstwodifferenttypesofsurfaces: proceduralandNURBS(nonuniformrationalbspline).Proceduralsurfacesareassociativeandhave history.NURBSsurfacesarenotassociativeanddonothavehistory.Instead,theyhavecontrolvertices thatallowyoutosculptshapesinawaythatisclosertohowyouwouldoperateintherealworld.You canuseproceduralsurfacestotakeadvantageofassociativemodelinganduseNURBSsurfacestotake advantageofsculptingwithcontrolvertices.Atypicalsurfacemodelingworkflowmightbe: Createamodelthatcombines3Dsolids,surfaces,andmeshobjects. Convertthemodeltoproceduralsurfacestotakeadvantageofassociativemodeling. ConverttheproceduralsurfacestoaNURBSmodelwiththeCONVTONURBScommandtotake advantageofNURBSediting. Checkforimperfectionsandwrinkleswiththesurfaceanalysistools. Ifnecessary,rebuildthesurfacestorestoresmoothnesswiththeCVREBUILDcommand.

ThenewSurfacetabontheribbonprovideseasyaccesstosurfacemodelingtools.

Figure65.Surfaceribbontab

SurfaceCreationTools AutoCAD2011enablesyoutocreatethreenewanalyticsurfacetypes:Blend,Patch,andNetwork. AblendsurfacecreatesasmoothtransitionbetweenexistingsurfacesusingthenewSURFBLEND command.Youcanspecifyhowtheblendsurfaceflowsattheedgethatmeetsandtouchestheother surfacesusingthegripmenuoptions.

Figure66.Blendedsurface

ThenewPatchsurfacetoolenablesyoutocloseorpatchanopen,closededgeobject.Itgeneratesa newpatchsurfaceforanyboundingedgethatisaclosedloop.

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Figure67.Patchsurface

ThenewNetworktoolenablesyoutocreateasurfacethroughasetofcurvesintheUandVdirections. ItissimilartotheLOFTcommandbutmorestreamlinedandflexible.Youcanevenchooseaselectionof curvesthatarenotconnectedtooneanother.

Figure68.Networksurface

Ifyoudefinetheedgesofanetworkedsurfaceusingedgesfromexistingsurfaces,thenewlycreated surfacewillhaveadditionalgripsenablingyoutocontrolthecontinuityconditionbetweenthenewly createdsurfaceanditsadjacentsurfaces. Theoffsettool(SURFOFFSETcommand)isaccessiblefromtheCreatepaneloftheSurfaceribbontab.It enablesyoutoeasilycreateanewsurfacebyoffsettinganexistingsurface.

Figure69.Offsetsurface

YoucanturnonSurfaceAssociativitypriortoperformingaBlend,Patch,orOffsetoperation,accessible fromtheCreatepaneloftheSurfacesribbontab,toconstrainthenewsurfacesbasedontheoriginating surfaces.Forexample,ifsurfaceassociativityisenabledwhenyoucreateanoffsetsurfaceandablend betweenthetwosurfaces,allthreesurfacesareassociative.Ifyouedittheoffsetdistance,usingthe Propertiespaletteorgrips,theblendsurfacewillupdateaccordingly.

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Figure70.Surfaceassociativity

SurfaceEditingTools AutoCAD2011offersasetofrobustnewsurfaceeditingtoolstofillet,extend,trim,anduntrimsurfaces. YoucancreateafilletwithaspecifiedradiusbetweentwosurfaceedgesusingthenewFillettool (SURFFILLETcommand),availableontheEditpanel.

Figure71.Surfacefillet

ThenewTrimtool,accessiblefromtheEditpanel,enablesyoutocreatecomplexedgesandholesin surfaces.YoucanusetheUntrimtool(UNTRIMcommand)tountrimatrimmedsurface.

Figure72.Surfacetrim

ThenewExtendtool(SURFEXTENDcommand),ontheEditpanel,enablesyoutoextendasurfaceby selectinganedge.

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Figure73.Surfaceextend

ThenewSculpttool(SURFSCULPTcommand),accessiblefromtheEditpanel,enablesyoutocreatea newsolidobjectbasedontheenclosedvolumeofmultipleintersectingsurfaces.

Figure74.Surfacesculpt

ThenewProjectGeometrytools(PROJECTGEOMETRYcommand)enableyoutoprojectgeometryontoa surfacecreatinganewlineorsplineontopofthesurface.UnliketheexistingImprinttool,theprojected geometryisnotconsumedbythesurface.YoucanusetheAutoTrimtooltospecifywhethersurfaces areautomaticallytrimmedwhenyouprojectgeometry.AllofthesetoolsareavailableintheProject GeometrypaneloftheSurfaceribbontab.

Figure75.ProjectGeometrytools

YoucanconvertfromanalyticsurfacestoNURBSsurfacesusingthenewConverttoNURBStool (CONVTONURBScommand)whichisaccessiblefromtheControlVerticespanelontheSurfaceribbon tab.OnceananalyticsurfaceisconvertedtoaNURBSsurfaceyoucanshow/hidethecontrolverticesvia theShowCVandHideCVtools(CVSHOWandCVHIDEcommands)andusethegizmotomovethe controlvertices,reshapingthesurface.AdditionaltoolsintheControlVerticespanelenableyouto

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 rebuildthecontrolvertices(CVREBUILD)oradd(CVADD)andremove(CVREMOVE)vertices.TheCVEdit Bar,locatedontheribbon,isaconvenienttoolthatcombinestheCVADD,CVHIDE,andCVREMOVE functions.

Figure76.NURBSsurface

AnalysisTools AutoCAD2011providesasetofanalysistoolstohelpyouunderstandthecontinuitybetweendifferent surfacesthatmakeupaglobalshape.ThesetoolsareavailableintheAnalysispaneloftheSurface ribbontab.TheZebratoolenablesyoutoanalyzesurfacecontinuitybyprojectingparallellinesontothe surface.TheCurvaturetooldisplaysacolorgradientonthesurface,enablingyoutoidentifyhighand lowareasofcurvature.TheDrafttooldisplaysacolorgradientonthesurface,enablingyouto determineifamodelhasadequatedraftbetweenapartanditsmold.Youcancontrolthedisplayand behaviorforeachoftheanalysistoolsusingtheAnalysisOptionsdialogbox.TheAnalysisOptionsdialog boxisaccessiblefromtheAnalysispanelaswellasfromthe3DModelingtaboftheOptionsdialogbox.

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Figure77.Analysisoptions

Theanalysesarevisualrepresentationssimilartothevisualstyles,exceptthattheycanbeappliedper object.

Figure78.Exampleofanalysisrepresentations

Consistent Materials
AutoCAD2011providespowerfulandintuitivetoolsforviewing,selecting,andeditingmaterials.Access thesetoolsfromtheMaterialspaneloftheRenderribbontabwhenthe3DModelingworkspaceis active.

Figure79.Renderribbontab

TheMaterialsBrowserenablesyoutobrowseandsearchformaterialsfromtheAutodeskMaterials Libraryofthousandsofmaterialsanduserlibraries,aswellasfromthecurrentdrawing.Alistofthe availablelibrariesandtheircategoriesisavailableinthetreeatthebottomleftoftheMaterials Browser.

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Figure80.MaterialsBrowser

InadditiontotheAutodeskMaterialslibrary,youcancreateandopenyourownmaterialslibraries directlyintheMaterialsBrowser.Createcategorieswithinthematerialslibrarytoorganizeandmanage specifictypesofmaterials.Tofindspecificmaterials,youcansearchonmaterialcharacteristics,suchas blueorceramic.Afterlocatingadesiredmaterialinalibrary,addittothecurrentdrawingviatheright clickmenuordraganddrop.Materialsinthecurrentdrawingaredisplayedintheupperpaneofthe MaterialsBrowser.

Figure81.AutodeskMaterialslibrary

TheMaterialsEditoroffersmanysettingstomodifypropertiesofamaterial.Youcanaccessitfromthe dialogboxlauncherinthelowerrightcorneroftheMaterialspanelorfromaniconinthelowerright corneroftheMaterialsBrowser.

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Figure82.MaterialsEditor

Mesh Modeling
MeshmodelingfunctionalityhasbeenupdatedinAutoCAD2011toprovideyouwithmoreflexibility andcontrol.YoucanaccesstheMeshmodelingtoolsfromtheMeshtabwhenthe3DModeling workspaceisactive.

ThenewMergeMeshtoolenablesyoutomergetwoormoreadjacentfacesintoasingleface.

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Figure83.MeshMergeexample

YoucanusetheCloseHoletooltoclosegapsinmeshobjectsbyselectingtheedgesofthesurrounding meshedges.

Figure84.CloseHoleexample

TheCollapseFaceorEdgetoolenablesyoutoforceverticesofsurroundingmeshfacestoconvergeat thecenterofaselectededgeorface.

Figure85.CollapseFaceorEdgeExample.

TheSpinTriangleFacetoolmodifiestheshapesoffacesbyrotatingtheedgethatjoinstwotriangular meshfaces.

Figure86.SpinTriangleFaceexample

Point Clouds
AutoCAD2011enablesyoutoattachanddisplaypointcloudscreatedfrom3Dscanningdevices.You canaccessthenewPointCloudtoolsfromtheInsertribbontab.

Figure87.PointCloudtools

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 TheIndextoolenablesyoutoindexscandatafilesfromtwodifferentpointcloudenginesandsave themaspointcloudfiles. Engine Ambercore LightweightEngine Youcanattachapointcloudfile(ISDorPCG)toanAutoCADdrawinginasimilarmannertoattaching otherreferencefiles. Inputfiles .LAS .XYB,.LAS,.FLS,.FWS Outputfiles .ISD .PCG

Figure88.AttachPointClouddialogbox

Withapointcloudfileattached,youcancreateandeditdrawinggeometrybysnappingtopoints.Adjust thepointdensityusingtheDensitysliderbarintheflyoutofthePointCloudribbonpanel.

Figure89.PointClouddensity

Tosupportpointcloudfunctionality,AutoCAD2011includesfournewsystemvariables: POINTCLOUDDENSITYcontrolsthepercentageofpointsdisplayedatonceforallpointcloudsin thedrawing.

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 POINTCLOUDRTDENSITYcontrolsthepercentageofpointsdisplayedduringrealtimezoom,pan, andorbit. POINTCLOUDLOCKcontrolswhetherthelockpropertyofthepointcloudissettoYesorNo whenapointcloudisattached. POINTCLOUDAUTOUPDATEcontrolswhetherpointcloudsaredynamicallyupdatedwhen transformingthepointcloudorafterzooming,panning,ororbiting.

LearningResources
WhenyoustartAutoCAD2011,aWelcomeScreenisautomaticallydisplayed.FromtheWelcomeScreen youcanlinktoshortvideostolearnaboutkeytopicsinAutoCAD.Additionallinksatthebottomofthe WelcomeScreenprovideeasyaccesstomorelearningresources,includingWhatsNew,LearningPath, andAutoCADOnlineHelp.

New Features Workshop

TheNewFeaturesWorkshophasbeenupdatedtoincludeAutoCAD2011functionality.Thisinteractive learningtoolhelpsyoudiscoverthenewestfunctionalitywithminimaleffort.YoucanaccesstheNew FeaturesWorkshopfromthedropdownmenuontheInfoCentertoolbar,totherightoftheHelp button.

Figure90.Learningtools

Online Help System

AutoCAD2011includesawebbasedhelpsystem,whichyoucanlaunchfromtheHelpicononthe InfoCenter.

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Figure91.AutoCADhelp

AcontrolontheSystemtaboftheOptionsdialogboxallowsyoutodisabletheonlinehelp.Doingso displaysalocalversionoftheAutoCADhelpsystem.

Figure92.SystemtaboftheOptionsdialogbox

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Autodesk,AutoCAD,DWF,Showmotion,SteeringWheels,andViewCubeareregisteredtrademarksortrademarksofAutodesk, Inc.,and/oritssubsidiariesand/oraffiliatesintheUSAand/orothercountries.Allotherbrandnames,productnames,or trademarksbelongtotheirrespectiveholders. 2010Autodesk,Inc.Allrightsreserved.

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