From the course: AutoCAD for Mac 2019 Essential Training

Components of the interface - AutoCAD for Mac Tutorial

From the course: AutoCAD for Mac 2019 Essential Training

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Components of the interface

- [Instructor] Moving around the screen, we find AutoCAD for Mac is laid out using three main component types: the menu bar, the palettes, and the drawing window. The menu bar is ubiquitous as it is many applications running Mac OS X. The apple is ever present and never changing. Next to that is the application menu item, and this is also fairly unchanging. Inside, we'll find things like about AutoCAD, our personal preferences and where to go to quit the application. Moving left to right, we find fairly standard menu items. File, for working with your files like saving, opening and printing. Edit, for cut, copy and paste. Changing our views and panning around our objects. Insert for inserting new content. Format for changing things like textiles and dimension styles. Tools like spelling checks, loading other applications, or changing our drafting settings. Draw for actually creating all the geometry we'll be working with like lines, circles and so forth. Dimension for applying all of those dimensions that we'll need. Modify for working with a geometry like copying, moving, mirroring and so forth. Window is where we'll go to actually control the different palettes and windows that we'll be working with. And finally the help menu. Most of these are pretty standard and to work with them, you only need to ask yourself what is you are trying to accomplish. If you're looking for a tool to create an arc, we'll find that here under draw. If you're looking to apply a dimension to that arc, obviously that should be found under the dimension menu item down here under arc length. Next spread around the perimeter of the screen we see the palettes. These palettes have been redesigned as of 2017 and are now stationary tool sets that hold tool buttons, lists and drop downs. Most of these are pretty standard and the default arrangement when you install the application includes a layers palette, a properties inspector, a status bar, some layout tabs, the tool sets, and finally the command line across the bottom. For those not familiar, the command line is fairly unique to AutoCAD and one many AutoCAD users have come to rely on. Think of it sort of like a dos command prompt or a terminal window for entering in your commands though it is far less cryptic than either of those tools. It's also the means by which AutoCAD tries to communicate with you. If you read the command prompt when entering commands, you'll never be confused as to what AutoCAD is asking for, whether it's an object, a point or a yes or no response. Center stage of your screen you should see the drawing window. This is where we will actually be creating our geometry and working with it. The subjects of paper space and model space will be discussed later. But suffice to say, this is the largest drafting table you have ever had access to, capable of displaying objects as small as a paper clip and much, much smaller to the layout of an entire city and even larger still. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the interface as it will be a large part of your work with AutoCAD for Mac.

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