Beginning AutoCAD 2017. Cheryl R. Shrock

Save as, Print, Undo and Redo.

       How to Customize the Quick Access Toolbar

      You can add tools with the Customize User Interface dialog box.

       Example:

      After you have completed Lesson 4 you will find that you will be using “Zoom All” often. So I add the “Zoom All” tool to the Quick Access Toolbar. If you would like to add the “Zoom All” tool, or any other tool, to your Quick Access Toolbar follow the steps below.

      1. Place the Cursor on the Quick Access Toolbar and press the right mouse button.

      2. Select “Customize Quick Access Toolbar...” from the menu.

      3. Scroll through the list of Commands to “Zoom, All”

      4. Press the Left mouse button on “Zoom, All” and drag it to a location on the Quick Access Toolbar and drop it by releasing the left mouse button.

      5. Select the OK button at the bottom of the Customize User Interface dialog box.

      The Customize User Interface dialog box will disappear and the new Quick Access Toolbar is saved to the current Workspace.

       To Remove a tool:

      Place the cursor on the tool to remove and press the right mouse button.

      Select Remove from Quick Access Toolbar.

RIBBON

      The RIBBON provides access to the AutoCAD tools.

      The TABS contain multiple PANELS. Each PANEL contains multiple tools.

      When you select a TAB a new set of PANELS will appear.

      Additional Tools: If you select the symbol, at the bottom of the panel, the panel will expand to access additional tools.

       Control the display of Tabs and Panels

      Right click on the Ribbon and select which Tabs or Panels you choose to display. The check mark confirms the tab or panel is already displayed.

       Control the TAB order

      If you would like to change the order of the tabs, click and drag the tab horizontally to the new location.

       Floating PANELS

      If you prefer to separate a Panel from the Ribbon you may drag the panel off the Ribbon to a new location on the screen.

       STATUS BAR

      The Status Bar is located on the bottom of the screen. It displays the current settings. These settings can be turned ON or OFF by clicking on one of the buttons or by pressing a corresponding function key, F2, F3 etc.

      When an icon is turned on it will display a neon blue in color.

       Status Bar Icons

      The status bar provides you with a set of commonly used drawing tools like grid display, snap, object snap and isometric drafting. You can choose to remove some or all of them, or you can choose to add more tools.

       To add or remove tools from the Status Bar.

      1. Select and click on the Customization button.

      2. Check or uncheck the tools you want to remove or add from the list.

      3. Left click in the main drawing area to close the list.

      Note: The tools on the status bar may change depending on whether you are in Model Space or Paper Space.

      A brief description of each tool will be shown on the next five pages. Each tool will be discussed in more detail in future lessons.

STATUS BAR TOOL BUTTON DESCRIPTIONS

      I have enabled all the tool buttons and broken them down into two sections starting from the left-hand side.

      COORDINATES

      The coordinates display the location of the cursor in reference to the Origin. The Origin is currently in the lower left corner of the drawing area. These numbers will change as you move the cursor.

      First set of numbers represents the horizontal movement of the cursor (X-axis).

      Second set of numbers represents the vertical movement of the cursor (Y-axis).

      Third set of numbers represents the Z-axis which is used for 3D and not discussed.

      MODEL

      The MODEL / PAPER button allows you to work in either model space or paper space without leaving the layout tab. When you switch to a layout tab this button automatically switches to PAPER.

      GRID (You may also use F7 to toggle ON or OFF)

      The criss-cross lines in the Drawing Area are called the Grid. It is only a drawing aid and will not print. The default spacing is 1 unit of measurement. You may change the Grid spacing at any time by typing DS then press <enter>, then select the Snap and Grid tab from the Drafting Settings dialog box.

      SNAP MODE (You may also use F9 to toggle ON or OFF)

      Increment Snap controls the incremental movement of the cursor. If it is ON the cursor will “snap” in an incremental movement. If it is OFF the cursor will move smoothly. You may set the increments by clicking on the down arrow and selecting Snap Settings.

      You can also choose whether to use Grid Snap or Polar