From Cheap Tricks, Mar 92 Issue Published By: Shu Associates, Inc. 120 Trenton St., Melrose, MA 02176-3714 (617)662-0020 (FAX Same) eshu@world.std.com

Top Ten (Hidden) Commands

1. CHANGING YOUR MIND: Rather than erasing and re-entering text, DataCAD allows you to change the text string (or its size, weight, or font style by this simple command.)

PROCEDURE: Change/Text/Content (or Size, FontName, etc.)

2. MATCH GAME: Rather than trying to figure out or measure a certain angle, you can use the MATCH command to automatically align your rotation, text, or template symbol with an existing line (or its complement, supplement, or invert) PROCEDURE: Text (or any command using angles)/Angle or New Angle/Match

3. SPEED READ: You can speed up the refresh time of any drawing with a lot of text by either turning the display of text off or resetting the small text setting. Your text will be displayed as a box instead of the characters, but any new text will still be displayed as you enter it. However remember to turn text back on before you plot, or the text won't plot.

PROCEDURE: Display/ShowTxt (Turn Off) or Display/SmallTxt (Set to 10) and Text will still plot.

4. THROWING CURVES: Much of the architectural drafting which manually would require a French curve can be done simply with either 3 pt. curves, or in the 3-D modeler with the contour function.

PROCEDURE: Curves/3 Pt Arc/Dynamic On (Input first & last pt. and curve will show dynamically), or DCAD 3D/3D Entity/Contour (function will play connect the dots)

5. HALLOWEEN: If you use color (or line weight or line type) in any kind of systematic way, you can use the MASK function for a lot of purposes and to get out of a lot of jams. This technique allows you to create a selection set of just a certain color (or colors) for either moving, copying, plotting, etc.

PROCEDURE: EditSets/Add To/Sel Set #/Mask (Then turn off all colors, and turn back on the one(s) you want. Be sure your selection set is "active", in order to perform a function (erase, move, etc.)

6. SCALING NEW HEIGHTS: With many drawings, you will find it useful to define a new scale, like 1:30 for site plans, or even 2:1 for full scale graphic projects. Get used to the procedure for inserting a new scale (or angle or measure).

PROCEDURE: Settings/EditDefs /Scales/Delete (Pick one, since list is already full)/ADD/Input "New String", i.e. 1:30, Input "New Scaling Value", i.e. the decimal ratio of 1/30/12 in. per ft. = .0027777

7. DO NOT PASS GO: If you are working on any kind of bigger drawing, it soon pays to define areas as preset views to allow you to quickly shift to a different area of the page.

PROCEDURE: GotoView/LayerSet On /Save View/Select View #. When view is desired, GotoView /Select View #/Enter New Name.

8. IT'S A SNAP: Common dividing points can be set up so that your middle snap button will automatically pick the right point.

PROCEDURE: Obj Snap/N Pnts/Pick 4, e.g. to pick at quarters

9. HALF BAKED: Quite often, you will mess up a plot by forgetting to turn on a display, or a layer, etc. PARTIAL plotting can be used to rectify these problems.

PROCEDURE: See Selection Sets above for creating special group Plotter/Partial/Sel Set (or Fence, etc.)

10. DYNAMITE: One of the best features is dynamic rotation, to allow free placement of template symbols.

PROCEDURE: Template/Choose any template/Turn on DynmRot (After you place you symbol, stretch out "lever" line to turn symbol.)