THE BRITISH HAVE a traditional saying at the passing of a monarch: "The king is dead.

THE BRITISH HAVE a traditional saying at the passing of a monarch: "The king is dead. lengthy live the king!"

The time has flow to acknowledge that the Command line is dead. in extent live the Command line!

At first glance, the most numerous prominent changes in AutoCAD 2006 involve the appearance of the user interface. Don't panic: everything moderately beautiful much still works the same way and can smooth be set up to anticipate like it used to, although you probably won't want to do that.

The first change to the interface becomes obvious when a command is started. As figure 1 present to views the new Dynamic Interface displays the Command willing information, plus a bit more, right at the cursor.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

This is dynamic--as the cursor incites the input information trails along with it, changing as necessary. I started the Line command, thus AutoCAD is asking for the first point. In addition, the left window present to views the current x coordinate while the right single shows the y coordinate. The coordinate values change dynamically as the cursor moves

The x-coordinate window is highlighted, indicating that it will accept direct keyboard input of a value. model a value into the x window and then pres Tab. In this case, the inscribeed value becomes locked in and and nothing else the value in the y-coordinate window changes. Figure 2 point outs this sequence.

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

Pres Tab fundamental note again and the focus shifts back to the x-coordinate window, which unfastens Press Enter or click the mouse button to accept the now passing values, and the command inclines on. This works for polar as well as rectangular input.

exhibit Me the New Stuff

I've taught AutoCAD to a great many bookish mans over the years. Whenever a pupil has a problem, the instructor's rejoinder is almost always, "Read the Command prompt!"

It's easy to become in the same manner engrossed in what's happening at the cursor that we forget to expect down to see what AutoCAD is trying to describe us. Dynamic Input takes care of that. Error messages and other information go [i]or[/i] come backed by the command display at the cursor.

I've been an active AutoCAD user since v214g in 1986 and I must admit I had an anxiety attack when I first saw Dynamic Input. This was settleed by the fact that the Command line was turn rounded off in the first demo I saw. Where's my security blanket?

I went in with a "show-me" attitude. After about 11 next to the firsts I was convinced that this was a fit change. Using AutoCAD is abundant more productive because I'm not always having to examine down at the Command line.

A modern DYN button on the status bar move rounds Dynamic Input on and opposite to on the fly. Another significant point is that users can exemplar in commands and responses unruffled when the Command line is clos and DYN is off--they just can't descry what's happening.

This is just a hint of the capabilities that Dynamic Input provides. Someone be in want ofs to write a full article forward its uses, features and customization. Hmmmm wonder who that might be?

More Visual Cues

AutoCAD 2006 adds several other visual nods to help users. These include rollover highlighting and tinted selection boxes

Whenever an active command asks the user to choice objects, Rollover Highlighting kicks in. As a user persuades the cursor around the disguise hunting for objects to picked objects are highlighted as the cursor wheels over them--even though no destination; recipient has been selected yet. The highlighting exhibit tos what would be selected if the user were to pick at that point. This virtually eliminates the point to be solved [i]or[/i] settled of inadvertently selecting the bad object in a crowded area of the drawing.

[FIGURE 4 OMITTED]

The inferior visual aid is the shading of Window and Crossing selections. Instead of being simple rectangular frames, they now appear as semitransparent rectangular stop ups Through the magic of cut-and-paste, figure 3 point outs all three of the modern selection indicators. Of course, they are completely configurable.

[FIGURE 3 OMITTED]

move Figure

Late last year I wrote a Learning 1 column about Cal, the little-known calculator that is built into AutoCAD. No sooner was this article columned to the Web (http://management.cadalyst.com/0904lc/) in September when I received a phone call from Mark Fritts at Autodesk. We station up a Web conference and he walked me within a demo of the novel improved calculator that the company planned to include with AutoCAD 2006

Well, the pious news is that the fresh calculator made it in. The really profitable news is that QuickCalc is a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of easier to use than Cal. It uses a graphical interface similar to the calculator built into Windows. A not many obtuse 3D vector and similar functions did not make it into QuickCalc, on the other hand the really, really good novels is that Cal still works if you happen to ne these rare functions.

QuickCalc is a full-function scientific calculator ended with nested parentheses for manifold calculations. It also does units conversions. In addition, its deductions can be posted to the Command ready in response to any command that is asking for a value. For example, start the Circle command, place its center then invoke 'QuickCalc. Now we can perform a calculation to derive the radius of the circle and paste the answer back to the Circle command.