So far the tutorials have dealt with drawing and modifying objects. This lesson will be a primer on how to
move around in your drawing. With simple drawings like
the assignments in Level
1, you didn't have much need
for moving around or zooming in your drawing. The more
complex your drawing is, the more you will need to master
the power of zooming and panning. Mastering these techniques will enable
you to be more productive in your drawings and life will
be better.
EFFECTIVE ZOOMING CAN DRAMATICALLY INCREASE YOUR SPEED
One single command will give you the versatility to move
around your drawing. This is the ZOOM command.
Another useful command is PAN.
These are both quicker than using the scroll bars on
the side of the drawing area, unless you have a very
short distance to move your drawing (and can make your scroll bars obsolete and thereby create more drawing space)..
Start the Zoom command by typing Z <ENTER>.
When you do this, you will see the following options
on the command line:
Command: Z <ENTER> ZOOM
Specify corner of window, enter a scale factor (nX or nXP),
or
[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real
time>:
Remember that to invoke any option, just
type the capital letter
of your choice. (e.g.: type: E <ENTER>
for "zoom
extents". The default is "Realtime" which
you invoke by pressing <ENTER>. One by one, here
are the options available to you. These icons are available on the View ribbon under the Navigate Tool Panel
COMMAND OPTION |
ICON |
DESCRIPTION |
Zoom Extents |
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This option will display all the graphics that are
contained in the drawing (referred to as the drawing
extents) with the largest image possible.
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Zoom Window |
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This option (also a 'hidden' default) prompts
the user to pick two corners of a box on
the existing view in order to enlarge that
area to fill the display.
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Zoom Previous |
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This option restores the displayed view prior to
the current one. For the purpose of this option,
up to 10 views are saved so that the last ten
views can be recalled. This option includes
every time you use the scroll bar, which is
one reason to avoid the
scroll bars for panning
a lot in your drawing.
|
Zoom
Realtime |
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Zoom Realtime provides interactive zooming capability.
Pressing <ENTER> (after entering zoom) on the
command line automatically places you in Realtime
mode. Hold the left mouse button down at the
midpoint of the drawing and move the cursor
vertically to the top (positive direction)
of the window to zoom in up to 100% (2x magnification).
Hold the left mouse button down at the midpoint
of the drawing and move the cursor vertically
to the bottom (negative direction) of the window
to zoom out to100% (.5x magnification). You
cannot zoom out beyond the extents of the current
view.
When you release the pick button, zooming stops.
You can release the pick button, move the cursor
to another location in the drawing, and then
press the pick button again and continue zooming
from that location. To exit Realtime Zoom mode,
press <ENTER> or (ESC). |
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This option causes AutoCAD to display the whole
drawing as far as its drawing limits or
drawing extents (whichever is the greater
of the two).
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This is a very useful ZOOM option once it is understood.
It permits very quick movement around the drawing.
Once selected, this option redraws the graphics
area of the screen and displays two rectangles.
The larger box shows the extents of the current
drawing. The smaller box shows the current
view with an "X" in the middle. This moves
with the mouse. This view box should be positioned
so that its lower left corner is at the lower
left corner of the view required. By pressing
the left button on the mouse, the "X" is replaced
by an "> " pointing
to the right side of the view box. This allows
you to change the magnification. As the mouse
is moved, the view box shrinks and expands
so that the size of the required view can be
set. The left mouse button toggles between
PAN "X" and ZOOM "> " mode
so that fine adjustments can be achieved. When
the view required has been selected, press
<ENTER> or right click to cause AutoCAD to
display it.
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|
Zoom Scale |
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This is a 'hidden' default option. You do not have
to type "S" to choose this option.
It simply requires the entry of a number
that represents a magnification factor. Note
that the factor is applied to the entire
drawing (as defined by the drawing's limits).
Numbers less than 1 will reduce the displayed
size of the drawing, while numbers greater
than 1 will enlarge it. If "X" is inserted
after the number (e.g.. 0.8x) then the factor
is applied to the current view. If "XP" is
inserted after the scale factor, then the
view is scaled relative to paper space. This
is useful for zooming a view within a paper
space viewport to a specific scale, for example, "1/48XP" will
produce a view of model space at a scale
of ¼" = 1' relative to paper
space.
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This option requires two things: a point that is
to be the center of the new display
and a value to be its new height in
drawing units. The existing height is the
default for the new height to allow for panning
across the drawing. If the new height value
is followed by "X" (e.g.. 2x), then it is taken
as a magnification factor relative to the current
height. If followed by "XP", then it is taken
as a scale factor relative to paper space and
can be used for scaling the contents of paper
space viewports.
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Aerial
View command: DSVIEWER
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Aerial View is a zooming tool that displays a view
of the drawing in a separate window so that
you can quickly move to that area. If you keep
the Aerial View window open as you work, you
can zoom and pan without choosing a menu option
or entering a command. You can change the view
by creating a new view box in the Aerial View
window. To zoom in to the drawing, make the
view box smaller by left clicking a rectangle.
To zoom out of the drawing, make the view box
larger. As you zoom in or out of the drawing,
a real-time view of the current zoom location
is displayed in the graphics area. The screenshot
shows how the view box looks. Right click in
the box and you can move the box to where you
want to zoom to.
|
Zoom
Object |
|
This option asks you to select
an object or objects, then press <ENTER> and
the screen will zoom to those objects only. This
is great for when you want to work on object. |
| Zoom In |
|
Clicking this icon will zoom
in to the drawing by about 50%. This option is
only available as an icon and cannot be invoked
by the command line. |
| Zoom Out |
|
Similar to 'Zoom
In' - this icon will zoom out of your drawing
and allow you to see about 50% more of your drawing
space. |
Mouse Scroll |
|
If you have a scrolling
wheel on your mouse, you can use it to zoom in
and out of your drawing. Scroll towards you to
zoom out and away from you to zoom in. You have
the option to change the amount of zoom per wheel
click with the Zoomfactor system
variable. Keep in mind that you will zoom in and out using your mouse location as a 'center point'. |
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Panning allows you to quickly move around
the drawing area at the same magnification
you currently have set. Type in PAN (or P)
<ENTER> and a hand will appear on the screen.
Left click and hold to move around your drawing.
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As you can see there are quite a few options. To begin
with I would strongly recommend getting really good at these 3:
Use the Zoom > Extents whenever you want to see all objects.
Use the Zoom > Window option to 'close-in' on one area.
Use the Zoom > Previous option to return to where you were.
I generally use them in conjunction with each other. I'll do
a zoom extents to see what state the drawing is at, then perform
a Zoom Window to get to the area I need to work in, then do a
Zoom Extents when I am done in that area. In between, I may need
to use a combination of Zoom Window and Zoom Previous.
Additionally, using your mouse wheel to zoom can be very fast for moving in and out of an area - practice this technique as well.
The zoom command can also be invoked transparently.
This means that you can start it up in the middle of
a command. For example, if you are in the trim command
and want to see a bit more of your drawing, just type 'Z (note
the apostrophe) at the command line and you can then
zoom using any of the available options. Press <ENTER> to get back to your command.
Also, right clicking while in the zoom command gives you options.
Try this and see which choices are available with this.
Exercise: Open one of your previous drawings, or one of the samples that
came with your installation of AutoCAD and practice these techniques.
You need to be good at this.
Review of Level 1: Everything in this Level will be used in your day to day CAD work. These are the basics that you will draw upon as you advance your skills. You have learned the how the coordinate system works and how to enter points so that AutoCAD knows where you want your objects to be. You were shown the most common drawing and modifying commands. You learned techniques for snapping to objects, other ways to input information and how to move around a drawing. For a new user, I cannot stress enough how mastering this level will make you a good drafter. It all comes down to accurate and fast input.
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