Getting Started
Contents
1. 11 Now click on the lower left corner point of the new rectangle Then type Ctrl 2 Ctrl 1 5 Then press Enter m 2 00 4 00 Draw two connecting rectangles in the lower right corner of the large rectangle Now we ll use Line to divide each of the two connecting rectangles into four quadrants But first we ll set Snap to Midpoint so we can easily find the midpoints of the lines that form the rectangles 12 Click on Tools gt Snaps 13 Set In Effect to until changed Click on Midpoint then click on OK 14 Click on Draw gt Line 15 Set Connect off 16 Now draw vertical lines from the top to the bottom of each rectangle Your click points snap to the midpoints dividing the rectangles in half 17 Draw horizontal lines across each of the rectangles Again the click points snap to the midpoints dividing the rectangles in half again Divide each of the rectangles into four quadrants 18 Click on the Tools gt Snaps reset snap to default by clicking on the Default icon in the lower left corner of the Snap dialog box Then click OK 22 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual Let s add some text 19 Use View gt Zoom to zoom in on the larger rectangle 20 21 22 23 Click on Draw gt Text Set the text and geometry attributes on the Ribbon bar Make sure the text attribute you specify has a height and width of 1 8 C2. HELP Tool Bar The CADMAX Tool bar is located directly below the menu bar It contains icons for a variety of CADMAX s different operations In the default configuration there are actually five different tool bars and the available icons will vary depending on the operating mode When one of the Tool bar icons are clicked on one of three different actions can take place e A dialog box will be displayed for the icon For example if you click on the amp Open icon the File Open dialog box will be displayed This would be the same as clicking on File gt Open e A Function bar will be displayed A Function bar is actually a Tool Bar that contains additional functions that relate to the Tool bar icon that was chosen For example if you click on the N Line icon the Line Function bar lek lel l will be displayed The default position for a function bar is vertical along the left side of the screen They can be positioned anywhere on the screen Then any of the icons in the Function bar can be clicked on to execute the specified function The function at the top of the Function bar is the default function Whenever a Function bar is displayed the top function is automatically executed The default function in a Function bar can be changed at any time e A specific action will take place For example if you click on Lj Clear then any geometry that is selected will be unselected No additional action will take place Use Too
3. In the Sample Drawings that came with CADMAX there is also a drawing called BLANK which you can use 1 Start CADMAX 2 Press F3 or click on File gt Save As to open the Save As dialog box 3 Specify a folder to save the drawing in then type a name for the new drawing All CADMAX drawings have a default CXD extension 4 Optionally edit the Properties for Description Type Author and Revision 5 Click on OK to save the drawing Setting Text and Geometry Attributes The next step in setting up a new CADMAX drawing is to define the style characteristics of text and geometry for the screen display and the plotter We call these characteristics Text and Geometry Attributes Geometry attributes determine color and line style for geometry displayed on the screen and pen number and line style for geometry when it is plotted Text attributes determine the width height font and spacing for text when it is displayed on the screen and plotted Text and geometry attributes are set from Tools gt Attributes or from the Attributes icon on the Ribbon bar The name you assign to each attribute should give some information about the style For example the geometry attribute object could indicate that geometry created with this style will be object lines in the drawing and the plot After you assign an attribute name you must choose the style characteristics to be associated with that name After you name and assign characteristics to
4. Levels icon It displays the levels dialog box with only those functions that can be changed within a command This dialog may be displayed at any time and any operation in the dialog box can be performed without interrupting the current function Nested Levels and Levels Control can also be accessed from the Tools menu There are four Attribute features in the Ribbon bar First the current Geometry attribute is shown in a scrolling combo box You may select another attribute at any time while in a function that uses geometry attributes as one of its modifiers Second the Attribute Control icon displays the complete Attribute dialog box where all capabilities are available When the Attribute Control icon is clicked on any active function will be aborted Third the Nested Attribute icon can be accessed by holding the Ctrl key and then clicking on the Levels icon It displays the Attribute dialog box with only those functions that can be changed within a command This dialog box may be displayed at any time and any operation in the dialog box can be performed without interrupting the current function Getting Started 9 Auto Select Use Filters Variables 10 Getting Started Fourth the current Text attribute is shown in a scrolling combo box You may select another attribute here at any time while in a function that uses text attributes as one of its modifiers Note that functions which do not require geometry or text att
5. Which Gornar created with It blue solid and pen 1 for the view outlines Centar Frish 5 Set the Ref Pnt Level modifier using one of the levels you created in Step 1 above The Reference Point Level is where a 3D rectangle which exactly surrounds each view is placed This level is set to be invisible and no other geometry can be placed on it A geometry attribute called EASY_VIEW_REFERENCE is created with It blue solid and no pen for the Ref Box 24 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual 6 Set the View Scale modifier to either Automatic or to or As Below If you choose As Below to compute the view scale then you must also set the Drawing and Model scales We recommend that you set View Scale to As Below and you set Drawing and Model scales to I 7 Set the Origin Where modifier Finally you must set the origin of the view 0 0 0 CADMAX gives you five choices Lower Left Lower Right Upper Left Upper Right or Center 8 Click on Finish CADMAX takes you to a text screen and asks you to answer different questions depending on how you set the modifiers 9 You must determine whether you want CADMAX to match the size between geometry drawn in 2D and 3D The default response is No but you should respond Yes if you ll be transferring geometry between 2D and 3D To accept the default press Enter Or to match geometry size type Y then press Enter 10 CADMAX returns y
6. an attribute it is ready to be used as a modifier Nearly all drawing and text commands as well as some editing commands use the Attribute Name modifier The attribute name to use with each function is set in the ribbon bar First start the function then set the appropriate attribute name If a function does not use an attribute then the attribute field in the Ribbon bar will be grayed out CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 17 Text and geometry attribute names together with their characteristics are stored with the current drawing file For complete instructions for setting text and geometry attributes see your CADMAX Reference Manual To define a new geometry attribute 1 Click on Tools gt Attributes or Nested Attributes 2 Type the name of the new attribute and click on New 3 Using the select arrows choose a Line Style Color and Pen for the new attribute 4 Click OK To define a new text attribute 1 Click on Tools gt Attributes or Nested Attributes then click on the Text tab 2 Type the name of the new attribute and click on New wa T aye ey Sere ys ro wake 2 Text f Teese 7 Lew detest 3 Using the select arrows choose a Width Height Spacing and Font If the desired font is a TrueType font select one of the Custom fonts from the list then click on TrueType Otherwise skip to Step 5 18 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual 4 The Windows Font dialog box is displ
7. function the dialog box clears then click on the line or arc The geometry will turn yellow in 2D and red in 3D indicating the element that was touched Since this is already a nested function another nested function such as Window or Snap may not be used Quick Tool Bars Along the right side of the screen are several tool bars for performing popular 2d viewing 3d viewing and snapping operations The viewing functions are nested and can be used any time Use the snapping options in place of slash snap codes or displaying the Snap dialog box Any snap function executed in the Quick Tool bar are for one snap only After you click to use the snap on geometry the snap settings return back to their previous setup CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 13 Pop Up Menus Daw frase Pop up menus can be accessed at any time by clicking on the right mouse button The pop up menu shown at right provides quick access to a variety of frequently used nate functions The advantage of using the Pop Up menu is that it permits you to use a variety Ie of functions without having to locate their menu or icon Additionally when a function in Lassa Ad a Pop Up menu is used the current Function bar is not changed This permits you to easily ws return back to the current function without having to return to the Menus or Tool bars sad Ves Drws Fae Tet ines Eamisanioa pact Loe Feature Tree The Feature Tree is avail
8. Getting Started Starting CADMAX Once installation has been completed and you have completed Setup CADMAxX is ready to be started To start CADMAX from the Windows Task bar click on Start then click on Programs locate the program group that contains CADMAX and click on it then click on CADMAX or the name of the CADMAX product that you have To Start CADMAX from the Desktop double click on the CADMAX icon If you want to change your Start In folder right click on the CADMAX icon to display the pop up menu click on Properties then click on the Shortcut tab Click in the Start In text area and type the name of a new start in folder Opening a CADMAX Drawing CADMAX drawings created in any version of CADMAX can be opened through File gt Open function The Open function can also be started by pressing F4 If a drawing is already loaded CADMAX prompts you to save the current drawing See Saving a CADMAX Drawing below in this section Complete details on the Open function are available in the File Management and Utilities section of this manual Details on loading AutoCAD drawings are in the Import Export section of this manual CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 1 To Load an Existing Drawin 1 Click on File gt Open or press F4 The Open Drawing dialog box appears 2 A default list of files to load are displayed based on the last file specification that was used Previous file specifications can be obtain
9. able to CADMAX Solid Master users in Sketch and Modeling modes It is located on the left hand side of the display The Feature tree contains a list of each feature in a modeling session The tree shows the type of modeling operation Some modeling operations have multiple levels You can show the levels by clicking on the to expand the levels or to compress the levels The Feature can be activated by clicking on Tools gt Feature Tree You can expand or compress the width of the tree by placing the cursor on the right edge of the tree until the 4 symbol appears at the cursor Click and hold the cursor until the Feature is at the desired width From the Feature Tree a number of different functions can be performed By clicking on a feature in the tree the geometry associated with the feature will also highlight showing the relationship of the feature to the geometry A feature can be edited or its sketch edited from the tree In addition by right clicking you can move rename hide condemn and suppress features Status Bar At the bottom of the screen is the status bar The leftmost area of this bar serves two purposes First it displays a small helpful description of any menu item or tool bar item which is under the mouse Second this is where the standard CADMAX prompt appear The second area of the bar is where short informational messages appear If a message is longer than the informational area you can click in the messag
10. ayed Choose a Font and Font Style It is not necessary to choose a Size because CADMAX controls the size Then click OK 5 Click OK Repeat this process as many times as you like to define each of the geometry and text styles you want to establish for your drawing Most users establish geometry attributes for object hidden center construction and dimension geometry For text a number of attributes are established for dimensions notes and title block text Setting Levels Whenever geometry or text is added to a drawing it is always placed on the current level A level often referred to as a layer in other CAD products is like a separate sheet of paper that can be used to construct the drawing model or associated geometry Various individual drawing levels can be utilized for drawing formats bills of material dimensions construction tool grids drawing summary or for any other drawing level separation desired Each level has a status of either editable referenced or invisible The level that geometry is added on is called the current level and it must be editable The current level can be specified by the Level Name modifier in the Ribbon bar New levels can be created at any time during the drawing process When organizing your levels choose your level names carefully and consistently between drawings This will help assure uniformity across your entire engineering database CADMAX displays the list of levels alphabet
11. ck on OK to insert the currently highlighted setting into the modifier in the detail menu Double clicking on a modifier in the list will insert it into the modifier Lastly pressing Enter will also insert the currently highlighted modifier setting Click on Cancel to close the current box without changing the currently highlighted modifier setting Clear all entries in the History List New entries are added to the list sequentially The list can be sorted alpha numerically Once the list has been sorted it cannot revert back to a sequential list Although if Sort is turned back off then any new entries are added to the list sequentially from that point forward When Auto Update is active any value in the user entry field is automatically added to the list when it becomes the active modifier setting by clicking on OK At the top of the list are a series of icons that you can use to edit the History List Use the icons to add delete entries or to move entires up or down the list First highlight the entry to be edited CADMAX User s Manual Calculator Pick 2 Points Pick 3 Points Pick 4 Points Pick Arc Line Click on the Calculator icon which is located at the end of the text entry field of the Smart Modifier dialog box The results of using the calculator are inserted into the modifier field and also into the dialog box list if Auto Update is active When the Calculator icon is clicked on the value in the user entry fie
12. e and scroll through the text In addition you can copy and paste the text in the message area The rightmost area of the Status bar shows the current mode and drawing scale 14 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual Saving a CADMAX Drawing The current drawing can be Saved as a CADMAX drawing The Save As function can also be started by pressing F3 Complete details on the Save and Save As functions are available in the File Management and Utilities section of this manual Details on saving AutoCAD drawings are in the Import Export sections of this manual To Save a Drawing Using the Same Name 1 Click on File gt Save or press lt AIt F12 gt To Save a Drawing Using a New Name 1 Click on File gt Save As or press F3 The Save dialog box appears Fare zl wjf l Piniiore T Deraan ae vion ir a ys 2 x x 7 zj r Phen ft Tow nadine seek O iweere Copeees j f n 2 Set the folder in the tree and type in the name of file to save the current drawing as Optionally you can type in the full path Drawing summary information can be modified by clicking on the Properties box Use Preferences to edit the drawing history and set additional file preferences 3 Once the file name and folders are specified click on Save As CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 15 Exiting CADMAX CADMAX prompts you to save your work before you exit CADMAX You can exit CADMAX using any of the followi
13. ed by clicking on the arrow in the File Path combo box Use the Folders box to locate the folder that contains the drawing Sample drawings are located in the SAMPLES subfolder under the folder that CADMAX was installed CADMAX also includes ANSI ISO and Architectural starter drawings for all paper sizes in the STARTERS subfolder 3 Once the drive and directories are selected a list of files is displayed Highlight a file to load by clicking on it then click on OK Also a double click will load the file automatically Files may also be selected by pressing the first letter of the file 2 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual The CADMAX Interface Before you begin using CADMAX this section will help you to become familiar with CADMAX s user interface CADMAX s Main Window The following figure shows CADMAX s main window and its various components CADMAX is based on Microsoft Foundation Classes making its user interface consistent with most other Windows products If you are already familiar with other Windows products then you already know how to work with CADMAX s user interface feta nyScd Demeestraton c cadmat 6 samples Sd stert dwg Menu bar Bie Edt Yew S0view CPL Oam Dinamon goca Mody Query Took Hap Tool bar olaja si seg aao SINKS Hosa aa le 4 Oo edra a a BIS aE Ribbon fal fo olw af 2 AS foes z silat 3 nf ya bar Function box Short cut bar Function bar wo F CPL p
14. for a new drawing There are eight view layouts from which to choose Each of them includes at least one orthographic view and at least one isometric view See CADMAX Help for the complete listing of available layouts Use Easy View to select the layout of views and to set the view model scale as well as the outline and reference box levels In addition to choosing a view layout you ll need to define the 3D largest coordinate the 3D view to model relationship and how 3D geometry will relate to 2D geometry Before you start Easy View create two new levels which will be used for the Reference Point Level and the Outline Level Follow these basic instructions for using the View Wizard 1 Create two new levels using the instructions shown to you earlier then click on 3DView gt View Wizard evc 2 Set the View Layout modifier to any one of the eight layouts Layout 3 is pati a standard front top side and isometric 4 view layout C Meme Qufine Level 3 Set the Drawing Units to either English or Metric SBIA 4 Set the Outline Level modifier using one of the levels you created in rah eg rl Step 1 above e goma View Sode The Outline Level is where 2D view outlines are placed No other ESNS n P fi D geometry should be placed on this level This level is set to be iag referenced so the outline is not selectable and therefore cannot be 10 gt modified A geometry attribute called EAS Y_VIEW_OUTLINE is
15. he documentation using the convention Draw gt Arc gt 3 Points as an example This means click on Draw slide the cursor to hover over Arc wait into the Arc cascade menu displays and then click on 3 Points Whenever a is displayed to the left of a function it means that this function will display a dialog box The menus that are available will reconfigure automatically depending on the current mode Functions are grouped into the following menus File e Accessing or creating files such as drawings plots merge packages exit Edit Undo Redo Cut Copy and Paste Mode View 2D Viewing functions such as Zoom Pan Show World 3DView 3D Viewing functions such as Zoom Dynamics View Edit and Make Hidden CPL Functions regarding the 3D Construction Plane Draw All functions which create objects such as Lines Arcs Symbols etc Dimension All dimension functions ParaDraft 2D Parametrics if you have purchased this upgrade Select All select and unselect functions Features Used in Sketch and M odeling mode for parametric modeling features 6 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual Plane e Used in Sketch mode for functions that control the sketch plane Modify e All functions which change objects such as Transform Fillet or Modify Text Query e All functions which inquire about objects such as Measure and Quick Look Tools e A variety of miscellaneous functions like Symbols Attributes Preferences Help e Access to the on line
16. ibbon bar are Mode e CADMAX has four different modes of operation 2D 3D Sketch and Modeling Sketch and Modeling modes are only available with CADMAX Solid Master To change a mode click on the appropriate mode icon to make it the active mode The mode can also be set in the Edit menu 8 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual Text Entry Levels Attributes CADMAX User s Manual When is a mode is activated CADMAX changes the menus tool bars and operations for that mode Using modes makes operating CADMAX easier For example when you are in 2D mode only 2D geometry can be added to the drawing and only 2D functions are available The keyboard echo area is here Unless you are typing into a modifier in a Function Box all keystrokes will automatically go to this area Note that the keyboard area displays a down arrow where all previously entered keystrokes may be found in a scroll window optionally modified and reused There are three Level features in the Ribbon bar First the current level for new geometry is shown in a scrolling combo box You may change the level at any time while in a function that uses levels Only editable levels are shown Second the Levels Control icon displays the complete Levels dialog box where all capabilities are available When the Levels Control icon is clicked on any active function will be aborted Third Nested Levels can be accessed by holding the Ctrl key and then clicking on the
17. ically Use common prefixes to name levels with related drawing components so they are listed together To Create a new level f a 1 Click on Tools gt Levels or if a new level must be created within another command Tools gt d Nested Levels The Level Control dialog box appears CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 19 Gane T Sar s Bon Emoe Peor Saai dya 2 The cursor is blinking in text box Enter a new level name then click on New or press Enter The level name can be up to 40 characters Level names can contain letters numbers and special characters such as comma dollar sign hyphen underscore _ and spaces 3 Click on OK to return to the drawing New geometry is placed on the current level The current level is the name highlighted under the Level Name modifier on the Ribbon bar or the Current Level text area of the Levels dialog box Once the current level name is changed any new geometry is now associated with this level To make a level current 1 On the Ribbon bar click on the Level select arrow to display a list of levels in the drawing 2 Scroll through the list and click on the desired level or 1 Click on Tools gt Levels or Nested Levels 2 From the Level Name list make a level current using one of these methods Click on a level click on Current then click on OK Double click on a level 3 The Level Control dialog box closes and the specified level name beco
18. l Tips to see the name of a function Hold the cursor over a function and a tool tip will display showing the name of the function CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 7 Any Tool bar may be moved around separately by picking it up on a spot where there is no button and dragging it elsewhere Tool bars may float anywhere on the screen or may be docked to any edge of the screen Any Tool bar can be fully customized In addition new custom Tool bars may be created with any combination of icon buttons See the section on customization The standard CADMAX Tool bars are File e Mostly the commands from the File Edit and Help menus Note that the UNDO and REDO buttons in this tool bar also can display a scrolling list of UNDO locations to jump to Draw e The top most commands from the Draw menu Select Some of the commands from the Select menu Modify Some of the commands from the Modify menu Query Some of the commands from the Query 3D View and CPL menus Ribbon Bar CADMAX has a special tool bar called the Ribbon bar It is located directly below the main Tool bar at the top of the display The Ribbon bar must always be displayed because it contains a variety of settings and operations that are important to CADMAX s operation Modes Level icons Attribute a Filters i E Efe SIR alg eons F ailas 7 zj ji Text Entry Levels Geom etry attributes Text attributes Auto select The standard functions on the R
19. ld is placed in the calculator After a calculation is complete click on to update the modifier setting The Pick 2 Points function will calculate the distance between any two points and insert the result in the modifier field and also into the dialog box list if Auto Add is active When Pick 2 Points is clicked on the dialog box clears so that the drawing can be viewed Since this is already a nested function another nested function such as WINDOW or SNAP may not be used However keyboard snap operations and coordinate entry are supported The Pick 3 Points function calculates a modifier value from clicking on any 3 points in the drawing and calculating the angle The answer is inserted into the modifier field and also into the dialog box list if Auto Add is active When Pick 3 Points is clicked on the dialog box clears so that the drawing can be viewed Since this is already a nested function another nested function such as Window or Snap may not be used However keyboard snap operations and coordinate entry are supported The Pick 4 Points function is identical to Pick 3 Points except the angle is calculated by clicking on two vectors and calculating the angle at intersection The Pick Arc Line function will calculate the angle of a line from 0 or the angle of an arc from start point to end point when it is an angle modifier When it is a distance the radius of the arc or length of the line are used Click on the Pick Line Arc
20. led a Function box The Function box Scone displays the modifiers that may be set for the specified function Function boxes are Misas modeless This means you can go back and forth between the work area and Function F Cored box without restriction Simply click into this area and use the various radio buttons f se check boxes and combo boxes to set the modifier options The graphic to the left shows Ua Type the Function box for Linear Dimension F broken PR Combo box modifiers retain a history of the last 12 values entered for the modifier You horizontal can select from the list by clicking on the down arrow This history is saved across e sessions in a file called CKMODMRU DAT This file may not be edited outside of bon CADMAX but may be removed to get rid of the history or may be moved to another tamos _ machine to acquire the modifier history Tat Geom A2 Name Additional combo box modifier history can be obtained by clicking on the Smart Modifier right arrow icon located next to the combo box down arrow When you click on this button a smart modifier dialog is displayed It contains a complete user editable history of previously entered values functions to help calculate a value and a calculator Some Functions boxes have special buttons Continue e This is used to enter the next phase of a multi phase function such as Stretch Finish e This is used by functions which have modifiers but which do not require work a
21. lick on a point in the upper left quadrant of the rectangle to locate the text Type Drawing Manager then press Enter twice to place the text DRAWING MANAGER REVISION AUTHOR APPROVAL Enter text to complete the title block On your own Complete the remaining three quadrants with this text Author Revision Approval Now try this Enter text in one of the quadrants of the smaller box You will need to change the text attribute to a smaller text size or modify the text scale to complete the title block Once your title block has been finished set the level on which it was created to Referenced As you remember Referenced levels are displayed but cannot be edited 24 Click on Tools gt Levels Make sure level Title Block is highlighted 25 Click on Referenced then click on OK If you are working in 2D then setup is complete If you are working in 3D the next step is to create the 3D view layout CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 23 Selecting a 3D View Layout CADMAxX includes starter drawings that already have 3D Views established but you might want to set up your own views You can set up views using 3D Views gt New View Direction or Inherit or Easy View You can find additional instructions for the New View functions in CADMAX Help or the CADMAX Users Manual The following instructions show you how to use Easy View Easy View makes easy work of setting up 3D views
22. mes the current level 20 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual Drawing a Title Block To create a title block that matches your drafting standards you ll use 2D rather than 3D drawing commands Since it is a new drawing you will have to create a new level and then make that level editable so that geometry can be added to it Typically title blocks consist of 2D rectangles and lines and some text The one illustrated here is very simple but the same principles of construction apply to even the most complex title block We re going to place our title block on Level Title_Block of the drawing 1 2 Ey Click on Edit gt 2D Mode to draw in 2D Click on Tools gt Levels Create a new level called Title Block Make Title Block editable Click on Draw gt Rectangle gt 2 Corners On the Ribbon bar set the Level to Title Block Set the Geometry p Attribute to one of the attributes that you defined Click on the first point of the rectangle in the upper left corner of the drawing area Drag the cursor diagonally and click on the second point in the lower right corner of the drawing area Use Rectangle gt 2 Corners to draw the perimeter of the title block CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 21 Next we ll draw two smaller rectangles in the lower right corner 10 Click on the lower right corner point of the large rectangle Then type Ctrl 4 Ctrl 11 Then press Enter
23. nction Function boxes are modeless You ooo can change its settings any time before you complete e the function 4 In addition to the modifiers in the Function box there are additional modifiers that relate to the active function in the Ribbon bar afee Ei Efoccmary Se ra ailesi ds fae sie a Levels Geometry attributes Text attributes Auto select 4 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual Like the Function box modifiers these modifiers can also be changed at any time If a modifier is not available for the current function it will be grayed out 5 Click in the work to insert the circle Menu Bar All CADMAX functions can be executed from the Menu bar Commands are selected by using the left mouse button to click on the menu name The menu appears showing all of the function choices that are available Functions that are unavailable will be grayed so that you cannot click on them In addition the actual choices that are available in the menus will vary depending upon the current operating mode You can set the operating mode in the Edit menu or by clicking on the appropriate mode in the Ribbon bar Menus and functions can also be executed using the keyboard If you look at the functions on the Menu bar you will notice they have a character underlined Hold down the lt Alt gt key and type the underlined letter to open the menu Once a menu is opened type the underlined character in the menu to execute the function in the men
24. ng methods e Click File gt Exit e Press F2 e Click on the X icon at the top right corner of the CADMAX screen Starting a Drawing from Scratch In most cases you ll find it best to start with an existing CADMAX drawing and then modify it to create a new drawing Use these instructions to start a CADMAX drawing from scratch and to learn about many of the settings that you will want to configure in a starter drawing This exercise will be helpful in starting to use CADMAX for the first time You will learn how to establish text and geometry attributes levels draw a simple title block and establish 3D views if working in 3D Of course CADMAX comes with a number of sample starter drawings that you can use as a basis for making your own starter drawing Starting a New Drawing There are five simple steps to take before you begin a new CADMAX drawing 1 Load a blank drawing 2 Set style characteristics attributes for text and geometry both for the screen display as well as for plotting 3 Establish system preferences such as scaling preferences through Tools gt Preferences and Query gt System 4 Set up a title block 5 If itis to be a 3D drawing locate where the 3D views are to be plotted and set up a 3D view layout 16 Getting Started CADMAX User s Manual Opening a Blank Drawing When you first start CADMAX there is a blank drawing in memory This allows you to rename the drawing and save it as anew file
25. ou to the drawing screen Now you re ready to locate the view layout within the title block You ll use a dynamic rectangle to define the area within the title block where the layout will display Click on a point within the upper left corner of the title block 12 Drag the cursor diagonally across the screen and click on a point in the lower right corner of the title block CADMAX displays the view layout you chose within that space We recommend that when you have followed these procedures to set up a drawing that meets your drafting standards save the drawing in a folder that you have reserved for your drawings Open this file whenever you re starting a new drawing Your geometry and text attributes title block levels and other style elements are already set up for you Use this drawing in the future to start any new projects or drawings CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 25
26. rea clicks Click this button after you have set any modifiers for the function to complete You may pick up a Function Box and place it somewhere else on the screen by dragging its title area The next Function Box will appear at this location If you click the X to kill the Function Box the command will continue to run and the next Box will appear in the default screen location again Smart Modifier Dialog Boxes The right arrow at the end of each modifier in a function box is used to display a Smart Modifier dialog box relating to that modifier Depending on the type of modifier a dialog box will contain the following A list of user defined modifier settings A field for typing new modifier settings A calculator CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 11 Button boxes that have additional features for generating modifier values Buttons for adding removing reordering and clearing the modifier list Following is an example of a number integer dialog box for angle Smart ANGLE Modifier CANGL x Histoy List X H P aj e Pick 3 Points 0 12345678901235 30 Pick 4 Points 15 a Pick Arc Line Clear History List T Sot T Auto Update Cancel The available options in a number integer dialog box will vary depending on the particular modifier that is selected Following is a list of options OK Cancel Clear History List Sort Auto Update List Manager 12 Getting Started Cli
27. res N F Cexterpore History tree fo elolo OS eble lalmi hol enee Floating tool bar SAAE Fredo Pes ed Fs P Status bar pieces a io How to Execute Functions Most CADMAX functions can be accomplished in at least two different ways Some functions those that are frequently used may be executed in more than two ways Let s start with the example of a Center Diameter Circle as a typical geometry construction case You can construct the circle starting from the Menu Bar or by clicking on the specific icons to start the circle CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 3 How to Insert Geometry using Center Diameter Circle as an Example 1 On the Menu bar click on the Draw menu Position Nims Hutu gt the cursor over Circle until the Circle submenu pops Regu gt up or click on Circle to display the submenu be BEND z g 7 Enpo gt E Corine Riema 2 Inthe Circle submenu click on Center Diameter ta phre O Corim Part Orar ea 4 O gPorw A IR Togon ponon 2 Teogert ts Port GW Tongen or Sie 1 In the Draw Tool bar click on the Circle icon F zol z aow S SNE Circle icon 2 The Circle Function bar displays vertically along the left edge of the screen Click on the Center Cene Diameter icon Diameter icon bel ello 3 Once a function has been chosen its Function boxis REE x displayed It contains the modifiers that relate to the Radius selected fu
28. ributes will gray out these items Nested Attributes and Attribute Control can also be accessed from the Tools menu Click on the Auto Select icon to turn Auto Select on or off When Auto Select is on new geometry will automatically be selected when it is inserted into the drawing Click on the Use Filters icon to set Use Filters to yes or no during select operations When Use Filters icon is depressed geometry will be selected according to the current User Filters settings The Use Filters settings can be changed by clicking on the select arrow next to the Use Filters icon to display the Use Filters dialog box shown below v Points v Lines v Aca v Splings v Bymbale v Gils v Ted Dimensions v File FFE AI Filters On GE Al Finers oF Edt The User Filters dialog box shows each geometry type and its current status When a geometry type is clicked that means that it is available to be selected When it is not checked and the Use Filters icon is depressed then that geometry type will not be selected One setting may be changed at a time or use the Edit button to make multiple changes CADMAX ParaDraft and Solid Master users will have a Variable icon Click on this icon to display the Variables dialog box CADMAX User s Manual Function Boxes When a function is executed from the Function bar or from a Menu and it has modifiers Tyre associated with it a small dialog box appears cal
29. u For example to start the Line function type lt Alt gt d to open the Draw menu then type T to start the Line Point to Point function A woe ATMA Vermes warww itreee Pe pu ew Dev Gperecce Guine Jea badiy goy Tao bite sioh jaoslmiaasd ael ia a o pleted eh em Jaer Jas aS d CADMAX User s Manual Getting Started 5 Along with the name of the function in the menu CADMAX also displays its icon if H iros A Angis Por one has been assigned to the function As will be discussed below many functions can nsis dro be executed from icons The icons are placed in the menus to help users associate an T Backalcr Crerrater icon to the function that it represents The figure to the right shows the Dimension sT Leaga menu along with the icons that represent each function Showing the icons helps users 8 learn them This makes using tool bars and functions easier Siet ea COST Many functions can be executed using short cut keyboard operations Keyboard short Sie cuts are displayed to the right of a function in the menu Keyboard short cuts can also Team be assigned by users A Srdetee isi Epod Menus can cascade through multiple levels Whenever a menu contains a gt right arrow at the right of a function another cascading menu will appear when the mouse hovers over the entry Slide the cursor over to the next level to choose a function in that menu Au dove Selected T Derin priri Menu levels are expressed in t
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