You can click on the 2D tool to change from 2D to 3D drawing mode.
To move the cursor horizontally (along the X axis), hold the Shift key down and move the mouse. Use the Ctrl key to move vertically (along the Y axis), and both to move in and out long the Z axis.
You can press the right mouse button to snap to the nearest point in the drawing.
To repeat the last drawing command, press F3.
You can use Undo repeatedly, using Ctrl-Z key, Undo on the toolbar, or Undo from the menu. Redo will undo an Undo.
Use the Cursor options to set the cursor step size. This makes it easy to move the cursor certain distances in the drawing with the arrow keys.
Use the Shift key with the arrow keys to move the cursor smaller distances.
Ctrl-Home and Ctrl-End can be used to move the cursor in and out along the Z axis for 3D drawing. Ctrl-Shift can be used with the mouse for the same thing.
The DesignCAD toolboxes can be moved, docked, enabled, and disabled.
In 3D drawing, DesignCAD Tile automatically shows the front, top, and side view next to the main view. This makes it easy to follow the cursor in 3D space.
You can store all your most frequently used tools and macros in a custom toolbar for easier access.
You can enter a formula in DesignCAD whenever a number is required. For example, you could enter "sqrt(15) / 3", "45*4/3" or "cos(30)" when asked for a distance.
To set a point a certain horizontal and vertical distance from another in the drawing, use Point Relative.
To set a point a certain distance and angle from another in the drawing, use Point Polar.
When selecting objects in 3D mode, you can use 3D Selection Mode to select objects inside a 3-dimensional box. 2D Selection Mode selects objects inside a 2-dimensional box on the screen.
With a three button mouse, you can use your middle button in as the Enter key.
You can right click on any toolbox to bring up the show/hide menu for all the toolboxes.
To quickly move one point in an object, use the Point Select tool and drag the point.
You can use cut and paste to insert a DesignCAD 97 drawing into a document of another application.
To add a 3D drawing to your web page, export the drawing as a VRML file.
Are you a power keyboard user? Use the shortcut keys, or press the space bar and enter your commands on the command line. You can also customize the shortcut keys in the keyboard options.
DesignCAD has a built-in calculator. You'll find it under the Tools menu.
It's a good idea to save your drawing often, either manually or with autosave.
You can use Solid Subtract to create holes, notches, or any kind of recess in a solid object.
To display information about an object in the drawing, select it and enable the info box.
To make a symbol, draw the symbol and save it as a DesignCAD drawing. You can then load it into another drawing as a symbol.
A Macro can save lots of time if you do repetitive tasks. To make a macro, select Macro Record from the tools menu. Then do the task to be repeated in DesignCAD, and stop the macro recording.
You can press Q to bring up the Options tabs, and then set any of the DesignCAD 97 options.
You can assign a shortcut key to a DesignCAD command or macro using the keyboard options.
You should keep backup copies of all your important work.
You can place different parts of your drawing in different layers, and then make some of the layers invisible. You can also "lock" layers so they cannot be edited.
Make a custom toolbox to access frequently used commands. Select the Toolbox options tab.
The Selection Filter can be used to select only those items in a certain layer, color, or entity type.
If you set drawing handles for a selection, you can move or copy an object to a different angle and size.
The Snap Grid causes the mouse to jump in specific increments so you can set points precisely, for example, at the nearest centimeter.
For on-line technical support, click on the web site button in Help, About DesignCAD.
If you run with a compass, you might hurt yourself.
Anti-aliasing makes the jagged lines look smoother in a shaded drawing.
You can scan any image an apply it to a 3D object with texture mapping.
To add special characters into your drawing, use the Windows Character Map and then copy and paste into the DesignCAD Text command.
The "Same As" tool makes it a snap to give one object the same color, layer, and linestyle information as another.
You can enter distances in DesignCAD in "feet and inches" form. For instance, 6'4" is equivalent to 6.33333. You can also enter formulas such as 6+1/3.
The rotate, scale, and circular repeat command use the handle for the center of rotation or scaling. Use Set Handles to position the handle for these commands.
In point select mode, you can draw a box around more than one point to move several points at once.
To compute the volume or surface area, use the the volume and surface area commands under the dimension info menu.
DesignCAD's on-the-fly Point Controls menu gives you the ability to quickly create lines based on the angles and distances between other points in the drawing. To access the Point Controls, use the shortcut key J.
You can drag, maximize, minimize, or close the individual view windows of a drawing.
Use DesignCAD's Attribute command to create a list of materials for use with Estimator Pro or other estimating software.
You can select recently used text strings without retyping by clicking on the down-arrow next to the text entry box.
You can save a circle as a Circle, Line, or Plane at the time of creation.
DesignCAD features full on-line help. Browse through it whenever you have the time.
DesignCAD 97 is accurate to 14 places past the decimal, which is far more than you will likely need. To change the accuracy of dimensions and displays, check the Accuracy settings in the General Options and Dimension Options menus.
You can exchange hints, tips, and commentary via the DesignCAD mailing list. E-mail support@viagrafix.com for details.
If you find that you keep having problems with that command you use once every two years, spend a day or two playing with the command to get a feel for it. Practicing with things that you find awkward will always make you more comfortable with DesignCAD, and show you other ways to accomplish the same goal.
