The Drop-Down Menus

The Drop-Down Menus
As in most Windows programs, the drop-down menus on the menu bar provide an easy-to-understand
way to access AutoCAD’s general controls and settings. In these menus, you’ll find the commands and
functions that are the heart of AutoCAD. By clicking menu items, you can cut and paste items to and
from AutoCAD, change the settings that make AutoCAD work the way you want it to, set up the measurement
system you want to use, access the help system, and much more.
The drop-down menu options perform three basic functions:
◆
Display a dialog box that contains settings you can change.
◆
Issue a command to create or modify your drawing.
◆
Offer an expanded set of the same tools found in the Draw and Modify toolbars.
As you point to commands and options in the menus, AutoCAD provides additional help for
you in the form of brief descriptions of each menu option, which appear in the status bar.
Here’s an exercise to let you practice with the drop-down menus and get acquainted with the
way you issue AutoCAD commands:
1.
Click View in the menu bar. The list of items that appears includes the commands and settings
that let you control the way AutoCAD displays your drawings. Don’t worry if you
don’t understand them yet; you’ll get to know them in later chapters.


WARNING
LT users won’t see the Render option in the View menu.
2.
Move the highlight cursor slowly down the list of menu items. As you highlight each item,
notice that a description of it appears in the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window.
These descriptions help you choose the menu option you need.
TIP
If you look carefully at the command descriptions in the status bar, you’ll see an odd word at the
end. This is the keyboard command equivalent to the highlighted option in the menu or toolbar.
You can type these keyboard commands to start the tool or menu item that you’re pointing to. You
don’t have to memorize these command names, but knowing them will be helpful to you later if
you want to customize AutoCAD.
3.
Some of the menu items have triangular pointers to their right. This means the command has
additional choices. For instance, highlight the Zoom item, and another set of options appears
to the right. This second set of options is called a
cascading menu.
Whenever you see a dropdown
menu item with the triangular pointer, you know that this item opens a cascading
menu offering a more detailed set of options.
4.
Other drop-down menu options are followed by an ellipsis (…). This indicates that the
option displays a dialog box. For instance, move the highlight cursor to the Tools option in
the menu bar.
TIP
If you prefer, you can click and drag the highlight cursor over the drop-down menu to select
an option.
5.
Click the Draw option from the menu bar, and then click the Rectangle command. Notice
that the Command window now shows the following prompt:
Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]:
AutoCAD is asking you to select the first corner for the rectangle, and, in brackets, it’s offering
a few options that you can take advantage of at this point in the command. Don’t worry
about those options right now. You’ll have an opportunity to learn about command options
in Chapter 2. You also see the same prompt, minus the bracketed options, in the dynamic
input display at the cursor.
6.
Click a point roughly in the lower-left corner of the drawing area, as shown in Figure 1.5.
Now, as you move your mouse, a rectangle follows the cursor, with one corner fixed at the
position you just selected. You also see the following prompt in the Command window,
with a similar prompt in the dynamic input display:
Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]:



7.
Click another point anywhere in the upper-right region of the drawing area. A rectangle
appears (see Figure 1.6). You’ll learn more about the different cursor shapes and what they
mean in Chapter 2.
At this point, you’ve seen how most of AutoCAD’s commands work. Many drawing and editing
functions display messages in the Command window. These messages are also displayed in the
dynamic input display. You’ll find that dialog boxes are displayed when you want to change settings.
Also, be aware that many of the drop-down menu items are duplicated in the toolbars, which
you’ll explore next.