DoubleCADTM v3 XT & Prodownloads.imsidesign.com/DoubleCADv3/DoubleCAD XT Pro_GSG.pdf · DoubleCAD XT & XT Pro Getting Started Guide 6 NOTE: You can also start DoubleCAD by double-clicking

DoubleCADTM v3XT & Pro

Getting Started Guide

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Getting Started GuideWelcome to the DoubleCAD Getting Started Guide. The goal of this book is to get you quickly up and running, and to introduce you to the user interface and a variety of drawing and editing tools.

System Requirements• Pentium IV Processor

• Microsoft® Windows XP 512 MB RAM, MicrosoftVista 1GB RAM

• 300 MB of free hard disk space depending onaccessory applications installed, 64+ MB of swapspace

• Super VGA (1024 x 768) display

• High Color (16 bit) graphics card

• 4X CD-ROM drive with 32 bit drivers

The following items are recommended but not required:

• 2+ GHz Processor, 2GB RAM

• 3D Graphics accelerator card

• Wheel mouse

• Internet connection

• Microsoft Internet Explorer (tm) required for Internetregistration

• Macromedia® Flash (tm) plug-in required for on-linetutorials.

Installing DoubleCAD To install DoubleCAD , insert the CD into yourCD-ROM. If the installation process does not startautomatically, select Start / Run from the Windowstaskbar and type D:\setup.exe (where D is the drive letterof the CD-ROM), in Vista navigate to type D:\ (where Dis the drive letter of the CD-ROM) and double click onsetup.exe.

After you have installed DoubleCAD, the Setup programcreates a program folder. If you choose the defaultsettings, DoubleCAD is installed in the C:\ProgramFiles\IMSIDesign\DoubleCAD folder. This foldercontains several subfolders that contain DoubleCADprogram files and related files such as templates, sampledrawings, and symbols.

The Setup program also creates a program group containingthe DoubleCAD application icon, as well as shortcuts to theHelp and the Readme file.

RegistrationIf you have Internet access, double click on the DoubleCADicon on your desktop. The DoubleCAD:Online purchaseand Activation entry dialog box appears. Click on theOnline Purchase and Request form button and fill theOnline Request Purchase Form. You will then recieveyour permanent activation code. Enter the permanentactivation code in the field provided against Youractivation code.

If you do not have Internet access, please call800-833-8082 to register. Becoming a DoubleCADregistered user has many advantages, includingtechnical support, access to extensive online supportdatabases, and program updates.

Starting DoubleCADIf you accepted the default installation settings,DoubleCAD can be accessed via the Windows Start /Programs menu.

1. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar.

2. Select Programs / IMSI Design, and select theversion you have installed. In Vista select the AllPrograms / IMSI Design, and select the versionyou have installed.

DoubleCAD XT & XT Pro Getting Started Guide

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NOTE: You can also start DoubleCAD by double-clicking the desktop icon.

3. The introductory screen appears in which you can open a new file or create a new one. Click New.

4. The New from Template window will appear. You can use the default template which is already selected or select another template. When you are finished, Click OK.

The DoubleCAD User InterfaceThe main area of the DoubleCAD window is the drawingarea. By default, the background color is white, but you canchange that by selecting Options / Background Color andchoosing another color.

We will now look at some components of the User Interface(UI). What appears in the UI can be controlled in theWorkspace menu.

All tools and options are available by selecting them fromthe Menu Bar at the top of the window - File, Edit, View,etc. (Most tools are available in toolbar icons as well).

Toolbars are groups of related icons. They can belocated along the top, bottom, and sides of the window.

By default, the DoubleCAD Main toolbar appears atthe top of the window, and the DoubleCAD Layers andDoubleCAD Property toolbars appear just below it.Drawing tools appear along the left side.

You can drag a toolbar to another location by picking iton its top or bottom edge.

Located at the lower left corner of the window, theStatus Bar lets you know the current status of themodel, and prompts you for the next action.

While using tools DoubleCAD’s Intelligent cursor willprovide positive visual feedback. It also provides DynamicInput which allows you to quickly enter precision valuesfor your work. Just type in your values and it will be placedin the currently selected field

( highlighted). You can use Tab and Shift+ Tab to move backabd forth between the fieldsas well as the Command line,coordinate fields and the Inspector Bar if it is open.

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When a tool is active you can click the right mouse button (Right Click) and a Local Menu will appear. This local menuprovides options, functions and settings specific to the toolyou are currently using,frequently used functions, andgeneric tools. At the top of the Local menu there are LocalToolbars that provide quick access to coommonly usedtools. These local toolbars are fully customizable.

By default, the Inspector Bar is located immediately belowthe drawing window. This can be turned on from

View/Display/UI/Inspector Bar. When On, it is locatedimmediately below the Command line window.

The Inspector Bar usually contains icons for cancelling anaction and opening an object’s properties, as well asnumeric fields relevant to the current tool. The right side ofthe Inspector Bar contains options relevant to the currenttool or mode. All options that appear here can also beaccessed from the local menu, opened by right-clicking.

When creating or sizing objects, you can define points byentering them directly into the Coordinate Fields. Bydefault, this toolbar is located at the lower right corner of thewindow.

Located by default on the right side of the window, thePalette Area provides convenient access to many features,such as Blocks, the Internet, Selection Info, etc.

You can open palette under Tools/ Palettes. You can movepalettes around by clicking and dragging the tab of thepalette, but only pinned palettes can be moved.

Here is a description of some of the available palettes:

• Library Palette: Used to display, save, and insertsymbols and parts found in the various symbol libraries- both those included with DoubleCAD installation andthose you create yourself.

• Blocks: A block is a collection of objects combinedinto a single object. This palette enables you to createand insert blocks.

• Selection Info: Displays information about thecurrently selected object or objects, such as entity type,measurements, location in the drawing, and physicaland engineering properties. Properties can also beedited here.

• Measurement Info: Displays measurementscalculated by the Measure tools.

• Internet Palette: Provides access to the Internet fromwithin the DoubleCAD window.


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• Color Palette: Displays all colors currently available.

• Tools Palette: Displays commonly-used groups oftools, and you can create your own.

• Style Manager Palette:

• Parametric Part Script Editor Palette:

• DoubleCAD Command Line Palette:

The Program Setup pages contain general options thatapply to DoubleCAD all the time, not just for the currentdrawing. These pages can be accessed from the Optionsmenu, or from the flyout icon on the Standard toolbar.

The following are the available Program Setup pages:

• General Setup: Sets file opening and savingparameters, as well as user information.

• Desktop: Controls what appears on the window.

• Preference: General program options, such as cursorshape, axis color, zoom factor, and display ofcoordinate system icons.

• Toolbars and Menu: Usage and appearance oftoolbars and menus, plus access to customizationoptions for toolbars, menus, and keyboard shortcuts.

• Auto-Naming: Controls how groups, blocks, andsymbols are named.

• File Locations: Enables you to specify the folderswhere DoubleCAD places several types of programfiles.

• Symbol Libraries: Displays the folders containingsymbols.

• Colors: Enables you to add, modify, or delete colorsfrom the DoubleCAD palette.

• Warning Dialogs: Controls the display ofDoubleCAD warning messages.

Drawing Setup pages are file-specific options, which areonly valid for the current file. They can be accessed from theOptions menu, or from the flyout icon on the Standardtoolbar.

The following are the available Drawing Setup pages:

• Display Options: Options for adjusting the quality andredraw speed of the display, and options for displayingblock attribute values.

• Grid Options: Controls the grid type, size, anddisplay.

• Advanced Grid Options: Advanced controls for thefrequency and locations of grid lines.

• Space Units: Controls for setting units in Model andPaper Space.

• Angle Options: Controls the measurement and displayof angles, as well as control over the Ortho angle.

• Layers: Layers can be used for placing objectsaccording to individual categories, and can be used tochange which objects are visible.

• Line Styles: View predefined line styles, modify ordelete them, and create new ones.

• Background Color: Changes the background color,which is white by default.

• Print Style Table: Select the print styles you want inyour drawing.

Notes for AutoCADtm UsersThere are some differences between AutoCAD andDoubleCAD .These notes are provided to reduce the time itwill take to get maximum benefit out of DoubleCAD.

The Selector and Handle Based Editing

DoubleCAD’s primary selection mode (the selection tool) isoriented around handle based editing.

The handles provide rapid access for some or the mostcommonly used actions: moving, rotating, and scaling. Inaddition to the selection box around the object you will seethree color handles. The Blue handles are for scaling, the

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green handle is for rotating, and the yellow handle is thereference point. Every object in DoubleCAD has a referencepoint which has multiple uses.

It serves as a permanent Base point for inserting blocks, andmaking copies. It is the center of any rotation or scalingevent.Crucially it can also be relocated relative to the object,even outside of the object, and once it is located it remainsin that location, relative to the object, until it is reset. Therotation handle can be relocated in the same way, but thatrelocation is temporary for the length of the currentselection.

In addition to the handle the Selector provides a series ofDynamic input fields which allow you to move, scale, size,position, displace (delta), and rotate the selection withextreme precision.

Command LineThe Command Line in DoubleCAD is slightly differentthan AutoCAD’s. The top level drawing and modifycommands are the same, So LINE (the command can be inuppercase, lowercase or mixed) starts the line commandTRIM or TR starts the trim command. However thesub-level commands are slightly different.The first line of the prompt indicates what the commandline is expecting from the mouse or the keyboard for thecurrent command.

For some command there are one or two secondary lines,one for Specify, and one for Choose. The specify linecontains the sub-commands for the active Dynamic Inputfields. The Choose line contains the sub-commands forchanging the mode of the tool.To enter a sub-commandtype the entire name (in uppercase, lowercase or mixed) ortype in only the capitalized letters. In the example of thePLINE command once the tool is active L or LENGTH willactivate the prompt, in the dynamic inputfield, for the length value. Whereas ARCSEGMENT or ASwill change the mode of the polyline tool to drawing arcs.This will provide a new series of prompts.

The first highlighted area shows you the prompts that will be available before you set the first point of the arc. The secondhighlighted are shows the prompts available after the first point is set.A key item to notice is that in the second highlighted areas there ar two command with the single capitalized C. In this instance using the C alone as a sub-command will activate the first sub-command that is valid, Circumf.Double ClickIn DoubleCAD double clicking on an object almost always opens the properties of the object. The eception is text and multitext.Right ClickIn DoubleCAD right clicking always opens the local menu.It never acts as a quick Space or Enter keystroke.Selection MethodIn DoubleCAD multiple selection can vary depending onthe tool. In the Selector clicking on an object will select it.You can also use the selection rectangle. To add to theselection hold down the Shift Key and click on un-selectedobject to add them to the selection, or click on selectedobjects to de-select them.In the Trim tool you can select additional objects withoutthe shift key, but you do need the shift key to de-select.The Stretch tool only allows you to use the selectionrectangle.StylesDoubleCAD supports styles imported in a dwg for mostobjects, but you can only natively create styles for drawingtools, and not for objects. Styles created in other DWGapplications will be retained in the DWG file for accurateround tripping.Annotation StylesDoubleCAD does not use Annotation Styles, but theAnnotation values are retained in imported files foraccurate round tripping.Copy ToolIn DoubleCAD the copy tool uses position or delta formaking the copy. To use length and angle for the copy you


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can type the value into any field in polar notation e.g.“10<45” for 10 units at 45 degrees, or “5in<35” for 5inches as 35 degrees.

Modify ToolsSome modify tools work in a slightly different manner. Forexample, the Offset tool, if you are only using the mousethe tool requires you to select the item (contour) you will beoffsetting first. Then you select two point to specify theoffset distance.The offset tool also allows you to specify multiple offsets(sets).LayersDoubleCAD does not regen or redraw non-visible layers,as a result it does not need and does not use frozen layers.

2D ProjectThis exercise will get you familiar with many of thecommonly-used 2D drawing tools. To make things easier tosee in this book we will use a White background. InDoubleCAD the default background is Black but you canchange the background color under Options/ BackgroundColor. Just open the background color page, click on thecolor box and select the new color.

Drawing Lines1. Start by displaying the grid. From the Standard

toolbar along the top of the window, click Show/HideGrid.

2. The grid appears, with lines 1/2” apart. You can changegrid spacing and colors by selecting Options / Grid. Ifrulers are displayed (View / Display / UI / Rulers), youcan see the measurements.

3. The first tool we will use is Line. From the Drawing Tools toolbar (along the left side), make sure Line is active. If it is not, click the icon to activate it.

NOTE: You can access any tool from the menu as well. For Line, select Draw/ Line

4. Before clicking the first point, look at the CoordinatesField in the lower right corner of the window. Moveyour mouse around, and you can see the coordinates ofthe cursor location update dynamically.

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5. Click anywhere to place the first point, and move the cursor toward a second point, but do not click yet.

6. Look in the Inspector Bar, in the lower left corner ofthe window. As you move your cursor, the Length andAngle of the line update.

7. Click anywhere to place the second point of the line.

8. The line tool will finish the line segment and willimmediately begin to draw the next segment where thelast one terminated. Press Esc, or Enter, or Space toterminate the new. If you use Space DoubleCAD willdrop the line tool completely and switch to the Selecttool.

9. For the next object, we will use snaps. Snaps enableyou to place the cursor on an exact point, preventingyou from having to approximate a point’s location.

10. To display the Snap Modes toolbar right-click onSNAP next to the Coodinate fields, or in the commandline type OSNAP.

11. The Snap Modes toolbar should appear along the top of the window.

12. Click Grid. (A snap is enabled when it appears pressed in, and you can click a snap again to disable it.)

13. Also make sure Show Magnetic Point is enabled. This means that the nearest snap point will be marked when the cursor is close to it.

14. Finally, turn off No Snap, located at the top of the toolbar. If this is on, the other snaps will not work.

If any other snaps are active, turn them off. Then click OK.

NOTE: Snaps can also be set by selecting Modes / Snaps.


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15. Now look to the left of the Coordinate Fields. The SNAP button should be on (if it is grayed out, click it to enable it). SNAP enables you to quickly turn on / off all permanent snaps, and when off, whatever snaps you set on the Snap Modes toolbar will not work.

TIP: If you right-click on the SNAP or GEO (geometric aids)button, you will see a window in which you can setpermanent snaps. This is equivalent to using the SnapModes toolbar.

16. Open the View / Display / Grid menu and clickDisplay to make the grid visible ( or invisible if it ison). The default grid in DoubleCAD is dots.Depending on your background color these dots maybe very clear or barely visible. You can adjust the colorof the gridby going to Options / grid and clicking themajor and minor buttons under Colors.

17. With the Grid snap on, you can move your cursor inthe drawing area and see the magnetic point wheneveryou are on or near a grid point.

18. The next object to draw is a rectangle. Select theRectangle from Draw Toolbar.

19. Look at the Rectangle icon, and notice the small blacktriangle in the corner. This indicates that it is a part of aflyout toolbar which contains other similar tools. Clickand hold down the Rectangle icon until the otheroptions appear. You will see the Double line rectangletool, and the Multi line rectangle tool.

20. Select the Rectangle icon.

21. Place the first corner at any grid point. cursor, but do not click the second point yet.

22. Press the Tab key to enter the Inspector Bar fields. Thecursor jumps to the Size A field, in which you canspecify the rectangle dimension in the X axis(horizontal). Enter 45.5. The units are assumed to be ininches, so there is no need for the (in) symbol.

23. Press Tab again to jump to the Size B field, and enter 26.25 (a point you could not find using a Grid snap).

24. Press Enter, and the rectangle is created. Assuming youdid not change your display size, you probably cannotsee the entire rectangle on the screen. Right-click toopen the local menu and select Zoom Extents (alsoavailale on the Standard toolbar) to resize the displayso that all objects can be seen.

25. If the rectangle looks too large, go to the Main manu, expand the Zoom toolbar and click Zoom Out as needed to make it appear smaller.

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NOTE: These commands are also available on the View/Zoom menu.

TIP: If you have a wheel mouse, you can move the wheel up to zoom in, and down to zoom out. While zooming this way, the location of the cursor affects how the objects are centered on-screen..

26. Depending on your zoom size, the grid might disappear. If it is still displaye, it will look pretty cowded, so click Go back to the View manu and turn it off.

27. You should save your work often, to avoid losing data if a system crash should occur. Click the Save icon (or select File / Save, or press Ctrl+S).

TIP: You can select Options / General to open a window in which you can set time intervals for file backup and saving. intervals.

28. Name the file something like “rectangles”; the default file extension for DoubleCAD files is *.2cd. .

29. Save the file to a folder you can easily find later, such as DoubleCAD \Drawings OR My Documents\CAD

30. Click Save, and the Summary Info window appears. You can use this window to save extra information about the file, such as author, subject, and how you want preview graphics to be created and appear. Fill in any information you want, and click OK.

31. You can close the current file by going to File/ Close.

32. Now that the file is and reopen it, using File / Open or Ctrl+O. In the Open window, browse to the folder you selected and highlight the “rectangles.acd” file. A preview is shown on the right side - this preview features makes it easy to quickly identify the file you want.

Properties and Snaps1. Go back to the Line tool.

2. For the next objects, we will set new object properties.The Property toolbar is located along the top of thewindow, below the Standard toolbar. Set a new color,new line type (dashed, dotted, etc., and a new linewidth. All objects created from now on will have theseproperties.


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3. In the Drawing Aid dialog from Snap Modes toolbar, turn on the Vertex (end point) and Middle Point snaps.

4. Draw a line from the top left corner (vertex) to the midpoint of the bottom edge.

When the second point has been selected, the line hasthe color, type, and thickness you set.

5. We will now recreate this line, using a different type of snap mode. First undo the line. You can click the Undo icon, or press Ctrl+Z.

6. In the Drawing Aid dialog, Snap Modes toolbar, click No Snap so that all permanent snaps will be disabled. (You could also click the SNAP button at the bottom of the window to disable it.) When you move the cursor, magnetic points should no longer appear.

You have seen how to set running (permanent) snaps,but now we will use local (one-time) snaps. These aresnaps that are activated just once.

7. Line should still be active. Before placing the first point, right-click and select Local Snap / Vertex.

NOTE: You can use local snaps while permanent snaps are on as well.

Warning: If the cursor is not close enough to the Snap point

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you may get a warning message. There is an aperturesetting which is used to ignore non-rel;evant points. If thepoint you are trying to snap to is not within the apertureyouwill get the warning. Simply repeat the process but movethe cursor closer to desired point. Click either the top or leftedge, close to the top-left corner. The corner is selected asthe snap point.

8. Click either the top or left edge, close to the top left corner. The corner is selected as the snap point.

9. Before clicking the second point, right-click again and select Local Snap / Middle Point.

10. Click anywhere on the lower edge, and the midpoint is selected to complete the line.

Another way to use a one-time snap point is to use aSEKE - Single Equivalent Keyboard Entry.

11. For the next line, move the cursor anywhere along the diagonal line you just drew and press the M key. This snaps to the midpoint of this line.

12. Now move to either the top or right edge, near the corner, and press V. This snaps to the endpoint of the line.

Editing 2D GeometryThe next step is to trim lines to get one closed chain. At thispoint, the rectangle cannot be used to trim other objects,because it is one object comprised of four sub-objects. Therectangle must be broken down into its individual parts first.


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1. Activate the Select tool, located at the top of the Drawing Tools toolbar. (Or from the menu, select Edit / Select.)

2. Click the rectangle to select it. All four lines are contained in the selection box.

3. While the rectangle is selected, click Explode (orselect Modify/ Explode). This icon is near the bottomof the Drawing Tools toolbar. If you cannot see it, clickthe small arrow at the bottom of the toolbar to see theremaining icons.

4. Click outside the rectangle to deselect it, and select therectangle again. Now only the segment you clicked isselected.

5. Open the Modify flyout toolbar and select Trim.

NOTE: All tools on this toolbar can be found in the Modify menu.

6. When in doubt about what steps to perform, you can always look in the Status Bar - located below the Inspector Bar at the lower left corner. The first step in the Trim tools is to define the cutting edge.

7. Select the second diagonal line you drew to be the cutting edge.

8. You can click on other objects to add them as cutting edge, or press CTRL + A to select everything as a cutting edge. When you have finished selecting cutting edges press ENTER. The tool will now prompt you to now select the objects According to the prompt, you can select another cutting edge (not what we need), or select the object to trim.

NOTE: Holding down the Shift key while selecting will cause entities to extend the cutting edges rather than timming to cutting edges.

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9. Select the first diagonal line, clicking it on the part youwant deleted.

This is the result - the first diagonal line is trimmed bythe second one.

10. The next trimming tool is better demonstrated whentwo lines intersect. We can change a line for thispurpose. Press the Spacebar - this activates Select - andclick the trimmed line.

11. Note the blue squares at the corners and sides of theselection box. These are drag handles; you can usethem to resize the selected objects. Click and drag thelower-right handle to make the line a bit longer. (Youcan also click a handle, release the mouse, and clickagain for its new location.)

12. Now select Meet 2 Lines from the Modify toolbar.

13. Click the two lines shown, this time clicking them on the parts you want to remain.

Here is the result - both lines were trimmed to oneanother.


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TIP: We have just used several tools from the Modifytoolbar. If you often use a particular toolbar, you can keep itpermanently displayed in its entirety. Right-click in anytoolbar area and select the toolbar you want to see, in thiscase the Modify toolbar.

14. Activate Select once again and press Shift so that youcan select multiple objects. Click both lines shown, andthey are both selected. (When using Shift, you can alsoclick a selected object to deselect it.)

15. Press the Delete key to erase these lines.

16. The remaining four lines are each separate objects, which you can verify by selcting each line one by one.

17. Make sure no lines are selected ( click away from an object to deselect it. To join the lines into one object, select the menu option Modify/ Join Polyline.

18. A Polyline is a chain of connected line and arcsegments, that is considered to be a single object( likethe rectangle you created. A polyline cannot be openedor closed.

19. You could select each line one by one, but it is easier ifyou select Auto joining. This option can be activatedthrough the local menu or Command line.

20. Click any line and the chain is automatically identified.We now have a single object, which has uniformproperties-line type, line weight, and color.

21. Use Select to select the polyline - it is one object.

To change its properties, click the properties icon in theMain toolbar. You could also select Modify/ Properties orprIn the Properties window, open the Pen page. Set the linetype to Continuous, and change the color and weight. Thisdoes not affect the settings in the Property toolbar, it onlychanges the properties of whatever is selected.ess Ctrl+F).

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In the Properties window, open the Pen page. Set the line

type to Continuous, and change the color and weight. Thisdoes not affect the settings in the Property toolbar, it onlychanges the properties of whatever is selected.

Click OK to close the Properties window, and here isthe modified polyline (click outside the polyline todeselect it).

TIP: You can set properties in advance for a group of tools -i.e. all tools located on the same toolbar. For example, youcan right-click on the current icon in the Line toolbar. Thisopens the Properties window. Once you modify the

properties, all objects created via the Line toolbar(rectangles, polylines, polygons, etc.) will now share theseproperties.

22. For another way to open the Properties window, activate Select and double-click the polyline. Now open the Brush page. Here you can set the pattern, or solid-colored fill, that fills a closed shape. Select a brick pattern and reduce the scale.

NOTE: Brush patterns can also be set on the Property toolbar.

Here is the result:

Click OK to close the Properties window, and here is themodified Polyline ( click outsid the Polyline to deselect it).


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Creating a Polyline1. Start a new file by clicking the New icon (or select File

/ New, or press Ctrl+N).

2. Click OK.

3. Start by changing the units. Select Options / Space Units and set the units to Metric, with mm as the base unit.

4. Click OK, and the rulers should now show mmmeasurements.

5. Open the Draw toolbar and select Polyline.

6. For the first point, press Shift + Tab to enter theCoordinate fields. This way you can start the object ata specific point in space. Enter 5.5 for X, and press Taband enter 2.5 for Y. Press Enter.

7. The polyline’s first point is now set at point (5.5mm,2.5mm). Do not select more points yet.

8. Until now we have been using Absolute coordinates,but if you know an object’s measurements already, it iseasier to enter distances from the last point, rather thanentering exact coordinates each time.

9. In the Command Line type “@4,0” and then press Enter. The @ sign indicates that you are entering a relative coordinate.

The first segment, 4 mm long, has been created.

10. Polylines can contain line or arc segments. In theCommand line type “AS” and the Enter.(you could alsouse local menu)

11. The arc starts at the end of the line, and is tangent to it.Type “@0, 2.5” to place the arc endpoint 2.5 mm abovethe last point.

12. Here is the arc segment. Move the cursor to see thatArc Segment is still the current setting.

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13. In the Command Line type “LS” and then Enter toswitch back to Line Segment, and make the line 4 mmlong, to the left (@-4, 0).

14. We want to close the polyline with another arc. Firstselect Arc Segment in the local menu, then selectClose. You could also have typed “close” and enter inthe Command Line.

NOTE: A polyline does not have to be closed. You can create an open polyline by selecting Finish, or you can double-click the last point

This is the resulting polyline.

Creating Circles and Arcs1. Explode the object created by polyline and select a

curve.

2. For the next object, select Circle Center and Radius.

3. Move the cursor anywhere along the arc segment onthe left side of the polyline and press Alt+C. This snapsthe center of the new circle to the center of the arc.

4. Move the cursor outward and click to place a point onthe circle’s circumference.

5. Select the circle, and move the cursor over the smallyellow dot at the center. This dot is the reference point,which can be used to move the selected objects. Clickthis point.

6. Move the reference point so that it is concentric withthe arc on the right side. You can use the Alt+C key asbefore, or use a local snap, or even set the Center snapin the Drawing Aids dialog.


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TIP: When using the Snap Mode, keep in mind that thesesnaps stay active even when you might not want them. Ifyou are having trouble selecting a certain point, check theSnap Modes in the Drawing Aids dialog to make sure theright snaps are set. Right on SNAP next to the Coordnatefields to open the Drawing Aids dialog.

7. Now for an arc - go to the Arc flyout toolbar and selectArc Center, Start, End.

8. Place the arc center at the midpoint of the lower line.(Use the midpoint snap, by any method you chose.)

9. Move the cursor outward until you have a circle with aradius of approximately 1 mm. (Don’t Click)

10. The next two clicks set the start and end angles. Arcsare created in the counter-clockwise direction.

11. Press Tab to move into the Angle field of the Intelligentcursor.

12. Then start the arc by ‘0’ and Enter.

13. The End Angle field will appear. Type “180” and Enter.

TIP: Ortho mode can also be set in the Snap Modes.

14. The next tool is Arc 1,2,3, located on the Arc flyout toolbar.

15. Use Vertex snaps to place the start and end points at theends of the upper line. Click again to set the arc bulge.

16. Activate Trim as before, selecting the half-circle arcfirst as the cutting edge, pressing enter, and then selectthe lower line of the polyline. to be trimmed.

17. While still in Trim, press Enter, then CTRL+A to selcteverything as a cutting edge and Press Enter.

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18. Select the upper line and the line will be Trimmed. Then press Space (the space bar) to end the trimming tool.

Scaling, Copying, and Rotating1. Select all objects by press CTRL+A. To make the

entire drawing shorter, drag down the blue handle onthe upper line and click to resize.

2. The side handles only scale in one direction. To scale in two directions, drag the top left corner handle.

TIP: While in Select mode, the values in the Dynamic Input fields can be used to scale by exact values. These fields also update dynamically as you drag the handles.

3. Move the cursor over the small green dot - this is therotation handle.

4. Click this point and move the cursor to rotate theobjects. The reference point is now used as the centerof rotation. Do not click to set the rotation yet.

5. If Intelligent Cursor is on then it automatically provides a Dynamic Input Rotation field. Inspector bar also provides the facility for. Type a rotation angle and press Enter.

6. Now to copy these objects. 7. Use the reference point to move the objects to the right. 8. Click on the reference point to pick up the objects


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9. Hold down CTRL. Note that the move cursor now hasa “+” symbol, indicating that you are in copy mode.

10. Click to place the copy.

11. Make sure everything is deselected. For another way toselect multiple objects, activate Select once again, andclick and drag a box around the right set of copiedobjects.

12. To make a mirrored copy of this set, enter -1 forDynamic Input Scale X field or in the Inspector Barand press Enter.

Points and Curves1. Start another file, or pan to some blank space in the

current file. (You can pan by dragging the scroll bars upor down, or side to side.)

2. Open the Point fly-out toolbar, and select a squarepoint.

3. Create a few points randomly like this:

TIP: In the Properties of these points, you can change thepoint size.

4. Select these points.

5. The next tool is in one of the Copy tools which are inthe Modify toolbar.

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6. From the Modify toolbar, select Array Copy. Thisenables you to copy the selected objects multiple timesin the X and Y directions.

7. Enter values like this. Adjust your Y Step value asneeded to get a reasonable spacing (15mm approx.) -the preview line will update as you change the value.Enter three rows and one column.

8. Press Enter. You should have three rows (and one column) of the selected points.

9. Now find the Curves flyout toolbar in the drawingtools and select Spline by Control Points. This drawsa spline using points as a guide, but the curve does notactually pass through the points.

10. Click the points in the top set, one by one. If you wantto snap to them, use the Alt+V key, or turn on theVertex snap.

11. Select Finish from the local menu. (You can also pressAlt+F.)

The spline looks like this - it passes through the firstand last points only, and the other points guide itscurvature.

NOTE: If you had selected Close instead of Finish, the spline would make a loop, and would not pass through any points. Also, if you want to finish an open spline, you can double-click its last point.

12. Select 2D Spline by Fit Points from the Draw menu. 13. Select the points in order like before. This time the

spline does pass through the selected points.

14. For the third and last set, use Bezier from the curvetoolbar or from the Draw / Curve menu.

15. This creates a curve similar to Spline by Fit Points,but with different tangency and curvature properties.

Selection Info PaletteMenu: Tools / Palettes / Selection Info Displays information about the currently selected object orobjects. You can also change properties of objects here.


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1. Create a few objects, then select them all.

All of the objects are listed in the upper window of theSelection Info Palette.

2. Highlight any item, such as the polyline. If theHighlighting icon is activated.

...the object will also be highlighted onscreen.

3. For the highlighted object, its properties are listed inthe lower section of the palette. Use the small + signsnext to the property categories to expand and closegroups of properties. You can change colors, linewidths, etc., as well as geometric properties such as

radius or point coordinates. (If a field cannot be edited,it will be grayed out.) In this example, the Line color ofcircle was changed.

The change is made automatically.

Opening and Saving FilesWithin DoubleCAD you can choose to open a saved file orstart a new file.

There are several options for saving files.

NOTE: The General page of the Program Setupcontainsseveral settings for opening and saving files.

Opening FilesMenu: File / Open

Hotkey: Ctrl+O

Files of type: By default, you will open an *.2cd file. Usethis list if you want to open a file of a different format.

Open as read-only: A read-only file can be viewed only, it

cannot be edited.

Show Preview: Displays a thumbnail of the drawing. Only.DoubleCAD files (*.2cd and *.2ct) can

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display previews.

Setup: When importing files of other formats, provides

access to conversion options.

Saving FilesMenu: File / Save, Save As

Hotkey: Ctrl+S

Saves the current drawing to disk. If the file was not

previously saved, the Save As window will appear.

Save as type: By default, you will save the file as a *.2cd

file. Use this list if you want to save (export) the file to a

different format. .

Setup: When exporting to another file format, provides

access to conversion options.

Save:

• Drawing: Saves the entire drawing.

• Selection: Saves the selected objects only.

If Prompt for Summary Info is checked in the General

page of the Program Setup (Options / General), the

Summary Info window will appear before saving.

Getting HelpThere are several ways to get help on any DoubleCADtopic.

Online HelpThe Help menu provides access to the online help, which

basically contains the same content as this book.

The help is also context-sensitive, which can be accessed inseveral ways:

• Click the Help button (question mark icon), then click

on the tool button, menu item, tab, or palette in question.

• Place the cursor over a button, menu item, or palette, or

highlight a menu item, and press F1.

• Press F1 while using a tool or window.

• Press the Help button on a window.

To see a tool tip for an icon, hold the cursor over the buttonfor a second or two. The tool tip will appear, showing thename of the tool.

TIP: Select Help / Keyboard to see a list of keyboardshortcuts. Select Help / Tip of the Day for helpful hints.

Web TutorialsThere are several online demo tutorials that can be accessedfrom the page that appears in the Internet Palette (Tools /Palettes / Internet Palette). You need the MacromediaFlash plug-in to view these tutorials.

These short, animated demos demonstrate some basicconcepts about the user interface, and show you how to usesome of the DoubleCAD tools.

Technical SupportGo to the support section of http://www.DoubleCAD.comfor detailed support options.

Paid technical support is available by calling 877-827-8776.Technical Support will work closely with you to solve anyproblems related to our software. Please give our supporttechnicians as much information as possible. Rememberthatthey are not in front of your computer and that they needyourhelp to diagnose the problem.

On occasion, a problem can be traced to hardware, or toanother software application. Our technician will supply asmuch support as possible in these cases, but they are notauthorized to support products manufactured or publishedby another company. You might find that e-mail is a moreconvenient way to get technical support. If you do sende-mail, provide as much information as you can about yoursystem and about the problem.

Technical Support CheckListYou may already have the information you are looking for.Before calling, check this manual thoroughly. To receive thefastest response to your technical questions, please be infront of your computer with DoubleCAD running, and beprepared to provide the following information before youcall or send e-mail:

• The type of computer and Windows version you are using.

• The name, version number, and other information aboutyour specific version of the product. (To find this

information, select Help / About DoubleCAD from theDoubleCAD menu.)


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• The exact sequence of events that created the problem.Verify that you can reproduce the problem by following thesame series of steps.

• The exact wording of any error messages.

• Steps you've taken to find the answer to your question,including resources used.

• The results of any steps you have undertaken to resolve theproblem.