Tut SettingUpDrawingSpace

Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial
Using tools provided in ViaCAD, you can change your text and dimension settings. These
settings can be changed to affect a selection, or to affect all subsequent text or dimensions.
To configure text and dimension settings

settings
1. From the Help menu, open the drawing file associated with this tutorial.
2. On the Data Entry window, click the “i", the Inspector button. The Inspector is
displayed.
3. Click the Text Properties button.
4. On the workspace, click to select the text. The text’s properties are displayed. While
text is selected, changes to the properties only affect that selected text.
5. Click on the workspace to deselect the text. Notice the word “New” is displayed on
the Inspector, in parenthesis. This signifies that no text is selected and the text
settings will be applied to subsequent text that is added. The new defaults will remain
until changed.
6. Click to select the text. Notice “New” is not displayed; “Selected” is. This means
that changes to the settings are being applied to a selection.
Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial Page 1 of 6

7. Select the dimension on the workspace and click the Dimension button, on the
Inspector. The dimension’s properties are displayed.
Changes performed while a dimension is selected are only applied to that dimension.
8. Click the Value tab and, from the Value Format drop-down menu, choose the third
to last option.

Notice the selected dimension’s format is automatically updated.
9. Click on the workspace to deselect the dimension.

10. From the Dimension toolset, click the Horizontal Dimension tool.
11. On the workspace, click to start the dimension.
12. Drag, to the right, to extend the dimension and click to place. Notice the new format
was not used. If dimensions are selected, changing the format only affects the
selected dimensions.
13. Deselect all of the dimensions.

14. On the Inspector, choose the second to last format from the Value Format drop-
down menu. Now all subsequent dimensions will take on these format properties.
15. Click the Horizontal Dimension tool and draw a new dimension.
Changing the format before placing the dimension applies the format to all
subsequent dimensions.
So the rule of thumb is, when setting preferences for text and dimensions, open the
Inspector and set the formatting before activating the tool.
16. Draw another dimension, and while it is selected, change the dimension format by
selecting a different format on the Inspector.
17. Delete all of the dimensions except the original.

To change grid preferences
1. Close all of the open toolsets and the Inspector.
2. From the WorkPlane menu, choose Show Grid to display the grid.
3. From the File menu, choose Preferences. The Preferences dialog appears.
4. Choose the Grid category.
From the origin of the workspace, there are five main divisions of the grid visible,
with four sub-divisions within each one.
The Spacing is the distance, in your specified units, between each of the major grid
lines. The Sub-spacing is the small, incremental divisions between each grid line.
The Grid Size decides how many of the grid spaces appear from the origin of the
drawing to the edge of the grid.
So, if each of the grid lines is an inch apart, then from the origin to the right of the
drawing, there are five grid lines, that’s 5″.
5. Click Cancel to close the dialog.

To change the unit of measurement
1. From the Verify menu, choose Dist Pt-Pt. The Distance dialog appears.
2. Click a gridline and drag, to the right, to the nearest grid line.
3. Click to measure the distance. The Distance appears in the dialog. You’ll see it’s
about an inch.
4. Click OK to close the Distance dialog box.

5. From the File menu, choose Preferences. The dialog appears. Be sure the Units
category is selected.
6. From the Units drop-down menu, choose Feet.
7. Click Apply to apply the unit of measurement.

8. Click OK. Now, the grid lines will be one unit apart, or a foot.
9. Zoom out so you can see the grid lines.
10. From the Verify menu, choose Dist Pt-Pt. The dialog appears.
11. Click and drag from one grid line to another.

12. Click to measure the distance between two gridlines. The distance appears in the
dialog.
Four sub-divisions means each of the sub grid lines, or sub-divisions, will be 3″.
Remember, the grid is broken down by major grid spacing and sub grid spaces, which
are divisions of the major grid spaces.
13. Click OK to close the dialog box.
14. From the File menu, choose Preferences and click the Units category.
15. From the Units drop-down menu, choose feet/inches. The Fractional Accuracy drop-
down menu is displayed, which allows you to control the precision.
16. From the Units drop-down menu, choose inches and click Apply.
17. Click OK. Changes affect any place a length, size or dimension is displayed.
18. Zoom out so you can see the entire grid.

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Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial

To configure text and dimension settings

Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial Page 1 of 6

Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial Page 2 of 6

9. Click on the workspace to deselect the dimension.

13. Deselect all of the dimensions.

Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial Page 3 of 6

Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial Page 4 of 6

4. Click OK to close the Distance dialog box.

7. Click Apply to apply the unit of measurement.

Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial Page 5 of 6

Setting Up the Drawing Space Tutorial Page 6 of 6

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