AutoCAD
and Its Applications
B A S I C S
S t u d e n t We b S i t e
Chapter 3
S U P P L E M E N TA L
M AT E R I A L S
DSETTINGS
Dynamic Input Settings
Type
DSETTINGS
DS
SE
You can configure dynamic input to meet your personal,
school, or company standards. Dynamic input settings appear
on the Dynamic Input tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box.
See Figure 3A-1. A quick way to access the Drafting Settings
dialog box is to right-click on a status bar toggle button and
select Settings….
Pointer Input
When you check Enable Pointer Input in the Dynamic Input tab of the Drafting
Settings dialog box, you can enter tools into the pointer input field next to the
crosshairs, and pointer input is active. When Enable Pointer Input is unchecked
and you type a tool name, the tool name appears only at the command line.
Pick the Settings… button in the Pointer Input area to display the Pointer Input
Settings dialog box. See Figure 3A-2.
Figure 3A-1. Dynamic input settings are located on the Dynamic Input tab of the Drafting Settings
dialog box.
Determines whether
tools are entered
into the pointer
input field
Displays the
Pointer Input
Settings dialog box
Displays the
Tooltip Appearance
dialog box
Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Determines whether
dimension and
angle values
are displayed
Displays the
Dimension Input
Settings dialog box
Determines whether
prompts and tooltips
appear next to
the crosshairs
Dynamic Input Settings, page 1
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Chapter 3
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Figure 3A-2. The Pointer Input Settings dialog box controls the format and visibility of input fields.
Tooltip values are displayed
as a distance and an angle
Tooltip values are displayed
as X and Y values
Tooltip values do not appear
until a value is typed
X and Y coordinates
are always displayed
Tooltip values are displayed
relative to the last point picked
Tooltip values are
displayed as absolute
coordinate values
Tooltip values appear when
a tool is in progress
and prompt for a point
to be selected
Use the Format area to specify default options for selecting a second or
next point. Pick the Polar format radio button to set polar coordinate entry as
the default method for selecting a second point. Pick the Cartesian format radio
button to set either absolute or relative coordinate entry, depending on the radio
button selected in the Format area, as the default method for selecting a second
point. The effect of changing between the polar and Cartesian format is apparent
only when dimensional input is inactive, either by typing the # symbol or by
turning off dimensional input. Pick the Relative coordinates radio button to use
relative coordinate entry automatically when defining a second point, eliminating
the need to type the @ symbol. Pick the Absolute coordinates radio button to use
absolute coordinates to define the second point.
The Visibility area of the Pointer Input Settings dialog box controls when
the input fields appear next to the crosshairs. When you select As soon as I type
coordinate data, input fields do not appear until you type a value. If you choose
When a tool asks for a point, input fields appear when a tool is in progress and
the tool prompts you to select a point. To display the X and Y coordinate input
fields always, select Always - even when not in a tool.
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Dynamic Input Settings, page 2
AutoCAD
and Its Applications
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S t u d e n t We b S i t e
Chapter 3
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M AT E R I A L S
Dimensional Input
When Enable Dimension Input where possible is checked in the Dynamic
Input tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box, dimensional input is used to select a
second point, and the distance and angle input fields display. Pick the Settings…
button in the Dimension Input area to open the Dimension Input Settings dialog
box. See Figure 3A-3.
Pick the Show only 1 dimension input field at a time radio button to
display the distance input field first, and then hide the distance input field and
show the angle input field when you press [Tab]. Select the Show 2 dimension
input fields at a time radio button to show the distance and angle input
fields at the same time. Dimensional input is compatible with grip editing,
described in Chapter 14. Choose the Show the following dimension input fields
simultaneously to select any of the items to display when applicable for gripediting objects. The Resulting Dimension option displays the dynamic distance
value while you move the crosshairs. The Length Change option displays the
change in length. The Absolute Angle option displays the absolute angle. The
Angle Change option displays the change in angle. The Arc Radius option
displays the radius of an arc.
Figure 3A-3. You can specify different dimension values from the Dimension Input Settings
dialog box.
Displays only the
distance dimension
value
Displays the distance
and angle values
Allows you to
select additional
values to display
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Dynamic Input Settings, page 3
AutoCAD
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Chapter 3
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Dynamic Prompts
In the Dynamic Prompts area of the Dynamic Input tab of the Drafting
Settings dialog box, the Show tool prompting and tool input near the crosshairs
setting determines whether tool prompts and input fields appear next to the
crosshairs. When you deselect the check box, you can press the down arrow key
to show tool prompts and input fields. Pick the Drafting Tooltip Appearance…
button at the bottom of the Dynamic Input tab to display the Tooltip Appearance
dialog box. See Figure 3A-4.
The Colors… button presents the Drawing Window Colors dialog box,
allowing you to change the background color for drafting tooltips. The Context:
list box displays the various applications for drafting tooltips. Pick the context,
such as 2D model space, and then pick in the Color: box to display a drop-down
list of available colors. In the Size area, you can type a value or drag the slider
to change the overall size of the dynamic input fields. Change the Transparency
setting to see through the dynamic input fields to the drawing area. Increasing
the transparency value allows you to see through the dynamic input fields, but
the fields become less visible. The two options in the Apply to: area determine
the tooltips to which the settings apply. If Override OS settings for all drafting
tooltips is selected, appearance options apply to all tooltips, overriding operating system settings. When you select Use settings only for Dynamic Input
tooltips, appearance options apply only to dynamic input content.
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Dynamic Input Settings, page 4
AutoCAD
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Figure 3A-4. Use the Tooltip Appearance dialog box to set tooltip color, size, and transparency.
Changes the
background color
of tooltips
Changes the
overall size of
dynamic input fields
Changes the
transparency of
dynamic input fields
Appearance options
are applied
to all tooltips
Appearance options
are applied only to
tooltips controlled
by dynamic input
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Dynamic Input Settings, page 5