Design Integration Laboratory

Architecture 222, 410/510, & 610

Condensed Advanced PowerCADD

Shift Key

(For details, see "Uses of the Shift Key", PowerCADD manual, page 7-4.)

Shift Selection -- toggles object selection to add or remove objects from the selection set.

Shift Constraints -- horizontal, vertical, straight, proportional (round, square, perpendicular).

Option Key

(For details, see "Uses of the Option Key", PowerCADD manual, page 7-2.)

Option on Tool -- on some tools, brings up parameters dialog box.

Option Duplicate -- numerical offsets and multiple duplicate.

Option during Reshape -- add and remove points from polygon or spline.

Option with the Rotate menu item -- for precision and other special rotations.

(For details, see "Dynamic Snapping", PowerCADD manual, pages 2-15 to 2-24, and exrcises, pages 2-25 to 2-28.)

For accurately crafted drawings, use object snaps to place lines mathematically, not just by eye.

Activate these positional modifiers on the fly, just by holding down the appropriate letter key. The meanings of these keys are one of the few things in Macintosh computing worth simply memorizing:

G -- Snap to Grid

V -- Snap to Vertex

A -- Snap to Alignment (with various object vertices, as highlighted in use)

X -- Snap to Intersections

S -- Snap to Surface -- meaning, somewhere along an edge of the object

T -- Tangent, to a circle, ellipse, or arc

P -- Perpendicular

C -- Snap to Center -- With cursor on edge of object, snap goes to center of object

E -- Snap to Endpoint

% -- (really, the "5" key) -- Percentage of way along a line. Use 50% to snap to midpoint. Use Option-% to change the percentage.

Practice object snaps a lot on simple examples, until your hands start to get it and the snaps begin to make sense and feel okay. These functions make the different between computer-aided drawing and computer aided drafting.

Basic