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Dear Valued Customer: Thank you for your interest in DataCAD LT 10. As part of our dedication to continuous improvement and to deliver the highest quality CADD products possible, this latest upgrade includes your most requested enhancements. These major new features will help you share drawing information with other Windows applications, work simultaneously with other designers, and save time. To get the most from DataCAD LT 10, please refer to the overview below. If you have any questions about DataCAD LT 10, contact our technical support staff at techsupport@datacad.com.
Thank you for supporting DATACAD,
Mark F. Madura
President/CEO
mark@datacad.com
How to access the new
feature 
Helpful hints and tips 
Animated tutorial-based demonstration 
Adobe Acrobat Portable Document File
Layer Manger Dialog
Access the Layer Manager from the Tools pull-down menu, by pressing [CTRL]
+ L, or by selecting Manage from the Layers menu.
Click on column headings to sort layers accordingly. To make the new sort
order permanent check the Save new layer order box. To make the new sort
order temporary, leave the Save new layer order box unchecked. Drag and
Drop layers to change their order. Hold down the [CTRL] or [Shift] key
while picking layers to select multiple layers at once. Sorting
layers will not adversely affect GoTo Views or Multi-Scale Plot details. Right-click
in the layer window to quickly access the Select All and Set As Active
options.Use the
[Insert] and [Delete] keys to add or delete layers. Select
Revert to undo changes and restore the original list. You will lose all
changes made since opening the Layer Manager or selecting Apply.Layer names
may be up to 88 characters in length. Only the first 8 characters are
displayed in the standard layer menu, but a tool tip will show the full
layer name when the cursor is passed over a button.The display
speed and the color of the tool tip is controlled by a setting in the Misc
tab of the Program Preferences dialog. You may view
or download the new Layer Manger Technical Bulletin directly from the
DATACAD web site.
[View]
the Layer Manager Technical Bulletin
To access Font Settings, select Font Name from the Text menu. Check the
"Fill using current color" option to use the active layer color for
TrueType fonts. TrueType
fonts may have different colors for outline and fill. To select a color
for either, select Fill, Outline or Both. Uncheck the "Fill using current
color" or "Outline using current color" check boxes, then click on the
colored square to the left of the check boxes. TrueType
fonts can be converted to 3D for use as signage in architectural models.
Convert TrueType fonts to 3D by selecting 3D Edit, Explode, ToPgons. TrueType
Fonts will display as DataCAD CHR fonts when opened in pre-DataCAD LT 10
versions.
Watch the TrueType Font Viewlet
Select Hatch, SPB-Fill, Settings to choose colors and patterns (SPB =
Solid, Pattern, Bitmap). To display
solid, pattern, and bitmap fills in the drawing, first toggle Fill On and
BMP On in the Display menu. The Status
Window indicates display setting as either f = off or F = on in
SWOTHLUDFB. The Outline
boundary, pattern and fill may have different colors. The Preview window
will show current selections. Check the
Solid Pattern Fill box. Checking the Entity box will cause the fill to
display with the color of the polyline entity in the drawing. To change
the color, click on the colored rectangle. Select a pattern for the fill
with the Pattern option. Check the Pattern color box. Checking the Entity
box will cause the pattern to display with the color of the polyline
entity in the drawing. To change the color, click on the colored
rectangle. A bitmap
image can also be used to fill an area. Check the Bitmap Fill box, then
click on the file folder button to select the BMP or JPG image. Uncheck
the Maintain Aspect box if you want to change the X/Y aspect of the
original image. After selecting a fill or bitmap, click on OK. Pick an
existing polyline area to be filled, or draw a new area with the Boundary
option. You can
control whether solid fills and bitmaps print behind or in front of lines
by using the Print first or Print last options in the Pen Table.
Watch the Solid, Pattern, and Bitmap Fills Viewlet
Select Insert, Bitmap to place a BMP or JPEG file in your drawing. Select
Outline to draw a visible polyline boundary around the inserted image. Leave
FixRatio selected to maintain the original X/Y ratio of the inserted
image. Turn it off if you want to dynamically stretch the X or Y ratios
while inserting the bitmap. The ratio of that image cannot be changed
after insertion if FixRatio was turned on during insertion. To display
bitmaps in the drawing toggle BMP On in the Display menu. The Status
Window indicates display setting as either b = off or B = on in
SWOTHLUDFB. Use bitmap
import to trace scanned drawings, to display site maps, or to show digital
photos of existing building facades. Use the new
Calibrate options in the Enlarge menu to scale bitmaps to real-world size
(see description below). You can
control whether bitmaps print behind or in front of lines by using the
Print first or Print last options in the Pen Table. Imported
bitmaps are referenced, not inserted into the drawing file, and do not
increase the drawing file size.
Watch the Importing and Calibrating Bitmaps Viewlet
Select Edit, Enlarge, Center of Enlargement, Enlrgmnt to access the new
options.Pick Cal
Dist, then select the first and second points to define the current length
of an entity, or the length of a known distance within a bitmap. DataCAD
will show you the current distance at the bottom of the screen, to the
right of the Enter new distance: prompt. The distance might be something
like 1-6 3/32. Type in the distance that the two selected points should
be in the real-world, like 120 (feet). DataCAD calculates an equal X/Y
enlargement factor for you. Now select the entity or entities to be
enlarged, as you normally would. Use the Cal X-Y, Cal X, and Cal Y options
to enlarge entities independently or unequally in the X and Y directions.
Select Object Viewer from the View pull-down menu
Watch the o2c Player Viewlet
[CTRL] + Right-click on an entity and select o2c Settings to adjust color,
opacity, and reflection settings. Right-click
inside the Object Viewer window and select Save Image to save a high
quality rendered bitmap of the current view in the Object Viewer window.
Download a trial version of
eZmeeting
from the eZmeeting web site. Start an
eZmeeting session by selecting eZmeeting from the View pull-down menu. eZmeeting will
only appear as an option if it is installed on your computer.
Collaborate, review, and share drawings interactively online with
consultants and clients.- Shadow casting
- Custom edge color and thickness
- Custom overshoot setting
- Bitmap background image
- Color Mapping
Wireframe / Shaded View
Select Settings from the Shader menu and toggle on Cast Shadows. Check
Cast Shadow under Light Settings. Select Shadow
from the Shader menu and select entities to receive shadows. An entity that
receives a shadow cannot cast a shadow. Go to Shader,
Settings for Edge and Overshoot options.
Watch the OpenGL Shader Viewlet
Use [CTRL] + Left Arrow and [CTRL] + Right Arrow.
Left-click on the text and graphics in the Status Window to access the
respective menu. A hand with a pointing finger will appear as the cursor
passes over each clickable option. Layer name = Layers menu; Scale =
ToScale menu; LineType = LineType menu; selection set = EditSets menu;
colored square = Color Palette dialog.
Color Palette and Color Mixer
Select Palettes from the Tools pull-down menu. Select any
color, or use Edit to create a custom color. The 15
colors across the top row are the standard 15 DataCAD colors. Clicking on
a color will display the color below, along with its color name. Select
SaveAs from the Color Palette dialog to save custom color palettes. This dialog
will also appear when you pick Custom from any other Color menu, like the
Layers, Color menu. The DXF/DWG
Import Dialogs now have local settings for Move drawing to origin, and Use
color table. DXF/DWG
Export Dialogs now have local settings for Translate custom lines to
continuous, use color table, Explode 3D entities to 3D Faces, and Export
XREFs.DXF/DWG support added for...
- Solid fills
- TrueType Fonts
- MText (paragraphed text)
- Polylines and polylines with voids
- Complex hatch patters such as StoneCAD
- Long layer names
Zoom in and out using the Mouse wheel.
Press [CTRL] and move the Mouse Wheel to zoom in and out. Adjust
settings for the Mouse Wheel from the Misc. tab in Program Preferences. Select Goto
View, URL, or File to associate the selected entity with one of those
objects. Use Add to add a new link, Delete to delete one, or Edit to edit
an existing link.Use
the following hotkeys to access the walk-through commands.[PgUp] - Walk Backward
[PgDn] - Walk Forward
MouseWheel - Walk Forward/Backward
[Up Arrow] - Walk Forward
[Dn Arrow] - Walk Backward
[Right Arrow] - Step Right
[Left Arrow] - Step Left
[SHIFT] + [Up Arrow] - Look Up
[SHIFT] + [Dn Arrow] - Look Down
[SHIFT] + [Right Arrow] - Turn Right
[SHIFT] + [Left Arrow] - Turn Left
Use the
walk-through hotkeys in any perspective view.A new
WalkThru, Options menu allows you to customize the way you navigate.When FixFocal
is toggled on you will always look at the same point in your model while
navigating.When FixFocal
is toggled off your focal point will move the same distance as your eye
point while navigating.When FixFocal
and FixDist are toggled on you will navigate spherically around a fixed
focal point while navigating.It is not
possible to turn off FixFocal and FixDist at the same time.Turning
PanView on disables the walk through controls so you can pan and zoom your
perspective view as if it were a two-dimensional drawing.