Attributes window

This window allows you to manage the attributes. It can be opened and closed by use of the Attributes command. The window can remain open during the work session.

Beneath the title bar of the window there are two buttons that let you define the mode of the attributes:

Sets the Define attributes mode.

In this mode, the value set for a given attribute becomes the current value for that attribute in the sense that it is automatically applied to all the graphics entities that are created and admit it as an attribute.

Sets the Modify attributes mode.

In this mode you can change the attributes of a graphical entity without modifying the current values of the attributes themselves.

In Modify attributes mode you can select more primitive simultaneously, for the generic attributes also primitives of a different type. The attempt to assign an entity an attribute that does not handle has no effect.

In the case where one or more entities are selected, these two buttons are disabled. In this case you see the attributes of the primitive selected (or those common to the primitives selected), which can then be modified.

Next to these two buttons there are two other buttons that let you insert an angle value getting it from the drawing. These buttons are enabled when an angle input field is selected.

Angle 3 points

Requires entering three points, and inserts an angle with point 2 as vertex and defined by two half-lines that pass through point 1 and respectively point 3.

Angle =

Requires the selection of an entity and inserts an angle equal to that which the entity forms with the X axis.

The window consists of several pages that assemble each a type of attributes corresponding to an entity type:

General page
Texts page
Dimensions page
Dimension text page
Hatching page
Units of measure page

General page

This page lets you manage the attributes that are common to all types of graphic entities. The general attributes are:

Color

Sets the value of the color attribute that can be selected from the pull-down menu. Available color options:

256 default colors: these colors cannot be modified.
Color by block: the entity is displayed in the color of the block it belongs to. If it doesn’t belong to any block it is displayed in white.
Color by layer: the entity is displayed in the color of the layer it belongs to. The color can be modified through the Layers window.

In the Pens page of the Print setting window you can assign a print color to each color on the screen.

Width

Sets the value of the width attribute that can be selected from the pull-down menu.

The display of the width in the drawing area can be set in the View page of the CAD options window.

The width that is visible on the screen depends on the resolution of the graphic card of your computer; it doesn’t necessarily correspond to the width that will be printed by use of the Print command. In the Pens page of the Print settings window you can assign print width to each width on the screen.

Point type

Sets the value of the point type attribute that can be selected from the pull-down menu.

The size of the point in the Drawing area depends on the resolution of the graphic card of your computer. In the print phase it depends on the resolution of your printer. It can also be set as scaled in the Options page of the Print settings window.

Line type

Sets the value of the line type attribute that can be selected from the pull-down menu.

The display of the discontinuous line types in the drawing area depends on the resolution of the graphic card of your computer. It can also be set as scaled in the Options page of the Print settings window.

Fill

All entities, lines and points excluded, have the fill attribute. If the check box is checked the area enclosed by the entity is filled by the color of the entity itself. In case the entity is an open form, such as arcs , polylines and splines, the part to be filled is closed by the virtual line that joins one vertex of the entity to the other.

Layer

Sets the value of the layer attribute that can be selected from the pull-down menu. The active layer can also be defined by setting the Work property for the layer selected in the Layers window.

Through the Layers window you can create, modify and delete layers.

Texts page

This page lets you manage the attributes that are common to Text entities. The specific text attributes are:

Font

Sets the font that can be selected from the pull-down menu. All available TrueType fonts are available and 5 own fonts of the program.

Style

Sets the font style that can be selected from the pull-down menu. Styles are available for TrueType fonts only, not for the program fonts.

Height

Sets the value of the height attribute that can be selected from the pull-down menu or by use of the keyboard entering directly the value in the input field. The height refers to the capitals, such as 'A'.

Effects Field

Underlined The text is underlined on its whole length.

Crossed The text is crossed on its whole length.

Box Draws a rectangle around the text..

Capital The text is entirely displayed in capitals. Small letters remain saved as small, though; this option concerns the view only, not the text itself.

Hidden The text is not displayed. When this setting is active the Box setting is automatically enabled in order to make sure that the text remains available for further operations; otherwise it even wouldn’t be selectable any more.

Proportional The characters of a proportional font have a variable breadth; that increases their legibility. The characters of a non-proportional font instead occupy all the same space. This quality is useful e.g. for the construction of a table with numbers which is a lot more legible when the numbers are aligned. This attribute doesn’t concern TrueType fonts, but only the fonts of the program.

Justification Field

Origin Sets the origin of the text, i.e. its postition with respect to the inserting point.

Justification Is used in case of multiline texts; it sets the justification of the text lines with respect to the box that is occupied by the text:

Left The lines begin at the left border of the box.

Right The lines end at the right border of the box.

Centered The lines are centered with respect to the box.

Justified Blank spaces are added between the words of a line in order to make each line of the text touch both borders of the box: the breadth of the text will correspond to the breadth of the box.

Spacing Field

The entered values are defined as the ratio with the height of the text (entered in Height).

Line spacing Sets the vertical distance between the origin of two lines. Line spacing value 0 means superimposing lines.

Spacing Sets the horizontal distance between the characters. A positive value means an increase of space between the characters, a negative value means a decrease of space.

Other attributes Field

Slant Sets the slant of the character within the character cell. The value indicates the inclination angle, expressed as centesimal degrees, of the character with respect to the straight position. A positive value lets the character incline forward, a negative value lets it incline back. This option is enabled for the program fonts only.

Base/height ratio The value defines the ratio base : height of the character cell.

Angle Indicates as degrees the inclination of the whole text with respect to the horizontal axis. A positive value makes the text rotate anticlockwise round the application point.

Dimensions page

This page lets you manage the attributes that are common to Dimension entities. Attributes of dimension texts are managed separately through the Dimension text page. The units of measure for the display of the dimensions, instead, are managed through the Units of measure page.

The attributes of dimension are:

Colors Field

This field lets you separately set the colors of the various parts a dimension is made of:

Dimensions dimension line and arrows

Extensions reference lines

Text dimension text, eventual texts on the left or the right included

Tolerances dimension tolerances

To assign one single color to all parts of the dimension you are recommended to set the Color attribute through the General page.

Arrows Field

Type Sets the arrow type; value 0 indicates the absence of an arrow.

Ratio Sets the ratio between the arrow size and the character height of the dimension text.

Tolerances Field

Upper Sets the value of the upper tolerance; a blank input field indicates the absence of an upper tolerance.

Lower Sets the value of the lower tolerance; a blank input field indicates the absence of a lower tolerance.

ISO Sets the ISO code for the tolerances. In this case the values inserted under Upper and Lower are ignored; upper and lower tolerance are calculated according to the code.

Various Field

Factor Sets the multiplication factor for dimensions. Value 1 means the dimension text displays the value of the dimension in drawing unit. Inserting here another value you can scale the dimension value by the respective factor.

Ref. Dist. Sets the value of the Reference distance, i.e. the distance between the measured point and the extension line. If you want to detach the extension from the measured entity insert a value different from 0.

A positive value defines the distance between the reference points and the reference lines of the dimension.

A negative value defines in its absolute value the length of the reference lines; they start from the dimension line and are detached from the reference points.

Dimension text page

This page lets you manage the attributes that are common to dimension entities . The other dimension attributes are managed through the Dimensions page and the Units of measure page.

In general the attributes of dimension texts are the same as the attributes of normal texts - that are managed through the Texts page – with the following differences:

The attributes are saved separately.
Dimension texts have a fixed inclination and a fixed origin, they are aligned to the dimension line.
Dimension texts can consist of one single line only.

The attributes of dimension texts are:

Font

Sets the font that can be selected from the pull-down menu. All available TrueType fonts are available and 5 own fonts of the program.

Style

Sets the font style that can be selected from the pull-down menu. Styles are available for TrueType fonts only, not for the program fonts.

Height

Effects Field

Underlined The text is underlined on its whole length.

Crossed The text is crossed on its whole length.

Box Draws a rectangle around the text..

Capital The text is entirely displayed in capitals. Small letters remain saved as small, though; this option concerns the view only, not the text itself.

Hidden The text is not displayed. When this setting is active the Box setting is automatically enabled in order to make sure that the text remains available for further operations; otherwise it even wouldn’t be selectable any more.

Proportional The characters of a proportional font have a variable breadth; that increases their legibility. The characters of a non-proportional font instead occupy all the same space. This quality is useful e.g. for the construction of a table with numbers which is a lot more legible when the numbers are aligned. This attribute doesn’t concern TrueType fonts, but only the fonts of the program.

Other attributes Field

The values inserted for Ratio b/h and Spacing refer to the text height (selected under Height).

Slant Sets the slant of the character within the character cell. The value indicates the inclination angle, expressed as centesimal degrees, of the character with respect to the straight position. A positive value lets the character incline forward, a negative value lets it incline back. This option is enabled for the program fonts only.

Ratio base/height The value defines the ratio base : height of the character cell.

Spacing Sets the horizontal distance between the characters. A positive value means an increase of space between the characters, a negative value means a decrease of space.

Hatching page

This page lets you manage the attributes that are common to the Hatching entities. The attributes of hatchings are:

Angle

Inclination of the hatching lines in sexagesimal degrees (full angle = 360°).

Step

Distance between two hatching lines. Step 0 means the densest hatching step ever possible (equals fill).

Type

Lets you select the type for the display of the hatching.

Units of measure page

This page lets you manage the attributes that are common to the units of measure for the display of the texts of the Dimension entities. The other dimension attributes are managed through the Dimensions page and the Dimension text page.

The unit of measure can be set separately in the Space units field, for linear dimensions, and the Angular units field, for angular dimensions.

Space units field

Here you can set the format of the numbers that express the linear dimensions. Two units of measure formats, Engineering and Architectural, use the English system (inch), the others use the metric system. The formats are:

Decimal decimal notation (ex. 15.50)

Engineering measures in feet and decimal inches (ex. 1’-3.5”)

Architectural measures in feet, inches and fractional inches (ex. 1’-3 ½”)

Fractional integers and fractionals (ex. 15 ½)

Scientific scientific notation: numbers with mobile point and powers of ten (ex. 1.55 E+01)

Angular units field

Here you can set the format of the numbers that express the angular dimensions:

Decimal degrees the circle describes an angle of 360°, degree fractions are expressed in decimals (ex. 30.500°)

Degrees/min/sec the circle describes an angle of 360°, degree fractions are expressed in minutes and seconds (ex. 30°30’0”)

Centesimal degrees the circle describes an angle of 400°, degree fractions are expressed in decimals (ex. 30.889g)

Radians the circle describes an angle of 2¶ (number pi), degree fractions are expressed in decimals (ex. 0.532r)

Decimal precision field

Here you can set the number of decimal places, i.e. the precision the measuring values shall be displayed in. These settings don’t modify the precision of the values in memory that remains on the maximum level.

Dimensions Number of decimal places that will be displayed in the dimension text. If the check box Delete unused zeroes is checked the last digit after the decimal point that doesn’t equal zero will be rounded

Tolerances Number of decimal places that will be displayed in the texts of eventual tolerances. If the check box Delete unused zeroes is checked the last digit after the decimal point that doesn’t equal zero will be rounded.

The units of measure set in this sheet are the same that are set in the Units of measure page of the CAD options window. Whereas here you set the display of the dimensions in the drawing area in the Options you set the units of measure for the display of the dimensions in the Information window.