Drawing Aids

This section covers tools and features of TurboCAD that
make your work easier and more organized, such as grid,
snaps, layers, and construction geometry.

Table Of Contents   Coordinate Systems Grid Snaps Layers Construction Geometry Design Director

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Coordinate Systems

Menu: Modes / Coord System
There are several types of coordinate systems you can use,
and you can switch between them at any time.

For example, when drawing the outer wall of a house, you
may want to start the first wall at an absolute location. Each
successive wall, however, will be defined by its length and
angle relative to the first wall, so you would use polar
coordinates for these points. To place walls at an X, Y
distance from any other point, you could use relative
coordinates.

You can display the Coord System toolbar by right-clicking
in any toolbar area and selecting Coord System.

Coordinates, when entered manually, are entered in the
Coordinate Fields, at the lower right corner of the screen. See
Coordinate Fields. You can press Shift+Tab to
jump to the first field in the Coordinate Fields, then press Tab
to scroll through the remaining fields.

TIP: If you precede a coordinate with a $ sign, it will be interpreted as an absolute coordinate; if you precede it with an @ sign it will be interpreted as a relative coordinate; if you precede it with a > sign it will be interpreted as a polar coordinate.

Coordinate systems behave the same way in 2D and in 3D,
but in 3D you need to be familiar with the concept of
workplanes as well. See 3D Coordinate Systems and Workplanes.

WCS and UCS

The WCS (World Coordinate System) is an internal, absolute
coordinate system. WCS axes can be displayed by selecting
Workspace / World Coordinate System, and they appear at
the lower left corner of the screen. The WCS indicator does
not represent the origin; it indicates orientation.

The UCS (User Coordinate System) is the system in which
you are working. By default, it is located to coincide with the
WCS, but it can be moved. UCS axes can be displayed by
selecting Workspace / User Coordinate System, and they
appear wherever the origin is located.

When using the 3D Selector, the selection shell local menu
and Inspector Bar provide two options that relate selected
objects to the UCS (see "2D / 3D Selector" on page 159).

• Set UCS by Selector: Moves the UCS origin to the
  selection reference point.

• Set Selector by UCS: Moves the selection to the UCS
  origin (similar to the Format / Place on WorkPlane
  option for 2D objects).

NOTE: The 2D Selector always moves the UCS (Workplane) to the selection.

Absolute Coordinates

Icon:
Menu: Modes / Coord System / Absolute Coords
Hotkey: A, Shift+ A

Cartesian (X, Y) coordinates relative to the fixed, absolute
(WCS) origin.

You can enter absolute X and Y values in the Coordinate
Fields.

Relative Coordinates

Icon:
Menu: Modes / Coord System / Relative Coords
Hotkey: R, Shift+ R

Cartesian (X, Y) coordinates relative to a specified origin.

TIP: If you precede a coordinate with an @ sign it will be interpreted as a relative coordinate.

The relative origin can move as you work, relocating to each
selected point, or it can remain fixed. The relative origin is
controlled by the Fixed relative origin box on the
Preference page of the Program Setup (Options / Preference).
The relative origin is marked by a red square. You can use
Relocate Origin (Shift+L) at any time to move it.

Relative Origin not fixed

Relative Origin fixed

You can enter relative X and Y values in the Coordinate
Fields. Note the +/- symbols, indicating that the distance is
not absolute.

Polar Coordinates

Icon:
Menu: Modes / Coord System / Polar Coords
Hotkey: P, Shift+ P

Polar (length and angle) coordinates relative to a specified
origin. The relative origin (moving or fixed) behaves the
same way as for Relative coordinates.

TIP: If you precede a coordinate with a > sign it will be interpreted as a polar coordinate.

You can enter the distance and angle to the selected point in
the Coordinate Fields.

Relocate Origin

Icon:
Menu: Modes / Coord System / Relocate Origin
Hotkey: L, Shift+ L

For Relative and Polar coordinates, moves the relative
origin.


If you want to fix the relative origin in place, open the
Preference page (Options / Preference) and check Fixed relative origin.

Locking Coordinates

By default, when you move the mouse around the screen, the
values in the Coordinate Fields update dynamically.
However, you can enter a value and lock it so that it will not
change.
Locking coordinates comes in handy when you need to only
lock one field. For example, you can lock an X value and
constrain all future points to be placed on the vertical line
that passes through the X point.

WARNING: Be sure to unlock coordinates when you are finished. As long as a coordinate is locked, you are not free to select the usual range of points.

To lock a value, check the lock box for the relevant field.

You can also use the Lock options in the Modes menu, or use
the X, Y, or Z hotkeys.

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