1. "I can't draw anything"!
2. Adding Material to Images
3. Importing DWG and DXF files - Xref Errors
4. Camera Position Tips
5. Explanation of Geometric and Cosmetic Select Modes
6. Save as JPG Sizing Guide
7. Enabling the "Power" parameter
8. Facet Editor tips
9. Shorten load times for DWG files
10. TurboCAD Updates, News and Links
11. Trick for moving objects in 3D
12. Revisit SEKE's in TurboCAD v9
13. How to display intersections with 3D objects

A common problem for beginners, is they might activate one of the tools (e.g. Line), and then find when they try to click spots in the drawing to put it, and nothing happens. There are a few common causes ...

If TurboCAD beeps at you ...

• There is a running snap mode, but nothing to snap to. With the exception of Grid Snap, all snap modes require objects near the cursor to snap to. Deactivate all running snap modes except Grid.
• You are attempting to draw to a locked Layer. Check in the Formatting bar that the current Layer doesn't have a little padlock on it. If it does, either change or unlock the Layer.

If  TurboCAD doesn't beep at you ...

• The most likely reason is that you are drawing on a hidden Layer. Check in the Formatting bar that the current Layer doesn't have a little set of eyes on it. If it does not, either change or unhide the Layer.

Final note: the Layer problems can bite you quite often depending how you have TurboCAD set up. Every tool can be individually set to a particular Layer, so curing it once isn't necessarily then end of it! It's not difficult to work with once you are familiar though.
David Bell

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To add materials to an bitmap image in a TurboCAD drawing:

1. Insert an image into your TurboCAD Drawing
2. Select the image and and assign a material by:
   • Using the Material Palette
   • Using the Properties dialog for the Image
3. The assigned material must be "image compatible."
4. To be compatible, go to the Pattern page of the Material Editor, and set the Pattern to:
   • Wrapped Image
     OR
   • Wrapped Filtered Image
5. You can then set the Reflectance, Transparency, Texture, and Wrapping Settings to created unique image effects.

Imported Image:

Imported Image with Material Transparency:

Imported Image with Added Reflectance and Texture:

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There are several ways to get rid of XRef errors, depending upon what the XRefs are being used for. Deleting them out of the Block Palette is only acceptable if they contain no "useful" information (ie title blocks, if all you are after is the "model" info). If the XRefs have useful data, then it is necessary to either re-create the external reference, then use the block-replace button on the block palette to replace the old reference with the new reference (all position data is kept). It is also possible to recreate the path for TurboCAD to locate the XRef (say the original XRef was on the C:\cad\ directory, then create a \cad\ directory on your C:\ drive and place the XRef files in that directory. You always have to have the XRef files to do all this, but the best thing to do is to ask the originator to bind/insert the XRefs before sending them out in the first place (this is a requirement for my deliverables and we use AutoCAD)
Joe Tilman

Bind
Binds the selected xref definition to the current drawing. Xref-dependent symbol table names are changed from blockname|symbolname to blockname$n$symbolname syntax. In this manner, unique symbol table names are created for all xref-dependent symbol table definitions bound to the current drawing.
For example, if you have an xref named FLOOR1 containing a layer named WALL, after binding the xref, the xref-dependent layer FLOOR1|WALL becomes a locally defined layer named FLOOR1$0$WALL. The number in $n$ is automatically incremented if a local symbol table definition with the same name already exists. In this example, if FLOOR1$0$WALL already existed in the drawing, the xref-dependent layer FLOOR1|WALL would be renamed FLOOR1$1$WALL.

Insert
Binds the xref to the current drawing in a way similar to detaching and inserting the reference drawing. Rather than being renamed using blockname$n$symbolname syntax, xref-dependent symbol table names are stripped of the xref name. As with inserting drawings, no name incrementing occurs if a local symbol shares the same name as a bound xref-dependent symbol. The bound xref-dependent symbol assumes the properties of the locally defined name. For example, if you have an xref named FLOOR1 containing a layer named WALL, after binding with the Insert option, the xref-dependent layer FLOOR1|WALL becomes the locally defined layer WALL.

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Most of the time I have been content with a standard view combined with a camera up or two and some number of camera turn down. But, a couple of times I have wanted to do the view from a specific location and I haven't been very successful in doing that ... not very as in not at all. E.g., I wanted to do the view in a door, so I found the X, Y, Z coordinates for where eyes would be in that door, put the camera there and the viewpoint as the same, but with a larger Y to indicate direction. All it says is "Please enter a number".
Thomas Mercer-Hursh
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I use the camera walk-through tools for that... > I level the camera with it's properties by setting the z value of the position and target point to 60" or so and set the up vector to 0, 0, 1.
Turn on perspective (start with the "eye" setting) and you can go anywhere you want with the Walk tool.
Winston Mitchell
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Well, OK, that got me started a bit, but there are certainly parts of it that seem very non--intuitive ... starting with the XYZ values I put in or that show up there when I go to look at the camera properties. E.g., if I want to be somewhere like X = 21', Y = -65', Z = 5' and I will get somewhere vaguely in the right spot and go to camera properties to change something and it will show X = 685, Y = -780 or some such.
Thomas Mercer-Hursh
--------------------
Couple of suggestions

1. Insert a "Camera object." I generally use the "Camera by two points" option, wherein the first mouse click emplaces the camera (on the current WP) and the second designates the direction in which it's looking. After insertion, select the camera object and check the "Attached/Detached" box in its Properties dialog. You'll then be switched to the view seen by that camera. Assign it a "Named View" before going further. (Why? Because that view is a brand-new window, accessible via the View menu, and any fiddling you do with your viewpoint in that window will move the camera. Try hard to avoid such fiddling, but the Named View will save your behind if you forget.)
2. For satisfactory results you must enable Perspective and adjust the View Angle. Resist the temptation to examine, walk, etc. (See next paragraph.)
3. You can switch to the non-camera-view Window and adjust the camera object's position and/or orientation by selecting it and using "Edit node," just as you would for a spotlight.

Henry O. Hubich
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When you insert the camera object, what do you click to? Do you use construction lines or the grid or other objects?
David Danek
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Subject: you can use those methods or enter the 3 coordinates in the Status Bar, twice
Craig Dollimore
--------------------
You can also node edit a camera
I find it works quite well.
you can
Walk to what you think is close,
Straighten Camera
Insert Camera By View
Then Node Edit fine adjust the two nodes on the WWP Back in Select Edit, and set Pos Z to 5'
You can draw various aids to make it easy to snap the two points
David Bell

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There are two distinct modes for geometric selection: Geometric and Cosmetic. You can switch between the two modes by clicking Geometric Select Edit, located in the Preference property tab of the Program Setup (Options / Preference).

Geometric extents are based on the distances between object vertices (the three corners points of a triangle or the two endpoints of a line). Cosmetic extents are based on distances between the outermost points on the object that will be drawn with the minimum (zero) pen width. Therefore, the difference between the two modes is relevant for objects such as double lines, multi lines, and objects that have a nonzero pen width. The select mode will come into play when using snaps and assigning dimensions.

For most applications, and for greater accuracy, use Geometric select mode. There are two main advantages to using Geometric select mode:

1. When you scale using geometric extents, it is easy to see exactly what is going to be scaled. For example, if you scale a double-line object, the double-line separation distance and pen width are not scaled. Geometric select mode makes this visually obvious.

2. When you scale an orthogonal linear object using geometric extents, you get accurate results. For example, if you scale a 1-inch horizontal line segment 200 percent along the X axis, the line segment will always be 2 inches long. If you were to use cosmetic extents, the results would vary depending on the pen width.

Tip: If you want to change the width (separation distance) or pen width of a double line, you can enter new values in the Properties window.

The disadvantage of geometric selection is that if you snap the endpoint of a wide line to another object, the cosmetic end of the line will overlap the object. You can work around this problem by selecting a line using cosmetic extents and using a snap mode to position the cosmetic end of the line.

Warning: Geometric select mode is not the installation default. If you choose to use Cosmetic select mode, zoom in closely and be careful where you snap. If you set Geometric select mode, it will remain active the next time you open TurboCAD.

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"JPG-SDK sample filter" and "JPG - TurboCAD for Windows JPEG"
To create an image of your render or 2D drawing use this, "JPG - TurboCAD for Windows JPEG"
then go to the "setup" button in the "save as" dialog and set the image size.

	A table of sizes:	300DPI
	P1=ANSI A Size (8.5 in x 11 in)	2550	3300
	P2=ANSI B Size (11 in x 17 in)	3300	5100
	P3=ANSI C Size (17 in x 22 in)	5100	6600
	P4=ANSI D Size (22 in x 34 in)	6600	10200
	P5=ANSI E Size (34 in x 44 in)	10200	13200
	P7=Legal Size (8.5 in x 14 in)	2550	4200
	P8=ISO A4 Size (210 mm x 297 mm)	2480	3508
	P9=ISO A3 Size (297 mm x 420 mm)	3508	4961
	P10=ISO A2 Size (420 mm x 594 mm)	4961	7016
	P11=ISO A1 Size (594 mm x 841 mm)	7016	9933
	P12=ISO A0 Size (841 mm x 1189 mm)	9933	14043

John R. Sollman

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Nearly everyone knows by now that the Power setting of lights in TurboCAD has no effect except when rendering with Radiosity. Well, that need be true no longer.

Shut down TCad. Open your Tcw90.ini file in NotePad and find (Ctrl+F) the following line
LIGHT_POWER_ENABLE=0
Change it to read
LIGHT_POWER_ENABLE=1

Save the file, close it, and launch TurboCAD.
Now Genie knows she has to look at your Power setting -- in addition to the Lum value in the Color dialog -- to determine how bright your lights are. If you set Power to one Watt, lights will behave exactly as before. But now you can crank the brightness way, way up if necessary by increasing wattage. That means, for one outstanding example, that you can get useful results from Fall OFF settings other than "No attenuation." And if you find that a Point light just isn't bright enough -- something I see once in a while -- you can increase its Power instead of inserting additional lights.
I've only just begun to use this new goodie and can't wait to see what further advantages it confers.
Henry O. Hubich and Alfred Kypta

After making this change...tes to 1 Watt instead of the default 100 watts. If you do this they will behave as they did before.
Winston Mitchell

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The tool has its own, independent selector properties (see the local menu)
I suggest the arrangement in the (properties dialog) to start with.
You might want to set "UCS by Selector" first.
Use page Up/Down to get to "hidden" facets.
Once made, a selection of facets behaves much like any other selection.
You can move its reference point and you can move and rotate the selection.
Movement is restricted to directions that don't require the rotation of unselected facets.
This has interesting and beneficial implications. Try playing with a tetrahedron.
Winston Mitchell

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In the open dialog box, in "files of type" drop down select *.dwg and file then click the "setup" button just below "cancel" and de-select all the settings below "During importing, overwrite existing settings for:"

You might want to experiment with those settings, possibly you will not have to de-select all of them to shorten load times.

• File Units: Replaces the units of an imported file with the selected units.
• Default text font: Sets a default import font.
• Overwrite existing entries for: AutoCAD stores the settings (or values) for its operating environment and some of its commands in system variables. Checking this box overwrites these settings. In TurboCAD, these settings include World units, the numerical display format, the angular system, etc. You can overwrite system variables for objects under the following conditions: the DXF/DWG drawing is inserted into an open file, and both files (the imported file and the receiving file), have system variables (views, blocks, layers and/or line styles) of the same names.

1.)


2.)

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Go to Help|TurboCAD On The Web|News Search Scheduler…
Uncheck "Connect to the Internet…"
Change the other stuff to "Never"

You should not be bothered again, unless you create a new INI file (for whatever reason). You can use "Find News Now…" from the Help menu if you want to manually update

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Select Edit in 3D
(Editing by 3D Selector)

The Select Edit tools work the same way in 3D as for 2D.

As with Select Edit for 2D objects, you can move, rotate, scale, and copy objects when they are selected. The only difference is that with 3D space there are additional options for movement. Whereas in 2D, you can only rotate in the XY plane, 3D objects can be rotated in the XZ and YZ planes as well. Movement can be in the Z direction, in addition to X and Y.

You need to activate the 3D Selector in order to have all editing tools available.

When in Select Edit mode, the Inspector Bar has a different appearance. The numeric fields enable you to change the size, scale, and rotation of the selected objects, while the local menu options include Make Copy, Selector properties, etc.
Size and Position fields for 3D objects are turned off by default

1.)

2.)

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Single Equivalent Keyboard Entries are keyboard shortcuts, or hotkeys, for quickly performing a function or snapping. To use a SEKE for snapping, place the cursor on the desired object and press the key. For example, place the cursor anywhere on a line and press M to snap to its midpoint.

The following is the list of SEKE snaps:

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Menu: Workspace / WorkPlane / Show 3D Intersections

Enables you to visualize where the current workplane intersects with 3D objects. This is a toggle command; if selected, the interactions will always be displayed whenever the workplane is displayed.

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