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Getting started
OK then, cards on the table: XCAD 2000 uses a
bit of a quirky interface. While most of it is controlled
in the normal way from pull down menus
and windows it also has a command line 'console'
at the bottom of the screen. This can be
used to enter commands directly from the keyboard,
although you don't have to use it it all.
You'll notice when you make menu selections that
commands appear in this box. One way of learning
the command line short cuts is to keep an eye
on it while you make your menu selections.
The other thing to note is that after you've
made your initial menu selection you'll often be
faced with a customised sub-menu. These can be
different depending on which selection you have
made. Sometimes these will also have their own
sub-menus for further selections. Generally clicking
on Return or Action from these menus will confirm
your selection or continue to the next menu. Where
a value needs to be selected you'll be presented
with a small calculator-style pad. Certain selections
require you to first select a parameter then its value,
followed by any other parameters that are needed. For
example, to alter the rotation of the viewpoint, you
could select X, then the amount of rotation for the X
axis, then do the same for any rotation you might
require around the other axes.
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A
of 3D computer aided
design: CAD. In effect
0 e,come a CAD system to the world is a
computerised draughtsman's
table with all the paper and
drawing tools transferred to your
screen. XCAD 2000 is a professional
fully featured CAD package
for your Amiga and it's yours
with this issue of CU Amiga
Magazine. You might remember
we cover mounted the previous
version of XCAD (XCAD
Designer) on the December
1994 issue of CU Amiga
Magazine. This time we've
brought you the full 3D version.
COVER DISKS
This month's
application
program is
the highly
powerful
XCAD 2000.
Professional
3D CAD is
now within
your grasp.
CAD is used to design
everything from spacecraft to
toothpaste tubes. In many cases
it's also combined with CAM
(Computer Aided Manufacture) in
which case the CAD designs are
used to control robotic machinery
that goes ahead and turns
the drawings into objects. XCAD
2000 is quite capable of handling
professional design work and
can output its resulting drawings
to full 'AO' size plotters.
Demo drawing
To load the demo drawing, first
start up the 3D version of XCAD
2000. There are a number of
icons you can use to start up the
program. Each one will launch
either the 2D or 3D version in
one of a number of screen
mods, as indicated by the text
labels_ Lower resolutions with
fewer colours require less memory
to run. Select one of the 3D
icons. Now you can open the
demo drawing. Select Open
Drawing from the File menu then
click on Return. This will bring up
a file requester, in which you
should see a drawer called 3D
and a file called Oxford-model.
xdr. Click on the 3D drawer and
then select the Oxford-2000 file.
You won't see anything
yet, as the program doesn't