AllyCAD Reference

AllyCAD
Reference Manual
Copyright 2004
KNOWLEDGE BASE
Conditions of Sale
The purchaser (further referred to as the Licensee) hereby accepts a
non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the software, AllyCAD, on
the following conditions.
1. The license fee shall be payable in advance and this agreement
commences on said date of purchase.
2. A separate license fee is payable for each CPU upon which the
Licensee wishes to use the software.
3. The Licensee undertakes not to copy, except for backup purposes,
reproduce, translate, adapt, vary or modify the software, nor to
communicate the software to any third party other than the
Licensee’s employees, without the Licensor’s prior written consent.
4. The Licensee agrees that it shall not itself or through any subsidiary,
agent or third party, sell, lease, license, sub-license or otherwise deal
with the software.
5. The Licensee acknowledges that any and all of the intellectual
property rights including trademark, trade name, copyright and
other rights used or embodied in or in connection with the software
shall be and remain the sole property of the Licensor and it’s
principals.
6. The Licensee shall not question or dispute the ownership of any
such rights at any time.
7. It is up to the Licensee to insure the program for the full
replacement value. In the event of theft or loss of the program,
security disk, or security module the license must be re-purchased in
full.
8. No warranty of any kind is made with regard to the use or
application of the software or it’s fitness for any particular purpose.
The verification of all results and output is entirely the responsibility
of the purchaser.
9. While every care has been taken in the preparation of the AllyCAD
program and it’s manual, Knowledge Base cc, it’s employees and
agents shall not be liable for any loss or damage (including in
particular, consequential losses, loss of profits and penalties)
suffered by the Licensee arising from any cause whatsoever in
connection with the AllyCAD program or the use thereof whether
such loss or damage results from breach of contract (including a
fundamental breach), negligence or any other cause and whether or
not this contract is at any time cancelled by the Licensee arising
from any cause whatsoever in connection with the AllyCAD program
or the use thereof whether or not this contract is at any time
cancelled.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Typefaces in this manual i
How to get support ii
Online Help ii
FILE MENU
Clear All 1-2
New 1-2
Open 1-3
If the New Bitmap Path dialog box is displayed 1-4
Notes about loading DXF and DWG drawings 1-4
Load 1-7
Load Drawing 1-7
Load Layers 1-8
Load Geom 1-9
Load Bitmap 1-9
Load Menu 1-13
Load Title Block 1-13
Save 1-14
Save As 1-15
Saving an AutoCAD DWG file or a DXF file 1-15
Saving an AllyCAD DRG file 1-16
Drawing Office Manager 1-18
Save AllyCAD DOS 1-21
Save Options 1-22
Save Settings 1-22
Edit Description 1-24
Save Selected 1-25
Save Layer 1-25
Save Visible 1-26
Save Geometry 1-26
Load Symbol File 1-27
Import/Export 1-29
Import HPGL 1-29
Import ASCII 1-30
Import ShapeFile 1-31
Export Macro 1-31
Export Text 1-32
Export ShapeFile 1-33
Print 1-34
Printer Defaults 1-35
i
Printing to a pen plotter 1-37
Creating an HPGL file 1-37
Zoom Print 1-38
Print Setup 1-40
Exec Macro 1-41
Encode Macro 1-41
Edit Macro 1-41
Repair DRG File 1-42
Purge Redundant Elements 1-43
Security 1-44
Hasp Dongle Overview 1-47
NetHasp 1-47
Exit 1-49
EDIT MENU
Undo 2-2
Redo 2-2
Cut 2-3
Copy 2-3
Paste 2-4
Delete 2-5
Select 2-6
Selecting 2-7
Handles 2-8
Stretching and Scaling 2-9
Rotating 2-11
Dragging 2-12
Copying 2-12
Double Click Editing 2-12
Select Nodes 2-14
Select by Polygon 2-16
Selection Filters 2-17
Objects 2-18
Properties 2-21
Text 2-22
Clear Selection 2-22
Move to Front 2-23
Move to Back 2-23
VIEW MENU
Zoom Window 3-2
Zoom Last 3-4
Zoom Next 3-5
Zoom All 3-5
ii
Zoom Paper 3-6
Zoom Scaled 3-6
Zoom Selected 3-7
Zoom View 3-7
Define Zoom View 3-8
Toolbars 3-11
Magnify 3-12
Demagnify 3-12
Pan 3-13
Long Pan 3-14
Refresh 3-15
DRAW MENU
Line (Chained) 4-2
Lines (Pt to Pt) 4-3
Point 4-4
Rectangle 4-5
Arc 3 Point 4-6
Arc Radius 4-7
Circle 4-9
Circle Diameter 4-10
Circle 2 Point 4-11
Line Arc Line 4-12
Parallel Line 4-15
1 Parallel Element 4-16
Geometry Trace-Over 4-20
Fill Geom 4-20
Fill Geometry Cir 4-21
Fill Geom Arc 4-22
Ellipses 4-24
Ellipse 4-24
Part Ellipse 4-25
Splines 4-27
Circular Spline 4-27
Cubic Spline 4-28
Polyline 4-30
Polygon 4-32
Symbol 4-33
Options on the control bar 4-34
Entering Symbols without AutoR checked 4-35
Entering Symbols when AutoR is Checked 4-36
Sketch 4-38
iii
MODIFY MENU
Stretch 5-2
Move 5-4
Move Point 5-5
Mirror Image 5-6
Mirror Axis 5-7
Keep Original 5-8
Scale 5-9
Scaling by cursor 5-10
Scaling from the keyboard 5-12
Repeat 5-13
Rectangular Repeat 5-14
Polar Repeat 5-15
Drop 5-16
Rotate 5-17
Rotating by angle 5-17
Rotating by cursor 5-18
Trim 5-19
Update 5-19
Use 5-20
Fillet 5-22
Update 5-23
Use 5-23
Radius 5-25
Chamfer 5-26
Chamfer by angle and one length 5-27
Chamfer by two lengths 5-27
Divide/Extend 5-28
Splitting a line or arc 5-28
Extending a line or arc 5-28
Divide/Edit 5-29
Join Lines 5-30
Cut and Rub 5-32
Cutting in one place 5-33
Cutting in two places 5-34
Snip 5-35
Snipping inside or outside a box. 5-36
Snipping inside or outside a circle 5-37
Polysnip 5-38
Move Selected->New Layer 5-39
Copy Selected->New Layer 5-40
Ellipse2Arcs 5-41
GEOMETRY MENU
Cross 6-2
iv
Slope Line 6-3
Point-Point Line 6-4
Parallel Line 6-5
Parallel line by distance 6-6
Parallel line through point 6-6
Circle 6-7
Circle Diameter 6-8
Circle Tan LL 6-9
Circle Tan LC 6-11
Circle Tan CC 6-14
Circle Tan 3L 6-18
Circle Tan LPtRad 6-20
Circle Tan CPtRad 6-22
Circle 3 Pt 6-26
Line Tan C 6-27
Tangent line at a fixed angle 6-28
Tangent line through point 6-28
Line Tan CC 6-29
Perp Bisector 6-31
Perpendicular Bisector between two points 6-32
Perpendicular to a line which passes through a point 6-32
Make Geometry 6-33
Switch Geometry On/Off 6-34
Delete Geometry El 6-35
Delete All Geometry 6-36
ANNOTATE MENU
Add Text 7-2
Adding text around an arc 7-4
Edit Text 7-5
Edit Text 7-5
Move Text 7-5
Scale Text 7-6
Change Text Parameters 7-6
Set Alignment 7-7
Align To Each Other 7-7
Align To Grid 7-8
Alignment 7-8
Distribution 7-14
Align 7-17
Horizontal Dimension 7-19
Mechanical Style 7-20
Architectural Style 7-26
Vertical Dimension 7-27
Slope Dimension 7-28
v
Parallel sloping dimensions 7-29
Dimensions at fixed angles 7-30
Isometric dimensions 7-31
Angular Dimension 7-33
Dimensioning angles between 2 existing lines 7-34
Dimensioning angles between three points 7-36
Dimensioning an existing arc length 7-38
Dimension an arc between three points 7-39
Radial Dimension 7-41
Ordinate Dimension 7-44
Survey Dimension 7-46
Edit Dimension 7-48
Edit Dimension Properties 7-48
Cut Dimension Line 7-50
Alter Dimension 7-51
Add Arrow 7-56
Add Balloon 7-58
Add/Rem Text Bubble 7-60
Enter Hatch/Solid Fill 7-61
Pattern hatching 7-61
Solid Fill 7-63
Tips for creating interesting hatched effects 7-65
Quick Hatch Polylines 7-66
Alter Existing Hatch 7-67
Draw All Hatch 7-68
Draw Selected Hatch 7-68
Pick Index from Hatch 7-69
Hatch -> Lines 7-70
Label Coord 7-71
TOOLS MENU
Lock Cursor 8-2
Lock to Line 8-3
Lock Geom Line 8-3
Lock Keyboard 8-3
Perpendicular 8-3
120 deg 8-4
Hold 8-4
Unlock 8-6
Jumps 8-7
Grab All 8-7
Geometry Intersection 8-8
Grid 8-8
Any Intersection 8-9
Point 8-9
vi
Circle Centre 8-10
Near Element 8-10
Last Fixed 8-11
Mid Point 8-11
Ratio 8-12
Move to Coordinates 8-14
Polar Move 8-15
Show Nodes 8-16
Dump Data 8-17
Object Header 8-19
Object Details 8-20
Grid 8-26
Measure 8-28
Polygon Area 8-29
Add Data Item 8-31
Edit Data Item 8-33
Query Entity 8-34
Bill of Materials (BOM) 8-35
Creating a Template for the Bill of Materials 8-35
Creating a Bill of Materials 8-39
Creating objects with attributes (Symbols) 8-40
Tidy Polygons 8-45
Add Nodes 8-46
Tidy Up Boundaries 8-47
Drawingsnaptidy 8-49
DrawingCliptidy 8-51
Expand 8-52
Detailed view in a box 8-53
Detailed view in a circle 8-55
General 8-56
OBJECTS MENU
An introduction to objects and symbols 9-2
Properties of objects 9-2
Using an object as a symbol 9-5
Begin New Object 9-6
Group Into Object 9-7
Explode Object 9-8
Show Objects 9-9
List Objects 9-13
Make Symbol 9-15
Edit Object 9-19
Change Name 9-19
Change Parent 9-21
Change Hook Point 9-21
vii
Update Objects 9-23
Select Current Object 9-25
Blink Current Object 9-25
Create Block 9-26
Insert Block 9-27
SETTINGS MENU
Drawing Settings 10-2
Paper Size 10-2
Scale 10-3
Coordinate System 10-9
Angular Format 10-12
View Settings 10-14
Re-Centre Paper 10-20
Sheet Size and Scale 10-21
Change Magnify Factor 10-22
Line Defaults 10-23
Polyline Defaults 10-25
Parallel Defaults 10-28
New Geometry Colour 10-34
Set Text Defaults 10-35
Set Dim Defaults 10-41
Witness Line and Arrow Style. 10-41
Number Decimals 10-44
Dimension Text 10-44
Set Survey Defaults 10-46
Set Arrow Defaults 10-48
Set Balloon Defaults 10-50
DXF/DWG Conversion Settings 10-53
From DXF/DWG Conversion Settings 10-53
To DXF/DWG Conversion Settings 10-54
AllyCAD DOS Conversion Settings 10-55
Virtual Memory Settings 10-56
Digitizer Settings 10-57
System Settings 10-62
System Settings 10-62
Tiled Bitmaps 10-64
Set Current Layer 10-66
Set Visible Layers 10-67
Layer Settings 10-68
To Edit a Layer 10-69
To Add a Layer 10-69
To Delete a Layer 10-69
To Set the Current Layer 10-70
Setting Visible Layers 10-70
viii
Layer Highlight 10-70
Operate on 10-71
Pen and Line Type By Layer 10-71
TOOLKIT MENU
General 11-2
Calculator 11-3
Batch Print 11-4
File Converter 11-5
Read Excel Table 11-6
Layer Info on Plot 11-7
Divide an Angle 11-8
Divide a Line 11-9
Total Line Length 11-11
Hide Layer 11-14
Line/Pen by Layer 11-15
Draw Centrelines 11-16
Draw Chamfered Rect 11-17
Draw Filleted Rect 11-18
Set Layer from Element 11-19
Architectural Toolkit 11-20
Architectural Toolkit 11-20
Architectural Toolkit Functions: 11-20
Architectural Setup Dialog 11-21
Draw Walls 11-22
Add Roof Line to Plan 11-28
Place Symbols 11-30
Draw Elevations 11-32
Add Roof to Elevation 11-34
Drawing Cross Sections 11-36
Drawing Stairs 11-44
Civils 11-51
Cut and Fill Lines 11-52
Sewer Capture 11-54
Mechanical Toolkit 11-57
Setup 11-58
Hex Head Bolts 11-60
Hex Nuts 11-62
Socket Screws 11-64
Rivets 11-67
Drilled Holes 11-70
Draw Slots 11-73
Concentric Circles with Centre Lines 11-74
Add CL to Circle 11-75
Shafts 11-76
ix
Gears 11-78
Links 11-80
Flanges 11-82
Rect to Round Duct 11-84
Rect to Round Duct 11-84
Coordinate Table 11-86
Parts List Table 11-88
User Table 11-90
Annotate Welds 11-92
Annotate Tolerances 11-94
Annotate Surface Finishes 11-96
Structural 11-98
Building Grid 11-99
Erf Numbers 11-103
Street Numbers 11-105
Label Coordinates 11-107
Coordinate Cross 11-108
Relative Polar Move 11-110
SG &Diagram 11-111
Edit Defaults 11-111
Trace Figure 11-114
Adjust Drawing 11-115
General Plan 11-116
Edit Defaults 11-116
Insert Titleblock 11-119
Insert Heading 11-119
Area Table 11-120
Figure Table 11-121
Block Table 11-122
Reference Marks 11-123
Trig Beacons 11-124
Add Dims 11-125
PERIMETER MENU
Accept Button 12-2
Cancel Button 12-2
Circle 12-2
Rectangle 12-3
Line (Chained) 12-3
Objects 12-4
Intersections 12-4
Auto 12-6
x
DEFAULTS
Multiple users 13-2
User Home directory 13-3
Adding new users 13-3
CAD.INI 13-5
Paths 13-8
Print 13-9
FromDXFFonts 13-9
ToDXFFonts 13-9
DXFFlags 13-9
Controlbar 13-9
Digitizer 13-10
Logfile 13-10
Drawings 13-10
Vmem 13-10
Colors 13-10
Textedit 13-10
Infowindow 13-11
Coordtable 13-11
BOM 13-11
CAD.MEN
Comments 14-1
Toolbars 14-2
Pull-Down Menus 14-4
Accelerators 14-6
Digitizer 14-6
Functions 14-7
Transparent Commands 14-7
Short Cuts 14-7
Macros 14-8
HATCH PATTERNS
Hatch Pattern Definitions 15-2
Example 1 - Line 15-5
Example 2 - Dash 15-6
Example 3 - Newbrick 15-7
Example 4 - Triang 15-11
LINE TYPES
Line Type Definitions 16-2
Merging Drawings containing blocks 16-5
xi
MACROS
Writing my first macro 17-2
Some hints and tips 17-5
Description 17-9
Statements 17-9
Special Characters 17-10
Variables 17-11
Maths Functions 17-13
General Purpose Functions 17-16
Flow of Control Commands 17-18
Data Entry Functions 17-21
String Functions 17-23
Coordinate to String Conversion 17-27
Enquire Functions 17-30
ASCII Files 17-44
DDE Commands 17-47
AllyCAD Functions 17-51
File Functions 17-53
Edit Functions 17-59
View Functions 17-63
Draw Functions 17-65
Modify Functions 17-70
Geometry Functions 17-73
Annotate Functions 17-76
Tools Functions 17-84
Objects Functions 17-89
Settings Functions 17-92
Window Functions 17-108
Perimeter Functions 17-109
COMPILED MACROS
Advantages of using compiled macro programs 18-1
The structure of a compiled macro program 18-2
An introductory sample compiled macro program 18-2
Converting old-style macro programs 18-3
Language elements 18-4
Character set 18-4
Special Characters 18-5
Tokens, separators and the use of blanks 18-6
Identifiers and reserved words 18-6
Numeric constants 18-7
Character constants 18-8
String constants 18-8
Coordinate pairs 18-9
Comments 18-10
xii
Variables 18-11
Numeric variables 18-11
String variables 18-11
Arrays 18-11
Numeric expressions 18-13
Operands 18-13
Operators 18-13
Precedence of operators 18-15
Expressions in parentheses 18-15
Built-in numeric functions 18-16
String expressions 18-19
Statements 18-21
Assignment statements 18-21
String assignments 18-21
IF and ELSE statements 18-22
WHILE statement 18-23
BREAK statement 18-24
SWITCH statement 18-24
CALL and RETURN statements 18-25
EXIT statement 18-25
Procedures 18-26
Format of a procedure 18-26
Procedure parameters 18-26
Return value of a procedure 18-28
Ways of activating a procedure 18-28
Passing parameters by reference 18-28
Compiling a compiled macro program 18-30
Error and warning messages 18-30
How does a compiled macro program differ? 18-32
String constants enclosed in quotation marks 18-32
Unintentional combination of numeric arguments 18-32
Commands/functions whose syntax has changed 18-32
List of compiled macro reserved words 18-33
Compiled macro limits 18-34
APPENDIX A - FUNCTIONS
Function by Menu Name 19-2
Functions A to Z 19-10
APPENDIX B - BITMAP NAMES

File Menu 20-2
Edit Menu 20-4
ViewMenu 20-5
Draw Menu 20-6
xiii
Modify Menu 20-7
Geometry Menu 20-8
Annotate Menu 20-9
Tools Menu 20-10
Objects Menu 20-11
Settings Menu 20-12
Windows Menu 20-15
Cursor Movement 20-16
General 20-18
xiv
Introduction
This manual will help you install AllyCAD and get started. It also
includes easy-to-follow tutorials for hands-on experience with the
program.
Typefaces in this manual

The different typefaces in this manual are used as follows:
Monospace This typeface represents text as it appears in prompts
or output.
Italics Italics are used for emphasis and to introduce new
terms.
[Enter] This indicates a key on your keyboard.
For example:
“Press [Enter] to complete the entry.”
Command This typeface indicates a menu option or a command.
For example:
“Click on the Open icon to load a drawing.”
This button on the control bar is used to accept a

setting or function.
This button in the control bar is used to cancel a

setting or function.
Menu commands appear with the path separated by an arrow. The
instruction Draw ► Ellipses ► Ellipse refers to the command you choose
by opening the Draw menu, the Ellipses sub-menu, and by choosing the
Ellipse option.
Introduction i
How to get support
Technical support is available from 08.00 to 17.00 Mondays to Fridays
excluding public holidays.
South Africa 086 0101 999
International +27 (021) 701-1850
You can also email your support enquiries to our Customer Support
Centre at support@knowbase.co.za
Online Help
While using the program you can press F1 for context sensitive help at
any time. The help items can be printed if required using the Windows
Help system.
ii AllyCAD Reference Manual

File Menu
The File Menu contains all the functions to
create, load, save, import, export and print
drawings. In addition it also includes options to
set up the security and to correct faulty drawing
files.
File Menu 1-1

Clear All
Clears the drawing in the current window
Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

Right File DelAll
If you have not saved the current drawing, a dialog box asking you
whether you want to save it will appear. To save your drawing, click on
the YES button. To abandon it without saving, click on the NO button.
New
Creates a new empty window with a blank drawing in it.

Left File Ctrl + N FileNew
A new window will be displayed with the defaults stored in

STARTUP.DRG.
1-2 AllyCAD Reference Manual

Open
Load an AllyCAD or AutoCAD drawing or a DXF file.

Left File Ctrl + O FileOpen
Ctrl + F12
Loads AllyCAD drawings (DRG files), AutoCAD Release 10 to 14

drawings (DWG files) and DXF files. DXF files are the normal method
for transferring drawings between different CAD systems.
Procedure
The standard File dialog box is displayed. To choose the type of drawing
file you want to load - DRG, DWG or DXF - set the Files of Type list box
at the bottom left of the dialog box. Select the drawing you want and
click on the Open button.
If you have checked the Open creates a new window option in the System
Settings dialog and you have a drawing on your screen, AllyCAD will ask
you whether you want to save it and will then close it. The new drawing
will be loaded. As it loads, a bar at the bottom of the screen will show the
progress of the load.
The names of the drawings you have worked on most recently are listed
at the bottom of the File menu. To load one of these drawings, click on its
name in the list.
You can also open DRG, DWG and DXF files by dragging them into
AllyCAD from Windows Explorer.
File Menu 1-3

If the New Bitmap Path dialog box is displayed
When you save a drawing that contains bitmaps, the bitmaps are not
stored with the drawing. Only a reference to them is stored. If you delete
a bitmap or move it to another directory, AllyCAD will not be able to find
the bitmap next time the drawing is loaded. A dialog titled New Bitmap
Path will be displayed.
If you have moved the bitmap to another directory, click on [Browse File
Directory] button in the dialog box to locate the bitmap so that AllyCAD
will be able to find it. Then click on the [Try Again] button.
If you click on the [Ignore Reference] button in the dialog box, AllyCAD
will load the drawing minus the bitmap that it cannot find. If you click on
the [Delete Reference] button in the dialog box, AllyCAD will delete the
reference to the bitmap stored in the drawing.
Notes about loading DXF and DWG drawings
DWG/DXF Versions
AllyCAD supports all AutoCAD 12, 13, 14, 2000 and 2002 DXF and DWG
data except Shapes, 3D Faces, or anything in Paper Space. If you bring
3D information into AllyCAD, the z coordinates may be dropped.
Pen colours
Pens are identical to the DWG and DXF files. If the colours are different
to AutoCAD click on the [Pen] button in the Control Bar and then check
the AutoCAD colors option.

Fonts
Because AutoCAD does not always use a standard Windows font system
and AllyCAD does, you need to convert DXF and DWG fonts to AllyCAD
equivalents. You do this in the DXF/DWG Conversion Settings dialog
box in the Settings Menu.
• If you are using a pen plotter you should use DXF/DWG Conversion
Settings to translate DXF and DWG fonts into the equivalent
Windows pen plotter fonts. These are Modern, Roman, and Script.
• If the DXF or DWG file you are converting contains an AutoCAD
font you don’t know the name of, use the UNKNOWNNAME setting
in the For DXF Font section of the DXF/DWG Conversion Settings
dialog box. Then select the AllyCAD font you want to convert it to in
the Use AllyCAD section.
• If the fonts you want to convert to or from do not appear in the list of
fonts in the DXF/DWG Conversion Settings dialog box, you can add
further fonts by reading the CAD.INI file in your User Home
directory into a word processor and adding the required font names
to the existing listing.
Line Types
By default, DXF and DWG line types should be displayed correctly in
AllyCAD. However, the LINETYPE.MAC file, which defines the line
styles, may have been changed.
Part of the drawing is missing

If you have loaded a DXF or a DWG file and part of your drawing seems
to be missing, go to Settings ► View Settings and change the background
colour of your drawing. It is likely that the missing parts of the drawing
are simply the same colour as the background.
Drawing Origin
As AutoCAD's origin point (0 0) is at bottom left and AllyCAD's is at the
centre of the paper, you may have to use the Settings ► Re-Centre Paper
function to centre a DXF or DWG drawing on the paper.
Scale
As AutoCAD works mainly at a scale of 1:1 you may want to change the
scale in AllyCAD to a more normal setting, e.g. 1:50, using Settings ►
Drawing Settings.
File Menu 1-5

Attributes
AutoCAD has two types of attributes, Attdef (attribute definition, only
found inside blocks) and Attribute (solidified Attdef, produced when you
insert a block). These are converted to AllyCAD as follows:
• An Attdef has three text strings: prompt, tag and default. These are
stored in a AllyCAD data item as prompt:tag=default.
• An Attribute has two text strings: tag and value. These are stored in
an AllyCAD data item as tag=value.
The AllyCAD data items are converted back to attributes when you write
the drawing out again.
Dimensions
AutoCAD has two ways of putting text into a dimension, either blank or
some text. If the AutoCAD dimension is blank, AllyCAD puts in its own
text based on the current dimension settings. If the AutoCAD dimension
has text in it, AllyCAD copies it across verbatim.
If your DXF or DWG drawing loads and redraws very slowly

DXF and DWG drawings often contain un-referenced blocks that can
slow them down drastically. You can purge these blocks using File ►
Purge Duplicates/ Redundant.
See Also
Defaults, Line Types

Load
Merge drawings, load selected layers of a drawing, load geometry, or load a
bitmap.
Load Drawing
Inserts another drawing into the existing drawing

Right File ReadAnyFile
This function operates in the same way as File ► Open. However, if there
is already a drawing on the screen, the new drawing will be merged into
the existing drawing. This is useful if you need to add, say, a pre-drawn
detail to the drawing you are working on.
Procedure
When you load a DWG or DXF file into an existing drawing, the new
drawing will be positioned on the existing drawing according to its
coordinates, i.e. an entity positioned at coordinate "100,100" on the new
drawing will be positioned at coordinate "100,100" on the existing
drawing. This is also true if you load an AllyCAD drawing into an
existing drawing and you are working with Surveyor coordinates.
However, if you load an AllyCAD drawing into an existing drawing and
you are using Cartesian coordinates, AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter new Reference Point
Position the cursor at that position in the existing drawing where you
want the new drawing to be loaded and press [Enter] or click. The origin
point of the new drawing (coordinate "0 0") will be positioned at the point
you specify and will take on the coordinates of the existing drawing.
If you saved the drawing you are loading using the File ► Save
Options ► Save Visible option the reference point you specified when you
saved the drawing will be positioned at the point you specify here.
AllyCAD will prompt:

Drawing scale and rotation
Type a scale and rotation for the drawing you are loading separated by a
space. For example, if you type “1 0” the new drawing will be loaded at
the same scale as the existing drawing and will not be rotated.
File Menu 1-7

When you have typed the scale and rotation you want, click on OK or
press [Enter].
If you enter a scale of “1” the drawing you are loading will be loaded at
the size at which you drew it, i.e. a dimension that measured “10” on
the drawing will still measure “10”.
If you type another scale, for example “2”, the drawing you are loading
will be twice as big as it was drawn, i.e. a dimension that measured 10
will now measure 20.
If the New Bitmap Path dialog box is displayed

Refer to the Open section for more details.
Notes about loading DWG and DXF drawings

Refer to the Open section for more details.
Load Layers
Load selected layers of a drawing

LoadLay
This function loads a subset of layers from another drawing into the
existing drawing.
Procedure
Enter layer names to be loaded, separated by commas.
Type in the names of the layers you want to load, for example WALLS or
CONTOURS. Typing "@" will load all layers. Click on OK or press
[Enter].
The rest of this function operates in exactly the same way as File ► Load
► Load Drawing.
If there is already a drawing on the screen, the layers you have selected
will be merged into it and you will be asked for a reference point, scale
and rotation.

Load Geom
Load geometry lines that have previously been saved

LoadGeom
This function loads geometry lines that have previously been saved using
File ► Save Options ► Save Geometry or via an option in the File ► Save
Options ► Save Settings dialog.
Procedure
The standard file dialog box is displayed. Select the geometry file you
want to load.
If the geometry file was stored at a different scale from that currently set,
the message
Warning: geometry file was stored at scale x on paper size y
will be displayed. Click on OK.
Load Bitmap
Load a bitmap as a backdrop to the drawing

LoadBitmap
The bitmap could be of a map or aerial photograph; a scanned-in picture

of a component, finished product or building; a manually produced
drawing or simply your company logo. Once in AllyCAD you can
annotate the bitmap, trace over it to build up a drawing or superimpose
your project on top of it.
For example, the illustration below was created by placing solid fills on
top of the bitmap.
File Menu 1-9

Procedure
When you choose Load Bitmap, the standard file dialog is displayed.
Select the bitmap you want to load and click on OK. The Set Bitmap
Parameters dialog box is displayed:
Once you have finished editing the Set Bitmap Parameters dialog box,
click on OK. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter coordinates for upper left corner of bitmap
Position the cursor where you want the upper left corner of the bitmap to
be positioned and press [Enter] or click. The bitmap will be displayed.
Once you have loaded the bitmap, you can select it using Select, drag it,
move it, stretch it, scale it, copy it, rub it out etc. However, you cannot
edit the pixels within it. You can print bitmaps to raster devices such as
printers or inkjet plotters.
• If you need to move the bitmap so it is behind other elements on the
drawing, use Edit ► Move to Back.
• When you save a drawing that contains a bitmap, the bitmap is not
stored in the drawing. Only a reference to the bitmap is stored. It is
therefore important that you do not delete the bitmap. If you delete
the bitmap or move it to another directory, an error message will
appear next time you try to load any drawings containing the bitmap.
Tiling is an indexing system for large bitmaps (typically larger than

50MB).

Real World Pixel Size
Each bitmap is made up of little squares called pixels. You need to type
the width and height each pixel should be into the dialog box. Width and
height are measured in the units you have set up in the Settings ►
Drawing Settings dialog box.
For example, if you have scanned in a map that represents an area
measuring 1200m x 1200m on the ground, and in its bitmap form this
map now measures 600 x 600 pixels, then the real world pixel size is 2m
in both width and height. If you need to change the Real World Pixel
Size of a bitmap once you have loaded it into your drawing, double click
on the bitmap. This brings up the Set Bitmap Parameters dialog box
again, which can then be edited.
Placeholder for Bitmap
If you check the Placeholder for bitmap box,

the bitmap will appear on the screen and
print as a placeholder. This is a purple cross-
LOGO hatched rectangle with the name of the
bitmap written across it. Displaying bitmaps
as placeholders speeds up redraws.
If you do not check the Placeholder for bitmap

box, the bitmap will be displayed in full detail.
You can change a bitmap from a placeholder to full detail or vice versa at
any stage after loading by double clicking on it, which brings up the Set
Bitmap Parameters dialog box for editing. You can also view all the
bitmaps on your drawing as placeholders, or all of them in full detail.
Resample Mode
This option affects the way your bitmap appears on the screen, but not
the way it is printed.
The resample mode dictates how your bitmap will be displayed on the
screen when you demagnify the screen or scale the bitmap to make it
smaller. When you do either of these things, AllyCAD needs to change
the way it displays your bitmap.
File Menu 1-11

If you select Preserve Black, AllyCAD will
display fewer pixels than previously. The
black pixels will be displayed at the expense
of other pixels.
If you select Preserve White, AllyCAD will

display fewer pixels than previously. The
white pixels will be displayed at the expense
of other pixels.
If you select Thin Pixels, alternate pixels in

your bitmap will be ignored when you zoom
out.
The default setting, Preserve Black, seems to work best for most images.
However, for scanned maps and photographs you might want to try the
Thin Pixels setting. You should experiment with the settings to see how
they affect your bitmaps as you zoom in and out.
To change the settings double click on the bitmap. This will bring up the
Set Bitmap Parameters dialog box so you can edit it.

Load Menu
Load new menus, toolbars and hot-keys

LoadMenu
By default, AllyCAD's menus, icons and accelerator keys are defined in a

file called CAD.MEN. While you can customise CAD.MEN, you can also
create completely separate menu systems. These should have exactly the
same format as CAD.MEN, and be saved as files with .men extensions.
Load Menu allows you to swap between alternative menu systems.
Procedure
A standard Windows file dialog box headed Menu to load is displayed.
The file list contains the default AllyCAD menu file, CAD.MEN, and any
other menu files you may have created or installed.
Once you have selected the menu to load the menu bar is updated to
display it. This does not affect any drawing you may have on the screen
at the time.
See Also
Menu
Load Title Block

Insert a title block or border into your drawing at the correct scale.

exec ".\macro\loadtitl"
You should create a title block drawing for each paper size you are likely
to use in Cartesian coordinates at a scale of 1:1. You can include bitmaps
of company logos, etc. When you have drawn the title block, select it by
dragging a rectangle around it and group it into an object. Then save
your title block drawing.
Procedure
The standard Windows file dialog box is displayed. Select the title block
drawing you want to use and click on Open.
The title block is placed on your drawing at the correct scale.
File Menu 1-13

Save
Save your drawing

Left File Ctrl + S FileSave
Shift + F12
If you have never saved the drawing you are working on before, Save will
operate in exactly the same way as File ► Save As.
If you have saved the drawing before, this function will save your
drawing under the filename you saved it under previously. In this case,
you will not see anything happening other than that the hard drive light
on your PC will come on while the drawing is being saved.

Save As
Save drawing as an AllyCAD DRG file, an AutoCAD DWG or DXF file

Right File F12 FileSaveAs
This function saves drawings as AllyCAD files (DRG files), AutoCAD

release 12, 13, 14, 2000 or 2002 files (DWG files), or DXF (Drawing
eXchange Format) files.
DXF is the AutoCAD Drawing Exchange File format and AutoCAD's

DXF is the standard. AllyCAD's DXF is designed to read and write this
standard. Success of transfer between AllyCAD and other CAD
programs depends on whether those programs can read and write
standard DXF files correctly.
If you are saving a drawing as a DWG or DXF file, you can control which
version of AutoCAD the DWG or DXF file should be compatible with in
the To DXF/DWG Conversion Settings dialog box. You can also specify
which fonts to use in AutoCAD or in the DXF file in the same dialog. The
line styles are defined in the LINETYPE.MAC file.
Procedure
The standard Windows file dialog box is displayed. Choose the type of
file you want to save (DRG, DWG or DXF) in the Save as type list and
choose the drive and directory that you want to save your drawing to.
Then type a name for the drawing and click on Save.
If a drawing with the file name you have chosen already exists, you will
be warned and will have the option of canceling the save.
Saving an AutoCAD DWG file or a DXF file

If you are saving an AutoCAD DWG file or a DXF file, the following
prompt will be displayed:
Write everything (else just selected)
To save the whole drawing as a DWG or DXF file, click on the YES
button. To just save those items on the drawing that are selected, click on
the NO button.
File Menu 1-15

Pen colours
AllyCAD pens are identical to AutoCAD pens. If the colours are different
click on the [Pen] button on the Control Bar and set the AutoCAD Colors
option.
Fonts
As AllyCAD uses a standard Windows font system and AutoCAD does
not, you need to convert AllyCAD's fonts to AutoCAD equivalents. You
do this in the DXF/DWG Conversion Settings dialog box.
If the fonts you want to convert to or from do not appear in the list of
fonts in DXF/DWG Conversion Settings, you can add further fonts by
reading the CAD.INI file in your User Home directory into a word
processor and adding the required font names to the existing listing.
Line Types
By default, AllyCAD line types should appear correctly in DWG and DXF
files. The AllyCAD line types are defined in the LINETYPE.MAC file.
Bitmaps
Older versions of AutoCAD do not support bitmaps.
Scales
If you have layers at different magnifications on your drawing, AutoCAD
may crash when the DXF or DWG file is loaded into it.
Saving an AllyCAD DRG file

When you save a AllyCAD drawing, a backup copy of the drawing, with
the extension .BAK is automatically made. This copy is stored in the
same directory that the drawing is saved in.
When you save a drawing that contains a bitmap, the bitmap is not
stored in the drawing. Only a reference to the bitmap is stored. It is
therefore important that you do not delete the bitmap. If you delete the
bitmap or move it to another directory, an error message will appear
next time you try to load any drawings containing the bitmap.
Save As does not automatically save geometry unless you have specified
that it should do so in File ► Save Options ► Save Settings. You can also
save your geometry lines using File ► Save Options ► Save Geometry.

The Drawing Description dialog box is only displayed if you have
checked Use Drawing Office Manager in File ► Save Options ► Save
Settings. It only appears the first time you save a drawing.
The information that you type into the box will be added to the Drawing
Office Manager, allowing you to keep track of the number of hours you
work on the drawing, the date you last plotted it etc.
You can type a Drawing Description, and the name and Department of
the Draftsperson.
If you need to change the Drawing Description, Draftsperson or

Department assigned to an existing drawing, use the function File ►
Save Options ► Edit Description.
The date the drawing was started is automatically entered into the Date
Started box in the order year, month, day. It cannot be edited. In the
dialog box shown, the drawing was started in 1998 (1998), in June (06), on
the fifteenth (15).
Similarly, you cannot edit the Last Plotted box. This box will
automatically be updated with the date each time you plot.
File Menu 1-17

Drawing Office Manager
The Drawing Office Manager (DOM for short) is active if you have
checked the Use Drawing Office Manager box in File Save Options
Save Settings.
It allows you to keep track of each drawing: its description; the
draftsperson drawing it; the department it is being drawn in; the paper
size, scale and units used; the number of hours spent on it; the date it
was last updated; the date it was last plotted; etc.
All this information is stored in an ASCII file called DOM.TXT every
time you save your drawing. DOM.TXT resides in your AllyCAD
directory and is updated each time you save a drawing. It can be loaded
into any database that reads a comma delimited ASCII file, and can also
be edited in any text editor such as Notepad or the DOS Editor.
Each record in the file refers to a particular drawing and is stored on a
single line, with fields separated by commas. It looks something like this
(but all on one line):
“CONC2”,“\CHOICE\”,“C:”,“PAULUS”,“CONCRETE
RESERVOIR”,“”,“A1”,100,1000.0,“SOUTH”,2538.093,17971.3
96,“”,“200”,19880929,19880929,,,“”,“”,“”,“”,“”,“”,“EKKE”,,0.12,,,,,,,,,0
.033,,,,
All the fields that are included in the DOM are listed in the table below,
together with:
• The type of field (Type): Text (C); Numbers (N); Date (D).
• The number of characters allocated to the field (Len.).
• The number of decimals allocated to the field (Dec.).
• Whether the field is automatically filled in by AllyCAD.
Fields that are automatically filled in by AllyCAD are marked with a
*. You can fill in the non-automatic fields yourself using any text
editor, provided that each field is separated by commas and that text
character fields are enclosed in double quotes.

Field Name Type Len Dec Auto Comments
FILE_NAME C 256 0 * Drawing name.
DIRECTORY C 256 0 * Directory drawing is stored in, e.g.
\Ally\.
DRIVE C 4 0 * Drive directory is on, e.g. C:.
DISK_VOL C 12 0 * Disk volume label.
DESCRIPTN C 40 0 * Drawing description entered
automatically from AllyCAD, e.g.
CONCRETE RESERVOIR.
MORE_DESCR C 40 0 You can type extra descriptive
information into this field if you wish.
PAPER_SIZE C 30 0 * Paper size, e.g. A1.
SCALE N 8 1 * Scale, e.g. 100. This would mean that
the scale was 1:100.
UNITS N 9 2 * Units, represented in mm. If the
drawing units are mm, this figure is 1; if
they are inches, this figure is 25.4; if
they are metres, this figure is 1000 etc.
COORD_SYS C 10 0 * Coordinate system. SOUTH for
Southern Hemisphere; NORTH for
Northern Hemisphere.
DRG_ORIG_Y N 12 3 * Y coordinate of drawing origin.
DRG_ORIG_X N 12 3 * X coordinate of drawing origin. If you
are using Cartesian coordinates, this is
0. If you are using Surveyor coordinates
it is the Surveyor Origin you enter into
the Drawing Settings dialog box in the
Settings Menu.
DEPARTMENT C 10 0 * Department responsible for the
drawing.
CHOI_VERSN C 6 0 * Version of AllyCAD used.
DATE_START D 8 0 * Date the drawing was started.
LASTUPDATE D 8 0 * Date the drawing was last updated.
LASTPLOT D 8 0 * Date the drawing was last plotted.
DATE_DUE D 8 0 Date the drawing is due to be finished.
CUSTOMER C 20 0 Customer.
JOB_NO C 20 0 Job Number.
CATEGORY C 10 0 Drawing category.
DRAWING_NO C 15 0 Drawing number.
DRG_NO_B C 15 0 Another drawing number.
STATUS C 5 0 Drawing Status
DRAUGHTSM1 C 10 0 Another Draughtsman
COST_HOUR N 7 2 Cost charged per hour of drawing.
TOT_TIME N 7 2 * Total time spent on drawing in decimal
hours, e.g. 0.5 is half an hour.
JAN N 6 2 * Time spent on drawing per month.
FEB N 6 2 *
File Menu 1-19

Field Name Type Len Dec Auto Comments
MAR N 6 2 *
APR N 6 2 *
MAY N 6 2 *
JUN N 6 2 *
JUL N 6 2 *
AUG N 6 2 *
SEP N 6 2 *
OCT N 6 2 *
NOV N 6 2 *
DEC N 6 2 *
See Also
Defaults, Line Types, DXF/DWG Conversion Settings, Open

Save AllyCAD DOS
Saves a drawing in AllyCAD DOS format

WriteDosAlly
This function is included for compatibility with the DOS version of

AllyCAD. The current version includes entities that are not supported in
the DOS version, so not all the primitives may be saved.
For example, you should explode all blocks and polylines before saving
an AllyCAD DOS file.
Procedure
The standard Windows dialog box named Save Drawing As pops up.
Type in a file name and click on the [Save] button.
File Menu 1-21

Save Options
Set the save options, change a drawing description, save selection set, a
specific layer, visible layers only, geometry.
Save Settings
Set options to schedule auto backups as well as what will be saved

AutoSaveDlg
The following dialog box is displayed:
Backup drawing every x minutes

If you check this box the drawing will be backed up automatically after
every x minutes. The backup will be stored in a file called
ABACKUP1.DRG after the previous backup has been copied to
ABACKUP2.DRG. This means that you will always have two backups of
your work - an older backup called ABACKUP2.DRG and a newer
backup called ABACKUP1.DRG.
Ask User Before Backing Up

If you check this box AllyCAD will warn you when it is about to backup.
When the warning appears, click on [OK] to backup, or on [Cancel] to
abort the backup.

Backup Path
Allows you to specify where AllyCAD will store the backup files. This is
particularly useful for network users, who may not be allowed to store
files in some parts of the system. When you enter Save Settings for the
first time, you MUST enter a backup path otherwise the message "Invalid
Backup Path" will be displayed when you click on OK.
In the example below the backups will be saved to your drawing
directory:
c:\AllyCAD\drawing
Note there is no backslash at the end of the path.
Get Drawing Reference Point

If you check the "Get Drawing Reference Point" box, you will be asked
for a Drawing Reference Point if you save a drawing with Cartesian
coordinates.
The Drawing Reference Point is used to position the drawing if it is later
loaded into another drawing using Load Drawing in Load in the File
Menu.
Save Geometry with Each Drawing

Geometry lines are not automatically stored when you save a drawing
unless you have checked the "Save Geometry with each drawing" box. If
you check this box a file with the same name as the drawing but with a
.geo extension will be created every time you save. This file will contain
the geometry you have put on the drawing.
If you do not check this box you can save geometry when you want to,
using the File ► Save Options ► Save Geometry function.
Use Drawing Office Manager

If you check this option, the Drawing Office Manager file will be updated
each time you save.
See Also
Drawing Office Manager
File Menu 1-23

Edit Description
Edit the drawing description, draftsman or department or view the statistics of the
drawing

Descrip
This description will originally have been determined when you first
saved the drawing as described in Save As. The corresponding fields in
the Drawing Office Manager file will be updated automatically.
Procedure
The Drawing Description dialog box is displayed. Edit the entries you
want to change. You can also view drawing statistics by clicking on the
following buttons:
Entity Statistics
Entity Statistics displays the number of primitives, objects and layers on
your drawing. It also shows the number of blocks (including
unreferenced blocks) and the number of block inserts. Blocks and block
inserts are only relevant to drawings that have been imported from
AutoCAD.
Block Statistics
This button is only relevant to drawings that have been imported from
AutoCAD. It displays statistics about AutoCAD blocks hidden within the
drawing structure. The numbers of different primitives shown are not
the numbers of primitives on the drawing but the number of primitives
contained within the AutoCAD blocks, some or all of which may be un-
referenced. The insert figure shows the number of blocks inserts. The
reason why there may seem to be a lot of AllyCAD objects among the
blocks is that AllyCAD automatically gives each block an object name.
If you use File ► Purge Redundant Elements the number of blocks shown
will probably decrease dramatically, as will the file size of your drawing.
If you use Objects ► Explode Objects to explode all the block inserts on the
drawing, all the blocks will become de-referenced and can be removed
using Purge Redundant Elements.

Save Selected
Saves the selection set to a separate drawing file.

StoreWS
If you haven't selected anything you will automatically enter the Select
function. Select the primitives you want to save.
Procedure
The standard Windows file dialog box is displayed. Type a name for the
selection set and click on Save.
Save Layer
This function is used to save an individual layer of a drawing.

StoreLay
Here you can save a specific layer as a separate drawing.
Procedure
File Menu 1-25

Select the layer you want to save by clicking on its name with your
mouse. Then click on OK. The standard Windows file dialog box is
displayed. A default file name will have been assigned to the file. This
name (which can be overtyped) will be a combination of drawing name -
layer - layername.
Save Visible
Saves all the visible layers

StoreVis
The visible layers are set in Settings ► Set Visible Layers or Settings ►
Layer Control.
Procedure
drawing containing the visible layers then click on the [Save] button.
Save Geometry
Saves your geometry lines

StoreGeom
Unless you have checked the Save Geometry with each drawing box in the
Save Settings dialog box (see earlier in this section), your geometry lines
will not automatically be saved when you save your drawing.
Procedure
geometry file then click on Save. Geometry files are saved with a ".geo"
extension.

Load Symbol File
Load a symbol file.

Right Main NewSymFl
Before you can use a symbol, you must use File ► Load Symbol File to load
the symbol file containing the symbol. A symbol file is just a drawing -
any drawing - that contains a symbol or object that you want to use
again. A symbol library is the same as a symbol file.
The terms symbol file and symbol library are usually used to mean a
drawing that contains only standard parts like doors or nuts or electrical
components.
A symbol is the same as an object, but the term symbol is usually used
to mean a standard part in a symbol library.
See Drawing Structure in the User Guide for full details about objects,
symbols and symbol files.
Procedure
The standard Windows file dialog box is displayed. Select the symbol file
containing the symbol you need and click on Open.
AllyCAD will then prompt:
Do you want symbols to be absolute (else to scale)
Suppose that the symbol file you are loading was drawn at a scale of 1:1.
The symbol you want to use is a square with sides 10mm long. If you
dimension the square in the symbol file, the dimension will read "10". If
you print the square out on paper and measure its sides, they will
measure 10mm long.
Symbol drawn at a scale of 1:1
10
Dimensions read 10mm
Measures 10mm on paper
File Menu 1-27

Suppose that you are now working on a drawing at a scale of 1:10 and
you choose Absolute. You load the square into the drawing as a symbol.
If you dimension the square, the dimension will read "100". However if
you print the square out on paper and measure its sides, they will still
measure 10mm long. The absolute size of the square has not changed.
Symbol loaded into a drawing of scale
1:10 using Absolute
100
Suppose that you are now working on a drawing at a scale of 1:10 and
you choose To Scale. You load the square into the drawing as a symbol. If
you dimension the square, the dimension will read 10. However if you
print the square out on paper and measure its sides, they will now
measure 1mm long. The square has been scaled so that what measured
10mm when it was drawn at 1:1 in the symbol library still measures
10mm at 1:10.
Symbol loaded into a drawing of scale
1:10, using To Scale
10
Click on the YES button to choose absolute or on the NO button to

choose to scale.
Convert attributes to text during load?
If you click on the YES button, any attributes attached to the symbols
you want to insert will be written as text next to the symbols. If you click
on the NO button, the attributes will remain invisible. If you are going to
produce a bill of materials you MUST answer NO to this question.
Although you will not see anything happening, the symbol file will be
loaded and is now in memory ready for use. Place a symbol on the
drawing using Draw ► Symbol. This provides further scaling options.

Import/Export
Import or export an ASCII file, import an HPGL file, export a drawing as
a macro.
Import HPGL
Convert a HPGL (Hewlett Packard Graphics Language or plot) file into an
AllyCAD drawing.

ImportExp “H”
Before you import an HPGL file, your drawing must be empty. If there is
already a drawing on your screen, save it and then delete it using the File
► Clear All function. If your drawing memory is not empty, the warning
message
You are only allowed to import DXF and HPGL into an empty
drawing!
will be displayed on the screen.

HPGL files do not contain scale information so you must set the scale
and paper size before you import the file using the Settings ► Drawing
Settings option.
Procedure
The standard Windows file dialog box is displayed. Select the HPGL file
you want to convert and click on Open. The progress bar is updated to
display progress as the HPGL commands are translated and the drawing
will be displayed on the screen.
Troubleshooting
If you cannot see the drawing after the conversion try the following:
• Use View ► Zoom All to locate the drawing. Change the scale of the
drawing using Settings ► Drawing Settings. If the text and dimension
sizes are now unacceptably large, reconvert the HPGL file using the
new scale.
• Check the All Visible option in Settings ► Layer Control to ensure that
all the layers on the drawing are displayed.
File Menu 1-29

The file comes in at the top right of the screen. This is normal and occurs
on HPGL files written for large (A0 and A1) plotters. Use the Settings ►
Re-Centre Paper function to reposition the paper around the drawing.
The coordinates in an HPGL file are only accurate to plotter units
(0.025mm on the final plot). A drawing at a scale of 1:1000 would
therefore contain inaccuracies in the order of 25mm after being imported
as an HPGL file. If you need accurate coordinate transfers, you should
import drawings as DWG or DXF files.
Before importing the HPGL file, copy it onto your hard disk. You should
also ensure that there is enough space on your hard disk for the
converted file
Import ASCII
Import text from an ASCII file into the current drawing.

ImportExp “A”
The appearance of the text once it has been imported is determined by

the settings in the Settings ► Set Text Defaults dialog box.
Procedure
The standard Windows file dialog box is displayed. Select the ASCII file
you want to convert, then click on Open. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter position textblock should start
Position the cursor on the drawing at the position where the text should
appear and press [Enter] or click. The ASCII file will be imported and
the text will appear.
The text label origin will determine where the text will be placed in
relation to the cursor position you specify. For example, if you are using
label origin 1, the text will appear above and to the right of the cursor
position. If you are using label origin 3, the text will appear below and to
the right of the cursor position. If you are using label origin 7, the text
will be displayed above and to the left of the label origin, etc.
You can also import text by pasting it in from another Windows

application using the Edit ► Paste function.

Import ShapeFile
Import data from an ArcView SHP file

ReadShapeFile
This option imports points, lines and polylines from an ArcInfo/ArcView

SHP file.
Each entity type will be in a separate file. The imported entities will be
drawn in the current pen, line type and layer. By changing these settings
before importing the data you can separate the different GIS themes into
layers. Long polylines or polygons will be broken up into segments of
2100 vertices or less due to memory constraints.
Export Macro
Creates a macro file from a drawing

ImportExp “M”
The macro file can be edited, and read back into AllyCAD using
File ► Exec Macro.
Procedure
AllyCAD prompts:
Write all layers? (else just visible layers)
If you want the contents of all the layers of your drawing to be written to
the macro, click on the [Yes] button. If you just want the contents of the
visible layers to be written to the macro, click on the [No] button.
AllyCAD then prompts:
Names of objects to write to macro file (‘* *’ for all
objects)
If you want your entire drawing to be exported, type "* *". Click on the
[OK] button or press [Enter]. Alternatively, you can select which objects
you want to have written to the macro by typing an object name into the
Control Bar.
You can type the full object name, e.g. BUILDING WINDOW, in which
case all objects with the name BUILDING WINDOW will be written to
the macro file. You can also use wildcards. For example, if you type
File Menu 1-31

‘BUILDING *’ all objects with the parent name BUILDING will be
written to the macro, irrespective of their object names. If you type ‘*
WINDOW’ all objects with the name WINDOW will be written to the
macro, irrespective of their parent names. Once you have selected which
objects you want written to the macro file, click on the [OK] button or
press [Enter].
The standard Windows file dialog box is displayed. Enter a name for the
macro file and click on the [OK] button. The message "Writing Macro
File" will appear in the Prompt Area. When the macro file has been
written, an information box telling you that the macro file has been
written appears. Click on [OK].
Export Text
Exports text from the current drawing as an ASCII file

ImportExp “T”
If text is not horizontal it will not transfer properly.

You can also export text by using the Edit ► Cut or Edit ► Copy functions
to copy text onto the Clipboard, from where it can be pasted into other
Windows applications.
Procedure
The standard Windows file dialog box is displayed. Type a name for your
ASCII file, then click on OK.
Enclose text that should go to file
Draw a polygon around the text you want to export into the ASCII file.
Once you have enclosed the text, AllyCAD will write the ASCII file. When
it has written it, the message
Text File Written
will appear in the prompt area. All text items at the same horizontal
position will be combined in the same line of the ASCII file with spaces
separating the items.
If you have enclosed several pieces of text in the polygon, the order in
which these will appear in the ASCII file is dependent on their position
in the drawing. The topmost text item will be transferred to the file first,
followed by the second top-most item, etc.

Export ShapeFile
Export drawing data in the ArcView SHP file format

WriteShapeFile
This function exports the point, line and polyline entities in a drawing
into three SHP files, one for each entity type.
Procedure
The standard Windows File Save dialog is displayed. Specify a file ame
and click on the [OK] button.
The CAD will now prompt:

Transform all, visible or selected (A/V/S)
Type your selection into the edit box and click on the button. The
drawing entities will be exported as three SHP files:
• ****_Point.SHP
• ****_Lines.SHP
• ****_Poly.SHP
where **** is the specified export file name.
File Menu 1-33

Print
Print or plot a drawing, or create an HPGL file

Left File Ctrl + P HardCopy
Ctrl + Shift + F12
Both printers and inkjet plotters are referred to as printers, and printing
refers to both printing and plotting.
If you are outputting to a pen plotter, you should use one of the plotter
fonts, Modern, Roman or Script for your text and dimensions. If you use
any other font on your drawing it will be converted for the plotter but all
your text will be plotted horizontally, regardless of its orientation on the
drawing.
You can only output bitmaps to raster devices such as printers and inkjet
plotters.
The standard Print dialog is displayed. Select the destination printer and
click on OK. The Printer Defaults dialog box is displayed. Set up the
printer profile and click on OK.
The message
Busy printing
is displayed while your drawing is printed or plotted. If you are printing

to a pen plotter and you specified a maximum pen greater than the
number of pens your pen plotter driver provides for, you will get the
message
Change Pens in Plotter
Change the pens and click on OK.

Printer Defaults
X Offset and Y Offset

The X and Y offset boxes allow you to offset the drawing on the paper.
The offset is measured in mm. The X offset box displaces the drawing to
the right if a positive value is input, and to the left if a negative value is
input. The Y offset box displaces the drawing downwards if a positive
value is input and upwards if a negative value is input.
Minimum and Maximum Pen

This option is only available if you are printing to a pen plotter.
The minimum and maximum pen boxes allow you to specify the range of
colours that will be used when you are outputting to a plotter. The
minimum pen is 1 and the maximum pen is 15.
If you are using a plotter with less than 15 pens, for example if your
plotter has six pens, but you have used more than the first six colours in
the Colour toolbar, you should specify minimum and maximum pens 1
and 15. If you do not, the parts of your drawing drawn with other colours
will not be plotted.
Use Plotter Arcs / Print Arcs as Lines

If the Use Plotter Arcs option is selected, AllyCAD will use the printer
driver to print arcs.
File Menu 1-35

If the Print Arcs as Lines option is selected, AllyCAD will plot arcs made
out of very small lines. This option must be used if no arcs appear when
you try to print, or if arcs are printed as a series of chords.
All Colours to Black

If your printer prints colours as different shades of gray, or if some
colours are printed very faintly, check this option. All colours will then be
printed as black.
Pen Mappings
This function allows you to map the first 15 colours on the screen to a
different line width and colour on the printer. For example you could
make red lines print at 0.13 mm, green lines print at 0.18 mm etc.
The pens are listed on the left hand side of the box and are numbered
from 1 to 255. Click on a pen you want to assign a width to. The pen's
number appears in the Edit part of the dialog box. Type a width into the
white part of the dialog box. Widths are measured in mm.
Click on the [Color] button on the right of the list to map the pen to
another colour
Then click on another pen you want to assign a width to. The width
associated with the first pen you edited appears next to that pen's
number in the dialog box, and the second pen's number appears in the
Edit area. Assign a width to the second pen and repeat until you have
assigned a width to each pen. Then click on OK.

Pen mappings only affect those lines with a width of 0. For example, if
you map the red pen to print at 0.3 mm, and there is a red line on the
drawing that you have given a width of 0.7 mm using the Line Defaults
dialog box, then that red line will print at 0.7 mm even though you have
mapped the red pen to print at 0.3 mm.
This function is very useful for thickening dimension witness lines that
often print very faintly on modern high-resolution inkjet printers. To
thicken witness lines, set aside one colour and draw all your witness
lines in that colour. Then map that colour to the desired thickness.
Printing to a pen plotter

If you are using a pen plotter and the pen colours have been set in the
plotter driver, the plotter driver tries to map the AllyCAD colours to the
closest pen colour.
We recommend that you draw a line on the screen in each AllyCAD pen
and print it. The way that the screen colours are output on paper
depends on the way that these colours are set up in your printer driver.
Creating an HPGL file

To create a plotfile or a HPGL (Hewlett Packard Graphics Language) file
do the following:
1. Install a HP plotter driver
2. Connect the plotter to the FILE port
3. Print to the plotter. You will be given the opportunity to specify the
name of the plotfile.
File Menu 1-37

Zoom Print
Print a selected part of your drawing at a selected scale.

Right File ZoomPlot
Procedure
The standard Print dialog box is displayed. Select the printer, set up the
paper size and click on OK.
The program reads the paper size and orientation of your output device.
This may be different from the paper size and orientation of your
drawing.
For example, you may be doing a rough print of all or part of an A1
drawing on an A4 printer, prior to producing a final plot. A pink dotted
rectangle representing the paper size and orientation of your output
device appears on the screen.
AllyCAD will lead you through the sequence of events illustrated on the
following page. Thereafter you will be able to set the Print Defaults as
described in the previous section.
If you have rotated your print the message
Transforming plot back again
will be displayed. Click on OK.

Your drawing will return to the orientation it was at prior to rotation.

Plot to fit (else at exact scale)
YES NO
Enter border in mm Enter scale to plot at

Type the width of the border The current drawing scale is
you want around your displayed. Type another
drawing and press [Enter]. scale if required.
Enter centre of zoom box

A gray box which represents
the area of the drawing that
will be printed is displayed.
Move the box to the area you
want to print and click or
press [Enter].
NO Would you like to rotate

plot?
YES
Enter angle from keyboard

(else drag with cursor)
NO YES
Drag till rotate satisfactory Enter rotation angle

Move the cursor to rotate the Type the exact angle of
box and then click or press rotation and [Enter].
[Enter]. Remember that the angle is
measured anti-clockwise.
NO
Satisfied with zoom?
YES
Enter point for compass insertion

[Space bar for no compass]
Press the [Space Bar] if you do not
want a north pointing compass. If you
do want a compass click at the
desired position.
Start Printing
File Menu 1-39

Print Setup
Change output device or orientation.

PrintSetup
The standard Windows Print Setup dialog box is displayed.
Select the destination printer and use the Properties button to adjust the
paper orientation and other printer settings.

Exec Macro
Execute an AllyCAD macro.

Exec
Selected a macro and click on Open. The macro is executed. You can
abort a macro at any time by pressing [Esc].
Encode Macro
Encode a macro so the code cannot be seen, edited or copied

Encode
Select the macro you want to encode and click on OK. AllyCAD then
prompts:
Enter serial number to encode macro for
Macros encoded for "0" will run on any copy of AllyCAD. Macros encoded
for a particular serial number will only run on a copy of AllyCAD with
that serial number. Type in a serial number and press [Enter] or click on
[OK].
You must now save the encoded macro to another file name. The macro
will be encoded and the message "Encoded macro written" will appear.
Take care not to overwrite the un-encoded version of your macro!
Edit Macro
Open and edit a macro

EdMacro
AllyCAD will open the editor that you have selected in Settings ► System
Settings. (The default editor is Notepad).
Edit the macro, then save it. Alternatively, save it to a new file name if
you are unsure that the changes you have made are correct.
File Menu 1-41

Repair DRG File
Fix a corrupted drawing

Repair
Examples of corrupted drawings are those on which you get messages

like:
FP Error
Application Error
This Program has performed an Illegal Operation
Object too long
Object extends off the edge of the world
MainCAD caused a General Protection Fault
or drawings that simply won't load at all. Sometimes AllyCAD will warn
you that it has detected a corrupted drawing.
Before you run Repair, save the drawing if you can and if you have not
already done so. Try to save it under a different name from the name it
was previously saved under.
Procedure
Select File ► Clear All. Then use the File ► Repair DRG File function to
select the drawing that is faulty and click on OK. If the drawing can be
fixed it is eventually displayed on the screen and AllyCAD prompts:
Repair Successful! Delete temp macro file?
Repair works by taking the corrupted drawing file and converting it into
an AllyCAD macro. During this conversion it detects and removes any
errors. It then executes the macro, causing the drawing to appear on the
screen. If the drawing has been repaired, click on the YES button.
If Repair was unable to fix the drawing, copy it onto a floppy disk and
send it to:
Knowledge Base
P O Box 610
Constantia 7848
South Africa
or E-mail it to:
support@knowbase.co.za
with a brief explanation of what has happened.

Purge Redundant Elements
Delete duplicate entities, unreferenced blocks and unused layers

Purge
Drawings that load and redraw very slowly almost always have one of the
following problems:
• Large numbers of invisible unreferenced AutoCAD blocks
This will only be the case if all or part of a drawing has been
imported as a DXF or DWG file.
• Entities that have been duplicated
Sometimes entities have been duplicated hundreds of times. In this
case you may find other problems with the drawing, for example
deleted entities may seem to reappear!
This function can solve both these problems by removing duplicate
entities, unreferenced blocks and unused layers.
Procedure
AllyCAD prompts:
Remove duplicate entities?
If you want to delete duplicate entities, click on the YES button.

Remove unreferenced blocks?
If you want to delete unreferenced blocks, click on the YES button. This
has the same effect as the Purge command in AutoCAD. AllyCAD will
prompt:
Remove unreferenced layers?
If you want to delete layers with nothing on them, click on the YES
button.
AllyCAD will go through the drawing. It will tell you what it has
removed. Large drawings may take quite a while to purge.
AllyCAD will only remove entities that have been duplicated on the
same layer.
File Menu 1-43

Security
Set up the security for AllyCAD.

cyAuthorize
When you first install your copy of AllyCAD, it will allocate a 7 day trial
license, allowing you to run the full program for 7 days. During this time
you must contact Knowledge Base for a permanent authorization code.
Your program can be protected in the following ways:
1) Hardware Lock (Dongles)

Two types of hardware lock are supported.
a) Hasp key (white)
b) Net Hasp key (red)
2) Crypkey software protection

(Includes 30 day trial licence issued automatically at install time)
Terminology
Driver A software component required to communicate between the
dongle and AllyCAD
Server A central computer with a Net Hasp dongle attached. The server
is attached to the client’s by a network.
Client A computer that does not need a dongle itself, but must be
networked to a server.
Crypkey driver A software component needed to communicate between the
Crypkey security system and AllyCAD.
How do I tell what type of protection I have

If your dealer supplied you with a dongle (hardware lock about the size
of a box of matches), then you can identify the type from its colour and
the writing on it. The dongles all have a 5-letter code in the bottom left
corner of their label. Hasp dongles will have one of the codes
OYEEX
AQXWY
OZCCZ
WQEGC

While Net Hasp dongles will have one of these codes
GATWT
AREMB
CYOOO
EMOEC
MGXAD
If your dongle does not have one of these codes then it is NOT an
AllyCAD dongle.
Old Black Dongles

AllyCAD no longer supports these older types of dongles (Unikey and
Activator). If you currently have one of these dongles you will need to
upgrade t0 a Hasp dongle.
Single user and Network (floating) licencing

Knowledge Base can supply you with either single user licenses (one per
machine) or floating licenses (issued from a central network server).
Normal Hasp keys (white) are for single user licensing, Net Hasp keys
(red) are for floating licenses.
By default our security system does not check for Network dongles (as
this can take time when the program first starts up). Thus if you are
using a network dongle you need to tell AllyCAD to check it by selecting
File ► Security ► Check Network Dongles, and then giving “1” as the
answer to the question
Enable Network Security?
Do I need to do anything to enable security

We try to automate as much as possible during AllyCAD installation.
However, if you are running on NT, or running a network license (Net
HASP), then you might need to install the network dongle on a machine
on the network, and/or run a network security server program.
Obtaining Permanent Authorization

After AllyCAD has issued you your 7-day trial license, you must obtain
permanent authorization from Knowledge Base. You must do this for the
Hasp security. Select File ► Security ► Authorize and AllyCAD will show a
dialog box with a site key. Phone, fax or email us with the site key, and
we will reply with an authorization code, that will permanently enable
AllyCAD.
File Menu 1-45

If you phone us you must keep the dialog box open till we respond with
your site key, as the codes change every time you pop up the authorize
dialog box.
Alternatively you can press the Save Button on the authorize dialog box
which will save a file called AUTHORIZE.TXT into your \$KBSEC$
directory. Email or fax this file to us and we will then reply with your site
key. Pressing Save allows you to close the dialog box, and will ensure
that authorize keeps the same codes the next time (and only the next
time) it is opened.
Our contact numbers are:
Tel + 27 (21) 701-1850
(between 8h00 and 17h00 CAT GMT + 2h00)
Fax + 27 (21) 701-1822
email support@knowbase.co.za
Files and Registry settings used by Security

All Knowledge Base products keep encrypted information about security
in a directory called \$KBSEC$, which is usually on your root drive, or
the same drive that you installed AllyCAD on, or on your windows drive.
Do not delete or move these files as this will destroy your security, and
disable AllyCAD and other Knowledge Base products.
AllyCAD uses the following registry settings for security.
Key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Knowledge Base\Security
Values
CheckNetworkDongles 0 or 1 depending on whether to check the network
dongles or not
SecurityHome c:\$kbsec$ (location of security files)
Program7 110 (last type of security found)

Hasp Dongle Overview
A dongle is a device approximately the size of a box of matches, and
plugs into your parallel (or printer) port at the back of your computer.
The dongle must be plugged in whenever you run AllyCAD. Without it,
the program will refuse to operate. It is suggested that you plug the
dongle into your machine before beginning the installation process.
As well as the physical hardware dongle, a software driver is required to
communicate with the dongle. The driver is installed automatically
during the AllyCAD installation process.
There are two types of Hasp dongles:
• MemoHasp
Single-user dongle. The colour is white.
• NetHasp
Network dongle enabling multiple users on one dongle. The colour is
red.
NetHasp
The NetHasp dongle need only be plugged into your server when you
run AllyCAD. The server will be licensed to allow a limited number of
copies of AllyCAD to run on different client computers simultaneously.
The server can be a computer running Windows 95, Windows NT, or
Novell NetWare.
Hasp Driver
As well as the physical hardware dongle, a software driver is required to
communicate with the dongle. The driver should be installed
automatically during the AllyCAD installation process.
During installation, you may get the error:
HASP Hardware lock Installation failed.
This indicates that there was a problem installing the driver. You must
then install it manually.
Installing the Hasp Driver Manually

Click on the Windows Start button.
In the group where you installed AllyCAD (by default ALLYCAD32) ,
there is a “Security Tools” section. Click on “Hasp Install”
File Menu 1-47

A message should appear indicating that the HASP driver installation
has succeeded. If it reports that the installation failed, then you should
contact your dealer or technical support number. If you are running
Windows 95, then you will need to restart your computer. If you are
running Windows NT, then a restart is not necessary.
Client Installation
From your workstation use Windows Explorer to access the network
server. Find the directory where AllyCAD is installed (by default
ALLYCAD32) and the program NETSET.EXE. Run NetSet.exe. This will
adjust the “program home” setting for AllyCAD in the registry on your
client machine to point to the location of AllyCAD on the server, and will
add a new group to your Start menu called AllyCADNet.
Server Installation
AllyCAD must first be fully installed on the server. Before any clients can
run AllyCAD, the Hasp Security Server must be run on the server. Go to
Start ► ALLYCAD32 ► Security Tools. The Hasp Security Server contains
online help.

Exit
Quit AllyCAD.

Quit
This function quits AllyCAD.
File Menu 1-49

Notes:

Edit Menu
The Edit Menu contains functions to select, delete,
cut, paste and move objects from the back to the
front and vice versa.
Edit Menu 2-1

Undo
Undo previous commands.

Left File Ctrl + Z Undo
Alt + Backspace
Undo undoes the last thing you did, whether rubbing out, moving
something, or drawing a line etc. For example, suppose you:
1. Draw a line.
2. Draw a circle.
3. Move the line and circle from point a to point b.
4. Rub out the line and circle.
When you click on Undo, the rubbed out line and circle will re-appear. If
you click on Undo again, the line and circle will be moved back from
point b to point a. If you click on Undo a third time, the circle will
disappear. If you click on Undo a fourth time, the line will disappear.
Undo will undo the last 1000 objects that have been changed. This is not
the same as the last 1000 operations. For example, if you moved 100
objects at once and then undid the move, you would have used up 100 of
the 1000 undoes even though you had only undone one move.
If you Undo something by accident, you can replace it using the Redo
function.
Undo will not undo geometry or changes made by the Objects ► Update
Objects function. It will partially undo detailed views created by the
Tools ► Expand function.
Redo
Re-instate things that have been undone

Left File Redo
Redo redoes what has been undone using Undo.

Cut
Delete selected items and place them on the Clipboard

Left File Ctrl + X Cut
Shift + Delete
Cut deletes selected items, which are placed on the Clipboard in three
formats: AllyCAD, Windows BMP and Windows Metafile. These items
can then be pasted back into AllyCAD or into another Windows
application using that application's Paste command.
Before you use Cut, you must select the items you want to cut using
Select or the Selection Filters. If you have not selected anything, the Cut
command will appear grayed out on the Edit Menu and you will not be
able to use it.
The difference between Cut and Delete is that Cut sends deleted items
to the Clipboard, and Delete does not.
Copy
Copy selected items to the Clipboard

Left File Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + Insert
The Copy command is exactly the same as the Cut command, except that
selected items are not deleted. Rather, a copy of them is made and this
copy is placed on the Clipboard, from where it can be pasted into
AllyCAD or into other applications.
Edit Menu 2-3

Paste
Paste text and graphics into the drawing from the Clipboard.

Left File Ctrl + V Paste
Shift + Insert
Before you can paste, you must have cut or copied something to the
Clipboard from AllyCAD or another program. If there is nothing in the
Clipboard to be pasted, the Paste command will inactive and be grayed
out on the Edit menu.
Procedure
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter paste position
Position the cursor where you want the contents of the Clipboard to
appear on the screen. If you are pasting graphics, or a mixture of text
and graphics, the top left hand corner of the contents of the Clipboard
will be placed at the cursor position you specify.
If you are pasting text only, where the text appears relative to the cursor
position will depend on the text label origin that is set at the time of
pasting. For example, if the text label origin is 1, the text will be placed
above and to the right of the cursor position.
Once you have positioned the cursor, click or press [Enter]. The contents
of the Clipboard will be pasted into AllyCAD.
• The colour, font, size etc. of text that is pasted into AllyCAD is
determined by the text defaults at the time of pasting. See Set Text
Defaults.
• When pasting in drawings on several layers that have been Cut or
Copied from another AllyCAD drawing, the layers will appear as
follows. If the layers that the items were cut or copied from exist in
the drawing the items are being pasted into, they are pasted to the
correct layers. If the layers that the items were cut or copied from do
not exist in the drawing the items are being pasted into, they are
pasted to the current layer.
Bitmaps cannot be pasted into AllyCAD. To load a bitmap, use

File ► Load Options ► Load Bitmap.

Delete
Delete selected items but do not place them on the Clipboard.

Left File Del DelSelect
Unlike the Cut function, deleted entities are not placed on the Clipboard.
Before you use the Delete command, you must select the primitives you
want to delete using the Select or Selection Filters commands.
If nothing is selected you will automatically enter the Select function.
Select the primitives you want to delete.
Press the [Space Bar] or click on Done. The selected primitives will be
deleted.
If you delete something by accident, you can replace it using the Undo
function.
Edit Menu 2-5

Select
Select items for editing or modification

Left File SelectNodes 0
The Select function is active whenever the cursor is arrow-shaped.

Selected items are termed the selection set, and may be edited, moved,
mirrored, scaled, copied, rotated, deleted etc, using functions in the
Modify menu and the Edit menu. They can also be nudged by precise
increments using the arrow keys. See Accurate Drawing in the User
Guide.
Once selected using the Select cursor, eight handles and a Rotate icon
appear around the selection set.
Rotate Icon
Handle
This cursor is called the Select cursor and it can be used for the
following.
• To select items.
• To scale or stretch the selection set with the handles.
• To rotate the selection set with the rotate icon.
• To drag and to copy the selection set.
• To edit line style, text, dimensions, arrows and bitmap parameters.

Selecting
The Selection Filters and Select Nodes functions offer additional
methods of selection.
Selecting single primitives

Select a single primitive (line, arc, piece of text, dimension, arrow etc.) by
clicking on it with the Select cursor. The primitive will become
highlighted and handles will appear around it.
To add a single primitive to a group of items that have already been
selected, press [SHIFT] and click on the primitive at the same time.
If you are having difficulty selecting a dimension, check that the

selection filters do not exclude dimensions.
Sometimes primitives have been grouped so that when you click on one
primitive, the whole group is selected. To ungroup such primitives, click
on them to select the group, then use Objects ► Explode Objects. You will
then be able to select a single primitive within the group.
Selecting single objects

Whenever you create an object manually using Objects ► Begin New
Object, Objects ► Group Into Object or Objects ► Make Symbol, the
primitives in the object are grouped. This means that when you click on
the object with the Select cursor all the primitives within it are selected
at once, making selection quicker and easier.
Some AllyCAD functions that automatically create objects also group the
primitives within these objects. For example, when you draw a rectangle
using Draw ► Rectangle, the four lines making up the rectangle are
grouped. Similarly, symbols entered using Draw ► Symbol are grouped,
and sketches produced using Draw ► Sketch are grouped.
Select a single object by clicking on it with the Select cursor. The object
will become highlighted and handles will appear around it.
To add a single object to a group of items that have already been
selected, press [SHIFT] and click on the object at the same time.
To ungroup an object so that you can select single primitives within it

use Objects ► Explode Object.
If you do not know what an object is, see Drawing Structure in the User
Guide.
Edit Menu 2-7

Selecting everything within a rectangle
To select everything within a rectangle, position the Select cursor at one
corner of the rectangle. Press the left mouse button and hold it down.
Drag your cursor to the diagonally opposite corner of the rectangle. The
outline of the rectangle appears as the cursor is dragged.
Release the left mouse button. Everything within the rectangle is
selected. If what is selected is not what you expected, check the filters
you have selected. See Filters.
Deselecting
If you have selected a single primitive or object by mistake and want to
deselect it without deselecting anything else, press the [SHIFT] key and
click on the offending primitive or object. This is useful if you have
selected something by accident, especially using a function such as Edit
► Select by Polygon.
To deselect everything, use Edit ► Clear Selection or simply click on a
blank portion of the drawing.
Handles
When you have selected some primitives eight handles and a Rotate icon
appear around it. The handles can be used to scale or stretch the
selection set. The Rotate icon can be used to rotate the selection set.
Some users do not like working with the handles. If you do not want the
handles to appear when you select things, you can turn them off
temporarily or as default.
Turning off the handles temporarily

To turn the handles off temporarily, right click on the Eraser icon in the
Files toolbar to deselect everything. Then click in the Command box on
the Control Bar and type:
USEHANDLES 0
Click on Done or press [Enter].

To turn the handles on again, right click on the Eraser icon to deselect
everything. Then click in the Command box on the Control Bar and type:
USEHANDLES 1
Click on Done or press [Enter].

Stretching and Scaling
When you have selected items, eight handles appear around them. When
you pass the Select Cursor over one of the handles the cursor changes
shape:
if it is a left or right handle
if it is a top or bottom handle
or if it is a corner handle.
The arrows show the directions in which you will be able to scale the
selection set if you click on that handle. If you click on the left or right
handles, you can only stretch the selection set horizontally. If you click
on the top or bottom handles, you can only stretch the selection set
vertically.
Pass the Select cursor over the handle you want to use so that the cursor
changes shape, then click.
The cursor changes to one of the Snap mode cursors, e.g. Freehand,
Grab All etc. (see Snap Modes) and the Control Bar changes to look like
this:
Move the cursor around. As you move it, the selection set is scaled and
the contents of the X= and Y= boxes on the Control Bar change. To
scale evenly in the X and Y directions if you have selected one of the
corner handles, hold down the [SHIFT] key while you move the cursor.
Click when you are satisfied with the scale, or use the Control Bar or
cursor to scale accurately.
Scaling accurately
To scale accurately move the cursor into the X= box on the Control Bar
and click. Use your [Delete] or [Backspace] keys to delete the contents of
the box. Type a scale factor. Press the [TAB] key to move the cursor into
the Y= box. Type a scale factor. Then press [Enter]. The selection set will
be accurately scaled by the factors you have typed.
Edit Menu 2-9

If you have clicked on the left or right handle, only the X scale factor
will have an effect. If you have clicked on the top or bottom handle, only
the Y scale factor will have an effect.
Alternatively, you can stretch the selection set to an accurate position on

the screen using the cursor in conjunction with jumps, snaps, arrow keys
etc.

Rotating
When you have selected items, eight handles will appear around them,
together with a rotate icon just to the left of the top right handle.
When you pass the Select cursor over the rotate icon, the cursor changes
to a circular arrow. While the cursor is in the shape of a circular arrow,
click with your left mouse button.
The cursor changes to one of the Snap mode cursors, e.g. Freehand,
Grab All etc. (see Snap Modes) and the Control Bar changes to look like
this:
Move the cursor around. As you move it, the selection set rotates about
its centre, and the Rotate Angle in the Control Bar changes.
Click when you are satisfied with the rotation, or use the Control Bar or
cursor to rotate accurately.
Rotating accurately
To rotate accurately, move the cursor into the Rotate Angle box on the
Control Bar and click. Use your Delete or Backspace keys to delete the
contents of the box. Type a rotation angle. Then press [Enter]. The
selection set will be accurately rotated by the angle you have typed.
Rotation takes place in an anti-clockwise direction regardless of the

way you have set up the Angular Format in the Drawing Settings.
Alternatively, you can rotate the selection set to an accurate position on

the screen using the cursor in conjunction with jumps, snaps etc. See
Accurate Drawing in the User Guide.
Edit Menu 2-11

Dragging
You can use the Select cursor to drag the selection set from one place to
another. To do this, move the cursor onto the selection set and press your
left mouse button, holding it down. Move your mouse. The selection set
moves with your mouse.
If you hold down the [SHIFT] key while you are dragging, you will only
be able to drag the selection set horizontally or vertically.
Accurate Dragging (Drag and Snap)

To drag accurately, the Select cursor must have a box around the tip.
This box is in fact the Grab All Cursor (see Grab All Mode). This means
that the cursor will accurately snap to any point within the box.
Place the cursor box around a point on the selection set, such as the end
of a line. The cursor will snap exactly onto this point. Drag the selection
set as described above, but before releasing your left mouse button place
the cursor box around another point that the dragged selection set must
snap to. The cursor will snap exactly onto this point.
• To change the cursor from the simple arrow to the arrow with the
box, click on the Grab All icon in the Snaps toolbar.
• To change the cursor from the arrow with the box to the simple
arrow, click on the Freehand icon in the Snaps toolbar.
Copying
If you press the [CTRL] key while you drag, the selection set will not be
moved. Instead, a copy of the selection set will be made and the copy will
be dragged.
If the Select cursor has a box around the tip, you will be able to place the
copy accurately, because the cursor will snap exactly onto any point
within the box (see Accurate Dragging).
Double Click Editing

• If you double click on a line or arc with the Select cursor, the Line
Style dialog box is displayed. See Set Line Defaults.
• If you double click on a piece of text, the Text Entry dialog box
appears. See Set Text Defaults.

• If you double click on a horizontal, vertical, ordinate or slope
dimension, you enter the Annotate ► Edit Dimension ► Edit Dimension
Properties function. See Edit Dimension.
• If you double click on an arrow, the Arrow Defaults dialog box
appears. See Set Arrow Defaults.
• If you double click on a polyline or bezier curve, the Polyline
Defaults dialog box appears. See Polyline Defaults.
• If you double click on the edge of a bitmap with the Select cursor, the
Set Bitmap Parameters dialog box appears. See Load Bitmap.
Edit Menu 2-13

Select Nodes
Select items to reshape

Right File SelectNodes 1
The Nodes cursor can be used to select items. Selecting with the Nodes
cursor is exactly the same as selecting with the Select cursor. See
Selecting and Deselecting.
Node
Once selected using the Nodes cursor, all the nodes in the selection set
(points, ends of lines and arcs, arc and circle centres, text and dimension
origins etc.) are marked by a small square. These nodes can be used to
reshape the selection set.
If you click on the Select icon in the Files toolbar while the nodes are
displayed the nodes will be replaced by handles. To return to the nodes,
click on Edit ► Select Nodes.
Like the Select cursor, the Nodes cursor can also be used to drag and
copy the selection set (although it cannot be used for accurate dragging)
and for double click editing.
Nodes
When you have selected items using the Nodes cursor, all the nodes in
the selection set (points, ends of lines and arcs, arc and circle centres,
text and dimension origins etc.) are marked by a small square.
Highlighted node

If you click on one of the small squares marking a node, it will become
solid black. To highlight more than one node, click on the nodes you
want to select while pressing down the [SHIFT] key.
While the cursor is in the shape of four arrows, press your left mouse
button and hold it down. The cursor reverts to the cross shape.
Move the cursor around. As you move it, all the nodes you have
highlighted, together with any lines, arcs etc. attached to them, move.
When you have finished moving the node or nodes, release your left
mouse button.
Moving nodes accurately

To move nodes you can also use the Grab All cursor (a cross with a box
around its centre). See Grab All Mode. This means that the cursor will
accurately snap to any point within the box. If you use the Nodes cursor
with the box around its centre to move a highlighted node, you can snap
the node onto another point such as the end of a line, an intersection etc.
To change the cursor from the cross with the box to the simple cross,
click on the Freehand icon in the Snaps toolbar.
You can also move a highlighted node or nodes accurately using Nudge.
To do this, press the [Left-Arrow], [Right-Arrow], [Up-Arrow] or [Down-
Arrow] keys to move the node or nodes left, right, up or down. AllyCAD
will prompt how far you want to move left, right, up or down.
Type the distance(s), click on the Done button or press [Enter]. The
highlighted node or nodes will move.
Similarly you can move up and to the right using the [PgUp] key, down
and to the right using the [PgDn] key, down and to the left using the
[End] key and up and to the left using the [Home] key.
For more details on Nudge, see Accurate Drawing in the User Guide.
Edit Menu 2-15

Select by Polygon
Select everything within a box or irregular polygon

SelectPoly
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter polygon around elements to be selected
Draw a polygon around the elements to be selected. If what is selected is

not what you expected, check the filters you have selected. See the
Filters section in Selection Filters.

Selection Filters
Select a specific group of primitives, select hatches or clear all selections

Left File SelectDef
Selection filters are a very powerful means of selecting certain portions

of your drawing. You can select by entity type (line, arc text etc.) or by
properties (layer, colour, text font) and even by text string.
The dialog box will remain open until you click on the [Close] button.
You can keep it open for instant access to the Selection Filters functions
while you are doing other things.
The filters control all selection functions. For example, if you have set up
the filters to select only arcs and you [Select All], only arcs and circles
will be selected. If you select everything within a polygon, only arcs and
circles within the polygon will be selected, etc.
Once selected, the group of primitives is called the selection set, and can
be edited, moved, mirrored, scaled, copied, rotated, deleted, etc. It is
highlighted and surrounded by handles.
To change from handles to nodes right click on the Select icon in the
Files toolbar or use Edit ► Select Nodes.
To change from nodes to handles left click on the Select icon in the Files
toolbar or use Edit ► Select Normal.
If what is selected is not what you expected, check the filters you have
selected. If you include part of an object within a selection box or
polygon, the whole object may be selected despite the filter settings. If
you only want to select part of the object, you must first explode the
object, using Objects ► Explode Objects.
The Select Dialog box is divided into three tabbed sections, Objects,
Properties and Text.
Edit Menu 2-17

Objects
This page contains filters for entity types. For example to just select
lines, uncheck the Allow All box and check the Lines box.
The following options are also available:
Clear
This option deselects everything that has been selected.
To deselect just one or a few primitives use the Select function. See
Select.
Close
Closes the dialog box.
Select All
This option selects everything in the drawing as specified by the Filters.
See Filters.
Polygon
This allows you to draw a box or irregular polygon around the things you
want to select. Everything inside this box or polygon that has been
specified by the filters will be selected.

It is often useful to close the dialog box before drawing the polygon to
avoid the dialog box getting in the way.
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter polygon around elements to be selected
Draw a polygon around the elements to be selected. You can also access
Polygon using Edit ► Select by Polygon.
Object
This option allows objects, including exploded objects, to be selected by
clicking on them with the cursor.
When you click on the Object button, AllyCAD prompts:
Select whole object (Shift for multiple selection)
Click on an object to select it. To select more than one object, click on the
objects you want to select while holding down the [SHIFT] key.
To cancel object selection, choose another function, press the
[Space Bar] or click on Done.
Name
This option allows objects to be selected by name.
If you do not know the parent or object names of an object, you can find
out using the Tools ► Query Entity option.
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter name of objects to be selected
You must type both the parent name and the object name of the object
you want to select. All names must be in upper case. All objects with the
name you type will be selected.
For example, typing
BATHROOM CLOSET
will select all the objects named CLOSET with the parent name
BATHROOM.
Wildcards may be used. For example, typing
BATHROOM *
Edit Menu 2-19

will select all objects with the parent name BATHROOM, such as
BATHROOM CLOSET, BATHROOM TOILET, BATHROOM SINK etc.
Typing
* CLOSET
will select all objects called CLOSET, whether their parent names are,
for example KITCHEN CLOSET, BATHROOM CLOSET etc. Typing
* *
will select everything in the drawing as specified by the Filters.
Hatch
This option allows hatches to be selected by clicking on them with the
cursor.
AllyCAD prompts:
Select a hatch perimeter
A cross (#) appears on each hatch perimeter and the hatched objects are
flashing. Click on the cross marking the perimeter of the hatch you want
to select. The perimeter is highlighted.
Select a hatch perimeter
Select another hatch perimeter or cancel hatch selection by choosing

another function, pressing the [Space Bar] or clicking on Done.
Layer
This option selects everything that has been specified using the Filters
and that is on a given layer.
The layer selection box is displayed. Click on the desired layer, then click
on OK. To select items on, for example, a second layer, choose Layer
again.
If you have selected a filter or filters, and elements that should not be
selected are being selected, this may be because all the elements are
linked together as objects.
For example, if you have set the filters so that only arcs should be
selected, and you find that some lines are being selected too, this is
because the lines that are being selected are included in objects with
arcs. To select arcs only, you need to use Objects ► Explode Object to
explode the objects first.

Properties
This page allows you to further restrict what entities will be selected.
You can restrict to current layer, current colour, current line type, as
well as attributes like line width, symbol style and polyline fill colour.
Some restrictions obviously apply only to certain entities. For example if

you check Current Polyline Fill the restriction will have no effect on text
items as it will only be applied to polylines.
Hatch/Solid fill
This section determines what objects will be selected based on their
hatch flag.
Hatch and Non Hatch If this is checked then all hatch and non hatch objects
will be selected. If this is unchecked, then the following
checkbox Hatch/Solid Fill only becomes enabled.
Hatch/Solid Fill only If this is checked, then only hatch perimeters will be
selected. If it is unchecked, then only non-hatch objects
will be selected.
Current hatch If this is checked, then only hatch perimeters that match
the current default hatch will be selected. (You can
change the current default hatch, either by selecting
Annotate ► Enter Hatch, and changing the hatch type,
then pressing cancel, or by using Annotate ► Pick
Index from Hatch and taking the index from an existing
hatch perimeter.)
Edit Menu 2-21

Text
This allows you to restrict what text items will be selected based on
things like font, text size and even a string of text.
The text string is not case sensitive and matches if any part of the text on
the drawing contains the match string.
Clear Selection
Clear all selections.

Right File ClearSel
This function de-selects everything that has been selected.

Move to Front
Move elements to the front of other elements on your drawing.

MoveToFront
This is especially useful if there is a solid fill or bitmap on your drawing

and you need lines or text to appear on top of the solid fill or bitmap.
AllyCAD moves all the selected elements to the front. If nothing is
selected AllyCAD will switch into selection mode.
The elements you have moved to the front may not appear to have been
moved to the front until you redraw the screen.
If you can't see the element you want to move to the front because it's
behind something else, select the area containing the element by
dragging a rectangle over it or using Edit ► Select by Polygon. When it is
selected, the hidden element will be visible.
Move to Back
Move elements behind other elements on your drawing.

MoveToBack
It is especially useful if there is a bitmap on your drawing that you need

to position behind lines or text.
AllyCAD moves all the selected elements to the back. If nothing is
selected AllyCAD will switch into selection mode.
The elements you have moved to the back may not appear to have been
moved to the back until you redraw the screen.
Edit Menu 2-23

Notes:

View Menu
The View menu allows you to change what is
displayed on the screen.
View Menu 3-1

Zoom Window
Define area to zoom into by drawing a box around it

Left View Zoom “W”
You will be prompted:

Enter a corner of zoom box
A large cross hair appears on the screen with the cursor at the cross
centre. Position the cursor at one corner of the area you want to zoom
into and press [Enter] or click.
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter second corner of rectangle

As you move the cursor, you will see that it is attached to a box. Position
the cursor so that the box surrounds the area you want to zoom into and
press [Enter] or click.
The area within the box will now be enlarged to occupy the whole
drawing area.
To return your drawing to the previous view, use View ► Zoom Last. To
return your drawing to a normal view, use View ► Zoom Paper.
View Menu 3-3

Zoom Last
Move backward through sequence of zooms.

Left View Minus “-“ Zoom “L”
Suppose you perform the following sequence of zooms.
Original view
Zoomed View
If you select Zoom Last while you are zoomed in, you will return to the
previous view. You can move backwards through the last ten zooms or
magnifies you have performed in this way.
Your last ten zooms are saved with the drawing, so the next time you
load your drawing the zoom last function will immediately be available.
You can also move forwards through zooms as described in the next
section.

Zoom Next
Move forward through sequence of zooms.

Right View Divide “/” Zoom “N”
Zoom Next reverses the action of Zoom Last, similar to redoing actions
that have been undone.
You can move forwards through all the zooms that have been reversed
using the Zoom Last function.
Zoom All
Show the whole drawing at the maximum possible size to fit on the screen.

Right View ZA Zoom “A”
If your drawing is larger than the paper size, you will be able to see the
paper extents as a pink dotted rectangle.
This function is therefore particularly useful if you have, for example,
changed scale or paper size and your drawing no longer fits onto the
paper, or if you have inadvertently worked off the edge of the sheet.
It will enable you to locate work that is off the edge of the paper. You can
then bring it back into the paper limits using Modify ► Move, or by
changing scale or paper size in the Settings ► Drawing Settings.
To return the drawing to the previous view, use View ► Zoom Last. To
return the drawing to an un-zoomed view, use View ► Zoom Paper.
View Menu 3-5

Zoom Paper
Show the entire sheet of paper and its contents.

Right View R Redraw
When you select this function, only that part of the drawing within the
paper extents represented by the pink dotted rectangle is shown. If part
of your drawing is outside the paper extents you can see it using the
Zoom All function.
Zoom Scaled
Show drawing at a specific scale.

Left File ZS Zoom “S”
Screen
Click on the Zoom icon in the Files or the Screen toolbar. Select Zoom
Scaled from the popup menu.
Enter zoom scale
Type in the scale at which you want to see your drawing. For example, if
you type “25”, your drawing will appear on the screen at the size it would
be at if its scale was 1:25. Click on Done or press [Enter].
Enter zoom box
A box representing the amount of the drawing that will fit on the screen
after scaling appears.
Fit this box around the part of your drawing you want to zoom into and
press [Enter] or click on Done.
If you specified a scale greater than the scale at which you are currently
viewing your drawing, you will not be able to see the box as the box will
be larger that the screen. The cursor (which you will be able to see)
represents the centre of the box.

Zoom Selected
Zoom everything that has been selected to the maximum possible size to fit on
the screen.

Right View ZE Zoom “E”
Before using this zoom you must select everything that you want zoomed
using the Edit ► Select or Edit ► Selection Filters functions.
Zoom View
Zoom into a pre-defined view.

Left View 1,2,3..9 Zoom “V”
When you choose this option, a sub-menu of numbers

appears. Click on the number corresponding to the view you
want to zoom into, as defined using the Define Zoom View
function.
The program will immediately zoom into the chosen window.
If you have not defined any views using the Define Zoom View
function, the program will zoom to a default view.
View Menu 3-7

Define Zoom View
Define zoom views.

Right View Zoom “V”
This option allows you to define zooms. For example, suppose you
frequently needed to zoom into the two areas on this drawing that have
been enclosed by rectangles:
Edge of Drawing Area
Zoom 0 Zoom 1
You could define one area as Zoom 0 …

and the other as Zoom 1.
It is possible to define up to 10 such views.

When you select Define Zoom View, the screen is divided into nine boxes
with numbers inside and a menu with numbers on it appears.
Click on the number in the menu that will correspond to the zoom you
are about to define. This is the number you will use to implement the
zoom later, using the Zoom View option.
A large cross hair appears on the screen with the cursor at the cross
centre. AllyCAD prompts:
Enter a corner of zoom window
Position the cursor at one corner of the area you want to zoom into and
AllyCAD prompts:
View Menu 3-9

As you move the cursor, you will see that it is attached to a box. Position
the cursor so that the box surrounds the area you want to define and
The box you enter will be marked by green lines and will be numbered.
Its shape will be updated slightly to reflect the shape of the screen.
The menu of numbers will re-appear. You can click on another number
to define another zoom, or exit the function by clicking on the screen
somewhere outside the number menu.
Implement the zooms you have defined using the Zoom View function.
The defined zooms are stored with the drawing.

Toolbars
Show or hide toolbars

Left File ToolbarPopup
Click on View ► Toolbars to display or hide the different toolbars. A menu

box with available toolbars pops up.
If the specific toolbar is currently displayed it will have a next to it.
Move the mouse and click on the toolbar that you want to display or hide.
The box will disappear and the chosen toolbar will either be hidden or
displayed.
Repeat the process to display or hide further toolbars.
View Menu 3-11

Magnify
Magnify your drawing at the cursor position

Left View M Magnify
Screen
If you use the shortcut key magnification will take place about the
position of the cursor.
If you use the toolbar button you will be asked:
Enter Screen Point
Position your cursor at the point to be magnified and press [Enter] or

click. Your drawing is magnified by a factor of 3. To change this
magnification factor, use Settings ► Change Magnify Factor.
To return your drawing to the previous view, use View ► Zoom Last.
Demagnify
De-magnify your drawing at the cursor position

Right View D Demag
Screen
If you use the shortcut key de-magnification will take place about the
position of the cursor.
Enter Screen Point
Position your cursor at the point to be de-magnified and press [Enter] or

click. Your drawing is de-magnified by a factor of 3. To change this
magnification factor, use Settings ► Change Magnify Factor.

Pan
Redraw about the cursor position

Left View W Pan
If you use the shortcut key the pan will take place about the position of
the cursor.
Enter screen point
Position the cursor at the point on your drawing that you want
positioned in the middle of the screen and press [Enter] or click. The
screen is redrawn with the cursor position at the centre.
View Menu 3-13

Long Pan
Place pan box about part of drawing to zoom into.

Right View Semi-colon (;) LongPan
Screen
When you select Long Pan, a small dotted square representing your
sheet of paper appears, with your drawing inside it. AllyCAD prompts:
Enter pan box (Space Bar for expanded view)
Pan view limits
Existing view limits
If you move your mouse, you will see that the cursor is attached to a box.
Place this box around the part of your drawing you want to zoom into
and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively, press the [Space Bar].
You will be returned to the view you were working in when you selected
Long Pan. The cursor will still be attached to the box, although you may
not be able to see the box. Move the cursor to the area of the drawing you
want to pan to and press [Enter] or click.

Refresh
Refresh your screen after editing or deleting.

Left View S Refresh
It is sometimes necessary to refresh your screen after changes or

deletions have taken place. For example, if you delete a line that was
very close to or on top of another line, it will look as if both lines have
disappeared. Redraw will redraw the screen so that the remaining line
reappears.
View Menu 3-15

Notes:

Draw Menu
The Draw menu allows you to access the entity
creation functions. Many of these functions can also
be accessed from the Main toolbar.
Draw Menu 4-1

Line (Chained)
Draw chained lines (the end of one line automatically marks the start of the next).

Left Main Ctrl + L Line

Enter first point of line
Position the cursor where you want the start point of a line to be and
press [Enter] or click. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter next point of line
As you move the cursor, the line follows it. Position the cursor where you
want the end point of the line to be and press [Enter] or click. This point
will also mark the position of the start of the next line.
AllyCAD will continue to prompt:
Enter the end point of another line, or cancel line drawing by choosing
To draw a line of an exact length or at a given angle see Accurate

Drawing in the User Guide.
To change the line colour or the line type while drawing, use the
Settings ► Line Defaults function.

Lines (Pt to Pt)
Draw separate lines.

Left Main PtLine

Position the cursor where you want the start point of a line to be and
press [Enter] or click. AllyCAD will then prompt:
As you move the cursor, the line follows it. Position the cursor where you
want the end point of the line to be and press [Enter] or click.
AllyCAD will again prompt:
Enter the first point of another line, or cancel line drawing by choosing
To draw a line of an exact length or at a given angle see Accurate

Drawing in the User Guide.
To change line colour or type while drawing, use the Settings ► Line
Defaults function.
Draw Menu 4-3

Point
Draw a point.

Point
Access this function from the Draw menu. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter position of point
Position the cursor where you want a point to be and press [Enter] or
click.
Enter position of point
Enter another point, or cancel point drawing by choosing another

function, pressing the [Space Bar] or clicking on Done.
The size of points and how they are displayed, e.g. as crosses, dots or
circles is controlled by the Point Style button in Settings ► View Settings.

Rectangle
Draw a rectangle by two diagonally opposite corners.

Left Main Rectangle
Original corner
New corner

Enter first rectangle corner
Position the cursor where you want one corner of a rectangle to be and
Move the cursor to a diagonally opposite corner. You can move it

up and to the right;
down and to the right;
up and to the left;
down and to the left.
The cursor is rubber-banded, so you can see the rectangle as you draw it.
When you have positioned the cursor, press [Enter] or click.
Enter a corner of another rectangle, or cancel rectangle drawing by

choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar] or clicking on Done.
The four lines making up the rectangle are automatically grouped so

that you can select the whole rectangle by clicking on it once with the
Select cursor. To select a single line in the rectangle you must first
explode it using Objects ► Explode Object.
Draw Menu 4-5

Arc 3 Point
Draw an arc by three points.

Left Main Arc

Enter first point of arc
Position the cursor where you want one end of the arc to be (position a
on the diagram above) and press [Enter] or click.
Enter point on arc
As you move the cursor, you can see the arc being drawn. Position the
cursor at any point on the arc between its two ends (position b on the
diagram above) and press [Enter] or click.
Enter last point of arc
Position the cursor where you want the other end of the arc to be
(position c on the diagram) and press [Enter] or click.
Enter first point of arc
Enter one end of another arc, or cancel arc drawing by choosing another

Arc Radius
Draw an arc by end points and radius.

Right Main ArcR

Enter start point of arc
Position the cursor where you want one end of an arc to be and press
[Enter] or click.
Enter end point of arc
Position the cursor where you want the other end of the arc to be and
Enter radius (negative for clockwise arc)
Type the radius of the arc and click on or press [Enter].
Start point
If you enter a positive radius, the arc will be
drawn in an anti-clockwise direction between the
start and end points you have defined.
End point
Start point
If you enter a negative radius, the arc will be

drawn in a clockwise direction between the start
and end points you have defined.
End point
The radius that you enter must be at least as long as half the distance
between the start and end points of the arc. If you do not know the
radius and need to calculate it, you can type the necessary arithmetic
expression, e.g. (518-212)/3 instead of the radius.
Draw Menu 4-7

If the radius you enter is too short, the message
Radius too small .. setting it to L/2
will be displayed. AllyCAD will automatically set the radius to L/2 (half
the distance between the two points) and draw the arc. If you want to
measure the distance between the two points, use the Tools ► Measure
command.
Enter start point of arc

Circle
Draw a circle by centre point and point on circumference.

Left Main Cir

Enter centre point of circle
Position the cursor where you want the centre point of a circle to be and
Enter point on circle
As you move the cursor away from the circle centre, the circle will
appear. When it is the correct size, press [Enter] or click.
Enter centre point of circle
Enter the centre point of another circle, or cancel circle drawing by

Regardless of which point on the circle circumference was initially

specified, only the centre point and the point that lies on the
circumference at the 3 o'clock position are stored.
If you need circles for isometric drawings, see Ellipses and Isometrics.
Draw Menu 4-9

Circle Diameter
Draw up to five concentric circles.

Right Main CirDia
20
70
80

Circle centre point
Position the cursor where you want the centre point of the circle or
circles to be and press [Enter] or click.
Enter up to 5 diameters separated by spaces
Type in up to five diameters separated by spaces and click on Done or

press [Enter].
For example, to produce these three circles, you would type: “20 70 80”
Circle centre point
Enter the centre point of another circle or circles, or cancel concentric

circle drawing by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar] or
clicking on Done.

Circle 2 Point
Draw circles by two points on circumference.

Right Main Cir2P

Enter first point on circle
Position the cursor where you want one point on the circle's
circumference to be and press [Enter] or click.
Enter point on circle
As you move the cursor AllyCAD will display

a rubber-banded circle. Position the cursor
where you want the other point on the
circumference to be and press [Enter] or
click.
The prompts are repeated until you cancel the function by pressing the
[Space Bar] or clicking on Done.
To position the cursor accurately, see Accurate Drawing in the User

Guide. If you want the circle to be tangent to another entity (line, arc or
circle) at the first point, change to Tan Snap mode before entering the
point. See Tan Snap mode.
Draw Menu 4-11

Line Arc Line
Draw a line arc line sequence.

BentLine
R2
d
R1
a
This function inserts an arc with a specified radius at corners while you
are drawing to create a smooth sequence of lines and arcs.
Enter first point
Position the cursor where you want the first point of the first line in the
line arc line sequence to be (position a). Press [Enter] or click.
Enter corner point
Position the cursor at a corner where the arc will be inserted (position b)
and press [Enter] or click. Nothing is drawn yet.
Enter corner radius
Type the radius for the corner (R1) and click on OK or press [Enter].
Ensure the radius value that you type is reasonable, given the lengths of
the lines between positions a, b and c and the angle formed by the lines
a-b and b-c.
Nothing will be drawn until you have entered the first three points.
If you do not know the radius and need to calculate it, you can type the
necessary arithmetic expression, e.g. (518-212)/3 instead of the radius.

Enter next corner point (enter two points the same to end
with a line)
You can either enter another radiused corner at c on the diagram or you
can end the line arc line sequence d on the diagram.
How to enter another radiused corner (c on the diagram) or end the line arc
line sequence with an arc.
Position the cursor at the corner to be radiused (position c) and press
[Enter] or click. A line and an arc are drawn.
If what is drawn is not what you expected, it is probable that the radius
value you entered was too large.

Enter corner radius
Type the radius for the new corner (R2) and click on or press [Enter].
with a line)
You can either enter another radiused corner or you can end the line arc
line sequence.
To end the line arc line sequence with an arc, press the [Space Bar] or
click on Done.
How to end the Line Arc Line sequence with a line (d on the diagram)
Position the cursor where you want the line arc line sequence to end
(position d) and press [Enter] or click.
A line and an arc are drawn.
Do not move your cursor from point d until you have input a corner
radius and the same point again, otherwise another arc will be added to
the line arc line sequence.
If what is drawn is not what you expected, it is probable that the radius
value you entered was too large.

Enter corner radius
Draw Menu 4-13

When you are ending the line arc line sequence, the radius value is
irrelevant. Press [Enter] to accept the default, but do not move your
cursor from point d.
with a line)
Press [Enter] to accept position d again. You have now selected position
d twice and the line arc line sequence will be terminated.
To produce a sequence of parallel lines and arcs, see Parallel Line. For
an alternative method of producing a line arc line sequence, see
Circular Spline.
It is sometimes helpful to determine the corner points you will be using
(b and c on the diagram below) before you start by using Geometry.

Parallel Line
Draw parallel lines

Left Main ParlLine
The parallel line parameters are set using Settings ► Parallel Defaults.
• If you specify the Draw Fresh option the prompts that you get will be
exactly the same as for Line (Chained).
• If you specify the Around Existing Perimeter option you will enter
the Perimeter Menu.
• If you specify the Line Arc Line option the prompts that you get will
be exactly the same as for Line Arc Line.
When specifying radii in a line arc line sequence, ensure that these are
larger than the inside offset defined in the Parallel Defaults. If the corner
points in a line arc line sequence are too close together and the radii are
too large, your parallel lines will cross over and change sides.
While only one line will appear as you are drawing, all the parallel lines
you specified will appear once you finish line drawing, finish defining the
perimeter, or finish drawing the line arc line sequence. If your parallel
lines are unexpectedly drawn on the wrong side of the line, perimeter, or
line arc line sequence, use Undo to delete them and check your offsets.
Draw Menu 4-15

1 Parallel Element
Draw a single line, arc or circle parallel to an existing line, arc or circle, or draw
multiple lines parallel to an existing line

Left Main ParlL1
You can draw a parallel line at a fixed distance from an existing line or
through a specified point parallel to an existing line.
AllyCAD prompts:
Use a Fixed Distance or a Specified Point
A number of options must be specified on the Control Bar.
Use
Parallel line If you want to place the parallel

Fixed element by specifying a distance
Distance between the existing element and the
parallel one, select Fixed Distance.
Existing line
Parallel line If you want to place the parallel

Point element by specifying a point through
which the parallel element must pass,
select the Specified Point option.
Existing line
Spacing
If you have chosen to use a Specified Point, this control will be disabled
and grayed out.
Parallel line If you have chosen to use a Fixed

Distance, type the distance you want
10 between the existing element and the
parallel element, for example "10".
Existing line

No. Lines
Five parallel lines

The number you type here determines
the number of parallel lines that will be
10 drawn at once. For example, if you
type "5", AllyCAD will draw five lines
parallel to the existing line. These lines
10 will be evenly spaced at the distance
you type here.
10
Arcs and circles are only copied once

10 regardless of how many lines you have
specified in the Control Bar. To obtain
the required number of arcs, keep
selecting the most recent parallel arc
or circle until you have the desired
number.
Existing line
Trim
If you check the Trim box, each
succeeding line will be trimmed to fit
the previous one. The beginning of the
first line and the end of the last line
selected will not be trimmed. If you
require a closed perimeter, use the
Modify ► Trim command to join the first
and last lines together.
If you leave the Trim box empty,

consecutive lines will not be trimmed.
Trim only works if you are drawing one parallel line.
Draw Menu 4-17

Parallel Lines by a Fixed Distance
If you have selected the Fixed Distance option AllyCAD will prompt:
Select element to be parallel copied
Parallel element will appear this side Position the cursor next to the existing
of the existing line
line, arc or circle and on that side of it
where you want the parallel element to
appear. Press [Enter] or click.
The parallel element or elements are drawn. The number of lines,

spacing and trim are determined by the Control Bar settings.
Select another element to copy and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively

cancel element copying by choosing another function, pressing the
Parallel Lines by a Specific Point

If you have selected the Specified Point option AllyCAD will prompt:
Parallel element will appear this side Position the cursor next to the existing
of the existing line
line, arc or circle and on that side of it
where you want the parallel element to
appear. Press [Enter] or click.
AllyCAD will now prompt:

Enter point parallel line should pass through
You need to specify a point through which the parallel line will pass.
Position the cursor and press [Enter] or click.
The position that you choose defines the distance between all the parallel
lines.

Five parallel lines
Existing line Point

Select another element to copy and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively

cancel element copying by choosing another function, pressing the
Draw Menu 4-19

Geometry Trace-Over
You must already have drawn some geometry before you can use these
functions.
Fill Geom
Trace over geometry lines and circles

Left Geometry FillGeom
You specify an intersection of geometry elements, followed by the

element you want to trace over, followed by the next intersection.
The cursor will switch to Geometry Intersection snap mode and AllyCAD
will prompt:
Enter first geometry intersection point
Position the cursor next to the intersection of geometry lines at one end
of a geometry element you want to trace over and press [Enter] or click.
The cursor snaps exactly onto the intersection.
The cursor will switch to Freehand mode and

Identify next geometry element
Position the cursor on the element you want

to trace and press [Enter] or click.
The cursor will switch back to Geometry

Intersection snap and AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter next intersection point
Position the cursor next to the intersection of

geometry lines at the other end of a geometry
element you want to trace over and press
[Enter] or click.

The cursor snaps exactly onto the intersection. AllyCAD will continue to
prompt:
Identify next geometry element
Select another geometry element to turn into a solid line or arc or cancel
the function by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar] or
clicking on Done.
To change colour or line type while you are drawing use Settings Line
Defaults.
Fill Geometry Cir

Traces over geometry circles

Left Geometry FillGcir
Geometry circle Solid Circle

Select geometry circle to be filled
Position the cursor close to a circle you want to trace over and press
[Enter] or click.
Select geometry circle to be filled
Select another geometry circle to trace over. Alternatively cancel

geometry circle tracing by choosing another function, pressing the
Draw Menu 4-21

Fill Geom Arc
Traces over a portion of a geometry circle.

Left Geometry FillGarc

Fill Geom Arc: Enter first point of arc
First point of arc

will be here
Last point of arc

will be here
Position the cursor where you want one end of the arc to be and press
[Enter] or click. You do not have to position the cursor on the geometry
circle.
Enter point on arc

First point of arc
will be here
Last point of arc

will be here
Position the cursor at any point on the arc between its two ends and
press [Enter] or click. You do not have to position the cursor on the
circle, just close enough to indicate which portion of the circle you want
to trace over.
Enter last point of arc
Last point of arc

will be here
Position the cursor where you want the other end of the arc to be and
press [Enter] or click. You do not have to position the cursor on the
geometry circle, as illustrated here.
Fill Geom Arc: Enter first point of arc
Draw Menu 4-23

Ellipses
This option allows you to draw full or partial ellipses.
Ellipse
Draw ellipses or circles in Isometric drawings.

Ell
Minor axis
Major axis
Angle

Enter ellipse centre point
Position the cursor where you want the centre point of an ellipse to be
and press [Enter] or click.
Enter major axis
Type in the length of the major axis and click on Done or press [Enter].
If you do not know the length of the major axis and need to calculate it,
you can type an arithmetic expression, e.g. (518-212)/3 instead of the
major axis.
Enter aspect ratio and angle
The aspect ratio is the length of the major axis divided by the length of
the minor axis. Thus, to get an ellipse that is twice as long as it is wide,
give an aspect ratio of 2. To get an ellipse three times longer than it is
wide, give an aspect ratio of 3, etc.
The angle is measured anti-clockwise from the 3 o'clock position.

If you have checked Isometric Grid in Settings ► Drawing Settings you
will not be asked this question as the aspect ratio will be fixed at the
square root of 3/2 and the angle will be perpendicular to the angle at
which the cursor is locked.
Type the aspect ratio and the angle of the ellipse, separated by a space.
Then click on or press [Enter].
Enter the centre point of another ellipse, or cancel ellipse drawing by

In order to snip, hatch or snap to an ellipse, you must first change it to a

sequence of 12 arcs. To do this, use the Modify ► Ellipse2Arcs function.
Part Ellipse
This function draws parts of ellipses.

EllBit
The first three questions that are asked are exactly the same as those
asked by the Ellipse function above.
Thereafter AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter first snip point on ellipse (ellipse goes round
counter clockwise)
Position the cursor at a point on the ellipse boundary where you want
one end of the ellipse part to be and press [Enter] or click.
First snip point
Second snip point
Ellipse before Ellipse after

snipping snipping
Draw Menu 4-25

The ellipse is drawn in an anti-clockwise direction. If you want to achieve
the result illustrated above, you must choose the first snip point as
indicated.
Second snip point
First snip point
Ellipse before Ellipse after

snipping snipping
If you want to achieve the result illustrated above, you must choose the
first snip point as indicated.
Enter 2nd snip point
Position the cursor at a point on the ellipse boundary where you want
the other end of the ellipse part to be and press [Enter] or click.
The unwanted parts of the ellipse are cut away.
AllyCAD continues to prompt:
Enter the centre point of another part ellipse, or cancel ellipse drawing
by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar] or clicking on
Done.
Part ellipses created using this function cannot be hatched or snapped

to. To do so first change the part ellipse to a series of arcs using the
Modify ► Ellipse2Arcs function.

Splines
This option allows you to draw circular and cubic splines.
Circular Spline
Draw a spline composed of arcs.

Spline
Each new point enters another arc tangent to the previous one and
through the point. This function also allows a line arc line sequence to be
entered. The spline is rubber-banded to enable you to see exactly what
will be drawn.
The first three points that you enter define an arc similar to that in the
Arc 3 Point function.
Circular spline ... enter first point
Position the cursor where you want the first point in the circular spline
to be and press [Enter] or click. This represents the first point of an arc.
Enter second point of spline
Position the cursor at another point on the spline and press [Enter] or
click. This represents a point on an arc between its two ends.
Enter next point of spline
The arc that you are drawing appears, and is rubber-banded so that you
can see exactly what you are drawing.
click. This represents the end point of an arc. The arc is drawn.
Draw Menu 4-27

Enter next point of spline - or [Ctrl End] to change arc to
line
From now on each new point will enter an arc tangent to the previous
arc and through the point. Lines may also be entered.
To draw another arc, position your cursor at another point along the
spline. Press [Enter] or click.
To draw a line, press the [Ctrl] and [End] keys together. Then position
your cursor and press [Enter] or click.
Enter next point of spline - or [Ctrl End] to change arc to
line
Add another line or arc to your spline or terminate spline drawing by

pressing the [Space Bar] or clicking on Done.
To close a perimeter created using this function the first and second
points of the spline must be entered again as the penultimate and last
points of the spline.
Cubic Spline
Draw a cubic spline composed of small line segments through points.

Curve
Three points are required before a spline can be drawn between the first
two points.
Enter number of divisions per spline segment

The spline is reduced to straight line segments. This number dictates
how many segments are produced between entered points. Numbers
between 5 and 10 are useful. However, while greater numbers will result
in smoother curves, they will consume more memory. Type a number
then click on or press [Enter].
Cubic spline curve ... enter first point
Position the cursor where you want the first point in the cubic spline to
be and press [Enter] or click.
Enter second point
click.
Next spline point
click. A cubic spline is fitted between the first and second points.
Next spline point
Add another point to the spline or cancel spline drawing by choosing

No spline will be drawn to the last point you enter. The spline is always
drawn between the third last and second last points you entered.
Draw Menu 4-29

Polyline
Draw a polyline or Bezier curve

Left Main PLine
Polylines look exactly the same as lines drawn using Draw ► Line
(Chained). The difference is that when you click on a polyline to select it
with the Select cursor, the whole polyline is selected, not just one line
segment.
To select just one line segment in a polyline, you must first explode the
polyline using Objects ► Explode Object.
A polyline is defined by its vertices, i.e. the beginnings and ends of the
line segments within it (marked by squares in the polylines on the left).
You can also use the Polyline function to draw 3 point and 4 point Bezier
curves.
3 point Bezier curves are drawn between

every three polyline vertices.

4 point Bezier curves are drawn through
every four polyline vertices.
Polylines can also be closed and hatched

or solid filled.
Whether a polyline, 3 point Bezier or 4 point Bezier curve is drawn by

the Polyline function, and whether or not it is closed and hatched
depends on the options you have selected in Settings ► Polyline Defaults.
Once drawn, a polyline can be converted to a Bezier curve or a Bezier
curve can be converted to a polyline simply by double clicking on it with
the Select cursor. You can also change the hatch status of a polyline by
double clicking on it.
When you select the Polyline function, AllyCAD prompts:
Enter first point of polyline
Position the cursor where you want the first polyline vertex to be and
Enter next point of polyline
As you move the cursor, a line follows it. Position the cursor where you
want the second polyline vertex to be and press [Enter] or click.
If you are drawing a polyline, the first line segment will be drawn. If you
are drawing a Bezier curve, nothing will be drawn until you have entered
the fourth vertex.
Enter next point of polyline
Enter another polyline vertex, or cancel polyline drawing by choosing

another function, pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done or .
Once you have drawn a polyline or Bezier curve, you can use the Edit ►
Select Nodes function to stretch the line or curve by its vertices.
Draw Menu 4-31

Polygon
Draw polygons.

Right Main, exec ".\macro\polygon"
Screen

Number of sides for polygon
Type the number of sides you want the polygon to have, then click on
or press [Enter].
Enter centre point of polygon
Position the cursor where you want the centre point of the polygon to be
Enter polygon enclosing circle
Position the cursor on the circumference of a circle enclosing the

polygon and press [Enter] or click.
When you create a polygon, the lines in it are automatically grouped so

that you can select the whole polygon by clicking on it once with the
Select cursor. To select a single line in the polygon, you must first

Symbol
Enter symbols from a symbol file.

Left Main Symbol
Before you can use this function you must load the drawing containing
the symbols you want to use (the symbol file) using File ► Load Symbol
File. If you have not loaded a symbol file, AllyCAD will automatically
allow you to do so. Once you have loaded a symbol file, the Symbol
function will begin.
When a symbol is inserted into a drawing, the primitives making up the
symbol are automatically grouped so that you can select the whole
symbol by clicking on it once with the Select cursor. To select a single
primitive in the symbol, you must first explode it using Objects ► Explode
Object.
Selecting the symbol you want to use

Click here to view the symbols in the symbol file
Currently selected
symbol
Click here to see a list of symbols in the symbol file
After you have selected the Symbol function, you will see the grey outline
of a symbol moving with the cursor as you move the cursor around the
screen. This symbol is the currently selected symbol, whose name is
displayed in the left control of the Control Bar.
To select another symbol, click on the arrow to the right of the currently
selected symbol in the Control Bar. A list of the symbols in the symbol
file you have loaded appears on the screen. Click on the name of the
symbol you want to use, then click on OK.
Alternatively, click on the View button. Thumbnail sketches of the
symbols will be displayed on the screen. Click on the symbol you want.
When you move the cursor and the symbol moves with it, the symbol is
attached to the cursor at its hook point. For details on symbols and how
to create them see Drawing Structure in the User Guide.
Draw Menu 4-33

Options on the control bar
Snip
Before symbol insertion If you check the snip option, lines

beneath the symbol when it is entered
are snipped away.
After symbol insertion with snip

If you do not check the snip option,
lines beneath the symbol are not
snipped away.
After symbol insertion without snip
The symbol's snip box determines what is snipped away. Refer to

Drawing Structure in the User Guide.
AutoR
If you check this option (autorotate), the symbol will automatically be
rotated onto a line.
Rotate
The symbol will be rotated by the angle measured anti-clockwise from
the 3 o'clock position.
Scale
The symbol will be scaled horizontally by the figure you type into the
first scale box, and vertically by the figure you type into the second scale
box. For example, if you type "2" and "2", the symbol will be twice as big.
For more information on symbols and scale, see Load Symbol File.

Mirror vertically
The symbol will be mirrored around a vertical axis.
Mirror horizontally
The symbol will be mirrored around a horizontal axis.
Entering Symbols without AutoR checked

The symbol will be added to the drawing without rotating to the nearest
line.
Enter position for symbol
Position the cursor where you want the symbol to appear and press
[Enter] or click.
The symbol's hook point is positioned at the cursor position. If you do

not know what a hook point is, see Drawing Structure.
Attributes
If you are entering a symbol that has had attributes attached to it, you
will be prompted for the value of attribute once you have specified the
position of the symbol. For example, suppose the symbol you are
entering has an attribute called COLOUR attached to it.
AllyCAD will prompt
COLOUR
and the default value of the attribute COLOUR will appear in the
command line, where you can edit it.
If you want to create a Bill of Materials, the text in the command line
must be in the format attribute=value, e.g. COLOUR=BLUE. Otherwise,
Draw Menu 4-35

the attribute value can be anything you want. When you are satisfied
with the value, press [Enter] or click on .
If you answered YES to the Convert attributes to text during load? prompt
when you loaded the symbol library using File ► Load Symbol Library the
value that you type into the command line will be written as text next to
the symbol. It will be written using the currently selected text defaults.
If you need to edit this text once it is on the drawing, double click on it. If
you need to move the text, you must first explode the object it is attached
to using Objects ► Explode Objects.
If you answered NO to the Convert attributes to text during load? prompt
when you loaded the symbol library, a diamond will appear at the
attribute position. This diamond will disappear when you redraw the
screen. For details on viewing and editing attributes, see Bill of
Materials.
Once AllyCAD has prompted for the value of each attribute attached to
the symbol, the symbol will be drawn on the screen.
Enter another symbol, or cancel the Symbol function by choosing

Entering Symbols when AutoR is Checked

The symbol will be added to the drawing and rotated to align with the
nearest line.

Position the cursor on or close to the line you

want the symbol to be rotated onto. Press
[Enter] or click.

Indicate symbol direction and line
to rotate to
Position the cursor further along the line.

This position need not be accurate. Its
purpose is to indicate in which direction
along the line the symbol should be attached.
Press [Enter] or click.
The symbol is automatically rotated to fit the

line
The remainder of this function operates exactly as described in the

previous section.
In order for a symbol to rotate onto a line as described here, the symbol
must have been drawn horizontally and its hook point must be on the left.
If the symbol is not inserted into the line as expected, you should save
your drawing and select File ► New. Load the drawing containing the
errant symbol using File ► Open.
Once the symbol drawing has been loaded, select the errant symbol and
rotate it so that it is oriented horizontally using Modify ► Rotate. Then
move its hook point to the left side of the symbol, using Objects ► Edit
Object ► Change Hook Point.
Save the symbol drawing and select the File ► New function. Load the
drawing you were working on before and try loading the symbol again.
The symbol should now be inserted into the line as expected.
Draw Menu 4-37

Sketch
Draw freehand

FreeHand
The freehand sketch is composed of many small line segments and finer
intervals will result in smoother lines but consume more memory. It is
advisable not to use many sketches on your drawing as these can
seriously slow down AllyCAD's operation.
Enter minimum distance (in mm) between freehand drawn points
Type an appropriate interval and click on or press [Enter].

Enter start of freehand drawing
Position the cursor where you want the sketch to begin and press [Enter]
or click. Now as you move the mouse, a continuous line will be drawn on
the screen until you press [Enter] or click.
Because it is difficult to move the mouse smoothly, the usual result of

using Sketch is a wobbly squiggle. Practical use may be to indicate, for
example, the outline of a hedge, but even this is not easy without some
trial and error.
Enter start of freehand drawing
Position the cursor to start another sketch. Alternatively cancel

sketching by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar],
clicking on Done or .
When you create a sketch, the small lines making up the sketch are
automatically grouped so that you can select the whole sketch by
clicking on it once with the Select cursor. To select a single line in the
sketch, you must first explode it using Objects ► Explode Object.
Large sketches may contain too many lines to be grouped into one
object. Such sketches will be grouped into several objects.

Modify Menu
The Modify menu allows you to change existing
entities. These changes include stretch, mirror,
scale, move, rotate and repeat.
Modify Menu 5-1

Stretch
Move part of a drawing enclosed within a polygon

Left Modify Stretch
In this function you move only that part of a drawing that you enclose
within a polygon. The rest of the drawing remains unchanged.
Any lines crossing the polygon boundary act like rubber bands. They
enlarge, shrink or rotate depending on the amount and direction of
movement.
21 16 51 16
Before stretching After stretching
If previously dimensioned, linear dimensions will adjust automatically

when Stretch is used, although tolerances will be lost. Hatching will also
be updated automatically.
Stretch everything? (else just selected)
If you want to stretch everything within the user-defined polygon, click

on the YES button. If you click on NO only selected elements will be
moved.

Enter polygon about points to be
moved
Draw a polygon around the elements to be

stretched.
Do not put the polygon around the whole
21 16
shape or it will be moved, not stretched.

Enter point that must move
The polygon that you drew will disappear.

Position the cursor on a point and press
[Enter] or click. This point is a reference
point that you will use to define the
21 16 movement of the part of the drawing that you
enclosed in the polygon.

Enter point it must move to
Move the cursor to indicate the position the

point will be stretched to. A square
representing the part of the drawing to be
21 16
stretched is displayed.
Press [Enter] or click to accept the position.

The drawing is stretched.
51 16
It is best to be in Freehand mode. If you are in a snap mode, the cursor

sometimes jumps from the point you select to move to back to the point
you selected as the reference point to move. The result is no stretch.
Modify Menu 5-3

Move
Move the selection set.

Left Modify Move
function. Select the primitives you want to move.
Position the cursor on a point on the selection set. Press [Enter] or click.
This point is the reference point that you will use to define the
movement.
Enter point it should move to
Move the cursor to indicate the position the reference point must move
to. You will be able to see the selection set move as you move the cursor.
Press [Enter] or click when you are satisfied. The selection set is drawn
at the new position.
It is best to be in Freehand mode when you use Move.

Move Point
Move a point and everything attached to it.

Left Modify exec ".\macro\movept"

Select point to move
The cursor will switch to Point snap mode. Position it close to the point
you want to move and press [Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly
onto the point.

Enter point it should move to
The cursor will switch to Grab All mode. Move the cursor to where the
point should move to and press [Enter] or click.
The point is moved.
Select another point to move or cancel point moving by choosing another

function, pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done or .
Modify Menu 5-5

Mirror Image
Mirror the selection set.

Left Modify Mirror
function. Select the primitives you want to mirror.
The mirror options will be displayed on the Control Bar:

Enter point about which to mirror
Position the cursor at a point about which to

mirror. The horizontal or vertical axis will pass
through this point.
If you have checked the User Defined option this will be one of two points
defining the mirror axis.
You will then be asked for the second point:
Enter other point on mirror axis
Now position the cursor at the second point defining the axis. Press
[Enter] or click. The selection set is mirrored. Note the following points:
• When text is mirrored it remains readable. This is because only the
label origin is mirrored (see Set Text Defaults. The label origin of text
that is not centred is changed. For example, if the * denotes the label
origin of the text and the word TEXT denotes a piece of text, *TEXT
mirrors to TEXT* during a vertical mirror.
• When you mirror objects, the mirrored half is a new object with the
same name and parent name as the original. This means that if you
have drawn, for example, half of a bearing and have mirrored it to
get the other half, you will have to combine the two halves into a
single object using Objects ► Group Into Object.

Mirror Axis
The mirror axis determines how the selection set will be mirrored.
If you check the Horizontal option,

mirroring will take place about a
horizontal axis.
If you check the Vertical option, mirroring

will take place about a vertical axis.
Point
If you check the User Defined option,

mirroring will take place about an axis
defined by two points along it. It is useful
to define these two points before entering
the Mirror Image function.
Point
Modify Menu 5-7

Keep Original
If you check the Keep original option, the

original half of the mirrored items will be
retained after mirroring.
Original Mirror
Image
Otherwise, only the new half will be kept.
Original Mirror
Image

Scale
Resize or scale the selection set.

Left Modify Scale
The reference point remains stationary
Before scaling
After scaling
Different scales can be applied to the selection set in the horizontal and
vertical directions. If you haven't selected anything you will
automatically enter the Select function. Select the primitives you want to
scale.
Enter point about which to scale
Position the cursor at the point around which

the increase or decrease in scale is to take
place. This point will remain stationary while
the rest of the selection set is scaled. Press
[Enter] or click.

Enter scale from cursor (else from
keyboard)
You can use the cursor to indicate where the

selection set must be scaled to. For example,
if you indicate that this point ...
must be scaled to here...
Modify Menu 5-9

... the selection set will be scaled like this. If
you want to indicate the scaling by cursor,
click on the YES button and follow the
instructions in "Scaling by cursor".
Alternatively you can type specific horizontal and vertical scaling factors
from the keyboard. For example, typing "2 0.5" will scale the selection set
by a factor of 2 in the horizontal direction and by a factor of 0.5 in the
vertical direction. To type the scaling factors, click on the NO button and
follow the instructions in "Scaling from the Keyboard".
Scaling by cursor
This option allows you to indicate the scaling factors with the cursor
position.
Point about
which to scale AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter point to be scaled
Position the cursor on a point to be moved

during the scale.
If the point to be scaled is vertically in line with
Point to scale the point about which to scale…
(vertically in line)
... you will only be able to scale the selection set

vertically

Point about
which to scale
If the point to be scaled is horizontally in line

with the point about which to scale...
Point to scale
(horizontally in line)
... you will only be able to scale the selection set

horizontally
Point about which

to scale
If the point to be scaled is anywhere else...
Point to scale,
neither horizontally
nor vertically in line
... you will be able to scale the selection set in any

direction you want.
Press [Enter] or click to accept the point to be scaled.

Enter point it must scale to
Move your cursor to the position that the point must scale to. As you
move your cursor, you can see the selection set being scaled. To retain
the horizontal and vertical proportions of the selection set as you scale it,
press the [SHIFT] key as you move the cursor.
Press [Enter] or click. The selection set is scaled.
Modify Menu 5-11

Scaling from the keyboard
This option allows you to type in exact scaling factors.
Enter x and y scale factors
Type in the horizontal and vertical scaling factors separated by a space.

Click on or press [Enter]. The selection set is scaled.

Repeat
Copy selection set in linear or circular fashion.

Left Modify Repeat
Linear or Circular or
rectangular repeat polar repeat
function. Select the primitives you want to repeat.
Repeat how many times
Type in the number of additional copies required and click on or press

[Enter].
For example, if you type 4 you will end up with five copies of the
selection set: the original and four copies.
Rectangular repeat? (else polar)
To repeat along a line click on the YES button, else click on the NO
button for polar repeat.
Modify Menu 5-13

Rectangular Repeat

Enter point on original set
Position the cursor at a point on the selection set

and press [Enter] or click. This point acts as a
reference point.
Original
Enter point on repeated set
Position the cursor at the place where the first

copy should be positioned. This position defines
the distance between copies.
For example, if you position the cursor here ..
Original
... the first copy will be positioned like this. All

subsequent copies will be positioned at equal
distances from each other as on the diagram on
the previous page.
First Copy
Press [Enter] or click. The selection set is
repeated.

Polar Repeat
Enter point about which to rotate
Position the cursor at the centre of the circle around which the copies
will be placed and press [Enter] or click. AllyCAD will now prompt:
Enter rotation angle
The default angle required to copy the selection set evenly around a
circle will appear. Accept this default by clicking on or pressing
[Enter]. Alternatively, type an angle of your choice and click on or
press [Enter]. The selection set is repeated.
Centre point
For example, to produce a drawing of a filter (above) from one element

using the polar repeat you would repeat 39 copies (there are 40 in all -
one original and 39 copies) around the centre point at a rotation angle of
9 degrees (40 copies multiplied by 9 degrees is 360 degrees - a complete
circle).
Note the following points:
• The angle you type is measured in an anti-clockwise direction. If you
do not know the angle and need to calculate it, you can type the
necessary arithmetic expression, e.g. 360/4 instead of the angle.
• Each copy produced by Repeat is a new object, with the same name
and parent name as the original (if you are not sure what an object is,
see Drawing Structure in the User Guide). For example, if you started
off with one switch, which you repeated four times, you would end
up with five switches. If you drew one part of an object and then
used Repeat to complete the object, you would have to unite the
repeated copies of the object and the original into one object using
the Objects ► Group Into Object function.
• Only the last copy remains in the selection set.
Modify Menu 5-15

Drop
Place a copy of the selection set on the drawing at a random position.

Left Modify Drop
Unlike Repeat, Drop does not assume a regular interval between copies
of the selection set. Copies are positioned individually.
function. Select the primitives to copy.
Enter a point on selection set
Position the cursor on a point and press [Enter] or click. This point is a
reference point that you will use to define where the copy will be placed.
Enter point where you would like to copy selection set
As you move the cursor, you will see an image of the selection set moving
with it. Position this image and press [Enter] or click. Continue to place
copies or cancel copying by choosing another function, pressing the
[Space Bar], clicking on Done or .
Each copy is a new object, with the same parent and object names as
the original. For example, if you started off with one tree, and you made
two copies, you would end up with three trees. If you drew one part of
an object and then used Drop to complete the object, you would have to
unite the copied parts of the object and the original into one object
using the Objects ► Group Into Object function.

Rotate
Rotate the selection set.

Left Modify Rotate
function. Select the primitives to rotate.
Enter point about which to rotate
Position the cursor at the pivot point about which the selection set will
be rotated and press [Enter] or click.
Enter angle from keyboard (else from cursor)
If you know the angle of rotation, click on YES or else if you want to
rotate the selection set by dragging it with your cursor, click on NO.
Rotating by angle
Enter angle
Type the angle through which the selection set must rotate. Click on or
press [Enter]. The selection set is rotated.
The rotation angle is measured anti-clockwise from the three o’clock
position regardless of how you have set up the Angular Format in Settings
► Drawing Settings. If you do not know the angle and need to calculate it,
you can type the necessary arithmetic expression, e.g. 360/4 instead of
the angle.
You are now given the option to move the rotated selection set. If you do
not want to do so choose another function, press the [Space Bar], click on
Done or .
Modify Menu 5-17

Rotating by cursor
Enter point that must rotate
Position the cursor at the point you want to use to drag the selection set
around with and press [Enter] or click.
Enter point it must rotate to
Position the cursor at a point to indicate the new inclination of the

selection set. You will see the selection set rotating as you move the
cursor. Press [Enter] or click.
You are now given the option to move the rotated selection set. If you do
not want to move the rotated set choose another function, press the
[Space Bar], click on Done or .

Trim
Trim or extend a line or arc to join another one exactly.

Left, Modify Trim
Right
Left-clicking will result in trimming two lines/arcs onto one another.

Right-clicking will result in trimming one line or arc onto another.
The Update and Use options are displayed on the Control Bar and the
cursor switches to Freehand mode.
Update
If you choose First Line, one line or arc will be

trimmed or extended to meet another line or arc.
Before Trim After Trim
If you choose Both Lines, two lines or arcs will be

trimmed or extended to meet each other.
Before Trim After Trim
The Neither Line option is irrelevant in this function.
Modify Menu 5-19

Use
If you choose One Point, you will be able to select the lines or arcs to trim
with one mouse click.
If you have chosen to update the First Line, you

must click on the element you want to trim or
extend. If you are trimming an element rather
Click here than extending it, ensure that you click on that
Before Trim After Trim part of the element to be retained after the trim.
If you have chosen to update Both Lines, you

must click inside the corner made by the two
elements.
Click here If you choose Two Points, you must select the
Before Trim After Trim lines or arcs to trim with two mouse clicks.

must click on the element you want to trim or
extend first.
If you are trimming an element rather than
Click on this
line first
extending it, ensure that you click on that part of
the element to be retained after the trim.
Once you have clicked on the element to trim or

extend, click on the element that it must be
trimmed or extended to.
Then click
on this line

must click on one of the elements you want to
trim or extend, then on the other.
Click here…
If you are trimming an element rather than

extending it, ensure that you click on that part of
the element to be retained after the trim.
And here…
When you have finished trimming, select another element to trim or

extend or cancel the function by choosing another function, pressing the
Modify Menu 5-21

Fillet
Insert radiused corners between elements or edit elements to join exactly.

Left Modify Fillet
Before After
The elements to be filleted may be arcs or lines. It does not matter

whether they join, cross or do not intersect at all.
The Control Bar will display the Update, Use and Radius options. The
cursor will also switch to Freehand mode.

Update
If you choose Neither Line, a fillet will be inserted

between two elements, but the elements will not
Before After be updated.
Fillet Fillet
If you choose First Line, a fillet will be inserted

between two elements and one of the elements
Before After will be updated.
Fillet Fillet
If you choose Both Lines, a fillet will be inserted

between two elements and both of the elements
Before After will be updated.
Fillet Fillet
Use
If you choose One Point, you will be able to select the elements to fillet
with one mouse click.

Click here
must click near the element you want to update
but inside the corner made by the two elements.
Before After
Fillet Fillet
If you have chosen to update Neither Line you

Click here
elements.
Before After
Fillet Fillet
Modify Menu 5-23

Click here
elements.
Before After
Fillet Fillet
If you choose Two Points, you must select the elements to fillet with two
mouse clicks.

must click near the element you want to update
first. You must click inside the corner made by
the two elements.
Click here
first
Once you have clicked near the element to

update, click near the other element. Again, you
must click on the inside of the corner made by
the two elements.
Then click here
If you have chosen to update Neither Line or Both

Lines, you must click near to one of the elements
to fillet between, then click near the other.
Click here…
You must click on the inside of the corner made

by the two elements.
And here…

Radius
Fillet Radius Type the fillet radius. If you type "0", the Fillet
function will operate in exactly the same way as
the Trim function.
If your fillet is “inside out”, you probably clicked outside the corner
made by the elements being filleted, not inside. Undo the fillet and try
again, ensuring that you click on the inside of the corner.
Modify Menu 5-25

Chamfer
Draw a third, sloping line between two existing lines.

Left Modify Chamfer
It does not matter whether the lines to be chamfered join, cross or do not
intersect at all.
The Control Bar will display the options and the cursor switches to
Freehand mode.

Select first line to be chamfered
Position the cursor on or near the first line to be

chamfered and press [Enter] or click.
AllyCAD prompts:
Second line
Position the cursor on or near the second line to

be chamfered and press [Enter] or click.
The lines are chamfered.

Select first line to be chamfered

Position the cursor on or near another line to be chamfered and press
[Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel chamfering by choosing another
Lengths are measured from the intersection point of the two lines even
if they do not meet, and are applied to the lines in the order in which
they are selected.
Chamfer by angle and one length
Length Angle
Angle
Length
Second line Select the Angle option and type the length
selected
and angle as shown above.
First line
selected
Chamfer by two lengths
First Length Second Length
Second
Length
First
Select "Length 2" and type the first and
Length Second line second lengths.
selected
First line
selected
Modify Menu 5-27

Divide/Extend
Split or extend a line or arc

Left Modify Divide
When a line or arc is split, the two split ends form a point that can be
snapped to exactly. Also, once a line or arc has been split, one part of it
can be rubbed out or edited.
A line or arc can also be extended to meet another line.
Splitting a line or arc

Select line or arc to be divided or extended
Position the cursor on the line or arc to be divided or extended and press
[Enter] or click. AllyCAD will then prompt:
Enter point where you want to divide element (or point to
extend it to)
Position the cursor at the point where the split must take place. Press
[Enter] or click. If the point is not exactly on the line or arc, the split will
take place at the nearest position on the line or arc.
Extending a line or arc

Select line or arc to be divided or extended
Position the cursor on the line or arc to be divided or extended and press
[Enter] or click. AllyCAD will then prompt:
Enter point where you want to divide element (or point to
extend it to)
Position the cursor at the point you want to extend it to and press [Enter]
or click. If the point does not lie exactly on the extended line or arc, the
line or arc will be extended to the nearest position.

Divide/Edit
Divide and edit part of a line.

Left Modify exec ".\macro\divedln"
This function divides a line and then allows you to edit the part between
the points of division.
AllyCAD prompts:
Select line to edit (Between divide points)
Click on the line you want to edit.

AllyCAD prompts:
Select first divide point.
Move your mouse and click on the spot that will be the first point of
division.
AllyCAD prompts:
Select second divide point.
Move your mouse and click on the spot that will be the second point of
division.
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter linestyle to change to.
In the Control Bar, type in the number of the linestyle you would like.
Click on .
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter pen to change to.
In the Control Bar, type in the number of the pen you would like. Click
on . The divided and newly edited line will appear.
Cancel the function by choosing another function, pressing the
Modify Menu 5-29

Join Lines
Join the ends of two lines.

Right Modify JoinLine
Some lines may be deleted when you use this function as the following
example will illustrate.
Example 1 Example 2
Line 1 Line 2 Line 1 Line 2

Select first line to be joined
Position your cursor at the end of one of the lines and press [Enter] or
click. The end of the line that you position your cursor close to will be
deleted.
Example 1 Example 2
Line 1 Line 2 Line 1 Line 2

Select second line to be joined
Position your cursor at the end of the other line and press [Enter] or
click. The end of the line that you position your cursor close to will be
deleted.
Example 1 Example 2
Line 1 Line 1
Line 2 Line 2
The two lines are joined. The original lines in Example 1 are deleted.

Example 1 Example 2
These ends have
been deleted
... to give this line Lines 1 and 2 have been joined

Select first line to be joined
Position the cursor near the end of another line and press [Enter] or
click. Alternatively, cancel Join Lines by choosing another function,
pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done or .
If the two original lines disappear and no new line is produced, click on
Undo and try again. Ensure that you are in Freehand mode, and that
you click at the ends of the lines that are to be deleted.
Modify Menu 5-31

Cut and Rub
Rub out part of a line.

Left Modify exec ".\macro\cut&rub”
Right
A Left click on the icon will start a single place Cut & Rub described in
“Cutting in one place”.
A Right click on the icon will start a two place Cut & Rub described in
“Cutting in two places”
If you started this function from the menu, you will be asked if you want
to cut in one or two places with the following prompt:
Do you want to cut one place (else two places
You want to
delete this part of Click on the YES button if you want to rub
the line out the end of a line, and therefore only have
to cut the line in one place.
Click on the NO button if the part of the line

You want to that you want to rub out means that you must
delete this part of
the line cut the line in two places.

Cutting in one place
AllyCAD will prompt

Select line to cut (between cut point and
end)
The cursor switches to Freehand mode.

Position your cursor between the cut point and the end
of the line. Press [Enter] or click.

Select cut point
Position the cursor so that the intersection is within the

cursor box and press [Enter] or click.
The unwanted section of line disappears.

Cut another line (else exit)
If you want to cut another line, click on the YES button. To stop cutting
lines, click on the NO button.
Modify Menu 5-33

Cutting in two places
Select line to cut (between cut points)

Position your cursor between the two intersections.

Enter first cut point
Position the cursor so that one of the intersections

bounding the piece of line you want to rub out is within
the cursor box and press [Enter] or click.

Enter second cut point
Position the cursor so that the other intersection

bounding the piece of line you want to rub out is within
the cursor box and press [Enter] or click.
The unwanted section of line disappears.

Cut another line (else exit)
If you want to cut another line, click on the YES button. To stop cutting
lines, click on the NO button.

Snip
Cut and rub out everything inside or outside a box or circle.

Left Modify Snip
Snip cuts all lines, arcs and circles passing through the perimeter of a
box or circle drawn around them. It can be used to create openings in
walls before doors are placed, to create a space for text that would
otherwise pass over previously drawn lines or to delete all but a small
part of a drawing etc.
Annotations (text, arrows, dimensions) whose origins do not lie wholly
within the snip box or circle will not be deleted.
Snip out box? (else circle)
If you want to snip everything inside or outside a box, click on the YES
button. If you want to snip everything inside or outside a circle, click on
the NO button.
Remove elements on inside? (else outside)
Everything inside
this box will be
snipped out
Before snip After snip
If you want to delete everything on the inside of a box or circle, click on

YES.
Everything
outside this box
will be deleted
Before snip After snip
If you want to delete everything on the outside, click on NO.
Modify Menu 5-35

Would you like to enter box/circle after snip
If you would like the snip box or circle to be

drawn after the snip, click on the YES button.
Else click on the NO button.
Snipping inside or outside a box.

If you elected to snip inside or outside a box the following prompt is
displayed:
Enter corner of snip box
Position the cursor at one corner of the snip box and press [Enter] or
click.
Move the cursor diagonally away from the first corner you entered and
press [Enter] or click. The elements inside or outside the box will be
deleted.
Enter new corner of snip box
When you move the cursor the snip box you have just defined moves
with it. Place the snip box at another position and press [Enter] or click.
The elements inside or outside the box will be deleted.
Alternatively, cancel Snip by choosing another function, pressing the
[Space Bar], clicking on Done or right clicking then clicking on .

Snipping inside or outside a circle
If you have elected to snip inside or outside a circle the following prompt
is displayed:
Enter centre point of snip circle
Position the cursor at the centre of the snip circle and press [Enter] or
click.
Enter point on radius
Position the cursor at a point on the snip circle's circumference and press
[Enter] or click. The elements inside or outside the circle will be deleted.
Enter new centre point of snip circle
When you move the cursor the snip circle you have just defined moves
with it. Place the snip circle at another position and press [Enter] or
click. The elements inside or outside the circle will be deleted.
Alternatively, cancel Snip by choosing another function, pressing the
Modify Menu 5-37

Polysnip
Cut and rub out everything inside or outside a polygon.

Right Modify PolySnip
Polysnip is similar to the snip function. It cuts all lines, arcs and circles
passing through the perimeter of the polygon drawn around them. It can
be used to create openings in walls before doors are placed, to create a
space for text that would otherwise pass over previously drawn lines or
to delete all but a small part of a drawing.
Annotations (text, arrows, dimensions) whose origins do not lie wholly
within the snip polygon will not be deleted.
Remove elements on inside? (else outside)
If you want to delete everything on the inside of the polygon, click on

YES. If you want to delete everything on the outside, click on NO.
Would you like to enter clip polygon after snip?
If you would like the snip polygon to be drawn after the snip, click on the
YES button, else click on the NO button. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter clip polygon
Position the cursor at one corner of the snip polygon and press [Enter] or
click.
Enter next point of polygon (Hit Space Bar for a box)
Move the cursor to the next point of the polygon you want and click. If
you hit [Space Bar] you will of course have a box rather than a polygon
area to be snipped. Otherwise AllyCAD will continue to prompt:
Next point of polygon (Space Bar to close)
Continue moving the cursor to the next point of the polygon you want
and click until you have the enclosed polygon shape. Hit either the
[Space Bar] or Done to finish the function. The elements inside or
outside the polygon will be deleted, and elements crossing the polygon
will be snipped.

Move Selected->New Layer
Move the selection set to a specified layer.

Left Modify WSNewLay
function. Select the primitives you want to move to another layer.
AllyCAD will display the following dialog:
Click on the layer that the selection set must be moved to. The
destination layer will be highlighted.
Before using this function, ensure you have created the layer to move
the selection set to. See Layer Control.
Modify Menu 5-39

Copy Selected->New Layer
Copy the selection set to a specified layer.

Left Modify CopyToLayer
function. Select the primitives you want to copy to another layer.
AllyCAD will display the following dialog:
Click on the layer that the selection set must be copied to. The
destination layer will be highlighted.
Before using this function, ensure you have created the layer to copy
the selection set to. See Layer Control.

Ellipse2Arcs
Convert an ellipse into 12 arcs.

El2Arc
This function converts ellipses into 12 arcs so that they can be snipped,
hatched or snapped to.
Enter polygon about ellipses to be converted to arcs
Draw a polygon around the ellipses to be converted. Use the [Space Bar]
to close the polygon.
The enclosed ellipses will be converted.
Enter polygon about ellipses to be converted to arcs
Either draw a polygon around more ellipses to be converted to arcs, or

cancel ellipse conversion by choosing another function, pressing the
Modify Menu 5-41

Geometry Menu
The Geometry Menu options allow you to define
construction lines that can be used to draw
complex shapes in conjunction with the Draw ►
FillGeom functions.
Tangent geometry only works on geometry
elements. If you need to draw tangents to solid
elements, project these to geometry first using the
Geometry ► Make Geometry function, or use the
tangent snap function.
Geometry Menu 6-1

Cross
Draw a geometry cross.

Left Geometry gcross
This function creates a horizontal and a vertical geometry line

simultaneously. The two lines intersect at the current cursor position.
Enter point for geometry cross
Position the cursor where you want the two lines to intersect and press
[Enter] or click.
Enter point for geometry cross
Position the cursor where you want another two lines to intersect and
press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel cross drawing by choosing

Slope Line
Draw a geometry line through a specified point and at an angle.

Left Geometry glineslp
Geometry line will pass through this point.

Type in
angle

Enter point on geometry line
Position the cursor at a point through which you want a geometry line to
pass and press [Enter] or click.
Enter slope of line (in degrees)
Type in the angle of the line and click on or press [Enter].
The angle is measured anti-clockwise from 3 o'clock.
AllyCAD will prompt again:

Enter point on geometry line
Position the cursor at a point through which you want another geometry
line and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively, cancel line drawing by
Geometry Menu 6-3

Point-Point Line
Draw a geometry line passing through two specified points.

Right Geometry glinepp
First point Second point

Enter first point
Position the cursor at one point through which a geometry line should
pass and press [Enter] or click.
Enter second point
Position the cursor at the other point through which the geometry line
should pass and press [Enter] or click.
AllyCAD will prompt again:
Enter first point
Position the cursor at one point through which another geometry line
should pass and press [Enter] or click, or cancel geometry line drawing
by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done
or .

Parallel Line
Draw a geometry line or circle parallel to an existing line, arc or circle.

Right Geometry glineprl

Parallel geometry element by distance? (else through point)
Parallel line If you want to place the parallel element by

specifying a distance between the existing
Distance
element and the parallel one, click on the
Existing line
YES button.
Parallel line Point

If you want to place the parallel element by
specifying a point through which the parallel
element must pass, click on the NO button.
Existing line

Select original line or circle
(geometry or solid) on correct side
Parallel line will appear on
this side of the existing line
Position the cursor next to the existing
element and on that side of it where you want
the parallel element to appear. Press [Enter]
or click.
Geometry Menu 6-5

Parallel line by distance
Enter parallel distance
Type in the distance between the existing element and the parallel
element and click on or press [Enter].
Select original line or circle on correct side
Draw another parallel line or cancel parallel line drawing by choosing

If you do not know the distance and need to calculate it, you can type
the necessary arithmetic expression, e.g. (518-212)/3 instead of the
distance. See Making Calculations in the User Guide.
Parallel line through point

Enter point new geometry element should pass through
Position the cursor at the point the parallel line must pass through and
Select original line or circle on correct side
Draw another parallel line or cancel parallel line drawing by choosing


Circle
Draw a geometry circle.

Left Geometry gcir

Enter circle centre point
Position the cursor where you want the centre point of a circle to be and
Enter point on diameter
Move the cursor away from the circle centre. As you

move the cursor you will see the circle changing size.
When the desired circle size is obtained, press
[Enter] or click.

Enter circle centre point
Enter the centre point of another circle, or cancel circle drawing by

choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done or
.
To position the cursor and to define the position of the circle

circumference accurately, see Accurate Drawing in the User Guide
Geometry Menu 6-7

Circle Diameter
Draw up to five concentric geometry circles.

Right Geometry gcirdia

Geometry circle centre point
Position the cursor where you want the centre point of the circle or
circles to be and press [Enter] or click.
Enter up to 5 diameters separated by spaces
Type in up to five diameters separated by spaces and click on or press

[Enter].
For example, to produce these three circles, you would type:
20 70 80

Geometry circle centre point
Enter the centre point of another circle or circles, or cancel concentric

circle drawing by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar],

Circle Tan LL
Draw a geometry circle of known diameter tangent to two intersecting geometry
lines.

Left Geometry gctanll
The two lines that you select must be geometry lines. If you need to draw
a circle tangent to two solid lines, project these to geometry first using
the Geometry Make Geometry function.
Circle tangent to two lines enter diameter
Type the diameter of the tangent circle and click on or press [Enter].
If you do not know the distance and need to calculate it, you can type
diameter.

Select first line
Position the cursor next to one of the

geometry lines the circle must be tangent
to and on the side where the circle must
be drawn. Press [Enter] or click.
Geometry Menu 6-9

Select second line
Position the cursor next to the other

geometry line the circle must be tangent
to and on the side where the circle must
be drawn. Press [Enter] or click.
The circle is drawn as shown.
If you have selected two lines that are parallel then an error message will
be displayed:
Parallel lines never meet … Euclid.

Circle tangent to two lines enter diameter
Type the diameter of another circle and click on or press [Enter].

Alternatively, cancel circle drawing by pressing the [Esc] key.

Circle Tan LC
Draw a geometry circle of known diameter tangent to a geometry line and a
geometry circle.

gctanlc
The line and the circle that you select must be a geometry line and circle.
If you need to draw a circle tangent to a solid line and circle, project
these to geometry first using the Geometry ► Make Geometry function.
Circle tangent to line and circle: enter diameter
Select line
Position the cursor near the geometry line that the circle must be
tangent to and press [Enter] or click . The position of the tangent circle
is dependent on the cursor position. For example:
If you position the cursor here ...
the tangent circle will be drawn on this side.
Geometry Menu 6-11

... the tangent circle will appear on this side.

Select circle
Position the cursor near the existing geometry circle that the tangent
circle must be tangent to and press [Enter] or click .
Where the tangent circle will appear is dependent on where you selected
the line, and on whether you position the cursor inside or outside the
existing circle when you select it.
If you position the cursor inside the existing

circle...
... the tangent circle will enclose the existing

circle, or be enclosed by it, depending on the
diameter of the tangent circle.

If you position the cursor outside the existing
circle...
...the tangent circle will be positioned next to

the existing circle.
If the diameter you specified is too small, the message

Tangent circle not possible
will be displayed. To measure distances use the Tools ► Measure

function.

Circle tangent to line and circle: enter diameter
Type the diameter of another circle and click on or press [Enter].

Alternatively, cancel circle drawing by pressing the [Esc] key.
If you do not know the diameter and need to calculate it, you can type
distance.
Geometry Menu 6-13

Circle Tan CC
Draw a geometry circle of known diameter tangent to two geometry circles.

Left Geometry gctancc
The two circles that you select must be geometry circles. If you need to
draw a circle tangent to two solid circles, project these to geometry first
using the Geometry ► Make Geometry function.
Circle tangent to two circles: enter diameter
Select first circle (inside or outside)
Position the cursor at a point near the circumference of one of the

existing geometry circles that the circle must be tangent to and press
[Enter] or click.
Where the tangent circle will appear relative to this circle is dependent
on whether you position the cursor inside or outside it.
If you position the cursor inside the first

circle...

... the tangent circle will enclose the first
existing circle or be enclosed by it, depending
on the positions of the two existing circles and
the diameter of the tangent circle.
If you position the cursor outside the first

existing circle...
...the tangent circle will be positioned next to

the first existing circle.

Select second circle
Where the tangent circle will appear is also dependent on which side of
the first existing circle the cursor is positioned on.
Geometry Menu 6-15

For example:

Position the cursor at a point near the circumference of the second
existing geometry circle and press [Enter] or click .
As with selection of the first existing circle, if you position the cursor
inside the second circle the tangent circle will enclose the second circle.
If you position the cursor outside the second circle, the tangent circle will
be next to the second circle.
If the diameter you specified is too small, the message
will be displayed. To measure distances use the Tools ► Measure

function.
Geometry Menu 6-17

Circle Tan 3L
Draw a geometry circle tangent to three geometry lines.

Right Geometry gctan3l
The three lines that you select must be geometry lines. If you need to
draw a circle tangent to three solid lines, project these to geometry first
using the Geometry ► Make Geometry function.

Circle tangent to three lines —
select first geometry line
Position the cursor next to one of the

geometry lines the circle must be tangent to
and on that side of it where you want the
circle to appear. Press [Enter] or click.

Select next line
Position the cursor close to the second

geometry line and press [Enter] or click.

Thereafter, AllyCAD will prompt:
Select last line
Position the cursor close to the third

geometry line and press [Enter] or click.
The geometry circle is drawn.
If the circle is accidentally placed inside the triangle formed by the three
lines instead of outside it, try selecting the three lines again, this time
selecting them further away from the triangle.
The centroid of three points determines the tangent circle. If the three
geometry lines are parallel, no circle will be drawn.

Circle tangent to three lines — select first geometry line
Position the cursor close to another line in order to draw another circle
and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel circle drawing by
.
Geometry Menu 6-19

Circle Tan LPtRad
Draw a geometry circle with a known radius passing through a point and tangent
to a geometry line.

Left Geometry gctanlp
Point

Circle tangent to line through
point .. select geometry line
Position the cursor close to the geometry

line that the circle must be tangent to and

Enter radius of circle
Type in the radius of the circle and click

on or press [Enter].
Thereafter AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter point circle must pass
through
Position the cursor at the point through

which the circle must pass and press
[Enter] or click.
The circle is drawn through the point.

If a circle cannot be drawn tangent to the line and through the point, the
message
will be displayed. Try again, but enter a different radius or position the
point differently.
Circle tangent to line through point... select geometry line
Position the cursor close to a geometry line to draw another tangent

circle and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel circle drawing by
.
Geometry Menu 6-21

Circle Tan CPtRad
Draw a geometry circle with a known radius through a point and tangent to a
geometry circle.

Right Geometry gctancpt
Point

Circle tangent to circle through point ... select geometry
circle
Position the cursor close to the circumference of the existing geometry

circle and press [Enter] or click.
Point
If you select the existing circle on the

inside...
Point
... the tangent circle will enclose the
existing circle or be enclosed by it,
depending on the radii of the two circles.

Point
If you select the existing circle on the

outside...
Point
... the tangent circle will be next to the

existing circle.
Generally, two circles are possible, as shown in this diagram. Which one
is drawn is also dependent on the cursor position as shown below.
Point
Point If you position the cursor on this side of

the existing circle ...
Geometry Menu 6-23

... this tangent circle will be drawn.
Point
Point
If you position the cursor on this side of
the existing circle ...
Point
... this tangent circle will be drawn.

Enter radius of circle
Type in the radius of the tangent circle and click on or press [Enter].
If you do not know the radius and need to calculate it, you can type the
necessary arithmetic expression, e.g. (518-212)/3 instead of the radius.
See Making Calculations in the User Guide.

Enter point circle must pass through
Position the cursor at the point the tangent circle must pass through and
If a circle cannot be drawn tangent to the line and through the point, the
message
will be displayed. Try again, but enter a different radius or position the
point differently.
Circle tangent to circle through point...select geometry
circle
Position the cursor close to the circumference of another existing circle

.
Geometry Menu 6-25

Circle 3 Pt
Draw a geometry circle through three points.

Left Geometry gc3point

Enter first point on geometry circle.
Position the cursor at the first point the circle must pass through and
Enter second point on circle.
Position the cursor at the second point the circle must pass through and
Enter third point on circle.
Position the cursor at the third point the circle must pass through and
If the three points that you have entered are in a straight line, the error
message
Three points in a straight line
will appear.
Enter first point on geometry circle
Position the cursor at the first point another circle must pass through
.

Line Tan C
Draw a geometry line tangent to a geometry circle and through a known point or
at a known angle.

Left Geometry glntanc

Line tangent to geometry circle: select circle
Position the cursor close to the circle that the line must be tangent to.
The line will be tangent to that part of the circle closest to the cursor
position. Press [Enter] or click.
Would you like tangent line at fixed angle (else through
point)
If you would like the tangent line at a

Known known angle, click on the YES button.
angle
If you would like the tangent line to pass

through a point, click on the NO button.
Geometry Menu 6-27

Tangent line at a fixed angle
Enter angle
Enter the angle of the tangent line and click on or press [Enter].
The angle is always measured anti-clockwise from the 3 o'clock

position.

Position the cursor close to a circle to draw another tangent line and
press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel tangent line drawing by
.
Tangent line through point

Enter point that line must go through
Position the cursor at the point through which the tangent line must pass
Position the cursor close to a circle to draw another tangent line and
press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel tangent line drawing by
.

Line Tan CC
Draw a geometry line tangent to two geometry circles.

Right Geometry gltancc

Line tangent to two circles — select first
Position the cursor close to one circle that the line must be tangent to.
The line will be tangent to that part of the circle closest to the cursor
position. Press [Enter] or click.
Select second circle
Position the cursor close to another circle and press [Enter] or click.
If you want the line to touch on opposite

sides of the circles …
… click here first …
Geometry Menu 6-29

… then click here.
If you want the line to touch on the same

side of the circles …
… click here …
… then click here.

Line tangent to two circles — select first
Position the cursor close to a circle in order to draw another line and
press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel line drawing by choosing

Perp Bisector
Draw a geometry line that is a perpendicular bisector of two points or that is
perpendicular to a geometry line and passes through a point.

Left Geometry glnperpb
Point Point
Point Line

Perpendicular bisector? (else line through point
perpendicular to given line)
Point
If you want to draw a geometry line that is a

perpendicular bisector of two points click on
the YES button.
Point
Point
If you want to draw a geometry line that is

perpendicular to another geometry line and
passes through a given point, click on the NO
button.
Line
Geometry Menu 6-31

Perpendicular Bisector between two points
Perpendicular bisector between two points .. enter first
point
Position the cursor at the first point and press [Enter] or click.
Enter next point
Position the cursor at the second point and press [Enter] or click.
Perpendicular bisector between two points .. enter first
point
Position the cursor at a point in order to draw another perpendicular

bisector and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel line drawing by
.
Perpendicular to a line which passes through a point

Select geometry line
Position the cursor at the geometry line you want the new geometry line
to be perpendicular to and press [Enter] or click.
Enter point perpendicular should go through
Position the cursor at the point the perpendicular line should pass
through and press [Enter] or click.
Select geometry line
Position the cursor at a geometry line you want to draw perpendicular to

and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel line drawing by choosing

Make Geometry
Project existing solid lines and arcs to geometry lines and circles.

Left Geometry makegeom
Existing lines and arc Projected geometry lines and circle
This function is useful for determining line and arc intersection points,
and for projecting existing lines to another part of the drawing.
Select element to be copied to
geometry
Position the cursor close to a solid line or arc

to be projected to geometry and press [Enter]
or click.
A geometry element is created.
Select element to be copied to geometry
Position the cursor close to another line or arc to be projected to

geometry and press [Enter] or click . Alternatively, cancel element
projection by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar],
Geometry Menu 6-33

Switch Geometry On/Off
Make geometry lines visible/invisible

Left Geometry toggeom
When you select Switch Geometry On/Off, the message

Don't Draw Geometry
or
Draw Geometry
is displayed briefly on the screen, depending on whether you have just

switched the geometry off or on.
When the geometry is switched off, any geometry lines and circles you
have drawn will disappear. Even though you can't see the geometry you
will still be able to jump to it, e.g. using the Geometry Intersection Jump.
To switch the geometry on again, select Switch Geometry On/Off again.

Delete Geometry El
Rub out individual geometry elements.

Left Geometry delgeoel

Select geometry element to be deleted
Position the cursor on the geometry element to be deleted and press

[Enter] or click. The geometry element you have selected is highlighted.
Correct element?
If this is the element you want to delete, click on the YES button. The
element will be deleted. If you do not want to delete the highlighted
geometry element, click on the NO button.
Select geometry element to be deleted
Position the cursor on another geometry element to be deleted and press

[Enter] or click. Alternatively, cancel geometry deletion by choosing
Undo will not restore deleted geometry lines.
Geometry Menu 6-35

Delete All Geometry
Delete all geometry.

Right Geometry delgeom
This function deletes all geometry permanently, unless you have saved it
first using the File ► Save Options ► Save Geometry function.
Undo will not restore deleted geometry lines.
If you might need your geometry lines again later, you can temporarily
switch them off by unchecking the Show Geometry box in Settings ►
View Settings.
When you select this function, a confirmation dialog is displayed. If you

are quite sure that you want to delete all your geometry, click on the OK
button. Otherwise click on the [Cancel] button.

Annotate Menu
The Annotate menu allows you to add text,
dimensions and hatching or solid fill to drawings.
Annotate Menu 7-1

Add Text
Add new text elements.

Left Main Text
To set the text parameters, i.e. what the text will look like, use the
Settings ► Set Text Defaults function before adding the text.
You can change the text parameters as you are entering the text in the
Text Entry dialog box, or change the parameters of existing text using
the Settings ► Set Text Defaults function or the Annotate ► Edit Text
function.
Enter text position
Position the cursor where you want the text to appear and press [Enter]
or click. The text label origin will determine the position of the text
relative to this point. See Set Text Defaults.
The Text Entry dialog box is displayed.
Type the text, which will appear in the white area of the dialog box at the
position of the black vertical cursor.
Press the [CTRL] [Enter] keys at the same time to enter a new line of
text. Alternatively, if you have checked the Accept Return check box, you
can enter a new line of text by pressing the [Enter] key on its own.
If you want to change the text parameters at this stage, click on the Text
Defaults button. The Set Text Defaults dialog box will be displayed.

Here you can adjust the alignment, font, units, label origin, etc. Click on
the relevant buttons and make the necessary adjustments. Refer to
Settings ► Set Text Defaults for more details. When you have finished click
on OK.
Enter text position
Position the cursor where you want another piece of text to appear and
press [Enter] or click. Alternatively, cancel text entry by choosing
If you need to edit the text content after you have entered it, for example
because you have made a spelling mistake, double click on the offending
text with the Select cursor (see Select) or use the Annotate ► Edit Text
function.
Once you have entered text into AllyCAD, you can export it as an ASCII
file (see Export Text) or cut or copy it onto the Clipboard for pasting into
another program (see Cut and Copy).
You can also import text from a word-processor as an ASCII file (see
Import ASCII) or paste text into AllyCAD from a Windows word-
processor or desktop publishing program (see Paste).
Annotate Menu 7-3

Adding text around an arc
ar c
an
nd The TooKit contains a function to
ou
ar allow you to place text around an
t arc in the General section.
x
te
When you run the macro, AllyCAD will prompt:

Select arc to place text on
Position your cursor on the arc you want to place the text around and
Enter text
Type the text you want to place around the arc and click on or press
[Enter].
The text is placed around the arc, and centered between the ends of the
arc.

Edit Text
Before you use the Edit Text command, you should select the text you
want to edit using the Select function or the Selection Filters. The text
editing options are displayed on a popup menu.
Edit Text
Edit the text content of all selected text.

EdText "E"
The text will be displayed inside the Text Entry dialog box. You can
change the text parameters by clicking on the Text Defaults button. If
you just want to change text height, you can type a new text height into
the text height box in the Text Edit dialog box. When you have finished
editing the text, click on OK.
If you have selected several pieces of text to edit, only one will be
displayed at a time. You can also edit text content by double clicking on
the text item with the Select cursor.
Move Text
Moves all selected text.

EdText "M"

Enter point on text that must move
Position the cursor at a point on the text and press [Enter] or click. This
point is a reference point that you will use to define the movement.
Enter new text position
Position the cursor at the new position of the reference point. Press
[Enter] or click. Text can also be moved by the following methods:
• Using the Modify ► Stretch or Modify ► Move functions.
• Using the Select cursor to select the text and drag it to a new
position with your mouse.
Annotate Menu 7-5

Scale Text
Scales all selected text.

EdText "S"

Enter text scale factor
Type the text scale factor. For example, if you want the text to be twice
as big, type "2". Then click on or press [Enter].
Scaling takes place about the text label origin.
Change Text Parameters

Change the text parameters of all selected text

EdText "C"
The Set Text Defaults dialog box will be displayed.
When you have set the parameters click on the Apply button to make the
changes. Select the text attributes to change as shown below and click on
OK. Click on OK to close the Set Text Defaults dialog.
You can also edit text parameters using the Settings ► Set Text Defaults
function. You can edit the text parameters of a single text item by
double clicking on it with the Select cursor.

Set Alignment
Define how the selection set should be aligned, or align the selection set
horizontally and/or vertically.

Right Modify SetAlign
The Align dialog box is displayed.
Set the options you require and click on the Apply button to align the
selection set.
Align To Each Other

The elements in the selection set will be aligned with each other. In the
example below, the selection set has been left aligned. The items in the
selection set have been aligned with the left hand edge of the square,
because this was the left most thing in the selection set before alignment.
Align Align
Before alignment After alignment
Annotate Menu 7-7

Align To Grid
The selection set will be aligned to the nearest grid line. In the example
below, the selection set has been left aligned to the grid. Each item has
been aligned so that it's left hand side touches the vertical grid line that
was nearest to its left hand side before alignment.
Align Align
There must be a grid on the screen before you align using this option or
nothing will happen. See Grid.
Alignment
The Vertical group allows the items in the selection set to be aligned to
the Top, Centre or Bottom.
The Horizontal group allows the items in the selection set to be aligned
to the Left, Centre or Right.
Items in the selection set can be aligned both horizontally and vertically
at the same time.

Example 1
The To Grid, Vertical Align and Top options have been checked.
Each item in the selection set is aligned so that its top touches the
horizontal grid line nearest to its top.
Align
Align
Annotate Menu 7-9

Example 2
The To each Other, Vertical Align and Top options of the Vertical section
have been checked.
The items in the selection set are aligned to the top edge of the square,
because this was the highest element in the selection set before
alignment.
Align
Align

Example 3
The To Each Other, Horizontal Align and the Centre option in the
Horizontal section of the dialog box have been checked.
The items in the selection set are centered between the left hand edge of
the square, because this was the left most thing in the selection set, and
the right hand edge of the larger circle, because this was the right most
thing in the selection set before alignment.
Align Align
Annotate Menu 7-11

Example 4
The To Grid, Align and the Centre option in the Horizontal section of the
dialog box have been checked.
Each item in the selection set is centred about the vertical grid line that
was nearest to its centre before alignment.
Align Align

Example 5
The To Each Other, Vertical Align, Horizontal Align, and the Centre
option in both the Horizontal and Vertical sections of the dialog box have
been checked.
The items in the selection set are centrally aligned in both the Vertical
and Horizontal directions.
Align
Align
Annotate Menu 7-13

Distribution
Before you distribute items, they must be approximately positioned.
Distribute will not work on randomly placed items.
The To Each Other and To Grid options are ignored.
Vertical Distribution
The Vertical Distribute and Top options have been checked.
The three central boxes are repositioned so that their tops are equally
spread between the top of the top box and the top of the bottom box.
Before Distribution After Distribution

Horizontal Distribution
The Horizontal Distribute and Left options have been checked.
The central box is repositioned so that its left hand side is exactly in
between the left hand sides of the left and right boxes.
Annotate Menu 7-15

Combining Distribution and Alignment
The dialog box has been set up so that the items in the selection set are
distributed Vertically and aligned to the Left.
The To each Other, Vertical Distribute, Top, Horizontal Align and Left
options have been checked.
The three central boxes are repositioned so that their tops are equally
spread between the tops of the top and bottom boxes. The boxes are
aligned with the left most box.

and Alignment and Alignment
In this section, grid lines are referred to and shown in the diagrams.
This is for illustrative purposes only. When you use Tools ► Grid to
create a grid in AllyCAD, only the dots representing the intersections
between the horizontal and vertical grid lines are displayed.

Align
Align and/or distribute the selection set

Left Modify SetAlign
This function aligns everything that has been selected using the Select or
Selection Filters commands (the selection set). The selection set is
aligned and/or distributed according to the settings of the Align dialog
box.
You must select at least two items to align or three to distribute, or
nothing will happen.
Notes specific to aligning text
Text may not look as though it has been aligned with the other items in
the selection set. This is because the text characters are enclosed in a
"cell” with a space above them and below them. If, for example you are
aligning text to the Top, it is not the top of the character that is aligned,
but the top of the “cell”.
The text label origin associated with a piece of text does not affect the
way that text is aligned using Align. Each piece of text is associated
with a text alignment, defined in Settings ► Set Text Defaults. If you have
a piece of text comprising several lines, this does affect the way that text
is aligned using Align.
a piece of right justified

text comprising several
lines and left aligned
with a box
left
aligned
For example, the text alignment of the piece of text has been set to right
in the Set Text Defaults dialog box.
Annotate Menu 7-17

When you use Align Text to left align it with another item, the left-hand
edge of the piece of text is aligned, ie. the "cell" around the text is left
aligned, but the lines of text remain right justified within the "cell".
To align all the text to the left, you must change the text alignment
associated with the piece of text to left. You can do this by double
clicking on the piece of text with the Select cursor to display the Text
Defaults dialog. Click on the [Text Defaults] button. The Set Text
Defaults dialog will be displayed. Change Text Alignment to left, then
click on OK.

Horizontal Dimension
Enter horizontal dimensions.

Left Dimension HDim
The appearance (text height, arrow size, number of decimals, etc.) of the
dimension is set using Settings ► Set Dim Defaults. These settings affect all
the dimensions on your drawing, including previously drawn ones. This
means that if you are not satisfied with the way your dimensions look,
you can change them at any stage.
The spacing between subsequent dimensions is determined by the
Linefeed option in Settings ► Set Dim Defaults.
You can change the text content, arrow type and witness line colour of
individual dimensions using Annotate ► Edit Dimension ► Edit Dimension
Properties.
Horizontal dimensions are fully associative. This means that if you
change the size of a dimensioned object using, for example, Modify ►
Stretch or Modify ► Scale, the dimensions will automatically update to
reflect the new size.
You can also edit a horizontal dimension so that it will change the size of
object on which it is based. See Alter Dimension.
For example, this object has been dimensioned "x".
50
If you replace the "x" with, say, "50" using the Alter Dimension function, the
object will change size so that it is 50 units long.
Annotate Menu 7-19

a b c
Horizontal dimensions need not dimension horizontally aligned points,

although horizontal distances will be measured. If you do not want to
measure horizontal distances, use Slope Dimension.
Mechanical Style
If you have checked the Mechanical Style option in Settings ► Set Dim
Defaults...
Do you want running, chained or free dimensions (R/C/F)
Type "R" for Running, "C" for Chained or "F" for Free. Click on or press
[Enter].
18 Dimensions may be running,

34.3
50
chained,
18 16.3 15.7

or free (just one isolated dimension).
18

Enter text position
The cursor will switch to Freehand mode.

Position it and press [Enter] or click.
The text and dimension line will be

positioned at the cursor position.
18
The text will automatically be centred between the witness lines. If you
do not want the text centred, you can move it to the desired position after
you have drawn the dimension, using the Modify ► Stretch function.
If you are drawing Running or Chained dimensions and you position the
cursor close to an existing dimension, the new dimension text and line
will be drawn relative to this existing dimension regardless of the cursor
position.
Annotate Menu 7-21

For example:
34.3
the new dimension text and line will be

positioned here.
18
34.3

18
34.3
the new dimension text and line will be

18 positioned here.
34.3
50

Enter first point
The cursor will switch to Point mode.

Position it close to the first point to be
included in the dimension and press
[Enter] or click. The cursor will jump onto
the point.

Enter next point
Position the cursor close to the next point

to be included in the dimension and press
[Enter] or click.

Enter text of dimension
The distance between the two points is measured and is displayed in the
Control Bar. To accept the dimension as it is, click on or press [Enter].
Alternatively, you may now:
1. Add Tolerances
To add tolerances to the dimension you must type certain characters
after the measured distance in the Control Bar.
For example, suppose the distance

given in the Control Bar reads "100".
If you overtype this distance with
"100\+.2\-.1" a tolerance will be added
to the dimension, as shown here.
+.2
100 -.1 The following examples illustrate the
use of the special characters to
produce tolerances:
Annotate Menu 7-23

Typing "\+" and "\-" produce normal
tolerances. The text after the "\+" is
drawn at half size and above the text
+.2 after the "\-", which is also drawn at
100 -.1 half size.
This tolerance was created by typing:

"100\+.2\-.1".
Typing "\+-" creates a tolerance the
same size as the dimension with the
"+" and "-" in between, one above the
+
100 - 0.2
other.
This tolerance was created by typing
"100\+-0.2".
Typing "\ /" gives two tolerances, one

above the other, and both above the
100.2 witness line.
99.8
This tolerance was created by typing
"100.2\/99.8".
Typing "\\" gives a linefeed so that any

text after the \\ is written below the
witness line.
100.2
99.8 This tolerance was created by typing
"100\\99.8".
Typing "!" restores text to its normal

height after \+ or \- has been used.
+.1
100 (TYP) This tolerance was created by typing
"100\+.1 \!(TYP)".
2. Edit the dimension text

For example, if your convention is to show dimensions to the nearest 10
or 50 you might overtype a dimension of "2134" with "2150". This will not
update the positions of the points it refers to and should thus be entered
as "2150 (NTS)" so that someone else taking over the drawing will know
that the exact measured dimension is not in fact 2150.
3. Add notes to the dimension

4. Replace the dimension text
For example, you might be dimensioning a generic object. In this
case, you could overtype the dimension that is displayed with a
variable letter such as "X". You could later use the Alter Dimension
function to assign an exact value to X.
When you are satisfied with the text in the Control Bar, click on or
press [Enter]. If your text is too large to fit comfortably in the available
space the following list of options is displayed.
Choose one of the options. If you

select Left or Right the text will be
moved in the relevant direction.
Running or Chained dimensions
If you are drawing Running or Chained

dimensions, AllyCAD continues to prompt:
Enter next point
Position the cursor close to the next point to

18 be included in the dimension and press
[Enter] or click.
The next dimension is added.

Alternatively, cancel dimension drawing by
18
choosing another function, pressing the
34.3
Free dimensions
If you are drawing Free dimensions, AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter text position
Enter the text position for another dimension or cancel dimension

drawing by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar], clicking
on Done or .
Annotate Menu 7-25

Architectural Style
If you have checked the Architectural Style option in Settings ► Set Dim
Defaults...

Enter text position
The cursor will switch to Freehand mode.

Position it and press [Enter] or click.

Enter position leader lines should
extend to
Position the cursor where you want the leader

18 16.3 15.7 lines to extend to and press [Enter] or click.

Enter first point
Position the cursor close to the first point of the

dimension and press [Enter] or click.

Enter next point
Position the cursor close to the next point to be

included in the dimension and press [Enter] or
click.
Alternatively, cancel dimension drawing by choosing another function,


Vertical Dimension
Enter vertical dimensions.

Left Dimension VDim
This function works in the same way as Horizontal Dimension except

that vertical dimensions are produced instead of horizontal ones.
19.0
56.9
18.6 19.3
37.9
18.6
Annotate Menu 7-27

Slope Dimension
Enter sloped dimensions.

Left Dimension Sdim
The appearance of the dimension (text height, arrow size, number of

decimals, etc.) is set using Settings ► Set Dim Defaults in the Settings
Menu. These settings will affect all the dimensions on your drawing,
including previously drawn ones. This means that if you are not satisfied
with the way your dimensions look, you can change them at any stage.
Sloped dimensions are associative. This means that if you change the
size of a dimensioned object using, for example, Modify ► Stretch or Modify
► Scale, the dimensions will automatically update to show the new size.
There are three sloping dimension options.
These lines are parallel
A dimension parallel to the line being

dimensioned.
.3
20
45°
A dimension at a fixed angle that you type
.3
in. In this example, 45 degrees has been

20
typed.
10
An isometric dimension where the witness

lines are angled at 60 or 120° to the line
20
being dimensioned.
10

If you want to enter an isometric dimension, the Isometric Grids option in
the Drawing Settings dialog must be checked.
Do you want dimension at fixed angle, (else take angle from
points)
If you want to draw a dimension parallel to the line being dimensioned,

click on the NO button.
If you want to draw a dimension at a fixed angle that you type in, click on
the YES button.
If the Isometric Grids option in the Drawing Settings dialog is checked
and you want to draw an isometric dimension, click on the YES button.
Parallel sloping dimensions

Enter first point
The cursor will switch to Point mode. Position

it close to the first point of the dimension and
The cursor will automatically jump onto the
point.
Enter next point
Position the cursor close to the next point to

be included in the dimension and press
[Enter] or click.
Enter dimension text
The distance between the two points is measured and is displayed in the
Alternatively, you can add tolerances to the dimension, add notes to it or
edit it as described in the section on Horizontal Dimensions. When the
dimension text is to your satisfaction, click on or press [Enter].
Enter text position
Annotate Menu 7-29

Place the cursor where you want the text to
appear and press [Enter] or click. Note that
the cursor changes back to Freehand mode.
The text will be centred between the witness lines. If you do not want the
text centred, you can move it to the desired position after you have
drawn the dimension, using the Modify ► Stretch function. AllyCAD will
continue to prompt:
Enter first point
Enter the first point of another dimension or cancel dimensioning by

.
Dimensions at fixed angles

Enter bearing
Type in the angle of the dimension. If you are working in decimal angles,
you will be asked to enter the bearing in the form dd.dddd (e.g. 45.5
degrees). If you are working in degrees, minutes and seconds, you will
be asked to enter the bearing in degrees, minutes and seconds, ie.
"dd.mm.ss". When you have entered the angle click on or press
[Enter].
Angles are measured according to the Angular Format in Drawing

Settings in the Settings Menu.

Follow the instructions in the Horizontal Dimension section.

Isometric dimensions
The Isometric Grids option in the Drawing Settings dialog must be

checked.

Enter bearing
Type in the angle of the dimension. This will be the same as the line you
are dimensioning, ie. 30, -30 or 90 degrees if you have set up the Angular
Format to measure anti-clockwise from the 3 o'clock position.
Click on or press [Enter].
Angles are measured according to the Angular Format in Drawing


Do you want witness lines to be at angle +60 (else at angle
+120)
Click on the YES button if you want the witness lines to be angled at 60
degrees to the line being dimensioned, and on the NO button if you want
the witness lines to be angled at 120 degrees (see diagram on the next
page).
Follow the instructions in the Horizontal Dimension section.
You can change the text content, arrow type and witness line colour of
individual dimensions using Annotate ► Edit Dimension ► Edit Dimension
Properties.
Annotate Menu 7-31

Witness lines at Witness lines at
60 degrees 120 degrees
°
60
0°
12
12
12
Line being
dimensioned is
12
12
at 90 degrees
60 120°
12 °
12
Line being
dimensioned is
at 30 degrees 12
12
12
12
12
Line being
0°
dimensioned is 12
at 330 degrees 60°
12

Angular Dimension
Dimension angles or arc lengths.

Left Dimension ADim
The appearance of the dimension (text height, arrow size, number of

decimals, etc.) is set using Settings ► Set Dim Defaults in the Settings
Menu. These settings will affect all the dimensions on your drawing,
including previously drawn ones. This means that if you are not satisfied
with the way your dimensions look, you can change them at any stage.
• Angular dimensions are not affected by the Witness Gap and Witness
Overshoot options in Set Dim Defaults.
• You cannot change angular dimension witness line or dimension
arrow colours once you have drawn the dimension.
• You can change the text content of individual angular dimensions
using Annotate ► Edit Dimension ► Edit Dimension Properties.
Angular Dimension has four options:
• Dimensioning an angle between two existing lines;
• Dimensioning an angle between three points;
• Dimensioning an existing arc length; and
• Dimensioning an arc length between three points.

57.39°
Do you want angle (else arc length)
If you want to dimension an angle, click on

the YES button.
23.3
If you want to dimension an arc length, click

on the NO button.
Annotate Menu 7-33

Dimensioning angles between 2 existing lines
Witness line start
57.39°
Position of arrow

Is this dimension between two existing lines?
If there are two intersecting lines you want to dimension, click on the
YES button.
Select first line
Position the cursor near one of the two lines to be dimensioned and press
[Enter] or click. AllyCAD will prompt:
Select second line
Position the cursor near the other line and press [Enter] or click.
Enter witness line start
Position the cursor where you want the witness lines to start and press
[Enter] or click. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter witness line end
Position the cursor at the place where you want the dimension arrow to
be and press [Enter] or click.
Enter text part of angular dimension
The angle between the two lines is measured and is displayed in the

To obtain a degree symbol (°), type "Alt" + "0176". To do this hold down
the [Alt] key while you type in the four numbers "0176" on the numeric
keypad.

Satisfied with arc radius?
If you are satisfied with the position of the arc indicating the
measurement (the position of the dimension arrow), click on the YES
button. Otherwise, click on the NO button and AllyCAD will prompt:
Drag till satisfied with arc radius
As you move the cursor, you will see a circle expanding and shrinking.
This circle represents the position of the dimension arrow. Once the
position of the arrow is satisfactory, press [Enter] or click.
Satisfied with text position?
If you are satisfied with the position of the text, click on the YES button.
Otherwise click on the NO button and AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter new dimension text position
When you reposition text, it will always be horizontal and not at an

angle around the arc.
Use the cursor to drag the dimension text (represented by a box) to a

new position and press [Enter] or click.
Annotate Menu 7-35

Dimensioning angles between three points
Witness line start
57.39°
Position of arrow

Is this dimension between two existing lines?
If you want a dimension between three points, click on the NO button.

Enter centre point
Position the cursor at the centre point of the three

points and press [Enter] or click.

Enter first angular point (defines
witness line start)
Position the cursor at one of the other points and

press [Enter] or click. This first angular point will
also define the witness line start.

Enter second angular point (defines text
radius)
Position the cursor on the last point and press

[Enter] or click. This point also defines the
position of the dimension arrow.

The angle between the two lines is measured and is displayed in the
To obtain a degree symbol (°), type "Alt" + "0176". To do this hold down
the [Alt] key while you type in the four numbers "0176" on the numeric
keypad.


Annotate Menu 7-37

Dimensioning an existing arc length
23.3
Is this dimension of an existing arc?
If you want to dimension an existing arc click on the YES button.

Select arc
Position the cursor on the arc you want to dimension and press [Enter]
or click. AllyCAD will prompt:
The length of the arc is measured and is displayed in the Control Bar. To
accept the dimension as it is, click on or press [Enter]. Alternatively,
you can add tolerances to the dimension, add notes to it or edit it as
described in the section on Horizontal Dimensions. When the dimension
text is to your satisfaction, click on or press [Enter]. AllyCAD will
prompt:
position of the arrow is satisfactory, press [Enter] or click. AllyCAD will
prompt:

Dimension an arc between three points
Second point defines
position of arrow
Arc centre
First point defines

arc radius

Is this dimension of an existing arc?
If you want to dimension an arc defined by three points - the arc centre
and two points on the radius - click on the NO button.

Enter centre point
Position the cursor at the arc centre and press

[Enter] or click.

Enter first point (arc goes
ccw)(defines arc radius)
Position the cursor at the first point and press

[Enter] or click. Bear in mind that the arc will
be measured in an anti-clockwise direction
between the two points you enter.
The point you enter here also defines the
actual arc radius that will be measured.
Annotate Menu 7-39

Enter second angular point (defines
text radius)
Position the cursor at the second point and

press [Enter] or click. The point you enter here
also defines the position of the dimension
arrow.

The arc distance between the two points is displayed in the Control Bar.
To accept the dimension as it is, click on or press [Enter].


Radial Dimension
Dimension arcs or circles.

Left Dimension rdim
R 15 Ø 20
Ø 20
R 15
This function enters a radial dimension onto an arc or circle. In the case
of arcs, the radius is measured and is indicated by an R. In the case of
circles, the diameter is measured and is indicated by a Ø (the diameter
sign).
Dimension appearance (text height, arrow size, number of decimals, etc.)
is set using Settings ► Set Dim Defaults. These settings will affect all the
dimensions on your drawing, including previously drawn ones. This
You will not be able to change radial dimension witness line or

dimension arrow colors once you have drawn the dimension.
You can change the text content of individual radial dimensions using
Annotate ► Edit Dimension ► Edit Dimension Properties.

Radial dimension... select arc or circle
Position the cursor close to the arc or circle you want to dimension and
This cursor position affects the way that the dimension will be drawn.
This is described fully on the next page.

Enter text of radial dimension
The radius of an arc or the diameter of a circle is measured and is

displayed on the screen as text in the Control Bar. To accept the
dimension as it is, click on or press [Enter].
Annotate Menu 7-41

edit it (for examples refer to the section on Horizontal Dimensions).
When the dimension text is to your satisfaction, click on or press
[Enter].
To obtain a diameter symbol (Ø), type "Alt" + "0216". To do this, hold

down the [Alt] key while you type in the four numbers on the numeric
keypad.

Do you want text on radius arrow?
If you want the dimension text to be drawn

on the arrow as shown on the left, click on
the YES button.
Ø 20 The radius or diameter arrow will be

R 15
drawn through the point where you
positioned the cursor and through the arc
or circle centre. Thus, for a horizontal
arrow you must position the cursor at the
extreme left or right edge of the arc or
circle.
R 15
If you do not want the dimension text on
the arrow, but on a leader line as shown on
the left, click on the NO button.
Enter text position
Position the cursor where the text should

Ø 20 appear and press [Enter] or click. The
radius or diameter arrow will be drawn. It
will be drawn through the text position you
have specified and through the arc or circle
centre.

When you reposition text, it will always be horizontal and not aligned
along the dimension line.

Radial dimension...select arc or circle
Position the cursor close to the arc or circle you want to dimension and
press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel dimensioning by choosing
Annotate Menu 7-43

Ordinate Dimension
Enter ordinate dimensions.

Left Dimension odim
Dimension appearance (text height, arrow size, number of decimals, etc.)

is set using Settings ► Set Dim Defaults. These settings will affect all the
dimensions on your drawing, including previously drawn ones. This
You can change the text content and witness line colour of individual
dimensions using Annotate ► Edit Dimension ► Edit Dimension Properties.
Ordinate dimensions are fully associative. This means that if you change
the size of a dimensioned object using, for example, Modify ► Stretch or
Modify ► Scale, the dimensions will automatically update to reflect the
new size. You can also change ordinate dimensions to cause a change in
the size of the dimensioned object.
X Ordinate (Else Y Ordinate)
Click on the YES button if you want ordinate

dimensions along the x axis.
37.4
67.5
95.9
Click on the NO button if you want ordinate

31.9 dimensions along the y axis.
41.2
51.9

Enter first (base) point
This is the point from which the ordinate

dimensions will be measured. The cursor
switches to Point mode.
Position it close to the base point and click or
press [Enter]. The cursor will automatically
jump onto the point.
Enter text position

Position the cursor where you want the
dimension text to be and click or press
[Enter]. The dimension text will appear in
line with the position you enter.
Enter next point
The cursor switches back to Point mode.

Position it close to a point to be dimensioned
and click or press [Enter]. The cursor will
automatically jump onto the point.
Enter dimension text
The distance between the base point and the

point you have just entered is measured and
is displayed in the Control Bar. To accept the
dimension as it is, click on or press [Enter].
37.4
Alternatively, you can edit the text. See

Horizontal Dimensions for examples. The
dimension is added to the drawing.
Cancel the function by pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done or .
Annotate Menu 7-45

Survey Dimension
Enter survey dimensions.

Left Dimension SurveyDm
26.9
20
10°.02.
This function allows the length and the bearing of a line to be written
onto that line. Length is measured in the units selected in Settings ►
Drawing Settings. The bearing is measured according to the Angular
Format in Drawing Settings.
Dimension appearance (text height, number of decimals, etc.) is set using
Settings ► Set Dim Defaults. However, you cannot change the appearance
of a survey dimension once you have placed it.
The way that the dimension is presented (whether text is written along
the bearings or is written upright, whether the bearing is on top and the
length at the bottom or vice versa, etc.) is set using Settings ► Set Survey
Defaults. You cannot change the way you have presented a survey
dimension once you have placed it.

Enter first point
Position the cursor at one end of a line to

be dimensioned and press [Enter] or click.

Line being dimensioned
Enter next point
Position the cursor at the other end of the

line being dimensioned and press [Enter]
or click. This point also defines the start of
the next line to be dimensioned, if there is
one.
Next line to be dimensioned
The dimension is placed on the drawing.
The direction of the first to the second point is calculated in that order.
There will be a 180 degree difference if points are entered in the reverse
order.

Enter next point
Enter the next point defining a line to be dimensioned or cancel

dimensioning by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar],
Annotate Menu 7-47

Edit Dimension
Edit the text content, arrow heads or colours of an individual dimension,
cut a dimension witness line or “draw by number”.
Edit Dimension Properties

To edit the dimension properties of individual dimensions.

EdDim
If the dimension is a horizontal, vertical or slope dimension you can

simply double click on the dimension with the Select cursor.
+.2
50 50 -.1
Before editing After editing
This function does three things:

• Edits the text of an individual dimension. For example, you can add
tolerances, add notes or change the text.
• Changes a dimension arrow head into a blob (horizontal, vertical
and slope dimensions only).
• Edits the colour of the witness lines and dimension arrows
(horizontal, vertical and slope dimensions only).
You cannot edit survey dimensions with this function.

To change dimension parameters such as text size, number of decimals,
etc., use Settings ► Set Dim Defaults.
To move dimension text, use the Modify ► Stretch function.
To cut out portions of witness lines, use the Annotate ► Edit Dimension ►
Cut Dimension Line function.

Select dimension to be edited
Position the cursor anywhere on the dimension to be edited and press

[Enter] or click.
You may only edit the text of an angular or radial dimension.

If you are editing a horizontal, vertical or slope
dimension the following option list is displayed.
Editing Text
This option allows you to edit the dimension text, or add tolerances or
notes to the dimension text.
Enter new text
The existing dimension text is displayed in the Control Bar. Edit it, then
click on or press [Enter].
Select another dimension to edit and press [Enter] or click.

Alternatively, cancel dimension editing by choosing another function,
Editing Arrowheads
This option changes the arrowhead type.
Place cursor near arrowhead to change
Position the cursor near the arrowhead you wish to change and press
[Enter] or click. The arrowhead is changed into a blob.
Select another dimension to edit and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively

cancel dimension editing by choosing another function, pressing the
Editing Pen
This option allows you to change the colour of the witness lines and
dimension arrows.
Enter new witness line pen
Annotate Menu 7-49

The pen palette is displayed. Click on the colour you want to use and
press [Enter]. AllyCAD will continue to prompt:
Select another dimension to edit and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively

cancel dimension editing by choosing another function, pressing the
Cut Dimension Line

To cut the witness lines of horizontal or vertical dimensions

CutDimLn

Select dimension whose line must be cut
Position the cursor on the dimension text of the dimension whose

witness line you are going to cut and press [Enter] or click.
43.4

Enter snip box for cutting line
Position the cursor at one corner of the

snip box and press [Enter] or click.
43.4

Move the cursor diagonally away from the

first corner you entered and press [Enter]
or click.

43.4
The portion of the witness line inside the

snip box is deleted.

Select dimension whose line must be cut
Position the cursor on another dimension and press [Enter] or click .

Alternatively cancel witness line cutting by choosing another function,
Alter Dimension
To change the size of part of a drawing when the dimension text is changed

DimAlter
This function only works on horizontal and vertical dimensions.
For example, if you change the

dimension text shown here from 17.3 to
40 ...
17.3
The dimensioned object will lengthen

(or shorten) to fit the new dimension
text.
17.3
Annotate Menu 7-51

This enables “Drawing by Number”, where you draw the generic outline
of a part and dimension it with variables such as A, B, C, X etc.
You can enter these variables as you dimension the object when
AllyCAD prompts Enter text of dimension. See Horizontal Dimensions.
You can also enter these variables using Annotate ► Edit Dimension ►
Edit Dimension Properties ► Text.
You can then use Alter Dimension to

change the dimension text. For
example, if you change the dimension
text shown here from "x" to "40" ...
17.3
The dimensioned object will lengthen

(or shorten) to fit the new dimension
text.
17.3
Each dimension should be assigned a different variable name. AllyCAD

will not know which dimension you wish to change if there are more
than one with the same name.

Select dimension to be altered with cursor (else search for
text)
If you want to select the dimension text to be altered by clicking on it

with your mouse, click on the YES button and AllyCAD will prompt:
Select dimension to be altered with cursor
Click on the dimension you want to alter.

If you want to type the dimension text to be altered, click on the NO
button.

Enter dimension text to search for (Esc to quit)
Type the text you want to alter ("17.3" or "x" in the example above). It is
important that you type the dimension text exactly as it appears on the
drawing, including decimal points or commas and any trailing spaces or
zeros. Click on or press [Enter].
Enter new dimension text (will cause dimension to alter)
Type in the numeric value that the dimension text must change to ("40"
in the example above) and click on or press [Enter]. The dimension
and dimensioned part will be adjusted to match the new value.
Alter a whole area, along witness line, or at witness point
(A/L/P)
The answer you type here determines what will be affected by the new
dimension. Type "A" for Area, "L" for along the witness Line, or "P" for
Point. Then click on or press [Enter].
If you choose the Area option, the whole drawing will be updated relative
to the new dimension.
x 20.6 28 20.6
14.3 14.3
Before Alter Dimension. After Alter Dimension. X has been

dimensioned 28. The whole area is
altered.
If you choose the Line option, all points that lie on a witness line will be
altered, but the rest of the drawing will not change.
Annotate Menu 7-53

x 20.6 28 5.2
14.3 14.3
Before Alter Dimension. After Alter Dimension.

All points that lie along the X has been dimensioned
relevant witness lines are "28". The points along the
arrowed. witness lines are altered.
If you choose the Point option, only the dimensioned line will be altered.
The rest of the drawing will not change.
x 20.6 28 5.2
14.3 14.3
Before Alter Dimension. After Alter Dimension.

X has been dimensioned 28.
Only the dimensioned line has
been altered.

Keep left/lower point fixed? (else right/upper)
If you click on the YES button, the left most point of a horizontal
dimension will be fixed, and similarly, the lowest point of a vertical
dimension will be fixed. Alterations will take place about this point.

If you click on the NO button, the right most point of a horizontal
dimension will be fixed, and similarly, the highest point of a vertical
dimension will be fixed. Alterations will take place about this point.
Select dimension to be altered with cursor (else search for
text)
Alter another dimension or cancel dimension altering by pressing the

[Esc] button on your keyboard.
Annotate Menu 7-55

Add Arrow
Draw arrows.

Left Main Arrow
These segments are lines
Only this segment is an arrow
This function draws chained lines terminated by an arrowhead. The

arrow colour, size of the head, and whether the arrowhead is a blob or
slash is determined in Settings ► Set Arrow Defaults.
Only the last line segment with the arrowhead is considered an arrow.
The preceding line segments are regarded as normal lines. This may
lead to some confusion when using functions that discriminate between
arrows and other elements.
For example, if you use Settings ► Set Arrow Defaults to change the colour
of an arrow, only the colour of the last segment with the arrowhead will
be changed. You must use Settings ► Line Defaults to change the colour of
the other arrow segments.
Enter arrow tail
Position the cursor where you want an arrow tail to be and press [Enter]
or click.
Enter next point of arrow (exit = [Space Bar] to enter arrow
head)
Position the cursor where you want the arrowhead or a bend in the
arrow tail to be and press [Enter] or click.

Enter next point of arrow (exit = [Space Bar] to enter arrow
head)
If you want the arrow head to be at the end of the line you have just
drawn, press the [Space Bar], click on Done or .
If you want to add another line to the arrow before adding the head,
position the cursor where you want the arrow head or a bend in the
arrow tail to be and press [Enter] or click. You may add additional lines
until you press the [Space Bar] to enter the arrowhead.
Enter arrow tail
Enter the position of another arrow tail or cancel arrow drawing by

.
Annotate Menu 7-57

Add Balloon
Draw balloons.

Left Main Balloon
MH
A 1
This function will draw a maximum of two lines of text with a circle
around it, with an arrow from the circle if desired.
You define the number of text lines that appear in each balloon and
whether the balloon has an arrow or not using the Settings ► Set Balloon
Defaults function.
If you choose to attach an arrow to the balloon, the parameters of this
arrow (for example its colour and whether it is a blob or a slash) are
defined using the Settings ► Set Arrow Defaults function.
The text parameters used are those set in Settings ► Set Text Defaults
option. The label origin is, however, always ignored as the text is always
centered. The colour of the balloon circle is defined in the Settings ► Line
Defaults option.
Enter text position for balloon
Position the cursor where you want the balloon text to appear. This will
be the centre of the text (i.e. as though the label origin was set to 15).
Enter first text for balloon
Type the text for the balloon and click on or press [Enter].
For each new balloon that you enter, this text item will be incremented.
So if the first text in the first balloon was "DWA", the text in the second
balloon will be "DWB", then "DWC" and so on. If the text in the first was
"MH1", the second will be "MH2", then "MH3" and so on.

If you have specified two lines of text AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter second text for balloon
Type the second line of text for the balloon and click on or press
[Enter]. If you leave this line blank, only the first piece of text will be
written and will be placed in the centre of the balloon. If you enter text,
the balloon will be divided into two equal portions by a straight line.
If you have specified arrows AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter next point for arrow (press [Space Bar] to produce
arrow head)
Position the cursor where you want the arrowhead or a bend in the
arrow tail to be and press [Enter] or click.
The prompt above will be repeated until you press the [Space Bar], click
on Done or to add an arrowhead to the line you have just drawn.
Enter text position for balloon
Position the cursor where you want balloon text to appear and press
[Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel balloon drawing by choosing
Annotate Menu 7-59

Add/Rem Text Bubble
Add or remove text bubble to or from existing text.

Left Main AddRBaln
TEXT WITH A BUBBLE

Select text that you want to add/remove balloon to
Position the cursor close to text that you want to add a balloon to or
remove a balloon from. Press [Enter] or click.
The balloon becomes part of the text parameters. This means that if
you use the Settings ► Set Text Defaults ► Take From option to set text
parameters and pick on the text with the balloon, subsequent text will
also have a balloon.

Select text that you want to add/remove balloon to
Position the cursor close to other text that you want to add a balloon to
or remove a balloon from and press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel
bubble drawing by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar],

Enter Hatch/Solid Fill
To hatch or solid fill an area

Left Main Hatch
Pattern Hatch Solid Fill
Pattern hatching
Select the Hatch option. A list of hatch patterns is displayed.
Hatch List
Choose an appropriate pattern from the list of hatch pattern names. If
you are not sure what the hatch patterns look like, click on the PreView
button. A sample of each hatch pattern will be displayed. Click on the
one you want to use.
Annotate Menu 7-61

Scale
This option will determine the size of the hatch pattern.
If you specify a scale of 1, hatches are drawn

at the size defined in the HATCH.PAT file.
If you specify a scale of 2, hatches are drawn

at twice the size defined in the HATCH.PAT
file, etc.
Override default pen

This option allows you to specify that the hatch must be drawn in a
specific pen and not the current default pen. Click on the With Pen
button and select the desired colour in the palette.
The default pen is red and is set in the HATCH.PAT file. You can
override this on a per hatch basis. If you override the default pen the
colour of the first line of the perimeter is set to the selected colour. You
can use this knowledge later to change the colours of existing hatches.
Operation
Select the hatch pattern you want to use from the list, set the other
options and then click on OK.
The Perimeter Menu is displayed in the Control Bar.
The options on the Perimeter menu are used to define the area to be
hatched. Refer to the Appendix A - Perimeter Menu chapter for details.
To alter existing hatch patterns, including the colour of the hatches, or to
make your own hatch patterns, refer to Appendix B - Hatch Patterns.
Hatches and solid fills can significantly slow down redraws. It is a good
idea to go to Settings ► View Settings and to set the Hatch to Draw option
to "None". This means that hatches will not be drawn on redraws. If you
then want to see your hatches, you can display them when you want to
with Annotate ► Draw All Hatch function.

Solid Fill
Select the Solid Fill option and the fill colour is displayed.
To change the fill colour, click on the Set Color… button. The colour
palette will be displayed. Select a colour and click on OK.
The Perimeter Menu is displayed in the Control Bar.
The options on the Perimeter menu are used to define the area to be
hatched. Refer to the Appendix A - Perimeter Menu chapter for details.
Solid Filling Areas with Islands
It is easy to cross hatch an area with an island in

AllyCAD.
However, if you try to solid fill an area with an island

you can end up with fills that look like this.
To prevent this happening, you can divide the area to be filled into sub-
areas without islands.
Annotate Menu 7-63

For example, this is the original area to be filled.
By extending the left hand vertical line of the D so it

touches the top and the bottom of the box, the area can
be divided into three sub-areas without islands: the area
to the left of the D, the area to the right of the D, and the
area in the middle.
These three areas can then be filled to achieve the

desired effect.
You can also create solid fills with islands as follows:
Solid fill an area.
Then solid fill another area on top of it in white, to make

the island.

Tips for creating interesting hatched effects
Combine solid fills with cross hatches

If you have a colour printer, you can create some very interesting effects
by combining cross hatching with solid fills.
For example, to create a wall, solid fill the area

using a brick-coloured solid fill. Then hatch the
area again using a brick style cross hatch
pattern such as the pattern called Brick.
The effect is even better if you edit the brick hatch pattern so that the
bricks are white. To do this, exit the CAD and load the HATCH.PAT file
in your user directory into a text editor such as Windows Notepad.
Scroll down the file until you come to the Brick section, which looks like
this:
*brick,Brick or masonry-type surface
10, 0
1, 0, 0, 0,0, 0,.25
1, 0, 90, 0,0, 0,.5, .25,-.25
1, 0, 90, .25,0, 0,.5, -.25,.25
Edit it so that it looks like this:

10, 0
12, 0, 0, 0,0, 0,.25
12, 0, 90, 0,0, 0,.5, .25,-.25
12, 0, 90, .25,0, 0,.5, -.25,.25
The number 12 at the beginning of the last three lines changes the hatch
colour from red to white. You might also want to make the hatch lines
thicker. In this case edit the hatch definition so that it looks like this:
10, 0
12, 2, 0, 0,0, 0,.25
12, 2, 90, 0,0, 0,.5, .25,-.25
12, 2, 90, .25,0, 0,.5, -.25,.25
The 2 to the right of the 12 means that the lines making up the hatch will
now be 0.2mm thick. Save the HATCH.PAT file and restart the CAD for
the change to take effect.
Annotate Menu 7-65

Combine solid fills with bitmaps
The illustration below was created by drawing solid fills over a bitmap.
Experiment with solid fills

If you have a colour printer, you can achieve interesting colours and
textures using solid fills. To test the various fills, create a drawing
containing squares filled with different solid fills that look useful or that
you have defined yourself.
Print out the drawing.
If any of the printed hatches look as though you might want to use them,
type PICKHATX into the command line, press [Enter] and click on a
hatch. This has the effect of making the hatch you clicked on the
“current hatch”, i.e. if you were to fill another area, this is the fill that
would be used.
Go to Annotate ► Enter Hatch/Solid Fill, click on the Set Colour button, then
on the Define Custom Colour button. Write down the numbers relating to
the amounts of red, blue and green in the fill next to the fill on your print
out. Now, when you want to use the hatch again, you will know exactly
which colour it was.
Quick Hatch Polylines

To quickly hatch a closed polyline change the Fill Settings of the polyline
using Settings ► Polyline Defaults as shown below.

Alter Existing Hatch
Alter an existing hatch

Right Main AddHatch
This function allows you to alter the hatch pattern of a hatch, the hatch
scale and/or the hatch perimeter.
For example:
Alter Existing Hatch will allow you to alter

a hatch such as this one ...
... in order to create a hatch such as this

one.
When you select Alter Existing Hatch, all existing hatch perimeters will
flash and a cross corresponding to each hatch is displayed.
Select hatch to change
Position the cursor on the cross corresponding to the hatch you want to
alter and press [Enter] or click.
If you do not want to change the hatch pattern or scale of the hatch but
want to change the perimeter, for example by adding an island as in the
diagram above, click on OK.
Otherwise, select a new hatch pattern or scale and click on OK. The
Perimeter Menu is displayed. If you don't want to alter the hatch
perimeter, click on the [Accept] option of the Perimeter Menu.
If you want to alter the perimeter, as in the example illustrated where a
circle has been added to the perimeter, draw the additional perimeter.
Annotate Menu 7-67

See the Perimeter Menu for details on how to do this. Then click on the
[Done Perim] option.
The updated hatch is drawn.
Draw All Hatch

Display hatches on screen.

Left View PlotHat
Screen
Hatches can significantly slow down redraws. It is therefore a good idea

to switch them off, and to display them only when you want to see them.
To switch off hatch display, you must set the Hatches to Draw option of
the View Settings to "None".
Use this function to display the hatches. They will disappear next time
you redraw the screen.
Draw Selected Hatch

Display selected hatches on screen.

PlotWHat
Hatches can significantly slow down redraws. It is therefore a good idea

to switch them off, and to display them only when you want to see them.
To switch off hatch display, you must set the Hatches to Draw option of
the View Settings to "None".
Use this function to display hatches that have been selected using the
Hatch option in Edit ► Selection Filters.

Pick Index from Hatch
Takes the current default hatch style from an existing hatch on the drawing.

Right Screen PickHatX
AllyCAD will flash all the existing perimeters on the drawing and will
prompt:
Select Hatch Perim whose index you want to use
Click near the hatch you want, and that will become the default hatch
style.
AllyCAD will pop up an information box telling you the hatch style that it
found. Any new hatches you create will now have this style.
Annotate Menu 7-69

Hatch -> Lines
Convert a hatch to lines.

HatchTol
To keep memory requirements for hatching minimal, AllyCAD stores

only the hatch perimeter, not the lines that make up the hatch. These
are recalculated each time the hatch is displayed.
This function converts a hatch pattern to the lines it consists of. After
conversion the hatch will no longer respond to hatch functions but will
be treated like any other lines.
The disadvantage of converting hatches to lines is that the lines take up
more memory than a hatch perimeter and, because each line must be
drawn on each redraw, redraws take longer.
A large crosshair is displayed on the screen and each hatch is marked
with a cross.
Enter box about hatch perimeters to be converted to lines
Draw a polygon around the white crosses marking the hatches to be

converted to lines. The hatches are converted to lines.

Label Coord
Label coordinates

LabCoord
This function writes the coordinates of a point either at the point or in a

coordinate table. The appearance of the text is defined in Settings Set
Text Defaults.
Do you want a coordinate table, (else place each coordinate
at point)
96.5 199.4
114.2 207.3
129.7 196.0
146.5 203.3
If you want the coordinates to appear
in a coordinate table, click on the YES
button.
114.2 207.3
146.5 203.3
If you want each point to be labelled
96.5 199.4
with its coordinate position, click on
the NO button.
129.7 196.0
Coordinate table
Enter point where coordinate table should start
Position the cursor at the position where you want the coordinate table
to be and press [Enter] or click.
This point will represent the top left corner of the table. If you place the
cursor near the last line of an existing table AllyCAD will display the
following prompt:
Text found nearby: locked onto existing text
and add new text items onto the end of the existing table.
Annotate Menu 7-71

Enter format for coordinate string
The number of decimals and separator characters for the coordinates are
set in Settings ► Set Dim Defaults. The format string is used to enter point
numbers, if required, and spacing between coordinates.
For example, a format string of:
Pt1 %s %s
would result in three columns in the table. The first would be the point
name "Pt1", and the second and third would contain the coordinates.
Enter field to increment (0 to increment none)
If you specify "1" as the field to increment AllyCAD will increment the
point name, thus the first point will be Pt1, the second “Pt2”, and so on.
If the columns are too close together stop entering points and re-define
the format string with more spaces between the fields.
Enter point
Position the cursor onto the point that you want labelled and press
[Enter] or click.
Enter text of label
The coordinates are displayed in the Control Bar before they are placed
on the drawing. At this stage they can be edited, for example to reflect
the peg or station name. To accept the coordinates, click on or press
[Enter].
The coordinates will either be written into a table or onto the points, as
specified.
The order in which coordinates displayed depends on the way you have
set up Northings and Eastings in Drawing Settings in the Settings
Menu.

Enter point
Position the cursor onto another point that you want labelled or cancel
coordinate labelling by choosing another function, pressing the

Tools Menu
The Tools menu includes a number of utility
functions including jumps, snaps and query
functions.
Tools Menu 8-1

Lock Cursor
Lock the cursor to move at a particular angle and it's orthogonal.

Right Snaps K LockAng
A list of options is displayed.
Lock Cursor allows the cursor to be locked so that it will only move at a
particular angle and at 90 degrees to that angle, rather as though you
were using a set square.
The first four functions Line, Jumpline, Geomline and Keyboard, are
different ways of choosing the angle that the cursor will move along.
Once the angle of movement has been set, a message displaying the
chosen angle preceded by the word “LOCK” is displayed on the status
bar.
The Perpendicular function moves the cursor at 90 degrees to the locked
angle. The 120deg function switches the cursor between angles suitable
for isometric drawing.
The Arc option restricts cursor movement to around a given arc or circle.
The up and down arrow keys give radial movement, and the left and
right arrow keys give movement along the arc. The word "LOKARC" will
be displayed on the status bar.
The GeomCir option restricts cursor movement to around a geometry
circle. The up and down arrow keys give radial movement, and the left
and right arrow keys give movement along the circle. The word LOKARC
will be displayed on the status bar.
The Hold function switches the cursor lock on and off, while the Unlock
function cancels the locked angle and removes the LOCK message.

Lock to Line
This option locks cursor movement to the angle of a line on the drawing.
AllyCAD prompts:
Select line to lock onto
Position the cursor on or close to the line

you want to take the angle from and press
[Enter] or click.
Lock Geom Line

This locks cursor movement to the angle of a geometry line.
Select geometry line to lock onto
Position the cursor on or close to the geometry line you want to take the
angle from and press [Enter] or click.
Lock Keyboard
This option locks the cursor movement to an angle that is typed into the
Control Bar.
Enter cursor angle
Type the angle you want the cursor to be locked at, for example 45
degrees. Press [Enter].
The angle is measured anti-clockwise from the 3 o'clock position.
Perpendicular
This option changes the locked angle by 90 degrees.
If the cursor had not previously been locked to an angle before you
applied the Perpendicular function the message LOCK 90 will be
displayed, and if you select Hold, the cursor will move at 90 degrees.
The [Y] key is a shortcut for Perpendicular.
Tools Menu 8-3

120 deg
This option switches the locked angle between three angles suitable for
isometric drawing.
These angles are 30, 330 and 90

Error! Objects cannot be created from degrees measured anti-clockwise
editing field codes. from zero at the three o'clock
position.
To use the 120 deg function, first lock the cursor to one of the three
angles, for example 30 degrees. You can do this using any of the methods
for locking the cursor described previously.
If you select the 120 deg function or press the [.] key (Full Stop) the
locked angle will cycle from 30 to 330 degrees, then from 330 to 90
degrees, and then from 90 to 30 degrees. The LOCK display at the
bottom right of the CAD window will be updated to reflect the locked
angle.
Even though the LOCK message is displayed, the cursor will not be
locked unless you have selected Hold.
Hold
Sets/frees the cursor to the locked angle

Left Snaps + CursorHold
This function locks the cursor to the locked angle displayed at the bottom
right of the CAD window, and at 90 degrees to it. If no cursor lock has
been set, the cursor will be locked to move at 0 and 90 degrees. Selecting
Hold again unlocks the cursor.
When Hold is active a diamond is displayed on the screen with the
cursor. When you move the cursor, the diamond will only move at the
locked angle and it's orthogonal. The cursor itself is free to move
anywhere. This is best explained by means of an example in which a
rectangle is drawn.
Suppose you select Draw ► Line (Chained) and enter the first point of the
line. You then select Hold by pressing the [+] key, in order to draw the
line at the locked angle, say 45 degrees.

The line you are drawing is immediately
aligned at the locked angle and a diamond
appears at its end.
As you move the cursor up and down, so
the line follows it along the 45 degree axis.
Press [Enter] or click in order to draw a
line at 45 degrees.
Once you have entered this point, note

that the next segment of the line can be
drawn either at 45 degrees or at its
orthogonal, 315 degrees.
Draw a line at 315 degrees and press
[Enter] or click. Then start to draw
another line at 45 degrees.
As you draw, move the cursor away from

the diamond and the line you are drawing,
and jump onto the first point of the first
line you drew.
The third side of the rectangle is
terminated perpendicular to the first point
of the first line you drew.
Tools Menu 8-5

You can now draw the last line of the
rectangle.
To draw lines of exact lengths while your cursor is locked, use the
Arrow Keys. See Accurate Drawing in the User Guide.
If you select text after you have locked the cursor, the LOCK message
will disappear. Text will be written at the angle specified in Settings ► Set
Text Defaults.
If you want to use Lock Cursor to specify the text angle, you must select
Lock Cursor after you have selected the Add Text function, when
AllyCAD is prompting:
Enter text position.
Unlock
This function removes the cursor lock and the LOCK message from the
bottom right of the CAD window.

Jumps
Jumps are used to position the cursor exactly on a specific point. With
the exception of Move to Coordinates and Polar Move, once you have
jumped, you have simply moved the cursor to a specified location. If you
wish to accept this location, for example as the end point of a line, you
must press [Enter] or click.
See Snap Modes and Accurate Drawing in the User Guide.
Grab All
Moves the cursor to the closest point, intersection, or grid point enclosed within
the cursor box.

A JumpAll
This function searches within the cursor box in the following order:
• If a point (e.g. a point, the end of a line, the end of an arc, an arc or
circle centre) is found in the box, the cursor jumps to the nearest
one.
• If a geometry intersection is found in the box, the cursor will jump to
the nearest one.
• If any other intersection is found in the box, the cursor will jump to
the nearest one.
• If a grid point is found in the box, the cursor will jump to the nearest
one.
Enter point to jump to
Move your cursor so that the cursor box surrounds the point,
intersection or grid point you want to jump to.
Press [Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly onto the point,
intersection or grid point.
If you use the Shortcut key AllyCAD will not prompt you for a point but
will immediately move the cursor. Grab All jump will only work if you
are in the Grab All mode.
Tools Menu 8-7

Geometry Intersection
Moves the cursor to the nearest intersection of geometry lines or circles.

I JumpGeom

Move your cursor close to the geometry intersection you want to jump to
and press [Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly onto the geometry
intersection.
will immediately move the cursor.
Grid
This function moves the cursor to the nearest grid point set up by Tools Grid.

G JumpGd

Move your cursor close to the grid point you want to jump to and press
[Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly onto the grid point.
If Grid jump does not appear to be working it is probable that it is
snapping to invisible grid points. To see these grid points zoom into
your drawing or increase the maximum number of grid dots across
screen.

Any Intersection
Moves the cursor to the nearest intersection of lines, arcs, geometry lines and
circles.

0 (zero) JumpInt

Move your cursor close to the intersection you want to jump to and press
[Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly onto the intersection.
Point
Moves the cursor to the nearest reference point.

J JumpPt
The reference point may be a point, the end of a line or arc, an arc or
circle centre point, the label origin of an item of text, the label origin of
an item of dimension text or an arrow end point.
Move your cursor close to the point you want to jump to and press
[Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly onto the point.
Tools Menu 8-9

Circle Centre
Moves the cursor to the nearest arc or circle centre.

* JumpCen

Move your cursor close to the circle centre you want to jump to and press
[Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly onto the circle centre.
The cursor will not jump to the centers of geometry circles - use the
Geometry Intersection jump instead.
Near Element
Moves the cursor to the nearest element.

N JumpNear

Move your cursor close to the line or arc you want to jump to and press
[Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly onto the line or arc.

Last Fixed
Moves the cursor onto the last fixed point.

X JumpFixed
The last fixed point is the last point you selected by pressing [Enter] or
by clicking. For example, this may be the end point of the last line you
drew, and is always marked by a small cross: X. If the cursor is
accidentally moved off this point, it can be returned to it using the Last
Fixed jump.
Mid Point
Moves the cursor to the mid-point of the nearest line.

C JumpRatio .5 "Y"

Move your cursor close to the line that you want the mid-point of and
press [Enter] or click. The cursor jumps exactly onto the middle of the
line.
Tools Menu 8-11

Ratio
Moves the cursor a specified distance along a line or between two points.

O JumpRatio

Move your cursor close to the line or one of the points and press [Enter]
or click.
Enter division ratio for jump
Type a number here, for example if you type "0.5" or "1/2", the cursor will
jump to half way along the line or between the two points. If you type
"1/3", the cursor will jump to a third of the way along the line or between
the two points. Press [Enter].
Would you like to jump to ratio point on line (else between
two points)
If you click on YES, the cursor will move to the point along the nearest
line. Where the cursor moves depends on the position of the cursor
before the jump was made.
Suppose the ratio was 1/3. If the cursor was

positioned at this end of the line ...
... it will jump to here.
If it was positioned at this end of the line
... it will jump to here.
If you click on NO, AllyCAD will prompt you for the first and second
points. Where the cursor moves depends on the order in which the
points are selected.

Suppose the ratio was 1/3. If two points
First point Second point are entered like this ...
... the cursor will jump here.

First point Second point
Tools Menu 8-13

Move to Coordinates
Moves the cursor to a specific coordinate location

Right Snaps U CurToCoordEnter

Enter coordinates cursor should move to
Type the x and y coordinates that the cursor should move to, separated
by a space. Click on or press [Enter].
The order of the coordinates, ie. Northing Easting or Easting Northing,
depends on the coordinate settings in Settings ► Drawing Settings.
‘0 0’ is the centre of the sheet of paper in Cartesian coordinate mode.
Unlike the other jumps in this section, you do not have to press [Enter]
to accept the new cursor position after using Move to Coordinates.

Polar Move
Moves the cursor a specified distance in a specified direction

Left Snaps P PolarEnter

Enter distance to move
Type the distance you want the cursor to move then click on or press
[Enter].
Enter bearing
Type the angle you want the cursor to move at then click on or press
[Enter]. The cursor moves.
The Angular Format setting in Settings ► Drawing Settings determines

how the angle is measured. Unlike the other jumps in this section, you
do not have to press [Enter] to accept the new cursor position after
using Polar Move.
Tools Menu 8-15

Show Nodes
Show all the nodes on the drawing.

ShowNode
0.8
text
When you select this function, all nodes on the drawing are marked.
• Points, the ends of lines and the ends of arcs are shown as diamonds.
• Arc and circle centres are shown as squares.
• Text and dimension text origins are shown as stars.

Dump Data
Output a detailed list about the objects in your drawing to file

DumpData
Dump Data creates a file that gives the following information about each
or specific objects in your drawing:
• Parent and object names.
• The coordinates of the object's snip box.
• The layer the object is on.
• The coordinates of the object's hook point.
• Whether the object is selected.
• Whether the object is a hatch perimeter.
• The coordinates, line type, pen and width of each primitive in the
object, and whether this primitive is selected.
Refer to the Drawing Structure in the User Guide if you do not
understand any of the terminology in this section.
What layers do you want to dump data from (enter '*' for all
layers)
Type the name of the layer that you want to dump information from. To
dump information from all layers, type "*" and click on or press
[Enter].
What object names do you want data from ('* *' for all
objects)
Type the name of the object or objects you want information about and
click on or press [Enter]. For example, if you type:
YELLOW CIRC1
information about objects with the name "CIRC1" and with the parent
name "YELLOW" will be dumped. Wildcards may be used. For example,
if you type:
* CIRC1
Tools Menu 8-17

information about all objects with the name "CIRC1" will be dumped,
regardless of parent names. If you type:
YELLOW *
information about all objects with the parent name "YELLOW" will be
dumped, regardless of object names. If you type :
* *
information about all the objects on the specified layers will be dumped.
Do you want data from all elements (else just object
headers)
If you click on the YES button, the information that is dumped to the file
will include both Object Header information and Object Details. If you
click on the NO button, only Object Header information will be dumped.
A sample data file produced by Dump Data is shown below.
parent A object P128
objectbox -410.455 -125.775 -258.850 -19.091 objectscale 1.000 1.000 objectrot 0.000
objectlength 506 visibility 1 layer 0 object hook 0.000 0.000
selected 0 clip 0 hatch 0 type 0 patnumber 128 lib 0 key 0 Flags: grp=0 sym=0 contdel=0 chk=0
polyline linet= 1 pen=14 used=0 selection=0 nvertex=11 spline=0 swid= 0 ewid= 0 closed=0
key=0, SNode=0, ENode=0
vertex -386.87 -57.273 type=0 swidth= 0 ewidth= 0
*************************************************
objectbox -264.465 -125.775 -112.861 -19.091 objectscale 1.000 1.000 objectrot 0.000
selected 0 clip 0 hatch 0 type 0 patnumber 129 lib 0 key 0 Flags: grp=0 sym=0 contdel=0 chk=0
polyline linet= 1 pen=14 used=0 selection=0 nvertex=11 spline=1 swid= 0 ewid= 0 closed=0
key=0, SNode=0, ENode=0

Object Header
Information about each object comprises an Object Header followed by
Object Details. The Object Header looks like this:
parent YELLOW object CIRC1
objectbox 39.962 -15.016 88.891 33.914 objectscale 1.000 1.000 objectrot 0.000
objectlength 208 visibility 1 layer BEE object hook 88.891 9.449
selected 0 clip 0 hatch 0 type 0 patnumber 79 lib 0 key 0
It contains the following information.

parent parent name.
object object name.
objectbox coordinates of rectangle that encloses object.
objectscale information used by AllyCAD.
objectrot information used by AllyCAD.
objectlength length of object data structure in bytes.
visibility information used by AllyCAD.
layer the layer the object is on.
object hook coordinates of the object's hook point.
selected this figure is 1 if the object is selected.
clip information used by AllyCAD.
hatch this figure is 0 if the object is not a hatch perimeter.
type information used by AllyCAD.
patnumber information used by AllyCAD.
lib information used by AllyCAD.
key information used by AllyCAD.
Blocks
Drawings that have been imported as DXF or DWG files are likely to
contain AutoCAD blocks. These will be represented in Dump Data files
in the same way as AllyCAD objects, except that they will have a
STARTBLOCK line above the object description and an ENDBLOCK
line beneath it:
===========================================
STARTBLOCK SOP [0.000000,0.000000] storescale=1.000000 flags=64 purgedflag=0
*************************************************
objectbox -10.000 -10.000 10.000 10.000 objectscale 1.000 1.000
objectrot 0.000
selected 0 clip 0 hatch 0 type 0 patnumber 121 lib 0 key 0
arc 10.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 10.000 0.000
radius 10.000 cw 0 line, pen, width 255 11 0 0 0 0 aspect 1 angle 0
line -7.071 7.071 7.071 -7.071 255 11 0 0 0 0
line 7.071 7.071 -7.071 -7.071 255 11 0 0 0 0
ENDBLOCK
Tools Menu 8-19

The first item after the word STARTBLOCK is the block's name. The
other parameters are not relevant in AllyCAD but are necessary if the
drawing is later exported back to AutoCAD.
Object Details
After the Object Header, details about each primitive in the object are
given. These details vary depending on the nature of the primitive.
Pens (colors) are numbered from 1 to 255 in the Color toolbar. A pen of
256 indicates that the pen is being set By Layer. Line types are
numbered from 1 downwards in the Line Type Menu so that
continuous is 1, dashed is 2, etc. A line type of 256 indicates that the line
type is being set By Layer.
Points and Lines
Coordinates of one end of the line Line type Width in tenths of a mm
line -87.268 87.616 -1.043 109.172 1 1 0 0 0 0
Coordinates of other end Pen This figure is 1 if the

of the line line is selected
Points are represented as lines whose start and end coordinates are the
same.
Polylines
polyline linet= 1 pen=1 used=0 selection=0 nvertex=4 spline=0

swid= 0, ewid= 0, closed=0, key=0, SNode=0, ENode=0
vertex -119.73 35.404 type=0 swidth= 0 ewidth= 0
vertex -42.042 49.172 type=0 swidth= 0 ewidth= 0
Coordinates of polyline's vertices
Vertex type (straight line or arc)
Start width and end width of vertex

linet line type.
pen colour.
used information used by AllyCAD.
selection 1 if polyline is selected, else 0.
nvertex number of vertices in the polyline.
spline spline type: 0 = no spline, 1 = 3 pt Bezier, 4 = 4 pt Bezier.
swid start width of polyline.
ewid end width of polyline.
closed 1 if polyline is closed, else 0.
key ID field for GIS type applications.
SNode ID field for start point of polyline.
ENode ID field of end node.
Arcs, Circles and Ellipses
Coordinates of arc centre

Coordinates of one end of arc Coordinates of other end of arc
arc -40.679 79.272 -45.172 53.595 -49.023 27.815

radius 26.067 cw 0 line, pen, width 1 1 0 0 0 0 aspect 1 angle 0
Line type
Pen This figure is 1 if the arc
Width in tenths of a mm is selected
Internal use
radius radius, measured in the units selected in Drawing Settings in

the Settings Menu.
Cw if the arc has been drawn in a clockwise direction, else 0.
aspect ellipse aspect ratio if the arc is an ellipse (see Ellipses).
angle ellipse angle if the arc is an ellipse (see Ellipses).
Tools Menu 8-21

Text
text item: posn 14.950 -29.205 pen 8 font 'Arial'

lorg 1 , ang (10th deg) 0 , height (10th mm) 40 , width 0
italic 0 bold 0,balloon 0 0
andrea
Text content, i.e. what the This figure is 1 if the text is

text says selected
posn coordinate position of text.

pen colour.
font font.
lorg text label origin.
ang angle, in tenths of a degree.
height height in tenths of a mm.
width width, in tenths of a mm.
italic this figure is 1 if text is italic.
bold this figure is 1 if text is bold.
balloon this figure is 1 if a balloon has been placed around the text
using Add/Rem Text Bubble in the Annotate Menu.
For further information on the above text properties, see Settings ► Set
Text Defaults.
Horizontal, Vertical, Slope and Ordinate Dimensions
Coordinates of dimension text

Coordinates of other dimensioned point
Coordinates of one dimensioned point
dim -87.268 87.616 -1.043 109.172 -51.500 127.770
pen 5 ar1 ar2 0 0 ang 140 0
dim text :88.9:
This figure is 1 if the dimension is selected
pen color.
ar1 ar2 arrow heads. The two figures following ar1 ar2 are
normally both 0. If an arrow head has been updated using
Edit Dimension Properties in Edit Dimension in the
Annotate Menu it will be represented by the number 10.
ang angle of dimension in tenths of a degree.
dim text the contents of the dimension text, i.e. the measurement.

Angular Dimensions
53.42° 53.42°
Coordinates of intersection point if this Coordinates of the tip of Coordinates of the end of the
is a dimensioned angle, or arc centre the arrow head that points witness line closest to the
point if this is a dimensioned arclength. in the anticlockwise dimension, at the clockwise
direction. end of the dimension.
adim 18.427 83.444 75.266 72.513 71.715 135.573

pen 5 ar1 ar2 0 0 0
text posn 71.715 135.573 text :55.26°:
pen colour.
ar1 ar2 the two figures following this are not relevant to angular
dimensions
text posn coordinates of dimension text position.
text the contents of the dimension text, i.e. the measurement.
Radial Dimensions
Coordinates of the point where the arrow head touches the Coordinates of the dimension
arc or circle circumference. In the case of a circle, where text if this is not on the
two arrow heads touch the circumference, it is the arrow dimension arrow. If the text is
head nearest to the text. If the text is in between the two on the dimension arrow, these
arrow heads, it is the arrow head nearest the position you coordinates are the same as
indicated when adding the Radial Dimension. the previous ones.
Coordinates of arc or circle centre
rdim -45.172 53.595 -69.196 43.482 -7.301 69.536

pen 5 ar1 textar 0 0 0
rad dim text :R 26.1:
pen colour.
ar1 textar the two figures following this are not relevant to radial
dimensions.
raddim text the contents of the dimension text, i.e. the measurement.
Tools Menu 8-23

Arrows
Coordinates of arrow tail Arrow head width in tenths of a mm Pen
arrow -82.401 -5.563 21.209 2.781 30 10 5 0
Coordinates of arrow head

This figure is 1 if the
Arrow head length in tenths of a mm arrow is selected
Data Items
data item: posn -58.758 118.907 type 0 link 0 0

paint=green
The text content of the data item This figure is 1 if the

data item is selected
posn: Coordinate position of data
type:
link:
posn coordinate position of data item.

type normally 0. Other types of data item are used internally by
the program.
link information used by AllyCAD.
Bitmaps
bitmap: filename = "C:\MANDRAW\CCAD.BMP" pixel size = 1 1

visible = "Y" position = 138.725166 84.834437
filename the full path and filename of the bitmap.

pixel size real world pixel size.
visible this is “Y” if the bitmap is visible and “N” if it is displayed as
a placeholder.
position the coordinates of the top left hand corner of the bitmap.
For further information on the above bitmap properties, see Load

Bitmap.

Block Inserts
Drawings that have been imported from DXF or DWG files are likely to
contain AutoCAD block inserts. These are represented as follows:
Name of block being inserted Coordinates of inserted block's hook point
INSERT "SOP" index=0 [240.307714,262.241572] xscl=3 yscl=3 ang=0
Number of block being inserted. X and Y scale of inserted block

0 is the first block defined in the drawing
1 is the next block etc.
angle of inserted block
Tools Menu 8-25

Grid
Draw a grid to aid drawing.

GridDef
Grid allows you to draw a user-defined grid onto the screen.
The grid points can be snapped to using the Grid

Snap mode or the Grid Jump. The grid can be
turned on and off.
If you have ticked the Isometric Grids box in Settings

► Drawing Settings you will get an isometric grid.
When you select the Grid function the following dialog box is displayed:
X Grid Spacing
This is the distance between grid points in the X direction.
Y Grid Spacing
This is the distance between grid points in the Y direction
Grid Display Density

If the X and Y grid spacing is small there will be so many dots on the
screen that it will be both confusing and slow on redraws. This is
especially true as you zoom out, which will cause even more grid dots to
appear on the screen.

The figure typed here is the maximum number of dots that will be
displayed on the screen at any time, regardless of X and Y spacing and
magnification.
For example, if you have chosen X and Y spacing that result in 80 rows
and 80 columns of dots on the screen at a particular time, only 40 rows
and 40 columns (i.e. every second dot) will be displayed if 40 has been
typed as the maximum.
The dots that are not displayed still exist and can be snapped to. You just
can't see them.
Grid On
This option turns the grid on or off.
If the Grid Snap mode or the Grid Jump do not appear to be snapping
to grid points, it is probable that they are snapping to invisible grid
points. In order to see these invisible points, zoom into your drawing or
increase the maximum number of grid dots across screen.
Tools Menu 8-27

Measure
Measure the distance and angle between two points.

Left File QueryDist
Second
point
Slope
distance
Y distance
Angle
First
point
X distance
This function measures the slope distance, the x and the y distances and
the angle between any two points.
Distances, arc lengths, angles, diameters and radii may also be

measured using the various dimensioning functions in the Annotate
Menu. If you just want to measure but do not want to add the
dimension, cancel the dimensioning function immediately after the
measurement has been displayed in the Control Bar.

Distance ... enter first point ([Space Bar] to exit)
Position the cursor at the first point and press [Enter] or click. AllyCAD
will prompt:
Second point
Position the cursor at the second point and press [Enter] or click.
The measurements are displayed. Click on OK to return to AllyCAD.
Distance ... enter first point ([Space Bar] to exit)
To measure something else, position the cursor at the first point and
press [Enter] or click. Alternatively, cancel measuring by choosing
another function, pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done.

Polygon Area
Measure the area and perimeter of polygons.

Left File QryArea
This function measures the area and perimeter of polygons. When you
select this function, you will enter the Perimeter Menu.
Once you have defined the perimeter you wish to measure, an
information box will appear displaying its length, the area inside it and
the centroid of the points used to calculate the area. These
measurements will be presented in the currently selected linear and area
units.
Incorrect areas
If you select the yellow Object Icon in the Perimeter Menu on the Control
Bar to identify a boundary, the area calculated may be incorrect. For this
method of boundary identification to produce the correct result, all the
elements in the object must have been drawn sequentially.
Incorrect perimeters
Line width affects perimeter calculations, which may therefore appear
incorrect. For example:
If you draw a rectangle of 100x100mm with a line width of 0mm, the
perimeter will be measured as 400mm.
If you draw a rectangle of 100x100mm with a line width of 0.2mm, the
If you draw a rectangle of 100x100mm with a line width of 2mm, the
This only occurs if you use the Rectangle, Line or Object methods of
defining the perimeter to measure. This is intentional for certain types of
costing.
To switch off this effect temporarily, click in the Command box on the
Control Bar and type:
SETUSEWIDTHPERIM 0
Tools Menu 8-29

To switch off this effect as default you must edit your "linetype.mac" file.
This file resides in the "macro" directory in the User directory. You can
edit it using any text editor, such as Windows Notepad.
Insert a line into the "linetype.mac" file that reads
SETUSEWIDTHPERIM 0
To turn the effect on again, use the command

SETUSEWIDTHPERIM 1.
Refer to the ENQUIRE “LASTAREA” macro functions for more details.

Add Data Item
Link text to coordinates.

Data
This function allows text to be linked to a specific coordinate location.

This information can later be queried by a macro, using the function
Enquire Data. See Enquire in Macros.
For example, if you were designing base plates for different pump and
motor combinations, you could place data items on the bolt holes. A
macro could then query the positions of these bolt holes and design the
base plate accordingly.
Enter location for data point
Position the cursor at a coordinate location that you want text to be

linked to and press [Enter] or click.
Enter text for data point
Type text to be associated with the coordinate location.

For example, if you type "BOLTHOLE", you can later query the data item
called "BOLTHOLE" and discover its x and y coordinate location.
Alternatively, you could type "BATHROOM PAINT=BLUE". A macro
could then query the colour of the bathroom by searching for the data
item "BATHROOM PAINT".
When you query a data item, the macro function Enquire Data will only
read the coordinates of the first occurrence of the data item it
encounters. So if you need to query the locations of several bolt holes,
for example, you should distinguish between them by assigning
different text to them, for example BOLTHOLE 1, BOLTHOLE 2 etc.
When you have typed the text, click on or press [Enter].

Should the data item be visible
Tools Menu 8-31

If you click on the YES button, the data item text will be displayed on the
screen. The text format is determined by Set Text Defaults in the
Settings Menu. If you click on the NO button, the text will be invisible.
You can make all data item text visible, or all data item text invisible
using Show Data Items in View Settings in the Settings Menu.
A diamond shape appears at the coordinate position but disappears

when you redraw the screen. It will re-appear if you want to change the
text of a data item using the function Edit Data Item in the Tools menu.
Enter location for data point
Enter the location for another data item. Alternatively cancel linking text
to coordinates by choosing another function, pressing the [Space Bar],

Edit Data Item
Change the information in a data item.

EditData
When you choose this function, a diamond shape appears wherever a

data item has been entered.
Select data item to edit
Position the cursor on the diamond marking the data item you want to
edit and press [Enter] or click. The data appears in the Control Bar.
Enter new data
Type in the new data and click on or press [Enter]. AllyCAD will
prompt:
Should the data item be visible
If you click on the YES button, the data item text will be displayed on the
screen. The text style is set in Settings ► Set Text Defaults. If you click on
the NO button, the text will be invisible.
You can make all data item text visible, or all data item text invisible
using Show Data Items in Settings ► View Settings.

Select data item to edit
Position the cursor on another data item to edit and press [Enter] or
click. Alternatively cancel data item editing by choosing another
Tools Menu 8-33

Query Entity
Query details of an entity.

Right File QueryEl

Select element to query
Position the cursor on the entity you want to query. Press [Enter] or
click. A box showing information about the entity appears.
The following conventions are used:
• Pens (colors) are numbered from 1 to 255. A pen of "256" indicates
that the pen is being set By Layer.
• Line types are numbered from 1 downwards in the Line Type menu
so that continuous is 1, dashed is 2, etc. A line type of "256" indicates
that the line type is being set By Layer.
• Width is measured in tenths of a mm.
• Angles are measured anti-clockwise from the 3 o'clock position.
• The figure in brackets "(0)" is information used internally.
• The letter or name in single quotes after the word Layer is the layer
the entity is on.

Bill of Materials (BOM)
Create a Bill of Materials

Bom
Bill of Materials (BOM for short) extracts information from attributes

attached to objects on your drawing. It places this information into a
fixed width, comma delimited, or tab delimited ASCII file.
OBJ_NAME MANUFACTURER PART_NO COLOUR OBJ_LAYER OBJ_XREF OBJ_YREF
BATH SCOVER 123 CREAM FURNITURE -2736.238 -1897.376
BATH SCOVER 123 YELLOW FURNITURE 63.762 -1897.376
BASIN SCOVER 67 CREAM FURNITURE -2736.238 -181.661
BASIN SCOVER 67 YELLOW FURNITURE 63.762 -181.661
The top line of the file is optional and describes the attributes that have
been extracted. In the example above, data has been extracted about
each object's name, its manufacturer, part number, colour, layer and the
coordinate position on the drawing.
Every line that follows refers to an object on the drawing. In the list there
is a bath on the drawing manufactured by SCOVER, with a part number
of 123, in cream. On the drawing it is on the FURNITURE layer and is
located at coordinate position "-2736.238, -1897.376".
Once you have extracted the bill of materials, you can read the ASCII file
into a database or spreadsheet to manipulate the information.
Creating a Template for the Bill of Materials

You first need to create a template file for the bill. The template defines
what will be included in the bill. You can use any text editor, such as
Windows Notepad, to create the file, which must have a ".BTM"
extension. The template used to create the BOM shown above looks like
this:
OBJ_NAME C 10 0
MANUFACTURER C 14 0
PART_NO N 10 0
COLOUR C 12 0 "unspecified"
OBJ_LAYER C 10 0
OBJ_XREF N 12 3
OBJ_YREF N 12 3
Tools Menu 8-35

System Attributes
The first column of the template lists the attributes to be extracted in the
BOM. All the attributes whose names begin with OBJ_ are automatically
calculated for every object on the drawing.
In the example above, four system attributes have been used: OBJ_NAME,
OBJ_LAYER, OBJ_XREF and OBJ_YREF. Here is a list of all the available
system attributes:
Name Description
OBJ_NAME the object's name.
OBJ_PARENT the object's parent name.
OBJ_LAYER the layer the object is on.
OBJ_XREF the x coordinate position of the object's hook point.
OBJ_YREF the y coordinate position of the object's hook point.
OBJ_XSCALE the scale of the object in the x direction. This is 1 unless you
have scaled the object, either when you added it to the drawing
using Symbol, or using Scale in the Modify Menu.
OBJ_YSCALE the scale of the object in the y direction. This is 1 unless you
have scaled the object, either when you added it to the drawing
using Symbol, or using Scale in the Modify Menu.
OBJ_ROT the rotation of the object, measured in degrees and anti-
clockwise from the 3 o'clock position. This is 0 unless you have
rotated the object, either when you added it to the drawing using
Symbol, or using Rotate in the Modify Menu.
OBJ_AREA the area of the object, measured in the currently set area units
(see Drawing Settings). Be aware that the areas calculated for
complex objects are not always accurate. See List Objects for
an explanation.
OBJ_PERIM is the perimeter of the object, measured in the currently set linear
units (see Drawing Settings).
If you don't know what an object name, a parent name or a hook point
is, see Drawing Structure in the User Guide.
User-defined Attributes
Three user-defined attributes have been used in the template:
MANUFACTURER, PART_NO and COLOUR.

A template file must contain at least one user-defined attribute, and you
can define as many as you want. User-defined attribute names are case-
insensitive and may not contain spaces i.e. COLOUR = Colour = colour.
Only objects that have at least one of the user-defined attributes
specified in the template file will be included in the BOM.
Attribute Type
The second column in the template specifies whether the attribute is a
text item or a number.
"C" is specifies that the attribute is a text item. Text attributes will have
double quotes placed around them if the bill is output as a comma or tab
delimited file.
"N" specifies that the attribute is a number.
Attribute width
The third column in the template defines the maximum width, in
characters, that the attribute will take up in the file.
If you choose to output the bill as fixed columns, then this width will be
used to define the fixed column spacing.
Decimal places
You can specify the number of decimal places in the fourth column for
the following attributes:
OBJ_AREA
OBJ_PERIM
OBJ_XREF
OBJ_YREF
OBJ_XSCALE
OBJ_YSCALE
OBJ_ROT
For example, the OBJ_XREF and OBJ_YREF attributes are given a

width of 12 characters, of which three are for decimal places:
OBJ_XREF N 12 3
OBJ_YREF N 12 3
Tools Menu 8-37

This means that the x and y coordinates of the object are rounded to
three decimal places: -2398.842 and -84.934. The coordinates fit into their
width allocation of 12 characters in the file as follows:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
- 2 3 9 8 . 8 4 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
- 8 4 . 9 3 4
The numeric attributes are right justified in the file.
Default attribute values

In the fifth column of the template you can specify a default value that
must be given to a user-defined attribute if an object does not include
that attribute or if the attribute has no value.
So, for example, the COLOUR attribute has been given a default value of
“unspecified”. If there is an object on the drawing that has not had a
colour assigned to it, the object will be given the colour “unspecified” in
the bill.
Sample Template File

SAMPLE.BTM is a template file that contains all the system OBJ_
attributes. You can use this template file as a basis for creating your own
by loading it into Windows Notepad, editing it, then saving it under a
new name. Edit it by removing any OBJ_ attributes you don't want and
by adding your own user-defined attributes.

Creating a Bill of Materials
Before you can create a bill of materials:
• Your drawing must contain objects with attributes. These will have
been created initially using Objects ► Make Symbol and will have
been placed on the drawing using Draw ► Symbol.
• You must have created a Template file for the bill.
Follow the steps outlined below:
1. Select the Tools ► Bill of Materials option.
2. Select the Template file you want to use from the standard File
Open dialog.
3. Specify the BOM Output file name using the standard File Save
dialog. By default, the file will have a .BOM extension, but you can
change that if you want to.
4. The Bill of Materials dialog box is displayed.
The BOM will be saved in a plain ASCII file. The Field Separators
option allows you to specify that the file must be:
Comma Delimited
items separated by commas with text items enclosed in quotation
marks.
Tab Delimited
items separated by tabs with text items enclosed in quotation marks.
Fixed Width Columns
the width of each column specified in the template file.
If you check the Field Names on First Line option the first line of the
file will include the names of the attributes. This is useful if you plan
to import the BOM into a program like Microsoft Access, which can
interpret the first line of the file as field names.
Tools Menu 8-39

Click on OK to generate the BOM. A message will be displayed
telling you how many objects are included in the BOM.
You can look at the BOM in any text editor such as Windows Notepad or
import it into any spreadsheet or database that accepts ASCII files. Once
in the spreadsheet or database, you can manipulate the information in
the BOM.
Creating objects with attributes (Symbols)

You must create a symbol library or libraries containing all the objects
you want to include in your bill of materials as follows:
1. Start a new drawing.
Draw the objects.
Use Objects ► Make Symbol to group the objects and add attributes to
them.
For full details refer to Objects ► Make Symbol. However, the
important parts of the Make Symbol function for BOMs are the
following prompts:
Enter prompt for symbol attribute 1 (Blank for no
attributes)
Type a name for an attribute. For example, if the object is a bath and
one of the bath's attributes is colour, type COLOUR. Then press
[Enter] or click on .
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter attribute default value
You must now type one of the following:

COLOUR=CREAM
or
COLOUR
then press [Enter] or click on .

COLOUR is the attribute name. This is the user-defined attribute
name that you type into your BOM template file.
If you type COLOUR=CREAM, then CREAM is the default value of
the attribute COLOUR. You can give any default value, e.g.
COLOUR= PEACH, COLOUR=GREEN, COLOUR=BLUE etc.
You can change this value when you insert the object into a drawing
with Draw ► Symbol.

If you just type COLOUR, then the attribute has no default value.
You can add a value when you insert the object into a drawing with
Draw ► Symbol.
AllyCAD prompts:
Enter attribute position
Click where you want the attribute to be positioned. This position

isn't important, as the attribute won't be visible.
AllyCAD prompts:
attributes)
Type a name for another attribute, or stop adding attributes by

leaving the command line blank, then pressing [Enter] or clicking on
.
Save the library using File ► Save As.
It's best if you save the library into the Symbol sub-directory
otherwise you may have difficulty finding the library again later if
you are not familiar with Windows.
Refer to Objects ► Make Symbol and Settings ► View Settings for more
details.
Viewing and Editing attributes in a symbol library

Load the symbol library drawing. To see the attributes go to
Settings ► View Settings and set Show Data Items to "All".
If you need to change an attribute in a symbol library use Tools ► Edit
Data Item. The format of the data item after editing must be
prompt:attribute=value
as is shown in the example with

COLOUR:COLOUR=CREAM.
Adding attributes to an object in a symbol library

If you need to add an attribute to an object in a symbol library, simply
use Objects ► Make Symbol to create the object again. When you get to the
prompt:
Enter prompt for symbol attribute 1
Tools Menu 8-41

do not enter the existing attributes again. Just add the new attribute or
attributes.
To check that the attributes are correct once you have finished go to
Settings ► View Settings and set Show Data Items to "All".
Deleting attributes from an object in a symbol library

If you need to delete an attribute from an object in a symbol library use
Object ► Explode Object to explode the object.
Go to Settings ► View Settings and set Show Data Items to "All". Delete the
unwanted attributes. If you can't select them for deletion, set the
Selection Filters to Data Item and try again.
Select the object and its remaining attributes and use Objects ► Group
Into Object to recreate the object.
Refer to the Object Menu for more details.
Adding objects with attributes to a drawing

If you want to add an object with an attribute to a drawing:
1. Use File ► Load Symbol File to load the symbol library.
AllyCAD prompts:
Do you want symbols to be absolute (else to scale)
Click on the NO button to accept the to scale option. AllyCAD
prompts:
Convert attributes to text during load?
You MUST answer NO to this question if you plan to create a Bill of
Materials.
Use Draw ► Symbol to add the object to the drawing.
AllyCAD prompts:
Select the object you want and position it on the drawing. Click or
press [Enter]. Suppose the object has an attribute called Colour.
AllyCAD now prompts:
COLOUR

On the Command Line COLOUR or COLOUR=CREAM is displayed
where CREAM is the default value you attached to the attribute
when it was created.
You can change this value by typing COLOUR=GREEN or
COLOUR=BLUE. The value, i.e. CREAM or GREEN or BLUE etc.
is what will appear in the BOM.
You can also edit the command line to just read COLOUR so that the
COLOUR attribute has no value. If you have typed a default value for the
COLOUR attribute into your template file the attribute will be given this
default value in the BOM.
When you are satisfied with the attribute's value, press [Enter] or
click on . You will be prompted to enter a value for any other
attribute attached to the object.
Once you have allocated values to all of the object's attributes, the object
will be displayed on the drawing. A diamond will be displayed at the
position of each attribute. This diamond will disappear next time you
redraw.
Viewing and Editing attributes in a drawing

To see the attributes in a drawing go to Settings ► View Settings and set
Show Data Items to "All". If you need to change an attribute in the
drawing use Tools ► Edit Data Item. The format of the data item after
editing should be:
attribute=value
ie. COLOUR=CREAM in the example.
Adding attributes to an object in a drawing

If you need to add an attribute to an object once it is part of the drawing,
use Tools ► Add Data Item. The data item you add should be in the
following format:
attribute=value
ie. COLOUR=CREAM in the example.

Use Objects ► Group Into Object to group the object and the new data item
into one object.
Deleting attributes from an object in a drawing

If you need to delete an attribute from an object once it is on a drawing,
use Object ► Explode Object. Go to Settings ► View Settings and set Show
Tools Menu 8-43

Data Items to "All". Delete the data item and use Objects ► Group Into
Object to regroup the object and its remaining attributes.
Troubleshooting
If you are having difficulty creating a Bill of Materials check the
following:
• Ensure there is no carriage return after the last line in your BOM
template file.
• Have you attached the attributes to the objects correctly?
• For an object to be included in the BOM, it must have at least one of
the attributes listed in the BOM template file.
See Also
Explode Object, Group Into Object, Make Symbol, Edit Data Item, View
Settings, Selection Filters.

Tidy Polygons
Tidies up polygon segments entered from an “untidy” source such as a digitizer
or raster to vector conversion program.

TidyPoly
Tidy Polygons does the following:

• Removes redundant line segments.
Before Tidy Up Boundaries After Tidy Up Boundaries
• Removes duplicate lines.

• Joins line end points to give a neat junction.
Before After
Drawingsnaptidy Drawingsnaptidy
• Removes very short lines.

• Tidies up over- and under-shoots.
Before After
drawingCliptidy drawingCliptidy
The following options are available.
Tools Menu 8-45

Add Nodes
This option adds nodes at segment intersection points and is required
before you can use the Tidy Up Boundaries option.
Nodes
Segments made up
of many small lines

Enter node radius in mm on paper
Enter the radius of the nodes to be added. A value of between one and
two millimeters is reasonable. Press [Enter] or .
Enter next node position
The cursor changes to Point mode. Position it close to the segment

intersection you want to add a node to and press [Enter] or click.
A circle is displayed around the intersection, and this node is
automatically added to a layer called "__NODES__" so that you can easily
switch off or delete the nodes when you no longer need them.
Enter next node position
Add another node or cancel node adding by pressing the [Space Bar],

Tidy Up Boundaries
This option removes redundant lines. For example, when you digitize,
you commonly enter many more line segments than are necessary,
especially along straight segments.
The redundant segments are replaced with a single line, often resulting
in a large memory saving - usually a factor of two to ten.
You should change to a clean layer before tidying. In this way you can
easily get rid of any old fragments that have been missed in the
cleaning process.

Enter tolerance on each side of line for straightening(in mm
on paper)
Type a number, usually between 0.3 and 0.7 and press [Enter] or click .
The number defines a “corridor” of a certain width, and any line
segments falling within this corridor will be replaced with a single line
segment.
Boundary tidied up using a smaller tolerance
Boundary tidied up using a larger tolerance
Tools Menu 8-47

The larger the envelope the more line segments will be joined.

Select node for start of next boundary segment
Position the cursor on the node marking one end of the

boundary segment to be tidied and press [Enter] or click.

Show first line of segment (Pick first line at
its mid point)
Position the cursor half way along the first line making up
the boundary segment to be tidied. You may have to
magnify into the drawing in order to identify this segment.
The program will now track along the segment until it reaches another
node. You will see its progress as it tracks. If tracking is lost before
another node is reached or if there is ambiguity at a point the following
prompt is displayed:
Tracking lost... enter next segment
Position the cursor on the next line in the boundary segment to be

tracked and press [Enter] or click.
Once another node has been reached a list of

options will be displayed.
If you are satisfied with the tidied boundary and want to discard the old
boundary, choose the Satisfied discard old option. If you are satisfied
with the tidied boundary but want to keep the old one, choose the
satisfied Keep old option.
If you are not satisfied with the tidied boundary, choose the Restart
segment option. Finally, if you have finished tidying boundaries, choose
Quit. You will be returned to the Tidy Polygons Menu.

Do not cancel segment tracking by pressing [Esc], or the tidied segment
that has been created so far will not be deleted. Wait for tracking to
stop, then choose Restart segment from the list of options.

Select node for start of next boundary segment
Click on the first node of another boundary segment to tidy or cancel

boundary tidying by pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done or .
Drawingsnaptidy
This option tidies up end of line connections, deletes very short lines, and
removes duplicate lines.
If you are using this function in conjunction with DrawingCliptidy, then

you must use Drawingsnaptidy first. This is because Drawingsnaptidy
might move line end points, and this may cause overshoots and
undershoots already tidied by DrawingCliptidy to become untidy again.

Enter snap tolerance in current units
If two or more line end points lie within the snap tolerance, then the
function will try to move these end points onto the intersection points of
the lines.
All the line ends within this circle
lie within the snap tolerance
Before After
Drawingsnaptidy Drawingsnaptidy
Type in the tolerance and press [Enter] or click on . The tolerance

should normally be about 50% higher than the maximum gap to be
closed. You can use the Tools ► Measure function to query gap sizes.
If you simply want to use Drawingsnaptidy for removing duplicate

lines, you can set the tolerance to "0".

Enter minimum line length allowed (in current units)
Tools Menu 8-49

The function will delete all lines shorter than a given length. Type a
minimum line length and press [Enter] or click on . If you do not want
to delete any very short lines, give a length of zero.
If you simply want to use Drawingsnaptidy for removing duplicate lines,
you can set the minimum line length to "0".
Remove overlapping lines?
Click on the YES button if you want to remove overlapping lines. Else
click on the NO button. Overlapping lines will be removed as follows:
• Exactly overlapping - one line will be deleted.
• Partially overlapping - one line will be trimmed to meet the other.
• Long line completely overlapping short line - the short line will be
deleted.
Enter polygon within which to Snaptidy
Draw a polygon around the area within which the snap tidy operation is
to be applied.
In some cases, for example where there are three or more lines that do
not intersect at the same point, the function may not be able to join the
lines. In such cases you may have to use the Modify ► Trim,
Modify ► Divide/Extend or Modify ► Move Point functions to join them.
AllyCAD will continue prompt:
Enter polygon within which to Snaptidy
Define another polygon or cancel the function by pressing the


DrawingCliptidy
This function tidies up line over and under-shoots.
If you are using this function in conjunction with Drawingsnaptidy, then
you must use Drawingsnaptidy first. This is because Drawingsnaptidy
might move line end points, and this may mean that overshoots and
undershoots already tidied using DrawingCliptidy might become untidy
again.
DrawingCliptidy will not tidy overshoots and undershoots where two line
ends meet (circled in the diagram below). This is the function of
Drawingsnaptidy.

Enter dangle tolerance in current units
Type in a tolerance for the maximum length of an over or undershoot to

be tidied and press [Enter] or click on .
Enter polygon within which to Cliptidy
Draw a polygon around the area within which the function is to be

applied.
In some cases DrawingCliptidy may not be able to resolve the over and
undershoots. In such cases you may have to use the
Modify ► Divide/Extend or Modify ► Trim functions to tidy them.
Enter polygon within which to Cliptidy
Draw another polygon or cancel the function by pressing the

Tools Menu 8-51

Expand
Automatically produce a detailed view.

Expand
Expand automatically produces a detailed view within a box or circle. It

can also be used as a “cut and paste” function if the magnification is set
to 1.
The function will give you the option to save the detailed view onto a
separate layer. We advise that you do this, because otherwise it is easy to
accidentally change the magnification of your drawing.

Expand inside a box? (else circle)
If you want the detailed view to appear

inside a box, click on the YES button
If you want the detailed view to appear

inside a circle, click on the NO button

Would you like to enter box/circle after expand
If you would like the box or circle to be drawn around the detailed view
as shown above click on the YES button.

Otherwise, click on the NO button.
Detailed view in a box

Enter corner of expand box
Position the cursor at one corner of the

expand box and press [Enter] or click.

Enter another corner of box
Position the cursor at a diagonally opposite
corner of the expand box and press [Enter]
or click.

Enter magnification factor
Type the magnification of the detailed view and click on or press

[Enter].
Enter position of expanded detail
Tools Menu 8-53

A box representing the size of the detailed view appears. Move this to a
suitable position on the screen and press [Enter] or click. The detailed
view is drawn.
Magnified Layer
The Magnified Layer dialog box is displayed.
Choose a layer for the detailed view to be copied into by clicking on the
appropriate layer in the list.
Enter new magnification for layer ‘newlayer’
Anything that you subsequently draw onto the layer that the detailed
view is on will have the magnification that you give here. For example, if
the drawing scale is 1:1, and you give a magnification of 2, anything else
that you draw on this layer will be drawn at a scale of 1:0.5.

Detailed view in a circle

Enter centre point of expand circle
Position the cursor at the centre of the

expand circle is to be and press [Enter] or
click.

Enter point on radius
Position the cursor at a position on the

expand circle’s circumference and press
[Enter] or click.

Enter magnification factor
Type the magnification of the detailed view and click on or press

[Enter].
Enter position of expanded detail
A box representing the size of the detailed view appears. Move this to a
suitable position on the screen and press [Enter] or click. The detailed
view is drawn.
Do you want an arrow joining the two circles
This question is only asked if you have chosen to draw an expand circle
around the detailed view.
If you want to join the two circles with an arrow, click on the YES button,
otherwise click on the NO button.
Tools Menu 8-55

Magnified Layer
The Magnified Layer dialog box is displayed.
Choose a layer for the detailed view to be copied into by clicking on the
appropriate layer in the list.
Enter new magnification for layer ‘newlayer’
Anything that you subsequently draw onto the layer that the detailed
view is on will have the magnification that you give here. For example, if
the drawing scale is 1:1, and you give a magnification of 2, anything else
that you draw on this layer will be drawn at a scale of 1:0.5.
General
If you have placed the detailed view onto the same layer as the rest of
your drawing, it is important that you type a magnification of "1" so that
anything else you draw on the layer is not drawn at the wrong scale.
If you want to add dimensions to the detailed view, you should accept the
default magnification, which is the magnification of the detailed view.
This will ensure that the dimensions are correct.
Accept the magnification you type by clicking on or pressing [Enter].

If you had already dimensioned the drawing before creating the detailed
view and the dimensions in the detailed view are now incorrect, you
must do the following after you have completed the Expand function.
Select the detailed view using the Edit ► Select or Edit ► Selection Filters
commands. Then use the Modify ► Scale function to scale the detailed
view by "0.5 0.5" and then by "2 2". The dimensions will then read
correctly.
Once you have changed the magnification of the layer, you will see that
this magnification is reflected in the Layer Control.
Tools Menu 8-57

Objects Menu
The Objects menu allows you to group elements into
symbols or objects that structure your drawing and
can be used to produce a Bill of Materials.
Objects Menu 9-1

An introduction to objects and symbols
Primitives are grouped together to form object.

For example this object, an electrical socket, is
made up of five primitives (two arcs and three
lines).
Objects are further grouped into PARENTS. For

example, these two objects, an electrical socket
and an earth position, might be grouped into a
parent called POWER on a building services-type
drawing.
A symbol is a specialized object that has been drawn as a standard part

and will be used over and over again.
For example, an architect may need to draw doors or windows, a
mechanical engineer may need to draw nuts and bolts, etc. Each type of
door, window, nut or bolt can be referred to as a symbol, and all the
different types of doors, windows, nuts or bolts can be drawn onto one
drawing from where they can be copied when they are needed. This kind
of drawing can be referred to as a Symbol Library.
Properties of objects
Each object has a name, a parent name, a hook point and a snip box
associated with it. Some objects may also have attributes associated with
them.
Object and parent names can be up to 15 characters in length.
This object might have the name FUSE

and have a parent name of PLUG.
This object might have the name

WINDOW, and have a parent name of
BUILDING.

Parent Name
If you do not choose a parent name before creating an object it will be
given the default parent name. This will usually be "A".
There are two ways to give the object a specific parent name.
• Before you create the object using Objects ► Edit Object ► Change
Parent. This defines the default parent name that will be given to all
the objects you subsequently create.
• After you have created the object using Objects ► Edit Object ►
Change Name.
Object Name
To change the object and/or parent names of an existing object, use the
Objects ► Edit Object ► Change Name function.
Hook Point
The object's hook point acts as a reference point. For example, if you
import an object from one drawing into another drawing as a symbol, the
object will appear in the second drawing with its hook point at the cursor
position.
Because of the way that the CAD can automatically rotate and snip
around symbols when they are inserted into drawings, you should
position the hook point on the left of the symbol.
The hook point of this fuse, normally invisible,

but indicated here by a star, has been positioned
at the left.
Hook point
The hook point of this window, normally

invisible, but indicated here as a star, has been
positioned at a corner.
Hook point
Use the function Objects ► Edit Object ► Change Hook Point to change the
position of the hook point.
Objects Menu 9-3

Snip Box
The snip box is an invisible box that fits exactly around the extreme
edges of the object. It is used if the object is imported into another
drawing as a symbol.
When you insert the object into another drawing, the program will
automatically snip out everything inside the snip box, if you want it to.
For example, in the example below, the window has been inserted into a
wall and the wall has been snipped away to accommodate the window. In
the other example, the fuse has been inserted into a circuit, and the
circuit has also been snipped away.
Wall before symbol insertion Circuit before symbol insertion
Wall after symbol insertion Circuit after symbol insertion
Attributes
Attributes are pieces of information that can be attached to an object if
the object is created using the Make Symbol method (see Grouping
Primitives into Objects).
An attribute for the window might be that it is to be manufactured from
aluminium. An attribute for the fuse might be that its current rating is 5
Amps.
Attributes are only used if the object is imported into another drawing as
a symbol. As the object is imported, you will be asked if you want to
change the attribute value associated with the symbol.
For example, you may be importing a fuse whose rating is 2 Amps rather
than 5 Amps.
2 AMP Once the object has been imported, the attribute

can either be displayed with the object as text, or
can remain invisible for use in a bill of materials.

Using an object as a symbol
If you are going to use the object as a symbol, you should draw it
horizontally. For example, if you are drawing a fuse...
you should draw it this way round ...
... not this way round.
This is because of the way that AllyCAD can automatically rotate and
snip around symbols when they are inserted into drawings.
Note the following points:
• AllyCAD positions the object's hook point automatically. When you
have finished creating the object, you may want to position its hook
point manually. To do this, use the Objects ► Edit Object ► Change
Hook Point function.
• If you are going to use the object as a symbol, you should position
the hook point at the left hand end of the symbol because of the way
that AllyCAD can automatically rotate and snip around symbols
when they are inserted into drawings.
• When you use Begin New Object to create an object, the object's snip
box will fit exactly around the extreme edges of the object. No
attributes will have been assigned to the object.
When you have created the object, you will be able to select the entire
object at once by clicking on it with the Select cursor. If you want to
select a single primitive within the object, you must explode it first using
Objects ► Explode Object.
Objects Menu 9-5

Begin New Object
Create an object by naming it and then drawing it.

BeginObj
Using the Begin New Object function requires an organised approach, as

it involves naming the object first, then drawing it.
Enter new object name
Type a name for the object and click on or press [Enter]. You only
need to type the object's name. Do not type a parent name. From now on,
all the primitives that you draw will be grouped into an object with this
name until:
• You create another object using Begin New Object, Group Into Object
or Make Symbol.
• You use a function that automatically starts a new object or you
make the object too big (65000 bytes - roughly 1070 lines or 750 arcs).
In either of these cases, AllyCAD will automatically start a new
object.
• You change the current object (the object you are currently drawing)
using the Select Current Object function.
• You change layers.

Group Into Object
Create an object by selecting primitives you have already drawn, then grouping
them.

LinkSel
This function groups drawing primitives into objects after they have
been drawn. You must select the drawing entities using the Edit ► Select
or Edit ► Selection Filters commands. If you have not selected any entities
AllyCAD will change into selection mode. Select the entities.
Enter name for new object
Type a name for the object and click on or press [Enter]. You only
need to type the object's name. Do not type a parent name. The selected
primitives will be highlighted, and will be grouped under the name you
have typed.
Objects Menu 9-7

Explode Object
Explode objects and blocks so that individual primitives within them can be
selected.

Explode
If you have created an object using Objects ► Begin New Object,

Objects ► Group Into Object or Objects ► Make Symbol the entire object will
be selected when you click on an element of the object with the Select
cursor.
Some functions also group the elements into objects, for example, when
you draw a rectangle using Draw ► Rectangle the four lines making up
the rectangle are grouped. When you create a polyline using
Draw ► Polyline all the lines making up the polyline are grouped.
Similarly, symbols entered using Draw ► Symbol are grouped, and
sketches produced using Draw ► Sketch are grouped.
All the elements in a block that has been imported from a DXF or DWG
file are also grouped together. If you do not want to select the entire
object or block when you click on it, but only want to select one primitive
within it, you must first explode the object or block.
To do this, select the object or block using Select or the Selection Filters.
Then select Objects ► Explode. Clear all selections using Edit ► Clear
Selection. You will now be able to select single primitives.
Exploded polylines can be restored one at a time using Edit ► Undo.

Show Objects
Display objects on the screen one by one.

AllPats
Suppose you have three objects in a drawing, one of them hatched. When
you select Show Objects, each object will be shown on the screen in turn.
Its hook point will be displayed as a star, and the snip box will be
displayed.
It's parent name, object name and layer will be displayed in the prompt
area. If the object is a hatch perimeter, the perimeter’s reference point
will be shown as a cross, and the hatch index used to hatch the perimeter
will also be displayed in the prompt area.
AllyCAD prompts:
What layer do you want to show objects from (enter “*” for
all layers)
Type the name of the layer you want to display the objects from and click
on or press [Enter]. To show objects from all layers type * and click on
or press [Enter].
What object names do you want to show (‘*’ for all objects)
You must type both the parent name and the object name of the objects
you want to show. Names are case-insensitive. Wildcards may be used.
Objects Menu 9-9

For example, typing
SHAPES *
will select all objects with the parent name SHAPES, such as SHAPES
CIRCLE, SHAPES TRIANGLE, etc.
Typing:
* CIRCLE
will select all objects called CIRCLE, whatever their parent names are.
Typing:
* *
will select all the objects in the drawing regardless of name.

Click on or press [Enter]. The objects are then displayed, one by one,
either until all the specified objects have been shown or until you press
the [Esc] key and redraw the screen.
In the above example, the following will be displayed in the prompt area:
SHAPES CIRCLE layer A hatch index 0
where SHAPES is the parent name, CIRCLE is the object name and the
layer is A. Hatch index 0 indicates that the object is not a hatch
perimeter.
The object will be displayed like this in the

drawing area. The star represents the hook point,
while the box around the circle represents the
object's snip box.
The prompt area displays for the next object:

SHAPES TRIANGLE layer A hatch index 0
where SHAPES is the parent name, TRIANGLE is the object name and
the layer is A. Hatch index 0 indicates that the object is not a hatch
perimeter.

drawing area. The star represents the object's
hook point, and the square represents its snip
box.
The next object will display the following on the prompt area:
SHAPES RECTANGLE layer A hatch index 0
where SHAPES is the parent name, RECTANGLE is the object name

and the layer is A. Hatch index 0 indicates that the object is not a hatch
perimeter.

drawing area. The star in the diagram represents
the object's hook point.
The snip box corresponds exactly to the
rectangle, so you cannot see it.
Thereafter the following will be displayed on the prompt area:

A P5 layer A hatch index 1
where A is the parent name, P5 is the object name and the layer is A.
Hatch index 1 indicates that the object is a hatch perimeter and that the
hatch pattern it contains is number 1, i.e. the first in the list of hatch
patterns.
The cross in the diagram represents the object's

hook point, and you cannot see the snip box
because it corresponds exactly to the rectangle.
Objects Menu 9-11

When the current object is displayed, the words “current object” are
shown.
When all your objects have been displayed, an extra object, comprising
just a hook point at the screen centre will appear. This is normal.

List Objects
List, count and measure objects in the drawing.

ListPat
This function creates an ASCII file that lists the objects in your drawing.
A typical file extracted from the drawing above would look like this:
Parent name object name Quantity Area Perimeter

BUILDING EXTWALLS 1 8.706215e+07 109939.5
BUILDING INTWALLS 1 5647791 71410.93
fittings door 8 8790306 27965.14
fittings extdoor 1 3026734 3629.442
fittings window 2 1.9203e+07 14844
furniture chair 7 955833.1 8881.744
furniture desk 7 4619122 23064.69
There are 27 objects selected
Objects Menu 9-13

For each type of object on the drawing the following is displayed:
• the parent name
• the object name
• the number of objects with that name
• the total area taken up by objects with that name
• the total perimeter of objects with that name
For example, in the listing shown on the previous page, there are seven
desks in the drawing, grouped under the parent name "furniture". The
total area taken up by the seven desks is 4619122 mm2. The total
perimeter of the desks is 23064.69 mm.
The perimeters and areas are measured in the units you have selected in
Settings ► Drawing Settings.
Do you want data from all layers (else just displayed
layers)
If you want to list all the objects in your drawing, click on the YES
button. If you only want to list the objects in the visible layers, click on
the NO button.
Do you want areas and perimeters calculated automatically
If you click on the YES button, AllyCAD will calculate areas and
perimeters. If you click on the NO button, perimeters and areas will not
be calculated.
Calculated areas may be incorrect unless the elements in each object

have been drawn sequentially.
You can select the units you want areas measured in, e.g. square mm,
square m etc. These units can be different from the units you are
drawing in. For example, you can draw in mm and measure areas in
square meters.
The object listing is saved to an ASCII file that can be viewed using any
text editor such as the Windows Notepad.

Make Symbol
Create an object from primitives you have already drawn by following a series of
prompts.

MakeSym
This function groups drawing primitives into a symbol after they have
been drawn.
Make Symbol has three advantages over the other methods of object
creation:
1. It asks you a series of questions allowing you to place the object's
hook point at a position of your choice. The position of the hook
point is very important if you are going to import an object from one
drawing into another as a symbol, because the object will appear in
the second drawing with its hook point at the cursor position.
If you were to use Begin New Object or Group Into Object to create
the object, you would have to position the hook point separately
using the Objects ► Edit Object ► Change Hook Point function.
It allows you to attach attributes to objects. For example, if you draw a
fuse, you might want to attach an attribute to it stating that its current
rating is 2 amps. Attributes can be extracted in a bill of materials. Refer
to Bill of Materials in the Tools Menu for more details.
It allows you to define your own snip box around the object. This can
automatically erase any part of the drawing over which the symbol is
placed.
Enter name for new symbol (blank to stop making symbols)
Type the object name of the object you are about to create and click on
or press [Enter]. Do not type a parent name.
Enter symbol hook point
The hook point is the insertion or reference point of the object that you
will use to position the object when you place it on another drawing. You
should choose it carefully and position it accurately for the best results.
AllyCAD can automatically rotate a symbol and snip around it when it is
inserted into drawings. It is therefore preferable that you position the
hook point on the left of the symbol.
Objects Menu 9-15

This diagram shows two examples of objects - a
window and a fuse. Position the cursor at the
position to be used as the hook point and press
[Enter] or click.

Enter lower left corner of snip box
(for snipping out lines)
You can only define a linear, square or

rectangular snip box. When you insert the
symbol into a drawing, the program can
automatically snip out everything inside the box
you define here, if you want it to.
Position the cursor at the lower left corner of the
snip box and press [Enter] or click.

Enter upper right corner of snip box
(for snipping out lines)
Position the cursor at the upper right corner of

the snip box and press [Enter] or click.
In the following examples, a window symbol has been inserted into a wall
and the wall has been snipped away to accommodate the window, and a
fuse has been inserted into a circuit and the circuit has also been snipped
away.
Wall before symbol insertion Circuit before symbol insertion
Wall after symbol insertion Circuit after symbol insertion

Enclose everything that you want included in symbol

Draw a box or polygon around the primitives that you want to include in
the object. Two diamonds marking the extents of the snip box will
appear.
If you enclose any hatches within the polygon, these will be converted
to lines.

attributes)
The attribute prompt is the name or description for the information, for
example "RESISTANCE" for a resistor, "WEIGHT" for a piece of steel,
"MATERIAL" for what a window is to be manufactured from or
"CURRENT" for the current rating of a fuse.
If you want to attach attribute information to the object type in the name
and click on or press [Enter].
Enter attribute default value
This will be the default value of the attribute. For example, you might
type "WOOD" as the material a window is made out of, or "3 AMP" for the
current rating of a fuse.
If you are going to create a bill of materials, the attribute default value
must be in a particular format:
attribute=default value
e.g. COLOUR =CREAM.

Type in the value and click on or press [Enter].
When you insert the object into another drawing using Draw ► Symbol
the attributes can be displayed as text or extracted in a bill of materials.

Enter attribute position
Position the cursor where you want the attribute to be placed and press
[Enter] or click. A diamond is displayed.
If the attribute is displayed as text when you place the symbol into
another drawing the attribute position defines where the text will be
placed.
Objects Menu 9-17

Enter prompt for symbol attribute 2
Type a prompt for another attribute and click on or press [Enter]. You
may add other attributes or stop adding attributes by leaving the Control
Bar blank and clicking on or pressing [Enter].
Enter name for new symbol (blank to stop making symbols)
Type the name for a new object and click on or press [Enter]. To stop
making symbols leave the Control Bar blank and click on or press
[Enter].
Refer to Tools ► Bill of Materials for details on how to edit and delete
attributes once you have attached them to a symbol.
When you have created the object using Make Symbol, you will be able
to select the entire object at once by clicking on it with the Select cursor.
If you want to select a single primitive within the object, you must

Edit Object
This option allows you to change object names,
parent names and hook points. The Edit Objects
sub-menu will be displayed. Select one of the
options and follow the instructions set out below.
Objects with the parent name "__LABEL__" are not displayed in the list
of symbols that appears when you use the Draw ► Symbol function. If you
are creating objects for use as symbols, use "__LABEL__" as the parent
name for text descriptions or other items that must not be displayed.
Change Name
Change the object name

RenamePat
This option allows you to rename an object or objects. Both the object
and parent names may be changed.
You can select the object whose name must be changed by clicking on it
with your cursor. Alternatively, you can select one or several objects
whose names must be changed by specifying the name of those objects.
Enter object name to be changed or select object with cursor
To select the object whose name must be changed by clicking on it with

your cursor, click on or press [Enter] to accept the default answer
(cursor) to this question.
Select by cursor
Select object for name change
Position the cursor on the object whose name is to be changed and press
[Enter] or click. The object's current parent and object names are
displayed in the Control Bar.
Enter new parent and object names (separated by a space)
Type the new parent and/or object name for the object you have selected
and click on or press [Enter].
Objects Menu 9-19

Select object for name change
Position the cursor on the object whose name is to be changed and press
[Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel the function by choosing another
Select by Name
Enter object name to be changed or select object with cursor
Type over the word "Cursor" with the name of the objects whose names
you want to change. All object names are written in upper-case letters.
For example, suppose you have ten objects with the parent name
ASSEMBLY and the object name BOLTM6. If you type:
ASSEMBLY BOLTM6
the names of all ten objects will be updated at once to the new name.
Wildcards may be used. For example, if you type
ASSEMBLY *
all objects with the parent name ASSEMBLY will be updated to the new
name, regardless of their object names. If you type
* BOLTM6
all objects with the name BOLTM6 will be updated to the new name,
regardless of their parent names. If you type
* *
all objects, regardless of their parent or object names, will be updated to

the new name.
If AllyCAD cannot find an object with the name you typed, the function
will be terminated. If it can find the object it will prompt:
Enter new parent and object names (separated by a space)
Type the new parent and object names and click on or press [Enter].
Wildcards cannot be used.

Change Parent
Change the object's parent name

Parent
This function changes the default parent name. When you create a new
object it is given the default parent name until you change it again.
To change a parent name that has already been assigned to an object,
use the Objects ► Edit Object ► Change Name function.
Enter new parent name
Type the new default parent name and click on or press [Enter].
Change Hook Point

Change the object's hook point (reference point)

ChPatHook
When an object is created it is automatically given a hook point.

However, this hook point may not be in a suitable position, especially if
the object is to be used as a symbol.
This function allows you to change the hook point of an object. When it is
active stars are displayed on the drawing to represent the current
position of the hook points.
You may find that some objects do not appear to have a hook point. This
is because some of the hook points are positioned on top of each other.
This is likely to happen if one object was drawn originally and was later
split into several objects.
Select object for hook change
Position the cursor near the object that needs a new hook point and
press [Enter] or click. The cursor jumps onto the object's current hook
point.
Enter new hook point
Objects Menu 9-21

Position the cursor where you want the object’s new hook point to be and
If you are going to use the object as a symbol, you should position the
hook point at the left hand end of the symbol because of the way that
AllyCAD can automatically rotate a symbol and snip around it when it
is inserted into a drawing.
A star is displayed at the new hook point position.

Select object for hook change
Position the cursor near another object that needs a new hook point and
press [Enter] or click. Alternatively cancel the function by choosing

Update Objects
Replace all the examples of a particular object.

Renew
This function allows all the examples of a particular object to be updated

at once. A typical example would be the need to replace all the square
columns shown on an existing floor plan with differently shaped columns
in one easy operation.
Before Update Objects After Update Objects
Note the following points before using this function:

• Update Objects assumes that all the objects have the same parent
and object name as the selected object.
If you used Repeat or Drop to create multiple copies of the selected
object the parent and object names would automatically be the same.
If you are not sure what the parent and object names of the other
objects are use Tools ► Query Entity to check. If the parent and object
names are not the same use Objects ► Edit Object ► Change Name to
change them.
• It is a good idea to establish the hook point position of the objects
you are going to replace before you apply this function.
• To do this use Objects ► Edit Object ► Change Hook Point. A star will
appear on each object. Terminate the function without changing any
hook points by pressing the [Space Bar], clicking on Done or . The
hook points will remain marked by green stars.
Follow the steps below:
1. Select one of the original objects (one of the square columns in the
example) as the current object using the Objects ► Select Current
Object option.
Objects Menu 9-23

Edit the selected object to the desired shape.
Apply the Update Objects function.
Sure you want to update all objects with same name as
current object
This is a safety measure. Click on the YES button if you are quite sure
you want to update the objects, or on the NO button if you want to abort.
Enter point on current object where reference points on old
objects must be
If you want the objects to retain their current positions, it is important

that you choose the original hook point of the selected object, otherwise
all the objects except the current object will be moved and the positions
of their hook points will be altered. Once you have selected the point,
press [Enter] or click. The objects are replaced.
Update Objects will also work on objects that have been scaled or
rotated. However it will not work if the selected object has been scaled or
rotated after creation.
It is a good idea to store your drawing before performing this operation,

just in case things go wrong!

Select Current Object
Select an object to be the current object.

SetCurObj
All newly drawn primitives are added to the current object. If you want
to add to an object that already exists, you should first choose that object
as the current object.
Another use is in Objects ► Update Objects. Here the current object is
used as the template for the other objects with the same name.
Select object to become current object
Position your cursor onto the object that must become the current object
Blink Current Object

Highlight the current object.

BlinkCurObj
This function toggles the highlighting of the current object. In this way
the current pattern can be made to “blink” which is a useful method of
determining what the current object is.
Objects Menu 9-25

Create Block
Group selected entities into a block.

Block
You can create a block from any selected entities on a drawing. When
you create a block, the selected entities are grouped into a named block,
and moved to the invisible block part of drawing memory.
To see the entities in the block again you need to insert it with
Objects ► Insert Block.
Enter name for new block.
Type in a name and click on .

Enter block hook point.
Move your mouse to the position where you want the hook point to be.
Click.
If you have not selected any entities AllyCAD will prompt:
Select single entity ([SHIFT] for multiple selection)
Select the entity or entities to include and click. The selected entities are
highlighted. Click on Done.
The selected entities are highlighted. Click on DONE. The selected
entities will be made invisible and moved to the block part of drawing
memory.

Insert Block
Insert a block into the drawing.

InsertInt
This function creates a reference to an already created block. The block

itself is not copied into the drawing as just a reference to the block is
inserted into the drawing. This can save a lot of memory if you have a
large block that is repeated many times across a drawing. The block gets
scaled, rotated and drawn at the insertion point.
Click on the name of the block that you want to insert and click OK.
Enter block insertion point.
Position your mouse to the position where you want the insertion point
to be. Click.
Enter point to be scaled
Choose a point away from the insertion point.

Move mouse and click or type in new X and Y scale factors
You can now scale the block dynamically or type in exact scaling factors
in the Control bar.
Enter point that must rotate
Select a point away from the insertion point.

Enter point to rotate to or type in rotation angle
Rotate the block dynamically or type in the exact rotation angle on the
Control bar.
You can abort the scaling and rotation by pressing the {Esc] key or the
[Space Bar].
Objects Menu 9-27

Settings Menu
The Settings Menu allows you to set up the
drawing as well as pen and line styles.
The default paper size, scale, units etc. that are
loaded each time you enter AllyCAD or select
File ► New are stored in a drawing called
STARTUP.DRG.
Settings Menu 10-1

Drawing Settings
Set or change paper size, scale, units, coordinate system, angular format and
isometric grid, circles and dimensions.

DrawDef
The drawing settings can be set before you start drawing or changed at
any time during drawing. The following dialog box is displayed.
Paper Size
This allows you to set the paper size and orientation.
Size
Select the paper size you require from the list.
The paper border is represented on the drawing area as a purple box.
The centre of this box will always correspond to the coordinate "0,0" if
you are using Cartesian coordinates, or to the coordinate you have
specified as the screen centre if you are using Surveyor coordinates.
Refer to Coordinate System for more details.
If you change to a larger paper size in mid-drawing (e.g. from A4 to A3),
the objects you have drawn will take up a smaller proportion of the

paper. You can see this if you do a Zoom Paper, which displays your
entire sheet of paper on the screen.
Similarly, if you change to a smaller paper size in mid-drawing (e.g. from
A3 to A4), the objects you have drawn will take up a larger proportion of
the paper, and may even overlap the edges. If this is the case, do a Zoom
All to see the whole drawing in relation to the paper size (represented by
a purple box).
In either case, you may want to change the scale to rescale your drawing
so that it fits the new paper size appropriately.
Orientation
Click on Portrait if you want your drawing to be oriented so that the
sheet is tall, or on Landscape if you want it wide.
Scale
The current scale is displayed. There are three scale types:
• Architectural
• Engineering
• Metric/Custom
Select the option you want from the Type list box.
Metric/Custom
Setting your drawing scale and units using the Metric/Custom option is
best described using the following three examples.
Example 1:
To draw at a scale of 1:1 in millimeters set up the drawing scale as shown
below:
Settings Menu 10-3

You can do this in one of two ways:
• Set the Paper Units to "1 mm" and the Drawing Units to "1 mm". This
means that 1mm on the paper will equal 1mm in real life. If you now
press the [TAB] key, you will see that the Scale Ratio automatically
updates to "1:1".
• Type "1" into the Scale Ratio box, which will then specify a scale of
1:1. Set the Drawing Units to "mm".
Example 2:
To draw at a scale of 1:50 in meters set up the drawing scale as shown
below:

• Set the Paper Units to "1 metre" and the Drawing Units to "50
metres". This means that 1 metre on the paper will equal 50 metres
in real life. If you now press the [TAB] key, you will see that the Scale
Ratio box automatically updates to "1:50".
1:50. Set the Drawing Units to "metres".
Example 3:
To draw at a scale of one inch to one foot, set up the scale part of the
Drawing Settings dialog box so that it looks like this:

• Set the Paper Units to "1 inches" and the Drawing Units to "1 feet".
This means that 1 inch on the paper will equal 1 foot in real life. If
you now press the [TAB] key, you will see that the Scale Ratio box
automatically updates to "1:12".

1:12. Set the Drawing Units to "feet" or "feet and inches".
Architectural
If you select this scale type the Drawing Settings dialog box changes to
look like this:
You can select a standard scale from the list of scales that appears, e.g. 1”
= 1’. The first number (1”) is a length on paper. The second number (1’)
is the equivalent length in real life. When you select a standard scale
from the list box, the Scale Ratio box automatically updates. For
example, if you have chosen a standard scale of 1” = 1’, the scale ratio
will automatically update to 1:12.
Alternatively you can type a scale ratio directly into the Scale Ratio box.
For example, if you type “1”, the scale will be 1:1. If you type “12”, the
scale will be 1:12, etc.
In the Architectural option drawing units are automatically set to feet
and inches. However, you can determine the denominator you want, or
set the inches to decimal by selecting the Metric/Custom option, clicking
on the Drawing Units button, selecting feet inches as the unit, selecting
the denominator, then reselecting the Architectural option.
Engineering
This scale option is similar to the Architectural option with the following
differences:
• The standard scales listed in the standard scales list box are
different.
• It allows you to use decimal feet and decimal inches as well as feet
and inches. You can swap between units by selecting the
Metric/Custom option, clicking on the Drawing Units button,
selecting the units you want, then reselecting the Engineering
option.
Settings Menu 10-5

Changing Scale
If you change scale in mid-drawing, your drawing will be re-scaled about
the coordinate 0,0 if you are using Cartesian coordinates or about the
coordinate you have specified for the screen centre if you are using
Surveyor coordinates (see Coordinate System).
Changing scale does not change dimensions. For example, if a line has a
dimension of 100mm, and the scale is changed, then that line will still
have a dimension of 100mm. It will merely look smaller or larger in
relation to the paper size.
If you change to a smaller scale (e.g. from 1:1 to 1:10), the objects you
have drawn will take up a smaller proportion of the paper. You can see
the appearance of the re-scaled drawing if you do a Zoom Paper. This
zoom displays your entire sheet of paper on the screen.
Similarly, if you change to a larger scale (e.g. from 1:10 to 1:1), the objects
you have drawn will take up a larger proportion of the paper, and may
even overlap the edges. If this is the case, do a Zoom All to see the whole
drawing in relation to the paper size represented by a purple box.
In either case, you may want to change the paper size so that your
drawing fits the paper appropriately.
Drawing Units
To change units, set the scale type to "Metric/Custom". The currently
selected linear unit is displayed on the Drawing Units button. To change
linear or area units, click on this button, and the Change Units dialog box
appears.
Click here to change linear units
Some units have a default symbol that

appears in this box. You can type any
symbol to represent any unit here
Click here to change area units

Linear Units
You can change the linear units using the list box at the top of the
Change Units dialog box. The choices are as follows:
• mm
• meter
• inches
These are decimal inches, i.e. one and a half inches would be
represented as 1.5.
• user-defined
If you check this option, the prompt mm per user unit will appear.
Type the length of the user defined unit in mm.
• feet inches
If you check this option, dimensions will be displayed in the format
5+7/12 (five inches and seven twelfths of an inch), 1'3+5/16 (one foot,
three inches and five sixteenths of an inch), etc. Another option will
be displayed to specify the largest denominator. For example, if you
type 12, the denominators used will be 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12. If you type 16,
the denominators used will be 2, 4, 8 and 16, etc.
• feet
These are decimal feet, i.e. one and a half inches would be
represented as 1.5'.
• yard
• km
• mile
Unit Symbol
The default symbol for the selected unit is displayed. You can type any
symbol to represent any unit here.
Area Units
These are the units of area measurements in the Tools ► Polygon Area,
Tools ► Bill of Materials and Objects ► List Objects functions. The choices
are as follows:
• User defined
• Square inches
• Square feet
• Square yards
• Acres
• Square miles
• Square mm
• Square cm
• Square m
Settings Menu 10-7

• Hectares
• Square km
Changing Units
If you change linear units in the middle of a drawing, existing
dimensions will not be automatically updated to the new units. All
subsequent dimensions, however, will be displayed in the new units. This
is an advantage to some people who want to display both imperial and
metric units on the same drawing.
If you change units in the middle of a drawing and you want to update
the dimensions you have already drawn to the new units, you must do
the following once you have changed units. First select your entire
drawing using Edit ► Selection Filters with the "Select All" option. Then
use the Modify ► Scale to scale the drawing by "0.5 0.5". Finally, use the
Modify ► Scale function again to scale the drawing by "2 2". The
dimensions will have been updated.

Coordinate System
AllyCAD supports the following coordinate systems:
+y
-x +x Cartesian
Typically architectural and

mechanical drawings
Zero rotation is to the right and
increases in the anti-clockwise
-y
direction
-x
Surveyor Southern Hemisphere

+y -y Typically used by surveyors and
civil engineers.
Zero rotation is south and
increases in the clockwise
direction
+x
+x
Northern Hemisphere Surveyor

-y +y Typically used by surveyors and
civil engineers.
Zero rotation is north and
increases in the anti-clockwise
direction
-x
Settings Menu 10-9

Surveyor Setup
If you click on this button the following dialog is displayed.
Surveyor Origin The survey coordinates of the centre of the drawing or of a

known point on the drawing
Set origin at known Check this option if the reference coordinates are of a known
point point and not the drawing centre
Northing Easting Specify the order in which coordinates will be read and
Easting Northing displayed
Northern Hemisphere Specify which hemisphere you are working in
Southern Hemisphere
If you are working in the Surveyor coordinate system, drawings that

have been drawn using the same coordinate system will automatically be
aligned with respect to each other if you use File Open to load more
than one drawing at once.
If you want to specify the coordinates of a known point check the Set
origin at known point option. When you exit Drawing Settings the
message box
Click on point with coordinates x y
will be displayed. Click on OK to close the message box.

Click on point with coordinates x y
Place the cursor at the position on the drawing corresponding to the

reference coordinates. Press [Enter] or click.
You can use this function to change the origin point from the screen
centre to the bottom left. To do this, type "0 0" into the Surveyor Origin
box and check Set origin at known point. When you are prompted to

specify a point whose coordinates you know, click on a point at the
bottom left of the screen.
Number of Decimals
Here you define the number of decimal places required for the
coordinate display. The maximum number is 15.
You can also set a negative number of decimals, so that AllyCAD will
only be accurate to the nearest 10 (-1 decimals), 100 (-2 decimals) etc.
Isometric Grids
If the Isometric Grids box is checked, certain functions will behave in a
particular way.
Tools ► Grid will produce an Isometric

grid, where the grid points are angled at
30, -30 and 90 degrees to each other.
Draw ► Ellipses will create ellipses that are

Cursor locked at 90 degrees;
major axis of ellipse aligned at 0 the right shape for use as circles on an
degrees.
isometric drawing, and that are angled at
90 degrees to the angle at which the cursor
is locked.
Annotate ► Slope Dimensions will allow you
30
to angle witness lines to produce
dimensions appropriate for isometrics.
Settings Menu 10-11

Angular Format
When you click on this button (labeled "dd.dddd" by default), the
following dialog box is displayed.
Angular Units Click on the arrow to change the units. You have a choice of:
• grads
• radians
• decimal angles
• degrees minutes and seconds
Degrees, minutes and seconds can be displayed in three ways:
• degrees.minutes.seconds
• degrees°minutes'seconds"
• Ndegrees°minutes'seconds"W
Number of Specify the number of decimals to be displayed.
Decimals
Zero Point Specify the position from which angles will be measured during
the Polar Move and survey dimension functions
Measure specify the direction in which angles will be measured
ClockWise /
CounterClockWise
Typing in degrees, minutes, seconds and quadrants

You can type in the angle 12°34’56.78” as
12 34 56.78
12.34.56.78
or as
12.345678

Using the last method, the first two characters after the decimal point are
taken as minutes, the next two as seconds, and anything after that as
decimal seconds.
You can type in quadrants as "N45 23 12E". Alternatively, you can use a
quadrant number instead of N45W. Use the / or * characters to separate
the angle from the quadrant number, which must come after the angle.
For example, the angle N12°3456E can be entered as
12.3456*1
or as
12.3456/1
The four quadrants are:

NE 1
SE 2
SW 3
NW 4
Zero Point and Clockwise/Anti-Clockwise Settings

The zero point and clockwise/anti-clockwise settings you define in the
angular format apply only to Polar Move and to surveyor functions.
Other functions, such as Modify Rotate are not affected by the angular
format. Angles are measured anti-clockwise from the 3 o'clock position.
The description of each individual function states whether that function
is dependant on the angular format or whether angles are measured
anti-clockwise from 3 o'clock.
Settings Menu 10-13

View Settings
Control what is displayed on the screen.

Left View ViewDef
The default view settings that are loaded each time you enter AllyCAD or
select File ► New are stored in a drawing called STARTUP.DRG.
Show Coordinates
If checked coordinates are displayed at the bottom right of the screen.
Either absolute or polar coordinates can be displayed.
By default, absolute coordinates are displayed. These show the x, y
location of the cursor on the screen. The order and decimals of the
coordinate display are set in Drawing Settings.
Polar Coordinates
This option works in conjunction with the Show Coordinates option. If
this is checked the coordinates that are displayed will be polar, ie. the
distance and angle from the last fixed point. The format of the angle
display is determined by the Drawing Settings.

Show Geometry
This option controls the display of geometry elements. Even though you
can't see the geometry, you can still jump to it, e.g. using the Geom
Intersection jump.
Show Arc Centres
If this option is checked circle centre points are

displayed as dots. If the option is not checked just
the perimeter of the arc or circle is displayed. Circle
and arc centres are never printed.
Control Bar Font

This option allows you to change the font used on the Control Bar. If,
when you install AllyCAD, the fonts used in the Prompt Area and Layer
Display are too big, use Control Bar Font to select a different font and/or
smaller font size.
Background Colour
This option allows you to change the background colour of the drawing
area. When you click on the button, a colour palette is displayed. Select
the colour you want.
Annotation to Draw
This allows you to select which annotations will be displayed on the
screen. This can result in faster screen redraws. All annotations will be
printed regardless of this setting.
None
No annotations will be displayed.
Settings Menu 10-15

74.44°
A All
More Text
All annotations will be displayed, in
Text 25.6 full detail.
A Text Only
More Text
Dimensions will be switched off.
Text
74.44° Dimensions Only

Text, including text in balloons as
well as entire text bubbles, will be
25.6 switched off.
All Text as Boxes

All text, including balloon and
dimension text, will be displayed as
boxes.

Point Style
This controls point size and how points will be displayed. Points can be
displayed as follows:
Point
None
Cross
X Cross
Blip
Additionally, you can choose to display points with circles, boxes and/or
diamonds around them.
If you type a negative point size, it is interpreted as a percentage of the
screen size. For example, a point size of -2 means that points will always
be drawn at 2% of screen size regardless of magnification.
Big Cursor
Edge of drawing area
If you check this option, the cursor will be

attached to a cross hair extending all the
way across the drawing area in the
horizontal and vertical directions.
Ruler
If this option is checked, the Ruler Bar will be displayed across the
bottom of the drawing area.
Settings Menu 10-17

Hatch to Draw
This option allows you to control how hatching is displayed. You can
speed up the redraws significantly if hatching is not displayed. This
setting does not affect the printed output.
There are three options:
None No hatches will be displayed when you redraw. To display
the hatches use Annotate ► Draw All Hatch. This will display
all the hatches. The next time you redraw the hatches be
switched off again.
All All the hatches will be displayed each time you redraw
Selected Only the hatches that have been selected using the
Edit ► Selection Filters Hatch option will be displayed each
time you redraw
Bitmaps to Draw
When you load a bitmap you can specify that it must be displayed as a
placeholder or in full detail. If you specify a placeholder it will be
displayed as a cross-hatched rectangle. This speeds up redraws.
This option allows you to display all the bitmaps in your drawing as
placeholders or in full detail, regardless of how you loaded them.
None All bitmaps will be displayed as placeholders
All All bitmaps will be displayed in full detail
Normal The bitmaps will be displayed as you specified when you
loaded them
Show Data Items

When you enter or edit a data item, you can specify whether the text is to
be visible or not. This option allows you to control the display of data
items
None No data item text will be displayed
All All data item text will be displayed
Normal Each data item's visibility will be determined by the setting
when you added it
Display Scroll Bars

If this option is checked scroll bars will be displayed on the screen. The
scroll interval determines the sensitivity i.e. the smaller the interval the
smaller the distance you will be able to pan using the scroll bars.

Text to Boxes at ... % of Screen
This option specifies a percentage of the screen size below which text is
not drawn in full detail. This can speed up redraws significantly.
For example, if the value is "1.5%", any text that is smaller than 1.5% of
the screen size is drawn as a box, speeding up screen redraws.
Text to Dots at ... % of Screen

This is the same as the previous option except that text is drawn as a dot
instead of as a box.
Objects Drawn at ... % of Screen

This option allows you to control the display of objects that are below a
certain size expressed as a percentage of the screen. If the object is below
the threshold size it is not drawn in full detail.
For example, if the value is 1.5%, any object smaller than 1.5% of the
screen size is drawn as a box, speeding up screen redraws.
Settings Menu 10-19

Re-Centre Paper
Move the paper so it fits your drawing better

CenterPaper
This function is especially useful for centering drawings that have been
imported via DXF or DWG on the paper. The edges of your sheet of
paper are marked by purple dotted lines. Sometimes you may need to
centre your drawing on the paper.
Enter new paper centre
Position the cursor where you want the new centre of the paper to be.
If you are using Cartesian coordinates, this position will be at coordinate
position "0 0" after re-centering. If you are using Surveyor coordinates, it
will retain its current coordinates, although it will be moved to the centre
of the paper.

Sheet Size and Scale
Sets the size and scale of your paper.

exec .\macro\newscale
This is a convenient alternative to change the sheet size and drawing

scale.
Enter paper size (0-4)
Type the correct size (0 for A0, 1 for A1 etc.) and click on . A list of all
the paper sizes can be found under the NEWSCALE function in the
Macro chapter.
Enter scale 10 for 1:10, .1 for 10:1 etc.
Type the correct scale and click on .

Enter Centre point of new scale (ESC to alter scale without
resizing)
A freehand cursor with a small cross appears within a box that

represents the paper. Drag your mouse to whatever position you want
the cross (paper centre) to be, and click.
If you press the [ESC] key at this point, then you will alter the scale of
the whole drawing without triggering a resize. This can be useful if you
import a drawing from some other system, such as DXF or HPGL files
that come in at the wrong scale.
In the USA, the sheet size numbers correspond to the numbers given in
the macro description. In South Africa and Europe, this function is
executed from the menu via a macro, which subtracts 10 from each
sheet number (I.e. A0 was 10 and becomes 0, A1 was 11 and becomes 1
etc.) This is for compatibility with older versions of the CAD.
Settings Menu 10-21

Change Magnify Factor
Change magnification factor.

Right View ChMag
This option changes the magnification factor used in the Magnify and
Demagnify functions.
Enter new magnification factor
Type the magnification factor you want to use, then click on or press
[Enter].

Line Defaults
Determine or change the line style of lines and arcs drawn using the Draw Menu.

Right Main LineType
This option allows you to change the current line style of lines, arcs,
including ellipses, circles, splines etc. You can specify an actual line
colour and line type, or can choose to set the line colour and line type "By
Layer", i.e. all the entities in a particular layer will be drawn in a
specified color and line type for that layer.
When you change the line style the Polyline defaults are also
automatically changed. You can also use this function to change the line
style of existing entities.
When you select Line Defaults, the following dialog box is displayed.
Line Type
Click on the arrow to display a list of available line types.
Pen
Click on the button to display the color palette to change the line color.
Width
Type the width of the line. If you set line width to "0", you can assign each
pen a width when you print.
Units
Specify the units used to measure the line width. The units may be in
mm, inches or points.
Settings Menu 10-23

Take From
This option allows you to match the line style of an existing entity. The
entity must be selected before you activate this function.
You can also match the line style of an existing line by placing the
cursor on it then pressing [T] on your keyboard. The dialog box will
automatically be updated so that subsequently drawn lines and arcs
will have the line style of the existing line.
Apply
This option allows you to change the style of all the selected entities. You
may select one or more entities to be changed. Once you have clicked on
the Apply button you can specify which attributes must be updated as
shown below.
All subsequently drawn lines will also be drawn using the newly
selected defaults.

Polyline Defaults
To change the style of polylines and Bezier curves

Right Main PLineDef
This option allows you to change the line style of polylines (including
Bezier curves). You can also change the style of existing polylines and
Bezier curves.
When you change the polyline defaults the line defaults are automatically
changed accordingly.
Line Type
Pen
Click on the button to display the color palette to change the polyline
color.
Polyline Type
Polylines may be straightforward (without a spline), a 3 point Bezier
curve or a 4 point Bezier curve.
Settings Menu 10-25

Polylines look exactly the same as lines
drawn using Draw ► Line (Chained).
A 3 point Bezier curve is drawn between

every three polyline vertices.
A 4 point Bezier curves is drawn through

every four polyline vertices
Width
Type the width of the line. If you set line width to "0", you can assign each
pen a width when you print.
Units
Specify the units used to measure the line width. The units may be in
mm, inches or points.
Closed
If this option is checked the last vertex will be joined to the first vertex to
form a closed polygon.
Fill Settings
This option allows you to hatch the polyline.
If you select Empty the polyline will not be

hatched.

Hatch lets you fill the polygon with a pattern that
you select from a list box.
Solid Fill lets you fill the polygon with a solid

color.
Take From
This option allows you to match the line style of an existing polyline or
Bezier curve. The polyline must be selected before you activate the
polyline defaults.
Apply
This option allows you to change the style of all the selected entities. You
may select one or more entities to be changed. Once you have clicked on
the Apply button you can specify which attributes must be updated as
shown below.
All subsequently drawn polylines will also be drawn using the newly
selected defaults.
Settings Menu 10-27

Parallel Defaults
Set the parameters for parallel lines

Right Main ParllDef
This option allows you to specify the number and style of parallel lines.
The following dialog box is displayed.
Draw Fresh
Check this option if you want to draw parallel lines from scratch, i.e. not
around an existing perimeter, by defining the reference line.
Before parallel lines After parallel lines

When you draw fresh lines, only one line is displayed as you draw using
Draw ► Parallel Line. This line is called the setting out or reference line.
The other parallel lines are drawn relative to it once it is complete.
The line style of the setting out line is defined by the Line Defaults.
Around Existing Perimeter

Check this option if you want to draw parallel lines around an existing
perimeter as shown below.
When you select the Draw ► Parallel Line option you will enter the
Perimeter Menu on the Control Bar. Define the existing perimeter to use
and click on .
Line-arc-line
This option allows you to draw a fresh sequence of parallel lines and arcs
as shown below.
Select Draw ► Parallel Line and define the line arc line sequence that
makes up the setting out or reference line. When you stop the function
the parallel lines and arcs will be drawn.
Number of parallel lines

Specify the number of parallel lines excluding the setting out line or the
perimeter. You can have a maximum of 9 parallel lines.
Settings Menu 10-29

Parallel lines
In this diagram there are two parallel
Setting out line or lines.
perimeter
Parallel Line Styles

You specify the style of the parallel lines in the table.
Pen
Right click on the pen cell to display the color palette to change the line
color.
Line Type
Width
Type the width of the line in millimeters. If you set line width to "0", you
can assign each pen a width when you print.
Offset
The parallel lines are offset relative to the setting out or reference line. It
is measured in the units specified in the Drawing Settings.
Parallel line
If you type a positive offset (e.g. 5), the
Offset parallel line will be drawn to the right of
the setting out line in the direction you are
Setting out line drawing…
Setting out line

while with a negative offset (e.g. -5) the
parallel line will be drawn to the left of the
Offset
setting out line in the direction you are
Parallel line
drawing.

If you track an existing perimeter using
Perimeter the Auto option, parallel lines with a
positive offset will appear on the opposite
Parallel line side of the perimeter to the selection
point…
Perimeter
while parallel lines with a negative offset
Parallel line will appear on the same side.
Suppose you have chosen to draw 3 parallel lines.

1. Set the Number of Parallel Lines to 3.
2. The first 3 lines of the line style grid will now be active. Simply
specify the pen, line type, line width and offset for each of the 3 lines.
Remember that a negative offset is to the left of the defining line
while a positive offset is to the right.
3. You can change the defaults of a particular parallel line at any time.
Closing Off Ends.

This option closes off the ends of the parallel lines as shown below.
If this option is not checked the ends are

left open.
Settings Menu 10-31

If this option is checked the ends of the
parallel lines are closed off.
Closed off ends
Starting and Ending Angles.

Start and end angles are measured anti-clockwise from the setting out
line, in the direction of drawing or perimeter definition.
End
45°
Start In this example, the starting and ending
angles for the parallel lines were 135
degrees for the start angle and 45 degrees
Di r
ect for the end angle.
i on 135°
of
dra
win
g
Filleting Corners
This option allows you to automatically fillet parallel lines on the outside
of corners less than 90 degrees.

In the diagram the solid line represents
the setting out line or perimeter. The
dashed lines represent the parallel lines.
The parallel defaults that are loaded each time you enter AllyCAD or
select File ► New are stored in a drawing called STARTUP.DRG. See
Defaults for more details.
Settings Menu 10-33

New Geometry Colour
Determine the colour and line style of subsequent geometry lines.

Right Geometry GeomLinePen
The line type dialog box will be displayed. Select a line type and pen for
geometry lines.
Each geometry line can have its own colour but the geometry line style is
global to all geometry. It is not possible to change the colour of geometry
that has already been entered.

Set Text Defaults
Determine or change the style in which text is drawn.

Right Main TextDef
This function can be used to:

• set the style of subsequently entered text
• set the style of text as you are writing it
• set the style of text that you are importing
• change the style of existing text.
The Text Defaults dialog box is displayed.
All subsequently entered text will be drawn using the text style.
Settings Menu 10-35

Font
The current font is displayed on the button at the top left-hand corner of
the dialog box. If you click on this button the standard Windows Font
dialog box will be displayed.
Select the font and style you want to use.

Windows is supplied with three types of font:
• True Type fonts
• screen fonts
• plotter (or stroke) fonts
If you are going to print to a printer or inkjet plotter you should use True
Type fonts. This will produce excellent results that closely resemble the
display.
If you are going to print to a pen plotter you should use plotter or stroke
fonts. If you use True Type fonts on a pen plotter the True Type fonts
will be converted to plotter fonts. However, depending on the plotter and
plotter driver you are using, all vertical or angled text may be plotted
horizontally.
True Type fonts are preceded by a “TT” icon in the list of fonts in the
Font dialog box. They look the same on your screen as they do when they
are output to your printer. They scale smoothly to any size on almost any
Windows-supported screen and printer (excluding daisy-wheel printers
or plotters).

Screen fonts are preceded by an icon representing a screen and usually
have the suffix (WN) on the list of fonts in the Font dialog box. These are
the fonts that Windows uses for the text that appears in dialog boxes on
the screen, among other things. A screen font will be approximated by
your printer with the result that text drawn using screen fonts may look
slightly different when printed.
Plotter fonts are vector fonts (i.e. they are made up of lines - the other
font types are composed of dots) and are the fonts you should choose if
you are going to output to a pen plotter.
Windows is supplied with three plotter fonts:
• Modern
• Roman
• Script
The font called Plotter is a screen font, not a plotter font.
Text Height
You can specify the text height in the Set Text Defaults dialog box in
mm, points or inches. To change the units of measurement simply click
on the arrow.
The actual character occupies approximately two thirds of the text

height. For example, if text height is set to 6mm, the characters will be
4mm high:
Character Width
This option allows you to change the character width. If it is set to zero,
the default width of the Windows fonts will be used.
Settings Menu 10-37

Line Spacing
The line spacing is multiplied by the text height and then by 1.1 to
determine the distance between two lines of text.
Error! Objects cannot be created from editing field codes.
For example, suppose you give a line spacing of 3 and the text height is
6 mm. The distance between two lines of text will be 3 x 6 x 1.1 =
19.8 mm.
The 1.1 factor is used because it creates an aesthetic line spacing for
almost all fonts, whereas a factor of 1 causes some fonts to look squashed.
Angle
This option determines the angle at which text will be placed on the
drawing. Angles are measured in an anti-clockwise direction from the 3
o'clock position.
Pen
Click on the button to display the color palette to change the text color.
The standard Color Dialog will be displayed.
Text Alignment
This option determines the justification of several lines of text.
Text Frame
Check the Frame option to draw a frame around the text in the same pen
as the text itself.
Check the Background Fill option to fill behind the text item in the
background colour.

Text Label Origin
This option determines where text will be placed relative to the cursor
position.
Label origins 1 to 9 are positioned around

the text in a cell that is slightly larger than
the text cell.
Label origins 11 to 19 are positioned

closely around the character.
Label origin 0 puts the text origin on the decimal point of the text. This is
typically used for displaying levels.
Take From
This option allows you to match the style of an existing text entity. The
entity must be selected before you use this function.
You can also match the style of an existing text entity by pressing
[SHIFT] T on your keyboard. AllyCAD will prompt you for the text entity
you want to take the parameters from. Click on the piece of text and the
current text settings will be updated to match the indicated text item.
Apply
This option allows you to change the style of existing text entities. You
must first select the text entities using Edit ► Select or Edit ► Selection
Filters. Then use Settings ► Set Text Defaults to set the text style you
require. Click on OK.
Settings Menu 10-39

The Attributes to Apply dialog box is displayed. This
allows you to select which text style attributes you
wish to change.
For example, you may just want to change the text

height. In this case, uncheck all the options in the
dialog except Height.
Click on the OK button. The change will be applied.
You can also edit the style of a single text entity by double clicking on it.
The Text Entry dialog box will be displayed. Click on the Text Defaults
button to display the Set Text Defaults dialog box. Edit the text as
required.
The text defaults that are loaded each time you enter AllyCAD or select
File ► New are stored in a drawing called STARTUP.DRG. See Defaults
for more details.

Set Dim Defaults
Set default dimension parameters

Right Main DimDef
This function allows you to set the style of new dimensions. The text font
and pen settings are applied to all dimensions in the drawing.
Witness Line and Arrow Style.

This section allows you to define the characteristics of the witness lines
and arrows.
Witness and Arrow Units (on paper)

This option determines the units of measurement of the witness gap,
witness overshoot, arrowhead length, arrowhead width, and text height
settings. You can choose between mm, inches and points.
The sizes are absolute, i.e. they are the actual size that will be printed
regardless of the drawing's scale.
Settings Menu 10-41

Witness Gap
This is the gap between the item being dimensioned and the start of the
witness lines, as shown by the illustration in the dialog box.
This option does not affect angular or radial dimensions.
Witness Overshoot
This is the extension of the witness lines beyond the dimension
arrowhead, as shown by the illustration in the dialog box.
This does not affect angular or radial dimensions.
Witness Pen
This button allows you to set the pen (colour) of new witness lines and
arrows. Select a colour from the colour palette that is displayed.
The colour of existing witness lines and arrows will not be updated, but
subsequently drawn witness lines and arrows will be in the new colour.
To change the pen of existing horizontal, vertical and slope dimensions
use Annotate ► Edit Dimension ► Edit Dimension Properties.
It is not possible to change the pen of an existing angular or radial

dimension.
Arrowhead Length
length
This defines the length of the arrowhead.
Arrowhead Width
width
This defines the width of the arrowhead.

Arrow
This option allows you to specify the style of the arrowhead to one of the
following:
length Arrow
The arrowhead is drawn in the
width
conventional manner.
length
Blob
The arrowhead width is set to zero and
the arrowhead is drawn as a blob with the
diameter equal to arrowhead length.
Slash
width The arrowhead length is set to zero and

the arrowhead is drawn as a slash with the
length equal to the arrowhead width.
Witness lines often print very faintly on high resolution inkjet printers.
To overcome this set aside one pen (colour) for the witness lines. When
you print map that pen to the desired thickness. See Print.
Dimension Style
This section allows you to set the dimension style to one of the following:
Mechanical Style
The dimensions are drawn in running,
chained or free mode with variable
18.0 witness line lengths depending on the
34.2 position of the dimension text.
49.9
Settings Menu 10-43

Architectural Style
Dimensions have constant witness line
lengths and are always drawn in chained
mode.
18 16.2 15.7
Number Decimals
Here you specify the number of decimals that will be displayed on a
dimension. The maximum number is 16.
If you set the number of decimals to 2, then 12.3456 will be displayed as
12.35 (rounding to the nearest number). However, an exact number will
be displayed without trailing decimals, for example, 12.000 will be
displayed as 12.
You can also set the number of decimals to a negative number to get
rounding to tens or hundreds. For example, if you set the number of
decimals to -2, then 1234.45 will be displayed as 1200 (rounding to the
nearest 100). If you set the number of decimals to -1 then the number will
be displayed as 1230.
Dimension Text
This section allows you to specify the text parameters of the dimension.
These settings will be applied to all dimensions in the drawing, both
existing and new. Refer to Set Text Defaults for details.
Text Height
Here you can specify the size of the dimension text.
Linefeed
Specify the distance between subsequent dimension lines in running
dimensions.
Text Pen
This option allows you to specify the dimension text pen or colour.

Font
This option allows you to specify the font and font attributes for the
dimension text.
The dimension defaults loaded each time you enter AllyCAD or select
File ► New are stored in a drawing called STARTUP.DRG.
Settings Menu 10-45

Set Survey Defaults
Set default survey dimension parameters

Right Main SurveyDimSetup
This function allows you to set the parameters of new and existing
survey dimensions.
Survey Dimension Orientation

This section allows you to specify how the survey dimension will be
calculated and placed on the drawing.
" 338
° 23 Text follows bearing direction
'40 25.1 '40"
3°41 .6
3 24
The dimension text will always follow the
24
25. 0'40"
bearing direction, even if this means that

0
1
°5
36. 3'20"
2
150
°5
it is sometimes upside down.

338
0" °23 Text is always upright
1'4 25.1 '40"
°4
33 24.6
The dimension text will always be the
25. 0'40"
150
°5 right way up, regardless of the bearing
2
°5
36. 3' 20" direction.
240
1
Survey Dimension Format

The following options are available. Check the one you want to use.
0"
10°25'2 Bearing on top, Distance on bottom.
40.9
40.9 m Distance on top, Bearing on bottom.

0
10.25.2
m
0 40.9 Both bearing and distance on top.
10.25.2
40.9 m Distance only.
Bearing direction is measured counter-clockwise

Check this option if the bearing direction must be measured counter-
clockwise.
Round to ... seconds

This option allows you to specify the rounding off in seconds of the
bearing angle. If you specify a value of 0 angular decimals will be used as
shown below.
8.55"
10°25'1 Round to 0 seconds.
40.9 m
9"
10°25'1 Round to 1 second.
40.9
0"
10°25'2 Round to 10 seconds.
40.9
The number of decimal places is set in the Angular Format option of the
Drawing Settings.
Settings Menu 10-47

Set Arrow Defaults
Determine or change the way in which arrows are drawn

Right Main ArrowDef
This function allows you to set the style of new arrows or change the
style of existing arrows created by Annotate ► Add Arrow and
Annotate ► Add Balloon. Double-click on an arrow to change it’s style.
All subsequently drawn arrows will also be drawn using the newly
selected defaults. It does not change the style of dimension arrows.
Arrow Style
This option allows you to set the style of the arrowhead to one of the
following:
length Arrow
The arrowhead is drawn in the
width
conventional manner.
length
Blob
The arrowhead width is set to zero and
the arrowhead is drawn as a blob with the
diameter equal to arrowhead length.

Slash
width The arrowhead length is set to zero and

the arrowhead is drawn as a slash with the
length equal to the arrowhead width.
Arrowhead Length
length
This defines the length of the arrowhead
in the specified units.
Arrowhead Width
width This defines the width of the arrowhead.
Pen
This button allows you to set the pen (colour) of new arrows. Select a
colour from the colour palette that is displayed.
The arrow defaults loaded when you enter AllyCAD or select the File ►
New option are stored in the STARTUP.DRG.
Settings Menu 10-49

Set Balloon Defaults
Set default balloon parameters

Right Main FitBalln
This function allows you to specify the default balloon size, the number
of text lines, and whether an arrow is to be added or not. All balloons
drawn subsequently will use these settings.
The line style of the circle enclosing the balloon text is defined by the
Line defaults.
The text style of the text inside the balloon is determined by the Text
defaults.
The arrow style is determined by the Arrow defaults.
Add Arrows to Balloons
A If this box is checked, arrows will be added to

balloons.
If the box is not checked, arrows will not be

B added to balloons.

Two Rows of Text on Balloon
Check this option if you want two rows of text in

C the balloon. You will still be able to create
D balloons with one row of text by entering a blank
instead of text for the second row.
E If you want one row of text in the balloon, don't

check the box.
Balloon Fixed Size

Specify the number of characters that the balloon will accommodate.
If you select "1", the balloon will

F accommodate 1 character in width.

accommodate 2 characters in
G1 G width, even if you only type one
character.

H10 H width, even if you only type 1 or 2
characters.
Settings Menu 10-51

I100 I width, even if you type less than 4
characters.
If you type "0" the balloon will

VARIABLE accommodate whatever you type in,
up to a maximum of 69 characters.
The balloon defaults that are loaded each time you enter AllyCAD or
select the File ► New option are stored in the STARTUP.DRG.

DXF/DWG Conversion Settings
Define how DXF and AutoCAD DWG files will be converted to AllyCAD drawings,
and vice versa

DXFSettings
This function allows you to specify translation parameters for the

DXF/DWG import and export functions.
From DXF/DWG Conversion Settings

This dialog box defines how AutoCAD fonts and pens will be converted
to AllyCAD fonts and pens when you load a DXF or DWG file using Open
in the File Menu.
This section defines how DXF/DWG stroke fonts must be converted into
AllyCAD fonts.
The list of fonts is stored in the FromDXFFonts section of the CAD.INI
file in your user directory. You can add further fonts by opening the
CAD.INI file in your user directory into a word processor and adding the
required font names to the existing listing.
If the DXF/DWG file contains an unknown AutoCAD font add
"UNKNOWNNAME" as the font name in the For DXF Font section of the
Settings Menu 10-53

dialog box. Then select the AllyCAD font you want to convert it to in the
Use AllyCAD Font section.
If you are using a pen plotter you should translate DXF and DWG fonts
into the equivalent Windows pen plotter fonts, i.e. Modern, Roman, and
Script.
Refer to the Defaults chapter for more details.
To DXF/DWG Conversion Settings

This dialog box defines how AllyCAD fonts will be converted to AutoCAD
fonts when you create a DXF/DWG file with File ► Save As. It also allows
you to specify the version of the AutoCAD DXF/DWG file.
The list of fonts is stored in the ToDXFFonts section of the CAD.INI file
in your user directory. You can add further fonts by opening the
CAD.INI file in your user directory into a word processor and adding the
required font names to the existing listing.
The pens and line types are mapped across exactly.

AllyCAD DOS Conversion Settings
This function defines how linetypes and pens are converted in going to and from
AllyCAD for DOS files

DosCadSettings
This option allows you to map the 16 pens in AllyCAD for DOS to the 255
pens in AllyCAD. Similarly you can map the DOS line styles to AllyCAD.
Settings Menu 10-55

Virtual Memory Settings
Specify at what point AllyCAD starts to use virtual memory

SetVMem
You can configure AllyCAD to use Windows virtual memory or to use it's
own virtual disk swapping technology.
Temp Path
Specify the where temporary drawing files must be stored. If you are
working on a network be sure to specify a local hard drive for optimum
performance.
Allocate
AllyCAD will ask the operating system for as the specified amount of
memory and then start to save its temporary files to disk. This can be
more efficient than the Windows swap file for large drawings.
If you experience a lot of disk thrashing, i.e. AllyCAD seems to be
accessing the hard disk continuously, reduce the allocated memory.

Digitizer Settings
Set up a digitizer

SetDigitizer
AllyCAD can use a digitizer to accurately digitize existing drawings such

as maps and plans.
The digitizer is not meant to replace normal menu selection, accelerators
and icons.
Setting up standard digitizers

AllyCAD has built-in support for the following digitizers:
Digitizer Type Default Format String

None
Summa Graphics MM Binary Binary
Summa Graphics Large ASCII XXXXXX,YYYYYY,FP,TCL
DigiPad 5 PXXXXX YYYYYCL
Calcomp 2200 XXXXX,YYYYY,PCL
Calcomp 9000 AsPXXXXXYYYYYCL
Houston Instruments 8000 XXXXX,YYYYY,PCL
Old Summa graphics TPXXXXXXXYYYYYCL
Altek P XXXXX YYYYYCL
Generic ASCII XXXXX,YYYYY,PCL
Settings Menu 10-57

If your digitizer is not included on the list, look in your digitizer manual
to see what standard tablet it emulates. This will probably be one of the
Summa Graphics range.
When you select a digitizer from the list, the corresponding default
format string is automatically placed in the Format String box. Leave the
Init String box blank.
Select the Com Port your digitizer is connected to, as well as the Baud
Rate, Data Bits, Parity and Stop Bits. You will find the correct values for
Baud Rate etc. in your digitizer manual.
Setting up non-standard digitizers

If your digitizer doesn't emulate any of the ones on the list, select the
"Generic ASCII" digitizer type and consult your digitizer manual for the
ASCII string that the tablet sends to your computer.
Enter this string in Format String box. Note that when AllyCAD reads the
format string, it only recognizes the following characters:
XXXXX The X coordinate (can be positive or negative). Be
sure to put in the correct number of Xs for the number
of digits the tablet sends you.
YYYYY The Y coordinate, as above.
P The Pen byte (which button was pressed).
C Carriage Return.
L Line Feed.
If your digitizer is non-standard, you might also need to send it an

initialization string (Init String) just after the com port is opened.
AllyCAD expects the digitizer to be in Switched Stream mode (i.e.
coordinates are transmitted continuously when a digitizer button is held
down, but no coordinates are transmitted when no button is pressed).
Refer to your digitizer manual for the correct initialization codes.
Select the Com Port your digitizer is connected to, as well as the Baud
Rate, Data Bits, Parity and Stop Bits. You will find the correct values for
Baud Rate etc. in your digitizer manual.
Digitizer Test
This option allows you to test the digitizer settings. When you click on
Test, the message
Move Puck/Pen over tablet for 5 seconds without pressing a
button

is displayed. Click on OK.
The Digitizer Test dialog is displayed. Move the puck or pen over the
digitizer without pressing any buttons. Nothing may appear to happen,
but after a short while the message
Now you can press digitizer buttons to check the pen signals
is displayed. Click on OK. The Digitizer Test dialog box is displayed

again. When you click a button, coordinates are displayed in the Raw
Data section.
If no coordinates appear, or if unintelligible coordinates appear, the
digitizer has been set up incorrectly. Ensure you have selected the
correct type of digitizer, parity, data bits etc.
Once you are getting sensible coordinates, note that as you press each
button, a number appears next to the word Pen in the Raw Data section
of the dialog box.
On a four button Summa Graphics puck the numbers of the four buttons
will be 1, 2, 3 and 4. However, some digitizers use other numbers, for
example 1, 2, 4 and 8. Check which numbers your digitizer uses, as you
will need this information to assign CAD commands to the digitizer
buttons.
When you have finished testing, click on OK.
Setting the Scale

To link the scale of the drawing or map you are digitizing to the CAD
drawing, you need to enter three distinct points on the digitizer, then
enter three corresponding points on the drawing.
Suppose you are going to digitize a map drawn at a scale of 1:50. If you
measure the map with a ruler it measures 200mm x 100mm. Before you
start setting up your digitizer, set AllyCAD's scale to 1:50 and draw a
rectangle measuring (200mm x 50) x (100mm x 50) on the screen.
Then go to Digitizer Settings. You will have to do the Test (see above),
then click on the Scale button.
1. AllyCAD prompts for the first scale point on the tablet. Click with
your puck on the bottom left corner of the map on the digitizer.
2. AllyCAD prompts for the second scale point on the tablet. Click with
your puck on the top right corner of the map on the digitizer.
3. AllyCAD prompts for the third scale point on the tablet. Click with
your puck on the bottom right corner of the map on the digitizer.
Settings Menu 10-59

4. AllyCAD prompts for the first scale point on the screen. Click with
your mouse on the bottom left corner of the rectangle you drew in
AllyCAD.
5. AllyCAD prompts for the second scale point on the screen. Click
with your mouse on the top right corner of the rectangle you drew in
AllyCAD.
6. AllyCAD prompts for the third scale point on the screen. Click with
your mouse on the bottom right corner of the rectangle you drew in
AllyCAD.
The scale of the map on the digitizer will now correspond to the scale in
AllyCAD. Further, if you have placed the map on the digitizer at a slight
angle, this will not matter as the angle will be correct in AllyCAD.
Enter min distance between digitized points
Type a distance and press [Enter] or click on . Any point within this
minimum distance will be ignored. The minimum distance you choose
will depend on the drawing or map you are digitizing. Depending on
your scale, it could be anything from a millimetre to kilometres.
This minimum distance affects all commands, even the Done command.
If you have drawn the last point of a line and you are going to use the
Done button on the puck to finish the line, you must move the puck
away from the last point of the line before pressing Done.
Mapping CAD commands to digitizer puck buttons

Each button on the digitizer puck can have a command associated with
it. By default the commands are:
• [Enter] on button 1
• Line (Chained) on button 2
• Done on button 3
• Jump Point on button 4
Commands are defined at the end of the CAD.MEN file, as follows:
DIGITIZER
BEGIN
BUTTON "1" {#enterpt;}
BUTTON "2" {line;}
BUTTON "3" {done;}
BUTTON "4" {#jumppt;}
END

The example above assumes that your digitizer numbers its puck buttons
1, 2, 3 and 4. If it doesn't, substitute the appropriate numbers (see
Digitizer Test).
Refer to Functions in the CAD.MEN section for more details.
Using the digitizer

After you have selected a digitizer in the Digitizer Setup dialog box,
AllyCAD will attempt to open the digitizer COM port on startup. If this
port open fails (for example if you have disconnected the digitizer), then
AllyCAD will display the Digitizer Settings dialog box on startup.
You can cancel this, or, if you have disconnected your digitizer
permanently or semi-permanently, change the digitizer type to None.
Now you are ready to use your digitizer. You can use the digitizer and
the mouse at the same time and enter commands from either.
Refer to the Tools ► Tidy Polygons and Tools ► Line To PolyLine functions
as this can help tidy up digitized input.
Settings Menu 10-61

System Settings
Set the system settings

SystemDef
This function allows you to set a number of options that control the
operation of AllyCAD.
System Settings
Here you toggle the following options:
Ask Logon Name at Startup

This can be useful if several users are using AllyCAD from the same
machine, and you want to ask the logon name each time. If just one user
is using the system, then switch this option off.
Write a Log file

This can be useful for diagnostic purposes, as it records each function
executed into a log file. If you are having inexplicable problems with

AllyCAD, switch this option on, and send your dealer a copy of the log
file. Writing a log file can slow down your system slightly.
Open Creates a new window

If this option is switched off the File Open function will reuse old
windows and clear out existing drawings before loading new ones.
Compile Macro Automatically

AllyCAD now includes a compiled macro language with arrays and
subroutines. This is very similar to the old compiled macro language
issued with the DOS version. The advantages of compiled macros are
security for the macro issuer, and of course the subroutines.
If this button is on, then AllyCAD will attempt to compile the macro
before running it. If a compiled macro already exists, and its date is later
than the date of the macro file, then it will not be recompiled, but the
compiled version will be run.
Create 16 Bit compatible drawings

This restricts the maximum object size to 8000 bytes to create drawings
that can be read by the DOS version of AllyCAD. It only affects objects
created after this switch is turned on, it will not affect objects in a
drawing that have already been created.
You could make all the objects in a drawing smaller by switching on this
option then running File ► Repair Drg File on the drawing in question.
Pop up Done button

The red Done button pops up whenever the cursor is waiting for a point
from the user. Some users do not like this, so you can switch it off here.
Zoom out factor for long pan

In this box you can also set a different default factor for zooming out by
typing in a new number. Numbers between 10 and 20 prove useful for
most drawing types.
Default Editor
In this box you can set a different editor by typing the new name. This
editor is used for the edit macro function
Settings Menu 10-63

Tiled Bitmaps
AllyCAD can handle very large bitmaps (we have successfully loaded 600
Mb TIFF files) and after tiling can load, zoom and pan within a few
seconds.
The tiling can take a while, but is only done the first time you load a new
bitmap. The tiling process produces a new file with the same name as the
bitmap file, but with an extension of ".BBF".
AllyCAD can load any of the following types of bitmaps:
Bitmap Type Extension

LEAD *.cmp
CALS *.cal
GEM Image *.img
GIF *.gif
IBM IOCA *.ica
JPEG *.jpg;*.jff;*.jtf
Macintosh PICTURE *.pct
MacPaint *.mac
Microsoft Paint *.msp
Photo CD *.pcd
PCX *.pcx
PostScript Raster *.eps
SUN Raster *.ras
TGA *.tga
TIF *.tif
Windows Metafile *.wmf
Windows & OS/2 *.bmp
Winfax *.fxs
WordPerfect *.wpg
This page allows you to set parameters affecting the bitmap tiling.
Bitmap threshold size for tiling (kb)

Any bitmap that is smaller than this size will be handled as a single entity
and not tiled.

Use Tile Compression
This compresses each tile during preprocessing which results in a
smaller BBF file. The redraws will be slower as each tile has to be
decompressed at run time.
Path for tiled file

This specifies the directory where the BBF file will be placed. If you give
a "." (period) as the path, then the BBF file will be placed in the same
directory as the original bitmap.
Tips for Tiling

Use the largest fastest machine in your office with as much RAM as you
can find - 64 or 128 MB ram does not hurt. You will require disk space
equal to twice the size of the bitmap file you are tiling.
Settings Menu 10-65

Set Current Layer
Change the current layer

NewLayer
Whatever you draw is placed on the current layer. Use this function to
make another layer current.
Click on the layer that must become the current layer. The new current
layer will be highlighted. Click on OK to exit.
When you start a new drawing with AllyCAD, only one layer, "0", will
exist. To add further layers or to rename layers refer to Layer Control.
You can save default layers in STARTUP.DRG.

Set Visible Layers
Select which layers should be displayed on the screen

Left File ShowLayer
The current layer (the layer you are working on) is marked by an
asterisk. If you only want to display the current layer, click on the
[Current Only] button.
If you want all layers to be displayed on the screen, click on the [All]
button.
You can change the current layer by clicking on the [Set Current Layer]
button.
If you only want to display a few layers, ensure that the layers you want
to display are highlighted. To highlight a layer, click on it. To highlight
more than one layer, press [CTRL] while you click on the layers you
want to display. If a layer that you do not want to see on the screen is
highlighted, press [CTRL] and click on it. The highlight will disappear.
The current layer is always displayed, whether you highlight it or not.
Settings Menu 10-67

Layer Settings
Add layers, edit layer names and magnifications, lock layers, highlight layers

Left File EditLay
The Layer Settings dialog lists the layers defined on your drawing in a
table as shown below. For each layer, it shows the layer's name, whether
it is visible, whether it is locked, the layer magnification factor, the pen,
line type and line width associated with the layer if you are using the
ByLayer line style.
The current layer text is displayed in blue. Everything you draw is drawn
onto the current layer.
Layer Name
The layer name will automatically appear in upper case. It can be up to
31 characters long.

Visible Layers
Visible layers are the layers that are actually displayed on the screen.
They are marked by the word "Yes". To toggle the layer visibility simply
right click in the Vis column.
Locked Layers
AllyCAD's functions will not work on locked layers. For example, you
cannot select or accidentally move entities on a locked layer. Locked
layers are marked by the word "Yes" in the Lock column. To toggle the
layer lock status simply right click in the Lock column.
Layer Magnification
Normally, layer magnification is 1. However, each layer can be assigned a
different magnification with respect to the scale of the drawing. For
example, suppose the drawing is at a scale of 1:10. If you assign a
magnification of 2 to a layer, anything drawn on that layer subsequently
will be twice the size, i.e. at a scale of 1:5. If you assign a magnification of
0.5 to a layer, anything drawn on that layer subsequently will be half the
size, i.e. at a scale of 1:20. This allows you to have several scales on one
drawing.
Pen, Line Type, and Width

This is the pen, line type and line width that will be used if you draw By
Layer.
To Edit a Layer
Simply type in a new layer name and change any of the other layer
settings in the table.
To Add a Layer
By default, AllyCAD has just one layer, "0". You can add up to a total of
65,000 layers.
To add a layer, simply scroll to an empty row below the currently
displayed layers and fill in the new layer details.
To Delete a Layer
Position the cursor on the layer to be deleted and right click with your
mouse. A menu list will be displayed. Select the Delete layer option. The
layer data will be displayed in a faded gray colour to show that it is
Settings Menu 10-69

marked for deletion. The layer and all its contents will only be deleted
when you close the Layer Settings dialog with the OK button.
You cannot undo a layer delete! To delete layers with nothing on them,
you can also use the File ► Purge Redundant Elements function.
To Set the Current Layer

Position the cursor on the layer to be active and right click with your
mouse. A menu list will be displayed. Select the Make Current layer
option. The layer data will be displayed in a blue colour to show that it is
the current layer.
The current layer is also displayed above the top right of the Drawing
Area.
Setting Visible Layers

Visible layers are the layers that are actually displayed on the screen and
are marked by a "Yes" in the Vis column of the layer list. If you want all
layers to be displayed on the screen, click on the All Layers button.
If you only want to display the current layer (the layer you are working
on), click on the Current Only button.
To turn an individual layer or a specific group of layers on or off simply
right click in the Vis column of the relevant layer.
The current layer cannot be switched off and is always visible.
Layer Highlight
This section controls how layers will be highlighted on the screen.
None
If you check this option, no layer will be highlighted.
Pen 8
If you check this option, all the layers except the current layer (the one
you are working on) are drawn in a dotted line type. This option is useful
for drawing in the current layer with reference to the other layers, but
without these other layers being intrusive.

Rainbow
If you check this option, each layer except the current layer is drawn in a
different colour. The colours used are the colours assigned to each layer
in the Layer Settings dialog. Rainbow is useful for isolating items that
have been drawn in an incorrect layer.
Operate on
This option determines whether you can work on all the layers or only on
a subset of layers.
All Unlocked Functions will operate on all layers that have not been locked
Current only Functions will only operate on the current layer
Pen and Line Type By Layer

You can optionally set pens and line types By Layer. This means that you
assign a particular colour and line type to each layer. Entities are
displayed using the pen and line type associated with the layer you are
drawing on.
To set pens By Layer, click on the Pen button in the following functions.
Line Defaults set line color by layer

Parallel Defaults set parallel line color by layer
Polyline Defaults set polyline color by layer
Set Text Defaults set text color by layer
Set Dim Defaults set dimension witness line and text color by layer
Set Arrow Defaults set arrow color by layer
The colour palette will be displayed. At the bottom of the palette is a By

Layer button. Click on this button to make AllyCAD draw the relevant
element according to the pen, line type and width specified in the Layer
Settings dialog.
To set line types By Layer, click on the Line Type display in the
following functions:
Line Defaults set line type by layer

Parallel Defaults set parallel line type by layer
Polyline Defaults set polyline line type by layer
Settings Menu 10-71

Scroll right to the bottom of the list of line types, where you will find the
By Layer option. Click on this to make AllyCAD draw the relevant
element By Layer
You can also use the Line Type Display at the top right of the screen to
set line type By Layer.

ToolKit Menu
The ToolKit contains a collection of functions that
automate and expedite common tasks for a variety of
disciplines.
The functions are grouped into the following categories:
• General
• Architectural
• Civil
• Mechanical
• Structural
• Survey
Tool Kit Menu 11-1

General
This section contains general purpose toolkit
functions.

Calculator
This tool opens the standard windows calculator

General
For convenience the standard windows calculator is launched when the

"Calculator" option in the above menu is selected.
Tool Kit Menu 11-3

Batch Print
This tool is for batch printing of AllyCAD drawings

General
Before batch printing uncheck the Open Creates a new window option in
the System Settings.
Procedure
AllyCAD will display the standard Windows File Open dialog. Select any
drawing from the directory containing the AllyCAD drawings and click
Open.
Would you like to edit list file?
Select Yes if you would like to add or remove drawings from the drawing
list. Select No if you would like all of the AllyCAD drawings printed in
the specified directory.
If you selected Yes AllyCAD will display the following prompt:
Save & Close notepad when finished editing before clicking
OK
Ensure that you have saved any editing changes first as the AllyCAD will
start printing as soon as you click on OK.

File Converter
Convert files between DRG, DWG, DXF and CEX formats

General
Before batch printing uncheck the Open Creates a new window option in
the System Settings.
Procedure
AllyCAD will display a list of files that can be
converted. Select the file type you wish to convert.
The standard File open dialog will be displayed.

Select any drawing from the directory containing
the required files and click Open.
Select the destination file type or select the Edit List
File option if you would like edit the list of
conversion drawings. If you edit the drawing list the
following message will be displayed:
Save & Close Notepad when finished editing
before clicking OK.
As soon as you click OK the program will start batch

converting.
AllyCAD will load every drawing in the file list and save it in the specified
format.
Tool Kit Menu 11-5

Read Excel Table
Read a table from MS Excel and write the data into AllyCAD

General
The default column width is calculated based on the drawing scale, layer
magnification and units.
Procedure
Set text defaults?
Select Yes to change the existing text defaults and No to use the current
default settings.
The standard File Open dialog will be displayed. Browse to select the
Excel file you want to copy to the drawing. A message box will be
displayed with:
"<filename>.xls
Allow enough time for the Excel spreadsheet to open before clicking OK.
AllyCAd will prompt:
Enter row for first cell number to read from (eg 6)
Enter the number of the first row you want data copied from. AllyCAD
will then prompt:
Enter column for first cell number to read from (eg A)
Enter the number of the first column you want data copied from.
Enter row for last cell number to read from (eg 20)
Enter the number of the last row you want data copied from. AllyCAd
will prompt:
Enter column for last cell number to read from (eg AB)
Enter the number of the last column you want data copied from. Now
Indicate position for table

Indicate the position on the drawing where you would like the Excel data
to be placed. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter column width (all columns will be same width)
Enter the width of the data column. The data will be placed in the
drawing as text items using the current text defaults.
Layer Info on Plot

Write date of plot and visible layers onto drawings

General
Select the visible layers using Settings ► Layer Settings.
Procedure
Indicate position for the plots drawing status
Indicate the position you want the date/layer information placed on the
drawing. A list similar to that below will be placed on the drawing using
the current text defaults.
SURV_PHOTO_CONTROL
SURV_TREE_SYMB
SURV_CADAST_BOUND
SURV_STORMWATER
SURV_WATER
SURV_FENCES
SURV_PATHS
SURV_FLUVIAL
SURV_FLOODLINES
SURV_WALLS
SURV_TREES
SURV_SUB_STRUCTURES
SURV_BUSH_SYMB
SURV_SIGNS
SURV_BANKS
SURV_STRUCTURES
SURV_BUILDING_HATCH
SURV_BUILDINGS
SURV_SERVICE
SURV_ROADS
SURV_SPOT_HEIGHTS
SURV_CONTOURS_INDEX
SURV_CONTOURS_INTER
SURV_TEXT
SURV_CADAST_POINTS
SURV_CONSTR_CLASS
0
Tool Kit Menu 11-7

Visible layers on this plot are
Drawing plotted on 2002-06-13 at 15:18
Divide an Angle
Equally divide an angle into multiple parts

General
This function divides an angle formed by two lines into a specified

number of equal angles. In the example below the angle between the
outer two lines has been divided into 4 equal sections.
Procedure
Select first line (Space to exit)
Click next to the first line.

Select second line (Space to cancel)
Click next to the second line.

Enter required number of divisions
Enter the number of divisions.

If the error message
Indicated lines do not intersect

Is displayed check that the lines subtending the angle are two separate
lines and not one polyline.
Divide a Line
Divide a line into equal segments

General
This function divides or marks a line into equal segments with or without
a tick or a circle indicating the segments.
Procedure
AllyCAD will display the following options list:
Divide Only Divide the selected line into equal segments only.
Divide+Circle Divide the selected line into equal segments marked with
a circle.
Divide+Tick Divide the selected line into equal segments marked with
a tick.
Circle No Divide Mark the selected line with a circle into equal segments.
Tick No Divide Mark the selected line with a tick into equal segments.
Select the divide option you require. AllyCAD will prompt:

Select line to be divided
Select a line you wish to divide into segments. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter number of divisions
Enter the number of division you would like. The line will be divided
according to the submenu option selected:
Divide Only
This option divides the line into equal segments without marking it.
Tool Kit Menu 11-9

Divide + Circle
This option divides the line into equal segments and marks it with
circles.
AllyCAD will ask:

Enter circle diameter
Enter the diameter of the circle in drawing units.
Divide + Tick
This option divides the line into equal segments and marks it with ticks.
AllyCAD will ask:

Enter tick size
Enter the length of the tick in drawing units.
Circle No Divide
This option marks the line with circles in equal segments without
dividing it.
AllyCAD will ask:

Enter circle diameter
Enter the diameter of the circle in drawing units.
Tick No Divide
This option marks the line with ticks in equal segments without dividing
it.
AllyCAD will ask:

Enter tick size
Enter the length of the tick in drawing units.

Total Line Length
Add the lengths of lines in a layer

General
This function totals the lengths of all the lines in a specified layer. This is
extremely useful to determine the total length of say, electrical cable or
sewer pipe.
Procedure
AllyCAD will display the following option list.
Total Length of Lines in a Select this option to display the total line length in a
Layer particular layer.
Write as ASCII File Select this option to write the total line length to an
ASCII file.
View ASCII File Select this option to view the above ASCII file.
Select the option you require. AllyCAD will prompt:

Select new layer or use existing layer ?
If you select Yes the Layer Settings dialog will be displayed so that you
can select a new layer. If you select No the total length of the lines in the
current layer will be calculated.
A message box is displayed with:
If you would like to write the results to an ASCII file select the Write as
ASCII File option.
Tool Kit Menu 11-11

Select the View ASCII File option if you would like to view the ASCII file
created by the previous option.
The following data will be written to the ASCII file:
Total Line length for layer BLOCK_BOUNDARY is
No. Y_Start X_Start Y_End X_End Length

1 75674.781 21367.937 75610.267 21443.570 99.410
2 75946.649 21067.680 75982.848 21162.821 101.795
3 75982.848 21162.821 75980.369 21168.327 6.038
4 75980.369 21168.327 75895.344 21200.683 90.973
5 75780.053 21318.219 75727.053 21464.725 155.798
6 75727.053 21464.725 75721.426 21467.824 6.424
7 75721.426 21467.824 75666.578 21455.851 56.140
8 75666.578 21455.851 75663.305 21449.932 6.764
9 75663.305 21449.932 75706.361 21330.926 126.555
10 75674.777 21367.949 75646.156 21447.059 84.128
11 75646.156 21447.059 75640.523 21450.173 6.436
12 75640.523 21450.173 75610.265 21443.569 30.970
13 75633.824 21466.214 75614.170 21461.920 20.118
14 75614.170 21461.920 75607.227 21464.263 7.328
15 75607.227 21464.263 75508.974 21579.433 151.386
16 75508.974 21579.433 75511.773 21587.766 8.791
17 75511.773 21587.766 75584.975 21603.738 74.924
18 75584.975 21603.738 75590.608 21600.629 6.434
19 75590.608 21600.629 75637.092 21472.132 136.646
20 75637.092 21472.132 75633.824 21466.214 6.760
21 75454.511 21654.926 75451.699 21646.568 8.818
22 75451.699 21646.568 75492.459 21598.782 62.808
23 75492.459 21598.782 75499.411 21596.442 7.335
24 75499.411 21596.442 75580.321 21614.102 82.815
25 75580.321 21614.102 75583.588 21620.021 6.761
26 75583.588 21620.021 75563.900 21674.436 57.867
27 75563.900 21674.436 75558.277 21677.545 6.425
28 75584.313 21683.229 75581.050 21677.303 6.765
29 75581.050 21677.303 75654.241 21475.001 215.135
30 75654.241 21475.001 75659.879 21471.894 6.437
31 75659.879 21471.894 75714.727 21483.865 56.139
32 75714.727 21483.865 75717.994 21489.780 6.757
33 75717.994 21489.780 75665.169 21635.786 155.268
34 75665.169 21635.786 75652.520 21693.741 59.319
35 75652.520 21693.741 75647.432 21697.007 6.046
36 75672.495 21702.471 75669.230 21697.385 6.044
37 75669.230 21697.385 75681.641 21640.541 58.183
38 75681.641 21640.541 75687.268 21637.437 6.426
39 75687.268 21637.437 75811.676 21664.585 127.336
40 75811.676 21664.585 75876.011 21598.166 92.469
41 75876.011 21598.166 75861.560 21584.169 20.118
42 75861.560 21584.169 75718.714 21553.000 146.207
43 75718.714 21553.000 75715.452 21547.073 6.765
44 75715.452 21547.073 75735.139 21492.658 57.867
45 75735.139 21492.658 75740.773 21489.551 6.434
46 75740.773 21489.551 75887.792 21521.640 150.480
47 75887.792 21521.640 75938.909 21571.192 71.192
48 75938.909 21571.192 75939.016 21578.455 7.264
49 75939.016 21578.455 75793.365 21728.850 209.363

TOTAL LENGTH 10361.319 m
Tool Kit Menu 11-13

Hide Layer
Switch off a layer by indicating an object in that layer

General
This function allows you to switch off a layer in a drawing by simply

clicking on an entity. The layer containing the entity will then be
switched off.
This is very handy when you receive a complex drawing and only want to
view certain sub-sets of the data. You could for instance switch off the
title block and annotations by simply clicking on those elements.
Procedure
Hidden layer information?
Answer Yes to display information about which layer you have just
hidden. Answer No to hide the layer with no prompt.
Select object in layer to hide
Select an object in the layer which you wish to hide or else press the
[Space Bar].

Line/Pen by Layer
Convert line and/or pen from ByLayer to standard

General
This tool converts all line types and pens that have been drawn ByLayer
to normal line and pen numbers. This is mainly used on imported
AutoCAD drawings.
Procedure
Convert all linetypes(255) and pens(256) by layer to normal
line and pen number?
If "Yes" is selected all pens with linetype 255 will be converted to the
linetype in the layer settings dialog and all pen with colour 256 will be
converted to the pen colour in the layer settings dialog (see Layer
Control).
Tool Kit Menu 11-15

Draw Centrelines
Draw two intersecting lines (“+” Lines)

General
This function draws two perpendicular lines of variable length.
Procedure
Enter lengths of horizontal and vertical lines
Enter the length of the horizontal line and the length of the vertical line,
separated by a space. Then press [Enter].
Click to place CL (spacebar to exit)
Place the CL on the drawing using the mouse. The CL will be drawn on
the current layer using the current pen colour and linetype.
You will be prompted to place the CL repeatedly until you press the
[Space Bar].

Draw Chamfered Rect
Draws a rectangle with all four corners chamfered by a user-defined amount

General
Procedure
Enter chamfer value
Enter the value for the chamfer that you wish to apply to the rectangle’s
corners. Then press [Enter].
Indicate position of rectangle 1st corner (spacebar to exit)
Use the mouse to indicate the position of the first corner of the rectangle.
Indicate position of rectangle 2nd corner
Use the mouse to indicate the position of the opposite corner of the
rectangle.
A chamfered rectangle will be drawn in the current pen colour and
linetype, on the current layer. The chamfered rectangle will be grouped
into an object called “CHAMFERECT”.
This function will repeat until you press the [Space Bar] or [Esc].
Tool Kit Menu 11-17

Draw Filleted Rect
Draws a rectangle with all four corners filleted by a user-defined radius

General
Procedure
Enter fillet radius
Enter the radius of the fillet that you wish to apply to the rectangle’s
corners. Then press [Enter].
Indicate position of rectangle 1st corner (spacebar to exit)
Use the mouse to indicate the position of the first corner of the rectangle.
Indicate position of rectangle 2nd corner
Use the mouse to indicate the position of the opposite corner of the
rectangle.
A filleted rectangle will be drawn in the current pen colour and linetype,
on the current layer. The filleted rectangle will be grouped into an object
called “FILLETRECT”.
This function will repeat until you press the [Space Bar] or [Esc].

Set Layer from Element
Switches the current layer to that of the indicated drawing element

General Shift-L
Procedure
Indicate an element in the layer you want to change to
Use the mouse to click on a drawing element (line, arc, object etc) that is
on the layer you wish to switch to.
The current layer will be set to the indicated element’s layer.
Tool Kit Menu 11-19

Architectural Toolkit
The Architectural ToolKit facilitates the drawing of building plans and elevations
Architectural Toolkit Functions:
1. Architectural Toolkit Setup
2. Draw Walls
3. Add Roof Line to Plan
4. Place Symbols
5. Draw Elevations
6. Add Roof Line to Plan
7. Draw Cross Sections
8. Draw Stairs
Please make sure that the drawing units are set to "mm" (millimeters)
before using the architectural toolkit functions. In order to draw house
plans the functions must be followed from left to right on the
architectural toolbar or top to bottom in the architectural menu.

Architectural Setup Dialog
The Architectural Toolkit Setup dialog is used to setup the path for your
Architectural Specification file (Archspecs.ini) as well as the root of the Symbol
File (e.g. C:\AllyCAD 34\Symbols).
Initialization file path This tells the Architectural Toolkit where to store it's
settings data. The architectural toolkit will not work
correctly if this file has not been specified. AllyCAD is
supplied with a standard file "ArchSpecs.ini" situated in
your CAD user directory.
If you wish to switch to an alternate initialization file, you
can browse for it by clicking on the browse button […].
Symbol file path This tells the Architectural Toolkit where the symbol
libraries are stored. The architectural toolkit will not work
correctly if this file has not been specified. AllyCAD is
supplied with a standard symbol libraries in the directory
"C:\AllyCAD34\Symbols" situated in your CAD user
directory.
If you wish to switch to an alternate symbol root
directory, you can browse for it by clicking on the browse
button […]. However the architectural toolkit requires a
"Symbol" root directory as well as "Doors" and
"Windows" child directories otherwise it will not work
properly.
Set building standards... Press this button to display the Building Standards Setup
Dialog.
Tool Kit Menu 11-21

Draw Walls
Draw plan views internal (consists of only one wall and no cavity)and external
(two walls separated by a cavity) walls

Left Architectural
Procedure
When you select the draw wall function from the toolbar or menu, the
Wall Setup dialog will be displayed:
The wall setup dialog with external wall selected

The wall setup dialog with internal wall selected
Select the wall from the drop-down list, or fill in the relevant data.
Select the drawing method, justification drawing, drawing direction, wall
type and wall end finish. These options are explained below.
Press OK to draw the specified wall.
Drawing method:
The "Draw fresh" is used to draws walls where no track or perimeter line
exists, whereas the "Track line or perimeter" drawing method is used to
track an existing line or perimeter.
Justification:
Selecting "Outside" justification will draw walls outside of the setting out,
tracking or perimeter line whereas "Inside" justification will draw walls
inside of the setting out, tracking or perimeter line. An example of this is
shown below:
Tool Kit Menu 11-23

The figure on the left shows a line drawn with outside
justification.
The figure on the left shows a line drawn with inside

justification.
Note: The justification is influenced by the drawing direction i.e. if you

specify outside justifcation and a clockwise drawing direction but then
draw the line anticlockwise the justification will be inside. Hence the
draw stick to the drawing direction you have specified in the dialog.
Drawing direction:
An "anticlockwise or clockwise" is used to specify the direction in which
you draw your walls. This is used to determine whether the line is inside
or outside justified as mentioned above. The drawing direction is
illustrated in the figures below:
A wall drawn using an anticlockwise drawing direction.

A wall drawn using an clockwise drawing direction.
Adding and Deleting Walls

You may add your own wall definitions by clicking on the "Add" button,
and then entering the relevant data. The wall definition will then be
saved when you click on OK, or select another wall definition from the
list.
If you modify an existing wall definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select "No" to avoid changing the original wall definition.
Drawing a Wall Using the Draw Fresh Drawing Method

If the "Draw fresh" radio button was checked then AllyCAD will prompt:
Indicate starting position of wall (else spacebar to exit)
Indicate the position where you want start drawing the wall,
remembering to take into account your drawing direction.
Indicate the position of the corner of the next wall moving in a clockwise
direction or anticlockwise direction depending on the drawing direction
that you have selected in the dialog. AllyCAD will continue with this
prompt until you press the space bar and then the first promp will
appear again. Press the spacebar to exit the function or start drawing
another wall repeating the above steps.
Note: If you don't stick to the drawing direction you have specified in
the dialog then the wall justification will be incorrect.
Drawing a Wall Using the Track Line or Perimeter Method

If the "Track line or perimeter" radio button was checked then AllyCAD
will prompt:
Indicate position outside perimeter (else spacebar to exit)
Tool Kit Menu 11-25

Click outside the perimeter. If you have selected outside justification the
wall will be drawn outside the perimeter otherwise if you are tracking a
line the wall will appear on the same side of the tracking line. If you have
selected inside justification the wall will be drawn inside the perimeter
otherwise the wall will be drawn on the opposite side of the tracking line.
The following perimeter menu will now appear on the control bar.
Select the auto button and then click on the Accept button in the
perimeter menu. The first prompt will appear again click outside another
perimeter or near another tracking line or press the spacebar to exit the
function.
If you don't click outside the perimeter or on the correct side of the
tracking line the wall justification will be incorrect.
The following figure illustrates the options available for drawing a wall
around a perimeter:
This figure shows

perimeter tracking
with outside
justifcation.

This figure shows
perimeter tracking
with inside
justifcation.
The following figure illustrates the options available for tracking a line:
This figure shows line tracking with outside justifcation.

Here the wall is drawn on the same side as the indicated
with the mouse.
This figure shows line tracking with inside justifcation.

Here the wall is drawn on the opposite side as the
indicated with the mouse.
Tool Kit Menu 11-27

Add Roof Line to Plan
Add a roof line to the plan

Left Architectural
This function is used to add a roof line to a plan. The roof line is used to
draw the roof elevation and cross-sections.
Procedure
When you select the add roof line function from the toolbar or menu, the
Roofline Setup Dialog will be displayed:
Select the drawing pen colour, linetype, layer name and eaves overhang.
Press OK to draw the specified roof line.
Add roof line (black dashed line) to

plan
Once the OK button on the Roof Line Setup Dialog is clicked the
perimeter menu will be displayed.

This is shown below:
Click on the autoperimeter button

and then click outside the drawing plan
as shown on the left.
Tool Kit Menu 11-29

Place Symbols
Insert door and window symbols

Left Architectural
This architectural submenu is used to place symbols on the plan view.
Procedure
By clicking on the place symbols icon the

legend window will be launched which contains
the symbol library tree shown on the left.
By clicking on the + sign the directory in the

symbol tree will be expanded to show a list of
related symbol libraries <symbol
library>.DRG. Select the symbol library you
require.
AllyCAD will then load the symbol and update the control bar to show
the following:

Select one of the window symbols from the drop down list on the left or
click the [View] button to view a window containing the window symbols.
Simply find the symbol you want and click on it.

The cursor will now display the symbol. Position the symbol and click or
press [Enter].
Refer to the Symbol section for additional information about snipping,

rotating and mirroring the symbol before placing it.
Tool Kit Menu 11-31

Draw Elevations
Draw north, east, south and west elevations.

Left Architectural
This function is used to draw elevations from the existing plan view.
Procedure
When you select the draw elevation function from the toolbar or menu,
the Elevation Setup Dialog will be displayed:
The elevation setup dialog

Select the drawing pen colour, linetype, layers, eaves height and window
to door height
Press OK to draw the specified roof line.
Once the OK button on the dialog has been clicked the following prompt
will appear:
Indicate face on plan for adding elevation (else spacebar to
exit)
Click near the wall on the plan from which the elevation is to be drawn
or press the spacebar to exit this function. AllyCAD will then prompt:
Enter roofline position of elevation (else spacebar to exit)

The cursor will be in ortho hold mode. Select a position opposite the face
on the plan you have selected where you would like the elevation drawn
or press the spacebar to exit the function. Now AllyCAD will prompt:
Select window/door to go to elevation (spacebar to end
selection)
Click on the windows and door symbols in the selected face on the plan
and they will be inserted into the elevation. When you have finished
selecting doors and windows press the spacebar. AllyCAD will prompt:
Select outside walls for elevation (spacebar to end
selection)
Click near the walls in the corresponding plan view and they will appear
in the elevation. When you have finished selecting the walls press the
spacebar to end the selection. AllyCAD will then return to the original
prompt (step 3). Click on the drawing and repeat steps 3 to 7 or press the
[Spacebar] to exit the function.
Tool Kit Menu 11-33

Add Roof to Elevation
Add a roof to an elevation

Left Architectural
This architectural submenu is used to draw a roof on an elevation.
Procedure
Before selecting the draw roof function from the toolbar or menu first
make sure that the roof line is switched on as shown in the figure
below:
Figure showing the Layer Settings Dialog with the roof line layer
switched on.

When you select the draw roof function from the toolbar or menu, the
following Roof Setup Dialog will be displayed:
Select the drawing pen colour, linetype, layer names and roof pitch.
Press OK to draw the specified elevation line.
Once the OK button on the dialog has been clicked the following prompt
will appear:
Indicate face on plan for adding roof (else spacebar to
exit)
Click near the wall on the plan from which the elevation is to be drawn.
Select roof line on elevation (else spacebar to exit)
The cursor will be in ortho hold mode. Select a roof line on an existing
elevation opposite the face on the plan you have selected. AllyCAD will
now prompt:
Select roof lines for this view (else spacebar to exit)
Select any of the roof lines on the plan which will appear in the elevation.
Select height of side gable (else spacebar for facing gable)
Select a roof line perpendicular to the roof line which you have just
selected which can be used to calculate the height of the roof gable, if
none is selected a facing gable will be drawn.
AllyCAD then return to the first prompt again. If there is more than one
gable repeat steps 6 and 7 otherwise press the spacebar to exit the
function.
Tool Kit Menu 11-35

Drawing Cross Sections
Draw a cross section

Left Architectural
This function draws horizontal and vertical cross sections from the
existing plan view.
Procedure
When you select the draw cross section function from the toolbar or
menu, the Cross Section Setup Dialog will be displayed:

1. Select the drawing pen colour, linetype, layers. Either accept the
current values or enter new values for the cross section.
2. Press OK to draw the specified cross section.
3. Once the OK button on the dialog has been clicked the following
prompt will appear:
Indicate position of cross section (else spacebar to exit)
4. Indicate the position on the drawing you want the cross section
drawn (shown in the figure above) otherwise press the spacebar to
exit the function. After specifying the cross section position the
following prompt will appear:
Drawing Wall Cross Sections:

Indicate inside face of close external wall (else spacebar
to exit)
The cross indicates the place the user must click to indicate the inside
face of the external wall.
Tool Kit Menu 11-37

5. Click near the external wall closest to the start of the cross section on
the plan view (shown in the figure above) otherwise press the
spacebar to exit the function. After specifying the external wall
position the following prompt will appear:
Indicate face of internal wall (else spacebar for far
external wall)

6. Click near the internal wall on the plan view otherwise press the
spacebar if you have no internal walls or have finished selecting
internal walls. The prompt will keep on appearing as long as you
click near an internal wall. Once you press the spacebar to select an
external wall the following prompt will appear:
Indicate inside face of far external wall (else spacebar to
exit)
The cursor in the figure below indicates the place where the user
must click to indicate inside face of the far external wall
7. Click near the external wall furtherest from the start of the cross
section on the plan view otherwise press the spacebar to exit the
function. After specifying the external wall position the following
prompt will appear:
Indicate side of line you would like arrow heads placed
(else spacebar to exit)
must click to indicate the side of the section line the arrow heads
need to be placed.
Tool Kit Menu 11-39

8. Click near the side of the section line on the plan view where you
want the arrow heads drawn on the section line otherwise press the
spacebar to exit the function.
Drawing Truss Cross Sections

After specifying the arrow head position the following prompt will
appear:
Select side truss height for truss only (else spacebar for
facing and/or side truss)
9. Click near the line perpendicular to the truss you want drawn on the
plan so that the height of the truss can be calculated else press the
spacebar if you want a facing truss or a facing and side truss drawn.
If you specify the truss height AllyCAD will return to the start of the
function and you can start another cross section or exit the function
otherwise AllyCAD will prompt:
Select facing truss for facing and side truss (else spacebar
for facing truss only)
10. Click on the plan view near the roof line which represents the facing
truss in the cross secion or press the spacebar if your cross section

contains a facing gable only. If you pressed the spacebar AllyCAD
will draw a facing gable over the entire cross section and return to
the original prompt (step 3).
If you clicked near the facing gable roof line AllyCAD will calculate
whether you have a side gable on the side closest to the start of the
cross section on the and give the prompt shown in step 11.
If AllyCAD calculates that you have a side gable furtherest from the
start of the cross section it will give the prompt shown in step 12.
Select close side truss height (else spacebar for
default(facing) height)
must click to indicate the close side truss height
11. Click near the line perpendicular to the truss you have selected
closest to the start of the cross section on the plan so that side truss
height can be calculated otherwise if you press the spacebar the side
truss will have the same height as facing gable. AllyCAD will draw
the truss and return to original prompt (step 3) and you can start
another cross section or exit the function.
Tool Kit Menu 11-41

Select far side truss height (else spacebar for
default(facing) height)
must click to indicate the far side truss height.
12. Click near the line perpendicular to the truss you have selected
furtherest from the start of the cross section on the plan so that side
truss height can be calculated otherwise if you press the spacebar
the side truss will have the same height as facing gable. AllyCAD will
draw the truss and return to original prompt (step 3) and you can
start another cross section or exit the function.

The figure below shows the different options available when drawing
truss cross sections. The trusses were created drawing a horizontal cross
section from left to right.
They are (starting clockwise from the top left):
• A truss with a facing and far side gable,
• A truss with facing , close side and far side gable,
• A truss with a side gable only,
• A truss with a facing gable only
• A truss with a facing and close side gable.
The terms close and far refer points closer or farther from the cross
section starting point on the plan view.
Tool Kit Menu 11-43

Drawing Stairs
Draw elevations

Left Architectural
This function is used to add plan and elevations of staircase to the

existing drawing.
Procedure
When you select the draw stairs function from the toolbar or menu, the
Stairs Setup Dialog will be displayed:
The stairs setup dialog consists of three tabbed pages: general, railings
and treads. These are discussed in detail in Stairs Setup Dialog
Select the drawing pen colour, linetype, layers and arrow head
dimension on the general page. Select a railing from the drop-down list,
or fill in the relevant data on the railings page and select a tread from the
drop-down list, or fill in the relevant data on the treads page.
Before closing the dialog select the stair type. If you want straight stair
section drawn select the straight section button or if you want landings

drawn select the landing button. These choices are discussed in detail
below:
Drawing Straight Stair Sections:

To draw stair straight sections select the straight section stair type on the
general setup page. On the railing setup page select a railing from the
drop-down list or fill in the relevant data. On the treads setup page select
a tread from the drop-down list or fill in the relevant data. The treads
setup page is only used when drawing straight sections and is shown
below:
Firstly measure length needed for staircase in the plan view and the
height needed for the straight section in the elevation which you are
going to place the stair section. Make the necessary adjustments in the
treads setup page by adjusting the number of treads, rise, going and tread
width and checking that the staircase length and height correspond to the
length and height you have just measure in the plan and elevation views.
Once you click the OK button on the Stairs Setup Dialog. AllyCAD will
give the following prompt:
Indicate base of staircase on plan (else spacebar to exit)
If you are drawing a plan view of a straight section, indicate the position
of the base of the staircase on the plan view. If you are drawing a
Tool Kit Menu 11-45

elevation indicate the position of the base of the staircase on the existing
straight section plan view. Press the spacebar if you want to exit the
function. Once you have indicated the base of the staircase AllyCAD will
prompt:
Indicate direction of top of staircase on plan (else
spacebar to exit)
The cursor will now locked in ortho hold mode. Indicate the direction you
want the staircase drawn by moving in this direction away from the
staircase base point and click on the drawing otherwise press the
spacebar if you want to exit the function. Once you have indicated the
direction you want the staircase drawn AllyCAD will give the following
prompt:
Indicate base of staircase on elevation (else spacebar for
plan)
The cursor will jump to the base of the staircase on the plan and will still
be locked in ortho hold mode. If you want to draw a plan view press the
spacebar and a plan view of the straight section will be drawn. If you
want to draw an elevation indicate the place in the elevation where you
want the base of the staircase placed and an elevation view of the
straight section will be drawn. A plan and elevation view of the straight
section is shown in the figure below. Once the elevation and plan views
have been drawn AllyCAD will return to original prompt (step 4) and you
can start another staircase view or exit the function.
The figure on the left shows a
plan view of a straight section.
The blue arrow indicates the base
of the staircase on the plan and
the black arrow shows the
direction of the staircase.

The figure on the left shows an
elevation view of a straight
section.
The elevation is drawn upside
down so that it has the correct
orientation in the existing
elevations of the drawing.
AllyCAD automatically inserts the staircase into the correct layer

(specified in the dialog).
Drawing Landings:
There are 3 types of landing dimensions and shapes are specified on the
drawing plan view, viz. U-shaped, L-shaped and Z-shaped landings.
To draw stair straight sections select the landing stair type on the general
setup page. On the railing setup page select a railing from the drop-down
list or fill in the relevant data. Only the tread width on the tread setup
page is used to draw landings.
The landing dimensions are specified by clicking on the plan view of

the drawing not on the dialog as for the straight sections.
Once you click the OK button on the Stairs Setup Dialog. AllyCAD will
give the following prompt:
Indicate start of landing on plan (else spacebar to exit)
Indicate the start of the landing on the plan otherwise press the
spacebar to exit the function. If you click on the drawing to indicate the
start of the landing AllyCAD will give the following prompt:
Indicate corner of the landing on plan (else spacebar to
exit)
Tool Kit Menu 11-47

Indicate the corner of the landing on the plan otherwise press the
spacebar to exit the function. If you click on the drawing to indicate the
corner of the landing AllyCAD will give the following prompt:
Indicate end of landing on plan (else spacebar to exit)
Indicate the end of the landing on the plan otherwise press the spacebar
to exit the function. Depending on where you clic in relation to the start
and end points of the landing AllyCAD will draw either U-shaped, L-
shaped and Z-shaped plan view of the landing. If you click on the
drawing to indicate the end of the landing AllyCAD will give the
following prompt:
Indicate base of landing on elevation (else spacebar for
plan)
The cursor will jump to the base of the staircase on the plan and will still
be locked in ortho hold mode. If you want to draw a plan view press the
spacebar and a plan view of the landing will be drawn. If you want to
draw an elevation view, indicate the place in the elevation where you
want the base of the staircase placed and an elevation view of the landing
will be drawn. Once the elevation and plan views have been drawn
AllyCAD will return to the original prompt (step 4) and you can start
another staircase view or exit the function.
AllyCAD automatically inserts the staircase into the correct layer

(specified in the dialog).

The figures below show the U, L and Z-shaped landing plan views with
their corresponding south elevations.
The elevation is drawn upside down so that it has the correct orientation
in the existing views of the drawing.
U-shape landing
The figure on the left shows a U-shape
landing with its corresponding
elevation in the south view.
The labels s,c and e indicate the points
in the plan view where the user
specified the start, corner and end
points respectively.
L-shape landing
The figure on the left shows a L-shape
landing with its corresponding
Tool Kit Menu 11-49

Z-shaped landing
The figure on the left shows and Z-
shape landing with its corresponding

Civils
The Civils ToolKit lets you draw cut and fill bank lines
between two lines or arcs with a couple of clicks, and
can be used to draw a pipe network layout very quickly.
Tool Kit Menu 11-51

Cut and Fill Lines
Draw cut and fill bank lines

Civil
This tool draws cut and fill lines between two straight lines or two arcs.
Between Lines Between Arcs
Procedure
AllyCAD will display the following list of options:
Lines Add cut/fill lines between an existing shoulder line and an

existing toe line.
Arcs Add cut/fill lines between an existing shoulder arc and an existing
toe arc.
Set Defaults Set the layer, pens, line spacing and ratio of short bank line to
long bank line.
Exit Terminate the funcion.
Lines
Indicate shoulder line (Spacebar to cancel)
Select the shoulder line with the cursor. AllyCAD will then prompt:
Indicate toe line (Spacebar to cancel)
Select the toe line with the cursor. The bank lines will be drawn
according to the current cut and fill settings.
Arcs

Indicate shoulder arc (Spacebar to cancel)
Select the shoulder arc with the cursor. AllyCAD will then prompt:
Indicate toe arc (Spacebar to cancel)
Select the toe arc with the cursor. The bank lines will be drawn
according to the current cut and fill settings.
Tool Kit Menu 11-53

Sewer Capture
Draw sewer manholes and pipes

Civil
This function is a tool to draw manholes with connecting pipes with

labels for the manholes. You are able to offset the manholes from existing
lines in the drawing.
Procedure
AllyCAD will ask:
Use current defaults? (else set defaults)
Select Yes to set the defaults or No to use the existing settings. Refer to
the Set Defaults section for more details.
Pick or add a layer for the manholes and pipes
Select or create a layer from the Layer Settings dialog. Set the layer to be
the Current Layer.

Indicate position for first manhole on correct side of
boundary
Click on the correct side of the boundary line where you would like the
manhole to be placed. The cursor will snap to the boundary line at this
point.
Press left or right arrow key - enter offset - enter manhole
position
The left or right arrow indicates the direction of offset. Enter the
distance for the offset and press [Enter]. Press [Enter] again to fix the
point where the manhole will be placed.
Enter name for first manhole
Enter a name for the first manhole e.g. a typical manhole name will be
“MH 123”.
Indicate position for manhole label (spaceber for no label)
If you would like a label and arrow pointing to the manhole, indicate the
cursor position with you would like the manhole label to be placed.
Otherwise press the [Spacebar] if you don't want annotation. If you place
a label proceed AllyCAD will ask:
Add an arrow?
If you want to add an arrow pointing from the label to the manhole select
Yes. AllyCAD will ask you to indicate the tail and then the head of the
arrow in the following two prompts:
Indicate position for tail of arrow
Indicate the position of the tail of the arrow.

Indicate position for arrow head
Indicate the arrowhead position.

Now AllyCAD will ask you to define the position of the next manhole
with the prompt:
Indicate next manhole position on correct side of boundary
(spacebar to exit)
Indicate the position of the next manhole and repeat the previous steps.
As you insert the next manhole a pipe will be inserted between the two
Tool Kit Menu 11-55

manholes. The pattern naming convention is as follows: "PIPE 123_124",
where "123" is the suffix for the first manhole and "124" is the suffix for
the second manhole.
Press [Spacebar] to terminate the function.
Set Defaults
AllyCAD will ask for the following information:
Enter manhole diameter
Enter the diameter of the manhole in current units.

Enter manhole pen
Enter manhole pen color.

Enter pipe line type
Enter line type for pipe.

Enter pipe pen
Enter pen for pipe.

Enter manhole parent name
Enter parent name of manhole.

Enter pipe parent name
Enter parent name for pipe.

Enter manhole label text height (in mm)
Enter text height for the manhole label.

Enter manhole label text pen
Enter pen color for manhole label.

Add manhole label text bubble?
Select Yes to add a text bubble (circle) to the manhole label. Select No to
just add the manhole label.

Mechanical Toolkit
The Mechanical Toolkit speeds up the drawing of
common mechanical components (such as bolts,
nuts and screws), and provides functions for
annotating welds, tolerances and surface
finishes. It also provides functions for generating
tables of coordinate, part, and general
information.
Please make sure that the drawing units are set to “mm” (millimeters)
before using the mechanical toolkit functions.
Tool Kit Menu 11-57

Setup
Set up the common settings for the Mechanical Toolkit

Mechanical
This option allows the user to customize the appearance of bolts, nuts
and other mechanical toolkit components. This is especially useful where
industry or project standards must be followed.
Procedure
Select Setup from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. AllyCAD will display the
Mechanical Toolkit Setup dialog:
You can set the line colours and styles with which the mechanical toolkit
components will be drawn. The colours and styles for Solid lines
(outlines), Hidden lines and Center lines are specified separately.
All configuration data for the Mechanical Toolkit is stored in a
“configuration file”. This is usually “ISO Mechspecs.ini” in your AllyCAD
user directory. The Mechanical Toolkit will not function if this file is
missing or incorrectly specified. It is advisable to make a backup copy of
this file before changing any Mechanical Toolkit settings.
Should you have an alternative configuration file that you wish to use
with the Mechanical Toolkit, then click on the browse button […] to
specify it.
You can also set defaults for the mechanical toolkit annotation functions
(welding, tolerance and surface finish), by clicking on the Annotation Setup
button, which will display the Annotation Setup dialog:

Use this dialog to set the relative size of weld, tolerance and surface
finish annotations to your preferences.
The names of layers that the annotations will be drawn on are also
specified here. The layers will be created as needed when you draw
annotations. The annotations will be drawn using ByLayer colour, so to
change the colour of, for instance, your surface finish annotations, you
must change the colour of the surface finish layer using the Layer
Settings dialog.
The length and width of the leader arrowhead used by the weld
annotation is also configurable here.
Tool Kit Menu 11-59

Hex Head Bolts
Draw Hex head bolts in side or plan view

Mechanical
Draw side or plan views of hexagonal bolts of a specified diameter and

length. You may define your own bolts and save them for later re-use.
You may also draw multiple equispaced copies of the bolt in one
operation, spaced linearly or radially.
Side View Plan View
Procedure
Select Fasteners ► Hex Bolts in the Mechanical Toolkit menu.
The Hex Bolts dialog will be displayed:
Select a predefined bolt from the drop-down list at the top-left of the
dialog, or change the bolt dimensions to your needs.

Select which view of the bolt you wish to draw (top view, side view, or
both views), and which linetype to use for the head and shaft of the bolt.
If you wish to draw multiple copies of the bolt, then specify a Repeat
Number greater than 1 (but less than 1000). Choose whether to repeat the
bolt linearly or radially (polar), and specify the repeat interval. In the
case of a radial (polar) repeat, select whether the spacing interval refers
to the PCD (pitch circle diameter) of the circle on whose circumference
the bolts will be drawn (“PCD” option), or just the spacing between the
bolt centers (“Spacing” option).
You may add your own bolt definitions by clicking on the Add button, and
then entering the relevant bolt measurements. The bolt definition will be
saved when you click on OK, or select another bolt definition from the
list.
If you modify an existing bolt definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original bolt definition.
To draw the bolt, click on OK. If you have ticked the option to draw the
side view, AllyCAD will prompt:
Indicate the bolt position on the thread side of a line
(else spacebar to stop)
Indicate the position of the bolt side view. If the position indicated is near
a line, the bolt will be drawn aligned with that line, on the side of the line
that you have indicated.
If you have ticked the option to draw the plan (top) view, AllyCAD will
prompt:
Indicate the bolt centre for the plan view (else spacebar to
stop)
Indicate the position of the bolt plan view. AllyCAD will then ask:
Indicate point on bolt center line (spacebar to stop)
The bolt plan view will be rotated so that it’s center line goes through the
point you indicated. If you indicate the same point as the plan view
position, it will not be rotated.
Tool Kit Menu 11-61

Hex Nuts
Draw Hex nuts in side or plan view

Mechanical
Draw side or plan views of hexagonal nuts
Side View Plan View
Procedure
Select Fasteners ► Hex Nuts from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. The Hex
Nuts dialog will be displayed:
Select a predefined nut from the drop-down list at the top-left of the
dialog, or change the nut dimensions to your needs.
Select which view of the nut you wish to draw (top view, side view, or
both views), and which linetype to use for each view of the nut.

If you wish to draw multiple copies of the nut, then specify a Repeat
nut linearly or radially (polar), and specify the repeat interval. In the case
of a radial (polar) repeat, select whether the spacing interval refers to the
PCD (pitch circle diameter) of the circle on whose circumference the
nuts will be drawn (“PCD” option), or just the spacing between the nut
centers (“Spacing” option).
You may add your own nut definitions by clicking on the Add button, and
then entering the relevant nut measurements. The nut definition will be
saved when you click on OK, or select another nut definition from the list.
If you modify an existing nut definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original nut definition.
To draw the nut, click on OK. If you have ticked the option to draw the
Indicate the nut position on the thread side of a line (else
spacebar to stop)
Indicate the position of the nut side view. If the position indicated is near
a line, the nut will be drawn aligned with that line, on the side of the line
that you have indicated.
prompt:
Indicate the nut centre for the plan view (else spacebar to
stop)
Indicate the position of the nut plan view. AllyCAD will then ask:
Indicate point on nut center line (spacebar to stop)
The nut plan view will be rotated so that it’s center line goes through the
point you indicated. If you indicate the same point as the plan view
Tool Kit Menu 11-63

Socket Screws
Draw socket (cap) screws in side or plan view

Mechanical
Draws various types of cap screw in side or plan view at any angle. The
dimensions for drawing the screws are stored in an editable text file.
Plain Cap Screw
Side View Plan View
Low Head Cap Screw
Side View Plan View
Shoulder Cap Screw
Side View Plan View
Flat Head Cap Screw
Side View Plan View

Procedure
Select Fasteners ► Socket Screws from the Mechanical Toolkit menu.
AllyCAD will display the Socket Screws dialog:
Select a predefined screw from the drop-down list at the top-left of the
dialog, or change the screw dimensions to your needs.
Select which view of the screw you wish to draw (top view, side view, or
both views), and which linetype to use for the head and shaft of the
screw.
If you wish to draw multiple copies of the screw, then specify a Repeat
screw linearly or radially (polar), and specify the repeat interval. In the
the screws will be drawn (“PCD” option), or just the spacing between the
screw centers (“Spacing” option).
You may add your own screw definitions by clicking on the Add button,
and then entering the relevant screw measurements. The screw
definition will be saved when you click on OK, or select another screw
definition from the list.
If you modify an existing screw definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original screw definition.
Tool Kit Menu 11-65

To draw the screw, click on OK. If you have ticked the option to draw the
Indicate the screw position on the thread side of a line
Indicate the position of the screw side view. If the position indicated is
near a line, the screw will be drawn aligned with that line, on the side of
the screw that you have indicated.
prompt:
Indicate the screw centre for the plan view (else spacebar
to stop)
Indicate the position of the screw plan view. AllyCAD will then ask:
Indicate point on screw center line (spacebar to stop)
The screw plan view will be rotated so that it’s center line goes through
the point you indicated. If you indicate the same point as the plan view

Rivets
Draw rivets in side or plan view

Mechanical
Draws various types of rivet in side or plan view at any angle. The
dimensions for drawing the rivet are stored in an editable text file.
Plain Cap Screw
Side View Plan View
Low Head Cap Screw
Side View Plan View
Shoulder Cap Screw
Side View Plan View
Flat Head Cap Screw
Side View Plan View
Tool Kit Menu 11-67

Procedure
Select Fasteners ► Rivets from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. AllyCAD
will display the Rivets dialog:
Select a predefined rivet from the drop-down list at the top-left of the
dialog, or change the rivet dimensions to your needs.
Select which view of the rivet you wish to draw (top view, side view, or
both views), and which linetype to use for the head and shaft of the rivet.
If you wish to draw multiple copies of the rivet, then specify a Repeat
rivet linearly or radially (polar), and specify the repeat interval. In the
the rivets will be drawn (“PCD” option), or just the spacing between the
rivet centers (“Spacing” option).
You may add your own rivet definitions by clicking on the Add button,
and then entering the relevant rivet measurements. The rivet definition
will be saved when you click on OK, or select another rivet definition
from the list.
If you modify an existing rivet definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original rivet definition.

To draw the rivet, click on OK. If you have ticked the option to draw the
Indicate the rivet position on the thread side of a line
Indicate the position of the rivet side view. If the position indicated is
near a line, the rivet will be drawn aligned with that line, on the side of
the rivet that you have indicated.
prompt:
Indicate the rivet centre for the plan view (else spacebar
to stop)
Indicate the position of the rivet plan view. AllyCAD will then ask:
Indicate point on rivet centre line (spacebar to stop)
The rivet plan view will be rotated so that it’s center line goes through
the point you indicated. If you indicate the same point as the plan view
Tool Kit Menu 11-69

Drilled Holes
Draw a side or plan view of a drilled hole

Left Mechanical
Draws side and plan views of through or blind drilled holes of any
diameter at any angle. Tapped holes may also be drawn.
Procedure
Select Drill Holes from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. AllyCAD will display
the Rivets dialog:
Select a predefined drilled hole from the drop-down list at the top-left of
the dialog, or change the drilled hole parameters to your needs.
To specify a countersunk hole

Enter a non-zero value for the “Countersink depth”, and set “Counterbore
dia” to zero.
To specify a counterbored hole

Enter the diameter of the counterbore in “Counterbore dia”, and enter
the depth of the counterbore in “Countersink depth”.

Select which view of the hole you wish to draw (top view, side view, or
both views), and which linetype to use for the side view and top view of
the hole.
If you wish to draw multiple copies of the hole, then specify a Repeat
hole linearly or radially (polar), and specify the repeat interval. In the
the holes will be drawn (“PCD” option), or just the spacing between the
hole centers (“Spacing” option).
You may add your own hole definitions by clicking on the Add button,
and then entering the relevant hole measurements. The rivet definition
will be saved when you click on OK, or select another hole definition from
the list.
If you modify an existing hole definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original hole definition.
To draw the drilled hole, click on OK. If you have ticked the option to
draw the side view, AllyCAD will prompt:
Indicate the hole position on the shaft side side of a line
Indicate the position of the drilled hole side view. If the position
indicated is near a line, the drilled hole will be drawn aligned
perpendicular to that line, on the side of the line+ that you have
indicated.
Drilled Hole Side View
Through Hole Blind Hole
Tool Kit Menu 11-71

prompt:
Indicate the hole centre for the plan view (else spacebar to
stop)
Indicate the position of the drilled hole plan view. AllyCAD will then ask:
Indicate point on hole center line (spacebar to stop)
The drilled hole plan view will be rotated so that it’s center line goes
through the point you indicated. If you indicate the same point as the
plan view position, it will not be rotated.
Drilled Hole Plan View

Draw Slots
Draws a plan view of a slot

Right Mechanical
Procedure
Select Draw Slots from the Mechanical Toolkit menu, or right-click on the
“Holes” icon in the Mechanical Toolkit toolbar.
Enter the length, width and rotation of the slot
Type in the length, width, and rotation of the slot separated by spaces.
The length specified must be the total length of the slot, not the distance
between centerlines. The rotation must be specified in degrees.
Do you want to draw the slot with centerlines?
Click on “Yes” if you want the slot to be drawn with centerlines, or “No”
if you do not want centerlines to be drawn.
Click to place the slot (spacebar to exit)
Use the mouse to indicate where you want to place the slot on your
drawing. The “left hand” centre of the slot will be aligned with the
indicated position.
The slot will be drawn on the current layer using the current pen and
linetype.
You will be repeatedly asked to place the slot until you press [Space Bar].
Tool Kit Menu 11-73

Concentric Circles with Centre Lines
Draw multiple concentric circles with centre lines

Left Mechanical
Draw any number of concentric circles with a center line cross.
Procedure
Select Draw Circles + CL from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. AllyCAD will
prompt:
Enter circle diameters with spaces between
Enter the circle(s) diameters with a space between each of them (eg: “20
35 64”).
Enter circle centre for plan view (space bar to exit)
Indicate with the cursor the position of the circle(s) centre. AllyCAD will
now prompt:
Enter a point on the circle centre line (space bar to exit)
Indicate a point through which the circle center line will run. To avoid
rotating the center line, click on the same spot you did when indicating
the circle center.
The circles are drawn on the current layer, using the Solid linetype and
colour as defined in the Mechanical Toolkit Setup dialog.
The centerlines are drawn on the current layer, using the Centreline
linetype and colour as defined in the Mechanical Toolkit Setup dialog.

Add CL to Circle
Adds centerlines to existing circles or arcs in the drawing

Right Mechanical Shift – “+”
Procedure
Select Add CL to Circle from the Mechanical Toolkit menu, or right-click
the “Concentric circles with CL” icon in the Mechanical Toolkit toolbar,
or press “+” on the numeric keypad while holding down “Shift”.
Click on the circle you want to add centre lines to
(spacebar to exit)
Use the mouse to indicate the circle or arc which must receive the
centrelines.
The centerlines are drawn on the current layer, using the Centre Line
linetype and colour defined in the Mechanical Toolkit Setup dialog.
This function repeats until the [Space Bar] is pressed.
Tool Kit Menu 11-75

Shafts
Draws a side view of user-defined shafts

Mechanical
Shaft definitions may be saved for later re-use.

Tip: Use the Concentric circles function to generate an axial view of a
shaft.
Procedure
Select Draw Shafts from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. The shaft dialog
will be displayed:
Select a pre-defined shaft from the drop-down list, or specify your own
parameters.
The shaft is split up into a variable number of “sections”. The length,
diameter, left trim and right trim for each section must be specified.
The “trim” can be either a fillet or a chamfer. If you do not wish to have a
left or a right trim for a specific section, enter a value of 0 (zero) for the
relevant trim in that section.

The left and right ends of the shaft may be specified as “open-ended” by
selecting or deselecting the relevant “Open End” checkboxes.
To insert a new shaft section, right-click on the row before which you
wish to insert a section, and select “Insert a section”.
To delete a shaft section, right-click on the row which you want to
remove and select “Delete this section”.
You may add your own shaft definitions by clicking on the Add button,
and then entering the relevant shaft measurements. The shaft definition
will be saved when you click on OK, or select another shaft definition
from the list.
If you modify an existing shaft definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original shaft definition.
The “EMPTY_SHAFT” definition is intended as a template for creating
your own shafts from scratch. You cannot overwrite it.
Click OK to draw the shaft.

Enter center left point of shaft (spacebar to exit)
Indicate the location of the shafts left center point.

Enter a point on the shaft’s center line (spacebar to exit)
Indicate a point through which the shaft’s center line will run. To avoid
rotating the shaft, click on the same spot you did when indicating the
shaft center left point.
Tool Kit Menu 11-77

Gears
Draw spur gears with optional center hole and keyway

Mechanical
Gear definitions may be saved for later re-use.
Procedure
Select Draw Gears from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. The gears dialog
will be displayed:
Select a pre-defined gear from the drop-down list, or specify your own
parameters.
If you specify a shaft diameter of 0 (zero), then the shaft and keyway will
not be drawn.
If you specify a key width of 0 (zero), then the keyway will not be drawn.
You may add your own gear definitions by clicking on the Add button,
and then entering the relevant gear measurements. The gear definition
will be saved when you click on OK, or select another gear definition
from the list.
If you modify an existing gear definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original gear definition.
Click OK to draw the gear.

Enter center point of gear (spacebar to exit)
Indicate the location of the gear centre.
Tool Kit Menu 11-79

Links
Draw one of three types of mechanical links

Mechanical
Link definitions may be saved for later re-use.
Procedure
Select Draw Links from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. The links dialog
will be displayed:
Select a pre-defined link from the drop-down list, or specify your own
parameters.
You may add your own link definitions by clicking on the Add button, and
then entering the relevant link measurements. The link definition will be
saved when you click on OK, or select another link definition from the
list.
If you modify an existing link definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original link definition.
Click OK to draw the link.

Enter left center point of link (spacebar to exit)
Indicate the location of the link’s left hole centre.

Enter a point on the link centre line (space bar to exit)
Indicate a point through which the link’s center line will run. To avoid
rotating the link, click on the same spot you did when indicating the link
center.
Tool Kit Menu 11-81

Flanges
Draw 2-hole, 3-hole or n-hole flanges

Mechanical
Draw various flanges. Flange definitions may be saved for re-use.
Procedure
Select Draw Flanges from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. The flanges
dialog will be displayed:
Select a pre-defined flange from the drop-down list, or specify your own
parameters.
You may add your own flange definitions by clicking on the Add button,
and then entering the relevant flange measurements. The flange
definition will be saved when you click on OK, or select another flange
definition from the list.
If you modify an existing flange definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original flange definition.

Click OK to draw the flange.
Enter center point of flange (spacebar to exit)
Indicate the location of the flange centre.

Enter a point on the flange centre line (space bar to exit)
Indicate a point through which the flange’s center line will run. To avoid
rotating the flange, click on the same spot you did when indicating the
flange center.
Tool Kit Menu 11-83

Rect to Round Duct
Draw and develop a rectangular to round duct

Mechanical
This tool draws front, plan, end and development views of rectangle to a
round duct:
20.0
OR=
75.0
END
PLAN
s y
t x
u v w
z
r
50.0
SIDE PATTERN
o p
100.0
Procedure
Select Rect to Round Duct from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. AllyCAD
will display this dialog:

Enter the relevant dimensions in this dialog, and click on OK.
Position cursor at lower left of drawing
Indicate where you would like the drawing to be placed.
Tool Kit Menu 11-85

Coordinate Table
Generate and draw a table of coordinates.

Mechanical
The table of coordinates may be saved as a text (.CSV) file.
Procedure
Select Draw Tables ► Coord Table from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. The
coordinate table dialog will be displayed:
Set the options you want for this coordinate table:

• Tick “Include diameter” if you want the “Diameter” column to be
drawn
• Tick “Draw frame” if you want a frame to be drawn around your
coordinate table
• Specify the number of decimal places (0 to 6) to display for the
coordinates
Click on Add Coords. You will be taken back to the drawing, and asked to
specify the individual coordinates and their respective labels. Use the
CAD “jump” functions to accurately specify coordinates.
If the coordinate is at the center of a circle (eg: a hole), that circle’s
diameter will be associated with the coordinate.

When you have finished adding coordinates, press the spacebar to return
to the dialog.
You will see the coordinates tabulated in the dialog. Adjust the column
widths to your satisfaction by dragging the column separators.
Click OK to draw the coordinate table. You will first be asked if you want
to save the coordinate table to a file, and if so you will be asked for the
path to save to file to.
Click to place coordinate table
Indicate the location of the top left corner of the coordinate table.
The table will be drawn as a grouped object called “COORD_TABLE”, so
you will be able to reposition it as one entity by dragging it with the
mouse.
Notes:
• The frame for the coord table is drawn in the current pen colour
• The text in the coord table is drawn using the font, size and
colour of the current “text defaults”.
Tool Kit Menu 11-87

Parts List Table
Generate and draw a table of part information.

Mechanical
The parts list may be saved as a text (.CSV) file.
Procedure
Select Draw Tables ► Parts List from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. The
parts list dialog will be displayed:
Set the options you want for this parts list:

• Tick “Draw frame” if you want a frame to be drawn around your
parts list table
If you require more columns for your part list, click on the “Add Column”
button. You will be prompted to enter a name for the new column. You
may add up to 8 columns.
Once you are happy with your columns, click on the “Add Parts” Button.
You will be taken back to the drawing, and asked to indicate the
individual part’s labels, and prompted to enter a text value for the
description of each part, as well as a text value for each of the other
columns you have added.
When you have finished adding parts, press the spacebar to return to the
dialog.

You will see the parts list displayed in the dialog. Adjust the column
widths to your satisfaction by dragging the column separators.
Click OK to draw the parts list table. You will first be asked if you want to
save the parts list to a file, and if so you will be asked for the path to save
to file to.
Click to place parts table
Indicate the location of the top left corner of the parts table.
The table will be drawn as a grouped object called “PART_LIST”, so you

will be able to reposition it as one entity by dragging it with the mouse:
Example parts list table output
Notes:
• The frame for the parts list table is drawn in the current pen
colour
• The text in the parts list table is drawn using the font, size and
Tool Kit Menu 11-89

User Table
Generate and draw a general-purpose table of data.

Mechanical
The user table is a flexible tool which may be used to create and display
tabular data with an arbitrary number of rows or columns. Data may be
imported from text files (.CSV). Data may also be exported as CSV files.
Procedure
Select Draw Tables ► User Table from the Mechanical Toolkit menu. The
user table dialog will be displayed:
The actions available from the dialog’s menu are:

• Import data from a CSV (text) file.
• Export the data in the grid to a CSV (text) file.
• Remove excess columns (empty) from the RHS of the grid.
• Remove excess rows (empty) from the bottom of the grid.
• Clear all data from the grid.

Columns may be inserted or deleted by right-clicking on the first row.
Rows may be inserted or deleted by right-clicking on the first column.

Use the “Add Column” button to add a column to the RHS of the grid.
Use the “Add Row” button to add a row to the bottom of the grid.
The contents of each “cell” in the grid may be edited by double-clicking
the particular cell.
In addition, you may use the clipboard to copy data from a text file
(comma or tab delimited) or a spreadsheet, and then paste it into the
grid, like so:
1. In your text file or spreadsheet, select the range of data that you
want to copy. Click on the right mouse button and select “Copy”.
The data you have selected is copied to the Windows Clipboard.
2. Go back to the User Table Dialog, and click once on the grid cell
that will become the top left cell of the pasted data.
3. Right-click on this same cell, and select “Paste Clipboard Data”.
The data will appear in the grid.
Click OK to draw the user table. You will not be prompted to save the
data in the grid, so make sure you have already exported it if you need to
save a copy of the data.
Click to place table
Indicate the location of the top left corner of the table.

The table will be drawn as a grouped object called “USER_TABLE”, so
you will be able to reposition it as one entity by dragging it with the
mouse:
Example user table output

Notes:
• The frame for the user table is drawn in the current pen colour
• The text in the user table is drawn using the font, size and
Tool Kit Menu 11-91

Annotate Welds
Draw weld specification annotations

Mechanical
Commonly-used weld annotations may be saved for later re-use.
Procedure
Select Annotate ► Welds in the Mechanical Toolkit menu.
The Weld Annotation dialog will be displayed:
Select a predefined weld annotation from the drop-down list at the top-
left of the dialog, or change the weld annotation specs to your needs.
You may add your own weld definitions by clicking on the Add button,
and then entering the relevant weld measurements. The weld definition
will be saved when you click on OK, or select another weld definition
from the list.
If you modify an existing weld definition, you will be asked to save it.
Select No to avoid overwriting the original weld definition.

To draw the weld annotation, click on OK. AllyCAD will prompt:
Indicate the arrow head position for the Weld indicator
Indicate the position of the arrow tip of the annotation. AllyCAD will
prompt:
Indicate the position of the Weld indicator
Indicate the position of the beginning of the horizontal portion of the

annotation. AllyCAD will prompt:
Indicate the position of the weld symbol
Indicate where the weld symbols will be placed, on the same horizontal
as the weld indicator.
Indicate the position of tail
Indicate where the tail of the weld annotation will be placed, on the same
horizontal as the weld indicator.
Configuring Weld Annotations

The relative size of the weld annotation text, symbols, and arrow head
can be customized in the Annotation Setup dialog, which can be
accessed by clicking on Weld Setup in the Weld Annotation dialog above.
The layer that weld annotations will be drawn on can also be specified
there.
To change the font face used to draw the text in the weld annotations,
edit the Mechanical Toolkit configuration file (usually “ISO
Mechspecs.ini” in your AllyCAD user directory, and change the setting
called “WeldFont”.
Tool Kit Menu 11-93

Annotate Tolerances
Draw geometric tolerance “feature control” annotations

Mechanical
This function is used to create geometric tolerance annotations.
Procedure
Select Annotate ► Tolerances in the Mechanical Toolkit menu.
The Tolerance Annotation dialog will be displayed:
Create a “feature control” frame by selecting the required symbols and

entering the necessary data. A preview of what the feature control frame
will look like is shown in the preview window.
To draw the tolerance annotation, click on OK. AllyCAD will prompt:
Indicate the position of the tolerance annotation
Indicate the position where the bottom left of the first lineof the
annotation will be placed.
Configuring Tolerance Annotations

The relative size of the tolerance annotation text and symbols, and the
layer that tolerance annotations will be drawn on, can be customized in
the Annotation Setup dialog. To get to the Annotation Setup dialog,
select Setup in the Mechanical Toolkit menu, then clicking on the
Annotation Setup button.
To change the font face used to draw the text in the tolerance
annotations, edit the Mechanical Toolkit configuration file (usually “ISO

called “ToleranceFont”.
Tool Kit Menu 11-95

Annotate Surface Finishes
Draw surface finish annotations

Mechanical
This function allows you to annotate surface finish features of parts in

your drawing. Surface finish definitions may be saved for later re-use.
Procedure
Select Annotate ► Surface Finish in the Mechanical Toolkit menu.
The Surface Finish Annotation dialog will be displayed:
Select a pre-defined surface finish annotation from the drop-down list, or

create a surface finish annotation by selecting the required symbol and
entering the necessary data. The horizontal extender line will only be
drawn if a note is specified, or if the roughness is specified, or if a “lay
direction” symbol is specified.
You may add your own surface finish definitions by clicking on the Add
button, and then entering the relevant surface finish measurements. The
surface finish definition will be saved when you click on OK, or select
another surface finish definition from the list.
If you modify an existing surface finish definition, you will be asked to

save it. Select No to avoid overwriting the original surface finish
definition.

To draw the surface finish annotation, click on OK. AllyCAD will prompt:
Indicate the position of the surface finish annotation
Indicate where to place the annotation.
Configuring Surface Finish Annotations

The relative size of the surface finish annotation text and symbols, and
the layer that surface finish annotations will be drawn on, can be
customized in the Annotation Setup dialog. To get to the Annotation
Setup dialog, select Setup in the Mechanical Toolkit menu, then clicking
on the Annotation Setup button.
To change the font face used to draw the text in the surface finish
annotations, edit the Mechanical Toolkit configuration file (usually “ISO
called “SurfaceFinishFont”.
Tool Kit Menu 11-97

Structural
The structural toolkit speeds up a number of structural
drawing functions such as:
• Drawing a building grid
• Adding column bases to the building grid
• Drawing structural steel sections

Building Grid
Draw a building grid

Structural
This function allows you to draw a building grid consisting of
foundations at horizontal and vertical intervals easily.
Procedure
AllyCAD will display the following options list:
Building Grid
1 2 3 4 5
5000.0 5000.0 5000.0 5000.0
A
3000.0
B
3000.0
C
3000.0
D
3000.0

Enter first horizontal (x) spacing
Specify the distance between the first grid line and the second grid line
in user units. AllyCAD will now prompt:
Enter next horizontal (x) spacing (0 to exit)
Specify the distance between the second grid line and the next grid line
in user units or enter 0 to exit. AllyCAD will continue to prompt:
Enter next horizontal (x) spacing (0 to exit)
Tool Kit Menu 11-99

Specify the distance between subsequent grid lines enter 0 to exit.
Enter first vertical (y) spacing
Specify the distance between the first grid line and the second grid line
in user units. AllyCAD will now prompt:
Enter next vertical (y) spacing (0 to exit)
Specify the distance between the second grid line and the next grid line
in user units or enter 0 to exit. AllyCAD will continue to prompt:
Enter next vertical (y) spacing (0 to exit)
Specify the distance between subsequent grid lines enter 0 to exit.

Indicate top left hand corner of grid
Click on the drawing where you want the top left corner of the grid.
Enter vertical grid line offset above the top horizontal
line
Specify the vertical offset for the grid dimensions and grid line labels.
Enter horizontal grid line offset above the top vertical
line
Specify the horizontal offset for the grid dimensions and grid line labels.
The building grid will be drawn at the indicated position.

Column Bases
This option draws a rectangular base and allows you to position the
bases on the building grid using the intersection snap mode.
1 2 3 4 5
5000.0 5000.0 5000.0 5000.0
3000.0
B
3000.0
C
3000.0
D
3000.0
AllyCAD will ask:

Enter length of base (0 to return to menu)
Specify the length of the base in user units. AllyCAD will then ask:
Enter width of base
Specify the width of the base in user units. AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter position of base centre (spacebar to enter new size)
The cursor will change to intersection snap mode. Simply click near a
grid intersection for the base to be drawn at that point.
Settings
AllyCAD will ask the following questions:
Enter drawing sheet size (0,1,2,3,4)
Specify the drawing size.

Enter drawing scale
Specify the drawing scale.

Enter linetype for grid
Specify the linetype for the grid centrelines.

Enter pen for grid
Tool Kit Menu 11-101

Specify the pen for the grid centrelines.
Enter text height (mm)
Specify the text height for the grid labels in millimeters.

Enter text pen number
Specify the pen number for the grid labels.

Pick or create a layer from the following list and set as
CURRENT
Select or create a layer for the grid lines, labels and dimensions.

Erf Numbers
Insert erf numbers

Civil
This tool places erf numbers on the centre of the erven and writes the
erven area below the area table. The text can be written at an angle or
horizontal to the erven or and a table of erf numbers, erf areas and
centroids can be written.
Procedure
Insert Erf Numbers Select this option to place erf numbers, areas in the
erven as well as a table of erf numbers, areas and
centroids.
Settings Enter text height in mm.
Enter text pen number.
Select or create the layer for erf numbers.
Help Select this option to launch this help topic.
Exit Exit the program.
Settings
Before proceeding to the "Insert Erf Numbers" menu option first set the
text height, pen colour and layer you want to work in.
1. "Enter text height in mm". Enter the text height.
2. "Enter text pen number". Enter the pen colour.
3. "Pick or create a layer from following list and Set Current".
Select and existing layer or create a new layer.

Insert Erf Numbers
1. "Create area table ?". Click on Yes option to create a table of erf
numbers, areas and X and Y coordinates of erf centroid.
a. If Yes is selected the following prompt will appear: "Indicate
position for area table". Click on the position you want the
table to be placed.
b. "list centroid of area in the table ?". Select Yes if you want
the X and Y co-ordinates of the erven to appear in the table.
2. "Write area below erf number ?". Select Yes if you want the area
of the erven to appear below its number. Select No if you would
only like the erf number to appear inside the erven.
3. "Write text horizontal or at Angle of stand ?". Select Yes if you
want the erf number and/or erf area to be placed at an angle to
the erven.
4. Click inside the erven you want to select.
a. This prompt will be displayed if you selected No in step 3:
"Position cursor inside erf to be numbered (Done to exit)".
Click anywhere inside the area of the erven you want to
select.
b. This prompt will be displayed if you selected Yes in step 3:
"Position cursor inside erf to be numbered close to line for
angle of text (Done to exit)". Click anywhere inside the area
of the erven close to a line you would like the text to obtain
it's angle from. The text will be placed parallel to this line
inside the erven.
5. "Enter erf number". Enter the erf number/ description you
would like to be placed within the erven and area table (if this
option was selected in step 1).
6. The prompts in either step 4a. or b will appear. Hit the
[SPACEBAR] to exit or click inside the area of another erven to
continue.

Street Numbers
Insert street numbers

Civil
This tool places street numbers either inside, outside or at the angle to
the boundary or horizontal.
Procedure
Street Numbers Write the street number horizontally or at the angle of

the boundary.
Place the cursor inside or outside the boundary line and
click.
Enter the street number (the street numbers increment
by the default value).
The street number is written at the selected position.

Settings Current text settings are used except for the height and
pen.
Text settings are restored on exit.
Enter the text height
Enter the text pen.
Select layer to be used.
Enter text offset position from the boundary.
Enter the steps for numbering (eg 2 as numbers go 1 3
5 7 etc).

Label Coordinates
Label coordinates

Civil
This tool labels coordinates with the minimum of setup and provides
options for reading or adding labels to the drawing.
Procedure
Label Coordinates Enter the maximum number of characters in a label.

Indicate the position for the table. Or indicate below the
label of the last line of an existing table to add to it.
Select a coordinate point and select whether to read
label from the drawing or type it in. If typing it in you will
be given an option to add it to the drawing.
The information is placed in the table and the label
added if selected.

Coordinate Cross
Insert survey coordinate grid

Civil
This tool places coordinate crosses or a true north sign on a drawing.
Procedure
Grid Cross Point cursor at approximate position for Grid Cross and
click. You will then be prompted to accept or adjust the
current Y and X values and the cross will be drawn at
the specified position. If you require multiple crosses
answer No to the next option and type in the required
spacing and the number of horizontal, then vertical
crosses.
North Sign Draws true north signs at selected postions on the
drawing.
Set Defaults Enter the length of the cross as mm on paper and the
pen number to draw it with. Do you require Y and X on
the end of the coordinate values? Enter the length and
width of the north sign as mm on paper and the pen
number to draw it with. Specify the text height.
North Sign
First set height, width and pen colour of True North Sign as well as text
height and colour in "Set Defaults" option from the menu.
Pick or create a layer to place the Grid Cross or North Sign
from following list and Set Current
Select or create a new layer you would like the North Sign to placed in.

POSITION POINT OF TRUE NORTH SIGN (Click Done or space to
return to menu)
Click the position on the drawing you would like the True North Sign
placed or press [SPACEBAR] to return to the menu.
Grid Cross
Set the length and pen colour of Grid Cross as well as text height and
colour in "Set Defaults" option from the menu.

Relative Polar Move
Polar move relative to an existing line

Civil
This function draws a line a specified length and bearing from the closest
end of an existing line.
Procedure
Relative Polar Move Select this option to draw a line a specified length and
bearing from an existing line.
AllyCAd will prompt:

Select end of line existing line where new line will start
(Done to exit)
Select the end of the line you want the new line drawn from. AllyCAD
will prompt:
Enter line length
Enter the new line length. AllyCAD will now prompt:

Enter bearing (format d.mm.ss)
Enter the bearing for the new line.

A new line is drawn on the specified end of the existing line the specified
length and bearing.

SG &Diagram
Generate a SG diagram by graphically indicating a consistency on a
layout plan.
Edit Defaults
Display the SG Diagram Setup dialog

Survey
Before you can start generating SG Diagrams, you must Load a SG *.ini
file in the Setup dialog.
Procedure
Title Block Drawing Specify the drawing to be used as a titleblock. This

drawing can be any AllyCAD drawing drawn in the
desired sheet size and scale.
Symbol File Specify the symbol file that contains the symbols to be
used to indicate Trig beacons and Reference marks
Snip Offset When creating a SG diagram, you will be prompted to
indicate the consistency of which a SG diagram has to
be drawn. Enter the offset from the consistency corners

to snip and copy to the diagram.
Edit Line Type Specify the Line Type to indicate lines that do not belong
to the consistency. This value will be used by the Adjust
Drawing function.
Layer Name Specify the CAD layer name for the SG diagram
Decimal Separator Specify the decimal separator
Thousand Separator Specify the thousand separator
Bearing Separator Specify the bearing separator
Corner Point Circle Enter the diameter for the corner point indicators in
actual millimeters on paper.
Save As Button Save the current settings to another *.ini file
Load Button Load a SG diagram *.ini file
OK Button Save the current settings to the loaded *.ini file and close
the dialog.
Questions Tab
Each row in the spreadsheet represents a question which will be asked
when generating the SG Diagram.
Default Text Column Enter the default text for the questions that will be asked.
Hor Coord Column Enter the Horizontal coordinate for the question text
measured from the left of the Titleblock drawing.
Ver Coord Column Enter the Vertical coordinate for the question text
measured from the bottom of the Titleblock drawing.
Pen Column Enter the Pen colour for the Question text.
Size Column Enter text size (in 10th of millimeters) of the Question
text.
Lorg Column Enter the CAD Label Origin for the Question text.
Font Column Enter the font for the Question text.
Text Tab
Stand alone Text that do not appear on the Titleblock drawing, can be
specified here.

Text Column Enter the Text to be drawn in this column.
Hor Coord Column Enter the Horizontal coordinate for the text measured
from the left of the Titleblock drawing.
Ver Coord Column Enter the Vertical coordinate for the text measured from
the bottom of the Titleblock drawing. An entry of "LF"
(Line Feed) will draw the particular piece of text directly
underneath the previous item that was drawn.
Pen Column Enter the Pen colour for the text.
Size Column Enter text size (in 10th of millimeters) of the text.
Lorg Column Enter the CAD Label Origin for the text.
Font Column Enter the font for the text.
Lines Tab
Extra lines that do not appear on the Titleblock drawing, can be
specified here.
An "LF" (Line feed) entry in any of the Y columns refers to a vertical

position directly underneath the previous item that was drawn.
Start X and Start Y Indicate the position of the start of a line. The origin is at
Column the bottom left hand side corner of the Titleblock.
End X and End Y Column Indicate the position of the end of a line. The origin is at
the bottom left hand side corner of the Titleblock.
Pen Column Enter the pen colour for the line
LT Column Enter the Line Type for the line.

Data Table Tab
The Data table will form part of the SG Diagram and will typically look
like this:
Each row in the spreadsheet represents a column in the actual table.

Start X Column Enter the start distance from the left hand side edge of
the Titleblock for each specific data column.
Lorg Column Enter the CAD Label Origin for the column.
Trace Figure
Trace the consistency

Survey
Use this function to graphically indicate the consistency to be drawn on

the SG Diagram.
Procedure
You will be prompted to
Indicate first point of perimeter
Indicate the first consistency point graphically. The cursor will

automatically be in GRAB ALL mode.
The program will then prompt you to
Enter Label for first point
Type in the label for the first consistency point and press Enter.
You will be asked to enter all the consistency points and labels. When
you indicate the first point again, the Diagram will be generated.

Adjust Drawing
Change the selected line

Survey
Use this function to change the line type of the lines that do not belong to
the consistency to the Edit Line Type value specified in the Setup dialog.
The program will simply prompt you to indicate the lines that have to be
edited. Press escape to exit the function.

General Plan
A General plan titleblock and heading can be added to a already open
cadastral drawing. Various tables and survey dimensions can then be
added to the General plan.
Edit Defaults
Set up the General Plan defaults

Survey
Before you start generating a general plan, you must load a General Plan
*.ini file into the Setup dialog.
Procedure
The General Plan Settings dialog will be displayed:
Title Block Drawing Specify the drawing to be used as a titleblock. This

drawing can be any AllyCAD drawing drawn in the
desired sheet size and scale.
Symbol File Specify the symbol file that contains the symbols to be
used to indicate Trig beacons and Reference marks

Decimal Separator Specify the decimal separator
Thousand Separator Specify the thousand separator
Bearing Separator Specify the Bearing separator
Corner Point Circle Enter the diameter for the corner point indicators in
actual millimeters on paper.
Save As Save the current settings to another *.ini file
Load Load a General Plan diagram *.ini file
OK Save the current settings to the loaded *.ini file and close
the dialog
Heading Questions Tab

Each row in the spreadsheet represents a question which will be asked
when you run the Insert Heading function.
Default Text column Enter the default text for the questions that will be asked.
Hor Coord column Enter the Horizontal coordinate for the question text
measured from the indicated position.
Ver Coord column Enter the Vertical coordinate for the text measured from
the indicated position. An entry of "LF" (Line Feed) will
draw the particular piece of text directly underneath the
previous item that was drawn.
Pen column Enter the Pen colour for the text.
Size column Enter the text size (in 10th of millimeters) for the text.
Lorg column Enter the text Label origin.
Font Column Enter the Font

Frame Questions
Each row in the spreadsheet represents a question that will be asked
when you run the Insert Border function.
Default Text column Enter the default text for the questions that will be asked.
Hor Coord column Enter the Horizontal coordinate for the question text
measured from the left of the Title block drawing.
Ver Coord column Enter the Vertical coordinate for the text measured from
the bottom of the Title block drawing. An entry of "LF"
(Line Feed) will draw the particular piece of text directly
underneath the previous item that was drawn.
Pen column Enter the Pen colour for the text.
Size column Enter the text size (in points) for the text.
Lorg column Enter the text Label origin.
Font Column Enter the Font
Tables Tab
Each row represents a table that can be generated using the appropriate
functions.
Figure Row Trace Area function
Area Row Area Table function
Reference Marks Row Reference Marks function
Trig Beacons Row Trig beacons function
Block corners Row Block Table function

Table Pen column Enter the pen colour for the Table grids.
Text Pen column Enter the pen colour for the table text.
Text Hgt column Enter the Text height (in 10th of millimeters) for the table
text.
Layer column Enter the CAD layer in which the table should be drawn.
Font column Enter the font for the table text.
Insert Titleblock
Add the title block to the drawing

Survey
This function will load the Title block drawing, as specified in the Setup
dialog, onto the existing drawing with its center point at the screen
center. It will then ask the Frame Questions, as specified in the Setup
dialog.
Insert Heading
Insert the General Plan heading

Survey
This function will ask the Heading questions as specified in the Setup
dialog, and insert the text at a user defined position.
Procedure
Indicate position for heading
Indicate the position where the top left corner of the heading should be.
The Heading questions will be asked.

Area Table
Create a stand area table

Survey
This function will generate an stand area table for graphically indicated
stands and number the selected stands.
Procedure
Ensure that stand boundary lines form a proper perimeter around the
stand to enable the area calculation routine to calculate a correct area
quantity.
You will be prompted to:
Indicate the position for Table
Indicate the position where the top left corner of the table should be.
The following dialog will appear:
Press Yes to place the stand numbers at a horizontal angle, or No to place

the stand numbers parallel to one of the stand edges.
You will then be prompted to:
Position cursor inside erf to be numbered (Done to exit)
Indicate the each erf to be numbered and press [Esc] to draw the table.
After indicating the stand to number, you will be asked to:
Enter erf number
Type in the erf number.

Figure Table
Create a figure table

Survey
Use this function to graphically indicate a consistency to be tabled.

If you must insert Area Tables, it must be done before adding Figure
Tables. This routine adds snipped circles to the stand corners which will
affect the area quantity, should an Area table be added after a Figure
Table has been added for a particular stand.
Procedure
You will be prompted to
Indicate first point of perimeter
Indicate the first consistency point graphically. The cursor will

automatically be in GRAB ALL mode.
The program will then prompt you to:
Enter Label for first point
Type in the label for the first consistency point and press [Enter].
You will be asked to enter all the consistency points and labels. When
you indicate the first point again, the Diagram will be generated.
The program will finally prompt you to:
Enter the LO Coordinate system
as well as the coordinate constants before it draws the table.

Block Table
Create a table of block corners

Survey
Use this function to generate a table of block corners coordinates.
Procedure
Indicate Block corner (Done to exit)
Indicate each block corner to be tabled and press Escape to draw the
table.
After indicating the block corner, you will be asked to:
Enter number
Enter the block corner number.

The block corner numbers will be drawn at the block corner position and
tabled.

Reference Marks
Create a reference mark table

Survey
Use this function to generate a table of Reference mark coordinates.
Procedure
Position for Reference marks (Done to exit)
Indicate each reference mark to be tabled and press [Esc] to draw the
table.
After indicating the Reference mark, you will be asked to:
Enter number
Enter the Reference mark name.

The Reference mark numbers will be drawn at the Reference mark
position and tabled.

Trig Beacons
Create a trig beacon table

Survey
Use this function to generate a table of Trig beacon coordinates.
Procedure
Position for Trig beacons (Done to exit)
Indicate each Trig beacon to be tabled and press Escape to draw the
table.
After indicating the Trig beacon, you will be asked to:
Enter number
Enter the Trig beacon name.

The Trig beacon numbers will be drawn at the beacon position and
tabled.

Add Dims
Add survey dimensions

Survey
This function can be used to add survey dimensions (Bearing and

distance) to stand boundaries.
Procedure
You will be asked to:
Indicate erf to dimension
Graphically Indicate the stand by clicking inside the stand. The selected
stand will be highlighted.
Indicate the line to dimension to the inside of the erf
Click close to the line that you want to dimension, on the inside of the
stand.
A direction and bearing will be drawn with the current text settings and
with the separator details as specified in the Setup dialog.

Perimeter Menu
The Perimeter Menu is a row of icons that is displayed on the Control
Bar whenever you need to enter a perimeter. This happens during the
following functions:
• Draw ► Parallel Line - adding parallel lines to an existing perimeter.
• Tools ► Polygon Area - measure an area.
• Annotate ► Add Hatch - hatch an area.
The first six icons represent different methods of defining a perimeter:
Line
(Chained)
Circle Intersections
Rectangle Auto
Object
You can use one method to define a perimeter, or several methods in

combination.
See Tutorial 3 in the User Guide for practical examples of using the
Perimeter Menu.
Perimeter Menu 12-1

Accept Button
Click on this button when you have finished defining the perimeter.
While you are using the Circle, Rectangle, Line (Chained), Object,
Intersections or Auto options, the Accept button changes to a Done
button.
Cancel Button
Clicking on this button abandons the perimeter defining operation and
discards any perimeter that you may have started.
Circle
This option allows you to define a circular perimeter either by clicking
on an existing circle or by drawing a new circle. It also allows you to add
arcs to a perimeter by clicking on them.
Pick circle to be added to perimeter or enter new circle
centre
If you want to add an existing circle or arc to the perimeter simply click
on it with your cursor. The circle or arc will start flashing.
If you want to draw a new circle to the perimeter this function operates
in the same way as the Draw ► Circle function.
Note that any circles that you draw here are

purely perimeters. They will not be displayed
when you redraw.
When you have drawn the circle, it will start
flashing.
No perimeter drawn

Pick circle to be added to perimeter or enter new circle
centre
Add more circles or arcs to the perimeter or click on one of the Done
buttons or press the [Space Bar] to stop.

Rectangle
This option allows you to define a rectangular perimeter either by
clicking on an existing rectangle or by drawing a new rectangle.
The rectangle that you draw is purely a perimeter. It will not be

displayed when you redraw. After you have drawn the rectangular
perimeter, it flashes and AllyCAD continues to prompt:
Add more rectangles to the perimeter or click on one of the Done buttons
or press the [Space Bar] to stop.
If you are going to add parallel lines to a rectangular perimeter, lines

with a positive offset will be drawn on the outside of the rectangle, and
lines with a negative offset will be drawn on the inside.
Line (Chained)
This option allows you to add to the perimeter by drawing lines or
clicking on existing lines.
Any line that you draw is a virtual entity. It will not be displayed when
you redraw. After you have drawn the line it will flash.
Add more lines to the perimeter or click on one of the Done buttons or
press the [Space Bar] to stop.
If you are going to add parallel lines to the perimeter, lines with a
positive offset will be drawn to the right of the perimeter line in the
direction the line is drawn in. Lines with a negative offset will be
drawn to the left.
Perimeter Menu 12-3

Objects
This option defines a whole object as a perimeter.
Select object to be added to perimeter
Click on the object to want to add. The object will flash.

Add more objects to the perimeter or click on one of the Done buttons or
press the [Space Bar] to stop.
Intersections
This option allows you to define complicated perimeters by manually
tracing over them by indicating entities and intersections between
entities.
The cursor will change to Grab All mode and AllyCAD will prompt:
Enter first intersection point of perimeter
Position the cursor close to an intersection

along the perimeter and press [Enter] or
click.
There is no need to jump exactly onto the
intersection as AllyCAD will locate the
nearest intersection automatically.

Identify next element of perimeter
Position the cursor close to a line or arc

adjoining the intersection and press [Enter]
or click.

Enter next intersection point
The cursor is attached to a line that moves as

you move the cursor. Position the cursor close
to the next intersection along the perimeter

Perimeter Menu 12-5
The line or arc you have just defined flashes.
Identify next element of perimeter
Position the cursor close to another line or arc to add to the perimeter.
Alternatively, click on one of the Done buttons, click on , or press the
[Space Bar] to stop adding entities to the perimeter.
Remember that if you are going to add parallel lines to the perimeter,
lines with a positive offset will be drawn to the right of the perimeter in
the direction of tracing, and lines with a negative offset will be drawn to
the left.
Auto
This option automatically tracks along a perimeter made up of existing
lines and arcs.
Place cursor inside perimeter and near a line
The cursor changes to Freehand mode so that it cannot accidentally

jump onto anything on the wrong side of the perimeter.
If you are going to hatch or measure an area, place the cursor on that
side of the perimeter you want hatched or measured. Click or press
[Enter].
If you are going to draw parallel lines around an existing perimeter, you
must position your cursor with care. Refer to Parallel Line Defaults in the
Settings Menu.
When you have clicked inside the perimeter, it will automatically be
tracked. The tracked perimeter will then flash and the Accept button
will re-appear at the left end of the Perimeter Menu.
Note the following:
• By default, Auto will not track dashed or dotted lines. If the
perimeter you are going to track includes dashed or dotted lines, you
must check the Dotted box in the Perimeter Menu first.
• If the perimeter to be tracked has gaps in it, type a distance into the
Tolerance box at the right hand end of the Perimeter Menu. The
tracking function will then jump over any gaps in the perimeter that
are smaller than this distance.

Delete
This option allows you to delete the whole perimeter you have defined.
Dotted
Checking this box will allow the Auto function to track dashed or dotted
lines.
Tolerance
The Auto function will jump over any gaps in the perimeter that are
smaller than the distance you type here.
Perimeter Menu 12-7

Defaults
Every time you enter AllyCAD or use the File ► New function to start a
new drawing, a default drawing called STARTUP.DRG is automatically
loaded.
This drawing sets up the defaults - the paper size, scale, units,
background colour you normally use, the way you normally want text
and dimensions to look, etc.
You may change these defaults so that your preferred paper size, scale,
colour etc. are automatically loaded each time you start a new drawing.
To do this, load AllyCAD. Do not draw anything, but set the defaults to
the values you would like loaded each time you start a new drawing.
Refer to the functions in the Settings Menu.
Use File ► Save As to save the blank drawing. You must save it into your
user directory with the name STARTUP.DRG.
Defaults 13-1
Multiple users
Different users can have their own User Home directories storing their
own menus, hatch patterns, defaults and line types.
For example, one user's preferred menus, hatch patterns, defaults and
line types may be stored in the default User Home directory, guest. Other
users can then create their own personal sub-directories in which their
preferred menu, hatch patterns, defaults and line types are stored. See
Adding new users below.
AllyCAD33
Users
Guest
Macro
Paul
Macro
Civil
Macro
Arch
Macro
Mech
Macro
As well as creating sub-directories for different users, you can also create
sub-directories for different types of drawing.
For example, in the diagram above, all of Guest's preferred settings will
be stored in the Guest sub-directory, all of Paul's preferred settings will
be stored in the Paul sub-directory, etc.
The arch sub-directory may contain defaults suitable for architectural
drawings, e.g. a default scale of 1:50 and special brick hatch patterns.
The mech sub-directory may contain defaults suitable for mechanical
drawing, etc.

User Home directory
The directory where your menus, hatch patterns, defaults and line types
are stored is called your User Home directory. Each user can have his or
her User Home directory. See Multiple Users later in this chapter.
The User Home directory contains the following files:
• CAD.MEN
This defines the menu structure, icon functions and accelerator keys
in the CAD.
• HATCH.PAT
This contains hatch pattern definitions.
• STARTUP.DRG
This is a drawing that contains your drawing defaults. It is loaded
each time you start the CAD or start a new drawing.
• CAD.INI
This stores defaults relating to printing, DXF and DWG transfers,
digitizer setup, colours etc.
• DOM.TXT
The Drawing Office Manager data file. This is updated if you have
specified you want to use the Drawing Office Manager (see Save
Settings in the Reference Manual).
• CAD.LOG
If activated this logs everything you do during a CAD session. See
CAD.INI.
• COMPASS.DRG
This is a compass that you can automatically insert on your drawing
when you print using Zoom Print in the File Menu. There is also a
compass called COMPASSN.DRG. COMPASSN is a more elaborate
compass. If you want to use COMPASSN instead of COMPASS,
rename COMPASSN.DRG to COMPASS.DRG.
It also contains the MACRO sub-directory where the line type definitions
are stored in the LINETYPE.MAC file. Do not delete this file.
Adding new users

Before you can add a new user sub-directory, you must switch on the Ask
Logon name at Startup checkbox in the Settings ► System Settings dialog
box.
Now, when you start the CAD, the Login dialog box is displayed.
Defaults 13-3
To add a new user sub-directory, click on the Add new name button in
this dialog box. The dialog below is displayed.
Type the new user sub-directory's name into the New name box. From
the Copy from list box, select one of the existing sub-directories. The
contents of the existing sub-directory will be copied into the new sub-
directory. These copied files can later be edited or overwritten, for
example with the new user's preferred menu system.
When you click on OK, the CAD will start up using the new user sub-
directory.
Whenever you start the CAD in future, the Login dialog box will be
displayed. Select the login name you want to use and click on OK. The
menu, hatch patterns, defaults and line types stored in that sub-directory
will be loaded.
If you click on Help ► About a dialog box will appear. The name of the
current sub-directory will be displayed at the bottom of this dialog box.
Deleting user sub-directories

To delete a user sub-directory, simply delete it form your hard drive
using Windows Explorer. Do not do this while AllyCAD is running.
Disabling the User Login

Refer to the Settings Menu chapter in the Reference Manual for details
on enabling and disabling the login.

CAD.INI
The CAD.INI file in your user directory store defaults such as your
default directories, etc. A typical file looks like this:
[WINDOW_PLACEMENT]
Main Length=44
Main Flags=2
Main Show=3
Main PosRect=-1 -1 -4 -4 184 207 854 1043
[LOGFILE]
WriteLogFile=0
[PATHS]
drawpath=J:\AllyTest\
[STOREDEF]
AUTOGEOM=0
USEDOM=1
AUTOBACKUP=10
REFERENCEPROMPT=0
ASKBACKUP=0
BACKUPPATH=
[VMEM]
MaxMegAlloc=5
Vmempath=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
[COLORS]
pen0=128 0 0
pen1=255 0 0
pen2=153 41 247
pen3=255 255 0
pen4=0 255 0
pen5=0 128 0
pen6=0 128 128
pen7=0 255 255
pen8=0 0 255
pen9=0 0 128
pen10=128 0 128
pen11=255 0 255
pen12=255 255 255
pen13=128 128 128
pen14=0 0 0
pen15=192 192 192
Use_AutoCAD_Colors=0
CustColor0=244 129 152
CustColor2=2 0 157
CustColor5=0 0 0
CustColor6=0 0 0
CustColor7=41 2 176
CustColor8=176 5 41
CustColor9=20 7 0
Defaults 13-5
CustColor10=176 186 184
CustColor14=176 186 184
[SETTINGS]
UseWidthInPerimeter=0
OpenCreatesNewWindow=1
CompileMacro=0
Create16BitCompatible=0
DefaultEditor=NOTEPAD.EXE
ZoomOutFactor=0
PopUpDoneButton=0
BitmapTilingThreshold=1000
CompressedTiles=0
TilePath=.
[DRAWINGS]
drawing1=I:\DTP\CIVIL DESIGNER 6\PAVEMENT.DRG
drawing2=I:\DTP\CIVIL DESIGNER 6\SKC.DRG
drawing3=J:\ALLYTEST\LINCOLN1.DRG
drawing4=D:\DEMO\DATA\DEMODATA.DRG
drawing5=C:\ALLYCAD3\DRAWING\BOMTEST.DRG
drawing6=J:\ALLYTEST\4486801.DRG
drawing7=J:\ALLYTEST\TESTDUPL.DRG
drawing8=J:\ALLYTEST\PDV\HK_CC.DRG
[TOOLBARPOSN]
Color=TOP 637 917 0 20 VISIBLE 1
File=TOP -2 399 50 82 VISIBLE 1
Main=LEFT -2 31 80 448 VISIBLE 16
Snaps=RIGHT 1249 1282 110 390 VISIBLE 12
Screen=LEFT 0 0 0 0 HIDE 16
View=TOP 397 620 50 82 VISIBLE 1
Modify=TOP 618 1027 206 238 HIDE 1
Trims=TOP -2 106 236 268 HIDE 1
Geometry=RIGHT 1249 1282 388 732 VISIBLE 18
Dimensions=LEFT -2 31 446 697 VISIBLE 13
[CONTROLBAR]
name=Arial
size=8
weight=400
italic=0
charset=0
pitchandfamily=34
[PRINTDEF]
PROFILES=SCE,PRINT
CURRPROFILE=PRINT
[PRINT_PROFILE_PRINT]
PRINTERARCS=1
ALLPENSTOBLACK=1
SCALEHATCH=0
SCALEFATLINES=1

XOFFSET=0
YOFFSET=0
MINPEN=1
MAXPEN=15
PEN0_WIDTH=0
PEN0_COLOR=128 0 0
PEN1_WIDTH=0.13
PEN1_COLOR=255 0 0
PEN2_WIDTH=0.18
PEN2_COLOR=128 128 0
PEN3_WIDTH=0.25
PEN4_WIDTH=0.35
PEN4_COLOR=0 255 0
PEN5_WIDTH=0.5
PEN5_COLOR=0 128 0
PEN6_WIDTH=0.7
PEN7_WIDTH=1
PEN8_WIDTH=0.25
PEN8_COLOR=0 0 255
PEN9_WIDTH=0
PEN9_COLOR=0 0 128
PEN10_WIDTH=0
PEN10_COLOR=128 0 128
PEN11_WIDTH=0
PEN11_COLOR=255 0 255
PEN12_WIDTH=0
PEN12_COLOR=255 255 255
PEN13_WIDTH=0
PEN13_COLOR=128 128 128
PEN14_WIDTH=0
PEN14_COLOR=0 0 0
PEN15_WIDTH=0
PEN15_COLOR=192 192 192
[TEXTEDIT]
TAKERETURN=0
DLGBOXSIZE=492,392,788,603
[INFOWINDOW]
POSITION=118,301
[BOM]
COMMATABSPACE=2
FIRSTLINEFIELDNAMES=1
[ToDXFFonts]
MODERN=TXT
ROMAN=ROMANS
ARIAL=ROMAND
TIMES NEW ROMAN=ROMANC
TIMES NEW ROMAN.I=ITALICC
TIMES NEW ROMAN.B=ROMANT
TIMES NEW ROMAN.B.I=ITALICT
SCRIPT=SCRIPTS
SCRIPT.I=SCRIPTC
Defaults 13-7
UNKNOWNNAME=TXT
[DXFFlags]
ExplodeBlocks=0
TargetVersion=10
[FromDXFFonts]
STANDARD=MODERN
TXT=MODERN
MONOTXT=MODERN
ROMANS=ROMAN
SCRIPTS=SCRIPT
ROMAND=ARIAL
ROMANT=TIMES NEW ROMAN.B
ITALICT=TIMES NEW ROMAN.B.I
ROMANC=TIMES NEW ROMAN
ITALICC=TIMES NEW ROMAN.I
SCRIPTC=SCRIPT.I
UNKNOWNNAME=MODERN
[ToDXFFonts]
MODERN=TXT
ROMAN=ROMANS
ARIAL=ROMAND
TIMES NEW ROMAN=ROMANC
TIMES NEW ROMAN.I=ITALICC
TIMES NEW ROMAN.B=ROMANT
TIMES NEW ROMAN.B.I=ITALICT
SCRIPT=SCRIPTS
SCRIPT.I=SCRIPTC
UNKNOWNNAME=TXT
[DIGITIZER]
TYPE=None
FORMAT=
INITSTRING=
COMPORT=0
BAUD=0
DATABITS=0
STOPBITS=0
PARITY=0
DIGSCALE=0,1000,0,0,1000,0
SCREENSCALE=0,100,0,0,100,0
MINDIST=1
NOBUTTON=0
Paths
This contains the paths for drawing, symbol and macro files - i.e. the
names of the directories where you store these files and where on the
hard drive AllyCAD can find them.

Print
This contains the print settings.
Item Value Description
PRINTERARCS 0 Use plotter arcs
1 Plot arcs as lines
ALLPENSTOBLACK 0 Print with colours
1 Print all colours as black
PEN_WIDTH Define the width of each pen in mm
FromDXFFonts
This section stores the AllyCAD font that an AutoCAD font must be
converted to during a transfer from a DWG or DXF file to an AllyCAD
drawing file.
The font on the left of the = sign is the AutoCAD font, and the one on the
right is the AllyCAD font it must be converted to.
A “.B” or “.I” after the AllyCAD font name indicates that the font must
be bold or italic. See DXF/DWG Conversion Settings.
ToDXFFonts
This section stores the AutoCAD font that an AllyCAD font must be
converted to during a transfer from an AllyCAD drawing to a DWG or
DXF file.
The font on the left of the = sign is the AllyCAD font, and the one on the
right is the AutoCAD font it must be converted to.
A “.B” or “.I” after the AllyCAD font name indicates that the font is bold
or italic. See DXF/DWG Conversion Settings.
DXFFlags
TargetVersion is 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 depending on the version of
AutoCAD the DWG or DXF files you are creating must be compatible
with. See DXF/DWG Conversion Settings.
Controlbar
This section stores the font used on the Control Bar. See View Settings.
Defaults 13-9
Digitizer
This stores the current digitizer setup. See Digitizer Settings. The
NOBUTTON line stores the code returned as the pen by the digitizer
when you are not pressing any buttons.
Logfile
If WriteLogFile=1, AllyCAD will record everything that you do in a file
called ALLYCAD.LOG. This is useful if you are experiencing problems
and wish to contact the programmers.
Each time you start a new AllyCAD session, the previous log file will be
added on to. If WriteLogFile=0, no log file will be written.
Drawings
This stores the names of the last eight drawings you have worked on.
These names appear at the bottom of the File Menu, where you can click
on them to open the drawings quickly.
Vmem
This section stores the virtual memory settings. See Virtual Memory
Colors
The first part of this section stores the colours you have assigned to each
pen in the Color toolbar in the format
pen=red green blue
Red, green and blue have values between 0 and 255 and define the
amount of red, green and blue making up each colour.
The second part of this section stores any custom colours you have
defined in the colour palette that appears when you right click on the
Pen button in the Control Bar to define a colour or when you are
entering a solid fill.
Textedit
This section stores the size of the Text Entry dialog box, and whether it
has been set to accept [Enter] (1) or [CTRL][Enter] (0) for multiline text.
See Add Text.

Infowindow
This section stores the last position of the Measure and Query Entity
dialog boxes. See Measure and Query Entity.
All the values in CAD.INI except for the symbol and macro paths are
automatically updated each time you exit AllyCAD. To change the
symbol and macro paths, you need to edit them manually in an ASCII
text editor such as Windows Notepad.
Coordtable
FORMAT contains the format that will be used to display coordinate
labels and tables. See Label Coord.
BOM
This section stores the bill of materials (BOM) delimiter and whether the
first line of the BOM contains field names (set to 1 if it does). The
delimiter is
• 0 comma
• 1 tab
• 2 columns
See Bill of Materials.
Defaults 13-11
Notes:

CAD.MEN
AllyCAD is supplied with its functions arranged on the pull-down menus
and toolbars in a particular way. However, if you want to, you can re-
arrange the functions, re-name them, “switch off” the ones you don't
want, and add your own. You can even create alternative menu systems
and switch between them.
The menu layout is defined in the CAD.MEN file that resides in your
user directory. To create alternative menu systems, you must create files
with the same format as CAD.MEN, and with .MEN extensions.
You can look at, print out or edit the menu file in any text editor such as
the Windows Notepad. We suggest that before you edit the CAD.MEN
file, you make a backup of it.
• Different users can have their own CAD.MEN files. Refer to
Installation in the User Guide.
• Do not use TABS to create spaces in lines in menu files. If you do,
AllyCAD may not be able to understand the commands. Use spaces.
If you look at your menu file, you will see that it comprises several
sections.
Comments
The first few lines in your CAD.MEN file, as well as some other lines, are
preceded by two slashes: “//”.
For example:
// ally menu
// menus down side of screen
The two slashes mean that the following text is a comment. AllyCAD will
ignore this text. It is just to remind you, the user, of what is going on. You
can add as many comments as you like, so long as each comment line
begins with a //.
CAD.MEN 14-1
Toolbars
You may also assign as many functions as you wish to as many toolbars
as you need. The toolbars can also appear on any convenient spot on
your drawing space. You can program it to dock LEFT, RIGHT, TOP,
BOTTOM or FLOAT by typing the appropriate word next to STYLE.
The term HIDE that may also follow STYLE refers to a toolbar that is
hidden at startup.
The next lines of your CAD.MEN file list the code for the respective
toolbars. These sections start with the word TOOLBAR with a name of
the particular toolbar, for instance “MAIN”. This is followed by the word
STYLE that determines where the toolbar is docked on the AllyCAD
screen. Next comes the word BUTTONS that determine which functions
appear on the Toolbar.
Toolbar Styles
You can use any combination of the following toolbar styles:
TOP This determines if the toolbar is docked to one side of the

BOTTOM AllyCAD main window, or free floating.
LEFT
RIGHT
FLOAT
HIDEONCLICK The toolbar will hide itself when you click on it. Used for the
screen right mouse button pop-up.
SQUARE The toolbar will attempt to make itself as square as possible.
Used for the screen right mouse button pop-up.
HIDE The toolbar is created in a hidden (invisible) state.

Example:
BUTTON "SetSquar" {#cursorhold;} {#lockang "L";}
{Left: Toggle cursor hold. Right: Lock cursor to a line;}
The name in quotes

“SetSquar ”
refers to the name of the bitmap that appears on the buttons on the
floating toolbox.
You can also create your own bitmaps using any graphical editor capable
of creating a .BMP file (e.g. Windows Paintbrush). Create a 16 color
(16x15) pixel bitmap. Save the bitmap in the home directory that was
created when you installed AllyCAD. Place the name of the bitmap you
have created in quotes, without the .BMP extension.
The first set of curly brackets and their contents
{#cursorhold;}
define the macro function that is executed when you click on button
number 0 with your left mouse button. The macro function's name is
cursorhold. See the section headed Using functions in CAD.MEN for
more details on functions.
The second set of curly brackets and their contents
{#lockang "L";}
define the function that is executed when you click on button number 0
with your right mouse button. This function locks the cursor to a line.
The third set of curly brackets and their contents
{Left: Toggle cursor hold. Right: Lock cursor to a line;}
define the help line that appears at the bottom of the screen when you
move your cursor over the icon on the number 0 button. Note that there
is a semicolon (;) after the help text. This help text also shows up in a
tooltip when you move your mouse over a button and leave it there for
about a second.
The word SEPARATOR may also appear, which puts a space between
the respective buttons on the toolbar.
See Appendix B for a list of the bitmaps that are supplied with AllyCAD
and their names.
CAD.MEN 14-3
Pull-Down Menus
Next the functions on the pull-down menus are defined. These are the
sub-menus of the main top bar menu.
The part of the menu file that defines the pull-down menus begins with
the words
// main top bar menu
MAINMENU
BEGIN
and ends with the word
END
Each individual pull-down menu is then defined using the following

commands:
POPUP “&File”
BEGIN
MENUITEM "&New" {delall;} {Clear drawing memory;}
etc.
END
The POPUP command “introduces” the menu. The name in quotes,

“&File”, is the name of the menu, File. The & sign causes the letter
following it to be underlined, so that the name File appears as File. The
underlined letter is the one used to select the menu from the keyboard.
Thus, to select the File Menu you could either click on it with your
mouse or press [Alt] F.
BEGIN and END simply signify the beginning and end of the menu.
Each function on the menu is preceded by the word MENUITEM. The
name in quotes, for example “&New”, is the name of the function that
appears on the menu. The “&” sign causes the letter following it to be
underlined. Thus, the name New appears as “New”. The underlined
letter is the one used to select the function from the keyboard. To select
the New function you can either click on it with your mouse or press N.
Some of the function names contain the characters “\t”. These cause the
text following to appear on the right of the menu.

Example:
In the Edit Menu the function:
MENUITEM "&Undo\tCtrl+Z" {Undo;} {Undo last operation;}
is displayed in the menu as shown here.

Ctrl+Z is the standard Windows keyboard
shortcut for the Undo command.
The contents of the first set of curly brackets in
the MENUITEM lines define the function that is
executed when the menu option is chosen.
The second set of curly brackets and their
contents define the help line that appears at the
bottom of the screen when the function is
highlighted.
Note that there is a semicolon (;) after the help
text.
You will note that some MENUITEM lines simply read:

MENUITEM SEPARATOR
This command causes a horizontal line to be drawn across the menu.
CAD.MEN 14-5
Accelerators
The final section of the CAD.MEN file defines accelerators. These are
keyboard shortcuts. For example:
“M” {#magnify;}; VK_SEMICOLON {#longpan;}
The first part of each line defines the key. In the examples above “M”
denotes the [M] key and “VK_SEMICOLON” denotes the semicolon [ ; ]
key. A full list of the keys you can use is given in Appendix V. The
contents of the curly brackets define the function that is executed when
the key is pressed.
In the examples given here, the screen will be magnified when you press
[M] and a long pan will be performed when you press the [ ; ] key. This
saves you selecting these functions from the menu or toolbars.
Digitizer
The final section of the menu file maps AllyCAD functions to digitizer
puck buttons. It looks like this:
DIGITIZER
BEGIN
BUTTON "1" {#enterpt;}
BUTTON "2" {line;}
BUTTON "3" {done;}
BUTTON "4" {#jumppt;}
END
The first part of each line defines the number of the digitizer puck button
that the command is being assigned to. The example above assumes that
your digitizer numbers its puck buttons 1, 2, 3 and 4.
The contents of the curly brackets define the function that is executed
when each button is pressed.

Functions
A full list of function names and the function they perform is given in
Appendix VI. In the menu file the name of the function that is executed
when you click on a button, select a menu option or press a key is
enclosed within curly brackets and followed by a semi-colon (;).
Transparent Commands
Some function names are preceded by a hash sign “#”. This sign is
optional. Its presence means that the function is transparent. If you are
in the middle of one command, and you execute a transparent command,
you will be returned to your original command after the transparent
command has finished. If you are in the middle of one command and you
execute a command that is not transparent, your original command will
be terminated.
Transparency is especially useful for commands like magnify. It means
that if you are drawing a line, for example, and you need to magnify the
screen so that you can see better, you can magnify without interrupting
or losing the line you are drawing.
Theoretically, you could make any of AllyCAD's commands transparent
by adding a # to the front of its name. However, there are some
commands where this is not advisable. The commands it is safe to make
transparent are marked with a bullet-point (•) in Appendix VI.
Short Cuts
When you choose most AllyCAD functions, you are asked various
questions. If your answers to particular questions are always the same,
you can “pre-answer” them in the menu file, thus speeding up your
operation. This is exemplified below, with reference to the Mid Point
Jump command.
If you look at the CAD.MEN file you will see the Mid Point Jump and
Ratio Jump functions in the Tools Menu are defined as follows:
MENUITEM "Mid Poin&t Jump\tC" {#jumpratio .5 "Y";} {Jump to
mid point of line;}
MENUITEM "Ra&tio Jump\tO" {#jumpratio;} {Jump a fixed ratio
between two points or along a line;}
The Mid Point command is in fact the Ratio Jump command, but the
prompts that normally appear during the Ratio Jump command have
been “pre-answered” so that Ratio Jump automatically jumps to the
midpoint of the nearest line.
CAD.MEN 14-7
To jump to the midpoint of a line using Ratio Jump, you would:
• Select Tools Jumps Ratio Jump, or press O to access it quickly from the
keyboard.
• Type “0.5” in response to the prompt:
Enter division ratio of jump.
• Click on the YES button in response to the prompt:

Would you like to jump to ratio point on line (Else
between two points)
In Mid Point Jump, the answers 0.5 and “Y” (YES) are given after the
Ratio Jump macro function name jumpratio. They are separated by
spaces, and the “Y” is enclosed within double quotes.
You can create a short cut of most functions in this way, simply by
adding the letters and numbers that you would normally type to the end
of the function name.
Where you would normally click on a YES or NO button, you must type
“Y” or “N”. Where you would normally choose an answer from a sub-
menu, you must type the underlined letter of the menu option you would
choose. You must enclose alphabetic answers in double quotes.
• To create short cuts for functions like Draw Symbol that give you
options on the Control Bar or in a dialogue box, use the Macro
section to find out the correct function name, letters and numbers.
• The function name and the letters and numbers you type after it are
exactly the same as the parameters you would use when writing a
macro program (see Macros )
Macros
You can add macro programs that you write to the menu or assign them
to an icon in the Toolbar or to an Accelerator. To do this, the function
name must be the following:
{exec “macro_name” ;}
where macro_name is the full name of the macro, including its path. For
example:
MENUITEM “Cut and Ru&b” {exec “.\macro\cut&rub”;} {Cut a
line and delete the segment;}

Hatch Patterns
The hatch patterns are defined in a file called HATCH.PAT, which
resides in your user directory. This chapter shows you how hatch
patterns are defined so that you can edit existing hatch patterns or create
your own.
You can look at, print out or edit the HATCH.PAT file in any text editor
such as Windows Notepad. We suggest that you make a backup of the
HATCH.PAT file before you edit it.
Different users can have their own HATCH.PAT files. Refer to

Hatch Patterns 15-1

Hatch Pattern Definitions
Below are shown the definitions of four sample hatches in the
HATCH.PAT file:
• line (parallel horizontal lines)
• dash (dashed lines)
• newbrick (brick hatching)
• triang (equilateral triangles)
*line,Parallel horizontal lines

10, 0
1, 0, 0, 0,0, 0,.125
*dash,Dashed lines
10, 0
1, 0, 0, 0,0, .125,.125, .125,-.125
*newbrick, Paulus Brick or masonry-type surface
10, 0
1, 0, 0, 0,0, 0,.25
1, 0, 0, 0,.025, 0,.25
5, 1, 90, 0,.025, .25,.25, .225,-.275
*triang,Equilateral triangles
10, 0
1, 0, 60, 0,0, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875
1, 0, 120, 0,0, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875
1, 0, 0, -.09375,.162379763, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875
These definitions comprise the following information.

*hatch name, hatch description
scale, rotation
pen, line width, angle, x origin, y origin, odd line offset, spacing, on
distance, off distance
... for one line of hatch

pen, line width, angle, x origin, y origin, odd line offset, spacing, on
distance, off distance
... for another line of hatch, etc.

The information in each description is summarised below, but is best
understood by studying the examples on the next few pages.
Scale
Scale is a scale factor which multiplies the x and y origins, off line offset,
and on and off distance measurements to give the final size of the hatch.

Rotation
Rotation is applied to the entire hatch pattern and rotates it by the given
angle. The angle is measured anti-clockwise from the 3 o'clock position.
Pen
Pen is the colour of an individual line in the hatch pattern. The colours in
the Color toolbar are numbered from 1 to 15.
Line width
Line width is the width of an individual line in the hatch pattern. It is
measured in tenths of a millimetre and will be the width of the line on
paper, regardless of drawing scale.
Angle
Angle is the angle of an individual line in the hatch pattern. The angle is
measured anti-clockwise from the 3 o'clock position.
X origin and Y origin

X origin and Y origin allow individual lines in the hatch pattern to start
in different places and therefore to be offset with respect to one another.
X and Y origin are measured in millimeters on the final paper plot,
regardless of drawing scale.
Odd line offset

Odd line offset allows alternate lines of a hatch to be offset, i.e.
Offset
like this ...
... rather than like this.
Hatch Patterns 15-3

It is measured in millimeters on the final paper plot, regardless of
drawing scale.
Spacing
Spacing is the distance between
Spacing
subsequent lines of the hatch.
It is measured in millimeters on the final paper plot, regardless of

drawing scale.
On distance and Off distance
On distance The on and off distances are the

lengths of each dash and gap in a
dashed line. The off distance is always
Off distance a negative number.
On and off distances are measured in millimetres on the final paper plot,
regardless of drawing scale.

Example 1 - Line
Scale
*line,Parallel horizontal lines

10, 0 Rotation
1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, .125 Spacing
Odd line
Pen offset
Line width Y origin
Angle X origin
The line hatch pattern comprises just one line at an angle of 0 degrees.
Spacing The line is repeated at a spacing of

=1.25mm 0.125mm.
This spacing is multiplied by a scale of 10 so the spacing between

subsequent lines is actually 1.25mm.
No on distance or off distance have been included in the hatch pattern
because the line in the hatch is solid, not dashed.
Hatch Patterns 15-5

Example 2 - Dash
Scale
*dash,Dashed lines
10, 0 Rotation
1, 0, 0, 0,0, .125,.125, .125,-.125 Off distance
Pen On distance
Line Spacing
Angle Odd line offset
X origin Y origin
The dash hatch pattern comprises just one dashed line at an angle of 0
degrees.
Spacing = 1.25mm The line is repeated at a spacing of

Offset =1.25mm
0.125mm. This spacing is multiplied by
a scale of 10, so the spacing between
On distance =
Each alternate line is offset by
1.25mm 0.125mm. This offset is multiplied by a
Off distance =
scale of 10, so the offset is actually
-1.25mm 1.25mm.
Each dash is 0.125mm long (on distance), and the gap between each dash
is also 0.125mm long (off distance). Note that the off distance is a
negative number (-0.125). The on and off distances are multiplied by a
scale of 10, so the dashes and gaps are actually 1.25mm long.

Example 3 - Newbrick
Scale
*newbrick, Paulus Brick or masonry-type surface

10, 0 Rotation
1, 0, 0, 0,0, 0,.25
1, 0, 0, 0,.025, 0,.25
5, 1, 90, 0,.025, .25,.25, .225,-.275
The newbrick hatch pattern comprises three lines:
two solid lines at 0 degrees
and one dashed line at 90 degrees.
Line 1
1, 0, 0, 0,0, 0,.25 Spacing
Pen Odd line offset

Line width Y origin
Angle X origin
Hatch Patterns 15-7

Line 1 is at an angle of 0 degrees.

=2.5mm 0.25mm. This spacing is multiplied by a
scale of 10, so the spacing between
No on distance or off distance have been included in line 1 because it is

solid, not dashed.
Line 2
1, 0, 0, 0,.025, 0,.25 Spacing
Pen Odd line offset

Line width Y origin
Angle X origin

=2.5mm 0.25mm. This spacing is multiplied by a
Line 2 also has a Y origin of 0.025mm. Multiplied by the scale of 10, this
gives an actual Y origin of 0.25mm. The effect of this origin can be seen if
you superimpose lines 1 and 2:
Line 2 has a Y origin of 0.25mm. This means it is

drawn 0.25mm above line 1.
Line 1 has a Y origin of 0mm.
No on distance or off distance have been included in line 2 because it is

solid, not dashed.

Line 3
5, 1, 90, 0,.025, .25,.25, .225,-.275 Off distance
Pen On distance
Line width Spacing
X origin Y origin
Spacing=2.5mm Line 3 is at an angle of 90 degrees. It is

a different colour from lines 1 and 2
(it's pen is 5), and slightly thicker (it's
Off distance
=2.25mm
line width is 1 tenth of a millimetre).
The line is repeated at a spacing of

0.25mm. This spacing is multiplied by a
On distance
= -2.75mm
Odd line offset

Each alternate line is offset by 0.25mm.
=2.5mm This offset is multiplied by a scale of
10, so is actually 2.5mm.
Each dash is 0.225mm long (on distance), and the gap between each dash
is also 0.275mm long (off distance). Note that the off distance is a
scale of 10, so the dashes and gaps are actually 2.25 and 2.75mm long
respectively.
Line 3 also has a Y origin of 0.025mm. Multiplied by the scale of 10, this
gives an actual Y origin of 0.25mm. The effect of this origin can be seen if
you superimpose lines 1, 2 and 3:
Hatch Patterns 15-9

Line 3 has a Y origin of
This means it starts
0.25mm.
above line
0.25mm
1.
Line 2 has a Y origin
0.25mm. This means it
of
drawn 0.25mm above line
is
1.
Line 1 has a Y origin of

0mm.

Example 4 - Triang
Scale
*triang,Equilateral triangles
10, 0 Rotation
1, 0, 60, 0,0, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875
1, 0, 120, 0,0, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875
1, 0, 0, -.09375,.162379763, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875
The triang hatch pattern comprises three lines:
a dashed line at 60 degrees,
a dashed line at 120 degrees,
and a dashed line at 0 degrees.
Hatch Patterns 15-11

Line 1
1, 0, 60, 0,0, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875 Off distance
Pen On distance
Line width Spacing
X origin Y origin
Spacing=3.24759526mm
On distance=1.875mm
Odd line offset=1.875mm

Off distance= -1.875mm
The line is repeated at a spacing of 0.324759526mm. This spacing is

multiplied by a scale of 10, so the spacing between subsequent lines is
actually 3.24759526mm.
Each alternate line is offset by 0.1875mm. This offset is multiplied by a
scale of 10, so the offset is actually 1.875mm.
Each dash is 0.1875mm long (on distance), and the gap between each
dash is also 0.1875mm long (off distance). Note that the off distance is a
negative number (-0.1875).
The on and off distances are multiplied by a scale of 10, so the dashes
and gaps are actually 1.875mm and 1.875mm long respectively.
Line 2
1, 0, 120, 0,0, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875 Off distance
Pen On distance
Line width Spacing
X origin Y origin

On distance=1.875mm


negative number (-0.1875).
The on and off distances are multiplied by a scale of 10, so the dashes
and gaps are actually 1.875mm and 1.875mm long respectively.
Line 3
Off distance
1, 0, 0, -.09375,.162379763, .1875,.324759526, .1875,-.1875
Pen On distance
Line width Spacing
X origin Y origin
Hatch Patterns 15-13

On distance
=1.875mm

scale of 10, so the dashes and gaps are actually 1.875mm and 1.875mm
long respectively.
Line 3 also has an X origin of -0.09375mm and a Y origin of
0.162379763mm. Multiplied by the scale of 10, this gives an actual X
origin of -0.9375mm and an actual Y origin of 1.62379763mm. The effect
of this origin can be seen if you superimpose lines 1, 2 and 3:
Line 3 starts 0.9375mm to the left

of lines 1 and 2.
Line 3 starts 1.62379763mm

above lines 1 and 2.
Origin of lines 1 and 2.

Line Types
Every time you start AllyCAD a macro called LINETYPE.MAC is
automatically run. This macro controls the way that different line types
appear on the screen and on paper. This chapter shows you how line
types are defined so that you can edit existing line types or create your
own.
You can define up to 30 line types.
The LINETYPE.MAC file is stored in the MACRO sub-directory of your
AllyCAD directory. You can look at, print it out or edit it in any text
editor such as Windows Notepad. We suggest that you back up the
LINETYPE.MAC file before you edit it.
This file determines whether handles are displayed when you select
something.
Lines in the LINETYPE.MAC that start with the word REM are
comments and will be ignored.
Different users can have their own LINETYPE.MAC files. See
Line Types 16-1

Line Type Definitions
Each line that defines a line type starts with the word SETLINEDASH.
Below are shown the definitions of five sample line types:
• 1 (Continuous)
• 2 (Dashed)
• 3 (Hidden)
• 4 (Center2)
• 5 (Phantom2)
SETLINEDASH 1 “Continuous” 8 32 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SETLINEDASH 2 “Dashed” 8 16 0 70 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SETLINEDASH 3 “Hidden” 4 8 0 50 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SETLINEDASH 4 “Center2” 8 32 0 50 70 80 100 0 0 0 0 0 0
SETLINEDASH 5 “Phantom2” 8 32 0 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 0 0 0
These definitions comprise the following information.

SETLINEDASH Line_number “Description” Plotrepeat Pixrepeat
Percstart Perc_on Perc_off Perc_on Perc_off etc.
This information is summarised below, but is best understood by

studying the diagrams at the end of this chapter.
Line number
Each line is numbered from 1 to 30.
Description
The description is matched to DXF or DWG line types when you load or
save a DXF or AutoCAD DWG file. For example, when you load a DXF
file, the DXF line type “Hidden” is displayed as line type 3 in AllyCAD.
Plotrepeat
This is the distance over which the line type pattern is repeated on your
printer or plotter - 8mm for line types 1, 2, 4 and 5 and 4mm for line 3.
Pixrepeat
This is the distance over which the line type pattern is repeated on the
screen - 32 pixels for line types 1, 4 and 5; 16 pixels for line type 2 and 8
pixels for line type 3.
Pixrepeat must be a factor of 32, e.g. 4, 8, 16 or 32.

Pixels are the little squares that make up the display on your screen.
Typically there are 640 pixels across the screen and 480 down it, or 800
pixels across the screen and 600 down it, or 1024 pixels across the
screen and 768 down it, depending on screen resolution.
Some dashed/dotted line types appear continuous on the screen,

although they plot or print correctly on paper. This problem can be
overcome by increasing the Pixrepeat.
Percstart, Perc_on and Perc_off

Percstart, perc_on and perc_off show the percentage of Plotrepeat or
Pixrepeat where a line is drawn and where a gap is left. Percstart is
always 0. For example, in line type 4:
SETLINEDASH 4 Center2 8 32 0 50 70 80 100 0 0 0 0 0 0
Plotrepeat Perc_off
Pixrepeat Perc_on
Percstart Perc_off
Perc_on
On paper, a line is drawn between 0 and 50% of the 8mm Plotrepeat. No

line is drawn between 50 and 70%. A line is drawn between 70 and 80%.
No line is drawn between 80 and 100%.
8mm
line type 4
50%
70%
80%
100%
On the screen, a line is drawn between 0 and 50% of the 32 pixel

Pixrepeat. No line is drawn between 50 and 70%. A line is drawn
between 70 and 80%. No line is drawn between 80 and 100%.
Line Types 16-3

32 pixels
line type 4
50%
70%
80%
100%

Merging Drawings containing blocks
If you merge two drawings containing blocks, all the line symbols and
block inserts are updated correctly. Merging is done by block name. If
you have an existing drawing with a block called 'WHISTLESTOP' and
load into that a second drawing, also containing a block called
'WHISTLESTOP', then the second copy of 'WHISTLESTOP' will be
discarded and all symbol linestyles and block inserts in the second
drawing will point to the first original copy of the 'WHISTLESTOP'
block.
Line Types 16-5

Notes:

Macros
A macro is a program that you write to customise AllyCAD, to add new
functions, or to automate routine tasks. It can be as simple as drawing
two lines to form a cross on the screen, or as complicated as defining a
whole new application.
If you have customised AllyCAD's menus, icons and accelerator keys
using the CAD.MEN file, you will know that each time you select a menu
option, click on an icon or press an accelerator key, a function is
executed.
A macro is a list of functions that AllyCAD executes one after another.
The file will also include programming statements that control when and
how many times a particular function is executed, as well as commands
allowing input from the user. The language is very similar to BASIC, so
you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to write a macro.
A macro can be created in any text editor or word processor that can
produce a plain ASCII file (e.g. Windows Notepad). Each command must
be on a separate line, and lines can be indented for clarity. The macro
language is case insensitive, so you can write a macro in upper or lower
case letters. All macro files have the extension “.mac”.
There is a special directory set up for macros. By default it is the
MACRO sub-directory but you can change this by editing the macro path
in the CAD.INI file in your use.
Macros 17-1
Writing my first macro
In this example, you are going to create a small macro using Windows
Notepad.
When it is finished, it will draw a circle with a

cross at its centre. The circle will be the size that
you specify, in the position that you specify.
Initially, your macro will be just two lines long. It will draw a single circle
with a radius of 10 in the centre of the screen.
1. Open up Notepad and type in the following line:
CIR [0,0] [10,0] [#]
END
2. Save the file as TEST1.MAC in the macro directory.
If you are using Windows ‘95 you might find that Notepad saves
your file as TEST1.MAC.TXT. In this case, type the file name into
Notepad with double quotes around it: “TEST1.MAC”
3. Go back into AllyCAD, and choose Exec Macro from the File Menu.
Choose TEST1 as the macro that you wish to execute. The circle is
drawn.
The macro command CIR that you have used has drawn a circle with its
centre at coordinate [0,0]. The circle's circumference passes through the
coordinate [10,0]. The [#] simulates the [Space Bar] or Done being
pressed to end the circle drawing function. If you did not add the [#],
AllyCAD would prompt you to draw another circle.
END is always typed at the end of a macro to ensure that it terminates
properly.
How do I input a number?

Now, you are going to edit your macro so that the circle can have any
radius that the user wishes.
1. Open up Notepad and edit your macro so that it looks like this:
ENTER “Type circle radius” R
CIR [0,0] [R,0] [#]
END

3. Go back into AllyCAD. Choose File New to start a new drawing.
Then choose File Exec Macro. Choose TEST1 as the macro that you
wish to execute.
This time, AllyCAD prompts:
Type circle radius
Type a radius for the circle, then click on the button or press [Enter].
The circle is drawn with the radius that you specified.
You use the ENTER function whenever you need numeric or text input
from the user. The R at the end of the command is called a variable,
because its value changes depending on the number that the user types.
You could use any letter (and some letter combinations - see Description,
later in this chapter). However, it is useful to use letters that mean
something, like R for Radius, where possible.
If you need text input, the variable must be followed by a “$” sign. This is
called a string variable. For example, the following macro will print your
name at the coordinate position [0,0]:
ENTER "Type your name" N$
TEXT [0,0] N$ [#]
END
You can put up to 15 variables after an ENTER command, for example:

ENTER "Give rectangle length and area" L A
How do I get the user to input a coordinate position on the screen?

Now, you are going to edit your macro so that the circle will be
positioned wherever the user wants.
CUR "Enter circle centre position" X Y K
ENTER "Type circle radius" R
CIR [X,Y] [X+R,Y] [#]
END

wish to execute.
This time, AllyCAD prompts:
Macros 17-3
Enter circle centre position
Position your cursor where you want the circle centre to be and press
[Enter] or click. AllyCAD prompts:
Type circle radius
Type a radius for the circle, then click on the button or press [Enter].
The circle is drawn at the position you specified, with the radius you
specified.
You use the CUR function whenever you want a coordinate from the
user. The X and Y variables at the end of the command contain the
coordinate position that the cursor was at when the user pressed [Enter]
or clicked.
The K variable is a check to see whether the user has cancelled the
function. If the user has decided against entering the coordinate that you
asked for by pressing the done button or the [Space Bar], the K variable
will contain the number 1. Otherwise, it will contain 0. The use for this is
shown in the Flow of Control Commands section later in this chapter.
Finishing the macro

You are now going to finish the macro so that it draws a cross at the
circle centre.
L=R+5
PEN 2
CIR [X,Y] [X+R,Y] [#]
LINETYPE 4 3
LINE [X-L,Y] [X+L,Y] [#]
LINE [X,Y-L] [X,Y+L] [#]
END

wish to execute.
As before, AllyCAD prompts for the circle centre position and the radius.
The circle is then drawn, with two lines through the centre.
• The line L=R+5 defines the variable L, which is a length that is used
to draw the lines making up the cross at the circle centre. L is 5 units

longer than R (the circle radius). This is so that the lines making up
the cross protrude beyond the circle circumference by 5 units.
• PEN 2 defines the colour that the circle will be drawn in.
• LINETYPE 4 3 defines the line type (4) and colour (3) that the cross
will be drawn in. Line types are numbered downwards from 1 in the
Line Type Display at the top right of the screen.
The two lines beginning LINE draw the two lines making up the cross.
The lines are drawn between the two coordinates enclosed in square
brackets. As in the CIR command, the [#] simulates the [Space Bar] or
Done being pressed to end the line drawing function.
And finally...
After a period of time, it is sometimes difficult to remember what your
macro does! It is good practise to make liberal use of REM statements.
Lines that start with the word “REM” are ignored. They are simply there
to remind you about what is going on.
REM macro to draw a circle with a cross through it
REM make the cross five units larger than the circle
L=R+5
REM draw the circle
PEN 2
CIR [X,Y] [X+R,Y] [#]
REM draw a cross at the circle centre
LINETYPE 4 3
LINE [X-L,Y] [X+L,Y] [#]
LINE [X,Y-L] [X,Y+L] [#]
Some hints and tips
Look at example macros

There are simple example macros in the Flow of Control Commands,
String Functions and ASCII Files sections later in this chapter. You
should examine these.
You can also examine the macros supplied, for example
arctext.mac
cut&rub.mac
divedln.mac
loadtitl.mac
Macros 17-5
movept.mac
polygon.mac
These can all be found in your macro sub-directory, and you can look at
them by loading them into Windows Notepad.
Confused?
If there is a command you don't understand or that you can't get to work
properly, it is a good idea to do one of the following.
Go into AllyCAD and click on the white part of the Control Bar (the
command line) so that a flashing insertion point appears in it.
Alternatively, press the / key to move the insertion point into the
command line. Type the name of the command, for example:
CIR
and press [Enter]. See what AllyCAD does next. In this case, it will
prompt Enter centre point of circle. Now you know that the next thing in
the command is the coordinates of the circle centre point. Type:
CIR [0,0]
and press [Enter]. AllyCAD prompts Enter point on circle. Now you
know that the next thing in the command is the coordinates of a point on
the circle circumference. Type:
CIR [0,0] [10,0]
and press [Enter]. AllyCAD draws a circle and prompts you for another
circle centre. You need to add a [#] to terminate the function. Type:
CIR [0,0] [10,0] [#]
and press [Enter]. AllyCAD draws the circle, then the circle drawing
function ends.
Short cuts to complicated statements: try dumping a macro

Some macro commands are quite complicated, for example setting up
text parameters (font, colour, size etc.). An easy way of setting up the
correct text parameters in a macro is as follows:
1. Open a new, empty AllyCAD drawing. Type some text, and set up its
parameters so that it looks exactly how you want the text written by
the macro to look.
2. Go to the Import/Export section of the File Menu and select Export
Macro. This writes a macro of the drawing on the screen - in this
case, just a piece of text.

3. Go to Windows Notepad and open the macro file you have just
exported. Use Cut in Notepad to cut the text parameter line out of
the macro. It will look something like this:
WTEXTPARM 40 1 0 0.010 1 "Arial" 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 0
4. Open the file containing the macro you are writing. Paste the text
parameter line into it.
This method is also useful for setting up the correct paper size, scale
units, coordinates etc. Open a new, empty AllyCAD drawing and use
Drawing Settings in the Settings Menu to set up the paper size, scale,
units etc. Then export the drawing as a macro.
Can't understand why a macro won't work?

If you can't understand why a macro won't work, you can use the
command execstep to execute it one line at a time. To run execstep, type
execstep into the command line, then press [Enter]. AllyCAD will
prompt:
Enter macro line number after which single stepping will start
If you type 0, AllyCAD will run through your whole macro one line at a
time. If you type 20, AllyCAD will execute your macro as normal until it
gets to line 20 and will then start executing it one line at a time, etc.
When you have typed the line number and clicked on or pressed
[Enter] to accept it, the macro dialogue box will appear. Select the macro
you want to step through.
AllyCAD will then run through the macro one line at a time. Each line
will appear in a message box on the screen, and after you have clicked on
OK to exit the message box, the line will be executed and the next line
will appear in the message box. Execstep will also display the values of
variables as they change.
You can abort the macro at any time by pressing [Esc].
Writing macros in Windows '95

If you use Notepad to write a macro in Windows ‘95 you may find that it
insists on adding a.txt extension to any file you save. For example, you
may think you have saved a file as TEST1.MAC, but Windows ‘95 will
have saved it as TEST1.MAC.TXT. The way round this problem is to put
double quotes around the file name when you save the macro, i.e. save it
as “TEST1.MAC”.
Macros 17-7
Finding Files
Using.\ in the path of a file you are trying to access from a macro means
that you don't have to know the drive that the user is using, the name of
their Program Home or User Home directories, etc.
If you don’t know what Program Home and User Home directories are,
see Installation in the User Guide.
If you want to access a file in the macro sub-directory, give a path like
this:
.\macro\test.mac
For example
chain “.\macro\test.mac”
AllyCAD will look for the file test.mac in the macro directory inside the
user's User Home directory. If it can't find it, it will look to see if there is a
macro directory inside the user's Program Home directory. If it can't find
it there either, it will give up.
If you want to access a file in a AllyCAD sub-directory that is not called
macro, give a path like this:
.\mechmate\data.dat
For example
OPEN 0 “.\mechmate\data.dat”
AllyCAD will look to see if there is a mechmate directory inside the user's
Program Home directory.
Executing macros
As you have seen, you can execute a macro using Exec Macro in the File
Menu.
However, it is often more convenient to assign the macro to a menu, an
icon or an accelerator key. For example, in the standard AllyCAD menu,
the commands for Move Point and Cut&Rub in the Modify Menu are
both defined by macros. See CAD.MEN for details on how to add a
macro to a menu, icon or accelerator.

Description
The AllyCAD macro language is very similar to BASIC, and it also has
some elements of ‘C’ syntax. The following is a brief description of the
language.
Statements
The AllyCAD macro language allows the following statement types:
Statement Type Example
Commands CIR [X,Y] [X+R,Y] [#]
Assignment L=R+5 or N$=“Rocket Scientist”
Control Statements IF.... ELSE, etc.
Coordinate input CUR "Enter circle centre" X Y K
Data input ENTER “Type circle radius” R
Macros 17-9
Special Characters
Some characters have a special meaning in the macro:
$ Denotes a string variable. See Variables later in this section

[] Square brackets are used to enclose coordinates. See
Coordinate Pairs later in this section
@ [@x,y] denotes relative coordinates. See Coordinate Pairs later
in this section.
% [%x,y] denotes absolute coordinates. See Coordinate Pairs
later in this section
# [#x,y] or [#] terminates a coordinate list. See Coordinate Pairs
later in this section) by simulating the pressing of the
[Space Bar].
# is also used as the not equal to sign in logical expressions.
See Logical Operators later in this section).
& The AND operator in logical expressions. See Logical
Operators later in this section.
& is also used to set a snap mode during coordinate entry. See
Coordinate Pairs later in this section.
| The OR operator in logical expressions. See Logical Operators
later in this section.
! The exclamation mark has four uses:
1. It simulates ENTER being pressed (but unlike # is never
included or enclosed in square brackets).
2. If you use a macro function that brings up a dialogue box,
typing a ! in the command will usually dismiss the dialogue
box
For example, typing:
HARDCOPY
brings up the print dialogue box
Typing:
HARDCOPY !
prints the drawing.
3. If it is the first character in a line, that line is ignored by
AllyCAD and treated as a comment.
4. It is the NOT operator in logical expressions. See Logical
Operators later in this section.
{} Braces (curly brackets) are used to enclose one or more
statements in the WHILE and IF commands. They MUST be
on a separate line to the WHILE or IF, i.e.
WHILE (condition)
{
statements
}

Variables
The AllyCAD macro language allows two types of variables, numeric and
string (text). AllyCAD distinguishes between them by looking for a
trailing $ on the variable name. Thus:
X
MaxValue
BiggestCoordinate
Are all numeric variables, and

X$
PointName$
Month$
Are all string variables.
Numeric variables
Variable names can be up to 31 characters long, and can include letters,
numbers and the underscore character. There is no limit to the number
of variables that you can use. Variable names are case insensitive, thus
MaxValue equals maxvalue equals MAXVALUE. All numeric variables
are full precision floating point. (64 bit floating point, about 15 decimal
digits of precision)
String variables
String variables always end with a $. The length of the total name
including the $ sign should be less 31 characters or less. There is no limit
to the number of string variables that you can use, or to the length of the
string contained in them.
Coordinate Pairs
Whenever AllyCAD expects a coordinate, the x and y parts of the
coordinate must be supplied in square brackets separated by a comma.
The first part of the coordinate is always the horizontal part and the
second is always the vertical part.
The following command draws a circle with its centre at coordinate [0,0].
The circle's circumference passes through the coordinate [10,0]:
CIR [0,0] [10,0] [#]
If the program does not find a square bracket when it is expecting a

coordinate, it will prompt the user for the coordinate. For example, if you
just type:
Macros 17-11
CIR

Enter centre point of circle.
The following special characters can also be used in coordinate pairs:

# This is used to terminate a list of coordinates. It is equivalant to
pressing the done button or the [Space Bar] in AllyCAD. For
example:
CIR [0,0] [10,0] [#].
STRETCH “Y” [-100,-100] [#100,100] [90,0] [200,0]
If you do not include [#] in the CIR example, AllyCAD will prompt you to
enter the centre point of another circle.
In the STRETCH example, the coordinates [-100,-100] and [#100,100]
define the box within which stretching must take place. The # is put
before the last coordinate defining the box, to tell AllyCAD that the box
has now been defined.
The [90,0] coordinate tells AllyCAD which point must move, and the
[200,0] coordinate is the point that the [90,0] coordinate must move to.
@ This denotes relative x and y coordinates. The @ is placed within the
square bracket and before the x coordinate: [@x,y].
% This moves the cursor to an absolute coordinate position and leaves
it there. Subsequent co-ordinates will be relative to this position. The
% is placed within the square bracket and before the x coordinate:
[%x,y].
& This sets a snap mode during coordinate entry. For example:
LINE [&Tx1,y1] [&Px2,y2] [#]
draws a line with the first point doing a tangent snap near x1,y1 and the
second point doing a perpendicular snap near x2,y2.
The & sign must be followed by the letter representing the snap mode.
The letters are:
F Freehand
A Grab All
G Grid
J Jump (Point)
I Geometry Intersection
O Any Intersection

* Circle Centre
N Nearest Line/Arc
P Perpendicular
T Tangent
#, @, % and & can be used in combination, but must always be placed
before the coordinates themselves.
Examples:
The following examples all draw a box in different ways.
LINE [100,100] [150,100] [150,150] [100,150] [100,100] [#]
[100,150] [150,150] The line is drawn from the absolute

coordinate position [100,100] to the
absolute coordinate position [150,100] to
the absolute coordinate position [150,150]
etc.
[100,100] [150,100]
LINE [%100,100] [@50,0] [@50,50] [@0,50] [@0,0] [#]
The cursor is moved to the absolute

coordinate position [100,100] and is left
there because of the % sign. The line is
[50,50]
[0,50] drawn from this position to the relative
coordinates [50,0], [50,50] and [0,50].
[100,100] [50,0]
LINE [%100,100] [@%50,0] [@%0,50] [@%-

50,0] [@%0,-50] [#]
The cursor is moved to the absolute

[-50,0] coordinate position [100,100]. The line is
drawn from this position to the relative
coordinates [50,0], and the cursor is also
[0,-50] [0,50]
moved to this position. The line is then
drawn to the relative coordinates [0,50],
[100,100] [50,0] and the cursor is also moved to this
position, etc.
Maths Functions
The following maths functions are available. You can use formulae, for
example (a+b)/3+c. The parentheses will force the calculation of the plus
before the division. You must not include any spaces in a mathematical
expression.
Macros 17-13
As calculations must be made in units like millimetres, metres, decimal
feet, decimal inches and degrees, you can use the functions given in the
Coordinate to String Functions in the String Functions part of this
chapter to convert these units to and from properly formatted strings
such as 1’2+3/16” or N45º23’3”W.
Arithmetical
Square root SQRT(x)
Integer INT(x)
Exponential ^
Plus +
Minus -
Multiplication *
Division /
Absolute value ABS(x)
Logarithm LOG(x)
Natural logarithm LN(x)
Trigonometrical
All the trigonometrical functions work in degrees, with angles measured
anti-clockwise from 3 o'clock.
SIN(x)
COS(x)
TAN(x)
ASIN(x)
ACOS(x)
ATAN(x)
ATAN2(y:x) (note the two arguments separated by a colon)
Logical Operators
The following logical operators give a result of YES (1) or NO (zero) and
are normally used with the WHILE or IF commands:
The equal to sign =
The greater than sign >
The less than sign <
The not equal (hash) sign #

The above signs cannot be combined but must be used individually.
Thus >= and <= are illegal.
The following operators allow one to combine logical conditions:

The AND operator &
The OR operator |
The NOT operator (exclamation mark) !
Example:
IF (A>10&B<7)
{
statements
}
The statements inside the curly brackets will be executed if the value of
variable A is greater than 10 and the value of variable B is less than 7.
AllyCAD's macro language allows you to read in ASCII files and take
values from them.
The statement:
EOF (filenumber)
gives a result of 1 if the end of the file has been reached. Otherwise it
gives a result of 0.
The filenumber is the number of the file you are querying. You can have
up to four files open at once, numbered 0, 1, 2 and 3. See ASCII Files,
later in this chapter.
Macro Line Length

Macros have a maximum line length of 250 characters.
Macros 17-15
General Purpose Functions
Assignment
You can use formulae. For example:

d=(a+b)/3+c
A full list of arithmetic, trigonometric and logical operators is given in
Description.
SETCUR x y
Sets the cursor at a given x,y position. This enables you to move the
cursor under program control.
RUBBERBAND v
V can be 0 (no rubber banding), 1 (line), 2 (box) or 3 (circle).

Rubberbanding is the effect where you can see a line, box or circle being
drawn as you are drawing it. The next time that you use the CUR
function after using RUBBERBAND, the rubber banding that you have
specified will appear. The rubber band anchor point is set each time you
call the CUR function for a point. See Data Entry Functions.
SETMACUNDO 1
If you set SETMACUNDO to 1, you will be able to use Undo to Undo

things drawn by the macro. If you set it to 0, you will not.
SETMACUNDO 0 is the default.
SETASKJUMP 0 / 1
Enables you to suppress the question "Enter point to jump to" during
snaps. This question is asked if a jump is selected from a menu, a macro
or a docked toolbar. See also ENQUIRE “ASKJUMP”.
MESS "message"
MESS displays the message "message" on the screen in a message box.
BEEP t f
Produces a beep, where t is the length of time the beep will last for in
milliseconds, and where f is the frequency of the beep in Herz. For
example:
BEEP 200 400

REM
A line beginning with REM is a comment and will be ignored by

AllyCAD.
REM this is a comment
END
The END statement must appear at the end of each macro.
Macros 17-17
Flow of Control Commands
WHILE
WHILE causes the statements inside the curly brackets to be executed

as long as the condition is true. The curly brackets must be on a separate
line. For example:
WHILE (condition)
{
statements
}
Example:
I=0
Y=0
WHILE (I<10)
{
TEXT [0,Y] "AllyCAD" [#]
Y=Y-10
I=I+1
}
END
This macro prints the word "AllyCAD" onto the screen ten times.
OPEN 0 "c:\AllyCAD\users\guest\macro\test"
WHILE (1)
{
READ 0 X Y
POINT [X,Y] [#]
IF(EOF(0))
{
BREAK
}
}
CLOSE 0
END
This macro opens a file called "test" which contains coordinate pairs. See
ASCII Files, later in this chapter). It reads in all the lines of the file and
plots the coordinates as points, until the end of the file is reached. See
BREAK and IF later in this section for further explanations.

WHILE (1)
{
CUR "Pick circle to receive centre cross" X Y K
IF (K)
{
REM user has exited from picking circles
BREAK
}
REM find out where nearest circle is
ENQUIRE NEARARC X1 Y1 X2 Y2 X3 Y3 C
REM X2,Y2 are the nearest circle's centre coords
REM X3 and Y3 are a point on the circle's circumference
REM calculate circle radius and add 5 so that the cross
REM will protrude beyond the circle's circumference by
REM 5 units
L=X3-X2+5
REM now draw the cross
LINETYPE 4 3
LINE [X2-L,Y2] [X2+L,Y2] [#]
LINE [X2,Y2-L] [X2,Y2+L] [#]
}
END
This macro draws a cross in the centre of a circle chosen by the user. It
continues to prompt the user to choose a circle until he clicks on done or
presses the [Space Bar]. See BREAK and IF later in this section for
further explanations.
BREAK
Break causes the program to abandon a WHILE and continue execution

after the closing bracket of the WHILE. If you have several WHILE loops
inside each other, it will only break out of the one it is in.
Two of the examples given in WHILE, above, show examples of the use
of BREAK. In the example that reads a file of coordinates, BREAK is
used to abandon the WHILE loop when the end of the file is reached. In
the example where crosses are added to circles, BREAK is used to
abandon the WHILE loop when the user cancels the function by clicking
on done or pressing the [Space Bar].
IF
IF (condition)
{
statements
}
ELSE
{
statements
}
Macros 17-19
If the condition is true, the statements under the IF are carried out.
Otherwise, the statements under the ELSE are carried out. The ELSE
part is optional. The curly brackets must be on a separate line. For
example:
IF(A>10&B<7)
{
TEXT [0,0] "AllyCAD" [#]
}
If the value of variable A is greater than 10 and the value of variable B is

less than 7, then write the word "AllyCAD" at coordinate [0,0].
Two of the examples given in WHILE, above, show examples of the use
of IF. In the example that reads a file of coordinates, IF checks to see
whether the end of the file has been reached. EOF(0) (where 0 is the
number of the file being queried) gives a result of 1 if the end of the file
has been reached, and a result of 0 otherwise.
In the example where crosses are added to circles, IF checks to see
whether the user has entered a valid coordinate at the prompt Pick circle
to receive centre cross. If the user has entered a valid coordinate, the
value of K at the end of the CUR function is 0. If he has cancelled
coordinate entry by clicking on done or pressing the [Space Bar], the
value of K is 1.
CHAIN
Chain executes another macro. For example:

CHAIN "newmacro"
executes a macro called newmacro.

CHAIN B$
Executes a macro whose name is denoted by the variable B$.

Once you have chained to another macro, you cannot return to the
original macro.
See Hints and Tips earlier in this chapter for details on how to specify
the path to the macro you want to chain to
You can also call other programs (for example Visual Basic programs).
These programs can communicate back to AllyCAD. See Running Other
Programs.

Data Entry Functions
ENTER
ENTER "prompt" variables
ENTER allows you to prompt the user for numbers or text. You can give
up to 15 variables. See Description for a summary of numeric and string
variables.
Example:
CIR [0,0] [R,0] [#]
See How do I write my first macro? for a full example.
CUR
CUR "prompt" x y k
CUR prompts the user for a cursor position. x and y are the coordinates
of this cursor position and k is set to 1 if the user has exited the function
by clicking on done or pressing the [Space Bar].
Example:
CUR "Enter position of circle centre" x y k
IF (k)
{
REM user has exited from drawing circles
BREAK
}
CIR [X,Y] [X+R,Y] [#]
END
See WHILE in Flow of Control Commands for another example.
REPLY
R = REPLY("prompt")
The variable R is given the value 1 if the user clicks on the YES button or
presses [Enter] and 0 if the user clicks on the NO button.
For example:
R=REPLY("Do you want to continue")
Macros 17-21
NOREPLY
N = NOREPLY("prompt")
The variable N is given the value 0 if the user clicks on the YES button or
presses [Enter], and 1 if the user clicks on the NO button.
TOPMENU
TOPMENU A "Menu Choice 1,Menu Choice 2,Menu Choice 3,Menu
Choice 4,Menu Choice 5,etc."
This causes a popup menu to appear. When the user chooses an option,
the number of the choice is stored in A. So if the user chooses Menu
Choice 1, A is 1, etc. You can underline a letter in each menu choice by
placing an & sign in front of the letter to be underlined. This letter can
then be used to select the choice from the keyboard, as in the main
AllyCAD menu defined by the CAD.MEN file.
See dims.mac in the macro sub-directory of your user directory for an
example.

String Functions
VAL$
a$=VAL$(n,width,ndecimal)
Converts the number n to a string, a$, with a given maximum width

(width) and a specified number of decimals (ndecimal).
Example:
a$=val$(3.14,6,2)
a$ will be " 3.14". There are a total of six characters - two spaces in front
of the 3; 3,., 1 and 4. Two of these characters are after the decimal point.
JOIN
a$=JOIN$(b$,c$)
Joins together strings b$ and c$ to form string a$.

Example:
b$ = "hello "
c$ = "world"
a$ = JOIN$(b$, c$)
a$ will be "hello world".
SUBSTR$
a$=SUBSTR$(b$,startpos,endpos)
Extracts a substring from string b$. Startpos is the start position of the
substring you want to extract and endpos is the end position.
Example:
a$=substr$("hello world",6,10)
a$ will be "world", because the start position is character 6 (w) and the
end position is character 10 (d). Characters are numbered from 0
upwards.
Macros 17-23
LEN
a=LEN(a$)
Calculates the length of string a$.

Example:
a=LEN("hello world")
a will be 11, because there are 11 characters in hello world.
STRCMP
a=STRCMP(a$,b$)
Compares string a$ to string b$. If the two strings are the same, a is given
the value 0. If a$ is less than b$ (e.g. a$ is Aardvark and b$ is Zebra), a
will be -1. If a$ is greater than b$, a will be +1.
VAL
n=VAL(a$)
Converts the string a$ to the number n.

Example:
n=VAL("123.45")
n will be 123.45.
NUM
n=NUM(A$)
Converts the first character of A$ to its ASCII equivalent, n.

Example:
n=NUM("ABC")
n will be is 65 (since "A" is 65 in ASCII).
=
z=‘A’
Sets z to the ASCII code of ‘A’, which is 65. You can only give one
character, which must be enclosed within inside single quotes.

CHR$
a$=CHR$(n)
Converts the number n to an ASCII character.

Example:
a$=CHR$(66)
a$ will be set to "B" (since 66 is ‘B’ in ASCII).
STRSTR
a=STRSTR(a$,b$)
Searches for the string b$ in the string a$. If b$ is found in a$, a is the
position where b$ starts. If b$ is not found in a$, a is -1.
Example 1:
a=STRSTR("HELLODOLLY","HE")
a is 0.
Example 2:
a=STRSTR("HELLO DOLLY","DOLL")
a is 6.
Example 3:
a=STRSTR("HELLO DOLLY","NIKS")
a is -1.
STRUPR
a$=STRUPR$(b$)
Converts b$ to upper case.

Example:
a$=STRUPR$(b)
a$ is "B".
STRLWR
a$=STRLWR$(b$)
Converts b$ to lower case.

Example:
Macros 17-25
a$=STRUPR$(B)
a$ is "b".
TRIM$
A$=TRIM$(B$)
Trims leading and trailing blanks from B$ and places the trimmed string
into A$.
TRIMLEFT$
A$=TRIMLEFT$(B$)
Trims leading blanks from B$ and places the trimmed string into A$.
TRIMRIGHT$
A$=TRIMRIGHT$(B$)
Trims trailing blanks from B$ and places the trimmed string into A$.

Coordinate to String Conversion
The following coordinate formatting and conversion functions are
available:
VALUNIT$
a$=VALUNIT$(n)
Converts a number to a string in the current units. This is very useful if

you are working in feet and inches, where the number, n, would be
decimal feet and the string, a$, could be something like 1’2+3/16".
VALANG$
a$=VALANG$(angle)
Converts an angle in decimal degrees (measured anti-clockwise) to the

current angular units. This is useful for surveyors, where the string could
be something like N45º23’3"W.
VALUNIT
n=VALUNIT(a$)
Converts a$ in the current units to a decimal number. In the case of feet

and inches, a string like 1’2+3/16" would be converted to decimal feet.
VALANG
n=VALANG(a$)
Converts string a$ in the current angular units to decimal degrees

measured anti-clockwise. This can handle strings like N45º23’4"W.
VALANGREL$
A$ = VALANGREL$(A)
Converts a decimal angle to an angle string in the current angular units.

It works with relative angles and never uses the Quadrant format
(N45W). It ignores the 3 o'clock, 12 o'clock etc. settings and the
clockwise/anti clockwise angular settings.
Macros 17-27
VALANGREL
A = VALANGREL(A$)
This is the opposite of the above function, and converts an angle string to
a relative angle.
Example:
The following macro is more to illustrate string handling than to serve a
practical purpose. It queries the scale of your drawing, then writes the
scale onto your drawing in the form SCALE is 1:1, SCALE is 1:50,
SCALE is 1:100000 or whatever the scale is.
ENQUIRE SCALE s
s$=VAL$(s,10,0)
s$=TRIMLEFT(s$)
s$=JOIN$("SCALE is 1:",s$)
WTEXTPARM 127 1 0 0.010 1 "Times New Roman" 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0
CUR "Enter position for text" x y
TEXT [x,y] s$ [#]
END
The explanation below assumes that the scale is 1:50.

ENQUIRE SCALE s
enquires the scale of your drawing, 50, and puts it into variable s.
s$=VAL$(s,10,0)
converts variable s, which is a number, into a piece of text, or "string" so

that you will be able to display it on the screen. The string is ten
characters long with no decimal places, " 50". There are eight blank
spaces in front of the 50, because s$ is ten characters long, and 50 only
takes up two of those characters.
s$=TRIMLEFT(s$)
trims off the eight blank spaces.

s$=JOIN$("SCALE is 1:",s$)
joins the "SCALE is 1:" part of the sentence to the scale, "50".
WTEXTPARM 127 1 0 0.010 1 "Times New Roman" 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 0
sets up the text parameters of the text that is going to be written onto the
screen. Often the best way to get the parameters that you need for a
particular type of text is to create a drawing containing just that piece of
text, then to export that drawing as a macro using the Export Macro
function. Then cut the WTEXTPARM statement out of the macro you
have exported and paste it into the macro you are writing.

CUR "Enter position for text" x y
asks you for the position on the screen where you want "SCALE is 1:50"
to be written.
TEXT [x,y] s$ [#]
writes the text.
Macros 17-29
Enquire Functions
The following enquire functions are in alphabetical order.
ENQUIRE “1PARLLDEF” 1/0 (distance/point) offset Numberoflines 1/0

(autoTrim)
Places the current parallel defaults set for the 1 Parallel Element
function into variables.
ENQUIRE “ACTIVEWINDOWNAME” awname$
This function returns the name of the active window.
ENQUIRE “ANGUNITS” u n z c
Places the type of angular units you have selected into u (0 = radians, 1
= decimal degrees, 2 = d.mm.ss, 3 = d°mm’ss", 4 = Nd°m’s"W ).
Places the number of angular decimals into n. Places the position of the
zero point into z (3,6,9 or 12 o’clock).
If angles are to be measured in an anti-clockwise direction c is 1.
Otherwise it is 0. See Angular Format for an explanation.
ENQUIRE “AREAUNITS” A A$ C
Inquires the currently set area units and places them into the given
variable. The variables have the following meanings:
A Area unit index. This can have the following values:
0 User defined
1 Square inches
2 Square feet
3 Square yards
4 Acres
5 Square miles
6 Square mm
7 Square cm
8 Square meters
9 Hectares
10 Square km
A$ Symbol for the area unit (e.g. "sq m")
C The number of square mm contained in the unit.

ENQUIRE "ASKJUMP" J
Places the value of the system AskJump setting into J. AskJump enables
you to suppress the question "Enter point to jump to" during snaps. This
question is asked if a jump is selected from a menu or a dropped toolbar.
See also SETASKJUMP.
ENQUIRE “COLOR” Pen Red Green Blue
Enquires the color of a pen in the Color toolbar.

Pen is the number of the pen whose color is being enquired about. Pens
are numbered from 1 to 15. Red, Green and Blue are the returned
variables, which will have values between 0 and 255. These values
determine the amount of red, green and blue making up the color. For
example, red is defined by “255 0 0”. White is defined by “255 255 255”.
Black is defined by “0 0 0”.
ENQUIRE “COORDS” c x y
If you are using surveyor coordinates, c will be 1 and the coordinates of

the screen centre will be put into x and y in the order Northing, Easting
or Easting, Northing - whichever you have specified in Drawing Settings.
If you are using Cartesian coordinates, c will be 0.
ENQUIRE “COUNTPATNAME” "parent" "object" count x1 y1 x2 y2
Counts the number of objects on the drawing with matching parent and
object names. You can use wildcards, so "*" "BOLTM6" would count all
the objects with the name BOLTM6 regardless of their parent name.
"ASSEMBLY" "*" would count all the objects with the parent name
ASSEMBLY, regardless of their object name.
The number of objects counted is placed into count.
If one or more objects are found, the coordinates of the enclosing
rectangle of the first object found are placed into x1, y1, x2 and y2
ENQUIRE “CURANCHOR” X Y
Places the coordinates of the last anchored point into x and y. If you are
using the rubberband command, the rubberband will be attached at this
point. In the following macro, the coordinate position a+50,b+50 will be
placed into x and y:
cur "enter point" a b
rect [a,b] [a+50,b+50] [#]
Macros 17-31
ENQUIRE “CURFIXED” X Y
Places the coordinates of the last fixed point into x and y. The last fixed
point is the one marked by the grey "x" on the screen, and represents the
position where the mouse was last clicked or [Enter] was last pressed. In
the following macro, the coordinate position a,b will be placed into x and
y:
rect [a,b] [a+50,b+50] [#]
ENQUIRE “CURHOLD” X Y H
This command is useful for seeing whether the cursor is locked or not. If
it's locked, h will be 1. Otherwise h will be 0.
If the cursor is not locked, the last fixed point is placed into into x and y.
The last fixed point is the one marked by the grey "x" on the screen, and
represents the position where the mouse was last clicked or [Enter] was
last pressed. In the following macro, the coordinate position a,b will be
placed into x and y:
rect [a,b] [a+50,b+50] [#]
If the cursor is locked, the coordinate position (a+50, b) will be placed

into x and y. The last fixed point was a, b but since then, the cursor has
been moved to (a+50, b+50). Because the cursor is locked, it can only
move horizontally and vertically. So instead of updating the cursor
position to (a+50, b+50) AllyCAD can only update it to (a+50, b).
ENQUIRE “CURMODE” a$
This function returns the cursormode in a$. Eg. “A” for Graball, “F” for
Freehand etc.
ENQUIRE “CURPOSN” x y
Enquires the current coordinate position of the cursor, and places it into
the variables x and y.
ENQUIRE “DATA” "bolthole" x y
Checks the drawing for a data item with the text "bolthole" and inserts
the x and y coordinates of the data item into the variables x and y. If the
data item is not found, x and y return with the value -999999.0.

ENQUIRE “DATA” "PAINT" x y P$
Checks the drawing for a data item with the text "PAINT=GREEN" and
inserts the x and y coordinates of this data item into the variables x and
y. The text "GREEN" is placed into the variable P$. If the data item is not
found, x and y return with the value -999999.0 and P$ with the value
"<NULL>".
ENQUIRE “DATE” d$
Places the current date into d$ in the format YY-MM-DD.
ENQUIRE “DIGITIZER” N$ F$ I$ C B D P S x1 y1 x2 y2 x3 y3 x4 y4 x5 y5 x6 y6
Enquires the current digitizer setup and places it into the following
variables:
N$ Digitizer type.
F$ Format string.
I$ Initialization string.
C Comport.
B Baud rate.
D Data bits.
P Parity.
S Stop bits.
x1, y1, x2, y2, x3, y3 The coordinates of the three scaling points
on the digitizer, in digitizer coordinates.
x4, y4, x5, y5, x6, y6 The coordinates of the three equivalent
scaling points on the screen, in current
screen coordinates
ENQUIRE "DIMPARM" dimtextht ndecimal aspect linefeed witnesspen 1witoffset

2witoffset tolerance Arch$ textpen font$ arrowlen arrowwid decimal$
The variables are exactly the same as those used in the DIMPARM
function. See Set Dimension Defaults.
dimtextht Height of dimension text in tenths of a mm (on final
paper output).
ndecimal Number of decimals to display.
aspect
linefeed Distance between successive running dimensions.
witnesspen Color of witness lines and arrows. Pens are numbered
from 1 to 15 in the Color toolbar. 256 means pen By
Layer.
Macros 17-33
1witoffset Witness gap in tenths of a mm.
2witoffset Witness overshoot in tenths of a mm.
tolerance 1 if tolerances can be used, else 0.
Arch$ "A" for Architectural style dimensions, "M" for
Mechanical Style.
textpen Color of the dimension text. Pens are numbered from 1
to 15 in the Color toolbar. 256 means pen By Layer.
font$ Name of the font to use.
arrowlen Length of the dimension arrows in tenths of a mm.
arrowwid Width of the dimension arrows in tenths of a mm.
decimal$ decimal character "." or ","
ENQUIRE “DRGPATH” f$
Places the current drawing path into f$.
ENQUIRE “EXIST” "filename" a
If the file called "filename" exists, then 1 is placed into the variable a.
Otherwise, 0 is placed into a.
Note that you may have to give the full path of the file, e.g.
c:\AllyCAD\drawing\filename.drg.
ENQUIRE “FILENAME” f$
Places the current drawing filename into f$.
ENQUIRE “GRID” xspacing yspacing density pen on/off
Enquires the currently set grid x and y spacings, grid display density,
pen, and whether the grid is switched on (1) or off (0). The pen is a
number between 1 to 15.
ENQUIRE "HATCHNAMEFROMINDEX" HIndex Hname$
Returns in Hname$ the name of the hatch pattern stored at index

Hindex. If you give an invalid index the returned name will be "Bad
Index".
ENQUIRE "HATCHINDEXFROMNAME" Hname$ Hindex
Returns in Hindex the index of the hatch given by Hname$. If Hname$ is

not a hatch name, then the returned index will be –1.

ENQUIRE “HEMISPHERE” h
If you are working in the southern hemisphere, h will be 1. If you are

working in the northern hemisphere, h will be 0.
ENQUIRE “LASTAREA” Area Perim Xcentroid Ycentroid
This queries the last area and perimeter measured using Polygon Area in
the Tools Menu. It places the last measured area into Area and the last
measured perimeter into Perim. It also places the X and Y centroid of
the polygon into Xcentroid and Ycentroid.
ENQUIRE “LAYER” A$
Places the name of the current layer into A$.
ENQUIRE “LAYERDEF” N$ V K P L W X Y
Enquires the details of the current layer and places them into the given
variables, as follows:
N$ Layer name.
V This is 1 if the layer is visible and 0 otherwise.
K This is 1 if the layer is locked and 0 otherwise.
P Pen number assigned to the layer: A number between 0 and
15. Pens are numbered from 1 to 15 in the Color toolbar.
L Line type assigned to the layer: A number between 1 and 11.
Line types are numbered from 1 to 11 downwards in the Line
Type Display. By default, 1 is continuous, 2 is long dashes, 3
is short dashes etc.
W Width assigned to the layer (currently ignored, but included
for future reference).
X Layer magnification in the X direction (currently used for both
X and Y magnification).
Y Layer magnification in the Y direction (currently ignored, but
included for future reference).
ENQUIRE “LAYERDEFINDEX” LAYINDEX N$ V K P L W X Y
Enquires the details of the layer with index LAYINDEX (LAYINDEX

can go from 0 to NUMLAYERS – 1 : see also ENQUIRE “NUMLAYERS”
) and places them into the given variables, as follows:
N$ Layer name.
V This is 1 if the layer is visible and 0 otherwise.
K This is 1 if the layer is locked and 0 otherwise.
Macros 17-35
256.
ENQUIRE “LAYERMAG” m
Places the magnification of the current layer into the variable m.
See also QUERYEL in the Tools section.
ENQUIRE "LAYHIGHL" H$
Places the character "O" , "P" or "R" into H$ depending on whether layer
highlight is Off, Pen8 or Rainbow. See also the function LAYHIGHL
ENQUIRE “LINEDEF” L P W C S F R G B
Places the current line and polyline defaults into the variables. The
variables are:
L Line type: A number from 1 to 29. Line types are numbered
from 1 to 29 downwards in the Line Type Display. By default,
1 is continuous, 2 is long dashes, 3 is short dashes etc. If the
line type is 256, then line type is set as By Layer.
P Pen number: A number from 1 to 255. If the pen is 256, then
line type is set as By Layer.
W Line width in 10ths mm.
C 1 for closed, 0 for open.
S Spline type: 0 for no spline, 1 for 3pt Bezier, 2 for 4pt Bezier.
F Fill type: 0 = no fill, 1 = hatch, 2 = solid fill.
R Red component of solid fill (0-255) or hatch index number if
fill is a hatch.
G Green component of solid fill (0-255).
B Blue component of solid fill (0-255).

ENQUIRE “LOCKANG” a
Places the angle that the cursor is currently locked at into the variable a.
ENQUIRE "LTYPENAMEFROMINDEX" LIndex Lname$
Returns in Lname$ the name of the line style stored at index Lindex. If
you give an invalid index the returned name will be "Bad Index".
ENQUIRE "LTYPEINDEXFROMNAME" Lname$ Lindex
Returns in Lindex the index of the line style given by Lname$. If Lname$
is not a line style name, then the returned index will be –1.
ENQUIRE “MACPATH” f$
Places the current macro file path into f$.
ENQUIRE “NEARARC” x1 y1 xc yc x3 y3 c p l
Places the coordinates of the arc nearest to the cursor into variables x1
y1 xc yc x3 y3.
xc yc is the coordinate position of the arc's centre.
x1 y1 The coordinates of the ends of the arc. If the arc is a circle,
x3 y3 x1 y1 and x3 y3 both mark the coordinate position of a point
on the circle's circumference at the 3 o'clock position.
c c is 1 if the arc has been drawn in a clockwise direction
between x1 y1 and x3 y3 otherwise it is 0.
p Arc Pen. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255.
l Line Types are numbered from 1 in the Line Type Display
Area.
The arc's pen and line type are placed into p and l If pen or line type is
given as 256, it means that the pen or line type is being set By Layer. The
pen and linetype variables are optional. If no arc is found near the
cursor, then all the variables are given the value 999999.0.
ENQUIRE “NEARDATA” A$ X Y
This places the text of the nearest data item into A$, and the position of
the data item into variables X and Y.
ENQUIRE “NEARLINE” x1 y1 x2 y2 P L
Places the coordinates of the ends of the line nearest to the cursor into
variables x1 y1 x2 y2 P L.
Macros 17-37
x1 y1 The coordinates of the ends of the line.
x2 y2
P Arc Pen. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255.
L Line Types are numbered downwards from 1 in the Line
Type Display Area.
If pen or line type is given as 256, it means that the pen or line type is
being set By Layer. The pen and line type variables are optional. If no
line is found near the cursor, then all the variables are given the value
999999.0.
ENQUIRE “NEARPATNAME” a$ p q r s
Inquires the name of the nearest object and places it into variable a$. If
no object is found nearby, a$ is <NULL>. The x and y coordinates of the
bottom left corner of the object's snip box are placed into p and q. The x
and y coordinates of the top right corner of the object's snip box are
placed into r and s. If you do not know what an object or snip box is, see
Drawing Structure.
ENQUIRE “NEARTEXT” a$ x y
Places the text nearest the cursor into variable a$, and the x and y
coordinates of the text into variables x and y. The x and y variables are
optional. If no text is found near the cursor, x and y return with the value
999999.0 and a$ with the value "<NULL>".
ENQUIRE "NUMLAYERS" N
places number of layers into variable N. See also Enquire

“LAYERDEFINDEX”
ENQUIRE “NORTHEAST” n
n is 1 if you have chosen to read coordinates in the order Northing

Easting. n is 0 if you have chosen to read coordinates in the order Easting
Northing.
Northing Easting vs Easting Northing.
Internally, AllyCAD always stores coordinates in the order x y, where x is
the horizontal coordinate and y is the vertical coordinate. The functions
that are affected by the Northing Easting setting are the following:
a) The coordinate display at the bottom right of the screen.
b) Move to Coordinates in the Tools Menu.

c) Label Coordinate in the Annotate Menu.
d) The Surveyor Setup in Drawing Settings in the Settings Menu.
All the macro functions are unaffected by the Northing Easting setting
except:
a) ENQUIRE COORDS
b) ENQUIRE NORTHEAST
c) CHGCOORD
This means that if you write a macro to read a file of coordinates and
then to join them with lines, you must make your own allowances for
Northing, Easting.
In particular a coordinate pair in a macro command such as
LINE [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [#]
will always have the horizontal coordinate first, then the vertical
coordinate.
ENQUIRE “NUMWINDOWS” nwin
This function returns the number of MDI windows.
ENQUIRE “PAPEREXTENTS” w h
Inquires the width and height of the currently loaded paper in mm, and
places these values in w and h.
ENQUIRE “PAPERSIZE” p
Places the drawing paper size into p. See the table in Settings Functions
to see which paper size p corresponds to.
ENQUIRE “PAPERUNITS” u
Enquires the currently set paper units and places them into u. Paper
units are defined as follows:
0 mm
1 meter
2 inches
3 user defined
4 feet and fractional inches
5 decimal feet
Macros 17-39
6 yards
7 km
8 miles
ENQUIRE “PARLLDEF” 1/0 (draw fresh/around existing perimeter) A1 (starting

angle) A2 (ending angle) 1/0 (straight lines/line arc line) 1/0 (close off ends/don't
close off ends) 1/0 (fillet corners/don't fillet corners) N (number of lines)
Places the current parallel defaults set for the Parallel Line function into
variables.
For each of the N lines you can then do an enquire:
ENQUIRE “PARLLNLINEPEN” LineNum linetype pen width offset
where LineNum is the number of the line you are querying. For
example, the following inquires the line type, pen, width and offset of the
second parallel line defined in the parallel line definition:
ENQUIRE “PARLLNLINEPEN” 2 l p w o
ENQUIRE “POINTDEF” style size
Enquires the currently set point style and size. Point style is a number
interpreted as follows:
0 Point
1 None
2 Cross
4 X Cross
8 Blip
In addition, another modifier can be added to the point style as follows:
0 No modifier
32 Circle
64 Box
128 Diamond
If Enquire Pointdef returns a style of 34, the point style is a cross with a
circle around it (2+32=34).
The size is measured in mm on final paper output. However if the size is
given as a negative number, then it is interpreted as percentage of the
screen size. For example, a point size of -2 means that points will always
be drawn at 2% of screen size regardless of magnification.

ENQUIRE “PORTRAIT” p
Enquires whether the paper is oriented in portrait or landscape. P is 1 if

the paper is in portrait and 0 if it is in landscape.
ENQUIRE “SCALE” s
Places the drawing scale into s.
ENQUIRE “SELDEF” Line arc text dims arrow data bitmaps polylines points
inserts
These are set to 1 or 0 depending on the filter settings. Refer to Selection

Filters in the Edit Menu for an explanation of the variables.
ENQUIRE “SELPROPDEF” current color, current linetype, current width, current

symbol, current fillcolor, current layer, hatchdontcare, hatchonly, hatchcurrent
Inquires the Property filters. Returns a 1 or 0 depending on whether that

filter is set or not. Fillcolor only applies to polylines. Symbol applies to
lines, arcs and polylines. The three hatch switches apply to all objects
(hatch and non hatch), and enable you to select objects based on their
hatch properties.
ENQUIRE “SELTEXTDEF” font ht wid ang lorg linespc style textmatch

Match_String$
Inquires the Text filters. Returns a 1 or 0 depending on whether that

filter is set or not.
Match_String$ is a text variable.
ENQUIRE “SURVDIMFORMAT” F
Enquires the survey dimension format, where F is a numeric variable

that can take the values 0, 1, 2 or 3:
0 Bearing on top, distance on bottom.
1 Distance on top, bearing on bottom.
2 Both bearing and distance on top.
3 Distance only.
ENQUIRE “SURVDIMTEXT” A D A$ D$ N
This converts angle A and distance D to text strings A$ and D$. The
formats of A$ and D$ are defined by the Units and Angular Format set in
the Drawing Settings, and the settings in Set Survey Defaults. N is the
angle A represented in tenths of a degree. The purpose of this function is
Macros 17-41
surveying macros that automatically dimension a line with its distance
and bearing. A$ and D$ are the dimension text, and N is the angle
required by the WTEXTPARM function so that the dimension text is
written at the correct angle.
ENQUIRE “SURVTEXTORIENT” S
Enquires the survey dimension orientation and places it into S. If S is 0,

text follows the bearing direction. If it's 1, text is always upright.
ENQUIRE “SYMPATH” f$
Places the current symbol file path into f$.
ENQUIRE “TEXTDEFAULTS” T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T$ T6 T7 T8 T9 T0 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5
The variables are exactly the same as those used in the WTEXTPARM
function. See Settings Functions):
T1 = height in tenths of a mm.
T2 = label origin.
T3 = width in tenths of a mm.
T4 = boxsize in % of screen size.
T5 = linespacing.
T$ = font name.
T6 = color.
T7 = angle in tenths of a degree.
T8 = 1 if bold, else 0.
T9 = 1 if italic, else 0.
T0 = 1 if underlined, else 0.
Q1 = 1 if struckout, else 0.
Q2 = 0 if left justified, 1 if centred, 1 if right justified.
Q3 = 1 if a there is a balloon around the text, else 0.
Q4 = PitchAndFamily.
Q5 = CharSet.
ENQUIRE “TIME” t$
Places the current time into t$ in the format HH:MM.
ENQUIRE “UNITS” u c
Places the drawing units into u, where 0 = mm, 1 = m, 2 = inches, 3 =

user defined, 4 = feet and inches, 5 = feet, 6 = yard, 7 = km and 8 =

mile. Places mm per unit into c. For example, if you are working in
inches, u will be 2 and c will be 25.4.
ENQUIRE “WINDOWNAME” num wname$
This function returns the name of the window number. Number goes
from 0 to nwin-1.
ENQUIRE “ZOOM” x1 y1 x2 y2
Places the coordinates marking the bottom left and top right extents of
the current zoom window into x1 y1 and x2 y2.
Macros 17-43
ASCII Files
The following functions allow macros to read and write ASCII files.
CREATE "filename"
Creates the file "filename" for subsequent writing. If the file exists
already, all the data in it is deleted. If no path is specified in the filename,
the file will be created in the current macro path.
FILEMENU "prompt" "path" "extension" LoadOrSave F$
Calls the Windows file load or file save dialog boxes. "Prompt" is the title
of the dialog box. "Path" is the default path that appears in the dialog box.
"Extension" is the default extension of the type of file you want to load or
save.
If you want the Windows load dialog box, set LoadOrSave to 1. If you
want the Windows save dialog box, set LoadOrSave to 0.
F$ is a variable name that receives the full path of the file that the user
selected. If the user cancels the dialog box, then F$ is filled with the
string "<CANCEL>". See the example at the end of this section.
Before using this command you should have a line that sets F$ to
nothing, i.e. F$="". Otherwise you may find that your macro ignores the
FILEMENU command.
OPEN filenumber "filename"
Opens the file "filename" for reading or writing and assigns a filenumber
to that file. This filenumber must be used for all subsequent reading and
writing operations.
Only four files can be open at any time. Their numbers are 0, 1, 2 and 3. If
you use PRN as the filename then you can write to the printer. If no path
is specified in the filename, AllyCAD will search for the file in the current
macro path. See the example at the end of this section.
If you use OPEN to open a file for writing, writing will start at the
beginning of the file. If you want to add on to the end of an existing file,
use OPENA to open the file.

OPENA filenumber "filename"
This is the same as OPEN, but if you are writing to the file you have
opened, everything you write will be appended to the end of the file.
WRITE filenumber "Rocket Scientist" TAB(35) s t b$
Writes variables to a line of the file. Numeric variables are written in a

format 12 characters wide with 3 decimal places. If you want more fancy
formats for your numbers you must convert them to strings first using
VAL$ in the String Functions. You can use the TAB function, as shown
above, to ensure that your output starts in certain columns.
READ filenumber a d w$
Reads a line of the file and assigns values from the line to the variables.
There can be as many variables as you like in the variable list. The line
length read in is limited to 250 characters.
Fields on the input line can be separated by spaces or commas. If there
are not enough input fields, or the end of file has been reached, then -
99.e9 is assigned to numeric variables and "<NULL>" to string variables.
See the example at the end of this section.
READLN filenumber a$
Reads a whole line from a file (spaces and all) into the string variable a$.
CLOSE filenumber
Closes down the file associated with filenumber.
REWIND filenumber
Rewinds the file back to the beginning.
TELL filenumber L
Places the current file offset of the file pointer into variable L.
SEEK filenumber L
Moves the file pointer of the given file to position L.
EOF(filenumber)
This is a function that returns 1 if the end of the specified file has been
reached. See the example at the end of this section.
Macros 17-45
ENQUIRE EXIST
See the example under ENQUIRE EXIST.
Example
This example shows you how to create an ASCII file containing
coordinates with site names. It then shows you how to write a macro that
reads and plots the coordinates and their names.
Open Windows Notepad and create a file containing the following lines:
sitea 0 0
siteb 100 0
sitec 100 100
sited 0 100
After you have typed the last line and your cursor is positioned after the
last 100, press [Enter] so that the cursor moves down onto the next line.
Otherwise AllyCAD will not read the last line of the file correctly.
Save the file you have created into your macro directory with a “.txt”
extension. Now open a new Windows Notepad file and create the
following macro:
REM ask user for name of coordinate file to load
F$=””
FILEMENU "Select coordinate file" "c:\AllyCAD\macro" "txt" 1 F$
REM open the coordinate file and call it 0
OPEN 0 F$
REM read in each line of the file. Plot the coordinate as a point and
REM write the coordinate's label at the coordinate point.
WHILE (1)
{
READ 0 L$ X Y
POINT [X,Y] [#]
TEXT [X,Y] L$ [#]
REM if the end of file 0 has been reached
REM stop reading the file
IF(EOF(0))
{
BREAK
}
}
REM close file 0
CLOSE 0
END
This macro reads the three items in each line of the data file you created:
the site name (L$), the X coordinate (X) and the Y coordinate (Y). It plots
a point at the X,Y coordinate position and labels the point with its site
name, L$.

DDE Commands
The following functions allow AllyCAD to communicate with other
programs like Visual Basic and Excel, and vice versa.
SETMACVAR A 23.45
Sets the variable A to the value 23.45. This can then be used by the other
program.
SHELL "program arguments..."
Starts another program from within AllyCAD. A more useful way of

doing this is by a function call:
R=SHELL("program arguments...")
The value R is greater than 32 if the execute was sucessful.
WAITFORMESSAGE "messagename"
This causes the macro to wait until the other program sends it a
message. Once it receives the message, the macro continues onto the
next statement in the macro program.
The other program must use RegisterMessage with the same
Messagename, and then use the returned message number to signal back
to AllyCAD.
DDEConnect H "Server" "Topic"
Connects AllyCAD to another application. H is the returned conversation

handle used in all subsequent DDE commands. H is zero if the
connection could not be made.
DDEExecute H "Command"
Executes a command in the other application. H is the handle returned

by DDEConnect.
DDEPoke H "Item" "Data"
Inserts data into a specified item in the other application. H is the handle
returned by DDEConnect.
Macros 17-47
DDERequest H "Item" D$
Requests the data in a specified item in the other application, and inserts
it into D$. H is the handle returned by DDEConnect.
DDEDisconnect H
Disconnects the conversation H
SHOWWINDOW S
This command controls the AllyCAD window, and is useful for other
applications that want to "wake up" AllyCAD. It takes one argument,
which can have the following values:
SW_HIDE 0
SW_NORMAL 1
SW_SHOWMINIMIZED 2
SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED 3
SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE 4
SW_SHOW 5
SW_MINIMIZE 6
SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE 7
SW_SHOWNA 8
SW_RESTORE 9
LinkExecute
You can also use the LinkExecute command to execute AllyCAD

commands from within other applications.
Example:
Create a Visual Basic program. Put an invisble text box called
DDE_Link_Box onto the form. In the form’s load procedure, type the
following:
DDE_Link_Box.LinkMode = 0
DDE_Link_Box.LinkTopic = “AllyCAD|System”
DDE_Link_Box.LinkItem = “Sysitems”
DDE_Link_Box.LinkMode = 2
DDE_Link_Box.LinkExecute “Line [0,0] [100,100] [#]”
DDE_Link_Box.LinkExecute “CIR [0,0] [50,50] [#]”
End
Start AllyCAD, then run the Visual Basic program. A line and a circle
will be drawn on the screen. You can send any AllyCAD command this
way, so long as it is in the form of a string.

If you want to use variable values, these must be strings. For example,
suppose startx, starty, endx and endy are string variables containing
coordinate values, you could draw a line in AllyCAD as follows:
DDE_Link_Box.LinkExecute “LINE [“ + startx + “,” + starty + “] [“+ endx
+ “,” + endy + “] [#]”
See the DDETEST.MAC and VBTEST.MAC examples for other

examples.
DDE Examples 1 and 2

See ddetest.mac and vbtest.mac in your macro sub-directory for
examples of using the DDE commands with Visual Basic. The Visual
Basic programs these connect to, ddetest.exe and vbtest.exe are supplied
in your vbtest sub-directory together with their associated mak and frm
files. Note that you need a copy of vbrun.dll in order to run these
examples.
DDE Example 3
The following example starts a conversation with Microsoft Excel, and
places the words "Hello Excel" into the spreadsheet "SHEET1" in the
second row of the third column. It then reads the contents of the first row
of the first column and displays the result.
DDEConnect H "Excel" "Sheet1"
if (H)
{
DDEPoke H "R2C3" "Hello Excel"
DDERequest H "R1C1" D$
a$=join$("Value in cell R1C1 was ",D$)
mess a$
DDEDisconnect H
}
DDE Example 4
AllyCAD will also respond to DDE Execute requests from other
applications. If you make the DDE connection in the other application
with the server name as "AllyCAD" and the topic name as "System", then
you can send AllyCAD any macro command string, and AllyCAD will
execute it.
For example, the following Microsoft Excel macro connects to AllyCAD,
opens the Filter sample drawing, minimises AllyCAD and displays it in
its minimised form, then disconnects again:
Function testcad()
h = DDEInitiate("AllyCAD", "system")
DDEExecute h, "opendr c:\AllyCAD\drawing\filter.drg"
Macros 17-49
DDEExecute h, "showwindow 2"
DDETerminate h
End Function

AllyCAD Functions
The remainder of this chapter lists AllyCAD functions, organised under
the menus they are used in. Some of the functions are not used in the
menus. These are listed under the same menu headings as similar
functions that are used in the menus.
Full details about the meanings of the function parameters are not given.
Rather, you are referred to the corresponding function in the Reference
section, where you will find a full explanation.
Bear in mind the following:
1. Functions are presented as follows:
FUNCTION_NAME FUNCTION_PARAMETERS
2. Text in parentheses () is not a function parameter but explains the
preceding parameter. Where you are given several options, e.g.
"R/C", "Y/N", 0/1/2, you only use one option.
HDIM "R/C" (Running/Chained) [xtext,ytext] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] !
[x3,y3] ! [x4,y4] !... [#]
In the example above, you type "R" if you want a running dimension
and "C" if you want a chained dimension.
MIRROR [xmirror,ymirror] "Y/N" (vertical/horizontal) "Y/N"
(keep old half/discard old half)
In the example above, you type "Y" if you want to mirror vertically,
and "N" if you want to mirror horizontally. You type "Y" if you want
to keep the old half, and "N" if you don't, for example:
MIRROR [xmirror,ymirror] "Y" "Y"
3. Some function descriptions include dots:....

For example:
LINE [x,y] [x2,y2] [x3,y3]... [#]
These are not part of the parameters but mean you could add more
parameters, e.g. LINE [x,y] [x2,y2] [x3,y3] [x4,y4] [x5,y5] [#] etc.
4. Due to space limitations, some functions are shown spreading over
several lines. However, in a macro, the function and all its
parameters may only occupy one line.
Macros 17-51
5. Refer to Description for details on variable names that you can use.
You can either use a variable name or an absolute value, for
example:
ROTATE [xc,yc] "Y" angle [#]
ROTATE [35,-10] "Y" 45 [#]
TEXT [x,y] "Lekker" [#]
TEXT [100,100] T$ [#]
6. You need to put double quotes around all string parameters, such as
"R", "Y" or "Agatha".
7. If you do not give values for all the parameters, AllyCAD will prompt
for the remaining values. For example, if you type
CIR
AllyCAD will prompt Enter centre point of circle. If you type

CIR [0,0]
AllyCAD will prompt Enter point on circle, etc.

File Functions
If you do not include the full file path in the filename in the functions
below, e.g. "c:\AllyCAD\drawing\filter", AllyCAD will look for the file in
the relevant default directory, or will save it to the relevant default
directory.
SETPATH "c:\path\"
Sets the current default drawing file path to "c:\path\". Note the trailing
backslash, which is very important.
SETSYMPTH "c:\path\"
Sets the current default symbol file path to "c:\path\". Note the trailing
SETMACPTH "c:\path\"
Sets the current default macro file path to "c:\path\". Note the trailing
DELALL "YES"
Deletes everything in memory and loads the default startup drawing,

STARTUP.DRG. See New.
FILEMENU "prompt" "path" "extension" LoadOrSave F$
Calls the Windows file load or file save dialog boxes. "Prompt" is the title
of the dialog box. "Path" is the default path that appears in the dialog box.
"Extension" is the default extension of the type of file you want to load or
save. If you want the Windows load dialog box, set LoadOrSave to 1. If
you want the Windows save dialog box, set LoadOrSave to 0. F$ is a
variable name that receives the full path of the file that the user selected.
If the user cancels the dialog box, then F$ is filled with the string
"<CANCEL>".
Before using this command you should have a line that sets F$ to
nothing, i.e. F$="". Otherwise you may find that your macro ignores the
FILEMENU command.
READANYFILE
Brings up the load.drg,.dwg or DXF dialog box. See Open.
Macros 17-53
OPENDR "filename"
Loads the AllyCAD drawing file "filename".
READACAD "filename"
Loads the AutoCAD drawing file "filename".
LOAD "filename" [x,y] scale rot
Loads the drawing file "filename". The coordinate position, scale and
rotation are only required if you are loading one cartesian coordinate
drawing onto another. See Load Drawing.
LOADLAY "walls,electrical" "filename"
Loads the specified layers of the drawing "filename" - walls and electrical
in this example. See Load Layers.
LOADGEOM "filename"
Loads the geometry file "filename". See Load Geom.
LOADBITMAP "filename.bmp" xpixsize ypixsize visible thinmode [xleft,ytop]
Loads the bitmap file "filename.bmp". You must supply the.BMP

extension in the filename. Xpixsize and ypixsize are the real world pixel
size. Visible can be 0 or 1. If it is 0 then a placeholder is displayed instead
of the bitmap. Thinmode can be 0 (preserve black), 1 (preserve white) or
2 (thin pixels). Xleft and ytop are the coordinates of the top left hand
corner of the bitmap. See Load Bitmap.
LOADMENU "filename.men"
Loads a new.MEN file for defining the functions on the pull-dpwn

menus, icons and accelerators. You must supply the.MEN extension in
the filename.
SAVE
Saves the current drawing. See Save.
WRITEANYFILE
Brings up the save.drg,.dwg or DXF dialog box. See Save As.

STORE "filename"
Saves the current drawing as an AllyCAD drawing called "filename".
AUTOSAVEDLG DoAutoBackup Minutes AskUser GetRef SaveGeom UseDOM
The parameters represent the check boxes in the Save Settings dialog
box. DoAutoBackup, AskUser, GetRef, SaveGeom and UseDOM all have
values of 1 or 0. If the value is 1, the relevant check box is checked. If the
value is 0 the check box is empty. Minutes must be set to the number of
minutes between autobackups. See Save Settings.
AUTOSTTG 1/0 (store geometry automatically/don't store it) 0 (not relevant) 1/0
(use drawing office manager/don't use it)
Sets just the store geometry and drawing office manager settings in Save
Settings. See Save Settings.
BACKUPTM t
Sets the autobackup time to t, which is time in minutes. See Save

Settings.
DESCRIP "Drawing Description" "Draftsperson" "Department"
Edits the current drawing's description in the Drawing Office Manager.

See Edit Description.
STOREWS "filename" [x,y]
Saves the selection set as "filename". X,y is the reference point of the
saved drawing so it can later be loaded accurately into another drawing
using Load Drawing. See Save Selected.
STORELAY "elec" "filename" [x,y]
Save a layer as "filename", where "elec" is the name of the layer to save
and x,y is the reference point of the saved layer so it can later be loaded
accurately into another drawing using Load Drawing. See Save Layer.
STOREVIS "filename" [x,y]
Save all visible layers as "filename". X,y is the reference point of the
saved drawing so it can later be loaded accurately into another drawing
using Load Drawing. See Save Visible.
Macros 17-55
STOREGEOM "filename"
Stores all geometry as "filename". See Save Geometry.
NEWSYMFL "symbolfilename" "Y/N" (absolute/to scale) "Y/N" (convert

attributes to text/don't convert attributes)
Loads the symbol file "symbolfilename". See Load Symbol File.
IMPORTEXP "H" "filename"
Imports the HPGL file "filename". The screen must be blank. See Import
HPGL.
IMPORTEXP "A" "filename" [x,y]
Imports the ASCII text file "filename" as a text block at position x,y. See
Import ASCII.
IMPORTEXP "M" "Y/N" (all layers/just visible layers) "* *" (names of objects to
be exported) "filename"
Exports all or part of the current drawing as a macro file called

"filename". See Export Macro.
IMPORTEXP "T" "filename" [x1,y1] [#x2,y2] [#]
Exports the text within the box or polygon defined by x1,y1 and x2,y2 as
an ASCII file called "filename". See Export Text.
HARDCOPY
If the hardcopy command is entered with no parameters, it brings up the

Print dialog box. See Print.
HARDCOPY xoffset yoffset minpen maxpen
Does a print with the given offsets and just plots the pens from minpen to
maxpen. (Minpen and maxpen are only relevant if plotting to a pen
plotter). See Print.
ZOOMPLOT
If the zoomplot command is entered with no parameters, it starts the

zoom plot sequence, and then brings up the Print dialog box. See Zoom
Print.

ZOOMPLOT "Y" (to fit) Border "Y" (satisfied) [#] (no compass) xoffset yoffset
minpen maxpen
The above command causes a zoomplot to fit with a border around the
edge of the paper, see the following examples:
ZOOMPLOT "Y" 10 "Y" [#] 0 0 1 15
would plot to fit with a border of 10 mm, and from pen 0 to pen 15.
See Zoom Print
ZOOMPLOT "N" (to scale) scale [xcenter,ycenter] "N" (rotate) "Y" (satisfied) [#]
(no compass) xoffset yoffset minpen maxpen
The above command does a zoom plot at a certain fixed scale around the
xcenter, ycenter point given.
E.g.
ZOOMPLOT "N" 500 [0,0] "N" "Y" [#] 0 0 1 15
would plot at a scale of 1:500 around the point 0,0

See Zoom Print.
PRINTSETUP
Calls up the Windows Print Setup dialog box. See Print Setup.
EXEC "filename"
Executes the macro file "filename". See Exec Macro.
COMPILEMAC "filename"
Compiles the macro source file "filename" to a compiled.MBF file.
ENCODE "filename"
Encodes a macro called filename. If you do not supply a filename, a

dialog box prompting you for one will appear. See Encode Macro.
EXECSTEP n "filename"
Executes the macro file "filename" one line at a time, starting at line n.
See Hints and Tips.
Macros 17-57
PURGE "Y/N" (remove duplicates) "Y/N" (remove unreferenced blocks) "Y/N"
(remove unreferenced layers) ! ! !
Purges duplicate entities, unreferenced blocks and/or unreferenced

layers from a drawing. The three exclamation marks dismiss the
information dialog boxes that appear showing how many duplicate
entities have been removed. See Purge Redundant Elements.
REPAIR "filename"
Attempts to repair a corrupted AllyCAD drawing called filename. If you

do not supply a filename, a dialog box prompting you for one will appear.
See Repair DRG File.
QUIT
Exits AllyCAD. If you do not want the shutdown process to be

interrupted by a dialog box, you should use DELALL "NO" before using
QUIT. See Exit.

Edit Functions
UNDO
Undoes the last operation. See Undo.

If you want to be able to undo actions performed by the macro, you must
include SETMACUNDO 1 at the beginning of the macro.
REDO
Undoes the last undo. See Redo.
CUT
Cuts the selection set to the Clipboard. See Cut.
COPY
Copies the selection set to the Clipboard. See Copy.
PASTE [x,y]
Pastes the contents of the Clipboard onto the drawing at position x,y. x,y
is the top left corner of the Clipboard contents, except in the case of text.
See Paste.
DELSELECT
Deletes the selection set. See Delete.
DELEL [x,y] "Y" [#]
Deletes the element nearest to x,y. The "Y" confirms the deletion.
DELPREV "Y" "Y" "Y" " "
Deletes the last few elements you have entered - the last three elements
in the example above.
DELHATCH [x1,y1] [#x2,y2] "Y" (confirms deletion)
Deletes all hatches with hook points within the box or polygon defined by
x1,y1 and x2,y2.
DELLAYER "layername" " YES" (confirms deletion)
Deletes everything on the layer called "layername".
Macros 17-59
DELPAT [x,y] "YES" (confirms deletion) [#]
Deletes the object at position x,y.
SELECTNORMAL
Enters the Select function. See Select.
USEHANDLES 1/0
Switches off handles if you type USEHANDLES 0. USEHANDLES 1

switches them on again. See Select.
SELECT [x1,y1] [#]
Selects the entities nearest to the coordinate x1,y1. See Select. You can
select entities close to several coordinate positions:
SELECT [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [x3,y3] [#]
SELECTNODES
Enters the Select Nodes function. See Select Nodes.
SELECTPOLY [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [x3,y3]... [#]
Selects everything inside the polygon defined by the coordinates, subject

to the current selection filters. See Select by Polygon.
SETCROSSINGSEL 0/1
Set the selection mode for polygon selection. If set to 1, it is equivalent to

drawing from left to right and all entities crossing or enclosed in the
polygon will be selected. If set to 0, it is equivalent to drawing from right
to left and only entities fully enclosed in the polygon will be selected.
SELECTDEF
Calls up the selection defaults dialog box. See Selection Filters.
SELECTDEF Line arc text dims arrow data bitmaps polylines points inserts
Sets the selection filters. The arguments are self explanatory if you look
at the Selection Filters dialog box. Set them to 1 or 0 depending on
whether or not you want to turn each particular filter on or off. See
Selection Filters. There is also a matching inquiry function. See
ENQUIRE SELDEF

SELECTTEXTDEF font ht wid ang lorg linespc textmatch “match string”
Set them to 1 or 0 depending on whether you want to filter on text that

matches the current text defaults in this property. Style includes bold,
italic, underline, balloon and justification. If text match is set, then the
match string must occur somewhere in the piece of text (case
insensitive). See Selection Filters. There is also a matching inquiry
function. See ENQUIRE SELTEXTDEF.
SELECTPROPDEF current color current linetype current width current symbol

current fillcolor current layer hatchontcare hatchonly hatchcurrent
Set them to 1 or 0 depending on whether you want to filter on elementst

that matches the current defaults in this property. Fillcolor and symbol
only apply to polylines. The 3 hatch switches apply to all objects (hatch
and non-hatch) and enable you to select objects based on their hatch
properties. See also ENQUIRE SELPROPDEF.
CLEARFILTER
Ticks all the filters except current color, current line type and current
layer. See Selection Filters.
SELECTNAME "parent name"
Selects objects with the parent name "parent" and the object name
"name". See Selection Filters. You can use the DOS wildcards * and ? in
parent and name. For example, to SELECT ALL, type:
SELECTNAME "* *"
This function is case sensitive. Object names should always be written

in upper case.
SELECTHATCH [x1,y1] [#]
Selects the hatch perimeter nearest to the coordinate x1,y1. See

Selection Filters.
SELECTLAYER "layername"
Selects everything on the layer "layername". See Selection Filters.
This function is case sensitive. Layer names should always be written in

upper case.
Macros 17-61
SELECTNEW 0/1
Switches automatic selection of all new entities on and off. For example,
if you use SELECTNEW 1 in a macro, all further entities you draw will
be selected. A side effect of this command is that the entites are not
drawn when first created. The entities appear when you clear the
selection using clearsel.
CLEARSEL
Clears current selection set (deselects everything that is currently

selected. See Clear Selection.
MOVETOBACK
Moves all the selected elements to the back of the drawing (First in
redraw order). See Move to Back.
MOVETOBACK [x1,y1] [x2,y2]... [#]
Moves the elements at coordinates x1,y1, x2,y2 etc. to the back. See Move
to Back.
MOVETOFRONT
Moves all the selected elements to the front of the drawing (Last in
redraw order). See Move to Front.
MOVETOFRONT [x1,y1] [x2,y2]... [#]
Moves the elements at coordinates x1,y1, x2,y2 etc. to the front. See Move
to Front.

View Functions
ZOOM "W" [x1,y1] [x2,y2]
Zooms into the area defined by x1,y1 and x2,y2. See Zoom Window.
ZOOM "L"
Goes to the last zoom. See Zoom Last.
ZOOM "N"
Goes to the next zoom if you have used Zoom Last. See Zoom Next.
ZOOM "A"
Zooms onto all drawn entities. See Zoom All.
REDRAW
Zooms onto the full sheet of paper. See Zoom Paper.
ZOOM "S" scalefac [x,y]
Zooms the drawing at a certain scale (scalefac) around a given point, x,y.
This scale is relative to the drawing scale, not to the current zoom. See
Zoom Scaled.
ZOOM "E"
Zooms onto the selection set. See Zoom Selected.
ZOOM "V" n
Zooms onto View n where n is a number from 0 to 9. See Zoom View.
ZOOM "D" n [x1,y1] [x2,y2] " "
Defines zoom view n to be the box defined by x1,y1 and x2,y2, where n is
a number between 0 and 9. The trailing blank string parameter " " is to
stop defining zooms. See Define Zoom View.
TOOLBARPOPUP
Pops up a menu giving a list of the current toolbars, with the visible ones
checked. You can alter visible state of any toolbar by clicking on its name
Macros 17-63
in the popup menu. You can also activate the toolbar popup menu by
right clicking on any toolbar between the buttons and the frame.
MAGNIFY
Magnifies about the current cursor position. See Magnify. Use SETCUR
x y before calling magnify to ensure that magnification happens at the
right spot.
DEMAG
Demagnifies about the current cursor position. See Demagnify. Use

SETCUR x y before calling demag to ensure that demagnification
happens at the right spot.
PAN
Recentres the drawing about the current cursor position. See Pan. Use
SETCUR x y before calling pan so that the right spot is panned to.
LONGPAN [x,y]
Recentres the drawing about x,y. See Long Pan.
REFRESH
Refreshes the current screen with no scale change. See Redraw.

Draw Functions
LINE [x,y] [x2,y2] [x3,y3]... [#]
Draws a line from x,y to x2,y2 to x3,y3, etc.. See Line (Chained).
PTLINE [x,y] [x2,y2] [x3,y3] [x4,y4]... [#]
Draws a line from x,y to x2,y2 and another from x3,y3 to x4,y4, etc.. See
Lines (Pt to Pt).
POINT [x,y] [#]
Draws a point at x,y. See Point.
RECT [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [#]
Draws a rectangle between x1,y1 and x2,y2. See Rectangle.
ARC [xstart,ystart] [xpt,ypt] [xend,yend] [#]
Draws an arc by three points. See Arc 3 Point.
ARCR [xstart,ystart] [xend,yend] radius [#]
Draws an arc by its start and end points and its radius. If you want the
arc to be drawn between the start and end points in an anti-clockwise
direction, give a negative value for the radius. See Arc Radius.
CIR [xcentre,ycentre] [xrad,yrad] [#]
Draws a circle by its centre point and a point on its circumference. See
Circle.
CIRDIA [xcentre,ycentre] "dia1 dia2 dia3 dia4 dia5" [#]
Draws up to five concentric circles by diameter. Up to five diameters can

be enclosed in the double quotes. See Circle Diameter.
CIR2P [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [#]
Draws a circle between x1,y1 and x2,y2. The circle centre is exactly
between these points. See Circle 2 Point.
Macros 17-65
BENTLINE [x1,y1] [x2,y2] rad1 [x3,y3] rad2 [x4,y4].... [#]
Draws a line arc line sequence. See Line Arc Line. Rad1 is the radius of
the corner defined by the points x1,y1, x2,y2, x3,y3. Rad2 is the radius of
the corner defined by the points x2,y2, x3,y3, x4,y4.
To end the line arc line sequence with a line, you

must give the coordinates of the line end point
twice, separated by a radius of 0, as shown below:
BENTLINE [0,0] [100,0] 30 [100,100] 30

[0,100] 0 [0,100] [#]
To end the sequence with an arc, you must end the

sequence with a radius of 0:
BENTLINE [0,0] [100,0] 30 [100,100] 30 [0,100] 0 [#]
PARLLINE [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [x3,y3].... [#]
Draws "fresh" parallel lines from x1,y1 to x2,y2 to x3,y3 etc. using the
defaults set in Parallel Defaults in the Settings Menu. See Parallel Line.
PARLLINE [x1,y1] [x2,y2] rad1 [x3,y3] rad2 [x4,y4].... [#]
Draws a parallel line arc line sequence using the defaults set in Parallel
Defaults in the Settings Menu. x1,y1, rad1 etc. are the same as in
BENTLINE, above. See Parallel Line.
PARLLINE "A" [x,y] "Y"
Draws parallel lines around a perimeter using the defaults set in Parallel
Defaults in the Settings Menu. The perimeter is tracked using the Auto
method. X,y is a point inside the perimeter. See Parallel Line.
See also Perimeter Functions.
PARLL1 "Y" (spacing) spacing no_of_lines "Y/N" (autotrimming/ no

autotrimming) [x,y] (element to be copied) [#]
Draws lines or arcs parallel to, and a fixed distance from, an existing line
or arc. See 1 Parallel Element. If you want more than one parallel line,
leave out the autotrimming / no autotrimming option. X,y is a coordinate
identifying the element that must be parallel copied. Give a coordinate

just next to the element, on the side you want the parallel elements to
appear on. Examples:
PARLL1 "Y" 10 5 [0,1] [#]
Draws five elements parallel to the element identified by coordinate [0,1].

The elements are 10 units apart.
PARLL1 "Y" 10 1 "Y" [0,1] [#]
Draws one element parallel to the element identified by coordinate [0,1].

The original and parallel elements are 10 units apart.
PARLL1 "N" (through a point) no_of_lines "Y/N" (autotrimming/no

autotrimming) [xc,yc] (element to be copied) [xp,yp] (point through which
parallel element must pass) [#]
Draws lines or arcs parallel to an existing line or arc and through a fixed
point. See 1 Parallel Element. If you want more than one parallel line,
leave out the autotrimming/no autotrimming option. x,y is a coordinate
identifying the element that must be parallel copied. Give a coordinate
just next to the element, on the side you want the parallel elements to
appear on. Examples:
PARLL1 "N" 5 [0,1] [0,10] [#]
Draws five elements parallel to the element identified by coordinate [0,1].

The spacing is defined by the point [0,10].
PARLL1 "N" 1 "Y" [0,1] [0,10] [#]
Draws one element parallel to the element identified by coordinate [0,1].

The parallel element is drawn through the point [0,10].
FILLGEOM [x,y] (geometry intersect) [x1,y1] (next geometry intersect) [x2,y2]

(next geometry intersect) [#]
Traces over the geometry elements between the specified intersection

points to form solid elements. See Fill Geom.
FILLGCIR [x,y] (point on circle) [#]
Copies the geometry circle at the coordinate location x,y to a solid circle.
See Fill Geom Cir.
FILLGARC [x1,y1] (arcpt) [x2,y2] (2nd arcpt) [x3,y3] (arcpt) [#]
Copies a portion of a geometry circle to a solid arc. See Fill Geom Arc.
X1,y1 and x3,y3 are the coordinates of the ends of the arc. X2,y2 is a
point on the arc.
Macros 17-67
ELL [xc,yc] majora aspectr angle [#]
Enters an ellipse with its centre at xc,yc. See Ellipse.
ELLBIT [xc,yc] majora aspectr angle [xcut1,ycut1] [xcut2,ycut2] [#]
Enters part of an ellipse. Majora, aspectr and angle define the major axis,
aspect ratio and angle of the complete ellipse. The part ellipse is drawn
between the coordinates xcut1,ycut1 and xcut2,ycut2 on the complete
ellipse's boundary. It is drawn between the coordinates in an anti-
clockwise direction. See Part Ellipse.
SPLINE [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [x3,y3].... [#]
Draws a circular spline through the coordinates x1,y1, x2,y2 etc. See
Circular Spline.
CURVE n [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [x3,y3].... [#]
Draws a cubic spline through the coordinates x1,y1, x2,y2 etc. Each
spline segment is made up of n line segments. See Cubic Spline.
PLINE [x,y] [x2,y2] [x3,y3].... [#]
Draws a polyline or Bezier curve from x,y to x2,y2 to x3,y3, etc.. See
Polyline.
PVERTEX [x,y] [x2,y2] [x3,y3].... [#]
Adds vertices to an existing polyline or Bezier curve. This function will

only work if the polyline or Bezier curve was the last entity added to the
current object.
ADDSYM "symname" [x,y] scale rot
Adds the symbol called "symname" from the currently loaded symbol file
(use NEWSYMFL in the File Menu to load a symbol file). Symbol names
are case sensitive. The symbol appears at position x,y and with the scale
and rotation given. This function is not exactly the same as the
interactive one used by the Symbol function, as it does not rotate the
symbol onto lines, allows only one global scale for the whole symbol and
does not automatically snip around the symbol.
SYMBOL
Brings up the symbol function on the Control Bar. See Symbol.

FREEHAND d [x,y] (startpos) [#]
Starts "freehand" drawing. D contains the minimum distance between

drawn points. See Sketch.
Macros 17-69
Modify Functions
STRETCH "Y/N" (everything/selected only) [x1,y1] [#x2,y2] [xfrom,yfrom]

[xto,yto]
Stretches items within the box defined by x1,y1 and x2,y2. Note the #
sign that must be placed before the second box coordinates. The contents
of the box are stretched from coordinate xfrom,yfrom to coordinate
xto,yto. See Stretch.
MOVE [x,y] [x1,y1]
Moves the selection set from x,y to x1,y1. See Move.
MIRROR [xmirror,ymirror] "Y/N" (vertical/horizontal) "Y/N" (keep old half/discard

old half)
Mirrors the selection set about a horizontal or vertical axis. See Mirror.
MIRROR [x1,y1] (1stpoint on axis) "A" (arbitrary axis) [x2,y2] (2nd point on axis)
"Y/N" (keep old half/discard old half)
Mirrors the selection set about an arbitrary axis. X1,y1 and x2,y2 define
the axis. See Mirror.
SCALE [x0,y0] "N" (cursor) xscale yscale
Scales the selection set about coordinate x0,y0, by the numeric scale
factors xscale and y scale. See Scale.
SCALE [x0,y0] Y(cursor) [x1,y1] [x2,y2]
Scales the selection set about coordinate x0,y0. The coordinate x1,y1 is
scaled to position x2,y2. See Scale.
REPEAT n "Y" (rectangular) [x0,y0] [xr,yr]
Repeats the selection set n times in a rectangular fashion. X0,y0 is the

point on the original set and xr,yr is the point on the repeated set. See
Repeat.
REPEAT n "N" (polar) [x0,y0] angstep
Repeats the selection set n times in a polar (circular) fashion. [x0,y0] is

the point about which to rotate and angstep is the rotation angle. See
Repeat.

DROP [x0,y0] [xd1,yd1] [xd2,yd2]... [#]
Copies the selection set multiple times. X0,y0 is a point on the selection
set. Xd1,yd1, xd2,yd2 etc. are the positions to which it is copied. See
Drop.
ROTATE [xc,yc] "Y" (keyboard) angle [#]
Rotates the selection set about xc,yc by an angle given from the
keyboard. See Rotate.
ROTATE [xc,yc] "N" (cursor) [x0,y0] [xr,yr] [#]
Rotates the selection set about xc,yc. Point x0,y0 is rotated to point xr,yr.
See Rotate.
TRIM 2/1/0 (update both/first/neither original elements) "Y/N" (use 2 points/1

point) [xline1,yline1] [xline2,yline2] [#]
Trims elements. Xline1,yline1 and xline2,yline2 identify the elements to

trim. If you type "N" to use 1 point, you only need to give xline1,yline1.
You must identify xline1,yline1 and xline2, yline2 with care. For example,
if you are trimming two lines at a corner you should select a coordinate
position on the inside of the corner to be trimmed. See Trim.
FILLET 2/1/0 (update both/first/neither original elements) "Y/N" (use 2 points/1

point) r (fillet radius) [xline1,yline1] [xline2,yline2] [#]
Fillets or trims elements. Xline1,yline1 and xline2, yline2 identify the

element or elements to be filleted or trimmed. If you choose "N" to use 1
point, you only need to give xline1,yline1. If you give a fillet radius of 0,
the elements will be trimmed rather than filleted.
You must identify xline1,yline1 and xline2, yline2 with care. For example,
if you are filleting a corner you should select coordinate positions that
are not on the elements, but just next to them, on the inside of the corner
to be filleted. See Fillet.
CHAMFER "A" (by angle) [xline1,yline1] [xline2,yline2] dist angle [#]
Chamfers two lines by distance and angle. Xline1,yline1 and xline2,yline2

identify the two lines to be chamfered. See Chamfer.
CHAMFER "D" (by distance) [xline1,yline1] [xline2,yline2] dist1 dist2 [#]
Chamfers two lines by two distances. Xline1,yline1 and xline2,yline2

identify the two lines to be chamfered. See Chamfer.
Macros 17-71
DIVIDE [xselect,yselect] [xcut,ycut] [#]
Divides or extends the element nearest xselect,yselect. Divide the

element at, or extend the element to, xcut,ycut. See Divide/Extend.
JOINLINE [x1,y1] (first line) [x2,y2] (second line) [#]
Joins the line closest to coordinate x1,y1 to the line closest to coordinate
x2,y2. See Join Lines.
SNIP "Y/N" (box/circle) "Y/N" (snip inside/outside) "Y/N" (enter box or

circle/don’t enter box or circle) [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [#]
Snips everything inside or outside a box or circle. If you are snipping

everything inside or outside a box, x1,y1 and x2,y2 define the box. If you
are snipping inside or outside a circle, x1,y1 is the centre point of the
circle and x2,y2 is a point on its circumference. See Snip.
WSNEWLAY "D"
Moves the selection set to layer "D". See Move Selected->New Layer.
PATNWLAY "layer" [x,y] "Y" (confirmation) [#]
Moves the object at x,y to the layer "layer".
COPYTOLAYER "layer"
Copies the selection set to a layer called "layer". See Copy Selected->New
Layer.
EL2ARC [x1,y1] [#x2,y2] [#]
Converts all ellipses within the box defined by x1,y1 and x2,y2 to 12 arcs.
Note the # sign required before the final set of coordinates. See
Ellipse2Arcs.

Geometry Functions
GCROSS [x1,y1] [x2,y2].... [#]
Draws geometry crosses at positions x1,y1 x2,y2 etc. See Cross.
GLINESLP [x,y] (point on geometry line) a [#]
Draws a geometry line through the point x,y, at an angle of a degrees.

See Slope Line.
GLINEPP [x1,y1] (1stpt) [x2,y2] (2ndpt) [#]
Draws a geometry line through the points x1,y1 and x2,y2. See Point-
Point Line.
GLINEPRL "Y" (by distance) [x0,y0] (orig_line) var1 [#]
Draws a geometry line parallel to the existing line closest to the

coordinate [x0,y0]. Var1 is the distance between the existing line and the
parallel line. See Parallel Line.
GLINEPRL "N" (through point) [x0,y0] (orig_line) [xp,yp] (parallel line) [#]
Draws a geometry line parallel to the existing line closest to the

coordinate x0,y0. The parallel line passes through the point xp,yp. See
Parallel Line.
GCIR [x0,y0] (circle centre pt) [xd,yd] (point on diameter) [#]
Draws a geometry circle by centre point and point on circumference. See

Circle.
GCIRDIA [xcentre,ycentre] "dia1 dia2 dia3 dia4 dia5" [#]
Draws up to five concentric geometry circles by diameter. Up to five

diameters can be enclosed in the double quotes. See Circle Diameter.
GCTANLL dia [x1,y1] (1st_line) [x2,y2] (2nd_line) [#]
Draws a geometry circle with the diameter dia, which is tangent to the
two geometry lines identified by x1,y1 and x2,y2. See Circle Tan LL.
Macros 17-73
GCTANLC dia [xl,yl] (line) [xc,yc] (circle) [#]
geometry line identified by xl,yl and the geometry circle identified by
xc,yc. See Circle Tan LC.
GCTANCC dia [x1,y1] (1st_circle) [x2,y2] (2nd_circle) [#]
geometry circle identified by xl,yl and the geometry circle identified by
x2,y2. See Circle Tan CC.
GCTAN3L [x1,y1](1st_line) [x2,y2](2nd_line) [x3,y3](3rd_line) [#]
Draws a geometry circle tangent to the three lines identified by x1,y1,

x2,y2 and x3,y3. See Circle Tan 3L.
GCTANCPT [x,y] (geometry_circle) rad [xt,yt] (on_circle) [#]
Draws a geometry circle with the radius rad whose circumference passes
through the point xt,yt. The circle is tangent to the geometry circle
identified by x,y. See Circle Tan CPtRad.
GCTANLP [x,y] (geometry_line) rad [xt,yt] (point on circle) [#]
Draws a geometry circle with the radius rad whose circumference passes
through the point xt,yt. The circle is tangent to the geometry line
identified by x,y. See Circle Tan LPtRad.
GC3POINT [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [x3,y3] [#]
Draws a geometry circle through three points. See Circle 3 Point.
GLNTANC [x,y] (circle) "Y" (fixed angle) a [#]
Draws a geometry line tangent to the geometry circle identified by x,y.

The line is at an angle of a, in degrees. See Line Tan C.
GLNTANC [x,y] (circle) "N" (through point) [xl,yl] [#]
Draws a geometry line tangent to the geometry circle closest to x,y. The
line passes through the point xl,yl. See Line Tan C.
GLNTANCC [x1,y1] (1st_circle) [x2,y2] (2nd_circle) "Y/N" (tangent does /does

not cross line joining circle centres) [#]
Draws a geometry line tangent to the two circles identified by x1,y1 and
x2,y2. See Line Tan CC.

GLNPERPB "Y" (perp bisector) [x1,y1] (1stpt) [x2,y2] (2ndpt) [#]
Draws a geometry line that is a perpendicular bisector of the points x1,y1

and x2,y2. See Perp Bisector.
GLNPERPB "N" (perp to line) [xl,yl] (line) [xp,yp] (point) [#]
Draws a geometry line that is a perpendicular bisector of the line

identified by xl,yl and that passes through the point xp,yp. See Perp
Bisector.
MAKEGEOM [x1,y1] (el to be copied) [x2,y2] (el to be copied)... [#]
Copies the solid elements closest to x1,y1, x2,y2 etc. to geometry. See
Make Geometry.
TOGGEOM
Switches geometry on and off. See Switch Geometry On/Off.
DELGEOEL [x,y] "Y" [#]
Deletes the geometry element closest to x,y. See Delete Geometry El.
DELGEOM "YES"
Deletes all the geometry on your drawing. See Delete All Geometry.
Macros 17-75
Annotate Functions
TEXT [x,y] "text you want to enter" [#]
Writes text at the position x,y. See Add Text.
EDTEXT "E" "newtext"
Edits selected text so that it reads "newtext". See Edit Text. If you have
selected more than one piece of text, these will be updated in the order
you entered them. For example:
EDTEXT "E" "first" "second" "third"
EDTEXT "M" [xfrom,yfrom] [xto,yto]
Moves selected text from xfrom,yfrom to xto,yto. See Move Text.
EDTEXT "S" s
Scale selected text by a factor of s. See Scale Text.
EDTEXT "C"
Brings up the Set Text Defaults dialog box. See Change Text Parameters.
SETALIGN 0/1 (align to each other/to grid) 0/1 (vertical align off/on) 0/1 (vertical
distribute off/on) 0/1/2 (vertical top/centre/bottom) 0/1 (horizontal align off/on)
0/1 (horizontal distribute off/on) 0/1/2 (horizontal left/centre/right).
Sets alignment. See Set Alignment.
ALIGN
Aligns the selection set according to the way that the Align dialog box
has been set up. See Align.
HDIM "R/C" (Running/Chained) [xtext,ytext] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [x3,y3] ! [x4,y4] !...

[#]
Enters a running or chained horizontal dimension from x1,y1 to x2,y2 to

x3,y3 etc. xtext,ytext is the text position. Note the !, which simulates
[Enter] being pressed to accept the dimension text. See Horizontal
Dimension.

HDIM "F" (Free) [xtext,ytext] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [#]
Enters a free horizontal dimension. See Horizontal Dimension. To enter

several free dimensions at once you can use the following:
HDIM "F" (Free) [xtext1,ytext1] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] !
[xtext2,ytext2] [x3,y3] [x4,y4] !... [#]
HDIM [xtext,ytext] [xlead,ylead] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [x3,y3] ! [x4,y4] ! [#]
Enters horizontal dimensions when you are using Architectural Style in

Set Dim Defaults. See Horizontal Dimension. Xlead,ylead is the point the
leader lines should extend to.
VDIM
Enters vertical dimensions. Exactly the same as HDIM.
SDIM "N" (angle from points) [x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [xtext,ytext] [#]
Enters slope dimensions when the slope of the dimension is taken from
the points being dimensioned. See Slope Dimension. To enter several
slope dimensions at once you can use the following:
SDIM "N" (angle from points) [x1,y1] [x2,y2] !
[xtext1,ytext1] [x3,y3] [x4,y4] ! [xtext2,ytext2]... [#]
SDIM "Y" (fixed angle) ang "R/C" (Running/Chained) [xtext,ytext] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] !
[x3,y3] ! [x4,y4] !... [#]
Enters a running or chained sloped dimension at a fixed angle, where

ang is the angle. See Slope Dimension.
SDIM "Y" (fixed angle) ang "F" (Free) [xtext,ytext] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [#]
Enters a free sloped dimension at a fixed angle, where ang is the angle.
See Slope Dimension. To enter several free dimensions at once you can
use the following:
SDIM "Y" (fixed angle) ang "F" (Free) [xtext1,ytext1]
[x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [xtext2,ytext2] [x3,y3] [x4,y4] !... [#]
SDIM "Y" (fixed angle) ang [xtext,ytext] [xlead] [ylead] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [x3,y3] !
[x4,y4] !... [#]
Enters sloped dimensions when you are using Architectural Style in Set
Dim Defaults. xlead,ylead is the point the leader lines extend to.
Macros 17-77
SDIM "Y" (fixed angle) ang "Y/N" (witness lines at +60/+120 degrees) "R/C"
(Running/Chained) [xtext,ytext] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [x3,y3] ! [x4,y4] !... [#]
Enters a running or chained isometric dimension. Ang is the angle of the

dimension line. This will only work if you have entered Isometric Mode
in Drawing Settings in the Settings Menu. See Slope Dimension.
SDIM "Y" (fixed angle) ang "Y/N" (witness lines at +60/+120 degrees) "F" (Free)
[xtext,ytext] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] ! [#]
Enters a free isometric dimension at a fixed angle, where ang is the angle
of the dimension line. See Slope Dimension. To enter several free
dimensions at once you can use the following:
SDIM "Y" (fixed angle) ang "Y/N" (witness lines at +60/+120
degrees) "F" (Free) [xtext1,ytext1] [x1,y1] [x2,y2] !
[xtext2,ytext2] [x3,y3] [x4,y4] !... [#]
ADIM "Y" "Y" [xL1,yL1] [xL2,yL2] [xstart,ystart] [xend,yend] ! ! ! [#]
Enters an angular dimension. "Y" for dimensioning an angle, "Y" for

dimensioning two existing lines, coordinate point on the first line,
coordinate point on the second line, witness line start, witness line end, !
to accept the text of the dimension, ! to accept the arc radius, ! to accept
the text position. See Angular Dimension.
ADIM "Y" "N" [xc,yc] [xstart,ystart] [xend,yend] ! ! ! [#]
Enters an angular dimension. "Y" for dimensioning an angle, "N" for

dimensioning three points, coordinate point of the centre point, first
angular point (witness line start), second angular point (text radius), ! to
accept the text of the dimension, ! to accept the arc radius, ! to accept the
text position. See Angular Dimension.
ADIM "N" "Y" [xa,ya] ! ! ! [#]
Dimensions an arclength. "N" for dimensioning an arclength, "Y" for

dimensioning an existing arc, coordinate point on the arc, ! to accept the
text of the dimension, ! to accept the arc radius, ! to accept the text
position. This will position the dimension exactly on the arc. To move it
away, use the following:
ADIM "N" "Y" [xa,ya] ! "N" [xn,yn] ! [#]
"N" means not satisfied with the arc radius, and xn,yn is the new arc
radius position. See Angular Dimension.

ADIM "N" "Y" [xc,yc] [xstart,ystart] [xend,yend] ! ! ! [#]
Dimensions an arclength. "N" for dimensioning an arclength "N" for

dimensioning three points, coordinate point of the centre point, first
point (arc radius), second point (text radius), ! to accept the text of the
dimension, ! to accept the arc radius, ! to accept the text position. See
Angular Dimension.
RDIM [xa,ya] ! "Y" (text on dim arrow) [#]
Enters a radial dimension. Xa,ya identifies the arc or circle. See Radial
Dimension.
RDIM [xa,ya] ! "N" (text not on arrow) [xt,yt] [#]
Enters a radial dimension. Xa,ya identifies the arc or circle. Xt,yt is the
text position. See Radial Dimension.
ODIM "Y/N" (Horizontal/Vertical) [x1,y1] (base point) [x2,y2] (text position)

[x3,y3] ! [x4,y4] !... [#]
Enters an ordinate dimension where x1,y1 is the base point, x2,y2 is the
text position and x3,y3 x4,y4 etc. are the points being dimensioned. See
Ordinate Dimension.
SURVEYDM [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [x3,y3].... [#]
Enters survey dimensions between points x1,y1, x2,y2 etc.. See Survey
Dimension.
EDDIM [x,y] "T" "newtext" [#]
Edits the dimension text at position x,y so that it reads "newtext". See
Edit Dimension Properties.
EDDIM [x,y] "A" [xa,ya] [#]
Edits the dimension arrow at position xa,ya. The arrow belongs to the
dimension whose text is at position x,y. See Edit Dimension Properties.
EDDIM [x,y] "P" newpen [#]
Edits the witness line color of the dimension whose text is at position x,y.
Pens are numbered from 1 to 255. See Edit Dimension Properties.
Macros 17-79
CUTDIMLN [x,y] (selectdim) [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [#]
Cuts the dimension line of the dimension whose text is at position x,y,
within the box defined by the coordinates x1,y1 and x2,y2. See Cut
Dimension Line.
DIMALTER "N" (text) "text" "newtext" "A/L/P" (Area/Line/Point) "Y/N" (lower

left/upper right fixed) "Y" [#]
Searches for the dimension text "text" and changes it to "newtext". The
dimensioned object is stretched to fit "newtext". The extra "Y" at the end
is required for the function to end properly. See Alter Dimension.
DIMALTER "Y" (cursor) [x,y] "newtext" "A/L/P" (Area/Line/Point) "Y/N" (lower

left/upper right fixed) "Y" [#]
Searches for the dimension text at the coordinate position x,y and
changes it to "newtext". The dimensioned object is stretched to fit
"newtext". The extra "Y" at the end is required for the function to end
properly. See Alter Dimension.
ARROW [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [#x2,y2] [#]
Draws an arrow from x1,y1 (the tail) to x2,y2 (the head). Note that you
have to give the coordinate of the arrow head twice, and that a # is
required before the the last coordinate. See Add Arrow. To create an
arrow with several segments, use the following:
ARROW [x1,y1], [x2,y2], [x3,y3]... [xn,yn] [#xn,yn] [#]
BALLOON [xcentre,ycentre] "text1" "text2" [#xarrow,yarrow] [#]
Draws a balloon with its centre at xcentre,ycentre. See Add Balloon.

If you have specified two pieces of text in Set Balloon Defaults in
Settings, but only want one piece, type ! instead of "text2".
If you have not specified two pieces of text in Set Balloon Defaults, leave
out "text2" altogether.
If you have not specified arrows in in Set Balloon Defaults, you can leave
out [#xarrow,yarrow].
ADDRBALN [x,y] [#]
Adds or removes a balloon to or from the text at position x,y. See

Add/Rem Text Bubble.

HATCH
Brings up the Hatch/Solid Fill dialog box. See Enter Hatch/Solid Fill.
STARTHAT hatch_pat_name index
Starts a hatch perimeter with a given index. All lines and arcs
subsequently entered will be part of this perimeter until you start a new
object, e.g. using the STARTOBJ command. For example:
STARTHAT testhatch 1
LINE [-50,-50] [50,-50] [50,50] [-50,50] [-50,-50] [#]
CIR [0,0] [20,0] [#]
STARTOBJ newobject
PLOTHAT
STARTHAT starts a hatch perimeter called testhatch, which will be

filled by hatch pattern 1. The hatch perimeter, comprising a line and a
circle, is drawn. STARTOBJ stops the hatch perimeter by starting a new
object. PLOTHAT draws the hatch on the screen.
You can also use functions such as AUTOPERIM to determine the
perimeter in place of functions such as LINE and CIR given in the
example above. See Perimeter Functions.
Macros 17-81
STARTHATCHEX "Object_Name" HatchIndex bOverRide HatchPen HatchScale
HatchIndex is a number from 1 to MaxHatches, the hatch index

bOverRide is set to 1 to override the hatch pen set in the
HATCH.PAT file
HatchPen is the pen number (from 1 to 256) used for the hatch color
if bOverRide is set to 1.
HatchScale is the scale of this current hatch.
Note that the index has the hexadecimal number 0x0F000000L

(=251658240 decimal) added to it to denote a hatch index (as opposed to
a solid fill color), and the number 0x00010000L (=65536 decimal) added
to it to tell the hatching to take the color from the HATCH.PAT file.
All lines and arcs subsequently entered will be part of this perimeter
until you start a new object, e.g. using the STARTOBJ command. For
example:
STARTHATCHEX “testhatch” 23 1 7 1.0
LINE [-50,-50] [50,-50] [50,50] [-50,50] [-50,-50] [#]
CIR [0,0] [20,0] [#]
STARTOBJ “newobject”
PLOTHAT
STARTHATCHEX starts a hatch perimeter called testhatch, which will

be filled by hatch pattern 23, the hatch pen will be overridden with pen 7,
and the hatch scale will be 7. The hatch perimeter, comprising a line and
a circle, is drawn. STARTPAT stops the hatch perimeter by starting a
new object. PLOTHAT draws the hatch on the screen.
You can also use functions such as AUTOPERIM to determine the
perimeter in place of functions such as LINE and CIR given in the
example above. See Perimeter Functions.
STARTSOLID hatch_pat_name Red Green Blue
This is exactly the same as STARTHAT, except it starts a perimeter for a

solid fill. Red Green and Blue can vary from 0 to 255. For example, to
create a black solid fill, give "0 0 0". For white, give "255 255 255". For red,
give "255 0 0", etc. See Perimeter Functions.
ADDHATCH [x,y] (select hatch to add to)
Selects the hatch to be altered at position x,y and enters the Hatch/Solid
Fill dialog box. See Alter Existing Hatch.

PLOTHAT
Shows all the hatching on the screen. See Draw All Hatch.
PLOTWHAT
Shows selected hatching on the screen. See Draw Selected Hatch.
HATCHTOL [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [x3,y3] [#x4,y4]
Converts the hatches within the polygon defined by x1,y1, x2,y2, x3,y3
etc. to lines. See Hatch->Lines.
PICKHATX [x,y]
Copies the hatch index from an existing hatch or solid fill perimeter. x,y
is a point on the perimeter of the hatch or solid fill whose hatch pattern
you want to use.
LABCOORD "Y/N" (table/label points) [xtable,ytable] ! (accept format) 0 (field to

increment) [x1,y1] !(accept pt) [x2,y2] !..... [#]
If you type "Y" for a coordinate table, the coordinates of points x1,y1,
x2,y2 etc. will be written into a table at position xtable,ytable. If you type
"N" to label points, the coordinates of points x1,y1, x2,y2 etc. will be
written next to the points. If you type "N" to label points, do not include
xtable,ytable. Coordinates will be displayed in the order
Northing,Easting or Easting,Northing, depending on how you have set
up Drawing Settings in the Settings Menu. See Label Coord.
Macros 17-83
Tools Functions
LOCKANG "L"
Sets the lock angle that the cursor will be locked to: "L" (Line), "J" (Jump
and Lock Line), "G" (Geometry Line) or "K" (Keyboard). See Lock Cursor.
YPERP
Toggles the lock angle by 90°. See Perpendicular.
ISO120
Toggles the lock angle between the angles used in isometric drawing.
See 120 deg.
CURSORHOLD
Toggles locking the cursor to the lock angle and unlocking it. See Hold.
LOCKANG "U"
Unlocks the cursor and cancels the lock angle. See Unlock.
JUMPALL
Jumps to the nearest point inside the Grab All cursor. See Jump to Grab
All Cursor.
JUMPGEOM
Jumps to the nearest geometry intersection. See Geom Intersection.
JUMPGD
Jumps to the nearest grid point. See Jump Grid.
JUMPINT
Jumps to the nearest intersection. See Jump Any Intersection.
JUMPPT
Jumps to the nearest point of any type. See Jump Point.
JUMPCEN
Jumps to the nearest circle or arc centre. See Jump Circle Centre.

JUMPNEAR
Jumps to the nearest element. See Jump Near Element.
JUMPFIXED
Jumps to the last fixed point. See Last Fixed.
JUMPRATIO ratio "Y/N" [x1,y1] [x2,y2]
If you type "Y" and leave out x1,y1 and x2,y2, the cursor will jump to a
fixed ratio along the nearest line. If you type "N", the cursor will jump to
a fixed ratio between the points x1,y1 and x2,y2. See Mid Point Jump and
Ratio Jump.
CURTOCOORDENTER [x,y]
Jumps to coordinate position x,y and automatically snaps to it. See Move
to Coordinates. X and y are in the order Northing,Easting or
Easting,Northing, depending on what you have specified in Drawing
Settings.
CURTOCOORD [x,y]
Jumps to coordinate position x,y. X and y are in the order

Northing,Easting or Easting,Northing, depending on what you have
specified in Drawing Settings.
POLARENTER distance angle
Jumps the specified distance and angle and automatically snaps to it. See
Polar Move. The way the angle is measured depends on how you have set
it up in Drawing Settings.
POLAR distance angle
Jumps the specified distance and angle. The way the angle is measured
depends on how you have set it up in Drawing Settings.
HOME
Jumps to the screen centre.
SHOWNODE
Displays all the nodes on your drawing. See Show Nodes.
Macros 17-85
DUMPDATA "layers" "object names" "Y/N" (all elements/header only) "filename"
Dumps data about the drawing into the ASCII file "filename". To dump
data for all layers, type "*" for layers. To dump data about all objects type
"* *". See Dump Data.
DUMPDATA "BUILDING" "EXTWALLS *" Y "datafile"
In this example, data about all the objects with the parent name
"EXTWALLS" and on the layer "BUILDING" are written to the file
"datafile".
GRIDDEF
Brings up the Grid Settings dialog box. See Grid.
GRID xspacing yspacing density pen on/off
Sets up a grid. Xspacing and yspacing are the x and y grid spacings;
density is the grid display density; pen is the color; and on/off is 1 if the
grid is to be displayed and 0 if it is not. The pen is a number between 1
and 255. See Grid.
QUERYDIST [x1,x2] [y1,y2]
Brings up an information box showing the distance and angle between

points x1,y1 and x2,y2. See Measure.
QRYAREA "A" (Autoperimeter) [x,y] (point inside perimeter) "Y" (satisfied with
perimeter) AVAR PVAR ! (skip pause) [#]
Queries an area inside a perimeter. Here AVAR and PVAR are the
variables into which the area and the perimeter are placed. See Polygon
Area and Perimeter Functions.
DATA [x,y] "data string" "Y/N" (visible/not visible) [#]
Enters a data item at x,y, with the text "data string". See Add Data Item.
EDITDATA [x,y] "newdata" "Y/N" (visible/not visible) [#]
Edits the data item nearest to x,y. See Edit Data Item.
QUERYEL [x,y] A$ B$ C$ [#]
Places three lines of information about the element nearest to x,y into
A$, B$ and C$. See Query Entity. For example, when you query a line,
the following information is placed into A$, B$ and C$:

A$: Line: 'A P98' Layer: 'A' (0)
B$: Length=100 Angle=180.00 Linetype= 1 Pen= 1 Width= 0.00
C$: Line coords: 50.000 0.000 -50.000 0.000
BOM "Template.BTM" "Bomfile.BOM" 0/1/2 (delimiter) 0/1 (field names) !

(dismiss confirming dialog with !)
Extracts a bill of materials. Template.BTM is the bill of materials

template file. Bomfile.BOM is the filename that the bill of materials must
be saved under. The delimiter determines how the BOM file will be
delimited: 0 for comma, 1 for tab and 2 for columns.
The Field Names parameter is set to 1 if you want AllyCAD to place field
names on the first line of the BOM file and is set to 0 otherwise. The ! at
the end dismisses the confirming dialog box.. See Bill of Materials.
TIDYPOLY "A" (addnode) r (node_radius) [x1,y1] (node position) [#] " "
Adds a node with the radius r at position x1,y1. The trailing blank
enclosed in double quotes at the end is necessary to end the function
properly. See Tidy Polygons.
TIDYPOLY "T" (tidy boundaries) t (tolerance) [xn,yn] (start node) [xl,yl] (first line
segment) "S/K" (satisfied/keep old) [#] " "
Tidies the boundary beginning at node xn,yn, using a tolerance of t. The

point xl,yl is a coordinate on the first line segment of the boundary. See
Tidy Polygons.
TIDYPOLY "D" (drawingsnaptidy) t (snap tolerance) l (minimum line length)

"Y/N" (remove overlapping lines) [x1,y1] [#x2,y2] [#] " "
Tidies the area of the drawing enclosed within the polygon defined by
x1,y1, x2,y2. See Tidy Polygons.
TIDYPOLY "C" (drawingcliptidy) t (clip tolerance) [x1,y1] [#x2,y2] [#] " "
Tidies the area of the drawing enclosed within the polygon defined by
x1,y1, x2,y2. See Tidy Polygons.
EXPAND "N" (circle) "Y/N" (enter circle/do not enter circle) [xcent,ycent]
[xrad,yrad] magfactor [xexpand,yexpand] "Y/N" (arrow joining circles/no arrow)
"detail" (new layer) !
Produces a detailed view with a magnification of magfactor, on a layer

called "detail" and within a circle. Xcent,ycent is the position of the
circle's centre and xrad,yrad is a position on its circumference. Xexpand,
yxpand is the position of the centre of the detailed view. See Expand.
Macros 17-87
EXPAND "Y" (box) "Y/N" (enter box/do not enter box) [x1,y1] [x2,y2] magfactor
[xexpand,yexpand] "detail" (new layer) !
Produces a detailed view with a magnification of magfactor, on a layer

called "detail" and within a box. The box is defined by x1,y1 and x2,y2.
See Expand.

Objects Functions
Object and parent names should always be in upper case.
BEGINGROUP "objname"
Starts a new object with the name "objname". Elements within the object
are grouped so you can select the entire object at once by clicking on it.
See Begin New Object.
STARTPAT "objname"
Starts a new object with the name "objname", but elements within the
object are not grouped.
LINKSEL "objname"
Groups the selection set into an object called "objname". Elements within
the object are grouped so you can select the entire object at once by
clicking on it. See Group Into Object.
LINK "Y" (box) "E/L/F" (everything / lines and arcs only / annotations only) l p w
[x1,y1] [x2,y2]... [#x3,y3]
Moves the elements within the polygon defined by x1,y1, x2,y2 etc. into
the current object. You can move everything, lines and arcs only, or
annotations only. You can further filter what is added to the current
object by line type (l), pen (p) and width (w). To select everything, give
values of 0 0 0. Line types are measured downwards from 1 in the Line
Type Display. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255.
LINK "N" (single) [xselect,yselect] [#]
Moves the single element at xselect,yselect into the current object.
MAKESYM "objname" [xhook,yhook] [x1snip,y1snip] [x2snip,y2snip] [x3,y3]

(enclosing box) [#x4,y4] (enclosing box) " " (no attributes) " " (stop making
symbols)
Groups the elements within the box defined by x3,y3 and x4,y4 into an
object called "objname". Elements within the object are grouped so you
can select the entire object at once by clicking on it. See Make Symbol.
The object's hookpoint is at position xhook, yhook. Its snip box is defined
by x1snip,y1snip and x2snip,y2snip. You can also add attributes to
objects. In the example below, two attributes have been added:
"material", which has a default value of "pvc" and which is located at
Macros 17-89
position [50,0]; and "weight", which has a default value of "100kg" and
which is located at position [50,50]:
MAKESYM "objname" [0,0] [0,0] [50,50] [-10,-10] [#60,60] "material"
"pvc" [50,0] "weight" "100kg" [50,50] " " " "
EXPLODE
Explodes selected objects. See Explode Object.
ALLPATS "layer" "parent object"
Shows objects with the name "parent object" and on the layer "layer", one
at a time. You can use wildcards, e.g. ALLPATS "*" "* *" to show all
objects on all layers. See Show Objects.
LISTPAT "Y/N" (all layers/visible layers) "Y/N" (include/don't include areas and
perimeterss) "fileneme" !(pause)
Lists the objects in a drawing in an ASCII file. See List Objects.
RENAMPAT ! [x,y] "newparent newobject" [#]
Renames the object nearest to x,y with the new name. See Change Name.
RENAMPAT "oldparent oldobject" "newparent newobject" [#]
Renames objects with the name "oldparent oldobject" with the new
name. See Change Name. You can use wildcards for "oldparent
oldobject", e.g. "* *".
PARENT "new parent name"
Sets a new default parent name. See Parent.
CHPTHOOK [x,y] [xnewhook, ynewhook] [#]
Moves the hook point of the object at x,y to the position

xnewhook,ynewhook. See Change Hook Point.
RENEW "Y/N" (sure you want to update) [x,y]
Updates all objects with the same name as the current object. X,y is the
hook point of the current object. See Update Objects.
NEWCURP ! [x,y]
Selects the object at position x,y as the current object. See Select Current
Object.

NEWCURP "parent object"
Selects the object with the name "parent object" as the current object.
See Select Current Object.
BLNKCURP
Highlights the current object. See Blink Current Object.
BLOCK “Blockname” [xhook,yhook]
Moves all selected items into a block with the given name, and the given
hook point.
INSERT “Blockname” [xinsert,yinsert] xscale yscale rotation_angle [#]
Inserts the given block at the insertion point and gives it the required
scale and rotation.
INSERTINT
Does interactive block insertion with dynamic dragging for positioning,

scaling and rotation.
INSERTINT “Blockname” [xinsert,yinsert]
Does interactive block insertion with dynamic dragging for scaling and
rotation.
Macros 17-91
Settings Functions
SETPROMPT “prompt”
Useful to set your own message in the prompt area.
SETHELP “one line help at bottom of screen”
Sets your own message in the one line help/status area.
SETWAITCURSOR 0/1
This function switches the hourglass cursor off and on. Useful if you are
doing a long calculation
GEOMLINEPEN linetype pen
This function sets the geometry linetype and pen.
SETASKLOGON 0/1
If set to 1, AllyCAD asks for a user name on startup. See Multiple Users in
the User Guide.
SETWRITELOG 0/1
If set to 1, AllyCAD writes a log file of everything you do. See CAD.INI.
DRAWDEF
Brings up the drawing settings dialog box. See Drawing Settings.
SETPORTRAIT 0/1
Sets paper orientation to portrait (1) or landscape (0) mode.
SETPAPEREXTENTS width height
Sets the paper size to the specified width and height, measured in mm.
Sets the paper size option in the Drawing Settings dialog box to User
Defined.

SETPAPERUNITS u
Sets the paper units in the Drawing Settings dialog box. The units can be
set to any of the following:
0 mm
1 meter
2 inches
3 user defined
4 feet and fractional inches
5 decimal feet
6 yards
7 km
8 miles
SETAREAUNITS A A$ C
Sets the area units. The variables have the following meanings:
A Area unit index. This can have the following values:
0 User defined
1 Square inches
2 Square feet
3 Square yards
4 Acres
5 Square miles
6 Square mm
7 Square cm
8 Square meters
9 Hectares
10 Square km
A$ Symbol for the area unit (e.g. "sq m")
C The number of square mm contained in the unit.
NEWSCALE papersize scale [x,y]
Changes the drawing paper size and scale. See Drawing Settings.
Papersize is a number corresponding to a paper size. Scale is the scale
that you want to draw at, e.g. if you want to draw at a scale of 1:100, then
scale will be 100. If you want to draw at a scale of 1" to 100', then scale will
be 1200. X,y is the point about which the change to the new scale will
take place, normally [0,0].
0 E 34x44"
1 D 22x34"
Macros 17-93
2 C 17x22"
3 B 11x17"
4 A 8.5x11"
5 LGL 8.5x14"
6 F 28x40"
7 Arch. C 18x24"
8 Arch. D 24x36"
9 Arch. E 35x48"
10 A0 841x1189mm
11 A1 594x841mm
12 A2 420x594mm
13 A3 297x420mm
14 A4 210x297mm
15 Use Driver Limits
SETUNITS
Brings up the units dialog box. See Drawing Settings.
UNITS variable "symbol"
Changes units. See Drawing Settings. The variable is a number which

represents the following:
0 mm
1 meter
2 inches
3 user defined
4 feet and inches
5 decimal feet
For example:
UNITS 0 "" millimetres, with no symbol.
UNITS 1 " m" meters with the symbol m. Note the space
before the m to separate it from the numbers
preceding it.
UNITS 2 """ decimal inches with the symbol ".
UNITS 3 300.56 " fun" a user defined unit called fun, which has
300.56 mm per fun.
UNITS 4 16 feet and inches with 16 as the largest
denominator.
UNITS 5 "'" decimal feet with the symbol '.

CHGCOORD "C" (cartesian)
Changes to cartesian coordinates. See Drawing Settings.
CHGCOORD "S" (surveyor) "Y" (screen centre) xcentre ycentre
Change to surveyor coordinates and give the coordinates that the screen
centre should have. See Drawing Settings.
CHGCOORD "S" (surveyor) "N" (other point) [xpoint,ypoint] xcoord ycoord
Change to surveyor coordinates. See Drawing Settings. The present

coordinates of xpoint,ypoint are changed to coordinates xcoord ycoord.
HEMISPHR "Y" (southern hemisphere)
Sets the coordinate system to the southern hemisphere LO (if used in

conjunction with CHGCOORD "S"). See Drawing Settings.
HEMISPHR "N" (northern hemisphere)
Sets the coordinate system to the northern hemisphere (if used in

conjunction with CHGCOORD S). See Drawing Settings.
SETNORTHEAST 1/0
If set to 1, the coordinate order is set to Northing, Easting. Otherwise, it

is set to Easting, Northing. See Drawing Settings.
ISODRAW "Y/N" (set/unset)
Sets or unsets isometric drawing mode. See Drawing Settings.
SETANGFORMAT u d m c
Sets the angular format. U is the unit to use and can be 0 (radians), 1
(decimal degrees), 2 (d.mm.ss), 3 (d°mm'ss") or 4 (Nd°m's"W). D is the
number of decimals to use when displaying angles. M is the point from
where angles must be measured and can be 3 (3 o'clock), 6 (6 o'clock), 9 (9
o'clock) or 12 (12 o'clock). C is 1 if angles should be measured in a
clockwise direction and 0 otherwise. These settings only affect some
functions, such as Polar Move and Survey Dimension. In many functions,
such as Rotate, angles are measured in degrees anticlockwise from the 3
o'clock position regardless of the angular format you have set. See
Drawing Settings.
Macros 17-95
VIEWDEF
Brings up the View Settings dialog box. See View Settings.
SHOWPEN linetype pen
Briefly displays elements of the given line type and pen only. Line types
are numbered downwards from 1 in the Line Type Display. Pens are
numbered from 1 to 255.
USESWDOTTEDLINES 1/0
If you type USESWDOTTEDLINES 1, a slower but more precise method

of drawing dotted lines on the screen is used. This slower more precise
method is always used for printed or plotted output.
BACKCOL p
Sets the background color to pen p. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255.
See View Settings.
TOGCOORDS
Switches coordinate display on and off. See View Settings.
TOGPOLAR
Switches the coordinate display between absolute and polar coordinates.

See View Settings.
TOGGEOM
Switches geometry on and off. See View Settings.
TOGARCDOT
Switches arc centres on and off. See View Settings.
SETPOWERBARFONT
Brings up the Control Bar Font dialog box. See View Settings.
TOGFIN A/T/D/B/N (All/Text only/Dimensions only/all text to Boxes/None)
Sets which annotations should be drawn when you do a redraw. See

View Settings.

SETPOINTDEF style size
Sets point style and size. Point style is one of the following numbers:
0 Point
1 None
2 Cross
4 X Cross
8 Blip
A modifier can be added to the point style as follows:
0 No modifier
32 Circle
64 Box
128 Diamond
So, if you want points to be drawn as crosses with circles around them,
give a style of 34 (2+32).
Point size is measured in mm on final paper output. However if you type
a negative number it is interpreted as percentage of the screen size. For
example, a point size of -2 means that points will always be drawn at 2%
of screen size regardless of magnification. See View Settings.
TOGGLEBIGCURSOR
Switches the big cursor on and off. See View Settings.
BIGCURSOR 1/0 (on/off)
Switches the big cursor on and off. See View Settings.
SETRULER 0/1
If set to 1, the ruler line is displayed at the bottom of the screen. See View
Settings.
TOGHATCH "A/S/N" (All/Selected/None)
Sets whether all, selected or no hatches should be drawn when you do a

redraw. See View Settings.
SCROLLBAROFF
Switches off the scroll bars. See View Settings.
Macros 17-97
SCROLLBARON
Switches on the scroll bars. See View Settings.
TINYPSIZ s
Sets the size, s, below which objects are not drawn fully. The size below
which text is not drawn fully is determined in Set Text Defaults in the
macro language. See View Settings.
TOGPBOX
Displays all the objects on your drawing except the current object as
boxes. Typing TOGPBOX again returns your objects to full detail.
LOADTOOLBAR toolbarFileName.tbr
Loads a toolbar on the fly. The format of the toolbar file is exactly the
same as that of a toolbar section in the menu file.
DELTOOLBAR toolbarname
Delete a toolbar on the fly.
CENTREPAPER [x,y]
Moves the paper sheet with respect to the drawing. The centre of the
paper is moved to position x,y. See Re-Centre Paper.
SNAPDLG
Brings up the Snap Modes dialog box. See Snap Modes.
CURMODE "F"
Changes the snap mode to Freehand ("F"). You can also change it to "A"
(Grab All), "G" (Grid), "I" (Geom Intersection), "N" (Nearest Line/Arc), "E"
(Circle Centre), "J" (Point), "P" (Perp) or "T" (Tan). See Snap Modes.
CHMAG f
Changes the magnification factor to f. See Change Magnify Factor.
DXFSETTINGS
Brings up the To DXF/DWG and From DXF/DWG Conversion Settings

dialog boxes. See DXF/DWG Conversion Settings.

SETVMEM
Brings up the Virtual Memory Settings dialog box.
SETDIGITIZER "type" "format" "init" C B D P S x1 y1 x2 y2 x3 y3 [x4,y4] [x5,y5]

[x6,y6]
Sets digitizer settings. The variables have the following meanings:

type Digitizer type. This must be the exact digitizer name given in
the Digitizer Settings dialog box, e.g. "Summa Graphics
MMBinary".
format Format string. The format string for the digitizer type you
have specified. If you give a format string of !, AllyCAD will
use the default format string for the digitizer type you have
specified.
init Initialization string. This van be empty, i.e. "".
C Comport.
B Baud rate.
D Data bits.
P Parity: 0 for none, 1 for odd, 2 for even.
S Stop bits.
x1, y1, The coordinates of the three scaling points on the digitizer, in
x2, y2, digitizer coordinates.
x3, y3
x4, y4, The coordinates of the three equivalent scaling points on the
x5, y5, screen, in current screen coordinates.
x6, y6
See Digitizer Settings
SETCOLOR Pen Red Green Blue
Defines a pen color shown in the Color toolbar. Pen is the number of the
pen whose color is being defined. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255. Red,
Green and Blue are numbers between 0 and 255, which determine the
amount of red, green and blue in the pen being defined. For example,
red is defined by "255 0 0". White is defined by "255 255 255". Black is
defined by "0 0 0".
Defined pen colors are stored in the CAD.INI file in your user directory.
TAKELPEN [x,y]
Picks line parameters from the line nearest to x,y. See Line Defaults.
Macros 17-99
PEN p
Sets the pen to p, which is a number from 1 to 255, e.g. PEN 2. See Line
Defaults. If you do not have the “Set AutoCAD colors” box checked in the
Pen dialog, then by default the numbers represent the following colors
(although you can change these default colors by right clicking on the
first sixteen color patches in the pen dialog):
0 Maroon
1 Red
2 Olive
3 Yellow
4 Lime
5 Green
6 Teal
7 Aqua
8 Blue
9 Navy
10 Purple
11 Fuschia
12 White
13 Grey
14 Black
15 Silver
256 set pen By Layer
LINETYPE l p
Sets the line type to l and the pen to p. Line types are defined in the
linetype.mac file and are numbered downwards from 1 in the Line Type
Display. To set line type By Layer, give a line type of 256. Pens are
numbered as shown above. See Line Defaults.
LINETYPEDLG
Pops up the linetype dialog, to enable users to set pen and linetype
interactively.. See Line Defaults.
WIDTH w
Sets the line width to w. Line width is given in tenths of a mm on the

final plot or print on paper. See Line Defaults.

SETLINEDEF L P W C S F R G B
Sets line and polyline defaults. The variables are:

L Line type: A number between 1 and MaxLinetype. Line types
are numbered from 1 to MaxLinetype downwards in the Line
is short dashes etc. Give a line type of 256 to set the line
type By Layer.
P Pen number: A number between 1 and 255. Give a pen of
256 to set the pen By Layer.
W Line width in 10ths of a mm.
C 1 for closed polyline, 0 for open.
S Spline type: 0 for no spline, 1 for 3pt Bezier, 2 for 4pt Bezier.
F Fill type: 0 = no fill, 1 = hatch, 2 = solid fill.
R Red component of solid fill (0-255) or hatch index number if
fill is a hatch. Remember that this index number has the
constant 0x00010000L (=65536 decimal) added to it if it
should take the color from the HATCH.PAT file.
G Green component of solid fill (0-255) or Hatch pen number (1
to 256) if fill is a hatch.
B Blue component of solid fill (0-255) or Hatch scale if fill is a
hatch.
See Line Defaults and Polyline Defaults.
LINESYMBOL "blockname" repeatfac
Sets the default linetype to draw symbol lines, where repeatfac is in mm.
Blockname must be the name of a previously entered block.
LINESTYLEAPPLY
This command with no parameters pops up the Apply What dialog box
before applying the default line style (linetype pen width symbol spline
fillcolor closed) to the entire selection set. You can set the default line
style with the LINETYPE, WIDTH, SETLINEDEF or LINESYMBOL
commands..
LINESTYLEAPPLY linetype pen width symbol spline fillcolor/hatch closed
This applies the default line style to the entire selection set. You can set
the default line style with the LINETYPE, WIDTH, SETLINEDEF or
LINESYMBOL commands. The last 3 parameters only apply to
polylines. The variables should be 0 or 1, depending on whether you
want to apply that attribute or not.
Macros 17-101
EDITLP "N" (single) [xselect,yselect] newl newp neww [#]
Edits the line type, pen and width of the element closest to
[xselect,yselect] to newl, newp and neww. Line types are numbered
downwards from 1 in the Line Type Display. Pens are numbered from 1
to 255. See Line Defaults. To set pen or line type By Layer, give a pen or
line type of 256.
EDITLP "Y" (selection set) oldl oldp oldw newl newp neww [#]
Edits the line type, pen and width of the selection set to newl, newp and
neww. Line types are numbered downwards from 1 in the Line Type
Display. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255. See Line Defaults. To set pen
or line type By Layer, give a pen or line type of 256.
To change the line type, pen and width of the entire selection set, give 0 0
0 as the values for oldl, oldp and oldw, e.g.:
EDITLP Y 0 0 0 2 5 5 [#]
SETLINEDASH
Define a line type. See Line Types for details.
PARLLDEF 1/0 (draw fresh/around existing perimeter) A1 (starting angle) A2

(ending angle) 1/0 (straight lines/line arc line) 1/0 (close off ends/don't close off
ends) 1/0 (fillet corners/don't fillet corners) N (number of lines) L (linetype) P
(pen) W (width) O (offset)
Sets parallel defaults. See Parallel Defaults. L, P, W and O are repeated

N times, once for each parallel line. Line types are numbered downwards
from 1 in the Line Type Display. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255. To set
pen or line type By Layer, give a pen or line type of 256.
PLINEDEF
Brings up the Polyline Defaults dialog box. See Polyline Defaults and
SETLINEDEF.
GEOMPEN pen
Sets the geometry line color to the specified pen. Pens are numbered
from 1 to 255. See New Geometry Color.
TEXTDEF
Brings up the Text Defaults dialog box. See Set Text Defaults.

PICKTXTP [x,y]
Picks text parameters from the text nearest to x,y. See Set Text Defaults.
WTEXTPARM textht lorg textwd boxsize linespacing "font_name" pen angle

bold italic underline strikeout justify balloon pitch&family charset
Sets text defaults. See Set Text Defaults.

textht Height of text in tenths of a mm (on final paper output).
lorg Text Label Origin How a piece of text is aligned around
its hook point.
textwd Width of a piece of text in tenths of a mm. A width of
zero uses the width specified by the font designer.
boxsize Screen percentage below which text is displayed as
boxes.
linespacing Spacing between lines of multi-line text. A value of 1
gives the most attractive default spacing. A value of 2
would give double spaced text.
font_name Name of the Font.
pen Text pen. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255. To set
pen By Layer, give a pen of 256.
angle Text angle in tenths of a degree.
bold Set to 1 if text is bold, else set to zero.
italic Set to 1 if text is italic, else set to zero.
underline Set to 1 if text is underlined, else set to zero.
strikeout Set to 1 if text is struckout, else set to zero.
justify 0 Left
1 Centre
2 Right
balloon Set to 1 if text has a balloon around it, else set to zero.
pitch&family A number giving the font type. Get this number for a
particular font by typing a sample piece of text on an
empty screen, then using Export Macro to create a
macro containing the wtextparm parameters for the
piece of text.
charset A number giving the character set. Get this number for
a particular font by typing a sample piece of text on an
empty screen, then using Export Macro to create a
macro containing the wtextparm parameters for the
piece of text.
Pitch&family and charset are numbers needed to ensure that the correct
font is used. Sometimes the font_name string is not sufficient. If you
want to ensure that you get a particular font, we suggest that you create
Macros 17-103
a sample of it using AllyCAD, write it out as a macro using Export Macro,
then use the values of Pitch&Family and Charset that AllyCAD places
after WTEXTPARM in the macro.
TEXTSTYLEAPPLY
before applying the default text style (Height, Width, Linespacing, Color,
Font, Angle, Lorg, Justification) to all text within the entire selection set.
You can set the default text style with the WTEXTPARM command. See
above).
TEXTSTYLEAPPLY Height, Width, Linespacing, Color, Font, Angle, Lorg,

Justification
This applies the default text style (Height, Width, Linespacing, Color,
Font, Angle, Lorg, Justification) to all text within the entire selection set.
You can set the default text style with the WTEXTPARM command. See
above). The variables should be 0 or 1, depending on whether you want
to apply that attribute or not.
DIMDEF
Brings up the Dimension Defaults dialog box. See Set Dim Defaults.
DIMPARM dimtextht ndecimal aspect linefeed witnesspen 1witoffset 2witoffset

1/0 (tolerance) "A/M" (Arch/Mech) textpen "font" arrowlen arrowwid ","(decimal
character)
Sets dimension defaults. See Set Dim Defaults.

dimtextht Height of dimension text in tenths of a mm.
ndecimal Number of decimals to display.
aspect
linefeed Distance between successive running dimensions.
witnesspen Color of witness lines and arrows. Pens are numbered
from 1 to 255. To set pen By Layer, give a pen of 256.
1witoffset Witness gap in tenths of a mm.
2witoffset Witness overshoot in tenths of a mm.
tolerance 1 if tolerances can be used, else 0.
Arch/Mech "A" for Architectural style dimensions, "M" for
Mechanical Style.
textpen Color of the dimension text. Pens are numbered from 1
to 255. To set pen By Layer, give a pen of 256.
font Name of the font to use.

arrowlen Length of the dimension arrows in tenths of a mm.
arrowwid Width of the dimension arrows in tenths of a mm.
"." or "," decimal character
SURVEYDIMSETUP
Brings up the dialog box for Survey Dimension defaults. See Set Survey
Defaults.
ARROWDEF
Brings up the Arrow Defaults dialog box. See Set Arrow Defaults.
ARRSIZE length width pen blob slash
Sets the arrow defaults. Length and width are measured in tenths of a
mm. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255. See Set Arrow Defaults. To set
pen By Layer, give a pen of 256. Blob should be 0 or 1 depending if you
want arrow to be a blob or not. Slash should also be zero or 1 depending
if you want the arrow to be a slash or not.
EDARROW [x,y] newlength newwidth newpen
Edits the arrow head at x,y to the new length, width and pen. Newlength
and newwidth are in tenths of a mm. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255.
To set pen By Layer, give a pen of 256. See Set Arrow Defaults.
FITBALLN 0/1(add arrows) 0/1/2/3(balloon size) Y(one row of text)
Set balloon defaults. See Set Balloon Defaults.
NEWLAYER "Walls"
Changes the current layer to "Walls". See Set Current Layer.
SHOWLAYER "Walls,ELEC"
Displayes the layers "Walls" and "ELEC". See Set Visible Layers.
EDITLAY
Brings up the Layer Control dialog box. See Layer Control.
SETLAYERDEF N$ V K P L W X Y
Sets a layer's properties. The variables mean the following:
Macros 17-105
N$ Layer name. This layer will become the current layer.
V 1 to make the layer visible, else 0.
K 1 to lock the layer, else 0.
15. Pens are numbered from 1 to 255.
If the layer N$ doesn't exist, it is created. See Layer Control.
SETLAYERDEFINDEX IX N$ V K L P W X Y
Sets a layer's properties. The variables mean the following:

IX Layer Index, starting at zero. If this index does not exist the
function fails.
N$ Layer name.
V 1 to make the layer visible, else 0.
K 1 to lock the layer, else 0.
255.
L Line type assigned to the layer: A number between 1 and
MaxLineType. Line types are numbered from 1 to
MaxLineType downwards in the Line Type Display. By
default, 1 is continuous, 2 is long dashes, 3 is short dashes
etc.
This function is similar to SETLAYERDEF, except that it does not create

layers, nor change to the given layer. It assumes that the layer with that
index exists already. If the index is invalid then the function fails. This

enables you to change all the characteristics of a given layer, including its
name.
LAYNAME "B" "LAYERNAME"
Gives layer "B" the name "LAYERNAME". See Layer Control.
LOCKLAYER "Layername" 1/0
Locks or unlocks the layer layername. 1 locks the layer; 0 unlocks it.
ALLLAYER "Y/N"
If Alllayer is "N", operations will work on all unlocked layers. If Allayer is

"Y", they will only work on the current layer. See Layer Control.
LAYERMAG "B" 0.5
Changes the magnification of layer "B" to 0.5. See Layer Control.
LAYHIGHL "O/P/R"
Switches layer highlighting Off, to no. 8 Pen or to Rainbow. See Layer

Control and Enquire “LAYHIGHL”.
HATCHSYLEAPPLY
before applying the default hatch style (Hatchindex / fillcolor, Hatch Pen,
Hatch Scaling) to all hatching within the entire selection set. You can set
the default hatch style with the STARTHATCHEX command followed by
a
STARTOBJ “”
command. You need to call the STARTOBJ function to terminate the

hatch object started by STARTHATCHEX.
HATCHSYLEAPPLY HatchIndex/Fillcolor, Hatch_Pen, Hatch_Scaling
This applies the default hatch (Hatchindex / fillcolor, Hatch Pen, Hatch
Scaling) to all hatching within the entire selection set. You can set the
default hatch style with the STARTHATCHEX command followed by a
STARTOBJ “”
command. You need to call the STARTOBJ function to terminate the

hatch object started by STARTHATCHEX. The variables should be 0 or
1, depending on whether you want to apply that attribute or not.
Macros 17-107
Window Functions
WINDOWCASCADE
Cascades all the drawing windows.
WINDOWTILEHORZ
Tile all the drawing windows horizontally.
WINDOWTILEVERT
Tile all the drawing windows vertically.
WINDOWNEW
Creates a new view of the currently active drawing window.
WINDOWCLOSE winname$
Closes the window with the given name. See the ENQUIRE functions for
“NUMWINDOWS” and “WINDOWNAME” for number of windows and
window names.
WINDOWCLOSEALL $
Closes all drawing windows.
WINDOWACTIVATE winname$
Activates the window with the given name.

Perimeter Functions
PARLLINEPERIM
Adds parallel lines to the current object.

Parallel lines are drawn as defined in Parallel Defaults or by the
PARLLDEF macro command. Parallel Defaults must be set to draw lines
around an existing perimeter.
After you have used PARLLINEPERIM, the current object is deleted.
QRYAREAPERIM
Measures the area and perimeter of the current object.

The area and perimeter are measured using the units defined in Drawing
Settings or by the UNITS and SETAREAUNITS macro commands.
When you use QRYAREAPERIM, an information box containing the
measured area and perimeter will appear on the screen. If you do not
want this box to appear, place an exclamation mark after the
QRYAREAPERIM command, i.e.
QRYAREAPERIM !
To extract the area and perimeter as variables, use the ENQUIRE

LASTAREA command.
After you have used QRYAREAPERIM, the current object is deleted.
To ensure that the correct area is measured, you should use

CIRPERIM, RECTPERIM, LINE, INTERSECTPERIM or
AUTOPERIM to create the current object. Unless all the entities in the
object have been drawn sequentially, OBJPERIM may result in an
incorrect area being measured.
Perimeter measurements can be affected by line thickness. If you want

to ensure this does not happen, type SETUSEWIDTHPERIM 0 before
measuring the perimeter. SETUSEWIDTHPERIM 1 switches line
thickness / perimeter interaction back on. See Polygon Area.
Macros 17-109
HATCHPERIM
This command hatches the current object. After you have used
HATCHPERIM, the current object is converted to a hatch perimeter.
When you use HATCHPERIM the Hatch/Solid Fill dialog box appears so
you can select the hatch pattern or solid fill you want to use.
If you do not want this dialog box to appear, use the STARTHAT or
STARTSOLID commands to create the hatch.
CIRPERIM
This command behaves as though you had selected the Circle icon from
the Perimeter menu. It prompts for a circle to be added to the perimeter.
The circle is then copied to the current object where it can have parallel
lines added to it or be hatched or measured with the functions
HATCHPERIM, QRYAREAPERIM or PARLLINEPERIM.
If you do not use PARLLINEPERIM, QRYAREAPERIM or
HATCHPERIM after you have used CIRPERIM, you may end up with
duplicate circles on your drawing. See the CLEARCURROBJ command.
RECTPERIM
This command draws a rectangle and behaves as though you had

selected the Rectangle Icon from the Perimeter Menu. Like the
Rectangle Icon in the Perimeter Menu, it will prompt you for two
rectangle corners.
When you use RECTPERIM, the rectangle you draw is added to the
current object, which can then have parallel lines added to it or be
hatched or measured using PARLLINEPERIM, QRYAREAPERIM or
HATCHPERIM.
HATCHPERIM after you have used RECTPERIM, you will end up with
an ordinary rectangle. In fact, RECTPERIM can be used in place of
RECT to draw a rectangle. You can specify the rectangle coordinates as
follows:
RECTPERIM [x1,y1] [x2,y2] [#]
The difference between RECT and RECTPERIM is that RECTPERIM

does not start a new object or group the lines in the rectangle together so
that they can all be selected at once.

LINE
You can use the ordinary LINE macro command to add lines to a
perimeter as though you had selected the Line Icon in the Perimeter
Menu.
When you use LINE, the lines you draw are added to the current object,
which can then have parallel lines added to it or be hatched or measured
using PARLLINEPERIM, QRYAREAPERIM or HATCHPERIM.
OBJPERIM
This command behaves as though you had selected the Object Icon from
the Perimeter Menu. It prompts for an object to be added to the
perimeter.
The entire selected object is then copied to the current object where it
can have parallel lines added to it or be hatched or measured using
PARLLINEPERIM, QRYAREAPERIM or HATCHPERIM.
HATCHPERIM after you have used CIRPERIM, you will end up with a
duplicate object on your drawing. See the CLEARCURROBJ command.
INTERSECTPERIM
This command behaves as though you had selected the Intersection Icon
from the Perimeter Menu. It allows you to trace over a perimeter by
prompting for elements and intersections in turn.
The elements you trace over are copied to the current object where they
can have parallel lines added to them or be hatched or measured using
PARLLINEPERIM, QRYAREAPERIM or HATCHPERIM.
HATCHPERIM after you have used INTERSECTPERIM, you will end
up with duplicate entities on your drawing. See the CLEARCURROBJ
command.
AUTOPERIM 1/0
This command does an auto-perimeter track and behaves as though you

had selected the Auto Icon from the Perimeter Menu.
Like the Auto Icon in the Perimeter Menu, it will prompt you to place the
cursor inside the perimeter and near a line. You can avoid this prompt
by adding coordinates to the end of the command, i.e.
AUTOPERIM 1/0 [x,y]
Macros 17-111
where x,y identifies the perimeter to be tracked.
The 1/0 switch determines whether the first line is to be included in the
perimeter or not. AUTOPERIM 1 includes the first line in the perimeter.
Use AUTOPERIM 1 if you want to add parallel lines to the perimeter.
AUTOPERIM 0 does not include the first line in the perimeter. Use
AUTOPERIM 0 for hatching and area calculations.
When you use Autoperim, it copies the perimeter it has tracked and adds
this copy to the current object, which can then have parallel lines added
to it or be hatched or measured using PARLLINEPERIM,
QRYAREAPERIM or HATCHPERIM. See above).
HATCHPERIM after you have used Autoperim, you will end up with
duplicate lines and arcs along the perimeter. See the CLEARCURROBJ
command (below).
CLEARWS
This command clears the current object before you use CIRPERIM,
RECTPERIM, LINE, OBJPERIM, INTERSECTPERIM and
AUTOPERIM.
These functions create a current object which can then have parallel
lines added to it or be hatched or measured using PARLLINEPERIM,
QRYAREAPERIM or HATCHPERIM.
CLEARCURROBJ
This command deletes the current object. For example:

WHILE (1)
{
REM ask user to click in area they want to measure
CUR "Click in area to measure" X Y K
IF (K)
{
end
}
REM clear the current object
CLEARWS
REM copy the perimeter indicated by the user into
REM the current object using an auto perimeter track
AUTOPERIM 0 [x,y]
R=REPLY("Satisfied with Perimeter?")
IF (R=0)
{
REM if the user isn't satisfied with the perimeter
REM that's going to be measured, delete the current
REM object
CLEARCURROBJ

}
ELSE
{
REM if the user is satisfied, measure the current
REM object
REM qryareaperim automatically deletes the current
REM object after measurement
QRYAREAPERIM
}
}
END
SHOWPERIM
Highlights the current perimeter.
Macros 17-113
Notes:

Compiled Macros
Version 3.00x of AllyCAD windows includes a compiled macro language
as well as the ‘old’ interpreted macro language. This chapter introduces
the compiled macro language and explains the process of developing
programs for execution by the AllyCAD windows version 3.0x (and later)
CAD system.
The compiled macro is a high-level CAD language, which can be used to
automate repetitive or complex tasks in the AllyCAD design system.
Compiled macro programs can be used to customize AllyCAD to specific
applications.
This guide describes the compiled macro language, how to compile a
macro program use File Compile Macro, how to run the program use
File Exec Macro, to assign the compiled macro to a keystroke, icon or
menu item see Customizing the AllyCAD Menu file.
Advantages of using compiled macro programs

Earlier versions of AllyCAD provided the facility to execute macro
programs in an “interpreted” mode, i.e. AllyCAD would directly read the
English-like text of the macro program and would interpret the
commands as it went along.
From version 3.00x of AllyCAD windows onwards, macro programs can
be “compiled” by a separate program (compiler) before being executed
by AllyCAD. The compiler interprets the program source file (which has
the extension .MAC) and produces a “macro binary file” (with the
extension .MBF) which can be interpreted more quickly and easily by
AllyCAD.
The AllyCAD Windows macro compiler is built into AllyCAD, and is no
longer a separate program, as it was in the old DOS program.
Moving the interpretation of the source file into a separate compiler has
several advantages. Firstly, the compiler has better syntax-checking
capabilities than the AllyCAD interpreter; in other words, you eliminate
all grammatical errors from the program before you try to run it.
Secondly, the compiled programs run a lot faster than the interpreted
programs. And thirdly, it has allowed the compiled macro language to be
extended to include such powerful constructs as procedures
(subroutines) and numeric arrays, while substantially maintaining
compatibility with previous interpreted programs.
Compiled Macros 18-1

The structure of a compiled macro program
Care has been taken to maintain compatibility as far as possible with old-
style (interpreted) macro programs. A compiled macro program has the
following general format, where the sections must be in the order shown:
• Declarations of global numeric variables, string variables and arrays.
This section is optional.
• User procedure(s). This section is optional.
• Main executable statements. Execution starts at the first statement
in this section.
• END statement. Anything after the END statement is ignored.
Note that old-style macro programs do not contain the optional
declarations and procedures sections.
A compiled macro program must be completely contained in one source
file. The compiler does not support separate compilation and linking of
source modules.
An introductory sample compiled macro program

/* This is a simple program that draws a circle at
an arbitrary position, with an arbitrary
diameter, and places a cross over the circle. */
CUR “Enter circle center point” x y

ENTER “Enter circle diameter” diameter
PEN 2 /* select pen number 2 */
radius=diameter/2 /* calculate radius */
r2 = radius + 5 /* make cross 5 units larger than circle */
/* Now draw a circle at the selected point */

CIR [x,y] [x+radius,y] [#]
/* Now draw a cross at the center point */

LINETYPE 4 3
LINE [x - r2, y] [x + r2, y] [#]
LINE [x, y - r2] [x, y + r2] [#]
END

Converting old-style macro programs
A converter program (INT2COMP) is supplied together with the
compiler, for converting old-style (interpreted) macro programs to the
new compiled macro syntax. This converter program modifies the source
text where necessary. Statements that cannot be converted are flagged
for manual editing; for example, the CHAIN command is not supported
in the new syntax because its function has been superseded by the
“procedure call” facility.
To convert an old-style macro program to the new syntax, use the
command:
INT2COMP filename
where filename does not include the “.MAC” extension. INT2COMP will
create a file called “filename.NEW” in the same directory as the old
macro file.
The minor incompatibilities between the old and the new syntax are
listed at the end of this chapter. In general, a program that has been
processed by the converter will not require any manual editing.

Language elements
Character set
The compiled macro program character set is the following subset of the
ASCII character set:
A..Z
a..z
0..9
the following special characters:

= . / () {} [] << >> ! : ^ + - * , @ # _ \
plus blank (space), tab, carriage-return and line-feed characters. The

blank and the tab are collectively known as whitespace characters.
Compiled macro does not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase
letters, except in string constants. For example, the variable names “xyz”
and “XYZ” are the same. In this manual, all compiled macro syntax will
be shown as uppercase, by convention.
The compiled macro compiler treats multiple contiguous blanks and tabs
as single blanks, by ignoring all blanks or tabs except the first one.

Special Characters
The table below explains the use of each of the special characters:
Character Meaning
() Used to enclose numeric expressions and the list of
arguments which follows a built-in numeric function, a
built-in string function, or a user-supplied procedure.
[] Used to enclose the coordinates of a point.
{} Used to enclose a block of statements in the WHILE, IF,
ELSE and SWITCH statements.
“ Double quote: used to enclose string constants
‘ Single quote: used to enclose character constants
# Symbolises a press of the SPACE BAR, and is used at
the end of most built-in commands to exit from the
command. In this context, it must be enclosed in square
brackets, i.e. [#]. It is also used in relational expressions,
as the “NOT-EQUALS” operator.
! As the first non-whitespace character in a line it indicates
that the rest of the line is a comment. In a built-in
command, it denotes a press of the ENTER key, and is
used to select a default operation or value
@ Used as a “modifier” within a coordinate pair, to denote
relative positioning of the cursor.
% Used as a “modifier” within a coordinate pair, to update
the cursor position.
, Used to separate arguments of built-in numeric functions,
built-in string functions and user procedures.
<< >> Used in relational expressions, as the LESS-THAN and
GREATER-THAN operators, and also in the LESS-
THAN-OR-EQUAL-TO and GREATER-THAN-OR-
EQUAL-TO operators( <<= and >>= )
= Used as the ASSIGNMENT operator, the EQUALS
operator, and as part of the LESS-THAN-OR-EQUALS
and GREATER-THAN-OR-EQUALS operators.
\ Used at the end of a line, to continue a long statement or
string constant on the following line.
. Used as the decimal point
+ Used as the addition operator
- Used as the subtraction and the unary minus operator
/ Used as the division operator
* Used as the multiplication operator
^ The exponentiation operator

Tokens, separators and the use of blanks
The smallest meaningful unit of a compiled macro program is a “token”.
Every token belongs to one of the following classes:
• Identifiers (i.e. names of variables, arrays and procedures)
• Keywords (reserved words)
• Simple delimiters (all of the special characters are delimiters)
• Compound delimiters (combinations of two special characters):
<<=, >>=, /*, */
• Numeric constants
• String constants
It is usually clear where one token ends and the next begins. For
example, in the statement:
EXACT=APPROX*(HEIGHT-3)/SCALE
EXACT, APPROX, HEIGHT and SCALE are identifiers, 3 is a numeric

constant, and all the other characters are simple delimiters.
Where two tokens appear together in a statement without a delimiter
between them, one or blanks must be used to separate them. Blanks can
be inserted around any token without changing the meaning of the
compiled macro statement. Thus, the above statement can be rewritten:
EXACT = APPROX * (HEIGHT - 3) / SCALE
Indeed, the insertion of blanks is encouraged because it makes a

program more readable to humans.
Identifiers and reserved words

Identifiers are the names of numeric variables, numeric arrays, character
string variables and procedures.
Identifiers can be up to 31 characters long. The first character of a
variable or array name must be alphabetic or an underscore ( _ ), and the
remaining characters may be alphabetic, numeric, or the underscore.

Examples of valid variable, procedure and array names are:
INPUT_COUNT
A0 Note compatibility with old-style
variable names
GAMMA
Gamma Same as GAMMA
LONG_VARIABLE_NAME
VALUE_BETWEEN_3_AND_10
_MAIN
PROCEDURE_1
The first character of a character string variable name must be an

alphabetic character or an underscore. The remaining characters may be
alphabetic, numeric or underscores, except that the last character must
be a dollar sign ($).
Examples of valid string variable names are:
A0$ (Compatible with old-style syntax)
LONG_STRING_NAME$
_STRINGVAR1$
The identifiers you choose must not be the same as any of the compiled
macro keywords, built-in commands or built-in functions that are listed
in Appendix B.
Numeric constants
A numeric constant can be specified in two ways; as a number or as a
character enclosed in single quotes.
Number form
The normal syntax of a numeric constant is:
[+|-][digits][.digits][E[-|+]digits]
The square brackets ([ ]) indicate an optional item. The vertical bar (|)
between two items indicates that one or the other is used. The constant
contains an optional sign, an optional integer portion, an optional
fractional portion, and an optional exponent. The “digits” are zero or
more decimal digits (0 through 9), and E is the exponent symbol.
You can omit either the digits before the decimal point (the integer
portion of the value) or the digits after the decimal point (the fractional
portion), but not both. You can leave out the decimal point if the number

is an integer. The exponent consists of the symbol E followed by a
constant integer value. The integer value may be negative. No blanks or
tabs may separate the digits or characters of the constant.
The following examples illustrate some valid numeric constants:
15.75
1.575E1
+0.0025
100
1E6 3.14159 +3.5E+7
Numeric constants are stored and manipulated in the program as

floating-point numbers, even if they are represented in the source file as
integers.
The range of values that a numeric constant can have is approximately:
+1.7E+308 to -1.7E-308
zero
+1.7E-308 to +1.7E308
Character constants
A single character enclosed in single quotes represents the ASCII value
of that character, and is treated as a numeric constant. For example:
‘B’ equals 66 because the ASCII code for B is 66.
String constants
String constants are strings of printable ASCII characters enclosed
between quotation marks. The maximum length of a string constant is
150 characters. To include a quotation mark in a string, precede it with a
backslash (\); for example,
This is a \”string constant\” containing quotation marks
If the last character of the string is intended to be a backslash, you have

to “escape” the backslash with another backslash, otherwise the
terminating quotation mark will be interprted as a quotation mark
embedded within the string. For example, the string “D:\ALLY\CAD\” is
represented as:
D:\ALLY\CAD\\”

Coordinate pairs
In compiled macro, the coordinates of a point are represented in two
ways, depending on whether the user must supply the position of the
point interactively, or whether the program specifies the position.
There is also another way to get the user to enter a point or sequence of
points interactively which will be explained at the end of this section.
If the point’s position must be supplied interactively using the mouse or
keyboard, represent the point as a question mark enclosed in square
brackets as follows:
[?]
If the program must supply the coordinates, represent the point as a pair
of numeric expressions, separated by a comma and enclosed in square
brackets, as follows:
[xcoord, ycoord]
For example, the following command draws a circle with its centre at
[5,5], and prompts the user to enter a point on the circumference of the
circle:
CIR [5,5] [?] [#]
The above example represents the absolute coordinates of the circle

centre, and does not change the current cursor position. If you want to
indicate that a pair of coordinates is relative to the current cursor
position, place an ampersand (@) between the opening bracket and the x
coordinate, as follows:
[@xcoord, ycoord]
To update the current cursor position, insert a percentage sign as

follows:
[%xcoord, ycoord]
which moves the current cursor position to the absolute coordinates

xcoord, ycoord. The pair [@%x,y] gives a relative movement and leaves
the cursor at the new position.
You can use all three “modifier” characters # @ and % in one coordinate
pair, but they must always be in the order shown. The # character
denotes a press of the SPACE BAR after the coordinate was entered, and
is used to terminate the built-in command which is executing.
If the AllyCAD program is executing a macro program and comes across
something else while it is expecting a coordinate pair, it prompts the user
to enter the point interactively.

You would typically use this method to get the user to enter a polygon,
since the program doesn’t know in advance how many corners the
polygon has. If you want the user to enter only a single point
interactively, possibly followed by other program-supplied points, you
would use the [?] symbol described above.
Comments
There are three ways of inserting comments into a compiled macro
program.
Use an exclamation mark (!) as the first non-whitespace character in a
line. All characters in the line will be ignored by the compiler.
Use the keyword REM (for REMARK) in the line. The REM and all text
after it, until the end of the line, will be ignored by the compiler.
Comments can be embedded within a line, or can span several lines, by
starting the comment with the character pair /* and ending the comment
with */, as in the C programming language. Such comments cannot be
nested. They are very useful for commenting out sections of a program.
The following is an example of this type of comment:
/* Here is a comment which
spans two lines */
In this manual, comments are presented in lowercase to distinguish them

visually from program code, which is presented in uppercase.

Variables
Numeric variables
Two types of numeric variables are used; local and global. Global
variables are declared at the start of the program, and can be accessed
from any part of the program; i.e. from any of the procedures or from the
main section. The syntax of the declaration statement is as follows:
NUMERIC variablename [=initialvalue]
Each global variable must be declared on a separate line. The optional

initial value must be a numeric constant.
Local variables are those which have not been declared at the start of the
program. If a local variable occurs within a procedure, it can be accessed
only from inside that procedure. If a local variable occurs within the
main section of the program, it can be accessed only from within the
main section.
If two procedures both reference a (non-declared) variable with the same
name, each procedure actually maintains its own copy; the two variables
are logically distinct.
Note that all variables used in old-style compiled macro programs are
local variables, as they are not declared.
Numeric variables are manipulated as floating-point values, and have the
same range of values that numeric constants have.
String variables
The name of a string variable must end in a dollar sign. String variables
are classified as global or local, in the same way that numeric variables
are. The syntax of the declaration statement for string variables is:
STRING stringvariable [=initialvalue]
Each string variable must be declared on a separate line. The optional

initial value must be a string constant.
A string value can be any number of characters long, subject to the
available memory space on the machine executing the compiled macro
program.
Arrays
A new feature of compiled macro is the ability to manipulate arrays of
numeric values. Arrays must be declared at the start of the program, and
are therefore accessible from any part of the program. Any number of
arrays may be declared, and the dimension of each array may be as large
as you wish, within the limits of available memory on the machine that is
executing the compiled macro program. The syntax of the array
declaration is:
ARRAY arrayname[dimension]
Note that in this case, the square brackets are required, and do not
represent an optional item. The dimension must be a positive integer.
Within the program, elements of the array are referenced with the
following syntax:
arrayname[element_index]
where “element_index” is a numeric expression which evaluates to an

integer between zero and “dimension-1”. If the index is outside this
range, an error message is produced during program execution, and the
program is aborted.

Numeric expressions
A numeric expression is a combination of values (“operands”) and
operators which yields (“expresses”) a single value.
Operands
An “operand” is a constant or variable value that is manipulated in the
expression. Each operand of an expression is also an expression, since it
represents a single value. A numeric operand can be any of the following:
• a numeric constant
• a numeric variable
• an array element
• a built-in numeric function (described in section 4.5)
Operators
“Operators” specify how the operand or operands of the expression are
manipulated. There are three types of operators; arithmetic, relational
and logical.
Arithmetic operators
The arithmetic operators are as follows:
+ addition
- subtraction
unary minus (ie. the negative of a value)
/ division
* multiplication
^ exponentiation
For example:
X = 987
Y = -X
In this example, the value of Y is the negative of 987, or -987. The

addition, subtraction, division and multiplication operators have the
usual meaning. The “exponentiation” operator is used to raise one
number to the power of another; for example:
X = 8
Y = X ^ 2

In this example, Y is assigned the value 64, or the square of 8.
Relational operators
The relational operators compare their first operand with their second
operand to test the validity of the specified relationship. The result of a
relational expression is 1 if the tested relationship is true and 0 if it is
false.
Operator Relationship
<< First operand less than second operand
>> First operand greater than second operand
<<= First operand less than or equal to second operand
>>= First operand greater than or equal to second operand
= First operand equal to second operand
# First operand not equal to second operand
Logical operators
The logical operators perform logical-AND, logical-OR and logical
complement operations. These operators are represented by the
keywords
AND, OR and NOT.
The AND operator evaluates to 1 if both its operands are nonzero, and
evaluates to 0 if either of its operands is zero.
The OR operator evaluates to 1 if either of its operands is nonzero, and
evaluates to 0 if both of its operands is zero.
The NOT operator evaluates to 1 if its operand is zero, and evaluates to 0
if its operand is nonzero.
The following examples use these operators:
Example 1:
IF X << Y AND Y >> = Z
CALL DRAW_BOX
In example 1, the procedure DRAW_BOX is called if X is less than Y and

Y is greater than or equal to Z.
Example 2:
IF NOT FINISHED
CALL TRY_AGAIN
In this example, the procedure TRY_AGAIN is called if the variable

FINISHED is zero.

Indirection and “address-of” operators
The keyword “AT” is the indirection operator, and the keyword “PTR” is
the “address-of” operator.
The PTR operator followed by a numeric variable evaluates to an integer
value that represents the “address” of the variable. The first variable to
be declared in a compiled macro program has an “address” of zero; the
second has an address of 1, and so on.
The AT operator followed by a numeric expression refers to a numeric
variable whose “address” is given by the expression.
Precedence of operators
The precedence of operators affects the grouping and evaluation of
operands in expressions. Expressions with higher-precedence operators
are evaluated first.
The numeric operators are listed here in descending order of
precedence. Operators listed on the same line are considered to have
equivalent precedence.
NOT, -, AT, PTR Logical complement, unary minus, indirection
operator, “address-of” operator
*, / Multiplication, division
^ Exponentiation
+, - Addition, subtraction
<<, >>, <<=, >>= Relational, inequality
=, # Relational, equality
AND Logical AND
OR Logical OR
Expressions in parentheses
You can enclose any operand or expression in parentheses ( ) without
changing the value of the enclosed operand or expression. For example,
in the expression:
(10 + 5) / 5
the parentheses around 10 + 5 mean that the value of 10 + 5 is the left

operand of the division (/) operator. The result of
(10 + 5) / 5

is 3. Without the parentheses, 10 + 5 / 5 would evaluate to 11, since the
division operator has a higher precedence than the addition operator.
Built-in numeric functions
Arithmetic functions
The following numeric functions are available:
SQRT(x) Square root of x
INT(x) Integer portion of x
ABS(x) Absolute value of x
LN(x) Natural logarithm of x
Trigonometric functions
The trigonometric functions work in degrees, not radians:
SIN(x)
COS(x)
TAN(x)
ASIN(x)
ACOS(x)
ATAN(x)
ATAN2(y,x)
The ATAN and ATAN2 functions calculate the arctangent of x and y/x,
respectively; ATAN returns a value in the range -90 to +90 degrees;
ATAN2 returns a value in the range -180 to +180 degrees. The ATAN2
function uses the signs of both parameters to determine the quadrant of
the return value.
String-related functions
There are also some functions whose parameters are string values, but
which return numeric values:
STRCMP(a$,b$)
Compares string A$ to string B$. If A$ equals B$ then it returns zero. If

A$ is less than B$ it returns -1; if A$ is greater than B$ it returns 1.

STRSTR(a$,b$)
searches for string B$ in string A$. If string B$ is found in string A$, then
the function returns the offset in string A$ where the first character of B$
was found. If string B$ is not found then it returns -1. For example:
index = STRSTR(“Hello world”,”Hello”)
will set index to 0.

val = STRSTR(“Hello world”,”wor”)
will set val to 6.

x = STRSTR(“Hello world”,”Zorro”)
will set x to -1.
LEN(a$)
Returns the length (number of characters) of string A$. For example:

LEN(“ABCDE”)
will return the value 5.
VAL(a$)
Converts the string A$ to a number. For example:

VAL(“123.45”)
will return the numeric value 123.45
NUM(a$)
Returns the ASCII equivalent of the first character in the string A$. For
example:
N = NUM(“abc”)
will set N to 97.
Miscellaneous numeric functions
REPLY (question$)
This function can be used wherever a numeric variable would be used.

“question$” may be any string expression. The function evaluates the
string expression and displays it on the screen, then waits for the user to
reply. It returns 1 if the user presses Y or [ENTER], and returns 0 if he
presses N or [SPACE BAR].
Example 1:

R = REPLY (“Do you want to continue?”)
Example 2:
IF (REPLY (JOIN$ (string1$, string2$))
{
.
.
.
.
}
NOREPLY (question$)
This function is similar to REPLY but the default reply is NO. It returns
1 if the user presses N or [ENTER], and returns 0 if he presses Y or
[SPACE BAR].

String expressions
A string expression is any of the following:
• a string constant
• a string variable
A compiled macro contains several built-in string functions, i.e. functions
which return a character-string value. A string function can be used
anywhere that a string variable or constant would be used, except of
course on the left-hand side of an assignment statement.
JOIN$(string1$, string2$)
This function returns a string which is the concatenation of STRING1$

and STRING2$, where STRING1$ and STRING2$ can be any string
expressions (i.e. string variable, constant or function). For example,
A$ = “brown fox jumps over “
B$ = JOIN$(JOIN$(“The quick “,a$),”the lazy dog”)
copies the string “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” into
string B$.
VAL$(value, width, ndecimal)
VALUE, WIDTH and NDECIMAL are numeric expressions. This

function converts the number VALUE to a string. The format of the
string is controlled by WIDTH, which gives the maximum length of the
string (including the decimal point and decimal digits) and NDECIMAL,
which gives the number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
If WIDTH is too small, it will be ignored, i.e. the number will always be
converted with the specified precision. For example:
C = 3.145729
A$ = VAL$(C,6,2)
will copy the string “ 3.14” into A$. The string contains two spaces, then
“3.14”, giving a total width of six characters.
SUBSTR$(string$, startpos, endpos)
STRING$ is a string expression and STARTPOS and ENDPOS are

numeric expressions. The function extracts a substring, of length
ENDPOS-STARTPOS+1, from string STRING$, starting at character
position STARTPOS. The first character of a string is at position 0. For
example:
SUBSTR$(“abcd”,1,2)

is “bc”.
CHR$(asciival)
This function converts the numeric expression “asciival” to a string

containing a single character whose ASCII code is ASCIIVAL. For
example:
A$ = CHR$(66)
sets A$ to “B” since “B” is 66 in ASCII code.
STRUPR$(string$)
Converts a string expression “string$” to uppercase, for example:

S$ = STRUPR$(“This is a Fine Day”)
will set S$ to “THIS IS A FINE DAY”
STRLWR$(string$)
Converts a string expression “string$”to lowercase, for example:

S$ = STRUPR$(“This is a Fine Day”)
will set S$ to “this is a fine day”

Statements
The statements of a compiled macro program control the flow of the
program, assign values to variables, and perform built-in CAD
commands.
Each statement must be contained on a single line, unless the last
character on the line is a backslash “\”, in which case the statement may
be continued on the next line. In this case, the backslash and the newline
character following it are ignored.
The backslash-newline combination may also be used inside a string
constant to continue the string constant on a new line. A statement may
be continued over any number of lines in this way.
Assignment statements
Numeric assignments
The general form of a numeric assignment statement is:
[numeric_variable | array_element] = numeric_expression
The expression on the right hand side of the assignment operator (=) is
evaluated and the resulting value is assigned to the numeric variable or
array element on the left of the assignment operator.
String assignments
The general form of a string assignment statement is:
string_variable = string_expression
The string expression on the right side of the assignment operator (=) is
evaluated and its value is copied into the string variable on the left of the
assignment operator.
The string variable on the left side, may also appear any number of times
on the right side. The right side is always evaluated fully before its value
is copied into the left side. The storage space which was allocated to the
left side is released for re-use by the program. For example:
stringvar$ = “This is a short string”
stringvar$ = JOIN$(stringvar$, “which has been made\ longer”)
copies the string:

“This is a short string which has been made longer”
into stringvar$.

IF and ELSE statements
The IF statement may be used on its own or in conjunction with the
ELSE statement. If it is used on its own, it has the following form:
IF numeric-expression
{
statement
.
.
.
statement
}
The statements inside the curly brackets are executed if the “numeric-
expression” evaluates to TRUE. Note that the numeric expression does
not have to be enclosed in parentheses, although doing so will not do any
harm. An expression is regarded as TRUE if its value is nonzero.
Note that each curly bracket must be on a line by itself, otherwise the
compiler will produce an error message. If you want to execute only one
statement if the expression is true, you can leave out the curly brackets,
as follows:
IF numeric-expression
statement
If you want to execute another set of statements if the expression is

FALSE, you can use the ELSE statement in conjunction with the IF
statement, as follows:
IF expression
{
statement
.
.
.
statement
}
ELSE
{
statement
.
.
.
statement
}
Here too, you can leave out the curly brackets if only one statement is to
be executed in the event of the expression being FALSE. IF and ELSE
statements can be nested, to a maximum depth of 20.
An example of nested IF statements is:

IF haircolor = blonde
{
IF eyecolor = blue
MESS “This is a blue-eyed blonde”
ELSE
MESS “This blonde does not have blue eyes”
}
ELSE
MESS “This is not a blonde”
WHILE statement
The WHILE statement is used to repeatedly execute a statement of
group of statements while a certain condition is true. Its format is:
WHILE expression
{
statement
.
.
.
statement
}
Execution of the WHILE statement proceeds as follows:

1. The “expression” is evaluated.
If it is zero, execution continues with the statement after the closing
bracket. If it is nonzero, all the statements within the curly brackets are
executed and the process is repeated beginning at step 1.
Here, too, each curly bracket must be on a line by itself. If only one
statement appears between the curly brackets, the curly brackets
may be omitted, as follows:
WHILE a >> 1
a = a - 1

BREAK statement
The BREAK statement is used to transfer control out of an enclosing
WHILE or SWITCH block. Control is transferred to the first statement
after the closing bracket of the block. If a BREAK statement occurs
within a WHILE or SWITCH block, it terminates only the WHILE or
SWITCH statement which immediately encloses it.
SWITCH statement
The SWITCH statement has the following form:
SWITCH numeric-expression
{
CASE integer-constant1:
statement(s)
CASE integer-constant2:
statement(s)
.
.
.
DEFAULT : (Optional)
statement(s)
}
This statement transfers control to a statement within the block enclosed

by curly brackets. Control passes to the statement whose CASE integer-
constant matches the value of the SWITCH numeric-expression.
The SWITCH statement may contain any number of CASE instances.
Execution begins at the selected statement and continues until the end of
the block, or until a BREAK statement transfers control out of the block.
An optional DEFAULT case can be specified in the block. If the SWITCH
expression does not match any of the CASE integer-constants, control
will be passed to the DEFAULT statement(s).
If there is no DEFAULT case and the SWITCH expression does not
match any of the CASE constants, none of the statements in the block
will be executed, and control will pass to the first statement after the
block. If there is a DEFAULT case, it must be the last case in the block.
Each curly bracket must be on a line by itself.
A colon is required after each CASE constant, and after the DEFAULT.
SWITCH statements may be nested to a maximum depth of 20.
Here is an example of a SWITCH statement:

SWITCH switchval
{
CASE 1:
y = SIN(x)
CASE 2:
p = 2 * q
BREAK
DEFAULT:
MESS “This is the default case”
}
If switchval is 1 in this example, control will be passed to the statement

“y = SIN(x)”. Then the statement “p = 2 * q” will be executed, after
which the BREAK statement will transfer control to the statement
following the closing bracket of the SWITCH block.
CALL and RETURN statements

The CALL and RETURN statements are mentioned here only for
completeness, since they control the flow of a program.
The CALL statement is used to activate a user-written procedure that
does not return a value. The RETURN statement is used within a
procedure body to cause a return of control from the procedure to the
point from which it was activated.
EXIT statement
The EXIT statement causes the compiled macro program to terminate
immediately. It may appear anywhere within the program.

Procedures
A procedure is a section of code that is activated from other parts of the
program. A procedure reference or CALL statement activates the
procedure.
Program control is passed from the point of activation to the beginning of
the procedure code, and the code is executed. Upon exit from the
procedure code, program control is passed back to the statement
immediately after the point of activation.
The use of procedures forms the basis of modular programming. It
makes programs more understandable, and therefore more
maintainable.
Format of a procedure
A procedure consists of three parts:
• a PROC statement
• a sequence of statements forming the procedure body
• an ENDPROC statement.
The following is a simple example:
PROC doorcheck(NUMERIC front_lock, NUMERIC side_lock)
IF front_lock AND side_lock
CALL power_on
ELSE
CALL door_alarm
ENDPROC
where “power_on” and “door_alarm” are procedures declared previously

in the same program. “doorcheck” is the name of the procedure in this
example.
A procedure name may be up to 32 characters long. The first character
must be a letter or underscore; the remaining characters may be letters,
numbers or the underscore. The procedure name must not be the same
as the name of any variable or keyword.
Procedure parameters
In the PROC statement, the procedure name is followed by a list of
“formal parameters” in parentheses, and separated by commas. Each
formal parameter has the following form:
NUMERIC argname

or
STRING argname$
where “argname” is a numeric identifier and “argname$ is a string

identifier (see section 2.3). A maximum of 20 formal parameters is
allowed.
When a procedure is activated, the CALL statement or procedure
reference contains a list of actual parameters. Each actual parameter is
an expression whose value is assigned to the corresponding formal
parameter in the procedure before the procedure begins to execute.
For example, the following procedure takes three parameters, called
“label”, “x” and “y”.
PROC writelabel(STRING label$, NUMERIC x, NUMERIC y)
TEXT “Y” [x,y] STRUPR$(label$) [#]
ENDPROC
The statement in the body of the procedure converts the text string
“label$” to uppercase and writes it at the coordinates [x,y]. You can use
the following statement inside the main body of the program to call the
procedure and write a label at coordinates [8,10].
CALL writelabel(“This is a label”,5+3,10)
The three actual parameters in the CALL statement (“This is a label”,

5+3, and 10) are assigned to the three formal parameters which were
declared in the PROC statement (label$, x, and y). These parameters are
referenced from within the body of the procedure using the names
declared in the PROC statement.
The number of actual parameters in the CALL statement must exactly
match the number of formal parameters declared in the corresponding
PROC statement, otherwise the compiler will produce an error message.
Also, the type of each actual parameter (NUMERIC or STRING) must
match the type of the corresponding formal parameter.
Procedure parameters (whether numeric or string) are allocated
temporary storage for the duration of the procedure execution.
Therefore a procedure can call itself recursively (up to a maximum
recursion depth of 20).

Return value of a procedure
The statements in the body of a procedure are executed in sequence
until a RETURN or ENDPROC statement is encountered; at which time
control is returned to the statement following the one which activated
the procedure.
The RETURN statement passes the value of a numeric expression back
to the calling program. If the procedure does not contain a RETURN
statement, a value of zero will be passed back to the calling program.
A procedure may contain any number of RETURN statements but must
contain one and only one ENDPROC statement, which must be the last
statement in the procedure.
The syntax of the RETURN statement is:
RETURN(numeric_expression)
Note that the parentheses are required.
Ways of activating a procedure

There are two ways of activating a procedure. The first is to use the
CALL statement. In this case, any value which is returned by the
procedure is ignored; therefore the RETURN statement would normally
not be used in such a procedure. The syntax of the CALL statement is:
CALL procedurename(param1, param2, param3, ....)
where param1, param2 etc are numeric or string expressions, which

match the formal parameters in the PROC statement of the
corresponding procedure. The second way to activate a procedure is to
reference it as though it were a numeric expression, for example:
variable = expression1 + procedurename(param1,\ param2, param3, ...)
This type of procedure would return a numeric value using the RETURN
statement.
Passing parameters by reference

Often it is desirable to have a procedure return more than one value, or
to have the procedure modify a variable that is passed to it as a
parameter. Compiled macro provides a method of achieving this, called
passing parameters by reference.
Normally, parameters are passed by value, i.e. the actual parameter is
evaluated and the value of the expression is passed to the procedure.

The “address-of” operator PTR provides a means of passing the address
of a variable to the procedure, rather than the value of the variable.
The “indirection operator” AT provides a means for the procedure to
access a numeric variable, given only the address of the variable.
The following example shows how a procedure can modify the value of a
numeric variable whose address is passed to it as a parameter:
/* First, we have declarations of global variables */
NUMERIC variable1
NUMERIC variable2
/* Here we have a procedure */
PROC procname(NUMERIC param1, NUMERIC param2)
.
.
.
AT param2 = expression1
AT param2 + 1 = expression2
.
.
.
ENDPROC
/* Here we have the start of the main body of statements */
.
.
CALL procname(actualparam1, PTR variable1)
.
.
END
In this example, the CALL statement passes the “address” of variable1 to

procedure “procname”. Since this was the first variable to be declared,
its address is zero. The first statement shown in the procedure modifies
the variable whose address is passed to it in param2; this variable is
“variable1”. The following statement modifies the variable following
“variable1”, i.e. “variable2”.
This example shows that a procedure can modify multiple numeric
variables, if the base address of a block of variables is passed to it.

Compiling a compiled macro program
Compiled macro programs are written in an ASCII file, which means
written in English on a word processor or text editor. You can access the
on-line word processor from within AllyCAD by using the File Edit
macro function. The name of the program text file must end in a “.MAC”
extension.
To compile a compiled macro source file from AllyCAD select
File Compile Macro.
The compiler will generate a binary file (i.e. not human-readable) called
“programname.MBF”, where MBF stands for Macro Binary File
Error and warning messages

The normal error message displayed by the compiler if it finds a syntax
error is:
*** syntax error *** filename, line x : at or near column y
where ”filename” is the name of the program text file, and x and y are the
line number and column number at which the error was found. The
offending line of the program is displayed after this message, with a
vertical bar (|) immediately after the token which caused the error.
If the column number is reported as 0, then the compiler expected to

find something more at the end of the previous line, and instead found
a newline character.
Other error messages that the compiler may produce are as follows:
Error: number of variables exceeds 500
If you are using more than 200 different numeric variables in your
program, try putting some of them into ARRAYs.
Error: number of string variables exceeds 200
Error: number of string constants in a statement exceeds 150
You may have any number of string constants in a program, but no more
than 150 in each statement.
Error: found end of file before end of comment
You may get this error message if you forget to terminate a comment that
starts with “/*”.
Error: String “...” too long; truncated.

The maximum length of a string constant is 255 characters; anything
longer will be truncated. This is a warning message; the compiler still
generates a binary file.
Error: number of constants in a statement exceeds 150
You may have any number of numeric constants in a program, but no

more than 150 in each statement
Symbol ... too long; truncated
The maximum length of an identifier is 31 characters.

Error on line x; array “....” has already been declared
This message reports a duplicated array name.

Error: number of procedures exceeds 30
If 30 procedures in a program is not enough for your application, contact

Knowledge Base.
Error: Duplicate procedure name “....”
You have two procedures with the same name in the macro. Change the
name of one of the procedures.
Error: maximum of 20 parameters per procedure
You may only pass in less than 20 parameters into a procedure.

Error: Constant too long; truncated
A numeric or string constant’s name is longer than 31 characters.

Error on line x; illegal dimension in array declaration
The dimension of an array must be a positive integer.

Error: number of arrays exceeds 50
There may not be more than 50 arrays in the program.

How does a compiled macro program differ?
String constants enclosed in quotation marks
The major difference between old-style (interpreted) macro programs
and the new compiled program syntax is that in the new syntax, all
character string constants must be enclosed in quotation marks,
otherwise they will be interpreted as numeric variables.
In the old-style syntax, this was not the case. For example, look at the
CURMODE and PARLLINE commands:
CURMODE f
PARLLINE Y Y [-160,115] [-50,115] 20 [-50,-35] 0
In the new syntax these commands would be:

CURMODE “f”
PARLLINE “Y” “Y” [-160,115] [-50,115] 20 [-50,-35] 0
Unintentional combination of numeric arguments

In the new syntax, when a command takes a numeric argument that is
followed by a negative numeric argument, the two arguments will be
interpreted as a subtraction expression, for example:
PARLLINE “Y” “N” 10 3 2 0 -10 4 2 0 0 “R”
In this example, the zero followed by the -10 will be interpreted as (0-10).
To prevent this unintentional effect, enclose the “-10” in parentheses as
follows:
PARLLINE “Y” “N” 10 3 2 0 (-10) 4 2 0 0 “R”
Commands/functions whose syntax has changed
ATAN2
Use a comma, not a colon, to separate the x and y parameters within

parentheses.
CIRDIA and GCIRDIA
The list of radii must not be enclosed in quotes. Numeric expressions

may be used for the radii, not only numeric constants.

DIMPARM
The argument corresponding to the answer to the question “Do you want
tolerances on or off?” must now be a string containing “Y” or “N”, not a
numeric argument of 0 for NO or 1 for YES. This makes the syntax more
consistent.
WRITE
The TAB function can no longer be used.
List of compiled macro reserved words
Keywords
AND ARRAY AT
BREAK CALL CASE
DEFAULT END PROC ELSE
END EXIT IF
NOT NUMERIC OR
P ROC PTR RETURN
STRING SWITCH WHILE
Built-in numeric functions

ABS ACOS ASIN
ATAN ATAN2 COS
EOF INT LEN
LN NUM REPLY
NOREPLY SHELL SIN
SQRT STRCMP STRSTR
TAN VAL
Built-in string functions

CHR$ JOIN$ STRLWR$
STRUPR$ SUBSTR$ TRIM$
TRIMLEFT$ TRIMRIGHT$ VAL$
VALUNIT$ VALANG$ VALANGREL$

Compiled macro limits
Maximum number of numeric constants in one statement: 150

Maximum number of string constants in one statement: 150
Maximum number of numeric variables in a program: 500
Maximum number of string variables in a program: 200
Maximum number of arguments for one procedure: 20
Maximum number of procedures in a program: 50
Maximum number of numeric arrays in a program: 50
Maximum nesting level of WHILE statements: 20

Appendix A - Functions
This Appendix lists the names of AllyCAD's functions as they appear on
the pull-down menus together with the actual names of these functions
that are executed when the menu options are chosen. You need to know
these names if you want to customise the menus, toolbars or
accelerators. Refer to CAD.MEN for details.
For further details on these functions see Macros, under the headings
given in brackets. Details of all the functions listed below are given in the
Macros section except the arrow key functions, abort_repeat, about,
done, enterpt, escape, helphelp, helpindex, helpsearch, spnlinearc, and
toresponse, as these are not relevant to writing macros.
Appendix A - Functions 19-1

Function by Menu Name
This list shows the names of the functions as they appear on the menu
alphabetically on the left with the actual names of the functions on the
right.
Name Function
1 Parallel Element parll1
• 120 deg iso120
About about
Add Arrow arrow
Add Balloon balloon
Add Data Item data
Add/Rem Text Bubble addrbaln
Add Text text
• Align align
AllyCAD DOS Conversion Settings doscadsettings
Alter Dimension dimalter
Alter Existing Hatch addhatch
Angular Dimension adim
Arc 3 Point arc
Arc Radius arcr
Arrow keys a_down
a_downnoask
a_downleft
a_downleftnoask
a_downright
a_downrightnoask
a_left
a_leftnoask
a_right
a_rightnoask
a_up
a_upnoask
a_upleft
a_upleftnoask
a_upright
a_uprightnoask

Name Function
Begin New Object begingroup
Bill of Materials bom
Blink Current Object blnkcurp
Cascade (Windows) cascade
Chamfer chamfer
Change Hook Point chpthook
• Change Magnify Factor chmag
Change Name renampat
Change Parent parent
Change Text Parameters edtext "C"
Circle (Draw) cir
Circle (Geometry) gcir
Circle 3 Point gc3point
• Circle Center Mode curmode "E"
Circle Diameter (Draw) cirdia
Circle Diameter(Geometry) gcirdia
Circle Tan 3L gctan3l
Circle Tan CC gctancc
Circle Tan LC gctanlc
Circle Tan LL gctanll
Circle Tan CPtRad gctancpt
Circle Tan LPt&Rad gctanlp
Circular Spline spline
Clear All (File) delall
Clear Selection clearsel
Close All (Windows) windowclose all
Contents helpindex
Copy copy
Copy Selected New Layer copytolayer
Create Block block
Cross gcross
Cubic Spline curve
Cut cut
Cut and Rub exec ".\macro\cut&rub"
Cut Dimension Line cutdimln

Name Function
.Define Zoom View zoom “D” , e.g. zoom "D" "0"
Delete delete
Delete All Geometry delgeom
Delete Geometry El delgeoel
• Demagnify demag
Digitizer Settings setdigitizer
Divide/Edit exec ".\macro\divedln";
Divide/Extend divide
Done done
Draw All Hatch plothat
Drawing Settings drawdef
Draw Selected Hatch plotwhat
Drop drop
Dump Data dumpdata
DXF Defaults dxfsettings
DXF/DWG Conversion Settings
Edit Data Item editdata
Edit Description descrip
Edit Dimension Properties eddim
Edit macro (File)
Edit Text edtext "E"
Ellipse ell
Ellipse 2 Arcs el2arc
Encode Macro encode
Enter Hatch/Solid Fill hatch
Exec Macro exec
Exit quit
Expand expand
Explode Object explode
Export Macro importexp "M"
Export Text importexp "T"
Fillet fillet
Fill Geom fillgeom
Fill Geom Arc fillgarc
Fill Geom Cir fillgcir

Name Function
• Freehand Mode curmode "F"
• Geom Intersection Jump jumpgeom
• Geom Intersection Mode curmode "I"
• Grab All Mode curmode "A"
• Grid griddef
• Grid Mode curmode "G"
Group Into Object linksel
Hatch->Lines hatchtol
• Hold cursorhold
Horizontal Dimension hdim
How to Use Help helphelp
Import ASCII importext "A"
Import HPGL importexp "H"
Insert Block (Objects) insert
• Intersection Mode curmode "Z"
• Join Lines joinline
• Jump and Lock Line lockang "J"
• Jump Any Intersection jumpint
• Jump Circle Center jumpcen
• Jump Near Element jumpnear
• Jump to Grab All Cursor jumpall
• Jump Grid jumpgd
• Jump Point jumppt
Label Coord labcoord
• Last Fixed jumpfixed
Layer Control editlay
Line (Chained) line
Line Arc Line bentline
• Line Defaults linetype
Lines (Pt-Pt) ptline
Line Tan C glntanc
Line Tan CC glntancc
List Objects listpat
Load Bitmap loadbitmap
Load Geom loadgeom

Name Function
Load Layers loadlay
Load New Menu loadmenu
Load Symbol File newsymfl
Load Title Block exec ".\macro\loadtitl"
• Lock Geom Line lockang "G"
• Lock to Line lockang "L"
• Lock Keyboard lockang "K"
• Long Pan longpan
• Magnify magnify
Make Geometry makegeom
Make Symbol makesym
• Measure querydist
• Mid Point Jump jumpratio .5 "Y"
Mirror Image mirror
Move move
Move to Back movetoback
• Move to Coordinates curtocoordenter
Move To Front movetofront
Move Point exec ".\macro\movept"
Move Selected->New Layer wsnewlay
Move Text edtext "M"
Nearest Line/Arc Mode curmode "N"
New delall
New Geometry Colour geompen
Open readanyfile
Ordinate Dimension odim
• Pan pan
Parallel Defaults parlldef
Parallel Line (Draw) parlline
Parallel Line (Geometry) glineprl
Part Ellipse ellbit
Paste paste
Perp Bisector glnperpb
• Perpendicular yperp
Pick Index from Hatch (Annotate)

Name Function
Point point
• Point Mode curmode "J"
Point-Point Line glinepp
• Polar Move polarenter
Polygon exec ".\macro\polygon"
Polygon Area qryarea
Polyline pline
Polyline Defaults plinedef
Polysnip
Print hardcopy
Print Setup printsetup
Purge Redundant Elements purge
Query Entity queryel
Radial Dimension rdim
• Ratio Jump jumpratio
Re-Center Paper centerpaper
Rectangle rect
• Redo redo
• Redraw refresh
Repair DRG File repair
Repeat repeat
Rotate rotate
Save save
Save AllyCAD DOS writedosally
Save As writeanyfile
Save Geometry storegeom
Save Layer storelay
Save Selected storews
Save Settings autosavedlg
Save Visible storevis
Scale scale
Scale Text edtext "S"
Search for Help On helpsearch
Select select
Select Normal selectnormal

Name Function
Select by Polygon selectpoly
Select Current Object newcurp "!"
Select Nodes selectnodes
Selection Filters selectdef
Set Alignment setalign
Set Arrow Defaults arrowdef
Set Balloon Defaults fitballn
Set Current Layer newlayer
Set Dim Defaults dimdef
Set Survey Defaults surveydimsetup
• Set Text Defaults textdef
Set Visible Layers showlayer
Sheet Size and Scale newscale
Show Nodes shownode
Show Objects allpats
Sketch freehand
Slope Dimension sdim
Slope Line glineslp
• Snap Mode snapdlg
Snip snip
Stretch stretch
Survey Dimension surveydim
Symbol symbol
System Settings
Tidy Polygons tidypoly
Tile Horizontally
Tile Vertically
Toolbars (View)
Trim trim
• Undo undo
• Unlock lockang "U"
Update Objects renew
Vertical Dimension vdim
• View Settings viewdef
Virtual Memory Settings setvmem

Name Function
• Zoom All zoom "A"
• Zoom Last zoom "L"
• Zoom Next zoom "N"
Zoom Print zoomplot
• Zoom Scaled zoom "S"
• Zoom Selected zoom "E"
• Zoom Paper redraw
• Zoom View zoom "V" e.g. zoom "V" "0"
• Zoom Window zoom "W"

Functions A to Z
This list shows the actual names of the functions alphabetically on the
left with their corresponding menu names on the right. The functions
preceded by bullet points (•) are functions that it is safe to make
transparent.
Functions with a menu name of “n.i.” are not included in the default
menu.
Function Name
• a_down move down (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_downnoask move down the same distance you moved last time you moved
down (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_downleft move down and left (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_downleftnoask move down and left the same distance you moved last time
you moved down and left (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_downright move down and right (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_downrightnoask move down and right the same distance you moved last time
you moved down and right (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_left move left (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_leftnoask move left the same distance you moved last time you moved
left (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_right move right (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_rightnoask move right the same distance you moved last time you moved
right (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_up move up (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_upnoask move up the same distance you moved last time you moved up
(Accurate Drawing ).
• a_upleft move up and left (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_upleftnoask move up and left the same distance you moved last time you
moved up and left (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_upright move up and right (Accurate Drawing ).
• a_uprightnoask move up and right the same distance you moved last time you
moved up and right (Accurate Drawing ).
abort_repeat repeat last function.
about about AllyCAD (Help).
addhatch Alter Existing Hatch (Annotate).
addrbaln Add or Remove Text Bubble (Annotate).
addsym n.i. (Draw).
adim Angular Dimension (Annotate).

Function Name
• align Align (Annotate).
e.g. Align "L"
alllayer n.i. (Settings).
allpats Show Objects (Objects).
arc Arc 3 Point (Draw).
arcr Arc Radius (Draw).
arrow Add Arrow (Annotate).
arrowdef Set Arrow Defaults (Settings).
arrsize n.i. (Settings).
autosavedlg Save Settings (File).
autosttg n.i. (File).
backcol n.i. (Settings).
backuptm n.i. (File)
balloon Add Balloon (Annotate).
beep n.i. (General Purpose Functions).
begingroup Begin New Object (Objects).
beginobj same as startpat.
bentline Line Arc Line (Draw).
bigcursor n.i. (Settings).
blnkcurobj same as blnkcurp.
blnkcurp Blink Current Object (Objects).
block Create block
bom Bill of Materials (Tools).
cascade Cascade (Windows)
centerpaper Re-Center Paper (Settings).
chamfer Chamfer (Modify).
chgcoord n.i. (Settings).
• chmag Change Magnify Factor (Settings).
chpthook Change Hook Point (Objects).
cir Circle (Draw).
cirdia Circle Diameter (Draw).
clearfilter n.i. (Edit).
clearsel Clear Selection (Edit).
close n.i. (ASCII Files).
copy Copy (Edit).

Function Name
copytolayer Copy Selected->New Layer (Modify).
create n.i. (ASCII Files).
cur n.i. (Data Entry Functions).
• curmode enter a Snap Mode (Settings).
e.g. curmode "F" = Freehand.
• cursorhold Hold (Tools).
• curtocoord n.i. (Tools).
• curtocoordenter Move to Coordinates (Tools)
curve Cubic Spline (Draw).
cut Cut (Edit).
cutdimln Cut Dimension Line (Annotate).
data Add Data Item (Tools).
ddeconnect n.i. (DDE Commands)
ddedisconnect n.i. (DDE Commands)
ddeexecute n.i. (DDE Commands)
ddepoke n.i. (DDE Commands)
dderequest n.i. (DDE Commands)
delall Clear All (File).
delel n.i. (Edit).
delgeoel Delete Geometry El (Geometry).
delgeom Delete All Geometry (Geometry).
delhatch n.i. (Edit).
dellayer n.i. (Edit).
delprev n.i. (Edit).
delselect Delete (Edit).
• demag Demagnify (View).
descrip Edit Description (File).
dimalter Alter Dimension (Annotate).
dimdef Set Dim Defaults (Settings).
dimparm n.i. (Settings).
divide Divide/Extend (Modify).
done cancels a function.
doscadsettings AllyCAD DOS Conversion settings
drawdef Drawing Settings (Settings).
drawlayer same as newlayer.

Function Name
drop Drop (Modify).
dumpdata Dump Data (Tools).
dxfsettings DXF Defaults (Settings).
edarrow n.i. (Settings).
eddim Edit Dimension Properties (Annotate).
eddrinfo same as descrip.
editdata Edit Data Item (Tools).
editlay Layer Control (Settings).
editlp n.i. (Settings).
edpthook same as chpthook.
edtext Edit Text (Annotate). E.g.edtext “M” =Move Text
el2arc Ellipse 2 Arc (Modify).
ell Ellipse (Draw).
ellbit Part Ellipse (Draw).
encode Encode Macro (File).
endblock AutoCAD command - do not use.
enquire n.i. (Enquire).
• enterpt accept an answer or a point.
entsym same as symbol.
• escape cancel a function.
exec “\macro\cut&rub Cut and Rub
exec ".\macro\divedln"; Divide/Edit
execstep n.i. (Introduction and File).
expand Expand (Tools).
explode Explode Object (Objects).
filemenu n.i. (ASCII Files).
filetxt same as importexp "A".
fillet Fillet (Modify).
fillgarc Fill Geom Arc (Draw).
fillgcir Fill Geom Cir (Draw).
fillgeom Fill Geom (Draw).
fitballn Set Balloon Defaults (Settings).
freehand Sketch (Draw).
gc3point Circle 3 Point (Geometry).
gcir Circle (Geometry).

Function Name
gcirdia Circle Diameter (Geometry).
gcross Cross (Geometry).
gctan3l Circle Tan 3L (Geometry).
gctancc Circle Tan CC (Geometry).
gctancpt Circle Tan CPtRad (Geometry).
gctanlc Circle Tan LC (Geometry).
gctanll Circle Tan LL (Geometry).
gctanlp Circle Tan LPtRad (Geometry).
geompen New Geometry Colour (Geometry).
glinepp Point-Point Line (Geometry).
glineprl Parallel Line (Geometry).
glineslp Slope Line (Geometry).
glnperpb Perp Bisector (Geometry).
glntanc Line Tan C (Geometry).
glntancc Line Tan CC (Geometry).
grid n.i. (Tools).
• griddef Grid (Tools).
groupsel same as linksel.
hardcopy Print (File).
hatch Enter Hatch (Annotate).
hatchtol Hatch -> Lines (Annotate).
hdim Horizontal Dimension (Annotate).
helphelp How to Use Help (Help).
helpindex Contents (Help).
helpsearch Search for Help On (Help).
hemisphr n.i. (Settings).
• home jump to screen center.
impotexp Import/Export (File). e.g. importexp "H" = Import HPGL
insert Insert block
• iso120 120 deg (Tools).
isodraw n.i. (Settings).
joinline Join Lines (Modify).
• jumpall Jump to Grab All Cursor (Tools).
• jumpcen Jump Circle Center (Tools).
• jumpfixed Last Fixed (Tools).

Function Name
• jumpgd Jump Grid (Tools).
• jumpgeom Geom Intersection (Tools).
• jumpint Jump Any Intersection (Tools).
• jumpnear Jump Near Element (Tools).
• jumppt Jump Point (Tools).
• jumpratio Jump Ratio (Tools).
labcoord Label Coord (Annotate).
layermag n.i. (Settings).
layhighl n.i. (Settings).
layname n.i. (Settings).
line Line (Chained) (Draw).
linestyleapply n.i. (Settings).
• linetype Line Defaults (Settings).
link n.i. (Objects).
linksel Group Into Object (Objects).
listpat List Objects (Objects).
load n.i. (File).
loadbitmap Load Bitmap (File).
loadgeom Load Geom (File).
loadlay Load Layers (File).
loadmenu n.i. (File).
• lockang Lock Cursor (Tools)e.g. lockang "L" = Lock to Line.
locklayer n.i. (Settings).
• longpan Long Pan (View).
• magnify Magnify (View).
makegeom Make Geometry (Geometry).
makesym Make Symbol (Objects).
mess n.i. (General Purpose Functions).
mirror Mirror (Modify).
move Move (Modify).
movetoback Move to Back (Edit).
movetofront Move to Front (Edit).
newcurp "!" Select Current Object (Objects).
newlayer Set Current Layer (Settings).
newscale n.i. (Settings).

Function Name
newsymfil Load Symbol File (File).
objhook same as chpthook.
odim Ordinate Dimension (Annotate).
open n.i. (ASCII Files).
opena n.i. (ASCII Files).
opendr n.i. (File).
• pan Pan (View).
parent Change Parent (Objects).
parll1 1 Parallel Element (Draw).
parlldef Parallel Defaults (Settings).
parlline Parallel Line (Draw).
paste Paste (Edit).
patnwlay n.i. (Modify).
pccwarcvertex AutoCAD command - do not use.
pcwarcvertex AutoCAD command - do not use.
pen n.i. (Settings).
pickhatx n.i. (Annotate).
picktxtp n.i. (Settings).
pline Polyline (Draw).
plinedef Polyline Defaults (Settings).
plothat Draw All Hatch (Annotate).
plotwhat Draw Selected Hatch (Annotate).
point Point (Draw).
• polar n.i. (Tools).
• polarenter Polar Move (Tools).
printsetup Print Setup (File).
ptline Line (Pt-Pt) (Draw).
purge Purge Redundant Elements (File).
pvertex n.i. (Draw).
qryarea Polygon Area (Tools).
• querydist Measure (Tools).
queryel Query Entity (Tools).
quit Exit (File).
rdim Radial Dimension (Annotate).
read n.i. (ASCII Files).

Function Name
readacad n.i. (File).
readanyfile Open (File).
readln n.i. (ASCII Files).
rect Rectangle (Draw).
• redo Redo (Edit).
• redraw Zoom Paper (View).
• refresh Redraw (View).
renameobj same as renampat.
renampat Change Name (Objects).
renew Update Objects (Objects).
repair Repair DRG File (File).
repeat Repeat (Modify).
rewind n.i. (ASCII Files).
rotate Rotate (Modify).
rubberband n.i. (General Purpose Functions).
save Save (File).
scale Scale (Modify).
scrollbaron n.i. (Settings).
scrollbaroff n.i. (Settings).
sdim Slope Dimension (Annotate).
seek n.i. (ASCII Files).
select n.i. (Edit).
selectdef Selection Filters (Edit).
selecthatch n.i. (Edit).
selectlayer n.i. (Edit).
selectname n.i. (Edit).
selectnew n.i. (Edit).
selectnodes Select Nodes (Edit).
selectnormal Selectnormal (Edit).
selectobj same as selectname.
selectpoly Select Polygon (Selection Filters in Edit).
setalign Set Alignment (Annotate).
setangformat n.i. (Settings).
setareaunits n.i. (Settings).
setasklogon n.i. (Settings).

Function Name
setcur n.i. (General Purpose Functions).
setcurobj same as newcurp.
setdigitizer Digitizer Settings (Settings).
setlinedash n.i. (Settings).
setlayerdef n.i. (Settings).
setlinedef n.i. (Settings).
setmacpath n.i. (File).
setmacundo n.i. (General Purpose Functions).
setmacvar n.i. (Running Other Programs).
setnortheast n.i. (Settings).
setpaperextents n.i. (Settings).
setpaperunits n.i. (Settings).
setpath n.i. (File).
setpointdef n.i. (Settings).
setportrait n.i. (Settings).
setpowerbarfont n.i. (Settings).
setruler n.i. (Settings).
setsympath n.i. (File).
setunits n.i. (Settings).
setvmem Virtual Memory Settings (Settings).
setwritelog n.i. (Settings).
showlayer Set Visible Layers (Settings).
shownode Show Nodes (Tools).
showobjs same as allpats.
showpen n.i. (Settings).
• snapdlg Snap Modes (Settings).
snip Snip (Modify).
spline Circular Spline (Draw).
• spnlinearc add a line to a Circular Spline (Draw).
starthat n.i. (Annotate).
startpat n.i. (Objects).
showwindow n.i. (DDE Commands).
startsolid n.i. (Annotate).
store n.i. (File).
storegeom Save Geometry (File).

Function Name
storelay Save Layer (File).
storevis Save Visible (File).
storews Save Selected (File).
stretch Stretch (Modify).
surveydimsetup Set Survey Defaults (Settings).
surveydm Survey Dimension (Annotate).
symbol Symbol (Draw).
tabfocustopower moves corsor to and from Control Bar.
• takelpen take line style from an existing line (see Line Defaults in
Settings).
tell n.i. (ASCII Files).
text Add Text (Annotate).
• textdef Set Text Defaults (Settings).
tidypoly Tidy Polygons (Tools).
• tinypsiz n.i. (Settings).
• togarcdot n.i. (Settings).
• togcoords n.i. (Settings).
• togfin n.i. (Settings).
• toggeom n.i. (Settings).
• togglebigcursor n.i. (Settings).
• toghatch n.i. (Settings).
• togpbox n.i. (Settings).
• togpolar n.i. (Settings).
• toresponse move the cursor to the Response Area so you can type in
commands.
trim Trim (Modify).
txtfile same as importexp "T".
• undo Undo (Edit).
units n.i. (Settings).
usehandles n.i. (Edit).
useswdottedlines n.i. (Settings).
vdim Vertical Dimension (Annotate).
• viewdef View Settings (Settings).
waitformessage n.i. (Running Other Programs).
width n.i. (Settings).
windowcloseall Close All (Windows)

Function Name
write n.i. (ASCII Files).
writeanyfile Save As (File).
writedosally Save AllyCAD DOS
wsnewlay Move Selected -> New Layer (Modify).
wtextparm n.i. (Settings).
• yperp Perpendicular (Tools).
• zoom Zooms (View). e.g. Zoom All = Zoom "A"
zoomplot Zoom Print (File).
Notes:

Appendix B - Bitmap Names
This section lists all the bitmaps that are available and the function each
bitmap is usually associated with.
Appendix B - Bitmap Names 20-1

File Menu
Bitmap Function File Name Help Description
DELALL delall Clear drawing sheet
FILENEW filenew Start a new drawing
FILEOPEN fileopen Open DRG, DXF or DWG drawing
READANYFILE readanyf Merge a drawing with drawing on
screen
READACAD readacad Open AutoCAD DWG drawing
LOADBITMAP loadbitm Load raster file as backdrop
LOADMENU loadmenu Load new menu
FILETXT filetxt Import text from an ASCII file
LOADLAY loadlay Load layer
LOADGEOM loadgeom Load geometry
AUTOSAVEDLG autosave Set Save Settings
BACKUPTM backuptm Set time between auto backups
FILESAVE filesave Save
FILESAVEAS filesava Save As
STOREWS storews Save the selection set
STOREVIS storevis Save visible layers
STORELAY storelay Save layer
WRITEDOSALLY writedos Save drawing in DOS AllyCAD format
TXTFILE txtfile Save text on drawing to an ASCII file
STOREGEOM storegeo Save geometry
DUMPDOSMACRO dumpdosm Save drawing as AllyCAD DOS
macro
DESCRIP descrip Edit drawing description
NEWSYMFL newsymfl Load new symbol library
HARDCOPY hardcopy Print/Plot
ZOOMPLOT zoomplot Print part of a drawing
PRINTSETUP printset Print Setup
EXEC exec Execute a macro
EXECSTEP execstep Debug a macro by stepping through it

ENCODE encode Encode a macro
EDMACRO edmacro Edit a macro
REPAIR repair Repair a corrupted drawing
PURGE purge Delete duplicate
entities/unreferenced blocks/empty
layers
QUIT quit Exit

Edit Menu
UNDO undo Undo
REDO redo Redo
CUT cut Copy selection set to Clipboard and
delete
COPY copy Copy selection set to Clipboard
PASTE paste Paste from Clipboard into CAD
DELSELECT delselec Delete selection set
DELPAT delpat Delete object
DELHATCH delhatch Delete hatch
SELECTDEF selectde Set selection filters
CLEARFILTER clearfil Clear the selection filters
SELECTHATCH selectha Select hatch
SELECTNAME selectna Select objects by name
SELECTOBJ selectob Select objects by clicking on them
SELECTLAYER selectla Select everything on a layer
SELECT select Select items by clicking / dragging
box
SELECTNODES selectno Select and drag nodes
SELECTPOLY selectpo Select entities inside a box or
polygon
CLEARSEL clearsel Clear selection set
USEHANDLES usehandl Turn dynamic stretch/rotate on/off
MOVETOFRONT movetof Move selection set to front
MOVETOBACK movetob Move selection set to back

ViewMenu
ZOOM zoom Show menu of zoom options
ZOOM W zoomw View area within a user-defined box
ZOOM L zooml Step backwards through zoom
sequence
ZOOM N zoomn Step forwards through zoom
sequence
ZOOM A zooma View whole drawing at maximum
size
ZOOM S zooms View drawing at specific scale
ZOOM E zoome Zoom into the selection set
ZOOM V zoomv Zoom into a pre-defined view
ZOOM D zoomd Define zoom views
MAGNIFY magnify Magnify drawing at cursor position
DEMAG demag Demagnify drawing at cursor position
PAN pan Pan to cursor position
LONGPAN longpan Pan using pan box
REFRESH refresh Refresh screen after editing or
deleting
REDRAW redraw View entire sheet of paper

Draw Menu
LINE line Draw joined lines
PTLINE ptptline Draw individual lines
POINT point Draw point
RECT rect Draw rectangle
ARC arc Draw arc through three points
ARC arcr Draw arc by end points and radius
CIR cir Draw circle by centre point and point
on circumference
CIRDIA cirdia Draw up to 5 concentric circles by
centre point and diameter
CIR2P cir2pt Draw circle through two points
BENTLINE bentline Draw line-arc-line sequence with
variable arc radii
PARLLINE parlline Draw multiple pre-defined parallel
lines
PARLL1 parll1 Draw single lines/arcs parallel to
existing lines/arcs
FILLGCIR fillgcir Draw circle by tracing over geometry
circle
FILLGARC fillgarc Draw arc by tracing over portion of
geometry circle
FILLGEOM fillgeom Draw lines and arcs by tracing over
geometry
ELL ell Draw ellipse by centre point, aspect
ratio and angle
ELLBIT ellbit Draw part-ellipse by centre point,
aspect ratio and angle
SP SPLINE spline Draw a circular spline composed of

arcs
SPNLINEARC spnline Add a tangential line to a circular
spline
CURVE curve Draw cubic spline composed of
many small lines
PLINE polyline Draw polyline or Bezier curve
SYMBOL symbol Add pre-drawn symbol to drawing
FREEHAND sketch Draw freehand

Modify Menu
STRETCH stretch Stretch
MOVE move Move selection set
MIRROR mirror Mirror selection set
SCALE scale Resize selection set
REPEAT repeat Copy selection set in a linear or polar
fashion
DROP drop Copy selection set
ROTATE rotate Rotate selection set
TRIM trim Trim lines/arcs
FILLET fillet Fillet (insert radiused corner between
two lines/arcs)
CHAMFER chamfer Chamfer (insert sloping line between
two lines/arcs)
DIVIDE divide Break or extend a line or arc
JOINLINE joinline Heal a broken line
SNIP snip Rub out everything inside/outside a
box/circle
POLYSNIP polysnip Rub out everything inside/outside an
irregular polygon
WSNEWLAY wsnewl Move selection set to another layer
COPYTOLAYER copytola Copy selection set to another layer
EL2ARC el2arc Convert ellipse to 12 arcs for
snapping/hatching

Geometry Menu
GCROSS gcross Draw geometry cross
GLINESLP glineslp Draw geometry line through a point
and at a specified angle
GLINEPP glinepp Draw geometry line through two
points
GLINEPRL glineprl Draw geometry line/circle paralell to
existing line/arc/circle
GCIR gcir Draw geometry circle by centre point
and point on edge
GCIRDIA gcirdia Draw up to 5 concentric geometry
circles
GCTANLL gctanll Draw geometry circle tangent to two
lines
GCTANLC gctanlc Draw geometry circle tangent to a
line and a circle
GCTANCC gctancc Draw geometry circle tangent to two
circles
GCTAN3L gctan3l Draw geometry circle tangent to
three lines
GCTANLP gctanlp Draw geometry circle tangent to line
and through point
GCTANCPT gctancpt Draw geometry circle tangent to
circle and through point
GC3POINT gc3point Draw geometry circle through three
points
GLNTANC glntanc Draw geometry line tangent to circle
GLNTANCC glntancc Draw geometry line tangent to two
circles
GLNPERPB glnperpb Draw a perpendicular bisector
MAKEGEOM makegeom Copy an existing entity to geometry
DELGEOEL delgeoel Delete a geometry element
DELGEOM delgeom Delete all geometry

Annotate Menu
TEXT text Add text
EDTEXT edtext Edit text
SETALIGN align setalign
ALIGN align Align or distribute selection set using
current align settings
HDIM hdim Dimension a horizontal distance
VDIM vdim Dimension a vertical distance
SDIM sdim Dimension a sloped distance
ADIM adim Dimension an angle or arclength
RDIM rdim Dimension an arc or circle
ODIM odim Dimension points with ordinate
dimensions
SURVEYDM surveydm Dimension a line with its length and
bearing
DIMALTER dimalter Alter entity by changing dimension
text
EDDIM eddim Edit dimension
CUTDIMLN cutdimln Cut dimension witness line
ARROW arrow Add arrow
EDARROW edarrow Edit arrow
BALLOON balloon Add balloon (item reference)
ADDRBALN addrbaln Add/remove text bubble from piece
of text
HATCH hatch Hatch/solid fill an area
PICKHATX pickhatx Take hatch settings from existing
hatch
ADDHATCH addhatch Edit or add to a hatch/solid fill
HATCHTOL hatchtol Convert hatch to lines
PLOTHAT plothat Display all hatching
PLOTWHAT plotwhat Display selected hatching
LABCOORD labcoord Add coordinate labels at points or in
a table

Tools Menu
SHOWNODE shownode Display nodes
DUMPDATA dumpdata Create ASCII file of detailed
information about objects
GRIDDEF griddef Set up grid
QUERYDIST querydis Measure the distance and angle
between two points
QRYAREA qryarea Measure an area and perimeter
SETUSEWIDTHPERIM setusewp Use line weights in perimeter
calculations
DATA data Attach data to a coordinate location
EDITDATA editdata Edit data attached to a coordinate
location
QUERYEL queryel Query an entity for all of its
properties
BOM bom Create a bill of materials
TIDYPOLY tidypoly Tidy digitized / vectorized input
EXPAND expand Automatically produce a detailed
view

Objects Menu
BEGINOBJ beginobj Start a new object - object can’t be
selected with one click
BEGINGROUP begingro Start a new object – object can be
selected with one click
LINKSEL linksel Group selection set into an object
MAKESYM makesym Create an object by following
prompts
PARENT parent Start new parent
RENAMPAT renampat Rename object
OBJHOOK objhook Move object hook point
EXPLODE explode Explode Object
SHOWOBJS showobjs View Objects
LISTPAT listpat Write ASCII list of objects
RENEW renew Search and replace objects
SETCUROBJ setcurob Set current object
BLNKCUROBJ blnkcuro Blink current object

Settings Menu
DRAWDEF drawdef Set up drawing, e.g. scale, units,
paper size
CHGCOORD chgcoord Set coodinate system
NEWSCALE newscale Set sheet size and scale
SETUNITS setunits Set drawing units
SETANGFORMAT setangfo Set angular format, e.g. degrees, dd
mm ss
SETPORTRAIT setportr Set paper orientation - portrait or
landscape
SETPAPEREXTENTS setpaper Type user-defined paper width and
height
SETNORTHEAST setnorth Set coordinates – northing,easting or
easting,northing
HEMISPHR hemisphr Set coordinate system for
northern/southern hemisphere
ISODRAW isodraw Set grid to isometric, i.e. points at 30,
-30 and 90 degrees
VIEWDEF viewdef Set view settings, e.g. background
colour, hatch display
BACKCOL backcol Set screen background colour
SETPOWERBARFONT setpower Set font used on control bar
SETPOINTDEF setpoint Set point style, e.g. size, shape
TOGCOORDS togcoord Turn coordinate display on/off
TOGGEOM toggeom Turn geometry on/off
TOGFIN togfin Turn annotations on/off
TOGPOLAR togpolar Switch between absolute and polar
coordinate display
TOGHATCH toghatch Turn hatch display on/off
TOGARCDOT togarcd Turn arc/circle centre dot display
on/off
TOGLSYM toglsym Display symbol strings/wide lines in
detail/as ordinary lines
SCROLLBARON togscrol Turn scrollbars on/off
USESWDOTTEDLINES useswdot Display dashed lines less/more
accurately (faster/slower)

TOGGLEBIGCURSOR togglebi Turn big cursor on/off
SETRULER setruler Turn ruler on/off
TINYPSIZ tinypsiz Set size below which objects are
displayed as boxes
CENTERPAPER recenter Recentre the drawing on the paper
CHMAG chmag Change magnification factor
SETVMEM setvmem Set virtual memory
SETDIGITIZER setdigit Set up digitiser
DXFSETTINGS dxfsetti Set up DRG/DXF/DWG font
conversions
DOSCADSETTINGS dosset Set up AllyCAD32 to AllyCAD DOS
conversion
GEOMPEN geompen Set geometry line colour
PEN pen Set line colour
WIDTH width Set line width
LINETYPE linetype Set line colour, type and width
TAKELPEN takelpen Take line style settings from existing
line
LINESYMBOL linesymbol Create a line style made up of
objects
PLINEDEF plinedef Set up polylines, e.g. colour, hatch,
whether it’s a Bezier
PARLLDEF parlldef Set up parallel lines, e.g. number of
lines, offsets, colours
TEXTDEF textdef Set text parameters, e.g. colour, font
PICKTXTP picktxtp Take text parameters from existing
text
DIMDEF dimdef Set dimension parameters, e.g.
colour, font, arrow style
SURVEYDIMSETUP surveydi Set up survey dimensions, e.g.
bearing and distance positions
ARROWDEF arrowdef Set arrow parameters, e.g. colour,
size and type of head
FITBALLN fitballn Set balloon parameters, e.g.
draw/don’t draw an arrow
SYSTEMDEF systemde Set system defaults, e.g. log file, ask
for logon etc.
SETWRITELOG setwrite Write log of drawing session/Don’t

write log
SETMACAUTOCOMP setmacau Autocompile macros / use old
macros
SETASKLOGON setasklo Ask for user name when ChoiceCAD
starts up
NEWLAYER newlayer Set current layer
SHOWLAYER showlaye Set visible layers
EDITLAY editlay Add, edit, lock or highlight layers
LAYNAME layname Rename a layer
LOCKLAYER locklaye Lock layer so contents cannot be
edited
DELLAYER dellayer Delete a layer
LAYHIGHL layhighl Highlight Layers
ALLLAYER alllayer Allow functions to work on all
layers/current only
LAYERMAG layermag Set layer magnification

Windows Menu
WINDOWNEW windowne Create a new window
WINDOWCASCADE windowca Cascade windows
WINDOWTILEHORZ windowth Tile windows horizontally
WINDOWTILEVERT windowtv Tile windows vertically

Cursor Movement
A_UP a_up Move up
A_DOWN a_down Move down
A_LEFT a_left Move left
A_RIGHT a_right Move right
A_UPRIGHT a_upr Move up and right
A_DOWNRIGHT a_downr Move down and right
A_UPLEFT a_upl Move up and left
A_DOWNLEFT a_downl Move down and left
A_UPNOASK na_up Move up by last used distance
A_DOWNNOASK na_down Move down by last used distance
A_LEFTNOASK na_left Move left by last used distance
A_RIGHTNOASK na_right Move right by last used distance
A_UPRIGHTNOASK na_upr Move up and right by last used
distance
A_DOWNRIGHTNOASK na_downr Move down and right by last used
distance
A_UPLEFTNOASK na_upl Move up and left by last used
distance
A_DOWNLEFTNOASK na_downl Move down and left by last used
distance
JUMPALL jumpall Jump to nearest point within Graball
cursor box
JUMPGD jumpgd Jump to nearest grid point
JUMPPT jumppt Jump to nearest point of any type
JUMPCEN jumpcen Jump to nearest arc or circle centre
point
JUMPNEAR jumpnear Jump to nearest element of any type
JUMPGEOM jumpgeom Jump to nearest geometry
intersection
JUMPINT jumpint Jump to nearest intersection of any
type
JUMPRATIO jumprat Jump to fraction of distance between
two points or along line
JUMPRATIO .5 Y jumpmid Jump to mid-point of a line

JUMPFIXED jumpfix Jump to last fixed point
HOME home Jump to screen centre
POLAR polar Jump to a specific distance and
angle (polar move)
CURTOCOORD curtocoo Jump to a specific XY coordinate
location
SNAPDLG snapdlg Select snap mode
CURMODE F curmodef Freehand Mode
CURMODE A curmodea Graball Snap Mode
CURMODE G curmodeg Grid Snap Mode
CURMODE J curmodej Point Snap Mode
CURMODE E curmodee Circle Centre Snap Mode
CURMODE N curmoden Nearest Snap Mode
CURMODE I curmodei Geometry Intersection Snap Mode
CURMODE Z curmodez Intersection Scap Mode
CURMODE P curmodep Perpendicular Mode
CURMODE T curmodet Tangent Mode
POLARENTER polarent Move a specific distance and angle
CURTOCOORDENTER curtocoe Move to a specific XY coordinate
location
LOCKANG lockang Set lock angle
LOCKANG U lockangu Clear lock angle
LOCKANG L lockangl Set lock angle to angle of a line
LOCKANG G lockangg Set lock angle to angle of a geometry
line
LOCKANG K lockangk Set lock angle by typing it in
YPERP yperp Set lock angle to orthogonal of
current lock angle
ISO120 iso120 Toggle lock angle between 30, -30
and 90 degrees
CURSORHOLD setsquar Lock cursor to lock angle/unlock
cursor

General
ABORT_REPEAT abort_re Repeat last function
DONE done End current function
ENTERPT enterpt Accept a point
ESCAPE cancel Cancel current function
HELPINDEX helpind Help
SHOWTOOLBAR showtool Display a toolbar
TORESPONSE torespon Move cursor focus to command line

Index
.
.BAK Files ......................................................................................................... 1-16
1
1 Parallel Element............................................................................................ 4-16
120 deg.................................................................................................................. 8-4
A
ABACKUP1.DRG ............................................................................................ 1-22
ABACKUP2.DRG ............................................................................................ 1-22
Accelerator Keys
adding macros to .......................................................................................... 14-8
customising.................................................................................................... 14-6
Accept Button (in Perimeter Menu) ............................................................ 12-2
Accuracy of AllyCAD..................................................................................... 10-11
Add Arrow ......................................................................................................... 7-56
Add Balloon..................................................... 7-58, see Add/Rem Text Bubble
Add Data Item .................................................................................................. 8-31
Add Nodes ......................................................................................................... 8-46
Add Text .............................................................................................................. 7-2
Add/Rem Text Bubble ........................................................... 7-60, see Balloons
Adding Users .................................................................................................... 13-3
Add-Ons, Loading ............................................................................................ 1-13
Align.............................................................................................................7-7, 7-17
Alignment
aligning objects to a grid............................................................................... 7-7
aligning objects with each other ................................................................. 7-7
aligning text................................................................................................... 7-17
spacing objects evenly................................................................................. 7-14
All Colours to Black......................................................................................... 1-36
Alter Dimension ......................................................................................7-25, 7-51
Alter Existing Hatch........................................................................................ 7-67
Angles
dimensioning................................................................................................. 7-33
how measured and displayed .................................................................. 10-12
isometric........................................................................................................... 8-4
locking the cursor to move at......................................................... see Cursor
measuring ...................................................................................................... 8-28
querying ......................................................................................................... 8-34
Angular Dimension.......................................................................................... 7-33
Angular Format.............................................................................................. 10-12
dialogue box ................................................................................................ 10-12
saving defaults...............................................................................................13-1
Annotation to Draw .......................................................................................10-15
Application Error Message.............................................................................1-42
Arc 3 Point ...........................................................................................................4-6
Arc Lengths
dimensioning .................................................................................................7-33
Arc Lengths, Querying ....................................................................................8-34
Arc Radius ...........................................................................................................4-7
Architectural Style Dimensions ........................................................ 7-26, 10-44
Arcs
adding to a perimeter ........................................................................ 12-2, 12-4
between 2 lines..................................................................................... see Fillet
by 2 points and radius....................................................................................4-7
by 3 points ........................................................................................................4-6
circle by 2 points ...........................................................................................4-11
circle by centre point and diameter..........................................................4-10
circle by centre point and radius.................................................................4-9
concentric circles ..........................................................................................4-10
deleting part of ................................................................. 5-19, 5-28, 5-32, 5-35
dimensioning arc lengths............................................................................7-33
dimensioning diameters..............................................................................7-41
dimensioning radii .......................................................................................7-41
dividing ...........................................................................................................5-28
don't print or print incorrectly...................................................................1-36
extending or shortening .................................................................... 5-19, 5-28
extracting information about .....................................................................8-21
joining ................................................................................................... 5-19, 5-28
line arc line sequences.................................................................................4-12
parallel .......................................................................................4-15, 4-16, 10-28
projecting to geometry.................................................................................6-33
splitting ...........................................................................................................5-28
text around.......................................................................................................7-4
tracing over geometry arcs .........................................................................4-22
tracing over geometry circles.....................................................................4-21
trimming............................................................................ 5-19, 5-28, 5-32, 5-35
viewing centre points.................................................................................10-15
ARCTEXT.MAC .................................................................................................7-4
Areas, Measuring.................................................................................... 8-29, 9-13
Arithmetic Operators
in macros ......................................................................................................17-14
Arrows ............................................................................ see Set Arrow Defaults
dimension..............................................................................see Dimensioning
drawing ...........................................................................................................7-56
editing ................................................................................................. 2-13, 10-48
part of arrow doesn't behave like an arrow ............................................ 7-56
saving defaults .............................................................................................. 13-1
ASCII Files
exporting ........................................................................................................ 1-32
importing ....................................................................................................... 1-30
Associative Dimensions .................................................................................. 7-19
Attributes.......................................................................................... 4-35, 9-4, 9-17
adding to an object in a drawing............................................................... 8-43
adding to an object in a symbol library ................................................... 8-41
creating an object with................................................................................ 8-40
deleting from an object in a drawing ....................................................... 8-43
deleting from an object in a symbol library ............................................ 8-42
displaying....................................................................................................... 1-28
editing in a drawing ..................................................................................... 8-43
editing in a symbol library ......................................................................... 8-41
extracting in a bill of materials.................................................................. 8-36
inserting objects with attributes into a drawing.................................... 8-42
viewing in a drawing ................................................................................... 8-43
AutoCAD
block statistics............................................................................................... 1-24
centering drawings on the paper ............................................................ 10-20
drawing origin................................................................................................. 1-5
drawing scale .........................................................................................1-5, 1-16
exporting bitmaps to.................................................................................... 1-16
exporting colours to ..................................................................................... 1-16
exporting DWG files to................................................................................ 1-15
exporting DXF files to................................................................................. 1-15
exporting fonts to ......................................................................................... 1-16
exporting line types to........................................................................1-16, 16-2
imported drawings are very slow................................................................ 1-6
importing attributes from............................................................................. 1-6
importing colours from ................................................................................. 1-4
importing dimensions from.......................................................................... 1-6
importing DWG files from ............................................................. 1-3, 1-4, 1-7
importing DXF files from .............................................................. 1-3, 1-4, 1-7
importing fonts from ..................................................................................... 1-5
importing line types from ....................................................................1-5, 16-2
part of imported drawing is missing .......................................................... 1-5
version .......................................................................................................... 10-54
what AllyCAD supports ................................................................................ 1-4
Automatic Perimeter Tracking ..................................................................... 12-6
B
Background Colour ....................................................................................... 10-15
saving default ................................................................................................ 13-1
Backups
.BAK files .......................................................................................................1-16
ABACKUP1.DRG .........................................................................................1-22
ABACKUP2.DRG .........................................................................................1-22
prompting for ................................................................................................1-22
where stored ..................................................................................................1-23
Balloons..................................................................... see Add/Rem Text Bubble
drawing ...........................................................................................................7-58
saving defaults...............................................................................................13-1
setting style ..................................................................................................10-50
Bearings ...........................................................................................................10-12
Begin New Object...............................................................................................9-6
Bezier Curves........................................................................................ 4-30, 10-25
Bill of Materials....................................................................................... 1-28, 8-35
troubleshooting .............................................................................................8-44
Bitmaps
appear as hatched rectangles...................................................................10-18
cut and paste....................................................................................................2-3
displaying ........................................................................................... 1-11, 10-18
editing parameters .......................................................................................2-13
exporting to AutoCAD .................................................................................1-16
loading ..............................................................................................................1-9
moving behind other elements ..................................................................1-10
placeholders.................................................................................................10-18
real world pixel size .....................................................................................1-11
resample mode ..............................................................................................1-11
saving drawings containing.............................................................. 1-10, 1-16
viewing selected ..........................................................................................10-18
Bitmaps to Draw.............................................................................................10-18
Blink Current Object .......................................................................................9-25
Block Inserts
Blocks
purging unreferenced..................................................................................1-43
statistics ..........................................................................................................1-24
BOM ....................................................................................... see Bill of Materials
Bubbles.................................................... see Add/Rem Text Bubble; Balloons
C
CAD.INI.................................................................................................... 13-3, 13-5
CAD.LOG ...........................................................................................................13-3
CAD.MEN ..........................................................................................................13-3
Calculations
in macros ......................................................................................................17-13
Cancel Button (in Perimeter Menu) ............................................................ 12-2
Centering Drawing on Paper ...................................................................... 10-20
Chained Dimensions ....................................................................................... 7-20
Chamfer ............................................................................................................. 5-26
Change Hook Point ..................................................................................9-3, 9-21
Change Magnify Factor ................................................................................ 10-22
Change Name ............................................................................................9-3, 9-19
Change Text Parameters.................................................................................. 7-6
Circle (Draw)....................................................................................................... 4-9
Circle (Geometry)............................................................................................... 6-7
Circle 2 Point .................................................................................................... 4-11
Circle 3 Pt .......................................................................................................... 6-26
Circle Diameter (Draw) .................................................................................. 4-10
Circle Diameter (Geometry) ............................................................................ 6-8
Circle Tan 3L .................................................................................................... 6-18
Circle Tan CC ................................................................................................... 6-14
Circle Tan CPtRad........................................................................................... 6-22
Circle Tan LC ................................................................................................... 6-11
Circle Tan LL...................................................................................................... 6-9
Circle Tan LPtRad........................................................................................... 6-20
Circles..........................................................................................................see Arcs
isometric....................................................................................................... 10-11
Circular Copy.................................................................................................... 5-13
Circular Spline ................................................................................................. 4-27
Clear Selection ................................................................................................. 2-22
Clipboard ......................................................................................................2-3, 2-4
Colour, Background ...................................................................................... 10-15
saving default ................................................................................................ 13-1
COMPASS.DRG............................................................................................... 13-3
COMPASSN.DRG............................................................................................ 13-3
Macros ................................................................................................................ 18-1
Compiled Macro ............................................................................................... 18-1
Control Bar Font............................................................................................ 10-15
Coordinate Display
absolute or polar coordinates .................................................................. 10-14
Coordinate System .......................................................................................... 10-9
Coordinates
displaying..................................................................................................... 10-14
extracting ....................................................................................................... 8-17
in macros...................................................................................................... 17-11
labelling.......................................................................................................... 7-71
linking information to ................................................................................. 8-31
linking text to ................................................................................................ 8-31
listing .............................................................................................................. 7-71
querying ......................................................................................................... 8-34
saving defaults...............................................................................................13-1
table of.............................................................................................................7-71
Copy ......................................................................................................................2-3
Copy Selected->New Layer...........................................................................5-40
Copying...............................................................................................................5-16
by cursor............................................................................................... 2-12, 2-14
circular copy ..................................................................................................5-13
items to another layer ..................................................................................5-40
linear copy......................................................................................................5-13
polar copy .......................................................................................................5-13
to Clipboard .....................................................................................................2-3
Corrupted Drawings ........................................................................................1-42
Counting Objects ..............................................................................................9-13
Create Block ......................................................................................................9-26
Cross......................................................................................................................6-2
Cubic Spline ......................................................................................................4-28
Current Layer ..................................................................................... 10-66, 10-70
Current Object
highlighting....................................................................................................9-25
selecting..........................................................................................................9-25
Cursor
changing locked angle by 120 degrees .......................................................8-4
changing locked angle by 90 degrees .........................................................8-3
locking...............................................................................................................8-4
locking to a user-defined angle....................................................................8-3
locking to isometric angles ...........................................................................8-4
locking to the angle of a geometry line ......................................................8-3
locking to the angle of a line.........................................................................8-3
select cursor (arrow-shaped)........................................................................2-6
unlocking permanently .................................................................................8-6
unlocking temporarily ...................................................................................8-4
Customising AllyCAD
accelerator (short-cut) keys ........................................................................14-6
icons.................................................................................................................14-2
toolbars ...........................................................................................................14-2
Cut .........................................................................................................................2-3
Cut and Rub ......................................................................................................5-32
Cut Dimension Line.........................................................................................7-50
D
Data Items..........................................................................................................8-31
editing .............................................................................................................8-33
viewing..........................................................................................................10-18
Debugging Macros ...........................................................................................17-7
Decimal Places
number of angular ..................................................................................... 10-12
number shown on dimensions ................................................................ 10-44
number that AllyCAD is accurate to ...................................................... 10-11
Define Zoom View ............................................................................................. 3-8
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds ................................................................... 10-12
Delete.................................................................................................................... 2-5
Delete All Geometry ........................................................................................ 6-36
Delete Geometry El ......................................................................................... 6-35
Deleting................................................................................................................ 2-5
duplicate entities .................................................................................1-43, 8-45
everything inside a box or circle ............................................................... 5-35
everything outside a box or circle............................................................. 5-35
geometry ...............................................................................................6-35, 6-36
layers............................................................................................................. 10-69
overlapping entities ..................................................................................... 8-45
part of a defined perimeter ........................................................................ 12-7
part of a dimension witness line ............................................................... 7-50
part of a line or arc...........................................................5-19, 5-28, 5-32, 5-35
part of an ellipse ..................................................................................4-25, 5-41
redundant lines............................................................................................. 8-45
snipping.......................................................................................................... 5-35
trimming ............................................................................5-19, 5-32, 5-35, 8-45
unreferenced blocks .................................................................................... 1-43
unused layers ................................................................................................ 1-43
users................................................................................................................ 13-4
very short lines ............................................................................................. 8-45
Demagnify ......................................................................................................... 3-12
changing demagnify factor....................................................................... 10-22
Deselecting
everything .............................................................................................2-18, 2-22
individual primitives / objects...................................................................... 2-8
Digitizer ............................................................................................................. 8-45
Digitizer Settings ........................................................................................... 10-57
Dimensioning
angles .............................................................................................................. 7-33
arc lengths ..................................................................................................... 7-33
diameters ....................................................................................................... 7-41
radii ................................................................................................................. 7-41
Dimensions......................................................................... see Set Dim Defaults
adding notes to.............................................................................................. 7-48
angular............................................................................................................ 7-33
architectural style .............................................................................7-26, 10-44
arrow style ................................................................................................... 10-41
associative...................................................................................................... 7-19
chained ........................................................................................................... 7-20
deleting parts of witness lines....................................................................7-50
editing ................................................................................................... 2-13, 7-48
editing arrow heads......................................................................................7-48
editing text and resizing object to fit .......................... see Alter Dimension
editing text without affecting dimensioned object ...................... 7-24, 7-48
editing witness line colour ..........................................................................7-48
free ...................................................................................................................7-21
generic .............................................................................. see Alter Dimension
horizontal .......................................................................................................7-19
isometric ............................................................................................. 7-28, 10-11
mechanical style................................................................................ 7-20, 10-43
number of decimal places shown ............................................................10-44
ordinate...........................................................................................................7-44
radial ...............................................................................................................7-41
running ...........................................................................................................7-20
saving defaults...............................................................................................13-1
sloped ..............................................................................................................7-28
style................................................................................................................10-41
survey..............................................................................................................7-46
survey dimension style ..............................................................................10-46
switching off.................................................................................................10-15
text ...................................................................................................................7-23
text disappears ................................................................................ 10-15, 10-19
text drawn as boxes........................................................................ 10-16, 10-19
text drawn as dots.......................................................................................10-19
text style........................................................................................................10-44
tolerances ............................................................................................. 7-23, 7-48
vertical ............................................................................................................7-27
witness line style .........................................................................................10-41
Display Scroll Bars.........................................................................................10-18
Distance, Measuring ........................................................................................8-28
Distribution .......................................................................................................7-14
Divide/Edit .........................................................................................................5-29
Divide/Extend ...................................................................................................5-28
Dividing Lines or Arcs.....................................................................................5-28
DOM ....................................................................... see Drawing Office Manager
DOM.TXT ..........................................................................................................13-3
Dos Conversion...............................................................................................10-55
Dotted (in Perimeter Menu)...........................................................................12-7
Double Click Editing........................................................................................2-12
Drag and Snap ..................................................................................................2-12
Dragging................................................................................................... 2-12, 2-14
Draw All Hatch .................................................................................................7-68
Draw Menu ..........................................................................................................4-1
Draw Selected Hatch ...................................................................................... 7-68
Drawing Border ................................................................. see Load Title Block
Drawing Description ....................................................................................... 1-24
Drawing Frame .................................................................. see Load Title Block
Drawing Information ...................................................................................... 8-17
Drawing Office Manager ....................................................1-17, 1-18, 1-23, 1-24
Drawing Scale..........................................................................................see Scale
Drawing Settings ............................................................................................. 10-2
Drawing Sheet .................................................................... see Load Title Block
Drawing Statistics............................................................................................ 1-24
Drawing Units................................................................................................... 10-6
area.................................................................................................................. 10-7
changing......................................................................................................... 10-8
imperial and metric on same drawing ..................................................... 10-8
linear ............................................................................................................... 10-7
saving default ................................................................................................ 13-1
Drawing won't Load ........................................................................................ 1-42
DrawingCliptidy ............................................................................................... 8-51
Drawingsnaptidy.............................................................................................. 8-49
Drop .................................................................................................................... 5-16
Dump Data ........................................................................................................ 8-17
Duplicate Entities, Deleting..................................................................1-43, 8-45
DWG Files......................................................................................... see AutoCAD
DXF Files.......................................................................................... see AutoCAD
DXF/DWG Conversion Settings ................................................................. 10-53
E
Edit Data Item .................................................................................................. 8-33
Edit Description ............................................................................................... 1-24
Edit Dimension................................................................................................. 7-48
Edit Dimension Properties ............................................................................ 7-48
Edit Macro ......................................................................................................... 1-41
Edit Object......................................................................................................... 9-19
Edit Text .............................................................................................................. 7-5
Elements .......................................................................................... see Primitives
Ellipse2Arcs ...................................................................................................... 5-41
Ellipses ............................................................................................................... 4-24
extracting information about..................................................................... 8-21
hatching.................................................................................................4-25, 5-41
jumping and snapping to ...................................................................4-25, 5-41
part ellipses ................................................................................................... 4-25
snipping part of....................................................................................4-25, 5-41
Encode Macro................................................................................................... 1-41
Enter Hatch/Solid Fill ..................................................................................... 7-61
Entities ............................................................................................. see Primitives
Erasing.................................................................................................see Deleting
Error Messages .................................................................................................1-42
Exec Macro .............................................................................................. 1-41, 17-8
Exit ......................................................................................................................1-49
Expand................................................................................................................8-52
Export Macro .......................................................................................... 1-31, 17-6
Export Text........................................................................................................1-32
Exporting
ASCII...............................................................................................................1-32
drawing data ..................................................................................................8-17
DWG files.......................................................................................see AutoCAD
DXF files........................................................................................see AutoCAD
HPGL ..............................................................................................................1-37
Plot Files.........................................................................................................1-37
via Clipboard ...................................................................................................2-3
Extending Lines ...............................................................................................8-45
Extending Lines or Arcs ....................................................................... 5-19, 5-28
F
File Menu .............................................................................................................1-1
Fill Geom............................................................................................................4-20
Fill Geom Arc ....................................................................................................4-22
Fill Geometry Cir..............................................................................................4-21
Fillet ....................................................................................................................5-22
Filters..................................................................................................................2-17
Fonts ............................................................................................... 10-36, see Text
importing from AutoCAD .............................................................................1-5
on the Control Bar......................................................................................10-15
FP Error Message ............................................................................................1-42
Free Dimensions...............................................................................................7-21
Freehand Drawing ...........................................................................................4-38
G
Geom Intersection (jump).................................................................................8-8
Geometry
circle by centre point and diameter............................................................6-8
circle by centre point and radius.................................................................6-7
circle tangent to circle .................................................................................6-22
circle tangent to line.....................................................................................6-20
circle tangent to line and circle .................................................................6-11
circle tangent to three lines ........................................................................6-18
circle tangent to two circles........................................................................6-14
circle tangent to two lines .............................................................................6-9
circle through three points .........................................................................6-26
colour ............................................................................................................ 10-34
concentric circles............................................................................................ 6-8
crossed lines .................................................................................................... 6-2
deleting..................................................................................................6-35, 6-36
inking in ......................................................................................................... 4-20
line perpendicular to another line ............................................................ 6-31
line perpendicular to two points ............................................................... 6-31
line tangent to circle .................................................................................... 6-27
line tangent to two circles........................................................................... 6-29
line through point at specific angle ............................................................ 6-3
line through two points ................................................................................. 6-4
loading saved................................................................................................... 1-9
parallel lines / circles ..................................................................................... 6-5
projecting from existing lines / arcs ......................................................... 6-33
saving........................................................................................... 1-16, 1-23, 1-26
switching on and off..........................................................................6-34, 10-15
tracing over.................................................................................................... 4-20
Geometry Trace-Over ..................................................................................... 4-20
Grid ..................................................................................................................... 8-26
can't jump or snap to ................................................................................... 8-27
isometric..............................................................................................8-26, 10-11
Grid Display Density ....................................................................................... 8-26
Group Into Object .............................................................................................. 9-7
Guest Sub-directory ........................................................................................ 13-2
H
Handles .........................................................................................................2-6, 2-8
rotating with .................................................................................................. 2-11
stretching and scaling with .......................................................................... 2-9
turning off temporarily ................................................................................. 2-8
Hatch -> Lines ................................................................................................. 7-70
Hatch or Solid Fill Dialogue Box.................................................................. 7-63
Hatch Patterns
defining........................................................................................................... 15-2
defining, example 1 - line............................................................................ 15-5
defining, example 2 - dash.......................................................................... 15-6
defining, example 3 - newbrick ................................................................. 15-7
defining, example 4 - triang ..................................................................... 15-11
Hatch Perimeters
viewing ........................................................................................................... 9-11
Hatch to Draw................................................................................................. 10-18
HATCH.PAT ............................................................................................13-3, 15-1
Hatching ............................................................................................................ 7-61
combining solid fills with bitmaps ............................................................ 7-66
combining solid fills with cross hatches .................................................. 7-65
converting to lines ........................................................................................7-70
disappears .................................................................................7-62, 7-68, 10-18
editing .............................................................................................................7-67
ellipses................................................................................................... 4-25, 5-41
selecting..........................................................................................................2-20
solid fill colours .............................................................................................7-66
switching off.................................................................................................10-18
tips ...................................................................................................................7-65
viewing selected ................................................................................ 7-68, 10-18
Healing Breaks in Lines ....................................................................... 5-28, 5-30
Hold.......................................................................................................................8-4
Home Directories see also Progam Home Directory; User Home Directory
Hook Point ................................................................................................. 9-3, 9-15
changing ................................................................................................. 9-3, 9-21
Horizontal Dimension .....................................................................................7-19
HPGL files
accuracy..........................................................................................................1-30
HPGL Files
exporting ........................................................................................................1-37
importing........................................................................................................1-29
I
Icons
adding macros to ..........................................................................................14-8
customising ....................................................................................................14-2
Illegal Operation Message ..............................................................................1-42
Imperial Units ...................................................................................................10-6
on same drawing as metric .........................................................................10-8
Import ASCII.....................................................................................................1-30
Import HPGL ....................................................................................................1-29
Import/Export ...................................................................................................1-29
Importing
DWG Files .....................................................................................see AutoCAD
DXF Files ......................................................................................see AutoCAD
plot files ..........................................................................................................1-29
text ...................................................................................................................1-30
via Clipboard ...................................................................................................2-4
Insert Block .......................................................................................................9-27
Invalid Backup Path Message .......................................................................1-23
Isometrics
circles ............................................................................................................10-11
dimensions ......................................................................................... 7-28, 10-11
grid....................................................................................................... 8-26, 10-11
locking cursor to isometric angles ..............................................................8-4
Item References................................................................................ see Balloons
J
Joining Lines ...........................................................................................5-30, 8-45
Joining Lines or Arcs .............................................................................5-19, 5-28
Jump Any Intersection ..................................................................................... 8-9
Jump Circle Centre ......................................................................................... 8-10
Jump Grid............................................................................................................ 8-8
Jump Near Element ........................................................................................ 8-10
Jump Point .......................................................................................................... 8-9
Jumps ................................................................................................................... 8-7
jumping to ellipses ..............................................................................4-25, 5-41
L
Label Coord....................................................................................................... 7-71
Landscape ......................................................................................................... 10-3
Compiled Macro ............................................................................................... 18-4
Last Fixed (jump)............................................................................................. 8-11
Layer Control.................................................................................................. 10-68
Layers
adding ........................................................................................................... 10-69
copying and pasting between drawings .................................................... 2-4
copying items to another layer .................................................................. 5-40
current...............................................................................................10-66, 10-70
deleting......................................................................................................... 10-69
deleting unused ............................................................................................ 1-43
editing........................................................................................................... 10-69
highlighting ................................................................................................. 10-70
loading specific ............................................................................................... 1-8
locking .......................................................................................................... 10-69
magnification .............................................................................................. 10-69
moving items to another layer................................................................... 5-39
name ............................................................................................................. 10-68
pen and line type by .......................................................................10-69, 10-71
querying which layer something is on ..................................................... 8-34
saving default ................................................................................................ 13-1
saving specific ............................................................................................... 1-25
saving visible ................................................................................................. 1-26
selecting everything on ............................................................................... 2-20
visible..................................................................................... 10-67, 10-69, 10-70
Lengths
querying ......................................................................................................... 8-34
Line (Chained).................................................................................................... 4-2
Line Arc Line.................................................................................................... 4-12
Line Defaults................................................................................................... 10-23
Line Tan C......................................................................................................... 6-27
Line Tan CC...................................................................................................... 6-29
Line Type
by layer ............................................................................................. 10-69, 10-71
editing .............................................................................................................2-12
querying..........................................................................................................8-34
saving default ................................................................................................13-1
selecting by ....................................................................................................2-17
Line Types
how displayed................................................................................................16-2
how printed....................................................................................................16-2
importing from AutoCAD ...........................................................................16-2
Line Width
by pen colour .................................................................................................1-36
querying..........................................................................................................8-34
Linear Copy .......................................................................................................5-13
Lines
adding to a perimeter ........................................................................ 12-3, 12-4
chained..............................................................................................................4-2
deleting part of ................................................................. 5-19, 5-28, 5-32, 5-35
deleting redundant.......................................................................................8-45
deleting very short........................................................................................8-45
dividing ...........................................................................................................5-28
drawing at an angle............................................................... see Lock Cursor
extending or shortening ...........................................................5-19, 5-28, 8-45
healing breaks ..................................................................................... 5-28, 5-30
joining ................................................................................ 5-19, 5-28, 5-30, 8-45
line arc line sequences.................................................................................4-12
mid-point jump..............................................................................................8-11
parallel .......................................................................................4-15, 4-16, 10-28
projecting to geometry.................................................................................6-33
single .................................................................................................................4-3
splitting ...........................................................................................................5-28
trimming...................................................................5-19, 5-28, 5-32, 5-35, 8-45
Lines (Pt to Pt) ....................................................................................................4-3
LINETYPE.MAC.................................................................................... 13-3, 16-1
List Objects ........................................................................................................9-13
Listing Coordinates..........................................................................................7-71
Load ......................................................................................................................1-7
Load Bitmap........................................................................................................1-9
Load Drawing .....................................................................................................1-7
Load Geom ..........................................................................................................1-9
Load Layers.........................................................................................................1-8
Load New Menu............................................................................................... 1-13
Load Symbol File....................................................................................1-27, 8-42
Load Title Block............................................................................................... 1-13
Loading Drawings into Other Drawings........................... see Load Drawing
Lock Cursor......................................................................................................... 8-2
Lock Geom Line................................................................................................. 8-3
Lock Keyboard ................................................................................................... 8-3
Lock to Line ........................................................................................................ 8-3
Logical Operators in Macros ....................................................................... 17-14
Long Pan............................................................................................................ 3-14
M
Macros
accessing files................................................................................................ 17-8
adding to menus, icons or accelerator keys............................................ 14-8
arithmetic operators .................................................................................. 17-14
coordinate pairs.......................................................................................... 17-11
debugging ...................................................................................................... 17-7
description of language............................................................................... 17-9
encoding......................................................................................................... 1-41
examples ........................................................................................................ 17-5
executing...............................................................................................1-41, 17-8
exporting a drawing as a macro .......................................................1-31, 17-6
general purpose functions........................................................................ 17-16
hints and tips................................................................................................. 17-5
how do I write my first macro.................................................................... 17-2
line length limitation ................................................................................. 17-15
logical operators ......................................................................................... 17-14
special characters used in ........................................................................ 17-10
statement types............................................................................................. 17-9
stepping through one line at a time.......................................................... 17-7
strings ..................................................................................................17-3, 17-11
trigonometric operators ............................................................................ 17-14
variables ..............................................................................................17-3, 17-11
writing in Windows '95 ................................................................................ 17-7
Magnify .............................................................................................................. 3-12
changing magnify factor ........................................................................... 10-22
MainCAD caused a General Protection Fault Message........................... 1-42
Make Arcs from Lines..................................................................................... 1-35
Make Geometry ................................................................................................ 6-33
Make Symbol ...........................................................................................8-40, 9-15
Mapping Colours to Line Widths.................................................................. 1-36
Measure.............................................................................................................. 8-28
Measuring.......................................................................................................... 8-34
angles .............................................................................................................. 8-28
areas ...................................................................................................... 8-29, 9-13
distances .........................................................................................................8-28
perimeters ............................................................................................ 8-29, 9-13
Mechanical Style Dimensions............................................................ 7-20, 10-43
Memory ............................................................................................................10-56
Menus
adding macros to ..........................................................................................14-8
loading alternative........................................................................................1-13
Merging Drawings.................................................................. see Load Drawing
Metafiles ...............................................................................................................2-3
Metric Units.......................................................................................................10-6
on same drawing as imperial .....................................................................10-8
Mid Point Jump ................................................................................................8-11
Mirror Image .......................................................................................................5-6
Move......................................................................................................................5-4
Move Point...........................................................................................................5-5
Move Selected->New Layer ..........................................................................5-39
Move Text ............................................................................................................7-5
Move to Back.....................................................................................................2-23
Move to Coordinates........................................................................................8-14
Move to Front....................................................................................................2-23
Moving ..................................................................................................................5-4
dragging accurately with cursor................................................................2-12
dragging with cursor.......................................................................... 2-12, 2-14
items to another layer ..................................................................................5-39
nudging...........................................................................................................2-15
point and lines attached to it....................................... 5-5, see Select Nodes
Moving the Cursor
at an angle ............................................................................... see Lock Cursor
Multiple Parallel Line Defaults Dialogue Box .........................................10-28
Multiple Users...................................................................................................13-2
N
New .......................................................................................................................1-2
New Geometry Colour...................................................................................10-34
Nodes ..................................................................................................................2-14
displaying .......................................................................................................8-16
moving ............................................................................................................2-14
selecting..........................................................................................................2-15
Nudge..................................................................................................................2-15
Compiled macro..............................................................................................18-16
O
Object Extends off Edge of World Message ................................................1-42
Object Name ............................................................................... 9-3, 9-6, 9-7, 9-15
changing..................................................................................................9-3, 9-19
querying ......................................................................................................... 8-34
viewing ............................................................................................................. 9-9
Object Too Long Message .............................................................................. 1-42
Objects
adding to a perimeter .................................................................................. 12-4
aligning to a grid............................................................................................. 7-7
aligning to each other.................................................................................... 7-7
attributes...........................................................1-28, 4-35, 8-40, 8-42, 9-4, 9-17
bill of materials ............................................................................................. 8-35
changing hook point .............................................................................9-3, 9-21
changing object name ..........................................................................9-3, 9-19
changing parent name .........................................................................9-3, 9-19
counting ......................................................................................................... 9-13
current............................................................................................................ 9-25
disappear...................................................................................................... 10-19
drawn as boxes ........................................................................................... 10-19
editing............................................................................................................. 9-19
extracting details .......................................................................................... 8-19
hook point ...............................................................................................9-3, 9-15
inserting ................................................................................................4-33, 8-42
listing .............................................................................................................. 9-13
measuring areas ........................................................................................... 9-13
measuring perimeters ................................................................................. 9-13
name .........................................................................................9-3, 9-6, 9-7, 9-15
parent name .................................................................................................... 9-3
properties......................................................................................................... 9-2
querying ......................................................................................................... 8-34
rotating on insertion .................................................................................... 4-34
scale........................................................................................................1-27, 4-34
search and replace ....................................................................................... 9-23
selecting by cursor ................................................................................2-7, 2-19
selecting by name......................................................................................... 2-19
selecting individual primitives within ....................................................... 2-7
snip box ...................................................................................................9-4, 9-16
spacing evenly............................................................................................... 7-14
updating ......................................................................................................... 9-23
Objects Menu ...................................................................................................... 9-1
Offsets
closing off ends ........................................................................................... 10-31
saving defaults .............................................................................................. 13-1
Open ..................................................................................................................... 1-3
Ordinate Dimension ........................................................................................ 7-44
Orientation
of paper........................................................................................................... 10-2
Overlapping Entities, Deleting ......................................................................8-45
P
Pan.......................................................................................................................3-13
Panning
Long Pan ........................................................................................................3-14
Pan...................................................................................................................3-13
Paper Orientation.............................................................................................10-2
Paper Size ..........................................................................................................10-2
saving default ................................................................................................13-1
Parallel Defaults .............................................................................................10-28
Parallel Line (Draw) ........................................................................................4-15
Parallel Line (Geometry) ..................................................................................6-5
Parallel Lines
closing off ends............................................................................................10-31
saving defaults...............................................................................................13-1
Parents
changing name ...................................................................................... 9-3, 9-19
name..................................................................................................................9-3
Part Ellipse ........................................................................................................4-25
Paste......................................................................................................................2-4
Pen Mapping .....................................................................................................1-36
Pens
by layer ............................................................................................. 10-69, 10-71
editing pen of existing entities...................................................................2-12
geometry.......................................................................................................10-34
mapping to line widths ................................................................................1-36
print all as black............................................................................................1-36
print very faintly ...........................................................................................1-36
querying..........................................................................................................8-34
saving default ................................................................................................13-1
selecting by ....................................................................................................2-17
Perimeter Menu
icons on ...........................................................................................................12-1
Perimeters
deleting part of defined ...............................................................................12-7
measuring............................................................................................. 8-29, 9-13
Perp Bisector.....................................................................................................6-31
Perpendicular (Lock Cursor) ...........................................................................8-3
Pick Index from Hatch ....................................................................................7-69
Pixels......................................................................................................... 1-11, 1-12
Placeholder for Bitmap .................................................................................10-18
Plot Files
accuracy ......................................................................................................... 1-30
exporting ........................................................................................................ 1-37
importing ....................................................................................................... 1-29
Plot to Fit ........................................................................................................... 1-38
Plotting................................................................................................ see Printing
Point ..................................................................................................................... 4-4
style ............................................................................................................... 10-17
Point Style ....................................................................................................... 10-17
Point-Point Line................................................................................................. 6-4
Polar Copy ......................................................................................................... 5-13
Polar Move ........................................................................................................ 8-15
Polygon .............................................................................................................. 4-32
Polygon Area..................................................................................................... 8-29
Polyline Defaults ............................................................................................ 10-25
Polylines..................................................................................................4-30, 10-25
editing style of existing ............................................................................... 2-13
saving defaults .............................................................................................. 13-1
Polysnip ............................................................................................................. 5-38
Portrait ............................................................................................................... 10-3
Preserve Black (bitmaps) ............................................................................... 1-12
Preserve White (bitmaps)............................................................................... 1-12
Primitives
cannot select individual ................................................................................ 2-7
querying ......................................................................................................... 8-34
selecting individual ........................................................................................ 2-7
Print.................................................................................................................... 1-34
Print Setup ........................................................................................................ 1-40
Printing .....................................................................................................1-34, 1-38
all colours to black ....................................................................................... 1-36
arcs don't print or print incorrectly.......................................................... 1-36
at a scale other than your drawing scale ................................................. 1-38
colours print very faintly ............................................................................ 1-36
line widths by colour ................................................................................... 1-36
part of a drawing .......................................................................................... 1-38
text prints at wrong orientation ................................................................ 1-34
to fit the paper............................................................................................... 1-38
Purge Redundant Elements .................................................................1-24, 1-43
Q
Query Entity...................................................................................................... 8-34
Quit ..................................................................................................................... 1-49
R
Radial Dimension .............................................................................................7-41
Raster to Vector Conversion Programs .......................................................8-45
Real World Pixel Size ......................................................................................1-11
Re-Centre Paper.............................................................................................10-20
Rectangle .............................................................................................................4-5
Redo ......................................................................................................................2-2
Redraw ...............................................................................................................3-15
Redraws
very slow......................................................................................1-43, 7-62, 7-68
Reference Point ............................................................................see Hook Point
drawing ...........................................................................................................1-23
Repair DRG File ...............................................................................................1-42
Repeat.................................................................................................................5-13
Replace Objects ................................................................................................9-23
Resample Mode (bitmaps) ..............................................................................1-11
Rotate..................................................................................................................5-17
Rotate Icon...........................................................................................................2-6
Rotating
by cursor............................................................................................... 2-11, 5-17
by keyboard ...................................................................................................5-17
Rubbing Out .......................................................................................see Deleting
Ruler Bar
turning on and off.......................................................................................10-17
Running Dimensions .......................................................................................7-20
S
Save .....................................................................................................................1-14
Save AllyCAD DOS ..........................................................................................1-21
Save As ...............................................................................................................1-15
Save Geometry..................................................................................................1-26
Save Layer .........................................................................................................1-25
Save Options .....................................................................................................1-22
Save Selected ....................................................................................................1-25
Save Settings.....................................................................................................1-22
Save Visible .......................................................................................................1-26
Saving Selected Entities ....................................................................... 1-15, 1-25
Scale ....................................................................................................................10-3
changing .........................................................................................................10-6
more than one on a drawing ....................................................................10-69
saving default ................................................................................................13-1
Scale (Scaling Entities) .....................................................................................5-9
Scale Text ............................................................................................................7-6
Scales
more than one on a drawing ......................................................................8-52
Scaling (Entities)
by cursor ...................................................................................................2-9, 5-9
by keyboard ..................................................................................................... 5-9
Scroll Bars
switching on and off................................................................................... 10-18
Search and Replace Objects .......................................................................... 9-23
Security .............................................................................................................. 1-44
Select .................................................................................................................... 2-6
Select All ............................................................................................................ 2-18
Select by Polygon............................................................................................. 2-16
Select Cursor ...................................................................................................... 2-6
Select Nodes ..................................................................................................... 2-14
Selecting
by colour......................................................................................................... 2-17
by entity type................................................................................................. 2-17
by line type .................................................................................................... 2-17
can’t select individual primitive.................................................................. 2-7
everything on a layer ................................................................................... 2-20
everything on the drawing ......................................................................... 2-18
everything within a polygon .............................................................2-16, 2-18
everything within a rectangle ...................................................................... 2-8
hatches............................................................................................................ 2-20
individual primitives...................................................................................... 2-7
individual primitives within objects........................................................... 2-7
nodes............................................................................................................... 2-15
objects by cursor....................................................................................2-7, 2-19
objects by name ............................................................................................ 2-19
using the nodes cursor ................................................................................ 2-14
zoom into selection set .................................................................................. 3-7
Selection Filters ............................................................................................... 2-17
Send to Back ..................................................................................................... 2-23
Send to Front.................................................................................................... 2-23
Set Alignment ..................................................................................................... 7-7
Set Arrow Defaults ........................................................................................ 10-48
Set Balloon Defaults...................................................................................... 10-50
Set Current Layer.......................................................................................... 10-66
Set Dim Defaults ............................................................................................ 10-41
Set Survey Defaults....................................................................................... 10-46
Set Text Defaults............................................................................................ 10-35
Set Text Defaults Dialogue Box.................................................................. 10-35
Set Visible Layers .......................................................................................... 10-67
Settings for Dos .............................................................................................. 10-55
Settings Menu................................................................................................... 10-1
Sheet Size ........................................................................................................ 10-21
Shortening Lines ............................................................................................. 8-45
Shortening Lines or Arcs................................................... 5-19, 5-28, 5-32, 5-35
Show Arc Centres...........................................................................................10-15
Show Coordinates ..........................................................................................10-14
Show Data Items ............................................................................................10-18
Show Geometry ..............................................................................................10-15
Show Nodes.......................................................................................................8-16
Show Objects.......................................................................................................9-9
Sketch .................................................................................................................4-38
Slope Dimension ..............................................................................................7-28
Slope Line ............................................................................................................6-3
Slow Drawings ...............................................................................1-43, 7-62, 7-68
Snap Modes
snapping to ellipses ............................................................................ 4-25, 5-41
Snip .....................................................................................................................5-35
Snip Box..................................................................................................... 9-4, 9-16
Splines ................................................................................................................4-27
Bezier curves .................................................................................................4-30
circular............................................................................................................4-27
cubic ................................................................................................................4-28
Splitting Lines or Arcs ....................................................................................5-28
STARTUP.DRG................................................................................................13-3
Statistics, Drawing ...........................................................................................1-24
Stretch ..................................................................................................................5-2
Stretching By Cursor.........................................................................................2-9
Survey Dimension............................................................................................7-46
style................................................................................................................10-46
Switch Geometry On/Off.................................................................................6-34
Symbol (Function) ................................................................................. 4-33, 8-42
Symbol Libraries
loading ............................................................................................................1-27
System Settings ..............................................................................................10-62
T
Tangents
circle tangent to circle .................................................................................6-22
circle tangent to line.....................................................................................6-20
circle tangent to line and circle .................................................................6-11
circle tangent to three lines ........................................................................6-18
circle tangent to two circles........................................................................6-14
circle tangent to two lines .............................................................................6-9
line tangent to circle.....................................................................................6-27
line tangent to two circles ...........................................................................6-29
Text .........................................................................see Fonts; Set Text Defaults
adding to a drawing........................................................................................7-2
aligning ...........................................................................................................7-17
around an arc .................................................................................................. 7-4
at top of screen is too big or small .......................................................... 10-15
changing style of existing text ................................................................. 10-39
dimension ................................................................................. see Dimensions
disappears.........................................................................................10-15, 10-19
drawn as boxes ................................................................................10-16, 10-19
drawn as dots .............................................................................................. 10-19
editing.......................................................................................2-12, 7-3, 7-5, 7-6
exporting ........................................................................................................ 1-32
importing ....................................................................................................... 1-30
inside a balloon / bubble ....................................................................7-58, 7-60
matching the style of existing text .......................................................... 10-39
moving ........................................................................................7-5, see Moving
prints at wrong orientation ........................................................................ 1-34
saving defaults .............................................................................................. 13-1
scaling.........................................................................................7-6, see Scaling
switching off ................................................................................................ 10-15
Text Entry Dialogue Box.................................................................................. 7-2
Thin Pixels (bitmaps) ...................................................................................... 1-12
Tidy Polygons ................................................................................................... 8-45
Tidy Up Boundaries ........................................................................................ 8-47
Tiled Bitmaps ................................................................................................. 10-64
Title Block ........................................................................... see Load Title Block
To DXF/DWG Conversion Settings Dialogue Box.................................. 10-54
Tolerance (in Perimeter Menu) .................................................................... 12-7
Tolerances ................................................................................................7-23, 7-48
Toolbar
customising.................................................................................................... 14-2
Toolbars ............................................................................................................. 3-11
Tracking Perimeters Automatically............................................................. 12-6
Trigonometric Operators
in macros...................................................................................................... 17-14
Trim .................................................................................................................... 5-19
Trimming...............................................................................5-19, 5-32, 5-35, 8-45
U
Undo ..................................................................................................................... 2-2
Units of Measure .............................................................................................. 10-6
area.................................................................................................................. 10-7
changing......................................................................................................... 10-8
imperial and metric on same drawing ..................................................... 10-8
linear ............................................................................................................... 10-7
saving default ................................................................................................ 13-1
Unlock (Cursor) .................................................................................................. 8-6
Unlocking Cursor
permanently.....................................................................................................8-6
temporarily ......................................................................................................8-4
Unreferenced Blocks
purging............................................................................................................1-43
Update Objects..................................................................................................9-23
Use Plotter Arcs................................................................................................1-35
User Home Directory.......................................................................................13-3
Users
adding .............................................................................................................13-3
deleting ...........................................................................................................13-4
V
Variables ................................................................................................ 17-3, 17-11
Vertical Dimension ..........................................................................................7-27
View Settings...................................................................................................10-14
Virtual Memory Settings ..............................................................................10-56
Visible Layers...................................................................................... 10-67, 10-70
W
Windows '95
writing macros in..........................................................................................17-7
Z
Zoom All ...............................................................................................................3-5
Zoom Last ............................................................................................................3-4
Zoom Next ...........................................................................................................3-5
Zoom Print.........................................................................................................1-38
Zoom Scaled ........................................................................................................3-6
Zoom Selected.....................................................................................................3-7
Zoom Sheet..........................................................................................................3-6
Zoom View ...........................................................................................................3-7
Zoom Window .....................................................................................................3-2
Zooming
pre-defined views.................................................................................... 3-7, 3-8
show drawing at specific scale .....................................................................3-6
show selected entities ....................................................................................3-7
show whole drawing ......................................................................................3-5
show whole sheet of paper............................................................................3-6
step backwards through zoom sequence...................................................3-4
step forwards through zoom sequence ......................................................3-5

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AllyCAD

APPENDIX B - BITMAP NAMES

Typefaces in this manual

This button on the control bar is used to accept a

This button in the control bar is used to cancel a

ii AllyCAD Reference Manual

File Menu 1-1

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

A new window will be displayed with the defaults stored in

1-2 AllyCAD Reference Manual

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

Loads AllyCAD drawings (DRG files), AutoCAD Release 10 to 14

File Menu 1-3

Notes about loading DXF and DWG drawings

1-4 AllyCAD Reference Manual

Part of the drawing is missing

File Menu 1-5

If your DXF or DWG drawing loads and redraws very slowly

1-6 AllyCAD Reference Manual

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

AllyCAD will prompt:

File Menu 1-7

If the New Bitmap Path dialog box is displayed

Notes about loading DWG and DXF drawings

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

1-8 AllyCAD Reference Manual

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

will be displayed. Click on OK.

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

The bitmap could be of a map or aerial photograph; a scanned-in picture

File Menu 1-9

Tiling is an indexing system for large bitmaps (typically larger than

1-10 AllyCAD Reference Manual

Placeholder for Bitmap

If you check the Placeholder for bitmap box,

If you do not check the Placeholder for bitmap

File Menu 1-11

If you select Preserve White, AllyCAD will

If you select Thin Pixels, alternate pixels in

1-12 AllyCAD Reference Manual

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

By default, AllyCAD's menus, icons and accelerator keys are defined in a

Load Title Block

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

File Menu 1-13

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

1-14 AllyCAD Reference Manual

Icon Button Toolbar Shortcut Command

This function saves drawings as AllyCAD files (DRG files), AutoCAD

DXF is the AutoCAD Drawing Exchange File format and AutoCAD's

Saving an AutoCAD DWG file or a DXF file

File Menu 1-15

Saving an AllyCAD DRG file

1-16 AllyCAD Reference Manual

If you need to change the Drawing Description, Draftsperson or

File Menu 1-17

1-18 AllyCAD Reference Manual

File Menu 1-19

1-20 AllyCAD Reference Manual