MENU BAR

We have already learnt about the different bars in the AutoCAD screen. Today let’s get a closer look at their respective components and strategy thereof.

The topmost bar is the Title bar holding titles, as we’ve already know. There’s nothing more about it.

The Second-in-position bar immediately under the title bar is our Menu Bar which will serve us with the different menus, either standard or special, depending upon the user’s appetite, throughout our CAD session. These menus also can be customized with a little bit of expertise and much more experience. Let’s keep it for the Expert Mode when we will reach there…!

Every menu has a drop-down list which is divided into categories separated by horizontal grey lines. The logic behind this categorization is simple – the commands that are similar in character and behavior are clubbed together in a group. This also makes the interface lucid and clutter free to work with.

Secondly, the commands those have further subcommands or specifications, are shown with a small triangular arrow pointing right in line of that command at right edge of the Menu box. This is repeated at the subcommand if it also has some sub-options.

Note – In the drop-down menu, wherever you see a small triangular arrow pointing right at the end of any command, remember that it indicates further subcommand or sub-option and this is to facilitate the accuracy and precision of your drawing by providing specifications to the last detail.


Okay, let’s have an overview of the feast we are being presented within this CAD-Session…!

1. File – This menu helps to create, manage and retrieve AutoCAD files. The categories are related to Create/Open Files, Saving/Transferring Files, Plotting/Publishing files and some useful utilities that would help the user to diagnose and manage files efficiently and effectively
2. Edit – This Menu is Standard for most of the Windows Applications and has the commonly used tasks like Cut, Paste and alike general editing operations.
3. View – This is the menu that governs the VIEW or display of the drawing. It has the menus like Zoom or Pan which would navigate the user through the drawing area by adjusting the viewing scales just like adjusting lenses in the camera.
4. Insert – This menu allows the user to fetch predefined ready objects (AutoCAD or Non-AutoCAD) like Blocks, External References or Raster Imagesinto the Current Drawing .
5. Format – This menu is the appetizer or starter of this feast! Any new drawing has to and should start here. These are the ‘Settings’ before getting into drafting or modeling. If this part is understood and executed properly you will definitely have a better organized, efficient and SMARTdrawing…!
6. Tools – These are not the actual commands that you will work with but again some settings and options that will help your efficiency and productivity. Mastering these tools would be as good as mastering the management of your drawings.
7. Draw – This is the menu where you will actually start and work with your drawing. The commands are categorized according to their geometry and design philosophy.
8. Dimension – Any drawing, no matter how precisely and accurately done, would be hardly of any use without proper dimensioning. Dimension is the inevitable component of any drawing as it is almost impossible to use a drawing as Product Information unless properly dimensioned. This menu provides the options for dimensioning your drawing to make them suitable for working.
9. Modify – Here you have the commands that would help you make the changes, editing and tweaking to the existing objects.
10. Window – This menu is for arranging and managing the open windows provided that you are working with more than one AutoCAD File simultaneously.
11. Help – This is your Rescue or SOS if and when you are stuck in any chaos, confusion or uncertainty. You can consider this menu as Manual for AutoCAD or even alternative to this CAD-Venture…!?! Though searching and locating required information is little tricky and hectic here, you will find details about any AutoCAD Menu in terms of Concept, Objective and Procedure. Also you can find out Version of you AutoCAD here in the ‘About’ submenu.

These are the Standard Menus present in a typical AutoCAD Menu Bar. If you have specialized add-ins or customized installations you may have more than these menus but you can never have less no. of them in any circumstances and if you do consider it as a situation that needs to be addressed…!

The sequence of these menus is not alphabetical but based on the logical application. That’s why you have File menu at the start without which you can not start a Drawing Session unless you are opening an existing drawing by double-clicking it in the Windows Explorer. And Help, ideally and conceptually at least, would be the least required menu and thus finds place at the end-of-the-menu.

This was the overview of the Menu we are going to taste during the feast. We will enjoy some of the delicacies as we progress tomorrow… Stay tuned…!