TurboCAD Designer Version 15

Getting Started Guide

IMSI/Design LLC, US 100 Rowland Blvd. Novato. CA 94945, USA Tel: +1-415-878-4000 Fax: +1-415-897-2544 Web Site www.imsisoft.com www.turbocad.com
The material presented in this publication is copyright-protected, 1986-2008 by IMSI/Design and may not be reproduced in any form, by any method for any purpose without the prior written consent of IMSI/Design. Information in this document is subject to change without notice. It is against the law to copy the software, except in accordance with the terms of the licensing agreement.
TurboCAD, FloorPlan 3D and the IMSI logo are registered trademarks of IMSI/Design. TurboCAD Professional, TurboCAD 1987-2008, IMSI. All rights reserved. FloorPlan 3D 1997-2001, IMSI. All rights reserved. Spatial Technologies Copyright - ACIS 1994-2008. LightWorks Design Copyright - LightWorks 1990-2008. Corel OCR-TRACE Copyright (c) 1996 Corel Corporation. ImageCELs copyright 1989-1999 IMAGETECTS, All Rights Reserved. ImageCELs is a registered trademark of IMAGETECTS. The RealNet logo and technology are copyright 1998-2000 RealNet Software Productions, Inc. Adobe, Acrobat, and the Acrobat logo are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated, which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Flash is a registered trademark of Macromedia.Portions Copyright 2008 by: Arthur D. Applegate OpenDWG Alliance Lithonia Lighting Tidestone Technologies All other trademarks are acknowledged.
Welcome to the TurboCAD Designer Getting Started Guide. The goal of this book is to get you quickly up and running, and to introduce you to the user interface and a variety of drawing and editing tools. The Setup program also creates a program group containing the TurboCAD application icon, as well as shortcuts to the Help and the Readme file.

System Requirements

Pentium IV Processor Microsoft Windows XP 512 MB RAM, Microsoft Vista 1GB RAM 300 MB of free hard disk space depending on accessory applications installed, 64+ MB of swap space Super VGA (1024 x 768) display High Color (16 bit) graphics card 4X CD-ROM drive with 32 bit drivers The following items are recommended but not required: 2+ GHz Processor, 2GB RAM 3D Graphics accelerator card Wheel mouse Internet connection Microsoft Internet Explorer (tm) required for Internet registration Macromedia Flash (tm) plug-in required for on-line tutorials.

Registration

Registration and activation are automatic for electronic downloads. For manual installation you can register online. If you do not have Internet access, please call 800-833-8082 to register. Becoming a TurboCAD registered user has many advantages, including technical support, access to extensive online support databases, and program updates.

Starting TurboCAD

If you accepted the default installation settings, TurboCAD can be accessed via the Windows Start / Programs menu. 1. 2. Click the Start button on the Windows taskbar. Select Programs / IMSI, and select the version you have installed.
NOTE: You can also start TurboCAD by double-clicking the desktop icon.
The introductory screen appears, in which you can open an existing file or create a new one. Click New.

Installing TurboCAD

To install TurboCAD, insert the CD into your CD-ROM. If the installation process does not start automatically, select Start / Run from the Windows taskbar and type D:\setup.exe (where D is the drive letter of the CD-ROM). After you have installed TurboCAD, the Setup program creates a program folder. If you choose the default settings, TurboCAD is installed in the C:\Program Files\IMSIDesign\TC15 folder. This folder contains several subfolders that contain TurboCAD program files and related files such as templates, sample drawings, and symbols.
TurboCAD Pro Getting Started Guide
The TurboCAD User Interface
The main area of the TurboCAD window is the drawing area. By default, the background color is white, but you can change that by selecting Options / Background Color and choosing another color. We will now look at some components of the User Interface (UI). What appears in the UI can be controlled in the Workspace menu. All tools and options are available by selecting them from the Menu Bar at the top of the window - File, Edit, View, etc. (Most tools are available in toolbar icons as well).
By default, the Inspector Bar is located immediately below the drawing window.
The Inspector Bar usually contains icons for cancelling an action and opening an objects properties, as well as numeric fields relevant to the current tool. The right side of the Inspector Bar contains options relevant to the current tool or mode. All options that appear here can also be accessed from the local menu, opened by right-clicking. When creating or sizing objects, you can define points by entering them directly into the Coordinate Fields. By default, this toolbar is located at the lower right corner of the window.

Toolbars are groups of related icons. They can be located along the top, bottom, and sides of the window.
Located by default on the right side of the window, the Palette Area provides convenient access to many features, such as Blocks, the Internet, Selection Info, etc.
By default, the Standard toolbar appears at the top of the window, and the Property toolbar appears just below it. Drawing Tools appear along the left side. You can drag a toolbar to another location by picking it on its top or bottom edge. Located at the lower left corner of the window, the Status Bar lets you know the current status of the model, and prompts you for the next action.
Here is a description of some of the available palettes: Library Palette: Used to display, save, and insert symbols and parts found in the various symbol libraries - both those included with TurboCAD installation and those you create yourself. Blocks: A block is a collection of objects combined into a single object. This palette enables you to create and insert blocks.

Version 15

Selection Info: Displays information about the currently selected object or objects, such as entity type, measurements, location in the drawing, and physical and engineering properties. Properties can also be edited here. Measurement Info: Displays calculated by the Measure tools. measurements
Drawing Setup pages are file-specific options, which are only valid for the current file. They can be accessed from the Options menu, or from the flyout icon on the Standard toolbar.
Internet Palette: Provides access to the Internet from within the TurboCAD window. Color Palette: Displays all colors currently available. Tools Palette: Displays commonly-used groups of tools, and you can create your own. The Program Setup pages contain general options that apply to TurboCAD all the time, not just for the current drawing. These pages can be accessed from the Options menu, or from the flyout icon on the Standard toolbar.
The following are the available Drawing Setup pages: Display Options: Options for adjusting the quality and redraw speed of the display, and options for displaying block attribute values. Grid Options: Controls the grid type, size, and display. Advanced Grid Options: Advanced controls for the frequency and locations of grid lines. Space Units: Controls for setting units in Model and Paper Space. Angle Options: Controls the measurement and display of angles, as well as control over the Ortho angle. Layers: Layers can be used for placing objects according to individual categories, and can be used to change which objects are visible. Line Styles: View predefined line styles, modify or delete them, and create new ones. Background Color: Changes the background color, which is white by default. Print Style Table: Select the print styles you want in your drawing.

The following are the available Program Setup pages: General Setup: Sets file opening and saving parameters, as well as user information. Desktop: Controls what appears on the window. Preference: General program options, such as cursor shape, axis color, zoom factor, and display of coordinate system icons. Toolbars and Menu: Usage and appearance of toolbars and menus, plus access to customization options for toolbars, menus, and keyboard shortcuts. Auto-Naming: Controls how groups, blocks, and symbols are named. File Locations: Enables you to specify the folders where TurboCAD places several types of program files. Symbol Libraries: Displays the folders containing symbols. Colors: Enables you to add, modify, or delete colors from the TurboCAD palette. Warning Dialogs: Controls TurboCAD warning messages. the display of

2D Project

This exercise will get you familiar with many of the commonly-used 2D drawing tools.
Click anywhere to place the first point, and move the cursor toward a second point, but do not click yet.

Drawing Lines

1. Start by displaying the grid. From the Standard toolbar along the top of the window, click Show/Hide Grid. 6. Look in the Inspector Bar, in the lower left corner of the window. As you move your cursor, the Length and Angle of the line update.
The grid appears, with lines 1/2 apart. You can change grid spacing and colors by selecting Options / Grid. If rulers are displayed (Workspace / Rulers), you can see the measurements.
Click anywhere to place the second point of the line.
The first tool we will use is Line. From the Drawing Tools toolbar (along the left side), make sure Line is active. If it is not, click the icon to activate it.
For the next object, we will use snaps. Snaps enable you to place the cursor on an exact point, preventing you from having to approximate a points location. To display the Snap Modes toolbar, right-click in the blank, gray space on any toolbar. From the list, select Snap Modes. Then close the Customize window.
NOTE: You can access any tool from the menu as well. For Line, select Insert / Line / Single.
10. The Snap Modes toolbar should appear along the top of the window. Click Grid. (A snap is enabled when it appears pressed in, and you can click a snap again to disable it.)
Before clicking the first point, look at the Coordinates Field in the lower right corner of the window. Move your mouse around, and you can see the coordinates of the cursor location update dynamically.

11. Also make sure Show Magnetic Point is enabled. This means that the nearest snap point will be marked when the cursor is close to it.
12. Finally, turn off No Snap, located at the top of the toolbar. If this is on, the other snaps will not work.
17. Place the first corner at any grid point. Move the cursor, but do not click the second point yet.
13. If any other snaps are active, turn them off.
NOTE: Snaps can also be set by selecting Modes / Snaps.
14. Now look to the left of the Coordinate Fields. The SNAP button should be on (if it is grayed out, click it to enable it). SNAP enables you to quickly turn on / off all permanent snaps, and when off, whatever snaps you set on the Snap Modes toolbar will not work.
18. Press the Tab key to enter the Inspector Bar fields. The cursor jumps to the Size A field, in which you can specify the rectangle dimension in the X axis (horizontal). Enter 45.5. The units are assumed to be in inches, so there is no need for the () symbol.
19. Press Tab again to jump to the Size B field, and enter 26.25 (a point you could not find using a Grid snap).
TIP: If you right-click on the SNAP or GEO (geometric aids) button, you will see a window in which you can set permanent snaps. This is equivalent to using the Snap Modes toolbar.
20. Press Enter, and the rectangle is created. Assuming you did not change your display size, you probably cannot see the entire rectangle on the screen. Click Zoom Extents (on the Standard toolbar) to resize the display so that all objects can be seen.
15. With the Grid snap on, you can move your cursor in the drawing area and see the magnetic point whenever you are on or near a grid point.
21. If the rectangle looks too large, click Zoom Out as needed to make it appear smaller.
16. The next object to draw is a rectangle. Look at the Line icon, and notice the small yellow triangle in the corner. This indicates that is part of a flyout toolbar which contains other similar tools. Click and hold down the Line icon until the other options appear, and select Rectangle.
NOTE: These commands are also available on the View menu.
TIP: If you have a wheel mouse, you can move the wheel up to zoom in, and down to zoom out. While zooming this way, the location of the cursor affects how the objects are centered on-screen.
22. Depending on your zoom size, the grid might disappear. If it is still displayed, it will look pretty crowded, so click Show/Hide Grid to blank the grid. You should just have the rectangle on the screen, as well as that original line you drew (which is not included in this picture).

25. Click Save, and the Summary Info window appears. You can use this window to save extra information about the file, such as author, subject, and how you want preview graphics to be created and appear. Fill in any information you want, and click OK.
23. You should save your work often, to avoid losing data if a system crash should occur. Click the Save icon (or select File / Save, or press Ctrl+S).
TIP: You can select Options / General to open a window in which you can set time intervals for file backup and saving. intervals.
24. Name the file something like rectangles; the default file extension for TurboCAD files is *.tcw. Save the file to a folder you can easily find later, such as My Documents\CAD.
26. Now that the file is saved, you can close it and reopen it, using File / Open or Ctrl+O. In the Open window, browse to the folder you selected and highlight the rectangles.tcw file. A preview is shown on the right side - this preview features makes it easy to quickly identify the file you want.

Properties and Snaps

1. 2. Go back to the Line tool. For the next objects, we will set new object properties. The Property toolbar is located along the top of the window, below the Standard toolbar. Set a new color, new line type (dashed, dotted, etc., and a new line width. All objects created from now on will have these properties.
In the Snap Modes toolbar, turn on the Vertex (end point) and Middle Point snaps.
Draw a line from the top left corner (vertex) to the midpoint of the bottom edge.
NOTE: You can use local snaps while permanent snaps are on as well.
Click either the top or left edge, close to the top-left corner. The corner is selected as the snap point.
When the second point has been selected, the line has the color, type, and thickness you set. We will now recreate this line, using a different type of snap mode. First undo the line. You can click the Undo icon, or press Ctrl+Z.
Before clicking the second point, right-click again and select Local Snap / Middle Point.
In the Snap Modes toolbar, click No Snap so that all permanent snaps will be disabled. (You could also click the SNAP button at the bottom of the window to disable it.) When you move the cursor, magnetic points should no longer appear.
10. Click anywhere on the lower edge, and the midpoint is selected to complete the line.
You have seen how to set running (permanent) snaps, but now we will use local (one-time) snaps. These are snaps that are activated just once. Line should still be active. Before placing the first point, right-click and select Local Snap / Vertex. Another way to use a one-time snap point is to use a SEKE - Single Equivalent Keyboard Entry. 11. For the next line, move the cursor anywhere along the diagonal line you just drew and press the M key. This snaps to the midpoint of this line.

12. Now move to either the top or right edge, near the corner, and press V. This snaps to the endpoint of the line.
Click outside the rectangle to deselect it, and select the rectangle again. Now only the segment you clicked is selected.

Editing 2D Geometry

The next step is to trim lines to get one closed chain. At this point, the rectangle cannot be used to trim other objects, because it is one object comprised of four sub-objects. The rectangle must be broken down into its individual parts first. 1. Activate the Select tool, located at the top of the Drawing Tools toolbar. (Or from the menu, select Edit / Select.)
Open the Modify flyout toolbar and select Trim.
NOTE: All tools on this toolbar can be found in the Modify menu.
6. 2. Click the rectangle to select it. All four lines are contained in the selection box.
When in doubt about what steps to perform, you can always look in the Status Bar - located below the Inspector Bar at the lower left corner. The first step in the Trim tools is to define the cutting edge.
Select the second diagonal line you drew to be the cutting edge.
While the rectangle is selected, click Explode (or select Format / Explode). This icon is near the bottom of the Drawing Tools toolbar. If you cannot see it, click the small arrow at the bottom of the toolbar to see the remaining icons.
According to the prompt, you can select another cutting edge (not what we need), or select the object to trim.
11. Note the blue squares at the corners and sides of the selection box. These are drag handles; you can use them to resize the selected objects. Click and drag the lower-right handle to make the line a bit longer. (You can also click a handle, release the mouse, and click again for its new location.)
Select the first diagonal line, clicking it on the part you want deleted.
This is the result - the first diagonal line is trimmed by the second one.
12. Now select Meet 2 Lines from the Modify toolbar.
10. The next trimming tool is better demonstrated when two lines intersect. We can change a line for this purpose. Press the Spacebar - this activates Select and click the trimmed line.
13. Click the two lines shown, this time clicking them on the parts you want to remain.

Here is the result - both lines were trimmed to one another.
17. A polyline is a chain of connected line and arc segments, that is considered to be a single object (like the rectangle you created). A polyline can be open or closed. 18. You could select each line one by one, but it is easier if you select Auto Joining. This option can be activated by the icon on the Inspector Bar or in the local (right-click) menu.
TIP: We have just used several tools from the Modify toolbar. If you often use a particular toolbar, you can keep it permanently displayed in its entirety. Right-click in any toolbar area and select the toolbar you want to see, in this case the Modify toolbar.
19. Click any line, and the chain is automatically identified. We now have a single object, which has uniform properties - line type, line weight, and color.
14. Activate Select once again and press Shift so that you can select multiple objects. Click both lines shown, and they are both selected. (When using Shift, you can also click a selected object to deselect it.) 20. Use Select to select the polyline - it is one object.
15. Press the Delete key to erase these lines. To change its properties, click the Properties icon in the Inspector Bar. (You could also select Format / Properties or press Ctrl+F.)
The remaining four lines are each separate objects, which you can verify by selecting each line one by one. 16. Make sure no lines are selected (click away from an object to deselect it). To join the lines into one object, select the menu option Modify / Join Polyline.
In the Properties window, open the Pen page. Set the line type to Continuous, and change the color and weight. This does not affect the settings in the Property toolbar, it only changes the properties of whatever is selected.
21. For another way to open the Properties window, activate Select and double-click the polyline. Now open the Brush page. Here you can set the pattern, or solid-colored fill, that fills a closed shape. Select a brick pattern and reduce the scale.
Click OK to close the Properties window, and here is the modified polyline (click outside the polyline to deselect it).
NOTE: Brush patterns can also be set on the Property toolbar.

Here is the result:

TIP: You can set properties in advance for a group of tools - i.e. all tools located on the same toolbar. For example, you can right-click on the current icon in the Line toolbar. This opens the Properties window. Once you modify the properties, all objects created via the Line toolbar (rectangles, polylines, polygons, etc.) will now share these properties.

Creating a Polyline

1. Start a new file by clicking the New icon (or select File / New, or press Ctrl+N).
Open the Line toolbar and select Polyline.

Select New from Scratch.

For the first point, press Shift + Tab to enter the Coordinate fields. This way you can start the object at a specific point in space. Enter 5.5 for X, and press Tab and enter 2.5 for Y. Press Enter.
The polylines first point is now set at point (5.5mm, 2.5mm). Do not select more points yet.
TIP: Another useful option in the above window is Page Setup Wizard. This is a step-by-step guide for setting up your file. You can set units, precision, paper size / orientation, printing scale, and viewports (used in paper space).
Until now we have been using Absolute coordinates, but if you know an objects measurements already, it is easier to enter distances from the last point, rather than entering exact coordinates each time. Therefore, use the icon on the Standard toolbar to switch to Relative coordinates
Start by changing the units. Select Options / Space Units and set the units to Metric, with mm as the base unit.
NOTE: Coordinate systems can also be changed via the Modes menu.
Now a red circle marks the last specified point.
9. 4. Click OK, and the rulers should now show mm measurements.
For the next point, return to the Coordinate fields. Now the X and Y fields have a +/- sign, indicating that distances you enter here are measured relative to the last point you set. Enter 4 for X and 0 for Y to create a line 4 mm long to the right (in the positive X direction).
The first segment, 4 mm long, has been created, and a red point marks the last point set.
NOTE: A polyline does not have to be closed. You can create an open polyline by selecting Finish, or you can double-click the last point
10. Polylines can contain line or arc segments. Use the Inspector Bar (or local menu) to switch to Arc Segment.
This is the resulting polyline.
11. The arc starts at the end of the line, and is tangent to it. Enter 0, 2.5 to place the arc endpoint 2.5 mm above the last point.
15. Switch back to Absolute coordinates by pressing Shift+A. This gets rid of the red square that always follows you around.
12. Here is the arc segment. Move the cursor to see that Arc Segment is still the current setting.
Creating Circles and Arcs
1. For the next object, select Circle Center and Point.

13. Switch back to Line Segment, and make the line 4 mm long, to the left (-4, 0).
Move the cursor anywhere along the arc segment on the left side of the polyline and press C. This snaps the center of the new circle to the center of the arc.
14. We want to close the polyline with another arc. First select Arc Segment again (shown below on the local menu), then select Close. 3. Move the cursor outward and click to place a point on the circles circumference.
Select the circle, and move the cursor over the small yellow dot at the center. This dot is the reference point, which can be used to move the selected objects. Click this point.
means you can only move the cursor horizontally or vertically. Start the arc by clicking to the right (zero degrees).
Move the reference point so that it is concentric with the arc on the right side. You can use the C key as before, or use a local snap, or even set the Center snap on the Snap Modes toolbar.
End the arc by clicking to the left (180 degrees).
TIP: Ortho mode can also be set on the Snap Modes toolbar. TIP: When using the Snap Modes toolbar, keep in mind that these snaps stay active even when you might not want them. If you are having trouble selecting a certain point, check the Snap Modes toolbar to make sure the right snaps are set.
10. The next tool is Arc Start / End / Included, located on the Arc flyout toolbar.
Now for an arc - select Arc Center and Radius.
Place the arc center at the midpoint of the lower line, and click again to set the radius.
11. Use Vertex snaps to place the start and end points at the ends of the upper line. Click again to set the arc bulge.
The next two clicks set the start and end angles. Arcs are created in the counter-clockwise direction. Keep Shift pressed, which puts you in Ortho mode. This
12. Activate Trim as before, selecting the half-circle arc first as the cutting edge, and then the lower line of the polyline.
TIP: While in Select mode, the values in the Inspector Bar can be used to scale by exact values. These fields also update dynamically as you drag the handles.
Move the cursor over the small green dot - this is the rotation handle.
13. While still in Trim, do the same for the upper arc. 4. Click this point and move the cursor to rotate the objects. The reference point is now used as the center of rotation. Do not click to set the rotation yet.

14. Cancel or press Esc to end the trimming tool.
Press Tab once to access the Inspector Bar, and once again to jump to the Rotation field. Type a rotation angle and press Enter.
Scaling, Copying, and Rotating
1. Select all objects by press Ctrl+A. To make the entire drawing shorter, drag down the blue handle on the upper line and click to resize.
6. 2. The side handles only scale in one direction. To scale in two directions, drag the top left corner handle.
Now to copy these objects. In the Inspector Bar, click Make Copy.
Use the reference point to move the objects to the right. Note that the move cursor now has a + symbol, indicating that you are in copy mode.

Points and Curves

1. Start another file, or pan to some blank space in the current file. (You can pan by dragging the scroll bars up or down, or side to side.) Open the Point fly-out toolbar, and select a square point.
Click to place the copy. Turn off Make Copy, otherwise you will continue making copies.
Create a few points randomly like this:
Make sure everything is deselected. For another way to select multiple objects, activate Select once again, and click and drag a box around the right set of copied objects.
TIP: In the Properties of these points, you can change the point size.

Select these points.

10. To make a mirrored copy of this set, enter -1 for Scale X in the Inspector Bar, and press Enter.
The next tool is in one of the Copy tools, whose flyout toolbar is near the bottom of the Drawing Tools toolbar. If you need to expand this toolbar, click the arrow at the bottom of it.
From the Copy toolbar, select Array Copy. This enables you to copy the selected objects multiple times in the X and Y directions.
Press Tab to enter the Inspector Bar, and enter values like this. Adjust your Y Step value as needed to get a reasonable spacing - the preview line will update as you change the value. Enter three rows and one column.
The spline looks like this - it passes through the first and last points only, and the other points guide its curvature.
Press Enter. You should have three rows (and one column) of the selected points.
NOTE: If you had selected Close instead of Finish, the spline would make a loop, and would not pass through any points. Also, if you want to finish an open spline, you can double-click its last point.
12. For the second set of points, activate the second curve tool - Spline by Fit Points.

Now find the Curves toolbar and select the first tool: Spline by Control Points. This draws a spline using points as a guide, but the curve does not actually pass through the points.
13. Select the points in order like before. This time the spline does pass through the selected points.
14. For the third and last set, use Bezier. 10. Click the points in the top set, one by one. If you want to snap to them, use the V key, or turn the Vertex snap on. 15. This creates a curve similar to Spline by Fit Points, but with different tangency and curvature properties. 11. From the Inspector Bar or local menu, select Finish. (You can also press Alt+F.)

Selection Info Palette

Menu: View / Selection Info Displays information about the currently selected object or objects. You can also change properties of objects here. 1. Create few objects, then select them all.
properties such as radius or point coordinates. (If a field cannot be edited, it will be grayed out.) In this example, the Line color of circle was changed.
All types of objects are listed in the upper window of the Selection Info Palette. The change is made automatically.
Highlight any item, such as the polyline. If the Highlighting icon is activated.
. the object will also be highlighted onscreen.
For the highlighted object, its properties are listed in the lower section of the palette. You can change colors, line widths, etc., as well as geometric