nanoCAD User Interface

Note

Help with the updated description of the program functionality is available online: https://online-help.nanocad.com/NC25\_Help. 

With nanoCAD you can organize user workspace according to the user’s needs and tasks. The standard set of tools is usually used:

Ribbon interface:

Classic interface (with main menu and toolbars instead of ribbon):

The nanoCAD workspace consists of the following interface elements:

• the nanoCAD button and the Quick Access toolbar (0);
• ribbon or main menu (1);
• toolbars (2);
• drawing window (drawing area) (3);
• documents’ tabs (4);
• document layouts’ tabs (5);
• Properties bar (6);
• command line (7);
• status bar (8).

Most interface elements can be moved to other places; they can be fixed or floating. Some elements can be auto hidden.

The nanoCAD Button

By clicking the nanoCAD button with the program logo, you can access the file management, printing, and document utility commands: audit, restore, recover, purge etc. The list of recently used files and folders is also displayed here.

To open recently used file or folder with files, click its name in the list.

The Options button opens the Options (OPTIONS) dialog box to manage nanoCAD settings.

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar is placed at the top left of the nanoCAD window and contains most commonly used commands to create, open, save, and print a document. And the Undo and Redo commands for the changes you made to the document.

Use the context menu command QAT toolbar below the ribbon to place Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon elements (this command is only available when the Ribbon is displayed).

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Ribbon

The Ribbon contains a set of tabs with controls and tools for creating and editing a drawing.

By default, ribbon is placed at the top of the nanoCAD window.

The ribbon view depends on the size of the program window. While the window width reduces, some buttons decrease their size. If shrinking continues, some of the command groups on the right side of the ribbon are collapsed into a drop-down menu.

The button in the upper right corner of the program window displays and hides the ribbon. When the ribbon is disabled, the program interface turns back to the main menu and toolbars.

The ribbon can also be enabled from the command line by the RIBBON command.

Tabs

Tabs are displayed at the top of the ribbon. Tabs contains tools that are grouped to solve a certain type of task. To select a required tab, click its name on the tab.

Groups

Each tab divides interface elements into groups – sets of command buttons and controls. The group names are located at the bottom of the ribbon.

Command buttons

Each group contains commands to perform certain actions.

Clicking the arrow in the group name caption, expands additional items (buttons and controls) of the group.

The button with the arrow , placed in the bottom right corner of group caption, opens the group setup dialog.

Contextual tabs

Contextual tabs appear when editing blocks, external references or tables while working in paper space. These tabs contain specific groups of commands for working with selected items.

After you complete editing and exit the mode, the contextual tab closes.

Ribbon displaying

Right-click in the ribbon area to customize its view with context menu:

• QAT toolbar below the ribbon place Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon.
• Minimize Ribbon collapse the ribbon and show only tab names.
• Customize interface opens the Customize user interface dialog.
• Show tabs hide or show any tab.
• Show panels hide or show groups. The list of groups depends on the ribbon active tab where context menu was opened.

You can edit the composition of controls and tools of the ribbon in the dialog Customize User Interface > Ribbon tab dialog.

Main Menu

The Menu bar is placed at the top of the nanoCAD window and consists of drop-down menus containing all the basic commands.

Commands from the drop-down menus are grouped by functionality:

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The graphic interface of the drop-down menus contains a set of symbols to make work with the menus easier:

• commands from each functional group are separated by lines in the drop-down menu:

• a small black triangle on the right side of the menu indicates that selection of the item opens a cascade menu:

• three dots at the end of the menu item means that the item opens a dialog box:

• there are hotkeys to the right of the most used commands:

Toolbars

Buttons on the toolbars are used to start the commands. When you move the cursor over the button the tooltip is shown:

On some toolbars the commands are grouped and you can see only one button of command from each group.

The buttons from the command groups are marked with small arrows in the bottom right corner: .

When clicking such a button, a toolbar opens showing the tools of the specified group. To select the required tool from the group, move the cursor to the button on the bar and select it.

Show or hide toolbars by selecting View – Toolbars > nanoCAD toolbars; or from the context menu of any toolbar.

Toolbars can be moved to any part of the program window.

A toolbar in the document area is called moving or floating. You can change its shape and location. To fix a toolbar to one of edges of the document area, move it out of the document area. This toolbar is called fixed.

Location of panels, fixed and floating toolbars can be locked against accidental moving.

Fixing control commands are located in the context menu of any toolbar:

and in the menu View – Toolbars - > Fixed position:

• Dock toolbars
• Float toolbars
• Dock windows
• Float windows
• All > Lock / Unlock

For temporary unlocking to move or close a fixed toolbar, press and hold CTRL.

Drawing Window

There are drawing windows in the nanoCAD. Each document is opened in a separate window. If several documents are opened in the program, use the tabs to select the required document.

In the top of the graphic area, there are tools to control views, projections and visual styles of a model.

View control – the tool contains drop-down menus to select view and visual style of a drawing.

Locator – shows the current model orientation and allows for quick switch between orphographic, intermediate and isometric views or set any arbitrary view.

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Conceptually, the locator is a conditional sweep of sphere to plane.

The display of Locator and View control on the screen is controlled through the menu of sign

User coordinate system icon (UCS)

is placed in the default coordinates: X=0; Y=0; Z=0 (in the bottom left corner). To show/hide the icon, select the View menu – Display > UCS icon.

Cursor – the main instrument for selection and specifying in the drawing area. The cursor has a crosshair shape with a square sight at the intersection point:

The shape and size of the cursor can be adjusted in the Cursor section of the Options dialog box (Tools menu – Options).

Attention

To change the cursor’s color, deselect the Use default color box in the Category Name and Color dialog box.

Outside the graphic area, the cursor has an arrow shape: .

The document layouts’ tabs in the bottom part of the window are used to switch between layouts and to switch from model space to paper space and back. It can be more useful to use the button located at the end of tabs row. The button allows switching between layouts and named views in the document (for more information see the “Model space and Paper space” section). Scroll bars in the bottom and left parts of the graphic area are additional tools for panning. The Scroll bars command from the View menu shows/hides the vertical scroll bar. The horizontal scroll bar is always shown.

Commands that manage sheets and documents tabs displaying are located in the View menu and on the ribbon – Options tab – Customization group:

• Layout and document tabs (SHOWTABS command, hotkeys ALT+T);
• Document tab (SHOWTABSWINDOW command);
• Layout tabs (SHOWTABSLAYOUT command).

Context Menu

In nanoCAD, as in many other Windows applications, the context menu appears when you click the right button. The content of the context menu depends on the current context – object type, location of the cursor and what command is being run at the moment.

Examples of the context menu

Note

Right button clicking with SHIFT or CTRL pressed during the execution of a command for creating or editing objects opens the context menu of the Object snap.

Functional Toolbars

Functional bars are non-modal dialog boxes.

In most cases functional bars display certain information (about current document, selected objects, change history, etc.), allow you to change some of displayed parameters or apply certain actions or commands to them. It is convenient to keep these panels open during the program work.

Functional bars have a number of advantages over regular dialog boxes:

Unlike dialog boxes, active functional bars do not prevent from full-fledged work with documents, performing any commands.

You can keep open several bars simultaneously.

They update their content on the fly reflecting (and allowing to edit) up-to date information about a drawing, its properties and objects.

Thus, for example, Properties bar is used to display options of selected objects, to change objects’ properties, as well as to set selection mode and launch selection commands.

You can combine functional bars in single blocks, attach them to edges of other parts of interface, switch them using tabs.

When switching to another drawing or workspace, they change their content displaying information and parameters relevant to the current workspace and drawing.

The Properties bar is used to display information about selected objects, to change objects’ properties, to set selection mode and to launch selection commands.

The Properties bar can be combined with other functional bars, such as Quick Selection, Drawing Explorer, Tool Palettes and other. You can switch between merged functional bars using tabs in the bottom part.

Functional bars can be shown/hidden from View – Toolbars > Functional menu or from right-button menu in toolbars area.

as well as in the context menu called by the right mouse click at any toolbar.

Combining tool palettes

To save drawing space, tool palettes can be combined. In this case only the active palette will be displayed on the screen, while the rest ones combined with it will be displayed as bookmarks. You can switch between combined palettes using bookmarks located in the bottom of the active palette.

To combine tool palettes , drag the title of one palette onto the title of another one. The order of tabs can be changed by dragging. To separate a palette, click on its tab and drag it into a drawing field holding the mouse button.

Attaching tool palettes

The position of interface elements is changed by their dragging with the mouse pointer by the header.

• 1. Press the left mouse button on the tool palette header and, holding the button down, drag it to the field of the window to which the palette being moved should be attached. An icon will appear in the center of the window, which allows you to specify the place of attaching the palette in this window.
• 2. Continuing to hold the mouse button down, move the cursor over one of the icons:

The outermost icons are used to attach a palette to one of the window sides, the central one – to attach a palette as a tab.

The future position of a tool palette will be indicated with a blue field in the window. If this position is satisfactory – release the mouse button.

A palette attached to the window can be switched to the state of a pop-up tab. To do this, click on a pushpin icon in the toolbar header:

In addition, the context menu with methods of attaching and displaying is available:

Command Line

The command line is used to enter commands from the keyboard, to show tooltips and nanoCAD messages, to select the options of the selected command:

An accidentally closed command line will appear again after calling any command. If this did not happen, you can use the Restore UI state command.

The default command line height is set to display 4 lines of command history. To move from one line to another, use the scroll bar in the right part of the command line window. The height of the command line can be changed by dragging the top edge and dropping it in the required place.

In the Command line section of the Options dialog you can change the text and background color of the command line, switch on/off Use Autocomplete and Use alternate font options:

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Input of Commands, Aliases and Shortcuts

To enter a command from the keyboard, type the full command name in the command line and press ENTER or SPACEBAR to execute it

Instead of the full name of the command you can use a command abbreviation, the so-called alias of command. For example, instead of typing CIRCLE, you can just type C.

Several aliases can be assigned to one command. However, a particular alias can only be assigned to one command. Aliases are specified in nCAD.pgp file.

Shortcuts are similar to aliases, but launch a set of commands grouped by a certain criterion.

Note

It does not matter what case is used when typing in the command line.

With the Use Autocomplete mode (Command line section of the Options dialog box) you can choose a command from the list displayed in the command line after you have entered several letters:

• command;

• system variable (indicated with VAR: in the autocomplete list);

• a block present in the document (indicated with BLOCK: prefix in the autocomplete list).

The VAR: command allows you to display only system variables in the autocomplete list:

The addition of system variables and blocks in the autocomplete list is managed by the relevant options of the Command line section of the Settings dialog

When enabling the Use Autocomplete mode (the Command line section of the Options dialog), the autocomplete list includes additionally also the results of search based on fuzzi logic, i.e. search of parts of input line not only in the beginning, but throughout the entire name with automatic correction of possible input errors.

The time delay in display of autocomplete list is managed by the AUTOCOMPLETEDELAY system variable. The default value is 0,3 seconds. The maximum permitted value is 10 seconds.

To select a command from the list use TAB, ARROW UP, ARROW DOWN buttons and the ENTER button to confirm a selection.

You can see a full list of registered commands, aliases and shortcuts in the command line by entering an apostrophe.

Note

The autocomplete list is displayed not only in the command line, but also in using the Dynamic input.

Text Window

To display the command history, press F2 to open the text window:

You can close and open the window at any time.

The window is opened at the same location and size as set previously.

Command Line Prompt

The default command line prompt looks like:

Command:

but it varies depending on the current command or program state.

The command prompt can include descriptive messages that are displayed in the status bar when the command is running. For example, the prompt during a creation of a circle is:

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/TTR]:

It can also include interactive keywords in square brackets separated by a slash, highlighted in a blue color and underlined.

Note

To prevent confusion with hyperlinks, interactive keywords in prompts are shown in a red color and bold font.

You can type any keyword manually or just click on it. A keyword specified in triangular brackets is a keyword “by default”.

For example:

Enter number of sides <4>:

or

Extend or [Inscribed/Circumscribed]:

To choose it press the ENTER key.

As an answer to the prompt, type the keyword, or you can just type the capital letter of the word:

Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]:

For example, to select the Close keyword, type C and to select Undo type U.

Note

The capital letter can be in the middle of the key word.

Format of Input Data

You can enter different formats of data, text, digital values, coordinates, in the command line.

To use coordinate values to specify a point, enter an X value and a Y value separated by a comma <X,Y>:

23.45,-6.98

If the angle units are degrees/minutes/seconds, the following syntax is used:

32d20m10s or 32-20-10

Mathematical Processor

The command line allows for the input not only of commands, numbers and points, but also mathematical expressions. It is convenient when the coordinate or number is not known beforehand but should be calculated from some conditions.

For example, instead of calculating the coordinate of a point using the SQRT (349.56-275.90)*2 formula and only then typing it in the command line, like here:

Command: L,LINE – Line by points 
First point: -12.45,17.17

You can use a mathematical expression instead of coordinates in the command line:

Command: L,LINE – Line by points
First point: -12.45,SQRT(349.56-275.90)*2

To calculate a mathematical expression at any time type the ? sign before this expression. In the following example, a multiplication operation is performed during the line creation process.

Command: ?25.7*5

After pressing ENTER the result is shown in the command line:

?25.7*5 = 128.5

Mathematical expressions can be calculated during the execution of some commands. The following example shows a multiplication expression calculation during drawing a line:

Command: L,LINE – Line by points 
First point: 25.7,41.32
Next point: 25.7*5,93.77

After you press ENTER, the line with first point coordinates (25.7, 41.32) and end point coordinates (128.5, 93.77) will be drawn.

The complete list of registered operations, functions and constants can be viewed in the Command Line window by entering the ? sign and press the ENTER .

The Mathematical processor supports the following arithmetical operations, constants and functions:

Constants:

Arithmetic operations:

Functions:

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The user defined variables can be used in calculation expressions. The variable is created using the following syntax:

?=

For example:

?base=100
Command: L,LINE – Line by points 
Specify first point: base+11.56,base-5
Specify next point: base+27,base+35

A segment with the first point coordinates (111,95) and the end point coordinates (127,135) is built.

Auto Hide Mode in the Command Line

The command line can be placed in Auto Hide mode to enlarge the working area. In this mode the command line is reduced to a tab. In the tab name you can always see the command line’s message and entered values.

To Auto Hide the command line select the pin icon:

Or select from the context menu the Auto Hide command:

In the Auto hide mode the command line folds into a tab.

The value you enter and the command line prompt are always displayed in the tab’s name:

When moving the cursor over the tab, the command line expands to its full size, and when moving the cursor away it folds again:

The entry of commands and required values is performed without showing the command line.

Working with Commands

Commands are used to create and edit objects, open dialog and start any other operations. Commands can be launched:

• from nanoCAD button menu;
• from the quick access toolbar;
• from the ribbon;
• from the main menu;
• from toolbars;
• from tool palettes;
• from context menus called by clicking the right mouse button;
• from the command line;
• from the status bar;
• using hotkeys combinations;

For example, to open the Options dialog box:

• from the menu bar: Tools – Options;

• on the Settings toolbar: the Options button;
• in the command line: PREF or OPTIONS command;
• using hotkeys: CTRL+9.

• from the ribbon –Options tab Customization group ;
• from nanoCAD button menu: Options;
• from the main menu: Tools – Options…;
• from the Options: bar, the Options button;
• from the command line: OPTIONS, PREF command;
• from the context menu of the command line protocol: Options…;
• using hotkeys combination: CTRL+9.

Transparent Commands

Some commands can be launched while other commands are executed. Such commands are called transparent. Most of these are commands for switching modes, display settings, drawing navigation or document properties. After the command launched in transparent mode is completed, the main command continues its work

Non-dialog Mode of Commands

It is possible to work with some commands in the mode of suppressing the display of dialog boxes – non-dialog mode, when all data are entered in the command line. For example, such mode allows you to use many commands from script files (scripts).

To run a command in the non-dialog mode, enter a hyphen (-) before the command name.

For example, BOUNDARY command from the command line opens the Boundary Creation dialog box.

While the -BOUNDARY command will show a set of parameters and options in the command line.

The options displayed in the dialog box may differ slightly from those displayed on the command line.

You can view a list of commands for which you can use dialog suppression by typing a hyphen (-) in the command line.

Command Recall

The last launched command can be started by pressing the ENTER or SPACEBAR buttons.

The last nine launched commands are available from the context menu (Last commands):

Last commands are shown in the command line.

Use ARROW DOWN and ARROW UP buttons to select one of the last commands and press ENTER to launch it.

Undo-Redo Commands

nanoCAD creates protocols for all used commands and changes in the drawing, one or several commands can be undone to get to the previous step. Undone command can be launched again.

Cancellation and recall of commands can be made using the Undo and Redo commands.

Undo-redo options can be changed in the Undo command settings section of the Options dialog.

Undo

The command to undo previous actions and operations.

Launch of the command from the menu by pressing a button, by hot keys or by entering U letter in the command line results in sequential cancellation of previous actions, one at each start.

Click on the arrow right of the button opens the list of performed actions:

When you hover the cursor over a command item in the undo list, a preview of the scene that would appear after undoing actions up to the specified command will be displayed in the drawing workspace.

The preview is switched off by a flag Undo command settings > Generate preview in the Options dialog.

Entering UNDO in the command line allows you to expand the command options:

Enter the number of operations to undo or [Auto/Control/BEgin/End/Mark/Back] <1>:

Each launch of the Undo command in the command line is attended with the information on current settings: Current status: Auto = On, Control = All.

Command options:

Number of operations to undo

Set the number of operations, which will be undone at once. Similar to repeated launch of U (CTRL+Z) command.

Auto Group commands included in the macro command**.**

Control Options of the Undo command

• All turns on all the command options;
• None completely turns off all cancellation commands;
• One cancels only one action.

If None or One are enabled, Auto, Begin and Mark options are not available.

Launch of cancellation commands when None option is set, is attended with a prompt in the command line:

U command is disabled. Use UNDO command to turn it on

And suggestion to change option of undo control:

Enter an UNDO control option [All/None/One] :

BEgin End

Options allow you to combine a sequence of undo operations like a single operation. Commands performed between setting of Begin and End options will be cancelled simultaneously as a single action. By using Begin and End options, you can create several groups of performed operations, which will be undone in sequence.

After setting the BEgin option, the Begin of command group item will appear

in the command list.

Next actions continue to be added in the undo list of operations one by one.

Till the End option is applied, the commands still can be cancelled by one. But no further than the Begin of command group item.

After the End option is applied, all actions in the undo list between the beginning and the end will collapse in a single group of commands.

Now these actions can be cancelled only together.

Creating marks for a group cancellation of actions with help of Back option. You can set any number of marks. Start of Undo command with Back option cancels all actions back to the previous mark. If marks were not found, you will be prompted to delete all actions of the current work session.

The other cancellation methods, including U (CTRL+Z) command, do not take these marks into account in their work.

Procedure of using Begin and End options:

• Run the Undo command, select the Begin option.
• Perform the necessary actions creating, editing objects, etc.
• Run the Undo command, select the End option,

Actions performed in the interval between entering Begin and End, are combined into one group. Cancellation is performed for the entire group of actions. By using Begin and End options you can create several groups of performed operations, which will be undone in sequence.

Procedure of using Mark and Back options:

• Run the Undo command, select the Back option.
• Perform the necessary actions creating, editing objects, etc.
• Run the Undo command again, select the Mark option.

Thus, you can set an unlimited number of marks.

• Run the Undo command, select the Back option. Each performance of Back will cancel all operations before the previous mark.

The command parameters are configured in the Undo command settings section of the Options dialog (menu Tools – Options). In this section it is possible to control the display of preview of the result for each command step, add the undo list with 2D and 3D navigation commands, set to clear the list of all actions after a document is saved.

Redo

The command recovers all cancelled commands and operations. It becomes available after the Undo command is used.

Settings of the Right Mouse Button

The settings of the right mouse button usage are specified in the Right Button Usage section of the Options dialog:

Parameters:

Default Mode: This section defines the behavior of the right mouse button in

normal mode, when there are no objects selected and no

running commands.

Repeat last command Disables the standard right-click context menu. Simulates

pressing the ENTER key, which causes the last command to run

again.

Shows Popup Menu Displays the standard context menu.

Edit Mode: This section defines the behavior of the right mouse button in

edit mode when objects are selected but there are no running

commands.

Repeat last command Disables the right-click context menu. Simulates pressing the

ENTER key, which causes the last command to run again.

Shows Popup menu Displays the context menu for editing selected objects.

Command mode: This section defines the behavior of the right mouse button

when it is pressed during a running command.

Sends “ENTER” Disables the right-click context menu. Simulates pressing the

ENTER key.

Shows Popup menu Displays the context menu of the running command.

Shows Popup menu when command options present

Call the context menu of a command only if there are available options in the command line. If there are no options in the command line, pressing the right mouse button corresponds to

pressing ENTER.

Shows Popup menu after delay: Enables the mode which considers the duration of right button

holding:

short click – repetition of command or simulating pressing the

ENTER key, according to the mode,

long hold – opens the context menu.

Delay <250> ms Specifies, in milliseconds, the duration of right button holding to

open the context menu. By default, the value is 250 Ms.

Always show Popup menu

when objects selected If enabled, then if there is one or more objects in the selection, pressing the right mouse button always brings up the context

menu, regardless of the duration of the press.

Status Bar

There are interface elements in the status bar:

Current coordinates of the cursor:

Buttons to switch on/off modes:

Buttons to manage the drawing area:

To switch the status bar on/off, use the SHOWSTATUSBAR command from the View - Status bar, on the ribbon in the Manage tab (Customization group) or hotkeys ALT+S.

Managing Elements of the Status Bar

Use the Status Bar Configuration menu to set elements of the Status bar:

To open the context menu:

• 1. Right button click on the Status bar.
• 2. Select/deselect the required elements in the context menu.

Restore UI State

Ribbon: Manage – Customization > Restore UI State

Menu: Tools – Customize > Restore UI State

Command line: RESTOREUISTATE

The command allows you to reset the display settings and arrangement of toolbars and functional panels after restarting the program.

It resets the display and layout of the following user interface elements to their original state:

• display and location of functional panels (including command line panels),
• display and arrangement of toolbars (their content will not change),
• display and arrangement of tabs and groups of the ribbon (their contents will not change), as well as the display mode of the ribbon: compact view / visibility,
• size and position of the main window,
• display of the status bar and its settings.

This command is convenient to use to restore the display of the command line panel, if it does not appear automatically after starting any command.

Color Themes

In addition to the possibility of the workplace complete reorganization to the user needs, nanoCAD contains a set of color themes for the interface design. You can change the color theme in the Options dialog box, the Application look item.

To apply the selected theme without closing the dialog box, click the Apply button in the bottom part of the Options dialog.

Serach Field

In dialogs and toolbars, the Search field in the upper right part is intended for quick searching of objects by name. For example, LAYERS, LAYERSQUICK, COVERINGBROWSER:

To replace a part of a word, use the special symbol * (asterisk). For example:

• vie* – to display objects starting with “vie”;

• *vie to display objects ending with “vie”;
• *ie* to display objects with “ie” in the middle;
• vi*w to display objects starting with “vi” and ending with “w”.

You can also use the following special symbols in the field:

The Clear field button resets the search results.