Editing Objects

To edit objects and their parameters you have to select them on the drawing. It is possible to edit them using grips and their properties in the Properties panel.

By double clicking on objects, the editing command starts or the Properties panel appears. According to the object’s type, the editing command opens an editing dialog box (dimensions, notes) or offers to edit parameters in the command line (polylines, spline).

Selection of Objects

To edit objects you have to select them.

There are different ways to select objects in nanoCAD. The most common way to select is to select objects with the mouse cursor without using additional commands. Objects can be selected both individually and in groups

Selection of an individual object is performed by hovering the cursor, followed by clicking on it with the left mouse button by .

Selection of a group of objects is performed using a rectangular selection window or a lasso.

• If you move the cursor in the drawing area while holding down the mouse button, the lasso outline will be drawn. To stop the selection, just release the mouse button.
• In case of a single click on an empty space in a drawing field, a rectangular selection window will begin to draw. A second click will mark the second vertex of the window and complete the selection process.

If after starting a group selection, the cursor moves to the right, a window or lasso with a blue semitransparent fill is used. Only the objects that are entirely inside the specified area will be selected.

If after starting a group selection, the cursor moves to the left, a crossing window or lasso with green semi-transparent fill is used. This will select objects both completely inside and crossed by the border of the specified area.

When selecting with the lasso, you can cycle through its modes by pressing the SPACEBAR. The selection mode will change on the fly. You can skip between regular lasso selection (blue fill), crossing lasso selection (green fill) and lasso outline selection (only objects crossed by the outline are selected, but not those that are entirely inside or outside).

Selection with window Result

Selection with crossing window Result

Selection of objects with three lasso modes:

Selection parameters are set in Select section of Options dialog:

Options:

Frame color

Frame and fence displaying options. Fence color

Transparency

Selection preview method Sets the method of frame/fence creation.

Click and Click Sets the frame by two clicks: first click starts selection,

second click completes it.

Press and drag Sets the frame by mouse drag: press to specify the first

point, then drag cursor and release the mouse button.

Both – Automatic detection Automatic detection of selected method.

Allow press and drag for Lasso Enables/Disables lasso selection method.

Keep pre-selection after modification

Keep objects in selection after modify commands: Move, Rotate, Scale. For the Move, Rotate and Scale commands you can use the Keep pre-selection after modification mode, which allows you to keep objects selected even after the commands have stopped. The selection is cancelled by pressing the ESC key

Preview of selected objects

To preview objects of the selection or selection set, there is a mode of dynamic highlighting. Placed under cursor or pixbox objects or objects from set of selection objects are highlighted the same color, which they have.

Control of preview of selected objects mode implemented by ToggleSelectionPreview button in the status bar:

In command mode Objects are highlighted only when any command is run

(when command asks to select objects)

In non-command mode Objects are highlighted in non-command selection mode

(are not highlighted when a command is run).

In all modes Dynamic highlighting is active in all modes.

Never Preview of selection is off.

Selection filter Opens Selection Preview Filter dialog. Check the box to

exclude objects from selection preview. Checking boxes in the dialog box excludes objects from the selection preview.

You can also open the dialog box using the SELFILTER

command.

Maximum possible number of dynamically highlighted objects in preview is specified in Select > Selection preview > Selection preview max objects count of the Options dialog (Tools menu – Options).

The 0 specified value turns off the dynamic highlighting

It is important which selection mode is selected in the Properties panel when you select objects:

• If the multiple selection mode is switched on (the button ), all newly selected objects are added to the set. Objects selected in this mode are excluded from the set if you press SHIFT.
• If single selection mode is switched on (the button ), only newly selected objects are added to the set. New objects selected in this mode are added to the set if you press SHIFT and already selected are excluded from the set.

Selection of Objects Using the Command Line

For many editing commands, you can launch additional options for object selection in the command line.

1. Start the Select editing command from the command line

or

• 2. Start any editing command.
• 3. To the command prompt about object selection Select objects or [?]: enter? (question mark) or select from the context menu.
• 4. The following prompt is displayed in the command line: Select an option or [Window/Last/Crossing/Box/All/Fence/Wpolygon/Cpolygon/Group/Add/Remove/AUt o]:
• 5. Select the required option.

Command options:

Window Selection of objects that are entirely inside the rectangular area, specified by two points

from left to right.

Last Selection of the last created object.

Objects cannot be on a frozen layer.

Crossing Selection of objects, crossed by the rectangular area or inside the rectangular area,

specified by two points from right to left.

Box Selection option, with choice of Window or Crossing options.

If points in the rectangular area are specified from right to left, the selection of objects is

equal to the Crossing option.

If points in the rectangular area are specified from left to right, the selection of objects is

equal to the Window option.

All All objects are selected, excluding objects belonging to locked or frozen layers.

Fence Selection of objects crossed by the selection line.

WPolygon Selection of objects which are entirely inside the polygonal area.

A polygon can have any shape, but there must not be any self-intersections.

The segment of a polygon created last is the closing segment.

CPolygon Selection of objects which are entirely inside the polygonal area or are crossed by this

area.

A polygon can have any shape, but there must not be any self-intersections.

The segment of a polygon created last is the closing segment.

Group Selection of objects in the specified group.

Add Adds objects to the current set using any selection method. Automatic mode and adding

mode are used by default (Auto and Add modes).

Remove Deletes objects in the current set using any selection method.

You can exclude objects by pressing the SHIFT button in the adding mode (Add mode) or

automatic mode (Auto mode).

AUto Selection of objects with a pickbox.

When an empty area is selected by the pickbox, the Box option is switched on and the

first point of the window or crossing window is specified.

Automatic mode and adding mode are used by default (Auto and Add modes).

Additional options of object selection are on a Selection toolbar. The toolbar can be quickly called from the command line:

Selection of All Objects

Hotkeys: CTRL+A

Command line: SELECTALL

The command allows the selection of all objects in the current drawing, except objects on frozen layers.

The command is available from the context menu.

To cancel the selection, press ESC.

Remove from Selection

Ribbon: Home – Utilities > Remove from Selection

Menu: Edit - Remove from Selection

Command line: SELREMOVE

Command removes objects of the specified type from selection set.ve a set of selected objects, start Remove from Selection command.

• 2. Specify the object to remove.

All objects of this type will be removed from selection.

Leave in Selection

Ribbon: Home – Utilities > Leave in Selection

Menu: Edit - Leave in Selection

Command line: SELLEAVE

Command leaves objects of specified type in a selection set.

• 1. If you have a set of selected objects, start Leave in Selection command.
• 2. Specify the object to leave.

Only objects of this type will be left in selection.

Invert Selection

Ribbon: Home – Utilities > Invert Selection

Menu: Edit - Invert Selection

Command line: SELINVERT

Command cancels the current selection and selects all other objects.

Select Similar Objects

Ribbon: Home – Utilities > Select Similar Objects

Menu: Edit – Select Similar Objects

Functional toolbar: Properties–

Command line: SELECTSIMILAR

Command finds all objects within the current drawing that match the properties of selected objects, and then adds them to the selection set. With the Settings option, you specify which properties to match, such as color or block name, in the Select Similar Settings dialog box.

Command options:

? Additional object selection options.

Settings Displays the Select Similar Settings dialog box, where you can specify which

properties to match.

Region Sets rectangular region to select similar objects inside.

Command prompt:

Select patterns or [?/Settings/Region]

Select object serving as a pattern with desirable properties and select Settings option to set similar properties.

Settings option invokes Select Similar Settings dialog box where similar properties can be defined:

If no property is checked then objects of the same type as pattern object.

If just one property is checked (e.g. Color) then all objects with the color of the pattern object will be selected.

If more than one property are checked (e.g., Color, Layer and Lineweight) then will be selected:

• objects with the color of the pattern object;
• objects with the layer of the pattern object;
• objects with the lineweight of the pattern object.

If property Name is checked then all inserted objects with the same name as of pattern object (blocks, external references and images) will be selected.

Select patterns or [?/Settings/Region]

To select similar objects in the rectangular region: select Region option then set a rectangular area at the drawing.

Press ENTER to finish the command.

Selection of Overlaid Objects

Ribbon: Manage – Customization > Select Dialog

Menu: View – Show Selection Dialog

Status bar: Show Selection Dialog

Hot keys: CTRL+W

Command line: SHOWSELDLG

Selection of objects which are very close to each other is not difficult in nanoCAD.

If several objects are in the cursor’s pickbox:

the dialog box automatically opens showing the list:

Parameters:

All Selection of all the objects in the dialog box list.

Nothing No objects in the dialog box list are selected.

Pressing ESC also cancels the selection and closes the dialog box.

Place the cursor over any object in the list highlights it on the screen. Click on any object in the dialog box to select it. The dialog box closes after an object is selected.

To simultaneously select several objects from the list, check the boxes of the desired objects.

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Examples of different object selection:

The Show selection dialog command from the View menu switches on/off display of the Selection dialog box.

Selection of Objects Using the Properties Bar

There are buttons of object selection modes and commands right below the Properties bar caption:

Mode and Commands to Select Objects

Modes of object selection

Multiple selection

Mode of multiple object selection; all selected objects are added to the previous selection set. ESC cancels the selection.

Objects selected in this mode are excluded from the set if you press SHIFT.

Single selection Mode of single object selection; all newly selected objects are added to the selection set. Previously selected objects are removed from the set.

You can also add new objects in selection set or exclude them. Hold the SHIFT button during selection to add new objects in current selection set. To unselect certain objects, click them with SHIFT button pressed.

Commands of object selection

To Remove Objects from a Selection Set

To remove objects from a selection set:

1. Choose the Select all in the context menu or from the Edit menu:

All objects in the drawing will be selected.

2. Choose the object type that you want to exclude from the set in the drop-down list in the Object type of the Properties bar:

• 3. Click the Remove from selection. All objects of the specified type will be deleted from the selection set.
• 4. Select another type of object in the drop-down list.
• 5. Click the Remove from selection.
• 6. Selection and removal of objects can be repeated until only the required objects remain.

To Leave Objects in a Selection Set

To leave only specified objects in a selection set:

• 1. Choose Select all in the context menu or from the Edit menu. All the objects in the drawing will be selected.
• 2. Choose the object type which you want to exclude from the set in the drop-down list in the Object type of the Properties bar.
• 3. Click the Leave in selection. All objects, except the specified type, will be deleted from the selection set.

Quick Selection of Objects

Using the Quick selection command you can select objects using specified conditions.

Command line: QS, QSELECT

The Quick Selection command can be launched from the context menu:

In the Quick Selection dialog box, you can adjust the search conditions:

Parameters:

Search There are selection areas in the status bar:

Search options:

• In the whole document search in the whole document.
• In the current space search in the current space.
• In bounding box search in the selected rectangular area in the drawing.
• In current selection search among selected objects in the drawing.

If In bounding box or In current selection is selected, the Quick Selection dialog box temporarily closes to allow the rectangular area to be specified on the screen or for objects to be selected . The Set selection button becomes available after the area is specified or the objects are selected; using this button you can select a new rectangular area or change the current set of objects.

Selection parameters. Include frozen and invisible layers – allows to search objects on frozen and invisible layers

The following methods are available:

Result set to new selection – Objects corresponding to the specified search conditions are selected in the drawing, other objects are deselected.

Result add to selection – Found objects will be added to the selected objects on the drawing.

Result subtract from selection – If objects were selected, they become deselected.

Filter templates:

Presets

The button to call template managing functions and the list of saved templates.

Save preset

Saves the preset selection conditions as a named template.

Remove preset

Removes a preset selected in the list.

Using a set of tools you can select objects using set and saved conditions.

Switches on/off selection at frozen and invisible layers.

To add a condition for object search:

1. Click in the < Select object type> field and choose the required object type from the list:

To reject the selection, click on None.

2. There is a list of parameters of all objects belonging to this type and to the specified selection area:

3. Select the value of the required search parameter in the Value column:

4. Select a logic search condition in the ExprType column:

Note

For every object type you can set numerous search conditions using one or several parameters.

5. To add another type of object, click on the <Select object type>bottom field:

The number of objects satisfying the search conditions is displayed in the bottom part of the dialog box: Object found: 9.

”Quick select” Functional Bar

Quick select functional bar is implemented for more convenient work.

Menu: View – Toolbars > Functional > Selection

Comamnd line: TABS > Selection

Selection bar functions like Quick selection dialog box.

Ways to Edit Objects

You can edit objects (change their properties) in different ways:

• Editing with the Styles toolbar; when a text or dimension style for the selected objects is changed.
• Using the Main toolbar; when a layer, color, type or lineweight for the selected objects are changed.
• Using the Properties bar (for more information see the “Properties bar” section).
• Editing of text objects (search and replace) using the Find and Replace (for more information see the “Find and replace text” section).
• Using the Copy object properties command.
• Using the Windows clipboard.
• Editing with grips; the selected objects are highlighted (object lines become dotted) and marked with special markers, small blue rectangles, placed at the characteristic points of the objects. The markers of grips can be triangles, circles, rhombs etc. The color of markers can be light blue or green.
• Editing using editing commands; the editing command starts (for example, Copy from the Edit menu) and objects are selected. For many commands you can first select objects and then start the editing command.

• Editing by double clicking on an object and an editing command relevant to the object’s type starts. It can be the Properties bar, if it was closed. The editing command can open a dialog box to edit the object’s properties (dimensions, notes, tables etc.) or offer to edit in the command line (for example, polylines and splines).

Copy of Objects Properties

Menu: Modify – Copy object properties

Toolbar: Main –

Command line: MATCHPROP, MA, COPYOBJECTPROPS

This command is used to copy a part of the selected object properties or all of them and assign them to one or several objects.

You can copy color, layer, linetype, lineweight and other properties.

Command options:

? Opens additional options to select objects.

Settings Opens the Property Settings dialog.

Command prompts:

The Settings option opens the Property Settings dialog box where you can specify the copied properties from the source object:

Parameters:

Basic properties

Color Switches on/off the color copying mode.

Layer Switches on/off the layer copying mode.

Linetype Switches on/off the linetype copying mode.

Linetype Scale Switches on/off the linetype scale copying mode.

Lineweight Switches on/off the lineweight copying mode.

Thickness Switches on/off the thickness copying mode.

Special properties

Dimension Switches on/off the dimension style copying mode.

Polyline Switches on/off the width and type of polyline copying mode.

Material Switches on/off the material copying mode.

Text Switches on/off the text style copying mode.

When copying a note properties, if the Text checkbox is unchecked, only

the text style of the note will be copied, without the text itself.

To copy note properties without copying the text content, you can also use

the Match Properties button in the note creation/editing dialog.

Viewport Switches on/off the viewport properties copying mode.

Shadow display Switches on/off the shadow display copying mode.

Hatch Switches on/off the hatch properties copying mode.

Table Switches on/off the table style copying mode.

Multileader Switches on/off the leader note style copying mode.

Note

When copying leader properties from the menu Draw > Mleader, there is one feature:

• if the Text box is checked, then in addition to the text style, the leader text itself is copied;
• to copy properties without text, clear the Text checkbox.

You can also copy leader properties without copying text using the Match properties button in dialogs of creating/editing leaders.

Copying and Insertion of Objects Using Clipboard

The clipboard can be used to copy a drawing or part of it from one document to another. Data copied to the clipboard can be inserted into other applications, for example into open documents in MS Office. nanoCAD commands using the clipboard are in the Edit menu:

• Ribbon: Home – Clipboard

• Menu Edit
• Edit toolbar

• Context menu

Cut

Command line: CUT, CUTCLIP

This command deletes the selected objects from the document and places them on the clipboard.

Command option:

? Starts additional options for objects selection.

Command prompt:

Select objects or [?]: Select objects, press ENTER to finish selection.

Copy

This command copies the selected objects and places a copy of them on the clipboard.

Command option:

? Starts additional options for objects selection.

Command prompt:

Select objects or [?]: Select objects, press ENTER to finish selection.

Copy With Base Point

Ribbon: Home – Clipboard > Copy With Base Point

Menu: Edit – Copy With Base Point

Hotkeys: CTRL+SHIFT+C

Command line: COPYBASE

This command copies the selected objects and places a copy of them on the clipboard. When copying, a base point is specified and it is used to insert a copy of the objects into the document.

Command option:

? Starts additional options for objects selection.

Command prompts:

Select objects or [?]: Select objects, press ENTER to finish selection. Specify base point: Specify a point.

Copy OLE-Link

Ribbon: Home – Clipboard > Copy link

Menu: Edit – Copy link

Command line: COPYLINC

Copies the current view to the clipboard for linking with other OLE applications.

The clipboard contents will be pasted into another document as a linked OLE object.

Paste

Ribbon: Home – Clipboard > Paste

Menu: Edit – Paste

Toolbar: Main –

Hotkeys: CTRL+V

Command line: PASTE, PASTECLIP

This command inserts the contents of the clipboard into the document.

Command options:

Mode Selection of insertion mode.

The option starts the following prompt in the command line:

Enter paste mode [Single/Multiple]:

Options:

Single - Mode of single insertion.

Multiple - Mode of multiple insertions.

Command prompts:

Specify insertion point or [Mode]: Select Mode option.

Enter paste mode [Single/Multiple]: Select Multiple option.

Specify insertion point or [Mode]: Specify an insertion point.

Specify insertion point or [Mode]: Specify an insertion point.

Specify insertion point or [Mode]: Press ESC to finish the

command.

Paste as Block

Ribbon: Home – Clipboard > Paste as Block

Menu: Edit – Paste As > As Block

Hotkeys: CTRL+SHIFT+V

Command line: PASTEBLOCK

This command inserts the contents of the clipboard as a block into the document.

Command options:

Mode Selection of block insertion mode.

The option starts the following prompt in the command line:

Enter paste mode [Single/Multiple]:

Options:

Single - Mode of single insertion.

Multiple - Mode of multiple insertions.

Name Specifies a block’s name for insertion.

Command prompts:

Paste as Raster

Ribbon: Home – Clipboard > Paste as Hyperlink

Menu: Edit – Paste As > As Raster

Command line: PASTEASRASTER

Command inserts raster image from clipboard to current document. Can be useful for inserting scanned drawings as backgrounds or for future editing using commands from Raster menu.

Raster image will be inserted as external reference with default name Clipboard_N, where N – order number of inserted raster image. Link will have Not Found status. On the next document save operation Save Image File dialog will be displayed. In this dialog you can specify path, raster image file name and format. If more than one raster images were inserted - Save Image File dialog will be displayed for each image.

After saving status will be changed to Loaded, and in External References dialog (menu Insert – External references) raster image parameters will be displayed.

From this dialog it’s possible to save the raster image without saving the document. Save button will open the same Save Image File dialog.

Note: Options button in Save Image File dialog allows to specify more options for some raster formats (for detailed information see Image settings section).

Command options:

Specify insertion point: Specify point of raster image insertion.

Paste to Original Coordinates

Ribbon: Home – Clipboard > Paste to Original Coordinates

Menu: Edit – Paste to original coordinates

Command line: PASTEORIGIN

This command inserts objects from the clipboard into the document with the same coordinates that they had in the initial document.

The command is applicable if the clipboard contains graphic data copied from other drawings.

This insertion method is useful when copying objects from one drawing to another to maintain geometry alignment. For example, for different floors of a building.

Paste Special

Ribbon: Home – Clipboard > Paste special

Menu: Edit – Paste Special

Command line: PASTESPEC

The command pastes objects in the current document, which allows managing data format.

Options:

Data source Contains information about the data copied to the clipboard. The kind

of information depends on the type of data.

For example, for Excel document data, it displays the layout name and

the range of copied cells:

Paste The clipboard content will be pasted to the specified location in the

drawing as an embedded object. Embedded data cannot be updated in the drawing workspace if modified in the original document from where

they were inserted.

Paste link The clipboard content will be pasted to the specified location in the

drawing as linked data.

If the source application supports OLE or a data link, a link to the source

file will be created. Linked data can be updated in the drawing

workspace if modified in the original document from where they were

inserted.

OLE object links are updated and configured in the Update OLE-links

dialog box of the Update Data Links command

As: Formats in which you can paste the clipboard content into the current

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drawing. Depend on the type of data in the clipboard and the type of

insertion (embed or bind).

As an icon Instead of data, the corresponding application icon will be placed in the drawing. To view or edit data, double-click the left mouse button on the icon.

Copying Objects and Creating a Block by Dragging with the Right Mouse Button

By dragging objects with the right mouse button, you can create their copies or create insertions of a new block from these objects. After dragging the selection, the context menu is displayed with possible variants of copying:

If you select the Paste as block option, a new block with insertion in the place of transfer will be created in the document.