Release 12    June 1992

General -- R12

AutoCAD Release 12 drawings are compatible with AutoCAD Release 11.

The AutoCAD main menu has been eliminated. After initial configuration, AutoCAD displays the graphics screen.

The Main menu tasks have been replaced by commands. For example, the NEW command starts a new drawing, and the OPEN command opens an existing drawing.

Configuration is done with the CONFIG command.

Configuration of AutoCAD without displaying the AutoCAD screen is performed with the -r command-line argument (for example, acad -r).

The OPEN command automatically converts older AutoCAD drawings.

The pull-down menu has been enhanced:

The menu supports cascading-style submenus.

AutoCAD remembers your last menu item selection.

AutoCAD can disable menu items.

Menu files have been simplified. The AutoLISP portions of the menu are in a separate file.

The screen menu switches to the appropriate page when you enter a command. The MENUCTL system variable controls screen menu switching.

AutoCAD supports a cursor menu that contains Osnap overrides and point filters; this menu can invoke the geometry calculator. The cursor menu appears at the graphics cursor location when you use the appropriate key/-pointing-device button combination. For example, if your mouse has a third button, press the third mouse button to display the cursor menu.

The dialog-box interface has been expanded and enhanced. AutoCAD supports dialog boxes that let you easily view and change information. The information in the dialog box is grouped in logical fashion and displayed in an easy-to-read format.

AutoCAD allows you to change the contents of the status line using the MODEMACRO system variable.

The new BHATCH command was added. It allows you to easily hatch irregularly shaped areas enclosed by one or more entities. After picking a point in the enclosed area, AutoCAD automatically determines and shows you the boundary of the area. For example, you can hatch the area created by two overlapping circles.

The new BPOLY command was added. It allows you to create a Polyline that outlines the area enclosed by one or more entities. A polyline can easily be created along an irregularly shaped area completely enclosed by one or more entities.

Commands with the "DD" prefix bring up dialog boxes. For example, DDRMODES displays the Drawing Modes dialog box. Other commands such as PLOT and SAVEAS also bring up dialogs. Some commands bring up dialog boxes based on the CMDDIA and FILEDIA system variables.

These are some of the features that use dialog boxes:

• Dimensioning (DDIM)
• Plotting (PLOT)
• Hatching (BHATCH)
• Object Snap (DDOSNAP)
• File manipulation (OPEN, NEW, SAVEAS, FILES)
• Layer control (DDLMODES)
• Attribute definition (DDATTDEF)

Dimensioning enhancements include:

• Creation of basic dimensions.
• Addition of prefix or suffix to dimension text.
• Use of the DDIM command to display the status of dimensioning system variables in an organized and easy-to-read dialog box format. With this set of dialog boxes, dimensioning parameters can be made without having to remember the specific dimensioning variable names.
• Visibility of dimension text during creation and placement.

Dimensioning of nested entities is allowed.

AutoCAD can display selection grips that allow you to manipulate the selected entity. You can use grips to perform operations such as move, stretch, copy, scale, and rotate. You can also perform multiple copy operations with each mode.

Grips appear on an entity as small squares. AutoCAD places the grips at "defining" locations. For example, the grips for a circle appear at the four quadrants and at the center.

The new DDSELECT command lets you control these items:

• Entity sort order. You can specify the order in which entities are drawn.
• Noun/verb or verb/noun format for commands that require entity selection. With the noun/verb format, you select entities before you enter a command. With the verb/noun format, you enter a command before you select entities.
• Selection set creation. You can use additive entity selection or individual entity selection. Additive selection lets you select multiple groups of entities; individual selection allows only one group of entities.

Window creation for selection sets. You can use either two clicks for the window corners or press and drag the window size.

Entity selection enhancements include the following:

• The FILTER command that uses a dialog-box interface to let you filter selection sets based on entity properties such as color, layer, and location.
• The WPoly and CPoly entity selection options that let you create an irregular closed polygon for selecting entities.
• The Fence entity selection option that lets you create select entities by crossing the entity with a Polyline.
• The All selection option that selects all entities.

Linetype generation enhancements include the following:

• Polylines appear and plot with linetype patterns that flow around vertices.
• The Linetype patterns can be displayed at a single size in paper space viewports regardless of the viewport's scale factor if you set PSLTSCALE to 1.

Drawing layers can be locked. You can add entities to a locked layer; however, you cannot remove or change entities on a locked layer.

Speed performance has been improved for these commands:

• HIDE
• PAN and ZOOM

The DVIEW command uses an improved dynamic rotation interface.

The number of transparent commands has been increased.

The new CAL command is a geometry calculator.

The new ALIGN, ROTATE3D, and MIRROR3D commands let you easily move objects in 3D space.

AutoCAD can be configured to perform timed saves of your drawing. The time between saves is set by the SAVETIME system variable.

Plotting enhancements include the following:

• dialog-box interface for plotting setup.
• Previewing the plot on screen.
• Previewing and adjusting the position of a plot on the selected paper size.
• Saving a drawing's plot configuration parameters in a file.
• Saving up to 29 plotter configurations in the acad.cfg file.
• Combining printer plotters with plotters.
• Supporting up to 256 pen colors and widths.
• Saving drawing-specific information such as pen color and linetype assignments in plot configuration parameter (PCP) files.

If you use the AutoCAD network license authorization, you can plot from AutoCAD without using a network license by starting AutoCAD with the -p command-line argument (for example, acad -p).

Raster file import/export includes:

Import of common raster-format files such as PCX, TIFF, and GIF using the RASTERIN command. You can import raster images into AutoCAD and have them appear in the drawing.

Export raster images of AutoCAD drawings in several formats using the PLOT command with your plotter configured as a "Raster file export," an Autodesk-supplied plotter driver.

PostScript support lets you do the following:

Import PostScript files. The PSIN command lets you to import a PostScript file, resize the image and display a rendering of the image on a screen. Once you have a drawing that has PostScript information, you can send it to a PostScript file or printer. The output retains the PostScript information.

Control the quality of the rendered PostScript image. The -PSQUALITY system variable lets you adjust the quality of the rendered image.

Export PostScript files. The PSOUT command lets you export the current view of your drawing as a PostScript EPS file. PostScript images and fonts are retained.

Use PostScript Type 1 fonts with text. AutoCAD supports Type 1 fonts in outline form and on screen when you plot. With the COMPILE command, -AutoCAD can create SHX Shape/Font files from the PostScript PFB font files.

AutoCAD "soft-locks" external references (locks externally referenced files during loading).

The REINIT command lets you reinitialize your I/O ports, display, digitizer, and acad.pgp the AutoCAD Program Parameters file.

Enhanced digitizer support allows you to calibrate your tablet with independent X and Y axis scaling or projective scaling with the TABLET command. In projective scaling, the calibrated distance between two points on a tablet depends on both the physical distance between the two points and their location on the tablet (a limited form of rubber sheeting).

AutoCAD Render is included with AutoCAD. Render lets you create rendered images of your 3D object within AutoCAD. You can render images to an AutoCAD viewport, to full screen on a single-screen display, or to a separate window on a dual-screen setup. You can also send rendered images out to printers or files.

Region modeling is included with AutoCAD. Using closed 2D areas you can create booleaned regions similar to AME solids. Regions can be edited, can contain holes, and can be used to compute area properties and used for other analysis.

AutoCAD SQL Extension (ASE)/Autodesk SQL Interface (ASI) is included with AutoCAD. ASE supplies ADS interfaces that lets you -establish links between AutoCAD and an SQL database. You can also build ADS applications between AutoCAD and SQL databases using the Autodesk SQL Interface (ASI).

Advanced Modeling Extension R2.1 is supported by AutoCAD Release 12. Improvements in AME R2.1 from AME R1 include region modeling and improvements in these areas: solid primitive creation and handling, accuracy, performance, support for additional applications such as interference analysis, and external application support via API.

The AutoCAD programmable dialog box facility lets you create -AutoCAD Development System (ADS) or AutoLISP applications that use AutoCAD dialog boxes. For example, you can create dialog boxes that perform functions similar to the AutoCAD dialog boxes that display and change settings or select files. The code used to create an AutoCAD dialog box is platform independent.

The ADI (Autodesk Device Interface) Version 4.2 upgrade was provided primarily to facilitate optimal usage of display drivers when using the Render facility in AutoCAD. Other enhancements and bug fixes were also made.

SAGET library of extended ADS functions that allow AutoLISP programs to access ADS routines.

The PLOT command can be called from ADS and AutoLISP