MicroStation 101

AccuDraw:
To really get the most out of AccuDraw, you first need to understand a little
about its behaviour.

Turning AccuDraw on and Off:

Clicking on the Toggle AccuDraw icon in the Primary Toolbar will open the
AccuDraw window, which is fully dockable around the view window.

The AccuDraw Compass:

Select Place SmartLine and enter a data point (left click).

The compass is made up of three parts:

The Origin - This is centre of the compass and it's always at the location 0,0
(not at xy=0,0).
The Drawing Plane Indicator - That's the square box surrounding the origin.
It's indicating to you that you are in the rectangular drawing plane.
The Axis Ticks - These are AccuDraw's X and Y axis.

Indexing:
When you approach one of the axes, you kind of lock onto it. This is referred
to as indexing and its primary function is to keep you going straight. The
rubber-band effect indicates that you’re on the axis.

Automatic Input in the Key-in Field

As you move your pointer around, the values in the key-in field are changing.
These values are the distances being measured from the compass origin
(0,0) to the location of your pointer.

The input focus constantly hops between the X-field and the Y-field.
AccuDraw is always looking at the location of your pointer (with respect to the
origin) and is preparing to accept a key-in.

The numbers sometimes display a negative sign. Again, AccuDraw is always

watching the location of your pointer, and since we're in the
rectangular/cartesian co-ordinate system, it knows that you're in a negative
quadrant.

Driving with the keyboard

Now we’ve learned that AccuDraw is always watching your mouse and auto-
changes the key-in field as required. The next thing to know is that AccuDraw
is waiting for instructions via the keyboard. Known as shortcuts, these one or
two character key-ins simply send instructions to AccuDraw.
To view the delivered shortcuts, press the? key. This dialogue box allows you
to view, run, create and edit the shortcuts.

Change Mode [space bar]

Pressing the space bar, will switch the compass from rectangular to polar
mode which is expressed in distance and angle.

Smart Lock [Enter] The Smart Lock will lock you down to the nearest axis,
pressing it again will unlock you.

Using Smart Lock and the “N” shortcut.

By using a combination of the AccuDraw smart lock (enter on your keyboard)
and the N shortcut (Nearest Snap) you can eliminate the need to trim.

Lets say you want to draw this shape.

To draw the lines stopping at the circle edge without having to use the Trim
command:

Start your line and drag it towards the circle.

Smart Lock your line in the x direction by pushing Enter on your keyboard.

Keyin N for nearest and snap on your circle (anywhere).

Because the x axis is locked you will snap to the point at exactly the
intersection of the line and the circle.

Data point to accept and Reset to finish command.

X Lock [X] Y Lock [Y] These shortcuts lock your pointer a specific distance
from the origin along the x- or y-axis.

Distance and Angle Locks D and A will also lock distance and angle values.

Lock Index [L] Sometimes, when you're working with small values, the
indexing feature can become a nuisance. To override this lock, just press the
letter L.

Keying in Values the Right Way (all units below are in metres)
Lets try applying the principles you’ve learned so far and simply draw a line
1m long.

Enter a data point and move the pointer in the general direction of travel.
This is a very important step since AccuDraw is always evaluating the location
of the pointer and places the input focus in the correct field based on the
position of the mouse in relation to the origin.

Use the number keys on your keyboard to type in 1.

Notice how this number is auto-entered into the X field? Notice that you didn't
have to wipe out the existing numbers? As long as the input focus is in the
correct field, just key-in the new values.

Once you’ve entered a data point to secure this value as the endpoint of the
line, notice that the compass moves to this point. In other words, you can
expect the compass to always be located at the last data point.

Next, I want to draw a line using an X offset of 1.25 and Y offset of 0.65

• Enter the first datapoint to start the line.

• Move your pointer in the direction of travel (the X direction).
• Key-in 1.25 on the keyboard (do not data point yet).
• Arrow down or tab down or move the pointer down in the Y direction.
Any of these things will move the focus into the Y axis
• Key-in 0.65 and datapoint the end of your line.

Notice here that, not only did the compass move to the last data point, but it's
rotated to match the angle between the last two points. More on this later.

• Reset (right click) to complete.

Now draw a line 1.2 long and at an angle of 20 degrees.

• Enter the first datapoint to start the line.

• Move your pointer in the direction of travel.
• Presse the spacebar to set Accudraw to the polar mode. Note that the
focus is in the distance by default.
• Enter the value of 1.2 in the distance field.
• Arrow or tab down to the angle field
• Enter 20 and accept with a data point.
• Reset to complete.

Previous Distance Recall

By default, AccuDraw remembers the last distance specified, and uses this as
a hint for my next point. This is indicated with a small tangent line called the
Previous Distance Indicator.
Recalling Previous Values
AccuDraw stores all entered values for its X, Y, Distance, and Angle fields for
recall as needed. When in any of these fields, pressing the <PgUp> key
recalls the last value entered. Pressing <PgUp> again recalls the next to last
entered value and so on.

Offsetting the Origin

Lets draw a 2mx2m block with a little circle offset from the bottom-left corner
by specific values. How would you draw the circle?

• Click the Place Block tool and enter the first point.
• Move your pointer in the X direction and (still in dist/angle mode? Press
the spacebar to get back into polar mode) key in 2.
• Move the pointer in the Y direction and key in 2.
• Accept location with a data point.
• Reset to complete.

Select the Place circle tool and adjust settings to: Method =Centre,
Diameter=0.25. You should now have a little circle stuck to your cursor.
If you read your prompt it will say Identify Center Point
We're going to pick up the compass (wherever it may be) and move it to the
corner we're measuring from, remember the origin of the compass is (0,0).

• With the circle still stuck to the cursor, snap to the lower left corner of
the block (small yellow cross = snapped). Do Not click Accept.
• Press the letter O. The compass should now be at the corner and is
therefore location 0,0
(If your compass did not locate to the corner of the square, activate the
Accudraw dialog by clicking on it (top bar will turn blue) and try again)
• Move your cursor in the direction of where the circle should be.
• Key in 1.05 in the X field
• Arrow or tab down and key in 0.8 in the Y field
 • Enter a data point to secure this location. Reset to complete.

Rotating the Compass

Rotate Quick
Consider this example. Here we have a line at an unknown angle, and I
need to position a 1m x 0.3m block at the same angle and 0.5m away from
the line.

There are a few different ways of doing this, but lets use the RQ (Rotate
Quick) shortcut.

• Draw the line at an angle.

• Select Place Block and set it to Method=Orthogonal.
• Snap to the bottom point of the line but do not accept.
• Press O to position the compass at that point.
• Press the letter R, then the letter Q. The compass will now swing to the
movement of your mouse.
• Snap and accept the other end of the line. The compass is now rotated
to the same angle as the line.
• Move your pointer along the Y axis and keyin 0.5. This will be the start
point of the block so enter a datapoint.
• Move your cursor to the opposite corner and keyin 1.0 in the X field
and 0.3 in the Y field.
 • Enter a datapoint to fix this as the other corner of the block. Reset to
complete.

Note: An alternative way of using the RQ key-in is as follows. It's a bit faster
and eliminates a data point. Position the compass on the end of the line. Snap
to the opposite end of the line, but don't accept it. Now, press RQ.

Rotate to Align with the View

Another method for rotating the compass is to use the shortcut letter V. What
this is doing is resetting the compass so that it's parallel to the monitor.

Using AccuDraw in 3D
Learning to rotate AccuDraw's drawing plane is essential to mastering 3D
drawing. By rotating the AccuDraw compass to Top, Front, or Side, you can
work in an Isometric view while drawing in the plane of any of the orthogonal
views.

The Top, Front and Side orientations of the AccuDraw compass align with the
faces of the design cube.

The AccuDraw compass can be rotated to any of these orientations by using

the shortcut key-ins T (top), S (side) or F (front). Use E (Cycle Rotation) to
move between T, F and S in a cycle. Before doing so, it is important that you
check to ensure that the focus is in the AccuDraw window. The focus can be
shifted to AccuDraw by simply clicking on the grey border of its key-in window.

Using AccuDraw With An ACS

Unless you are using one of the four standard orientations (Top, Side, Front,
View), AccuDraw “forgets” the drawing plane orientation at the end of the
current design session. We can overcome this, by saving and retrieving
arbitrary drawing plane orientations as auxiliary co-ordinate systems (ACS’s).

Rotate ACS
We also have the ability to specify an Auxiliary Co-ordinate system, which is
basically one that is set up according to the orientation of the geometry we’re
working with. For this, we have another key-in: RA. In the illustration, an ACS
is aligned with the plane of a pitched roof. The three points used are:

Pt 1 The top left-hand corner of the wall (for the origin)

Pt 2 The top right-hand corner of the wall (for the X-axis)
Pt 3 The top left-hand corner of the roof ridge (for the Y-axis).

Saving an ACS
Once you’ve specified an ACS, it is possible to save it in your file for recall
later. The shortcut key-in for this is WA, meaning Write to ACS.

Recalling An ACS
Once you've saved an ACS, you can recall it using the GA (Get ACS) key-in.
As with saving an ACS, you must first ensure that the focus is in AccuDraw.

Origin:
Ticking this box will relocate the AccuDraw compass to the origin of the ACS
you defined when saving it.
Rotation:
The Rotation tick-box controls whether the AccuDraw compass will be rotated
to the ACS’s orientation when you recall it.

Using RA to draw a rectangle perpendicular to an angled line. (Or using

RA to move an element perpendicular to an angled line.)
Start the first point of the rectangle. You want to rotate your compass to be in
the same direction as the line. keyin RA.

Define the x axis of your new ACS by clicking on the fist and endpoints of the
line.
Your compass will rotate and you can now fish drawing your rectangle
perpendicular to your line.

Working On A 2D Plane
Once AccuDraw and the ACS have been set up, it may still be beneficial to
lock your axes so that you can only draw 2-dimensionally. What can look “flat”
in an isometric view may not be so in reality.

To avoid this happening use the AccuDraw Z keyin which locks the Z axis at 0
so that any further points are placed only on the current AccuDraw plane.
To permanently enable this ability, go to Settings > AccuDraw and turn on
“Sticky Z lock”:

The AccuDraw Pop-up Calculator

The pop-up calculator lets you perform calculations on measured values
(snap to an element, then multiply the distance, for example), or to simply
type in the entire equation.

Using the basic operators +, -, /, and *, it is possible to perform calculations on

the fly.
This functionality can also be used to find the midpoint between two existing
elements.

Accudraw Keyins
Using the “accudraw settings” keyin to control the compass size and input.

“accudraw settings size <number>” will make the compass bigger or smaller.
“accudraw settings size 40” is the default.
“accudraw settings northeast” changes AccuDraw to work in Northings and
Eastings

“accudraw settings xy” sets it back.

A Few Extra Useful Shortcut Key-ins

U Suspends AccuSnap for the current tool operation. Selecting a new
tool, or entering a Reset re-enables AccuSnap
J Toggles AccuSnap on and off.

~ Bumps an item in the tool settings dialogue box. It finds the first enabled
item in the tool settings dialogue box that is a toggle button or an option
button, and either toggles it or bumps it to the next valid value. For instance, if
you are drawing a SmartLine and the focus is in the AccuDraw window, you
can just press the <~> key and it switches to arcs without moving the focus
from the AccuDraw window. Switching between move/copy is also useful.
The following table lists each keyboard shortcut and its effect. Keyboard
shortcuts are not case sensitive.

Key Effect

? Opens the AccuDraw Shortcuts window

return Smart Lock*

spacebar switches between rectangular and polar coordinates

O Moves the drawing plane origin to the current pointer position

X Toggles the lock status for the X value

Y Toggles the lock status for the Y value

Z Toggles the lock status for the Z value

D Toggles the lock status for the distance value

A Toggles the lock status for the angle value

N Activates 'Nearest' snap mode

C Activates 'Centre' snap mode

I Activates 'Intersect' snap mode

K Opens Keypoint Snap Divisor setttings box to set the snap divisor

RQ Rotates the drawing plane temporarily

RA Rotates the drawing plane permanently

RX Rotates the drawing plane 90 degrees about its x-axis

RY Rotates the drawing plane 90 degrees about its y-axis

RZ Rotates the drawing plane 90 degrees about its z-axis

F Rotates the drawing plane to align with axis in front view

S Rotates the drawing plane to align with axis in side view

T Rotates the drawing plane to align with axis in top view

V Rotates the drawing plane to align with view axis

WA Saves the drawing plane alignment as an ACS

GA Retrieves a saved ACS

P Opens the Data Point Key-in settings box for entering a single data point

M Opens the Data Point Key-in settings box for entering a multiple data point

GK Moves focus to the Key-in window (like choosing Key-in from the Utilities menu)

Moves focus to the AccuDraw settings box (like choosing Accudraw from the
GS
Settings menu)
GT Moves focus to the Tool Settings window

Q Deactivates AccuDraw

Karen Fugle. With thanks to AskInga.com and Nigel Davies and Lynne Taylor.