progeCAD support, tips and troubleshooting forum. progeCAD works very similar to some versions of AutoCAD. Moderated.

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#835 by uraniumtiger
Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:22 pm
Hi folks,

I have two questions about ProgeCAD 2008, which I am using:

(1) Suddenly all my drawings switched from consisting of white lines on a black background to black lines on a white background. I can't seem to find how to switch it back and I don't know what I clicked to inadvertently make this change. Does anyone know how I can get back to white lines on a black background?

(2) I previously used AutoCAD and, if I recall correctly, there was a way to move a selected object by a single pixel at at time. I think the method was to hold down the Control key while pressing one of the arrow keys and the selected object would then move (in the direction indicated on the arrow key which was pressed) by a single screen pixel at a time. Anyway, I have been unable to find a similar function in ProgeCAD. Does anyone know of such a function?

Thanks in advance,

Vincent
vincent1@email.com
#839 by caddit
Thu Nov 12, 2009 4:17 am
Hi uraniumtiger,


Your answers:

(1) progeCAD automatically displays black colour entities as white when the background itself is black. This is also normal behaviour in AutoCAD. Since you switched the background colour to white, this "deactivates" the white entity switch and displays geometries' true colour - black.

In this case you only need to switch the background colouragain (Tools -> Options -> "Display" tab -> check "Graphics screen color" in Paper Preview section ... I have no idea why this is part of "paper preview" so please don't ask ;)

You also might have to (re)save the default template you are using if blank drawings start on white as well.

(2) Arrow keys work slightly different in progeCAD. They are used for realtime PAN & zoom, also to scroll through command history and similar functions. Do you mind much if I ask why you are drawing by pixels instead of real math units? Sounds like something I would do in raster graphics software like GIMP, CAD is vector-based.

#841 by uraniumtiger
Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:19 pm
Hi,

Thanks for your answer. My background is now back to black as it was before. That was the main correction I wanted.

Regarding your question about why I am drawing by pixels instead of math units, my answer is as follows: For the most part I am using math units and entering the actual coordinates for endpoints of lines or snapping to objects which are already in the right place, etc. However, I have observed some cases where when I zoom in and look closely the lines are not quite in the right place (although I thought I had put them in the right place). For example, in one case (to the best of my recollection) I created a drawing with functions such as trimming and snapping to objects and extending and other functions which should put everything just where it should be. Then, however, I tried to fill in part of the shape with cross hatching and it would not fill. It turned out that when I zoomed in and looked closely parts of the area I was trying to fill were not closed - the lines were not touching. This is an example of how in some cases it might be useful to just move an object very slightly, pixel by pixel, until the object is in the right place.

So moving objects with an arrow key is just a function that I might occasionally want to use.

Thanks again for your answer.

Uraniumtiger

#994 by cad-assist
Mon Mar 29, 2010 6:50 pm
If you used entity snaps and watched the flyover snapping symbol to be sure you really were snapping then you should never get any gaps.

I find the easiest way to close accidental gaps is by grip editing. click on the object that needs to move slightly so that its grips appear. Ensure esnap is on and has the appropriate mode enabled, probably endpoint. Click on the grip where the gap is and drag it away a bit so you can see you are actually moving it, then without letting go, move back to the right place and watch for the flyover esnap symbol to appear, then let go, and it should be snapped exactly on the feature.
#1019 by uraniumtiger
Thu Apr 08, 2010 11:06 am
To cad-assist:

I understand what you are saying in your 3-29-10 response and yes that is a useful way to deal with this type of problem when it arises and it is often what I do now in such cases. (I have become more proficient with ProgeCAD since the time when I originally asked this question.)

Sincerely,

Uraniumtiger