ARES™ for AutoCAD Users Designed to ease your transition to ARES Commander Edition 2013 Second Edition by Ralph Grabowski © Copyright 2013 by Graebert GmbH Second Edition, February 2013 http://www.graebert.com All rights reserved worldwide. written by Ralph Grabowski upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. World CAD Access Technical writer Ralph Grabowski Technical editor Robert Gräbert Copy editors Stephen Dunning Herbert Grabowski Distribution Notice This PDF-file is not for resale. This book is covered by copyright. You may not make any electronic copies, and you may not claim authorship or ownership of the text or figures herein. Copyright Information All brand names and product names mentioned in this book are trade- This book is sold as is, without warranty of any kind, eit- marks or service marks of their respective companies. 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Table of Contents ARES System Requirements .................................................................................................................................................................................8 1 ARES for AutoCAD Users ............................................................9 The hisTory of GraeberT ..........................................................................10 From Felix to ARES ........................................................................................................................10 About the ARES Name ..................................................................................................................10 The advanTaGes of ares .............................................................................11 Near-identical User Interface .......................................................................................................11 Multiple Operating Systems .........................................................................................................12 Lower Purchase and Maintenance Prices ....................................................................................12 Similar APIs ....................................................................................................................................13 feaTure Comparisons ................................................................................14 What’s Missing from ARES ...........................................................................................................14 What’s Missing from AutoCAD .....................................................................................................14 Easy Tolerance Editing ..................................................................................................................................................15 Template-free Attribute Extraction ..........................................................................................................................16 Dimension Adjustments ...............................................................................................................................................16 Export Drawings as EMF, SVG ....................................................................................................................................16 Point Specification ..........................................................................................................................................................17 Mirror Without Copy .....................................................................................................................................................17 4 ARES 2013 for AutoCAD Users Opening and Replacing Drawings ............................................................................................................................17 Save All Drawings at Once ...........................................................................................................................................17 Simple Polygons ...............................................................................................................................................................18 Trapezoids ..........................................................................................................................................................................18 Verifying Dimensions .....................................................................................................................................................18 Audio Notes .......................................................................................................................................................................18 Quick Printing ....................................................................................................................................................................19 Options Toolbar ................................................................................................................................................................19 Consolidated Options Dialog Box ..............................................................................................................................20 Accessible VSTA Macros ................................................................................................................................................21 Support for 3D Mice ........................................................................................................................................................21 ares ediTions ................................................................................................24 DraftSight From Dassault Systemes ...........................................................................................24 CorelCAD from Corel ....................................................................................................................24 ARES is Not IntelliCAD ...................................................................................................................................................25 sysTem requiremenTs ...............................................................................26 Recommended Hardware ...........................................................................................................26 30-day Trial Software ...................................................................................................................26 New in ARES 2013: Commands .......................................................................................................................................................................27 2 Comparing User Interfaces ...................................................29 In This Chapter .............................................................................................................................29 Summary of User Interface Elements ...........................................................................................................................................................30 New in ARES 2013: UI ..........................................................................................................................................................................................31 differenCes in user inTerfaCe beTween ares and auToCad ......35 ARES’ ‘:’ vs AutoCAD’s ‘Enter a Command:’ Prompts ................................................................35 Colors of the Command Text .............................................................................................................................................................................35 CompTaurtinorgi aCl:o Cmhmanagnindg Nthaem Ceosm amnadn Ad lPiarsoemsp ..t. ...........................................................................................................................................................................................3366 Richer Command Options ...........................................................................................................37 About Shortcut Keystrokes .........................................................................................................37 ComparinG GraphiCs ui elemenTs ........................................................38 About Mouse Buttons .................................................................................................................38 Table of Contents 5 About the Status Bar ...................................................................................................................39 Revealing UI Elements Hidden in ARES .......................................................................................................................................................40 AutoCAD’s Dynamic Input vs ARES’ Options Toolbar .................................................................41 ARES’ Tool Matrix vs AutoCAD’s Tools Palette ............................................................................41 The opTions dialoG box in auToCad and ares ................................42 3 Drawing File Compatibility ....................................................45 New in ARES 2013: DWG ....................................................................................................................................................................................46 dwG CompaTibiliTy .....................................................................................46 How Entities ARE Tested .............................................................................................................46 EntitY LEgend ...............................................................................................................................47 Summary of Problem Entities .....................................................................................................................................47 dwG objeCT supporT ..................................................................................48 2D Entity Support .........................................................................................................................48 Text Entity Support .......................................................................................................................51 Geometric and Dimensional Constraints ....................................................................................52 Model Documentation ................................................................................................................52 Dimension Entity Support ...........................................................................................................53 Complex 2D Entities Supported ..................................................................................................55 3D Entity Support .........................................................................................................................58 properTies .....................................................................................................62 Basic Properties for Entities ........................................................................................................62 Layer Properties ...........................................................................................................................64 Layer Filters and Layer States ....................................................................................................................................65 sTyles ...............................................................................................................65 Dimension Styles ..........................................................................................................................66 MText/Note and Text/SimpleNote Styles ....................................................................................67 MultilTinexet//RSiicmhplinleeN Sottey lSetsy .l.e..s. ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6698 QLeader/SmartLeader Styles .......................................................................................................70 6 ARES 2013 for AutoCAD Users Plot/Print Styles .............................................................................................................................71 New in ARES 2013: Plotting ..............................................................................................................................................................................71 Table Styles ...................................................................................................................................73 4 Customizing and Programming ............................................ 75 Comparing Areas of Customization ...............................................................................................................................................................76 auToCad’s Cui vs ares’ CusTomize .........................................................77 New in ARES 2013: Customization ................................................................................................................................................................77 Customizing Menus in ARES ........................................................................................................79 How to Import AutoCAD Menu files into ARES .........................................................................................................................................81 Tutorial: Adding Items to Menus ...............................................................................................................................79 Creating New Command MacroS in ARES ..................................................................................83 Tutorial: Writing Macros ..............................................................................................................................................83 Tutorial: Editing Command Names and Descriptions ......................................................................................85 Tutorial: Entering Command Strings ......................................................................................................................85 UsingT Mutaocriraol :M Asestiagcnhinagr aIccotnesr s.. .a...n...d... .D....i.e...s..e...l. .i.n... .A....R...E...S... ......................................................................................................................................................................8865 Customizing Toolbars in ARES .....................................................................................................87 Tool Matrix ..................................................................................................................................87 Tablet Buttons and Menus ..........................................................................................................87 CusTomizinG mouse aCTions in ares ...................................................88 Changing Right-clicks ...................................................................................................................88 ChangTiuntgo rDiaol:u Mbloed-ciflyicinkg A Rcitgihotn Ms .o..u..s.e.. .B..u..t.t.o..n.. .A..c..t.i.o..n..s. ....................................................................................................................................................................8898 ChangTiuntgo rSiahlo: Mrtcouditf yMinegn Duos u..b..l.e..-.c.l.i.c..k.. .A..c.t..i.o..n..s. ..............................................................................................................................................................................................9892 CusTomizinG KeysTroKes in ares ..........................................................94 Changing Keyboard Shortcuts ....................................................................................................94 Changing override keys ...............................................................................................................94 ChangTiuntgo rAialila: sMeosd iinfy AinRgE KSe..y.b..o..a..r..d. .S..h..o..r.t..c.u..t.s.. .a.n..d.. .O..v..e..r.r..i.d..e..s. ............................................................................................................................................9964 Tutorial: Customizing Aliases .....................................................................................................................................96 Using AutoCAD Aliases in ARES .................................................................................................................................97 Shell Commands ...............................................................................................................................................................97 Table of Contents 7 ares’ ui profiles vs auToCad’s worKspaCes ....................................98 Customizing UI Profiles in ARES ..................................................................................................98 ChangTiuntgo rPiarol: fiUlIe Ps r.o..f.i.l.e..s.. M...o..d..e.. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1.0992 About Roaming Profiles..............................................................................................................................................102 Accessing Hidden Folders in ARES ........................................................................................................................103 Tutorial: Creating a New Profile .............................................................................................................................103 oTher Types of CusTomizaTions in ares ..........................................104 Using Fonts ................................................................................................................................104 Mapping Fonts ................................................................................................................................................................104 ChangAibnogu Lt iSnheatpyep Feisl .e.s.. ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................110055 Changing Hatch Patterns ............................................................................................................105 Changing Richline Styles (Multlines) .........................................................................................106 ChangAibnogu Pt lToatb Slet yalneds O...t.h..e.r.. .S.t..y.l.e..s.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................110067 ChangAibnogu Ft iPlelo Pttaetrh Ms .a..n..a.g..e..r. ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................110099 Porting ARX to TX .........................................................................................................................................................112 Porting AutoLISP to LISP ...........................................................................................................................................112 Porting DCL to ARES ....................................................................................................................................................112 Porting Diesel to ARES ................................................................................................................................................112 Porting ADS to FDT ......................................................................................................................................................112 LoadiPnogr tAinpgp ClicOaMti oton As RinEtSo .. .A....R...E...S... ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1.11122 Controlling Add-ins .....................................................................................................................113 About the ARES OEM License ....................................................................................................113 Building Your Own Stand-alone Application..............................................................................114 8 ARES 2013 for AutoCAD Users A AutoCAD-ARES Command Cross-reference ........................ 115 B AutoCAD-ARES System Variable Cross-reference ...............139 C AutoCAD-ARES Dictionary ....................................................161 D AutoCAD-ARES Keystroke and Button Cross-reference.... 169 Keyboard shorTCuTs for linux and windows ..............................170 Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac OS X .............................................................................................172 mouse buTTons ...........................................................................................174 ARES SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Any current model of Macintosh computer runs ARES for OS X. As a minimum, Graebert suggests that your Linux or Windows computer have the hardware and software specified below. Operating system Debian- or Red Hat-based Linux Windows XP SP2, Vista, or 7 CPU Intel Pentium 4 CPU, 2GHz or faster Free disk space 300MB RAM 1GB RAM Graphics board Super VGA (1024x768) with 16-bit color Input Mouse For better performance, Graebert recommends that your computer have stronger hardware: CPU Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core CPU Free disk space 400MB RAM 2 - 3GB Graphics board 3D Graphics accelerator card 22 inch display Input Wheel mouse Chapter 1 ARES for AutoCAD Users In This Chapter » Reviewing the history of Graebert » Looking at the advantages of ARES » Understanding the ARES Editions » Reviewing system requirements This book is designed to help you make the transition from AutoCAD® to ARES. In it, you will learn about the pros and the cons of using ARES in place of AutoCAD. You’ll read about the advantages of switching to another — yet very similar — CAD package, and about some of the pitfalls to watch out for. The chapters in this book discuss topics such as file compatibility with AutoCAD, the ARES user interface, and customizing ARES. The book also includes appendices that exhaustively cross-reference commands, system variables, keystrokes and button actions between the two CAD systems, as well as the jargon used by each one. ARES for AutoCAD Users is meant for several types of CAD user: » AutoCAD users considering switching to ARES » Firms adding licenses of ARES to complement their AutoCAD shop » Companies working with clients who use the other CAD package Or perhaps you are simply wondering about the differences between the market leader, AutoCAD, and the affordable alternative, ARES. This book is for you! 10 ARES 2013 for AutoCAD Users The History of Graebert Based in Berlin, Graebert Enterprises began selling CAD systems in 1983, and was the very first distribu- tor of AutoCAD in Germany. Graebert in 1993 separated from Autodesk to begin a new phase in which the company was restructured into two firms, Graebert Enterprises and Graebert GmbH. The later firm became the software development arm. By 1994, Graebert GmbH developed a new CAD engine, the FelixCAD Graphic Developer’s Engine. It would serve as the core for CAD application software licensed by OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). Graebert also sold it as a retail product, first under the name of FelixCAD and then later rebranded as PowerCAD. Graebert GmbH recognized by 1999 the need for CAD on mobile devices, and so developed PowerCAD CE, the first professional and fully functional 2D and 3D CAD system to run on Windows CE. This mobile CAD system became popular with surveyors, architects, engineers, kitchen planners, and so on — anyone who required mobile CAD solutions. Today, Graebert’s CAD software is the only one to run on Windows CE and desktop Windows at the same time. FRom FElix To ARES Graebert GmbH decided in 2005 that it was time to replace the Felix CAD kernel in order to employ the latest programming technologies. And so the ARES project began, programming another CAD system from scratch. After five years of development and feedback from beta testers, ARES Commander Edition were released in February 2010 for Windows. Versions for Linux and Mac OS X followed quickly, because Graebert GmbH had made sure its new software was written to be independent of the operating system. A few months after, Graebert struck a huge deal with Dassault Systemes of France, the world’s largest CAD software company: Dassault would market ARES under the name of DraftSight, and give it away for free. Since then, three million copies have been downloaded and the two companies have agreed to cooperate by adding features to each other’s programs. The deal was followed by several more, such as Canada’s Corel adopting ARES under the name of CorelCAD and Italy’s progeCAD adopting the Mac version under the name of iCADMac. Today, Graebert’s line of CAD software consists of the following editions: » ARES Commander Edition does day-to-day 2D design work, and 3D modeling » ARES OEM is a CAD engine for stand-alone applications In addition, Graebert GmbH offers a third-party developer program and hosts app-style stores for downloading and running third-party applications on ARES, CorelCAD, and others. AboUT THE ARES NAmE The name is pronounced like “air-ies,” and is based on the Greek god of unpredictable warfare. In Ro- man myths he was known as “Mars.” The flame logo used by the ARES software is inspired by the chariot of Ares, which was drawn by fire- breathing stallions.