Tailoring Visual Styles
e-book by Ralph Grabowski

Tailoring Visual Styles e-book by Ralph Grabowski is the fourth in Ralph Grabowski's series of "mini" e-books for the AutoCAD user. Tailoring Visual Styles e-book by Ralph Grabowski contains tutorials for learning AutoCAD 2007's new visual styles system.

• Guided tour of visual styles.
• Working with the Tool Palette, Dashboard, Visual Styles toolbar, and Visual Styles palette.
• Commands and system variables that affect visual styles.
• Coverage of the perplexing Background and Ground Shadow options.
• Two full-length tutorials on workin with visual styles.
• 130 figures and dozens of tips.
• All illustrations in full color.
• 74 pages, formatted for printing on standard 8.5x11 paper.
• Margins designed for three-hole punching.

Chapter 1 — Introduction to Visual Styles

• The Wheres and Hows of Visual Styles, Visual Style Names, Plotting and Rendering Considerations.
• The Range of Visual Style Properties.
• Invoking Visual Styles, Visual Styles Toolbar and Menu.
• 3D Terms.

Chapter 2 — Visual Styles on Tool Palettes

• Trying Out Visual Styles, Visual Style: X-Ray, Visual Style: Sketchy, Visual Style: Shades of Gray.
• Visual Style Tool Palette Options.
• Changing Visual Styles on Tool Palettes.
• Adding Visual Styles to Tool Palettes.

Chapter 3 — Visual Styles & the Dashboard

• Touring the Visual Styles Control Panel.
• Toolbar, X-Ray Mode, Shadows, Face Colors, Tuning Dialog, Visual Styles Manager.
• Predefined Visual Styles.
• Face Styles, Face Styles, Facets or Smooth.
• Edge Styles, Facet Edges/IsoLines, Edge Overhang, Edge Jitter, Silhouette Edges.
• Hidden & Intersection Line Colors, Obscured Edges, Intersection Edges.

Chapter 4 — The Visual Styles Palette

• Shortcut Menu Options.
• Face Settings, Face Style, Materials and Color, Toolbar.
• Environment Settings, Adjusting Shadows, Edge Settings, Edge Modifiers, Edge Modifiers Toolbar, Fast Silhouette Edges, Obscured Edges, Intersection Edges.

Chapter 5 — Tutorial 1: Creating Visual Styles

• Step 1 — Determine Probable Parameters.
• Step 2 — Name the New Style.
• Step 3 — Fiddling With Properties, Fast Silhouette Edges — On, Edge Mode — Facet Edges, Crease Angle — 180, Face Settings — None, Obscured Edges — Off, Backgrounds — On.
• Step 4 — Sharing Via Tool Palette.
• Step 5 — Drawing Test.

Chapter 6 — Tutorial 2: CUI & Visual Styles

• Adding Custom Vs-Commands.
• Catalog of Visual Style Commands in CUI.

Appendix A — Command & Sysvar Summary

• Related Commands
• Related System Variables

Appendix B — Supported Graphics Boards

Ralph Grabowski is a CAD expert, engineer, and editor at upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. One of the world's leading authors of Autodesk training materials, he's written over 100 books and several hundred magazine articles about computer-aided design. Ralph's expertise will get you up-to-speed quickly and easily. His eBooks provide clear CAD training and are the go-to-source for all variety of AutoCAD users.