| Starting the Cimagraphi 9.0 System | ||
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Chapter 1. Introduction |  |
| Starting the Cimagraphi 9.0 System | ||
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Chapter 1. Introduction | |
![[Note]](../images/note.png) |
Note |
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The following procedure assumes that you have already installed Cimagraphi 9.0 as explained previously: the section called “Installing Cimagraphi 9.0”. If you have not yet installed the program, do so now before continuing. |
Select the system's folder. To start any of the modules, select a module and do one of the following:
Use the mouse to click on this icon
Or
Press CR on your keyboard. The system logo appears and after a few seconds the selected module's screen appears.
The GraphiCAD and Trace modules use a 2D coordinate system, while the Mill and Picture to Part modules use the 3D coordinate system. This means that each unit on the screen equals precisely one millimeter or one inch (depending on your choice in the → Units menu), of the actual part.
Units are displayed between two and four rulers. The two essential rules are the horizontal and the vertical. The horizontal ruler displays the real world coordinates of the horizontal axis (the X-axis) and the vertical ruler displays the real world coordinates of the vertical axis (the Y-axis). When moving the cursor in the real world, the location is displayed as X and Y values at the coordinate display field on the lower left corner of the window. Each window or document may have its own world display and the rulers change their scale automatically.
The Mill and Picture to Part modules differ from the other Cimagraphi 9.0 system modules by being based upon a true 3D database. That means that you may rotate the image to any viewing angle in the space. Rulers are displayed when 2-axis' are used.
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Push buttons are displayed as 3D rectangular areas on the screen. A button can be pushed to perform an action (such as approving a dialog box, sending a file, etc.). Push the button by pointing to the button with the mouse and clicking the left mouse button. |
Shortcut keys enable the keyboard to be used to perform shortcuts for certain commands. Shortcut keys are usually a combination of the Alt or Ctrl key pressed simultaneously with one of the letter keys. Example: Ctrl-A for . Press and hold the Ctrl key while pressing and releasing the A key.
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List boxes allow you to choose one option from a given list. Scrolling the list is done by pushing the small vertical arrow buttons that are displayed at the right side of the list, or by dragging (holding down the left button and moving the mouse) the small square at the bar (scroll tab). Picking an element from the list is done either by pressing the CR key or by double-clicking the item. Some list boxes enable you to enter new values on the top of the list. Clicking on the input field, and entering in the desired value does this. Dragging part of it or all will cause the dragged characters to be selected, and then deleted by the next keystroke. |
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Text boxes are commonly used in dialog boxes enabling you to type text. Text can refer either to text or numbers. Number text boxes contain an internal calculator. For example if you require Some text boxes contain the increment arrows (as pictured) that enable you to increase or decrease the number in the textbox (usually at the incremental value of one). |
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Check Boxes are used commonly in dialog boxes for:
You may check any number of boxes that are permitted in the dialog box. Check the box by clicking once on the box. A checked box is displayed with a check mark. Re-click the checked box to remove the check mark. |
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Radio buttons are used commonly in dialog boxes for selecting one possibility out of several. You may select any button; however this operation will unselect any previously selected button in the group. You must select one radio button in order to unselect another one. A selected radio button is displayed with a dot in it. |
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Rib tabs are used to create a multiple page dialog box. It displays multiple overlapping pages. The user selects a page by clicking the page's tab that appears at the top of the control. |
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Sliders enable you to control image parameters with the use of dragging the slider either up and down or left and right. Dragging left and down implies decreasing the level the operation. Dragging right and up implies increasing the level of operation. |
Right-click opens a shortcut menu that contains useful commands, which change depending on where you click.
Each of the four modules features a Right-click option. By clicking on the button of the mouse you are able to either Pan an image (see Panning), or produce a menu of options relevant to the module you are working on.
To activate this feature press the mouse button; the cursor will first change into a hand and then a menu will appear. As this feature is context sensitive the Right-click menu option will vary according to the place where you right-click on the screen.
This section describes how to load and store drawings by disk files and how to create drawings. When loading or saving files, you will use a dialog box like the one in Figure 1.3, “"Open file" dialogue”.
Figure 1.3. "Open file" dialogue
| Look in |
Use Look in to select a folder from the folder tree. You can expand the tree in order to reach the desired folder. |
| Directories and files window |
This window displays the files and folders that are the "children" of the folder displayed in the Look in window. You can click on a file in order to preview and add its name to the File name window or you can double-click on a folder to expand it. |
| File name |
Enter a file name or select it from the Directories and files window in order to get information about this file and open it. |
| Files of type |
Select the desired file type from the list in order to filter the files displayed (only files with the selected extension will be displayed). |
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Press this button to go up one level in the folder tree. The Directories and files window will be updated accordingly. |
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Press this button to create a new folder under the current folder. Then you have to select a new name for the folder you created. |
| Ver |
This window will present the version of the selected file if the file has the extension of one of the modules (e.g. *.CAM for the Mill module). |
| Preview |
Select this check box to see a preview picture of the file you selected. Only picture or Cimagraphi files can be presented. |
Files are opened and saved using this dialog box. Each module can open certain file types and save certain file types.
Table 1.1, “File types” lists each module and the file types that the module can handle. Each module can also handle its unique file type:
Table 1.1. File types
| Module | Open | Save As |
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| Trace | CON, BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIF, PCX, DXF, HPGL (PLT), EPS (Postscript), PCD, TGA, WMF | CON, DXF, EPS (Postscript), HPGL (PLT), BMP, IGS |
| GraphiCAD | GCD, DXF, HPGL (PLT), EPS (Postscript), CAD (V4.0), TXT (V4.0), RLF, All Raster Formats | GCD, DXF, HPGL (PLT), EPS (Postscript), IGS |
| Picture to Part | P2P, STL, PUN, CSN, M, ASC, ISO, PIX, CNC | P2P, IGES , STL (ASCII), DXF, GSP, SLA, STL (BIN), ASC, WRL, ISO |
| Mill | CAM, HPGL {PLT}, DXF, EPS (Postscript), CNC, IGES, DXF (PATCHES), VDA, 3DM, STP, STL, SLA, ASC | CAM, HPGL (PLT), DXF, EPS (Postscript) |
Each module can also send and receive information using the Cimagraphi system functions. Refer to the module sections for more information.
New clears the current job and restarts the module with a clean slate. If the current job is not saved, you will be asked to confirm this action before information is lost.
Open clears the current job and loads a new one from a disk. If the current job is not saved, you will be asked to confirm this action before information is lost.
You can choose a file by highlighting its name with the mouse and pressing or CR. Navigation in the disk directory tree is also possible from the Directories zone in the dialog box. For more details about opening a file, refer to the Windows 2000™, 2000 Professional™, XP Home™, XP Professional™ and NT4™ User Guides. The title bar of the window will contain the name of the current job.
Any job that is currently being edited can be saved in a disk file for future use. To save a file, select the → option from the menu. The file will be saved under the current edited file name, which is displayed in the current window menu bar.
Save As saves a job under a new file name. Saving under a new name provides the possibility of keeping different versions of the same project disk.
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When saving in DXF, IGS and HPGL formats; if the images are unmarked then the whole image is saved, if images are marked, only the marked entities are saved. |
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Use Measure to measure vertical and horizontal distances on the image. Select Measure from the Edit menu. Place the cursor on the starting point, and click on the mouse. Place the cursor on the ending point and click the mouse. All information regarding the current measurement can be seen in the Measure dialog box. You can drag any of the measure rectangles to a new position or click on an end point to snap to an existing entity. The values displayed in the measure box can be marked and copied. |
Figure 1.4. Measure form
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| Navigating the Cimagraphi 9.0 System |  |
Transferring Data between Modules |
