Configuration

Loading RiscCAD

This section describes how to load RiscCAD. Ensure the directory window is open showing the RiscCAD application.


The applications !RiscDXF, !RiscDRAW, !Plotters, !NetPlot, !Settings and !Drivers are not supplied with the demo copy.

To load RiscCAD, double-click on the !RiscCAD icon. RiscCAD will load and display a loading window. After a short delay this window will close and the RiscCAD icon will appear on the icon bar.

Setting up the toolboxes

RiscCAD makes extensive use of toolboxes to provide access to all the drawing and editing operations. These toolboxes should be positioned prior to using RiscCAD.

Step 1   
Open a blank drawing by clicking Select on the RiscCAD icon on the icon bar.
   
Step 2
Move the mouse pointer over the RiscCAD drawing window and click Select. The mouse pointer will be replaced with a small cross. This is called the Cursor. If the cursor is not visible, change to a screen mode which uses 16 colours. The cursor may not be visible in screen modes with more than 16 colours, alternatively, choose a different cursor colour from the Utilities>Cursor>User Colour submenu.

Moving the cursor outside the RiscCAD drawing window returns the mouse pointer. Moving the mouse inside the drawing window replaces the mouse pointer with the cursor.

Step 3   
Open the Main Menu by clicking Menu when the cursor is in the drawing window. Move onto the Windows submenu and choose Help. The Help window will open.


The Help window has a drag bar (the dark vertical strip) at the left hand edge. Using Select, drag this and position the window at the very top left hand corner of the screen.

Step 4   
Open the Main Menu again, move onto the Windows submenu and choose Main tools. The Main toolbox will open.


All toolboxes have a drag bar along the top of the toolbox, and a close icon/rotation ear. Drag the Main toolbox to the top left corner of the screen, and position it under the Help window.

Step 5   
Open the Snap toolbox by choosing the toolbox name in the Windows submenu. Drag this and position it directly below the Main toolbox.

Step 6   
Drag the RiscCAD drawing window into the top left corner such that it fits under the Help window, and to the right of the Main toolbox.


Step 7   
Open the Point toolbox. Position this next to the Main toolbox, aligning the first point icon in the Point toolbox with the point icon on the Main toolbox. Repeat this process with all the toolboxes on the Windows submenu. Open each toolbox by choosing the name from the submenu, and position the toolbox next to the relevant icon in the Main toolbox. It does not matter that some toolboxes are on top of others.


Step 8
Open the Windows submenu and choose Line. This will close the Line toolbox. Repeat this process for the other toolboxes in the menu. Do not close the Main toolbox or Snap toolbox. The toolboxes are now configured. However, the positions are not yet saved. Do not close any of the remaining windows until you have completed the entire configuration process.

Setting up the preferences dialogue

Open the Preferences dialogue box by choosing Preferences from the Program Menu. This is opened by clicking Menu on the RiscCAD icon on the icon bar.

The dialogue box contains options which affect global settings for RiscCAD. The options are contained within a scrolling section of the window.


Click on the Save button to save the preferences and, more importantly, to save the positions of the toolboxes.

When the preferences are saved, the position of most of the RiscCAD windows, including the Layer, Display control, Print, Plot windows etc, are stored within the preferences file. These positions are then used when RiscCAD is next run.

Using the configured settings

To force RiscCAD to use the configured toolbox positions and preferences, quit RiscCAD by choosing Quit from the Program Menu.

Re-load RiscCAD as described previously.

To ensure the window positions were saved correctly, open a blank drawing by clicking Select on the RiscCAD icon on the icon bar.

The Help window, Main toolbox and Snap toolbox should have opened in the pre-configured positions. If this has not happened, repeat the toolbox configuration section. Make sure you click on the Save button in the Preferences dialogue box, the Set button will not save the window positions.

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