-------------------------------------------------------
TurboCAD Pro v4.1 Learning Edition
READ ME INTRODUCTION (01 Oct 2001)
-------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for installing TurboCAD Professional v4.1
Learning Edition. 
This version of TurboCAD is a fully functional 2D 
design and drafting product. We are confident that you 
will be so pleased with TurboCAD's ease-of-use and 
power that you will want to take advantage of special 
offers for upgraded versions of the software. We 
require registration information so that we can contact 
you with these special offers relating to TurboCAD 
upgrades.

-------------------------------------------------------
DOCUMENTATION
-------------------------------------------------------
This version of TurboCAD is shipped with electronic 
documentation in the form of a PDF file. You will need 
to have the Adobe Acrobat(t) Reader in order to view 
the documentation. You can download the reader free of 
charge from www.adobe.com. The PDF file can be located 
in the Documentation folder on the CD Rom or on the 
TurboCAD web site at www.turbocad.com.

The Complete Guide to Learning and Using TurboCAD is a 
highly recommended book! It will help both expert and 
novice alike come to grips with not only the 
functionality of TurboCAD, but also the concepts of CAD 
in general.

-------------------------------------------------------
QUICK TOUR
-------------------------------------------------------

The TurboCAD Quick Tour is a very informative tour of 
the most important features of TurboCAD. Quick Tour uses 
DemoShield as a menu, and Lotus ScreenCam to display 
demonstrations of the features in TurboCAD. The 
ScreenCam files are rather large, and by default the 
Tour runs from the CD-ROM.

Make sure to place the CD in the drive before running 
the Tour.

When you run the Quick Tour, without the TurboCAD CD in 
the drive, you will be prompted for a location. The 
folder on the CD-ROM is \QuickTour\.

If you have problems launching the Quick Tour, use Windows
Explorer to navigate to the folder and double click the 
Player.exe program. The Quick Tour will then ask for the
type Operating system (95 or NT). The Tour should then 
run normally.

-------------------------------------------------------
SUPPORT OPTIONS
-------------------------------------------------------

Please be sure to visit www.turbocad.com to access the 
support page which outlines the available support 
alternatives. Free email support and charge telephone 
support is can be access from the site.

-------------------------------------------------------
TURBOCAD FORUMS AND GALLERY
-------------------------------------------------------

Be sure to visit the TurboCAD Forums and Gallery on 
www.turbocad.com. You will find a very active TurboCAD 
User Community that regularly share ideas, discussions, 
views, solutions, and tips and tricks, questions and 
answers, and even drawings.

-------------------------------------------------------
UPGRADE OPTIONS
-------------------------------------------------------

Although this version of TurboCAD Professional v4 is a 
fully functional it several years old. At the time of 
writing the current version of TurboCAD is version 7. 
Many improvements have been made to the product 
including compatibility with the latest software 
operating systems and other CAD software. Version 7 
also includes fully integrated 3D. To upgrade call your 
local IMSI office or visit www.turbocad.com.

-------------------------------------------------------
FEATURES NOT INCLUDED IN THIS VERSION
(as opposed to the original retail version)
-------------------------------------------------------

TurboCAD 3D (a standalone 16 bit application) is not 
included. Further the TurboTrace raster-to-vector 
conversion program (licensed from a third party) is not 
included. Please ignore any references to these items 
in the documentation.

-------------------------------------------------------
NEW FEATURES NOT INCLUDED IN THE DOCUMENTATION
-------------------------------------------------------

1. Circle/Arc Tangent To Three Points

These tools allow the user to draw an arc or circle 
that is tangential to two or three points. There are 
three operational modes for its use.

Mode 1 - A Circle/Arc can be drawn tangential to any 
object simply by clicking on the object, moving the 
circle to the desired point along the object, and 
pressing ENTER. A fixed radius can also be specified 
after the object is chosen.

Mode 2 - A Circle/Arc can be drawn tangential to any 
two objects simply by clicking on each of the two 
objects. As with the single object selection a fixed 
radius can be specified after the selection of either 
object.

Mode 3- A Circle/Arc can be drawn tangential to any 
three objects simply by clicking on each of the three 
objects. In this mode a fixed radius cannot be used.
The local menu supplies a Through Point option. This 
option allows the user to specify whether the 
Circle/Arc will simply pass through a selected point, 
or will be tangential to that point. If the option is 
ON the Circle/Arc will simply pass through the point 
and will not be tangential.

REMEMBER: A Circle/Arc cannot be drawn through just any 
three points. Selection of the third point will not be 
allowed if the third point selected does not define a 
circle.

2. Copy Offset

The Copy Offset tool creates an entirely new entity 
based on the selected entity(s). The new entity is 
created with two parameters, distance from the selected 
entity, and direction from the selected entity. The 
distance can be specified by selecting two points with 
mouse clicks, or can be entered directly into the edit
bar. The direction of the offset entity is defined by 
clicking on either side of the selected object. For 
closed objects select either the inside or outside of 
the object. Copy Offset is accessible through the edit 
menu: Edit|Copy Entities|Offset

NOTE: Copy Offset does not create an exact copy of the 
selected object. It creates a new entity that is 
modeled on the selected object

3. Dimension Prefix / Suffix

This is a new option added to the Advanced Text 
Property Page" for Dimensions. It allows prefixes 
and/or suffixes to be added to dimension text. A 
maximum length of 15 characters is allowed for the 
combined prefix and suffix attributes.

4. Dimension Tolerance Limits

This is another new option added to the "Advanced Text 
Property Page" for Dimensions. It allows display of the 
tolerance attribute as a set of limits rather then a 
plus/minus value. This means the user can show the 
actual range of tolerance.

5. Dimension Leader Text-Box

This is a new option for the Leader dimension tool that 
appears in the Advanced Text Property Page for Leader 
dimensions only. It allows the user to create an 
attached text-box to any leader. The option allows for 
Three different styles of text-box. These styles 
include Circle, Quadrate (square), or Basic. The text-
box options can be set to a user-defined size, or set 
to a "fit-to-text" mode. As before the text for the 
Leader is assigned in the Attribute Box on the General 
Property Page, or on the Edit Bar during the creation 
of the leader.

6. Edit Bar Selection Size Fields

Two new fields now appear in the edit bar when an 
object(s) has been selected. They are the Size X field 
and the Size Y field. These two fields allow re-sizing 
of the selected object simply by entering a value. Now 
a user can resize a selection set to a specific value.

7. New File Filters

A new set of import filters has been included with the 
update. These include the following:

AutoCAD Native Format (*.DWG) for AutoCAD [R14]*
Drawing eXchange Format (*.DXF) for AutoCAD [R14]*
Intergraph Standard File Format (*.DGN)**
3D Studio (*.3DS)**
TurboCAD for FastCAD File (*.FCW)
* Note: 	These features are available for the 	
		Standard and Professional versions only.
** Note: 	These features are available for the 	
		Professional version only.

8. Block Attributes

TurboCAD v4.1 now includes AutoCAD style Block 
Attributes. A block attribute is informational text 
associated with a block that you can enter whenever you 
insert a block reference, or when the block is first 
created.

TurboCAD reads and displays block attributes from 
AutoCAD drawings (DWG) and DXF files.

To create a block attribute definition in TurboCAD, use 
the Insert pull-down menu and select Block Attribute 
Definition. There is also a button in the standard 
toolbar; click and hold the text tool (capital 'A') to 
see the fly-out menu containing the Block Attribute 
tool (a picture of a tag). Right-click on the tool and 
select the Block Attribute Definition tab to set the 
mode and default information.

Define a start point for the block attribute text as 
you would with normal text. Choose a point on or near 
the graphics to be included in a block. Right-click to 
change the alignment, height or angle of the text.

Enter a "Tag" name for the block attribute. This name 
is used to uniquely identify the attribute within the 
block. Use no spaces in the name if you will be sending 
the drawing to AutoCAD. We will use the tag "COST" in 
this example. Don't hit Enter yet.

You can enter the prompt and default value in the edit 
bar, or edit these properties later. For now, use the 
tab key to enter the prompt "What does it cost?" in the 
edit bar Prompt field and value of $0.00 in the Default 
field. Press Enter to finish the definition. You can 
double-click it and choose the Block Attribute 
Definition tab to change the Tag, Prompt, default Value 
and Mode.

Blocks can contain more than one block attribute 
definition, so you might create other tags that ask for 
the Part Number, Owner, etc.

When you are satisfied with the definitions, simply 
include them in the selection of objects that will make 
up the new block. When you insert the block, a dialogue 
will appear that gives the prompt "What does it cost?" 
and offer $0.00 as the default value.

The behavior of the dialogue is dependent on the 
following optional Modes:

Invisible:
The text of the block attribute is not displayed in the 
drawing. You can see the information in the Selection 
Info palette or edit it by displaying the block's 
properties.

WARNING, When you explode a block containing invisible 
block attributes the information is lost.

Constant:
The attribute value is fixed and unchangeable. It is 
shown to you during block insertion. Exploding the 
block will turn the block attribute into text that can 
then be edited.

Verify:
In AutoCAD, the attribute value is shown for your 
verification during block insertion if the AutoCAD 
variable ATTDIA is set to 1. This flag has no effect in 
TurboCAD.

Preset:
In AutoCAD, you are not prompted for a value if the 
AutoCAD variable ATTDIA is set to 0. In TurboCAD, it is 
set to the default during block insertion and behaves 
like Constant mode.

-------------------------------------------------------
INTERFACE CONFIGURATIONS
-------------------------------------------------------

1. Resolution Specific User Interfaces

TurboCAD has the ability to recognize the screen 
resolution that you are using. (You can change your 
screen resolution in Windows 95 by right-clicking the 
Desktop and choosing Properties.) A different (but 
similar) interface will appear for each resolution. If 
you change your screen resolution between drawing 
sessions, TurboCAD will inform you that the most 
recently used interface does not correspond to the 
current screen resolution, and ask you if you want to 
load it. If you answer NO, a new interface will appear 
that is tailored specifically for the new resolution. 
You may also load different interfaces manually via 
Tools|Customize|Setup|Load From.

2. Multi-Level Interfaces

TurboCAD ships with several different levels of user 
interfaces. You can load the different interfaces via 
Tools|Customize|Setup|Load From.

The "Beginner" interface is a scaled down version of 
the "Standard" (Intermediate) interface. Users who feel 
that the number of buttons and tools available in the 
Standard interface overwhelms them should consider 
using this option.

The "Standard" (Intermediate) interface contains all 
commands. It is the default interface that is used in 
the documentation and for the different screen 
resolutions. We recommend that you use this interface.

The "Tabbed" (Advanced) interface is a bold attempt to 
redefine the normal methods that Windows uses for menus 
and toolbars. Advanced users, who know TurboCAD and 
Windows commands, might prefer it to the alternative 
interfaces. The new user who is still trying to get a 
grip on standard Windows and TurboCAD functions may 
find it rather overwhelming, as it is so different from 
conventional methods. 

-------------------------------------------------------
FONTS
-------------------------------------------------------

TurboCAD includes two new TrueType fonts (Letter Gothic 
and Orator) which are both mono-spaced fonts. These 
fonts are thin and equally spaced, similar to the more 
traditional CAD fonts used in other CAD packages. You 
should consider using these fonts if you intend to 
import and export drawings from other packages.

-------------------------------------------------------
DIMENSIONING
-------------------------------------------------------

1. Trailing Zeros

New to TurboCAD v4 is the ability to add trailing zeros 
to a dimension to illustrate the accuracy by the number 
of decimal places. Two settings affect the 
functionality of this new feature: Precision (found in 
Options|Units and Scale) and Round Off (found in t4he 
dimension property sheet). These two settings should be 
set in the following way:

If Precision is set to 1, set Round Off to 0.1
If Precision is set to 2, set Round Off to 0.01
If Precision is set to 3, set Round Off to 0.001 etc.

If these two settings are not set like this, unexpected 
results can occur. For example, if Precision is set to 
4 and Round Off is only set at 0.01, the third and 
fourth decimal places will always be zero regardless of 
the true dimension.

2. Leader Used As Arrow Line

The Leader dimension can be used as a line with an 
arrowhead if the "Force Text Horizontal" option is 
unchecked in the dimension property sheet. Define the 
point where you would like the arrow head, move the 
cursor to the point where you want the line to start, 
press <Tab> and then delete the text string. Press 
<Ctrl>+<F> to finish.

3. Blocks

Segment or Entity dimensioning methods will not work on 
blocks. You either have to explode the block before 
dimensioning or use the manual method for dimensioning 
using vertex snaps.

-------------------------------------------------------
RUBBER STAMP
-------------------------------------------------------

The Rubber Stamp command now works with snap modes and 
relocated reference points. As a result, this command 
offers a viable alternative to the normal Copy 
commands. The Rubber Stamp command is available in the 
local menu for selected objects. Click the right mouse 
button to review the local menu.

-------------------------------------------------------
SDK (SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT)
-------------------------------------------------------

Please be sure to check the TurboCAD SDK Web site, 
accessed from the TurboCAD home page 
(www.turbocad.com), for the latest news, examples, and 
updates regarding the Software Development Kit.

-------------------------------------------------------
LINE/PEN WIDTHS
-------------------------------------------------------

The default pen width of zero will print the thinnest 
line possible on a given printer. On high-resolution 
printers this may appear too thin, particularly for 
dimensions. The default printing width of entities with 
pen width zero can be adjusted via Options|Display. 
Setting this default width to zero will have 
functionality similar to TurboCAD 3.0.

-------------------------------------------------------
WMF Export with Windows 2000
-------------------------------------------------------

When working in Windows 2000, WMF export (Save as WMF) 
does not work. When an attempt is made to write into WMF 
format, the following messages is displayed in Windows 2000: 
"Failed to Save...Not Enough Memory" or 
"Failed to Save...Unknown Error".

This is caused by the fact that Microsoft has slightly 
changed WMF format in Windows 2000. 

