Tutorial
Example: Drawing a triangle
Example: Drawing a square
Example: Plan of a garage
  Tutorial  
 

This Tutorial discusses three examples meant to demonstrate succinctly the input procedures of drawing elements in CYCAS.

CYCAS is used in a step by step, point to point mode of operation which gives you total control over every detail. The input of data in CYCAS is done by confirming each step and you have several input options. In order to illustrate this philosophy we urge you to try the following examples. The examples "Triangle" and "Square" are designed to briefly demonstrate the input of drawing elements in CYCAS. The third example "Garage" illustrates how you draw walls and openings and it shows up how to combine the input options in CYCAS. Finally we will guide you how you can create a perspective view of the garage easily.

To begin with, have a look at the CYCAS user interface: The drawing area is colored grey in the original CYCAS color setup. To the right of the drawing area, at the top, there is the menu list, called the main menu. Choosing an item such as Line or Symbol from the main menu list will cause a set of options to appear below the main menu items; this set of items is called the function list; notice that selecting each main menu item results in a different set of functions in the function list.

Directly beneath the drawing area, to the left, is the coordinate display. Underneath it, you find the help bar indicating each step of input for each function and stating what it expects or needs. This box (combined with the input box) allows for exact measurements to be used as the input method, as opposed to mouse clicks.

Along the bottom edge of the drawing area, there is the view menu. It contains the options you need for displaying the graphics in the drawing area at different gauges and sizes. The view menus` most common function is probably Zoom (detail enlargement). Below the view menu, and just to the right of the help bar, the input box is positioned. Here you enter the figures or text as required, according to the function.
All the way down on the right side, you find Undo, and underneath it is the Snap-to button. When Snap is active, your pointer looks like a little square, otherwise your pointer is a cross hair. Working with snap activated enables precise input from the word go.


 
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  Example: Drawing a triangle  
 

First of all, ensure that the drawing area is empty. To do so, choose the menu Project at top right corner of the CYCAS screen. There, select New. Remember, the option Snap-to (at the bottom right corner of the screen) should be active in order to follow this tutorial precisely.

Start by selecting Line in the main menu. In this function list click on the Line button (the first button). Now follow the instructions quoted in the help bar appearing in the bottom left corner of the CYCAS screen...

... it should indicate: "Start point:".

  • The 1st input option

    Only using the mouse without inputting detailed measurements:


1st Line The 1st line

The help bar says: "Start point:" Click into the left bottom corner of the drawing area using the left mouse button. A cross will mark the start point of the 1st line.

Help bar: "Move / End point:" With a second mouse click you situate the end point of the line in the top right corner of the drawing area. Another cross will indicate the ending point.

Help bar: "Move / Confirm:" Confirm the position of the end point by clicking somewhere within the drawing area. By confirming the second point the line will be plotted from the start point to its end point. You can abort each function using the right mouse button somewhere outside the drawing area or you choose another function right away.


2nd Line The 2nd line

Help bar: "Start point:" The start point of the 2nd line is meant to be positioned exactly upon the ending point of the 1st line. To achieve this, you move the pointer (looking like a small square) over the ending point, and the snap-to function means that you hit the previous point precisely. A cross will now indicate the start point of the 2nd line.

Help bar: "Move / End point:" Move the pointer towards the lower right corner of the drawing area and place it there with another mouse click. Now, you need to confirm the end point with a final mouse click within the drawing area.


3rd Line The 3rd line

Close the triangle as follows:
Help bar: "Start point:" Move the pointer above the end point of the 2nd line.

Help bar: "Move / End point:" Click on the start point of the 1st line and confirm the input.

 
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  Example: Drawing a square  
 

Ensure that the scale 1:500 is indicated in the view menu. If not, use the two buttons next to the scale indicator, which show the symbols + and -, until the requested scale is displayed.

  • Now, we will see the 2nd input option : Input using reference points.

    This example draws four lines which will form a square. Simple, but it will demonstrate a very powerful drawing method. Select the function Line in the line Function List.


1st Line The 1st line

Help bar: "Start point:". Set the start point about in the middle of the drawing area and confirm the point using the enter key on the keyboard. In doing so, you confirm the start point of the line and that the end point of the line is now situated exactly on top of the 1st point. But, the end point of this line is supposed to be located 20m to the right. Move it there using the keyboard in the following manner:

Help bar: "Move / Confirm:" Hit the cursor right key (the one with the arrow pointing to the right). Help bar: "Move to X+:". Because of this action the color of the input box (below the drawing area) turns active and you can enter "20". Hit the enter key. The end point has now moved to its correct position and you confirm this by hitting the enter key.
The result is a horizontal line with the length of 20m.


2nd Line The 2nd line

This line shall be located parallel, in a distance of 20m above the first one. Use the pointer to snap-to the end point of the 1st line. From here, you want to move the point 20m upwards.

Help bar: "Move / End point:" Move the start point by hitting the cursor up key. The help bar now indicates "Move to Y+:". Again enter "20" and close the entry hitting the enter key. The cross, indicating the start point, moves the distance you entered to the correct position, and you confirm that.
To finish the line you move the ending point, again using the keyboard 20m to the left and confirm that point. The result should be a second line parallel to the first one.


3rd Line

4th Line

To draw the vertical lines remaining to finish the square you use the pointer; snap-to the start- and end points of the existing elements and confirm (all with the mouse).

The final result of this 2nd example should be a square, all edges measuring 20m.

  • The two input options have now been introduced to you during this tutorial. To summarize the input options:

  • All points can be located by "catching" them with the Snap-to option. Afterwards, you have the two possibilities - to move each point using the keyboard, or you confirm them right away.

  • The sequences of each function can be aborted by using the right mouse button outside of the drawing area.


 
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  Example : Plan of a garage  
 

Garage

This example is meant to demonstrate how you create a ground plan. Going through this tutorial you will try several wall functions. Using the dialog boxes you can edit the height measurements of the walls. Later on you can look at and correct the height measures in the various projections.

Before you begin, you choose from the menu Project the item New in order to erase all elements which might be in the drawing area. If you start drawing a plan you do not need to decide in which scale your drawing shall be designed. The decision about the final scale of your drawing will be made if you do the output to printer, etc. This means that you always draw in the scale of 1:1. Choosing a scale in the view menu is just meant to display the drawing elements on your monitor in different detail enlargements.
The garage shall have the external dimensions of 4.99m to 6.99m, the outer walls measure is 0.365m and there will be a garage door and a window. To start with, choose from the function list Wall the item Wall and select the scale 1:500 (in the view menu underneath the drawing area).

  • Input of walls

1st Wall The 1st wall : About in the middle of the drawing area you situate (watch the help bar below the drawing area) the "1. Corner point:" of the first wall. Confirm this point using the enter key, or you snap-to the same point with another mouse click, the Snap must be activated. The "2. Corner point" will be placed exactly upon the first one. Now, you enter the length of the wall using the keyboard. Hit the cursor right key "X+:" and you enter "4.99" m. One enter moves the cross which marks the point the distance you entered. Then, you define the thickness of the wall. Hit the cursor down key and move the cross "0.365"m downwards. One enter moves the cross and you confirm the point with a final enter.

view menu
  • Test the view menu

    Choose Zoom. Define the range of a new detail enlargement positioning two points. So you set two points, in a way that the wall will be within the range of the two points. Further on, try ->. The detail enlargement will be moved the distance you enter with two mouse clicks. All functions in the view menu can be activated while entering or altering drawing elements. If the display function is terminated, you may continue entering drawing elements.


Back to the garage:
Activate the buttons + and - of the view menu until the scale 1:100 is displayed. Now you select the scale button (the one in between the + and the - ) and position the center point of the new detail enlargement upon the wall.

 
2nd Wall The 2nd wall : Snap-to the lower left corner point of the first wall. Confirm the "1. Corner point". "Move / Confirm:" Move the second corner point downwards entering "6.26" m and now move it to the right entering "0.365" m. After that, you confirm the lower corner point of the second wall.

Copy Wall The 3rd wall : Copy the second wall to the right. To do so, choose from the main menu the menu list Edit, then select the item Copy. Instead of the function list the selection menu appears. All items for selecting elements are displayed. Use the options Active and Element in order to activate the second wall. Active elements are displayed white. You confirm the activated elements clicking on OK. Now, you need to enter the distance where to move the copy of the wall. Help bar: "Move/Start point:" Snap-to the upper right corner point of the active wall. This shall be the start point. Position the "End point:" of the distance at the lower right corner of the first (horizontal) wall. You confirm this point and you finish the copy-function aborting it with the right mouse button somewhere outside of the drawing area, or choose another function right away.

  • The 4th wall : Again, choose the function list Wall, then select the item Side. Now, have a look at the walls` dialog box. Click the item with the ? in its` button. Here you enter the preferences only concerning the wall elements. The name of the active dialog box is displayed in the walls` function list right beside the button with the ?. This is supposed to remind you which dialog box is active. Have a look at the dialog window: Choose one of the prearranged preferences; or you may enter your own preferences. Try pen color blue (ink pen, about 0.35mm) and the line. The wall thickness should be 0.365m.

 

-Side - Wall The "start point:" needs to be situated upon the lower right corner point of the second wall. The end point shall be the lower, left corner point of the 3rd wall. So you also snap-to that point and confirm it. The help bar: "Select Side:" You select the outer side of the garage. After this, the wall thickness will be added, which was defined in the walls` dialog box.

The display of the last wall in the drawing area is not correct: To fix this, you choose the item in the view menu which looks like a sheet of paper.

Refresh You achieve a new plot of the drawing elements.
 

Join Walls The joinings of the walls need to be corrected:
To do so, you choose further down in the walls` function list the item Join. Now you click using the pointer looking like a diagonal cross hair onto the second and the fourth wall. They will be joined to their intersection. As a result, they are mitre joint. Repeat this action clicking on the fourth and the third wall. In the end you have drawn the ground plan of the four walls in exact measure.

  • Further on, the display of the walls can be improved. To achieve this, you choose from the walls` function list the item All, you find it right below Connect. Automatically all wall endings will be connected of all those walls which have exactly matching corner points.

Now have a look at the walls in a perspective view. Choose from the menu 3D one of the arrows. If you entered the walls with height and base entries in the dialog boxes, then you will see your first perspective view.  

  • Input of openings

Garage door : Select the function list Opening. Here you start having a look at the dialog box of the openings. Click underneath the item Opening on the button with the ?. The symbol of the garages` door opening should be arranged without a stop and just with one line at the outside of the opening. Have a look at the input gadgets; especially those with the topic: "Stop". Here you enter the width and depth by typing "0.000"; if not already existing.
Now you select the symbol of the opening; you achieve this using the button directly above the preview of the opening symbol.

 
Door The door : This opening shall be entered positioning two points, which means with a start- and an end point. Therefore, you deactivate the button with the !. The deactivated ! -button means that the width mentioned next to it will not be taken into account. Under these circumstances you choose the item Opening. The help bar says: "Select wall:" To select the wall you click with the mouse looking like a diagonal cross hair onto the lower, horizontal wall. Now you need to enter the exact location of the opening. To achieve this, you snap the inner lower left corner of the garage. From there you move the start point of the opening about X+: 0.375 towards the right. Now you snap the inner lower right corner and you move the end point about X-: 0.375m. If you now look at the coordinate display, it should show "X: 3.5100" and "Y: 0.0000". If this is displayed you confirm the entry with a final enter. Finally, you select the outer side of the wall. And the openings` symbol you have chosen from the dialog box will be placed into the wall.

Window The window : Now you do the input of the window which shall be positioned in the wall on the opposite side of the garage door: Choose the item Window. Ensure that the button with the ! is pushed in, therefore, the width signed up right beside this button will be taken into account. Here you can choose the width of the opening, select 1.01m for this window.
Then, you need to choose from the windows` dialog box the correct window symbol. After this, you activate the upper horizontal wall. It will be displayed white, which means it is active. Snap the right corner of the garage door and confirm that point. Within the active wall the preview of the window will be displayed. If you move the mouse to the left and right, the preview will flip; this shows you the width and the direction to which the window could be placed. Click on the left side. Finally, you select the outer side of the wall. The window with the symbol from the windows` dialog box will be fit into the wall.

  • With this input option showing you the input of points using projected reference points this tutorial is concluded.
  • All input-, edit- and modify functions in CYCAS root back to the input options mentioned in this tutorial. The way you get close to the aspired point using reference points and using the additive numeric input shall simulate the way you would proceed if you would draw by hand. Confirming each step of input offers you to combine the different CYCAS input options.


 
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