The Quick Properties panel provides access to several of the most commonly
changed parameters of the selected objects. You can quickly change the selected object’s layer, color, and linetype, as well as several parameters specific to the type of object selected. For example, the Radius parameter is available when a circle is selected, and the Closed option is available when a polyline is selected.
When multiple objects are selected, only the parameters common to all are displayed.
You will use the Quick Properties panel to change the layer of the front
and back stairs:
1. Make sure I06-04-SelectingObjects.dwg (M06-04-SelectingObjects
.dwg) is open.
2. Click the Customization button on the right end of the status bar,
and then select Quick Properties from the menu. This adds the Quick
Properties tool to the status bar.
3. Enable Quick Properties by selecting its icon from the status bar.
4. Use crossing selection windows to select each of the lines illustrating
the front and back stairs.
The grips appear, indicating the objects are selected, and the Quick
Properties panel opens in the drawing, as shown in Figure 6.21. For
lines, grips appear at each endpoint and at the midpoint of each segment;
for polylines, they appear at each endpoint, and a stretch grip
appears at the midpoint of each linear segment. When endpoints of
lines coincide, their grips overlap. When lines are very short, their grips
might appear to overlap, but that is just the result of the zoom factor.
F igu re 6 . 2 1 : The Quick Properties panel
5. Click in the Layer field. Then click to expand the Layer drop-down list
and choose the A-DECK-STRS layer, as shown in Figure 6.22.
F igu re 6 . 2 2 : Assigning the objects to the A-DECK-STRS layer
All 10 polylines representing the stairs are now on the A-DECKSTRS
layer.
6. Press the Esc key to deselect the objects and remove the grips. Even
when it is turned on, the Quick Properties panel disappears when no
objects are selected.
7. Save your drawing as I06-05-QuickProperties.dwg (M06-05-
QuickProperties.dwg) by choosing Application menu ➢ Save As ➢
AutoCAD Drawing.
Selecting the Doors and Swings
To select the doors and swings, you can use crossing windows. Let’s examine
this task closely to learn more valuable skills for selecting objects:
1. Make sure I06-05-QuickProperties.dwg (M06-05-QuickProperties
.dwg) is open.
2. Without any objects selected, hold down the left mouse button
as you draw a circle in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in
Figure 6.23.
F igu re 6 . 2 3 : Using a crossing lasso window to select the doors and swings
Holding the left mouse button down as you create a selection set
creates what is known as a lasso window selection. Similar to rectangular
selection windows, the direction in which you draw the lasso
matters. Just as a window selection defined from right to left would
create a crossing window, drawing a lasso window selection from left
to right, or counterclockwise, will also create a crossing lasso window
selection.
After you complete your selection, the back door and its swing
glow to indicate that they are selected. Additionally, the Quick
Properties panel reappears to display the number of objects selected.
Because you selected more than one type of object (a polyline and
an arc), the Quick Properties panel reads All (2) as opposed to listing
the specific type of object selected. AutoCAD lists the specific type of
object selected only if everything selected is of the same object type
(a set of polylines, arcs, lines, and so on).
3. Move to the bathroom, and select its door by picking a point to the
right and then picking a point to the left, as shown in Figure 6.24.
F igu re 6 . 2 4 : Using a rectangular selection window to select the bathroom
door and swing line
By releasing the left mouse button between each point, you create
a rectangular crossing window selection in lieu of the lasso selection
you created in the previous step. The bathroom door and swing are
selected, and the quantity listed in the Quick View Properties palette
updates.
4. Select the four rectangles that make up the closet doors. Then
open the Layer drop-down list from either the Layers panel or the
Quick Properties panel and select the A-DOOR layer, as shown in
Figure 6.25.
F igu re 6 . 2 5 : Using the Quick Properties panel’s Layer drop-down list to
change the layer of the door objects
All of the doors you selected have been moved from layer 0 to
the A-DOOR layer and now display in orange (the color assigned
to the A-DOOR layer).
5. Press Esc to deselect the objects and remove the grips.
6. Save your drawing as I06-06-DoorSwings.dwg (M06-06-DoorSwings
.dwg) by choosing Application menu ➢ Save As ➢ AutoCAD Drawing.
For the sliding glass door, it’s awkward to create a crossing window from left
to right because positioning the pickbox between the threshold lines and the
sliding door can be difficult. In this situation, use a regular window to select the
objects:
1. Make sure I06-06-DoorSwings.dwg (M06-06-DoorSwings.dwg) is open.
2. Zoom in to the area of the sliding glass door
3. Use a regular selection window to select the sliding glass door at the
front of the cabin. To do this, follow these steps:
a. Select a point to the left of the balcony opening. By selecting a
point, you start a new selection window.
b. Move your cursor, and pick a point to the right of the sliding glass
window until the right edge of the window (blue background
with solid boundary line) is just inside the wall, but just to the
right of the sliding glass door itself (as shown in Figure 6.26).
F igu re 6 . 2 6 : Using a regular selection window to select the sliding glass
door
The entire sliding glass door assembly is selected, but not the
jambs, walls, threshold, or balcony. A total of 13 lines make up the
sliding glass door, and each line has three grips: a grip at each endpoint
and a grip at each midpoint. Many of the grips overlap.
4. Open the Layer drop-down list, and select the A-DOOR layer.
5. Press Esc to deselect the objects and remove the grips.
6. Use the Zoom Extents tool found by selecting the View tab ➢
Navigate panel ➢ Zoom Extents tool from the zoom fly-out menu, or
you can double-click the middle-button/scroll wheel on your mouse.
You have a full view of the floor plan, where each of the doors are
red and are found on the A-DOOR layer.
7. Save your drawing as I06-07-SlidingDoor.dwg (M06-07-
SlidingDoor.dwg) by choosing Application menu ➢ Save As ➢
AutoCAD Drawing.
The next task is to move the kitchen and bathroom counters and fixtures and
the hot tub onto the A-FLOR-FIXT layer. In doing so, you’ll learn how to deselect
some objects from a group of selected objects.
