Autodesk 00128-051462-9310 - AUTOCAD 2008 COMM UPG FRM 2005 DVD, User Manual

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Display System Structure
You use the display system to manage display properties and view assignments for objects in your project. You can also
create new groupings for display purposes.
Elements of the Display System
The display system has 3 major elements:
■
A display representation, which controls how an individual object, such as a door or a wall, is displayed
■
A display set, which is a group of display representations of objects
■
A display configuration, which is a collection of display sets assigned to particular view directions
These 3 elements are hierarchical: each display configuration contains a number of display sets, and each display set
contains a number of display representations. To use a display configuration, you assign it to a viewport. The objects
in the viewport then use the display properties specified in the display configuration.
Predefined Display Configurations in Templates
You use different display configurations for different tasks, such as sketching and plotting. You also use different display
configurations for different types of drawings, such as floor plans, 3D models, and elevations.
AutoCAD Architecture includes templates with predefined display configurations applied to viewports. These
configurations are created for typical architectural tasks and drawing types. You can use the configurations and viewports
supplied by the templates, or you can modify the display system settings to suit your office standards. If you want to
create your own display configurations, you can start a drawing from scratch or from a template that does not contain
predefined display configurations.
Materials and the Display System
A material definition is a group of settings for the display properties of a real-world material, such as glass, brick, or
wood. The settings define how the components assigned to the material appear in every view.
The materials feature works with the display system to simplify the process of customizing the display of drawings.
Rather than specifying individual properties, you can control the display of objects according to the materials assigned
to the physical components of the objects.
For example, you can assign brick as the material for all walls whose components consist of this material. The display
properties of the bricks are customized to look like a typical brick wall. By assigning the material to walls, you avoid
the need to customize the display properties for each wall that uses brick material. In addition, if the materials change
during the project, you can reassign components to the new material.
Wall components assigned brick and concrete materials
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