Lesson 4

Status Bar
Toggles and
Function Keys
STATUS BAR/
DRAWING SETTINGS
Drawing Setting, or
was mentioned on the AutoCAD we also call it
Window Interface lesson.
STATUS BAR
It can be found at the lower
right part of the screen.
 Switch on and off

In the STATUS BAR you can toggle settings, which can

be a quick access in maneuvering your drawing
environment.

Blue icon means on mode/active

Grey icon means off mode
You can choose what tools to display from
the Customization Menu.

But the tools displayed might change

depending on the current workspace and
Customization Menu
whether the Model tab or a layout tab is
currently displayed.
Since there are several tools in
the Status Bar/ Drawing Settings,
we will be focusing mainly on the
Status Bar Toggles that have
equivalent Function Keys.
These are the function keys, we have F1 to F12.
Function Keys
 In this table, you can see the Function Keys with its corresponding
Status Bar Toggles and Icons.
Status Toggle Status Bar Status Toggle Status Bar
Function Keys Function Keys
Names Icons Names Icons
GRID MODE/
F1 HELP NONE F7 GRAPH
COMMAND LINE
F2 HISTORY
NONE F8 ORTHO MODE

2D OBJECT
F3 SNAP F9 SNAP MODE

3D OBJECT POLAR
F4 SNAP F10 TRACKING
OBJECT SNAP
ISOPLANE/
F5 ISODRAFT F11 TRACKING/
AUTOSNAP

DYNMODE/
F6 DYNAMIC UCS F12 DYNAMIC INPUT
 F1 This will appear on your screen if you click F1

(HELP)
- Opens the AutoCAD Help Window

- Allows you to take help online if you

are facing any functional issue in this
software

- But if you are working offline, all the

functionalities of this software will be
opened in PDF format
 F2
(COMMAND LINE HISTORY) This will appear on your screen if you click F2

- Opens the AutoCAD Text Window

- Shows an extended view of the

Command Line entries

- This is useful if you encounter

some difficulties when looking at the
command window on the bottom of
the screen
 F3
(2D OBJECT SNAP) - Turns OSNAP/Object Snap on and off

- This tool is used to snap the cursor

to the nearest 2D reference point as
you move the cursor to create another
object
 If you want to turn on or
off any of these snap
modes, just select it by
left clicking.
But make sure that the
Object Snap Tracking (F11)
is also activated.

By clicking this fly out, you can see

activated object snaps.
 SAMPLE (IF THE 2D OBJECT SNAP IS ON)

You can choose to turn on the

ENDPOINT, MIDPOINT, CENTER, etc.

This tool will allow you to snap at the specific location

of the object
 SAMPLE (IF THE 2D OBJECT SNAP IS ON)

It will serve as a guide to help you draw accurately when

you’re selecting points from or near your drawing
 F4
- Turns additional object snaps for 3D
(3D OBJECT SNAP) On and Off

- Just like the use of 2D object snap,

this tool will allow you to accurately
pinpoint the specific position of the 3D
object that you want to select.

- This tool is only used for 3D models

change into 3D Basics and make sure to check if the
when making 3D models OBJECT SNAPS are activated:
Object Snap Tracking (F11)
OSNAP/2D Object Snap (F3)
3D Object Snap (F4)
Just like the 2D Object Snap,
this 3D Object Snap will also
help you to identify the
specific location of the
object that you want to
select.
If the 3D Object Snap is deactivated, you can also:

*Press/hold shift key and

right click the mouse

*Click the 3D Osnap button

from the option

*The list of snap modes will

appear

*Then, left click the mouse to

activate and use the selected
snap mode
You can also activate the snap modes
by clicking this fly out button. Or select the Object Snap Settings to open the
Then, choose among the options Drafting Settings where you can still set or
through left clicking. select the activation of some snap modes.
 SAMPLE (IF THE 3D OBJECT SNAP IS ON)
If you want to select the nearest vertex or point of the object, move
your cursor near the object and the activated snap modes will appear.
 F5 the plane with an angle of 30 degrees from horizontal

(ISOPLANE/ ISODRAFT)
- Cycles through 2D Isoplane settings

- This tool can be useful when you’re

making isometric drawings. You can
easily alter from top, right or left of
the ISO Plane just by clicking F5.
 F6
(DYNAMIC UCS) - This function key turns Dynamic
UCS On or Off

- It temporarily aligns the XY plane

of the UCS to planar face of 3D solid

- This command is only used when

working on 3-dimensional objects
 SAMPLE (IF THE DYNAMIC UCS IS ON)

This tool will help you to easily locate the surface where
you want to put your new 3D object.

The surface will be highlighted as you move the cursor

on the particular area of the existing 3D object.
 F7
(GRID MODE/GRAPH)
- Displays GRID in your AutoCAD
drawing area

- The grid system allows you to

reorient the area so you can focus on
your design/drawing
 F8 one of the most useful keys in AutoCAD

(ORTHO MODE)
- This command will turn ORTHO
Mode On or Off by clicking the Icon
or by pressing F8 key.

- Assist in creating straight line

(vertical and horizontal at an angle
of 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees)
 OFF ORTHO MODE ON ORTHO MODE

Creating horizontal or vertical lines can

be difficult and can lead to estimation By activating the Ortho Mode,
to whether it is straight or not. you can easily create straight
horizontal lines or vertical lines.
 - This key will make a Snap Grid On
F9 or Off

(SNAP MODE) - Grids are the rectangular pattern of

dot-like structure in AutoCAD that
covers the entire XY plane of the user
coordinate system

- By using this key, you can easily

snap to a rectangular grid and create
your drawing more easily and
efficiently.
 These grids are the rectangular
pattern of dot-like structure in
AutoCAD that covers the entire XY
plane of the user coordinate
system.

In order to make the grids visible,

make sure that the Grid Mode (F7)
is also active.

The Snap Mode (F9) restricts

cursor movement to specified
grid intervals.

This will allow you to align objects and visualize

the distances between the grids.
 NOTE: In using the POLAR SNAP, make sure that the
Polar Tracking (F10) and Object Snap Tracking (F11) are
also activated.
 F10
(POLAR TRACKING) - Polar Tracking will display the
tracking line that guides the cursor
along the specified Polar Alignment
Angles

- This command is useful while

working on objects that have
different placement or directions
Turn on or off the POLAR TRACKING
by clicking its toggle on the
Status Bar or by pressing the f10
key.

Polar Tracking
Line
(the green
broken line)
 But if you want to use different set of angles,
you can change on the Tracking Settings.

Click this flyout and select the Tracking Settings.

 The Drafting Settings Window will appear on your screen.

Click “New” button.

Then, type you

starting angle.

Press “OK” to confirm the

additional set of angles.
 After confirming the
additional set of angles,
click the flyout and select It can now create line along
the set that you made. with the specified angles.
 F11
(OBJECT SNAP TRACKING/ Shows snapping reference line/tracking line

AUTOSNAP) - This key will allow you to use

Object Snap Tracking Command

- This is used with the OSNAP tool (F3)

in order to draw your design more
accurate
The guides
you to the specific location of the
object.
While the
allows you to have a
tracking line (green broken lines) as a
guide in selecting a location from the
reference point.

NOTE: In order to use the Object Snap Tracking (F11), you need to
make sure that the OSNAP/ Object Snap (F3) is also activated.
 F12
(DYNMODE/ provides you cursor input, dimension input,
and dynamic prompts
DYNAMIC INPUT)
- Allow us to use the Dynamic Input
command of this software

- It displays distance and angles

near the cursor and accepts input as
you use Tab between the fields
OFF DYNAMIC INPUT ON DYNAMIC INPUT

without TOOLTIP this TOOLTIP will appear near the cursor

If Dynamic Input is activated,

you can easily provide dimension inputs near your cursor
instead of specifying them on the command line.
 LET’S DO SOME RECAP!
STATUS TOGGLE
FUNCTION KEYS ICONS FUNCTIONS
NAMES

F1 HELP NONE Activate HELP Window

COMMAND Displays Command

F2 NONE Window
LINE HISTORY

2D OBJECT Snap the cursor to the

F3 nearest 2D reference point
SNAP

3D OBJECT Snap the cursor to the

F4 nearest 3D reference point
SNAP

ISOPLANE/ Used to toggle Isoplane

F5 Options
ISODRAFT
Temporarily aligns the XY
F6 DYNAMIC UCS plane of the UCS to planar
face of 3D solid
 LET’S DO SOME RECAP!
STATUS TOGGLE
FUNCTION KEYS ICONS FUNCTIONS
NAMES

GRID MODE/
F7 Display the Grid
GRAPH
Assist in creating straight
line (vertical and horizontal at
F8 ORTHO MODE an angle of 0, 90, 180 and 270
degrees)

Snap the cursor either

F9 SNAP MODE using Grid or Polar Angle

POLAR Tracks the cursor along

F10 specified polar angles
TRACKING
OBJECT SNAP Tracks the cursor along
vertical and horizontal
F11 TRACKING/ alignments paths from Object
AUTOSNAP Snap points

DYNMODE/ Displays tooltip near the

F12 DYNAMIC INPUT cursor
 REFERENCE/S
Learning AutoCAD 2010, Volume 1. (April 2009). Autodesk. AUTODESK, INC. -
Learning-AutoCAD-2010-Volume-1 .pdf
Introduction to AutoCAD. Academic Resource Center.
https://web.iit.edu/sites/web/files/departments/academicaffairs/Academ
ic%20Resource%20Center/pdfs/Introduction_to_AutoCAD.pdf
Introduction to AutoCAD.
https://www.unm.edu/~bgreen/autocad/AutoCAD%201.pdf
Learn about AutoCAD: An Introduction to AutoCAD for Beginners. Autodesk.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TBsW_7hXiTVMSuWRYejCAdPnU2l-izId/view
AutoCAD Tutorial 1. University of Sheffield: Landscape Department.
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.541251!/file/autoCAD-
tutorial-1.pdf
AutoCAD Basic Tutorial.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lM6GwwReePQSNrUBHFHB2s86XxmX76MS/view
AutoCAD 2021 Tutorial: First Level 2D Fundamentals. SDC Publications.
https://static.sdcpublications.com/pdfsample/978-1-63057-339-3-1-
cw77gw9lwo.pdf
AutoCAD 2D Tutorial. https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/48-
568/PDFs/AutoCAD2D/Chapter1.pdf
Page 10 of 11

User’s Guide. (March 2010). AutoCAD Architecture 2011.

https://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/autocad_aca_user_guide_english.
pdf
AutoCAD Command Shortcuts. AutoCAD_Shortcuts.pdf
(d2t1xqejof9utc.cloudfront.net)
AutoCAD: Shortcuts Guide. AutoCAD_Shortcuts_11x8.5_MECH-REV.pdf
(autodesk.net)