An object's Properties window consists of a series of categories, each on its own page. There are categories that are common to all objects: General, Pen, 3D, Luminance, Brush (for 2D objects) and Custom - these are all described in this section.

General Properties

These are properties generally not related to geometry or other physical characteristics.

Attribute: For text and dimension objects, contains the text string. For groups, contains the group name.

Hyperlink: Specifies the location of a desired file on your hard disk or on a company's network,or specifies a URL. You can type in the field or browse your system or the web to find the desired path.

Layer: Set the object's layer by selecting from the drop-down box. See Snap Modes.

Print Styles: Select the print style you want to use when printing. See Print Style Options.

Property Value Preset: A group of properties defined for a group of tools. See Property Value Presets.

Pen Properties

Properties of the pen and line style.

Tip: You can also use the Design Director to quickly set the color of an object or group of objects. For single objects, see Design Director- Graphics. For groups of objects, see Design Director- Categories.

Pattern

Select a continuous line or one of many dot-and-dash patterns. If By Layer or By Block is used, the pattern will depend on the layer or block. There are several predefined line styles to choose from, or you can create your own. See Line Styles.

Dash Scale: Scale of the dot-and-dash pattern.

Alignment: Align the pattern so that the corners of rectangles and polygons are always solid.

Color

Color: Pen Color with which the object will be drawn.

Convert Color in accordance with Current Background Color: This option is designed to prevent objects from disappearing into a background of the same color (e.g. White on White) This is accomplished by inverting the display color of the object, but not the actual color setting. There are three options:

By Drawing - color conversion will match the global setting in the Drawing Setup under Background Color
Yes - Color conversion will occur
No - Color conversion will not occur

Width

Scaling: Determines whether the width of the line will be scaled, or remain the same size, when you zoom in and out of the drawing.

Device: The pen's width and pattern sizes are defined in device units (the monitor or printer). If you zoom the line width and pattern size will not change on the screen.

World: The pen's width and pattern sizes are defined in by the drawing spaces units. If you zoom the line width and pattern size will change in accordance with the zoom factor.

Device Width: The pen's pattern size is defined by the drawing spaces units, and pen's width is defined in device units (the monitor or printer). If you zoom the line patterns size will change, but the pen width size will not change. Value: Pen width. A zero width uses one screen pixel, and will print at one unit of the printer's available resolution (a 300 dots-per-inch printer will print a zero width line at 1/300".)

Geometry: Used only when World is selected for the Scaling. If checked, TurboCAD creates external and internal "walls" for the object obtained by applying a thickness method to a 2D object. You can render your drawing to see the effects of this option.

Brush Properties

Used to create new hatch patterns, and to also create gradient or bitmap patterns._

Tip: You can use the Colors and Brushes palette to view and all available brushes. See Colors and Brushes. And you can use the TC Explorer Palette to view brush patterns of all open drawings, and to apply brushes. See Drawing Settings.

Setting the Brush pattern for the group of Hatch tools establishes the hatch pattern that will be applied. See Hatching.
These settings are relevant for closed objects such as circles and polygons, and for flexible text.

3D Properties

Properties relating to 3D, either for a standard 3D object such as a sphere or box, or for a 2D object made into 3D by assigning it a thickness.

See 3D Properties.

Luminance Properties

Light properties of objects, which is different than the lights contained in the overall model.

See Luminance.

Custom Properties

Available in TurboCAD Pro and Platinum only
Attributes you can add to objects via the database.

See Custom Properties, Database, and Reports.

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