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The user interface has been updated in Graphite v8. Click on the icons below for Mac or Windows to see the entire palette.
MacintoshWindows
Graphite v8's updated interface includes new icons for both Mac and Windows. Because these operating systems have different style guides, slightly different icons are required to coordinate with the look and feel of each. Below is a sample of these new icons.
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With more complex drawings, geometry often overlaps to such an extent that it's difficult to select one object without zooming very close to it. Graphite has made this easier with the Ambiguity Popup box. To select one object among many objects close together, the popup menu appears. As the pointer is moved over an object name in the popup, the object it represents highlights in the selection color but is not yet selected. If the object name is clicked on in the popup, the choice is accepted. For those who prefer not to use the Ambiguity Box, it may be turned off by going to Layout>Preferences>Selection and unchecking Enable.
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All tool palettes containing subpalettes are capable of tearing away from the parent palette. To tear away the subpalette from the parent tool palette, click the small button in the upper right corner of the subpalette.
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Move the subpalette anywhere in the drawing area. To save the palette in this location choose Layout>Preferences>Save Palette. Close the palette by double clicking on the left button in its title bar.
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Graphite v8 features a new installation program that lets you quickly check to see if a new update is available from the website, then download and install just the update, not the entire program. This allows you to:
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- Keep your designated Preferences
- Keep your registration code in place
- Download smaller files
- Update your software with less effort
In the Graphite v8 Help menu a new item is added called Check Web For Update. Click it and Graphite links to the Ashlar-Vellum website to see if a new build of the software is available as a free update. It's a much easier way to keep Graphite up to date.
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This tool, in the second subpalette of the main tool palette, creates a line that starts from the center and dynamically draws in both directions until the endpoint is clicked.
To use it:
- Select the Mid-point Line Tool from the Line tool palette
- Click the first point
- Drag the cursor in one direction and the line grows symmetrically in the opposite direction
- Click again at the desired length
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Rotate or modify the length of the mid-point line with the endpoint selected. It is possible to pan the line with the middle point.
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To make the dialogue box a comfortable size, use the pointer to enlarge it or make it a smaller size.
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The Offset, Linear and Polar Duplicate tools are now conveniently available from the main tool palette in addition to the Edit menu.
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Now each window in Graphite has it's own undo buffer. It is possible to navigate between the windows in Graphite and undo in each one up to as many actions as it is set in the preferences.
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Graphite v8 supports import/export of DWG/DXF 2007 files.
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Located in the Selection tool palette, the Eyedropper tool copies all properties from a selected entity to another entity. These entities could be lines, fonts or dimensions, among others.
For example, for text the properties include font, size and color. For dimensions it includes text location, font, size, style, colors, line weight, layers and arrowhead on/off.
The Option key brings up the Filter dialog box to sift out unwanted properties for advanced settings.
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This new palette provides quick access to the predefined pen styles found under Window>Pen Style Palette.
The pen palette makes it easy to change among commonly used pen styles when drawing.
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In Ashlar-Vellum Graphite v8 create multi-sheet PDFs directly from within Graphite and embed files directly in the PDF file.
CAD files make poor files because there's no way to embed system-specific features such as line styles, text fonts and hatch patterns. They are also difficult to email as some email systems change them to a text file. You can never be sure what you're drawing will look like from one computer to another.
PDFs email easily. They accurately reproduce fonts, line styles and patterns.
Now in Graphite v8 create multi-sheet PDFs drawn from multiple models in the same file. Optionally embed a Graphite file or any export file directly in the file. Everything for an entire project can be emailed safely, displayed accurately and archived conveniently.
Use Adobe Acrobat to further enhance files, inserting and replacing pages, commenting and marking changes or tracking revisions.
Click here to see a sample multi-sheet PDF with embedded Graphite and DXF files.
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Object editing is available through the Status Line, in addition to the Edit Objects dialog box.
Select an object and enter the values into the fields of the Status Line, then press ENTER. The object's values are modified.
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When using the Trackball/TrackCube to move any non-standard view, the new view is remembered. Move on to a standard view and then return to the last non-standard remembered view by selecting DynView from the TrackBall menu.
 
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Arrowhead sizes are adjustable for all entities that support arrows.
 
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In addition to the regular Pan tool, it is now also possible to place the cursor over the portion of the drawing to move and either:
- Hold down the spacebar
- Press the middle mouse button (Windows only)
The cursor changes to the hand.
Move the cursor in any direction and the drawing dynamically moves at the current zoom level.
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It is possible to run more than one version of Graphite simultaneously within the same session.
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Graphite now can flatten a detail view. Use the Flatten command from the Views menu.
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Graphite will automatically flatten views on export for formats that do not support views and for formats in which we have not implemented support.
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To evoke the Edit Objects dialogue box just double click on the object. If multiple objects are selected, Edit Objects dialogue box indicates the number of the selected objects and describes the features common for all of them. It is possible to edit the features common for all the selected objects in the Edit Objects dialogue box.
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By locating the supporting files for preferences, macros, layouts, etc. in the appropriate folders, it is possible to control whether or not an item is available to only the user, all users on the system, or all users in the workgroup.
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Use the spacebar to activate dynamic pan:
- Place the cursor over the portion of the drawing to move
- Hold down the spacebar. The cursor changes to the hand
- Move the cursor in the drawing area in any direction
- The drawing dynamically moves with you at the same zoom level
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