K'Ad Illustrated Manual

Click the name of a task and you get just those steps. Open this page in a second tab or a second window beside K'Ad, and follow it while you draw.

You can also print it and keep it on your desk (your browser's Print gives you the whole chapter).

1. Getting Started (the layout of the screen)About this manual The layout of the screen Our measure: 1 is 1 drawing unit If you get stuck
2. Using the CursorSelecting one object Selecting a whole connected run at once Selecting with a window Overlapping objects Grips Grips on a polyline (rectangles and polygons)Right-click = the place to remember things Copy and paste Hover (just touching)Changing the colour of the crosshairs Changing the size and weight of the crosshairs
3. Moving around the screenZoom Pan (sliding the drawing)Tabs (one for each drawing)The view when you open a drawing
4. Typing numbers (coordinates and distances)Two places to type Absolute and relative coordinates Distance input (beside the cursor)When you want the first point at an absolute coordinate The field beside the cursor has three rows (choose with ↑↓)Shifting the base point itself (@)You can do the arithmetic as you type (the calculator)Another face of the Command Line
5. Points and division pointsPoint (POINT / PO)Base point (FROM / FRO) = measure from here, then place The points you place can be caught Division points (DIVIDE / DIV)The look and size of points Points that came from another CAD
6. Object snap and drawing constraintsObject snap The constraint toggle (free / ortho / polar)Where it takes effect The laser (⌥ Option)Midpoint between two points (M2P)Turning the prompt and the distance field on and off
7. Key referenceAlways available Function keys ⌘ (Command)　※ on Windows this is Ctrl The Alias board: change the ⌘ shortcuts to suit your own fingers The habits of Enter Only in the 3D room
8. Drawing: step by stepL / LINE PL / PLINE (polyline)C / CIRCLE A / ARC (three-point arc)EL / ELLIPSE SPL / SPLINE — a free curve REC / rectangle POL / POLYGON (regular polygon)GRID / structural grid lines DT (single-line text): placing one line of text with a box The justification (the nine squares) can be changed at any time Fonts: standard, light, bold, or the engraving typeface MT (multiline text): pouring a note with line breaks into a box Choosing between multiline text and ordinary text (DT)Multiline text that came from another drawing LE / leader H / HATCH Construction symbols: beam, column, footing, mat slab, level, section arrow, drawing title What each one looks like, and the fields you fill
9. Dimensioning: step by stepD / DIM (a run of dimensions)DAL (aligned dimension)DDI (diameter) / DRA (radius)DAR (arc length)DI / DIST (measure): measuring without leaving anything on the drawing AREA: one click inside an enclosure Sending the answer to your notes, or to the drawing The dress of a dimension (the style)字高 (changing the size of text)What the size means (paper mm or drawing units)
10. Editing: step by stepTR / TRIM TR → Tab: erasing everything inside an enclosure, in one move The surest way Another way in: click inside DIV / DIVIDE (division points)EX / EXTEND O / OFFSET F / FILLET / CHA (chamfer)CO / COPY / M / MOVE S / STRETCH The commonest stumble: the line “bends”RO / ROTATE SC / SCALE MI / MIRROR AR (array) / PAR (polar array)Take-off (ひろい / HIROI / BOM)拾い表 (take-off table) / 拾い CSV Tables (ひょう / TABLE)Excluding things (ヨケ / YOKE)ISO / isometric APPINT / apparent intersection J / JOIN LIST PR / Properties (retyping the numbers)
11. Layers and linetypesWhat a layer is LA / the Layer panel The three layer commands Linetypes
12. Blocks and the Blocks boxB / make a block X / explode The Blocks box
13. Opening, saving, and setting the true sizeProjects (PROJ): a catalogue of your drawings This panel greets you when the program starts Putting drawings into the catalogue (four buttons along the foot)Tidying the catalogue (four buttons at the right of each row)Opening The important part Opening (⌘O)Saving (⌘S)CAL: setting the true size Units (changing the measure)Automatic saving
14. Printing (putting it on paper)Layouts (paper space)On paper, the tool guides you one step at a time Viewports (MV): the cameras you place on the paper, showing the drawing Notes inside a window are mostly adjusted for you And each window can be fine-tuned: the Viewport panel (VP)Clipping what is shown: only grid lines X1–X2 and Y1–Y2 The dash spacing inside a window Cutting part of the model out and pasting it onto the paper Matching the scale rule on your desk The difference from a window When the notes you pasted are too large or too small Title blocks and borders: called from the shelf, fitted to the sheet As many sheets as you like Opening the preview Sheet size and scale Printing a window of the drawing Grooming, on the paper When it becomes paper
15. Solids (3D and STL)3D view STL: exporting a solid (for a 3D printer)Looking at somebody else's STL
16. If you get stuckPanning with the middle button does nothing The text is too small to read Dashed lines look solid I cannot select it, or delete it I changed the layer colour but the object did not change colour I made a mistake A DWG will not open A PDF will not open I want to know more Colophon: about this tool