Start a Drawing from Scratch (Concept)

A quick way to begin a new drawing is to start from scratch, which starts a drawing that uses settings from a default drawing template file.

You can start from scratch from the Create New Drawing dialog box, from the Select Template dialog box, or without using a dialog box at all. In each case, you use either the NEW command or the QNEW command.

Use the Create New Drawing Dialog Box

The following conditions must be met to display the Create New Drawing dialog box:

The STARTUP system variable is set to 1 (on).
The FILEDIA system variable is set to 1 (on).

When no drawing template file is specified in the Options dialog box, you can open the dialog box using one of the following methods:

Click File menu New.At the Command prompt, enter new.
Click Qnew on th Standard toolbar.

The Create New Drawing dialog box provides several methods for starting a new drawing.

When you use Start from Scratch, you can specify either imperial or metric units for the new drawing. The setting you select determines default values used for many system variables controlling text, dimensions, grid, snap, and the default linetype and hatch pattern file.

Imperial. Creates a new drawing based on the imperial measurement system. The drawing uses internal default values, and the default grid display boundary, called the gridlimits, is 12 x 9 inches.
Metric. Creates a new drawing based on the metric measurement system. The drawing uses internal default values, and the default grid display boundary is 420 x 290 millimeters.

Use the Select Template Dialog Box

The Select Template dialog box is displayed under the following conditions:

The STARTUP system variable is set to 0 (off).
The FILEDIA system variable is set to 1 (on).

You can open the dialog box using one of the following methods:

Click File menu New.At the Command prompt, enter new.
Click Qnew on the Standard toolbar.

At the bottom-right corner of the Select Template dialog box, there is an Open button with an arrow button next to it. If you click the arrow button, you can choose between two internal default drawing templates, metric or imperial.

Use a Default Drawing Template File

The fastest way to begin working on a new drawing is to start automatically with a default drawing template file. No dialog box is displayed with this method.

The STARTUP system variable is set to 0 (off).
The FILEDIA system variable is set to 1 (on).
Specify a default drawing template file in the Options dialog box on the Files tab. Click the node labeled “Drawing Template Settings” and specify a path and drawing template file.
Click Qnew on the Standard toolbar.

Thereafter, new drawings are automatically based on the specified default drawing template file.

If no template file is specified in the Options dialog box, QNEW displays the Select Template dialog box.