What's on the CD-ROM The AutoCAD 2002 Bible CD-ROM contains all the drawings and files you need to do the exercises as well as the results of those exercises. In addition, I've tried out as many useful shareware programs and AutoLISP routines as I could to see if they work with AutoCAD 2002 and selected those I felt would be most useful. I hope you find this CD-ROM a valuable addition to your AutoCAD arsenal. How the CD-ROM Is Structured I have placed all the files you need for the exercises in the \Drawings folder of the CD-ROM. Almost all of these files are named as in the following examples - ab15-a.dwg, ab15-b.dwg, ab15-c.dwg, and so on. In these examples, the number 15 corresponds to the chapter number, whereas the letters correspond to the first, second, and third drawings you need to open. The files for Chapters 4 through 9 come after the files for Chapter 35 (because 4-9 come after 3). Don't forget to scroll down to find them. A few files have other names, such as sky.gif and others. In each case, I give you the name of the file to open. You can easily find them with Explorer, because Explorer automatically alphabetizes the files. (If they are not alphabetized, click the Name column of the right-hand window. If Explorer alphabetizes them in reverse order, click Name one more time.) The CD-ROM contains five other folders: Results, Book PDF, Reader, Links, and Software. Changing the Windows read-only attribute You can use the exercise drawings directly from the CD-ROM, but you might get better results by copying them to your hard drive. In most cases, the exercises instruct you to do this. To use the software from the CD-ROM, you should copy the files to a folder in AutoCAD's Support File Search Path. You might run initially into the problem of not being able to access files on the CD-ROM after you copy the files to your computer. After you copy or move a file from the CD to your hard disk or another storage medium (such as a Zip drive), you may get the following error message when you attempt to open a file with its associated application: [Application] is unable to open the [file]. Please make sure the drive and file are writable. Windows sees all files on a CD-ROM drive as "read-only." This makes sense normally because a CD-ROM is a read-only medium - that is, you can't write data back to the disc. However, when you copy a file from a CD-ROM to your hard disk or to a Zip drive, Windows doesn't automatically change the file attribute from read-only to writable. Installation software normally takes care of this chore for you, but in the case in which the files are to be manually copied to your disk, you have to change the file attribute yourself. Luckily, this is easy: 1. Click the Start menu button. 2. Choose Programs --> Windows Explorer. 3. Highlight the file name. 4. Right-click the highlighted file name(s) to display a pop- up menu. 5. Select Properties to display the Properties dialog box. 6. Click the Read-only option so that it is no longer checked. 7. Click OK. You should now be able to use the file(s) with the specific application without getting the annoying error message. Using the Results folder In the Results folder, you can find the results of all the exercises. You might want to check your work in the exercise. Also, sometimes you might use the result of one exercise as the basis for a second exercise (although I try not to do this very often). If you haven't done the first exercise, you can get the resulting file from the Results folder and use it for the second exercise. If you have any difficulty opening a drawing from the Results folder, copy it to your hard drive and remove its read- only attribute as described earlier in the "Changing the Windows read-only attribute" sidebar. Using the Book PDF folder You can now have access to AutoCAD 2002 Bible without lugging around a heavy book. The entire book and two bonus appendixes are on the CD-ROM in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The PDF format displays a picture of the pages of the book. To read the book in this format, you need the Acrobat Reader for Windows, which is on the CD in the Reader folder. You can put Acrobat Reader on your laptop and read while you travel. You can refer to the book when you are in the field or onsite. Using the Reader folder Adobe Acrobat Reader is included on the CD-ROM to enable you to read this book in its electronic form. Follow these steps to install the software: 1. Start Windows Explorer and open the Reader folder on the CD-ROM. 2. In the Reader folder, locate the .exe file and double- click it. 3. Follow the instructions onscreen to install the software. 4. To view this book in its electronic form, start Windows Explorer and open the Book PDF folder from the CD-ROM. 5. Double-click the book's .pdf file in the Book PDF folder. Using the Links folder Appendix B of this book contains numerous links of AutoCAD resources. The Links folder contains these resources as live links to make it easy for you to find them with a single click. Using the Software folder I have assembled what I think is an excellent collection of useful software that works with AutoCAD 2002. You'll also find a collection of block and symbol libraries. Most of these are simply collections of useful drawings. Many of the items in this folder come from www.cadalog.com. The Software folder is divided into subfolders by chapter. Not all chapters have software, so subfolders appear only for the chapters that have software. This makes it easy for you to find software by function. For example, you can find software for text objects by looking in the Chapter 13 subfolder because Chapter 13 covers text. Table C-1 at the end of this appendix lists the software alphabetically so that you can review it at a glance. Within each chapter's subfolder, you'll find subfolders for each program or AutoLISP routine. New Feature I am very excited to be able to include a trial version of AutoCAD 2002 with this book. Although the trial time is only 15 days, it should help many readers get their feet wet and start the process of learning AutoCAD. This trial version is in the \Software|AutoCAD Trial folder. Run Setup.EXE to install. To find out in detail what each software program or AutoLISP routine does, read the text (.txt) file if there is one. It provides details about what the software does and how to install it. Sometimes details are at the beginning of the .lsp file. You can open and read it. Most of the software on the CD-ROM is freeware - you can use it at no cost. Most of these are AutoLISP routines. However, some of it is shareware. Here's the scoop on shareware - you try it out and if you like it, you buy it. It works on the honor system, so please be honorable and pay for the shareware you use. All shareware comes with a text file that explains how much to pay for it, what you get when you register, and where to send your payment. Often, you get additional features when you register. The CD-ROM also has one or two demo programs. Demos are not fully functional - usually they either shut down after a short time or they do not work to the fullest extent. Demos are not shareware - they demonstrate regular software programs that you must buy. Using AutoLISP routines AutoLISP routines are easy to install. Follow these steps: 1. Copy the .lsp file to AutoCAD's \Support folder or to a folder that you have placed in AutoCAD's Support File Search Path. Note To add a folder to AutoCAD's Support File Search Path, choose Tools --> Options and click the plus sign (+) next to Support File Search Path on the Files tab. Choose Add. Type in a folder path or choose Browse to locate one. 2. In AutoCAD, type (load "file name") where file name is the name of the .lsp file. You don't need the .lsp, but don't forget the parentheses or the quotation marks. AutoCAD responds with the name of the last function defined in the routine. 3. Type the name of the function to use the AutoLISP routine. You can also choose Tools --> Load Application to load an AutoLISP or ARX program. Most of the AutoLISP routines were written before AutoCAD 2002 came out. Sometimes the installation instructions are out of date and don't include the capability of adding the folder to the Support File Search Path. If no text file explains how to use the program, brief instructions may be displayed on the command line. If not, type the name of the file, such as atc, and press Enter. Using VBA programs To load a VBA program, copy it to a folder in AutoCAD's Support File Search Path. Choose Tools --> Macro --> Load Project. Locate the VBA program (a .dvb file), select it, and click Open. AutoCAD displays a message telling you that the VBA program contains macros and enabling you to disable them. Of course, the VBA program doesn't work if you disable the macros. If you wish, you can check the file with a virus-checker first. To enable the macros, choose Enable Macros. AutoCAD loads the VBA program. To use a VBA program, choose Tools --> Macro --> Macros. Select the VBA program and click Run. For more information on VBA programs, see Chapter 37. Using a setup or install file If you see a setup or install file (such as setup.exe), use it to install the software. You might need to remove the read-only attribute first, as explained at the beginning of this appendix. Copy all the files to a folder in AutoCAD's Support File Search Path. In Windows Explorer, double- click the setup or install file and the process should start automatically. Troubleshooting If you have problems with the shareware on this CD-ROM, the two likeliest problems are that you don't have enough memory (RAM), or you have other programs running that are affecting installation or running of a program. If you get an error message such as Not enough memory or Setup cannot continue, try one or more of the following suggestions and then try using the software again: * Turn off any antivirus software running on your computer. Installation programs sometimes mimic virus activity and may make your computer incorrectly believe that a virus is infecting it. * Close all running programs. The more programs you have running, the less memory is available to other programs. Installation programs typically update files and programs; so if you keep other programs running, installation may not work properly. * Have your local computer store add more RAM to your computer. This is, admittedly, a drastic and somewhat expensive step. However, if you have a Windows 95 PC or a Mac OS computer with a PowerPC chip, adding more memory can really help the speed of your computer and allow more programs to run at the same time. This may include closing the CD interface and running a product's installation program from Windows Explorer. If you still have trouble installing the items from the CD, please call the Hungry Minds, Inc. Customer Service phone number at 800-762-2974 (outside the U.S.: 317-572-3993) or send e-mail to techsupdumhungryminds.com.