AutoCAD 2009... A closer look at Quick View Drawings

The new Quick View Drawings functionality is a faster and more visual alternative to using the Ctrl-Tab key combination or the Window menu for switching between open drawings. You can access Quick View Drawings via a new button on the status bar.

When you enable Quick View Drawings, AutoCAD displays a row of preview images that represent the open drawings. If you pass the cursor over a drawing preview image, AutoCAD displays a second row of images representing the layouts for that particular drawing.

You can view and make active any layout within any open drawing directly from the Quick View Drawings preview. To see a larger view of the layout images, simply pass the cursor over a layout preview image. AutoCAD automatically enlarges the layout images and reduces the drawing images. Moving the cursor back over a drawing image returns the drawing images to the larger size and the layout images to the smaller size.

You can increase the size of the preview images by pressing the Ctrl key while rolling the mouse wheel up or down. If the preview images extend beyond the edge of the screen, use can use the arrow keys or the mouse to scroll.

Icons within the drawing previews enable you to save or close any open drawing; not just the current one! Additional tools are available in the Quick View Drawings control panel, which is automatically displayed below the preview images. You can pin the Quick View Drawings functionality so that it remains open while you work in the drawing editor. Additional tools in the control panel enable you to create new drawings or open existing ones.

The right-click menu provides options for closing and saving the drawings. I particularly like the option to close all the open drawings except for the one on which you right-clicked.

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