AutoCAD 2009… A closer look at Quick Properties

The new Quick Properties functionality in AutoCAD 2009 enables you to view and modify object properties for selected objects. Now, if you’re like me, you’re thinking “How is this any different (or better) than the Properties window that we’ve had since AutoCAD 2000”? Well, it *is* similar, but you can customize Quick Properties so it only displays only the properties that you really care about. The simplified list makes it easier for you to locate the property you want to edit.

Also, the Quick Properties window is displayed right at the cursor when you select an object as opposed to the Properties window, which you might keep on all the time for easy access. With Quick Properties you save screen space *and* barely have to move your mouse to access it!

You can enable/disable Quick Properties functionality using the status bar toggle.

A right-click menu provides options for controlling and customizing the behavior of Quick Properties.

The Settings option displays the new Quick Properties tab in the Drafting Settings dialog box. On the Quick Properties tab, you can specify when and where the Quick Properties window is displayed. And, you can specify the default number of rows to be visible when Auto-collapse is enabled.

When you select an object with Auto-Collapse enabled, only the specified number of rows is displayed until you pass your cursor over the Quick Properties window. Then, the window automatically expands to list all the quick properties.

You can specify which properties are displayed for each type of object using the Customize User Interface (CUI) dialog box, which is easily accessible from the right-click menu or from the Customize button in the upper right-corner of the Quick Properties window. In the CUI dialog box, you can view and edit the list of objects with defined quick properties and add or remove object types to or from the list. For each object type, you can specify which properties will be displayed.

View Demo