AutoCAD 2009… A closer look at the Status Bar

The AutoCAD status bar has been updated with new tools and icons! The left side of the status bar includes button toggles for familiar functionality such as Grid, Osnap and Dynamic Input. A right-click menu enables you to easily switch the status bar display between icons and the traditional text labels.

The right-click menus for some status bar toggles include additional controls, which are relevant for that particular toggle. You save clicks by applying these controls from the right-click menu rather than having to access the Drafting Settings dialog box. You can turn on the polar or grid snap from the right-click menu of the SNAP toggle. You can set the polar tracking angle from the right-click menu of the POLAR toggle. And, you can apply object snaps from the right-click menu of the OSNAP and OTRACK toggles… (My favorite!)

The last button on the left side of the status bar is the new Quick Properties toggle. The Model and Layout buttons have moved to the right side of the status bar where several new tools have also been added. I’ll describe all of these new tools in future posts!

The Layout flyout is replaced by the Quick View Layouts button, which is followed by the Quick View Drawings button. The status bar provides easy access to navigation and viewing tools including Pan and Zoom as well as the new Steering Wheel and Show Motion functionality. The Annotation Scale, which was introduced in AutoCAD 2008, is replaced by a Viewport/Annotation toggle that links the Annotation Scale to the Viewport Scale. This ensures they stay in sync. A new Workspace Switching button replaces the Workspaces toolbar, providing the same functionality in considerably less space! From this single button, you can easily restore any of the predefined workspaces as well as any custom workspaces that you create.

View Demo