Chapter 1. How to Navigate Any CAD Program…Ever

123D Design is easier to use than most high-end CAD programs. But it has a similar layout to more complex programs, one that is found in most CAD programs that you will come across.

The basic elements of this layout are:

  • The view cube

  • The ribbon or control panel

  • Mouse controls

  • The right side menu

  • A design tree or history of changes to the design

View Cube

The view cube (see Figure 1-1) is identical in the majority of Autodesk programs, as well as other CAD programs. Located in the upper-right corner, this tool makes it easy to get back to a standard view of your design. The standard views are very similar to the xyz-space described in “Navigating a 3D Workspace”.

Figure 1-1. The ...

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