Find answers to some of the most common questions about Configura®:

3D-rendering
AutoCAD
Dimensions
Lighting
Line Drawing
Organizing Components
Printing
Select Several Components
Snap Function, Deactivation
Software Certificate
The View Menu


3D-Rendering
In which graphic format should I save a 3D image when I want to send it digitally?

JPG is by far the best format as it compresses the files. Depending on the extent to which the image is to be compressed, a choice can be made between low, medium, high or maximum compression under under the JPG tab in the Control Panel. Remember that image quality can deteriorate when the image is compressed heavily.

How do I decide which area is to be shown in the developed image?

Activate the "Limited area" and "Volume clipping" features under the "Image Content" tab in the Camera Settings dialog.



AutoCAD
I have imported a large AutoCAD drawing and I think Configura® is now working really slowly. Can I do anything about this?

Yes, in order to increase the speed at which Configura® works when large AutoCAD drawings are imported, it is recommended that your computer has 512 MB RAM or more. Secondly, if you have imported the original AutoCAD drawing and you are done with all changes to its entities, the following two things can be done :

• Choose Lock Line Drawing in the View menu.
• Group the whole drawing and all its entities. The program will then treat the drawing as one item and this will be considerably faster.

Why are my drawings so large when I use Explode on an imported AutoCAD drawing?

When the Explode function is used in an AutoCAD drawing, Configura's line drawing module is used. These components contain intelligence and behavior. Consequently, the line components use more memory than the AutoCAD drawing, both in terms of the working memory and the file size of the drawing that has been saved.



Lighting
I am having difficulties getting the right lighting for my drawings; it's either too dark or too bright.

You can do a variety of things to change the lighting. For instance use different types of light sources, change wattage by right clicking on the light source, redirect the light source or try several weaker light sources instead of one strong. You can also try different heights for ceiling lights. You can also have light automatically added to your 3D images even when using the camera manually.

1. Take the camera from the Tools tab. Position the camera on the drawing area and aim it by dragging the target point to the area or the object of which you want to produce a 3D image.
2. Double-click on the camera. The Camera Settings dialog box opens.
3. Select the Lighting tab and check the Help Lighting box.
4. Use the camera view to make sure that everything you would like to be on the image is shown.
5. Render the image by clicking on the Develop button. Two spotlights and a sun are now automatically inserted on the drawing area and will light up your image. They are then removed automatically after the image has been rendered.

Is it possible to save lighting settings as favorites?

It is possible to make a drawing with your favorite lighting settings and save that drawing as a favorite. You can then use it as a template for lighting.



Line Drawing
Is it possible to change the lines from the Line Drawing 1 tab after the lines are placed in the drawing area?

Yes, the lines can be changed after being placed in the drawing area. Right click the line you want to change and choose Settings. In the Settings dialog box there are two tabs: General and Line. On the General tab you can change Line type, Width, Height, Distance to floor and Wall type. You can also choose to apply the changes to Selected component, Group, Position or All from the pull down list Apply to. On the Line tab you can change the length of any line and the thickness of a double line. You can also change an existing line by doubleclicking on the line drawing component's snap point.
A yellow input display will appear in which you can enter new values.

I have drawn a room with a rectangle from the Line drawing tab. Now I want to develop an image using the camera function Limited area, in order to "see" through the walls. But I can't see the inside of the rectangle, the image is just showing the walls from the outside. Why?

A Configura® rectangle behaves as one object, that is, the program handles the rectangle as one line. This means that the camera cannot "see" through the walls. The solution is to explode the rectangle. You explode the rectangle by right clicking on it and choosing Explode. Now you can use the Limited area feature.





Dimensions
The Dimension text sometimes gets too small. How can I enlarge it?

If you place a dimension on a small component, there may not be enough room for the dimension text to be displayed properly. To get text that is legible, place the text to one of the sides of the dimension - not in the middle position. To make the text legible on a dimension component that is already positioned on the drawing area, follow the instructions below:

1. If the dimension is deactivated (its yellow snap points are not visible), click on or next to the dimension so that it is activated and you can see its yellow snap points (Picture 1).
2. Place the mouse pointer on the yellow snap point which is right next to (under) the dimension and drag to the snap point to the right or left (up or down). The text will move outside the help lines and will be enlarged (Picture 2).
3. Release the mouse button.

If the dimension text is too small, you can increase the text size by right-clicking on the dimension and selecting Settings. The Settings dialog opens. In the Text field, in the Size box, type in a different size.

Organizing Components
I want to position five components in an exact vertical row; the distance between the components should be the same. Is this possible to do in some automated way?

Yes, as a matter of fact it is. Firstly place the components you would like to use roughly in a row on the drawing surface. Then select them by pressing and holding Ctrl and marking the components you would like to have aligned. To align them, choose the alternative Align/Distribute from the Arrange menu. In the Align/Distribute dialog box, choose Equidistant centres, Vertical and Left or Right, depending on how you want to align. Click OK or Apply.



Printing
Is it possible to print a selected area of a drawing?

To print a selected area of a drawing, select the Print Frame from the Tools tab. Place the frame, your "paper", around the area to be printed and thereafter specify the desired paper size, orientation and drawing scale. This way, you can work with the drawing layout and view the result right away on screen.

When I press Preview in the print dialog, I get a message saying: "List printer cannot be opened Please do Set up". What should I do?

Click the Printer button and choose a printer in the dialog box. Since the Print Settings contains two Printer buttons, one for the printed list and one for the printed drawing, you may have to choose printer for both before you can see the preview.



Select Several Components
How can I select several components at the same time?

Press Ctrl on the keyboard before you click on the components.




Snap Function
How do I deactivate the snap function?

There are two ways of deactivating the snap function:
1. Press Shift or Ctrl at the same time as you place the component on the drawing surface or are moving the component around.
2. Click on the component's snap points so that they change from yellow to grey.

Example:
When you place a chair beside a desk, the chair normally links up automatically to the desk. If you want to place the chair beside the desk, but not in the position that Configura® suggests, press Shift or Ctrl on the keyboard at the same time you move the component. You can now place the component exactly where you want. The same applies if you have deactivated the snap function by clicking on the component's snap points.



Software Certificate
What does the message "No software certificate found" mean?

The certificate is in effect your Configura® license. There is probably a problem with the driver for the certificate. Remove the certificate and connect the printer to the same port and check whether it is possible to print. If this does not work, you should contact your hardware administrator to change the settings for the printer port. If the printer then works, download a HASP diagnosis program and run it to check if the driver and ports are working. This program can be downloaded from www.ealaddin.com.

If the driver does not work, install Configura® again with administrator rights to add System components. If this does not help, use the Save Report function in the HASP diagnosis program and send a profile to us. If you are using Windows NT you should check that the following have been started up; Hardlock, Haspnt, Parallel and Parport. You can find these in Windows 2000 under Computer Management -> System Tools -> System Information -> Software Environment -> Drivers. If you report a malfunction to us it is particularly important to notify us of the computer type. Toshiba portables seem to be particularly sensitive.



The View Menu
How do I choose what is shown on the drawing surface?

By checking or un-checking the different alternatives in the View menu, you choose to show or to hide components on the drawing area. Components that you have chosen to hide on the drawing area are grayed out completely on the different tabs.

The different options available in the menu are:

• Assemble Parts - only valid for customized versions of Configura®, and not for Configura Core.
• Dimensions - includes all the dimensions from the Line Drawing 2 tab.
• Line Drawing - includes all the components from the Line Drawing 1 tab apart from the drawing aids.
• Drawing Aids - includes the reference points and the help lines from the two tabs Line Drawing 1 tab and House Components.
• House Components - includes all the components from the House Components tab apart from the drawing aids.
• 3D Parts - includes the components under the 3D heading on the Tools tab, i.e. Camera, Spotlight, Sun and Light Source.