If you’ve already installed AutoCAD LT 2011, you’ve probably noticed at least some of the changes to the user interface, but I thought a post about them wouldn’t hurt, since some are a little less obvious than others. First up, there have been some changes to the drawing canvas.   The default modelspace background color is a dark gray, and the grid now looks more like engineering graph paper, instead of dots. In this new format, the X and Y axes are represented by green and red lines, respectively. (Z is blue, if you’re working with a file with 3D elements.) If you don’t like the new grid, you can either turn it off with F7 or go back to the dotted style through the Drafting Settings dialog. The UCS icon has been updated, and if you want, you can set it to display the axis colors too, with the Properties option of the UCSICON command, located on the Coordinates panel of the View tab.   Speaking of the View tab, the Windows panel now includes controls for the display of the Navigation Bar (more on that in a minute), the Text Window (also accessible with F2), and toolbars (what, the ribbon’s not enough?). The status bar controls are no longer on that panel, but they’re still easily available from the status bar itself. The Insert tab also has a new panel for pulling content from the DesignCenter and Autodesk Seek. Seek content is home to 3D models, 2D drawings, and specifications for manufacturer-specific or generic building products. (Currently the manufacturers are US-only, but the site is still young.) The last change to the ribbon has to do with its display options. You can now display the full ribbon or minimize it to Panel Buttons, Panel Titles, or Tabs. For all but Tabs, hovering over a panel expands it. You have to click on a tab to show the whole thing. Clicking on the cycle button goes through each option sequentially, or you can choose a toggle option with the pull-down next to the cycle button. If you pick anything except “Cycle through All,” clicking on the cycle button toggles between the full ribbon and your selected option. Finally, the new Navigation Bar is yet another place to find the Pan, Zoom, and SteeringWheel commands. They’re not on the status bar anymore, but they’re still accessible from other user interface elements, including the mouse. (Roll to zoom, hold down to pan, and right-click to access the SteeringWheel.)

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