Quick Start

       When you start a new job, there is a certain order you will want to follow to make designing quick and easy. The headings below on this help page is the order you will want to follow. This is only a suggestion as a way to speed up the design process but setting your standards is necessary to do before you start designing a job. Use this order every time you begin a new job.

Starting a New Job

       When KCDw® first starts up, you are in the 2-D section and it is ready to start a job.  If you already have a job on the screen and you want to start a new job you need to go to the File menu and choose 'Start New Job'.  This will clear the screen and reset all of your defaults.        

Setting Your Standards

       KCDw® has a standards list for each library (frame and frameless). These lists can be set independently to your standard sizes.  Go to the change menu and choose Set Shop Standards.  The shop standards screen will appear.  Make any changes needed and then press the 'Save as Permanent Standards' button.  This will set the current library to use your sizes as its defaults. If the job you are working on will have "different" sizes according to your permanent ones click the 'Save Sizes For This Job Only' button. This will ensure that these sizes will only be saved for this job. Permanent sizes will be used every time you start a new job unless you edit them.        

Walls

       To add or change a wall you must first open the Wall Screen. The ability to add a wall, by attaching one to another, is made easy with KCDw®.  You can place a regular wall or a peninsula/island wall (the have 0 thickness) the same way. Island walls are used to place cabinets the same way as regular walls except the walls are invisible so the don't show in 3-D perspectives.

Adding Walls:

1. At the top of the Unit Menu list, place the mouse pointer on the Add Wall or Add Island button then click the left mouse button.

2. Move the mouse pointer to the job screen area where you want the wall to start , then hold down the left mouse button, and drag in the direction where the wall should be.

3. Refer to the message area in the lower right for the wall length as you drag.

4. Release the mouse button when the wall is the appropriate length.

5. Make any changes in the window that appears if you wish.

6. Click the OK button to place the wall.

To Move a Wall:

1. Go to the floorplan view.

2. Click and hold the mouse button down on the middle of the wall (not near the left or right end).

3. Move the mouse where the new wall should be.

4. Release the mouse button to place the wall at the new location.

       Any wall can be moved after you have designed it. From the floorplan view click and hold the left mouse button down on the middle of the wall (not the ends) and drag the wall where you would like it. You can then move the wall to the end of another wall so they are now connected. The wall will "snap to" the end of any other wall you move it close to. Moving a wall will move it as is, you may find you will also need to change the walls angle also. A wall cannot be moved when looking at the elevation views, you must be at the floorplan view.

To Change a Wall Angle:

1. Go to the floorplan view.

2. Click and hold the mouse button down on the right or left edge of the wall (not the middle)

3. Drag the wall in a direction to get the angle you need. The wall will pivot on the opposite edge of the wall.

4. Release the mouse button to accept the new wall angle.

       Wall angle decides where and which way a wall runs on your screen. If a wall is not in the direction you want it to be you can change the way it is angled. For example if a wall is running across the top of your screen and you want it on the right hand side of the screen running from top to bottom you will need to change the walls angle and then probably move the wall. Follow the directions above to change a wall's angle and then move a wall. A wall's angle cannot be changed when looking at the elevation views, you must be at the floorplan view.

To Make a Wall Active

Active walls are used to place cabinets and other units. When you are designing you must place units on one wall at a time and walls must be placed prior to placing units. There are two parts to every wall, the front and the back of the wall. To make the front of the wall active you can simply type in the walls number. To make the back of a wall active type the letter b and then the wall number. There are always two active parts of every wall, the front and the back, whether it is a peninsula or a regular wall.  See shortcuts for further keyboard shortcuts.

From the Floorplan View:

Making a wall active

Click on the wall that you want active. The wall will now become grey. the grey wall is always the active wall. The active wall can now have units placed on it. Remember, you must place the mouse pointer inside the wall rectangle and click the left mouse button to make a wall active. To see which wall is the active wall look below the unit menu in the lower right corner of the KCDw® window.

Switching to the Elevation of a wall

Move your mouse pointer to any white design area that doesn't have a cabinet or wall on it and double-click the left mouse button. You will now be looking at the elevation of the active wall. To see the active wall's number look in the lower right hand corner of the KCDw® window below the unit menu. When you double-click on any open white design space you will switch from elevation to floorplan.

From the Elevation View:

Making a wall active

If the front view of the wall you are looking at has walls connected to it on the left or right you will see diagonal lines on the edge where it is joined. If you place your mouse over the diagonal lines in the tall rectangle and click your mouse button, you will make that wall active. Look in the lower right hand corner in the grey box to see what the wall number for that wall is. Any wall that is joined to another wall can be clicked on to make the wall active. If walls are not joined, it is necessary for you to switch to the floorplan view to make a wall active using the mouse. Remember, you can always type in a wall's number to make it active.

Making the back of a wall active

To make the back of a wall active from the elevation, move your mouse pointer on the wall and click your right mouse button. A left click on the wall will then take you back to the front when your at the back of the wall.

Switching to the Floorplan of the job

Move your mouse pointer to any white design area that doesn't have a cabinet or wall on it and double-click the left mouse button. You will now be looking at the floorplan for the entire job. To see the active wall's number look in the lower right hand corner of the KCDw® window below the unit menu also the wall that is active will be filled with grey. When you double-click on any open white design space you will switch from elevation to floorplan.

Quick Start 2nd Page

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