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Mole Mode

Written by Autodesk

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A Tips & Techniques document for use with AutoCAD
June 1996

Introduction:

AutoCAD for Windows users may sometimes wish to use a digitizer tablet and puck or pen as their only system pointing device. For this setup to be truly useful the digitizer would need to act as a Windows system pointing device, an AutoCAD system pointing and selection device, and as a true digitizer in AutoCAD. This arrangement is made possible by installing a WinTab driver for the digitizer in Windows, and by enabling the ‘mole mode’ digitizer option in AutoCAD.

This technical document explains how to configure a digitizer for Mole Mode and answers many of the frequently asked questions about this option.

Clarifying Mole Mode

Mole Mode, when activated, actually allows a tablet digitizer pointer to act as a pointing device/selector in all parts of the AutoCAD screen. This includes the pulldown menus and tool bars, functionality as a true digitizer in the mole area of the digit izing tablet, and allowing relative point mapping between that area of the digitizer pad and a defined area within the AutoCAD drawing editor. Furthermore, the mole mode option will allow for digitizer pointer selection of AutoCAD commands from the menu a reas of the digitizer tablet, and for full digitizer puck button functionality in some areas of the AutoCAD drawing editor. This technical document explains how to configure a digitizer for Mole Mode, and answers many of the frequently asked questions ab out this option.

Options for adding a digitizer to your system

Mole mode is used with AutoCAD R12 and R13 for Windows when incorporating the use of a digitizer tablet. There are two ways to incorporate the use of a digitizer tablet:

• Leave your current Windows system pointer (mouse, trackball, etc.) in place and also connect the digitizer tablet to your system. Thus, AutoCAD will let you retain a Windows system pointer (mouse) operation and gain the use of a digitizer tablet. To a ccomplish this type of setup, all you need is an open COM port and to reconfigure AutoCAD for the appropriate digitizer tablet driver.
• Remove your current Windows system pointer and use the digitizer exclusively. For this setup you must install the WinTab driver for your make and model of digitizing tablet. Both AutoCAD and Windows will be using this WinTab driver. A Wintab driver ca n be obtained from the manufacturer of your digitizer.

The Mole Area

The mole area on the digitizing tablet is an area where the position of the digitizer pointer relates exactly to the position of the cursor in the AutoCAD drawing editor at a relative scale. Within the mole area drawings can be mapped into the AutoCAD dra wing editor by selecting points on the drawing with the digitizer pointer and having these points appear in their exact relative positions in the drawing editor.

The mole area is specified on the digitizing tablet when you are configuring your digitizer with the AutoCAD configuration routine. Best results have been found when the Primary Mole area is specified to be the same as the screen pointing area shown on th e digitizer template. Specifying the Primary Mole area in other locations on the tablet, as shown in the ‘Mole Mode Examples’ section of the AutoCAD Installation Guide, will cause the cursor to jump from the top of the screen to the bottom when the digiti zer pointer is moved from the screen area to the mole area of the tablet.

One specific limitation of Mole Mode is that only the [Pick] and [Return] buttons on the digitizer pointer are active when the pointer is in the mole area. The other pointer buttons will function only when the pointer is moved to another area on the digit izing tablet.

Configuring a digitizer for Mole Mode

The following steps deliver a sample mole mode configuration that has shown to be trouble free.

1. If you are not using the WinTab implementation, reconfigure AutoCAD and choose the appropriate digitizer driver from the configuration menu. If you are removing the Windows system pointer and using the digitizer exclusively in Windows, then install th e WinTab driver for your make and model digitizing tablet and reconfigure MS Windows to use your digitizer as the system pointing device by choosing the WinTab selection in Windows Setup.
   • If you are using the WinTab implementation, use the digitizer’s tablet manager program to map the cursor buttons as show in Table 1.

     Table 1. Button Mapping Data

     Cursor Button	Map to Mouse Button
     1	Left
     2	Right
     3	Middle

   • The above step will make the first three buttons on the digitizer pointer work in Release 12 for Windows as they do in DOS AutoCAD ( 1 = pick, 2 = Enter, 3 = pop up the assist menu)

2. Launch AutoCAD R12 or R13 for Windows and use the Config command to start the AutoCAD configuration routine. The following sample configuration is for a Summagraphics MM series digitizer.

   Enter selection <0>: 4 (Configure Digitizer)
   Select device number or ? to repeat list <1>: 8 (Summagraphics MM series v2.0, ADI 4.2 - by Autodesk, Inc.)
   Enter selection 1 to 3 <1>:2  (Model 1201 - 12" x 12" TABLET)
   Enter the number of buttons on your cursor <4>: 4
   Enter the serial port name for digitizer <COM1>: COM1
   Do you want to configure your digitizer as a mole <Y>  Yes
   

   If you answer <N> for no, AutoCAD skips the mole mode configuration. Your digitizer will act as a screen pointing device, similar to a mouse, with the added pointer button functions and the tablet menu features.

   Do you want an audible mole/context state indicator? <N> No

   If you answer for yes, the digitizer will beep when you switch between mole mode and digitizer mode. This seems helpful at first but the frequent beep may be annoying. This question is relevant only if your computer has a sound card.

   Do you want an visible mole/context state indicator? <Y> Yes

   If you answer <Y> for yes, AutoCAD will display the word ‘mole’ or ‘digitizer’ in the title bar of the graphics window. Without this selected it can be difficult to visually identify the tablet screen area, since it will occupy the same area as the mole mode area.

   Do you want to assign a CURSOR BUTTON to toggle modes? <N> No

   This option is only necessary when using a secondary mole area.

   Do you want a PRIMARY MOLE Area? <Y> Yes
   
   Enter lower-left hand corner now.

   Pick a point, about 1/16", just inside the lower-left hand corner of the screen pointing area on the AutoCAD digitizer template.

   Enter upper-right hand corner now.

   Pick a point, about 1/16", just inside the upper-right hand corner of the screen pointing area on the AutoCAD digitizer template.

   Do you want a SECONDARY MODE area? <N> No  
   Do you want a PRIMARY TOGGLE area? <N> No 
   Do you want a SECONDARY TOGGLE area? <N> No  
   Enter selection <0>: 0
   Keep configuration changes? <Y>: Yes
   

3. After exiting the configuration, return to the AutoCAD drawing editor. Use the Preferences command to set the ‘Digitizer Input’ to Digitizer/Mouse Arbitrate. Then select "Save to acad.ini" in order to make this the default setting.

   NOTE: Without this selected the digitizer crosshairs will not appear, only the system pointer arrow will show. When using a Wintab driver, both the crosshairs and arrow may appear in the graphics screen area. Select Digitizer/Mouse Arbitrate to correct.

4. Use the Tablet command and follow the diagram shown in the Installation Guide, Chapter 2, Configuring AutoCAD, under the section "Configuring Your Tablet Menu". This command allows you to define the areas of the digitizer tablet as menu areas. For eac h menu area, pick three points and enter the number of columns and rows, as shown in the manual diagram.

Troubleshooting

When defining the primary mole area and the digitizer does not respond, check the windows port settings. The following table lists common port address settings.

You will not be able to use your buttons to activate AutoCAD commands while the puck is in the mole area. Move the puck into the ‘digitizer’ area of the tablet to access the buttons.

When using the Wintab implementation, you will not be able to share a serial port between a plotter and the digitizer.

NOTE: Each time you reconfigure the digitizer settings in AutoCAD, you will need to go through the Tablet configuration command.

Data regarding Pentiums

If you are running AutoCAD for Windows on a Pentium system and experience intermittent lock-ups, it could be due to a known problem with high speed COM ports on Intel motherboard systems. For more information on this specific problem, please see the follo wing addendum containing information taken from Microsoft’s knowledgebase on CompuServe.

NOTE: While the information given is accurate, please be aware that certain manufacturers use different and conflicting terminology.

Addendum

Pentium-Based Machine Hangs with Communication Applications

Document Number: Q110568
Publ Date: 15-AUG-1994
Product Name: Windows For Workgroups Product Version: 3.11
Operating System: WINDOWS
The data in this article applies to: Windows for Workgroups v3.11

Symptoms

Pentium-based machines with a peripheral component interface (PCI) bus and a 16550 UART chip stop responding (hang) or exhibit other unexpected behavior if you use communication applications, such as Microsoft At Work PC Fax or Microsoft Terminal, under W indows for Workgroups version 3.11.

In some cases, you may be able to run the software successfully once but then experience problems when you try to run it a second time (before Windows is restarted).

Cause

These problems occur because the PCI bus uses a new universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) chip that identifies itself as a 16550 chip but does not handle the 16-bit buffer the same way that the 16550 UART chip does.

The problem occurs if there is data in the chip when the serial communications application attempts to open the communications port. A problem with the chip implementation causes the chip to become trapped in a mode in which data is always detected in its FIFO buffer.

Resolution

To correct this problem, obtain the updated SERIAL.386 file included with PSS Application Note WG1001: Updated SERIAL.386 Driver for Windows for Workgroups.

For more information about WG1001, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
WG1001

The products included here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.

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