AutoCAD Version 2.5 (Release 7) June 1986

AutoCAD Version 2.5 (Release 7) June 1986

ZOOMs and PANs usually much faster than in previous versions.

Faster menu loading, larger menu capacity, enhanced keyboard access to screen menu.

Immediate context-sensitive Help.

Most commands enhanced to recover from invalid input and reprompt.

New generalized UNDO/REDO facility.

New Crossing and Previous object selection options, and variable-size target.

Setting of color and linetype per entity, independent of the entity's layer added.

New CHANGE Properties command for changing common entity properties.

Construction of polar (circular) arrays simplified.

New SETVAR command for immediate access to system variables.

New VIEWRES command controls display resolution of circles and arcs.

New SELECT command just creates a selection-set that can be referenced as Previous by subsequent commands.

PLOT and PRPLOT output can be directed to a file.

The POINT command extended to support several point display formats.

The COPY command extended to make multiple copies.

New TIME command, drawing creation/update times, and user-controlled elapsed timer.

New Snap option for GRID command (equivalent to Grid 0).

Text enhancements:

New Middle and Fit justification modes.
Fonts with thousands of characters supported.
The STYLE command enhanced to set the style as current.
Fonts can be constructed for use in both horizontal and vertical styles.
New arc/polyarc descriptions for text fonts and shapes.
A new DXFOUT option added to allow you to write a partial DXF file containing only the selected objects. DXFIN can be used to load a partial DXF file into an existing drawing.

A user-changeable signon message facility added.

TEXTSCR, GRAPHSCR, and RESUME can now be used during another command.

REPEAT/ENDREP replaced by MINSERT.

ENDSV now equivalent to END (no longer saves vector file).

Extended memory utilized (on computers that support it).

New LAYER Make option, like Set but creates layer if necessary.

Angles can be entered and displayed in surveyor's units.

You can select any angle to be the zero angle, and can choose either clockwise or counterclockwise as the direction for increasing angles.

A << prefix can be used to enter an angle using the standard degrees notation (ignoring the Units modes).

Fillet now works with arcs and circles.

New Snap option for AXIS command (equivalent to Axis 0).

Dimensioning enhancements:

New capability to define your own dimensioning arrows via Blocks.
New variables control editing of zero-inches distances, rounding of dimensioning measurements, a global scale factor for all measured distances, and dimension line extension when ticks are used instead of arrows.
Dual dimensioning annotates in feet and inches and metric units.
You can add a prefix and a suffix to the automatic dimension text.
New Dim1 command returns to the Command: prompt after one dimensioning command.
A null reply to the Dim: prompt now repeats the last dimensioning command.
Dragging more responsive, and can be set to drag automatically. Drag requests now permitted earlier in many commands; dragging begins as soon as all required data is entered.

The Mirror line can be at any angle.

Text items can be handled specially by Mirror.

The Tangent and Perpendicular object snap modes when specifying the From: point for a line or when specifying a point on the circumference of a circle. Using this feature, you can construct a line tangent to two circles, a line tangent to a circle and perpendicular to another line, a circle tangent to three other circles or lines, and so on.

A new Circle option permits construction of a circle of a specified radius, tangent to two existing lines or circles.

A new Attext option allows you to extract the Attributes of only the selected objects.

Rectangular arrays can be rotated via the Snap rotation angle.

Access to the entity database and input devices added to the AutoLISP programming language (first introduced in Version 2.18).

New Dynamic option for ZOOM, provides graphic method for zooming and panning.

You can now BREAK a Polyline.

DXB format was extended to include provisions for circles, arcs, and floating-point values.

New Commands:


DIVIDE
let you place markers along the length of an existing object dividing the object into equal parts

DOUGHNUT
creates filled circles or rings

DTEXT
dynamic multiline text generation.

ELLIPSE
creates polyline ellipses

EXPLODE
splits Blocks and Polylines into their component entities.

EXTEND
extends lines, arcs, and Polylines to meet other objects exactly.

MEASURE
let you place markers along the length of an existing object at measured intervals

OFFSET
for constructing offset/parallel lines, arcs, and Polylines.

POLYGON
creates regular polygons

ROTATE
for rotating existing objects

SCALE
for shrinking, and enlarging existingobjects

STRETCH
moves part of a drawing while retaining connections with other portions of the drawing.

TRIM
cuts objects to intersect cleanly with other objects