How to Use the Quad Cursor Menu
Quick answer: The Quad is BricsCAD’s context-sensitive graphic menu for editing, selecting, and creating entities right at your cursor. Its content is defined by the current workspace and is fully customisable. Toggle it via the QUAD field in the Status Bar or the F12 key; QUADDISPLAY controls exactly when it appears, on hover, on selection, on right-click, or some combination.
Activating the Quad
QUADDISPLAY controls whether the Quad is active at all. Toggle it with either:
- The QUAD field in the Status Bar, or
- The
F12key.
Quad Display Options
Right-click the QUAD field in the Status Bar for four separate display options:
- Show Quad on Hover
- Show Quad on Select
- Show Quad on Right Click, which brings up the No Selection Quad for creating entities
- Suppress Quad on Hover When Entities are Selected
One dependency worth knowing: if SELECTIONPREVIEW is off, hover-based display is ignored entirely, regardless of what these options say.
How the Quad Responds to What’s Under Your Cursor
Hover over an entity and it highlights, with the Quad showing your most recently used command for that entity type. If several entities overlap under the cursor, press Tab repeatedly to cycle through and highlight them one at a time.
With Rollover Tips (RT) on, the entity’s properties display next to the default command icon in the Quad.
For dimensions specifically, hold Ctrl while hovering to select a subentity, the arrow or the text, rather than the whole dimension. The Quad then adjusts to show the most relevant commands for that subentity; hovering a dimension arrow, for instance, surfaces the Flip Dimension Arrowhead tool. The Hotkey Assistant widget shows which selection mode you’re in, whole entity or subentity, so it’s clear what you’re about to click.
Launching Commands from the Quad
Whether right-clicking launches the default command directly depends on QUADCOMMANDLAUNCH: set to 1, a right-click runs it immediately without opening the Quad; set to 0, you need to click the command button instead.
To pick a different command, move the cursor onto the default command icon to expand the Quad. It shows your most recently used commands for that entity type, up to QUADWIDTH columns (6 by default), plus additional tabs for other applicable commands. Hover a tab to expand it, then click an icon to run that command.
Click the Quad’s title bar at any point to switch back and forth between the command view and Rollover Tips.
Selecting Multiple Entities
- Hover over the first entity and click when it highlights. It’s now selected and stays highlighted.
- Hover over another entity and click to add it to the selection.
- Repeat for as many entities as you need.
- To remove one, hover over an already-selected entity, hold
Shift, and click.
When working with solids, SELECTIONMODES controls which subentities get detected, edges, faces, and boundaries, and holding Ctrl inverts whichever mode is currently active. Press Tab repeatedly to cycle through overlapping entities or subentities under the cursor.
Using the Quad to Create Entities
With no entity under the cursor or selected, the No Selection Quad offers entity-creation commands instead, provided “Display the Quad on right-click” is enabled. Right-click an empty part of the drawing, or hold the right mouse button down longer while over an entity, to bring it up. It shows your most recently used creation commands plus a set of command-group tabs based on your current workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a keyboard shortcut to toggle the Quad? Yes, F12, in addition to clicking the QUAD field in the Status Bar.
How do I select a dimension’s arrow or text instead of the whole dimension? Hold Ctrl while hovering over it. The Quad then shows commands specific to that subentity.
Does right-clicking always launch the Quad’s default command immediately? It depends on QUADCOMMANDLAUNCH. Set to 1, right-click runs the default command right away; set to 0, you need to click the command button in the Quad instead.
How many commands does the Quad show when expanded? Up to QUADWIDTH columns, 6 by default, of your most recently used commands for that entity, plus extra tabs for anything else applicable.