Getting Started

Upon the start of the system the dialog box Start Page appears on the screen. It has been explained how to work with this dialog box at the beginning of this chapter. It is worth mentioning again that this dialog box allows creating new documents on the basis of templates already existing in the system, and it shows the list of the recently used documents (with the possibility of opening them). Also, this dialog box has various links, which can be useful in working with the system.

In addition to the dialog box Start Page, to create new documents and open already existing ones, the system commands gathered in the textual menu File can be used.

Drawing command allows to create a new document:

New from Prototype command displays a dialog box that allows to select a prototype file for the new document:

Open command brings up the standard Open dialog box to open a document for editing:

Save command saves the current document:

Save As command allows the user to save the current document into a new file with a different name without changing the original document:

Save All command saves all currently open documents:

Save as Prototype command saves the current document as a prototype for creating new documents:

Once this command is called, a dialog box appears on the screen. This dialog allows the user to specify the name for the prototype file, specify the tab in this dialog box for this prototype or create a new tab if desired, and also delete unnecessary files and tabs.

By default, the list of prototypes is formed by combining the content of two folders: folder of default prototypes and folder of custom prototypes. The folder of default prototypes is always located in the T-FLEX CAD installation folder. By default it is C:\Program Files\T-FLEX Parametric CAD 17\Program\Template. The location of the folder of default prototypes in relation to the T-FLEX CAD installation folder cannot be changed. The folder of custom prototypes has the following location by default: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Top Systems\T-FLEX CAD 3D 17\Eng\Template. The location of the folder of custom prototypes can be changed in system options (Options > Folders > Templates > Template Folder), there you can also disable the display of default prototypes and manage handling of name conflicts. Prototypes created using the Save as Prototype command are placed in the folder of custom prototypes.

Save Copy command allows to save copy of the document without opening the copy. In this case you can continue working in the source document.

Properties command displays all properties of the current document, and allows to input a brief comment:

File > Recent Files displays the list of files open during previous sessions. Select a file name in the list to open. The number of displayed recent files can be set via the Customize > Options > Preferences command.

Close Model command closes the current document:

A document can also be closed using the button , located in the top-right corner of the document window.

Exit command closes the T-FLEX CAD session:

The system queries the user whether to save modified documents (if any) before exiting.