Get help anytime!///Press F1 now. It will show the help as per the context from a wiki on the Internet.\n\nTAD finds the context as per the location of your mouse as it hovers above the UI and also the last action that was carried out. It then displays the help accordingly. So, you should happily move around and press F1 to read what just happened :-)\n\nYou can also move your mouse cursor (without clicking) around the interface, and read the hint in the top status-bar. Press ALT-F2 to get a translation of the last status-bar hint you read. Even these tips can be translated using the button in this dialog.\n\nWe welcome you to contribute to the help. Please send a message on the TAD Community chat if you can spare some time.
TAD is for design decisions///TAD is mainly meant for senior architects and design aware non-architects, who want to guide the design process, and leave the rest to others.\n\nOften; senior architects do not have much time. As TAD is minimalist, it helps the architect quickly take decisions and prepare alternatives.\n\nTAD is useful for interested NON-architects too, who can spend time to learn TAD. They can quickly flesh out their ideas in TAD and hand over the TAD file to a regular architect to get further design work done.
This is NOT a drafting software///TAD Designer does not have any concepts from the drawing board.\n\nEverything -- read my lips -- everything is regarding the actual design you are creating, be it a city, a building or a small table.\n\nTAD does NOT do drawings at all. It is NOT a drafting software. It is a powerful system to help you design. However TAD does have excellent DXF export and it also can create SCRIPT files that help you dimension and create sections in an Autocad compatible CAD system.\n\nYou can start from very early stages of design and take it to how much level of detail you want to give it. In our office, we stopped using pencils: We start work directly on TAD itself whenever we get a new project! It is quite a lot like sketching to begin with .. then you keep improving and make the design more accurate.
Plenty of sample files!///Many of them are either built or unbuilt projects from my practice (Architect Sabu Francis) Some models are for finished stages of the project. But some are for the initial stages.\n\nThese files can be loaded from the sub-folder "TADSamples" which is inside the same folder where TAD Designer Lite was installed.\n\nOne file will ask for a password -- that is just to demonstrate the DRM (Digital Rights Management) system. Though TAD itself is free; TAD understands architects. It stamps the TAD files produced with your registration username.\n\nOther offices cannot use your data without your permission. You will have to save your file as ASCII to remove the DRM. You can also share a common Project ID for other offices to use your data.
Tips are very useful///These tips are kept in a text file 'tadtips.txt'. Each tip is written on a different line in that text file. If you need a line break within a tip (like this one) then use \ n.\n\nYou can click inside this space in the tip dialog; and copy the matter. If a tip is large, then you need to use the arrow keys inside to scroll.\n\nOnce you are an expert; you could even edit this file for your own office, and distribute to everyone who uses TAD there. So you can have your own special tips ONLY for your office :-)\n\nPress the Fetch button here to get the latest set of our tips (The fetch will overwrite yours!)
Start a new model///When reading these tips, I suggest you start a new TAD model. It will help you understand these tips better. The default TAD model is based on a file named "tad.td4" It is present in the same folder where this executable resides. You can copy another file there, and rename that to tad.td4 -- in which case that would be the default TAD model.\n\nBy default, TAD shows dimensions in Meters. If you want it to display using Feet/inches, please copy the file "tad_ft.exa" and overwrite it on the file "tad.exa" in the above folder. To get back to meters, copy the file tad_m.exa to tad.exa.
TAD is simple && unconventional///TAD has many unconventional; though simple, concepts. Those who have previously used CAD software would need to pay special attention, as TAD just does not work like any of them.\n\nTAD does NOT work like conventional BIM software either.\n\nHowever, TAD does handle loads of information at the same time -- even non-visual ones. But read all that in the docs, after I introduce the basics here.
Read the status-bar///As you move your mouse over the interface, you will get a small hint in the status-bar. This is kept at the top right side of the TAD window.\n\nWhy?\n\nBecause the hint displayed at the top allows you to notice it better, without strain.\n\nPress Alt-F2 to get a translation of the last hint from Bing/Google.
Think of the construction site///The main area that you see when you work on a TAD model is called the "site".Think that you are actually at the construction site and you are looking down from top like a "high-flyin' bird".(That's a Nice song by Elton John!)\n\nAnd just as you would expect; there are actually some people on that site. Read on to learn the three persons always available on that site. Read on.
The site is endless///Actually, the main area inside the window you see is only a part of an endless site. Internally, TAD sets NO limits. You can keep panning and zooming practically endlessly.\n\nSo you can create any size of design; from a small piece of furniture all the way to a neighbourhood. TAD internally handles everything using regular Euclidean geometry, so it assumes that the site is totally flat. You can model sloping sites too, but the datum is assumed to be perfectly flat.\n\nHence if you try to use it for GIS applications; you would get discrepancies, as GIS typically need to handle the curvature of the Earth too.
The 3 persons on site///You use the mouse in all CAD programs to select menu items, click on buttons and most importantly to go around pointing stuff that is being drawn/designed.\n\nTAD also uses the mouse that way. But there is more.\n\nTo make your work more efficient, there are three special shapes who represent three persons on your "site" which are ALWAYS available to you.\n\nExplained next.
The architect and 2 helpers///One is called the "architect" and the other two are "helpers".\n\nThe helpers are recognized by a red square dot (the first helper) and a blue round dot (the second helper)\n\nThe "architect" is sitting on his mighty chair, and he is shaped like an "A" drawn in a square. The top left corner is considered as the location for that architect.\n\nDrag first helper with your mouse and you can move the object. Use the mouse to drag the second helper in order to rotate the object.
Architect is the main person///You can also use your mouse to drag the "architect" around. Being the main person in the ongoing design, he will not move on his own.\n\nThis "architect" is crucial to point out specific locations within the site.\n\nFor example; he may want to say "This is where I want the next object to be created. Because I am the BOSS".\n\n(Ignore the last part. Architects often have egos but you can forgive them sometimes for it :-)
3 persons on site are useful!///Such "architect" and "helpers" are not seen in other CAD software.\n\nThe very rough equivalent of "helpers" would be the concept of "Grips" that you see in Autocad, etc. But those grips appear on some shape in the drawing only when you click inside and select it.\n\nTAD is not like that: The two helpers are ALWAYS sitting on some object or the other. In some cases, due to the zoom settings, the helpers may not be visible -- but they are there alright.\n\nIf you cannot see the helpers, don't worry. You can see the orientation of the current edge by glancing at the small white box in the bottom of the Site Info pane. That shows how the first edge is oriented. You will see the equivalent of the first helper there in the center of that box, and a short line in the general direction of the second helper.
Architect is ALWAYS visible!///But our "Architect" is NOT like the two helpers. It simply has to be seen on the site ALL the time irrespective of which part of the site you have zoomed into.\n\nSo if you pan to a part that is quite distant from where the architect is located; he will magically get transported to that part. Rest of the time, he will move only if you drag him with the mouse.\n\nKind of reminds of you of some architects you know, doesn't he?
What is the "current" object?///The object on which the two helpers are sitting is called the "current object".\n\nIt simply means the software is now focused on giving you information about that object -- No need to select anything. TAD is always helping you with information.\n\nYou can even say that there is at least one object the software that it knows about. Of course you can select objects too.\n\nExplained later.
Helpers are ALWAYS present///The fact that the helpers simply HAVE to sit on two adjacent corners of some object or the other has some implication when editing. For example; you cannot delete the object where the helpers are sitting on.\n\nThis is kind of logical if you visualize yourself physically on that site: If these two helpers are clinging to some corners; where will they go if that object itself is deleted?\n\nIf you do want to delete that object, simply move the helpers to another object first. Then include the object/s you want to delete into the selection set and then delete.\n\nIt is the same when hiding objects: Object on which the helpers are sitting cant be hidden.
Creating new objects///The most often asked question in TAD Designer is: How do I create a new object?\n\nThere is a creation menu in the software. Just use that.\n\nThe creation dialog has many options and you can create the starting shapes of objects in many different ways.\n\nMove your mouse over the dialog elements and you will get a small help line in the status bar.\n\nA short cut: Drag the mouse around in an empty area of the site; and you can directly create a new rectangular object.
Creating rectangles on the grid///If you had switched ON the grid, and you attempted to create a new rectangle by dragging a rectangular shape; then TAD will make a rectangle whose sides would be multiples of the current stepsize of the architect.\n\nHmmmm.. what is the stepsize? It is shown in a small box at the bottom left box below the information pane. It is the size that architect can take if you press the arrow keys once.\n\nYou can switch on the grid by using the Application Settings dialog (Ctrl-Enter)
Rubber-banding!///In TAD, you cannot delete a single line! You can remove the entire object but not any line in the object. You can delete a corner, if you want but then the edges again re-arrange themselves to once again form a closed shape; albeit a different one than before.\n\nImagine stretching a closed rubber band around 4 of your fingers. When you remove one of the fingers (to delete that corner), the rest of the rubber-band will now form a triangle.. another closed shape. Keep this rubber banding process in your mind and you will know what to do when you edit an object.
Create shapes by typing///If you like using the keyboard, the answer on how to create an object is:\n\nPress the = key (Equals-to) and that would pop-up the command line. Then give the name of the new object. If you specify exactly two dimensions separated by spaces then TAD would use them for the horizontal and vertical dimension of the object.
Deleting objects///Simply drag a rectangle around some corner or the other of all the objects you want to delete -- then those objects would get selected (they will be shown with blue dotted lines) Of if they were previously selected, such an action will deselect them. Press the DEL key and you can delete the selected objects.\n\nBut as explained earlier, you CANNOT delete the object where the helper is currently residing (i.e. the current object)\n\nYou can also delete an object by using the pop-up menu on the "Objects" list -- If the name you right clicked on is not the current object, then you will see the 'Delete object (objname)' menu-item in that pop-up menu. Use that to delete that one object.
Architects location is important///The object that you want to create anew would be created at the exact location where the "architect" is located.\n\nYou can easily use the mouse to drag the architect around the site. But we already said that earlier: The architect will not move on his own.\n\nUnless of course if you pan to a portion distant from the architect -- in which case the architect will magically lift himself and appear in your view again.
How to read docs///TAD uses a sparse interface. Hover your mouse over each interface element and read the status bar at the top.\n\nClick on some user interface button, menu, etc, and then press F1 to get contextual help. TAD sees what was the last action you carried out; and the help is given for that action.\n\nThere is no action that is dangerous so go ahead click on the UI elements, and press F1 immediately and get educated! You can always click on the "undo" button in case some changes happen.\n\nAlso, press Alt-F2 to get a translation of the last hint that was on the statusbar.
Train your brain///The simplest way to perform an action is to silently verbalize what you want to do on your design project. Once you use the software a few times the required sequence of steps would automatically pop into your mind.\n\nHmmm.. that is how many people learn even CAD software. But there is one crucial difference in which TAD is different from CAD.\n\nBTW, TAD is different not because I am irritated with CAD -- TAD was started long time back, before conventions of drawings and modeling were put into place.
Remove habits of CAD///Conventional CAD programs uses a 3 step mental procedure when you work with it.\n\nFirst, you need to conceptualize the shape you want to draw in the CAD program.\n\nSecond: You then need to *decompose* that shape -- again in your mind; and you will prepare a mental list of CAD commands you will now give (line, arc, etc)\n\nThird: Once you know the commands you need to take, the CAD program readily gives you all the UI elements to carry out your commands.No "architect" or "helpers" there. The CAD program is responding directly to you. Lets explain what TAD does instead.
CAD chops up shapes///In CAD, the three steps mental steps happens so fast with experienced CAD users; they do not notice that they chopped up the original shape -- which was nice and wholesome to begin with -- into its constituent parts.\n\nThis does not bother many, of course. But that can pose serious problems later on.
In CAD, looks can deceive///When the CAD program draws those parts it LOOKS whole alright to you when you look at the monitor. But giving one command at ar time often destroys the "wholesomeness" of the shape you drew there. CAD really does not know the design you are really working on.\n\nHow does this matter? some may ask.\n\nThink that you broke a vase. Now ask someone to use the broken pieces back to make the vase. Is that possible? CAD is like that -- though you think the logic can be seen to be intact, it actually is not. There are just a collection of lines, arcs etc. there. The logic is internally broken in CAD even though on screen things look nice.
TAD keeps logic intact. Always.///TAD does not like breaking up stuff in the mind first.\n\nWhen designing, you may have some logical element of the design in your mind. Say a room.\n\nSo you ask TAD to create some starting shape for that room.\n\nIn TAD, the *logic* of the room is very important -- the shape can be modified now or later.\n\nThe choice of time of editing is all given to you. The software does NOT insist that everything has to be perfect right now.
You dont need to edit right away///For example; if you ask TAD to create a brand new shape; the first version of that logical room would be a square/rectangle.\n\nLater on, you are free to edit that shape the way you want it to look like whatever you want; whenever you want it. It is not necessary that you have to edit it immediately there and then. Think of it like "bubble diagramming" which architecture students do when starting a design. You can gradually make the design more and more accurate as per your convenience.\n\nAt no stage of the editing will TAD ever break it up! Never.
Dont keep pointing out shapes///TAD will always be able to understand the logic, without you having to point it out later on.\n\nThis is important to know when you get to write scripts inside TAD: It can process lot of logical stuff without you having to sit in front of the monitor and point things out to it.\n\nAfter all, a computer program should release time for you, isn't it?\n\nYou should not  be sitting in front of it, pointing things out to it -- especially after you had anyway drawn them there in the first place.
Analysis and Synthesis///Here is a bit of theory regarding problem solving: Humans solve problems by cycling between "analysis" and "synthesis". Whatever be the problem.\n\nBy 'analysis', I mean that we *break* the complex stuff into its parts. By 'synthesis', I mean we "join together" the stuff back to its whole.\n\nThese two have to be done cyclically, like a dance. This dance continues till the problem is actually solved.\n\nThis is a very simple explanation on how designs emerge.
CAD emphasizes the visual///In CAD programs, the concentration is neither on the analysis nor on the synthesis. CAD has its own internal programming problems to solve.\n\nThe parts that the design data gets broken into in CAD are all visual, graphical elements. No real use for the problem solving at hand.\n\nBut apart from that issue with CAD; there is a cultural response to problem solving that can affect the way you pick up TAD.\n\nExplained next.
Cultural biases///Some cultures are more inclined to take the first step in the problem solving by doing the *analysis* step into the dance.\n\nThe eastern cultures; especially India, ensures that the "synthesis" is never lost during the problem solving process. So here, we take the first step  with the synthesis.\n\nNow you cannot know the entire solution, but at least let us not break up the logic of the parts of the design. So when you begin using TAD; you need to first tell it the logical names it deals with.
Name of objects are needed///The name of the objects you create is what TAD wants to know. The shape is not important at the first step.\n\nIt knows that the shape can and will change later.\n\nThis is quite different from the conventional approach, which expects you to construct the shape piece by piece -- and it is assumed that the logic will all come later.
No approach is wrong///Neither approaches are fully wrong or fully right.\n\nIn both the cases, the problem solver (you) have to dance between analysis as well as synthesis anyway.\n\nIt is only the starting point, that TAD is different from CAD.\n\nHowever, my experience has been is that often when one concentrates on "analysing" part of a design, you can get stuck in the details. Then you don't do that design 'dance' properly.\n\nSome people call that "analysis-paralysis".
Only "synthesis" cant be useful///Neither can you concentrate only on the "synthesis" for that matter. A proper balance has to be done when dancing between analysis and synthesis. Too much of one thing would make the design process unnecessarily complex and even misleading.\n\nAgain; TAD actually does not insist on anything. We are just providing you additional information so that you can choose how you go about developing your design.
TAD does NOT break stuff///Now this can pose some issues for people who expect TAD to "break down" things the way CAD does. As explained earlier; TAD does not really break up the graphics of each logical shape.\n\nInstead, TAD gives you a way to quickly put in shapes for your design. Also, while editing the shape; it preserves the logic right thru the editing. It's like holding a taut rubber-band and reshaping it, without breaking it.
TAD as an able assistant///TAD is an able assistant next to you, as you cycle between analysis and synthesis going on as you design. At every point, it can step in and give you its current understanding quite logically.\n\nYou want to know about that room? Oh, it is here; and the area is so and so, and the "architect" is now standing at such and such distance from it, etc.\n\nMove the architect around, and keep your eye on the "Info" pane at the left hand side.
Enough theory!!///Let's get practical.\n\nSo you went about inserting shapes onto the site. Think that you are super-human and you went around carrying big boxes and placed it haphazardly anywhere on the site.\n\nBut wait a second! Didn't we just create only 2D shapes? How come they became boxes?\n\nAh, you caught me.
Initial shapes are all 2D///Think of TAD as a 2D program. 2D shapes can be placed anywhere you want on the site. You can choose whenever you want to convert those 2D shapes by specifying a height and level for them.\n\nYes, they become *extrusions*. Will explain how later.\n\nSince you can do this anytime, you can actually think that you are superman/superwoman handling large volumes on the site.\n\nIn TAD; 2D and 3D can easily co-exist at the same time. YOU decide how you move from 2D to 3D. Hence TAD is quite useful right very early stages of designing onward. BTW, you can extrude shapes from any plane --a process called "pinning" we invented, allows you to create very intricate 3D indeed (explained later)
Walls need not be made in TAD!///TAD lets you focus on spatial defintions (In this example, rooms). When you separate two rooms by a gap, that gap represents the internal wall between those two rooms. If you envelope (at an offset) both the rooms with another space, then you get the external walls.\n\nIn one sense, this is opposite of what happens in CAD programs: There you would draw out the walls, and when you look at the drawing you created in CAD, you would be able to interpret the rooms.\n\nHere you draw the rooms, and then walls emerge automatically! 
A Copernican Revolution :-)///Pardon for stating something obvious. When architects were taught back in college, they were taught to give life to spaces. So we sketched "bubble diagrams" -- which are rough representations of spaces. It is unfortunate that CAD programs started emphasizing the built matter first. It is something like what happened in astronomy. Earlier people thought that everything revolved around the Earth.\n\nOf course that changed with Copernicus and Galileo. On similar lines, we architects need to get back emphasizing the spaces first rather than the built matter.\n\nLife happens inside spaces. Not inside walls.
Example of a 1 bedroom house///Let me put the earlier thoughts together: Let me describe a tiny one bedroom house that we will design. Let's start with understanding the rooms that house will have: One living room, one kitchen, one bedroom.\n\nSo what would you have done in CAD?\n\nRemember CAD does not know what you are doing. It is simply waiting for you to draw the shapes and even then it still does not know the logic of what you do. All it knows are the lines, arcs etc that you used.
Logic preserved in TAD///If you now used TAD to do that 1 bedroom house, you would know that you want 1 living room, 1 bedroom, 1 kitchen and 1 toilet. So that is what you would tell TAD:\n\nWhen you create the initial shape, you will provide the name of the room (Ensure that you give names without spaces. You can rename them later on)\n\nTAD will create squares/rectangles as per your input\nPlace them anywhere on the site.
Proceed further!///Let us now proceed further into the design. What have we achieved so far in TAD is to simply place rectangular shapes. If you have not started on a new TAD model, it is a good time to start now.\n\nPress Ctrl-N now.\n\nYou will find that one single room with a door is already created for you.\n\nYou can choose to use that room in your design, if you want. Rename "A Simple Room" to the name of your own room. Explained next.
Getting the logic right///Renaming an object is simple. Locate that name in the "Objects" list of the treeview you see at the top-left of your screen. You will find your object in a collection of other objects placed in a 'class'.\n\nThen press the space bar once the object is selected.\n\nThat key press will allow you to rename that object.\n\nNote that TAD will check if the same name was used in the same class and if so; it will magically add a number to the name you gave.\n\nDo NOT give spaces in names of objects.
What is a "class"?///A class is simply a place which collects all objects with similar properties together. It is indeed similar to a class in school (Not exactly, but the analogy is fine for now)\n\nSo the class of 8th standard students will all have students of say age 13 years. You can even say that the property of "13 years" can be seen in the 8th-standard class.\n\nNow the school makes a rule that each class has its own uniform color. Lets say it is green for 8th std class. Once that rule is passed, all the students of that class would wear green dress.
Class collect properties///A class, therefore, can pass on the properties you give to it to the objects contained in that class.\n\nComing back to TAD, you can say a particular class say "First Floor" has objects who are placed at a level of 0.6 meters.\n\nMagically, all the shapes that you placed under it would get that value for the level.
Analogies may go wrong///I did use the analogy of a school classroom for explaining the concept of a class earlier. But at this point let us stop using the school example for understanding this concept.\n\nObviously the property of 13 years as age of the student did not happen because the 8th standard class gave that property to the students.\n\nThe students of that classroom just happened to be of that age.
Class sets properties collectively///However, note the "green uniform color" of those students in the school example, is a good example of a property that was given collectively to the students, because of the class they were in.\n\nIn TAD, you can give any number of properties to a class, and TAD will faithfully ensure that the objects that belong to that class would get those properties.\n\nWhere are these properties set? Properties of both class and object are given in the respective tabs in the info pane.\n\nNow what's more fascinating is that TAD allows a class to have another class underneath it. Let's learn what happens because of that.
Classes and sub-classes///When a class is created inside an earlier class; then it is called a "sub-class" But that is just jargon. Let us see what happens because of that.\n\nYour question could be: Would the properties of a class get passed onto the sub-class also?\n\nWell you can control that "inheritance" of the property.\n\nYou can decide which properties get inherited and which don't.
Collaboration!///It is now possible to collaborate on the same design by different architects. This collaboration does not work like Google Sheets, etc. Instead in TAD, each collaborator works on his/her own copy of the starting master file. That means; someone in charge should create the initial master TAD file and create all the required classes. Each collaborator should be given a class just beneath the "Project" class (i.e. 2nd level class) The initial master file MUST not have any objects or further sub-classes created in those 2nd level classes.\n\nOnce the master file is distributed to each collaborator; those collaborators can then selectively lock ONLY his/her assigned 2nd level class. Once locked, then all editing activities will happen only on that branch. Read docs for more details.
Pinning objects///TAD does not just do extrusions from the ground up. But it can do extrusions from the vertical face of an object too.  To understand this, you need to understand a simple process followed by Indian craftsmen when constructing some temples: Say there is a pediment to be placed on a temple wall.\n\nThe pediment is "extruded" from the ground by the craftsman; somewhere outside. Once it is ready; the pediment is lifted, rotated by 90 degrees and then pinned on to the wall.\n\nIn TAD too, all objects seem to be extruded from the ground but then; some of them could be pinned in the above manner so that they get finally extruded from another plane -- not necessarily one that is parallel to the ground. Pinning is recursive: You can even pin an object on the surface of another object which itself was pinned.
TAD Workbook///Now TAD has an excellent Spreadsheet "Workbook" that can be used to store interim calculations. Yes, a proper spreadsheet (with formula capability similar to that found in Excel) is available right inside TAD itself. When you double-click on any value you see in the "Info pane", that value can be sent over to one of the three sheets in the TAD Workbook.\n\nYou can independently load/save this Workbook as Excel files. TAD opens the TAD workbook to be used with any of the currently open TAD Files. That means, you can easily do comparative calculations from separate individual TAD models you may have opened. Excellent for zeroing in on the final design alternative among a set of alternatives for a project.
Creating Chamfers///TAD allows you to create chamfers easily. First select the edge where you want a chamfer i.e. the helpers should be on that edge. The first helper should be on that corner, so that the chamfer will appear between the last edge and the first edge.  Now move the architect to the point along the first edge to the distance you want to chamfer. Then open the Yellow command line and type the chamfer distance you want on the last edge.\n\nWithout closing the yellow command line, click on the 'Add corner' button -- viola!  You got a chamfer.
Anti-aliased lines///From version 6.9.1.28 you can ask TAD to render either using anti-aliased lines or without antialiasing.\n\nWhat is anti-aliasing?\n\nYou may have seen a "stairway effect" on some inclined lines, especially in lower resolution monitors. Those are "aliased" lines. If you want to smoothen out or get lines drawn with anti-aliasing, you should open the application settings and change the line width to something other than zero. We recommend 0.75 or 0.5 Lower values will give lighter lines. Zero will remove anti-aliasing and you would see the jagged staircase effect on inclined lines then.
Drafting help for dimensions///From version 6.9.1.30 onward TAD can create AutoCAD compatible SCRIPT files for dimensioning. It can process rectangular objects whose names start with _D.. (Eg. _DIM7 ) and use that to develop such a SCRIPT file which will insert Aligned Dimensions into AutoCAD or IntelliCAD compatible CAD programs. The current edges of such _D.. objects should cut through the objects you want to dimensions. The actual dimension would appear at the opposite edge of the rectangle.\n\nThe SCRIPT file name would be the same name as that of the cutting object, without the underscore. It is best that you create a separate class for such _D.. objects so that you can hide/show them as needed. The Script files are created when you execute the "Dimensions & Sections" command from the file menu or file ribbon bar.
Drafting help for sections///From version 6.9.1.32 onward TAD can create AutoCAD compatible SCRIPT files for sections. Create objects how names start with _S.. (Eg. _SEC1)  and make its current edge cut through the section you want in the TAD model. TAD will create SCRIPT files where the rectangular shapes would be created.\n\nThe SCRIPT file name would be the same name as that of the cutting object, without the underscore. It is best that you create a separate class for such _S.. objects so that you can hide/show them as needed. The script file for these sections are created when you execute the "Dimensions & Sections" command from the file menu or file ribbon bar.