| Although not as exciting as jumping right into the thick of things, developing an understanding of your working environment is critical to your success in using FreeHand MX. Sure, you can tinker around and explore the program, and that method of learning has its merits if you have the time and patience. Many of us, however, can recall countless times we've smacked our foreheads after spending hours trying to figure out how to do something when the answer was right in front of us in a chapter like this. Because you'll most likely be using FreeHand in conjunction with other programs in the MX suite, it's helpful to be able to understand differences and similarities between the programs's working environments. Although you may be tempted to skip ahead to the more exciting goodies , take a few minutes to read this information. Think of this chapter as the driver's manual to your car. You can drive without reading it, but it sure is helpful to know how the jack works before you get a flat tire.  For more details on panels, tools, and menus , see Chapter 3, pages 30-42 .
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