Wiley Just Enough AutoCAD 2007
Contents
1. fi AutoCAD 2007 Drawing1 dwa O x a File Edit Yiew Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express l x 30 Modeling JH eR SRO9 exOO6s4 F IS Q HERSUE Al lt V0 om 5 x a i xl Zope z af p D VU 4 5 F ay Cylindrical Helix SO o sank tOO ig p 2D Spiral 3 Ea a mia c Y x a ACG Elliptical Cylinder Unsaved Current View Maii E g l G E a Frustum Cone Realisti viiia 5 4 S Frustum Pyramid GS Seg se D za ek ep e E 9 21 2006 f t ucs 3 00 PM ty fa UCS Previous ey Q aeai eS i 0 Quick Align Medium iv 3 F 2 al E w 2 3 _ _new 2 ZER Command gt SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR osNaP oTRACK bucs DYN LwT fi A 4 Sf Gz loxi a File Edit Yiew Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express l xj Py Standard z Standard z Standard m ByLayer mail ByLayer il By x EAR nt Cylindrical Helix Sheet List Mode AN 2D Spiral G Ed i s m Elliptical Cylinder x gt E z i onl a Frustum Cone a 5 Frustum Pyramid L ucs af Mech Model views o Oe 7 Fs UCS Previous O 0 Quick Align ie a d Hatches Civil S TOOL PALETTES ALL PALETTES SHEET SET MANAGER Modify Draw Comm2. a Tl cok Cormand SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR OSNaP OTRACK bucs DYN LwT MODEL 3 9 6 0878book fm Page 4 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 4 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD CHANGING 3D VIEWS TO 2D VIEWS AND BACK Even though the opening file in AutoCAD s 3D Modeling workspace looks completely different from the new 2D file you create using the acad dwt template they really are basically the same They just have different display settings turned on You can change the default drawingl1 dwg 3D view to a 2D view by doing the following 1 Choose View gt Visual Styles gt 2D Wireframe 2 Choose View gt 3D View gt Plan View gt World UCS Your 3D view changes to look like a typical 2D drawing Likewise you can convert a 2D view into a 3D one 1 Choose View gt Visual Styles gt Realistic 2 Choose View gt 3D Views gt SE Isometric 3 Enter Perspective l 1 to turn on the perspective view 4 Click the Grid button in the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD Window The file that started out with a 2D view now shows your drawing in 3D Getting to Know the Window Components The AutoCAD window is made up of several parts that are common to most Windows graphics programs Menu bar Docked and floating toolbars Drawing area Command window Status bar Tool palettes gt FH Properties palette The Tool palettes and Properties pale
3. Layer properties manager Circle A Ellipse arc i Circle e gt Rectangle hd nN Undo 1 command fi Redo Ifyou accidentally Undo one too many commands you can redo the last undone command by clicking the Redo tool the right pointing curved arrow in the Standard toolbar Or type Redo In AutoCAD 2007 Redo allows you to redo several operations that you might have undone with the Undo command You can also select the exact command to redo by using the Redo drop down list To open the Redo drop down list click the downward pointing arrow found to the right of the Redo tool RiAutoCAD 2007 C Documents and Settings Ge 0 x Z File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express 8 x JO Ris RXI A6s A 1 UCAe RE so WE Standard AutoCAD Classic ee PTL E m ByLayer HIE os all Rectangle ji Circle PA 7 Ellipse arc Z A Circle B cs Layer properties manager xi AK Redo 1 command amp T an WY 48 es 0878book fm Page 25 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM PANNING AND ZOOMING TO ADJUST YOUR VIEW 25 Panning and Zooming to Adjust Your View One of the greatest features of AutoCAD is its ability to draw accurately through a wide range of scales For example you can draw a football field zoom into a blade of grass and draw its cell structure With such a broad range of views to work with you ne
4. 0878book fm Page 9 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 9 You ll want to pay close attention to the Command window as you start using AutoCAD because it tells you what AutoCAD expects you to do It also lists information when you query AutoCAD for certain types of information which you ll learn about in later chapters In addition to getting feedback from the Command window you will also see the Command prompt at the cursor whenever you have Dynamic Input display turned on The Command window is a little like a chat window when you re online You chat with AutoCAD by responding to messages that appear in the Command window When AutoCAD asks for specific data the Command window allows you to type data through the keyboard It is also an area that provides information about your drawing when you request it CHATTING WITH AUTOCAD AutoCAD communicates its needs to you through messages in the Command window These messages often tell you what to do next or offer options usually shown in square brackets Commands often dis play a series of messages which you answer to complete the command If you ever get lost while using a command or forget what you are supposed to do look at the Command window for clues Enter Cancel Elevation Fillet Thickness Width Snap Overrides r ee a Pan e Zoom A QuickCalc As an additional aid you can right click to display a
5. es 0878book fm Page 1 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM Chapter 1 Getting Familiar with AutoCAD If you are totally new to AutoCAD you ll want to read this chapter It provides an overview of AutoCAD s layout and shows you what to expect when you start to use it Even if you ve had a class or have used an older version of AutoCAD you will find this chapter useful You ll start by taking a tour of the AutoCAD window to get familiar with the menus toolbars and other components You ll then get a chance to try your hand at drawing and in doing so you ll be introduced to the way AutoCAD s commands work You ll also learn how to use the Zoom and Pan tools to help you get around ina drawing And you ll take a look at the ways you can view your drawing using the layout tabs Finally you ll be introduced to the Help system for those times when you forget to have this book on hand This chapter includes the following topics Understanding the AutoCAD Window Starting a Drawing Panning and Zooming to Adjust Your View Understanding the Layout Tabs Understanding How Command Options Work HOH Getting Help Understanding the AutoCAD Window Autodesk has completely redesigned AutoCAD 2007 s set of 3D modeling features and to show them off AutoCAD s default opening window prominently display these new features If you ve used AutoCAD before it will appear as though AutoCAD has completely changed Don t worry
6. You ll get expe rience with many of AutoCAD s tools as you work through this book TABLE 1 2 The Options on the Draw and Modify Toolbars DRAW MODIFY Icon Tool Icon Tool Z Line Fi Erase Fa Construction Line Xline BI Copy Polyline Pline Ahl Mirror e Polygon amp Offset i Rectangle Hal Array fa Arc ka Move e Circle oO Rotate an Sud e e os 0878book fm Page 21 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM STARTING A DRAWING 21 TABLE 1 2 The Options on the Draw and Modify Toolbars CONTINUED DRAW MODIFY Icon Tool Icon Tool 3e Revision Cloud Scale Tad Spline BN Stretch ol Ellipse w Trim D Ellipse Arc Extend 3 Insert Block oO Break at Point Make Block im Break Point Join Hatch E Chamfer he Gradient ia Fillet Region Explode Al Multiline Text Table Starting a Drawing Let s create a new file 1 Choose File gt Close to close the current file When the message box appears asking you to save changes click No Notice that the toolbars disappear and that the AutoCAD drawing window appears blank when no drawings are open 2 Choose File gt New to open the Select Template dialog box 21x Look in Template S it Q XE Views v Toos v M Preview _ PTWTemplates Hitay O SheetSets Pi acad3D dwt 84K S W acad Mamed Plot Styles dwt 33K acad dwt 30K My Documents Wi acadiso3D dwt 85K p acadISO Named
7. it hasn t As a new user you may only be slightly confused since AutoCAD is primarily thought of as a 2D drawing program In this beginning section you ll open AutoCAD to it s default window then you will switch to the AutoCAD classic window While Autodesk has made it much easier to work in 3D as anew or return user you ll want to start out with the basic 2D operations TIP If you re feeling adventurous you can go to Chapter 6 to find our more about AutoCAD s new 3D tools AutoCAD works like most other Windows based graphics programs but it also has a few quirks This section gives you an overview of AutoCAD s layout Although many elements will be familiar a few will be new to you an Sud es 0878book fm Page 2 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 2 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD To start out you ll take a look at the two different ways that AutoCAD displays a drawing Then for the rest of this chapter you ll focus on the 2D drawing environment After installing AutoCAD take the following steps 1 Choose Start gt All Programs gt Autodesk gt AutoCAD 20072007 gt AutoCAD 2007 You can also double click the AutoCAD 2007 icon on your Windows Desktop LT users will click AutoCAD LT 2007 in place of AutoCAD 2007 If you have Windows XP set to the Classic start menu you will see Start gt Programs instead of Start gt All Programs The open greeting called a splash screen
8. you ll start to work in the drawing area by drawing some lines Before you do that take a moment to examine the Draw and Modify toolbars You will be instructed to use them frequently throughout this book so it will be helpful for you to get a feel for their arrangement and what they contain 1 Inthe AutoCAD window move the arrow cursor to the top icon in the Draw toolbar which is the vertical toolbar at the far left of the AutoCAD window and rest it there so that the tool tip appears 2 Slowly move the arrow cursor downward over the other tools in the Draw toolbar and read each tool tip In most cases you ll be able to guess what each tool does by looking at its icon The icon with an arc for instance indicates that the tool draws arcs the one with the ellipse shows that the tool draws ellipses and so on For further clarification the tool tip gives you the name of the tool In addition the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window gives you information about a tool For exam ple if you point to the Multiline Text tool at the bottom of the Draw toolbar the status bar reads Creates a multiple line text object It also shows you the actual AutoCAD command name MTEXT This command is what you type in the Command window to invoke the Multiline Text tool Command _propertiesclose Command Creates a multiple line text object MTEXT Table 1 2 will aid you in navigating the two main toolbars Draw and Modify
9. appears momentarily then if this is a new instal lation AutoCAD will display the Workspaces message box This message box offers an option to select either 3D Modeling or AutoCAD Classic After the splash screen closes you see the AutoCAD window with a blank default document named Drawing1 dwg as shown at the top of Figure 1 1 If this is a new installation you will also see the New Features Work shop window If this happens select Maybe Later then click OK 2 Select 3D Modeling and click OK to get a glimpse of AutoCAD s latest innovations NOTE _Insome installations you may see a Startup dialog box If this happens to you click Cancel and AutoCAD will display the blank default document 3 The default document appears to be an empty gray 3D space You also see a special tool pal ette called the Dashboard This is a set of 3D modeling tools that let you easily create 3D designs You ll get a closer look at these tools in Chapter 6 but to get familiar with AutoCAD you ll switch to the classic AutoCAD display 4 Inthe upper left corner of the AutoCAD window you ll see a drop down list that shows 3D Modeling File Edit Yiew Insert Format Tools AutoCAD Classic gt i 3D Modeling AutoCAD Classic Save Current As Workspace settings Customize 5 Click this drop down list and select AutoCAD Classic The window will change to look more like the one shown in the bottom half of Figure 1 1 Notice that
10. arc lets you select the arc s endpoint Again the cursor is in Point Selection mode telling you it is waiting for point input To select this default option you need only select a point on the screen indicating where you want the endpoint FIGURE 1 e 1 1 A AutoCAD 2007 C Documents and Settings George Omura My Documents My First Dra g d wo le xj Using the Arc f File Edit view Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express 2 x command jo galeRe 6 B 2 IS QGQ QiRA 39 g a s Standard AutoCAD Classic fl BB GyLayer 4 4 z Finally click here for the endpoint B Fi dis amp a gg A Bs 8 F 3 N Then click here for va ee the start point ee ra Oo a O i 7 a La Click here for the arc center 7 A y 3 DT Model Start point of arc Specify end point of are or Angle chord Length 4 9 5613 23 0141 0 0000 SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR osNaP OTRACK Ducs DYN LwT MODEL PN T 48 es A 0878book fm Page 30 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 30 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD 6 Move the cursor so that it points vertically from the center of the arc You ll see the Polar Tracking vector snap to a vertical position as shown in Figure 1 11 7 Click any location with the Polar Tracking vector in the vertical position The arc is now fixed in place As you can see AutoCAD has a distinct structure in its prompt messag
11. bar Finally you ll notice a set of tabs that appear between the drawing area and the Command win dow These tabs provide two types of drawing views By default you see the Model tab This is where you do most of your drawing and editing The Layout1 and Layout2 tabs provide a way to set up your drawing for printing You ll learn more about layout tabs later in this chapter and in Chapter 11 TIP Ina new installation of AutoCAD you will see a message balloon in the bottom right corner of AutoCAD This message balloon alerts you to the latest news and information regarding AutoCAD through a feature called the Communication Center GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE DRAWING AREA As you might imagine the drawing area in the middle of the AutoCAD window is the space where you ll be spending a lot of time It pays to get a feel for how it behaves early on As your introduc tion to the drawing area try the following exercise 1 Move the cursor around in the drawing area As you move notice how the Dynamic Input display changes to tell you the cursor s location It shows the coordinates in an X Y format The coordinate readout in the status bar also shows X and Y coordinates but it adds the Z coordinate 2 Place the cursor in the middle of the drawing area and click the left mouse button You have just selected a point Move the cursor and a rectangle follows This is a selection window if there are objects in the drawing area this window allo
12. bar Pa gt 4k amp oO 55 a O 3 E B oO es 2 y E C4 a te ty ki a 34 a A Pod X STAD DT Meee m Command propertiesclose Cormand 4 ld i Makes the layer of a selected object the current layer LAYMCUR Tool description in the status bar 7 E a es 0878book fm Page 15 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 15 WORKING WITH FLYOUTS Earlier you saw how cascading menus in the menu bar provide a set of additional options that expand from an option in an open menu A toolbar flyout works in a similar way but instead of menu options you get an additional set of tools that fly out of the toolbar And just like cas cading menus a toolbar flyout shows a small triangular arrow in the lower right corner of the tool icon Try the following to see firsthand how flyouts work 1 Move the cursor to the Zoom Window tool in the Standard toolbar Click and hold the left mouse button to display the flyout Don t release the mouse button low Help Ex x lla P D P PP PL 2 Still holding down the left mouse button move the cursor over the flyout notice that the tool tips appear here as well Also notice the description in the status bar 3 Move the cursor to the Zoom Window tool at the top of the flyout and release the mouse button 4 You don t need to use this tool yet so press the Esc key to cancel
13. by zooming in and out which is Window Procedures similar to Zooming in and out with a camera ZOOM does not change the absolute 61 Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View size of objects in the drawing it changes only the magnification of the view window Concepts 59 To display the previous view during PAN When you work with minute parts in your drawing you may need to zoom out Realtime and ZOOM Realtime frequently to see an overview of your work Use ZOOM Previous to return quickly Procedures to the prior view 59 To restore the previous view TER The options described here are the options most commonly used For a a oe APON ee OAOE eee description of all ZOOM options see the Command Reference zooming Procedures 59 To display the drawing extents by zooming Procedures 59 To zoom into an area by specifying its boundaries Procedures 59 To zoom by dragging Procedures 59 To pan by specifying points Procedures 59 To pan by dragging Procedures SAM AN FOO Cammand 9 6 os 0878book fm Page 32 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 32 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD If you scroll down to the bottom of the Search tab you ll find a Search The Web For How do I zoom into my view This does just what it says If you don t find a satisfactory answer in the AutoCAD Help system you can select this option to open a search web page in the panel on the right Make sure you are connected to t
14. context sensitive shortcut menu If you are in the middle of a command this menu provides a list of options specifically related to that command For example if you right click before selecting the first point for the Rectangle command a menu appears offering the same options that are listed in the Command prompt plus some additional options The Menu Bar Although the Command window is a little unusual for a Windows program the AutoCAD menu bar provides a familiar means to finding commands You ll see many of the standard Windows commands such as Cut Paste Copy Save Save As and AutoCAD s version of the Print command called Plot You ll also find lots of other commands and options that are pure AutoCAD but the basic oper ation of the menu bar is the same as that of other Windows program The menu bar lets you issue commands and open dialog boxes to change settings Some of the menu bar options expand to show additional menu choices in what is called a cascading menu One helpful feature of the menu bar that you don t often find in other programs are the icons shown to the left of many menu options These icons help you connect the option names with their equivalent toolbar options For example if you open the Modify menu you ll see that the o o es 0878book fm Page 10 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 10 options there have the same icons that appear in the Modify toolbar along the right side of the AutoCAD
15. it from the Select Topic list and then click the Display button to dis play the topic information Another useful tool in the Help dialog box is the Ask Me tab This tab lets you ask natural lan guage questions Try the following steps to see how it works 1 In the top text box enter How do I zoom into my view then click Ask or press J The list below the text box changes to show several items that relate to adjusting views in AutoCAD 2 Click Click Pan or Zoom a View at the top of the list The right panel changes to display a description of how the Zoom command works E AutoCAD Postrio Help 05 x a gt f 4 amp 4 P Hide Back Forward Home Print Options Control the Drawing Views Contents Index Search l Pan or Zoom a View Type in a question and press Enter Query Tips how do zoom into my view R ask History Advanced Powered by Answeriiorks a You can pan to reposition the view in the drawing area or zoom to change Click to view magnification 100 Pan or Zoom a View Concepts 100 Pan or Zoom a View Commands With the Realtime option of PAN you pan dynamically by moving your pointing 98 Pan or Zoom a View Procedures device Like panning with a camera PAN does not change the location or 92 Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View magnification of objects on your drawing it changes only the view window Commands 61 Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View You can change the magnification of a view
16. locations B Support File Search Path B Working Support File Search Path B Device Driver File Search Path Project Files Search Path I Customization Files Aeee T Help and Miscellaneous File Names D Text Editor Dictionary and Font File Names D Print File Spooler and Prolog Section Names D Printer Support File Path B Automatic Save File Location B Color Book Locations B Data Sources Location D Template Settings F Tool Palettes File Locations gt Authoring Palette File Locations zl H BR H cesses Specify the folders in which AutoCAD should look for text fonts customization files plug ins drawings to insert linetypes and hatch patterns that are not in the current folder The Options dialog box is like the Preferences dialog box in other programs Here you can find most of the general AutoCAD settings that affect its behavior Numerous settings are divided into tabs across the top of the dialog box The Options dialog box is one of many dialog boxes available through the menu bar e es 0878book fm Page 12 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 12 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD STARTING COMMANDS The third type of item you ll find on menu bar menus is a command that directly executes an AutoCAD operation Let s try an exercise to explore a typical command 1 First turn off the Dynamic Input display by clicking the DYN butt
17. that option is turned on e e 0878book fm Page 17 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM o UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 17 Closing and Opening Toolbars Many experienced AutoCAD users prefer to start commands through the keyboard rather than through the toolbars That way they can remove the toolbars from the screen to maximize the area available for drawing If at some point you find you prefer to remove the toolbars entirely you can do so easily Or you can remove and recall toolbars as needed The next steps show you how 1 Click and drag the Draw toolbar from its position at the left of the AutoCAD window to a point near the center of the drawing area Remember to click and drag the grab bars at the top of the toolbar 2 Click the Close button in the upper right corner of the Draw floating toolbar This is the small square button with the X in it The toolbar disappears 3 Torecover the Draw toolbar right click the border or grab bar of any toolbar but not a tool bar button A shortcut menu of toolbars appears 4 Locate and select Draw in the shortcut menu The Draw toolbar reappears 5 Click and drag the Draw toolbar back to its docked position in the far left side of the AutoCAD window TIP Ifyou do not want the toolbar to dock but instead want it to appear floating near the border of the AutoCAD window you can press the Ctrl key before you click and drag the toolbar into pos
18. this tool As you can see from this exercise you get a lot of feedback from AutoCAD MOVING THE TOOLBARS Another toolbar feature is its ability to be positioned anywhere on the screen If you don t like the location of a toolbar you can move it to another location Try the following exercise to move the Standard toolbar away from its docked position 1 Move the arrow cursor so that it points to the vertical bars called grab bars to the far left of the Standard toolbar as shown here A AutoCAD 2007 Draw File Edit view Insert Fo OKAHILSAJS AutoCAD Classic z e es 0878book fm Page 16 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 16 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD 2 Click and hold down the left mouse button Notice that a gray box in the shape of the toolbar appears by the cursor 3 Still holding down the mouse button move the mouse downward The gray box follows the cursor 4 When the gray box is over the drawing area release the mouse button and the Standard toolbar now a floating toolbar moves to its new location 5 To move the toolbar back into its docked position place the arrow cursor on the toolbar s title bar and slowly click and drag so that the cursor is in position in the upper left corner of the AutoCAD window Notice how the gray outline of the toolbar changes as it approaches its docked position fil AutoCAD 2007 Drawing2 dwg J F File Edit
19. two corners for the circle it was the center and a location on the perimeter Once you ve placed an object in the drawing you can edit them using a variety of tools In later chapters you ll learn more about those editing tools In the following section you ll learn how to get around in your drawing FIGURE 1 8 A AutoCAD 2007 C Documents and Settings George Omura My Documents My First Drawing c Drawing a circle File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express SI Then click here to complete the rectangle N Click here to fix the circle s radius 48 os 0878book fm Page 24 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 24 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD WHEN YOU NEED TO UNDO Recently AUGI the AutoCAD User Group International conducted a survey to identify the most com monly used features in AutoCAD They found the Undo and Escape keys were at the top of their list Everyone makes mistakes and it would be impossible to get any work done if it weren t for these two features Undo and the Escape key are just two of a set of features you can use to reverse something you have done If you find you ve done something unintentionally you can use some of the following options to get out of trouble Backspace If you make a typing error press the Backspace key to back up to your error and then retype your command or response E
20. window Another menu bar feature is the command description in the status bar As you open a menu from the menu bar and point to options you ll see a brief description of the option in the status bar Try the following exercise to get a feel for how the menu bar works 1 Click View in the menu bar The list of items that appears includes the commands and set tings that let you control the way AutoCAD displays your drawings CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Dimension Modify Window Help Express _ if Object b EZ Properties Match Properties Clip 3 Copy N AN Mirror amp amp offset 44 Array Move O Rotate ri Scale A Stretch a Lengthen Trim 7 Extend L Break e Join a Chamfer Fillet 3D Operation gt Solids Editing gt Change Space 34 Explode it view Insert Format Tools Draw Di Regen All Zoom Pan Orbit Camera Walk and Fly Serial View ee ee Clean Screen CTRL 0 Yiewports b e Named Views 3D Views d ii Create Camera D Hide Visual Styles l Render ee Motion Path Animations Display d Toolbars e es A 0878book fm Page 11 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 11 2 Move the highlight cursor slowly down the list of menu items As you highlight each item notice that a description of the item a
21. your drawing By default AutoCAD creates a single viewport to show your drawing but you can have multiple viewports of various sizes each dis playing different parts of your drawing When you deleted that viewport you essentially closed your view into your drawing in the Model tab so your rectangle and circle disappeared from view They didn t really go anywhere It s just that your view of them was deleted You might have also noticed that a layout tab displays a white area over a gray background This white area represents the area of the paper onto which your drawing will be printed The white area also shows a dashed line close to its edge This dashed line represents the print able area of your paper Both the paper area and dashed line are determined by the current default printer connected to your computer If you have a printer that accepts paper of different sizes you can select a different sheet size and the new sheet size will be reflected in the white area shown in the layout tab You ll learn how to control sheet sizes in the chapter on printing As you might guess you use the layout tabs to lay out your drawing for printing You can print from the Model tab if you like but you have much more control over your printer output from a layout tab Understanding How Command Options Work Nearly every AutoCAD command offers a set of options that are shown in the Command window prompt These options let you alter the behavior o
22. Archit TOOL PALETTES ALL PALETTES a Gi If you don t see the Dynamic Input display go to the bottom of the AutoCAD window to the sta tus bar and click the DYN button This is the Dynamic Input setting OTRACK DUCS LwT MODEL Dynamic Input Along with the Dynamic Input display the Command window and status bar just below the drawing area provide feedback as you work with AutoCAD commands see Figure 1 4 You can also see the XY coordinate in the far left of the status bar in the lower left corner of the AutoCAD window FIGURE 1 4 The status bar and the Command window Model and Layout tabs Command window Communication Center work with the drawing area to give you feedback as you draw Tab Selection arrows Coordinate readout Command prompt Status bar an 48 0878book fm Page 7 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 7 CONTROLLING THE STATUS BAR DISPLAY To the far right of the status bar you Il see a downward pointing arrow which opens a menu that con trols the display of the status bar You use this menu to turn the items in the status bar on or off A check mark by an item indicates that it is currently on If for some reason you do not see all the buttons mentioned in the previous discussion check this menu to make sure that all the status bar options are turned on Note that LT does not have an Otrack option in the status
23. Plot Styles dwt 25K OWE acadiso dwt 31K T Le UJ ANSI 4 portrait Color Depe 28K wH ANSI 4 portrait Mamed Plot 28K a vE EJ ANSI 4 Color Dependent Plot 29K W9 ANSI 4 Named Plot Styles dwt 29K OW ANSI B Color Dependent Plot 28K EJ ANSI B Named Plot Styles dwt 29K mwr ARICT Oo Calar Danana k Nak a 4 b Desktop apie w File name Jacad dwt 7 Open M Buzzsaw Files of type Drawing Template dwt z Cancel 9 6 os 0878book fm Page 22 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 22 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD 3 Locate and select the acad dwt file and then click Open to open a blank drawing window 4 To give your new file a unique name choose File gt Save As to open the Save Drawing As dialog box 5 Type My First Drawing As you type the name appears in the File Name text box Notice that the file will be saved in the My Documents folder by default 6 Click Save You now havea file called My First Drawing dwg located in the My Documents folder Of course your drawing doesn t contain anything yet You ll take care of that next The acad dwt template file you selected in step 3 is really just an AutoCAD drawing file that has been set up with standard settings AutoCAD uses those settings to create a brand new file As you saw in the Select Template dialog box you can choose from several such templates This new file you just created shows a drawing area roughly 60 units wide b
24. View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express A Standard a Standard Standard z aa il m TE 6 When the outline of the Standard toolbar is near its docked position release the mouse button The toolbar moves back into its previous position in the AutoCAD window TIP You can also move a toolbar from a docked position to a floating position by double clicking the toolbar s grab bar Double click the title bar of a floating toolbar to move the toolbar to its docked position LOCKING THE TOOLBARS AND PALETTES The mobility of the toolbars and palettes is a great feature allowing you to customize AutoCAD s window but you might find that you can accidentally move or close toolbars You can lock toolbars in their docked or floating location using a shortcut menu Right click any toolbar and choose Lock Location toward the bottom of the shortcut menu walk and Fly Web v Workspaces Zoom Leier Floating Toolbars Customize Docked Toolbars gating Windows Docked Windows All gt You can choose from any of five options Floating Toolbars and Docked Toolbars let you lock toolbars in either floating or docked locations Floating Windows and Docked Windows do the same for palettes such as the Tool palette and Info palette All offer a convenient setting to lock everything at once When you click one of these options a checkmark appears next to the selected option telling you that
25. and OLE objects Layers Drop down list and tools for controlling layer properties located just below the Standard toolbar Layers II Additional tools for managing layers formerly Express Layer tools Layouts Tools that let you set up drawing layouts for viewing printing and plotting Lights Tools for adding and controlling lights in 3D models Mapping Tools for adding texture maps in 3D models Modeling Tools for creating and editing 3D objects Modify Commands for editing existing objects You can move copy rotate erase trim extend and so on Many of these commands are duplicated in the Modify drop down menu Modify Il Commands for editing special complex objects such as polylines multilines 3D solids and hatches an P 48 0878book fm Page 19 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 19 TABLE 1 1 The Full List of AutoCAD Toolbars CONTINUED COMMAND DESCRIPTION Object Snap Tools to help you select specific points on objects such as endpoints and midpoints See Chapter 3 Orbit Tools for controlling 3D views Properties Commands for a set of drop down lists and tools for manipulating the properties of objects This toolbar is normally docked to the right of the Layer toolbar just below the Standard toolbar Refedit Tools that allow you to make changes to symbols or background drawings that are imported as external reference drawings not available in LT R
26. ans that the contents of the shortcut menu depend on where you right click as well as the command that is active at the time of your right click If there are no applicable options at the time of the right click AutoCAD treats the right click as You ll learn more about these options as you progress through the book For now if you happen to open this menu by accident press the Esc key to close it Finally as with any window you can expand the drawing area or contract it into a smaller win dow by clicking on the Maximize Minimize icon in the upper right corner of the draw area If the drawing is maximized this icon appears just above the Styles toolbar O x 8 x dad Ga Standar When the drawing area is minimized it appears as a separate window within the AutoCAD Window You can then resize the window to any rectangular shape you need This is helpful when you have multiple AutoCAD Drawing files open TIP The lt symbol is used in this book to denote the Enter key Whenever you see it press the Enter key also known as the Return key THE UCS ICON The UCS icon is the L shaped icon you see at the lower left corner of the drawing area It helps you see your orientation at a glance by pointing to the positive X and Y directions UCS stands for User Coordinate System That name is a hint that you can create and use other coordinates besides the default one that exists in new drawings The default X direction is fro
27. arch 15 2006 8 31 PM 18 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Other Toolbars I mentioned earlier that not all the AutoCAD toolbars are open and visible If they were there wouldn t be any room for a drawing area In the previous exercise you saw the list of all the avail able toolbars Table 1 1 provides a brief description of each toolbar TABLE 1 1 The Full List of AutoCAD Toolbars COMMAND DESCRIPTION 3D Navigation Tools to control 3D views not available in LT CAD Standards Tools that let you check the layer dimension and text styles against standards that you have created not available in LT Camera Adjust Tool controlling camera objects Dimension Commands that help you dimension your drawings Many of these commands are duplicated in the Dimension drop down menu See Chapter 10 Draw Commands for creating common objects including lines arcs circles curves ellipses and text This toolbar appears in the AutoCAD window by default Many of these commands are duplicated in the Draw drop down menu Draw Order Commands that let you arrange the order of overlapping objects If an object covers another object that you need visible you can use Draw Order to move an object behind another or to the back of a set of objects not available in LT Inquiry Commands for finding distances point coordinates object properties mass properties and areas Insert Commands for importing other drawings raster images
28. by specifying its boundaries Procedures 59 To zoom by dragging Procedures 59 To pan by specifying points Procedures 59 To pan by dragging Procedures ae Sa ANTON Comman a z 10 x M Commands MOYE Command Moves objects a specified distance in a specified direction D Modify toolbar t D Modify menu Move Shortcut menu Select the objects to move and right click in the drawing area Click Move Command entm move Select objects Use an object selection method and press ENTER when you finish Specify base point or Displacement lt Displacement gt Specify a base point or enterd Specify second point or use first point as displacement Specify a point or press ENTER The two points you specify define a vector that indicates how far the selected objects are to be moved and in what direction lf you press ENTER at the Specify Second Point prompt the first point is interpreted as a relative X Y Z displacement For example if you specify 2 3 for the base point and press ENTER at the next prompt the objects move 2 units in the X direction and 3 units in the Y direction from their current position Displacement t Crocife dicnlncamont e taetieatuas Ontarcacrdinataie ta ranieacant a inctar x 4 Click the Close button or press the Esc key 5 Press the Esc key to exit the Move command If you gain some conf
29. d letters are all you need to enter to select that option In some cases the first two letters are capitalized to differentiate two options that begin with the same letter such as LAyer and LType 3 Now select a point for the center of the arc as shown in Figure 1 11 The prompt Speci fy Start point of arc appears You also see a rubber banding line from the center point you just selected to your cursor If you point directly to the right you see that the rubber banding line snaps to an exact hor izontal orientation and you see a tool tip appear at the cursor This is a feature called Polar Tracking vector and it helps you to draw in exact horizontal and vertical directions much like a T square and a triangle The tool tip shows your cursor s location relative to the center point you just selected It displays this information in what is known as a polar coordinate You can learn more about polar coordinates in Chapter 2 4 With the rubber banding line pointing to the right click the left mouse button to select a point as shown in Figure 1 11 The prompt Specify end point of arc or Angle chord Length appears 5 Move the mouse and a temporary arc appears originating from the start point of the arc that you just selected and rotating about the center of the arc As the prompt indicates you now have three options You can enter an angle a chord length or the endpoint of the arc The prompt default to specify the endpoint of the
30. date information to be localized Please Select Country Region m Check For New Content Please indicate how often you would like your product to poll the Live Update feature Daily M Balloon Notification JV Enable Balloon Notification for new announcements The Communication Center works best if you use an always on Internet connection such as a DSL connection or high speed cable connection If you don t have such a connection you can set the Check For New Content option to On Demand You can then check for updates when you con nect to the Internet Just Enough Summary AutoCAD is a rare example of a program that has successfully made the transition from a text based DOS program to a fully Windows compliant one As with most of today s drawing pro grams you can use toolbars and menu options to access AutoCAD s features The trick to using AutoCAD is in learning how to use it to input exact distances and directions Once you ve mastered the input methods AutoCAD offers you re well on your way to producing accurate drawings If you find you have questions along the way hopefully this book will provide the right amount of help but don t forget the AutoCAD Help system It is full of great information and can be a real lifesaver That does it for your introduction to AutoCAD You might want to practice what you ve learned thus far When you re ready to get down to some serious draw
31. ds though in this case you re not affecting the objects in your drawing When you select a point at this prompt you see a rubber banding line in con junction with the next prompt Specify second point The rubber banding line indicates the direction and distance of your pan As with any other command that displays a rubber banding line you can select points to indicate distance and direction or you can enter coordinates This allows you to specify exact distances and directions to pan your view The layout tabs are like page previews with the added advantage of allowing you to draw within them The layout tabs also give you control over the printed scale of your drawing Another way to look at the layout tabs is to think of them as a drawing paste up area In the lay out tab you can set up multiple views of the drawing you create in model space You can also add a title to your drawing and include borders or other graphic design features Try the following exercise to see firsthand how the layout tabs work 1 Click the Layout1 tab at the bottom of the drawing area The drawing area changes to show your drawing plus some additional display elements as shown in Figure 1 10 The Layout tab shows you how your drawing will look when it is printed FIGURE 1 10 N A AutoCAD 2007 C Documents and Settings George Omura My Documents My First Drawing dy ioj x Your drawing as It ap File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimensi
32. ed to be familiar with AutoCAD s view features The Zoom and Pan commands are the most frequently used of the view features so you ll want to become familiar with them right away Try the following exercise to see how Zoom works 1 Choose View gt Zoom gt Window or select Zoom Window from the Standard toolbar 2 Click the first point indicated in Figure 1 9 You don t have to be too accurate 3 Click the second point indicated in Figure 1 9 The area you selected expands to fill the draw ing area Notice that the transition to the zoomed view is smooth This helps you keep track of exactly where in the drawing the zoom occurs y 4 Choose View gt Pan gt Realtime or click the Pan Realtime tool in the Standard toolbar Notice gt that the cursor changes to a hand icon 5 Click and drag in the drawing area Notice how the view moves as you drag the cursor 6 Press Escape to exit the Pan command You can also right click and choose Exit from the shortcut menu 7 Finally to get your original view of the overall drawing choose View gt Zoom gt Previous g or click the Zoom Previous tool in the Standard toolbar The view smoothly transitions to the previous view allowing you to see clearly where the previous view occurs in relation to the current one If you have a mouse witha scroll wheel you can use it to zoom in and out of your drawing view You can also use it to pan across your drawing To zoom scroll the wheel To
33. eference Commands that control cross referencing of drawings See Chapter 8 Render Commands to operate AutoCAD s rendering feature not available in LT Solids Editing Command for editing 3D solids See Chapter 6 not available in LT Standard The most frequently used commands for view control file management and editing This toolbar is normally docked below the menu bar Standard 2 An abbreviated version of the Standard toolbar Styles Tools that control style options such as text styles and dimension styles Text Tools for creating and editing text See Chapter 9 UCS Tools for setting up a plane on which to work This is most useful for 3D modeling but it can be helpful in 2D drafting as well See Chapter 6 UCS II Tools for selecting from a set of predefined user coordinate systems View Tools to control the way you view 3D models See Chapter 6 for more on 3D views Viewports Tools that let you create and edit multiple views of your drawing See Chapter 6 for more about viewports Visual Styles Tools to control the way 3D models are displayed Walk and Fly Tools to control motion through a 3D model Web Tools for accessing the World Wide Web Workspaces Tools for managing workspaces Zoom Commands that allow you to navigate your drawing es 0878book fm Page 20 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 20 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Checking Out the Draw and Modify Toolbars In the next section
34. es You first issue a com mand which in turn presents options in the form of a prompt Depending on the option you select you get another set of options or you are prompted to take some action such as selecting a point selecting objects or entering a value The prompts offer a great deal of help prompting you to take an action Getting Help AutoCAD provides a good set of help options that can answer most of the questions you might have while working on a drawing If you re stuck with an AutoCAD problem give the AutoCAD help options a try To get more familiar with the AutoCAD Help window try the following 1 Choose Help gt Help from the menu or press F1 to open the AutoCAD 2007 Help window 2 Click the Contents tab which contains a table of contents The other two tabs Index Search provide assistance in finding specific topics 1 e gt 4 amp Hide Back Forward Home Print Optior Contents Index Search 2 E oS User s Guide Command Reference 2 Driver and Peripheral Guide Installation and Licensing Guides Customization Guide 2 AutoLISP Visual LISP and DXF 2 ActiveX Automation and VBA 4 3 Scan down the screen until you see the topic Command Reference and double click it Both panels of the Help window change to show more topics 4 Inthe panel on the right click the item labeled C just to the right of the Command lis
35. f a command to suit your current drawing To help demonstrate how command options work and to get a feel for the drawing process in general you ll draw an arc and then place it exactly in the inside corner of the rectangle 1 Click the Arc tool in the Draw toolbar The prompt Specify start point of arc or Center appears and the cursor changes to Point Selection mode If you examine this Specify start point of arc or Center prompt you ll see the start point contains two options The default option is stated in the main part of the prompt Specify start point If other options are available they appear within brackets as in the Center option that appears in the Arc Command prompt This Center option tells you that you can also start your arc by selecting a center point instead of a start point If multiple options are available they appear within the brackets and are separated by forward slashes The default is the option AutoCAD assumes you intend to use unless you tell it otherwise 2 Type C 4 toselect the Center option The prompt Specify center point of arc appears Notice that you only had to type the C and not the entire word Center an Sud es 0878book fm Page 29 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING HOW COMMAND OPTIONS WORK 29 When you see a set of options in the Command window note their capitalization If you choose to respond to prompts using the keyboard these capitalize
36. he Internet if you use this option The Index tab lets you locate specific topics in the AutoCAD help system by entering a word in a list box Using Context Sensitive Help AutoCAD also provides context sensitive help to give you information related to the command you are currently using To see how this works try the following 1 Close or minimize the Help window and return to the AutoCAD window 2 Click the Move tool in the Modify toolbar to start the Move command 3 Press F1 or choose Help from the menu bar to open the Help window A description of the Move command appears in the panel on the right 4 AutoCAD Postrio Help a gt amp G amp Hide Back Forward Home Print Options Contents Index Search Type in a question and press Enter Query Tips how do zoom into my view R ask History Advanced Powered byAnsweriorks Click to view 100 Pan or Zoom a View Concepts 100 Pan or Zoom a View Commands 98 Pan or Zoom a View Procedures 92 Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View Window Commands 61 Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View Window Procedures 61 Pan and Zoom with the Aerial View Window Concepts 59 To display the previous view during PAN Realtime and ZOOM Reattime Procedures 59 To restore the previous view Procedures 59 To display the area of the grid limits by zooming Procedures 59 To display the drawing extents by zooming Procedures 59 To zoom into an area
37. i tion This prevents toolbars from automatically falling into a docked position AutoCAD remembers your toolbar arrangement between sessions When you exit and then reopen AutoCAD later the AutoCAD window appears just as you left it UNDERSTANDING THE COMMAND TOOL AND OPTION RELATIONSHIP One of AutoCAD s greatest assets is its ability to adjust to your way of doing things If you prefer using tool bars you can gain access to nearly all AutoCAD functions through toolbars If you prefer using options from the menu bar again you can perform most of what you need through them Hardcore users know how to use the command line and know nearly all the commands by heart The AutoCAD commands are really at the heart of its operations Menu bar options and toolbar tools are really just different ways to invoke AutoCAD commands When you click a toolbar tool or a menu option you are really initiating a command through AutoCAD s menu system sometimes with prede termined options already selected In fact if you watch the command line as you click a menu option or toolbar tool you ll see that the messages in the Command window are the same regardless of where the command is invoked For this reason Pll often intermix the terms tool option and command because at a practical level they are really all the same Just be aware that menu options and toolbar tools invoke commands an Ss 48 0878book fm Page 18 Wednesday M
38. idence with AutoCAD s Help window you can go far in helping yourself learn basic AutoCAD commands But if you really get stuck this book should help to get you past your barriers 9 es 0878book fm Page 33 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM GETTING HELP 33 Additional Sources of Help The Help Topics tool is the main online source for reference material but you can also find answers to your questions through the other options in the Help menu Here is a brief description of the other Help menu options Info Palette A pop up window that offers immediate help with the command that you are using It s helpful for first time users When you issue a command with the Info palette open you will see an option or a list of options in the palette These options offer a brief tutorial or other information regarding the current command Additional Help gt Developer Help Information specifically for developers This includes anyone interested in customizing AutoCAD New Features Workshop Descriptions and tutorials focused on the new features found in AutoCAD 2007 You can update this unique support tool through the Autodesk website Additional Help gt Online Training Resources Offers additional options that start your default web browser and open pages in the Autodesk website You can find the most up to date information regarding AutoCAD support and training by using these options About Information about the versi
39. ing check out the next chapter There you ll be introduced to the drawing tools you ll need to produce accurate drawings e e
40. is option ignores the limits of your drawing You ve just about completed your first look at AutoCAD There are just a couple of other fea tures you ll want to know about In the next section you ll be introduced to a display feature in AutoCAD that helps you set up your drawing for printing Understanding the Layout Tabs Aside from the Command prompt you ve probably noticed that AutoCAD behaves like most other Windows programs One element in AutoCAD s window is a little different from other Windows graphics programs At the bottom of the AutoCAD window you ll see a set of tabs labeled Model Layout1 and Layoutz2 If you have followed the exercises in this chapter or if you ve just opened a brand new drawing the Model tab is currently selected This tells you that you that the drawing area you are currently viewing is the model space of AutoCAD Model space is the display you ll use to do most of your drawing It s like your main workspace an Sud 48 es 0878book fm Page 27 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE LAYOUT TABS 27 ACCURATE PANNING Realtime Pan is a great tool for quickly getting around in a drawing but sometimes you need to pan in an exact distance and direction A version of the Pan command lets you do just that If you choose View gt Pan gt Point you see the prompt Specify base point or displacement This is the prompt you see for the Move or Copy comman
41. m left to right and the Y direc tion is bottom to top but AutoCAD lets you alter your view orientation as well as include addi tional coordinate systems that can be oriented in different directions The UCS icon is especially helpful when you start to use these other coordinate systems and display modes but right now just be aware that it is there to help you get your bearings You might notice a small square at the base of the UCS icon This square tells you that you are in the World Coordinate System which is the base coordinate on which other coordinate systems can be built You ll learn more about the UCS in Chapter 5 THE COMMAND WINDOW The horizontal window at the bottom of the AutoCAD window is called the Command window Besides the drawing area this is where you can get feedback from AutoCAD It is also where you can type commands and command options The Command window shows two lines of text As you work in AutoCAD the command activity appears in the bottom line of the Command window and scrolls upward When AutoCAD is waiting for input you see the word Command at the bottom of the Command window This is called the Command prompt As you click a point in the drawing area you see the message Specify opposite corner Simultaneously a selection window appears in the drawing area Click another point without selecting anything and the selection window disappears and the Command prompt returns an Ss o 48
42. nd drawing components in one convenient place for quick access Now let s look at some important parts of the AutoCAD window The drawing area the status bar and the Command window work together to give you feedback while you create and edit your drawing As you move your cursor over the drawing area you ll see the cursor appear as a crosshair If you click in the drawing area a pair of numbers and a selection window appears Click again and the rectangle and selection window disappear Specify opposite corner 20 3202 The crosshair lets you point to portions of the drawing area while the numeric display known as the Dynamic Input display tells you your XY coordinate within the drawing area The selection window lets you select objects in the drawing area You ll learn more about coordinates in AutoCAD in Chapter 2 You ll look at selection windows a bit later in this chapter As you work with AutoCAD commands the Dynamic Input display changes to text prompts to aid you in determining what to do next an P o 48 os 0878book fm Page 6 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 6 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD FIGURE 1 3 The Tool palettes g w E PA Cylindrical Helix 5 2D Spiral l Elliptical Cylinder Frustum Cone Frustum Pyramid VA Ucs va UCS Previous Quick Align Soy O27 Modify Draw Comm Hatches Civil S Electri Mech
43. ngle ORHI SRJ sOOs X XA RAAR MlA A sta a AutoCAD Classic 7 ie i J O9 m0 se m ByLayer 7 r4 2 a AN Oo amp mo ag a O 8 id a A D Click here to start the rectangle y Oo L a BR a D st _rectang Specify first corner point or Chamfer Elevation Fillet Thickness Width aj SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR asnaP OTRACK Ducs DYN LwT MODEL FIGURE 1 6 Ai AutoCAD 2007 Drawing2 dwg loj x Once you ve selected a File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express 18 x the first point of the a A Sra rectangle you see NCEE Hl a rectangle follow r4 the motion of your A mouse amp oo o0 O BY Fi E i m al first corner point or Chamfer Elevation Fillet Thickness Width Specify other corner point or A rea Dimensions Rotation J SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR osnaP OTRACK Ducs DYN LWT MODEL 9 6 es 0878book fm Page 14 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 14 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Using the Toolbars The menu bar provides most of the commands you ll need in a format that most Windows users will find easy to understand and as a new user you will probably be most comfortable using the menu bar As you become more familiar with AutoCAD you can start to use the toolbars The tool bars offer the same commands as the menu bar but in a more compact format that is quicker to access No
44. of your display and the shape of the AutoCAD window affect the dimensions of the drawing area e e os 0878book fm Page 23 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM STARTING A DRAWING 23 Next try drawing a couple of objects just to get comfortable with drawing in AutoCAD You ll draw a rectangle again plus some additional objects 1 Click the Rectangle tool in the Draw toolbar You can also choose Draw gt Rectangle from the menu bar 2 Click a point in the lower left of the drawing area as shown in Figure 1 8 Don t worry about the exact location You re just practicing right now After clicking notice that one corner of the rectangle follows the cursor 3 Click a point in the upper right of the drawing area as shown in Figure 1 8 Again it s not important if you don t pick the exact location The rectangle is now drawn in place Now add a circle to the drawing 1 Click the Circle tool in the Draw toolbar 2 Click the location shown in Figure 1 8 to place the center of the circle Now as you move the cursor a circle appears whose radius follows the location of the cursor 3 Click another point as shown in Figure 1 8 to fix the circle s radius in place You can also enter a radius value for a circle with an exact radius You now have a circle and a rectangle As you can see you create objects by placing key points of their geometry within the drawing area For the rectangle it was
45. on Modify Window Help Express 18 x pears in a layout tab EKET EREIZ AA CLAE FEC EI O CE 4 ted I AutoCAD Classic goe S VOm mo I E ByLayer 7 4 A B ad Als Q amp oo c Click this outline O 8 and then press F N the Delete key A o 2 r C t O a a sf A fa a Woda Layout Command Cancel Command 4 gt 7 2038 7 1612 0 0000 SNAF GRID ORTHO POLAR OSNAP OTRACK Ducs DYN LWT PAPER al WE O 7 e E a os 0878book fm Page 28 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 28 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD ia 2 Move the cursor over the rectangle that immediately surrounds your rectangle and circle drawing as shown in Figure 1 10 3 Click the highlighted rectangle and then press the Delete key Your drawing disappears 4 Click the Model tab to return to model space You see that the objects you drew are still there 5 Click the Undo tool in the Standard toolbar twice to return to the Layout tab and undo your deletion of the outer rectangle The view of the rectangle and circle return 6 Click the Model tab to return to the original drawing area In step 3 your entire drawing disappeared when you deleted the outer rectangle This is because that rectangle is really a viewport into the drawing you created in the Model tab When you are in a layout tab a viewport acts like a window into
46. on in the status bar It should look like it is in the off position You ll start your exploration of commands with this feature turned off as it can be somewhat confusing to the first time user You ll get a chance to try out the Dynamic Input feature in later chapters starting with Chapter 2 OTRACK DUCS DYN LWT MODEL Dynamic Input If the Tool palettes are open click the X in the upper right or upper left corner to close them This will give you a clear view of the whole drawing area x a ES a Cylindrical Helix Mode aN Sniral e Click the Draw option from the menu bar and then click the Rectangle command Notice that the Command window now shows the following prompt Specify first corner point or Chamfer Elevation Fillet Thickness Width AutoCAD is asking you to select the first corner for the rectangle and in brackets it is offer ing a few options that you can take advantage of at this point in the command Don t worry about those options right now You ll have an opportunity to learn about command options in Chapter 2 e Click a point roughly in the lower left corner of the drawing area as shown in Figure 1 5 Now as you move your mouse you ll see a rectangle follow the cursor with one corner fixed at the position you just selected You ll also see the following prompt in the Command window Specify other corner point or Area Dimensions Rotation Click another point anywhere in the
47. on of AutoCAD you are using Staying Informed with the Communication Center Nearly every major Windows program is somehow linked to the Internet to offer the latest news and updates for software AutoCAD provides the Communication Center which appears as a sat ellite dish icon in the lower right corner of the AutoCAD window You might see a balloon message pointing to this icon telling you of some new feature or news regarding AutoCAD i Communication Center The Communication Center is your direct connection to the latest software updates product support announcements and more Please follow the configuration steps below to start using the Communication Center v Specify your country region and preferred update frequency Connect to the Internet and download available information Refresh Content Settings PN T 48 os 0878book fm Page 34 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 34 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD As the Communication Center dialog box explains the Communication Center provides a way to stay informed about the latest software updates and support issues for AutoCAD Click the Set tings button to open the Configuration Settings dialog box fi Configuration Settings x Settings You must specify a country region and a polling frequency to enable the Live Update Feature M Country Region Please indicate for which country region you would like the Live Up
48. pan click and drag the wheel FIGURE 1 9 a l fl AutoCAD 2007 C Documents and Settings George Omura My Documents My First Drawing dwa O x Selecting a Zoom R File Edit view Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express la x window JOD aleRX Aes A LARAP S 3 A a Ill by Standard se A S NE D iat p 7 Be AutoCAD Classic Rod ie Ss sO NE U Then click this location C 58 fe amp SR a f i Click this location first to start the Zoom window TINEO All Center Dynamic Extents Previous Scale Window Object lt real time gt w EPH PaHIOLGONATOLNNIS Specify first corner Specify opposite corner 4 10 2739 24 0363 0 0000 SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR osnar OTRACK Ducs DYN LwT MODEL 7 E a 0878book fm Page 26 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 26 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD WARNING Ifyou havea mouse that uses special drivers you might not be able to use the wheel to control pans and zooms There are several other Zoom and Pan related commands but those you ve just tried are the ones you ll use 90 percent of the time You can try the other Zoom and Pan options which are dis played when you choose View gt Zoom They are also options in the Zoom Command window options list Al 1 Center Dynamic Extents Previous Scale Window Object lt real time gt He
49. ppears in the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window These descriptions help you choose the menu option you need At the end of the description you ll see a single word in capital letters This is the keyboard command equiv alent to the highlighted option in the menu or toolbar You can actually type these keyboard commands to start the tool or menu item that you are pointing to You don t have to mem orize these command names but knowing them will help you later if you want to customize AutoCAD 3 Some of the menu items won t show anything in the status bar but will have triangular pointers to their right This means the menu option has additional choices For instance highlight the Zoom item and you ll see another set of options appear to the right of the menu This second set of options is called a cascading menu Whenever you see a menu item with the triangular pointer you know that it opens a cascading menu with a more detailed set of options OPENING DIALOG BOXES You might have noticed that other drop down menu options are followed by an ellipsis This indicates that the option displays a dialog box as the following exercise demonstrates ACAD 1 Move the highlight cursor to the Tools option in the menu bar only 2 Click the Options item at the bottom of the menu to open the Options dialog box Current profile lt lt Unnamed Profile gt gt Current drawing Drawing2 dwa Search paths file names and file
50. re is a list of the options and how they are used Realtime is the default Zoom option It displays a magnifying glass cursor With this option you can click and drag up or down to change your magnification in real time You can right click to access the other Zoom options plus Exit and Cancel Previous displays the previous view like an Undo for the Zoom command Dynamic changes the display to an overall view A rectangle also appears which lets you select an area to zoom in to To change the size of the rectangle left click the mouse This allows you to adjust the size of the rectangle and thus change the size of the zoom area Click again to fix the rectangle size Right click and choose Enter to zoom in to the selected area Scale lets you zoom in or out by a specific value It allows you to enter a specific view scale Center allows you to center a location on the screen Object lets you select a view area based on the area occupied by an object For example if you want to zoom in so that a particular object fills the display area use this option In is the same as using the Scale option and entering 2x to magnify your view two times Out is the same as using the Scale option and entering 0 5x to view twice the current view area All displays the area of your drawing defined by the drawing limits plus any part of your draw ing that falls outside the limits Extents displays a view that encompasses all the objects in you drawing Th
51. scape Esc When you need to quickly exit a command or a dialog box without making changes just press the Esc key in the upper left corner of your keyboard UJ lIfyouaccidentally change something in the drawing and want to reverse that change click the Undo tool in the Standard toolbar the left pointing curved arrow You can also type U at the Com mand prompt Each time you do this AutoCAD undoes one operation at a time in reverse order The last command performed is undone first then the next to last command and so on The prompt dis plays the name of the command being undone and the drawing reverts to its state prior to that com mand If you need to you can undo everything back to the beginning of an editing session Undo Ifyou decide that you want to back up a few steps of an operation you just performed you can use the Undo tool the left pointing curved arrow in the Standard toolbar Or type Undo Each click of the Undo tool steps you back one operation In AutoCAD 2007 you can also select the exact command to undo by using the Undo drop down list You can open the Undo drop down list by clicking the downward pointing arrow found to the right of the Undo tool fl AutoCAD 2007 C Documents and Settings Gec l x F Fie Edit view Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express 8 x paaeng enes le CAR HERS w A sena z Ii AutoCAD Classic 4 Z y g gE IE ByLayer gt
52. t all toolbars are displayed on the screen in the default AutoCAD setup but you ll find the most commonly used toolbars ready for you to use The tools in the toolbars perform three types of actions just like the drop down menu com mands they display further options open dialog boxes and issue commands that require key board or cursor input THE TOOLBAR TOOL TIPS The toolbars are collections of buttons or tools that show icons that represent commands Tool tips are short descriptions that help you understand what the icons represent To see how tool tips work firsthand try the following exercise 1 Move the arrow cursor onto one of the toolbar tools and leave it there for a moment Notice that a brief description of the tool appears nearby this is the tool tip In the status bar a more detailed description of the tool s purpose appears see Figure 1 7 2 Move the cursor across the toolbar As you do notice that the tool tips and status bar descrip tions change to describe each tool The keyboard command equivalent of the tool is also shown in the status bar at the end of the description FIGURE 1 7 A typical tool tip Tool tips show you iol x the function of each File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express 16 x tool and a description ORALA HSD AC ARARA AR a Y MA lA A fenaa a of the tool is also AutoCAD Classic w lt 0 OS Dm sete displayed in the 7 Z status
53. this list contains the same two options found in the Workspaces message box at appears in step 1 6 The current default file drawing1 dwg is set up for 3D modeling including a perspective view For this chapter create a new file set of for 2D by choosing File gt New The Select Tem plate dialog box appears ook in Template gt w Q x E Views v Toos v Preview CPTWTemplates O SheetSets E acad3D dwt 150K E acad Named Plot Styles dwt 47K acadisos dwt i acadISO Mamed Plot Styles dwt 47K P acadiso dwt 0 ANSI A portrait Color Depe 53K 9 ANSI A portrait Mamed Plot 53K 09 ANSI A Color Dependent Plot 54K EJ ANSI A Mamed Plot Styles dwt 54K 9 ANSI B Color Dependent Plot 53K ANSI B Named Plot Styles dwt ml anict o Caley Nanandant Niat Files of type Drawing Template dwt 7 Select acad dwt from the list and click Open A new file called drawing2 dwg appears e 48 os 0878book fm Page 3 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW You ve got AutoCAD set up for 2D drawing so let s take a more detailed look at the AutoCAD window You ll find that for the most part itis a typical Windows style graphics program window with a few twists FIGURE 1 1 AutoCAD as it first appears when opened into a 3D Modeling workspace in the top image or the AutoCAD Classic workspace in the bottom image
54. ting The panel expands to display a list of command names that start with the letter C 5 Look down the list and click the word Copy A description of the Copy command appears in the panel to the right You also have the Concepts Procedures and Commands tabs along the top of the panel on the right These options provide more detailed information on the use of the selected item If you want to back up through the steps you have just taken click the Back button on the toolbar o o os 0878book fm Page 31 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM GETTING HELP 31 Using the Search Tab If you re a beginning AutoCAD user looking for help the Help window s table of contents may not be as useful as it could be To use it you have to know a little about what you re looking for Some times it s quicker to use the Search feature of the Help window 1 Click the Search tab in the left panel If this is the first time you ve selected the Search tab you might see a message telling you that AutoCAD is setting up an index for searches 2 Type Change in the text box at the top of the Search tab and then click Ask or press J The list box displays all the items in the Help system that contain the word Change In this example the list that is returned is quite large You can use Boolean AND OR NEAR and NOT in conjunction with other keywords to help filter your searches Once you ve found the topic you re looking for select
55. tte may not appear on the screen but you can easily retrieve them by clicking buttons on the toolbar at the top of the AutoCAD window If you don t see them don t worry At this point they aren t essential for new users Your AutoCAD window should look like Figure 1 1 which shows the default configuration for a new AutoCAD installation Since AutoCAD is so easily customizable you may not see exactly the same layout but the basic components should be there As with typical Windows programs AutoCAD has a menu bar along the top that contains most of the common functions you ll need to work with see Figure 1 2 Below that are toolbars for quick access to settings and the more common drawing and editing tools You also have toolbars to the right and left of the window The Draw toolbar at the left contains tools you use to place new objects in your drawing and the Modify toolbar at the right contains tools you use to edit objects These toolbars provide the same functions as the Draw and Modify menu bar options o o os 0878book fm Page 5 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW FIGURE 1 2 Menu bar Standard toolbar Styles toolbar The components of the top of the E AutoCAD 2007 Drawing2 dwg o x Tl Eile Edit Yiew Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express x AutoCAD window 2 b 2AM OOrs4 F LAARA ome decd Standad ll xf Standard
56. uaCAD Class BEEE e m e e lE Eo o E Workspace toolbar Layers toolbar Properties toolbar In the middle is the drawing area where you will do your actual drawing One difference between the bottom of Figure 1 1 and what you see on your screen is that the background in the default AutoCAD drawing area is black This helps with the visibility of lines on the computer screen But in this book you will see the drawing area background shown in white because in print drawings with a white background are easier to see At the bottom of the screen is the status bar which provides information regarding many of the settings you ll use in AutoCAD Just above the status bar is the Command window which is some what unique to AutoCAD You ll learn more about the Command window a bit later in this chapter Just as you can do in other Windows programs you can move toolbars and reshape them to your liking The default location of the toolbars is in their docked position which just means that they are merged with the outer edge of the window to save space You can drag them out into the drawing area and reshape them if you like or you can reposition them anywhere in the screen When toolbars are moved away from the edge of the window and appear free floating they are said to be floating toolbars as opposed to docked Another unique item in AutoCAD s window is the set of Tool palettes shown in Figure 1 3 These palettes let you keep your favorite tools a
57. upper right region of the drawing area A rectangle appears see Figure 1 6 You ll learn more about the different cursor shapes and what they mean later in this chapter Next try deleting the rectangle you just drew 1 Place the cursor on top of the rectangle but don t do anything yet Notice that as you pass the cursor over the rectangle it is highlighted In a crowded drawing this highlighting can help you determine exactly what will be selected should you click the mouse on an object With the cursor on the rectangle and the rectangle highlighted click the left mouse button The rectangle is selected Press the Delete key The rectangle is removed from the drawing an P 48 os 0878book fm Page 13 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 13 In step 1 AutoCAD shows you exactly what the cursor is pointing to by highlighting objects that will be selected with the next mouse click In drawing and erasing the rectangle you were exposed to the most common processes you need to know about to work in AutoCAD you selected a command from the menu bar and then you selected points in the drawing area while following the messages in the Command window Commands from the toolbars work in the same way as you ll see next oe I RTE Sele cting the first A File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express lj x point of a recta
58. ws you to select them for editing Also notice that you see the words Specify opposite corner in the Dynamic Input display This tells you that you have started a selection window and you need to select the opposite corner for the window 3 Move the cursor a bit in any direction then click the left mouse button again Notice that the selection window disappears Had there been objects within the selection window they would be selected This is similar to the way the mouse cursor behaves on the Windows Desktop only in Windows you have to click and drag the mouse button to create a selection window 4 Try selecting several more points in the drawing area Notice that as you click the mouse you alternately start and end a selection window As you click inside the drawing area you may notice that depending on whether you click to the right or the left of the last point the selection window displays a different color If you click from left to right the selection window appears blue From right to left it s green These colors indi cate a different mode of selection which you ll learn about a bit later o o os 0878book fm Page 8 Wednesday March 15 2006 8 31 PM 8 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD If you click the right mouse button the shortcut menu appears Just as with most other Windows applications a right mouse click frequently opens a menu that contains options that are context sen sitive This me
59. y 30 units high The units can be inches meters or millimeters You determine what the units are equivalent to through the Drawing Units dialog box which you will learn about in Chapter 2 The drawing area you re presented with initially is your workspace though you re not limited to the 60 by 30 unit area in any way No visual clues indicate the size of the area To check the area size for yourself move the crosshair cursor to the upper right corner of the screen and observe the value in the coordinate readout in the lower left corner of the AutoCAD window This is the stan dard AutoCAD default drawing area for new drawings using the acad dwt drawing template Point here A AutoCAD 2007 C Documents and Settings George Omura My Documents My First Dra i d w J o x File Edit View Insert Format Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Help Express x JO RSAR BOs AC LAARA AlB Aaa Puccap cessie aa m SI e E eya z ri J A oO amp o0 a O 38 F oS ee D v3 oO i O 2 se y i a sf a m a Cormand saveas Command 4 gt 55 9942 28 9893 0 0000 SNAP GRID ORTHO POLAR OSNaP OTRACK DUCS DYN LWT MODEL SFP Uz Read the coordinate here WARNING The coordinate readout won t show exactly 60 units by 30 units because the propor tions of your drawing area are not likely to be exactly 6 x 3 Factors such as the size and resolution
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