Wiley Mastering AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009
Contents
1. 9 10 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE NOTE If you look carefully at the command descriptions in the tool tip about halfway down you II see an odd word with an icon to the left This is the keyboard command equivalent to the highlighted option in the menu You can type these keyboard commands to start the tool or menu item that you re pointing to You don t have to memorize these command names but knowing them will be helpful to you later if you want to customize AutoCAD FIGURE 1 5 The View option in the Menu Browser showing atypical tool tip Porat Tools Draw Dimension Modify Window Hels Express vi Recent Documents EB Open Documents T Recent Actions FE Options 3 Some of the menu items have triangular arrowheads to their left This means the option has additional choices For instance click on the Zoom option and another set of options appears below it This new set of options is called a cascading menu Whenever you see a menu item with the triangular pointer you know that this item opens a cascading menu F Bedraw Regen Tegen Al Zoom Pam 2 Steering wheels E ShowMotion rbit Camera Walk and Fly Aerial View ean Soren Viewporns Fa Hamad Views 20 Views ci Greate Camera Show Annobetive Objects 2 Hide visual Styles Render TTT Matan Gath jrinisticee offering a more detailed set of options Create Lamera Options with ieee arrowheads2. Click the title bar to expand the panel UNDERSTANDING FLYOUTS One more feature you ll want to know about are the flyouts Flyouts are similar to the expanded panels because you can click on an arrowhead to gain access to additional tools Instead of a whole panel however flyouts give you access to different methods for using a particular tool For example AutoCAD lets you draw circles in several different ways so it offers a flyout for the Circle tool in the Home tab s Draw panel If you click the arrowhead next to the circle icon in the Draw panel you ll see additional tools for drawing circles see Figure 1 9 FIGURE 1 9 Flyouts Click the flyout arrowhead to display additional tools CA Tan Tan Radius C Tan Tan Tan If you select a tool option from a flyout that option becomes the default tool for that icon For example if you hover your cursor over the circle icon in the Draw panel you ll see that the tool tip shows Center Radius for the tool s name If you click the arrowhead next to the Center Radius tool and select 2 Point then 2 Point becomes the default tool and you ll see 2 Point for the name of the tool in the tool tip see Figure 1 10 TAKINGAGUIDEDTOUR 15 FIGURE 1 10 The tool with a fly out will change to O eso the last tool used ee F Press F1 for more belie 2 Point a Crashers te vary bao endpoints of the betebar The Circle tool starts Nt Sr ____ out as Ce
3. In this section you ll enlarge a portion of the clip drawing to get a more detailed look To tell AutoCAD which area you want to enlarge you use what is called a zoom window You ll start by switching to a Model Space view of the drawing The Model Space view places you in a workspace where you do most of your drawing creation and editing Follow these steps 1 Click the Model tool on the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window Be Wes aicr Your view changes to show the full 3D model with the 2D representations of the model see Figure 1 14 FIGURE 1 14 3D model with 2D representations of the model 2 From the Menu Browser choose View gt 3D Views gt Plan View gt World UCS You can also type PLANIWUW Your display changes to a two dimensional view looking down on the drawing as shown in Figure 1 15 20 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE FIGURE 1 15 Placing the zoom window around the clip And then First click here click here You can also click the Window tool from the Zoom flyout in the Home tab s Utilities panel or type the command ZA Hv y Properties Click the flyout Cp Select Window 3 WORKING WITH AUTOCAD 21 The Command window and the dynamic input display show the Specify corner of window prompt with some options Look at the top image in Figure 1 15 Move the crosshair cursor to a location similar to the one shown in the
4. You may have noticed that the commands in the menu bar and the items in the drop down menus all have an underlined character By pressing the Alt key followed by the key corresponding to the underlined character you activate that command or option without having to engage the mouse For example to choose File gt Open press Alt then F and then finally O Alt F 0 Many tools and commands have keyboard shortcuts Shortcuts are one two or three letter abbrevia tions of a command name As you become more proficient with AutoCAD you may find these shortcuts helpful As you work through this book the shortcuts will be identified for your reference Finally if you re feeling adventurous you can create your own accelerator keys and keyboard shortcuts for executing commands by adding them to the AutoCAD support files Chapter 26 discusses how to customize menus Ribbon panels toolbars and keyboard shortcuts WORKING WITH AUTOCAD 17 Working with AutoCAD Now that you ve been introduced to the AutoCAD window your e ready to try using a few AutoCAD commands First you ll open a sample file and make a few modifications to it In the process you ll become familiar with some common methods of operation in AutoCAD Opening an Existing File In this exercise you ll get a chance to see and use a typical Select File dialog box NOTE Before you start make sure you have downloaded and installed the sample files for this book from the
5. Access toolbar and just below that is the Ribbon At the bot tom are the Command window and the status bar The drawing area occupies the rest of the screen You can organize the AutoCAD window into any arrangement you want and save it as a work space You can save and recall a workspace at any time using the Workspace Switching tool in 5 6 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE the status bar you ll learn more about this tool in the next chapter The default workspace in Figure 1 1 is called the 2D Drafting amp Annotation workspace which is one of two workspaces that come built into AutoCAD Figure 1 2 shows AutoCAD s 3D Modeling workspace which has a different set of screen ele ments Figure 1 2 also shows a standard AutoCAD drawing file with a few setting changes to give it a 3D appearance Beneath these external changes the underlying program is the same NOTE You ll learn more about workspaces later in this chapter and in Chapter 26 FIGURE 1 2 Se Sora AutoCAD 2009 Drawing deg SESE o x The 3D Modeling pn AR a te Ae A workspace offers an alternative arrangement of Tool F the elements in the i cect AutoCAD window 7 2 Suirel 1 Blip cal Cylinder i Frushom ore mand REREAD gt RETRAD Jo F eme eefje Coes ed a Fea fre faa The Quick Access toolbar at the top of the drawing area as shown in Figure 1 3 includes the basic file handling functions that you find in
6. Manager palette to the left of the Auto CAD window LT users may see the Info palette to the left of the AutoCAD window FIGURE 1 1 A typical arrange ment of the elements in the AutoCAD window The Sheet Set Manager palette or Info palette for LT is closed for clarity Quick Access toolbar Menu Browser Ribbon Drawing area UCS TAKING A GUIDED TOUR InfoCenter Lue 00 Crosing ky Ey xo PILER E mE eon Tapu J Ola d ee BR beens SB 4 tebe Ehe E fit y e TY oS Oi EH a a Haii Command rss window Status bar If this is the first time you ve started AutoCAD since you installed it you re asked to register and authorize AutoCAD in step 2 If you re using the trial version you can use the default serial number 000 00000000 for the one month trial After you ve entered the registration information you see the New Features Workshop window described in step 3 Let s look at the AutoCAD window in detail Don t worry if it seems like a lot of information You don t have to memorize it but by looking at all the parts you ll be aware of what is available in a general way The AutoCAD Window The AutoCAD program window is divided into six parts Menu Browser gt 6M Status bar Quick Access toolbar Ribbon Drawing area Command window Figure 1 1 shown earlier in this chapter shows a typical layout of the AutoCAD program window Along the top is the Quick
7. Sybex website See the introduction for instructions on how to find and download the sample files To start you ll open an existing file 1 Click the close icon in the upper right corner of the drawing area It looks like an X Minimize Restore Down Close A message appears asking whether you want to save the changes you ve made to the cur rent drawing Click No 2 Click the Open tool in the Quick Access toolbar to open the Select File dialog box This is a typical Windows file dialog box with an added twist In the large Preview box on the right you can preview a drawing before you open it thereby saving time while searching for files To the left is a panel known as the Places list in which you can find frequently used locations on your computer or the Internet see Figure 1 12 NOTE If you don t see a Preview box in the Select File dialog box click the word Views in the upper right corner and select Preview from the list that appears 18 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE FIGURE 1 12 z a LJ Select File The Select File EN Look in E Chapter 0 Ta g vew Took dialog box Preview Fe Mame a Extra Samples Histon 9 bey Documanls x Favorites Va FTF Ly L J Deskion Le Cl Select Initial view File name clp dwg Fles ot type Draws diah o 3 In the Select File dialog box open the Look In drop down list and
8. THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE FIGURE 1 22 a a The Tool palettes de Mc offer predrawn symbols that you can easily place in your drawings Select a tab containing predrawn symbols you want to use Click on a symbol The symbol appears l at the cursor ready to be placed in a the drawing ey ziu soe lees r a F Snchor Frid rpari ial coo edd Semibc Igris za e 2 igg Poole Erari inpri In addition to predrawn objects the Tool palettes offer a way to add fill patterns and other components quickly to your drawing They re great tools to help you manage your library of custom predrawn symbols Chapter 25 shows you how to use and customize the Tool palettes The Bottom Line Using the AutoCAD Window AutoCAD is a typical Windows graphics program that makes use of menus toolbars Ribbon panels and palettes If you ve used other graphics pro grams you ll see at least a few familiar tools Master It Name the components of the AutoCAD window you can use to select a func tion Getting a Closer Look with the Zoom Command One of the first things you ll want to learn is how to manipulate your views The Zoom command is a common tool in graphics programs Master It Name at least two ways of zooming into a view Saving a File As You Work Nothing is more frustrating than having a power failure cause you to lose hours of work It s a good idea to save your work frequently A
9. Zoom tool on the status bar then right click and select Enter You can also right click and choose Zoom from the shortcut menu The cursor changes to a magnifying glass Place the Zoom Realtime cursor slightly above the center of the drawing area and then click and drag downward Your view zooms out to show more of the drawing While still holding the left mouse button move the cursor upward Your view zooms in to enlarge your view When you have a view similar to the one shown in Figure 1 16 re lease the mouse button Don t worry if you don t get exactly the same view as the figure This is just for practice You re still in Zoom Realtime mode Click and drag the mouse again to see how you can further adjust your view To exit you can select another command besides a Zoom or Pan press the Esc key or right click your mouse and choose Exit from the shortcut menu 22 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE 5 Right click now and choose Exit from the shortcut menu to exit the Zoom Realtime command FIGURE 1 16 The final view you want to achieve in step 3 of the exercise NOTE If you prefer you can use the wheel on your mouse to zoom and pan over your view Roll the wheel to zoom in and out or click and drag the wheel to pan As you can see from this exercise you have a wide range of options for viewing your draw ings just by using a few tools These tools are all you need to control the display
10. a expand to show a avers E i more options Options with icons invoke commands and will show tool tips when you hover your cursor over them Tool tips give a brief description Ctri 0 of the option as well as the proper command name for the option Tool tip name Description Command name Crestes a camera object in model space gy CAMERA C Press Fi for more help F PA 1 Exit AutoCAD 4 Other menu options are followed by an ellipsis This indicates that the option dis plays a dialog box For instance move the highlight cursor to the Named View option in the Menu Browser s View option The View Manager dialog box appears 5 Click Cancel to exit the dialog box In addition to offering most of the AutoCAD commands the Menu Browser gives you a con venient way to find recently used commands and files If you look at the bottom of the Menu Browser you ll see three items Recent Documents Open Documents and Recent Actions as shown in Figure 1 6 If you point to or click on an option the panel to the right changes to show you a list pertaining to it For example if you point to Recent Documents the panel to the right displays a list of files on which you have recently worked TAKINGAGUIDEDTOUR 11 FIGURE 1 6 i A lil Options at the Search menu bottom of the Menu eae 7 n Wess Use the View tool to change Browsersiveyou om oe NEY ready access to Inse
11. locate the Chapter 01 folder of the Mastering AutoCAD 2009 sample files You may need to explore the list to find it 4 Move the arrow cursor to the clip dwg file and click it Notice that the clip dwg filename now appears in the File Name input box above the file list The Preview box also now shows a thumbnail image of the file Be aware that files from older versions of AutoCAD may not show a thumbnail 5 Click the Open button at the bottom of the Select File dialog box AutoCAD opens the clip dwg file as shown in Figure 1 13 The clip dwg file opens to display a layout view of the drawing A layout is a type of view in which you lay out different views of your drawing in preparation for printing You can tell you are in a layout view by the white area over the gray background This white area represents your drawing on a printed page This view is like a print preview FIGURE 1 13 The Layout1 view of the clip dwg file WORKING WITH AUTOCAD 19 Also note that the AutoCAD window s title bar displays the name of the drawing This offers easy identification of the file This particular file contains both 2D drawings and a 3D model of a typical locking clip The Layoutview shows a top front and right side view as well as an isometric view Getting a Closer Look One of the most frequently used commands is Zoom which gives you a closer look at part of your drawing This command offers a variety of ways to control your view
12. more about flyouts a bit later in this chapter NOTE As you work through this book I will ask you to select tools from the Ribbon panels You Il often be asked to switch between different tabs to select tools from other sets of panels To make the process simpler to read PII use a somewhat abbreviated description of a tools location For example to use the Line tool Pll say Click the Line tool from the Home tab s Draw panel To use the Move tool PI say Click the Move tool in the Home tab s Modify panel and so on EXPANDING PANELS In addition to the visible tools a few tools are hidden from view You can expand many of the Ribbon panels to select more tools If you see an arrowhead to the right of a panel s title bar you can click the title bar to expand the panel see Figure 1 8 The set of tools expands to reveal some additional tools If you click in the drawing area the expanded panel shrinks back to its original size As an alternative you can click the pushpin icon in the expanded panel title bar to lock the panel in its open position NOTE From now on 1l refer to the location of additional tools as the expanded panel For example PI say Click the Ray tool in the expanded Draw panel when 1 want you to select the Ray tool 14 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE FIGURE 1 8 The arrowhead in the panel title bar tells you that additional tools are available
13. nearly all Windows programs The Ribbon provides nearly all the commands you ll need using icon tools In the upper left corner the red AutoCAD icon features the Menu Browser which is like a navigation panel offering many of the same commands as the Ribbon panel The drawing area occupies most of the screen Everything you draw appears in this area As you move your mouse around crosshairs appear to move within the drawing area This is the drawing cursor that lets you point to locations in the drawing area FIGURE 1 3 The Quick Access toolbar featuring basic Windows file handling func tions appears above the Ribbon to the right of the Menu Browser TAKING A GUIDED TOUR Quick Access toolbar J InfoCenter ee a me Sa AutoCAD 2009 Drawing dve ie CES 5 x Ribbon tabs r Home iis a e f v 244 Ribbon panels Ribbon panel title bars The Command window located just below the drawing area gives you feedback about Auto CAD s commands as you use them You can move and resize this window just as you move and resize other display components By default the Command window is in its docked position as shown in Figure 1 4 FIGURE 1 4 The Command window and the status bar UCS icon Command and customize z index lt 0 gt 4 window Command Specify opposite corner Command Status bar MAM Coordinate readout Below the Command window is the status bar see Figure 1 4 The s
14. 009 LT these icons can help you focus on the topics that are more relevant to your work NOTE AutoCAD 2009 is designed to run on Windows XP and Windows Vista This book was written using AutoCAD 2009 running on Windows XP Professional If you already installed AutoCAD and are ready to jump in and take a look proceed with the following steps to launch the program 1 Choose Start gt All Programs gt Autodesk gt AutoCAD 2009 gt AutoCAD 2009 You can also double click the AutoCAD 2009 icon on your Windows Desktop LT users will use AutoCAD LT 2009 in place of AutoCAD 2009 2 The opening greeting called a splash screen tells you which version of AutoCAD you re using to whom the program is registered and the AutoCAD dealer s name and phone number should you need help If this is the first time you ve started AutoCAD after in stalling it you ll also see a dialog box asking you to register the product 3 You may also see the New Features Workshop screen which offers a set of tutorials showing you the new features of AutoCAD 2009 Click the No Don t Show Me This Again or Maybe Later radio button and click OK You can always get to the New Fea tures Workshop screen from the AutoCAD Help menu in the Menu Browser 4 The AutoCAD window displays a blank default document named Drawing1 dwg as shown in Figure 1 1 Although it doesn t appear in Figure 1 1 to show more of the draw ing area AutoCAD users may see the Sheet Set
15. Input display Specify other corner point or Area Dimensions Rotation FIGURE 1 18 i Drawing dR Selecting the first point of a rectangle 3 Click another point anywhere in the upper right region of the drawing area A rectangle appears see Figure 1 19 You ll learn more about the different cursor shapes and what they mean in Chapter 2 26 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE FIGURE 1 19 E Crawing dap After you ve selected the first point of the rect angle you see a rectangle follow the motion of your mouse 4 5 Let s try copying objects between these two files Click in the window with the clip draw ing to make it active Click All from the Zoom flyout in the Home tab s Utilities panel to get an overall view of the drawing You can also click the Zoom tool in the status bar and type AH see Figure 1 20 FIGURE 1 20 EC The Zoom flyout T Ey gives you an over all view of your Q window drawing Co ES a Realtime A Dynamic he Click the 2D version of the clip at the bottom of the drawing to select it A series of squares and arrows appears on the drawing These are called grips and you ll learn more about them in the next chapter see Figure 1 21 Right click and select Copy Click inside the other drawing window to make it active Right click and select Paste The clip appears at the cursor in the new drawing Position the clip in the middl
16. The Basics In this part Chapter1 Exploring the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface Chapter 2 Creating Your First Drawing Chapter 3 Setting Up and Using AutoCAD s Drafting Tools Chapter 4 Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups Chapter 5 Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks Exploring the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface Before you can start to use AutoCAD 2009 s new capabilities you ll need to become familiar with the basics If you re completely new to AutoCAD you ll want to read this first chapter care fully It introduces you to many of AutoCAD s basic operations such as opening and closing files getting a close up look at part of a drawing and changing a drawing If you re familiar with earlier versions of AutoCAD you should review this chapter anyway to get acquainted with the features you haven t already used Autodesk releases new versions of AutoCAD every year Part of this strategy is to introduce improvements that focus on a particular category of features This latest version AutoCAD 2009 includes several new features focused on the user interface AutoCAD now sports a new tool panel called the Ribbon which includes the most common tools needed to produce technical drawings of all types There is more information available on every tool making this version of AutoCAD one of the easiest to learn All you have to do is hover your cursor over a tool or menu option to find out what it s for and how to
17. a menu opens displaying the same options that are listed in the Command prompt plus some ad ditional options Finally the Dynamic input display allows you to enter dimensional data of objects as you draw them Besides echoing the command line messages the Dynamic input display shows temporary dimensions coordinates and angles of objects you re drawing and editing As you enter coordinate or angle values through the keyboard they appear in the Dynamic Input display You can easily turn the Dynamic In put display on or off by clicking on the Dynamic Input tool in the status bar When the Dynamic Input display is turned off your keyboard input appears in the Command window The Ribbon The most prominent feature in the AutoCAD window besides the drawing area is the Ribbon see Figure 1 7 This is where you ll be selecting tools to draw edit or perform other functions The Ribbon contains a set of panels representing groups of tools and features The name of each Ribbon panel is found in its title bar at the bottom of the panel Ribbon panels are further organized by the tabs that appear above them All of the tools in the Ribbon offer tool tips that provide a short description to help you understand what each tool icon represents FIGURE 1 7 ye urarea Rutot Ab 2009 Drawing dwg E Hm a Tonk View utp Ribbon tabs Eee pooner fof OO OT Bld th OB om A uve AE SG ae a from a Ribbon Gr helmet ein Dates r Ribbo
18. c Input display allow AutoCAD to provide text feedback on your actions You can think of these features as a chat window to AutoCAD as you enter commands AutoCAD responds with messages As you become more familiar with AutoCAD you may find you don t need to rely on the Command window and Dynamic Input display as much For new and casual users however the Command window and Dynamic Input display can be helpful in understanding what steps to take as you work The Menu Browser The Menu Browser is a bit like the Folders view in the Explore bar of Windows Explorer It dis plays the different categories of commands in a vertical column Click on a category and the list expands to show more options Try it out to see how it works firsthand 1 Click the Menu Browser icon and then point to the View option The list of items that appears includes the commands and settings that let you control the way AutoCAD displays your drawings see Figure 1 5 Don t worry if you don t understand them yet you ll get to know them in later chapters NOTE LT users won t see the Render option in the View menu 2 Move the highlight cursor slowly down the list of view options in the right hand column As you highlight some of the options notice that a tool tip appears just below These tool tips help you choose the menu option you need Other items that show an arrowhead to the left will expand to show more options when you click on them see Figure 1 5
19. e of the rectangle you drew earlier and left click the mouse The clip is copied into the second drawing This ends the exercises for this chapter Save the file and then exit AutoCAD WORKING WITH AUTOCAD 27 FIGURE 1 21 Grips shown in the 2D drawing Select this part of the drawing Now you ve had two files open at once You can have as many files open as you want as long as your computer has adequate memory to accommodate them You can control the individual document windows as you would any window using the Window drop down menu or the win dow control buttons in the upper right corner of the document window Adding a Predrawn Symbol with the Tool Palette In the preceding exercise you saw how you can easily copy an object from one file to another by using the standard Windows Cut and Paste tools AutoCAD offers a Tool Palettes tool that lets you click and drag predrawn objects into your drawing You can open the Tool palettes by clicking the Tool Palettes tool in the View tab s Palettes panel View tab Tool Palettes tool in Palettes panel Gry anj ii S Bas w Named New E FA Properties Sheet Set e o M Manager arts Palettes Once it s open you can select a tab in the Tool Palettes window containing the predrawn ob jects you want to use and then click the specific object you want to add The object appears at the cursor ready for you to select a location see Figure 1 22 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING
20. erything you tellit to and no more You communicate with AutoCAD by using tools and menu options These devices invoke AutoCAD commands A command is a single word instruction you give to AutoCAD telling it to do something such as draw a line the Line tool in the Draw Ribbon panel or erase an object the Erase tool in the Modify Ribbon panel Whenever you invoke acommand by either typing it or selecting a menu or tool AutoCAD responds by presenting messages to you in the Command window and the dynamic input display or by displaying a dialog box 12 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE The messages in the Command window orin the Dynamic input display often tell you what to do next or they may display a list of options A single command often presents a series of messages which you answer to complete the command These messages serve as an aid to new users who need a little help If you ever get lost while using a command or forget what you re supposed to do look at the Command window for clues As you become more comfortable with AutoCAD you ll find that you won t need to refer to these messages as frequently As an additional aid you can right click to display a context sensitive shortcut menu That is if you re in the middle of a command this menu displays a list of options specifically related to that command For example if you right click your mouse before picking the first point for the rectangle command
21. figure then left click the mouse Move the cursor and the rectangle appears with one corner fixed on the point you just picked the other corner follows the cursor The Command window and Dynamic Input display now show the Specify first corner and Specify opposite corner prompts Position the other corner of the zoom window so it encloses the lower image of the clip as shown in Figure 1 15 and left click the mouse again The clip enlarges to fill the screen In this exercise you used the Window option of the Zoom command to define an area to enlarge for your close up view You saw how AutoCAD prompts you to indicate first one corner of the window selection and then the other These messages are helpful for first time users of AutoCAD You ll use the Window option frequently not just to define views but also to select objects for editing Getting a close up view of your drawing is crucial to working accurately but you ll often want to return to a previous view to get the overall picture To do so choose Previous from the Zoom flyout in the Home tab s Utilities panel i Byl A D i h J I Extents Q Window C2 Previous Cc Realtime Rs Do this now and the previous view the one showing the entire clip returns to the screen You can quickly enlarge or reduce your view by using the Zoom Realtime option of the Zoom command Follow these steps to change your view with Zoom Realtime 1 Click the
22. ght click in a blank area of the Quick Access toolbar and select Toolbars gt AutoCAD gt Dimension The Dimension toolbar appears in the drawing area see Figure 1 11 Right click the Quick Access toolbar to open the context sensitive menu and then select Toolbars gt AutoCAD gt Dimension FIGURE 1 11 The Quick Access toolbar Customize Gud Acess Toia Show Menu Bar gt DOE SD Navigation e a COHTENTSEAR C I CAD Standards EXPRESS F Camera Souetment G moreso o ee Dr er Dren Order Find Text The Dimension toolbar appears HAF OSA Me Ma T m kA eA Pel Standard ei 2 You won t need the Dimension toolbar right now so go ahead and close it by clicking the X in the upper right corner of the toolbar AutoCAD remembers your toolbar arrangement between sessions When you exit and then reopen AutoCAD later the AutoCAD window appears just as you left it TOOLS VERSUS THE KEYBOARD Throughout this book yov ll be told to select tools from the Ribbon panels to invoke commands For new and experienced users alike the Ribbon panels offer an easy to remember method for accessing commands If you re an experienced AutoCAD user you can type commands directly from the key board Most of the keyboard commands you know and love still work as they did before Another method for accessing commands is to use accelerator keys which are special keystrokes that open and activate drop down menu options
23. ighting objects as you hover the cursor over them Once you ve clicked an object or a set of objects press to move on to the next step This sequence of steps is common to many of the commands you ll work with in AutoCAD see Figure 1 17 NOTE You can also click an object or a set of objects and then press the Delete key without using the Erase tool 24 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE FIGURE 1 17 Erasing a portion of the clip Click here Working with Multiple Files You can have multiple documents open at the same time in AutoCAD This can be especially helpful if you want to exchange parts of drawings between files or if you want another file open for reference Try the following exercise to see how multiple documents work in AutoCAD 5 1 Click the New tool on the Quick Access toolbar to open the Select Template dialog box NOTE If you see the Create New Drawing dialog box after step 1 click the Start from Scratch button and select Imperial then click OK and AutoCAD will display a default document You ll learn more about the Create New Drawing dialog box in Chapter 3 2 Make sure acad dwt is selected and then click Open 3 Click the Menu Browser and choose Window gt Tile Vertically to get a view of both draw ing files This option in the Menu Browser acts just like its counterpart in other Windows programs allowing for multiple document editing NOTE When you create a new file in A
24. n panels Polyline panel tool Di Crashes a 20 pulire Lezan _F Ribbon panel rer src Taen cece seaght ine SETETE Se secari SF title bars Hian Tool name Description tutorial ee Keyboard command equivalent E Fress F1 for more help Context sensitive help TAKINGAGUIDEDTOUR 13 NOTE If you see only the Ribbon tabs right click on one of the tabs and choose Minimize gt Show Full Ribbon If you don t even see the tabs press the Esc key twice and type Ribbon Move the arrow cursor onto one of the Ribbon panel tools and leave it there for a moment you ll see a tool tip appear just below the cursor Hold the cursor there a bit longer and the tool tip changes to give you even more information about the tool In most cases you ll be able to guess what each tool does by looking at its icon The icon with an arc in the Draw Ribbon panel for instance indicates that the tool draws arcs the one with the circle shows that the tool draws circles and so on For further clarification the tool tip gives you the name of the tool As a new user you ll find these tool tips helpful because they show you the name of the tool and a brief description of how to use it Typically when I ask you to select a tool Fl use the name shown in the tool tip to help you identify the tool In the case of a tool with flyouts the tool name changes under different conditions For those tools I ll describe the tool using a gen eral description You ll learn
25. nter Radius 7 stan oo Fey Tan Tan Rachie Z S Select 2 Point from the flyout and irnn the default Circle tool becomes 2 Point NOTE Since the tool tip names of tools with flyouts can change describing them by name can be a bit prob lematic the name may have changed based on the last tool you used from a flyout For this reason if a tool has a flyout I ll refer to it by a general name that is related to the set of tools in a flyout rather than by the tool tip name For example Il call the circle icon tool the Circle tool rather than the Cen ter Radius tool Likewise I ll refer to the magnifying glass icon in the Utilities panel as the Zoom tool instead of the Extents tool The Zoom tool Thy amp m Xv Utilities The Toolbars Between the Ribbon and the Menu Browser you ll be able to find nearly every tool you ll need At times however you may want readily available on the screen a set of tools that is geared to ward a specific task AutoCAD offers a number of toolbars that contain tools for specific types of drawing functions For example the View toolbar offers a set of tools that quickly give you a 3D view The Inquiry toolbar contains tools that display information about your drawing 16 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE As you work though this book occasionally you ll be asked to open other toolbars To get familiar with the process try opening and closing one now 1 Ri
26. oes in this chapter see Chapter 21 for more information THE COMMAND WINDOW At the bottom of the screen just above the status bar is a small horizontal window called the Command window Here AutoCAD displays responses to your input By default it shows two lines of text The bottom line shows the current messages and the top line shows messages that have scrolled by or in some cases components of the current message that don t fit in a single line Right now the bottom line displays the message Command see Figure 1 4 earlier in this chapter This prompt tells you that AutoCAD is waiting for your instructions When you click a TAKING A GUIDED TOUR point in the drawing area you see the message Specify opposite corner At the same time the cursor starts to draw a window selection that disappears when you click another point The same message appears in the Dynamic Input display at the cursor As a new user pay special attention to messages displayed in the Command window and the Dynamic Input display because this is how AutoCAD communicates with you Besides giving you messages the Command window records your activity within AutoCAD You can use the scroll bar to the right of the Command window to review previous messages You can also en large the window for a better view Chapter 2 discusses these components in more detail Now let s look at AutoCAD s window components in detail NOTE The Command window and the Dynami
27. of 2D drawings Saving a File as You Work It s a good idea to save your file periodically as you work on it As with any Windows program you can save it under its original name click the Save tool on the Quick Access toolbar or under a different name choose File gt Save As from the Menu Browser thereby creating a new file By default AutoCAD automatically saves your work at 10 minute intervals under a name that is a combination of the current filename plus a number and that ends with the sv filename extension this is known as the Automatic Save feature Using settings in the Options dialog box or system variables you can change the name of the autosaved file and control the time between autosaves See The Open and Save Tab in Appendix A for details Re WORKING WITH AUTOCAD 23 NOTE By default in Windows XP the Automatic Save file is storedin C Documents and Settings User Name Local Settings Temp You can find the exact location for your system by typing Savefile path at the Command prompt This file location is often set as a hidden folder so you may need to set up Windows Explorer to display hidden folders before you can get to the Automatic Save file See Appendix A for information on how to do this Making Changes You ll frequently make changes to your drawings One of AutoCAD s primary advantages is the ease with which you can make changes The following exercise shows you a typical sequence of operation
28. ral more points in the drawing area Notice that as you click the mouse you alternately start and end a window selection If you happen to click the right mouse button a shortcut menu appears A right click fre quently opens a menu containing options that are context sensitive This means the contents of the shortcut menu depend on the location where you right click as well as the command that is active at the time If there are no appropriate options at the time of the right click AutoCAD treats the right click as an J 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 THE UCS ICON In the lower left corner of the drawing area you see an L shaped arrow This is the User Coordinate System UCS icon which tells you your orientation in the drawing This icon becomes helpful as you start to work with complex 2D drawings and 3D models The X and Y arrows indicate the X and Y axes of your drawing The little square at the base of the arrows tells you that you re in what is called the World Coordinate System WCS Chapter 21 discusses this icon in detail For now you can use it as a reference to tell you the direction of the axes IF YOU CAN T FIND THE UCS ICON The UCS icon can be turned on and off so if you re on someone else s system and you don t see the icon don t panic If you don t see the icon or it doesn t look as it d
29. rt 2 GQ HATCH PATTERN DWS recent files and Format 7 ae 3 HATCH PATTERNZ DWG actions oe Draw C DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS ADMINISTRATOR PC1S DESKTOF Hover over an item Dimension hel eer in the list to get il BRADA information about srj a the item and a Express preview image Recent Documents E aaa These options give you mo Recent Actions jain at access to recent documents Epione C Bet Autocan and actions You can use the View tool in the upper right portion of the Menu Browser to select the way the list of files are displayed in a manner similar to the way you would use the Windows Explor er Views option You can click on this icon and select Medium Images to have the list display the files with thumbnail images of their content Hover over a file name and you will see a tool tip that displays a larger thumbnail of the drawing The Open Documents option lets you quickly change from one open file to another when you are viewing your files full screen Finally the Recent Actions option lists recent activity in the Menu Browser You can repeat an action you ve performed through the Menu Browser by select ing from this list This is a handy tool if you are performing repetitive tasks though you have to remember to start the task from the Menu Browser before they will become available under the Recent Actions option COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMMAND WINDOW AND DYNAMIC INPUT DISPLAY AutoCAD is the perfect servant It does ev
30. s involved in changing a drawing 1 Use the File gt Save As Menu Browser option to save the current Clip dwg file under the name MyFirst For convenience you can save your files in the My Documents folder 2 From the Home tab s Modify panel click the Erase tool the one with a pencil eraser touching paper This activates the Erase command Notice that the cursor has turned into a small square This square is called the pickbox You also see Select objects in the Command window and the Dynamic Input display This message helps remind new users what to do 3 Move the pickbox over the drawing placing it on various parts of the clip Don t click anything yet Notice that as you hover your cursor over objects with the pickbox they re highlighted This helps you see the objects that the pickbox is likely to select should you click the left mouse button 4 Place the pickbox on the crosshatch pattern of the clip see Figure 1 17 and click The crosshatch changes in appearance from a dark highlight to a light highlight The pick box and the Select objects prompt remain indicating that you can continue to select objects 5 Press J The crosshatch disappears You ve just erased a part of the drawing In this exercise you first issued the Erase command and then you selected an object by using a pickbox to click it The pickbox tells you that you must select items on the screen and it shows you what you re about to select by highl
31. tatus bar gives you infor mation at a glance about the state of the drawing For example the coordinate readout at the far left of the status bar tells you the location of your cursor The tools in the status bar offer aids to the drafting process PICKING POINTS IN THE DRAWING AREA Now that you ve seen the general layout of AutoCAD take a look at the coordinate readout and the drawing cursor to get a sense of how the parts of the AutoCAD screen work together 1 Move the cursor around in the drawing area As you move it notice how the coordinate readout changes to tell you the cursor s location It shows the coordinates in an X Y Z format 2 Place the cursor in the middle of the drawing area and click the left mouse button Move the cursor and a rectangle follows This is a window selection you ll learn more about this window in Chapter 2 You also see a coordinate readout following the cursor and a mes sage asking you to Specify opposite corner This display at the cursor is called the dynamic input You ll learn more about it a little later in this chapter 7 8 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE NOTE If you don t see the Dynamic Input display click the Dynamic Input tool in the status bar to turn it on 3 Move the cursor a bit in any direction then click the left mouse button again Notice that the window selection disappears as does the Dynamic Input display 4 Try picking seve
32. use it You ll get a chance to explore these new features as you work through this book Before you begin the exercise later in this chapter make sure that you have downloaded the sample files for this book See the Introduction for details Let s get started with some basics This chapter includes the following topics Using the AutoCAD Window Opening an Existing File Getting a Closer Look with the Zoom Command Saving a File As You Work 6 Making Changes and Opening Multiple Files 4 CHAPTER 1 EXPLORING THE AUTOCAD AND AUTOCAD LT INTERFACE Taking a Guided Tour In this section you ll get a chance to familiarize yourself with the AutoCAD screen and how you communicate with AutoCAD As you do the exercises in this chapter you ll also get a feel for how to work with this book Don t worry about understanding or remembering everything you see in this chapter You ll get plenty of opportunities to probe the finer details of the pro gram as you work through the later chapters To help you remember the material you ll find a brief set of questions at the end of each chapter For now just enjoy your first excursion into AutoCAD NOTE In this chapter and throughout the rest of the book when I say AutoCAD I mean both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Some topics apply only to AutoCAD In those situations you Il see an icon indicating that the topic applies only to AutoCAD and not to AutoCAD LT If you re using AutoCAD 2
33. utoCAD you re actually opening a copy of a template file as you saw in step 1 A template file is a blank file that is set up for specific drawing types The acad dwt file is a generic template set up for Imperial measurements Another template file called acadiso dwt is a generic template useful for metric measurements Other templates are set up for specific drawing sheet sizes and measurement systems You ll learn more about templates in Chapter 6 WORKING WITH AUTOCAD 25 Next let s try drawing a rectangle to see how AutoCAD behaves while drawing objects 1 Click the Rectangle tool in the Home tab s Draw panel Notice that the Command window and the message at the cursor now shows the follow ing prompt Specify first corner point or AutoCAD is asking you to select the first corner for the rectangle and in brackets it s offering 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 You also see the same prompt minus the bracketed options in the Dynamic Input display at the cursor 2 Click a point roughly in the lower left corner of the drawing area as shown in Figure 1 18 Now as you move your mouse a rectangle follows the cursor with one corner fixed at the position you just selected You also see the following prompt in the Command window with a similar prompt in the Dynamic
34. utoCAD offers an autosave feature that can be a lifesaver if you happen to forget to save your files Master It How often does the AutoCAD autosave feature save your drawing Making Changes and Opening Multiple Files As with other Windows programs you can have multiple files open and exchange data between them Master It With two drawings open how can you copy parts of one drawing into the other
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