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Wiley Introducing AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010
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1. Specify otkec zorser point af kres Dimens icns Rotation 1 STARTING COMMANDS 15 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 high lighting can help you determine exactly what will be selected when you click an object 2 With the cursor on the rectangle and the rectangle highlighted click the rectangle The rectangle is selected and the Quick Properties dialog box opens This dialog box gives you access to the properties of the selected object 3 Close the Quick Properties dialog box by clicking the X in its upper right corner You ll see a message box asking whether you want to turn off the Quick Properties panel for all future selected objects 4 Click the answer that says Turn off for all future selected objects You can easily restore the Quick Properties panel feature at any time by clicking the Quick Properties Panel Quick Properties tool in the status bar You ll learn more about the Quick Properties panel in Chapter 4 5 The rectangle is still selected so press the Delete key to delete it This removes the rectangle from the drawing In step 1 AutoCAD shows you exactly what the cursor is pointing to by highlighting objects that will be selected with the next click When drawing and erasing the rectangle
2. 4 Click the second point indicated in Figure 1 18 The area you selected expands to fill the drawing 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 5 Right click and select Pan Notice that the cursor changes to a hand icon 6 Click and drag the cursor in the drawing area Notice how the view moves as you drag the cursor 7 Press Esc to exit the Pan command You can also right click and choose Exit from the context menu 8 Finally to get your original view of the overall drawing open the Zoom flyout again as you did in step 1 and select Previous Figure 1 17 The Window tool on the Zoom flyout od Heme Click the Zoom flyout arrowhead and select Window Figure 1 18 Selecting a Zoom window Click this location first Then click this location to start the Zoom window PANNING AND ZOOMING TO ADJUST YOUR VIEW 21 Several other Zoom and Pan related commands exist 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 that you saw in the magnifying glass icon flyout in the Utilities panel You ll also find options in the Zoom command line options list Al 1 Center Dynamic Extents Previous Scale Window Object lt real time gt Here is a list of the options you ll find in the magnifying glass icon flyout Extents This displays a view that encompasses all the obj
3. 3 4 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD 3 On the Quick Access toolbar click New The Select Template dialog box appears Figure 1 2 4 Select acad3D dwt from the list and click Open A new file called Drawing2 dwg appears Notice that this drawing is in a 3D space Figure 1 3 You ll learn more about 3D modeling in Chapter 6 Figure 1 2 Opening the Select Click New in the Quick Access Toolbar Template dialog box The Select Template dialog box appears Preview Look int Tamplate A mG amp FT Views Took Y Ahs Warme GFTN Templates SheetSets rey acadan At ked Plot SbylesiD det cain acad M4 Type AutoCad Template My Documents gaijacad ded Date Modified 1 16 2009 12 24 PM fo acads S22 166 KE K gon ocadI50 Mamed Plot Stvles3 fa acadi50 Mamed Plat Shyles cut ot ton ocadiso dwt 12 im ritial Setup Architectural Imp j tam ritial Setup Architectural Met ail ritial Setup Crvd Imperial duvt an Initial Setup Civ tetric dt Favortes Fle name acad3D dvt Fies of type Diawing Template dual Figure 1 3 Aub A010 Drawing dhea The AutoCAD A LELE E EE Anmotalt ane Homir Caitpait Frys Took window set up for Greet Blo die alr e Olt Be Algom O 2 Fe 3D modeling Sex inne S seien aI OEE BIO EAT en uea or Mow Gono roam E heres Obit BG e a ole ge AI le Ao i A Modding meh a Solid Editing Drm Modify view eubob
4. Model and Layout tabs de Ma Can Mech Archi Anne Electr aa a ps 3 ory Tables Hake Struc Ill com Tool Palettes All Pale Cylindrical Helix 2D Spiral a Eliptical Cyinder ro ih an fis Frustum Cone E fh Frustum Pyramid xs gt Y OCS Previous Figure 1 6 The Properties palette at left and the tool palettes at right Figure 1 7 The status bar and the command line work with the drawing area to give you feedback as you draw 7 8 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD CONTROLLING THE STATUS BAR DISPLAY To the far right of the status bar you ll see a down pointing triangle or arrow click this arrow to open a menu that controls the display of the status bar You can also just right click in a blank area of the status bar to display this menu You use this menu to turn the items in the status bar on or off A check mark by an item indicates it is currently on If for some reason you do not see all the buttons mentioned in the preceding discussion check this menu to make sure that all the status bar options are turned on Note that the LT version does not have an Otrack option in the status bar Using the Ribbon If you ve used the latest version of Microsoft Office for Windows Vista you ll be familiar with the Ribbon The Ribbon is a bit like a super toolbar that offers quick access to the most commonly used tools In addit
5. appears You ll also see a rubber banding line from the center point you just selected to your cursor Figure 1 20 Using the Arc Finally click here for command the end point First click here for Then click here for the arc center the start point X 26 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD If you point directly to the right you ll see that the rubber banding line snaps to an exact horizontal orientation and you ll see a tooltip appear at the cursor This is a feature called polar tracking vector and it helps you draw in exact horizontal and ver tical directions much like a T square and a triangle The tooltip 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 5 With the rubber banding line pointing to the right click to select a point as shown earlier in Figure 1 20 The prompt Specify end point of arc or Angle chord Length appears 6 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 arc lets you select the arc s endpoint The cursor is in Point Selection mode telling yo
6. enabling you to lock the item in the list If you click Open Documents you ll see a list of documents that are currently open in AutoCAD You ll learn more in the Using the Application Menu section of this chapter 6 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Figure 1 5 The Application menu Click the AutoCAD icon to M __ BE Recent Documents open the Application menu GS GIS Hew ES s10plan dwg O m EA autocad 2010 demo dst H ES Sc0plan chig Sava Drawing Options Exit AutoCAD Drawing area In the middle of the AutoCAD window is the drawing area where yow ll do your actual drawing You ll learn more in the Getting Familiar with the Drawing Area section of this chapter UCS icon The UCS icon is the L shaped icon you see at the lower left corner of the draw ing area you ll learn more in the Checking the UCS Icon section Status bar At the bottom of the screen is the status bar which provides information about many of the settings you ll use in AutoCAD The status bar also offers controls over many of the different drawing modes in AutoCAD Command window Just above the status bar is the command window which is almost unique to AutoCAD The command line is a text window that displays commands as you use them as well as your keyboard input Messages often appear here that prompt you to perform a step in a command You ll learn more about the command line a bit later in this ch
7. you were exposed to the most common pro cesses 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 line Commands from the toolbars work in the same way as you ll see next UNDERSTANDING THE COMMAND TOOL OPTION RELATIONSHIP One of AutoCAD s greatest assets is its ability to adjust to your way of performing tasks If you prefer using toolbars you can switch to the AutoCAD Classic workspace which shows the older style toolbars and menu bar If you stay with the 2D Drafting amp Annotation workspace the Ribbon offers the most commonly used functions in AutoCAD Experi enced 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 the Ribbon and the toolbar buttons are just different ways to invoke AutoCAD commands When you click a Ribbon tool or a menu option you are really initiating a command through AutoCAD s menu system sometimes with predetermined options already selected In fact if you watch the command line as you click an Application menu option or Ribbon button you ll see that the messages in the command line are the same regardless of where you invoked the command For this reason l Il often intermix the terms tool option and command because at a practical level they are all the same Just be
8. Mowe of the rectangle 1 Click the Arc tool in the Draw panel The prompt Specify start point of arc or Center appears Draw and the cursor changes to a crosshair cursor 2 Ifyou examine this Specify start point of arc or Center prompt you ll see that 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 tool s 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 slashes The default is the option AutoCAD assumes you intend to use unless you tell it otherwise 3 Enter CH to select the Center option The prompt Specify center point of arc appears Notice that you had to enter only the C and not the entire word Center When you see a set of options in the command line note their capitalization If you choose to respond to prompts by using the keyboard these capitalized 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 4 Now select a point for the center of the arc as shown in Figure 1 20 The prompt Specify start point of arc
9. aware that the Application menu options and Ribbon buttons invoke commands 16 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Starting a Drawing What you do to start a new drawing in AutoCAD is a little different from what you do in other programs so let s create a new file to see how it s done 1 From the Application menu 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 From the Quick Access toolbar click the New tool to open the Select Template dialog box 3 Select the acad dwt template 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 from the Application menu to open the Save Drawing As dialog box 5 Enter My First Drawing As you type the name appears in the File Name text box By default the file will be saved in the My Documents folder 6 Click Save You now have a 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 new file As you saw in the Select Template dialog box you can choose
10. is from left to right and the Y direction is from bottom to top but with AutoCAD you can alter your view orientation as well as include additional 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 6 Using the Command Line 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 As you work in AutoCAD the command activity appears in the bottom line of the com mand window and scrolls upward When AutoCAD is waiting for input you ll see the word Command at the bottom of the command window This is the command prompt As you click a point in the drawing area you ll see the message Specify opposite corner in the command line Simultaneously a selection window appears in the drawing area Click another point without selecting any thing the selection window disappears and the command prompt returns You ll want to pay close attention to the command window as you start using AutoCAD because it tells y
11. nd eT e fee fE EED Dealing ianea e In some installations you might 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 2D space You ll also see a special tool palette called the Ribbon along the top as shown in Figure 1 1 This is a set of 2D drafting and annotation tools that gives you ready access to the most common draft ing functions If you are using AutoCAD 2010 try the following exercise to see how to get to the 3D Modeling workspace this workspace is not available in AutoCAD 2010 LT 1 In the lower right corner of the AutoCAD window you ll see a gear shaped icon This is the Workspace Switching tool Click it to open a list that shows 2D Drafting amp Annotation 3D Modeling and AutoCAD Classic If you Selected an option in the Initial Setup dialog box ail gt en GEE you will also see the Initial Setup Workspace listed If you re feeling adventurous you can go to Chapter 6 to find out more about AutoCAD s new 3D tools LT users will not have the 3D functions 2 Select 3D Modeling from the list w 20 Drafting amp Annotation The current default file Drawing1 dwg is set up for 2D drafting cline ial but you can open a new file by using a file template already set oa up for 3D modeling Figure 1 1 AutoCAD when opened into a 2D Drafting amp Annota tion workspace
12. show more topics GETTING HELP 27 Figure 1 21 E AutoCAD 2010 Help The AutoCAD 2010 E i amp Help window Hide r Home Print Options Carteris Index Search 2 ees AutoCAD 2010 amp Command Aeteence Driver and Pevioherd Guide Installation and Licensing Guides ah ef Se General Information Customization Guide fe hee es ee l 2 AutoLISP Visual LISP and DMF ey Eaei a a F Actives Automation and VBA hiia Show Me Animations iid eres Automation an e EE Use the Help System Efficiently View the Product Readme Help Files Users Guide Command Reference Driver and Peripheral Guide Installation and Licensing Guides Customization Guide isis Ai Resources on the Web Learning Resources Use the three tabs in the upperdet to navigate through the Help system AutoCAD Web Page Post questions on Autodesk discussion groups Technical Supper a Open the Learning Resources web page for additional help including the support database tips and tutorials The cards included in the product have also been made available in POF format Each card includes a handy summary of the essential functions of each new feature in AutoCAD 2010 along with resources for additional information fhaiolienteatures lacad_cue_cards_ 2070 pdf 4 Expand the Commands list and then click the item labeled C near the top of the command listing The panel to the right changes to display a list of command names that sta
13. view area You can also start a zoom or pan by clicking the magnifying glass icon or hand icon in the status bar or right click and select Zoom or Pan at any time You can right click in the middle of a zoom to switch to a pan and vice versa You ve just about completed your first look at AutoCAD You ll want to know about just a couple of other features In the next section Pll introduce a display feature in AutoCAD that helps you set up your drawing for printing 22 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD 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 nudge your view to an accurate distance Type pan and you ll see the following prompt Specify base point or displacement This is the prompt you ll see for the Move or Copy command though in this case you re not affecting the objects in your drawing When you select a point at this prompt you ll see a rubber banding line in conjunction 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 enables you to specify exact dis tances and directions to pan your view Understanding the Layout View Aside from the c
14. 2 As you might guess you use the layout to lay out your drawing for printing You can print from the model space if you want but you have much more control over your printer output from a layout TURNING OFF THE LAYOUT TABS AutoCAD can be set up to hide the model and layout tabs at the bottom of the drawing area To hide the tabs right click any tab and select Hide Layout and Model Tabs With the tabs hidden you can still switch from model space to a layout by clicking the Model or Layout tools that appear in the status bar SE EL IIIs SEN Model Layout If you have multiple layouts you can use the Quick View Layouts tool just to the right of the Layout tool in the status bar to switch between layouts se CLI ES SN Quick View Layouts tool To turn the tabs back on right click the Model or Layout tool and then select Display Layout and Model Tabs The tabs will appear below the drawing area For more on the Quick View Layouts tool see Switching Between Layouts in Chapter 12 UNDERSTANDING How COMMAND OPTIONS WORK 25 Understanding How Command Options Work Nearly every AutoCAD command offers a set of options shown at the command line prompt These options let you alter the behavior of a command to suit your current drawing To see how command options work and to get a feel for the drawing process in general in this exercise you ll draw an arc and then place it exactly in the inside corner Oe Line
15. 9 WHEN YOU NEED TO UNDO The AutoCAD User Group International AUGI has conducted a survey to identify the most commonly used features in AutoCAD The group found that the Undo feature and the Esc key were at the top of the list Everyone makes mistakes and it would be impossible to get any work done if it weren t for these two features But Undo and the Esc 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 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 reenter your command or response Esc When you need to exit a command or a dialog box quickly without making changes just press the Esc key in the upper left corner of your keyboard Undo If you accidentally change something in the drawing and want to reverse that change click the Undo tool the left pointing curved arrow in the Quick Access toolbar You can also enter UJ at the command 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 displays the name of the command being undone and the drawing reverts to its state before that command If you need you can undo everything back to the beginning of an editing session Redo If you accidentally undo one too man
16. Alot tablet Not available Yiew Center 6 1017 Center Y 5 8228 Center Z O 0000 Height 7 0218 SAAR on tae The drawing area the status bar and the command line 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 cursor If you click the drawing area a pair of numbers and a selection window appear Click again and the selec tion window disappears I a ETEN spaci CDC Sie OHTE PS 7037 20 2262 With the crosshair cursor you can point to portions of the drawing area and 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 and you ll look at selec tion windows a bit later in this chapter If you don t see the Dynamic Input display go to the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window and click the Dynamic Input tool Dynamik Input Along with the Dynamic Input display the command line and status bar just below the drawing area provide feedback as you work with AutoCAD commands see Figure 1 7 You can also see the XY coordinate in the far left of the status bar in the lower left corner of the AutoCAD window UCS icon Command window Status bar Coordinate readout
17. CHAPTER 1 Getting Familiar with AutoCAD If you LYE 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 an AutoCAD class or used an older version of AutoCAD you ll find this chapter helpful because it covers the new AutoCAD interface You ll start by taking a tour of the AutoCAD window to become familiar with the menus 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 in a drawing And you ll look at the ways you can view your drawing by using the layout feature Finally you ll be introduced to the Help system for those times when you forget to have this book on hand This chapter covers the following topics Understanding the AutoCAD window Starting commands Starting a drawing Panning and zooming to adjust your view Understanding the Layout view Understanding how command options work Getting help 2 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Understanding the AutoCAD Window Autodesk has redesigned AutoCAD 2010 s interface If you ve used a version prior to AutoCAD 2009 it will appear as though AutoCAD has completely changed Don t worry the underlying program still behaves in much the same way as before Through AutoCAD s
18. MLEADERALIGN MLEADERCOLLECT MLEADEREDIT MLEADERSTYLE MLEDIT 2 MLINE MLSTYLE 2 MODEL Bp ave ees iy Options AutoCAD Mowes objects a specified distance m a specified direction t Fe 4 Button Ribbon Home tab Modify panel Move menu Modify gt Move t oO a Toolbar Modify Shertcul menu Select the objects to move and right click in the drawing area Click Move E command entry move GETTING HELP 29 Staying Informed with the InfoCenter Nearly every major Windows program is somehow linked to the Internet to offer the lat est news and updates for software AutoCAD provides the InfoCenter which appears as a bar in the upper right corner of the AutoCAD window The InfoCenter provides a way to stay informed about the latest software updates and support issues for AutoCAD Enter a keyword or phrase in the input box and then click the binoculars icon to get a list of sources for your query You can then select a topic from the list to find the information you need If you click the InfoCenter s Communication Center tool the one that looks like a satellite dish you ll open a list of general topics available The list is divided into main topics shown as gray title bars You can click the arrow to the right of a title bar to close or open a topic Finding Additional Sources of Help The Help window and the InfoCenter are the main source for reference material but you can
19. also find answers to your questions through the other options in the Help menu To open the Help menu click the arrowhead to the right of the question mark icon in the InfoCenter Here is a brief description of the other Help menu options Info Palette AutoCAD 2010 LT only The Info palette is a pop up window that offers immediate help with the command 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 about the current command New Features Workshop This option provides descriptions and tutorials focused on the new features found in AutoCAD 2010 You can update this unique support tool through the Autodesk website Additional Resources This options provides online help from Autodesk s website includ ing a support knowledge base online training resources and the Developer Center There is also a link to the Autodesk User Group International website Send Feedback Click here to open a web page that allows you to send comments about AutoCAD directly to Autodesk Customer Involvement Program This program tracks your use of AutoCAD and its inter action with your computer system This information is used to help determine future changes to AutoCAD You can participate anonymously or supply contact information About This options provides information about the
20. angle follows the cursor 3 Click a point in the upper right of the drawing area as shown in Figure 1 16 Again it s not important if you don t pick the exact location The rectangle is now in place Figure 1 16 Drawing a circle Click here for the center of the circle Click here to fix the circle s radius Click here to start the rectangle Then click here to complete the rectangle Now add a circle to the drawing 1 Click the Circle tool in the Draw panel Gl n Of ol a 2 Click the location shown in Figure 1 16 to place the center of the circle Now as you or ua Draw Line move the cursor a circle appears whose radius follows the location of the cursor 3 Click another point as shown in Figure 1 16 to fix the circle s radius in place If you prefer you can enter an exact radius value for a circle instead of clicking another point to fix the circle 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 two corners for the circle it was the center and a location on the perimeter Once you ve placed objects in the drawing you can use a variety of tools to edit them In later chapters you ll learn more about those editing tools In the following section you Il learn how to get around in your drawing PANNING AND ZOOMING TO ADJUST YOUR VIEW 1
21. apter see the Using the Command Line section InfoCenter In the upper right corner of the AutoCAD window you ll see the InfoCenter This is where you can get help about AutoCAD features or find current information about AutoCAD on the Internet You ll learn more in the Staying Informed with the InfoCenter section of this chapter Another unique item in AutoCAD s window is the set of tool Fl gt x palettes shown in Figure 1 6 You can use these palettes to keep your favorite tools and drawing components in one convenient place for quick access The Properties palette shown on the left and the AutoCAD tool palettes shown on the right of Figure 1 6 might not appear in your AutoCAD window by default but you can open the tool palettes by clicking the View tab in the Ribbon and selecting Tool Palettes from the Palettes panel View tab A k a 5 E 9 world G a Tool palettes A lH hc Properties SH 4 EA HA Palettes mM condinates z Viewports Palettes E eee UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW No selection GE y IBF General a Color E evLayer Lever Linetype Linetype sc 0000 Uneweight ByLeyver ByLayer Thickness o 0000 3D Visualization o Material ByLayver Shadow dis Casts and Rec Plot style Flot style Bytolor Alot style t a None Alot table 3 pode
22. drawing before you actually commit the drawing to paper UNDERSTANDING THE LAYOUT VIEW 23 Another way to look at paper space layouts is to think of them as a drawing mock up area Using a paper space layout you can set up multiple views of the drawing you cre ate in model space You can also add a title to your drawing and include borders or other graphic design features Since paper space layouts are labeled with the layout prefix as in Layoutt l Il just use the term ayout in this book Try the following exercise to see firsthand how layouts work i Medel Lavoutt Lapon 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 19 The layout view shows how your drawing will look when it is printed 2 Move the cursor over the rectangle that immediately surrounds the rectangle and circle drawing that you created earlier in the chapter 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 ll see that the objects you drew are still there 5 Click the Undo tool in the Quick Access toolbar twice to return to the Layout1 view and undo your deletion of the outer rectangle The view of the rectangle and the circle returns 6 Click the Model tab to return to the original drawing area Click thi
23. ects in your drawing This option ignores the limits of your drawing Previous This displays the previous view just as Undo does for the Zoom command Realtime This 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 including Exit and Cancel All This displays the area of your drawing defined by the drawing limits plus any part of your drawing that falls outside the limits Dynamic This changes the display to an overall view A rectangle also appears which lets you select an area to which to zoom in To change the size of the rectangle click the rectangle You can 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 This lets you zoom in or out by a specific value It allows you to enter a specific view scale Center This allows you to center a location on the screen Object This 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 This is the same as using the Scale option and entering 2x to magnify your view two times Out This is the same as using the Scale option and entering 0 5x to view twice the cur rent
24. f the Options dialog box After closing the Initial Setup dialog box you ll see a greet ing called a splash screen then if this is a new installation AutoCAD displays the Workspaces message box This message box offers an option to select 2D Drafting amp Annotation 3D Modeling or AutoCAD Classic 2 Click 2D Drafting amp Annotation You ll 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 Workshop window If this hap pens select Maybe Later and then click OK AUTOCAD 2010 VS AUTOCAD 2010 LT AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD 2010 LT are essentially the same program with some differences both large and small The LT version has limited 3D capabilities and no 3D workspace Cus tomization features too are limited in the LT version With the exception of the 3D features you should be able to use the features discussed in this book when using AutoCAD 2010 LT UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW Quick Access toolbar InfoCenter Application TN Peau Inset Amate Foremebic View Manage Output 9 Express Tools menu T a s g a alz BOG Ei gE gg a alga yade ti a2 dh 17 Unsaved Layer Siate Ribbon al l liS wT ot me Drawing area UCS Tey Vanes i Lapini a Lapai Ti Tammasnd Command EACORRIHT window Entec new value for WoCORRENT lt 2 Drafting Anmobation i 7Cancel Tamnand Status bar Tp
25. from several such templates The new file you just created shows a drawing area roughly 31 units wide by 13 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 youre presented with initially is your workspace although youre not limited to the 75 by 45 unit area in any way No visual clues indicate the size of the area so 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 standard AutoCAD default drawing area for using the acad dwt drawing template for new drawings The coordinate readout won t show exactly 75 units by 45 units because the proportions of your drawing area are not likely to be exactly 7 5 by 4 5 Factors such as the size and resolu tion of your display and the shape of the AutoCAD window affect the dimensions of the drawing area SWITCHING BETWEEN OPEN DRAWINGS AND THE MODEL AND LAYOUT VIEWS As with most Windows programs you can have several drawings open at one time AutoCAD offers the Quick View Drawings tool in the status bar with which you can easily navigate among multiple drawings When you click the Quick View Drawings tool you will see a row of drawing preview pan els just above the status bar The
26. hapter 2 14 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Figure 1 14 Selecting the first point of a rectangle Figure 1 15 Once you ve selected the first point of the rect angle you ll see a rectangle follow the motion of your mouse Click a point roughly in the lower left corner of the drawing area as shown in Figure 1 14 Now as you move your cursor 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 line Specify other corner point or Area Dimensions Rotation Click another point anywhere in the upper right region of the drawing area A rect angle appears see Figure 1 15 You ll learn more about the different cursor shapes and what they mean later in this chapter AutadAl Mi Drawing dwg masdi View Manage Oit Exores Tools go Ch alee lel amp s galala ES p Best mer EL ya ch sf Lineawed laper Sista BY fe a ote te e G Trai E Moke layer E command Corant octane Specify Larsk corner poank or Chesceef Eleveacaons Fad lect Thickness didt eke joje te TE Bm ea 00 Dreingir Herre Irast Amoa Fararmalrir i Manage Dpt Expres Tree 22 dy BOM SE ao Se aala mh 4 A Mwa al a laed Le Se Palins Tat T ie EE ld i Ooh me Potify Layers oe finneststicn 2 tay nm Do recthend Specaie ficat zore puaguk az thumbes 2 levebaonf Fo dlets Thacker bidb
27. hat AutoCAD allows you to customize the right mouse button pan Cy Zoom and many users will set up this button as an Enter key This is a holdover il ini from the very earliest versions of AutoCAD and many users still prefer it E Quickcale to the context menu function Starting Commands Working with commands is fairly straightforward but you have a few options in AutoCAD that you won t find in other Windows programs You can use tools in the Ribbon to start a command with a simple click and then use the command window to get feedback from AutoCAD Try the following to see firsthand how this works 1 Click the Dynamic Input tool in the status bar to turn off Dynamic Input display mode When it is off it is gray You ll start your exploration of commands with this feature turned off so you can get a clear view of your activity You ll get a chance to try the Dynamic Input feature in later chapters starting with Chapter 2 2 Click the Rectangle tool in the Draw panel Notice that the command line at the bot tom of the 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 also in brack ets it is offering a few options that you can take advantage of at this point in the com mand Don t worry about those options right now You ll have an opportunity to learn about command options in C
28. in this book l Il abbreviate the name of the Ribbon tabs to simplify the instructions For example l Il say On the Home tab s Draw panel to refer to the Draw panel on the Home tab of the Ribbon If you see a triangle next to the title on the Ribbon panel title bar you can expand the panel to reveal more tools To do this click the panel F Chol fe Geak title bar Figure 1 9 The panel will expand n OHE we Ael i o m PEE downward Once you click in the drawing area ale il Medi the panel returns to its normal view If you want Bre Oe Click the title bar to expand the panel ago to lock the expanded panel so that it stays open puhomian click the pushpin icon on the left side of the expanded panel s title bar Figure 1 9 Expanding a Ribbon panel From now on when you see the term expanded panel you should expand the Ribbon panel by clicking the panel s title bar 10 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Figure 1 10 Opening a flyout Return panels to ribbon Draw Toggle orientation Figure 1 11 A Ribbon panel in its floating appear ance showing its controls Figure 1 12 The Recent docu ments and Open documents tools at the top of the Appli cation menu a a REA Eoee ee Bota gt BOAS Line hs Move HI 4h fle i lt gt tet jm E J Drow Click the triangular arrow to open the flyo
29. ion the Ribbon offers a lot of helpful information in the form of expanded tooltips Specifically the Ribbon is a collection of tools that invoke commands These tools are grouped into several tabs Each tab contains a set of panels and each panel contains a set of icons representing tools and showing their function see the earlier Figure 1 4 The tools also offer tooltips that provide a lot of information including a description that helps you understand what the icons represent If the Ribbon does not appear on the screen you can click in the command window and then type ribbon to restore it to the window If you move the cursor onto one of the Ribbon panel tools and leave it there for a moment you ll see a tooltip appear just below the cursor giving you a brief description of the tool Leave the cursor there a bit longer and the tooltip expands to show even more information on how to use the tool see Figure 1 8 As a new user you ll find these toolt ips very helpful Throughout the book when I ask you to select a tool from the Ribbon or from a tool bar PII use the name shown in the tooltip For example if you hover your cursor over any icon tool in the Ribbon you ll see the name of the tool at the top of the tooltip that appears as shown in Figure 1 8 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 panel of the Ribbon for instance indicates that the t
30. nu options such as Open Save Save As and Print as well as a few that are specific to AutoCAD Many of the options show arrowheads that indicate a cascading menu Open the Application menu for example and click the arrowhead to the right of the Export Recent documents option You ll see a list of options that are related to export ing AutoCAD drawings As mentioned earlier you can view a list of recently BE A Recent Docume By Ordered List opened drawing or currently opened drawings by clicking either of the two tools at the top of the Application menu Figure 1 12 Open documents UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 11 While viewing the drawing list you can hover your cursor over a drawing name to view a thumbnail of the drawing You can also click the File View tool above the list to change the EE E Recent Documents list from names to images Figure 1 13 fn y at a lay orn p Getting Familiar with the Drawing Area B EA As you might imagine the drawing area in the middle of the H 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 m Eil layoutsemple dvg As your introduction to the drawing area try the following K Print exercise oth 1 Move the cursor around in the drawing area As you I sa E EFE enno move the cursor notice that the coordinate readout in a the status bar gives the X and Y coordinates and adds
31. ommand prompt you ve probably noticed that AutoCAD behaves like most other Windows programs But in one of its features AutoCAD is a little different from other Windows graphics programs Specifically at the bottom of the AutoCAD window you Il see some tabs The Model tab is currently active telling you that you are in what is called model space If you have followed the exercises in this chapter you ve been working in model space all along Model space is the display you ll use to y Model Layoutl Layoutz do most of your drawing It s like your main workspace Clicking the Layout tab opens a view that is like a page preview with the added advantage of enabling you to draw within the preview This preview is called a paper space layout Besides previewing your drawing Layout also gives you control over the printed scale You can have multiple paper space layouts for different printed versions of your drawing For example you can have one layout for an 8 by 11 inch sheet and another layout for an 11 by 17 inch sheet Or if you use multiple printers you can have a layout set up for each printer The terms paper space and layout are often used interchangeably which can cause a lot of confusion to new users One way to think of these two terms is to say that paper space is where you lay out your drawing It s called paper space because it is where your drawing is translated into the paper shape size and layout of your
32. ool draws arcs the one with the circle shows that the tool draws circles and so on But for further clarification the tooltip gives you the name of the tool UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 9 Figure 1 8 A tooltip showing the name of the tool a brief tutorial F payne M tlie AE like graphic and Creates a 2D polyline ar the command name associated with the tool Annotation 42D polyline is a connected sequence of segments oreabed as a single planar object You can create straight lina segments arc segments or a combination of the two 1 2 x x 3 4 x x Description tutorial X X 6 5 eo PLE A Keyboard command equivalent Press F1 for more help Context sensitive help Finding Hidden Panels and Tools In the Getting Familiar with the Drawing Area section you ll start to work in the drawing area by drawing some lines Before you do that though take a moment to exam ine the left part of the Ribbon where the Draw panel of the Ribbon resides You will be instructed to use the tools in this Ribbon panel frequently throughout this book so it will be helpful for you to get a feel for their arrangement and what they contain Besides the visible tools a few tools are hidden from view Click the Blocks and Reference tab just above the Ribbon The row of Ribbon panels changes to a new set of panels Click the Home tab above the Ribbon to return to the previous set of panels As you work through exercises
33. ou 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 ll also see the com mand prompt at the cursor whenever you have the Dynamic Input display turned on STARTING COMMANDS 13 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 line When AutoCAD asks for specific data the command line allows you to enter data using 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 in messages in the command line These messages often tell you what to do next or offer options usually shown in square brackets Commands often display a series of messages which you answer to complete the command If you aren t sure what to do check the command line for clues As an additional aid you can right click to display a context menu If Enter you are in the middle of a command this menu provides a list of options sain specifically related to that command For example if you right click e before selecting the first point for the Rectangle command a menu Pevar appears offering the same options that are listed at the command at prompt plus some additional options a l Note t
34. rt with the letter C 5 Look down the list and click Copy A description of the Copy command appears You also have the Concept Procedure and Quick Reference tabs along the top of the panel on the right These options provide more detailed information about how to use the selected item If you want to back up through the steps you have just taken click the Back button on the toolbar Using the Search Tab If you re a beginning AutoCAD user looking for help the Help window s table of contents might not be as useful as it could be To use it you have to know a little about what you want to find Sometimes 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 Enter Change in the text box at the top of the Search tab and then click Ask or press A The list box displays all the items in the Help system that contain the word Change 28 kal LE ur CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD 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 it from the Select Topic list and then click the Display button to display the topic information The Index tab lets yo
35. s outline and press the Delete key Figure 1 19 Your drawing as it appears in one of the layout views 24 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD 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 model space When you are in a layout view a viewport acts like a window into your drawing By default AutoCAD creates a single viewport to show your drawing but you can have multiple viewports of various sizes each displaying different parts of your drawing When you deleted that viewport you essentially closed your view into your drawing in the model space 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 displays a white area over a gray back ground 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 printable area of your paper The current default printer connected to your computer determines both the paper area and the dashed line 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 You ll learn how to control sheet sizes and layouts in Chapter 1
36. s with most other Windows applica tions a right click frequently opens a menu that contains options that are context sensi tive This means that the contents of the context menu depend on where you right click as well as on the command that is active at the time of your right click 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 12 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Minimize Restore Down Close 7 Finally as with any window you can expand the drawing area or contract it into a smaller window by clicking the Restore Down icon in the upper right corner of the draw ing area When the drawing area is in the Restore Down position it appears as a separate win dow 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 To maximize a drawing to fill the AutoCAD window double click the drawing window title bar Checking the UCS Icon The UCS icon is the L shaped icon you see at the lower left corner of the drawing area shown earlier in Figure 1 1 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 By default the X direction
37. se panels show the contents of the currently open drawings Closes file in the preview panel Saves file in the preview panel 610plan Ep 590plan Ep Ranch plans2 u DE x monet 9 QO A ukk View Drawings Quick View Drawin You can then click a preview panel of a drawing you want to switch to the selected draw ing appears in the drawing area Click in the drawing area to make that drawing current When you hover over a preview panel with your cursor additional preview panels appear showing you the model and layout views of the drawing to which you are pointing Model and layout previews PJ EIE Hi Ep 590plen Ep Ranch plansz You can then click in a model or layout preview to have it display in the drawing area Click in the drawing area to make the selected view the current one STARTING A DRAWING 17 18 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Next try drawing a couple of objects just to get comfortable with drawing in AutoCAD In the following exercise you ll draw a rectangle then you ll add a circle 1 Click the Rectangle tool in the Draw panel Remember that you can use the tooltips to help you locate a tool You can also type Rec 2 Click a point in the lower left of the drawing area as shown in Figure 1 16 Don t worry about the exact location You re just practicing right now After clicking you ll see that one corner of the rect
38. tains several panels each of which contains tools for draw ing and editing The set of panels changes depending on which Ribbon tab is selected The Ribbon panels can be moved with a click and drag of their title bars and the entire Ribbon can be set up to stay hidden until you need to use it When Ribbon panels are away from Quick Access toolbar the edge of the window and appear a Ribbon tabs InfoCenter al T mI Dreavine Tira ST OF pea 4k oe A i Tipet mi r ir free floating they are said to be Ribb te L Malalt de nme meae a floating as opposed to docked You ll eine 1 eal hc ee __ iil learn more in the Using the Ribbon Ribbon panel title bars section of this chapter Figure 1 4 Quick Access toolbar The Quick Access toolbar offers the most commonly used Windows enak i its functions such as Save Undo Redo and Print Application menu If you click the AutoCAD logo in the upper left corner of the window you open the Application menu which offers general file related tools see Figure 1 5 At the top of the Application menu you see the Search tool This enables you to find a spe cific tool by name just by typing the name into the search input box Just below and to the left of the Search tool are two icons that offer Recent Documents and Open Documents If you click Recent Documents the panel to the right lists the most recent files you ve opened Each file has a pushpin icon to the right
39. tect Clipboard g 30 Spral G Elpa Cylinder F i Frastun Cans 1 n UCS Previous a Model lt Layout f Layouid ei fife fee ed UNDERSTANDING THE AUTOCAD WINDOW 5 5 Click the Workspace Switching tool and click 2D Drafting amp Annotation in the Workspaces toolbar You ll be working in this workspace for most of this book 6 Exit the 3D Drawing2 dwg file by clicking the Close icon in the upper right corner of the drawing area The Close icon looks like an X Even though the default 2D file looks completely different from the new 3D file you created by using the acad3D dwt template they really are basically the same They just have different display settings turned on You can learn more about the various ways to display drawings in Chapter 6 You now have AutoCAD set up for 2D drawing so you ll take a more detailed look at the AutoCAD window You ll find that for the most part it is a typical Windows style graphics program window with a few twists Getting to Know the Window Components Your AutoCAD window should look like the earlier Figure 1 1 which shows the default configuration for a new AutoCAD installation Since AutoCAD is so easy to customize you might not see exactly the same layout but the basic components should be there The AutoCAD window offers several controls to the program Ribbon The Ribbon contains most of the common functions you ll need to use see Figure 1 4 The Ribbon con
40. the Z coordinate peu Changing the list 2 Click in the middle of the drawing area You have just selected a point Move the cur from names to sor and a rectangle follows This is a selection window if any objects appear in the arge images drawing area you can select them for editing A coordinate display appears at the cursor showing your coordinates in an X Y format Also notice 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 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 cursor behaves on the Windows Desktop however in Windows you have to drag the cursor to create a selection window 4 Try selecting several more points in the drawing area Notice that as you click you alternately start and end a selection window As you click the drawing area you might notice that depending on whether you click to the right or to the left of the preceding 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 indicate a different mode of selection which you ll learn about in Chapter 4 If you right click a context menu appears Just a
41. u find 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 about the com mand you are using To see how this works try the following 1 Close or minimize the Help window to return to the AutoCAD window 7 ity 2 Click the Move tool in the Modify panel to start the Move command te 3 Press F1 or choose Help from the menu bar to open the Help window A description Modify of the Move command appears in the panel on the right Figure 1 22 4 Click the Close button or press the Esc key 5 Press the Esc key to exit the Move command If you gain some confidence with AutoCAD s Help window you can go far in helping yourself learn basic AutoCAD commands But if you really get stuck this book will help you get past your barriers Figure 1 22 The Help window E AutoCAD 2010 Help showing informa wl G i amp i Hide Bak Horie Pint tion on the Move Carteris Index Search command 9 MATCHCELL MATCHPROP H MATERIALATTACK MATERIGL MAP MATERIALS 7 MATERIALSCLOSE 7 MEASURE 7 MEASUREGEOM 2 MENU 2 MENULOAD MEMUUNLO SD MESH 2 MESHCREASE amp MESHOPTIONS t d MESHPRIMITIVEOPTIC MESHREFINE MESHSMOOTH 7 MESHSMOOTHLESS 7 MESHSMOOTHMORE 3 MESHSPLIT 7 MESHUNCREASE 2 MINSERT 2 MIRROR 2 MIRAOR SD MLESDER
42. u 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 7 Move the cursor so 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 20 8 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 messages You first issue a command 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 by 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 Press Fl to open the AutoCAD 2010 Help window 2 Click the Contents tab which contains a table of contents The other two tabs Index and Search provide assistance in finding specific topics Figure 1 21 3 Scan down the screen until you see the topic Command Reference and double click it Both panels of the Help window change to
43. ut menu 7 Tan Tan Radius Tan Tan Tar You might also notice that some of the tools have triangular arrows next to them You can click these arrows to open flyout menus that contain options related to the tool with which they are associated For example you can click the triangle next to the Circle tool to open a flyout that offers different ways to draw a circle Figure 1 10 You ll get a chance to use these features in Chapter 3 Switching to Floating Ribbon Panels If you find that you use one particular Ribbon panel a lot you can tear off the panel and have it available as a floating Ribbon panel To do this click and drag the panel title bar toward the drawing area The panel s appearance changes slightly to offer some con trols see Figure 1 11 These controls disappear when you are not pointing inside the panel but they reappear when you hover over the panel with your cursor Tooltips appear when you hover over the controls and they describe what each control does The Toggle Orientation control is a little misleading because it only controls the display of the title bar Using the Application Menu The AutoCAD Application menu provides a familiar means of finding file and print related commands You can open the Application menu by clicking the AutoCAD icon in the upper left corner of the AutoCAD window shown earlier in Figure 1 5 In the Application menu you ll see many of the standard Windows me
44. version of AutoCAD you are using 30 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD 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 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 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 drawing check out the next chapter There you ll be introduced to the drawing tools you ll need to pro duce accurate drawings
45. workspace feature you can easily change AutoCAD s interface to display the old familiar toolbars that are seemingly missing from this latest version In this section you ll look at AutoCAD s newest interface options The J symbol in this book denotes the Enter key Whenever you see it press the Enter key also known as the Return key 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 ele ments will be familiar a few will be new to you To start you ll see the two 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 to get to the 2D workspace 1 Choose Start gt All Programs gt Autodesk gt AutoCAD 2010 gt AutoCAD 2010 LT users will click AutoCAD LT 2010 in place of AutoCAD 2010 in the previous menu selec tion You can also double click the AutoCAD 2010 icon on your Windows Desktop If this is a new installation you will see the Initial Setup dialog box This dialog box lets you set up a workspace for the type of file you want to work with Everything from Architectural to Manufacturing to Structural Engineering is offered For the purposes of this book you can click the Skip button in the lower right corner of the dialog box You can always open this dialog box through the User Preferences tab o
46. y commands you can redo the last undone com mand by clicking the Redo tool the right pointing curved arrow on the Quick Access tool bar Or enter Redo 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 need to be familiar with AutoCAD s view features The Zoom and Pan commands are the most fre quently used view features so you ll want to become familiar with them right away If you have a typical mouse with a scroll wheel you can use the wheel 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 pan click and drag the scroll wheel You can obtain just about any view you need by using this method You ll also want to know about several other view related tools If you have a mouse that uses special drivers you might not be able to use the wheel to con trol pans and zooms 20 CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD Try the following exercise to see how the Zoom tool works 1 Click the magnifying glass icon in the View tab s Navigate panel to open the Zoom flyout 2 Select Window from the Zoom flyout Figure 1 17 3 Click the first point indicated in Figure 1 18 You don t have to be too accurate
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