Page 1: Getting Started
Getting Started January 2008...
Page 2 © 2008 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Contents Make the Transition from Paper to CAD . Draw to Scale . Lay Out Your Drawing . Organize Drawing Information . Establish Drafting Standards . Draw Efficiently . Draw Accurately . View Your Drawing . Create Dimensions and Text . Modify Your Drawing .
Page 4 Chapter 5 Draw Objects . 55 Object Properties Overview . . 56 Draw Lines . . 64 Draw Circles and Arcs . 67 Chapter 6 Precision Drawing . . 71 Set Grid and Snap Values . 72 Draw with Coordinates . .
Page 5 Chapter 11 Create Layouts and Plots . 147 Work with Layouts . . 148 Choose and Configure Plotters . . 151 Plot from a Layout . . 153 Glossary . . 159 Index . . 169 Contents...
Page 7: Make The Transition From Paper To Cad
Make the Transition from Paper to...
Page 9: Draw To Scale
Draw to Scale Drawing scale is something you consider when laying out your drawing. You establish scale differently in CAD than you do with manual drafting. With manual drafting, you must determine the scale of a view before you start drawing.
Page 11: Lay Out Your Drawing
Lay Out Your Drawing On paper, a layout is constrained by the sheet size you use. In CAD, you are not limited to one particular layout or sheet size. When you draft manually, you first select a sheet, which usually includes a preprinted border and title block.
Page 13: Organize Drawing Information
Organize Drawing Information In both manual drafting and CAD, you need a way to organize your drawing content—a method for separating, sorting, and editing specific drawing data. With manual drafting, you can separate information onto individual transparent overlays. For example, a building plan might contain separate overlays for its structural, electrical, and plumbing components.
Page 15: Establish Drafting Standards
Establish Drafting Standards Whether you work as a member of a team or on an individual project, developing standards is a requirement for efficient communication. Manual drafting requires meticulous accuracy in drawing linetypes, lineweights, text, dimensions, and more. Standards must be established in the beginning and applied consistently.
Page 17: Draw Efficiently
Draw Efficiently Draw with less effort and revise with more speed: these are two primary reasons you use CAD. You are provided with a complete set of drawing and editing tools to help eliminate repetitive, time- consuming drafting tasks. With manual drafting, you use drawing tools that include pencils, scales, compasses, parallel rules, templates, and erasers.
Page 19: Draw Accurately
Draw Accurately Engineering and architectural drawings require a high degree of accuracy. With CAD, you draft more accurately than with manual methods. With object With manual drafting, you must snaps, when you draw objects carefully to ensure place your cursor correct size and alignment.
Page 21: View Your Drawing
View Your Drawing The power of CAD makes it easy for you to quickly view different parts of your design at different magnifications. With manual drafting, the size You can zoom out to see more of your and resolution of your drawing design, or zoom in to see more detail.
Page 23: Create Dimensions And Text
Create Dimensions and Text Creating accurate dimensions and consistent, legible text is a time-consuming task for the manual drafter. CAD provides ways to streamline this task. With manual drafting, if you resize any part of the drawing, you must erase and then redraw the dimensions.
Page 25: Modify Your Drawing
Modify Your Drawing Revisions are a part of any drawing project. Whether you work on paper or with CAD, you will need to modify your drawing in some way. On paper, you must erase and redraw to make revisions to your drawing manually. CAD eliminates tedious manual editing by providing a variety of editing tools.
Page 27: Chapter 1 Introduction
Introduction Why You Should Use this Guide ........22 Tutorials and Command Access .
Page 28: Why You Should Use This Guide
Why You Should Use this Guide This Getting Started guide provides an introduction to the most commonly used features of both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Use it to learn the basic features so you can begin working quickly. Because you are provided with a rich set of features, there are often many ways of accomplishing a task.
Page 29: Get Additional Information
NOTE All screen shots and dialog boxes in this guide display AutoCAD LT in the title bar. For the explanations and tutorials in the Getting Started guide, there is no difference whether you use AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT. The features presented are identical. Get Additional Information Additional resources are available when you need more information.
Page 30 Tutorial: Use the Help System In this tutorial, you will use the Help system to find information about how to start a drawing with a template file and how to create a layout. NOTE It is important to learn how to use the Help system effectively. The Help system can provide answers to save you from needless frustration.
Page 31 Click the Procedure tab. Then click the first procedure on the list. Click the Procedure tab to redisplay the list. Click the Quick Reference tab. The Quick Reference tab lists all commands and system variables that are associated with this topic. If you click a link on this tab, the Command Reference is opened in Help, and provides details about command and dialog box options.
Page 32 In the left pane, click the Contents tab. The table of contents opens to the current topic. Use this method to find related topics easily. NOTE If the table of contents does not automatically open to the current topic, click the Concept tab in the right pane.
Page 33 For more information, read Use the Help System Efficiently. In the Help system, on the Contents tab, click User’s Guide ➤ Get Information ➤ Find the Information You Need ➤ Use the Help System Efficiently. To get started Action Menu Browser Help ➤...
Page 35: Chapter 2 Work With Commands
Work with Commands Use the Mouse ........... 30 Cancel a Command.
Page 36: Use The Mouse
Use the Mouse Most people use a mouse as their pointing device. On a two-button mouse, the left button is usually the pick button, used to specify points or select objects in the drawing area. With the right button, you can display a shortcut menu that contains relevant commands and options. Different shortcut menus are displayed depending on where you move the cursor.
Page 37 ■ Menu Browser access is from the bright red button at the top-left corner of the application window. All the commands for the tutorials in this book are accessible from these menus. ■ The Object Snap menu is displayed when you hold down SHIFT and click the right mouse button. Object snaps facilitate precision drawing by snapping the cursor onto a feature on an object such as the endpoint of a line or the center of a circle.
Page 38 Use the Dynamic Prompt In addition to the prompt on the command line, a similar prompt is displayed next to the cursor called the dynamic prompt. With the dynamic prompt, you can keep your eyes on your work and you don’t have to look down to the command line.
Page 39 Try it: Use the command line to draw a line On the command line, type line or the letter L. Press ENTER. Click anywhere in the drawing area to locate a point. At the Specify Next Point or [Undo] prompt, click anywhere else in the drawing area to specify the endpoint of the line segment.
Page 40: Undo Or Redo Commands
Undo or Redo Commands Occasionally you will need to undo some of your work. Two Standard toolbar buttons reverse mistakes in your drawings. Undo Redo ■ Undo. You can backtrack previous actions. For example, click Undo to delete an object that you just created.
Page 42 It will be easier to create or modify objects in this drawing by zooming in to magnify the view. Once you have zoomed in, you can pan the view to center the objects you are working on. After you finish working on an area, you can zoom out to get a better overall view.
Page 43: Chapter 3 Change Views
Change Views Zoom to Magnify a View..........38 Pan to Reposition a View .
Page 44: Zoom To Magnify A View
Zoom to Magnify a View A view is a specific magnification, position, and orientation of your design. The most common way to change a view is zooming. Zooming increases or decreases the magnification of the image displayed in the drawing area. There are several methods for zooming in your drawings.
Page 45: Pan To Reposition A View
Pan to Reposition a View Panning is another common way to change a view. Panning moves the position of the image displayed in any two-dimensional direction. before PAN after PAN Pan by Moving the Cursor You can pan in real time—that is, use the pointing device to reposition the image in the drawing area.
Page 46 Practice these options until you are comfortable with zooming and panning. These are the most common options for drawing in 2D. NOTE If you zoom in and you notice that arcs and circles lose their smoothness, or if you can’t zoom in or out beyond a limit, you can regenerate the display.
Page 48 Establish layers to organize information as if on transparent drawing overlays. Assign standard lineweights to ensure that lines will plot the same way regardless of drawing scale. Use various linetypes to help identify different types of objects.
Page 49: Chapter 4 Drawing Setup
Drawing Setup Start a Drawing ........... 44 Plan the Drawing Units and Scale .
Page 50: Start A Drawing
Start a Drawing There are several ways to start a new drawing. The recommended method is to start with a drawing template file. A drawing template file contains predefined settings, standards, and definitions that will save you significant setup time. When you start a drawing with a drawing template, these settings are passed on to the new drawing.
Page 51 Try it: Open a drawing template file Start a new drawing. In the Select Template dialog box, click one of the following drawing template files and then click Open. ■ Tutorial-mArch.dwt. Sample architectural template (metric) ■ Tutorial-mMfg.dwt. Sample mechanical design template (metric) ■...
Page 52: Plan The Drawing Units And Scale
Plan the Drawing Units and Scale Unlike manual drafting, you don’t need to worry about setting a scale before you start drawing. Even though you eventually print or plot to paper at a specified scale, you create the model at 1:1 scale. However, before you start a drawing, you must first decide what drawing units you will use.
Page 53 For example, if you are a mechanical engineer who normally works in millimeters, you would set the format for linear units to decimal. If you are an architect who normally works in feet and inches, you would set the format to architectural. The drawing unit format controls only the display style of the drawing units on-screen, such as in the display of coordinates and values in the Properties palette, dialog boxes, and prompts.
Page 54: Understand Models And Layouts
Understand Models and Layouts The Model and layout buttons on the status bar provide two working environments. You use Model space to draw a full-size model of your subject. With layout space you can create a multiple-view layout for plotting. full-size model of a part layout with title block and rectangular layout created at 1:1 scale...
Page 55 Try it: Switch between the Model and layout space At the bottom-center of the application window toward the right side, click the Model button. This action displays Model space, where you create and modify the geometry for your model. The strip along the bottom of the application window is called the drawing status bar. Right-click the same Model button and click the Display Model and Layout Tabs option.
Page 56: Organize Drawings With Layers
Organize Drawings with Layers Layers are the equivalent of the overlays used in manual drafting. In CAD, they are an important organizational tool. Each layer includes an assigned color, linetype, and lineweight. Before you create objects, you set the layer on which the objects are to be created. This is called the current layer. By default, the current layer’s color, linetype, and lineweight are assigned automatically to the new objects you create.
Page 57 Control Layers To make objects on a layer invisible, you can turn off the layer or freeze it in the Layer Properties Manager. You can also lock layers to reduce the possibility of modifying objects accidentally. ■ Turn off layers. Use this option rather than freezing if you frequently need to switch a layer’s visibility.
Page 58: Tutorial: Tour A Drawing
Tutorial: Tour a Drawing In this tutorial, you tour a drawing of an arbor and picket fence design. Click Menu browser ➤ File ➤ Open. In the Select File dialog box, find the \Help\GettingStarted folder in the AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT product folder and open arbor.dwg.
Page 59 To get started Action Menu Browser Icon File ➤ New Start a new drawing File ➤ Save As Save a drawing template Format ➤ Units Set the display style of the units Insert ➤ Layout ➤ New Layout Create a layout Format ➤...
Page 60 Offset lines to create parallel lines Create rectangles easily Use polylines to combine line and arc segments Use circles and arcs to create regular curves Use splines to create smooth, Use lines for drawing objects non-uniform curves and for construction geometry...
Page 61: Chapter 5 Draw Objects
Draw Objects Object Properties Overview ........56 Draw Lines .
Page 62: Object Properties Overview
Object Properties Overview All objects that you create have properties. Object properties are settings that control the appearance and geometric characteristics of an object. The general properties that are common to all objects are listed below. All other object properties are specific to the type of object. Color Linetype scale Hyperlink...
Page 63 Use the Properties Palette The Properties palette is the primary tool for viewing, setting, and modifying the properties of objects. The Properties palette operates as follows: ■ If no objects are selected, the Properties palette displays the current default property settings, and you can set the default properties for all subsequently created objects.
Page 64 Use the Layers Panel The Layers panel controls layers and layer properties. Use the Layer Properties Manager button to change layer settings. The Layer control, a drop-down list, provides a quick method for changing several layer properties and for changing the current layer. make the layer of the currently selected object the current layer Layers...
Page 65 Change the default color of a layer Click Menu Browser ➤ Format ➤ Layer. In the Layer Properties Manager, click the red box under the Color column of the Dimension layer. In the Select Color dialog box, click the green box and click OK. Close the Layer Properties Manager.
Page 66 Click the green check mark button at the top of the Layer Properties Manager. Click OK to make the selected layer the current layer. On the Layers panel, click the Layer control again. Click the lightbulb image for the Dimension layer to turn it off. Then click anywhere in the drawing area.
Page 67 Use Linetypes You can associate a single linetype with all of the objects drawn on the same layer or you can assign linetypes individually to objects. CONTINUOUS HIDDEN CENTER PHANTOM To use a linetype, you must first load it into your drawing using the Linetype Manager. Try it: Load a linetype and make it current Click Menu Browser ➤...
Page 68 Notice that the Properties panel in the ribbon displays the HIDDENX2 linetype as current rather than BYLAYER. All subsequently created objects will be displayed using this linetype. This setting overrides the linetype assigned to the current layer. Click the Model tab. Click Menu Browser ➤...
Page 69 Assign Lineweights Using lineweights, you can create heavy and thin lines to show cuts in sections, depth in elevations, dimension lines and tick marks, and differences in details. Lineweights are independent of the current display scale. Objects with a heavier lineweight always appear at the specified line width regardless of display scale.
Page 70: Draw Lines
Draw Lines The line is the most basic object that you will use. A line can be one segment or a series of successive segments, but each segment is a separate line object. If you need to draw a series of line segments as a single object, such as in a contour map, you create a polyline object instead.
Page 71: Draw Polylines
Draw Polylines To draw each polyline segment, you specify a start point and an endpoint. To draw additional segments, continue to specify points in your drawing. Try it: Create a polyline Click Menu Browser ➤ Draw ➤ Polyline. At each prompt, click a point. After several points, do one of the following: ■...
Page 72 Try it: Create a polygon Click Menu Browser ➤ Draw ➤ Polygon. Enter the number of sides, for example, 6. Click a location for the center of the polygon. Specify either the Inscribed or the Circumscribed option. This determines how the distance that you enter in the next prompt is measured.
Page 73: Draw Circles And Arcs
Draw Circles and Arcs You can create a variety of curved objects, including circles and arcs. Draw Circles To create circles, use one of the following methods: ■ Specify the center and radius (default method). ■ Specify the center and diameter. ■...
Page 74 NOTE The FILLET command creates an arc tangent to two existing objects. This is often the preferred method for creating arcs and will be covered later. To get started Action Menu Browser Icon Modify menu ➤ Properties Set properties Format ➤ Linetype Load, scale, and manage linetypes Format ➤...
Page 76 Enter coordinate values to Turn on polar tracking to draw locate points precisely along specified angles Turn on Ortho to draw Turn on Grid and Snap to Use object snaps horizontal and vertical draw within a predefined to locate precise lines framework points on objects...
Page 77: Chapter 6 Precision Drawing
Precision Drawing Set Grid and Snap Values ......... . . 72 Draw with Coordinates .
Page 78: Set Grid And Snap Values
Set Grid and Snap Values The grid and snap features set up a framework that you can use as a guide while drawing. ■ Grid displays a rectangular pattern of dots that extends over the area specified by the drawing grid limits.
Page 79 Try it: Change the Grid and Snap spacing Right-click either the Grid or Snap button on the status bar. Click Settings on the shortcut menu. In the Drafting Settings dialog box, specify new spacings for Grid and Snap. Click OK. Turn on Grid and Snap.
Page 80: Draw With Coordinates
Draw with Coordinates Coordinates represent locations in your drawing. When a command prompts you for a point, you can use the cursor to specify a point in the drawing area or you can enter coordinate values. Use Cartesian and Polar Coordinates In two-dimensional space, you specify points on a plane that is similar to a flat sheet of grid paper.
Page 81 Draw with Relative Cartesian Coordinates Use relative Cartesian coordinates when you know the location of a point in relation to the previous point. For example, to locate a point relative to the absolute coordinates –2,1, start the next coordinates with the @ symbol. Command: line Specify first point: #–2,1 Specify next point or [Undo]: @5,3...
Page 82: Snap To Precise Points On Objects
Snap to Precise Points on Objects Using object snaps is the most important way to specify an exact location on an object without having to use coordinates. For example, you can use an object snap to draw a line to the exact center of a circle, to the endpoint of another line segment, or to the tangent on an arc.
Page 83 Set Running Object Snaps To use the same object snap repeatedly, set it as a running object snap. It will stay active until you turn it off. For example, you might set Center as a running snap if you need to connect the centers of a series of circles with a line.
Page 84: Object Snap Descriptions
Object Snap Descriptions The following table illustrates commonly used object snaps. Object snap Snaps to Endpoint Object endpoints Midpoint Object midpoints Intersection Object intersections or, for single object snaps, locations where intersections would occur if objects were extended Center Center points of circles, arcs, or ellipses Quadrant Quadrants of arcs, circles, or ellipses Perpendicular...
Page 85: Specify Angles And Distances
Specify Angles and Distances You can quickly specify angles and distances using the polar tracking, direct-distance entry, and angle override features. Use Polar Tracking As you draw lines or move objects, you can use polar tracking to restrict the movement of the cursor to specified angle increments (the default value is 90 degrees).
Page 86 Try it: Draw several lines of specified lengths Click Menu Browser ➤ Draw ➤ Line. Click a point and then move the cursor to the right (0 degrees). Enter a value. Move the cursor up (90 degrees) and enter another value. Repeat several more times and then press ENTER.
Page 87 Start a new drawing Click Menu Browser ➤ File ➤ New. Select the tutorial drawing template file that is closest to your intended application and units of measurement: ■ Tutorial-mArch.dwt. Sample architectural template (metric) ■ Tutorial-mMfg.dwt. Sample mechanical design template (metric) ■...
Page 88 Do the following: ■ Experiment with creating lines using the following object snaps: Midpoint, Center, Perpendicular, and Tangent. ■ Turn running object snaps on and create several more lines. ■ Create a line from the center of the circle at a 30 degree angle and 10 units long. Erase any objects that are not part of the illustrated result.
Page 90 Use TRIM to remove the parts of objects that extend beyond cutting Use OFFSET to create parallel edges that you specify lines and concentric circles Use FILLET to connect two lines with an arc Use COPY to create duplicates at locations that you specify Use DIST to measure the distance between two points Use MIRROR to create an exact replica...
Page 91: Chapter 7 Make Modifications
Make Modifications Select Objects to Edit ..........86 Erase, Extend, and Trim Objects .
Page 92: Select Objects To Edit
Select Objects to Edit When you edit objects, you select one or more objects to specify a selection set of the objects. You can use two methods to specify which objects to modify: ■ Choose the command first. Choose an editing command and then select objects to modify. ■...
Page 93: Erase, Extend, And Trim Objects
Erase, Extend, and Trim Objects These methods delete objects or change their lengths: ■ Erase deletes the entire object. ■ Extend lengthens an object to a precise boundary. ■ Trim shortens an object to a precise boundary and removes the excess. Erase Objects You can use all the object selection methods with the ERASE command.
Page 94 Extend Objects You can extend objects so that they end precisely at a boundary defined by other objects. If you press ENTER instead of selecting boundary objects, all visible objects in the drawing become potential boundaries. The illustration shows lines extended precisely to the circle, which is the nearest boundary.
Page 95 Try it: Trim an object Create two horizontal lines and two vertical lines as shown in the left side of the previous illustration. You can use the Perpendicular object snap to make sure that the two horizontal lines intersect the vertical line at a right angle. Click Menu Browser ➤...
Page 96: Duplicate Objects
Duplicate Objects There are several ways to make copies of objects: ■ Copy creates new objects at a specified location. ■ Offset creates new objects at a specified distance from selected objects or through a specified point. ■ Mirror creates a mirror image of objects around a specified mirror line. Copy Objects To copy an object, you select one or more objects to copy, specify a start point, called a base point, and then specify a second point to determine the distance and direction of the copy.
Page 97 At the Specify Second Point prompt, press SHIFT and right-click to display the object snap menu. Click Endpoint. Click the corner of the other rectangle at point 3 as shown. Press ENTER to end the command. The copied circle is at the same location relative to its enclosing rectangle as the original circle. You can also copy objects specifying a base point followed by direct distance entry, typically with polar snap turned on.
Page 98 original object object offset NOTE Offsetting several objects followed by trimming or extending them is a very efficient drawing technique. Mirror Objects You mirror objects around a mirror line, which you define with two points. You then choose to delete or retain the original objects. mirror line Objects selected...
Page 99: Move And Rotate Objects
Move and Rotate Objects An important drawing technique is to create one or more objects and then move or rotate them into place. Move Objects You move objects the same way that you copy them. You select the object to move, specify the base point (1), and then specify a second point to determine the distance and direction of the move (2).
Page 100: Fillet Corners
Fillet Corners Filleting connects two objects with an arc of a specified radius that is tangent to the objects. Use the Radius option of the Fillet command to specify arc radius of the fillet. Changing the radius sets the default radius for subsequent fillets. By default, the filleted objects are trimmed as shown in the illustration.
Page 101 Tutorial: Modify Objects with Precision In the following tutorial, you will use precision drawing techniques to modify part of an assessor’s map. The adjoining property owners of an empty city lot persuaded their city council to allow them to acquire the lot. The only requirement was that the property owners agree on an equitable division. empty lot How would you divide the empty lot? The proposal accepted by the property owners expanded lots 26 and 27 to make their total lot sizes...
Page 102 Use the following procedure to change the boundaries of the lots. Click Menu Browser ➤ File ➤ Open. In the Select File dialog box, find the \Help\GettingStarted folder in the AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT product folder and open map.dwg. To simplify the display, turn off the Text layer. You first create a new property line on the left side of the triangular lot.
Page 103 Use intersection object snaps to create a new property line as shown in the illustration. Erase the old property line and the two construction circles. Fillet Corners...
Page 104 Next, extend the old property line to the new one. Click Menu Browser ➤ Modify ➤ Extend. Click the new property line. This line is the boundary for extending the old property line. Press ENTER. This action is important and easily forgotten. It separates the objects that serve as boundaries from the objects to be extended.
Page 105 Press ENTER to end the command. Use the same method to extend the other property line to the lower border. Erase the old property lines to open the long, narrow lot. Fillet Corners...
Page 106 Draw a short property line using the endpoint object snap between the end points of the property lines as shown. The new property lines are complete. But how can you find the new areas of the lots? Find the areas of the lots On the command line, enter boundary.
Page 107 NOTE As you move your cursor over the map, different polylines highlight. Where the polylines share a common boundary, only one of them is highlighted. Press SHIFT and SPACEBAR on a shared boundary repeatedly to cycle through the overlapping objects at that location. Click Menu Browser ➤...
Page 108: Chapter 7 Make Modifications
Start a new drawing using the drawing template file, Tutorial-mMfg.dwt. This template is for mechanical design drawings using metric units. All distances are assumed to be in millimeters. On the status bar, click the Model button. Make sure that the Polar and Osnap buttons on the status bar are turned on. The current layer should be Model-Front.
Page 109 Create a circle using the tangent-tangent-radius (Ttr) option. The radius should be 250 mm. Notice that the AutoSnap marker for tangent is turned on automatically. Command: circle Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: t Specify point on object for first tangent of circle: Select an outer circle near the expected tangent location Specify point on object for second tangent of circle: Select the other outer circle as shown Specify radius of circle: 250 (only part of the circle is shown in the illustration) Trim the large circle as shown below.
Page 110 Use the Mirror command to mirror the arc using the center points of the left and right circles to define the mirror line. Again, use SHIFT and right-click to access the object snap menu. There are often alternative methods for each step. For example, to create the lower arc, you could have used the Fillet command to fillet the two outer circles with a radius of 250 mm.
Page 111 Use the Endpoint object snap to create a line connecting the upper ends of the vertical lines. Offset the horizontal line downward by 12 mm. Trim the lower ends of the vertical lines to create the rectangular outline of the top view. Offset the topmost horizontal line upward by 3 mm.
Page 112 boundary line for trim Trim the topmost horizontal line as shown. Create a vertical line that starts from the endpoint of the arc and ends perpendicular to the horizontal line as shown. This line will be the trim boundary for the runout on the part. Trim the horizontal line to the boundary line as shown.
Page 113 Extend the remaining vertical line as shown. extend line Add 1 mm fillets to the outside corners. The top view is almost complete. You still need to change the hidden silhouette edges of the holes to a dashed linetype. silhouette edges To change the linetype of the four vertical lines, you will override the linetype property currently assigned to the lines.
Page 114 Match Properties You can easily copy properties of one object to other objects. You can choose to match color, layer, linetype, linetype scale, lineweight, thickness, plot style, and in some cases dimension styles, text styles, and hatch patterns. Try it: Copy the properties from one object to other objects Start a new drawing.
Page 115: Use Editing Aids
Use Editing Aids The following editing aids help you modify drawings efficiently: ■ Grips edit objects using your cursor and a shortcut menu. ■ Revision clouds identify areas that have been updated. Edit with Grips Grips are small squares and arrows that appear on an object after it has been selected. They mark control locations and are powerful editing tools.
Page 116 Try it: Edit objects using grips Draw several objects. Click several objects to select them and to display their grips. Click a grip on an object and click its new location. This is the default stretch mode. ■ Notice the grip behavior when object snaps are turned on. ■...
Page 117: Analyze Drawings
Analyze Drawings You can extract information from your model using the inquiry commands. The most commonly used one is the DIST command. Use DIST to quickly determine the relationship between two points. You can display the following information for two points you specify: ■...
Page 118 To get started Action Menu Browser Icon Modify ➤ Match Properties Match properties Draw ➤ Revision Cloud Create revision clouds Tools ➤ Inquiry ➤ Distance Extract information from objects Help system ERASE, EXTEND, TRIM, COPY, COPYCLIP, COPYMODE, PASTECLIP, OFFSET, MIRROR, MOVE, ROTATE, UNITS, FILLET, PROPERTIES, MATCHPROP, OPTIONS, REVCLOUD, DIST Review and Recall What is the difference between a crossing selection and a window selection?
Page 120 These symbols, called blocks, represent Create blocks when you want to use drawings or parts of standard items such as trees or bushes drawings repeatedly Hatch to fill areas with patterns or solid colors that help identify the subject matter or material...
Page 121: Chapter 8 Add Symbols And Hatches
Add Symbols and Hatches Overview of Blocks..........116 Insert Blocks .
Page 122: Overview Of Blocks
■ Your company network. You can also create your own blocks and block libraries, or your company may already have its own standard libraries. ■ The World Wide Web. Numerous Autodesk and commercial symbol libraries containing thousands of blocks are available. Access these using the DC Online tab in DesignCenter.
Page 123: Insert Blocks
Insert Blocks You can choose from the following three methods to insert blocks into drawings: ■ Insert dialog box. Place a block by specifying its insertion point, scale, and rotation angle. ■ DesignCenter. Locate symbol libraries and place or drag a block into a drawing or onto a tool palette.
Page 124 Open a block library Click Menu Browser ➤ Tools ➤ DesignCenter. The DesignCenter window is divided into the tree view on the left side and the content area on the right side. On the DesignCenter window, click the Folders tab if necessary. In the tree view, navigate to the Help\GettingStarted\Symbol Libraries folder.
Page 125: Overview Of Hatches
Overview of Hatches A hatch pattern is a standard pattern of lines or dots used to highlight an area in a drawing, or to identify a material such as concrete, steel, or grass. A hatch pattern can also be a solid fill. Use Standard Hatch Patterns The DesignCenter folder contains more than 60 industry-standard ISO and imperial hatch patterns.
Page 126: Insert Hatches Or Solid Fills
Insert Hatches or Solid Fills You can hatch or fill objects in a drawing using one of these methods: ■ Choose Hatch from the Draw menu or toolbar to create hatches and solid fills. ■ Use DesignCenter to drag hatches into the drawing or onto a tool palette. ■...
Page 127 Tutorial: Add Hatches to a Drawing In this tutorial, you will hatch part of your drawing to look something like this: Open MyDesign, the drawing that you created and saved in the previous tutorial. Click Menu Browser ➤ Draw ➤ Hatch. On the Hatch tab, under Type and Pattern, notice the name of the hatch pattern and the swatch.
Page 128 To get started Action Menu Browser Icons Insert ➤ Block Insert a blocks Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ DesignCenter Open DesignCenter Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ Tool Palettes Open the Tool Palettes window Draw ➤ Hatch Hatch an area Tools ➤ Palettes ➤ DesignCenter Tools ➤...
Page 131: Chapter 9 Add Text To A Drawing
Add Text to a Drawing Create and Modify Text ......... . . 126 Work with Text Styles .
Page 132: Create And Modify Text
Create and Modify Text AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT provide a text editor to add text to drawings. The text editor consists of a tab on the ribbon with a set of panels, and a text bounding box with a ruler at the top. These two components display automatically when you use the Multiline Text command.
Page 133 Additional features that are available for text in drawings include the following: ■ Check spelling using a spell checker with customizable dictionaries ■ Locate and correct text with the Find and Replace dialog box ■ Specify several columns of text and adjust the column widths easily ■...
Page 134: Work With Text Styles
Work with Text Styles Every text object in a drawing has a text style associated with it. When you enter text, the current text style is applied, which determines the following properties: ■ Font controls the shapes of the characters ■...
Page 135: Set Text Size For The Viewport Scaling
Set Text Size for the Viewport Scaling You can create text either in model space or on the layout in paper space. The space in which you create text depends on the circumstances. ■ If the text is more closely associated with the layout, you should create the text in paper space. With this option, there are no scaling considerations and you create the text at its full size (1:1).
Page 136 Review and Recall What is the fastest way to open the multiline text editor when you need to change existing text? What are some advantages to creating additional text styles? How do you decide whether to create text in paper space or in model space? What text height should you use in model space if the desired text height in paper space is 2.5 mm and the display scale of the layout viewport is 1/50 (0.02)? Chapter 9 Add Text to a Drawing...
Page 138 Quick Leader Angular Diameter Radius Aligned Ordinate Center Mark Linear (Horizontal) Baseline Linear (Vertical) Continued...
Page 139: Chapter 10 Add Dimensions
Add Dimensions Dimensions Overview..........134 Create Dimensions .
Page 140: Dimensions Overview
Dimensions Overview Dimensions show the geometric measurements of objects, the distances or angles between objects, or the location of a feature. Four general types of dimensions are available: ■ Linear. Measures distances using horizontal, vertical, aligned, rotated, baseline (parallel), and continued (chain) dimensions.
Page 141: Create Dimensions
Create Dimensions You can dimension lines, arcs, circles, and several other types of objects. There are two primary methods for creating dimensions: ■ Select an object to dimension (1) and specify the dimension line location (2) as shown in the following examples.
Page 142 Set the display scale of the viewport. Click the blue layout viewport border to select it. Click Menu Browser ➤ Modify ➤ Properties. On the Properties palette, click Display Locked and then No. NOTE It is strongly recommended that you keep the display in layout viewports locked unless you’re setting the display scale of the viewport.
Page 143 Experiment with several other types of dimensions. Automatic dimension scaling is not turned on in all drawings or drawing template files. It works NOTE only when the system variable DIMSCALE is set to 0. You can enter DIMSCALE on the command line. Check the Help system topic on DIMSCALE for more information.
Page 144: Use Dimensioning Options
Use Dimensioning Options In addition to the basic types of dimensions, the following options are available on the Dimension menu and toolbar: ■ Center marks and centerlines locate the exact center of circles or arcs. ■ Leader lines connect annotation to drawing features. ■...
Page 145 Create Leaders with Annotation You can create a leader from any point or feature in a drawing. A multileader can use straight line segments or smooth spline curves. Leader color, scale, and arrowhead style are controlled by the current multileader style. A small line known as a leader landing usually connects the annotation to the leader line.
Page 146: Create And Modify Dimension Styles
Create and Modify Dimension Styles Every dimension has a dimension style associated with it. Dimension styles help you establish and enforce drafting standards. Dimension styles also make changing dimension formats and behavior easy. A dimension style defines ■ Format and position of dimension lines, extension lines, arrowheads, and center marks ■...
Page 147 Specify Dimension Style Options Regardless of whether you choose New, Modify, or Override in the Dimension Style Manager, the same set of options are available: ■ Lines sets the appearance and behavior of dimension lines and extension lines. ■ Symbols and Arrows sets the appearance and behavior of dimension arrowheads, center marks, and centerlines.
Page 148: Modify Dimensions
Modify Dimensions You can modify dimensions with grips or with editing commands. You can also modify or override dimension styles, as discussed in the previous topic. For significant modifications to a dimension, it is usually easier to erase and re-create the dimension. The easiest way to make minor modifications in a dimension is to use grips.
Page 149 To get started Action Menu Browser Icon Dimension ➤ Linear Create linear dimensions Dimension ➤ Aligned Create aligned dimensions Dimension ➤ Ordinate Create ordinate dimensions Dimension ➤ Radius Create radius dimensions Dimension ➤ Diameter Create diameter dimensions Dimension ➤ Angular Create angular dimensions Dimension ➤...
Page 150 Review and Recall What is the behavior of associative leaders and associative dimensions? Why should you lock layout viewports? To ensure that dimensions are scaled according to the layout viewport scale, what dimension variable should be set to 0? What is the easiest way to modify the location of a dimension feature such as the dimension line or dimension text? Chapter 10 Add Dimensions...
Page 152 The model Created at full size (1:1). Text and dimensions in model space are scaled to compen- sate for the scale factors used in layout viewports Layout viewports Plot styles Display one or more views of the model, each of which Temporaily override properties such as can be scaled separately color and lineweight when plotting...
Page 153: Chapter 11 Create Layouts And Plots
Create Layouts and Plots Work with Layouts ..........148 Choose and Configure Plotters .
Page 154: Work With Layouts
Work with Layouts You use a layout to compose the plotted page. A layout typically includes the following objects: ■ General notes and tables ■ View-specific label blocks and callout blocks (this is an advanced topic not covered in this guide) ■...
Page 155 Try it: Create a layout Start a new drawing. Click Menu Browser ➤ Tools ➤ Wizards ➤ Create Layout. Follow the steps in the wizard to create a layout with a different paper size and matching title block. Right-click the layout tab. On the shortcut menu, click Rename. Enter a new name for the layout. To save this drawing as a new drawing template file, click Menu Browser ➤...
Page 156 In the Properties palette, click Standard Scale. Click the arrow to display a list of scales and click 1:40. Notice that the view changes immediately to reflect the new display scale. Double-click inside the layout viewport to enter Model Space. Pan the view as needed, but do not change the view scale with Zoom.
Page 157: Choose And Configure Plotters
Many plotters that do not have Windows drivers (nonsystem plotters) can be configured using drivers provided either by Autodesk or by the plotter manufacturer. ™...
Page 158 Change a Plotter Configuration The Plotter Configuration Editor is used to ■ Edit the port or file output information ■ Change or add paper sizes and layouts ■ Control vector and raster graphic output ■ Calibrate your plotter ■ Set any of your plotter’s custom properties To start the Plotter Configuration Editor, either double-click the PC3 file or choose Properties in the Plot dialog box.
Page 159: Plot From A Layout
Plot from a Layout After you have completed your drawing, you are ready to plot. In the Plot dialog box, you select the printer or plotter and many other settings that give you complete control of your output. specify a plot style select a printer...
Page 160 Click New. In the New Page Setup dialog box, enter My_New_Plotter. Click OK. Change some settings in the Page Setup dialog box. Click OK. The new page setup name is displayed in the Page Setup Manager. Click My_New_Plotter and click Set Current. The My_New_Plotter page setup is now associated with the current layout tab.
Page 161 Web Format) files are convenient for distributing drawings using email, FTP sites, project websites, or CDs. DWF files are smaller, faster, and provide greater resolution than other popular options. DWF files can be viewed using Autodesk® Design Review, a viewer available as a free download from the Autodesk website.
Page 162 Insert a title block into a layout Make sure that you are on the Elevation and Floor Plan layout tab. Make the Title Block layer the current layer. Click Menu Browser ➤ Insert ➤ Block. In the Insert dialog box, in the Name list, click Letter (portrait). Under Insertion Point, make sure that the Specify On-screen check box is checked.
Page 163 In the Properties palette, click the Standard Scale box and select 3/32"=1' from the drop-down list of scales. The model space objects are scaled correctly for plotting at 3/32"=1' (1:128). Double-click inside the top viewport to switch to model space. Pan the image in the viewport until only the elevation view is displayed.
Page 164 To get started Action Menu Browser Ribbon Panel Insert ➤ Layout Create a new layout Viewports View ➤ Viewports ➤ 1 Viewport Create a layout viewport Viewports Tools ➤ Properties Scale a view in a layout viewport Viewports File ➤ Plotter Manager Add a plotter or modify a plotter Plot configuration...
Page 165: Glossary
Glossary Commands and system variables associated with definitions are shown in parentheses at the end of the definition. Term Definition absolute coordinates Coordinate values measured from a coordinate system’s origin. See also origin, relative coordinates, user coordinate system (UCS), world coordinates, and world coordinate system (WCS). aligned dimension A dimension that measures the distance between two points at any angle.
Page 166 Term Definition Auto-hide A palette setting that causes palettes to hide automatically when the cursor moves off of it and to open automatically when the cursor moves onto its title bar. baseline dimensions Multiple dimensions measured from the same baseline. Also called parallel dimensions.
Page 167 Term Definition crossing selection A rectangular area drawn to select objects fully or partly within its borders. See also window selection. cursor See crosshairs. cursor menu See shortcut menu. CTB file A color-dependent plot style table. default A predefined value for a program input or parameter. Default values and options are denoted by angle brackets (<>).
Page 168 Term Definition For drawing interchange format. An ASCII or binary file format of an AutoCAD drawing file for exporting drawings to other applications or for importing drawings from other applications. See also DWF, DWG, and DWT. explode To disassemble a complex object, such as a block, dimension, or polyline, into simpler objects.
Page 169 Term Definition InfoCenter A tool in the upper-right edge of the application window that accepts keywords to search multiple sources and locations for information at one time (for example, Help, the New Features Workshop, web locations, and specified files). instance See block reference.
Page 170 Term Definition node An object snap specification to locate points, dimension definition points, and dimension text origins. NURBS For nonuniform rational B-spline curve. A B-spline curve or surface defined by a series of weighted control points and one or more knot vectors.
Page 171 Term Definition pickbox The square cursor used to select an object in the drawing area. plan view A view orientation from a point on the positive Z axis toward the origin (0,0,0). (PLAN) pline See polyline. point 1. A location in three-dimensional space specified by X, Y, and Z coordinate values.
Page 172 Term Definition running object snap Setting an Object Snap mode so it continues for subsequent selections. See also Object Snap mode and object snap override. (OSNAP) scale 1. The size of an object compared with other objects. 2. The display size of the components of noncontinuous linetypes and hatches.
Page 173 Term Definition system variable A name similar to a command used as a mode, size, or limit. Read- only system variables, such as DWGNAME, cannot be modified directly by the user. template drawing A drawing file with preestablished settings for new drawings such as aclt.dwt and acltiso.dwt;...
Page 175: Index
Index associative dimensions associative hatches attribute definitions absolute coordinates Autodesk Design Review (DWF viewer) accelerator keys (shortcut keys) Auto-hide and palettes actions, undoing Auto-hide feature Add-A-Plotter wizard AutoSnap markers aliases, command axes for coordinates aligned dimensions aligning text analyzing drawings...
Page 176 boundaries COPY command editing copying extending objects multiple copies of objects hatched areas objects polylines properties to other objects text objects corners, filleting trim boundaries counter-clockwise rotation BYBLOCK property crosshairs BYLAYER property See also cursors crossing selection areas CTB files (color-dependent plot style tables) current layer current object scale settings calculating distances, angles, or coordinates...
Page 177 dimension variables plotting editing dimensions revising editing properties revision clouds elements of dimensions Snap mode grips template files layers for touring moving dimensions zooming in or out overview drivers, printer saving styles in templates DWF (Design Web Format) files scaling DWT files.
Page 178 horizontal alignment of text horizontal dimensions FILLET command filleting objects fills fitting options for dimensions flipping objects (mirroring objects) i-drop floating viewports (layout viewports) imperial measurement drawing template files fonts Info palette formatting inquiry commands dimensions inscribed polygons drawing units Insert dialog box Text Formatting inserting blocks...
Page 179 layout tab layout viewports layouts magnifying view in viewports. See zooming in or out compared to models markup revision clouds display scale matching properties between objects linetypes in measurement units overview mechanical drawing template files page setups and mechanical drawing unit format plotting from menus scale and drawing units...
Page 180 object properties page orientation object snap markers Page Setup Manager Object Snap menu page setups Object Snap mode page size object snap overrides PAN command object snaps panels accuracy and Layers panel AutoSnap markers Properties panel cycling through snap points panning dimensions and paper size...
Page 181 specifying for arcs removing objects specifying for circles repeating commands polar arrays resizing polar coordinates linetypes polar tracking text objects PolarSnap viewports polygons revising drawings polylines See also editing objects closing revision clouds dividing or joining right mouse button filleting right-click actions highlighting boundaries rotating objects...
Page 182 solid fills tool palettes spacing tooltips grid and snap settings topics in Help system, display hatch patterns tree views splines trim boundaries STANDARD style TRIM command start points TrueType fonts starting drawings tutorial drawing template files status bar STB files (named plot style tables) styles dimension styles drafting standards...
Page 183 wheel mouse X and Y values width xrefs (external references) polylines text characters text objects window selection areas Windows printer drivers ZOOM command zooming in or out overview scaling views in viewports Index...
Page 184 Index...

This manual is also suitable for:

Autocad lt 2009

Autodesk 057A1-05A111-1001 - AutoCAD LT 2009 Getting Started Manual

Make the Transition from Paper to CAD

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Work with Commands

Chapter 3 Change Views

Chapter 4 Drawing Setup

Chapter 5 Draw Objects

Chapter 6 Precision Drawing

Chapter 7 Make Modifications

Chapter 8 Add Symbols and Hatches

Chapter 9 Add Text to a Drawing

Chapter 10 Add Dimensions

Chapter 11 Create Layouts and Plots

Glossary

Index

Quick Links

Getting Started

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Summary of Contents for Autodesk 057A1-05A111-1001 - AutoCAD LT 2009

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Table of Contents