AutoCAD Beginners

7/25/2019 AutoCAD Beginners

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The AutoCAD window displays a number of components

Getting to Know AutoCAD


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AutoCAD offers

an excellent help

system when

you need a

reminder or want

to learn a new

command. You

can click thehelp icon in the

InfoCenter to

open the

AutoCAD Help

page. F1 is the

Hot key for thehelp center.



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Application Menu Quick Access

Toolbar

Tabs

Tabs Group Panels Together that are similar.

The Application Menu is used to Save, Open, Print, or Modify Drawing

Properties.

The Quick Access Toolbar is fully customizable area where the most used

commands can be placed.


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Panels

Tools

Panels Group Tools Together that are similar.

The Ribbon is simply the area where the User interactive tools are

stored.

Ribbon


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View Port

Controls

AutoCAD File Tab

The file tabs across the top of canvas will display any open drawings

in AutoCAD.

The View Port Controls allow some manipulation of how the drawing

area is viewed


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Command

Line

Customization Options

SwitchViews

Dyn

amicallyAddAnnota

tion

Grid

Snap

Orth

ogonal

Pola

rTracking

Isom

etricDrafting

ObjectSnapTracking

Obje

ctSnap

ShowAnnotativeObjects

Ann

otation

Ove

rride

Trus

tedDWG

Sca

le

WorkspaceSwitching

Tool

AnnotationMonitor

HardwareAcceleration

Disp

layDrawingGrid

Isola

teObjects

Cus

tomization

Clea

nScreen

The Status Bar


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Command Line

User Interface for typing the commands into AutoCAD

To be fast at AutoCAD it takes a mixture of typed and selectedcommands.

The last command entered into AutoCAD can be repeated by pressing

enter, space bar, or right click repeat.

Cycle through a chronological list of entered commands by using the up

down keys, or right click recent inputs.


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Status Bar

These settings are a part of any one drawing. Changes that take place

on the status bar are global.


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Adjust Between Drawing Space and Layouts

Drawing Space (Canvas)

User Coordinate System


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Navigation Bar

UCS Control


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Basic AutoCAD Commands

Zoom Tool can be accessed through the Navigation

Bar at the far right of the screen. Several options

exists for ease of navigation in the drawing space.

Typing Z in the command line will start the zoom

command.

The Pan tool is also in the Navigation bar. Typing pan

in the navigation bar will also start pan. This tool can

be substituted for a center click mouse wheel.

Pan

Zoom


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When you start to draw in AutoCAD, you

will want to know how to specify

directions.

The standard User Coordinate System is

built off of the Cartesian Plane. The

Origin is the UCS shown in the picture.

This will always mark the 0,0 location ofthe drawing. The lines bound the first

quadrant.

By default, you indicate a horizontal

direction from left to right as zerodegrees. From bottom to top is ninety

degrees as shown in this figure.

0,0



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When you need to specify

locations, you use theCartesian coordinate

systems, with X as the

horizontal axis and Y as the

vertical.

In a new file, the origin is

located in the lower leftcorner of the drawing,

denoted by the UCS icon.

0,0



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As you draw in AutoCAD, youll

notice that the cursor changes

depending on your activity.

When AutoCAD is waiting for a

command, you see the standard

cursor.

When AutoCAD expects a point

location, youll see the point

selection cursor.

The point selection cursor is also

referred to as a pick box

If you need to select an object,

such as a line or circle, youll see

the object selection cursor.


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Selection boxes can be initiated by

left clicking on a blank part of the

canvas.

A green square is a crossing

window and it will select any feature

that it touches.

The blue box is a bounding window

and will only select features that are

completely within the it.

Hold the left mouse button to draw a

lasso window to draw abstract

shapes and select features. Lasso

windows operate similarly to

bounding boxes in that it matterswhich direction they are drawn


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Relative versus Absolute Cartesian Coordinate system:

Click the Customization icon in the lower left.

Check mark the Dynamic input tool.

When this tool is active, any object manipulation will be

in reference to the selected object or vertices.

When the tool is deactivated the absolute system is ineffect. This means that the actual AutoCAD coordinates

are used.

The @ symbol placed before typed coordinates will use

dynamic input.

The # symbol placed before typed coordinates will use

absolute input.


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Polar Tracking:

Use this command to lock onto specific angles.

The screen shot show a line being drawn with

Polar Tracking assist. The angle increments are

22.5. The green line will display out to infinity.

Orthogonal:

Allows lines to be drawn at right angles only.

Much like polar tracking, except the line is

restricted to 90 increments.


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Displaying coordinates:

Click the Customization Icon in the lower right corner of

the screen.Make Sure Coordinates are Checked

Click on the Coordinates at the bottom of the screen totoggle them on or off.

Off means they will only change when a point on the

screen is clicked

On means they change dynamically

A t CAD D i F t


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Choose Drawing Utilities > Units from

the Application menu to open the

Drawing Units dialog box. This dialog

box lets you set your drawing up fordecimal (metric) or imperial (feet and

inch) units.

When you start a brand new project,

you will want to set up the length type

for the drawing.

The Precision selection will change

based on the length type that is

chosen.

When you start a brand new project,

you will want to set up the angle typefor the drawing.

The Precision selection will change

based on the angle type that is

chosen.

AutoCAD Drawing Features

A t CAD D i F t


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The Insertion Scale-Inserts content to the

selected unit.Engineers and Architects collaborate on

projects. Engineers might set the

insertion unit to feet, so when receiving

architectural drawings in inches the

conversion to feet is handled by

AutoCAD.

Similarly International collaboration

between Engineers may use a metric

conversion, so Engineering designs are

easily shared between groups.

Units for specifying the intensity of light

will be discussed if there is time to

discuss 3-D modeling.

3-D Modeling -> workspace -> Visualize

B i A t CAD C d


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Saving A file. Saving A New file.

B i A t CAD C d


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Saving the drawing andsharing with Autodesk 360.

Type OP

Select the online Tab

Click the Autodesk 360 button

Create an Account.

Autodesk 360 allows 100 of

the tools found in AutoCAD

and is a free collaborative

software offered by Autodesk.

B i A t CAD C d


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Drafting Settings (DS)This dialog box will need to be

accessed frequently. Every

drawing scenario has an

efficient method of completion

in combination with the users

preference.

The current tab selection is

that of the object snap. This

drawing feature will be the

most cycled through of the

drawing settings.



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Drafting Settings (DS) contThe Snap and Grid tab is

another tab that may be

frequented depending on the

users drawing style and

discipline.



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Once youve set up the unit type, and the

Drafting Settings, you can set up the drawing

area. Use the Limits command (Limits ) to

set up the limits.The drawing limits are really just a guide to

help you visualize the area you are working

on and they do not actually limit you in any

way. You can draw outside the drawing limits,

but not by clicking.

It will only restrict the display of the grid if the

display grid beyond limits is unchecked

If you type Z A, your drawing view will

change to show the limits of your drawing.

Note that a grid behavior setting must be

turned on to limit the grids display to the

drawing limits.

Using limits and grid is a matter of preference

and drawing efficiency. If the product lends

itself to even measurements and right angles

then use grid and appropriately set snaps.




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Anything Done in AutoCAD can be undone

U during a command will undo the last action within the

command

U outside of a command will undo the entire last command

UM Will mark a spot to revert back to

UB Reverts back to the marked Spot


Documents

AutoCAD Beginners