Drawing the Sink
You’re ready to draw the sink. First, you’ll draw the sink countertop. Then, you’ll make sure Running
Osnaps and Osnap Tracking are turned on. Finally, you’ll draw the bowl of the sink.
Here are the steps for drawing the outline of the sink countertop:
1. Click the Grid button in the status bar to turn off the grid. It was helpful to let you see the
work area, but you don’t need it now.
2. Click the Rectangle tool in the 2D Draw control panel, or type rec↵.
3. At the prompt
Specify first corner point or [Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Thickness/Width]:
enter 0,0↵. This places one corner of the rectangle in the origin of the drawing.
4. At the Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]: prompt, enter
@2´4,1´6↵. Metric users should enter @71,46↵. This makes the rectangle 2´-4˝ wide by 1´-6˝
deep, or 71 cm by 46 cm for metric users. The rectangle appears in the lower half of the drawing
area.
5. Choose View Zoom Extents to enlarge the view of the sink outline. Then, use the Zoom
Realtime tool in the 2D Navigate control panel to adjust your view so it looks similar to the
one shown in Figure 3.14.
When you draw the bowl of the sink, the bowl will be represented by an ellipse. You want to
place the center of the ellipse at the center of the rectangle you’ve just drawn. To do this, you’ll use
the midpoint of two adjoining sides of the rectangle as alignment locations. This is where the Osnap
Tracking tool will be useful.
You need to make sure Running Osnaps are turned on and that they’re set to the Midpoint
option. Then, you’ll make sure Osnap Tracking is turned on. Use these steps:
1. Right-click the Otrack button in the status bar, and choose Settings from the shortcut menu
to open the Drafting Settings dialog box at the Object Snap tab.
2. Make sure the Midpoint check box in the Object Snap Modes group is selected.
3. Also make sure that Object Snap On and Object Snap Tracking On are both selected. Click OK.
You’ll notice that the Osnap and Otrack buttons in the status bar are now in the on position.
Finally, you’re ready to draw the ellipse:
1. Click the Ellipse tool in the 2D Draw control panel, or enter El↵.
2. At the Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]: prompt, type C; or, rightclick,
and choose Center from the shortcut menu.
3. Move your cursor to the top, horizontal edge of the rectangle, until you see the Midpoint ToolTip.
4. Move the cursor directly over the Midpoint Osnap marker. Without clicking the mouse,
hold the cursor there for a second until you see a small cross appear. Look carefully, because
the cross is small. This is the Osnap Tracking marker.
TIP You can alternately insert and remove the Osnap Tracking marker by passing the cursor over
the Osnap marker.
5. As you move the cursor downward, a dotted line appears, emanating from the midpoint of
the horizontal line. The cursor also shows a small X following the dotted line as you move it.
6. Move the cursor to the midpoint of the left vertical side of the rectangle. Don’t click, but
hold it there for a second until you see the small cross. Now, as you move the cursor away,
a horizontal dotted line appears, with an X following the cursor.
7. Move the cursor to the center of the rectangle. The two dotted lines appear simultaneously,
and a small X appears at their intersection.
8. With the two dotted lines crossing and the X at their intersection, click the left mouse button
to select the exact center of the rectangle.
9. Point the cursor to the right, and enter 8↵ to make the width of the bowl 16˝. Metric users
should enter 20↵ for a bowl 40 cm wide.
10. Point the cursor downward, and enter 6↵ to make the length of the bowl 12˝. Metric users
should enter 15↵ for a bowl with a length of 30 cm. The basic symbol for the sink is complete
(see Figure 3.15).
11. Choose File Save. You can exit AutoCAD now and take a break.
In this exercise, you saw how Osnap Tracking enables you to align two locations to select a point in
space. Although you used only the Midpoint osnap setting in this exercise, you aren’t limited to only
one osnap setting. You can use as many as you need in order to select the appropriate geometry. You
can also use as many alignment points as you need, although in this exercise, you used only two. If you
like, erase the ellipse, and repeat this exercise until you get the hang of using the Osnap Tracking feature.
TIP As with all the other buttons in the status bar, you can turn Osnap Tracking on or off by clicking
the Otrack button.
Check this out
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Autocad Tutorials, Autocad 3D, Free Autocad Blocks
Drawing the Sink
Aligning Objects by Using Object Snap Tracking
Aligning Objects by Using Object Snap Tracking
You saw how to use lines to construct an object such as the bathtub. In many situations, using these
construction lines is the most efficient way to draw, but they can also be a bit cumbersome.
AutoCAD 2008 offers another tool that helps you align locations in your drawing to existing objects
without having to draw intermediate construction lines. The tool is called Object Snap Tracking or
Osnap Tracking.
Osnap Tracking is like an extension of object snaps that enables you to align a point to the geometry
of an object instead of just selecting a point on an object. For example, with Osnap Tracking,
you can select a point that is exactly at the center of a rectangle.
In the following exercises, you’ll draw a plan view of a bathroom sink as an introduction to the
Osnap Tracking feature. This drawing will be used as a symbol in later chapters.
WARNING The Object Snap Tracking feature isn’t available in AutoCAD LT 2008. If you’re using
LT, follow along with the tutorial until you’re asked to draw the ellipse to represent the bowl of
the sink. Go ahead and draw an ellipse approximating the shape and size of the one in the tutorial.
In Chapter 15, you’ll learn about the Temporary Tracking feature, which is available in LT as well
as AutoCAD and is similar to the Object Snap Tracking feature.
A Quick Setup
First, as a review, you’ll open a new file by using the Create New Drawing Wizard. Because this
drawing will be used as a symbol for insertion in other CAD drawings, don’t worry about setting
it up to conform to a sheet size. Chances are, you won’t be printing individual symbols. Here are
the steps:
1. Choose File New to create a new drawing for your bathroom sink. Enter Startup↵ 1↵. This
turns on the Quick Setup wizard for new drawings. Next...
2. Click the Use A Wizard button in the Create New Drawing dialog box, select Quick Setup
from the list that appears below the buttons, and then click OK.
3. In the Units screen, choose Architectural; then, click Next. Metric users can use the Decimal
option. This option performs the same operation as the Drawing Units dialog box you saw
earlier in this chapter.
4. In the Area screen, enter 48 for the width and 36 for the length. Metric users should enter 122
for the width and 92 for the length. Click Finish. This option performs the same operation as
choosing Format Drawing Limits from the menu bar.
5. Click the Grid button in the status bar, and then choose View Zoom All from the menu
bar. This enables you to see your entire work area.
6. Choose File Save As to save the file under the name Sink.
7. Enter Setup↵ 0↵ to turn off the Quick Setup wizard. Or you can leave it turned on, but be
aware that later exercises assume that it is turned off.
As you saw in steps 3 and 4, the Create New Drawing Wizard simplifies the drawing setup
process by limiting the options you need to work with.
TIP If you find that you use the same drawing setup over and over, you can create template files
that are already set up to your own, customized way of working. Templates are discussed
in Chapter 5
Aligning with Grips
Osnaps, in conjunction with grips, offer a feature similar to Osnap Tracking that lets you align a grip
with the direction of a line or an arc. Here’s how it works. Select the line to which you want to be aligned
so that its grips are displayed. Select the grip of another object that you want to edit, and then hover over
the endpoint grip of the first line you selected. As you move your cursor away from the grip, an alignment
vector appears that is aligned with the first line. Your cursor then snaps to the line and the vector
it describes. As you move the cursor, it stays along the vector described by the line.
You can also hover over the endpoint grips of two lines or a line and an arc to find their intersection. Or,
you can quickly extend the length of a line or an arc using this method. Click the endpoint grip of a line,
for example, hover over it until a cross appears, and then drag the endpoint along the direction of the
line to lengthen or shorten it. This also works with grips in a polyline.
Putting On the Finishing Touches
Putting On the Finishing Touches
The inside of the tub still has some sharp corners. To round out these corners, you can use the versatile
Fillet command on the 2D Draw control panel. Fillet enables you to join lines and arcs end to
end, and it can add a radius where they join so there is a smooth transition from arc to arc or line
to line. Fillet can join two lines that don’t intersect, and it can trim two crossing lines back to their
point of intersection. Follow these steps:
1. Click the Fillet tool on the 2D Draw control panel, or type f↵. You can also choose Modify
Fillet from the menu bar.
2. At the prompt
Current settings: Mode = TRIM, Radius = 0´-01/2
Select first object or [Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]:
enter R↵, or right-click and choose Radius from the shortcut menu.
3. At the Specify fillet radius <0´-0˝>: prompt, enter 4↵. This tells AutoCAD that you
want a 4˝ radius for your fillet. Metric users should enter 10↵.
4. Pick two adjacent arcs. The fillet arc joins the two larger arcs.
5. Press ↵ again, and fillet another corner. Repeat until all four corners are filleted. Your drawing
should look like Figure 3.13.
6. Save and close the Bath file.
The Osnap Options
The Osnap Options
Earlier, you made several of the osnap settings automatic so they’re available without having to select
them from the Osnap pop-up menu. Another way to invoke the osnap options is to type their keyboard
equivalents while selecting points or to Shift+right-click while selecting points to open the Osnap shortcut
menu.
Here is a summary of all the available osnap options, including their keyboard shortcuts. You’ve already
used many of these options in this chapter and in the previous chapter. Pay special attention to those
options you haven’t yet used in the exercises but may find useful to your style of work. The full name of
each option is followed by its keyboard shortcut name in brackets. To use these options, you can enter
either the full name or the abbreviation at any point prompt. You can also select these options from the
pop-up menu obtained by Shift+clicking the right mouse button.
Tip: Sometimes you’ll want one or more of these osnap options available as the default selection.
Remember that you can set Running Osnaps to be on at all times. Choose Tools Drafting Settings from
the menu bar, and then click the Object Snap tab. You can also right-click the Osnap button in the status
bar and choose Settings from the shortcut menu.
Available osnap options (in alphabetic order):
Apparent Intersection [app] Selects the apparent intersection of two objects. This is useful
when you want to select the intersection of two objects that don’t actually intersect. You’ll be
prompted to select the two objects.
Center [cen] Selects the center of an arc or a circle. You must click the arc or circle itself, not its
apparent center.
Endpoint [endp or end] Selects all the endpoints of lines, polylines, arcs, curves, and 3D Face
vertices.
Extension [ext] Selects a point that is aligned with an imagined extension of a line. For example,
you can pick a point in space that is aligned with an existing line but isn’t on that line. To use that
point, type ext↵ during point selection, or select Extension from the Osnap pop-up menu; then,
move the cursor to the line whose extension you want to use, and hold it there until you see a small,
cross-shaped marker on the line. The cursor also displays a ToolTip with the word extension, letting
you know that the Extension osnap is active.
From [fro] Selects a point relative to a picked point. For example, you can select a point that is
2 units to the left and 4 units above a circle’s center. This option is usually used in conjunction with
another osnap option, such as From Endpoint or From Midpoint.
Insert [ins] Selects the insertion point of text, blocks, Xrefs, and overlays.
Intersection [int] Selects the intersection of objects.
Mid Between 2 Points [m2p] Selects a point that is midway between two other points.
Midpoint [mid] Selects the midpoint of a line or an arc. In the case of a polyline, it selects the
midpoint of the polyline segment.
Nearest [nea] Selects a point on an object nearest the pick point.
Node [nod] Selects a point object.
None [non] Temporarily turns off Running Osnaps.
Parallel [par] Lets you draw a line segment that is parallel to another existing line segment. To
use this option, type par↵ during point selection, or select Parallel from the Osnap pop-up menu;
then, move the cursor to the line you want to be parallel to, and hold it there until you see a small,
cross-shaped marker on the line. The cursor also displays a ToolTip with the word parallel, letting
you know that the Parallel osnap is active.
Perpendicular [per] Selects a position on an object that is perpendicular to the last point selected.
Point Filters Not really object snaps, but point-selection options that let you filter X, Y, or Z coordinate
values from a selected point. (See Chapter 20 for more on point filters.)
Quadrant [qua] Selects the nearest cardinal (north, south, east, or west) point on an arc or a circle.
Tangent [tan] Selects a point on an arc or a circle that represents the tangent from the last
point selected.
Temporary Track Point Provides an alternate method for using the Object Snap Tracking feature
described later in this chapter. (See Chapter 15 for more on Temporary Track Point.)
Erasing the Layout Lines
Erasing the Layout Lines
Next, you’ll erase the layout lines you created using the Offset command. But this time, you’ll try
selecting the lines before issuing the Erase command.
TIP If the following exercise doesn’t work as described, be sure you have the Noun/Verb selection
setting turned on. See Appendix A for details.
Follow these steps:
1. Click each internal layout line individually.
If you have problems selecting just the lines, try using a selection window to select single
lines. (Remember, a window selects only objects that are completely within the window.).
2. After all the layout lines are highlighted, enter E↵ to use the keyboard shortcut for the Erase
command, or right-click and choose Erase from the shortcut menu. Your drawing will look
like Figure 3.12.
If you right-click to use the shortcut menu in step 2, you’ll notice that you have several options
besides Erase. You can move, copy, scale, and rotate the objects you selected. These options act just
like the standard 2D Draw control panel options. Be aware that these commands act somewhat differently
from the hot-grip options described in Chapter 2.
TIP If you need more control over the selection of objects, you’ll find the Add/Remove Selection
Mode setting useful. This setting lets you deselect a set of objects within a set of objects you’ve
already selected. While in Object Selection mode, enter R↵; then, proceed to use a window or
other selection tool to remove objects from the selection set. Enter A↵ to continue to add options
to the selection set. Or, if you need to deselect only a single object, Shift+click it.
TIP When you’re preparing to erase an object that is close to other objects, you may want to select
the object first, using the Noun/Verb selection method. This way, you can carefully select objects
you want to erase before you invoke the Erase command.
Adjusting the AutoSnap Feature
Adjusting the AutoSnap Feature
When you click the Options button in the Object Snap tab of the Drafting Settings dialog box, you’ll see the
Drafting Settings tab of the Options dialog box. This tab offers a set of options pertaining to the AutoSnap
feature. AutoSnap looks at the location of your cursor during osnap selections and locates the osnap point
nearest your cursor. AutoSnap then displays a graphic called a marker showing you the osnap point it has
found. If it’s the one you want, you left-click your mouse to select it.
The AutoSnap settings enable you to control various features:
Marker turns the graphic marker on or off.
Magnet causes the Osnap cursor to jump to inferred osnap points.
Display AutoSnap Tooltip turns the Osnap ToolTip on or off.
Display AutoSnap Aperture Box turns the old-style Osnap cursor box on or off.
AutoSnap Marker Size controls the size of the graphic marker.
Colors controls the color of the AutoSnap marker. This option opens the Drawing Window Colors
dialog box, which lets you select a color.
WARNING It’s easy for new users to select points inadvertently. If you accidentally select additional
points after the last exercise and prior to step 1, you may not get the results described here.
If this happens, issue the Arc command again; then, use the Endpoint Osnap, and select the endpoint
of the last arc.
3. Type E↵ to tell AutoCAD that you want to specify the other end of the arc instead of the next
point. Or, you can right-click anywhere in the drawing area and choose End from the shortcut
menu.
4. At the Specify end point of arc: prompt, use the Intersection osnap to pick the intersection
of the two lines in the lower-left corner of the tub. See the middle image in Figure 3.10
for the location of this point.
5. Type D↵ to select the Direction option. You can also right-click anywhere in the drawing area
and then choose Direction from the shortcut menu. The arc drags as you move the cursor,
along with a rubber-banding line from the starting point of the arc.
6. Move the cursor to the left of the dragging arc until it touches the middle line on the left side
of the tub. Pick that, as shown in the middle image in Figure 3.10.
TIP In step 3, the rubber-banding line indicates the direction of the arc. Be sure Ortho mode is off,
because Ortho mode forces the rubber-banding line and the arc in a direction you don’t want.
Check the status bar; if the Ortho button looks like it’s pressed, press F8 or click the Ortho button
to turn off Ortho mode.
Now, you’ll draw the bottom of the tub:
1. Click the Arc tool in the 2D Draw control panel again. You can also press ↵ to replay the
last command.
2. Using the Endpoint Osnap marker, pick the endpoint of the bottom of the arc just drawn.
3. Using the Midpoint Osnap marker, pick the middle horizontal line at the bottom of the tub.
4. Pick the intersection of the two lines in the lower-right corner of the tub (see the image at the
bottom in Figure 3.10).
Next, create the right side of the tub by mirroring the left side:
1. Click the Mirror tool on the 2D Draw control panel. You can also choose Modify Mirror
or enter mi↵ at the Command prompt.
2. At the Select objects: prompt, pick the long arc on the left side of the tub to highlight the
arc. Press ↵ to indicate that you’ve finished your selection.
3. At the Specify first point of mirror line: prompt, pick the midpoint of the top
horizontal line. By now, you should know how to use the automatic osnap modes you
set up earlier.
4. At the Specify second point of mirror line: prompt, use Polar Tracking mode to pick
a point directly below the last point selected.
5. At the Erase source objects? [Yes/No]
A mirror image of the arc you picked appears on the right side of the tub. Your drawing
should look like Figure 3.11.
In this exercise, you were able to use osnaps in a Running Osnap mode. You’ll find that you’ll
use osnaps constantly as you create your drawings. For this reason, you may want Running Osnaps
on all the time. Even so, at times Running Osnaps can get in the way. For example, they may be a
nuisance in a crowded drawing when you want to use a zoom window. The osnaps can cause you
to select an inappropriate window area by automatically selecting osnap points.
Fortunately, you can toggle Running Osnaps on and off easily by clicking the Osnap button
in the status bar. If you don’t have any Running Osnaps set, clicking the Osnap button opens the
Object Snap settings in the Drafting Settings dialog box, enabling you to select your osnaps.
SETTING UP AND USING AUTOCAD’S DRAFTING TOOLS
SETTING UP AND USING AUTOCAD’S DRAFTING TOOLS
The top image in Figure 3.10 shows the sequence I just described.
TIP When you see an Osnap marker on an object, you can have AutoCAD move to the next osnap
point on the object by pressing the Tab key. If you have several Running Osnap modes on (Endpoint,
Midpoint, and Intersection, for example), pressing the Tab key cycles through those osnap
points on the object. This feature can be especially useful in a crowded area of a drawing.
Next, you’ll draw an arc for the left side of the tub:
1. In the 2D Draw control panel, click the Arc tool again.
2. Type @↵ to select the last point you picked as the start of the next arc.
Using the Layout
Using the Layout
Now, you’ll begin to draw the inside of the tub, starting with the narrow end. You’ll use your offset
lines as references to construct the arcs that make up the tub. Also in this exercise, you’ll set up some
of the Osnap tools to be available automatically whenever AutoCAD expects a point selection. Here
are the steps:
1. Choose Tools Drafting Settings, and click the Object Snap tab. You can also type Os↵ or rightclick
the Osnap button on the status bar and then choose Settings from the shortcut menu.
2. Click the Clear All button to turn off any options that may be selected.
TIP Look at the graphic symbols next to each of the Osnap options in the Object Snap tab. These are
the Osnap markers that appear in your drawing as you select Osnap points. Each Osnap option has
its own marker symbol. As you use the osnaps, you’ll become more familiar with how they work.
3. Click the Endpoint, Midpoint, and Intersection check boxes so that a check mark appears in
each box, and make sure the Object Snap On option is selected. Click OK.
You’ve just set up the Endpoint, Midpoint, and Intersection osnaps to be on by default. This is
called a Running Osnap; AutoCAD automatically selects the nearest Osnap point without your
intervention. Now, let’s see how a Running Osnap works:
1. In the 2D Draw control panel, click the Arc tool or type a↵. See Figure 3.9 for other Arc
options available when you choose Draw Arc.
2. For the first point of the arc, move the cursor toward the intersection of the two lines, as indicated
in the top image in Figure 3.10. Notice that the Intersection Osnap marker appears on
the intersection.
3. With the Intersection Osnap marker on the desired intersection, click the left mouse button.
4. Move the cursor to the midpoint of the second horizontal line near the top. When the Midpoint
Osnap marker appears at the midpoint of the line, click the left mouse button.
5. Use the Intersection Osnap marker to locate and select the intersection of the two lines at the
upper-left side of the bathtub.
Making a Preliminary Sketch
Making a Preliminary Sketch
In this section, you’ll see how planning ahead will make your use of AutoCAD more efficient. When
drawing a complex object, you’ll often have to do some layout before you do the actual drawing. This
is similar to drawing an accurate pencil sketch using construction lines that you later trace over to produce
a finished drawing. The advantage of doing this in AutoCAD is that your drawing doesn’t lose
any accuracy between the sketch and the final product. Also, AutoCAD enables you to use the geometry
of your sketch to aid you in drawing. While you’re planning your drawing, think about what you
want to draw, and then decide which drawing elements will help you create that object.
You’ll use the Offset command to establish reference lines to help you draw the inside of the tub. This
is where the Osnap overrides are useful. (See the sidebar “The Osnap Options,” later in this chapter.)
You can use the Offset tool on the 2D Draw control panel to make parallel copies of a set of
objects, such as the lines forming the outside of your tub. Offset is different from the Copy command;
Offset allows only one object to be copied at a time, but it can remember the distance you
specify. The Offset option doesn’t work with all types of objects. Only lines, arcs, circles, ellipses,
splines and 2D polylines can be offset.
Standard lines are best suited for the layout of the bathtub in this situation. In Chapter 6, you’ll
learn about two other objects, construction lines (Xlines) and rays, which are specifically designed
to help you lay out a drawing. In this exercise, you’ll use standard lines:
1. Click the Offset tool in the 2D Draw control panel, or type O↵. You can also choose Modify
Offset from the drop-down menu.
2. At the Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer]
This specifies the distance of 3˝ as the offset distance. Metric users should enter 7 for 7 cm, which
is roughly equivalent to 3 inches.
3. At the Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo]
of the rectangle you just drew.
4. At the Specify point on side to offset or [Exit/Multiple/Undo]: prompt, pick
a point inside the rectangle. A copy of the line appears. You don’t have to be exact about
where you pick the side to offset; AutoCAD wants to know only on which side of the line
you want to make the offset copy.
5. The prompt Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo]
another side to offset; then, click again on a point inside the rectangle.
6. Continue to offset the other two sides; then, offset these four new lines inside the rectangle
toward the center. You’ll have a drawing that looks like Figure 3.8.
7. When you’re done, exit the Offset command by pressing ↵.
Planning and Laying Out a Drawing
Planning and Laying Out a Drawing
For the next object, the bathtub, you’ll use some new commands to lay out parts of the drawing.
This will help you get a feel for the kind of planning you must do to use AutoCAD effectively.
You’ll begin the bathtub by using the Line command to draw a rectangle 2´-8˝ × 5´-0˝ (81 cm × 152
cm for metric users) on the left side of the drawing area. For a change this time, you’ll use a couple
of shortcut methods built into AutoCAD: the Line command’s keyboard shortcut, and the Direct
Distance method for specifying distance and direction.
First, though, you’ll go back to the previous view of your drawing and arrange some more room
to work. Follow these steps:
1. Return to your previous view, shown in Figure 3.7. A quick way to do this is to choose
View Zoom Previous. Your view returns to the one you had before the last Zoom
command.
2. Type L↵, and, at the Specify first point: prompt, enter 9,10↵ to start the line at the 0´-9˝,
0´-10˝ coordinate. Metric users should enter 24,27↵ for the coordinate 24.0000,27.0000.
3. Place your cursor to the right of the last point selected so that the rubber-banding line is pointing
directly to the right, and type 2´8˝; then, press ↵ for the first side of the tub. Metric users
should enter 81↵. Notice that the rubber-banding line is now fixed at the length you typed.
4. Point the rubber-banding line upward toward the top of the screen, and type 5´; then, press ↵
for the next side. Metric users should enter 152↵.
5. Point the rubber-banding line directly to the left of the last point, and type 2´8˝ (81 for metric
users); then, press ↵ for the next side.
6. Type C↵ to close the rectangle and exit the Line command.
TIP Instead of pressing ↵ during the Direct Distance method, you can press the spacebar or rightclick,
and choose Enter from the shortcut menu.
Now you have the outline of the tub. Notice that when you enter feet and inches from the keyboard,
you must avoid hyphens or spaces. Thus, 2 feet 8 inches is typed as 2´8˝. Also notice that you
don’t have to enter the at sign (@) or angle specification. Instead, you use the Direct Distance
method to specify direction and distance. You can use this method for drawing lines or moving and
copying objects at right angles. The Direct Distance method is less effective if you want to specify
exact angles other than right angles.
Some of the keyboard shortcuts for tools or commands you’ve used in this chapter are CO
(Copy), E (Erase), EL (Ellipse), F (Fillet), M (Move), O (Offset), and TR (Trim). Remember that you
can enter keyboard shortcuts, such as keyboard commands, only when the Command prompt is
visible in the Command window.
Exploring the Trim Options
Exploring the Trim Options
AutoCAD offers six options for the Trim command: Fence, Crossing, Project, Edge, eRase, and
Undo. As described in the following paragraphs, these options give you a higher degree of control
over how objects are trimmed:
Edge [E] Lets you trim an object to an apparent intersection, even if the cutting-edge object
doesn’t intersect the object to be trimmed. (See the top of Figure 3.6.) Edge offers two options:
Extend and No Extend. You can also set these options by using the Edgemode system variable.
Project [P] Useful when you’re working on 3D drawings. It controls how AutoCAD trims
objects that aren’t coplanar. Project offers three options: None, UCS, and View. The None option
causes Trim to ignore objects that are on different planes so that only coplanar objects are trimmed.
If you choose UCS, the Trim command trims objects based on a plan view of the current UCS and
then disregards whether the objects are coplanar. (See the middle of Figure 3.6.) View is similar
to UCS but uses the current view’s “line of sight” to determine how non-coplanar objects are
trimmed. (See the bottom of Figure 3.6.)
eRase [R] Allows you to erase an object while remaining in the Trim command.
Fence/Crossing [F or C] Lets you use a Fence or Crossing window to select objects.
Undo [U] Causes the last trimmed object to revert to its original length.
You’ve just seen one way to construct the toilet. However, you can construct objects in many
ways. For example, you can trim only the top of the ellipse, as you did in the first Trim exercise, and
then use the Grips feature to move the endpoints of the line to meet the endpoints of the ellipse. As
you become familiar with AutoCAD, you’ll start to develop your own ways of working, using the
tools best suited to your style.
If you’d like to take a break, now is a good time. You can exit AutoCAD and then come back to
the Bath drawing file when you’re ready to proceed.
Getting a Closer Look
Getting a Closer Look
During the drawing process, you’ll often want to enlarge areas of a drawing to edit its objects. In
Chapter 1, you saw how to use the Zoom capability for this purpose. Follow these steps to enlarge
the view of the toilet:
1. Click the Zoom Window tool on the 2D Navigate control panel, or type Z↵W↵. You can also
choose View Zoom Window.
2. At the Specify first corner: prompt, pick a point below and to the left of your drawing,
at or near coordinate 5´-0˝, 3´-6˝. Metric users should use the coordinate 150.0000,102.0000.
3. At the Specify opposite corner: prompt, pick a point above and to the right of the drawing,
at or near coordinate 8´-3˝, 6´-8˝ (246.0000,195.0000 for metric users). The toilet should
be completely enclosed by the zoom window. To obtain this view, use the Zoom Window
tool. You can also use the Zoom Realtime tool in conjunction with the Pan Realtime tool. The
toilet enlarges to fill more of the screen. Your view should look similar to Figure 3.4.
TIP To start the Zoom Realtime tool from the keyboard, type Z↵↵. If you have a mouse with a
scroll wheel, you can avoid using the Zoom command altogether; just place the cursor on the toilet,
and turn the wheel to zoom into the image.
Modifying an Object
Now, let’s see how editing commands are used to construct an object. To define the back edge of
the seat, let’s put a copy of the line defining the front of the toilet tank 3˝ (7 cm for metric users)
toward the center of the ellipse:
1. Click the Copy tool in the 2D Draw control panel, or type co↵. You can also choose
Modify Copy from the drop-down menu.
TIP You can also use the Grip Edit tools to make the copy. See Chapter 2 for more on grip editing.
2. At the Select objects: prompt, pick the horizontal line that touches the top of the ellipse.
The line is highlighted. Press ↵ to complete your selection.
3. At the Specify base point or [Displacement}
point near the line. Then, point the cursor down, and enter 3˝↵ or 7↵ for metric users.
4. Press ↵ to exit the Copy command. Your drawing should look like Figure 3.4.
Notice that the Copy command acts exactly like the Move command you used in Chapter 2, except
that Copy doesn’t alter the position of the objects you select and you must press ↵ to exit Copy.
Exploring the Drawing Process
Exploring the Drawing Process
This section presents some of the more common AutoCAD commands and shows you how to
use them to complete a simple drawing. As you draw, watch the prompts and notice how your
responses affect them. Also notice how you use existing drawing elements as reference points.
While drawing with AutoCAD, you create simple geometric forms to determine the basic
shapes of objects, and you can then modify the shapes to fill in detail.
AutoCAD offers 14 basic 2D drawing object types: lines, arcs, circles, text, dimensions, traces,
polylines, points, ellipses, elliptical arcs, spline curves, regions, hatches, and multiline text. All drawings
are built on these objects. In addition, there are five 3D meshes, which are three-dimensional surfaces
composed of 3D faces. You’re familiar with lines and arcs; these, along with circles, are the most commonly
used objects. As you progress through the book, you’ll learn about the other objects and how
they’re used. You’ll also learn about 3D objects in the section on AutoCAD 3D.
Locating an Object in Reference to Others
To define the toilet seat, you’ll use an ellipse. Follow these steps:
1. Click the Ellipse tool in the 2D Draw control panel, or type El↵. You can also choose
Draw Ellipse Axis, End.
2. At the Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]: prompt, pick the midpoint
of the bottom horizontal line of the rectangle. Do this by opening the Osnap pop-up menu and
selecting Midpoint; then, move the cursor toward the bottom line. (Remember, Shift+click the
right mouse button to open the Osnap menu.) When you see the Midpoint Osnap marker on
the line, click the left mouse button.
3. At the Specify other endpoint of axis: prompt, point the cursor downward, and enter
1´-10˝↵. Metric users should enter 55↵.
4. Pick this as the second axis endpoint.
5. At the Specify distance to other axis or [Rotation]: prompt, point the cursor horizontally
from the center of the ellipse, and then enter 8˝↵. Metric users should enter 20↵.
Your drawing should look like Figure 3.3.
TIP As you work with AutoCAD, you’ll eventually run into NURBS. NURBS stands for Non-Uniform
Rational B-Splines—a fancy term meaning that curved objects are based on accurate mathematical
models. When you trim the ellipse in a later exercise, it becomes a NURBS curve known as a spline
in AutoCAD. You’ll learn more about polylines and spline curves in Chapter 18.
Setting the Polar Tracking Angle
Setting the Polar Tracking Angle
You’ve seen how Polar Tracking lets you draw exact vertical and horizontal lines. You can also set
Polar Tracking to draw lines at other angles, such as 30° or 45°. To change the angle Polar Tracking
uses, you use the Polar Tracking tab in the Drafting Settings dialog box.
Right-click the Polar button in the status bar, and then choose Settings from the shortcut menu
to open the Drafting Settings dialog box. Or, you can choose Tools Drafting Settings from the
menu bar and then click the Polar Tracking tab.
Ortho Mode
In addition to using Polar Tracking mode, you can further restrain the cursor to a vertical or horizontal
direction by using Ortho mode. To use Ortho mode, hold down the Shift key while drawing. You can also
press F8 or click Ortho in the status bar to keep Ortho mode on while you draw. When you move the cursor
around while drawing objects, the rubber-banding line moves only vertically or horizontally. With Ortho
mode turned on, Polar Tracking is automatically turned off.
To change the Polar Tracking angle, enter an angle in the Increment Angle text box, or select a
predefined angle from the drop-down list. You can do this while drawing a series of line segments,
for example, so that you can set angles on the fly.
Numerous other settings are available in the Polar Tracking tab. Here is a listing of their functions
for your reference:
Additional Angles This setting lets you enter a specific angle for Polar Tracking. For example,
if you want Polar Tracking to snap to 12˝, click the New button next to the Additional Angles list
box, and enter 12. The value you enter appears in the list box, and when the Additional Angles
check box is selected, Polar Tracking snaps to 12˝. To delete a value from the list box, highlight
it, and click the Delete button.
The Additional Angles option differs from the Increment Angle setting in that the Increment
Angle setting causes Polar Tracking to snap to every increment of its setting, whereas Additional
Angles snaps only to the angle specified. You can enter as many angles as you want in
the Additional Angles list box.
Object Snap Tracking Settings These settings let you control whether Object Snap Tracking
uses strictly orthogonal directions (0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°) or the angles set in the Polar Angle
Settings group in this dialog box. (See the “Aligning Objects by Using Object Snap Tracking”
section later in this chapter.)
Polar Angle Measurement These radio buttons let you determine the zero angle on which
Polar Tracking bases its incremental angles. The Absolute option uses the current AutoCAD
setting for the 0° angle. The Relative To Last Segment option uses the last drawn object as the 0°
angle. For example, if you draw a line at a 10° angle and the Relative To Last Segment option
is selected with the Increment Angle set to 90°, Polar Tracking snaps to 10, 100°, 190°, and 280°,
relative to the actual 0° direction.
Using Polar Tracking
Using Polar Tracking
In this section, you’ll draw the first item in the bathroom: the toilet. It’s composed of a rectangle representing
the tank and a truncated ellipse representing the seat. To construct the toilet, you’ll use
Polar Tracking, which is one of the more versatile drafting tools. Polar Tracking helps you align
your cursor to exact horizontal and vertical angles, much like a T-square and triangle.
In this exercise, you’ll use Polar Tracking to draw a rectangular box:
1. Start your line at the coordinate 5´-7˝, 6´-3˝ by entering 5´7˝,6´3˝↵. Metric users should enter
171,189↵ as the starting coordinate. This starting point is somewhat arbitrary, but by entering
a specific starting location, you’re coordinated with the figures and instructions in this book.
2. Make sure Polar Tracking is on (the Polar button in the status bar should be in the on position),
and then point the cursor directly to the right of the last point. The Polar Tracking cursor
appears, along with the Polar Tracking readout.
3. With the cursor pointing directly to the right, enter 1´-10˝↵. Metric users should enter 56↵.
NOTE You can use the spacebar in place of the ↵ key when entering distances in this way.
4. Point the cursor downward, enter 0´-9˝↵, and click this point. Metric users should enter 23↵.
5. Continue drawing the other two sides of the rectangle by using Polar Tracking. After you’ve
completed the rectangle, press ↵ or the Esc key to exit the Line tool. You should have a drawing
that looks like Figure 3.2.
As you can see from the exercise, you can use Polar Tracking to restrain your cursor to horizontal
and vertical positions, just like a T-square and triangle. Later, you’ll learn how you can set up
Polar Tracking to set the angle to any value you want in a way similar to an adjustable triangle.
In some situations, you may find that you don’t want Polar Tracking on. You can turn it off by
clicking the Polar button in the status bar. You can also press the F10 function key to turn Polar
Tracking on or off.
Although this exercise tells you to use the Line tool to draw the tank, you can also use the Rectangle
tool. The Rectangle tool creates what is known as a polyline, which is a set of line or arc segments
that acts like a single object. You’ll learn more about polylines in Chapter 18.
By using the Snap modes in conjunction with the coordinate readout and Polar Tracking, you
can locate coordinates and measure distances as you draw lines. This is similar to the way you draw
when using a scale. The smallest distance registered by the coordinate readout and Polar Tracking
readout depends on the area you’ve displayed on your screen. For example, if you’re displaying an
area the size of a football field, the smallest distance you can indicate with your cursor may be 6˝
or 15 cm. On the other hand, if your view is enlarged to show an area of only one square inch or centimeter,
you can indicate distances as small as 1/1000 of an inch or centimeter by using your cursor.
An Alternative to Limits
An Alternative to Limits
As an alternative to setting up the drawing limits, you can draw a rectangle that outlines the same
area used to define the drawing limits. For example, in the previous exercise, you could use the Rectangle
tool to draw a rectangle that has its lower-left corner at coordinate 0,0 and its upper-right corner
at 132,102 (297,210 for metric users). You can set up the rectangle to be visible without printing using
the Layer feature. You’ll learn more about layers in Chapter 5.
Understanding Scale Factors
When you draft manually, you work on the final drawing directly with pen and ink or pencil. With
a CAD program, you’re a few steps removed from the finished product. Because of this, you need a
deeper understanding of your drawing scale and how it’s derived. In particular, you need to understand
scale factors. For example, one of the more common uses of scale factors is translating the size of
a graphic symbol, such as a section symbol in an architectural drawing, to the final plotted text size.
When you draw manually, you draw your symbol at the size you want. In a CAD drawing, you need
to translate the desired final symbol size to the drawing scale.
When you start adding graphic symbols to your drawing (see Chapter 4), you have to specify a
symbol height. The scale factor helps you determine the appropriate symbol height for a particular
drawing scale. For example, you may want your symbol to appear 1⁄2˝ high in your final plot. But
if you draw your symbol to 1⁄2˝ in your drawing, it appears as a dot when plotted. The symbol has
to be scaled up to a size that, when scaled back down at plot time, appears 1⁄2˝ high. So, for a 1⁄4˝ scale
drawing, you multiply the 1⁄2˝ text height by a scale factor of 48 to get 24˝. Your symbol should be
24˝ high in the CAD drawing in order to appear 1⁄2˝ high in the final plot. Where did the number 48
come from?
The scale factor for fractional inch scales is derived by multiplying the denominator of the scale
by 12 and then dividing by the numerator. For example, the scale factor for 1⁄4˝ = 1´-0˝ is (4 × 12)/1, or
48/1. For 3/16˝ = 1´ -0˝ scale, the operation is (16 × 12)/3, or 64. For whole-foot scales such as 1˝ = 10´,
multiply the feet side of the equation by 12. Metric scales require simple decimal conversions.
You can also use scale factors to determine your drawing limits. For example, if you have a sheet
size of 11˝ × 17˝, and you want to know the equivalent full-scale size for a 1/4˝-scale drawing, you
multiply the sheet measurements by 48. In this way, 11˝ becomes 528˝ (48˝ × 11˝), and 17˝ becomes
816˝ (48˝ × 17˝). Your work area must be 528˝ × 816˝ if you intend to have a final output of 11˝ × 17˝
at 1/4˝ = 1´. You can divide these inch measurements by 12˝ to get 44´ × 68´.
Table 3.2 shows scale factors as they relate to standard drawing scales. These scale factors are the
values by which you multiply the desired final printout size to get the equivalent full-scale size. If
you’re using the metric system, you can use the drawing scale directly as the scale factor. For example,
a drawing scale of 1:10 has a scale factor of 10; a drawing scale of 1:50 has a scale factor of 50;
and so on. Metric users need to take special care regarding the base unit. The examples in this book
If you’re working on a drawing from an older version of AutoCAD, you’ll use scale factors to
specify text height and dimension settings, so understanding them now will pay off later. Plotting
to a particular scale is also easier with an understanding of scale factors.
Setting Up the Drawing Limits
Setting Up the Drawing Limits
One of the big advantages in using AutoCAD is that you can draw at full scale; you aren’t limited
to the edges of a piece of paper the way you are in manual drawing. But you may find it difficult
to start drawing without knowing where the drawing boundaries are. You can set up some arbitrary
boundaries using the Limits feature. You got a taste of the Limits feature in Chapter 1. You’ll
use it again here to set up a work area for your next drawing.
You’ll be drawing a bathroom that is roughly 8 feet by 5 feet (230 cm by 150 cm for metric users).
You’ll want to give yourself some extra room around the bathroom, so your drawing limits should
be a bit larger than that actual bathroom size. You’ll use an area of 11´ by 8´6˝ for the limits of your
drawing. Metric users will use an area 297 cm by 210 cm. These sizes will accommodate your bathroom
with some room to spare.
Now that you know the area you need, you can use the Limits command to set up the area:
1.
Choose Format
Drawing Limits.
2.
At the
Specify lower left corner or [ON/OFF] <0>: prompt, specify the
lower-left corner of your work area. Press
↵
to accept the default.
3.
At the
Specify upper right corner <1>: prompt,
specify the upper-right corner
of your work area. (The default is shown in brackets.) Enter
132,102
. Or if you prefer,
you can enter
11´,8´6
, because you’ve set up your drawing for architectural units. Metric
users should enter
297,210
.
4.
Choose View
Zoom
All, or type
Z
↵
A
↵
. Although it appears that nothing has changed,
your drawing area is now set to a size that will enable you to draw your bathroom at full scale.
TIP
You can toggle through the Coordinate Readout modes by repeatedly pressing Ctrl+I or by
clicking the coordinate readout on the status bar. For more on the Coordinate Readout modes, see
Chapter 1.
5.
Move the cursor to the upper-right corner of the drawing area, and watch the coordinate
readout. Notice that now the upper-right corner has a Y coordinate of approximately 8´-6˝,
or 210 for metric users. The X coordinate depends on the proportion of your AutoCAD
window. The coordinate readout also displays distances in feet and inches.
In step 5, the coordinate readout shows you that your drawing area is larger than before, but
no visual clues tell you where you are or what distances you’re dealing with. To help you get your
bearings, you can turn on Grid mode, which you’ll learn about toward the end of this chapter. Grid
mode displays an array of dots that help you visualize distances and the limits of your drawing.
Fine-Tuning the Measurement System
Fine-Tuning the Measurement System
Most of the time, you’ll be concerned only with the units and angles settings of the Drawing Units
dialog box. But as you saw in the preceding exercise, you can control many other settings related
to the input and display of units.
TIP
To measure the distance between two points, choose Tools
Inquiry
Distance from the menu bar, or type
Di
↵
, and then click the two points. (Di is the shortcut for entering Dist
↵
this command doesn’t give you an accurate distance measurement, examine the Precision option in the Drawing Units dialog box. If it’s set too high, the value returned by the Dist command may be rounded to a value greater than your tolerances allow, even though the distance is drawn accurately.
The Precision drop-down list in the Length group lets you specify the smallest unit value that
you want AutoCAD to display in the status bar and in the prompts. If you choose a measurement
system that uses fractions, the Precision list includes fractional units. You can also control this setting with the Luprec system variable.
The Angle group lets you set the style for displaying angles. You have a choice of five angle
styles: Decimal Degrees, Degrees/Minutes/Seconds, Grads, Radians, and Surveyor’s Units. In
the Angle group’s Precision drop-down list, you can specify the degree of accuracy you want
AutoCAD to display for angles. You can also control these settings with the Aunits and Auprec
system variables.
TIP
You can find out more about system variables in the Help window. Select the Contents tab of
the Help window, and then expand the Command Reference listing. Locate and expand the System Variable listing under Command Reference.
You can tell AutoCAD which direction is positive, either clockwise or counterclockwise. This
book uses the default, which is counterclockwise. You can also control these settings with the Angbase and Angdir system variables. The Direction Control dialog box lets you set the direction of the 0 base angle. The default base angle (and the one used throughout this book) is a direction from left to right. However, at times you may want to designate another direction as the 0 base angle. The Insertion Scale setting in the Drawing Units dialog box lets you control how blocks from the Tool palettes or DesignCenter are scaled as they’re imported into your current drawing. A block is a collection of drawing objects that form a single object. Blocks are frequently used to create standard symbols. You’ll learn more about blocks in Chapter 4. The Insertion Scale setting lets you compensate for drawings of different scales by offering an automatic scale translation when importing blocks from an external file. The Insunits system variable also controls the Insertion Scale setting.
TIP
If you’re new to AutoCAD, don’t worry about the Insertion Scale setting right now. Make a
mental note of it. It may come in handy in your work in the future.
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AutoCAD 2009 boosts efficiency with customizable and extensible user interface enhancements that increase overall drafting productivity by decreasing the number of steps needed to reach a command.
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Move to new highs of productivity with AutoCAD software.
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Specifying Units
Specifying Units
You’ll start by creating a new file called
Bath
. Then, you’ll set up the unit style.
Use these steps to create the file:
1.
If you haven’t done so already, start AutoCAD. If AutoCAD is already running, choose
File
New.
2.
In the Select Template dialog box, select
Acad.dwt
, and click Open. Metric users should
select
Acadiso.dwt
and then click Open.
3.
Choose View
Zoom
All.
4.
Choose File
Save As.
5.
In the Save Drawing As dialog box, enter
Bath
for the filename.
6.
Check to make sure you’re saving the drawing in the
My Documents
folder or in the folder
where you’ve chosen to store your exercise files, and then click Save.
The next thing you want to tell AutoCAD is the
unit style
you intend to use. So far, you’ve been
using the default, which is decimal inches. In this unit style, whole units represent inches, and decimal
units are decimal inches. If you want to be able to enter distances in feet, you must change the
unit style to a style that accepts feet as input. You’ll do this through the Drawing Units dialog box,
shown in Figure 3.1.
TIP
If you’re a civil engineer, you should know that the Engineering unit style lets you enter feet
and decimal feet for distances. For example, the equivalent of 12´-6˝ is 12.5´. If you use the Engineering
unit style, you’ll ensure that your drawings conform to the scale of drawings created by
your architectural colleagues.
Follow these steps to set a unit style:
1.
Choose Format
Units or type
Un
↵
to open the Drawing Units dialog box.
2.
Let’s look at a few of the options available. Click the Type drop-down list in the Length
group. Notice the unit styles in the list.
3.
Click Architectural. The Sample Output section of the dialog box shows you what the Architectural
style looks like in AutoCAD. Metric users should keep this setting as Decimal.
TIP
You can also control the Drawing Units settings by using several system variables. To set the
unit style, you can type ´
lunits
↵
at the Command prompt. (The apostrophe lets you enter this command
while in the middle of other commands.) At the
Enter new value for Lunits <2>:
prompt, enter
4
for Architectural. See Appendix C for other settings.
4.
Click the Precision drop-down list just below the Type list. Notice the options available. You
can set the smallest unit AutoCAD will display in this drawing. For now, leave this setting
at its default value of
1
⁄
16
˝. Metric users will keep the setting at 0.0000.
5.
Press the Esc key to close the drop-down list, and then click the Direction button at the bottom
of the Drawing Units dialog box to open the Direction Control dialog box. The Direction
Control dialog box lets you set the direction for the 0° angle. For now, don’t change these settings—
you’ll read more about them in a moment.
6.
Click the Cancel button.
7.
Click the drop-down list in the Insertion Scale group. The list shows various units of measure.
8.
Click Inches; or, if you’re a metric user, choose Centimeters. This option lets you control how
AutoCAD translates drawing scales when you import drawings from outside the current
drawing. You’ll learn more about this feature in Chapter 27.
9.
Click OK in the Drawing Units dialog box to return to the drawing.
If you use the Imperial system of measurement, you selected Architectural measurement units
for this tutorial, but your work may require a different unit style. You saw the unit styles available
in the Drawing Units dialog box. Table 3.1 shows examples of how the distance 15.5 is entered in
each of these styles.
In the previous exercise, you needed to change only two settings. Let’s look at the other Drawing
Units settings in more detail. As you read, you may want to refer to Figure 3.1.
Setting Up and Using AutoCAD’s
Setting Up and Using AutoCAD’s
Drafting Tools
Chapters 1 and 2 covered the basic information you need to understand the workings of
AutoCAD. Now, you’ll put this knowledge to work. In this architectural tutorial, which begins
here and continues through Chapter 15, you’ll draw an apartment building composed of studios.
The tutorial illustrates how to use AutoCAD commands and gives you a solid understanding of
the basic AutoCAD package. With these fundamentals, you can use AutoCAD to its fullest potential,
regardless of the kinds of drawings you intend to create or the enhancement products you
may use in the future.
In this chapter, you’ll start drawing an apartment’s bathroom fixtures. In the process, you’ll
learn how to use AutoCAD’s basic tools. You’ll also be introduced to the concept of drawing scale
and how the size of what you draw is translated into a paper sheet size.
Topics in this chapter include the following:
◆
Setting Up a Work Area
◆
Exploring the Drawing Process
◆
Planning and Laying Out a Drawing
◆
Using the AutoCAD Modes as Drafting Tools
Setting Up a Work Area
Before beginning most drawings, you should set up your work area. To do this, determine the
measurement
system,
the
drawing sheet size,
and the
scale
you want to use. The default work area is roughly
16˝
×
9˝ at full scale, given a decimal measurement system in which 1 unit equals 1 inch. Metric users
will find that the default area is roughly 550 mm
×
300 mm, in which 1 unit equals 1 mm. If these are
appropriate settings for your drawing, you don’t have to do any setting up. It’s more likely, however,
that you’ll make drawings of various sizes and scales. For example, you might want to create a drawing
in a measurement system in which you can specify feet, inches, and fractions of inches at 1˝ = 1´
scale and print the drawing on an 8 1/2*11 sheet of paper.
In this section, you’ll learn how to set up a drawing exactly the way you want.
The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line
Specifying Distances with Coordinates One of the most basic skills you need to learn is how
to indicate exact distances through the keyboard. AutoCAD uses a simple annotation system to
indicate distance and direction.
Master It What would you type to indicate a relative distance of 14 units at a
45 degree angle?
Solution @14<45
Interpreting the Cursor Modes and Understanding Prompts AutoCAD’s cursor changes its
shape depending on the command that is currently active. These different cursor modes can
give you a clue regarding what you should be doing.
Master It Describe the Point Selection cursor and the Object Selection cursor.
Solution The Point Selection cursor is a simple crosshair. The Object Selection cursor is a
small square or pickbox.
Selecting Objects and Editing with Grips Grips are small squares that appear at key points
on the object when they’re selected. These grips offer a powerful way to edit objects.
Master It How do you select multiple grips?
Solution Hold down the Shift key while clicking the grips.
Using Dynamic Input Besides grips, objects display their dimensional properties when
selected. These dimensional properties can be edited to change the object’s shape.
Master It How do you turn on Dynamic Input? And once it’s on, what key lets you shift
between the different dimensions of an object?
Solution The DYN button on the AutoCAD status bar turns Dynamic Input on and off.
When an object is selected, you can move between the dimensional properties by pressing
the Tab key.
Getting Help AutoCAD’s help window is thorough in its coverage of AutoCAD’s features.
New and experienced users alike can often find answers to their questions thorough the help
window, so it pays to become familiar with it.
Master It What keyboard key do you press for context-sensitive help?
Solution F1.
Displaying Data in a Text Window AutoCAD offers a Text Window that keeps a running
account of the commands you use. This can be helpful in retrieving input that you’ve entered
when constructing your drawing.
Master It Name a command that displays its results in the AutoCAD Text Window.
Solution The List command.
Displaying the Properties of an Object The Properties palette is one of the most useful
sources for drawing information. Not only does it list the properties of an object, but it also lets
you change the shape, color, or other property of objects.
Master It How do you open the Properties palette for a particular object?
Solution Select the object whose properties you want to view. Right-click the object, and
select Properties.
Displaying Data in a Text Window
Displaying Data in a Text Window
You may have noticed that as you work in AutoCAD, the activity displayed in the Command window
scrolls up. Sometimes, it’s helpful to view information that has scrolled past the view shown
in the Command window. For example, you can review the command activity from your session
to check input values or to recall other data-entry information. Try the following exercise to see
how the Text Window works:
1. Choose Tools Inquiry List.
2. At the Select objects: prompt, click the arc, and press ↵. Information about the arc is displayed
in the AutoCAD Text Window (see Figure 2.22). Toward the bottom is the list of the
arc’s properties. Don’t worry if the meaning of some listed properties isn’t obvious yet; as
you work through this book, you’ll learn what the properties of an object mean.
3. Press F2 to close the AutoCAD Text Window.
TIP Pressing F2 is a quick way to switch between the drawing editor and the AutoCAD Text Window.
The scroll bar to the right of the AutoCAD Text Window lets you scroll to earlier events. You
can even set the number of lines that AutoCAD retains by using the Options dialog box, or you can
have AutoCAD record the AutoCAD Text Window information in a text file.
When you have more than one document open, the AutoCAD Text Window displays a listing
for the drawing that is currently active.
Displaying the Properties of an Object
While we’re on the subject of displaying information, you’ll want to know about the Properties palette.
In the preceding exercise, you saw how the List command showed some information regarding
the properties of an object, such as the location of an arc’s center and endpoints. You can also
double-click an object to display a Properties palette that shows similar information. (You might
accidentally display the Properties palette from time to time!)
TIP Since the Properties palette is so useful, you may want to consider leaving it open all the time.
To see what this palette is for, try the following exercise:
1. Select the arc in the drawing, right-click it, and select Properties to open the Properties palette,
which displays a list of the arc’s properties. Don’t worry if many of the items in this
palette are undecipherable; you’ll learn more about this palette as you work through the
early chapters of this book. For now, just be aware that this palette appears whenever you
double-click an object and that it displays the object’s properties. You can also use it to
modify many of the properties listed.
2. Click the small Auto-Hide box at the bottom left of the Properties palette: It’s the icon that
looks like a double arrow. The icon changes to a single arrow. The Auto-Hide option in the
Properties palette lets you keep the palette open without having it take up too much of
the drawing area. This can be useful when you need to edit the properties of many objects.
3. Move the cursor away from the Properties palette. The Properties palette collapses so that
only the title bar remains.
4. Hover the cursor on the Properties palette title bar. The Properties palette opens to display
all the options again.
5. Click the Auto-Hide box again to restore the “always open” mode of the palette.
6. Close the Properties palette by clicking the X in its upper corner. (The X appears in the
upper-left or upper-right corner, depending on the placement of the palette in the AutoCAD
window.) You can also right-click the title on the side of the Properties palette and then
choose Close from the shortcut menu.
7. You’re finished with the door drawing, so choose File Close.
8. In the Save Changes dialog box, click the No button. (You’ve already saved this file just as
you want it, so you don’t need to save it again.)
TIP In many cases, you can open the Properties palette by double-clicking an object. Some
objects, however, display a dialog box to allow you to edit the object.
Using Context-Sensitive Help
Using Context-Sensitive Help
AutoCAD also provides context-sensitive help to give you information related to the command
you’re currently using. To see how this works, try the following:
1. Close or minimize the Help window, and return to the AutoCAD window.
2. Click the Move tool in the 2D Draw control panel to start the Move command.
3. Press the F1 function key, or choose Help from the menu bar to open the Help window.
A description of the Move command appears in the panel on the right.
4. Click the Help window’s Close button, or minimize the Help window.
5. Press the Esc key to exit the Move command.
Finding Additional Sources of Help
The InfoCenter is the main online source for reference material, but you can also find answers
to your questions through the other options in the Help menu. Here is a brief description
of them:
New Features Workshop The New Features Workshop offers descriptions and tutorials
focused on the new features in AutoCAD 2008. You can update this unique support tool through
the Autodesk website.
Additional Resources Here you’ll find several options to choose from. The Support Knowledge
Base opens your browser to Autodesk’s own knowledge base. This is an excellent source for finding
answers to problems you may encounter while using AutoCAD.
Online Training Resources takes you to the Autodesk Training site, where you’ll find further
information on where to get training and tutorial information.
If you’re a developer, you’ll be interested in the Online Developer Center. This option takes you
to the Autodesk Developer Center website, where you can find more information about getting
started with your own AutoCAD-related application.
If you’re already customizing AutoCAD, the Developer Help option takes you to the Developer
Help section of the AutoCAD Help window. Here, you’ll find specific information about how
to use the customization tools built into AutoCAD.
Finally, if you would like to join an established community of AutoCAD users, the Autodesk
User Group International option takes you to the AUGI website. AUGI offers a wide range of
resources for users of Autodesk products. You can join a forum to discuss issues with other
AutoCAD users. AUGI also offers its own knowledge base.
About This option provides information about the version of AutoCAD you’re using.
Staying Informed with the Communication Center
Another feature that can help you stay informed about the latest news on AutoCAD is the Communication
Center. To the far right of InfoCenter, you’ll see the Communication Center icon.
Click the Communication Center icon to open the Communication Center list.
The Communication Center offers a way to stay informed about the latest software updates and
support issues for AutoCAD. Click the Settings button at the bottom of the Communication Center
list to open the Info Center Settings dialog box.
You may need to minimize the size of some of the panels to get to the Settings button. Here, you
can select your country from the Country/Region drop-down list to ensure that the information is
correct for your country. The Check For New Content option lets you select the frequency at which
the Communication Center checks for new information; you can choose Daily, Weekly, Monthly,
or On Demand. If you want to turn off the balloon message, clear the Enable Balloon Notification
For New Announcements check box at the bottom of the dialog box.
The Communication Center works best if you use an “always on” Internet connection
such as DSL or high-speed cable. If you don’t have such a connection, you can set the Check
For New Content option to On Demand. You can then check for updates when you connect to
the Internet.