Exploring the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface

Exploring the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface

Before you can start to use AutoCAD 2008’s new capabilities, you’ll need to become familiar with the basics. If you’re completely new to AutoCAD, you’ll want to read this first chapter carefully. It introduces you to many of AutoCAD’s basic operations, such as opening and closing files, getting a close-up look at part of a drawing, and changing a drawing. If you’re familiar with earlier versions of AutoCAD, you should review this chapter anyway to get acquainted with features you haven’t already used. Autodesk has recently changed its AutoCAD update strategy to release new versions every year. Part of this strategy is to introduce new items that focus on a particular category of features. This latest version, AutoCAD 2008, includes several new features focused on 2D drafting. AutoCAD now sports a new tool panel called a dashboard
which includes the most common tools needed to produce technical drawings of all types. The ability to setup the scale of drawings has been improved and there aremore learning resources at your fingertips.
You’ll get a chance to explore these new features in Part 4 as you work through this book; but
for now, let’s get started with some basics.
Topics in this chapter:
◆ Using the AutoCAD Window
◆Opening an Existing File
◆Getting a Closer Look with the Zoom Command
◆Saving a File as You Work
◆Making Changes and Opening Multiple Files

TIP
In this chapter, and throughout the rest of the book, when I say AutoCAD, I mean both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Some topics apply only to AutoCAD. In those situations, you’ll see an icon indicating that the topic applies only to AutoCAD and doesn’t apply to AutoCAD LT. If you’re using AutoCAD 2008 LT, these icons can help you focus on the topics that are more relevant to your work.
Taking a Guided Tour
In this section, you’ll get a chance to familiarize yourself with the AutoCAD screen and how you
communicate with AutoCAD. As you do the exercises in this chapter, you’ll also get a feel for how
to work with this book. Don’t worry about understanding or remembering everything you see in
this chapter. You’ll get plenty of opportunities to probe the finer details of the program as you work through the later chapters. To help you remember the material, you’ll find a brief exercise at the end of each chapter. For now, just enjoy your first excursion into AutoCAD.
NOTE
AutoCAD 2008 is designed to run on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista.
This book was written using AutoCAD 2008 on Windows XP Professional with a Windows Classic
desktop theme.
If you already installed AutoCAD and are ready to jump in and take a look, proceed with the
following steps to launch the program:
1.
Choose Start 
All Programs 
Autodesk 
AutoCAD 2008 
AutoCAD 2008. You can also
double-click the AutoCAD 2008 icon on your Windows Desktop. LT users will use
AutoCAD LT 2008 in place of AutoCAD 2008.
2.
The opening greeting, called a
splash screen,
tells you which version of AutoCAD you’re
using, to whom the program is registered, and the AutoCAD dealer’s name and phone number,
should you need help. If this is the first time you’ve started AutoCAD after installing it,
you’ll also see a dialog box asking you to register the product.
3.
After the splash screen closes, you see the Workspace screen. (You won’t see this in LT.) This
screen allows you to select between the 2D drawing workspace called 2D Drafting & Annotation
and the 3D workspace called 3D Modeling. A third option called AutoCAD Classic offers
the 2D drawing workspace from earlier versions of AutoCAD. Workspaces are saved arrangements
of the AutoCAD window. You’ll explore the 3D Modeling workspace in Part 4.
4.
You may also see the New Features Workshop screen, which offers a set of tutorials showing
you the new features of AutoCAD 2008. Click the No, Don’t Show Me This Again or Maybe
Later radio button, and click OK. You can always get to the New Features Workshop screen
from the AutoCAD help menu by choosing Help 
New Features Workshop.
5.
The AutoCAD window displays a blank default document named Drawing1.dwg
, as shown in Figure 1.1. AutoCAD users may see the Sheet Set Manager palette to the left of the AutoCAD window, which doesn’t appear in Figure 1.1, to show more of the drawing area. LT users may see the Info palette to the left of the AutoCAD window.



If this is the first time you’ve started AutoCAD since you installed it, you’re asked to register
and authorize AutoCAD in step 2. If you’re using the Trial version, you can use the default serial
number 000-00000000 for the one-month trial. After you’ve entered the registration information, you see the New Features Workshop window described in step 4.
Let’s look at the AutoCAD window in detail. Don’t worry if it seems like a lot of information.
You don’t have to memorize it, but by looking at all the parts, you’ll be aware of what is available
in a general way.