Working with AutoCAD

Working with AutoCAD
Now that you’ve been introduced to the AutoCAD window, you’re ready to try using a few
AutoCAD commands. First, you’ll open a sample file and make a few modifications to it. In the
process, you’ll become familiar with some common methods of operation in AutoCAD.

Opening an Existing File
In this exercise, you’ll get a chance to see and use a typical Select File dialog box. To start, you’ll
open an existing file:
1. From the menu bar, choose File  Close. A message appears, asking whether you want to
save the changes you’ve made to the current drawing. Click No.

2. Choose File  Open to open the Select File dialog box. This is a typical Windows file dialog box,
with an added twist: The large Preview box on the right lets you preview a drawing before you
open it, thereby saving time while searching for files. To the left is a panel known as the Places
List in which you can find frequently used locations on your computer or the Internet.


TIP If you don’t see a Preview box in the Select File dialog box, click the word Views in the upperright
corner, and then select Preview from the list that appears.
3. In the Select File dialog box, open the Look In drop-down list, and locate the 2008acad2008\
samplefiles\Mastering AutoCAD 2008\Projects\Chapters 01 folder. (You may need
to explore the list to find it.) The file list changes to show the contents of the \AutoCAD 2008\
Projects\Chapter 01 folder.
4. Move the arrow cursor to the clip.dwg file, and click it. Notice that the clip.dwg filename
now appears in the File Name input box above the file list. Also, the Preview box now shows
a thumbnail image of the file. Be aware that files from older versions of AutoCAD may not
show a thumbnail.
TIP The clip.dwg drawing is included on the companion website. If you can’t find this file, be
sure you installed the sample drawings from the companion website. See the Readme file on the
book’s website for installation instructions.
5. Click the Open button at the bottom of the Select File dialog box. AutoCAD opens the
clip.dwg file, as shown in Figure 1.10.
The clip.dwg file opens to display a Layout tab view of the drawing. You’ll know this by looking
at the tabs at the bottom of the AutoCAD window. Currently, the Layout1 tab is highlighted.


You may recall that a layout is a type of view that lets you lay out different views of your drawing
in preparation for printing. Also notice that the AutoCAD window’s title bar displays the name of the
drawing. This offers easy identification of the file.
This particular file contains both 2D drawings and a 3D model of a typical locking clip. The
Layout1 tab view shows a top, front, and right-side view as well as an isometric view.

Getting a Closer Look
One of the most frequently used commands is Zoom, which gives you a closer look at part of your
drawing. This command offers a variety of ways to control your view. In this section, you’ll enlarge
a portion of the clip drawing to get a more detailed look. To tell AutoCAD which area you want to
enlarge, you use what is called a zoom window.
You’ll start by switching to a Model Space view of the drawing. The Model tab places you in a
workspace where you do most of your drawing creation and editing. Follow these steps:

1. Click the Model tab at the bottom of the AutoCAD window.


Your view changes to show the full 3D model with the 2D representations of the model.


2. Choose View  3D Views  Plan View  World UCS. You can also type PLAN↵W↵. Your
display changes to a two-dimensional view looking down on the drawing, as shown in the
top image of Figure 1.11.
Click the Zoom Window button on the Standard toolbar.
You can also choose View  Zoom  Window from the drop-down menu or type the
command Z↵W↵.
3. The Command window and the dynamic input display show the Specify first corner:
prompt. Look at the top image in Figure 1.11. Move the crosshair cursor to a location similar
to the one shown in the figure; then, left-click the mouse. Move the cursor, and the rectangle
appears with one corner fixed on the point you just picked; the other corner follows the cursor.
4. The Command window and dynamic input display now show the Specify first corner:
and Specify opposite corner: prompts. Position the other corner of the zoom window so
it encloses the lower image of the clip, as shown in the top image in Figure 1.11, and left-click
the mouse again. The clip enlarges to fill the screen (see the bottom image in Figure 1.11).
In this exercise, you used the Window option of the Zoom command to define an area to enlarge
for your close-up view. You saw how AutoCAD prompts you to indicate first one corner of the window
selection and then the other. These messages are helpful for first-time users of AutoCAD. You’ll
use the Window option frequently—not just to define views, but also to select objects for editing.


Getting a close-up view of your drawing is crucial to working accurately, but you’ll often want
to return to a previous view to get the overall picture. To do so, choose View  Zoom  Previous
from the menu bar.
Do this now, and the previous view—the one showing the entire clip—returns to the screen.
You can quickly enlarge or reduce your view by clicking the Zoom Realtime button in the 2D
Navigate control panel. Follow these steps to change your view with the Zoom Realtime button:
1. Click the Zoom Realtime button on the 2D Navigate control panel of the Dashboard.


You can also right-click and choose Zoom from the shortcut menu. The cursor changes to a
magnifying glass.
2. Place the Zoom Realtime cursor slightly above the center of the drawing area, and then click
and drag downward. Your view zooms out to show more of the drawing.
3. While still holding the left mouse button, move the cursor upward. Your view zooms in to
enlarge your view. When you have a view similar to the one shown in Figure 1.12, release
the mouse button. (Don’t worry if you don’t get exactly the same view as the figure. This is
just for practice.)
4. You’re still in Zoom Realtime mode. Click and drag the mouse again to see how you can
further adjust your view. To exit, you can select another command besides a Zoom or Pan,
press the Esc key, or right-click your mouse and choose Exit from the shortcut menu.
5. Right-click now, and choose Exit from the shortcut menu to exit the Zoom Realtime command.


As you can see from this exercise, you have a wide range of options for viewing your drawings,
just by using a few buttons. These buttons are all you need to control the display of 2D drawings.