Using a Template

Using a Template
Now, let’s see how a template is used. You’ll use the template you just created as the basis for a new
drawing you’ll work on in this chapter:
1.
Choose File 
New to open the Select Template dialog box. If you don't see the Select Template
dialog box, press the Esc key and then enter Startup
↵
1
↵
Choose File 
New again.
2.
In the Select Template list box, click the filename
Arch8x11h.dwt
. Metric users should click
the filename
A4plan.dwt
. Because this file is blank, you won’t see anything in the preview
window. Notice that the description you entered earlier in the Template Description dialog
box appears in the Template Description area below the list.
3.
Click OK. It may not be obvious, but your new file is set up with the same architectural units
and drawing limits as the bathroom drawing. It also contains the Door, Toilet, and Tub blocks.
4.
You need to give your new file a name. Choose File 
Save As to open the Save Drawing As
dialog box. (Make sure you choose Save As, or you won’t get the Save Drawing As dialog
box.) Enter
Kitchen
for the filename, and select the appropriate folder in which to save your
new kitchen file.
5.
Click Save to create the
Kitchen
file and close the dialog box.
You’ve created and used your own template file. Later, when you’ve established a comfortable
working relationship with AutoCAD, you can create a set of templates that are custom-made to
your particular needs.
However, you don’t need to create a template every time you want to reuse settings from
another file. You can use an existing file as the basis or prototype for a new file without creating
a template. Open the prototype file, and choose File 
Save As to create a new version of the
file under a new name. You can then edit the new version without affecting the original prototype
file.
Copying an Object Multiple Times
Let’s explore the tools that let you quickly duplicate objects. In this section, you’ll begin to draw
parts of a small kitchen. The first exercise introduces the Array command, which you can use to
draw the gas burners of a range top.
As you’ll see, an array can be in either a circular pattern, called a
polar array,
or a matrix of
columns and rows, called a
rectangular array.