AutoCAD 2008 Basics

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Prepared by: A.H. Hemed

AutoCAD 2008 Basics

Preface

AutoCAD 2008 is the best release of AutoCAD that offers several fantastic features and

enhancements tools. Here is a summary of some of them.

Dynamic Block Dynamic Input Calculator Workspace Customization Other enhancements and Features

Training Philosophy

Our training philosophy is to use the simplest, clearest examples that will achieve thegoals of explaining new concepts and features. The focus of this manual is not on

designing and understanding complex parts, but in learning new skills that can be applied

towards your projects. This method makes it easier and more effective to learn newmaterial and will provide you with a greater retention rate.

At the end of each section there is a comprehensive section exercise that challenges the

student to apply all of the skills learned in module. This is an excellent tool for

reinforcing the basic techniques learned throughout each section.

Enjoy!

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Module 1: Introduction to AutoCAD 2008

Under this chapter, you will learn the basic layout of the AutoCAD screen, exploring

AutoCAD features, how to use the pointing device and keyboard in AutoCAD 2008.

AutoCAD is general purpose Computer Aided Design (CAD) program for preparing two-dimensional drawings and three-dimensional models. It provides a full range of drafting

tools that let you create accurate and realistic images that meet the ANSI standards fordrafting. You can retrieve and analyze the information in your AutoCAD drawings to

generate reports, bills of materials, Cost effectiveness studies, numerical control data and

much more.

This lesson will describe the AutoCAD screen, command entry methods and dialog box

usage, creating and opening a drawing and exiting AutoCAD.

Starting the Program

To start the program, On the Desktop, double click on Civil 3D British as AutoCAD2008 icon and for the workspaces window choose AutoCAD Classic and click OK.

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AutoCAD 2008 Interface

AutoCAD 2008 Main Window

When you first start AutoCAD, the initial screen contains the menu bar at the top, the

status bar at the bottom, the drawing window and several toolbars. Toolbars contain iconsthat represent commands.

Draw Title Menu Standard Layers Modify

Toolbar bar bar toolbar toolbar toolbar

Design Paper Command Drawing

Space Space Line Area

The Command line is the text area at the bottom of the screen, where you enter

commands from the keyboard and AutoCAD displays prompts and important messages.Apart from command line, commands in AutoCAD can also be obtained from Toolbars

and Menus.

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The Graphics window is where AutoCAD displays your drawing and where you work

on your drawing.

The Text windowdisplays a history of the commands and options you have entered.

The Crosshairs are controlled by pointing device (usually a Mouse) and are used tolocate points and select objects in your drawing. Depending on the current command or

state of AutoCAD, it appears as crosshairs, pick box, crosshairs with pick box, or arrow

pointer.

The status bar displays the cursor cor-odinates and the status of the modes such as a

Grid and Snap. Mode names are always visible in the status bar as selectable buttons.Double-click Snap, Grid or Ortho to turn it on.

Displaying the Toolbars

To display any toolbar, right click on any existing toolbar and from the options displayedclick on the toolbar you want to display. For example, in the window displayed below theright click has been done on the properties toolbar

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Displaying scrollbars

To display the scroll bars (if not displayed) do the following:

1. Click on the Tools menu and choose Options

2. On the options window click on Display tab

3. Under Windows elements check the box for Display scroll bars in the window andthen click Apply and OK

Design Center

Overview

With DesignCenter, you can organize access to drawings, blocks, hatches, and otherdrawing content. You can drag content from any source drawing to your current drawing.

You can drag drawings, blocks, and hatches to a tool palette. Source drawings can be on

your computer, on a network location, or a on website. In addition, if you have multiple

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drawings open, you can use DesignCenter to streamline your drawing process by copying

and pasting other content, such as layer definitions, layouts, and text styles betweendrawings.

With DesignCenter, you can

Browse for drawing content such as drawings or symbol libraries on your computer,on a networked drive, and on a web page

View definition tables for named objects such as blocks and layers in any drawing fileand then insert, attach, or copy and paste the definitions into the current drawing

Update (redefine) a block definition

Create shortcuts to drawings, folders, and Internet locations that you access

frequently

Add content such as xrefs, blocks, and hatches to a drawing

Open drawing files in a new window

Drag drawings, blocks, and hatches to a tool palette for convenient access

Understand Design Center Window

You can control the size, location, and appearance of DesignCenter.

The Organization of the DesignCenter Window

The DesignCenter window is divided into the tree view on the left side and the contentarea on the right side. Use the tree view to browse sources of content and to display

content in the content area. Use the content area to add items to a drawing or to a tool

palette.

Undocked, the DesignCenter window is displayed as shown.

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Below the content area, you can also display a preview or a description of a selected

drawing, block, hatch pattern, or xref. A toolbar at the top of the window provides several

options and operations.

Control the Size, Location, and Appearance of DesignCenter

You can control the size, location, and appearance of DesignCenter. Many of these

options can be set by right-clicking and selecting an option on the shortcut menu.

Resize DesignCenter by dragging the bar between the content area and the tree viewor by dragging an edge of the window.

Dock DesignCenter by dragging it over the right or left docking region of theapplication window until it snaps into the docked position. You can also dock the

DesignCenter window by double-clicking its title bar.

Undock DesignCenter by dragging the area above the toolbar away from the dockingregion. Pressing CTRL while dragging prevents docking.

Anchor DesignCenter by choosing Anchor Right or Anchor Left from the shortcutmenu. An anchored DesignCenter window rolls open and closed as the cursor moves

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across it. When an anchored DesignCenter window is open, its content overlaps the

drawing area. It cannot be set to stay open.

When DesignCenter is floating, use Auto-hide to set it to roll open and closed as thecursor moves across it.

The DesignCenter Toolbar

The DesignCenter toolbar controls navigation and display of information in the tree view

and the content area. The same navigation and display options are available on the

shortcut menu. Right-click in the DesignCenter content area to display the menu

Add Content with Design Center

The right portion of the DesignCenter window operates on the content displayed.

Double-clicking an item in the content area displays successive levels of detail. Forexample, double-clicking a drawing image displays several icons, including an icon for

blocks. Double-clicking the Blocks icon displays images of each block in the drawing.

Add Content to a Drawing

You can add content from the content area into your current drawing using several

methods:

Drag an item to the graphics area of a drawing to add it using default settings, ifany.

Right-click an item in the content area to display a shortcut menu with severaloptions.

Double-click a block to display the Insert dialog box; double-click a hatch to

display the Boundary Hatch and Fill dialog box.

You can preview graphical content such as a drawing, xref, or block in the content area,

and you can display a text description if available.

Update Block Definitions with DesignCenter

Unlike xrefs, when the source file of a block definition is changed, block definitions in

the drawings that contain that block are not automatically updated. With DesignCenter,you decide whether a block definition should be updated in the current drawing. The

source file of a block definition can be a drawing file or a nested block in a symbol

library drawing.

From the shortcut menu displayed when you right-click a block or drawing file in the

content area, click Redefine Only or Insert and Redefine to update the selected block.

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Open Drawings with DesignCenter

With DesignCenter, you can open a drawing from the content area using the shortcutmenu, pressing CTRL while dragging a drawing, or dragging a drawing icon to any

location outside the graphics area of a drawing area. The drawing name is added to the

DesignCenter history list for quick access in future sessions.

Add Items from DesignCenter to a Tool Palette

You can add drawings, blocks, and hatches from DesignCenter to the current tool palette.

From the DesignCenter content area, you can drag one or more items to the

current tool palette.

From the DesignCenter tree view, you can right-click and, from the shortcut

menu, create a new tool palette from the current folder, drawing file, or block

icon.

When you add drawings to a tool palette, they are inserted as blocks when you drag them

into the current drawing.

Note: You can select multiple blocks or hatches from the content area to add them to a

tool palette.

Module 2: Setting up the Drawing Area

Determine the Units of Measurement

Every object you create is measured in drawing units. Before you start to draw, you mustdecide what one drawing unit will represent based on what you plan to draw. Then youcreate your drawing at actual size with that convention. For example, a distance of one

drawing unit typically represents one millimeter, one centimeter, one inch, or one foot in

real-world units

Determine Units of Measurements

Every object you create is measured in drawing units. Before you start to draw, you mustdecide what one drawing unit will represent based on what you plan to draw. Then you

create your drawing at actual size with that convention. For example, a distance of one

drawing unit typically represents one millimeter, one centimeter, one inch, or one foot inreal-world units.

To set the units format and precision

1. At the Command prompt, enter units or click on Formatmenu and choose Units. Thedialog box as shown below will appear

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2. In the Drawing Units dialog box, under Length, select a unit format and precision.

3. The Sample Output area above shows an example of the unit format at the currentprecision.

4. Click OK.

Setting Drawing Limits

The Limitscommand controls the drawing area covered by the grid. As an option, you

can override the limits to make the grid cover the entire XYplane of the user coordinate

system (UCS). You can access this option in the Drafting Settings dialog box or use theGRIDDISPLAY system variable.

Note:When you use dynamic UCS, the grid limits are set automatically relative to the

size of the selected face of the solid and the drawing area available.

To set the grid limits

1. At the Command prompt, enter limits or click on Formatmenu and choose DrawingLimits.

2. At the Command prompt, enter the coordinate values for a point at the lower leftcorner of the grid limits and press enter key.

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3. Enter the coordinate values for a point at the upper right corner of the grid limits.

The grid limits are set to a rectangular area defined by the two points.

Setting Grid limit Equivalent to Paper Size

1. Decide the paper size that the end product of the drawing will be printed anddetermine its size

2. Choose the final scale to which the drawing will be printed out in a sheet of paper3. Use the scale factor of the scale used above and multiply it with paper size to get the

grid limit that is equivalent to paper size.

Example

Paper size - A3 - 420 x 297Final scale - 1:100

Scale factor - 100

Scale factor x Paper size: Lower limit - 0,0

Upper limit - 420x100, 297x100

Grid limit which is equivalent to paper size - 0,0 and 42000, 29700

Setting up the Drawing Area Tutorial

Under this Tutorial you will revise about:

1. Starting AutoCAD 2008 program2. Setting up Drawing Units3. Setting up Drawing Limits

4. Drawing a Boarder around the Drawing Limits

Steps

1. Start AutoCAD 2008

2. Set up the Drawing units as follows:

Length - Decimal

Precision - 0

Angle - Decimal degrees

Precision - 0Units to scale inserted content - Millimeters

Base angle - East

3. Set up the Drawing Limits as follows:

Lower left corner - 0,0

Upper right corner - 42000,29700

4. Draw the boarder around the drawing area by using the drawing limits above and save

it as Tutorial 1 inside your named folder under My Documents.

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Module 3: AutoCAD Basic Commands

AutoCAD is built in with a number of commands; however, there are some of the

commands which are very useful for Civil Engineering Drawings. These commands

include:

Offset

Offset creates a new object whose shape parallels the shape of a selected object.Offsetting a circle or an arc creates a larger or smaller circle or arc, depending on which

side you specify for the offset.

A highly effective drawing technique is to offset objects and then trim or extend their

ends.

To offset an object by specifying a distance

1.Click Modify menu Offset.2.Specify the offset distance.

You can enter a value or use the pointing device.

3.Select the object to offset.4.Specify a point on the side where you want to place the new objects.5.Select another object to offset, or press ENTER to end the command.

Tutorial

1. Draw a vertical line of 1000 mm length2. Offset it to the right at a distance of 230mm. The outcome object may look as the one

shown below:

Trim

You can shorten or lengthen objects to meet the edges of other objects.

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This means you can first create an object such as a line and then later adjust it to fit

exactly between other objects.

Objects you select as cutting edges or boundary edges are not required to intersect the

object being trimmed. You can trim or extend an object to a projected edge or to an

extrapolated intersection; that is, where the objects would intersect if they were extended.

If you do not specify a boundary and press ENTER at the Select Objects prompt, all

displayed objects become potential boundaries.

NoteTo select cutting edges or boundary edges that include blocks, you can use only the

single selection, Crossing, Fence, and Select All options.

Trim Objects

You can trim objects so that they end precisely at boundary edges defined by other

objects.

For example, you can clean up the intersection of two walls smoothly by trimming.

An object can be one of the cutting edges and one of the objects being trimmed. For

example, in the illustrated light fixture, the circle is a cutting edge for the construction

lines and is also being trimmed.

To trim an object

1.Click Modify menu Trim.

2.Select the objects to serve as cutting edges.

To select all displayed objects as potential cutting edges, press ENTER without

selecting any objects.

3. Select the objects to trim.

To extend an object

1.Click Modify menu Extend.

2.Select the objects to serve as boundary edges.

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To select all displayed objects as potential boundary edges, press ENTER without

selecting any objects.

3. Select the objects to extend.

FilletA fillet connects two objects with an arc that is tangent to the objects and has a specified

radius.

An inside corner is called a fillet and an outside corner is called a round; you can create

both using the Fillet command.

You can fillet:

Arcs

Circles

Ellipses and elliptical arcs

Lines

Polylines

Rays

Splines

Xlines

3D solids

FILLET can be used to round all corners on a polyline using a single command.

Note: Filleting a hatch boundary that was defined from line segments removes hatchassociativity. If the hatch boundary was defined from a polyline, associativity is

maintained.

If both objects being filleted are on the same layer, the fillet arc is created on that layer.

Otherwise, the fillet arc is created on the current layer. The layer affects object properties

including color and line type.

Use the Multiple options to fillet more than one set of objects without leaving thecommand.

Set the Fillet Radius

The fillet radius is the radius of the arc that connects filleted objects. Changing the filletradius affects subsequent fillets. If you set the fillet radius to 0, filleted objects are

trimmed or extended until they intersect, but no arc is created.

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You can hold down SHIFT while selecting the objects to override the current fillet radiuswith a value of 0.

Trim and Extend Filleted Objects

You can use the Trim option to specify whether the selected objects are trimmed or

extended to the endpoints of the resulting arc or left unchanged.

Control the Location of the Fillet

Depending on the locations you specify, more than one possible fillet can exist between

the selected objects. Compare the selection locations and resulting fillets in the

illustrations.

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Fillet Line and Polyline Combinations

To fillet lines with polylines, each line or its extension must intersect one of the polyline

line segments. If the Trim option is on, the filleted objects and the fillet arc join to form a

single new polyline.

Fillet an Entire Polyline

You can fillet an entire polyline or remove fillets from an entire polyline.

If you set a nonzero fillet radius, FILLET inserts fillet arcs at the vertex of each polyline

segment that is long enough to accommodate the fillet radius.

To set the fillet radius

1. Click Modify menu Fillet.2. Enter r(Radius).3. Enter the fillet radius4. Select the objects to fillet.

To fillet two line segments

1. Click Modify menu Fillet.2. Select the first line.3. Select the second line.

To fillet an entire polyline

1. Click Modify menu Fillet.2. Enter p(Polyline).3. Select the polyline

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Exercise

Draw the figure as the one shown below and Fillet it with a Radius as shown below:

Figure Fillet

Chamfer

A chamfer connects two objects with an angled line. It is usually used to represent a

beveled edge on a corner.

You can chamfer Lines

Polylines

Rays

Xlines

3D solids

CHAMFER can be used to bevel all corners of a polyline using a single command.

Note:Chamfering a hatch boundary that was defined from line segments removes hatchassociativity. If the hatch boundary was defined from a polyline, associativity is

maintained.

If both objects being chamfered are on the same layer, the chamfer line is created on that

layer. Otherwise, the chamfer line is created on the current layer. The layer affects object

properties including color and linetype.Use the Multiple options to chamfer more than one set of objects without leaving the

command.

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Chamfer by Specifying Distances

The chamfer distance is the amount each object is trimmed or extended to meet the

chamfer line or to intersect the other. If both chamfer distances are 0, chamfering trims or

extends the two objects until they intersect but does not create a chamfer line. You can

hold down SHIFT while selecting the objects to override the current chamfer distanceswith a value of 0.

In the following example, you set the chamfer distance to 0.5 for the first line and 0.25for the second line. After you specify the chamfer distance, you select the two lines as

shown.

To set chamfer distances

1. Click Modify menu Chamfer.2. Enter d(Distances).3. Enter the first chamfer distance.4. Enter the second chamfer distance.5. Select the lines for chamfering

To chamfer two nonparallel line segments

1. Click Modify menu Chamfer.2. Select the first line.3. Select the second line

To chamfer an entire polyline

1. Click Modify menu Chamfer.2. Enter p(Polyline).3. Select the polyline.

The polyline is chamferedusing the current chamfer method and the default distances

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Exercise

Draw the figure as the one shown below and chamfer it with a distance as shown below:

Original figure Chamfered figure

Hatch

You can hatch an area using a predefined hatch pattern, define a simple line pattern usingthe current linetype, or create more complex hatch patterns. One type of pattern is called

solid, which fills an area with a solid color.

You can also create a gradient fill, which uses a transition between shades of one color or

between two colors. Gradient fills can be used to enhance presentation drawings, giving

the appearance of light reflecting on an object.

Define the Boundaries of a Hatch

You can choose from several methods to specify the boundaries of a hatch.

Specify a point in an area that is enclosed by objects.

Select objects that enclose an area.

Drag a hatch pattern into an enclosed area from a tool palette or DesignCenter.

When you hatch a drawing, whole or partial objects that are not part of the objectboundary are ignored. If a hatch line encounters an object such as text, an attribute, or a

solid-fill object, and if the object is selected as part of the boundary set, HATCH hatches

around the object.

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Note: If you want to hatch an area whose boundary is not quite closed, you can set the

HPGAPTOL system variable to bridge gaps and treat the boundary as closed.HPGAPTOL applies only to gaps between lines and arcs that, if extended, would meet.

To reduce file size, a hatched area is defined in the drawing database as a single graphical

object.

Add Hatch Patterns and Solid Fills

You can use several methods to add hatch patterns to your drawing.

The HATCHcommand provides the most options.

You can drag hatches from a tool palette. Use tool palettes when you need

additional speed and convenience.

With the Tool Palettes window open, you can right-click a pattern tool to access

the Tool Properties dialog box from the shortcut menu. This dialog box containsseveral hatch pattern options that are also available through HATCH. For example,

you can specify the scale and spacing for the hatch pattern.

You can also use DesignCenter.

Control the Hatch Origin

By default, hatch patterns always line up with each other. However, sometimes youmight need to move the starting point, called the origin point, of the hatch. For example,

if you create a brick pattern, you might want to start with a complete brick in the lower-left corner of the hatched area. In that case, use the Hatch Origin options in the Hatch and

Gradient dialog box.

The location and behavior of a hatch pattern depends on the HPORIGIN,

HPORIGINMODE, and HPINHERIT system variables, and the location and

orientation of the user coordinate system.

Choose a Hatch Pattern

The program supplies a solid fill and more than 50 industry-standard hatch patterns thatyou can use to differentiate the components of objects or represent object materials. The

program also comes with 14 hatch patterns that conform to the ISO (International

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Standards Organization) standards. When you select an ISO pattern, you can specify a

pen width, which determines the lineweight in the pattern.

On the Hatch tab of the Hatch and Gradient dialog box, the Type and Pattern area

displays the names of all the hatch patterns defined in the acad.pattext file. You can add

new hatch patterns to the dialog box by adding their definitions to the acad.patfile.

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Module 4: Using Coordinate Systems

Overview

As you draw you use the coordinate system to specify points in the drawing. You can

locate and use your own movable user coordinate system (UCS) for working on angled,isometric, or orthographic (3D) views.

Working with Cartesian and Polar Coordinates

A Cartesian coordinate system has three axes: X, Y, and Z. When you enter coordinate

values, you indicate a point's distance (in units) and its direction (+ or ) along the X, Y,and Z axes relative to the coordinate system origin (0,0,0) or relative to the previous

point. Usually, when you begin a new drawing in AutoCAD, you are automatically in the

world coordinate system (WCS); the X axis is horizontal, the Y axis is vertical, and the Z

axis is perpendicular to the XY plane.

Locating Points

The following illustration demonstrates the location of points on the XY plane. The 8,5

coordinate indicates a point 8 units in the positive X direction and 5 units in the positive

Y direction relative to the origin. The 4,2 coordinate represents a point 4 units in thenegative X direction and 2 units in the positive Y direction.

AutoCAD, you can enter coordinates in scientific, decimal, engineering, architectural, or

fractional notation. You can enter angles in grads, radians, and surveyor's units or indegrees, minutes, and seconds. This guide uses decimal units and degrees.

Coordinate Entry Methods

1. Coordinates Entry with Absolute, Relative and Polar Coordinates

These are coordinates values which are based on origin (0,0). You can specify a pointexplicitly by entering its X and Y values, separated by a comma. In this exercise, youll

use the LINE command to create some simple figures.

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i) Select the Line Command

Point Coordinates

1 70,202 70,60

3 40,75

4 40,2435 @305, 243

6 @ 0, -223

7 @ -108, 0

8 @ 0, 609 @102


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To point: Dont exit the line command here; more instructions continue in the next

section

Note: In Relative Coordinate method, points are located from the previous position,

rather than from the Origin.

4. Coordinate Entry with Polar Coordinates

These are the coordinates which use distance and angle to locate a point. Polar

Coordinates specify a point at a distance and angle from the previous point. The formatfor this method is @distance


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Using Direct Distance

In addition to entering coordinate values to specify points, you can use a method called

direct distance entry. You can use this feature during any of the drawing commands.

Once you have started the command and specified the first point, you can specify a point

by moving the cursor to indicate a direction and then entering the distance from the firstpoint. This is a good way to specify a line length quickly and is especially useful used in

conjunction with ortho and polar tracking.

You can use direct distance entry to specify points for all commands except those that

prompt you to enter a single real value, such as ARRAY, MEASURE, and DIVIDE.

When Ortho is on, this method is an efficient way to draw perpendicular lines.

In the following example, you will draw a line using direct distance entry.

To draw a line using direct distance entry

1 From the Draw menu, choose Line.2 Specify the first point (1).3 Move the pointing device until the rubber-band line extends in the same direction as

the line you want to draw. Do not press ENTER.

4 On the command line, enter the distance you want, and press ENTER. For example,enter 25 to draw a line 25 units in length.

The line is drawn at the length and in the direction you specified.

Shifting and Rotating the Coordinate System

Moving the UCS makes it easier to work on particular sections of your drawing. Snap,

Grid, and Ortho modes all rotate in line with the UCS.With a customized UCS, you can rotate the XY plane and change the origin point of the

coordinate system. This feature is particularly useful for working on sections where the

baseline deviates from a horizontal or vertical orientation.

You can relocate the UCS using several methods such as:

1 Specify a new XY plane. (Tools > New UCS > 3 Point)2 Specify a new origin. Etc. ( Tools > New UCS > Origin)

Displaying the UCS icon

To indicate the location and orientation of the UCS, AutoCAD displays the UCS icon

either at the UCS origin point or in the lower-left corner of the current viewport. If the

icon is displayed at the origin of the current UCS, a cross (+) appears in the icon. If theicon is displayed in the lower-left corner of the viewport, no cross appears in the icon.

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AutoCAD displays the UCS icon in various ways to help you visualize the orientation of

the drawing plane. The following figure shows some of the possible icon displays.

Module 5: Creating Objects

Overview

With the AutoCAD drawing tools, you can create a range of objects, from simple linesand circles to spline curves, ellipses, and hatched areas that change when their boundaries

change. In general, you draw objects by specifying points with the pointing device or byentering coordinate values on the command line.

Drawing Lines

The line is the basic object in AutoCAD. You can create a variety of lines: single lines,

multiple line segments with and without arcs, multiple parallel lines, and freehand sketch

lines. In general, you draw lines by specifying coordinate points, properties such as linetype or colour, and measurements such as angles. The default line type is

CONTINUOUS, an unbroken line, but various line types are available that use dots anddashes.

Polylines

A polyline is a connected sequence of line or arc segments created as a single object. Use

polylines if you want to edit all segments at once, although you can also edit them singly.

You can set the width of individual segments, make segments taper, and close thepolyline. When you draw arc segments, the first point of the arc is the endpoint of the

previous segment. You can specify the angle, centre point, direction, or radius of the arc.

You can also complete the arc by specifying a second point and an endpoint.

Polylines with arc segments

To draw a polyline with straight segments

1 From the Drawmenu, choose Polyline.2 Specify the first point of the polyline.3 Specify the endpoint of each polyline segment.

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4 Enter c (Close) to close the polyline, or press ENTER to end the command.

Multiline

Multilines consist of between 1 and 16 parallel lines, called elements. You position the

elements by specifying the desired offset of each element from the origin of the multiline.You can create and save multiline styles or use the default style, which has two elements.

You can set the colour and line type of each element and display or hide the joints of the

multiline. Joints are lines that appear at each vertex. There are several types of end capsyou can give the multiline, for example, lines or arcs.

To draw a multiline

1 From the Drawmenu, choose Multiline.

2 At the Command prompt, enter stto select a style.

3 To list available styles, enter the style name or enter?.

4 To justify the multiline, enterj and choose top, zero, or bottom justification.5 To change the scale of the multiline, enter sand enter a new scale.

Now draw the multiline.

6 Specify the starting point.7 Specify the second point.

8 Specify the third point.

9 Specify the fourth point or enter c to close the multiline, or press ENTER.

Multiline with a scale of 20 units

Drawing Curved Objects

You can create a variety of curved objects with AutoCAD, including circles, arcs,ellipses, spline curves, and donuts.

Topics in this section are:

1 Drawing Circles2 Drawing Arcs3 Drawing Spline Curves

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4 Drawing Ellipses5 Drawing Donuts

Drawing Circles

You can create circles in several ways. The default method is to specify the centre andradius. You can also specify the centre and diameter or define the diameter alone with

two points. You can define the circle's circumference with three points. You can also

create the circle tangent to three existing objects or create it tangent to two objects andspecify a radius. In the following illustrations, the darker circles are the ones being

drawn.

Four methods of drawing circles

To draw a circle by specifying a centre point and radius

1 From the Draw menu, choose Circle Centre, Radius.

2 Specify the centre point.3 Specify the radius.

Drawing Arcs

You can create arcs in many ways. The default method is to specify three points a start

point, a second point on the arc, and an endpoint. You can also specify the includedangle, radius, direction, and chord length of arcs. The chord of an arc is a straight line

between the endpoints. By default, AutoCAD draws arcs counter clockwise.

In the following example, the start point of the arc snaps to the endpoint of a line. The

second point of the arc snaps to the middle circle.

To draw an arc by specifying three points

1 From the Draw menu, choose Arc, Start, Centre, End.

2 Specify the start point (1) by entering endp and selecting the line.

The arc snaps to the endpoint of the line.

3 Specify the second point (2) by entering cen and selecting the existing arc to define

the centre of the arc.

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4 Specify the endpoint of the arc (3).

Drawing Spline Curves

A spline is a smooth curve passing through a given set of points. AutoCAD uses a

particular type of spline known as a nonuniform rational B-spline (NURBS) curve. ANURBS curve produces a smooth curve between control points. Splines are useful for

creating irregular-shaped curves, for example, drawing contour lines for geographic

information system (GIS) applications or automobile design.

You create splines by specifying points. You can close the spline so the start point and

endpoint are coincident and tangent. You can also change the spline-fitting tolerancewhile drawing the spline to see how closely the spline fits the set of specified fit points.

The lower the tolerance, the more closely the spline fits the points. At zero tolerance, the

spline passes through the points.

To create a spline by specifying points

1 From the Draw menu, choose Spline.2 Specify the spline's start point (1).

3 Specify points (2 through 5) to create the spline and press ENTER.

Drawing Ellipses

You can create full ellipses and elliptical arcs, both of which are exact mathematical

representations of ellipses. The default method of drawing an ellipse is to specify the

endpoints of the first axis and the distance, which is half the length of the second axis.The longer axis of an ellipse is called the major axis, and the shorter one is the minor

axis. The order in which you define the axes does not matter.

In the following procedure, you draw an ellipse using the default method and the pointing

device. Here, the first axis is the major axis, and the second is the minor. The distance

increases as you drag the pointing device away from the midpoint.

To draw a true ellipse using endpoints and distance

1 From the Draw menu, choose Ellipse, Axis, End.2 Specify the first endpoint of the first axis (1).

3 Specify the second endpoint of the first axis (2).

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4 Drag the pointing device away from the midpoint (3) of the first axis and click to

specify the distance.

Drawing Doughnut

Drawing donuts is a quick way to create filled rings or solid-filled circles. Donuts areactually closed polylines that have width. To create a donut, specify its inside and outside

diameters and its centre. You can continue creating multiple copies with the same

diameter by specifying different centres until you press ENTER to end the command. Tocreate solid-filled circles, specify an inside diameter of 0.

To draw a doughnut1 From the Draw menu, choose Donut.

2 Specify the inside diameter (1).

3 Specify the outside diameter (2).

4 Specify the centre of the donut (3).

5 Specify the centre point for another donut or press ENTER to end the command.

Creating Solid Filled Areas

You can create triangular and quadrilateral areas filled with a colour. For quicker results,

create these areas with the FILLMODE system variable off, and then turn on

FILLMODE to fill the finished area. You don't see the area outline until it is complete.

To create a triangular solid-filled area

1 From the Drawmenu, choose Surfaces, 2DSolid.

2 Specify the first point (1).

3 Specify the second point (2).4 Specify the third point (3). Then press ENTER.

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5 Press ENTER again to exit the command.

When you create a quadrilateral solid-filled area, the sequence of the third and fourth

points determines its shape. Compare the following illustrations:

Hatching Areas

Hatching fills a specified area in a drawing with a pattern. You can hatch an enclosedarea or a specified boundary using the BHATCH and HATCH commands.

BHATCH creates associative or non-associative hatches. Associative hatches are linked

to their boundaries and are updated when the boundaries are modified. Non-associative

hatches are independent of their boundaries. BHATCH defines boundaries automaticallywhen you specify a point within the area to be hatched. Any whole or partial objects that

are not part of the boundary are ignored and do not affect the hatch. The boundary can

have overhanging edges and islands (enclosed areas within the hatch area) that youchoose to hatch or leave unhatched. You can also define a boundary by selecting objects.

To hatch an enclosed area

1 From the Drawmenu, choose Hatch.

2 In the Boundary Hatch dialog box, choose Pick Points.3 Specify a point in your drawing inside each area you want to hatch. If you make a

mistake, you can right-click and choose Clear All or Undo Last Select/Pick from theshortcut menu.

4 To preview the hatch, right-click and choose Preview.

5 Press ENTER to return to the Boundary Hatch dialog box.

6 Choose OK to apply the hatch.

To hatch selected objects

1 From the Drawmenu, choose Hatch.

2 In the Boundary Hatch dialog box, choose Select Objects.

3 Select the object or objects you want to hatch.

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Module 6: Drawing with Precision

Overview

AutoCAD provides tracking and object snap tools to help you draw quickly and

accurately. By using these tools, you can draw precisely without having to entercoordinates or perform tedious calculations. You can also use AutoCAD inquiry methods

to quickly display information about drawings and drawing objects.

Adjusting Snap and Grid alignment

Snap and grid settings help you create and align objects. You can adjust the snap and gridspacing to intervals useful for specific drawing tasks. The grid is a visual guide

displaying points at user-specified intervals, like customisable grid paper. Snap spacing

restricts cursor movement to specific intervals. When you turn on Snap mode, the cursor

"snaps" to spaced coordinates as if they were cursor magnets. You can rotate snap and

grid alignment or set snap and grid to isometric mode to simulate 3D views in 2D space.The grid and snap share the same basepoint and rotation. Their spacing is often the same,

but it can be set to different values.

Snapping to Points on Objects

During drawing commands, you can snap the cursor to points on objects such as

endpoints, midpoints, centres, and intersections. For example, you can turn on object

snaps and quickly draw a line to the centre of a circle, the midpoint of a polylinesegment, or the apparent intersection of two lines.

You turn on object snaps in one of two ways:

Single point (or override) objects snaps: Setsan object snap for one use.

Running object snaps: Sets object snaps until you turn them off.

To snap to a point on an object

1 Start a command requiring you to specify a point (for example, ARC, CIRCLE,COPY, LINE or MOVE).

2 When the command prompts you to specify a point, choose an object snap using oneof the following methods:

Click a toolbar button on the Standard toolbar Object Snap flyout or on the ObjectSnap toolbar.

Press SHIFT and right-click in the drawing area, and choose an object snap fromthe shortcut menu.

Enter an object snap abbreviation on the command line.

3 Move your cursor over the snap location and click.

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After you click to the snap point, the object snap clears. If you select any point other than

the object snap point, AutoCAD displays an invalid point message. The following tableshows the AutoCAD object snaps, the toolbar buttons, and command line abbreviations

you can use to start them. See "Object Snap Descriptions."

Object snaps

Calculating Distance and angles

You can quickly display the following information for two points you specify:

The distance between them in drawing units

The angle between the points in the XY plane

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To calculate a distance

1 From the Toolsmenu, choose Inquiry> Distance.

2 Specify the firstand secondpoints of the distance you want to calculate.

AutoCAD displays a brief report.

Calculating Areas

To calculate an area you define

1 From the Tools menu, choose Inquiry> Area.2 Select points in a sequence that defines the perimeter of the area to be measured.

Then press ENTER.

AutoCAD connects the first and last points to form a closed area and displays the area

and perimeter measurements.

To calculate the area of an object

1 From the Toolsmenu, choose Inquiry> Area.2 Enter o(Object).3 Select an object.

AutoCAD displays the area and perimeter.

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Module 7: Controlling Drawing Display

Overview

AutoCAD provides many ways to display views of your drawing. As you edit your

drawing, you can control the drawing display and move quickly to different areas of yourdrawing while you track the overall effect of your changes. You can zoom to change

magnification or pan to reposition the view in the drawing area; save a view and then

restore it when you need to plot or refer to specific details; or display several views at onetime by splitting the screen into several tiled viewports.

Using Zoom and Pan

A specific magnification, position, and orientation are known as a view. The most

common way to change a view is to use one of the many AutoCAD zoom options to

increase or decrease the size of the image displayed in the drawing area.

Magnifying the image to view the details more closely is called zooming in. Shrinking

the image to see a larger portion of the drawing is called zooming out.

Zooming does not change the absolute size of the drawing; it changes the size of the view

within the drawing area. AutoCAD offers several ways to change the view, includingspecifying a display window, zooming to a specific scale, and displaying the entire

drawing.

Pan Zoom Realtime Zoom Window Zoom Previous

Using aerial View

Aerial View is a navigation tool that

displays a view of the drawing in a

separate window so that you can quicklymove to that area. If you keep the Aerial

View window open as you work, you

can zoom and pan without choosing a

menu option or entering a command.

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Each time AutoCAD regenerates the drawing, the virtual display space is recalculated,

and the current contents of the screen are erased and redrawn. The Aerial View windowprovides you with a view box to view the contents of the virtual display space. However,

using the Aerial View window to zoom into and view a portion of the drawing does not

force regeneration of the drawing.

Aerial View works in all model space views. You can easily move the Aerial View

window by dragging it to another location. Also, you can resize the window by dragging

its border.

Using named Views

You can assign a name to any view of your drawing and then restore the view at a later

time. You can save the full viewport display, or only part of it. AutoCAD saves separate

views for model space and paper space. If you have multiple viewports, you restore a

view to the active viewport. If you restore different views to different viewports, you can

display multiple views of your model at the same time. Restoring a view restores thefollowing settings to a viewport:

Centre point

Viewing direction

Zoom factor

Perspective (lens length)

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Module 8: Editing Methods

Overview

AutoCAD offers two approaches to editing: you can start a command first and then select

the objects to edit, or you can select the objects first and then edit them. This Topicdescribes how to select objects, view and edit object properties, and perform both general

and object- specific editing operations. Such editing operation includes:

Selecting Objects

Removing Objects from selection set

Editing with Grips

Editing Object Properties

Matching Properties of other Objects

Copying Objects

Offsetting Objects

Mirroring Objects Arraying Objects

Moving Objects

Rotating Objects

Erasing Objects

Resizing Objects

Exploding Objects

Chamfering Objects

Filleting Objects

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Module 9: Using Layers and Object Properties

Overview

Layers are like transparent overlays on which you organize and group different kinds of

drawing information. The objects you create have common properties including colours,linetypes, and lineweights. An object can assume these properties from the layer it is

drawn on, or properties can be specifically assigned to individual objects. Colour helps

you distinguish similar elements in your drawings, while linetypes help you differentiateeasily between different drafting elements, such as centrelines or hidden lines.

Lineweights represent the size or type of an object through width, enhancing your

drawing and increasing legibility. Organizing layers and the objects on layers makes iteasier to manage the information in your drawings.

You always draw on a layer. It may be the default layer or a layer you create. Each layer

has an associated colour, linetype, lineweight, and plot style. You can use layers to

organize drawings into groups of objects as well as to identify different objects withvarying colours, linetypes, and lineweights.

For example, you can create a layer for centrelines. You assign the properties you want

for centrelines (colour, linetype, lineweight) to the layer. When you want to draw a

centreline, you switch to the centreline layer and begin drawing. You do not need tospecify a linetype, lineweight, and colour every time you draw a centreline.

You can also assign a plot style to a layer. Plot styles control how your drawings areplotted. For example, you can plot a drawing with all the centrelines at a 50 percent

value (or "screened") by assigning a plot style to that layer. Using layers is a majoradvantage of creating drawings with AutoCAD instead of with paper and pencil.

In a layout (paper space), you can specify layer visibility individually for each viewport.If you do not want to display or plot a certain layer, you can turn off that layer or turn off

plotting for that layer. The same drawing limits, coordinate system, and zoom factor

apply to all layers in a drawing.

If you consistently use a specific layering scheme, you can set up a template drawing

with layers and their associated linetypes, lineweights, colours, and plot styles already

assigned. Layers are one of many nongraphical objects saved in a drawing.

Creating and Naming a Layer

You can create and name a layer for each conceptual grouping (such as walls or

dimensions) and assign common properties to those layers. By grouping objects into

layers, you can control their display and make changes quickly and efficiently.

When you begin a new drawing, AutoCAD creates a special layer named 0. By default,layer 0 is assigned colour number 7 (white or black depending upon your background

colour), the CONTINUOUS linetype, a lineweight of DEFAULT (the default setting for

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DEFAULT is .01 inch or .25 mm), and the Normal plot style. Layer 0 cannot be deleted

or renamed.

You can create new layers and assign colour, linetype, lineweight, and plot style

properties to those layers. To assign properties to objects individually, see "Using the

Object Properties Toolbar" and "Using the Properties Window."

To create a new layer

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Layer.

2 In the Layer Properties Manager, click on Newbutton (before red X).

A new layer is displayed in the list with the temporary name LAYER1.

3 Enter a new name.4 To create more than one layer, choose New again, enter the new layer name, and

press ENTER.

5 Choose OK.

Each new layer is numbered sequentially, LAYER1, LAYER2, and so on. You can

rename a layer after it is created. The default colour assigned to the new layer is colour 7(white or black depending on the background colour), and the default linetype is

CONTINUOUS. The default lineweight is DEFAULT (the default setting for DEFAULT

is .01 inch or .25 mm), and the default plot style is Normal. You can accept the defaultsettings or specify other colours, linetypes, lineweights, and plot styles.

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If an existing layer is selected when you create a new layer, the new layer inherits the

properties of the selected layer. You can modify the properties of the new layer asnecessary.

If you use a specific layering scheme, you can make a copy of the layer list in your

drawing and print it out for future reference.

Assigning Colour to a Layer

You can assign a colour to a layer using the Layer Properties Manager. For example, you

can assign the colour red to a layer named HVAC to help you identify the mechanical

equipment in your drawing.

To assign a colour to a layer

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Layer.

2 In the Layer Properties Manager, select a layer and click the Colouricon.3 In the Select Colour dialog box, select colour you want.4 Choose OK.

Assigning Linetype to a Layer

When you're defining layers, linetypes provide another way to convey visual information.

A linetype can be a straight line or a repeating pattern of dashes, dots, and blank spaces

that you can use to distinguish the purpose of one line from another.The linetype name and definition describe the particular dash-dot sequence, the relative

lengths of dashes and blank spaces, and the characteristics of any included text or shapes.

To assign a linetype to a layer

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Layer.2 In the Layer Properties Manager, select a layer and then click the linetype associated

with that layer.

3 In the Select Linetype dialog box, do one of the following:

Select a linetype from the list

Choose Load to load a linetype from a file.

4 Choose OKto exit each dialog box.

Assigning Lineweight to a Layer

Lineweights add width to your objects. All objects can be displayed and plotted with

lineweights except True Type fonts, raster images, points, and solid fills (or 2D solids).By assigning lineweights to layers and objects, you can represent the width of objects on

screen as well as on paper. You can improve the visual quality of your presentation

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drawings by assigning varying lineweights to objects and layers. AutoCAD provides a

number of available lineweights, including DEFAULT, which is the default. The defaultvalue of DEFAULT is .01 inch or .25 mm. (This value is set by using the LWDEFAULT

system variable or in the Lineweight Settings dialog box.)

To assign a lineweight to a layer

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Layer.2 In the Layer Properties Manager, select a layer and then click the lineweight

associated with that layer.

3 In the Lineweight dialog box, select a lineweight from the list.4 Choose OKto exit each dialog box.

Assigning Plot style to a Layer

AutoCAD 2006 provides a new object property called plot style that can change the way

a plotted drawing looks. By modifying an object's plot style, you can override thatobject's colour, linetype, and lineweight. You can also specify end, join, and fill styles as

well as output effects such as dithering, grey scale, pen assignment, and screening. Youcan use plot styles if you need to plot the same drawing in different ways. Objects in a

drawing are associated with the default plot style setting of BYLAYER. Layer 0 defaults

to a plot style of NORMAL. A layer that is assigned a NORMAL plot style assumes theproperties that have already been assigned to that layer. You can apply plot styles to

objects or layers. Plot styles are defined in plot style tables. You can view the current plot

style of a selected object, change the plot style of an object, and make a plot style current.However, if the current drawing you are working in is in colour-dependent mode

(PSTYLEPOLICY is set to 1) as opposed to named plot styles mode (PSTYLEPOLICYis set to 0), you cannot assign a plot style to a layer. For more information about creating

plot styles and plot style tables, see "Using Plot Styles."

To assign a plot style to a layer

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Layer.2 In the Layer Properties Manager, select a layer and then click the plot style associated

with that layer.

3 In the Current Plot Style dialog box, select a plot style from the list.4 Choose OKto exit each dialog box.

Filtering Layers

Sometimes you may want only certain layers to be listed. For instance, if you are working

in a drawing that contains various layers of electrical information, you can limit the layer

names displayed in the Layer Properties Manager to those electrical layers. Listing only

specific layers makes it easier to select or clear all layers with specific names orproperties.

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You can filter layers based on

Names, colours, linetypes, lineweights, and plot styles

Visibility

Freeze or thaw status

Locked or unlocked status Plot or don't plot status

Whether the layer contains objects or does not contain objects

Dependency on externally referenced (xref) drawings

To filter layers based on layer properties

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Layer.2 In the Layer Properties Manager under Named Layer Filters, choose the [...] button.3 In the Named Layer Filters dialog box, select or enter layer property settings.4 Enter a name in Filter Name to save the filter.

5 Choose Close.6 In the Layer Properties Manager, choose the filter from the Named Layer Filters list.

Renaming Layers

You may want to rename a layer to better define how it's used in your drawing. You can

rename a layer at any time during a drawing session. You cannot rename layer 0 or anxref-dependent layer.

To rename a layer

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Layer.2 In the Layer Properties Manager, select a layer to rename, select the layer name, and

enter the new name.

3 Choose OK.

Deleting Layers

You can delete a layer at any time during a drawing session. You cannot delete the

current layer, layer 0, an xref-dependent layer, or a layer that contains objects.NOTE Layers referenced by block definitions, along with the special layer named

DEFPOINTS, cannot be deleted even if they do not contain visible objects.

To delete a layer

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Layer.2 In the Layer Properties Manager, select one or more layers, and then choose Delete.3 Choose OK.

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Module 10: Adding Text to a Drawing

Overview

Text conveys important information in your drawing. You use text for title blocks, to

label parts of the drawing, to give specifications, or to make annotations. AutoCADprovides various ways to create text. For short, simple entries use line text. For longer

entries with internal formatting, use multiline text. Although all entered text uses the

current text style, which establishes the default font and format settings, you cancustomize the text appearance.

Using Single Line Text

The text you add to your drawings conveys a variety of information. It may be a complex

specification, title block information, a label, or even part of the drawing. Use the TEXT

command to create line text for short entries that do not require multiple fonts, such as

labels.

To Create Line text:

1 From the Drawmenu, choose Text> Single Line Text.

2 Specify the insertion point for the first character. Press ENTER to locate the new textimmediately below the last text object you created, if any.

If the text height is set to 0 in the current text style, you are prompted to specify theheight of the text.

3 Set the text height by dragging the pointing device until the distance between the

cursor and the insertion point indicates the text height you want.

Formatting Line Text

You can format text as you create it using the options on the command line. Justify

determines how the characters in the text line align with the insertion point. Style sets thedefault format characteristics.

Using Multiline Text

For long, complex entries create multiline text using MTEXT. Multiline text fits a

specified width but can extend vertically to an indefinite length. You can formatindividual words or characters within a multiline text object.

Multiline text consists of any number of text lines or paragraphs that fit within a width

you specify. Unlike single-line text, multiline text includes as part of the same mtextobject all text lines or paragraphs created in a multiline text editing session. You can

move, rotate, erase, copy, mirror, stretch, or scale mtext objects

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Multiline text has more editing options than single-line text. Using the Multiline Text

Editor, you can apply underlining, fonts, colour, and text height changes to individualcharacters, words, or phrases within a paragraph. You can also use the Properties window

to change all properties of multiline text objects

Creating Multiline Text

You can create text in the Multiline Text Editor, on the command line, or with a third-

party text editor. You specify a third-party text editor in the Options dialog box or withthe MTEXTED system variable.

The Multiline Text Editor provides a quick way to set properties that affect the entire textobject or formats that affect only selected text. Before creating the text, you must define

the paragraph's width. When text entry is complete, AutoCAD inserts the text entered in

the dialog box within this width limit. You can apply the text height, justification,

rotation angle, style and line spacing to the text object, or apply character formatting to

specific characters. Justification determines where the text is inserted with respect to thetext boundaries

To create multiline text

1 From the Drawmenu, choose Text> Multiline Text.2 At the Specify First Corner prompt, use your pointing device to specify the corner.

3 At the next prompt, define the text width by using your pointing device to specify the

opposite corner of the boundary box.4 In the Multiline Text Editor, enter the text. Text that extends beyond the boundary box

width wraps to the next line.5 Choose OK.

Working with Text Styles

All text in an AutoCAD drawing has a text style associated with it. When you enter text,

AutoCAD uses the current text style, which sets the font, size, angle, orientation, and

other text characteristics. You can create many text styles for use in your drawings. Youcan reuse the text styles you create by copying the text styles into other drawings using

the AutoCAD Design Centre.

To create a text style

1 From the Formatmenu, choose Text Style.2 In the Text Style dialog box, choose New.

3 In the New Text Style dialog box, enter a name for the text style.

If you don't enter a text style name, AutoCAD names the text style Stylen, where n isa number starting at 1 and increasing by 1 for each new automatically named style.

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4 Choose OKto close the New Style dialog box.

The Text Style dialog box displays the characteristics of the style you created. You

can change the displayed characteristics whenever you want.

5 If you change any style characteristics, choose Apply to save them.6 After you have made and applied all changes to the text style, choose Close.

Text Style Dialog box

Style name Font Style Text Height

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Module 11:Creating Dimensions

Overview

A precise drawing plotted to scale often does not convey enough information for builders

to construct your design. Usually you add annotation showing object measurements andthe distances and angles between objects.

Dimensioning is the process of adding measurement annotation to a drawing. AutoCADprovides many ways to dimension objects and many ways to format dimensions. You can

create dimensions for a wide variety of object shapes in many different orientations. You

can create dimension styles to format dimensions quickly and ensure that dimensions inyour drawing conform to industry or project standards.

Dimensioning Concepts

Design is often divided into four phases: drawing, annotating, viewing, and plotting.

During annotation, the designer adds text, numbers, and other symbols to communicatesuch information as the size and materials of design elements or notes for constructing

the design. Dimensions are a common drawing annotation; they show objectmeasurements such as a wall length, cylinder diameter, or building site area.

AutoCAD provides many dimension types and many ways to format them. You canspecify measurements for all drawing objects and shapes. You can measure vertical and

horizontal distances, angles, diameters, and radii. You can create a series of dimensions

measured from a common baseline or create a series of dimensions measuredincrementally. The following illustration shows examples of dimensions you can create.

Dimensioning Elements

Although dimensions may vary in type and appearance, most dimensions includedimension text, dimension lines, extension lines, and arrowheads.

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Dimension Text

Dimension text indicates the actual measurement. You can use the measurementcomputed automatically by AutoCAD, supply your own text, or suppress the text

entirely. If you use the generated text, you can append plus/minus tolerances, prefixes,

and suffixes.

Dimension LinesDimension line indicates the extent of a dimension. Dimension lines usually have

arrowheads at the end to indicate the dimension start points and endpoints. Thedimension text is placed along the dimension line, which is often divided into two lines.

AutoCAD usually places dimension lines inside the measured area. If space is not

sufficient, AutoCAD may move the dimension lines or text outside the measured area,

depending on the placement rules set for the dimension style (see "Fitting DimensionText and Arrowheads"). For angular dimensions, the dimension line is an arc.

Arrowheads

Displayed at the end of dimension lines to indicate where the measurement begins andends. AutoCAD uses the closed filled arrowhead symbol by default. However, AutoCADprovides many other symbols that you can use, including architectural ticks, oblique

strokes, dots, and slashes. You can also create your own symbols.

Extension Lines

Extend from the dimensioned object to the dimension line. Extension lines are drawn

perpendicular to the dimension line, though you can make them oblique.

Centre Mark

Centre mark marks the centre of a circle or arc. Centrelines extend from the centre mark.

You can use a centre mark only, or a centre mark and centrelines.

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1. Click on the Formatmenu and choose Dimension Style

2. In the Dimension style manager dialog box, click New3. At the Style name, type New ISO-254. Click Continueto exit this dialog box

Specifying Lines and Arrows

From the dimension Style dialog box click on Lines and Arrows Tab and set the requiredparameters for:

Colour

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Line weight

Extend beyond ticks

Baseline

Suppression of dimension lines

Specifying text position and Style

1 Click the Texttab2 Under Text Appearance, specify Text Style, Colourand Height3 Under Text Placement, specify Vertical, Horizontal and Offset from the

Dimension line4 Under Text Alignment, choose the option you want.

Text Height:

In selecting text height, think about the likely scale to be used when plotting the

drawings. For example, if the drawing drawn in millimetres units is to be plotted at a

scale of 1:200, you can set text height to be 1000, that is when plotted text will end upbeing 5mm high on drawing (that is 1000/200).

Module 12: Using Blocks

You create blocks by associating objects and giving them a name. You can also attach

information (attributes) to a block.

1. How Blocks Are Stored and Referenced

Every drawing file has an invisible data area called the block definition table. The block

definition table stores all block definitions, which consist of all information associatedwith the block. It is these block definitions that are referenced when you insert blocks inyour drawing. The following illustrations are conceptual representations of three drawing

files. Each rectangle represents a separate drawing file and is divided into two parts: the

smaller part represents the block definition table, and the larger part represents the objects

in a drawing.

When you insert a block, you are inserting a block reference. The information is not

simply copied from the block definition to the drawing area. Instead, a link is established

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between the block reference and the block definition. Therefore, if the block definition is

changed, all references are updated automatically.

To reduce the size of a drawing, you can purge unused block definitions.

2. Create Blocks Within a Drawing

After you define a block in a drawing, you can insert a block reference in the drawing as

many times as necessary. Use this method to create blocks quickly.

Each block definition includes a block name, one or more objects, the coordinate valuesof the base point to be used for inserting the block, and any associated attribute data.

The base point is used as a reference for positioning the block when you insert it.Suppose you specify that the base point is at the lower-left corner of an object in the

block. Later, when you insert the block, you are prompted for an insertion point. The

block base point is aligned at the insertion point you specified.

The block definition in the illustration comprises a name, PLUG_VALVE, four lines, and

a base point at the intersection of the two diagonal lines.

The illustration shows a typical sequence for creating a block definition within a drawing.

You can also use the Block Editor to create blocks that are saved within a drawing.

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Tutorial:

3. Draw the object you want to make it as a block

4. Click on Draw menu and choose Block and then make. The dialog box shown below

will be displayed.

5. Type in the name of the block and click on Select objects button

6. Select the object you want to make it a block and press enter key7. Click on Pick point button and then mark any point in the object (to be made as a

block) which will be used as a holding point.

Exercise:

Draw a door swing and window as shown below and convert them to blocks called D1

and W1 respectively.

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Exercise:Creating and Inserting Blocks

Under this tutorial you will revise about:

1. Creating a New Drawing file

2. Setting Units and its precision3. Setting new Drawing Limits4. Drawing a plan of a house5. Using modifying tools to provide opening spaces for doors and windows6. Creating Blocks for doors and windows7. Inserting Blocks in the house plan

1. Set the drawing limits to 0,0 and 42000,297002. Set Drawing Units to be Decimal with no decimal places3. Draw a Plan as shown in figure 1 below

Figure 1

4. Use the offset command to create a plan as shown in figure 2 below

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Figure 24. Use Trim command to trim figure 2 above as shown in figure 3 below

Figure 3

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5. Use Offset and Trim commands to modify figure 3 above to look as figure 4 below:

Figure 4

7. Draw Door and window as shown in figure 5 below

Figure 5

8. Create Blocks for Objects in figure 5 above and then insert those in their restivepositions in the plan shown in figure 4 so as to look as figure 6 below:

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Figure 6

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Module 13: Creating Layout to Plot

Overview

A layout is a paper space environment that simulates a sheet of paper and provides a

predictable plotting set up. In a layout, you can create and position view port objects andyou can add a title block or other geometry. You can create multiple layouts in a drawing

to display various views, each of which can contain different plot scales and paper sizes.

Each layout displays the drawing as it will be plotted on the sheet of paper.

As you design your model drawing and prepare it for plotting, you can use model space

and paper space just as with previous AutoCAD releases. Using AutoCAD 2006,however, the environment you use to layout and prepare your drawing for plotting is

much more visual. At the bottom of the drawing window are tabs that include the Model

taband one or more Layout tabs. Model space can be accessed from the Modeltab or

by making a floating view port in a layout current. The Model tab is where you spend

most of your time creating and editing your drawing. When you are in the Model tab, youare always working in model space. You can divide the Model tab into tiled view ports to

represent various views of your model..

When you are ready to set up your drawing for plotting, you can use a layout tab. Each

layout tab provides a paper space drawing environment in which you can create viewports and specify page settings for each layout you want to plot. Page settings are just

plot settings that are saved with the layout. As you designate page settings for a layout,

you can choose to save and name the page settings for one layout, and then apply thatnamed page set up to another layout.

Typically, when you begin designing a layout environment to plot, you step through the

following process:

Create a model drawing.

Configure a plotting device.

Activate or create a layout.

Specify layout page settings such as plotting device, paper size, plot area, plot scale,and drawing orientation.

Insert a title block.

Create floating view ports and position them in the layout.

Set the view scale of the floating view ports.

Annotate or create geometry in the layout as needed. Plot your layout

Working with Layout

After you complete a drawing model, you can begin creating a layout to plot by choosinga layout tab. When you choose a layout tab for the first time in a drawing session, a single

view port is displayed, and a sheet with margins indicates the paper size of the currently

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configured plotter and printable area of the paper. AutoCAD displays the Page Set up

dialog box, in which you specify layout and plot device settings. Setting the plot settingsand using Preview, you can visualize the resulting layout without actually plotting. The

layout settings you specify are stored with the layout.

If you don't want the Page Set up dialog box to be displayed each time you begin a newdrawing layout, you can clear Show Page Set up Dialog for New Layouts on the Display

tab in the Options dialog box. If you don't want AutoCAD to automatically create a view

port for each new layout, you can clear Create View port in New Layouts on the Displaytab in the Options dialog box.

Once you've created a layout, you can delete, rename, move, or copy the layout by right-clicking the layout tab, and then choosing an option from the shortcut menu.

To switch from model space to a layout

After creating a drawing in model space, choose the Layout1 tab.

A single view port containing the model drawing is displayed. The Page Set up dialogbox is also displayed, in which you can specify a plotter and page set up.

To set up the plotting environment

1 From the File menu, choose Page Set up.2 In the Page Set up dialog box, enter a name for the layout you are preparing for

plotting.

To rename a layout, right-click the layout tab and then choose Rename from theshortcut menu. You can also change the name of a layout in the Page Set up dialog

box.

3 To name and save the current page set up, choose Add to display the User DefinedPage Set ups dialog.

4 On the Plot Device tab, verify the configured plotter name, or select a plotter fromthe list of currently configured plotters

5 To view or modify the plotter configuration information, choose Properties.

6 To apply a plot style table to the layout, select a table from the Plot Style Table list.

7 To view or modify the plot styles associated with the attached plot style table,choose Edit.

8 To add a new plot style table, choose New.

9 Choose OK. The layout settings you have specified are applied to the current layout.

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Creating and Editing Viewports in a Layout

To see model geometry in a layout, create floating viewports. A floating viewportresembles a glass window you open to view model space geometry from within a paper

space layout. Specify a view, scale factor, plot style table, and visible layers for each

floating viewport in a layout.

Double-click in a floating viewport to edit the model space objects it shows. Double-click

in the area around floating viewports to modify your layout. Click the Model tab to hide

the layout altogether. In this lesson you will create and edit Rectangular floatingviewports in a layout.

Creating Rectangular Viewports

1. Click on the Layout1tab and click cancel to close the Layout1 window (if it appears)2. On the Viewmenu click Viewportsthen click 1 Viewport.3. Drag the mouse to create the viewport to the size you want or type in the coordinates

to represent the size of the viewport you want.

Single viewport

4. Double-click inside the floating viewport to switch from paper space layout to workin the floating viewport.

Viewport after double clicking on it

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5. On the Standard toolbar, click Zoom Window.6. Click two points to put a window around the floor plan.7. Double-click in the edge area around the viewport to work on paper space layout.8. Click the edge of the floating viewport to display its grips.

9. On the Modifymenu, click Properties.10.In the Properties window, click Standard Scale and select the scale you want to

apply to the viewport.

11.Click Display Locked and select Yes to lock the set viewport scale to zoom in todifferent areas of detail. It will not change the viewport scale.

Viewport scale set to 1:100 and locked set to Yes

12.Close the Properties dialog box.13.Press ESCtwice to remove grips.

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Controlling Layers Display in LayoutWhen you work with multiview drawings, determine which objects are visible in theview using layers. Freeze or thaw layers in any viewport using either the Layer list on the

Object Properties Toolbar or the Layer Properties Manager dialog box.

In this lesson you will learn how to hide layers in floating viewports and Controlling the

Visibility of Layers in New Viewports

Hiding Layers in Floating Viewports

1. Double-click the viewport (into which you want to hide layers) to make it active.2. On the Object Properties toolbar, click Layers.3. In the Layer Properties Manager dialog box, click Show Details.4. Hold down the CTRLkey and select the layers you want to freeze within the active

viewport

5. Under Details, click Freeze in Active Viewportto freeze layers in the current view,and then click OKto exit this dialog box.

Controlling the Visibility of Layers in New Viewports1. On the Object Properties toolbar, click Layers.2. Hold down the CTRLkey. In the Layer list, under Name, click the layers you want to

control its display

3. Under Details click Freeze in New Viewports. This ensures that these layers willremain hidden in all future viewports.

4. Click OKto exit this dialog box.

Creating Viewport using New Viewports command

You can also create Viewports by using New Viewports command available in the View

menu. To create New Viewports using New Viewports command:1. Click on Viewmenu and choose New Viewports2. Click New viewportstab3. Select the type of viewports you want to create from Standard Viewports list provided4. Specify Apply toand or specify View spacingand set up

New Viewports in 3D Set up

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Two

viewports one to a scale of 1:2 and 1:4

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