Learning AutoCAD - Free Training Online

Copying Dimension Styles from One Drawing into Another

2009-02-26T12:54:00.001-08:00

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In order to ensure that dimension styles are consistent between drawings, and at the same time reduce the time you spend creating dimension styles, you can use DesignCenter to copy dimensions between drawings. file.

Follow these instructions to import a dimension style into your drawing:

Open the usardim.dwg. This will appear to be an empty drawing, but it contains a dimension style you can use to dimension architectural drawings.
From the File menu, choose Save to save the file to a folder on your local hard disk. Make sure you can find the folder later.
Close the usardim.dwg drawing file.
Open the 7401f.dwg.
From the Tools menu, choose DesignCenter.

Click the Folders tab.
Find the usardim.dwg drawing file you just saved.
Double-click Dimstyles to display the drawing's dimension styles.

Select the US-ARCHITECTURAL-DIM-STYLE in usardim.dwg.
Drag it into the 7401f.dwg drawing. That means click on it, hold down the left mouse button, drag it over the black drawing area in the drawing, and let go of the left mouse button.

Close the DesignCenter window.
From the Dimension menu, choose Style.
Choose the US-ARCHITECTURAL-DIMSTYLE style.

Choose Set Current to make this the current dimension style.
Choose Close to exit this window.
From the Dimension menu, choose Update.

Type ALL to indicate that you want to select all the dimensions in the drawing.
Press ENTER to exit this command. If you zoom in you will see that all the dimensions now have tick marks. This is because the imported dimension style has been applied to them.

Using the technique illustrated here, you can make some or all the drawings in your office reflect the new dimension style.

Tip:

If a dimension style with the same name already exists in the drawing, the drawing will not import the new dimension style. To resolve this problem, rename or delete the dimension style in the drawing prior to following the procedure outlined here.

Tip:
Remember, creating title blocks and drawing template files with pre-configured dimension styles standardizes your drawings and makes them easier to maintain.

Tip:
Inserting a drawing with one or more dimension styles into the current drawing will automatically insert those dimension styles into the current drawing.

Creating & Using Dimension Families in AutoCAD

2009-02-26T12:52:00.000-08:00

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In general, you control the way dimensions look by defining a dimension style. After you define the dimension style you can update your dimensions so they take on the characteristics defined in the style, or you can create new dimensions which will automatically take on the properties of the current dimension style.

Sometimes, however, a single dimension style doesn't seem to be enough. For example, you may want to have your linear measurements measured to the nearest thousandth of a unit, but you may only want to have your radial measurements shown in the nearest hundredth of a unit. You could create two dimension styles, one for linear measurements and one for radial measurements. A better solution, however, is to create a single dimension style, and then use families of that style to tell AutoCAD how radial dimensions should be treated differently that linear dimensions.

In this exercise, you modify a dimension style so it supports families of dimensions.

Prior to proceeding with this lesson, open the 7401e.dwg.

From the Dimension menu, choose Dimension Style.

From the list of Dimension styles, choose ANSI-MECH.

Choose New.
In the Use for list, choose Linear Dimensions.

Choose Continue to exit this window.
On the Lines tab, from the Color list, choose Red.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box.

Choose Close to exit this dialog box. Note that the previously created linear dimension reflects the new linear dimension style.

From the Dimension menu, choose Dimension Style.

Select ANSI-MECH from the list of dimension styles, if it's not already selected.
Choose Modify.

On the Text tab, in the Text height list, type .25.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box.
Choose Close to exit this window. Note that all the dimension text changed size. This is because you made the change to the parent dimension style.

Now you understand that dimension styles can have dimension families which define special rules for specific kinds of dimensions (linear, radial, etc) and that changes to the parent dimension style will filter down to all families.

This tutorial continues . . .

Creating Dimension Families

2009-02-26T12:51:00.001-08:00

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In this exercise, you modify a dimension style so it supports families of dimensions.

Prior to proceeding with this lesson, open the 7401e.dwg.

From the Dimension menu, choose Dimension Style.

From the list of Dimension styles, choose ANSI-MECH.

Choose New.
In the Use for list, choose Linear Dimensions.

Choose Continue to exit this window.
On the Lines tab, from the Color list, choose Red.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box.

Choose Close to exit this dialog box. Note that the previously created linear dimension reflects the new linear dimension style.

From the Dimension menu, choose Dimension Style.

Select ANSI-MECH from the list of dimension styles, if it's not already selected.
Choose Modify.

On the Text tab, in the Text height list, type .25.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box.
Choose Close to exit this window. Note that all the dimension text changed size. This is because you made the change to the parent dimension style.

This tutorial continues . . .

Creating Dimensions & Dimension Styles

2009-02-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

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Introduction

In this project you master the skills required to create dimension styles in your drawings. Dimension styles control the appearance of your dimensions. Changes you make to a dimension style will affect all the dimensions that depend upon that style. By the time you have completed this project, you should have the skills required to create your own dimensions styles.

You learn how to:

Create dimension styles
Create dimensions based on dimension styles
Modify dimension styles to change dimension appearance
Control dimensions using dimension families
Use DesignCenter to copy dimension styles between drawings

Tip:

Remember that you can use DesignCenter to copy dimension styles between drawings.

Defining a Dimension Style

In this lesson you learn how to create an ANSI dimension style and draw a few dimensions. You also learn how changes you make to the dimension style are automatically reflected in the dimensions created while that style was active.

You will find the skills in this project useful in creating your own dimension styles. In most cases you should create a dimension style or import one from an existing drawing using DesignCenter prior to creating dimensions in your own drawings.

Prior to proceeding with this lesson, open 7401d.dwg. Remember, to open a drawing from a link, right-click on the drawing, then choose Save Target As or Save Link Target. Save the file to a folder on your local hard disk. You can then open it in AutoCAD.

From the Dimension menu, choose Style.

Choose New to indicate that you want to create a new dimension style.

In the New Style Name box, type ANSI-MECH. This will copy the properties of the Standard dimension style to the ANSI-MECH dimension style.

Choose Continue to exit this dialog box.
On the Symbols and Arrows tab, in the Center Marks area, select Line to indicate that you want to create center lines rather than center marks.

On the Text tab, type .25 in the Text height box.

On the Primary Units tab, in the Linear Dimensions area, from the Precision list, choose 0.000.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box.
Choose Set Current to make ANSI-MECH the Current Dimension Style.

Choose Close to exit this window.
From the Dimension menu, choose Radius.
Select the edge of the lower-right circle in the drawing.

Select a point below and to the right of the circle to place the dimension.

From the Dimension menu, choose Linear.
Press ENTER to indicate that you don't want to select the extension line origin. Instead, you would like to select a line and have AutoCAD find the end points automatically.
Select the long horizontal line near the top of the object.

Select a point above the line to position the dimension.

From the Dimension menu, choose Style.
Choose Modify.

On the Primary Units tab, in the Linear Dimensions area, from the Precision list, choose 0.00.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box.
Choose Close to exit this window. Note that the dimensions automatically update.

You can create dimension styles drawings then save those drawings as templates so you don't have to create them in every drawing. You can also use DesignCenter to display the dimension styles in any drawing so you can drag them into any other drawing. You can also use Design Center to show you all the dimension styles in an existing drawing, so you can drag it into the current drawing.

This tutorial continues . . .

Modifying an XREF File with REFEDIT in AutoCAD

2009-02-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

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Modifying an Xref with REFEDIT

In this lesson you learn how to modify a block so its components take on the colors specified by the layers on which they reside.

From the Tools menu choose Xref and Block In Place Editing, then choose then Edit Reference In-Place. If you prefer you can just type REFEDIT at the command prompt.
Click on one of the red and yellow door blocks in the drawing.
Choose OK.
Select two points to put a window around all the elements of the door.
From the color control list on the properties toolbar choose by layer.
Press the ESCape key to release the selected objects.
From the Refedit toolbar choose the Save Reference Edits icon.
Choose OK. Note that all the doors now reflect the color change. This is because the color of the geometry the doors are on is now determined by their layer rather than being assigned to each line and arc of each door.

The techniques demonstrated in this project are useful for anyone who needs to set up background drawings.

Tip:

Did you know that you can use the QSELECT command to select objects by property? Use this tool to select objects to which a color or linetype other than ByLayer has been assigned.

Very Important Tip:

Remember, it is almost always best to control the color and lineweight of an object by assigning those properties to a layer, then placing objects on that layer. If you assign color and lineweight directly to objects, then in order to change that assignment you have to modify each and every object which can take quite a long time. If you assign color and lineweight to layers, then you can change color and linetype for all the objects on the layer just by changing those properties of the layer.

Working with XREF Files in AutoCAD

2009-02-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

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Introduction

In this project you learn how to use external references to create background drawings. You'll find techniques demonstrated in this project useful whenever you use external references.

You learn how to:

Externally reference data from one drawing into another
Specify the colors used to display externally referenced drawing data
Modify externally referenced blocks to show the colors specified by the layers on which they reside.

By the time you complete this project you should feel comfortable externally referencing drawings for use as architectural backgrounds.

For exclusive use of Registered User

Attaching a Drawing with Xref

In this lesson you learn how to display drawing data stored in one drawing in another using the XREF command. You also learn how to use the LAYER command to specify the colors used by the referenced data. You use the VISRETAIN command to ensure that the colors you specify appear whenever you open the drawing that contains the Xref drawing.

Prior to proceeding with this project, unpack the source files contained in the 7207a.exe or 7207a.zip file to a folder on your local hard disk. To unpack files from a self-extracting executable, just save the .exe file to a folder on your local hard disk. From the Windows Start Menu choose Run. Select the .exe file, choose OK and specify where you want source files to be placed.

Open the 7207b.dwg drawing file.
From the Insert menu choose External Reference.
Use the file selection tools to select 7207a.dwg.
Choose Open to open the drawing.
Make sure that no Specify On-Screen check boxes are selected. When these boxes are checked, you enter position, scale and rotation information after you exit the dialog box. In this case, we want the incoming drawing to be placed at 0,0 with no rotation and no change in scale.
Choose OK to insert the external reference.
From the Layers toolbar, choose Layer Properties Manager. You can type LAYER if you prefer.
Hold down the Shift key and select all the layers that start with 7207.
Select one of the color squares to the right of the 7207 layers.
From the list of colors choose a light gray color.
Choose OK to exit the color selection window.
Choose OK to exit the layers window. Note that what all layers you attached are gray. The only exception is that the doors in the attached drawing are still displaying in yellow and red. This is because the elements of the door blocks were assigned the colors yellow and red before they were blocked. In the next lesson you learn how to make the doors obey the layer settings.
At the command prompt type VISRETAIN.
Type 1 to insure that the next time you open this drawing the referenced layers will display in gray.

In this lesson you learned how to attach one drawing to another, how to specify colors for referenced layers and how VISRETAIN will make sure properties you assign to referenced layers are held over each time you open a drawing.

This tutorial continues . . .

Exporting Block Geometry with WBLOCK

2009-02-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

You can export any block, or any group of objects, out to a new drawing. This is a great way to grab just part of a drawing (like the first floor walls) for use in creating a new drawing (like a second floor).

At the Command prompt type WBLOCK.
Type c:\great-bed. You are naming the new file great-bed.dwg and putting it at the root directory on the C drive. Note that some computers have been configured to make it impossible for you to write to the C:\drive. If you get an error, you can select any folder you like to put the new great-bed.dwg file in.
Select the Block radio button.
Select the Bed block.
Choose OK to exit this window. The BED block geometry will be written out to its own drawing file called great-bed.dwg. To look at this geometry, From the File menu choose Open and select the drawing file as you would any other drawing file you've created.

Tip:

You will find our version of the finished drawing in 7201e.dwg.

Changing Blocks in AutoCAD

2009-02-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

If you wish to change one copy, or instance, of a block, use the EXPLODE command to break it into its component parts, then use standard AutoCAD drawing and editing commands to make the change.

If you wish to change every occurrence of a block in a drawing, you can use the REFEDIT command to make the change to one block. The other instances of it will update. If you want to change just one occurrence of a block in a scene, use the EXPLODE command to un-block it, then make the desired changes.

Tip:

You can now create "dynamic" blocks in AutoCAD. Dynamic blocks let you type in dimension values to resize blocks, which means instead of creating a dozen sizes of a window you can create just one that changes sizes as required. We don't cover that set of tools in this exercise, but you need to know about it. You use the BEDIT command to create dynamic blocks.

In this lesson you use the REFEDIT command to change the every bed in the scene.

From the Standard toolbar, choose Zoom Window.
Select two points to create a window around the two beds.

From the Tools menu, choose Xref & Block In-Place Editing, then choose Edit Reference in place.

Select one of the blocks.
Choose OK to indicate that you want to edit this block.
Modify the block by moving geometry.
Draw a new line on the bed.
Choose the Save Reference Edits icon to save your changes.
Choose OK to approve the change. Note that all occurrences of the Bed block were updated to reflect your changes.

Tip:

If you use the EXPLODE command to break a block into its component parts, the components return to the layer on which they were created.

This tutorial continues . . .

Inserting Blocks in AutoCAD Drawings

2009-02-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

Inserting Blocks in a Drawing

After you create blocks, you will probably want to place them in your drawing. To do this, you can use either the INSERT, AutoCAD DesignCenter or the Tool Palette.

In this lesson you use multiple techniques to insert a block.

From the Object Properties toolbar, in the Layer Control list, select all the On/Off icons required to turn all the layers on, except for the Landscape layer. Leave this layer off.

From the Insert menu, choose Block.

From the Name list, choose Bed.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box. Note that you now have the BED block attached to your cursor. You should also note that it is attached to your cursor by the lower-right corner, which is the corner you selected as a base point when you made the block.
Select OSNAP on the status bar, if necessary, to turn this feature off. This will let you place your block without snapping to intersections and endpoints.
Select the point shown in the following image to position the bed. The object is placed in the drawing at its original size. Options in the Insert dialog box would have let you change the insertion scale if required.

From the Tools menu, choose DesignCenter.
Select the Open Drawings tab.
Select Blocks from the list of options. Note that you are looking at a list of blocks in the current drawing. You can use DesignCenter to see the list of blocks in any drawing.
Select the BED block and drag it into the drawing.
Release your left mouse button when the bed is correctly positioned. This will place the bed.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to create and place a BIG-DESK block in the scene.
From the File menu choose Save. You must save the drawing before you move on to the next step or you will receive an error message.
Right-click in the DesignCenter's block area, then choose Create Tool Palette. This will add all the blocks in the drawing to a new tool palette.
Drag the BIG-DESK symbol from the Tool Palette into the drawing.

You will find our version of the drawing to this point in 7201c.dwg.

This tutorial continues . . .

Working with Blocks and Symbols in AutoCAD

2009-02-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

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Introduction

In this project, you learn to create, place, and modify symbols as you lay out an interior floor plan for a residential building.

You learn how to:

Create blocks.
Place blocks in a drawing using the INSERT command, Design Center and Tool Palettes.
Edit blocks.
Add blocks to tool palettes.
Export blocked and unblocked to create stand alone drawing files containing just the selected geometry.

By the time you have finished this project, you should feel comfortable working with blocks in your own drawings, and in those you receive from other AutoCAD professionals

Creating Blocks with BMAKE

In this lesson, you create a block using the BMAKE command. The objects you block in this lesson were drawn on the Furniture layer. Once they become part of a block, they will always appear to reside on the Furniture layer.

Tip:

If the elements you are about to block had been drawn on layer 0, the resulting blocks would take on the linetype and color of any layer upon which they were inserted.

If you want a block to always appear to be on a given layer, draw its elements on that layer. If you want a block to be able to change layers, draw its components on layer 0.

Important: If you insert a block created on the Furniture layer on another layer, then Freeze that layer, the entire block will disappear. If you turn that layer Off, then the block will still be visible. That is the big difference between freezing layers and turning them off.

Prior to proceeding with his project, open 7201a.dwg.

From the Draw menu, choose Block then choose Make.

In the Name box, type BED.

In the Base Point area, choose Pick Point.
Select the corner of the bed, as shown in the following image.

In the Block Definition dialog box, choose Select Objects.
Select two points to put a window around the bed.

Press ENTER to indicate that you don't want to select any more objects.
Choose the Delete radio button to insure objects are deleted from the drawing after they are blocked. This will delete the elements of the block after the block is created. This will make it easy to see if all the elements of the bed made it into the block.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box and create the block. The bed will disappear from the drawing.You don't have to do this every time you create a block, but its a great way to make sure that ALL the elements you wanted to put in the block got into the block. If something doesn't disappear and it should have, then type U to undo the BMAKE command. The create the block again with all the desired objects.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to convert the objects identified in the image into a block called BIG-DESK.

You will find our version of the drawing to this point in 7201b.dwg.

Tip:

The Retain option, found in the Block Definition dialog box, tells AutoCAD not to delete the individual elements of the block when the block operation is complete.

The Convert to block option will convert the objects you select into an inserted block after the block is created. This is the most commonly used option.

Tip:

The Insert Units option allows you to specify the units in which the object is currently drawn, so that if you take this object into another drawing that uses other units it can be automatically scaled. Generally, you should leave this set to Unitless because you will always be drawing in the same units and scaling will happen automatically. You may want to select another option if you frequently work in multiple units and you want to place blocks created in one unit into drawings that use another.

Note, this option only works if you use the INSUNITS command in every drawing to specify the drawing units.

This tutorial continues . . . .

Using the UCS Command to Draw on 3D Walls

2009-02-22T17:06:00.000-08:00

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You may wish, from time to time, to draw objects on your walls. For example, you may want to add signs, planking or hatch patterns.

In this lesson you learn how to use the UCS command to draw on any plane in 3 dimensional space.

From the Tools menu, choose New UCS, then 3 Point.
Select the lower left corner of the wall. You are defining the 0,0,0 for the coordinate system.
Select the lower right corner of the wall indicated in the image. You are defining a point on the X-axis of the new coordinate system.
Select the upper left corner of the wall indicated in the image. This is a point on the Y axis of the new coordinate system. Note the change in the UCS icon located in the lower left corner of the screen. This is showing you the orientation of the X, Y and Z axes.
From the Color list choose Red.
From the Draw menu, choose Polyline.
Select the point indicated in the image.
Type W to indicate that you want to specify a width for the polyline.
Type 2" to specify the starting width.
Press ENTER to specify the ending width.
Select points to define a rectangle as shown in the image.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to create rectangles around the windows.
From the Draw menu, choose Hatch.
From the list of hatch patterns, choose Brick.
Select Pick Points.
Click on the wall elevation you just traced in the area you want to fill with a hatch.
Right-click to finish the hatching process.
From the Tools menu choose New UCS, then choose World. This will return the coordinate system to its normal X,Y & Z orientation.
From the View menu choose Hide.

You will find our version of the finished drawing in 7602d.dwg.

TIP:

The technique just demonstrated can be very useful for generating 2D elevations from a 3D model quickly.

TIP:

Turning objects drawn on one user coordinate system into a block, then switching to another user coordinate and inserting them is a quick way to move objects from one coordinate system to another.

Using the REGION Command to Close Gaps

2009-02-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

This lesson is continued from the previous tutorial. There are a variety of commands you can use to fill the gap over the sill and under the header. You can use AutoCAD's 3D face command to close this space, if desired. In this exercise, we use AutoCAD's REGION command to create flat planes.

Tip:

This technique is very useful for models that will be taken into 3D rendering application. It lets you close up gaps in the model as required.

From the View menu, choose Regen to regenerate the screen.

From the Draw toolbar, choose 3D Polyline.

Select three of the four the corners of the window sill.

Type C to close the 3D polyline.
From the Draw menu, choose Region.

Type L at the command prompt to indicate that you want to use the polyline you just drew to define the region.

Press ENTER again to indicate that you don't want to select any more objects.
From the View menu, choose Hide. Note that the gap between wall lines is no longer apparent.

Repeat this procedure to use REGION to fill in the bottom and top of the header. You need to fill in this space, or when you render this room from a normal camera height you'll see the gap in the wall again. Note: Don't forget the REGEN step at the start of this exercise. This will display the hidden lines.

Now that you know how to create 3D walls, sills and headers, you should feel comfortable to creating 3D doors and windows as well.

Drawing 3D Headers & Sills

2009-02-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

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This lesson is continued from the previous tutorial. In this exercise, you specify a default thickness, then use the LINE command to draw a 3D door header and a 3D sill.

Tip:

AutoCAD's ELEV command lets you specify the default elevation and thickness for new objects. If you use ELEV to specify a new elevation and thickness, lines and many other objects you draw after that time will be at the Z-height (elevation) and Z-depth (thickness) you specified.

Press ESC to make sure no objects in the drawing are selected.
In the Properties window, in the Thickness spinner, type 3' to specify the default thickness of new objects.
From the layer list, choose Walls.
From the Draw menu, choose Line.

Select OSNAP on the status bar, if required, to turn the feature on. This has already been set up to search for Endpoints.

Select the lower-left corner of the window opening, as shown in the image.

Select the remaining corners to create the window sill.
Press ENTER to exit the LINE command. Note that AutoCAD has created a 3D line.

Press ESC to make sure no objects are selected.
Type -1' in the thickness box. Make sure you put in the minus sign to give a negative thickness.

From the Draw menu, choose Line.
Select the points required to draw the 3D header shown in the image.

Press ENTER to exit the line command.
From the View menu, chose Hide to see your model with the hidden lines removed.

Using the techniques demonstrated previously set the default thickness to 0.

As you can see, there is a gap between the top of the sill lines. This can present a problem when you render, because it will allow the gap between the walls to be visible in your images and animations. In the next lesson you learn how to fix that gap.

Giving 2D Walls 3D Thickness in AutoCAD

2009-02-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

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In this exercise, you learn how to change 2D wall lines into 3D wall lines by changing their thickness. The techniques demonstrated in this project can be used to turn almost any 2D entity into a 3D object.

Tip:

People often use the term extrusion for the process by which a user can increase the Z-depth of an object, but in AutoCAD, there is a command called EXTRUDE that extrudes a closed entity to create a solid. In order not to confuse you, we usually use the term extrusion only when referring to the process which requires the EXTRUDE command.

Tip:
AutoCAD refers to the distance between wall lines as the width of a wall, and the Z-depth of a wall line as the wall's thickness.

Open the 7602a.dwg file.
From the View menu, choose 3D Views then choose SE isometric.
From the Standard toolbar, choose Zoom Window.

Select two points, as shown in the following image, to define a window around the gap in the 3D building.

From the Modify menu, choose Properties. This will launch the Properties window.
Select the 2D wall lines indicated in the image. Make sure you get the small ones at the end of each window opening.

In the Properties window, in the Thickness box, type 8'.

Press ESC to remove the grips from the objects.

In the next tutorial you create 3D sills and headers.

Creating & Formatting Tables in AutoCAD

2009-02-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

In this tutorial, continued from the previous one, you learn how to create tables in AutoCAD using the table command.

From the Draw menu choose Table.
Select the . . . button to display the Table Styles.
Select New.
Type OpenCAD.
Choose OK.
On the Data Panel, in the Text Height box, type 1'.
Repeat this for the other panels.
On the Data tab, set the Horizontal and Vertical Cell Margins to 3.
Choose OK.
Choose Close.
From the list of table styles, choose OpenCAD.
Type 2 in the Columns row.
Type 4' in the width box.
Type 3 in the Data Rows box.
Type 1 in the Row Height Line(s).
Choose OK.
Click to place the table.
Type Schedule to title the table.
Choose OK.
Double-click in any cell and type something in that cell. You can use the up and down arrows on the keyboard to go to previous and subsequent cells. Use this technique to fill in all the cells. You may have to zoom in in order to do this.

You can find our version of the finished file in 7120d.dwg.

Creating Text Styles & Working with Fonts in AutoCAD

2009-02-22T09:30:00.001-08:00

In this tutorial you learn how define a text style you can use over and over again.

From the Format menu choose Text Style.
Select the New button.
Type FREEHAND to name the new style.
Choose OK.
From the list of fonts choose Freestyle Script.
In the Oblique Angle box, type 15 to slant the text at 15 degrees.
Choose Apply.
Choose Close.
From the Draw menu choose Text then Single Line Text.
Click to select the start point of the text.
Type 4' to specify the text height.
Press ENTER to accept the rotation angle.
Type Spocket & Sons to specify the text.
Press ENTER again to exit this command.

TIP

You may find creating text styles in your template drawings saves you many, many hours on every project.

Creating Text Styles & Working with Fonts in AutoCAD

2009-02-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

In this tutorial you learn how define a text style you can use over and over again.

From the Format menu choose Text Style.
Select the New button.
Type FREEHAND to name the new style.
Choose OK.
From the list of fonts choose Freestyle Script.
In the Oblique Angle box, type 15 to slant the text at 15 degrees.
Choose Apply.
Choose Close.
From the Draw menu choose Text then Single Line Text.
Click to select the start point of the text.
Type 4' to specify the text height.
Press ENTER to accept the rotation angle.
Type Spocket & Sons to specify the text.
Press ENTER again to exit this command.

TIP

You may find creating text styles in your template drawings saves you many, many hours on every project.

For exclusive use of Registered User

Creating Tables & Table Styles

In this tutorial you learn how to create tables in AutoCAD using the table command.

From the Draw menu choose Table.
Select the . . . button to display the Table Styles.
Select New.
Type OpenCAD.
Choose OK.
On the Data Panel, in the Text Height box, type 1'.
Repeat this for the other panels.
On the Data tab, set the Horizontal and Vertical Cell Margins to 3.
Choose OK.
Choose Close.
From the list of table styles, choose OpenCAD.
Type 2 in the Columns row.
Type 4' in the width box.
Type 3 in the Data Rows box.
Type 1 in the Row Height Line(s).
Choose OK.
Click to place the table.
Type Schedule to title the table.
Choose OK.
Double-click in any cell and type something in that cell. You can use the up and down arrows on the keyboard to go to previous and subsequent cells. Use this technique to fill in all the cells. You may have to zoom in in order to do this.

You can find our version of the finished file in 7120d.dwg.

Creating Leaders in AutoCAD

2009-02-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

In this lesson you learn how to create and edit leaders.

Before you begin, open 7120a.dwg.

From the Dimension menu choose Dimension Style.
Select New.
Type Arrows.
Choose Continue.
Select the Symbols and Arrows tab.
From the Leader list choose Closed Filled.
Choose OK.
Choose Set Current.
Choose Close.
From the Dimension menu choose Leader.
Select a point under the bridge.
Select one or more points to draw the arrow line.
Type BRIDGE.
Press ENTER to indicate you don't want to add a second line of text.

TIP:

To edit the text for the leader, from the Modify menu choose Properties, then select the text.

TIP:

If you follow these steps in your own drawings and you can't see the leader text, you need to increase the scale of your dimensions by modifying the dimension style. You will find the scale option on the Fit panel.

Creating Text in AutoCAD

2009-02-22T09:25:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE. Content Watermarked

Introduction

In this tutorial you learn how to create and edit four kinds of text and tables in AutoCAD. This is a great tutorial for anyone you needs to understand the text creation and editing commands AutoCAD users have to choose from.

You master:

Creating and editing single-line text
Creating and editing multi-line text
Creating and editing leaders
Defining Text Styles and associated Fonts
Creating and editing tables

By the time you complete this tutorial you should feel comfortable creating and editing most kinds of text.

For exclusive use of Registered User

Creating Text

In this lesson you learn how to create and edit single and multiline text.

Prior to starting this tutorial, open the 7120.dwg drawing file. Remember to right-click on the link and choose Save Link Target or Save Target As to save it to a folder on your local hard disk.
From the Draw menu choose Text then Single Line Text.
Select a point in an empty area in the lower left corner of the drawing.
Type 2' to specify the height of the text. You are specifying that you want the text to be 2' tall, and when the drawing is plotted the text will be scaled like the rest of the geometry.
Type 0 to specify the scale of the text.
Type Train Overpass to indicate the text that should be added to the drawing. Press ENTER to go to the next text line.
Press ENTER to indicate that you don't want to add any text on this line.
From the Draw menu choose Text, then Multiline Text.
Select two points to create a box under the geometry.
In the Text Height box, type 1'.
In the text box type Highway I-93 overpass for the Southern Pacific railway. Project scheduled for completion in 2055. Contracts to be awarded by open bidding and public auction. Right of way currently runs through Emerson Cemetery. Scheduled for clearance. You can type other text if you prefer.

TIP:

Double-click on either text object to edit it. If you prefer, from the Modify menu choose Properties, then select the text you want to edit.

Converting Drawings Between Layering Standards in AutoCAD

2009-02-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

Introduction

In this project you learn how to convert a drawing from one layering standard to another. You will find this project useful if you need to be able to ensure that groups of drawings use the same layers.

In this project you learn how to:

Modify layers.
View layers from two drawings at once.
Map layers from one drawing into another.
Convert drawings between layering standards.

By the time you complete this project you should feel comfortable maintaining layer standards across drawings.

Defining a Drawing with the Right Layers

Layers are important to drawings because they control the color of objects, the visibility of objects and the way objects plot. In this drawing you look at, and modify, the layers in a drawing.

Open the 7018.dwg drawing file.
Select the Layer Properties Manager icon.
Select the Cyan square associated with the HTCH layer.
Select the Magenta color from the standard color area.
Choose OK.
Choose OK to exit this window.
From the File menu, choose Save As.
Type 7018-new.dwg.
Save this file in a folder you will be able to find later.
From the File menu, choose Close.

Now that you have created a drawing with the layers configured the way you like.

Converting Drawings Between Standards

Now that you have a drawing that has the right layers in it, you can force other drawings to use this standard.

Open the 7018b.dwg drawing file.
At the command prompt type LAYTRANS. The layers of the current drawing are displayed in the left viewport.
Choose the Load button.
Choose the 7018-new.dwg drawing.
Choose Open.
Select Cons in the left window.
Select CONSTRUCTION in the right window.
Select the Map button to move the objects from the Cons layer to the Construction Layer.
Repeat this process to map the Crosshatching layer to the HTCH layer.
Repeat this process to map the Rail-1 layer to the RAIL layer.
Repeat this process to map the rail-2 layer to the RAIL layer.
Note that you can use the Map Same option to quickly map all the layers that are the same in both drawings.
Choose Save to save the layer translation mapping.
Type 7018-Layer-Trans.dws This will let you convert any other drawing that uses the same layers.
Choose Translate to translate the layers in 7018b.dwg to match the specified layers 7018-new.dwg.

You will find our version of the revised drawing in 7018c.dwg.

Working with Layers, Linetypes, Lineweights & Colors in AutoCAD

2009-02-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

Introduction

Layers are one of the most important features found in AutoCAD. You can use them to control the appearance of objects you create.

You learn how to:

Create layers
Draw objects on layers
Use layers to control object color
Use layers to control object visibility
Use layers to control object linetypes
Move objects from one layer to another

By the time you complete this project, you should feel comfortable using AutoCAD layer, linetype, and color tools when you work on your own drawings.

For exclusive use of Registered User

Understanding Layers

Most people use layers to control the color and visibility of objects in their drawings. Layers can be thought of as transparent pieces of plastic upon which you have created design geometry. When you look at all the layers together, you see a complete drawing. You can turn off or freeze layers to hide the objects on those layers. You can turn layers back on or thaw layers to make the objects on them visible again.

Understanding How Layers Determine How Objects Plot

In manual drafting environments, design professionals use different weights of pen to designate different types of geometry. For example, an architect may elect to draw the walls of a building in a heavy pen, and the plumbing or electrical plans in a lighter pen. Mechanical design professionals may draw orthogonal views in one pen weight, and the dimensions for those views in another. Documenting different types of geometry in different lineweights makes drawings easier to read. There are several methods you can use to determine the lineweight, linetype and other properties used to plot drawings:

One way to control the lineweight in which AutoCAD plot objects is to assign colors to the layers on which the objects reside. Using color-based plot styles and plot style tables. You can then use specify that objects in a given color should be plotted with a specific lineweight, linetype, screening value or fill style.

If you prefer, you can assign colors directly to objects, but this means that in order to modify the color later, you have to select the object again. When you assign colors to a wide variety of objects drawing maintenance can be difficult. No matter how colors are assigned to objects, they can still be used with plot styles and plot style tables to determine the linetype, lineweight, and other properties used to plot the objects.

If you do not want to use plot styles and plot style tables to control how objects plot, you can just assign linetype and lineweight properties directly to objects or layers. Generally this makes your drawings hard to maintain over time, because if your drawing standard changes so that objects once plotted in a .05mm lineweight must now be plotted in a .09mm lineweight, you must individually update all the affected layers and objects.

In this project you learn how you can use layers, colors, and linetypes to organize your drawings and to make them easier to maintain. You also learn how assigning objects to layers lets you control their visibility. By the time you complete this project, you should feel comfortable using AutoCAD's layer, linetype and color tools when you work on your own drawings.

Tip:

In addition to controlling object color and linetype with layers, you also use layers to control object visibility. You can make objects appear or disappear by modifying properties of the layers on which they reside. We review this use of layers later in this project.

Launching the Layer Manager

You use AutoCAD's Layer Properties Manager to create layers. From this dialog box, you can create layers, rename layers, assign linetypes to layers, assign colors to layers, turn layers on and off, freeze and thaw layers, delete layers, and lock layers so they can be viewed but not edited.

Every layer is identified by a unique name, composed of up to 32 alphanumeric characters, dashes, or underscores, but without spaces.

Follow these instructions to use the Layer Properties Manager to create a new layer:

Open the 7007.dwg file.
On the Layers toolbar, choose Layer Properties Manager.

In the Layer Properties Manager, select New.

Type Wire to specify the name of the new layer.

Creating Layers

In general, the name you assign to a layer should describe the objects on that layer. In large drawings with lots of layers, you may elect to establish a naming convention that makes the layers easier to organize.

For example, an architect may elect to assign names like 1-WALLS, 1-WINDOWS, 1-DOORS, 1-ELECTRICAL, 2-WALLS, 2-WINDOWS, 2- DOORS, and 2-ELECTRICAL to the layers in a multi-story building. Doing this will allow the architect to display all the layers associated with the first floor while hiding all the layers associated with the second floor. This makes the drawing easier to manage. You may want to rename layers in a drawing to make the drawing easier to work with.

Tip:

If you work for a company with a wide variety of existing drawings, take time to study the layer naming convention. Make sure you understand what objects should appear on each layer. If you have questions about the standard, talk to the CAD manager. It can be very time consuming to move large quantities of objects drawn on the wrong layers to the right layers. Its best to avoid the problem when you can.

Tip:

If you find you keep turning the same layers on and off in every drawing, consider saving a Layer State so you can turn them on and off all at once. This tool, in effect, just save the configuration of the layers in a drawing for future use.

Follow these instructions to rename a layer:

Select the lC layer from the layer list.
Click between the letters l and C. This indicates that you want to rename the layer.
Type LOGIC to rename the layer.
Choose OK to exit this window.
Click on the Layer list to see the layer you created and the one you modified.

Tip:

By default, every drawing comes with one layer, called layer 0. You cannot delete or rename layer 0, because AutoCAD uses it as a construction layer for many internal operations. As you work with AutoCAD, other layers may "magically" appear, including layers required for dimensions and solid modeling. You should not delete or modify these layers in any way, as doing so may disable those functions in AutoCAD, or destroy objects in your drawing.

Assigning Linetypes & Lineweights to Layers

You can assign linetypes and lineweights to layers from within the Layer Properties Manager. You may elect to assign these properties to layers using plot styles and plot style tables, or to apply these properties directly to the objects themselves. These options are addressed later in this project.

Follow these instructions to load linetypes and assign them to objects:

On Layers toolbar, choose Layer Properties Manager.
Select the word "Continuous" associated with the Wire layer. This is the linetype currently assigned to this layer.

In the Select Linetype dialog box, choose Load to indicate that you want to load a new linetype from the library of linetypes that ship with AutoCAD.

From the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, in the linetype list, select Hidden.

Choose OK to exit this dialog box.
In the Select Linetype dialog box, select the Hidden linetype.

Choose OK to exit the Select Linetype dialog box. Note that the Wire layer is now associated with the Hidden linetype.
Repeat this procedure to assign the Dashed linetype to the Board layer.

Select the Default entry under Lineweight associated with the Bracket layer.
From the list of lineweights, choose 0.30mm.
Choose OK to exit the Lineweight dialog box.
Choose OK to exit the Layer Properties Manager.
From the Format menu, choose Linetype to display the Linetype Manager.
Select the Show Details button, if necessary, to show the Global Scale Factor box.
Type 5 in the Global Scale factor box. This specifies that you want the linetype pattern to repeat once every five units, thus increasing the length of the dashes and lines that appear in your drawing.

Choose OK to exit the Linetype Manager.

From the Layer toolbar, in the Layer Control list, select the lightbulb associated with the Bracket layer to turn it on.

Click outside the Layer Control list to exit the interface. Note that a bracket and screws now appears on the right side of the object.

Select the LWT button found on the status bar at the bottom of the screen. This will make lineweights visible in the drawing. Note that if the lineweight were too thin, you would have to zoom in to see the effect. If you prefer you can type LINEWEIGHT and then choose Display Lineweight to display the lineweights assigned to objects in the drawing.

Tip:

If you change the linetype associated with a layer, but the linetype does not appear to change in the drawing, chances are that your Global linetype scale factor is too large or small. Try resetting the Global scale factor to 1, then increasing the values by multiples of 5 or 10 (ex: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100?) to find the right linetype scale factor.

Tip:
AutoCAD features two linetype libraries: acad.lin and acadiso.lin.lin. When you start a new drawing using the Start from Scratch option and specify whether you want to work in English or metric units, AutoCAD determines which linetype library to make available to you. There is relatively little difference between the two files, but if you plan to create your own linetypes you will need to know which linetype file AutoCAD is using.

Moving Objects to Another Layer

Now that you have learned how to create layers and assign colors and linetypes to them, you need to know how to determine the layer upon which objects are placed. The easiest way to ensure that objects end up on the right layer is to draw them on that layer. AutoCAD lets you specify a current layer, which is the layer on which new objects will be drawn.

Follow these instructions to make a layer current and draw a polygon:

From the Layer Toolbar, in the Layer Control list, select LOGIC. This specifies that new objects should be drawn on the LOGIC layer. Note: If you see grips on your objects, press ESC before performing this step or you will move the selected objects to the LOGIC layer.

From the Draw toolbar, choose Polygon.
Type 3 to specify the number of sides for the polygon.
Type E to indicate that you want to draw one side of the polygon and have AutoCAD create the remaining sides.
Type 21,39 to specify the first corner of the polygon.
Type @2<0 to specify the location of the second corner. You should see a triangle appear in the center of the largest chip on the circuit board. The triangle is is on the LOGIC layer.

Tip:

AutoCAD features an even faster way to change layers. From the Layer toolbar, choose Make Object's Layer Current, and then choose an object on the layer on which you want to draw.

Tip:
The layer on which objects are drawn can have a profound impact on the behavior of those objects when they are turned into blocks. This is covered in later OpenCAD lessons.

Drawing Objects on a Layer

Since it's impossible to draw objects on the correct layer every time, AutoCAD lets you move objects from one layer to another. One way to do this is to select the objects, then select the desired layer from the Layer Control list in the Layer toolbar.

Tip:

Note that the options in the Layer toolbar change their behavior when objects are selected. If no objects are selected, selecting a layer from the Layer Control list specifies the current layer. If objects are selected, selecting a layer from the Layer Control list moves the selected objects to this layer.

Select the objects shown in the image.

From the Layer toolbar, in the Layer Control list, select Wire.

Press ESC twice to clear the grips from the objects. Note that their color has changed.

Now that you have learned how to create and control layers, take time to experiment with these tools. Create new layers, place objects on them, modify their parameters.

Learning How to Move, Copy, Mirror & Trim in AutoCAD

2009-02-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE Content Watermarked.

Introduction

In this quick tutorial you learn how to edit objects with the tools that most AutoCAD professionals use every day.

You learn how to:

Copy Objects
Trim Objects
Extend Objects
Move Objects
Mirror Objects

By the time you complete this tutorial you should feel comfortable editing most drawing geometry.

Copy & Move Objects

In this lesson you learn how to copy objects with precision.

Open the 7003a.dwg drawing file. Remember that can right click on the link to the drawing, then choose Save Link Target or Save Target as to save it to a folder on your local hard disk.
Select the Zoom Window icon from the Standard toolbar, then click two points to put a window around the collection of rooms in the upper right portion of the drawing.
From the Modify menu, choose Copy.
Select the two elements of the red door.
Press ENTER to indicate you don't want to select any more objects.
Select the endpoint of the door to specify a basepoint. Note that this is easy because OSNAP is enabled on the status bar located at the bottom of the screen. Remember that you can right-click to turn object snap on and off.
Move your mouse straight up and type 8'. This will move the duplicate door 8' above the original. Note that this works because POLAR is enabled on the status bar.
Press ENTER, if required, to complete the command.
Using the techniques just demonstrated, copy the door you just created and place it as shown in the image.

Now that you have learned how to copy objects, you can learn how to mirror them.

Mirror & Move Objects

In this lesson you learn how to mirror an object.

From the Modify menu, choose Mirror.
Select the door as indicated in the image.
Select an endpoint of the door where it touches the wall.
Select the second endpoint of the door where it touches the wall.
Press ENTER to indicate you don't want to mirror any more objects.
Type Y erase the first door.
From the View menu, choose Zoom Extents.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to move and mirror the double door to the position shown. Note, you may find it easiest to move the door to intersect with the corner of the hall, then to move the door up 8".

In the next lesson you learn how to trim lines.

Trim & Extend Objects

In this lesson you learn how to trim lines, and place objects on layers.

From the Layer control list, choose Doors. This will insure that the objects you draw next will be on that layer.
From the Draw menu, choose Line. Draw the lines indicated in the figure which go from the end points of the door through the wall.
From the Modify menu, choose Trim.
Select the lower right point then the upper left point of the window around the door. Make sure you cross the wall lines shown. You have just selected the edges that will cut objects. Selecting the points from right to left created a window that selected anything inside or crossed by the window.
Press ENTER to indicate that you don't want to select any more objects.
Select the lines you want to cut.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to trim the rest of the walls and doors.

TIP:

Now that you know how to copy, move, mirror and trim objects, you will find you are able to edit a wide variety of drawings.

Using AutoCAD to Draw with Speed and Precision

2009-02-21T16:46:00.000-08:00

DO NOT DUPLICATE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE. Content Watermarked

Introduction

In this tutorial you master the skills required to draw objects with precision and speed. These skills are critical for those who want to be able to create and edit drawings quickly.

Topics covered in this tutorial include:

Using Grid and Snap to make placing points easy
Selecting points using direct distance entry
Selecting points using polar snap
Typing coordinates to place points
Undoing selected points.

By the time you complete this series of lessons you should feel comfortable drawing most objects in AutoCAD.

Snap, Grid & the Heads Up Display

In AutoCAD, you can create a GRID of dots on your screen. These dots make it easy to judge distances by eye rather than by measurement. For example, you could create a grid which placed dots every 20' which would make creating column grids easier.

TIP:

You can also define SNAP values that control the movement of your cursor. This is handy for making sure that geometry in your drawing is precisely spaced. For example, without the snap, you might click on a point like 3.2014,2.0394. With snap enabled, its easy to select 3.2,2.0.

In this quick lesson, you configure SNAP and GRID and use it to draw an object.

Prior to proceeding with this lesson, open the drawing file 7002a.dwg. The easiest way to do this is to right-click on the link to the drawing, then choose Save Link Target or Save Target as, then select a folder on your hard disk and choose Save. In AutoCAD, from the File menu, choose Open and select the file to open it.
Right-click Snap on the Status bar, then choose Settings.
Select the Snap On and Grid on check boxes to turn both SNAP and GRID on.
Type .25 in the Snap X Spacing check box.
Type .5 in the Grid X spacing.
Note that the grid appears in the lower left corner of the screen in the area defined by the drawing limits (set using the LIMITS command).
From the View menu, choose Zoom All.
From the Draw toolbar, choose Rectangle.
Select the point 1.0000,1.0000. Note that the coordinates appear near the cursor, and that they change as you move your mouse.
Move your cursor to make your rectangle 4 units by 7 units as shown in the image.
From the Draw menu, click Circle, then Center,Radius.
Click at 2,2.
Type .5 to specify the radius of the circle.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to create more circles as shown.

Now that you've used grid and snap to make drawing objects easy, you are ready to more on to more advanced tools.

Typing Coordinates & Direct Distance Entry

In this lesson you learn how to draw objects by typing coordinates, and using Direct Distance Entry (DDE).

From the Draw menu, choose Line.
Type 2,3 to specify the start point of the line.
Move your mouse to the right and type 1.
Move your mouse up and type 1.
Move your mouse to the right and type 1.
Move your mouse up and type 1.
Move your mouse to the left and type 1.
Move your mouse up and type 1.
Move your mouse to the left and type 1.
Move your mouse down and type 3.

Note that you can turn SNAP and GRID off at any time by selecting SNAP and GRID on the status bar located at the bottom of the screen.

For exclusive use of Registered User

Polar Snaps

In this lesson you learn how to draw lines at any angle easily.

Select SNAP at the bottom of the screen to turn SNAP off.
Select GRID at the bottom of the screen to turn GRID off.
Right-click on POLAR on the status bar, then choose Settings.
From the Increment Angle list, choose 15. You are telling AutoCAD to make it easy for your cursor to move in 15 degree angular increments.
Choose OK to exit this window.
On the Draw toolbar, choose Line.
Type 6.5,4.5. Note that the values you type automatically go in the boxes, and that the comma switches you from the first box to the second.
Move your mouse down and to the right at an angle of 45 degrees.
Type 4 to specify the length of this line.
Move your mouse up and type 4.
Move your mouse down and to the left to click on the end of the line. Because OSNAP is enabled, AutoCAD will immediately find the ENDpoint for you and make it easy to click on.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to make the objects symmetrical.

Now that you've explored several ways to enter points in this tutorial, take time to practice drawing objects and selecting points with precision.

Learn AutoCAD - Get Started Now

2009-02-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

This tutorial provides a fast introduction to the AutoCAD user interface. It will be of particular interest to new AutoCAD users, but it provides information that experienced users may be unfamiliar with.

Topics covered in this tutorial include:

Creating a new architectural or mechanical drawing.
Locating menus
Working with toolbars
Drawing lines with precision
Typing commands and responding to heads-up and command line prompts
Finding and using the tool pallette
Inserting and modifying dynamic blocks
Saving drawing files

By the time you complete this set of tutorials you should be able to find and use many AutoCAD commands.

Creating a New Drawing from a Template

In this tutorial you learn how to start a new AutoCAD drawing. In order to follow the steps in this tutorial, you need to have AutoCAD already installed and working on your computer.

Launch AutoCAD. In this tutorial we use AutoCAD 2006, but the tutorial will work for most versions.
- TIP: Remember that you click by tapping the left-most button of your mouse. You right-click by tapping the right-most button.
By default, AutoCAD displays the New Features Workshop. The next time you launch AutoCAD you can click Yes, then OK to see this overview of new features. For the time being, click Maybe Later then choose OK.
From the File menu, choose New.
Select Architectural, English units -Color Dependent Plot Styles from the list of drawing templates. A drawing template is a "sample drawing" which has the most commonly used settings (like units) already set. AutoCAD has many template drawings to choose from.
Click Open to open the template.
Click Model to toggle into Model space which is where you should always create design geometry. What is design geometry. It is all geometry related to what you want to build. Draw all objects in Model space at full scale (1"=1" or 1mm=1mm). Just imagine you have the worlds largest (or smallest) piece of paper. You create scaled views in layouts. You never draw scaled geometry in Model space. Model space has a black background in AutoCAD.
From the Format menu,choose Drawing Limits. This lets you tell AutoCAD how much room you need to draw in.
Take a moment to study the prompts. The "heads up" display near the cursor and the prompt area at the bottom of the screen are both asking you for the same information.
Type 0,0 and press ENTER to specify the lower left corner of your drawing area.
Type 60',40' and press ENTER to specify the upper right corner of your drawing area. Note that you are specifying the area you need in order to draw the outline of a small house.
From the View menu, click Zoom, then click All. This tells AutoCAD to show you the entire area you have to draw in.
On the Status bar, located at the bottom of the screen, right-click GRID and choose Settings.
Select the Snap on and Grid on check boxes. Snap makes your cursor move in even increments, so its easy to select a point like 1',1' rather than 1'3/16,1'3/4. Grid puts dots at even increments all over the area defined by drawing limits.
Type 6" in the Snap X Spacing check box.
type 5' in the Grid X Spacing check box.
Choose OK to exit this window.
From the File menu choose Save.
Type my-architectural-drawing in the file name box. This will name this drawing so you can use it later.
Choose OK.

Drawing Lines & Inserting Dynamic Blocks

Now that you've created a drawing with the right units, limits, grid and snap, you can easily draw a floor plan.

TIP:

The techniques you have used up until now will work just as well for metric mechanical and architectural drawings. You just need to select the right template drawing and specify the desired limits, grid and snap settings.

From the Draw menu, choose Line.
Type 5',5' and press Enter to specify the start of the line.
Move your mouse to the right until the prompt tells you it is 40' long.
Move your mouse up and type 10' then press ENTER. IMPORTANT: From now on we won't tell you type ENTER after you enter something at a prompt. Pressing ENTER is how you tell AutoCAD you are done typing. You can remember to do it on your own.
Move your mouse to the left and type 10'. If you move in a given direction, then type a distance, AutoCAD will set the end of the line at the specified point.
Use the techniques just demonstrated to finish drawing a floor plan.
On the Tool Palette, select the Architectural tab. (If you have closed the Tool Palette, from the Tools Menu choose Tool Palettes Window to display it again.)
Click on the Trees-Imperial symbol and drag it into the drawing.
Click the tree you just inserted. Select the blue triangle.
select one of the other tree plan options.
Press the ESC key on your keyboard to indicate that you don't want to modify the tree any more.
Use the techniques you've just experimented with to create more objects in the drawing using commands found on toolbars, tool palettes and menus. Try moving toolbars around. You can right-click on any toolbar to display a list of toolbars to display and hide.
From the File menu choose Save As and type experiment in the file name box. Choose OK to exit this window.
From the File menu choose Close to exit AutoCAD.

Now that you've learned how to create a new drawing, issue commands and respond to prompts, you should try creating a new drawing of your own and drawing a very simple object.