Introduction to AutoCAD 20-09-18

This is an introduction to AutoCAD with the basic and essential techniques for completing
Engineering drawing. It involves Basic commands to fix Units, Limits, Helpful skills like Snap and
Grid. Drawing of lines, Circles and Polygons, Modifications and edit and Print skills

Setting the initial part

Open auto cad

Initial setting of AutoCAD

Use Help from Menu

Start Drawing
Description of screen areas - commands

Drawing area, Tool bars, Command window, Bottom Tabs.

A command can be done in may ways – From Menu or using the command window in which you
have to type the command.

Change screen parameters, colors – Select Tools from top menu – select Options – a pop up window
comes

Redo / Undo Most useful

The small arrow below Express, is very useful to show the menus. Click on that and find the
difference in the visibility of menus

Origin of coordinates.

Important Menu options. Click and see

Command window. See the pop windows near command window when commands are done
using the top menu. Watch the description near command window always

Status bar
Draft Settings from Status bar

See that Snap ON and Grid ON can be done here – TOP line Check Box

Snap and Grid values also can be set here

Set Units to mm : Type Units in command window from the pop up select mm.

Set limits to a suitable size say A2 size - Landscape 594 x x420

Units has a value only when you plot. If you draw a line of 25 units and chose a paper of mm size
the full scale plot will be 25 mm

When you plot the paper size can be chosen and based on the area where you have drawn you will
get a full scale or reduced scale plot. If you draw within a 594 x 420 limit size and choose A2 to
print you will get a full scale plot.
Cursor and details near cursor Use of Tab key to input data near cursor

Ex Line command and points near cursor

See the value of points X and Y WRT the origin. They can be + ve or -ve
Utilities – Grid, Snap, Object Snap, Ortho

Click on the small arrow near snap symbol a

small pop up will come. Click on Snap settings to get a pop window.
See F9 near SNAPMODE which means pressing F9 willl toggle between Snap ON and OFF

Set Grid spacing to 5, Snap x and y to 5

Any time during a drawing command can change these by clicking appropriate bottom tabs
Draw – Line, Circle, Arc, Polygons

For the drawing we are doing it is mostly Horizontal and Vertical Lines. So Snap, Ortho utilities
will help
Command for Line : Relative : TRY xx@<

Select Line- Select starting point – print @50<45 in command prompt – see the line formed

Use esc to exit

Switch Ortho ON and see the difference in line command.

To catch certain points accurately in drawing can use various Object Snap commands

Object Snap

Edit
–

The above O snap commands are useful. Keep them selected. You can remove them if it prevents
the cursor from selecting a point which is not related to any of those O snaps.
If you want to select a space on a line near its end point, if O snap end point is on, the cursor will
select only the end point and not the required point.
When you bring the cursor near an object it will become thick. This is a pre selection indication.
Click on that object and it will change color and a few squares are seen on the object – Ex Ends and
Middle for a Line. It is an indication that the object is selected.

Del – Select High light and Delete – Use this carefully The selected object will be deleted.

After one object is selected and is highlighted, click and select another object. See the + sign near
Cursor.

Move, Copy, Trim, Extend, Rotate

Trim Needs a cutting edge and an entity to cut

Extend Needs a edge to extend to and an entity to extend

Can use a simple command to extend or stretch. Select a line, click on end the marker turns red.
Move cursor and extend or stretch.
Dimensioning – Select > Dimensions > Dimension style > Modify The following screen will pop
up. Select the options and see the difference in the review pane. In Fit select Place text manually
Select suitable arrow size. Fix a select Text size.

Linear, Angular – Aligned

Right Click on any entity and select properties. See the info of properties

Double click on an entity to get properties

Line Weight , Color - Select a line, Right click to see properties, Can change Color and Lineweight
Line weight will reflect only while printing. Select the Projections and change the Line weight to
0.25 mm. After changing the weight of a line Print and compare the thickness of lines of different
line weight

Measure – Length and Angle

To measure the length of a line. Keep O snap to end point. Click Measure in menu Select the ends
which will be automatically selected by the Green square. The length of the Line will be seen near
cursor and Near the command window

Or double click on a line to get its length and some more other properties.

Text.

Select Text from menu – Single line- fix initial point- Height – Use 10, Rotation angle and at the
changed cursor Type the Text or letter. Try this near any object.

SAVE EVERY 5 MINUTES

Draw the title box also in this sheet

Save – Save you initial drawing where every required parameter is selected.

Name you sheet properly – Instructions will be given seperately

Ask for saving locations in the system where you work in the lab

After saving you original drawing, to use these parameters in subsequent drawings you can save the
same sheet as a template. Template sheet. Include Draw the title box also in this sheet.
Draw the following

Draw a line from 20,20 at a length 50 at an angle 600

Draw a Point at 15,55. Select Format from Menu > Point Style> Select a suitable symbol ‘X’ and
select size 10 and check Absolute size – Change these point style and see the difference

Draw a line from this point Perpendicular to the previous line.

Select End point and Node ( Point) in O snap

Select draw. Line – It will ask first point. Bring the cursor near the point. It will catch the point.
Click – the cursor will hold. When you move the cursor a line will form. Take it to near the centre
of the other line. A perpendicular symbol will form. Click and the Line perpendicular will form.
Press esc to escape from this command

Draw a line from this point to the end of the line.

Check end point in O snap and repeat the above line command. Remove the check of end of line on
O snap and try to draw a line from the point to the other end.
Press esc to escape from this command

Draw a circle of radius 50 with 50,70 as centre.

Select the arrow below circle> Select centre radius. Enter 50 Tab 70 and enter 50 near the cursor to
fix the radius. Command ends No need to escape

Draw a line from the centre of this circle to the first point.

Select Line . See if Centre in O snap is checked. Place the cursor near the circumference of circle.
The centre will eb highlighted a snapped. Click. The line will start from the centre. Move the cursor
to near the point. It will be selected if the Node box in O snap is selected. Click and the line will be
formed
Press esc to escape from this command

Draw a line vertically down from centre of circle to any point outside the circle

Switch on Ortho from status bar below. Select line and move the cursor near the circumference of
circle. The centre becomes visible move the cursor near and it will catch the centre with a green
square. Click and the move the cursor downward. As ortho is ON , as you move the cursor line will
form only vertically down or horizontally. Click anywhere outside the circle and below. The
required line will form.

Switch Ortho OFF by clicking on the status bar at the Right Angle symbol
Mark this line as a b

Text Select Single line Text. Select a point near the top end of the line click and type height as 10,
zero rotation angle and click. A Narrow cursor will be seen. Type a . It will be seen on screen. Then
click near the other end to type b

Rotate Line ab with respect to b at an angle of 2900

Select Rotate- Select the line – Its color changes, Select a base point – O snap end point ON – Have
to rotate wrt the end b. So, move the cursor near the end b the green square will be seen - press
enter. Now to enter the angle. Understand the initial angle , Zero is vertical as the line is initially
vertical and the direction of +ve angle with the shadow near cursor. Enter 290 in the blue tab. Press
enter the line will rotate. Text ‘a’ has not moved. You can click on that select , drag and move it to
the new end of line. This is not a good method. Find out how you can rotate the text also with the
line.
Draw a Rectangle and Rotate it wrt a corner. Select - Draw Rectangle and enter the two corners
which will fix the size of the rectangle. Press Enter. Rectangle is drawn.

Select Rotate

Select Object – Press Enter. Specify base point – Select the bottom left corner – Use O snap to get
correct point. Here End point will snap when the cursor is near the corner. Press Enter - will ask for
angle. See the direction of rotation and +ve value is CCW. Enter value and Press Enter.

While in selection , before entering angle see how the movement of the cursor rotates the object
Try Drawing a polygon say a triangle

Select Draw from top bar – Polygon- will ask for number of sides – Type 3 . Press Enter . Specify
centre of polygon by selecting a point by mouse click ( see the cordinates near cursor) or Type
coordinates in in the small window. Use tab to move to second window. Click. Next it will ask to
select Inscribe in circle or Circumscribe about Circle. Select Inscribe. Click – Ask for Radius –
Type 10. Press Enter. Triangle is drawn.

See the difference if it is drawn Circumscribe about circle with same radius.

All objects drawn using polygon will be a single object. Click and select the Triangle and see all
sides are selected if clicked any where. A single entity like this can be rotated with respect to any
corner or any point outside.

Try to rotate this triangle like you have done for a rectangle – Select - Rotate – Select object – Base
Point- Angle.

Draw a triangle using 3 line commands. To rotate this as a single block you have to select all lines
clicking one by one in Rotate – Select object. After selecting all Press Enter. Rest is like before –
Base point and angle. Try this with a rectangle made using 4 lines.
Selection of objects by Mouse click

You can select multiple objects on a screen by clicking the mouse anywhere above the objects on
the left top corner of screen, keep it clicked and move the mouse horizontally to the right. See how
the blue shadow is generated in the screen. After reaching the Right top of the objects move the
cursor down ward and see the shadow and the change color in the objects selected. Release the
mouse and see that the objects which fall inside the shadow fully are selected. It needs a practice to
select objects using this method. After the selection you can add objects by clicking on it ( see the
plus sign near cursor which is for add objects to selection)

Print

Select File >

Page set up
Manager
Plotting

Select File>Plot

Select

Printer : Autocad Pdf small size

Paper : ISO A2 420 x 594 mm

Select the options in the red round

You are going to select certain objects on screen to print. This is done in many ways. The most used
one is window where you can manually select the area to print. When the Plot area> window is
selected a new cursor comes asking for first ‘ Specify first corner’ Click on any area on screen Left
Bottom outside the objects. The it will ask to fix the opposite corner.

Select the space inside the moving window and click. Click Preview . See that the Objects in the
window are plotted . As you have selected Fit to paper it has chosen a suitable scale.

You can draw the suitable title box at the bottom right of screen , select that also in the window and
then Plot. You can also draw a boarder of the paper size. Say A2 420 x 594.

Try these options and see the Preview.

Do you think your spacing of objects is good enough ?

Sending a sample file showing 1. Solution to sheet 3 of straight lines, 2. Traces and Rotation of a
square plane and a sample file.

Use that drawing to draw a similar figure nearby.

When you save a file, a file of same name and ext .bak is also saved in the same folder. It contains
the same data of the original file at the time of saving. If the original file is deleted or lost, you can
rename the extension of the bak file to dwg and get the original.

Exercise for class

After the above drawings are done do the following as your first exercise.

When you print using the guidelines given above save the file with the same name as the dwg file
explained below.

The name of the file is AXXDDMMYYCD# .dwg or .pdf

Where A is replaced by C for Civil engg, M for Mechanical Engineering, E for Electrical
Engineering ans S for Computer science
XX is the last two of Roll number
DDMMYY – Date-Month-Year
# - Sheet Number – 1,2,3 etc

For Roll No 21 of Computer science for sheet 1 submitted on 240918 is

S21240918CD1.dwg and the Plot file is S21240918CD1.pdf

Save these files in the Google Drive at the end of the day. Save frequently at the local disk while
drawing

Sheet 1 for AutoCad week starting 24-09-18

1. Problem 5-8 from Text using AutoCad techniques

2. Problem 5-57 from Text using AutoCad techniques
3. Problem 10-7 using Method 1
4. Problem 10-41
5. Ex 10 (b) 9
6. Ex 10 (b) 10
7. Ex 10 (b) 22
8. Example 12-4 (Page 260)
9. Example 12-8 (Page 263)
10. Example 12-13 (Page 267)
11. Exercise 12 -14 ( Page 270)

Prepare sketches for problems 3 to 11 as done for Manual class.