Computer Aided Electrical Drawing

COMPUTER AIDED ELECTRICAL DRAWING
Published by:
POLITEKNIK SULTAN HAJI AHMAD SHAH

25350 KUANTAN, PAHANG DARUL MAKMUR
COPYRIGHT©2020, Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah
Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Wan Ghani Wan Pi, 1968-
COMPUTER AIDED ELECTRICAL DRAWING / WAN GHANI WAN PI,
MOHD YUSOF ZAKARIA, TG BESARUDDIN SH TG YAAKOB.
Mode of access: Internet
eISBN 978-967-0778-67-9
1. AutoCAD--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
2. Computer-aided design--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
3. Government publications--Malaysia.
4. Electronic books.
I. Mohd. Yusof Zakaria, 1966-. II. Tg. Besaruddin Sh. Tg. Yaakob, 1966-.
III. Title.
620.00420285
Materials published in this book is under the copyright of the Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah. All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form of by means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise or stored in a database or retrieval
system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Printed in Malaysia by:

Xtreme Techno Trading
No.6, Kg. Selamat Baru,
Bangunan LKNP
25050 Kuantan
Pahang Darul Makmur
eISBN 978-967-0778-67-9
Computer Aided Electrical Drawing

PREFACE
This book provides a step-by-step introduction to AutoCAD with commands presented
in the context of each chapter. In eleven clear and comprehensive chapters, authors
guide readers through all the important commands and techniques in AutoCAD 2018,
for 2D drawing to complete electrical engineering schematics and finally finishing with
plotting output. In each lesson, the author provides step-by-step instructions with
frequent illustrations showing exactly what appears on the AutoCAD screen. Later,
individual steps are no longer provided, and readers are asked to apply what they have
learned by completing sequences on their own. A carefully developed pedagogy
reinforces this cumulative-learning approach and supports readers in becoming skilled
AutoCAD users. Tutorial Guide to AutoCAD 2018 begins with the Getting Started
chapters that include information to get readers of all levels prepared for the tutorials.
The author includes tips that offer suggestions and warnings as you progress through
the tutorials. Key Terms and Key Commands are listed at the end of each chapter to
recap important topics and commands learned in each tutorial. Also, a glossary of
terms and Commands Summary list the key commands used in the tutorials. Each
chapter concludes with end of chapter tutorial providing challenges to a range of
abilities in mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering as well as architectural
problems.
Author:
WAN GHANI BIN WAN PI

Electrical Eng. Department, Kota Bharu Polytechnic, Kelantan
Bachelor of Education (Hons) (Electrical Engineering)
Autocad Certified Professional, Autodesk, USA
HJ. MOHD YUSOF BIN ZAKARIA

Director, Community College Kuantan, Pahang
Bachelor of Education (Electrical Engineering)
TENGKU BESARUDDIN SHAH BIN TENGKU YAAKOB

Mechanical Eng. Department, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Polytechnic
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) Mechanical, DmechE.

Contents
01 INTRODUCTION OF AUTOCAD .......................................................................... 1

DEFINITION OF COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (AUTOCAD) ................................. 1
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUTOCAD AND CONVENTIONAL DRAWING .......... 1
ADVANTAGES OF AUTOCAD OVER CONVENTIONAL TECHNICAL DRAWING 1
02 THE COMMANDS IN AUTOCAD ......................................................................... 2
KEYBOARD ............................................................................................................ 2
BUTTON MENU ...................................................................................................... 2
AutoCAD 2018 ICON MENU ................................................................................... 3
03 CREATING A NEW DRAWING ............................................................................. 6
SAVING A DRAWING ............................................................................................. 7
04 DRAWING SETUP ................................................................................................ 8
GRID AND SNAP .................................................................................................... 8
UNITS ..................................................................................................................... 9
The length options ................................................................................................ 9
LIMITS................................................................................................................... 10
05 DRAW COMMAND ............................................................................................. 12
LINE ...................................................................................................................... 12
Exercise 1 .......................................................................................................... 15
POLYLINE ............................................................................................................. 16
TEXT, DTEXT ( Dynamic text ) AND MTEXT (Multiline text) ................................ 18
Assignment 1b ................................................................................................... 21
CIRCLE ................................................................................................................. 22
ARC....................................................................................................................... 25
DONUT ................................................................................................................. 27
POLYGON ............................................................................................................ 28
Assignment 2 ..................................................................................................... 30
POINT ................................................................................................................... 34
Assignment 3a ( Electronic component ) ............................................................ 36
Assignment 3b ( Electrical parts ) ....................................................................... 37
06 MODIFY COMMAND .......................................................................................... 41
ERASE .................................................................................................................. 41
MOVE.................................................................................................................... 42
COPY .................................................................................................................... 43
ROTATE ................................................................................................................ 45

BREAK .................................................................................................................. 46
TRIM ..................................................................................................................... 48
SCALE .................................................................................................................. 49
MIRROR ................................................................................................................ 51
ARRAY .................................................................................................................. 52
EXTEND................................................................................................................ 54
FILLET .................................................................................................................. 55
CHAMFER ............................................................................................................ 56
OFFSET ................................................................................................................ 58
CHANGE ............................................................................................................... 59
PEDIT.................................................................................................................... 59
OBJECT SNAPS ................................................................................................... 61
07 DISPLAY CONTROL ........................................................................................ 64
ZOOM ................................................................................................................ 64
ALL ..................................................................................................................... 65
CENTER ............................................................................................................ 65
DYNAMIC ........................................................................................................... 65
EXTENTS ........................................................................................................... 66
PREVIOUS ......................................................................................................... 66
SCALE (X/XP) .................................................................................................... 66
WINDOW ........................................................................................................... 67
PAN .................................................................................................................... 67
REDRAW ........................................................................................................... 68
REGEN .............................................................................................................. 68
08 BLOCK, WBLOCK AND INSERT BLOCK ........................................................ 69
BLOCK ............................................................................................................... 69
WBLOCK ( write block ) ..................................................................................... 71
INSERT BLOCK ................................................................................................. 72
MINSERT ........................................................................................................... 72
EXPLODE .......................................................................................................... 73
09 LAYER, LINETYPE AND COLOR .................................................................... 75
LAYER COMMANDS ......................................................................................... 75
HOW TO SET LINETYPES AND COLOR .......................................................... 78
10 DIMENSIONING............................................................................................... 81
IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF DIMENSIONING DRAWINGS .................. 81
LINEAR .............................................................................................................. 83
RADIUS .............................................................................................................. 84

DIAMETER ......................................................................................................... 84
ALIGNED ........................................................................................................... 85
ANGULAR .......................................................................................................... 85
DIM STYLE AND VARIABLE ............................................................................. 86
11 PLOTTING ....................................................................................................... 89
PREPARATORY STEPS FOR PLOTTING ........................................................ 89
PLOT AREA ....................................................................................................... 90
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 92

1
01 INTRODUCTION OF AUTOCAD
DEFINITION OF COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (AUTOCAD)

AutoCAD is a computer aided drafting and design software from Autodesk Inc. It is
widely used in various applications including all engineering fields.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUTOCAD AND CONVENTIONAL DRAWING

Using AutoCAD
❖ Designs can be made quickly.
❖ Designers only need to make a simple sketch of the design.
❖ Drawings produced are consistent and mistakes can be minimized.
❖ All angles of a drawing can be shown.
❖ Changes to drawing can be made easily.
❖ Exact copies of drawings can be produced quickly.
❖ Objects can be viewed in 3D.
❖ Objects can be viewed as animation.
ADVANTAGES OF AUTOCAD OVER CONVENTIONAL TECHNICAL DRAWING

❖ Improves the productivity, efficiency, and accuracy of drawings
❖ Enables drawings to be created, checked, and edited quickly
❖ Improves the quality of products
❖ Retains uniformity in reproduction
❖ Minimizes storage space
HARDWARE COMPONENTS OF THE AUTOCAD SYSTEM

The hardware components of the AutoCAD system comprise the following :
❖ Monitor
❖ Central processing unit (CPU)
❖ Keyboard
❖ Mouse
❖ Plotter

2
02 THE COMMANDS IN AUTOCAD
KEYBOARD
Type in the command at the command line and press Enter or Space Bar.
Type
here
BUTTON MENU
The menu is for a pointing device with multiple buttons. A point may be specified using
a pointing device, such as a mouse or a digitizer puck. The coordinates of the selected
point are then entered when the ‘PICK’ button of the pointing device is pressed.
Enter
Pick or
Select
Zoom

3
AutoCAD 2018 ICON MENU
Info Center
Panel Titles
Application
Menu
Ribbon
Drawing
Area
Crosshair
View
Cube
Navigation
Bar
UCS
Command Status
Line Bar

4
The buttons at the left-hand end of the status bar
A number of buttons at the left-hand end of the status bar can be used for toggling
(turning on/off) various functions when operating within AutoCAD 2019. A click on a
button turns that function on; if it is off, a click on a button turns the function back on.
Similar results can be obtained by using function keys of the computer keyboard (keys
F1 to F10).
Snap Mode also toggled using the F9 key: when snap on, the cursor under mouse
control can only be moved in jumps from one snap point to another.
Grid Display also toggled using the F7 key: when set on a series of grid points
appears in the drawing area.
Ortho Mode also toggled using the F8 key: when set on, lines etc. can only be drawn
vertically or horizontally.
Polar Tracking also toggled using the F10 key: when set on, a small tip appears
Showing the direction and length of lines etc., in degrees and units.
Object Snap also toggled using the F3 key: when set on an OSnap icon appears at
the cursor pick box.
Object Snap Tracking when setting on, lines etc., can be drawn at exact coordinate
points and precise angles.
Allow/Disallow Dynamic UCS also toggled by the F6 key. Used when constructing
3D solid models.
Dynamic Input also toggled by F12. When set on, the x,y coordinates and prompts
show when the cursor hairs are moved.
Show/Hide Lineweight when setting on, lineweights show on screen. When setting
off, lineweights only show in plotted/printed drawings.

5
Quick Properties a right-click brings up a pop-up menu, from which a click on

Settings… causes the Drafting Settings dialog to appear.
The buttons at the right-hand end of the status bar
Another set of buttons at the right-hand end of the status bar is shown below. The
uses of some of these will become apparent when reading future pages of this book.
A click on the downward- facing arrow near the right-hand end of this set of buttons
brings up the Application Status Bar Menu from which the buttons in the status bar
can be set on or off.

6
03 CREATING A NEW DRAWING
AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT create a blank drawing upon startup, but it’s a good idea
to select the drawing template that you want to use at startup and not rely on the one
that AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT creates for you. To create a new drawing, follow these
steps:
1. Click Start Drawing.

For new drawing, click Start Drawing
A new drawing is created for you based on the drawing template selected.

7
SAVING A DRAWING
Before going further, it is as well to know how to save the drawings constructed when
answering examples and exercises in this book. When a drawing has been
constructed, left click on the Save icon Standard Annotation toolbar. The Save
Drawing As dialog appears.
Unless you are the only person to use the computer on which the drawing has been
constructed, it is best to save work to a pen drive, usually held in the drive E: To save
a drawing to a pen drive in drive E:
1. Place a pen drive in drive E:

2. In the Save in field of the dialog, click the arrow to the right of the field
and from the pop-up list drive [E:].
3. In the File name: field of the type a name. The file name extension “.dwg”
does not need to be typed – it will be added to the file name.
4. Left click the Save button of the dialog. The drawing will be saved with
the file name extension .dwg – the AutoCAD fi le name extension.

8
04 DRAWING SETUP
GRID AND SNAP

1. On the status bar, pick snap settings.
2. The Drafting Settings dialog box appears below.
3. Select the Snap On (F9) and Grid On (F7) options.
4. In the Snap Spacing area, select Equal X and Y Spacing if it’s not selected.
5. In the Snap Spacing area, double-click the Snap X Spacing text box,
and then type 1 and press Tab. Because you selected the Equal X and Y
Spacing option, the value in the Snap Y Spacing text box was updated to match
the value entered in the Snap X Spacing text box.
6. In the Grid Spacing area, double-click the Grid X Spacing text box, and then
type 1 and press Tab. The value in the Grid Y Spacing text box is updated to
match the value in the Grid X Spacing text box.
7. In the Snap Type area, select Grid Snap and then select Rectangular
Snap if they are not already selected.
8. Click OK.

9
UNITS
There are two methods of doing this.

1. Type Units at the command prompt. OR
2. Click FORMAT UNITS from the Pull-down menu (Autocad Classic ).
The length options
Architectural Feet, inches, and fractional inches, as in 12´6.˝. You would enter
this as 12´6 1/2˝ with a space between the 6 and the 1/2.
Engineering Feet and decimal inches, as in 12.5´ or 12´6.5˝. You would enter
this as 12´6.5˝.
Decimal Whole and decimal units that can be anything (metric distances,
decimal inches, decimal feet, or decimal miles, for example).
Fractional Whole and fractional units that can be anything (fractional metric
distances, fractional inches, feet, or miles, for example).
Scientific Scientific notation for distances. Units can be anything
(meters, angstroms, miles, astronomic units, parsecs, or
light-years, for example)
The angle options:
Decimal Degrees Whole and decimal degrees of angle. Deg/Min/Sec
Degrees, minutes, and seconds of angle.

10
Grads Angles specified in grads. For example, you would specify 45°
of an angle by entering 50g.
Radians Angles specified in radians. For example, you would specify
45° by entering 0.785r.
Surveyor’s Angles specified in degrees from north or south to east or
west, as in Units N45dE.
Precision The Precision option lets you control how AutoCAD reports length
and angle values. This option does not actually affect
the precision of the objects in the drawing. For example, if you
select Decimal as the length type and 0.0 for the precision,
AutoCAD displays a distance of 1.2 for the true distance of
1.167. If you choose 0.000 for the Precision option, you will
see the full distance of 1.167 whenever AutoCAD displays a
distance.
Direction By default, AutoCAD assumes that 0° is a horizontal direction
from left to right. For example, 90° is directly vertical, and 180° is
a horizontal direction from right to left. Angle values increase from
0° in a counterclockwise fashion. The cardinal directions and their
degree values in a default AutoCAD setup. If your drawing
requires a different direction for 0°, you can use the Direction
option to choose an angle. When you click the Direction button,
the Direction Control dialog box opens. Click one of four radio
buttons to select the 0° direction from the four cardinal directions.
If your desired 0° direction does not conform to the cardinal
directions, you can specify an angle numerically or graphically by
selecting the other option.
Clockwise By default, angle values increase counterclockwise, but you
can change this to clockwise by selecting the Clockwise
option in the Angle group of the Drawing Units dialog box.
LIMITS

1. Type Limits at the command prompt. OR
2. Click FORMAT LIMITS from the Pull-down menu (Autocad Classic ).

11
The sample of paper size
(0,420) 594mm ( 594,420 )
(0,297) 420mm ( 420,297 ) A2

Upper right
corner
(0,210) 297mm ( 297,210 )
A3
297mm
420mm
A4 210mm
( 0, 0 )
( 297,0 ) ( 420,0 ) ( 594,0 )
Lower left corner

Example 1 :
Command: limits
Reset Model space limits:
Specify lower left corner or [ON/OFF] <0.0,0.0>: 0.0
Specify upper right corner <0.0,0.0>: 420,297

12
05 DRAW COMMAND
LINE
The line is the most fundamental drawing entity. It can be drawn with various linetypes.

3. Type Line or just L at the command prompt Or
4. Click Line from the Draw icon.
specify first point

:
Specify next point or [Undo] :
Once a command has been entered, in many instances, AutoCAD requires additional
input. The input may be in the form of coordinates, numeric value, displacements,
modifiers, file names, etc. The following are four methods in which data that are points
may be entered.
NOTE: Dynamic Input ( F12) OFF
1.0 Absolute Coordinate

A point can be specified by typing the X and Y coordinates.
Example :
Command : Line 60,120 160,120
first point : 60,60
next point : 160,60 60
next point : 160,120
next point : 60,120
next point : 60,60 @ c 60,60 100 160,60

13
2.0 Relative Coordinate
A point can be specified as the distance from the last coordinate entered. Type
@ prior to the X and Y distances. @ means with reference to the last point.
Format :
@ X distance, Y distance
Y distance
Example : X distance
Command : Line @-100,0 @0,60

first point : 60,130
next point : @100,0
next point : @0,60 60
next point : @-100,0
next point : 60,130 @ c 60,130 100 @100,0
3.0 Polar Coordinate

A point may be specified as the distance and the angle from the last coordinate
(point) entered.
90o
180 o 0o
270 o @-90 o
format :
@ distance < angle
Example :
Command : Line @100<180 @60<90
first point : 60,200
next point : @100<0
next point : @60<90 60
next point : @100<180
next point : @60<270 60,200 100 @100<0

14
4.0 Pointing
You may type the line coordinates using the keyboard or click the first point using
the mouse.
• Click any point in the drawing area. AutoCAD prompt specifies the next point
or [Undo].
• Move the mouse pointer to a second point and click button 1 of the mouse and
enter.
First point
Second
( go to page 40 – Erase command ) point

15
Exercise 1
By using point entry commands, using Line Commands to draw the following figures:
38 60
20 50
30
O
3
0
60 8
0
27
200,16
0
10 43
00

16
POLYLINE
A polyline is a connected sequence of line segments created as a single object. You

can create straight Line segments, Arc segments, or a combination of the two.

1. Type Pline or just PL at the command prompt Or
2. From the Draw icon, choose the Polyline.
Specify start point :
Arc Halfwidth Length Undo Width
endpoint of arc: starting half-width: length of line: Starting Width:
ending half-width: Ending width:
Specify next point :
Ending width
Half-width
Endpoint of Arc
Specify first point Length of line Starting Width

17
Example 1 :
Command : Pline
Specify start point : 60,60
Specify next point or ( arc/halfwidth/length/undo/width) : w
Starting width : 2
Ending width : 2
Specify next point or ( arc/halfwidth/length/undo/width) : @100<0
Specify next point or ( arc/halfwidth/length/undo/width) : close
@100<180 @60<90
60
Example 2 : 60,60 100 @100<0

Command : Pline
Specify start point : 60,130
Starting width : 10
Ending width : 10
Starting width : 15
Ending width : 0
Width=10
15
60,130
50 20
( go to page 62,65 – Zoom and Pan command )

18
Assignment 1a
Draw the block name below with DRAW and POLYLINE command by using all the
coordinates. This block name using A3 size ( 420 mm x 297 mm ).
TEXT, DTEXT ( Dynamic text ) AND MTEXT (Multiline text)

19
Single-line text is created with the DTEXT command. TEXT is now an alias for the
DTEXT command; typing either at the command line runs DTEXT. You can define a
few properties such as a single font or a preset height in a text style, but MTEXT can
formatting multiline text, changing things such as font, size, and color, and structuring
text in columns.
Text/Dtext Mtext
Style Formatting Paragraph Insert Options
Style Justify
Align Fit Center Middle Right
1st 1st Center Middle pt Right

point point pt Endpt
2nd 2nd
point point
( go to page 41 & 42 – Move & Copy command )

Example 1 :
Command: _mtext

20
Specify first corner: pick first corner

Specify opposite corner or [Height/Justify/Line
spacing/Rotation/Style/Width/Columns]:
First corner type text here
Example 2 :
Command: text
Current text style: "Standard" Text height: 3.0 Annotative: No
Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: pick a start point
Specify height <0>: 5
Specify rotation angle of text <0>: 0
Height = 5
AUTOCAD ROTATION = 0
Start point
( go to page 58 – Pedit command )

21
Assignment 1b
Use Text or Dtext or Mtext command to fill all the text at the block name ( open an
existing drawing Assignment 1 ) with the related size of the text shown below.

22
CIRCLE
A circle can be drawn with various linetypes.

1. Type Circle or just C at the command prompt OR
2. Click Circle from the Draw icon
Center point 3P 2P TTR TTT
Radius Diameter 1st point 1st point 1st tangent 1st Tangent
spec
2nd point 2nd point 2nd tangent

2nd Tangent
spec
3rd point Radius

3rd Tangent
TTR
2P
TTT
3P

23
Example 1 :
Command: Circle
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:100,100
Specify radius of circle or [Diameter] <0.0000>: 30
Radius =30
Example 2 :
Command: Circle
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:100,170
Specify radius of circle or [Diameter] <0.0>: D
Specify diameter of circle <0.0>: 60
Diameter =60
Example 3 :
Command: Circle
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: 3P

1st Point
Specify the first point on the circle: 170,130
X
Specify the second point on circle: 170,70
2 nd
Specify the third point on circle: 200,100
Point
X
3rd Point
X

24
Example 4 :
Command: Circle
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: 2P
Specify the first point on the circle: 170,200
Specify the second point on circle: 170,140
1st point
x
x
2nd point
Example 5 :
Command: Circle
Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: type TTR or T
Specify point on object for first tangent of circle : ( select 1st tangent spec )
Specify point on object for second tangent of circle : (select 2nd tangent spec )
Specify radius of circle <0.0> : 30

25
( go to page 60 – Object Snaps commands, go to page 66- Redraw & Regen

command )
ARC
The Arc is a partial circle that can be drawn using any of the different options in the
pull down menu. It can also be drawn with various linetypes.

1. Type Arc or just A at the command prompt OR
2. Click Arc from the Draw toolbar.
S – Start point A - Angle

C – Center L – Length of chord
E – End R – Radius of the arc
D – Direction
3 point SCE SCA SCL SEA SED SER CSE CSA CSL
1st point Start Start Start Start Start Start Center Center Center
2nd Center Center Center End End End Start Start Start
point
3rd point End Angle Length Angle Directio Radiu End Angle Length
n s

26
Example 1 :
Command : Arc ( 3 Point ) 70,150
Specify start point of arc or [Center]: 100,70
Specify second point of arc or [Center/End]: 130,120

130,120
Specify end point of arc: 70,150
100,70
Example 2 :
Command: Arc ( Start, Center, Angle )
Specify start point of arc: 230,100
Specify center point of arc: @80<0 90
Specify included angle: -90 230,100
80
( go to page 44 – Rotate command )

27
DONUT
The DONUT command is used to create a thick or solid circle. The inside diameter is
used to determine the hole of the doughnut. Use an inside diameter of zero to create
a solid circle; use a larger diameter to create a ring.

1. Type Donut or just type DO at the command prompt OR
2. Click Donut from the Draw toolbar.
Donut
Inside diameter :
Outside diameter
:
Center of donut
Example 1:
Command: Donut 30
Specify inside diameter of donut: 30
Specify outside diameter of donut: 40
Specify center of donut: 100,100
40 100,100

28
Example 2:
Command: Donut
Specify inside diameter of donut : 0
Specify outside diameter of donut: 40
Specify center of donut: 100,150
40 100,150
POLYGON
A polygon is a polyline object. AutoCAD draws polyline with zero width and no tangent
information. Creating polygons is a simple way to draw squares, equilateral triangles,
octagons and so on.

1. Type Polygon or POL at the command prompt OR
2. From the Draw toolbar, choose the Polygon flyout.

29
Triangle Square
Pentagon
Hexagon
The number of sides of the polygon, for example, pentagon = 6, hexagon = 5 and etc.
In the first two illustrations, the center of Polygon and defines the radius length, which
is specified with the pointing device or coordinate.
Example 1:
Command: _polygon Enter number of sides: 6
Specify center of polygon or [Edge]: 120,100
Enter an option [Inscribed in circle/Circumscribed about circle] <C>: I
Specify radius of circle: 40
Example 2:
Command: _polygon Enter number of sides : 6
Specify center of polygon or [Edge]: 240,100
Enter an option [Inscribed in circle/Circumscribed about circle] <I> : C
Specify radius of circle: 40
( go to page 45 & 47 – Break & Trim command )

30
Assignment 2

31
ELLIPSE
The shape of an ellipse is determined by two axes that define its length and width. The
longer axis is called the major axis, and the shorter one is the minor axis.
1. Type Ellipse or type EL at the command prompt.
2. From the Draw icon, choose the Ellipse flyout.
Center Axis/End Elliptical Arc
Specify center Specify axis endpoint Specify axis endpoint
Specify endpoint Specify other endpoint Specify other endpoint
Specify distance Specify distance Specify distance
Specify start angle
Specify end angle

32
Example 1:
Command: _ellipse ( Center )
Specify center of ellipse: 100,150
Specify endpoint of axis: 150,190
Specify distance to other axis or [Rotation]: 20
Example 2:
Command: _ellipse ( Axis/End )

Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]: 260,190
Specify other endpoint of axis: 205,190

33
Example 3:
Command: _ellipse ( Arc )
Specify axis endpoint of elliptical arc or [Center]: 300,130
Specify other endpoint of axis: 350,130
Specify start angle or [Parameter]: -90
Specify end angle or [Parameter/Included angle]: 90
Start angle = -90 @ 270 and end angle = 90 is clockwise

Start angle = 90 and end angle = -90 @ 270 is anti-clockwise
( go to page 48,50, 51 & 53 – Scale, Mirror, Array and Extend command )

34
POINT
Point objects are useful as nodes or reference points. They are temporary objects you
create to help you draw accurately.

1. Type Point at the command prompt.
2. From the Draw icon, choose the Point flyout.
Point
Multiple Point Devide Measure
Specify a point Select object Select object
number of length of segment

segments
Line
You can set the style of the points and their size relative to the screen or in absolute
units. Changing the style of points:
❖ Makes them more visible and easier to differentiate from grid dots
❖ Affects the display of all point objects in the drawing
❖ Requires using REGEN to make the change visible

35
To set point style and size :

1. From the Home Tab, Utility group, choose Point Style.
2. In the Point Style dialog box, select a point style.
3. Under Point Size, specify a size, either relative to
the screen origin absolute units.
4. Choose OK.
Example 1 : point style
Command: point
Current point modes: PDMODE=4 PDSIZE=20.0
Specify a point: select point, select point 2 ( to stop press esc )
Example 2 :
Command: divide number of segments = 4
Select object to divide: pick
Enter the number of segments or [Block]: 4
Example 3 :
Command: measure
Select object to measure:
Specify length of segment or [Block]: 20
20 20
( go to page 54, 55, 57 & 58 – Fillet, Chamfer, Offset and Change command )

36
Assignment 3a ( Electronic component )
By using all commands, draw all the components below and use an existing drawing
name: Assignment 1a.

37
Assignment 3b ( Electrical parts )
By using all commands, draw all the electrical parts below and use an existing drawing
name: Assignment 1a.

38

39

40
Legend
Electronic components Electrical parts

41
06 MODIFY COMMAND
ERASE
There are many ways to delete objects from your drawing and clean up the display
1. Type Erase or just E at the command prompt.

2. Click Erase from the Modify icon.
ERASE
Select object : Pick object or select by window
Example 1 :
Command : erase
Select objects: pick object and press Enter (when you finish selecting
objects)

42
MOVE
The Move command allows one or more entities to be moved to any location in the
drawing.

1. Type Move or just M at the command prompt.
2. Click Move from the Modify toolbar.
MOVE
Select object :
Base point or displacement : pick point or type

coordinate
Second point of displacement : pick point or type
coordinate
Example 1 :
Command: Move
Select objects: pick object
Base point or displacement : (select center of circle )
Second point of displacement: @10<0 or pick point at drawing area

43
COPY
The Copy command allows you to make a copy or copies of an entity or a group at
any location in the drawing.
1. Type Copy or just Co at the command prompt.
2. Click Copy Object from the Modify icon.
COPY
Select object :
Single copy Multiple copy
Select object : Select object :
Base point or displacement: Base point or

displacement:
Second point of displacement: Second point of
displacement:
Second point of
displacement:
Second point of
displacement:

44
Example 1 :
Command: copy
Current settings: Copy mode = Multiple
Specify base point or displacement : select CENter (OSNAP)
Specify second point or <use first point as displacement>: @10<0
Specify second point or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>:
Example 2 :
Command: copy
Current settings: Copy mode = Multiple
Specify base point or displcement: select CENter ( OSNAP)
Specify second point : @10<0 (copy 1)
Specify second point or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>: @10,5 ( copy 2)
Specify second point or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>: @10,-5 (copy 3)

45
ROTATE
The rotate command changes the orientation of existing entities by rotating them
about a specified base point. The rotation angle may be given as a numeric value or
by dragging the entity.
1. Type Rotate or just Ro at the command prompt.
2. Click Rotate from the Modify icon.
ROTATE
Select object :
Select base point:
Rotation angle:
Example 1 :
Command : Rotate
Select objects : pick object
Base point : select base point
<Rotation angle>/ Reference : 90 ( rotate 1) or
<Rotation angle>/ Reference : -90 ( rotate 2)

46
BREAK
The Break command is a convenient way to create a gap in an object, resulting in two
objects with a space between them. Break is often used to create space for block or
text insertion.
1. Type Break or just Br at the command prompt.
2. Click Break from the Modify icon.
BREAK
Select object :
Second break point or [First point] First point or type F
First point: pick point
Second point: pick 2nd point

47
When breaking an object, you can either

a) select the object at the first break point and then specify a second break point, or
b) select the entire object and then specify two break points.
Example 1 :
Command: Break
Select the object to break: select P1
Specify the second object: @10<0
Example 2 :
Command: Break
Select the object to break: pick line
Specify second break point or [First point]: f
Specify first break point: select P1
Specify second break point: @10<0
Example 3 :
Command: Break
Select the object to break: pick P1 (QUAdrant)
48
Specify second break point or [First point]: Pick P2 (QUAdrant)
Example 4 :
Command: Break
Select the object to break: pick P1 (QUAdrant)
Specify second break point or [First point]: Pick P2 (QUAdrant)
TRIM
The Trim command trims existing entities so that they end precisely at the cutting
edge(s). The cutting edges can be Lines, Arcs, Circles, open 2D polylines
There are two methods of doing this. Click Trim from the Modify icon.
1. Type Trim or just tr at the command prompt.
TRIM
Select cutting edges: pick 2 or more cutting edges
Select object to trim: pick 1 or more object to trim

49
Example 1 :
Command : Trim
Select cutting edge : pick line ( cutting edges)
<Select object to trim>/ Project / Edge / Undo : pick line or cicle ( trim object)
SCALE
The Scale command enlarges or reduces selected objects equally in X and Y

directions. Entities can be enlarged if a scale factor greater than 1 is selected and can
be reduced in size if a scale factor between zero and 1 is selected.
1. Type Scale or just sc at the command prompt.

2. Click Scale from the Modify toolbar.

50
SCALE
Select object:
Select base point:
Specify scale factor or [Copy/Reference]:
Scale factor: Copy: Reference:
Scale factor: Specify reference

length:
Specify new length:
Example 1 :
Command: scale
Select objects: pick original object
Specify base point: pick base point
Specify scale factor or [Copy/Reference] <1>: 2 or
Specify scale factor or [Copy/Reference] <1>: 0.5
Example 2 :
Command: scale
Specify base point: pick base point
Specify scale factor or [Copy/Reference] <1>: r
Specify reference length <1>: 2
Specify new length or [Points] <3>: 10

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MIRROR
The Mirror command creates mirror images of the existing object about a mirror line.
Then the original object may either be retained or deleted.
1. Type Mirror or just Mi at the command prompt.

2. Click Mirror from the Modify toolbar.
MIRROR
Select object:
1st Point of Mirror Line:
2nd Point of Mirror Line:
Example 1 :
Command: mirror
Select objects: Specify opposite corner: 5 found
Select objects: select the original object
Specify first point of mirror line: pick mirror point
Specify second point of mirror line: 180
Erase source objects? [Yes/No] <N>:

52
ARRAY
The Array command is used to make multiple copies of one or more objects in a
rectangular (rows and colums) or polar (circular) pattern.
1. Type Array or just Ar from the command prompt.

2. Click Array from the Modify toolbar.
Rectangular Array
Example 1 :
Command: ARRAY
Enter array type [Rectangular/PAth/POlar] <Rectangular>: R
number of items or [Base point/Angle/Count] <Count>: C
Enter number of rows or [Expression] <4>: 3
Enter number of columns or [Expression] <4>: 2
Specify opposite corner to space items or [Spacing] <Spacing>: S
Specify the distance between rows or [Expression] : 20
Specify the distance between columns or [Expression] : 15
Accept or [ASsociative/Base point/Rows/Columns/Levels/eXit]<eXit>: X

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Polar Array
Example 3 :
Command: Array
Select object s : pick original object
Enter array type [Rectangular/PAth/POlar] <Rectangular>: PO
Specify center point of array or [Base point/Axis of rotation]: pick center point
Enter number of items or [Angle between/Expression] : 8
Specify the angle to fill (+=ccw, -=cw) or [EXpression] : 180
Accept or [ASsociative/Base point/Items/Angle between/Fill

angle/ROWs/Levels/ROTate items/eXit]<eXit>: X

54
EXTEND
The Extend command lengthens existing entities so that they end precisely at the
boundary edge(s). The boundary edges can be lines, arcs, circles or 2D polylines. The
entities that can be extended are lines, arcs and open 2D polylines.
1. Type Extend or just Ex at the command prompt.

2. Click Extend from the Modify toolbar.
EXTEND
Select boundary edges:
Select object to extend:
Example 1:
Command: Extend
Select boundary edges: pick boundary edge
Select objects: pick line to extend

55
FILLET
The Fillet command connects two lines, arcs or circles with a smooth arc of a specified
radius. The value for the radius may be entered numerically or shown as the distance
between two points. The value of “0” for the radius results in a square corner.
1. Type Fillet or just F at the command prompt.
2. Click Fillet from the Modify toolbar.
FILLET
Trim Select first object: Radius
Trim or No trim Fillet radius
Select second object:
Example 1 :
Command: Fillet
Current settings: Mode = NOTRIM, Radius = 0
Select first object or [Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]: R
Specify fillet radius <0> : 5
Select first object or [Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple] <0>: pick 1st object
Select second object or shift-select to apply corner: pick 2nd object

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Example 2 :
Command: Fillet
Current settings: Mode = NOTRIM, Radius = 0
Select first object or [Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple]: R
Specify fillet radius <0> : 8
Select first object or [Undo/Polyline/Radius/Trim/Multiple] <0>: pick 1st object
Select second object or shift-select to apply corner: pick 2nd object
CHAMFER
Using Chamfer is a fast way of creating a line between two nonparallel lines. It is
usually used to represent a beveled edge on a corner. Chamfer can also be used to
bevel all corners of the polyline.
1. Type Chamfer or just cha at the command prompt.

2. Click Chamfer from the Modify toolbar.

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CHAMFER
Trim Angle Select 1st line Distance
Trim or No trim Angle 1st line 1st chamfer distance
1st chamfer distance
Select 2nd line:
Example 1 :
Command: Chamfer
Select first line or [Undo/Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/mEthod/Multiple]: d
Specify first chamfer distance <0.0000>: 3
Specify second chamfer distance <1.0000>:2
Select 1stline or [Undo/Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/mEthod/Multiple]: pick 1st ine
Select 2nd line or shift-select to apply corner: pick 2nd line

58
Example 2 :
Command: Chamfer
(NOTRIM mode) Current chamfer Dist1 = 3.0000, Dist2 = 2.0000
Select first line or [Undo/Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/mEthod/Multiple]: t
Enter Trim mode option [Trim/No trim] <No trim>: t
Select first line or [Undo/Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/mEthod/Multiple]: a
Specify chamfer length on the first line <0.0000>: 4
Specify chamfer angle from the first line <0>: 45
Select first line or [Undo/Polyline/Distance/Angle/Trim/mEthod/Multiple]: pick 1st
line
Select second line or shift-select to apply corner: pick 2nd line
OFFSET
The Offset command draws an entity parallel to another entity at either specified
distance or through a specified point. Line, arc, circle and 2D pline are the entities that
can be offset.
1. Type Offset at the command prompt.

2. Click Offset from the Modify toolbar.
OFFSET
Example 1 :
Command: Offset
Current settings: Erase source=No Layer=Current OFFSETGAPTYPE=0
Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <0>: 5
Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>:
pick original object
Specify through point : select a point

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CHANGE
This command is used to change the points and properties of objects that have been
drawn. At command line type Change
Example 1:
Command: change
Select objects: pick original line
Specify change point or [Properties]: p
Enter property
[Color/Elev/LAyer/LType/ltScale/LWeight/Thickness/Material/Annotative]: LT
Enter new linetype name <Continuous>: dashed
Enter property to change [Color/Elev/LAyer/LType/ltS :
PEDIT
It is used for editing and joining Polylines. At command line type Pedit.
Example 1:
Command : Pedit
Select polyline or [Multiple] : pick original pline
Enter [Close/Join/Width/Edit Vertex/Fit/Spline/Decurve/Ltype gen/Undo] : w
Specify new width for all segments: 2 ( original pline width=1)

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Example 2:
Command: pedit
Select polyline or [Multiple]: pick polyline
Enter [Close/Join/Width/Edit vertex/Fit/Spline/Decurve/Ltype gen/Undo]: close
Enter [Close/Join/Width/Edit vertex/Fit/Spline/Decurve/Ltype gen/Undo]: Spline
polyline
Pedit change to Spline

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OBJECT SNAPS
Object Snaps allow objects to be added to a drawing at precise positions in relation

to other objects already on screen. With Object Snaps, objects can be added to the
endpoints and midpoints, to intersections of objects, to centers and quadrants of
circles and so on. Object Snaps also override snap points even when snap is set on.
To set Object Snaps – at the command line:

Command: OS enter, and the Drafting Settings dialog appears. Click the Object
Snap tab in the upper part of the dialog and click the check boxes to the right of the
Object Snap names to set them on (or off in on).

62
When Object Snaps are set ON (F3), as outlines are constructed using Object
Snaps so Object Snap icons and their tooltips appear.
With Object Snaps off, the following abbreviations can be used by the keyboard and
type 1st three words of the object snaps command.
Examples:
CENter snaps from or to the center of an arc or circle.
ENDpoint snaps from or to the closest end of any object
EXTention snaps from or to a point along the extension of a line or
arc
INSertion snaps from or to the insertion point of a block
INTersection snaps from or to the intersection of two items

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MIDpoint snaps from or to the midpoint of a selected item

NEARest snaps from or to a point on an object nearest to the
digitized point
NODe snaps from or to a point created by POINT, DIVIDE, or
MEASURE
NONe turns the Object Snap mode off
PARallel draws a line parallel to an existing line
PERpendicular snaps to a 90-degree angle to an existing line
QUAdrant snaps from or to the 0, 90, 180, or 270-degree point on
an arc, circle, or ellipse
TANgent snaps from or to the tangent of an arc or circle

64
07 DISPLAY CONTROL
ZOOM
You can change the magnification of a view by zooming in and out. Like zooming in
and out with a camera, Zoom does not change the absolute size of objects in the
drawing; it changes only the magnification of the view. When you work with minute
parts in your drawing, you may need to zoom out frequently to see an overview of your
work. Use Zoom Previous to return quickly to the prior view. There are two methods
of doing this.
1. Type Zoom or just Z at the command prompt.
2. Click Zoom from the Zoom toolbar.

65
ALL
Zooms to display the entire drawing, AutoCAD zooms to the drawing limits or current
extents, which ever is greater. The display shows all objects even if the drawing
extends outside the drawing limits.
Example :
Command: Zoom
Specify corner of window, enter a scale factor (nX or nXP), or
[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>: all
CENTER
Zooms to display a window by entering a center point. Then enter a magnification
value or height. A smaller value for the height increases the magnification. A larger
value decreases the magnification.
Example :
Command: Zoom
[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>: c
Specify center point: pick center point
Enter magnification or height <300>: 10
DYNAMIC
Zooms to display the generated portion of the drawing with a view box. The view box
represents your viewport, which you can shrink or enlarge and move around the
drawing. Positioning and sizing the view box pans or zooms to fill the viewport with the
image inside the view box. The panning view box is displayed first. Drag it to the
location you want and click. The zooming view box is then displayed. Resize it and
press ENTER to zoom or click to return to the panning view box.
Command: Zoom

[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>: d
Press ENTER to view Dynamic1, move to dynamic 2 (move right to change window
size) view after press ENTER.

66
EXTENTS
Zooms to display the drawing extents and this will result in the largest possible display
of all the objects.
Example :
Command: Zoom
[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>: e
PREVIOUS
Zooms to display the previous view. You can restore up to 10 previous views.
SCALE (X/XP)
Zooms the display at a specified scale factor.
Enter a scale factor (nX or nXP): Specify a value
Example :
Command: Zoom
[All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Previous/Scale/Window/Object] <real time>: s
Enter a scale factor (nX or nXP): 2

67
The value you enter is relative to the limits of the drawing. For example, entering 2
doubles the apparent display size of any objects from what it would be if you were to
zoom to the limits of the drawing.
WINDOW
Zooms to display an area specified by two opposite corners of a rectangular window.
Specify first corner: pick point first corner
Specify opposite corner: pick point other corner
PAN
It provides for the viewing of a different portion of a drawing on the display screen
without changing the magnification. If you enter Pan at the command prompt, Pan
presents alternative prompts on the command line. This version of Pan works in two
ways. You can specify a single point by indicating the relative displacement of the
drawing with respect to the current location. You can also specify two points, in which
case AutoCAD computes the displacement from the first point to the second point.
1. Type Pan at the command prompt.
2. Click Pan Realtime from the Standard toolbar.

68
REDRAW
AutoCAD redraws the current viewport, removing marker blips. It also displays artifacts
(stray pixels) left by editing commands. Type Redraw or just R at the command
prompt.
Use the Redraw command to:
• Refresh the display.
• Remove all graphics remnants such as blips, stray pixels, etc.
REGEN
The Regen and Redraw commands seem to have similar functions. Although their
functions appear to be similar, the Redraw and Regen commands are significantly
different. Type REGEN at command prompt:
• Regenerate entire drawing data.
• Recompute the screen coordinates.
• Reindex the drawing database for maximum performance (recreates the display
list).

69
08 BLOCK, WBLOCK AND INSERT BLOCK
Drawing the resistor, transformer, and ceiling fan in previous workbook might have
taken what seemed to you an inordinate amount of time. As you continue to use
AutoCAD, however, you will learn to draw objects more quickly. You will also need to
draw fewer of them because you can save drawings as symbols and use them as
rubber stamps, duplicating drawings instantaneously wherever they are needed. This
saves a lot of time when you’re composing drawings. To make effective use of
AutoCAD, begin a symbol library of drawings you use frequently. A mechanical
designer might have a library of symbols for fasteners, cams, valves, or any type of
parts for their application. An electrical engineer might have a symbol library of
capacitors, resistors, switches, and the like. A circuit designer will have yet another
unique set of frequently used symbols.
Create a symbol library
BLOCK
To save a drawing as a symbol, you use the Block tool. In word processors, the term
block refers to a group of words or sentences selected for moving, saving, or deleting.
You can copy a block of text elsewhere within the same file, to other files, or to a
separate file or disk for future use. AutoCAD uses blocks in a similar fashion. Within a
file, you can turn parts of your drawing into blocks that can be saved and recalled at
any time. You can also use entire existing files as blocks. You’ll start by opening the
file you worked on in the last chapter and selecting the objects that will become a
block.
1. Start AutoCAD and open the existing Bath file. Use the one you created in, or
Assignment 3(electronic & electric).dwg on the floopy disk. Metric users can use
the Assignment 3(electronic & electric).dwg file. The drawing appears just as you
left it in the last session.
2.

70
3. .In the Draw toolbar, click the Make Block tool or type B ↵ , the keyboard shortcut
for the Make Block tool, to open the Block Definition dialog box. You can also
choose Draw ↵ Block ↵ Make.
BLOCK
Block name : type name of block (resistor)
Base point : pick base point (use ENDpoint)
Select object : pick object
Block unit : select unit(millimeter)
4. Block command cannot be saved to your alternative drive.

71
WBLOCK ( write block )

Using the WBLOCK command, you also can make your library automatically save to
your destination.
Command: WBLOCK ↵
WBLOCK
Base point : pick base point (use ENDpoint)
Select object : pick object (resistor)
Block unit : select millimeter
Destination : select path for destination file

72
INSERT BLOCK

5. Type INSERT at the command prompt. OR
6. Click Insert Block from the Draw toolbar.
INSERT
Browse file : resistor
Insertion point : pick point or coordinates
Scale : 1:1
MINSERT Rotation : 0
The MINSERT command (AutoCAD only) lets you insert blocks in a rectangular array.
There is one method of doing this.

1. Type MINSERT at the command prompt.

73
Command: MINSERT
MINSERT Enter block name or [?]: D:\electronic component\resistor
Units: Millimeters Conversion: 1.0000
Specify insertion point or [Basepoint/Scale/X/Y/Z/Rotate]: pick point or coodinate
Enter X scale factor, specify opposite corner, or [Corner/XYZ] <1>: 1
Enter Y scale factor <use X scale factor>: 1
Specify rotation angle <0>: 0
Enter number of rows (---) <1>: 1
Enter number of columns (|||) <1>: 1
MINSERT prompts you for an insertion point, scale factors, and rotation angle using
the same prompts as the INSERT command, but without the dialog box. It then starts
the same prompts as the Rectangular option of the ARRAY command, asking for the
number of rows and columns and the distance between them. The value of MINSERT
is that it reduces the size of your drawing because the array is one block object. The
disadvantage is that you can’t edit the individual blocks in the array or the array as a
whole in any way. If you need to edit them, erase the entire array of blocks, redefine
the single block, if necessary, and start over, this time using INSERT and ARRAY
separately. You cannot explode a minsert block.
EXPLODE
You can explode blocks into their original objects. You may need to do this to edit a
block. If you want, you can then redefine the block. The insert block object cannot be
modified if that insert block object does not explode first.

1. Type EXPLODE at the command prompt.
2. Click EXPLODE from the Modify toolbar.
Example :
Command: explode ↵
Select objects: pick object ( insert block object ) ↵
Select objects: ↵

74
You can also explode polylines, dimensions, hatches, regions, multilines, and certain
3D objects (bodies, 3D meshes, 3D solids, various types of surfaces, polyface
meshes, and polygon meshes) into simpler types of objects. Exploding a block with
nested blocks explodes only the top-level
block. You need to use EXPLODE again to explode the next level of blocks. When you
explode blocks that were created on layer 0 or with BYBLOCK objects, the objects
return to their original status and appear black/white with a continuous linetype and
default lineweight again.
If you insert a block with different X and Y scales, the command does its best to create
objects based on their new shapes. For example, if you have a block that includes a
circle and insert it with an X scale of 1 and a Y scale of 2, you see an ellipse. Therefore,
when you explode the block, you get an ellipse from what used to be a circle.

75
09 LAYER, LINETYPE AND COLOR
LAYER COMMANDS
The command line version of Layer creates new layers; sets the current layer; sets the
color, linetype, lineweight, and plot style for designated layers; turns layers on and off;
turns plotting on and off for visible layers; locks and unlocks layers; freezes and thaws
layers; and lists defined layers.
There are three methods of doing this.

1. Type Layer or just La at the command prompt.
2. Click the layers icon from the Object Properties toolbar.
You will see the Layer Properties Manager Dialog Box as shown below.
New
It creates a new layer. After you choose New, the list displays a layer named LAYER1.
You can edit this layer immediately. To create multiple layers more quickly, you can
select a layer name for editing and enter multiple layer names separated by commas.

76
If you create a new layer, the new layer inherits the properties of the currently selected
layer in the layer list (Color, On/Off state, and so on). To create layers with default
settings, make sure that there are no selected layers in the list or that you select a
layer with default settings before beginning layer creation.
Current
Sets the selected layer as the current layer. The CLAYER system variable stores the
layer name.
Delete
Deletes selected layers from the drawing file definition. You can delete only
unreferenced layers. Referenced layers include layers 0 and DEFPOINTS, layers
containing objects (including objects in block definitions), the current layer, and xref-
dependent layers. Layers that do not contain objects (including objects in block
definitions), are not current, and are not xref-dependent can be deleted by using the
PURGE command.
Show/Hide Details
Controls whether the Details section is displayed in the Layer Properties Manager.
Save State
Displays the Save Layer States dialog box, in which you save layer state and layer
properties settings of all layers in a drawing. You can choose which layer states and
properties that you want to preserve. You save a layer state by assigning it a name.
Any layer states saved in a drawing that is inserted in your current drawing as a block
are also added to the current drawing.
Restore State
Displays the Layer States Manager, in which you can manage named layer states.
List of Layers
Displays layers and their properties. To modify a property, click its icon. To quickly
select all layers, right-click and use the shortcut menu.
• Names
Displays the names of the layers. You can select a name and then click and enter
a new name.
• On/Off

77
Turns layers on and off. When a layer is on, it is visible and available for plotting.
When a layer is off, it is invisible and not plotted, even if the Plot is on.
• Freeze/Thaw in All Viewports

Freezes selected layers in all viewports. You can freeze layers to speed up ZOOM,
PAN, and many other operations; improve object selection performance, and
reduce regeneration time for complex drawings. AutoCAD does not display, plot,
hide, render, or regenerate objects on frozen layers. Freezes the layers you want
to be invisible for long periods. When you thaw a frozen layer, AutoCAD
regenerates and displays the objects on that layer. If you plan to switch between
visible and invisible states frequently, use the On/Off setting. You can freeze layers
in all viewports, in the current layout viewport, or in new layout viewports as they
are created.
• Lock/Unlock
Locks and unlocks the layers. You cannot edit objects on a locked layer. Locking
a layer is useful if you want to view information on a layer for reference but do not
want to edit objects on that layer.
• Color
Changes the color associated with the selected layers. Clicking the color name
displays the Select Color dialog box.
• Linetype
Changes the linetype associated with the selected layers. Clicking any linetype
name displays the Select Linetype dialog box.
• Lineweight
Changes the lineweight associated with the selected layers. Clicking any lineweight
name displays the Lineweight dialog box.
• Plot Style
Displays a list of plot styles available to apply to the selected layers. If you are
working with color-dependent plot styles (the PSTYLEPOLICY system variable is
set to 1), you cannot change the plot style associated with a layer. The default plot
style is Normal.
78
HOW TO SET LINETYPES AND COLOR

You can use color to help you group objects visually. You can assign the color of an
object either by layer or by specifying its color explicitly, independent of a layer.
Assigning colors by layer makes it easy to identify each layer within your drawing.
Assigning colors explicitly provides additional distinctions between objects on the
same layer.
Linetype
To load a linetype
1. From the Format menu, choose Linetype.

2. In the Linetype Manager, choose Load.
3. In the Load or Reload Linetypes dialog box, select a linetype and choose OK.
If the linetype you need is not listed, choose File. In the Select Linetype File dialog
box, select a LIN file whose linetypes you want to list and choose Open. The dialog

79
box displays the linetype definitions stored in the selected LIN file. Select a linetype
and choose OK.
To list the linetypes loaded in the current drawing

1. On the Object Properties toolbar, click the Linetype control.
All loaded linetypes are displayed in the list. If necessary, use the scroll bar to see
the whole list.
2. Click anywhere outside the box to close it.
Colors
To set the color for all new objects

1. On the drop-down icon below;

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Color control displays the current color.

To change the color of an object, overriding the layer's color
1. On the Standard toolbar, click Properties.
2. Select the objects whose color you want to change.
3. In the Properties window, select Color.
To change the color assigned to a layer
1. On the Object Properties toolbar, click Layers.
2. In the Layer Properties Manager, click the color you want to change.
3. In the Select Color dialog box, click a color or enter a color number (1-255) or
name.
4. Choose OK to exit each dialog box. An arrow is displayed in the right column.
4. Click the arrow and select a color from the list.

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10 DIMENSIONING
IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF DIMENSIONING DRAWINGS

Dimensioning is the process of adding measurements to a drawing. Dimensions show
the geometric measurements of objects, distances or angles between objects or the
X and Y coordinates of a feature. Every dimension style controls colour, text style and
linetype scale.
Dimensioning is the process of adding measurement annotation to a drawing.

AutoCAD provides 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 in your drawing conform to industry or project standards.
Dimensions show the measurements of objects, the distances or angles between

objects, or the distance of a feature from an origin you specify. AutoCAD provides
three basic types of dimensioning: linear, radial, and angular. Dimensions can be
horizontal, vertical, aligned, rotated, ordinate, baseline, or continued.
You can dimension objects, such as lines, arcs, circles, and polyline segments, or you
can dimension between point locations.
AutoCAD places dimensions on the current layer. Every dimension assumes the
current dimension style, which controls characteristics such as arrowhead style, text
location, and lateral tolerances. With dimension styles, you can make subtle
modifications to a base dimension style for different types of dimensions. With
dimension style overrides, you can modify these characteristics for a specific
dimension.

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Origin point is an origin point defines the measurement value for the dimension text
and is a small nonprinting point attached to the dimension. Origin points are typically
placed on an object and allow you to move or reposition a dimension that may need
to be updated.
Extension line is an extension line extends up to the dimension line and arrowheads
and indicates which feature or points on an object are being dimensioned. An
extension line typically has a gap between it and the origin point of the dimension
object and extends past the dimension line. The gap helps show that the dimension is
not part of the object.
Arrowhead is an arrowhead appears at the end of a dimension line and indicates

where a dimension starts and ends. Arrowheads can be displayed as open or closed
arrows, architectural ticks, dots, or user defined arrows, among other arrowhead
styles.
Dimension line is a dimension line is typically displayed between the extension lines
and goes outward from the center of the dimension object toward the extension line.
Based on where the dimension text is placed, the dimension line may appear broken
or on the outside of the extension lines.
Dimension text is a dimension text provides the value of measurement with which the
dimension was created and can be formatted in a variety of ways. Some of the
formatting options are the units of measurement, the type of decimal separator that is
used, and how the value should be rounded.

83
Click Annotate to make dimension
LINEAR
1. Type DIMLINEAR 0r
2. Click Linear icon

84
Example :
Command: _dimlinear
Specify first extension line origin or <select object>: pick 1st line origin
Specify second extension line origin: pick 2nd line origin
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle/Horizontal/Vertical/Rotated]:
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle/Horizontal/Vertical/Rotated]:
Dimension text = 10
RADIUS
Example :
Command: _dimradius
Select arc or circle:
Dimension text = 6
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle]: M
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle]:
DIAMETER
Command: _dimdiameter
Select arc or circle:
Dimension text = 20
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle]: M
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle]:

85
ALIGNED
Example :
Command: _dimaligned
Specify first extension line origin or <select object>:
Specify second extension line origin:
Specify dimension line location or
[Mtext/Text/Angle]: M
Specify dimension line location or
[Mtext/Text/Angle]:
Dimension text = 8
ANGULAR
Example :
Command: _dimangular
Select arc, circle, line, or <specify vertex>: pick 1st line
Select second line: pick 2nd line
Specify dimension arc line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle/Quadrant]:
Dimension text = 28

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DIM STYLE AND VARIABLE

You can control the appearance of dimensions by changing settings. For convenience
and to help maintain dimensioning standards, you can store these settings in
dimension styles.

1. Type Dimstyle at command prompt or
2. Click Format >> Dimension Style from the pull-down menu bar.
Set Current
Sets the style selected under Styles to current.
New
Displays the Create New Dimension Style dialog box, in which you can define new
dimension styles. See New, Modify, and Override Dimension Style Dialog Boxes.
Click New to open the Create New Dimension Style dialog box above. With the copy
name highlighted in the New Style Name input box, enter a new name for your style.
Check to make sure your dimension style name conforms to any standards that other
members of the team might be using.

87
Modify
Displays the Modify Dimension Styles dialog box, in which you can modify dimension
styles. Dialog box options are identical to those in the New Dimension Style dialog
box. See New, Modify, and Override Dimension Style Dialog Boxes.
Override
Displays the Override Current Style dialog box, in which you can set temporary
overrides to dimension styles. Dialog box options are identical to those in the New
Dimension Style dialog box. See New, Modify, and Override Dimension Style Dialog
Boxes. AutoCAD displays override as unsaved changes under the dimension in the
Styles list.
Compare
Displays the Compare Dimension Styles dialog box, which compares the properties of
two dimension styles or lists all the properties of one style.
Click Modify from Dimension Style Manager. You can see as shown below.

88
New Dimension Style dialog box.
From this dialog box, we can change:

i. Lines and Arrows
ii. Text
iii. Fit
iv. Primary Units
v. Alternate Units
vi. Tolerances

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11 PLOTTING
PREPARATORY STEPS FOR PLOTTING
Once you have completed a drawing, you can use a number of methods to output the
drawing. You can plot the drawing on paper or create a file for use with another
application. In either case, you select the plot settings.
There are two methods of plotting.

1. Type Plot at the command prompt.
2. Click Plot from the Output Toolbar.

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3. The dialog box appears shown above.
To plot a drawing
From the File menu, choose Plot.
1. In the Plot dialog box.
i. Select a printer or plotter name that wants to use.
ii. Select paper size of printer/plotter for example – A2, A3 or A4.
iii. Drop down plot area – select display, extents, limits or window.
iv. At plot scale –choose fit to paper or custom scale.
v. Plot offset – origin set to a printable area ( x and y coordinate ) or center the
plot.
vi. Put the number of copies.
vii. Press OK.
PLOT AREA
When plotting a drawing, you must specify the area of the drawing to plot. The Plot
Settings tab in the Plot dialog box provides six options under Plot Area.
Layout or Limits
When plotting a layout, this option plots everything within the margins of the specified
paper size, with the origin calculated from 0,0 in the layout. When plotting on the Model
tab, it plots the entire drawing area defined by the drawing limits. If the current viewport
does not display a plan view, this option has the same effect as the Extents option.
Extents
Plots the portion of the current space of the drawing that contains objects. All geometry
in the current space is plotted. AutoCAD may regenerate the drawing to recalculate
the extents before plotting.

91
Display
Plots the view in the current viewport in the Model tab or the current paper space view
in a layout tab.
View
Plots a view saved previously with the VIEW command. You can select a named view
from the list provided. If there are no saved views in the drawing, this option is
unavailable.
Window
Plots any portion of the drawing you specify. Click the Window button to use a pointing
device to specify opposite corners of the area to be plotted or enter coordinate values.

92
REFERENCES
1. Autodesk (2014) AutoCAD 2014 : User’s guide
2. Khairul Anuar Hanfiah (1996) Lukisan Kejuruteraan Berbantu

Komputer Skudai : Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_symbol
4. https://www.rapidtables.com/electric/electrical_symbols.htm
5. http://www.rapidtables.com/electric/Electronic_components.htm
6. http://lukisankejuruteraankvkk.blogspot.com/2014/03/lukisan-simbol-
elektrik-dan-elektronik.html

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