Introduction to

AutoCAD

By: Engr. Emmanuel Manigos

OUTLINE:

❑ AutoCAD History/Background
❑ AutoCAD Functions

❑ AutoCAD Interface

❖ Toolbars and Panels

❖ Workspace
❖ Layout
❑ Basic Command Samples
History:

❑ AutoCAD (Computer-Aided Design) is a software

application developed by Autodesk.

❑ Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software

corporation that makes software products and
services for the architecture, engineering,
construction, manufacturing, media, education, and
entertainment industries.

❑ Inventor, Revit, Fusion 360 are some other CAD

software's developed by Autodesk
History:

❑ Autodesk was founded in January 1982 by John

Walker.

❑ AutoCAD was first launched at the COMDEX trade

show in Las Vegas as the first CAD program in the
world to run on a PC.

❑ By March 1986, only four years after it was

introduced, AutoCAD had become the most widely
used design application worldwide, a position it still
holds today.
 History:

❑ Latest Version AutoCAD 2022 was released last March 2021.

In total of 36 version of the software since it was released in
1982.

❑ AutoCAD Monthly subscription as of present is

$220/Php11,075 and Annually $1,775/ Php 89,360.

❑ With a subscription to AutoCAD software, you can install it

on up to 3 computers or other devices. However, only the
named user can sign in and use that software on a single
computer at any given time.
Functions:

❑ AutoCAD is used to draw and edit digital 2D and

3D designs more quickly and easily than you
could by hand.

❑ The software allows users to conceptualize

ideas, produce designs and drawings to the
required levels of technical accuracy, and even
perform rapid design calculations and
simulations across a wide range of industries.
Functions:

❑ AutoCAD can be used across a variety of industries.

❖ Mechanical Engineering - might use it to create

manufacturing processes as well as to design motor parts,
robots and other innovative objects.

❖ Electrical Engineering - might use it to map out electrical

systems.

❖ Civil Engineering - might use it to design bridges, roads and

infrastructures.

❖ Electronics Engineering - might use it to design electronic

circuit layout or OSP cable route design.
Functions:

❑ AutoCAD can be used across a variety of industries.

❖ Architects - is often used to create blueprints and floor

plans for houses and commercial buildings.

❖ Interior Designers - Similarly, AutoCAD can be used to

imagine the interior of a building.

❖ Fine Artists - The abilities of AutoCAD are so wide

ranging that even artists use it to draft sculptures, wood
carvings, engravings, and experimental art pieces.
interface: Start Tab

❑ The first Interface when opening AutoCAD

software.
❖ LEARN
❖ CREATE
I. Get Started
II. Recent Documents
III. Notifications
interface: Start Tab

❑ LEARN OPTION
❖ Shows additional

features, tutorials
and learning tips on
the basic, 2D and 3D
operations of
AutoCAD.
interface: Start Tab

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interface: File Tab

1. Title Area
2. Ribbon Area
3. Drawing Area
i. In-Canvas Control
ii. Navigation Bar
iii. UCS ( User Coordinate System)
4. Command Window
5. Status bar
interface: File Tab

1. Title Area:
interface: Title Area

❑ Application Button
❖ The Application menu appears when you click
the red “A” called the Application Button. This
menu contains file-related commands such as
creating a new file, opening an existing file,
saving the current file, saving the current file
under a new name and in a different folder,
exporting the current file to a different file
format, printing and publishing the current file,
etc.
interface: Title Area

❑ Quick Access Toolbar

❖ This toolbar is located at the top left corner of
the window next to the red ‘A’ button. It
contains all File commands mentioned in the
Application Menu along with Workspace and
Undo/Redo.
interface: Title Area

❑ Title Bar
❖ The title bar contains the program name
(Autodesk AutoCAD Version) and the title of the
current drawing
interface: Title Area

❑ Info Bar
❖ In the input field of the info bar, which reads
Type a keyword or phrase, you can type the
name of any command or tool to get more
information about it. Simply type the name of
the command and hit the Enter key to get the
help file related to the command. You need to
be connected to the internet in order to use this
feature. This bar also contains other features,
such as your sign-in account, access to the
Autodesk app store, and more help options.
 interface: File Tab

2. Ribbon Area
interface: Ribbon Area

Ribbon Tab

Home
Ribbon Panel
❖ Output
❖

❖ Insert ❖ Add-Ins

❖ Annotate ❖ A-360

❖ Parametric ❖ Feature Apps

❖ View ❖ Express tools

❖ Manage
interface: Ribbon Area

❑ HOME TAB
❖ Draw
❖ Modify
❖ Annotation
❖ Layers
❖ Block
❖ Properties
❖ Utilities
interface: Ribbon Area

❑ INSERT TAB
❖ Block
❖ Block Definition
❖ Reference
❖ Point Cloud
❖ Import
❖ Data
❖ Location
interface: Ribbon Area

❑ Annotate TAB
❖ Text
❖ Dimension
❖ Center Lines
❖ Leaders
interface: Ribbon Area

❑ Parametric TAB
❖ Geometric
❖ Dimensional
❖ Manage
interface: Ribbon Area

❑ View TAB
❖ Viewport Tools
❖ Model Viewports
❖ Palettes
❖ Interface
interface: Ribbon Area

❑ Manage TAB
❖ Action recorder
❖ Customization
❖ Application
❖ Cad Standard
interface: Ribbon Area

❑ Output TAB
❖ Plot
❖ Export to DWF/PDF
interface: File Tab

i. In- Canvas Controls

3. Drawing Area

iii. User Coordinate ii. Navigation Bar

System
interface: File Tab

4. Command Window

Command History Command Line

interface: File Tab

5. Status Bar
interface: Status Bar

❑ Drawing Coordinates
❖ It displays the drawing coordinates when you
move the pointer in the drawing area. You can also
turn OFF this button by clicking on it
interface: Status Bar

❑ MODEL
❖ The MODEL button is chosen by default because
you are working in the model space to create
drawings.
interface: Status Bar

❑ GRIDMODE (F7)
❖ If the GRIDMODE button is chosen, the Display
drawing grid will turn ON and the grid lines are
displayed on the screen. The F7 function key can
be used to turn the grid display on or off.
interface: Status Bar

❑ SNAPMODE (F9)
❖ If the SNAPMODE button is chosen, the snap
mode will turn ON. When snap is on, the cursor
under mouse control can only be moved in jumps
from one snap point to another. The F9 key acts as
a toggle key to turn the snap off or on.
interface: Status Bar

❑ Dynamic Input (F12)

❖ The Dynamic Input button in the status bar is used
to turn the Dynamic Input on or off. If the
Dynamic Input mode is turned on, the x,y
coordinates and prompts show when the cursor
hairs are moved. Using the F12 key, you can turn
the Dynamic Input on or off.
interface: Status Bar

❑ Ortho Mode (F8)

❖ You can turn ON or OFF the Ortho Mode just by
clicking on it. If the ORTHOMODE button is
chosen, you can draw lines at right angles only i.e.,
lines can only be drawn vertically or horizontally.
You can also use the F8 function key to turn ortho
on or off.
interface: Status Bar

❑ Polar Tracking (F10)

❖ You can turn ON or OFF the Polar Tracking just by
clicking on it. When you turn ON the Polar
Tracking, a small tip appears showing the direction
and length of lines etc. in degrees and units. You
can draw lines easily at regular angular
increments, such as 5, 10, 15, 23, 30, 45, or 90
degrees. You can also use the F10 function key to
turn on this option.
interface: Status Bar

❑ Object Snapping (F3)

❖ If object Snap Tracking is turned on. It tracks the
cursor along vertical and horizontal alignment
paths from object snap points. Right-click the
button to specify the object snap points from
which to track.
interface: Status Bar

❑ Show/Hide Lineweight
❖ If show line weight is turned on. It shows the
actual line weight of a specific drawing or object
 interface: Status Bar

❑ Workspace Switching
❖ A workspace is a complete user interface, which
includes the location and appearance of the
drawing area and all menus, buttons, and
groupings of buttons.
❖ There are three workspaces available in
AutoCAD : Drafting & Annotation, 3D Basics, and
3D Modeling. By default, the Drafting &
Annotation workspace is activated wherein you
can easily create 2D drawings in this workspace.
 interface: Status Bar

❑ Clean Screen (Ctrl+0)

❖ The Clean Screen button hides most interface
elements such as the Ribbon, and maximizes the
drawing area to focus on the current drawing. This
button is at the lower right corner of the screen.
Choose the Clean Screen button again to restore
the previous display state of the screen.
 interface: Status Bar

❑ Customization
❖ To customize which buttons appear on the status
bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD application
window. When you click on the Customization
button, It opens a menu. In it, select the items you
want displayed in the status bar.
interface: The Layout

❑ A layout is a 2D working environment for creating

drawing sheets.

❑ The area within a layout is called paper space, where

you can add a title block, display scaled views of model
space within layout viewports, and create tables,
schedules, notes, and dimensions for your drawing.

• You can access one or more layouts from the tabs

located at the bottom-left corner of the drawing area to
the right of the Model tab. You can use multiple layout
tabs to display details of the various components of your
model at several scales and on different sheet sizes.
interface: The Layout

Layout Viewports

Paper Space
Layout Tab
Basic commands:

❑ Copy
❑ Erase
❑ Move
❑ Rotate
❑ Mirror
❑ Trim
❑ Fillet
❑ Offset
THE END….

Thank you for attending.