AutoCADBasicGuideFINAL 200404 032813

www.infratechcivil.
com/courses
LEVEL 1: BEGINNERS
AUTODESK AUTOCAD
TRAINING MANUAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1.1 COURSE OBJECTIVE ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
AUTOCAD INTERFACE
2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 APPLICATION MENU ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
2.3 RIBBON ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
2.4 QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR .................................................................................................................................................................................. 27
2.5 NAVIGATING THE DRAWING AREA ...................................................................................................................................................................... 31
ZOOMING ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 32
NAVIGATING WITH THE MOUSE ............................................................................................................................................................... 39
2.6 COMMAND LINE ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 40
2.7 STATUS BAR .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 42
CREATING BASIC OBJECTS

3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 44
3.2 LINE COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 45
ABOUT AUTOCAD LINES ........................................................................................................................................................................ 45
DRAWING LINES .................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
PRACTICE EXERCISE .............................................................................................................................................................................. 47
3.3 POLYLINE COMMAND ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 48
ABOUT POLYLINES ................................................................................................................................................................................ 48
DRAWING POLYLINES ............................................................................................................................................................................ 49
3.4 CIRCLE COMMAND............................................................................................................................................................................................ 51
ABOUT CIRCLES .................................................................................................................................................................................... 51
DRAWING A CIRCLE ............................................................................................................................................................................... 52
3.5 ARC COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 54
ABOUT ARCS ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 54
DRAWING ARCS .................................................................................................................................................................................... 55
3.6 ERASE COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 57
ABOUT THE ERASE COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................................ 57
USING THE ERASE COMMAND................................................................................................................................................................. 58
3.7 RECTANGLE COMMAND..................................................................................................................................................................................... 60
ABOUT RECTANGLES ............................................................................................................................................................................. 60
DRAWING RECTANGLES ......................................................................................................................................................................... 61
3.8 POLYGON COMMAND ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 63
ABOUT POLYGONS ................................................................................................................................................................................. 63
DRAWING POLYGONS ............................................................................................................................................................................. 64
CONTROLLING OBJECTS
4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 66
4.2 MOVING OBJECTS ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 67
ABOUT THE MOVE COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................................. 67
USING THE MOVE COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................................. 68
4.3 COPYING OBJECTS ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 70
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 70
ABOUT THE COPY COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................................. 71
4.4 ROTATING OBJECTS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 73
ABOUT ROTATING OBJECTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 73
USING THE ROTATE COMMAND............................................................................................................................................................... 74
4.5 MIRRORING OBJECTS ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 76
ABOUT MIRRORING OBJECTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 76
USING THE MIRROR COMMAND .............................................................................................................................................................. 77
4.6 SCALING OBJECTS............................................................................................................................................................................................ 79
USING THE SCALE COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................................. 80
EDITING OBJECTS
5.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 83
5.2 EXTEND COMMAND .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 84
ABOUT THE EXTEND COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................................... 84
USING THE EXTEND OBJECTS ................................................................................................................................................................. 85
5.3 TRIM COMMAND .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 87
ABOUT THE TRIM COMMAND .................................................................................................................................................................. 87
USING THE TRIM COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................................... 88
5.4 OFFSETTING OBJECTS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 90
ABOUT THE OFFSET COMMAND .............................................................................................................................................................. 90
USING THE OFFSET COMMAND ............................................................................................................................................................... 91
5.5 JOINING OBJECTS ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 93
USING THE JOIN COMMAND ................................................................................................................................................................... 94
5.6 BREAKING OBJECTS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 96
ABOUT THE BREAK COMMAND................................................................................................................................................................ 96
BREAKING AN OBJECT AT A POINT .......................................................................................................................................................... 97
BREAK BETWEEN TWO POINTS ............................................................................................................................................................... 99
PRACTICE EXERCISE ............................................................................................................................................................................ 100
5.7 CREATING FILLETS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 101
ABOUT FILLETS ................................................................................................................................................................................... 101
USING THE FILLET COMMAND............................................................................................................................................................... 102
BLOCKS
6.1 ABOUT BLOCKS .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 104
6.2 CREATING BLOCKS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 105
USING THE BLOCK C OMMAND .............................................................................................................................................................. 106
6.3 EDITING A BLOCK ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 111
ABOUT EDITING A BLOCK ..................................................................................................................................................................... 111
HOW TO EDIT A BLOCK ......................................................................................................................................................................... 112
6.4 INSERTING BLOCKS ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 115
ABOUT INSERTING BLOCKS AND DRAWINGS ........................................................................................................................................... 115
USING THE INSERT COMMAND .............................................................................................................................................................. 116
OBJECT SNAPS AND ORTHOMODES

7.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 122
7.2 OBJECT SNAP ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 123
ABOUT OBJECT SNAP .......................................................................................................................................................................... 123
USING OBJECT SNAP COMMAND .......................................................................................................................................................... 127
OBJECT SNAP SETTINGS...................................................................................................................................................................... 128
7.3 ORTHOMODE .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 130
ABOUT ORTHOMODE ............................................................................................................................................................................ 130
USING ORTHO ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 131
PRACTICE: CREATING A 2D SOFA

7.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 132
7.2 PRACTICE ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 133
PRELUDE
About the authors
"Infratech Civil Solutions" ("Infratech") is a one-stop consulting, training, and drafting solution for AEC
(Architecture, Engineering, and Construction).
Infratech leverages the skills of a collaborative team of registered professionals, content developers, and
information technology experts to offer optimum, customized, and technologically advanced solutions.
Infratech core services include:

Project consulting and sub-consulting services.
▪ eLearning and custom training designed to provide solutions that are tailored and customized to meet the
requirements of each situation.
▪ Post-training support with a package combining technical support, hands-on project guidance, assistance,
and drafting standard implementation.
▪ Continued education and certification services to help professionals stand out among peers.
▪ Assisting qualified organizations with training grants and funding assistance.
Credits:
The current material was developed using data and assistance provided by various organizations. Infratech would
like to acknowledge: The City of Kamloops, BC, and the City for data provided under its open government license,
the NRCS, The City of Ottawa, the City of Gatineau, Autodesk Inc., The National CAD Standards, and the City of
Charlotte, NC.
Copyright:
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, including photocopying, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and specific other
non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
For permission requests, write to the author, “Attention: Publication Coordinator,” at the address below.
Infratech Civil
contact@infratechcivil.com
www.infratechcivil.com
Disclaimer:
This book explains the process of designing a residential subdivision and other civil engineering infrastructures. Project names, data,
locations, and procedures are either the products of the author’s experience or creativity and used in an experimental or in a
fictitious manner. Infratech has tried to apply expertise accumulated over a decade of professional engineering, surveying, and
drafting. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this manual follows best
practice guidelines, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or
disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.
This manual is not intended as a substitute for local regulatory requirements. The user should consult and ensure that local
guidelines are applied. The information in this book is meant to supplement practical design methodologies. Like any profession
requiring a duty of care and public protection, the practice of engineering, architecture, and construction poses some inherent risks.
The authors and publisher advise trainees to take full responsibility in the use of knowledge acquired using this manual.
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Introduction __________________________________
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1.1 Course Objective
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This course entitled "Level 1: Introduction to AutoCAD for __________________________________
Beginners" is designed for the absolute beginners looking to learn __________________________________
AutoCAD. If you have never opened an AutoCAD file or consider __________________________________
yourself a greenhorn of AutoCAD, this is the right course. We will __________________________________
begin with the very basic concepts, the vocabulary, and the __________________________________
functionalities of AutoCAD. We will learn with hands-on practice files, __________________________________
and we will let you do it. __________________________________
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If you are reading or watching this course, you already know that
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AutoCAD is a must-have skill in professional environments such as
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engineering, architecture, construction, surveying, and many others.
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In this course, we work solely in a 2D environment, where most basic
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geometric entities and plans are created. __________________________________
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We will learn how to create basic shapes and control them. These
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shapes are the building blocks of the more complex and advanced
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designs we will create later.
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When creating a design or drawing in AutoCAD, more often than not, __________________________________
we have several options. In this course, we will try to apply the most __________________________________
effective and accurate methods for a beginner. __________________________________
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Okay, so without much further delay, let's start with Level 1:
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Introduction to AutoCAD for Beginners.
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AUTOCAD INTERFACE __________________________________

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2.1 Introduction
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1. Application Menu: Provides access to file navigation and management options. It was
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referred to as the application menu in other versions of Revit and other office applications.
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2. Quick Access Toolbar: Used to display the most frequently used commands.
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3. Ribbon: Featured in most desktop applications, it contains commands needed for routine
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tasks.
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4. Infocenter: Provides information related to keyword searches, product updates, and
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announcements.
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5. Drawing Tabs: Provides the list of opened drawings in tabs format.
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6. Drawing Area: It displays views, sheets, schedules, and other elements of the project.
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Newly opened views display on top of other opened views in the drawing area.
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7. ViewCube and Navigation Tools: Allows to choose and adjust a model's viewpoint.
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8. Layout and Model Elements: Allows selecting and switching between different layouts
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and model views.
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9. Command Line: The command line is the main medium of communication between the
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user and AutoCAD, besides the commands available from the ribbon. This is where we
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execute and provide dynamic inputs.
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10. Status Bar: Located at the bottom, it provides names, family, types, tips, or hints on
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selected elements.
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2.2 Application Menu
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Like any other software, the best way to start learning AutoCAD is to first
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familiarize ourselves with the user interface. That's the working
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environment where the tools and needed commands are located. Let's open
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a file and explore the AutoCAD user interface.
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1. In the top left corner, click on the Open command to browse to the __________________________________
Interface file in the practice folder. __________________________________
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2. In the new window, make sure you have selected a dwg file format, then __________________________________
select the 02-Interface file and click on Open. __________________________________
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3. The drawing opens. We see a proposed Townhouse floor and elevation
plans. This is the project we will work on throughout this training. We
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will try to draw it from-start-to-finish. __________________________________

❑ In the Level 1 course, we will learn about the basic AutoCAD __________________________________
command to initiate ourselves to AutoCAD. __________________________________
❑ In the Level 2 course, we will apply the basic commands we learned __________________________________
and add a few more skills to be able to draw a 2D floor plan. The __________________________________
Level 2D skills will be enough to complete a basic AutoCAD project __________________________________
without any 3D requirements. This is the starter to intermediate
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level skills most users need to be a productive drafter.
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❑ And finally, in the Level 3 course, we will learn the 3D skills we need
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to create a full project in AutoCAD and respond to most drafting and
design requirements. In particular, we will learn how to create 3D
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elements such as floors, walls, stairs, roofs, etc. A Level 3D user is a __________________________________
skilled user who can design most projects on his/her own and even __________________________________
start mentoring entry-level users. __________________________________
4. Now, let's explore some of the tools and components of the AutoCAD __________________________________
interface. The AutoCAD interface is the toolbox. We need to understand __________________________________
the tools that are at our disposal in order to use them effectively. First __________________________________
up is the Application Menu. It is in the top left corner and is
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represented by the Autodesk AutoCAD logo . Once you click on it, __________________________________
you'll notice that you have more options. We are going to explore a few
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of them.
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5. First, we have the New command at the top. Click the arrow to the right
to expand it for more options. From there, we can either create a new __________________________________
drawing or sheetset. A sheetset is a drawing file specifically created to __________________________________

manage sheets for printing. Before going further, let's note that we will __________________________________
be using the terms Plotting, Printing, and even Publishing __________________________________
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interchangeably. They are originally meant for different things, but the
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demarcation line between them is becoming finer, the more we move
into the electronic age of things. But that's a discussion for another day.
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For now, all three terms mean creating an output file for sharing with __________________________________
others. __________________________________
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6. Click on Drawing.
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7. A new window opens. Here, be careful of what type of file you choose to
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create. Most of the time, we are creating two types of files:
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❑ A dwg file, which is a standard AutoCAD file; or
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❑ A dwt file, which is an AutoCAD template file. We will ignore the
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third type, the dws for now.
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8. The dwt is a template file, which means that it contains standards and __________________________________
settings commonly used, such as unit formats and precisions, title blocks
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and borders, styles and label settings, and much more. It's always
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recommended to start a new drawing from a template to make it much
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easier, because you have a lot of parameters already set up in previous
jobs, and you don't need to recreate them.
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9. On the other end, you can choose to create a new dwg file if: __________________________________
❑ you only need to create a quick drawing, and you aren’t all that __________________________________
interested in the setup. __________________________________
❑ Or, if you have already specified a default template in AutoCAD. In __________________________________
that case, AutoCAD opens your template by default. We will see later __________________________________
how to create a default template. __________________________________
10. For the time being, let's cancel and return to the application menu.
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11. The next line in the Application Menu list is the Open command. Let's
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expand it by hovering over it. A scrolling menu shows up with options
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such as:
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❑ Drawing, to open a pre-existing drawing that has been worked on
already, not from a template.
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❑ Drawing from cloud, to open a drawing stored somewhere on the __________________________________

internet. __________________________________
❑ SheetSet, to open a printing setup file. __________________________________
❑ Additional formats such as DGN and IFC files. __________________________________
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12. Next, we could Save the current drawing in the default dwg format.
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13. Or, we can use Save As to choose a different file format or name. __________________________________
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For instance, we can save as under: __________________________________
❑ A standard or mobile-friendly AutoCAD drawing format. __________________________________
❑ A drawing template, the standard dwt format we just mentioned.
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❑ A drawing standard file.
❑ Other formats, such as dxf. __________________________________
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14. We can even save a layout as a completely separate AutoCAD file. How __________________________________
great is that? If, for example, we want to create a file for only our first- __________________________________
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floor layout, we can do that and share it, without the other parts of the
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drawing.
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15. We can also export an AutoCAD drawing to different formats such as pdf __________________________________
or dwf. A dwf is essentially the Autodesk pdf equivalent. It's also very __________________________________
convenient as you can open a dwf file on most modern desktops without __________________________________
installing any specific software. __________________________________
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16. Next, we can publish. In AutoCAD, publishing is simply printing for the
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purpose of sharing electronically. To publish a drawing, we have
multiple options.
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17. Among the different forms of publishing, one that we need to mention is
the eTransmit option. This method is highly recommended. It makes __________________________________
sure all files related to the current drawing, such as external reference __________________________________
files, fonts, and plot styles, are embedded in the published package. __________________________________
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18. In the Print section, we can perform various printing related tasks. We
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will talk more about them in the Output chapter.
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19. Next, are the Drawing utilities, where we can set various properties and
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parameters for the current drawing. We can make operations such as:
❑ Checking the drawing Properties and Statistics.
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❑ Setting the Drawing Units. __________________________________

❑ Auditing and recovering the drawings to fix corrupted files. __________________________________
❑ Displaying the Files Status, for more statistical information. __________________________________
❑ And, performing a purge, a typical AutoCAD operation to get rid of __________________________________
obsolete drawing objects.
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20. We can also close the current or all opened drawings and exit AutoCAD.
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21. One more thing we can do from the application menu is to access the __________________________________
current drawing's global options.
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22. The Options window is where most of the drawing's underground __________________________________
preferences and settings are stored. __________________________________
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23. Among the choices, we have the File tab where we can find all the
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information for AutoCAD support file locations, including paths for the
program drivers, menus, and other files.
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On this tab, we also have user-defined settings such as default templates
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and temporary saved files. For instance, we can come in here and
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specify where to store our automatic save files.
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We can also specify the default template to use when we create a new
drawing. We currently haven't specified one. If we haven't set a default __________________________________
template, AutoCAD will prompt us to choose one every time we try to __________________________________
create a new drawing. Let's change that and specify which template to __________________________________
use by default every time we hit the New drawing button or type Qnew __________________________________
at the command line. __________________________________
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24. Once we hit Browse, we are automatically directed to the default folder
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containing all AutoCAD templates.
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25. In the template folder, you can choose a default template file, acad, map
book, architectural, etc., depending on your project type or project __________________________________
requirements. Your company should normally have a default template __________________________________

setup for the type of projects you work on. If you don’t have a template __________________________________
set up for your organization, the default out-of-the-box AutoCAD __________________________________
templates are a good place to start. You should, however, improve them. __________________________________
Let's choose the basic acad.dwt template, for example. __________________________________
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26. A default template is now set and will be used each time we hit the Qnew
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command on the ribbon or enter it at the command line.
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27. Click cancel and exit this window, because we do not want to change any __________________________________
settings during this training.
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28. Now, let's go back to the Application Menu. Don't forget that we got to
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the Options window from the Application menu. There are also other
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ways to access the Options window, and the Application menu is just
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one of them. At the top right, we have two icons.
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29. The first, the white icon to the left, allows us to display the recent files,
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sorted in chronological order. We can pin files to always display them on
this list. We can also sort files by list, access date, size, or type.
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30. To the right, we have an option to display only currently opened files. We __________________________________
see on the list the two files that are currently opened. __________________________________
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31. Once again, we have an option to change the display mode to list small or __________________________________
large icons. __________________________________
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32. Lastly, from the Application Menu, at the top right, we have the search
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commands textbox, where we can perform specific searches.
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33. For example, let's say we want to draw a construction line. By just typing
align in this box, we have a whole list of suggestions related to the word __________________________________
line. Look at the list of commands below. We can create lines using all __________________________________
kinds of methods. __________________________________
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34. Let's try the word Rectangle. By simply typing that word, we have a
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suggestion to run the Rectangle command from the ribbon.
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35. If we click on it, we can come to the drawing area and simply click the
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start and endpoint and draw a rectangle. So, these are actual commands
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we can run. It is not just an information help menu.
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36. The search commands box is very useful when we are looking around __________________________________
for commands that we don't know or don't recall. __________________________________
37. Select the polyline that we have just created, and erase with the __________________________________
keyboard Delete key.
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38. That concludes the section on the Application Menu. Next up, the __________________________________
Ribbon.
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2.3 Ribbon
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1. Several items constitute the ribbon. First, at the top are the tabs. They __________________________________
are used to group commands with similar functions.
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2. For example, the Insert tab has commands that help insert new or
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existing data into the drawing, like blocks, survey points, aerial imagery,
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or other external references.
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3. On the View tab, we can manage the display of the Drawing Area. We __________________________________
can use 2D or 3D displays, a different UCS, visualize from different angles __________________________________
or browse in 3D mode.
__________________________________
4. Additionally, each tab is grouped further into panels. For example, on the
__________________________________
Home tab, we have panels such as:
__________________________________
• Draw, where we have all the drawing commands. These are the basic
__________________________________
AutoCAD commands we will explore in this course.
__________________________________
• Modify to modify existing objects in the drawing.
• Annotation, for labeling drawing items.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
5. A panel can be expanded to show more commands by clicking on the __________________________________
downward arrow to the right of its name. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
23
NOTES
6. We can expand and pin a Panel to unfold additional hidden commands.
__________________________________
Unpinning the panel will collapse it to its original state.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
7. The Ribbon can be further organized by unloading items. To do that,
__________________________________
right-click anywhere on the ribbon and uncheck the items to unload or
__________________________________
check the items to display.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
8. To make the Ribbon more readable, especially when working at a lower
__________________________________
than recommended display resolution, unload unneeded panels.
__________________________________
9. An additional way to manage the ribbon is by collapsing it by using the
Cycle Through button, the upward triangle to the right. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
24
NOTES
10. A first click will collapse and compact the ribbon. If you look closely, you
__________________________________
will see that we still have access to all commands. They are folded.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
11. By clicking on the Modify panel, the collapsed commands are expanded. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
12. Click on the cycle through arrow a second time, and the ribbon will
__________________________________
adjust again.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
13. A third click will completely collapse the ribbon and minimize it to tabs __________________________________
only. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
14. One last click on the Cycle Through arrow and we complete the cycle __________________________________
and return to the original state of the ribbon. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
25
NOTES
15. Instead of going through the four cycles, we can just switch back and
__________________________________
forth between the full display and one of three states of our choice,
between Minimize to Tabs, Minimize to Panel Titles and Minimize to
__________________________________
Panel Buttons. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
16. That concludes the section on the Ribbon, up next, the Quick Access __________________________________
toolbar. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
26
NOTES
2.4 Quick Access Toolbar
__________________________________
The next item on our perusal of the AutoCAD interface is the Quick Access __________________________________
toolbar, a typical windows application feature. We have it in most office
__________________________________
programs.
__________________________________
The Quick Access Toolbar gives us an option to stack a set of frequently __________________________________
used commands that we want to have at our disposal at all times. By default, __________________________________
it shows common commands such as New, Open, Print, Undo, and Redo. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. If we click on the arrow to the right, we can see a list of additional __________________________________
commands that we can add to the quick access toolbar.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Let's add a frequently used command like Match Properties and remove __________________________________
one that is not really used that often, like Open from Web & Mobile. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
27
NOTES
3. The new Quick Access Toolbar responds to our request and adjusts
__________________________________
accordingly.
__________________________________
__________________________________
4. One thing that we like to do is to relocate the Quick Access Toolbar __________________________________
below the ribbon, to have more real-estate, and display as many __________________________________
commands as we need. We will see in a second why that is important. __________________________________
5. For the time being, let's keep adding commands to our Quick Access __________________________________
Toolbar. To add a command from the Ribbon, right-click on it and select __________________________________
Add to Quick Access Toolbar. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
6. Let's add the frequently used ones such as drafting commands (line, __________________________________
polyline, rectangle, circle, and hatch), modification commands such as __________________________________
(move, rotate, trim and extend, copy, mirror, fillet, scale and offset),
__________________________________
layer management commands (turn on and off, layer isolate and un-
__________________________________
isolate, thaw and unthaw, make current and match layer).
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
7. After adding all these commands, you will notice that not all of them are
displayed. That is because we just don't have the necessary real estate to __________________________________
show them at the top of the Ribbon. We can fix that by choosing to __________________________________
display them Below the Ribbon from the Quick Access Toolbar. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
28
NOTES
8. We will then have all the commands displayed and readily available,
__________________________________
regardless of the ribbon tab we are working with. This will save us time
by not having to switch back and forth between tabs to find our most
__________________________________
used commands. In the long run, this adds up to a gain in productivity. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
9. At the top, to the right of the quick access toolbar, we have a few tools
mostly related to searching and Autodesk account management. The first __________________________________
textbox is for searching online for help __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
10. . If we type Line, for example, it brings up a few suggestions regarding __________________________________
the word line. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
11. Next, you can access the Autodesk app store to browse for add-on __________________________________
apps created by third-party developers. These are useful apps you can __________________________________
add to AutoCAD, to perform tasks that are not natively possible with out- __________________________________
of-the-box. AutoCAD is a great application, but no software does __________________________________
everything out-of-the-box. We always need to find some workaround for __________________________________
some specific tasks. Some of these apps are free, while most are paid __________________________________
__________________________________
29
NOTES
applications.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
12. Let's close this window. Next, we have our Autodesk Account portal
__________________________________
entry window. There, we can pretty much do all our Autodesk Account
management.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
30
NOTES
2.5 Navigating the Drawing Area
__________________________________
The AutoCAD drawing area is the central rectangular area where most of __________________________________
the action takes place. It is the center-stage where we navigate, draw,
__________________________________
visualize, select, and manipulate objects.
__________________________________
In the drawing area, there are some elements that need to be noted. We will
__________________________________
study them in more detail as we progress through the three-course levels,
__________________________________
but let's peruse them briefly.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. In the top left corner, Viewport and Visual Style control the view __________________________________
directions and styles.
__________________________________
2. The UCS or User Coordinate System is the active coordinate system __________________________________
that establishes the XY or work plane and the vertical direction for __________________________________
drawing and modeling. When working in 2D, like in this basic course, we __________________________________
do not need to worry too much about changing the UCS. __________________________________
__________________________________
3. The ViewCube is where you can see drawing elements from different
__________________________________
view directions by rotating the view.
__________________________________
4. The Navigation Bar contains additional tools like Pan, Orbit, and more. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
31
NOTES
Zooming
__________________________________
In addition to the ViewCube and the Navigation bar, we also have __________________________________
additional zoom options. They allow us to set the magnitude of the __________________________________
drawing area (model view) or a layout (viewports). Depending on our __________________________________
needs, we can zoom closer (Zoom in) to an object or area or zoom __________________________________
away (Zoom out) from it. __________________________________
To see a full list of zoom options available in AutoCAD we: __________________________________

__________________________________
1. Type the command Zoom or the alias Z at the command line
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then press Enter. This brings up the full list of Zoom commands __________________________________
we can choose from. Depending on our need, we can choose: __________________________________
❑ Zoom All to zoom to all objects and visual aids currently in __________________________________
the drawing. __________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Zoom Center to zoom to a center point, and a value of
magnitude. __________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Zoom Dynamic to zoom using a rectangular box.
__________________________________
❑ Zoom Extent to zoom to the maximum extent of all objects, __________________________________
including model calculations such as block reference points.
__________________________________
❑ Zoom Previous to zoom to the previous view. __________________________________
❑ Zoom Scale to use an order of magnitude of the current __________________________________

view (current view times X) __________________________________
❑ Zoom Window to zoom to a specific area defined by __________________________________

rectangular selection. __________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Zoom Object to select an object (a rectangle, for example)
and zoom to its area, with the center of the object as a focus. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
32
NOTES
❑ Finally, Zoom Realtime, the default mode, which allows us
__________________________________
to zoom in Realtime. You will notice that the real-time
option is displayed differently than the others. It is __________________________________
displayed between two quantity signs <> to indicate that it __________________________________
is the currently active command. If we press Enter, this will
__________________________________
be the command that AutoCAD will run.
__________________________________
3. We should mention that we have a couple of options to make our
__________________________________
choice of Zoom option.
__________________________________
❑ We can simply click on the option we want on the command __________________________________
line. For example, if we would like to zoom using the
__________________________________
window option, we can simply click on Window.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Alternatively, we can also type the shortcut indicated in an __________________________________
Uppercase blue letter, usually the first letter of the
__________________________________
command. So, by typing the letter C (not case sensitive) at
the command line, we can run the Zoom Center command. __________________________________
The upper-case shortcut option is not specific to the Zoom __________________________________
command. We have it for most AutoCAD commands with
__________________________________
additional options. So, any time we run a command that
requires additional options, we can narrow down our choice __________________________________
by typing the shortcut to specify the option we want. __________________________________
4. Now, let's press enter and run the active command Zoom __________________________________
Realtime. Notice how the cursor changes to display the __________________________________
magnifying glass. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
33
NOTES
5. We are now in Realtime Zoom mode. If we press and hold down
__________________________________
the left mouse button, we can Zoom Realtime in the drawing by
dragging up to Zoom In or down to Zoom Out. Once we zoom __________________________________
close enough to our area of interest, we can release the mouse __________________________________
button. If we need more screen space to zoom, we can simply
__________________________________
release the mouse button, hold it down again, and start zooming.
Let's zoom to the garage area of the house. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
6. While in Zoom Realtime mode, we also have additional zoom
__________________________________
options. If we right click, we can Zoom Window. Let's run the
__________________________________
Zoom Window command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
34
NOTES
7. Then, we can draw a rectangular area to define an area we would
__________________________________
like to Zoom to, let's say the Family Room.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
8. We are now zoomed in the specified area.
__________________________________
9. Another option we have is to Zoom original. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
10. This option will return us to the initial view before we run the __________________________________
zoom command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
35
NOTES
11. Finally, we can also Zoom Extents by right-clicking while in the
__________________________________
Zoom Realtime mode.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
12. This option will zoom to the full extent of the project. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
13. So, to switch back and forth between the different views, we simply __________________________________
need to right-click and choose the zoom option. Finally, to exit the __________________________________
Zoom command, simply right-click and select Exit or hit the Escape __________________________________
key on the keyboard. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
14. This summarizes the zoom options in AutoCAD. __________________________________
__________________________________
36
NOTES
Panning
__________________________________
The second most used type of navigation operation in AutoCAD, after __________________________________
the Zoom command, is the Pan command. It allows us to shift the __________________________________
drawing view from one area to another, without changing the __________________________________
magnitude of the view. We are basically changing the center of the __________________________________
drawing from one point to a second. The new center can be specified by __________________________________
distance and direction, but most of the time, we are just eyeballing the __________________________________
area we want to be centered in. __________________________________
To pan in AutoCAD, we can: __________________________________
1. Right-click anywhere and run the Pan command. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, press down the mouse button and move the view around as
__________________________________
we need.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
37
NOTES
3. When we are pleased with the new display, we can right click
__________________________________
again and run the Exit command, or hit the Escape command on
__________________________________
the keyboard, to end the Pan command.
__________________________________
4. We should also note that while in another command, like Polyline, __________________________________
for example, we can run the Pan command. Once we exit the Pan __________________________________
command, we will be returned where we left off the previous __________________________________
command without having to run it again. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
38
NOTES
Navigating with the Mouse
__________________________________
In addition to clicking, the mouse is also an excellent tool for __________________________________
navigating AutoCAD drawings. Let's see a few tasks we can accomplish __________________________________
using the mouse. Before starting, we should note that the options __________________________________
presented here are for a standard mouse with a left click, right click, __________________________________
and a wheel. __________________________________
__________________________________
Among the options offered by the wheel we can:
__________________________________
❑ Zoom in and Zoom out, but moving the wheel forward or __________________________________
backward. The zoom speed can be controlled by using the __________________________________
Zoomfactor command at the command line. __________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Press down and hold the left key to pan around the drawing
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Double click on the mouse wheel to Zoom Extent. __________________________________

__________________________________
Learning to master a CAD mouse is one of the best things we can do to __________________________________
be productive as a CAD professional. We have a special blog post you __________________________________
can check HERE for some CAD mouse recommendations. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
39
NOTES
2.6 Command Line
__________________________________
The Command Line is the textbox at the bottom of the drawing area. It is __________________________________
the main intake for any command transmitted using the keyboard. The __________________________________
command line is a legacy item going back to when AutoCAD was running on
__________________________________
Microsoft DOS.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
5. Once we input a word at the command line, we get a suggestion for the __________________________________
possible commands related to the word we typed. For example, by __________________________________
typing Line, we get a list of suggestions for commands containing the
__________________________________
word Line.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
6. We can choose the command we are interested in by clicking on it on __________________________________
the list. For example, if we were rather looking for the Polyline __________________________________
command, we can click on it and run it. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
40
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
7. The command line can be moved, docked or floated. We can display or __________________________________
hide it using CTRL+9.
__________________________________
8. We can also change its input and search options by customization. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
We will see more how to use the command as we progress through the __________________________________
three levels of the AutoCAD course. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
41
NOTES
2.7 Status Bar
__________________________________
Just below the Command Line, we have the Status Bar. It has a set of __________________________________
drafting and display tools that provide ease of use and precision drafting. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
These settings and tools are discussed in more detail in the Basic AutoCAD
course. Nonetheless, let's discuss one of them, the Workspace Switching. __________________________________
So, as it turns out, with AutoCAD, you can just switch between multiple __________________________________
working environments, like basic AutoCAD 2D drafting, 3D Basis, and 3D __________________________________
modeling. This will change the interface to display the appropriate __________________________________
commands for the workspace we choose. __________________________________
__________________________________
Simply click on the Workspace Switching icon and pick the appropriate
work environment. You can also make changes to your workspace by
__________________________________
clicking on Customize, then on Save Current As, to rename the workspace. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Another option you should be aware of, as mentioned in the Quick Access __________________________________
Toolbar section, is saving the changes that you are making to the interface. __________________________________
To have AutoCAD memorize these changes, click on Workspace Settings. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
42
NOTES
From there, select the option to Automatically save workspace changes.
__________________________________
This action should not be performed if you are not currently working on
your usual and personal workstation.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Finally, note that all Status Bar display options are available from the button __________________________________
in the right bottom corner. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
43
NOTES
CREATING BASIC OBJECTS __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
3.1 Introduction __________________________________
Basic geometric objects such as arcs, lines, circles, and rectangles form __________________________________
the basis of every drawing. As stated earlier, these basic geometric __________________________________
objects act as founding blocks for complex drawings. So, it is very __________________________________
important to learn the commands that are used to create these basic __________________________________
geometric objects. __________________________________
__________________________________
In general, there is more than one way to complete a specified task in
__________________________________
AutoCAD. Once we have learned all available methods of doing a task in
__________________________________
AutoCAD, we can determine the best method for our working style.
__________________________________
In this chapter, we will not only have an understanding of all the basic __________________________________
geometric objects but also practice the respective commands for __________________________________
creating these objects. As we become proficient with creating basic __________________________________
geometric objects, we can successfully create more complex ones. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
44
NOTES
3.2 Line Command
__________________________________
About AutoCAD Lines __________________________________
__________________________________
In any AutoCAD drawing, the line object is the most basic and common
__________________________________
element, and the Line command is one of the most fundamental
__________________________________
commands that we will explore while learning AutoCAD.
__________________________________
The Line command is used to draw a straight-line segment or series __________________________________
of line segments between any two points, objects or features in the __________________________________
drawing. Each line segment acts as a separate drawing object (see __________________________________
figure) and can be edited independently. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
45
NOTES
Drawing Lines
__________________________________
In order to draw a line, the Line command can be activated in the __________________________________
following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. The first option is to use the command available from the Ribbon.
__________________________________
From the Ribbon, activate the Home tab ➢ Draw panel, and then
__________________________________
click the Line button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Optionally, we can also use the Command line. In the command __________________________________
line, type the alias “L” or “Line” and press the Enter key or the __________________________________
keyboard Spacebar. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
46
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will draw a rectangle, as shown, using the Line __________________________________
command. Let's follow the step by step procedure to draw the __________________________________
rectangle shown. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. Open the practice file ACAD1-01. Line.
__________________________________
2. Make sure that Object Snap and Orthomode are on. More details
__________________________________
on Object Snap and Orthomode are given in Chapter 5. But for
__________________________________
now, let's make sure they are activated and highlighted like this:
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. Use any of the two methods, previously explained (ribbon or
__________________________________
command line), to run the Line command.
__________________________________
4. For the start, click on Point (1).
__________________________________
5. Drag the mouse towards the right and press on Point (2). Because
__________________________________
of the Orthomode that is activated, we will only be able to move
__________________________________
horizontally or vertically. Click on Point (2) to create the first line
__________________________________
segment 1-2.
__________________________________
6. Now, drag the mouse downward and press anywhere in a straight
__________________________________
line to draw the second line segment 2-3.
__________________________________
7. In a similar manner, draw the remaining two-line segments, 3-4
__________________________________
and 4-1, to complete this practice exercise.
__________________________________
Note:
__________________________________
1. It is pertinent to mention that all the line segments drawn in this practice
exercise are independent and can be edited separately. __________________________________
2. Try it yourself. Select any of the four-line segments, press delete button
__________________________________
from your keyboard. The selected line segment will be deleted keeping the
other three-line segments unchanged. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
47
NOTES
3.3 Polyline Command
__________________________________
About Polylines __________________________________
__________________________________
A Polyline is a series of connected line segments, which are formed as
__________________________________
a single object. The Polyline command helps us to create complex
__________________________________
shapes or objects such as multi-line segments, arc segments, or a
__________________________________
combination of the two between any two points, objects or features in
__________________________________
the drawing. All line segments and/or arc segments in a polyline act as
__________________________________
one drawing object.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
48
NOTES
Drawing Polylines
__________________________________
In order to draw a polyline, the Polyline command can be activated __________________________________
in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. The first option is from the Ribbon. From the Ribbon, activate the
__________________________________
Home tab ➢ Draw panel, and then click the Polyline button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. The second option is through the command line. Type the alias PL __________________________________
or the command Polyline and press the Enter key, Spacebar, or __________________________________
the mouse's right-click button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
49
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will only practice drawing straight lines using the __________________________________
polyline command. So, again draw a rectangle, as shown, using the __________________________________
polyline command this time, instead of the line command we used __________________________________
previously. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
To draw the rectangle, let's follow this step by step procedure:
__________________________________
1. Open the ACAD1-01. Line AutoCAD practice file. __________________________________
2. Make sure that Object Snap and Orthomode are on. Details on __________________________________
Object Snap and Orthomode are given in Chapter 5. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
3. Use any of the two methods, previously explained, to activate the __________________________________
line command. __________________________________
4. For the start, Point (1), click anywhere in the drawing. __________________________________
5. Drag the mouse towards the right and press anywhere in a straight __________________________________
line to draw the first line segment 1-2. __________________________________
__________________________________
6. Now, drag the mouse downward and press anywhere in a straight
line to draw the second line segment 2-3. __________________________________
In a similar manner, draw the remaining two-line segments, 3- __________________________________

4 and 4-1, to complete this practice exercise. __________________________________
__________________________________
Note:
__________________________________
1. All the line segments drawn in this practice exercise, using polyline command, and act
__________________________________
as one object. Editing one-line segment will apply changes to all the line segments.
__________________________________
2. Try it yourself. Select any of the four-line segments, press delete button from your
keyboard. We will see that deleting one-line segment deletes__________________________________
all the line segments
indicating that they are acting as one object.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
50
NOTES
3.4 Circle Command
__________________________________
About Circles __________________________________
__________________________________
A Circle is an AutoCAD object in which all points are at an equal
__________________________________
distance from the center.
__________________________________
The Circle command is used to create circles in the drawing. When __________________________________
the Circle command is activated, various combinations of the center, __________________________________
radius, diameter, etc., can be specified while creating a circle. The __________________________________
most fundamental and basic combination is to select a Center Point __________________________________
(1) and then specify the Radius (R). __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
51
NOTES
Drawing a Circle
__________________________________
In order to draw a circle, the Circle command can be activated in the __________________________________
__________________________________
1. The first option is from the Ribbon. Activate the Home tab ➢
__________________________________
Draw panel, and then click the Circle button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. The second option is to use the Command Line. Type in the alias __________________________________
“C” or the full “Circle” command and press the Enter or the __________________________________
Spacebar keys. Alternatively, we can also use the mouse's right- __________________________________
click as an equivalent to the Enter command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
52
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will draw a circle, as shown, using the most __________________________________
fundamental and basic combination, which is to select a Center Point __________________________________
(1) and then specify the Radius (R). __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's use a step by step procedure to draw a circle.
__________________________________
1. Open the practice file ACAD1-03. Circle.dwg. __________________________________
2. Use any of the two previously explained methods to activate the __________________________________
circle command. __________________________________
3. For the center Point (1), click to specify the center of the circle. __________________________________
4. Drag the mouse outwards away from the center and type a radius __________________________________
value of say 400m or 400ft, depending on the units you are using __________________________________
(metric or imperial units). __________________________________
5. Then, press the Spacebar or the Enter key to finish the command. __________________________________
6. You should now be able to see the circle we have created. __________________________________
__________________________________
Note: __________________________________
In this practice exercise, we have created a circle using the __________________________________
basic combination of center point and radius. In the advance __________________________________
level course, we will learn about other combinations we can __________________________________
use to create a circle in AutoCAD. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
53
NOTES
3.5 Arc Command
__________________________________
About Arcs __________________________________
__________________________________
An Arc is a section or segment of a circle. The Arc command is used
__________________________________
to create arcs in an AutoCAD drawing. Like circles, when the Arc
__________________________________
command is activated, various combinations of start point, endpoint,
__________________________________
center, radius, chord length, etc., can be specified to create the arc.
__________________________________
The most fundamental and basic combination is to draw an arc with __________________________________
the help of three points, a Start Point (1), Center Point (2), and End __________________________________
Point (3). __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
54
NOTES
Drawing Arcs
__________________________________
In order to draw an arc, the Arc command can be activated in the __________________________________
__________________________________
1. The first option is to use the ribbon. From the Ribbon, activate the
__________________________________
Home tab ➢ Draw panel, and then click the Arc button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. The second option is the command line. In the command line, type __________________________________
the alias “A” or the full command “Arc” and press the Enter key, __________________________________
the Spacebar, or then right-click the mouse button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
55
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will draw an arc by using the basic combination, __________________________________
that is, the help of three points. We will use a start Point (1), Center __________________________________
Point (2), and End Point (3). __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure to draw an arc. __________________________________
__________________________________
1. Open the practice file ACAD1-04.Arc.dwg.
__________________________________
2. Use any of the two methods, previously explained, to activate the
__________________________________
Arc command.
__________________________________
3. For the start, Point (1), click on your desired start point.
__________________________________
4. Drag the mouse towards Point (2) and press the left mouse key
__________________________________
for center Point (2).
__________________________________
5. In a similar manner, drag the mouse towards Point (3) and click
__________________________________
for the last Point (3). The arc is now completed.
__________________________________
__________________________________
Note:
__________________________________
In this practice exercise, we have created an arc using the basic __________________________________
combination of three points. In the advance level course, we will __________________________________
learn about other combinations of creating arcs in AutoCAD. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
56
NOTES
3.6 Erase Command
__________________________________
About the Erase Command __________________________________
__________________________________
The Erase command is used to remove an AutoCAD object in a
__________________________________
drawing. In order to delete an object from the drawing, we simply
__________________________________
need to activate the Erase command and then select the object to be
__________________________________
deleted.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
57
NOTES
Using the Erase Command
__________________________________
In order to remove an object in a drawing, the Erase command can be __________________________________
activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. From the Ribbon, activate the Home tab. Then, from the Modify
__________________________________
panel, click the Erase button as highlighted.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. The second option is to type the alias E or the full word Erase, in __________________________________
the command bar, and press enter or Spacebar key, or the __________________________________
mouse's right-click button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
58
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will use the Erase command to remove an arc __________________________________
object, shown in red color, created in a previous practice exercise. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure to erase the arc.
__________________________________
1. Open the practice file ACAD1-05.Erase.dwg. __________________________________
Erase command. __________________________________
3. Select the arc, shown in red color, and press the Enter key or __________________________________
Spacebar to erase the arc. __________________________________
4. The screenshot of the drawing, upon the removal of arc, is shown. __________________________________
__________________________________
5. In a similar manner, we can erase as many drawing objects as we __________________________________
want. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
59
NOTES
3.7 Rectangle Command
__________________________________
About Rectangles __________________________________
__________________________________
We have already learned to create a rectangle using the Line and
__________________________________
Polyline commands. But there is another quick way to create a
__________________________________
rectangle, and that is with the help of the Rectangle command.
__________________________________
The Rectangle command is used to create rectangular objects in __________________________________
AutoCAD. A rectangular object, created with this command, acts as a __________________________________
single polyline object. __________________________________
__________________________________
There are many options for creating a rectangle based on the area and
__________________________________
dimensions of the rectangle. The simplest and the basic method is
__________________________________
with the help of two points, that is, to specify the first corner and then
__________________________________
the opposite corner.
__________________________________
This figure below shows a rectangle, which is created using the two __________________________________
points method. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
60
NOTES
Drawing Rectangles
__________________________________
In order to draw a rectangle, the Rectangle command can be __________________________________
__________________________________
1. From the Ribbon, activate the Home tab.
__________________________________
2. In the Draw panel, click the Rectangle button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. In the command bar, type the alias REC or the full command __________________________________
RECTANG and press the Enter key, the Spacebar, or the mouse's __________________________________
right-click button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
61
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this practice exercise, we will draw a rectangle, as shown, using the __________________________________
two-point method. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure, to draw a rectangle:
__________________________________
1. Open the practice file ACAD1-06.Rectangle.dwg. __________________________________
Rectangle command. __________________________________
3. For the first point, click on corner (1). __________________________________
4. Drag the mouse and press the left mouse key on the second Point __________________________________
(2), representing the opposite of corner (1). __________________________________
5. The command is now completed, and we have created the __________________________________
Rectangle. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
62
NOTES
3.8 Polygon Command
__________________________________
About Polygons __________________________________
__________________________________
A polygon is a regular geometric object. It is a multi-sided (3 or more
__________________________________
sides) object in which all sides are of equal length.
__________________________________
The Polygon command is used to create a regular polygon geometric __________________________________
object. A polygon can be created using various parameters. One way is __________________________________
to specify the center point and radius of an imaginary circle, and the __________________________________
other one is by specifying a start point and end point of one of the __________________________________
polygon edges. __________________________________
__________________________________
Most commonly, polygons are created by specifying the center point
__________________________________
and radius of an imaginary circle. When we select this method, we
__________________________________
must choose one of two options, that is, either the “inscribed in a
__________________________________
circle” or “circumscribed in a circle.” The size of the polygon is
__________________________________
calculated, depending on the selected option, as shown in these
__________________________________
images.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
63
NOTES
Drawing Polygons
__________________________________
In order to draw a polygon, the Polygon command can be activated __________________________________
in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. In the Draw panel, click the downward arrow next to the
__________________________________
Rectangle button to open the panel, and then click the
__________________________________
Polygon button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is the command bar. Type in the alias POL __________________________________
or the full Polygon command. __________________________________
4. Then, press the Enter key, the Spacebar or the mouse's right- __________________________________
click button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
64
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will draw a polygon inscribed in a circle, as shown, __________________________________
using the default method, that is, by specifying the center point and __________________________________
radius of an imaginary circle. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure, to draw a polygon:
__________________________________
1. Open the practice file ACAD1-07.Polygon.dwg __________________________________
Polygon command. __________________________________
3. Enter a value for the number of sides, say 5 in this case. __________________________________
4. For the center Point (1), click on the center point. __________________________________
5. Choose the inscribed in circle option. __________________________________
6. Drag the mouse away from the center point and enter a value for __________________________________
the radius, say 2m or 2ft, depending on your preferred units. __________________________________
7. Press the Enter key or Spacebar to finish the command. __________________________________
__________________________________
Note: __________________________________
__________________________________
Values used in this exercise are just for the sake of practice in
__________________________________
this guide. we may use other values for number of sides of a
__________________________________
polygon and radius of the polygon.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
65
NOTES
CONTROLLING OBJECTS __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
4.1 Introduction __________________________________
Changing object properties is a common practice in all design __________________________________
activities. These changes may be a result of any alteration or __________________________________
adjustment in a design. Editing a drawing is something we will be __________________________________
required to do frequently during the life cycle of a project. __________________________________

__________________________________
In this chapter, we will not only have an understanding of all the basic __________________________________
commands that are used for altering drawing objects, but we will also __________________________________
practice the respective commands that allow us to do it. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
66
NOTES
4.2 Moving Objects
__________________________________
About the Move Command __________________________________
__________________________________
In this section, we will learn how to change the position of an object in
__________________________________
an AutoCAD drawing using the Move command. Changing the
__________________________________
position of an object in a drawing is a common practice while editing
__________________________________
or creating a drawing.
__________________________________
The Move command allows us to change the position of an object in __________________________________
the drawing in various ways. The simplest of all available methods is __________________________________
to change the position by selecting the first Point (1) from where the __________________________________
object is, also known as the base point, to the second Point (2), where __________________________________
the object is going to be moved to. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
67
NOTES
Using the Move Command
__________________________________
In order to move an object, the Move command can be activated in __________________________________
the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. In the Modify panel, click the Move button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is to use the command bar. Type the alias M or __________________________________
the full command, Move, and press the Enter key, the Spacebar, __________________________________
or the mouse's right-click button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
68
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will move the smaller rectangle, from its current __________________________________
location, Point (1) to Point (2). __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow the step by step procedure to accomplish this goal:
__________________________________
1. Open the practice file ACAD1-09. Moving Objects.dwg. __________________________________
Move command. __________________________________
3. Select the smaller rectangle by clicking on it. __________________________________
4. Then, press the Enter key or the Spacebar to complete running __________________________________
the Move command. __________________________________
5. For the base Point (1), click on the upper left corner of the __________________________________
rectangle (1). __________________________________
6. Drag the mouse towards the left and click on the second Point (2). __________________________________
7. The Move command is now completed. __________________________________
8. This illustration shows the final position of the objects after __________________________________
completion of the Move command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
69
NOTES
4.3 Copying Objects
__________________________________
Introduction __________________________________
__________________________________
In this section, we will learn about creating duplicate objects in a
__________________________________
drawing using the Copy command. This command is quite helpful if
__________________________________
we want to create a number of objects having similar geometry in a
__________________________________
drawing. Instead of creating the same object, again and again, we can
__________________________________
simply use the Copy command to do this.
__________________________________
Just like the Move command, after running the Copy command, the __________________________________
easiest available method to copy an object is by selecting a first Point __________________________________
(1), from where the object is going to be copied, known as the base __________________________________
point, followed by the second Point (2), where the object is going to __________________________________
be created. __________________________________
__________________________________
Optionally, we can continue specifying multiple destination points
__________________________________
(second points), if we want to create multiple duplicate objects.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
70
NOTES
About the Copy Command
__________________________________
In order to copy an object, the Copy command can be activated in the __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, click the Copy button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is to use the command bar. From there, type the
__________________________________
alias C or the full Copy command.
__________________________________
4. Then, press the Enter key, the Spacebar or the mouse's right-
__________________________________
click button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
71
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will simply create multiple copies of the cross sign, __________________________________
as shown, __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure to accomplish the task at hand: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. Open the practice file ACAD1-10.Copying Objects.dwg __________________________________
2. Make sure that Object Snap mode is on. More details of the Object __________________________________
Snap will be provided later. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Line command.
__________________________________
4. Select the cross sign and then press the Enter key or Spacebar to
__________________________________
complete the selection.
__________________________________
5. For the base Point (1), click on the upper left corner of the
__________________________________
rectangle.
__________________________________
6. Drag the mouse towards the right, reach the second Point (2) and
__________________________________
again click to paste the object to its new position. Continue to
__________________________________
specify as many second points (2) as we want.
__________________________________
7. At the end, press the Enter key or Spacebar to complete the
__________________________________
command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
72
NOTES
4.4 Rotating Objects
__________________________________
About Rotating Objects __________________________________
__________________________________
In this section, we will learn to use the Rotate command. In AutoCAD,
__________________________________
sometimes we need to change the direction or angle of an object, the
__________________________________
Rotate command comes handy for such activities.
__________________________________
There are various options to rotate an object using the Rotate __________________________________
command. The simplest of all is to use a combination of the base __________________________________
Point (1), reference Point (1), second point on object (2), and then the __________________________________
target Point (3), as shown in this figure. The red dotted line is __________________________________
representing the original orientation of the line, and the solid black __________________________________
line is indicating the new direction. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Step by step procedure to rotate an object using this basic method is
__________________________________
explained in the practice exercise.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
73
NOTES
Using the Rotate Command
__________________________________
In order to rotate an object, the Rotate command can be activated in __________________________________
the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, click on the Rotate button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. In the command bar, type the alias “RO” or the full Rotate
__________________________________
command and press the Enter key or Spacebar or the right
__________________________________
mouse button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
74
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will rotate a line from its original direction, 1-2, to __________________________________
a new direction, 1-3, as shown. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Follow the step by step procedure, to rotate a line object, given below:
__________________________________
1. Open the AutoCAD practice file .dwg. __________________________________
2. Make sure that Object Snap is on. Details of the Object Snap are __________________________________
given in Chapter 5. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
Line command. __________________________________
4. Select the line and then press the Enter key or Spacebar to __________________________________
complete the selection. __________________________________
5. For the base Point (1), click at the start of the line object, then __________________________________
type “R” and again click on the same point, i.e., at the start of the __________________________________
line object. __________________________________
6. Specify the second Point (2) by simply pressing the left mouse __________________________________
button at the end of the line object. __________________________________
7. Drag the mouse upward and click on the target Point (3) to __________________________________
complete the command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
75
NOTES
4.5 Mirroring Objects
__________________________________
About mirroring objects __________________________________
__________________________________
As the name suggests, the Mirror command helps to create a
__________________________________
mirrored image of an existing AutoCAD object. With the Mirror
__________________________________
command, we can replicate objects by reflecting it symmetrically to a
__________________________________
physical or imaginary line.
__________________________________
In AutoCAD, sometimes, we need to create a mirrored duplicate of __________________________________
objects. That is where the Mirror command comes handy. __________________________________
__________________________________
Instead of creating a mirrored duplicate from scratch, we can save a
__________________________________
lot of time by using this command. It will assist us in creating complex
__________________________________
geometries in a relatively short period of time.
__________________________________
Once the Mirror command is activated, it will ask us to define a __________________________________
mirror reference line. The mirror line is a real or imaginary axis __________________________________
across which all the desired geometry will be mirrored. Once the __________________________________
mirror line is defined, and the object is mirrored, we have the option __________________________________
of either retaining or removing the source object. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
76
NOTES
Using the Mirror Command
__________________________________
The Mirror command can be activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. First, from the Ribbon, activate the Home tab.
__________________________________
2. Then, on the Modify panel, click on the Mirror button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is to type the alias MI or the full Mirror
__________________________________
command in the command line.
__________________________________
4. Then, press the Enter key, the Spacebar or the mouse's right-
__________________________________
click button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
77
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will mirror the polyline source object across the __________________________________
mirror line 1-2, as shown. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure, to mirror the polyline object.
__________________________________
1. First, open the AutoCAD file ACAD1-12.Mirroring.dwg __________________________________
2. Then, make sure that Object Snap mode is on. More details on __________________________________
using the Object Snap option is given in Chapter 5 of this course. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. Now, use any of the two methods, previously explained, to run the __________________________________
Mirror command. __________________________________
4. Next, select the polyline and press enter or the Spacebar to __________________________________
5. When prompted to select the first Point (1) of the mirror line, __________________________________
press click on Point (1). __________________________________
6. Then, specify the second Point (2) of the mirror line by simply __________________________________
clicking on Point (2). __________________________________
7. Now, when prompted to decide whether to erase the source object __________________________________
or not, select “No” to retain it. __________________________________
8. The command is now completed, and the mirror image of the __________________________________
source object is created. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
78
NOTES
4.6 Scaling Objects
__________________________________
About Scaling Objects __________________________________
__________________________________
In this section, we will learn how to proportionally change the size of
__________________________________
an AutoCAD object. Most of the time, in AutoCAD, it is much easier to
__________________________________
modify an existing object than creating a new one.
__________________________________
The Scale command is one of the commands that can help us modify __________________________________
an existing object in terms of changing their sizes uniformly. We can __________________________________
make them uniformly smaller or bigger by applying the Scale __________________________________
command. The command can be applied to a single object or an entire __________________________________
drawing. The Scale command is particularly useful when changing __________________________________
drawing units. For example, when switching a drawing from meters to __________________________________
feet, from feet to inches, or any other unit conversion. We just need to __________________________________
know the conversion factor between the two units and scale the __________________________________
drawing accordingly. __________________________________
__________________________________
There are various options available to us to use the Scale command.
__________________________________
One way is to use the combination of a base Point (1) and a scaling
__________________________________
factor. For example, if we want to increase the size of an object two
__________________________________
times, we will use a Scale Factor of 2. Another way is to use a
__________________________________
combination of the base Point (1), reference length (point 1 to
__________________________________
second point 2), and then a target length (point 1 to point 3).
__________________________________
In this figure, the red dotted line represents the original size of the __________________________________
square, while the solid black line represents the newly scaled square. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
79
NOTES
Using the Scale Command
__________________________________
The Scale command can be activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. First, from the Ribbon, activate the Home tab.
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, run the Scale command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is by using the Command Bar. Type the alias
__________________________________
SC or the complete Scale command.
__________________________________
4. Then, press the Enter key, the Spacebar or the Mouse's right-
__________________________________
click button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
80
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will increase the size of the square object, as __________________________________
shown, using the reference method. This method uses: __________________________________
__________________________________
❑ a Base Point (1),
__________________________________
❑ a Reference Length (point 1 to point 2); and
__________________________________
❑ a Final Length (Point (1) to Point (3)).
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's practice the Scale command by using a step by step procedure:
__________________________________
1. First, open the practice file ACAD1-13.Scaling Objects.dwg. __________________________________
2. Next, make sure that the Object Snap option is on. Once again, __________________________________
more details on how to use object snaps are provided in Chapter __________________________________
5. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. Then, use any of the two methods previously explained to run the __________________________________
Scale Command. __________________________________
4. Select the square and then press the Enter key or the Spacebar to __________________________________
5. When prompted to specify the base point, click on Point (1), then __________________________________
type R. Typing R means that we are going to use a reference, __________________________________
instead of specifying a given value. With the reference option, we __________________________________
measure a distance (the reference) on the source object and __________________________________
specify the new dimension we would like for that distance. The __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
81
NOTES
new dimension can be entered manually or measured on the
__________________________________
screen.
__________________________________
6. So, let's click on the two points of the reference dimension: Point
__________________________________
(1) and Point (2).
__________________________________
7. Now, to specify the new dimension of the reference (1 to 2), drag
__________________________________
the mouse diagonally and click on at the target Point (3) to
__________________________________
complete the command. We have scaled the square by the
__________________________________
reference method, by making a reference distance (1 to 2) equal to
__________________________________
a new distance (1 to 3).
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
82
NOTES
EDITING OBJECTS __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
5.1 Introduction __________________________________
In AutoCAD, editing objects is another one of the most common __________________________________
activities that you will perform throughout a design process. The need __________________________________
for editing may arise as a result of any change in a design or for __________________________________
rectification of any mistake made during the design process. __________________________________
In this chapter, we will not only learn about the most commonly used __________________________________
commands for editing a drawing object but also practice the __________________________________
respective commands. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
83
NOTES
5.2 Extend Command
__________________________________
About the extend command __________________________________
__________________________________
In any design process, you may need to adjust the length of a line or
__________________________________
any other AutoCAD object to meet the design requirements. In some
__________________________________
cases, you may need to lengthen an object, while in others, you may
__________________________________
require shortening the object geometry.
__________________________________
The Extend command is used to increase the length of a line, __________________________________
polyline, arc, or other AutoCAD elements to connect it to another __________________________________
object. The Extend command is a precision drafting tools that extend __________________________________
objects and ends them exactly at the specified boundary. __________________________________
__________________________________
In the following figure, if you want to extend Line (1) to Line (2), you
__________________________________
first need to run the Extend command, then select the boundary Line
__________________________________
(2) and then the line to be extended, Line (1).
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
84
NOTES
Using the Extend Objects
__________________________________
We can run the Extend command in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, click the arrow next to the Trim
__________________________________
button to open the panel and run the Extend command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is to type the alias EX or the full Extend __________________________________
command in the command bar and press on the Enter key or the __________________________________
Spacebar. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
85
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will extend Line (1) to Line (2), as shown, using __________________________________
the extend command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure to accomplish this goal:
__________________________________
1. Open the ACAD1-14. Extend.dwg AutoCAD file. __________________________________
extend command. __________________________________
3. Select Line (2), the boundary of the extension. __________________________________
4. Then, press on the Enter key or Spacebar to complete the __________________________________
selection. __________________________________
5. Now, when asked to select the object that you want to extend, __________________________________
select Line (1). __________________________________
6. Line (1) now extends to the specified boundary. __________________________________
7. Press Esc to escape and end the command. __________________________________
8. This illustration shows the final position of the objects after the __________________________________
completion of the Extend command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
86
NOTES
5.3 Trim Command
__________________________________
About the Trim command __________________________________
__________________________________
The Trim command is just the opposite of the Extend command. It is
__________________________________
used to shorten the length of an object, to end at the edges of other
__________________________________
intersecting objects.
__________________________________
When tow objects intersect, one can act as the cutting edge of the __________________________________
other one, thus removing the unwanted part of that object. __________________________________
__________________________________
In order to understand this command, look at this figure taken from
__________________________________
the practice exercise of the Extend command. If you want to create a
__________________________________
well-defined corner, by removing the portion of Line (2) extending
__________________________________
beyond Line (1), you first need to select Line (1) and then select Line
__________________________________
(2) to Trim the extra portion.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
87
NOTES
Using the Trim command
__________________________________
The Trim command can be activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. From the Ribbon, activate the Home tab
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, run the Trim command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. In the command line, type the alias TR or the full Trim command
and press the Enter key, the Spacebar, or the mouse's right-click __________________________________
__________________________________
button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
88
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will trim Line (2) that extends beyond Line (1), as __________________________________
shown, using the Trim command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure to complete this practice:
__________________________________
1. Open the AutoCAD practice file ACAD1-15.Trim.dwg. __________________________________
2. Use any of the two previously explained methods to activate the __________________________________
Trim command. __________________________________
3. Select Line (1) and then press enter or the Spacebar to complete __________________________________
the selection. __________________________________
4. Now, when prompted to select the portion of the object that you __________________________________
want to trim, select the portion of Line (2) that extends beyond __________________________________
Line (1). __________________________________
5. Press the Enter or Esc key to complete the command. __________________________________
6. This illustration shows the final position of the objects after __________________________________
completing of the Trim command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
89
NOTES
5.4 Offsetting Objects
__________________________________
About the Offset Command __________________________________
__________________________________
Sometimes, we may need to create parallel objects at a specified
__________________________________
distance. This is needed to create geometries such as furniture edges,
__________________________________
mechanical parts edges, roadway features, etc. We can create parallel
__________________________________
objects, with the help of the Offset command. You can create parallel
__________________________________
lines, parallel curves, concentric circles, etc. Objects created using the
__________________________________
Offset command have the same shape but may or may not have the
__________________________________
same size.
__________________________________
In this figure, you can see some parallel lines and concentric circles __________________________________
created using the Offset command. The objects shown in black color __________________________________
are the source objects, and those in red are created using the Offset __________________________________
command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
90
NOTES
Using the Offset Command
__________________________________
The Offset command can be activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, run the Offset command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is to type the alias “O” or the full “Offset”
__________________________________
command in the command bar and press the Enter key, the
__________________________________
Spacebar, or the mouse's right-click button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
4. We should also mention that when the Offset command is __________________________________
launched, we have the option at the command line to specify a __________________________________
distance and a Through point. With the Through option, instead __________________________________
of specifying a distance, we will click on a point where the new __________________________________
offset object will pass through. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
91
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will create an offset object, as shown, by using the __________________________________
Offset command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure to accomplish this goal:
__________________________________
1. Open the AutoCAD practice file ACAD1-16.Offset Objects. __________________________________
2. Create a Circle to practice this skill learned previously in section __________________________________
1.3 (circle command or use the circle already in the drawing). __________________________________
Offset command. __________________________________
4. After activating the Offset command, you will be prompted to __________________________________
type the offset distance. For this exercise, use a value of 1m or __________________________________
1ft. __________________________________
5. Select the object to offset (the circle) and then drag the mouse __________________________________
towards the desired side (inwards or outwards). __________________________________
6. In this exercise, drag the mouse outwards and click to create an __________________________________
offset object, shown in red. Press the Spacebar or Enter key to __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
92
NOTES
5.5 Joining Objects
__________________________________
In an AutoCAD drawing, we usually have objects drawn as individual __________________________________
separate entities such as lines, polylines, arcs, etc. These objects are __________________________________
then combined to make a complex geometric object. This not only __________________________________
makes it difficult to manage the overall geometry of the objects, but __________________________________
also increases the file size. So, it is always recommended to join such __________________________________
objects when possible. __________________________________
__________________________________
The Join command is used to combine endpoints of objects such as
__________________________________
lines, polylines, arcs, etc. Be aware that the Join command only works
__________________________________
when all objects that you want to join share common endpoints and
__________________________________
also are at the same geometric coordinates (x, y, and z). In other
__________________________________
words, they have to completely touch ends.
__________________________________
In this figure, you can see two basic objects, a line, and an arc, which __________________________________
share a common End Point (1). If there is a gap between the __________________________________
endpoints of these two objects, we will not be able to join them. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
93
NOTES
Using the Join Command
__________________________________
The Join command can be activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, click the arrow next to the Modify
__________________________________
button to open the panel dropdown.
__________________________________
3. From there, click on the Join button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
4. In the command bar, type the alias J or the full Join command. __________________________________
5. Then, press the Enter key, the Spacebar or the mouse's right-click __________________________________
button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
94
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this practice, we will join two objects, an arc, and a polyline, using __________________________________
the Join command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure to accomplish the task at hand:
__________________________________
1. Open the AutoCAD practice file ACAD1-17.Join Objects.dwg. __________________________________
2. Create a line and arc, as shown, using the procedure, already __________________________________
discussed to practice your skills. Alternatively, you can use the __________________________________
existing entities if you have already mastered how to create lines __________________________________
and arcs. __________________________________
3. Next, use any of the previous two methods to activate the Join __________________________________
command. __________________________________
4. After activating the command, select all the objects you want to __________________________________
join. __________________________________
5. Press the Spacebar or the Enter key to join the objects and __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
95
NOTES
5.6 Breaking Objects
__________________________________
About the Break Command __________________________________
__________________________________
Cases may arise where we need to break a single AutoCAD object in
__________________________________
two or more separate entities. This task is accomplished by using the
__________________________________
Break command in AutoCAD.
__________________________________
The Break command works in two ways. One is to break an object at a __________________________________
point, in which case the line is broken, but the two endpoints of the __________________________________
new entities remain in contact. The second option is to break an __________________________________
object between two points, leaving a gap between the two new __________________________________
entities. We will learn how to use both options. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
96
NOTES
Breaking an Object at a Point
__________________________________
In order to break an object at a point, the Break at Point command __________________________________
can be activated as follows: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, click the arrow next to the Modify
__________________________________
button to open the panel.
__________________________________
3. Next, click on the Break at Point button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
97
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will break the line, as shown, using the Break at __________________________________
Point command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. Open the AutoCAD practice file ACAD1-18.Break Objects.dwg. __________________________________
2. First, let's practice some skills learned earlier. Draw a line using __________________________________
the Line command. If you are confident enough in your skills so __________________________________
far, use the existing line object. __________________________________
3. Then, use either of the previously explained methods to launch the __________________________________
Break at Point command. __________________________________
4. Select the line object that you want to break. __________________________________
5. Next, select a point on the line where you want to break it. __________________________________
6. The line is now broken into two individual entities. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
98
NOTES
Break between Two Points
__________________________________
In order to break an object between two points, the Break command __________________________________
can be activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, click the arrow next to Modify to
__________________________________
open the dropdown panel and then click on the Break button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is to type the alias “BR” or the full “Break” __________________________________
command in the command bar and press the Enter key, the __________________________________
Spacebar, or the Mouse's right-click button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
99
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will break the line, as shown, using the Break __________________________________
command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. Keep working from the previous AutoCAD practice file ACAD1- __________________________________
18.Break Objects.dwg. __________________________________
2. Draw a line using the Line command. __________________________________
3. Then, use any of the two methods, previously explained, to activate __________________________________
the Break command. __________________________________
4. Click on any two points on the line to break it between those two __________________________________
points. __________________________________
5. The line is now broken with a gap between the two points. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
100
NOTES
5.7 Creating Fillets
__________________________________
About Fillets __________________________________
__________________________________
Fillets are quite common across architecture and all engineering
__________________________________
disciplines. They are used to create a round or curved geometry
__________________________________
between any two AutoCAD objects. The Fillet command is used to
__________________________________
create a smooth curved transition, of a specified radius between the
__________________________________
two objects. You can fillet AutoCAD objects such as line, polyline, arc,
__________________________________
etc.
__________________________________
In the following illustration, you can see two lines before and after __________________________________
using the Fillet command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
101
NOTES
Using the Fillet Command
__________________________________
In order to create a fillet between two objects, the Fillet command can __________________________________
be activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Modify panel, run the Fillet command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. In the command line, type the alias F or the command Fillet.
__________________________________
4. Then, press the Enter key, the Spacebar or the mouse's right-click
__________________________________
button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
102
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will create a fillet between two line-objects, as __________________________________
shown, using the Fillet command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
1. Open the AutoCAD practice file ACAD1-19. Creating Fillets.dwg. __________________________________
2. Draw two perpendicular lines, as shown using the procedure __________________________________
discussed in Chapter 1. __________________________________
Fillet command. __________________________________
4. Once the Fillet command is activated, type the alias R in the __________________________________
command bar and press the Spacebar or Enter key. __________________________________
5. Type a radius value, to be used to fillet the two lines, and press the __________________________________
Spacebar or Enter key. In this exercise, use a fillet radius value __________________________________
of 1m or 1ft. __________________________________
6. Select the first object (1) and then the second object (2). __________________________________
7. Upon selecting the second object (2), a fillet will be created, and __________________________________
the Fillet command will be automatically completed. __________________________________
__________________________________
Note: __________________________________
__________________________________
You can also use Fillet command if you want to connect two
__________________________________
objects without a curve. For that you will use a radius value of 0.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
103
NOTES
BLOCKS __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
6.1 About Blocks __________________________________
When working in AutoCAD, sometimes we have to create drawings
__________________________________
that consist of various types of regular and sometimes irregular
__________________________________
shaped objects. All the information drawn in an AutoCAD drawing is
__________________________________
stored in the form of a database. Some of these objects are used more
__________________________________
frequently than others. If you would like to use these objects, it would
__________________________________
be much easier to group all the individual entities of that complex
__________________________________
geometry in a single object, which is known in AutoCAD parlance as a
__________________________________
Block, multiple objects combined to create a single entity. Their main
__________________________________
advantage is their ease of reuse in the current or future drawings. The
__________________________________
block is stored in the current drawing and accessible whenever the
__________________________________
drawing is opened. The blocks can also be imported in other drawings.
__________________________________
This not only helps you to work more efficiently, but also keeps your
__________________________________
design formats consistent across various projects. Ideally, your most
__________________________________
frequently used blocks should be saved in a template file. Please refer
__________________________________
to our upper-level courses on how to work with templates.
__________________________________
In this chapter, we will learn how to create blocks and use them in our __________________________________
drawings. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
104
NOTES
6.2 Creating Blocks
__________________________________
As discussed earlier, using blocks will help you work more efficiently. __________________________________
__________________________________
In this figure, the left object is a block object, whereas the same object
__________________________________
on the right consists of various separate entities. Just for illustration
__________________________________
purposes and better understanding, the individual objects, forming a
__________________________________
complex geometry, are shown in different colors. You can clearly see
__________________________________
that this complex geometry consists of lines, polylines, and arcs. If you
__________________________________
have to use them at multiple locations or in multiple drawings, it
__________________________________
would be better to convert them into a single block object. This will
__________________________________
increase your work efficiency.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
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NOTES
Using the Block Command
__________________________________
In order to create a block, the Block command can be activated in the __________________________________
__________________________________
1. From the Ribbon, activate the Insert tab.
__________________________________
2. Then, in the Block Definition panel, run the Create Block button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is to through the Command Bar. You can type
__________________________________
in the alias B or the command Block, then press the Enter, the
__________________________________
Spacebar key, or the mouse's right-click button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
106
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will create a block by grouping basic AutoCAD __________________________________
objects, as shown. We will use the Create Block command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow the step by step procedure, to create the block, as shown: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. Open the practice AutoCAD file ACAD1-20. Creating Blocks.dwg.
__________________________________
__________________________________
Create Block command.
__________________________________
3. Once the command is run, the Block Definition window opens.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
4. Type in the name of the block, Dining Table, for example. __________________________________
5. Then, click on Select Objects to select the object to be included in __________________________________
the block. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
107
NOTES
6. In this case, select the objects forming the dining table in the
__________________________________
practice drawing, using a rectangular selection.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
7. Then, press the Spacebar or Enter key.
__________________________________
8. Click OK. This will group all the entities into one monolithic block.
__________________________________
If you do not specify a block Base Point, the block will
automatically be inserted at the coordinates 0, 0, 0 of a drawing by __________________________________
__________________________________
default. To specify an insertion point in the block, activate the
__________________________________
Specify on Screen option.
__________________________________
9. Then, click on Pick point.
__________________________________
10. Next, click on the point you would like to be the default insertion
__________________________________
point, say the lower bottom corner.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
11. The insertion coordinates are now specified. Next time you insert __________________________________
this block in a drawing, this point will be matched with whichever __________________________________
point you choose on the screen. __________________________________
12. In the Object section, we have three options that we can use to __________________________________
decide what happens to the block after its creation. __________________________________
a. Retain, which retain all objects used to create the block. __________________________________
b. Convert to block, which will replace the existing individual __________________________________
objects by the newly created block. __________________________________
__________________________________
108
NOTES
c. Delete, which will delete the objects used and will not
__________________________________
immediately insert the new block. We can, however, insert
__________________________________
the new block later, if we wish to.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
13. Click OK to create the dining table block.
__________________________________
14. Repeat the previous steps to create a block called Chair. This time
__________________________________
select the objects constituting the chair.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
15. For the base point, select the lower-left corner of the entities.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
109
NOTES
__________________________________
16. We now have two blocks. One for the Dining Table and a second
__________________________________
one for the Dining Chair. The proof you ask? Click on any object,
__________________________________
and you will have the whole block selected.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
110
NOTES
6.3 Editing a block
__________________________________
About Editing a Block __________________________________
__________________________________
To paraphrase a wise man named Heraclitus, the only constant, in
__________________________________
designing, is change. In AutoCAD, you will find yourself making a lot
__________________________________
of changes, most of the time, due to circumstances beyond your
__________________________________
control. Therefore, we need to know how to deal with these changes.
__________________________________
Fortunately, once a block is created, we can edit and modify it. The
__________________________________
best thing about editing a block is that the changes will propagate to
__________________________________
every instance of the block, throughout the drawing. So, let's say you
__________________________________
have a hotel drawing with ten floors and 300 rooms. If the owner
__________________________________
decides to go from king size to queen-size beds, for example, the
__________________________________
change will only take you a couple of minutes. Just edit the block, and
__________________________________
every single bed in the building will adjust to the new sizes.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
111
NOTES
How to Edit a block
__________________________________
In order to Edit a block, we need to use the Block Editor. It can be __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, in the Block Definition panel, run the Block Editor button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is to through the Command Bar. You can type
__________________________________
in the command Blockeditor, then press the Enter, the Spacebar
__________________________________
key, or the mouse's right-click button.
__________________________________
4. In the Edit Block Definition window, select the block to edit. Let's
__________________________________
select the dining table and click, OK.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
5. The Block Editor opens. You may not have noticed, but this is a
__________________________________
completely different window than our AutoCAD main drafting
__________________________________
window. In this window, we can edit any of the block's objects
__________________________________
(their sizes, shapes, dimensions, colors, etc.). Let's change the
__________________________________
colors to put them to By block. This means that the colors of all
__________________________________
__________________________________
112
NOTES
objects of the block will inherit the color we set for the global
__________________________________
block. Their individual colors will be overwritten and replaced by
__________________________________
the block's color. So, let's say the lines are blue, the polylines red,
__________________________________
the arcs yellow, etc. None of that will matter if we put the block to
__________________________________
magenta. They will all obey the block color and turn magenta.
__________________________________
Select all the objects, right click, and select Properties.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
6. In the new Properties Window, we can change several __________________________________
parameters of the block entities. One of the parameters is the __________________________________
object's color. Set it to By Block. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
7. All entities will keep showing with their original color until we set
__________________________________
a color for the block.
__________________________________
__________________________________
113
NOTES
8. Close the Block Editor.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
9. Click Save the changes to Dining Table.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
10. Repeat the same previous steps to change the color of the block __________________________________
Chair. __________________________________
11. We now know how to Edit a block and ready to tackle any __________________________________
requested change involving a block. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
114
NOTES
6.4 Inserting Blocks
__________________________________
About Inserting Blocks and Drawings __________________________________
__________________________________
Now that we know how to Create and Edit a block, we need to learn
__________________________________
how to Insert them. After all, that's how they are going to be used.
__________________________________
To insert blocks and files in a drawing, we need to use the Insert __________________________________
command. When a new drawing is created, it does not contain any __________________________________
block definition, unless blocks were stored in the drawing template. __________________________________
So, you either have to create new blocks or Insert blocks from other __________________________________
drawings. When a drawing file is inserted into another drawing, all __________________________________
block definitions of the inserted file will be added to the new __________________________________
drawing. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
115
NOTES
Using the Insert Command
__________________________________
In order to insert a block, the Insert command can be activated in the __________________________________
following two ways. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. Then, in the Block panel, run the Insert command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is through the Command Bar. Type either the
__________________________________
alias “I” or the “Insert” command, then press the Enter, the
__________________________________
Spacebar key, or the mouse's right-click button.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
116
NOTES
Practice Exercise
__________________________________
In this exercise, we will insert the blocks we previously created in a __________________________________
new file. This block was created in a previous practice exercise. We __________________________________
will bring it in a different drawing with the Insert command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Let's follow a step by step procedure, to insert the block:
__________________________________
1. Open a new AutoCAD drawing by using the ribbon or typing QNew __________________________________
(Quick New) at the Command line. If you have a default template __________________________________
already set, use it. If not, choose a template from your template __________________________________
directory. __________________________________
Create block command. __________________________________
3. Once the command is activated, the Insert window will open. Click __________________________________
on the “Browse” button to navigate to practice drawing directory. __________________________________
In the directory, select the ACAD1-21.Inserting Blocks – __________________________________
COMPLETED.dwg file and click Open. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
117
NOTES
__________________________________
4. In the Insert window, Uncheck the two options, “Scale” and
__________________________________
“Rotation.” Activate the Specify on Screen option.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
5. Now, you can click anywhere to insert the drawing containing all
__________________________________
the blocks we have created, thus importing the block definition.
__________________________________
6. Double-click on your mouse or use the alias ZE at the command
__________________________________
line to Zoom the Extent of the drawing and reveal all entities in
__________________________________
the imported drawing.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
7. Select the two blocks and hit Delete to erase them. We will see __________________________________
how to insert them with a precise Basepoint. __________________________________
8. On the Insert tab, in the Block panel, click on the arrow to roll the __________________________________
Block panel. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
118
NOTES
9. Then, scroll all the way down to the most recent blocks and select
__________________________________
the Dining Table block.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
10. Click anywhere on the screen to insert it. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
11. Repeat the previous steps to insert the Chair.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
12. For the insertion point, click on the Table's top left corner.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
119
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
13. The chair is now inserted and hooks well with the table because __________________________________
we have defined an insertion point while creating the chair block. __________________________________
14. Use the Copy command to create two additional copies of the chair __________________________________
and lay them out like this. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
15. Next, use the Mirror command to add chairs on the other side of
__________________________________
the table, using the horizontal centerline of the table.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
120
NOTES
__________________________________
Note: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. A new drawing file may or may not contain some basic block
__________________________________
definitions depending upon the drawing template file.
__________________________________
2. We will learn about creating a template file in the advance
__________________________________
level course.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
121
NOTES
OBJECT SNAPS AND ORTHOMODES __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
7.1 Introduction __________________________________
__________________________________
In this introductory course, we learned about creating basic objects,
__________________________________
altering and editing those objects. We have also learned about
__________________________________
creating blocks, editing, and inserting them. There are some other
__________________________________
commands in AutoCAD, which are used in conjunction with other
__________________________________
basic commands to draw objects accurately.
__________________________________
In this chapter, we will learn about the importance of these supporting __________________________________
commands and their use. Learning these commands is very important __________________________________
to work efficiently. Two of the most important supporting commands, __________________________________
or drafting mode rather, are Object Snap and Orthomodes. They are __________________________________
not AutoCAD commands per se, but a drafting mode we put ourselves __________________________________
in, to achieve a certain desired result. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
122
NOTES
7.2 Object Snap
__________________________________
About Object Snap __________________________________
__________________________________
All objects in AutoCAD have certain defined selectable points such as
__________________________________
endpoint, midpoint, center, etc.; these points can be used to position
__________________________________
and interact with these objects. It is very important to define these
__________________________________
selectable points if you want to accurately work with these objects.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
There is a total of fourteen Object Snap modes available in AutoCAD. __________________________________
All available modes, with a brief description, are given below. __________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Endpoint: Snaps to the closest endpoint or the corner of an
__________________________________
object.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
123
NOTES
❑ Midpoint: Snaps to the midpoint of an object.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Center: Snaps to the center points of curved objects. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Geometric Center: Snaps to the centroid of any closed splines __________________________________
and polylines. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Node: Snaps to a point object, dimension definition point, or
__________________________________
dimension text origin.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Quadrant: Snaps to quadrant points on curved objects. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Intersection: Snaps to the intersection of any two geometric
__________________________________
objects.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
124
NOTES
__________________________________
❑ Extension: Causes a temporary extension line to display when __________________________________
you pass the cursor over the endpoint of objects, so you can __________________________________
specify points on the extension line. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Insertion: Snaps to the insertion point of an attribute, a block,
__________________________________
a shape, or text.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Perpendicular: Snaps to a point perpendicular to a selected __________________________________
AutoCAD object. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Tangent: Snaps to the tangent of a curved object such as circle,
__________________________________
arc, etc.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Nearest: Snaps to the nearest point on an AutoCAD object. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
125
NOTES
❑ Apparent Intersection: Snaps to the apparent intersection of
__________________________________
any two AutoCAD objects that do not intersect in 3D space but
__________________________________
may appear to intersect in the current view.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ Parallel: Restrict a line or ray object parallel to another __________________________________
existing linear object that you identify by hovering the mouse __________________________________
cursor. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
126
NOTES
Using Object Snap Command
__________________________________
The Object Snap command can be activated in the following two __________________________________
ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. On the Status Bar, at the bottom of the screen, click on the Object
__________________________________
Snap button. A blue-colored button indicates that the command is
__________________________________
activated, and a white-colored button represents an inactive
__________________________________
command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. The second option is to simply press “F3” to activate or deactivate
__________________________________
this command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
127
NOTES
Object Snap Settings
__________________________________
The Object Snap settings window is shown. The Object Snap settings, __________________________________
in the Object Snap tab of the drafting settings window, allow you to __________________________________
select the required object snaps by checking boxes. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
If we click on the “Clear All” button, it will uncheck all the boxes,
__________________________________
whereas clicking “Select All” will check all the boxes. We can also
__________________________________
select specific desired snaps modes individually.
__________________________________
We can open the Object Snap Setting window in the following two __________________________________
ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. On the Status Bar, at the bottom of the screen, right-click on the __________________________________
Object Snap button or left-click the arrow next to the Object __________________________________
Snap button to open the dropdown panel. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
128
NOTES
2. Then, click on Object Snap Settings. This will open the “Drafting
__________________________________
Setting” window, shown above.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. The second option is through the Command bar. There, we can __________________________________
type the alias “OS” or the command “OSNAP,” then press the __________________________________
Enter, the Spacebar key, or the mouse's right-click button. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
129
NOTES
7.3 Orthomode
__________________________________
About Orthomode __________________________________
__________________________________
This is a simple but very useful drafting mode in AutoCAD. The
__________________________________
Orthomode will help us draw lines, polylines, or other objects in a
__________________________________
horizontal or vertical direction. When the command is turned on, the
__________________________________
cursor’s movement will be restricted only in two directions, that is,
__________________________________
horizontal and vertical. The lines in this figure are drawn while
__________________________________
another command is activated.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
130
NOTES
Using Ortho
__________________________________
Orthomode can be activated in the following two ways: __________________________________
__________________________________
1. On the Status Bar, at the bottom of the screen, click on the
__________________________________
Orthomode button. A blue-colored button indicates that the
__________________________________
command is activated, and a white-colored button represents an
__________________________________
inactive command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
2. The second option is to simply press “F8” to activate or deactivate __________________________________
this command. __________________________________
3. Press “F8” to activate or deactivate Orthomode. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
Note: __________________________________
__________________________________
❑ In this chapter you have learned about two
__________________________________
commands, which will assist you during any
__________________________________
design activity by enhancing efficiency and
__________________________________
accuracy.
__________________________________
❑ You have also learned the use of these commands
__________________________________
while doing the practice exercises for “creating
__________________________________
basic objects”.
__________________________________
❑ You will learn about creating a template file in
__________________________________
advance level course.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
131
NOTES
PRACTICE 01: CREATING A 2D SOFA __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
8.1 Introduction
In the previous lessons, we've learned how to use some AutoCAD __________________________________
commands to create basic 2D elements like lines, polylines, and __________________________________
rectangles. We also learn how to modify these elements. Once we __________________________________
understand how to use these commands, we can use our skills to create __________________________________
bigger projects such as architectural floor plans or house furniture or __________________________________
mechanical parts. __________________________________
__________________________________
Let's start doing that by creating a 2D sofa and practice the commands
__________________________________
we learned. For this small project, we will need most of the skills we've
__________________________________
practiced previously.
__________________________________
Let's start our first bigger practice project by drawing a piece of __________________________________
furniture for the house, a sofa, for example. The sofa we want to __________________________________
design will look similar to this. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
132
NOTES
8.2 Practice
Let's get started. __________________________________
__________________________________
1. First, open the practice file ACAD1-22.Practice 01 - Sofa
__________________________________
2. Then, from the Ribbon or the command line, run the Line
__________________________________
command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
3. Then, with Orthomode and Osnap (Center) activated, click on
__________________________________
the start point (the magenta circle in square 1). This will allow us
__________________________________
to click in the center of the circle and lock the cursor movement
__________________________________
to only the horizontal and vertical directions.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
4. Slide the cursor to the right and enter 2000 in millimeters (80 __________________________________
inches). This will create the first line of the sofa. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
5. Next, slide the cursor upward and enter 700 (30in), then press __________________________________
Enter. This creates the right edge of the sofa. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
133
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
6. Now, move the cursor to the left and type 2000, then press Enter __________________________________
to create the front edge of the sofa. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
7. After that, with Osnap (End) activated, click on the start point to __________________________________
create a rectangle. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
8. Now, press Escape to exit the Line command. You may be asking
__________________________________
yourself, why not use the Rectangle command we just learned in
__________________________________
the previous lesson? Well, of course, we can do that. Instead, let's
__________________________________
use the Rectangle command to create the sofa's armrests.
__________________________________
9. Run the Rectangle command from the Ribbon or Command
__________________________________
Line.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
10. When prompted to specify the first corner point, click on the
__________________________________
lower-left corner of the sofa.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
134
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
11. Then, when prompted for the other corner, click on Dimension __________________________________
or enter the shortcut D at the command line. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
12. For the length, enter 150 and press Enter. __________________________________
13. For the Width, enter 500 and press Enter. __________________________________
14. Now, we are given an option to insert the rectangle in one of the __________________________________
four quadrants of an imaginary circle centered at the start __________________________________
point. Choose the top right quadrant and click. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
15. After that, with the Osnap (Midpoint) activated, use the Move __________________________________
command to move the armrest from the Midpoint of its lower __________________________________
edge to the lower-left corner of the sofa. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
16. Then click to adjust the armrest.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
135
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
17. Now, let's see how to use the grips of AutoCAD objects. It is
__________________________________
intuitive that we can select almost any object and move a grip by
__________________________________
selecting it and manually moving it. Furthermore, this applies also
__________________________________
to segments. Suppose that we want to make the armrest 75mm
__________________________________
(3in) closer to the front edge of the sofa.
__________________________________
18. Select the armrest then click on the midpoint of the top edge.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
19. Then, move it upward and type 75mm (3in) at the command line. __________________________________
The armrest now extends closer to the front of the segment. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
20. Now, let's create the headrest. To do that, we can either copy the __________________________________
bottom edge and move it, say 200mm (8in), or create an offset. __________________________________
Let's use the Offset option to create a copy of the bottom edge of __________________________________
the headrest. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
136
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
21. Subsequently, with the Osnap (Intersection) activated and __________________________________
Orthomode deactivated, run a Line from the lower-left corner of __________________________________
the armrest to the intersection of the top of the headrest and the __________________________________
right of the armrest lines. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
22. Now, let's practice the Trim command. Run it from the Ribbon or __________________________________
the command line. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
23. Then, make a rectangular selection to select all the objects of the __________________________________
sofa. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
24. When prompted to TRIM, click to trim the following object: the
__________________________________
top part of the middle vertical line of the armrest, the bottom part
__________________________________
__________________________________
137
NOTES
of the right line of the armrest, and the left part of the top headrest
__________________________________
line.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
25. The sofa should look like this after trimming the unnecessary
__________________________________
parts.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
26. After that, we need to delete the part of the lower line of the __________________________________
armrest extending past the vertical middle line. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
27. We can't use the Erase command because the armrest is one __________________________________
entity (we used a rectangle to create it). Deleting one part will __________________________________
delete the whole thing. So, we have a couple of options. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
138
NOTES
❑ The first option would be to Explode the rectangle and Delete
__________________________________
the extra line. To do this, run the Explode command from the
__________________________________
Ribbon or at the command line (alias X).
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
❑ The second option to Remove the extra line is by deleting the
__________________________________
vertex. To do this, we would select the armrest, then put the
__________________________________
cursor on the last vertex of the line to be deleted and choose
__________________________________
Remove Vertex.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
28. However, removing the vertex will delete the whole segment of
__________________________________
the polyline. So, let's just grab the last vertex and move it to the
__________________________________
start point of the sofa (center of the circle).
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
29. The sofa should look like this when we are done. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
139
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
30. Now, we need to Mirror the left armrest to the right. First, we need __________________________________
an axis for the mirror. Draw a line or polyline from the middle of __________________________________
the top line of the sofa to the bottom line of the headrest. Make __________________________________
sure the Osnap (Perpendicular) option is activated. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
31. Then, Trim and delete all the right parts of the Mirror axis. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
32. Next, run the Mirror command and select all the parts to the right __________________________________
with a rectangular selection and press Enter. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
140
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
33. For the first point, click on the lower or upper end of the mirror
__________________________________
axis.
__________________________________
34. For the second point, click on the other end.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
35. For the option to Erase the source objects, press Enter to choose __________________________________
No. The mirror image is now created. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
36. Next, Erase the mirror axis by selecting it and running the Erase
__________________________________
command or hitting the Delete key
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
141
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
37. Subsequently, we need to join the horizontal lines of the sofa. This
__________________________________
step is not really required, but let's use this opportunity to
__________________________________
practice the Join command. If you click on individual lines, you
__________________________________
will notice that the top line of the sofa is made up of two
__________________________________
independent polylines.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
38. Run the Join command. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
39. Now, assume that our sofa is required to have three seats of
__________________________________
700mm (30in). Therefore, we need a total length of 2100mm
__________________________________
(90in). Since we have created a sofa that is 2000mm (80in), we
__________________________________
__________________________________
142
NOTES
need to extend it. One easy way to do that is to use the Scale
__________________________________
command.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
40. After running the Scale command, make a rectangular selection __________________________________
to select all objects. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
41. After that, press Enter. __________________________________
42. For the base point, click on the Start point of the sofa (center of __________________________________
the circle). __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
43. When prompted for a scale factor, you can do the math and divide
__________________________________
2100 by 2000 (90 by 80) and enter the result. Or, you can spare
__________________________________
yourself the math headache and choose the Reference option. If
__________________________________
you choose that option, then simply click on Reference at the
__________________________________
command line or type the shortcut R.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
143
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
44. Subsequently, when prompted for the reference length, measure
__________________________________
the width of the sofa by clicking on one extremity of the top
__________________________________
horizontal line.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
45. Then, on the opposite side one.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
46. When prompted for the New Length, type 2100 (90) and press __________________________________
Enter. The sofa is now scaled. __________________________________
47. Now, let's create the outlines of the seat. Select one of the top __________________________________
vertical lines and offset it 700mm (30mm). __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
144
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
48. The new line should look like this. __________________________________

__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
49. Now use the Extend command to extend it down to the top of the
__________________________________
headrest.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
50. The left seat limit is now created.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
145
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
51. After that, let's offset the seat limit line to the right 700mm __________________________________
(30mm).
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
52. Subsequently, delete the two reference circles.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
53. Finally, let's create a block of our sofa so that we can insert it on
__________________________________
multiple floors, in a basement or any other room as required. Run
__________________________________
the Block command from the Ribbon or the command line.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
146
NOTES
54. In the Block Definition dialog box, enter Sofa Full for the Name.
__________________________________
Click on the Pick point icon to select a Basepoint for the __________________________________
block. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
55. Next, click on the lower-left corner of the sofa.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
56. Then, for Object, click Select Objects.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
147
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
57. Make a rectangular selection to select all objects.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
58. Press Enter to return to the Block Definition dialog box. __________________________________
59. Then, for the block conversion option, choose to Convert to __________________________________
Block. We've already seen what the different options mean in the __________________________________
Block section of the course. __________________________________
60. Finally, click OK to create the block. __________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
148
NOTES
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
61. The block is now created and can be inserted anywhere in the
__________________________________
drawing from the insert tab.
__________________________________
62. This concludes this first exercise where we've practiced how to
__________________________________
use commands such as Line, Polyline, Circle, Rectangle, Copy,
__________________________________
Mirror, Scale, Erase, Extend, Trim, Block, etc.
__________________________________
63. The next step of our journey to learn AutoCAD is more practice to
__________________________________
learn new features and keep strengthening our skills.
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
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www.infratechcivil.

CREATING BASIC OBJECTS

OBJECT SNAPS AND ORTHOMODES

PRACTICE: CREATING A 2D SOFA

Infratech core services include:

AUTOCAD INTERFACE __________________________________

will try to draw it from-start-to-finish. __________________________________

drawing or sheetset. A sheetset is a drawing file specifically created to __________________________________

❑ Drawing from cloud, to open a drawing stored somewhere on the __________________________________

❑ Setting the Drawing Units. __________________________________

requirements. Your company should normally have a default template __________________________________

Panel Buttons. __________________________________

To see a full list of zoom options available in AutoCAD we: __________________________________

❑ Zoom Scale to use an order of magnitude of the current __________________________________

❑ Zoom Window to zoom to a specific area defined by __________________________________

9. Another option we have is to Zoom original. __________________________________

1. Right-click anywhere and run the Pan command. __________________________________

❑ Double click on the mouse wheel to Zoom Extent. __________________________________

in the right bottom corner. __________________________________

CREATING BASIC OBJECTS __________________________________

keyboard Spacebar. __________________________________

1. Open the ACAD1-01. Line AutoCAD practice file. __________________________________

Object Snap and Orthomode are given in Chapter 5. __________________________________

line command. __________________________________

In a similar manner, draw the remaining two-line segments, 3- __________________________________

1. Open the practice file ACAD1-03. Circle.dwg. __________________________________

circle command. __________________________________

(metric or imperial units). __________________________________

In this practice exercise, we have created a circle using the __________________________________

basic combination of center point and radius. In the advance __________________________________

level course, we will learn about other combinations we can __________________________________

use to create a circle in AutoCAD. __________________________________

1. Open the practice file ACAD1-06.Rectangle.dwg. __________________________________

Rectangle command. __________________________________

3. For the first point, click on corner (1). __________________________________

(2), representing the opposite of corner (1). __________________________________

5. The command is now completed, and we have created the __________________________________

CONTROLLING OBJECTS __________________________________

Changing object properties is a common practice in all design __________________________________

activities. These changes may be a result of any alteration or __________________________________

adjustment in a design. Editing a drawing is something we will be __________________________________

required to do frequently during the life cycle of a project. __________________________________

1. Open the AutoCAD practice file .dwg. __________________________________

given in Chapter 5. __________________________________

1. First, open the AutoCAD file ACAD1-12.Mirroring.dwg __________________________________

Mirror command. __________________________________

complete the selection. __________________________________

press click on Point (1). __________________________________

clicking on Point (2). __________________________________

source object is created. __________________________________

1. First, open the practice file ACAD1-13.Scaling Objects.dwg. __________________________________

EDITING OBJECTS __________________________________

OBJECT SNAPS AND ORTHOMODES __________________________________

PRACTICE 01: CREATING A 2D SOFA __________________________________

48. The new line should look like this. __________________________________

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