learning objectivesscetwah.edu.pk/.../civilengineering/2k18/chapter01.pdflearning objectives: start...

Learning Objectives: Start AutoCAD and start a drawing in

AutoCAD.

Understand the various components of

the initial AutoCAD screen.

Invoke AutoCAD commands from the

keyboard, menu, toolbar, shortcut

menu, screen menu, and digitizer.

Understand the functioning of dialog

boxes in AutoCAD.

Start a new drawing using the QNEW

command and the Startup dialog box.

Save the work using variousfile-saving commands.

Close a drawing.

Open an existing drawing.

Understand the concept ofMultiple Document Environment.

Quit AutoCAD.

Use the various options ofAutoCAD’s help.

Understand the use of ActiveAssistance, Learning Assistance,and other interactive help topics.

Chapter 1 /Introduction to AutoCAD

STARTING AUTOCADWhen you turn on your computer, the operating system is automatically loaded. This

will display the Windows screen with various application icons. You can start AutoCAD

by double-clicking on the AutoCAD icon available on the desktop of your computer.

You can also load AutoCAD from the Windows taskbar by choosing the Start button

at the bottom left corner of the screen (default position) to display the menu. Choose

Programs to display the program folders. Now, choose the Autodesk > AutoCAD

folder to display the AutoCAD programs and then choose AutoCAD to start AutoCAD.


Windows screen

with taskbar and

application

icons

Learning

Objectives


AutoCAD SCREEN COMPONENTThe various components of the

initial AutoCAD screen are:

• Drawing Area

• Command Window

• Status Bar

• Status Bar Tray Options

Learning

ObjectivesAutoCAD screen components


Drawing Area

The drawing area covers the major portion of the screen. Here you can draw the

various objects and use the various commands. There is a coordinate system icon at

the lower left corner of the drawing area. The window also has the standard Windows

buttons such as close, minimize, scroll bar, and so on, that have the same functions as

for any other standard window.

• Command Window

The command window is present at the bottom of the drawing area and has the

Command prompt where you can enter the commands. You can change the size of the

window by placing the cursor on the top edge and then dragging it. By default the

command window displays only three lines.

Learning

Objectives

AutoCAD Scrn.

Components

Chapter 1 /Introduction to AutoCAD• Status Bar (Function or toggle keys)

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the screen. This bar contains some useful

information and buttons that will make it easy to change the status of some AutoCAD

functions. To change the status, you must choose the buttons that toggle between on

and off.

Default status bar displayLearning

Objectives


The various options under the Status Bar are:

• Coordinate display

• Snap

• Grid

• Ortho

• Polar

• Osnap

• Otrack

• LWT

• Model

Learning

Objectives

AutoCAD Scrn.

Components


• Coordinate display

The Coordinates information is displayed in the left corner of the status bar. You can

select this coordinate button to toggle between on and off. The COORDS system variable

controls the type of display of the coordinates.

• Snap

If Snap Mode is on, the Snap button is displayed as pressed in the status bar; otherwise,

it is not displayed. This allows you to move the cursor in fixed increments. You can also

use the function key F9 as a toggle key to turn Snap off or on.

• Grid

If Grid Display is on, grid lines are displayed on the screen. These lines are used as

reference lines in a drawing. The function key F7 can be used to turn the grid display on

or off.

Learning

Objectives

Status Bar

Options


• Ortho

The Ortho Mode allows you to draw lines at right angles only. If this mode is on, the

ORTHO button is pressed in the status bar. You can use the F8 key to turn Ortho on or

off.

• Polar

If you turn the Polar Tracking on, the movement of the cursor is restricted along a path

based on the angle set as the polar angle settings. Choosing the POLAR button in the

status bar turns the Polar Tracking on. You can also use the function key, F10.

• Osnap

When Object Snap is on, you can use the running object snaps to snap on to a point. If

Object Snap is on, the OSNAP button is displayed as pressed in the status bar. You can

also use the F3 key to turn the Object Snap on or off.

Learning

Objectives

Status Bar

Options


INVOKING COMMANDS IN AutoCAD

When you start AutoCAD and you are in the drawing area, you need to invoke AutoCAD

commands to perform any operation. AutoCAD has provided the following methods to

invoke commands:

• Keyboard

• Menu

• Toolbar

• Shortcut menu

• TOOL PALETTES*

Learning

Objectives


Keyboard

You can invoke any AutoCAD command at the keyboard by typing the command name at

the Command prompt, and then pressing ENTER or the SPACEBAR. If the Command

prompt is not displayed as the last line in the command window area, you must cancel the

existing command by pressing Esc (escape) on the keyboard. The following example

shows how to invoke the LINE command from the keyboard:

Command: LINE or L « (L is command alias)

Learning

Objectives

Invoking

Commands


Menu

You can also select commands from the menu.

The menu bar that displays the menu bar

titles is at the top of the screen. As you move

the cursor over the menu bar, different titles

are highlighted. You can choose the desired

item by pressing the pick button of your

pointing device. Once the item is selected, the

corresponding menu is displayed directly

under the title. Some of the menu items in the

menu display an arrow on the right side, which

indicates that the menu item has a cascading

menu. You can display the cascading menu by

moving the arrow pointer over the item and

press the pick button.

Invoking the LINE command from

the Draw menu

Learning

Objectives

Invoking

Commands


ToolbarIn Windows, the toolbar is an easy and convenient

way to invoke a command. For example, you can

invoke the LINE command by choosing the Line

button in the Draw toolbar. When you choose a

command from the toolbar, the command prompts

are displayed in the command window.

The Draw toolbar

Learning

Objectives

Toolbars have numerous features that help to

control their appearance. Toolbar features include:

• Displaying Toolbars

• Moving and Reshaping Toolbars

Invoking

Commands


Displaying Toolbars

The various toolbars can be

displayed by selecting their

respective check boxes in the

Toolbars tab of the Customize

dialog box. The Customize dialog

box can be invoked by selecting

Toolbars in the View menu. You

can also display a toolbar from the

shortcut menu by selecting the

name of the toolbar. The shortcut

menu can be displayed by right-

clicking anywhere on any toolbar

on the screen.

List of toolbars in the Toolbars tab of

the Customize dialog boxToolbar

Learning

Objectives


Moving and Reshaping Toolbars

The toolbars can be moved anywhere on the screen by placing the cursor on the title bar

area and then dragging it to the desired location. While moving the toolbars you can

dock them to the top or sides of the screen by dropping them in the docking area. You

can also change the shape of the toolbars by placing the cursor anywhere on the border

of the toolbar where it takes the shape of a double arrow, and then pulling it in the desired

direction.

Reshaping the Draw toolbar Draw toolbar reshaped

Learning

ObjectivesToolbar


TOOL PALETTES*

AutoCAD has provided TOOL PALETTES as an

easy and convenient way of placing and sharing

hatch patterns and blocks in the current drawing.

By default, AutoCAD displays the Tool Palettes

as a window on the right of the drawing area.

Also, the TOOL PALETTES window can be

turned on or off by either choosing the Tool

Palettes button available on the Standard

toolbar or by pressing the CTRL and 3 keys.

TOOL PALETTES window

Learning

Objectives

Invoking

Commands


AutoCAD DIALOG BOXESThere are certain commands which

when invoked display a dialog box.

A dialog box is a convenient

method of user interface. For

example, Options... in the Tools

menu displays the Options dialog

box. Any dialog box contains a

number of parts like the dialog

label, radio buttons, text or edit

boxes, check boxes, slider bars,

image boxes, and command

buttons. These components are

also referred to as TILES.

Learning

Objectives

Components of a dialog box


STARTING A NEW DRAWING

You can open a new drawing

using the QNEW command.

When you invoke the QNEW

command by default, AutoCAD

will display the Select

template dialog box, as

shown in the figure. The dialog

box displays a list of the

default templates available in

AutoCAD. You can select the

desired template to open a

new drawing that will use the

settings of the selected

template.

Learning

ObjectivesSelect template dialog box


Learning

Objectives

• Specifying Units

In the Drawing Units dialog box, you can select a desired format of units from the drop-

down list displayed when you choose the down arrow to the right of Type edit box. You can

select one of the following five formats:

1. Architectural (0'-01/16") 2. Decimal (0.00) 3. Engineering (0'-0.00")

4. Fractional (0 1/16) 5. Scientific (0.00E+01)

In the following example, the units are set as decimal, scientific, fractional, and decimal

and fractional to enter the coordinates of different points:

Command: LINE «

Specify from point: 1.75,0.75 « (Decimal.)

Specify next point or [Undo]: 1.75E+01, 3.5E+00 « (Scientific.)

Specify next point or [Undo]: 10-3/8,8-3/4 « (Fractional.)

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: 0.5,17/4 « (Decimal and fractional.)


Learning

Objectives

If you choose the Engineering or Architectural format, you can enter the distances or

coordinates in any of the five formats. In the following example, the units are set as

architectural; hence, different formats are used to enter the coordinates of points:

Command: LINE «

Specify first point: 1-3/4,3/4 « (Fractional.)

Specify next point or [Undo]: 1’1-3/4",3-1/4 « (Architectural.)

Specify next point or [Undo]: 0’10.375,0’8.75 « (Engineering.)

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: 0.5,4-1/4" « (Decimal and engineering.)

Chapter 1 /Introduction to AutoCAD Specifying Angle

You can select one of the following five angle measuring systems:

1. Decimal Degrees (0.00) 2. Deg/min/sec (0d00'00")

3. Grads (0.00g) 4. Radians (0.00r)

5. Surveyor’s Units (N 0d00'00" E)

In the following example, the system of angle measure is

Surveyor’s units and different systems of angle measure

are used to define the angle of the line:

Learning

Objectives

Command: LINE «

Specify first point: 3,3 «

Specify next point or [Undo]: @3<45.5 « (Decimal degrees.)

Specify next point or [Undo]: @3<90d30’45" « (Degrees/min/sec.)

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: @3<75’0g « (Grads.)

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: @3<N45d30’E « (Surveyor’s units.)

Specifying angles in

Surveyor’s units


In AutoCAD, by default the angles are positive if measured in the counterclockwise

direction and the angles are measured from the positive X axis, see East. The angles are

negative if measured clockwise.

N, S, E, W directions Measuring angles counterclockwise

from the positive X axis(default)

Learning

Objectives


Learning

Objectives

When you choose the Direction button in the

Drawing Units dialog box, the Direction Control

dialog box appears which gives you an option of

selecting the setting for direction of the Base Angle. If

you select the Other option, you can set your own

direction for the Base Angle by either entering a value

in the Angle edit box or choosing the Pick an Angle

button to specify the angle on the screen.

You can also set the units of measure while inserting

a block from the AutoCAD DesignCenter. In the

Drawing Units dialog box choose any measuring unit

from the When inserting blocks in this drawing,

scale them to drop-down list. Now while inserting a

block from the DesignCenter, AutoCAD inserts the

block with the chosen unit.

Selecting units for inserting

the DesignCenter blocks

Setting

direction from

the Direction

Control dialog

box


Learning

Objectives

Example 5In this example you will set the units for a drawing according to the following specifications

and then draw the figure.

1. Set UNITS to fractional, with the denominator of

the smallest fraction equal to 32.

2. Set the angular measurement to Surveyor’s units,

with the number of fractional places for display of

angles equal to zero.

3. Set the direction to 90 degrees (north) and the

direction of measurement of angles to clockwise

(angles measured positive in clockwise direction).

Drawing for Example 5


Learning

Objectives

1. Invoke the Drawing Units dialog box by choosing Units

from the Format menu.

2. In the Length area of the dialog box, select Fractional from

the Type drop-down list. From the Precision drop-down list

select 0 1/32.

3. In the Angle area of the dialog box, select Surveyor’s

Units from the Type drop-down list. From the Precision

drop-down list select N 0d E. Also, select the Clockwise

check box to set the clockwise angle measurement as

positive.

4. Choose the Direction button to display the Direction

Control dialog box. Select the North radio button. Choose

the OK button to exit the Direction Control dialog box.

Example 5

Setting units in the

Drawing Units dialog box

5. Choose the OK button to exit the Drawing Units dialog box.


Learning

Objectives

6. With the units set, draw the figure using relative

polar coordinates. Here the units are fractional

and the angles are measured from north (90-

degree axis). Invoke the LINE command and

specify the points as follows:

Command: LINE «

Specify first point: 2,2 «

Specify next point or [Undo]: @2.0<0 «

Specify next point or [Undo]: @2.0<60 «

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: @1<180 «



Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: @2.0<60 «



Specify next point or [Close/Undo]: C «

Angles measured from north (Y axis)

Example 5


Learning

Objectives

When you define the direction by specifying the angle, the output of the angle depends on

the following

• Angular units

• Angle direction

• Angle base

For example, if you are using the AutoCAD default

setting, <70 represents an angle of 70 decimal

degrees from the positive X axis, measured

counterclockwise. The decimal degrees represent

angular units, the X axis represents the angle base,

and the counterclockwise represents the angle

direction. AutoCAD lets you bypass the current

settings by entering << or <<< before the angle.Default angular units, direction,

and base

• Forcing Default Angles


Learning

Objectives

Assume, for example, that you have changed the current

settings and made the system of angle measure radians

with two places of precision: angle base north (the Y axis),

and the direction clockwise. Now, if you enter <1.04 or

<1.04r, all the current settings will be taken into

consideration and you will get an angle of 1.04 radians,

measured in a clockwise direction from the positive Y axis,

Figure (a). If you enter <<60, AutoCAD will bypass the

current settings and reference the angle in degrees from

the positive X axis, measuring 60 degrees in a

counterclockwise direction, Figure (b). If you enter

<<<1.04r, AutoCAD will use the current angular units, but

will bypass the current angle base and angle direction.

Hence, the angle will be referenced from the positive X

axis, and will be measured 1.04 radians in a

counterclockwise direction, Figure (c).

Forcing default angles


SAVING YOUR WORK

In AutoCAD or any computer system, you must

save your work before you exit from the

drawing editor or turn the system off. AutoCAD

has provided the following commands that allow

you save your work on the hard disk of the

computer or on the floppy diskette.

Learning

ObjectivesDifferent Save options in

the File menu

QSAVE SAVEAS SAVE


Learning

Objectives

Save Drawing As dialog box

When you choose Save from the File

menu as shown in the figure the QSAVE

command is invoked. If the current

drawing is unnamed and you are saving

the drawing for the first time in the

present session, the QSAVE command

will prompt you to enter the file name in

the Save Drawing As dialog box.

When you invoke the SAVEAS

command, the Save Drawing As dialog

box is displayed as shown in the figure.

Even if the drawing has been saved with

a file name, this command gives you an

option to save it with a different file

name.


Learning

Objectives

The SAVE command is the most rarely used command and can be invoked only from

the command line by entering SAVE at the Command prompt. It is similar to the

SAVEAS command and displays the Save Drawing As dialog box always. With this

command you can save a previously saved drawing under a different file name, but this

command does not set it as the current drawing.

Save Drawing As Dialog Box

The Save Drawing As dialog box displays the information related to the drawing files

on your system. The various components of the dialog box are described next.

• Places list

A column of icons is displayed on the left side of the dialog box. These icons contain

the shortcuts to the folders that are frequently used. You can quickly save your

drawings in one of these folders.


Learning

Objectives

To save your work, enter the name of the drawing in the File Name edit box. This can

be done by typing the file name or selecting it from the drop-down list.

• File name edit box

The Files of type drop-down list is used to

specify the drawing format in which you

want to save the file.

• Files of type drop-down list

Files of type drop-down list

The current drive and path information is

listed in the Save in drop-down list.

• Save in drop-down list

Save in drop-down list


CLOSING A DRAWING

You can use the CLOSE command to close the current drawing file without actually

quitting AutoCAD. If you choose Close from the File menu or enter CLOSE at the

Command prompt, the current drawing file is closed. If you have not saved the drawing

after making the last changes to it and you invoke the CLOSE command, AutoCAD

displays a dialog box that allows you to save the drawing before closing. After closing

the drawing you are still in AutoCAD from where you can open a new or an already

saved drawing file. You can also use the close button (X) of the drawing window to

close the drawing.

Learning

Objectives


OPENING AN EXISTING DRAWINGYou can open an existing drawing file that has been saved previously. There are three

methods that can be used to open a drawing file, the Select File dialog box, Startup

dialog box, and by Dragging and Dropping.

Learning

Objectives


Opening an Existing Drawing Using the Select File Dialog Box

If you are already in the drawing

editor, and you want to open a

drawing file you can use the

OPEN command. The OPEN

command also displays the

Select File dialog box as shown

in the figure. You can select the

drawing to open using this dialog

box. This dialog box is similar to

the standard dialog boxes.

Learning

Objectives

Select File dialog box


MULTIPLE DOCUMENT ENVIRONMENT (MDE)

The MDE is a Windows feature that allows you to

open more than one drawing at a time in one

AutoCAD session. This feature is very helpful when

you want to work on different drawings simultaneously

and make changes to them with reference to each

other. The active drawing is specified by the dark blue

band in the title bar. You can make any drawing active

by simply clicking in it. This type of arrangement is the

cascading arrangement and can be changed as per

your requirements. If the title bar of a particular

drawing is not visible and you want it active, choose

the drawing name in the Window menu, see figure.

Cascading arrangement in

MDE and the Window menu

(c1exm-3.dwg active)

Learning

Objectives


QUITTING AutoCAD

You can exit from the AutoCAD program by using the EXIT or QUIT command. Even if

you have a drawing file open you can use the EXIT command to close it as well as quit

the AutoCAD program. In case the drawing has not been saved, it allows you to save

the work first through a dialog box. Note that if you choose No in this dialog box, all the

changed made in the current list till the last save will be lost. You can also use the close

button (X) of the main AutoCAD window (present in the title bar) to end the AutoCAD

session.

Learning

Objectives


AutoCAD's HELP

You can get the online help and documentation on the working

of AutoCAD 2004 commands from the Help menu, see figure, or

by pressing the F1 key. The various options available in the

Help menu are discussed next.

Help menu• Help

Choosing the Help option displays the AutoCAD

2004 Help: User Documentation dialog box as

shown in figure.

AutoCAD 2004 Help: User

Documentation dialog box

(Contents tab)

• Contents • Index

• Search • Favorites

• Ask Me

Learning

Objectives


Learning

Objectives

ADDITIONAL HELP RESOURCES

1. You can get help for a command while working by pressing the F1 key.

2. You can get help about a certain dialog box by choosing the Help button in that

dialog box.

3. Some of the dialog boxes have a question mark (?) button at the top right corner.

You can drop it on any item in the dialog box to display information about that

particular item.

4. You can also use the following link to get information on Autodesk products,

product updates, and other services provided by Autodesk.

a) Autodesk Web site: http://www.autodesk.com

You can also get help by contacting the author, Sham Tickoo, at

[email protected].

http://www.autodesk.com/

learning objectivesscetwah.edu.pk/.../civilengineering/2k18/chapter01.pdflearning objectives: start...

Documents