AutoCAD - download.e-bookshelf.de · 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Dear Reader, Thank you for choosing AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013: No Experience Required. This book is part of a family

AutoCAD® 2013 AnD

AutoCAD Lt® 2013No ExpEriENcE rEquirEd

AutoCAD® 2013 AnD

AutoCAD Lt® 2013No ExpEriENcE rEquirEd

Donnie Gladfe lter

Senior Acquisitions Editor: Willem KnibbeDevelopment Editor: Gary SchwartzTechnical Editor: Melanie PerryProduction Editor: Eric CharbonneauCopy Editor: Sharon WilkeyEditorial Manager: Pete GaughanProduction Manager: Tim TateVice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard SwadleyVice President and Publisher: Neil EddeBook Designer: Franz BaumhacklCompositor: Craig Woods, Happenstance Type-O-RamaProofreader: Kim WimpsettIndexer: Ted LauxProject Coordinator, Cover: Katherine CrockerCover Designer: Ryan SneedCover Image: © Petrea Alexandru / iStockPhoto

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Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013: No Experience Required. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we’re still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [email protected]. If you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

Best regards,

Neil edde

Vice President and PublisherSybex, an Imprint of Wiley

mailto:[email protected]

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To my beautiful and talented wife, Helen.

Ack nowl edgments

I am perpetually being humbled yet inspired by the incredible list of profes-sionals, friends, and family who have helped make this book a reality over the last several years. There’s certainly no way for me to thank each one individu-ally. But without each boss, teacher, project manager, co-worker, and end-user I’ve supported or trained, there’s absolutely no way this book would have been possible. Since getting my start with AutoCAD® software well over a decade ago, it has been my pleasure and profound privilege to give back to the design community through my blog (www.thecadgeek.com), the Autodesk User Group International, and this book.

It’s with sincere gratitude that I thank Walter Spain and Johnnie Collie, the passionate educators who first introduced me to AutoCAD at Hermitage High School and Hermitage Technical Center in Henrico County, Virginia, many years ago. Their passion and dedication to inspire the next generation of design professionals is what empowered the many achievements of my own career.

Similarly, I have to thank the esteemed team of design professionals with whom I have had the privilege of working each day at CADD Microsystems (CADD). The breadth of knowledge they selflessly share, not only with our customers but with each of their co-workers, has undoubtedly allowed me to expand my own knowledge. Additionally, I would like to give special thanks to the owners of CADD—Jeff Gravatte, Matt Davoren, and Susan Thomson —for their support as I continued this project.

There is likewise a small army of individuals at Wiley whose dedication to their craft is apparent as you read through this book. Senior acquisitions editor Willem Knibbe continued to be not just an incredible champion of this book but also a great friend. Gary Schwartz had the incredibly challenging role of developmental editor, and he did an exceptional job managing dead-lines while also ensuring that the vision of the book was executed at the high-est caliber. I was especially excited to have Melanie Perry, a.k.a. Mistress of the Dorkness (http://mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com), back to lend her technical expertise to this project for a third year as my technical editor. I was similarly fortunate to have Sharon Wilkey and Eric Charbonneau return as my copy and production editors for this update. They each did a wonderful job ensuring that no detail was left unattended as the book was made ready for press.

http://www.thecadgeek.com

http://mistressofthedorkness.blogspot.com

x A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s

Finally, I want to thank the most important member of the production team, my beautiful wife, Helen. She did something much greater than editing chapters or tracking schedules; she was my cheerleader when writer’s block got the best of me, the one who made me laugh daily, and the one who provided a shoulder to lean on even after some of the most demanding days in her job teaching at a local school dedicated to children with autism.

About the Author

Donnie Gladfelter is a highly visible and respected thought leader in the CAD community. He is well known for his blog, The CAD Geek (www.thecadgeek.com), has worked with hundreds of design professionals as a business development manager at CADD Microsystems, and is a popular speaker at Autodesk University and other industry events. Donnie has proudly dedicated himself to empowering CAD professionals

by providing training and services to companies around the world, has served as director for the Autodesk User Group International (AUGI), and is an active mem-ber of the design community.

A proven communicator, Donnie has reached thousands of people worldwide through many publications and various public speaking engagements. As a speaker at Autodesk University since 2007, Donnie has presented a long list of popular sessions and served as host for Autodesk University Virtual in 2010. Other speaking engagements have drawn audiences of up to 60,000 people.

With a professional reputation founded on both integrity and loyalty, he is a highly trusted and respected member of the CAD community. These ideals have been achieved by subscribing to a simple but effective personal mantra to “empower CAD professionals.” With an unwavering commitment to his craft, Donnie continues to embody this mantra by empowering the next generation of architecture and engineering professionals as a business development man-ager at the Autodesk Platinum Partner and 2010 Reseller of the Year, CADD Microsystems. In that role, he helps design teams throughout the Mid-Atlantic apply technology the way they do business through frequent seminars, work-shops, and classroom-style training.

Prior to joining CADD Microsystems, Donnie was the design systems specialist (assistant CAD manager) for a multidisciplinary civil engineering firm headquar-tered in Richmond, Virginia. An ENR 500 firm, the company employed more than 350 people in nine offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic. During his near six-year tenure there, Donnie was jointly responsible for providing the technical support and training for each of their CAD professionals.

Donnie and his beautiful wife live in Richmond, Virginia.

http://www.thecadgeek.com

contents At A gl Ance

Introduction xxvii

ChAp ter 1 Getting to Know AutoCAD 1

ChAp ter 2 Learning Basic Commands to Get Started 37

ChAp ter 3 Setting Up a Drawing 73

ChAp ter 4 Developing Drawing Strategies: Part 1 101

ChAp ter 5 Developing Drawing Strategies: Part 2 175

ChAp ter 6 Using Layers to Organize Your Drawing 253

ChAp ter 7 Combining Objects into Blocks 323

ChAp ter 8 Controlling Text in a Drawing 391

ChAp ter 9 Using Dynamic Blocks and Tables 471

ChAp ter 10 Generating Elevations 545

ChAp ter 11 Working with Hatches, Gradients, and Tool Palettes 603

ChAp ter 12 Dimensioning a Drawing 645

ChAp ter 13 Managing External References 717

ChAp ter 14 Using Layouts to Set Up a Print 763

ChAp ter 15 Printing a Drawing 849

ChAp ter 16 Creating 3D Geometry 903

ChAp ter 17 Rendering and Materials 985

Index 1023

contents

Introduction xxvii

chApter 1 Get t ing to Know AutoCAD 1

Starting AutoCAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Accessing the Welcome Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Understanding the Customer Involvement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Exploring the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introducing the Application Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Working in the Command-Line Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Using the Ribbon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Displaying the Ribbon Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Using the Ribbon Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Using the Application Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Opening a Drawing with the Application Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Switching Between Open Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Using the Drop-Down Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Using the Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Saving Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Using the Keyboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Using the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Are You Experienced? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

chApter 2 Learning Basic Commands to Get Star ted 37

Using the Line Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Using Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Using Relative Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Using the Direct Distance Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Drawing the Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Using Relative Cartesian Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Erasing Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Controlling How the Selection Tools Are Displayed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Using Relative Polar Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Using Direct Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

ContentsWhat Will You Learn from This Book?

getting to know AutocAd

Introducing the Application WindowWorking in the Command-Line InterfaceUsing the RibbonUsing the Application MenuUsing the Drop-Down MenusUsing the ToolbarsSaving WorkspacesUsing the KeyboardUsing the MouseAre You Experienced?

leArning bAsic commAnds to get stArted

Completing the ShapeIf You Would Like More Practice…Are You Experienced?

setting up A drAwing

Setting Up the Drawing SizeDrawing with Grid and SnapTaking a Closer Look at Dynamic InputSaving Your WorkUnderstanding AutoCAD UnitsAre You Experienced?

developing drAwing strAtegies: pArt 1

Creating Doors

x v i C o n t e n t s

Using the Offset Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Using the Fillet Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Completing the Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Offsetting Lines to Mark an Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Extending Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Trimming Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Are You Experienced? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

chApter 3 Set t ing up a Drawing 73

Setting Up the Drawing Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Setting Up the Drawing Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Using the Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Setting Up Drawing Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Drawing with Grid and Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Taking a Closer Look at Dynamic Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Saving Your Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Saving Drawings to Your Hard Drive or Network Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Saving Drawings to Autodesk 360 Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Understanding AutoCAD Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Linear Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Angular Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Are You Experienced? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

chApter 4 Developing Drawing Strategies : Par t 1 101

Laying Out the Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Creating Polylines from Existing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Creating and Editing Polylines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Creating the Exterior Wall Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Creating the Interior Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Cutting Openings in the Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Creating Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Drawing Swinging Doors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Copying Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Mirroring Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Scaling the Bathroom Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

C o n t e n t s x v i i

Drawing a Sliding Glass Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Drawing the Bifold Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170An Alternative Sliding Glass Door. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170An Addition to the Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Three Views of a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171


chApter 5 Developing Drawing Strategies : Par t 2 175

Starting and Running Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176Drawing the Thresholds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Drawing the Front Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Drawing the Back Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Drawing the Decks and Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Drawing the Front Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Drawing the Deck Posts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189Drawing the Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Mirroring the Post and Railing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Drawing the Back Deck and Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199Using Point Filters to Finish the Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Laying Out the Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Drawing the Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209Drawing the Stove and Refrigerator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Completing the Stove with Parametrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Drawing the Kitchen Sink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Constructing the Bathroom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Setting Running Object Snaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Drawing a Shower Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233Drawing the Bathroom Sink and Mirror. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235Positioning the Toilet and Shelves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239Drawing the Hot Tub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246Drawing the Cabin Again. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246Drawing Something Else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246Drawing Some Furniture for the Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246Drawing a Gasket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247Drawing a Parking Lot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249


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chApter 6 using Layers to organize Your Drawing 253

Using Layers as an Organizing Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254Setting Up Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255Assigning Linetypes to Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269Assigning Objects to Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276Turning Off and Freezing Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291Drawing the Headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294Drawing the Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Setting a Linetype Scale Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304Drawing the Ridgeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306Using the Layer Walk Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Setting Properties of Layers and Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310Selecting Colors for Layers and Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310Assigning a Color or a Linetype to an Object Instead of a Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . 310Making a Color or a Linetype Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Using the Action Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312Creating Layer States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Experimenting with Linetypes and Linetype Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320Setting Up Layers for Your Own Trade or Profession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321


chApter 7 Combining objects into Blocks 323

Making a Block for a Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324Inserting the Door Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331Using Dynamic Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337Understanding and Using Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

Finding Blocks in a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342Using Grips to Detect a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342Using the List Command to Detect a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344Using the Properties Palette to Examine a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346Creating a Window Block. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Inserting the Window Block. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352Rotating a Block during Insertion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353Using Snap Tracking to Set the Insertion Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356Changing a Block’s Scale Factor by Using Object Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358Finishing the Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

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Revising a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365Sharing Information between Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Dragging and Dropping between Two Open Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368Copying Objects between Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371Using the AutoCAD DesignCenter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372Using Other Ways to Share Information between Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387Are You Experienced? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

chApter 8 Control l ing text in a Drawing 391

Setting Up Text Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392Determining Text and Drawing Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393Defining a Text Style for View Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394Placing Titles of Views in the Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398

Using Annotative Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403Defining an Annotative Text Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404Placing Room Labels in the Floor Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406Using Text in a Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .417Creating a Title Block and Border . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428

Using Multiline Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445Finishing the Title Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446Using Mtext for General Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450Using the Spell-Check Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459Exploring Other Aspects of Multiline Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463


Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469

chApter 9 using Dynamic Blocks and tables 471

Using Attributes for a Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472Defining Blocks with Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477Inserting Blocks with Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479Editing Attribute Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

Setting Up Multiple Attributes in a Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483Defining a Block with Multiple Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488Calculating Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490

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Inserting the Room Information Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494Editing Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499Controlling the Visibility of Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503Exploring Other Uses for Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

Creating a Dynamic Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508Setting Up Parameters and Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509Fine-Tuning the Dynamic Block with the Properties Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513Inserting a Dynamic Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516

Creating a Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522Defining a Table Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523Designing a Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527Creating Tables from Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535Modifying the Table Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541


Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543

chApter 10 Generat ing Elevations 545

Drawing the South Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546Creating the South Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 546Setting Up Lines for the Heights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549Using Construction Lines to Project Elevation Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550Copying Objects by Using Grips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551Trimming Lines in the Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 555Assigning Elevation Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 561Drawing the Decks in Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 562

Generating the Other Elevations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577Making the Opposite Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 577Revising the New South Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 581Making the Front and Back Elevations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587

Considering Drawing Scale Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 598Drawing Interior Elevations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599Are You Experienced? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601

Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 601

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chApter 11 Working with Hatches, Gradients, and tool Palet tes 603

Hatching the South Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604Looking at Hatch Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 608Hatching the Rest of the South Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610Adding Special Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .617

Using Hatches in the Floor Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623Creating the User-Defined Hatch Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 624Controlling the Origin of the Hatch Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 626Finishing the Hatches for the Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 628

Modifying the Shape of Hatch Patterns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 631Creating and Managing Tool Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633

Creating a New Tool Palette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 633Setting Up a Palette for Hatches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 636Creating a Palette for Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 638

If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641Creating the Hatch Patterns for the Other Elevations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 641Creating Your Hatch Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 642


chApter 12 Dimensioning a Drawing 645

Introducing Dimension Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 646Preparing for Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647Making a New Dimension Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 649Setting Up the Symbols And Arrows Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 651Making Changes in the Text Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 652Working with Settings on the Fit Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 654Setting Up the Primary Units Tab (Architectural) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 655Setting Up the Primary Units Tab (Metric). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 657Completing the Dimension Style Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 658Exploring the Alternate Units Tab. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 660Exploring the Tolerances Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 663

Placing Dimensions on the Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668Placing Horizontal Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 668Using the Dimension Continue Command. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671Using the Dimension Baseline Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 674Setting Up Vertical Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 675Finishing the Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678

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Using Other Types of Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 678Using Radial Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680Adding a Diameter Dimension. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 681Adding an Arc Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 682Setting Up Parent and Child Dimensioning Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 683Using Aligned and Angular Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 685Using Ordinate Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 687Using Leader Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 691

Modifying Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 697Editing Dimension Text Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 698Moving Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701Adjusting Space between Stacked Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703Using Dimension Overrides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 703Dimensioning Short Distances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706

If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710Dimensioning the Garage Addition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710Dimensioning to a Centerline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710Completing Further Exercises. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 714


chApter 13 Managing External References 717

Drawing a Site Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 718Using Surveyor’s Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 718Drawing the Driveway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 724

Setting Up an External Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 731Using the External References Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 732Organizing the Drawing Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 738Moving and Rotating an Xref. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740

Modifying an Xref Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741Modifying an Xref by Making It the Current Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 741Modifying an Xref from within the Host Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 744Adding an Image to a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749

Putting Xrefs to Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 753Exploring Additional Xref Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754

Setting the Xref Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 754Binding Xrefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 756

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Exploring Further on Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760

Building Architectural References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 760Comparing Reference Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 761


chApter 14 using Layouts to Set up a Print 763

Getting Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 764Preparing the Title Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765

Creating the Title Block Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 765Defining the Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 769Making the Sheet Information Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 774

Setting Up a Sheet Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 776Setting the Layout Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 778Finishing the Sheet Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 783

Creating Your First Plan Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 788Using Sheet Set Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791

Creating a New Sheet Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 791Adding Existing Drawings to a Sheet Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 796Creating Drawings with Sheet Set Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 801

Setting Up Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805Referencing the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805Creating the Paper Space Viewport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 808Setting the Viewport Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 811Copying the Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 813

Adjusting a Viewport’s Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 826Setting the Linetype Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 827Managing the Floor Plan Sheet File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 828Managing the Elevations Sheet File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 834Setting Up the Site Plan Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 838Defining a New Viewport Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 841Locking and Turning Off Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 844


Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 848

x x i v C o n t e n t s

chApter 15 Print ing a Drawing 849

Using the Plot Dialog Box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 850Printer/Plotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 852Paper Size and Number of Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853Plot Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 853Plot Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 860Plot Offset and Plot Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 861The Expanded Plot Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 861

Applying Plot-Style Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 864Introducing Plot-Style Table Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 865Understanding How Plot-Style Table Files Are Organized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866Assigning Plot-Style Tables to Drawings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 869

Printing a Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875Determining Lineweights for a Drawing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 875Setting Other Properties of Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 881Setting Up the Other Parameters for the Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 882Previewing a Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 884

Viewing Plots in Design Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 886Printing a Drawing Using Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888

Updating Model File Layer Properties in Sheet Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 888Plotting a Single Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 891Printing a Drawing with Multiple Viewports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893Printing with a Large-Format Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 893Publishing Multiple Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 895Publishing with Sheet Set Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897

Going Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 901If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 901Are You Experienced? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902

Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 902

chApter 16 Creating 3D Geometry 903

Modeling in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 904Setting Up the 3D Workspace and Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 904Making the Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 909Creating the Door and Window Block-Outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 913Moving and Rotating in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .917Using the First Right-Hand Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 918Cutting the Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 921

C o n t e n t s x x v

Creating the Floor, Foundation, and Thresholds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 923Creating the Foundation and Supports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 925Building the Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 927Navigating with the ViewCube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941Adding the Sliding Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 943Building the Decks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 945Putting a Roof on the Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 963

Getting Further Directions in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 976Using Other Solid-Modeling Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 976Using Mesh-Modeling Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 980Using Surface-Modeling Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 981


Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 983

chApter 17 Rendering and Materials 985

Creating Cameras to Reproduce Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 986Using the Loft Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 986Creating the Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 991

Creating a Lighting Scheme. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 994Creating a Light Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 995Enabling Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 999Creating the First Render . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1000Controlling the Background of the Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1005

Adding Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1008Adjusting the Material Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1013Rendering to a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1018

If You Would Like More Practice… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1021Are You Experienced? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1022

Now you can… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1022

Index 1023

introduc t ionThis book was born of the need for a simple yet engaging tutorial that would help beginners step into the world of Autodesk® AutoCAD® or Autodesk® AutoCAD LT® software without feeling intimidated. That tutorial has evolved over the years into a full introduction to the ways in which architects and civil and structural engineers use AutoCAD to increase their efficiency and ability to produce state-of-the-art computerized production drawings and designs.

Because AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are so similar, it makes sense to cover the basics of both programs in one book. For most of the book, the word AutoCAD stands for both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.

When you come to a section of a chapter that applies to AutoCAD only, the icon shown here is displayed in the margin to alert you. When

appropriate, extra information for AutoCAD LT users is provided to give you a workaround or otherwise keep you in step with the tutorial.

Because AutoCAD LT doesn’t have 3D commands or features, the last two chapters, which are an introduction to drawing in 3D, apply only to AutoCAD. But AutoCAD LT users can be assured that it is very much the same program as AutoCAD, with only minor differences. You’ll be prompted when those differences arise, most of which involve 3D features.

When you come to a section that applies to one of the many new features found inside AutoCAD 2013, the icon shown here is displayed in the margin

to alert you. This book is directed toward AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT novices—users who know how to use a computer and perform basic file-managing tasks, such as creating new folders and saving and moving files, but who know little or nothing about AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT. If you’re new to the construction and design professions, this book will be an excellent companion as you learn AutoCAD. If you’re already practicing in those fields, you’ll immediately be able to apply the skills you’ll pick up from this book to real-world projects. The exercises have been successfully used to train architects, engineers, and contractors, as well as college and high school students, in the basics of AutoCAD.

For those of you in other trades and professions, the project that runs through the book—drawing a small cabin—has been kept simple so that it doesn’t require special training in architecture or construction. Also, most chapters have additional information and exercises specifically designed for non-AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) users. Anyone wanting to learn AutoCAD will find this book helpful.

x x v i i i I n t r o d u c t i o n

What Will You Learn from this Book?Learning AutoCAD, like learning any complex computer program, requires a significant commitment of time and attention and, to some extent, a tolerance for repetition. You must understand new concepts to operate the program and to appreciate its potential as a drafting and design tool. However, to become pro-ficient at AutoCAD, you must also use the commands enough times to gain an intuitive sense of how they work and how parts of a drawing are constructed.

At the end of most chapters, you’ll find one or more additional exercises and a checklist of the tools you have learned (or should have learned). The steps in the tutorial have a degree of repetition built into them that allows you to work through new commands several times and build up confidence before you move on to the next chapter.

Progressing through the book, the chapters fall into five general areas of study:

�� Chapters 1 through 3 familiarize you with the organization of the AutoCAD user interface, cover a few of the basic commands, and equip you with the tools necessary to set up a new drawing, including the use of a standard, such as the National CAD Standard (NCS), to organize your files.

�� Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the basic drawing commands and develop drawing strategies that will help you use these commands efficiently.

�� Chapters 6 through 11 work with the major features of AutoCAD, such as blocks, hatches, and annotation. You’ll also learn about using layers to organize the various components of a drawing by applying the National CAD Standard.

�� Chapters 12 through 15 examine intermediate and advanced AutoCAD features, including managing and creating document sets by using Sheet Set Manager.

�� Chapters 16 and 17 cover the 3D modeling tools by exploring 3D solids and 3D surfaces. You’ll also learn how to apply materials to 3D objects, allowing you to produce eye-catching 3D visualiza-tions. In the process of exploring these elements, you’ll follow the steps involved in laying out the floor plan of a small cabin. You’ll then learn how to generate elevations from the floor plan, and eventually you’ll learn how to set up a title block and layouts to print your drawing.

Documents

AutoCAD - download.e-bookshelf.de · 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Dear Reader, Thank you for choosing AutoCAD 2013 and AutoCAD LT 2013: No Experience Required. This book is part of a family