by Paul Richard and Jim Fitzgerald

Chapter 7 – Basic Editing Techniques

• Understand the difference between editing objects using the verb/noun technique and editing objects using the noun/verb technique• Use the ERASE command to remove objects from a drawing• Learn different ways to select one or more objects so that they can be modified• Move objects• Copy objects• Mirror objects• Rotate objects• Scale objects• Stretch objects• Use grips to modify objects

• Activating a modify command

• Selecting the objects

• Noun = Drawing object

• Verb = AutoCAD command

• The Selection tab in the options dialog box

The Modify panel

NOTEYou can display the Options dialog box using the following techniques:

• Select Options from the bottom of the application menu.• Select Options... from the Tools menu.• Right-click with your mouse in the command line window and select Options... From the Command Line shortcut menu.• Right-click with your mouse when nothing is selected in the drawing window, and select Options... from the Default shortcut menu.• Type OP or Options.

NOTEYou can display the Options dialog box using the following techniques:

• Select Options from the bottom of the application menu.• Select Options... from the Tools menu.• Right-click with your mouse in the command line window and select Options... From the Command Line shortcut menu.• Right-click with your mouse when nothing is selected in the drawing window, and select Options... from the Default shortcut menu.• Type OP or Options.

• The verb/noun approach

• The UNDO command

• Entering U repeatedly

• Selection Set

• Brief Definition / Full Definition

• Selecting Objects Individually

• Pickbox / Window / selection / Crossing selection

• Selecting Stacked and Overlaid Objects

• Cycling through stacked objects

TIPYou can also remove selected objects from the selection set by holding down the <Shift> key and selecting the object you want to remove.

TIPYou can also remove selected objects from the selection set by holding down the <Shift> key and selecting the object you want to remove.

C—Crossing Option

W—Window Option

• Press and Drag Window Mode

• Implied Windowing

• WP—Window Polygon Option

CP—Crossing Polygon Option

F—Fence Option

• All—All OptionThe All option selects all the objects in a drawing—even those objects that lie outside the visible drawing window.

• L—Last Option The Last option selects the last object created in a drawing.

• P—Previous Option The Previous option recalls the last selection set created so that you can modify the same objects again.

TIPObjects that are on frozen or locked layers are protected when using the All option sothat they are not selected.

TIPObjects that are on frozen or locked layers are protected when using the All option sothat they are not selected.

The Select Similar tool allows you to select an object and then automaticallyinclude all of the other objects in the drawing that are of the same type and share the same properties.

The Select Similar Settings dialog

Right-click menu with Select Similar tool

Groups panel allow you to do the following:

• Group• Ungroup • Edit Group • Group Selection On/Off

You have three options:

1.Specify a base point.2.Select the Displacement option.3.Enter a displacement distance using Cartesian coordinates.

After you start the COPY command and select something, AutoCAD prompts you to Specify base point or, Similar to the MOVE command, you initially have these options:

1.Specify a base point.2.Select the Displacement option.3. Enter a displacement distance using Cartesian coordinates.

The Array option allows you to create a one-dimensional array of objects by specifying the total number of copies and either the distance between each copy or a total distance to automatically fit all of the copies.

The Displacement option allows you to specify a displacement distance using rectangular or polar coordinates. The coordinate value you enter is always the relative distance the selected object(s) will be copied, even ifyou omit the @ sign.

• Mirror axis line

• Endpoints

• Mirroring Text

• MIRRTEXT

• User specified rotation angle

• A base point as a Cartesian coordinate value

• Rotating objects using your mouse

• Use the Reference option

• Rotating and Copying Objects

• User specified scale

• Using a Cartesian coordinate value

• Specify scale factor

• The Reference option

• Scaling objects using your mouse

• The Points option

• Scaling and Copying Objects

• Using the Crossing Window selection options.

• Using the Crossing Polygon selection options.

• Stretching objects using mouse pick points

• The Displacement option

• Grips act as object handles

• The five grip commands, or modes, are as follows:

• Stretch• Move• Rotate• Scale• Mirror

The other option is to right-click with your mouse to display the Gripshortcut menu.

Grip shortcut menu

If you stretch a line using grips when Dynamic Input is on, thedefault dimension input field is a “delta,” or change, distance.

by Paul Richard and Jim Fitzgerald

Chapter 8 – Advanced Editing Techniques

• Offset objects through a specified distance

• Create polar and rectangular arrays

• Trim and extend objects

• Use the FILLET and CHAMFER commands to modify intersecting objects

• Break single objects into multiple objects

• Join separate objects into a single object

• Use the LENGTHEN command to modify the length of an object

Some of the advanced editing tools are located on the Modify panel.

• The COPY command -vs- the OFFSET command

• The OFFSET command has three options, • Through• Erase • Layer

• Offsetting an Object a Specified Distance

• Rectangular Array

• Arraying at an Angle

• Creating a Polar Array

• Choosing a Polar Array Method

Rectangular Array

Original Objects

Path Array

Original Objects

Path to Follow

TIPYou can change the length used to lay out the arrayed objects so that it is differentfrom the actual path distance using the Total option.

TIPYou can change the length used to lay out the arrayed objects so that it is differentfrom the actual path distance using the Total option.

Creating a Polar Array

Original Objects

Center Point

• Selecting Cutting Edges

• Select and extra cutting edge

• TRIM Options:• Fence • Crossing• Project• Edge• Erase• Undo

• EXTEND Options

• The options for the EXTEND command are identical to the TRIM command.

• Using the SHIFT Key to Switch Between Trim and Extend

• Radius Option

• Multiple Mode

• Trim Mode

• The Polyline Option

• Capping Two Parallel Lines using the Fillet Tool

• Creating Chamfers

• The Distance Option

• The Angle Option

• The Polyline Option

• Creating a Gap in an Object

• Breaking an Object Exactly at a Point

• Breaking Circles, Xlines and Rays

• Selecting the Second Points

• Lines

• Arcs

• Elliptical Arcs

• Polylines

•Spline Curves

TIPIt is possible to select and join multiple objects at the same time by selecting them as soon as you start the JOIN command. Typically, you can press <Enter> when prompted to select objects again to quickly join the selected objects in one step.

TIPIt is possible to select and join multiple objects at the same time by selecting them as soon as you start the JOIN command. Typically, you can press <Enter> when prompted to select objects again to quickly join the selected objects in one step.

• Delta Option

• Percent Option

• Total Option

• Dynamic Option

• Invalid Objects