2011

Table Of Contents
Use Precision Tools
You can use a variety of precision drawing tools to help you produce accurate drawings quickly
and without performing tedious calculations.
Use Coordinates and Coordinate Systems (UCS)
For precise coordinate input, you can use several coordinate system entry
methods. You can also use a movable coordinate system, the user coordinate
system (UCS), for convenient coordinate entry and to establish workplanes.
Overview of Coordinate Entry
When a command prompts you for a point, you can use the pointing device to
specify a point, or you can enter a coordinate value at the Command prompt.
When dynamic input is on, you can enter coordinate values in tooltips near
the cursor. You can enter two-dimensional coordinates as either Cartesian (X,Y)
or polar coordinates.
Cartesian and Polar Coordinates
A Cartesian coordinate system has three axes, X, Y, and Z. When you enter
coordinate values, you indicate a point's distance (in units) and its direction (+
or -) along the X, Y, and Z axes relative to the coordinate system origin (0,0,0).
In 2D, you specify points on the XY plane, also called the workplane. The
workplane is similar to a flat sheet of grid paper. The X value of a Cartesian
coordinate specifies horizontal distance, and the Y value specifies vertical
distance. The origin point (0,0) indicates where the two axes intersect.
Polar coordinates use a distance and an angle to locate a point. With both
Cartesian and polar coordinates, you can enter absolute coordinates based on
the origin (0,0), or relative coordinates based on the last point specified.
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