Datasheet

CHAPTER 1 GETTING FAMILIAR WITH AUTOCAD

Checking Out the Draw and Modify Toolbars

In the next section, you’ll start to work in the drawing area by drawing some lines. Before you do

that, take a moment to examine the Draw and Modify toolbars. You will be instructed to use them

frequently throughout this book, so it will be helpful for you to get a feel for their arrangement and

what they contain.

1. In the AutoCAD window, move the arrow cursor to the top icon in the Draw toolbar, which

is the vertical toolbar at the far left of the AutoCAD window, and rest it there so that the tool

tip appears.

2. Slowly move the arrow cursor downward over the other tools in the Draw toolbar, and read

each tool tip.

In most cases, you’ll be able to guess what each tool does by looking at its icon. The icon with an

arc, for instance, indicates that the tool draws arcs; the one with the ellipse shows that the tool draws

ellipses; and so on. For further clarification, the tool tip gives you the name of the tool. In addition,

the status bar at the bottom of the AutoCAD window gives you information about a tool. For exam-

ple, if you point to the Multiline Text tool at the bottom of the Draw toolbar, the status bar reads

Creates a multiple-line text object. It also shows you the actual AutoCAD command name:

MTEXT. This command is what you type in the Command window to invoke the Multiline Text tool.

Table 1.2 will aid you in navigating the two main toolbars, Draw and Modify. You’ll get expe-

rience with many of AutoCAD’s tools as you work through this book.

Table 1.2: The Options on the Draw and Modify Toolbars

Draw Modify

Icon Tool Icon Tool

Line Erase

Construction Line (Xline) Copy

Polyline (Pline) Mirror

Polygon Offset

Rectangle Array

Arc Move

Circle Rotate

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