Chapter 1 AL Getting Familiar with AutoCAD RI If you are totally new to AutoCAD, you’ll want to read this chapter. It GH TE D MA TE provides an overview of AutoCAD’s layout and shows you what to expect when you start to use it. Even if you’ve had an AutoCAD class or used an older version of AutoCAD, you’ll find this chapter helpful because it covers the new AutoCAD interface. You’ll start by taking a tour of the AutoCAD window to get familiar with the menus and other components.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD Understanding the AutoCAD Window Autodesk has completely redesigned AutoCAD 2009’s interface. If you’ve used AutoCAD before, it will appear as though AutoCAD has completely changed. Don’t worry; the underlying program still behaves in much the same way as before. Through AutoCAD’s workspace feature, you can easily change AutoCAD’s interface to display the old, familiar toolbars that are seemingly missing from this latest version.
Understanding the AutoCAD Window ■ 3 Figure 1.1 Quick Access Toolbar InfoCenter Menu Browser Ribbon Drawing area UCS Command window Status bar In some installations, you might see a Startup dialog box. If this happens to you, click Cancel, and AutoCAD will display the blank default document. 3. The default document appears to be an empty 2D space. You’ll also see a special tool palette, called the Ribbon, along the top, as shown in Figure 1.1.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD If you’re feeling adventurous, you can go to Chapter 6 to find out more about AutoCAD’s new 3D tools. LT users will not have the 3D functions. 2. Select 3D Modeling from the list. (Notice that this list contains the same three options found in the Workspaces message box that appears in step 1 of the previous procedure.) The current default file, Drawing1.
Understanding the AutoCAD Window 5. Click the Workspace Switching tool, and click 2D Drafting & Annotation in the Workspaces toolbar. You’ll be working in this workspace for most of this book. 6. Exit the 3D Drawing2.dwg file by clicking the Close icon in the upper-right corner of the drawing area. The Close icon looks like an X. Even though the default 2D file looks completely different from the new 3D file you created by using the acad3D.dwt template, they really are basically the same.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD • Status bar • Command window • InfoCenter Figure 1.2 Your AutoCAD window should look like the earlier Figure 1.1, which shows the default configuration for a new AutoCAD installation. Since AutoCAD is so easy to customize, you might not see exactly the same layout, but the basic components should be there. AutoCAD 2009 offers the Ribbon that contains most of the common functions you’ll need to use (see Figure 1.2).
Understanding the AutoCAD Window ■ 7 Figure 1.3 Click the AutoCAD icon to open the Menu Browser In the middle of the AutoCAD window is the drawing area where you’ll do your actual drawing. At the bottom of the screen is the status bar, which provides information about many of the settings you’ll use in AutoCAD. The status bar also offers controls over many of the different drawing modes in AutoCAD. Just above the status bar is the command window, which is almost unique to AutoCAD.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD Figure 1.4 The Properties palette (at left) and the tool palettes (at right) Tool palettes Properties palette The Properties palette shown on the left and the AutoCAD tool palettes shown on the right of Figure 1.4 might not appear in your AutoCAD window by default, but you can open the tool palettes by clicking the View tab in the Ribbon and selecting Tool Palettes from the Palettes panel.
Understanding the AutoCAD Window Along with the Dynamic Input display, the command line and status bar just below the drawing area provide feedback as you work with AutoCAD commands (see Figure 1.5). You can also see the XY coordinate in the far left of the status bar in the lowerleft corner of the AutoCAD window. Command line Figure 1.5 The status bar and the command line work with the drawing area to give you feedback as you draw.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD Figure 1.6 more information on how to use the tool (see Figure 1.6). As a new user, you’ll find these tooltips very helpful. A tooltip showing the name of the tool, a brief tutorial-like graphic, and the command name associated with the tool Tool name Description/tutorial Keyboard command equivalent Context-sensitive help Throughout the book, when I ask you to select a tool from the Ribbon or from a toolbar, I’ll use the name shown in the tooltip.
Understanding the AutoCAD Window If you see a triangle on the right side of a Ribbon panel title bar, you can expand the panel to reveal more tools. To do this, click the panel title bar. The panel will expand downward. Once you click in the drawing area, the panel returns to its normal view. If you want to lock the expanded panel so that it stays open, click the pushpin icon on the right side of the expanded panel’s title bar.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD Figure 1.7 A Ribbon panel in its floating appearance, showing its controls controls (see Figure 1.7). These controls disappear when you are not pointing inside the panel, but they reappear when you hover over the panel with your cursor. Tooltips appear when you hover over the Close Panel Send to Ribbon controls, and they describe what each control Options does.
Understanding the AutoCAD Window Finally, as with any window, you can expand the drawing area or contract it into a smaller window by clicking the Restore Down icon in the upper-right corner of the drawing area. When the drawing area is in the Restore Down position, it appears as a separate window within the AutoCAD window. You can then resize the window to any rectangular shape you need. This is helpful when you have multiple AutoCAD drawing files open.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD The command window is a little like a chat window when you’re online. You “chat” with AutoCAD by responding to messages that appear in the command line. When AutoCAD asks for specific data, the command line allows you to enter data using the keyboard. It is also an area that provides information about your drawing when you request it. “ C h at t i n g ” w i t h Au t o C A D AutoCAD communicates its needs to you in messages in the command line.
Understanding the AutoCAD Window In the Menu Browser, you’ll see many of the standard Windows menu options, such as File, Edit, Window, and Help, as well as a few that are specific to AutoCAD. Another Menu Browser feature is the command description that appears as a tooltip whenever you hover over a menu option. These descriptions often give enough detailed information to get you started using the option. Try the following to see the tooltips firsthand: 1. Open the Menu Browser, and click Modify.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD Starting Commands Another type of item you’ll find in a menu is a command that directly executes an AutoCAD operation. Try this exercise to explore a typical command: 1. Click the Dynamic Input tool in the status bar to turn off Dynamic Input display mode. When it is off, it is gray. You’ll start your exploration of commands with this feature turned off so you can get a clear view of your activity.
Understanding the AutoCAD Window 4. Click another point anywhere in the upper-right region of the drawing area. A rectangle appears (see Figure 1.9). You’ll learn more about the different cursor shapes and what they mean later in this chapter. ■ 17 Figure 1.9 Once you’ve selected the first point of the rectangle, you’ll see a rectangle follow the motion of your mouse. Next, try deleting the rectangle you just drew: 1. Place the cursor on top of the rectangle, but don’t do anything yet.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD 5. The rectangle is still selected, so press the Delete key to delete it. This removes the rectangle from the drawing. In step 1, AutoCAD shows you exactly what the cursor is pointing to by highlighting objects that will be selected with the next click.
Understanding the AutoCAD Window Command ■ 19 Table 1.1 Description 3D Navigation CAD Standards Tools for controlling 3D views (not available in LT). Tools for checking the layer, dimension, and text styles against standards you have created (not available in LT). Camera Adjustment Tools for controlling camera objects. Dimension Commands for helping you dimension your drawings. Many of these commands are duplicated in the Dimension drop-down menu. See Chapter 10.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD continued Command Description UCS II View Tools for selecting from a set of predefined user coordinate systems. Tools for controlling the way you view 3D models. See Chapter 6 for more on 3D views. Tools for creating and editing multiple views of your drawing. See Chapter 6 for more about viewports. Tools for controlling the way 3D models are displayed. Tools for controlling motion through a 3D model. Tools for accessing the Web.
Starting a Drawing Starting a Drawing What you do to start a new drawing in AutoCAD is a little different from what you do in other programs, so let’s create a new file to see how it’s done: 1. From the Menu Browser, choose File ➔ Close to close the current file. When the message box appears asking you to save changes, click No. Notice that the toolbars disappear and that the AutoCAD drawing window appears blank when no drawings are open. 2.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD S w i tch i n g B e t w e e n O pe n D r aw i n g s a n d t h e M o d e l a n d L ayo u t V i e w s As with most Windows programs, you can have several drawings open at one time. AutoCAD offers the Quick View Drawings tool in the status bar, with which you can easily navigate among multiple drawings. When you click the Quick View Drawings tool, you will see a row of drawing preview p anels just above the status bar.
Starting a Drawing ■ 23 Next, try drawing a couple of objects just to get comfortable with drawing in AutoCAD. In the following exercise, you’ll draw a rectangle; then you’ll add a circle: 1. Click the Rectangle tool in the Draw panel. Remember that you can use the tooltips to help you locate a tool. You can also choose Draw ➔ Rectangle from the Menu Browser. 2. Click a point in the lower left of the drawing area, as shown in Figure 1.10. Don’t worry about the exact location.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD W h e n Yo u N e e d to U n d o The AutoCAD User Group International (AUGI) has conducted a survey to identify the most commonly used features in AutoCAD. The group found that the Undo feature and the Esc key were at the top of the list. Everyone makes mistakes, and it would be impossible to get any work done if it weren’t for these two features. But Undo and the Esc key are just two of a set of features you can use to reverse something you have done.
Panning and Zooming to Adjust Your View Panning and Zooming to Adjust Your View One of the greatest features of AutoCAD is its ability to draw accurately through a wide range of scales. For example, you can draw a football field, zoom into a blade of grass, and draw its cell structure. With such a broad range of views to work with, you need to be familiar with AutoCAD’s view features.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD Figure 1.11 3. Click the first point indicated in Figure 1.11. You don’t have to be too accurate. Selecting a Zoom window Click this location first to start the Zoom window Then click this location 4. Click the second point indicated in Figure 1.11. The area you selected expands to fill the drawing area. Notice that the transition to the zoomed view is smooth. This helps you keep track of exactly where in the drawing the zoom occurs. 5.
Panning and Zooming to Adjust Your View Dynamic This changes the display to an overall view. A rectangle also appears, which lets you select an area to which to zoom in. To change the size of the rectangle, click the rectangle. You can adjust the size of the rectangle and thus change the size of the zoom area. Click again to fix the rectangle size. Right-click, and choose Enter to zoom in to the selected area. Scale This lets you zoom in or out by a specific value.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD Understanding the Layout View Aside from the command prompt, you’ve probably noticed that AutoCAD behaves like most other Windows programs. But in one of its features AutoCAD is a little different from other Windows graphics programs. Specifically, at the bottom of the AutoCAD window, you’ll see an icon that looks like a triangle over a grid. If you hover over the icon, you’ll see that it is labeled Layout1. Another icon to the left of Layout1 is called Model.
Understanding the Layout View ■ 29 Try the following exercise to see firsthand how layouts work: 1. Click the Layout1 icon at the bottom of the drawing area. The drawing area changes to show your drawing, plus some additional display elements, as shown in Figure 1.12. The Layout shows you how your drawing will look when it is printed. Click this outline, and press the Delete key 2.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD multiple viewports of various sizes, each displaying different parts of your drawing. When you deleted that viewport, you essentially closed your view into your drawing in the model space, so your rectangle and circle disappeared from view. They didn’t really go anywhere. It’s just that your view of them was deleted. You might have also noticed that a Layout1 tool displays a white area over a gray background.
Understanding How Command Options Work The prompt Specify start point changes to a crosshair cursor. of arc or [Center]: appears, and the cursor 2. If you examine this Specify start point of arc or [Center]: prompt, you’ll see that the start point contains two options. The default option is stated in the main part of the prompt: Specify start point. If other options are available, they appear within brackets, as in the [Center] option that appears in the Arc tool’s command prompt.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD and vertical directions, much like a T square and a triangle. The tooltip shows your cursor’s location relative to the center point you just selected. It displays this information in what is known as a polar coordinate. You can learn more about polar coordinates in Chapter 2. 5. With the rubber-banding line pointing to the right, click to select a point, as shown earlier in Figure 1.13. The prompt Specify end point of arc or [Angle/chord Length]: appears. 6.
Getting Help 3. Scan down the screen until you see the topic Command Reference, and double-click it. Both panels of the Help window change to show more topics. 4. Expand the Commands list, and then click the item labeled C near the top of the command listing. The panel to the right changes to display a list of command names that start with the letter C. 5. Look down the list, and click Copy. A description of the Copy command appears.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD In this example, the list that is returned is quite large. You can use Boolean AND, OR, NEAR, and NOT in conjunction with other keywords to help filter your searches. Once you’ve found the topic you’re looking for, select it from the Select Topic list, and then click the Display button to display the topic information. The Index tab lets you find specific topics in the AutoCAD Help system by entering a word in a list box.
Getting Help 4. Click the Close button, or press the Esc key. 5. Press the Esc key to exit the Move command. If you gain some confidence with AutoCAD’s Help window, you can go far in helping yourself learn basic AutoCAD commands. But if you really get stuck, this book will help you get past your barriers. Finding Additional Sources of Help The Help window is the main source for reference material, but you can also find answers to your questions through the other options in the Help menu.
■ Chapter 1: Getting Familiar with AutoCAD The InfoCenter provides a way to stay informed about the latest software updates and support issues for AutoCAD. Click the arrow in the InfoCenter to open the InfoCenter menu, and select the Search Settings option. This opens the InfoCenter Settings dialog box. Once you’ve set up the InfoCenter, you can begin to use a wide range of resources on the Internet aimed at the AutoCAD user.
