Datasheet

Part I ✦ AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Basics

• For AutoCAD: (All) Programs ➪ Autodesk ➪ AutoCAD 2007 ➪ AutoCAD 2007

• For AutoCAD LT: (All) Programs➪ Autodesk➪ AutoCAD LT 2007➪ AutoCAD LT

2007

In AutoCAD, you see a Workspaces dialog box that allows you to choose from AutoCAD

Classic and 3D Modeling. AutoCAD Classis is suitable for 2D drawing, so if you’re just learn-

ing AutoCAD, choose that option and click OK.

You see a blank drawing named Drawing1.dwg.

If you are continuing with this chapter, keep this drawing open. I cover exiting from AutoCAD

and AutoCAD LT later in this chapter.

Using the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Interface

As I mentioned in the previous section, AutoCAD offers two quite different screens, depend-

ing on whether you want to work in 2D or 3D. The 3D working environment is quite different

from the AutoCAD LT screen, but the AutoCAD 2D and the AutoCAD LT environments are simi-

lar. In this section, I discuss AutoCAD’s 2D environment.

AutoCAD now offers a separate 3D working environment, which includes the 3D Modeling

workspace and a new acad3D.dwt template. (I cover templates in Chapter 2.) I cover this

3D environment in Part IV, Drawing in Three Dimensions.

Figure 1-2 shows the screen that appears when you first open AutoCAD using the AutoCAD

Classic workspace or AutoCAD LT. Your screen may look somewhat different — remember

that AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT can be customized in many ways — but the general features

will be the same.

You may see several other items on your screen, such as the Tool Palettes window, the Sheet

Set Manager, the Info Palette, and so on. You can close all these items by clicking their Close

(X) button. I discuss these tools throughout the book, as they relate to the current topic. Also,

by default, the screen is black, rather than the white screen you see in Figure 1-2. You can

leave it that way or change the drawing area color, as I explain in Appendix A.

If you find yourself in a 3D environment in AutoCAD, you’ll see a gray background and a per-

spective view. To work in 2D in AutoCAD, you need to switch to a 2D environment.

To switch to a 2D environment, follow these steps in AutoCAD:

1. From the Workspaces toolbar, choose AutoCAD Classic from the drop-down list. This

displays toolbars with 2D commands.

2. Choose File ➪ New. From the Select Template dialog box, choose

acad.dwt and click

Open. This places you in a 2D view and turns off the grid.

The AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT screens consist of four important areas. These are discussed

in the following sections.

Note

New

Feature

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