Mastering AutoCAD 2021 and AutoCAD LT 2021

Introduction xxvii

Part 1 The Basics 1

Chapter 1 Exploring the Interface 3

Taking a Guided Tour 3

Launching AutoCAD 4

The AutoCAD Window 5

Using the Application Menu 8

Using the Ribbon 10

Picking Points in the Drawing Area 15

Using the UCS Icon 16

Working in the Command Window 16

Working with AutoCAD 17

Opening an Existing File 17

Getting a Closer Look 18

Saving a File as You Work 22

Making Changes 23

Working with Multiple Files 24

Adding a Predrawn Symbol with the Tool Palettes 28

The Bottom Line 31

Chapter 2 Creating Your First Drawing 33

Getting to Know the Home Tab's Draw and Modify Panels 33

Starting Your First Drawing 36

Specifying Exact Distances with Coordinates 41

Specifying Polar Coordinates 42

Specifying Relative Cartesian Coordinates 44

Interpreting the Cursor Modes and Understanding Prompts 45

Understanding Cursor Modes 46

Choosing Command Options 47

Selecting Objects 52

Selecting Objects in AutoCAD 53

Providing Base Points 55

Using Noun/Verb Selection 59

Editing with Grips 64

Stretching Lines by Using Grips 64

Moving and Rotating with Grips 66

Understanding Dynamic Input 69

Displaying Data in a Text Window 74

Displaying the Properties of an Object 75

Getting Help 78

Using the InfoCenter 78

Finding Additional Sources of Help 79

The Bottom Line 79

Chapter 3 Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools 81

Setting Up a Work Area 81

Specifying Units 82

Fine-Tuning the Measurement System 84

Setting Up the Drawing Limits 85

Looking at an Alternative to Limits 87

Understanding Scale Factors 87

Using Polar Tracking 88

Setting the Polar Tracking Angle 90

Exploring the Drawing Process 91

Locating an Object in Reference to Others 92

Modifying an Object 93

Planning and Laying Out a Drawing 96

Making a Preliminary Sketch 98

Using the Layout 100

Erasing the Layout Lines 106

Putting on the Finishing Touches 108

Aligning Objects by Using Object Snap Tracking 109

Using the AutoCAD Modes as Drafting Tools 114

Using Grid Mode as a Background Grid 115

Using Snap Modes 117

The Bottom Line 118

Chapter 4 Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups 121

Creating and Using a Symbol 121

Understanding the Block Definition Dialog Box 124

Inserting a Symbol 126

Scaling and Rotating Blocks 129

Using an Existing Drawing as a Symbol 131

Modifying a Block 133

Unblocking and Redefining a Block 134

Saving a Block as a Drawing File 136

Replacing Existing Files with Blocks 137

Understanding the Write Block Dialog Box Options 138

Other Uses for Blocks 138

Understanding the Annotation Scale 139

Grouping Objects 142

Modifying Members of a Group 144

Ungrouping, Adding, and Subtracting from a Group 147

Working with the Object Grouping Dialog Box 148

Working with the AutoCAD LT Group Manager 150

The Bottom Line 152

Chapter 5 Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks 153

Organizing Information with Layers 153

Creating and Assigning Layers 154

Working on Layers 162

Controlling Layer Visibility 166

Finding the Layers You Want 168

Taming an Unwieldy List of Layers 169

Assigning Linetypes to Layers 176

Adding a Linetype to a Drawing 177

Controlling Lineweights 182

Keeping Track of Blocks and Layers 182

Getting a Text File List of Layers or Blocks 183

The Bottom Line 185

Part 2 Mastering Intermediate Skills 187

Chapter 6 Editing and Reusing Data toWork Efficiently y 189

Creating and Using Templates 190

Creating a Template 190

Using a Template 191

Copying an Object Multiple Times 192

Making Circular Copies 193

Making Row and Column Copies 195

Fine-Tuning Your View 197

Finishing the Kitchenette 199

Array Along a Path 200

Making Changes to an Associative Array 201

Developing Your Drawing 205

Importing Settings 206

Using Osnap Tracking to Place Objects 209

Finding an Exact Distance Along a Curve 226

Changing the Length of Objects 228

Creating a New Drawing by Using Parts from Another Drawing 229

Eliminating Unused Blocks, Layers, Linetypes, Shapes, Styles, and More 230

The Bottom Line 232

Chapter 7 Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References 235

Assembling the Parts 235

Taking Control of the AutoCAD Display 238

Understanding Regeneration and Redrawing 239

Saving Views 240

Understanding the Frozen Layer Option 244

Using Hatch Patterns in Your Drawings 246

Placing a Hatch Pattern in a Specific Area 246

Adding Predefined Hatch Patterns 248

Positioning Hatch Patterns Accurately 250

Updating a Block from an External File 251

Changing the Hatch Area 253

Modifying a Hatch Pattern 254

Understanding the Boundary Hatch Options 255

Controlling Boundaries with the Boundaries Panel 257

Fine-Tuning the Boundary Behavior 257

Controlling Hatch Behavior with the Options Panel 258

Controlling Hatch Default Layer, Layout Scale, and ISO Line Weight 259

Using Additional Hatch Features 259

Using Gradient Shading 260

Tips for Using Hatch 262

Space Planning and Hatch Patterns 262

Using External References 266

Attaching a Drawing as an External Reference 266

Other Differences Between External References and Blocks 270

Other External Reference Options 272

Clipping Xref Views and Improving Performance 274

Editing Xrefs in Place 277

Using the External Reference Tab 280

Adding and Removing Objects from Blocks and Xrefs 280

Understanding the Reference Edit Dialog Box Options 283

The Bottom Line 284

Chapter 8 Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts 285

Plotting the Plan 285

Understanding the Plotter Settings 290

Paper Size 290

Drawing Orientation 291

Plot Area 291

Plot Scale 292

Shaded Viewport Options 295

Plot Offset 296

Plot Options 297

Exit Options 298

Plotting Using Layout Views 299

Setting Plot Scale in the Layout Viewports 302

Adding an Output Device 303

Editing a Plotter Configuration 306

Storing a Page Setup 308

Using Electronic Plots 312

Exporting to PDF Through the Plot Dialog Box 312

Exporting to PDF Through the Export To DWF/PDF Ribbon Panel 314

Exporting Autodesk DWF and DWFx Files 315

The Bottom Line 316

Chapter 9 Adding Text to Drawings 317

Preparing a Drawing for Text 317

Organizing Text by Styles 319

Getting Familiar with the Text and Annotation Scale Control Panels 320

Setting the Annotation Scale and Adding Text 321

Inserting Text 321

Exploring Text and Scale 323

Understanding the Text Style Dialog Box Options 326

Styles 326

Set Current/New/Delete 326

Font 326

Size 326

Effects 327

Exploring Text Formatting in AutoCAD 327

Adjusting the Text Height and Font 328

Understanding the Text Editor Tab 330

Adding Symbols and Special Characters 331

Setting Indents and Tabs 334

What Do the Fonts Look Like? 338

Adding Simple Single-Line Text Objects 340

Justifying Single-Line Text Objects 342

Using Special Characters with Single-Line Text Objects 343

Using the Check Spelling Feature 345

How Check Spelling Works 345

Choosing a Dictionary 346

Substituting Fonts 347

Finding and Replacing Text 349

The Bottom Line 353

Chapter 10 Using Fields and Tables 355

Using Fields to Associate Text with Drawing Properties 355

Adding Tables to Your Drawing 359

Creating a Table 360

Adding Cell Text 361

Adjusting Table Text Orientation and Location 363

Editing the Table Line Work 365

Adding Formulas to Cells 368

Using Formulas Directly in Cells 369

Using Other Math Operations 370

Importing and Exporting Tables 370

Importing a Table 371

Exporting Tables 373

Creating Table Styles 373

Adding or Modifying a Table Style 373

Exploring the Table Style Options 375

The Bottom Line 376

Chapter 11 Using Dimensions 377

Understanding the Components of a Dimension 377

Creating a Dimension Style 378

Setting Up the Primary Unit Style 380

Setting the Height for Dimension Text 382

Setting the Location and Orientation of Dimension Text 383

Choosing an Arrow Style and Setting the Dimension Scale 384

Setting Up Alternate Units 388

Setting the Current Dimension Style 389

Modifying a Dimension Style 390

Drawing Linear Dimensions 390

Understanding the Dimensions Panel 391

Placing Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions 392

Continuing a Dimension 393

Drawing Dimensions from a Common Base Extension Line 394

Adjusting the Distance Between Dimensions 396

Editing Dimensions 397

Appending Data to Dimension Text 397

Using Grips to Make Minor Adjustments to Dimensions 399

Changing Style Settings of Individual Dimensions 401

Associating Dimensions with Objects 405

Adding a String of Dimensions with a Single Operation 407

Adding or Removing the Alternate Dimensions 408

Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Objects 409

Dimensioning Nonorthogonal Linear Distances 409

Dimensioning Radii, Diameters, and Arcs 411

Skewing Dimension Lines 415

Using the Dimension Tool 416

Adding a Note with a Leader Arrow 419

Creating Multileader Styles 421

Editing Multileader Notes 424

Breaking a Dimension Line for a Leader 424

Applying Ordinate Dimensions 425

Adding Tolerance Notation 426

Inserting Tolerance and Datum Values 426

Adding Inspection Dimensions 427

The Bottom Line 429

Part 3 Mastering Advanced Skills 431

Chapter 12 Using Attributes 433

Creating Attributes 434

Adding Attributes to Blocks 434

Copying and Editing Attribute Definitions 437

Turning the Attribute Definitions into a Block 440

Inserting Blocks Containing Attributes 441

Editing Attributes 445

Editing Attribute Values One at a Time 445

Editing Attribute Text Formats and Properties 446

Making Global Changes to Attribute Values 447

Making Invisible Attributes Visible 449

Making Global Format and Property Changes to Attributes 450

Other Block Attribute Manager Options 452

Redefining Blocks Containing Attributes 453

Extracting and Exporting Attribute Information 454

Performing the Extraction 454

Extracting Attribute Data to an AutoCAD Table 459

The Bottom Line 461

Chapter 13 Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources 463

Methods for Converting Paper Drawings to AutoCAD Files 463

Importing a Raster Image 464

Working with a Raster Image 466

Scaling a Raster Image 468

Controlling Object Visibility and Overlap with Raster Images 468

Adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and Fade 471

Clipping a Raster Image 472

Turning Off the Frame, Adjusting Overall Quality,

and Controlling Transparency 473

Working with PDF Files 477

Importing a PDF 477

Scaling and Osnaps with PDFs 478

Controlling the PDF Display 481

Importing a PDF as an AutoCAD Drawing 483

Reconstructing Imported AutoCAD SHX Fonts 485

Coordinating Geographic Locations 486

Making Adjustments to the Map 489

Finding Measurements and Distances 491

The Bottom Line 492

Chapter 14 Advanced Editing and Organizing 493

Using External References 493

Preparing Existing Drawings for External Referencing 494

Assembling Xrefs to Build a Drawing 496

Updating Blocks in Xrefs 500

Importing Named Elements from Xrefs 502

Controlling the Xref Search Path 505

Managing Layers 507

Saving and Recalling Layer Settings 507

Other Tools for Managing Layers 510

Using Advanced Tools: Filter and Quick Select 513

Filtering Selections 513

Using Quick Select 518

Using the QuickCalc Calculator 520

Adding Foot and Inch Lengths and Finding the Sum of Angles 522

Converting Units with QuickCalc 525

Using QuickCalc to Find Points 526

Finding Fractional Distances Between Two Points 529

Using QuickCalc While in the Middle of a Command 532

Storing Expressions and Values 533

Guidelines for Working with QuickCalc 535

The Bottom Line 538

Chapter 15 Laying Out Your Printer Output 541

Understanding Model Space and Paper Space 541

Switching from Model Space to Paper Space 542

Setting the Size of a Paper Space Layout 544

Creating New Paper Space Viewports 546

Creating a Viewport from a Saved View 547

Reaching Inside Viewports 548

Working with Paper Space Viewports 551

Scaling Views in Paper Space 552

Setting Layers in Individual Viewports 554

Creating and Using Multiple Paper Space Layouts 558

Creating Odd-Shaped Viewports 560

Understanding Lineweights, Linetypes, and Dimensions in Paper Space 562

Controlling and Viewing Lineweights in Paper Space 562

Using the Lineweight Settings Dialog Box 565

Controlling Linetype Scales and Paper Space 565

Dimensioning in Paper Space Layouts 566

Other Uses for Paper Space 569

The Bottom Line 570

Chapter 16 Making "Smart" Drawings with Parametric Tools 571

Why Use Parametric Drawing Tools? 571

Connecting Objects with Geometric Constraints 573

Using AutoConstrain to Add Constraints Automatically 573

Editing a Drawing Containing Constraints 574

Using Other Geometric Constraints 578

Using Constraints in the Drawing Process 579

Controlling Sizes with Dimensional Constraints 579

Adding a Dimensional Constraint 580

Editing a Dimensional Constraint 581

Using Formulas to Control and Link Dimensions 583

Adding a Formula Parameter 584

Testing the Formula 586

Using Other Formulas 587

Editing the Constraint Options 588

Putting Constraints to Use 590

The Bottom Line 591

Chapter 17 Using Dynamic Blocks 593

Exploring the Block Editor 593

Opening the Block Editor 594

Editing a Block and Creating New Blocks 595

Creating a Dynamic Block 596

Adding a Parameter 597

Adding an Action 598

Adding an Increment Value 600

Editing Parameters and Actions 602

Keeping an Object Centered 602

Using Constraints in Dynamic Blocks 604

Adding a List of Predefined Options 608

Creating Multiple Shapes in One Block 612

Rotating Objects in Unison 617

Filling in a Space Automatically with Objects 621

Including Block Information with Data Extraction 623

The Bottom Line 625

Chapter 18 Drawing Curves 627

Introducing Polylines 627

Drawing a Polyline 627

Setting Polyline Options 629

Editing Polylines 630

Setting Pedit Options 634

Smoothing Polylines 635

Editing Vertices 636

Creating a Polyline Spline Curve 646

Using True Spline Curves 648

Drawing a True Spline 648

Understanding the Spline Options 650

Fine-Tuning Spline Curves 651

Marking Divisions on Curves 654

Dividing Objects into Segments of Equal Length 654

Dividing Objects into Specified Lengths 657

The Bottom Line 658

Chapter 19 Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 661

Finding the Area of Closed Boundaries 661

Finding the Area of an Object 662

Using Hatch Patterns to Find Areas 663

Adding and Subtracting Areas with the Area Command 665

Getting General Information 669

Determining the Drawing's Status 669

Keeping Track of Time 671

Getting Information from System Variables 672

Keeping a Log of Your Activity 672

Capturing and Saving Text Data from the AutoCAD Text Window 673

Understanding the Command Window Context Menu 674

Storing Searchable Information in AutoCAD Files 675

Searching for AutoCAD Files 676

Recovering Corrupted Files 677

Using the DXF File Format to Exchange CAD Data with Other Programs 677

Exporting DXF Files 678

Opening or Importing DXF Files 679

Using AutoCAD Drawings in Page Layout Programs 681

Exporting Raster Files 681

Exporting Vector Files 685

Using OLE to Import Data 687

Editing OLE Links 690

Importing Worksheets as AutoCAD Tables 690

Understanding Options for Embedding Data 693

Using the Clipboard to Export AutoCAD Drawings 694

The Bottom Line 694

Part 4 3D Modeling and Imaging 697

Chapter 20 Creating 3D Drawings 699

Getting to Know the 3D Modeling Workspace 699

Drawing in 3D Using Solids 701

Adjusting Appearances 702

Creating a 3D Box 702

Editing 3D Solids with Grips 704

Constraining Motion with the Gizmo 705

Rotating Objects in 3D Using Dynamic UCS 706

Drawing on a 3D Object's Surface 709

Pushing and Pulling Shapes from a Solid 710

Making Changes to Your Solid 712

Creating 3D Forms from 2D Shapes 715

Isolating Coordinates with Point Filters 720

Moving Around Your Model 723

Finding Isometric and Orthogonal Views 723

Rotating Freely Around Your Model 724

Changing Your View Direction 725

Using SteeringWheels 727

Changing Where You Are Looking 729

Flying Through Your View 730

Changing from Perspective to Parallel Projection 731

Getting a Visual Effect 732

Using Visual Styles 732

Creating a Sketched Look with Visual Styles 733

In-Canvas Viewport Controls 736

Turning a 3D View into a 2D AutoCAD Drawing 736

Using the Point Cloud Feature 738

The Bottom Line 739

Chapter 21 Using Advanced 3D Features 741

Setting Up AutoCAD for This Chapter 741

Mastering the User Coordinate System 742

Defining a UCS 743

Saving a UCS 746

Working in a UCS 746

Building 3D Parts in Separate Files 748

Understanding the UCS Options 750

UCS Based on Object Orientation 750

UCS Based on Offset Orientation 753

UCS Rotated Around an Axis 754

Orienting a UCS in the View Plane 756

Manipulating the UCS Icon 756

Saving a UCS with a View 757

Using Viewports to Aid in 3D Drawing 758

Using the Array Tools 762

Making Changes to an Associative Array 763

Creating Complex 3D Surfaces 764

Laying Out a 3D Form 764

Spherical and Cylindrical Coordinate Formats 765

Using a 3D Polyline 766

Creating a Curved 3D Surface 767

Converting the Surface into a Solid 772

Shaping the Solid 772

Finding the Interference Between Two Solids 774

Creating Tubes with the Sweep Tool 777

Using Sweep to Create Complex Forms 779

Creating Spiral Forms 781

Creating Surface Models 784

Slicing a Solid with a Surface 786

Finding the Volume of a Cut 787

Understanding the Loft Command 790

Moving Objects in 3D Space 793

Aligning Objects in 3D Space 793

Moving an Object in 3D 795

Rotating an Object in 3D 796

The Bottom Line 797

Chapter 22 Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids 799

Understanding Solid Modeling 799

Creating Solid Forms 802

Joining Primitives 802

Cutting Portions Out of a Solid 804

Creating Complex Solids 806

Tapering an Extrusion 807

Sweeping a Shape on a Curved Path 808

Revolving a Polyline 809

Editing Solids 812

Splitting a Solid into Two Pieces 812

Rounding Corners with the Fillet Tool 814

Chamfering Corners with the Chamfer Tool 815

Using the Solid-Editing Tools 816

Streamlining the 2D Drawing Process 826

Drawing Standard Top, Front, and Right-Side Views 827

Creating 2D Drawings with the Base View Command 830

Adding Dimensions and Notes in a Layout 836

Using Visual Styles with a Viewport 837

Visualizing Solids 839

The Bottom Line 849

Chapter 23 Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling 851

Creating a Simple 3D Mesh 851

Creating a Mesh Primitive 852

Understanding the Parts of a Mesh 853

Smoothing a Mesh 853

Editing Faces and Edges 855

Stretching Faces 857

Moving an Edge 860

Adding More Faces 862

Rotating an Edge 865

Adding a Crease 866

Splitting and Extruding a Mesh Face 868

Creating Mesh Surfaces 871

Revolved Surface 871

Edge Surface 873

Ruled Surface 874

Tabulated Surface 875

Converting Meshes to Solids 876

Understanding 3D Surfaces 877

Editing Surfaces 879

Using Extrude, Surface Trim, and Surface Fillet 881

Using Surface Blend, Patch, and Offset 883

Understanding Associativity 888

Editing with Control Vertices 891

Editing with the CV Edit Bar 895

Making Holes in a Surface with the Project Geometry Panel 897

Visualizing Curvature: Understanding the Analysis Panel 898

The Bottom Line 901

Part 5 Customization and Integration 903

Chapter 24 Customizing the Workspace Environment, Linetypes, and Hatch Patterns 905

Using Workspaces 905

Customizing the User Interface 907

Taking a Quick Customization Tour 907

Understanding the Customizations In All Files Panel 912

Getting the Overall View 915

Finding Commands in the Command List 916

Opening Preview, Button Image, and Shortcuts 916

Getting to the Core of Customization in the Properties Group 917

Creating Your Own Ribbon Panels and Menus 918

Customizing Ribbon Panel Tools 920

Creating Macros in Tools and Menus 923

Pausing for User Input 925

Opening an Expanded Text Box for the Macro Option 925

Editing Keyboard Shortcuts 926

Saving, Loading, and Unloading Your Customizations 929

Understanding the DIESEL Macro Language 932

Using DIESEL at the Command Line 932

Using DIESEL in a Custom Menu Macro 934

Using DIESEL as a Menu Bar Option Label 935

Using DIESEL and Fields to Generate Text 936

Creating Custom Linetypes 938

Viewing Available Linetypes 939

Creating a New Linetype 940

Understanding the Linetype Code 941

Creating Complex Linetypes 942

Creating Hatch Patterns 944

The Bottom Line 947

Chapter 25 Managing and Sharing Your Drawings 949

Sharing Drawings Online 949

Sharing Project Files with eTransmit 950

Creating Additional Transmittal Setup Options 952

Publishing Your Drawings 954

Exchanging Drawing Sets 954

Exploring Other Publish Options 957

Creating a PDF or DWF File by Using the Plot Dialog Box 959

Sharing Views for Commenting 961

Using the Shared Views Tool 961

Using the Autodesk Viewer Web Page 964

Adding Hyperlinks to Drawings 965

Creating Hyperlinks 965

Editing and Deleting Hyperlinks 968

Taking a Closer Look at the Hyperlink Options 968

Managing Your Drawings with DesignCenter and the Tool Palettes 969

Getting Familiar with DesignCenter 970

Opening and Inserting Files with DesignCenter 973

Finding and Extracting the Contents of a Drawing 974

Exchanging Data between Open Files 978

Loading Specific Files into DesignCenter 979

Customizing the Tool Palettes with DesignCenter 980

Comparing Drawing Versions to Discover Changes 985

Using the Drawing Compare Tool 985

Looking at the Compare Tab Tools 987

Establishing Office Standards 987

Establishing Layering and Text Conventions 987

Checking Office Standards 988

Converting Multiple Layer Settings 993

Exploring Other Layer Translator Options 995

The Bottom Line 996

Part 6 Appendices 999

Appendix A The Bottom Line 1001

Chapter 1: Exploring the Interface 1001

Chapter 2: Creating Your First Drawing 1001

Chapter 3: Setting Up and Using the Drafting Tools 1002

Chapter 4: Organizing Objects with Blocks and Groups 1003

Chapter 5: Keeping Track of Layers and Blocks 1003

Chapter 6: Editing and Reusing Data to Work Efficiently 1004

Chapter 7: Mastering Viewing Tools, Hatches, and External References 1005

Chapter 8: Introducing Printing, Plotting, and Layouts 1005

Chapter 9: Adding Text to Drawings 1006

Chapter 10: Using Fields and Tables 1007

Chapter 11: Using Dimensions 1007

Chapter 12: Using Attributes 1008

Chapter 13: Copying Existing Drawings from Other Sources 1009

Chapter 14: Advanced Editing and Organizing 1010

Chapter 15: Laying Out Your Printer Output 1010

Chapter 16: Making "Smart" Drawings with Parametric Tools 1011

Chapter 17: Using Dynamic Blocks 1012

Chapter 18: Drawing Curves 1012

Chapter 19: Getting and Exchanging Data from Drawings 1014

Chapter 20: Creating 3D Drawings 1015

Chapter 21: Using Advanced 3D Features 1016

Chapter 22: Editing and Visualizing 3D Solids 1017

Chapter 23: Exploring 3D Mesh and Surface Modeling 1018

Chapter 24: Customizing the Workspace Environment, Linetypes, and Hatch Patterns 1019

Chapter 25: Managing and Sharing Your Drawings 1020

Appendix B Installing and Setting Up AutoCAD 1021

Before Installing AutoCAD 1021

Proceeding with the Installation 1021

Configuring AutoCAD 1022

The Files Tab 1023

The Display Tab 1025

The Open And Save Tab 1027

The Plot and Publish Tab 1030

The System Tab 1030

The User Preferences Tab 1032

The Drafting Tab 1034

The 3D Modeling Tab 1035

The Selection Tab 1037

The Profiles Tab