AutoCAD 2014 Essentials

Autodesk Official Press

Scott Onstott

• Publisher: Sybex
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781118575093
• eBook ISBN: 9781118755730
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Digital Media
• Index: Computer Science

Learn crucial AutoCAD tools and techniques with this Autodesk Official Press Book

Quickly become productive using AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014 with this full color Autodesk Official Press guide. This unique learning resource features concise, straightforward explanations and real-world, hands-on exercises and tutorials. Following a quick discussion of concepts and goals, each chapter moves on to an approachable hands-on exercise designed to reinforce real-world tactics and techniques. Compelling, full-color screenshots illustrate tutorial steps, and chapters conclude with related and more open-ended projects to further reinforce the chapter's lessons.

Starting and ending files for the exercises are also available for download, so you can compare your results with those of professionals. You'll follow a workflow-based approach that mirrors the development of projects in the real world, learning 2D drawing skills, editing entities, working with splines and polylines, using layers and objects, creating and editing text, dimensioning, modeling in 3D, and much more.

• Hands-on exercises and their downloadable tutorial files are based on the real-world task of drawing a house
• Covers crucial features and techniques, including 2D drawing working with layers, organizing objects with groups and blocks, using hatch patterns and gradients, using constraints and layouts, importing data, 3D modeling, and
• Includes content to help prepare you for Autodesk's AutoCAD certification program

AutoCAD 2014 and AutoCAD LT 2014 Essentials is the Autodesk Official Press guide that helps you quickly and confidently learn the newest version of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.

Chapter 1

Getting Started

As you begin this book on the AutoCAD® program, I’m reminded of a quote by Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In much the same way, learning AutoCAD is something anyone can do by taking it one step at a time. And I promise that AutoCAD is much easier than walking a thousand miles!

By buying this book, you have already taken the first step in this journey. When you finish, you will have a solid understanding of AutoCAD.

• Exploring the AutoCAD 2014 for Windows user interface
• Setting drawing units

Exploring the AutoCAD 2014 for Windows User Interface

Autodesk has recently released new versions of AutoCAD, including AutoCAD® 2014 and AutoCAD LT® 2014. The two Windows versions look nearly identical and function in almost the same way. The main difference between them is that AutoCAD LT doesn’t support automation and some of the advanced 3D functions. The Mac version looks a bit different than its Windows cousins, but it functions nearly identically to AutoCAD for Windows, albeit with a slightly reduced set of features. Although this book was written using AutoCAD 2014 running on Windows XP Professional, you can use it to learn any of the current versions of AutoCAD.

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AutoCAD for Mac has a user interface that is customized to the Mac experience. Although the Mac user interface is not covered in this book, its commands and capabilities are similar to those in AutoCAD for Windows.

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Exploring the Graphical User Interface

Before you can use AutoCAD, you’ll need to familiarize yourself thoroughly with its graphical user interface (GUI). The AutoCAD 2014 (for Windows) user interface is shown in Figure 1-1.

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Figure 1-1: AutoCAD 2014 user interface

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Let’s now step through the basic user interface for AutoCAD:

1. Click the Application menu. Type polygon, and observe that the text appears in the search box at the top of the Application menu. The search results (see Figure 1-2) list many related AutoCAD commands. Search is useful when you’re not sure how to access a command in the interface or what its exact name is.

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Figure 1-2: Searching for commands in the Application menu

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2. Click the red X at the extreme right edge of the search box to make the initial Application menu interface reappear. Here you can create new or open existing drawings, export or print drawings, and more. Hover the cursor over Open, and then click Drawing (Figure 1-3).

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Figure 1-3: Opening a drawing from the Application menu

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3. Select the following sample file, and click Open in the Select File dialog box:

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2014\Sample\ Sheet Sets\Manufacturing\VW252-02-0142.dwg

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Sheet sets are not available in AutoCAD LT, and they are an optional feature in AutoCAD.

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If you are using AutoCAD LT, open any of the sample files located under C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD LT 2014\Sample. The Sheet Set Manager palette appears when the sample file is opened (see Figure 1-4). This palette automatically appears when you open any drawing that’s a part of a sheet set. AutoCAD has many palettes to organize tools and reusable drawing content.

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Figure 1-4: Opening a sample drawing reveals this palette.

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4. Click the Sheet Views tab along the right edge of the Sheet Set Manager, and observe that tabs provide a means of accessing additional interface content. In its present state, the Sheet Set Manager is a floating palette. Drag its palette bar, and relocate it on screen.

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Drag floating palettes to a secondary monitor to maximize the drawing area on your primary monitor.

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5. Click the Auto-hide toggle, and watch the palette collapse to its vertical palette bar; this saves space on screen. Hover the cursor over the palette bar, and watch the whole palette reappear so that you can access its content. Now toggle Auto-hide off.

6. Click the Palette-properties menu and select Anchor Left. The Sheet Set Manager palette is docked along the left edge of the user interface. There are many options you can use to organize the user interface to match the way you work.

7. Double-click Detail-B under 04 – Brush Roller Sub Assy in the Manufacturing sheet set (see Figure 1-5). A new drawing appears in the drawing window.

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Figure 1-5: Docking a palette

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8. Click the Open button in the Quick Access toolbar. Select any drawing in the Manufacturing folder and click Open. If you are using AutoCAD LT, open any other sample file.

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The Quick Access toolbar is a convenient way to open drawings, especially when you’re not using the Sheet Set Manager.

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9. Click the Quick View Drawings button in the application status bar (see Figure 1-6). Move the cursor over ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Getting Started
• Chapter 2: Basic Drawing Skills
• Chapter 3: Using Drawing Aids
• Chapter 4: Editing Entities
• Chapter 5: Shaping Curves
• Chapter 6: Controlling Object Visibility and Appearance
• Chapter 7: Organizing Objects
• Chapter 8: Hatching and Gradients
• Chapter 9: Working with Blocks and Xrefs
• Chapter 10: Creating and Editing Text
• Chapter 11: Dimensioning
• Chapter 12: Keeping In Control with Constraints
• Chapter 13: Working with Layouts and Annotative Objects
• Chapter 14: Printing and Plotting
• Chapter 15: Working with Data
• Chapter 16: Navigating 3D Models
• Chapter 17: Modeling in 3D
• Chapter 18: Presenting and Documenting 3D Design
• Appendix: Autodesk AutoCAD 2014 Certification