AutoCAD 2011 For Dummies

David Byrnes

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780470595398
• eBook ISBN: 9780470649701
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: CAD-CAM
• Index: Computer Science

A great way to get up and running fast with AutoCAD "X"!

If you're just learning AutoCAD, this friendly, For Dummies guide is perfect for you. You'll get up to speed on all the basics and start creating 2D and 3D technical drawings sooner than you might imagine. Learn how to create a basic drawing, use AutoCAD Design Center, edit your drawings, work with dimensions, add text, and much more. The book is straightforward, easy to follow, and includes practical tips and notes that demystify this complex software even further.

• Gets you quickly up to speed on AutoCAD "X, " the leading technical drawing software from Autodesk
• Covers how to create a basic drawing, use AutoCAD Design Center, edit your drawings, use blocks, work with dimensions, add text, and draw on the Internet
• Includes updates on the latest features in AutoCAD "X" focusing on those that matter most to beginners
• Uses the popular For Dummies approach, which breaks down this intimidating topic into helpful, practical advice and how-tos for real people

AutoCAD "X" For Dummies is what you need to get up to speed and start designing with this market-leading software!

Part I

AutoCAD 101

In this part . . .

AutoCAD 2011 is more than just another drawing program; it’s a complete environment for drafting and design. So if you’re new to AutoCAD, you need to know several things to get off to a good start — especially how to use the command line area and how to set up your drawing properly. These key techniques are described in this part of the book.

If you’ve used earlier versions of AutoCAD, you’ll be most interested in the high points of the new release, including some newer interface components. The lowdown on what’s new is here, too.

Chapter 1

Introducing AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT

In This Chapter

Getting the AutoCAD advantage

Using AutoCAD and DWG files

Meeting the AutoCAD product family

Using AutoCAD LT instead of AutoCAD

Finding out what’s new in 2011

Maybe you’re one of the few remaining holdouts who continue to practice the ancient art of manual drafting with pencil and vellum. If so, I must tell you, you’re a dwindling breed. Or maybe you’re completely new to drafting and yearn for the wealth and fame (would I lead you on?) of the drafter’s life. Maybe you’re an engineer or architect who needs to catch up with the young CAD hotshots in your office. Maybe you tried to use AutoCAD a long time ago, but gave up in frustration or just got rusty. Or maybe you currently use an older release, such as AutoCAD 2006 or even (if you’re into antiques) AutoCAD 2000.

Whatever your current situation or motivation, I hope that you enjoy the process of becoming proficient with AutoCAD. Drawing with AutoCAD is challenging at first, but it’s a challenge worth meeting. AutoCAD rewards those who think creatively about their work and look for ways to do it better. You can always find out more, discover a new trick, or improve the efficiency and quality of your drawing production.

AutoCAD first hit the bricks in the early 1980s, around the same time as the first IBM PCs. It was offered for a bewildering variety of operating systems, including CP/M (ask your granddad about that one!), various flavors of UNIX, and even Apple’s Macintosh. By far the most popular of those early versions was for MS-DOS (your dad can tell you about that one). Eventually, Autodesk settled on Microsoft Windows as the sole operating system for AutoCAD. AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD LT 2011 are supported in the following Windows flavors, including both 32- and 64-bit versions:

Windows 7 and Windows Vista Home Premium

Windows 7 Professional

Windows 7 and Windows Vista Enterprise

Windows 7 and Windows Vista Ultimate

Windows Vista Business

Windows XP Professional

Windows XP Home (32-bit only)

Although it’s not officially supported, it can also run in Windows XP Tablet 2005 Edition and make use of the tablet functionality included in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Trying to do production drafting on a tablet isn’t a great idea due to limitations in the graphics system, but I know it works, because I’m running it that way myself!

Because of AutoCAD’s MS-DOS heritage and its emphasis on efficiency for production drafters, it’s not the easiest program to master, but it has gotten easier and more consistent over the past decade or so. AutoCAD is pretty well integrated into the Windows environment now, but you still bump into some vestiges of its MS-DOS legacy — especially the command line (that text area lurking at the bottom of the AutoCAD screen — see Chapter 2 for details). But even the command line — oops! command window — is kinder and gentler in AutoCAD 2011. This book guides you around the bumps and minimizes the bruises.

Why AutoCAD?

AutoCAD has been around a long time — since 1982, which I suspect, dear readers, is longer than some of you! AutoCAD ushered in the transition from really expensive mainframe and minicomputer CAD systems costing tens of thousands of dollars to merely somewhat expensive microcomputer CAD programs costing a few thousand dollars.

AutoCAD’s 3D abilities have grown by leaps and bounds over the last several releases, and 3D modeling is becoming a common way of checking designs before they’re drafted. Nevertheless, AutoCAD is, first and foremost, a program for creating two-dimensional technical drawings: drawings in which measurements and precision are important because these kinds of drawings often get used to build something. The drawings you create with AutoCAD must adhere to standards established long ago for hand-drafted drawings. The up-front investment to use AutoCAD is certainly more expensive than the investment needed to use pencil and paper, and the learning curve is much steeper, too. So why bother? The key reasons for using AutoCAD rather than pencil and paper are

Precision: Creating lines, circles, and other shapes of the exact dimensions is easier with AutoCAD than with pencils.

Modifiability: Drawings are much easier to modify on the computer screen than on...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title Page
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Part I: AutoCAD 101
• Part II: Let There Be Lines
• Part III: If Drawings Could Talk
• Part IV: Advancing with AutoCAD
• Part V: On a 3D Spree
• Part VI: The Part of Tens