Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dear Reader,

Dedication

Acknowledgments

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Introduction

What Will You Learn from This Book?

Files on the Website

Hints for Success

Ready, Set…

CHAPTER 1

Starting AutoCAD

Introducing the AutoCAD Graphics Window

Working in the Command Window

Using the Ribbon

Using the Ribbon Tools

Using the Application Menu

Switching Between Open Drawings

Using the Drop-Down Menus

Using the Toolbars

Using the Keyboard

Using the Mouse

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 2

Using the Line Command

Drawing the Shape

Completing the Shape

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER3

Setting Up the Drawing Units

Setting Up the Drawing Size

Drawing with Grid and Snap

Saving Your Work

A Summary of AutoCAD’s Units

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 4

Laying Out the Walls

Creating Doors

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 5

Drawing the Thresholds

Drawing the Decks and Stairs

Laying Out the Kitchen

Constructing the Bathroom

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 6 - Using Layers to Organize Your Drawing

Using Layers as an Organizing Tool

Assigning Linetypes to Layers

Assigning Objects to Layers

Setting a Linetype Scale Factor

Setting Properties of Layers and Objects

Using the Action Recorder

Creating Layer States

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 7 - Combining Objects into Blocks

Making a Block for a Door

Finding Blocks in a Drawing

Inserting the Window Block

Revising a Block

Sharing Information Between Drawings

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 8 - Controlling Text in a Drawing

Setting Up Text Styles

Using Single-Line Text

Using Multiline Text

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 9 - Using Dynamic Blocks and Tables

Using Attributes for a Grid

Setting Up Multiple Attributes in a Block

Creating a Dynamic Block

Creating a Table

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 10 - Generating Elevations

Drawing the South Elevation

Setting Up Lines for the Heights

Using Grips to Copy Lines

Trimming Lines in the Elevation

Drawing the Decks in Elevation

Generating the Other Elevations

Considering Drawing Scale Issues

Drawing Interior Elevations

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 11 - Working with Hatches, Gradients, and Tool Palettes

Hatching the South Elevation

Looking at Hatch Patterns

Using Hatches in the Floor Plan

Modifying the Shape of Hatch Patterns

Creating and Managing Tool Palettes

Setting Up a Palette for Hatches

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 12 - Dimensioning a Drawing

Introducing Dimension Styles

Placing Dimensions on the Drawing

Using Other Types of Dimensions

Modifying Dimensions

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 13 - Managing External References

Drawing a Site Plan

Setting Up an External Reference

Modifying an Xref Drawing

Putting Xrefs to Use

Exploring Additional Xref Features

Binding Xrefs

Exploring Other Xref Features

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 14 - Using Layouts to Set Up a Print

Setting Up Layouts

Adjusting a Viewport’s Contents

If You Would Like More Practice…

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 15 - Printing an AutoCAD Drawing

Using the Plot Dialog Box

Printing a Drawing

Printing a Drawing Using Layouts

A Few Words about Plot Styles

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 16 - Creating 3D Geometry

Modeling in 3D

Creating the Floor, Foundation, and Thresholds

Getting Further Directions in 3D

Are You Experienced?

CHAPTER 17 - Rendering and Materials

Creating Cameras to Reproduce Views

Creating a Lighting Scheme

Adding Materials

Are You Experienced?

GLOSSARY

INDEX

Senior Acquisitions Editor: Willem Knibbe Development Editor: Gary Schwartz Technical Editor: John Evansco Production Editor: Christine O’Connor Copy Editor: Liz Welch Production Manager: Tim Tate Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde Book Designer and Compositor: Franz Baumhackl Proofreader: Jen Larsen, Word One New York Indexer: Robert Swanson Project Coordinator, Cover: Lynsey Stanford Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed Cover Image: Dieter Spannknebel / Digital Vision / Getty Images, Inc.

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-43868-8

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McFarland, Jon.

AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010 : no experience required / Jon McFarland. p. cm.

1. Computer graphics. 2. AutoCAD. I. Title.

T385.M3783 2009

620’.00420285536—dc22

2009009717

TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010: No Experienced Required. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than thirty years later, we’re still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles we’re working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I’d be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we’re doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at nedde@wiley.com, or if you think you’ve found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

Best regards,

NEIL EDDE
Vice President and Publisher
Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley

To my lovely wife, Lucy, and our two sons, Zach and Jacob

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to the many people who contributed to the publication of this update of the book. For those involved in this project at Sybex and Wiley, I extend my thanks.

Sandy Jaffe clarified the nuances of the contract, and helped with the logistics around the signing. Thanks to Senior Acquisitions Editor Willem Knibbe who brought me into this project and has served as acquisitions editor for this and previous updates. He has continued to rally support for its publication, and he has maintained a constructive relationship with Jim Quanci and Denis Cadu of the Autodesk Developer Network. Thanks to Shaan Hurley and Nate Bartley from Autodesk, who provided me with access to the software in development and answered many of my questions.

Thanks to John Evansco, who provided his expertise to do the technical editing. I very much appreciate his lending his teaching and engineering expertise in checking the text and figures for technical accuracy. Gary Schwartz served well as developmental editor and quickly responded to issues that arose. The production editor was Christine O’Connor; she kept track of the submissions and all the changes and, thanks to her, the work progressed at a rate to meet the schedule. Liz Welch served as copy editor and, in doing so, helped update the language and syntax to keep the book very readable, and she was also an asset in this project. Thanks to Andre Evans for providing the excellent hand-drawn graphics in Chapter 16.

Finally, I want to thank the production team at Wiley. Franz Baumhackl has again served skillfully as compositor and designer. Jen Larsen took on the arduous task of proofreader, and Jack Lewis served as indexer. They have all performed very well. Everyone involved has been successful in maintaining standards of high quality, and I appreciate their work on this book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jon McFarland manages the CAD department for a company that owns, develops, and manages retail, office and, residential properties. He has written and contributed to several books on AutoCAD and 3ds Max and teaches AutoCAD and 3ds Max at the college level.

INTRODUCTION

This book was born of the need for a simple, yet engaging tutorial that would help beginners step into the world of AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT without feeling intimidated. That tutorial has evolved over the years into a full introduction to the ways in which architects and civil and structural engineers use AutoCAD to increase their efficiency and ability to produce state-of-the-art computerized production drawings and designs.

Because AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT are so similar, it makes sense to cover the basics of both programs in one book. For most of the book, the word AutoCAD stands for both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.

When you come to a section of a chapter that applies to AutoCAD only, the icon shown here is displayed in the margin to alert you. When appropriate, extra information for AutoCAD LT users is provided to give you a workaround or otherwise keep you in step with the tutorial.

The last two chapters, which are an introduction to drawing in 3D, apply only to AutoCAD, because AutoCAD LT doesn’t have AutoCAD’s 3D commands and features. But LT users can be assured that LT is very much the same program as AutoCAD, with only minor differences. You’ll be prompted when those differences, most of which are 3D features, come along.

This book is directed toward AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT novices—users who know how to use a computer and perform basic file-managing tasks, such as creating new folders and saving and moving files, but who know nothing or little about AutoCAD or LT (as I’ll call AutoCAD LT throughout the book). If you’re new to the construction and design professions, this book will be an excellent companion as you learn AutoCAD. If you’re already practicing in those fields, you’ll immediately be able to apply the skills you’ll pick up from this book to real-world projects. The exercises have been successfully used to train architects, engineers, and contractors, as well as college and high school students, in the basics of AutoCAD.

For those of you in other trades and professions, the project that runs through the book—drawing a small cabin—has been kept simple so that it doesn’t require special training in architecture or construction. Also, most chapters have additional information and exercises specifically designed for non-AEC users. Anyone wanting to learn AutoCAD will find this book helpful.

What Will You Learn from This Book?

Learning AutoCAD, like learning any complex computer program, requires a significant commitment of time and attention and, to some extent, a tolerance for repetition. You must understand new concepts to operate the program and to appreciate its potential as a drafting and design tool. However, to become proficient at AutoCAD, you must also use the commands enough times to gain an intuitive sense of how they work and how parts of a drawing are constructed.

At the end of most chapters, you’ll find one or more additional exercises and a checklist of the tools you have learned (or should have learned). The steps in the tutorial have a degree of repetition built into them that allows you to work through new commands several times and build up confidence before you move on to the next chapter.

Progressing through the book, the chapters fall into five general areas of study:

• Chapters 1 through 3 familiarize you with the organization of the AutoCAD user interface, cover a few of the basic commands, and equip you with the tools necessary to set up a new drawing.

• Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the basic drawing commands and develop drawing strategies that will help you use commands efficiently.

• Chapters 6 through 11 work with AutoCAD’s major features.

• Chapters 12 through 15 examine intermediate and advanced AutoCAD features.

• Chapters 16 and 17 cover the 3D modeling tools and the methods for applying materials in AutoCAD.

In the process of exploring these elements, you’ll follow the steps involved in laying out the floor plan of a small cabin. You’ll then learn how to generate elevations from the floor plan and, eventually, how to set up a title block and layouts to print your drawing. Along the way, you’ll also learn how to do the following:

• Use the basic drawing and modify commands in a strategic manner

• Set up layers

• Assign colors to your drawing

• Define and insert blocks

• Generate elevation views

• Place hatch patterns and fills on building components

• Use text in your drawing

Chapters in the latter part of the book touch on more advanced features of AutoCAD, including:

• Dimensioning the floor plan

• Drawing a site plan

• Using external references

• Setting up a drawing for printing with layouts

• Making a print of your drawing

• Working in 3D (for AutoCAD users)

All these features are taught using the cabin as a continuing project. As a result, you’ll build a set of drawings that document your progress throughout the project. You can use these drawings later as reference material if you need to refresh your memory with material covering a specific skill.

At the end of the book is a glossary of terms that are used in the book and are related to AutoCAD and building design. This is followed by an index.

Files on the Website

If you’re already somewhat familiar with AutoCAD and you’re reading only some of the chapters, or if you want to check your work on the cabin against the book at different stages, you can pull accompanying files from this book’s page on Wiley’s website at www.sybex.com/go/autocad2010ner. Click the Resources & Downloads button on that page.

Hints for Success

Because this book is essentially a step-by-step tutorial, it has a common side effect with tutorials of this type. After you finish a chapter and see that you have progressed further through the cabin project, you may wonder exactly what you just did and whether you could do it again without the help of the step-by-step instructions.

This feeling is a natural result of this type of learning tool, and you can do a couple of things to get beyond it:

• You can work through the chapter again. Doing so may seem tedious, but it will help you draw faster. You’ll be able to accomplish the same task in half the time it took you to do it the first time. If you do a chapter a third time, you’ll halve your time again. Each time you repeat a chapter, you can skip more and more of the explicit instructions, and eventually you’ll be able to execute the commands and finish the chapter by just looking at the figures and glancing at the text. In many ways, this process is like learning a musical instrument. You must go slowly at first, but over time and through practice, your pace will pick up.

• Another suggestion for honing your skills is to follow the course of the book but apply the steps to a different project. You might draw your own living space or design a new one. If you have a real-life design project that isn’t too complex, that’s even better. Your chances for success in learning AutoCAD, or any computer program, are greatly increased when you’re highly motivated, and a real project of an appropriate size can be the perfect motivator.

Ready, Set…

When I started learning AutoCAD about 19 years ago, I experienced a level of frustration that I never thought I was capable of feeling. When I finally got over the hump and began feeling that I could successfully draw with this program after all, I told myself that I would someday figure out a way to help others get past their initial frustration. That was the primary motivating force for my writing this book. I hope it works for you and that you too get some enjoyment while learning AutoCAD. As the title says, there is “no experience required”—only an interest in the subject and a willingness to learn!

CHAPTER 1

Getting to Know AutoCAD

• Opening a new drawing

• Getting familiar with the AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT graphics windows

• Modifying the display

• Displaying and arranging AutoCAD tools

Your introduction to AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT begins with a tour of the user interfaces of the two programs. In this chapter, you’ll also learn how to use some tools that help you control their appearance and how to find and start commands. For the material covered in this chapter, the two applications are almost identical in appearance. Therefore, as you tour AutoCAD, I’ll point out any differences between AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. In general, LT is a 2D program, so it doesn’t have most of the 3D features that come with AutoCAD, such as solids modeling and rendering. The AutoLISP programming language found in AutoCAD is also absent from LT, as is the Action Recorder. The other differences are minor. As mentioned in this book’s introduction, when I say AutoCAD, I mean both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. I’ll also specifically refer to AutoCAD LT as LT throughout this chapter and the rest of the book. Starting AutoCAD is the first task at hand.

Starting AutoCAD

If you installed AutoCAD using the default settings for the location of the program files, start the program by choosing Start ⇒ Programs ⇒ Autodesk ⇒ AutoCAD 2010 ⇒ AutoCAD 2010 or by choosing Start ⇒ Programs ⇒ Autodesk ⇒ AutoCAD LT 2010 ⇒ AutoCAD LT 2010, depending on your program. (This command path might vary depending on the Windows operating system and scheme you are using.) You can also find and double-click the AutoCAD 2010 icon or the AutoCAD LT 2010 icon on your desktop.

The Initial Setup Dialog Box

When you first start AutoCAD, you may encounter the Initial Setup dialog box shown in Figure 1.1. In this dialog box, you can select the field most closely associated with the type of drawings you create. AutoCAD then displays the Ribbon panels and palettes usually associated with that field.

If you encounter this dialog box, click the Skip button. AutoCAD has several available configurations, and clicking Skip will be more likely to result in your setup looking like the one in this book. You’ll next encounter the Initial Setup dialog box shown in Figure 1.2. Be sure the Remind Me The Next Time AutoCAD 2010 Starts option is checked, and then click the Start AutoCAD 2010 button.

FIGURE 1.1 : The first Initial Setup dialog Box

FIGURE 1.2 : The second Initial Setup dialog box

ACCESSING THE INITIAL SETUP DIALOG BOXES

To access the Initial Setup dialog boxes after the program has started, enter op↵ to open the Options dialog box, click the User Preferences tab, and then click the Initial Setup button.

Exploring the New Features Workshop

The New Features Workshop welcome screen opens when you first start AutoCAD and leads to several animated demonstrations and explanations of the new features included in the latest release of AutoCAD (see Figure 1.3). This is a quick and easy way to see how AutoCAD 2010 has improved over AutoCAD 2009 and which tools you can use to augment any skills you already have. Choosing Maybe Later on the left side causes the dialog box to reappear every time you start AutoCAD. Choosing the No, Don’t Show This To Me Again option dismisses the dialog box indefinitely. If you choose that option, you must then access the New Features Workshop through the Help button on the right end of the AutoCAD title bar.

FIGURE 1.3 : The AutoCAD welcome screen provides access to the New Features Workshop.

Selecting the Yes radio button on the left side of the dialog box opens the New Features Workshop dialog box (see Figure 1.4). Here you navigate to and select the feature you want to investigate in the left pane and observe the selection in the right pane. The drop-down list in the upper-left corner provides access to the New Features Workshops for other Autodesk products installed on your system.

FIGURE 1.4 : The New Features Workshop dialog box

The Customer Involvement Program

Nearly all the recent releases of Autodesk products include the opportunity to participate in a customer involvement program (CIP). The CIP is designed to collect nonpersonal information about your Autodesk products and computer system to help the product programmers and developers design software that best meets your needs. If you haven’t yet agreed or declined to participate, when you first start AutoCAD the Customer Involvement Program dialog box (Figure 1.5) might prompt you to join.

FIGURE 1.5 : The Customer Involvement Program dialog box

Participation is strictly voluntary and, if you choose to participate, AutoCAD will periodically send a small file to Autodesk containing information such as your software name and version, the commands you use, and your system configuration information. An Internet connection is required, and you must ensure that your firewall settings don’t prevent the information from being transmitted.

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!